Heaving for breath, he held her in his arms, not ready to separate. His forehead rested on hers and he reached up, encasing her face with his palms, rubbing his thumbs gently back and forth before softly kissing her lips; slow, sweet pecks. “Perfect. You’re perfect.” He kissed her again. “Did you mean it? You still love me?”
“Yes,” she looked him deep in the eyes. “I don’t understand it, but I meant it.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“I don’t know.” She sat forward, gently pushing him back and he pulled out of her, zipping himself back up. “Because I barely know you. Because I’m terrified of you most days. Because this is wrong.”
“What’s wrong about it? It didn’t feel wrong.”
“Well no, it wouldn’t. You’re not the married one here.”
“Yes I am. Maybe not on paper, but what we have is so much stronger than marriage. This is where you’re meant to be. With me. You felt it when we first met. We both did.”
Annie agreed, but held her tongue while stepping down from the desk.
“Can you do something for me?”
“What?” she asked, tucking her shirt back into place.
He was losing her. Could feel her pushing away from him again. “Try.” He stretched forward for her hand and entwined their fingers. “Be with me. Give me a chance. Give us a chance. No matter how wrong it feels, you owe it to yourself to at least try. Back in New York, all you did was fight against us and look where we are. Still together. In love with each other. Don’t you want to know what will happen if you stop fighting?”
“I don’t know,” she paused to think. “Yes. Maybe. It’s just.”
“Just what?”
“What about Keith? I don’t want him to find out. It would crush him.”
“Then he doesn’t have to find out. If you want me to be your secret I’m okay with that. I’ll do whatever it takes if it gets you to give us a real shot.”
B hesitated. She didn’t know what to say and Braxton didn’t think he could take it if she told him no. Saying no wasn’t an option.
“Just think about it, okay?”
The door to the hall clicked open and a couple of laughing girls stepped in.
“We have to go,” she told him and walked toward where her shoulder bag layed on the floor, dropped and forgotten about in their earlier haste. She picked it up and ran a hand through her hair, casually fixing her appearance.
Braxton followed her out through the lower level door. She walked briskly down a hall scattered with paintings on the walls and made her way to the elevator. The doors slid open and she stepped in, he was right on her tail. As they closed he grasped her hand, eager to touch her again. They rode down in silence. There was so much to say, yet neither of them spoke.
He let her go with reluctance as the elevator stopped on level one. They both stepped off, but neither of them knew where to go.
“I have a session in an hour. With a client from one of Keith’s cases. I have to go.”
“That Jason kid?”
“Yes. How do you know about him?”
“I know everything about you. I told you. I’ve been here all along.”
“You’ve been stalking me?”
“Everyday.”
“I should have expected as much.”
“You should have.”
She glanced over her shoulder, knowing she needed to leave, but not knowing how to tell him, so Braxton said it for her.
“I’ll see you around B.”
“Yeah. I guess you will,” she smiled, making a play on his recent admission, but it wasn’t a happy smile.
I love you, he mouthed.
She closed her eyes, took a heavy breath and nodded, but didn’t say it back. Instead she turned in the opposite direction and walked away. He watched as she carried on down the palm tree lined path, hoping she would turn back to him, but she never did.
Braxton walked back to his car in defeat. He got what he came for, but it didn’t feel like he won. Just the opposite in fact. It felt like goodbye. When he arrived back home he knew he had work to do, but couldn’t get her out of his head.
Undressing down to his boxers, he went straight for the punching bag. It’s when he did his best thinking. He let loose all his pent up fury, aggression, sorrow; every emotion he had, and put it right into the bag. He was giving her everything. Punch. How could she not see that? Punch punch. What else did she fucking want from him? He practically got down on his knees and begged her to be with him, and he never begged. Punch Punch. Begging was for fucking pansies who didn’t really think they could get what they were asking for. He knew he’d get her, he just wanted her to make the choice. He didn’t want to have to do it for her.
Braxton began wailing on the bag, lost in his thoughts. His biceps burned. Sweat dripped down his forehead, searing its way into his eyes, but he stopped for nothing, not even to wipe it away. When he was in this zone his mind was clear. Nothing fazed him. Nothing bothered him. It was better than sleeping. This was when he felt the most relaxed, refreshed. And when he finally stopped punching, just stood there holding the bag, what he’d been reaching for so hard before was suddenly right in front of him. He just couldn’t see it before, his thoughts too clouded with want and desire. She didn’t want him to be in love with her, or maybe more accurately, she didn’t want him to profess his love. She didn’t want him begging. Didn’t want him sweet, caring, kind. That was too normal. She already had normal. What she wanted was him. The real him. All of him. The dark, the ugly. She wanted Lucifer, not Cupid.
He picked up his phone from the counter in the kitchen in an attempt to text her and was surprised to find a message already waiting.
B:
I’m going to think about it. Promise. 2:42pm
I know I told you to think about it, but save your fucking thoughts. I’m done with all your thinking.
What the fuck does that mean?
It means you’re working late tonight. With me.
I can’t. Not tonight.
It’s cute you think you have a choice.
Keith has a dinner planned for me to meet this guy he’s been working with. I have to go.
Then you better call him now and cancel. I’m not asking. I’m telling. Don’t you dare fucking say no.
And when I get there you’re going to suck me off while I cum down the back of your throat.
Ok. 2:58pm
Braxton arrived at B’s office a little after nine. It was later than he anticipated. She texted him a couple times throughout the night, threatened going home, but he knew she’d still be there. Benny texted too. Kari Cruz was ready and waiting. He took the stairs two at a time, eager to see her and when he rounded the corner she was closing the office door, locking up for the night. He snuck up quick and quiet, wrapping his arms around her. She screamed and instinctually he threw up a hand to her mouth, muffling the cries.
“Sneaking out on me?” he asked, dropping his hand.
She turned and shoved him away and he reacted, used his body to press her hard back into the door.
“Do you know what I would have done if you left?”
She didn’t answer.
“I’m done playing nice with you. From now on, if I tell you to do something, you better fucking do it.”
“Or what?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know. But you’ll find out. I promise. Do it again and I guarantee that will be the last time you don’t do something I say.”
“You’re such a fucking Neanderthal, you know that?”
“You love it.”
“Maybe.” She smiled. There was no maybe about it.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“Your surprise better not have anything to do with me blowing you. Not after you made me wait for three hours.”
“You’ll do whatever the fuck I tell you to do, remember?” He leaned in and kissed her, grasping her by the neck, letting his tongue tease hers before pulling back. �
�Sucking my dick is not your surprise, although I think you’d like that just as much.”
“Then what’s my surprise?”
“When I said you’d be working late with me I meant it. I have some Emmo business to attend to. Want to help?”
On the heels of her excitement they walked in the office. Braxton locked the door and turned off the bright overhead lights, leaving just a small lamp in the corner illuminating a soft glow.
“Sit down. I want to talk to you first before we do this.” He sat on the couch and she walked over to sit next to him, tucking a foot under herself. “Ground rules first. One,” he held up a finger. “All joking aside, you will do exactly as I tell you. If you want in on this you have to know that for the next however long it takes, I’m not your lover, at least not in the sense where I let you get away with defiance. In your class earlier today, that’s what I tried to do and you put me in my place, I’ll do the same to you. I can’t show any kind of weakness. That’s not allowed in my world. Do you think you can do that? For the next thirty minutes or so? Respect me as the Emmo boss I am?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I can do that.”
“Good. Second rule. You can talk, you don’t need to hide, but you will support every decision I make, even if it scares you, which it will. I’m going to let you run this with me. Your decisions will count too and in turn I will stand by everything you say, so be careful what you ask for.”
“What is it we’re doing exactly?”
“We’re trying to figure out who murdered Cole and I’m on a time clock here. The longer I wait to retaliate the more it seems like I’m going soft or I’m too scared to do anything, but the real problem is, I already know who killed him, and he isn’t going to be the one blamed. We have to logically pin it on someone else.”
“Why? Who killed him?”
“I did.” His voice was cold. Ruthless. He thought she’d back away from him, but in usual fashion it only brought her closer.
She reached for his hand and squeezed it tight. “Who are you trying to pin it on? Any prospects?”
“Yes as a matter of fact, I’m hoping to pin it on the same people who are fucking us over enough to make detectives take notice. Two birds and all. But aren’t you going to ask me why I did it? I killed my own father. Aren’t you wondering what kind of heartless person would do that?”
“First off, he wasn’t your real father. I never met him, but from what you told me he was a manipulative asshole. And second,” she moved over to him, straddling his lap. “I don’t need to know why you did it. You had your reasons. That’s good enough for me.”
“Is it now?” His hands grazed her hips and moved down to her bare thighs, the tips of his fingers digging in. “You’re so hot when you talk like that. I love your reverence. That’s exactly how I need you.”
B leaned in for a kiss, holding him firm by the back of the neck and he let her dictate the pace. His hand found its way under her skirt and he noticed she was panty free. He immediately slid two fingers in, hard and deep and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
“You know that reporter,” he asked as she began moving against him, riding his hand. “The one reporting on Cole’s case.”
“Yes,” she panted. “What about her?”
“That’s what this is about. Benny has her at a warehouse. I need to convince her to be on our side. To stop reporting all the speculation that’s being fed to her and to start getting her news coverage from the source.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe a little bribe. Everyone has their price. It just depends how much she wants. If we can afford to pay her.”
“Afford? I’m pretty sure you have more than enough money to cover what she’ll ask.” B kept moving, using his fingers like she would his dick. Not fazed in the least by their conversation.
“Not me. The Emmo. I never use my personal accounts for shit like this. It’s the easiest way to get caught. Take your shirt off.”
She complied and unhooked her bra as well, throwing them both to the floor and let her tits bounce in his face as she continued to ride. “Well how much could the Emmo afford?” she asked, adjusting closer to gain more friction.
“How much we can afford and want to afford are two different things.” He paused to suck a nipple into his mouth. Then switched and played homage to the other before continuing to speak. “I could get away with giving her a quarter mill. After that the more cost effective option would be to kill her and cross our fingers the next reporter who steps up to the plate will not be as honorable.”
“Why pay her at all? Why not just get rid of her?”
“You sound like Benny. We’re going to offer to pay her because she’s just doing her job. It’s the same reason I don’t go around killing every cop I come in contact with. Once we kill her, all eyes are on us. I happen to work well with law enforcement in New York. Besides those fuckers who picked you up, most officials understand I’m a necessity. A necessary evil. There will always be men like me running the streets. I’m the best they could hope for. I keep our hits between rivals and in exchange they let me run things how I see fit. Once we kill Cruz, all that changes, but I’m in a predicament because I can’t just let her walk away.”
“Do you think she’ll take it? She seems like a straight arrow.”
B’s breathing had picked up a notch. She was close to finishing which was a good thing because his phone had been vibrating in his pocket since they started, but he wasn’t going to stop for anything until she was done. “I don’t know and I fucking hate not knowing.”
The thought pissed him off and he grew more aggressive with her. Thrusting his fingers harder. Needing to feel like he was at least in control of something. He felt her pulsing around him only seconds later.
Braxton dialed Benny and turned off the tableside lamp as he connected to FaceTime. He wanted to see what was going on, but not be seen. B sat beside him, still topless, her legs draped over his lap. She began to complain as he pulled off her skirt, but then closed her mouth, remembering his rules. This was how he wanted her. Naked and ready for him so he could take her as soon as the call ended. Benny picked up after the second ring, the dingy warehouse gracing the background.
“About fucking time Ax.”
“I know. I was busy. Are we ready?”
“Yes. I should tell you though. This one’s a spitfire. The guys had to rough her up a little more than we discussed.”
“How much more?”
“Nothing time won’t heal.”
Braxton sighed. Knowing Benny that meant she was going to need weeks of recovery and they didn’t fucking have time for that. He needed her camera ready as soon as possible. “What part of don’t hurt her wasn’t clear to you? The guys couldn’t subdue a fucking hundred and twenty pound girl with absolutely no fighting experience? I have a hard time believing that. Be thankful I’m not there right now or I’d make your face look exactly how I’m suspecting hers does.”
Benny didn’t say a word in defence. He knew he was in the wrong. If he wasn’t his second in command he’d have his men do it for him, but he didn’t want to order them to give a beating to their superior. Benny would have known this too. He’d have known there was nothing Braxton could do about it. At least not at the moment.
“I want to see her.”
“Yes sir.”
Braxton waited while Benny walked the phone through the warehouse and toward a back room. When he opened the door he could see her in a high-back chair, rope binding her mid section and ankles. Her left eye was puffy and swollen, a nasty egg graced her cheekbone and blood dripped from a cut on her lip. She looked bad, but it could have been worse. If Braxton had to guess, the girl had been backhanded several times. B moved closer to him. Getting a better look at the screen. If she was bothered by the view it didn’t show.
Benny turned around with the phone, knowing he would want to see who all was in the room. Only four men, but they
were some of his best. He trusted them completely. Walking forward with the phone, he set it on something near where Kari was sitting and stepped off to the side.
“Ms. Cruz, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
She didn’t respond.
“I hope you’re not hurt too bad. You should realize we usually deal with thugs and dealers trying to take us down, never young, innocent women.”
Again she didn’t respond.
“For a TV reporter you’re not much of a talker. I expected more. I have an idea though, why don’t we do a little ice breaker? Get to know each other. I’ll go first. They call me Ax, maybe you’ve heard of me. I run a little syndicate called the Em Oh Three.”
Her eyes widened as he likely just confirmed her speculations of who kidnapped her.
“I’m sitting here with my girl. I hope you don’t mind. She wanted to watch and I’m a nice guy like that. Say hi B.”
“Hi,” she said timidly.
“Okay, your turn. Tell me something.”
“My name’s Kari Cruz, maybe you’ve heard of me. I’m sitting here in a warehouse with a bunch of guys. Guys say hi.”
Braxton laughed out loud; couldn’t help himself. He suddenly understood the bruises on her face so much more. “Touché, Ms. Cruz. Touché. How about I start over?” He stopped to clear his throat. “Colton King was for all intents and purposes was my father. He raised me. Trained me. I am the man I am today because of him and therefore I am extremely pissed off. I’m officially the boss of the Emmo, but my first role was originally as an executioner. I think it had something to do with my bad temper and appreciation for the rules. I’ve killed more people than the four guards standing in that room combined. It’s a lot easier giving the orders now than carrying them out, but I like to think of myself as a nice guy. I’m not one to kill someone for no reason. Not even you, although my counterpart thinks I’m wrong about that, and I really fucking hate being wrong. So I’m hoping you can prove me right. Was that better? Your turn now.”
Caged Page 42
