Falling For Rome

by Edwina Fort

  “Mutha f***a!” He hissed snatching his hand back. In a fit of rage, he picked up the book and tossed it across the room. “Damn idiot!”

  I sat up in the bed chuckling. “Do you ever sleep?”

  He removed his glasses rubbing his nose, clearly irritated. Exhaling he looked up at me with those honey gazers, but when his eyes dropped to my exposed breasts the irritation slowly left his face.

  I should cover myself, but what for? He’d seen every part of me last night. And I do mean every part.

  Rome is a freak. The things he’d done to me in this bed last night will forever damage me for other men. There was no way another can live up to his performance.

  “What do you mean? I slept really good last night.” He told me.

  I chuckled again shaking my head. The smell of coffee drew my attention to the table next to the bed. Just like the other morning, a glass of water sat on it next to my pain pills and a cup of steaming hot coffee.

  Goodness!

  While I sipped my delicious beverage, he went back to working on his little device. I thought about the girl that had been in his bed when we first met. She too had been completely naked, no doubt having had a night like the one I’d just had.

  Which would explain why she didn’t care if he called her by another name, just as long as he called her. Poor girl…

  Because he was so focused on what he was doing and wasn’t talking to me, I wondered if he was ready for me to leave too. That was something I did know about thugs and men in general. A lot of them looked at women as being disposable. Once they got what they wanted they were done.

  I sat there and wrestled with my emotions. Surely, I wasn’t feeling pain by that thought. I mean, didn’t I want him to let me go?

  Giant started yelping at me from his little pen. With a smile on my face, I stood wrapping the sheet around me and went to scoop him up in my arms. He was so excited to see me he was like a ball of energy in my arms.

  I reached down to pull his potty-training mat out, but stopped when I saw it had already been changed and replaced with a new one.

  “I had Rob take him out for a walk earlier.” Rome told me without looking up from what he was doing. He’d put his glasses back on.

  Nuzzing, Giant’s little head, I took in Rome’s body language, completely in my feelings that he’d already tuned me out for his little device.

  And come on y’all, don’t get me wrong. I was not an attention hog…It’s just that last night was our first night sleeping together and I was feeling a little self-conscious.

  I didn’t know if like the girl before me, he really wanted me to leave and just didn’t know how to tell me or what.

  “Do you want me to go home?” I asked. Unlike that poor girl, he didn’t have to kick me out. I will gladly leave. I am not my mother. I will never chase after a man.

  Never!

  I don’t care how good the sex was.

  His lifted his head and looked at me, studying me. Chuckling, he took off his glasses sitting them on the desk.

  “Are you still sore?” He’d asked as he began to stalk me.

  I bit my lip and took a few steps back, and although it was a huge lie, I shook my head no. The way he was looking at me was doing a hell of a job stirring up my libido. The only thing I could think about was the kinky stuff he’d done to me before dawn.

  And yeah…I wanted more.

  He took an unhappy Giant out my hands and sat him back in his pen, and then he charged me. Laughing, I turned to run, he reached out and grabbed the sheet snatching it away from my body. I opened my mouth in feigned surprise, but he just dipped, swooping me up in his arms being careful of my wound and carried me to the bed.

  “I see you forgot how much I need you.” He said as he gently laid me down. “That’s okay, I don’t mind showing you again.” And then he was kissing me, using his mouth and hands to soothe away my soreness.

  By the time my world shattered the first time, I was sore no more. And when he gently filled me, taking his time and loving me thoroughly, I no longer doubted his feelings.

  “So, I guess you don’t want me to go home, huh?” I asked after he and I showered. He leaned down and gently kissed my lips.

  “No, I want you to get dressed so that we can take the truck for a spin in the mud.”

  He didn’t have to ask me twice, that sounded amazing. Thirty minutes later, he and I were both dressed in boots, cargo pants, and t-shirts. I scooped Giant up and followed Rome to the door.

  “Wait…” I said when I didn’t see him go to his computer and deactivate the ankle cuffs.

  “What about the bracelets.”

  “What about them?” He asked grabbing his car keys.

  “Are you going to deactivate them?”

  He looked at me for a moment and I could see the amusement in his gaze, his bottom lip moved in a way that said he was trying to suppress a smile.

  “I can’t believe you bought that.”

  My mouth dropped.

  What did this bastard just say to me?

  When he saw the look of surprise on my face, he could no longer hold onto his laughter. And what made it so bad, he was laughing so hard he had to clutch his sides as he walked out the door.

  “Are you kidding me?” I yelled after him.

  Guys, I was so mad at him that I didn’t speak to him the whole way to the mud park.

  “Aww, come on Nak, don’t be mad at me, baby. I needed to tell you something to get you to stay put till I got back.”

  I sat with my arms folded staring out the passenger side window, Giant lay asleep in my lap. I couldn’t believe I fell for that crap.

  Damn! Explosive golden ankle bracelets…I should have known that was a bunch of bullsh*t! I was angrier at myself for falling for the okey-doke than at him for pulling one over on me.

  Oh, my goodness! If Albert or Jo ever hears about this, they will never let me live it down.

  Never!

  “You could have told me the truth. You had me believing all this time that if I made the wrong move, I would lose my feet.”

  I huffed and stared back out the window when he started laughing at me again.

  “Okay…” He said trying to get control of his amusement. “Tell me this, if I had told you the truth, would you have waited there for me till I got back?”

  Hell no!

  But because I couldn’t tell him that, I just continued to stare out the window ignoring him.

  “Nak?” He reached for my hand. I snatched it away from him.

  “Come on, baby, say something.”

  “I’m not talking to you.” I told him.

  And I wasn’t. In fact, I had planned on not ever talking to him. That was a real low-down thing to do.

  However…

  Ten minutes later, I was screeching in excitement as he drifted his truck through the mud, those big monster tires skidding up clumps of it to cover the windows. By the time he looked at me and asked me if I wanted to drive, I was practically percolating with adrenaline.

  “Hell yeah!” I told him jumping down out the truck to quickly change places with him.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I had so much fun. If ever…

  I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun!

  We played in the mud all morning and afternoon, till we managed to get the truck stuck in a ravine.

  “Look what you did.” Rome said shoving me, causing me to tip over in ankle-deep mud. I was back on my feet in a heartbeat.

  “What I did?! I told you not to make that left back there!” I yelled as I ran and jumped on his back tackling the peacock to the ground. I tried to smash his perfect face into the mud. But he quickly turned the table and had me fighting to keep my face from getting smashed.

  By the time another one of the mud riders with a bigger truck pulled Rome’s out the ravine, he and I were covered from head to toe.

  Chapter 12

&nbs
p; The Nak Effect

  A Wise Woman Knows the Importance of Speaking Life into Her Man. If You Love Him: Believe in Him, Encourage Him and Be His Peace…

  --Denzel Washington

  Rome

  “Hell naw, Saw, don’t even try to bring this bullsh*t in my gym!” Hitta growled as he and his men charged the door.

  I could hear the commotion from the ring where I was shadow boxing to warm up for my fight that was taking place in a few hours. Nak was helping me run my drills. She was a tough trainer. I think she was trying to get me back for not allowing her to buy red Kool-Aid from the grocery store yesterday.

  However, when we saw Hitta and his crew rush the door, it drew our attention that way. And sure enough, Saw, with about thirty of his shady men surrounding him was trying to get through mine and Hitta’s crew that sat at the door.

  “Stay here.” I told Nak before I leaped over the ropes to stand with Hitta, more of my guys fell in behind me. But it was my girl I felt at my back.

  I smiled to myself…

  See? This is what I’m talking about. This is why she makes the perfect Rib for me. She ain’t defenseless… I love that about her.

  Sh*t…I let her loose, she’ll whoop Saw and his whole crew’s a** up in this joint tonight.

  By herself…

  She’ll start a war, but she’d whoop that a**.

  She’s the kind of queen that while you sleep, she at the window with that heat watching your back, daring a mutha f**** to come for her man.

  How many fellas out there can say they got a girl like her? She’s drop dead gorgeous and sexy as hell, every boy’s wet dream. I’m addicted to her taste. Although I’ve made love to her nonstop since the day before last, it was not nearly enough.

  The more I loved her, the more I wanted her…

  Generally, after I take a woman once, I’m bored and ready to move on. Not Nak…

  I couldn’t get enough of her. The feel of her heat surrounding me has become my dependency. And when it gets really good to her, she moans in Portuguese, saying sh*t like:

  Yes, Mue Rei …right there.

  And

  Don’t stop, Romeo, you make me feel so good.

  Her voice soothes me. It quiets the anger that’s always there simmering under the surface. She’s one of a kind. My mother would call her a blessing…a gift from God.

  I ain’t never letting this girl go.

  No! Not ever.

  Anyway…

  Back to this b**** made punk standing in front of me.

  “Come on, Hitta.” Saw said throwing his hands up. “What’s with all the hostility? I’m yo’ family or have you forgotten?” He gestured toward me. “This nigga putting that much dough in yo’ pocket that you’ll turn on family like that?”

  “Nigga, please!” Hitta bit out. “I don’t give a f*** who you is, you ain’t coming in my gym on no bullsh*t.”

  Saw smiled. “I know that, cuz…and I ain’t come here empty-handed. I came to put a hundred grand on my fighter.”

  “What fighter?”

  “Oh, you didn’t know? It’s my fighter going up against yo’ champion tonight.” He and his men stepped to the side and a Nephilim walked through the door.

  For you out there who don’t know what a Nephilim is…google it. They’re real…

  Do y’all here me out there? They’re real…

  Dude had to be at least seven feet, three-hundred and fifty pounds easily. Big muscle head, Deebo looking mutha f***a.

  But neither Hitta nor I was worried about it, those be the ones that fall the hardest. And when they do, they bounce, which make great footage for resale later.

  However, judging by the look of glee on Saw’s face, he felt like his fighter had already won. I wonder how long he had to search in order to find somebody he felt could take me out in the ring. No doubt he’d paid his fighter to try and kill me tonight.

  I shook my head, this dude never learned.

  “Let me see that dough.” Hitta said with far less hostility now.

  Saw signaled for one of his boys that held a duffel bag to come forth and open it. We both looked down in the bag. When Hitta looked up, there was a smile on his face…or the closest thing he could get to a smile.

  “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about, cuzo. Yo’ fighter and his team can get ready in the locker room to the left. He can use the ring to warm up when my fighter done. He and Rome are the main event. It’s going to be three fights before them. Have him ready when they knock on the door.”

  We all stood and watched them head toward the locker room. Saw was the last to go, several of his men lingered with him. He stood there and stared at me with that grin that I really hated on his face.

  “Yo’ Rome, when my fighter break yo’ neck, I just want to reassure you that I’m going to do my very best as your former best friend to take care of yo’ mama and yo’ sister, and now…” His eyes fell on Nak and I wanted to rip them from their sockets.

  “Since I’m in a giving mood, I’ll even add the pretty little Boricua to my list.”

  I balled up my fists. There was no way a war could be avoided now. He’d crossed the line. I knew this day would eventually come, I was getting ready to choke the sh*t out this nigga. Hitta turned to me and grabbed my arm, at the same time Nak slid her hand in mine.

  But it was her bored sounding voice that helped me gain control over my rage.

  “You clearly weren’t the brains of this outfit, I’m not Puerto Rican… genius.”

  Her tone was so dry that Hitta’s head fell back as he tried his best to stifle his laughter. I didn’t stifle mine and neither did my crew. We had a good laugh on Saw’s dumb a**.

  Nak just prevented a war. For a moment I had lost focus.

  Damn, what was happening to me? I never let Saw’s a** bait me into war. That’s what he wanted. He didn’t care if he died, he just wanted to take down everything I’ve built with him. He knows what I feel about the people I look over. He will make it his sole duty to take out as many innocent folks as he can, knowing that will hurt me the most.

  He took a step towards Nak and I sobered instantly, sending my fist slamming into his jaw and him falling back into the arms of the guys that had stayed behind with him. When his other men saw what happened to their boss, they came running back toward the front, but my men upped that metal, bringing their charge to a halt.

  “Reach for it and you dead, mutha f***a.” Hannibal told one of Saw’s boys that tried to lower his hands to his waist.

  When Saw made it back to his feet he reached up and wiped the blood off his mouth before looking at me. Although there was rage in his eyes he grinned.

  “Calm down, young Romeo, it don’t need to come to this. My cousin don’t want no bullsh*t in his gym. Although I don’t see him saying nothing about yo’ boys pointing guns at mine. But that’s alright, I see how the game is played.”

  He spit out a wad of blood on the floor. “Before you got violent, I was just going to say…when word got to me, that somebody had finally caught my best friend’s heart, I didn’t believe them. But now that I’ve met her…and see how spicy she is. Now…” He said wagging his finger.

  “Now, I’m a believer.” His gaze settled on Nak again and Hitta’s hand fell on my right arm this time with all his strength, holding it in place.

  “Don’t let him take you there, Bo…” He muttered to me.

  “You see our young Romeo here loves challenges.” The nigga continued. “He can’t fall for a simple girl like the rest of us…no, he’d get bored with her very quickly. I can see you going to be good for him…You look like the challenging type.” He turned to walk away, but stopped as if he’d just thought of something else.

  “Oh, and I may not be a genius, but I can tell you this. Romeo has trust issues, and a woman like yourself will probably feel cheated if you knew your man didn’t trust you. So, when he run you off…” he gave me puppy dog eyes and
I wanted to punch his a** again.

  “And he will, because that’s what he does to the people that are closest to him. Come on the other side of the twenty-four and I’ll treat you like you need to be treated.”

  “B****, I’ll f***ing kill you!” I growled, Hitta jerked me back violently. “My word, you come anywhere near her, Saw, and I will f***ing bury you!”

  He held his head back and laughed as his punk a** hurried away knowing damn well Hitta ain’t going to be able to hold me for long.

  “Rome, don’t let that dude get in yo’ head…he just trying to throw you off yo’ game.” Hitta hissed in my ear.

  I snatched my arm from him. I was so sick and tired of being the bigger man when it came down to this nigga. If he was anybody else, he would be dead f***ing with me!

  I clutched my head, telling myself not to run after him and just snap his neck. All my troubles will be over if with one simple twist of the neck.

  I hated this nigga!

  I tried to think of all the babies that play on my streets. They play worry free because they count on me to keep them safe. I tried to think of all the mamas including my own that walk through my neighborhood. I tried to think about my little brotha that was out there somewhere right now. I tried to think about my little sista…my niece.

  When war came to the streets it showed no partiality. Many innocent people die… casualties of war. I tried to think of all that. But the only thing I could see was that nigga looking at my woman. Telling my f***ing woman to come to him!

  Hell, mutha f***en naw…that was crossing the…line!

  I felt her arms come around me burying my head in her soft sweet-smelling breasts. Her arms felt like cool silk wrapping around me. Instantly my rage abated. It was like her touch was causing it to flee.

  That has never happened to me before.

  “You want me to kill him?”

  She said that sh*t so matter of fact in my ear, it caused me to look up at her. I kid y’all not, she was dead serious. How could something that smelled, tasted, felt and looked so sweet be so deadly? The fact that she was such an antilogy brought a smile to my face. I absolutely loved that about her.