Day 13 of 30 Days of Kink: Enter The Lions Den Part I

Kaia

It was a dark and stormy night. No, literally…it was a dark and stormy night. Springtime in the Midwest was unpredictable at best and tonight was no exception. This morning it was snowing and this evening it was raining cats and damn dogs, making the roads slick. I had grown up in L.A. and though I had lived in Illinois for a while I still wasn’t used to the weather. The dangerous driving conditions weren’t the reason for my nerves jumping like firecrackers on the fourth of July. No, the reason I was so wound up and my heart was beating out of my chest was because of one man. Deon Dickerson.

I was woman enough to admit that when it came to this one man I had fucked up royally. I had underestimated him and overestimated myself. If I was honest with myself, I’d have to admit that I fell in love with him the moment I met him. Too bad I didn’t realize that until it was too late. Even though I knew it was unlikely I’d get a second chance I knew I had to make him understand that it wasn’t him, it was me. It sounded clichéd but it was the truth. Deon had been everything a woman could ever want but I was too foolish to realize it.

Thunder clapped and I jumped in my seat. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves. I was almost there. Just two more miles and I would be on his doorstep. I had it on good information — Deon’s best friend — that he was holed up here. After our breakup, he moved to the small town of Plano, a suburb of Chicago. The two miles took forever as I navigated the flooding streets.

Pulling up to the house, a sense of foreboding filled me. It was an enormous brick structure with a circular driveway in front. There were no lights in the windows, no signs of life but I knew he was here. I could feel his presence. Lightning flashed behind the house and reminded me of a 1950s black and white horror movie. I reached in the backseat for my umbrella and cursed myself when I remembered that it was in the bottom drawer of my desk. I had meant to bring it home weeks ago but with everything that was going on, I forgot.

Sighing, I resigned myself to the idea of being completely soaked when I saw Deon. Grabbing my purse, I opened the car door and stepped outside. I was pelted with rain as I ran up the steps to the front door. Those five seconds out in the elements had destroyed any semblance of put-togetherness I had tried to achieve during the two hours it took me to get ready earlier. Fumbling with the belongings in my purse, I finally extracted the spare keys Deon’s best friend had given me. She had warned me that he was hurting badly and was likely to lash out. She also warned me that if he was worse after I left then she would have no problem beating my ass up one side of Chicago and down the other. I smiled. Alicia didn’t mince words when it came to her friend.

Inserting the key into the lock, I opened the door and stepped inside. The house was drenched in blackness and the cool air wrapped around me, causing me to shiver. It felt…sad. The house felt sad if that was even possible. It was deathly quiet. I stood stock-still for a moment, trying to get my bearings and that’s when I heard it. Music. Walking towards the sound, I walked up the stairs and down three different hallways before I saw a sliver of light underneath a closed door.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my trembling hand on the brass doorknob and turned it. The door creaked open and I stepped inside the lion’s den. The only illumination came from the massive fireplace that took up an entire corner of the space. Its warmth caressed me and I almost moaned out loud.

I took in my surroundings and was definitely impressed. Heavy leather furniture sat in the middle of the room on top of a gold and red Persian rug. Large wooden bookshelves ran the length of the walls. A record player sat in one corner and was cranking out the heartbreaking sounds of Marvin Gaye’s Distant Lover. A large cashmere throw was slung over the back of one of the sofas and books were strewn about along with dishes. It was obvious this is where Deon spent the majority of his time.

“Say what you have to say and get out.”

My heart stopped at the sound of his voice. I turned slowly in a circle and finally spotted him in a corner behind a large desk. The light hit him at an angle that turned his normally friendly face into something menacing. For the first time since I started this adventure, I became afraid. The man staring — correction, glaring — at me was not the Deon I knew. Gone was the smooth baby face with neatly lined facial hair. In its place was a beard that could give Grizzly Adams a run for his money. Lines that were nonexistent months ago now fanned the sides of his cold eyes. Speaking of eyes, they looked tired and sunken in. The last few months had been as kind to him as they had been to me. The only difference was that my heart wore the damage instead of my face. His hand gripped his glass tightly and I wondered if he was drunk but then I scratched that idea. Deon rarely drank and when he did it was never to get wasted.

“You knew I was coming,” I stated, my voice cracking underneath the stress of being around him.

His smile was icy. “You thought I wouldn’t? Alicia is my friend, not yours. No matter how much you wanted me to believe otherwise, she has always been loyal to me…unlike you!”

I reared back as if he had slapped me. Steeling myself, I cleared my throat and spoke again. “We need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to do anything with you. I want you gone.”

He opened up the book nearest him and gave it his entire attention. I knew he wasn’t reading a damn word on any of those pages. He was trying to make a point. “I want you back.” Whoa, I thought to myself. Where did that come from? There was no need to ask. I knew where it came from, the depths of my sullied soul.

Deon’s head came up slowly and I thought I’d die a thousand deaths from the rage directed at me. “I’m not a toy,” he mumbled between clenched teeth.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not a toy!” he roared as thunder shook the windows. “You can’t use me when you want and then expect me to be there when you get ready to play with me again. I’m a real person with real feelings. I’m not a pastime for some bored socialite with too much money and not enough direction.”

“That’s not how it was with you, Deon,” I pleaded.

“Really?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “So, you and your friends didn’t make a bet about me?”

My heart thundered in my chest. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go tonight. “That part is true but…”

“But nothing. None of this,” he said, waving his hand between both of us. “None of this was real. All of it was for what? Three thousand dollars and front row tickets to a concert? Is that all I’m worth to you? Was that all my love was worth to you?”

“Deon…please…” I begged.

“I don’t want to hear anymore. I gave you more time than you deserved. Get out of my house.”

“No,” I said softly.

“What?”

Straightening my spine, I glared right back at him. “No, I’m not going any damn where. Did I fuck up? Yes, several times but I will not leave here until we talk about this. Did things start off as a game? Yes, and it was wrong. I’m sorry. If I could go back and change it then I would but I can’t. Regardless of how things started, I have always loved you, Deon.”

A year earlier

“Damn baby, where you going with all that ass?”

I rolled my eyes and tried to walk around the crass man and his group of friends. He wasn’t even a little bit my type and even if he was the way he came at me doused any sparks we may have had. Unfortunately for me, the group wasn’t trying to let me by.

“Excuse me, please.”

“Why you gotta act like that?” the man asked, blinding me with his gold grill. He was reminiscent of Goldie from the television show Living Single.

“I have a man,” I said, hoping that would get him out of my face. No such luck.

“As the song goes, ‘what your man gotta do with me?’”

I was looking for a way out and quickly. The man and his friends were starting to make a semi-circle around me. My girls were on the other side of the club in VIP and I was all alone. Fear raced down my spine.

“There you are, baby. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I almost snatched my arm from the stranger who was slightly behind me but he pulled me flush against his chest. Damn, if he didn’t smell good. Clearing my throat, I decided to play along. “My bad, boo. I was on my way back now. Bye, guys,” I said to the group of men as the stranger pulled me away from them.

Once we were out of earshot, I spun around and hugged him close. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me!”

He smiled and it pierced my heart. Blame it on the alcohol. “No problem. I saw it was about to get ugly. I’m glad I could help.” He stuck out his hand. “Deon Dickerson.”

I shook his hand and felt jolts of electricity travel up my arm before settling in my stomach, causing butterflies to take flight. “Kaia Gentry,” I whispered.

Companionable silence filled the space between us as we stood there grinning at each other like idiots. The ebb and flow of bodies pushed closer to each other. I should have walked away but his gaze locked with mine had me in a trance. My heart pounded in my chest and a whisper of air separated us. Chest to chest, thigh to thigh, his hands hovered over my waist in indecision and the heat from his body set my soul on fire. It felt like everything had faded into the background. All I see, smell, feel, and hear was Deon. The only thing that was missing was his taste and — Lord help me — I wanted that too.

I felt the need to say something, anything to break this sexual haze we were in. Clearing my throat, I raised my voice above the booming baseline, “Why don’t you and your friends join me and mine in VIP?”

He smiled and my heart rate kicked up. At that moment, I wished I had worn panties. Evidence of my attraction would be trickling down my thighs at any moment. Nodding, he grabbed my hand and led me to VIP before going to find his friends. I told the bouncer to let Deon and his friends in when he returned.

I walked in the massive room and wasn’t surprised to see all eyes on me. “Girl, where have you been and who was the cutie pie who dropped you at the door?”

Rolling my eyes at my best friend, Cynthia, I grabbed a flute of champagne off one of the marble tables. I swallowed the fruity alcohol in one swallow, attempting to calm down my runaway emotions. Quickly, I told them how Deon had saved me from “Goldie” and how I wanted to thank him by letting him and his friends party with us tonight.

My other best friend, Scarlett, eyed me suspiciously. I was never able to hide anything from her. “You like him,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, I do,” I said on the end of a sigh and they all shared a look. I turned my back to them and looked out the floor to ceiling glass that ran the length of the space. The wall of glass let those in VIP see the entire club but didn’t allow the entire club to see those in VIP. From my vantage point, I could clearly see Deon leading his group through the packed club. My hormones kicked into overdrive.

This was the first time in a long time that a man had made me notice him instead of looking straight through him. After my disastrous relationship with Ronaldo Lewis, I had officially sworn off men. I didn’t need the drama that men always brought to the table. I was too busy trying to figure out what I was going to do with my own life.

As the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most powerful couples, everything was always laid out at my fingertips. All I had to do was ask and it was mine. Lately, I had become restless and unfulfilled. After my break up, I decided to leave my native L.A. for Chicago, hoping the windy city would blow my problems away. Unfortunately, they followed me…along with my friends.

“He is fine,” Scarlett stated, coming to stand next to me.

We all took in Deon as he continued through the club. He was average height but that was where average ended and extraordinary began. His skin reminded me of the French chocolates my mother always kept on hand — creamy, dark and decadent. He had eyes that looked through all of your bullshit and saw straight through to your soul. His full lips were surrounded by a neatly groomed beard, enhancing his maleness. He walked with a self-assuredness that most of the actors I had grown up with couldn’t emulate. His body was lean but muscular. I had felt every ripple and bulge when he pulled me against him.

Yes, Deon was fine but that wasn’t the only thing that drew me to him. He was gentle, kind, and honorable. The situation he rescued me from proved that. He was one of those mythical creatures women had heard about for centuries but were never able to capture: a good man.

“It doesn’t matter,” Cynthia sneered. I raised my brow in question. “Deon will never give you a chance. Look at his friends, they’re mostly female. He has to be fucking one of them. Plus, we all know you can’t keep a man. Look at what happened with Ronaldo.”

I rolled my eyes. It was just like Cynthia to bring up my ex when I was trying to move on. Her comments plus the liquid courage I was filled with had me burning with challenge. “Wanna bet?”

“Yes, I wanna bet. Three thousand dollars says you can’t get Deon.” She held her hand out for us to shake on it and I eagerly reached for it. Quickly, she withdrew it. “And Trey Songz tickets…front row,” she added. Nodding, I shook her hand, sealing the deal.

The door swung open and Deon and his crew walked in. Just like Cynthia had said, most of them were female. Introductions were made and drinks were had by all. I noticed that Cynthia stood extra close to Deon and a part of me wanted to throw my drink in her face to cool her hot ass down.

Music pumped through the speakers and everybody danced to sounds of Bunji Garlin. Cynthia gave me a knowing look when Deon’s “best friend,” Alicia, grabbed Deon’s hand and tried to get him to dance with her. Smiling shyly, he declined and walked to one of the overstuffed suede sofas. I saw Cynthia getting ready to make her move over to him but I beat her to it.

Sitting next to him, I called the waitress over. I ordered a gin and tonic before looking at Deon. “What’s your poison, Deon?”

He shook his head. “Just water and lemon for me, thanks.” I looked at him like he had lost his mind. This was a club. People drank liquor here. Water was for the next morning when you were throwing up from the hangover. I said as much. He laughed and I immediately liked the sound. “I rarely drink and I never drink and drive. I have to make sure my friends get home safely.”

My gaze drifted over to his friends, mainly Alicia, and jealousy overwhelmed me. I pushed it down. This wasn’t my man and I had no right to feel possessive when it came to him. Again, silence filled the space between us as we watched our friends have a good time.

Clearing my throat, I gained his attention. “Tell me about yourself, Deon.”

He smiled brightly and, for the first time since our encounter with Goldie, Deon said more than two sentences to me. We ended up talking, listening, and laughing for hours. I was even able to get him to dance with me. The moment my body pressed against his I knew I had to have him…if only for a little while.

By the end of the night, my phone was full of pictures of us and our friends, my legs burned from standing on the couch, and my throat was raw from singing to the bumping reggae that this club was famous for rocking. Everybody — except for Deon — was way past drunk and most of the ladies had their heels in their hands and were rocking booties, compliments of the club’s manager.

We walked outside and the muggy May air assaulted me. The air was thick and I almost choked on it. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to this Chicago weather. It was more turbulent than L.A. Our driver quickly brought the car to the curb and my girls hopped in.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” I said softly.

“Yeah, I think it is.” We stood there staring at each other, trying to prolong the inevitable.

“Deon, hurry the hell up. You got the keys!”

We both looked in Alicia’s direction. Even though she was drunk as hell, her makeup non-existent, and her dress wrinkled, she still looked more gorgeous than most women who stepped off the runways during Fashion Week.

“Well, I better go.” Leaning close to me, he pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek. “Stay safe Kaia.”

I watched him run to catch up with his friends and I got in the car. A sense of disappointment filled me and I tried to shrug it off.

“Hmph,” Cynthia grunted as the limo slowly pulled away from the curb. “Told you! Now, run me my money and my tickets.”

“Shut up, Cyn,” Scarlett mumbled.

Leaning my head against the seat, I closed my eyes. Thankfully, Cynthia listened for once and shut her mouth. I didn’t want to deal with her mess at the moment. Suddenly, the limo screeched to a halt and my body jolted forward. I looked up to see a black Range Rover stopped in front of us. The driver’s side door opened and Deon hopped out. Next thing I knew, my door was opened and he stuck his head through the opening. I could hear his friends catcalling and I blushed.

“Give me your number,” he said breathlessly. Trying to keep the elation out of my voice, I rattled off the digits. I felt my purse vibrate and knew he was calling me. “Lock my number in.” He looked up at the sky and then back at me. “Can I take you out sometime?”

“Yes,” I blurted out before the last syllable could leave his mouth.

He smiled brightly and so did I. “Cool, I’ll call you and we can set something up.” Glancing at everyone else, he nodded. “Goodnight.”

Smiling, I once again leaned back in my seat as the door closed softly. Crossing my legs, I swung my bootie clad foot in time to a rhythm only I heard.

“Well, Cyn looks like you’ll have to wait on that money,” Scarlett said with laughter in her voice.

Cynthia sucked her teeth with much attitude. “Whatever, we’ll see. The real test will be him sticking around after he gets in her panties.”

Hater, I thought to myself. I let Cynthia and her funky attitude roll off my back. There was nothing that could ruin my mood. If she was mad now I could just imagine how she would feel later on. I had a feeling deep in the pit of my soul that Deon Dickerson was the one man who wouldn’t walk away from me once he got what he wanted.