by Jade Kuzma
“Your mom… Where is she now?”
I hesitated to respond.
“She’s… She’s gone.”
Charles turned back to me but I wasn’t paying much attention to him.
“She OD’d when I was still in high school…”
I stared off into the distance as all of the memories came flooding back into my head.
“When my dad died in a car accident, my mother took it harder than everybody else. She started using and… It just got worse. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what to do. By the time I figured it out, it was too late.”
I sucked on my teeth and shook my head. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Charles was still staring at me and listening.
“Then when she died, my brother got locked up. He started using and next thing you know, he ended up just like mom…”
“Losing both parents is hard.”
“Yeah… I guess I’m the lucky one that made it.”
I chuckled softly even though my eyes were half-glazed over.
“Why are you working for a man like Blade?”
Charles’s question broke me out of my daze. He stared at me intently, his eyes unblinking. I coughed to clear my throat, shaking my head and searching for an answer that didn’t exist.
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “When I met him, I was alone. He told me that he could help me. He was handsome. He was charming. And he treated me right. When I started making money, I figured I was getting everything I needed.”
“How long have you been working for him?”
“Almost five years now. I guess I’m used to it at this point…”
I couldn’t look at Charles when I talked about work. I was so ashamed of everything even though I’d been doing it for so long.
“…He doesn’t sleep with me anymore. He’s not as charming. But I still make money, so it’s what’s best for me.”
“You’re not happy,” Charles said. “Why don’t you just walk away?”
“You don’t just walk away from a man like Blade,” I scoffed. “He’d find me eventually.”
“What about the money? Why would you make a deal with me if you knew Blade would find you?”
“Because…”
My words got caught in my throat. I swallowed to push everything down but it was still hard to speak.
There was something about the way Charles looked at me. He wasn’t just listening. It was like he was trying to find a reason to prove me wrong and I was having trouble trying to respond.
“…Because I’m tired,” I said. “I want to enjoy myself. I want to live my life and experience things I’ve never experienced before. Even if it’s for only a moment.”
“You were planning on running off with the money I gave you.”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I was gonna go somewhere, blow all of that cash, and then join the rest of my family…”
“Where would you go?”
“Ha…”
I laughed at the question.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I remember Blade asking me the same thing when he met me. He told me that I could make so much money I could travel anywhere in the world. He asked me where I wanted to be.”
Thinking about it brought a smile to my face.
“Asia,” I said. “I heard about how Asia had the nicest beaches in the world. The sand is white. The water is as blue as the sky. The sun shining in the sky with nothing but the endless Pacific staring back at you. I think it’s because I’ve been stuck in Ivory all my life.”
I snickered softly to myself as I shook the thoughts out of my head.
“I guess that’s not happening though,” I said. “If you get your hands on Walsh, I doubt you’d be able to pay me before they locked you up.”
I looked at Charles and smiled at him. It didn’t matter that there was a tear spilling down my cheek. Just the thought of going out there was enough to make me smile.
Charles put his beer down and walked up to me. He put his hand to my cheek and wiped my tear away. I giggled and looked away from him.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I get a little emotional when I think about getting away from this town.”
“Okay.”
I turned to him and shook my head.
“Okay what?” I said.
“You’re right. There’s no way I could get to Walsh without getting caught.”
“Then what are you gonna do?”
“Nothing. I’m just gonna let him go.”
“You came all the way to Ivory for him? Are you sure—”
“I’m sure. But I did make a deal with you. I can talk to the Reapers and they can forward me the money—”
“I don’t care about the money,” I said as I shook my head.
I slowly stood up, my eyes locked on his.
He was so tall, I had to look up at him even if I stood on my tiptoes. His intense stare. His tattoos. His tan skin. Even his smell. Everything about him was so intoxicating. When I was close to him, it was like I didn’t care about anything else in the world.
It didn’t matter that I was stuck in Ivory. It didn’t matter that I had the worst job in the world working for an egomaniac.
Just having Charles in front of me was enough to make me smile.
“I don’t care about the money,” I repeated. “I… I care about you, Charles. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. I can’t imagine what’s going through your mind. But I don’t want you to throw away what you have.”
“The only thing on my mind right now is you. Not Walsh. Not Blade. Not Lieberman. Just you. And I’m willing to pay any price I can to have you.”
His face slowly drifted toward mine. I felt his breath on my lips as I whispered.
“You don’t have to pay anything tonight. I want you to have it. It’s just us… Just us…”
I let his lips linger on mine. His tongue pushed into my mouth. A burning desire for him ignited in my stomach.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. Strong hands on my ass made me gasp.
Deep kisses let me feel the roughness of his beard against my skin. He was consuming me and I was letting him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting them on his broad shoulders. Charles raised me up from the ground so much I was forced to wrap my legs around him, too.
“Over there…”
I whispered into his ear as I directed him toward my bedroom. He carried me effortlessly into my room and sat me down on the bed. I stood on the edge of my mattress and watched as he started peeling his clothes off.
He took off his vest and then his shirt. He was so big but so defined. Veins and striations all over his body without an inch of fat on him. Broad shoulders and a waist with a hard six-pack at the center.
He wasn’t moving fast enough for me.
I reached forward and started fumbling with his belt. I undid his zipper, sliding it down just enough to reveal the bulge in his underwear. His baggy jeans fell to his ankles and his briefs followed. A thick cock popped up before me. It had felt like so long since I had it.
My mouth started to water as I took it into my fist and pumped it. But just before I could reach my tongue out and lick his tip, Charles grabbed me by the arms and brought me back up to my feet.
He started tugging at the zipper on my dress. I couldn’t fight him.
We didn’t say another word to each other. Just heavy panting and deep breaths were enough to know that we were both desperate.
My dress fell to the floor. I unhooked my bra and dropped my arms to reveal my breasts.
“Oh… Fuck…”
I groaned as he started consuming my breasts. He cupped them in his hands, sucking on each nipple. He twirled his tongue around and made the pink flesh stiffen in his mouth. At the same time, I peeled my wet panties down my thighs.
I’d been with guys before. In my business, I’d slept with more men than I could remember. But I’d never wanted them. I’d ne
ver been so desperate to have them inside of me like I wanted Charles now.
“Charles…”
I tilted my head back and wrapped my hands around his head. I kept his head buried against my chest so he could consume me. But it wasn’t enough. My pussy was dripping. His cock was throbbing against me.
“Fuck me… Fuck me already…”
He pushed me back onto the bed. I gasped in surprise then giggled. I crawled back on the mattress and stared at him. I spread my legs so he could see my opening just waiting for him.
Charles took a step forward and crawled on the bed toward me. Seeing his hard body, naked and glistening in the moonlight shining in through the window… He was a piece of art right there in front of me.
He moved closer to me and took his place between my legs. A deep kiss made my legs spread even more. He pressed his hard body down on me as he stared into my eyes.
“I want you… I want you so bad, Asia…”
I was so wet and so hot between my legs. I was aching for him just to thrust inside of me.
But I wasn’t in a hurry. I wanted this moment. This moment, him on top of me, just staring into my eyes.
It was something I never had before. I didn’t think it was real.
“…Lenora.”
I whispered it softly, just loud enough to hear.
“My name’s not Asia. It’s Lenora.”
“I want you, Lenora.”
“Just fuck me already… Fuck me… Ahh!”
He plunged his cock into me.
“Oh… God…”
He was so thick. But I was so wet his length slid right into me. He pushed every inch into me, burying himself to the hilt. He rested his cock comfortably inside of me.
I squeezed my arms around him, knocking his beanie off his head and taking fistfuls of hair to brace myself.
My legs wrapped around the small of his back.
My toes curled.
My back arched.
Charles couldn’t hold back. He started thumping himself into me. The loud sound of our bodies colliding into each other echoed off the walls.
He grunted.
I whimpered.
Sweaty skin rubbing together filled my nostrils with the scent of sex.
I was in pure ecstasy. I shut my eyes and stuck my tongue out. Sloppy kisses made our union that much more enjoyable.
My mind started to go blank. The feelings burning in my stomach started to spread through me. It was like someone had set me on fire.
I arched my back even more so he could get even deeper. His smooth hilt rubbing against my clit only made it worse for me.
The rapid thump of his balls against me only made it clear he was close. I searched for the edge he was desperately pushing me to.
“Charles… Oh, fuck… Charles, I’m gonna come…”
“Lenora…”
“Come inside of me… Fuck, come inside of me… Come…”
My mouth opened but everything else I could say got stuck in my throat.
My body seized as my orgasm slammed into me. I writhed underneath Charles’s hard body. Wave after wave of pleasure pulsed from my core and burned in my veins.
Toes curling. Back arching. Eyes fluttering. Nails digging into his skin. I lost complete control of my ecstasy.
I tightened myself around him just as he stopped thrusting. The hard throbs of his cock against my walls let me know he was coming just the same as me. The wonderful feeling of taking his cum only made my own orgasm that much more enjoyable.
He emptied every drop he could into me then buried his cock comfortably inside of me. His hard body collapsed on top of mine.
Sweating. Breathing hard. Hearts racing. Vision blurry. We laid together on my bed, consumed by our orgasms.
As my mind started to clear, everything returned to me.
I didn’t know what Charles was thinking. I didn’t know if he were still intent on going after Walsh. The only thing I knew for sure was that at this moment, he was here with me.
And I was happy.
Chapter 11
CHARLES
I took a puff of the cigarette and let the smoke linger in my lungs.
“What do you got going on around here?”
I looked around the bar and saw a couple of patrons. They were minding their own business. Outside of them, there wasn’t anybody else.
It was the perfect place to relax and have a conversation.
“We’re all just relaxing. The boys are in the other room playing poker. You wanna play a hand?”
“I’m not much for poker,” I responded. “Too much luck involved.”
“There’s some luck but you know what they say… You gotta make your own luck.”
“Thanks. But my money is fine where it’s at.”
I sat at the bar counter and took a sip of my beer. Alcohol. Tobacco. I had pretty much all I needed at the moment. The atmosphere of the clubhouse was enough to make me forget about anything that might have been stressing me out.
“That’s what you guys do all day?” I said. “You sit around the clubhouse and play poker?”
“We work the bar to make ends meet. Sully’s at the fire station volunteering. Sometimes the boys do part-time work fixing other people’s rides.”
“It’s a lazy life in Ivory.”
“You can say that.”
I looked over and saw the smirk on his face.
I hadn’t known Ghost for long. This was the first time I had a real conversation with him. Even though I knew he was the VP of the Reapers, I could tell that he was one of the wiser ones in the club.
The man didn’t look like he hadn’t had a good shave in weeks. His hair was long. His beard was thick. But I could see in his eyes that he was a sage. That shit was pretty remarkable considering he was probably only a few years older than me.
“How about you?” he asked. “How’s Ivory treating you?”
“Just fine. It’s a quiet town. Not much action but I can dig it. Sometimes you just need to get away.”
“What’s your story?”
I scoffed at his question and shook my head.
“It’s a long story, brother. Where would I start?”
“Well, you can tell me why you decided to go nomad.”
“Right…”
I sighed as I thought about it. It was a long time ago but the memory was still fresh in my mind.
“After I came back from my last tour, I couldn’t shake it.”
“Shake what?”
“Being out there. I saw some shit, man. Some real shit. All of the boys I was out there with… Never saw ‘em again after we all split up. I missed it. Figured I would patch in and find some new people to hang around with. Someone I could be brothers with.”
“Didn’t take?”
“I’m still cool with the chapter in Corvus. I got no beef with them. But I couldn’t stay in that town. Life out there got a little too dull for me.”
“And now you’re in Ivory, picking fights and threatening to kill people.”
“I only threatened to kill one man.”
Ghost and I shared a laugh. I took another gulp of beer and sank deeper into my seat. Ghost leaned against the counter with his back to it, his eyes locked on me.
“It’s not happening though,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“I found Walsh but I’m not gonna go through with it. There’s way too much heat. They’re just waiting to scoop me up. It doesn’t help that I’m sitting in the Reapers’ clubhouse, so I’m not exactly hard to find.”
“All right… Let me see if I got this straight, nomad.”
Ghost straightened up.
“You came here to kill Walsh. You gave him a few good licks but he’s still out there. Now you’ve decided you’re not gonna kill him.”
“That’s right.”
“Okay. I just got one question for you.”
“Shoot.”
He leaned in close to me and whispered into my ear.
<
br /> “What’s her name?”
He pulled away but kept staring at me. I looked ahead at all of the bottles of liquor on the wall in front of me. From the corner of my eye, I could see the smirk on his lips.
“What’s whose name?”
“Don’t gimme that shit,” he said. “Only a female could make a man do a 180. Even a hard-ass like you. You might be from out of town but I’ve seen it all before. Guys do crazy shit when they’re in love.”
“Don’t go throwing that word around now. I’m just trying to look out for the poor girl.”
“So it is a girl then?”
I looked over at him and the cocky grin on his face had grown even wider. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I took another gulp of beer then puffed on my cigarette.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen,” I said. “Shit’s still up in the air. I don’t know what she’s thinking. I don’t know what I’m thinking. But maybe there’s a possibility I might stick around.”
“Is that such a good idea?”
“Why not?”
“Well… You can see for yourself that shit’s dry right now. Garnet worked a deal with the Chinese to move their shit to the big city but with the feds in town, they pulled the plug. We were making a lot of cash before Lieberman and her goons swooped in.”
“Not too fond of that bitch.”
“Nobody is. She’s got every MC in Ivory on lockdown. Everybody in town got their asshole puckered up. Shit’s not pretty.”
I nodded in understanding.
Life in Ivory could have been simple. But all it took was one federal agent to fuck things up for everybody.
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life in Ivory,” Ghost said. “You just gotta find something to keep yourself occupied with. Keep your head down and don’t get into any trouble.”
“I’m not looking for trouble.”
“Is that right?” he said.
“Trouble came looking for me. I’m just responding.”
“Well, if you’re gonna stick around Ivory, shit’s not gonna be easy for you. Even if you forget about this whole Walsh thing, as long as he’s in town, that’s another person you gotta worry about besides Lieberman.”
