Authors: P.A. Jones
Nikki
“If you don’t do this I’ll not give you a single penny for to go shopping,” my dad said as his face turned iron stubborn. My dad was known as Iron Man for his conviction in the business circles, so I knew he was telling the truth and it wasn’t just a shallow warning. Because of my own stubborn attitude, I’d lost access to Stephen and shopping was the only thing that comforted my heart after I couldn't see Stephen anymore. I’d had to give in to his demands.
“But Dad, why Chase? He is too unpredictable. Scary, even pathetic,” I said, looking in his eyes with hope.
My dad had asked me to visit a club of his, Club Satan, and pick something up for him. The thing was a mystery because in spite of asking him three times, he still hadn't told me what the thing was, nor was I allowed to open it. Actually he could easily get whatever he wanted to pick up brought to him with ease; he could just ask any of his associates and they would grab it for him. But no, he wanted me to do it. Sometimes he just felt like showing me that he was the head of the family.
“I’m not listening to you, young lady. You are twenty-one now, and you should know that I’m doing this for your own protection,” he groaned.
“I’ll take Carrie with me, then.” I had no choice but to listen to him. I could easily read irritation on his face and it was better for me to obey him for the time being.
It’s just a couple of hours and then I’ll just go shopping.
“Don’t you have any other friend to go out with? It’s always that girl.” He frowned.
“Now don’t start on that, please. I’m agreeing to do your job, so please let me go with her.” I shifted my feet in the thick carpet; his office was decorated with thick carpet and traditional, luxurious furniture. We lived in a mansion—well, a three-story house with twenty-two rooms. Who in the world wouldn’t call it a mansion?
He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Okay,” came after a long pause.
I looked at him to check if he meant something else, but his expression hadn’t changed. He was in his early fifties, but he looked like at least ten years younger. If it wasn’t for the bit of gray in his hair, he would have looked younger than that, even, but I liked those shades. They gave him an authoritative look. He always wore a gray jacket and black trousers in the office which complemented his good looks. He still looked handsome and any girl could fall for him, but it would be of no use. For him, the focus was always business, even above his own daughter.
Thinking about the relationship we shared, it had been always a strange one. He never really cared what I did with my life. I think for him taking care means giving money and he was good at it. So for me, he was a cool dad—always giving me what I wanted. I really only hated him for one thing:; he kept me away from Stephen.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll call Carrie and then go with Chase,” I replied calmly and went back to my room.
I called Carrie from my new iPhone the moment I entered my room.
Without letting her say a word, I blurted, “Can you please come over now? We have to go to a club and then do some shopping.”
“Umm, I don’t know.” She paused.”“I was planning to meet Jerry.” Jerry was her boyfriend for the last year-and-a-half.
“Please? If you don’t come I’ll have to go with Chase alone and you know how creepy he is,” I pleaded.
She paused for a while. “Okay, let me talk with Jerry and make up some thing and then I’ll come over.”
“Okay. Come fast.” I exhaled. I was breathless with anxiety at just with the idea of going alone with Chase.
***
“Nikki, let’s go.” Carrie started shouting as soon as she was out of the elevator. My room was on the third floor and I had a separate elevator and entrance for myself and my friends, which opened opposite to my room. She ran in a rush; she was wearing a blue sundress which hugged every curve of her body. She looked very sexy, and I wondered what she was anticipating during our outing.
“You look hot,” I sighed. Next to her, I looked average.
“It’s the same dress you've me last summer. Now, let’s go. I have a movie to catch with Jerry later.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. I was afraid that if anyone else tried to hit on me when Chase was around, he would end up exactly as the cute guy had yesterday. Last night, I’d woken up a couple of times in the night with sweat covering my forehead and my neck. I had nightmares in which I was kissing some man and then Chase came and tore open that man’s chest and drank the blood out of it.
“Are you okay, Nikki? You look a bit worried.” Carrie touched my shoulder.
“Nothing, had some nightmares,” I replied.
“About yesterday's event?”
“Yes,” I sighed. I knew the whole would be stuck in my mind for several days to come.“I’m okay, Carrie. Let’s just go.”
I called Chase as we walked to the parking garage. I have a custom fitted Range Rover for myself. Dad wanted me to drive something smaller, but I always wanted a big car and this new model had gotten my attention from day one.
Chase snatched the key out of my hand and I was pushed to the back seat.
“Jerk,” I whispered to Carrie. She giggled.
After twenty minutes, we were walking inside the fifth most popular club in New York. It was huge from the outside and gorgeous on the inside. The club was all marble; even the wall tiles were imported from Europe. The place had booths made up of hard stone; they were open on two sides and could accommodate four people at a time. There were twenty-five such booths available for members only. For non-members a separate, open floor was available, beautiful in its own right.
“Whenever I visit this club, it amazes me with a new angle of beauty,” Carrie said as we entered the club.
“I know. It’s really gorgeous, isn’t it?”
My heart fluttered for a second as we passed by one of the cubicle. I looked back at the booth and I couldn’t believe my own eyes. The mystery man who refused to help me two days ago was sitting in one of the booths. He was drinking the same beer he was drinking at the other club. My eyebrows shot up as I realized that he was sitting in the booth, which meant he was a member.
He was wearing a tight gray t-shirt, which not only showed the muscles beneath it, but also revealed the tattoo on his neck. Red and green ink was beautifully crafted in the outline of a hawk. I felt a twitch in my belly, a dark feeling submerged just under the surface of my mind. I couldn’t guess if it was my fantasy or the anger from other day.
“Isn’t that the same guy from the other night at your dad’s club?” Carrie whispered.
“He is and I’m going to confront him.”
“Don’t do anything foolish, Nikki. Chase is here and I don’t want his handsome face to get buried in dust.” Carrie squeezed my shoulder. She knew if I decided something. I usually went for it.
I gave her a smirk. “Maybe that’s what I’ll do. Give him a taste of his own medicine.” I quickly walked to his booth and sat in front of him. Watching him so closely was a different experience than I thought it would be. I could see the traces of his muscles from his semi-transparent t-shirt. His biceps were bulging out of his shirt and his shoulders were popping out as well. His long neck was a marvel to watch.
What am I thinking?
A pleasant, masculine aroma surrounded him. My sex tightened as I breathed in his scent. .
I coughed twice, my hand to my mouth, trying to get his attention. He just kept staring at his beer.
“Excuse me…” I said.
He looked up. I drowned again in his bottomless eyes. “I told you that wasn’t my fight,” he replied in deep, masculine voice, which struck a chord inside me. If anybody had asked me to describe just two things about him,, I would have talked about his endless eyes and deep male voice again and again.
“You look like a fighter. If you are, then why didn’t you save him that day?”
“I’m saying it again. It wasn’t my fight.” His rough, manly voice touched my core and a warm feeling suddenly filled my heart.
“Then what fight is yours?” I slammed my hand over the wooden table in between us. No matter how handsome he was, he was getting on my nerves and I didn’t like anyone talking to me like that.
“It’s none of your business, lady. Bug off,” he replied in a flat voice.
I jumped to my feet, grabbed the empty water glass in front of him and slammed it on the wooden table. The glass shattered, sending shards onto the tabletop and seats. The music was low and I was sure Chase had heard the noise very well. I was going to teach this bastard a lesson.
He remained seated. He was undistracted, not a single muscle on his face moved, a complete poker face.
What the heck? Isn’t he afraid or curious why I did this?
From the corner of my eye, I saw a bulky figure walking to the booth. It was Chase; I knew it. He came straight to the man and grabbed his shoulder. A slight regret touched my mind,
It’s wrong.
I’d pushed him in a fight he didn’t deserve.
My eyes froze as I experienced the unexpected. The man grabbed Chase’s hand and pulled him over his shoulder. Chase couldn’t stop his move and his back slammed on all the glasses placed on the table.
“Don’t try that on me,” the mystery man said in deep voice.
Some chord struck in my body. He had a magnetic voice like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.
He released Chase. Chase rolled on the table and jumped away. Surprised, he wiped the glass shards off of his huge shoulders. If it had been anybody but Chase, the person beaten like that would be already on the ground. With clenched fists, Chase dashed forward, pushing the wooden table aside to attack the mystery man.
I stepped back, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of something I’d actually started. Chase hit him straight on his face with a punch, but something unbelievable happened. The mystery man just ducked his punch and hit Chase back on his chest with his right knee.
“Unbelievable,” Carrie sighed hard.“I can’t believe my own eyes.”
“Neither can I,” I replied.
Chase stumbled back, holding his chest. I couldn’t believe that he felt the pain or at least felt the impact. His eyes were wide, searching for something in the mystery man, maybe some weak spot. Chase didn’t wait long;, he charged again, but this time with his rock-sized head. I was sure the mystery man would be crushed by the attack. But something unbelievable happened again. The moment Chase was about to hit the mystery man with his head, he jumped in the air and Chase passed below him like a train and crashed into nearby booth wall.
“Shit,” I breathed hard. My heart was pumping fast enough that I could hear it easily.
The booth was made from hard rock and there was no way anyone could have absorbed such an impact on the head, but iron-head Chase recovered and stood on his own two feet. With a pull of his hand he stretched his neck; he was really a brutal animal. The amazing thing was Chase was still smiling after getting beaten like a street dog.
“You,” Chase pointed his finger towards the mystery man,“ are dead.”. A wicked grin covered Chase’s face. The wicked grin meant he was in the mood to beat that man to the death.
My heart was praying for the mystery man. It was so hypocritical, because few minutes ago I started this fight and now I wanted that handsome man to beat Chase.
What in the hell is happening to me?
“I think Chase is going to crush him.” Carrie’s voice echoed her worries. She squeezed my arm in her hands.
My heartbeat quickened again as Chase moved slowly to the mystery man. Chase was aware of the opponent and he was going to use his brain to crush him.
God, please don’t hurt him.
Chase jabbed him with his right hand. The mystery man moved right to avoid it, but Chase hit him with his left knee. I could see the knee advancing inch by inch and in a moment it would hit his chest. “Oh, God,” I screamed and closed my eyes.
I expected a scream from the man. But instead, it was silent. I opened my eyes; Chase was lying down on the ground holding his left leg. The mystery man was still standing, watching Chase’s pain.
“I think that’s enough for today.”The mystery man spoke for the first time since the fight had started. He grabbed his jacket from the fallen chair and started walking towards the exit.
Chase saw that and stood up. In the next moment, hand clenched, he was running behind the mystery man to hit him from behind.
The man must have sensed him; at the last moment, he ducked and hit Chase with his right elbow. Chase was down again, but this time blood was coming from his chin.
This was the first time I had ever seen Chase getting beaten by anyone. And that man was a chiseled beast, but compared to of Chase he was still a child—at least he looked like one.
“What the hell? I don’t believe he beat him so easily.” Carrie was excited by all the action, but my heart was still beating fast. Chase was taking his gun out of his pocket.
Tristan
A gun? What the heck?
That bully was pointing a gun at my head and laughing out loud. After the beating I had given him, he could stand easily and point a gun at my head; that was impressive. He was a tough dog. Any other guy would be seeing stars by this time. The smell of iron burning flooded my nostrils. His gun had recently been fired, so I knew he was serious. I smiled at him. He was trying to threaten me with a gun.
“What?” A cranky sound came out of his throat. He looked hilarious while talking; my punch had changed the shape of his jaw.
“You look funny, dude,” I chuckled.“And that thing ain’t scaring me.” My life was empty and I wasn’t afraid of dying.
What is left to be afraid of?
My parents had died in a car accident when I was young. The girl I liked from school was married to someone else. Not that I hated her for it; Gavin was perfect for her and took good care of her. Even fighting was forbidden for me after that freaking fight. I had no one to look after nor was there anyone who cared if I died.
Maybe she will care.
Maybe she would, but I didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone anymore.
So there I was, standing in front of the gun, caring nothing about dying. Actually, I was excited to be there. Looking into the eyes of death was a thrilling experience.
“I’m not bluffing. This is not a fake gun. This will put a hole in your brain and I’ll be laughing after that,” he said as he spit some blood out of his mouth.
I walked closer to the gun; now, it was almost touching my forehead.
His expressions changed. he looked surprised.
“It’s not that I don’t care about my life, but if I’m dying here I don’t care if it’s your bullet or anyone else’s in the world.” I was ready for it. I was ready to die. It wasn’t bitter as I thought it would be; my mind was numb and at the same time it was ready to take on death.
He slowly pulled the trigger. My heartbeat stopped, my eyes frozen on his finger. Everything else blurred but the gun and the trigger. I could sense the thrill in my body as he squeezed the trigger. Nobody ever told me that it could be so exciting to see someone killing you.
“Stop, you fool.” Someone shouted from behind and bully’s finger stopped on the trigger.
I looked at the source. A middle-aged man in a gray jacket was standing at the back door. His ageless torso was square and firm, indicating he worked out regularly. His eyes, filled with authority and ownership, were fixed on the bully pointing the gun at me.
The bully’s expression changed. “But he beat me—”
“I said stop, or I’ll kill you myself,” the man said.
“But…”The bully lowered his gun in frustration.
“You are my strongest man, Chase, and if he could beat the crap out of you so easily, that means he is an asset.”He came forward to face me.“It excites me to see someone fight like you. It’s been a long time since I’ve someone beat this jerk.”
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I’m Daniel Jordan, owner of this club and many like these.” He reached out his hand.
My right hand was in immense pain. I couldn’t even think of putting it forward. I extended my left hand to shake. “Sorry, but my right hand is injured.”
“Don’t worry, someone will look at it.” He clapped his hands and two Asian women came running to him.”Get him to our in-house doctor. I want his wounds looked after ,”he ordered.
“It’s okay, Mr. Jordan,” I said, “I can handle this one myself.” I turned back toward the door; I wanted to get out of there. It had turned a lot messier than I had imagined and I needed a breather.
“You are free to go, Mr....”
“Tristan Scott,” I replied.
“Yes, Mr. Scott.” He paused for a second.“I think I’ve an offer for you.”He looked in my eyes with some kind of authority. I was sure many people would agree just by the power in his eyes.
Offer? What offer is he talking about?
“What kind of offer?”
“Looking at your skills, I want you to be my daughter’s body guard. Lately, she has been jumping into many dangerous situations.” He looked at the girl who was the cause of this all. “Am I right, Nikki?”
Nikki Jordan.
I said that name couple of times. It suited her. Blue eyes, long hair, lush lips and a curvy body. Her heart-shaped face turned dark when her father referred to her. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.“Umm…” She tried to say something without any success. She looked afraid to talk with her father or she had been in too much trouble, which her dad didn’t like. Looking at the way she tried to put me in the fight made sense with the later guess, that she had been in many troubles recently. But still she was an innocent-faced, beautiful girl. If it wasn’t for the situation she’d brought on me, I might have thought about her once or twice.
“Sorry, I can’t accept it.” I replied while still staring at Nikki, she had a magnetic touch and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
“Take this.” He handed me a business card.“If you want, you can participate in my MMA battle ground as well.”
“MMA battle ground?” I raised my chin in shock. What kind of business was he in?
“That’s a side business of mine and I’m always in search of a talent like you.” His eyes glowed as he looked in my eyes.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” The days of fighting were over for me. I turned back and walked out of the bar. My Civic was parked outside, and it was an automatic. I looked at my right hand. There was no way I could drive with that hand. My left hand was the saver for me.
I thumped the steering wheel with my left hand. If it wasn’t for that injury, I would be fighting in the ring now.
But the past is gone and I will have to live with this.
I managed to drive further into the city. I parked my car outside the book store and walked in. With the money I won in my MMA career, I had opened a used book store chain. It worked well and I could keep the frustration away, keeping myself busy in the work. The new business even helped me financially; at least I could take vacation whenever I wanted and spend lots of money on roaming around the world.
“Hi, Tristan.”Trisha, my receptionist, greeted me as I entered my book store.
“Hello, Trisha,” I replied with a weak smile; with the pain, it was even hard to do that, “Can you grab me couple of aspirins, please?”
“Yes, of course.” She walked pretty fast. For a nineteen-year-old girl, she was very cute and childish. In all my branch offices, I employed college students for part-time jobs. That way, they could earn some money and I could spend some time with other people; I needed human interaction. After leaving the MMA and moving to New York, I had no contact with anyone and it sucked, big time. These young people were my contact with the world and I needed that. “Take this, please.” She came back with couple of tablets and a glass of water.
She waited until I gulped the water, the tablets sliding down my throat.
“Are you all right? Do you need anything else?”she asked with concern in her voice.
“I’m fine, Trisha. Thanks for asking.”
“Tristan, we received a shipment of books today, but it is very heavy for me.” She looked down.“Could you please help me in putting them on the top shelf.”
“Off course,” I replied.
Trisha reminded me of the girl in the club. Trisha had a shade of blue in her eyes like the girl.
Nikki Jordan.
Her eyes were livelier; she was older than Trisha, of course.
Maybe in her early twenties. Twenty-three or four, max.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and still she looked pretty, especially her blue eyes. They looked so energetic.
Trisha handed me the books one by one. When I almost dropped a book, she giggled. She always acted like a kid. But her smile reminded me of Nikki’s smile.
,her smile is killing me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her lush, pink lips, ready to be kissed and get messy—the good kind of messy. The more I thought about her, the more attractive she became. It had been more than six months since I’d touched a girl. Maybe my inside urge was reminding me of my bodily needs. But was she just a body need or something deeper?
“Mr. Scott,” Trisha asked.“Are you daydreaming?”
Her words snapped me out of my thoughts of Nikki. I looked down; she was looking at me with a mischievous smile on her face.
“No,” I replied, putting the final book on the shelf. “Do you need any more help?”
“Nope. That’s enough. Thanks.” She smiled.
I jumped down and sat in my office, thinking about my life so far. It had been a year-and-a-half since I’d fought with anyone. The most disturbing thing was my own attitude towards that gun and death. I’d been in many fights, but having a gun pointed at me—this was the first time.
Am I really ready to die? Is it over already? No, it can’t be over.
It was like I lost the direction of my life.
What would I say to her if she asks me what I do for living?
My mind went back to Nikki again. I pushed my hair back; that reminded me that I needed a haircut.
What’s happening with me? Why am I thinking about her again and again? She is the one who put me into an unwanted fight.
I pushed my hair back again and again. I was disturbed by my own thoughts about Nikki.
“Are you alright, Mr. Scott?”Trisha asked me with a childish sound..
“Yeah, I’m alright. You can go home. I’ll close the book store,” I replied. I wanted some alone time.