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  I softened up and faced him. “What’s the deal with you, huh? I thought I wasn’t your type?”

  Malik backed up a little. “You’re not, but you are a part of the crew now. I will protect you like I would protect anybody else in my life.”

  “So, you’re saying I’m just one of the boys?”

  “That exactly what I’m saying.”

  “So, you kissed Big Mike?”

  “What?”

  “Well, you said I’m one of the boys.”

  “That’s no fair. You forced me to kiss you.”

  “But you liked it!”

  “Apparently not as much as you.”

  “You’re smoking, Malik! I saw the way you looked at me afterwards. You were totally feeling it.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Linda. I’ve kissed better.”

  “You what?!”

  Without thinking, I rushed to his side of the cab, intending to kiss him with so much passion and lust that he would be forced to take his words back. At first, Malik raised his hands in a defense. Once he understood my true intentions, he quickly loosened up and moved his hands to my waist to slowly caressing my waist. The sexual tension in my body had overrun my common sense. I wanted Malik worse than I would have liked to admit. When I shifted in the cab seat to allow myself room to explore his body, he tried to pull away from me.

  “Linda, what are you doing?”

  I whispered as I bit him on the ear. “Seriously, Malik, shut up.”

  “Hey, kids, we’re here.”

  The cab driver must have been speeding, because we made it back to the city in no time. I quickly removed my hand from Malik’s leg as he reached in his pocket and pulled out money to pay the driver.

  I slid out first and Malik followed. Once out of the cab, I looked around, but didn’t recognize the area.

  “Umm, aren't we supposed to meet Ace somewhere?” I asked.

  “No, not tonight,” Malik answered, placing his arm over my shoulders. “Tonight, it’s just me and you. We’re going to my place.”

  As we entered his apartment, Malik took me to his bed and said to me, “Linda, I'm going to say this for the last time. I don't think we should do this.”

  My breathing was deep. I wanted him, and I was going to have him whether he liked it or not.

  “Malik, if you're scared, please just say it. Stop acting like you're protecting me from something other than satisfaction.”

  “I'm not scared. I just don't want to hurt you. I definitely don't want to cause any conflict between us and potentially mess up everything we’re working for.”

  “Malik, I'm not looking for love. So, please stop treating me like I can't handle this. I can. Can you?”

  The room was dark, but my eyes had adjusted. I could see him contemplating our night together. I knew he wanted me, so I helped him decide. Lying beside him, I rubbed my hand down the middle of his chest and past his stomach until I found the button to his pants.

  “Linda...what are you doing?”

  I answered Malik's question by unbuttoning his pants.

  “Linda…” His voice was a bit squeaky when he spoke. “This is your last chance.”

  I placed my hand on his strong erection to let him know my decision.

  “I guess I know your answer,” he said, moving my hand from off of his privates.

  He gently raised my hands over my head and began kissing me with a fury so deep that I felt suffocated. My moans told him to continue. My body was begging for more. It was heating up, begging for Malik’s touch. With his hand cupped, he traveled it over my clothed body and underneath my shirt to massage the parts of my body the masseur had missed. He squeezed my breast, pinching my nipple with a pleasurable pain I had never felt before. Malik’s kisses left my mouth and made their way to my ear.

  He bit my earlobe and whispered, “Don’t move your hands, okay?”

  I nodded my head, impatiently waiting to see what else he had in store for me.

  He let go of my hands and began to kiss down my body. When he reached the bottom of my shirt, he rolled it up one inch at a time and planted baby-soft kisses on my newly exposed stomach. I tried to control my hormones, but his kisses overpowered me. Placing his hand behind my back, Malik unsnapped my bra faster than I had done in the past ten years.

  “That was pretty good. You’ve done this before?” I panted.

  “Maybe once or twice.”

  After relieving me of my shirt and bra, he moved down to take off the rest of my overbearing clothes.

  As he unbuttoned my pants, he told me, “You know, when I saw your body at Sue’s massage parlor, I prayed I would get a chance to see it again.”

  “So you did notice?”

  “Of course, I did. I just didn’t feel right bringing it up until now.”

  He slowly peeled my pants from my body and then stood up from the bed.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Nowhere. I just have to see your body again.”

  As he said that, a light came on, blinding me.

  “Malik, please turn off the light and come back over here.”

  He turned the light back off and hovered over me. “I told you I wanted to see your body.”

  “Well, I hope you like what you saw.”

  “You know I did. Are you ready?”

  I whispered, “You have protection, right?”

  “As much as we need.”

  “Malik, please just be gentle with me.”

  “Gentle like you’re the most precious thing on this earth.”

  When he first entered me, I saw stars that took me away from this world and into orbit.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, I woke up in bed alone. I didn’t fall asleep alone, but when I woke up, Malik was gone. At first, I thought he was in the bathroom. However, when I called his name, there was no answer. His place was no bigger than Ace’s. After looking in the kitchen, I knew he was gone. I returned to bed with my thoughts.

  This is bad. I knew I wasn’t supposed to sleep with Malik, but I did. I made him make love to me. I should have never let him kiss me. What was I thinking? All I need is for Ace to find out about this. He might remove me from this job, fearing I will jeopardize the payout.

  I could’ve kicked myself in the ass for being so stupid.

  Ugh! Okay, get it together. Ace doesn’t know about this. If I leave right now and put last night in the back of my mind, I can just act like nothing ever happened. The problem is I still feel Malik’s body resting on top of me. I still feel his warm hands slowly running up my legs... I don’t need this right now.

  I threw the white sheet off of me, exposing my full Monte to a strange room. I looked down at my once pure body and couldn’t get Malik out of my head. The way he positioned his head between my legs and introduced me to a world filled with ecstasy…

  No! No! No! I need to focus.

  I picked up my clothes from the floor, checked my pockets for my cell, and saw I had three missed calls: two from Jessica and one from Ace. I returned Ace’s call first.

  Before I could put the phone to my ear after dialing, Ace was already talking on the other end.

  “Good morning, Linda. I trust you slept well?”

  “Good morning, Ace. How are you today?”

  “Great actually. I wanted to commend you on the stellar performance you gave yesterday. That was truly the work of a natural grifter. To the business at hand. How long will it take for you to meet me at my place?”

  “Um, I’m not sure.”

  For the first time, I took a look around Malik’s place. There were no pictures hanging from the wall. There weren’t any pictures anywhere, in fact, not even one of him and Ace. The walls were off-white, and the carpet seemed like it had been hardly stepped on.

  “I still need to take a shower. I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch. But, I can cancel my lunch date and be at your place in an hour or so.”

  “That’s great. I’ll see you then. Oh, and,
Linda, make sure you dress nice.”

  After getting off the phone with Ace, I called Jessica. Her phone went straight to voice mail. I left her a message letting her know I couldn’t meet her for lunch, but I would definitely catch up with her later.

  I slid on my pants as fast as I could and pulled my sweater over my head. While trying to button my pants, I felt the bottom of my stomach. I felt the sensation Malik had left in me. My body started to tingle as I thought about the way he made me find serenity in his arms.

  How can I look at him the same after last night? Well, that’s something I will have to face later. I need to get home, shower, and go meet Ace before I mess up something else.

  I rushed out of Malik’s studio apartment and hailed the first cab I saw. By the time I made it home, showered, and changed, forty minutes had passed. I dressed in something nice––nothing too fancy, but something that would be presentable for any occasion–– and made it to Ace’s apartment in just under an hour.

  I saw the cabbie with the Haitian flag double-parked in front of his building. I waved to him, and he blew his horn at me. Just as I was about to knock on Ace’s door, he opened it.

  “Great. You made it. Let’s go. We’re running late for an appointment. By the way, you look beautiful.”

  I blushed at his compliment, but hurried behind him as we rushed to the cab.

  When we got inside, Ace started staring at me. “You know, something seems different about you. You have a glow I’ve never seen on you before. Did you change something that I missed?”

  I got nervous. What if he knows about me and Malik, and is just baiting me?

  “No, I don’t think so,” I responded. “It could be that I’m just excited about the con. It’s a real joyride.”

  “Possibly. Well, whatever it is, keep it up. It makes you look more like a woman.”

  I don’t think he really wants me to do that.

  “Ace,” I said, changing the subject, “I thought we were just playing Simon for ten thousand dollars. How come it’s more than that now?”

  He smiled. “If I would have told you the real con, you would have never believed it was possible. Now, you see that it is, and you stand to make more money than you’ve ever dreamed. This is only the beginning. It gets better.”

  “I don’t see how.”

  “Linda, just play your part and watch the money fall in your lap.” Ace gave me a fatherly tap on my leg. “You just wait and see.”

  “Where are we going now?”

  “I need to set up everything with the fixer.”

  “The fixer? What’s that?”

  “He’s the person who makes sure the mark doesn’t cause too many problems for us after we take his money, and he gets paid well for doing so.”

  “How much is well?”

  “Ten percent of the take, and that’s really a small price to pay to avoid staying out of jail.”

  I did a strong exhale. “Ten percent and he’s not doing the hard part? I’m on the wrong end of this business.”

  “Linda, there is no easy end. If one person messes up, we could all go down. I need you to take this seriously. Okay?”

  “Yes, I got it, Ace. You know I didn’t mean anything by that, don’t you?”

  “Of course, I do. Just be mindful of what comes out that pretty little mouth of yours.”

  I wished I hadn’t made that comment. But, I believe that was the day I started watching everything I said. In our world, it didn’t matter if you were the mark or part of the crew. If you talked, everybody listened. Everybody wanted to know your angle.

  We pulled up to a bistro in the middle of a neighborhood in Park Slope located in Brooklyn. There were actually trees in this neighborhood, which was something I wasn’t accustomed to seeing in the city. Housewives were pushing their babies in strollers. Men were walking their dogs and actually picking up the dog’s feces.

  Where does Ace find these places? I’ve lived in New York all my life and never seen anyone stop to pick up a dog’s poop. Hell, you’re lucky if you don’t step in it just walking down the block.

  Ace leaned forward and said something to Sean, the driver, in Creole. Sean nodded his head as Ace pat him on the shoulder.

  “Shall we?” Ace said to me.

  We entered the small bistro, and Ace walked toward a man sitting with a teacup in his hand. When the man saw Ace, he stood and extended his hand for a shake.

  “Marco, my friend,” he said. “It’s been a while. I thought somebody may have run you out of town, and I just didn’t hear about it.”

  “No, my friend, I’m still here.”

  The man was tall, but very skinny. He had a bald head and a suit that probably cost more than the rent in this place. Although he smiled a lot with Ace, there was something in his eyes that said, Don’t fuck with me.

  “Jason, this is the young lady I was telling you about. Linda, meet Jason Dott.”

  “Marco, if you’re going to go as far as saying my real name, you might as well introduce me with my correct title.”

  “You’re very right. Linda, please meet FBI Special Agent Jason Dott.”

  I shook his hand. To be honest, I thought about running out of that place as fast as I could. I mean, the FBI? What was Ace trying to do to me, give me a heart attack?

  “Marco, your girl looks nervous. Doesn’t she know why you brought her?”

  Ace held a seat for me to sit down. “Actually, I was getting to that on our way here. I presume now is as good a time as any.”

  Both men took their seats after I sat. I became accustomed to sitting the way Ace had taught me, but we still shared our little nod.

  Ace turned toward me and said, “Linda, do you remember when I told you that I wasn’t always going to be around. Well, that time is now. After we finish the play for Simon, I’m out. I want you to take over as liaison for the crew. Naturally, you would think why not Jim or Malik, right?”

  “Ummm…well, yes.”

  Ace laughed. “Well, both of my boys can’t stand suits. No offense, Jason.”

  Special Agent Dott raised his hand. “None taken.”

  Ace continued. “Your part in our crew has just gotten bigger. I need…no, we need to know if you can do this.” Ace pointed at himself and the special agent.

  I sat there and looked at both men. Ace said it like I had a choice. The problem was that I didn’t. You just don’t walk someone into a meeting, tell them what their new role will be, and then ask if they want it or not. You can’t do that. They would have been better just putting a gun to my head and saying, You’re going to do this.

  I smiled at the two men sitting with me and lightly clapped my hands. “Yes, I can. I’ll do it. Is there a contract I need to sign?”

  Both men took light of my joke.

  “She’ll do fine,” the FBI agent said.

  “Okay, since that’s out of the way, I need to talk to Jason alone. Do you mind giving us a minute, Linda?”

  The moment when he said that, my phone rang. I looked at the name. It was Simon. I showed it to Ace. He looked at his watch.

  “Go talk to him. Tell him that you will meet him in two hours.”

  “Okay, but where?”

  “Outside of his hotel. Just like you did yesterday.”

  “Okay. Excuse me, gentlemen.”

  Both men stood up as I left the table.

  I pushed talk on my phone as I walked away “Good morning, Simon. How did you sleep last night?”

  “Good, and you? I trust Martin got you home okay.”

  The guilty side of me forced my head to turn, look back at Ace, and lower it in shame. However, the thoughts of the moans Malik commanded out of my body caused me to bite my bottom lip and project a wicked smile.

  “Yes, he did. He was the perfect gentleman. So, have you thought about last night?”

  “That’s all I’ve been thinking about. Remember how I told you that I had a way to get the money? Well, there’s a problem with that.”

 
“Yeah, what’s that?”

  “See, I have the money in an account I’m supposed to use for emergencies only, and the bank has been instructed to notify my dad anytime there’s a withdrawal from that account.”