“What happened?” I asked in a whisper. I wasn’t sure if anyone was standing outside the door or not, I was too afraid to speak louder than a whisper.
“Troy watched the cameras for about ten hours straight and then went back and watched the day before. He saw something. He didn’t tell me what, but he saw something. Then he did some checking and then he left; and now you’re back.”
“Cinnamon, I need to know how he found the house. Because if he finds out…”I broke off into full-blown tears.
“Cricket, I know. Shh, I know.”
I wiped my face and went to go check on Chelle. She was in the shower and she was scrubbing her body all over. I knew she would probably rub herself raw. I walked back into the bedroom and asked Cinnamon if I could get some clothes out of her closet for Chelle. I knew my clothes would fall off of her.
I walked down the hall and entered Cinnamon’s bedroom. I looked through her closet and found a thick sweater and some jeans. I turned around, and Troy stood in the doorway. I stood there in front of him, and he gave me an odd look.
“As long as you make me happy, I’ll make you happy. I’ll keep Trey off of you, but I will be picking up some of his slack. Big Indian is going to learn how to share you. That’s too much ass for one man to have.”
I tried to walk around him, but he stepped in the way. “Tell me something, were you and Big Indian fighting this morning? I saw you and him in the garage, and neither one of you looked too happy.”
“Yes.”
“That’s a shame. You two really make a beautiful couple.”
“Troy, I need to get back to Chelle.”
“Give me a kiss first.”
I leaned over and kissed him on the lips briefly.
“Kiss me like you kiss him.”
I pressed my lips back up against his, and then I pressed my body up against him and slid my tongue into his mouth. Troy groaned. He put both of his hands on my ass and squeezed both cheeks hard. Then, I felt his budge in his pants growing. I slid away from him and walked out of the room.
“CRICKET,” I heard him say through his teeth.
I went back to my room; got Chelle dressed, and fixed Cinnamon something to eat before I let her go to sleep. Troy called the suite and told me Sugar was on her way up. She would be going to the airport with Chelle to make sure she got on the plane. I gave Chelle the two pills, and then the door opened, and Jyme and Korliss walked in. Jyme looked exhausted. Korliss waved at me and went right back out the door.
I went over to Jyme on the couch. He handed me the two bottles of pills the doctor had given him. As I read both bottles and the side effects, Jyme pulled his fingers through mine and watched me carefully. I nodded at him, and we both smiled.
Sugar came in, ran straight to me, and hugged me for a long time. I introduced her to Jyme.
“Jyme this is Sugar, Sugar this is Jyme.”
“I’ve heard so much about you,”
Sugar told him as she patted his hand. She quickly turned from him and stared at the floor. Jyme did look messed up, but I was relieved that they let him live. I filled Sugar in on everything that had happened and she told me that things had been crazy since I’d been gone.
“Trey raped two of the new girls and put one in the hospital. Troy is trying to cover it up, but everyone knows what he did.”
“Jesus,” I sighed.
Sugar went to go shower and left us in the main room. I finally got the chance to apologize to Chelle for putting her in this shit. She quieted me. Then, we hugged and she waved bye to Jyme. I knew deep down, Chelle and I would never be the same, and I couldn’t fix that.
I stripped the bed while Jyme washed up carefully, not wanting to soak his bandages. Jyme walked in the bedroom with wet hair and a confused face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
“What’s a HNIC?” he asked me.
I fell over onto the bed with laughter.
Chapter 6
Wedding Present
The next month went by better than any of us could have expected. Jyme and Troy had an understanding. Whenever I was on duty, Jyme was to stay far away from me. Troy didn’t even want us in the same room, and I appreciated that. I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if Jyme was near me. Plus, I didn’t want him to see me in action. Jyme knew the gist of what I did, but I played it down to an elementary playground. He knew I was a serious distraction for the heavy hitters, but he thought I teased them and rubbed up against them.
Troy had gotten Jyme and me a suite of our own; Troy knew I’d like to take those clients who needed a tad bit more of a distraction elsewhere. So I used the suite I shared with the girls as the extra-activities bedroom. Troy and I also decided this suite would still be used anytime he desired to spend time with me; although that never took longer than five minutes at a time. Troy still hadn’t asked me for anything more than helping him get his rocks off, and I was thankful for that.
I didn’t see much of Trey; and when I did, he would just stare at me with a heavy rage. I stayed away from him as much as I could. I talked with Cinnamon and Sugar, and they agreed with me about having our suite used for our living quarters only. We all decided to share the extra suite Troy had provided for our extra activities. Troy had even given Jyme his cell phone back after a week had passed, and he never even took mine away from me. I now had two phones, one for work and the other personal.
Mr. Paul was still out from his heart attack and Troy was in full charge during his absence. Jyme was still able to do all of the fishing company’s business through his phone and on the suite’s computer. Anytime we wanted to go shopping or just out to get some air, we had to take a bodyguard with us, and we always got Walt to drive us everywhere. Everybody loved Jyme and I had to keep the showgirls away from him. They were always bumping into him by accident. That’s what they always told me anyway. It wasn’t freedom by the least, but we grinned and bared it because we were together.
It was St Patrick’s Day, and the entire staff had to wear green costumes. The majority of the employees were dressed like leprechauns and all the others looked like they were of some Irish descent. They wore green outfits and red wigs. I got back to the suite at 11:20 p.m., and Jyme was dressed when I got there.
“Oooooh, don’t you look nice,” I told him with a kiss.
“Get your fine ass in the shower. We are going dancing.”
“Really?” I beamed at him.
“Well, we can’t leave the premises, but we can still go dancing.”
“I don’t care as long we get to dance.”
I bobbed toward the bedroom. I dressed quickly, wearing a green bustier, a leather skirt, and leather boots. I slid on my cricket ring and put on some emerald, teardrop earrings.
We went to the pop club, and it was packed. I was on my third Emerald Isle, and I was feeling them. Jyme sat me at the bar and told me not to move. He leaned over and told the bartender nothing else but water for me.
The bartender looked at me and said, “You’re cut off, Cricket.”
I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue out at him like a second grader. Jyme told me he was going to the bathroom and that he’d be right back.
Jyme came back and said, “Hey sexy, you want to dance?”
I turned to him with my lip poked out and shook my head, still being a brat.
“Aw, you mad at me?” he asked with a grin. He pulled me from the stool and dragged me playfully to the dance floor.
“This song goes out to Christina, Happy Birthday Christina.” I looked around trying to find Christina, and then I froze. It was Mumford and Sons’, “White Blank Page.”
The crowd went crazy when they realized what it was. The dance floor got extra crowded and everyone was all booed up with their mates.
Jyme bent down and said, “Happy Birthday, Christina.”
I realized then the D.J. had just told me, “Happy Birthday.” I was Christina, and today was March 18th. I looked at Jyme and let go of a couple of tears
. Jyme kissed me on the lips and told me not to cry, “It’s a happy day.” The song was in full swing now, and we both were grinding on each other. I felt his Anaconda growing underneath his pants.
“Why sir, I believe you’re happy to see me.”
“I’m always happy to see you.”
“Down boy,” he growled and we continued dancing.
As soon as Mumford and Sons went off, the D.J. played, “All of the Lights” by Kanye West. Everybody started bouncing around, and I wrapped my arms around Jyme’s neck and danced up against him. I sung Rihanna’s verse in his ear. That was my favorite part in the whole song. When I belted out, “If you want it you can get for the rest of your life” twice in his ear, Jyme pulled back and stared at me. He did this so abruptly that it scared the shit out of me.
“What?”
“Let’s go.”
“Jyme, I like this song.”
“I want you right now.”
I nodded and followed him out the club. We made it to the elevators, and Jyme slammed me up against the wall. He was trying to unsnap my bustier. I kept trying to stop him, but it was no use.
“Jyme, the cameras.”
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“I do.”
He looked at my face and he saw I was serious. He pulled back and kissed my lips, and I kissed him back. The elevator dinged, and he pulled me off so fast that I had to run to keep up with him.
As we walked through the suite, Jyme pulled off his jacket and threw it on the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and tugged me over to the couch. The patio was open, and the cool air was coming in. It felt so good against my hot skin. Jyme kneeled down between my legs, and I fell back on the couch, giving him room. He kissed both inner thighs and then stopped.
I sat up on my elbows, and he looked strange. I sat up to get a better look at him, and he had tears in his eyes.
“BABE?!”
“Cricket, I love you so much.”
“I know that. What’s wrong?”
“Let’s take a shower and go to bed. I just want you in my arms.”
I nodded and followed him into the bedroom. We both got into the shower, but he was still acting strange. I was starting to get worried, but he didn’t give me a chance to ask any questions. As soon as we got out of the shower, he made us get straight into the bed. He held me so tight and kissed me a dozen times. I started crying, and I told him he was scaring me. He pulled me into him tighter and shushed me. Eventually I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke that morning, Jyme was sitting on the floor right next to my side of the bed with his head leaning against the nightstand. I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed toward him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I asked him, concerned.
He got up on his knees and pulled my hands under his. “We’ve been through the battlefield and I know we’re still in a war, but you don’t have to fight or cry alone anymore. Let me carry some of this burden with you. I don’t care where our home is, Cricket; just as long as you’re with me, I’m home. I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you, and I know I never will. Christina Makael Winters, will you please marry me?”
He opened his hand and there lay a cushioned-cut, sparkly perfect beast.
We sat at Lecrux, and I couldn’t stop looking at the ring. Everyone noticed immediately and was talking about it. People were coming up to us and asking to look at the ring before they could even congratulate us. We walked hand in hand all day long. Everyone smiled and gave us a high five or the thumbs up. We called his parents together and told them the good news. Mrs. JJ said she wasn’t surprised and that she knew we would find a way to make this work. I showered and dressed for my shift, and Jyme was in the living room playing some new game he said he’d been waiting three months for.
“Jyme, when I get back, we need to talk about something, and we’re going to have to figure this out.”
“Babe, we’re meant to be; remember? And the time is now.”
“I love you, big dick boy.”
“And I love you, big booty girl.”
I left my ring in the safe because I knew that wouldn’t be a good look on the floor. The night was long and slow; no one was out. I didn’t see Troy, Trey, or any of the regular bodyguards all night. One of the security guards came over to me and told me I needed to go up to penthouse for a meeting. I was afraid there was bad news about Mr. Paul. I knocked on the door, and someone opened it. I walked in, and all the bodyguards were in the suite. Troy and Trey were standing in the corner talking. I stepped down the steps and went to the couch.
I sat next to Cinnamon and asked her what was going on. She said she didn’t know, but it couldn’t be good. The door opened, and Jyme walked in. I frowned and looked at him. He walked straight to the couch, sat down, and gave me a quick peck on my lips.
“What are you doing here?”
“Korliss came to get me and told me there was a meeting up here.”
We sat there for a couple minutes more, and then one of the other bodyguards walked in and Troy walked over to the middle of the floor. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and he just looked un-Troy like.
“I hear there’s a congratulations in order,” Troy said.
I smiled big and Jyme kissed my hand. Everyone started clapping.
Then we all focused our attention back on Troy.
“Well, first things first. I have an early wedding gift for the soon to bes.” He jerked his head at Trey, and Trey went to the office and came back with a woman. I stared at Troy, and he started laughing. “Calm down, Cricket. This isn’t the bachelor party already.” Trey stood the woman in front of Troy. “Go and say hello,” Troy told her.
She wasn’t dressed very well. She had on a sundress that was so big that it dragged on the floor. The woman whispered something to Troy, and she was scratching profusely. She was obviously a junkie and I was wondering what Troy was doing. Troy was on his second glass of brown liquor, and he looked like he hadn’t shaved. Something was seriously wrong with him tonight.
“GO AND FUCKIN’ SPEAK TO HER,” he screamed at the woman, and she jumped. Trey grabbed her arm and slung her to the front of the couch.
“TREY,” I yelled. I was just about to get up and go to her when I looked at her face. She had stringy brown hair and dark black lips. I stood up slowly and took one small step toward her. She gave me a small crooked smile, and then I really saw her. “Chyna,” I whispered. She looked at me and then at Troy. He waived her on. She took a step toward me; I couldn’t move any further; my legs weren’t working.
“Hey Cric-kat,” she said in a scratchy voice.
I fell to the floor screaming and reaching out for her. Chyna used to call me Cric-kat when I was little, and hearing it now took everything I had. Jyme was at my side in an instant. I reached out for Chyna; she moved slowly toward me, and Jyme helped me up off the floor and sat me back down on the couch. I held my hand out for her, and she finally put her small hand on top of mine. I gently pulled her to me and then she sat down. I hugged her gently, and she patted my back once. It was obvious she was a bad off junkie, and I didn’t want to scare her.
I turned to Jyme, and the tears were overwhelming. Cinnamon handed Jyme some Kleenex to give to me. He wiped my face, and I introduced him to Chyna. “Jyme, this is my big sister, Chyna,” I hiccupped out.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chyna. I’m Jyme, Cricket’s fiancé.”
“Chyna, where have you been? I thought you were dead.” I asked her.
“I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”
“Chyna, tell your sister what you wanted to tell her,” Troy said.
She looked at Troy, and he waived her on. “I have a baby,” she said through her twitching. I gasped and turned her back toward me because she was looking at everyone and everything but me.
“You have a baby?” I asked with wide eyes and a smile.
“He’s four, and his name is
Michael. Remember?”
Our father’s name was Michael, but I only knew that thanks to Jyme. I also knew we had a baby sister, but I would have to talk to Chyna about that later.
“Where is he?”
“With Auntie Nantucket,” she said.
I glanced at Cinnamon, and her eyes were wide.
“See that right there…what was that?” Troy walked over, his fourth glass of brown liquor in his hand. Everyone looked at him, and my heart started racing.
“Cricket, why did you make that face when your sister said that about Nantucket?”
I said nothing, and the room was silent.
“See…this is what I’m predicting,” he said. He turned to face Trey, and said, “Go get our other guest.”
I turned to face Jyme, “When I say run, you fuckin’ run.”
I glared at Cinnamon and she nodded at me. I stood to my feet and kicked my heels off; Cinnamon did the same. The bodyguards in the room started shifting around. Shit was about to get real. I stepped around Jyme. I was preparing myself for a fuckin’ battle, and Troy was about to be my first victim.
Trey walked in with someone behind him. Trey moved out the way, and it was the house doctor. He had been brutally beaten.
“Cricket, I’m so sorry, honey. I’m so sorry. He’s going to hurt my wife,” the doctor said.
“WOO, CRICKET, YOU WAS ABOUT TO FUCK ME UP! I was scared for real; I tell ya about these damn momma cubs,” Troy said.
I glanced over at Jyme, and he looked confused. Troy fell out laughing. He dropped his glass and was falling all over on Trey. “Man, you lying. You didn’t tell him?”
“Stop it, Troy,” Cinnamon yelled.
“BITCH, YOU BETTER SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I THROW YOUR HO ASS OFF THAT FUCKIN’ BALCONY!”
Jyme watched me; I couldn’t say anything to him yet.
Troy got another glass and poured another drink. “Okay, let me tell him. Let me tell him.”
Wounded Love (G Street Chronicles Presents From Love to Loathe Series) Page 8
