Taeja

10. Chapter 10

10

With shaking fingers, she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Taeja,” came the voice on the other line.

“Yes?”

“I want to see you.”

“Why?”

There was a pause before the caller replied, “We need to talk.”

“About wh—”

“Just come see me… Please?”

Taeja sighed. “Okay.” The call ended, and she moved the phone from her ear.

Aaliyah raised a brow. “Who was that?”

Taeja gritted her teeth. “No one,” she replied. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Liyah answered, gathering her bags. “Is one of your boyfriends coming for us, or should I call Mason?”

“Call Mason.”

Liyah nodded, making the call while they strolled to the front of the mall. Taeja took the time to admire her surroundings. There was the store her first nanny brought her to shop when her dad wanted to redo her closet after her mom left. There was the ice cream parlor with the best banana split ice cream she ever tasted.

This mall had a lot of memories. Both good and bad.

Arriving at the front, Taeja smiled as she realized the rain had stopped falling and the sun shone again .

Sitting on a nearby bench with Taeja, Liyah ended the call with a roll of her eyes. “Mason pisses me off so bad.”

“Is he coming for us?” Taeja asked.

Liyah nodded. “Of course. You know I just need to call, and he’ll be there.”

Taeja swooned. “Aww, young love.”

“ Love ? Mason always says he loves me and is always there for me, yet he still found time to cheat?” Liyah hissed her teeth. “Before me believe man, me walk round naked.”

“So yu seh until Mason pick wi up.”

Liyah rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to fold. I hate him,” she insisted, and Taeja hummed disbelievingly. “Girl, I’m being for real. I can’t even look at the sex the same since it happened.”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, don’t believe me.”

“I don’t,” Taeja said, making Liyah roll her eyes with a small laugh.

They had small talk for the next ten minutes until Mason’s SUV slowed at the curb. A tall white male with sandy brown hair hopped out from the driver’s side. Despite being more on the skinny side, Mason’s build was defined.

He jogged over to help with their bags. While he took Aaliyah’s, he kissed the side of her head. “Hey, babe.”

“Mhm,” Liyah said, not hiding the annoyance on her face.

Mason sighed and looked away from his girl to give Taeja a warm smile. “Hey, Tae. Everything’s good with you now?”

Remembering the last time she saw Mason, she was crying and dry heaving, Taeja cringed. “Yeah. Thanks for coming for us.”

Mason smiled as they walked toward the trunk. “Anything for my girl.”

“Except for being loyal,” Liyah muttered, placing her bags in the trunk before walking toward the front door. She entered the vehicle and slammed the door shut behind her.

Mason’s shoulders slumped as Taeja gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Can you talk to her?” he begged.

“You cheated on her,” Taeja said plainly .

“I was drunk at a frat party. Can she blame me?” he asked, and Taeja narrowed her eyes at him. Mason dragged a hand down his face. “Okay, fine. She can blame me. But I was drunk as fuck, Tae. I wasn’t thinking clearly. It’s not like I fucked that girl. She only gave me head.”

“Cheating is cheating. It doesn’t matter how you try to twist and turn it.”

He sighed, looking more burdened than he did already. “I’m gonna lose her?”

“I don’t know. Just give her time. You know our girl’s stubborn.”

Mason chuckled. “You’re right.”

Taeja smiled before placing the last bag into the trunk, then walking away. She sat in the back, waiting for a few seconds until Mason entered the vehicle. As he drove off, Liyah connected her phone to the car’s radio.

“You girls going somewhere else, or do you want me to drop you home, Tae?” Mason asked.

A bitter taste rushed to Taeja’s mouth.

Home.

That word was a mockery. It didn’t have a clear definition anymore.

Sure, her guys welcomed her with open arms, but it was sad knowing that she could never return to the place she’d called home for as long as she could remember.

“Actually, can you drop me at Teddy?” she whispered.

Liyah spun around, staring Taeja in the eyes. “Teddy?!”

Taeja slowly nodded.

“Mason, drop me at Teddy, too.”

“I’ll be okay, Liyah,” Taeja assured her.

“No—”

“Babe.” Mason moved a hand from the steering, gently laying it atop Liyah’s thigh. “She’ll be okay. Teddy changed, right?”

Taeja nodded, despite having lost hope that Teddy would ever change.

Liyah glared at them before huffing and turning back around. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the traffic before them. “I think you should bring my bat.”

Mason and Taeja laughed .

“Liyah, me gon alright,” Taeja insisted, and Liyah hummed disbelievingly. Taeja chuckled, loving how Liyah was always so protective of her.

About ten minutes later, they slowed before Teddy’s house.

Taeja placed a hand on the door. “I’ll come over for my bags.”

“Okay. Call me if anything. I love you, Tae,” Liyah said.

“Must be nice being loved,” Mason muttered, tightly pursing his lips as Liyah glared at him.

“I’ll be okay,” Taeja said again, then exited the vehicle. Inhaling a deep breath, she stared at the pathway leading to the house.

It was much larger than hers, but only the first floor was occupied. The second floor was used to store paintings and sculptures.

She straightened her shoulders, taking unsteady steps up the pathway. Taeja pressed the doorbell twice, then waited. A few seconds later, the door opened wide, revealing Teddy.

Dressed in a burgundy beret, square-shaped glasses, grey baggy jeans, and an oversized white shirt, Teddy looked the epitome of an indie artist. Despite their differences, it was one thing Taeja admired about Teddy. Teddy had a unique fashion sense, and, at first glance, Teddy looked like the kindest soul.

But Taeja knew better.

Teddy was a spawn from hell, and Taeja would never be tricked by Teddy’s sweet appearance ever again.

Stepping aside, Teddy motioned for Taeja to enter the house. Taeja set the first foot inside and heard Mason drive off. A part of her wished she’d told them to wait on her, because whenever she was around Teddy, things always went one of two ways…

Taeja walked further into the house. The door slammed shut. Teddy’s footsteps tailed Taeja into the living room. She sat on a sofa while Teddy sat across from her.

“Wa yu want?” Taeja asked curtly.

Teddy’s brow raised. “This is how you’re going to speak to me now?”

Forcing a smile, she rephrased her statement, “What do you want, Teddy?”

“You know why I called you here. Stop acting clueless.”

“I don’t. ”

“You haven’t changed at all. This is exactly why we can’t ever get along.”

“Change?” Taeja bit back. “Know wa? Fuck this. Me nuh know why me come here.”

Teddy glared at Taeja, who jumped to her feet and marched toward the entrance. “I’m not finished talking to you, Taeja!”

“I’m done talking to you.” Taeja didn’t bother with closing the door when she marched out of the house. She pulled her phone out and dialed the person she needed most.

Damon answered after the second ring. “Are you finished shopping?”

Taeja nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. She was trying her best not to cry, but it was difficult. Teddy always managed to get beneath her skin in the simplest ways. “I am,” she finally answered, thankful her voice didn’t crack. “Can you come pick me up?”

“Where are you?”

“I’ll send you my location.” She ended the call. She walked to a convenience store that was ten minutes away, then sent the location.

Thirty minutes later, Damon arrived. His brow raised as she sat in the front seat. “You didn’t see anything you liked?”

Taeja fought the urge to facepalm. She’d been so angry after the brief interaction with Teddy that she forgot she didn’t have her shopping bags. Taeja sighed, looking through the window as they drove off. “I had to go somewhere,” she stated vaguely. “I have to go to Liyah for my things.”

Damon nodded. He placed a hand on her thigh, making her smile before linking their hands. His presence had her worries floating away until they arrived at Aaliyah’s apartment.

“I’ll be quick,” she told Damon before exiting the car. She took long strides up to Aaliyah’s apartment on the third floor, then knocked.

Liyah opened the door two minutes later. She was in a robe and her hair was a mess.

Taeja smirked as she stepped into the house. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Liyah refused to meet Taeja’s eyes. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”

“Sure,” Taeja said while gathering her shopping bags. “I’ll wash your clothes and bring them back to you soon. Thanks for today.”

“Girl, no. Thank you for today. You spent a thousand on me like it was nothing.”

Taeja wanted to say a thousand was nothing, but she kept her mouth shut. She knew how Aaliyah felt about money.

“What did Teddy want?”

Taeja shrugged. “I don’t know. Teddy pissed me off, so I left.”

Liyah nodded. “Might as well. Teddy is a waste of space.”

“Exactly. Bye, Liyah… and MASON.”

Before Mason could reply from wherever he was in the house, Liyah pushed Taeja through the door. “Bye, Taeja! Text me when yu reach home.”

Taeja nodded, then headed back to the car.

Damon’s eyes widened as he watched her throw all the bags onto the backseat. “Did you buy out the store?” he asked.

She chuckled. “No. I just bought enough clothes to stay with you and Zain for now.”

Damon’s brow raised. “For now?”

Taeja looked at him, her brows furrowing. “Yeah… I don’t want to overstep—” She stopped talking when he glared.

“Stop saying that, Taeja. You’re our girl. We want you to stay with us every time,” he said, and she frowned.

“Taeja?”

“What?”

“You called me Taeja.”

“Sorry, baby,” he said, making her smile. “You’re spoiled, you know?”

“Yup.”

He chuckled before going serious. “You’re not leaving though.”

“Not like I have anywhere to go…” She trailed off as a ring came from in her pocket. She pulled out her phone, sighing as she stared at the screen.

Damon sensed her hesitance and gently reached over to take her hand in his. “Taeja?”

She glared at him. “Stop call me Taeja before me cry. ”

“Like you were doing earlier?”

Taeja blushed and looked away. “I can’t believe Zain told you that,” she said, remembering how tears filled her eyes when Zain took her again in the shower. That man’s stamina was incredible.

“We tell each other everything… Answer your phone.”

Taeja chewed her lower lip as he drove off. She’d much rather not answer at all, but she’d also rather not make things any worse for herself. So, she answered. “Yes?”

“I need to speak to you,” Jerry said in his usual curt manner.

“About what?”

“Teddy.”

Taeja tensed. Of course, this would be about Teddy. From then till now, Teddy’s mouth could never stay shut about anything that happened between them. “Okay… Where are you?”

“I am home. I cannot show my face back at the office.”

Shame gripped her. “Okay, me soon come,” she said, and Jerry hung up. Taeja’s heart dropped as she moved the phone from her ear. Usually, she would be happy that her dad was summoning her, even if it meant she’d be at the receiving end of his rage. But these past days with her guys had her feeling differently. Especially because of Damon. He constantly showered her with affection and kindness. She wasn’t craving toxicity as much as she used to.

“Are you okay?” Damon asked, halting her train of thought.

Taeja nodded. “Yeah. Can you bring me to my dad, please?” she asked, and Damon’s brow raised.

“What does he want?”

“I don’t know… Can you stay in the car when we get there?”

Damon scoffed. “Zain said he’s a piece of shit. I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

The situation wasn’t funny, but Taeja laughed.

Damon glanced at her as he made a detour. “Why are you laughing?”

“You rarely curse, so when you do, it sounds funny.”

“I’m coming inside with you. End of discussion.”

“Okay, daddy.”

His fingers sank into her skin. “Baby,” he warned. “You know what that does to me.”

She reached over to massage him through his jeans. “Get you hard like this?”

Damon stiffened as she unzipped his pants. “Taeja…”

“ Baby . And I know you won’t crash with us,” she teased before spitting on her hand and slipping it into his boxers to stroke him. She rubbed the head of his dick with her thumb, lightly squeezing it as the veins pressed against her palm.

“Remember what I told you this morning?” Damon asked, and Taeja nodded. “How good are you at multitasking?”

“I’m great at it.”

“So why isn’t my dick in your mouth yet?”

“I wanted you to tell me to do it,” she said, feeling pre-cum wet her thumb.

He slowed at a stoplight and looked at her, lust shining in his eyes. He was fighting the urge to pull over and tug her onto his lap. “You never need permission to please me. Get to it.”

Taeja licked her lips before undoing her seatbelt and completely freeing him from his boxers. She leaned over and licked away the drop of pre-cum then spat on his dick, rubbing it along his length.

Satisfied, she took him into her mouth. She sucked him fast and hard. Up and down, up and down, Taeja’s head bobbed while Damon thrust into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat with each stroke.

Pulling back, she swirled and flicked her tongue around his swollen tip before swallowing his dick whole again. She loved his taste and his size in her mouth. It felt like it belonged there.

“You really know how to use your tongue,” Damon praised, gripping her hair.

Taeja wanted to smile at the compliment, but her mouth was too full. All she could do was gag around him, hum, and use her throat to make him feel the things he made her heart feel.

The chilling swish of the AC and the loud mix of commuting traffic was lost to her. She could only focus on him.

Until the car suddenly swerved and his dick hit the back of her throat so hard, she almost threw up. Tears sprang to Taeja’s eyes, and she pulled back for air.

“Stupid cat,” Damon cursed, resuming the slow pace he was driving at. “Are you okay?”

Taeja took him in her mouth again. “Mhm,” she hummed around his dick.

“I just ran a stop sign,” Damon said as his grip tightened in her hair. “You’re going to get me a ticket, but don’t stop. I love that thing you’re doing with your tongue.”

Taeja loved the curses pouring from his mouth. Her pussy was so wet, she wished she could’ve brought a hand between her legs and toy with her throbbing clit until he exploded in her mouth.

But she couldn’t because right now it was all about him. Damon. The man who drove her senseless, made her blush like crazy, and had his dick throbbing in her mouth as he neared his finish.

Their destination was ten minutes away, and she made him come in five.

Swallowing the warmth, she pulled back and licked her lips. Damon’s cum didn’t have a slightly salty taste like Zain’s. It didn’t have a taste at all, and she loved that.

Damon glanced at her while putting himself away. His eyes were still glazed from the ecstasy of his high. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Taeja chuckled while wiping her mouth and chin with the wipes she found in the glove compartment. “I was good?”

“Good? Woman, you were great .”

Her smile widened. “You and Zain keep saying I have a big ego, but unu nuh stop full up mi head.”

“You need a big head for that big brain. You said you’re going back to school in three months?” he asked, and she sighed .

“Unfortunately.”

“You’ve got this. Besides, you have me now. If you need help with anything, you know you can count on me.”

“I know, Damon. You’re the best.”

“I know,” he said, and she scoffed. He chuckled. “I was trying to be like you.”

“Whatever. See yu head big like.”

“You wouldn’t be choking on it like that if I wasn’t big.”

Taeja gasped. “Yu know yu nuh have no behavior! And here I was thinking that Zain’s mouth is bad.”

Damon scoffed. “My brother is worse than me. He has no filter.”

“Neither of you do.”

“No. I’m more modest compared to you and Zain.”

“True,” she said, smiling as she remembered all the naughty things Zain told her. The smile washed away as they arrived at the gate leading into her community. A weight settled on her shoulders.

“Hey, we can turn back if you want to. You don’t need him.” Damon placed a hand on her thigh, squeezing gently.

Taeja looked down at his hand. She knew he was trying to be a good boyfriend, but he wouldn’t understand the struggle of constantly feeling like a failure. “I need to do this,” she said, looking away from his hand and at the gate a few feet away. “Bring the window down so the security can see my face.”

Damon nodded and obeyed her. The security opened the gate, and he drove in. The closer they got to her house, the faster her heart raced. It pounded like a drum in her ear. Nerves were getting the best of her as her hands grew clammy. She hoped her father didn’t say too much about Teddy. There were some things she didn’t want Damon knowing. Zain, too.

She snapped back to reality as they parked in the driveway. They exited the car, and Damon stayed close to her as they walked along the pathway to the door. She knocked, and they waited in silence for the door to open.

When it finally opened, Jerry’s brows furrowed after seeing Damon. “Who are you?”

Taeja opened her mouth to say something, but Damon beat her to it. He extended a hand. “Damon Stark, her boyfriend.”

“Oh! It’s my pleasure to meet you.” Jerry gave Damon’s hand a firm shake. “Please, come in.”

Taeja and Damon entered the foyer while Jerry closed the door behind them.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Jerry offered.

Damon shook his head. “No. Thanks. ”

Jerry nodded. “Very well then. You can make yourself comfortable in the living room. I would like a little privacy to speak to my daughter.”

“I’m not leaving her.”

“Damon, please… It’ll only be a minute,” Taeja begged, not wanting the situation to turn ugly.

Damon’s eyes fixated on her and Jerry, his indecision evident in the furrow of his brow, until he caved. “Okay.”

She smiled, standing still while Jerry led Damon to the living room, then returned a moment later. Jerry scowled at her before lowering his voice. “I thought you were seeing that guy you brought here this morning. He was rude, and did not have the decency to let me see his face. How long have you known this young man?”

Her jaw clenched. “Why yu neva ask him when him out here?”

“Because I know how you are,” he stated, and she sighed.

“What do you want, Jerry?”

“Where did you meet him?” Jerry pressed.

She didn’t want to say she met him at a club, so she twisted the truth. “A social event.”

Jerry nodded. “Oh, I see. Well, he looks a bit too old for you, but he is well-spoken and manners-able, so I guess I can look past that.”

Taeja gasped. Was her imagination running wild or did Jerry just say that?

Shock couldn’t describe what she was feeling.

Taeja pinched herself.

Feeling the sting, her eyes widened.

Wow, this was reality. Her father approved of someone she was dating.

She didn’t want to push her luck and say Damon was one of her boyfriends, so she took advantage of the moment. It wasn’t every day she had a civil conversation with Jerry. She smiled. “I’m glad you like him.”

“Maybe if you keep your legs shut this time, you can keep a man who is good for you.”

The words crashed into her like a truck, sending her flying head-first off her high. If Jerry’s goal was to hurt her with his harsh words, he succeeded .

Taeja asked tiredly, “Wa Teddy seh to yu?”

“Teddy wanted to talk to you about your unacceptable behavior because I cannot control you.”

“ Control me?” Taeja laughed dryly. “I’m twenty. Nuh try put in the effort now.”

“That is completely your mother’s fault.”

“How is it Cassedi’s fault when you’re the one I’ve been with the most? Hmm?” she asked, but Jerry didn’t answer. Taeja scoffed, angrily looking away to a painting on the wall as she blinked away tears. “Exactly.”

“I did not call you here to argue. I was hoping Teddy spoke to you about your behavior so I could consider giving you a second chance.”

Scoffing, she looked at him. “I didn’t stay long enough to hear what Teddy had to say.”

Jerry scowled. “Your blatant disrespect for your grandmother is—”

“A disrespect you call it?” Taeja retorted.

“Yes! It is disrespect!” Jerry hissed through clenched teeth.

“It’s disrespect because I’m not going to let Teddy try to rule me like she did with Cassedi?” Taeja asked, returning Jerry’s glare. “Yu nuh realize that your mother still rule your head ina your big age? This is exactly why Cassedi leff yu, and it was only a matter of time until I left, too.”

Jerry’s body shook as his hand tightened into a fist. “This disgusting attitude of yours is why you will not make it far in life. Just like your mother! I hope that young man out there knows what he is signing up for. I would hate for him to waste his time on a whore.”

A new voice entered the conversation. “What did you just say?”