Manik

by Amo Jones

  Kat drags us through the large glass doors that open out onto the backyard where the music is blaring from. People are jumping into the pool, dancing, and basically acting like drunk teenagers.

  “How old is Aeron?” I ask Katiya, my eyes flying around the bodies.

  “Hmm?” She gazes at me over her shoulder before dragging me forward. “Oh, he’s twenty-seven.”

  He’s four years older than me, which makes Katiya—“How old are you?” I continue to follow her past people until her walking slows. “Twenty-four.”

  My eyes go to the group she has stopped in front of, and I freeze when they land on Aeron. He pales, his eyes going up and down my body. I feel a little self-conscious with the way he’s taking me in, like he’s trying to memorize every single bit of me. That’s not always a good thing, especially when it’s coming from him.

  “Hey, boyyyysssss.” Katiya swings her arm around Lenny, sounding a lot like Harley Quinn. “Where the drinks at?”

  Aeron is still looking at me, only now he’s glaring right through my eyes. “Drinks for you? By the bar. Drinks for Beatrice—the water is in the fridge…” It wasn’t a dig, and I sort of appreciated it.

  Katiya rolls her eyes. “How did you know that she doesn’t drink when I only just found out?”

  Aeron grins, his hand reaching out to latch onto mine. Sparks fly through my fingers at the single touch. Even that night when his mouth was on me, he didn’t touch me. There are different kinds of touch. There’s the touch you do for pleasure, and then there’s the other kind. This was the other kind. Instantly, I notice there are a couple girls dancing around the back of his chair—one with no bikini top on at all and the other who may as well not be wearing one. He’s stretched out on a sunbed, wearing faded jean shorts, no top, and he’s got a black bandana tied to the front of his head.

  He laughs, his head tilting back as my eyes flash back to the bandana. That damn bandana. Someone screams out from across the pool and then falls into the water with a splash…

  “Hold her, Garth!” Mom screamed. The strong petulant smell of petroleum thickened the air so much that my throat swelled. Mom ran back into my bedroom and slammed the door shut.

  She looked directly at my dad who was protecting me with his body.

  “They’re here.”

  I shake my head, annoyed with the latest tricks my mind was playing on me. It happens every now and then, something would appear in my head. I don’t know if they’re memories or if they’re just a fabricated part of reality that I’ve made up in my head, like my pops used to say. That one was a little more vivid than usual. I could still smell the lingering smell of the burnt ash in the air.

  My eyes connected with Aeron. Yep. Why, why does he have to make me feel things? How is it possible for another human to make you feel absolutely everything by touching absolutely nothing?

  He tugs me toward him and I fly forward until I land on his lap. Katiya watches the exchange, her mouth wide open. I look to Lenny who is grinning—I think I like Lenny. Probably more than I like Aeron, only because he isn’t an asshole like Aeron.

  Aeron’s hand sprawls out over my bare stomach. It feels low-key possessive.

  He takes a swig of his whiskey, and I’m enveloped in his smell again.

  “Ah…” Katiya says, looking from me to him. “So, just to be clear, is this a new thing, a real thing, or an, ‘I’m going to fuck you then dump you,’ thing, Ae? Because I’m pretty sure we’ve—”

  He glares at her. “It’s not a Katiya thing, so drop it and go get yourself a drink.”

  She storms off with some poor guy hooked in her arm. I’m strangely aware of everyone’s eyes on me. They’re probably wondering who the hell this girl is sitting on their god—and probably placing bets on how long I will last. The thought makes me uncomfortable so I shuffle around to face Aeron, my legs dangling between his. I search his expression, my attention going between his mouth and his eyes. “I don’t like being looked at.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Yeah? Well for as long as you’re on my lap, you will get looked at.”

  I nod, tucking one side of my hair behind my ear. “Mmmhmm, so maybe I should move?”

  He glares. “Move and I’ll bend you over that table and make everyone watch as you light up like the Fourth of July.”

  Another possessive flag.

  I clear my throat, turning to face the party again. Some hip-hop—rap song is playing, and I instantly recognize Manik’s voice. Anyone would recognize it because it’s unlike anything that has been heard before. I mean, everyone has their own flow—Manik’s just happens to sound sexual when needed, rough when ignited, and feral if tormented. He adapted to the music, and I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s the best to this date.

  One of the other guys who I’ve seen a few times now, he has a big X tattooed over the side of his temple, cheers loudly, throwing his hand up in the air—holding a bottle of vodka. “Fucking boom!” he hollers. “This is the new shit that sounds like old shit, and that can’t be copied, shit!”

  I laugh, turning again to face Aeron. His face has lit up, his head bobbing to the base of the music. There is definitely more to him. I just have to figure out if getting to know him is worth losing my soul for.

  He squeezes my belly, his eyes coming to mine lazily. “You sure you don’t want a drink?”

  I shake my head. “Nah, it’s ok.”

  “You don’t drink at all?”

  I shrug. “I do sometimes, but the last time I got drunk was enough to put me off for life. Let’s just say, I had a good college life.”

  “Good, huh?” he asks, his lips going to his glass as his eyes stay on mine. “Anything I need to know?”

  I think over his question, ignoring how my ass hurts from being on his leg. “Ah… no? Not need.”

  He leans into the crook of my neck, his lips grazing over the skin below my ears. “So, you’re not a virgin?” His low voice vibrates over every single inch of me.

  My lips curl between my teeth. “Why would I be a virgin?” It’s a soft whisper that leaves the question hanging, lost in the silence of the music changing. I liked the last song that Manik was on. It was slow, the base deep and dark, but the lyrics and the tone Manik used was sly and a little deranged—but it made the song. It is definitely about to be a hit. I heard the words Sic Em rapped up in the lyrics. Maybe that’s what it’s called.

  I can feel his smile against my neck and I hate that everything south is throbbing with need. I know what his tongue feels like between my thighs, I know what he can do, but a side of me that I haven’t explored yet also wants to see what it feels like to be full of him. Completely taken over by him. He growls softly against my skin, “Because you taste like it.”

  What.

  That should gross me out. I always thought dirty talk was a little awkward and embarrassing, but those words coming out of his mouth, from the tip of his tongue—tongue… oh God…

  I swallow. “Not a virgin, sorry to disappoint.”

  His hand comes up to my cheek, turning my face to meet his. His eyes search mine desperately, but they’re hooded in his gaze. He licks his bottom lip. “I bet I can make you believe you’re a virgin again, Cub…”

  “So much talk…” I tease, lost in the daze of his eyes. He captures me with every word, and maybe that makes me naïve, but I’d rather be naïve and see where this goes—even if it ends with me holding my broken heart—than not have tried it at all.

  I want him to kiss me.

  His eyes search my lips, his smirk still there. He leans forward, my mouth opening for him, waiting for our lips to touch and for me to lose my mind from the connection that I’ve been emotionally feeling in the physical form. His lips scrape over mine gently, and I hear a sharp intake of breath from behind me—but I ignore it. Completely trapped by Aeron. I want him so badly that it has spread like a cancer and at this point, there’s no way I’d be seeking any kind of treatment, because I want it. I want to be tha
t girl. So, he’s a dark knight, I have enough light inside of me to show him the way.

  His grin presses slightly across my mouth as he chuckles, his eyes going over my shoulder. He retreats, sipping his drink. “What’s the matter, sis, you look like you’ve seen a ghost…” His arms wrap around my stomach tighter, more urgently, and when he slips me over his lap, I can feel him pressing against my ass.

  Oh Lord.

  Kat looks between us, her face pale yet her cheeks on fire. “No ghost, brother, just a demon, you know…”

  He laughs, his head tilting back and I ease into his grip.

  Katiya hands me a glass. “It’s lemonade.”

  I smile up at her. “Thank you.” I can’t meet her eyes, because I know what she’s doing. She’s worried about me getting hurt. I don’t know what I ever did to warrant such a good friend like Katiya, but I already know that I’ll be going through life with her. When you meet those girls, you just know. There are friends who you know are only temporary, and then there are ones who permanently imprint themselves into your life, so even if you do end up going separate ways, they’ll always be able to find their way back to you.

  Katiya is one of those friends.

  “Big brother, are you going to let her out to breathe?” Katiya teases, but I see the annoyance in her eyes. “I need someone to dance with, and you have plenty of other” —she flicks her wrists up to the girls who are probably still behind us—“things to entertain yourself with. Or have you lost your touch?”

  “Katiya,” he chuckles playfully, shaking his head with a grin. “Shut up.”

  I can see she’s getting mad so I tap his leg. “Let me up, I won’t be long.”

  He hesitates for a second and then lets me go. Just as I get to my feet, a girl comes to stand in front of me, blocking my eyes from Katiya.

  “Hi! I’m Emma, Man’s known plaything…” She laughs but she’s not joking, she’s trying to make a point.

  “Nice to meet you.” I grin, taking her hand in mine. “I’m the girl he keeps locked in the basement.”

  Her smirk falls.

  Katiya and Lenny start busting out laughing, as well as the other guys who are around us.

  “Ah…” Emma says, looking down at Ae.

  I give Katiya a pleading look over Emma’s shoulder, and Kat’s laughter dies instantly as she grabs my hand and pulls me beside her. Just as we walk away, Katiya leans into Emma and whispers something in her ear.

  When Kat drags me to where everyone else is dancing, I start swinging to the song and lean into her. “What did you say?”

  She grins, her hands coming up as she drops low to come up all sexy. “Just told her to watch how Ae watches you—that’s all the warning she needs.”

  I ignore whatever is going on over there because if I see Emma on Aeron’s lap, I might make a fool of myself, so instead, I ignore everyone and dance with Kat.

  The DJ booth is hidden in the distance near the dance floor. My eyes go to the DJ and I tilt my head.

  Wait. I know this guy.

  Laughing, I shake my head and make my way toward him, leaping into the small booth he has.

  “Beat?” Jer gasps in shock. “Holy shit!” He pulls me in for a hug and I chuckle, hitting his arm.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Working! What are you doing?”

  I met Jer through the club. He’d do a gig every now and then, but I haven’t seen him in a couple of months.

  “I’m, ahhh…” My eyes go to where Aeron is, only to see him already watching us carefully, his mouth slightly open.

  I quickly look to Kat, who is looking at Ae and then looking back to me with a questioning glare.

  “I’m with Kat!” I answer smoothly, smiling back at Jer.

  He looks down at Kat, and then back to me. “Cool, where’s Kyle?”

  “He’s working tonight—couldn’t come!”

  “Well, I’ll play some sick shit for you, yeah? You show these” —he looks out to the crowd and shivers—“girls how it’s done.”

  I laugh, shoving him playfully and jump off the little makeshift platform while making my way back to Katiya who pulls me into her. “You trying to get someone killed?”

  “What?” I ask, but just as I’m about to ask her again what she means, “Drop” by G-Eazy starts playing. I smirk, yanking Katiya into me and start dancing, my head tilting back. As G drops his line about dropping it like it’s hot, I pause, bending over and dropping down before making my way back up.

  Katiya laughs, pulling me into her, she groans in my ear. “Stop being so hot, my brother isn’t dealing well with it.”

  The song mixes into Fat Joe and Dr. Dre’s “Pick It Up.”

  “Kat, I think you’re jumping to things a little too fast…” I say, then lean back into her. “What’s wrong anyway, aside from him hurting me, why are you against this so much?”

  I stand back to watch her face. She exhales and then pulls me into her. “There’s something I overheard my dad say, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to Ae about it yet, so I don’t know what it is. It might be nothing, but for now, I just really think it’s best for all of us if you guys slow it down.”

  “I—”

  “Can’t help it?” she finishes for me, leaning back to speak directly into my ear. “I thought you might say that, so just… I don’t see anything. For now. I’d kill for my brother, and die for him, but I don’t know, Beat, something just feels off.”

  I look back to Manik, his eyes are already on me. Actually, all of his friend’s eyes are on me. “Hey Luv” by Mobb Depp starts playing, the strums of the beat playing in perfect synch to my heart.

  I feel it. Right there, but that’s what happens when you start something with someone and everything is moving fast, you reach the finish line quicker.

  I know that Katiya is right. This can never end well between Manik and I—as much as I want it to. God, I want it. I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until tonight, now it’s like I’ve admitted something deep inside of me so the floodgates are flowing. I’m in trouble.

  He nods his head, but I retract slowly, my steps backing up. The song isn’t helping. It’s deep, and I relate to every lyric being spun on a singular level—but Kat is right.

  I spin around and go around the pool, pushing past the swarm of people who are dancing around the edge.

  “Excuse me.” I thrust past, desperate to get out. It was a bad idea coming here tonight. I was jumping into something that was so far out of my comfort zone my feet ached.

  I run through the house, down the foyer and head for the front door, pulling it open. I reach into my pocket and start Google searching a taxi. I’m hitting the green call button when the phone is snatched out of my hand from behind.

  I spin around to see who it is, only to come chest to chest with Aeron.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, my breathing shallow. I didn’t expect him to chase me out here—much less be glaring at me like a caged lion who didn’t get the feast he was promised.

  He clutches my phone, stepping closer to me, his hard chest grazing my nipples. I step backward, but he counters it. “Where you going, Cub?”

  “Home,” I answer, folding my arms in front of myself when I notice that he’s not going to budge. I may as well look strong since I sure as hell don’t feel it. “I shouldn’t have come.”

  “Wrong answer,” he replies easily, one of his arms wrapping around my waist to pull me in closer. He leans down until his lips touch mine, not enough for it to warrant as a kiss, but a simple brush of warning.

  “There is no wrong or right answer to this, Aeron. Let’s be real—” I start.

  He cuts me off. “Yeah, let’s, Beatrice, because I’m sort of sick of doing this song and dance with you.”

  “What song and dance?” I ask, my head going back. “There has been no song and dance. You kidnapped me after I saw a dead man and then you locked me in your basement for a week while you—”

  “�
��While I what, Beat?” he asks, his head tilting and his arm getting tighter around my waist. He drops my phone into his pocket and brings his other hand up to my hair, tugging on it so my neck bends back. “What happened to you during that week, Beatrice, was nothing compared to what it could have been, but you and I both know that, and we both know that there’s been some bullshit hanging between us.”

  I pause, then open my mouth to answer, only for it to slam closed again.

  “The question is; are you game enough to do this. You’re a dancer, but can you drop off that high horse like you can drop that ass?”

  My eyes narrow. “I’m not on a high horse!”

  “Hey.” His finger hooks under my chin, bringing my face closer to his. So close our noses touch. “I didn’t say it wasn’t sexy as fuck, and hell, it might just be the thing that drew me to you in the first place, and trust me, I needed a lot of fucking pulling, but are you going to go with it…?”

  “Go with what?” I ask, my eyes searching his.

  He pauses, licks his lip, and then kisses me.

  At first, I don’t open for him, probably out of shock, but then he growls against my lips and my arms hook around his neck. My mouth opens and his tongue dives inside, licking mine. He groans, wrapping his hands around the backs of my thighs and lifting me up. I clench them around his waist and let him carry me to wherever the hell he is carrying me to, because he’s freaking kissing me.

  Me. The man who hasn’t kissed a girl since he was twelve years old has his tongue down my throat. There’s a sense of power that comes with this revelation, and I don’t really like what it triggers inside of me. Like a bonfire that has been retired for years has been doused in gasoline for the last two weeks and now with a simple kiss, it is ignited into a raging inferno that threatens to burn every single thing around me down.

  He sits me on the trunk of his Lambo, spreading my legs wider with his hands and stepping between my thighs, all while not breaking the kiss. His lips are warm and feel full against mine, with every kiss he tugs on my lips roughly and then places a gentle kiss on it to calm the pain. It’s uncanny how the way he kisses matches his personality. Maybe that’s why he never kissed anyone, because he was afraid that in doing so his mouth would crack open parts of his soul.