Page 20 of 4 Corinthians

I watched them discuss business in front of me as if I weren’t here. Most times, I tuned out whatever Daddy was talking about, but this time, something told me to listen. Was he going to sell me again? And to Jonathan? He hardly ever showed up to fights, and when he did, he never stayed long enough to see them through.

“Which is?” Daddy asked. His left leg was starting to bounce, which meant he was either nervous or excited.

“Two million,” Jonathan answered. He leaned forward and picked up a pen from the desk as well as a small folder. It looked like his checkbook, but I was not sure. “I typically request a sample before I buy, but I know she is pure and is a good listener.” He chuckled and shook his head. “We are going to have a lot of fun together.” He glanced over at me and smiled. “More than I have had with anyone else.”

“There are stipulations to this,” Daddy said, shaking his head. “Just like with Robert, there is a limited amount of access. Time restrictions, relax periods.”

“All of that is fine,” Jonathan said, waving him off. “I am good with all my girls and rules. I typically work with the General, and you know how particular she is with her girls.”

“I have had the pleasure,” Daddy smiled. “Is she going to be the one who works with her?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Jonathan answered. “I will let you know in the coming weeks.”

“Okay,” Daddy nodded. “Once the last installment payment is cleared, you will have access to her.”

“I plan to pay all at once,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “I want immediate access to her.” He glared at Daddy. “Uninterrupted access for the first week so that she knows who she answers to.”

“Then that will have to be during the summer,” Daddy told him. “School is almost over, so no one can or will ask questions about her absence.”

“Deal.” Jonathan reached across the desk to shake Daddy’s hand. “The check will be deposited tomorrow morning into your company’s account.” Daddy stood, snapped his fingers at me, and pointed to the empty spot next to him. I slowly came to stand at his side.

“I love her obedience.” Jonathan chuckled. “Robert trained her well.”

“Good training and good stock,” Daddy said, then grabbed the back of my neck. “We are still working on her, though. She’s a little rough around the edges. But that makes her a good fighter.”

“Good to know,” Jonathan said, nodding. He walked us to the door, opened it, and put his hand out for Daddy to shake. “Ruben, it was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“I look forward to hearing from you again,” Daddy said, shaking his hand. When they let go, we walked to the car. I got into the back seat, and Daddy got into the front seat.

“I’m going to Jonathan's now, too?” I asked as Daddy drove away. I looked out the window.

He didn’t answer, just looked down at me, smirked, then turned his attention back to the road in front of us.

***

“Hold the plastic over their faces longer if you have to,” I heard Robert tell Logan. I fought against my restraints, hating the way the cold metal felt against my wrist, but I wasn’t going to stop. He was going to have to kill me before I stopped.

“How much longer?” Logan huffed as he walked towards me. “Her little ass is either going to die or submit at this point.”

“She will submit,” Robert said. He took a pull of his cigar and blew the smoke from his nose. I watched him walk around the table I was strapped to. “She has no other choice. Death is never an option.” He gently touched my leg with his finger, then patted my knee. “One way or another, Corinthians, you will do what I say with no questions asked.”

“You have faith in a child.” Logan chuckled and shook his head. “Give her to me for a few days, and she will come back ready and willing to listen.” He licked his lips and nodded. “I know just what to do with her.”

“You ruin everything you touch,” Robert said, shaking his head. “Just like when you cook.”

“When I cook?” Logan looked at him with a confused expression. “How is this the same?”

“You don’t know how to marinate your meat,” Robert replied. “You season it and then throw it on a fire. Your preparation is poor, which in turn makes your meal poor quality.” Robert touched my arm. “You rush through it all instead of properly washing your meat, seasoning it to the cut and quality, and not just the type of meat.” He shook his head. “You use a heavy pan and overfire instead of making sure your pan is the correct temperature. Then you cover it and walk away instead of watching it, anticipating the needs and technique you will need for your meal to be perfect.” He laughed and threw his head back. “And let’s not discuss when your meat is ready, how you just pull it off the fire and start cutting instead of letting your meat rest and lock in that flavor and moisture.”

“So you’re comparing my cooking to breaking a pet?” Logan kissed his teeth. “You don’t know everything about everything, Robert. Some things need brute force and not slow preparations.”

“That’s true, but not this,” he said, shaking his head. “To properly break your pet, you have to prepare her for the process so when it's all said and done, the presentation to the people outside of the kitchen has no clue what you did but understands that your pet is better than theirs.”

“I ain’t competing with a muthafucka out there,” Logan denied. “I know what I’m doing. And like I said, if you let me have her for a few days, you wouldn’t have me standing here right now trying to figure out how to make her listen to you.”

“Oh, she listens,” Robert said, patting my face. “She’s now learning to continue to listen because if she doesn’t? Well…” he shrugged and stepped away. “That will be her choice from here on out.” Robert looked at Logan and pointed to me. “She can pass out this time if she fights you.”

Logan tugged at the thick plastic in his hands, then nodded. He walked to me, and before he could put it over my face, I took a deep breath. “Looks like she’s going to listen.” Logan laughed. I could hear him but not see anything because my eyes were closed.