by Kiki Leach
I fell into the cushions as he sat down beside me and dropped his hand on top of my thigh, crawling his fingers across my bare skin as he grunted.
"Darlin'." I peeked at him from the corner of my eye and gulped in fear of what I was certain would come next, then grit my teeth and shook my head. "It's Friday, darlin'." He squeezed my thigh and pushed his fingers against the rim of my skirt, tickling the fabric with the corner of his thumb. "Wonderin' if you were startin' to forget on this shit."
"I wasn't the one ignoring phone calls over the last few days," I muttered.
"You pissed about that shit?" He dragged his eyes from mine and snickered. "Was kinda hopin' you might be."
"Why?"
He shrugged as I frowned. "Show you gave a fuck in not hearin' from me; give a small taste of what I mighta felt in return."
"With what?"
"You hittin' up X insteada me first with this shit. Anyway darlin', I had other business to take care of between all this and you were only ringin' me up once a goddamn day."
"I called when I had time; you never returned a single one when you had some of your own."
"Between me givin' you a taste of what I felt you needed, business... was busy." He paused. "Reelin' in more pussy for the club and whatnot ain't as easy as it sounds -- can't get all of 'em on my cock at once; gotta pace it out to make sure what's fresh keeps makin' its way inside, ya know?"
"Sure." I rolled my eyes from his and swallowed hard. "You're going to need them much more than you think."
"What's that?" he questioned.
"Nothing." I sat up and rattled my leg from his grip, folded my hands and dropped them inside my lap. "I'm not only here to talk to you about ACE'S or all that I'd be willing to do to come back."
"All that willin' to do shit should continue to include suckin' my cock--"
"I have a proposition for you that could involve more than that with someone else," I said.
He leaned away from me and glowered. "Your mouth is the only one I'm lookin' to have around my cock right about now, Mariah."
"I know that. But I can't trust that if you get what you want from me, I'll get what I need from you in return."
"I promised a job for quality head."
"You also promised to never throw me out of your house without my clothes."
"You were still wearin' 'em when I did. And you fucked my brother--"
"I was desperate and horny and he was right there, Rocka," I pleaded. "He was right there and all too willing to give me what you never could -- even for a single moment." I got up from the couch and moved toward his desk, crossed my arms and chewed the inside of my lip to keep from gagging at the sound of my own words. "Right after we were together, he was willing to have me on the back of his bike... The moment was fleeting, but he asked."
"You wanted to be on the back of his goddamn bike, not mine. He gave you what the fuck you wanted that night, Mariah, don't stand there tryna bullshit me on what I've always known with you two, darlin'."
"I'm not." I turned back to him as he stood up and walked toward me. I sat along the edge of his desk and nervously cleared my throat. "You're right with how much I wanted him back then--"
"And how fuckin' much you still want him right goddamn now. Goin' to him before comin' to me with this shit."
"You keep being sour over it, but I told you why that was," I replied. "Look at how you responded before even seeing me again today, mixing business with personal. Even a text message would've gone a long way with me, Rocka. You couldn't even bother to send me that much because of how you felt."
"You wanted a goddamn text message from my ass, darlin'? Is that what the fuck you wanted?" He dropped his hands inside his pockets while standing directly in front of me and chuckled as he shook his head. "What the fuck else are you wantin' from me today beyond a goddamn job?"
"The brothers need a favor," I told him.
"And they sent your happy ass out here to ask me for it?"
I looked aside and swallowed a chortle. "Something like that."
"You told X about the Kings," he said. "He told the club -- what are they wantin' in return for that shit?"
"They need the Kings out here to make sure everything you said was legit."
"It's legit--"
"They need to know that for themselves," I replied. "And rolling onto their turf is a no-go."
He grumbled as his gaze shifted. "How the fuck are they expectin' me to help with that shit?"
"A pussy party, which is why it might be for the best that you have more women out here that they've never seen before."
"A pussy party and what -- they think those motherfuckers are gonna start openin' their mouths as soon as these bitches open their legs and roll their tongues around a few cocks for coin? The Kings are gonna see through what the fuck they're wantin' and my ass is gonna get strung the fuck up for it. They're gonna know I ran my mouth about 'em snatchin' up that coke."
"The Devils only need them in the same place, Rocka. The Kings won't realize or wonder about anything as long as you can manage to keep the drinks flowing and a string of women on deck. And they'll think even less about you being involved if the Devils are choosing to have this 'gathering' out here."
"Not if they believe my allegiance has returned to those assholes."
"I'm certain you can convince them with a lie or two that it hasn't," I replied. "You're good at things like that. Not to mention, other charters will be invited to make it look less suspect. Don't be so paranoid about something you helped put into motion with your big mouth."
"Fuck off with that shit, Mariah." I sat back and folded my arms while staring into his face with ire. He glowered. "The Kings were offerin' me shit the Devils fucked over long before I turned in my patches."
"Are you willing to have the pussy party out here or not?"
He sucked in a low, deep breath, then gradually released it and lifted his fingers to the center of my tank. "Depends on if you'll be out here with 'em willin' to serve some shit up behind the bar."
"You want me working behind the bar but not on stage?"
"Still need to see more of what you're workin' with before I agree to that shit again."
"You've seen enough," I snapped.
"Not of what I wanted." His face burned red as his brows knit and his jaw tightened. "I ain't backin' down from your pussy bein' on my cock before you return to that goddamn pole. Be lucky I'm givin' you as much as I am with the bar." He cupped my left breast and pushed himself between my legs, pressing his buckle against the rim of my panties. I shivered as the metal burned my skin and clamped my teeth while swallowing back a wad of spit lodged in the center of my throat. "I wanna lap dance from you that same night," he said. "Sweet, tight pussy and fat tits out -- just heavy and goddamn soft, givin' me every motherfuckin' thing I know you can to make me cum."
I scoffed and wrapped my hands around the edge of his desk to keep from wrapping them around his throat. "You want a show for Xavier."
He dropped his hand to my thigh, dragging his nails across the softness of my skin, and grinned. "If that asshole happens to be around while you're giving my cock a spin, it is what the fuck it is, ain't it? But I'm only agreein' to this shit if you agree to take part in doin' what the fuck I want that night."
"That's more blackmail--"
"The best of its kind, darlin'." I eyed him with disgust before rolling my attention elsewhere. He chortled. "I know you'll do whatever the fuck needs to be done for X and the club. You've always been that way when it comes to both." He bent forward and kissed my cheek. I held my breath and gulped as his mouth lingered against my skin. "I don't need an answer from you this time when I know I've already got it. Let the rest of those motherfuckers know that ACE'S will be up and ready for 'em when they need."
He gripped my thigh before backing away from me and moving toward the door. I dropped back down to the floor as he yanked it open and stepped forward, but pulled back as he lifted his hand to the frame and extended his arm, block
ing me inside.
My brows pinched as my nose wrinkled. "What the hell are you doing?"
"You ain't willin' to give me even a taste before rollin' outta here?"
"You're not a pimp." I shoved my hands against his arm, forcing it to drop back down to his side. He glared and straightened his back as fire poured from his eyes into mine. "And I'm not your whore."
"You ain't what?" He snaked his hand around my arm and jerked me to his chest, then leaned into my face with a smirk and exhaled through his nostrils like a raging bull. "The fuck you won't be soon enough." He pushed his tongue between his lips in an attempt to shove it between my own and lowered his voice. "The fuck you won't."
I ripped my arm from his hand and stumbled back before he could reach my mouth, then raced from his office, through the club and out the front door.
After landing outside, I reached for my keys with a shaky hand and hurried to my car, latched onto the door and yanked it open.
"Darlin'?" I stopped at the sound of Xavier's rugged voice and whipped my head over my shoulder as he stood up from his bike and rushed toward me with panic in his eyes. "You alright?"
"No." I slammed the door and leaned against the hood of my car, shoved my keys back into my pocket and folded my arms. He stood in front of me and reached for my face, cupping my cheeks inside his large hands and caressing my skin as I worked to find my breath. "What are you doing here?"
"Needed to make sure you were good right after seein' that asshole," he said. "Knew I couldn't wait 'til you got back to the city. You just finishin' up with him?"
I nodded. "He said that he's willing to have a party out here with the Kings and other charters whenever you need it to happen."
"Yeah? And what the fuck is he wantin' from you in return for that shit, Mariah?"
"Nothing."
"Darlin'..." He swallowed hard while rattling his head and stepped close enough to smell the fear pouring from my skin in the form of sweat. "I know that asshole ain't willin' to have somethin' out here for the Devils and Kings unless he's gettin' somethin' for it in return; you're that return he's been bankin' on since comin' back out here... Let me know what the fuck he's askin' from you."
"You'll attack him for it."
"I told you before, the motherfucker might need that shit." He paused while continuing to caress my face and grimaced. "What the fuck had you runnin' out here with a face damn near covered in tears?"
I shoved my cheek against his palm in search of the only comfort I knew, and latched onto the back of his hand. "Please just take me home, X."
"Nah, darlin', not 'til I know what the fuck he said to you up there. 'Til I know what the fuck he did."
"You already know what he did," I muttered. "Or what he tried to do. And what he said..."
"Son of a fuckin' bitch." He dropped his hands and whirled away from me with rage bursting from his eyes like a set of flying darts; he stormed through the club with his fists swinging in every direction as he climbed the stairs to Rocka's office and spat fire from the corners of his mouth. "I am endin' this shit!"
"X!" I landed against his heels after reaching the final step and wrapped both hands around his wrist as he barreled down the hallway. "X, please," I begged. "Please!"
"That motherfucker ain't understood a goddamn thing three years ago." My hands tightened as he continued making his way forward. "He's gonna understand that shit now."
"You don't--!"
He stopped walking as he reached the door and slammed his foot into the base, forcing it to swing open and crack even further from the hinges.
"What the fuck?!" Rocka dropped his cell on top of the desk and jumped up from his chair. As his eyes switched between us, he glared. "What the fuck is your ass doin' back here -- fuckin' up my goddamn property with that bitch on your arm?"
X slightly jerked himself from my hand while keeping focus on Rocka and stepped into the room as if he owned every inch of it. He reached for his cut and flexed his back and shoulders, then moved in front of the desk and rested his hands along the edge. He bent forward as Rocka stood alongside his chair and looked to me for answers. I wagged my head in silence and carried my gaze to the floor.
"I heard you agreed with havin' our pussy party out here for the Kings," said X, his voice low, ominous as he spoke.
Rocka bent his head to the side and snarled. "She call your ass up as soon as she pulled into the goddamn lot to see me?"
"Nope. Came on my own to know in person if you were serious 'bout me watchin' you two fuck out in the open like she said... That shit true?"
Rocka looked aside and shrugged. "Your girl again, yeah? You should know what's true and what ain't when it comes to what the fuck she says--"
"Then I should believe what she says 'bout you wantin' me to watch you two fuck out here in the goddamn open like a pair of barnyard animals... Yeah?" He stood up and lowered his hands back down to his sides, rolled his fingers into his palms and brushed his thumbs across his knuckles. His skin flushed as he gulped. Rocka peered and dropped his hand to his belt. "I know that you've been desperate to fuck her brains out since she's been back here, brother -- And I get that shit," said X. "I truly get that shit -- Understand it completely, perfectly, all that -- She's beautiful as fuck. Always has been and will be. But if you think I'd be willin' to sit back and let you have another taste? Let alone watch the shit go down without me whackin' off what's left of your dick with my .45... Shiiiiit, motherfucker, I ain't quite sure what else to tell your ass outside of the fact that it ain't fuckin' happenin'."
Rocka dropped his hand on top of his chair and grumbled. "Motherfucker, I wasn't exactly ever askin' your permission to have her back on top of my cock," he spat. "The shit is happenin' whether you like it or not -- whether she likes it or not -- and whether you see the shit go down or not, live and in fuckin' color. She wants a job back out here, it ain't happenin' without her mouth and pussy throwin' in a lump sum of cum first."
X whistled and slammed his fist inside the palm of his other hand. He cleared his throat and shuffled around the desk. "That sounded like the wrong goddamn answer."
Rocka stepped back and opened his hands. "Sounded like the right motherfuckin' one to me."
I looked to X and lowered my voice. "Xavier, please--"
"No, darlin', don't stop him." Rocka glanced at me and smiled before turning his attention back to X. "Your man wants to take a swing at my ass. So I'm gonna let him get in one good hit before cappin' him with the back of my goddamn fist--"
His feet flipped from beneath him before he could finish.
I jumped back as his jaw slammed into a sharp line of wood, his teeth cracking against each other as he attempted, yet failed to avoid collision with the floor; then I looked to Xavier's rapidly swelling right hand as he kicked Rocka's chair aside and dropped to a squat in front of his face.
"If I fucked you up any further, you'd be dead," he mumbled. "And you bein' dead right now don't work for me or the club with what we need. So I'm gonna let you live with a warnin' 'fore headin' back outta here, yeah?" Rocka rolled aside and dropped his hand to the floor, sprawling his fingers as he tried to sit up. "Nah, motherfucker." X slammed his foot on top of his fingers, crunching veins and knuckles with the heel and toe of his boot. Rocka hollered in agony and wagged his feet against the floor. "Mariah's gettin' her job back without your cock bein' a factor. She starts whenever the fuck she wants and you pay her four fuckin' times what she earned three years ago plus tips. You don't do this shit as told, the club will serve your bare ass up to the Kings on a silver fuckin' platter and find out just what the fuck they plan to do with it after learnin' all that you were willin' to give up on 'em just to be back in with the Devils."
His eyes bugged as he attempted to swallow. "They wouldn't believe that shit with you throwin' me out."
"They'll believe whatever the fuck they want against your ass if it serves their narrative, brother. And when it comes to you snitchin' on 'em bein' the ones to snatch our
coke? It will." He removed his foot from the back of Rocka's hand and stood up. Rocka rolled to his back and placed his hand on top of his stomach as his fingers curled in agony. X sneered. "Doubt I'll need your shit in writin' 'cause we both know if you don't comply, your ass won't be breathin' for much longer after today." He walked back over to me with a confidence I hadn't seen since we were first together and took my hand inside of his own, sliding his fingers against my palm before placing it on top of his heart. "I'm takin' you back home with me now, yeah?"
I nodded as words failed to escape in the form of a 'thank you' and smiled before turning back to a struggling Rocka. "I think there's a chance that you broke his hand," I said.
X made a face. "Guess he'll have to use the other one to work the dick he should be lucky he's still got right about now. Let's ride the fuck outta here, darlin'."
Without another word, I followed him back downstairs and out of the club, hopped into my car and drove behind him as we headed straight to his house.
Chapter Fourteen
Mariah
After nearly an hour of trudging between rooms to lament about Rocka and ACE'S, Xavier finally settled into his couch and massaged his swollen fist.
"Here." I placed a full glass of vodka on top of the table while holding onto another for myself and took a seat beside him. "How is it?" I jerked my chin toward his hand and took a sip of vodka as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye and swallowed hard.
"Shit still hurts like hell, darlin'. Motherfucker's jaw ain't made of glass like it shoulda been."
"You won't let me put ice on your fingers--"
"They'll go down at some point," he retorted.
I snickered and rattled my head. "And if they don't? You'll be walking around here with a hand that looks like a balloon until Christmas. At least wrap it around the glass if you can still open your fingers. There's ice with the vodka that should help with the swelling."
He sighed and bent forward, then eased his fingers around the glass and lifted the rim to his lips. I gulped in watching him swallow and sucked my lips as he savored the splash of alcohol across his tongue. "Shit's strong," he muttered. "Might need another one of these 'fore this one's even finished."