Falling For Rome

by Edwina Fort

  The moral of the story, I have yet to learn to control my impulsive reactions. Here I was getting ready to send this plate sailing across the room to smash Derrick’s woman beating a** in the face.

  My muscles tensed, ready to carry out the action, but I don’t know what made me look up just at the moment. I made eye contact with those honey gazers and stalled. He looked at me from across the room and still managed to make everything and everyone else fade…

  How in the world did he do that?

  As if he could read my thoughts, he shook his head.

  What the hell? There is no way he could read my thoughts.

  I lifted my hands as if to say, what?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head at me again, but his attention was drawn away by the lady in the red dress, who was stepping in front of him to ease on the couch next to him. He looked up at her as she passed, because she was practically shoving her big fake boobs in his face.

  At the same time he let her slide past him, he closed his laptop, sitting back on the couch so that she could get by. My hand twitched under my plate again.

  Oh wow! This has never happened to me. I have never been jealous of another woman for the attention of a man…

  Not ever.

  What was happening to me?

  “That’s a damn shame to have something as sexy as you in his bed and still find a way to play with the trash.”

  I had been focusing so hard on Rome and the tramp that was practically throwing herself at him that I didn’t notice the man standing by the bar watching me.

  I took him in. He was a handsome enough man, but he was not good. He was treacherous and full of envy for Rome. I’d seen his profile a million times. If we were going to infiltrate Rome’s organization, this would be the man we would put the wire on.

  The traitor…

  Still, he was a man, and a useful tool to help me ground myself and get over whatever jealousy I was feeling.

  Two can play at this…

  I smiled at him. And his mouth fell open a bit in surprise.

  Yeah, I was putting it on a bit strong, but I was emotional. It was my first time feeling jealousy, and at the moment, I just wanted not to feel that.

  “The trash is his only option…I’m not on his menu.” I practically made love to the man with my gaze.

  And just like most men do in my hands, he turned to putty and actually came closer to the bed.

  “Wait! You and Rome ain’t together?”

  I shook my head. “Nope…Why?”

  “I mean, if you not with nobody then—”

  “Then what?” I asked cutting him off, smiling shyly at him.

  “Then maybe I can take you out some time. You don’t want to f*** with Rome anyway, a nigga like that can’t be true to you. He got b****es fighting to be with him…every night he got a different ho in his bed…”

  See what I mean? Although he hangs in Rome’s shadow, he does it with a heart full of hate…praying for his downfall.

  However, that wasn’t my problem. My problem was getting rid of this feeling of jealousy in my heart. So, I threw my head back and laughed like what he’d just said was the funniest thing in the world to me.

  Yeah, I know it was petty…and a bit childish, but my feelings were hurt, and remember I told you guys about my impulsive reflexes…so please, don’t judge me.

  Pray for me…

  Meanwhile, the hater took another step closer to me, falling easily under my charm.

  “Come sit by me for a moment.” I told him patting the bed next to me…and would you guys believe he actually took a step my way?

  “You think I’m a b****, Ray?” Rome’s deep voice caused old Ray to nearly jump out of his boots.

  I leaned over looking behind the now frightened man to see Rome handing the bartender his glass, telling him to refill it… Then he walked over to stand between Ray and me.

  “Rome…I—”

  “What’s the matter? You had a lot of sh*t to say just a minute ago. Please…don’t let me interrupt.”

  Ray looked at me and I widened my eyes in fake surprise.

  Rob, the man that is knot my biggest fan, and a few more guys came to stand around us, sensing the tension in their leader. Rome turned up the glass and drank the double shot of Hennessy straight down. When he lowered it, he laughed. And for the first time, I realized he may be a bit intoxicated.

  Uh-oh!

  “Ray, how long have you been trying to roll with us?” He asked rotating the glass in his hand so that the ice clinked together.

  Ray shrugged. “I mean, I’ve been trying to roll for a minute…Why?”

  Nossa! This guy was trying to save face instead of bowing out. Maybe because our little scene had attracted a good amount of attention and he didn’t want to look like a coward.

  “I finally let you roll, and you come in my house and disrespect me?”

  Ray shook his head. “She said she wasn’t yo’ girl.”

  “I’m not!” I volunteered trying to lend a hand to old Ray, he looked like he could use it.

  Rome turned his angry gaze on me…

  Yikes…He was really mad. The muscle was twitching like crazy in his chin.

  But ask me if I care. I had to bite my lip to hold onto my laughter. He could tell and it made him angrier. He turned to face Ray.

  “Because she playing games, I’m going to let this one slide. But don’t bring yo’ busta a** back to my crib. Bounce!” He spat those words through clenched teeth.

  Ray looked back at me as if to say he’d get up with me later, and then turned toward the door…

  Because there is something so seriously wrong with me, I held my hand out and called…

  “Take me with you!”

  I didn’t expect what happened next to happen, not in a million years.

  Ray turned back for me and actually held his hand up for mine…Nossa!

  Rome moved so quickly he caught us all off guard…one minute Ray was standing on his feet, and the next he wasn’t. Rome kicked the back of his legs…hard, sending him slamming to the ground…and then he was over him punching him in the face with the glass…The second hit caused the glass to shatter!

  But he didn’t stop, he started going in with his fists.

  So, that’s what it looks like when he hits somebody.

  I looked up at his little brother, who watched the beatdown with amused horror. I really liked Rob, he and I had a kindred spirit.

  “Now maybe a good time to help that poor fella.” I told him.

  As if snapping out of a daze, they all moved at once to pull Rome off the man. He was mad that they did, even turning his rage on them causing them to scurry back out his way.

  Nossa! I may have taken it a bit far. The man was so angry he was red in the face…

  By this time, the music had come to a halt and everybody was staring at Rome… He stood for a minute fuming, battling with himself to get control…

  I loved it!

  When he had it, he smoothed his clothes out and stretched his neck in a way that said he was barely controlling it…

  “I’m sorry you all had to witness this.” He spoke to the room. “But most importantly, do we all understand why this happened?”

  All the men nodded their heads. Rome exhaled… “Good…that’s good. Get this mutha f**** off my floor.” Several of his men hurried forward to drag the unconscious man out of the loft.

  Rome’s eyes came to me and I saw the anger still there, very much alive.

  I loved it!

  He pointed at me. “Don’t do that sh*t again!”

  For a moment I held his gaze, trying to hold on to my laughter, but then I thought why should I? And collapsed back in the bed, my laughter filling the now quiet loft…

  Romeo…my dear, Romeo. You have no idea of the tempest I bring…

  Chapter 7

  I Don’t Want to Fall in Love…With You

&nbs
p; Nakhti

  The sound of someone running on a treadmill woke me. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see the sun spilling into the big windows to lighten the loft beautifully. In the center of the loft Rome ran on a treadmill facing the windows.

  For a moment, I just lay there enjoying the sight of him in only a pair of basketball shorts and gym shoes. His beautifully defined tanned muscles glistened tantalizingly from sweat as he turned the treadmill up to a light sprint.

  Many of my missions have called for me to get close to my target. How close is purely at my discretion. Because I’m good at my job, I’ve never had to go all the way with any of them.

  Sure, I’ve gotten really close, but I’ve always managed to finish the job before actual intercourse takes place. Trust me, if I’m close enough for penetration, I’m close enough to make the kill.

  In that moment, the kill is always easy because by that time, my skin is crawling at the feel of their hands and mouths touching my skin. I have never had a target I wanted to sleep with, they have all disgusted me.

  My gaze traveled down Rome’s beautifully sculpted body, taking in each intricate detail. And I think for the very first time in my whole career, my thoughts may have changed.

  Because I’ve been so busy, I can’t remember the last time I had sex…I mean, until this very moment, I hadn’t even thought about sex.

  Nossa!

  I think it’s been over seven years and before that, even longer. I had a boyfriend in high school who took my virginity on prom night. After that, he and I had a regular sexual relationship until I left for the military a few months later.

  I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had sex from that point on. And it’s not that I haven’t wanted or needed sexual gratification, it’s just that I’ve been too damn busy.

  If I’m being honest with myself, my need of late has become a little more pressing. I think I may have reached the age where it’s said women experience a hormonal shift that makes them, how shall I say…? Super horny.

  Or damn, maybe it’s just the effect this kid was having on me. Hell, he had the effect on many women. Last night I sat here and watched them preen and strut for him. I watched several women completely make a fool of themselves to get his attention.

  After he beat down the hater, the lady in the red dress left in a huff because he angrily returned to his computer and told his men he didn’t want to be bothered, they in turn refused to let anyone get close to him.

  There were many women shooting evil looks at me for being the one responsible for putting him in such a mood.

  Now…

  Ask me if I care…

  LOL! I’d spent the rest of the evening talking to Rob, who is a whole nut. That boy doesn’t have a serious bone in his body. And he is a chain blunt smoker. How somebody could get so high and still be as sharp as the kid is beyond me.

  At some point he disappeared with one of the girls at the party, leaving me alone. I wanted to talk to Happy some more, but it looked as if her boyfriend got mad at her about something and sent her home. She stopped only long enough to tell me she would be back sometime today to clean up.

  By the time the party was over and the band cleared out—

  Oh! I knew what I wanted to tell you guys. So, do you remember me saying last night that the band looked familiar?

  Turns out, they looked familiar to me because they’re freaking famous. It was THE SEEDS…they’re a famous group from Chicago, whose ability to smoothly blend jazz and hip hop has set them apart.

  According to Rob, Rome was the one to pull some strings a few years ago to get the band noticed. So anytime they were in Chicago, they came and did a private set for Rome and his crew.

  Wow! Imagine that.

  Anyway, what was I saying?

  Oh yes…so, by the time THE SEEDS cleared out I had nodded back off, feeling a little drowsy from the anesthetic that was taking its time clearing from my system and slept like a log till now.

  Sitting up in bed I groaned from the pain in my side. It was safe to say the anesthetic was completely worn off, I felt like I’d been shot.

  “Your pain pills are on the table next to you.” Rome said without slowing down on the treadmill

  Groggily I turned to look and sure enough, the bottle of pills that was in my coat pocket, sat on the nearby table with a bottle of water. Next to it was a blessed cup of steaming hot coffee. I nearly skipped the pills and the water for the coffee, but thought better of it and took the pills.

  My gaze fell on the golden cuffs on my ankles. The sun shining through the window made the gold light up in a way that was breathtaking. These bracelets were absolutely amazing.

  Too bad they were instruments of torture. When it was time for me to leave, I was going to try my best and preserve them, they will be a nice little trinket to always remind me of the gorgeous, educated thug that changed the way I will forever view his species.

  “How did you sleep?” He asked as he brought his treadmill to a cool down.

  I lifted my cup of coffee and bought it to my lips, watching him over its rim as he stepped off the treadmill.

  “Not too bad. How about you?”

  He shrugged as he dried himself off with his towel. “I don’t sleep.”

  I wasn’t surprised by that information. Most people with brains like his had trouble shutting them off enough to actually sleep. When his body forced him to shut down, it was probably just for an hour or two in front of his computer.

  “You were sleeping when I first met you.”

  He chuckled as he sauntered my way, looking like a thug model. Nossa!

  “It took two bottles of Hennessy and a good fu—”

  I lifted an eyebrow and a smirk came to my face when he cut his words off. “What were you going to say?”

  He shook his head as he reached into the fridge for a bottle of water.

  “I forgot.”

  “I just bet you did.” I told him chuckling.

  He brought one of the kitchen chairs, placing it in front of me and then sat. For a moment he didn’t say anything, he just studied me.

  I continued to drink my coffee, studying him back.

  Let me tell y’all something…Rome’s amber gaze is intense. It made me want to squirm like a little girl under its power. I had to force myself not to reach up and try to tame my hair that I knew was all over my head. I cannot let my last target be the one that breaks me.

  “What’s your name?”

  I didn’t answer, instead, I took another sip of coffee.

  “You know, I can find out everything about you if I put my mind to it.”

  I took another sip of my coffee.

  He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. “Are you going to always be this difficult?”

  “Probably…you should spare yourself the grief and let me go.”

  He chuckled sitting back in his chair. “Why would I do that when you’ve presented me the biggest challenge I’ve faced in a long time? Didn’t you know, Minha Anjo, challenges to me are like catnip to cats…? I’ve never met one I can walk away from.”

  “Wow…that is something you and I have in common.”

  “If my suspicions are correct, you and I have a lot more in common than that.” He stood from his chair and walked toward me. “I need to leave town for a couple days.”

  That was surprising. Was he taking me with him? Surely, he wasn’t going to leave me in his place without him.

  Wait…

  Was he going to try and leave me chained to this bed by these devices around my ankles? I would go nuts!

  I sat my coffee cup down on the table and looked straight up at him where he stood directly in front of me.

  “What’s going to happen to me?”

  “You’re going to be my guest while I’m away…Now, give me a hug so I can jump in the shower.”

  “Eww! Gross! You’re covered in sweat!” And he was,
his muscled chest and stomach was drenched in it.

  When he suddenly reached down for me, I tried to scramble out of his way, but my sore side kept me from moving fast enough to escape him. I screeched in laughter when he lifted me into his wet arms burying his sweaty face in my breasts.

  “Oh my God! Stop, Rome!” I yelled as he began to use my body like a towel.

  He stopped but didn’t put me down, he just watched me with those honey gazers that wreaked havoc on my nervous system.

  “I’ll stop if you kiss me.”

  Mmmmm… The muscles in my stomach clenched at his words like I was on a roller-coaster. What is this power he held over me?

  Every alarm inside of me was blaring loudly…

  Rome , don’t do this to me! I don’t want to fall in love… with you

  Biting my bottom lip, I shook my head.

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  He lifted me higher burying his sweaty face into my breasts again. I held my head back and laughed because his beard and mustache was tickling me.

  “Okay!” I yelled. “Okay, I’ll kiss you!”

  He stopped instantly and stood patiently waiting for me to gather my courage to initiate the kiss.

  I couldn’t believe I was this nervous. I couldn’t believe this man made me this nervous. I’ve never felt this way. No one has ever caused my stomach to feel as if butterflies danced inside of it…

  Please God, don’t let me fall in love with this man…

  Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in to gently touch my lips to his. Just a brief kiss was what I was aiming for, but when I went to draw my lips back, his mouth followed mine and took my lips in a hungry kiss that made my toes curl.

  Like him, his kiss was different from anything I’d ever experienced. It was not forceful or dominating. Well, not really… Instead, it coaxed. It forced you to crave more.

  I tightened my arms around his neck, needing to get closer to him. A moan escaped my throat when I felt his tongue enter my mouth. When I broke the kiss off to draw desperately needed air into my lungs, his hungry mouth continued to my neck.