Rush stepped back away from the sofa, and challenged Kenneth to get up. “Come on, you fuck! Get up and finish what you started!”
Kenneth held onto the sofa’s backing and pulled himself to a sitting position, smirking at Rush the entire time. He released an exasperated sigh, and then brought his hand to the area around his closed eye. He touched the area, while Rush gave him a look of disgust.
“All this for Mommy, huh?”
“Get up!”
Kenneth tried complying with Rush’s order because even with his eye shut he wanted to beat the dog shit out of Lance’s son. He wanted so badly to find the strength he had earlier in the fight, but it wasn’t there. He pressed a palm into the sofa as leverage and rose from the sofa in slow motion. When he made it to his feet, he swayed slightly in place. His legs were weak. He was weak. He bobbed his head and positioned his fists into a fighting stance.
“I should’ve just turned her in after I fucked her brains out. But it was sooo good down in that vagina that you slithered out of, I couldn’t help myself. That pussy has remained tight as a virgin’s over the years probably because she only had the one child,” he commented, menacingly rolling his eyes to the back of his head as he reminisced. “Yeah, that Siobhan…she’s a hot—”
And this time when Rush delivered his final blows, they were all body shots packed with fury that even Rush himself, hadn’t expected. The violation and disrespect of his mother was too much, and he couldn’t stop himself. She’d been through too much. Rush thought about his father sending her away. He thought about his father making him believe that she was dead. He thought about her being out in the world all alone with nobody for years! He thought about whether or not she would ever be the same. He thought about her being so many things. He hurt for her so badly that he ceased to think straight. Even when Kenneth’s body was lifeless, it took him minutes to realize it.
Quinton thought about going over to pull his friend back, but he knew that it would be no good. So, for his part, he merely lowered his weapon, tucked it back inside his belt buckle. He then allowed the scene to play itself out.
THIRTY-NINE
Alika
A few weeks had passed and life had been so crazy. It seemed the whirlwind that Rush and I had entered would never stop! Our lives were on the move at the speed of light. Falling deeper in love each day, having something like a mother figure in my life—for the first time in my life. Getting a taste of what it’s like to have a child around. There was a lot. I found myself hoping and praying for a long stretch of time where I could get away and relax and it was finally upon me. Rush had arranged for me and Siobhan to go to Santa Barbara and hang out. He wanted us to bond even more, but he also wanted me to talk to her to see if I could get to the bottom of how she was feeling about her ordeal. Before we took off, however, I was eager to have a long overdue meeting. I had gotten a lot more comfortable in my role as Rush’s woman and as the person who was going to be around for a long time, and I thought it was time to set boundaries that hadn’t yet been set. So, with Rush’s blessing, I reached out to speak with Janae.
Janae had been around a few times and each time while we were cordial, we had never gone out of our way to converse with one another. It was more on her part than mine because honestly, I wanted to get to know the mother of the young girl that I was quickly coming to love and adore. But as much as I wanted that, it was not in my plans to force it. My life was plenty full, so I had no interest in forging relationships with those who didn’t want them.
I sat patiently awaiting Janae’s arrival. Both times the hostess had come by the table to take a drink order I had declined. I needed to be all the way of sound mind and body when I sat down with her. She walked through the front door of Chevy’s about twenty minutes after our set time, but I wasn’t going to trip because this was the first, and would probably be the last time she and I would sit down for a one-on-one.
“Hi Alika,” she forcefully spoke, as she took the seat across from me.
As usual, she was dressed to the nines. She wore a pair of jeans that were way too tight, tucked inside a pair of thigh boots, and a shirt that showed pretty much all her cleavage and a rather nice leather jacket. The diamond dangle earrings and excessive jewelry were present as well. I guess in her mind she needed to make sure she looked her best whenever I was in her presence, because it was also a habit whenever she dropped Michaela off or when we met her to pick up Michaela. But whatever.
“Hi Janae. Thanks for coming. Did you want to order a drink? I could signal for the hostess.”
“Not necessary. I probably won’t order food either,” she said, looking around. “I didn’t think we’d be here that long, right?”
I tossed my hands nonchalantly, and flashed her a thin smile. “Sounds good to me,” I said, placing my hands on top of the table.
She locked eyes with me and tilted her head to the side. “So you got me here. What can I do for you?”
“I think it’s what we can do for each other, Janae. And that’s be respectful. I love your daughter. She’s a sweetheart, and my love for Rush is what makes that even more potent.”
“Okay. Thank you, I guess…”
“A while back we had…hmmm…an exchange of words. But I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page.”
“You mean that exchange where you wanted to establish your presence as the girlfriend?”
“If that’s how you need to refer to it, yeah, I guess that would be the one.”
“Okay…so you did that. And now we’re here be…cause…?”
“Look,” I started, taking a deep breath then releasing a pissed sigh, before continuing. “Rush let me know how you pushed up on him when you first came to see him at Chaos. He also let me know about your comments the day you brought Michaela over. You said something about me being his woman and it being too early to introduce Michaela. It seemed like some weak ass attempt at closure or something. Some way to get more time with him that you had convinced yourself that you needed, or even deserved. I excused it because at the time, you didn’t know he had a woman. But now you know he has a woman so dismiss the disrespect. I like to pride myself on keeping it cute, but when stuff gets sideways, not so sure about the mute. You know what I mean?”
“Let’s be clear,” she shot, her calm demeanor quickly exiting. “Rush is a grown ass man. If he has something to tell me, he can tell me.”
I had to take a few seconds to think about my response and to keep from physically reacting versus using my verbal skills.
“Excuse me?” I said to her.
She shrugged her shoulders matter-of-factly, and then set out to repeat what she said. “Rush. Is. A. Grown—”
“See, that right there. That’s not gonna be tolerated, Janae. Grown man or not, I’m telling you that you need to fall back and know your position, which is that of Michaela’s mama, aka baby mama. I came into this ready to give you all the respect as the mother of my man’s child, but you’re proving yourself unworthy of that and you’re doing yourself a disservice. Really.” I leaned forward slightly. “Because see, I do have a little bit of petty in me and if I tell Rush that I need to be there every time he picks up his daughter, what do you think will happen? I’ll be in that front muthafuckin’ seat each and every single time. Don’t take me there just because you don’t know how to stop putting in a shameless bid for the side chick slot that will never be a vacancy, sweetheart.”
I stood up from my seat because I could sense myself being pulled all the way out of my element and I honest to God didn’t want that. I grabbed my jacket and my purse and rose from my seat.
“Have a nice day, Janae.”
“Girl, bye. You think you just really said something with your homemade speech,” she remarked, shaking her head. “I’m gonna be in that man’s life for the next nine and beyond. You’re kind of a non-factor in this shit.”
“That’s where you wrong, sweetheart. I’ll be a factor for a very long time. Trust a
nd believe you’ll still be seeing me for that nine and beyond,” I remarked, winking at her.
Whether or not I knew that to be true, I was gonna make sure she didn’t get the last word with the shit she was saying. And just as I was about to walk off for the final time, I looked at that smug ass look on her face and was compelled to say something to her that I’d wanted to say for a long time. “Oh, and by the way, you should feel bad for getting that man fired from his job.”
“What are you talking about?”
I needed to sit back down for this because I wanted to make sure I looked into her eyes to get an accurate read when I set the trap.
“Titan McKinney. You know Titan, right? Or T. McKinney, as most know him by. The one who used to work for Illusion? The one you sent the pictures to…along with a story.”
I smiled big at her. I couldn’t help myself. I still held onto my jacket and purse and was situated at the edge of my seat. I watched her dark pupils overtake the green irises, then retreat to their normal state. I even saw her light skin get just a tad bit of crimson to it.
“Cat got your tongue?” I shot, sarcastically.
She shifted in her seat, and then answered with a response that was severely delayed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I saw the discomfort in her face and body language no matter how hard she attempted to shield it. She’d repositioned her hands, and her posture wasn’t as up-front as it once was, and smug had left her behind to fend for herself.
Victory, bitch!
“Really, Janae? Wow, that’s weird because see they have these things called IP addresses that can trace any computer to any activity,” I shrugged. “And well, all it takes is knowing somebody who knows their way around the internet walls and shit like that. Cute little email address by the way, that uhhh…what was it?” I asked, tapping the side of my mouth with my index finger. “Oh, yeah… [email protected], or some shit like that. Yeah, girl that’s real cute.” Then knowing that I had her right where I wanted her, my smile faded. “Like I said, stay in your muthafuckin’ lane.”
I got up from my seat for the final time. I stared down at Janae, who was very careful not to meet me with eye contact. I sat my purse down while I put my jacket on, and then walked away from her ass for the last time.
“Wait…!” she called out. “Have you told Rush?”
“No, I didn’t, Janae,” I replied, turning back in her direction. “He still thinks your brother did it. My baby’s an athlete and a genius ass businessman. He’s not a techie, but his woman is. Well, kinda. I just know a few of them. So, I had your number early on. But the grown woman that I am, I fell back. I realized that you wanted attention, but I trusted Rush to not fall for that shit, and he didn’t. But when I started to see that you had no boundaries and no respect for the place I have in his life and his heart, I needed to make a statement between women. I just need you to know that I know. As long as you leave here respecting my position, we won’t ever have a problem.”
When I walked away from her, I was smiling so wide the sides of my mouth were aching. This bitch. I was never gonna pull that card with her, but she made me. And now I was done with her. I felt that as a mother, her main goal should have been to get a father into her daughter’s life, versus trying to find a pathway back to some dick that belonged to me.
Yep, I was satisfied with our conclusion, and certain that going forward, she and I would get along marvelously.
FORTY
Alika
I walked through the whole house looking for Rush. I knew he was home because his car was parked inside the garage when I pulled up, and he’d texted me when I was meeting with Janae to see how things were going. The house is so damn big that I ended up just texting: “Where R U?” to his cell phone to see where he was instead of continuing on like I was part of a damn search party. As soon as his response came through, I became excited. With a smile on my face, I responded to his text:
“Okay, I’ll be there in a bit. Give me a few sex…I mean, secs. Lol!”
I made a pit stop to our room and freshened up a bit, then emerged with a pink chiffon and lace Victoria Secret midi slip and a pair of red Giuseppe stilettos.
I spotted him in the distance and all my womanly desires awaked at just the sight of him. It was chilly in the fall air, but once the euphoria engulfed me, I barely noticed. Our body temperatures would cure that before either of us could blink. I had no worries. And not only that, my baby had the outdoor fireplace going. I was ready.
A light breeze, the tap of my stilettos hitting the pavement, and the faint tunes of Najee were the only sounds present as I closed in on his space.
“Damn, baby…” I said, approaching. “It’s so beautiful out here. We don’t come out here enough,” I acknowledged, looking around at the beauty of the outdoor lounge.
“You just took my breath away,” Rush stated, from his spot on the love seat sectional. “I was just in deep thought about some stuff and now I can’t ever remember what that was. Shit. You and that pink. You just insist, don’t you?”
“Whatever do you mean?” I blushed.
“Don’t act like you don’t recall that you wore pink that first night…our first night.”
I smiled thinking back to that night, gathering the courage to tell him how I felt, then getting up here to the main house only to find him on a little date. Ha ha! I won!
“Please come here,” he motioned with open arms. “I mean, I love the sight, but honestly all I can think of is freeing all of the goodness trapped behind that lace.”
I was momentarily lost in watching him in all his manliness sitting there in a white v-neck Hanes, dark blue fleece sweats and his hair mussed and in need of a trim. Rugged or clean cut, he was a sight to me. He was fine as hell, had major swag, and just a man’s man.
What’s not to love?
“Baby…” he stated, smiling, and motioning with his hands. “Come here.”
“Okay,” I said, shifting on one foot. “First I have some things I wanna say.” I was bashful for some reason.
He shrugged his shoulders and pulled his hands back and across his chest awaiting my announcement. “I’m all ears, beautiful.”
“I love you, Rush. You don’t just stimulate my body, you stimulate my mind. You’re that thing I can’t live without, who completes me. When we make love, it’s like we’re one, if that makes sense at all. I just want you to know that my number one goal is to be everything you ever want and need in a woman.”
I slid one of my spaghetti straps down over my shoulder, then underneath my elbow, and finally off my arm. I slowly did the same to the other side, then slid the garment over my breasts, and down my stomach, my waist, and then stepped out of the sheer garment and tossed it to the side.
“Ohh, shit…” Rush gasped.
All that was left were the heels I wore. I walked over to my man, and standing over him, I lifted the bottom of his t-shirt and raised it over his chest, then over his head and set it to the side.
“Come here,” I instructed, pulling him to me.
Once he stood before me, I kissed along his chest, and along his shoulder blades, while untying his sweats and pulling them and his boxers down mid-thigh where they fell the rest of the way to the ground.
I lightly pressed against his chest sending him back onto the thick cushion of the sofa, and then bent down to remove his shoes, so that I could slide his restrictions over his feet.
Rush bit down on his bottom lip, and then fed my words right back to me. “I love you too, Alika. And you don’t just stimulate my entire fucking body, baby. You stimulate my entire mind. You complete me, and I’m not gonna live without you because I’m gonna do everything that I possibly can in this life to make sure that you’re always happy. And the moment we made love for the first time, we became one.”
By the time he spoke the last word, I had mounted him and guided myself along his eager rod where I proceeded to ride him feverishly. I slid the ent
ire way down his meat, snaked my arms around his neck and our mouths met in the middle where our tongues locked. We kissed and fucked and broke the momentum from neither of those actions. Rush held my ass firmly as he pushed inside me pound for pound, as we held on for keeps. When the warm wave of passion started to overcome me, I lost control of my body and could no longer hold back. I leaned my head back and as the wind touched my face, my orgasmic cries hit the evening air in triplicate.
Seconds later my chest rose and fell in an effort to catch my breath. In my weakened state, I felt Rush peeling my stilettos from my feet. When they were removed, he rose from the sofa lifting me with him and walking us to the hot tub where he carried me in, backed me into the side paneling, and proceeded to slide into me again, over and over. The hot water and steam collaboration had me calling out to the wild and hoping that no coyotes took notice. Yes, it was tantalizing.
Mmmm…
I could tell we were in for a long night, and I was certainly all the way there for it.
FORTY-ONE
Alika
The following week…
“Oh my God!” I sighed. “How beautiful was that place, Siobhan?” I asked.
She sat across from me on the private jet while on our return from Santa Barbara.
“It was definitely stunning,” she admitted. “The perfect getaway. I’ll definitely have to go again.”
“We’ll definitely have to go again,” I corrected. “It’s my new favorite place to go!” I exclaimed.
Rush had treated us to a girls away trip to BACARA Resort & Spa, where we could bond and talk. His motive for the trip was so that I could get Siobhan’s mind off of all that had happened to her. The woman had been through a lot over the years with having to give up her son, finding then losing love with a man she’d confessed to me had made her feel like a princess. And then to end up committing murder. Murder…wow. That one threw me, but with everything that she had endured, Snapped was all I could think of. A good defense attorney, if it ever came to that, might very well be able to get her off with a claim of temporary insanity. Then to go from all of that, to being sexually assaulted…yep, she’d been through a lot. We bonded a lot on our trip, even more so when I shared my experience with Curtis. It opened old wounds, but the moment I introduced Rush into the story, those wounds closed again. At the end, however, Siobhan and I both agreed that she should seek counseling. Her soul needed nourishment. By her own admission, Siobhan was fearful of slipping into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and she wanted to be whole on the new journey she had embarked on of both mother and grandmother.
Rapture 2: a BWWM, Alpha Male Romance Page 21