Battle: BWWM Dystopian Interracial Sci-Fi Romance (Betwixt Chocolate Book 2) (3 page)

“I applaud you, but I don’t think you can pull it off.”

“No? Why not?” I asked.

“Well, a lot of reasons.” He put his fist to his chest then burped loudly. “Look, I don’t want to discourage you, but a lot of people have tried over the years to make the world a better place.”

“And none of them succeeded?”

“Just take a look around,” he said with a snort. “Do you see progress? It’s bleaking hopeless if you ask me.”

I stood up.

“Thanks for your information, and let us know what supplies you need before you leave.”

“Will do,” he said, not looking up from his plate.

As I walked away, I thought about his stories, the map, and the diamond ring.

* * *

I leaned against my desk in my office. Ree sat in a chair near the door. She took a deep breath, obviously tired and worn out. The map and the diamond ring were both hidden away.

“He’s a strange man,” she said.

“Yeah, but he’s seen a lot.”

“So he says.”

“You’re so paranoid sometimes,” I said.

“Am I? Did someone tell you that? Who was it?” she whispered quickly while looking around.

I laughed. “You’re so funny sometimes too.”

“Ten days since we had dinner and kissed,” she teased.

“Too long in between for me.”

As I stood and took a step toward her, she got to her feet.

“I have to get going.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.”

She returned my awkward wave then left. I walked over and shut the door behind her, locking it. Back at my desk, I got out the map and the diamond ring. Ree would receive the ring as a gift and a pledge of my love for her, but the handwritten paper was something entirely different. I unfolded it carefully and saw crude characters I couldn’t translate. The mountain range, however, looked very familiar.

I decided to keep it to myself a while longer, just in case I needed it. A stranger from across the land delivering it was surely more than a coincidence. After studying it for a bit, I folded it back up and hid it away in the bottom drawer of my desk. Sounds of the factory floor came through the walls of my office. I walked out to check on everyone.

Since we no longer had a need to keep the chocolate from everyone who was addicted, we did everything under one roof. It was why our production was so high. I waved at Melvin as he stood next to one small portion of the giant machine that produced the chocolate everyone craved. He nodded his head with a smile on his face. After a quick walk-through of the rest of the plant, I returned to my quarters to sleep.

Four

Ree

After the visit by Curtis the traveler, Tony began acting strange. I blamed it on my paranoia and tried to put it out of my mind, but two weeks later I still had the same thoughts. As I laid in my tiny bed, staring at the ceiling, I wondered whether my life would ever get any better. While building a factory-city where everyone had rights was interesting and fulfilling in some ways, it was a hard life.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Come in,” I called as I sat up in bed.

The door opened. Tony peered in.

“You got a minute?”

“For you? Sure, I guess.”

I smiled, but not too much. Our flirting was reaching new levels.

“What’s up?” I asked as he sat down next to me on my bed.

“Oh, I was just done with today’s work, and my mind turned to you.”

“Aww. You’re so sweet.”

I placed my hand on his thigh.

“Do you have plans tonight?” he asked.

“Maybe. What did you have in mind? Something naughty?”

His eyes opened wider for a brief moment as I caught him by surprise.

“No, I wasn’t thinking that at all. I mean, I was, but…”

“I’m just teasing. Settle down,” I said. “I’m glad you came. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Uh oh,” he said. “What did I do now?”

“It’s not bad. At least I don’t think it’s bad.”

“Go ahead.”

“Well, when we first met. You lied to me. It was a lie of omission, sure, but it was a lie.”

He sighed, staring into my eyes.

“You’re bringing that up right now?”

“What? I’m just trying to make conversation. I’ve been thinking about…”

“How everyone’s out to get you,” I interrupted. “I get it. You tell me all the time.”

“Maybe you should leave now,” I said, standing up.

He stood up as well.

“Hold on. I’m sorry. It’s just been a stressful day, and I’m tired of people asking me all these questions, you know?”

His arm slid around my waist.

“I know, but trusting people is hard for me. Everyone has lied to me my whole life.”

“I used a lie of omission because it was hard for me to trust you too. At least back then.”

“And now?” I asked.

He reached into a pocked and pulled out his closed hand.

“I have something for you.”

“Yeah?”

My eyes opened wide in amazement as he opened his fingers. A shiny ring sat in his palm. He picked it up with his other hand. Is this happening? What does it mean? After taking my hand in his, he slid it on my index finger. Miraculously, it fit perfectly. I looked from it to his face. Our gaze met. His eyes are so beautiful, I thought. When he leaned forward to kiss me, I turned my head away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, putting his arm around my back.

“I’m just not ready,” I said, unable to explain it to him with words.

He stood up. “It’s okay. We all have a lot of work to do.”

“It’s not you,” I said, looking up at his face. “It’s just…”

I took off my House Ballmore signet ring and put it into a pouch.

“What was that?” he asked.

“My family ring. I don’t want to have it on with your ring on my other hand.”

A smile spread over his face. Just a moment later, the alarm bell rang out.

“The wall’s being attacked,” he shouted, turning around.

I jumped off the bed and followed him as he took off outside. We headed straight to the source of the clanging, the main gate. When we reached the wall, he took charge instantly.

“Status?” he screamed.

A moment later, four of our security forces surrounded him. Once they had their orders, they scurried off to put well thought out plans in place.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Ravagers are trying to test our defenses, I think.”

“What can I do?”

“Just go and stay safe,” he snapped.

“Bleak that,” I said.

He called out as I headed up the ladder of one of the towers near the main gate. Once I made it to the top, I saw a group of leather-clad ravagers throwing flaming sticks at the wall. They had no chance of breaching the wall, but we had decided to deal with anyone who attacked us swiftly and completely. I watched as a half dozen of our well trained guards appeared from behind a building outside the wall.

The ravagers attempted to react, but they were taken down by the six strong men who swore to protect the walls of our factory-city. I climbed back down the ladder, not interested in seeing the blood and violence. While it was a fact of life, the thought of someone losing their life disgusted me, even if it was a ravager. On the ground, Tony walked over.

“What was that all about?” he hissed.

“You can’t just order me around. Got it?”

I walked past him before he could answer. He made my heart beat faster and got me wet in my special place, but he could be a huge pain the ass. An hour later, he returned to his office where I was waiting.

“We found something,” he said as soon as he walked in.

“What?” I asked, sitting up in the chair behind his desk.

He smiled. “Practicing for when you take over for me?”

“Very funny.” I placed my arms on the desk in front of me.

“Anyway, we found something in a bag on of the ravagers had on them.”

“What?” I asked again, using my arms for emphasis.

“This…”

He placed a piece of paper on his desk. I glanced at the piece of paper. Not a lot of the scribblings made sense, but I saw the words “Doc Chang” very clearly near the bottom.

“Is this from him? Or to him?”

“I don’t know, but it’s weird we just find out about him and now he’s popping up again.”

“You think it’s a sign?”

“Not a huge one, but it’s been zero days since we were last attacked.”

I smiled. “Cute.”

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. I’m exhausted and need to check our defenses one more time before I sleep.”

“I’ll help.”

He raised his arm, hand out. “No, that’s okay. You get some rest.”

“Are you sure?”

“Think about the ring and what it really means,” he said.

We made eye contact for a moment before he turned and left his office. A few minutes later, after admiring the ring and the huge stone from many different angles, I stood up and returned to my sleeping quarters. Maybe everything in the world isn’t so bad after all, I told myself as I crawled into bed and closed my eyes. A woman can dream.

Five

Ree

I sat on my bed after dinner. The ravager attack was all anyone was talking about the entire evening. Spirits were high because we had taken them out and sent a message to others who might think about attacking us. Curtis the traveler was long gone, but his stories of an approaching war between factory-cities were left behind. As I thought about everything, someone knocked at my door.

“Come in,” I said, already knowing who it would be.

Tony walked in and shut the door behind him.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said.

“Hey, you.”

Just a few short months ago, a love like ours would have been forbidden.

“You sneaked out after dinner,” he said.

“Too many people.”

“You want me to leave?”

“No, you’re the perfect number of people.”

“I’m perfect, huh?” He smiled.

I patted the mattress next to me.

“Come sit down a minute.”

He took a few steps toward the bed. After sitting down, I turned to him. Without saying a word, our faces moved toward each other, as if propelled by an unseen magnetic force. Our lips touched, softly at first. His hands snaked around my waist as I put a hand on his hard, flat chest. My tongue pushed into his mouth. He kissed me forcefully and with plenty of passion.

“Are you sure?” he asked after pulling back.

I nodded my head. As we kissed, he took off my clothes, and I stripped his from his body. While I had seen his muscular torso before, it was the first time I’d laid eyes on more, on what he had between his legs. The size of his cock impressed me. He leaned forward and licked one of my hard, dark nipples. I put my hand in his hair and pulled him closer to my chest.

At the same time, I reached between his legs. After just a few tugs, he began to get hard. His kisses moved higher, to my neck and then back to my lips. We hugged, our chests pressing each other. The sensation of his soft, white skin against me was almost too much. Tony handled me like a master - certainly better than the other two men who I’d taken to bed in my life.

On my back on the mattress, looking up at his face and into his eyes, he entered me. I moaned at the moment of penetration, his thick head moving past my wet, quivering lips. He plunged into my pussy as if he would win a prize for every single inch he could fit into me. Friction built up quickly as our bodies moved as one. As I ran my hand up and down his back, he slowed down his thrusts.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

“Don’t stop,” I gasped.

“I want to be with you forever.”

His voice turned me on even more. I scoured his face for every perceptible sign of pleasure that swept over his features. Each time he pushed into me, I arched my back and pressed up against him. Our rhythm was intense, somehow magical. Ecstasy ran through my body. The rest of the world disappeared.

All I could hear was his breathing. And the only feeling that mattered was him pulsing and throbbing inside me. With a scream, I came. He continued moving in and out as my pussy clenched around his throbbing cock. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over my body. I stared into his eyes. His face contorted in pleasure and he grunted as his orgasm arrived.

Inside, my heart beat so quickly I thought it might burst. Never once in my life had I experienced anything like the feelings and emotions running through my body. He pulled out and collapsed on the mattress next to me. I curled up against his hard, strong body, my arm draped over his chest. It rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath.