“Be safe,” Gary said, following Val and Leo out the door, closing it softly behind him.
Angie sighed and turned back to Roman.
He’d stopped pacing and was now standing in front of the fireplace. He watched her with his chin in his hand, blue eyes so full of fury they nearly set her on fire, and not in the erotic way she’d grown used to.
She set her tea down on the coffee table. “Why are you looking at me like you’re ready to set me on fire?”
He finally removed his hand from his mouth. At first, he spoke calmly, but his voice quickly rose, betraying his emotion. “You’re a woman. You work alone. Anything could happen to you---anything. And nine times out of ten, with the work you do, no one would have any idea where to even begin looking for you. You have to be more careful, Angelica.”
“I am careful.”
“You’re not careful!” he screamed. “Someone set fire to your office, and it could have happened while you were still in it.”
His voice had hit levels she hadn’t even known him capable of.
“I’m sure following people around was cute and fun when you were in high school, but I can’t imagine.” Roman had to take a moment when his voice broke. “I can’t imagine what kind of people you’re dealing with now. Rich people, important people, powerful people. Do you have any idea what these kind of people are capable of? Their incredible capacity for destruction? They will steal your last breath, and then go have a god damn macchiato.”
“I know that, Roman. I know my work is dangerous. But it’s the only thing I know how to do. It’s the only thing I want to do.”
He breathed deep, straightening his back. “I think you should stop.”
Angie laughed.
But Roman wasn’t laughing. “Today. Right now. Why can’t you just go back to school? You could do anything, Angie. Anything. If you’re worried about paying for it, don’t. I’ll give you the money.”
“I’m sure you would give me the money, and I guess that’d be my cue to take it like the dutiful little sugar baby I am. I know this may come as a shock to you, but not everything in life can be solved with money, or Bentleys, or gold placards. You might think, because you’ve given me all those things, that you’ve earned the right to regulate my life. Well, you haven’t. I’m not some whore, just waiting around for you to say jump. The only thing I can do is continue staying true to myself.”
Roman’s chest heaved a little harder with every word she said. “You’re not a sugar baby. You’re not a whore. I’ve never looked at you that way, and I’ve sure as hell never treated you that way, so don’t speak to me like that.” He pressed two fingers into his chest. “On the nights that I wake up, and you’re not with me? I can’t go back to sleep. That’s why I gave you the god damn car. Not because I look at you and see a whore, but because the only thing that makes me more sick to my stomach than the job you do, is the thought of you taking the subway at 3am to do it. Doing god knows what, god knows where. It makes me sick, Ang.”
“Why aren’t you hearing me? I love what I do. This is who I am. This is the only thing I want to do.”
“The only thing you want to do,” he repeated. “Is the very thing that’s going to get you killed.”
“Why do you even care? I’m not good enough to be your girlfriend, so you have no say in what goes on in my life. Even if I were your girlfriend, you still wouldn’t have a say, because it’s my life.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Or is this your fucked up way of keeping me on some never ending string? You can’t keep me at arms length, and then scream about how much you care. Honestly. Do you fuck with me like this for your own sick satisfaction? You think I need protection from my job?” She laughed. “If there’s anything in this world I need protection from, it’s you!” She pointed at him, immediately regretting the words when she saw the hurt that instantly tinged his eyes.
“Just because you’re not my girlfriend, doesn’t mean I don’t give a shit about you. About your well-being. About whether or not you’re alive while you’re out there fucking with the lives of wealth, with people who are capable of unimaginable things. Don’t ever ask me to stop giving a shit about you, Mama, because it’s never going to happen.” His voice had grown hoarse from screaming, so every word he said sounded pained, strained, laced with a horse drag that perfectly matched his saddened eyes. He ran his hand down his face, looked at her for while, and then suddenly moved across the living room, straight towards her.
Angie took a big step back, surprised by his speed. She nearly toppled over the lounge chair she’d forgotten was behind her. She knew Roman would never hurt her, but the son of a bitch was big, and seeing him charging forward was enough to send any sane person taking a huge step in the opposite direction.
Roman stopped next to her, bare feet sliding against his black sheepskin area rug. He bent down and took the coffee table in his hands. He shoved it across the floor until it was situated next to the fireplace. He stood tall and removed his shirt, tossing it onto the loveseat to his left before he shoved that out of the way, as well.
“What are you doing?” Angie demanded, stepping out of his way when he moved his body into her space. He bent down and pushed the lounge chair a few feet back, moving past her without answering.
Soon, his entire living room was completely devoid of furniture, leaving only the large area rug in the middle of the concrete floor.
He went to the middle of the rug, pushing his loose hair out of his face. He bent at the hip, still panting gently from the energy it had taken to move all of the furniture, before motioning at her with both hands, inviting her towards him.
“Come at me,” he said.
Angie didn’t move an inch, lanky arms hanging lazily at her sides as she smirked at him.
“Come at you?” she mocked.
“I’m serious, Ang. If you insist on putting your entire life at risk, then you need to know how to protect yourself when—not if—but when someone tries you.”
“No one has tried me, yet.”
“Your office is gone,” he breathed. “I think it’s safe to say, at this point, it’s only a matter of time before someone does.”
Fear filled her eyes.
“No, fuck that.” He shook his head. “You’re not allowed to be afraid. This is your choice. You’re choosing to do this job, and now you’re going to choose to take the appropriate steps to protect yourself accordingly.”
“You sound like someone’s daddy.”
“Come at me!”
He was still yelling, but something about his voice was different than before, and she couldn’t help the adoring smile on her face.
“I don’t know how to come at you. What do you want me to do?”
“All right.” Roman stood tall and moved to her, taking her shoulders in his hands and guiding her to the middle of the rug. “I’ll come at you.”
“I don’t want to get came at,” she beamed, wiggling her bare toes against the sheepskin.
He continued to back away from her, tugging his sweats up his thighs.
“Too bad.” He bent at the waist, once more, ready to lunge.
And lunge he did.
He moved so quickly that Angie didn’t even have a chance to scream before his arm was around her neck from behind. It wasn’t forceful enough to steal the breath from her lungs, but enough to get his point across.
She no longer had a single sarcastic or joking comment on the tip of her tongue. Even the smile on her face had vanished as he locked her in a chokehold, his breath hot on her ear.
“Do you see how quickly that just happened?” he breathed into her ear. “And this is coming from someone who cares about you an awful lot. If it was one of those degenerates you love dealing with out in the streets, you’d be dead right now.”
“I don’t think I like this.”
“Then get out of it.” He tightened his arm around her neck a little more.
Angie gasped. “I… I…”
“You
want to run with the big boys, Ang. You want to run the streets, so run the streets. Get out of my hold.”
“I don’t know how,” she whispered, finally.
“I know you don’t. I’m glad you admitted to that quickly. First lesson, little lamb,” he whispered. “Know your limitations.”
“I’m not a little lamb.” Blood chilled her bones.
“Prove it, then.”
Angie tried to yank her head out of his hold, thrusting her body back, forth and every which way, grabbing his giant arm in both of her hands, clawing at his skin as her feet left the floor in her fight to release herself from his hold. After several minutes went by, she finally gave up, giving him most of her weight as she struggled to catch her breath.
After that struggle, she was completely drained, and he hardly had a hair out of place.
“I can’t do it,” she heaved.
“I know you can’t.”
She pressed her gasping lips into the swell of his arms, somewhat embarrassed.
“It’s important you know that, too. Not everyone is going to play nice, Mama. I’m going to show you how to get out of it. And I don’t ever want you to forget it.”
“I won’t forget.” She was too proud to admit the real reason she would never forget this little lesson. She was turned on beyond belief. Judging from the hardness poking her in the back, Roman wasn’t far off.
“If someone comes at you, and gets you around the neck like this, it’s too late. You’re too small, and incredibly weak.”
Angie curled a lip. “Thanks a lot.”
Roman finally released her. “The key is to never let them get that close…” He backed up from her once more, this time a devious smile laced his face. “Imagine I’m a strange guy, I’m coming at you…” He began moving toward her, a bit slower this time.
Angie backed up.
He kept moving toward her. “I’m coming at you. You’re scared.” He grinned when her back hit the wall next to the fireplace. “Your back is against the wall. It doesn’t matter how strong or weak you are, physically.” He placed his hand on either side of her head, blocking her in. “You’ll never be stronger than me.”
Angie’s eyes rose to his.
“Maybe I don’t want to hurt you, maybe I just want to intimidate you. Make you feel uncomfortable.” He leaned in even closer, eyes going dark. “Maybe you push me away.” He waited for her to push him.
She did, shoving him with all her might.
Even using all her strength, his body hardly moved. “That’s all you got. Not only am I still here, but now I’m pissed off, and when I come in this time--” His hand flew up and took her around the neck.
Angie gasped in alarm.
His eyes searched hers. “You’re scared. You can’t breathe. In about 7 seconds, you’ll be unconscious.” Still holding her around the neck, he pointed to his own neck with his free hand. “You see this little crevice in my neck here? This dip at my esophagus?”
Angie nodded with a heavy swallow.
Roman took one of her hands and pressed it into the crevice. “If you can get me here…” He pushed her fingers into his neck gently. “Right here, with as much power as you can—it’s going to hurt like hell. It doesn’t matter how weak you are. Alright? If you get me right here, I will stop breathing, it will hurt, and the pain is going to distract me enough that I’ll be forced to release you.” He released her neck, pointing towards the door of his apartment. “And then you knee me in the balls and get the fuck outta dodge. Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Roman backed up, again. He only hesitated for a moment before he was making his way back over to her, blocking her in at the fireplace.
Angie shoved him.
He came right back, taking her neck in his grasp.
She brought her fingers up and jabbed them into his esophagus.
Roman managed to pull away before any damage was done, covering his neck. “Not for real, Angie. Jesus. This is just a lesson.”
Angie could only shrug, a coy smile on her face.
“But I like that.” He cut his eyes at her. “Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t overthink. If a man is making you feel uncomfortable, best believe he knows he’s doing it. He knows what he’s doing. If you feel scared?… Threatened?… you fuck him up first, and ask questions later. Always.”
“Always,” Angie agreed.
“Alright. Good. Lesson two.”
This time, Angie was engaged, squaring her shoulders and bouncing from one foot to the other as she joined him in the middle of the carpet. She continued to bounce even as Roman circled around behind her. She squealed when he suddenly grabbed the back of her neck from behind.
“Roman! God” she cried. “A little warning please?”
“Do you think you’re going to get a little warning when you’re out in the streets?” he asked. “I come up behind you, I have you by the neck. If you don’t do something immediately, I’m going to overpower you, and you have no idea what to do in this situation. That’s a problem.”
“Fine,” she breathed, giving him an annoyed look that she knew he couldn’t see.
“I have you by the neck with my right hand. First thing you need to do is remain calm. Take your left hand and raise it all the way up in the air.”
Angie raised her left arm as high as it would go.
“Turn towards my arm…” He waited for her to turn, meeting her eyes. “Wrap that raised arm around mine, as tight as you can. Lock it in place, and give me all your weight.” He moaned softly as she did, bracing his feet against the carpet. “Do you feel that? The way it throws me off balance? I’m three times your size, but you’ve taken control with one simple move.”
Angie nodded.
He held her eyes. “Now, you have me. I’m off balance. Now, step behind my leg with your right foot.”
Angie did, amazed at how effective this was. She really could feel the subtle shift of power. Even though he still had a hold on the back of her neck, it was apparent that she’d claimed at least a little of his strength as her own, using his own body weight against him. It felt incredible to her. A day ago, she wouldn’t even have thought it possible.
“Good,” Roman said. “Now reach into my throat.”
Angie reached in, took his throat, and didn’t even need to hear the rest of the instructions before she’d slammed him down onto the carpet.
He hit the floor with a loud thud, looking up at her in amazement. “Yes, baby,” he beamed. “I didn’t even have to tell you what to do.”
“I just felt it.” Angie shook her shoulders. “It was amazing. It just came to me, like second nature.”
“That’s good.” He grinned as he climbed to his feet.
Angie bounced as high as she could go. “More, more!”
His eyebrows shot up. “Look who’s suddenly excited?”
Angie stopped bouncing. He had no idea how excited she was. Her eyes unconsciously went to the bulge in his sweats, and then rose back to his.
Or did he?
Roman wasn’t blind to her roving eyes, and he held her gaze, felt its heat for a long moment, before backing slowly away. His blue eyes gleamed like a wild animal.
“One more, and then that’s it for tonight.”
Angie was back to bouncing.
He lunged at her, and took her off her feet with one swift swing of his arm. She landed on her back on the carpet before she could even think to scream out in shock, panting as he fell to his knees, pushing his pelvis between her splayed legs and dipping his body low. Her knees were forced up to her chest. He laid all of his weight on her. Bracing his elbows on the sides of her head, his muscular thighs spread wide, locking her legs in place and rendering her motionless.
Angie tried to squirm, but quickly stopped when that succeeded only in making the warm weight of his dick push harder into her center, reminding her of what she’d once had. What she still yearned for. Jamming her eyes closed, she had to remind herself that this was just a lesson.
Still, when she opened her eyes and looked up into his, the last thing she saw was this is just a lesson.
She saw in his eyes what she felt roaring through her heart.
His chest heaved in time with hers. “This is what will happen if you allow a man to catch you off guard.” He leaned in closer, so close the tip of his nose brushed hers. He moved his hips against her softly, unconsciously. “His dick is hard, he’s rubbing it against you. It feels amazing for him, but it scares you to death. What are you going to do about it?”
Angie opened her mouth to answer. She couldn’t speak.
“What are you going to do to stop him from taking exactly what he wants, whether you like it or not?” He licked his plush lips. “Huh?”
Unable to think one coherent thought, and even more unable to stop her own hips from beginning a slow grind against his, Angie no longer wanted to overpower him. She no longer wanted to win. She just wanted to be had.
“Stop me,” he breathed. He took his warm breath to her neck, pushing his pelvis in hard. “Stop me!”
Angie brought her hands to his shoulders, and shoved with all her might. She only succeeded in pushing him up a few inches, but it was enough to regain steady breathing, regain her space. He didn’t make it easy, giving her every bit of his weight. Her arms trembled under the pressure, but she held him.
“Keep your arms straight.”
She locked her elbows.
“Good,” he whispered. “If your arms are straight and solid, it doesn’t matter how heavy I am, right? I have nowhere to go. If you have me by the shoulders, I lose control of my arms. You knew that without me having to tell you. Some things your body will just know. You’ll feel it naturally.”
Angie was feeling a lot of things naturally at the moment, most of which involved a lot less clothing, but she nodded past what was coming most natural, breathing deep as she pushed at his shoulders. Still, she was unable to stop her eyes from traveling down to the bulge in his sweats for long, hanging down so low it made a sharp V between his legs. She licked her lips, bored of this game now, and ready to start a new one. A game that she knew from experience came natural to him, too.
Claiming Roman Page 24
