by Mercy B
“You may never look at her the same, but it doesn’t mean you won’t still love her the same.” Bella paused at the threshold. “Son?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Talk to her. Learn the truth before you make a choice. You may just empathize with her more than you dislike her.”
Rafeeq waved her off dismissively. “She likely doesn’t want to talk to me. I just let her leave and we both know when Hampsher runs that only God himself can lead the search to her. She’s gone.”
Bella laughed to herself. She knew Hampsher had a history of fleeing to keep from having to deal with her emptions, yet she felt confident that it wasn’t the case this time. “I have a feeling that she’s hasn’t run away like you assume. For all you know she’s at your home waiting for you, but you’re so afraid to fall again that you’re giving her the space to decide running is the best choice.” With those words Bella made her departure from the living room. Rafeeq’s silence let her know that he’d heard what she had to say. That was all she wanted. If he was still conflicted it was because he wanted to be and the consequences would be his problem.
Rafeeq sat in the same spot long after his mother left his mind racing. If he was truthful he really did miss Hampsher. He missed her curves, her smile, and her voice. He missed the way her body reacted whenever he was close to her. Her pussy literally leaked for him upon contact. Rafeeq had been with his fair share of women in his life and he’d never owned any of their bodies the way he ruled over Hampsher’s. If he said jump, that’s what her clit did. Hampsher was his everything. It was hard to picture her as the enemy. She was his heart, his love personified. There was no way for him to stay away and no way for him to be with her. Rafeeq felt more confused than before. One fact remained and that was the way he missed her.
Rising from his parent’s couch he decided to get out of there. He was tired of playing the part of dead. He was alive and he was well. The doctors were sure that his recovery would be swift and painless. There was no real reason for Rafeeq to sit around. The longer he sat, the more he thought. He’d grown tired of thinking.
After letting his parents know that he was leaving, Rafeeq was out the door and in his car. With his windows down and the wind blowing in his face he felt like breathing was easier. As usual his thoughts drifted over to Hampsher. He wondered if she was okay. What she was doing? Was she taking good care of her and the baby? Did she miss him?
His hands tightened around the steering wheel because he hated that he loved her. In the back of his mind he wished they’d never met. He hated how he knew that feeling was only temporary. Even his conflicted thoughts didn’t last long. No matter how his thoughts about Hampsher began they always ended with Rafeeq wondering about her. It had only been two days but it easily felt like two months. He missed her terribly and hoped that he would show up home to find her there waiting for him. At least that would make him feel like she gave a fuck about him because for a minute there he wasn’t sure. She’d tried to kill his father. No one that cared about him would intentionally try to cause him pain. He didn’t understand Hampsher and wouldn’t until she shed light on what the fuck was going through her mind when she pointed that gun at Rahmeek.
Rafeeq waited in his car to control his thumping heart. He wasn’t sure if Hampsher would be waiting for him and he wanted time to prepare himself for seeing her again so soon. Delaying the inevitable grew old so Rafeeq made his way out the car. His keys were in hand as he looked around the parking lot for Hampsher. He didn’t see her car which made him feel slightly better.
He let himself inside and instantly began to hold his breath. He stalked through his place shoulders deflating after each step because she wasn’t there. He was certain that he was right and Hampsher had taken off again. It pissed him off but he knew her actions in the past explained what type of woman she was. He shouldn’t have allowed his mother’s words to get him excited. She built him up, left him hopeful that Hampsher truly did love him. Arriving to an empty place just confirmed what he felt he knew all along. Hampsher didn’t give a fuck about their relationship or him. She was finished and so was he.
His eyes checked to see if everything was in place. Whenever he came across an item that belonged to Hampsher he froze. No matter what way he turned she was there. Whether it was going to finding her personal items, playing back a memory, or remembering her being in a part of his home, he couldn’t get away from her. Though Rafeeq was no longer interested in dating he knew moving forward would be difficult. Especially when Hampsher was pregnant.
Rafeeq didn’t want to sit at home so hopped in the shower before dressing quickly in one of his favorite suits. It was a good night and he wasn’t going to waste it. He hadn’t been to his club in nearly a week and wanted to check on business to be sure that all was well. If he couldn’t get his girl, the least he could do was get to the money. Hampsher couldn’t really be controlled, but his bank account he could.
Rafeeq arrived at his bar and instantly felt better. The building was packed, drinks were flowing and he could hear the money machine counting his funds. It was weird to think that he was lying on his deathbed a week earlier. People celebrated his life not even knowing that somewhere in a small room underneath his parents’ floors he was fighting for his life. Rafeeq had much to be thankful for because the shooting could’ve been the end of him. He looked around admiring all his hard work, feeling like a man on top of the world. If he didn’t have anything else, he had his business. A successful one at that.
Women and men alike gawked as Rafeeq walked the ground floor looking every bit of royal. He’d always been a mysterious man. Women loved to know him and men loved to befriend him in hopes of getting in. Rafeeq paid no one any mind as he did his rounds. There was a lot of chatter considering he was supposed to be dead. Everyone had questions, but no one was brave enough to step to him with them…until he got to the bar in VIP.
One of his bartenders Lynn had been persistent with her attempts to be bed by the infamous Rafeeq Jones. She was bold in her pursuit and never worried about the consequences or his relationship status. Her bluntness annoyed Rafeeq before, but this particular night it intrigued him. After being with a woman who was afraid to speak her whole truth, it was attractive to Rafeeq to interact with a woman who could.
“The dead has arisen,” Lynn purred as she cleaned glasses behind the counter. “Care to tell me how?” she asked placing the glass down and spreading her arms out on each side until her plump breast were resting atop the bar. Rafeeq was a man nonetheless. He got an eye full of everything that she was willing to show.
Loosening his tie just a little, Rafeeq smirked, “Curiosity killed the cat.” Rafeeq leaned forward, meeting her halfway across the bar. Searching her face he looked for similarities between her and Hampsher. The last thing he wanted to do was a smash a female because she reminded him of that snake. Lynn had amber skin and was more on the slim side. He’d seen her enough to know that though her curves were subtle, they were plump. There was more than enough to squeeze and grope. With heart shaped lips, upturned brown eyes and a tiny button nose he saw no resemblance of Hampsher, making her instantly sexy as hell. Running his tongue over his bottom lip he leaned so close that the cinnamon from the fireball she had to have taken a shot of prior tickled his nose hairs. “Literally,” Rafeeq’s voice was low and dangerous. With a chuckle he leaned away from her. “You pay for that shot?”
Lynn shrugged her shoulders feeling bold. She’d been at Rafeeq since day one and he never budged. Seeing he was willing to give even a little conversation she was going to take full advantage of it. “Maybe, maybe not,” she shrugged. She was already purring from his comment about curiosity killing that cat. There was only one cat she was interested in being killed and it was between her legs. She didn’t know how he was standing in front of her, but she had a mini praise break in her mind. “Will I get punished for telling the truth?” she questioned innocently.
“You keep looking at me like that and
you gone find out.”
Lynn smiled before glancing at her watch. With low lids she looked up at Rafeeq. Grabbing an empty beer bottle that was left on the counter she pretended to stroke it just right. No one paid them any attention so they missed the hand job she gave the bottle. Rafeeq didn’t. His dick was on brick and she was looking more appetizing by the minute.
“Bet,” he nodded as he backed away. Lynn’s smile fell until he demanded, “Clock out.” She tossed the bottle smiling widely. There wasn’t a second to waste. She’d been given the golden ticket to Rafeeq and as long as she got to feel him she was willing to be his sex slave. As far as she was concerned, Rafeeq was single. She didn’t care about Hampsher or the baby he had on the way. All she cared about was getting the D and owning it. He’d never taken her up on her offers before so Lynn knew that things couldn’t be right at home. The only thing that mattered was the man leading the way out of the bar and all the freaky nasty shit she planned to do to him the entire night.
In Rafeeq’s car, Lynn wasted no time reaching over to release his erection. Unable to stop herself she licked her lips. He was every inch of deliciousness that Lynn imagined he would be. Rafeeq didn’t move a muscle as she attempted to swallow him whole. By the second time his tip hit the back of her throat he was stepping harder on the gas trying to get home. The head was too good to be driving. He needed to be able to enjoy it fully.
In the parking spot outside of his building Rafeeq shut the car off and let Lynn really go to work after sliding his seat backwards. With his hands behind his head his body relaxed and he felt good knowing Hampsher was the last person on his mind.
Chapter Eight
Indian style pressed into the middle of the bed, Hampsher silently watched the sun rise. Rafeeq had been on her mind heavy to the point that she had convinced herself that it was the baby who wanted to see him and not her. Hampsher decided that no matter what the baby would get whatever he or she wanted, whenever, if she could provide it and it wouldn’t cause any form of harm.
Flopping backwards, Hampsher rubbed her hand over her belly. Big and round her heart fluttered entertaining the visual of her pushing around a carriage with a little human resting inside. Since Rafeeq had turned away from her, granting her access to leave, she could do nothing more than fantasize about what it would be like to be a family. Her, Rafeeq and their baby. In her mind they were picture perfect. All smiles and affection she longed for, Hampsher wanted to make things right in her relationship, but she had no clue where to begin. She supposed showing her face would be a great start. Her presence would speak even when she wasn’t able to use her words. Rafeeq knew how stubborn Hampsher could be. He knew how good she was at disappearing. Presenting herself to him would be proof that she wasn’t willing to spend another minute hiding. She wanted him.
All throughout her time showering and preparing herself to see him she smiled softly. It was a longshot but she hoped for a hug. To suffocate in his scent, become his second heartbeat again. She even considered opening up to him. Hampsher shivered as she imagined peeling back the many layers she’d constructed over the years until she was only the bud, the core of herself. Honestly, she’d gotten to a point where she was unsure of who she was in the center of her. She’d lost, gained and experienced so much that Hampsher had a hard time deciphering which thoughts belonged to her and which were implanted by the person she used to trust most in the world. Her father.
Hampsher wiped at her eyes; a reaction that now accompanied thoughts of her father. They alternated between sad tears accompanied by murderous thoughts and just plain sad tears. Each attempt she made to contact her father left her with more questions, but she figured that he was only hiding his hand after tossing a stone. Though it wasn’t confirmed, Hampsher had her suspicions about her father’s involvement with the shooting. After what she’d learned from Rahmeek, the puzzle pieces began to fit into place just right. It saddened her to consider that with bad blood between them it would leave her child without maternal grandparents, but it was the price she would have to pay to free herself and welcome in peace.
Dressed simply in a pair of dark washed blue jeans, a white graphic tee and some high top Vans, Hampsher snatched up her keys and made her way towards the front door. The entire drive to Rafeeq’s she nibbled on her bottom lip trying to pretending that she came from a long line of fortune tellers. Hampsher wished she had the ability to see how things would unfold just to keep herself from looking like a fool. Despite her hesitation she was still pressing forward. Even if all she got out of her visit was the chance to see his face, it would be a success in her eyes.
Before she’d left her house she was sure that she had her key to let herself inside since it was still so early in the morning she was unsure whether or not Rafeeq would be awake. If he’d been suffering like her at all then he hadn’t been sleeping well. Hampsher wasn’t positive about what she was running off of suffering so severely from insomnia. If her impromptu pop up on Rafeeq didn’t work she decided that it would be a good time to let her body crash.
Inserting her key into the door, Hampsher prepared herself for what was certain to be an interesting conversation. That was if they even made it that far. For all she knew she was walking into his home only to be given the silent treatment again. And just in case he wanted to test her gangster, she double checked that she was carrying her Beretta 92. With it secured in her purse she traveled deeper inside until she was right outside of the bedroom.
Hampsher rested her head against it suddenly unsure about what she was preparing to do. A light breeze wafted from underneath the door causing goosebumps to rise on her arms. Her heart hammered against her sternum as if it were having a panic attack and needed to be outside of her to breathe. Hampsher pushed her forehead harder against the door while squeezing the doorknob until her hand turned white.
“What are you doing?” she whispered to herself. All the confidence she’d possessed prior to arriving at Rafeeq’s evaporated. She was a human body full of nerves with extra space to store them because of her slightly protruding belly. “What are you doing?” she asked herself once more. On one shoulder there was a little Hampsher devil scowling advising her that she was about to make a mistake and fuck him. He didn’t understand what her father had done, it whispered. Shifting her head to the right side she saw a little Hampsher angel. She told Hampsher to trust her heart and make things right because she was tired of being sad. At the very last second she said to think about the baby. They were like the magic words as Hampsher inhaled deeply then pushed the door open.
There was barely any light filtering into the room. Hampsher could hear the shower running in the bathroom causing her to smile. He was awake and unable to sleep just like her. With a smile she moved deeper into the room until she was positioned by the bed where she froze.
The room was still a little on the dark side, but Hampsher was sure that she saw the silhouette of a body lying in the bed. Her head snapped towards the bathroom before she took steps in that direction. Pressing her ear to the door she confirmed that someone was in the shower. Looking back to the bed she knew someone was there too.
Hot anger coiled in the pit of her stomach as she went to the window and pushed the curtains open, bathing the room in natural sunlight. Hampsher stalked to the bed slowly, similar to a lion stalking a gazelle. The woman sleeping peacefully in Rafeeq’s bed as if she belonged became her prey. It angered Hampsher that while she was wallowing in depression Rafeeq was out giving away pieces of himself that belonged to her. He was going to get his, but first she had to deal with the bitch who had the audacity to step on her toes. All Hampsher saw was that family portrait she imagined torn down the middle which infuriated her. Then the fact that the intruder still hadn’t woken up sent her over the edge.
In a swift motion Hampsher snatched the woman up by her hair and yanked her from the bed. She thumped on the floor, releasing a wail that Hampsher ignored. She didn’t feel bad for her. As soon as she went to grab he
r hair she recognized her as one of the women who worked for Rafeeq. She knew they were together so in Hampsher’s eyes she was asking for her ass to be whooped.
“Get off me,” the woman struggled to get out. She already felt like she was blacking out due to the fact Hampsher was literally snatching her edges. Her head throbbed so bad that she was rethinking even being born. “Hampsher!” she screamed through clenched teeth, “get the fuck off me bitch!”
Rafeeq was in the shower when he heard muffled voices. He figured his house guest was on the phone or something until he heard Hampsher’s name. His body tensed. He knew he was going to walk out the bathroom straight into some bullshit. It didn’t plan to rekindle the flame with Hampsher, but he also felt bad about her walking in to his bedroom to find another woman in her place. They hadn’t necessarily ended their relationship, making him dead wrong. If it were the other way around he would certainly kill Hampsher for pulling some bullshit like that on him.
Rafeeq killed the stream of hot water. The first thing he did was snatch his towel off the rack and wrap it around his waist. His eyes grew when he opened the bathroom door to see that Hampsher was already on her way to him. Unfortunately, it was with Lynn in tow. She was struggling against her, but Hampsher had a death grip on her hair.
“Hampsher,” Rafeeq called out to her. “Chill baby.”
“Baby?” Lynn laughed wickedly, momentarily forgetting that she was one pull away from looking like Angelica’s rag doll Stacy. “You surely weren’t thinking about your baby last night while I was riding your dick. Sorry Hampsher, but now that I’ve gotten a feel I don’t know if I’m willing to let it go.” She laughed to herself feeling as if she had the upper hand. While she thought she was driving a wedge between Hampsher and Rafeeq, the truth was that she was signing a check that her ass couldn’t cash. Hampsher had a lot of pent up anger and aggression to release. Lynn had just made herself the perfect punching bag to release it on.
