Authors: Holly Nicolai
Nicole had come back from her break just in
time to stand beside Emmitt as they watched the highly charged
interplay between Mr. Hot-as-Hell and their best friend.
In the years they knew her, never had they
seen her lose her cool or become flustered around a man. Not She
was a cool cookie around all men, until now. It was no secret they
were both overprotective of Mandy but as they discussed, maybe Mr.
Hot Stuff getting under her skin is exactly what Mandy needs to
jolt her out of her self-imposed extreme isolation. Nicole glances
over at Emmitt across the space and shares a secret smile with
him.
Mandy on the other hand, was fuming at herself
for acting so juvenile and was pissed at Mr. High and Mighty Jett
Damien for his over-the-top arrogance and conceitedness. He's been
gone for five minutes and it is his fault she had yet to force her
eyes from the exit, hoping for one last glimpse of him. Only with
Nicole's exclamation of excitement, did she accomplish
it.
"What are you going on about now?" Mandy
growled at Nicole, still shaken up. In a matter of minutes a
complete stranger, a man, had turned her safe and routine world on
its head.
"Holy Shit! Sweetie, do you have any idea who
that hottie was?!" Nicole's voice barely contained her exuberance
as she bounced up and down in place. Mandy handed her best friend
one of the business cards Jett Damian had given her. Nicole took
one look at it, squealed and waved the card around.
Mandy had to grab and hold onto Nicole's
flailing arm to keep from getting punched in the head. "He was a
mysterious, intense, not to mention arrogant, conceited,
egotistical pain in my ass! That is exactly who he was!" Mandy
glared at the exit.
"O....kay. If you say so, sweetie. But if you
are ready to stop whining like a little bitch, I'll tell you who he
really is." Nicole smiled to soften the blow of her
words.
"Alright, fine. Who is he then, all knowing
one?" Mandy asked with extreme sarcasm lacing her voice.
"He is Jett Damian, multi-billionaire and
owner of the Satan's Ink Tattoo Parlor chain, owner of the hottest,
membership-only night club in the city, The Devil's Playground and
he owns around sixty more clubs and businesses all around the
United States. The Devil's Playground is the place where fantasies
become reality!" Nicole exclaimed. "I've been trying to gain
entrance to that place for months now, as have Emmitt and his
boy-toy, Hunter! Mandy, we have to all go there together, pretty
please! It's just the place for you to find a night of total
anonymity and if he likes you, you will gain access to all the VIP
areas where they give you a half mask to wear and remain anonymous.
It's just the thing you need to help you move on with your life!
And who knows, maybe you'll have a little fun with the owner
himself! Nicole exclaimed again, her eyes begging Mandy to give it
some serious thought.
"I promise to think about it. I can't give you
more than that. And don't even think of pushing me on this, I'm
warning you. Personally, I could care less if I never see that
conceited ass, ever again!" Mandy growled and snatched the card
back out of Nicole's hand, and placed it back into her vest pocket
along with the others. She turned and stomped off to Emmitt's
counter where she ordered two extra-large chocolate drizzled mocha
in the store's cups, paid for them. With her head held high, back
stiff as a brick wall and drinks in hand, she went into her office
and kicked the door, slamming it shut behind her.
Nicole and Emmitt were left standing in shock.
Emmitt shook it off first and came over to stand next to
Nicole.
"Oh girl! That hot-as-sin stranger really got
under our Mandy's skin and damn, he got his hooks in her deep. She
just doesn't realize it yet. Ordering two extra-large mochas and in
Styrofoam cups to boot, was proof enough for me!" Emmitt's eyes
were as wide as saucers and his lips turned up in a wicked
grin.
"You got that right, sweetie! Miss cool, calm,
collect and driven to a fault, just got her world turned on its
head. I've never seen Mandy this out of sorts before. I wish I
could have been a mouse in the corner when they were in her office.
She did not throw him out and she throws everyone out, even us.
Something happened in there between the two of them that shook her
right up. She had it handled before that." Nicole mused, her voice
laced with worry.
Maybe we should not push her into something
she clearly is not ready for.
Emmitt picked up on Nicole's worry right away.
"Girlfriend, she needed her life shaken up a bit but just the same,
we shouldn't push her either. We will allow her come to us and tell
us if and when she is ready to be around a large crowd of people.
Then we will support her, help her to stay relaxed and feel safe,
not leave her for a hot guy." Emmitt expressed his thoughts. He
would not push Mandy into anything she wasn't ready for, no matter
how much he wanted to go to that club.
"Back to work I go, girl." Emmitt walked away.
He and Nicole both heard the rumors of The Devil's Playground Club
from others in the underground and wondered if they were true.
Another level of complexity was added, concerning Mandy going
there, with her being as innocent as she was. They would have to
watch her closely and keep her safe, Hunter would have their asses
if they didn't. He and Mandy were very close. Although, by the way
Jett's intense stare followed her every move while he was here, he
had a feeling Mr. Damian wasn't going to allow anyone to harm or
even get near Mandy.
Jett rode along in the limo. "John, I need you
to keep a close eye on Mandy. I want to know everything about her
that you can dig up in a background check and from other sources as
well. I will have Xavier take over driving for a short while in the
meantime. That beautiful woman holds too many secrets close to her
heart and they cause her a great deal of pain that hurts to see in
such beautiful eyes. I fear they may be dangerous to her and her
health. I find myself, strangely wanting"
"Of course, sir. I'll get right on that. But
be careful with that one, I suspect she bites and
claws."
"I'm positive she does John and I'm quite
looking forward to it." Jett smirked then laughed along with his
driver.
"Where to, sir?"
"To the club." Jett had some things to prepare
in anticipation of Mandy's visit and he didn't doubt for one moment
that she would come to see him, one way or the other. He was a
patient man and he knew in his gut, she was more than worth the
wait.
"FOCUS MANDY! Your level of discipline and
drive are all over the place today!" Master Yang yelled at the top
of his lungs. Mandy was the best and most driven student he'd
taught to date minus one other and was the fiercest female fighter
he'd ever had. He hit her over the back three times with a cane for
her insolence.
That cane had corrected her focus and been her
savior more times than she cared to count. It did so once again as
her mind sharpened and focused on the workout at hand. Everything
else faded away into background noise. The next cane strike she
caught in midair and growled like a lioness, "Enough Master
Yang!"
"Welcome back, little predator. Shall we
finally begin our training in earnest now?"
"Yes, Master Yang!" Mandy yelled and for the
next four hours straight she worked on pre-emptive counter attacks
and strikes to the eyes, throat, face, solar plexus, groin, ribs,
knee, foot, instep and fingers for maximum effectiveness in
neutralizing her opponent as quickly as possible while searching
for possible escape routes. Her master worked her doubly hard for
her insolence at the beginning of their workout. The sweat was
pouring off of her by the end of their workout. She bowed to her
master at the conclusion of the session.
"Do not allow your mind to travel elsewhere
while in my dojo, student Mandy. Is that perfectly understood?" Her
master scolded one last time.
"It will never happen again, Master Yang. I
can assure you of that."
"Good. We still have at least four more
workouts until you graduate, a master of Krav Maga yourself, if you
keep going at the same pace. Stay driven and focused my student and
you will become a master in short order."
Mandy bowed again then left the mats to go and
shower. When she was done, she left and drove home to her condo.
Grateful for her exhausted state, she changed and crawled straight
into bed falling fast asleep, ready to do it all over again the
next day. She said a silent prayer as she drifted off to sleep,
asking for just one peaceful and dreamless night of
sleep.
Instead of her wish being answered, she had
erotic and kinky dreams with Jett Damian as the man player in all
of them. Jett Damian and his too perfect face with its one day old
sexy stubble and that heavenly, athletic and very muscular build of
his that filled out his clothes quite nicely. Her mind filled in
the blanks for the areas of his body that had been covered when she
saw him at the bookstore.
She awoke for a brief moment covered in sweat,
her body humming with need and desire. She wondered if Jett's body
was as beautiful and as sculpted as it was in her fantasies or if
it was perhaps, even better.
Falling back to sleep, Jett once again
consumed her dreams in various ways. He devoured her in her bed,
driving her to the brink of ecstasy, only to stop and leave her
begging for more. In another, he was the root of all evil come to
destroy her safe, routine and very controlled life.
When Mandy awoke the next morning, she felt as
if Jett really had been in her bedroom. Her fantasies had been
incredibly realistic and vivid. She could swear, she really had
multiple orgasms the night before. She never felt as relaxed as she
did that morning. "I don't even know him and already he is haunting
my mind, body and even my fantasies." She grumbled angrily under
her breath while taking a shower.
Why was this one man consuming
her thoughts?
She tried to force all thoughts of Jett Damian
right out of her head. Shit! She had enough problems of her own
without adding one too-hot-to-handle man and a ton of sexual
frustration into the mix! Not to mention, she refused to allow
anything to mess up her Krav Maga training! She'd worked too damn
hard for the last four years to reach master status to have one let
Jett Damian ruin it for her.
"Dammit! Stay out of my head, you arrogant,
conceited asshole!" She yelled in a growl while she finished
putting on her running clothes and shoes. She stomped her way into
the hallway, ready to leave and go for her run and find some peace
of mind when she smacked right into Nicole.
"More bad dreams about David, sweetie?" Nicole
asked, worried her best friend was going to crack if she did not
find a way to let everything go and move on with her life. She
bottled way too much up inside.
What Mandy really needs is
someone brave enough to crack
through her impenetrable outer
shell open, before she explodes her in a way she can't return
from.
"Not this time! That––damn Jett Damian put a
curse on me! Forced me to fantasize about him all night long with
no real sleep! I swear if I see him again, I will break the
cardinal rule and use my Krav Maga training to kick his ass all the
way to hell and back!" Mandy yelled and stomped right out of the
front door ran down the fire escape stairs leaving Nicole with her
mouth hanging open.
"Well, I'll be damned! He did a whole lot more
than get under her skin. Perhaps he is the perfect one for her
after all. I know one thing for sure, I would pay handsomely to
watch her beat his fine ass!" Nicole said aloud to herself and
laughed at the image that came to mind. She went back to her
bedroom to get ready for another day of work.
Mandy and pushed herself as hard as she could
on her run, as if she could outrun her thoughts of the mysterious
and handsome Jett Damian. But no matter how hard she pushed her
body physically, she couldn't seem to outrun her mind or the
fantasies starring Jett. Things had just gotten a great deal more
complicated without her permission. She really did not need this
crap, mind-blowing fantasies or not. She was going to steer clear
of Jett Damian and that was that. She decided she would send his
cards back. Yes, that would get the message of complete disinterest
across quite well.
After her morning shower, she took a detour to
the post office before work and mailed off a note in an envelope
addressed to Jett's club and enclosed the four business cards. She
used her business letterhead stationery instead of her personal
sheets to keep her home address hidden. She felt much better when
she watched the letter disappear through the outbound slot on the
wall. She drove to work humming a happy little tune. It was back to
life as usual and thank God for that!
When Mandy arrived at work, she went through
her usual routine as if it was any other day, that is, until Nicole
gave her the delivery of two dozen yellow roses, her favorite
flowers that came that morning. She took a moment to smell the
heavenly scent of the roses and opened the card with a smile. She
assumed they were from Nicole and Emmitt to brighten her day. They
all did such things for each other on occasion.