Typical Fire, an a dirty job fanfic

246 Typical Fire

Typical Fire

Steve Wayze

The Bohemian

Concept Ore

Texas

Concept Ore Publishers

Lavon, 75166

Texas, U.S.A.

This is a work of fiction. The events described here are imaginary; the settings and characters are fictitious and not intended to represent specific places or living persons.

Published simultaneously worldwide.

Printed in the United States of America

Book design by Onyii Ezeagabu II

ISBN: 9798606984633

Tonia, for your patience with a Bohemian king.

Chapter One

He took another sip of the content in his cup, musing over the thoughts that had recently been bugging him. He had undone his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to the elbow. Everywhere he turned to for investment had a wall. Everyone he turned to, had a lot of advice to give but no expenditure to make. He felt frustrated, and this drink in his hand seemed to be doing a great job at drowning his sorrows. Or so he thought. For some reason, his gaze traced the door, swinging open and shut every time another person came through. His gaze stayed momentarily on the swinging door, standing on a wall, and a thought came to him. He'd been meeting walls everywhere he turned to for help. Meanwhile, all he needed was a door, a door that would open to him.

He signed over to the bar bartender, paid him, and left. Liam stepped into the night, his thought stayed on the door and the wall, thinking there was something about the two objects. As would be for many men and women when they ponder on a thought, his eyes fixed momentarily on every door and wall he passed. Hands in pocket, he strolled through the busy streets of New York, Liam began to draw understanding in the peculiar fact of the positions of walls and doors. Alas! In a moment of eureka, it dawned on him that there was not a wall without a door. 'Oh, my goodness!' he shouted, clasping his mouth quickly to contain himself, 'no door stands on its own. Without a wall, there can't be any door. Shit, that means, for every challenge I face, an opportunity lies within it. He was ecstatic at this comforting thought. Liam looked around to see if anyone was watching him, a wide grin splayed across his face.

This moment renewed the view on the horizon of his life. Admittedly, it is easier to imagine, he thought. He saw the thrills of believing as the feeling one got in the hands of the one you craved daily to see because you missed them. Liam was useless, and he would compare his desire for success with his lust for a woman he'd want to be aroused by her scent and intoxicated by her taste. The kind of feeling which precedes love-making to the one you'd had a crush. Which causes so much tension, so that a man would've barely inserted then need to slow down, lest he climaxed early, and be an unfulfilling man. In the hands of such heavenly, imaginations for a good life are more extensive, and briefly forgotten the troubles are. Liam was like such a man, worried about how to find his bearing in life—searching for greener pastures yet seeming never to get close enough to the right opportunity. Liam didn't think he was the average regular guy with an ordinary idea. Just that he had no understanding why he couldn't make it, yet, in a capitalist country, as his. One thought was definite; new billionaires were in the making daily, and millionaires were coming from have nots. Liam made a turn as he came to his poorly lit street. He was as broke as any average, start-up visionary; having a great idea never put food on any table. The need to scale his concept over the ledges of opportunity was more important. "Hey Bruce!" he saluted a kid sitting on the slab by the door to the building, which housed his apartment.

"Hey Liam!" the kid responded as they bumped fists.

Good just hadn't happened for him yet, and he could not fathom why, but now he had a new motivation. He didn't have much, but he had his girlfriend, Stacy. She was to die for, a red-haired girl from the Bronx. She worked hard as a marketer in a new online company called . He thought they were destined to forever after.

He pulled out his bunch of keys, selected his key, opened the door, and walked in. Many men would often cry when a girl they cherished left them. They may not wail and call boyfriends over to sympathize with them. Still, in their closets, they could sit, feeling depressed, loathing life, and having that feeling they'd vehemently deny. The sense of rejection, abandonment, and been defeated overwhelming them. Especially when they think she was "the one." Mostly when it's obvious another guy helped send them packing. That meant the guy had something which they didn't. The guy would have shown them their shortcomings. He hoped what he had with Stacy was a healthy relationship because healthy relationships make men appear a lot more matured and responsible. If that went with the wind... like it did, probably more than twice In Liam's life, he'd most likely move on. Women were attracted to his light but soon found his view to be too distant to their present realities and were gone.

The sense worse than that of a man taking your woman was that feeling you get when a girl leaves you right after you lose a high paying job.

Liam flopped on his bed, kicking off his shoes. His pillow felt lumpy, he fluffed it. His thoughts continued, a woman leaving after one lost a high paying job hurts more because now, you think that she was probably in love with yours and not with you. You may initially, want to deny it, then you resent it and finally accept it. Resenting the realization of such downgrade happening to you. Oh boy, can that dawn hurt!? Because the reality entails you may not have been as hot as you thought you were. That's when it hits at the guts of your pride, and chokes on your self-esteem.

Stacy was the type of girl who had been interested in the high-spirited life. He always felt like she knew what she wanted in life. They did everything together, doing pots in vast quantities; he even taught her to wrap her first vial. Thinking of weeds, he sat up, taking a minute to adjust his drunk mind. Before going to get his half-smoked blunt. They both believed in God, loved the stories from the Bible. The life lessons it had always held meaning to Liam, and he wasn't religious, just spiritual. He believed that if one thought they believed in nothing, they still believed in something, for nothing is always something; nothing is infinite like God.

Liam came over to Dallas from New York, in 2006 in search of a wall that had his door. Life in New York had been full of pressure. His debt profile had become continued rising. He couldn't meet up with anything, no matter how hard he tried. He figured it was time for some fresh air.

He sat behind his single desk, pen in hand, as he scribbled his thoughts. For his dream, he envisioned having an entertainment business that would run five necessary departments. There would be the publishing department for his magazines, books, and those sorts of things. There would be the audio recording department for music and spoken word production. There would be the arts, video and photography department in short form, the A.V.P. department; for movies, plays, documentaries and stuff like that. He would have a merchandising unit to produce branded materials from acts and arts that would be created out of the production departments. Finally, he would have a marketing department responsible for the promotion of the arts and artists produced by the A.V.P. and sound departments. They could promote sales through events, raves, jamborees, and likes. Before moving, he had weighed his options between several cities. He could start an acting career to raise capital. But what were his chances of even making it as an actor? He thought, dreading the clogged L.A. market.

Moreover, homelessness, in California, was on a steady rise due to the influx of actor wannabes. He wanted to bring change to things like the same actors being recycled in several movies and plays, making their faces boring the more times you watched them. The way they talked all stuck through the different characters they acted. Meanwhile, there was never enough work for the masses to act. The more he deliberated L.A., the less he wanted to go there. Besides, wasn't he just a flick away from being homeless himself? He shivered at the thought of being caught in the web of rat race going on in there. Not forgetting, California would probably be as boisterous as New York, and he needed to step away from the maze of life in the megacity. Moving away from the big players, to a place where he could learn to play first would be the best place to start his company. But where could that be? So, no L.A.! Sorry, maybe next life.

Then he began thinking of Atlanta. At first, it was all exciting, the new frontier of entertainment was there. While he considered the cost of living in the city and fantasized about the possibilities of him surviving in Atlanta. While days were still counting, and procrastination lingered, a friend of his suddenly called. It had been a long time since they lost contact, his name was Sammy. A city police officer out in Dallas, Texas. Perfect!

"Hey Liam, what's up?" he asked, sounding excited.

"Am alright, where've you been, and how's Texas?"

"I can't complain, it's been exciting."

"Well, lucky you, I can't say the same about myself."

"Hey, how's New York?"

"Same old, same old! Only the Yankees make it better." He said, bursting with excitement. Liam could virtually feel Sammy's energy through the phone. It was pathetic, how could he be so excited in these dire times? Who does that? Liam wondered to himself.

Liam looked around for his cigarette wrappers while listening to Sammy chatter on about his adventures and hiplife. Liam found the pack of cigarette wrappers on his old reading table, by the window. They weren't reachable from where he was sitting. Liam got up, walked over to the window to get the pack. Took a seat at the reading table, took out the bag of weed he had in his shirt pocket, and began cleaning out the seeds and sticks while listening to Sammy. Sammy's excited chatter continued to resonate through the phone speakers.

"So how long did you spend there?" Liam asked, about Sammy's mentioned tour with the military, over in Iraq for peacekeeping.

"About eight months, I got back a month ago," he replied, then proceeded to tell him all about his adventures in Iraq.

Liam took out some more weed, cleaned out the seeds, trimmed the trees, had them lined into the cigarette wrappers, and rolled up his joint. He looked about for his lighter, which was on the bed. Stretched towards it, picked it up, struck the ignition chamber, and set his weed on fire. He inhaled his first drag of the day, held in the smoke for a minute, then exhaled slowly. At the second drag, a feeling of calm instantly swept through his body from the pleasure felt. Sammy had said something about meeting some foreign officers and hooking up with them during his tour, "Sure!" Liam said, "I guess for a Texan that could mean so much."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said, "You're in the heart of the world."

"Exactly!" Liam replied.

He and Sammy had met in elementary school, and they'd instantly become best of friends. Sammy was one of his closest friends. He had also been a member of his toddler unit.

Sammy and his parents had relocated to Texas when they were in middle school. However, they continued calling each other and stayed relevant to themselves throughout the years. As they talked on, Liam's thoughts drifted to why he never joined any of the forces. He always wanted to but just didn't. After college, he got his first job and just forgot all about it. He had worked for four years at his first job. When his father died, he left his job and relocated to be with his mom for some time. Now, he felt like moving on, and there was pressure on him to leave New York City.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that Texas was somewhere he'd never given a thought to relocating to. Sammy's call just struck the bell. So, he gave it a shot… "Sammy, sorry to cut you short…" he apologized. Sammy was in the middle of talks about his trip to Dubai for a vacation. Still, Liam's situation had started feeling critical. Moreover, all Sammy's tales of merry did was stoke his desire for something better in life.

"I got some gold at the Burj Khalifa..." he was saying when Liam interrupted.

"Wow! That's cool! So sorry to cut you off, hey am thinking of relocating out of New York and I was wondering if Texas would be suitable for me to get into and startup."

"Okay," Sammy paused for a second to think, "When you say, 'startup,' what do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, wouldn't it be a thing of great opportunity for me to live in the same state as my man?" Silence… "I'm thinking of relocating out of New York, leave Queens. The thing is I was considering moving to another state."

Sammy paused for a while, "Well, it all depends on your plans," he said. "What are your plans?"

"I would like to set up an entertainment business, I think New York is over congested and when I thought of Cali and Georgia, the same, the same. Filled with heavy money bags, competition with them would be an instant murder of my dreams. D.O.A. things."

"And you think Texas is the best place for you?" he asked, sounding skeptical.

"There's little competition compared to New York or L.A, but it's the only true emerging entertainment seat across the U.S. I mean think about it."

"True!" said Sammy, "There's a lot of hint on the Texan migration boom, but I don't think this place would be the best place to start an entertainment business," he replied. "Still yet, it's your life and plans you're talking about. If you've got your stacks, you can cut your slacks."

Liam understood Sammy, he was trying to know if Liam had enough money to take care of himself in Texas. He took another drag on the weed, content that Texas would be the right place to step into. He exhaled, puffing out some smoke and told him, "Slacks and stacks... but I think Texas, right now, may have the most potential for an upcoming principal like me to have a shot. I will need to raise capital, that's for sure."

Sammy was quiet, and the silence seemed to drag for a while. Then he replied, "Well, how do you think you're going to raise capital?"

Liam felt he needed to at least get him to buy into him, so he said, "I honestly don't have cash capital, but I have ideas…"

"Hahaha!" bellowed Sammy, "Seriously?" he quizzed him.

"Honest to God!" Liam exclaimed, feeling uncomfortable, as he usually got when trapped into explaining how he was going to start a business, broke.

"What's your confidence built on?" asked Sammy.

"I don't know, bro; I'm just going to give it my best shot."

Sammy was silent again, Liam wanted to say something, but held on a minute. If he got encouraged, after confessing to not having capital, that meant he could be looking at staying with Sammy for a while.

"Hey, I think I might as well say all the best and see you in Dallas when you get around to it…" said Sammy. He wasn't taking the bait.

So Liam decided to be forward, "Yeah, thanks, and I hope you already know I could be at your house for a minute. At least, until I pick up." Liam had to take the bull by the horn, the best he could do was get a no.

"Well, like I said earlier, I don't think this is the best place to venture into a business that's not servicing oil or serving tacos and steaks. But, if you still want to go on and give it a try, no problem," said Sammy.

Liam was excited at the ray of light. "There's no loss in trying!" he said.

"Well, I will be in New York for my sister, Mary's wedding next weekend. You should come over, and we can catch up on some old gist," he said.

"Really! so she also in New York!?" Liam asked gleefully at the thought of Sammy's nice sister Mary getting married. "That's some good news, and I should see you then," he added. Goddamit! He thought. He and Mary had had a brief fling, which led to her first kiss, back in junior high. She had also let him suck her breast one day when he had checked up on Sammy, and no one was home. She'd told him Sammy had gone for a quick errand and would be right back. Then he decided to wait for him. She was watching a movie all by herself. He sat down close to her on their grey colored, three-seater, settee. He sat on one end, and she was positioned on the other end, with a throw pillow tucked between her chubby thighs. He always thought she was gorgeous. With short dark hair, sipping on something that had looked like apple juice. He remembered that day vividly, about how she had red shorts on and a white Mat'nati design sports bra. They had her nipples poking through the tight, stretch fabric. He noticed she had a bottle of nail paint in her left hand, as she stared at the vast standing, flat-screen T.V. they'd bought two years prior, during black Friday sales. "Hey!" he motioned to her. She looked at him, with a slight frown on her face. "You seem to be painting your nail…"

"Mm-mm," she replied.

"Would you like me to paint them for you?" he offered her. She knew he was an artist; his women all did, and that was something they, at least, admired.

"Well, I was hoping Tina would come by to help me. But that bitch ain't been here, two hours after she'd said she would be by in a minute. I'm sure that raggedy boyfriend of hers has her hooked up to something," she blabbed.

He chuckled, Tina was her bestie, they were inseparable, but the girl was the opposite version of Mary. Tina was skinny, and Mary was chubby, and in terms of beauty, Mary held the torch to that end. Tina, however, was that girl you just had to notice because she demanded attention. Mary, on the other hand, always found a way to sneak out of the room or make herself irrelevant. She was a bit shy and reserved, maybe even lacking in self-esteem. They began talking as he sat close to her, took the bottle of nail paint, and pulled up her legs to start working on her toenails. She looked at him puzzled, then adjusted herself to give him space. He couldn't remember exactly how, but she ended up having her legs all up on his laps, and he was tempted. From painting her toenails, he began caressing her feet. After a while of massaging her feet, he slid his hand up. He began to rub the underparts of her legs. He touched her thighs until he made contact with the hem of her shorts. Liam looked up at her face to take his cue on whether to proceed or not. She pretended to be asleep like she hadn't noticed his hand's so far. So, he said, "I like the softness of your skin."

She opened her eyes, looked down at his brown hand, now sliding into her shorts, towards her undies. She replied, "Yeah? Mm-mm, too bad I'm in my period," she smiled, cocking her head against her left shoulder for emphasis of pity.

'Damn!' he thought. But still played it cool and continued his caress till he contacted some hair from the area around Mary's vagina. He felt the edge of the pad she had on. Unfazed, he rubbed the areas above the vagina line. Suddenly, she said, "Oh my, do you want blood on your hands?"

"Not on my hands, just on the dance floor," he joked. Mary didn't find it funny. Liam still had the bottle of paint in his other hand. He set the bottle down, slid up closer to her, and boldly lifted the hem of her sports bra, revealing her boobs. Liam touched one of her breasts, then let his hand rest on it and began to caress them with one hand. Rubbing her nipples like he was inquisitive and wanted to find out what would happen. Ever so gentle, going from one breast to the other. He pulled her up by the hands to come to sit on his laps. She got up and moved over to him. When seated, she placed her head on his shoulder. Her hands made their way over his neck as he took up her left breast and gently placed the nipples between his lips. She pulled his head closer and rubbed his head as he sucked on her nipples. The doorbell rang, and they jumped at the alarm, quickly adjusting themselves, as she got up to open the door for Sammy. Finding such an opportunity or a better one would elude him forever after that because they relocated out of town three weeks after that day. Now she was getting married, and he didn't even know she'd moved back north.

It had been six months since he moved to the state of Texas, he still hadn't lifted off his business plans. What he thought was going to be easier now seemed harder for reasons. He was a stranger in Dallas; he had no business friends, he wasn't a member of any society, and he had no money. However, it didn't matter now; he only hoped to find in Dallas some turfs of greener pastures. Liam took to the streets, doing menial jobs, a true bohemian with his arts and expressions.

Sammy lived in a two-bedroom apartment, so he'd let Liam up in one of the rooms. At the same time, he stayed in the other room with his pregnant girlfriend, who was an undergrad at UT Dallas.

Sammy was a burly bulk of flesh, and Liam fondly called him Zangief. Because he reminded him of Zangief, the Nintendo Street Fighter character. At six-five, Sammy stood a towering figure. He remembered how his palm had been engulfed in Sammy's, one time they'd had a squabble during their elementary days. Not that Liam was so small himself. He was just a five-nine who backed down for nobody and would never allow any human size to intimidate him. Even if he was scared of his opponent, he was too street tough to chicken out of a good fight. Just the New Yorker in him. So, they had squabbled and disagreed and ended up tussling and shoving themselves about. During the whole brouhaha, his hand caught in Sammy's. In dismay at how Sammy's hand had totally wrapped his, he stopped fighting and began laughing at such an astonishing sight.

Thinking about it, that was probably his first consciousness of how different in proportion the human body parts could be, one person to another. As mentioned earlier, Liam came to Dallas penniless, having nothing but his plans. He understood presentation and marketing, so he took his spray paint can and went about the city of Dallas, spraying graffiti of his advertisement on the wall. Advertising his T-shirt branding and customization business. His target location was the university community in Richardson, which was close to their home. Three days later, he got his first business call from a student who'd seen his graffitied advert.

Sammy had not been home in a while; two girls had called in pregnant with his kids at the same time. One of the women was his colleague from work, a dispatch officer. The other, a Nigerian doctor he met while in Iraq. The very tour he had been excited about the day, they reconnected on the phone. She had come to the United States after her trip, they both reunited. Sammy suddenly got entangled in a triangle of expectancies. This very woman had gotten in trouble with her superiors after they became close in Iraq. When her superiors found out she was dating a foreigner during her mission, she was suspended. Partly out of jealousy that she had landed an American officer. His mission's duty ended, and he returned home. However, when she got back to her country, the heat turned up some notches more. Then, acting like a nice person, who wanted to help her escape the drama her government was bringing her way, Sammy invited her over to the United States. So, she came, and after a few nights of celebrating their reunion, she announced her pregnancy. But of course, Sammy was not having any of it, he was not willing to father her child, he only wanted the sex she provided. Period!

The two pregnant girls drove him crazy with their demands. Meanwhile, his girlfriend was oblivious to the other two pregnant girls. These all made him edgy and mad. He, therefore, decided to run from the neighborhood and relocate to the calmer city of Irving, sleeping in his car and since it was summer, bathing in public bathrooms.

His absence from home just made things a little bit tougher for Liam, who barely earned. Sammy's lease was also almost over, and if he was not coming back to renew it, that would be terrible for Liam.

One night, Sammy came back home with a male colleague of his, Donnie, from the same Dallas police unit. They were slightly inebriated and high on weed. Donnie was a smaller guy of about five-six tall, but he commanded respect, at least until you drew close to him. He suffered an embarrassing body odor. They invited Liam to hang out with them. On the way, Donnie started talking about picking up girls for the night. He said he knew a place where some pimps ran some girls. They headed out there, stopped at a pub, ordered a few drinks, got some steak and soup to go. Then got back in the car, and Liam rolled up three vials of weed. He handed one, each, to the officers, lit his up, and began to smoke. Soon some girls came walking into the gas station across from the pub. Donnie nudged Sammy to attention. "Hey!" Donnie hollered at them, "Come o'er here," he beckoned.

The two girls in high heels and short skirts came strolling towards the men. One was a bit overweight, while the other was skinny. Both didn't look like they had any bras on, and their tops were clinging enough to reveal their nipples. The guys began to banter at their cost until they agreed on a price. Liam, who was too broke to get a prostitute, sat quietly at the back of the car. So, one was for Donnie, and the other was for Sammy. There was a catch to the entire treat, by the way, Donnie needed a favor from Sammy. He had never been on a peacekeeping mission. Since Sammy had been to one, Donnie needed the one-o-one scope as to the requirements for enlisting and getting selected. His mission, therefore, was to make Sammy happy so that he could link him. Liam understood that Sammy was a corrupt cop who often smoked marijuana with a citizen.

When they got home, Liam went into his room, hoping to catch some sleep while the other two dug into their booty. Just when he was about to snooze off, one of the girls pushed his door open and flopped beside him on the bed, saying she didn't want to sleep with Donnie. Liam said, "Wait a minute, I'm not the one paying you, I didn't call you."

She just responded, "I've been paid, but I'm not going to sleep with that fool."

Just then, Sammy walked in with Donnie and the other girl. Donnie was furious like it was Liam's fault she had left his side. Liam tried to see his face in the semi-dark room but couldn't see his face. A weed high and fucking drunk officer was someone he didn't want to get involved with. Now, although Liam was conscious of them, he felt no worries because he had neither called nor desired the girl who came and flopped herself by his side, on the bed.

The peacekeeper wanna-be cop looked at Sammy and said, "Tell her to come back to the room with me, or I'm going to beat her up this night," Donnie threatened.

Liam could not see her face, but he'd swear you could feel the tremor of hatred in her voice when she replied to him, saying, "Ain't scared o' you, you'd be the one to run." No matter what they did, she insisted she wasn't going to fuck the police.

The argument heated up, Sammy started hushing everyone and begging for calm. Since the other girl had also joined in the rant at the threat of Donnie, that he was going to beat up the girl he chose. The whole room had become chaotic. All the while, Liam lay half down on his bed. His upper body weight resting on his elbow while he deeply considered the situation.

No matter what happened, despite the persuasion for the girl to go with Donnie, she refused. Then, Liam suggested, however meekly, that the other girl should just go in with him. To which, they all suddenly cheered in agreement. The girl who had come running to Liam went outside to smoke some weed with Sammy, while the other girl that was with Sammy went in with Donnie. They were not gone for two minutes before Sammy's girl, who had gone in with Donnie, screamed, "If you come near me, I swear I'm gonna break your head with this lamp." Next, she took hold of the bedside lamp and was ready to pull it out.

At the noise, Liam, who was already half-asleep, woke up again. He heard Sammy's voice trying to calm them down, incredibly humiliated Donnie. Just at that moment, the 'Sammy's girl,' opened Liam's door, and flopped herself beside him. In his mind, he was like, 'why are these fucking bitches trying to bring me into their drama?'

Then Sammy, Donnie, and the first girl opened the door, came into the room and. All stood at the foot of the bed. Sammy was holding Donnie by the hand, trying to calm him. He led him out of the room, telling him it was all okay. The first girl came over to her friend on the bed, and they hugged themselves tightly. While Liam just sat up, wishing they could all just leave the room so he could catch some sleep. Then it occurred to him that he didn't even know why there was a commotion in the house. He got curious and wanted to see why the girls were rejecting Donnie. So, he asked, "Why are you guys not willing to fuck him?"

The second girl answered, "He has a terrible body odor."

He guffawed, spluttering unexpectedly, "really!?" He looked at the girls in unbelief, if someone else told him he might have taken it differently. It felt strange hearing now, especially since it was coming from girls who slept with every other stranger. Even at any given whim and place, once the price was right. He did not know when he asked them, "Is it that bad?"

"Mm-mm!" they chorused.

Meanwhile, he could still hear Sammy calming Donnie outside his room. All the time talking to him in a soothing voice. Afraid that he would start something that could wake their neighbors to the scandalous story of girls, notoriously famous for being boisterous when agitated.

Seeing Sammy and Donnie gone, the girls felt more comfortable, took space besides Liam, to relax. They urged him to move in a bit to accommodate them. Honorable as he was, he simply complied and made room for them. It was three in the morning, where would they have gotten transportation home anyway. Sammy came back into the room a few minutes later, blankets in hand. He spread them out on the floor, flopped on it without saying a word to anybody, and dozed off. Several minutes went by, Sammy began snoring.

Suddenly, the first girl, who happened to be closest to Liam on the bed, reached out her hands for him. He felt her hand groping as she touched his shirtless chest. Blood flowed through his veins, and the hairs on his body stood in response. She reached through the waistband of his boxer's shorts for his penis. Feeling the hardening organ throb in her hand. She ran her hands over his body, tracing her fingers on his chest. She made circular motions around his nipples and discovered it back down to his penis. Hot blood flowed into his penis, and he became fully erect. She smiled in the dark, not minding her colleague. Still holding his throbbing penis, she bent down to it, flicked her tongue around it, in circular motions, licking the shaft up then gently down. He moaned, at the sound of his acknowledging the pleasure, she covered his penis with her mouth, pushing down until she gagged on him. She pulled back up, letting his penis slide out of her mouth as she began to blow him. He shut his eyes tight as the sensation swept through his body.

After what seemed like an eternity to Liam, she rose from blowing him. Using the back of her hand, she wiped her mouth in the semi-darkness. Then she went in for what seemed like a cuddle, pressing her head against his chest, then moving up and pushing her breasts against his chest to encourage him to feel her body. The warmth of the contact from her breasts stoked his feelings. He was awash with the desire to fuck her into nuts. Wasting no time, she positioned herself above him, slid down to his legs, took hold of his shorts at the waist, and pulled it down to take it off. She crawled back to position, taking hold of his penis, she took a rubber from her partner, who he'd thought was asleep and deftly guided it over his penis. He reached for her breasts, squeezing them gently. Half rising, he placed her nipples between his lips and front teeth then nibbled. She gasped, enjoying the feeling of pleasure mixed with pain. Taking one of his hands, she guided him to her vagina. He started stroking her labia until he felt her moistening, he dipped his finger into her vagina. She let out a suppressed moan, enjoying his touch.

He sat up, pushing further into the bed until his back was against the wall. He reached for her, pulling her up to a seating position. Once she got up, she caressed and kissed his neck, the back of his ears. Her miniskirt was still up around her waist, so he unbuttoned it and pulled it off her. She sat astride him, lifted her butt, and sat back down, taking all his penis in her. She ground on him for a few minutes in that position, then he got her to stand on all fours. He got behind her and pushed himself into her dripping vagina. While he was still at it, he felt her friend's hand rubbing his back and knew he indeed had a ménage situation at hand.

Being gentlemanly would not help calm the wildness he felt at that moment. He was lucky to have gone from the one who had no girl for the night, to be the one with the two girls, per pro bono. Sammy's snore rang through the room.

The next morning, Liam was the first to wake up. Rising early to get in some more sex before the guys would wake up, but to his surprise, the girls were gone. He figured they must have fled to avoid confrontation with Donnie. He quickly got up, went to his reading table to check for his wallet, it was there. He did not have much in it, but for his driver's license, credit, and debit cards. So, the very little he had in his wallet was precious. He woke Sammy up with the news of the girls' disappearance, and when Sammy also had checked to ensure his wallet was also intact, he went to his room to check on Donnie. After checking to be sure all things were okay and intact, they set about the day's activities.

Throughout the remainder of the weekend, Sammy and Donnie were unto Liam over the girls. Obviously, Donnie had overhead them moaning and having sex. It tore him that someone else was enjoying what he'd paid for, but the shame of his humiliation held him back from bursting into that room and doing the damage. It was not Liam's fault that what Donnie had paid for, and not had, Liam got free of charge. He reasoned he could argue that he never invited anybody into his room. Their girls chose him. Therefore, he was offended by their offense. Throughout the rest of their stay, they sidelined him off their activities. They either left him behind when they went out or picked on him when he finally went out with them. They tried their best to make his weekend miserable. Through it all, he remained calm and respected himself. His worst fear was that they had guns, and he did not. They were the true definition of tough-skinned friends.

Thus, became their new routine, they would come in late from hanging out, Sammy would lay low to avoid any of his baby mammas catching him. Donnie grumbling over the humiliating weekend and money that he'd wasted. The blame was now on Liam for sleeping with the girls after their refusal to sleep with Donnie. Donnie made it seem Liam plotted with the girls to take over from him. Liam thought, if that gave him a little boost of self-value, then he was okay with the blames.

At the end of that weekend, on Monday, as they were heading back to work in downtown Dallas, Liam decided to go into the city with them. To scout businesses, distribute some fliers, hang out at the art district, and probably buy some art materials. The unusual thing about his advertisements being that they had no address, just his phone number, and e-mail address. Squatting, he'd designed it like that in case he had to move, with or without notice. One could never tell the outcome of the days ahead, he'd reasoned. Whoever had his fliers had his number, e-mail address, and mostly what he advertised as his specialty. He had no car, and he only had enough money on him for a one-way ride to or back from downtown Dallas. Therefore, his decision to hitch in Sammy's car. When he got into the car to ride with them, however, Sammy turned back his head from his seat at the wheels, and asked, "Where do you think you're going to?"

"Downtown… Dallas?"

"In my car?"

"What do you mean, 'in your car'?"

"Listen, Liam, you may go to town if you want to, but not with me."

Sammy's words shocked Liam. He tried to process the situation, so he asked, "Hey, what's up, man?" he asked Sammy. Why are you talking like this?"

In Liam's head, he quickly figured it would be immature of them to have stayed pissed over the other night, given all their persecutions throughout the weekend. Being careful not to bring that up, he pulled at the door handle, paused to be sure he wasn't being pranked. "Sammy!" he asked him for the last time, "Are you really asking me to step out of your car?"

Without mincing a word, Sammy turned to him, eyes flared, and replied, "I didn't have water in my mouth when I spoke, get outta my car… fool!" he said, massaging his chin and his jaw, like some chief gangster, picking invincible acnes. While his left hand just sat on the steering wheel. "It's not my responsibility to get you where you're going," he muttered.

Donnie was grinning cheek to cheek. Happy Liam was getting the punishment equal to his' at last and in as much a humiliating way. He acted as though he paid no attention to them. Keeping his gaze on his window side and never taking it off there during the completely awkward moment. Liam waited a few seconds more to see if it was really a prank. But then, Sammy repeated himself, "Liam, didn't you hear what I just said? Get out of my car!" he bellowed at Liam.

Liam opened the door, got out of the car, and shut the door behind him. He then stood there, watching while they drove away. A feeling of rejection seared through his heart, hurting him so much as he watched them, leaving him behind. He'd assured himself that it was just some expensive jokes, but it was not. The moment became intensely emotional for him. The whole drama was childish, he thought. He wanted to act sharp and nonchalant. Instead, some lone tears moistened his left eye and dripped down his cheek. He did not even know where that slipped out from, and it dumbfounded him. He walked up the short, flight of stairs, back into the house and for the rest of the week allowed himself to go from feeling miserable at the humiliation from a childhood friend, to feeling betrayed, then feeling sorry for himself, feeling confused at his life to finally feeling strong. He was hungry and growing skinnier daily. All he had was the miserable five-dollar bill that would have brought him back from Dallas, downtown. Going into town without an assured means of earning instantly was such a high risk, he canceled the option every time it came to mind.

Having again, as always, resolved to be dominant at having a positive mental attitude with life, he went back to his dreams. In the power of his hopes and aspiration, he found comfort. He was going through life, in search of his bearings, he would find it, he believed. He had his resolutions mapped out in a journal he had kept since the year two thousand. Six years earlier, this journal was like his beacon in times of challenges. When there seemed to be no hope, he'd browse through the pages, comforting himself in the clarity of his ideas and plans, wishing that they already were. However, the circumstances were always looking bleak, uncertain, and challenging. Thereby making his dreams seem more like wishes than aspirations. Right now, he was at rock bottom. Still, he dared to hope. Yet, he stubbornly believed. He flipped open the pages and read his notes.

The words 'It is said that seed would not grow out as a plant, except it died and decayed its nutrients into the soil,' was the first sentence he read. Liam spent the rest of the week in pure bohemian rhapsody, making elaborate paintings, smoking pots, and writing poems to express his hurting heart.

On the following Sunday morning, he gathered up his beautiful suits, cravats, and shoes, put them together, and took them to the church, where he donated them. He had made up his mind to embrace his rock bottom situation. At this point, he only had a few tees and jeans pants, he felt light and relieved.

Same Sunday afternoon, he got a knock on the door; it was this chap who had received his flier some time ago. His girlfriend's birthday was just days away, and he was interested in making some customized birthday tops. Though the profit was meager, Liam earned enough to transport him to town and back, just what he needed. He was plagued by a determination to dust poverty from off himself, regardless of his surroundings. The more he meditated on his station, the more fired he felt regarding the need to change his situation. His guess was that this new level of determination brought an aura around him that could attract the positive energy required for making progress in life.

Then came the Monday, following the Sunday when he had gone to donate his cute clothes and shoes at the church. He got up early and headed out to town, full of spirit. Liam was dressed in blue jeans pants and a cute red polo top, which had a customized graffiti styled logo at its front. Dangling from a chain around his neck was a sixteen-gigabyte flash drive, which was habitually on him, whenever he went far from the house. This flash drive served in case Liam needed to do anything with a computer or had information to store on the go. He's not having a good phone or computer necessitating a grab-info-on-the-go kind of attitude towards surviving.

He got to downtown Dallas after the forty minutes train ride. He got off the train, then went for a cab that would take him to the art district where he would get his materials. As he walked the streets, he could smell the sweet aroma of cooked food that filled the air at Harry Hines Boulevard, the place where he boarded the cab. The cab rolled up and down the slight slopes as they rode from the turn, through turns and slow morning traffic of humans and cars moving and parked. In contrast, morning shoppers tried to shop through the open fruit market stalls, to the area where the arts, crafts, and prints market was located. He got off, paid the cabbie, and headed for the art shops.

He got to the regular shop where he bought materials from. A lady, whose name was Juliet got chatty after customary shopper-buyer pleasantries. She was a black woman with a bronze-toned complexion, and deep dark happy eyes. A five-three woman, who looked nothing less than thirty-six years old. She wore very light make-up and quickly reminded him of how beautiful a woman could still look with barely any make-up on. As she spoke, she exuded a natural grace and a genuinely charming personality. One would note a very charismatic woman, indeed. Her friend sat with her, and they had been having a good conversation from the hype in their voices.

Now, Liam had a new mental attitude after the last confrontation with his friends. He had powerful antennas up for excellent opportunities. So it was, that she probably always spotted the flash drive around his neck, the few times he'd been there to shop. Because she asked, "Why do you always have that around your neck when you come shopping? Are you a computer programmer?" smiling.

He lifted his head from the item in his head, which he had been reading, looked around, and realizing she referred to him. He smiled and walked closer to her while answering, "my literacy with the computer is a mostly social network thing. Actually, more internet-related, and this flash drive is for collecting photographs and articles that interest me for my planned magazine and Facebook posts." He did not want to mislead her in case she had any higher cause for the interest.

She then told him, "I'm sponsoring my nephew to school in Malaysia in Asia. He will be controlling a business out in Asia, I think he'll need a good level of computer skills which he lacks right now. Could you please be his coach?"

"Where are you from?" he asked her.

"New Jersey, why my accent different?" she replied.

"Yes, you don't drawl."

"Ah I see. You don't sound like you're from here either."

"Yeah, I'm from New York," he said, posing on the northern kin folk ship.

"So, can you coach my nephew on surfing the internet and working basic computer skills? So, when he gets over to Asia, he would have the skills to lean on as his part-time thing. Alternatively, his basic get a rich quick access key."

"Why not," he answered, "I don't think it's illegal to teach anybody something useful." It seemed to him like he was getting closer to a possible paycheck, he reckoned to teach her nephew would be great for his current situation. He later felt disturbed; after she opened up to him that she thought it would be a waste of time for her nephew to do any other thing but make quick money.

He was going through a shit hole of time, it stunk, and he was hungry as hell. She called on the phone and sent for her nephew to come over from the branch he managed. She introduced them, and they all began discussing his training modalities. Liam scheduled his coaching hours and wages. She accepted, and he started right away. Going to a public computer café, they started his classes.

He had three weeks to teach the chap, then it would be time for him to leave the country for Malaysia. He would need to learn as much as Liam could offer in a short period of time. His aunt was happy and impressed with the arrangements he had made. On the day Liam came to get his first check, the lady offered him a job with the store as the IT support guy. It was not going to pay much, just about thirty thousand annually. Liam accepted immediately, but as time went by, his duties spread to taking stocks, managing one of the stores, and providing brand enhancement. More money started coming in.

He did not stop planning his own business, though. Since Juliet's store was an art store, he felt he would get more opportunities to work for clients who could be needing an artist. He swore to engage all sorts of arts and prints businesses, to ensure he stayed as far away from poverty as possible.

Chapter Two

Liam got home, shut the door behind him, and sat down behind his door. He had just received his first check since he came to Dallas. Juliet had found her way into his heart. Her radiance had captured his heart, and as he smoked on his weed, holding in the smoke for a minute before exhaling, he couldn't help but desire another meeting with her. The first time Liam saw her was equally similar. He couldn't stop thinking about her, even though he tried to push it out of his mind.

Sammy had been the one who took him to the store, the first time he went. He even told Sammy about how she'd made him feel, and spoke of her often for about three days, emphasizing her friendly customer service. Which ultimately had kept him going back to the store at least two more times. Throughout the period he had been coaching her nephew, he hadn't seen her again until today. To make matters sweeter, she had talked about retaining his services. Now he pondered on it, he had every reason to be around her.

He took his phone, contemplating sending her a message, the time was nine PM. 'What if her husband picked the phone and read the message?' He thought. Then, another thought struck him to write in such a way as if he was merely thanking her for the job, so he wrote:

"Thank you, ma'am, for this wonderful job opportunity. You can rest assured that your brother will be getting the best of me. Most of all, I think working with a woman as beautiful as you would make the working environment very pleasant. I truly look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

He hit the send button, acknowledging the quaver he felt while typing out his message and hoped his fear wasn't going to shine through the SMS. Taking another drag of weed, adjusting to snuggle in better on the highchair at his reading table, he acknowledged to myself that he was now on prowl to nab her. He puffed out some smoke, tapped off the loose ash into a silver ashtray, and thought he had to have Juliet.

Her husband was away on a merchant trip to Indonesia at the time. He had gone for a trade expo. He was about five-six, which, combined with his weight, made him look even shorter than he was. But he wasn't anybody's fool. He loved his wife dearly, and Juliet was also in love with him. Liam could tell in the next couple of days, by how she sang his praises, which just made him feel slightly jealous, till it became disgusting to hear her speak his praise.

It happened that just two days after he had concluded his coaching lessons with her nephew, Juliet's husband James was expected to arrive. Some of the other employees had been telling him how very temperamental James was. One said he was rash and boisterous. He didn't look forward to meeting him at the end of that description of him. A day to his arrival, Juliet called Liam and asked him to stay away from the store until she sorted things out with her husband and called him back. That evening, she paid him some extra cash for his troubles. He had a strong feeling she was letting him off but said nothing, only accepted the payment, and made his way to the train station.

It was summer, and the weather in Dallas was hot and humid, reaching about ninety-seven degrees. Hands in pocket, his backpack slung on his back, as usual, he headed towards the train station. He took a seat on the train, by the window, and gazed out tiredly. Happy to have made some money, and suddenly remembered the humiliation at the hands of Sammy and Donnie. Whose friendship, by the way, had ended, as Sammy couldn't help Donnie get the peacekeeping tour, he desired. In over two weeks, he hadn't seen Sammy. Though the weed dealer told him Sammy had been around almost every evening, for his cache of weed. That night, Liam decided not to go home directly, but to pass Sammy's girlfriend's house and see what he could learn from the environment. Liam suspected Sammy wasn't just evading the house because of the other two previously pregnant women. As the Nigerian doctor had already had the abortion, and his colleague still had access to him at the office.

The train pulled to a stop, and he got out and began walking in the opposite direction towards Sammy's girlfriend's house. He tried as much as possible to keep in the dark shades of the street, not wanting to bring drama to himself. Luckily, as he passed her house, he saw Sammy's car pulling into the apartment complex. He stood in the dark for a minute, peering to be sure it was Sammy, and behold, he emerged from the car. Unwinding his bulk, as he stepped out. He stretched himself, bent back into the car to retrieve some grocery bags. That confirmed Liam's suspicion. He marched on, strolling home happily. He knew not what tomorrow would bring, but so far so good, he was alive, well, in a sound mind, and favored of Juliet.

While waiting for Juliet to call him back, he sent her a few text messages, each new one, slightly raunchier than the previous, and the next bolder. Juliet neither replied nor called back. Until one evening, on a calm day, while coming from the gym and all sweaty, he decided to test again and this time outrightly tell her he loved her. The text read;

"I think about you often and don't know what to do about it. I guess I'd have to stop myself, but I think I'm now in love with you."

About ten minutes later, his phone rang, and it was Juliet. A cold sweat broke out, fearing she could want to reprimand him for the texts. That could mean the loss of the job he was hoping for if she wasn't digging his text messages. Instead, she asked, "How are you? And how have you been?"

He took the cue to mean he was safe of chastisement. So, he took the liberty to push his luck further, answering, "good, just that I miss you."

She was briefly silent. Then she asked Liam, "would you be willing to come in tomorrow? My husband would like you to come to help him with something on his computer."

Now he was her computer expert, he sensed her message.

"Sure, why not? Is there any specific time you'd like for me to be there?"

"At mid-day, say eleven AM would be fine. Tomorrow is Saturday, and you know we don't open until nine AM on Saturdays."

"Sure, no problem, I will be there."

"One more thing, my husband doesn't appreciate lateness."

"For sure, I'm not going to be late, but will I get to see you?" he intentionally quipped in.

She paused for another minute, then she answered, "yes! See you tomorrow and bye."

She hung up, he looked at his phone, trying to assimilate all that just went down. He could have sworn she smiled when he'd asked if he would be seeing her the next day. Oh, goodness, did she just encourage him? He thought, gleefully, leaping in the air. The thought of having her suddenly overwhelmed him. He was enraptured in the views of her, of them together, in lustfulness in sweet... sin. Her body to his, his hands all over her. Caressing her entire body and reading every bit of her skin like he'd his tax papers in braille. He longed so strongly for her; so much he had an instant semi-erection. The urge was so strong that the gas from his hormones became heat within him. Anyone close by could have smelt the scent of his pheromones. He made a turn into his street, walked the few blocks home, and headed straight to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, he stood under the shower and ran the water from cold to hot. The thought of the possibilities of having Juliet envisioned on his mind. He didn't realize his right hand had gripped his penis and he was stroking the shaft. Liam pressed shut his eyes and let the hot water drip down his back as he stepped closer to the wall. Leaning towards it for support while he stroked up and down the length of his penis until he burst out. Spaying the wall with his cum. He heaved a sincere and refreshing sigh of relief, 'Juliet,' he thought, 'it would be a pleasure to have this cock in you.'

He rinsed off the suds on his body, dried off, and went to look for dinner.

Juliet was that type of gal who kept everyone as her friend. She enjoyed having people about her. She wanted to be the Mother Theresa to their needs, the sister to their family, a perfect shoulder to lean on in times of need. And boy, did her friends take advantage of it!

There was this friend of hers who understood her personality and would always come around her. Not that others didn't 'always' come around her, but Ethel was a regular or daily fixture beside her. There wasn't a time when Ethel wasn't there. She even cooked and brought food for Juliet to eat. She was Juliet's very close confidant, but not her bestie. That would be Gladys, her all-time bestie, and the girl who stripped Juliet of her innocence. It was Gladys who showed her how being with another woman felt like. Without realizing it, deep down, Juliet, she craved a woman's touch. Then there was Sheila. Another friend of hers from her school days and she always had a crush on Juliet but hesitated to express her feelings for fear of losing Juliet's friendship. The only thing she didn't know was how much Juliet would like for another woman's touch and how much she craved it.

Time had caused Gladys and Juliet to lose touch. Still, Juliet always kept that special chamber of love for Gladys occupied so no one else could fill it. Gladys meant so much more than just a friend or sister or woman to her. She represented her first real love touch, passion, tenderness, the softness of flesh, and full, gorgeous, sensuous lips. The much Gladys could pose as was as her closest friend, at a time when the same-sex preference was forbidden at large. Although Juliet had lost her virginity to a man, the experience she had with her first woman had become sacred to her. She had even married James because Gladys had convinced her about him. Gladys understood the world they grew up in. For Juliet, on the other hand, Gladys' baptism of James was the key to Juliet accepting him. Though she would deny this, it was a psychological factor, therefore not subject to debate.

Gladys got a well-paying job as a state tax accessor. She got married to a colleague of hers whose lifestyle was sort of enjoyable to her. To keep up with her own sexual style, she would befriend and employ her girlfriends as maids. Her maids lived in, or visited, but lived in mostly. Giving Gladys access to a woman anytime she felt stimulated, without exposing herself to public critique. Of course, since she wasn't fluid, and her secret kept her satisfied, her husband suffered. As she would give all sorts of excuses to avoid sleeping with him. Until the night he resorted to raping his own wife.

She had starved him of sex for so long, it was now almost six months, and Ken, Glady's husband, was through beating his dick. He wanted some tasty old vagina, and nothing else could replace that for him that night. Soon as they both got into bed, he snuck up close to her to cuddle. But she was having none of that. Not that she might not have wanted to, but because the touch of men irritated her, and her heart was not accepting his touch.

Moreover, she'd just had an entire afternoon of heated sex with big titties Louisa, her current maid. Oh, the thought of it made her legs moisten in between. And as fast as it got wet, it instantly dried up when he said, "Gladys, come on, girl, I need you tonight."

She pretended to be fast asleep, choosing to ignore him. But he had his stiffy now pressed against her butt cheeks, and she was a full-figured woman, well endowed. When Gladys walked, her butts jiggled, the men whistled, but she paid none of them mind.

Ken was a strong man, he'd been a college footballer, and an up to date fitness geek. He caressed her neck, removing her silky black hair from her right ear, which was facing upwards, while she had her back to him. He kissed her on the neck then traced her neckline, with his hot breath. Beginning with the most tender nibble to her ear, then tracing his tongue down to her neck. She shivered at the feel of his breath but shut down. While lying down there, she couldn't help but stifle any rising feeling. He was good at what he was doing to her, but she just couldn't bring herself to sense and encourage him. Besides, all that was going to do would be to make her crave female companionship. She felt his hand stroke down her hand, the whole length from shoulder to fingers, in a gentle crawl. He was still stiff pressed against her butt, but she was committed to her role in this whole act, and her script read 'pretend to be deep asleep.'

"Gladys…" he whispered.

She wouldn't break character.

She began to feel the silk of her chiffon nightdress, move up her skin as he pulled it up, tugging gently. She caught hold of it, and thought 'mmm, he's really taking this too far.' She grumbled under her breath while making sure he could hear whatever she said. "No, please, Ken, I am tired."

"Come on now, baby, it's been a while, you know?"

"I'm not in the mood," she said. In the past, Ken would let her sleep at every excuse.

For a minute, he thought about it, about her constant rejection. Then it popped! He'd now had enough of her telling him no and giving him excuses when he craved sex. He'd had enough blue balls for the season and was now going to show her who's boss, and he was the boss. He stroked her left thigh, anticipating her response, but she pretended to be asleep or might have snoozed. His fingers trailed up, firmly tracing out her form. Her hips were one of her best features, and they drove him crazy. She still did not respond, so he pushed it a bit further, really hoping for something more this time. As his hand touched her butt, she spanked his hand and flipped it away, muttering incoherently.

That did it! He instantly dived at her breast, she thought he was still submissive to her uninterest, so she yelled, "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

He said nothing, only made grunting noises, as he clasped her right breast and began fumbling at it through the sheer material. She angrily took hold of his hand and tried to take it off her, he wouldn't budge. Fiercely, she grabbed his hand with both her hands, able to grasp only two huge fingers, but couldn't pry free. Seeing her struggle, a sudden light went off in his mind, and the light revealed how weak she felt under him. For with just one hand on her, she was subdued. He then rose in the light of this revelation. Sitting up on the bed, he leaned over her. Still struggling to remove his hands, she grunted, "put your filthy hands off of me," through clenched teeth.

"I don't have filthy hands woman, I have loving hands," he replied. "You're my wife, Gaddamit! I am not having any of these rejections of yours anymore." He pushed his hand through the top of her nightgown to access her breast and could not go through. He removed his hand, then resumed rubbing her through the sheer satin of her lingerie. He embraced her, his favor for her scent mounting passionately in him. He was fully aroused, more than he had ever experienced with her. Her resistance was magical, she struggled, bringing her knees up to hurt him with a knee kick, but he felt more energetic. It had never occurred to her that he had strength. She had always been the bully; she would shout, and he would whimper at times even. The situation was incredible. The more she struggled, the weaker her strength felt to him. He took hold of her chin and brought his lips close to her mouth, tongue out, ready to kiss her. Soon as she realized he was going to kiss her; she clenched her lips tight. He would not be deterred, he maneuvered his body, till he was positioned in front of her. Sensing he could go for her crotch, she quickly held her legs close together to deter any thought of actual sex. What she didn't know was, he was determined to have sex with her. They struggled on, she beat his chest with her fist, made to scratch his face. He quickly dodged it, knocked down her hand and pinned it above her head. She reached at his face to scratch him with her free right hand, he caught that too with his free left hand and joined it to the other pinned hand and held them in place. All she could now do was kick him, but she thought about it for a second. If she kicked him, she would be revealing her crotch. So, she shuffled in defiance, then she remembered Louisa, her maid, who was supposed to have spent the night with them. She screamed, "help! LOUISA!"

And whoop! Came the deafening blow she felt from the slap she received. She was shocked, her mind racing, this was a new man. This was a stranger she was with, her husband would never hit her, three years of marriage, and never once did he hit her. Who was this man, where did he come from and what did he want? Her mind raced these questions as she blended from one emotion to another. Combining from shock to fear, and she could never take a beating. At this point she now got it, he was not taking any of her crap anymore. Her marriage had been altered, her sexual preference was about to be abused, all because it was tabooed to be one's self and live peaceably. He pried at her legs, but she still held them close. "If you don't open, you will be getting worse than you ever got it in your life. Yet, she wouldn't oblige, he tried forcefully prying her legs apart, but she struggled some more. It was difficult for him because he had her hands pinned with his other hand, so he applied brute. He threatened her, "I am going to smack you harder than before if you don't spread them legs." Then he pretended like he was about to hit her, half waving his hand over her face. She flinched in fear, and in those nanoseconds of her response, she shifted her legs, bringing up her left knee to aid with blocking her. That was all he needed, quickly he forced his entire weight through the little space she had provided and planted himself between her. She felt overpowered.

With his free hand, he went for his pants, pushing down his PJ waistband. She never wore undies to sleep, so you could imagine how she felt when she felt his penis graze her crotch. Petrified, she looked at him, then looked away. Tears rolled out her eye. 'I am being raped,' she thought to herself.

He forcefully shoved down one of her thighs, took hold of his penis and 'tap,' 'tapped' it against her, before inserting it into her dry vagina. The dryness made it hard for him to penetrate her, so he pulled it back out. Taking his free hand to his mouth, he moistened his fingers with adequate saliva, rubbed the cap of his cock with it, and the rest on her vagina, then re-inserted his cock in her. This time it was easier to penetrate, and he began to fuck her. She was petrified, disgusted, and in pain. She felt him deep in her, and he was tender with his lovemaking, just as she had taught him, just as she liked it. For a few more minutes, he kept thrusting. Sweating profusely as a result of their opening battle. He let go of her hands, so he could grab her jiggling breast. "I hope you're enjoying it?" he asked.

She sobbed and said nothing.

"you like the feel of my cock in you, don't you?" he grunted. "You need to feel this cock in you, so you're reminded of how it feels. It's better than whoever's you've been cheating on me with," he said, still humping. I know it's that stupid boy from HR. The silly fool can't take his eyes off your butts, you've been cheating on me with him, haven't you?"

She said nothing to him, while his last words resounded in her mind. So, he had an inkling to her cheating. He just didn't know who or what she was sleeping with. Then she suddenly felt his tempo fired up, and he was done. Successfully raping her. He slumped on her, feeling fulfilled. She shoved him off her, got off the bed, and into the bathroom to wash off. Sitting on the commode and cried. She felt she'd kill him if she had the opportunity.

From thence, their relationship would be filled with lots of rape stories. To make matters worse, Ken bummed her couch three months later when he was caught pilfering his boss's account. The boss filed no charges against him but fired him. And that was Gladys, Juliet's best friend, and Ken, her husband.

Chapter Three

The day was hot, slightly humid, the forecast for the day looked in the ninety-seven degrees, and summer had not come yet. Liam was running late, and it was almost past the time he'd scheduled with Juliet to meet with her husband. He ran out of bed, readied himself, and was out of the house. By the time he got to the train station, the speakers were just announcing the last-minute call for his route, before pulling out. He hopped aboard.

When he got to the store, James was at the back, stacking some stuff with some of their employees. Juliet was seated at her usual post at the cashier's box. Liam waved at her, happy to see her beautiful brown face. he hurried over to her and said, "hi!"

She nodded without smiling, making him slightly uneasy, "please go over there, and seat. I'll call you shortly," she said, pointing to the bench at a corner.

He walked over to the section she'd pointed out and took a seat to await his call. While seated, his mind kept racing. He thought of all the ways things could go wrong if James discovered his dirty thoughts of Juliet. When they were ready, Juliet called him over to introduce him to her husband. He had a stern but handsome face. She called him, "baby, meet Liam Washington, the kid I've been telling you about."

Liam waited for him to respond, and when he stretched out his hand for a handshake, he took it in a not so confident grip. In his mind, he felt guilty. Like James could read his lust for Juliet on his face. "Howdy?" he asked him.

"Cool!" he responded, thinking it odd for a black man to be speaking cowboy. But then, they were in Texas, and such was allowed.

"Take a seat," he motioned, pointing out the seat in front of him. "My wife says you're good with some computer programming…" he said, then looking over to where he just came from, he hollered, "Chris, move those crayons I brought down, back up."

"Already did," Chris called back from the section.

Liam couldn't see Chris, but his voice sounded a bit effeminate, something like a singsong voice.

"So, what's your specialty?" he asked, without waiting for Liam to reply, he quickly added, "come over to this side," beckoning on him with a wave, to his side.

Liam moved over to him, trying to calm his nerves. When he got to him, he caught a whiff of designer's cologne, and nodded to himself, thinking, 'if money smells, this guy stinks.'

"I'm actually interested in hiring someone for our graphic designs. Look at these," James said, pointing at specific designs. Can you handle stuff like these?" he asked.

"Yes, I can," Liam answered, moving closer in for a proper view at what he was being shown on the computer.

"Okay, these are ones from my designers in China, but communication with them has been really tough, and it takes a lot of batters to communicate what I need to be done. So, I figure if I can have it done first, then send it over to them, it would be a lot easier for me."

"Mm-hm," Liam hummed, nodding his understanding.

You will be provided personal workspace over at that end," he said, pointing at a section to his far right.

"Sounds great."

"Right now, we've got a design I need to get over to them instantly, so I need you to get on it first, and that would be your interview. Afterward, we can then discuss other modalities."

"Sounds great," Liam said, feeling excited. He was finally getting a full-time job. Not that he wanted one, but this one would help him fulfill his dream, and the best was that he'd be close to Juliet.

"Hey, Chris," James hollered again.

"Yeah?" Chris called back.

"Get that Secretary section set up, I think we've finally got us a graphic artist."

"Oh, do we?" He answered rhetorically.

"We ain't got time on our hands, you might as well speed things up," James hollered at him again. His voice was hoarse from eating a lot of meat.

Soon Liam was sitting behind a computer staring at the packet he'd been handed and feeling confused. "Is this the main package you'd like me to design or just the test package?" he asked Chris, who'd handed him the packet.

"What do you mean? Boy get going on the design, that sure is what we are sending over to China," he answered, turning to walk away from Liam.

He scratched his head lost. This wasn't James' pack, and he had handed him a trademark registered packet to redesign. He looked up, and around him, they had several similar packages on a section of the store. 'What the fuck?' he wondered, 'they must be pirates bootlegging stuff. So how did they get it into the country?' he asked further. 'Oh, shoot! Was he a smuggler too?' He wondered while he set to design. Working hard to impress his new boss to be, he developed into the night, until they were closed for the day. It wasn't until they had closed for the day that Juliet finally came to his side. She stood over his shoulder, watching his progress. He caught a whiff of her perfume and almost went berserk with an urge. He swallowed hard, saying nothing, just pretending to be engrossed. She walked away without saying a word. Then he heard her speaking unintelligibly with her husband. He came over to Liam and stood for a minute where she'd been standing.

"How much have you done?" He asked.

Liam pushed back to let him have a vantage view, "I still have more work to do, but I've advanced by about sixty-five percent," he said.

"I see," he replied, "could you come over to my house to work on it till you finish, or do you have where you've got to be tonight?" he asked.

"I …I," Liam stuttered pausing, to do a quick thought. If he rushed it, it would seem like he was too eager to impress him. From experience, Liam had learned that wasn't the best way to go about working for others. "I actually have something else programmed for tonight, but let me call to see what I can make of it all," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. Then he placed a call to Sammy, even though he knew Sammy was the least interested in his whereabouts. Probably wanted him off his neck. But right now, he was going to serve as his pawn.

"Hey, Sammy, what's up?"

"Am aight," he replied, sounding bored just from hearing Liam's voice.

"Dude, am not gonna be able to make it out tonight, I have someone I need to hang out with, so don't worry about anything, I should be fine."

"Why are you telling me?"

"Am just saying!"

"Whatever you want to do, man," he replied. Probably wondering what the fuck Liam was talking about. Besides, he hadn't seen him in almost four weeks. It wasn't like his whereabouts had been his concern or interest in any way, at any time.

Liam cut the call, looked over at James, his arms crossed over his chest, patiently waiting on his response. "Okay, I think I can go with you," he said, addressing him.

"Good, where's your car?" He asked.

"Uhm, I don't have one, I use the train to commute."

He turned away and began walking towards the door, "join Chris in his car, he is also coming to the house," he said.

He looked up and saw Juliet already at the door. They hadn't spoken much since he came over, and he just felt she was trying to portray a distance between them. Probably because he had been sending her some naughty texts. He thought It was really confusing since she made him feel at home, while still acting weird, not that they were that close, yet. Anyways, he guessed she was probably just playing it safe for her husband's sake. If so, that was then fine with him, so far as he had another day to venture towards her heart.

They got home to their lovely house, and he was introduced to their kids, they had two boys. He was also introduced to their German shepherd Spooky, or rather the dog introduced herself to him. She was named Spooky for her tranquil demeanor. The dog rarely barked, and she would bite any careless stranger, sneaking up behind them to bite them. So, she earned a change of name from Bandy to Spooky. When she saw Liam, he had no idea she was behind him. That sneaky dog was coming gingerly behind him; when Thaddeus, the eldest son, yelled, "Spooky is coming behind you!"

Then a, "please don't run," plea came from another voice at the door.

He did a quick turn, and it was Juliet, her eyes pleading, it all happened within two seconds. Instantly, he turned also to where Thad, as he was called, was pointing, and saw that sneaky bitch just a pace from him. It wasn't even in a hurry to get to him. Instinctively he tapped a couple of times on his thighs, whistled, and beckoned on the bitch. He didn't know where he'd gotten that from, but it instantly changed the dog's demeanor as she hurried her last few steps towards him with her head bowed. He rubbed her ears and her nose, speaking folly to the dog.

"She never lets strangers touch her," said Juliet coming towards them from the door.

He looked up at her face and could tell she'd been worried. "Well, maybe she knows I'm different," he boasted, straightening up to take in her presence.

She did not say a word. Instead, she walked over to the dog, rubbed her head, "come on," she said to Spooky, "it's time you got in your house." Then she led the dog away.

"Wow, that was cool, how did you know what to do to calm her?" Thad asked, excited by what he just saw. To the kid, that was some skill he needed to acquire.

"It's a doggy code, if you know it, they don't bite you," said Liam.

"Wow, last week, she bit one of our staff. I guess he didn't know the doggy code."

"I guess so," he chipped.

"Will you teach me the code, please?" He pleaded, grabbing him by the hand. And exclaimed, "that was cool."

His little brother's voice came from the door, Thad looked back, and saw him coming. "Paul, come quick, you've gotta see this, he beckoned." While still holding Liam's hand and stretching out, extending his body away from him while expecting to be kept safely. Paul came over from the door.

"Where's mom?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, something that looked like some chocolate bars in his other hand.

"She's gone to house Spooky; she was going to bite this here, mister, but he spoke dog codes, and Spooky started to play with him instead," he reeled off excitedly.

"Dog code, what's that?" He asked, looking up at Liam, skeptically.

"Spooky was sneaking up behind him, and, and when I yelled for him to look out, he did this…" Thad went over to demonstrate to his brother what Liam had done, "…he tapped his thighs, you stand here a minute let me show you…" he continued excitedly. Liam caught a glimpse of Juliet coming from the doghouse.

"Well, it seems you know how to handle a dog," she said.

"I guess I do," he replied. "I assisted with training some dogs a couple of years back," he lied, wondering why he just did.

"Is there anything you can't do?" she asked. Liam shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, come on in, it's been a long day, you must be tired, Hugo will show you the bathroom and show you to your room," said Juliet walking to the entrance door.

"Sounds great, so where is the boss, your husband?"

"Out with his pals, it's Saturday night, and he has a Saturday tradition with his friends, they hang out and watch games over beer." Then she saw Hugo, her staff walking in the corridor, "Hugo!" She called out, "come on here and take Mr. Washington to the guest room and show him the bathroom in case he wants to freshen up," she instructed Hugo.

Liam just stood there, admiring her for a minute while she instructed Hugo. "Come on!" Hugo beckoned, "follow me." He ordered in a Spanish accent.

Liam snapped out of his reverie and followed him to the guest room and bathroom. Liam decided to freshen up before getting some sleep. After he was done freshening up, Hugo came up to him and asked him to stay awake for dinner would soon be served.

Juliet headed for the kitchen to fix dinner. 'Wow!' she thought to herself as she walked towards the kitchen, after instructing Hugo on how to help Liam settle in. 'I could literally feel his gaze on me. I'm in a tight fix here, and I don't know what to do. I want to discourage him, but I find myself drawn to him.' She got into the kitchen and called for her niece Shonda. When Shonda came in, Juliet asked her, "have you seen our guest?"

"The one Thad said coded Spooky?" she asked.

"Yes, him, have you?"

"Not yet. He just got out of the bathroom, who is he?"

"He worked with us for a while, teaching your brother the computer."

"A computer teacher?"

"Not really, he just knows about computers," she set about to get the food cooked. "Start the stove and boil some water," she said, pointing to a pot on the stove.

"Shonda," Juliet called to her niece.

Shonda turned to face her, knife in her right hand, a stick of carrot in her left, eyebrows raised.

"I'd really like you to get to know that young man…"

"Aunty," she interrupted Juliet, "you know I'm not really down for all these."

"… listen, young lady, you need a dependable man in your life, and I think you should consider him," said Juliet, drawing close to her beloved niece to take hold of her hand.

Hands in her aunt's, she cocked her head slightly, then whimpered," Auntie Julie… but what if I don't like him?"

"I honestly can't force you to like anybody, but I think you need to give this kid a shot, there's something about him."

"You said the same about Dwayne."

"I know, but he messed up. Besides, there's something different about this kid."

"Well, aunty, you've been dependable on several occasions, and I think what I've heard about him are really exciting."

"Where'd you hear about him?"

"The kids!"

"Oh, give it a shot, Shonda baby," she said dismissively, turning her back to continue with her cooking.

Shonda gave it a thought for a minute, then she excused herself and stepped out of the kitchen to change her cloth. On her way into her room, she bumped into Liam, "Oops! Sorry, hi!"

"Hi," he said. "Liam," he introduced himself, hands outstretched.

She put her very slender and tiny hands in his. They shook hands, then she went on about her business. When she'd appeared again, she had just a flimsy blouse that made her nipples poky. Shonda headed straight for the kitchen.

Shonda was a business economics student at Collin College. She was a twenty-two-year-old woman of about five-feet-one. Quite photogenic but, in Liam's later opinion, very different in looks from her photographs. She had lovely eyes and a beautiful singsong voice, and she sang a lot. No one understood why she always had to wear a jacket even on days of extreme heat, but she still did. She was that type of girl who walked briskly, always hurrying to somewhere with eyes looking down. Her love for shiny objects was evident as she adorned her ears with heavy gold earrings, and her neck never lacked a gold necklace. Her choice of clothes quickly reminded one of the gypsies as it were.

"I met him in the hallway," she whispered to her sister.

"How was he?" asked Juliet.

"He is cute aunty, but do you think he'd be into me."

"I don't know yet, but we can find out, and if you really like him, we could make it happen."

"I don't know about that, because I'd rather a man be into me."

"Don't let it bother you, help me set the table." She looked about her for Hugo, saw him bending over in the corner, trying to lift a bowl of something, "Hugo, help me set these foods on the table."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"Start with the stew and potatoes first," she further instructed.

"Will do ma'am," said Hugo.

"Shonda, could you go invite Liam to the table for dinner?"

"Right!" she headed out to the guest room, where he was already working on the rest of the design. She knocked on the door, when he came to the door she announced, "hi Uhm, could you come? Dinner is ready."

"Okay, will be there shortly, thanks," he had a few more minutes to work on the designs before calling it a day. He was overwhelmed by the thought of being involved with bootleggers and possible smugglers. Because he didn't understand how they could be bringing in the merchandise, they had no rights to importing. However, he continued with his job. Nothing could stop his bread but the feds. At least, he was in this legit section of the business.

While eating, his mind continued reasoning the earlier situation. He looked around the table at the large family gathered to eat. They had two other friends who had dropped in from Houston. It was a big house and having lots of friends when you're rich is not unexpected. They had their two boys at the table, Shonda, and Juliet. Now James, who had dropped her off and taken off to go be with his friends, wasn't back yet. Liam looked over at Juliet, looking solemn. He figured she probably thought why her husband would always miss out on family dinners. She looked lovely from how she handled her utensils to how she ate. Her every move resonated fine with Liam. She did not look his way, but he wasn't fooled. He understood women had a way of looking at you while facing an entirely opposite direction. He felt she could see his every move. He looked over, in response, to Shonda who had asked him to give her a hand with the bowl of broccoli.

He took a moment to scale her and felt he saw right past her. The truth is that Juliet had stolen his heart. Considering that, he thought it was impossible for him to love another as he constantly emoted virtue for Juliet and craved for time with her.

Two months into his work with Juliet's family's business, Siana distributions, he got an invitation to come for a church speaking job in Queens, New York. His family still lived in Brooklyn with his siblings, and his mother was the one who got him the speaking gig. He went to Juliet to speak to her about getting off work for two days; Friday and Monday. The gig was for the Sunday, and it was at the Fellowship of Christians church. Moreover, he needed money to pay the rent, since Sammy had abandoned him and bailed on his lease. Moving in full, with his pregnant girlfriend. In the very heart of the school community. "Hi, Juliet," he said, "I'd like to speak to you quickly about something."

"What is it?" she asked, entering some figures into her accounting book, without lifting her eyes.

He felt entranced briefly by her beautiful face, catching a glimpse of glint. "I'd like to take the weekend off to go home to New York for an important program."

"Will you be coming back?"

He was amused by her question. Why would she be thinking of him returning or not? But he decided to reply politely. "Yes, sure, I will, why not." Then he decided to furnish things a bit more, "well, you know I enjoy working for you, just something that involves my mother is what I'm going for."

For the first time, she looked up at him and said, "okay, hope to see you soon. Do you have enough money for the trip?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied.

"That's fine, go over to Matthew, and he will be giving you some money."

Matthew was the store manager. As he stepped away from her to him, she picked her phone to call him about the money he was coming to pick up. She made it seem as if she needed Liam to run errands for her with the cash. She had become his source of resources. In other words, she gave him some extra cash daily, on his way home. He got to Matthew's and got handed the money without question. Surprisingly, it was just the same amount he had been offered for the speaking gig. At the end of the day, he went home.

Recently, he barely saw James, who happened to be a very busy man. Then on one of his busyness, he had taken him to one of his warehouses. He really had stocks piled, and he was really impressed. He also took him to where he was building a bigger house for his ever-extending family. On one of those trips, Liam decided to address the issue of his bootlegging. Not that he was going to judge him, but he felt James was creamy and had the resources to go legit. From his understanding, he'd been in business for about sixteen years. To Liam, that was enough time to be established and to start planning by thinking of consolidating his business through legitimate brands. Another reason he felt compelled to speak was that he felt if the feds ever caught up with James and convicted him, he would lose everything, and what then? Juliet would lose all she had. In addressing the matter, therefore, he would be looking out for his crush. However, Liam had to be as diplomatic as possible when presenting his case. It felt uncomfortable when he started to talk. It was an awkward situation but finally began. "Uhm, boss?" he called to James. They were driving from the construction site of his new house.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think you're shortchanging yourself,"

"Shortchanging, what do you mean?" said James, looking sharply at Liam for a brief second.

"I noticed you don't have any product in your company's name. You don't have any branded items on your shelf," he blurted out, hoping the words were coming out without any hint of criticism.

"How do you mean," he asked, now slightly leaned towards Liam, as he handled the car, doing at least ten above every posted speed limit.

"You manufacture the items sold in your store, right?" he asked, and without waiting for a response continued. "You've got a solid customer base. If your customers are content with the standard of the products sold at the store, then if you were to brand some products, they would be forced to buy what you still offer them. Which is basically the same quality, just rebranded," he said, then paused to see if he made sense to James.

James seemed intensely focused on the road and said nothing, so he continued. "Your brand gives you an equal growth opportunity as those other companies who are now being promoted at your stores. The quality is good, so there's no need for you not to get on that line, besides it also saves you the high overhead of getting them into the country."

James turned to look at him, then looked away. Liam felt he had said enough; the ball was now in James' court whether to continue with this discussion or not. James said nothing, and they ended that discussion.

Liam got home at the close of work and got ready for his trip to New York, he had given away all his beautiful clothes and suits but one. So now he had to get a new white, button-down shirt, and he didn't know if he would have the chance to get around buying one in New York. So, he ran out across the road to a Kroger store for a white shirt and tie. Came back home and plopped his pillow for the night.

Chapter Four

New York, La Guardia airport was bustling, as usual, the fall cold weather hit him the moment he stepped out of the airport to ground transportation. He loved New York, but he didn't miss the place. It was no longer the way it was when he was growing up in the cities. It was more crowded, even the buildings needed so many repairs. La Guardia was looking grayish and quite old. Having come from DFW airport, he saw things differently.

He hailed a cab out of terminal C and gave him the address to his Mom's house. It was refreshing to see her after about eight months, even though he hadn't missed home. While he had left New York, recently, it had been a while since he left home, probably six years, or so.

The fellowship, where he had the speaking gig, was a forty-two minutes' drive, and it was just that, per Sunday light traffic. He was well-received, and the attendance was impressive. He gave an hour-long sermon on the topic 'Rise and shine', drawn from the gospel text of the Prophet Isaiah, where it says, 'arise shine for your light is come.' At the end of the message, he was handed a 'thanks for coming' envelope. When they got home, he took some of the money to give his mother, but she wouldn't accept it, insisting he needed it more. The next day was Monday, he got on the mid-afternoon flight and made his way back to Dallas. It was almost a four-hours long flight; at the end of the journey, he was famished. Starving of both food and weed, which he had to get home before getting to.

In New York, Teddy was his supplier, they were friends from high school, and after high school graduation, Teddy moved on to his family's business. Teddy's Pops was known as the man to go to on some excellent Kush, and he was well connected. Weed was illegal, and as a black kid, he needed to respect himself and quench his desires to do pots all the time. That discipline was his go-to policy. He never smoked in any car, never smoked in a public or strange place. For him, if he couldn't lock his door and do it indoors, he didn't need to do it then. Growing up, and learning to be a quick thinker, one sharp to his environment, was the code of the street. The most he figured was that no amount of weed was worth his freedom.

Now, in Texas, his weed supplier was directly linked to Sammy. Sammy had taken him to the supplier and introduced him to them. He was supposed to be Sammy's conduit, coming to get the weed so that he would not be often noted about the corner, doing pickups. If there were a raid, Sammy would inform him ahead of time, to keep away from the corners.

He got out some spaghetti and made them, to eat with the can of soup he'd bought. His plan was to smoke something after eating. From experience, he learned it was always better to smoke weed after eating. Smoking weed before eating, made one gluttonous. He got out his bag of marijuana, selected a reasonable quantity, and rolled it up in a smoking paper. Concerned, as always, about his lungs, then forgetting his concerns once he had that vial of weed tapped, rolled up friendly and ready to light.

He woke up the next morning and headed out for work. His neighbors were a pack of young fellas who attended UT Dallas. They were delightful chaps, and he hung out with them on the porch every now and then. He always hoped to catch an easy girl through them. But just never did, women wanted guys with money, and the lack of it had daunted his confidence in a huge way. He said hi to one of them called Luke, who came around every now and then, for Liam to teach him how to paint. Which Liam always did gladly. Luke stopped Liam to speak to him. He got closer and said, "your landlord was here during the weekend, while you were away."

"Now was he?"

"Yeah, and he had some lady with him."

"A lady?"

"Yeah, a white woman, tall with long blonde hair."

"Okay, I see…" said Liam, as he turned to continue on his journey. His face creased with worry, as to the nature of the landlord's visit.

"I've got a question about blending," Luke interjected, walking hurriedly behind him.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Liam, hands in the pockets as he took quick steps, determined not to miss the train.

"Every time I try blending, it doesn't come out right," he said, gently tapping the back of his right hand over his left palm for emphasis.

"What exactly is the problem?" Liam asked, genuinely concerned.

"My blending mixes the way it shouldn't," he pointed out, explaining his whole artistic frustrations.

Then Liam remembered having seen how he would blend without first creating a color wheel. So, he set to encourage him, "that shouldn't be much problem, when I have a minute, we'll go over it."

"But these days, you're never around!" Luke exclaimed. "How's the new job paying?"

"Hey Luke, thanks for asking, I think it's awesome."

"You think?" He asked, wondering what he meant.

"Yeah, but on Sunday I should be home, you wanna come then so we can paint some?"

"I'll bring beer," he offered.

"Cool, because I've got weed!"

"Come on now, Liam, you know I don't smoke."

"Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't try it, come on," he said, patting the chap's shoulder. "It might turn out to be the best thing you ever tried."

"Nah! I'll pass," he said, pulling away from Liam.

"Alright, Luke, thanks for the information, I appreciate that," he said, worried. He walked to the train station and joined the commute to Downtown Dallas.

Juliet was already in the office when he stepped through, which was unusual. "Hi!" he said, smiling at her. "Did you miss me?"

"Because you were gone for the weekend?" she replied.

"Yeah! Maybe you thought I wasn't coming back to Texas."

"Well, you're here now, and that's good enough. Now be kind and tell Aleesha we've got a customer in aisle six in need of help," she said dismissively. She was like that, sometimes one couldn't read her moods. She was a master at shutting down her expressions, and it confused him so much.

Now, he had been so engrossed in his determination to make the best of his time at the place. That he had forgotten all about dating and had his eyes on only making money and Juliet.

Ethel came to the store and greeted him 'Loverboy' the moment she saw him. That got him troubled, he quickly looked around to see if any other person heard. No one was there. Seeing no other person around, he heaved a sigh of relief, not knowing what to make of it. One thing was sure, he didn't want his agenda exposed. He also ignored her, refusing to acknowledge her new nickname for him. Pretending not to know what the fuck she was talking about. He suspected Juliet must've told her friend Ethel about him, and his text messages.

Ethel was also pregnant at the time. During this visit, she pleaded with Juliet to allow Liam to come over to her house and fix her nursery. Of course, Juliet accepted and even promised to donate some items to be used for the decorations. One problem stood in the way, James. He wouldn't have allowed Liam to leave work for such meaningless shenanigan.

On the other hand, Juliet was still working on convincing him that they needed Liam around. However, James had a hunch about Liam that he couldn't place his finger on. Since Liam acted prude, demure, and even naïve around him, it confused him all the more. Especially when he'd bring up topics on women and sleeping with them, to Liam, and Liam avoided participating in the discussion. All, being Liam's strategy to be highly underestimated.

It wasn't until after about three months of working as a full-time staff at the store, that Juliet started talking to Liam about her niece, Shonda. It wasn't like she was forward or anything, she was subtle about it. Bringing Shonda's photographs to the store, asking his opinion about them. Then he would feel a bit disappointed, in that he had his eyes on Juliet, patiently waiting for her to come around to him. Instead, she was busy turning his attention to Shonda.

Not until one evening, smoking and reflecting on the whole thing going on, that the 'what if?' factor occurred to Liam. What if Juliet was just looking for a way to bring him closer to herself by making him a part of her family. Could that be the case? Perhaps, it was just his performance that might have impressed the family so much so that she wanted him to give a shot at marrying Shonda? He took another drag of his weed, to let his mind analyze the situation. While his nerves got calmed. As the HTC seeped into his bloodstream, he wondered what it would be like to give a shot at 'marrying the girl. Juliet continuously hinted, ever so subtly, on the good qualities Shonda possessed. Selling him tales of how good a cook Shonda was, how homely she was, and stuffs like that. He took another drag; the weed was good.

That Juliet... was nothing but a good marketer, he concluded. She knew what she wanted and would go as far as manipulating people in a bid to achieve her motive... a total maverick! He could see it clearly, and then other situations of her getting her way began to replay in his unconscious mind.

Knowing the value of the endless great ideas he had been bringing into the cooperation could also be a reason, he figured. This was a move to bring him into their family to help their business grow into some sort of empire. After James told her what he'd shared with him about rebranding their business, things went up even better for him. Especially with Juliet. So, they were building a new home in Frisco and now implored his attention on the ongoing constructions. He took out time intermittently, to go out and observe the project. She also encouraged him to share more on branding and product development with James. He liked the ideas so much he began to implement Liam's concepts. In a swoosh, he went from creating counterfeit labels for pirated products to designing products for the latest brand in town. That made him feel a lot better and safer. Not that he was judging him, just that, like they say, 'the fear of the feds is wisdom.' That's how he gave Juliet more reasons to match-make him and Shonda. It is always easier to trust a business partner when the business stays in the family.

As a man who is all for love, Liam believed that he had not had his heart broken adequately to stop him from finding love. He was the one who walked out on past lovers without a day remembering they existed. A woman needed to have the oomph factor for Liam to be with her. His kink resounded with danger. Without the extra, he couldn't be excited about sex. Sex without sin made it uninteresting to him after a short period. Sin being, the forbiddance factor, or unconventional extremities. One of the things which turned him on about Juliet was the fact that it seemed he couldn't get her. She was married, she had kids, was rich, beautiful, all the things that said, 'out of the league,' were her badges. That extra length to prove 'to himself' that he could get her was always his turn. When he said, 'to himself,' he meant it. He never discussed his sexual encounters, though, simply because of the oomph which he did not want to reveal. Otherwise, it would be annoying to him. Leaving impeding people behind without notice, made it even more impossible for his heart to be the broken heart.

A man's dream is all he has. He dreams of love to live in-love within the sphere of his imagination. Some take this love and associate it with the wealth they strive to either amass or have already amassed. Liam would leave anybody who doubted his faith, his vision, his business, or his love. That is how much he cared less about life without imagination. The fight to win and the zeal to make his fight happen was first within the self-belief that victory was always possible. This self-belief he'd also aligned with self-esteem. Therefore, someone who has the voice of an angel could go on stage to sing. However, when given the microphone, he or she becomes frozen and fails, from cold feet. The failure would not have come from an inability to sing, but from an inability to voice their song. Due to the initial dead relationship with both the aura of belief and that of esteemed self.

As for the young woman, initially, they just did not connect. However, it was mostly because she was aloof and seemed uninterested most of the time. At the same time, Liam had a lot of doubt about the girl's personality. Soon, the little rapport they started out with, the night they met, fizzled out after a while. And they settled into what looked more like the friendship between neighbors who barely knew each other, but had to be courteous enough to wave upon seeing themselves. You know that type of bond? Where you are all 'hello!' and chatty with your neighbor. Yet, you don't even know how the insides of their house look. That is somewhat how their thingy was, they were very cordial, and that was just about that. Their matchmaker paired the wrong ends; they just did not connect due to preferences.

Remember now that Sammy had bailed out on him, and his rent had been past due. When Liam got back that Monday evening, from work, he went in search of management. Taking with him the money obtained from Juliet before his trip to New York for the speaking gig and the money made at the gig. But when he got to the leasing office, it was closed, and they had no one there save for the lady who Luke told him came knocking at his door with the landlord.

She was a very plain-looking woman, ordinary in appearance. She gave off a robust religious aura, but when she opened her mouth to speak, all her plainness vanished, and in its place, you could hear grace. "I'd like to pay the rent for my apartment, please," Liam said to her as he entered the management's office.

"Are you from apartment 0606?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," he replied.

"I was there over the weekend, Saturday, I think," said the lady.

"True! I was notified by my neighbor, Luke."

"Are you here concerning your past-due account?" she asked.

"Yes, sure!"

"Give it to me then," she said, stretching out her hands to receive it.

"For now, I can only pay three of the five owed arrears," said Liam, handing the check he had written out.

She took the check from him, looked at it, a slight grimace on her face. Instantly, the little grace her smile had bestowed her dissolved. She slowly flapped the check, her right hand slapping her left with the check. He stayed calm and hopeful she would accept it and grant him the extension he came for. It did not fail to register with him that she wasn't the one in charge of managing the apartments, but he only hoped that it would perhaps bode well for him through her influence.

"Ok, thanks for bringing this payment. You know my uncle is the manager of this property, and I actually don't know the contents of your lease agreement with him… it wasn't you who got the lease from him, right?" She asked, leaning back slightly.

"No, it wasn't. My room-mate did"

"He will be getting in touch with you later, once I can get this check across to him." She turned from the spot where she'd been standing. She approached her desk, a mini mahogany table from a Victorian-style era. Liam figured that was the end of their discussion. Now all he had to do was go home and hope for the best.

As he walked home, he recalled that in the moment of his little interaction with her, he had suddenly remembered a distant cousin of his, who lived out on a farm. In Josephine, a city an hour's drive out of Dallas. His name was Jared, he was married with kids. Now, he became an instant option "B" against possible homelessness. Immediately Liam got into the house; he made a call to him. It was about eight PM, but he was getting this courtesy call regardless. The good thing was that Liam had paid him visits twice since moving to Dallas.

The next morning, Liam heard a knock on the door. He got up and walked towards the door to answer it. Peeping through the eyelet, Liam beheld the caretaker standing there. He looked impatient, in just jeans and slacks. Liam took a step back and opened the door, fearing the worse. Without even showing courtesy, the man looked at Liam, while simultaneously asking, "where is Sammy?"

"I don't know," Liam replied. Feeling angry, he hadn't even exchanged morning pleasantries. Liam prepped up to meet any assailing that the man could bring. He brought out the check, Liam had issued the previous night, held it in his two hands.

"Yes?" asked Liam.

"Is this from Sammy or you?"

"From both of us, why?"

"Where is Sammy?" He asked for the second time.

"I already told you, he is probably at work or something, I don't know where he is."

"We've been trying to reach him for a while now. I haven't gotten any response to our messages and emails."

"I don't know his whereabouts, which is why I decided to clear the housing debts and then sort it out with him later."

"That's to say the check is really from you and not him."

"Actually, yes, but I felt it was my obligation."

"It's not your responsibility, sir, we had no prior agreement with you, and we cannot accept the sub-leasing of our premises." He handed back the check to Liam. "Sammy is past due by five months. You are by this, required to vacate this property in one week.

"Oh, come on now!" cried Liam, looking at him remorsefully, with hopes he would change his mind. He reached out and accepted the envelope he proffered, containing the check. The check was supposed to have been the only thing in the envelope, but the envelope was bulky. Liam opened it, to find what he feared it could be, a quit notice. He felt shattered!

"I wouldn't have accepted this check from you yesterday if I was the one you offered it to," said the man. "But you took advantage of my absence to present it to my naïve niece and made her accept a check that meant nothing. Now Sammy is our tenant, and with him, we have a contract. This was, however, beyond our limits," he was saying. "I've done all to accommodate him as a first responder, and a city cop." He turned his back and began walking down the short flight of stairs from the door.

Liam watched as he departed, feeling weak, tired, and alone. His heart grieved at the situation of his life. He would find the bearing of his life, the darkness was just too thick, but there would be a better morning to awake to. Whenever there seemed to be a little light, then darkness would show up, appropriating whichever light he saw. He turned to go back inside, knowing it was time to make the call he reserved for a time like this. He dialed Cousin Jared's number, and he answered.

Now, Cousin Jared was a staunch Christian of the Roman Catholic faith. He was the type you'd find wearing a rosary around his neck twenty-four-seven, to keep his faith closer to heart. Or carrying a prayer pamphlet in his pocket and never missing an angelus. A very hardworking man in his forties, raising chickens and turkeys on his poultry farm. He was the true definition of old traditions, living with his wife and six girls. He wanted a son desperately, so he had kept on knocking her up, but only giving her girls to birth. Now, she was pregnant with his seventh child, and he prayed the rosary, keeping the faith for it to be a son, so he could quit bearing children. He believed a son would be the only one who'd preserve his name. Who could argue that with him?

When Liam arrived at his farm, he felt he had lost a portion of himself. Jared's wife Nancy was nice and dotting like a good family member. He didn't blame her, he sensed Jared must have told her some good things about his family. More so, every night for the first three nights of Liam being there, Jared spoke non-stop. His discussion was all about how he had begun his business after Liam's mother's business blueprint. True as it was, Jared had been salvaged from the streets of New York by Liam's father, who went to the corner where Jared sold drugs and convinced him to come to their home to start a new life. Jared now supplied the local's poultry from his store, and he was doing good at his business. Liam could not envy the guy, but he was proud of the man he had become. Leading a decent life and beating the daily struggle.

Liam had let them know at work that he had a new address but lied that he had rented for close to nothing due to the remoteness of the settlement where he'd gotten a place to live. One night, he came home from work, Jared was sitting outside, tending to a eucalyptus tree that he had planted in the front yard. The tree had come from his church priest. Reverend Father Simon, who said he brought it back from Israel and had given it to Jared as a gift for all his devotion to the work of the ministry. Liam wondered why he was working on the tree so late at night, at almost eight-thirty PM, but said nothing. He went into the guest room where he had been allowed to live in, after putting off his work clothes, he came out to watch him. Upon seeing Liam, he sat down on the form bench he had outside, took out another rosary which he had in his pocket, and began to pray with the beads. Liam sat down next to him. "How was your day?" he asked him.

"Mm-hm!" he muttered, "tsk, tsk" clicking his tongue. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, sniffled, and then mumbled some incoherent words.

Liam was silent for a minute, thinking about the skunk he had in his pocket, that he was eager to roll up and light up. However, with Jared being all religious, he didn't want to offend his benevolent new roof. To make matters more vibrant, his Nancy had left him a homemade meal every night, by his nightstand, and it was always warm. He suspected they timed his arrival and brought it in just before he got home.

Suddenly Jared spoke, "ah!" he exclaimed. "I remember those days in New York, living with your folks," he said, sitting up to a more comfortable position. "Those were the days when I felt like I found a huge turnaround. Your father was such a caring man, and without the background, I gained selling in your mother's store, I don't think I would have known how to go about setting up a business for myself."

"Yeah!" Liam muttered in agreement, not sure if he was heard, thrilled by his words, but impatiently thinking of how and where he was going to light up his joint. It was going to be an excellent high, rest assured. So, he couldn't wait to roll it up and puff off it.

"You know, when I got to Texas, I had my mom's brother up here," he said. Liam didn't know that Jared's uncle lived in Texas, but for some reason, wasn't fazed by the news. "He shacked me up for two years until I got on my feet," said Jared. Then he pointed at some roads in the distance and continued, "those acres by Devonte? I worked them in the mornings and sold at the kiosk Mrs. Willard let me have in her little mall, for next to nothing." He reached for something on the eucalyptus, pulled at it, and continued. "I never asked you where you worked, where do you work at?" he turned to face Liam.

"I um," Liam contemplated what he was about to say, having realized he didn't want Jared to know he was working at Siana distributions. Somehow, he felt he might not last there. James hadn't stopped dishing attitudes and wasn't sure of his stand with Juliet. One time, while he was out marketing with a manager, James had thrown out his backpack and asked that he not be allowed into the premises. "I work as a peace officer," he said.

"Peace officer?" asked Jared, surprised.

"Yeah! Anything wrong with being one?" Liam shot back at him.

"No! not at all, if you're a cop, why should I have anything against…"

"Oh, am not a cop!" he interjected.

"Then what are you, if you're not a cop? What the fuck is a peace officer?"

"Peace Corps is a volunteer organization."

"Gotcha! So, you don't get paid?" he asked

"Not that I don't get paid, but I make money by offering my art skills."

"Gotcha! You must come from the village of Fucking!"

"Pardon!?"

"Oh, that's just a village that volunteered to be called Fucking in Europe."

"I don't get it!"

"Me neither," said Jared. He brought out his snuff-box, tapped on it. He opened the can and took out a measure to his nostrils and inhaled, delivering a swift hit of nicotine into his nasal cavity.

Liam couldn't be bothered much, irrespective of what Jared was thinking. He knew Jared didn't need to know much about him anyway. He decided to keep his mouth shut and not bother with Jared's thoughts of him. Here he was sniffing on his legal snuff, and he needed to do his weed too. Only that the skunk he had, needed a lot more discretion to smoke. Liam gave a false yawn to make as though he was tired and needed to sleep. Unconsciously, Jared picked the vibe, got up, and excused himself. Soon as he had gone indoors, Liam pulled out the tiny zip lock bag holding his marijuana. Cleaning out any impurities such as seeds and sticks, he rolled it up, then waited patiently for almost forty-five minutes before lighting it up. Soon as he hit the first drag and puffed out, the neighbor's dog began to bark at the smell of the skunk which somehow troubled it. The dog was probably feeling dizzy off the scent of what it sniffed.

Early the next morning, at five AM, Liam was up and, on his way, out. The journey from Josephine to Dallas was now a new game. It was stress as hell, and expensive too. Coming home was another ordeal due to traffic, he couldn't catch the train from Josephine as he did from Richardson. He missed going out of the city. Pretty soon, he developed a way to migrate when leaving and a way to meander his way back home. He even sorts of figured out new ways to get transportation. Cutting down the cost of transportation, reduce downtime of transport, and improved on getting share rides and arriving to work on time. However, the way he looked ruffled after the long-distance travel, became conspicuous to first, James then Juliet. Somehow, he never knew how he looked until one morning. He came to work, on a cold morning, not cold like they ever had in New York, but temperatures were down to thirty-two degrees. The cold had affected him because he thrust through the wind when he walked. This journey had left him looking ashy. So much that, once, James laughed so hard at the way he appeared, it hurt his sides from laughing, until he took pain killers. Liam never felt more terrible.

Really, he wondered when transportation in the Dallas-Forth-worth metroplex would get better. He felt like writing a letter to someone and expressing his pain. Until then, he continued working and living tough. Sammy finally reached out to him a week after he got the information about his moving out of the apartment. "Hello," Liam said, answering his phone. James must have gotten a new line because the number was unknown to Liam.

"Hey! It's Sammy," he said.

"Hey!" Liam responded, feigning excitement at his voice.

"I heard you moved out of the apartment," he said.

"Yeah, I got an eviction notice, called, and you didn't pick your calls."

"Well, I changed my number, so I haven't been getting your calls."

"Gotcha! It's all good; I've got your stuff in storage…"

"Yeah?" He interjected.

"… yeah, and I won't be able to continue with the payment from next month, in-fact if you hadn't called, I was going to make a garage sale and get rid of them."

"Ok, am going to be downtown this evening, I could come to pick you up," said Sammy.

"Aww!" he expressed, thinking quick, that maybe he could get a free ride home. "Well, I'd need to be on the way as soon as possible, besides I've got some shirts to deliver, and I don't know how that's gonna work out."

"You mean customized shirts?" He asked.

"Yeah, I made some for some kids at Greyhound."

"Bus services?" He asked.

"Yeah!"

"You're still into making shirts?"

"And arts in any way I can," Liam answered, feeling a bit irritated, but keeping his cool. "Maybe if you can come to pick me up, then I can run things with you."

"I'm at the art district, just let me know when you come over."

"Okay, will do."

It wasn't until six PM before his call came back. "Hi, Liam?"

"Hey,"

"Am at the seven-eleven on Commerce, is that close to where you work?"

"Yes, I think, not exactly sure where Commerce is."

"How long have you been in this city and you still don't know the environment."

"I haven't been here long enough, sir."

"At least, you've been here long enough to know the streets closest to your place of work."

"Did I ever tell you I was working?"

"No!"

"What then makes you think I work here?"

"What then do you always do in Dallas?"

"Work!"

"Ha-ha, Liam, you're such a clown."

"I know, right?"

"So, where do I meet up,"

"I'm a few blocks from that Seven-eleven, I'm walking towards you."

Liam stepped to the store to meet him, found him in the small parking lot by the side of the building. He was in his silver Kia Rio, which he had bought after returning from his peace-keeping mission in Sudan. Immediately Liam got into the car, Sammy stepped on the brakes and shifted the gear stick to drive, released the parking brakes, and began to ease out of the lot. They drove into the evening, first to the bus station, there they met Liam's two Mexican customers, who also knew Sammy, having run into him once or twice. He asked them to take him to where it was conducive to smoke weed, and they took them to the back of the building. From there, they climbed down some stairs into the basement of the building. It was well lit, somehow, Liam figured these men must trust him to allow him this far into their lair. They gave them seats in a poorly lit corner of the basement. Within a minute, some teenage boy, rough-looking and skinny, came to them with cans of light beer, a zip lock bag of weed and smoking papers. As Liam took it, rolled it, and lit it, he was instantly stoned, the marijuana was good stuff. So good it made Liam wonder at the privileges of being a city cop. He and Sammy then had a lengthy talk about things Sammy needed to do. Getting his stuff from storage, especially his electronics, and about where Liam was working. When they were done smoking and drinking, they got off for Sammy to drop Liam. By the time Liam would get home, it was almost midnight. Seeing he wasn't answerable to Jared or anybody, he made his way to his room, got in, and called it a night.

Chapter Five

Juliet asked Liam to escort her to a stationery supplier. There they bought some things that she would include in a customer's order before shipping. "James is traveling to China soon… in less than two months, actually," she said.

"tsk, that's cool," Liam clicked his tongue then replied.

"Well, the new house is almost finished, but there's a slight problem."

"Wow! you all just started building only recently, and now the house is ready!?" Liam exclaimed gleefully.

"Not quite ready, I guess the painters messed up the house."

"But I told you to give me that contract, I'd be more than happy to give you something professional and for free."

"Yes, you asked for it, but James is such a hard man and emotionally dead…"

Sincerely, James was a very abusive man and always found a way to cause her some unhappiness. His critical disability was to mentally abuse her, and Liam figured he tried to keep her in-check by that means. So, whenever she complained to Liam, he saw it as an opening to be the caring one and to provide her what James was failing to give her. A compassionate ear, a loving and caring friend. Therefore, when she said he was emotionally dead, Liam simply responded…

"You know, right? I think we could get deep into praying for him and hope God is going to change his attitude and grant him a better character."

"How, Liam? I've been praying for this man and am tired of him."

"Well, I don't think a divorce is an option, do you?"

"I honestly don't know. I think about James, and I feel a lot overwhelmed. I'm tired of living this way with an insensitive narcissist who would humiliate me without blinking."

Liam began to feel bold; this was the type of discussion he'd been hoping to get with Juliet, but all these times, she had kept her distance from him. He reasoned hers was about making James feel relaxed around him. Juliet had never hired any other person before him. He was young and virile in the eyes of James, though he accepted Liam's services, he did so with a pinch of salt. "Julie…" Liam called her, testing the waters, "I know how you must feel, and I think he is doing wrong. It seems like he doesn't know what he has in you and that's the biggest shame of it all, if you were my wife, I would treat you like the queen that you are."

She said nothing at first, then she changed the subject when she replied. "James leaves at the end of April, but we would have moved into the new house before he leaves. At least that's his target, so I want you to come with me to figure out how you're going to re-do the painting to suit."

"That's no problem," he assured her, noting the diversion of their conversation. "Whenever you're ready, simply let me know."

"What of tomorrow, can you start tomorrow? My birthday comes up in a few weeks, and I'd like to move into the new house by then also," she said.

"Like I said, I've got you. I don't have stuff for house painting, though. So, if you want to buy the kinds of stuff I'll be needing, then it's cool."

"We're going over to the house to look at it right now, and for you to determine what is needed," said Juliet.

"Okay, cool."

They rounded off what they were doing, got in Juliet's car, and drove to the new house in Frisco city. The house was a one-floor, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house. The design looked gorgeous; Liam was impressed. The moment he stepped out of her car, he quickly noticed the botched-up painting job and smiled to himself. Thinking to himself, time to pay back Juliet her favors.

They stepped into the house, and she began showing him around. "The painter will be here when you come tomorrow. We'd like to end his contract officially," she said as she bent in front of him to pick up a piece of wood left there by the builders.

Liam said nothing, mostly just nodding his head and grunting in concurrence while doing the math necessary to work the beautifying of the building in his mind. Using his eyes to determine the approximate items, he would need to complete the work.

"Thad wants his room painted red, and the outside? I don't even know what to do about the colors being used," she lamented.

"It's not a challenge I can't handle for you," he assured her. Arms akimbo, he looked around the room that would be Thad's, then stepped outside, looking around for effects. He stepped out to look at the neighboring houses. Observing the designs and wall stains, making mental comparisons. Their subdivision was new, with a lot of new and magnificent buildings. He made to head back inside, only to find Juliet behind him. It seemed like she was also looking at the neighborhood. She had her left hand over her forehead like a visor against the sun, while she scanned around. "Yeah!" Liam began to say, "it's really a cool neighborhood that y'all have found to live in."

"We have another acre across from the swamp at the north-eastern side," she said, pointing in the direction she meant. "But we can't live there now until the subdivision is developed."

"Oh, I see!" he exclaimed.

She started walking back to her car, and he followed, "So how many years mortgage do you have here?"

"Forty years. We figure the zone should start developing in five years, and in ten years, so much should have happened. Then we can put it out for rent."

"I didn't know of any better business plan than to build a house and have it leased out."

"Yeah, we've got a leasing agent to provide the deal. At the end of it, we could choose to stay in the other house or release it, if this neighborhood is friendly. It would be totally up to time now."

"Sounds like a good idea."

She opened the car, and they stepped in, once they were both settled in, she engaged the car and drove off. "Yeah, it feels like a good deal, but with these things, you never can tell what life brings your way that could upset the system."

He looked at her face, beautiful against the halo of the sun shining at her face through her left side. "You're lovely, you know that?" he said, without even thinking, and digressing from their topic.

She just said, "thank you," keeping a straight gaze on the road. Suddenly, she said, "if James asks you how much you're gonna charge for the job, tell him it's pro-bono. Whatever you'd like to charge, I'll pay it, but I want him to feel it's coming free of charge."

He didn't know how to feel about her instruction, but he had to hope for the best, hoping all was well. So, he said, "sure, if that's what you want me to, you also don't need to pay me, I was actually going to offer my services pro-bono."

"No, you don't have to," she said, "just do as I say, I will pay you the balance of what the contractors charged, what it would have cost them to do the job."

"How much is that?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Fourteen grands!"

Wow, he thought, that was a lot of money, but Juliet had been far too generous before now, and he strongly felt he could do her a deserving right turn by doing the job for free. "Why not use the money for Thad and Paul? I will be fine, I promise you."

"It's okay," she insisted, "you need the money, and I have it, and I want to pay you, just don't fuck it up with James."

Liam nodded his head and kept his silence, thinking random thoughts, as she navigated through rush hour traffic and cold weather. They drove until they got to the store. Once in, there James was, thrashing about like one massive black giant. Stomping from meeting one need of a store customer to another, giving directions, and shouting his reprimands. They had a good number of customers milling about, buying stuff, or just window shopping. Liam quickly joined the melee, helping customers, until everyone got their needs met and the store was down to its regular accessible mode of business. It was almost Christmas, and everyone was about to buy things for their family, friends, and selves. When James looked at Liam, he said: "did my wife show you the house?"

"Yes, boss! She did."

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think I can do a great job there."

"Okay, so tomorrow you will go get materials to work with," said James.

"Yes, I definitely will."

"How much is it going to cost you?" He asked.

"I'd have to find out the cost of materials first, but my service in terms of labor is free of charge."

"Pardon?" He asked.

"I'm not charging you for the job, it's a little thing for me to handle."

"Wow!" He said, smiling. "Sounds great, you sure about this?"

"Yeah, you just buy the paints and brushes that I will be needing, and I'll get it done in no time."

He was happy, and he showed it, Juliet had told Liam James loved gifts and was always pleased to get free labor. The best He could do was bring his 'A' game on, and he was sufficiently motivated to show his best work.

The next day, Liam headed straight to the bank to cash the check James had given him for materials. He had made some purchases for the former contractors, following that estimate, he decided how much he could get started with. Now mobilized, Liam moved to purchase the paints at their neighborhood Home Depot store. He hired a truck to haul the materials to the site. Then began working on the house and was soon deeply engrossed with his work. He lost track of time, in no time. When James and Juliet suddenly arrived. There was happiness on their faces, and Liam noticed Juliet smiled at the outcome of his work. Knowing James, he wouldn't have put it past him to have emotionally tainted her on the possibilities of Liam fucking up the job any more than the first contractors. However, the reverse was the case. They were seriously impressed.

They waited for him to get ready to leave, so he could ride with them. They drove through traffic to drop him off at the train station for a ride to Plano. Where his meandering to Josephine would begin, he hoped to find a ride-share home. The stress of always going back to Josephine, without personal transportation was seriously taking its toll on him. However, there wasn't anything he could do. The money he had in the account was coming to, but it wasn't yet enough to rent out a place, and he felt having his own home was more important than anything else. Besides, the days of having nothing had severely mangled his credit rating. So bad it was, that repairing his credit was the must-do for him, and paying off debts was his top priority.

He did not need to go to the store since he was busy at the site, painting. A day came when some of their friends went to the house, while Liam was working. When they saw Liam's work, they asked for his services, but that wasn't going to happen. James, in his temperament style, asked him to go on from there and never return to his business again, if he ventured to take the job.

As it was, it seemed like Liam had just bought a moment of grace with the excellent work he was giving 'for free.' So, he worked hard until he finished. It had been vital that he delivered on time for Juliet to have her birthday party and for James to travel on to Asia. Nonetheless, the work produced was expected to be as fantastic and as artistically possible, as could be achieved. Not that he was so narcissistic to be the one to rate his efforts, but since other people did so, he couldn't help but feel good about the rating he had received. He was compelled to believe that what others saw as excellent was thus rated because it also appeared precisely attractive to the observers. Liam thought in displaying excellence in whatever he did. He had an eye for details and would spend a lot of time working on the same thing until he attained perfection.

On the last night of his painting, Juliet was the first on the scene, as usual. She stepped into the big living room and didn't find anyone. She moved over the work tools and several types of debris on the floor, through to locate Liam, in the place where his working tools clattered. Liam was in Thad's room, which was at the end of the hallway, coming in from the main entrance. She called out to him, "Liam?"

"Back here!" he hollered.

She came in seconds later to where he was packing up his tools. "Wow, she exclaimed, seeing what he'd done with Thad's room. "This is so beautiful. Oh my god am gonna cry," she said, overwhelmed with emotions. Then she said, "come here, gimme a hug," arms spread to fold him in her embrace. But in his head, he thought, 'James was probably close by, and this would be dangerous.' And he declined.

"No, thank you! Reserve it for later," he announced sheepishly.

"Really!?" She said, surprised and embarrassed by his rejection.

He couldn't explain that though it was what he longed for, he feared getting in trouble. The stupid thing was, he should have trusted that if anyone knew where James was, she would be that person. She then, trying to mask her embarrassment, made her way towards the door. He reached to stop her, or at least hold her hand for understanding, but she knocked off his hand, "don't touch me!" she grimaced.

"My bad!" he responded, raising his two hands in surrender and taking a few feet back. He felt like kicking himself for being such a coward and failing to seize the moment. Meanwhile, all he ever wanted to do was hold her close to his heart and squeeze her tightly. And when the opportunity presented itself, in a lonely place, what did he do? Go and be a chicken.

James' voice came through the front door, he was in the company of someone Liam couldn't recognize her voice. When he stepped out, he found out it was a friend of the family. A pastor wanna be, Mrs. Garett, a devout Christian. At least, that was what she made everyone believe.

He'd been right, they were close by, and Juliet only wanted to steal a quick hug that wouldn't have been obvious. Still, his heart pounded at the thought of being caught. It was at this point he swore, never to be afraid of seizing moments with Juliet. He vowed to even create his opportunities, no matter how dangerous the moment was. Only that if he did anything, it had to be smooth.

"Nice work here," said Mrs. Garett.

"Thanks, ma'am," Liam saluted.

"Yeah!" James said, "are you done?" He asked.

"Yes!" Liam curtly replied, picking up his bag.

Juliet still seemed a bit offended, she had walked out the door to the car, without turning back to look at them. She got on the phone with her niece about her kids. But Liam felt she must be mad at his rejection. He decided not to feel too bad since the outcome could have been worse if he was caught hugging her. There was no way he would've just done a quick hug at the opportunity of squeezing her.

As they drove off, he thought James would simply drop him off at the usual stop, where he could get a ride out to Josephine. Instead, James headed off another direction. He turned up the car volume, jamming some west-African dancehall music. Liam had heard the songs before, but they weren't really his kind of music. Sometimes he respected James for his acceptance of Mother Africa. James was a genuinely versed person, not keeled to just the States, but being traveled. The few times he spoke intellectually, one could feel the richness of cultures in his perspective of things. Having been to more than fifteen countries, he quickly convinced listeners on the diversity of life beyond color and race.

While James jammed his music to eardrums ripping volumes, Mrs. Garett, seated at the back, was winding and gyrating her hips to the rhythm of the playing music. It was all so exciting to Liam, how he would have paid to see her doing the go-down, go-down. They drove on for about nineteen minutes, James made a left turn, going west of their drive. He drove another seven miles in about fifteen minutes, then he pulled up to a house. Mrs. Garett alighted, they exchanged some pleasantries, Juliet was shouting over the still loud music, "see you during the party this weekend."

"Sure, will see you too," said Mrs. Garett. She blew them a kiss and walked up the driveway to her impressive house. Liam couldn't expect less. The rich hung around the rich, was the simple law of the economics of friendship. James engaged the car gears, shifting it from parking to drive, as they continued their journey to wherever they were going to. He took a left turn and another left, returning them to the road they had turned in on before dropping off Mrs. Garett.

"I wanted to say thank you for the great job you did on my house," James began saying. It was difficult to hear him too well over the loud music. Liam had to stretch his seat belt to accommodate his extension as he leaned forward to be able to listen to what James was saying.

"It's okay," Liam responded.

"No! Juliet and I will be taking you out tonight, and dinner is on us." Soon as he said that, he stepped on the gas, doing almost twenty above the speed limit in a few seconds, but he seemed not to care for a traffic offense.

"That's okay," Liam shouted again.

"You just relax," said Juliet, addressing him for the first time in about half an hour. He thought she must now have overcome her anger over him.

"Okay!" he hollered back, "anything you say."

They drove for another twelve minutes then stopped at this Steak house. It was called Él Savoy barbecue and steak house. Went in, got a table by the window, James's favorite corner, as Liam would later learn. Waiters came around, and they quickly placed their orders. Liam was settling in to enjoy myself and wondered why they had gone this far to thank him. Liam suspected Juliet probably put James up to it, and he was honestly grateful. Unable to remember the last time he went out for steak. Liam felt happy hearing some classics from Clarence Clemons oozing out of the speakers, setting an appropriate ambiance for a serene atmosphere. Juliet was saying something to James, and he paid them no mind while they chatted happily. Not until James suddenly burst out pointedly at her, "stop it! Stop it! I've told you several times never to talk that way about my merchandise," he scolded.

"But she has promised to pay," said Juliet.

"Just ask her to pay, or I will be forced to take drastic steps, haven't I given her enough time?"

"You have, but she needs a little more time," Juliet said, almost whispering to control their tone of discussion and avoid drawing attention to themselves. However, James was already too fired to have any sotto voce talks.

"How much time is a little more time?" asked James. "Don't you know how many little more times she has requested for, that has been granted to her?" He spoke so loud, a couple of heads turned to take note of the arguing couple.

"James, please bring your voice down…" said Juliet in an almost inaudible voice.

At that, James' eyes almost inverted with rage at Juliet. "How dare you ask me to keep quiet?" He demanded of her without abating his tone of voice, "am I here to be cajoled and insulted, is this the main reason we came here?"

"No baby, it's not! I'm sorry," Juliet apologized, trying to ease the tension around their table.

Over the months of working with them, Liam had learned that during James' tantrums, the best thing was for him to keep his distance. Juliet always had a way with James. He could bring down a house with his voice, but she brought his voice down eventually.

"Just tell that bitch to bring my money as soon as possible. I wonder why you continue keeping friends with insane people," James said, gritting his teeth.

"Come on now, James, there's absolutely no need to disrespect my friend like that," said Juliet.

"Shut the fuck up!" He snarled at her.

"What!?" She exclaimed humiliated. More so, having Liam witness his tongue lashing her. He felt she was probably avoiding his stare, which he believed she could feel burning her face. Liam looked from her to him and back again. The indignation James stirred in him was without remorse. Nonetheless, he was aware James was only making his seduction of Juliet all the easier.

"Here are your drinks, sirs, ma'am," the voice of the waiter brought Liam out of his brief reverie.

"Thank you," they said, accepting their drinks. The tension between Juliet and James was still a live wire, and they lost words to address the waiters with. Juliet was seething with rage at James, but like Liam already learned, there was nothing she ever did about the constant abuse. He would call her names before their staff and belittle her anywhere and at any time without thinking. This, in turn, took a toll on Juliet. Whenever she considered leaving, she weighed the options of battling him, custody battle, and then give up again. She continued the cycle of doing nothing and feeling weak about him.

James took a sip of his red wine, from a flute wine glass. Then turning to Liam, he asked, "Will you be able to come to give us a hand with moving?" He took another sip of his wine.

"Sure!" replied Liam as he dropped his glass from drinking.

"Yum, good wine," he muttered, smacking his lips, "this is some good shit." He returned his glass to the table, "we will be getting some Hispanics at Plano to help with the moving. Hey babe, they're in Plano, right?" he asked Juliet.

"Why are you asking me, ask yourself!" She replied seething, she was obviously still mad at him.

"Hehe," he laughed, mocking her. "Come on now, don't you want to tell me?" he said teasingly, touching her lap. Reflexively, she quickly smacked his hand off her.

"I don't want you touching me, okay, James! Just let me be," she said, her voice evidently showing she was fighting back the tears. "If you know what's best for you right now, you'd know to leave me be is it."

"Really, ha-ha, it's okay. I know it's Plano anyway," he said, still mocking her. He turned to Liam again as the waiters brought their meal, and began saying, "I would like you to be directly involved with the moving. My cousin Dan will be there, but I want you to act like the manager."

"No problem, boss," Liam assured him.

James continued taunting Juliet the rest of the night, and she was not happy about it. They finished their food and left the restaurant. Then they drove Liam to the place where he could ride share home.

When Liam saw Juliet the next day, he couldn't believe his eyes; she had a black eye courtesy of James. He'd smacked her on their drive home. They'd gotten into another fight about his behavior at the restaurant. In an angry response, he whacked her from across his driver's seat, with the back of his right hand. His blow knocked her straight on the left eye, the impact gave her a small cut on the brow. She refused to press charges against him. Instead, she decided to bear her pains. Liam comforted her the best he could and went out of his way to buy her fruits. She received it gratefully.

James also was different that morning, acting all cool and sorry for what he did to her. Juliet's friends did not have it. She was advised to press charges. She was told how he would never learn any lesson if it was never taught. Juliet paid heed to none of the advice she was getting. Ethel made her apple pie and brought it to show her support and love. All Liam did was watch from afar while being diplomatic with every word he spoke to ensure it sounded as correct as possible. The day was really a hassle until towards the end of the day when Juliet finally began to cheer up and smile.

The day they were to move their stuff to the new house arrived. Liam woke up early, as usual, did his not so general ablution before stepping out into the day. It was such a remarkable day. Weather was right, he got to the corner by Parker road train station in Plano, to hirable hands that would help move the James and Juliet's furniture. There were two white guys, a black guy and four Hispanics sitting on the sidewalk, under the trees. He approached the black guy because he was closest to him on his path. While dealing with him, two of the Hispanic guys came around to find out what was available. He hired them all, and they set out in James' Chevy truck, which he had given Liam for the purpose. One of the Hispanics had his own clean, red vehicle, which he and his guys rode in.

It took them most of the day, to box, package and list the furniture. They got some of the more significant objects wrapped and hauled off to the new house. By the time they had moved every item, it was time to take Spooky out to the new home. Liam went to the dog's house, took her out to the Chevy, and drove to the new house, with the massive German shepherd on his laps. They were done, and he was spent.

Liam was smoking a cigarette outside when James and Juliet got home with their kids.

"Hey!" Juliet hollered.

"Hey!" Liam hollered back.

"I guess you're tired, ugh?"

He flicked the ash off the almost burnt out cigarette, sighed, and said, "you bet!" He was leaning against one of the patio posts, he pushed off it to stand right.

"Do you think you'd be able to go home tonight?" she asked. "I'd love for you to stay here tonight," she said.

"Yeah? but my body is so dead beat I need me a proper bed to lay on."

"That's true," Juliet said, "we still must unpack and get things fixed, how about we see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe, but it's Sunday, and I'd really love to be in church."

"In the evening, after church?" She persuaded.

"Okay, I'll try."

Of course, he wanted to be there to give her a helping hand. He just didn't know why he stalled like it's not something he longed for.

"Here, take this," Juliet stretched forth her hand, reached out to get what she was offering, suspicious of what it could be, no more than money. It was, she squeezed three hundred dollars into his hand.

"Wow," he exclaimed, "you didn't have to."

"It's okay, go have fun, it's valentine's day next week, right?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

"Don't you have a girlfriend to share the day with?" she asked.

"I wish I had her already."

"Hey! Go get a hooker or something, ha-ha, but don't spend the day alone," Juliet said heartily.

"I'm not gonna be alone, I'll be here with you," he said, intentionally implying on the 'you,' so she'd get the undertone.

He left the house, feeling a sudden burst of energy as he took short slow steps across the yard. Maybe it was the fact that when he'd said he would be spending the valentines with Juliet, he had hardened a bit. Just getting warm without being fully erect. Liam headed straight for the McDonalds he'd seen a couple of blocks down the street. Noting as he walked, how much he really needed a car and thinking, with the way Juliet was throwing cash his way, he could probably afford one now. He should get one, he thought to himself. The monies from the rent saga and all he'd been saving since working should get him a decent ride, and still be enough to rent a house with, once his credit came up good enough. He made a mental note to start car shopping as soon as possible. Garland would be the perfect place to go looking for used cars, or Irvine.

He ordered his meal at the restaurant, two Doubles, side fries, and a cocktail of a small cup of sodas. Sat in a corner, and just reflected on life. He thought about where he was, where he would've loved to be, and how his dreams could come into play. Now, all seemed grounded. Especially following Sammy's housing saga.

He called it that because he reasoned it to be a phase in his life. He wasn't at a wrong place from being thrown out; simply because he had found succor with family and friends.

Juliet had become such a good friend, a great sweetheart. He didn't know where he'd be without her. Her kindness towards him, rather than encourage him to see her with the cravings for her love, sometimes confused him. Yet, he yearned for her love, everywhen he wasn't fazed. He longed for her touch, to find her curves, to experience the patterns of her skin, the depths, the ridges. She epitomized sexiness to him, it wasn't vain for him to see her as sexy, because that was the way she was. As he sat, eating his food and drinking his soda, he knew it was the right thing to have such tender feelings for her. Call it lust or sin, but it felt right.

It bothered him more when he remembered that her husband had struck her in the face over a nonsensical issue. How could he not love her, or even respect her or at least appreciated her omorfiá? Was it see finish? A thing of when the rose withers, the gardener forgets how beautiful it once stood, so he collects it and thrashes it without remorse?

Liam could see she still had it, though. She was older than him by about five years, yet she appeared even younger than all the women he knew, his age, and more youthful than her. He wasn't ordinarily infatuated with her, even though her beauty was truly set in his heart. He also knew it wasn't just infatuation because the image of her legs in that dress she had worn to the store a few days back was impugned in his mind. He knew this because he didn't have to see her rump to feel his heart melt. He knew he wasn't infatuated. She had almost caused him a cardiovascular problem with her sauce. She was so sexy she dripped of it. As he thought of her, he craved her touch. The more he desired, the more his heart felt like it would rip out of his body. She had his soul in her web, and he knew it, and he loved it. His head whooshed, feeling like it was filling up with blood, just engorging, and it hurt pleasantly.

Suddenly, a kid broke free of his parents towards Liam, bumping into him. The kid looked up at him, giggling at the impact. Then off he went dashing towards the other side of the restaurant. His mother looked at Liam, and apologized, he smiled back at her. She smiled back and quickly darted her gaze at her son, who was still giggling and gamboling about so lovingly. Meanwhile, his father paid the least attention as he stood to wait for their order.

Liam sipped some more sodas but didn't finish it. He always had some type of phobia for sweet drinks. Especially concerning how he believed it kills a man's libido. He was done with his meal after the little chap had knocked him back to reality. He got up, made his way to the door, and exited into the night, finding his way home. Juliet, on his mind. "Oh, my baby girl," he yelled into the night, "I've got thoughts of ever fucking you, and it makes me feel good." He leaped in the air, remembering the free spirit of the kid who had bumped into him at the restaurant

Chapter Six

Spring was usually Liam's favorite season of all. He loved the rains, and the cold from winter, which he wasn't at all a fan of, lingered limply in spring. Which was mostly at the appropriate temperatures of eighty and fifty degrees. Today would be slightly windy and humid, the weatherman had forecasted.

He made his way to Juliet's house, or, more formally, the Mendel's. He hoped he would not see James, and that Juliet would be skimpily dressed so that he could gloat over her near nakedness. The best he could do at the time where she seemed almost beyond reach. 'What if she let you fuck her?' he asked himself. 'What if!?'

When he got to their house, he noticed they had done an excellent job of putting things away. In fact, he got the impression they must not have slept. Everything looked prim, and in the proper place, he was super impressed. He was told Juliet was in her room, putting clothes away in the closet. James was in just boxers' shorts, going through some documents; the situation of moving had availed him.

Liam took a seat in the living room; they were watching football. Shonda had given him some peanuts and a bottle of beer. He preferred stout beer, real bitter Irish pub.

Almost an hour later, Juliet walked out of her room, heading for the kitchen, "Paul?" She called out to her second son.

"Yes mommy." He replied, then scurried off from watching the game to answer his mom.

She stopped when she got to where Liam was seated, said, "hi! Has it been long since you got here?"

"Not at all."

"Give me a second," she said, walking away as James walked into the room.

"Hi Liam!" James said, dressed to step out. "How do you like my house now?"

"Well!" It's beautiful as a jelly. Are you stepping out?"

"Yeah, gotta go meet a friend," he grunted, sitting down to put on his shoes.

"Sounds great," said Liam.

"Hey, help around the house, help them where necessary, okay?" James spoke atypically.

"Sure!" said Liam, finding no hesitations to offer. Why should he when he would be within Juliet's proximity and in a more relaxed environment?

When he found the time, he discussed his housing challenges with Juliet, it came up when she asked him how he was now living.

"Stressfully, is how, if I must confess."

"I know, right? I'm so sorry I've been so busy with my house. I haven't even asked how you were doing. Meanwhile, you've been such great help here," Juliet said.

Liam felt good as she spoke those words. They were comforting, she had allowed herself to be empathetic towards him. But that was Juliet, his vision of a woman.

"I think you should stay the night here." Juliet offered.

"But I don't have my clothes,"

"Surely you can repeat what you are wearing, can't you?"

"I guess I could."

"Or is there a woman you're running to tonight?"

"Maybe! Maybe I've run-up to her already."

"Valentine's day is in two days, what are your plans?"

"By plans, what do you mean?"

"Who will be your valentine?"

"I wish you would be," he said, looking into her eyes and holding her gaze.

She looked away, "come on now, don't be silly," she said, chuckling. "If you've got a vest under, you could take off the shirt to keep it clean."

Liam smiled without responding much. He didn't know when he spurted that out, but it was the truth, and with her, he truly wished he could spend valentine's day.

"I think I may be using some wallpapers in my room, it wasn't in the original plan, but I just thought of it. Liam, can you install wallpapers?" she asked.

"Yes, I do, do I need to buy them, or have you bought already?"

"Mm, it's all in my room," she said. "Come see them." She stood up from her seat and led the way to her room expecting him to follow. Liam stood up and followed her, enjoying the view of her butts wiggling as she walked. Juliet was genuinely sexy! She opened the door, got in, and let the door open wide. He arrived in after her, acknowledging the work they'd put into the setting up of the room. "Here!" she said, pointing to stacks of rolled papers leaning against the west wall.

"Cool!" Liam whispered, walking over to the point where the papers were. He picked one up, looked at it, approving of the design. "You're thinking futuristically, right?"

"You could say so, ha-ha," she said excitedly.

After the valentine's day, Juliet hosted friends to mark her thirty-eight birthday. It was a simple occasion, and not so many people were invited, just her family and close friends.

A week later, it was time for James to travel to China to meet with the manufacturers. He called Liam into his office the morning he would leave. At that time, Liam had spent more time at their home than he had at Jared's.

"Hey Liam," he began to say, "I want you to pay good attention to what's going on in the stores, I'd also like for you to function in the capacity of assistant manager. Can you handle that?"

"Sure! Why not?" he said excitedly. He was surprised at the unexpected promotion, but all the same, it felt good.

"Good, I will be leaving now for China, please that hole on the wall in the living room from when those idiots tried to mount the TV would need leveling, if you could fill it up, that would be great," he said. The hole in question was made by Hugo, his housekeeper and, Justus, the gardener. Since it wasn't professionals who were hired to mount the TV, he was left with the option of fixing the damage himself.

"That's not a big deal, I will take care of it, before you get back it would be done," he assured him.

"Alright, you can head back to your station now."

He got up from the chair and made his way out the hallway which linked into the big store, and down the stairs to the main exit. He got into the car, Juliet was in the car waiting for him, she would drive the car back from the airport.

It wasn't until the next day before it all began. Juliet asked Liam to wait to join her with some errands when they got to the store. While the other staff that rode with her alighted. So, Liam waited while she got out and instructed some of the team that was already on the ground. She got back into the car, and they drove off into the city. Then she asked him, "when do I get to meet your girlfriend?"

"Do you want to meet my girlfriend?" asked Liam.

"Yeah!? Don't you want me to know who she is?"

"Not at all," he said. "I don't mind introducing you, but first that hug I asked you to reserve, I think I'm ready for it now."

"Mm, what stupid hug?" she asked, feigning surprise.

"The one you were going to give me as a show of your gratitude," he defended.

She kept silent, so he reached across from his seat and touched her thighs. She slapped his hand. "Don't you ever try that again!" she said.

His heart began to beat fast, if she wasn't going to reciprocate his emotions, that would be some dead-end that could even close more doors, he thought, feeling very hot. A cold sweat broke out all over him. All the same, he figured he only needed a new strategy and refuse to be intimidated. Upon this determination, his body system normalized.

This city drives and errands that they embarked on, would continue throughout the whole week. Juliet had a lot of places she needed to cover the base with, now that James was away. They were places she couldn't have gone to while James was in town. She thought it okay for Liam to go with her everywhere she went. It was in every way perfect for him too. She made him lecture her on how to change the dynamics of Siana Distributions from a manufacturer without middlemen distribution, to distributing both through middle-men, and direct retail. He encouraged her to look at the dot com business module and take advantage of it. All these interests in her business resonated with her. She felt he cared about the success of Siana Distributions.

One day, while on one of the errands, they started talking about relationships. The fact is that he had no girlfriend and had not even committed to falling in love with any other girl since the day he met Juliet. His focus and desire towards her were fully aligned. "A man needs to know how to take care of his wife in the bedroom," he suddenly heard himself saying to her.

"I agree with you, but how many men still do that?"

"If a man doesn't know to give his woman head, for instance, what is he up to?" He asked her.

"Do you eat out your girlfriend?" she asked, turning slightly to look at him.

"It's one of my favorite episodes in foreplay," he said. "I take my time to nibble, give gentle bites and suck too," he detailed.

"When last did you eat a woman out?" she asked him.

"Not too long ago." A sudden silence fell between them.

"Hey Liam, not to forget, I would need you to get to Georgia to pick up some items at the airport, that would be coming in from Nigeria. Could you do that?" Juliet asked.

"You're my boss, why not if that's what you want."

"Okay, call Louisa to check for flights leaving on Thursday. She should organize it for you to leave Thursday and get back Saturday."

He put a call to Louisa immediately for her to have his flight set up, such sudden trips were nothing but exciting to him. That it came out the blues wasn't a source of worry to him, either. Georgia, he had visited there about three years back for a conference on setting up trade and the dot com boom.

"She's on it now," he informed her.

"When did you lose your virginity," she asked suddenly.

"I was never a virgin," he said, laughing.

She smiled, "bad boy!"

He took that as a cue and decided to dare his chances. "Do you like to be eaten?"

She kept quiet for a minute, then answered, "yes!"

He decided to push one more step into her space of reasoning, "does James eat you?"

"Sometimes, but it's been a while now since he last did so." She was now open to him.

He felt exhilarated, the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins was so intense. He decided to keep pushing, become a tsunami, and break any hedge around them. "Maybe I should eat you too," he said. She was quiet, driving through city traffic at forty miles per hour, Janet Jackson playing softly in the background, the ambiance it created was magical, he was going to kill with this mood. "I could be tender and slow, and I think you'd enjoy it so much."

She still said nothing, so he reached out again, after a week of the last rebuttal, and gently stroked her thighs. She did not react. He pulled back his hands, enjoying that she did not act against him but worked like there was nothing wrong with that. She had become more receptive. She turned in to the mall where they were headed.

When they got into the mall, he noticed that she acted a little bit more like his friend, somewhat like his girlfriend even. The chemistry was undeniable, to the point that he had gone over to a food stand, where they sold pretzels by the corner, to get a snack, and when he got back, she asked, "where's mine?" unlike her. Her attitude when she asked was also somewhat exciting, almost girlie. So, he made to return and buy hers, but she stopped him and took the one in his hand, took a bite, handed it back, and said, "thank you."

On their way from the mall, he continued with his seduction. "You know, this pretzel is as buttery as a woman's body?"

"Mm, really?" she tersely replied. Then she looked at him and said, "you want to fuck me, don't you?"

That knocked his socks off! He wasn't expecting such forwardness, but then he had been out taunting her so much with sex. He decided not to flop this moment, bravely he told her, "yes, yes, I want to fuck you."

One minute that seemed like an eternity passed between them. "Let me tell you something, Liam, you better be careful not to fall victim to cougars. I don't know if you can promise me you won't ever allow sugar mommies into your life. Can you?"

"Sure, why not? I don't think I am out there searching for sugar mommies," he says, hoping she wasn't rebuking him in her usual, soft way.

"What I'm saying is that there's been a lot of cases of young men falling victim to sugar mommies in this Dallas and getting destroyed by it. If you'll focus on just one woman, love and treat her right, you should be okay." She advised.

They rode on in silence, and when they got to the store, he carried on like nothing was amiss. He could barely focus, but Juliet's last piece of advice had him confused now. He felt she was just cool with him speaking freely around her, but not enough yet to convince her to be his. This thought of his wasn't factful though.

That night, he slept in Juliet's home. The whole family, except James, who was still in China, sat in the living room watching a short series. Then everyone when everyone had gone to bed, he felt someone tapping him to wake up. "Liam!" Juliet said softly, come help me get this stuff from the fridge," she told him. He opened his eyes, feeling tired and sleepy, but managed to get up to give her a hand with whatever she wanted. When they got to the refrigerator, he opened it. Liam was still feeling sleepy, she said, "give me the butter."

He obeyed, reached for the butter, which was barely highly placed, and she could have easily gotten for herself. As he handed her the cup of butter, still sleepy, she suddenly held his hand, taking hold of his index finger and stuck it in her vagina. She said, "Liam, baby, please touch me; I'm so hot for you."

The moment she said that sleep cleared from his eyes. He quickly drew closer to touch her, but she removed his hand immediately, took a step back, turned, and ran back to her room. Now he was awake, confused, but felt such a sudden rush of adrenaline it churned his stomach. He wanted to run after her and do the necessary, but he couldn't. His stomach boiled so much he had to run into the bathroom to take a dump. When he emerged from the bathroom, he walked stealthily towards her room until he stopped by her door. Conscious of the fact that her bedroom was directly opposite two other bedrooms. He turned the doorknob to find it locked, then tapped softly, but she wouldn't respond. He whispered for her to open the door, but she clammed up and wouldn't open. He didn't get why she was hiding. He had already touched her flower, what else was there for her to be shy about. Lifting the hand he had stuck in her vagina to his nose, he confirmed that indeed it smelled of an aroused woman. It seemed like a wild dream still. Now, Liam felt like kicking himself for having been sleepy. Usually, he wasn't the tired fella, but he had been so sleepy now. So, that what he had worked and hoped patiently for had just happened, and he missed it due to sleep. Although he wasn't giving up, he went outside the house to her window, careful not to be seen by neighbors, and began to call her. About thirty minutes later, it dawned on him that she wasn't going to open the door, so he went back inside to sleep.

As much as he tried, sleep would not come for what seemed like ages. He stayed woke for the longest time, hoping Juliet would return back again, but she didn't. At this point, he was engorged and throbbing. Liam stroked up and down the shafts of his manhood straining against his shorts. Then he started rubbing it against the skin of his thigh. Liam thought of all he would do to her sexually if she returned. The more he thought about what he would do to her, the more fervently he urged. In an unexpected burst, he ejaculated, spewing sperm all over his thigh and hand. He got up, went to the bathroom, and cleaned up.

Chapter Seven

The next morning, they did not say much to themselves when they saw each other. Liam was a bit shy and unsure about how to relate to her. But Juliet carried on as though nothing had happened. He was almost confused, especially since he was somnolent when she came onto him. Of course, they weren't going to pretend nothing happened. Soon as he got the chance to, he put the question across to her. "What happened last night?" He asked Juliet.

"What happened? I don't know, maybe you should tell me," she replied, actually feigning ignorance.

"Why didn't you wait, why did you run?" he pressed.

"Please stop asking me because I do not know," she said. Liam wasn't going to let it slip. He wanted to discuss the matter, and because he would love to experience that sex, he wasn't ready to entertain her pretense. He had been considering going home to Jared's house, but now he had tangible reason not to. At least, it was good enough reason for him. However, despite all his pressings, she refused to indulge him any further. She avoided him the rest of the day and even went out by herself.

He left for Georgia the next day, arriving late in the evening. He got to Atlanta airport, still feeling dazed from the events of the previous evening. While it was what he had worked patiently over the past months to achieve, it despite came as a shock; that he was blown away when it finally happened. Probably because he was not prepared for the initiation that came from her. He was used to being the initiator, but then... she wasn't a little girl. While all his adolescent experiences with the women folks had been with equally inexperienced teenage girls. Or up until his early twenties, still been with naïve girls in their twenties, this was his first experience with a woman.

This one knew what she wanted, and she wasn't afraid to go for it. Liam didn't know where to turn to for the experience required to handle this heat level. A constant rush of adrenaline continued coursing through his veins. It's at this moment, he felt his trip to Atlanta was ill-timed. He missed Juliet and wanted nothing more than to get back to her. Oh god, he thought, for the feeling that was sweeping through him needed nothing more than her presence at least.

He went over to the airport car rental place. Rented an F-150 truck and zoomed off to the address he had been given. It was a lovely family house in Duluth. Juliet had instructed him to run his errands that same day and get everything he needed before moving back the next morning. It was going to be a get in, get out the situation. When he had picked up the items, which included some artist gold dust and school supplies, for the spring break school sales. He drove to the USPS office to have the fifty boxes shipped to Texas, before heading out to the hotel. By the next morning, he was on his way out to the airport.

He got back to Dallas, feeling excited and hopeful. It was raining, so he stayed back in the baggage claim until staff from the office would come to pick him up. To his surprise, Juliet was the one who came to pick him up.

"Hi," he said to her.

"Hi," she responded.

He got into the car, his black overnight bag on his lap. She was driving her Mercedes and had on a pretty tight jeans pants and a black t-shirt with gemstones design of a pink tiger head in front. "Thanks for coming to get me," he said.

"Well, Samson was gonna come to get you, but since I was in Grapevine, I thought I might as well come to get you."

"I think I like that you came, instead of him," he said. Samson was one of the two official company drivers. He was cool with him, but they were not close. Every once in a while, Liam would try to chat the drivers up but often found them non-responsive. So, he figured it was either they didn't like the way he was in the company, or they didn't just think he was their type of person. Therefore, their need to keep their distance, which he equally respected and appreciated.

As they drove, Liam began discussing his business in Atlanta. Giving her details and explaining their expectations. She was content with all that, but within a few minutes into the twenty-six minutes' drive from DFW airport back, he found himself expressing his love to her. "I wasn't okay in Atlanta, my thoughts were all about you," he said.

"So, you probably didn't focus on what you went for?" She teased.

"Of course, I did! I couldn't allow anything to disrupt my business."

"Then you didn't think deeply about me," she accused.

"Now, ain't that a trick?"

"Hahaha," she laughed.

"Well, Julie, I want to hold you and love you," he said. This was probably his boldest statement to her face since all these begun.

"I think you should stop." She declared!

"What? Don't you want me to love you?"

"I don't know! I think I want you to get married instead, if you settled down, then that would be great."

"But I don't know who to marry yet, and I want you for now."

"I know you want me, but I really want you to get married," she insisted.

Of course, she had been hinting on his getting married to her niece for the longest of time. He also knew at this time that she was going there, just that she wasn't bluntly dropping names.

Liam looked at her while she drove, her focus on the road. Suddenly, he reached out for her legs. Placed his hand on her thigh, then observed her through keenly slit eyes. She did not react, and he took that for approval and began to caress her where his hand was. She still said nothing. Liam swallowed hard and continued. Stroking her, wishing the jeans weren't in his way. He traced the outlines of the jeans treading. Running his fingers towards her inner thighs, and up till he made contact with her crotch. She took a deep breath and exhaled emphatically. Enjoying the effects he seemed to have on her, he made circular motions around her inner thighs. Listening to her breathing dramatically, sure her heartbeat was now fast. As he motioned towards her fly, Juliet caught his hand, held on to it for a few seconds, and whispered, "please stop," in the crispiest voice he had ever heard.

He pulled his hand away from her crotch and continued to caress her thighs. After a few minutes, he removed his hand to allow her to concentrate on her driving. He turned his focus to the window; now, he confident that she was his. However, without sex, how could he consolidate his claims? He reasoned. In the evening, at the close of work, he went home with them. James still had about eight days before he returned, Liam felt it was enough time before he would've slept with Juliet. That evening, he found every turning opportunity to squeeze her butt or touch her. She responded like a child in love, loving every contact, and herself creating the situation whence it all happened.

Juliet sat on her bed, thinking of the fire in her belly. Desire surged through her, and she wanted Liam. Deciding to take a bath, she got up, stripped down, and grabbed her bathrobe. On second thought, she ditched the robe and went into her bathroom for a towel. Tying the towel around her, she felt comfortably covered. She stepped into the hallway, hoping to see Liam.

They suddenly found themselves alone in the dining area. The main passage door led from the dining to the rooms. Their position was behind the door area. They could see anyone who came out of any of the places without themselves been seen. Liam went behind her, confidently pulled her close to him with as much strength as he could muster. She melted at the power of his hand. He pressed on her back, forcing her to go face down on the dining table. Then lifting her towel, he positioned himself to let himself into her, but she quickly spun around. Turning to face him, she shook her head. "I want to see you enter me for the first time," she said. Lifting her leg, she placed it on the chair they'd pushed aside, baring her glory shamelessly. Liam caught his breath and whispered, "slut!"

"What was that?" She asked as he lowered himself, positioning above her to love her.

"I said sexy," he whispered, erection in hand. He moved to insert himself into Juliet. As he rubbed himself against the tip of her happy button to get her moistened, she let out a suppressed moan. Hearing her voice, he became fired and impatiently, he tried thrusting into her. Just then, a door opened down the hall. They readjusted immediately, Liam taking long strides against the wall, as far away from her as he could and until he reached the living room.

She opened the refrigerator, reached inside for a bowl of oranges. Shonda had put some in there the day before then. Juliet marched out of the corner. He waited to see who it was, but no one came from the door that had opened and shut. "Damn fuck!" he cursed at whoever had interrupted them.

Juliet went in and did not come out again. Their behavior might have become apparent, due to the intensity of Liam's obsession with wanting to be with Juliet. Since James left town, Liam had rarely been to the store James assigned him to. The opportunity, the cat's going away provided the mice, was such that it needed to play totally before the cat's return. It wasn't long before his supervisor, and the general store manager, Chubby, began reacting. Suspicious of Juliet and him alike. Behaving like he knew something was fishy about them.

He even became unruly to Juliet, disobeying her every now and then. Liam understood this change in behavior as a protest for his and Juliet's actions. To make matters worse, the chap was James' nephew, so he was looking out for his family and didn't appreciate Liam's looming personality around Juliet. On one of those days, they had just come back from another errand, this time they had gone to Gladys' office, where he would meet Gladys for the first time.

Juliet wanted to introduce Liam to her best friend. Gladys was real as he had heard. One's first impression of her was that she was indeed a full-figured woman. He sat in the car while they chatted outside the vehicle.

"Girl," began Juliet, "That there is the chap feeling me up."

"You thot," Gladys responded as they laughed. "Whatcha doing sleeping with him?"

"I ain't slept with him yet, just planning to, almost did yesterday, but got interrupted."

"Really!?" Gladys asked, eyes wide, "Girl you're wild. Since when did you get so horny?"

"I don't know girl; I can't explain how I feel when I'm around him. He makes me feel wanted, he needs me, I can feel it."

"But you don't need him, and you should know better than putting your family in the line of fire."

"What family? I'm finishing thoughts of leaving that beast behind."

"You know you're dead when you do that."

"I don't care, I need to be happy, and the kid loves me. He dotes over me; he makes me giddy inside." she looked over to the vehicle where Liam sat and smiled.

It took them about thirty minutes to catch up on their gossips. Then Juliet called for him to come out and meet Gladys. She talked to him, mostly interviewing him, then they got back into the car to return to the store. While she turned and began to walk towards her office entrance. On their way, Liam asked Juliet what was up? To know why she'd called him to meet her friend. Because he felt the less the number of people knew about them, the better. He was raised on the streets of Queens, New York, he trusted no one and wanted her to be that way too. But Juliet was different; she had all sorts of friends and had told a couple of them how she had been having feelings for Liam.

When they got back from their errand, his supervisor went off on Juliet. "Madam, I don't like the way you've not been attending to business." Chubby said to Juliet the moment she stepped into the store.

"Did I hear right, or am I hallucinating?" Juliet asked him to be sure she didn't just dream up what she'd heard him say.

"I... I... just think you need to do what's right," said Chubby.

"Since when? What guts?" she asked, now visibly mad at Chubby. She proceeded to instruct him, but he began disobeying Juliet's instructions again. To the point where the whole issue escalated, and she was forced to slap him. He held his cheek, feeling the power of the sting. Then Juliet picked her phone and placed a call to Chubby's mother to restrain him from being unruly towards her.

A day to James' return, Juliet asked Liam to accompany her to the warehouse to receive the goods from Atlanta. She was in a foul mood stemming from Chubby's rebellious attitudes. But Liam kept talking kind to her and feeding her real sweet words until she began to laugh at his jokes and to speak with him. After they were done stacking the items, Liam began to let her know how much he craved her and pleaded with her to let him touch her. After hesitating, she said okay and stepped into the darker part of the warehouse. He went to her, his heart beating fast. Unbuttoned her jeans pants, and pushed it down slightly, she was putting on pink flower-patterned panties.

Heated blood coursed through his veins, and a wave of passion swept over them. He rubbed Juliet's crotch with his dirty fingers, remembered he'd been carrying boxes and now had a dirty hand, he quickly wiped his hands off on his jeans. Then he pushed down her panties with his free hand. Liam returned, held her by the neck, drew her to himself, and planted his lips on her. She opened her mouth to receive him, and they were locked in a passionate kiss. He wanted her, she could feel his erection throbbing and straining through his pants. She held him in the small of his back and pulled herself into his embrace. Gently, she gyrated her hips to feel his erection around her. It fired him up, so he began rubbing her crotch. She moaned at his contact with her sensitive part. He kissed her, and she responded, holding the back of his head. He slid a finger on her clitoris and began to rub it, she moaned softly, "Liam," she called.

"Yes?" he whispered into her ears.

"You're killing me," she said.

"Then you're bound for heaven," he responded to her accusation.

Her phone suddenly rang her particular tune for James, he often got hysterical whenever he called, and she delayed picking his call. Setting a unique ringtone for him allowed her to understand the severity of the caller. She tried to pull away to answer, but Liam held her back. "Answer already."

"Hello baby!" she answered James. He began to speak to her about some things he needed. Just then, Liam stuck two fingers into her wet kitty. She almost choked as she gulped saliva, trying to stop herself from crying out at the intense feeling that had ambushed her.

"Why are you not at the store?" James asked her. Obviously, he had called the store first before her.

"The goods from Georgia just came in, and I needed to have it packed in the warehouse."

"Okay. So which warehouse do you have it packed into?"

"Coit road warehouse," she replied. Holding Liam by the hair, for he had bent over her breast, exposed them, and had just placed his lips on her nipples. She was on fire!

"Good, good, you know I'm at the airport now, I should be arriving tomorrow."

"Sounds good, I've been missing you, and it's been lonely without you," she said. Liam nibbled and sucked hard on her nipples, she threw her head back to contain the mixed pleasure of pain and sweetness.

James, on the other end, liked what he heard, he enjoyed it every time she told him his absence made her life miserable. "Well I'm gonna be back tomorrow, I hope my kids are fine?"

"They sure are," she said, a hand on Liam's head to prevent him from repeating his torture, "and I'm sure they'll be very excited to see their daddy."

"That's good, alright I'll be seeing you tomorrow, I've got to go through security check now, bye."

Feeling the heat Liam's fingers in her were causing her, she held his vibrating hand with her free hand. "Bye, love, mmua," she blew James a kiss, leaning her head against Liam's chest. Then she hung up and turned to face him. He was now busy rubbing her butt with his other hand, while his fingers lingered in her. She suppressed her moaning, holding his hand with both her hands for support as she climaxed. Regaining her senses, she looked up at him. "Let's go," she said. "He knew I wasn't in the store; he must have called the store first."

"Do you think Chubby would say anything to him?" Liam asked.

"While I don't want to change my marriage situation, I actually don't care what whoever says. Besides, Chubby would have to prove whatever he says, and I don't think he can do that."

Liam had stopped what he was doing, he pulled out his moistened fingers, looked around for something to clean his hand with while she adjusted her clothes. He found nothing, and they walked out of the warehouse, locked the doors, and headed back to the store. These were things on his list of to-dos' checking off against her. His very dreams fulfilled, to be loved back by the woman of his dreams. He felt invigorated and refused to be judged. He was happy, and if he made Juliet happy too, there was nothing better that he could think of. Not once did he ever consider James a threat. No, not once, did he believe James could stop him.

The next day, James was to arrive, Juliet took the car to the Carwash and had it detailed. She left at noon to go pick him up, telling Liam she would not be returning to the store, and James would want to have sex with her when he got back. "It's our tradition, Juliet said. Liam was jealous when she said that and wished he was the one with the right to her hand. To make love to her without thought of repercussions, such as she had confessed inhibited her actions with him.

Later that evening, he went home to their house. He was now virtually living there. Liam did not care about what properties of his were at Jared's, they weren't much anyway. As far as Liam was concerned, they were safe, and he didn't need to go there yet. Living with Juliet ended the crisis of transportation, and there was no need to acquire any vehicle since transportation was provided by Juliet. Besides, they had two other spare cars he could use should the need arise.

Somehow, he found himself loitering about the house, hoping Juliet would come out of the room. James ought to be jet-lagged at some point. While everyone else was watching a movie in the cinema room, he watched with them, but neither heard nor saw what they were watching. His mind was dedicated to thoughts of Juliet and how she was definitely naked in James' hands. This thought was mean to him. It tore at the elements of his heart, ripping at the embroidery of his veins. And tinkering with the sounds of his heartbeat. He was a feeble volcano boiling with useless rage. A rage that wasn't powerful enough to erupt, anger which dared not erupt, lest it imploded.

Suddenly Juliet appeared. She walked into the kitchen, and Liam's eagle eyes trained on her steadfastly. Soon, he got up and left the cinema room, went to the kitchen and stepped out to the back porch, to sit down on one of the staircases there. Soon Juliet came there too.

"why are you sitting outside, all by yourself?" She asked.

"Waiting for you, I guess," he replied, looking up, to see her, as she came and joined Liam on the steps.

"Well you know I can only be one place at a time," she said as she placed herself on the steps with him.

"How was it?" he asked her.

"How was what?" she asked in response.

"Sex with him…"

"You know you should not concern yourself with such things."

"I'm just curious to know… did he fuck you good?" Liam asked her in a shallow tone of voice, mincing no words. She did not respond immediately, probably contemplating her reply. The guess was that Juliet did not like the audacity of the question. But she had committed herself to this affair. Liam had now seen her nakedness touched her, kissed her, stroked her, and even suckled on her nipples. She had nothing else to hide from him.

"He does it as best as he can, and that's enough for him."

"Does he give you head?"

"Sometimes, sometimes, he doesn't."

"But you'd love me to give you head?" he pressed, his ego craving the assurance or reassurance from her that she was now his.

"Maybe," she whispered. Liam barely heard what she'd said.

"Sorry? I didn't quite get that," he said.

"I said yes," she responded.

He was silent after hearing her acknowledgment. He didn't quite know just how to handle it all yet. It was an exciting yet empty moment for him. He felt like it was awesome and felt like 'then-what?'. It was all strange and right. Again, he refused to let his conscience interfere

The stairs, where they had been sitting, was close to Juliet's room, they soon heard shuffling in the room. Then a muffled male voice came through the walls, and then a kid's voice could be heard.

"I think James is awake," Juliet said, without getting up. They were talking about everything and anything that came to mind. Currently, they were on the topic of back when she was in college, at the state college. Dallas had always been home to her. She'd been outside Dallas a couple of times. But not for too long and not anywhere outside the country. Just to places like Florida; to Disney's or California; to Hollywood, primary vacation spots for the middle Americans. James was the one traveling the world for business. He'd been to every continent on earth, a high school dropout. Yet, he commanded one of the best business acumens one needed to be successful in the land of dreams.

"Mom!" little Paul called, opening the door as he came out, "dad's looking for you."

"Okay, is he awake?" she asked him, getting up.

"Yes," the kid said, taking hold of his mother's hands and placing them over his shoulders while he leaned his back against her legs. She released one of her hands to dust her butt with and turned to address Liam before going in.

"I guess I will be seeing you tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure!" said Liam, ogling as she patted the dust off her butt.

He held his chin between his right hand, elbow placed on his knee, which was high up, close to his chest. All he needed was time and space. Since he couldn't nail her while James was gone, it would be even harder now that he was around. He blamed himself for being slow when the opening was available, too sluggish and hesitant when it mattered the most. From when she had offered him the hug, to when he had her in the warehouse. He should have done it at all these times. Yet another part of him said, seduction is most beautiful when you are patient. The prey is more satisfying when the hunt is most thrilling. He guessed by that; he would have been putting off the victim trying to stop it from being such an easy kill. He was the excellent hunter and if he delivered the final blow already… that was it, he would lose interest in her, and it wasn't time for that to happen yet.

He was now deeply involved in James' business. Since he was neither interested in James' company nor in any other thing outside his dreams, he did not allow his accomplishments to renew his mind.

For, to him, it remained that until he could get top music folks when he could make people shinning stars, then would he feel accomplished. His dream was to create the sixth biggest record label on earth after the big five. Perhaps this moment would bridge him to it. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in Juliet's money either. Instead, he just thought of his disposition with Juliet as an exciting distraction along the way to his victory. Though he felt he loved her, he didn't see her leaving her man to come with him. Leaving wealth behind to go with a hungry artist that would be a script for the Shakespeare of the world, but not something obtained.

The back stairs somehow became their rendezvous. Juliet would join him there every night for three nights, by the fourth night, James would not take it anymore. Luckily, his cousin Tyshawn had come visiting to see the new house, and he was with them on this night, which James chose to express that he had already had it to the brim. Tyshawn had initially joined Liam on the steps before Juliet came out to sit with them. So, when James called, he had first asked, "who is out there?"

Tyshawn replied first, "it's me, Ty... Tyshawn!" maybe because he was the one talking when James had called out. While he had sensed the concern in James's voice, and understood where he may be going, Tyshawn was fresh and knew nothing.

Then Juliet identified herself too, asking James, "Papa is anything the problem?"

"Are you there too?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she replied, "is everything okay?" she queried.

From the room, he bellowed, "why do you always hang out with that boy at the back, Juliet?" his voice tremulous with anger as he spoke.

"What do you mean, Papa?" she asked him in an accusing tone of voice.

"You already know what I asked, now I am not playing, you better get your ass in the house," he bellowed like thunder from his room.

Liam never bothered to utter a word; it was not necessary was his reasoning. She got up, heading inside. Things couldn't get worse as she walked in muttering and complaining about whatever came to her head, determined to turn the tide of accusation and get James confused.

After that day, she stayed away from Liam, trying to clear the air of doubt and suspicion. On his side, every chance he got was good enough for either a booty grab or a delicate touch.

A couple of days later, she came out of her room, heading towards the kitchen. Upon seeing her, Liam immediately got up and hurried to catch up with her. She was in the hallway when he got up to her. Everyone had gone into their rooms. Liam was alone in the vast living room, as usual. Since he had no place of his and shared rooms with Chubby, he was often in the main living room, and no one ever came there. All rooms had a television installed, so the occupants were always occupied with their privacy. As she made to pass him, he caressed her butt, she turned to face him and said, "I'm not comfortable with you doing that, what if someone sees us?"

"Who are you afraid of?" he asked, drawing closer to her, aware of the environment, stopping her between the kitchen and hallway.

"I just don't like it," she whispered, "I'm not a little girl, so I don't appreciate such gestures," she insisted.

Without saying a word, he drew closer to her, slowly closing the gap between them, held her arms, and pulled her gently to himself. "Who are you afraid of?" he asked again. Then he slid his left hand around her waist to draw her closer to himself. As he came in to kiss her, she turned her face away. He reached for her face, touched her chin, and gently turned her face to his. Liam kissed her lips, watching to see her reaction. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. His left hand behind her gently dropped to her butt, he pulled her in. He caressed her boobs through the flower-patterned chiffon blouse she had on. He rubbed her, she moaned into his mouth, still locked with hers. She gripped his shoulder and placed her head on his chest. Suddenly, she pulled his hand out of her underwear, took a step back, and walked off. Turning from the kitchen, Juliet headed back to her and her husband's room. Whatever she was going for was put off.

Chapter Eight

Now that James was settled in, his life of drinking with his friends, and regularly hanging out resumed. Usually, Juliet would accompany him, but recently she was changing her preference and was no more down with that. He continued with the verbal abuse and made it worse when he inconsiderately belittled her before his staff and customers. He was without restraint. All this helped Juliet make up her mind to love the one she felt wanted her, the one who cared about her and treated her like someone precious.

While at the branch store, which was a couple of blocks away, Liam's phone rang, it was Juliet. Sitting upright, he picked the call. "Hello, Julie!"

"Liam, are you busy?"

"Not really, do you need me?"

"Yes, please." She asked him to come. When he got to where she had directed him to meet her, she was seated in the car teary-eyed. He opened the front passenger door and slid in the seat. She was sobbing softly. He wanted to hug her, to show her he understood without being told. However, they were in a public parking lot, and neighbors' tongues would wag. The best he could do, given the environment, was offer words of comfort.

Out of the speakers came a cool song from the radio, she paid attention to it, then reached for the knob and turned up the volume. It was Robin Thicke's newly released 'Lost without you.' She listened to the words for a minute, turned to Liam, and said, "I feel this song is talking to me… his words make me feel I've been lost…" she turned to look at him with an amazed look, "…lost without you." A fresh set of tears rolled freely down her eyes. She covered her face with her hands. "Thank you," she said through sobs.

Liam was touched, "I'm here for you," he assured her.

"Liam…" she called, rolling beads in her hands, eyes fixed on them, "Liam?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Liam, do you believe in love?" she asked.

He looked at her, she hadn't lifted her face, she was focused on wriggling the life out of those beads. "Yes Juliet, I believe in love, else I wouldn't be here working for you, I'm here because I love you."

"Really!?"

"Yeah!"

She lifted her face, eyes fixed on his, after a minute she said, "I think I'm… I think I'm in love with you," she stuttered.

He placed his hand on his head, and with his palm spread, he brushed his hair back and forth. Then he reached out to hold her hands, still fumbling with the beads. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "I think I love you too, baby love."

"You do?" she asked.

"Yes."

There was a brief pause, then she looked at her watch, "I wish we could spend the rest of the day together, but you have to get back now. I won't be going home right away, but I will see you at home."

"That's okay! Guess I will see you later then." He reached for the door handle, felt her hand on his shoulder, he turned to her.

"I don't want you to leave me," she said.

"It's okay baby, you know I have to, I would like to be with you too… see you later?"

"Sure!" she said, nodding her head.

He let himself out of the car and walked with his heads in the clouds. All the way to the store. 'Yes! Yes! Yes! Juliet was now surely mine!' he thought.

Back at the store, they were dubbing art lessons on DVDs to bootleg. Another call came through his phone. He looked at his phone, and it was James. He picked up and answered. "Hello!"

"I want you to get to home depot and pick up a door lock, for my room, get money from Chubby.

"what type of door lock?"

"Juliet just called that the doorknob and handle just came off."

"The new one?"

"Yes"

"That's weird!"

"tsk!" he clicked his tongue, "really annoying!"

"Okay, I know which type to get then."

At the close of business, he got money for a new lockset from Chubby and headed out. Tyshawn decided to go with him. They got to home depot and picked up a key handle. Then Donnie drove them back home. It was a Friday, and James, as usual, had decided to go hang out with his friends. He also didn't feel like confronting Juliet after their fight at the store.

They stepped into the house; Tyshawn excused himself to use the bathroom while Liam went on straight to the room he shared with Chubby. Got into comfortable clothes, in shorts and a vest, before heading to Juliet's bedroom. He caught sight of Juliet, in the room, her boy Thad was also in the room. She appeared to be getting ready for a bath. With a towel wrapped around her and her jeans pants still on. She got up to take off the jeans. It appeared that whatever she was doing with her son held her from bathing already. Just as she was putting the pants away, Tyshawn appeared at the door, he said hello and came in to assist with fixing the door handle. Liam, however, didn't have the right tool, so he excused himself to Tyshawn while he went to get the right screwdriver. On his way back into the room, he saw Tyshawn walking in the hallway.

Liam stretched out his hand to offer him the screwdriver.

"Oh no, it's all yours, Juliet says James would prefer you be the one to fix it, and you know how he is."

"Yeah, okay, I've got it then."

"Sure, I will be in the room."

Liam walked the few steps to Juliet's room. Thad was gone, and Juliet was sitting on the single antique armchair they had in the bedroom. He set to getting the doorknob fixed. As he bent down, Juliet called, "Liam!"

He turned to look at her and was knocked out of breath. He thought his sight was unreal. He quickly peered into the hallway to scan his surroundings. No one seemed to be anywhere near. He turned again to look at Juliet. She had one leg over the armrest of the antique chair, and nothing else. Having taken off all clothes except the towel, now parted for him to see her. She beckoned with a forefinger. Liam awoke from his shock and rushed towards her. He had on a pair of shorts with a rubber waistband, so he wasted no time pulling out his erection. And was going to go about it like a savage, as he made to cock it in her, she pushed him away, "No," she whispered, "I just want your tongue."

"Okay," he said, thinking, 'I get her to climax then finish up with lovemaking.' Immediately, he went to work on her like a hungry, sugar-loving child handed ice-cream on a hot day. As he ate her, she wiggled gently, at first, rubbing his head in rhythm to the way she felt. He ate delicately, flicking his tongue around her vulva, then dipping sparingly into her. When he felt her gyrating her hips more, he refocused on her sweet buttons. She moaned softly, head turned to one side, eyes shut, as the intensity of his craft. She held his head pressed down to herself. As her body trembled at the sweet tingling spreading through her, she pushed up her hips to enjoy his every administration.

Now climaxing, she stifled her moans and began to gyrate her waist. She didn't realize she was pressing Liam's head hard against her crotch. Trying the impossible, to get his whole tongue into her as she climaxed. Working and grinding profusely, Juliet's muscles tensed and contracted as she orgasmed. Instantly, she released his head, exhaling with a throaty sound. He took that for a cue that she was ready to be penetrated. So, he pulled out his wiener from his shorts again to insert her. She had her eyes half shut from the effects of a thorough orgasm, but the moment his erection touched the lips of her love altar, she leaped to wakefulness. "No, no, not now," she cried, pushing him away.

He fell backward on his hands, got up, and tucked his erection back in. "Okay," he said. Got up, turned back, and returned to the door.

Juliet jumped out of the chair and headed to the bathroom. Within minutes, he heard the water running. Liam got on with fixing the door. Soon as he was done, hand stepped out of the room to return the tools, her husband came back.

The next day was a Saturday morning, he did not see Juliet until mid-day when she came down to the store, most likely to see him. She sighted Liam and smiled.

"Hey," he said, scanning the environment to be sure he had her within safe hearing, "I see you enjoyed yourself yesterday."

She smiled, "reminds me of when Victoria cornered me," she said.

"Cornered you? What do you mean by 'cornered you'?" he asked, curious to hear more about this confession.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"No, you didn't, how did she corner you?"

"That bitch gave me head in her house after I'd told her I had feelings for you."

"Really?" he exclaimed, amazed. Victoria was a friend of hers who called her mama anytime she was around, which was almost often. At least, until she finally got a job working at a small community bank. He was curious to know what happened, so he pressed. "Now, how could that have happened?"

"Okay, so I went to visit Victoria in the company of Taylor, while Taylor watched this thingy on TV. Victoria got me to go with her to her room, with the pretext that she had clothes to show me. Once in, boom! She was all over me, floored me and ate me out."

He was astonished, "oh my God, that bitch!" he exclaimed, mouth agape. "And you came?"

"Why not?" she said chuckling, "it felt good, I mean I'm no stranger to a girl on girl, just that it had been a while."

He was excited and wished he'd been the one who went with her and not Taylor. Who knows, it might have ended up in ménage à trois. "It's cool you liked my style, I also liked how you tasted; clean, felt like I was eating a sundae."

"Liar!" she said, laughing out loud, "you probably went to brush up afterward."

"Not true, I only wanted to also make love to you," he said, turning to get back to the store.

"True criminal! You'd eat another man's food without batting an eyelash," she teased.

He couldn't help but smile, "if the food is properly spread, I will eat it," he whispered.

"Hahaha," she laughed, "well, it wasn't possible yesterday, and I wasn't fully relaxed. When the opportunity presents itself, we will. By the way, I've got something for you."

He stopped what he was about to hang and turned around to face her. "Come on now, come here," she said.

He took a few steps to close the gap between them. While she ransacked searched her Buchi Mat'nati purse and brought out a casing that was in a blue velvet bag with gold embroidery of the jeweler's logo and drawstrings at the mouth. The case was about four inches long and an inch high. She gave it to him. He looked at it, took the box out of the bag. The box also had a velvety black skin covering. He flipped it open to reveal the most beautiful gold necklace he had ever set eyes on. He looked at her, then did a quick look around to scan the environment. No one was within eyesight; he quickly took her in his arm for a hug. "Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome, remember, no one is to know I gave it to you. Moreover, when the time comes for us to get a better spot…"

"I'll be the first to know... gotcha." Liam teased, grinning.

"Not that silly," she laughed.

She stepped out of the cubicle into the store, he blew her a kiss as she started out on her way. Alone, he couldn't help taking out the necklace. He donned it, amazed as the brilliance of the gold made him gape at it in the mirror. He checked for a price tag and found none. Oh, he thought, how he would have loved to know the worth of it. He decided to leave it on, to let her know how much he loved it.

The time for a better opportunity wasn't long found. Three weeks later, James' orders berthed in containers at the port. By the Saturday of that week, they had the six vessels that came in from China ready to be offloaded at the warehouses. They got three forklifts and fourteen manpower to unload and stack the goods in their respective platforms.

James had bought some new furniture that was going to the new house. However, since business came first, those were the last piece of items to be removed. It was late by the time they were through with the offloading work. So, they postponed moving the furniture to the next day, being Sunday.

In the morning, James discussed plans to get to the warehouse for the furniture. They also decided they'd drop off the furniture at the house, then go to the community field to go play football. It occurred to Liam that his opportunity to be alone with Juliet might finally be here.

As if Juliet was reading his mind after James told her the plans he had with the guys to step to a Sunday game, she looked for and found Liam. "I hear the boys will be going to play football after moving the furniture, did you?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," he answered.

"Well, don't go with them, stay back home."

"Sure, that was my plans too."

So, when it was time to head out for the game after they had utterly moved every piece of furniture, he excused himself. Liam explained that he would need to go do his laundry. No amount of persuasion to go to the games was grand enough to deter him from his laundry. The guys, eventually, let him go, as he left, he felt a paranoid denotation of a slight suspicion in James' eyes. But he probably relaxed knowing Taylor was also in the house with Juliet.

The moment Liam got home, he locked the doors, then went in to check on Taylor. She wanted to be left alone, so she politely asked him to leave her room. Soon as he stepped out, she got up, shut the door, and he heard her door key click. Precisely what he needed her to do. It was just perfect as if she was working with his script. Wasting no time, he took his dirty clothes to the laundry room and started the washer on the express wash. His clothes weren't nasty, he was only washing to kill the odor. Then, he made his way to Juliet's room and found her by the wardrobe folding clothes. He walked fast to her and hugged her from behind, began kissing the nape of her neck. Running his hands, the length of her back, he turned her to lock his and her lips. As they kissed, he was about to hike up the short nightgown she still had on when she stopped him. "No, not in my matrimonial room," she said.

"Okay," he concurred. Then taking her by the hand, he led her out of the room to the room he shared with Chubby. Once in, he threw her on the bed and was about to devour her savagely.

She stopped him, pointing at the door, "lock the door," she whispered.

He got up quickly, locked the door, then came back to join her on the bed. As he lay beside her, she asked him, "Taylor, where's Taylor?"

"She's locked up in her room," he replied. Then she relaxed.

Wasting no more time, he lifted her lingerie to reveal her glory, she had nothing else on. Starring at the very thing he'd been dreaming of hitting for so long, now spread well before him, he grinned. He couldn't help but hurry to make it a quickie, he had no idea how long the boys were going to be gone for. He also had a haunch that James was going to call home earlier, going by the way he looked at him when he argued against playing with them.

So, Liam immediately set to work, kneeling before her, he took out his already thick stiffy to insert into her. She held his hand and said, "No, head, give me head first, please."

Adjusting himself to lie in front of her spread legs, he touched her, gently rubbing her now swollen glory. He flicked his tongue, licking at the sides of her vagina. Giving light strokes to the edges until she started to moan. Then she spread her legs ultimately to provide him with a better allowance. He rubbed her clits, spread it open with his thumb and index, so that it was fully exposed, then with just the tip of his tongue, he tickled her. She trembled, wanting to run from it, but loving it so much that she could end his administration. He pushed his tongue around her, then using his tongue like a phallus, he began to thrust her with it. Liam put his effort into ensuring it was memorable for her. Kissing her, tickling and licking every part of her he could.

Then, he raised his hand to her belly, caressing her stomach and her boobs, while still giving her cunnilingus simultaneously. He flicked his tongue at her clits, the sound of her moaning… music to his ears. Soon she had his head pressed down between her legs. Gyrating and grinding her hips to his administration, while holding him by the nape of his neck. She was gasping for air, mouth opened like a fish out of the water as she let out a deep sigh while she orgasmed. Her hips spasmodically bucked. Her hips which she had elevated, in an attempt to draw his whole tongue in, collapsed to the floor.

He took off his boxers and stood naked before her. Then, he moved over to her mouth and offered himself to her. She grabbed his penis in her hand and began to stroke him for a second. Then raising herself by the elbow, she opened her mouth and put him into her mouth. It felt good! Pressing his hips forward, she reached behind him for his balls, with her left hand. While she massaged his balls, she deep throated him. He turned up his face at the sensation of her administration for a minute. She continued, and he reached down with his right hand to touch her. He pushed two fingers into her moist vagina, then began to bid the come over a sign with the finger inside her. She wriggled, moaning her enjoyment to every bit of his stimulation.

Wasting no more time, he took his pulsing erection out of her mouth and returned to position himself between her legs. He hooked her legs up to allow him to gently slide in. He tried to fathom his feelings and the awe he felt at the moment, as he made contact with the end of her cervix. Her interior walls scrubbing against him felt exactly as he imagined it would. Liam was stupendously transported to the clouds. He thought it to be the best feeling ever. Feeling Liam slide in and out of her, Juliet tried her best to contain her moans, lest she attracted Taylor's attention. His rhythm intoxicated her as he went from slowly grinding her to quick thrusts.

Liam opened his eyes and lowered his gaze on her. Looking at her, he felt amazed that he was actually making love to the girl he had crushed on for so long. She came again, concluding within herself that she'd had enough. "Get up Liam, they should be back anytime soon."

"Okay!" he said, the feeling at this point was right, 'Oh, my God!' he thought, 'I haven't even cum yet.' Instead, he slowed down, then turned up the speed of his thrust. He did a little bit more, began to slow his tempo again, grinding his hips less, thrusting less intensely, then pulled out and got up.

She got up too quickly and off the bed immediately. Liam opened the door, stepped out to be sure Taylor wasn't around, signaled to Juliet, and she came out, heading straight to her room.

Wasting no time, Liam took his clothes from the washer and stashed them into the dryer. Then, he went around the house, unlocking the doors he had locked, before returning to the room to lay on the bed. He wasn't on that bed past two minutes when James and the boys came home.

Juliet's affair with him had now become consummated, Liam had officially become her associate husband.

His plans to move would have to be put on hold while he progressed with satisfying himself with the love of his polyamorous bride. On the other hand, Juliet went about as if nothing happened, if only vaginas were metered, he thought to himself. He observed her from as far as he possibly could and was impressed by her decorum.

When James came in, luckily for them, Taylor had just stepped out of her room, oblivious of what just transpired between Juliet and Liam. Hence, she bumped into him at the entrance. That contact with a third person quelled any suspicion James bore on his mind on his way home. The sudden way he'd opened the door, out of lingering, though expelled, curiosity, showed he did not know what to expect when he opened the door. Liam suspected James' suspicion because when he said hi to him, he murmured his response, stepped aside for Chubby, who wanted to come in, then exited to his room. He went to his bedroom and flopped on the bed to rest. He probably hoped for the best and not the worse.

The next day was Monday, and since new goods had arrived over the weekend, they had a lot of stacking, arranging and pricing to do. That wasn't Liam's department, but they were all required to give a hand, so they did. Their work of putting things in order took the full day's work, in the end, they were done and ready to sell. The business was a budding business, and the new dynamics Liam introduced were making James' business even more exciting.

Two days after Juliet and Liam finally consummated their affair, Liam, when they got home, wanted to kick off with Juliet from where they'd left off the previous day. But she subtly told him she couldn't at the moment. He decided not to bother her. Although he said he would not bother her, making the decision and being able to keep to the decision were two different things. Of course, Liam didn't have that discipline required. When she passed him at a point, he couldn't help but grab her and draw her to himself. She had no choice, filled with longing for his touch, she yielded, whimpering like a rescued puppy. He hugged her tightly from the back and squeezing her butt. He let her feel his erection, she moved her hand to explore it with her fingers, tried to grab hold of it through his pants, feigning amazement at the size, she turned to face him. They kissed quickly, then she let go, "I will see you later when everyone is asleep," she promised.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Instead of replying, she pulled away slowly, while still looking at him and nodding her assurance. It was all he needed. He went to lie down in anticipation. She did not come, and he slept off while waiting. Suddenly, Liam woke up with a start, sat up, took a look at his phone for the time. It was four-thirty AM. Feeling purposefully energized, he got up and headed to James' and Juliet's room. Quietly, he turned the doorknob, cracking it open, as silently as possible, until he had opened it enough to enter. He could hear James snoring on the bed to his right, so he figured Juliet was on the other side of the bed. He crept towards her location, then stopped to let his eyes adjust to the low lightening of the room. Wasting no time, he crept briskly to Juliet, their head was in an awkward position, pointing towards the door and not the wall. It was, however, no time to wonder at the weirdness of their sleeping position. Not knowing what he was doing, not thinking through with the possible consequences in focus. When he got to Juliet, he tenderly tapped her head. She woke up, took a second to observe him, then startled, immediately she realized he was the one and not one of her kids. Desperately, she waved at Liam to leave. Instead of going, he bent to kiss her and whisper something into her ears. She pushed him away, gesturing again, that he should go. So, he did, turned, and stepped out of the room.

He felt his purpose had been defeated the moment he got to the living room. He adjusted his sleeping sack and lay down to sleep. However, barely ten minutes after he had lain down, he felt a hand nudging him to make room on the mat. He woke up, turned to know why he was being poked, alas it was Juliet. Sleep instantly vanished from his eyes. He reached out to her, and she collapsed on top of him on the floor. As a size ten mother of two, she felt terrific to cuddle. He slid over quickly. She reached into his shorts for him, glad to feel him growing harder and warm. She covered it with her mouth and began to suck on it. "Get up, baby," he said to her. He got her to sit on his face.

Immediately she was in position, he started flicking his tongue at her honey spot to get her going. He could feel her, lean forward until her hand wrapped around his erection, and she began flicking her tongue over him. Liam was very conscious of James's presence a couple of feet away, while the sound of his snoring rang through the hallway. They switched up positions. Back on the floor, she opened her legs. He got in place and penetrated her. He grounded and savagely thrust in and out, with a lot of speed and stamina. Right now, all he was concerned about was cumming. She swore she felt him slow down and press deep into her cervix, she let out a soft yelp. Thinking she liked it, he grabbed her shoulders and did it again. Again, she yelled, as she felt him deep in her, then covered her mouth. Unbeknownst to Liam, he was grunting as he thrust intently, with all his might. "Do you want to wake him?" she'd asked.

"No!" he whispered.

They continued, his tempo rising until he was going very fast to ensure she not only climaxed but also orgasmed. Instead, he felt himself climaxing, he thrust a few more times and suddenly felt like spilling his nuts. He pulled out immediately while she quickly grabbed him and put him in her mouth to receive his load. After he was done cumming, she stood up, wasting no time, and left him in the living room to go get her kids ready for school.

To avoid smelling of vagina and cum, Liam went to the bathroom to rinse off. He sat on the commode for a minute, reflecting on what just transpired while doing his dumping business. It felt like an out of the world experience. Like he was part of someone's stories or acting out a movie, and it surely just happened. He had just fucked a woman a couple of feet from her husband. He made the sign of the cross and prayed briefly for the forgiveness of sin.

"Were you about to get us in trouble with all that grunting?" was Juliet's question when she saw him the next day.

"Hahaha!" laughed Liam. "Not like that at all." He was smiling.

"How's it like, then?" she asked, looking serious.

"I guess I was simply blown away by your sweetness," he said with all honesty.

"So, you liked it?" she said.

"Yeah, and I would like to do it again soon."

"Well, James is still in town, maybe when he travels," she assured him.

"Don't you believe that things can be run without things running us?" he asked, "do we need him gone out of town to do anything?"

"Yes!" she replied curtly, her brows creased in disbelief at his question, "Yes, we do!" she said.

"Not necessarily, I don't think so," he said.

"Maybe you think because you had guts to come into my matrimonial room, with my husband in the room, that means you should now get complacent. I beg you to be a careful boy."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, grinning. "Anyway, I've got this catalog idea for listing products to make available to customers, which I would love to show you."

"Okay, where is it?" she asked.

Liam had been working on getting a catalog for the store, one to list all store products on. Hopefully, to educate customers on what they had on sale. Since the store was booming, he thought it was necessary for customers to go home with those products catalog, so that at their own leisure times, they could look at it to see all they could buy.

"Present it to James's, not that I think he will do anything, still show it to him."

"Sure, thanks! But you are yet to tell me what you think of it."

"I like the idea, but it's all up to James's, don't act like you don't know his administrative style."

"Is he in his office?"

"Yes, with that stupid girl who keeps pretending she is here for Garland ISD."

"Which girl is that?"

"The one that's been working hard to get his attention."

"Well, you know him, if he was interested, he wouldn't let you know her, would he?"

"Of course, he would, didn't you know that's where he gets to make it better by hiding things in plain sight?"

"Like what we did this morning?" he asked, smiling.

"Naughty boy! Fucking your mom and feeling good about it, ha-ha," she smirked, then laughed.

"If only such a beautiful woman like you would birth me, then I would just now re-enter your womb."

"Hahaha, naughty is what you are indeed," she said.

"I'll be back, let me see James."

"Okay, I will be over at the nail salon," said Juliet.

He drew close to James' office, knocked on the door, and upon his invitation, went into his office. "Hi, James," he saluted.

"Hi, Liam," James responded.

"I've got something I drafted for you to see."

"Yeah? Let me see," he said.

He took a step to his oak wood desk, spread the document before him. "I think a store should not operate without one of this," he said.

"Mm!" grunted James.

"Yeah! It's a brochure, and I've designed it to the necessary point."

"I see that! This looks interesting," he said.

"So, you like it?" he asked.

"Yeah!?" He said hesitantly.

Of course, that meant he liked it. When he wants something, James was that fellow who did not wish to let you know, just so you don't feel you need to be celebrated. If Liam wasn't anything, he was right, and he knew it. Being a humble person, Liam never allowed his creativity to get in his head. He wasn't the type to take credit for an idea he didn't invent, merely because he passed the message along.

"Alright then, if you have any questions, you let me know. I'll leave you now to review it," Liam said.

He nodded, still going through the brochure. Liam stepped out of his office and made his way to his branch and desk. The store outside was bustling with activities as customers were coming and going. It was almost back to school; the summer-long vacation was a few days from being over.

There wasn't much to do, so he just printed some DVDs for bootlegging, while waiting on James to call him. He did not call him throughout the day. But when he went in at the end of work, James asked him to come into his office. Juliet was in the office, too, lounging on the sofa by a corner of the office.

"Liam, I really like this brochure, it covers almost every item in this store. But I will be giving you the full list of what we sell here so that you can make a more compact design available. We need to get this printed as soon as possible," he said, smiling.

In Liam's mind, he thought, 'what's the rush? You didn't know you needed it all this while.' Instead, he said, "sounds great, I will get it ready in two days."

"Oh really!" he exclaimed, "how long did it take for you to compile this one?" he asked.

"About a week," Liam answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"Wow, that's so good, this is what I need from you always, aight?"

"Sure, why not?"

As Liam stepped out to exit James' office, he called, "Liam!"

"Yes!?" he answered, turning back to him.

"Keep making me proud with this great mindset of yours, I love it," he said with a smile, and a thumbs up.

That, Liam, reflected was an exceptional 'thank you' by this man. James wasn't that type to let you in on his praise, but here he was stepping out of his zone to do that. Later, Juliet would let him in that James had been wanting to do it for a long time but just refused to pay for a brochure to be itemized for him. Now that Liam had done it, he had only seen the more reason to believe in him. She was excited while talking and had even let him slip a hand up her dress as she spoke to him. She was like a child for a minute when she was excited. The moment the excitement ebbed out, in her eyes, you would see the woman who had taken over the soul of the exciting girl. A woman who had seen hardship and broken into life through grace.

Her life also had changed when she met James. He was a DART driver at the time, sharing apartments with friends while trying to get his business off the ground. He finally did, and she was there by his side when he started. Now, he was operating his business at heights, which showed promise of a better tomorrow.

Juliet was thrilled Liam was bringing so much intelligence to her business. And she showed it through the passionate lovemaking, which happened at every given chance and opportunity. There was almost not a place in the house where they did not have sex.

Early one morning at about five AM, Juliet got up as her new routine required and went into the kitchen to get her kids' school lunch ready. Usually, Shonda would've been the one taking care of the kids and feeding them. But her school was in session, and she had papers to cover through summer school. This had created more favorable opportunities for him to work on Juliet.

The moment she went into the kitchen, Liam got up from his place on the mat and went in after her. She had sensed him coming. The moment he stepped into the kitchen, she leaned against the low cabinet, which held the stove, and without been prompted by him, she raised her sleeping gown. Quickly, he pulled down his shorts to reveal his engorged penis. Drew it out and promptly posed over her to insert it in her while they stood with one of her legs slightly raised. He tried to thrust in, but couldn't. Their height difference was a hindrance, making it hard. So, he asked her to turn and back him, so he could enter her from the rear position, she declined. She did not like taking it in the doggy, because it hurt her. She mentioned it again that she wasn't feeling like taking on pains early that morning.

He got off and stepped close to the door. The day was breaking slowly, steadily, the sun was rising, and he had a throbbing erection to deal with. He returned to her and beckoned her to spread one more time. She did, they frustrated themselves for another few minutes of attempting. Finally, he asked her to lie on the kitchen floor, she declined again. She was not having any of that level of sex. He decided to leave, but before leaving, he knelt before her waist. Lifted her gown and kissed her crotch, before getting up to go get ready for the day.

Later, as they all went out, to ride with James, as was the system whenever they went to the warehouse to get stocks, before proceeding to the stores. He noticed they were putting air in the tires; he did a quick headcount. Everyone had stepped out of the house. Juliet usually slept in for a few more minutes, after taking care of the kids very early, before getting on with her day. As it was that the effect of Liam's earlier hard erection was seething towards blue balls, he had a quick inspiration and boldness to do something drastic before leaving. Excusing himself, he ran back inside, straight to Juliet and James' room. She was lying on the bed, on her stomach, legs spread. He couldn't tell if she'd heard him coming, but he was sure she couldn't have known it was him coming if she had. Wasting no time, he got between her legs, shoved her gown up, went on top of her, and quickly inserted himself in her. She was moist, she definitely knew he was the one coming and had felt him in the room when he got behind her, it had excited her immensely. He did a quick shove and thrust, and a quick burst. It was the hottest, shortest sex he ever had. He got off her and ran out of the room thoughtlessly, to the bathroom to wash off.

The moment he stepped back outside, Chubby was getting up from adding air to the last tire. James was on the other side of the car, talking to a neighbor friend of his. Liam smiled, if only he knew he'd just fucked his wife, he thought. They got in the truck and drove to the warehouse and the store and the day's business began.

Chapter Nine

Liam's affair with Juliet lasted about three months before the tone of things began to change. Juliet had grown fond of always being with him. Whenever they were in each other's company, love was evident to the public. Despite how hard they tried to conceal it. People still noticed how he looked at her cherishingly. They noted how she preferred to be with him or have him do an errand with her. They flew so many flags, and people noticed.

James also noticed certain things, and it made him uncomfortable because he couldn't prove it. So, instead of thinking they were having an affair, he began to think Liam was, maybe, still courting Juliet, and she hadn't budged to his advances. Suddenly, his attitude towards Juliet started to change. He started showing her respect, she would do or say the things she usually would get reprimanded by him for. He wouldn't react as he would typically do. He became more courteous to her. Would listen to her opinions, for the first time in almost a decade of their marriage. He, however, channeled his attacks towards Liam. Now, he did not speak to his face, for fear of losing him over something he couldn't prove, he still accused Liam's intent to Juliet. He also began complaining about his continued stay in his house. He would throw cocky and sarcastic remarks about Liam's housing situation, mostly pointing out how he'd said he had a home but was now living with them.

The effects of this change in personality and character, leading to Juliet distancing herself from Liam. He noticed in little ways, like her having excuses for not wanting to go with him to a place, she usually would want to go with him. He couldn't blame her though; gossips of their affair were reaching her too. She heard them loud and clear. Initially, when she thought James was hopelessly narcissistic and never going to change, she was willing to go as far as leaving him for Liam. His coy about changing his character and behavior, however, was beginning to excite her. Her hopes of a family without issues started to rise above the horizon.

In her heart, she began to consider the first option she had for Liam, which was Shonda and Liam getting married. She even nurtured the fantasies that she and Liam could probably continue with their tryst if he married Shonda. Because people would now think that he'd been in close rapport with her for her niece's sake. But anytime she got near enough to express her thoughts to Liam in private, she ended up spreading her legs for him to have sex with her. She started feeling confused.

James' repentance was a hiatus of character which occurred when on a particular day, Shonda had come home for a school break. Juliet decided to do some errands with Shonda and Chris. Chris was as gay as the daylight but would be the first to let you know he was a man. On their way, they ran low on gas. Juliet decided to pull into this random gas station to fill up her tank. As she swung into the gas station, she remembered that her tank was on the passenger side of the car, so she drove accordingly to reposition the vehicle appropriately. When she killed the lights and stepped out of the car, a vehicle that looked like her husband's SUV, stood face to face with her car, because of the way she had parked. She walked towards the SUV and was shocked at what she saw.

She stood for a minute staring in disbelief, then she beckoned on Shonda and Chris to step out of the car. They obeyed her and stepped out to see what she was staring at. She took in a deep breath and let some air out, then walked to the passenger door. James' mouth was agape, he had been caught red-handed kissing another woman in his car.

"Hi, James!" Juliet said. "Is this my replacement?" she asked.

"No baby, it's not what you think," he said.

"I just caught you cheating on me, James, you had your lips locked with hers just now," she said, a stern look on her face.

"I promise you it wasn't even like that," he insisted.

"Anyways, am not saying a word, after you're done, come meet me at home," she said.

She turned, walked back to her car, and at her company, she hollered, "get in the car, you guys, what are you doing still standing there?"

She started her engine, not bothering about the low gas light that was shining on her dashboard. She drove out of the station and continued until she found another gas station. Got gas, and drove against every speed limit till she got home. She was mad at him, at his recent ruse of being a changed man. When she got into the garage, Liam noticed she was the one who had just come in, so he pretended he was just passing the hallway. Intending to, actually, bump into her and ask what's up with her. Why she'd been avoiding him, and he'd not had access to her in a while. When she got in, she didn't even look at him, she just breezed past him. Now she saw how painful it felt to be cheated on, she didn't like it. Shonda and Chris came in together, and Chris told Liam what had happened. Liam thought it was funny.

Liam went back to the living room, and while sitting and watching tv, Juliet came out. "I'm going to get him to pay for my vacation trip, I've been planning it for the past five years, and he hasn't budged on it. So now, I'm going to give him that option as the only way he is saving this marriage," she addressed Shonda.

It wasn't long before James came walking in. He asked where Juliet was, and Shonda told him. He went into the room, where she had gone into when she heard the garage door opening.

Liam looked at his time, it was eleven PM in the night.

Soon enough, their voices started coming through the room, their door was closed, but one could tell it was just one voice which took dominance. Juliet couldn't help taking advantage of the situation. For several years she had played the victim that peace may ensue. This night, however, she was going to let James hear it all. She knew opportunities like this were rare. Nature had dropped James into her laps. Who knew he would be at the gas station, in a neighborhood she usually wouldn't go in to buy gas, and still found her best opportunity?

It seemed at some point, to Liam, that he was hearing his name being mentioned. He thought he heard it again and wondered what he had to do with James being at a gas station, and Juliet catching him. He decided to walk past the room to eavesdrop a little and get more information. Not that he was interested in their issue or what they had to say. As he drew closer to the door, Juliet's voice maundered. He could hear her saying, "What did Liam ever do to you, every minute you'd complain about him. Meanwhile, all he has ever done is contribute to the growth of our business. But you wouldn't let him be, why? Pretending like you're better or holier, yet you go around town hauling women like fowls off a cage…"

Liam chuckled and sauntered away; it was hilarious. Right in that room, he had even slept with her until she couldn't walk the next morning. Now, there she was, dealing him cards from a turned table. The thought of the first night they had sex in that room came back to Liam fresh again, and he had was starched.

That weekend, James had traveled to California for a trade seminar and exhibition. Liam waited until everyone was asleep, then he went into her room. She was sleeping with Thad, but the kid didn't bother him. He went up to her and touched her lovingly. She woke up, looked at him, and whispered, "What do you want?"

Rather than answer with words, he reached for her crotch and began rubbing her through her nightgown. She had held his hand and whispered, "not in my matrimonial room."

He got up, determined not to listen to her. He touched her breasts and rolled his open palm over her nipples through the sheer fabric. She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then jumped out of bed. "I mean it, Liam," she said, trying hard to use a stern tone of voice and still keep it hushed.

He heard a noise coming from around Shonda's bedroom and sneaked out of the room immediately. A few minutes later, the whole disturbance, the coughing, the closing and opening of doors, feet shuffling, all ceased. He got up again, determined to quell his erection, then sneaked back to her room. She was still standing up where he'd left her, now aroused and wanting his touch too. He went to her and led her to the antique chair in the bedroom. She sat as she did that day while he knelt before her the first time. Liam rubbed her spread legs and began stroking her with his tongue while stimulating her with his thumb. She loved it and moaned. Juliet held him at the nape of his neck, crotch thrust forward, grinding against Liam as he sucked on her as if his life depended on it. The more he flicked his tongue at her, the more she pushed down his head. She started bucking her hips and thrusting it upwards, flapping her legs, bidding him penetrate her as she climaxed. When she came, he got up, took her hand, and led her to the floor. She lay on the carpet, with her legs spread. He got between her, took his erection in hand, moistened it a bit with saliva, and inserted it into her. It felt heavenly, as always. They held themselves close as he thrust her with passion. She wrapped her legs around him, trying really hard to be quiet. They erupted in the heat of their bodily steam, cumming together. He let everything drain into her, while the walls of her vagina gripped and released his shrinking erection. When he was done cumming, she nudged him off, got up, and hastened to clean up. He got up and sneaked back out of her room.

Sweet memory was now all it was, and it had him excited. Soon, Liam found himself in the bathroom, shorts off, hands scrubbed with soap, he held his wiener, shut his eyes, and relieved it all again.

Through the night, her voice kept its tempo. She was not even shouting at James, just holding him by the balls and making him feel every bit of the frustrations he had dished her, too, by his accusations.

The next day was a Sunday, everyone lay about resting from the week's hard work. When James left, Liam found Juliet to know what transpired between them.

"I'm going with Thad on vacation to Dubai," she said, "Yay!" she exclaimed.

"Wow!" he said, "what's up with that? How did you get that?"

"He was begging last night, apologizing, so I took advantage of the situation," she said excitedly. Her eyes glinted from the victory she felt she had.

"That was surely a huge advantage you took of him," Liam said.

"Yep. And the good thing is, I'm getting five thousand dollars for shopping, yay!" she yelled.

He was happy for her but thought what if the reverse had been the case. What if she had been the one caught with her gowns off? He didn't voice his thoughts, though, simply kept it to himself. Since there was no need to get her conscious of it. He was almost convinced she read his mind when she said. "One time, I wondered what if it was us? Based on that, I had to forgive him."

"Wow, I was actually just thinking that!" Liam said.

"You were?" she said, "what a coincidence then."

"Yeah! Absolutely! May God save us from being caught in such a predicament," he prayed.

"And what would you do? Leave me?" she asked, turning to face him from cleaning her nails.

"God forbid I leave the woman of my dream, it would be the best thing on earth to have you to love forever," he said.

"And that could make you try to get us both in trouble?" she asked, suddenly looking severe like he had gotten her thinking.

"Certainly not, while I enjoy loving you and being a part of your life, I wouldn't like to be responsible for a broken home," he assured her. Conscious of her body language.

"But you know you should seriously be settling down," she said. "You ain't getting younger."

"I know I'm not getting younger…" he began saying, but she cut him off.

"Who is your girlfriend anyway?" she asked.

He shrugged, then replied, "You!?"

"Hahaha, ain't you funny, Liam… ha-ha! so, so funny." She laughed again and repeating herself. The brief pause that followed the silence which ensued felt heavy. "Liam, I think it's time you really need to start considering settling down," she said.

"I know, but the lady I would like to marry would be you," he said.

"No, Liam, you can't have me like that, and you should know that." She said.

"I know I can't have you; I also wish I could be the one loving you forever… slut," he said.

"Hahaha! You know I'm your slut." She said gleefully.

"Yeah, that reminds me, now that the brochures are out, I would like to take it around the different cities to distribute them to schools if that's okay with James," Liam said.

"Really?" she asked puppy faced, "do you mean… are you saying you're about marketing through that?"

"Yes," he hollered excitedly, "now that it is all available, I could take it around the cities, to the schools and get them to look at it."

She stopped whatever she was doing and looked up. "That's gonna be a lot of work, baby," she said.

"Yeah, but I can handle it," he assured her.

"Mm! maybe I can convince James to let me go with you. Taylor could join us, too," she said.

"Sounds great!"

That evening, Shonda came hurrying to the living room and went to stand by the window, "what is it?" Chubby asked her after she'd been there for a minute.

"A small strange dog is humping Spooky," she said, without turning around.

They walked up to where she was, watching the two dogs humping themselves. "Whose dog is that?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"How did it get in?" Liam asked.

"It must've scaled the fence," Shonda replied.

"Is it a stray?" Liam wondered…

"It has a collar," she pointed.

Then they noticed the golden collar around the dog's neck. Liam wasn't surprised that a dog could jump over the fence, not that it was even high. For some reason, he just watched them hump a little, rather than do anything to stop the dog. So it humped to its climax.

"Aren't you going to do anything?" Shonda asked.

"Like what, stop them?" he asked.

"Yes, they need to be stopped," she cried.

"Aren't they supposed to enjoy their lives?" Chubby asked her, turned away from the window, and went back to his room. As Liam lay down, he thought about it, and simply hoped the dog was clean. But then, it had the look of a clean dog.

Some days later, Shonda would come to Liam, asking, "have you seen what's trending on YouTube?"

He hadn't really gotten into the new online rave, so he didn't know what she was talking about, really. "What?" he asked.

"Some doctor in Maine was caught on hidden cam performing illegal abortions…" she said.

"Really?" he asked, half interested in her story.

"The crazy thing about it is that he has sex with the women first, claiming to use that to widen their vaginas and make it ready for the abortion."

"OMG, you don't say!" he exclaimed in shock. "Let me see the video."

She came closer, opened the video, handed the phone to him. As he watched the doctor, actually a quack, perform a crude abortion on victims, his heart dropped. "This is terrible," said Liam, returning her phone to her.

"Yeah, but he was arrested."

"Which is good."

A faint thought then crossed his mind, Shonda had taken it upon herself to intimate him on sexual matters twice now… he brushed the idea aside.

Juliet left for Dubai in the company of a friend and Thad for the short vacation, courtesy of James' plea bargain. It was his penance for being caught cheating. Liam had finally asked Juliet, "what if it had been the other way around, and she had been the one caught?"

To which she simply answered, "thank God, it wasn't me." Yet, that was her wake up call.

Having no desire to have the tables turned, Juliet began to avoid Liam more intently. She must have given it a deep thought because she would scold him whenever he touched her. She aggressively smacked his hands off when he grabbed her butt. Things were changed, and all these were right before she traveled out of the country. He couldn't blame her much, though. Since James' penance cost as much as a trip to her dream vacation spot with her son, being caught would be a considerable weight for her to balance out.

On the day she would leave, he ran up to her and gave her thirty dollars to buy him a good souvenir from Dubai. The day she got back, James went to pick her up. He pulled up the driveway and stopped when he brought them home. Liam got out of the house first, went up to meet them in the driveway. Especially to welcome her, to see his girl who he missed so bad. But she shocked him and walked right past him like he was some stranger. He turned and watched her walk on without a care in the world. He felt an instant blade rip through his heart, and air ceased briefly from his lungs. The pain was unbearable, but he lifted his face to face the day with as much hope as he could muster.

That week would go on to be the most terrible one for him. Juliet would not acknowledge him at all. Liam kept feeling his life sip away, like a flower; he felt his petals falling off without remedy. This he knew, the feeling was like his life neared its end. Juliet avoided even his eyes. A barrier was now up against them, which she set up. The friend who accompanied her to Dubai came by the third day. She brought the souvenir Juliet had bought him from Dubai with the thirty dollars he had given to her. When he saw it, did he get pissed at her? Upset about what she had bought. He was so mad; he ran up to the store where Juliet was, and without thinking, he let his rage get the best of him. He chastised her sternly for buying him boots from Dubai. "Who leaves the United States and comes back with boots as souvenirs?" he asked her.

Coupled with the stress he was already going through from her behavior, he felt weak. That fight wasn't really about the boots, it was really him venting his frustration. But that fight with her pushed him a thousand more feet away from Juliet. Their love relationship was now over. Even though he wanted it to continue and not end, it ended.

After several attempts to reach out to Juliet, and failing to gain her interest any more, he became sad. He was so sorry; it made him sick. He was ill because his heart had lost the oil which greased it. He had lost the girl he loved so much. At that time of his grieving, Shonda serenaded him with attention. She kept trying to reach him with sexually charged stories to get him to look her way and notice that she's as much a woman as any woman. So, he did, he saw she was indeed a beautiful woman... just that she was not Juliet. He tried avoiding her, though. Not until he thought he could probably use Shonda to make Juliet jealous and want to come back to him. As he contemplated what to do about Shonda, Taylor came flaunting herself at him too. Taylor was bustier than Juliet and Shonda, she was taller and quite fairer, but her demeanor was too uncouth for him, really. Juliet was sassy, and her sassiness turned him on. Shonda wasn't really a friendly person, but she looked attractive. But no, not Taylor, he didn't want her, she would serve no purpose.

As days went by, and Juliet kept avoiding him, he suddenly found himself at home with Shonda. The entire family had gone on to a wedding. They were left home alone. He was to come with Shonda, afterward because the cars on the ground weren't enough for everyone. The plan had been for Juliet to come back for them. After about twenty minutes of waiting for her, Shonda went out of her room, she spoke kindly to Liam, and he could have sworn she asked for it. As Shonda went back into her room, he got up and followed her. She turned to sit on the bed, and that's when she saw him. She was fully dressed in a short skirt, blouse, and tight blazers. Her legs hung out, stretching into adorable heels. He took steps towards her, closing the gap between them. When he got to her, he touched her hair with the back of his hand. She did nothing at his first touch when he did it again, she looked up at him and asked, "what is it?"

He said nothing, just repeated his action, this time she knocked off his hand, "what is it Liam?" she asked.

He kept quiet, pulled himself forward towards her, shoved a knee between her legs, then bent over to tenderly cup her face in his hands. This time, she said nothing, just looked at him with that same question she had asked, in her eyes. He tried kissing her lips, but she whisked away, turning her face. He dropped down on his knees and grabbed her blazer, pulling her closer to himself. She shoved at his shoulders in an attempt to push him away, but he would not budge. Instead, they both fell back on the bed. She pulled herself up immediately. Liam held her legs and spread them forcefully. She clasped her legs closed, then she backed herself against the wall. He dived towards her, landing on top of her. She smacked his shoulders, but now her blazers were open. He teased her with attempts to grab her breast without actually touching her. Suddenly, he realized she had stopped struggling. He looked up to her face, she was calmly staring down at him. He gently placed his hands on her breast and looked at her, she did nothing. So, he began to slowly unbutton her blouse, expecting her to resist, but she didn't. He exposed her breast, clothed in lacey bras. Immediately, he clipped two fingers under the bra and flipped it over her chest. He looked at her again, she looked relaxed, eyes averted, and leaning comfortably against the wall. He placed his tongue on a nipple, flicked it around the areola. He put a hand over her other breast and began to massage the sides while sucking on the first nipple, she moaned, and he felt her hand on his head. As he sucked on her breast, going from one to the other, he directed a hand into her skirt, she quickly caught his hand, stopping him just before he made contact.

"No, not that, please," she said. Just then, her phone rang, she reached for it and answered. It was Juliet, instantly reprimanding her for keeping her waiting outside. "My aunt is right outside in the car," she announced.

Quickly, he got off her, fixing his clothes as he ran outside. She corrected her clothes too, taking a minute more before appearing outside. Soon as Juliet saw Liam, she went off on him, "I've been calling your line for God knows how long, what is wrong with you two?" she screamed.

Then, when Shonda appeared, it seemed like scales fell off Juliet's eyes. She looked from Shonda to Liam and back to Shonda. Cocked her head to the side, like she did when trying to decipher a situation, before telling them, "Get in the car you two, I've got nothing to say to y'all."

That was how Liam switched from Juliet to Shonda and never had sex with Juliet again. All he now had was just the many memories of their escapades, which haunted him, making him crave Juliet so much. Juliet's plan from the onset had been to have him marry Shonda. After they started having an affair, she thought it probably impossible, because she had confused her lust and infatuations with love.

Juliet had made up her mind that she could never leave James, no matter what he did. Besides, he took good care of her, she only needed to know how to clip his balls. Now that she thought she was over Liam; she began to think out ways to make it work between him and Shonda. Moreover, she had a lie she needed to tell people as her explanation for being close to Liam. This was that he wanted to marry her niece, and he had thought it wise to get close to her to help make it easy to win her niece's heart. Sweet as the explanation was, rumors were already on about them. Her friend Ethel, in her defense one time, even suggested to people that Liam was the one trying to seduce Juliet.

His relationship with Shonda began to get more interesting after that day. However, he was simply playing with her sex, he had no interest in her. It didn't feel as exciting as it did with Juliet because stolen water is sweet, and this was more legal. He touched her like he did Juliet, but felt like he was abusing her. He pinned her to a corner of the house but felt like he was violating a child.

Meanwhile, she was grown. Her acceptance of Liam's treatment started making him enjoy treating her the way he did. Once, while everyone sat in the living room watching a Dallas Cowboys game, he stood behind Shonda. She was sitting on a high stool, which made her butt jut out. He began tormenting her, using his hand to rub under her protruding butt. It must have got her really hot, for, after the game, every other person left their bedrooms, but she stayed back. Seeing the coast was clear, he slipped a hand through her waistband. As he rubbed her, he took her hand and placed it on his crotch, without pulling out. She reached in and began to stroke him. He fingered her, she stifled her moans, and he could tell she had neared climax. He fingered her more intently, increasing the number of fingers stuck in her to two. Suddenly, she bucked against him, gripping his hands tightly. Soon as she came, she got up and headed off to her room, leaving him to deal with his stiffness alone.

It followed that another day came when he found himself home alone with Shonda. It was on a Sunday, and the boys had decided to attend an evening mass at the neighborhood Catholic church. Knowing how these things worked already, he wasted no time with her. The moment their car was out of sight, he went into the kitchen where Shonda was stacking dishes. Walked up to her and rubbed on her back as his own form of saying hello. She shrugged him off, knowing they were all alone in the house. He wouldn't be deterred, though. He embraced her from behind, cupping her breast in his hands as he did so. She shrugged him off again, trying to shake him off. He stooped low and scooped her in his arms, heading for the room he shared with Chubby. The same room where he had slept with her aunty for the first and maybe fifteenth time. She struggled weakly against him, on their way in.

Once in the room, he dropped her like a sack on the bed. He reached under her mini skirt for her undies and pulled them off. He brought out his penis and tried to penetrate and dry hump her, but she was too dry. That made him get up and go over to the nightstand, where Chubby kept his body lotion and cream. Chose a petroleum jelly, the boys kept for curing blue balls, opened it, and took enough to lubricate with. While rubbing on, he made a decision to know if she wanted to fuck or not. So, he didn't get on her instantly, he just watched her as he anointed himself. She didn't get up; she made no attempts to cover up her nakedness. He took it as a cue; she was ready for him to have sex with her, so he did. Gently placing himself between her, he descended into the tunnels of her now moist sweetness. The lubrication wasn't even necessary anymore, yet it helped their lovemaking feel smother. As he glided in and out of her, she held him close. Her legs tightly wrapped around his legs, her moans of pleasure filling his ears. When he lifted his eyes to look at her face, he saw she had tears in her eyes, and he had a soft spot for tears. He instantly lost his virility, got off her, and sat on the bed beside her. "Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I don't know," she muttered.

He hadn't cum, just like when he and Juliet made love for the first time. He wondered what these women's problems with not letting him cum the first time they had sex was. "Well, I've got to chill now. People should start coming back now. Catholic evening mass is usually quicker than a regular quickie."

She pulled herself to the edge of the bed, then got off. She bent down to pick up her undies, as she did, he was tempted to re-enter her and from the back. But they really needed to cut it out.

The next morning was Monday, and Shonda would be getting Thad and Pauly's school lunch. She woke up very early, at four AM, instead of going to the kitchen to prepare the meals, she came to the corner of the living room where Liam bedded on a couch. The area was close to a window. She went over to the window, and there made some rustling noise, which awoke him. Once he got up, he checked his phone for the time. On seeing the time, he looked over at her, she looked at him and took her face away. Quickly, he went over to her, on his knees and cupped her boobs in his hands. She made like she was going to protest, yet the moment he lifted her nightie, exposing her undies-free crotch and braless breasts, she calmed. Letting him go for her breasts. He caught the first one in his mouth, and the moment he did that, she mellowed. He pulled her down to the floor. Continued sucking her nipples while setting himself free. Once in hand, he inserted into her. "You're such a slut, he whispered in her ears. You came for my cock, right? You didn't get enough of it yesterday, right?"

As he spoke those words, he felt her nails digging into his back. While thrusting in and out of her. He bent in an askew position till he could take her nipples in his mouth, loving her and sucking her breast at the same time. She, soon enough, climaxed.

From then on, Shonda would report to him every morning at, same time for the same treatment. While every other person slept, oblivious of their rendezvous. She would sometimes lead him into the kitchen, and he would make love to her on the kitchen floor. With all that, it still didn't feel like when he made love to Juliet. With Juliet, magma erupted in the tremors of his core. Juliet was the taste of the forbidden fruit. Making love with the two women was the difference between a woman and a girl. The passion he experienced was as different as aged wine to fresh grapes. While the later was sweet, and indeed delicious, the later was the intoxication men wanted, and its effects made one loosen up and free.

Juliet noticed his activities with Shonda and was never more resilient to encourage them like the day she sent them on an errand. Liam decided to have sex with Shonda on the street near an old abandoned factory, in the car. When they got back, Juliet did not fancy the time it had taken for them to complete a simple task, and she reprimanded them sternly.

After that day, she began to push intently, for him to get married and suggesting that Shonda was ready to be a bride. He heard all the fitting adverts concerning her cuisine aptitudes and housekeeping qualities. But for some reason, he wasn't sold to the idea.

It wasn't too long, a girl from the restaurant next to the store came by. That girl would cause the sleeping hound to arise. Her name was Terry.

Chapter Ten

Terry had schooled abroad in Europe, and had just gotten back to settle in the States. She was a beautiful, black girl, with sweet luminous eyes set in an oblong face. Her curves were set in a designer figure, the way Liam loved a woman to be curved. And if anything, she helped him remember why he came to Dallas.

Their acquaintanceship started as a je ne sais quoi, indeed. Terry had come marketing her sister's restaurant to him. Honestly, the place was going down. They had fewer and fewer customers coming in to eat there. Mainly because their food was expensive and their service was poor. Terry later told him she believed that with her management skills, she could revamp the restaurant, and he sort of believed her. So, kudos to success, he wished her.

Shonda had now started coming to the store to work with them. At this time, Liam had also bought a golden colored, mid-sized SUV. In fact, he bought it off a cousin of James. His price was very favorable too. To make James a lot happier with him for taking advantage of his grace, he would drive the boys to the mall, then leave early with Shonda and Taylor, ahead of Thad and Pauly's school bus. James indeed liked the arrangement, he bought neither gas and his scurrying from point to point, racing against time, to pick his kids was officially, temporarily over.

The first time they met, he had bumped into Terry in the elevator. Usually, he wouldn't take the elevator, but that day, as with days when he took the elevator, he was in a hurry to get out of the building. Since the elevator door was already open, he considered it good business. He saw her in the elevator going down. He recognized her from the day he'd previously gone in to eat at their restaurant, and they had given his request to her one brother. They then came out to tell him the kid had ordered it first, and it was the last plate they had; he was mad. Though he avoided confrontation and simply walked out. The reasons he had walked out, were: one, he did not want to fight over food. Two, he did not want to contend with the neighbors. Three, James would be mad he was mad about such. Since she had been in the elevator first, he didn't want to appear a snub, so he said hi. They were silent all the way down, now this snake game on his Nokia phone was the deal. So, he was engrossed in it, actually, addicted to it.

The next day, she came over to the store, asking if they had a particular color pencil. They didn't, they were out of stock of it. Out of curiosity, he asked if she was going to draw with them.

"Yes," she replied, still scanning around the store to see what else would interest her.

"So, what are you drawing?"

She paused for the briefest second in the world, looking at him; puppy faced, "eyebrows," she answered curtly.

"Wow, that's what you specialize in?"

"Wait, specialize?"

"Yeah, you're a makeup artist, right?"

"No, I am not a makeup artist."

"Ok? why would anyone need to be a makeup artist to use colored pencils?"

"Beats me. But isn't that what it's used for?"

"Wait for a minute, is it eye pencils you're asking for?"

"Not really, but Linda told me she used the colored pencils for her eyebrows."

He was amazed, he wondered if she was really serious. Who would use colored pencils for eye pencils? Women, that's who, especially a creative or bohemian one, ever inventing beauty enhancement processes, he thought.

"Does Linda use it?" he asked, seriously curious to know.

"Yes, and she told me she bought it from here."

"Well, we don't have them at the moment, but we expect them to dock soon. I'm gonna let you know when we re-stock."

But she didn't leave immediately. She stepped out of the store but didn't leave because she came right back with Linda. Linda was a waiter at the restaurant. She was a tall ginger-haired, faint freckles sprinkled cheeked, and deep-set hazel eyed girl. She looked sexy, but not like Terry. This whole situation didn't yet put Terry on his mind, though. Really just thought she was goofing and a silly bohemian to be using art colored pencils in place of proper beauty eye pencils. When they left the store, he felt thoroughly amused.

Shonda and Liam were having a swell time. She was probably in love, but he felt nothing for her. She was even suspicious of Taylor. Liam didn't blame her; Taylor was an amiable girl, while she wasn't. She probably thought because Taylor was playful with everyone, that meant she was comfortable to sleep with, though she was easy to sleep with. But for some reason, he did not gel with Taylor. They just didn't blend to the point of him sleeping with her. She would play and hug Liam frequently and in Shonda's presence, killing Shonda. Since Shonda had imprudently kept it a secret, that they were sleeping together, there was no way for her to communicate her territorial stand.

One evening, he had a strong urge to sleep with Juliet, but she was beyond his reach. Recently, once they got home, she'd stay holed up with James in their room. James had cast wariness about him, in their privacy. She knew this, but wouldn't tell him everything. To keep her marriage, Juliet continued pulling away from Liam. Juliet also believed he was probably sleeping with Taylor and hoped she was wrong.

Liam had caught her starring at them while they joked at the store. She did this repeatedly, and when he'd find her staring, she would turn her face away.

It came as a surprise when Juliet went on a particular day and whispered in his ears. She asked him, "do they want to eat my leftover?" and walked past him as she made to sit at the other side of the store. This was one of Juliet's subtle styles of behaving. He said nothing to her, simply smiled, and continued with his work. When he tried spotting her to know if sex would be possible, she was nowhere to be found. That got him so upset that he went into Shonda's room that night to have sex with her. It was a perilous decision, they had just come in from the stores, and the house was astir. Every one member of the household, a significant number of ten in all, were busy running about.

But he didn't' care, Juliet was with James in their room, which was right adjacent to Shonda's room. He walked in, leaving the door open, went up to Shonda on her bed, slightly hidden from the door by the wardrobe. Liam lay with her and carried on for a minute, talking about nothing. Then he put his hand on her leg, the good thing was she had just had her bath and was putting on her nightdress. He quickly moved his paw up under her dress. This move shocked her, and she tried to resist, hurriedly moving away from him. She tried shoving off his hand and saying no, all at once. However, he moved stronger, ran his hands under her dress, and rapidly took hold of her undies, yanked it down in one swift pull. He came up immediately to her, and she succumbed. He lay on her, pressed his penis into her surprisingly wet pussy, and without further ado, started thrusting in and out of her. She held his face and said, "you're such a bad boy, Liam, and I love you."

He was surprised at her confession but didn't respond, only continued until he came, pulling out immediately and rushing to fill up her mouth with his hard-on. He pulled on his shorts, looked at her for the briefest second, feeling contempt that he did it against Juliet, and she missed the whole show. His plan was for them to be caught by Juliet, then he would provoke her jealousy.

At this time, Liam was getting ready to move out of James' house. He had found his feet and saved up enough for rent. Also, his credit score had come up again. He was happy. Perhaps, he would now be able to start his entertainment outfit. He'd had it on his mind for so long, he thought nothing would do him the best than running it. Having put his plans on hold to come work for James, going now eighteen months. Never even picking up a pin, that would help his ambition, was certainly not part of what he had come to Dallas for.

He found a one-room apartment in Garland city of Dallas. Nothing opulent, but decent enough for someone who had plans to save money and use his finances for business and not leisure. Liam factored that he had colonized Juliet's home without permission and conquered the hearts of their women without resistance.

Now that the queen of the castle had extricated herself from his bond, he found no other purpose for staying on there. He sensed his welcome would be overstayed in the nearest minute. This move out of Juliet's house was met with salt. Juliet's attitude began to change towards him, she started showing concerns about his other relationships. Initially, he was hoping she wanted to come back to him. Alas, it was her niece Shonda she cared about.

About a week after he moved out of their house, by necessity, he found himself in Juliet's car again. They were driving to Greyhound bus station in the heart of Dallas. Juliet had goods in the trunk that they had to send to Monterrey, Mexico. They were hefty bags of school supplies which some Catholic nuns had purchased. For a minute, they drove in silence until they needed to start talking. Juliet broke the ice, "How's your new place?" she asked.

"You should come and visit," He invited her.

"Where is the house located again?"

He told her, she thought about it briefly and said, "it's not going to be possible."

"Why not?"

"It's just too dangerous to hang out with you now."

"Because you caught James? What has it been, a month, two?" he said, sounding a little irritated. He was sore for all the times she had ignored him. That was what he really wanted to talk about.

"You need to get married if we are ever to have anything together again."

"But, I'm not even ready yet."

"So, what have you been telling Shonda?"

He didn't know how much she knew about Shonda and him. But, telling by how Shonda was always keeping to herself, he didn't believe she would have said much. At least not that they were sleeping together. He decided to call bluff on the possibility of Juliet knowing anything. "What do you mean, what have I been telling Shonda?"

"Well, she seems unusually close to you, so you must have told her something."

He thought carefully about his answer before replying. "I wanted to get information about you, I needed an insider who would tell me what was really going on with you, I felt she was the best for that."

"Really, where did you go and get that from?"

"Don't know, just assumed!"

"Hear Liam, it's not as it was before, we cannot be together anymore. James has had his suspicions on for a while, and he is not dense. Moreover, he is my spouse, who has given me everything I ever wanted or needed in life. Why would I be running around imperiling that with a child like you."

"I'm not a child, not even to you, you're just five or six years my senior."

"And that is not enough gap?"

"How is it enough gap, didn't Aaliyah sing that age was nothing but a number?"

"You can joke all you want to Liam, but you ain't hitting this pussy no more. Shit, I want to hate you so bad right now, you've fucked me in every way a man can fuck a woman, and you still want more?"

"I know, right… but it's because you're so sweet…"

"Oh, hush it, Liam... I feel you got me so cheap."

"What is it with women Juliet, why do you folks always claim to have been violated when you willingly spread your legs?"

"It was never your fault Liam; I was the senseless one."

"Come on, Juliet, you weren't foolish, you were sweet, and I love you to the moon and back. You're the light in my star, yeah?"

Nobody said anything for another minute after his proclamation. Then a lousy driver swerved right in front of them without flashing their turning signal. That was one thing he couldn't take quietly from drivers. "There goes another fool who shouldn't have used a key to start a car or gas pedal to pump gas since turning without flashing isn't part of driving."

"Well, you should get down and go tell 'em."

"Well, you shouldn't be so sassy."

"Hahaha, you're always impossible when you cry over folks turning without flashing."

"Am not worse than James."

"Yeah, right, I forgot it's a male trait."

"Perhaps, because the major defaulters are women and stoned people."

As they yet spoke, a cop cut in front of them without signaling, the police changed lanes to the left without flashing.

"That's a man and an officer of the law," Juliet said.

"You don't know what he could be going through," was Liam's answer.

"Hahaha!" she laughed.

They kept quiet now as they turned into the station. They were done in about fifteen minutes.

As they got in the car and drove back to the store, he couldn't resist talking to her some more.

"Look, Juliet, I know you said we couldn't go on again, but I still need you, I still want to hold you and love you."

"Then get married, I'm not going to be sleeping with no single guy anymore. If you want us to continue having sex, get married so that I can be sure I'm dealing with a man who also has something to lose."

"So, this while it's been about having something to lose?"

"Well, now you know, if I get caught, I get divorced and lose so much more, while you just get kicked out of a job and probably get another job before your butt hits the curb."

"Hahaha!" it was his turn to laugh.

"It may be funny to you, but it's not to me."

"What do you want of me?"

"Get married, Shonda is there, she is a good girl, and she seems to be taken to you, which is unusual. She wouldn't be in the way if you married her."

"I hear you," he said, even though he was sleeping with Shonda, it wasn't for affection, but for revenge against Juliet. He thought confusedly. "So, if I get married now, you're coming back to me?"

"What do you want with me Liam, aren't I too old for you?"

"No, you're not," he said menacingly.

"Ok, if you get married, I will be yours again."

"But to be frank with you, I don't think I can marry Shonda."

She was silent for a minute, "you really mean it?"

"Hey, Juliet, all this while you've been acting like I don't exist. Walking past me the day you got in from Dubai, how do you think that made me feel?"

"I had to separate me from you, GADDAMIT!"

"You don't need to yell, babe."

"What do you mean I don't have to yell, are you calling me stupid?"

"I never called you stupid, I only wanted to let you know that I could hear you clearly. All the same, you were ignoring me for no reason, I don't even know why or what makes you think Shonda is the one for me."

"I'm no fool, I've seen y'all talking."

"You want me to believe that talking to Shonda means I've got something going on with her?"

"She's a sensible girl, she wouldn't fall for your antics, Liam."

"Did you fall for my antics?"

"The guts, you've got the guts to ask me such questions? I don't blame you, though."

"What is wrong with what I asked you?"

"Nothing at all, if you hadn't gotten me cheaply and fucked me like a slut, would you have the guts to confront me?"

At this point, he felt really flabbergasted, totally overwhelmed by where their discussion was going. He tried not to say anything else, Juliet wouldn't keep shut though, she ranted on and on until they got to the store.

They soon arrived at the store, and she went right back to her silent and distancing mode. She walked to the elevators and rode up to the offices. As Liam walked towards his branch, he met Terry, she was smiling as she approached him, her face dimpled. It was no time to laugh, he wasn't in the mood, but for the sake of pleasant visage, he smiled.

"Hey, Liam," she hollered.

"Hi! What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, just wondering why you're dressed the way you are."

"The way I'm dressed?" He took a look at himself; he had an inner shirt with an unbuttoned outer lumberjack, a cotton shirt which flapped with the wind over boot cut jeans pants. He felt it was hip, fresh, and appropriate. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

"It doesn't show you're matured, Liam."

"What!?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Well, too bad, if you don't like what you see, this is how I rock it and live it." He threw up his gang sign and sprung stepped from her.

She stood there looking at him as he walked away. Then continued on her way to wherever she was headed.

The next morning Terry came to the office to see him, she had a Blackberry five phone on her, "Please Liam, could you help me look at my phone, I don't know what's happened to it."

"Let me see," he reached out a hand to take the phone from her.

"It often goes out of service."

"Have you tried calling customer service?"

"Hi, Shonda!" Terry saluted, seeing Shonda in the corner for the first time.

He looked up to see Shonda; her face was as if she had poop for breakfast. He didn't care what she was thinking, he was going to help a neighbor who had asked him for help.

"I'll just leave the phone with you for a minute, need to run an errand, be right back." Terry ran out of the store and off.

Liam didn't know if she noticed Shonda's face and if that made her run, or she was just trying to play the trust game with him. Handing her phone to him to let him know she could be trusted. He decided to go with the later. It was a message to let him know she had nothing to hide, meaning she had no boyfriend.

Some two hours passed before she came by to pick her phone. Liam had nothing to say to her, just handed the phone over, she looked at it, "did you fix it?"

He thought of her question for a second then decided not to be sarcastic, "just a little bit, yes, I did."

"Thanks, hey, you can swing by later to the restaurant for lunch, you know."

"Is it on the house?"

"Ha-ha! actually not, I just need sales, and it's not picking up yet."

"I'm going to be candid with you, I won't be able to." He said then looked over at Shonda, she had the most contorted face you could order from any frowners exchange. She pretended as if her interest wasn't on anything they were doing, which he strongly doubted. Nevertheless, he saw no reason to scorn her before Terry.

Terry later took coquettishness a step further, calling him that night, at almost midnight for small talks. When her call came through, he picked up his phone, bewildered, accepted the call, and got talking. They spoke for a good hour before he started looking for how to end the call. Having come to his own house, he had gone back to smoking pots, praying only not to have problems with law enforcement. As such, while Terry spoke to him, he huffed and puffed at the other end of the call getting stoned, while listening to her. As they talked about every inconsequential matter, there was, he realized this girl Terry was reaching out to him. Right then, Liam decided to confront the situation and make her a girlfriend. With Juliet and him having ended their relationship, he didn't trust the number of days he had in that place anymore.

Juliet seeing that her plan for Shonda and Liam might not work out, became a little bit concerned at first. She started trying to gain Liam's attention for a word with him, but it was his turn to be haughty. Ultimately, she further distanced herself from him. To him, that was okay as far as he could tell. His most significant concern was his job since he felt he still had a lot to gain before venturing into his own business. The feeling that Juliet may have granted him the position based on her vision for Shonda and him lingered. When that plan was put on hold by their sleeping together, she probably felt it was never going to happen. At the moment, their separation had stoked the flames of that dream again. The idea to have a handsome, smart, and visionary young man, who would be dedicated to their business, getting married to her niece, and by that virtue, become an affordable asset.

He needed the job; it was imperative. If Juliet decided to pull the plug, he would have been returned to level one, rock bottom. He decided to step up his commitment and perhaps win the admiration of James as a dedicated staff. His dedication to the job was directly borne by his desire to earn enough to go off and start his entertainment company. He needed to focus, there was nothing to regret. The woman offered to him was just a piece of ass, who deserved nothing but scant attention paid her. Loving someone wasn't by force.

At this point, where his decision to be somebody had gone into full gear, his ideal companion would not be great because of her enormous boobs and hips. Properly waxed legs wouldn't do it either, but intelligence. Neither was he going to be with a woman because she gave good sex, despite the high importance of good sex. That was not something he had a lack of, nor was he going for the best facial features or body, those could be obtained via surgery. What he needed was a great connection with her soul. That was the only criteria required to be his life companion. Despite his fondness for gorgeous women, he was at that echelon of mind that demanded beauty within, above beauty without. He wanted a life companion with something the scientist could not yet commercially provide, that factor no businessman could advertise.

Not too long, though, he began hearing wisps of words about how his boss' wife felt he had learned so much about their business and could be planning to break out and start his own business. 'Nice one Juliet,' he thought. Nothing gave James more paranoia than the thought of losing his trade secrets. A man like Liam would be considered an intense competition, and James handled every game in one way, by the act of war.

Now, in trying to explain how James operated, James was a black Jew; he believed his DNA lineage traced back to the brown-skinned Igbo people of West Africa. Firstly, the word Igbo (pronounced /ˈiːbəʊ/) is homonymous with the word Hebrew. It is believed that they were dispersed out of their Hebrew tribes when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, from ancient Egypt to the western coastlands of Africa. These Igbo people never adapted to the West African cultures of the people around them but reportedly developed the first constitutions in the world, the first parliamentary system of government, and having their own letters and education called Nsibidi. A well-developed learning culture which was finally destroyed by the British empire. Meanwhile, when European missionaries made contact with them in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, they were notably circumcising their baby boys on the eight days, like the Hebrews. Significantly as the determiner for identifying the children of Abraham.

They were the Biafra nation, which had gone to war with four countries, namely Britain, the Soviet Union, Egypt, and Nigeria. They'd fought hard for three years, manufacturing their own unsophisticated weapons, with which they almost conquered Nigeria. The war would later be tagged as the Biafra war or even Nigerian civil war. After the war, the Nigerian government voiced a non-victor, non-vanquished slogan, which was just lip service. After the war, qualified Igbo youths applied endlessly for jobs at the ministries, but didn't get re-assimilated into Nigerian job society. They tried to join the armed forces but were discriminated against. They applied for jobs and voided the rights to join any of the departments or authorities. They then immediately started petty trading of goods as a means of survival. Then they discovered a gold pot of opportunities. They got so good at selling that their businesses- to date- have been booming beyond the imagination of the politics wielding, nepotistic Nigerian government. This has also earned them the nickname of 'Jews of Africa,' their ancient Hebrew practices can be seen as a pure form of the Biblical covenant of Abraham.

In the seventies and eighties, after the war, they realized the subjugation realities of the Nigerian state. So, rather than send their kids to school to graduate without available job opportunities, they encouraged youths to go into marketing. After elementary schools, most of them went off to be apprentices in specific areas of choice. This practice saw an influx of businessmen from this tribe who continued rising like the fabled phoenix. Even though this system of trading before education has really seen a decrease, as their private sector provides jobs for their region. Schools have now been on the rise at a fantastic rate over recent years, even surpassing the education available in the power-wielding quarters of the country. Since most of those traders grew to become companies, they invested in educating their people to improve the tribe and people. The Igbo system was for them to serve as apprentices for six years, living with their coaches through the apprenticeship years. At the end of the apprenticeship, their coaches 'settled' them (gave them capital, got them a store, and bought them their first set of goods). With the money or settlement, they started up their own businesses.

Some good coaches settled, some met with bad luck and couldn't pay, while few others cheated their apprentices- they'd use them then, two to three years to the date of settlement they terminated their contracts. One way to end a contract was mostly by maltreating the apprentice until they pleaded to be taken back home. Some would terminate contracts by setting their apprentice up. Some apprentices never got settled due to their misconduct. Some slept with their coach's wives, daughters, sisters, or other relatives. Some who stole was caught and kicked out. These were those who, basically, never kept to the stipulated code of conduct. Now, that was the essential Igbo people's one-zero-one mindset, which James had studied while venturing into business. He even went as far as making friends with a circle of Igbo-Americans, and it seemed to be working well for him.

Well, as for the rumors been spread that Liam had plans to start the materials of his own art business, he knew the source was his one and only Juliet. He also felt it was wrong to reason that he could start up competition against James' business. He gave it a thought, but the more he thought about it, the clearer it was to him that he could not do any art materials business. His vision was to cut DVDs and CDs in the platinum and multi-platinum range, maybe get on this dot com boom, not run around chasing arts boxes. He felt he had a grand vision of the entire entertainment industry and entertainment business, and to sit and trade in a shop was not part of the big picture. Business for him meant more; one would be talking along production lines. Talent discovery, talent grooming, talent recording, talent promoting, branding, distribution, enfranchisement, making, and counting talented money. These were his visions, ingrained in his soul and spirit.

Terry and Liam started seeing each other, and everything seemed all right initially. She was caring, and the sex was good. It began on a Sunday evening at the cinema. They'd gone in to see the remake of King Kong. As they sat in the high chairs, Terry felt like being relaxed, so she raised her legs to place them on the armrest. When Liam saw that, he decided to make things easier for her. He took her legs and put them on his laps. The room was cold, so she took her sweater and covered her feet. That made the whole thing perfect for him. As the movie geared up and got more exciting, he subconsciously began to rub her feet, helping keep them warm. Before long, his hand was riding up, past her ankles to her calves, and then up her thighs. She made an attempt to stop him, but he pushed off her hand and continued his progress up her skirt. They stayed that way for a while. Then, he decided not to go any further, but to keep his hand on her skin to let her know his intent.

When the movie was over, he drove down to the nearby city park. They were seated on the grass. As they chatted, she began to open up and to tell him about her thoughts. One subject broke one more barrier down, and another broke another until the topic was about sexual preferences, fantasies, and ideals.

"Tell me your most amazing experience," James said.

"I once had this boyfriend; his dick was the size of a real oversized cucumber," Terry said, rolling the stem of the rose Liam bought her between her fingers.

"Wow, that must have been huge." Liam, who was a somewhat prude person, exclaimed. This discussion made him feel uneasy.

"Yeah, so how big is your dick?" she asked, looking down at the grass.

Liam thought about answering her, then reflected on the fact that you don't brag to a woman about the size of your penis. It might end up being the smallest she'd seen or had. "Do you want to see it?"

"Maybe!" she said.

"It's a yes or no question, there's no middle ground."

She looked up at the setting sun, around her, at the majestic golden rays casting a beautiful hue to the side of her face, which was directly in the line of the sunlight. "I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship right now. I just got out of one I didn't really enjoy."

"One should only get into a relationship when they are truly ready for the responsibilities that come with it," Liam reasoned.

"It's a lot of work…"

"Yes, mm-mm."

"More so, when your partner is lackadaisical about it."

"Mm-mm."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"I think you're filling up that gap."

"You don't have one?"

"Come now, you said you'd need to get home earlier."

"Am not actually going home."

"Where will you be going to?"

"We are at a hotel off of six-thirty-five."

"My sister and her family. They are renovating, so we had to move out."

"Let me guess you're going early to babysit?"

"Smart man, she needs to go somewhere with her hubby, so we agreed I'd take the afternoon, and she'd have the evening."

"I see," said Liam. They were quiet for a while. Then he got up, "well, it's time to go." His feelings were pure, she wasn't going home with him, so better he gets home to marijuana, his ever-loyal mistress.

She got up, and they walked to the car. He opened the car door for her and got in. All through their ride, they said little as his hand was all over her thighs. Driving the fourteen minutes to her location, he was determined to let her know they would be having no barriers between them. As they pulled up to the hotel, he did a quick scan of the place and noticed there were really dark ends at the parking lots. He drove her to one of the dark areas and killed the lights.

Without saying a word, he went beneath her side of the car, jerked up the adjustment metal, and shoved her seat backward for room space. He went over to the passenger side. Took hold of the seat adjustment and knocked the chair backward. Frenzied, he pulled up her skirt and slid a finger in her. She was already steamy hot from all the smooching he had been administering on the way to the hotel. He pulled out her boobs from her bras, and instantly covered her nipples with his mouth, each in turn. He forced his erection out of his pants and tried to slide it in her, but she stopped him. "Wait, wait, I want to hold it first."

He pushed away from her to let her hold his stiffy in her hand, and she exclaimed, "what!? This is huge!"

He'd heard it so many times before, but it turned him into a beast whenever a lady acknowledged that. "you know, right?" was his cynical reply.

Her phone rang, she checked and saw her sister was the one calling, "Hey sis…" she said. "Yeah am in the hotel premises already… no am right here… I am honest am right here. Okay, I will see you shortly… in a few minutes," she hung up. "Grr, such a spoiler!"

"I guess we would have to reschedule," he said.

"Grr, grief-ah! What's with her?" a hypothetical question. "Yes, she was all hyper… but Li-am," she purred, puppy faced, "can I hold that dick in my hand once more?"

Without responding with words, he looked down, and she went for it. She held him in her hands like a prized trophy, ever so gently stroking it up and down. She bent over and kissed his erection. "I've gotta go now," she said as she pushed against his chest to get her stuff together and leave. She opened the car door and stepped down. He got out too and took a few steps with her.

"You've gotta stop here now," she said, pushing against his chest with all open palm to indicate a stop.

"Alright!" he said, raising his hands up in total surrender. "See you tomorrow." he turned to leave, but she hurried up to him for a kiss. He kissed her back, and they kissed till the ringing of her phone stopped them. He turned and walked to the car on his way home.

The next morning was a surprise, soon as he opened his office and settled in, Terry walked in the door, all smiles. "Bad boy," she announced as she got to his desk. He quickly checked his time; Shonda would be arriving in about an hour with Juliet.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted.

"Man, you were damn crazy last night," she said, smirking.

"Yeah, I was? We were interrupted."

"Sh... You wanna finish off what you started, or stand and complain?" she asked, in the sultriest voice, placing a finger against his lips. She turned around, hiking up her skirt, with a little wiggle to help the skirt ride up above her curves.

"Hell yeah!" he drawled. Pulled out his penis, already stiff. Liam pulled her close to himself. She bent over, holding his office desk for support. He pushed her undies aside and thrust, by dove, Terry felt tight and just lovely. As he pulled out, he trembled at her tightness, she moaned softly as he thrust back in, and began to stroke her. The feel of her was as putting candy in and out of the mouth when out you'd want it again, while in, you wouldn't want to take it out. Every inch of him felt like it was soaked in a delicious alcoholic beverage. He caught sight of her eyes in the mirror opposite them by the wall. Her eyes were dazed and glazed with the passion she felt with his savage and fast-paced lovemaking. It felt heavenly for her. Considering the events of the previous night, it was no mystery that they were already fully aroused. The culmination of intense passion after absolute passion, smooching after smooching. She suddenly felt her belly walls contracting. Tingling new energy began to build up from her clits through to every part of her body. She trembled, thinking her legs would give way, but they didn't as another wave of sensation hit her whole being. It was incredibly intense for her, and she let go instantly. Yielding to the enormous sweetness that seared through her entire being, within the short period of lovemaking, she squirted out her orgasm. Liam was amazed to sight a squirter for the first time. He also felt his body build-up, sweetness coursing through him almost as if he would cry, he immediately pulled out to rub out his cum. She turned to him, squatted before him, and caught him in her hand. She covered his cock with her mouth, he bucked, humping against her face as he let go of his cum. She sucked every drop of cum he had to release, and they were done.

She drew up to him, kissed his lips while adjusting her skirt, and quickly made for the exit. At the door, she paused, turned to look at him, "See you again… bad boy!" She drawled. The light from outside giving her frame a halo effect. She looked even more stunning. She turned back to the road and stepped into the day.

Liam stood there for a minute, trying to replay the recent incident. It felt unreal like it didn't just happen. 'Wow!' he thought 'did that just happen?' he asked himself, amazed. He sat down again, looked at his still open fly, dug out his penis to get another look at it, it did have dried gooey on it, he confirmed. Usually, anyone could have barged into his office for one thing or the other, but nobody had done so. 'And I thought New York was bad,' he thought. Now, her audacity had come to him as some firecracker level of boldness… and he loved it. Nothing turned him on better than a freak, and she was one. He wondered how she would be in the sheets since she was this way in the street.

He did not know why, but he quickly remembered how Juliet had also fired him up that way. It was on a Sunday, the only day they all ever had to be home, and everyone was home. Juliet had felt so horny she couldn't control it any longer, so she came looking for him and found him in the bedroom he shared with Chubby, on the bed. She walked in fast, put a foot upon the mattress, revealing a mildly hairy vagina, then she called him, "Liam!"

He lifted his head to her voice, saw her pose, and responded by dashing forward with his tongue poised to taste her. He was barely an inch close to hitting her vagina with his tongue before Thad's voice came calling for her, "mom!" he shouted, opening the door to the room. Liam, who was heading north-east towards her, did a quick north-west flip away from her, landing south-west of her.

In this case, however, it seemed Terry had cast a spell on the door stopping anyone from coming in.

He kept reminiscing the taste of his new act. As a matter of fact, he felt like he had found the right girl, one who could help him forget Juliet. Now, that was some trophy!

Chapter Eleven

Since the subject of marriage had been recently broached, his mind cast on the possibilities. From that day on, he would reflect on marriage, partially considering Terry as his most likely mate. Turn a man on, flip him to the most passionate sides of his, and he would either make you his wife or mistress.

He had to get his game up and get his shit together if he was to be the man to lock down matters with Terry. He reflected on getting on the track for his dream business. He could probably pull it off now, while he still earned, he should create something like a transition source of income. An income that would enable him to successfully become independent, especially if things went south with Juliet. He lived, shadowed by the possibilities of Juliet pulling the plug at any time.

He pulled out the bottom drawer in his desk, took out his black journal, which he took everywhere with him. He had brought it from New York, and it was probably seven years old. He flipped the pages as he began to review it again. This journal contained all his dreams from his early twenties. All articulately written to ensure easy comprehension, compliance, and executability.

Terry had stoked a dying fire in him, he was motivated to keep her, for that he was ready to kick-start the engine of his mind's mill; have it grinding out ideas that he knew had been in limbo. He felt excited, but forgot to put into fact, as he planned, that he was about to make some other women feel scorned. The most exciting thing about it is that he didn't know what they were capable of.

At the moment, he felt poetic. He stood at the edge of love's domain, he could see the rooftops of love's abode in the horizon, in love, everything is possible. Love is not scriptable. Love doesn't tell us who, why, or what to feel about people. Only that, it should first be on offer with the intention of devotion to the object of desire. It should expect the recipient to only accept when they know they are willing to return love with commitment. Dedication is that ingredient that makes love complete. For better or worse, devotion makes loving harmonious. If fidelity is ever separated from the beloved, it perches on the shoulders of another. The one whose commitment has been taken becomes scorned, male, or female becomes torn. At this time, only one thing would be capable of calling devotion to its first nest, compassion. Only one thing would be capable of returning love to its stead, forgiveness. Otherwise, devotion when she flutters away, flies off, a stork, in its beak, the most precious of all relationships; love.

Understanding this should stop one from wondering how they lost the bond with the love of their life that became the demon they divorced. Without devotion, the other equally important equation, which is forgiveness, would be hard to pledge.

The first thing that comes to one's mind if they found their spouse cheating would be to question if there was something they lacked, which their adversary possessed. Meanwhile, the question should be about what you have, which your spouse does not have, or has lost; and the answer is simply devotion. Offering love to the beloved, we seek devotion, which cannot be absent in our relationship, even if any other thing existed.

Nevertheless, Liam wasn't bothered about Shonda. He already made it clear to Juliet that he wasn't a game with her niece. Although he hadn't told Shonda, and Shonda walked about believing she had him to herself. Juliet was still convinced that she could get Liam to change his mind about Shonda. She hadn't heard of Terry. After all, her suspicions of their possible activities weren't unfounded. She'd even considered sending a private eye to track them and report their activities.

She had been forced to give up Liam because James's stupidity had trumped her above him. She didn't want to lose her victory over him; it had kept James humble as the one caught cheating. Besides, she had accused him of hypocrisy. What then would it be for her to be found in his shoes? He would definitely kill her, and now that she'd been out vacationing at his expense, it would be her funeral. James wasn't to be trusted as a clean man. That she couldn't prove his activities didn't mean she couldn't suspect them.

Liam was thinking, he needed an actual excuse to get rid of Shonda. He had tasted the very food he always craved for. He was no longer interested in some stale meat. He had a hunch she couldn't possibly be in love with him, that she wasn't really devoted to him. Their relationship was peripheral. He was dedicated past spreading her legs and having sex with her. Even while making love, he didn't feel connected. A thin line existed between sex with her and sex with a whore. That line is the absence of monetary compensation after sex.

He knew better than to trust a woman who wasn't even faithful to her provider. Liam understood the psychology of the propinquity, which Juliet hoped to achieve with him and Shonda. Was it working? Not really! Though they were even having sex, before Juliet put them together, it wasn't okay for him. Shonda was the most boring sex he ever had. Women with fire like Juliet and Terry were his kind of women. Lying like a piece of a log while he strived to bring them to mutual climax wasn't the way Liam planned to live his sexual life. Her boring sexuality was the major contributing factor to his lack of interest in her. After about the third time of having sex with Shonda, they fizzled out.

Now, when Terry came after him, she had come bearing gifts. In no time, she gave him head at every convenience. He was happy! Even if he didn't necessarily get to cum, every time didn't bother him. The fact that they could be riding an elevator and she'd dare to kneel, unzip his fly, and whip his penis out and kiss it, drove him insane. All his monotonous life, he had dreamt of having a Terry type of girl. Liam just didn't know her name when he dreamt of her, but she was that girl he thought he would rather have or be ready to die for. A bold, independent, and confident woman, not forgetting a daring one. A girl, who was willing to engage and was actively involved in making the relationship work, rather than pretending to be more decent than the next girl, while they were all having premarital coitus.

The ethical questions, like what he really wanted out of life with a woman, was now starkly before him. Was it more relevant to sell his peace to the devil in Juliet and live a joyless life that would virtually be living out another person's plans? Or should he continue to fan the embers of his growing relationship with Terry, damning all else? He had some dreams, and now another problem dawned on him about having visions that it's mostly in the way of any other job one has.

While Liam and Terry's relationship was just blooming right out of the nursery, while he was feeling romantic and full of novelty, a storm was brewing.

He was busy minting out some DVDs for their bootleg with the company's computer and watching a new episode of Ms. Tyra Banks' show, called 'America's Next Top Model,' on another tab. Terry walked in; it was about two o'clock in the afternoon, and business was slow to a real drag. The weather was the typical dry, hot, and humid Texan weather. Shonda was sitting close to the check-out counter when Terry came in. It was not their first encounter at the store, and he felt there was really nothing wrong with Shonda being around when Terry came around to visit at the store. Shonda had never complained or reacted. It was now two months since he began dating Terry; he felt sure his relationship with Shonda was over. Though they never discussed the matter, he also felt there was no need for a discussion. When they started having sex, there were no words of promise uttered, all they had was sex. Though several times, she had professed her love. To him, it was with no strings attached, as he presumed. What he had no idea of was that Juliet had called Shonda and psyched her to believe she should be with Liam. Shonda trusted Juliet and thought she had her best interest at heart.

"Hey, baby," Terry hollered at him, as she walked in, all smiles. Glowing and looking beautiful as she entered from the hot outside. Shonda turned to look at Liam in utter shock, expecting him to dispel the pet name Terry had just addressed him by. Terry said hi to Shonda and Liam's other associate, Benjamin, who was on his way out before she sashayed over to him. They chatted decently for a few minutes, then she left.

About ten minutes after she left, Shonda got up from her seat and walked over to sit on a chair placed close to the left of Liam. They had watched the model show together sometimes, and since the new series was airing, he thought she wanted to catch up on it too. It was inexplicable to Liam; he could not explain what came over him that moment. It all started with catching a funny phrase about one of the models from the show. If you ever saw the show, you would understand the dramas that invariably ensued. The divas that came to contest at the competition would do anything to stay the most relevant. They watched for a while, then began having a good conversation for the first time in a long time.

Liam thought about her sudden chattiness for a minute, then waved it off his mind. Her sudden change in attitude had come from Terry's presence. Liam sensed this but was too happy to see her new mood; he relaxed around her.

Soon, she became more playful, thinking all the time to herself, that Liam was hers and not Terry's. Playfully, one thing led to the other, and Liam totally let down his guard. He got more comfortable. He was, psychologically, within familiar territory, and that was when his left hand struck her right thigh. She wore a pair of tight black jeans pants. When his hand tapped her leg the second time, it somehow lingered a bit longer and without resistance. Then his fingers suddenly rode up to her fly. He was feeling a different frenzy. He gave in to his usual behavior of betrayal and lust. Betrayal of himself, and Terry, even after convincing himself that he had nothing in common with Shonda, he found himself at a frenzy to touch her. He stuck his fingers as deep as he could through the tight flap. The feel of her skin made him euphoric at this point. She did not try to resist him. She pushed her crotch out to let him know she was willing. At her push, his hand scrapped her pubic hairs, and he lost it instantly to the moment. Feeling like he was hesitating, she grabbed his hand and shoved it in deeper. On full contact, he began to rub the lips through her undies. She held on to his grip, pressing his fingers down and bucking up against it to let him know she wanted him. He parted her panties, a G-string, and dipped his hand into her. Indeed, she had been aroused. They were in the store, but his head brain was frozen, his cock brain did all the thinking at this time.

She locked her lips with his, really the new initiator. Reached for his fly and groped through his usually tight jeans until she set him free, popping him out. He browsed his eyes over her; she was utterly lost in performance. Moaning with deep grunts while she worked him so fast, going up and down his cock with a zeal that said she wanted to see him cum. She acted like her frenzy was due to how she felt at the pleasuring of his fingers. Suddenly she shuddered and gasped, perfectly landing a fake orgasm. He was thrilled by her act, unable to detect the authenticity of her performance, though. It was indeed a moment he felt, and that would be the first and last time he would ever see her in that way, expressing passion that he deemed was triggered by jealousy. She got up and left him to go to the bathroom.

About two hours later, she came back to him, holding her phone. She asked him to help her fix her messenger, she was using a blackberry phone. She claimed that she could not get pictures or videos downloaded. He took her phone to see if he could give an amateur diagnosis of the issue. When he looked at her phone, he saw the messenger was open to a chat between herself and this certain fellow she'd saved his name with Prince of Cali, while his display name read Henry. In his head, Liam thought it was funny, he thought he understood her game. He imagined to have been right; she had felt jealous about Terry. Giving him her phone with her messenger open to this other chap's messenger page was a way to let him know two could play. He chuckled at the gesture, 'little showoff,' he thought, "good luck to the Prince of Cali," he muttered under his breath. After looking at the phone and fixing the bug, which was just to accept a settings request, he got cocky and teased her on her choice of name for her friend's identity. "Hey, I like your guy's name, "Prince of Cali, west coast nigguh. Yeah? Hahaha!" he threw up the west coast 'W' sign.

As he joked, the stern coldness of her eyes conveyed her disposition to him. He'd thought he could be cocky with her. After all, they'd just walked down the lanes of ecstasy, hand in hand, pleasuring and moaning.

She asked him, "How did you know about the Prince of Cali, you've been through my phone ain't you?" She got off her chair, "and how dare you go through my personal messages?" she started walking towards him, slowly with her hands clenched in a fist. Her eyes were lit with disdain, and rage seared through her heart as she neared him, he felt her rage. She asked him again, "What were you doing going through my personal messages?" teeth half clenched. Her whole body trembled in anger.

Liam looked at her face as she got closer to him. He could count the contours on her scowling face. 'Shit!' he thought to himself, 'this stuff is severe.' Dumbfounded, he went in defense, saying, "Hello? you gave me the phone, with this messenger open, remember, and you asked me for help with your messenger now, remember?"

She was at arm's length of him. "Liar! I never had it opened to the messenger," she spat.

"But it was the messenger I was trying to fix for you…" he wasn't even through explaining himself when, in a blink, he saw her hand swinging towards him. Not willing to gawk at her, as he read her body language before she completed the move. He made an attempt to duck, but his reflex was too slow for his liking, the tip of her middle finger made scraping contact with the hand he put up while ducking her slap. He heard himself squeal, "fuck!?" Her slap was so heavy the motion pushed so much breeze his way. He looked down at her bewildered, hand over his face, not believing she wanted to slap him. She had no idea that he ducked better than anyone, as a matter of street-wisdom. She darted towards him to strike him again. This time he was better prepared and dared her less. He observed she wasn't even intimidated by their pronounced height difference. Now, he wasn't so tall, but she wasn't afraid to hit him in the face. Probably for emphasis or to ensure it connected at the right angle, she had swung fast. Taking a quick step back, the focus of her second slap got lost again as she missed a second time. Her failure to slap him the two times infuriated her further. She went berserk, ran towards him, and began raining slaps on him. "Liar! Liar! How dare you go through my phone?"

"You asked me to. Bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?" Liam wailed, trying hard to defend himself against her onslaught. She was furious, the pain of taking her for granted had surfaced in a ball of lessons, and she wanted to hurt him best she could. While Shonda barraged him with arms flailing and punching and smacking and slapping him, he somehow got hold of her hands. She wouldn't let him restrain her, he grappled with her hands for a minute, before finally subduing her.

Liam took a deep breath and slowly let out air as he sighed in relief. He knew he had to be calm, he suspected her pain was probably linked to pent up fury held over his friendship with Terry. He started trying to calm her down, but she wasn't having any of it, no matter what he said. She tugged at his hands to free herself, all the while running her mouth and calling him all sorts of profanities.

"Hungry bastard, you came to us broke-assed, and in rags, now you want to have and act like you're all that? Fool! Hungry looking motherfucker hired out of pity," she cussed.

Her words hurt him so much, but he swallowed his pride, "remember it is your aunt's husband who is rich and not your aunty. Don't forget your parents are also poor," he snickered back.

"Shut the fuck up fool, who do you think you are, discussing my lot with me?"

"Well, I'm just saying that… if you're gonna throw stones remember you live in a glasshouse. Don't forget I was at your father's home in the ghettoes last December."

At that, the embers of her fury were stoked again. Shonda berated on and on while he now stayed quiet, seeing how his last sentence had gotten her really riled up. He eased off her hands, letting go slowly, so he could beat it without her understanding it until he was safe. As he turned to walk away, out of the corner of his left eye, he saw it coming. Quickly, he turned to catch her hand again, but she was very determined, she swerved her hand lower than his body. He sidestepped as a quick alternative, but that was a wrong move, and she finally landed him one, nicely placed. Her plan had been to hit him from the back. However, his turning around caused him to get the whack smack on the stomach.

Now, he dared not hit a woman, no matter what. Shonda did not know this, and she felt infuriated and frustrated by his calm demeanor. Liam had been there before, in this exact type of situation, where he was ready to beat up a girl. Now he heard his father's voice and felt his father's fist on him that day, and it sufficed to stay him. This education by his father was one of the best things Liam got from the old man. He had drummed it extensively in Liam, "because you could strike a woman in the wrong place, such as her breast and kill her," he'd said. "If you really want to vent your anger on a woman who is pushing you to hit her, stay calm and trust me, you'd do more damage to her by your control than by losing control. Women can't resist exchanging word banters, if you don't buy-in, then you win. It's like two bottles of soda, shake 'em both at the same time, open one instantly, and what do you get? A bustling foamy bitch of a drink, spills e'ery where, and the other one which you didn't open? Stays cocked and still without a single spill when its opened just ten minutes after the shake. Be the unopened bottle, son."

From this sup of wisdom, Liam brewed his own guide. To remember that no matter how strong a woman is, her greatest strength lies not first in her physical strength, but in her tongue. Especially when her fist cannot wage battle against a man's physically. Her tongue will wag against your emotions, pummeling for reaction until your sanity is concussed.

Then, a woman never hit him either. It took summoning all the discipline and channeling the memory of his late father's lessons to stay him. He was genuinely restrained. Notwithstanding, his heart boiled with anger for her mouth still ran. And she almost pushed him to strike her when she finished off with, "pauper, my aunty hand-picked off the gutter, coming here acting like the boss and feeling significant." She pushed him away and made for walking, but it wasn't going to be so.

In reflex to her push, Liam caught her hand, he didn't know why he did it, but the moment her hand made contact with his chest, he did so. Still, unable to do anything, he just held her hands, then started feeling amused by her. She noticed his grip wasn't tight, looked up at his face, he guffawed, throwing his head back in savor. Without warning, she suddenly slipped her right hand free of his grip. As he tried to regain his comprehension, in the seconds following, that he needed to comprehend what just happened, she smacked him hard on the chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. He doubled over from the force of the impact, shocked. The smirk on his face knocked out, he quickly regained himself, clutching at his chest in pain. Liam raised his head to look at her, puzzled by her action. He had a reputation for being deft, quick, and calculative, but she had caught him off guard.

Shonda felt good to see him bend over in pain, she had brought his towering figure down, she snickered feeling extra good about her deed. He seemed weak, why shouldn't she be the one to kick his butt. 'It seemed he was just good at sex, the bastard,' she thought.

Getting up slowly, he recovered his short breath, "what did you do that for?" he asked.

"Hahaha, I didn't do enough, I will do worse than this if you don't take care." She said, pointing at him, her other hand at akimbo on her hip as she warned him. His eyes darted all over her face. He was infuriated, he was losing it, and couldn't help the way he was feeling. At this point, she thought she needed to be cured of the pain he had wrought without compassion, 'cold-hearted bastard,' she thought. She made to turn and walk past him in a bid to leave the store.

He stood there looking at her, speechless. She raised her hand to shove him off her path. That's when something snapped. The moment her hand touched his chest. Moving with the street reflex he had developed on the streets of Queens New York, he caught her hand, spun her to face him. In the next few seconds, he quickly remembered not to jeopardize his freedom. Instead of bending that hand she had put on him, he used it to force-slap her face. Knocking her with her own hand, despite the fight she put up in retaliation. He looked ferocious. Left to him, the brute in him wanted to strangle her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. So, he slapped her with her hand again.

Asking, "how does your slap feel? Uh! Bitch! How does it feel?" the sound of his voice trembled in anger. Attempting to make an intelligible speech. At least, he thought, 'I did not strike her with my hand, so dad's spirit couldn't judge me as having hit a woman. To an extent, Liam had thought there was no way she could have allowed him to do her harm. Indeed, she resisted, and that would have made the slap barely powerful. But she was not having his effrontery, that was like sprinkling salt on her wound.

Now he held unto her hands, while she kept demanding to be released. "Let go," she cried, but he wouldn't. "You fool, you dare call me a bitch?" She struggled and scuffled with him in a bid to free herself, "let go of my hand now, you bastard!" But he was stronger, she could feel his strength. In a different scenario and in a different place, this scuffle was all it took to turn her on. She wanted it rough and preferred a man who could serve it that way. That was why she really liked Liam, but he had spoilt it all by dumping her for that stupid Terry.

To make matters worse, he rubbed it in her face. They had fucking kissed in front of her and thought she wouldn't be oblivious. Suddenly she got mad anew and kicked him, "bitch-nigger, you're the damn bitch, let go of my hands bastard." She kicked at him. It was all she could do to express her feelings for the disgust and anger she felt towards him.

He wouldn't let her go. And she really wanted to go, but Liam wasn't letting her go. They scuffled and grunted a bit then when her body suddenly touched him, and he avoided contact, an instant idea brewed in her head. She pushed to come in contact with him again. The moment she made contact with him, she shoved at him with all her might, until they both tumbled down, falling on top of the boxes on the floor, in which they'd just received supplies in.

They continued struggling, they scuffled and shuffled with Liam now trying to get up and Shonda trying to pin him down.

When he'd had enough, Liam pushed her off him, "get off me, bitch!" He then got up to create space and distance between them. He was shaken at her ferociousness. "Crazy bitch! crazy ass bitch!" He repeatedly muttered.

When she tried getting up the heel of her left shoe, which was quite high to accentuate her height, caught at the edge of one of the paper boxes and she tripped forward, landing face down. She slowly got up, walked up to her phone, which fell off her hand, picked it up, and called Juliet's number, "hello!" Juliet answered.

Upon hearing Juliet's voice, every pain of her heartbreak came washing down. Pain which he caused her for no reason, flirting with a girl, cheating with another girl, demeaning her, right at her face. She answered Juliet through her tears, saying, "Hello."

"Yes, dear?" Juliet replied.

Through sobs, she finally found a voice to register her complaint against Liam. With tears filled eyes, she said, "Aunty, please come to our store," she choked on her words as she tried much to speak up.

He looked at her and snickered at the way she was choking. He had no empathy, and her pains were nothing more than crocodile tears to him. Juliet asked her what the problem was, but as she tried to explain herself, she found it difficult to speak. Crying and heaving, all she was finally able to articulate was, "Please come to and see how Liam…" She began to choke, breathing sharply in desperation for some oxygen, which she sensed she was losing. Heaving, she was able to finally say, "…please come, I need your help, Liam has been beating me up."

"It's not possible, I'll be there soon."

"Aunty Jules, my face hurts from his slaps."

Liam was dumbfounded, he'd heard of women setting men up and getting away with it, and he felt this was just it. It is yet, their most excellent known strategy, as old as time itself. The reason being the power of tears. They orchestrate it with affluent ease. With tears, they permeate the heart, drawing out emotions, affluent emotions, enough to touch any soul. The failure to understand this great gift many women possess is what has kept it an effective weapon since 'said' time immemorial.

That mindset that women are weak is the dumbest in the world. A woman, in a brawl with a man, could call the cops, and at the arrival of the police, they would be trying to restrain the man. When in fact, he probably got his butt whopped by a Charlie's Angels. She whopped Liam and was first on the phone to deliver more blows by tainting his personality. Moreover, he could be the one in trouble if he didn't handle Juliet, he thought to himself.

It was apparent the call had upset Juliet so much. She came stomping into the store and into his office within seconds. Coming in, she cast a look at him and asked, "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing!" was his quick response.

"What do you mean, nothing?" Shonda barked. "Are you trying to deny slapping me?" she said, moving towards him and then thoughtlessly grabbed him by the shirt. She tugged at him vigorously, shaking him back and forth. Juliet looked at Shonda, shocked at her behavior, quickly she put a hand on Shonda and pleaded with her to leave him alone.

The moment was intense, her voice trembling as tears fell freely down her cheeks. She sniffled then obliged Juliet by letting go of his shirt. He looked shaken, and his shirt was extremely crumpled and ripped at a spot. He tried straightening his shirt and buttoning up. But when he felt for buttons, there was none at the first three-button places where he touched.

"What happened here?" Juliet asked to know.

Still sharp mouthed, Shonda, conscious that she could be viewed as wrong, figured she'd better make this moment beneficial. She'd not told Juliet or anyone else about her relationship with Liam. Because she didn't want to reveal it yet, she now found it difficult to explain her disappointment and heartbreak. Her aunty could feel she was asked to get him to marry her, but she ended up getting him to use and scorn her. Instead, she lied further, "I was sitting by the door, checking my phone when Liam came over and began to touch me indecently. Then he took my phone and started going through it," she sobbed.

Liam froze; he became compelled to look back in his mind and replay what had happened. He asked himself if he was somnambulating through all this so that he probably acted out what she said in that state of being; because what he just heard was no way near the truth.

Juliet looked at Liam, he shrugged his shoulders, palms facing up to show he was speaking the truth and had nothing to hide. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. She'd heard James' voices berating from outside as he approached the store. James was very fond of Shonda, and he wanted Liam gone, but for Juliet's insistence. Not knowing where this conflict would lead, Juliet decided to quell the matter immediately. It was a wise thing to do, following how she'd treated Liam, recently, ignoring him. "Shonda," Juliet called, bringing down the tone of her voice as she sputtered. "Shonda, whatever it is, kill it, am gonna deal with this myself, personally, do you understand?"

James came into the store, took one look around, then ordered everyone out. Shonda sobbed silently, hoping to get his attention, maybe sympathy, and rebuke Liam. Instead, James looked at his wristwatch, it was time to go home. He ordered Chris, who just arrived, to lock up the store and bring him the keys. He was not going to be drawn into the brawl on anyone's terms. Before leaving, he turned to Liam and said, "if you think for one minute that I am oblivious of the ongoing in this place, then you've got me figured wrong. Looking at Shonda and Juliet, he said, "I'm nobody's fool, I know what you guys have all been up to, soon we will tell who's boss in this establishment." He walked away, Juliet followed right behind him while Shonda walked with her aunt, disappointed at the current outcome of things. Liam hung around to help Chris lock up the store.

When Liam got home, he reflected on the day's events and realized the totality of Shonda's temperament. When he felt she served no purpose, he broke off the relationship. Indeed, the appearance of another girl on the scene had sparked jealousy. This jealousy was responsible for everything that had transpired. This was before Terry became deeply involved with his life. While she engaged his interest for a minute. That lack of fire helped his playing her. She was deeply into him as he wasn't into her. That was the problem today, she'd believed he was hers, and he had broken her heart, and she'd spun a pun against Juliet- which didn't even work.

Liam got up off his bed, walked over to the sound system, and inserted a CD collection of his favorite selections. He tuned the button selecting the one that best suited his self-massage; The Notorious B.I.G's ballad, 'Everyday struggle.' He rapped along with the singer, dancing alone and feeling unperturbed by Shonda's worries. Tomorrow would be interesting, going by how Juliet, who probably knew James was on his way, quickly quelled the talks. If he knew Juliet well, she did that to keep James from being involved. It had worked, because when he arrived, he'd found no one speaking, and that stopped him from partaking in the conversation. She was the true sly fox.

It became apparent to Juliet that Shonda would not be Liam's wife. If she would be, it would now take a miracle to make that happen. Her plans had been plunged, and she did not know if she could salvage the situation. Shonda's mother meant so much to her. As the story goes, Shonda's mother had adopted her and raised her after she lost her father. Her mother had abandoned her as a child and never bothered to look for her ever. She felt obligated to help the woman's children stand their grounds. They were three children in all, Shonda, the boy who went to Asia, and a third child who suffered a slight down's syndrome.

Shonda had just completed two years of college, and she was not ready to go back to school for her bachelor's. In the meantime, she was fed up with coming to work to sit beneath Liam, since he was the store manager. She hated the sight of Liam, coming to the store, as compelled by James, frustrated her. Daily it pricked her heart. She bled from the pain of seeing his face and disdained her days in the store with him. She felt trapped, and to make matters worse, he continued entertaining Terry there. She could only associate him with an adversary. She wanted him hurt, to feel the hurt she felt every day. The best she could do for the rest of Liam's stay in the store was to antagonize him in every way she could. Her animosity grew on, into pure malice. Every other minute, if Juliet wasn't on the phone, over a report on something Shonda reported him of doing, then she was in the store questioning his decisions and services.

So comes the week that James traveled to China for business. Juliet went into the store and began complaining of some things Shonda had reported about him.

While alone in the store, the young woman sold some stuff and underwrote the total quantity she sold, which wasn't a problem with Juliet. Unfortunately, for her, the customers were acquainted with Liam and had his direct phone number. Before their coming, they'd called to get information on their transaction and informed him of what they were coming for. Before they arrived, Liam was summoned to represent in James' capacity at the first store. When the rush was over, he returned to his post. Getting back to his desk, he got a call from the customers. After speaking with them, they communicated their displeasure on how they were treated rudely. They even feared they might have been cheated on the prices. Liam promised to look into the matter. Therefore, he checked up sales records comparing them against inventory. Following the tip his customers had given in their complaints, he was alarmed to find that Shonda had recorded only eighty percent of the goods. He then logged in the other missing twenty percent of missing items.

When Shonda came in, Liam called her over to explain why she had not registered all her sales. In response, she took on the offensive. Not wanting another brouhaha with her, he placed a call to the customers to confirm their purchase on speakerphone to give Shonda the benefit of the doubt of defending herself. But she was speechless as she listened to the customers prove her cheating them and pilfering the store. On a hunch, Liam got their paperback registry, which James called 'Uncle Sam's portions.' Indeed, Shonda had tweaked the book register. Whereby, Liam intentionally struck a line through her entry, turned to her, and threatened to report her to James upon his return.

Shonda, however, wasn't that type of girl that would sit and take a beating, for whatever reason. She had a better game; she was not going to wait for Liam to exact his pound of flesh. She got up and moving quickly, hurried off to her aunt to report the situation. When Shonda got to Juliet, she explained how she was going to let Juliet in on the scheme, which was totally fine with Juliet, but that Liam had interfered by his snooping around. Juliet asked Shonda to remain at the first store while she went there to sort things out with Liam.

Juliet came to the store to find out what transpired. That would be her twentieth time in a week of querying Liam over Shonda's reports. She asked him why he canceled Shonda's records?

Looking at her and missing his power over her, touching her, spreading her legs open, and sleeping with her. He understood any attempt to defend his actions would be futile. He shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.

She saw the look in his eyes and understood it. Several times it had knocked her knees together. There was a time when just catching him starring at her made her moist between her legs. But this time, she cleared her head, "Liam, I need you to understand that this store belongs to Shonda just as much as it belongs to me." She looked at him to be sure he was following. He had his gaze steadied on her, and it shook her. "You need to understand she has every right to help herself with anything she deems fit... how could you cancel that book? You know how James gets about his records."

"I had no choice, I…"

"You did have a choice." She looked at his eyes, and surprisingly felt a fleeting bit of compassion for him. Briefly feeling bad about how she'd been treating him, "see Liam, no matter how you feel, things can't be the same anymore, and you need to respect the status quo."

"So, you know this is deeper than just Shonda?"

He watched her mouth as it opened and closed without words. He shut his hearing off so that he heard no more of her voice. He was gone, lost in the reverie of his imaginations. It seemed ideal for her to destroy her business, he knew how foolish it would be to try and salvage her. Not with the way she expressed herself. Any attempt to explain the wisdom of keeping family members from taking the candies of your transactions would be a waste. She turned her back towards him, and he became conscious again of her. When he refocused his attention, all he heard was her berating him on his ungratefulness.

"I've heard how you go about chasing every girl you see. Despite all I did for you, despite all I did with you, giving you my body? How I hate you right now! All I asked of was for you to be with me through Shonda. But you spitefully rejected me and humiliated my proposal by bringing your woman into my business place and flaunting her before our faces?"

"What was I supposed to do? She reminds me of you."

"Reminds you of me, what does that mean?"

"It means I've become confused and missing something in my life since you turned away from me."

"Liam, there's absolutely nothing I can do for you. You've had me in every place imaginable and at your own discretions."

"But I still want you."

"You can't want me, James is my man, he has provided everything a woman needs for me."

"You really don't want me in you?"

"This is why I say you are stupid, really."

"Please don't insult me."

"What has the penis got to do with what we are talking about?"

"It's a reminder that you will be left with James's small dick."

"I'm content with his size. After all, it was mainly pains I felt doing it with you."

"I've not gotten over you Juliet, I still want you."

"It's impossible! We can't be together anymore."

"Juliet…"

"Enough now, what I need you to do, is correct the page, rip it out and rewrite everything on that page if you will, re-enter the logs and bring it to me when you're done." She took a seat across his desk as he sat to write.

Feeling defeated, like there was nothing else he could do, he set about correcting his entry. Now he had the entire front and back page to re-enter. Indeed, he had a correct assignment to do.

Juliet thought she was really all he had, she refused to consider he had anyone else to run to if he ever had a need. The whole talk had only gotten his head spinning. To make matters worse, she wouldn't stop admonishing him. She talked and talked about everything he was doing wrong, and he slipped back into that place he'd found helped him escape her nag. He had been reprimanded for doing the right thing, he felt. Then it dawned on him to preserve his integrity and to trust in God. At that moment, his mind closed on the thought of the time, it was time for him to be alive. It was time for him to decide never to walk in any man's shadow if he failed if he succeeded. Nevertheless, his greatest joy was rooted in what he'd found, Terry was his happiness.

Liam suddenly realized what he needed to do. That there comes a time in life when a man must make the decision to move on in life. He felt this was the time for him to leave. Looking up, straight into Juliet's eyes, he told her, "I will be resigning from the job at the end of the month."

The look on her face was epic. She immediately kept quiet, the silence that ensued was overwhelming, then she said, "Really? Is it because of these little misunderstandings? We can always work it out, and things can be better."

Shaking his head, he responded, "I don't think so, because you keep supporting your niece even though she is always the one wrong you make it seem I'm the guilty. I rather protect my self-esteem now than be buried by this prejudice."

She reminded him of the promises she had made to him if he married her niece. About the pledge for money, a car, and an apartment with a year's rent paid. Big deal, however, it now, all just smelt like potential 'imprisonment ever after' to him. Liam let her down gently; he told her, "I will think about it and get back to you." But his resolve to resign was definite. He thought there definitely was something significant about him, which made her desperate to keep him in her family. However, the possibility of having a relationship that would lack devotion petrified him.

"I know how you feel, Liam," she spoke softly, "but don't make a rash decision."

"It's not a rash decision…"

"Then what is it? Why do you wanna leave?"

"I'm leaving because I need peace."

She cocked her head, trying to figure him out, then she decided to let him be, let him have his way.

Chapter Twelve

Countdown to the end of the month began. Liam held like he understood what the future held for him, he behaved more carefree. Knowing he was leaving the job in a couple of days, he started making last-minute plans.

As if the universe heard his thoughts, he was contacted by an Arabian businessman, whose prince and the boss needed a specific design that Liam understood. He accepted the contract happy he had a financial intervention at just the right time. Liam imagined that at the end of the month, he would be able to throw in his towel prepared for life. He suspected Juliet wouldn't merely hand him his last check, she would plead with him to stay.

Her behavior over the few days after his sudden announcement was back to how it used to be. He felt good that she considered his threat to leave seriously. He felt dignified that she would make an effort to try to retain him. But he would instead leave her now than stayed for another season of the drama. He should go, hoping never to return again.

He shut the door to his office, stepped out of the store on his way to submit his required daily report. Afterward, he walked out. Two stores down the porch, he turned into Terry's office. When he got in, she was on the floor filing documents. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Yearly report."

He moved to a chair she had by the wall between her desk and filing cabinet. He noticed the light in the office was absolute; it compelled him to look around to understand the source of the advanced illumination. When he lifted his head, he noticed they had mirrors on the ceiling, and quarter way down from the ceiling. It was definitely the mirrors that took the light and dispersed them evenly. This interested him briefly. The mirrors on the ceiling also crossed into an adjoining office partitioned off. However, whoever was in one office could simply look up and see, by the reflection of the mirror, the state of the next office.

Terry saw him observing, "used to be my brother-in-law's office," she said.

"He wanted to monitor the activities in here?" asked Liam.

"And other spaces."

"Thing is even he wouldn't have had privacy."

"Privacy wasn't his concern. That pervert!"

"Why would you call him that?"

"Because most people don't look up when they walk into a room, if your guard was let down, there's no telling what you would do for his entertainment. Besides, he was probably thinking of staring down women's cleavages."

"Hahaha! Really, you think?"

She smiled without saying anything. Then she got up and slowly walked over to Liam, bent over him, resting her hands on his legs for support. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "maybe we could give him something to watch, a show he's gonna enjoy." She nibbled at his ear, sat on his legs, and began to slowly unbutton her blouse. Without taking it off, she exposed her lace bra, clinging breast. He took one of her breasts in his hand, fondled with it, then leaned forward to get his mouth around them. She lifted herself enough for the room to grab his erection, which was poking her from under. Terry then reached for his crotch, unzipped him and pulled him out. She sat back on his legs, stroking him as he fumbled with her breasts. He was squeezing them and sucking on her nipples like a hungry child. After a couple of minutes, she felt like she needed him in her. She rose up slightly, facing him and sat back down, letting him in.

He felt himself entering her moistened vagina. Instinctively, he began to gyrate his hips to increase the pleasure he felt around the tips of his penis. But his movement intensified it all for her. She moaned as silently as she best could. Her arms were around his neck as she grabbed him to give herself better support. Her hips twerked, gyrating back and forth as she felt herself adjusting to pleasure levels. He braced himself, and without warning, stood up, lifting her as he did so.

"Oops!" she gasped, wondering if he would drop her. She felt him slide even more in-depth, his entire lengths pushed in her. She felt a shot of pleasure and pain register in her brain as he tipped her cervix, 'so long,' she thought.

Liam repeatedly lifted her up and put her back down. She felt her legs weaken, and her body lighten up. Intense pleasure spread along the veins of her hips, through her stomach, over her entire being as she squirted shamelessly. Noticing what was happening to her, himself trembling to cum, adjusted his thrust, allowing her to have his strength. She noticed he was about to cum, so she put her feet down, wobbling out of balance as she hit the floor. She knelt in front of him, covered it with her mouth, and began giving him gentle up and down strokes. As the feeling intensified for him, he held her head in the position. Giving her mouth slight bucking movements as he ejaculated his full load into her mouth. She spat out the cum as he released it. His eyes were shut, and his head was tilted back as he enjoyed his beautiful world. He opened his eyes and found he was staring at the mirror, he thought for a minute that he had seen a faint reflection. Was he imagining? It really didn't matter to him; all that mattered to him was the feeling of freedom, he was finally free of Juliet and Shonda.

Juliet understood Liam's problems. Appreciated that he missed her, she missed him too, that bad boy. There was totally nothing she could do for him. She had realized how much she stood to lose after she caught James. Liam was still naïve, still had so much to learn. He was about to re-enter the labor market without having secured some financial security. Instead of saving and managing what he had, he splurged. Becoming a showoff trying to figure out his aptitude for the next couple of days. She'd been watching him forget all about reducing his spending, seeing he would be unemployed for a while. And she saw all of these, in his new fashion spree, his new shoes, new cologne, and new weekly haircuts. All to impress that bitch? Liam still had so much to learn.

Then too, the pregnancy, that was what really scared her. She had to use her opportunity in Dubai to get rid of it, it wasn't easy to find a willing doctor, but she succeeded, losing an arm and a foot to cost. She hadn't told James she was pregnant. What if the baby had been Liam's? The time-frame the doctor gave her fell on the week James had been out of state, Liam had humped her endlessly that period, and it had been so exciting. He usually withdrew, but that one night after he had been upset about some vague issue, he just went on until she felt his warm sperm in her. Having not taken in, in a while, she let the thought of safety slide past her. Careless as she was, she wasn't going to extend the carelessness any further. She'd told Liam in her car one day but lied to him that it was James'. He looked skeptical, but as far as she was concerned, she wasn't ready for that scandal, he could die thinking all he wanted for all she cared.

If only James hadn't messed up and gotten caught, she wouldn't have been so conscious of the possibilities of getting caught herself. That night at the gas station, reminded her of the night Liam also kissed her at a gas station. Damn, he kissed her everywhere, that naughty boy. Wouldn't keep his hands to himself, ever! He probably knew the dimension of every part of her womanhood. He had made her feel wanted again. All the while, James had really turned to an abusive beast... Liam healed her. James' excess suspicion had subjected him to submission when caught. The tables had turned, and she would willingly leave it that way. Let it remain on record that the accuser was the culprit, caught red-handed.

She was sitting on the porch, a cold glass of lemonade and Scotch in her hand. She couldn't take her mind off him. Every moment spent with him had been so good for her. He had really awoken the slut in her. Not that she was sex-starved, but he was fiery, bringing generous condiments to her kinkiness. There wasn't a spot in the house where he hadn't sexed her. "That motherfucker fucked me in every hole in my body," she reflected. If she had holes in her nipples, she figured, he probably would have made love to her there too.

She felt her crotch moistening. Hmmm, that used to be one thing that happened to her all the time with Liam. She had almost lost it and would have been out of her home now if James had caught them. And the kid's effrontery. She was five years his senior, yet the way he had commandeered her sexual exploits in a few months would never have been possible without his daredevil spirit. That spirit was what he was venturing away from her with.

She got up to go inside. The thought of Liam had sparked such a massive urge in her, she knew she had to do something about it. She missed him so much. Moreover, there was nothing she could do about it. She opened the door to her room, but before going in, she called on Shonda. When she came, she said, "please don't let the kids in my room, I'd like to take a power nap before James gets home."

"Sure, are we making lasagna for dinner?"

"Whose idea was that?"

"Your son's."

"Well it sounds great. Make enough for everybody."

"Sure! and aunty J, just to let you know, I will be going to the club tonight, with Clarice."

"Sounds like an idea, let me know before you head out."

She stepped into the room, shut the door behind her and fell back on the door. Leaning on the door, she felt somewhat tired, angry, disappointed, and... extremely horny! As she stood there, she remembered how she'd been pinned by Liam to the very door she leaned against. He'd raised her blouse over her head, unclipped her bras, dropped them on the floor... She shook her head and walked away from the door; she didn't want to remember. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face in her cushion. She tried sobbing to ease her despondency, but the tears wouldn't roll. Suddenly, a call came in, and it was her friend Bridgette. They spoke for a minute, "it's gonna be alright, you're a fighter," Juliet said to her after listening to what Bridgette had to say.

"[Sobs], [sobs],"Bridgette cried on the phone. "He said I had just six months."

"Just as I said, this is a time to be grateful, you fought your fight, and now you're here. I share your feelings."

"I feel so happy, everything comes to an end now," [sobs].

"Yes darling, it calls for a moment of grace and gratitude for life."

"It's like being given a second chance."

"Yes, you won, and in six months, you'll be free of that bastard."

[Sniffles], "Oh, I'll be free, indeed."

Bridgette worked with a commercial bank and had been lucky to discover cancer on time, she had been receiving treatment and was sure she would beat it. Her doctor just told her she would be free from it and every trace of it in six months. That was some good news. Then again, she paused to think. She had been with Liam to Bridgette's, and they'd had sex there. Bridgette had stepped to the store to let them have their minute privacy.

"Well, I sure am very excited about this good news, and I promise to see you over the weekend, baby."

"Okay, I'll be expecting you."

She hung up the phone and thought 'slut', of herself. That was what she was, was there a place she didn't fuck Liam? And after yielding herself to his savage sex drive, he couldn't even work with things that would make her happy? She shut her eyes and began rubbing her temple to relax. As she applied light pressure in a circular motion, she began to feel relaxed. The memory came back to her… driving out to Denton, to Bridgette's, introducing him to Bridgette as her baby. Thus, she passed the message to Bridgette immediately, and she understood.

For the special occasion, she had put on her red lingerie. The day was the first time Liam would see her totally naked. All the while, she had either had a nightgown on, a t-shirt, or something else between them. But the day had been exceptional, and she was worried her belly size would upset him. Not that she was fat, but she wasn't where she would like to be. For a size ten, she was more than comfortable in her body, and Liam was dying over her. Not to mention how ripped and muscular he was. The thought of his arms, all savory, looking like he came from a sculptor's lab. Every time they made love, she would rub his arms and die at the muscle they exuded ...As he took off her jeans, one of his favorite things, she almost grabbed him. He wouldn't take off her sexy panties, simply shoved them to the side, and descended like a hungry lion on her vagina.

She realized, as she reminisced, that she had started massaging her breast. She squeezed her nipples, felt the stinging sensation of pain mixed with pleasure ...How Liam would suck on her tits with his penis simultaneously in her vagina came to her mind. She moaned. Unbuckled her designers' belt, pushed down her jeans pants, kicking it off to the floor. Time to go home, she thought. She got off the bed, walked over to her panty chests, pulled out one of the drawers, moved her scarves aside. The bottom of the drawer was a false bottom, she lifted off the false bottom to take out her dildo. A mid-sized, ribbed, pink shaft she kept hidden. There was no way James would ever see it, he hated it and felt it was a message that said the man wasn't strong enough. Not Liam though, naughty boy, she thought. He had it in her butt while fingering and sucking her with his dick in her mouth. Such sweet abuses were the things she missed. She lay back on the bed, turned on the dildo's vibration, as she put it to the lips of her vagina, her entire hips exploded in savage delight. Oh, how she hated Liam! She sobbed.

Liam planned to spend much money trying to position himself and his newly registered Entertainment company, in the hope of gaining a business edge as soon as possible. However, having been away from the entertainment industry for a long time, he had quickly become rustic. The entertainment world is such that it revolves and grows fast. It outclasses every other thing as one of the most dynamics of creativity. His inexperience hurt his good intentions. If he had known that he had not transitioned enough, he never would have resigned from that job. He was naïve and ignorant and didn't know how much so, but he was about to discover.

The days dragged on slowly, and Liam became more alert to deals that would favor him mostly. For that to happen, he hunted for jobs that related to what the neighboring offices would do and then sub-contracted it out to them. To get those, Liam had to intercept customers coming into the mall, find out what they needed, and then help them reach their aspirations. If it were not available, he would try to make it possible. It was a hot hustle, but the inhibiting factor to it was that the economy was slowing down due to an apparent global recession that was morbidly slipping into the country. Therefore, despite his hustling harder, he made little money.

One evening after work, he took a stroll with Terry uphill, to a place they fondly called Q-two. It was a central fruit, barbeque, wine, and spirit restaurant. The evening was cold, and it was almost weekend, so they wanted to go somewhere to cuddle a bit before heading home. She, to her sister's, while he went to his house. Since she was just off of schooling and still in the job market, she had to live with her sister until she could get a better job. Working for her sister wasn't her dream, but it was family, and she needed to help her sustain her business for a minute. Like many young women in their twenties in Texas, she was eager to start life. But wisdom had her at patience.

As they approached the Q-two hub, they instantly observed the usual chaos associated with the Dallas weekend scene. Many young men and women, in units and groups, were moving and dashing about from one corner to the other. While some stood by street corners, or on porches, others ran about or walked casually. And some were either getting into or alighting from the mill of vehicles, advertently causing traffic to slow down. It was a real bustle; still, the partakers of this chaos were probably oblivious to the whole event around them. The stores also doubled as a club. With a garden where alcoholic beverages and rib-eye steaks were on sale.

The aroma of barbeque burning on mesquite wood, drifted from right across the street, to them. Subconsciously causing them to salivate. They made their way through the human traffic into the restaurant. Scanning the room quickly, Liam found a proper spot and gently nudged her towards the choice spot. When they got there, the attendant approached them to get their orders. When he left, she drew her seat closer, as was her custom, and then they got into very intimate discussions. They talked, and when their orders came, they ate their steak and drank in semi-silence. Chipping in a few words every now and then. For Liam, the moment was so intense that one could virtually feel the romance in the air. After a while, she got up from her seat to sit on his legs with her amply curved butts, massive and firm, often jiggling when she walked. When they first met, she would intentionally, chit chat, then walk past him, jingling, as she walked ahead. She definitely did play the part to get his interest.

He rubbed her butts while smooching her thighs, tracing his index and middle fingers in a circular motion over her crotch and her legs. She was feeling his sensational stimulation and held his hand between her thighs. This was the reason he had chosen the corner where they sat. Hidden in the dimly lit garden, the semi-darkness provided an excellent haven for mischief. Holding his head in her hands, she leaned forward so her breast could press on his face.

His eyes quickly scanned the area again to watch out for any voyeuristic eyes. There was none, so he continued. He would have loved nothing more than outdoor sex with Terry. Still, for fear of Dallas police, he remained as respectable as his insanity permitted. Even he wondered if she would dare to, in a park, semi filled with people? She must have figured out what was going on in his head, or his provocations intimated her. For she said in a husky, sexually aroused voice, "not here, baby, but I will come over to your house tomorrow, is that okay?"

He looked up at her face, his eyes burning with desire. "Oh god, baby, I want you so bad, but I'm afraid of these cops."

He did not answer her immediately, because at that moment he was lost in thought. His heart was racing, and the rush of adrenaline, which flooded from the ongoing excitement of their body's mojos, had him high. Now, his heart was asking him to ask her to stay with him forever and be his wife. He did not know what to do, his heartbeat stepped up a bit. His hands that had been warm from the excitement of touching friendly places were now all cold and sweaty. He reasoned his next actions within himself to calm himself down. Yet, the more he tried to stop himself, the more it felt like the right thing to do. But, for the impromptu nature. However, a word from a book on a positive mental attitude took over controls of his thoughts and his inhibition withered. He decided that if she were to say yes at that moment, it would be right. He took off the ring on his finger, "baby could you please get off my leg?" he asked her.

She got off him to sit back in her chair. What he did next shocked her.

He got up, came before her, knelt on one knee, and began saying, "Terry, ever since I met you, life's been faster, crazier, and sweeter for me. You excite me and challenge me. I never would have imagined myself falling in love with anybody just yet, but that's what's up about you. You're not just anybody, but someone who's brought new meaning to my life." Then he knelt, with the ring he had taken off his finger, in hand, and asked, "Terry, would you please marry me?"

She did not bat an eyelid, she said, "Yes! Yes, of course."

He took his ring to put on her. "Baby," he continued, "irrespective of the class of ring which I have to give you this second, which I will replace as soon as possible, please be mine for ever." Without complaining and grinning from cheek to cheek, she stretched out her finger and accepted the ring.

He rushed up, sweeping her up in his embrace, almost squeezing the breath out of her.

"We have to call my mom," she said.

"Oh, yeah? Sounds great, not a problem," he said, bringing out his phone, "please call her with my phone."

"Hahaha!" she laughed, "What's the hurry, we will call her tomorrow morning."

He nodded his agreement and gently tugged on her arm to get her to sit back on his laps, as he took his seat. He had done the deed, and just like that, he had a fiancé. 'Now,' he thought, 'the next step would be to inform my family and introduce her to my mother.'

They chatted some more, had good laughs with a lot of necking and kissing in between. Meanwhile, his mischievous fingers roved endlessly over every part of her body. This time though, caressing her felt different. Instantly, he had gone from feeling as if he was frolicking a girl to loving his wife to be.

They had been in that garden, having a good time for about an hour or so. Terry could have spent more time, but given that her relatives, whom she lived with, were church leaders, and they held continual evening prayers at nine P.M. every day. It would've been rude for her to miss the meetings. So, she had to leave. As they got up to go, a message came through on his cellular. He took out his phone, looked at it, and smiled. This was probably a mistake because she immediately wanted to know why he was grinning at the message he got. "Why are you smiling, sweetheart?" She was usually curious, and it never fazed him, given the usual tendency of spouses to be interested in their spouse's activities.

"Oh, it's a message from an old friend of mine," he said, "She wants me to come for her meeting. I think it's a financial seminar of some sort."

"A lady?" she asked.

"Yeah! A childhood friend of mine."

"Okay!" she skeptically answered. "So, where is she? I mean, where does she want you to meet her?"

"At the Allitridum, I think it's by Lincoln lounge in Frisco."

"When will we be going?" She asked, mystically inserting the 'we'.

His mind quickly burnt on her scheme of inclusion. Though he felt it would be cool to go show off his fiancé to an old friend, the way she had inserted herself into the picture was hair raising, he decided to tread softly.

They were now outside the garden, by the entrance. Liam's eyes took in the whole scenery of young folks busy milling about. After a minute of taking in the view, he answered her question with as much diplomacy as he could coin. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, looking a bit troubled.

"Okay, the date is still about four weeks away, so I'm just going to keep you posted on it."

"No problem, hope it's something that brings us money," she said, now smiling.

"Hopefully, you know I hate wasting my time."

"Yes, nigger, I knows that."

He took her home. They stood outside her house for a few more minutes talking about everything senseless, and just the fun of having themselves together made it all exciting for them. She would be his wife, she had assured him, and he wanted nothing more. He felt she was the one; little did he do to keep in focus the saying that man proposes, but God disposes.

When they parted ways, he walked to his car and tried starting it, but it wouldn't start. He worked all night to make it start, but couldn't. He had limited coverage on his insurance, so he couldn't call insurance for help. He got out of the car, swore at it, kicked the door shut and looked at the time. The time was a few hours to midnight, he had been trying to get the car to start for almost an hour. It was apparent it was the kick starter that he'd burnt. He strolled across a path he had never taken while leaving her house. His plan was to cross to the other side of town and pick a cab home from there.

It began to drizzle, he looked up at the sky, the moon was definitely gone. Checking his wristwatch for time, he noticed, for the first time, that they had spent so much time together. The excitement of being together had made them lose touch of time. Liam felt elated by the thought of being engaged to her and mentally began imagining himself as a married man. He saw a bus stop and went in to keep dry. After standing there for about twenty minutes, he walked over to the bus stop, then moved to some signs on the panel to see if there were any bus schedules. There were no more buses scheduled to come down that route until four in the morning. So, he decided to walk away from that bus stop and go search for any other form of public transportation. Taking the route ahead of him, to his right, he walked until he came to about the perimeters of the demarcation of the RL Thornton and I-thirty East, freeway. He crossed to walk over the bridge and face on-coming traffic until he made it out to the service road.

Having crossed to the other side, he noticed again for about the fifth time that there was no vehicular movement coming his way. In his sharp state of mind, he walked on, deciding to cut through the streets until he got somewhere safe or got transportation. He crossed down the underpass through Samuell boulevard, heading towards Ferguson road. Then, he walked until he came up to Ferguson at Kingswood bus stop. He crossed the streets once more. It was still drizzling, however lightly. He stood at the bus stop under the slim shelter provided by the city for a few minutes. Till he realized he was probably waiting in vain for a bus that was never going to come. It grew darker, and colder, he decided to hitch a ride or anything to get home. In the meantime, he resumed walking. His mind pondered on the possibilities of walking all the way back and how it would feel to walk. The last time he ever did that type of walk was as a teenager in New York.

While still pondering on the walk, his legs took control of the situation. They began pulling him through the one-way traffic street of Dallas towards I-635, LBJ freeway. As he walked, his mind focused on the girl that he thought was about to change his life forever. The night had been funny but surprising.

When he'd walked for about an hour, he began to weigh the options of getting a ride, again. Nevertheless, when he made to wave down the next trip coming his way, his mind spoke to him, and he thought on the word endurance. He then reasoned that this walk, if completed, would be an endurance walk. So how would that affect his life, outside the health benefits it might bring after a week? He mused. Then he pondered on the situation he was about to bring on himself. Liam realized that if he ended up not getting a new job soon to support his business, he would genuinely need to endure. Therefore, if this walk would teach him anything about endurance, he would be better off trekking on. So, on he went, trudging through the night; thoughts on his mind about his dreams to own the most prominent entertainment company out of DFW.

Liam walked on, and several times felt like giving up, but he had his mind on the purpose of the walk, which was to endure until he saw his house. He observed many things on that road that he had not seen in all the time he had driven or rode past it previously; he saw the terrains closer. By the time he was about fifteen minutes to his city, he felt so drained of energy. It felt amazing to him at the surge of power he felt the moment he finally saw his neighborhood bus stop. He felt like crawling the rest of the way home to his house, but the spirit of strength he felt at that moment pushed him on. It would be part of the endurance, reaching his doorsteps and knowing that he did it. He trekked on, therefore, walking with as much energy as he could muster, even getting so powered up, he felt as vibrant as he did when he started out.

By the time he got to his doorsteps, the long hour drizzle turned up into a full-fledged downpour. It was like a miracle like mother nature had waited for him to get home first, before opening up the skies to pour out its tears. He went straight to the kitchen and boiled some noodles, then to the bathroom, and had a good hot bath. He had walked for about four hours. His lesson from the walk became apparent as he soaped and scrubbed his body; he had blistered his feet through endurance. His lesson? no matter how far the journey is towards your dream, if you persevere, and continue, you will definitely reach your destination, more energetic.

He had crossed several bridges, descended steep slopes, and had to walk cautiously to avoid being hit by possibly drunk drivers. The biggest challenge with it being the high possibility of being robbed. A lone, midnight walker, trudging through the night? He could've easily been attacked or robbed. A lot of what-ifs, he reflected, still scrubbing his body while hot water pelted his skin, massaging him well. But if one's heart stayed just positive enough, then maybe that could help take one home safely. He made it home safely, only wearied by the victory over his body. He had endured until he got home. He reflected that he was now ready to quit. And handle the rough zone he had abandoned his safe area for. As he dried his body, he concluded he was definitely ready to face the world of opportunities through suffrage if that be what it would take.

Chapter Thirteen

On Liam's last day of work, Juliet invited him to her office to receive his last paycheck. Her friend Ethel was also in the office. Ethel was a dark-skinned woman in her late thirties. Indeed, in the months that went by, he noticed she had grown to become Juliet's closest friend.

They invited him to take a seat, then jointly tried talking him out of leaving the company. "Liam," Ethel called. "Why do you want to do this?" she asked, looking at him to hear how he would respond. He kept mute, she continued, "seems you've forgotten how you all started, you desperately needed help, now you've been sustained, and you must leave?"

He wanted to say he wasn't yet sustained, just needed to venture into life. But couldn't find words to his thoughts. He shuffled uncomfortably on his seat. He looked straight at her face, still not knowing what to say. He shrugged his shoulders. Letting it come off whichever way she deemed it.

Of course, Ethel judged it was just the youthful ingratitude in him which blinded him. As he shifted to find a comfortable position on his seat and perhaps control the situation, he fell into a slouched position. Ethel instantly felt upset by his slouched posture. "What is it about this younger generation?" she wondered out loud. "What are you trying to express, the famed Hip Hop sitting posture?" She blasted, "wait, you're probably feeling strong and confident sitting with your butts barely touching the seat. Shoot! Ain't even got time for your type of work. Left to me, Juliet, you shouldn't even be worried about him."

Liam observed himself to judge what she said. His right leg extended, and his left arm was almost at akimbo on his left thigh as he sat comfortably in his chair. "Let him be, am not tryna get him away from me."

"Well, there are lots of fishes in the pond."

"Ethel!"

"What!? It's the truth."

"Do you know how long it took for me to catch this fish? fish don't come easy."

"It doesn't even matter; I will be going," Liam said, rising to take his leave.

"No, Liam, please, don't just leave like that." Turning to Ethel, she raised a finger.

"What? Bitch, he is just proud."

"No, he is simply experiencing the exuberance of a learner at the things of life! He is confident that he has charted his plans, probably has an ace up his sleeves…"

"Mm, but has probably left chance out of the equation," Ethel interjected.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter, and he still has me," Juliet argued.

Then Ethel looking from Liam to Juliet and back, smiled. Then she thought, 'the ingrate! It was no fault of his. Juliet was the one who felt she needed him desperately.' Left to her, his butt would have been on the curbs where he belonged.

As they talked, Liam felt more in charge of the situation. Tuned up by the fact that Juliet wanted him desperately. He knew he had to stay humble, but in his head, he felt like he had corns popping from Juliet, fighting Ethel about how she addressed him. His feeling was that at this moment, he could even negotiate for better pay. But he was definitely done with all of that, here. So, he tried earnestly to contain his joy, just so he did not get to the point of accepting what he made up his mind not to be involved with again. He definitely appeared to be full of himself by the exchange used during this persuasion. Why should he not? When his boss was right there pleading with him not to go. If he was not bringing something worthy to the company, would she be asking him not to leave? After their discussion, he and Juliet arrived at some sort of understanding. He was not going to work for them directly, but would consult for them on any other issues they deemed necessary. With that said, he left her office.

Liam's mind was set, but he failed to realize due to inexperience, at being an entrepreneur, how time works relatively with business. And what it takes to become a money-making enterprise that it should be. The saying that time is money remains constant. The right time being the time associated with that one pure hustle and patience in combination with a good strategy. Patience also has a significant association it functions with, which is endurance.

Now, having suspected the possibility of leaving his job at any time, he had decided to and signed up a music artist, an old friend of his, in New York. He'd gotten a lawyer to write the contract agreement, then faxed it to the guy called Bam. He had to transfer money to him in New York for him to start recording his songs. He thought they would have lifted off the runway before anything happened. But he now had to leave his job, it was still okay to him since he had crossed a huddle. With the fact of paying for the recording, happening all the way up north, this meant he had minimal supervision over his investment. He would soon learn that no one did business like that; one would be shocked out of their teeth to do business that way. Despite taking thoughtful caution to pay the producer and the engineers directly, he still got in trouble with the musician who felt every money should have gone through him. After they completed recording the demo cut, it was time for the photo session. When Liam sent him funds for his photo session, the stories began, and then everything went south.

The producer was not just some random producer as well; he was also an old friend of Liam's. Actually, he had worked as his music producer as well. They'd worked together on a couple of demos some years prior. One of the songs made it to top-one-hundred undergrounds at KPD FM, Queens radio, New York. He had confidence in the merchandise they were bringing. Every cent he sent was money sent in good faith.

When Terry learned that Liam quit his job, she was on his bed. She had his T-shirt on, and underneath that, a pink, lacy G-string. She had no bra on. Her toenails needed polishing, and that's what she was doing with a small bottle of nail paint in one hand. Its lid was off, and she dipped the paintbrush in, applying color from the small bottle to her toenails. She reached for the glass of margarita by the bedside, took a sip of it, then returned the glass on its holder, on the bedside table. She looked at Liam to be sure she heard right. "Are you playing with me? you know you better not be playing."

"I did, I quit my job."

She took it in with mixed feelings, but said nothing for a good ten minutes, thinking first, about what he just said. Her thought was that he really just behaved stupidly, who in their right sense would throw their job away for no reason? While the issues with Shonda had been ongoing, she had heard a bit of it and knew from the bit that she heard that something wasn't adding up in his story.

He walked into the bathroom, lifted the toilet seat cover, and heaved a sigh of relief as he took a leak. Something he had held back for a minute, now as he did it, he felt eased. As he walked out of the bathroom, he saw Terry still had her eyes on him and staring funny, with head cocked forward. Liam decided not to relate the point of consultancy, which he had concluded with Juliet to her. Because he did not think it was necessary to do so. Not that he wouldn't, he was just considering re-inducing an amorous mood. As they were both in his apartment, relaxing to music from his radio. The TV was on, but it was turned down, and nobody paid mind to it.

Hearing he had quit had gotten her slightly taken aback, it was not exactly what she had expected. Though they had previously discussed it, she still found it to be too much of a leap now that he had done it. She could not reconcile why he really had to quit his job. Liam wasn't giving enough details about the situation, which got her more concerned. She thought he was probably just joking when he had said it. Now, she was faced with the man himself, and she wasn't so sure about the man she had in her presence. Liam was the kind of man who stood by his words. The entirety of his integrity had been astutely based only on that point.

"Liam, why did you quit?" she finally asked, looking forlorn.

"What do you mean by why did I quit?" he answered. "You know well enough that we came to an understanding a couple of days prior. Was it not last weekend, when I told you I was going to do so and why it was necessary?"

This happened the day she brought him lunch. It was on a Saturday, during one of the weeks, Shonda was treating his fuck ups at the office, for breaking her heart. He and Shonda had just had another round of heated disagreement, and Juliet had had to intervene again. Shonda had sworn blood on the prowl to get him. One of her best strategies had been to frustrate his every motive, his every intention in the store. To dispute every one of his decisions.

"You did," she replied, snorting out murmured whispers.

"What is it then?" he asked curtly.

"But, I never knew you were serious. Besides, it's too early from the day you told me you would," she replied, twisting her right fingers in her left hand to the point it looked as if she was going to rip her fingers off her hand.

"Well, I am a man of my words," he reasoned. "Or why would I tell you I was going to quit my job if I was not going to do so?" he pointed out to her.

"That's not so strange; a lot of people do that. They complain about their job and vow to quit but never get to actually do that, especially when it's a well-paying job like yours. "This time, it was her hair, which caught the interest of her twist itchy fingers, and she began to pull and twist two or three strands of her long braids. They had recently had arguments concerning the braiding of her hair, but she had stubbornly kept her style. He liked extensions and dreadlocks but felt like braids were for teenagers.

"Am unlike a lot of people," he pointed out to her.

"I know, but my concerns now are how you will survive. This decision of yours sounds a bit too erratic."

"Erratic!? Why would you use such big words to describe my unemployment status? It didn't sound that big when I took the decision," he teased. He wondered why she'd asked how he would survive and not how they would survive. Had she removed herself from the equation?

"I said so because it's not like you've got another waiting job where you are assured the money will be coming from, yet you took this decision."

"I have a record label, a modeling agency, a dance school, a publishing outfit, a clothing company, and some money saved from my last job. It is time to put out my enterprise and face my suffrage once and for all," he argued.

"Where is your office located?" she countered, folding her arms across her chest.

He looked at her, the battle was fierce, and she was winning this argument, with points. But they were all things he had already thought of and was already working on. Therefore, beyond allowing her to win, He readjusted his focus. Since her question faced the same problems he had asked himself several times and which he believed to have always answered candidly, he answered her. "My house is my office, for now, right in this room is where I am going to make all the money I need," he obstinately declared.

She looked at him for a while, and that look she gave him had something to it. That day, he failed to take proper note of it, but looking back later and musing over that look, he realized what that look signified. A woman gives the look when she weighs her options. It is the look of intent on surviving above waters. Women have that look when you make a drastic life-changing decision, and they are objected to it. But not totally willing to doubt you, she decides to go with the flow until you fail some more. Her final decision would then come into play. She gave him that look, it lasted for only a fraction of a second and that was it, but a lot had happened within that spate of time.

Then she said, "Liam, it's all in your head that you have these things. None of it is feasible, none of it is easy to achieve, and I don't think any of it is practical to the point of throwing your job away."

She crawled towards him, got up to kneel behind him. She hugged him, feeling the broadness of his shoulders from his back. She then let a hand fall to her side while with the other hand she reached for his head and began to rub it. Thinking, she said, "have you considered the fact that entertainment business is dead in this city? Besides, such business as you dream of setting up is only profitable in places like New York, L.A., or maybe even Houston, am not sure. But certainly not here in Dallas."

Shaking his head vigorously, he started objecting at her points, holding the index finger of his right hand up. Liam's eyes half shut, he willed the power of his imagination to help him convey his concept to her in such a way that she would catch the vision and run with it. "Listen," he continued to say, "I have all this worked out, I just need to get to the bank to see how I can borrow enough money to rent an office space and then every other thing will fall in place."

"What!? I thought you were gonna start from here? What other things will fall in place?" She asked, now getting agitated at his stupidity. "Liam, what's your credit score? On the other hand, are you saying you do not know how hard it is for banks to lend money to borrowers? One, you have no property for collateral. Two, the entertainment business does not sell in Dallas. Entertainers go from this place to other places, like proof of a lack of talent and many more reasons you need to consider…"

"Consider before what, before giving up?" he interjected. "Why must I consider those facts before acting? Do you not know all that would do? Inhibit me, I cannot factor those fundamental challenges as a reason not to venture into the wild. I already have a map for the journey ahead; whenever I get to any bridge, I will cross it according to its elevation, convolution, turnpikes, and terrain."

As he spoke, she patiently listened to him. It would be best for her to take her mind off him. He knew it all and understood precisely what he wanted. There's no way a man with such conviction would ban his spirit and zeal from pursuing after his dream, impossible! The best she could do right now would be to agree with him and take her time to enjoy his sexual stamina. Her eyes trained on his manhood, bumping about in his boxer's shorts as he energetically tried to convince her.

"Are you listening?" he asked her when he noticed she wasn't looking at his face.

"Yeah, yeah… I am."

"I'm going to tell you about two business development managers that were sent to Africa, whether from Europe or from the United States a long time ago."

She folded her hands across her chest again and patiently eased out her response, "I am listening," she said.

Turning to sit face to face with her, he began to tell her a story he heard a long time ago. One with regards to her saying Dallas wasn't a place for the entertainment business. He said, "have you heard the Bata shoes story?"

"Bata shoes? No, I don't think so."

"Okay, I will tell you, these two men from a shoemaking company came to an African region and were expected to stay for about a week in that region of Africa that they had come to. Their mission had been to survey the market for the salability of their shoes. One returned home immediately, with a negative report. While the other called home for inventory. He saw viability, his colleague saw impossibility, and he who saw positive became the regional president of the company or something like that."

Smiling and unfolding her arms. Her eyes fixed on him, she said, "do you see that the man stayed on his job and made it work until he got promoted to the level of the president of his company?"

"Jeez, H, Christ, girl!" Liam exclaimed, shocked at what she had chosen to learn from his education. "Didn't you hear the part of belief versus unbelief as resultant faith and faithlessness?" he asked. "I just told you, in other words, that if Dallas has no entertainment enterprise, that leaves me with enormous opportunities.

"You are the one who doesn't get it, Liam," she insisted, kneeling on the bed and poking at the air around her with a slender and well-manicured finger. "You can't just say you will be successful because you feel so. A lot of things could pull you down. Especially since you are not yet rooted. Even the bible says heaven helps those who help themselves, don't you see it?"

"No, I don't see it, and where, in the bible, did it say that 'heaven helps those who help themselves?' None." He pushed her back to lie down and laid beside her, stroking her thighs. "Moreover, since we have just brought heaven into the whole story, haven't you heard the biblical story of Joshua, Caleb, and the Israelites when they went to scout Jericho?"

"Who are they?"

"Joshua and Caleb?"

"Yeah!"

"You don't know them?"

"I do, I only want to hear what you've got to say, I don't know who the other guy, Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know who he is," she said, shaking her head.

"Ok, they were in the Bible stories, one of twelve spies sent to Jericho to spy out the city, when Israelites planned to take over the city after their trips from Egypt in Africa. Ten of the twelve spies reported that the men of Jericho were all giants, and they, the Israelites, seemed like ants before them. But when Joshua and Caleb made their reports, they said the men would be as bread for them to chew on. Moses… you do know Moses, uh?"

"Of course, I do."

He looked at her skeptically.

"What? I learned of him in Sunday school, he brought the ten commandments."

He continued, "when he considered their reports, what was the outcome? Whose report did Moses receive?"

"Okay, I give up, my pastor, you win! I understand Moses took Joshua's report." She exclaimed, answering him in a voice slightly louder than his to drown his argument. "I only hope you know what you are doing so that you don't come back regretting."

Smiling, he said, "I'm not really worried about knowing what I am doing, I am merely gonna be doing what I know. Hitting it big instantly isn't what I'm working on. It's not a 'get rich quick' scam. It is not something I invented. Rather it is something a lot of people have done the world over and have made a lot of money doing. They faced many challenges and only came out successful because they believed. Howbeit, my method is designed to function successfully in this southern region."

She nodded in agreement, and then she drew closer to him, threw the leg he had been caressing over his body; he was lying face down. She reached for his back and started scratching him lightly. He continued telling her more about what had transpired between himself and Juliet. "Liam," she called out after a while. "I feel like cuddling up to you some," she said, snuggling up to lay in his arm. His fingers found her hair, and he began to play with the strands of braids he had confessed disliking. He hugged her closer to his ever-warm body while she napped for a few minutes.

When she got up to leave, she turned and asked, "When will we be attending that financial seminar your said childhood friend invited you to?"

He smiled, knowing the mischief her heart was fomenting was on possible curiosity, founded on insecurity and fueled by a whispering jealous heart. A heart-whispering silly wonders to her mind. "That should be on Saturday, I believe. You sure you want to come?"

"I should be off on that day, so I could definitely come with you," she replied.

He smiled in his heart, knowingly. "No problem then. It is the day after tomorrow, moreover thanks for reminding me."

"Oh yeah, Liam, my mom wanted to also know when we plan on visiting your hometown since you told her we could be traveling soon. She also said she would like to know when it would be so that she has a good itinerary of her own travel plans to Dallas and back to her base." He'd spoken to her mother a day after he proposed to her. They'd been discussing his relationship with her daughter and his plans of getting married to her.

"Yeah, that reminds me, when we get to the venue of this financial seminar, we will be going over to Lovefield to book a Southwestern to New York." He got off the bed, grabbed a shirt, put it on, and opened the door for her. They stepped into the evening breeze and started walking towards the short fence around his apartment complex. They went past the gate for her to join the next DART bus that would convey her to the bus stop, from where she would pick a cab home. Before getting on the bus, she asked him customarily. "Where will you be tomorrow?" A bus came pulling up to the stop. She got on the bus and pleaded with the driver for a second, she turned to Liam, questioning with a heave of her shoulders.

"I will be at the Galleria mall; I need to prepare a radio jingle to use for my advert. I have a meeting set up with one of the on-air presenters." he leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips. The bus driver kicked and pulled away, driving into the night through the sparsely lit streets of Garland. Hands in pocket, he took a stroll in the opposite direction to get himself food to eat.

On his way back from the fresh-food shop, where he had gone to buy some fish, tomatoes, and vegetables to make dinner with, he got a call from the producer in New York. "Hey, Liam papa!" he called him, "We're through with the first stage of the production, and I thought you would like an update on the first song. I don't know if you would like to listen to it before we mix-master the whole job, what do you think?"

"Sure," he said, "Send it via e-mail. Now, what about the hype I asked for? Did you guys get that done?"

"O that, we were so engrossed with work on the track, we skipped that part." He replied, sounding like he had clapped a hand over his face. Liam walked into the house and shut the door behind him.

"What is so enigmatic about making a song that should make you forget the agenda?" he pried.

"Papa," he saluted, "You know you asked that the song be done in street dialect?"

"Yeah?" he answered, pausing for the leading in his desired direction of clarification.

"Well, you know your artiste is a project kid, and putting the song in city dialect has been such a rough work for us that it got us deeply engrossed."

"My friend," Liam called to him, "you know every point of forgetfulness cost me more money than is necessary?"

"I'm sorry 'P,' but you've got to understand with us too. We are working to give you the best for your money."

"My money is best used when appropriately used. Time is money only when converted appropriately."

The line went dead, Liam looked at his phone. He had run out of battery, "fuck!" he didn't know he was almost out of battery. He went over to the socket and plugged it in. Then he walked to his reading table, reflecting on what it would really cost him to provide such basic methodology. One that would scale his business- his artiste, after the production. He considered music as an already, fully developed invention that was actively servicing several countries across the globe. The cost of the carnage by mediocrity, impeding the development of societies, bewildered him. He allowed his phone charge for about thirty minutes, before calling him back. They spoke for a few more minutes and reached an understanding. He would e-mail the job for his audition; if he needed anything changed, he would inform them before giving the go-ahead for them to mix-master the track.

The next day he took a cab through the slow traffic to the Galleria mall. The radio station was in a building west of the complex. He asked for the junior radio personality, which he had contracted for the radio jingle. When he came out, he smiled, excited that Liam had brought back his business and that it was coming through him. They shook hands, bucked shoulders while tapping each other's back.

"Good to see you again, dude," Liam saluted, smiling, "I tried to reach you, but the network wasn't connecting good," he added, lying through his teeth. The reason being, it was tough to do business with most of the radio and television folks, from what he learned.

"Oh, shit happens, hope you are good, though?" he asked, obviously seeing money in him. The radio station would charge its standard fees, and these radio presenters or program managers would charge their own costs. Despite how exorbitant the official charges were, they'd sometimes charge a hundred percent more than what the radio stations were asking for. He always felt they had cheap characters, anyway. Nevertheless, the cheapness was not about the money in their pockets, but the state of their minds. To make matters worse, if one refused to pay them their extra charges, they made it a point of duty to frustrate the growth of such a person's career. Especially if the said person was a musician.

Musicians had it the roughest with the radio stations because they were regularly exploited. It was part of what buried his rap career; when he had gone in severally, to promote his wonderful song. Only to always realize he needed to pay the radio stations, the programmers, the presenters, and the Deejays. Just the remembrance of it actually made his heartbeat so fast, beats were skipping counts relevant to keeping him healthy. If he were not such a strong, young man, he would have passed out. So, he managed to stay alive and yielded only to the pressure he was now experiencing.

The air conditioning unit was working quite well, and the room must have been cold to about seventy degrees. Yet, as Liam listened to him rap on about cost, it started feeling really hot in the place. He started tugging at his collar to adjust it for comfort. Nodding and smiling in agreement each time, he asked if Liam understood what he was saying. The fellow was not helping matters at all. In fact, the more Liam heard him speak, the more frightened he became of his decision to leave his job and go after his dream. At this point, he wondered who or what had made him dream in the first place. Liam broke out in cold sweat when the presenter totaled the final figure needed to run the promotion on their radio station, and this was about the cheapest package available.

He adjusted his necktie and unbuttoned his top button. Finally, he felt less choked and found his voice, which had gone hiding in the barren recess of his mouth. After what seemed like a brief out of the world, panic experience. He looked at the room, and for the first time, noticed the three beautiful young women sitting across the room and chatting happily about whatever had caught their interest. Actually, the full statements of expected expenses had flashed before him in that brief moment. Now, he realized, also, that only one radio station's bill was about to make him piss his pants. He knew he did not have that much saved, so Terry's words came taunting his mind. Speaking of the devil, her call came through his phone. He answered her call. She was on her way to the Galleria from work and wanted to know if he was still there. He responded affirmatively and told her the section where he would be.

His meeting with the radio presenter ended with him directing Liam over to the head of marketing after he sensed he was retracing his steps on the decision to advertise. It was not as if he was not interested in the advertisement. It was clear that his current bank account was not up to it. He blamed not having enough time to carry out a proper feasibility study. On the other hand, he asked himself what he would have done if he had carried out a feasibility study and known how much he needed to budget. Then he reasoned that he probably would not have fallen in love. He would not have had issues with Juliet's relatives and would still have had a job. Most likely have given himself a target and saved towards it all. All that was too late now. He was currently faced with reality. Yet, this was just the first week of having resigned from work. Reminiscing on it all, he decided to feel thankful to God for leading him through the path of making the decision to leave his very comfortable zone. Albeit prematurely, and now, it was not looking good at all.

After speaking with the marketing manager, he got a better deal and braved up to commence with his plans, no matter the cost. After all, Rome was not built in a day, he assuaged himself. He could as well start and gather momentum by moving at all, rather than stay redundantly in one spot. They shook hands, and parted ways, with a promise to reach back by the coming Monday with his script for the jingles. Then headed towards the mall proper, where he expected Terry would be coming to meet him.

She got off a cab, just as he was settling into the café, looking as fabulous as ever, in a white, yellow-flowered, chiffon-like dress and scarves that flowed with the wind. He couldn't form thought if she was intentionally looking breathtaking like a movie star or not. He stood up to say hello as she approached him, deliberately swaying her hips from right to left. They kissed, "you look beautiful, and I like your dress," he said.

"Thanks, glad you like it, I made it."

"No, kidding! Seriously?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow, you've got talent we should take advantage of."

"You're welcome."

"Anytime, babe."

They settled in to have a good time. She was enthusiastically all excitements and pleasant company, but his mind always drifted to thoughts of money. With her looking this beautiful ever, he needed money. He wondered how he was going to raise the capital required for his business. He felt terrible; thoughts miserably churned his mind unending. All lines felt bleak, but he had faith, and to it, he clung. He awoke from his reverie when Terry tapped his hand, and he'd heard her call his name. "Liam, Liam… wake up!"

"I'm awake," he replied.

"Yeah right," she said, "do you know how many times I had to call you, I even had to tap on you to wake up? Hahaha, you were dazed. Starring but asleep, or what were you thinking about?" She reasoned, sobering up. She waited some seconds to see if he would answer her sudden suspicion, but he simply smiled, and that was the most he could do.

"Anyway, guess what, baby," she said.

"What? Are you pregnant?" he asked, begging for something worse than what he was dealing with already.

"No!" she exclaimed, giggling.

"Well, you can't blame me. It's not like we've been using protection," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but you have been withdrawing silly," she whispered shyly.

He could not help but genuinely smile at the mischief they were discussing freely. "Okay, so what's the mystery?" he asked to end it all finally.

"Well," she began saying, then pulled out a box. And gently shoved it towards him, "I got you this."

"For me, wow, what is it?" he was curious to know.

"Just open it, and I hope you like it."

Liam opened the box and took out a cute, white, Nokia mobile phone. "Wow, you didn't have to." And he meant it, he had a blackberry phone he felt was already so much work to carry about. Nevertheless, he was grateful and showed it. "Thank you so much for the gift."

"You are welcome," she replied. "Do you like it?"

"I do, it's very nice and should be easy to carry seeing the size."

"I'll love to see a movie, wanna come?"

He gave a thought, sure would be good to help stave his mind from his thoughts and worries. He got up and helped her get up. They walked down the hallway, took the elevator up to the galleries, and to the cinema. While sitting in the darkroom, they began to feel the whole ambiance of the cold room. She had her feet up in her favorite position. Which was on his lap and her back slightly between the backrest and the armrest. He rubbed her cold feet for a while, then got mischievous. Massaging past her feet to her thighs and back.

Gratefully she was putting on a dress. Wanting to show off her talent on a weekday, Friday, when most people from out of states flew into Dallas. Her dress made it easy for his hand to go up to her legs because they sat so close, he had access to her crotch. What made it even more exciting? She was neat, and that made it even easier for him to affectionately push her panties to one side, and allow his first three fingers stroke and massage her. She spread her legs as much as permitted room, enjoying his fingers' exploration of her secrets. It was tender to his touch, he was not in a hurry, and the movie still had an excellent forty-eight minutes to go. He wanted to build up a fire in her, to see how well he could negotiate to get her home with him.

She leaned her head further against the headrest, pushing her butts forward and allowing him full access. He was now, slightly frenzied. The cinema erupted in laughter over something the actors had either done or said, and but he was no longer in there. He looked about them for any give away signs, then returned his focus. Being distracted briefly, he continued on the taunting at hand. By this time, he was willing to explore more. He slipped a finger into her wet mound and gently began to rub her with his thumb. He felt her hands gently placed on his, she just held on to his hand, and for a moment he did not know if she was asking him to continue or to discontinue, push it in deeper or not. Then she put pressure on his hand, to let him know she wanted him to go in deeper. He added his forefinger to the index he was making the come here sign with, tilted the fingers, and began to rub her deep, it drove her nuts. He beckoned on her to come closer to something he would like to tell her. When she drew up to him, he posed as if he was about to whisper something to her ear, but the moment she was within range of his lips, he nibbled on her ear lobe. She shivered, curling at the effects with his fingers still buried in her. She quickly clasped her hands over her mouth as she let out a stifled moan. She took one hand off her mouth and pressed on his hand for him to add pressure. He must have set her on fire; she was now frenzied, moving her hips to the rhythm of pleasure. Then she suddenly pushed his fingers out, she was shaking her head. She'd just had an intense orgasm. He gently raised his hand, looking at her. He sucked her cum off his fingers and sat upright

When he got to his bus stop, he did not head home directly. Instead, he went on to the pub by the apartments where some bikers usually hung out. He needed to get some skunk. He felt the weed was necessary at this point, to soothe his wandering mind. Terry had to run home again since she had so much work to do. Now, that was the working-class person's culture, you did not indeed have the freedom to do whatever, whenever, if you needed to break. Liam regretted he could not take her home with him. Especially after the enamored moment with her. He was still in the mood, so hopefully, he felt he would do good with pots.

The thing about spots where they sold weed or bunkers, as they called them back home, was that they were always teeming with wolves, vultures, and hard-core, red-eyed evils of assorted background. They always knew a user; it did not matter if you were a veteran, a retiree, or an active user. They could always tell old from the rookie. So, when he got off the bus, he put on the steps of a veteran to announce his space needed no meddling. Walking the walk and talking the talk. Failure of which robbing him on his way out was possible, and he would not have any of that.

When he got home, he sat at his desk, picked the weed out, de-seeding it. When he was done, he rolled up the joint, lit it up, and began to puff on it. His mind drifted off to business, he got thinking of how he would raise the capital necessary for him to establish his enterprise. His reason for seeking advertisement was simply exposure. He hoped advertising would generate the awareness he needed. Then again, would advertising really expose him? His mind wondered, thinking about this business issue, where would he go from where he was. He took a last puff of the weed, lay on his bed, and called it a night.

Early morning, when he woke up, he made straight for a business lawyer's office to enlist his business and be accountable to the state. He was fully engrossed in his thoughts of getting things done that he forgot what day it was. And therefore, got to an office which was off for the weekend.

Terry's call came through his phone just as he hit the door. "Hey, what's up, doll?"

"Am good honey, where are you?"

"Just leaving a lawyer's office, how are you doing?"

"I'm good, hey do you remember today is the day for the business seminar, have you called your friend to confirm your seating?"

"Oh, yeah, that's true, thanks for reminding me."

"Don't forget to tell her you will be coming with a company," she sneaked in.

"Oh no, I won't forget, or do you think I want to get in trouble with my own police?" he teased, hoping that got her smiling. "Hopefully, we should be able to make it to the airport to book our flights for our journey to meet my mother. Don't forget your ID."

"Yes, I wanted to ask you about that. So, have you made up your mind about the date?"

"I have, I think next weekend would be appropriate unless your schedule doesn't permit us."

"No, no, it does. I don't have anything doing then, but now I've got to let my sister know I will be traveling, just in case she has anything in mind."

"Cool, so meet me at twelve noon, by the aviation museum, the seminar starts at twelve-thirty. Thirty minutes should be enough time for us to be there on time."

Liam dropped the call and headed back home, he wanted to go and smoke the last part of the weed he bought from the other day. He went in, got something to eat, and then rolled up the remainder of the joint. Afterward, he lay down to sleep, and he must have overslept because the ringing phone woke him. The time was about twelve P.M. she wanted to find out where he was. He became alert and hurried to put on his pants and run out of the house.

It took him another thirty minutes to get to her, all the while she kept calling to get updates on his location. The moment they saw themselves, she went off on why he had to keep her waiting. He could not explain that he had smoked weed for the second time in a long time and that it had knocked him out. If he had told her that he was on the verge of depression and needed the bong as a depressant, maybe she would have understood. Anyway, his eyes were not so good at hiding things either, because she noticed his eyes and was concerned about the bloody coloration.

"What happened to your eyes, they are all red?"

"Really?" He quizzed, acting it out, "how red are they? It must have got something to do with me waking abruptly from sleep. Or maybe dust?" He shrugged off, acting nonchalant about the situation. Truth be told, he did not know how she was going to handle the situation if she found out he was doing drugs. Her vision of a family was to be a Christian family. How weed did not stop them from being closer to God would have been a reckless explanation at the expense of her faith. And he wanted a good Christian woman as the mother of his children too.

The seminar was a good one, his friend had come to the gate to say hello and usher them in. The speaker was all about networking, and it was immense for him. Being a start-up entrepreneur who had an eye on the big things, it was really a big deal. The speaker expounded on the Metcalfe's law of networking and that fit into how he could market himself and at no direct staffing cost. Whatever the speaker said, he related to Liam's own viewpoint, and his business. After the lectures, he invited people to sign up with the network for a fee, but it was time for them to leave.

They went on to the airport to book their flight reservations for two against the upper week and headed home. While in the cab, a call came through to his phone. He looked, and surprisingly, it was Juliet. She wanted to know if he could come out to help her run an errand. He told her he was busy and would get back to her later. When they got home, they set to round off the business they had begun the previous day at the cinema.

Later on, they laid back, cuddled up in bed, while he reiterated his dreams to her. She was curious about Juliet asking to see him. "It's because I'm simply irreplaceable," he said.

"You wish you were."

"Really, then why would my ex-boss continue calling for my input if I wasn't?"

"Well, I know you are special, they do too. I guess that's why she wanted to keep you in her family."

"You get the gist; you are finally opening your heart to the concept of El-talentoso."

"Yeah, right, one call from your former boss, and we won't be hearing anything else for the rest of the year."

"You are an amazing girl. Okay, so what do you need for the trip ahead of us?"

"About that, I also thought I could use the opportunity to buy some clothes I could sell at my boutique."

"Since when did you start considering buying and selling clothes? And when did you establish a boutique?"

"Since I became a seamstress, I thought I told you I trained on dressmaking?"

"No, you didn't tell me you trained on dressmaking, you just told me you made that one dress. You told me you went to Europe to read computer engineering, not garment designing. Not that I have anything against cloth making…"

"I know you don't have anything against designing apparel if you didn't, why would you be thinking of running a clothing brand?"

"Just so you know, I actually feel a lot more for a woman who has an interest in the things I'm interested in. That, to me, is the compatibility I need."

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Visionary, like you are the only one with a vision. You can't speak two or three words about yourself without letting the world know you are a man of illusion. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

He smiled at her, then began to laugh at her. Whereby, she playfully hit him, saying, "Go away, you don't know when one is joking and when one is serious with you."

"I actually do," he replied. "It's just that being visionary isn't a joke to me. All I have to add to that is the attitude of success, prayer for God's blessings, and actual work to make my vision a three-dimensional sphere of public relations. I don't know if that makes sense to you. If it doesn't, I'm sorry there's absolutely nothing else I can do than start you on my vision one-zero-one course."

"Mm! Prof., Prof., you are so much of a professor, seems you know all the big words, what's left is simply knowing big money too."

He got up and went over to his music player, slid in Barry White's 'practice what you preach,' serenaded by the beautiful rhapsody. He started gyrating to the rhythm. "Now, here is one song you would need birth control to listen to it."

"Hahaha! tell me something, you funny man."

"Well, here I am, baby, practice what you preach." He crooned along, pulling her up to dance. They allowed the ambiance of love to engulf them both in its cocoon. "So baby, tell me, when did you establish a boutique, and where is he located?" Liam whispered into Terry's ear as they waltzed.

"It's part of my own vision, honey."

"Oh, I see! so it's just a wish for now?"

"Not at all. It's a vision!"

"Hahaha," he chuckled.

Mesmerized by the sweet vintage song that sipped out of the speakers, they soon made love again. Desperately soaking themselves in the heat of passion, never wanting to give up on the embrace that electrified the moment for them. When they were spent, they lay down for a while, gasping for air.

Chapter Fourteen

Juliet called him again early Monday morning to find out if he was still coming over. He assured her he was. She instructed him to come with a cab that would work with him all day. That the situation she needed him for warranted that. He concurred and then got up to take his bath. It had rained, nevertheless, he hit his skin with cold water, allowing the sting to bring him to full wakefulness.

He got a taxi right outside his apartment and rode the bumpy roads out his street to his former boss' home. When he got there, she took him aside and briefed him on the deal. He was needed to follow her neighbor's husband around to monitor his movements for eight hours. Her neighbor, who was her friend, was the contractor. The woman had indicated her interest in tailing her husband of nine years who she believed was cheating on her. Liam figured that would be some good money to make. He accepted the job and charged them for the service. She assured him that at the end of the operation, he would be well rewarded. Therefore, off to tail, they went, following him for the speculated hours through the streets of Dallas.

He had been suspicious of the invitation that required a special cab. As such, he had been careful about selecting his cab. He felt lucky about his selection, the driver was a hustler driving a yellow taxi. They could tail for a long time without being spotted. While they drove, they figured they had to keep up with a lot of speed. Suddenly, the man being tailed slowed down; driving slowly for a few blocks, Liam asked the cab driver to make a detour and come out from two streets ahead until the man would drive past them. They came to a junction two blocks ahead and noticed him down the road at a red-light. They drove onto the street and kept driving, moving at the thirty-five-speed limit of the street. Soon enough, at the next light, the man caught up with them. Liam peeped from his backseat, into the car and saw the man drumming on his steering to whatever music he was listening to. He slid back to keep himself from being spotted, knowing fully well that the man might recognize him from when he lived with Juliet and James.

As the light turned from green to red, it became apparent that the man must have been either fired up by the song, or he had become suspicious of them, which was highly unlikely. He'd stepped on his gas and gunned out at high speed, breaking the speed limits as he went. Just when Liam asked his driver to catch up at a safe distance, out of the brushes, a cop car rode out immediately after the man. They slowed down, took the next road to reappear at the next crossroads. The intersection was by a gas station, so he rolled out and drove into the gas station to wait while the man resolved himself with the cops.

Before boarding the taxi, Liam had told the taxi driver this man owed him and was eluding him. Therefore, he needed to track him and know his full movements so that he could serve him with court papers. His story sounded very credible, and it made his driver very confident about being an accomplice. In his mind, he was doing service to a downtrodden man; Liam was the 'oppressed-by-the-rich'. He even got angry after he had seen the type of house the man drove out from and what car the man drove; he wondered why the man would owe a struggling young man when apparently, he had the means to pay. Then Liam told him, "Just because you see a man in a nice car or coming from a nice house doesn't mean the man is rich. To some folks, their idea of wealth is to look rich, so that they could own posh and luxurious cars or live in costly houses with no savings or strong financial base. Some could acquire luxury while their credit allowed it. Still, down the line over a couple of years, their savings dwindle, and their income goes to servicing debts and bills upon bills."

He said, "it is impossible for a man who drives this kinda big ass SUV, not to have enough money in his bank account."

They got into an argument, Liam said, "there is a difference between looking rich and being rich. You may notice that often people dress fine, not necessarily dressed in expensive clothes but mostly in good clothes. They think they do so to present themselves fine to the observer who wants to believe firstly, what he sees."

"How?" he asked.

"Did you ever see the movie Titanic by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet?"

"Yeah, it's an old movie, what does it have to do with the story at hand?" he asked.

"If you'd cast your mind back to the night, Jack attended dinner with the ship's elite. You'd remember how Molly had changed his looks, and even Cal who invited him to dinner couldn't recognize him because he passed for a gentleman?"

"Honestly speaking, I think I do remember a party scene, but to attach the characters by their names is where my memory fails me to roll call."

"Never mind, my man, all my point with the movie scene is that you can look rich after being polished up, but to be rich takes more than an evening dressing with a make-up topping."

"I get you; I get you."

"Hey get ready, the cops are handing him his paperwork, do you see it?"

"Clearly!" he replied.

"I wonder if he'd seen us and had let the officer know that he was being followed. Get ready to get outta here. Give him some time, then continue after him."

"No problem," the driver replied, then pulled out to the right lane. They drove on a little distance until he drove past them. He watched the man indicate a turn two miles down into a St. Nicholas hospital building. Immediately, the driver stepped on his gas to catch up. As he turned into the hospital parking lot, he couldn't make out the man's position, so he decided to drive around to know if he could spot where the man had parked. After driving for about a minute, Liam decided to walk into the establishment to see if he could locate the man. He got out of the car and went after him. He went into the lobby, and after looking around the empty hall, he dashed towards the exit ahead of him. Out that exit, he noticed there wasn't adequate lighting from a certain point all the way to the back where it grew dark. He kept his eyes trained on every side with caution, looking out for any body language that would betray his cover. He began feeling less paranoid about thinking the man could have known he was being tailed.

First, he felt he had to locate the man's car to determine where he might have gone to. The car was parked a couple of feet from where Liam was. He proceeded to the building on the side where the man had parked his car. But as Liam began to walk towards the building, it occurred to him that the instruction was not to follow the man wherever he went as a pedestrian. His job was to note down where he went generally. Like, did he visit any house, what house? Was he at a club, what club? Did he pick up anybody, male or female? Not to lose mind that they were acquainted. Therefore, Liam could not afford to be careless.

As Liam turned to walk away from the car, he heard a man yell, "Hey you, what do you want from me?" He turned to the voice and saw a gun leveled at him from a few feet. Never gawking, ever the Queens bridge kid, who ducked first, then found out later. He quickly ducked behind the car as the man shot, firing at him. He crawled under the car closest to him, rolling out further away from the vehicle, as the sound of another fired shot ricocheted through the garage. His taxi was just a level beneath them, fearing for his life, he did not bother to walk down the ramp from whence he'd come up. He jumped through the slit between the level he was at and the next floor where his taxi was. "I'll get you," the man yelled, running to block Liam off where he expected him to have rolled out from.

But Liam's ducking and agility had brought him to the floor where the cab guy was waiting for him. He came bounding towards the cab. Opened the door quickly, yelling, "go! go! go!" as he jumped into the cab.

The man appeared from the extreme side running towards the cab, his gun still leveled and ready to resume shooting again. The cabbie's tires screeched; his engines purred as he pulled out of the garage at head-spinning speed. The man took another aim and shot at them, he missed again, knocking down a trash can as he ran towards them. They drove on shaken from the experience and laughing to have beaten the man's madness. It was indeed a grave moment, but they understood they were lucky to have escaped unscathed. They pulled into another gas station about five miles down the road, so the driver could inspect his car for damages. There was none, Liam's heart beat fast, and he kept looking over his shoulders, not sure if his face had been identified or not.

Understanding the situation made it easy for Liam to make up his mind within two minutes. They were driving on the same road he had trekked through the other night when he'd learned about endurance. They drove around town for eighteen minutes, just cruising from place to place. Then Liam had an idea to go back to the man's house. When they got there, they parked a couple of blocks away from his home as they proceeded to wait for him to drive in. An hour later, he pulled up to his house, driving slowly, scanning his neighborhood, for any sign of the yellow taxi. They scooted down to stay below an observer's view.

When Liam was sure they were in the clear, he took out his cell phone, stepped out of the car, and called Juliet. After reporting the progress so far, she asked him to hang up and expect her to call back in a few minutes. He got back in the car to wait for her to call him back. Meanwhile, the cabbie was all too happy about the job. He reclined his seat and put his hat over his face.

Her call came back, "are you still there?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, come over to the store with the cab guy, my friend wants you to call it a day. How long do you think it will take you to get here, I mean traffic-wise?"

"There wasn't much traffic on our way here, and I think I should be at your store in fifteen minutes."

"Start coming then, I've got a lot to get done today."

"No problem," Liam answered, walking back to the cab. "Hey, what's up?" he called out to the taxi driver, come on now let's go. You were sleeping on duty," Liam scolded.

He giggled and said, "there was nothing else to do basically. Mine is to drive when you want to move. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. We are going over to the art district in Dallas."

"Yes sir, have you gotten all the information you need?" he said again with a smirk on his face. Liam felt his driver must've loved the day's work, sleeping through time. He wished the ride had been metered, so his payment would have been according to readings, but they had agreed on a fixed price for a twelve-hours hire. Fourteen minutes later, they pulled up to the plaza, Liam got the toll card and drove in. The cabbie had done the seven kilometers journey with so much speed it felt like he would purge.

He asked the taxi driver to wait for him while he went in and got money for him. He refused, scared that Liam could run off with his money, he went with Liam. Juliet asked her friend to send the money to him through one of her staff. Liam told her where he was located, and she agreed to send the money. She then sent one of her staff to bring him the cab fee. The staff reached Liam two minutes later. Her staff also informed Liam Juliet's friend had invited him to her office.

"Of course," he said, "why not, I mean she still owes me for the service." After he'd paid the cabbie, he headed for his former office. Terry's family's restaurant was a couple of blocks opposite his old office. He made a mental note to see her before leaving. In the meantime, he went in to get paid. Juliet was sitting behind her desk, counting some money. Without wasting time, he went straight to business.

"It was a tough routine," he began to bellow as he walked into the store. Now, the deal was that he felt right about being needed again by someone he recently quit working for, but she had her plans. "If I had been told the man wouldn't be alert enough to his surroundings, I wouldn't be hesitant at all." He said in a concerned voice as he reached her table. He took his seat without being offered one and hoped for the best.

"What happened, Liam? How did the man detect he was being tailed? I also don't believe you were hesitant, you were more, like, aggressive about taking the job," she said.

"Well, I honestly think it was the sparse traffic that exposed us. On the other note, a man must do what he must do to survive," he said. He was sitting in his customary slightly slouched posture, tugging at the belt loop of his pants. He pulled it to about his navel like an uncle Sam, then let it drop back down. "Even though I must tell you now, I almost pulled out of the offer," he lied.

"Okay whatever, so tell me how you went," she said, now stashing the rest of the money she was counting into a safe to her right. She locked it and then sat back upright, ready to engage Liam.

Without further ado, he narrated his adventure to her, and she was pleased. Then he told her he felt hungry and would like to go for lunch. He let her know he had been especially hungry because he had been so focused, he had to place taking a break off his plate to avoid losing her husband. This, as she could see worked. Then she let him know she would not be paying him. "There is no money to pay you with Liam," she said, but he thought she was joking.

He kept quiet for a while, thinking about what she just said while contemplating his next course of action. He wondered if he should unleash his inner dragon. He processed his possible lines of action for a while, and when it seemed she indeed was slow at bringing his money out, he got up and walked out of the store.

His motive for leaving was to go meet Terry and discuss the situation at hand. He hoped that he would be able to come up with a better line of response against Juliet. Her act of kindness was one time, a testimony for him about the salvation of God, who had saved him from the direst of times. When he got to Terry's soul restaurant, they were busy with customers thronging in. He smiled, for she had done it, and turned the restaurant around. He took a seat and made to order himself something to eat.

He was still not feeling good about working without getting paid, especially as the job was predatory and dangerous. He had almost gotten himself killed, for one thing. No matter what it was, one thing was sure about his act, he could have gotten in real trouble if he had been caught.

While he waited, he considered his actions. Had he certainly been intelligent? What if the man had tipped the cops that he felt his life was under threat, and he, for instance, suspected they were kidnappers or killers? Would he have kept mute about the truth of his actions, or would he have snitched to save his hide? After undergoing such inhumane negligence at the end of the day? If he had been caught and he had burst the truth bubble, would it not have led to the destruction of two homes? Would the husband's involved be willing to keep wives that could hire suspected kidnappers to go after them? He racked his brain, processing the reasons the situation warranted that these women be more than willing to grease his palms in gratitude, and not fuck with him. For Christ's sake, he exhaled as he reasoned yet again. What if he had been caught and arrested, did it mean he would have provided a free service at the cost of his own freedom? His head at this time felt hot. For how much had he embarked on the runs?

Terry approached his table, and just at that time, her rival apparent, Shonda walked into the restaurant to buy food. Liam seeing her, instantly figured she had come in for her own reconnaissance, to ascertain if he had come in there. She walked in with Thad, Juliet's kid, and he was the first to see Liam. Thad quickly hollered at him, drawing his cousin's attention to Liam. When she saw him, she promptly bought something and left the restaurant. He figured they must have raced back to the store, for Juliet, his former boss, his former boss' wife, called him asking, "Liam? Hello!"

"Yes? Hello."

"So, you dared leave my store to go hang with that your whore, knowing you would hurt my niece with that rubbish wickedness?"

"She is not a whore; she is my friend, and who am I to your niece to hurt her?"

"Says who? Listen if you don't come back to this store this minute, then don't you ever in your life bother about returning to this store again," she warned.

"Okay!" he said, "So be it!" who cares, he thought.

She dropped her call, ending the conversation and feeling as if he had betrayed her. Terry came out to sit with him after she got less busy. He narrated the situation to her, but she could not relate to the situation on the ground enough to know what advice to give him. He did not bother leaving her immediately, so he hung around the environment until she closed from work. Which was about the same time Juliet's office closed for the day too. Walking out to the street, Shonda saw him and gave him the coldest stare of his life. He had never seen such a cold look before, and his heart skipped a beat. Juliet also walked by thinking, 'after all I did for him, he had the guts to mess it all up without considering the past.'

It was not that he did not consider the past, but in the present, the compassion he had for this girl who was now his fiancée was profound, and love is wicked. He couldn't fathom why they'd refused to pay him after he put his life on the line.

After he departed from Terry and was on his way home, he sent Juliet a text message, crying foul about how he had risked his life for what now seemed like nothing. She replied to his text, saying he should contact the woman whose husband he had followed for his payment. She later sent the woman's number, saying she spoke with the woman. Juliet reminded him that henceforth, he should not venture close to her family and their business, she was still mad at him, and he did not give a fuck what she thought.

He waited until the morning to call the woman, and they agreed to a rendezvous. When they met, she asked him to update her on her husband's movement. While giving her the gist, he reminded her of the risk of losing her home if he had been careless. Even now, if he had any trouble coming to him. She got his message, paid him promptly, and he left her establishment.

Chapter Fifteen

By the time they were to travel to Liam's hometown to see his mother, he was down on cash. He was depleting his savings so fast it was a neck breaker. The global economic recession had him by the neck. There was no job, not that he actually went to get one. He had been so engrossed in making moves that would settle him into his business.

He was spending so much on his artist, and it was not yet time to launch him since he still had a lot of recording work to do. His record label also had been experiencing an exceptional slow market due to business proximity. People thought it was cumbersome to have to locate a business address within a residential area that would be discovered through much of Garland.

Despite the amount of money, he had sent to New York for the recording of the artist, his dear friend suddenly chose to be proactive at finding his own way. After receiving money for a studio photo-session, his artist decided to spend the money frivolously on irrelevant things. Not willing to respect the dream and the struggle. Not ready to help grow the company. The artist probably thinking Liam must have stashed a lot of money somewhere, failed to consider passion, as the motivational source for his venture. Which, in his case, really was.

After the day they agreed the artist would send in the photographs passed, and he had not seen any photos, Liam asked him what the delay was. His response was determined to show his stand with the struggling entrepreneur. "Why would you send just money for the photographs, don't you know I ought to have a wardrobe?" the artist asked.

"I know you need a wardrobe, buddy, but be economical with what you have. If you ring the joints in, we would have enough to settle a lot of bills," Liam persuaded him, hoping he would reason with him. Instead, he became hysterical, giving attitude about it. One thing led to the other, and soon wrong words were flying. As Liam responded to him, he realized that his record label was about to be aborted prematurely. He thought about his ailing bank account. Things were not entertaining, and he was losing his ability to smile daily.

Terry soon noticed his frequent mood swings too. He had promised to help her start the boutique business when they got to his hometown. However, on their way out of the city to New York, she realized that help would not be getting to her anytime soon. He figured that since they were going to be married, any investment in her would virtually be an investment in himself. Since he also had grand plans in customs apparel, he thought it was in harmony with his personal vision. That also excited him and made him want to give her all the best, but his wallet spoke a negative language.

They landed in New York, took a cab down to Queens, he made a quick stop to a bank for some cash to have on him for the duration of their trip. When his mother finally met Terry, her countenance wasn't as he had expected. She sensed Terry to be the type of girl who would be with a man when he had and leave when he didn't have; a gold digger. She pulled her son to her room and began to advise him on who she perceived her to be. He thought she probably based her assumptions on the stories about how her interference had cost him his job.

Nevertheless, given the woman she was, she did not try to discourage him. Instead, she let him have her opinion and let him know he would have a tough time handling the girl. That was partly why they had come to see his mother so that she could also submit her assessment on her daughter-in-law to-be.

Terry did not wait past the next day to start blowing her bubble, now thinking of what he was fast turning into, a broke-ass entrepreneur.

The next day, his mother left for work, leaving them at home alone. On their way home, through the long-distance flight, he and Terry had elaborated distinguishably, her kinks. They had really bonded on the analysis of their sexual preferences and permissions. She had let him know how much she would love him spanking her during sex. The only thing was she would like it to be from a place of love and not from a punisher's heart, and he understood what she meant. He shared his preferences too. Therefore, when his mother stepped out, they mutually felt the time to experience their expressed preference was now on them.

Locking the doors to the old house, they rushed themselves, kissing and hugging one another. Liam pressed her close to himself, feeling like he would like her boobs to go into his chest. The passion was transferred, and in response, she curled a leg around his back. Tearing the clothes off her back, like a hungry lion would rip the flesh off a kill, Liam took her clothes off. They hungered to reach hidden skin. She pulled off his t-shirt, then placed her head on his chest, loving the feel of it. He took a finger down, touching until he felt her shaved crotch. She moaned as his finger went into her.

Biting her lower lip, she hugged him closer, allowing him to go deeper into her. He began exploring the essence of her love. Pushing her to kneel on the floor, he got before her, cocked and in hand. She accepted his offering and began to kiss... she tasted him and with so much lust, dipped her tongue between his tiny eye. He whimpered like a child at the intense pulses of pleasure that spread into his head. She sucked on, feeling his stiffness grow harder in her mouth. With her hand, she swirled around his thighs and butts. She stroked the shaft of his erection, sipping on the pre-cum that leaked, at the same time, from his intense erection. She tried taking him all the way down her throat until she was gagging on him. Then she withdrew from giving him any more head. She got up to her feet, took a few steps backward, eyes trained on him. Feeling the bed frame, she collapsed on it and spread her legs for him to see her every core and to lust after her. He went to her, took her breasts in his hands, and began to suck on her titties.

Liam brought out some ropes from his wardrobe, walked over to her. He commanded her to lay face down on the bed when she obeyed, he tied her to the bedpost. After tying her hands and feet to the bedposts, Liam went to the storage and brought out his mother's old paddle, got a rag and cleaned it down, he smiled at the- now fond- memories it gave him. He took another three sets of ropes, he found in the storage. And began to braid them while walking back to the room.

When Liam got to her, he unzipped his fly and pushed down the combat shorts he had on. Liam took up the paddle and posed over her. He rubbed her butts, squeezed them admiringly. Loving how lovely they appeared. She enjoyed the way his hand felt over the skin of her butt cheeks. And when he bent down to her and began to play-bite her butt cheeks, her body drove into instant plateau of pleasure. Liam leaned in further, lying on her back until he could part her butt cheeks and had a good view of her butthole. He stuck his tongue in her butthole, rimming her.

"Oh, gosh!" Terry wailed, folding her fingers and toes, she tried twisting her head to catch sight of him. Instead, she found his penis in her mouth again. She started flicking her tongue at it.

Liam got up, took the paddle, and whacked her naked butt, she flinched, howling from the pleasure and pain. He got up, searched for his set of hankies, put some in her mouth, then tied it all down with another one. Liam spanked her again, her howls were now adequately muffled. After beating her three good times, he knelt behind her, attempting to reach her vagina but found her to be too low. He grabbed a pillow and forced it beneath her. With her vagina well elevated into the air, he found it easier to torment her. He began dipping his tongue in her, poking at her vagina, and flicking her clitoris. She loved the pleasure she was receiving and wanted more, but the cloth in her mouth muffled whatever sound she made. He nudged her to lean forward a bit more, he bent further leaning into her butt, to get to her mound with his tongue. He stroked her butt hole and traced his tongue from her vagina to her butt hole and back again. She whimpered in pleasure, having never experienced his ways before. Afterward, they made love, she half kneeling with the help of the pillow. Liam sexed in her vagina for a while then switched to her butt. The first time he attempted to penetrate her butt hole, he found it too tight. She mentally tried to grab his hand to stop him, but her hands were still tied to the bedposts. He understood what she was about to do, but there was no way she was gonna be able to do anything. He got up and brought a Vaseline tube. He squeezed a massive amount of it on his cock and went back to plunge her with it. She screamed as he gained entry into her, he spanked her hard, she gasped. He whipped her again, sliding in and out as gently as he could possibly manage. She didn't like it at first when he penetrated her butt.

Nevertheless, as he continued to sex and spank her, she actually began enjoying it all. Crying, her noise and words muffled, she started pleading with him to love her more.

Liam leaned forward to whisper words of love and to let her know she had nothing to worry about because he was whooping her butt from a place of love. He pulled her head backward to himself. Kissing her neck, tracing his tongue down the nape of her neck. His hands clasped her breasts from beneath her. She spoke to him again, sounding incoherent. He peeled off the kerchief from her mouth. The moment he took off the scarf, she blurted out, saying, "Oh, baby, please fuck my pussy," letting go of herself, as she pleaded with him to transfer his sex. He obliged her, pulled out of her butt, and plugged her vagina per her request. "Mm..." she groaned, "Yes baby fuck that pussy... it's all yours, baby..." she said. "Make me feel it." Terry felt like running out of her body from unbearable pleasure, but she was tied to the bedposts. Her body was highly stimulated, and she was super aroused, she spoke gibberish words all through their lovemaking session. He finally untied her hands, lay on his back, and flipped her over him to get her to straddle him. She took his erection and placed it inside herself. She balanced her legs beside his body and began to gyrate her hips slowly. She wiggled to the left, then to the right, lifted her butts, then dropped again on him until she sat positioned comfortably. Terry went off, rocking back and forth in a fast rhythm. Shortly, she suddenly, and without warning, squirted all over his belly, letting out a throaty groan.

From beneath her, he started jerking up into her, as she shot off some more, screaming and squirting feverishly as she climaxed. The moment she was done squirting, she shivered visibly at the quantum orgasm she just experienced. She collapsed forward on him and lay there for some seconds, before getting off him. She turned to face his cock while letting him have her in his mouth. Taking charge, she looked at him and said, "clean it!" then watched him go to work, before taking him in her mouth to take him where she'd also been. Liam convulsed, letting out a throaty cry as he shot out his essence.

They rested a bit, then got up for the bathroom together, washing each other. It felt like the great romance was up in the atmosphere for the lovebirds. When they were done, they headed out to the market to help her select the clothes for her boutique. Now worried over the fast depleting rate of his cash reserves, he was reluctant about buying her everything she wanted. Liam made it clear that he did not have enough to splurge on her at the moment. This infuriated her. She called him out on his promise, asking him to fulfill his words.

Instead, he replied, "it took God almost fifty years to fulfill His promise to Abraham. That I have not given does not mean I would not give, just that I have not given, because I am short on funds." He rooted for her to be patient with him. But she wanted her business already, and he'd given her so many high hopes that crashing the idea wasn't something she fancied. She went on and shopped as much as she could afford, meeting up with her own money too.

On their way home, she wouldn't let him hold her, feeling bad that she had paid for some of the materials she bought with her money. They got a cab and decided to ride through the Brooklyn area, he wanted to touch sight with his days in the city. She felt they were probably in one of the craziest places in the world to drive. Traffic was not just myths in this part of New York. There was a gang of bikers swerving from left to right, cart riders, people in carriages, honking cabs, it was really a different world from Dallas.

The men hollered noisily over to one another. Suddenl87y, a bike they had driven past almost collided with another biker who was clearly at fault from their point of view. But rather than apologize or keep moving, the man got to insulting them in the taxi. As he ranted on, they paid him no minds. Meanwhile, Liam boiled on the inside. The man wouldn't relent at taunting them through the slow-moving traffic. Liam kept thinking of words to reply with that would end the man's rant. Yet, somehow, he held himself together. Until the tormentor asked Terry, "hey! What do you see in this guy? Is it sex? Must be sex, right? and if it is, you had better rethink your life, he doesn't have much to offer you."

Liam could not take it anymore, so, "fool!" he yelled. Unbeknownst to him, Terry had been incredibly proud of him for ignoring the man while he jabbered his unintelligent yarns. The moment Liam lost it and engaged him, she lost it on him. "Stop it, Liam!" She reprimanded him for replying to the man's attacks, "I was already in admiration of your seeming ability to hold yourself back."

"But he wouldn't stop!"

"Liam, you're still a lot of work."

He was now upset, "damn it! Terry! didn't you just hear him downgrading me?"

"Yeah, but that's a stranger, why are you feeling insecure?"

"You call it feeling insecure?"

"Nigger, what then was it? A stranger tries to pick a fight with you in traffic, and you respond to his jabs, aren't you saying you're in the same class with his low mentality?"

"Jeez, Terry, you're unbelievable. Hey driver, could you raise this window glasses, please?"

"I'm so sorry, I can't. I already told you it's not working," said the Indian driver, who spoke crisp English with a heavy accent.

"What the fuck?"

Their trip back home from the mall on to his mother's home was no longer romantic as it had been on their way out. They had now scratched their feelings, and they were now at truth's crossroads, fangs, and claws exposed. The wind had blown, and the cock's, feather-covered butt exposed. It took him a full day to calm from his biased realization that the all-sweet girl had fangs and venom in her tongue.

The rest of their stay was like that too. The next day they went to pay his younger sister, Brooks, a visit at her school. She was a sophomore student at NYU. Their trip to the school had been a bit smooth, and they were friends again. On their way back, however, the crawling traffic took them about two hours to get out of. They were on a bus, and the whole scenario got her riled up again. This time he did not want to commit himself to the fight. He already understood that there was a fight, even though he would not participate in it, it was a fight none-the-less. It dawned on him that he might just have a fighter here.

From then on, his perception of her began to take a new dimension, yet he felt like he still loved her. There was nothing more convincing than good sex in a relationship. If the sex was good between couples, it would be hard for them not to overlook the wrong done each other.

This is why people go through trauma and hurt when another shares their sex with a stranger. Because then, by comparison, the erring party could judge the quality of sex being brought forward. Whether in an extra-marital affair or in a sexual love relationship, cheating is not permissible. Sex has its core value because; it is the first act that brings unattended competition in a relationship. The other is the material value of a person as opposed to his societal position and class. Yet, class and status have never been a more significant factor for determining a great relationship. This is proven by how often people with nothing still find life-long love.

The weekend ended, and it was time to return home. Liam and Terry got to the airport for their return flight back to Dallas. Through the journey back home, they reconciled and were friends again. However, she had picked up some negative vibes from his mother towards her. His mother had even called him aside- once more- and expressed her resolve concerning the girl. She added, however, that if the girl was his choice of girl and he could handle a gold digger, all the best wishes were what she had for me.

The only problem was that his mother did not know there was no gold for her to dig. He did not want her to know yet that he 'fired his boss' as he fondly put it. He knew this that she could not get to any gold if she was simply a digger. Throughout that weekend, she had been showing that other part of her that hitherto had been concealed. It was not until the end of their stay that he set his heart free of her and allowed his eyes to open up to her actual substance. Now he could see how she reacted to him and hear how she responded to him when he told her 'no' or said 'maybe' to things he would usually have said yes to. He was able to also observe his demeanor towards her reactions. And to taste the acid in his behavior too.

He was through with her but decided not to let her go yet. He wanted to observe her, maybe give her another opportunity. He hoped she could change if he taught her better. Nevertheless, when they got to the airport, they boarded a smaller plane, not the same type they had come in. Once the flight departed the airport, she began to preach and tell him her mind. Even though she taught, her message was all about her self-righteousness.

"Do you know you didn't try to even make me happy?" She asked him.

He turned towards her to look at her face and noticed she was dead serious. With head tilted towards her chest, half-squinting her right eyes as she stared at him from underneath her lash-luscious eyes, her full lips a bit tight as she set it in a frown. Making her face look meaner than it would have been, in her moments of deceit.

Her question was both shocking and confusing to him. Because he knew how much he had spent on her. And how much he had left, from what he considered his stupidity. "How?" he asked. Her statement was upsetting him as the import of it dawned more transparent on him. "What do you mean by that? I took you everywhere you wanted to go, and bought you almost all that you wanted to buy, didn't I?"

"You bought almost all we agreed you would buy, how am I going to start my business without all I need for it? Now we are actually on our way back to Dallas," she said, pouting like a child.

Feeling embarrassed, "keep your voice to a hush; we are in public transport. I don't also remember accepting any budget from you," Liam figured. He looked around at the other passengers to see if she had awoken any other person's interest by her outburst. It seemed she had not, because the other passengers all looked uninterested.

"Besides, you know New York is about four hours flight from Dallas; the least you could have done would have been to spend more. You were just stingy, and your refusal to spend is still going to make it hard for me to get the money I need to run a successful business."

That was it, he was overwhelmed as his stomach tightened. He could feel his blood pressure, pain threshold, and the temperature rising. She was still talking and nagging about worthless things while his breathing and heart rate increased. He felt like asking a stewardess for a drink or kicking her off the flight in mid-air.

"Oh, my God! We were in New York… where the largest apparel market in the world exists, and all you could spend on me, as an investment into my business, was that chicken change you gave me? I am not really sure you want to settle down with me," she blurted, settling in, to sleep through the rest of the long flight.

At that point, he felt empathetic towards her. He began to understand her from a place conserved in his heart, from his experience with people. He looked at her and realized the selfishness she was expressing. Needless to reason that his understanding of a woman who wanted to be in a man's life forever was as a builders' understanding. When a girl is ready to be with a man, every ounce of her tells her she should help the man stand up, to help him grow. If he has already built, she would want to help him consolidate his effort. When you spend so much on her, and you are not the man for her, there is no way that mentality to help establish or consolidate him will kick in. Vice versa.

Relying on this concept, Liam felt it would be difficult to tell a gold-digging woman is around you when; one, you have a lot of money to spend.

Two, you think you can impress a woman with your money. You would be one of the unfortunate types that think love costs money. Love does not charge a thing; one may buy affection, but you could never purchase love at any rate, because it is free. Otherwise, the very poor in society would not have one to love, and they do. However, we know the more unfortunate people are, the most likely to actually have a lot of children. This being proof of how often they get sex. Lovemaking is unequal to having sex. Having many children is proof of just sex, not lovemaking. It is proof that every dog has its day. To stay the hand of love as something sacred, without devotion, which keeps it, love is futile. For commitment is the wheel grinding against the earth, to drive relationships forward. Yet it does not permit conflict, for when one strives to be devoted, they elapse into a backslide and are unable to progress. To know one is struggling with their devotion, the presence of questions reasoning why or if they should remain devoted is the accurate indicator. They are the questions that point out the flaws of the beneficiaries of the devotion. If in place of enigmas, reasons why one should be devoted, one has answers. That placates other people's questions about the same person, then, the one who answers from their pure heart is indeed loving.

Three, when one is a salary earning materialistic person, his concept of being rich is to look expensive because of 'appearance matters.' Even though when one is a salary earner, the money they make, no matter how much they earn in 'labor wages,' is limited because of its numeration. Knowing that one's wage is numerable because one could lose one's job, or one's license, or position, or body part helps retain focus. However, when one's mind equates looking fancy, to being productive, then they endorse the need to appear glamourous. The best glamourous endorsement being humans that can be flaunted; the trophy, the prize, the spectacle the gold-digger. Thinking deeply, Liam realized he had been of this third category. Terry had been available when he needed to demonstrate he could land a sexy, beautiful woman to Juliet. He began spoiling her to make her tune to his tone and go along with him wherever he went. She was in the oblivion of his antics, as he was oblivious of his psychological disposition. He shook his head at the reality of how lowly he had downgraded himself all for a trophy companion.

Her hips gave him many ideas, and he thought because her curves were massively outlined, sex with her would be automatically amazing. While it was amazing, she could use it as a carrot and make a donkey out of him, and wasn't his donkey brain taking him wherever the carrot went? Just as it had with Juliet when he became her prisoner. Wasn't it the same passions that had made him another woman's prisoner that made him another's enemy? He sighed at the stream of thought he was reasoning. Now he was heading towards the flow of bankruptcy, and his signs read 'broke!' He shrugged his shoulders, something good about his new mindset was that he had realized his mistakes, and was now willing to set his business straight. It was time to get down and go to work.

That did not mean he would be stingy. He would give to his spouse, friends, associates, and the needy, but give as if he was someone who had a future to invest for, no matter what he did.

Now even if he was an artist, a superstar with a huge fan base, and he earned tons of money, it would not be wise if he spent without creating a backbone for himself as a brand. A manufacturer-brand-artiste he reasoned should be that artist, who would register himself as a trademark and as a professional, as a limited liability entity. So, when they paid him, he could first invest in himself before tax deductions and then post a profit before tax and profit after tax statements, legally. 'It is not a novelty,' he said to himself. For he had consistently, thought about the possibility since musing on being an entrepreneur. Would it not be nice to buy a car to service the corporation in the corporation's name and not be taxable on it? Should it not be right that a vehicle purchased under such branding be considerable by the IRS as part of the equipment that makes it possible for the business to flourish? Rather than living luxuriously and getting taxed on it, while he could avoid it legally? He imagined it, spending a grand or two on some nice car through his corporation. Registered with IRS with the money made from his art, and not be taxable because it is coverable as expenses made on a corporation and not on luxury? He decided to leave his thoughts there and go to other things. These were the thoughts evolving, from which he was now reasoning life and seeing his finances and his fiancée.

Her personality was beginning to be something he did not want to be around its ambiance. He was not that type of individual who allowed negative statements around him, no! He was not arrogant, but while she spoke, He kept quiet and kept listening to her and watching her, observing her attitude through it all. He felt it would be just cool to demonstrate his attitude to her also. Instead, he prayed God would grant him the will to keep holding himself in. He liked the Terry but was now deactivating the thought of having her for a wife.

By the time they arrived New York, he'd probably served her enough silent treatment that she thought she needed to spend the night at his place to mollify him and then return home to her sister's the next morning. He unlocked the door to his apartment when they got back. Without trying to open the door, he went about picking up some trash blown to his door by wind, not bothered when she opened the door herself. She pushed the door open, stepped in, and halfway in, she paused. She must have stood there for three seconds, then turned around to face him. As he stepped through the door, he noticed that she looked bothered. He approached with caution as he saw her roll her eyes in the back of her head.

"I thought you said you weren't a smoker?" She asked bending down to pick up what had stopped her in mid-stride. "What is this, and what is it doing here?" she quizzed. Biting her lip, she opened the cigarette pack. Snickered, flipped her hair sassily and pointing the box towards him, her eyes blinking fast, she asked, "What is this?"

He looked at the pack, then hell broke loose. In his haste to leave the house early the day they traveled; he'd forgotten to pack up his weed stuff. It was lying right in front of the door. Now she probably would not have noticed it if it was lying on its own, in its individual original dealer's seal. However, he had put it in a cigarette pack that he had carried it in to double secure the flavor from drifting off. Since the weather was mostly dry, the packet would've prevented it from drying up any further. He was not a cigarette smoker, and she thought she knew it, but this was interesting. "Liam, whose bomboclaat is this?"

"Bomboclaat? What's that? Damn it, Cashone!" He suddenly exclaimed, "that fool must've left it here." He made to grab it from her. She snapped her hand behind her, not letting him have it.

"Who the fuck is Cashone?"

"You wouldn't know him, he is a friend, I let him have a key," he lied. Instantly regretting responding like a lily-liver. Recovering from his cowardice, he thought to himself, 'I'm bigger than this.' He was a grown man who should be able to take responsibility for his actions, "give me that!" he said to her. Snatching the cigarette pack from her, he said, "this here's something for grown folks."

He was just getting to know the drama queen he had, a first-class diva and snatching it from her, was enough to unhinge her. With apparent indignation, she tried to address him but seemed to have lost words.

He ignored her, opened the little bag, poured some weed into his open palm, and set to wrap it up.

She grabbed her purse and held it to her chest, squeezing it tightly as she watched him prepare his pots to her amazement. He was about pulling out the wrapping paper when she yelled out, "Liam! Seriously, are you doing this?" She began to pace back and forth. Stopped, and yelled again, "what are you trying to do?"

It was obvious to him that she was infuriated at his decision to be real.

"You are doing this, even while I'm here?"

Her uncontrolled yelling brought a neighbor who was passing by to his doorway, he was a friend, and they had hung out a few times. He had also recently lost his job, two months previously and had not been able to land another one. Times were also hard for him, and he smoked weed too. Although he preferred smoking mostly in the evenings to allow him to sleep properly at night. "Is everyone fine?" he asked.

"Hey hi!" Liam greeted him with a fist pump, "She's just mad am wrapping this vial of weed." Liam told him sarcastically. A grin spread across his face as he shrugged his shoulders while he continued with his arrangements.

"Oh, really?" he exclaimed, rubbing his palms together as he took a step forward into the house. "Shit! You got more? I need some to help me calm my restless mind tonight."

"Sorry, man, this one is all I've got. Except you want to stick around and blow a drag with me, how about that?"

"Not really, I was thinking more along the lines of saving it for later when I could smoke it in peace, but I'll be fine." Looking at Terry, he said, "mama, please try to understand with my nigguh, it's all cool." In response, she gave him a cold stare, and without warning, took off her footwear and hurled it at Liam.

He had been watching her when his neighbor asked her to take it easy with him. He wasn't caught off guard, he ducked fast before the sandal made an impact. "Oh, shit," his neighbor exclaimed, "I am beat, see you later!" his neighbor hollered as he bade to mind his business. Hopping out quickly, he headed towards the main exit to the apartment.

Meanwhile, Liam burst into laughter. Then he took up a seat, on the floor, by the door, to get more comfortable while he smoked the now ready weed. "I wonder why you are getting so hostile."

"You're wondering, you say?" She limped on tippy-toes to her sandal. Came back to pick her purse. She turned to observe him as he found his lighter and was about to light the weed up when she said, "If you light that weed, please ensure you never speak to me again. I thought you said you were not a smoker?"

This was his cue, he was about done with her, and she did not even figure it. Therefore, if she was never going to speak to him again… he lit the joint. Did she say she wasn't going to talk to him for smoking? "If I'd said I wasn't a smoker, you wouldn't be thinking about it, you would know."

She picked up the luggage with her goods, her small carry-on luggage, which was all she'd traveled with. Her purse tucked under her armpit, she walked out the door. Luckily for her, a taxi had just dropped someone else off at the apartment. She quickly beckoned on it. Got in, and without turning back, rode off into the sunset.

Thinking that she was gone, he took a few more drags of the joint, then put it out before he placed it on the bedside table, saving the rest for later. He went to the bathroom and began to run bathing water. Because he no longer cared so much about her anymore, he quickly made a resolution not to give a damn what she thought. In his resolve to be a man and stand up for the weed he believed in at that time, her opinion mattered little to him.

Suddenly, he heard a car pull up to the gate, it sounded oddly familiar. So he walked out of the bathroom, having not yet begun bathing, towel in hands, to the window to have a peek at who it was. Lo and behold, it was Terry, he wondered if she had forgotten any stuff. As she dragged and tugged at her luggage, he watched to know what she was up to. Unwilling to go give her a hand.

She came through the door, stopped, and looked at him for a brief second. Without saying a word, she turned to walk towards where he was standing by the window, leaving her suitcase behind. It collapsed on its front side; she bent to pick up her fallen bag. Correctly set it on its tires, without still saying a word.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wishing he had not been too quick to put out the weed.

"So, are you done smoking your 'la-la' already?" she said, motioning her head.

He looked at her as though she was possessed and giggled.

"Oh, spare me the fake laughter," she said, waving her hand half hung in the kangaroo's style.

He began to laugh hard, while drying his body, finding her return mostly comic.

"It's not funny, why are you doing this to yourself, Liam, why?" she asked, making a puppy face.

"Spare me the message, why did you come back?" he asked, knowing the game was in his favor, by the act of her return, but she did not answer him.

"You have to relax and let go in life sometimes," he said to her.

"You are the one who is preaching now," she asked.

"Shh! Hush," he said placing a finger to her lips as he drew closer to her. "Why don't you enjoy life while it lasts?"

Having not removed his finger when he placed it on her lips, he felt more comfortable and decided to calm her. He slid behind her, then gently placed his hands on her shoulders, one at a time. "You don't have to be against me smoking, you could take a whiff too, you know? That way, you would be my Bunny, and I'd be your Clyde." he whispered into her ears, knowing how that always made her weak.

She shivered at the contact of his breath on her skin. His naked body responded to her shiver, and the chain progressed while she allowed it. He continued to question her, softly nibbling at her ears, one after the other while maintaining the gentle but firm pressure on her shoulder. Hugging her from behind and drawing her into his embrace. She felt his cock rub against her butt, and she knew she wanted it in her. Feeling weak and very willing to collapse into his arms. He put his hand under her t-shirt and began to rub her stomach. He glided his hand up towards her bra, squeezed her breast. Took hold of her bra strap with his other free hand as he unfastened the strap. He tried to keep her engaged while taking off her clothes one by one. With just her panties left, she turned to face him, "Liam, why are you smoking? I don't want you smoking and definitely not weed."

"Hey, it's okay, alright? I know you want me to fuck you in my high state, and that's why you came back."

"Liam, I…" she began to protest but cut off. His hand was in her panties, without bothering to take them off, he'd stuck his finger inside her. She forgot what she was about to say. He covered her mouth with his, locking them in the most heated kiss, while he continued to finger her now very wet vagina. She pulled his hand out and led him to the bed. She pushed him down, starting from his toes, she began to kiss him, all the way to his cock, engorged with blood and standing like a knight ready to take down his Lord's enemy. She went on top of him, spread her legs, and set herself down slowly on him.

She was soon riding him, going up and down him. She took his hands and placed them on her breasts, while she shoved her hips forward and backward, grinding on him, feeling him in her womb as pleasure and pain seared through her entire body. She wept at the enormous climax she was experiencing. His hips were also at work, he jacked her up and went in and out of her. The entire situation was too much for her to contain. Like an opera singer, her voice rose out of her, "yeah, smoke this pussy smoker! Come now, fuck me hard, fool!" she cried. He bucked into her, and it hit her cervix wall, sending a sharp wave of pain through her. She shut her eyes, tilting her head back to contain the pleasure that followed. She gasped, "ah!" then got off him.

By the time they were done, they had sweated out themselves and were well spent. They lay down a bit to catch some needed air. In no time he was back up again, hardened as previously. Then he gently turned her head away, trying to position himself in a six-nine, to return the favor. She stopped him, saying, "no, I am too dirty there after the trip and cum."

"Then, I'll clean you off with my tongue."

"Eww!"

"Then go wash off let's get it on."

"No, you don't have to." She said, getting off the bed.

"I want to," he insisted.

"Well, like I said, you don't have to cum, I'm not dealing with any more of your foulness." She got off the bed, leaving him starring at her in wonderment.

Her sudden outburst struck him like lightning. Struck out, all foul and moody, taking him by surprise, "you know what," she said, "I think I'm going home; I don't want to deal with any of your disagreements again, no more for tonight."

"Come on!" he yelled, "we were just now having fun."

"Until you spoilt it!" she accused.

"How did I spoil it by trying to give a tit for tat?" He was seriously amused at the thought of the whole drama for the day.

She got up, picked up her clothes, and when she'd finished putting them on, she picked up her luggage, and left for good. Liam lay down thinking about her, it seemed she was indeed possessed, he couldn't quite figure what he was dealing with. After their sex, he felt a bit more confused. What had turned her on that she had to turn back for the sex? Or was it just for sex that she'd returned?

Chapter Sixteen

'Nothing can cause you to stress if you do not allow it, control your thoughts!' This was the first thought that came to Liam's mind when he woke up.

The presidential election was just two months away, and every politician was by now hauling their A-games up. Their cards were now being thrown on the table, and every one of the players aspired to win.

Two weeks later, a governorship aspirant's agency from Oklahoma came calling on him for business, he felt blessed. Having been down to his last cents. However, the feeling of blessedness seemed short-lived as it so happened that after he placed an order for the samples of the items they needed. He felt uncertain, the items were expensive to produce, the aspirant had a high taste, and had ordered for something distinctive, but couldn't afford what he needed.

Terry got to know of the business when Liam subtly dropped hints of it while they were on the phone. He did this in a bid to intimate her that he still had hope. On one side, he thought of leaving her, on the other hand, he felt he needed her. She was his dilemma. She came closer to him again, would call to know how he fared if he'd had anything to eat, and more often, at that. Since the day she dramatically left his house, she had been out of touch, until he intimated her on the possibility of the deal. Determined to do well on the business, he did all he could to get assurance from his prospect. However, as with risk, a lot hinged on a political candidate scaling the primaries. This prospect had to scale too, but Liam was desperate to make some money as it were. He pulled out the rest of his savings and made the samples they'd requested, without getting any financial commitment from them. He'd based his move on their words, interest, and supposed integrity. By the time he was done, he had to ask Terry to lend him some money. He was self-assured that the pedigree of people he was dealing with would not disappoint him. Thinking about them, and not the opportunity that chance provided. Meanwhile, she did not hesitate to lend him the money.

It was all good news that came when his designs got instant approval. All he now had to do was wait for the primaries. Which were due in two days from the day his designs got approved. However, bad news came when he learned on the news that his aspirant had lost at the primaries. In the frustration of suffering loss, the aspirant promptly left the country for the Caribbean to hide from his disappointments. Liam was stranded.

Never had he felt so low spirited as he felt during this period. Usually, he would go from low to low as he struggled. He rarely allowed his hopes to rise, to protect himself from the consuming heartbreak of typical disappointments. This time he had gone from high expectations to rock bottom. He made all efforts to connect with the man or his assistants, and his attempts were simply frustrating. He felt dejected at the phase of life he'd returned to. The confidence which led him to resign from Siana distribution? Beat it!

Surely, he couldn't persevere, he thought. He sought the way forward. Speaking to himself was not easy; pulling his spirit up every day seemed the toughest thing to do. He had lost face. Lost his first investment in that starving, mean musician he had signed too. The one he called a thief, who was all about selfish instant gratification and not the business. Even though he was the last of a dying breed. He had only chosen the guy because he knew he had talent and had suffered for so long. Having compassion for him was the only reason he picked him. The dude had been on the music scene since Liam was a teenager. Now that Liam was in his thirties, the chap still needed a break, just as Liam also did. But selfless Liam had chosen to invest in another before himself, only to be parked by the curbside.

He was now officially broke. His company was bankrupt. Soon, Liam began to amass debt, he couldn't live as he did before the job at Juliet's. He continued struggling daily, unable to think, becoming more indebted to family and friends. At that point, he needed a friend, but his close friends could smell the stench of trials, they could see the struggle and instantly began to avoid him, lest he pulled them down with him.

Terry heard of the misfortune. She would not have any of it, she immediately began requesting for her money to be returned. She sent him a message which read, "I made that money from selling my clothes, and I can't restock if you don't pay me back."

'Yeah, right,' thought Liam, 'money I gave you to invest with.' Reaching her on the phone became the most impossible mission ever. He strived hard, taking up menial jobs to pay her. He felt stressed, and back to square one, the situation confirmed him.

His suffrage was an internal challenge, and the possibility of his project being stupid began to dawn on him. Severally, he wondered what motivated him on this path of self-deception, as he now saw it. Oh, many nights, he felt helpless. Soaking his pillow with tears became an everyday norm. He wondered why he never felt any love for Shonda. Whose love would have kept him employed and definitely landed him better pay with a promotion to maybe a general manager? He started looking back into his past. He wished he could return to eating the proverbial Egyptian garlic and onions, rather than going through all these.

He thought forward and backward, and it all seemed bleak. Only one thing stayed alive at the back of his mind, and that was his vision. Despite all his troubles, there still burnt a flicker of hope. He would smoke some weed into the night. When he'd gotten to the point where he was hallucinating, he would take up his pen and paper and let the phoenix of visions rise through the ashes of his disappointments. Articulately, he would jot down aspects of his imaginations as they related to his dreams. Engaging that way was very therapeutic, and he didn't realize it. The next morning after such meditations, he would get out of the house and hitch a ride with his neighbors into town. He'd go to the artist market and hang with friends of his who he had met at the market. The hope he found in that, was incredibly profound, as he stood in the sun for hours, running after prospective customers for whatever jobs they could have.

For feeding, he'd made friends with food vendors, and now, most food vendors knew him. He steadily climbed the ladders of debt, going from the once-rich man -well not quite rich, but for emphasis-, to a man who now owed so much for food. Soon, Liam lost a lot of weight since his former employers were at the artist market, it felt more painful. He felt paranoid, sure that he knew how they would only do nothing else but gossip about him. Juliet would probably be explaining how useless he was to her friends, who had shops there too. And he was right, he did become the subject of a lot of gossips. He didn't expect some, like when a guy stopped him and asked him if it was true that he'd slept with Juliet. He was shocked since he never told anybody. Then he remembered how Juliet was so trusting of her friends and told them everything. They probably leaked the news, and now James was gonna hear about it.

As the gossips about him began, it wasn't long before they started openly mocking him as a big goof. He was catcalled by a guy for his dressing, being a well-known dandy, the guy had hollered loudly as he passed while pretending it wasn't at him, "hey! You still got money for new clothes? I hear you owe Flaco for his quesadillas, your debt is enough to buy a car man when are you paying him?"

He turned his head back at his mocker, the chap looked the other way and started giggling. Liam followed his gaze, only to see Shonda standing there. He persevered the mockery, kept hope alive one more day, and kept walking.

One day, towards the end of November, in late fall, he called Terry's line, over and again, but she wouldn't take his calls all day. Later that night, about nine forty-five P.M., she returned his call. He held back from picking her call immediately, but waited for it to send her to voicemail, she called back without leaving a message. When she called back a second time, he answered, glad she had persisted about reaching him, just as he had persistently gone about trying to reach her.

"Hello!" he answered, keeping it free of excitement, free of distress and frustration all in a bit to steer clear of drama.

However, she was not for all that, she was merely interested in the business she had on the mind. In her hand, she prepped a slingshot primed for his heart.

"Liam," she said,

"Hey, my sweetheart," he replied, overtaken by his happiness to hear her voice.

"Listen," she said curtly, "am not trying to hurt you or anything, but I just want you to know something…"

"What is it?" He asked impatiently.

She paused for a second, cleared her throat, "Liam, I'd like you to know that this thing we say we have between us…"

"Mm-mm? you mean our relationship?" He asked impatiently again.

"Well, whatever you call it, but yes... it can't work."

He was quiet.

"I mean, it's not the right thing. That is, uh… between us. The truth of the matter is that I… I… I don't think I would like my children… uh… to be raised in poverty. I don't want to be poor; do you get me?"

The word 'bitch!' Resonated in his mind. "We were not even in for the worse yet," he said, "we were just at level 'three' bad, and you've already bailed on me?" It sounded like some bazooka exploded when those words ricocheted in his mind. "By the way, train-up a child in poverty? What do you mean? Are you serious? Are you the one actually saying this, could you listen to yourself?"

"Yes, I heard myself, and I mean what I just said," she yelled into the phone, "I don't want to be poor," she repeated to his hearing. The background from where she spoke was loud with a lot of traffic noise. He guessed she was probably out by the roadside or something. He was definitely finished. That day turned out to be their last day as anything.

He sat on his one couch, staring blankly at the television. Watching as a pack of wolves chased down an elk. He felt amused, thinking how oddly enough he did not feel hurt by her, he was just disappointed by Terry's prediction. He had also been primed by suffrage. He had seen it all coming. He only felt reluctant about calling for the break up as long as he still got some sex in the lingering situation. She was still on the line, he heard her ask, "hello? did you hear what I've been saying?" He hadn't listened to all she said, he'd blanked out for a second there. But now, he decided not to break her heart in the break-up. Neither to fight nor curse her, but was at a dilemma to educate her on the things she could be missing when she failed to stay by her man through thick and thin, or just let her be.

"Well sweetheart," he began to say, "If it would do any good, let me tell you this. A man has a vision, and that is the most important thing in life. If a man has learned to know how to think, then hold on to that man. However, it suffices me to say that life for those who know how to think is better than life for those who know what to think."

Trying to cut him off, she started saying, "I know, I know, you don't have to preach all that to me. All…"

"Calm down, my dear woman, and listen to me!" he snarled. Chuckled then continued, "let me finish what I am saying."

"But you are about to start preaching, and I ain't got time for that," she tittered, hissing at him.

"Even as you know that this discussion could possibly be our last discussion?"

"Okay, okay, just hurry up already."

He heard the door opening in her background, children's voices excited to see her. He figured the children must be her sister's kids. "Hey mama!" he heard her greet, "did you get in on time? I had to pass my paper up so that you could have it," she said to her mother. "Hey Liam, I have to go now, I'm home and sleepy as hell."

"Now please listen," he said, talking fast,

"Okay you've got a minute."

"Listen, Terry, sweetheart…"

"Liam… I am not your sweetheart…"

"Wow, okay, Terry? Wow!"

"You've got less than a minute now."

"Terry… see, there are two types of men in this world…"

"Hmm?"

"Yes, I know! Please listen, one type of man thinks until he figures out what he is dealing with when he does, he becomes master of that which he has figured out, this man knows how to think. He is the man who invents, who creates something new, the Bill Gates, the Steve Jobs men who create something from nothing or from little."

"I don't really think I'm up to another one of your lectures tonight, Liam."

"Please listen, my sweet… Terry, please!"

"Okay, but your time is up."

"Please hear me out."

"Okay, hurry up, I need to clean up and get ready for bed."

"Terry, it may take a man who knows how to think, who knows how to figure things out a long time to arrive at the total of a sum. Once he has done it, he would know how to do it again, in case he ever fails again. However, for the other type of man. The man who only knows what to think, the one who must follow instructions, and not pursue innovation. He will only remember what to expect, and when that expectation does not come through, he would be devastated. He knows to think straight, and if X is no longer equal to Y, he hits rock bottom.

"Take, for instance, if a man who knows how to think and one who knows what to think are found in a homeless situation. They both have nothing; no job, no house, no life, and they have to get a house. The one who knows how to think would most likely find menial labor to sustain him, and because he knows how to think, he would get into a house he can afford first. He would now think of doing better and being able to provide a better place if fate permits.

"Unlike the one who knows what to think, such a person, most likely, would call friends and relatives for money to rent, and would, most likely, rent something beyond their means. Soon, when the property owner starts calling for rent, they would start calling again for the help that would lead them to lose respect even if they receive from borrowing. If he gets a job, he would be okay but could commit suicide when he loses a well-paying job. For now, he would not know how to think himself to the next level. He would not know how to make lemonade out of the lemons that life throws his way, because he only knows how to buy already squeezed lemon juice. If X equals Y changes due to an introduction of A in the equation, and A is a problem to be solved through unconventional methods, he would not be able to carry on.

"Folks who know what to think are the type who look rich as a form of being rich, with nothing in their savings account. They are the type who after living rich while working and earning salaries, retire lavishly and show up poor within three years after retirement. They're usually the ones you hear lost their life savings to fraudsters. Failing to see that money didn't buy them wealth overnight as it bought the other things. Not understanding that money must be used alongside concept, they pay to purchase wealth and lose all their life savings in the process. Hello… are you still there?" He asked, having shared his most recent deep thoughts.

"Yes, Liam, I… Liam, I honestly do enjoy your teachings, but it's just talks. I hope it helps you. Your words got me thinking, though. So, are you done?"

"Not really, I was going to say something else…"

"But Liam, I need to get some rest, I…"

"Let me round up now. The one who knows how to think are the type you hear about struggling through an idea, a concept, and a vision. On the surface they appear to be failing like skyscrapers being built, nothing is seen of the deep foundation that is filled with concrete before the building surfaces. Misunderstood, while wielding a mastermind, until you hear the story of how they finally made it. They retire only when they feel tired and need to rest, but mostly never poor. They are the type of fellows you hear were told they could not do this or that, and they pressed on. Not those who quit after they were told they would fail if they persisted. They were told their mindsets were culturally inaccurate- because they refused to be stereotypical. They know who they are on the inside. They allow their personality to become their identity instead of their identity becoming their personality. They are the Einstein of science, the Disney of the world of arts and childhood, the Beethoven of the world of music, Oprah Winfrey of the media world, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z of the rich-black-ghetto-fabulous world of record labels today." He stopped talking, listening to her soft breathing on the other line. "Hello, are you still there?"

"Mm, wanted to be sure you were done. I don't know which of the two people you described you belong to, but whichever one you believe in is the one I shouldn't run with. Or what do you think? You know I can't bear to be poor."

He had spoken so fast, blurting out so much, and all she did was mock him? The impudence! he thought, while he waited as she spoke, she giggled. He felt hurt. "I am of the section that knows how to think."

"Then, like I told you, nigger, I must run with the other type of group because your type ain't shit." Suddenly, she changed it all, "and this is one thing I hate about you," she said, raising her voice in anger. He could feel the tremor in her voice. The timbre was high pitched, and he could count down to her explosion. "You are always thinking too highly of yourself, now it's to compare your broke ass to quality and not quantity? Man, is that what you're about? Hahaha, boy, you disgust me, pauper! Bye and don't call disturbing my life anymore, broke-ass nigger!" She hung up the call.

He held the phone in his hands, just staring at it for a good sixty seconds after she hung up. She had said it! Finally, she'd let him know where his crime lay. In the fact that he had lost money in business, lost his head, lost his job, and now, lost her. He could not give her what she wanted anymore. Such was life, in its ups and downs. With all he had been managing to go through, hers was not going to be a big deal. All he ever wanted in a relationship was a partner. Someone to collaborate within the walk, through life, if she wasn't gonna be that partner to him, he would have to add her to the list of things he had already endured, enough said.

He went to his wine holder, brought out a bottle of rum, and poured himself a drink, took a swig of the liquor. Suddenly, he began speaking to himself, saying, "I know some girls will say they want to build with a man and grow with him, and you think you're that kind of girl? Ugh!?" he yelled. You doubt me and call me a pauper like Shonda did? We will see who the real pauper is. He poured himself another glass, then walked with the drink to the bathroom, brought out his wiener with his free hand, lifted the toilet seat, and leaked into the commode. When he was done, he left the seat that way, while he continued to speak to himself, saying, "Like she understood what she was saying or just knew what to say, but I don't think you understand the concept."

He walked over to the drink bottle, poured himself another drink. When he was done pouring, he looked at the glass. He decided he was not satisfied by the quantity he had poured, so he poured some more. Took another full swig of the drink, cleaning the cup out in four gulps. His eyes, began to feel heavy, his breathing slowed down, he began to wail. "I thought you could try to be that girl for me… that wouldn't mind growing with a man, now you don't think you can bear my lifestyle? The lifestyle was only good with my money!?" He wailed, yelled, and spat out. Gently he found himself slumping to the ground. As his eyes shut, he felt intoxicated but knew it would wear out fast. He was rarely ever drunk for too long. His side stool was close to his right side, he looked at it expectantly. It was there, the half wrap of weed he had not finished off smoking. He took up the ashtray bearing the vial, brought the vial to his lips, lit it, and took his first drag of the evening. He held the smoke in for five seconds to get all the high he could from it.

Somehow, he was relieved, slightly shocked by the reality of his projections, yet relieved. He was glad it did not take her long to set him free. Now, she could not say he dumped her, and her pride would be intact. Less the total number of women scorned within a season. His mind was, however, always the free mind not daunted by dirty thoughts. He had actually learned to stop his thoughts progressing on an untidy course. Besides, he had actually known how to demand a new line of thought from his mind. He saw it coming, and his mother had seen all she was and had given him heads-up on her too. Still, one thing was indisputable as the certainty that the sun had never ascended to rise or descended to set one day in its life span. Which is that he wasn't a man with a general mindset. He was that other man who understood that they see the sun appear and disappear, simply because they live in a world that dips and rises from its dips as it orbits around the sun.

He saw with the eyes of a visionary. He was that man with a vision, but she wanted a man who owned a television. As a preacher, he'd heard had once said, 'only time would tell before she'd start seeing him on that television bought by the other man.' He was sure about it, sure because he lacked the employee mindset. He came to life factory fitted with an employer's mindset. All he thought he needed was a proper economic structure that could support his start-up strategy. For now, it seemed impossible, due to his poor background, weakening credit line, and life. Banks would not borrow people money for their smart idea. They would only do so if you had an excellent credit, which he hadn't been able to build up yet.

Finally, he tried to get up from the floor, he slumped slightly, drunk, he decided to hold his balance. Leaning his back against the wall, he began to stand up again. When it seemed he wouldn't be able to stand away from the wall, he arched himself, using the back of his head as a guide to push himself up the rest of the way. He finally made it, standing up. He continued talking to himself, "since that's what you have made up your mind to do, I gladly support you. I will not stand in the way of your choice, and I wish you all the best in your next relationship."

She got mad, she was furious over the phone, 'don't tell me this guy hasn't been feeling anything for me all this while? I knew it!' She was hysterical over Liam's smooth acceptance of the break-up request. Guess she must have expected him to plead with her or something like getting frail perhaps and beg her not to leave him. She would that he had done something as a sign of his fight for their love. While that may be a natural course of choice to someone else, it hadn't been so for him. Bearing in mind that women consistently outnumbered men at the population census was helping keep such inhibiting thought out of his mind.

Indeed, when one soldier leaves the force, other joins immediately. The transition has always been, that as one soldier steps into the dorm to pack his duffel bag, another would have just reported taking his place. For her, they were finished. She needed to move on and felt he be damned for not begging to stay.

Chapter Seventeen

Christmas was now fast approaching, Liam needed to make some money before then, his only brother and immediate younger sister, of his two younger and only sisters, invited him back to the east coast, to Maryland where they both resided. His brother, with his family of four lived in a two-bedroom apartment; he offered Liam his children's room so that he could come and try out his luck in Maryland.

The offer was magnanimous, but the thing was that it was not a way out of his challenges. It merely provided a break, a sort of retreat for a re-launch to his pathetic and challenging situation. Meanwhile, as per his sister, she had offered to help him secure a job with her office. She worked at a place where they convinced people to sign up for holiday resort homes in foreign countries. In places they were not even sure they would ever visit. He was to be a marketer, and one of the reasons she believed he would thrive in such a line of business was because of his excellent public speaking skills. Having even being a preacher in the past, preaching from several altars, lecterns. Holding spiritual classes with many youths in rural areas. Over the years, he'd been to three different states, throttling people's souls with the argument of the possibility of a positive mindset through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

He often remembered how, way back, when they were kids, Liam's arguments had made a certain man chase him with a baseball bat to crack his skull. He had gone to them in the projects, to preach the word of God. There was this scripture where it read, and he quoted saying, 'don't you know ye all are gods, and that ye all are the children of the highest God?' Now the quotation was not the problem. But the moment he interpreted that verse, to clarify what the Psalmist meant when he wrote the passage. And what Jesus said when he mentioned the scriptural passage to his listeners, which was that if they were the children of God, then they were gods. Which made sense, since goats birth goats and snakes birth snakes, etcetera.

Moreover, the reason the scripture would say that they were the children of the highest God would be to differentiate them from God himself. By ranking them as God's children, it shows why humans create. Just like God is believed to have created the world. Then Liam explained how the scripture showed a ranking. "There is the high," he said, "which is man, and the highest, who is God. So, the term 'most high." He looked at the two thuggish looking guys. One had a catholic rosary around his neck. "There are even many other elements called god, which are not regarded as the highest, but as gods, because they are in the service of the one God."

To this teaching of his, the man adorning the rosary became perturbed. He stopped Liam, saying, "wait-wait, wait though, let me get this straight, are you saying that you are God?" he asked his head cocked to one side like he was pushing his left ear towards Liam to hear all Liam was saying.

Now, his forehead was creased sternly, convoluted folds as the consternated expression on his face showed the anxiety he felt at Liam's gist. The man's cousin was sitting by his side, also listening intently and sincerely enjoying Liam's every word. He believed Liam spoke the type of truth he would like to hear, and having shown wherein the scriptures expressed the quotation, he accepted.

They were both stockily built and very muscular men. Liam, so engrossed in his explanations, replied, "Yes, I am a god, just not the highest God."

While he spoke, he noticed the questioner get up. But he had not realized the skeptical one had gotten up from his chair and gone to the tool shed in the yard, where he pulled out a wooden baseball bat. Liam thought he stepped out for the sake of it. He came back into the room, wielding the bat. Then he called Liam, saying, "preacher..." Liam turned to his voice. "...you say you're God?"

"Son of God, not God," Liam quickly corrected.

"He said the son of God, and that he is a god, like God the Father," the one in agreement chipped in.

"I heard what he said. He is saying that he is God, ain't that right, Preacher?"

Liam looked up from the verse he had been trying to quote, he took in the scene, quickly assessing the situation to also determine how to refute the man's ignorance. "No, I did not say that I am God. I've only said that I am a god."

"Oh, seems about sounds the same to me chap, ain't it Charlie?" he asked his brother.

"No, Julius, we've got to let the preacher evangelize, you don't have to be mean, where on did you go and get that old bat from anyways?"

"Well, I's had the darn bat stashed away for a wrong day." As he spoke, he kept his eyes trained on Liam. Thirsty for the chap's evangelical blood. "Now, mister, I want you to prove that you are god."

Liam looked from Charlie to Julius, quickly processing the situation. "No am not God, I only mean that since I call myself a child of God, then the child should be like his father."

"It don't matter to me in any way. Looky here, it's raining outside, and I want you to stop this rain, and when you do so, then I will believe you're a god. If you don't, then I've got your ass to myself."

"Wait, what I am saying is that, just because…" Liam quickly corrected his thought and changed what he was about to say. He got up to his feet. Charlie, the cousin who had been enjoying his teaching, got up too. He quickly stood between Julius and Liam. Liam continued explaining himself. Not quite scared as one would have thought, "I am not God, I only said that, I am the son of God, I am therefore a god, and I'm not the one who said so of my own accord, but the scriptures say so. Look at it, it's right here." While he spoke, he estimated the distance between himself, the doorway, and Julius. Liam was convinced that he would knock out whatever light of the Holy Spirit he must have received if ever he succeeded at clubbing him with that bat. His arms bulged of so many sinews, muscles, and weird-looking veins that all suggested years of hard labor.

While his cousin Charlie held him firmly and they had a shuffle, he kept shouting, "the only way am a leave this dude is if he stops the rain that's falling so that I can go out to my farm now."

Liam's faith was radical, and he could have hung around to demonstrate or try to demonstrate the request by performing a miracle. But a voice he suspected to be God's voice told him to skip the thought and get himself out of the house fast. He decided not to tempt the Lord God his God and made towards the exit. Julius, the skeptic, seeing Liam was about to flee, charged up, pushing his cousin forward with all his might. To create space between them so he could descend on Liam. However, the club in his hand made it difficult for him to have dominance in their struggle. Lacking much balance, as he required, made his cousin who held him firmly gain the better of the situation. As Julius tried again to shove his cousin Charlie off, he lost balance slightly and dropped on his right knee. He propped himself forward for the right force against the one holding him back. At that, his cousin's strength immediately overpowered his entirely, caused him to trip, loose balance. As he made to fall, he tried catching himself. Instead, he staggered backward at his cousins bucking.

Liam took that as his final cue and dashed out of the house, clutching his bible to his heart, not minding his heels as they knocked against the back of his head in flight. It was drizzling outside, given that the rain had subsided, but he did not mind. Since there was no fun in his compromising his life, there was no need to observe the weather. Yet, that was just one in many of his unforgettable adventure as a teacher in his youth days.

He accepted his siblings' invitation and departed for Maryland on the Monday of the first week of December on a Greyhound bus. When he got to Maryland, he called his brother's cell phone several times to get proper directions to his home. Still, he would not take his call, so he disembarked at a bus stop he felt was the right bus stop. Only to find he was at the wrong bus stop and now had to walk about half a mile to the spot where he could get a bus to his brother's house. Getting a bus or a cab out of the wrong spot, where he had alighted, had been a struggle. Later, his brother told him that he had alighted at a notorious place. He thanked his stars, because nothing could have been more attractive to robbers than a traveler with a bag.

Maryland was close to New York, Liam's birthplace, so he was very familiar with the state. The next day after he arrived, being a Tuesday, he decidedly hung out at a club called Dé Neo Afrikan club, lots of Africans hung out there too. He liked their girls, with their heavy accents. But today, it was sparsely filled. Some black stars had been there in the early days of its glory, including kings of pop, jazz kings, kings of soul music, and lots of memories had happened there. The club had photographs of legends that had been by. But now it was only notorious for weed and a local brew handed down from a hundred years, a drink from the days when American slaves brewed whiskey in plantations.

While he dragged on his marijuana and sipped his whiskey, he allowed himself to enjoy the music playing. It was exhilarating to know the cities were opening up to the possibilities of legalizing Indian hemp. Though it seemed like a farfetched story. California had braved it already, leading the way. It was yet to be seen if other states would follow suit, now all they had to fear was the federal agents. He felt that by the time he would be fully ready for his business, the land would have ripened, prepared for him. He had a dream to be the sixth major entertainment company after the big five. The world was ripe with the most valuable gift for such a venture. The gift of people, the gift of people not burgeoned with unnecessary laws. The world was growing faster than the ancient systems that made laws for their neighbors down the lane. Talents were becoming more diverse, and newer ones were being founded. It was a world of the brand-new Michael Angelos, Leonardo Davincis, stars who would have struggled less in this new world. When there exists such a significantly growing population of people, one thing would always be consistent, and that thing was talents. Who would have thought of the internet, and now the internet looked set to reveal new skills never ever imagined? Things that eyes had never seen, nor ears ever heard were emerging. There were now things new under the sun.

Talent, in his industry, was the raw material. With it, he would affect lives, this he believed. He also saw the exponential significance of one talent as it changed other people as per network. Expressing this thought in Metcalfe's theory. Or have it alternatively rephrased that a business is as successful as the ability of the man in the industry to communicate the business to the next man. And that man to another man, until they all describe the same market to other men. This law means that as a network adds users, the value increases geometrically. On this system, Liam's concept entirely found expression, the expression that he could network the world as an organ. But then there was this artificial intelligence thing like a pipe full of smoke. Would robots be able to compose new songs and imagine new artworks? Would a robot be able to invent an original idea? He shrugged and decided to enjoy his night minus worries beyond his ability to deal.

At about midnight, he got up from the joint and left for home. Ten minutes later and yet no cab, he decided to walk down the road, then through a trail, till he came to a well-lit street. He saw car headlights approaching him. He flagged down the car, it came to a stop in front of him, just close enough to almost run over his toes. He told the cab his destination, got in, and he rode off into the night.

On Wednesday, he went to apply at his younger sister's place of work. He was the first there, as would be his character of the early bird. When the staff of the establishment came in, he was ushered to meet with the supervisor.

"Your sister handed me your resume. My name is Barry Quincy, call me Quincy." He took out his hand to shake Liam, he accepted and held him in an excellent grip.

"Yes, she told me."

"Have you ever been a marketer?"

"Yes, I have sold in stores."

"You know that's different from marketing peripheral products, the client might not even need?"

"What's the difference?"

"When you see a product that you need, say a toothbrush, you only purchase it when you need that, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Here we sell holiday packages in foreign countries; the thing is, nobody really knows when they're going to take a vacation to travel to our available destination. Still, we've got to make them need it and not just need our packages, but buy them."

"I get it, I think I can sell ice to an Eskimo though."

"You know they actually go ice harvesting?"

"What can I say, I'd take it from them and provide them the services for all the stress it takes to get the ice."

He chuckled, "That's the spirit, I want you to start immediately. You will be in George's team, learn all he has to teach, you need to be up on the speed of things."

"Which one of them is George?"

"Hey, George!" he hollered.

George turned around to see his caller. He bade him over to them. George immediately began to limp towards them. "This is George, George, Liam." He said gesticulating from one to the other as he introduced them. "I want you to teach him the ropes, George. Aight, let's get."

Liam felt good, he was hired on the spot. The team would train him. They tagged him to an Asian girl by the name of Su Young Ho, who would be his partner. She was a beautiful young lady of about twenty-three. He was impressed with the entire sales packaging they brought on the ground. They put the sales agents on tables two to a table facing two empty chairs that two other people basically the prospective clients would occupy. When the clients or prospects finally come in and take their seats, the sales begin immediately over loud, playing music, which psychologically provides compartments for the folks discussing business. The clients would be able to hear their salesperson, and the salesperson would be able to listen to what the client is saying. However, the people at the other table would not listen to what they discussed. Partially because as the clients strained to hear all the salesperson was doing, they begin to read the lips of the person unconsciously. They pick up signs that the brain interprets into words without even knowing; Liam was impressed. Then, he was again impressed when they interrupted the session, and George went up to pitch the general house on the packages they were selling.

George was disabled in the left limb from an accident he had while jogging through the trail. The morning he slipped into a ditch covered by grasses would remain the day he knew pain. And would always let you know that he was now empathetic because of that. His skin was quite paled by the winter, he barely smiled. Yet, when he spoke, the fluency of his sales pitch was intelligent. As he proved point by point, why it was better to invest in their club. To rent a vacation house or condominium that one would probably not be living in and may never live in than to spend one's money on cola sodas. No doubt fools, who would want bragging rights to say they had a house in countries thousands of miles away, would definitely buy their membership. As if that alone gave one profit in the said country.

By the second and third days, they replayed the same routine. Liam's mind instantly paused for a minute. When two other salespeople came up and delivered the same intelligent speech George had given, verbatim, Liam realized it was all scripted. Then it dawned on him; it was a well-rehearsed strategy. No wonder he thought, while George had looked bored, he was still able to deliver such a powerful message. They were not his words; he was one who knew what to think and not how to think. For if he knew how to think, he would have been too busy speaking the words from a constructive perspective. His mind would have also been engaged to prevent him from looking bored, even if his speech had been boring. Yet, the man's speech was not dull, but he was bored with... the routine, that was it.

At the end of the third day, Liam's supervisor invited him to stand up during their marketer's meeting. He did, and he began to ask questions about Liam's observations. Now, this had happened after he had debriefed the team on their need to make more sales happen. It seemed they had not been convincing enough and, therefore, were not making enough money for the business of which they were only paid commissions. Another strategy by the executives to ensure they raked in money adequately. At the same time, the employees worked satisfactorily, cutting off cost, and putting them at risk of going the extra miles to the point of sex for customers, just to land enough commissions.

He began to answer his questions, and as he expressed his opinions, a woman's voice hollered, "it's enough, you can sit down now," against him from somewhere at the back. He recognized the voice; it had been loud and friendly during lunch breaks but was now a threatening voice. Competition would be high here, he quickly figured, and whoever could deliver would be top dog.

"Leave the man to express himself," another voice, a male voice, countered.

From that moment, he empathically understood what type of future would face someone like him, in that place. Given the mindset that he had, that he should be able to sell ice to an Eskimo, or lava to a Kilauea Hawaiian. In a place like this, a week or a month would be enough to become the top dog. If you could sell fantasies to people and could help them have faith in the possibility of a vacation, then you would have given them happiness. If you could motivate them enough to spend as much as ten thousand dollars, on a holiday home they would live in for a week only, in the fifty-something weeks that made up a year, then they should pay.

As far as he was concerned, the challenge was going to be nothing. Still, after a week with them, he realized he was dreaming and seeing the possibilities of using the system to raise capital and running grease for his dream. The inspiration was healthy, and the thought of staying in Maryland quickly dimmed. As the urge for him to return to base and try out the new concept he had picked up, began to motivate him. Even though he still had no money on him, his mind had been renewed. He also failed to relate to the possible suffrage that would be awaiting his return to Dallas. During a lunch break, he called his sister aside, "Hey, could you help me? I need to borrow some money I think I'm through with Maryland."

"Okay." she agreed, "but I can't promise it right away, I will have to transfer it to your account, but as soon as possible."

"Sounds good, I will keep my fingers crossed and reach out to you soon as I get back to Dallas." He left never to return to the job again. He was done with the East coast; it was time to head back south to take back his fight and pursue his purpose and passion for figuring out his next moves. Maryland had served as a quick motivator. The total number of days he had spent there? Five days.

However, before leaving the state, he had an old friend of his, from high school named Timothy, who lived in Maryland. He wanted to see the guy who had also been a member of his high school football team. Tim, as they fondly called him, had also been a mate in the creative club. In the past, Liam enjoyed spending time with him. Time with the chap always helped him exercise his mind.

Liam went over to Tim's house for drinks and to watch the game before heading back out south. He got a taxi and headed out that way. Made a brief stop at a liquor store, down six blocks from Tim's house, for a bottle of rum and another of vodka. There were seven other guys in the house when he got there. Patriots' game against Jets, was coming on. The commentators were still analyzing the players' possible game and predicting, ever wrongly, the outcome of the game. An auspicious game for all New Yorkers to be seated, indeed. "Hey, Tim!"

"Hey, hey guys see who's here," Tim said, getting up to welcome his guest.

"Cool, what's up, y'all having a good time it seems," he said, bringing out the bottles he had in a brown paper bag.

"Oh! You just turned up this party buddy," another chap Quan guffawed from his corner in the room, they all burst out cheering and laughing. A knock sounded on the door. Someone crossed to open the door. It was two thick blondes, both had on red t-shirt tops with sequin stars in the colors of the American flag sewn to the front. They were both chewing gums and donned pretty long lashes. From across where he sat, Liam acknowledged them. They were two true beauties, howbeit, they looked broke and hood. A kid named Steve, an African from Ghana, went up to say hi to them. He kissed them both on their lips and led them to the back of the vast twenty by twenty-five feet room.

"Yo pass the Courvoisier!" bellowed a Chinese guy Lee. Liam used to know him from when he was much younger, just seemed a little different, more matured. They poured drinks into their cups, passed the bottles around, and soon they were all, either tipsy or drunk-on rum and vodka. Sensing that he had had enough to drink, Liam excused himself, not bothering with seeing the rest of the game. Quickly, he went to a corner of the room where he'd found an old mattress spread on the floor, in the living room, and slumped on it. The rest of the guys continued drinking until they were raving in support of their winning team. Soon they were thoroughly inebriated. The kid called Steve, the African kid from Ghana, got drunk and didn't realize how drunk he was until he went to the bathroom to ease himself. As he stood to take a leak, he looked up and saw cobwebs, he decided, in his state of mind, to clean out the cobwebs. He looked around to figure out how to carry out his thoughts. He decided climbing the toilet cistern would be his best bet. While attempting to climb the toilet cistern, he tried leaning against the wall in front of him for extra support. The moment he raised himself on the reservoir and heaved up himself, in his drunken stupor, he came crashing with the cistern. Spilling water everywhere and barely managing to escape with his life as he hit the floor. The reservoir had ripped through his leg to his thighs. He muttered, "Oh shit!" tried to stand up staggered forward, crashing his head straight into the door. Yet, pain from the wounds he had sustained did not register in his mind. He tried getting up again, his bowel moved, and he gaged on the air he inhaled, nauseated, he threw up. He tried getting up still, staggered as he managed to stand up. Stepped out, swaying in his drunken steps. He took a step or two and then fell back on the ground, bumping his head against a bucket sitting on the floor, and passed out. Tim's girlfriend Andria, hearing all the commotion as she got in the house, was the first to detect the noise from the bathroom. She ran towards it to investigate and found him on the floor, bleeding and covered with vomit. She screamed, yelling, "Tim!" He came running to the bathroom, when he saw the whole situation, he lost his mind and just muttered incoherent religious words.

"Call the ambulance, Jesus! Steve, what happened here?" Tim asked the unconscious, Steve.

The music player was still playing loud hip-hop music, pre-mixed by a Deejay. The ambulance came, with some police officers, who took statements before the ambulance took him away, after providing first aid. Some of the guys decided to go home after giving their accounts to the officers. And Liam slept through it all until he felt a hand tapping on him to wake up. Still inebriated, he woke up to the commotion, initially confused about his whereabouts. When Liam gained orientation of his environments, he answered the questions the cops had for him. They left him, and he went back to sleep.

Early the next morning, at about four A.M., he headed out to his brother's house, got his things, and made his way to Greyhound bus terminus. Embarked on the long-distance journey back to Dallas. He slept through most of the twenty-eight hours' drive back to base to avoid the anxiety mode his mind had gone into. The excitement of what he believed was a possible way to try running his business.

Throughout his journey back home, he couldn't stop reflecting on what strategies they employed at his sister's company. The whole procedure enticed him so much, he figured he would probably operate the same system. The only difference would be that while these other people sold holiday dream resort tenements, his would be a partnership of sale, much the same way. One thing was a challenge to his train of thought, though, which was an office location and how to raise the money to get that part. His thoughts lingered on it so much it became his meal throughout the journey. He had been to several banks with his business proposition, and it seemed impossible. He had asked some people to help with a private loan. After listening to his business propositions and plans, they mostly thought that entertainment was not for the serious-minded. Moreover, he meant they all felt the same, preferring to hear him talk about businesses like direct marketing and retails.

A week after he got back from Maryland, on a Friday afternoon, a friend of his, and, neighbor, called him to tell him she was getting married. He had been to their engagement party. Now, her relationship with her fiancé of over a year plus was about to be sealed.

"When?" he asked her

"Tomorrow," she replied.

"Where?"

"New York!"

"But that's too short a notice, and too far a distance! That's not even an invitation," he argued.

"But I told you and gave you an invitation which you didn't respond to," she argued back.

He thought for a minute, calculating how much he had left on him. The money he had gotten from his sister could fly him to New York, but would not be enough to bring him back. He decided, against better reason to make the trip, so he told her.

"The problem is that I don't have accommodation in New York, or I would have come."

'"You mean you can still head out to New York at this time?" she asked him, not totally believing him.

"Yes, of course! Why not?"

"Then I am sending you the address," she said excitedly, "don't even bother about accommodation. We paid for more than enough rooms at the hotel where we are lodging, you'd be well taken care of."

"Great, then I'm on my way."

"Well, Liam, see you when you get to New York then," she giggled and hung up.

Off to New York, he went that same evening, taking the last flight out to Kennedy airport. The reason he'd decided to go was beyond him. This lady Carisa was one of two women, roommates, who lived in the apartment across from his. He thought they were lesbians, even though they had not come out and pretended to be different. They both loved soccer, Carisa was actually a former professional soccer player and seemed the femme. They loved to dress like men and wanted to take most of his cute shirts. He had grown fond of them and was their ally in a lot of naughty conversations. Liam was indeed a dandy when he dressed. Always immaculate, his fashion taste was exquisite, so he had mostly high-quality materials on his back.

Carisa's girlfriend had gotten married about a year earlier, now she was getting married too. It was amazing how they both got married to the opposite sex after leaving the impression that they preferred girls to guys. They had all come to the apartment complex the same year. They, two months after him.

One night while reading a book and listening to music, he'd suddenly heard voices at the back of his house. Liam lived on the ground floor. Cautiously, he'd turned down the volume of the music to be sure of what noise he was hearing and where it was coming from. Then he'd listened to the splashing of water, and giggles, so he got up to investigate. The noise was coming from the side of his kitchen window. He went into the kitchen to peek out of the small window provided at the back. What he saw got him so heated. In the glare of a distant, faint light and the moonlight stood two naked women taking a bath. They were at the point where one was scrubbing the other's back. He pressed better against the window for a more unobstructed view. They seemed oblivious of him spying on them. As he watched them wash, he was intrigued when one of them slightly bent her knees to scrub her vagina. He reached in his boxers' shorts, now feeling blood drip into sexy parts of his body and causing him to throb. The one he now knew as Carisa said something, and the other girl started laughing, she lifted her head towards the window where he was watching from. He ducked, thinking they suspected he was there. As he repositioned himself to continue with his voyeur, he saw them donning bathrobes. Soon, they came walking towards his front door. He decided to step out and meet them in person. They were a few steps past his door when he opened his door and hollered at them, "hi!" he said, "were you girls just now taking a bath in my backyard?"

"Yes," Carisa answered, "we're so sorry to have bothered you."

"Pfft!" he puffed, waving it off, "it's no big deal."

"So sorry. We had to make use of a makeover bathroom because; our bathroom is clogged and needs repairs."

"Have you a plumber to fix it?"

"Yes, we do actually. The plumbers had assured us the repairs would be ready before the end of the day, but…" she shrugged, "had failed to deliver on his promise."

"Our dilemma was to either rent a hotel, or save the money and seek a makeshift bathroom, or forego taking a bath," said the other girl called Ebele.

"After two days, duh!" Carisa chimed, rolling her eyes.

They failed to let him in on the fact that they had just had sex after going through a hectic day of yoga routines and couldn't bear the stickiness and body odor anymore. They decided on the idea of taking a bath at midnight when all were supposedly asleep. Liam's backyard was chosen as the best option, given the privacy, it provided, from how it was walled off.

By the time Liam got to New York, he had run out of every hard cash that was on him, except for a couple of cents. Disembarking the plane at four in the morning, he proceeded on foot. Anticipating the possibility of a walk somewhere in between his entire journey, he had traveled super light. Just packing his blazer, fancy pants, a shirt, and his favorite, black, dressing shoes.

He walked two hours to the point where he could take a bus directly to the hotel. Arriving lower Queens at six forty-five, he felt he was in his zone. However, he was sweating profusely by the time he arrived at the bus stop. His phone subscription was off, so he couldn't call Carisa, but he could receive calls, just couldn't make any. The journey had been a total risk. He stopped to say hi to some thugs who were sitting in the recess of the bus stop smoking weed. He pumped fist with them, greeting "what's up, man, hey sup man?" before asking them, "Yo! Can I take a drag of the puff?"

One of them looked at him and must have wondered at his guts. The one with the weed said, "sure, here, have a drag on me."

He hit some drags, exhaling into the air, and relaxed until regaining his strength before getting up for a bus ride to the hotel.

At the hotel, he gave the receptionist his information, and she rang up Carisa. She came to the lobby, excited to see him, her eyes bright with a glint to it. "Wow, you made it," she said, arms spread as she approached him, "I'm so happy to see you." They hugged happily.

"I'm happy to be here and happy to see you too, dear." She took him to finally meet her groom in the room.

"Hey Dave, meet my good friend, Liam. Liam, Dave, my fiancé."

"Man, I am so glad to meet you," said Liam.

"Yeah, sure, same. How was your flight? I learned you left impromptu."

"Great, little turbulence, but a large plane. Couldn't miss Carisa's wedding for Anything."

"That's good to know."

"Well, Liam, let me take you to your room, you will be sharing rooms with my twin." She took his hand and led him out.

"See you later, buddy," Dave waved at him.

She took him to his room; "my twin arrives in another hour. He is coming in from Boston."

"I didn't know you were a twin."

"Well, I am. I must have failed to mention it."

"Wow, Carisa, how are you doing? You owe me, though; you've been a naughty girl."

"I'm so sorry, Liam, I thought I gave you the invitation, really."

"Hi!" a voice called from the door.

"Isabella, come on in and meet my friend Liam."

The addressee walked through the door. She put forth her hand to greet Liam. He accepted her handshake, "Liam."

"Isabella," she replied, blushing.

She was a beautiful, shorty standing at maybe five feet, five. Her energy excited Liam. She had a gorgeous figure, and when she turned to leave, he couldn't help but notice her butts were shapely. He made a mental note to get a piece of it at the earliest convenience. But, Isabella was everywhere, helping with everything.

During the wedding, Carisa asked him to perform one of his old songs, and he accepted the request. They partied, danced, ate, drank, and alcohol kept rolling. Liam was having a great time until he got drunk. Not good at holding his drink in, he quickly made his way to the bathroom. Once in, he got out his key and tried pushing it down his throat to stimulate himself to retch. As he gagged, he tried controlling the noise from his retching, as much as he could. He vomited much of the liquor he had drunk. When he was done, he felt an instant relief from the alcohol, washed his face, gurgled his mouth thoroughly, rinsing it out for bad breath, and returned to the party pack.

By this time, the wedding was over, and closer family members were sitting outside the venue, there were sit out chairs at the place, and they utilized it. He joined them, and since he had expelled the previous beer he'd drunk, he had room for a new set. They observed the way he drank, noting that he'd been drinking since the party started without getting drunk. They whispered amongst themselves that this was a true Tom-boots, some tough dude.

Later that night, while hanging with the women, they confronted him about how they'd seen him consistently drinking without ever getting drunk. He shrugged his shoulders, feigning ignorance at the entire situation. His secret had been recognizing the critical moment. Knowing when he began feeling tipsy, and quickly getting the drinks expelled from his system. The women admired his stamina for drinking so much and still standing strong.

His aim was to sleep with Isabella that night, but her sisters were all over the place, and as he bided time for the opportunity, she slept off. He couldn't blame her; she'd worked the hardest of all who came to help out. So, she passed out once she hit the sheets. Liam tried waking her up for a minute, employing every strategy he could. After unsuccessfully trying to wake her so they could sneak off and explore his degrees of lust, he left her. Headed out to the other room reserved for him and Carisa's twin. When he got in, the fella was asleep, Liam flopped on a corner of the bed, and slept off.

The next morning, he called Carisa, explaining how he was short on cash to ride back home. He asked her to lend him some money for transport back home. "I consider it payment for my performance," he'd said.

She agreed but gave him half of what could fly him back. Accepting the money, he left her, slightly disappointed but deciding not to complain. He got up, picked his night bag, and headed for the door. He walked again to the bus stop, made it to the park, and hitched a ride to his base, pleading with the driver to accept a little less than what they usually would. He traveled hungry for twenty-four hours. Despite all, he was glad at having attended his friend's wedding.

Throughout the weeks that followed after that trip, he struggled. It was now just a week to Christmas, so he decided to go home for the holidays. He took his black blackberry phone and some electronics to a pawnshop, pawned it for some money for the journey. Settled his debts and in his zeal to ensure he owed no one into the new year, he spent beyond his budget and ended up with a little to travel with. On the day he was to go, he packed only necessary items and few clothes. At the bottom of the bag was a false bottom. There he placed the gold necklace Juliet had given him for their love trysts. She had given him another, more expensive than the first one. Liam walked out of the house, feeling downcast as he made his way to the roadside to hitchhike a ride. After hanging for about five hours on the side of the road, he finally got a trip that was heading his way. He had been confident there would be a lot of people traveling up east that time of the year.

When they got to the state boundaries of New York and New Jersey, the driver announced he was tired and would need to sleep. He pulled over at a parking area so that they could rest. He tried convincing the driver to make it into New York before stopping, but all the debate he had put up to deter the driver from parking and sleeping fell on deaf ears. Since he was riding for free, the driver suggested he rode into New York anyway he could, rather than let them keep him from his journey. He decided against walking with a bag through the cities of New York and New Jersey at night. Early the next morning, they woke up and began their journey into New York. Now Liam was famished, he desperately needed something to eat. Having nowhere else to turn to, he looked at the lady next to him. Her name was Helen, they had chit-chatted now and then throughout the long-distance journey, and for the next few miles forward, he considered asking her for alms.

"Hi, sorry to bother you, Helen, but I… don't know how to say this," he paused to see if she was listening. She was, forehead creased as she listened intently to what he was blabbing about. "I have a need… please am going to be stranded by the time we arrive in New York. I don't have the cash to continue on my journey. Please could you help me with any amount?"

"Oh, so sorry to hear this, yes let me give you something." She dug through her purse, found two five-dollar bills, and a ten-dollar note, she handed him the money.

"Thank you so much," he appreciated.

"Don't mention it."

Still, when they pulled into a McDonalds where the driver said he would have to drop them all, she took him inside and got him some refreshment. He was now strolling up towards a train station to get a train to Queens, his hometown. When suddenly, a passenger bus pulled up to him, and the conductor got down from the bus, approaching him, he asked Liam, "where you going?" They were somewhere in Long Island.

"Queens," he told the man.

"That's where we are headed," the man replied.

"How much do you charge?" Liam asked, feeling a bit skeptical, "because I don't have any more money on me."

"How much do you have?" the conductor inquired.

"Just this paltry," he said, showing him the ten-dollar bill, he just got from Helen in the ride down.

"Alright, get in," the man said, stepping aside to clear off the door and let him in. The moment he stepped into the small bus, the driver gunned the engine and drove off. Liam rummaged through his bag for whatever. The conductor turned to Liam, grimaced, then called him, "hey!"

Liam looked up in time to see the conductor dash a blow at his face.

"The Fuck!?" yelled Liam as he quickly ducked to his left, missing the impact of the punch. Counting, "one, two," Liam promptly responded his assailant, throwing back a blow at the conductor's face, hurting him.

The force of the unexpected blow instantly blinding the conductor. Hastily Liam flipped to finish of the assailant, for the man's intent had not dawned on him. Soon as he bent over the conductor, the man who had been sitting behind him smacked him in the back of the head, with the butt of a gun, knocking Liam forward. He banged his head against the passenger's seat. Gaining consciousness instantly, he charged towards the second man, half bearing himself up.

Then he heard a voice from the passenger front seat say, "now calm down, boy."

He darted a quick look at the guy who just spoke, he had a gun leveled at Liam. Then, it dawned on Liam that he could be in grave danger. He looked back towards the last man he was making to punch before the front seat man called him. The dude also had a gun leveled at Liam. Liam calmed down, opting to think before acting. The conductor recovering from Liam's punch got up raining blows at Liam. He protected himself by blocking the assaults.

"Cut it off," the man in front shouted at the conductor.

Liam shut his eyes and curled up against the end of the seat and the driver's seat. He opened his eyes a minute later, to locate his position and returned from his fall against the driver's seat. Again, the conductor launched at him to strike him another blow to his face. Liam was now attentive to his attackers. He quickly put up his arms in defense. The conductor pressed him against the window forcing his face against it like he wanted it to go through. Liam kicked him in the crotch and instantly felt another blow to his head. He passed out for what must have seemed like ages. Suddenly he woke up, hoping it was in a dream he had just had the experience of the merciless battery.

Then he heard a husky voice rasp out, "Oh boy, boy! now you need to calm down, and I will not shoot you."

He looked up to see who had spoken and noted it was the man in the front seat, and he kept his gun leveled at Liam's face. Liam relaxed, but by God, his Gemini tongue was let loose, "man, why would you guys hit me? All you had to do was tell me the deal and get what you want," Liam protested.

The conductor answered him in a grouchy smoke timbered voice, "Seems you ain't got enough beating yet, right?"

"Uh, uh! You should be good and fight like a man," said Liam. Looking from gun bearer to gun bearer. He could take them squarely. "That wouldn't get you anything better," he said, referring to the guns. I'm on my way to bury my father and have no money. In fact, if it wasn't for my father's death I would definitely not have been on this journey, I don't have any money," he wailed, lying through his teeth about his long-dead father.

The conductor launched to strike him again, he quickly braced himself for the impact. "Stop it!" the voice of the one with the gun, in the front, passenger seat commanded.

"But his tongue won't stop wagging," the conductor insisted, waving a clenched fist close to his arms-blocked face.

The one in front, with the gun, restrained him, "Leave him alone, the kid is grieving."

"Okay, boss!" he growled.

Turning back to Liam, from observing the roads, the gun wielder, who seemed to be the boss, said, "Do you have a cell phone on you?"

He did, "Yes, I do!" he meekly answered, wiping blood from his cut upper lip. He had the phone Terry had given him. The man beckoned for it with his hands. Liam quickly took it out of his pocket and handed it to him. Analyzing that the reason the conductor had attacked and consistently hit him was to ensure he feared them. Unfortunately, he was going through so many woes already that his mind could not even register fear in the situation. They took his bag from him and searched it; while he calmly told them repeatedly, "I have no money."

Their leader, who seemed to have genuinely gotten compassionate, returned his ten-dollar bill, that the conductor had scuffled out of his left hand. He also returned his SIM card to Liam's relief. He felt relieved because his contacts were all in it. When the conductor searched him to ensure he was not trying to be wise, he asked Liam to take out his pockets. Liam dipped his hand in and, in a swift move, flipped out his pockets, holding them by the tip.

Meanwhile, he had quickly crumpled and cupped the money he'd gotten from the lady, Helen, in the cusp of his hand and thumb. Satisfied that he had nothing else to hide or valuables for them to steal, the thieves dropped him off somewhere. They sped off into the night, heading to catch some other victim. It was almost Christmas, and desperate men were out prowling in the cold for vulnerable victims. He heard a church bell toll for angelus, he realized it was now six A.M. even though the day was still pretty dark.

Liam pulled his coat tight around him, retied his scarf around his neck, and began walking forward. Thanking God his life had not been taken in the tussle, he sauntered, until he had walked for about half an hour. Not willing to get into any other random bus, Liam kept keen eyes on the road, in case any other fool came after him or tried to sneak up on him. He walked until he reached a busy street. When he got to the active areas, he felt thankful, soon he was at the bus station. He turned in, stood in line for his ticket, after he had gotten his card, he joined the bus. Due to his recent experience, he realized he was the one whose thoughts consumed him, to the point that he'd failed to be cautious of his environment.

When he got home to his family, his mother, and his sisters, his brother, his brother's wife and his three little nieces and nephew were all home for the holidays. It was a full house, and he was happy to be back together with loved ones. Even though his mind did not stop running to get him out of his situation. He was ever pushing and tasking his mind for solutions. Liam began unpacking his bag, opened the false bottom, and took out the necklaces, brought it to his lips and kissed them. The thieves had missed them.

On the thirtieth of December, his mother came to his room, while he lay on the bed thinking, and dropped a booklet on him. He sat up, took it up, and began flipping through it. In it was a proposal he had written five years earlier. Which he had presented to the then-mayor of the city. With hopes of starting up a city carnival, that would've benefitted both the town and himself. However, the then-mayor lacked imagination and could not see where he was going. His idea could primarily promote the city and directly influence the city's economy positively. He read the proposal again, bearing in mind that there was a new mayor in town. Would he buy the idea? He wondered. Was he visionary? He knew little about the man but was willing to find out.

The next day he headed out to the Mayor's office, uninvited. His steps were now meek, from the memory of the hardships he had experienced while hoping for the best. When he got to the mayor's, they gave him a seat to sit and wait for him. Later the mayor came out. He stood up to salute the mayor. The man had a round face with a chin dimple. He wore glasses and seemed intense with squeezed brows. Liam introduced himself to him, and they got talking, he was happy to find out the mayor was a distant cousin too.

Nevertheless, he did not bench on that as a reason for him to approve of his idea. Liam decided last minute to rewrite the proposal, because it had its old date on it, and the address was to someone else. When he was done narrating his idea to him, the mayor was all for it. Excitedly, he began to suggest what type of music should be played at the event. He encouraged Liam to go paperless and send the proposal to his e-mail address.

However, Liam was going to find out much later that he was dealing with a politician. All those talks had been just words. In fact, he reneged on his own promises so fast it spun Liam's head. Nevertheless, this very step would mark as the reawakening of higher aspirations for him. He was crawling out further from underneath the shyness he, all the while, felt about his ideas. The whole negative results that had befallen him had brought him into an unlucky sphere of life. His eon or vital force had become sunken in total darkness and loneliness.

When the holidays were over, he remembered he would be returning to Dallas. It seemed he wouldn't be able to since he had no money, no means of traveling. Yet he said nothing about his situation to anybody. He would often sneak out back to the alley to smoke his weed away from his family. When he was done, he'd return with eyes engorged with blood, reddened from burning ceaselessly. Then lie down to sleep, away from his troubles.

His mother was on her way to the stores, on a bright afternoon, when she spotted him in the alley. She decided to say hi to him, so she turned in. As she approached him, she perceived the smell of marijuana and stopped instantly in her tracks. A long time ago, as a teenager, they had discovered him smoking, and the fight that ensued had made her vow never to get involved in his life in certain ways again. Now she knew he was a grown man and there really was nothing she could do. If he found solace in the clearing of his mind through this means, so be it. As she turned around and headed to the stores, her thoughts stayed with him. She had seen the sadness in those beautiful eyes. He had tried desperately to mask it with the natural smiles he gave, but she was not fooled. He was her son, and she knew she would have to do whatever it took to help him.

When she saw that he seemed ready to return home to Dallas, she went to her savings account and withdrew five hundred dollars, almost all she had. She brought it to him, and offered it, "Liam, son, I want you to take this, add it to whatever you have, and go out there winning."

He looked up at her, from his place on the floor, "you don't have to do that, ma, I'm the one that should be taking care of you, not you taking care of me."

"You will take care of me. Right now, you need this strength to go on and fight again. Take it now, baby."

He reached out and accepted the money. "Thanks, ma'am, I'm grateful."

She drew closer, held his head to her bosom, rubbing it, and sobbing silently, as she prayed over him, "I love you, son, you be good and keep your hands clean of any mischief."

"I will, ma. I love you too."

Like someone who had just received a new breath of life, he got up, hugged her tightly. Let go of her and began packing his stuff. The next morning, he was off to the airport. He owed six months' rent, but he was going home to fight for his right to succeed.

Chapter Eighteen

A man came out of the dark and accepted the envelope he was being handed. The lady who gave it to him was only known to him as Mayflower. He knew that wasn't her name, but he never asked questions, and he answered only questions relevant to his field. Mayflower had received his referral from a trusted ally, so he knew he could trust her. His transactions were always purely by cash. Fifty thousand upfront and fifty when the deal was done. She handed him ten wads of money, he looked at the numbers and the denomination in the dim light of his tiny UV flashlight. He flipped it in the air, letting random crisp notes run through the tip of his thumb then raised it to his nose to smell the fresh mint of cash. He exhaled gladly, tucked it in his backpack, "it will be done," he said to her. Without a word more, he turned and disappeared back into the night. A minute later, the noisy revving of a hellcat engine filled the air, tires screeched, and the hellcat gunned away into the night.

She had come out wearing her thick coat because it had been freezing cold all day. Nonetheless, the weather had now flipped on them again, and she was beginning to grow hotter in her coat. She looked around to ensure she was not being followed. Then she made her way to the direction where she'd last seen the man's silhouette disappear into the darkness. Before turning around, and heading back home, as quickly as she could. She had made up her mind; he who scorned her deserved nothing but death as a deterrent to anybody who tried to ever fuck with her. She was not a thing to be used and would certainly not be used by Liam.

Liam's days began to feel rosier; he had ideas he wanted to wake up to plan. Then to get doing on his plans, it got him sufficiently motivated. He also intended to keep it the way it was. He had named his gig, the Dope-mind music festival, and pageant. Now that he had his event defined, following the steps he envisioned, felt essential. What was left to initiate the event was the capital to balance his goals. There would be adverts, venue management, entertainment, personnel management, security, and definitely souvenirs; available in diverse mediums. He already knew that going to the banks would never be an option since his credit score had slipped back down to the lesser six hundred. The first thing on his list was to find a venue for his gig. He needed to host the first-ever Dope-mind music festival and pageant. It sounded like a joke to those who heard of it because he had no money and could definitely not be able to pull it off on mere yearnings.

Nevertheless, he went about scouting for an event center. After searching and asking around for about two weeks, he finally found space in a loft in the heart of town. He tried reaching the owner of the building, but no one was at the establishment. He got the number on the sign to call when he would have the money to. Somebody told him the place would cost him about three thousand dollars, with half the payment as a deposit to secure the date.

Liam decided to wait until he could meet with the owner and renegotiate the space. He got his subscription back from the phone company. The first person he called up was Sammy, he didn't take his call, so Liam left him a message to call him back as soon as possible. Then he called the number to the facility again. Someone picked on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi hello, my name is Liam, and I wanted to enquire about your facility on East Covenant Rd."

"Do you need a space there?"

"Yes… yes, absolutely."

"Well, I am not there now, but if you could come in on Monday?"

"Yes, sure… fine, I can."

"Can you make it to us by one P.M?"

"One sounds fine by me, so!"

"Gotcha! One, then it is, see you."

"Sure, mm-bye bye."

"Yeah, bye."

Now he had made the first contact concerning organizing his event. There was no going back from then on. The wait for Monday felt like it stretched too long, he wished it was made in China, so it wouldn't last too long, yet it was just three days of waiting until Monday.

By Monday morning, as he meditated on the matter, Liam realized he still hadn't gotten the cash he needed to produce the event. What if he was asked to make a deposit like he'd been told? He brewed a cup of mint tea and honey from a teabag. While he meditated on the situation at hand. He paced up and down his apartment, in nothing but his bathrobe and briefs. He stirred the tea in his cup, took a sip while he thought about the program.

Suddenly his phone rang, he walked to the bedside table where he left it. it was Sammy calling him back. "Hey, Sammy, sup?"

"Am cool, Liam, just cool. You aight?"

"Sure! I am."

"Hey, I… saw your missed call, what's up?"

"Yeah, bro, I called you to bear with me on some favor thingy am gonna ask you."

"Oh, favor? What kinda favor?"

"Yo, I have this gig coming up, I call it the Dope mind Music festival…" he went into details telling Sammy all about his plans, his moves and what his hopes and targets were. However, he needed money to be able to initiate the steps that would make all these plans fruitful. Having no one else to turn to, he had swallowed his pride to contact an old and good friend.

Wasting no time to think about it, Sammy responded quickly, "I'm sorry, I think this is the worse time to be asked for money. I just lost all my savings to a bet."

"To a bet?" That was a new part of Sammy he just discovered. Sammy was not a gambler and would not gamble even when odds were probable, but it had been what, two years since they last saw or spoke. "Hey, do you know someone who could lend me?" he pressed.

"I…," he muttered, "I don't think there is any I can remember. But if I recall, I will surely let you know immediately."

"Thanks, I will keep my fingers crossed, hoping for the best."

Sammy nodded his head in acceptance, even though Liam couldn't see him from across the other end of the phone. It was just a gesture he hoped to transmit somehow, "yeah, you should. Alright, man, hear from you some other time. I'm on patrol at the moment, I've got to go now, cheers!" he hung up. Thinking, that bastard, selfish motherfucker who never called until he needed help. A lady's hand crept up his back, and he smiled. The hand came up and wrapped itself around his neck, feeling the studded leather collar around his neck. She drew herself closer to him, pressing her naked breast against his back until she could feel the silver chain linked to his collar.

"You sure need to come and patrol this body if you're gonna be freed to do anything," she said.

"Mm, you think so?"

Smack! Came the sudden slap, he got on his back from her short whip. The shock of the sudden blow hurt so much, he grimaced in pain, arching his chest out. While trying to reach the point where her whip had stung him. "How dare you question me?" she growled.

"Forgive me, mistress," he half turned his face, still trying to reach the point on his back where she had smacked him.

"Besides, I should know, since you're under arrest until proven innocent." She reached for his left arm, pulled it back behind him, and clasped down his cuffs, "be a good boy now you little dick," she whispered in his ear. Then, stuck her tongue in his ear canal, as she forced his right hand behind him, he scoffed, as she cuffed that too. He looked up at her, "what do you say, slave?" she asked.

"Nothing mistress," he answered.

She glided on all fours, backing away from him, and getting off on the opposite side of the bed. He was still seated on the mattress. Then, swoosh! He heard her short, two feet long, black, horse whip crack through the air. "On the floor!" she commanded, expecting to be obeyed. Sammy submissively let his whole six-seven bulk, fall to the ground, on his knees, without a word. "You gonna be a good boy and come clean mommy's house?" she said, walking towards him to cover the distance between them.

He did not respond as fast as she wanted, so she flipped the whip and cracked it down on him, hitting him across his shoulder, down his back. "Yes, mommy!" he yelled. Another crack came down across his back, it stung him, hurting him profoundly, he wailed out, "ouch!"

"Yes, mistress, you son of a bitch, now say it!" she commanded with another crack of the whip against air.

"Yes, mistress," he hollered, the pain from the whip searing through his entire back and chest. However, his penis stood fully cocked by blood engorged veins, it throbbed.

He wished he could hold it in his hand, to allow himself throb in his own hands at the delight of all he anticipated would happen.

She took up the end of the chain around his neck, then began to drag him, walking backward till her legs made contact with the edge of the coffee table. She sat on it, picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table, took out one, and lit it. She inhaled deeply, exhaled, then yanked Sammy forward to herself. When he reached where she was, she spread her legs, then pulled him further in to set his face in her glory. Tongue out, he hurried to stick his tongue into her, but she stopped him with a hand against his face. She peeled off the cellophane coverings around two of her long nails, then sprinkled her crotch with powders of cocaine hidden underneath them. "Come now, bitch, come dig in mommy's pussy," she said, tugging on his chain as she drew him in, to herself. He dug in, licking off the powder on her. "Yeah, lick it like that," she said, savoring the moment. When she saw he had licked clean the entire coke, she pushed him away with her right foot. Got up, and walked towards her handbag, dug inside, and brought out her thick brown colored dildo, strapped on the harness. Dug her hand in her bag again for her bottle of lubricant, she rubbed it on the harnessed dildo.

Waiting impatiently for her to return, he turned around to see what she was up to. "What are you looking at?" she inquired.

"Nothing!"

"Nothing… nothing what, you cunt?"

"Nothing, mistress."

She walked towards him, coating the lubricant on her dildo as she drew closer to him, teeth clenched. When she got to him, she picked up her whip and whacked him across his naked butt with it, so hard a welt grew out instantly.

"Yeoh!" he hollered out in pain.

"What's that worm?"

"Nothing mistress, it just...it stung too bad," he said hoarsely.

"You crazy!? how dare you complain?"

"Am sorry, mistress, I won't complain again."

"Good slave, now spread those cheeks, let me see how far my dick will go in you."

He turned to see what she was talking about, to his delightful fright, he saw the dildo she wielded in her hand as she knelt behind him. "Oh my god, that's gonna be something," he reasoned out loud.

"Shut your trap and spread your cheeks, you worm!" she bellowed at him.

He did as she instructed, spread his legs apart, and set his butt for her to peg. She poised at his butt, then began to circle her finger around his butthole. She lowered herself until she was facing his cheeks. She stuck her tongue in him and began to rim him. He felt like running out of his skin from the delightful sensation of her rimming. Instead, he moaned at her administration, making her raise herself. "Hey, worm! Who said you could enjoy it?"

"Am sorry, mistress."

"You had better be," she tapped him with her whip and shoved him down as he grimaced at the sting of the whip. She oiled the dildo, checked to adjust the harness for better comfort. Then gently guided her dildo into his butt hole. He squirmed at the mixture of pain and pleasure that spread through his body while she pegged him.

Liam had been standing by the bed in his room as he spoke with Sammy on the phone. He already knew Sammy was possibly a long shot. Only that he had to give the benefit of the doubt before ruling him out. Besides, Sammy was the only one he knew he could ask from. Cousin Jared was very no-no. He sat down briefly to assimilate his situation, after a couple of minutes deliberating his position, he got up to get ready for his meeting with the venue managers.

When he got to the loft, Mr. Williams, the man he had spoken to, was in a meeting. His assistant Betty notified him and asked Liam to have a seat while he waited. Twenty minutes later, Mr. Williams came out excitedly with a man and two women. They chatted passionately as they walked out of his office to the lobby. He parted ways with his visitors, then turned about to see Liam, who was seated on the last of the four chairs, by the lobby wall. "Ah gentleman," he called to Liam, offering him a handshake, "come on now."

Liam got up to accept the proffered hand, "Liam Washington."

"Branson Williams, how you doing?"

"Good, good."

"Fine, come with me. Betty, find out if I can move up my appointment with Fred to five, will you please?"

"Sure, Mr. Williams," she picked up the phone to carry out his wish.

They walked into his office, Liam walking behind him. Branson Williams was a potbellied, cigar-smoking, Caucasian with a beaklike nose that sat on a handsome round face. He was bald-headed and seemed excited. It was late winter, the weather outside Dallas was mostly warm with sparse rain, but the office felt cold. "Please take a seat, Mr. Williams offered, pointing to the places in front of him.

"Thank you."

"So how may I be of help?"

"I need a place for my upcoming event…" Liam began to explain, telling him his entire plan and how he had no money to effectively run the idea. But believed he could produce the most fabulous concert Dallas had ever seen, if only he were to be given the opportunity by investors.

"Sounds interesting."

"Yes, it is interesting, and not just talks."

"What experience do you have with events management and planning?"

"Oh, well, while I was growing up in New York, I was actively involved in the production of several parades in Brooklyn, four times on Coney Island. This is gonna be somewhat drawn from that wealth of experience and knowledge."

"I would not be lying if I told you I've not been interested in having this kind of rave you've described come this way." He rubbed his knuckles against his open palms, first with one hand, then the other, as he spoke.

"That's great… good to know. Do you still have an interest in it?"

"Mm, yes. You know what son? I'll tell you what we will do, why don't I give you my loft to use at forty percent of the ticket to me, I will be throwing in ten grands for you to promote the event with."

Liam couldn't believe his ears. In as much as it was an exciting offer, he knew forty percent would be too much to give out. Given that he had no idea if any other party would be interested in an equity cut, as grounds to sponsor the event. "I like the deal, but you'll get twenty percent with what you've offered."

"Thirty!"

"Twenty-five!"

"Okay, done." He got up to shake Liam, Liam also got up and accepted his handshake. This meeting had turned out to be such a blessing. He had woken up uncertain about how he would make money to pay for a venue, and the day had ended with him having the best offer for a place, he couldn't resist.

"I'll have Betty draw up the papers works. If you approve of them, you can sign it and email, fax, or mail it back to us immediately. Now let's step outside, and I will like to have another meeting with you on Friday to finalize discussions on how you intend to spend the ten grands that you would be getting."

Liam smiled, "of course, that sounds great." He couldn't be happier and feeling blessed as he walked out of the office of the philanthropist.

In the lobby, "Betty dear…" Mr. Williams called.

"Mr. Williams?" she answered, rising to his presence.

"Kindly get Mr. Washington's…"

"Liam, please call me Liam."

"Right, please get Liam's information for the contract we will be drawing up concerning utilizing our venue and money, please." Turning to Liam, "I will be seeing you at four in the afternoon on Thursday?"

"No, it's on Friday, Mr. Washington." They shook hands, and Liam turned to leave, waving at Betty as he left, "See you around, Betty."

"And you too, sweetheart."

Liam stepped out into the sunlight, excited. What a blessing. As he began to walk to the bus stop, his phone rang. He looked at it, it was Terry. Curious to know what she'd be calling him about, he answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Liam?"

"Yeah? This is me."

"Hey, hope you're no longer mad with me."

"I'm swamped right now, is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, I wanted to know if it was convenient to meet up with you. Is it possible?"

"When, and where?" he asked curtly, curiosity taking the best of him.

"It's fourteenth of February in two days, can we meet on the thirteenth?"

"What's happening on that day?"

"Nothing! I just wish to see you."

He thought about it for a minute, "okay, I will be in Fairview village on that day, so if you will meet me at Allen mall?"

"Is that the mall close to seventy-five?"

"Yes!"

"What's the exit again?"

"Thirty-five, Stacy road."

"Okay, boss, catch up with you later."

He cut the call, slipped the phone back in his pocket, wondering what she was up to. Time would definitely reveal her plans. Now he needed to go home and make his plans appropriately. He couldn't afford to fail at his show the first time, he had to get it right the very first time.

Chapter Nineteen

Supervisory special agent Jerry Montgomery flipped through the files on his table. The subject they had been monitoring had been sighted in Dallas. He had made contact with a lady, aged twenty-one, a student. Her relative was also under investigation for the importation of goods which violated trademarks and was a suspected copyrights pirate.

Special agent Emeka Okoye, special agent Winfrey Thornton, Hakeem Jeremiah, and trainee agent Sylvester Diaz all stood in front of his desk. They needed to catch this monkey, and it seemed they would be able to. The only concern was they needed to find out who he was contracted to kill before he got to the marked victim.

"Why don't we just arrest him and make him…" began agent Winfrey, who stopped when she saw the look on her supervisor's face? "…forget about it."

"The good thing is that we know he has been contracted, and we know this assignment took off two nights ago," said trainee agent Diaz.

"Yes, it's a good thing we already know he's got a victim. The only thing is, we don't even know if he has caught up with his target," said agent Thornton.

"We need to put out his identification and call for a manhunt. We know that he is in Dallas, I need him brought down here," said Montgomery.

"Yes, chief," they all chorused.

"The last known location was in Arlington. If he turns up again in the city, I don't want us losing him. Remember, he is one son of a bastard who is good at slipping away."

"We will do our best to cancel his trip out of town," Hakeem assured in his heavy Yankee accent. He was a peace zealot, who fought hard to end terrorism, especially those perpetrated by members of religious faiths. He was not a field agent, he was a refined geek, good at what goes on in the dark webs of computers, digging into links.

"We had better, I think we should get going. Diaz, fax his image to every police and sheriff's station within a hundred miles radius.

"On it, boss!" Diaz got up to send the information forward.

Friday couldn't come any earlier. Liam was outside Mr. William's office before Betty arrived. However, in other not to appear too desperate, he bought the Dallas Newspaper, and stepped into the fast-food restaurant opposite Mr. Williams' office, bought a cup of coffee and proceeded to wait. He waited until nine A.M when Mr. Williams finally showed up. He stepped out of the restaurant, folded the newspaper he had been reading, had it tucked under his armpit, and crossed the street to the loft for his nine-thirty meeting.

"Hello Betty, I must say it's a good morning."

"Oh+, Mr. Washington, how are you? I must beg your forgiveness for being late with the documents. I figured since you were coming here today, it would save us the hassle of mailing out the documents. Here, please take a look at it."

"Ah, the much-awaited arbitration, is that the word for it?"

"Oh no, Mr. Washington, it's either a deal, a contract or simply an agreement, but definitely not…" she chuckled, "…an arbitration."

"Okay, thanks for the pointers. I will now take a seat while you intimate Mr. Williams of my arrival."

"Surely, if you'd take a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"No am fine. I already stopped for coffee this morning."

"Okay then, sounds fine… just a moment then." She spoke into the intercom, informing Mr. Williams of Liam's presence. "Mr. Washington, he will see you at once."

"Oh, great, thanks." Liam got up after barely touching his butts on the last of the four chairs at the end of the lobby wall. He knocked on Mr. Williams' door, then opened to let himself in.

"Ah, Liam, my dear friend, please come in, come in," he said excitedly, walking towards Liam, arms spread as if to give him a hug. However, when he got to Liam, he clasped his left hand on Liam's right shoulder and grasped him in a warm handshake. "How are you, my young man?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking, and you, sir?"

"Oh, to hell with the 'sir' thing, call me Branson, and that would be enough."

"Sure, Branson!"

"Yeah, please do take a seat. Betty tells me she would prefer handing you the contract papers upon your arrival today. Has she communicated equally?"

"Yes, she handed me the papers."

"You will find the terms kept simple stupid," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I went through it quite briefly, and found what I've scanned to be interesting."

"Yeah? Well, hope it's all positive interest," he guffawed, "because we wouldn't want any misunderstandings. Right?"

"Sure, Branson."

"Listen, son, I've got what you're here for. I want you to lay out your plans on how I will be getting back my money if this event should flop." He said, looking solemn and hoping Liam caught the gravity of his interest in the program. If he didn't, it would be a shame, he was a philanthropist but first a businessman.

"The only guarantee for the success of this gig is that in recognition of the full risk at stake, I would need to do a lot of advertising. If I say I will be able to raise enough money through other means to pay back your money, should we fail, it would be a lie. I can't even accept your money as a loan. It must be seen as your equity contributions."

"No, Liam, it has to be a loan."

"Then I can't accept it. let's focus the contract on the terms of ticket sales."

"And if you fail to sell tickets?"

"I will take responsibility and still pay you the stipulated amount it should have been in a sellout situation."

"Are you very sure about this program?"

"Let's put it like this Branson, did I leave the comfort of my house to play?"

Branson didn't respond immediately. Pushing his middle fingers against his chin, in thought. When he would reply, he said, "fine, if you change your mind about accepting the money as a loan, then you can come back for it."

'Well, that sure dashes my hopes of becoming instantly liquid for this event,' Liam thought. To Branson, he said, "It's going to be a huge challenge, but I have to assure you that the greatest challenge was going to be the venue which you have provided me. I am most grateful and assure you that I will do my best to retain our friendship beyond this event." He rose, reached out his hand to shake Branson. "I will sign these papers and fax them to you."

"Sounds great," Branson said gravely. They shook hands, and he parted ways. Outside, Liam chitchatted a bit with Betty, before leaving the establishment. Thinking of the situation of rejecting the loan, at first, he felt like slapping himself. How was he going to raise the money to run the program, what stopped him from accepting the money Mr. Williams had offered him. Indeed, it wasn't intelligent to start out a business on loan. Since he had never tested the waters of this business to see how the community would respond to events. Were they show goers? What type of events trilled Texans, other than the Rodeo? These statistics weren't available to him. Based on that reasoning, choosing the hard way to his destiny was better than any different route.

The next morning, he woke up with the weight of thoughts on what he had to do bearing on his mind. He sat at the edge of his bed, thinking of a solution. His problem was how to raise funds to start advertising. He hoped that when people got to know about his event, advertisers would be willing to sponsor his gig.

The man in the black trench coat moved towards the apartment buildings. There seemed to be a lot of cops around there. He had no desire to be spotted by any officer. It was best to stay incognito. The appropriate thing was for him to move as stealthily as he possibly could. The information Mayflower had provided him was adequate at best for him to build on. She, however, couldn't brandish him with information about the target's residence.

Since he couldn't tell why there were a lot of cops in the neighborhood, he decided to return to his motel. Driving slowly through the area, he cruised the hellcat past the apartment complex, and back to his hotel. At the hotel, he tried as best, as possible, not to interact at all with the receptionist. Inside his room, he peeled off his leather and corduroy gloves, he considered the gloves for a few seconds, they would be needing replacing. He'd had them now for a month, he looked closer at the seams, between the thumb and index crest, yes there was a rip there. He thought about replacing it and decided he wouldn't like to step into any store in Dallas. His next stop would be Houston, he decided to replace them there. He arched his back to allow his double holsters slide off his shoulders, they held his two, mark XIX, point four-twenty-nine semi-automatic pistols. Then he reached for the gun in the holsters, fastened to his belt. In there, he carried a Walther PPS M-two nine-mm with night sights. He called the weapon a sure friend in need. He placed two of the guns down by his right bedside table, and the third on the left bedside table, all within right arms reach. He unfastened the navy seal SOG tactical knife he'd had hooked to the left side of his waist. Which for instant effects, he had caught a terciopelo in Mexico and, over a couple of days, drained out its poison unto the blade. He would dry the blade, then treat it again with the venom, repeatedly until he was satisfied the edge was entirely covered with the toxin. His hope was that the blade would instantly inflict poison upon contact, be it by a slight cut, or if he'd given his opponent a deep wound. Even if he could deliver a tiny puncture to the skin, that would suffice, if not to kill his opponent, then to weaken him, at least. He lifted his feet on the coffee table provided by the hotel and pulled out his box of cigarettes.

He needed information about his target, so he could take him out promptly. The only one who could provide him with relevant information was Nicholas, but his lair swarmed with cops. If he couldn't get the job done in a week, it would impact his wages, and he hated that. The faster he could execute a situation, the better. Otherwise, his earnings could be equitable to ten dollars an hour. Not necessarily the right mathematical figures, but that was how he liked to equate it. He hated minimum wage with every sense in him. Ten years in prison didn't leave him with much choice than to make up for lost time, which minimum wage wouldn't help him achieve.

Nicholas wasn't a man that could be reached via a telephone. Otherwise, he would have placed a call to him. Alternatively, he could locate the man called Oak, but that would mean traveling to Oklahoma. That was it, he would have to go to Oklahoma, but first, he needed to stretch himself and get adequate rest. He got off the chair he had been sitting on, kicked off his boots, and plumped himself on the bed. The next day, at the crack of dawn, he got up, got dressed, and left the hotel. Outside, he got into the hellcat he'd bought and customized for his operations and drove off to Oklahoma.

Liam saw Terry approaching him, he waved at her, until she saw him. He stood with a banker from a community bank he had just opened a business account with. Their discussion was about loans; he bemoaned how he needed to fund his business. And how the system wasn't making it easy for him to be able to start up a business. Yet, a student would have gotten a loan to study. Even if he didn't know what the heck the lecturers talked about.

She came up to them, "Hi, how are you?" he inquired of her.

"I'm good, Liam, nice to see you again."

"Sorry, but I guess I would have to leave you two alone now," the banker called Abel said, taking his leave.

"Sure, been nice chatting with you," said Liam, shaking his hand.

"Don't be a stranger, keep me abreast of the event as it comes up."

"Sure will."

As he parted, Liam turned to Terry, "you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I wanted to hang out with you."

"Is there any reason in particular for which you'd like to see me?"

"None actually, can we get a seat? I passed a café two blocks out on my way here."

"Okay, let's go there?"

He understood there was nothing more between them. He had also accepted his fate with her. They turned in, to the corner where the café was. The green umbrellas spread above beige tables and seats, made the place luxuriant to sight. Devil's ivy grew out of huge pots placed in the center of every four tables, which formed a quadrangle. They chose their table, he helped her sit, then sat facing the road. Due to the way the café was located in a downtown street, traffic was observable from the decks.

A waiter in a white apron, over a black pair of pants and a short-sleeved, button-down shirt, came up to them. "Good morning, sir, ma'am," he greeted, handing them the menu, "while you consider what to eat, would you like anything to drink?"

"Yes, sure, a glass of soda for me, and…" Liam said, pointing at Terry for her to place her drink order.

"Water… please, none of that sugar thingy for me."

"Well, you could do diet sodas," Liam suggested.

"Thank you I'll pass, water would be just fine," she insisted smilingly at the waiter.

"Very fine, ma'am, I will be right back with your orders." A towel draped in hand, he sauntered off to the building. While they enjoyed the warm, airy weather of Dallas, with its minimal pollution and scent of lush devil's ivy.

"Hey, you know it's valentine's in a day?" Terry asked.

"Mm-mm."

"Do you have any valentine's date?"

"No, I have my event coming up to worry about."

"Event? What type of event is that?"

"A music festival and a pageant."

"Really? You never told me you had plans for those."

"Why should I have told you, it's something that I just, recently, started working on."

"So, when is the event?"

"Coincides with Easter."

"Sounds great, so you have less than three months to work on it."

"Just about two months plus."

"And how far have you gone?"

"I've only secured the venue."

"Really? Now that's a plus."

"I know, right?"

"Now, what's keeping you from making noise about your event? I haven't seen your billboards nor your posters…"

"I don't have money for those, yet."

They paused for a bit while their food was served. "That's a really tough predicament," said Terry.

"It is… maybe you could lend me some… for old time sakes," Liam smirked at her.

"Nah! Wrong number, I don't have the cash you need. I'll be paying for this here, though."

"I guess I should say thank you for the gesture."

"Hey, have you signed up to this Facebook rave that's on now?"

"I just said thanks for the gesture, seems you weren't paying attention."

"It's not important, Liam, but you're welcome. So, have you signed up for the Facebook thing? I hear you can find your past friends there."

"No, I've not even thought about it."

"You should, I hear, it's even got an affordable advertisement platform. It may be good for you to take advantage of this dot com boom and advertise your festival on the internet."

"Mm, sounds interesting, I will look at it to see what's up with it."

"You should."

They waved a waiter over to come and take additional orders. As he left, Liam started thinking about the event. He had leaped out in faith, how he was going to ensure his faith worked was a totally different level of work. The necklace around his neck, the one Juliet had given him for their tryst, caught the sunlight and sparkled, catching Terry's eyes. "I've always adored that gold chain of yours."

He felt the chain, handling it by its excellent links and handling it between his fingers. A thought came to his mind. "Yes, you've always loved it and wanted it at some point."

"Not that I wanted that particular one…" said Terry.

"Yeah, right!"

"Okay, yes, I wanted the gold chain, besides it's beautiful, and you wouldn't give it out."

"It is a gift, and its value is high…" Instantly he knew what to do to raise some money for his project. Promptly he felt like he couldn't wait to leave Terry and go pursue his new train of thought. They ate in silence for a while, while he ate fast. Terry, curious to know if Liam was still thinking of her, decided to test him on sensitive issues. "Am I invited to your program, or are all exes axed indefinitely?" she asked.

"Terry, we're here now… eating, together. Would we be if exes were axed indefinitely? You can come if you want to."

"I don't know if I would be around to be there, actually. Though I would love to be there."

"Are you leaving town?"

"Briefly, but it hasn't been ascertained. I will hear more words first before concluding."

He looked at his timepiece, if he waited until the following day, he could lose precious time, now that he had this better plan. He couldn't help his feeling of impatience and zeal. "Terry, there's something I must run to immediately," he announced. "Hope you don't mind? Because I have to leave you," he said as he finished off his meal.

"No, no, I don't mind at all."

Liam reached for his drink, took a huge gulp, finishing the whole cup at once. He got up, tapped on the table to get her attention, he bade her bye, and then hurried off to a jeweler's shop. After haggling with the first jeweler, he got referred to a second jeweler. At the second's, he decided to return to the primary dealer. He sold the chain for six grands, then made his way to the bank. He was excited, so happy that now he had made a leeway. From the bank, he moved on to the city library for a computer. He set about working out modalities for an online presence, he signed up for a Facebook account and worked there until the maximum allotted time for the usage of the library. He had been able to quickly draw up a poster design.

Liam felt happy, the word was out after he put the advert up for billboards and the radio stations. The news spread, people began to pick an interest, in under thirty-six hours, the city was agog with news of his upcoming show.

When he met up with Oak, he knew he was not about to deal with another of those who made it easy for themselves to be found. Oak had tight security around his domain. He had intentionally set up on a farm one point five miles to every road around him, five in all. His farm had surveillance cameras all around the perimeter of the farm. The house was also rigged to explode in the face of an invasion, to ensure no secret was let out. Oak, for the safety of the system he worked for, tried staying above security as they were currently wont to be. Oak had made himself untouchable, and he had grown to respect the man, profoundly.

As his hellcat revved through Oak's drive-way, raising dust from the gravels on the dirt road loosening at the screeching tires from the excessive gunning of the motor. Oak peered at his monitors and huffed at the giveaway. Having instantly known who had come into his yard.

Oak kept an eye on him via the monitors, as he got ready to alight the hellcat. He had guns fully loaded and ready to be cocked and shot. He got out of the hellcat, flapped his coat. As was his custom after a long drive, he took out the small foldable binoculars in his pocket. He began scanning the entire road from where he'd driven up and the environs. When he was satisfied with what he had looked at, he raised it to catch the birds that flocked the trees around Oak's house. This was one of the things Oak liked about him, he never took caution for granted. He stepped up to Oak's door, made to buzz the bell, but Oak remotely opened the door.

Upon entering, he gave Oak the photograph he had, they spoke little to each other. Just understood the business they were in, and knew all talking did was make information that wasn't supposed to be known, heard. Oak took the photo and scanned it, then processed it to be identified online. He came up with several listings. He also came up on Facebook, under events, and his activity was advertised. He noted the venue and time of the event. Too far away, however, he now had something to work with.

With the information he got from Oak, he headed right back for Dallas. The hunt had intensified.

Special agent Emeka Okoye and trainee agent Sylvester Diaz were out watching James' house. They'd been there for three days, watching from a van marked as belonging to a construction company. They waited intently, giving signals for when any member of the family was on the move.

For now, they had nothing to go by, but a hunch that something dirty was cooking. They believed that someone was marked, which involved a top assassin on the FBI, Interpol, and CIA list. They watched on to see if anything would come forth, but nothing was happening. The last known activity that had drawn them to the household was the contact established by Shonda when she met with Earl Crocker. Also known as Early Croc, the notorious assassin, a possible cicaro, who seemed to work as part of an international syndicate of assassins.

Their goal was to find out what else she knew. Therefore, it wasn't yet time to move in on her. She also seemed oblivious to the several times she'd been tailed, and they intended to keep it that way. On the other hand, they had James, Juliet, and the rest of their household tailed to know if they were working as a team. James had been a frequent international traveler, so he raised questions of espionage and intentions. His copyrights infringements and bootlegging were on their dossiers, and they wondered if this new move pinned to Shonda wasn't all part of a syndicated movement.

A call came through on agent Emeka's line, he answered, "Hello," it was special agent Winfrey Thornton.

"Hey, what's the news on your end?" Winfrey asked Emeka.

"Nothing much, been languid. How's your end?" Emeka replied.

"She's been traveling a lot, from one place to another with no meaningful contacts yet established," said Winfrey.

"Did Montgomery reach you?"

"No, did he reach you?"

"Not at all… just wondering if we have any more intel on Early Croc," said Emeka.

"I don't think there's been any other sighting since the night he made contact."

"I wonder who he is after."

"Me too, whoever it is, must be powerful enough to make him take the deal."

"Yeah, hey, how about dinner later?"

"later would be when? I don't think we're getting off this until we crack it. It's time to drain the Early Croc out of his swamp."

"I hear Interpol made contact?"

"He is wanted in six other countries outside the United States."

"His last known hits were in Africa."

"For real? What's the intel?"

"It is suspected he killed a Nigerian military general in ninety-eight."

"He's not wanted for that, though."

"No, he isn't, CIA took credit for that."

"War in Sudan rages, and Syria boils every day."

"They go about creating trouble, pitching nations against themselves."

"It's the only thing they understand, this is why we will bring him down today."

"Today!?" interrupted the trainee agent Sylvester Diaz, a look of surprise all over his face.

"Not literally today, as in right now, kid."

"Hi, Diaz!" hollered Winfrey.

"Hi!"

"Hope it's all being interesting for you?" Winfrey asked Diaz.

"Yeah it is, I believe the end is going to be worth the wait."

"I betcha it would. Now be dressed up and ready at all times. You don't want these goons killing you. you never know when you see action."

"Yeah, sure," Diaz snickered.

"She's serious, you need to always be ready."

"Cliché, is this the very famed boys' scout I've heard of?"

"You'd wish you were in the boy scout when you encounter that man's firepower," said Emeka.

"He won't last against my will."

"Mm-hm boys, I've gotta go, she is on the move now. Talk to you later."

Liam was on the radio promoting his event. The radio personality was excited at the things he was saying. "So why is it called Dope Mind Music Festival?" she asked him.

"And beauty pageant. Let's not forget it's a couple of activities grouped into one exciting night."

"Great! Sorry, I missed that interesting and important aspect," she chuckled.

"It's okay, you know I count on you to be there too."

"Liam, you know I sure will. So, 'Dope mind,' why is it called that?"

"Well, my team and I were working on the right title for the event, we then decided to look at what we would like to express, which is 'a great mind."

"Oh, now I get it, dope, as in great…"

"Yeah, exactly…"

"Very hip indeed."

"It's very hip, truly…"

"Thought you meant an overdosed mind."

"Ha-ha," they both laughed heartily at her joke. "No, not at all, that's funny, but I get the joke," Liam replied.

Earl Crocker cruised in his hellcat, smoking a cigar, his favorite from Colombia. Many say Cuban cigars were the best, but not for him. He loved his Colombians. He took a drag and let the smoke out in rings while he listened to the radio. He drove into a mall and parked in the parking lot, facing a busy grocery store. His radio station wasn't playing what he liked, so he began searching until he tuned to KWAT FM. They played an assortment of eclectic tunes, which was just the way he loved it. He believed a radio station should never be cornered to being a stuck station. One which focused on only one group of race or religion or tribe, this was the problem of the world. Whence, in a mixed community like the United States, where any race focused on playing music to entertain primarily its own stock, that was racism. Nor should a radio station focus on any religion, for that was anti-love. He muttered, "and they'd say they know love better than I do?" He sniggered, thinking, 'they wished!'.

The song playing ended, the radio personality came back on air to reintroduce her program and interviewee. Suddenly, he heard Liam Washington's name mentioned on air. He sat up immediately, Oak had said the kid had some type of event coming, this must be it which they were now talking about. He started the car, not wanting to take chances. The radio went off to allow cranking amps. He swore under his breath. He had always said he would fix a bypass to prevent this but had never gotten to it. His plan was to drive to KWAT station immediately, and investigate if Liam was indeed there. He hoped the show wasn't pre-recorded, for that would mess up the whole set up. Croc stepped down on the accelerator, gunning towards the twenty-six minutes' drive, the direction of the radio station. While he drove, he pushed down a button that makes the front passenger seat slide back to reveal a compartment elevated from the floor of the car. The chamber opened automatically, he reached inside, and a motion-sensitive light came on. He chose and took out a semi-automatic weapon from four other automatics and one other semi. In the trunk of the hellcat was a horde of clips and loaded magazines. He didn't need those yet. He got on the free-way and gunned the engine staying at least ten points above the speed limit waiver like it didn't matter. The last thing he wanted was to attract a cop, but the job at hand needed speed. So, he stepped on the gas pedal to beat the program schedule, and be at the station before Liam's interview would end. He could still hear Liam expounding on the expectations of his event. Five minutes to his destination, he heard the radio personality asking Liam to conclude his speech. Three minutes to the radio station, and the radio personality was now thanking Liam for stopping by.

Police corporal Murphy was in the drive-way of a fast-food restaurant, waiting in line to place his order. The line was pretty long since it was midday, and lots of folks from the several offices around were also in line for their food. He looked at his time, he had been there now for a good eight minutes. He had nothing much doing, and the day had been slow and uneventful, just the way he liked it. Later in the evening, when he got off, he would be taking his kid to football practice. Anna, his wife of four years, had asked for a divorce, there was nothing he could do to change her mind in as much as he had tried to convince her to stay, not for him but at least for Brian there five-year-old son.

They'd had him a year before they got married. They were both just out of high school, young and naïve, with assumptions of their expectations of the world. They had thought they knew everything in the world, how society worked, and all that. It hadn't been the way they hoped it would be, though. Now she wanted to leave Texas for Los Angeles to try out her acting career. She had already featured in three sitcoms and felt Texas was holding her back. She wanted to be in Hollywood. Of course, he had objected to it, and now, he had her divorce papers sitting on his dining table. She wanted nothing of his, just wanted to get out and go live her life. Now, every minute he had to himself, or when he was in a rocking chair position or situation, like waiting in line as he did now, he mused on his problems.

From his position in the line, he observed traffic going in and out, up and about. He saw a Dodge hellcat drive into the lot of KWAT FM, and out of it without stopping. He cast his mind from it, assuming it was just one of those things. It was his turn to place his order, as he ordered two chicken sandwiches and a lemon drink, he suddenly heard tires screeching…

Liam had just had a great time in the studio talking about his upcoming event. It cost him fifteen hundred grands to get that interview, and he believed it was worth it.

He stepped into the sun to get to his next stop. A new friend he had met at Garland city chambers of commerce had invited him to the Lion's Club luncheon, and it was in twenty minutes. Just enough time for him to get there punctually. He took a step forward, suddenly he heard the screeching of tires, he looked up to see what was happening. He saw the Dodge hellcat make a wild turn, about four hundred feet from him, he looked in amazement. Then his eyes caught sight of the glint of an iron barrel. He'd been raised in Queens, New York. He knew never to gawk at a moving car and any resemblance of an assault weapon, or during any situation. Instinctively, he turned and ducked towards a car, close by, just in time to hear the gun blast, and a hot sting hit him in the shoulder. He hit the floor, and quickly crawled towards the front of the car, towards KWAT's main entrance and away from his assaulter. He continued crawling towards the door, a police siren went off, as the sound of the hellcat sped off. He reached the station's main entrance doors. The automatic doors swung open while he crawled through. He tried to get up but felt serious pain sear through his shoulder, he yelled in pain. Not stopping, in case his assailant decided to hunt him down to finish the job. He ran down the corridor, running blindly, unaware of his navigation. He saw a door to his right, tried it frantically, it opened. The door led to a poorly lit room, he quickly got behind the door and locked himself in. He looked up at the source of natural light and saw a window big enough for him to fit through. He saw a gurney by the wall, ran up to it, pushed it against the wall, and climbed unto the window ledge. As he pulled himself up to the ridge, his head whooshed, he felt dizzy and almost fell off the gurney.

He braced himself, got up the window, and let himself out. Sliding out carefully, he jumped down. He was between a fenced wall and a multi-family apartment complex. He reached for the wall with his left arm, tried scaling the wall, but couldn't. Another shot of pain from where he had been hit seared through him, and he fell back, he was losing so much blood, and blood trailed his path. He felt weak and tired but braved himself to take a step back and make a dash against the wall. As he jumped it successfully, barely touching the wall as he scaled it, he landed on the other side and in the wrong way. His right foot dropped so profoundly, he heard it crack, and that was the last thing he felt. Thinking to himself, he said no! no! no! no! not here… and blacked out.

The moment he heard the screeching tires of the hellcat, Corporal Murphy looked out and about for the source of the noise. He spotted the hellcat again and was just in time to see the driver brandish what appeared to be an automatic or semi-automatic assault weapon. Open fire at a fellow who was walking out of KWAT FM. The man must have anticipated it brilliantly because he had ducked just as the driver opened fire. He wasn't sure if the mark had been hit, but he instinctively hit his siren, put the car in reverse to utilize the little space between himself and the car behind him and in front of him. He again observed people running and screaming. The shooting had stopped, and the car had sped off. He quickly jumped out of his car since he couldn't drive out of the queue. He radioed in, "ten-seventy-one, suspect is fully armed with an automatic assault weapon, advice."

He crawled, towards the scene of the incident, as he approached, he observed the scene had been deserted. Within five to ten minutes, other officers arrived at the scene. He got up and walked to the point where the hellcat's tires left a mark from the tire burnout. There were several clips on the floor from the shooting.

"Officer Murphy, you were the eyewitness to what happened?"

He turned to the voice that had called out, it was captain Jeremiah John, head of his precinct. "Yes sir," he saluted. And began to explain what he had witnessed. He was barely done speaking when the FBI showed up on the scene. The description he had radioed in had notified them that it might be Earl Crocker who had just struck. He had also left the scene typically, not wanting to have any confrontation with the law and never willing to shoot by-standers when not necessary.

He banged the barrel of the gun against his head in anger. The kid had been too fast. Did not gawk a second and had responded like a pro would. That had taken even him the Croc by surprise. He stepped on the hellcat, burning tires, and roaring loudly as he pushed the car fast into the horizon, switching lanes as he headed to a safe spot.

He had encountered only one kid, that had been as fast as this kid was, and that was about three hundred other victims ago. Now he wasn't even sure if he had hit him, but he would have to monitor the situation to ensure he finished off quickly, while it was all hot.

Then, there had been a cop on the scene, he cursed, calling the cop names in his mind. How had he been there in the first place? Usually, he would have gotten down and gone on to finish the business, but the siren had gone off, and he wasn't ready to face Dallas police just yet. He drove into downtown Dallas, gliding the car into a multi-level parking garage. He got out of the car, dumped his overall into the car and took out his blazer jacket, donned it, and crossed into the exit and into the hotel lobby. He got out one of his many identities, created by one of his fakes experts. This was a Texas ID; he got a room and rode the elevator up to his room.

He got into the room and quickly turned to the news, there was no video of himself or the hellcat, but the kid was being wheeled out in a stretcher. He observed to see if they were wheeling a dead man or a wounded one. The newscaster said the man had been shot and not that the man had been killed. That meant the kid was still alive, somehow, he admired the kid, he had been sharply alert. Must be a criminal-minded man to be alert enough not to gawk his way into death, Croc thought.

The news channel reported that Liam had been taken to UT Dallas' medical emergency room. He would probably be under police supervision, but that was going to be his next point of call.

Chapter Twenty

Sammy raced his patrol car to UT Dallas' medical hospital. Upon arrival, he identified himself, then requested to know Liam's condition and to see him. Liam was stable and connected to an oxygen and an intravenous blood bag.

A knock sounded on the door, Sammy turned, and a young Chinese doctor walked in. "Hi, I am Doctor Lee, assigned to the gentleman." He proffered his hand. Sammy took it in a firm hand grip.

"Hi, I am Sammy, his friend."

"Yes, you are his family?"

"Not really family, but we are friends, and I'm actually like the family he has here, to the best of my knowledge."

"Okay, well, as you can see, he is rigged up to a blood sack because he lost a lot of blood. In fact, if the paramedics had been later than five minutes, he would have died."

"Mm, that's terrible. Thanks to God, they arrived on time."

"Yes indeed… Excuse me, please. Lee proceeded to make some checks on Liam while nodding to himself.

"How much damage are we looking at?"

"He was walloped, the bullet ripped his biceps and tore into his brachial artery, which is the reason he lost a lot of blood."

"So, the brach… what did you call it?"

"Brachial... it's a major artery."

"How is that spelled?" Sammy chuckled.

"You know, it's the main artery that transports blood to the radial and ulna. I suspect the cutting off of blood supply to these veins would have caused a loss to the mobility of the arm and directly impacted his subsequent climbing of the wall."

"He must have been disoriented from blood loss."

"Precisely, that should explain why he has a broken leg. He must have tried scaling the fence and while disoriented, could not also control his main arm. I suspect he is right-handed?"

"Yes, he is."

"Which explains his poor landing and the subsequent fracture of his lower right tibia due to torsion."

"He-he, doctor," Sammy chuckled, "you mean all these big words happened to little Liam?"

"I don't understand, officer."

"I'm just saying, are you serious about all these words you described?"

"Yes, I am, and hopefully, he gets better soon. He will be alright within a couple of days. So, don't worry about him."

"Thank you so much. Dr. Lee, I hope to see you after the weekend."

"Yeah, if there is anything else you want us to do, it would be such a great pleasure to assist you immediately."

"Yes doctor, one last thing, how long before he recovers? He has an event in two weeks that he needs to be at."

"He sure won't be able to use that hand, and the fractured limb would be in a cast for a while."

"Okay, thanks, doc."

"Anytime officer, let me know if you need anything else," he turned to the nurse in the room and instructed her. Dr. Lee stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sammy went to Liam's side, took his hand, knelt down by his bedside, and prayed for Liam's speedy recovery.

The news of the event in Dallas city area had reached the FBI office, and agents had been dispersed to investigate the activities. Upon piecing the information together, Supervisory agent Montgomery got his team to come in.

"Agent Emeka, this shooting is connected to the exchange between the lady…" he said, waving a finger in circles to indicate he was at a loss for her name.

"Shonda, sir?"

"Yes, her… and Earl Crocker. I want her brought in immediately for questioning."

"Yes sir."

"Winfrey go with them."

"Yes sir!"

Agents Emeka, Winfrey, and Diaz stepped out immediately, moving fast to their vehicle. They swung out of the building, with Emeka giving commands to the units, Hakeem on the computer to track down Shonda's location, while Diaz drove. They got into Pebble street, where she was located. A unit car went on ahead to get in from the other end of the road, while another drove into the alley. It was yet to be decided how dangerous Shonda was, given her contact with a high-profile criminal on an international wanted list. They couldn't take precaution enough.

Agent Emeka gave a knock on the door, he stood there with agent Winfrey. Her luxurious, blonde hair flying in the gust of wind that was blowing, promissory of the last rains before summer. Shonda answered the door. Immediately, the agents flashed their badges at her face. "Agent Emeka, this is agent Winfrey," Winfrey showed her the warrant for her arrest. "Miss Shonda," agent Emeka continued, "you're needed at the FBI office for questioning. You have a right to remain silent; anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. If you have an attorney, you can contact him or her; otherwise, one will be provided for you.

Winfrey moved up to her, "turn around now, Miss."

Shonda turned around, and her wrist was pulled behind her and cuffed. Agent Diaz took her from agent Winfrey and marched her to the back of a waiting cruiser. Shonda was shocked and frightened. She suspected it might be because of Liam that she had been arrested, but she wasn't sure. She sat at the back of the cruiser, looking out the window at the house she was leaving behind. She wondered if she would ever see the house again. It had started raining, and rainwater streaked down the window, cascading it with pellets of water as it dribbled down from the top of the car down the window. As she looked, she hoped someone would run out of the house and save her from the hands of the law. Someone who would not let them take her away. Someone who was very far from where she was, someone like her dearest aunty Juliet. A sudden camera flash brought her sharply out of her reverie. They had all heard the communication over the radio line and had come to cover the news. Talking about news people, they had also heard of Liam's shooting on the news. When she did, she regretted her actions and had been feeling guilty for contracting Jim to help her. She sat back in the uncomfortable bucket seat provided by the agency for arrested people, only blinking at the several more flashes that went off in an attempt by the newsmen to get her shots.

Jimmy or Jim was her friend from Boulletini Escalade night club, where she snuck to dance at every now and then. She had started going to the club to dance since her freshman year in college. Her dormitory roommate Ellen had introduced her to it.

When she had broken off with Liam, it didn't seem like anything. Then Liam began to rub it in her face by bringing Terry around and making her feel jealous. She didn't want that to happen anymore. Then he had gone on and rubbed salt on her wound. When Ellen heard of it, she had been mad about it. Ellen then told Jim about it, and Jim wanted to show solidarity asked her what she wanted, and she had simply said she wanted him dead. He promised he would arrange it for her and had one day asked her to meet a friend of his at a given location and to ensure she came with Liam's photograph. She had one from when they had gone out with Juliet's kids, and she went to a print store and had them print it out from her phone.

She hadn't seen the face of the person she gave the money and photographs to, but he gave her an eerie feeling that the job would be taken care of. She then forgot all about it and hoped at least, Liam learned a lesson. Almost four weeks after, the news came at night that a young man by the name of Liam Washington had been shot, gunned down by an unknown gunman. She suspected it was her contractor but wasn't sure. However, now seating in this police car, she was sure it couldn't have been no other but herself who killed Liam. She began to weep, crying at her stupidity, and her mind was beguiled by what usually wouldn't have bothered her.

They took her up to the offices and left her in a slightly cold interrogation room, which had only a dark window. She suspected anyone at the end of the mirror could probably see her, even though she couldn't see them.

Twenty minutes after she had been brought in, they took her to process her information. Taking her mug shots and fingerprints and making her wait another thirty minutes to get her to answer some interview questions. James' lawyer, Mr. Harry Hope, came in just as they were about to begin the interview. He would not let her say a word, even though she only felt like confessing her actions and pleading for forgiveness. Mr. Hope remained steadfast that all her answers were no comments. The worst was that she didn't know how Liam was doing. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead. The guilt of having anything to do with his demise plagued her mind.

"What do you know of this man?" Winfrey asked, shoving several photos at her space on the plastic, grey table.

Shonda took one look at it and wondered if that was the face of the man she had contacted. She looked at Mr. Harry Hope, shook her head. "My client does not recognize this person. If there is nothing she is specifically charged for, I would like her to be released to me, immediately."

"We know she made contact with this man. And he is the suspect in the shooting that resulted in the hurting of Mr. Liam. Whom also, was one time employed by her relatives."

"Well it is absurd to assume she should know anything about him or his shooting-based on the fact that she was once an acquittance."

"Well, pending further investigation, we can't simply release her. We have to verify one or two more things. We also think at this point that she is probably safer in our custody than at home," Winfrey argued.

"Has she been threatened by anyone, you know?"

"Not that we are aware of any, but we fear this person she contracted may turn around to hurt her, as it's also his modus operandi."

"Bullshit! You release my client immediately to me, or I will be filing charges."

Seeing there was nothing else they could do, the agents stepped out to have a private discussion. Their supervisor was outside waiting. Once they came through the door, he instructed them, "we have to let her go."

"But she is now in danger," Winfrey objected, packing her hair backward in a ponytail, and holding it in place with a black laced, hairband.

"There is nothing else we can do."

"Okay sir!" she turned back into the room, you're free to go.

"Good, when next you come to arrest my client be sure you have a valid cause for that."

"Yeah, sure," said agent Emeka.

Mr. Harry Hope pulled her slightly by the arm to help her up. She got around the table, and they left the building. Outside the FBI office, downstairs, Juliet was waiting for news of her, by the car. Instead, she saw her coming out of the building, supported by Mr. Harry. "Oh, my baby! she screamed, rushing forward to hug her niece. "How are you?"

"I'm good."

"Mr. Hope, thanks for the quick response."

"Glad to be of service. Much glad to have been loitering against my trip to San Antonio. Now, you must forgive me, I have to head out quickly, or I won't make my flight."

"Sure, thank you so much, God bless you."

"Thank you, sir," Shonda joined. She hugged Juliet again, sobbing, allowing tears from her mistake stream down her cheeks freely.

"Hey it's okay, you're free. Now, let's go home, and we can figure out what's happened here," said Juliet.

When they got home, they went into Juliet and Sammy's room, sat on the bed, and had a sister's heart-to-heart talk.

Jim Bunti was visiting in Dallas when he heard the news. In fact, TVR Real-Time Crimes, an investigative program that went beyond just airing a crime event after it had occurred, to investigate it as much as they can. In as much length as permissible for a journalist to go. Had created a reality documentary that tried to establish the motive of crimes. Dispel myths and was unraveling the possible love tryst between rising producer, as they now termed Liam, and his estranged girlfriend, Shonda. The question they wanted to be answered was why Shonda would send a henchman after Liam for love. This happened just three days to Liam's festival.

Then Jim heard, while he was at the radio studio booking a show for his multi-talented, Texan native, star named Jamie John. Upon hearing that Liam's festival had been sold out following the shooting. And the gate fees had been hiked up to two hundred percent, he saw the opportunity to give his star an excellent dark spot to shine his light on. He placed a quick call to Jamie and told him about the gig. Jamie was reluctant about getting involved, but upon unrelenting persuasions by Jim and when he heard the mix was about love, he accepted.

Then, Jamie John was in the studio recording with Wanye Wand. After the call, Wanye seeing his countenance after the call asked him what it had been about, and he recanted the entire bruhaha Jim had told him. It picked Wanye's interest, so he decided he would like to be there. Wayne happened to be seeing K-Dip and Benita Royce, pop sensations, the next morning for a breakfast meeting, and he told them everything that he'd heard. They felt compassionate, and K-Dip decided to support the wounded Hip Hop promoter. They all decided they would fly into Dallas together. The next morning, they got on K-Dip's jet and flew into Dallas for the Dope mind music festival.

Radio and television were agog about the show, the lineup was great. An agency had gotten involved with Liam's management and helped him secure last-minute sponsorship. William Branson called him and gave him the money he would have lent him. "Just don't take that show out of here," he had pleaded.

The internet was abuzz with tales of a man who had been the victim of love gone wrong. His email was filled with love letters and condolences, his hospital room had been filled with flowers from everywhere. Seeing the swarm of love, he began to have a rethink of love.

He had been discharged a week earlier than expected to allow him to make proper arrangements for his shows. Now, he had to use crutches and a wheelchair to go about his business. He still didn't know if he should believe Shonda had sent an assassin after him, or was it just some random thing. In all the confusion, he was simply happy things seemed to be turning around for the best.

Chapter Twenty-one

Heavy music blasted from the speakers of DJ A-Tak, who'd flown in with Wanye Wand. The arena was agog with teeming youngsters and media people. People were out to see the man who had been shot for love. When they heard there were celebrities at the arena, the rave turned up even further. The stars were acknowledged by the master of ceremonies, who made a joke of their solidarity with a brother, praying they never got shot for love. There was an uproar in the crowd from people laughing at the fun and making side remarks about what caused the joke to be funny.

Then Liam arrived at the scene, in a limousine provided by a new celebrity friend who also came with him. At the entrance, he was helped to a wheelchair. His foot still hurt from the fracture, and he still had two months before healing would be considered perfect. Once the hired assistants wheeled him from the car, the crowd at the entrance welcomed him with much love. He was brought to tears by the euphoria. He, therefore, tried to rise to greet them, the hired assistants rushed to his side to assist him in getting up. On his feet, he turned around as much as he could, muttering thank you to them all for coming. He sat back down on his wheelchair and was wheeled into the arena.

Up above the gallery, hidden from sight, Earl Crocker the Early Croc, crouched with his hands on a point three hundred- and eight-win caliber rifle. A powerful, concealable gun, with surgeon five-ninety-one short action. The length of the barrel was sixteen inches, fully loaded with a ten-round magazine and the nuzzle had a silencer, to ensure delay in the traceability of his position. To enable him to quickly get out of the zone, once the deed was done. He could not afford to fail. Accuracy was on his top agenda.

A day earlier, he had been there in a repair man's uniform, to coast out his plans. He identified the stairs and where they led to. Then, noted the elevators, how that one was dedicated to goods delivery, and two were assigned to guests and events attendees. He made his way to the rooftop, to scan the area and identify possible means of escape. They were five-story high, which wasn't so bad. There was construction going on at the building adjacent to the arena on the eastern end. After coasting all he wanted to, he stepped back assured that he could handle it.

The dancers danced. Someone was exchanging ecstasy pills for cash in the crowd. And many of the people were buying and getting high on the tablets.

In the parking area, police and the FBI had their surveillance on the watch for a possible appearance by the suspected assassin. They checked the vehicles that drove in, causing a long line of traffic. Which equally caused traffic police officers to create diversions for cars just needing to go through the roads that go past the arena, but had nothing to do at the loft. Their radios squawked consistently as they hoped for the worst.

The FBI agents there hoped they wouldn't have a confrontation with Earl Crocker. The crowd population was high, and there would definitely be more casualties than could easily be handled. They expected casualties to abound by the gun wounds, stampede milieu, and any other unforeseen circumstances. For this reason, also, city fire service had been called to the scene. And they were parked a few blocks away from the arena. Ambulance services were also available to take care of any possible victims. It was the standard civilized society preparedness that they were observing. Each agency ready to de-escalate a potential moment of danger.

Liam was scared, but he couldn't show it. Looking at the crowd as the master of ceremonies acknowledged his presence, he felt elated. All the happening of the previous weeks had made him feel unwanted and lonely. But here he was, looking at the entire city who had come to grace his event. The entertainers were grandeur, the lights, the sound, the stage; all seemed spectacular. Teardrops trickled down his eyes, he reached his good hand up and wiped away the tears. He had made it; he finally had his breakthrough. The fear he had come to the venue with, suddenly vanished off his mind. There was nothing anybody could do to him at this point that would hurt him anymore.

Earl Crocker saw Liam being wheeled into the arena, he watched him getting seated. The men who were with him were well suited, and he couldn't determine if they were law enforcement or not. He traced his periscope to sit behind Liam's head. But another person's head came immediately between the periscope and Liam. He decided to wait, at just the right time he would shoot. He watched as the event unfolded, bidding his time for an accurate shot. He could not afford to fail. Accuracy was on his top list. Earl looked at his wristwatch, he'd been in the same position, on his belly, for two hours. His body joints were beginning to feel sore, and he knew how dangerous it would be if his body were to shut down at the wrong time.

FBI special agent Montgomery and his men stood around their truck, parked opposite the building, in the parking lot. "We know Early Croc should be here tonight, tell the boys to be on the extra alert for him. This is our show," said Montgomery.

"Yes, sir," replied agent Emeka.

"We have a total of eleven men on ground, sir," said agent Thornton.

"Good, that should be enough to get him. Get me the police chief, I want to be sure his men understand the procedure here."

"On it, sir."

"We should expect Earl's firepower to be high. He has run a lot of agencies aground on his deft skills and tactical skills. He will not be underestimated, and we need to be ahead of him, in thought patterns, at all times."

"It's not been confirmed that he is here, and we don't even know if he will be here," said Thornton.

"He will be, the excitement is too high, I don't see how he wouldn't like to be here," said Emeka.

"Sir... the Chief," said agent Diaz as he handed him the phone.

"Hello, Theodore!"

"Hello, Montgomery!"

"You already know the readout here; this man is a man we've wanted for a long time, and he is here finally. I want your men to cooperate as much as they can to ensure we capture him, without a lot of interference. I hope that's a reasonable request?"

"Yeah, sure is, I mean, we've been over this before, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have, but this is sort of like, a friendly reminder, esprit de corps."

"Ah! Great."

"How many men do you have, Theodore?"

"Thirty men, from two cities, ha-ha." Theodore chuckled.

"Wow, that's a lot of power."

"We've heard so much about this kid."

"Sir, you need to see this," Thornton said as she handed Montgomery the device, which she'd been checking updates on.

"What is it?"

"We've located the hotel where he had been logged."

"Very good. What do they have?"

"All that can be verified at the moment is that he was there. There is little from the accommodation to go on with. But our forensic team are on it."

"Who's in charge of the operation?"

"Toledo."

"He is a great guy, will get more than the eyes can see. Tell him to keep me updated on his findings."

"Sure, sir."

The FBI supervisor stood arms akimbo, looked around for a second or two, then decided to walk into the establishment to see how things were set up in there. "Emeka, I have an idea which I think is worth pursuing."

"What is it, sir?"

"I would like you to go get the layout plans for this building; let's see how possible it is for him to escape."

"Right away, sir," said Emeka. He looked around, then at Diaz, "come on, kid, let's go."

"Yeah, sure."

They started walking towards the building.

Just then, the master of ceremony asked Liam to come up for his votes. Liam made his way up with the help of one of the assistants. The assistant wheeled him up the make-shift ramp. When he got to the podium where the master of ceremony awaited him, the crowd got up. The arena burst into applause, all happy for him.

Earl waited to get a steady scope. The moment he cocked the rifle to shoot, the crowd stood up applauding, thereby blocking his view again. He scoffed and cursed under his breath. 'What the fuck is wrong with these people?' he thought.

"Thank you," Liam was saying over the microphones, "I'm so grateful to God who has made all this possible…" he looked around, smiling. Just then, he saw Terry walking in with a man she clung to his arm. Their eyes met, and he nodded. He sighed, then continued, "it's been a very trying period for me, but... I have survived."

The crowd cheered and clapped and whistled at his words, happy he had survived. He had his testimony, and this night, which began with him deciding to walk in faith, was the best night of his life. Once the crowd sat back down, the very moment the last person at the front row sat down, he felt hot pain sear through his chest. He jumped up, carried backward by the force of the bullet. In reflex, he clutched at the point to his left breast, where he had been hit. While in mid-air, within the seconds when the initial force hit him, he felt another scorching strike hit him in the neck. Then while inches to hitting the floor, as he fell, he heard a swoosh noise go past his ear. Then thud! He hit the floor.

The chandelier adorning the stage burst into pieces as another bullet strayed to it, shattering the glass. People looked up and around, confused as to what was happening. As the chandelier came tumbling down towards Liam, a police officer who'd just come on stage pulled his feet. He had barely cleared Liam off the spot where he fell, then the chandelier crashed. It definitely would have killed him if the bullets hadn't killed him.

A lady screeched in the crowd, another shrieked, then a cacophony of screams and wild cries ensued.

Liam had been shot. Law enforcement ran up to him, immediately closing in on the arena. Police radios squeaked out information and commands. While another officer stood right by Liam's bleeding body, while they awaited the paramedics. One looked up farther away from the galleries to the alcoves and noticed a retreating silhouette in the light, something else caught from the light's reflection. "There he is," yelled the officer, pointing to the area where he had seen the glinting barrel.

Immediately, officers took to the stairs, elevators, and escalators to get up to the point where the officer had noted, for investigations.

Earl, hearing the officer shout, said, "fuck!" dumped the gun in his bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder, then began running towards the stairs that would lead him to the back alley. At the top of the stairs, he heard footsteps running up, "shit!" he bellowed. Turned around to run towards the other direction by the eastern corner of the building. Where there was a fire escape.

"You there, STOP!" shouted an officer who just arrived by elevator, with a colleague. The officers began running towards Earl. Earl opened fire on them, hitting one of the officers, to detract them from pursuing him. The officer hit fell to the ground, while the other ducked, taking cover for safety.

"Officer down, I repeat, officer shot," he squawked over the radios.

FBI agents were now in the building, one of them took aim at the gallery where Earl was supposed to be, and opened fire, in an attempt to sort of get him smoked out of hiding.

Liam was in a state of shock, and now in an ambulance, being rushed to an emergency room. He had been administered CPR twice in the number of times he had passed out. The ambulance raced through the traffic clog, caused by fleeing people. Liam had lost consciousness from bleeding profusely. Soon as the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the nurses took his stretcher out of the ambulance released the gurney wheels. They rapidly wheeled him in, running while a registered nurse took his vitals. The nurses had stopped the bleeding, and his heart rate had stabilized. They made an x-ray of him quickly, then rushed him into the theater to get him operated upon.

The doctor was just being helped into his apron when they brought him in. Upon seeing his x-ray, the team of medical experts went to work immediately. Connecting him to a blood sack, attaching him to an oxygen machine, while the anesthesiologist got him to feel numb of all the pain, he felt but couldn't express. They began operating on him. The x-ray confirmed he had been shot in the chest and in the neck. He had put on a Teflon vest for bulletproof, so all they had at the breast was basically structural damage due to the force of impact of the bullet. However, the one that caught him in the neck had lodged in through a small hole and exploded a mess the size of a quarter dollar coin upon exit. It was this hole that was responsible for his loss of blood.

At home, Shonda stood in front of the TV. Tears rolled down her cheeks as they watched the live news reports of all that was going on. Juliet got up and hugged her, letting her cry on her shoulder. James sat in front of the TV, not saying a word, shocked by all the commotion. Every now and then, he lifted his face to look at his wife and her niece. As they were crying at the news of Liam's shooting.

An eyewitness was in front of the camera being interviewed. He confirmed the young man was in critical condition but wasn't dead yet. That news gave Juliet hope and made Shonda feel a bit relieved. She felt like she could never forgive herself for being the onus of this destruction.

Up to five people had been confirmed to be in critical condition, from the ensuing stampede.

An officer had been shot, and the shooter was still believed to be in the building. They had the entire area cordoned off and were determined to capture him, dead or alive.

Earl knew he couldn't allow himself to be trapped. So, after shooting at the two cops who had come in from the elevator, he ran. Racing back towards the stairs. Once in the staircase, he opened fire down towards the approaching footsteps. Someone shouted, "stand back!" as the men quickly leaned against the wall.

Earl ran up towards the roof. Once he got to the top of the roof, he scanned the area down to see his options. His car was parked on the eastern end of the building. And ninety percent of his ammo was in the vehicle. He got an iron rod by the entrance of the door. Jammed the rod between the door handles and the post by the door. Ensuring no one could come that way. Then he took down his bag and quickly took out his rope shooter. He cracked a metal release pin, and the five metal clamps, in front of the gun, unclasped off the projectile. He shot at the building across, which was under construction. The rope went so far until the hook hit an edge. Slipping off the side, it fell between a metal pipe junction. "Awesome!" he exclaimed. He then quickly moved the gun end, unclasped another clip, and the gun transformed into another hook line. He then ran the gun end around a steel part of the small radio tower built for transmission, in case of a live event.

When the gun had fired the hook across the building, an attentive officer saw it, tapped his colleague on the shoulder, and pointed at the line of rope. They both stood there, eyes up, to see what was about to happen. Over the radio, the voice of the one who had been tapped reported the incident. Immediately, several officers began to make their way to the location where the unusual activity had been spotted. Meanwhile, the officers were told to hold off until the FBI got there.

The special agents ran down. Drove down, until they got to the location, four in all. They took positions in the dark spots. Then, three men went into the building.

Soon enough, they saw Earl sliding down the rope with the aid of his gun. "Fire!" shouted an excited lieutenant, who didn't believe in the FBI standing them down. As the agitated men opened fire on the gliding Croc, he swung back and forth to help him avoid the oncoming assault. Seconds later, he landed in the building. Croc felt hurt. He had been shot in the side. Dropping, he rolled onto his feet and quickly began limping and running towards the location of his car.

The building was a four-story, he made it quickly to the back area undetected. He opened the back door, which had been newly installed, an officer who had made it there opened fire. Earl took a step back, then put out his gun to respond. The officer groaned as he got caught by the bullet. Earl ran outside, saw the officer on the ground, and let him have two more shots.

Following a bend, he came out to where he had his car, he hit the remote key and started the car. He raced to the hellcat, got in, and gunned the engine. Soon as he made a turn to get onto the road, he was faced with a roadblock. He waited there for a minute, thinking through his situation. A foot on the brake pedal, another on the throttle, simultaneously revving the engine and causing it to burn up.

"Step out of the car with your hands up," Montgomery commanded with a handheld megaphone. "I repeat, step out of the vehicle with your hands up."

Earl thought of the option of being arrested for a minute, and it did not sit well with him. He put the car in reverse and began a high throttle, rapid return, heading back the way he came.

The officers opened fire at him, 'now,' he thought, 'this is armored, so take mine.' He reached for the button by his divider, which moved the passenger seat back and opened up his gun compartment. He reached in for the guns, without looking to see which gun he took out. Eyes kept on the road, to know what was on.

They kept firing at him, but he continued until he got to an intersection. He pulled up the parking brake, put the gear in reverse, stepped on his foot brakes. Now, as the car swung right, he turned his steering left to swing a doughnut and face the cops. He grimaced, then opened fire, shooting at the officers feverishly. Meanwhile, the hellcat spun and came to a stop. The officers took cover, hiding behind their cars. One of his bullets struck the tank of a vehicle and caused it to explode, killing the two cops who were crouched behind the car.

"Wo-ho!" Earl yelled in glee. He dumped the emptied gun, reached into the compartment again, for another hardware. He pulled it out and continued shooting as he put the car back in drive. Once he swung to face the road, he stepped on the gas pedal and gunned the engine.

Meanwhile, from the southern side of the building, agent Emeka and Diaz were in a truck circling towards Croc's location at high speed. Emeka was behind the wheels, and Diaz was at the back, behind a mounted machine gun full of armor-piercing bullets. The moment they caught the situation on the ground and got closer, they picked up Earl's new position. Therefore, agent Emeka decided to cut him off, intercepting him from two streets left of where he had been reported to be seen heading. Emeka spotted the hellcat make a turn, and he stepped on the gas of his truck, knowing he had a minimal probability of catching up with the speed monster. The hellcat took a turn, which Emeka recognized led to a long, dead-end street. He stopped, turned the truck around, to back that road, which the hellcat was seen driving into. He figured Croc was bound to come back out to the trail, a steep ravine ended that road. He then radioed in for back-up. Within a minute, his back-up arrived, arriving just at the time the hellcat could be heard returning from the dead-end street.

Soon as Earl Crocker spotted them, he cursed under his breath. They were relentless, he thought. Then air back-up arrived. Croc looked out of the window, hissed at the chopper and its light beam. He slowed the car, allowing himself time to think.

On the megaphone, Montgomery commanded him again, out of the helicopter. Saying, "Earl Crocker, this is your final warning, drop your weapons and step out of the car with your hands up, now!" he waited for Earl's response but didn't get any. This time, he was going to take him out for good. "Officers at my command," he announced. They cocked their guns.

He heard his name mentioned, it was something that hadn't happened before. So, they knew who he was. The thought made him feel weak. Part of his strength had been in the possibility of being invincible. That had been the spark for him. 'Oh shit,' he thought. Now, this was it, he would have to let it all loose and ensure no one who knew his name there walked away alive to recount his name. Angry now, he banged the gun on the dashboard.

Shit! Shit! Shit!" he cursed. Reached into his gun compartment and brought out the three machines he had in there. Brought out two new magazines and reloaded the guns he had just spent. Cursed under his breath, then brought his hand out the window to open fire.

The moment his hand appeared out the hellcat's window to shoot at the officers, Montgomery gave the order.

"FIRE!" he shouted. The automatic felt different in Diaz's hand as the recoil energy was no longer transferring to his body, but was being dispersed through the solid truck bed. He held on to the high caliber, machine gun's trigger with so much rage, it almost choked him.

The first bullet from agent Diaz's machine gun, instantly cracked the windshield, giving room for the next two bolts to further weaken and smash the bulletproof glass. More bullets hit off Earl's outstretched hand, he burst his own shots off to the side of the street, as more shots hit him. About five hundred bullets had riddled his entire body by the time his body slumped forward. Clips from the last spurt of shootings fell to the ground and could be heard audibly in the ensuing silence.

Earl's hand hung limply as it dangled from the window, hanging limply.

A radio personality could be heard speaking over Croc's radio, "…and reports coming in," she was saying, "is that many wounded are still being treated... In what some are still saying could have been caused by love gone wrong…"

"What does this mean for the future of entertainment?" one asked.

Another voice replied, "it's the acceptance of values and choice as it should be…"

Montgomery walked over to Earl's body, slumped forward, leaning on his steering, with smoke rising out of his body. He took a handful of his ginger hair and yanked him backward. His head hit the headrest, and slumped back down, dead. Earl Crocker, a.k.a. Early Croc, had been killed, time of death? Twenty-three, forty-four P.M.

Epilogue

Liam sat up in bed, feeling lucky to have survived gun assaults to his life, twice. Terry had just left after visiting him. Sammy was by his side, with his cousin Jared who had also come to visit him.

The news was agog once more with stories of his event and the unrelenting gunman, an international assassin who had come to deal with a local event promoter.

He got a letter from Sindrum records asking if he was interested in working for K-Dip, he smiled, happy he had been accepted into the inner circles of success, despite the crazy outcome. He was most grateful that the man in question had been killed by the cops. Sammy took the letter from him, read it, then said, "it's the way he is, always showing support to his community."

"I wouldn't call it to support, it's love, I'd say he is devoted to his own."

Sammy nodded, "aight pal, I will be seeing you later, bye now."

"Hey, thanks for coming, see you soon."

And he exited the room, to answer his call to duty.

The end.

About the author

Steve Wayze lives in Dallas Texas; he is an artist and a designer per excellence. In fact, he is one you should definitely call a true Bohemian. With a previous work under a different name, he writes prolifically on different subjects and genres. He is a father, and a husband to his lovely wife, Tonia.