“I gave you all you earned when I put a bullet in your heart!”
Rafiq coughed up blood as he laughed.
“You are the man I raised.” Slowly, his laughter subsided and he looked on me fondly. “I know you washed my body. I know you buried me in accordance with the law. I know you wept for me.”
His words wounded me despite knowing there was no way for him to know I did those things. Worse, it hurt knowing they were true.
“Why won’t you die?” I asked with venom. Rafiq smiled wickedly.
“You can’t kill me, Khoya. Not again. I’m all you know. I am your mother. I am your father. I am your brother. I am your friend. I’ll always be here. You’ll never be rid of me.”
As much as I loathed it, I was free to weep in my dreams and I did.
“How could you have done all those things to me? You stole my childhood. You stole my destiny.”
Rafiq, suddenly unfettered, rolled onto his side and sat up. The bruises on his face had healed and clothing had magically appeared on his body.
“That’s not what’s bothering you, Caleb. I betrayed you, yes, but that’s not why you killed me, is it?” I couldn’t look at him while I processed my shame. “You would have killed me anyway. You would have killed me because it’s the only way I would have let the girl go. You would have betrayed me, Khoya. We are not so different, and that’s what eats at you.” He raised a hand and ruffled my hair as he used to when I was young. My chest ached.
I pushed him with all my strength, knocking him backward over the table and onto the floor. I leapt into the air and landed on top of him. I punched him. Repeatedly. My fists felt ineffectual; I couldn’t get the force I required to beat him to death. Switching tactics, I held his neck in my hands and tried to squeeze the life out of him.
Rafiq’s maniacal gaze fell on me.
“I am a god here! You’ve made it so.”
“Just fucking die! Die! Die! I hate you! I wish you were alive so I could kill you all over again!” I dug my fingers into his eyes, growing hard as blood oozed onto my fingers. Rafiq tried to fight me this time. His hands pushed against me, his legs flailed, and his body twisted as he tried to buck me off. “I can kill you, Rafiq. You’re not a god. I feel nothing for you.”
Rafiq’s body went still under me.
“Master?” I heard a voice behind me. I turned and saw Livvie. She was wearing a white robe that reached the floor. Her hair was loose and unruly. She wore a slave collar at her throat. A wave of overwhelming guilt slammed into me.
“Livvie? Don’t look!” I turned my head toward Rafiq. His body had disappeared. Only a large bloody stain remained. My hands were covered in blood and gore. I wiped my hands on my thighs, but the blood wouldn’t come clean. “Don’t look,” I said and I was sobbing again. “Don’t look.”
Livvie’s footsteps approached and I could actually feel the weight of her arms wrapping around my shoulders. Her warmth descended on my back.
“It’s okay, Master. I know why you do it. You can’t help who you are.” I hunched over and her weight followed me.
“Don’t look.”
There are moments that define our lives. At the time, most of mine were comprised of people I had murdered or enslaved. I’d done something about the slaves. I couldn’t take back the murders. I didn’t want to. However, my subconscious was not appeased by my belief in justifiable murder. I enjoyed it a little too much, my subconscious admonished. I was a little too “well-adjusted” for someone inured to such treachery.
I woke to find Livvie’s body wrapped around me. Her chest was pressed to my back and her arm lay covetously against my chest. Her warm breath skated against my neck. I smiled to myself. So far, each moment with her seemed to be better than the last.
Panic lingered in my chest, but I had grown accustomed to the nightmares. I am nothing if not adaptable. What I found more frightening than the dream was the voice in my head telling me I’d never let Livvie go. Mine. Mine forever.
If you’re sighing with contentment, you’re either one sick fuck or you don’t grasp the seriousness of the situation. While I no longer kill, I am a killer. A killer in love is a very dangerous thing.
I laughed softly because Livvie was spooning me.
“Mmm,” she sighed. Her fingers caressed my chest. She pressed closer, her lips finding my neck and leaving a sleepy kiss. I reached for her arm and stroked it with my fingers.
“Are you awake?” I whispered. There was no way I was going to be able to go back to sleep. My dick was hard and Livvie was much too soft.
“No,” she grumbled. I chuckled.
“If you’re not awake, I can’t have your pussy for breakfast.” She twitched behind me. Her foot stroked my leg.
“Never stopped you before.” She undulated against me.
“Oh?” I held her arm and rolled over. Her breasts felt hot against my naked chest. It went nicely with the silky feel of her thighs as I slid my cock against them. “Do you mind if I help myself then?” She bit her lip and tried not to smile. She was more than awake but determined to feign sleep. Her lipstick had faded, but red stain remained. Aside from the disorderly mess of her long hair, she looked every bit the goddess of the night before.
“Mmnmyeah,” she muttered.
“You’re fooling no one,” I whispered against her neck. She didn’t respond.
I pushed my own hair from my face. Livvie had been playing with it before we fell asleep and I hadn’t bothered to tie it back up. It was annoying, but I traveled with a Swiss passport and it helped me look the part. I often traveled with a snowboard, though I had no idea how to use it.
I buried my face in her neck and inhaled. Her head fell to the other side, exposing her throat to me in clear invitation. Beneath me, her legs drifted open. The head of my cock missed the silk of her thighs but compromised by rubbing against the sheets. I’d get back to her heat soon—no rush. I took my time kissing the long line of Livvie’s throat. She moaned and undulated against me. Her feet found the backs of my knees and rubbed.
“That feels good,” she sighed.
“Shh, you’re supposed to be asleep. I’m having my way with you.” I used my thumb to trace her nipple until it was a hard little pebble.
“Well, could you take advantage of me a little faster?” Her arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer. Her intention to get me to suck on her nipples was obvious, but I ignored it. I’d already made reservations at a different restaurant.
“Don’t make me gag you,” I threatened. There was a non-verbal response from her, a slight tensing perhaps, but I was too otherwise engaged to think on it. I kissed and sucked my way down her chest and briefly stopped to tease her nipples with the tip of my tongue. I kept my pressure light. I didn’t suck or lave. I wanted the air to do my teasing as I continued my way south.
Livvie’s hands found their way into my hair and she grabbed handfuls of it. It hurt. I decided I might have to cut it if she was going to use it as makeshift handlebars. Then again, I couldn’t blame her. I loved grabbing hold of her hair too. I decided payback would be more fun (and no one even had to die, which was a bonus).
Finally, I decided if she wanted me to pick up the pace, I would. I had waited too damn long already. I reached for her hands and disentangled her fingers from my hair.
“Let’s put these somewhere a little less dangerous,” I whispered against her taut belly. Holding one hand on either side of her hips, I pinned them there and shifted myself toward her pussy. I put my mouth on her without hesitation.
“Caleb!” she cried out. She pressed her feet into the mattress and pushed away from my mouth. I tugged her back down by her wrists and continued my assault on her clit.
I moaned against her. I loved the way she writhed on my face and I could already feel her getting slick. I traced her inner lips with my tongue. It wasn’t long before she was using my grip on her wrists and her feet in the mattress to leverage herself closer. She wanted me to put my tongue inside her… and I would, when I was good and fucking ready. In the meantime, I enjoyed the smell and taste of her. Some men don’t eat pussy. I think those men are pussies.