The Reluctant King: Book 1: The Book of Shadow

by K'wan

“C’mon, y’all, the food is getting cold,” Maureen interjected. “Call Lolli down so we can eat.”

  “Lolli’s here?” Ghost asked. Since his sister moved into her own condo in Manhattan, they hardly saw her anymore.

  “Showed up late last night drunk as a skunk and smelling like sin. She wanted to go home, but I made her go sleep it off in her room. She’s probably still up there, passed out.”

  “I didn’t see her in her room earlier,” Shadow said. “The door was open and the bed was made, which means she probably didn’t sleep in it. You know Lollipop don’t make no beds.”

  “Our paths crossed in the wee hours of the morning,” Chapman informed them. “She was going out as I was coming in. She said she had to get an early jump on a piece of business.”

  Chapman knowing Lolli’s comings and goings struck Shadow as odd. His sister, like most of them, didn’t trust her uncle very much and would never let him in on her activities unless they were scheming on something together.

  “And what business could that girl have today that’s more important than having breakfast with her mama on her birthday?” Maureen asked Chapman, who just shrugged. “All that girl thinks about is money and boys.”

  “Just like Uncle Chapman,” Ghost murmured, paying no mind to his uncle’s sharp glare.

  “That girl is determined to worry me to death,” Maureen said. She worried about Lolli more than any of her children, and with good reason. Lolli had all of Millie’s wild ways and curiosities about the streets but none of Millie’s weaknesses. Lolli had a dominant personality that made her impossible to persuade; she did only what she wanted and God help the person who tried to force her to do otherwise. Lolli was a control freak—it was her way or no way. Maureen’s heaviest concern about her youngest daughter, though, was that she liked to play dangerous games. Lolli seemed to get a thrill from putting herself in harm’s way.

  Ghost reached out and patted his mother’s hand. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Mom. That girl is probably better at taking care of herself than any of us. Besides, I’m pretty sure wherever she is, her shadow Nefertiti isn’t too far behind. You know how protective she is of Lolli.”

  “A little too protective, if you ask me …” Shadow started to say more, but a look from Ghost silenced him.

  “You focus on running the household and let me worry about Lauren,” Ghost told his mother. “Lolli is probably just off somewhere being Lolli.”

  CHAPTER 3

  “Damn, this pussy is so good,” Mike panted, stroking away behind the shapely ass hiked up in front of him. Each time his penis went in and out of her wet pussy, it took him to a different level of pleasure.

  “Prove it to me!” she commanded, slapping herself on the ass, making it jiggle. “Beat this pussy like it’s the last time you’re ever gonna get it!”

  While Mike plowed into her like he was drilling for oil, Lolli looked on through the headboard mirror as if she was watching porn. Her long black hair spilled over her face, which was drenched with sweat. Every time Mike collided into her, she bit down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. His strong hands moved up and down her tattooed back, making Lolli tingle. Yeah, Mike was giving her the business, but she’d never admit it.

  “I’m about to bust,” Mike whimpered. “I’m about to bust!” He grabbed her hips and thrust even faster.

  “Uh-uh,” Lolli said, sliding herself off his dick. She grabbed him by one arm and pulled him down on the bed, rolled him over onto his back, and mounted him. “You don’t get yours until I get mine.”

  Mike was long; whenever he hit her walls she felt it in her stomach. Lolli didn’t complain, though, she was a sucker for a good hurt. She adjusted herself until she found a comfortable position and went for what she knew. Every time she swirled her hips she could see Mike’s face twist. She knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

  “Shit … shit … shit …” Mike chanted as Lolli put it on him. He felt his dick hit her wall and then a secret compartment somewhere in the back of her vagina opened up, letting him in deeper.

  “That’s right, get all the way in there,” Lolli whispered. Waves of pleasure rode through her body every time the tip of Mike’s dick hit her spot. She wanted to cry out but her breath caught in her throat, making it near impossible for her to do anything more than moan softly. She leaned forward, wrapping her hands around Mike’s throat, and bucked faster.

  From the amount of moisture building up on his stomach, Mike knew he was in the right place. Lolli bounced up and down on his dick feverishly, massaging his neck with her dainty fingers. As her grip tightened he knew she was close, so he thrust his hips harder. At some point he noticed that Lolli’s fingers were tightening around his throat. She was squeezing so hard that it was becoming difficult to breathe. He tried to pry her hands loose, but Lolli’s grip was like steel. “Ease up,” he rasped.

  “Shut up, I’m almost there.” She kept riding and choking him.

  Mike felt the lights in the room go dim. The look on Lolli’s face was disturbing. Her lips were drawn into a sneer, and he could’ve sworn he saw her hazel eyes flash blue. Lolli was cutting off the flow of blood to his face and it seemed to all be diverted to his dick, making it swell. Mike was sure she would kill him if he didn’t do something, so he started choking her back, which only seemed to turn her on.

  “That’s right, baby. Choke me like the little dog bitch that I am!” Lolli urged. With Mike’s hands still secured around her neck, she arched her back and began throwing her hips in a circular motion. “Cum with me, Mike … cum with me!”

  Spots danced before Mike’s eyes from a lack of oxygen, but somehow he found the strength to keep pumping. “You fucking bitch!” he croaked as he exploded inside Lolli’s hot box. He came so hard that he felt a tinge of pain when the hole in his dick stretched to accommodate the huge load passing through it.

  Lolli kept stirring her hips, making sure she squeezed every ounce of cum out of Mike’s dick. She remained perched, gentry rocking back and forth, until she finally felt him start to go limp. “Touchdown,” she whispered before dismounting him.

  “You are one crazy fucking broad, Lollipop!” Mike gasped when he was finally free of her.

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Lolli lay back on the pillow and retrieved a half-smoked joint from the ashtray.

  “You could’ve killed me, you know,” Mike said.

  Lolli lit the joint and took a pull before responding. “Mike, if I wanted to kill you, strangulation wouldn’t be my method of choice.” She blew out a smoke ring. “I know sometimes I play a little rough, but you should be used to that by now.”

  “Nothing wrong with kinky sex, but you can save that sadistic shit for your white friends. I ain’t with it.”

  Lolli rolled her eyes. “You got your nut off, didn’t you? So stop acting like a little bitch. Now move your big-ass head, you’re blocking the TV.” She craned her neck to watch ESPN, which was airing football highlights from the night before.

  Mike looked from the TV back to Lolli and shook his head. “I swear, sometimes I don’t know who’s the nigga and who’s the bitch in this relationship.” Every time he slept with Lolli, he was left feeling like a girl who had just given herself to a guy who she didn’t realize was an asshole.

  “I’m definitely that bitch,” Lolli said, “but this ain’t no relationship, so stop getting ahead of yourself.”

  “We’ve been fucking for over a year. If this isn’t a relationship, what would you call it?”

  “An arrangement.” Lolli offered him the joint.

  Mike waved his hand and muttered, “I’m good.” He hopped out of bed and began pulling on his clothes. Lolli watched as he buttoned his jeans.

  “What, you in your feelings now?”

  Mike ignored her.

  Lolli slid off the bed and eased herself behind Mike. She draped her arms around his neck, gently dragging her blue-painted fingernails down his chest and abs. “Stop acting
like that, Mike,” she whispered into his ear. “You know I love you.”

  Mike shrugged her off of him. “You don’t love me, Lolli. You love fucking with my head. Every time we hook up it’s the same shit. We party like a couple, fuck like a couple, and when things seem like they’re finally falling together for us, you push me away and then I don’t hear from you again until the next time you need your itch scratched. I’m sick of it!”

  “If you’re so sick of it, why do you always come whenever I call?” Lolli responded.

  Mike was at a temporary loss for words. In all honesty, he had no idea why he came running whenever Lolli called. Lately, he had promised himself that he wouldn’t give in, but then her name popped up on his phone and next thing you know, he was going to see her. He turned to her and said, “Because I’m a fucking idiot.”

  “You’re not an idiot, Mike. You’re just a man who follows his heart. Look, I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but I’m dealing with a lot. You know better than anybody else who I am and what I come from, so you should understand why I have to put my obligations to my family above my heart. In our line of work, being in love can get you killed.”

  “Bullshit. You’re twenty-three, graduated at the top of your class at Spelman, own a nail salon, and are the heiress to a multimillion-dollar empire. You haven’t been a soldier in your father’s army for years, so save that conflicted-soul shit for somebody who doesn’t know you, Lauren.”

  Lolli folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “Yes, I’m fortunate to have some legitimate holdings that keep me comfortable, but that doesn’t free me from my obligations to the other side of the family business. My daddy is the king of Five Points, but it takes a collective effort from all of us for him to hold that position. I can’t speak for the next bitch, but I am bound by duty, honor, and loyalty to serve my family in any and all capacities required of me. I will always put my family first, and if you can’t accept that, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Nobody is asking you not to put your family first. All I’m saying is why can’t there be a balance between love and duty? Ghost has a fiancée and a kid and I don’t see it affecting how he handles his business. As a matter of fact, he’s actually more pleasant to be around since his daughter was born. It calmed his crazy ass down.”

  “I’m not my brother,” Lolli shot back. “What Ghost does works for Ghost and what Lolli does works for Lolli. I understand what you’re saying, Mike, but I’m on a paper chase and honestly don’t have time for relationships. I hope you don’t think I’m being cruel.”

  “No, you’re just being Lolli.” Mike grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. He hesitated, hoping Lolli would at least try and stop him, but she didn’t. “Tell your mom happy birthday for me.”

  “You can tell her yourself at the party tonight.”

  “It’s probably for the best that I put a little space between us for a minute.”

  “What? I hurt your little feelings and now you’re not coming?” Lolli wanted Mike to be there, but wouldn’t say so out loud. Her bleeding heart wasn’t for display. Not for Mike, not for anyone. “You’ve been on me for some months now to plug you in with my brother,” she said. “Tonight was supposed to be that night.” It was sort of true. Mike had long been asking her to connect him with Ghost. Generally, Lolli didn’t involve herself in management decisions within the family, but Mike was a different case. He was solid, inside and out. A young dude who had the potential to be heavy if only given the chance. Mike had a beautiful dick, but an even more beautiful mind. Bringing Mike into the family would keep her crush close and it would go on her résumé, another asset delivered to the family. Lolli had been stringing him along for a minute. Maybe it was time to finally close the deal.

  Mike was silent as he weighed what Lolli had said about introducing him to Ghost. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then paused as if he’d thought better of it. Finally he said, “You still don’t get it, do you? I’m over holding onto hope that one day you’ll do right be me. Shit, you can’t even do right by yourself.” He let out a sad chuckle. “Take care of yourself, Lauren.”

  Mike made his exit, slamming the door behind him. On the way out, he passed Lolli’s bodyguard, Nefertiti, in the hallway. She sat on a stool with her face buried in a book as if she hadn’t been eavesdropping. She glanced up from her novel and gave Mike a knowing smirk, which only rubbed salt in his fresh wound. Mike and Nefertiti did not get along. She felt like he was a bad influence on Lolli and Mike felt the same way about her. Mike wanted to slap the smirk off her face, but the last thing he needed at that moment was to get into a fistfight with her. Not only because she was a female, but because she was also a Reaper.

  When a soft knock tapped on the door, Lolli lay ass-naked in the bed, her feet crossed at the ankles, finishing her joint. She ignored it, continuing her weed session and channel surfing. She knew who it was and what they wanted. After a few seconds of unanswered knocking, Lolli heard the swipe of a key card and the sound of the door lock releasing. Some people were so predictable.

  Nefertiti opened the door just wide enough to slide her sleek frame through. She learned a long time ago not to fully open any door that Lauren “Lollipop” King was behind. There was no telling what you would see, and it wouldn’t do for a random passerby to get an eyeful of her shenanigans. Nefertiti had made the mistake only once, when they were at the MGM Grand in Vegas. The end result found Lolli’s name headlined across several blogs. The reporter had been disguised as a member of the hotel cleaning crew, which was how he’d managed to secure the lucky snapshot of her in the room. When Chancellor King found out, the scandal almost cost Nefertiti her job. The only thing that saved her was that it wasn’t really her fault. She had heard screaming coming from inside the room and reacted as she was supposed to by rushing to protect Lolli. Never in a million years would she have thought that when she swung that door open she’d find the heiress in the middle of a three-way with a couple she’d met at the casino. Ever since then, Nefertiti never opened Lolli’s door wider than she needed to.

  She closed the door now and went to stand at the foot of Lolli’s bed. Her posture was military straight, but her eyes were loose and fluid, taking in everything in the room, including her boss. Nefertiti wore her usual black pantsuit with a black shirt beneath. The outfit made her look like a member of the Secret Service. Nefertiti was fond of wearing black because of how the color swallowed her charcoal skin. In the right light, she could blend seamlessly with the shadows. Her jacket fit snugly enough to show off her small waistline, but maintained enough room to conceal her ever-present .45 in its shoulder holster.

  “I don’t recall telling you to come in,” Lolli said, not looking away from the television.

  “Your friend left in a bit of a rush, so I was just making sure you were okay,” Nefertiti explained.

  Lolli looked at her then. “You’ve been seeing Mike climb in and out of my bed for a while now. I’m sure you realize that he isn’t a threat.”

  “Mike might be your part-time lover, but he’s also a known killer. Men like him are always a threat, even if they don’t mean to be.”

  “What if I told you I was thinking about making him more than part-time?”

  “May I speak freely?”

  Lolli shrugged. “Since when have you needed permission to add your two cents?”

  “Mike is a good guy but he ain’t for you,” Nefertiti said.

  Lolli raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you say that?”

  “He’s a street nigga.”

  “I’m a King—we’re all from the dirt, Nefertiti.”

  “No, we aren’t. I’m from the dirt, Mike is from the dirt, even Ghost has had his taste of hard times. But not you. By the time the princess was born, Chance had already begun his ascension.”

  “Are you saying I haven’t put in any work for this family?”

  “Not at all, Lolli. We all know your skills at espionage as un par
alleled, and you play a large role in your father’s … affairs. But there’s a difference. Your life was already mapped out by the time you came into this world. The rest of us had to fight and figure it out along the way.”

  “Fuck you, Nefertiti!” Lolli jumped out of bed and approached her bodyguard, standing toe to toe with her. “I’ll kick your ass and ten bitches that look just like you if they get in my way.”

  Nefertiti smirked. “Lolli, remember what your therapist said about that temper.”

  Lolli balled her fists up. “You think I’m joking?”

  “Come on, Lolli. Let’s not do this today.”

  “What, you scared now? Not the last of the big bad Reapers scared of little old me.” Lolli shoved her.

  Nefertiti sighed. “This ain’t Burger King but have it your way. Same stakes?”

  “You know it,” Lolli said, taking a defensive stance.

  Nefertiti slipped out of her suit jacket. She had barely gotten it over her arms when Lolli sucker-punched her.

  Lolli had Nefertiti at a disadvantage so she tried to press her attack. But Nefertiti was swift and wrapped her suit jacket around Lolli’s arms, tying her in it like a strait jacket. She was now behind Lolli holding her tight in the fabric.

  “Do you yield?” Nefertiti whispered into her ear.

  “A King never yields!”

  Lolli braced her feet against the hotel room’s dresser and pushed backward, sending her and Nefertiti crashing to the floor. The two women rolled around, trading blows and counterstrikes. Nefertiti was pleasantly surprised when Lolli managed to land a few punches to her exposed ribs and gut. She had been practicing. Lolli was good, but Nefertiti had the experience. She managed to roll Lolli onto her back and press her forearm against her throat, cutting off her air.

  “Yield?” she said.

  Lolli struggled, but it was useless. Had it been a real fight, Nefertiti could’ve easily ended her. “Okay,” she wheezed, “you got it.”

  Nefertiti removed her forearm from Lolli’s throat and balanced herself above her defeated opponent. “Now pay up.”