Chapter 12: The Soldier's Test
Hailey stepped clear of Dee, rolling her shoulders like she was shaking off a heavy coat. The gym bag she'd carried in hit the floor with a thud. She dropped into a fighting stance, feet planted, fists raised, and fixed Marcus with a stare that had probably ended arguments in her gym before they started.
"You talk a big game," she said. "I want to see if you can back it up."
Marcus's eyebrows rose. He set down the glass he'd been holding and smiled that slow smile that Jason recognized all too well.
"You want to spar. In my living room."
"I want to see how you move." Hailey circled him, light on her feet. "You've got all these women eating out of your hand. I want to know if you've got anything besides that charm and that muscle."
Dee slid onto the arm of the couch, crossing her legs. Minnie leaned against the wall, arms folded, her lips curling into a hungry grin. Neither of them moved to stop it.
Jason found himself holding his breath. He'd seen Marcus change over the years, watched him go from the scrawny kid who couldn't get a date to this. But he'd never seen him fight.
Marcus tugged off his shirt and tossed it onto the nearest chair. His torso was a roadmap of discipline, every muscle defined, sweat already beginning to bead on his caramel skin.
"Rules?" he asked.
"First one to tap out loses."
"And if I win?"
Hailey's grin was sharp. "Then I'm yours and I'll do whatever you say. And if I win, you tell your friend Rick I'm not interested in this empire of yours."
The air in the room went still. Minnie's grin faltered. Dee uncrossed her legs, sitting up straighter.
Marcus nodded once. "Bet. Fair enough."
Hailey didn't wait for a signal. She lunged, fast and low, aiming a hook at his ribs. Marcus twisted sideways, the blow grazing his side, and he answered with a jab that she slipped under. They circled each other again.
She moved like someone who'd trained for years. Her footwork was clean, her punches tight and precise. She came at him again, a combination of jabs and crosses that forced him back across the Persian rug. Jason winced as one landed against his jaw with a solid crack.
Marcus absorbed it and smiled wider.
"You've got hands, do you?” He said, spitting onto the edge of the rug. "Who trained you?"
"Nobody you'd actually know." She feinted left, then swung right. He read it and caught her wrist mid-swing.
The room tensed.
Marcus yanked her forward, using her momentum to spin her. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Hailey twisted, driving an elbow toward his face. He turned his head just in time, the strike just grazing his ear.
She was strong. Stronger than she looked, with that lean, muscled frame of hers.
"You work out," he grunted against her ear. "Leg days too. Those thighs of yours…”
"Every day. Every day. And are you hitting on me?”
He shifted his weight and swept her legs out from under her. They went down together, Marcus rolling to stay on top, pinning her wrists to the floor. Hailey bucked, trying to throw him off, but he was heavier and the weight kept her down.
Her chest heaved. The room fell quiet except for the sound of their breathing.
"I don’t know. Am I? By the way… Tap," Marcus said.
Hailey glared at him. He pressed his weight down, watching her face. For a long moment she didn't move. Then her jaw tightened and she tapped twice against the hardwood.
Marcus released her wrists and rolled off, landing on his back beside her. They both lay there, staring up at the ceiling, chests rising and falling.
"Damn, bro.” Jason said.
Minnie clapped slowly, a wide grin spreading across her face. Dee stood, walked over, and looked down at the two of them on the floor.
"So what does that mean for us?" Dee asked.
Marcus sat up, wiping sweat from his brow. He turned to look at Hailey, who was still on her back, staring at the ceiling.
"It means my business… my empire just got two more soldiers," he said. His eyes slid to Minnie. "And a lieutenant with some fight in her. I like that. You selected well, my brother.”
Jason smirked in response.
Hailey didn't respond right away. She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes unreadable. Then she pushed herself up onto her elbows.
"You pinned me," she said. "Nobody's pinned me in two years."
"I didn't spar to humiliate you. I sparred to see if you'd back down when the pressure hit." Marcus got to his feet and offered her a hand. "You didn't. That matters more than winning."
Hailey stared at his outstretched hand. Then she took it.
Hailey's grip tightened around his hand as she rose, her calloused palm warm against his. "You move like someone who fights for real," she said, not letting go. "So tell me something, Daddy. What happens to a soldier who wants to earn her stripes tonight?" Marcus held her gaze, his thumb tracing the inside of her wrist. "A soldier who wants to earn her stripes gets on her knees for her Papi. Then she does exactly what I tell her."
Hailey's breath caught. Her chin lifted, defiant and hungry at once.
Dee let out a low whistle from the couch. Minnie's grin spread slow and knowing.
"And if I do?" Hailey asked.
"Then you're not just a soldier." Marcus stepped closer, chest to chest with her. "You're mine. Every night I decide, and you don't question it."
Hailey held his stare for three heartbeats. Then she dropped, graceful, sinking down until her knees met the hardwood. Her hands found his belt and pulled him closer.
"Show me what you like, Papi," she said, unzipping his jeans with steady fingers, exposing his semi hard manhood.
Hailey's fingers wrapped around his shaft, practiced and sure. She leaned in and took him into her mouth without hesitation, her tongue flat against the underside, her eyes never leaving his face.
Marcus let out a low breath through his nose. He threaded his fingers through her hair, not gripping, just resting there.
"Easy," he said. "I'm not a minute man by any means.”
Hailey pulled back just enough to speak. "I didn't figure you were, Papi." She dragged her lips along the length of him, slow, deliberate. "That's why I'm taking my time."
Dee rose from the couch and walked over, dropping to her knees beside Hailey without being asked. She looked up at Marcus with those dark Cuban eyes, waiting.
"You want both of us, Daddy?" Dee asked.
Marcus's hand tightened in Hailey's hair. "You want to be here?"
"I didn't come all the way across town to watch," Dee said.
Minnie stayed against the wall, arms still folded, watching like a director observing a scene she'd written. Jason had the sense to look away, but the room was small and the sounds were everywhere.
Marcus guided Hailey's head back down, and she took him deeper, her throat relaxing around him. His hips moved in a slow rhythm, testing her limits. She matched him beat for beat, her hands gripping his thighs.
Dee slid her hand between Hailey's shoulder blades and pressed, guiding her further down until her nose brushed his skin. Hailey gagged once, then breathed through it.
"Look at that," Marcus murmured. He let go of Hailey's hair and touched Dee's chin, tilting her face up. "You're a natural at directing too."
"She's got good instincts," Dee said. "I just helped her find them."
Marcus pulled Hailey off him with a wet sound. She gasped, lips slick, chest heaving.
"Stand up," he said.
Hailey rose. So did Dee.
"Both of you undress. Slowly."
They didn't need to be told twice. Hailey pulled her tank top over her head first, revealing a sports bra that did nothing to hide the strong curve of her shoulders and the flat plane of her stomach. Dee was slower, teasing, unbuttoning her shirt one button at a time.
Marcus stepped out of his jeans and boxers as they stripped. By the time they stood bare before him, he was fully hard, his cock curving up against his stomach.
"Hailey," he said. "You earned the first claim. You tapped out, but you didn't quit. That's worth something. Get on the couch. Hands and knees."
She moved without a word, climbing onto the leather couch and settling on her forearms, her ass raised toward him. Her thighs were strong, muscular, the kind that could crush a man's head. The thought made Marcus's mouth go dry.
Dee stepped back to watch, her hand drifting between her own legs.
"You just watch," Marcus said to her. "You'll get your turn."
He moved behind Hailey, running his hands up the backs of her thighs, spreading her muscled cheeks. She was already wet, gleaming in the low light.
"Looks like you wanted this more than you let on," he said.
"Don't read too much into it." Her voice was strained. "It's been a while."
Marcus guided himself to her entrance and pushed in slowly, feeling her stretch around him inch by inch. She let out a sharp exhale, her fingers gripping the cushion.
He bottomed out and stilled, letting her adjust.
"Tell me when," he said.
"Now," she whispered. "Just move."
He did. A slow, deep stroke that pulled a groan from her throat. Then another. Her hips began to meet him, matching his rhythm, and the room filled with the sound of skin on skin.
Dee watched with dark hunger in her eyes, her fingers working faster between her legs.
Minnie finally moved from the wall. She walked over to the couch and crouched down, level with Hailey's face.
"Look at you," Minnie said softly. "You said you'd never kneel for a man again."
Hailey's eyes were glassy, her mouth open. "He's different."
"Different how?"
Hailey let out a broken laugh as Marcus found a spot inside her that made her whole body shudder. "He made me want to."
Marcus picked up the pace, driving into her with steady, punishing strokes. Hailey's gasps turned into moans, her body surrendering to the rhythm even as her mouth tried to stay sharp.
"Tell me something," Marcus said, his voice rough. "Do you still want to impress me, or you ready to serve?"
Hailey twisted her head to look back at him. Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead.
"I'm ready," she said. "I'm yours."
“Now take this dick.” Marcus said, commanding her.