by Ml Mitchell
“Please don’t…” Her words were cut off by the fist that hit her in the left jaw. She would have fell if it were not for Ron’s body pressed up against her.
“If you can give it up to that nigga, you damn sho can give it up to me,” he hissed.
Trying not to faint, she tried to mollify. “I have not been unfaithful to you. I swear.”
He grabbed the ponytail at the back of her head, and jerked her face to his. “I don’t believe a damn thing that come out of your mouth. You’ve been there for over two months.” He looked down at her breast, then back up. “Ain’t no nigga gonna have a piece like you under his roof and not have at it.” He let go of her hair and stepped back.
“But…” Another punch silenced anything she would have said. Seeing spots before her eyes, she slowly crumbled to the floor. Fighting to remain conscious, she looked at the man who was not just her husband, but much more, and it wasn’t good. As she got on her hands and knees to get up, a pain in her side dropped her face down on the floor. She was struggling to breath when the second kick landed in her ribs.
“Look what you’re making me do to you,” Ron yelled. He leaned over her making sure she could hear him. “If you just learn to act right, you wouldn’t be in this situation.” He rolled her onto her back. Ripping her shirt open along with her bra, he growled, “You are mine. No one else can have you.” Bending his head, he pulled one of her nipples into his mouth. He suckled and bit as hard as he could.
Madison was in so much pain from her face and chest, that his assault on her breast had little effect. As he fumbled with the buttons of her jeans, she reached out, searching the floor for any kind of weapon. When her hand found one of his work boots, she didn’t hesitate. The heel of the boot crashed into Ron’s right temple so hard, it knocked him out cold. Quickly rolling him off of her, she snatched the edges of her shirt and tried to hide her nakedness. Because the buttons were no longer attached, she gave up and snatched up a t-shirt on the dresser. Slipping it on over her ruined clothes, she ran from the house, never looking back.
Even though the pain was extremely painful, she found the strength to return to Tyree’s house and make it into the TV room before she collapsed.
Tyree walked into the TV room expecting Mad to be up and excited. What he saw, was his best friend tucked in on the couch. Smiling to himself, he walked over to where she was and stopped dead. It took him a moment to comprehend what he was seeing. Her eyes were closed, but he couldn’t mistake the bruises and swelling on her face.
“What the hell happened to you!” he yelled. Too upset to be gentle. Madison jumped up into a seated position, and in doing so caused her body to protest. The pain was too much to bear, so she screamed. Tyree was beside her instantly. “Mad, who did this to you?” he asked as he eased her into a more comfortable position.
She knew there was getting around telling him everything, and so she told him everything Ron had done to her. When she was finished, she couldn’t look at him. She was so ashamed and didn’t want him to think badly of her. Tyree stood up, not wanting to look at her. Afraid of the rage she would see in his eyes, he turned his back on her. She grabbed his hand before he could walk away. “Ty, I—”
“Don’t say anything. I am so ashamed of myself.” He kept his back to her as he continued, “I should have been there for you. Should have intervened.”
Standing up and moving around to face him, she lift his hand to her lips. “You have been there and that is all that you could have done.” Seeing that he was unconvinced that it was his fault, she said, “I could have walked away sooner. I chose to stay.” Lowering her eyes, she frowned. “I thought that it would pass. That he would stop doing these things if I just did like he asked.”
He retrieved his hand and grabbed her shoulders, trying to calm himself. “It wasn’t your fault, Mad. He did this and he will pay.” Dropping his hands and turning, Tyree exhaled. “He will know exactly how it feels to be helpless and frighten. When I’m done, he’ll understand what pain really is.” He headed out of the room.
She stared after him and wondered what he intended to do. When she grasped just what Tyree meant, she quickly tried to go after him. The first step sent a sharp pain across her chest. Fighting the pain, she took another, but it was too much for her. Feeling lightheaded, she reached out to steady herself, but there was nothing close. She pitched forward, seeing the room spin just before everything went black, sending her crashing to the floor.
Tyree reached the garage door when he heard a crash come from the TV room. Rushing back to see what happened, he came up short when he saw Mad on her side on the floor, the vase from the coffee table next to her in pieces.
Kneeling down beside her, he checked her pulse. It was strong, but she had a layer of sweat covering her face. “Mad,” he called. He got no response and began to really worry. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed 9-1-1. “Yes. I need an ambulance.” As he gave his address and answer all questions asked, Tyree hung up then gently picked her up. Once she was settled on the couch, he paced back and forth worrying and cursing. This was not good, he thought, looking at Madison. She hasn’t moved a muscle and that didn’t seem good. “Lord, let her be alright,” he quietly prayed.
Chapter Five
After three days of tests and rest, Madison was finally released from the hospital. Suffering a broken rib was not as bad as being in the hospital, she mused. She was ready to go home with Tyree. He had been a constant companion while she recuperated. The night she was admitted, he spoke with Officer Burke from the local police station. Being drugged up most of the time, she wasn’t able to give her statement until yesterday. Talking about what Ron had done to her was embarrassing, but she knew it had to be done.
“Are you ready to go home?” Tyree was poking he head around her hospital room door.
“I am more than ready.”
“Let go.” He grabbed her bag off the bed. “If I’m tired of the hospital, I know you are.”
As the nurse rolled her out the door, she smiled. “You could have went home anytime you wanted to. I, on the other hand, had to endure.” He and the nurse laughed together. “It’s not funny you two.”
Tyree just kept walking along with them to the side entrance. Thanks to Justin, he didn’t have to deal with paparazzi or too many fans. The security at the hospital was excellent and did their job thoroughly. Instead of having to fight everyone off, he was able to spent quiet companionship with Mad while she mended.
Once they were settled in the back seat of the limo, Tyree handed Madison a small wrapped box. She hesitantly accepted the gift, but didn’t open it. She just looked at it as if she could tell what was inside already.
“Open it, Mad.” She could hear the excitement in his voice.
“But I don’t need a gift, Ty.”
“I know. It’s a welcome home gift.” He smiled, then added, “I hope you like it.”
Deciding to see what he was so happy about, she opened her gift. Inside the box was a very beautiful and very expensive set of diamond earrings. She look up into Tyree’s face and saw him smiling at her. “Thank you, Ty. You really shouldn’t have.” Closing the box, she smiled back at him. “It’s just too much. I know you paid a lot for it and I can’t possibly—”
“Mad,” he said patiently. “I wanted to do this for you. You deserve to be given a nice things.” He winked at her and sat back against the plush leather seat closing his eyes. “Just accept my gift and know that I love you. You are very important to me and I want you to understand that.”
Tears were running down her cheeks now. He was being so sweet. How could she not accept what he has given her? “Thank you. I love you too.” They fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the ride home.
After she was sequestered in the TV room, Tyree headed into the kitchen to fix them something to eat. He knew Mad would welcome anything with flavor after eating the bland food the hospital offered. Deciding to go with something quick, he prepared ham and c
heese sandwiches and tomato soup.
She was just repositioning herself for the fourth time when Tyree entered with a tray of food. Although she was in as much pain as before, she still felt some. Easing into a sitting position, she made room for him to set next to her once he put the tray on the coffee table.
“I thought you wouldn’t mind sandwiches and soup.”
Eyeing the meal before her, she grinned. “I would love anything not from the house of pain.”
He laughed along with her at her reference to the hospital. “Well, it might not be the best meal, but at least it has flavor.”
Taking a bite of her sandwich, Madison thought about how much she enjoyed being with Tyree. The past couple of months, she has become dependent on his strength and friendship. She loved him more than anything. He and his dad had become her surrogate family after her parents died in a car accident when she was ten. During that time, their already strong friendship became air tight. It was when she married Ron that a distance between them had started and grown. But now, they were as close as before, and for that she was grateful.
“Mad, if you’re done, I’ll take the dishes out.” Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she concentrated on what Tyree was saying. “Did you hear me?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah. Just thinking. I’m done.”
Tyree cleaned the table and carried everything to the kitchen. When he returned to the TV room, Mad was stretched out on the couch with her eyes closed. He walked over and pulled her blanket up to her shoulder. He decided he would take this opportunity to go into the gym for a hard workout.
Once Tyree was showered and dressed, he went downstairs to check on Madison again. When he entered the TV room, he saw that she was awake and sitting up.
She noticed him entering and smiled. “Hey.”
He returned her smile, “Hey yourself. Did you have a nice nap?”
“Yeah. Sorry I went to sleep on you.”
He sat down beside her and leaned back against the cushion. “You’ve been through a lot and I knew you needed the sleep.”
“Thanks for everything.” She placed her hand on his knee and squeezed. “You have been more than helpful and I wanted you to know that I appreciate it.”
He put his hand on top of hers, “It was nothing.”
Feeling somewhat better, she pulled her hand from under his. Although they were closer than ever, she could feel the pull of attraction between them. To distract herself from thinking about it, she said, “Tell me what you’re doing today.” As Tyree began to tell her what the rest of his day would be like, she was able to push all other thoughts to the back of her mind, where they belonged.
After four weeks of breathing exercises, pain killers, and a lot of rest, Madison was going crazy. She was kept busy only when Tyree was available to hang out with her, which wasn’t too often. It seemed like he was avoiding her as much as possible, but she couldn’t figure out why.
“Hey, Mad.”
She looked up from her magazine and saw Tyree standing in the doorway of the TV room. “Hello stranger,” she replied.
“Do you feel like going for a ride?”
Not being able to help herself, she tartly inquired, “Oh, you mean you actually want to hang out with me?”
He could hear the hurt in her voice and he knew he was the cause. In the past weeks, he had deliberately stayed away from her as much as possible. From the moment he started seeing her as a woman, he couldn’t stop the knot of desire from forming in his body. Whenever she was close, he just wanted to taste every part of her…from her soft sweet lips to her dainty brown toes. He was shaken out of his thoughts when Madison screamed his name. Looking into her beautiful green eyes, he felt like he was falling. A thought popped into his head, when the hell did she get up? Damn he had to get a grip on himself.
“Ty, damn it,” she shrieked.
“Sorry, Mad. I was lost in thought.” He gave her what he hoped was a brotherly smile. “Are you coming?”
Giving him a look of exasperation, she said, “I told you I want to get out of the house.”
“Okay. Get your jacket.” He headed out the room toward the garage. “I’ll be in the car.” By the time he made it inside the garage, Madison was a step behind him. He smiled to himself, she was definite eager to leave the house.
As they made their way out the gate, she asked about their destination. In which, Tyree promptly replied, “Shopping.”
“Shopping? For what?”
“Some new threads,” he glanced at her clothes, “because you need some more stylish outfits.”
She looked down at what she was wearing, she felt that her t-shirt and khaki shorts were nice. “I don’t need anything else. I have all I need.” When Ron was arrested a week after she was released from the hospital, Tyree had went to collect all of her belongings from her house. Although her things were meager, she was content with what she had.
“Mad, you need some outfits that are more for going to parties and shows.”
Shaking her head, she smiled at him. “Fine.”
Trying not to keep his eyes off the road too long, he glanced at her than back to the traffic. “I tell you what. Why don’t we make it a competition?” When she looked dubiously at him, he continued. “Let’s see can get the most stylish outfits within a three hour timeframe.”
She laughed. “That is not much of a challenge, since I’m the better shopper.”
Grinning, he returned, “We shall see, Little Grasshopper.” They both fell into fits of laughter, anticipating the upcoming contest.
Chapter Six
Five hours later found Madison and Tyree enjoying red wine while sitting on a blanket in front of the TV room’s massive fireplace. The contest was considered a draw, seeing as neither of them had finished shopping in the allotted time. Tyree was constantly hindered by fans seeking an autograph or picture with him. She was inflicted with indecision often throughout her shopping stint. Now they both were exchanging funny tales about their experiences.
“When that old lady chased you down,” she said laughingly, “I thought I was going to die.”
Taking a sip of wine, Tyree grinned. “I know she had to be at least eighty, even though she was quick as hell.”
“She looked like she was going to tackle you if you hadn’t stopped.”
“I’m sure she would have,” he agreed. Seeing Madison relaxed and laughing was like looking at an exquisite sunset. Watching the light in her eyes glow brighter day by day, was like observing a budding flower bloom in stages.
“Thank you for today, Ty. I really enjoyed myself.” Finishing off her second glass of wine, she promptly filled it again. She knew she should slow down, especially since she wasn’t a strong drinker, but she couldn’t stop herself from indulging in another glass.
“You are so very welcome.” Tyree watched her lips as she sipped her wine. Wishing it was his lips intimately pressed against hers, he turned his attention to his own glass. He understood his desire for her was something he could not purge from his system easily. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he knew it was inevitable if he acted on his baser needs.
The smile Mad sent Tyree’s way, could be interpreted as alluring. He doubted that she was even aware of it. “Ty, I’ve been meaning to ask you about something.”
Tyree raised his brow wondering why she was blushing. “What do you want to know that’s got you blushing?”
Lowering her eyes, she whispered, “Do you find me attractive?”
He was taking a sip of wine when she asked, which ended up choking him. Now he knew she was feeling the wine. Once he was back in control of his breathing, Tyree stared at her as if she had three heads. “What makes you ask me that?” he finally managed.
She looked everywhere but at him when she responded, “I see how you look at me sometimes, and it makes me wonder if you find me attractive. I mean, we’ve known each other for so long, I hadn’t thought much of it.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But I’ve notice
that lately you get a look in your eyes sometimes when you look at me, and I was curious.”
Tyree closed the distance between them on the blanket, and cradled her face in his hands, “I find you very attractive, Mad.” Then he took her lips in one swift move.
The kiss was filled with passion and fire. There were no gentleness in it at all. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, but he couldn’t stop himself from tasting what he was sure would be heaven. And he was right, it was like nothing he had ever tasted before. She was a mixture of strawberries and cream with a hint of bittersweet grapes. All of the blood in his body seem to have flowed straight to his shaft. All he could think about was laying her down and sinking into her honey pot.
Madison felt like she was floating on sensual clouds. Although she had loved Ron at the beginning, he had never provoked these feelings in her. Kissing Tyree was like being reborn and getting a new start. He belly felt as if butterflies had taken up residence and her pleasure mine was filling with liquid. She wanted to join her body with his to create their own little mineshaft. She knew she was more than tipsy if she was thinking about having sex with Tyree. It would be a terrible complication if it were to happen. But before she could end the kiss, he deepen it and all thoughts flew from her head.
Tyree knew he was taking advantage of the situation and of Mad, however his conscience was outweighed by his body’s desire. He slowly eased her onto her back without breaking the kiss. Only half of his body covered hers, but it was enough for the moment for he could still feel her heat throughout his entire form. He trailed his hand slowly down to cover her breast, softly squeezing. When a soft moan escaped from the back of her throat, he saw it as encouragement, so he slid his hand under her shirt so he could touch her flesh.
