by Edwina Fort
Not only did I not throw the fight that night, I became the holder of my first belt. Needless to say, that pissed a few people off, who lost a lot of money. After celebrating my victory at Exquisite, I and some random chick went back to my place to find Maddox there waiting for me.
When I turned on the light, he was sitting on my couch with his feet propped up on the table. I don't go anywhere without heat. I had my Ruger pulled and aimed at his head before he could even blink. He'd held up his hands and told me he'd not come to kill me.
“What the hell did you come for?” I growled, trying to sober up. I’d drank way too much and was now seeing two of the mutha f***as.
He chuckled. “Well technically, I did come to kill you, but I’ve decided not to.”
Right off I could tell that he wasn’t from around these parts, but at the time, I was too drunk to peg the accent.
“Yeah and I’m sure the barrel of my Ruger didn’t help you come to that decision.”
“Actually, the barrel of your Ruger did not help me come to that decision, especially when the barrel of my brother’s Desert Eagle is pointed at your head even as we speak, since we’ve gotten into the gun naming business.”
Right then, a shadow moved from my right, I turned my head and I'd be damn if there really weren't two of them. They were identical, so much so they could be the same man. They even dressed in similar suits. The only separation being was that the suit of the brother on the couch was a bluish grey and the suit of the brother pointing the gun at me was just grey.
“Allow me to introduce you to my twin brother, Lannox. Due to the actions of a very evil man that is no longer with us, Lan cannot talk.”
As he said that, a scar going across Lannox’s neck drew my attention. Someone had slit his throat.
“But he and I complement each other quite well. Where he is weak, I am strong and where I am weak, he is strong,” Maddox continued.
As he spoke, his accent got thicker. I returned my gun to its back holster.
“I’m listening.” What other choice did I have…?
“While your female companion is quite comely, I’m going to ask if she wouldn’t mind coming back later. The information that I have to share with you is of a sensitive nature. You understand, right?”
As I gestured for said female to leave, I frowned at the guy on the couch. I don’t know if it was because I was drunk off my a** or what, but hearing a black man speak the way that he did was tripping me the f*** out.
When she was gone, I sat down in a chair where I could keep an eye on both of the brothers. By that point, our mute friend, Lan had put his gun away and was just standing there watching me as closely as I was watching him.
“Who the f*** sent you here to kill me?” That was the first thing I wanted to know.
I wasn’t surprised when he told me that it was the promoter who had come to see me earlier that day.
“Apparently, you lost our old boss and a few of his friends a lot of money and they weren’t happy with that.”
My frown grew at his words. “Why old boss?”
“Tell me…Do you believe in the supernatural, Mr. Taylor?”
I shrugged. At that point, my life had been so f***ed up… why the hell not?
“When we were two years old, our mum left us on the porch of the local rectory. They brought us in and took care of us for the next five years, but then kicked us out because the priest said that Lannox was possessed by the devil.”
My gaze went to Lannox, he smiled at me and I’m not going to lie, the smile was a little creepy. There was something about his eyes…it’s like they could see more than what eyes should be able to see.
“Father Eugene would hide food from us for punishment, but Lan would always know where to find it…no matter where he hid it.”
As Maddox divulged this information to me, he watched me closely to see how I was taking it all in. If he was trying to shock me, he was sh*t out of luck. Growing up in the gutter created calluses over the shock effect.
“You see, Mr. Taylor, there is a voice inside of Lan’s head that tells him things. Always has…Sometimes I can hear it too, but only because Lan and I share a special connection…well with being twins and all.”
I nodded…I had heard of that, twins hearing each other’s thoughts and whatnot.
“After the horrifically tragic death of Father Eugene, they kicked us out, and we became street urchins at the wee age of seven. A few years ago, the voice in Lan’s head guided us here to America, where we’ve been ever since.”
“Where y’all from originally?”
He chuckled. “As to our origins, like yirself, we dinnae know. Our best guess would be somewhere in northeast Africa. But as far as where we were born…Scotland.”
I nodded…that made sense. It would explain their fondness for the European cut suits and the accent. In a way, Maddox had reminded me of Rome that evening, except whereas Rome didn’t look as smart as he was…Maddox did.
“Alright, so, why have you decided not to kill me.”
“Well, because Lan here says that working for you is our destiny.”
One of my eyebrows lifted. “Excuse me?”
He chuckled. “The voice told Lan not to kill you because you are our master, we are to serve and obey you…as well as guard your back.”
What-thee-hell?
I rubbed my hand down my face. This is why I didn’t like getting drunk. It was always when I was drunk that wild sh*t like this happened. This man was talking about masters and serving and sh*t… What the hell…
“Look bo… I appreciate you not killing me and all, but that other sh*t you talking is f***ing nuts.”
“I assure you, my words are anything but. If the voice in Lan’s head said it is so…then it is so.”
"Okay, …let's just say I'm buying this sh*t. What the f*** do you and your brother do? Why the f*** would I need you to come and work for me?”
He smiled and for the first time, he came across as a little creepy too. “My brother and I are killers.”
“What?! And why the f*** would I need killers working for me?”
He didn’t speak at first. His gaze went to his brother and he just stared at him, every now and again nodding his head.
What the f***! At that point, they had started creepy me out really good.
“Lan says your destiny is still unknown to you. And that one day, you will need us to guard your back. We are very good at our jobs, Mr. Hitta…Lan and I were born to do this."
“Yeah…and why should I trust you?”
“What can we do to prove our loyalty to you…boss?”
“Ghost the mutha f***as that sent you here to kill me.”
The next day, eight of the most powerful men in the boxing world were found with their throats slit in their beds…and Maddox and his twin brother, Lannox officially became members of my team.
That was ten years ago.
In that time, a few things have changed. The twins, which is what we called them around the gym, had been in the hood long enough to have changed the way they dressed. They no longer favor European cut suits and now wore American cut. And Maddox’s prominent Scottish accent was now mixed with a healthy bit of hood slang.
However, a few things have not changed, their loyalty to me, the voice inside of Lannox’s head, and their almost supernatural ability to make bodies disappear and become Jane and John Does.
“I just met a Jane Doe…” I told him as I headed for my truck.
Angel and Jessie both studied me as I approached to try and gage from my expression how my talk went with Trina. I smiled at them and Angel visibly relaxed.
“First name Trina, I don’t know the last name…but I will send you an address.”
“How soon?”
“Before Sunday.”
“Consider it don.”
I hung up the phone and slide it into my pocket as I opened the door and got in.
"How did it go?" Angel asked a look of apprehen
sion in her beautiful eyes.
Damn, I hated to see that sh*t. Somebody with a heart like hers should never have to look that way. I put my hand behind her neck and pulled her to me for a kiss just because I needed to taste her again. And just like I figured, she’d been nibbling on those little flowers and her taste gave me instant relief.
“Ohhhh! Y’all kissing…” Jessie said propping her little face on the seat between us, bringing our kiss to an end. Both of us looked back at her and chuckled.
“Sit back and put your seatbelt on, lil mama," I told her, taking in the both of them. They were now mine… mine to take care of and protect.
My gaze went back to Angel…she was still waiting on an answer to her question.
“It went really good…” I handed her money back, and her startled eyes came up to mine. I shrugged nonchalantly. “Trina was so siked about the job, she told me to give that back to you, said she won’t be needing it now.”
Chapter 8
The Art of Seduction
The Smell of Her Hair, the Taste of Her Mouth, the feeling of Her Skin, Seemed to Have Got Inside Him, or into the Air All Around Him, She Had Become A Physical Necessity…
--George Orwell
Angel
I clutched the sink as my shaking knees threatened to give out on me. Staring in the bathroom mirror, a brand-new woman looked back at me.
An awakened woman looked back at me…
Oh my God! Nobody ever told me it would be this way…
My flesh was still tender from his mouth and beard. I could still feel his strong hands on my body…
Still feel his hardness stretching me…
Still hear the sound of his deep voice when he whispered that I was a big girl and that I could take all of him…
Oh God!
What had Hitta done to me? I will never be the same… NEVER!
I turned the cold water on with shaking fingers and drenched my towel before wringing it out. As I lifted it and laid the cool cloth against my overheated skin, I realized that my whole body was still pulsating from his touch.
What we’d just done was not supposed to have happened…At least not yet.
Okay, so…
Do you guys remember when I said that I will last this whole six months without sleeping with Hitta because he was a brute and he wasn’t my type and all that other nonsense I was spewing?
Well, let me tell you something…
There is a thin line between intention and reality. But for the record, nobody ever prepared me for this kind of man. Through my limited experience with the male species, I thought I had it all figured out. My brother, although I loved him dearly, has of late come across as kind of weak to me. For the last six years, he’s depended on me to either find a way or make a way.
And I know that modern day society teaches me that that’s a good thing. The fact is, it comes across as weak and if I’m being honest with myself, it’s hard to respect that.
And then there is Stan…
He needed to prey on a small child in order to feel like a man… and yeah, to me, that is weakness. So, technically, I’ve only been around weak men.
How was I to know that all men were not made that way and that there were some men out here who were…
Heck…
Manly?!
And how was I supposed to know the effects a manly man can have on a woman’s libido?
How was I supposed to know the way a manly man can make a woman’s body sing? He’s this strong, fierce being that is capable of crushing, destroying, pulverizing, yet…
When he touches me, he’s so gentle at times and aggressive at other times, creating a pleasurable orchestra and my whole body is his instruments… My lips, neck, breasts…
Mmmmmmm…my center.
And somehow, he managed to strum my instruments until he caused a little death to occur inside of me, only to then revive and re-stimulate to make me feel so… alive!
Now don’t get me wrong, there is a part of me that knows Hitta is dangerous and a killer…because yeah, the streets talk. But there is a part of me that doesn’t want to believe that because yeah, he can make my body sang!
Closing my eyes, I rubbed my hand up my neck as I remembered the feel of him holding my body close as he drove in and out of me…I begged him to stop and to keep going. I told him I felt like I was falling, only to cling to him and continue to ride the wave…
Oh God! I was lost…
I had seen a little bit of what he was capable of on the kitchen counter this morning, but it was only the tip of the iceberg of this man’s ability to seduce. And let me tell you something else, I just learned a very important lesson…A brute in the bedroom was a very dangerous thing.
And now that I am looking back, I can see how he was never worried that I would be able to resist him. He knew that I’d judged him to be a brute and would not be expecting him to turn out to be a dirty talking, sensual touching, master of seduction.
Yeah…I hear what y’all thinking; dirty talking, sensual touching, Master of Seduction? Really…Angel? The man is a brute, he can’t just turn that crap off and turn on Don Juan.
And I’m here to tell you….Yeeeesssss, he can! And he did…
It was because I’d prejudged him that I was completely unprepared for his seduction. Not only did he flawlessly take my virginity tonight…somehow, he’d managed to get me to beg him to do it.
Go ahead, shake your heads at me. I know I’d said I would hold out for six months only for my wanton self to turn right back around and give in the next day.
THE NEXT DAY!!!!
I should be ashamed of myself. I really should, but ya’ll…
I just wasn’t…
In fact, I felt the exact opposite, I felt…free. Hitta’s lovemaking freed me from a prison I’d been in for years. A prison where I’d feared an act so beautiful because I’d been touched by a monster. A prison where I could only imagine what was possible but never consider experiencing it for myself.
Not anymore! Hitta’s lovemaking was…
Well… it was good.
I mean….Reeeaaallly good!
Calm down, y’all…calm down. I’m not going to leave y’all in the dark. Of course, I’m going to tell you how it all went down…Just let me try and bring my body temperature back to normal with this here cool towel.
My goodness, that man unraveled me tonight. Apparently, the right brotha can bring the sex kitten out of the most uptight shrew. Just thinking about what we’d just done caused a shiver that took my breath to shoot through my body…
My goodness…
You see, his seduction didn’t begin in the bedroom. It started this morning on the counter and continued throughout the day…
He was so very clever…so very clever indeed. Alright, y’all, let me tell ya’ll how he trampled down my metal walls.
True to his word, he asked Jessie what she had a taste for. Of course, she wanted pizza, which is her favorite thing in the whole world to eat. He took us to this really nice Italian restaurant downtown. The owner came out to personally take our order because Hitta was his favorite boxer.
In fact, several customers approached us and asked for his autograph and if they could take a picture with him. I would soon find out that this was a norm for him because he was a big deal in Chicago.
Anyway, after all the fan fair had died down, Jessie wanted to know if she could have a cannoli.
“No Jess, you haven’t even eaten yet. Maybe after you eat a few slices of pizza,” I told her.
Now, do you guys remember me telling you that Jessie sometimes has a tendency to act out? Well, she was getting herself prepped for a monster performance.
“Why, Tee-Tee? I’m gon’ still eat my pizza!” she whined.
Because I knew the signs and didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of Hitta and the rest of the people that ate in that really nice establishment, I exhaled preparing myself to just give her what she wanted. Some battles just weren’t wor
th fighting.
But before I could tell her yes, Hitta’s deep voice cut across the table.
“Hey!”
Both Jessie’s and my gaze flew to his. He snapped out that word like a drill sergeant.
“What did your tee-tee say?”
Her little eyes rounded in awareness as her hissy fit face evaporated like morning dew when touched by the sun.
“Answer me, Jessica.”
“She said to get a cannoli after I eat my pizza.”
He nodded. “So, when are you gon to get the cannoli?”
Her eyes still rounded in awareness, she swallowed. “After I eat my pizza?”
He smiled. “Good girl…”
And amazingly she returned his smile before she settled right on down and began to color the picture the chef had given her.
My stunned gaze rose to his… with the grin still on his handsome face, he winked at me…
Well…
Well…
I began to fan myself with my menu…I’ll be doggone if that wasn’t hot as heck.
Anyway, so that was the restaurant. Seeing him establish authority so quickly with Jessie, who was a wild child with everyone else did something to me. Now add that to the kitchen counter incident…
I want y’all to keep up with everything I'm telling you so that you too can see why my walls so easily crumbled. I’m not an easy girl, in fact, up until a few minutes ago, I was the oldest virgin I knew. But Hitta—
Mmm mmm mmm…Hitta!
Okay, Moving on…
After we left the restaurant, we headed to the furniture store. We had a lot of furniture to shop for; Hitta said we might as well take care of everything in one pop. I wasn’t surprised that the sales rep who helped us turned out to be a big fan of Hitta’s and neither was I surprised when a few more people came up to him and asked for autographs and that if he wouldn’t mind posing for pics with them.
What did surprise me was when Jessie spotted a princess bed and asked him if he would get it for her and he said yes.
“You’re probably going to need to get the whole bedroom set.”
