by K Harris
“Cage, dammit. Put me down.”
“Nah, I don’t think that I will.”
“What the hell?” I questioned at the secret passageway he just entered. “Where are we going, the bat cave?”
“Depends, did batman ever fuck cat woman?”
“Hell, I don’t know.” I laughed.
“Me either, but you are definitely getting fucked tonight.” Because of his long-ass legs, we were now in his apartment and standing next to his bed. “Lose the clothes,” he demanded. Taking off his shirt had me stunned as usual. That distraction needed to go the hell away.
The clothes from our bodies were carelessly discarded until we were both naked. His slow and steady perusal almost made me self-conscious but there was nothing on me he hadn’t seen before. A feather-light touch to my shoulder, Cage traced the newest addition of my body. The tattoo that Ethan just finished earlier this week was still in the healing process. While he touched me, I scanned over his length stopping only briefly at the muscle that drove me mad each and every time we met.
Cage had me get onto the bed on my knees as my forearms rested against the mattress. He knew my body all too well, there was no need for any further foreplay. What happened in the conference room and his demanding tone was all it typically took for me to be ripe for his punishing. The tip of his tool slid from my opening to my clit a couple of times before he dipped into my honey pot. Obviously, he was satisfied with the moisture on his tip as he dove into the hilt after the last swipe over my clit.
Every time his girth fills me up, I am left breathless and this time was no different. His grunt of approval sent a chill down my spine. Why the hell was he teasing me right now? This was new and I wasn’t prepared. Just as that thought left my brain, he delivered a five-part tap that knocked the wind out of my chest. On instinct, I lifted up from my forearms to my hands. My arms shook from the weakness that suddenly took over my muscles.
Cage used one hand at the back of my neck to push my upper body back down to the mattress. Simultaneously he proceeded to lay the hypnotic pipe down. Hell, the smackdown. For all I knew, he was laying the law down that this pussy was still off-limits. It wasn’t like I had gotten up enough courage to give it away anyway but dammit to hell did I enjoy his possessiveness. If he didn’t already know this, the gushiness that was the soundtrack playing in the room surely told on me.
“Fuck!” He cursed and if I had control of my vocals, I would have sounded off something like that. Warm liquid coated my back and cheeks. “Stay just like that,” he said, then I could hear him moving around. A towel wiped away his essence, meaning that he hadn’t used a rubber once again. This was another thing that we had to stop doing.
“Cage,” I went to speak on the subject at hand, but he had other plans. Moving me further into the bed, so that he was on his knees as well. “Shit,” I hissed as he slid right back into my simmering pot of goodness. There was nothing hurried about his thrusts, they were driving home a point.
Lifting up once again, my back dipped deep just as a cat would. He took that as his opening to fondle my exposed breast. Sweet tingles zipped through my nerve endings causing me to shake uncontrollably. Cage’s strong grip at my neck caused my imagination to run wild with possibilities. As if he could read my mind, his hand flexed at my throat and each time I threw it back into him. Pulling my back to his front without disengaging, I felt vulnerable and open for whatever.
“Sweet Destiny,” Cage growled into my ear with his hand still at my throat. “You like this shit, don’t you?” To emphasize his question, he thrust upward and squeezed my neck at the same time.
“Ahh,” I sighed both grateful for the air that rushed into my lungs and the throbbing from below.
“Gotdamn, you are dripping.” Turning and tilting my head just enough for our lips to meet, Cage moved gingerly yet deep inside of me. Too much, too soon – all at once. This was a lot. This big hunky mass of muscle was making love to me and I fought like hell to not accept it. Did he understand the ramifications of his actions? He couldn’t. Cage didn’t do slow and easy, his words exactly. All thoughts halted when the need to explode came crashing down on me ceasing my brain from any further overthinking.
This culmination was too much, no sound was uttered from either of us as we panted and hissed through. Raw emotion trickled from the corners of my eyes. Shit were they happy tears, sad or a mixture of them both. Cage held me tight as if he never wanted to let me go but I knew that I had to get the hell away from him as soon as my body would allow. What we just experienced should not have been tampered with, especially with the bundle of unsureness that settled between us at every angle. Whether he realized it or not, we’d just complicated the hell out of our safe existence.
~
“I should have known that this wasn’t going to be an in and out trip.” Syd smirked and gave me a once over from head to toe. I’m sure that my walk was different just as it always is after being with him. Surprisingly, I didn’t succumb to sleep as he suggested. Just enough willpower surfaced to make me untangle myself from his seductive grasp. We refrained from mincing any more words as we dressed to leave our temporary love den.
“Yeah well, his slut was summoned so I’m sure he had to tend to that.” I rolled my eyes at the jealous tone that seeped out. He went towards the conference room gesturing for her to follow as I continued to the area where Syd waited with the others.
“It’s not what you think Sis.” Wood shrugged.
“Yeah well, I’m not waiting around to see what it is about. Ready to roll?”
“Remember when you get back, we need to have a meeting at the site.” Black said as he walked us to the car.
“I won’t dip out without seeing you, I promise.” And I meant what I said, Black was doing so much for me already, there was no way that I would ditch him.
“I’m holding you to that. Drive careful ladies,” he gave us both a hug before he walked back inside.
“What was that hug about?” Syd asked as she drove away from the compound.
“Shit, what was leaving me alone with Cage about?” I snapped back.
“You never said you didn’t want to be alone with him. From the hug alone, one would think that you two needed that moment without spectators.”
“I don’t know what to make from what just happened between us. Best believe you will be the first to know when I figure it out though.”
“Bet that up, and the same goes for me. This weekend is definitely needed.”
Being that it was damn near ten when we arrived at the compound, the time I spent alone with Cage pushed us to midnight. It was time to lay it down if we were going to hit the road at six. The drive was only about five hours to reach Asheville. Syd’s mom arranged for our party of five to stay at a rental cabin that wasn’t too far from where she lived. A five-day vacay in a cabin in the mountains, I wasn’t the adventurous type to be exact, but the solitude did sound heavenly.
Much has changed about me since last year. Though I had a way to go in the growth department, the fact that I have changed at all is remarkable. From the quiet, timid chick with no friends that I could name to a fairly outgoing person with some chicks that I could actually call my sisters. Not to mention the new family, my love life is definitely lacking but everything will happen in time. Who knows Ethan may be the love that I was missing, and I was pining over Cage? During this time away, I definitely planned on dissecting some thoughts.
~
“WE’RE HERE!” Syd enthusiastically shouted. She was practically bouncing in her seat as she pulled into the long driveway. The view was magnificent. Though winter was right around the corner, the different color leaves were beautifully displayed over huge mountains. The air smelled different here from the bustling city or countryside that we were used to.
“Mommy,” Syd shouted and sprinted out of the van towards the two women who stood at the bottom of the steps.
“I take it you are happy to see me lil’ girl.” The
older version of Syd laughed and accepted the huge hug she was given. The rest of us took a moment to admire their excitement at seeing each other.
“Hey Ma-2,” Syd spoke lovingly to the other woman. “I missed you two so much.”
“I hear you talking but we are just now seeing you.” The other woman spoke lovingly. “How long has it been honey?”
“About a year and some change, I believe.” Syd’s mother responded.
“Y’all not gonna start on me in front of company.” Syd sniffed.
“Was that a sniffle I heard?” I said in mock shock.
“Shut it up,” Syd scorned playfully.
“And who do we have here?” Syd’s mom asked.
“My bad,” Syd laughed and turned to us. There was an audible gasp as we laughed at Syd’s bashful face. “This is…”
“Destiny?” The other woman damn near whispered. From the tone of voice that she said my name, I could tell she was in disbelief. “Destiny, is that really you?”
“Uhm, yeah my name is Destiny,” I answered in confusion. “How do you know my name? Do I know you?”
“Because I named you while you were still in your mama’s stomach,” she choked on a sob.
“Oh shit, she looks just like Stelle!” Syd’s mom covered her mouth in surprise.
“How do either of you know my mother?”
“My sweet Destiny, your mama was my sister.” That bomb was definitely not what I intended to hear. “I’m your Auntie Mae baby girl.” It felt like the earth stood still, I couldn’t move. My breathing was choppy, this was too much information for a first-time meeting. Seeing as though this woman is proclaiming to be my aunt, I guess it wouldn’t be the first time. Where the hell has she been all of these years? Maybe she didn’t want anything to do with me and this is a bad shock. From the tears of despair in her eyes, I am finding that hard to believe. What the fuck was I to do with this information? So much for a relaxing vacation to clear my mind.
Chapter 16
Dez
“I don’t know what to say,” I confessed. The hurt on her face made me feel like shit because I couldn’t embrace her, I honestly didn’t know how to feel or how to react.
“That got heavy rather quickly,” Syd’s mom sighed.
“Who you telling,” Syd commented.
“Family reunion,” the twins Deloris and Debra sang.
“A family reunion,” Tanisha booty bumped me.
“Watch that big ole thang, lethal weapon.” I scorned. That was the icebreaker needed to cut the tension that consumed what should have been a warm welcome.
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. The name is Mae and this here is my wife Leslie.”
“Also known as my Ma-1 and Ma-2,” Syd explained.
“No that was all on me, y’all gotta excuse me. I’m not used to having family or friends if I’m being honest.” I shrugged. “When you were told that you basically had no family to depend on, it’s a hard pill to swallow when faced with an alternate reality.”
“I’m not surprised that Slick Tongue Willy would say some shit like that.” Mae sneered.
“Mae,” Leslie gave Mae a stern look as she stood there with her arms folded.
“What,” the look she gave Leslie was full of defiance.
“We were sorry to hear about his passing.”
“Speak for yourself,” Mae mumbled.
“Damn, if you don’t want Auntie Mae, I do.” Tanisha clapped. “Straight to the point, yes ma’am. No sugar-coating allowed.”
“Now we see where Syd gets her slick ass tongue.” Debra said and Deloris cosigned.
“Why don’t we take this reunion slash first meeting inside so we can warm up by the fire and get better acquainted. Reacquainted for some of us,” Leslie said.
The next few minutes were filled with unloading the luggage from the van and entering the cabin. If the outside was something to gawk at, the inside was something to drool over. A large rock fireplace climbed the skyscraper walls to the wood-beamed ceiling. Large floor to ceiling windows looked out over the breathtaking landscape. A large deck with oversized wooden furniture could be seen clearly through the doors right off the kitchen. The space was huge and airy being that it was wide open to see everything at once.
“This place is beautiful.”
“Thank you on behalf of the owners.” Leslie laughed. “We just oversee it for them because they live elsewhere. It is often rented out by groups that want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Because of the size, it is a profitable investment for them. Our house is a little way down the road, but we prefer something much smaller.”
“I know that’s right, limit the houseguests,” Deloris said.
“Girl, you already know.”
“If I were the owners, retirement would look mighty good to me just looking at this view.”
“The new owners are still fairly young but that was the mindset that my brother and his wife had before they passed away. I doubt that my nephews even think about this place much besides to occasionally check the funds that this place accumulates.” When Leslie spoke of nephews and a deceased brother, I remembered how Syd said that she was related to Cage and Wood.
“Cage?” I asked without a single thought.
“Yes, Cage and Wood are my nephews.”
“So much for getting away to clear my thoughts,” I laughed sarcastically.
“What are we missing here?” Mae asked.
“That’s what I want to know auntie,” Tanisha cosigned.
“It’s a long story,” Syd said.
“Drinks anyone?” Debra asked.
“It’s happy hour somewhere,” Deloris backed her sister up.
“If I am going to spill my beans drinks is definitely needed,” I answered.
“I’ll say Destiny, or would you prefer that I call you Dez.” Leslie spoke but it was clear that she knew something that I didn’t. There was some sort of lightness in her voice as if she were reminded of something. “Why don’t you ladies pick out your room and get washed up. We prepared food for your arrival.”
“We initially planned on getting you all set up and leaving you to it, but I would say that’s probably not going to happen.” Mae snickered. “That is if you feel like being the center of attention for a little while longer.” She addressed the last statement to me.
“Might as well knock out the elephant in the room with several shots of tequila and some wine.” I giggled and shrugged. “Maybe some girl talk, and motherly advice is what I have been missing.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Everybody had the same plan in mind, drop off their luggage and get comfortable. After I took off my boots and changed out of my jeans, I washed my face and put my hair in a high ponytail. When I came back into the front, everybody pretty much looked the exact same way. The mood was visibly lighter with a small amount of anticipation to get to the nitty-gritty. Debra and Deloris busied themselves as bartenders fixing a big batch of margaritas both frozen and ones for on the rocks.
Leslie and Mae prepared an assortment of food from finger foods to chili for later. The fridge was stocked with any and everything that we could ask for and more. Meat, drinks, fruit, vegetables, and so much more were readily available. Not wanting anything too heavy, I made a plate of cheese, crackers, some fruit, and meatballs. From the oversized chairs, sectional sofa, and the huge floor pillows – we all picked our spot for this pow-wow. There was a lot to talk about and from the pensive faces – everyone was ready to get it bumping so we can move on.
“After Maze passed away, I was raped by a former member of the club.” When I spoke that statement an instant hush fell over the room. It was clear that the people that actually knew what happened kept the details to themselves. For that one small feat, I was grateful because this should be my story to tell. “That son of a bitch took the one thing that no woman should be robbed of, her consent.”
“All because he felt that I should have been tak
en down several notches from some imaginary high horse. Said member then proceeded to paint me as a snitch, FBI informant when he and his bitch were the guilty parties. While dealing with the loss of family members, or what I thought were family – I somehow became intimately tangled up with Cage.”
“Well damn, I didn’t see that coming,” Tanisha said.
“I heard some murmurings, but it wasn’t my business.” Deloris said.
“Same,” Debra said.
“On one hand, I felt like it was morally wrong to be screwing my deceased boyfriends’ best friend but then I remembered that Maze was never faithful to me. Not saying that this was some sort of payback, but I refused to feel guilty about getting the dick that made me question my existence.”
“Wait, wait…” Debra and Deloris shouted.
“What the fuck?!” Tanisha shouted.
“Hold the hell up now that is my nephew, eww.” Leslie laughed.
“Well damn, and y’all pick on me for speaking my mind.”
“Of course, you would feel vindicated.” Mae threw a napkin at Syd.
“Cage can be mean as hell or maybe indifferent, however, folks describe him but that is what makes him desirable. In my opinion, women want what they see is unachievable. Cage is that man if he hasn’t set his sights on you. He is not easily tempted, that much I have learned since dealing with him.”
“If you know this then why you think you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in taming that big gorilla?” Syd asked.
“Hold up, back this muthufuckin’ train up. You fucked Cage. How?” Tanisha asked. For a minute I thought that she may be fucking with him too but I’m pretty sure she would have said something before now if she were. “Don’t give me that look, ain’t nobody trying to scope on your territory. I just asked a question.” She busted out laughing and the ladies joined her.