Chapter 12
TWELVE
The weeks were passing by like days. I couldn’t grasp the concept of time suddenly. Everything was a blur. Everything but her.
I unbuttoned the cuffs of my shirt as I watched Royce paint her toenails. She placed a blue light over them each time she finished putting more polish on them. The television’s volume was high. Her eyes were on the screen every chance she got.
It was my face that made her teeth show and her eyes bunch in the corners.
She was enthralled in the latest updates on the race and my responses to the questions I was asked by the reporters with cameras in my face.
A city’s historical figure was facing demolishing.
I wouldn’t stand for it. I was present to show my support and demand a vote from those in the community.
“Exactly,” Royce tittered as I concluded my statement.
I sniggered, wondering if this was her routine when she was at my home and I wasn’t. She looked up, finally noticing me.
“How long have you been there?” She questioned, placing her chin on her knee and glaring in my direction.
The blue light she held over her toes beeped. It must’ve been the sound of her freedom, because she was up on her feet in a flash. My white shirt raised along with her arms. She rushed toward me, wrapping them around my body. Her legs joined.
I kissed her lips until she parted them, pulling me into her mouth.
“Hello, my baby,” I said, breathlessly.
She’d stolen oxygen directly from my lungs.
“Hi, my love.”
Royce’s stomach rumbled against my body. She tucked her head, flushed with embarrassment.
“When’s the last time you ate?”
She remained silent.
“Royce.”
“When you cooked breakfast this morning,” she whispered.
I carried her into the kitchen. I placed her body on the cool counter and opened the fridge. A bottle of water was the first thing I grabbed. The sliced turkey meat from the deli was the next. I placed them both beside her and removed my button down.
“Have those and sit your ass right there while I make something for dinner.”
“Yes, sir,” she joked, placing a hand on her head.
“Remembering to eat shouldn’t be so hard.”
“I’ve been swamped with calls and tasks all day.”
“So have I, but I still put something on my stomach during lunch hours.”
“I wasn’t hungry then. I was still full.”
I paused, taking a good look at her. As expected, she was wearing a sinister smile.
She’d swallowed every drop of my semen this morning.
And last night.
I was campaigning hard but I was fucking Royce even harder. My hours outside of the office werw spent in her pussy and in her mouth. I loved them both the same almost. However, her pussy had far more power.
Her time was split between Clarke and my home. I hated when she was away, but I loved how much her pussy missed me when she was gone. Her absence was a gift and a curse. When she was waiting for me at home, I couldn’t think logically. My mind was at home with her.
“You’re ruthless, my baby.”
“You love it here.”
I nodded.
“You haven’t told a lie yet.”
She opened the container filled with turkey.
She pulled off the first piece and extended it toward me.
Her generosity had me by the neck. Royce was selfless.
She thought of everyone else, making sure they were okay, before taking care of her own needs.
She wasn’t the oldest, but it was obvious she wasn’t the youngest either. Royce was a caretaker.
Because I knew she needed me to have the piece of meat more than I did, I accepted it. I rolled it up and bit into it.
“Eat.”
She nodded, stuffing her mouth with turkey. I watched as she chewed until it was gone.
“How was your day?”
I pulled out all of the ingredients to make spaghetti. I’d purchased the groceries but hadn’t gotten around to cooking it. I’d learned a week and a half ago that it was Royce’s favorite dish as a kid. Her comfort food.
Time away from her family weighed heavy on her heart. So, to bring her comfort, spaghetti was on the menu tonight.
“Too many questions. Too many words. Too many cameras,” I huffed, kissing the skin of my teeth.
“It’ll all be worth it.”
I agreed. “Yeah.”
“I finished the details for the wrap. It’s gorgeous.”
“For the breast exams?”
She nodded. “Um hm.”
“After dinner will you show me?”
“That’s the plan.”
Our careers took away so much time, we vowed to give each other our undivided attention during the evening hours. During dinner, whether at home or a restaurant of her choice, no phone usage was allowed unless there was an emergency.
“Speaking of plans, my baby. What’s our plan for birth control?”
I had refrained from the inquiry as long as I could. My dick was lodged inside of Royce nearly every time it busted. I wasn’t being careful. I wasn’t being cautious. I was being controlled by our sexual gratification. Nothing else mattered in those moments.
“Do you want children?” She asked, sipping from the water.
I shook my head, “Nah. I never really considered bringing children into this world. I think it’s too much of a fucked up place, ya feel me. Sometimes I wonder what the fuck my moms was thinking bringing three boys into this motherfucker.”
“You never talk about your brother.”
“Indigo?”
She shook her head.
“No. Isaías.”
“Out of sight– out of mind. But, he’s always in my heart. In the back of my head. In every memory I have as a kid. Just– not so much now.”
“Where is he?”
“Probably in the OR at the moment. He drowns himself in work and his studies. He’s reserved and very military. His time over there altered so much of him, sometimes I wonder if my actual brother is still overseas.”
“Yeah. It does that. Most soldiers suffer a great deal when they return.”
“Understood, which is why I give him his space. When he wants me around, I’m there. And, if he needs me, I’m there. He knows it.”
“I’m sure he cherishes your time together.”
“He can’t stand Indigo’s playful ass though. Runs Isaías’ ass hot every fucking time he’s around.”
“But he loves him.”
“Without a doubt.”
“How does your mother handle the distance?”
I shrugged.
“It’s like he’s still in the service. That’s how she thinks of it. That’s how we all think of it.”
“That’s a good way to deal with it.”
“How do you deal with it?”
“With what?”
“Your brother’s distance?”
Her shoulders sagged. She chewed slower, trying to conjure the words to express her feelings. I didn’t know much, but I knew enough about their family to decipher who was around and who wasn’t.
“He’s never too far away,” she revealed. “He’s always right there when we need him. There are miles between us but there’s no distance. There’s never distance.”
“Understood.”
“How do you know the owner of The M?”
“He’s my brother.”
“No shit?”
She nodded.
“Yes. There’s twelve of us. Seven girls. Five boys.”
“Big family.”
“Really big family.”
“You have enough children running around already, huh? Niece and nephews.”
She sighed. “Not really. I don’t see the ones that live here enough. They hardly know me. I’m going to do better. Nine nieces and nephews here. From my brothers, of course.
“My sisters– none of us really ever wanted children. We didn’t dream of big families because we’ve always had one. To be honest, we prefer small units. We grew up with twelve siblings and a total of four parents. Two lost their lives early on, but still. That would’ve made sixteen of us.”
“Lost their lives?”
“To a mental illness.”
I noted the somberness of her tone. Death was a heavy load to carry. It stuck with you. The grief didn’t know when to shake loose. It lingered for years, never giving you a chance to fully recover before it reminded you of what you’d lost again.
I stopped dicing the vegetables and grabbed the hand towel to dry my damp hands. I’d almost forgotten the most important part of Royce’s meals.
“Where are you going?” She chuckled.
“To bring you joy.”
I disappeared into the pantry. Beyond its doors, I entered the cellar. Aging wine lined the walls. I didn’t bother with the labels or the names. I grabbed the first bottle that caught my eye and made my way back to Royce.
“Oh you’re after a girl’s heart,” she cheered as I rejoined her.
“I think I’ve already got it, my baby.”
I shoved my nose between the pillow and Royce’s skin. It was my favorite place to be. She was my favorite place to be. This house was haunted when she wasn’t around. It was her presence that quieted the loud silence.
She was home. It didn’t matter what structure was above us.
Royce was home now. Each day I left her, I couldn’t wait to get back to her.
Because, with her, I could loosen my grip on life.
She untied every knot in my heart. Consumed my worries.
Catered to my desires. Sucked the semen from my sack.
And, walked alongside of me proudly each time I presented her publicly.
This was no game. I was fully invested. Whether I secured the seat as mayor or not, I’d been gifted a permanent residence in Royce’s world. For me, that was paramount.
Her breathing was steady. She was deep in her sleep.
Comfortable.
Comforted.
Content.
Safe.
Still.
Providing a secure environment for my baby wasn’t an option for me. It was a priority.
I slid the covers back. Insomnia wouldn’t allow me to sleep. I gave up the silent battle. It wasn’t worth my sanity.
I stalked the bottom drawer in the kitchen. Pulling it open, I retrieved the pre-rolled spliffs that Indigo had left behind. In my past, I could face three and hardly feel a thing. It had been eight years since I’d placed a blunt to my lips, but tonight would change that.
I wasn’t on a mission to get high. I needed coaxing. Everything was becoming a lot. Royce had been my source of relief, but I didn’t want to wake her with my troubles. She needed her rest. And, I needed to clear my head.