Caught Up

by Shannon Holmes

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

  Published by Akashic Books

  ©2015 by Shannon Holmes

  Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-61775-375-6

  Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-374-9

  eISBN-13: 978-1-61775-376-3

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2014955756

  First printing

  Infamous Books

  www.infamousbooks.net

  Akashic Books

  Twitter: @AkashicBooks

  Facebook: AkashicBooks

  E-mail: info@akashicbooks.com

  Website: www.akashicbooks.com

  Table of Contents

  ___________________

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  About Shannon Holmes

  Also Available from Infamous Books

  Copyright & Credits

  About Akashic Books

  Chapter One

  A light rain began to fall upon the Washington, DC metropolitan area, ruining what had been an unseasonably warm spring day. The National Weather Service had issued a storm advisory for the area. Quickly the precipitation went from a random shower to a steadier downpour, which led to torrential rain and high winds that battered everything in their path: highways, homes, pedestrians, cars, and whatever else was not shielded from the elements. The fury that Mother Nature had suddenly unleashed caused many drivers to panic and pull over to the side of the road and wait out the storm. Only a few dared to keep driving in such horrible conditions.

  The HID lights from the pearl-white Range Rover Sport shone brightly into the ominously darkened skies, slicing through rain, giving its driver decent visibility—much more than the average vehicle on the road. The Range Rover cruised along the flooded downtown streets of the nation’s capital, finally making its way onto Interstate 95. At the wheel of the luxury SUV was Bryce Winters, a transplanted native New Yorker, along with his girlfriend Dixyn Greene.

  “I told you it was gonna rain,” Bryce said calmly without taking his eyes off the road.

  “You did,” his girlfriend admitted meekly. She knew this was coming. From the time the first raindrop had hit the windshield, Dixyn Greene knew he was going to say something. This was a pet peeve of his. When Bryce was right and she was wrong, Dixyn was going to hear about it.

  “I said let’s do this tomorrow or on the weekend, but no. We could have turned up this weekend instead of havin’ one funky-ass rainy day.”

  Dixyn peered through the passenger window onto the soaked highway; everything was a blur. She was focusing on nothing in particular; Dixyn just wished to avoid the mean stare that surely accompanied Bryce’s lecture.

  “How many times have I told you when it’s goin’ to rain?”

  “A lot,” Dixyn mumbled.

  “And how many times have I been wrong?”

  “Never.”

  “Well, until I lie to you about that, believe me! I got a muthafuckin’ bullet in my body. You know I can tell when it’s goin’ to rain before the weatherman can.”

  Dixyn had heard enough. She turned to face him. “Well, what gives you such mystical powers that you can forecast the weather?”

  “Oh, you tryin’ to be funny? What gives you such mystical powers that you can forecast the weather?” he mimicked. “This lead in my shoulder! That’s what.”

  “Bryce, why you yellin’? It’s not that serious.”

  “To who? Speak for ya’self.”

  Fuming, Dixyn went silent again and resumed looking out the window. She noticed that the vehicle was crossing the bridge into Virginia, which meant they would be home in a matter of minutes. Finally she said, “Bryce, you really know how to break a bitch down. You know that, don’t you? Babe, today is my birthday. Could this please not be one of them times? Let’s just drop it.”

  Up until this point, Dixyn had been enjoying her birthday with her significant other. It was a date filled with good food, good music, and good company. It wasn’t often that she got a chance to spend time with her man outside of the house. Bryce’s lifestyle, much like his mood, was unpredictable. Such was the life of a hustler. His late-night runs and trips to New York to re-up were the norm in his line of work.

  Nonetheless, Dixyn knew the benefits outweighed the drawbacks by far. Going without seeing her man for days on end was a small sacrifice to pay to live in the lap of luxury. Bryce was a good provider. Dixyn didn’t want for anything while he was around. All she had to do was ask, and the item in question usually came into her possession. Dixyn had a brand-new black BMW X6 parked in her garage, courtesy of Bryce. The couple also had a beautiful town house in the suburbs of Alexandria, Virginia. Several prominent members of the government were rumored to live in their development. Bryce’s dirty money had introduced Dixyn to a lifestyle that she had previously known little to nothing about. And now she had grown accustomed to it.

  Aside from his covert drug dealings, Bryce was usually a good father and a good man, though was not without fault. He had his moments. He could be a real asshole when he wanted to be. He had an uncanny knack for making a big issue out of the smallest thing. Yet there was little doubt in Dixyn’s mind that she had chosen the right man not only to be her mate, but to conceive her child with. Her daughter was well taken care of and Dixyn was more than thankful for that, especially with all the baby-daddy nonsupport drama that some of her girlfriends from high school were currently experiencing. Bryce had no other children, so there was no crazy other baby mama, there were no thirsty tricks calling him at all times of the night, and, as far as she knew, Bryce never stepped out on her. And if he did, he sure hid it well. All Dixyn knew was that he loved her. She felt it. He showed and proved it in special ways, all the time.

  Aside from all the material possessions he showered her with, nothing quite comforted Dixyn like Bryce’s presence. Dixyn agonized over his absence whenever one of his trips out of town kept him away from home for more than the allotted time. In the darkness of her room, on her loneliest nights, Dixyn cried for Bryce, longed for his touch, and she always prayed for his swift and safe return.

  Now Bryce glanced down at the speedometer and eased off the gas pedal. He hadn’t realized he was going so fast. With the limited visibility and vast amount of falling rain, these were extreme weather conditions. To avoid hydroplaning on the slick highway, Bryce exercised some common sense. He wanted to arrive home just as he had left: in one piece. As the vehicle gradually slowed down, Bryce cautiously maneuvered the SUV into the right lane, preparing to exit off the highway.

  Dixyn took the initiative to break the tension that had built up inside the car. She reached over and gently squeezed Bryce’s muscular arm. Her touch conveyed more than words ever could. It said, You won; I don’t want to fight anymore.

  Wisely, Bryce decided to let it go. He knew the best part of being with Dixyn was coming home and going to bed with her. He knew if he pressed the issue any further it would mess up the mood. Dixyn wouldn’t sex him to the best of her abilities. Even worse, he might have to sleep on the couch.

  “I’m sorry, babe,” she said affectionately. “You still mad at me?”

  Before he could respond, a small grin creased his lips. This expression seemed to say it all. It c
ommunicated to Dixyn all that she needed to know. “Nah, I was just sayin’ . . .” Bryce began in his heavy New York accent. “Sometimes, ma, you gotta listen to the kid. I be knowin’ what I’m talkin’ about. Facts! We both know how you can be, though. You want what you want, when you want it, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the situation.”

  It was Dixyn’s turn to smile. Bryce understood her all too well. At times when they fussed and fought, Bryce referred to her as a big baby, and she agreed. She knew this character flaw was unwomanly. While she had tried to change, she just couldn’t. It was who she was: spoiled. Her entire life her mother had given in to her. Being the only child raised in a single-parent household, Dixyn grew up with the misconception that she could go through life always getting her way. Bryce was guilty to a degree of facilitating this by spoiling his woman with expensive gifts. But, of course, she would never see it like that.

  “Babe, look, I know I can be on my bullshit at times. But whenever I get a chance to be with you, I’m going to take it. I don’t care what the circumstances are. I don’t care if the world is coming to an end. Let me be right here with you when it does, and if I die, I’ll know I died happy.” Dixyn Greene was a hopeless romantic. When it came to true love, she was a believer. She stood firm in her belief that she had found her soul mate in Bryce. The connection she felt from the moment they met still existed to this day, despite their occasional disagreements.

  “Wow,” Bryce managed to say. He was blown away by Dixyn’s sincerity. How could he knock her just for wanting to be with him? What man in his right mind could? Bryce was overcome by a warm fuzzy feeling inside—it was good to know that his woman wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. At that moment, words couldn’t express how he felt for Dixyn. Bryce took his eyes off the road long enough to quickly admire her. He had run through many women in his day but, he had to admit, he had lucked out when he got with Dixyn.

  They were from two different worlds. Bryce hailed from the rough-and-tumble concrete jungle of New York City. His Harlem neighborhood served as an incubator for drug dealers, spawning some of the most notorious in the city. Dixyn was from suburban Virginia, unaccustomed to the fast lane. She wasn’t about that life. Her naïveté to the street life played a major part in his initial attraction. Opposites attract—bad boy from the bright lights and big city, and the good, wholesome suburban girl. The two met by chance while Bryce was on a shopping spree at a local mall and they immediately clicked. They had been inseparable ever since.

  Dixyn was everything he wanted his wifey to be. She was an incredible mother, a straight-up freak where he needed her to be, and she was absolutely beautiful. Dixyn had a natural prettiness which other women envied. She hardly ever wore makeup; she didn’t need it. He liked that. Everything about her was real, from her hair and nails to her breasts and ass and, above all, her character. Dixyn was the only female Bryce had ever really loved, the only woman he was even remotely faithful to. She had a good heart. She was trusting, almost too trusting at times, naive to the games of the trifling broads always sniffing around her, the ones she called friends—the same ones who sometimes made passes at her man.

  Her childhood best friend Kendra was the main culprit—the two had recently gotten back in touch with one another and Kendra would often make inappropriate comments about Bryce. She was just too loose when it came to sex. She was in love with a new guy every other week, constantly giving up the pussy. Dixyn made it a point to never discuss her relationship with Bryce, sexual or otherwise, with Kendra. True, Kendra played an important role in her life, but relationship counselor wasn’t part of it. As good as Kendra looked, Dixyn never understood why she couldn’t get a decent man. Her life was a never-ending cycle of bad relationships, one after another.

  “Must be nice,” Bryce blurted out to break the silence.

  “What?”

  “Always getting ya way.” He smiled.

  In response, Dixyn playfully punched Bryce in the arm. She liked his sense of humor. He could be a clown when he wanted to be. Dixyn rested her hand on Bryce’s inner thigh and slowly massaged through his jeans until she reached his erection. “It’s on when we get home, baby,” she joked as she worked to unzip his jeans. “I want to show you how much I love you.” Dixyn gently released Bryce’s manhood and tenderly kissed the tip. “And how much I missed you.” She used her tongue to tease the length of his hardness. “How much I love you,” she whispered before taking his fullness into her mouth.

  Bryce was so overcome by the strong warm sensation that he almost forgot he was driving. “Chill, you gon’ make me crash my whip.”

  Dixyn came up from her bowed position in his lap and smiled wickedly. “I’ma fuck the shit out of you when we get home!”

  By the time the couple arrived at home, the rain had subsided. The glow from the moonlit sky illuminated the path to their driveway. Instinctively, Bryce surveyed his surroundings. His eyes scoured the area for would-be intruders or anything else that seemed out of place. Bryce was security-conscious. He could never be rocked to sleep by the slow country atmosphere of the suburbs. He treated every day as if danger abounded.

  Satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary, Bryce pressed a button on the Range Rover’s sun visor that activated the two-car garage door, revealing one empty space and Dixyn’s BMW X6. As soon as the Range Rover crossed the garage’s threshold, Bryce hit the button again and the door closed behind them.

  When the couple entered the house, the home security alarm sounded. Bryce rushed over to the keypad and punched in a code, switching the alarm into a home mode, which meant that the couple was free to wander about the house, but that if any doors or windows were breached, it would chime again.

  Bryce entered the living room and walked over to his well-stocked minibar. He grabbed a bottle of Hennessy cognac, his drink of choice, from the bottom shelf and followed Dixyn upstairs into the bedroom. Bryce removed the top and took a hard gulp. Although he was accustomed to drinking Hennessy straight, the burning sensation made him grimace. Regardless, he took another long swig, followed by another. He repeated the process until he reached the bedroom. Satisfied that he had consumed enough alcohol to enhance his sexual performance, Bryce placed the remnants of the Hennessy bottle on the nightstand.

  The faint sound of running water told Bryce that Dixyn was already in the bathroom taking a shower. His timing couldn’t have been better. He opened a drawer inside the nightstand to ensure that what he had planted before they left for an evening on the town was still there. The small black suede box was right where he had left it. Bryce removed the item, carefully placed it inside his pocket, and closed the drawer. While Dixyn freshened up in the bathroom, he rehearsed the plan in his mind. Bryce was nervous, but not noticeably. The large amount of alcohol he had just consumed helped calm his outward appearance. This moment was a long time coming; he had finally worked up enough nerve to do the right thing by not only his woman, but his child as well. Dixyn had held him down through the good and bad, she had his back through thick and thin, he had started referring to her as Wifey, and now he wanted to make it official. He wanted that commitment for life. Bryce was confident that the label wouldn’t complicate things. Rather, marriage would enhance their relationship.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening snapped Bryce back into reality. He looked up just in time to see Dixyn slowly approaching him, wearing nothing but a white towel which covered her breasts and her upper thighs. As soon as Dixyn came within arm’s reach, she seductively let the towel fall to her beautifully pedicured feet, revealing her perfect figure.

  Slyly, Bryce let his eyes roam over every inch of Dixyn’s body as his manhood rose to a rock-solid position in his pants. Her sheer beauty justified Bryce’s attention. The sexual overtones in the bedroom grew stronger when Bryce reached for her small waist and pulled her close. He tenderly planted soft little kisses on nape of her neck, sending shivers down Dixyn’s spine. This was her spot and Bryce knew it. Not quit
e ready to jump into a heated sexual episode with his woman, he pulled away, ceasing all stimulating activities.

  Bryce looked deeply into Dixyn’s eyes and smiled. His expression was so warm and alluring that Dixyn couldn’t help but smile too. He kissed her softly on the lips, then softly said, “You know I love you . . .”

  “I love you too,” she whispered, and kissed him again long and slow. For her, there was nothing more erotic than a passionate kiss.

  Bryce knew exactly what Dixyn’s slow kisses entailed. Slow kisses led to slow head, and slow head led to slow, mind-blowing sex. He was in for a long night. But he had to interrupt her, because once she started, he wouldn’t want her to stop. He pulled away again and gazed into Dixyn’s eyes. Bryce felt like he had run through what he wanted to say a million times. Yet right now, at the moment of truth, his words seemed to escape him. He had to say something, so he did the only thing he could do: speak from the heart. “I have something for you,” he managed to say. Bryce pulled out the black box and revealed a three-carat, three-stone trilogy diamond engagement ring.

  Dixyn’s eyes began to water and she covered her mouth with her hands. She had waited for this day forever, and was beginning to believe it would never come. Tears filled her eyes but no words flowed from her lips as she waited for Bryce to speak.

  Dixyn’s reaction caused a tear to well in the corner of Bryce’s eye as well, but he quickly blinked to prevent it from falling. Where he was from, men showed little emotion and tears were a sign of weakness. Bryce was many things, but weak wasn’t one of them.

  “I want you in my life . . . for life,” he announced, “in holy matrimony, for better or for worse.” Bryce removed the stunning platinum ring from the box and reached for her left hand. He pointed to the two stones and diamond in the middle. “This represents our future . . .”

  Tears began to flow freely from Dixyn’s eyes; still she didn’t utter a word.

  He pointed to the two smaller stones on the side. “These represent our past and present . . . our life.” He placed the immense ring on her finger. “Be mine for life; marry me. Hold me down forever as my wife.” Although this wasn’t quite the eloquent speech that Bryce had prepared in his mind, it would do—heartfelt, short, and to the point.