by Edwina Fort
The house was completely empty. The guys walked back and forth past us carrying my boxes upstairs and to the back, probably to the kitchen.
“Wow!” I gushed when we went into the living room.
There were eight huge bay windows, in front of them was a padded bench that ran along the length. Because I had a little thing for designing, I could see these windows surrounded by a few plants and a beautiful set of curtains…nothing too heavy, maybe sheer or linen.
My gaze went to the big fireplace that would look great with a fire roaring inside of it, I could see a pile of logs sitting off to the side and two big comfortable chairs in front so that you could toast your toes on cold nights.
There was a set of glass doors that led to a huge dining room, I walked in and my mind’s eye placed a beautiful table that sat twelve. There was another set of glass doors that led to the kitchen.
Oh y’all! The kitchen…
I forgot that I wasn’t by myself when I walked through those doors…
The kitchen was amazing, it was the kind of kitchen every tea maker should have. But what I liked the most was the huge pantry…
“This is amazing!” I screeched when I walked inside. There was an island inside the pantry that was a perfect workstation. The shelves inside resembled the shelves in my shop…
What the world?!
I walked out of there so confused. Hitta was leaning against the big island in the kitchen waiting for me.
“What’s going on?” I asked dumbfounded.
“Do you like your new home?”
“I-I love it, but—”
He shook his head as he stood coming towards me. “Don’t always have to be a but, Teacup… Let’s eat.”
Chapter 5
Where Do I Belong…
I Crave So Much More Than Just a Physical Connection. I Crave Words and Depth. I Crave Who You are and Where You Came From, Your Desire and Your Fears. I Yearn To know Every Inch of You Beyond the Surface…
--The Write Vibe Co.
Angel
“So… where do I sleep?”
We’d just finished cleaning up behind our meal. His men had left earlier, taking the U-Haul with them. It was just him and me now, facing the moment I’ve been very apprehensive about for the last hour. There were four huge bedrooms upstairs and neither of them had a stitch of furniture in them.
In fact, the only space that was fully furnished was the basement that had been turned into a state-of-the-art home gym. I asked him while we stood at the island in the kitchen eating our food—Well… while he stood at the island. He’d surprised me by lifting me and plopping me on top of it.
“Sit,” was all he muttered.
So…I sat with my legs crossed Indian style on the big island facing him while we ate. It was kind of cool, I’d never done anything like that.
Anyway, I’d asked him why he hadn’t bought a single chair. He chuckled as he rubbed his temple. That was the fourth time I’d seen him do that tonight and I wondered if he had a headache.
“That ain’t my department, Teacup. Before I bought this place, I slept most nights on the couch in my office at the gym. I wouldn’t know how to begin to shop for this joint. As a matter of fact, the thought of shopping for it is giving me a headache,” he grumbled as he scraped the left-over food from my plate onto his.
“What?! How could you not be excited at the possibilities?” My mind had not stopped designing rooms since we got here.
“Sh*t, real easy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, sliding it to me.
I looked down and was surprised to see that it was a Black American Express.
“Won’t you handle that lil mama? Get whatever you want, don’t worry about how much it cost.”
The bottle of water I was drinking froze halfway to my mouth. “You want me to pick out the furniture for your house?!”
He chuckled before polishing off the last bite of food on his plate. “I want you to pick out the furniture for our house.”
“But what if I get something you don’t like?”
Why in the world did he just give me his credit card like that? I’m in this situation because I’d stolen ten-thousand dollars from him. Who turns around and gives the person who had just stolen that kind of money their credit card?
“I’m a simple man, baby. I don’t give a sh*t what you buy. I’ll be happy with whatever it is.”
I grinned… “What if I buy cheetah print everything?”
He shook his head… “You like it…I love it. Go jungle crazy for all I care.”
I sat there for a moment in a bit of a shock. I didn’t know how to deal with this. My gaze went back to the card.
“Ummm, do you think it’s wise of you to give me your credit card like that?”
He shrugged. “I ain’t worried about it.” And that was it, he didn’t say anything else about it.
Okay, let me tell y’all something I discovered tonight about Hitta, he wasn’t a big talker, but he was an ardent listener. Very ardent…
I’ve been doing this nervous rambling all night because I knew the time was getting closer to go to bed. Yeah…I’m one of the folks that talked to keep from freaking out and I’d talked his ear off tonight about everything, my shop, my teas, herbs, plants…
Most times, his only response was a grunt or a nod of his head. I thought to myself, he’s so not listening to me, but then he would prove me wrong by making a comment about something I said earlier and connecting it with what I was talking about in the present.
Westly used to always tell me that the most dangerous man in the room was the quiet one because while everybody else was running their mouths, he was sitting back studying everything. That’s how Hitta was. He was the man in the room that quietly took in everything like a sponge.
And you know…I think I liked that about him.
“What you mean, where you going to sleep? You going to sleep in our bedroom with me.”
My heartbeat increased drastically. That’s what I thought he was going to say.
Oh my God!
I was getting ready to have a panic attack. I opened my mouth getting ready to beg him to let me sleep in one of the other rooms, but the only thing that came out was a squeak.
As if he could sense my protest, he suddenly turned to face me before putting his big hands underneath my arms and lifting me until I was eye level with him. My toes dangled about twelve inches off the floor.
Goodness, he was strong!
“You listening to me?” he growled in my face.
With wide eyes, I nodded. How could I not be listening to him at this point?
“I f***ing hate repeating myself. I told you I was not going to force you to do nothing you don’t want to do. When I make love to you, you're going to be hot and wet and begging me to soothe that hunger between your thighs. I ain’t no f***ing rapist, baby. You got that?”
I was having a hard time getting past hot and wet, and hunger between my thighs. The power of suggestion was a monster because I’d be doggone if that hunger between my thighs did not stir at the thought of him soothing it.
Now, I could only guess at how he would go about doing it. Would he use his hand or his—
You know what? These were dangerous thoughts. Forcing my mind clean, I patted his big shoulder.
“Got it.”
“Good.” He set me back on my feet and still holding my hand, pulled me into the empty room after him.
Like the rest of the house, the master bedroom was amazing. I don’t know what year the house was built; my guess would be some time in the forties or the fifties. The bedrooms all had an old-world French feel to them.
However, in the master bedroom, there were two pairs of glass doors that opened to a private balcony. I'd walked through them earlier and was pleased to see that the balcony overlooked the backyard, although it was too dark to see what the yard looked like. I couldn't wait to explore when the sun came up.
This bedroom was the on
ly one with its own bathroom and my goodness, what a bathroom it was! It was actually two rooms separated by beautiful white Victorian-style pillars. On one side of the pillars was a walk-in shower with glass doors that revealed three silver shower heads, warm grey stone, and cream marble floors and siding.
There was a beautiful marble bathtub that was so big it could easily fit two people comfortably and twin outer marble sinks located on the other side of the pillars as well as a bench with a base that was the same marble as the shower and the tub, but the top was a plush cushion that looked very comfortable to sit on.
I could see myself soaking in a nice, hot, and detoxing tea bath for hours. Mmmmm… That sounded so good I was almost tempted to do just that. However, all of my teas were packed away and it was really late. And although I knew he said he would not try and rape me or anything, I was still a little nervous around him.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, I did, but it was because he was something different. The only man I’d been around so intimately since leaving my foster parents house was Westly. I was used to having him in my space.
Hitta was a whole other entity entirely. I've never slept in bed with a man. The one time Westly and I had fallen asleep on the couch watching a movie, he’d talked about me so badly the next day, because— Well…
I’m a wild sleeper…
There, I said it.
Outside of my snorting habit, it’s the next most embarrassing thing about me. I think it’s because I tossed and turned due to my nightmares. I don’t know…But whatever is in the bed with me when I go to sleep…a book, my laptop, my covers, end up on the floor by morning.
“Damn, I should have at least got a bed,” he grumbled drawing me out of my head.
“I have blankets, but they’re all packed away. I have no idea which box they’re in.” And I’m too tired to try and look for them.
He shook his head as if he could hear my thoughts. “Forget it, I’ll be your bed tonight.”
And then he proceeded to arrange the few pillows that had come off my bed that didn’t get packed against the floor and the wall before he kicked his boots off and reclined his powerful body on the floor.
“Come on, Teacup, I’ll keep you warm,” he said gesturing for me to climb on top.
I stood there with my hand on my hip looking down at him. “Ummm…I don’t know about this. What if I get too heavy?”
One side of his mouth lifted in a grin. “Really?”
Okay, maybe that was a dumb reason. The man was a giant…I wanted to tell him that I’m a wild sleeper who suffered from nightmares but was just too embarrassed to do so. Instead, I stood there biting my lip.
His grin grew. “You know, I’m more comfortable than the floor.”
I nodded…Yeah, I’m sure he is. Slowly, I slid out of my shoes and eased down to my knees next to him. It would have been easier if he’d just grabbed me and pulled me to him. Instead, he wanted me to come to him on my own.
"You don't trust me?" His words were barely over a whisper.
“It’s not that. I—I’ve never done anything like this before.” My words were just as quiet.
He chuckled. “It’s a first time for everything, Teacup.” He beckoned me with his hands. “Come on, you can do this.”
Damn it! This shouldn’t be so hard. Why can’t I be normal? Any other woman would have no problem mounting this big gorgeous brother. He said he wouldn’t hurt me, and I knew he spoke the truth, yet a part of me wanted to tell him that I was perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, there was no need for him to offer his body for my comfort.
But then again, there was a part of me that wanted to know what it would be like to lay my head against his strong chest and let the sound of his heartbeat lull me to sleep. I wanted to know what it would feel like to be held in those arms of his.
Would it still feel safe or was that feeling I’d gotten that day at the gym just a happenstance?
I inhaled. I can do this! I can do this! He was not Stan…He would not hurt me. It was time for me to take my life back from my stepfather. Because of him, I’ve never been able to have a successful relationship with a guy. Because of him, I’ve been too afraid to let anybody in. I was tired of being alone.
My gaze rose to Hitta’s. He was not the man I’d imagined myself being with. He was dangerous and uncouth…yet there was something in his eyes that spoke to my soul. It was as if it was the answering call to my inner question, a question that I didn’t know I had until I met him…
Where do I belong?
Slowly, I placed my shaking hands on the floor and began to crawl towards his big body. That must have been all the incentive he needed because he wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me the rest of the way.
Goodness! I’ve always been short, but I wasn’t skinny by any means. However, Hitta made me feel lightweight with the way he lifts and holds me.
At first, my body was stiff on top of his, but as soon as I lay my head on his warm chest, my senses were flooded with the delicious, masculine scent of his cologne and the sound of his strong heartbeat. And then he wrapped his arms around me.
Wow! It felt amazing!
I snuggled deeper into his embrace wrapping my arms around his waist, locking my hands together between his back and the pillow.
“Comfortable?”
I nodded. “Mmmmhhhmmm.”
That was an understatement. I was past comfortable. For the second time in my life that I can remember, I felt safe.
So safe, I didn’t remember falling asleep until the dream started.
I’m walking down Michigan Avenue, the famous Magnificent Mile. Only it’s not the lights of the many stores that have it ablaze, but fire. Everything is on fire. There are so many who lay dead and dying in the street that I have to step over a body every so many feet.
My hands are shaking and although I’m crying, my body is in shock. I feel like I’ve just survived a nuclear blast. I can’t understand why I’m still alive when it feels like my skin is on fire. A woman is lying up ahead with her legs missing, only bloody stumps exist where they used to be. She’s trying to crawl to her little girl, whose body is still on fire, leaving a trail of blood as she goes.
I scream when the earth began to shake so violently that it throws me off my feet. A loud terrible sound fills my ears when the streets begin to crack open. The earth is splitting in half and I’m falling. I clutch at the ground trying to hold on, but I’m slipping. My nails bleed from where I’m clutching at the earth, I can feel the fire underneath me ready to consume me…
And then something happens…
Something that has never happened.
Hitta appears over the side and he grabs my hand, pulling me back to safety. I am so relieved to see him that I wrap my arms and body around his so tightly, clinging to him desperately. For the first time, I’m not alone. He is so strong and sure…he will keep me safe.
Now I can rest…because he can keep me safe.
Hitta
I’d felt the migraine coming on before I got to Angel’s place. I didn’t know if it would be a quick one that only lasted a day or two or a long drawn out one that lasted a week or two. I’d been seen by the best neurologists in the world and none of them could figure out why I got these damn headaches.
They began in my fifth year of professional boxing; I’d already held the heavyweight title in the WBC for three consecutive years and was working on my fourth. At first, we all thought it was a boxing injury, but the doctors could find nothing to indicate that. No scaring or bruising…in fact, each MRI I took came back as flawless as the first.
I’d tried to ignore the headaches and fight anyway. That didn’t work, I began to lose my titles one after the other until I was forced into early retirement. The doctors had wanted to prescribe me narcotics because the regular over-the-counter pain meds did nothing for the migraines.
I took one pill from the prescription the first doctor had given me and although it dulled the pain f
or a short while, I never took them again. In my world, one had to be aware and always about their business. It was the same reason I never did drugs growing up…a high nigga gets caught slipping. And that can lead to his death or him being robbed of everything he had.
That was rule number one on my streets…don’t get high on your own supply. Of course, these days…with this new breed of thug, this…softer breed, they get caught slipping all the time, because none of them can operate sober, they smoked more of their own product than they sold. The OG’s of my day are a dying breed…being replaced by some damn jokes.
Anyway…the other reason I stopped taking the meds is because I didn’t have time to get strung out on that sh*t. While I was fighting professionally, traveling in that circuit, I’d seen a lot of mutha f****s strung out on pills. Everybody was a damn zombie, popping pills like them sh*ts were candy.
Naw, I ain’t about that life…So, I’ve learned to live with the pain. However, something happened tonight that has never happened before. As soon as I kicked in Angel’s door and walked in her place, the pain began to ease.
And now that I’m holding her in my arms, I think I know why.
It’s her smell…
Her apartment smelled like it. When I pressed her against the wall, that fragrance filled my senses…and yeah, it numbed the headache.
This is some wild sh*t!
At first, I thought I was just tripping… You know, just excited to finally have the object of my obsession within my grasp. I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me… but then she started looking around the house, taking her smell with her and the headache started to come back. When we started eating and I was standing by her, her smell filled my senses and once again dulled the pain.
Being careful not to wake her, I lifted a few of her braids and brought them to my nose…Even her hair smelled like it.
I don’t know what that is…maybe some kind of flower with a sweet undertone.
Could it be possible this girl’s smell was sending some kind of signal to my brain that worked like a pain pill?
