Hook'd (26 page)

A tired yawn left Reese's lips and she turned up the radio to keep herself awake. Tonight, she was just heading back from Tribeca after celebrating Yasmine's birthday. The event took place at a 5 star lounge, where they danced, laughed, and had a good time. Yasmine, whom was known to throw an extravagant birthday bash each year, kept the occasion much more intimate this time, inviting just a few friends to enjoy her night.

Maybe she shouldn't have stayed out so late, given that she an early flight to Vegas tomorrow morning. With Cameron's fight just days away, she would be right there in his corner supporting him. And she couldn’t wait. The flight was in less than 5 hours, and she had yet to pack. Silly her, for waiting the last minute. She just hoped she would have the energy to even open up her suitcase.

Reese pulled into her driveway, relieved to be home. She could already hear her bed calling her name. She stepped out of her car and rushed to her front door, shivering from the brisk winds engulfing her in its path. She fiddled for the correct key, then opened the door. As she stepped inside of her darkened home, she basked in the welcoming heat. It felt so good to be home. She locked the door behind her then flipped the light switch, only to scream at the sight.

He sat on the couch like a monumental statue, his presence as chilling as the cold night air. Clad in a grey suit, with a fedora hat cocked to the side, he gave a small smile.

"How're you doing, Sharese?"

"What the hell are you doing in my house?!?"

Slick took a sip of liquor from his glass. "Mind if we talk?"

"No, we don't need to talk about anything! Leave now or else I'm calling the police." She pulled out her phone.

"That wouldn't be a good idea."

"Oh, it wouldn't? Try me."

He aimed a pistol at her and she gasped, dropping the phone.

"Have a seat."

She stumbled into the living room and sat across from him.

"Good girl." He nodded, placing the chrome pistol on his lap. She stared at the weapon, her heart racing with panic. "Don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you...well, unless things go a different way...then, you know."

"How did you get in here? And how do you know where I live?"

"I'm Slick, baby. I know everything."

"What do you want from me?"

"Just to talk. I got sick of the phone conversations."

She squinted, confused. "What are you talking about? We never..."

A dark smile lifted his lips, and in that instant the reality struck her with a hard blow.

"Wait, that was you the whole time?"

"I like to play around, sometimes." He shrugged.

She couldn't believe it. All this time, she thought it was her ex-husband. Only to find out it had been him the whole time. But it didn't make sense. How? Why?

"It'll all make sense in a minute." He finished the last of his drink, then lifted the empty glass. "Great Cognac by the way."

Her stomach curled with disgust. Just the thought of him in her house, invading her privacy made her sick. Her legs fidgeting, she fleeted her eyes around the room, figuring out what to do. She couldn't run and scream for help. He would just kill her on the spot. She didn't even have her phone nearby to call the police. And her hand gun was upstairs in her room.

She was trapped.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm."

She met his gaze as he stared at her frame. She cringed at the way his lustful gaze traced her breasts through the V neckline of her dress, before sliding down to her legs exposed under the hem draped just above her knees. She sat up straight, covering her legs with her dress.

With a grin, he grazed the barrel across his thick beard. "Cam's always been an overachiever when it came to women."

"What the hell do you want?"

"I’d like to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

He reached over and picked up the bottle of Cognac from off the coffee table. "Mind if I...?"

She glared at him without a word. He thanked her and poured more into his glass.

"So, you and Cam's been getting pretty close lately." He took a sip and nodded with satisfaction at the taste. "Aye, I'm gonna be honest with you. All my years of knowing Cam, I've never seen him act this way over a woman. But here's the thing, though. The fight's coming up. And I have a lot on the line. The last thing I need is some distractions, if you know what I mean."

"I don't, actually," she shot back.

"You watch boxing?"

She didn't respond, wondering where he was going with this.

"Just a simple question, beautiful."

"Not really, no."

"Well, let me tell you a secret about the sport. To win, it's not just about how well you can fight. Naw. It's all psychological. It's up here." He tapped his temple. "See, to win you have to know how to manipulate your opponent. Get inside that person's head. Know his weakness. And Cam's weakness is the same as his strength. And that's his heart.

"See the thing about Cam is, his heart is too big. When he loves something, he gives it his all. Boxing, friends, his team. His woman. And it works against him, more than he even realizes it. Now, he's a gifted motherfucker, don't get me wrong. Best boxer in the world, if you ask me. But this right here..." He tapped his chest. "He's weak. He thinks he's ready for the fight, but he's not. And I know before he even gets in that ring that he's going to lose that fight."

"What's your point?"

"End it."

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

"End the relationship." His dark orbs pierced hers. "Like I said, I have a lot riding on this fight. And I have no problem eliminating anything that gets in the way of that victory."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact."

Their eyes battled in the heavy silence. She couldn't believe what he was telling her. She wanted nothing more than to beat his ass herself.

"Look, to make this easier...I'll do you a favor." He reached inside of his blazer, and pulled out an envelope. "Fifty grand. You end it and it's yours."

He had the nerve.

"I don't want your damn money."

With narrowed eyes, he took another sip of his drink.

"You think that impresses me? This whole...I'm-too-good-for-shit act, you got going on? I see through that. I know what you're really about. You're just like any other bitch. Just with him to gain something out of it. So, what is it? His money? Fame? Attention?"

Reese stood up. "Get out."

"We're not done talking."

"I said get out of my house. Now!"

"I need an answer."

"Fuck you. That's my answer."

He licked his lips with a cool smile. "I'm just tryna make it easier on you. I don't mean to cause any trouble."

Fed up, she stormed across the room and picked up the phone off the hook. She had enough. She pressed the button, only to gasp at the sudden yank of her hair. The cold steel pressed against her temple.

"Put the phone down," he whispered in her ear. She dropped the phone. "Good. Let's not make this harder than it needs to be. Like I said, I didn't come here to hurt you."

Her scalp burned at his clenching grip, only forcing her to tears she didn't have strength to fight.

"See, the thing with me is...I always get my way." The cold barrel grazed her face and she cringed at its touch. "What about that little shelter you run? It would be a shame to see it go out of business, now would it?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me. In case you don’t know, I'm a very powerful man. Who knows some very powerful people that would shut that piece of shit down, quicker than you could blink."

His cold threat struck shivers down her spine.

"Or better yet, maybe you would prefer this..." He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She gasped at the sudden images that appeared on the screen. It was none other than herself and Cameron having sex in her bedroom. The images as clear as day, she could see every speckle of their features through the colored screen. Their moans reverberated through the speakers as they engaged in pleasure, and the haunting sight only made her nauseous.

"H-how did you get this?"

He snickered. "I have my ways, baby."

She wanted to vomit. He had been spying on her. She couldn't believe it. She had never felt so violated in her entire life.

"You see that right there? All I have to do is make one phone call, and this will be all over the media. In front of the entire world. And trust me, baby...I'll make your life a living hell. Fuck with me."

She turned her head, unable to take anymore.

"Okay, I'll do it."

"What? I didn't hear you."

"I said I'll do it! Just shut it off."

"Okay, good girl." He released his grip and stepped back. Tears fell down her face as he retrieved the DVD from the system. He approached her with a sigh. "Sorry, it had to be this way, beautiful. It’s just business."

He kissed the envelope and placed it on the coffee table. He then left her house without a trace.

Her heart ached for what she was about to do. She hadn't slept all night. She had been up, pacing, thinking, and crying. She thought about telling Cam what had occurred between her and his manager, but she couldn't risk her chances. His threat sounded so adamant. And she knew deep down, he wasn't the one to take lightly. So, she had no choice.

She had even rationalized. Convincing herself that she was doing Cameron a favor. She didn't want to be the reason he lost a fight. With her out of the picture, he would attain the victory he had worked so hard for.

It wasn't like they were serious anyway...right? They weren't in love. Or married. They didn't have a family together. Cameron could have any woman he wanted. He didn't need her. He would be fine, regardless. She had to remember that.

Reese looked at the time. He would be here any minute now. She had been calling his phone endlessly, hoping to save him the trip here. But he never picked up. And now, she had no choice but to face him.

The ring of the bell halted her thoughts.

She froze.

Reese stared at the door, her heart pounding her in chest.

The bell rang again.

Quickly wiping her face, she trudged to the door with deep breaths. She grasped the knob and opened the door.

And there he stood. Looking as attractive as ever in his casual blue cashmere sweater, jeans, fresh sneakers with his low ceaser neatly cut. The light in those eyes that always managed to warm her heart, dampened her spirit. A slight frown etched his face, as his gaze fell to her silk nightgown.

"Sup, baby. You're not dressed?"

"Uh, I tried calling earlier but I couldn't get a hold of you."

"Yeah, I've been tryna get you too. But that stupid thing's been acting up all morning."

She glanced across at the black Cadillac parked in front, only to meet Slick's piercing glare through the window. She blinked away.

"How come you're not dressed?" He stepped inside and closed the door. "We gotta head out, the flight's in a couple hours."

"I'm not going."

"What?" His head spun to her.

She grew quiet.

"What do you mean, you're not going?"

"It's just best if I stay back."

"What? Why?"

"It just is."

He gave her a confused look, then shook his head. "C'mon, Reese stop playing. Where's your stuff? It's time to—"

"We need to end this," she blurted out.

Her words cut through the air like blade.

He stood there without a word.

"What?" his voice lulled into a whisper.

She stared at the tile floor, unable to face his stare.

"Reese, what are you talking about?"

"It's not working out between us."

"What do you mean it's not working out between us?"

She didn't respond, her heart tightening with unbearable pain.

"Reese..." He walked closer. "What's the matter? Where is all this coming from?"

"I'm sorry..."

He rubbed her face, soothing her with his soft touch. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"We can't be together."

"Why do you keep saying we can't be together?"

"We just can't!"

He fell silent.

"You're better off without me," she said in a softer tone.

"That's not true. We belong—"

"It is true."

"Look, I know you're scared…” He placed a finger on her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Those warm brown eyes, filled with such sincerity only burned her heart with sheer guilt. "But I'm not him. I'd never do what he did.
Ever
."

As she found herself falling deeper, she stepped back. "Let's not fool ourselves, Cameron. This will never work."

"It will. You just gotta believe it."

She had to remember who she was dealing with. Cameron was a fighter. Never the one to back down. Like his manager said, his heart was too big. He was going to fight for her, no matter what. And she had to defeat him. Break him down where it hurt.

His heart.

"Remember what I said about fear?" he added. "You gotta face that shit, baby. Don't let it stop you from being happy. You don't deserve—"

"Oh, please. You think you make me happy?" She glared at him. "You make me sick! That's what you make me."

He blinked with shock. Her cold words even surprised her, and she wondered where they had derived from.

"Sure it's been fun. The sex has been great. But let's not fool ourselves, Cameron. This isn't going anywhere. What did you expect? That we were going to drive off into the sunset? Get married? Start a life together? Please. I'd be a damn fool."

His face plastered with hurt, as he stood there without a word. And it surprised her. She expected him to lash out. Curse at her. Yell. Do something. But he didn't. Instead, he took every word she spewed, like a young child being berated by his own mother. And god, that cut her deeper than she could ever imagine. But despite the agonizing pain, she kept going. Her words were rolling off of her tongue, quicker than her mind could process. And she didn't allow herself to stop. She had to cut him as deep as she could. Until he hated her.

"I mean, seriously. I'm a grown ass woman. What do I look like being with a
little
boy your age? A reckless athlete with a horrible reputation and no morals? Why don't you go do what you do best and go fuck one of your groupies somewhere?"

His jaw bulged, as his foot tapped the floor. He was fuming now.

She kept going.

"I'm a self-respecting woman with standards. The last thing I need, is to be with a disgusting rapi—"

Her back slammed the wall and she gasped in shock. His fingers dug into her arms, as the fiery rage in his eyes burned her soul. She winced in pain, as he clenched his nails deeper into her skin, clawing her with a stinging burn.

"Say that shit again," he dared through clenched teeth. "Say it!"

She remained silent.

She wouldn't dare.

His nose flaring, he nodded. "Now, I see why the nigga beat your ass."

Her heart pained at his cold words.

He shoved her away and stepped out, slamming the door behind him.