I swear every time I thought that it would slow down at work, more people started to pile in. I had been working six days straight and to be honest, I was dead tired, but I wouldn’t stop. I had been stacking being that Kayla didn’t charge me any rent, and in a month or so, I would have enough for a down payment on an apartment. The only thing that would hold me back would be my credit history. I had lights and some more in my name because of one of my foster parents. I would have to find a private owner of something because although I was really grateful to Kayla for giving me a place to stay, I needed my own.
“Hi, how may I take your order?” I said with a smile to the next customer. My cheeks were hurting like hell from fake smiling all day.
“Hi, can I get a cinnamon dolce latte and a blueberry scone?” the woman asked, and something was so familiar about her sultry voice. I looked at her a little closer and could spot that beauty mark on her nose anywhere.
“Chandler,” I called out lowly.
She just looked at me at first, and then I guess something clicked in her head.
“Misty? Misty Blue?” She sounded shocked.
“Yes. It’s me,” I said excitedly. I hadn’t seen her since I left her home over ten years ago.
“It is you! How have you been?!” she yelled like she was equally as excited as me. We didn’t even care that there were customers behind her. I quickly told the manager I would be taking my break and Chandler and I took a seat at a nearby table.
“Chandler, you look good girl. How have you been?”
She wore a tailored, wine-colored suit and red bottoms on her feet. Her short hair was cut in a bob and the purse that she was wearing I’m sure cost more than what I made in a month at Starbucks.
“Girl, I’ve been great. I’m into real estate now and I’m getting married.” She showed me her ring.
“Congrats, and you are doing very well,” I said a little sadly. I wasn’t anywhere near Chandler’s level of success. She noticed my mood shift.
“Misty, how are you? Seriously?” She touched my hand warmly. “One day you just up and left my house and I didn’t know where you went. I was so sick worrying about you.”
I debated in my head whether I should tell her about what her brother did to me. A part of me thought that she wouldn’t believe me anyhow.
“I just left because I didn’t want to continue to be a burden on you and your family.”
My childhood best friend could see right through me.
“Misty, come on. You can be honest with me.”
“Well,” I said hesitantly. “It was your brother. One day when no one was home— ”
Her head dropped.
“Girl, you don’t even have to finish. My brother is in jail right now for molesting our cousin who has special needs.” A tear fell from her eye. “Misty, I wish you would’ve said something instead of running. I would’ve been there for you. I’m sorry that happened to you.” She gripped my hand tighter.
We were now crying together.
“How have you been since then?” she asked, and this time I was honest with her. I told her about the numerous foster homes I had been in, the homelessness and the current position that I was in. She just kept apologizing about her brother. I guess she felt if it wouldn’t have happened, I could’ve stayed with her and been successful too.
“Well, I’m into real estate so I’m going to find you something even if I have to help you pay for it myself.”
“Girl, you know you don’t have to do that.”
“Misty, you are my sister. I got you.”
“Well, thank you. Enough about me”—I hated talking about me— “tell me about your husband to be.”
“Well, he’s not from our side of town. I met him at the skating rink when I was seventeen and the rest is history. Now he works as a defense lawyer and the wedding is set for next year.”
I was happy to hear that so many good things were happening for her. At first it saddened me, but she deserved it and she was making a life for herself like a boss bitch. We wrapped up and exchanged numbers, promising to keep in touch. I left work feeling awesome that I had reconnected with my best friend.
I arrived home limping like a wounded animal. My dogs were barking after completing a double. All I wanted to do was soak in someone’s tub and read a good book, but I only had access to a shower, so that would have to do. I pulled out my keys to unlock the store, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I hurriedly pulled out my mace and turned to face whoever was trying me.
“Calm down Miss. No one wants to hurt you. I was actually asked to pick you up.”
I noticed that it was the same driver who Game had sent for me on Christmas.
“Umm, and where are we going?” I asked sassily.
“I have no idea. I just have an address.”
“Oh, well I’m good,” I said, always one to think that everyone was out to hurt me.
“Just to let you know, I was instructed to carry you if I have to,” he said with a smirk on his face.
“Well can I at least shower? I have been working all day.”
“That is not necessary,” he said, and then walked to the car. I couldn’t believe that someone had scheduled my entire night when all I wanted was to get a good night’s rest before my shift the next day. I reluctantly got in the car, and by the time we made it to our destination, I was knocked out sleep; drooling and everything.
“Ma’am, we are here,” the driver said, gently shaking me.
I got up and was now standing in front of a closed library.
“What am I doing here?” I asked.
The driver only shrugged and instructed me to go in.
I walked in and bright light illuminated the room. The sight of the neatly stocked books on the shelves excited me. The walls were painted yellow and white, giving it a comfy feeling.
“You like it?” I heard the deep voice say, and when I looked up, there was Game on the second floor, looking as fine as ever. He stood there leaning on the wall in a Versace sweat suit, one chain, and his crystal. Even from twenty feet below him, I could see his waves spinning like a rollercoaster.
“Yeah, I like it. But why did you bring me here?”
“You like books, right?”
“I love books,” I corrected him.
“So, they are all yours. There are 7,403 books in this library, and they are all yours.”
“How are they all mine?” I asked, surprised.
“Well let’s just say they all fell in my lap. As a matter of fact, the entire library is yours to do whatever you please. You can keep it to yourself, or you can get it back up and running. It’s up to you.”
I stood there dumbfounded, not believing that this man had presented me with an entire library.
“I can’t accept this,” I said looking up, but he was gone. Now, he was walking down the stairs.
“You can’t accept it? Or you won’t?” he asked, now closing the gap in between us. He was looking me right in my eyes and there was no running.
“I can’t!” I replied, trying to keep my hands from shaking. I learned at a young age that men only gave you things when they wanted something in return.
“Why not?” he asked.
“I don’t deserve this.”
“You gave me a gift, why can’t I give you one?”
“Ohhh, so you’re going to compare all of this to the little stone that I gave you?”
“It means something to me,” he said, grabbing a hold of my chin. We were so close and the coconut smell on him filled my nose.
“Let me show you around,” he said, breaking away from me. I wasn’t sure if he felt what I was feeling so it was great that he got away from me.
We walked room-to-room, and each room was themed with the genre of the kind of books that were inside. The rooms included urban fiction, contemporary romance, sci-fi, fantasy, children’s books, nonfiction, biographies and more. But when we got to the last room, my mind was blown to see a reading room with aqua lighting and reading goggles. Huge pillows sat on the floor and it just gave me such a cool vibe. If I could read in this room all day, I would. It was almost orgasmic.
I caught Game smiling at the way my eyes lit up like they did in the past once Sunday school was over.
“So, you gone take it?” he asked.
I still didn’t want to, but I didn’t know how to say no because he seemed genuine.
“I guess I am now a proud library owner,” I said, jumping up and down. Shit was the best feeling.
“Okay, well we have to ride back to my spot to get all of the paperwork. And yes, it will be your name on it only. It’s all yours,” he assured me.
We hopped into Game’s midnight blue Phantom and the heated leather seats felt so good against my body.
“The only thing I need now is a hot bubble bath,” I accidentally said out loud, and he looked over at me with this look in his eyes that I could not read.
We made it to his house at 11:00 pm, and by this time, I was dead tired. I almost couldn’t make it into his house. He went upstairs for a minute and then returned with paper in one hand and towels in another. I looked at him and scrunched my forehead.
“I heard you say you wanted to soak in the tub, well I have four here. It’s a private one down here, and you are more than welcome to use it.”
“Oh no, I can’t.” I nervously laughed. I wondered why he was being so nice and giving to me.
“Look, I’m not a creep or a weirdo. Go ahead and relax.”
He handed me the towels and pointed to the direction of the bathroom. The bathroom was cream and gold and the toilet looked like it was 24-karat gold. I looked at the fancy tub and it looked like a whirlpool. I ran the water and pulled lavender from my purse to put inside the flowing water.
After stripping naked, I stepped in the tub and the water was steaming hot just like I liked it. I hadn’t relaxed like this in the tub since I was a little girl. In most of the homes I went to, we had timers in the bathroom because there were so many of us, or I had to hurry up and get cleaned before one of my step-dads joined me. But there was one home in particular that was not like the rest.
I sat in between Ms. Carolyn’s legs as she braided my hair. I was the only kid that she had, and I wished that I could stay with her forever. I’d begged her for weeks to braid my hair in the new popular box braids, but she wouldn’t let me until I turned sixteen. She even let me add a few pink strands to it.
“There child. You are done.”
I hopped up so that I could check it out in the mirror, and the braids were like that.
“Thank you, Mama C. I love them.” I hugged and kissed her cheek.
Tonight was the night of the spring dance and I needed to be there looking fly. Mrs. C had already bought me a Tommy Hilfiger halter top along with a blue jean jumper and high-top Air Forces. It wasn’t even about the material things that she did for me, but Mrs. C really loved me. She told me I was beautiful daily, helped me to meet new friends, and took me to church every Sunday. But most of all, she made me believe that I was worthy and that she would always look after me.
“Okay, Mama. I’m about to go get ready for the party. My curfew is 11, right?” I tested her.
“If you come to my door after 10 pm, you may as well make yourself comfortable outside. Curfew is 10 pm, Miss Misty.”
I laughed at the way she was always on point. Ms. C was just as beautiful on the outside as she was on the inside. She was in her early fifties, had a deep cocoa complexion and hair that she wore in a curly, medium-length ‘fro. I hoped to age as gracefully as she did.
No soon as I got dress, my new friend, Stacy, was ringing the doorbell and telling me to come on. I kissed Mama C goodnight and made my way to the party. After having a blast and getting this boy’s number, I raced back home with five minutes to spare before my curfew. I stopped at the end of the block to catch my breath and saw shiny red and blue lights flashing. I walked to my home slowly and it was blocked off.
“That’s my house,” I screamed from the tape that was blocking it off, and some man let me in. Before he could fix his lips to talk to me, I zoomed in the house only to see Mama C laid out on the floor.
“Oh my god, what happened to her?” I cried and was grabbed by a female officer.
“I’m sorry baby, but she is gone.”
Those words hit my heart and my ears at the same time, and I broke down in the woman’s arms. My crying spell lasted for weeks as I was bound to yet another foster home. I learned later that Mrs. C had a heart attack and that she had been dealing with some major health issues that she didn’t tell anyone about. Both of my moms were now in heaven together.
The knock at the door caused me to jump.
“Aye, you okay in there? You didn’t drown, did you?” I heard Game say.
I had been in the tub for at least 45 minutes and the water was still warm.
“No, I’m not okay,” I answered, and he rushed in.
I smiled at the worried look on his face.
“Why are you playing?” he asked.
“I’m not playing. I’m not okay.”
“So, what’s wrong?”
“I want you to join me.”
He stood there smirking in his sweats and his manhood let me know that he was thinking what I was thinking.
“You sure you want to go there with me shorty?” he asked seriously.
I thought for a moment before I answered his question. I liked him and it seemed like he liked me, so what was there to even think about?
“I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t sure,” I replied quickly before I changed my mind.
He dropped his pants and I wasn’t even surprised to see the snake that was between his legs. He walked over to me and got in. I noticed that he had a tattoo on the right side of his chest with an elaborately drawn book, and on the front of it was the word Blue. I didn’t even know he had a tattoo, but that wasn’t what I was concerned with right now.
I crawled over to him and no words needed to be said. I was hungry and he was too. He picked me up and set me on his lap. He kissed me. This kiss I welcomed and the ones after that. He held me tightly because he knew I liked to run, but I wasn’t going to run away this time. In one swift motion, he lifted me and sat me on his shoulders. The minute his hands trailed up my back and scaled my bruises, he stopped. I knew he had questions, but he didn’t ask them and kept at what he was doing. He was so focused that you would’ve thought he was going to win a prize or something as he buried his face in my mound. His entire face was in it, slurping and sucking my soul out of me.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” I said lowly as he rolled his tongue slowly across my swollen clit. I had never orgasmed before and when I did, he caught all of it while biting the inside of my thigh. The next thing I knew he was slipping me slowly on his dick and it hurt like hell. I wasn’t a virgin, but I hadn’t willingly given myself away either. In my eyes, this would be the first, losing my virginity to someone I chose and wanted to do it with.
Game noticed the pain that was written on my face
“You sure you want to do this?” he asked, and I nodded my head yes.
He lifted me in his arms, and we got out of the tub and went to his room. He laid me down and started with his fingers going in and out of me. I was so wet that it sounded like someone was stirring some cheesy macaroni.
“Uhhh!” I screamed out because if this was the way his fingers felt, I could not wait to feel the real thing. He granted my request and piled inside of me, inch-by-inch. It really didn’t hurt, but it felt more like there was pressure added. He stroked me slowly while he planted sloppy kisses to my lips. The pain was starting to subside and his strokes got longer and deeper.
Faster! I thought, and it was like he was reading my mind as he sped up, hitting every part of me, never breaking our gaze. By now, our sticky bodies were melting into one another and I felt myself cumming for a second time.
Harder! He read my thoughts again and hit it nice and strong. I was going out of my mind as I bit my bottom lip and kept up with his motion.
“Ahhhh shit girl,” Game yelled out, and we came together. That night we were one. The feeling of him being inside of me was a feeling that I never wanted to go away.
The next morning, I was awakened by the pitter patter of feet running around. I looked at the clock and it was 12 pm. I had slept the night away but that was all Game. Suddenly my conscience started to kick in and I thought back to the past night. We went on exploring each other until the wee hours of the morning. I closed my eyes for a moment and images of him flooded my brain. How could something purely platonic end up being this? I was now second guessing it all. None of that was supposed to happen and I didn’t want him to think that us having sex was some kind of exchange for the library that he had gifted me. My thoughts were running wild and now I felt ashamed and low.
“Oohhhhh, you stayed here last night in my daddy’s bed,” I heard Logan sing and when I opened my eyes, she was right in front of me smiling.
“Good morning to you too, Logan,” I said, stretching my arms wide hoping that she didn’t sense my uncertainty at the time.
“Oh, good morning. Are you and my daddy boyfriend and girlfriend now? We’ve never had a step-mama before.” I almost choked on the air I was breathing.
“Your dad and I are just friends, okay? You won’t be having a stepmother anytime soon, at least not with me.” I tried to say it as playfully as I could.
“Okay, well you can come down, lunch is ready. And if you need a toothbrush, there are some in my dad’s bathroom.” I knew lil’ miss thing was not trying to tell me that my breath stank.
I wrapped the blanket around me and headed to the bathroom to handle my hygiene. I wasn’t about to put those greasy work clothes back on, so I found one of Game’s t-shirts to throw on. As I was walking to the kitchen, I heard Ava going on and on about how she did some kind of family genogram in school.
“I learned that I am 28% Cherokee. Is that on your side or Mom’s?” She went on and on about her new discovery.
“Baby I don’t know, but probably mine. You see these waves,” he joked.
“Good morning,” I announced, and everyone looked at me. Game stood at the stove shirtless with a spatula in his hand. He looked at me and smiled before reaching out to me. I walked closer to him reluctantly and he pecked me on my forehead and gave my ass a little squeeze. I tried to put on my bravest face, but I looked back and the girls were all tuned in.
“Anna and Jahfar sitting in the tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G.,” Logan sang out. I swear if I was light skin, my cheeks would have been flushed. Game ignored his daughter and turned his attention to me.
“Girls, Anna is a part of my middle name so you can call me Misty if you’d like.” I looked at the both of them for their reaction.
“That is ugly,” Ava said, scrunching up her nose.
“Well, I like it. It has a nice ring to it,” Logan joked.
“The girls want wings and I’m about to make me a salad. What would you like?” Game pulled me in his direction.
I couldn’t even concentrate because of the fine specimen that was standing in front of me. And I also couldn’t get last night out of my head.
“Whatever you’re eating is cool Jahfar,” I said, never making eye contact with him. I’m sure he could sense my awkwardness.
I sat down at the table trying to do anything but look in his direction as the girls argued about who looked the most like their dad.
“Girl, you know I look like him the most. I have his skin tone and everything,” Logan snapped.
“Skin color doesn’t matter little girl. I have his eyes and his nose,” Ava countered back.
“Whatever. You were probably adopted!”
“Girls!” Game finally butted in, his tone commanding not only the girls, but me.
“Both of you look like me and your mother. Now I do not want to hear anything else about it. As a matter of fact, go upstairs until the food is done.”
“But Daddy,” Logan started to protest, but when she realized that her daddy was serious, she marched her behind up the steps.
Now it was just Game and me, and I couldn’t hide behind the girls arguing. I sat idly at the table not knowing what to say or how I was supposed to act knowing that I had just had sex with this man whose sister rescued me from being homeless. It just all seemed too good to be true.
Finally, tired of just sitting idly, I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. My throat felt like the desert. Game eased behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, but I scooted away from him while giving him a nervous smile.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird since you came down.” He finally picked up on my mood.
“Nothing,” I lied, sitting back down at the kitchen island.
“You’re lying. Are you regretting what happened last night?”
How in the hell did he just read me like that?
“It’s not that. I just don’t want you to think less of me,” I started.
“Less of you? Why would I think less of you?”
He was now standing in front of the stove with his arms folded across his chest.
I played with my hands, unsure of how to say what I was thinking. Game’s glare just made me feel like a scolded child.
“Come on Misty, say what you have to say. I wake up thinking that we are good and now you can’t even look at me in the eyes. If last night was a mistake to you, just say it. Stop being a little ass girl about it.”
His tone was now elevated, and I knew that he was upset. There was just a lot that Game didn’t know about me, like the fact that I questioned everything and had been through so much that made me guarded.
“I’m about to get my driver to take you back to K-Spot,” he said dismissively, walking past me.
I stood there for a moment, unsure of how to make things right with him. After all, he had been so good to me. Maybe I was overreacting, but that was what I tended to do so that I would have a reason to walk away.
I walked up to Game’s bedroom and he was getting dressed. I found my clothing and began to do the same. Game wouldn’t even look at me the few times I glanced his way. I had so much that I wanted to say, but I was afraid that he wouldn’t understand and would just judge me.
I grabbed the last of my things and turned around to leave, hoping that Game would at least walk me out, but he didn’t. He only continued what he was doing, acting like I didn’t even exist.