Nyra
"Boss, that man is outside, and he says he's not leaving until she speaks with you."
"Don't let him in. If he wants to wait outside, then he can." I said.
"Yes, boss."
Beth gave me a hard look which I ignored. She continued whipping her batter while keeping judgemental eyes on me.
"It's freezing out." She noted as she added the fresh berries.
"It is? I didn't notice."
She sat the spatula down on the counter, and Orion reached for it and began licking it. "Orion, drop it." She scolded lightly as she swatted him away.
She washed the spatula while Orion licked his mouth. I leaned over the counter so I could dip my finger to taste it.
"Not you too." She said and smacked my hand away. "This berry crumble is for good people who don't let men wait outside in the cold."
"You think I'm a good person?" I said and laughed lightly. "Come on, Beth, you know me better than anyone."
She huffed. "Don't play this game with me, young lady. I have four granddaughters around your age, and if I can handle them, I'm sure I can handle you. Go let him in, and I'll make you both some tea."
"He doesn't deserve tea. He deserves to eat a bullet." I said with a scowl.
An entire round of bullets.
"A bullet, eh?" She cackled halfway through her sentence, and I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance and anger. "You almost seem affected by this benefit man of yours."
"I am not affected. He can stay outside my house all night if he wants to. Now, you said something about tea. I'm going to draw a bath and wait for it upstairs in my bedroom. Thank you, Beth." I said and waved at her as I walked away.
Orion followed me, and when we passed by his brothers, he barked loudly at them. "Go play with your brothers," I told him, but he insisted on following me up to my bedroom.
I kicked off my slippers by the door and walked inside my grandeur bathroom. I turned on the faucet for the water and pressed down on the stopper at the end of the tub. I tossed in some rose and lavender calming oils and some bath salts.
I took off the pins in my hair and placed them on the bathroom sink. Orion planted himself on the carpet by the tub so he could be near me, and I leaned down to kiss his head a few times.
Slipping off the robe and taking off my clothes, I checked the water temperature. Perfect. I turned off the faucets, ensured I had my gun hidden in my towel, and then got inside the tub. I hummed at the smell and heat of the bath and leaned my head back.
It was supposed to be a soft and soothing bath, but my mind was on high alert. It always was. I couldn't get a moment of peace, not in my alone time or even at night when I tried to sleep. My brain jumped from my businesses to my dancers to my establishments, and then sometimes, I'd sulk and think about my parents.
Sometimes I could remember every detail of how they looked, while other times, I could only remember how I saw them the next morning. Bloody, cut up, and dead. At night, I could still smell the rusty and rotten smell of their blood filling the air.
Sometimes I wonder why I didn't hear them scream or yell out for help. But there were moments of self-loathing where I wished whoever killed them killed me as well. Why didn't he kill me? It wasn't worth it to stay alive, but living with these memories and those gruesome images felt like its own way of torture.
I didn't get to live or rest in peace. I was forced to live with the fact that my parents were killed right down the hall from me while I slept soundly and peacefully. Orion's head shifted from underneath my palm, and I looked down to see him on alert.
His ears twitched and perked up as he looked around, growling and baring his teeth. Orion barked loudly, each bark sounding louder than the previous ones. I sat up and reached for the gun I hid beneath my towel.
I tapped Orion's head, silently telling him to stop barking. I checked the gun chamber to ensure it was loaded and clicked it back on. I slowly stepped out of the tub and took small steps while Orion stayed by my feet. I was deep into my thoughts that I couldn't hear anything.
I cursed my stupidity and waited against the wall that connected to my room. I stole a peek into my bedroom but couldn't make out if there was anyone. Leveling my breathing, I made sure my gun's safety was off. Who the fuck was in my room, and how the hell did they get inside?
My heart was racing as I finally stepped out of the bathroom. I looked around with Orion right at my feet as he began sniffing and looking around. I felt movement behind me, and the faint sound of an exhale.
I spun around, only to be met with a smug Ivan. He kept his hands up, surrendering, but his eyes betrayed him as they looked down at my still-wet body. I scoffed and aimed the gun down at his dick.
The smugness didn't vanish; if anything, the asshole looked amused. Orion's barking resumed, and a second later, my other two dogs were scratching and barking at my bedroom door.
"Boss!" Someone shouted from the other side.
I guided Ivan to my bed with a wave of my gun. "Sit."
I reached over his shoulder and grabbed my robe. I slipped it on and went to open my bedroom door. The dogs rushed into where Orion was, and the three dogs surrounded Ivan, baring their teeth and growling at him. Omar followed along with a few other men. I opened the door the rest of the way to where Ivan was sitting.
"How in the fucking hell did this man get into my room?"
Omar swore under his breath and gave his men a reprimanding, shriveling look.
"Boss." I cut them off with my hand.
"You have no excuses. None." I snapped.
"Boss," Omar spoke tightly. "How do you want me to deal with him?" He asked, his head cocking over to Ivan, casually sitting on my bed with three dangerous dogs around him.
"He should have already been dealt with. I told you I didn't want him entering my house. Your men failed to protect the house; hence they failed to protect me. All of you. Out!" I shouted, and they ducked their heads before leaving me. "Why are you here?"
"Because I wanted to see you."
I gave him a tight smile. "Cute. How'd you get into my house?" I crossed my arms over my chest and stood before him.
"I didn't fuck her. I was at a BBQ with some friends. She's my close friend's sister-in-law. She needed a ride, and that's all it was. I dropped her off."
I scowled. "I don't care if you fucked her or not."
"You obviously do, baby, if you still have your gun pointed at my dick." He said, his hands ushering over to the gun.
I shrugged a shoulder. "I'm contemplating whether or not you still need it."
Ignoring my threat, he sighed. "You were gone for a while. I did miss you."
"You don't know me well enough to miss me, Ivan."
He sat up straighter and smacked the gun, so it wasn't pointing at him anymore. "Cut the fucking crap, Nyra, and fucking admit you missed me too."
"Don't tell me what to fucking do." I moved the tip of the gun under his chin. "I didn't miss you. I can fuck any man I want. Don't flatter yourself."
His jaw clenched. "Did you fuck a man that wasn't me?"
No. "Yes."
"You're a fucking liar."
I cupped the back of his head as I repositioned the gun between his eyes. "This is how I kill my obstacles, Ivan. What makes you so different from all the other people I've killed?" I dug it in deeper, but he didn't wince or flinch.
"Nothing, so what's stopping you? Go ahead and fucking shoot me." He put his hands up in frustration. "Shoot me!" He shouted, and my dogs barked in response.
I put the safety back on and moved the gun away from his face. "I don't kill men that ask for it. I kill men when I choose to. The next time you sneak into my house, especially my bedroom, you'll leave with a bullet through your fucking skull. Do you understand me?"
"God." He groaned. "The more you threaten me, my pretty little devil, the harder I get."
"I'm not your anything."
There was a knock on the door, and then Beth walked inside holding a tray. "The tea is here!" She announced giddily.
Her tray consisted of two cups of tea and two slices of her berry cobbler. I tapped my foot and gave her an annoyed look that she pretended she couldn't see.
"Ivan, it's nice to see you again." She smiled as she set the tray down on the table. "Orion, Leander, Hati, come here, boys. I made you some doggy treats." The dogs perked up and ran to her. She gave me a not-so-secretive wink before leaving my bedroom.
"She likes me," Ivan said from behind me.
"She likes everyone," I muttered as I sat down on the chair and reached for my tea.
"Nyra." He came to where I was and knelt down at my legs. "I know why you're mad. Baby, I didn't mean to come into your room like this and trigger a horrible memory. I promise you that I only came because I needed to see you. I knew you wouldn't let me in tonight, and I didn't want you to sleep mad." He reached for my hand and left a kiss at the top of it.
"You didn't trigger anything." I snatched my hand and pulled my legs up to my chest.
"Nyra, if you really want me to leave, I will. Look at me." His finger softly went to my chin, and halfheartedly, I gave him my attention. "Say you want me to leave, and I will." I swallowed apprehensively and placed my hand on his wrist.
"Stay." It was so soft, so low, but I knew he heard it.
He stood up and brushed his lips on my forehead. My eyes fluttered shut of their own accord just from that kiss. He pulled away and sat down next to me. He reached for his slice and began eating it silently.
"Don't do it again," I whispered. "Don't just come into my room like that."
"I won't. I really am sorry. They wouldn't let me in to see you."
"I wasn't going to let you in."
"Because you were mad at me." He stated, but I didn't respond. "All I could do was compare her to you the entire time. Her hair was too red, her eyes too blue, her smile too rigid, and her laugh was...nothing like yours. I don't know what we have, and I don't know what's really between us, but I promise you I haven't been with another woman since you."
"I didn't have sex with a man. I lied, but I did hook up with a girl there."
The fork in his hand fell and clattered on his plate. "A girl?"
"She's his secretary. She showed up at the business dinner meeting, and I was attracted to her. So, she spent the night at my hotel. Are you sweating, Ivan?"
He laughed nervously and wiped at his forehead. "No, it's just that I didn't know you were bi."
"I'm not. I thought she was beautiful, and the attraction was there, so we had a night. That's it. It's not something that requires a label." I set my teacup down and reached for my slice of cobbler. "If you're bothered by it, let me know."
"Not bothered. I think you just caught me off-guard. Do you cuff girls, too?"
I laughed and shook my head. "No, Ivan, I don't."
His phone dinged, and he pulled out his phone to look at the notification. "It says you're performing tomorrow night." He flashed me his screen.
"Yeah, I am. You got to give the fans what they want." He was grinding so hard on his teeth that it was hilarious. "Let me guess; you don't want me dancing for anyone." I laughed.
"It's not funny."
"It's hilarious. We have sex once, and now all of a sudden, you what? You own my body. I own my body. You're following the social account for my clubs. You're going to sit there and tell me you don't go to them and look at my dancers. Don't be hypocritical." I scoffed.
"That night I was there was because I had to be. Bachelor party. I was on my way out when I saw you. You're the only reason I stopped and watched. You're the reason I'm even following the damned account."
"Thank you, but you still don't get to tell me what to do. I'm a free woman, Ivan, and I don't belong to anyone but myself. Plus, I love dancing. How about this?" I stood up and went to sit on his lap. Straddling him, I gripped the collar of his shirt. "Come and watch me dance tomorrow night, and when everyone leaves, I'll give you a special dance."
"Last time you danced for me, you cuffed me. It wasn't much fun."
"We'll make a deal. I won't cuff you when I dance. Maybe you can show me how much you like it when I dance." I whispered and trailed my hand down to his pants. "I'd like to see that."
"How do you seal your deals?" He asked with a grin.
Leaning closer to me, his eyes darted down to my lips, and I inhaled sharply when his fingers traced them. He brought his fingers back to his mouth and wetted them on his tongue, then repeated the tracing motion.
I shuddered when he leaned in closer to me. His forehead pressed to mine, and he removed his fingers as he ghosted his lips over mine. He didn't move an inch, and neither did I.
I could feel his breath on my lips, hear his heavy breathing that mingled in with mine. His eyes were open, intense, and watching me.
"No kissing," I said breathlessly.
"Not even a peck." He whispered. His tongue peeked out, and he licked my bottom lip.
"No."
"I want a taste of your mouth, Nyra. Just a small taste." He begged. He licked my bottom lip again and then kissed my chin. "Come on, baby, close the distance. Kiss me. Taste my mouth."
I went to the back of his head and yanked on his hair so his head fell back, and I towered over him.
"Open your mouth," I demanded, and his lips parted with a groan.
I spit in his mouth, and his body shook with a guttural sound as he swallowed. I slapped his face and his eyes shined, and I could feel just how much he enjoyed this.
"There's your small taste."
"Devil woman." He rasped.
A/N: Thoughts on the story so far?