Chapter Seven

When we arrived back at the parking garage next to our apartment building I half expected to see J waiting for me outside with that hyena's smile on his face, but he was nowhere in sight. I tucked the ears of my bunny mask into my thigh holster and went to the back of the van where the rest of the guys were beginning to unload our haul. I slung two of the duffel bags over my shoulders, then clapped my hand on Richard's back when I had finally adjusted the straps just right, finding my equilibrium.

"Take the rest of the bags to the accountant and have him count it up. There's gotta be at least twenty mil here, but I'll leave it up to Mister J to divvy out the funds." I said, to which he nodded his response. "And Rich?" He looked up at me then, and the look on his face was all business. I liked Richard. He was a good guy, unquestionably loyal to J and now, it would seem, to me.

"Thanks for having my back out there. I'll make sure Mister J knows what you did for me. What all of you did," I gestured to the rest of the team. They each gave me an appreciative nod or grunt and went back to their work while I turned to head inside and up to our apartment. I was unsure why, as soon as I entered the building, I felt nervous. I knew I'd done a good job, but J was such a wild card I never quite knew how he was going to react – even when the outcome was one that benefited him. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes as the elevator began is ascent to the top floor.

I made it to our front door and as I pushed it open I was welcomed with the sight of J standing on the other side with Tommy pressed beneath his arm, and his Colt 1911 jammed beneath the man's jaw. I tried my best to mask the shock on my face, but when he looked at me I knew that he knew, so he laughed. Throwing his head back, his silver teeth exposed and glistening in the afternoon light like the sharpened end of a blade.

"Pumpkin! So glad you're back," He purred, before pistol whipping Tommy when he tried to speak. I noticed then that his face was a swollen, reddish-purple mass, and there was blood trickling down the corners of his mouth. "You know, you really made me proud today, pet. It's like you took a page right outta my own book!" He sang my praises as I dropped the bags on the floor, stepping closer to him with cautious, calculated steps.

Killing Tommy was necessary, especially after the turn I took during the heist, but I figured he'd have been long since finished with him and his hired flunky's would be cleaning up the mess.

"Thanks, babes," I said. "I even got to christen some of my knives in the process."

"You hear that, Tommy, my boy! She got to baptize her knives on your men! I'm so proud." J placed his hand that held his gun over his heart and looked at me with wide, demented eyes and a terrifying grin. Tommy gurgled a response, unable to form words with all the broken teeth and blood that sloshed around in his mouth, but it sounded something along the lines of a fuck you and crazy asshole.

Uh oh. I thought, shaking my head. J didn't like being called crazy. There was a method to his madness, every move he made was planned and designed to create chaos. Chaos that he could manipulate and control. I heard him growl, as he pulled back on the trigger, blasting Tommy's brains across our checkered tile floors and onto the side of his own face and designer suit. I watched with sick fascination has he rolled his neck, pulling a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiping the spray of blood from his face.

"Pity," He grumbled. "This was one of my best Gucci suits…I don't think Karen will be able to get these stains out…Ahh, never mind that! Come here, doll face." He flicked bits of brain matter off of his shoulder before looking me up and down and opening his arms out wide. I stepped into them without a moment's hesitation.

"My little Miss Malice, all grown up! Hijacking heists and killing bad guys…or, well, other bad guys I should say." He cupped my cheeks between his hands, Tommy's blood still smeared across his handsomely deranged face. I parted my lips to sigh, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Even though I had done well, I wasn't sure how he would take me compromising our objective – even if it was to line our own pockets some more.

"Come on, kitten, let's get you out of that gear and into something a little less...conservative." He growled, tugging me along with him towards the training room.

He pulled me inside, the motion sensory lights quickly illuminated his frame in front of me, but when he turned to face me I saw that his features held no more traces of his playful deviance anywhere, instead he looked...angry? Confusion washed over my face and before I had a moment to question what was happening I saw a flash of the back of his hand and heard the sickening crack of it as he smacked me hard across my face. Despite my best efforts to stay balanced, I collided hard with the ground beneath my feet, my curls flying forward to hide my face like a curtain.

What the fuck. I felt a growl escape my own throat and I was back on my feet in an instant, turning my head to spit the blood out of my mouth. I traced the inside of my cheek with my tongue, finding it had split open on my teeth from the sheer force of his slap. He was laughing at me now, which only further infuriated me. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Tell me, pet, just what the fuck you think you're doing, hmm?" He snapped, no amusement on his face, as he began circling around me, sizing me up in an uncomfortable way, taunting me. "First you interrupt my meeting, then you completely take over my heist and nearly cost me millions!" His voice rose to a deafening volume, which would have made me shrink back in fear…not this time. I balled my fists up at my sides, staring straight at him when he came to a halt in front of me.

"Excuse me?" I roared. "If it weren't for me-" He slapped me again and I mentally cursed myself for not having my guard up. The blow rocked me backwards, but I turned to look at him again, rubbing the side of my face while glaring daggers into him. He smiled a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile and started to speak again.

"Correction, Madeline," His voice was dripping with resentment. "If it hadn't been for you, Tommy Ceglio would still be alive and I wouldn't have to deal with his baboonish hoard of mafia dipshits that are about to come after me!" He snarled. I turned my head to spit on the floor and saw it was tinged with crimson. I wiped at my mouth and made eye contact with J, the corners of my vision becoming white-hot with rage.

"Fuck you!" I spat. "This has nothing to do with Tommy or his crew and you know it!" He grinned, drawing his eyebrows down at me, and took a casual step back.

"And what does this have to do with, pet?" He cooed, causing my stomach to twist.

"This," I started, stepping forward with my finger pointed at him accusingly, "is about you feeling threatened, and your inability to share!" He made a move forward, bringing his hand back again to slap me, but this time I was ready.

I dodged his swinging hand quickly and countered his assault with a hard left uppercut. I used every ounce of my body weight, throwing it into the swing of my hips and upwards as my fist connected with the underside of his jaw. To my immense satisfaction I saw his feet leave the ground as he fell backwards to the ground. I looked down at him, moving into my boxing stance, with a satisfied smile on my face.

"What's the matter, sir?" I questioned, sarcasm lacing my every word. "Don't like the idea of sharing the throne? Can't stand that I'm capable of making things happen for us on my own?" He said nothing, just looked up at me with his teeth barred in a grimace, so I pressed on. It was my turn to taunt him.

"You can't stand that I came back from this, can you? That you finally met someone who just might be on your level? Someone you don't have to brainwash or babysit? Well, guess what, J?" He began to stand up, his tall frame towered over mine, making me tilt my head up to look him in his eyes.

"What, doll face?" He mashed out through gritted teeth.

"I'm your equal, and you better start acting like it or I swear to fucking God I'll walk out and take everything from you – including the bat!"

Bingo. I got him. I saw the cracks in his composure bust wide open, his grimace turning into a full on snarl.

"You're not fucking going anywhere," He growled and lunged forward, capturing me and spinning me into a headlock. I was smiling now, ready to play with him, and feeling smug as hell that I'd gotten under his skin.

He squeezed my neck tightly, but without missing a beat I elbowed him hard in his lower stomach and kicked out at his knee. I heard a loud pop and I knew I'd probably snapped a ligament, or at least strained the hell out of it. He yelled, dropping to his knees and released me, and I used the momentum to swing around and kick the side of his face. He fell face first on the floor. I was ready to walk away when I heard him laugh. The Laugh.

Incredulously, he picked himself up off the ground and lurched towards me again. I used my lack of height to my advantage and quickly slid between the gap in his legs, standing behind him and hitting him hard in his kidneys. He growled, turning to capture my throat in his hand, he was much quicker than I gave him credit for, and lifted me off the ground. My feet were dangling inches from the purchase of the floor when he started to squeeze the life out of me.

I saw him cock his hand back, balling it into a fist and bringing it forward with blinding speed, colliding with my cheekbone and my nose several times until I could no longer see straight. The pain was excruciating, but I was able to swing my legs up, wrapping one around his bicep while the other one smashed into the front of his face. His grip loosened just enough for me to get free and through the haze of my bloody, swollen vision I pulled out one of my knives. His eye was already swelling shut but he saw the gleam of my blade and smiled. I screamed, running at him full speed, angling my head down to plow into his stomach and knock him to the ground. As we both fell, I positioned myself on top of him so my knees pinned his arms at his side, and my feet hooked beneath his upper thighs to minimize his movements.

I placed my knife at his throat, and he laughed, spitting some of his blood onto my face.

"Admit it, J," I demanded, trying desperately to catch my breath, applying more pressure to the blade I held against his carotid artery. I could feel his heartbeat pumping up through my knife and into my hand. I had his life in my hands, a prospect that both enticed me and terrified me.

"Admit it!" I yelled. "Even if you don't understand it, because I'm not sure I do either, but admit that we fit. I'm more than just a toy to you, and despite us both being inherently selfish psychopaths, our crazies fit." He growled, looking straight up at me, his face swollen and bloodied, and nodded.

I threw my knife into the wall beyond his head and leaned down, securing his face between my hands as I flattened my body out on top of his. He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist, and we kissed. It tasted like sweat and blood and hope. It was needy and desperate. I felt him purr against my lips which stirred a moan out of my throat. We didn't even stop to catch our breath and before I knew it his hands were between us, his slim fingers expertly undoing the button of my leather pants and dragging the zipper down.

I got off of him then, standing over him to step out of my boots, pants, and jacket. He stood too, very slowly, and tore off his Gucci suit until he was standing in front of me in just his trousers. They were unbuttoned and hanging low on his hips in a way that made heat spread out from my very core.

"Come here," He croaked, his voice raw. Whether it was from our fight or his want for me, I'll never know.

I walked slowly towards him then, reaching behind me to unclasp my bra as I went. When I was within his reach he yanked it off of me, bringing a hand up to capture my throat and pull me close to him, our bare chest smashed together in a tight embrace.

"J," I sighed, looking up at him as his fingers knotted in my hair.

"What am I going to do with you?" He said, smiling knowingly down at me.

"What would you do without me?" I corrected before spitting on my hand and shoving it inside of his pants, palming his throbbing erection while he kissed me. His tongue pried my lips apart and he was greedy with it, exploring every corner of my mouth. It was possessive and dominant. It made my entire body sing with desire.

I continued palming the length of his cock and felt the promising drops of precum coat the tips of my fingers, lubricating my strokes even more. He growled again, low in his throat before turning us around and shoving me against the wall. I giggled as he pulled my hand out of his pants and dropped to his knees, gripping my ass and leaning in to inhale the scent of me.

This time I didn't hesitate to run my fingers through his mass of green hair, securing him there and moaning loudly as this incredible man began rubbing his face against my pussy.

"Where have you been hiding, baby?" He almost whimpered against my groin before he pulled my panties down and I stepped out of them.

I tugged on his hair, forcing his head up to look up at me before spreading my legs wide and angling his mouth over my slit. His blue eyes darkened hungrily and I felt his tongue start to lap at my already throbbing clit. I threw my head back and sighed, letting his tongue go to work on me. Swirling, sucking, teasing. God, he was so good. I squeezed my eyes shut and was rewarded with the feeling of his finger pushing inside my opening and curling in the most delicious way against my insides.

I sucked in a hiss of hair, looking back down to watch him in amazement, but never loosening my grip on his hair. I was in control…for now. I began to move my hips against his mouth, desperately reaching for my orgasm as I ground my clit against his flat, wet tongue.

"Mmm, J," I cried out. "Your tongue feels s-s-so good." He drew his eyebrows down as he looked up at me and just when I thought he was out of surprises, I felt him suck my clit between his lips while he mashed his tongue against it in hard, slow circles. That was it, my knees started to buckle as I spun out into ecstasy, calling his name and maybe even a declaration of love. I'm not responsible for what I say in the throes of passion.

I unhooked my fingers from his hair and let him stand over me with a dark desire in his eyes. When I had finally come down from my high I pulled his mouth to mine, kissing him deeply, rewarded with his sinister purrs that vibrated throughout my entire body.

"Your turn," I said with a wicked smile as I dropped down to my knees before him, using the wall to steady myself. His cock was inches from my face and I had to stare at it for a moment, taking it into my hand.

I could completely wrap my hand around it, my thumb and middle finger just barely touching around its girth. It was twitching beneath my fingers, lengthy and thick. I was so ready to take it down my throat. I looked up at him, his hands were splayed out against the wall behind me, his face twisted into an animalistic grin, waiting for me to please him. Waiting patiently for me to use my mouth on him.

I let a large pool of spit collect in my mouth before letting it fall onto the tip of his cock. He threw his head back as I began to stroke him with it, coating his shaft with my saliva. Next I kissed the tip, then, without warning, took the entire length of him into my mouth. I screwed my eyes shut as it smashed against the back of my throat, and tried desperately not to choke. It was proving impossible, so I came up for air, catching my breath before I took the length of him down my throat again and started to work him. In and out it went, my spit dripping from my mouth and his cock onto the floor of the training room. He was making sounds I'd never heard him make before. Deep, guttural, primal noises, while he brought one hand down to fist into my hair, urging me on.

Over and over again I stroked him with my mouth, hollowing out my cheeks with suction until my eyes were watering and my vision was blurry. His other hand came down to stroke my cheek and then I felt his need begin to build. It was desperate and wanton, his hips started to meet the thrusts of my mouth so I quickened my pace. One final pull and then he slammed into me, his hot seed shooting out to coat the depths of my throat. He groaned, it was harsh and loud and stirred up emotions in me that I wasn't even aware I had.

Satisfied with my performance I stood up, reaching for his hand.

"I want you," I coaxed, pulling him towards the combat mats on the floor, "to fuck me here."

And with that I laid down, noticing he was hard again even though he'd just cum. I spread my legs wide and looked at him as I began to push my fingers inside my pussy. He smiled wickedly at me and in a flash he was between my legs, the head of his cock placed at my entrance. I kissed him then, clinging to him like I needed him to live, and that's when he slammed into me and stilled.

I bit at his collarbone as he began to move, pressing his hips into me with such force that my body started to slide up the mat, but he followed. Never once stopping or slowing his speed.

"Madeline," He cooed, it was enough to send me over the edge. I raked my fingernails down his back so deep that I'm sure I'd drawn blood. He didn't seem to care, he was too interested in sucking on the sensitive skin of my neck, biting it as he thrusted in and out of me. He was stretching my walls in a way that made it hard to focus on anything else but the feel of him. Over and over again he penetrated me, pushing me beyond the point of no return. This man, this brilliantly insane, messed up man fit me like a god damn puzzle piece. I locked my legs around his waist and nudged his head from the crook of my neck, pressing our foreheads together as we stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"I'm gonna-" I began, my breath hitching in my throat.

"I know." He finished for me, picking up his pace. He pulled his face away from mine but never broke eye contact as I wrapped my arms around his neck, biting my lip to keep from screaming.

"Now, baby," He growled, his swollen and bruised face twisted in pleasure as I felt him begin to fill me with cum. That was all it took for me to join him, my muscles clenching deliciously around him as he spilled the final drops of his desire into me. He pumped a few more times, long, deliberate, slow strokes before pulling out and rolling onto the mat beside me. I quickly curled into him, splaying my hand over his heart.

"You…" He began. "You are more trouble than I ever thought you'd be, pet."

I smiled, still riding the high of our fight and our sex.

"I think you've just met your match, that's all." I said, and we both laughed in unison.

"I think," He rolled onto his side and dragged his marred knuckles down the side of my face, "You might be right, kitten." And with that, we kissed.

It was short, sweet, and finite. Our fight was over, and I had won.