Moth to a Flame (7 page)
Authors: Ashley Antoinette
Raven was at a loss for words. Of course she wanted something else. She wanted him. The way he had protected her last night reminded her of her father. He was perfect for her and he didn’t even know it. She tried to find the courage to tell him how she felt, but she knew that words couldn’t express how she was feeling. She walked up on him slowly, almost timidly, afraid of how he was going to react to what she was about to do. There weren’t too many people who intimidated her, but Ethic did. He made her nervous, and as she stood in front of him her heart beat out of her chest. She closed her eyes and went for it, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss him.
Ethic stepped back and pushed her away, gently but with enough authority to let her know that she had over stepped her boundaries. “I did what I did yesterday out of the respect I have for your pops. It had nothing to do with you, ”he said truthfully. His words stung, insulting her and embarrassing her at the same time.
Feeling stupid, Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. “Nothing to do with me?”she repeated in disbelief. “I’m not buying that. I don’t know a nigga in the world who would catch a body over somebody they didn’t give a damn about.”
“Let me make this real clear for you, little girl. I don’t have time for you. I already got a lady in my life and I don’t have love for no female but her. She has my heart ... all of it. You could never compete with her,”he said before turning his back on her.
Raven shook her head in dismay as she walked back up the steps, enraged and near tears. She couldn’t wait to get out of Ethic’s presence. She had never been shot down like that before and it bruised her ego, making her feel like she was lacking something that the next chick had. She did not know that what she was feeling was inadequacy. If she were really as grown up as she claimed to be, no man, not even Ethic, would be able to shatter her confidence. Poise could not be broken so easily in a real woman, and her salty disposition over Ethic proved that she was trying to grow up too fast. If she paced herself, she would eventually flourish into that woman, but she had a long way to go. She was missing all of the qualities that it took to be the type of woman Ethic would be attracted to. He was not the average hustler. He wasn’t married to the streets like most young men his age. He knew that selling poison to his own people was wrong, and he promised himself that when he made his first million he would exit the game and go legit. His focus was on his hustle, nothing more and nothing less; which was why it would take more than Raven’s pretty face to distract him.
When Raven returned to her house, everything was cleaned up and restored as if none of it had ever really happened. She hugged her father tightly, and he told her to go wait for him in his office. He came in and closed the door, then took a seat behind his mahogany desk. Stress was written all over his face. It seemed as though he had aged overnight. Deep lines of worry creased his forehead and bags rimmed his stern, red eyes. His heart was heavy at the fact that his beautiful family had been in harm’s way. He was fully aware that in the blink of an eye he could have lost everything. The silence in the room was deafening to Raven. She hated when her father got like this. The anticipation of not knowing what was on his mind was killing her. He leaned over and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath.
“I don’t want you to see that boy again. If I even see him around our home it’s not going to be good for him,”Benjamin said in a low but clear tone.
“What? Daddy, why not? What does Mizan have to do with any of this?”she asked.
“I’m not sure that he has anything to do with it, but he was the only outsider here yesterday. I’ve never had anyone foolish enough to run inside my home. All of a sudden when this kid shows up, three men in masks appear and put my family in danger. I don’t believe in coincidences, Raven. You are not to see him again,” Benjamin stated.
“But Daddy!” Raven whined. “He was next to me the entire time.”
“This is not up for debate, Raven,”Benjamin replied sternly. “The nigga is bad news and I don’t want you around him. I can’t be held responsible for my actions if I see him again so I advise you to not disobey me. If you do, his blood will be on your hands.”
Chapter Three
It had been a long time since Benjamin had put in work of his own. Murder had been his game as a young kid, but as a distinguished head of a ruthless Midwest drug connection, he now had people to carry out his homicidal intent. As he looked into Raven’s room and watched her sleeping peacefully, he knew it was time to get his feet wet again. This was a situation that he had to handle personally. Sending one of his workers would not get the message across. He had to make the city bleed. The jack boys who had invaded his home had already been taken care of, but now it was time to make an example by touching everyone who was associated with them, including women and children. The devil had lain dormant in him for too long, and now niggas around him thought shit was sweet. For one night, he was about to reveal his cold heart and make the city bleed. Tears came to his eyes and he willed them away before closing Raven’s door. After checking on his wife and youngest daughter, he said a short prayer asking God to watch over his family, and left the house.
Ethic waited patiently for Benjamin as he emerged from the house. He popped the locks, giving Benjamin access to his car.
“You ready?”he asked as he grabbed a .45-caliber chrome pistol by the nose and handed it to Benjamin with a gloved hand. Benjamin nodded his head and accepted the weapon. He cocked the weapon back, putting a bullet in the chamber, and nodded as Ethic pulled away from the curb. Jay-Z’s
Reasonable Doubt
filled the interior. They needed a real nigga to spit real shit as they prepared to partake in the most real part of the game. They each knew that murder was final and there was no turning back. There was nothing glamorous about this part of their professions. Niggas had violated and now it was time to pay the piper by annihilating everyone the jack boys had ever loved. It would be a hard lesson to teach, but it had to be done so that the streets could learn that Benjamin Atkins was not to be fucked with.
Reasonable Doubt
filled the interior. They needed a real nigga to spit real shit as they prepared to partake in the most real part of the game. They each knew that murder was final and there was no turning back. There was nothing glamorous about this part of their professions. Niggas had violated and now it was time to pay the piper by annihilating everyone the jack boys had ever loved. It would be a hard lesson to teach, but it had to be done so that the streets could learn that Benjamin Atkins was not to be fucked with.
That night, Ethic and Benjamin took the lives of three individuals: the mother of one of the jack boys; the girlfriend and son of the other. All were extinguished because their loved ones had broken the rules and committed the ultimate sin. If the king was going to be overthrown it had to be done right; if not, the repercussions would prove deadly, and Benjamin Atkins ruthlessly reminded the entire city of that on a cold, rainy night. “What about the kid, Mizan? Ethic asked. “You want to handle that? Something telling me that he’s a snake-ass nigga. It was too coincidental that all of this popped off the day he came to your crib.”
Benjamin’s eyes were cold but his heart was conflicted. Taking the lives of innocent women and a child had him internally disturbed, but he had known that it had to be done.
“Benny, you want me to take care of it?”Ethic asked, seeing the familiar look of uncertainty in the old man’s gaze.
Benjamin shook his head and said, “I’m not a hundred percent sure that he was behind this, and because of that I’ll give him a pass. If he did have something to do with it, he will get the picture. There’s been enough killing tonight.”
Ethic didn’t understand Benjamin’s reasoning, but did not question him. He made a note to be aware of his surroundings and keep an eye out for Mizan. Ethic knew a snake-ass nigga when he saw one, and Mizan was it.
Mizan’s entire world went black as he stood over his mother’s grave. She was the only person he cared about, the only person who had yet to give up on him, and now she was gone. It wasn’t a pained emotion that swept over him, more like rage from being disrespected. He had no doubt that Benjamin Atkins was behind the vicious hit, because he had gotten word that Bull’s chick and son had been murdered as well. This was a message to the streets from Benjamin, and Mizan heard it loud and clear. Fortunately, Mizan and his brother Boo had different fathers, giving them different last names, so Benjamin had not been able to link Boo to him, otherwise he would be taking a dirt nap too.
This nigga want to make it personal,
Mizan thought angrily. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Raven’s number. He was even more determined to get at Benjamin now. He was going to fuck up his entire existence, starting with his pretty little daughter Raven. She was his way in and he was going to fuck her in every sense of the word, until he eventually destroyed her father.
This nigga want to make it personal,
Mizan thought angrily. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Raven’s number. He was even more determined to get at Benjamin now. He was going to fuck up his entire existence, starting with his pretty little daughter Raven. She was his way in and he was going to fuck her in every sense of the word, until he eventually destroyed her father.
Chapter Four
Raven lay in bed wide awake as she waited for her father to come tell her good night. She knew him too well, and he would always come to peek inside her room before he retired to his bedroom. When she heard his footsteps coming down the hall she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. She felt him come in and sit on her bed, the weight of his body causing it to sink down.
“Rae, you asleep?”he asked gently.
Raven didn’t respond. Benjamin leaned down and kissed her forehead, then tucked the covers tightly around her. “I love you,”he said.
I love you too,
she responded in her head as she heard him leave the room. Despite his warnings, Raven had been sneaking out to see Mizan almost every night for the past two months. She did not care if her father disapproved. She was feeling him and was willing to do anything to be around him.
she responded in her head as she heard him leave the room. Despite his warnings, Raven had been sneaking out to see Mizan almost every night for the past two months. She did not care if her father disapproved. She was feeling him and was willing to do anything to be around him.
She waited another ten minutes just to make sure that he wouldn’t come back, before she hopped out of bed, fully clothed. She looked at the clock. She was already twenty minutes late. Mizan had told her to meet him at midnight.
I hope he didn’t pull off,
she thought as she opened her second-story bedroom window. She climbed out quietly and crept across the roof, then jumped down onto the top of the garage. She cringed as her feet hit the shingles making a soft thud, and froze to see if anyone had heard her. When she was sure that she was in the clear she climbed down the cable pole that sat directly next to the garage, and walked away into the night.
I hope he didn’t pull off,
she thought as she opened her second-story bedroom window. She climbed out quietly and crept across the roof, then jumped down onto the top of the garage. She cringed as her feet hit the shingles making a soft thud, and froze to see if anyone had heard her. When she was sure that she was in the clear she climbed down the cable pole that sat directly next to the garage, and walked away into the night.
When she saw Mizan’s headlights in the distance she took off running toward him. She tapped his passenger window. The smile he gave her when he saw her was worth all the risk she was taking by sneaking out of her parentshouse.
“You ready? ”he asked.
She nodded and he pulled off, heading back to his place.
When she entered, she saw rose petals and candles decorating the living room of the three-bedroom house. To a grown woman this might have been routine or even been looked at as game, but to an inexperienced teenager this simple gesture easily won her over. She looked up at him in surprise. “You did all this for me?”
He nodded as he took her hand and pulled her down on the couch. He slid his hand underneath his couch and pulled out a small box filled with pre-rolled blunts. He lifted one out and waved it in front of her face.
“You want to blaze up?”he asked.
Remembering the way that the weed and coke concoction made her feel a smile creased her lips and she nodded eagerly.
“I’m sorry about everything that has happened. My daddy is dead wrong for telling me I can’t see you,”she said sincerely as they fell into a puff-puff-pass rotation. “He is just overprotective. I don’t want him to run you away.”
He grabbed her chin and put his fingers to her lips to silence her. He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m not running, ma. There’s not a nigga in the world that can keep me from you ... believe that,” he replied, blowing her head up as he continued to kiss her. She was high and every spot he touched made her love gush in anticipation.
Raven felt her body submit to him as his hands roamed all over her. Her heartbeat sped up and was pounding so rapidly that she was sure that it would beat out of her chest. She wanted to be a good girl, to tell him no and make him wait, but the spot between her legs began to pulse and all rational thought went out of the window. To keep a big boy like Mizan she would have to do big-girl things. To stop him now would be a crime.
With his hands palming her breasts beneath her shirt and his fingers teasing her hard nipples, her hormones were in overdrive. It felt so good but at the same time it scared her. Although she talked big shit and flirted openly, Raven was still a virgin. No one had ever touched her the way that Mizan was now. She had never let a guy get this close, but Mizan had set the stage and now it was time for her to perform. Raven pulled back from him breathing heavily as she looked him in the eyes.
“Wait, I don’t know what I’m doing,”she said, her voice quivering. “I’ve never done this before,” she admitted.
Mizan smirked, feeling like a king with the realization that he was about to be her first. “I’ma show you,”he whispered as he got on his knees and removed her jean shorts, revealing her soaking wet panties. He pulled them off and sat back for a minute, enjoying the sight of her pussy, her silky hairs enticing him with the scent of a pure virgin.
“What are you doing?”she whispered insecurely.
“I’ma make you feel good ... Just relax,”he promised. He opened up her southern lips and watched as her juicy peach excreted her natural juices. “Damn, ma,”he said in awe as he put his mouth on her clit without hesitation.
“Aghh,” she moaned instantly. Her back arched while Mizan put his tongue to work. He put his hands under her ass cheeks and spread her wide open as he licked from her crack all the way to her pearl. She squirmed beneath him. She had never felt anything like it. Even when she would touch herself it never felt so good. Her head fell back in ecstasy and her nipples were tingling as if they were begging for attention. She removed her shirt, exposing her perky D-cups. She took her nipples between her fingers as she grinded into his face. Her moans of passion filled the air. Mizan was a cunnilingus expert and he made love to her with his mouth, knowing that it wouldn’t bring her pain. He wasn’t ready to break her in yet; he wanted to blow her mind without ever sticking his dick inside of her. He was going to make her wait for it, but in the meantime the sweetness of her satisfied him. He stroked his nine inches while blessing her with oral sex. The way she fed her pussy to him, pushing it against his face, let him know that he was doing it right. She tasted so good, so fresh ... There was nothing like the taste of unexplored pussy and he lapped up her young juices as if he were sucking on a summer peach. He pulled her to the edge of the couch, both of her thighs encompassing his head as she wound her body, riding his tongue while her perky breasts bounced in the air. He couldn’t wait to twist her back out. He knew that it was going to feel like heaven, but he was also aware that she wasn’t ready for it yet. In time he would have her right where he wanted her. He began to pull on her clit while his full lips encompassed it, driving her crazy.
“Hmm,” he moaned as he continued to suck her into an orgasm. Her legs began to shake and her eyes rolled in the back of her head.
“Ooh, Mizan ... something’s wrong. It’s too tender ... it feels too good,”she whispered as tiny bolts of lightning erupted inside her. “What are you doing to me?”
“I’m making you cum,” he moaned seductively as she exploded in his mouth.
All of the energy left her body as she melted into the leather couch. A layer of sweat glistened on her body, causing her to stick to the fabric.
He came up for air, wiping his mouth with his hand. He stood, and she was eye level with his penis. She gasped at its size. It was big and thick, with veins protruding from it. The head was blossomed and her eyes bulged as she took it into her hands.
“Put it inside me,”she whispered unsurely. She wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t a little girl, and make him feel the same bliss he had just bestowed upon her.
“Nah, ma, you’re not ready for that ... I would tear that young pussy up. Stroke it for Daddy, he instructed as she began to rub him up and down slowly. “Wet the tip,”he said as he looked down at her. The sight of his toned body made her horny all over again.
Raven had never sucked a dick a day in her life, but she couldn’t stop now.
If I don’t do it he won’t fuck with me anymore. Just quit being a baby and get it over with,
she told herself. Raven knew about chicks at her high school who sucked dick, but they all were labeled hoes for doing so. What she didn’t know was that grown women gave super head to their men without hesitation. It had nothing to do with being a ho; little girls worried about trivial things like that. Grown women knew that pleasing their men every now and then kept their kings happy, allowing them to keep their positions, because what wifey won’t do, another chick will. So a grown woman covered all her bases by being a freak in the bed but a lady in the streets. The smell of sweaty balls in their faces was a small sacrifice to keep their spots on lock. Raven would have to push her little-girl mentality to the side if she was going to deal with an older dude. She took him into her mouth and instantly began to gag.
If I don’t do it he won’t fuck with me anymore. Just quit being a baby and get it over with,
she told herself. Raven knew about chicks at her high school who sucked dick, but they all were labeled hoes for doing so. What she didn’t know was that grown women gave super head to their men without hesitation. It had nothing to do with being a ho; little girls worried about trivial things like that. Grown women knew that pleasing their men every now and then kept their kings happy, allowing them to keep their positions, because what wifey won’t do, another chick will. So a grown woman covered all her bases by being a freak in the bed but a lady in the streets. The smell of sweaty balls in their faces was a small sacrifice to keep their spots on lock. Raven would have to push her little-girl mentality to the side if she was going to deal with an older dude. She took him into her mouth and instantly began to gag.
“Relax your throat and watch your teeth,” Mizan coached patiently, teaching her how to give head as he looked down at her.
Raven attempted again, but her body language was all wrong. The back of her throat was tense, and her teeth too close for comfort.
“Wait a minute, ma ... hold up. You just need some confidence,” he whispered as he pulled out a small bag of cocaine. He moved quickly, laying two lines out on the coffee table in front of him. “Hit this with me,” he instructed.
Raven shook her head. “I don’t do blow,” she whispered.
“It’ll make you relax, ma. You’ll be hitting me off like a pro,” he whispered as he teased her nipples with his fingertips. He leaned down over the table and inhaled one of the lines, using a small straw. “See? That’s all there is to it.”
Raven slowly got down on her knees and pulled her hair out of her face. She put her face over the cocaine as she gripped.
“Just like that. Now sniff real hard,” he coached as he watched her take her first line. The sight of it making his manhood stand at attention.
Raven did as she was told, and as soon as the drug entered her nose she closed her eyes tightly; a horrible stinging sensation took over.
“Give it a minute, ma, it’s your first time,” Mizan whispered in her ear as he began to kiss her neck. The sight of her was so appealing to him. Just the fact that she was willing to experiment with blow at his request pleased him. She was moldable. Impressionable.
Raven’s stomach began to churn and she inhaled deeply.
Oh my God. What the fuck!
she thought miserably, but the more the drug began to ease into her system, the better she began to feel. Her young peach was juicier than it had ever been, and small moans escaped her as Mizan continued to suck on her neck and palm her breasts.
Oh my God. What the fuck!
she thought miserably, but the more the drug began to ease into her system, the better she began to feel. Her young peach was juicier than it had ever been, and small moans escaped her as Mizan continued to suck on her neck and palm her breasts.
“Suck it for me, ma,” he said seductively. The cocaine blocked out everything and this time she did not overanalyze his request. She opened her mouth and invited him in, sucking it timidly.
“Keep it wet and stroke it, ma ... Not too rough, and don’t use your teeth,” he said, completely in the moment as she got her groove and he closed his eyes. He began to grind slowly, and she put her hands on his firm buttocks as she pulled him into her. He repositioned himself as he lay on the couch, and pulled her back down on top of him in a 69. He opened her pussy back up, pleasuring her while she gave him head. He tickled her rectum with his wet finger while simultaneously French kissing her lips. She deep throated him, all of a sudden becoming an expert. The more pleasure he gave her, the better job she did, lowering all of her inhibitions.
“Damn, Rae ... Suck it, ma,” he whispered. Raven’s mouth felt numb but she kept going, wanting nothing more than to please him; to prove herself to him. They both exploded and Raven stroked him until she had milked him dry, then sat up with a satisfied look on her face. He grabbed her hand and led her into the shower, where they kissed under the stream of water until it ran cold.
When they stepped out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and then held one out for her. She fell into his embrace and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She couldn’t stop tasting him. Every time he touched her she felt special, and she lowered her head to her chest as she thought about what had just taken place.
“I’ve never done this with anybody, Mizan. Please don’t put my business out there to all of your friends. I know how dudes can be,” she whispered.
He lifted her chin and replied, “You’re my li‘l mama. I don’ t want another nigga to know what my bitch got. I’ll have to kill a nigga for coming at you, trying to take what’s mine.” He put his hands between her legs and caressed her lips. “This my pussy?” he asked.
She pursued her lips, raised her arched eyebrows, and replied, “It’s yours.”
He pointed his finger in her face. “Then don’t ever give away what belongs to me, Raven,” he answered seriously. She grabbed his hand and kissed it as she looked into his eyes.
“I won’t,” she replied honestly. She had never felt the way Mizan had made her feel, and she had no idea that she had just given her heart away. She was too young to recognize that Mizan was a bad seed. All she saw was his hood swagger and good looks. She was blinded by the idea of being wifey, and the fact that he came from nothing appealed to her even more. Her parents had worked hard to keep her away from the streets, but Mizan’s soul was lost in the streets and as long as she was with him, hers would be too. Young and naïve, Raven did not know that she was merely a pawn in Mizan’s chess game, and his goal was to take down the king of the streets: her father, Benjamin Atkins.
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