by Sequaia
“Yes, call her. Tell her do not tell anyone I’m getting out, including my girl.”
“Will do.” He began placing his things back into his briefcase. “I’m going to tell the guard now to give you that call before I exit the building. I’ve been waiting for a reason to sue their asses, so if they deny your call, it’ll give me a reason,” he spoke, making me chuckle.
He tapped on the door, alerting whoever sat on the other side that we were done. As soon as they opened the door, he demanded I get my phone call, making sure the guard walked me to it before he left. Since he was going to call my mom, I decided to call Aúrea. I knew she was going crazy, worrying about me. I hoped that she had gone to her place with Nijah because I didn’t want her alone.
“Hello,” she answered breathlessly on the first ring.
“Babe.” Her voice brought me peace, and I hoped that my tone conveyed that.
“Prentice, are you okay? Are you coming home? Do I need to come to get you?” The questions left her mouth so quickly she almost sounded as if she were speaking another language.
“I’m good, Aúrea. How are you?”
“Worried about you. I want you home, like now,” she whined, and that shit warmed and broke my heart at the same time.
“I’ll be home soon, babe. Just stay strong and keep it tight for me.” I chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood.
“If it’s not tonight, it ain’t soon enough, and you don’t gotta worry about me keeping it tight.” She sucked her teeth.
“Babe, I have to go. I’ll call you again soon, okay?”
“You still haven’t told me anything, Prentice,” she fussed.
“Babe, I won’t be in here long, all right? Just stay at your crib, and when I’m out, I’m going to take you home.”
“Okay,” she sighed.
I know I was wrong for not relaying to her what Monty had told me, but there was a reason for that. When they released me in the morning, I’d go check in with my mom, then make my way to handle something before going home to her.
Speaking of my mother, I hoped whatever ill feelings she harbored for Aúrea were gone because if they weren’t, she had to figure out a way to get over that shit. This time around, I wasn’t letting Aúrea go anywhere, even for her.
* * *
Just as Monty said, I was released and paid a small $500 fine while Gerald’s ass got hit with a $2,000 fine that I was sure he’d pay with the money he stole from Prima. Served his ass right. After my mom paid the fine, I got the paperwork clearing me of everything. Monty made their ass give me paperwork showing that the arrest would not be on my record. I got in the car with my mother, directing her to take me home with her.
“How are you feeling?” Mom asked as she drove us back to her house.
“Good, besides the fact, I want to fuck Prima’s sperm donor up.” Usually, cussing in front of my mother was something I tried avoiding, but this whole situation had me fucked up, though.
“Well, you won’t have to worry about him anymore. Unfortunately, Prima won’t either.” My mother’s tone expressed her anguish, and each time she had that type of tone, it was because of Gerald’s punk ass.
“Why not?”
“He agreed to drop the charges on you if I agreed to get the paperwork drawn up for his rights to Prima to be removed,” she informed me.
“What the hell? That’s what you had to do to get me out? Ma, I could’ve stayed in there, or shit, Monty would have gotten me out just like he did.”
“Yeah, but Gerald taking back his statement helped get you out quicker. Besides, it wasn’t me who asked for his rights to be given up. It was him, and if he doesn’t want to be a part of his daughter’s life, who am I to force him?”
“She’s better off without his ass anyway. Prima will never feel unloved, unwanted, or end up feeling like she missed out on a father because I’ll be there for her every step of the way,” I promised, meaning every word. Had I known Gerald didn’t give a fuck about my sister as a father should have, I would’ve killed his ass when I had the chance. Shit sucked that my sister would grow up without her father as I did. Sad to say, this would be something my mom would have to live with, knowing she chose two washed-up, sorry-ass baby daddies.
“You’re right. When were you going to tell me Aúrea was back?”
“After she and I figured out what we were doing.”
“From what she tells me, you two are an item now.”
“We are, and I hope that you will finally accept her ’cause I love her.”
“I was wrong about her. I apologized, and she and I have agreed to start over.”
“Good.” My insides were on fire with joy. It had me feeling like the young boy who always made my mother proud.
“And why are you coming home with me?”
“To shower, and because I have something to do before making my way home to Aúrea.”
“Prentice, you better not be going after Gerald.”
“I’m not. I promise.” I meant it too. Gerald wasn’t worth another second of my time unless his absence began to hurt Prima. Then we’d have a problem again.
“All right,” she quickly replied.
Though I wanted to chill with my mom a bit longer, there was something I needed to do. So after showering and cleaning jail from my body, I hurried to the spot where I would always meet Nick and Sonic. Just as I expected, they were there before me.
“What’s up? I thought we were gonna have to come break you out that ho,” Sonic spoke, dapping me up.
“Had they tried to throw the book at ya’ boy, that’s what y’all better had done.”
“Without hesitation, my nigga,” Nick spoke up, giving me pound as well.
“So who is this nigga we gotta go get at?” Sonic asked, getting straight to the point.
I intended to handle Adrian, Aúrea’s ex, myself, but this little jail shit made me think twice about it. It had taken a lot of digging, but a few days ago, I finally found the information I needed to get at dude, no thanks to Aúrea.
“Dude is in L.A.?”
“This ’bout sis?” Sonic questioned knowingly. He still hadn’t been properly introduced to my girl, and he wasn’t cussing my ass out about what he knew I was getting ready to ask him.
“Yeah. Dude was foul and needs to be handled.”
“Say no more. We’ll call you when it’s done.”
“Thank you.” My eyes shifted between the two as I dapped them up. After giving them the information I had and Adrian’s description, I left to be with my girl. There was no doubt they’d handle things accordingly because if they didn’t, it would surely come back to bite me in the ass.
28
Aúrea
After hanging up with Prentice the night before, I stayed awake as long as I could, waiting for him to walk . . . well, knock on my front door, only to fall asleep and wake up disappointed because he was not there. Nijah was doing her best to lift my spirits. She was doing the most to lift me up, and no matter her effort, it just wasn’t happening. It wouldn’t happen until my man was home. His mother called me shortly after he and I hung up, telling me nothing that helped the situation, only further frustrating me. By the time sleep came to visit me, it was a little after 3:00 a.m., which was short-lived because Nijah was shaking me awake.
“What do you have planned today?”
“Sleeping,” I groaned, pulling my pillow over my head, hoping she took the hint to leave me alone.
“That’s what you’re not about to do. I refuse to let you wallow away. He told you he was getting out, right? So get your ass up and quit acting like he just got life in prison . . . Wait, that was the wrong thing to say,” she backpedaled.
“No shit. And I don’t feel like getting up. I’m going to stay in this bed until Prentice comes to get me out. Besides, it’s still early. I just fell asleep two hours ago.”
“It’s ten in the morning, Aúrea. You mean to tell me you were up until 8:00 a.m.?” She sounded so disappointed.<
br />
“No, at 3:00 a.m. Wait, it’s ten?” That had me removing the pillow from my head, frantically sitting up, reaching for my cell that somehow made it from beside me to the foot of my bed. There were no missed calls or text messages. The disappointment had to have been etched on my face because, within seconds, Nijah wrapped her arms around me.
“It’s okay, baby sis,” she soothed, rubbing my back as I cried.
I don’t even think my heart felt this broken, nor did I cry this much when I left him five years ago. Knowing he was in jail presented a different kind of pain, and I just wanted it to go away.
“Why is he not out yet?” Sobbing the question did nothing but add to the doubts I had about his release.
“His lawyer will get him out. Look, get dressed, let’s go to breakfast, check on those big-ass dogs of his that you two love so much, and by the time we’ve finished all of that—”
“He still may not be home,” I cut her off.
“And he may call while we’re out and about. If you sit here all day doing nothing, the day will drag, making you feel worse than you do. It’s best to get up, get out, and get busy. Please, or I’m getting in this bed and crying all day with you. We both know you don’t want that.”
“Fine—only because you’re right. Listening to you cry is the last thing I want.”
She laughed, releasing me from her arms.
It took me about thirty minutes to handle my hygiene and get dressed before Nijah and I were out of the house. We first made sure that Rocko and Chuck were straight, which took almost twenty minutes to do because convincing Nijah to come inside with me and pet them took most of our time. She was afraid of them, and I did not want her to be, especially since she would have to visit me here often. The dogs had taken to me so well that they listened to my commands as if I were Prentice. Since I wasn’t Prentice, though, Nijah had every right to be afraid. The dogs showed me love, and I had to be crazy to think that was enough. But I had enough pull to bring a stranger around them. Plus, Nijah’s ass was shaking so much one would think she was inside a freezer naked. Showing fear to two big-ass dogs was the wrong thing to do. But my boys held it down and made me look good by being kind to her ass. After the meet and greet was completed and I was positive Rocko and Chuck were okay, Nijah convinced me to go with her to the mall. We shopped and ate, and every ten minutes, I checked my phone, only to be disappointed and feel stupid since my ringer was up as high as it would go. When we left the house, it had been around noon, and once we made it back, it was going on seven in the evening—prompting me to believe that tonight would be another night without Prentice.
“We have popcorn, mini Mr. Goodbars, Lays plain, and Hershey’s with almonds, mimosas, and chicken wings. Our stomachs will hate us in a few hours.” Nijah smiled, walking into the living room with a tray full of snacks. I immediately took the glass containing the mimosa and drained it in two gulps.
“Okay, tonight is a get-wasted kinda night,” she snickered, taking a seat next to me. “What are we watching?”
“Horror,” we said at the same time before cackling. Scary movies were our thing, especially when one of us was going through something. We found it better to be afraid out of our minds of monsters than to cry over a sappy romance when tears were already too familiar and running from our eyes like leaky faucets.
It took less than five minutes to find a scary movie on some streaming site that Nijah swore by. By the time we reached our third movie, my stomach was aching, and we both fell asleep.
* * *
“Nijah, put me down before we both fall, crazy ass,” I grumbled, my eyes still closed. I felt my body being lifted from the sofa.
“Damn, I feel like Nijah?”
My eyes popped open, and if it weren’t for his secure grip on my body, the jerking I’d done would have landed my ass right onto the floor.
“Prentice,” I screamed, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and kissing his face.
“Oh, so now you know me?”
“I was half-asleep, babe,” was my justification before kissing him again. He carried me up the stairs, exciting me because I knew my bedroom would be the destination.
“Yeah, I’ma let you have that. But if I find out you and Nijah been bumping coochies, we gon’ have a problem. Sis might come up missing,” he joked, holding me tightly once again as I tried leaping out of his arms.
“Okay, that wasn’t funny,” I fussed, serious as hell.
“Mistaking me for a woman with breasts wasn’t either, but I didn’t drop you like I should have.”
“You really trying to have me mad at you your first night home?” I raised my brow in question.
“You’re beautiful.” His smile was so broad and gorgeous that my clit jumped.
“When did you get out?” Changing the subject was the best thing to do, and getting the answer to my question was more important than going back and forth about something neither of us took seriously anyway.
“Just now. I came straight here,” he spoke, placing me on my feet. Walking over to my nightstand, I flicked on the lamp that stood there.
“That would be believable had you had the same clothes on from the day you were arrested.” My observation was on point because, for a brief second, his eyes widened in shock before they altered into a grin.
“Damn, you pay attention to your man, huh?”
“Of course. Now, when did you get home?”
“I went home, checked on the dogs, showered, and came here right after. The house was my first stop anyway because I needed to make sure your stubborn ass wasn’t there alone waiting for me.”
“You know you scared me half to death, right?”
“It wasn’t my intention at all. You know that.”
“I do. Doesn’t mean you didn’t scare me, though.”
“You accept my apology?”
“Is that what this is?”
“Yes, I’m sorry to put you through that, A.”
“Prentice, tonight opened my eyes on so many levels. I don’t want to lose you. Just the thought of thinking you weren’t coming back to me scared me shitless. It also made me realize just how much I love you.” Being honest with him was important to me. Having him understand just how deep my feelings were for him was important. It was also my way of pleading with him to no longer do anything that could jeopardize his freedom and this relationship of ours that I was not willing to let go of anytime soon.
“You love me, huh?”
Damn, why does he have to be so sexy?
“That’s what I just said.” Placing my hands on my hips, I dared his ass to say something out of line. Maybe if he did, then it would be the sign I needed on whether we were actually supposed to be together.
“I love you too,” he said in the most melodic, passionate tone I’d ever heard from him. Or maybe he said it in a masculine way, and that’s just how my ears received it. Either way, his admission felt amazing. Him pulling me into him by my waist and placing his lips on mine felt terrific too.
“You know I’d do anything for you. Seeing the look on your face as they put me in that cop car is a look I never want to see again. You don’t have to worry about me doing anything to be put in that situation again,” he promised me. I knew from the look in his eyes he meant it. The rapid thumping of my heart proved it as well.
“Does that include quitting the job that could land you behind bars?” Was it right for me to ask that he quit doing what he had been doing to make his money? Probably not. And was it selfish of me to ask? Perhaps so. Overall, was my heart in the right place, as I asked? Absolutely.
“It does.”
Did I just hear him right?
“You heard me right,” he verified, letting me know the confusion was written on my face.
“How could you say okay so fast?”
“Because you asked me.” His left hand graced the left side of my face as our eyes intertwined.
“I’m not trying to run your life. I just don’t wa
nt to lose you.”
“Believe it or not, you can’t make me do anything. The goal was never to be hustling like that forever. Me getting locked up, though briefly and though not for what it could have been, opened my eyes a bit wider as well. You, my mom, and my little sister are my world. To continue putting myself in anything that can remove me from y’all would make me the dumbest nigga alive, and we both know I’m far from that. I’m quitting. Not tonight ’cause it don’t work like that. Very soon, though. You riding with me ’til I throw in the towel?”
“Even after.”
“I love you, mayne.” Taking me by the ass, he lifted me, and with ease, as they always had done, my legs found their way around him, tightly.
Our lips connected as we kissed feverishly. My tongue colliding with his sent jolts of pleasure through my body. Prentice provided me a level of pleasure that was indescribable, and it was addicting.
His lips traveled from my lips to my neck, where he sucked hard, lovingly, undoubtedly leaving passion marks that would be worn like a badge of honor. As he lay me on my bed, my legs loosened from around him as he lifted and removed his shirt, pants, and boxers in one swift motion. I blinked, it seemed, and he stood before me in his naked glory with the perfect body. Had I not been exposed to his masterpiece of a body on numerous occasions, I would’ve blamed his light stint in the clinker for his chiseled perfection.
He interrupted my admiration when he took my hands, helping me sit up and remove my tank, then my shorts, leaving me naked just as he was. His intense gaze was almost intimidating. I say almost because I was more so turned on by it.
“Keep them legs open,” he ordered, slapping my thighs. As if his hands were hot, my legs snapped opened.
I did not close them on purpose; it was out of reflex. It was due to the pounding of my clit that needed a little alleviation that only the closing of my legs could provide until he took over again.
Slowly, he made his way between my legs, and as always, his mouth found its way to my clit before his dick did. Pleasing me with his mouth almost always came first. My back arched off the bed, nearly high enough to look like I was the main character in one of the Exorcist movies. Prentice alternating between flicking and sucking was sending me into overdrive, and as the heat rose from the tip of my toes to my pelvis, I knew my peak was near.
