CHAPTER EIGHT
A NEW BUDDING RELATIONSHIP
CATCH
I almost killed my new woman with orgasms. That was never my intent. If her pussy wasn’t so addictive, that wouldn’t have happened. After the movie, we retired to the bedroom she called her own when she used the playhouse. It took everything in me not to ask for a list of the guys she brought here so I could murder them while I was in town. I remembered what my woman said. Killing every man who whistled at her was a bit much. But what about the men who ate her pussy and fucked her? I was on the fence about what to do with them. Maybe scare them. It was irrational to think about killing guys who had touched her in the past. Forward thinking was best.
No man would ever touch her again. At least outside of her home. Her father and brothers were the exception to the rule.
Turning my face to the ceiling, I welcomed the piping hot water pouring down my face. There was nothing like a good shower.
“Bianca, do you and your friends hang out at the club sometimes?” I yelled.
“Ugh,” I heard her grunt from the bedroom across the hall.
I was getting under her skin . I love it.
“No, Catch. We don’t go to the club.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. She was trying to spare some random asshole’s life.
“If you say so, baby,” I chuckled.
After climbing out of the shower, I ran a fluffy black Egyptian towel across my skin. In twenty minutes, a courier service would deliver thirty towels and washcloths to my downtown hotel suite. I wasn’t sure if I was staying in a hotel for the entire month or renting a house. However, comfort was important to me.
It wasn’t a decision I had to make now. One thing I hated while I was in the military was not having the luxury of taking a shower every day. Some of my military buddies missed their beds, others missed a simple cheeseburger. I missed great water pressure, hot water, and plush bath towels. I knew it was weird.
Bianca appeared at the door, arms crossing her chest. “Catch, I’d like to take a shower now. I have a busy day.”
Her eyes were glued to my cock the entire time she spoke.
I pointed two fingers at her, then to my eyes. “My eyes are up here, bombshell.”
She blew out a breath, peeled my t-shirt over her head, flicked it in my face, and stormed into the modest glass rectangular shower.
“Can you drop me off at home? I need to grab my mom’s car.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t have your own car?” I asked.
“Not anymore. Things got tight for my family a couple of years back, so I gave my mother my car. Most of the time, I walk and take the subway. In a few days, I’ll buy a nice little used Prius.”
I didn’t miss the chirpiness in her statement. She was excited about owning a used electric car.
Before I left Chicago, I’d set my woman up nicely. I vacated the bathroom, pondering on her words. Sometimes I lost touch with reality because wealth surrounded me. The times I collected money in my Jersey territories for the bosses, I noticed the poverty. I often gave to those in the neighborhood. Honestly, I hadn’t stared poverty in the face since I left Syria. It was present at every turn. Not that I didn’t notice it in America, it was just different. My woman and her family didn’t have much. But just looking at Bianca, you wouldn’t know she was less fortunate.
She was a happy city girl. I’d have to tweak a few things in Bianca and her family’s lives. Didn’t want her father to think I was trying to buy their family. He’d see I was in it for the long hall. I’d have to get them in order financially before I moved Bianca to Jersey City.
I’d love to wake up next to her every day. Sliding my tongue along her gingerbread complected skin would make all the bullshit worth it I had to go through to get home to her.
A craving was born the day I stared into her eyes for the first time. Bianca thought I was full of shit because of how strong my feelings came across. The goal this week was to show Bianca as much of my real self as I could. She’d do the same. We didn’t need to sugar coat shit. If she enjoyed sitting around in a headscarf (as Lexis called it), t-shirt, and booty shorts, that was fine with me. And if she hung out with her friends a lot, I wanted to know.
***P***
At ten in the morning, I rolled to a stop in her driveway. She reached for the door handle.
“Not so fast. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you didn’t want to be seen with me.”
She flashed a fake smile. Her eyes roamed the neighborhood before meeting my gaze.
Because of the tinted windows, no one could see her inside the truck.
I grabbed her chin with my thumb and forefinger, locking our eyes again. “Fuck anyone out there who might have something to say about our relationship.”
She frowned. “You said I could dis you in public.”
My brows lowered. “I did, huh?”
“Yes, Catch.”
A smile curled my lips as I picked up her arm with my free hand and brought it to my nose. “Good, you smell like me.”
“Making me wash my arms with your body wash wasn’t necessary,” Bianca scowled.
“It was. When people talk to you, they’ll think it’s cute you’re wearing your man’s body wash.”
My smile withered.
“Men need to know you’re mine,” I growled.
“Catch, I won’t argue.”
I arched a brow. “Why?”
“Because I don’t have time to argue with you. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
A chuckle rumbled in my chest. “That’s cute. No, you’ll sleep in my bed tonight like you’ll do every fucking night I’m in town.”
“Catch, I’m not staying with you.”
“We’re a couple. You will.”
“Ok.” Bianca puckered her lips, and I released her.
She was fucking up to something. I didn’t like it one bit, but I’d let her hang herself.
Bianca leaned forward, kissing my lips. I shoved my tongue into her mouth, tasting her minty tongue.
Eyes still closed; she pressed her palms into my chest, breaking our kiss.
“That was nice,” she moaned.
“I know.” Lifting her t-shirt, I sucked her hard nipple through her bra.
“Catch, stop. If you don’t, I’ll want to climb into your lap and let you play with my pussy.”
I sat back in my seat. “Let me? You’re cute. That’s what you want because you can’t get enough.”
“You’re not wrong. Catch, I have to focus. I’ll talk to you later.”
“No, Bianca, you’ll see me later.”
“Goodbye, pushy, fake boyfriend.”
And she was gone.
Keeping Bianca by my side while I spied on her best friend wasn’t possible. It was time to get to work.
***P***
Midafternoon, I followed Tori to Jewel-Osco grocery store. Once she walked inside, I casually strolled toward her parking spot, kneeled next to her car, and pretended to tie my boots. I placed a tracker under her black Mercedes C class. Standing to my full height, I tugged the baseball cap lower over my aviator’s and sauntered toward a nearby coffee shop. The great thing about a tracker was I didn’t have to follow her out of the parking lot. This would throw off the man watching her. Did she always have a security detail? Maybe. After all, her boyfriend was a drug lord.
After purchasing a cup of green tea, I leaned against the long table in front of the window. Tori strutted out of the grocery store. Her eyes moved to the car sitting toward the back of the parking lot. I knew that fucker was following her.
“Excuse me?” I heard a woman’s soft voice beside me.
“Yes?” I responded without tearing my eyes away from the parking lot.
“Is this seat taken?” the woman asked.
I peered down at the curvy brunette from behind my mirrored aviator’s.
A nervous smile teetered on her lips and her cheeks turned a deep red. Women hit on Ritchie and me often. So I was used to it by now.
“No,” I replied, pulling out the chair for her.
She climbed up onto the tall stool.
“Are you on your lunch break?” Her words sounded shaky.
The woman was building up the courage to ask me out.
“Yes. My lunch break is just about over,” I lied.
“Your golden curls are sexy,” she stated in a low, sultry tone.
Women loved the way my hair curled around the sides of the hat. They also liked to touch my hair.
“Thank you.” I flashed a smirk.
“Enjoy your drink. And have a nice day.” I didn’t give her a second glance as I chucked the cup in a nearby garbage can before exiting.
Taking long strides, I moved toward my truck.
“Excuse me, Mr.?” the woman yelled as she sprinted behind me across the parking lot.
As I approached my truck, I looked at her. “Yes?”
“I’d like to give you my phone number.” She shoved a piece of paper at me.
Normally, I’d give a different rejection. “Sorry, I can’t take your phone number. My girlfriend wouldn’t be happy if she found your number in my pocket.”
Bianca probably wouldn’t care. But I did.
In the past, I’d tell women if I took their number, they’d be disappointed when I didn’t call. They never cared. Maybe they liked knowing I had their phone number.
“Take it. If she ever makes you mad, give me a call.” She winked.
Keeping a straight face wasn’t possible. My brows rose as I took the paper from her hand. “Have a nice day,” I said before jumping into my truck.
As I tore out of the parking lot, I crumbled the paper in my hand and tossed it into the cupholder. Women like her made it easy for men to cheat.
A FEW HOURS LATER, I followed Tori to Bianca’s house. They drove to a mechanic shop a few miles from their neighborhood. Bianca and Tori exited the Mercedes and walked into a garage. As they talked to the mechanic, they popped their hips out, playfully slamming their hands on their hips. He placed a set of keys in Bianca’s hand. She twirled and pranced over to a white van.
My teeth slammed together on the verge of crumbling into tiny pieces as I endured my woman’s flirtatious moves. She’d pay for that shit later. And that motherfucker stared at the wrong woman with hungry eyes. I was two seconds away from ripping his fucking eyeballs from their sockets for following her tight little ass to the van.
She scanned the van’s interior before hopping down from the driver’s seat. Once she finished, Bianca sauntered into the lobby area where Tori and the guy held another conversation. I checked traffic in my side mirror before I made a left-hand turn into the parking lot of the mechanic shop. I parked near a work truck that was probably there for repairs. Quietly, I climbed out of the truck and walked toward the back of the shop where the van was parked. The other mechanic rested half of his body in the car. It appeared his head was under the dashboard. The upside down on the driver’s side of a car he repaired. I glanced at the lobby and noticed Bianca was walking my way.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself.
I darted onto the passenger side of the van and placed a tracker near the muffler pipe.
“Bye Jake,” Bianca called out.
Fuck, somehow, I’d have to slip out the back door.
Beads of sweat slipped down my forehead. Rarely did I get nervous in situations like this. But I didn’t want to have to explain to my woman why I was hiding in the garage. Well, not right now, anyway. Back planted against the wall at the rear of the van, I waited for Bianca to climb inside.
“Bianca, wait?” I heard Jake say.
“Jake, I really need to get going.”
“I know,” he said.
“Can I take you out next Friday?” he asked.
He must’ve had her number. Oh, that was the end of that phone. I’d personally put it out of service.
“Jake, I don’t see why not. Call me.”
“All right,” he replied cheerfully.
Anger coursed through my veins. That motherfucker was dead.
“Bye, Anton,” Bianca yelled.
“Bye, Bianca,” he called out.
She slammed the driver’s side door, then the truck roared to life. I bent over, walking alongside the van as she slowly inched toward the last bay door. Darting to the right, I hid on the side of the building where their overflow lot was located. My ass hit the ground as I palmed my face. Rage rocked my body. It took everything in me not to stab that bastard in the neck right now.
“Anton, did you hear that? Me and Bianca are finally going on a date. Later that night, I bet we’ll go back to the playhouse. I plan to fuck the shit out of her.”
“Whoa, whoa, Jake, you’re getting ahead of yourself. She agreed to a date. Not sex.”
That she did. Bianca had a man. She shouldn’t have agreed to a date.
“I don’t think so. She takes all her dates to the playhouse and fucks their brains out,” Jake said.
Anton chuckled. “I think a lot of the guys you spoke to about her are lying. Bianca isn’t a slut. Remember I went to school with her? She’s a nerd. The only things she’s fucking are her books and that laptop.”
I loved that my woman was a nerd.
“Nerds are freaks, Anton. I’m getting my piece of pussy.”
Boy, was he wrong.
I milled around behind the shop for another hour. Eventually, I broke into the circuit breaker box and cut the wires, killing their power.
I heard Anton and Jake discuss the power outage. They made the conscious decision to close early. Anton asked Jake to lock up. He was taking off.
Ten minutes later, I glanced in the window and noticed Anton peeling out of the parking lot. Casually, I strolled into the mechanic area.
“Excuse me, I’d like to pick up my car,” I stated as I ambled toward Jake.
His brown eyes widened. “Shit, man, where did you come from?”
“The back parking lot.” I stabbed a thumb over my shoulder. “I was just taking a look at my car.”
He shrugged as his brows rose on his almond complected face. “Sorry man, I can’t get into the computers. We lost power.”
“That answer is unacceptable,” I snarled as I reached under my dark t-shirt and pulled the Glock from the waist holster.
He was taller than me, but lanky. About six-five. But there was something about a person pushing a gun into your spine. Pretty sure this guy didn’t want to die.
“Let’s take a walk.” I pointed the gun at the back door.
“Come on, man. All this over a car?” he whined as he strolled outside.
Gripping his shoulder, I pushed the barrel into his back as we walked deeper into the yard.
“You asked my woman out on a date. And for whatever reason, she agreed. I’ll handle her.”
“What?” he asked, confusion laced his words.
“Yes, my woman Bianca came to pick up a van. You asked her on a date. You ain’t getting anywhere near my woman.”
“Hey, man. Fine, I’ll ignore her call.”
A chuckle rattled in my throat. “She was never going to fucking call you.”
I squeezed his shoulder, stopping his steps at the driver's side door of the Buick.
“Pop the hood and the trunk,” I ordered.
He did as he was told.
“Walk toward the trunk,” I bit out.
“You thought you’d fuck my woman?”
He rambled on about how he wouldn’t talk to her.
“And to think she thought I was being absurd, because I considered killing any man who looked at her ass.”
Jake gasped. “Hey, man, what are you talking about?” He glanced around.
“Help,” he hollered out. His voice echoed in the distance.
“Shut the fuck up.” I slammed the butt of the Glock against his head. Not hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to get his attention. Curling my fingers around his collar, I tossed him inside the trunk.
“I have no mercy for men who want to fuck my woman,” I stated calmly, as I slipped a hand into each leather glove.
“What do you plan to do to me?” Tears streaked down his face.
“Lock you in the trunk to teach you a lesson.”
My eyes moved around the area, looking for security cameras from neighboring businesses. I didn’t want to worry about someone watching as I handled this motherfucker in broad daylight. Luckily, the gray fence was tall enough to keep out prying eyes. I reached into my cargo pants pocket, pulling out the wire.
Jake’s eyes widened as he lifted his hands, shielding his upper body. “What the fuck, man?” he yelled in horror.
“I know,” I shrugged. “This will be over before you know it.” Fingers curled around the wooden handles, I wrapped the wire around his neck, then pulled tightly.
He clawed at the thin wire, trying to break free. Blood spurted from his neck and seeped down his fingers. I watched as his brown eyes widened, bulging in their sockets. He wriggled and kicked. The sound of blood gurgled in his throat as his boots banged against the trunk wall. His limbs finally fell limp.
Chest heaving, I stepped back. “One down and too many to go. Now it was time to see what Tori and Bianca were up to.