May the Best Man Win

by M. T. Pope

  I fell to my knees in sheer happiness and joy. A few tears escaped my eyes as I looked around my office.

  Another text came through telling me to leave everything and meet Mateo at a specified location. I drove my car to a desolate place in Baltimore County, Maryland. There was a car waiting for me there. I got out of my car and practically jumped into the back of the same type of black car I had been in before. This time Mateo was in the back seat waiting for me.

  “I’m so glad to be here.” I spoke with sincerity.

  “I’m glad as well.” He smiled. “I can’t wait to show you your spot in my life so just lay back and enjoy the ride.”

  I did just that. I laid my head back on the seat next to Mateo.

  “We have arrived.” Mateo’s sweet voice said to me. I stretched a little as he got out and walked around to open the door for me. I got out and looked up at the same mansion that I had come to before. I smiled as I looked at my new home. I couldn’t believe that this was all mines.

  “Are you ready to spend forever with me?” he spoke as he gently turned me toward him.

  “Yes, I was born ready. Here is where I belong.” I wanted to kiss him passionately but didn’t want to seem like the ho I used to be. But let it be known that I was going to rock his world when we did get to the bedroom.

  “Well let’s go,” he said as he put his hand on the small of my back and we walked toward his home.

  “There is something I want to show you.” We walked down a small hallway until we got to a room filled with books. He pulled on a book and a door slid open just like in a superhero’s house, but this was real life and I was impressed and curious as to what he was going to show me.

  The door revealed a set of steps that was surrounded with naked brick walls. As we went down the stairs the temperature changed from warm to chilly in seconds. The door behind us closed automatically with two clicks following it. Mateo was a rich guy and all that I could think about was the huge amount of money, jewels, and pricey valuables he had stored down here. He was about to show me his secret stash and I was excited. I was going to be, as Rick James said it, “I’m rich, bitch.” I floated down the hall with Mateo until we came to a door. He punched a few keys into a keypad near the door and the door slowly slid open. We walked in as the lights fluttered on, illuminating the entire room.

  What I saw before me made my heart drop.

  “This is where you will be staying.” Mateo spoke but my mind was focused on the things I was seeing in this room. “This is where you will be staying as a personal part of my living museum.”

  “Living museum?” I looked at him like he had lost his mind. This room was filled with tall glass containers with men floating in some kind of clear liquid. They were hooked up to all types of machines that looked like they were keeping them alive. Their eyes were open and it looked like they were looking right at me. It looked like one of those containers they keep the aliens alive in all of the Alien movies. I freaked out when I saw the young guy whose flier I had in the glove compartment of my car. This is what happened to him. I now wished I paid more attention to the flier and not getting my clutches into Mateo. Now I was sure to be missing.

  “You’re crazy. You have lost your mind,” I said as I inched away from him and toward the door. I wasn’t fast enough because he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back toward him. This time it was not gentle and the look in his eyes was glazed and crazy.

  “Let me show you my first lover.” We walked over to the first glass container. I was crying uncontrollably. He had an engraved metal plate in front of him that read MARK HUBBARD—2004. I gasped because that meant that this guy has been down here almost seven years. I knew then that the chance of me getting out of here alive was slim to none but that didn’t stop me from begging.

  “Mateo, please let me go. Please just let me leave. I won’t say anything to anybody. I promise. I never even met you. I’ll get selective amnesia,” I pleaded.

  “Mark was my first love,” he said, ignoring me. “He was the prettiest, most handsome guy and as you can tell he still is. He wanted to break up with me and leave but I couldn’t let anyone else have him. I didn’t want him to die so I came up with this way to keep him alive and pretty. I don’t get to hold him like before but now I get to see him when I want to; just like it will be with you.”

  “Mateo, it doesn’t have to be this way. I won’t leave you. I love you.” I reached up and touched his face.

  “I know you do. That is why I want to put you on display, to keep that love fresh and alive forever.”

  The door to the room opened up and two guys walked in the room. They walked toward me. I broke loose from Mateo and I tried to do a football play and zigzag past them because there was some distance between me and them. I almost made it past them until I tripped over one of my own feet and fell flat on my face. I lay there sobbing to myself and my impeding death. I didn’t have the will or the hope to try to get up.

  “This is what you wanted. You fought so valiantly to get here and now this is where you will be with me.” Mateo spoke over me. I continued to sob and prayed to God for a way out.

  The sound of a loud boom and then the resonating pounding of what sounded like stampeding feet interrupted my sobbing. Then there was a loud boom that led to dust and smoke filled the room.

  “Freeze, get your hands in the air. This is a raid!” I heard what I assumed was a law enforcement officer yelling into the smoke-filled room. I silently thanked God for His intervention on my behalf.

  It didn’t take long before Mateo was in handcuffs along with the two men who were about take me into their custody.

  One of the officers helped me off of the floor. “Are you okay?” he asked sincerely.

  I was shaken up but I couldn’t help but notice that this guy was a very good-looking guy, even in my current situation. He was dark complexioned with dark brown eyes to match. He was very gentle with me as he put his arm around my waist to help keep me steady.

  I nodded my head as the tears flowed from my eyes. He slowly helped me out of the room, up the steps, and out to the front lawn to a barrage of police cars and various other law enforcement vehicles.

  I was ushered into a nearby ambulance as a waiting attendant tended to the bruise on my head. I cried several times as I sat in there on that gurney. I played a win-or-lose game with my life and didn’t even know it. It worked out in my favor but I couldn’t help but think what would have happened if things didn’t turn out like they did today.

  Chapter 41

  Kardell

  Trust: Rewound

  After my sister left my house tonight I was happy to do a little sprucing up and then get myself ready for a non-productive weekend. This week had been enough for me. I drew me a nice warm bath and then climbed into my bed. I had drifted off to sleep when I heard the chiming of my phone alert me to a new text message.

  I rolled over to look at the message. I smiled because it was the last challenge from Mateo. It instructed me to get dressed if I wasn’t and to wait outside of my house for someone to pick me up.

  I did as I was told. I waited for about ten minutes before an all-black sedan with tinted windows pulled up, the back door opened, and I hopped in. I was blindfolded and duct tape covered my mouth. My heart was racing because I felt like this was it. I was going to complete this challenge and then walk off with the prize. Yes, I was apprehensive about where I was going but I knew that Mateo was behind this so I chilled out until we got to the destination. It was a ride filled with thoughts of what was next for me in my life. I figured I might as well do a little plotting about my life after I won this last challenge. The ride was long enough for me to go into great detail about packing my house and storage for the possessions that I wouldn’t need once I moved in with Mateo. I am pretty sure I won’t need much. He probably has everything and adding me to his life will complete him. I knew that was what I was thinking about him. I was so happy that my life would be complete after this la
st challenge. I felt sorry for Lewis though. Since he will be the odd man out he’ll probably start falling back into his hoeish pattern again and who knows where that will lead? But that wasn’t for me to think about now. He knew the risk that he took when he signed up to go head to head with me.

  I was still in my thinking process when the car came to a halt. We had arrived. I sat up in the chair and waited for what was next. My heart raced in my chest again. I swallowed back the nervous lump in my throat as soon as I heard the door open. I definitely knew what Ray Charles felt like when he was being chauffeured around during his musical career. I had to wait to be helped out of the car for fear of falling flat on my face.

  Pretty soon a hand reached in and grabbed my hand. It was soft and gentle. I knew Mateo’s touch so this had to be his hand in mines.

  “Are you ready to complete the last challenge?” Mateo’s voice was in front of me. I could feel his breath; he was that close to my face. I nodded my head yes.

  “This will tell me all I need to know.” When he said that, it piqued my interest and made me nervous all at the same time. What could he possibly have me do? What could be more challenging than all of the other things that he put me through? I had watched a few episodes of that television show that made you drink horse semen or eat cow testicles or something far more unimaginable. All of that was swirling through my head. The possibilities were so innumerable in my head that they were all I could focus on as he was now ushering me by hand across some gravelly rocks until we stopped and I heard a door creak open and then we walked in. The door slammed shut, causing me to jump a little.

  “No need to be afraid. You are not in any danger,” Mateo reassured me. We walked down a long hallway. I counted about two dozen steps and we turned at least one corner. Then we stopped again and I heard yet another door open. We walked through that one and that door too closed behind us. Only this time this one was a lot quieter when it closed.

  I was guided from behind by my shoulders a few steps and then he turned me around. “Have a seat and then pull yourself onto the bed and then lay flat with your arms at your side,” he instructed me. I did as I was told. I was still a little tense as I lay there, waiting for what was next.

  “When you hear the door shut again you may remove your blindfold.” Mateo whispered in my ear my next instruction. I nodded my head, confirming my understanding.

  It wasn’t long before the door opened and closed.

  I quickly pulled the blindfold off of my face. I blinked my eyes as I tried to focus them. When they began to focus I saw that I was in a room with low light and a very romantic setting, but what else I saw was something that took me by complete surprise. There was a completely naked woman standing in the room. She was a vision of flawless beauty.

  “Hey, fella, is this your first time with a woman?” she asked seductively.

  I nodded my head yes.

  “Well, I’m going to take it nice and slow with you. Okay?” she said as she looked at me like a teacher did a student. I nodded my head again.

  She walked over to the bed with her body moving fluidly with each step. At this point, or maybe before this point, a straight guy would or should have had a full erection by now. But that was not the case with me.

  When she got to the side of the bed she gave me another instruction. “Unbuckle your pants and pull them down to your ankles for me.” I followed the instruction and then I just lay there with my flaccid penis lying in between my thighs, lifeless.

  “Somebody’s not happy to see me.” She frowned in disappointment. “Well, let me see what I can do about this. Move over to the middle of the bed.”

  She then got on the bed and she sat in between my legs with her legs folded underneath her thighs. She smoothed one of her hands up my thighs slowly. Her touch was erotic but it still did nothing for me sexually. If this was me and Ronald he would have been hard as a steel pipe and ready for action. She didn’t know that she would have to do a séance over my dick to make me hard. Women did nothing for me.

  That didn’t stop her from taking my dick in her hand and trying to massage it to life. She worked it and worked it feverishly. After a few minutes of that she decided to give me a blow job. She went at that for at least another five to ten minutes. I so wanted to tap her on the shoulder and tell her to give it up but I let her do what she wanted to do. I didn’t know if Mateo was testing me to see if I would cheat on him with a woman or what, but this would be proof enough to him that he had nothing to worry about.

  She finally decided to give up and get off of the bed. She had a disappointed look on her face.

  “You’re such a handsome guy. Too bad I couldn’t make you happy. I guess you can pull your pants up now.” I did as I was instructed once again. Then she came over to me and snuggly placed the blindfold back on.

  “You can get back into the position you were in at first.” So after she said that I heard the door open and then close once more.

  Someone else was in the room now. They didn’t speak; they just pulled me up from the bed. I was hoping that it was Mateo and it felt like him from his touch but there was no confirmation of it. I immediately felt like something was wrong. His silence was defining. I didn’t know if I had won or if I had lost.

  We took the same route back. I heard a door creak open and then I felt a gush of air letting me know that I was back outside. We took a few more steps and then I heard what sounded like a car door opening. I was gently ushered into the car and then whisked away. The entire ride home I was deep in thought. Did I win? Did I lose? Was I supposed to have sex with her or was I supposed to do just what I did? I banged my head on the back of the car seat in frustration. I didn’t want to come this far and lose.

  When the car came to a stop again I was helped out of the car and then the car pulled off, leaving me standing in front of my home. It was the middle of the night so I was glad that no one saw me standing in front of my house with a blindfold on and duct tape. I snatched the tape and blindfold off and then made my way into the house.

  When I got in the house I showered and then walked into my bedroom and sat on the side of my bed. I felt like having a Florida Evans moment and screaming out, “Damn damn damn,” but I didn’t. I was just going to wait and see what happened. I was going to hope for the best.

  All of what I said earlier about not having a fit and the other bullshit went out the window when I woke up in the morning and realized that I may have lost to Lewis and have to eat some crow.

  I ended up being on edge the whole weekend. I stayed up late and slept little. I thought and thought about all that I could have done to change the outcome of the last challenge but only ended up back to what actually happened. Depression and hibernation were my only friends this weekend. I neglected everything, even my cat. I locked myself in my room until Sunday night when I decided to eat and feed my cat.

  Monday I was back at work and back into boss mode. I threw myself back into my work and my projects. I still couldn’t fathom that I lost the challenge. There was no word from Mateo. I knew why and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that I had lost and it was over for me. I just couldn’t stand losing and then having to look into the smug and fake face of the winner. That shit was for the birds. I walked by Lewis several times today and he was pretending as if he lost and that things were back to normal. I wanted to fire him just to get him out of my sight. But I didn’t do that. I just held my ground and moved on with my life like I was supposed to do. I figured I might as well call Ronald to come back over and fuck me crazy. I was so pissed off that an orgy sounded just like it might make me forget all of this. At least that was what I hoped.

  But that was short-lived. My workday had ended and I had stayed over for an additional two hours, which made it about seven at night, to get some things organized and to make sure that everyone else was already gone home. I didn’t feel like seeing anyone when it was time to leave. I was finishing my last task and I was ready to head on home or go out and tr
eat myself to some distractions. But just as I was about to leave I received a text message from Mateo that changed my whole mood. It read two simple words: You Win.

  I jumped for joy and was overcome with happiness. A few tears escaped my eyes as I looked around my office.

  Another text came through telling me to leave everything and meet his car at a specified location and that he would be awaiting my arrival. I drove my car to a desolate place in Baltimore County, Maryland. There was a car waiting for me there. I got out of my car and practically jumped into the back of the same type of black car I had been in before.

  The whole ride over, I was all smiles. I thought about my new life with him and what it was going to be like in a steady relationship. Who wouldn’t be happy to find the one they knew would be in their corner no matter what? It didn’t hurt that he was wealthy as well. I had my own money but he had much more. The ride was quite relaxing as I listened to the soft music that the driver was playing in car. When the car finally stopped, I sat there in anticipation of the next moments that I was sure were going to change my life. When the door opened, to my surprise, Mateo wasn’t on the other end. I was completely confused.

  “Sir, can you please step away from the car?” a Caucasian guy with a badge on his belt asked me. As soon as I stepped from the car the scene that was before me caused my mouth to gap open in awe. There were police cars and FBI covering Mateo’s estate.

  “Wh . . . what is going on?” I asked in confusion.

  “Can you come over here with me for a second? I have a few questions for you,” he said.

  I followed him away from the car I arrived in. There were a few questions I wanted to ask as well. There was so much going on around us, people being handcuffed and foreign women crying and sobbing.

  “How do you know Mateo Lopez?”

  I knew I was supposed to have a lawyer present and all of that before I answered any question, but that wasn’t what happened. I was too shook up to care and I knew that I wasn’t guilty of anything. “He was . . . He was . . .” I looked at the cop trying to figure out who Mateo really was. “Damn, what was he?” I looked at him in confusion.