Belle

by Treasure Hernandez

  “You can have it as long as you want it,” she said. “Just don’t leave me again.”

  “I promise,” Kidd said, gripping her hips and sliding back in her warm gooeyness.

  Her words must have turned him on something vicious, because his strokes had a different kind of power behind them. She couldn’t even throw it back. All she could do was take his beating. It felt so good, and all of her senses were awakened. Her toes curled, and her eyes clenched shut. When Kidd used his middle finger to anally penetrate her while fucking her silly, Belle started saying words that didn’t even exist. She screamed over the sound of his balls slapping into her skin, and her clit welled up, letting her know it was time for another release.

  “Cum with me,” he told her when her knees started to buckle. “I’m about to cum, Belle. I’m about to nut all in this pussy.”

  “Ahhhh!” Belle’s scream was her response.

  The eruption that came from her clit was as strong as the throbbing from Kidd’s shaft inside of her when he let go of his seed. His fingers dug into her side, and his entire body shook from his climax. When the crazy sensation subsided, Belle dropped to the floor of the shower. She had exhausted all her energy and could barely move. She let Kidd wash them both up and let the now-lukewarm water rinse the soap from their bodies. When he turned the water off, he wrapped her towel around her and carried her to her bed. She didn’t know what happened next because she lost consciousness.

  * * *

  Belle stirred in her sleep before she opened her eyes. The sun sneakily peeked in at her, almost as if it didn’t want to disturb her beauty rest. And it didn’t. The television on her wall was what interrupted her dreams. She gave a long stretch and a big yawn before sitting up in her bed. She realized that she was still naked, but she didn’t mind it because her silk sheets were so soft on her skin. Events from the night before snuck into her mind, and she smiled while touching her cheek. She had never experienced sex so good in her life, and when she smelled the bacon coming from the kitchen, she smiled even harder because she knew Kidd was still there. Just as she was about to toss the covers back and grab her robe, something on the television caught her attention.

  “The deaths of the entire Dubois family have left the city of Omaha shattered,” a Fox News anchor was saying. “As we found out a few weeks ago, taking Lucas Dubois, his wife, and his young son was not enough for the killer. It is speculated that the same assailant came back a few weeks ago and murdered the new CEO and owner of Dubois Enterprises, Karan Dubois. Detectives are working long and hard to figure out what may have triggered these murders. In the meantime, the fate of Dubois Enterprises is in the balance.”

  Belle stopped tuning in after that. The only thing she’d heard was that her uncle was dead. Whoever had killed her mom, dad, and brother had gone after Uncle Karan too. And that meant he could be after her next. The room was closing in on her, and she was finding it hard to get air to her lungs.

  Kidd entered the room with a plate of freshly made breakfast. The smile on his face vanished when he saw Belle in bed, hyperventilating. He set the plate of food down to rush to her side.

  “Belle, what’s wrong?” he asked in a panic. “Breathe, baby. What’s wrong?”

  “The news. They just . . . said . . .” She tried to speak, but her heart was pounding too hard.

  “Breathe, baby girl. Take your time.”

  “My uncle is dead,” she finally got out. “Whoever killed my family must have gotten to him too.”

  “I know,” Kidd said plainly.

  “How could you possibly know?” she exclaimed. “Oh, my God. What if they’re after me next? Oh, my God, Oh, my God. I’m going to die.”

  “No, you aren’t,” Kidd said. “I’m not going to let him hurt you. I’m gon’ protect you. I’m going to kill him before he gets the chance.”

  “How can you protect me if you don’t know who’s doing it?” Belle asked and tried her best not to go into another panic attack. “My parents were killed ages ago. If the police can’t find the person, what makes you think you can?”

  Kidd’s lips formed into a grim straight line when he looked at Belle. His eyes held a look of sympathy. No. Not sympathy. Regret.

  “Belle, I have to tell you something. I have to tell you the real reason I came here last night,” he started. “It wasn’t just to see you. There’s somethin’ else. But first I need to ask you some questions.”

  “What?”

  “When Gene offered you the job at Bliss, what all did he have you do? Did he have you sign anything?”

  “He didn’t make me sign a contract,” she said. “I told him I didn’t want to be in one. I saw Aria beat Cream up so bad, I just couldn’t see myself being bound to that for any time frame. I want to be able to leave when I want.”

  “He didn’t make you sign anything?”

  “I mean, some insurance papers, or at least he said they were insurance papers. They had my name and social security number on them, so I believed him.”

  Kidd looked at Belle and shook his head. “It didn’t strike you as odd that a man who had never met you before had that kind of information about you at his fingertips?”

  “I guess I didn’t think about it.”

  “Belle, those weren’t insurance papers. You signed your father’s company over to him.”

  “What?” Belle said and made a face. “That doesn’t make sense. My uncle is the owner of the company, not me.”

  “Was the owner. He’s dead now. When he died, you became the rightful owner of Dubois Enterprises. And because you signed those papers, now Gene is.”

  “But that doesn’t make sense,” Belle repeated. “Why would he want my dad’s business unless he . . . Oh, my God. Gene killed my parents. . . .” Her voice trailed, and she looked at Kidd with tearful eyes. “Did you know?”

  “Not at first.”

  “You brought me right to him, you son of a bitch! You brought me right to the man who killed my family! Was this your plan all along?” Her screams were followed by her swinging at him with closed fists. She got a few hits in, but he grabbed her by the wrists. “Let me go!”

  “Belle, listen to me,” he pleaded. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Me meetin’ you was completely by chance. All this other shit is just proving that our paths crossing was fate. You have to believe me.”

  “What does he want with my dad’s business?”

  “All of his clients. Lucas Dubois represented some pretty powerful people. I think he wants to use Bliss to get them in the palm of his hand.”

  “Or blackmail them into it.”

  “That too.”

  “Your uncle is the devil,” she sneered.

  “I know it, and that’s why he has to be stopped before he can do anymore damage. You have to trust me.”

  “And why would I do that again, Andrew?”

  “Because Gene took somethin’ special from me too. He’s the reason my mom has been locked up for ten years. I hated her for so long because I didn’t know the truth. That truth was that Gene made her take the charge for somethin’ he did. All so that he could open his stupid club in the first place.”

  “Why didn’t she ever tell you?”

  “He threatened my life if she ever spoke to or saw me.”

  “Damn.” Belle cupped his cheek with her hand. “You haven’t seen your mom in ten years?”

  “Nope. Gene stole her from me. And because of that, he’s gon’ pay with his life.”

  “Are you going to kill him?” she asked, thinking about her family’s lifeless faces.

  “Yes,” Kidd answered bluntly.

  “When?”

  “It’s gotta be tonight. I can’t sleep another night knowin’ he’s still breathin’ after what he did to me.”

  “I want in,” Belle said flatly. “I want to help.”

  “I can’t let you do that, Belle. It’s too dangerous.”

  “That monster took the things I loved most from me,” Belle said, blinking
her tears away. “You don’t have a choice. Please.”

  They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and Belle let the tears fall freely from her eyes. Kidd grabbed her softly by her arms and pulled her into him, holding her tight. When he let her go, he nodded and kissed her forehead.

  “All right,” he told her. “Do you work tonight?”

  Chapter 16

  Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

  —John Dalberg-Acton

  “‘Oh, baby, love and happiness . . . Love and happiness, oh!’”

  Gene sang loudly along with Al Green in the back of the Mercedes-Benz limousine. He was in the best mood, and he could say that he looked as good as he felt. As usual, he wore a tailored suit, a deep burgundy that time, and had a glass of champagne in his hand. He was on his third glass, but who was counting? It was a time to celebrate. His future was shining so brightly that it blinded the past.

  Aria sat across from him in the limo, holding her own glass of champagne. The time read almost nine o’clock at night, and Gene made it his business to personally pick Aria up. At first, she thought she’d done something to displease him, but then she saw the limousine outside waiting for her. She didn’t know what to think, and still didn’t. She was watching Gene like he was an alien from outer space. She’d never seen him act the way he was acting, let alone seen him sing a song.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Am I okay? I’m great! And it’s all thanks to you, Lady Passion,” he said, beaming at her.

  “Well, you’re welcome?” she said, not understanding what he meant. “I don’t know what I did, though.”

  “Just know that you brought me the final piece to my puzzle,” he said and held his glass in the air. “A toast!”

  She held her glass up as well and clanked it with his.

  “Cheers to the never-ending money flow bestowed upon the Bliss Lounge.”

  “I can definitely cheer to that,” Aria said with a grin.

  They downed their drinks together, and she set her glass to the side. He, however, poured himself another glass. “You have been my most loyal girl since the beginning, you know that?”

  “I do,” she answered and looked at him with cat eyes. “Which is why I was a little confused to find out that you gave Beauty the title Lady.”

  “Bitter are we now?” Gene asked, clearly amused. “I got the vibe that you looked at her kind of like a little sister.”

  “I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to share my job title with her. She doesn’t even know what she’s doing. She’s too scared to put the other girls in their place. Her leniency is going to cause insubordination, and I won’t have that. I’ve worked too hard at whipping those bitches into shape. I like her, but that can go out the window fast.”

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about Beauty. She won’t be working in the lounge for much longer.”

  “What do you mean? Are you going to—”

  “Kill her? Heavens no. That would be a waste of such an amazing being,” Gene said with a mysterious smile.

  “Then what are you going to do? Fire her?”

  “No. I don’t want her out of my sight. Ever. I’m going to make her my woman.”

  “What?” Aria said, looking into Gene’s handsome face with a flabbergasted expression. “But . . . but what about me?”

  “What about you? You just said that you want to be the only one with the title of Lady, and I’m giving you that.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. I’ve been here since the beginning, Gene. I deserve to be your woman!”

  Gene burst out laughing like Aria had just told the funniest joke in the world. He laughed so hard that tears came from his eye. He grabbed the handkerchief from the pocket of his suit and dabbed the corners of his eyes.

  “Now that was funny,” he said and drank the rest of his drink. “What would ever make you think you deserve that?”

  “I’ve slaved myself for you, Gene,” Aria said, and her words came out sounding like a plea. “I make sure that everything at the lounge runs smoothly. I’ve recruited more girls than I can count. Everything I do is to keep you happy. I’ve killed for you, Gene. I have blood on my hands for you, and I would do it again. I love you, Gene.”

  “As you should,” he said, setting his empty glass down. “But why would I want someone like that as my woman?”

  “Someone like me? I’m loyal.”

  “No, all I heard was you telling me how weak you are. Your loyalty is a hindrance. I need somebody who can think for herself. All you do is say yes.”

  “Because I love you!”

  “You don’t love me, because you don’t even love yourself. Look at you. If I told you to lick the bottom of my shoe, you would,” Gene chuckled. “But Beauty? Unlike you, she has a spine.”

  “You bastard,” Aria said and instantly regretted it.

  Gene came across from his seat in seconds and had his arm on her throat. He pressed so hard that her airway was completely blocked, and he didn’t stop, not even when she began clawing and hitting him.

  “Don’t ever for a second think that you are better than any of those other whores I have working for me,” he sneered into her ear. “The only thing you’re good for is pussy and the allure of pussy just like them. So it will do good for you to learn your place. I own you. Mind, body, and soul forever. Don’t ever forget that.”

  He let her go, and she clutched her neck, gasping for air. Gene glared at her as he went back to his seat. He was angry that she’d ruined the great mood he was in just minutes prior. She was pathetic, and that was why she would never be anything more than what he had made her. And he could show her better than he could tell her.

  Gene unzipped his pants and pulled out his erect penis. He looked maliciously at her. He wasn’t just her boss. He was a master who commanded her without words. Leaning back into the leather seat, he watched her get to her knees in the limo. The moment he felt her lips wrap around the tip of his penis, he threw his head back in bliss. Not from the wetness of her mouth, but because of the control he had over her. Life was good.

  Chapter 17

  The future is uncertain, but the end is always near.

  —Jim Morrison

  “Lady Beauty in the house!”

  “Yesss! I love the hair!”

  “Lady Beauty, you are the fairest one of us all!”

  The ladies in the dressing room all called out to Belle as she walked through. She couldn’t blame them, though. She’d pulled out all the stops that night. She wore a black dress with wide horizontal cuts across it, and underneath, she had on a lime green bra. Her hair was pulled up into a tight ninja bun with choppy bangs, and her eyelash extensions were long and wispy. Her makeup was flawless, and she’d settled on a smoky eye with a natural lipstick on her full lips.

  A few of Gene’s clients had requested her company the moment she’d gotten there, so she’d been keeping pretty busy. It was a Saturday night, so the place was booming with those who had flown in from out of town to live out their fantasies. Anyone who wanted to see Belle dance had to pay a pretty penny and were also on a strict “no touching” rule. It was easy money for Belle, and she liked it that way. The men didn’t seem to mind. Just being in her presence seemed to be enough for them to empty their pockets.

  “Y’all are too sweet,” Belle said and took a seat behind a vanity.

  She was so busy looking at herself in the mirror that she didn’t even notice Aria sitting at the vanity next to her. As usual, she was dolled up wearing a sexy gold lingerie set. That night she wore the matching silk robe to go it. Things between them had been weird ever since they had gotten to Miami. Now that Belle was a Lady, she understood why Aria had done what she’d done to Cream. Granted, she couldn’t see herself beating anyone, but there were a few incidents with the girls where she wanted to smack fire from them. She turned toward Aria and tried to offer a kind smile.

  “I heard Russian
Roulette’s last day was last week. What do you think she’s doing with herself?”

  “Who knows,” Aria said, not looking her way.

  “Well, whatever she’s doing, I hope she’s happy.”

  “What do you care? The only person you care about is yourself.”

  “Excuse me?” Belle asked and almost jumped when Aria whipped to face her.

  “You think I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, bitch? After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?”

  “Aria, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Belle said, truly clueless.

  “Of course you don’t,” Aria said with an evil glare. “Well, since you don’t, let me lay it out for you. You wanted my title, and now you want to be Gene’s girl.”

  “Aria, when I asked to be a Lady, I just said that because I didn’t want to dance as much,” Belle answered honestly. “And I thought we were all Gene’s Girls.”

  “You know what I mean! His actual girl. His woman!”

  “What?” Belle asked, but before Aria could respond, Drip came and interrupted them.

  “Lady Passion, the governor is here,” Drip told her. “He only wants to see you.”

  “I’ll be right out,” she said, and Drip walked away.

  “Aria—” Belle tried, but Aria held her hand up.

  “Only speak to me if absolutely necessary,” she said, and with one final glare at Belle, she was gone.

  Her words didn’t sit right with Belle. Why did she think Belle wanted to be Gene’s woman? Even before she knew what she did at that point in time, she would never want that. Gene was handsome, but she could never see herself with him. Not with somebody like Kidd around. Her thoughts tried to consume her, but the cell phone vibrating in her Chanel fanny pack put a stop to that.