by T. L Smith
“Fine, obviously you don’t want to tell me. Which, I think, by the way... is stupid. I was going to wait, but now I think I’ll just come see you sooner. Text me your address, I’m coming for a visit.”
If I tell her no, she won’t stop calling. So I smile and look like I’m happy. I am, don’t get me wrong. I know she’ll love it here, and she’ll see why I chose to stay. But when she meets him, that’s what has me worried. They loved Jarod, almost as much as me.
“What’s the town called?” she asks, sitting back down next to Henry.
“Candy,” I say smiling
“Oh, fuck no,” Henry says, the phone swings around to his white face and his strange expression while Stacey and I look at him wondering why.
“What?”
I don’t know who says it, but he seems to look away and shake his head.
“Nothing... nothing, guys.” Then he’s gone.
Stacey looks back to me, and we’re both trying to work out what the fuck just happened.
“Well, that was weird as shit... anyway, I’ll see you soon. And you better show me this new person you’re trying to hide from me.”
My face goes red, and she laughs. “I have to go, love you, boo.”
“Love you more.”
We hang up, and I hope and pray by the time she comes, that my butterflies, and whatever else likes to fly around inside me when Huxley is near, disappear by then. Otherwise, she’ll know the minute she sees him. Because she knows me that well.
Chapter 7
Kandi
I’ve contemplated quitting, already. Just so I don’t have to go into work today to deal with what’s to come. To look into his eyes after what happened. My hands are unsteady as I unlock the door and walk into the dark club. Automatically relief hits me. No one’s here but me, so I can work and not be distracted by all things Huxley.
The way he looks at me like I’m his last meal.
The way he’s unapologetic in everything he does.
To the way he tastes like sin.
I want to taste that forever. That’s why it’s next to impossible to pull away. How do you pull away from someone who entices you without your consent?
Looking down to my hands I remember how his body felt, the tight edges of his waist to his hard abs that has ripples. I’ve never felt a body so strong before. Jarod didn’t have that, he was the exact opposite of Huxley. Yet, I’m more attracted to Huxley than I’ve been to anyone else in my life, even my husband, whom I married and adored.
Working is hard when ice-gray eyes flash in your face every time you close your eyes. I wonder if I can do it. I wonder if I could have something with him, and try to keep my feelings away from it. Lord knows I’d love some good sex. The pleasure with a touch of pain leaves me high for days. And the way Huxley uses his lips and tongue, I’m sure he knows exactly what to do.
Unlike Jarod. I had to teach him to use his tongue, to make me wither on the bed screaming his name. It took years of practice. And even if he was great with his tongue, his cock never seemed to hit that magical spot girls talk about.
The buzzer on the door rings, coming straight through to my office. It’s not Huxley because he would have walked straight in. I’m not sure if I should answer it or not, but then it sounds again, and again.
Pushing myself up, I step out to the main door. I keep my phone in one hand sending a message to Huxley. He asked me to let him know about any and all visitors that come to his door unless it’s an employee. Mostly he said during the day it would probably be Davina. She has keys, though, unless she’s locked herself out.
My message is ready to send when I open the door. Two men stand in front of me, both with sunglasses covering their faces. Tattoos are littered over both of their necks and hands, as the suits they have on don’t fully cover those areas. I feel both of their eyes on me as I offer a small smile.
“Can I help you?”
They look to each other, then back to me. “Huxley in?”
They push past me, which makes me sidestep to let them in, so I click send on my message without getting their names.
You have guests buzzing on the door, I’m going to see what they want.
He only told me to let him know if someone came. That’s what I did, but my phone starts ringing straight away. Both guys look to me as I let go of the door, and it closes now that I’m not holding it, shutting me in with both of them.
“Hello.”
“Are you safe?” Those are his first words. Weird, but okay.
“Yes,” I answer looking up to the two guys who now seem to be staring at me.
“Put me on speaker, I’m in my car.”
“Okay.” I do as he asks, holding my phone up and pressing speaker.
“Names, now.”
They smirk. At first, I think they won’t listen to his command because he’s not nice about the way he speaks. But they start speaking while watching me.
“Ethan and Will.”
Looking down to the phone I wait for his response. “Kandi, take me off speaker now.” I do so and place the phone to my ear. Both men keep watching me.
“Yep,” I say. I feel uneasy. I don’t know these people, yet they’re watching me as if they know something I don’t and they feel.... dangerous.
“I’m literally two minutes away. Go to your office and lock the door.”
“What?” I ask, shocked.
“Now, Kandi.”
I listen to Huxley and walk off past both men. As I make it to my door, one of their voices booms from behind me. “Why don’t you wait with us, Kandi?” he purrs my name.
“Office... Kandi.”
My hand is frozen on the door. Huxley’s voice pushes me forward though, and I shut the door behind me, locking myself inside. Sitting in my chair, I go to say something, but nothing comes to mind as I pull the phone away and see he’s already hung the phone up on me anyway.
A knock on my door makes me squeal, and I jump in my seat. Another knock then the deep rattle of his voice is the only thing I hear as I get up to open it. Huxley’s standing there dressed in all black, with a simple white tee underneath a black suit jacket, and a face that’s as serious as I’ve ever seen before. He pushes me in with his body, both of us touching, then shuts the door behind him. I hear the click of the lock and my eyes travel away from his face to where our bodies are glued. Not on purpose just from him pushing me in. Yet, I can’t seem to move.
“Kandi...” My name leaves his lips, and my eyes find them. Leaving his hard body to look back up to him.
“Huxley...” I’m pretty sure I don’t say his name, I breathe it. Attraction, pure and utter attraction flows through me. It’s almost an animalistic attraction. Because I don’t know him, yet my body craves him.
“It should be illegal how much I want you right now.”
My heart rate picks up, the one I thought I’d lost. The heart that was at the bottom of my feet for so long, now beats like crazy, harder than ever at his words.
His hand lifts up, and he pulls back a stray piece of my pink hair, his fingers lingering then drop to my arm and trail across my tattoos. “Stay in here, Kandi. Don’t move.”
Then he’s gone, and my heart rate manages to slow a fraction, enough for me to step back and sit in my seat. My eyes skim my work, and I know no matter what, I won’t be able to concentrate. He’s on the other side of that door and left me here with touches and his smell lingering everywhere around me. My chest rises and falls with my heavy breaths. I can hear voices, and they’re becoming louder. The door swings open and Davina’s standing there looking around the office until her eyes land on me.
She holds out her hand, her eyes wide. “We need to leave, Kandi. Now.”
I go to tell her no, Huxley told me to stay. “Why?”
Her eyes leave mine and look behind her then back to me. “Kandi, now. Please.”
Walking toward her, I pick up my bag from the floor on the way and don’t say anything.
Her ey
es are serious, hard, when I look at her. “Keep your head down and don’t say a word. Only look where I walk.”
I nod my head. She turns, and I follow, doing exactly as she’s asked me to do. Voices I can hear, but I keep my eyes ahead, not wanting to get involved or even know what’s happening.
I didn’t come here for this.
I had that type of life with Jarod, one where we were always on the go and never knew who was after us. All because he couldn’t handle the drugs. He’d end up stealing them, and then we’d have to leave. I would always follow like the good wife I was. Fighting with him about it achieved nothing. Jarod would also win when he whispered sweet nothings and kissed away my fears. Then it was just recycling the same thing over and over until eventually, it caught up to him, which ultimately ended up getting him killed.
I’m not watching where I’m going. It’s because Jarod was playing on my mind. I’ve let him slip in and take hold for a few seconds. A tear drops from my eye and runs down my cheek and because of the blurry vision I slip. My hands catch my fall.
Looking up, but on my hands and knees, all eyes are on me. In particular, red eyes are on me, and bloody hands hang loosely next to those bloody eyes. And those blood-covered hands belong to Huxley, and those blood-covered eyes belong to one of the men who came in earlier.
What is he doing to him?
Beating him?
Why is there so much blood, and why are they both looking at me like I’m the one who interfered?
Hands touch me, trying to pull me up. “Get up, Kandi, we can’t be here.”
My feet manage to oblige as Davina starts pulling me. I can’t help it, my head turns, and my eyes fall back as we reach the door to leave. And when they do, Huxley’s watching me. His eyes are cast down a little, but still watching me with intent. His face is more deadly than I could ever have imagined.
My feet are stuck as my hand grips the door.
I need to stay away.
This is my warning.
Then Huxley smirks, and I know right then and there that no matter how evil he is he gets what he wants, and I know for a fact he wants me. Just as much as I want him. The pull between us is scary. Too scary to see, all you can do is feel it.
Ripping my eyes away, my hand is on the door, and I grip it hard, pulling it shut once I am outside. Fresh air assaults my senses. I’ve almost forgotten it’s still daytime. Honestly, it feels like it’s the middle of the night in that place and death’s lurking everywhere.
“I’m sorry, Kandi.”
My hands fall at my sides and clench as I look up at her. “What’s happening in there, Davina?” She doesn’t answer me. “Fuck it! I don’t want to know. Tell Huxley I quit. I don’t want to deal with any of that shit, ever again.” My legs start moving straight to where I’m parked.
Davina’s voice filters through from behind me, her heels clicking after me as she catches up. “He’ll chase you. I’ve never seen him look at someone the way he looks at you.”
Pulling open my door and throwing in my bag, I turn back to look at her before I get in. “He can chase all he wants, but that...” I point to the door we’ve just exited from, “... I am not dealing with. I came here to be happy. Content. To live a normal life. Not to deal with any of that or fear for my own safety. If I wanted to do that shit, I would have stayed where I was.”
“I’m sorry, Kandi, I really am.”
I don’t have any words to say back to her, so I simply get in my car and drive off.
Chapter 8
Huxley
Blood drips from my hands as Ethan smirks up at me through his bloodshot eyes. My fingers grip harder around the brass knuckles in my hand as more blood drips to the floor. Ethan’s smirk doesn’t leave his face as he looks to me. Will sits next to him, tied up but not in the same position Ethan’s in.
Ethan’s the man who defied me. He’s the one that will receive my punishment as Will watches on so he knows what will happen to him if it happens again. You disobey in my town, the punishment is to be dealt with by me, and me alone.
Ethan took something which was mine, then came onto my property unannounced, and he had no right to do so. He knows better, he’s worked for me in the past. Both of them have. They’re a team.
“Sir.”
“You won’t do it again, right, Ethan?”
He shakes his head, then drops his eyes to look to the floor.
My eyes leave him to look back to the door where the pink-haired beauty just disappeared through. The girl that looked at me like I was her worst nightmare. It made me happy she was finally seeing the real me. Maybe now, when I take her to my bed, she will see me for me. Not the perfect gentleman she sees when she looks at me. No woman should look at me like I’m about to sweep her off her feet and carry her away. No. They should look at me like I’m about to do the unthinkable to them. Then smile as I do it.
Davina walks back in as I turn away from Ethan. Ricky wipes at his black eye courtesy of me—he shouldn’t have made Kandi stand in line then refuse her entry when I tried to give her a job—as he holds Will down in his seat that he’s tied to making him watch the punishment I’ve carried out on Ethan. They’re brothers, Ethan and Will, protective as shit for one another. Both, though, equally as dangerous as the other. Not people I want near Kandi. Fuck! I don’t deserve to be around her. But now I’ve tasted her, I want more, and I will get it.
Ricky looks up to me, and I nod my head indicating he can release Will.
“She left.” Davina looks to the ground, the blood not bothering her in the slightest as I reach into my pocket, dropping the brass knuckles in and grabbing my handkerchief to wipe my hands clean.
“You’re not telling me all, Davina.”
“She quit.” Her eyes go wide like she didn’t mean to say it, but it slipped from her lips anyway.
“She’s just mad. Scared, even,” I say as Davina shakes her head.
“Angry doesn’t cover it, and she doesn’t want anything to do with...” her mouth closes, and I watch as she swallows, “... this.”
Of course, she doesn’t. You’d be crazy to choose this life. Only someone fucked up would, and that person’s me.
I worked hard to get where I am, very fucking hard. I was raised by unequipped foster parents who wanted me purely for their monthly paycheck. They didn’t care what I did on weekends, or even if I fucking went to school. So, the moment I could leave I did, but I never went far. I started working, selling things. In particular, weed, then gradually other services slowly rose. Protection, then money. It was like a roller coaster that all came at me by the age of eighteen. By the time I hit twenty, I had so much money I didn’t know what to do with it. So I started buying things. I began small with cars, then houses, and by this time I was becoming eager to make more money. I wanted more and more. Power’s a funny thing for someone who’s never had it. It’s like sex, once you slide in you don’t want to stop. You want to keep going until you reach that pivotal point. I’d like to say I’ve reached that point, but I don’t think I have. Power’s my drug of choice, and nothing will get in my way of it. Nothing ever has. Even when my foster parents tried to get more from me once they realized how wealthy I’d become. I settled with gifting them a house, and told them if they ever contacted me again, I’d kill them.
They were the worst of the worst.
They believed I would kill them and that’s a good thing.
I wasn’t the same lost child they raised anymore. I was a man, and now I’m a ruthless businessman. My business always comes first, women don’t picture in the equation. I have no family, so it was easy. I’ve never had to choose, not in my thirty years on this earth have I had to choose. One woman once asked me to make a choice, and that was a stupid thing to do. She thought because I kept her as a bed partner that entitled her to more. She was wrong, and I showed her the door the minute the words left her mouth.
I take a woman to my bed, not into my heart.
There isn’t any room i
n there for that. Some say I don’t even have a heart. Maybe they’re right. But it doesn’t stop me from wanting the company of a woman. A man has needs, and if I can keep the two separate, I know I’ll be right.
Except for her.
I shouldn’t have offered Kandi work, I should have just had my way with her. I know she wanted me, I could see it in the way she stared, in the way she gnawed at her bottom lip trying to hide her face. Kandi may choose not to want me, but her body clearly tells me otherwise. And that’s okay, I don’t want what’s in her head, I want everything she can give in terms of her body. Maybe I need to make that fact clearer to her. Maybe then she’ll see I won’t break her heart because there are no feelings associated with what we do.
“What has she told you of where she’s from?” I ask Davina, turning and reaching for the tap over the sink that cleans our glasses at night.
Ricky clears the men out and begins cleaning up the blood as I wash my hands thoroughly. Blood likes to sit under the nails, so I’m careful to ensure all traces are gone.
“Not much, she keeps a lot to herself.”
I like that she doesn’t feel the need to tell people her problems. She seems like a fixer, not a taker.
“I know she loves to paint. She’s always covered in it.” Davina smiles. I can tell she genuinely likes her. And it’s not only because of the first time when I saw Kandi arrive at that real estate agency and I sent Davina over to befriend Kandi. No, she actually likes her as a person and not purely because I’ve told her to.
“She is, isn’t she.” I already know this, she told me so. But I’m not about to share what she’s spoken to me in private.
“I also see the way you look at her. It’s not the same way you looked at Rachel, and you two were a ‘thing’ for over two years.”
“Correction, Davina, we were bed buddies, she knew exactly what we were. Don’t try to make it more than what it was.”
She nods her head, shutting up.