Dominion

• This is a work of fiction. My experiences and likes influence all my writing, so there might be a nugget or two of truth somewhere within, but don't worry, it's carefully hidden... Any similarity with actual people or places is entirely coincidental.

• This story involves interracial sex between adult men. There is lot of crude stereotyping, role play, nasty and demeaning language and other things that might be called kinky or just plain ignorant. If any of this offends you, please leave now.

• If you are underage or if reading this is illegal where you are for any reason, please leave now.

• Please consider making a donation to Nifty. Your donations make this resource possible for all of us to enjoy! ----------------------------------------

Dominion, Chapter 6

Tariq wanted to get to the mall early. He had been watching the clock for the last few hours, and he jumped in the car over an hour and a half before he was supposed to meet Eric at the mall.

He parked his Tahoe, checked his reflection in the rearview mirror, and then headed in to the mall.

He wondered if Eric would show up. He knew he would.

Dude would do anything to get that phone back. That shit was clear. Tariq was pissed at himself for not digging deeper in to Eric's phone. He had those email accounts and passwords. That would come in handy later, but he was kicking himself for not logging in and reading his messages.

As he headed deeper in to the mall he thought back to last night, and to how Eric seemed to be obsessed by that phone. Now he really regretted not trying to access the messages and other shit. All he did was copy down names and account numbers and other information, but it hadn't occurred to him that he might miss his chance to use all of that. By now Eric would certainly have changed his passwords and canceled other shit. "Damn," Tariq thought. He was slippin.

Saturday mornings at the mall were boring as shit, and most of the people wandering around seemed to be 60 and over. The foot court looked like a nursing home dining room. He knew he was attracting attention, his dreds, baggy clothes and jewelry made his stand out on a Saturday. Oh well, he said to himself... Almost there.

As he rounded the corner he looked around, trying to find the perfect cut to settle back and wait for Eric. It was his nature to hide in the shadows when he was tracking something. This wasn't exactly a hunt, but he still wanted the element of surprise. He wanted to keep an eye on him for a while, watch his reactions, see what he was going to do... He still needed to figure out how he was going to play this. What was he gonna say? How was he gonna say it? There should be plenty of time. It was still more than a half hour till noon, so he sh...

There he was. "Fuck. What he doin here so early?" As the old couple walking in front of him turned and went in to a store, he saw Eric walking towards him, no more than 10 feet away and getting closer. Had to think fast.

He kept walking, aiming right for Eric. Face-to-face. Might as well get it over with... They got within a couple of feet, and finally Eric seemed to notice him. Eric slowed quickly, but Tariq walked right up to him. They would have run in to each other, but Eric moved out of the way quickly, and they just brushed arms in the exchange.

"Excuse me," said Eric quickly, averting his eyes. Tariq knew he recognized him, but it wasn't clear at all that he knew that Tariq had planned the meeting. Tariq stopped and turned around, and saw Eric slowly walking on, not looking back, as if he was trying to pretend the brush-up had never happened...

"Ay, yo, come here bruh." Eric froze. Tariq saw his hand shake a little, as Eric realized he wasn't going to be able to just keep walking.

Eric turned slowly, and look back towards the voice behind him. Tariq stood there, and to Eric he seemed tall and steady, like a brick wall, unmoving. He walked slowly towards him, keeping his eyes on his face. Eric would normally have averted his eyes, not wanting the aggression of maintaining eye contact with someone that he didn't know, and probably shouldn't want to know. But this time he kept looking. He didn't look Tariq over from head to toe. He kept staring right in his eyes. His eyes seemed so dark, but there was a flash in that darkness. Eric was unsure that flash was a good sign.

Tariq returned the stare.

There was an awkward silence. It might have only lasted 10 seconds, but it sure as hell seemed to last longer.

"Ya want ya phone bruh?"

Eric's face couldn't hide the surprise. This thug, the one who slapped him down that night, is the one with his phone?

"I...I...yeah...I" he stumbled, still off-guard.

"Follow me." And Tariq started to walk away.

"I don't want any trouble, man." He sounded scared, or nervous at least. Tariq decided it was fear.

"Bruh, come wit me, ain't gonna hurt ya."

"Where are we going?"

"Outside."

"Nah, I just..."

"Bruh, ya want ya phone? If I want to hurt ya I could do it rite here." Tariq's voice was calm. There was no threat. "I promise ya ass gonna be fine. Follow me, bruh."

He turned and walked away again. He knew he wanted to get this dude somewhere private, somewhere quiet.

Eric followed.

"Him?"

Eric was so confused.

He had plenty of time to think since last night, to go over what he could remember of the incident at the mall. He had been in another world. His pride shattered, he thought he was standing on the edge, about to fall off, and then it happened. Literally slapped back to reality, or close to it.

He studied this man walking in front of him. He watched the dreds brushing his shoulders, and wondered what that must feel like, was it hot, was it itchy? As Tariq walked on Eric got his first good chance to see him up close, at least from the back. He wore a standard white beater, and it really showed off his build. The shoulders were broad. He swung his arms as he walked, and his upper arms were tatted and muscular. The tats covered his left shoulder as well. It was clear this guy worked out, and not just a few games of bball in the park. >From the flow of his beater against his back, you could see the muscled curvature of his body as it disappeared in to the top of his jeans. Was this swagger? Eric had heard the term, but until now he didn't have a context.

He had come a long way in the past week weeks, and it hadn't been an easy road to follow. But here he was, and the road he was following now didn't seem any easier.

He should be running now, running in the other direction. He could get another phone. What were the odds anything on his phone would really come back to haunt him? If this dude really had his phone, he probably couldn't figure out how to use it anyway. He had a real threat out there, and he knew his name. Was he walking in to another stupid situation? Willingly? He didn't even know this guy's name. Almost everything in him told him to back away. Almost everything. And so he followed.

They reached the door and Tariq slammed it open and breezed through. As the door closed behind him it slammed Eric in the shoulder. Eric had assumed this guy would hold the door open for him. EVERYONE in Eric's world held the door open. It was just polite. And they were hardly strangers, after all he was following him out of the mall at this dude's invitation. He immediately made a mental note that as long as he was around this thugged out guy, this guy who had attacked him in the mall - this guy who apparently had his Blackberry - he needed to stay on his toes.

This was a different world, he realized, as he walked out, watching the dreds sway back and forth just ahead.

They rounded the corner and headed for the same benches from last night.

Tariq sat down in the same spot, and Eric sat right across. It was a mirror of their positions from before. Everything was the same, but instead of a rainy night, there was warm, brilliant sunlight streaming around them.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, starring each other down. Tariq pulled shades from his pocket, and slipped them on. Between the chains and rings and now the highly polished sunglasses, Tariq seemed to glint in the sun, and every slight movement caused the light to reflect off of him in a different way. Eric thought it was a weird combination of annoyingly bright, making him want to avert his eyes, and at the same time a little mesmerizing. The irony that he WAS a little mesmerized was lost on Eric.

That he could keep this dude's attention was not lost on Tariq, though. He was used to to it. But this seemed different.

Tariq pulled the Blackberry out of his pocket and tossed it in the air. He caught it, held it up, and spun it around so Eric could get a good look.

"Here ya phone dude."

"Uh, thanks, man."

"Jus one thing ya gotta do for me, an you can have it."

Eric was worried. What kind of shit had he gotten himself in to. He could tell he wasn't going to like this...

What did he want? Eric's mind flashed and he could feel his stomach sink.

He said I had to do one thing and I could have the phone back. What would he want from me? This could be a problem...

They sat in silence for a while longer, staring eye to eye. Eric knew the ball was in his court. He had been made an offer.

"Man, I just want my phone, I don't want any trouble," Eric finally said...

"Who said you was in trouble?"

"I just... Man, I don't know what you want me to do..."

"Ain't told ya yet, bruh, jus chill."

"OK. Well what do you want me to do?"

Tariq looked him over. He could tell he wasn't as nervous - the fear was fading. At least for now.

"All you gotta do is answer me one question, bruh."

There was no way to tell whether Tariq was mad, sad, stoned or sleepy. His voice betrayed no emotion.

"A question?"

"Yup."

"OK."

"Aight, what da fuck had you so zoned last night man?"

"Last night?"

"Yeah, you was walkin round not noticin shit. Ya knocked my ass over, didn't even fuckin see it."

"I was preoccupied. Uh, with some business."

"Wit business? Starin at ya phone?"

"Yeah."

"In da fuckin mall, on a Friday nite, and ya face all stuck in ya Blackberry, walkin round like a fuckin ghost or somethin?"

"It wasn't anything important, man. It was just some stuff I was reading on my phone. I just got absorbed, I guess."

"Ya guess?"

"Yeah. I... I'm sorry I ran in to you."

"No ya ain't, you don't even remember dat shit, do ya?"

"Nah, not really. I'm sorry."

"Why da fuck you keep apologizing, ya don't even remember."

"Well it upset you, and I didn't mean... I didn't intend to upset you, and I'm sorry for that, that's all I mean."

Eric couldn't understand why he was getting these questions. This dude didn't look mad. He seemed to be asking because he was upset about Eric knocking him over, and Eric really didn't know what he was talking about. All he could remember was getting slapped in the back, and losing his phone. And the crowds. And... Why did this dude care.

Tariq didn't know why he was asking these questions either. He intended to just give this dude his phone. He got all the contact information from the Blackberry, so if he wanted to fuck with him later it would be no problem. From almost the moment he slapped him the other night and saw him standing there dumbstruck, zoned-out, he had been wondering what the dude was reading. He knew he was going to give him the phone, that had been his intention all along. Now he was really regretting not trying to access his emails and and texts and other messages. But he could do that later. Maybe.

Tariq knew that something was really bothering this dude, and it was connected to something he was reading on his phone. He had to find out what it was. It never occurred to him that it was none of his business, or that Eric might not want him to know. But he was gonna find out anyway. One way or the other.

Tariq never raised his voice, and he never even flinched. As far as Eric could tell, he was just sitting there, patiently waiting for an answer.

Eric's mind flashed back to last night, and to the message he read on his phone right after he arrived at the mall. He had intended to do some quick shopping, and not be at the mall for long at all. Friday nights at the mall was not Eric's stomping ground. It wasn't a place he or his friends would go on a Friday night to just hang out. But nothing about last night ended up as expected.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, man, it was just personal business stuff I was reading, I should have been paying attention."

It never occurred to Eric to ask this guy why he slapped him for just bumping in to him at the mall. Clearly it was a mistake, an accident. Tariq didn't seem like the type who wanted questions instead of answers... Best to just get this over with, make something up, get his phone back and be on his way. He didn't mind looking at this dude, this thug who was staring at him, gleaming in the sun. They were ten feet from the main entrance of the mall, on a busy Saturday, but they seemed like they were miles away.

But questions? Nah, this didn't make any sense. He had apologized. Surely he didn't think he was going to tell him what he was reading. It wasn't any of his business. It wasn't anyone's business.

"What was ya readin, man, dat shit had you zombied like a muthafucka..."

"It was an email from work... I, um, I just wasn't expecting it. Kinda freaked me out, but it was no big deal." Eric smiled and laughed quietly. Maybe he would buy it. Eric thought he was a good liar.

"Nah, bruh, dat shit had you on lock."

Eric smiled again, and tried again to play it off... "Nah, really man, it was nothing, I was just killing time and got caught up reading my messages and that's it, I promise..."

Tariq wasn't smiling.

Like a building fell on him, Eric realized what was happening. This dude had his phone, he had read the message, he had seen it all. Eric felt like he was going to faint. The blood was rushing to his head and he was coming to a full-on panic. This dude had seen it, and now he was going to do what? Blackmail him? Clown him? Oh, shit, this wasn't happening. Dammit.

He got a little bolder now, the adrenaline starting to pump.

"Can I have my phone man, I've got to go?"

"Nah, bruh. You was freakin da fuck out."

"But it doesn't have anything to do with you man," Eric said quickly, the irritation clear in his voice and in his face. "It's none of your business."

"It got ya ass so spun that ya knocked me over, so it IS mah business now, bruh." Tariq's voice was so deep, almost soothing, but it didn't stop poor Eric from reeling in panic.

Fuck! Eric knew he was screwed. This guy wouldn't be asking all these damn questions if he hadn't seen what was on the phone. He saw that shit, and now Eric knew the flood was about to start. This was just the first incident. What would be next? His parents? His friends? Fuck this. Fuck Simms. Damn. His mouth was dry and he finally felt the sun beating down on him. He wanted to hide, but here he was in broad daylight.

Tariq watched Eric go from blushed to red to white, and he really did look like he was about to explode. Not anger. It was terror. Tariq kept his eyes on him.

Eric had had enough, though. If he didn't get out of there soon he was going to die.

He jumped up, but stood in place. His voice shaking, the desperation clear, he asked again.

"Man, please, can I just have my phone."

Tariq just looked at him, not moving.

That was it. Eric lost it completely. He just yelled "FUCK!" and started to walk away.

He was walking back towards the crowded main entrance. He looked terrible. Tariq could see him trembling as he walked away.

Eric just wanted to get away. He needed to think - he needed to be away from the questions - needed to be away from all this...

Rather than heading out towards his car, he was heading back in to the mall. He wasn't thinking. He stopped at the door, waiting for an older lady to come out through the door. Even at the end of his world, his good breeding took over and he politely waited for the lady to exit. The wait was just long enough for Tariq.

Eric felt a hand on his shoulder.

Tariq walked up close behind him. Eric's heart skipped a beat. He had no idea what would happen next. He didn't turn around, he just stood there. Tariq kept his hand on Eric's shoulder. It must have been an odd scene, if anyone was even paying attention. This preppy white dude, obviously upset, red in the face, and jittery. And a tall, dark, dredlocked man in thugged out attire, with his hand on his shoulder. Their bodies were only inches away.

Tariq leaned his head in and calmly said, "S'ok, bruh, here ya phone."

With his other hand he reached around and held the Blackberry in front of Eric. Eric took the phone, and then he really lost it. He couldn't hold it in anymore, and the tears started flowing down his face. Even though he didn't make a sound, Tariq could sense from his body that Eric was sobbing. Eric started to lean down, the emotion trying to bring him to his knees. As he slowly bent forward his body pressed in to Tariq, who was standing behind. Eric's ass pressed up against Tariq's waist. Tariq's dick was brick hard in a second.

When Eric realized he had leaned back in Tariq, he bolted upright. Tariq caught him and held him by the arms. His grip was strong, but not hurtful. Eric was so overtaken by what was happening, he didn't feel any panic. He could feel the heat from Tariq's body pressed behind him, could smell his cologne. He looked down and saw the fingers of Tariq's left hand which was wrapped around his arm. There were small tatoos on each of his fingers, and his fingernails were long but meticulously clean. His hand was so dark.

He felt Tariq brush up against his back, and this time he knew he felt Tariq's dick brush up against his ass.

Tariq firmly turned Eric around. Eric was still looking down. He was still trembling.

"Bruh, itz gonna be cool. Didn't mean to fuck wit you like dat."

"I... I..." Eric stumbled.

"You aiight. You got da phone."

"I... I gotta go man."

"Aight."

Eric finally looked up. His eyes were still puffy, and a tear tracked down his check. Whatever it was had shaken Eric to his core, and Tariq knew his questioning had taken him back to the edge. That wasn't his intention. He just wanted to know what it was all about.

As Eric shuffled off towards the parking lot, Tariq never took his eyes off him.

He had to know.