by Weber, Carl
Y’see, I’ll be woman enough to admit it. Just as many women were flirting with Niles as these marks were with me. Super Euro had game. And as soon as I would make witty and delightful conversation before moving on, so would he. This nigga was taunting me with that perfect smile and pretty teeth. The game went on as we rotated around the boat from port to starboard and back again, always keeping the other visible and able to see what we were doing. Hell, what can I say? It was something to do. He easily toyed with as many bitches as I men, matching each other’s skill like the deck was our own private chessboard. With each new conversational conquest and seduction, it was like I was engaging in foreplay, working myself up toward something like a thrill the more I did it. Yeah, I was going outta my mind. If I didn’t get some dick soon on the trip, I didn’t know what the fuck I was going to do.
My little game brought me upon a couple, both with dark, curly hair and looking to be about my age. Ramon and Antonio probably found them in the club last night as well, figuring they needed a couple of people not looking to hook up. The way the boy’s and the girl’s hands kept brushing against one another, they were definitely well acquainted. I’d only been fucking with singles until now, but there was no more fun a challenge to me than this. I felt it was time to get my evil on. I adjusted my bikini top, making sure my breasts were prominently displayed, before I stumbled into them. Made sure my delicious C cups brushed right up against the side of his face as I pretended to lose my footing.
“Oh! Excuse me,” I said as I took a seat next to them, the blue waters below splashing just over the rail as the DJ instructed the sexy ladies to strut across the deck. I was on break, so the hoes walking about could have their chance to shine. The boy looked nice enough with his fresh little haircut and Scorpio tat on his right bicep. Sting me, baby. “Do you speak English? Or parlez-vous français?” I asked, letting my lips pucker on the last word for him to see.
“Yes. We speak English,” he said with a genuine smile as his girl leaned over, briefly lifting her sunglasses to get a better look at me. She smiled, but the way her bottom lip twisted ’n’ shit betrayed her true thoughts. I was used to it. But she was too weak to do something about me other than mumble in her boyfriend’s ear.
“Where are you two from?” I asked, not really giving a fuck what she said.
“Santorini,” he said, smiling even more broadly than before. “Do you know where that’s at?”
“No,” I gushed, playing young and dumb. Like I ain’t never been to Greece. Bitch, puh-lease. “But are the rest of the boys there as cute as you?” I asked in my baby-girl voice while I batted my eyelashes. Too easy.
“Yes. There are some. You should go there and look for yourself,” his girlfriend hissed forcefully for him in her choppy English. Maybe she wasn’t as weak as I thought. I welcomed the challenge even more as I imitated her, placing my hand atop his other knee.
“Relax, Maria Menounos. We’re all friends here,” I taunted, waving my empty flute in her direction in a mock toast. On cue, Ramon showed up. Took my empty glass from my grasp and replaced it with a full one.
“As our most important guest, we can’t have you thirsty. Drink. Enjoy,” he said with a wink before he immediately rejoined Antonio, who had been intently watching me from a circular leather couch across the way. The two of them waved at me, motioning for me to drink up. Guess they just wanted to keep the only American on this bullshit floating pickup scene happy so I wouldn’t go back home and badmouth their little shindig. Still, I wasn’t getting pissy drunk on the high seas without a wingman to have my back. Last thing I needed was to get plastered and stumble over the side. Wind up some tragic chic in a Lifetime movie.
“VIP.” I raised my glass to Miss Thing. She had the nerve to turn her back. She was damn lucky I was on this side of the ocean and not in my territory. If LC hadn’t warned me to stay out of trouble shit would have gotten really interesting, but I held back. I smiled and acted like I put up with ignorant bitches like her for breakfast.
Niles
14
“And what is your name, lovely lady?” I leaned in and took her hand, kissing it for extra measure. I had begun to enjoy this game of cat and mouse with the sexy American. Antonio and Ramon had been gushing about her like they were in competition for her hand in marriage but I knew better and now I also knew her name. Paris.
“Eleni,” she replied, readily ignoring her boyfriend who had been distracted but was suddenly attentive. What goes around . . .
“Niles,” I said and watched her blush. This was way too easy. I shot a look at Paris and saw the slight amusement on her face.
“What’s your name, handsome?” I heard Paris ask the boyfriend. I had to keep myself from bursting out laughing. His attention got diverted when I began fawning over his girlfriend. Paris placed a well-manicured hand possessively on his arm, stroking it to regain his focus.
“Are . . . are you okay?” he asked her. His concerned tone got my attention. I shifted my focus away from Eleni. Good thing I’d learned the art of having one conversation while listening to another.
“Yeah. I’m cool,” she said as she took another sip of champagne. I thought I noticed a slight slur in her words. I listened closely and for a while she seemed fine. Maybe I was just paranoid because I’d heard some disturbing things about the brothers over the years. They were dirt bag rich kids who thought normal rules of behavior were strictly for those not fortunate enough to have their unlimited bank accounts. Normally I would have avoided partying with them but I found out that one of the clients I had been priming was going to be on board. Now that I’d run into the sexy American my focus had turned from business.
“You have beautiful skin,” I said to Elani, just loud enough for Paris to hear, but she didn’t react. That’s when I saw her jerk her head as if she had fallen asleep for a second. I’d seen that the brothers had personally refilled her glass. I thought they were trying to impress her but now I could tell it was something else. Eleni’s hand on my arms distracted me for a moment. She was competing with Paris. I stood up.
“Here. Give me that.” I held out my hand for the champagne glass. When she didn’t give it to me I snatched it out of her hand.
“What the hell? You ain’t my daddy.” Paris’s voice sounded wobbly.
“Maybe you should have some water or juice or something,” I offered as I dumped the rest of her champagne overboard.
“Boy! What the fuck? Look . . . you don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped, shocking the Greek couple by the sudden change in vocal temperature. “I’m going to get me some more bubbly. Now if you’ll excuse me . . .” She tried to maneuver around me but I stood firm.
“Let me help you,” I offered.
“I could go to the restroom by myself,” she said, sounding tipsy.
Then boyfriend, whose name I still didn’t get, stepped up and offered as well. But she ignored him too and ducked down the stairs. I felt a hand on my arm. I thought it was Eleni but instead I found Nadja.
“Hey.” She smiled at me. In the two years since I’d met her she’d gone from damn near wearing burqas to being comfortable in one of those tight Band-Aid dresses. I knew she was here working but she definitely looked ready to play. At least the brothers wouldn’t attempt to fuck with her. Their fathers were business associates and that made her off-limits for their kinky fun and games.
Shit. I glanced around and didn’t spot either of the brothers. This was not good.
“Sorry, but I have to go,” I tried to excuse myself, but she didn’t look happy. Nadja was a real workaholic and she could have cornered me into a workplace conversation that went on indefinitely. I raced away hoping to find Paris passed out in the ladies’ room, but no such luck. There was a cocaine party in the bathroom with the scantily clad models and rock star–looking men. I had to fight my way out of there. I wasn’t sure where she was but one thing was certain: I would find her.
Rio
15
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�He better be worth every dime I’m paying him,” Eduardo muttered gruffly.
“Actually he’s worth a lot more. He gave me a discount because he owed me a favor,” I told him, which stopped his bitching. Then I reminded him, “You want folks coming from all around then you have to change the vibe up in here. Get rid of the eighties disco ball techno thing. That’s what they’re doing at the raves and gay clubs in America and believe me it’s not your crowd.”
“And you’re sure you can turn this around?” He was seriously stressing. I’d learned that Eduardo came from a wealthy family of bankers. When he dipped his inheritance in the seedy business of club ownership his family suggested he leave Madrid. They did not want their friends to witness the downfall of their progeny. Despite their lack of support he’d made a successful business of being a club owner. Had spots all over Europe. He’d been married and with kids but I suspected he was way more comfortable on my side of the dating fence. He’d shown me around the club, introduced me to the other employees, and listened as I read off my list of suggestions. He killed my suggestions about having naked models with hot wax being dripped onto them but I’d seen it done and it certainly kept people coming back. Who didn’t like naked people with beautiful bodies? I also suggested they create some signature drinks. People liked to get their drink on and got attached to specialty cocktails. It brought them back.
“You gentlemen want another drink?” The waitress came over.
“You in a rush?” Eduardo asked me.
“Nope, my sister is out for the night.”
“Then why don’t I show you around Valencia?”
“How about we check out the competition?” I raised my glass to him.
“I like how you think.” His thick lips spread into a smile. He was probably twenty years older than me but that better-with-age thing was certainly true in his case. Talk about fine. My brother, Vegas, made a big deal about not shitting where you eat but I’d have to find out the downside to that one all on my own ’cause Eduardo was funny and sexy as hell and, unless I was misreading the signs, interested.
A few hours later we were in it to win it hitting all the local spots. And I was right on the money. He had come out of the womb embracing his sexuality and had his family’s support all the way. But he didn’t have any of the obvious gayness about him. In fact, he was a football fanatic and the ultimate macho male. That probably had everything to do with him being Latin. He’d recently gone through a breakup and was ready to get back out there.
“So, Mr. Wimberly, what should we get into now?”
I almost swiveled my head to see who the hell he was speaking to until I remembered my cover name. The day after I got here Orlando delivered to the hotel a full set of ID: credit cards, phone, and driver’s license. Paris and I were stunned. Neither one of us had told the family that I was here but that’s them damn Duncans for you. No matter how far you run you can’t hide. I was sure that LC knew I’d gotten this job, which meant it was only a matter of time before he tried to take back control of my life. I didn’t care what he pulled; I wasn’t going back to that life he’d planned for me. Even Paris, who had more mouth than all of us kids combined, always did exactly what LC told her, including attending that badass school in Switzerland. But I was suddenly on some other shit and unless I was kidding myself things were starting to really look up.
“Whatever you want!” I responded to Eduardo and pierced him with a look that confirmed I meant every word. He did a double take, staring back at me. I returned the look, letting him see that I meant it. Damn straight.
Paris
16
Below deck, I felt suddenly consumed with nausea. After it kept getting worse, I tried to make myself hurl, but I only succeeded in making my eyes water. Placing a cold, damp washcloth across my face didn’t help. I almost wanted to cry. I suddenly felt so alone and vulnerable. Paris Duncan getting all fucked up in some foreign country like some amateur. It didn’t make no sense ’cause I ain’t even mixed my alcohol.
When I exited the restroom, both Ramon and Antonio were waiting for me. Maybe these two brothers really were gentlemen.
“We heard you were ill, pretty lady,” Antonio chimed.
“Yeah. No biggie though. I . . . just need some air,” I lied as my world began spinning.
“No. You need to rest,” Ramon offered as he went to steady me. “Come. We have a place for you to lie down. You can rejoin the party once you feel better.”
“Nah. Nah. I’m all right. Just need some air,” I said, trying to get my bearings and head past them in the narrow walkway.
Neither one of them listened to me. Instead, they lifted me off my feet, each taking an arm, and carried me down the hall, speaking rapidly to one another in Spanish. I tried shaking my head to fight off the sluggishness but I couldn’t resist them.
In a darkened room they tossed me onto a bed and slammed the door shut behind us. One of them must have turned on the lights because it was suddenly really bright. When I tried to sit up, I was forced back down onto the bed by Antonio. That’s when I really got worried.
“I’m not playing. I will fuck you up,” I said as I clumsily tried to catch him with a heel strike and missed. Even though I acted stupidly sometimes, I wasn’t stupid. These motherfuckers had drugged me, caught me like a sloppy amateur.
“Since you haven’t given any indication which one of us you’d prefer, we’re going to share you,” Ramon said as he pulled down his shorts, pencil dick on hard. Antonio stayed on the bed, trying to keep me from getting away while he tried to undress too, exposing his black bikini briefs.
That’s when I saw the camera on the tripod aimed squarely at the bed.
Oh God. Daddy’s gonna kill me for killin’ ’em. Because I swear that’s the first thing I’ma do if I get outta here, I thought. But despite my confidence in my skills, I wasn’t so sure what would happen once Ramon and Antonio finished their little film with me. The drugs had me at a disadvantage.
Antonio managed to snag my ankle. But I spun away, slipping free and finally kicking him upside his nose with my other foot. Some of my reflexes were coming back. Maybe I had a chance, I thought as I tried to push through the fog.
“Puta!” Antonio cursed as he held his face in pain yet still tried to keep me corralled on the bed.
Ramon laughed at him then said to me, “I will give you this cock good, la negra.”
But just as Ramon pushed play on the camcorder, someone knocked on the cabin door. When I tried to scream for help, Antonio leapt across the bed. His sweaty naked body landed with a thud, stunning me as he fought to get his hand over my mouth.
“Shhh. We have to be quiet,” he shushed in my ear just before licking my face. Now the loud music playing topside felt more ominous. This might have been my only chance for someone to hear me. I cried out, but he muffled it.
From the hallway, someone called out in Spanish in a nasally voice. Ramon said something back to them, to which they quickly replied. He looked at Antonio, who was trying to feel me up while kissing on my neck, whispering something to him.
“Una momento,” Ramon called out as Antonio tightened his grip over my mouth. Something topside must’ve needed his immediate attention. Pulling his shorts back up, he went over to the door, obviously pissed. I was still squirming and trying to bite Antonio’s fingers when Ramon unlocked the cabin door. As he peered out into the hallway, the door smacked him in the face. Antonio was rolling me onto my stomach in the bed, dry humping my ass, so I couldn’t see what happened next.
I heard the sound I knew to be a body hitting the floor. But whose? Before I could give it much thought, Antonio was suddenly yanked off me. He blurted out two words in Spanish before his voice suddenly fled. As the drugs began to take even more of an effect I struggled to roll over and sit up. I saw Niles hovering menacingly over Antonio, holding him up by his arm with a fist drawn back ready to strike him again.
Seeing me looking at him, Niles let Antonio fall to the floor
with a thud. In the blink of an eye, he leapt through the air and was standing over me in the bed. Before I could even thank him or put together a coherent sentence, he yanked me to my feet then dragged me along to the cabin door.
“Wait . . . what—” I fumbled around, weakened by the drugs.
“Don’t move! Wait here,” he calmly instructed as he left me slumped over in the hallway and slammed the cabin door shut once again. He was alone in there with Ramon and Antonio while I could do nothing but collapse on to my ass.
Niles
17
I left Paris in the hallway and went back inside to put an end to the brothers’ reign of terror on innocent females. There was nothing I hated more than limp-dick niggas taking advantage of a helpless female. Something told me that if they hadn’t drugged this one she would have given them a real fight. American prisons were lined with assholes like this but here in their world they were untouchable and they knew that. As a man that loved women, respected them, there was no way I could stand by and let them continue their reign of terror.
When I stepped out of the cabin and saw her, I smiled. “Can’t believe you actually listened,” I said, closing the door behind me; but she wasn’t ready to lay out the gratitude.
“Were you in on this?” she asked, which stopped me from moving forward.
“Don’t piss me about,” I snarled, dragging her along again. “I just saved your ass back there.”
“Fuck you. I’m a grown-ass woman,” she pouted through slurred speech. She didn’t do “damsel in distress” very well.
“Bollocks. You’re a hardheaded little girl,” I scoffed. “And out of your league. Somebody needs to watch your back.”
“Watch my back? Is O paying you?” she asked. I had no idea what she was talking about and wondered if the drugs were having some residual effect.
