Rapture (4 page)

“I’m sorry, Alika. I’m blunt that way and I call it like I see it. You’re a pretty girl, with a nice ass body. Just doesn’t seem like you need to be on the fuckin’ worldwide web finding a man. And
sure as hell
not a man who puts his hands on you. Do you have a father, brothers or uncles, available and ready to cancel Christmas on this punk ass dude?”

“I don’t. And if I do, which I highly doubt, I don’t know them,” I shamefully admitted. “It’s just me. The aunt who raised me is no longer here, and my parents left long before she did. Never knew either of them, in fact. Only what my aunt would tell me, which wasn’t much.”

“Ohh,” he sighed, seemingly empathetic. “I’m sorry. That’s unfortunate.”

“In answer to your other question, I haven’t had the best luck with men, so I thought trying something new could be a good thing. I was done either way. Not done with men, of course,” I said, attempting a smile. “But, I figured it didn’t work out, I’d sit the relationship game out for a bit. And if it
did
, then I would be off the market. Sooo, there you have it. And, to my credit, not one time did he
seem
like the type that he turned out to be.”

Surprisingly, as I spoke to Rush, I gradually entered a comfort zone. My composure had relaxed, my words were no longer getting stuck, and I felt that I could be as candid as I wanted to be.

“So, Alika, my curiosity is killing me. Did he at least look like the picture? I mean, was he the actual dude in the picture? Because
that
is what I’ve heard about the internet…that people use pictures that aren’t theirs a lot of the time.
Catfish
type of shit.”

“Yeah, that was my reluctance at first too. But, it was definitely him. He was the same guy in person.”

Rush looked at me for a few seconds then asked, “So, what’s next? You going back home? Where are your things?”

I shrugged my shoulders, feeling the onset of sadness once again. It had been so easy talking to Rush that for a little bit I was able to allow my brain some normalcy, but reality was sitting firmly on my lap.

“Las Vegas was home. But unfortunately, I no longer have a home to go to. I was rooming with a friend who was totally opposed to me coming out here and who basically told me that if I did, I wasn’t welcomed back because I could be inviting something into her life. I’m sure that the moment I took off, she threw anything that I left, out to trash. The small travel bag that I carried with me on my visit, is long gone by now. He has no reason to keep it. It’s probably in the dumpster of that seedy motel that he took me to. I just have this,” I said, holding up my clutch purse.

My voice trailed off. Naïveté. That was the first thing that came to mind. I was a twenty-eight year old woman, acting on impulse, and making dumb ass decisions. I gave up everything for absolutely nothing.

“I understand, Alika,” he said, with an exasperated sigh. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry that all this has happened to you. It had to be traumatizing. I’m sorry for all the badgering. I just needed to get as much as I could so that I could know what I was dealing with and how to help you.”

“You don’t owe me any apologies. I was the one crazy enough to fall for any of what that bastard had to say. I was the one who thought I was smarter than getting bamboozled by a stranger.
I’m
the one who owes
you
an apology, as well as a ‘thank you’, for even taking the time, and for not calling the police and having me arrested. You would’ve been well within your rights to do so.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he interjected. “Let’s get you situated for the night—”

“For the night?” I questioned, rising from my seat, and grabbing my cluth. “I couldn’t impose—”

“Don’t do that, Alika,” he requested, with a slightly frustrated tone.

“Do what?”

“Pull the bullshit modest card with me. Your deck is empty; you don’t have anything to play with. So, don’t do it. Where would you go if I let you walk out of here right now? Like, for real…where would you go?”

“I-I…don’t know.”

“Exactly. You’re in unfamiliar territory, and if you had a way out, we would never have crossed paths. So, just accept the help.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “I would love the help.”

“Cool. I’ll be right back,” he said.

I sat in silence, taking in more of the view as Rush disappeared down a long tiled hallway. The part of the living room that I was seated in wasn’t even the full living room. There was a huge space near the pool that had a large fireplace, and more seating. I kept feeling as though I was missing something, and couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it dawned on me…there wasn’t a television! That was something I wasn’t used to. In every house or apartment that I’d been in, there was a television—or six! And if they weren’t anywhere else, there was always one in the living room.
But who the hell would even notice a TV in a setting like this
! Everything was really pretty, and what struck me was that it was all very masculine, but stylish. The color scheme featured midnight blues, burgundies, white, and silver/charcoal grey. I kept waiting for a woman’s voice to come from the upper level, but that never happened.

I released a loud sigh as the day’s chain of events circled in my mind. It had all led me to this immaculate compound. I couldn’t help but be amazed. Maybe it was like my aunt had always told me, prayer works. I was certain that it was what had gotten me through tonight.

Several minutes later, I heard Rush approaching and when he was within view, I saw that he was in possession of a bundle of items.

“Let’s go, Alika. You can follow me,” he instructed, as he doubled back in the direction from which he came.

~
3
~

Rush

“Name?”

“Alika Collins.”

“Okay, Collins is spelled the regular way of course, but how are we spelling the first name?”

“I don’t know,” I sarcastically stated, to Oscar. “I would try A-l-i-k-a, and if that doesn’t pull back anything, I’d go with a double “e” in the middle. Isn’t that part of
your
job?”

“
It is
, smart ass! But I assumed you’d already have it.”

“You know what they say about assumptions,” I commented.

“Fuck you, Rush.”

“Back at you,” I laughed.

“Okay, cool. Where’s this person from?”

“Las Vegas, Nevada—yesterday.”

“Okay….” he pondered. “Let’s see…Virgin, Jet Blue, Uni—”

“Oscar—”

“I know. I’m just thinking out loud about the airlines that come…never mind!” he laughed.

“What all am I searching for?”

“Do the usual background for me just to check for any red flags and basic information would be good: felonies/misdemeanors. Family/no family. Work/no work. That kind of thing. What I really need to know about is her arrival to the Bay Area, particularly who she arrived for/with.”

“No worries. I could have something to you by tomorrow. Is that soon enough?”

“Shit! That’s better than I could ask for. But then you always have rapid delivery. Thanks a lot, O.”

“It’s all good, bro.”

I had to have Alika checked out. I mean, as much as I wanted to help her, I had to know what I was dealing with too. It’s not every day you come from dinner to find somebody—an extremely beautiful and battered somebody, stowed away in the backseat of your car. So, I needed to find out all that I could. I had already decided that I was going to do what I could to make things better for her, simply because I could tell how complex her life had been. I could relate. It wasn’t that I came from a place where I had no family, but I might as well have. The best thing that did come from my
semi-
family unit was my sister, Jamie. She was that one person I would do anything for. Because I didn’t follow in the footsteps that my father wanted me to, I was pretty much ignored as a kid. Nothing I ever did—because it didn’t involve corporate America—was good enough for him. For a while, when I was playing in the league, it seemed like he might be okay, and behave as a father should, but at the end of my baseball career, he was nowhere to be seen. He was front and center when I was in the spotlight, but then after it was all said and done, he told anyone who would listen, that I had failed. It didn’t matter to him that I invested well while I was in the minors, then the majors and was a household name. All he cared about was that without a bat in my hand, endorsements, and paparazzi in my face, there was nothing he could brag about to his pompous, upper-crust social circle.

Jamie, on the other hand, was his prized possession. But that was fine with me because it was more energy than I was willing to give to be in his good graces. I had long ago stopped requiring his validation. Jamie, the interior designer to the stars had a pristine life. She was good at what she did. The bonus for me being her big brother was that my house was always decorated to the hilt. It had to be or she’d shame me, and steal a key to remodel without my permission. And even if she did, it would come from a place of genuine love that she had for me, where on the other hand, the elder Cambridge had none of that to dish my way.

So I could fully understand what Alika was going through. She was literally alone. At least I had my sister, a sometimes father, and a small group of loyal friends. She had none of that.

As much as I thought about her predicament, I didn’t think there would be any amount of time that would help me understand how it came to be that she wasn’t already somebody’s wife, living in a mansion somewhere, with two-point-five kids. She was definitely trophy material—even with the few small bruises on her face, it didn’t diminish her beauty. She had a genuine niceness about her that couldn’t be faked. Not only that. She had an attractive frame, that I deduced to be somewhere around a size eight or nine. Her hair was the color of a chestnut, and was cut into one of those sexy pixie cuts. Then to top all that off, when she joked about the gun, and flashed me a smile, her cheeks opened up to reveal deep dimples on either side. And then there were the wide, dark brown eyes that she gave me minimal access to. But it was okay because whenever she averted eye contact, I saw the deep curl of her long lashes.

Yeah, I for sure needed to have her story.

I found myself headed back towards the chef’s kitchen so that I could look down the hill to where the guest house was. I saw that there was blue light in the bedroom and knew immediately that she was watching television with the lights out. I wondered if she was okay, or what she was thinking, and whether or not she felt safe. For a second I thought that it might have been better, and made her feel safer, if I had allowed her to sleep in one of the bedrooms near mine. But I thought that she might want full privacy. Anybody who had gone through what she had was bound to want out of any place that was populated—even with a single person. If for no other reason, they would want the solidarity to think back over everything and come to grips with the situation in its entirety. Even more so once the shock wore off. And while I didn’t know exactly how bad things had gotten with the guy, I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to protect her. She found me for a reason, and for that I felt a sense of responsibility for her. She was good people. She was beautiful people, and she needed someone in her corner.

My mind began to roam as I thought back to walking Alika to the guest house, where I handed her one of my Hanes T’s, a pair of boxers, and socks to sleep in. When she smiled at me and thanked me yet again, I could see that she had lowered her guard from when I first found her in the backseat of my car. As I leered out the window, and down to where she was, I could envision her lying across the bed, or even in the bed with the shirt I had given her. Or, with a body like hers, she probably didn’t sleep with anything at all. She had probably showered to wash the day from her mind, and my mind went to envisioning her lathering up, rinsing then drying and slipping my shirt over supple breasts and curvy hips. I even thought about erect, Hershey-colored nipples poking through the front of the shirt.

And just when I was about to chastise myself for my perved brain chatter, I felt my dick get ahead of me and start to react.
Fuck
! I felt fucked up for even having the thoughts after what she had gone through, but my body knew a fine girl when it saw one. I couldn’t control it, and the tent was growing at an alarming speed, and pushing against the front of my pants, in search of some action. Even though I made adjustments around the area to accommodate, I already knew that nothing would help. I had two choices: hop in a cold shower, or do what I was thinking of doing earlier.
Fuck
! I backed away from the window, and selected the latter. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I hadn’t even realized that I was turned on by her because I was so busy wanting everything to be okay for her, but shit! That shit crept up on me out of the damn blue!

I walked back through the house and grabbed the jacket that I had taken from my car. I was horny as fuck, and I wasn’t going to bed with a throbbing ass dick. There’s no amount of Acetaminophen, or liquor that could help with that shit. I grabbed my keys, and headed back to the garage, and a short time later, and 72mph all the way there, I was at Nicole’s house. Nicole was some random girl who reminded me of a white version of Zoe Saldana, but with more meat on her bones. I had met her at my sports bar a few weeks back. I remembered her being super aggressive in her approach, and basically offering herself up that same night. But I passed on her because I already had plans with Alyssa. But there was no Alyssa tonight, and when I called Nicole from my car, she was all too eager for a visit.

As soon as she opened the door, per my request, she greeted me naked.
Obedient
.
I like that
. “You like?” she asked, seductively nibbling on her pinkie nail. But I wasn’t there to admire or issue compliments. Without words, I backed her inside and took off everything but my socks and tank. “
Oh
, he’s more of the strong, silent type, ready to pull the trigger already. I get it.”

I pulled a condom from my jean pocket, strapped up, and bent her over her sofa. I palmed her ass cheeks, squeezing them together, before slapping the side of her buttock. “Oww!” she shrieked. “I like that!” I reached between her legs and ran my hand from the back to the front summoning moisture that I could tell was already there. She was ready. I spread her open wider, and I set about entering her mercilessly. I fucked her until I felt sweat pour down my forehead and onto her back. “Turn over,” I instructed. “And lay on the floor.”

“Okay,” she complied, then spreading her legs as far as they would go. “I’m rea—”

Before she could even finish her sentence, I had her thigh over my shoulder, and was inside her again digging in and out with quickened thrusts. The strokes were quick and unforgiving. Before long I could feel her thighs shaking against my hips as she tried to pull tighter around me in an effort to save herself. “You ready for me to stop?” I asked her.

“
Nooo
….Please don’t stop!” she begged.

“Okay, just making sure, sweetheart. Didn’t you know this was what I was coming for?” I asked.

“Yesss, it is…” she managed, while instinctively continuing to tighten her thighs. But, my grip was much stronger than her pull. Her pants were short and rushed. “
Ahh
Ahh
, I pro—mise I’m not trying to close them…
I swear
…it just…
Ahh
Mmm
hurts sooo good,” she groaned. “
Fuck
! It hurts so fucking gooood!
Yes
!
Yesss
!” she screamed, finally opening wide. “I…
Ohhh
…
Ohhh
did
not
expect this!” she squealed. “I can take it…I can take it…” she panted, as though trying to convince herself. “Give it to
meee
! Rush! Yes! I like it! Please don’t stop!”

Oh, I won’t. Not until I get mine. So no worries there.

“Aahhh, aahhh, aaaahhh!” she wailed, as she came hard against my cock. “Ohhh
Goddd
…I’m still cummming! I c-c-can’t s-s-top! Oh God!” At her final outburst, she smiled broadly, then coddled her breasts into her palms, and squeezed around her nipples. “That was ahh-
mayy
-zing, Rush.”

I stared into her eyes, wanting to tell her that while it was amazing for her, it barely did shit for me, but I wasn’t in the mood for being mean; though I should’ve been. Shit, she barely moved her damn hips! She did more moaning than participating! The nut I did think I was about to bust, receded to parts unknown. I should’ve just stayed my ass at home and jacked the fuck off in a cold ass shower. I was just gonna have to chalk this up to a wasted fuck.

I had thoughts of sending Nicole to into her room to get back on all fours so I could show her how it was supposed to be done, but honestly, I didn’t feel like giving a lesson in the ways to properly satisfy a man. I already knew what her problem was, and it was through no fault of her own. Her type wasn’t ever expected to perform. Unfortunately, desperate ass men had gotten to the point where they were so enamored with women’s looks, that they required little else than them serving as a trophy. I was from a different school of thought, though:
Fuck some eye candy
.
That shit comes a dime a dozen
.

All of a sudden, my musings were interrupted. “So, Rush…” she started, as I sat alongside her.

“What’s up?” I asked, preparing to remove the empty rubber.

She intercepted my efforts and wrapped a soft palm around my dick, slid the condom off, and held it up for inspection. “I’m a big girl. I can take knowing when I don’t bring a man full pleasure. I don’t take it personal,” she stated, tying the latex on the end, and tossing it to the side. “Sometimes…
just sometimes
…in men with vigor and stamina such as yours, it takes just a little longer. I was prepared for that,” she said, rising to her feet. “Come with me,” she insisted, reaching down for my hand.

I obliged for the fuck of it—wondering if I would get a good fuck out of it. She led me down a short hallway to her bedroom, where she wasted no time pushing me back onto her bed. “Scoot back for me,” she requested. I did as she asked, but having one failed attempt already, I didn’t know if I was ready for a second letdown in the same timeframe.
Buuutt
I wasn’t stupid enough to turn down a blow job which is what it appeared this woman was about to give me. At least it better be what she was about to do because if she thought she was about to sit on my dick without a condom, she had another thing coming.

“How about I suck you off?” she offered.

I flashed a smile at her abrasiveness, and she must’ve taken that as the green light, because within seconds she sprang into swift action. Before I knew it, she had her legs opened around my calves, and had confiscated my dick, stroking it up and down until it stood at attention in a firm salute. Pleased with the results, she winked at me, then slid to position her breasts against my thighs, and took my rod into her mouth. For the first few minutes, I watched her head bob up and down my dick. Funny how her pussy was too tight to accommodate my girth, but her throat, well that was another issue. It was as though she was in one of those hotdog eating contests where she was determined to come out the winner. And I had to admit, that shit rocked. I found a new appreciation for her. Not enough to come back, but enough to not totally ignore her when/if I saw her again.