Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Tammy is hiding in her father's coat closet. She peeks out of a sliver of light that exposes a bare peak into the living room. She doesn't hear everything being said but feels the tension as her heart thumps solid and heavy in her chest.

Men stormed the house shortly after being shoved inside this closet, with her father instructing not to make a sound.

How terribly afraid she is to make a sound.

Tammy strains to see, dark brown eyes in horror, as a tall white male pulls a gun out and aims at her father. The turn of events is unbelievable.

"Look, Russel, we've never had any problem before, alright?! I wanna just keep it that way." The man with the gun seems genuinely bored with the situation.

"I'm not trying to make a problem! This isn't what was agreed on. " Russel says in tight-lipped anger. "You're off-script Mark. "

Mark kind of waves the gun.
"Look, I don't have anything to do with that.

I'm here on Ricco Family business, and that other shit is between you, my father, and Alexei. Im off that shit, and here about the kitchens and the product. "

Russel is turning red, which isn't an easy thing being that he's a deep shade of sienna brown. " I paid my dues...I want out."

Mark clucked three times before pointing the gun between her father's eyes. "We all know there is only one out."

Tammy's mind is made up in an instant. No, her father and herself are nowhere near a perfect relationship, but she couldn't just stay hidden when his life was being threatened.

Her body hurls itself out of the closet running at Mark.

Tammy is shaking, but she body grabs hold of the arm holding the gun. Mark's cold and menacing brown eyes peer into her own. Her stomach hurts with the realization that now she has placed herself in danger. There is no kindness or depth in the eyes of this man. What was she thinking?

The need to burst out of the closet had taken a hold over Tammy, and there had been no time to think out anything. The two continued to lock eyes, with Mark beginning to scan over her appearance but still no hint to his inclination.

"Tammy, what the hell you doing, girl!" Russel bellows with his hands up and palms exposed. His shirt is wrinkled, and his tie is askew.

Russel shakes, not in fear but livid with anger at his daughter's disobedience. Tammy wonders for a moment if he would have struck her, like some other times, before one of the suited men punches Russel in the stomach and causing making him double over.

Tammy ignores her father, looking into the piercing steely eyes Mark. His dark brown eyes are expresso deep and deadpan. "There has to be another way."

She wants to cry, but something tells Tammy that this man wouldn't care. He may feel something else she can't place her finger on, but somewhere she can't accept, the thought excites her.

Mark's cheek flexes before he gazes at her father with his bored brown eyes. A strand of his perfectly combed in place hair escaped and falls over his eyebrow. There is a tiny cut through that eyebrow.

Mark still says nothing looking at the other two men but his facial expression revealing no thoughts. Tammy knows that he is calculating something.

Russel huffs standing on his feet, with struggle and weakly moves forward shaking with fury. The other two men restrain his arms and pull him back. "You better not include her in this! This isn't what we all discussed!"

Mark waves the gun toward Russel. "Shut up bitch!" He pushes Tammy off of him as he yells at her father. The obscenity meant for Russel as Mark barely pays her any thought and she feels defeated in stopping the death of her father.

"C' mon Mark, just shoot em both between the eyes and let's go." One of the other suited men exclaims sounding rather bored and frustrated with the prolonged event.

Mark turns around whacking the guy across the face with his gun. "Boy, did I ask your opinion? "

Tammy swallows hard.

Avoiding her dad's gaze. She shakes but determined to summon courage. There are real-life gangsters in her family home. Her mind is reeling. These gangsters are here because of her father.

Russel isn't a perfect man, by far, but people with guns are here threatening his life! Tammy closes her eyes breathing deeply to stop hysterical tears. This moment is unbelievable.

"Yo!" Mark calls out to her.

"Tammy..." She says her name with a stutter being pulled from the fog of surrealism.

Mark scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Did I ask your name?"

Tammy just nods no.

Being hit across the face with a gun wasn't her cup of tea. Plus Mark is unreadable. However, looking into his deep expresso eyes, she knows she is dealing with a somewhat intelligent man.

Mark isn't really showing it but a knowing deep within her tells that she appeals to something in his nature. Tammy needs to play her cards right. As the fog begins to clear and she tries to think straight.

Mark steps close to her. His eyes assess her, slowly, up and down the way you would look at a new pair of shoes you may or may not buy.

Tammy boldly meets his gaze when he looks back to her eyes. There is absolutely no light in his eyes now. Mark reaches out with his black leather gloved hand and grabs her chin forcibly but maintains the pressure just right. His wrist moves to make her turn her head side to side.

"You know what, I fuck with you." He laughs suddenly. Suddenly there is cream in his expresso brown eyes and light. He's suddenly almost someone else. "This little girl has some balls fellas"

" Look, Mark, you trying to make a deal or not! There isn't anything funny right now." She crosses her arms making a face. Tammy isn't thinking as she is genuinely frustrated by his personality.

For some reason, after his touch, Tammy isn't very afraid of him anymore. Now she has more apprehension of the unknown than fear. If Mark were going to kill any of them, he would have done so already.

Mark stills and turns to her. His body is close and she can see a fine dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. He subtly bites his lip looking into her eyes. Before he speaks or does anything Russel's voice interupts.

"She doesn't mean it. The girl doesn't know about anything...." Her father is stuttering coming to stand in front of her. He pushes Mark off of her.

Mark shakes his head. He doesn't look at Russel but at her and she feels genuinely that he doesn't even care about her father anymore.

" Nah, I think she said what she meant and I don't see a girl...I see a woman meddling in men's business; biting off more than she can chew."

"Are you going to kill my dad or not? Is there a deal to be made?." Tammy bites out feeling that Mark likes her not acting afraid.

"Deals...I don't make deals. No matter what..." Mark shoves passed her father and got all in her space. "Either way it's my way." He traces a tattoo that said as much on his hairline. "You'll do best to remember that. "

Tammy pulls herself straighter. "So tell me then, what is your way in this? Tell me what you want."

Her voice is quiet and breathy and only they can hear this conversation. She's won, Mark may think it's only his way but in this moment the triumph is her own. He has bended to her will.

***********************************

It was exactly two weeks later. Tammy removes her reading glasses and rubs her temples.

Every day had been shouting wars between her father and her mother. Her father barely even spoke to her and that was cool because they weren't too close to begin with. Really she panicked way more in the situation than her father deserved.

The countdown began after Mark left, leaving behind the proposal that they had two weeks to decide if she would come and work for the gang, in the way he saw fit, or he comes back and kills the whole family.

There really is no choice.

Tammy isn't ready to die and she isn't ready to witness the torture and murder of her parents.

Today she had the worst argument with her father. He took it too far. He tried to emotionally blackmail her, saying he was going to kill himself. Tammy was beyond frustrated with him.

She told him to do what he needed but Mom and herself weren't about to die today.

Then she stormed out of the home.

At work, all Tammy could do was replay the argument over and over along, with the gnawing in her stomach, that today she was going to have to go wherever Mark is going to take her.

Inside there was a very small thrill at the idea.

Tammy rolls her neck. Her whole body tense with high anxiety.

She always loved the movie Beautiful Lady ,but she's afraid to be brought into human trafficking. That's what gangs do right? Tammy thinks maybe she could be a high escort prostitute. Then again, maybe not at all. She was too romantic for sex to be absolutely emotionless.

"Hey girlie!" Her annoying co-worker ,Amber, pops up and touches Tammy's poof.

Tammy hates when her white co-workers felt like they could just touch her hair. Immediately her hands raises to bring Ambers hands away from her hair.

"Amber, remember when we talked about boundaries? How it doesn't matter how fluffy my hair looks, don't touch?" Tammy says with a passive-aggressive smile.

Amber giggles. "I'm so sorry, I'm really really going to remember I promise."

Tammy's head is hurting too bad to go through this same argument with this young bubbly girl. "Okay, what's up Amber?"

Amber's deep blue eyes lit up. "I was bringing papers to Mr. Blazio, and I heard you are up for the new big promotion!

Also, some fine ass guy, Colin something, is taking over one of the big seat positions. I swear he's just your type."

Tammy's eyes went wide. "What!!! Are you serious!!!"

Amber shook her head up and down childishly biting her bottom lip her eyes were dancing with excitement. "I mean he is super fuckable.

Tammy shakes her head. "Amber, concentrate. I can get my own dick honey; I'm talking about being up for the promotion."

"Yes, yes, yes! There are only two other candidates. They are both guys, but I heard Mr. Blazio saying he felt there needed to be more women higher up in the company!!!

THAT'S YOU TAMMY!!!" Amber bobbed her head and her healthy ultra blond hair bounces.

As high as her excitement went it dies.

Just her luck, when things finally go the way she wants them in her life that this mess from her father takes over it. She probably won't be returning to work after today. Tammy doesn't want to think the worse but really what shouldn't she?

"Well, there are still two other candidates. So, I'm not going to get too excited. " Tammy eyes the clock on the wall.

It was time to go home. Her stomach is in a knot. Mark didn't give a specific time to when he would collect her.

"See, you're always being pessimistic. I'm sure that promotion is yours." Amber smiles before patting Tammy's before exiting.

Tammy gathers her electronics and her bag. She wonders if she would be able to bring anything with her. Should she go home and pack a modest bag? Would she even be allowed to have anything at all? How long would Mark keep her?

The sadness is starting to settle in as she steps out of the elevator.

Tammy is on the ground floor headed to her car. The cool underground garage had a slight breeze flowing through. Tammy savored the fresh breeze. Maybe it was a sign things wouldn't be so bad?

She takes the scrunchie out of her thick kinky curly hair and shook out the mass of corkscrew curls that fell around her shoulders.

Her hair sways in the wind. The cool sensation giving her goosebumps as the air flows through her scalp. It was turning her on just a little bit. Besides, she's been super stressed and feels like this will be one of the last times to release any of that pressure, in her own terms.

Opening the car trunk, she dumps the box of files.

When she gets into the car, immediately she undoes a few buttons on her high neck button up lace blouse. Then opens her glove department taking out the tiny vibrator that kept there and lube.

What could she say? She really loved sex. However, she wasn't one to sleep around. She learned early that's not the way for her. So she never felt to bad about taking care of her own needs.

The vibrator touches her intimate flesh.

Everything is out of her mind as the pulses of the stimulator sends waves of pleasure through her body. She loves the sounds of the device and the wetness of her intimate parts. Her breathing hitches and she's close to that big moment. She bites her lips and her eyes just glance into the rearview mirror.

The shock and anxiety hit her at the same time as her orgasm, realizing she hasn't been alone. Completely out of the mood and feeling embarrassed and shocked Tammy drops the device.

Mark is in the back seat in a Nike tracksuit.

His neat hair gone and sort of messy. His dark brown hair curly and ruffled giving him a whole other look.

Big change from the suit and tie version of him she'd seen two weeks earlier. He has a white cloth that he's pressed firmly to her face with a boyish grin.

"I told you, either way, it's always going to be my way." Were the last words she heard from Mark before everything just went dark.