Caged Heart

"Mmm... that was just the beginning Lene." he said as he lapped up every drop.

Dominic loosened his tight grip on her hands but kept licking away. She was motionless now and felt sleepy. He caught her off guard again as he pressed his tongue hard against her clit, reawakening the pleasure she felt a few seconds before.

"Dominic, Dominic I-I can't." she gasped.

"You can't what baby? You can't cum again? Yes you can... I'm gonna make you cum on top of my dick."

He rose up and sat next to her. She was too weak to move but he pulled her up on her knees.

"Get on top of me Lene... I want you to sit on it."

"I don't know if I can... my legs are weak."

"I've got you beautiful. Just get on top of me and I'll do the rest."

Selene found her strength and positioned herself over his reclined body. He grabbed her and crushed her mouth to his. She could taste her juices on his tongue and she moaned as his fingers rubbed her clit.

"You want me inside you, don't you baby?" he asked as he sucked on her bottom lip.

"Yes baby, give it to me again." she gasped softly.

He grabbed her soft buttocks and pushed her down slowly on the hot tip of his cock. She moaned softly as she felt him stretching her pussy. Dominic pulled her up and eased her down again; he didn't want to cause her too much pain after going so hard the night before. Her arms were wrapped around his neck tightly as she held onto him for support.

Selene's breasts were against his face and his tongue reached out for them and flicked at the hard buds as he lowered her pussy onto his cock. He pushed her deeper on himself this time and her wet insides felt incredible. He moaned and bit her nipple as he moved her back and forth over his cock.

She was opening up more for him and her wetness was dripping all over his shaft. The pain was going away and all she felt now was an intense longing to have him go deeper. She planted her knees onto the mattress and began riding him in long stokes.

"Fuck baby, you feel so good!" he said as he dropped his head against the pillow.

"Do you want me to go faster Dominic?"

"Oh God, yea baby, ride me harder!"

She obeyed and took all of him into her. Dominic grabbed her breasts again and pulled on her nipples with his teeth as she rode him. She was sweating all over and her straight hair had gone back to being curly from the heat and sweat. He grabbed her ass suddenly and pushed her down hard on his cock. They both screamed out and she stopped moving from the shock of it. He lifted her and began bucking inside her as she sat on top of him.

She was losing her voice from all the screaming. Never had anyone given her so much passion and she loved it as he took her. His hand was still clutching her breast as he fucked her from below and he licked her nipple as her breasts jiggled in front of him. She was holding on to him tighter now; her strength was no match for his and she was getting weaker as she felt her orgasm building up.

"Lene can I cum inside you?" he asked in short breaths.

"Yeah, I'm safe."

"Are you sure babe?"

"Give it all to me baby... I wanna feel every drop inside me!"

"God I've wanted to hear you say that so bad... you want it baby?"

"Yes Dominic! Yes!" she moaned as her orgasm reached its peak.

His hand squeezed the soft flesh on her back as he came inside her; his sensitive touch making her orgasm even more delicious. He fell back on the pillow and she rested on his chest, still holding him inside of her body. Selene could feel him pulsing inside of her and it was as if they had become one; only one heart beating between their two bodies. He slowly stroked her back as she lay on top of him but the serenity was broken by the loud buzzing of his vibrating cell phone.

"Wanna get that?" Selene asked.

He was annoyed by the sudden disruption and didn't make a move. He didn't want to be separated from her and ignored the call. Not a word passed between them as they reveled in their beautiful moment together. The buzzing stopped, but began again a few seconds later. He groaned with displeasure and knew that he would probably have to get it now.

"Go ahead and get that Dominic... I'll just take a shower in the meantime." she said as she released him.

"Can I join you?"

"Sure, I'll be waiting!" she giggled as she exited the room.

"I'll be right there babe!" he said, reaching for his phone.

Selene hadn't felt this good in a long time. She was sore and could barely walk straight, but the physical pain she felt could never put a damper on her spirits. Dominic was here with her and he had given her his undivided attention. Her last few hours with him had more than made up for his weeks of absence.

She wondered what Tony would say if he knew about their night together. She did owe him for bringing Dominic into her life and she knew that he would be happy for her.

"What was that fool doing right now?" she thought.

He was probably still asleep in his hotel room, hung over and snoring like a bear. She laughed at the thought. He had never returned her phone call and she planned to call him as soon as she and Dominic had breakfast.

As she lathered her body, her thoughts fell on Dominic again. She missed him already and he was taking too long to join her. She knew that the call he received may have been an urgent one and he might still be talking to whoever was on the line. Maybe it was Tony. She quickly washed her body off and stepped out of the shower, eager to see his face again.

***

Dominic sat on the edge of the bed with his boxers on and he stared at the floor, with his cell phone in hand. He looked very deep in thought and was startled by Selene's sudden appearance. He looked up at her and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Hey, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"Selene... uh..." he paused and looked down at the cell in his hand.

She walked over and sat next to him, placing her hand through his disheveled hair.

"What is it Dominic?"

"I'm sorry Lene... if I hadn't left Vegas early, this never would have happened... I'm so sorry!" he said as tears welled up in his reddened eyes.

"Dominic... what ...wouldn't have happened? Why are you crying?"

A cold chill ran down her spine. She knew whatever he was about to reveal was something terrible. If it had her champion in tears, then it couldn't be something good. A thought sparked in her mind as she processed what he just said. It had to be about Tony.

"Tony... he... got into a fight... and uh."

He was struggling to get the words out and it only made her more nervous. She almost didn't want to hear the rest of it.

"What happened to Tony?"

"He got into a fight with Volchev... and they beat him up pretty badly... and ...and... he's gone Lene... he's..."

"Tell me this is a joke...Dominic please... Dominic...please?"

"Lene I'm sorry... if I was there he would still be..." he choked.

Selene was having trouble breathing now. She couldn't and didn't want to believe Dominic's words. Her heart was breaking as she looked into his eyes. They told her that all of it was in fact true. Tony was gone.

All of this was happening too fast. She stood up and backed away from him, as the hot tears ran down her face. She couldn't speak, let alone breathe and her vision was getting fuzzy.

"Selene! Babe?"

"He can't be Dominic...he can't! How?"

"I'm sorry Selene... if I had stayed, it would've never happened!"

Her heart was beating faster now and she felt nauseous as she landed against the hard wall. Slowly everything was fading into black and she sunk to her knees. She was losing consciousness. The last thing she heard was Dominic's footsteps rushing towards her.

"Selene!"

***

Selene's days had become much darker ever since her passionate night with Dominic. She was in her own personal hell. Dominic left for Vegas soon after he found out the bad news and she was left alone once again. She blamed herself for his death. She had distanced herself from everyone, even Dominic because she felt guilty. It's not that she even blamed him. Her mother had taken it upon herself to let Selene know that if she hadn't supported Tony's endeavors, he would still be alive today.

Two days after she found out about Tony's death, her mother came to the apartment. Selene was weak and didn't want to deal with anyone, let alone family. They were emotionally abusive to both her and Tony when they were growing up. Never an encouraging word was said to her or Tony.

In their family tradition, if the children didn't strive to be what the parents wanted, there would be hell to pay. Tony had gone the route of a professional fighter and not his mother, or his aunts were pleased with his decision. Barely any fathers or uncles were present in her family. Selene was the only one who believed in him. Now that he was gone because of an incident related to his career, she knew that she would receive all the blame.

Linda, her mother was the last person she expected a visit from...but she should have known better. Her mother had a stern look on her face as she came in. There was no sadness or remorse. All Selene saw was anger; but that wasn't unusual.

"Oh...hi mom."

Linda didn't reply and walked in past her, as she stared down the apartment. It was judgment time.

"So this is where y'all lived together?" Linda snorted with her thick Caribbean accent.

"Yeah...umm..."

"You see? We told y'all. Tony went and got himself killed and for what? A stupid television show!"

"Mommy please, not right now. If you came to rub it in my face, I get it. Y'all are all gonna blame me."

"You children have no respect for yuh elders. You think we all stupid and don't know better than y'all. Just disrespectful! All uh y'all!"

"Mommy please I know... I'm sorry. If I knew he would be..."

"Don't you know how yuh auntie's feelin' right now? She can't even talk! She don't eat, she don't sleep!" Linda said with a distasteful look.

Selene couldn't hold back her tears. She had known all this would eventually come, but not so soon. Not when her poor cousin had only been gone for two days. She didn't have any reliable friends and she didn't feel comfortable turning to her family. It was their habit to be intolerable. At that moment she wished that she could have taken Tony's place.

It was true that she encouraged him. Between the two of them, she felt that he had a much more promising future. She hadn't been the gorgeous or popular one; that was Tony. He had all the charisma and confidence. In Selene's eyes, there was no comparison. He had a positive and rewarding life, while she could barely maintain her own.

"Well I want to know what yuh gonna do now!"

Selene didn't answer.

"The funerals next week Friday, so I guess we'll see you there. What you doing now? Where you workin'? You gon' be able to afford this place without Tony's help?"

"Mommy not now, ok? Sorry but I feel sick." and she did.

She was feeling nauseous and faint again.

"Alright, well... I'll call yuh before the funeral."

Selene walked her out and there were no goodbyes or kind words from her mother.

"Bye Mom." she said as she closed the front door.

Tears were still streaming down her face and all she wanted was Dominic. Besides Tony, he was the only positive person she ever got close to. She had avoided his last two calls because she didn't know what to say to him. He had done his best to make her feel better but to no avail.

His kind words were drowned in a sea of angry and hurtful messages from her aunts and mother. She didn't hear much from her siblings or cousins. They probably also supported Tony, however backlash and anger from the family was something they would want to avoid at this time. She didn't blame them because everyone knew what to expect from her mother and aunts. Her phone began ringing and she already knew who it was. Dominic.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe. Are you okay?"

"No Dominic, I'm not... I'm just tired. Everyone's getting on my case and I just want to be alone right now."

"Selene I know how you feel but you don't have to go through this alone. I miss you so much. I wish I was with you right now."

She couldn't answer him because she was sobbing and her words wouldn't come out. She wanted him there with her, but she felt like she didn't deserve anyone's sympathy.

"Baby, I'm here... if you want me to leave you alone I will...but... I miss you so much. I know we haven't spent that much time together but I couldn't stop thinking about you since we first met. I know it's my fault and I'm sorry. If I had been there..."

"Dominic, stop, it's not your fault... I miss you too... and I want to be with you but all this is really difficult for me. I have to take responsibility for my actions... and my mom..."

"Your actions?"

"I encouraged Tony to be a fighter. If I hadn't done that, he would probably be alive today."

"Selene... you aren't to blame for any of this!"

"I don't think that's true... I have to go...um I don't feel so good. Can I talk to you later?"

"Babe... well alright... if you need me... I'm here. Don't push me away okay? Please Selene?"

"I'm sorry Dominic, I just need to get myself together and I'm honestly not feeling good."

"Well alright, I'll call you in a few hours okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Lene don't say sorry... I'm here for you. I'll talk to you later. Just be careful ok? If you need something, anything... just call me."

"Ok...I...bye Dominic."

"Bye Lene."

Selene rushed to the bathroom to throw up. She wanted to die. Dominic was the only thing keeping her afloat and even that was barely working now. She didn't know how she would manage the next few weeks. She was becoming best friends with the bottle again because it was the only thing that could keep her calm.

All her troubles were a dream when she drank. She would be whisked away into fantasies of a better life where she wouldn't have to deal with depression. Even if it lasted temporarily, she thought it would keep her together for a while.

***

Dominic hadn't been with her physically since their night together but he gave his all to make sure that she was alright. Even though he was now in Vegas, he called her every time he got a moment to himself. He also took care of all the funeral arrangements, as well as dealing with the media. This tragedy had attracted lots of attention and everyone wanted to know why and how it happened. It was revealed that Volchev was irate about his loss.

His jealousy of Dominic was evident and he spent the next few days after the fight, drinking heavily and rampaging all over the city. He came across Tony at a nightclub and began insulting both he and Dominic. Tony was known for being a tough guy, but he chose to ignore Volchev and his entourage, who were also present.

The "Russian Bear" hated being ignored and flew into a rage when Tony began laughing at him. He flung a bottle of vodka at Tony, which broke into pieces at his feet. Tony was not going to let that go. The two got into a huge brawl. Volchev subdued Tony and smashed his face into the broken glass on the club floor.

The huge shards of glass pierced Tony's cheek and neck, causing him to bleed out. His carotid artery and internal jugular vein were severed and Tony died within the next few minutes on the floor. The police apprehended Volchev and another of his men who was seen kicking Tony in the sides, even while he lay motionless on the floor. Everyone was stricken with grief and confusion. Tony had been a very popular fighter and great things were expected of him. His fans had especially been looking forward to his upcoming fight.

It was to take place a month after Dominic's fight, but no one would ever get to see it now. Dominic managed to be strong during this whole ordeal and planned a memorial for him. Everything was taken care of so that Selene and her family wouldn't be burdened. Selene was more than grateful and knew she couldn't have gone through any of this without him. She would have to put on a brave face for the days ahead. Her struggles were just about to begin.

Chapter Six

The crystalline shards from the broken bottles formed a tiny sparkling mountain in the base of her sink as she discarded their poisonous contents. Selene broke every bottle of wine and vodka in storage in the kitchen sink. She did this out of anger and frustration, as well as for the more underlying reason. She was having a fight against her destructive self. No one knew of the pain she had gone through in the past...except for Tony. He had seen her inner demons and accepted her still.

Selene was a bit of an alcoholic. Anytime she felt stressed out or anxious, the alcohol would temporarily take the pain away. The root of all this was from the way she was treated by her mother while growing up. She was made to feel ashamed of everything she was; dark-skinned and over-weight.

The hierarchy of her family were all light-skinned and slender, while the down trodden usually were the dark-skinned other half. She hated herself because of the skin she was born into. She was made to feel like a reject by almost everyone, even her own mother. Tony was the only one who embraced her, despite her so called shortcomings.

Still, that tiny bit of support was never enough to quell the pain. However, Dominic had changed everything and before Tony's death she began to have more confidence in herself. Now everything had gone to hell and she was slowly falling apart. She forced herself to rid the apartment of all the liquor in storage, even though she craved another drink. She had to think of Dominic...and the baby.

She was too sick to attend the funeral and only one of her cousins showed up to check on her. Isha was worried and knew that something was completely amiss when Selene was absent. Isha wouldn't terrorize her like the rest of the family and even though she was one of the favored women in her family, she felt pity for Selene. If it were not for the distance between their home states, they probably would have been very close. She found Selene in a horrible state when she entered the apartment. She was all alone and crying.

"Selene, are you okay?"

"I'm pregnant Isha... I don't know what to do. I feel really sick and I can't talk to anyone else about this. I don't know what Dominic will say... I was on the pill but I don't know why it didn't work."

"Whoa, whoa wait... you're talking about Dominic? He got you pregnant?" Isha said in the most surprised tone.

"Don't tell my mom please... I can't deal with anyone else coming over here to yell at me." Selene pleaded.

"Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Yea... I've been throwing up a lot and I thought it was because of Tony... but I took a test and I found out last night."

"It's just one thing after another huh? Don't worry Lene you'll be alright. I'm here."

"What's with all the broken glass in the sink?"

"I got rid of all the alcohol when I found out... I...need to stop!"

"Yea babe... I know how Auntie treated you led you to all this but it needs to end... and not only because you're pregnant. That shit's never been good for you."

Isha did all she could to help her feel better but to no avail. The person Selene really wanted was Dominic. It's not that she didn't appreciate Isha's help. She wanted to get everything over with and tell him that she was pregnant. However, she didn't feel ready to face him yet and ignored his calls. For the meantime Isha stayed with her but she eventually had to fly back home. She couldn't be someone that Selene could rely on to be there all the time.

Selene remained indoors and didn't go out at all. She didn't know if she would ever come out of this slump. She avoided anyone who rang her doorbell for the whole week. She was afraid that her mother would come around again, ready to criticize her. Isha still called to check up on her, while also trying to get her to face her fears. Selene knew that she couldn't run away forever but she wasn't prepared to be so brave.