Chapter Fifteen
MONIQUE
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It felt good to be home.
It felt good to shower in her own shower. It felt good to eat food out of her own kitchen. It felt good to relax in her own bedroom. Basically, having her own things and being amongst them felt good. So why was her mind still at Cattaneo’s Casino and Resort?
Seated on the small recliner in her living room, staring at the television but not seeing it, Monique sighed. An hour had passed since Orazio dropped her off, and she still hadn’t stopped thinking about him.
Which was crazy because a few hours ago, she’d wanted to stab him in his left nut. A few hours before that, she’d had his right nut in her mouth. Now, she missed him and both his nuts. She smiled, remembering the way he’d walked her to her door.
He’d insisted they hold hands like a real couple. Not just during the walk to her door. They’d held hands the entire drive to her house. She’d told him he was being silly. But honestly, she’d liked it.
He’d seemed so nervous during the drive. It had been an endearing yet stark contrast to the confident and cocky man he’d been at his casino. When they arrived at her house, he’d insisted on coming inside to make sure her home was safe.
The meticulous man even checked the backyard, stating she was too important to him for him to do a half-assed job of protecting her. Before leaving, he’d kissed her on the forehead and told her he’d see her at nine p.m.
Monique grabbed her phone from the armrest of her recliner to check the time. Three more hours. She’d see him again in three more hours. Monique sighed again. Three hours seemed so far away.
“Earth to Monique!” Meka snapped her fingers. “Girl, snap out of it. We’ve been here for ten minutes, and you haven’t told us what happened yet.”
Monique glanced over at her friends who were seated on the couch across from her, eating popcorn, waiting for her to give them the tea. She’d almost forgotten they were there. Where was her head? Oh, right . With Orazio Cattaneo.
Toya laughed. “Leave her alone, Meka. Can’t you see she’s in a trance? That’s what we dick connoisseurs call dickmatized . That’s when the dick is so good it leaves you in a trance for hours. Sometimes days. I once had a dick so good that I woke up a week later and didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten there.”
“Bitch, that’s called getting drugged,” Meka pointed out while rolling her eyes. “You should have that bastard arrested. What’s his name? I’ll get someone to handle him for you.”
Toya playfully shoved Meka’s shoulder. “You know what I mean. Our friend got dicked down good. She needed it. Look at her, cheesing for no apparent reason.”
“We know the reason,” Meka joked. “And it begins with a C.”
“Cock?” Toya guessed.
“Cattaneo,” Meka corrected her. “But cock works too!”
Both of her friends burst out laughing. Monique chuckled. Was she cheesing for no reason? She hadn’t realized she was smiling. Her mind was off in LaLa land. Wait . Was this the early stages of a crush?
Monique laughed. She hadn’t had a crush in years. She’d forgotten what it felt like. But she was pretty sure this was it. She felt foolish for feeling this way. She was too old to be cheesing for no apparent reason.
Yet, there she sat, smiling as she thought about Orazio and as she remembered how scared he’d looked at the thought of her leaving and never seeing him again. That look was what prompted her to change her mind and give him a chance.
Her friends were waiting on the tea. And she’d called them over to give them the tea after she’d listened to all the voicemails they’d left her. But after spilling the tea, would her friends still feel this excited for her? Or would they worry about her sanity for wanting to be with a man who’d kidnapped her for a few hours?
“Look at her,” Meka drawled. “Our girl has fallen in love.”
Monique rolled her eyes. “That’s not true. I’m not in love. I’m in no hurry to fall in love with anyone. I’m just...”
What was the word for what she felt for Orazio? It damn sure wasn’t love. But, it was a little more than like.
“You don’t have to put a label on it until you’re ready,” Toya told her. “We’re at the age where labels aren’t that important.”
“I disagree,” Meka interjected. “We’re at that age where we need everything to be in black and white, so there’s no confusion.”
“She just said she’s not looking for love,” Toya argued. “Therefore, she doesn’t want any labels.”
“So, you don’t consider friends with benefits a label?” Meka asked.
Toya opened her mouth and then closed it.
Meka smiled. “Just say she needs a label. You know I’m right.”
Toya sighed in frustration. “I won’t say it. I don’t care how right you are.” Toya faced Monique. “You need a label, hon. But don’t tell Meka I said that.”
Monique chuckled. She loved her friends. And she was glad they’d rushed over when she’d called them. But she didn’t agree with them. She and Orazio didn’t need any labels right now.
Sure, he called her his girlfriend over a dozen times during the drive here, but that didn’t mean anything. Not really. This was kind of a test run, a trial period to determine if they fit together.
It was a chance for them to get to know each other. After dating her for a few weeks, Orazio may decide they weren’t compatible. Good sex didn’t automatically lead to a good relationship.
Or she may decide that though sex with him was good, beyond good, dating him wasn’t for her. That’s why she didn’t want them to have a label right now. Labels could come after they’d gotten to know each other.
And she’d be okay if they decided to be just friends. Meka snapped her fingers again, bringing Monique’s attention back to her friends.
“Seriously, Monique!” Meka yelled. “What’s going on?”
“She may have banged her head against the headboard too hard,” Toya guessed. “Or maybe he choked her for longer than most BDSM clubs recommend.”
“BDSM clubs?” Meka said, gaze jerking to Toya.
“Don’t judge me. And this is about Monique. Not me and my choking fetish.” Toya faced her. “Monique, stop sitting there smiling like you’re crazy. We want to smile too. Tell us what happened between you and Mr. Cattaneo. We want all the cummy details.”
Monique blushed. “ Cummy details?”
Meka and Toya nodded. She would give them details. But that wasn’t what she’d called them there for. One reason she’d called them there was to let them know that she would be going out tonight.
That way, if she didn’t make it home tomorrow, they’d know who she was with last. Though she wanted to see Orazio again, she wasn’t a fool. He could always change his mind and revert back to his caveman ways.
If that happened, her friends would know what to do. But how did she explain to them what happened without them going crazy and threatening to hunt Orazio down? She’d ease them into it by first giving them what they wanted, the cummy details.
Monique leaned back in her seat and crossed one leg over the other. Smiling, her friends mimicked her, waiting for her to begin.
“It all started in the elevator,” Monique told them.
Their smiles widened.
“Remember the bet I told you all about?” she asked.
Their heads bobbed up and down like bobbleheads.
“Guess who won?”
“Him,” they said in unison.
“Do you have so little faith in my sexual prowess?”
They both nodded.
“Heffas! No, he didn’t win. But he didn’t lose either. It was a tie. We both ended up begging.”
Her friends began squealing and giggling like schoolgirls.
“Then what?” Meka asked, leaning forward in her seat.
Monique proceeded to tell them about the best night of her life. A couple of times, Meka had to grab her cold soda and take a sip.
Even Toya was fanning herself while muttering, “That’s some grade-A porn there.”
By the time Monique finished giving them the cummy details, she felt like she needed a drink.
“Shit!” Toya exclaimed. “I think I need a cigarette.”
Monique laughed. “Me too!”
“So,” Meka started. “Are you glad you went out last night?”
Monique nodded. “I am. I really am. I’d been moping around, all, ‘woe is me,’ for too long. It was good to dress up and go out. Even better to meet someone who helped me remember that none of the things Trevor said about me was true. I’m not cold. I’m not frigid. I’m not uptight. He just didn’t know how to heat me up.”
“Say it again for the people in the back!” Toya yelled. “I’m so happy you’ve realized that Trevor’s lame ass was the problem. Not you.”
“I already knew it. I just... It was just good to have it confirmed. No matter what happens between Orazio and me in the future, I’m still thankful for that.”
Toya nodded. “Good dick can be therapeutic. I’m a firm believer that good dick can change your life. Bad dick can too. Which is the category Trevor fits into. So, you’re seeing Mr. Cattaneo again tonight, huh?”
Monique nodded. “In a few hours. I have no idea what to wear.”
“That’s why you have us,” Meka told her. “We’ll get you right.”
“Let’s go search her closet,” Toya said.
Both women rose to their feet. Before they could rush to her bedroom, Monique stopped them.
“There’s something else I need to tell you about Orazio.”
They looked back at her. She tapped her feet nervously, not knowing where to begin. They must’ve sensed the nervous energy she was exuding. Frowning, they slowly sat back down in their seats. They were in sync as they folded their arms over their chest.
“I knew this was too good to be true,” Meka mumbled.
“Does he have a wife and three kids?” Toya asked. “Or is it a man? Does he have a boyfriend? I say dump his ass if he has a wife and kids. But if he has a boyfriend, you can work with that.”
“Toya!” Meka exclaimed.
“I’m just saying. Two dicks are better than one.”
Meka shook her head. “What is it, Monique? What did he do?”
No more stalling. It was time for her to tell them.
“He... uh. He...”
She proceeded to tell them about the Trevor situation and how Orazio paid Trevor’s debt off so he could have her. And how he’d purchased her house. And how he’d refused to let her leave and tried to make her sign a contract stating she belonged to him.
When she was done, she stared at her friends, waiting for them to respond, waiting for a reaction at all. For a long time, they simply stared at her in shock. No one moved. No one said anything. Meka inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
“Toya?” Meka said.
“Yeah, Meka.”
“Is your gun in your car?”
“Always.”
“Let’s go hunt this bastard down,” Meka ordered.
“Two steps ahead of you.”
Her best friends jumped from their seats and raced to the door. Calling their names, Monique ran after them. Maybe she should’ve just given them the cummy details and left the kidnapping details out of it. Lesson learned.
“Wait,” Monique called after them. “We made up. He’s not that bad. I promise. Come on, guys. It was just a minor kidnapping.”
But her friends weren’t trying to hear that. No matter how loudly she called them, they continued forward.
“Wait!” Monique shouted again.
“We’re paying him a visit whether you want us to or not, Mo. If you’re coming with us, you better put some shoes on,” Meka yelled over her shoulder.
Monique paused in the doorway of her home to stare down at her feet. She glanced back at her friends, who were getting into Toya’s car. Damn it. She couldn’t stop them. The next best thing she could do was to go with them and try to talk them out of entering the casino.
If she couldn’t talk them out of it, she’d have to go into the casino with them. And she couldn’t go in looking like this.
“Wait for me,” Monique yelled. “I’m going to get my shoes. Do not leave without me!”
“Oh, we’ll wait,” Toya told her. “You should be there when we drag his ass for filth.”
Drag his ass for filth!
“I shouldn’t have told you two anything,” Monique complained.
“You mean like how you didn’t tell us what was going on with Trevor?” Toya asked, moving back toward the house to keep from airing Monique’s business in the street.
“That’s different,” Monique explained, hoping to keep her friends talking so they wouldn’t go to Orazio’s casino.
“It’s the same thing,” Toya insisted, now standing on the porch as Monique stood in the doorway.
If only Meka would move away from the passenger side of the car, maybe this could end without them embarrassing her at the casino.
“Monique,” Toya started. “The only reason this man knows you is because of Trevor’s shady ass. You mentioned before last night that you suspected Trevor had been dealing with some shady people.”
“Yeah. I know,” Monique mumbled.
“Well, it doesn’t get much shadier than Orazio Cattaneo.”
“That’s not true. He’s...”
“He paid off Trevor’s debt in exchange for the scum to divorce you. I wouldn’t even be mad at that part, since that’s what freed you of that dirtbag. But he then tried to buy you by seizing all of your assets. How does he even have the power to do that? Even if he has the power to do it, he shouldn’t. The fact that he did, means he’s fucked up in the head.”
“He’s not,” Monique tried to defend Orazio.
“He is!” Meka called from near the passenger side of the car.
“Then he kidnapped you,” Toya hissed. “That shit is hot in movies. Not in real life. In real life, men who do that shit are toxic as fuck. Those are the type of men we avoid, not go on dates with once they free us. If you’re into that kidnapping shit, we’ll kidnap your ass for a weekend. At least you’ll be safe with us. With him, you could’ve died, Monique. And it would’ve been our fault for insisting that you go out and do that damn dare.”
“This is just making me madder,” Meka yelled. “Come on, Toya.”
Tears filled Toya’s eyes. “We could’ve lost you,” her friend whispered.
Monique swallowed the lump in her throat. “But you didn’t...”
“That’s not the point!” Toya yelled.
“Bring your ass on, Toya,” Meka called out.
Wiping tears from her cheeks, Toya muttered, “I’m coming.”
Toya turned to go back to the car.
“I’m still going with you,” Monique yelled, tears burning her eyes at seeing her friend cry.
“You’ve got five minutes before I pull out of your driveway,” Toya threw over her shoulder, still wiping her face.
Monique’s eyes blazed with tears as she ran to her bedroom. She wasn’t mad at her friends. They were only looking out for her. She knew that. She was mad because what they’d said was true.
Their fear, anger, and confusion were warranted. Toya and Meka had stared at her like she’d gone and lost her mind. Had she lost her mind over some good sex? Was she being too nonchalant about all of this?
Why had her anger from before dissipated? Why was she no longer pissed off with Orazio? Had a few sweet words from Orazio made her lose her damn mind? Monique sighed as she slipped her shoes on.
She stared down at her leggings and sleeveless top. Racing to her closet, she threw a colorful kimono on to jazz up her outfit. She rushed over to her vanity. A horn honked outside as she stared into her mirror, fixing her hair and makeup.
“I need to hurry,” Monique mumbled. “Because those heffas will leave without me.”
She settled on some brown lip gloss, dangling silver earrings, and a silver bracelet. After lotioning her hands, she sprayed on a little perfume. Another honk had her grabbing her purse and racing toward the front door. After locking up, she slowly walked toward Toya’s car.
Meka rolled down her window and hissed, “If you don’t hurry yo ass up.”
Why did she feel like a child who was in trouble with their parents? She was a grown-ass woman. Monique lifted her chin. What the hell was she looking down for? If she wanted to be with Orazio, that was her choice.
It wasn’t like she was trying to marry the man. She just wanted to date him. He made her feel good. Except for the whole, kidnapping thing. Monique climbed into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind her.
Before she could even buckle her seatbelt, Toya was quickly pulling out of the driveway, nearly giving Monique whiplash.
“Are you trying to kill me?” Monique yelled.
“No,” Toya drawled. “I’ll leave that to the men you choose to date.”
Ouch. Low blow, Toya. Low blow.
“Too soon?” Toya asked as she sped down the street.
“Drive slowly,” Monique told her. “There are children in the neighborhood. And the sign says five mph.”
“Oh, you can read that sign,” Meka started. “But you can’t read the warning signs and red flags around Orazio Cattaneo?”
Monique opened her mouth, only to shut it and lean back against her seat. She didn’t have to respond to that.
“Now, she’s quiet,” Meka stated.
There was no point in her talking. She wouldn’t be able to make them see things her way. She didn’t even understand why she saw things her way. Should she just cancel the date with Orazio and end this before it began?
Perhaps that was the best course of action. This date felt doomed anyway. It would be best if it didn’t even happen. Blinking back tears, Monique decided it was best not to let this go any further. She had to end it.
She pulled her phone out of her purse to do just that.