by Tamara Black
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
NOTE
THANKS copy
Get Notified
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Stay Informed
Reviews
Other Books
THANKS
ABOUT AUTHOR
BATTLE
by Tamara Black
Copyright © 2015 Tamara Black
All rights reserved.
For lovers of all colors…
This BMWW interracial romance novella contains adult language, situations, and themes. The characters are all entirely fictional.
Thanks for reading.
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One
Tony
I looked out on the factory floor from my glass enclosed office. A month after the revolution life was stabilized. With everyone working together, we were able to defend the factory-city from ravagers while feeding ourselves - not to mention the chocolate production. Production was higher than our consumption, so we stock-piled as much as we could, hoping it would someday save a person’s life. Then everything changed.
“Are you sure?” I asked the ragged man in front of me.
He nodded his head. “Yes, Guv’ner. I seen it with my own eyes.”
“What’s his name?”
“They call him Doc Chang. He ran House Newyo for many years before going mad.”
“I’ve heard of him. The legend is that he died.”
“No, guv’ner. I seen him not two weeks ago. He was raving mad.”
“How so?” I asked, studying the bearded man’s face carefully.
“He kept saying how he can stop the chocolate from working.”
“Go on,” I said.
“That’s it. Says he can cure the world and make freedom for all.”
“Thanks. You can go now. I’ll call for you if I have any questions.”
“Mighty appreciate you, guv’ner,” he said, bowing.
“Enough of that,” I scolded gently.
He scurried away, leaving me alone in my office, where I ran the entire factory-city. The people, white and black, put a lot of faith in me for some reason. After the revolution, word got out about what we’d managed to do. People came from the surrounding area to join us. They looked at me like I was some kind of bleaking hero or king or something. I shook my head at the idea.
With no more pressing problems, I headed to my father’s secret chambers. Slick paper books from years ago made up a lot of his collection of artifacts, but he also had a diary he started right after he took power of House DeeCee. After hours of reading, I discovered I barely knew the man who I’d called Father. In many ways, he was an absolute monster.
Intrigued by the travelers story of Doctor Chang, I skipped forward to some of the more recent tomes to see if my father had been aware of a cure for chocolate addiction. After skimming a few entries, I found something showing for certain he had known all along. That bastard, I muttered to myself in my mind. Was he ever going to tell me the truth?
“Are you okay?” Ree asked from the doorway.
I looked up at her from the desk. “I guess.”
“You need to quit reading those. It’s not healthy.”
“I have to find out more so we can survive,” I said. “And I did find something tonight.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Well, a traveler came to me and talked about a man with a cure for chocolate addiction.”
“A traveler, huh? Did he have magic beans to sell you as well?” She laughed.
“I thought the same thing, but look at this.”
I turned the book around and pushed it across the top of the desk. She walked over and peered down on the page where I pointed with my finger.
“Oh, wow,” she said, looking at me.
“Yeah. Exactly. If we can find this guy, we might be able to help workers everywhere.”
“No, I meant your father lied to you.”
I cocked my head to the side and peered at her. “Huh?”
“Nevermind. I just thought the emotional hurt of being lied to might affect you.”
“Anyway,” I said, hoping she didn’t mind me keeping on topic. “I want to take a group and go find this Chang guy. He might be able to help us save more people.”
“It would be dangerous.”
“Yeah, but worth it. Are you that concerned about me now?” I teased.
She averted her eyes, smiling. Her beauty never failed to affect me. Even when we were starving and on the road together, she always represented the epitome of beauty. My father would kill me for loving someone of her color, but I couldn’t help myself. Before she could react, I stood, walked around the desk, and kissed her on the lips while my arm snaked around her waist.
“Wait…” she said, pulling away.
“What? I thought we’ve been getting along so well.”
“We are, but…”
Her voice fell silent as she backed away a few steps.
“Just not yet, okay?”
She twirled around and fled my father’s office. I thought about chasing after her, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Her strength and independence were two of the big reasons I found myself so attracted to her. Despite her brushing me off, hope sprung up inside of me. If we could find a way to break everyone’s addiction to chocolate, the entire world would be changed considerably. As if on cue, Cricket walked into the room.
“You call?” he asked.
“Yeah, Cricket. I need your help. Can you go scout the no man’s land between here and House Ballmore?”
“Can do.”
“Are you sure? You’ve helped so much already.”
Am I wrong asking him? I wondered.
“No problem,” he replied in his usual tone.
“Great. Don’t stay gone too long. Just find out what’s going on and come back, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
“Good luck, Cricket. We’re depending on you.”
He left the office as quietly as he’d entered. Once he was gone, I gathered a few notes from the desk and headed to the factory floor. Every few steps, someone would stop to wave or say hello. I smiled at each of them, hating all the attention of being the person in charge. Why can’t Ree and I just go somewhere and live together? The answer was evident as I climbed on a stainless steel table to get everyone’s attention.
“We’re doing it,” I yelled.
The workers, black and white, cheered. When it died down, I continued.
“Things are going to be tough, but we’re on our way to a bright new world.” As my eyes scanned the audience, I caught a glimpse of Ree staring at me. “You’ve been w
orking really hard, so I thought I would give you some good news.”
I paused for effect as another round of applause flared up even before I’d said anything.
“We may have found a cure for chocolate addiction!”
Silence swept over the crowd. The only sound was a few of the machines running in the background. Too much too soon? I wondered.
“It’s true,” Ree said loudly, stepping out from against a wall. “We’re going to find the cure and give it to all the people of the world.”
Immediately, the excitement and energy of the crowd returned, but this time it was at least ten times more powerful. While it was risky to give them false hopes if we failed in our mission, I wanted to be able to recall the peoples’ faces so I didn’t quit until I finished my quest. Ree looked over at me. We made eye contact for a few brief seconds that seemed like eternity.
“Let’s get back to work and make ourselves a better world,” I shouted.
As everyone began talking at once, I climbed off the table and made my way through all the people. By the time I got to the other side of the room, Ree was nowhere to be seen. Undeterred, I wandered from the factory to her sleeping quarters in a building with myself and the other people running the factory-city. I paused outside her door a moment, wondering if I should knock. Unable to get her out of my mind, I rapped twice.
After another quick tap against the wooden door with no answer, I turned and headed to my room. It was sparsely furnished on my request. Until all the people could enjoy comfort and freedom, I wanted to be as close to them and their world as possible. In my mind, it was the best way to avoid any revolts. My addiction to chocolate helped me bond with my people.
Hours of tossing and turning passed. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Two
Tony
While talk of a quest to find a cure for chocolate addiction was nice, it wasn’t practical. Word of our toppling House DeeCee continued to spread. Since we couldn’t spare anyone for a long distance journey to House Newyo, Ree and I directed our attention to other matters. I created a new security force and worked on tightening up the factory-city’s defenses. She went in the opposite direction, setting up classes for children and adults.
I looked into the impromptu classroom she’d set up with help of a dozen volunteers who wanted to help her teach the younger generation. She stood at the front of the class, pointing to a makeshift blackboard. The sight of an alphabet drawn out made me recall the past. My own education had been one-sided to say the least. Ree made me see the world in a new way. Her life was proof the world could become a better place.
“Governor Tony!” one of the children shouted as he pointed at me.
Ree looked at me and smiled. Six weeks after gaining control of House DeeCee, we were getting along rather well. We didn’t talk about the time I tried to kiss her, of course. I enjoyed spending time with her, so I kept my mouth shut about it.
“Are you here to help us Governor Tony?” she asked.
All the small heads in the classroom turned to me at the same time, anticipating my answer.
“Sure, I can spare some time.”
My to-do list went on for pages, but I couldn’t resist the future of society - or an excuse to be around Ree.
“Great, come up here. We need a model for art hour.”
I waved and smiled like a true politician as I walked to the front of the room. She smiled at me as I stopped in front of her. We both turned back to the students.
“Who can come up and write down something about Governor Tony on the blackboard?” she asked.
A dozen hands, including a couple from adults, were raised into the air. She carefully waved her hand a moment, stopping to point at a boy no older than eleven. His black, curly hair extended well past his skull. I watched as he proudly walked to the front of the class. After taking a small piece of chalk from Ree, he stepped up to the blackboard and wrote out, “Governor Tony good!”
I smiled.
“You forgot the verb, but good job.” She turned back to the class. “Can anyone tell me what word is missing?”
“Is,” someone in back shouted out.
“Good,” she said.
The remaining half-hour of class went by quickly. As the students shuffled out of the room, I stayed behind.
“You’re doing great with them,” I said.
“Thanks. I’m trying.” She smiled. “It feels good to help people learn.”
“Education is going to help all of us in the long run,” I said.
“You ain’t gonna get no disagreement from me, Gov Tony,” she said in a heavily accented voice.
“Are you making fun of your students?” I teased.
“No.” She frowned. “Okay, maybe. It’s so stressful.”
“I know what you mean.” I paused, then added, “How do you feel about having dinner together?”
“I’m really busy.”
“We all have to eat,” I insisted.
She stared into my eyes. “Okay. You’ve broken down my resistance,” she said with a slight laugh.
Joy raged through my body. “Great. Does tonight work for you?”
“I didn’t have any plans. Your place or mine?”
“I’ll come to your quarters,” I said, not wanting to put any extra pressure on her.
“Sounds good. Give me about an hour or two to finish up here, okay?”
“I have some stuff to do too, but I look forward to getting together.”
Can you sound any more idiotic? I asked myself in my mind.
Her smile put me at ease.
“I’ll see you later, Tony.”
I turned and almost danced my way out of the classroom. The harshness of the world could still jump up and bite me at any time, but for the moment my thoughts were centered on Ree. She caused my heart to skip a beat whenever she was near me. Time wouldn’t pass quick enough that afternoon.
***
Her quarters were as sparse as anyone else in our still unnamed factory-city, but at the same time I sensed her style as I glanced around the room. The smell of green beans and chicken permeated the room. Rations were tight, but with all the work we did to help everyone, certain perks were granted to us by the people. I walked over to the table where she was intently fixing our food for dinner over a hot-plate.
“Smells so good,” I said.
“Gonna taste good too.”
“Did you cook much for yourself back at House Ballmore?” I asked, trying to make conversation.
“Sometimes. I’m trying to look forward rather than hanging onto the past, you know?”
“I do.”
I moved away and sat down at a small, wooden table nearby. A few flowers in a glass vase added a little class and made me wonder if our dinner was the beginning of something more. I missed the taste and sensation of her lips on mine. As she finished dinner, I stole glimpses of her body. Her beautiful curves were in all the right places.
“Dinner’s done,” she said, walking over to the table with a metal pot in one hand and a spatula in the other.
She tilted it a bit and poured some of the stew in front of me. Chickens were one of our last renewable sources of food. No one was certain we could keep the population going through the winter months that were on their way. I drank a glass of wine, trying to relax and just enjoy myself without thinking about the future of humanity. Our bowls were barely full, and we finished in just a few minutes.
“That was incredible,” I said, pushing my bowl toward the center of the table.
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, I think.”
“No, I’m serious. You’re an amazing cook, and an incredible woman.”
We made eye contact again, this time neither of us looking away.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. I wanted to share something with you. A new record of sorts.”
Confused, I waited for her to continue.
“It’
s been four days since…” Her voice trailed off.
“Four days since what?” I asked, familiar with her game of adding day counters to everything in her life.
She peered into my eyes, searching for my soul.
“Four days since I started falling in love with you.”
Joy burst through my body, but I concealed my emotions in case she was just joking.
“That’s it? Nothing? No reaction? Nothing you want to say to me?”
Her questions pelted me like drops during a strong, summer thunderstorm.
What does she want from me? No one in this world can be trusted.
“You took me off guard,” I said finally. “And I have a lot on my mind.” I looked away a moment then back into her eyes. “And what do you mean started to fall? You haven’t decided about me yet?” I asked with feigned anger.
She laughed. “I’m just saying. You know I like to keep track.”
“It’s one of the things I love about you,” I said in a serious tone.
Silence fell over the room for a few blissful moments of calm. It wasn’t awkward in any way, shape or form.
“Thanks for dinner,” I said finally.
“You’re welcome. It was nice to eat with someone.”
I scooted my chair back and stood up. “Can I help clean up?”
She waved her arm. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“I hope so,” she said.
Before I left, I bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. They were so full and soft. I couldn’t get them off my mind the rest of the night.
***
Three days later, Cricket, Mercy and Melvin stood just inside the main gate, all three dressed for the road. Ree nudged me with her elbow.