by Kiru Taye
The warm night and cloudless sky seemed filled with promise as they returned to the parking lot. He stored the case in the trunk and joined Xandra in the back of the car.
“Everything okay?” Mason asked.
“Yes. Let’s head to Lori Osa,” Ebuka replied, leaning into the leather seat.
***
In Lori Osa, Ebuka and Xandra checked into a hotel Mason said was one of their safe places in the city, owned by the Odilis, same suite, adjoining bedrooms.
Afterwards, they hired a car and went shopping. Xandra bought a new phone and other items she needed.
Lori Osa was the biggest city Ebuka had been in—glass and metal skyscrapers, noisy, crowded pavements, exhaust fumes mixed with the smell of food from street vendors.
Back at the hotel, Xan spent most of the time, getting her new gadget up and running while Ebuka called home and spoke to his sister.
He finished the phone call and walked into Xan’s room to find her still hunched over the gadget.
“What’s up?” he asked, sitting on the bed beside her.
“I logged in to check if there are any new kill contracts out for you or me.”
“And?”
“And nothing, which is strange. I was expecting a bounty on my head to go out immediately. But I’ve checked all the usual places, and there’s nothing.”
“Perhaps Himba is waiting until Gemade is buried before ordering anything. If I were him, I would wait until you’ve relaxed your guard and strike when you’re least expecting it.”
She nodded and stood. “I think you’re right. He’s going to know that I’d be expecting him to do something. I’ve got to think of what to do.”
“No.” Standing, Ebuka grabbed her arm. “We’re going to think of what to do. You’re not a lone wolf anymore. We’re in this together. Plus, you now have the entire Odili crew as back up. Remember Mason and the rest of the guys dropped everything to come to your rescue. We need to talk to Duke. He’ll know the best way to handle Himba.”
“You’re right.” She puffed out a breath and smile. “Again.”
“Of course, I am. So how about we take a shower and then you show me whatever it is you wanted to show me in Lori Osa.”
“In that case, we’re going to Arufin.” A smile lit up her face.
“What is Arufin?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” She winked.
***
Hours later, Ebuka sat in an armchair in the blue room of Arufin and watched Xandra as she took her clothes off.
They had been getting dressed after showering when a knock had sounded on the door. It was the hotel concierge who’d delivered an envelope for Xandra. Inside had been a black glass card with Arufin embossed in gold cursive.
Xandra had explained the place as a club. But this was no ordinary club.
They had arrived through an impressive entrance at the side. The foyer and reception area appeared like one in a luxury hotel. A trip in the lift had taken them to this room.
He recognized some of the items in this space. The swing, the cross, the crops and whips and paddles on display. As a young man, he had discovered he had a darker side. A kinky side. He got a heady sensation from seeing someone submit to him, to his touch, to his restraint.
The moment Xandra has allowed him to subdue her at the cabin, he’d known she had complementing desires. But he hadn’t expected this.
When she was naked and had put her clothes in the wardrobe, she walked to a dark, latticed box and sat on the bench, her head bent forward.
She has asked him to just watch and not say anything. Although he had questions running through his mind, he didn’t voice any of them.
A single knock sounded on the door, and then it opened. A man walked in wearing the black flowing robe of a priest. What was a priest doing here?
He turned his head, and Ebuka recognized him as Osagie Peters. His black Chelsea boots thudded on the hard floor as he strode to the box and sat on the other side of the latticed partitioning.
“In the name of Arufin, I will hear your confession, child,” Osagie said in a low voice.
The scene was familiar but out of place. Raised a Catholic, he’d been to confession enough times to recognize what was taking place, yet he just couldn’t reconcile it to what he was seeing.
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been seven months since my last confession,” Xandra said in a regretful voice. She sounded genuine. Without the visual, anyone would thing she spoke to a priest.
Ebuka listened to her listing all her sins, including the number of people she’d killed. Twenty-five. His stomach congealed. She’d taken so many lives. Some of those people were on his account.
Now Ebuka understood the burden she carried and the need to confess it. She couldn’t say these things to a real priest, and this was a safe environment to unburden.
Jealousy burned across his chest that she was confessing it all to Osagie instead of him.
Although, by inviting him here today, he was included in the process.
Next time, Ebuka would be the only one with whom she shared her burdens.
“Child, is that all you have to confess?” Osagie had his head tilted and a frown on his face as if Xan had done something wrong.
“No, Father. I no longer have the sin of anger towards the nuns at the orphanage. I have a new family and people who love me.” Xan looked up and met Ebuka’s gaze.
In her eyes, she bared her soul to him. She had found a new family. Him.
Something clutched his heart as warmth spread through him. He nodded at her.
Osagie turned his head in Ebuka’s direction and met his gaze too. He had a smile on his face. “That’s good to know, child. Now say your act of contrition.”
“I’m sorry for my sins. Please help me to do my penance and to do better,” Xan replied. “I absolve you of your sins. Go and stand before the cross to begin your penance.”
Xan met Ebuka’s gaze again before walking over to stand before the St Andrew’s cross. Osagie didn’t move for several heartbeats. When he stood and pulled off his robe, Ebuka’s eyes widened.
What exactly was he going to do to Xan? Ebuka didn’t want him touching Xan and certainly not while she was naked.
Osagie turned and caught sight of Xan’s naked body. He stiffened, and his breath hitched. “Xandra, are you sure you want to do this?”
He sounded shocked at the extent of Xan’s burn scars.
Xan turned her head to the side but didn’t look back. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“You will receive thirty strokes of the cane for your penance.”
Too much. What would be the impact of the cane on the damaged skin of her back?
“No. I expect more. Two for every person I killed,” Xan said.
“Fifty? Hell no!” Standing up, Ebuka cut in before Osagie could reply.
Osagie’s mouth closed, and a smirk curled his lips as if he knew something Ebuka didn’t.
Xan turned. “I know it might seem a lot to you. But I can take it. Plus, I deserve it. If you can’t watch, I’m sure Osagie will let you wait in the lounge.”
“To Hell with that. I’m not going anywhere. And you don’t decide what you deserve. I do. I say thirty is plenty enough.” Ebuka crossed his arms over his chest.
Xan’s lips tightened in displeasure. “I can take fifty.”
“This isn’t about what you can take. This is punishment, and from now on, I’m your confessor and your punisher. I alone decide your punishment.”
She glared at him as if expecting him to back down.
Ebuka cocked his head and raised a brow, daring her to defy him. Their relationship depended on her ability to defer to him when it really mattered, like now.
Of course, she could refuse. Then they would have to sit and discuss it.
No matter what happened, Osagie wasn’t going to touch her. He would rip the man’s arm off first.
Xandra glanced at Osagie as if expecting the man’s support but
got nothing from the Edo man, who seemed amused by the whole situation.
“Fine,” she said finally after huffing out a deep breath.
“I didn’t think I’d live to see the day Xandra would give up control completely to someone else. But I’m glad I witnessed it because I know she’s in great hands. And as it happens, my job here is done.” Osagie turned and extended his hand.
Ebuka took his hand and shook it briefly. “Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime you’re in Lori Osa, feel free to visit Arufin. I’ll make sure the blue room is available.”
Ebuka nodded.
Osagie looked at Xandra again, his expression serious. “It’s a good thing you killed Gemade already. Otherwise, I would’ve killed him myself. Take care.”
Then he was gone.
For a few seconds after his departure, Xan and Ebuka just stared at each other, as if letting the air around them to settle and get used to the new dynamics.
Ebuka waited for Xan to reject his new position in her life. To say she didn’t want him here playing the role Osagie used to play.
When she didn’t say anything, Ebuka pulled the t-shirt over his head and tossed it on the chair.
Xan was probably still assessing him, trying to make sure that he could handle what was to come.
Pulling his belt out of the loops, he held the buckle and the other tip in his right hand.
Xan’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she watched. She understood what the belt in his hand signified. This was him and her. They didn’t need whips and chains. He could provide what she needed now that he understood her better.
“What is your safe word?” he asked.
“Blue,” she said with a smile.
“Blue,” he repeated, returning the smile. “Turn and hold onto the cross. Do I need to restrain you?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” She obeyed his command.
Warmth spread across his chest as he stepped close enough to whisper in her left ear, “I’ll take care of you. Ready?”
She sucked in a sharp breath and nodded.
The constriction in his chest loosened. She was his indeed. His to punish. His to protect. His to love.
Moving back, he raised his right hand and flipped the strap across her backside.
THIRTY
THE INITIAL thud and sting of the belt quickly flared into a burning sensation that spread out all over Xandra’s body. Emotions welled up inside her for the first time since she’d started the confession ritual. Pressure built up behind her eyeballs. She squeezed her eyes tight, not wanting the liquid to spill out.
What was going on with her? The pain from the belt didn’t hurt as sharply as the sting of a cane. So, it couldn’t be the ache causing her to feel this way.
It was something more. Something linked with Ebuka. Attached to the fact that she had finally submitted. Submitted to him, to anyone, for the first time in her life.
This wasn’t an act or a game. This was real.
For some reason, she wanted to bawl her heart out. All the frustration she’d felt as a child welling up now and spilling through her lids.
She didn’t know when the hits stopped. Only that Ebuka was beside her hooking arms under her legs and sweeping her into his arms when she would have slid to the floor.
She should fight. Tell him she could stand by herself.
Lacking the compulsion or the energy, she allowed him to carry her to the bed instead.
He laid her face down. After a few seconds, cold salve caressed the skin of her butt and thighs.
Another first.
She had never allowed Osagie to do this. Yet, she didn’t protest.
When he finished, the bed sagged as he climbed onto it and settled beside her. Then he lifted her to lie beside him.
Sighing, she settled into the warmth of his body although he still wore his trousers. She must have drifted off to sleep because she woke with a jerk.
“Shhh... It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Warm breath whispered across her cheeks.
“Was I sleeping? I’m sorry.” How could she have fallen asleep on him? She’d never done that before.
“It’s okay. You were exhausted. You needed the snooze.”
“I don’t usually sleep here.” She tried to get up, but he didn’t let her. “I’m sure you want to fuck.”
“Xandra, punishing you is not a source of pleasure for me. It’s as distressing for you as it is for you. Don’t you see? You suffer. I suffer.”
She pulled out of his grasp, shuffling back on the bed. “You didn’t have to do it if it’s not your thing.”
He sat up but didn’t move towards her. “Taking care of you is my thing. And you needed the cleansing of confession and punishment. Otherwise, the burden would’ve been too much for you. I’m here to ease your worry, soothe your pain, and lighten your load.”
She sighed. He understood exactly what she needed, and he’d been prepared to do whatever it took for her to be whole again.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome, obele.” He stood and tugged down his jeans before he reached out his hand. “I’d like to make love to you. Will you let me do that?”
“Yes,” she said, throat thick with emotion as she shuffled across the bed to stand before him.
He gathered her in his arms and kissed her, fusing their mouths in passion. She sank into him, pleasure coursing through her, erasing her tiredness and filling her with arousal.
His hand stroked her skin, and she returned the gesture.
They fell onto the bed, writhing against each other.
Breaking the kiss, she came up for air.
“I need you,” he whispered as he kissed a path along her collar.
Her body trembled, blood rushing loudly in her ears. “I can’t wait either.”
He settled between her legs and proceeded to eat her pussy like she was a delicious meal, and he was ravenous. He stroked in and out with fingers. She spread her thighs to give him better access, moaning while clutching his head against her. Soon a fever fired in her veins, and she called out his name in ecstasy.
Then he knelt, replacing his fingers with the broad head of his dick and slammed into her wet heat.
“I missed you so much,” she whimpered, wrapping her legs around his hips, pulling him in deep, hands gripping the sheets.
The sting of the belt intensifying the experience. Her body burned as he pulled out and slammed in, again and again.
“Obele, I’ve missed you too.” His dark eyes gleamed with desire and devotion.
Their warm breaths intermingled. The air was charged with energy like sizzling electricity.
She held her breath, pulse racing.
He kissed her.
His flavour in her mouth, his solidity deep inside her, surrounding her. She had never felt this good. This euphoric. Liquid heat flowed in her veins.
He hovered above her, arms braced each side of her chest, sliding out and thrusting in, making her feel amazing. His body glistened with sweat.
She writhed against him, her body flowing in rhythm with his. She didn’t feel unsafe or worried. For the first time, she was with a man and not concerned about being ambushed or being vulnerable.
Even knowing that it had been months since they had fucked—no, this wasn’t fucking. Not with the way he was looking at her. He was making love to her. She felt it in every nerve ending, and her heart constricted.
He grunted as he stroked backwards and forward, the sound of flesh smacking flesh mixing with the sound of groans. Her body arched, dancing to the tune he played.
She clenched her insides around his thickness, and he groaned, tilting his head back, the muscles of his arms and neck bulging and straining.
He looked amazing. Fucking sexy.
She remembered their time on the island and all those months apart. Now they were making up for all those lost times. She was going to make sure they got intimate whenever the opportunity came along. She wou
ldn’t miss out on other chances to be with him like this.
He reached between their slick bodies, caressing her clit with his callused fingers. Another wave of heat sizzled along her nerve endings as a moan ripped from her throat.
He increased the speed, driving all the way to the hilt and sliding out, his balls hitting her ass.
“Obele, you’re amazing,” his voice came out raspy as he stroked harder into her.
Pleasure spiked, spreading out to her extremities.
“Boss…please,” she begged, unable to hold on longer.
“Nye m ya,” he ordered.
Euphoria ripped through her like a tidal wave. He kept stroking, drawing out her orgasm. Her body shook uncontrollably, and emotions welled through her, making her eyes water.
Ebuka’s heat surrounded as he brushed his lips against hers.
“You are my everything. I love you,” he whispered.
A lump wedged in her throat, preventing her from speaking. She didn’t know what to say. Didn’t know how she felt.
Then he was back on his knees, gripping her hips and fucking her like the boss he was. His expression was fierce as he slammed into her again and again.
“This is what you do to me, Xan. I can’t get enough of you. I’m never going to let you go.” He punctuated each sentence with ramming in and pulling out.
“Fuck! Xan.” He growled the words and bowed his back as he filled her with his hot release. He jerked again and again; his face screwed up in a blissful expression. His chest rumbled with his grunts of pleasure.
Warmth spread through her as a smile curled her lips, knowing she’d done this to him. He was hers as she was his. This was the proof.
He slumped over her, dropping his head onto her shoulder as he gulped in a lungful of air.
This was the point of the evening where she would roll over and get into the shower to wash up and get dressed to leave.
Instead, she reached for his nape. He leaned forward as if sensing her need. Raising her head, she kissed him with everything inside of her.
She didn’t want to be without him. She would kill anyone who ever looked at him or his family the wrong way.
This thing she felt. This fierce possessiveness. This band that wrapped around her heart. This emotional knot in her throat that wouldn’t let her breathe properly. This overwhelming need to protect and be beside him for as long as she lived. This had to be love.