At the center of the room there was a naked couple on a bed surrounded by a glass box. A dark skinned muscular man toyed between a redhead’s thighs. His long dreadlocks fell to the bed. Had he been standing, the locs might’ve fallen to his waist—a very muscular one too. The woman had small breasts, a slim frame, and no hair anywhere else besides her head.
Her reddish-brown hair fell in waves around her face down to the middle of her arched back. From my view, she had honey-colored eyes that looked like liquid gold. She was curvy and plump.
They were probably in their early twenties like me. Yet, they were both utterly beautiful—moving art. Fluid. Erotic. Both enrapt in passion with the other. She moved like a sensual dancer, rolling her body with his in time with the song’s erotic beat. The tempo drummed in my chest, almost in sync with the couple.
This is the last place I need to be.
Caught in a trance, I stepped forward, not even sure how far I’d walked. I just needed a closer look of them.
Where is Kazimir?
Had Kazimir asked around about me that much? He’d certainly found the right people to talk to. Had they clued him in on my sexual life—maybe the fact that some thought I was an addict—a freak, hoe, slut, fast girl. It was all rumors and whisperings of resentful men. Mad that they couldn’t keep my attention for longer than a week. Pissed that I’d hopped off with another the next. Dick hurt that I never answered their calls begging me back.
If Kazimir had asked around, he might’ve discovered that sex could be a weak point with me—something he could possibly use. I wasn’t sure if I had a problem with sex or not. I loved it. Sometimes I had to have it and nothing else would matter until that rush had been fixed. Mostly, it didn’t matter. And then other nights, the urge for sex came at high-anxiety times and I couldn’t breathe unless I had someone moving over me, pumping the stress away.
I moved closer, passing the beautifully dressed people on the couches. No one looked my way. Everyone was captivated with the couple having sex.
And like the audience, I turned back to the couple.
Hovering over the red-head, the man lapped at her pink nipple.
“Yes,” she cried out and arched her back.
The man slid his large hand down her flat stomach. His fingers disappeared between her legs, stroking bare flesh, already glistening with moisture. Without releasing her nipple from his mouth, he spread her thighs wider, pressing them flat to the bed so the audience had a perfect, erotic view of his thick fingers sliding through her flushed, pink lips and dipping into her pussy.
Even through the glass partition, her cry of pleasure reached us.
A shudder rippled through my body as a tiny moan left my lips.
Fuck. Get it together. I’m not here for this. I’m here to deal with Kazimir.
I gulped in a fresh breath of air and scanned the place for Kazimir and couldn’t find him.
Moans filled the air in front of me.
Gritting my teeth, I refused to look their way.
Where are you?
And then I turned around, and he stood directly behind me. I tensed. How long had he been watching my reaction to the couple? Had he heard the tiny moans that left my mouth? How long had he watched me soak all the sex in?
The couple was now behind me, where they had to stay. There was no way I could watch them and focus on Kazimir.
Is that what you planned? If so, good move.
He studied me, letting his gaze fall on my sneakers, rise to my jeans, jacket, and land on my swirling cornrows.
That thick Russian accent layered his words. “I like your hair. It’s so different than anything I’ve seen before.”
Okay. I wasn’t expecting that.
“Yes,” the redhead behind me moaned.
Kazimir raised his hand to my head, touched one of my tiny cornrows with his finger, and trailed the whole swirled path, slipping along the top of my head, twisting and turning in the back, and falling past my shoulder. “Stunning.”
“Thank you?” I hadn’t meant to sound so unsure, but he’d been the one to have his men drag me to a rooftop with sex on it. I didn’t think we’d be talking about my hairstyle.
“You changed your hair fast.”
“I was wearing a wig before.”
“I see.” He nodded and slowly walked a circle around me. “You looked like a top art gallery owner earlier. Only a few hours later, you look like you would break into that same gallery. . .but with finesse and style.” He walked around again and stood behind me. His breath brushed the back of my neck. “You’re still so beautiful, but now the danger isn’t so hidden like before.”
It was in that moment, I noticed several suited men come in. Couple by couple, the men signaled for the audience to leave.
Why are you clearing the room?
Stepping back in front of me, Kazimir didn’t look put off by the emptying roof, which told me the men worked under his orders.
Meanwhile, the naked couple remained in the center. Their moans rose in the air. The bed creaked with the rhythm of their groans and shudders.
I blinked, my nipples getting hard under my shirt. Thank God I still had on my jacket. Of all the people to get rid of, the ones having sex would’ve been my first choice.
But that was the thing about men like Kazimir. They dominated the world because they learned a person’s weakness fast and used it against them. It was the main reason why I wore disguises—always keeping people guessing.
A hard expression covered Kazimir’s face. I immediately missed his smile. At least in the gallery, he seemed like a reasonable man.
Now? Not so reasonable.
He remained in front of me as the last audience member left.
I inched back.
He raised part of his lip into a sneer and closed most of the distance between us, barely leaving an inch of space.
I didn’t move.
He pierced me with an intense gaze. “Where did you go?”
I swallowed in my fear. “I took the alleys.”
“No. My men would’ve seen you.”
“I’m born and raised here. Harlem runs through my veins like blood—”
“Still, you didn’t take the alleys.”
I tried not to blink. Something about bad guys and not blinking made them think I was telling the truth. But that didn’t work with Kazimir.
I could tell him about the tunnels, but then if I needed to escape from him, the tunnels wouldn’t be an option.
I’m not telling you where I went.
“I’m sorry.” I gazed at the floor. “I won’t ever go missing again.”
“So, you do admit you intentionally went missing?”
I tapped my fingers against my thighs. “I’m sorry. It had nothing to do with your men. . .not completely. I just like my privacy.”
“That’s closer to the truth.”
What’s giving me away? Usually, no one can tell, when I’m lying.
The couple moaned some more behind me. The bed creaked. My body came alive. My panties moistened. I tried my best to look unaffected.
Don’t let him see. Stay calm and relaxed.
“Fuck me,” the redhead moaned. “Give me that big cock.”
I held in my moan.
“Hmmm.” Kazimir leaned my way and breathed me in as if catching my horny scent like a hound dog, giving him the ability to track me forever. My cheeks warmed.