AFRICAN AMERICAN ROMANCE: A Thug to Remember (Hood Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (African American Urban Contemporary Short Stories) (48 page)

Chapter Four

The candle had burned down to darkness and the small house was silent aside from the sound of breathing. Freya lay back on the straw mattress as she stared in the direction of the table where the Highlander lay.

“What’s your name?” she asked through the darkness. When he didn’t answer she wondered if he might be asleep. Seconds later she heard his feet on the floor in front of the bed.

“Lorne.” He crouched down, his hands feeling for the edge of the mattress before he sat beside it. “You?”

“Freya.” Freya looked into the darkness where she expected his face would be.

“Freya, a pretty name.”

She could hear the smile on his lips and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Thank you, it was my grandmother’s name.”

Lorne nodded. Freya reached up and pulled her thick hair to one side before lying her head back down. “Lorne?”

“Mmm?”

“Tell me more about your God?”

“What is there to tell?” He shrugged. “We are rewarded for our trials with the bounty that we receive.”

Freya shook her head. “But that bounty belonged to the people you took it from. That’s stealing.”

She sounded so innocent that Lorne had to smile. “It is the way of things. Only the strong survive and the strong are rewarded.”

Freya thought about this as she lay in the darkness. She had been weak all her life and never had she been rewarded. Certainly she had found a husband, but he was a husband who treated her no better than a savage would.

“Lorne?”

“Mmm?”

“Do you think that weak people can become strong?” She heard him shuffle himself around on the floor so that he was facing her completely.

“Why do you ask that?”

“All my life I have been a weak woman.” She paused. “A good wife, but a weak woman. I allow my husband to mock me and treat me as a slave. I have loved him the way any woman should, but I wish I could be stronger.”

Lorne crawled forward on to the mattress and in the darkness he searched for the outline of her body. “I believe anybody can become strong,” he whispered.

Freya lay still, feeling the weight of his body lying beside her.

“I’m afraid…” she whispered back with a sniffle. In the darkness the tears cut down her cheeks.

Lorne reached out his hand, searching for her face and when he found it he placed his palm against her cheek. Freya felt her body tense as he pulled her face gently towards him. Lorne leaned forward, his lips seeking hers, and when they found them he kissed her gently.

“Never be afraid of living bravely. It’s the people who live their lives in servitude that suffer.” He kissed her again. Freya found herself opening her lips to him, inviting him to tease her with his warm tongue. She could barely breathe as she felt his tongue brush against hers.

It had been so long since Angus had touched Freya with love that her head began to spin at the touch of Lorne’s kiss. Her breath came short as she reached her hand forward in the darkness and brushed his unshaven face with her hand. His touch was gentle despite the barbaric nature she had been led to believe was characteristic of his people. She felt his tongue slide between her lips, dancing with her own. He could taste him, the warmth of his breath and the salt on his lips. She wanted to taste more of him, to take everything he had to offer.

Lorne let his fingers slide down to her soft bare neck, but as he did Freya pulled away. She was panting with desire.

“Lorne, I am a married woman.”

“I will respect your desire, Freya, but your desire is telling me less of your marriage and more of your need to be treated gently.”

Freya felt her heart break, her chest grew heavy as she heard these words spoken out loud: “You should be treated gently, Freya.” He slid his hand down and let it rest on her covered breast. “Can I do that for you?”

She reached up and put her hand over his, pressing it harder and forcing the plumpness of her breast to fill his hand.

Freya could barely catch her breath as she sat upright and allowed Lorne to gently slip her night smock over her head. Her naked body shivered at the cooler night air. She lay back on the mattress and listened to the sounds of Lorne as he bared his own body to the night.

“Freya…” Lorne leaned down as he knelt beside her. His hand touching her soft naked stomach. “If we do this…” He straddled her gently in the darkness, his warm body covering hers. “If we do this you have to know that there is no punishment that awaits you. There is no wrath of God waiting for you. Just freedom.”

Freya felt the fullness of his member slide against her bare skin. Lorne leaned down and gently kissed her.

“I want freedom…” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I want freedom so very much.”

Lorne pressed his lips against hers and as he did he moved his hips to place himself between her thighs. Freya felt herself holding her breath as the thickness of his member pressed against her bareness.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her mouth softly as he gently pressed forward. The tip of his rod parting her lips, and sliding gently into her entrance.

“Ahh!” Freya gasped as she pulled out of the kiss. It had been so long since Angus had been inside of her that it almost felt as though she were a virgin again. She slid her hands up and pressed gently against his chest. The bare smoothness of his skin was so soft, so starkly different to Angus’s hairy barrel chest.

Lorne thrust forward slowly, the length of his member sliding inside Freya as she breathed softly and slowly. “Ahh…” With each moan she gave Lorne slowed, afraid that he would hurt her, break her. “I want you, Lorne,” she whispered to him as her hands slid up his chest and caressed the sides of his unshaven face.

“Just breathe…” Lorne whispered as he slid the rest of his shaft inside her. When he was fully entered into her wetness, Lorne stilled and looked down at her in the darkness. “Does it feel good?” he whispered, “to be free?”

Freya nodded, a smile creeping over her lips. “Oh, yes.”

Her voice now filled with need, Lorne slid himself back until his tip was almost completely released from her. Leaning down so that his forehead touched hers, he thrust forward a little more forcefully than last time.

“Ahh!” Freya could feel her body responding to his like she had never experienced before. She could feel her wetness surrounding him and she could hear it in the darkness. “Please, give it all to me. Give me my freedom!”

She gasped as Lorne began to thrust faster and then suddenly she cried out. “OHH!” Her body tensed and she grasped at Lorne’s shoulders in desperation. “OHH!” she cried again as she clung to him for dear life. And then it came, the rush of freedom. Every muscle in Freya’s body began to relax, her wetness throbbed around Lorne and she could hardly breathe.

“Are you okay?” Lorne leaned down in the darkness, his lips almost touching hers.

Freya nodded. “What was that?”

She could feel Lorne smiling. “That? That was your freedom.”

“Angus never ever made me feel like that…”

Lorne kissed her lips gently. “Then Angus is a foolish man.”

Lorne pulled back slowly before sinking his member deep inside Freya again. Freya licked her lips hungrily. Her first taste of an orgasm had left her hungry for more and her fingers pressed against his shoulders with each thrust.

“Mmm.” Freya had never felt so free before in her life as she felt the full length of Lorne sink back in to her. As she hummed for more, Lorne thrust rhythmically, hungry to give her everything that she deserved to experience. As he slid into her soft pink he could feel his own body stiffen.

“Oh, Freya…” He thrust faster, deeper. “Oh….oh….”

Suddenly Freya could feel his entire being harden under her touch and with a throb she watched his body unfold. The pulsing of his member inside her left her feeling warm inside and he listened hungrily to his moans.

“Mmm, yes…” Freya sighed contentedly as Lorne’s body fell lightly on top of her. The warmth of every inch of his body on top of hers made her smile. “Thank you,” she whispered quietly in his ear. She heard him laugh breathlessly.

“Thank you…”

Chapter Five

It was the sunlight that awoke Freya the next morning. She opened her eyes slowly, afraid that last night had been no more than a dream but when she looked beside her she saw Lorne. Reaching her hand across, she brushed her fingers against his bare chest. He stirred but did not waken. Freya glanced down at the entirety of his naked body, her eyes resting on his thick member. He certainly looked nothing like Angus. Lorne had a tight and sculpted body and his rod was so thick and long compared to Angus’s. She licked her lips as she thought of last night.

Lorne stretched his arms upward and yawned as he opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at Freya.

“We should dress and get moving,” he said flatly.

Freya frowned as Lorne stood up and began fishing through his clothes. She watched him without moving. “You should dress,” he said, glancing at her as he dressed himself. Freya shook her head. “You have to, we have to move, it’s already daylight.”

Freya shook her head again and this time tears welled in her eyes. “No.”

Lorne picked up her night smock and threw it next to her. “You have to. We have to hurry.”

The tears spilled down her face as Freya begrudgingly stood and dressed herself. She couldn’t believe that she had allowed herself to fall for such an awful trick. She had allowed a barbarian to make love to her as only her husband should, and worse, he had convinced her that it would be okay.

Freya stood by the door of the small house with her arms crossed and her lips pouted. She was angry with herself, but most of all she was angry with Lorne. How could he have said such things only to still take her to be bid on by other men the next morning?

“Can you walk?” Lorne asked as he came to the door and stood beside her.

“I can walk fine.” Freya said coldly.

Lorne opened the front door. “Then let’s start moving.”

It wasn’t long before Freya was regretting volunteering to walk. Her journey yesterday may have been a bumpy one, but at least her feet weren’t killing her. She had only slipped on a pair of leather sandals before Lorne had taken her from her home and they barely protected her feet from the tough terrain.

“You have to keep up.” Lorne looked back at Freya as he marched ahead. Freya had no intention of picking up her speed. She had no intention of doing anything that would make Lorne’s life easier.

By midday Lorne had chastised Freya more times for being slow than she cared to recount. She was tired, hungry and, most of all, angry. Lorne came to a stop on top of a large hill and waited for Freya to catch up.

“We will rest for a few minutes here, but we have to keep moving so we can’t stop long.” Lorne took out his flask and offered it to Freya. She took it and greedily guzzled down as much as she could.

“Why are you in such a hurry? Afraid that all the highest bidders will be gone?” Freya shoved the flask back at Lorne.

He frowned. “What?”

“You heard me,” Freya said coldly.

“I heard you, but I didn’t understand…you think that I am still taking you to be sold?”

Freya rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid, Lorne. I know that you got what you wanted. I know that I’m a naïve woman who fell for your talk about freedom.” She stared at him accusingly.

For a moment Lorne looked angry and then his face relaxed and he began to laugh. Still laughing, he walked over to Freya and wrapped his arms around her.

“Freya,” he stepped back, his hands on her shoulders. “I’m not taking you to be sold, I’m taking you to safety.” Freya frowned. “My clan, they moved overnight. We stopped because I was tired from carrying you but the place that we stopped was only an emergency home. It was there for the wounded, for those in need of shelter after the attack on your village. Because we stayed there we are far behind the rest of the clan and that means that we have no protection from the vengeance that will come. I don’t want you to suffer at the hands of your own people.”

Freya still wasn’t sure that she believed him. “My own people would not kill me,” she retorted.

“They already had,” Lorne said sadly, his hands slipping off Freya’s shoulders. He stared out from the top of the hill to the mountains ahead.

Freya grabbed his arm. “Just tell me one thing.” Lorne looked to her. “Tell me that it was real?”

He smiled gently before sliding his hand behind her head and pulling her close. His lips touched hers softly, and as he pulled away he nodded. “It doesn’t get any more real than that.”

Freya looked out over the mountains ahead. “Is that where we are going?”

Lorne nodded his head. “It’s a long trek but if we want to make it to safety we have to keep going for as long as we can.”

Freya nodded and began to walk again. “Then let’s go.”

Chapter Six

It was fourteen days and nights of daytime travel before Lorne and Freya arrived at Lorne’s village. They were welcomed with cheers and many smiling faces. Lorne relished in the attention of his people, but Freya was too distracted to celebrate. The journey had left her tired and she felt sick to her stomach.

“Lorne?” She tugged on his sleeve. He turned around from the crowd and looked at her, but as he did she crumpled to a heap on the ground.

Sweeping her up in his arms Lorne took her to his home where he laid her on a mattress made of straw. When Freya finally came to she found Lorne standing over her wringing his hands.

“Stay still. Don’t move. I have sent for the doctor, but you must rest.”

Freya smiled at him gently. “I’m just tired, it has been a long journey.”

Lorne looked towards the door as he anxiously awaited the doctor’s arrival. “We will let the doctor be the judge of that.”

Freya sighed and gently sat herself up in bed. As her fingers crunched into the straw mattress, she looked at Lorne with a smile.

“Do you remember the last time we slept on a straw mattress?”

Lorne turned to her and smiled, he couldn’t help himself. “Perhaps you are feeling a little better…but still, there will be no more of that until the doctor takes a look at you.”

Freya sighed heavily. “I am fine. I promise you I am fine, but if seeing the doctor is what it takes to get a taste of that kind of freedom again…then I’ll do it.”

Just as she finished speaking, the doctor arrived at the open door. He was a shorter man than Lorne and he had a full grey beard and long grey hair that matched.

“Come in, doctor. Please, I need you to take a look at this young lady. We have, as you know, been traveling alone for a very long time and as soon as we arrived she fainted.”

The doctor nodded and set a bag down beside the bed. “It is very common for young women to faint,” the doctor said flatly as he sat on the side of the bed. “But let me take a look at you, young lady, and see just what caused this fainting spell.” Freya nodded as the doctor took her wrist in one hand and rested the fingers of the other hand on her pulse. “And Lorne, for the sake of modesty I must ask you to please wait outside.”

Lorne looked at Freya worriedly. She nodded at him to let him know that she would be okay and he stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.

As Lorne stood outside his house he wondered what he was going to do if there truly was something wrong with Freya. Had he fallen in love with her, only to be punished by losing her? He wondered if perhaps he had been wrong about his God after all. He wondered if perhaps Freya had been right all along.

Time dragged on, and Lorne waited impatiently at the door of his own home. After what seemed like hours the doctor opened the door and stepped outside with his bag.

“Everything is fine. You can go in and see her now.”

Lorne nodded, and in his hurry to go in to see Freya he forgot to thank the doctor.

“What did he say? Are you okay?”

Freya patted the bed beside her, and Lorne ran to be beside her.

“I think you should sit,” she said with a smile. Lorne did as he was told and reached for her hand. “We are going to have a baby.”

Freya rested her free hand on her belly. Lorne’s eyes widened.

“I’m going to be a father?” Freya nodded. “Are you sure?”

Freya nodded again. “That’s what the doctor said!”

Lorne looked at her belly and then back at her face with a smile. “I’m going to be a father?!”

Freya laughed and nodded again.

Tears welled in Lorne’s eyes as he leaned forward and kissed Freya on the forehead. “I was so afraid. I thought that maybe you were sick, that God was punishing me for taking you.”

Freya shook her head. “There is nothing to be afraid of. Our God doesn’t punish us, he rewards us.  And this…” she pulled Lorne’s hand over to her belly, “is a pretty good reward.” She smiled.

Lorne smiled too as he rubbed her belly gently. “Our own little Highlander.”

THE END

The Fighter’s Dark Love

Charter One

“Naomi, I don’t know why you insist on trying to kill yourself every single night,” Maria told me, meaning it almost literally.  “It’s not like anybody is going to give a damn if you live or die. You really need to be more careful and there’s no telling what kind of damage you can do to yourself in one of these fights. I’ve seen you go toe to toe with somebody that is twice your size and still be able to knock them down to the ground. What happens when you meet that one opponent that doesn’t fall, so easily? That’s the day when you find out that you’re not so invincible.”

Maria was one of those friends that would tell you exactly what she felt without filtering her response.  I didn’t always like it.

“You really don’t have any right to speak down to me like this, Maria. After I lost my job things didn’t go according to plan. I’ve looked everywhere for something that fits me, but so far I’ve gotten nowhere. It’s almost like somebody has been blacklisting me all over town. I’ve been doing these temp jobs hoping to make enough money so I can get my own place. It’s not easy and I still have to make enough money to eat. These fights are the only thing I have that even comes close to making me enough money to survive. If I get good enough, then they might give me more of the take.”

What I didn’t tell her was that I was enjoying myself. It wasn’t even about the money. Well, it was a little about the money because like I said, a girl’s got to eat. It was about the power that I had when I finally knocked them out.

I’d even taken a few guys out, which was all the rage with the regulars who came to watch. The backyard fights were not legal by any means and if we got caught, we could end up in jail. It was a good thing that they moved from one location to the next, never staying in one place too long.

It was a little bit about discovering myself, too. I honestly had never known how tough I was, although I’ve had a few bar brawls that had sent the other person to the emergency room. These fights were on a whole other level.

“I know that you can take care of yourself, Naomi. Sometimes I worry that you’re going to get in over your head. You don’t even have the necessary training to do this type of sport. It would be something else if you got somebody to show you how to do things the right way. I’m not going to state the obvious, but luck is one of the things that won’t last forever.” Maria always worried too much and I wouldn’t take it, except that she allowed me to stay on her couch once or twice a week.

The rest of the time, I was either at somebody else’s house or apartment or on really bad nights I was camping out at a nearby park. It was still early fall and not too cold to pitch a tent. I’ve always been the outdoorsy type anyway and hunting and fishing were skills that my father had taught me before he died of cancer. I never did know my mother and having no siblings had made me a virtual loner at the mature age of eighteen. It was good that my father had taught me how to be self-sufficient. I was never one to get caught in the trap of credit cards or going into debt for something that I wanted, but didn’t need.

Standing outside in Maria’s backyard working on a makeshift punching bag made of a tarp filled with sand and tied to a tree, I paid Maria as much attention as I could spare. In a fight, distractions got you hurt. My knees pounded into the weight of the bag over and over, and then my feet followed.

“If I could find something that would pay me what I’m worth, then I may consider stopping these fights.” Knee, kick. “Until then, I have no choice but to give it my all. This next fight is for a thousand dollars. A thousand dollars, Maria! If I’m able to last for at least twenty minutes, what a payday that will be for me! I’ve done my research on Abigail. She comes from Brazil and knows all of these interesting moves. I’m just going to have to learn to stay out of her reach.”

The one thing that I knew about, going into these fights, was that more information was the best information. She already had an amazing record of ten to one, wins to losses. There was no denying that this girl was dangerous. My record of five and zero was still quite impressive in its own right, but was I on Abigail’s level?

I had on black gloves with the fingers cut out, chalked up to give me a firm grip on anything that I grabbed onto. I had to be prepared. More prepared than usual, anyway. That last fight was not one of my finest moments and it made me physically aware of my limitations. These fights were not just boxing matches. They were all out brawls. For survival.

My hair was this dark black, almost blue in the right light, and I had it tied into a ponytail to allow me to move more freely while I worked out and Maria tried to talk sense into me. I was starting to utilize elbow shots now along with well-placed knee strikes, but they were not as high as I would’ve liked. It was a learning experience for me. One that I took very seriously.

The sun had gone down and I could feel the slight chill in the air. The leaves on the trees were already changing color. Wouldn’t be able to pitch my tent for much longer. The seasons were passing me by.

“Travis was talking again last night,” Maria said to me, “about calling the authorities on you guys and putting a stop to these illegal fights. Don’t worry, I talked him out of it and told him that I would never forgive him if he did something like that. I think he’s just worried that you’re going to get hurt very badly. I don’t want to see that happen, either, in case you are wondering. Just remember you aren’t Supergirl. You can’t take on everyone they throw at you. I know that I don’t know much about this sport, but I’ve been learning for your sake. It’s the reason why I’m in your corner most nights when I’m not working the graveyard shift at the hospital.”

Having a nurse on call during my fights was a good thing as far as I was concerned. It allowed me to take some risks and have her there to tape me up if necessary.

“Believe me, I know how lucky I am to have you, as a friend, Maria.” She had come from Jamaica and she had the dreadlocks to prove it. She stood about three inches taller than me, but it was my slighter build that gave me the edge over the competition. They never knew what was coming and would always underestimate me. That was their final undoing and sometimes I would catch them off guard with how ferocious I could be.

“I hope so, Naomi,” she said to me. “I had to mend a couple of bones without the hospital being aware of it. I don’t like stealing medications and supplies, but you made it necessary. It’s just lucky that I got enough that it will probably do us for quite some time.”

The one thing that I did learn about this backyard MMA stuff was that it was always a possibility that some promoter from the real legalized version of MAA would be there to scout out talent. I was hoping beyond hope that somebody would see something in me and decide to take a chance. I knew I could make it if I had my shot. I was the stereotypical underdog that would come back at the last second to rally to victory.

My black shorts left my toned legs bare and my knees were starting to show the effect of using them against this bag. Bruised and abraded. It felt like I was hitting cement. What I wanted most of all was to learn some takedowns and moves that would make my opponents submit. It would’ve made it a lot easier than just punching away until something broke. On my opponent, or me.

“To tell you the truth, Naomi, I really do enjoy seeing you in action. I shouldn’t admit that, because it’s just so barbaric. It’s just that I find it kind of liberating to see a woman taking a stand like this. The first time that I saw you knock out a man had me jumping up and down. I get a thrill out of watching, but I wonder if I should maybe try it myself sometime.”

I turned to her abruptly and grabbed her by her green scrubs. “I don’t want you to have anything to do with this. I have to do this. You don’t. You have a good job and a good husband with a job of his own. There’s no reason for you to risk your health and wellbeing over something that you consider to be barbaric.”

I meant every word of it. It wasn’t easy for a black woman to get a break and she had done the impossible by going to college and becoming something that her parents could be proud of. She was one of their main nurses that they would call at a moment’s notice. They wouldn’t have done that unless they respected the woman behind the green scrubs.

“Calm,” she told me in that cute accent of hers. “I said that I was curious, I didn’t say that I was foolish enough to get my head knocked off. It’s bad enough that I see some of these fight victims coming into the ER after hours. You know I had to call the authorities on them, right? I had no choice once they came into my ER. This whole underground fight circuit is getting out of hand. I’ve heard some of the police officers talking about it. They even have a task force set up to deal with this.”

I knew that. I also knew that it was mostly because Jacob Robards had died in one of these unsanctioned fights. Sixteen years old, dead from a crushing blow to his face.

If I didn’t meet the same fate, I was still looking at being arrested and going to jail. Unless I got really, really good and got my shot at the real fights.

Chapter two

“Maria, we all know that it takes only one bad egg to spoil the omelet.”