His Sweet Karma

Chapter 5

                                                                                         MAHALIA

Ryder’s warm lips were surprisingly gentle as they lightly pressed on my cheek. And I couldn’t do anything because of his strength and he was way bigger than I am since he had a well-muscled body.

“Mahalia…” he whispered, cooing me. His lips almost descended on mine but I turned my face away. His lips landed on my jaw instead. He softly nibbled it and kissed the side of my neck, making me whimper in protest. “Stop crying. I just want to make you happy,” he cajoled.

“I don’t even know if you’d really give me my father’s coin after this. How can I even trust you, Ryder?” I asked with voice pained. I knew he could clearly hear it well, if he hadn’t seen my agony.

Our eyes met and he caught his breath. He seemed hesitant at first but he reached deep in his pocket, with one hand still holding my two hands above my head. I fisted my hands around the coin when he gave it to me at last, as though it could save me. My heart pounded so hard as a plan formed in my head.

“It’s yours now, Mahalia,” he said, putting the coin in my right hand. “It always has been because it was your father’s.” He moved and rubbed his hard arousal against my abdomen. Then he continued tear my top, making me wince at the sound of it. He proceeded in kissing the swell of my breasts, moaning softly. “Oh, Mahalia! You just don’t know how much I want you!”

I could only close my eyes and bite my lower lip as my heart, body and mind protested. I couldn’t really bring myself to like him back the way he wanted me to. And at the moment, I tried to focus my strength in my leg. If he so slackened his hold, I would really kick him so hard in the groin.

I was breathing hard while tears couldn’t stop crawling down my face.

Ryder’s hand groped my other breast as he kissed the other one through the fabric of my bra. I was left wearing with only my undergarment now as he already ruined my top. His big hand seemed to crush my breast as he massaged it almost harshly. I tried to wriggle out of his entrapment of my body but he forcefully held me down against the soft mattress that was covered by a white sheet.

“Please, Mahalia. Let me show you my love even just for tonight,” he coaxed in between kissing the valley of my breasts.

“No, Ryder! Please let me go…” I begged, still crying.

“Shh! Stop crying. I promise you’ll love being with me after this,” he wheedled softly. “You’re going to love me, Mahalia,” he added and kissed the side of my neck.

I shivered with such repugnance, writhing underneath him. He was forced to move somehow because of it and I found my chance. I raised my knee and hit him hard right on my target. I pushed him hard and ran to the door while he groaned in agony and his body was curled in the bed. I didn’t look back and just dashed to the elevator.

“Mahalia!” he roared. His voice was coming closer.

I anxiously and desperately punched the arrow down button and went into the elevator. I looked at the hallway and there he was coming fast. I quickly pushed the close button, praying to God that Ryder wouldn’t reach me.

“Oh, God! Please help me!” I cried.

“Mahalia!” he yelled and his hand slammed on the thankfully closed elevator.

My breath was labored as the elevator descended. I frantically looked at the numbers above head. As soon as the elevator stopped in the parking lot, I ran outside, not minding how cold it was without my clothes. A middle-aged black guard saw me running and he stopped me.

“Miss, are you okay?” he inquired with worried face.

I shook my head. “No! I have to get out of here! Please!” I freed myself from his hold on both shoulders.

“Please calm down. I’ll call the police,” he said.

“No! You don’t understand! I want to go home! I can’t stay here any longer! He’s going to come after me! I can’t wait for the police!” I said with tears spilling down my face, didn’t care if he wanted to help. I pushed him away and hastily ran to the exit while he called “Miss, Miss!” I hoped there was a taxi somewhere I could find.

“Mahalia!” I heard Ryder shout. His voice echoed in the underground parking lot. He saw the guard and ordered him. “Stop her!”

“No!” I cried, looking over my shoulder and tripped by my own foot. I whimpered in pain as my knee and knuckle that held the coin connected to the hard floor. I saw the guard hesitate before he ran after me to do Ryder’s bidding. He knew him after all, whereas he didn’t know me. I hadn’t been here since before or after the skyscraper was open for business. “No!” I got up and succeeded in going out of the parking lot. I didn’t look back when I saw a taxi not far away. My breath was already labored. I could see a cloud of mist with every exhale.

I brought my fingers into my mouth and whistled. The taxi stopped, backing up. I readily opened the door in the backseat, visibly shivering from the cold winter night. The driver looked at me with worry and admiration at the same time.

“Wow! What happened?” he asked with concern though.

“Just go and send me home fast please!” I almost snapped at him, sniffling and making sure the door was locked.

“Okay!” said the black driver in his late twenties.

I told him the address and watched the parking lot exit. Ryder and the black guard stopped their chase when they saw me in the taxi. I could almost hear my stepbrother cuss the guard for being so incompetent. I wiped away the tears as the taxi drove off fast and away from the hotel. Meanwhile, the coin was tightly in my hand, oblivious to the scrape on the knuckles when I tripped back in the parking lot. The old coin’s uneven edge buried deep into my soft palm.

I was still shaking from both the cold and the traumatic experience Ryder gave me. But at least inside the taxi, it wasn’t so cold. The driver even increased the heater for me as he watched me in the rear view mirror with curiosity and concern.

“Who was that?” he asked at last.

“M-my stepbrother. H-he… he…” I couldn’t finish my sentence.

“Don’t you need to go to the police?” he suggested. “I know someone there and I know a good lawyer if you need one.”

I sobbed and shook my head. “I-I don’t think I can a-ask for their help. And I d-don’t think it’ll m-matter anyway.” My throat was so tight that I could hardly swallow and breathe. My heart was filled with disgust and loathing for Ryder. I could never ever forgive him for doing that to me!

The tears unabatedly fell down my cheeks and chin. I hugged myself until I felt something warm embracing me out of nowhere. And for that, I thought it was one of my parents or both of them. It was a bit comforting, making me sigh. I didn’t even realize that I stopped crying until the driver halted right in front of my apartment building.

The driver turned to look at me. “Do you need help?” he offered.

I shook my head. “T-thank you. C-can you wait f-for my friend to come down t-to give you the money?”

He shook his head. “No, you don’t have to pay. If you need my help, just call me, okay? I will testify if you need… That is if you changed your mind…” he trailed off, anxiously tapping his fingers on the gray steering wheel. Then he gave me a calling card.

I took it without thinking and opened the door. As soon as I did that, the harsh Chicago winter air harshly bumped my body that I quivered. The driver was about to give me his jacket but I declined. I thanked him again and stepped on to the pavement.

I had no idea how I suddenly got covered by a huge winter jacket. I looked behind me and found the owner.

“Sorry, I thought you need one.” His voice was deep and quiet. And I caught his British accent quickly.

I instinctively stepped back and away from him. I saw him wave at the taxi driver and they appeared to know each other. The driver took off and I was about to take off the black stranger’s jacket seeing that he was only wearing a knitted turtle neck sweater of maroon color. He was handsome and looked like he was in his mid-thirties. His black hair was curly and short, with eyes like midnight that could make any girl swoon as they were framed by well-formed dark brows and dark lashes. His nose was prominent and slightly flared, while his lips looked pale red. I guesstimated that he was about six feet or maybe a bit less and with well-toned body, which was displayed well even with his sweater.

I could smell his stylish fresh scent of amber and olivewood or maybe cedarwood. I wasn’t too sure because of my fogged brain. I still couldn’t forget what Ryder has done to me earlier.

I watched the handsome black stranger took his wallet that was in the back pocket of his pants and took a name card. He reluctantly put it in my hand that also held the taxi driver’s.

“That was my cousin and you can return the jacket to me anytime you can by calling me on the number printed here, okay?” he said slowly.

I shivered as the wind blew. His coat almost fell that he caught it and wrapped it tightly around me.

“You live around here, right?” he said, looking at my apartment building. Some of the owners had their Christmas lights adorned the window frames. They blinked fast in blue, red, gold and green.

“H-how did you know?” I asked.

“I’m Deion Williams, by the way, and I live around here. I just move some months ago and I guess I saw you once or twice before,” he professed.

“I-I must go,” I said, nodding. “Thank you for this jacket. I-I’ll have it dry cleaned before I’ll return it to you.” I turned and ran inside the apartment building.

“Take your time!” he shouted.

My face and body were already too cold but I felt numb. I went straight to my unit at the end of the hall on the second floor. I knocked hard and Sarah grumpily opened it. But she gasped when she saw the state I was in. Her eyes went round and her jaw fell. She pulled me quickly and closed the door.

“What happened, Lia?”

I thought I was done crying but I sobbed like a mewling cow.

“Hey!” She was alarmed and hugged me. Her big belly was in the way so it was a bit awkward. She rubbed my back and hushed me.

I recounted what happened and she let out a long series of oaths. “Let’s go to the police!” she suggested just like the guard and the taxi driver did.

I swallowed and shook my head. “You know I can’t do that. Julie is now powerful and I’m sure it’s going to be for nothing.”

“But what if that jerk comes here and does what he wants? And this time, he might be successful? Oh, I should have known when a lot of things were delivered here earlier tonight. So, it was that jerk? Shall I put all those food and everything in the garbage?”

I just shook my head and mocked myself. “How can we throw the food?”

“That jackass! I’m going to kill him if he shows his face here!” she vowed angrily, shaking a small fist in the air. She was heaving because of her intense emotion.

“A-at least I already got my father’s coin,” I told her, slowly opening my hand to show her the bronze Minoan coin.

Her eyes went round when she saw the naked man lying in the bed stamped in the coin. “Wow! Lucky you. Maybe you’ll be fortunate since this is your father’s charm after all. Right?”

I gave her a small smile. “On the way here, I felt I was embraced by him and my mom. Well, I think it was them,” I said, shrugging one slim shoulder.

“Aww…” She gave me another embrace. “I think you need a shower. You have to relax and just forget what that jerk stepbrother of yours did to you! And then, we’ll thank those two people who helped you tonight. Okay?”