by Eden Fortae
“I know you’re hungry. I ate last night, you didn’t, and I’m starving.”
Antonio’s pulling through the fridge and then the cabinets prompted Kya to take a seat at the center island. Wylie was still in her arm but now rested against her lap. Initially, she thought she was about to witness him making a mess and instead, was impressed to see him effectively mix up the batter for french toast.
“You cook. Why does that shock me?”
“Because the image of a bachelor is always tied to fast food. Honestly, I’m no stranger to all of the carryout spots. My advantage is a housekeeper that has adopted me as the son she never had and takes it upon herself to make me meals that often last days at a time. When she doesn’t, I put my mother’s mandatory cooking lessons to good use.”
“Very interesting.”
Clearly, he was in a good mood. Kya lost count of how many times he smiled at her. After a while and after the smell of the batter started to produce growls from her stomach, she put Wylie down on his bed and gave her hands a thorough wash.
“What can I help with?”
“My view. Sit back down and let me handle this.”
Hands up in mock surrender, Kya took a few steps back. “Again with the control, I see.”
“It’s a habit. I came up not being able to have the things I wanted and how I wanted. So, now that I can, I can’t help but be this way. The sooner you accept it and bend to me, the better off we’ll be.”
“The sooner you realize that I’m not here to be molded, twisted, or turned to suit you, the better off we’ll be.”
Flipping the bread in the pan and turning over the strips of bacon he had in the other, Antonio looked up, returning her frustrated expression.
“Is it really that difficult to give in to me, Kya?”
“Is it really that hard to not make decisions and moves for me, Tony?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t always see what’s best for us and make mistakes because of it.”
“If it’s meant for me to make a mistake, then it’s meant for me to learn that lesson. If you fix problems for me, how am I supposed to stand on my own?”
He gave a half smile, looking down at what he was doing, “You don’t need to stand. I’m perfectly fine with carrying you everywhere.”
“Tony.”
His head tipped, and a breath rushed through his nostrils. He sighed as if she were frustrating him. As if she was the one making things difficult.
“Listen, I really like that you’re different from other women. They would jump at the chance to have a man take care of them, but you want to do shit on your own and cause me to grey while you do it.”
“Cause you to grey? How is that my doing?”
“Because the fight in you irritates and arouses the dominant in me. I want to fuck you up for it, but I like it. Two conflicting emotions that are going to be the death of me as far as you’re concerned. I’m already anticipating how angry you’re going to be when I have my boys move your stuff out of that shithole you were living in.”
She almost missed the end of that. So hung up on Antonio mentioning the fight in her and what he wanted to do because of it, she almost glossed over his decision made without her consent.
“Move me out? To where?”
“Here.”
God, why couldn’t this man ever ask her how she felt before he did things? A better question, why couldn’t she get used to being pushed and placed where he wanted her, just like the puppet that he saw her as.
“There are several things wrong with what you just said, Tony, but I’ll just name a few. First, I never agreed to move here. Second, this place it too far from my job. Jermaine is not going to bitch at you for being late. He’ll take it out on me. My third issue—and this is a big one—you have no right to uproot me. We covered this last night. I am not your girlfriend and damned sure not a child incapable of taking care of herself.”
Antonio switched off one burner and faced Kya as much as he could while he finished with the bacon and eggs, “Let’s start with number two. I will ensure that you make it on time. If Jermaine has an issue, I’ll deal with it. You don’t need that job anyway since you’re going to be the next big thing in the world of wedding gowns. Your first issue, true. You did not, but like I said, we don’t always see what’s best for us. You don’t belong in that neighborhood, Kya. It’s one chalk outline away from being a war zone. Last, but not least, I do not view you as a child or incapable, but you are my woman, Kya, and I will not see you in conditions like that when I have the means to give you better.”
“Ok. Alright. So, why here?”
“Why not here? Why are you so hell-bent on resisting my efforts to do right by you?”
“I’m not resisting your efforts to do right by me, Tony! I’m fighting against your determination to run me! I’m not the type to just let someone do everything for me. I can’t! Not without feeling like I owe them, because nothing in this world is free. I learned that the hard way. No one has taken care of me since my mother got sick and I’m fine with it. I’ve adjusted. I raised myself to be strong on my own, and you want me to give that up. To be completely submissive. You want me to change to be acceptant of who you are, but you aren’t accepting who I am.”
He stilled and did not look at her. As if he was taking it all in, he said nothing for a few long minutes. When he did, it couldn’t be done without pulling Kya to him, her breasts covered by one of his shirts and his bare chest against the fabric.
“I accept who you are—a woman that is my equal when it comes to both pain and drive. A woman that I don’t deserve, but because I’m a selfish bastard, am set on having. If I had mentioned you moving out of that apartment in question form, you would have fought me on it, and I will not fight with you over your safety. Yes, I could get you a brownstone near Rina or a luxury apartment somewhere else, but here I’ll know you’re alright. Having you here gives me peace of mind that when I can’t be with you, you’re not in danger.”
All of that was a confession of what he felt deep in his heart. Words that danced around something he had yet to say. Kya felt each of them. She understood how much he cared for her and on the same level, shared his feelings. Something had to give, though. The way things were going, currently, had to stop. She could not be his submissive. Not completely.
“How many do-overs are we going to have?”
His half smile stole some of the tension within her. “As many as we need I guess. Don’t worry though. I’m going to try to limit my need to do things for you.”
“If you talk to me first, things will be a lot easier. That’s all I’m asking for. Just run things by me before you make a final decision on my behalf.”
His smile grew into a grin, “Does that mean you forgive me and will accept that you live here, now?”
She couldn’t help but smile back, “I’ll live here just until I can get a new place. All else is forgiven if you forgive me for being mad when you ended my father with that daddy comment. I really wasn’t bothered by what you said. It was more so the fact that I don’t want to be in the middle of it or there to be a reason for him to cuff you. I definitely don’t want videos of it on the internet. I have random females already calling me every kind of whore. All it takes is for one person to report that you caught me with some older guy and I’ll have ten times the bullshit.”
He kissed her tenderly. Long and so lingering that she felt her body ready for round three. “He had it coming, but I apologize and will make it up to you. How about for starters we spend the day together. This way you can get used to me being pushy, and I can enjoy pissing you off as I do it.” The look she gave him increased the depth of his amusement. “We can even get Anthony and make the best of this rainy day. I promised him time with us anyway.”
When most women wanted material things to make up for upsets, the gift of watching Antonio and his nephew together was enough. The little boy brought out a softer
side of him that she could fall in love with. A side she needed to see more of to let her walls down the rest of the way. Besides, the kid already held a special place in her heart and could help take her mind off of the fact that someone had been in her home and touching her things. No matter what, she was going to think and worry about it, but big Tony and little Tony would be great distractions.
“I’d love a date with Anthony.”
Antonio chuckled, “Playdate. No one dates my woman, but me.”
Playfully, she turned out of his arms dragging her hand across his chest seductively, “Good thing I’m not really your woman then, because I plan to love him up the entire time.”
Antonio laughed at her joke, but Kya caught the swift change of emotions he tried to mask. She felt terrible immediately, but that was the truth. He said she was his and had everyone on the outside thinking that’s what it was, but the reality of the situation was in what she jokingly said. They had not established a clear understanding of what was really going on between them. Judging by his change of subject, he did not want to discuss that either.
TWENTY TWO
It was hard to tell who was happier to see Kya and Antonio. As the day progressed, the rain showed no sign of letting up, keeping Anthony inside where he was driving his mother up the wall. All his uncle had to say was that he wanted to take him for the night and Julie was rushing through the house to collect everything he might need.
Another thing that was evident was how excited the little boy was to be hanging out with Kya. On their way out the door, he took hold of her hand as if walking her carefully around each puddle to the safe and dry confines of his uncle’s truck. The entire time, Antonio walked behind them, holding the umbrella over their heads while shaking his own. Internally, Kya enjoyed Antonio’s possessiveness. It made her feel like his desire to keep her around was genuine. As crazy as it was, it made her feel like she meant something to someone.
She helped Anthony into the truck, watched him climb into the booster seat and helped him buckle up.
“What are we having for dinner? Pizza or burgers and fries?”
“Ohh! Pizza!”
“Alright..”
As he cheered, Kya pulled back to close the door, but Antonio beat her to it. He was still behind her with the umbrella keeping her from being soaked by the steady rainfall coming down around them.
“You’re dead set on being his favorite person today, aren’t you?”
She grinned just as Anthony had seconds ago, caressing Antonio’s cheek, “Aww, don’t sound so jealous. I can be your favorite person later.” With the door closed and her other hand out of the child’s view, Kya ran her hand along Antonio’s thigh up to where his length rested. Two strokes of her palm and he was already semi-hard, groaning in the back of his throat.
“Fine. I won’t put a hit out on him, then.” She smirked, and that one reaction caused him to smile.
Just as she suspected, he was different when it came to his nephew. The music in the car no longer contained lyrics so vulgar they’d make a sailor blush. He drove closer to the speed limit, and periodically, glanced over his shoulder. She loved the man he was when it came to Anthony. So easily, felt her inhibitions floating away as she observed the difference.
Twenty minutes into the ride Antonio pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to her. “A menu for Fat Boyz should be bookmarked. Decide what you want and then order it with the pizza.
“You didn’t unlock it.” She held it up for him to press whichever one of his fingers would do the trick only for him to spare her a fleeting glance.
“The day we met.”
At first, she was confused. Then, it hit her. Momentarily stunned, she pulled up the keypad, entered the date of her mother’s funeral, and there it was. Instant access to everything from text messages to logged in social media accounts. If she wanted to be that kind of woman, she could easily say “fuck the food” and go through his stuff. Instead, she placed his phone inside the cup holder between them.
“You know, I can make pizza. We’d have to stop and get a few things, but it’s easy.” Again, Antonio spared a fleeting glance. However, this one held questioning. “I know the plan was to get fast food and spend the day playing games and watching movies, but making our own pizza will be fun, won’t it, Anthony?”
The last-second inclusion had Anthony cheering once more. Kya was thankful that he had not become lost in his handheld game and was actually in tuned enough to back her up. She tipped her head toward the back seat, a pleasant smirk curving her lips.
“Or are you still not taking chances with my cooking?”
“I’m all about taking chances, sweetheart. Unlike you…” Mimicking Kya, he tipped his head but in the direction of his phone.
“I’m all about chances, too. If I weren’t, I would not be sitting here beside you after everything you said to me. Looking through your phone has nothing to do with taking chances.”
“You just don’t want to find something you really don’t want to see.”
He had her. As soon as she unlocked his phone a sickening feeling pooled in the pit of her stomach. The same sense that always accompanied her brain, screaming not to go further. Yes, she was afraid of finding something that would hurt the part of her that was beginning to want more. At the same time, she knew he would not have told her the passcode if there were something he wanted to keep from her.
“Even if there is something I don’t want to see, I have no say over it. I have no claim over you.”
“Do you want to have say over it? Claim over me?”
He had her attention, now, looked away from the road frequently awaiting her reply. As soon as Kya’s lips parted, the phone that sat between them vibrated against the hard interior. Antonio grinned as if he could feel her relief and answered the phone while trying not to laugh.
“Primo! You just interrupted an exciting conversation, and since you have the intuition of a woman, I’m assuming you knew that already. So this must be important. ¿Qué paso?”
Seconds on the phone turned into minutes. With each, the smile fell into a grim line. He was silent for as long as it took for his mood to shift, but when Antonio began to talk again it was in rapid Spanish that Kya had no chance to pick apart. Apparently, that was the purpose. The kid in the backseat knew the other language well enough that when Karrina cursed Christian out for seemingly no reason days ago, he understood enough to point out that she said more than one bad word.
Suddenly, there was something he did not want her to hear?
His voice raised with the next string of words. In it, Kya heard her name and looked over at him reflexively. Being in a conversation in which you were not invited was a few steps above rude. Her mother branded that into her at a young age. One of the many lessons that would live with her forever and that she was currently struggling with.
Antonio pulled the truck into a grocery store parking lot, lifted his hips to get his wallet, and from it, handed Kya one of his cards. She looked down at the thin, black plastic clasped between his fingers and got out the truck with only the umbrella. The choice to hand make their dinner was her idea, and since she wasn’t going to be paying bills that month, his money was not needed.
She decided to take Anthony with her. If not to help kill off the bad vibes that phone call had given her, but to shield him from his uncle’s yelling. His automatic grabbing of her hand as they crossed the parking lot proved that her decision was the best one. Already, she felt the tension rolling off of her.
“What do you like on your pizza, Anthony?”
“I like pepperoni and a lot of cheese!”
“A lot of cheese, huh? I think I can manage that. What do you want with it? French fries, chicken wings, chips?”
“I like all of it.”
Kya laughed lightly, “You can’t eat all of that, or you’ll end up with a tummy ache.”
“Nu-uh! I’m a growing boy. My tummy can handle a lot of stuff!” He looked up at her
with so much confidence and those dimples, looking so much like Antonio that it was unreal. With a smirk, she peered back down at him shaking her head.
“It can, can it? Well, I’ll—” her words trailed off once she noticed a woman occasionally looking at them. “I’ll make sure we get enough to...” Now, the woman was openly staring. Going back and forth from her to Anthony. Once they approached the produce, Anthony had let her hand go to touch the vegetables as kids did. Something about the array of colors and shapes always called to the curiosity and need to play with it in children.
The woman steadily moving closer to him made her wish he hadn’t pulled away. There were a ton of Lifetime movies that started off that way. A woman with a kind smile taking an interest in another’s child before she snatches the kid and the family fell apart. That was not happening on her watch.
“Hey, Sweetie, why don’t you get in the cart and I’ll push you? That way you can tell me where to go.”
“Ok!”
Of course, his excitement generated more attention from their admirer. Kya bagged the rest of the fresh herbs she needed and tried to walk away calmly. Just like with Antonio’s phone, her stomach was sending off all kinds of warning signals.
In the next aisle, Kya picked up a few more things including cereal that Anthony damned near jumped out of the cart for. On her way to the next, the same woman she had been eager to get away from, reappeared. Anthony was chatting away about the cartoons on the back of the cereal box, too young and oblivious to understand why she was not talking back.
She moved by the woman for the second time and noticed how she followed them with her eyes. The hood part of Kya wanted to whip around and ask the bitch if she had a problem. The child in front of her kept the calm, classy persona in the forefront. All she had left to get was cheese, and once she did, they could, and Anthony would be back within safe quarters with his uncle.
