Leo - Mr. Boss: The 12 Signs of Love (The Zodiac Lovers Series Book 8)

by Tiana Laveen

  “I watched how you talk to your mother and sister, how loving and funny you were with them.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Your mother has told me so many things about you, stories that only a man with a good heart would do regardless of you being, well, human, and fuckin’ up from time to time. Yeah, when Mimi took me off guard like that, I reacted without thinking.”

  “Right… and exactly what happened when you first came over here is what she wanted!” His voice trembled as he pointed in the direction of the front door. “She wanted to take everything from me! And by everything, baby, I mean not just my money. It’s you…”

  She leaned forward, caressed his face, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

  “I get it now… I do. And I believe you. I understand that she wants us to break up. She wants what I have because you don’t want her anymore, and she wants your money, too. Instead of being angry with her, you should feel sorry for her.”

  “Pssht!” He rolled his eyes. “Fuck her, ya hear me? I am not wastin’ one damn prayer on her ass! Feel sorry for her my ass!”

  “Laz, I’m serious. Listen to me. She’s the type of woman who will never be happy. That’s why she’s gotten so many surgeries, told so many lies, and started so much shit… because she can’t stand to be alone with herself.”

  She reached for him and kissed him again as he sat there agitated, pissed that this woman, who he’d give his life for, was showing compassion for the enemy. What kinda sick world was this? He pushed his head into her palm, eager for her touch. Sky was so beautiful… such a lovely soul.

  “People who can tolerate being alone like themselves, Lazarist. They are a fan of their own company. When you see a woman who can never be without a man, be without people around, this points to their insecurity. Being on their own scares them, baby. Because when you’re alone, you have to face yourself… you have to see all the parts of you, the ugly and the pretty bits, and not just the external stuff.

  “People who can stand themselves, like you and me, we struggle, too. It doesn’t mean we always like ourselves twenty-four-seven, and it doesn’t mean some days aren’t hard and taxing… days when we question our worth. It means, like, when I dance by myself… when the class is gone and I’m alone, it’s just me and the music, ya know? It means I can stand it… it means I can step into my own space into this world and be all right.

  “Maybe I think I’m having a bad hair day. Maybe it’s worse than that… Maybe I wonder why my mama chose the drugs over me and my father.” He slowly looked up at her, and her eyes glossed over. “I think about that, ya know, even at my age. She’s been gone so long, but sometimes… sometimes I’m all alone, a little girl, dancin’, tryna find my mama…”

  A tear fell down her cheek and he clutched her tight to him, hugged her hard. She wrapped her arms around him.

  “But no matter how good the music is or how hard I dance, she never shows up. I’m a motherless child… and ain’t nothing going to change that.”

  Her body rocked against his as he soothed her, ran his hand up and down her back, kissed her wet cheeks and simply loved her…

  “And I think to myself, as I spin ’round and ’round, that she’s probably dead or in some institution. And I know that I must have some of her traits, too… and that makes me imperfectly beautiful. All of that still makes me her daughter, no matter what. Despite everything I’ve been through, I don’t mind bein’ alone with myself, Laz. Matter of fact, sometimes I prefer it.”

  She slowly pulled away from him, a big smile on her face.

  “I know you don’t, Sky. I love how independent you are. It attracted me even more to you.”

  “Right, but Mimi can’t stand it. That’s why I told you to feel sorry for her. She’s broken to pieces. She’s runnin’ on a full tank of hatred and because there’s so much nastiness in the world, she never runs out of supply. She can fill up almost anywhere. You just happen to be her station of choice right now. She can’t stand not being perfect… not being wanted, being rejected by you. Because somewhere deep inside of her, she was rejected, too, but she never got help for it. She never processed it, honey. She turned it on herself and let a bunch of different men fuck her on camera for money. I am not even against porn, per se, but if you gotta take drugs to do it, then it’s not for you.”

  Sky was brilliant. Her compassion and intelligence mixed together and created the thing his mother called ‘wisdom.’

  He still felt Mimi could go fuck herself, but he kept that thought to himself this time…

  “I don’t mind havin’ flaws. I’m in pretty good shape, but I have some stretch marks on my hip.” She smiled as she pointed to her thigh.

  “Tiger stripes, baby… they’re tiger stripes.”

  She burst out laughing at this. Then, she kissed him again.

  “I have marks. I get pimples sometimes, especially when it’s that time of the month or I’ve eaten too much dessert. I get angry when I should just chill. I chill when I should be angry. I used to look at my father sometimes and hate that he was so protective; so much so, that when I finally did get of age to go out and do my own thing, I went wild. So yeah, we all have a history… no such thing as perfection.”

  “There’s no such thing as perfection… but you’re perfect for me.”

  He picked her up in his arms and she wrapped her thighs around his waist. Moments later, they were outside, standing on his bedroom balcony, the lights of Brooklyn shining bright. Muted Spanish music from some nearby joint could be heard playing, voices carried in the city, and the zooming by and honking of cars became their symphony. They stood there in each other’s arms, kissing, talking, smiling at one another. He undid the tie along his black robe, allowing it to fall further open, exposing his nature. Her eyes immediately dropped to his cock and her lips curled in an appreciatory grin. Wiggling discreetly out of her black and blue striped yoga pants, she cast them aside. He moved the grill a little to help obscure the dirty deeds he had in mind…

  Sitting on a black iron chair, he coaxed her to straddle him.

  “Damn!” She hissed as she worked her pussy down onto his rock hard cock. He pumped upward to get deeper. Their eyes locked on one another, they fucked each other in slow motion. He gripped her hips, needing more of her in the worst way.

  “No, no, no… don’t run from it, baby…just relaaax…”

  He bit into his lower lip as he increased his pace. Her hips had risen ever so slightly, putting a gap between his thrusting and the impact. Wrapping one hand around her neck, he pulled her in for a kiss. Their tongues danced along one another’s, the heat-filled exchange making his heart beat damn near out of his chest. Crisscrossing his arms around her back, he secured her in place then moved as fast and hard as his hips would allow. She screamed and cried, falling apart against him as her pussy nectar coated his pumping rod. With gritted teeth, he huffed, his anger and lust merging together. Sins from the past had reared their ugly head and threatened his sanity… and his sanity was named ‘Sky.’

  He couldn’t tell her how crazy he would have gone had she left him…

  I would’ve lost my fuckin’ mind!

  “I love you so much, baby!” he yelled as she came against him. Her legs shook as he slowed down, giving her a moment to release. “You look so beautiful…”

  He gently kissed her forehead. Her soft, sweet moans escalated his need for her for his own ecstasy was contingent upon making her happy… making her feel good all over. They fell in love with one another all over again, their bond tight, bound in steel, metal, and the history of tortured pain. She was the street savvy good girl, and he was the bad boy with a heart. Together, they’d rule the world.

  He groaned and jerked as his climax caught him unexpectedly. Feeling the fire all inside him, he emptied within her, jolting and falling apart beneath her beautiful, limber body.

  Pulling her shirt up, he bathed her breasts with his working tongue. The taut nipple was his dessert as he enjoyed the sweetne
ss of her flesh. The heat of her pussy hugged his throbbing cock and he never wished for this to end. The feeling of desire, ownership, and loyalty blended together as they once again became one.

  Yes. Ownership… what a thing to say to a woman, but he knew it was true. He was a collector, a lover of ‘things’, just as she’d accused him of so long ago, and in the most beautiful of ways he declared her his favorite item of all. He would do everything to protect her for she was his… all his and his alone.

  His eyes narrowed with a sudden, insane burst of jealousy when the thought of her with another man crossed his mind…

  What if she’d left him after hearing of his sordid deeds? Surely, she’d move on, find another guy to fuck… dance into the lucky bastard’s life and make the sky rattle with a thunderstorm, so that he, too, would fall under her spell.

  “Ah!” she screamed out as he used the last bit of his erection and pumped within her hard, until he couldn’t go any further.

  Perhaps it was insecurity that made the big, brave lion do such a thing… remind her that he’d found her first. She belonged to him now, rightfully so…

  He gently kissed her shoulder, then bit lightly into her neck, and she purred.

  She purred so beautifully…

  She’s mine. Anyone who tries to take my beautiful dancing doll away from me will live to be sorry. I’m generous with my money, not with my mate.

  Men kill over money. Men kill over power. Men kill over pussy…

  He seethed within as images of Mimi jumped within his head—all the horrible things she’d done to him, said about his family, and now this!

  How dare she show up to Sky’s job? That’s a lot of damn nerve.

  And then, he smiled. He grinned so wide, he almost erupted in a chuckle.

  They say elephants have a long memory, but cats are vengeful creatures. Thus, the ones that cross them, the ones that betray them, the ones that try to steal their joy, take away their shiny, pretty things will suffer… because the lions rule the jungle for a reason—they are brave, they are fearless, and they fight to the death.

  And most of all, just when you think you’re safe, you’re not.

  They never forget a mothafuckin’ thing, and once you’re on their hit list, you are forever their prey…

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Take You on the Ride of a Lifetime…

  LAZARIST SKIPPED HIS way out of the courtroom. The latest scheme had failed miserably for Mimi, who was found to be a parasite to the court system—the judge said as much.

  As he made his way to his brand new white Porsche, a little belated birthday gift to himself, the bloodsucker chased after him, her silver heels sparkling against the cement as she weaved about in the parking lot like a fruit fly around a bowl of apples. He could see her in his car reflection as he got ready to open the door. Her chest heaved up and down, her twisted, demented expression a thing of victorious beauty. He slowly turned in her direction and grinned, showing all his teeth.

  “Hi, loser!” She reached to smack him again, just as she’d done on his birthday, but he caught her wrist and squeezed. She winced in pain, giving him delights that she could never fathom. Tossing her arm down as hard as he could, he smirked at her.

  “Wouldn’t want to mess that hand up, would you? That’s your good hand, the one you use to count other people’s money.”

  “Lazarist, you’re going to be very sorry about what you’ve been doing to me! Very sorry!”

  He crossed his hands over his crotch and jammed his tongue against his jaw to stop a foul curse from escaping. Shaking his head in disbelief, he gave himself a moment to calm down and stop from causing a scene that would truly land his ass in jail.

  “You just can’t get enough, can you? I know the dick, the nice dinners, the tongue work, the exotic vacations, the expensive jewelry, the spa dates for you and your friends, the big house and the money were good, but good Lord, baby!” He threw up his hands, his face hurting for he was grinning so hard. “There’s more fish in the sea!” He cackled. “You’ve fucked half of ’em. You should know all of their names by now! Nemo, Flipper, Jaws, hell, since you’re bisexual, Dory, Ariel the Little Mermaid, and a fish called Wanda, too!”

  “Fuck you, Lazarist! I am not walkin’ away empty-handed. You know me better than that!”

  “You usually walk away with a face and fist full of jizz… but I understand. Not gonna happen this time around. Listen, lady…” He began to count off his fingers. “First, I file for divorce from you after discovering your insanity and the way you enjoy drama… you keep shit goin’ and flowin’ like laxatives and plumbers fixin’ broken johns. Second, you keep the courts all jammed up with these ludicrous court cases against me. They’re tired of your shit, too. You’ve had three different attorneys on top of it all.

  “Third, you go to my fuckin’ girlfriend’s place of business and tell her half-truths to stir up trouble—but instead you drove us closer together, as if that were possible. You inadvertently proved that we have that kind of bond. Finally, you have the fuckin’ audacity to step to me in this parking lot after your case was thrown out of court! Just like when I threw you out on your ass! This is my last warning to you…”

  He paused to rein himself in. “Look at me now! Fuckin’ look at me.” He did not continue until he was sure her eyes were looking into his. “Trust me Mimi Bianca Bryson, you should be grateful for it. I don’t give multiple choice or multiple chances. The only multiples I supply are multiple orgasms, which you’ll never receive from me ever again for as long as you shall live. I am stingy with the warnings… so this is your last one. You’re pushing me, baby…” His eyes narrowed on her as he tried hard to hold it all together. “But I’m not going off the edge. I’m going to turn around and bite you where it hurts.”

  He swung the door open and got in his car. The fresh smell of the new vehicle was invigorating.

  As he pulled away, leaving her standing there, he immediately dialed the private investigator he’d hired some time ago.

  “Hey, Mark! It’s Lazarist Zander.”

  “Hi, Lazarist. How’s it goin’?”

  “Great. Just watched another two hours of my life roll away, time that I’ll never get back due to the ol’ insane ex-wife. I need to move on this. Like I told ya, she won’t let up. I know this isn’t the end, so I need everything ya got to help shut this shit down once and for all. Despite it being inconvenient and time consuming with these ridiculous trumped up money grubbing lawsuits, she’s wreaking havoc in my relationship; she’s also been callin’ my fuckin’ mother and getting into it with her, and I can’t have her trying anything else. I wanted to get a restraining order, but then I realized that I may need to build a case in order to prove her instability. She’ll just get more strategic with a restraining order, anyway. I’ve heard about her in action. It wouldn’t be her first time being told to back the hell off and she treated it as if it were a mere suggestion. I need this to end, all right? Like yesterday!”

  “Got it. Completely understood! Just give me another five days or so, and I should have the report complete. She gets around, doesn’t she?” The guy chuckled. “She’s got a real bad shopping habit too. She’s goin’ through money like water and she still has plenty to burn.”

  “Of course she does, because it’s not just about the money for her, Mark. I realize that now. Even if I were broke, she would be harassing me. She doesn’t like that I was the one to leave her. That was a shock and a blow to her self-worth. She can’t face the fact that I’ve moved on and I’m happy. Real happy. She’s out for blood, man, but I’m not backing down from this. I was built for shit like this… I will hit her where it hurts. She must’ve forgotten who I am. I’m just the bastard to remind her. Call me Ginkoba.” While Mark burst into laughter, he fixed his ring on his pinky finger and pulled out onto the street. “All right, I’ll check back in with ya next week. Hold down the fort and lift every rock. I want to know everything she’s been doing; hell, even the la
st time she farted. I want it all!”

  “Will do, boss! Talk to ya soon!”

  Lazarist disconnected the call and made his way to Fallen Angel. He had a mountain of shit to take care of, and tonight, he wanted to quit on time.

  Because he had his own private dancer now, waiting for him at home…

  “OKAY, NOW PUT your foot on the brake… No! That’s the accelerator!”

  Their necks jerked as if they’d been attached to tether poles before the woman came to an abrupt halt. Lazarist braced his chest as if he were having a heart attack and rolled his big blue eyes, laying on the drama in his customary way.

  “And I thought I only worked with actors! Apparently, I’ve been sleeping with them, too! Just stop it, all right?”

  “You’re gonna kill somebody, Sky.”

  “We’re in this big ass parking lot alone at midnight, Laz! Who tha hell am I going to hit?”

  “You just gave me whiplash!” He rubbed his neck as if he really needed medical attention. A call to 911 was perhaps in order as he sat there looking helpless, getting on her very last nerve. Sky sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes as she kept her hands on ten and two, gripping the wheel a bit harder to stop herself from hitting him upside the head.

  “Look, you told me you’d teach me how to drive. I might not even decide to after I get my license, but I want it as an option. You agreed with me, and now here you are acting like I’m supposed to be a professional, like my ass has NASCAR credentials after ten minutes in this dark parking lot. And you’re barking at me like some dog!”

  “Well, call me Scooby Doo, damn it, because you’re treating my ride like the damn mystery machine! I’m about to be a real ghost if you have it your way and your friend Velma’s blind ass runs us into a damn pole!”