He doesn’t say no, and I never expected him to. Taj is a man that takes, but more importantly, gets what he wants. If he wanted me, he could have had me. Instead, he waited because he knew I’d eventually come to him.

His hand touches my bare stomach, and he trails along it making goosebumps appear everywhere. Taj smiles at me as he leans in. At first, I think he’ll kiss my lips, but instead, he leans in, kissing my neck. His kisses are soft and deliberate as he trails them along and I bend my neck for him.

Taj’s hand is still tracing my stomach with his fingertips when he whispers, “I’m not second best to anyone, Jaya.”

I nod my head in recognition of his words. I know this, but right now I don’t care. I want every part he has to offer to help me forget and move on.

“Are you sure, Jaya?” It’s a question, but his hands and lips don’t stop to let me think about an answer.

“Yes.” It’s answered breathily and in a whisper, but he hears me anyway.

His hands stop tracing my stomach and picks me up, lifting me and walking with me to his room. At first, I think he’ll stop at his bed, but he leads me to his large double-head shower, turning it on as he holds me to him. Stepping in, he doesn’t care that he has his trousers on as the warm water runs down over both of us. He doesn’t care that I’m pulling and pleading with him to give me everything of him. I want to touch every inch, take every inch, and I do as I slide his trousers off him, exposing his large cock.

Syler’s face pops into my head.

Then the way I’m not allowed to touch him.

The way he has full control over every aspect in the bedroom.

Standing up, in this moment I have the full power. Taj is giving it to me knowing I need it, knowing I have been deprived of it for far too long. But my brain doesn’t seem to register that because my hands go to the wall, my palms lay flat as he leans down, taking a nipple into his mouth and palming the other.

“Jaya.” My name on his lips is all I need to come back to the now, the now that I’m not with him.

Syler’s words told me I’d think of him, and I’m trying to prove him wrong. But so far, he’s right in every way. He’s constantly on my mind and not leaving, even as Taj picks me up, and my nails dig into his back reminding myself I can touch, I can feel, and I have control.

Looking down, I notice he already has a condom on. I didn’t see him do that being that I was lost in my own head? Then he slides into me fully. The water runs down my face as I lay my head back on the tiles. His hand that was on my ass fingers my tight asshole, heightening my pleasure even more as he takes my lips, trying to make me stay in the now. My fingers sit on his shoulder blades, and I dig them into his flesh so I know I can remember that I’m not with Syler.

No.

I just let someone else fuck me because he pissed me off.

And I shot him.

Fuck.

“Jaya,” he growls at me, pulling back to him. I snap out of it, pulling myself back to the now and take all the pleasure he’s giving me. But then... “Fuck!” He stops moving, my orgasm says goodbye even though I felt it coming despite my mind’s state. He shakes his head then slowly lowers me down, pulling himself out of me and stepping back directly into the water. I watch as it streams all over him, as he watches my bare body with his dick hard and doing nothing but staring at me.

“I didn’t—”

He stops me from saying anything else with a finger to my lips. Dropping his fingers, he turns, stepping out quietly, leaving me in the shower wondering what the fuck is happening. Wiping my face, I realize what’s happened. There are tears streaming down my face without my consent. It could have been the shower. Then again, we both know it wasn’t, so there’s no point in trying to lie. Grabbing the nearest towel, I step out, wrapping it around myself, and find him sitting on the bed half-dressed. His head is down staring at his cell then he looks up at me.

“I know a man who can do what you want without leaving any trace. He is the best at what he does.”

“Who?” I ask, staying where I am at the bathroom door.

“He lives a bit of a drive from here, but he will do it for you. For the right amount of money.”

My money. I wanted to use that to go away, but should I use it to have her killed?

“When can I meet him?”

Taj smirks and types out a message. “Today. Go to Cherry Café, he will be there.”

I go to speak of what had just happened, but he gets up and walks to the door before I can say a word.

“Oh... and Jaya... don’t piss him off. He isn’t a man you want to upset.” Then he walks away, and I listen to his footsteps as they descend the stairs.

***

ARRIVING AT THE CAFÉ a short time later, I looked for the man Taj told me would meet me here, but he never gave me a name or even what he looked like. Sitting down at one of the tables, my eyes probe around hoping to notice him.

What do I say?

How do I act?

Taj implied that he’s dangerous. Should I even be here dealing with this, considering I already have one crazy girl after my ass?

“Jaya.” My name is spoken and when I look up, a man is standing in front of me in a black suit. His eyes are green, almost similar to Syler’s, but this man’s are a touch darker. His beard is long and his face more than serious. I instantly wonder if he ever smiles.

“Yes.”

He sits in the seat opposite me. “Name?” he asks me.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. He just said my name, then I realize he’s speaking of who this job is about.

“Toska.”

“Black! Hey, man, haven’t seen you in ages.” Someone pulls his attention away from mine, and he turns slightly to face the man standing next to our table with a coffee in hand. “How’s Rose?”

The guy I now know as Black turns back to me, not answering him and practically dismisses him without a word. The guy rubs his jaw with his eyebrows pulled together before he starts walking away.

“Black,” I say out loud. “That’s an unusual name.”

He sits back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m an unusual man.”

I think it’s a joke, but I could be wrong, so I don’t laugh.

“Price?” I ask him.

He writes it down on the napkin in front of him then pushes it to me. My eyes bulge from my head at the numbers in front of me.

“Shit!” I say out loud.

“My price is fair and never changes.” He stands, dropping a five-dollar bill on the table then starts to walk away, and just before he reaches the door he stops and glances back to me. “Tell Taj I said no.”

Then he’s gone. Walking out, dressed in his perfectly-fitted suit. He slides into his large truck and drives off.

Could I have really gone through with it? Probably. For her.

Maybe not so much for him.

Grabbing my things, I head straight back to Taj’s. Pulling up at his front door and getting out, he’s already waiting for me.

“He said... no?” Taj laughs and shakes his head crossing his arms over his chest similar to the way Black did.

“He did. He was—”

“Oh yes, Black’s his own species.” His hands drop, and he straightens up. “You should leave this town, Jaya, like I told you to.”

“I plan to. But I have to remember... I have to know about that night. What happened?”

“You think staying is going to bring your memory back?” he asks me. I hear him say Syler’s name in my head, then Taj says Toska’s name.

“You were there, weren’t you?”

Taj tries to hide it, but I see it pass through his eyes before he covers it back up.

“You were.”

“Some things should be left buried, Jaya.”

“That’s not answering my question, Taj.”

“It’s better if you leave, Jaya. Trust me.” He steps inside his house, shutting the door, locking me out, and leaving me on his doorstep with no more answers than when I came here. No. He just leaves me more confused than before.