Power (Romantic Suspense) (6 page)

“You said this in front of people with a headdress of feathers?” Fuji laughed so loud it took a minute for me to talk.

“Yes. I said this in front of people. And from the very beginning, the audience was laughing. Truthfully, once I said coffee cock, that’s when most of the audience fell on the floor.”

“What did you do?”

“On the inside, I was a bit hurt, but I couldn’t just run off the stage. Fuck that. So I went with it. Pretended that the poem was not supposed to be sexy, but funny. And that is how I decided comedy was for me. Their laughter was a high. It intoxicated me more than any drink or blunt ever could.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Last year. I’ve been busting my behind to get as much experience as I could. Doing every open mic I can find. Telling jokes at parties and volunteering to go to nursing homes and tell jokes there. The shit is a high. There’s power in making a person laugh. I feel like a god.”

“I think you’re funny. You’ll definitely make it.”

“If I stay alive?”

Fuji had no reply. That shit scared me more than anything.

Thanks, buddy, for the reassuring response. I feel so much better.

I got myself up and decided to look around the bedroom some more. I opened a few drawers, expecting them to be empty and seeing more than I would’ve ever imagined.

Oh, my, Mr. Noah. It seems that we’ve found the Ark.

Everything a sex maniac could want filled the drawers—flavored and warming lube, double dildos and strap-ons, butt plugs, as well as bottles with no names on them, but containing multicolored pills. More butterflies covered each label as if they’d been personalized or something.

He must be into some freaky shit. Is this where all of his women sleep?

A set of knives were in the bottom drawer next to silk ties. Excited, I grabbed one, only to realize that the damn things were plastic and harmless, just for show.

A plastic knife won’t help.

I slammed the drawer shut and rummaged through other ones.

Fuji yelled through the door. “MJ?”

I jumped. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing in there?”

“Hmmm.” I dangled a three-foot black cock from my hand and studied the bulging vein decorating the side. “I’m just relaxing.”

“Good. Just sit back and relax.”

“Oh, yeah.” I slashed the dildo in the air and bet I could beat someone with it, if the situation called for it. “That’s what I’m doing. Just sitting back and biding my time.”

Don’t think about the possible disease and germs on the big dildo. Remember what all those meditations course books said. Our thoughts are our reality. Therefore, this is a clean dick. Germ-free.

Skepticism still filled my heart, but I held it anyway, promising myself that I’d bleach my hands as soon as I escaped.

So how do I get out of here? Damn I wish I’d grabbed another pile of the skittles.

Heading over to the closed windows, I moved the curtain and looked down at a parking lot. Bright lights illuminated the space. Noah stood around four big guys with scars on their faces.

I bet the main prerequisite for being in Noah’s gang is having a scar. Got a scar? Yes. Scare the shit out of people? Fuck yeah. You’re hired!

Leaning in, I studied the scene closely and gripped the dildo harder in my hand. Chills ran up my spine as I realized what was going on. Two guys carried a dead body to the back of a trunk. Another one hosed down a large puddle of blood near tire tracks.

Oh, my God! They killed someone. Fuck! I knew I heard shots. Did he do it himself or someone else? What am I doing? I’ve got to get out of here. He’s going to kill me, too. Stay over? Yeah, right. He’s waiting to figure out a way to get me. He’s coming up with a plan!

“MJ?” Fuji called on the other side of the door.

Shrieking, I jumped. I must’ve been pretty loud, because Noah looked up at the window, spotted me, and glared. Whereas, the other men continued their duties. My whole body tensed with anxiety. Putting on an awkward smile, I waved at Noah and backed the fuck away. The curtains slid back to hide my view.

I’ve got to get out of here! I’ve got to get out of here!

“MJ?!” Fuji yelled again.

“What the fuck, man?” My hands shook. “I mean. . .yes, Fuji?”

“Everything okay?”

“Of course.” My voice cracked. “Yep. Just seeing this as a nice little vacation.

“Good. So who’s your favorite comedian ?” he asked.

Blood on the streets. A body in their hands. I’m next. I’m going to die. I’ve got to do something.

“Uh, favorite comedian? I love them all.” I hurried to the door and paced back and forth, trying to think of a way past Fuji. In my hand, I still gripped the huge dildo.

I can’t go out the window, because Noah’s out there with the dead body. It wouldn’t be a big deal for him to just sling my dumb ass right next to the corpse and drive us both off into the sunset.

“I love Scott Tod. I was sad when he committed suicide. He was so funny,” Fuji admitted. “I still can’t see how a person can hang themselves.”

“Me, too.” Still pacing, I practiced swinging the dildo like a bat. Never good at baseball, I could still hit a person in the head just right, if I needed to.

“They said he was depressed. What do you think?” Fuji asked. “Are most comedians depressed?”

“No way. That’s an ugly rumor. Crazy sure. Druggies and alcoholics, maybe. Sexual degenerates, always. But we’re not all depressed. And truthfully, my friend has me plugged into this conspiracy theory about Scott Todd’s death.” I swung the dildo again. It whipped in the air.

“What’s the conspiracy?” Fuji asked.

“They found Scott in a chair with a belt around his neck. The other side of the belt was wedged inside a closet door.”

“You think he did that so he wouldn’t stop himself?”

“I don’t know. My friend is close to convincing me that Scott might’ve been into auto asphyxiation.”

“What?”

“Choking yourself for sexual arousal. Think about it. Scott Todd was sitting in a chair. Don’t you sit in a chair to masturbate?” I frowned and stared at the big dildo in my hand. “In fact, don’t answer that, Fuji. Too weird. But yeah, maybe Todd’s family covered it up. Something leaking like that would ruin his whole legacy for others.”

“Would it ruin his legacy for you?”

“Hell no. Scott Todd was brilliant. A fucking legend. Who cares if he got off in crazy ways. As long as he’s not messing with kids or raping drugged women, we’re cool.” I hit the air one more time.

Okay. You can do this.

“Hey, Fuji.” I gripped the dildo hard. “Knock. Knock.”

“Huh?”

“Knock. Knock.”

“Oh. Who’s there?” he asked.

“Open the door,” I said.

“Who?”

“Open the door and peek in, Fuji.”

“What?”

“Would you just open the freaking door and peek in. I have something to show you.”

He laughed a little. The door knob turned.
So sorry, buddy.
The big guy poked his fat face in, and I slammed the dildo against his temple.

He grabbed his head and screamed, “Motherfucker!”

“Sorry, Fuji.” I beat him again and again on his head. Not that fast, he tried to grab the thing from me, but I kept jumping out of the way and the dildo was so long.

I beat at his head again. “You really are cool, but I have to survive!”

“Fuck! That hurts!” He punched out at the air. “Stop that!”

All he had to do was move out of the doorway. Rubbing the top of his head, he stalked forward and I really gave it to him.

“Don’t hate me for this,” I screeched.

“For what?”

I gave the swing all that I had and bat at his crotch.

Got him.

“MJ!” Fuji grabbed the area with both hands and crumbled to the floor. “You. . .B-word!”

Awww. Even in pain, he’s respectful.

“I really, really am sorry, Fuji.” I raced around him fast. He tried to grab my ankles, but I was too quick. Thank, God for my satanic track coach who pushed me too hard on some Saturday mornings when it was too cold to be alive and damned sure too freezing to move. He made us run sprints—rain or shine.

I made it out of the bedroom and glanced over my shoulder. There was no way Fuji would catch me. He’d collapsed to the ground and still rubbed his groin as he moaned.

I’m fucking out of here! All I’ve got to do is get to the door, rush down the stairs, speed through the club to the front, bust out, and never freaking look back. Noah has my wallet and phone. Fine. I’ll change my name. I’ll move. I’ll disappear. I’ll do anything, but let myself—

And then the front door opened and I slammed right into Noah’s hard chest. His face portrayed the very definition of anger, and I knew that my destiny would be a skin peeling or worst.

Chapter 4

Mary Jane

A misogynist paid his last respects at the tomb of his dead wife.

When someone asked him,
"Who has gone to rest?"

he replied,
"Me, now that I'm alone."

–Philogelos (The Laughter Lover)

I
n
a flash, Noah grabbed my arms and slammed me up against the wall. Not too hard, but enough to know that he had power and wasn’t playing around.

And now I die.

Fuji groaned some more in the back and then noises of movement came next, indicating to me that the big guy was getting up.

What am I going to do now?

With Noah’s hands gripping my arms and him barely three inches away from me, I could not run or get away. The most hopeless part of the whole situation was that he just stood there with me up against the wall. His face looked even more perfect this close up. I almost turned away, but couldn’t.

Noah stayed there in front of me, silent and seething. Those cold blue eyes digging deep down into my soul. He could’ve been a sexy man, if he wasn’t a killer. In another situation, he could’ve made my panties wet with that gaze and had me doing the nastiest things. But logic wouldn’t let me relish in that gorgeous face—chiseled and sculpted, smooth and so definitely masculine. Logic told me to claw his smooth skin up the first chance I could get and run away.

He stayed quiet.

I decided to say something, “I-I’m. . .”

Noah cocked his head to the side. “Sorry? Is that what you are? You’re sorry?”

“Very much.”

“Trust me. You’re not that sorry right now, but soon you will be.” He tightened his grip on my arms and leaned in closer, hiding his face and placing it on the side of mine like we were lovers embracing.

I trembled. “Please, let me go?”

“You smell good. Really good in fact.” He sniffed the curve of my neck. “It makes me want to eat you.”

I trembled against him. It wasn’t solely fear that caused my body to shiver. His words
eat you
sounded nasty and vile. A movie played out in my head. A dark porno. Him ripping my clothes off, tearing away my jeans, lifting me up against the wall, and pounding into my sex, over and over, until I screamed his name.

My breathing transformed into rushed panting.

He whispered in my ear, “Why is there a dildo in your hand?”

Not even realizing I still held it, I dropped it quick. “I. . .”

“Were you getting horny? Playing with yourself and Fuji interrupted, saw the beautiful sight of your pussy, and got blinded with horniness. Is that how you seized the opportunity to run away?”

“It wasn’t exactly like that.”

“You must tell me the story,” Noah whispered. “Fuji is no punk. He’s held men captive with no problem. Most bigger than you. When they get out of line, bruises mar their faces. If they continue, he snaps their necks. How are you able to make a fool out of him?”

“I don’t know. I’m really not that good apparently. You’ve got me now.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I’ve had you the whole time, but yes,” He inhaled me again, “And now I’ve really got you. Stop avoiding the question. Why were you holding that dildo?”