Cruel Pleasure (Book 01)

Trembling Maybell cut Isiah off, she silenced him with a hot glare of her own, and as more tears traced her cheeks, she slowly started to walk towards him.

"Isiah..." She called. His name on her lips soft and calm, as if he wasn't seconds from blowing Reggie away. But she focused on them. On him and her. And she focused on the pain she felt and heard in his voice.

"Isiah I know what he did. I know what happened that night...how they used me...and I want him dead too, but you can't kill him! I mean we...we have both lost enough. You can't kill him."

It hurt to say and it hurt even more that she knew Isiah and her had suffered more and more than they could have ever imagined because of that night. That one dinner with an old friend.

Isiah's eyes darkened, colder and more enraged as she spoke. Almost as if her own pain made him more upset. "Yes I can. I will. This sick fucking animal! Because of him, because of what he did...our baby...our child is gone!" The rage, the hatred...the cold darkness in his gaze as he looked away from her was like a thousand words unspoken.

He turned his eyes back from her to Reggie as if the sight of her in that moment was more than he could handle. His guilt over the cruelty that had happened between them more then he could bare to face.

He looked like a man she had seen before, but beneath the anger and rage...there he was. Her Isiah. In so much pain.

"What child!? What are you talking about!?" Reggie gasped in Isiah hold. His smashed nose bubbling with milky globs and blood bubbles as he struggled to breath in a grotesque fashion. As he strained in Isiah's clutches he gasped for air, hot fury and blood dancing across his lips and chin.

"Our child...our baby...the one I lost..." Maybell brokenly replied, capturing and sharing Isiah's eyes for a long painful moment.

"No the one WE lost...it wasn't your fault May or mine." Isiah whispered back after a long moment, his face twisted into a tormented cowl and Maybell wept at the pain on Isiah face and in her own soul as she stepped closer, coming from the left side, careful to avoid Reggie's reach as she shook her head.

Every step was a strain on her damaged core and sore body, but she didn't stop, and in her soul she knew she couldn't stop. "Isiah...the baby..." She softly wept to him catching and holding his grief filled eyes. "Isiah that was our fault and no one elses."

Isiah's face clouded in agony and he shook his head his eyes both horrified and full of denial at her accusation.

"No!" He shouted back at her. The words she spoke seemed to terrify him and upset him. "This is his fault. Reggie hurt you. Reggie made all of this happen to us."

"No, that's not true!" Maybell shouted past him and Isiah shuddered and closed his eyes, clearly fighting her truth because it was painful to endure.

"Isiah we killed our child. We hurt each other; No one made us do what we did. We let our love turn into a monster we couldn't control." Maybell stepped closer, walking past Reggie, holding her hands up, until she was standing right beside her lover. She stared at him, at the agony etched into his body and face and she wanted to end it, but the only way to do that was to keep talking.

"Yes Reggie created the pain, but we let it rot, we let the pain fester and poison us. You and I are to blame for that! We were so desperate and blinded by our own anger and hurt that we couldn't think. We did this to ourselves! You and Me....but..."

Maybell swallowed and dropped her hands. "I forgive us. And....I still love you!" Maybell cried and proclaimed as fat tears obscured her gaze. "I love you Isiah Lee, with all of my heart! So please just put the gun down. If you love me at all, don't make a decision that's going to take you away from me. Just put the GUN down."

Then with trembling fingers she reached out and touched Isiah's arm and his cheek.

"Maybell...I..." Isiah started to pull away, then he released a sharp exhale at her touch, and suddenly unwound his arm from Reggie's throat.

With a vicious shove he pushed Reggie far away from them. "Get the fuck out of here you fucking Pig, before I kill you." He growled. His handsome face as hard as granite and Isiahs lashes wet with unshed tears of frustration.

Reggie fell to his knees, obviously unbalanced and badly injured he chuckled and slurred beneath his breath.

"Fucking pussy. I knew you couldn't do it." Reggie wiped his forearm across his bashed in nose, and he started to lunge/crawl away from them towards the door.

Ignoring him, Isiah closed his eyes, panting and every inch of his body taught with rage, then he looked at Maybell and his eyes instantly softened. With his left hand he reached out and touched her chin, then he dashed at the tears on her cheek.

Holding the gun to the side he stepped closer to her and touched his head to hers. "I never meant to hurt you...May" He whispered. Voice thick and trembling as he said words he knew to be true but had feared would be woefully inadequate before her. "I never meant to hurt our child. I swear to God if I could take it all back....!"

Swallowing more tears May leaned back into him, breathing deep in relief and in sadness as she quickly nodded her head. Holding his face gently in her hands. "I know...I know...." She said trying to comfort him.

Suddenly the rapid sound of someone approaching was the only warning, then Maybell was screaming and Isiah was grunting as a large body slammed into them and ....the next thing Maybell knew Isiah was muscling her behind his broad back, and slowly putting up his hands.

"You fucking Bastard!? What they hell do you think your doing!?"

Maybell glanced over Isiahs shoulder and her heart shuddered with ice as she caught sight of Reggie, panting and face slick with blood, holding Isiahs gun and pointing it at them both. Straight at Isiahs chest.

Chapter 30 - The Pig

Reggie snarled, clearing his throat nastily then spitting a giant clotted blob of blood into the floor. "Did you forget? You just hacked me! What did you do huh? I bet you stole all my fucking money Izzy. You drained my bank accounts right? Maybe defaulted my business? You destroyed EVERYRHING! Over her? Over this little whore!?" Reggie chuckled and pointed the gun at Maybell's face. Isiah moved into the path of the gun and Reggie laughed menacingly. "And now you think I'm just going to walk away?"

Isiah shook his head. "You better pray to god that you kill me when you shot me Reggie, because if you hurt her...I wont hesitate to kill you."

Reggie smirked and looked at Maybell" Ohhh don't be like that Izzy....because after I kill you im going to screw that bitches brains out. She's going to love it...wont you Maybell, just like before?" Reggie smiled and made nasty kissing sounds at her that made her entire insides flip over. "Ohhh Maybell...did you know that you have a very particular taste...its one I still dream about every now and then...so sweet and tasty..." Reggie smacked his lips and laughed cruelly as Maybells skin crawled and her legs involuntarily squeezed together in disgust that this monster had tasted her in such a way. It was shameful...it was sick.

"Fuck you Reggie! I should have killed you, you fucking...!" Isiah screamed and lunged suddenly for the gun in the middle of his sentence.

The metalic "Click" of a hammer being cocked was Reggie's response. Maybell barely had the chance to scream before the gun fired.

Isiah fell. And before Maybell could go to him, or otherwise react; Reggie rushed forwards and smacked her across the mouth with the gun. Maybell saw stars and tasted blood as her jaw rolled in her head. The force of the blow sent her to the ground with a muffled scream. She lost all the light.

It took a good five seconds to orient her pain filled mind and throbbing body back into the present, but when she did Maybell was shocked and horrified to realizes that Reggie had descended on Isiah with the gun.

"Your one weak bastard! In fact you were always weak Isiah..." Reggie was ranting standing over her lover. "So what if you call me a PIG. Ill never understand what people saw in a little pussy bitch like you, but guess what Izzy. I'm not a fucking bitch like you. I'm not afraid to do what a man needs to do. And I'm going to start by blowing your fucking head to pieces right here. Right now!"

With that Reggie slammed his foot, deep into Isiahs gut, pressed down on him, raised the gun and leveled it right at his eyes. Isiah grunted at the pain, and cursed. Fighting to push Reggie's giant leg off of him, but his face and clothes were splattered in blood, and it was clear that he had been shot in the upper arm, perhaps fatally as his face grew drawn with pain and pale with rapid blood loss.

Isiah soon stopped resisting, and then he just chuckled and spit onto Reggie's leg. "Do it! Kill me! Your moneys gone forever Reyborn. All of it. Every goddamn penny. I donated it to all those women you hurt over the years! I also sold all the stock for your business away and you don't have a dime to buy it all back! You have nothing left Reggie! So kill me, but it won't save you! Its all fucking gone. Just like your worthless life so fuck you!!"

Reggie snarled and started to pull the trigger. "You know what? Fuck you too Izzy. Go to hell..." He said.

But the gun shot never came, because with a blood curdling cry of fury and denial Maybell shot up off the ground went at Reggie without any thoughts for her own life.

Maybell didn't know where the strength or fury came from in that moment. She didn't know where the rage and the ferocity rose up from inside of her, but she knew it was rooted in fear. Bone deep heart stopping fear of losing something else. Of having something else stolen from her. Having something else she loved removed from her life.

With heartless aggression she rushed into Reggie, and slammed into the man's jaw with the bottom of her elbow, slugging him so hard that he stumbled backwards as his smashed nose was smashed more and blood burst from his gashed lips as she torn the bloody scabs and clots that had formed.

"You fucking whore!" Reggie spluttered as he stumbled, fell to one knee and screamed, wildly swinging around to aim the glock in his hand at Maybell.

But Maybell didn't give him a chance, she rushed in, and swung forwards with all of her might, bringing her shin bone to rest in Reggie's crotch. The blow was seemed to reverberate all throughout Reggie's being, summoning an agonized cry from the man that almost made Maybell want to clutch her own privates in sympathy. But instead Maybell was too busy, twisting to the side and ripping the gun out of Reggie's debilitated hands.

Then Maybell raised the glock, aimed it at is head, and watched the man squirm on the ground beneath her sights.

"Isiah? Are you okay!?" she called. She called out like a cowards, because she was too afraid to look for herself and find him dead.

Fortunately Far to her left Maybell sensed Isiah moving, rolling over onto his back, and then climbing slowly to his feet. In her periphery she could see him clutching his shoulder, then rushing towards her.

"Maybell!" he called as he stopped beside her gritting his teeth and panting from the pain he so obviously wanted to hide. Once he could reach her he tried to grab hold her saying. "Oh God, I can't believe you're okay! Did he hurt you? Maybell? May...?"

But Maybell wasn't listening. Or responding. Oh how she wanted to. To hear his voice and to see him moving after almost losing him was a relief unlike another. But at the forefront of her mind was that Video tape. Images of Reggie fucking her savagely on that filthy bed tormented her now. Images of him licking on her beasts like suckers and spraying his milky cum all over her face. All of it. Every moan she released in her drugged euphoria for him and his gang of rapists. Every time he KISSED her with his grubby lips. Every time.....

Perhaps Isiah sensed what was about to happen, because with a desperate shout he lunged for the gun, but it was too late.

"Maybell DON'T!" Isiah yelled as he suddenly dashed into her, and that's when she pulled the trigger. Twice.

Chapter 31 - Unwanted/ Unneeded

Reggie was admitted to the hospital with a fractured jaw and eye socket and two gun shots to the crotch. Even if they found a way to salvage his manhood...the pig would never rape another woman again. He screamed and bleed so much...and yet Maybell just felt empty in the end. Empty...and cold. She didn't have it in her to regret her actions...but she would have been lying if she sad they brought her anything...not even joy.

The arrival of the cops took them both by surprise but apparently someone in the area had heard the gun shots that had been fired and called the cops to the store, just a few minutes following the altercation.

When the cops arrived Reggie had already passed out from shock and Maybell and Isiah were both surrounded before they could decide to call and ambulance or just leave Reggie to die.

The choice was taken from them as Maybell and Isiah were taken into custody. Only when everything was said and done, but within hours of being put into interrogation rooms Maybell was surprised to find both her and Isiah being uncuffed and walked out of the LA precinct, when Drake and Ann arrived with lawyers and bail money for them both.

It was only once Maybell and Isiah were out of the building an in a limo being driven away that Maybell thought to ask. "How did you guys know we were in jail?'

She quietly asked Isiahs parents. Both of the Lees looked at her from where they were sitting and they said "It was Isiahs receptionist. He called us and told us to meet you guys at the Precinct with lawyers...." Drake frowned "Didn't you guys tell him to call us?"

Drained and exhausted and achy and numb...Maybell found it in her to pass Isiah a weak smile. "That sly fox." She softly said.

Isiah looked at her, frowning then his eyes seemed to widen large and in disbelief and he scoffed and closed his eyes. "No way..." he whispered.

Maybell chuckled weakly and whispered back. "Yes way..."

Isiah gently opened his eyes and looked at her, hesitantly he lifted his fingers and it seemed he was going to touch her...kiss her even, but then he pulled away, turned back to his father and spoke to him about the lawyers.

A small pit of disappointment opened up in her stomach as she realizes just how much she had wanted him to touch her. To feel his heat on her skin and lips...how much she wished he would reach out and hold her close...but he didn't.

And Maybell couldn't help but think that it was because of her? That she repulsed him, that what had happened with Reggie made Isiah recoil from her...that he was still to angry or in pain to reach out to her...and she just didn't know what to do if that was the case.

She was in so much pain herself, and all she wanted was for him to help her...but his distance hurt her. His distance made her feel even more disgusting then she had before. So she closed her eyes, turned away and looked out of the car window, letting Isiah and his father's voice drown into the background.

***

Isiah ruminated on the mind blowing fact that not only did he know the Fox but that the Fox had been working for him as a receptionist and he hadn't even suspected it.

There was also the fact that somehow and someway Maybell knew the Fox and knew he was Isiah's receptionist too?

What that all about? When did the Fox get into contact with her...? Man who would have thought that quiet kid was the Fox this whole time?

Isiah couldn't help but be blow away by this revelation, and yet when he looked at Maybell smirking at him , her eyes sad, but full of need and concern for him, he decided that the Fox should be the last thing on his mind. His heart was heavy, his soul laden with too much fear and exhaustion to deal with. His fists were clenched at his sides as the terrifying images from moments before bombarded him.

Reggie taking the gun. Reggie hitting May. Threatening to rape and kill her all over again. Lying there with Reggie gun on him all Isiah had been thinking about was Maybell. How to save her. How too keep Reggie from trying to kill her too. And when the man had put the sights on him all Isiah had wanted in that moment was a chance to say goodbye to her.

He just wanted Maybell. He wanted to hold her, He wanted to run his lips gently over the small bruise on her cheek from where Reggie had struck her. He saw how she shook and shivered as her adrenaline wore off and the shock started to settle on her small frame. He knew that he attack on Reggie had been one born purely out of emotion, but now he could see the slight shame she had in her eyes, the disbelief with what she had done to another human being.

For the most part Isiah didn't care that she had shoot Reggie. In fact he had felt nothing but pride cut through him when she did it, but he also felt sadness for his love after the fact, because he knew his love, his angel, his baby girl May just didn't have it in her to kill nearly kill a man and walk away unscathed.

He sensed that she needed him after all was said and done and with a longing like coals in his belly he was drawn to her. He so wanted to wipe away the sickly parlor on her coca cream skin, that gave testament to just how weak and overwhelmed she had been. He wanted to kiss her and feel her warmth and heartbeat on his skin, but he recoiled form her instead as he realized exactly why they were both in that car this night.

It was all because of him. He was a pathetic waste. A terrible man. A worthless lover.

Because of him Maybell had been through so much, too much the last few weeks.

From being gang raped by Reggie to enduring Isiah's sexual torment, to the surgery and miscarriage and now because of him she had been forced to get blood on her hands.

It was strange to him how even when he had agreed to let Reggie live and not shot him...he had still despised himself and Maybell for asking him not to kill the man that had hurt them. Hurt her most of all.

Isiah had stopped but he had resented stopping...until he had seen the gun in Maybells small hands.

Until he Imagined the toll killing Reggie would take on her mind and on her gentle clean soul. Until he realized that the moment she pulled that trigger and killed Reggie...Isiah would lose her forever to a system that wouldn't have mercy on her. A system that wouldn't understand that a Pig like Reggie deserved to die for his crimes. A system that would destroy her and take her life and her future in exchange for the life of a man that was less than human.

Clarity came with the cutting ferocity of an edged blade to his heart and he rushed to stop her, just as she had come to stop him. It was ironic.

And yet Isiah hadn't been fast enough and Reggie had been critically injured and had essentially fallen into a coma from blood loss.

Luckily there was plenty of evidence against Reggie that painted him as the attacker, as well as evidence that he had been the primary aggressor in the attack driving Maybell to fight him for the gun.

But Isiah knew that if Reggie died in the hospital he and Maybell would have a lot of hard questions to face. Still for now all they could do was wait and see...and for Isiah he actually and unbelievably prayed to god that Reggie lived...a least so he and Maybell could get back their lives and leave the dark shadow of Reggie in their past.

In the end, sitting with Maybell beside him, the soft warmth of her brushing against him after nearly losing her before and losing his own life that night...Isiah felt so useless and guilty he could barely stand to raise his eyes to her.

He had caused all of this pain and heart ache and distance between them, but in that moment where all he had to do was reach out and touch her he was too ashamed of himself to try. He knew there was so much between them now, so much that needed to be understood, but the fact of the matter is that he was and continued to be the worst thing to happen to Maybell...and he just didn't want to hurt her anymore.