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11. Joston

A SHORT TIME EARLIER…

Every time I went on a date with a female, my anger rose at Jacobia. It was her fault I was out here with these tragic ass females, trying to find a number two. Jacobia would always be number one. These hos out here wanted the world but couldn’t offer the same in return. Hell, they couldn’t even give the dirt that covered the earth. One of the females that I asked out sent me a damn Cash App request for eighteen hundred dollars to pay for her hair, makeup, and outfit for the date. That bitch had me fucked up.

Now I was sitting here in a Michelin Star restaurant with a bitch who thought it was sexy to unsolicitedly climb under the tablecloth covered table to suck my dick. When she lifted the tablecloth, I thought her ass dropped something at first. I smacked her hands away from my belt buckle when I felt her hand on it. You would have thought that would have been enough, but no. Bitches stayed not reading the room. I had to lift the tablecloth and tell her to get her inappropriate ass up.

“I’m sorry. I thought that you would like that kind of thing,” Diddy Bop or whatever her name was said. “You know, with the lifestyle that you’re a part of.”

My brow hitched. I wasn’t na?ve to think that people didn’t know about my parties and lifestyle, but to make assumptions because of it was asinine. “What exactly is my lifestyle? Secondly, why would you think that I want a random female that I just met in a casino to suck me off in an upscale restaurant on a first date? If I wanted that kind of action, I would have taken you to Applebee’s for the two for twenty.”

Her head bucked back. She was offended as she should have been. “So, you own a whole sex club, but you’re acting like me sucking your dick under a table is a big damn deal.”

With every word she spoke, her volume increased. These white people started to take notice. I leaned forward on the table. “There goes that Applebee’s behavior again. Lower your fucking voice when you talk to me. Yes, I own a sex club that is exclusive as well as private. I nor my guests aren’t out here fucking and sucking for public consumption.”

What the hell was I sitting here explaining myself to a bitch whose number I didn’t even save in my damn phone under her name. She was listed in my phone as Caesars-redhead-apple booty. From the side, I saw the waitress approaching with our food. Before she could put the plates down, I told her to box both of them up and bring the bill.

“Wow! So, the date is over because I wanted to please you? Damn, I would hate to be your girl. No adventure at all.” She scoffed, then turned her head like she had me told or some shit.

I snickered. “Nah, if you was my girl, then I would have been under the table, eating your pussy. We weren’t in the restaurant for ten minutes before you were on your knees trying to give me head like I asked for it. I low-key feel violated.”

Our waitress must have felt the vibe. She came back to our table with the food containers and check just in time. I didn’t even look at it. After I pulled out the cash in my pocket, I flaked off three hundred dollars, telling her to keep the change. I stood to my feet. “Miss ma’am, you have a great night.”

“Wait, you’re not going to make sure I get home safe?” she asked disbelievingly. Now she was on her feet. Was she stupid?

“Miss ma’am, did you forget that you got here by yourself? Feel free to text me to let me know that you got home.” These new breed females got on my nerves.

When I got into my car, I dialed my cousin. I needed some counsel before I ended up choking one of these new, stupid bitches out. I really hated this single shit for me.

“What it do, bubba?” Chance picked up the line on the fourth ring. The one thing that I loved about my cousin was that he always answered.

I wiped my hand down my face. “Man, the world is full of dumb hos. I can’t do this dating shit.”

He burst out laughing. “What happened now? You’re not dating women from the club, are you?”

“Man, hell no. Shit, at this point, I might as well. They probably have more sense than these women out here.” I finally put my gear shaft in drive to leave the parking lot of the restaurant. “How is Jacobia doing?”

I hadn’t seen her since the night of Chance and Lark’s wedding. That was a hard feat for me, but I was proud of my discipline. Every once in a while, I texted her to check on her, but the response was always six words: blessed as I hope you are. Every time those words came across the screen of my phone, I wanted to fly to Charleston to bop her ass on the head.

“Shit, I’m not really sure. I assume good. Her ass has been MIA like a muthafucka. Lark goes over to her place often. I think you broke her, man,” he said with a titter. “I think Jacobia is gonna be in Vegas the weekend after next for her dental clinic. She asked Lark to come with her, but we’re going to be in Maryland for her cousin’s wedding.”

I knew that. The weekends that she was here, I intentionally took my ass to Charleston. I knew that if I stayed in Vegas while she was here, I would more than likely be a creep by stalking her. Yeah, my restraint was A plus when she was out of sight, out of mind. To know that she was in my city would be warrant enough for me to put eyes on her. “Yeah, I’ll be in Charleston.”

I heard him chuckling. “Sure, you will be. You good out there though? I saw the numbers for the club. Looks like we got an increase in membership.”

Chance didn’t come out to the club as much since he’d been in his relationship with Lark. When he came, they came together and had their fun in his private room. We opened some more private rooms for lease. The price for those was twenty thousand a year. The price seemed steep, but it came with a lot of perks and a membership discount.

“You know I’m always good, my boy. A boy is booked and busy. I got a competition coming up, and I’m finalizing this premium liquor deal.”

I was proud of the sponsorships that were coming my way. A premium liquor brand wanted me to be an ambassador for their label. It was the only brand that I drank when I was in competitions anyway. They offered a ten-million-dollar contract for five years as an ambassador. That was an easy hell yeah. My manager negotiated that I get a case of each liquor type that they had a month for my club. It would be featured as my preferred top-shelf option.

“My boy! I’m proud of you, cuz. As far as the dating shit, why don’t you just leave it alone. Focus on your success. That served me well before I met Lark. Trust me, when you focus on you and what you got going on, it’s like God drops your forever in your lap,” Chance said with conviction.

His suggestion settled in my spirit. “I might just do that because these females out here ain’t it.” We talked until I pulled up at my house.

Chance had always been the person I went to when I needed to keep my head leveled. Although he was two years younger than me, he was wise beyond his years because of the things that his parents instilled in him. My parents were way less structured when it came to the parenting of me. I learned how to play poker from my dad who at one point had a gambling problem. I did what my father wasn’t able to do consistently… I won. I turned the game into a profitable lifestyle.

My first competition at the age of eighteen paid out at fifty thousand dollars. From there, it was up. When I turned twenty-one, I won my first million-dollar competition. By that time, I was already a millionaire because forty percent of all winnings, I invested with Washington-Smith Brokerage Firm. There was no other investment firm that could flip money like them. They gave the big banks a run for their money when it came to investments.

I decided to settle in Vegas when I was twenty-two and got into the sex club lifestyle when I was twenty-three by way of a female that I fucked with. The lessons that Morgan taught me about the lifestyle were invaluable. The main takeaway was the money that could be made from owning a club. She helped me establish my first club when I was twenty-five, and the rest was history.

My shower called me when I got into my house, and I didn’t hesitate to answer the call. The entire time in the shower, my mind drifted to Jacobia. I missed the fuck out of her. As much as I wanted to just call her on video to see her face, I knew that was not a good idea. God, help me get over this girl.

* * *

A SHORT TIME LATER…

I’d been back in Vegas from my little trip to Charleston for almost a week. The trip home was productive. I got to see my parents, check on a few of my businesses, and just chill. One thing I learned from my investment banker was to have multiple streams of income as well as contribute to the community you came from and the community around you. Every year I offered one hundred thousand dollars in college scholarships between the Charleston and Vegas community high schools. I sponsored a few homeless shelters and rehab facilities as well.

My phone buzzed on my desk. My attention went from my computer screen to my phone. Why the fuck does this girl keep calling me? Noelle had been blowing my phone up for some time now. I hadn’t talked to her ass in over three months. When I came back from my cousin’s wedding, I fucked with her lightly for a little longer before I cut her off for stealing from me.

I answered the phone on the speakerphone. “Why the hell do you keep calling me? I’m about to block your fucking number.”

“Joston, I need to talk to you. Can we meet somewhere?” There was a desperation in her voice.

I glared at the phone as if she could see me. “Nah, we can’t. We can talk now. What do you want, Noelle?”

She huffed, but didn’t push back. She knew better. “Look, your little girlfriend’s friend assaulted me. She put a gun to my head and threatened to kill me.”

My face tightened. “What the fuck are you talking about? Last I checked, I don’t have a girlfriend, so I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“That bitch Jacobia. I ran into her on the strip last weekend. Her friend assaulted me like I said and put a fuckin’ gun to my head!”

I was confused as hell. Jacobia in Vegas was not a surprise, but this friend who assaulted her was throwing me. “Noelle, why were you close enough to Jacobia and her people to get assaulted. Did you approach her on some funny shit?”

There was a beat of silence. Her ass wasn’t slick, and my ass wasn’t dumb. “I mean, I went over to say hello.”

“See, that’s the shit that I’m talking about. You don’t fuck with her. She doesn’t fuck with you. There was no need for you to carry your stupid ass over there to say shit to that damn girl. Spare me that bullshit of you went over to say hello. Your ass went over there on some asshole shit and got your ass handed to you.” I wasn’t cut for the pettiness.

She gasped. “Wow, so you’re victim blaming now. It doesn’t matter what the hell I said. That gives no one the right to attack me and threaten to damn kill me, Joston. I guess the can do no wrong attitude you have about your pregnant girlfriend extends to her friends.”

My breath caught in my throat. “Wait, what did you say? Who was pregnant?”

“Your bitch Jacobia. Keep up,” she said with attitude.

I disconnected the line. She could kiss my ass. I had more pressing issues than her ass getting what she more than likely deserved. After I blocked her number, I video called Chance.

“What’s up?” He answered on the third ring. It looked like he was in his office.

My ear tried to kiss my shoulder. “So that’s what we’re doing now, Chance? I thought we were better than that. I’ve talked to you multiple times, and you forgot to tell me that Jacobia was pregnant.”

“The fuck!” His cheeks under his eyes lifted while his inner brows dipped. “Since when is Jacobia pregnant?”

My shoulders shrugged. “You tell me. You see her more often than I do. You didn’t know she was pregnant?”

“Joston, you honestly think that if I knew she was pregnant that I wouldn’t tell you? Don’t fuckin’ play with me.” His tone was sharp. “I told you the last time that we talked about her that she’s been MIA. I’ve barely seen her in the last few months.” He sat back in his seat. “Fuck, now I guess I know why.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, I’m about to fuck Lark’s ass up. There’s no way she didn’t know that Jacobia was pregnant. That’s why her ass be over there so much.”

I did some quick math in my head. “You said you haven’t seen her in a few months?” Once that was confirmed, I leaned forward on my desk to think for a moment. “She probably stopped coming around when she started to show. The last time we had sex was the morning after y’all wedding reception.”

“Cuz, if you got Jacobia pregnant the same night I got my wife pregnant, that’s going to be crazy. How you going to handle this?” Chance asked a question that I didn’t have an answer for yet.

I sat there for a minute with my thoughts all over the place. “Man, we don’t know how far along she is yet. It could not be mine. At the reception, she was booed up with Bam.”

“Joston, you know good and well that baby is not Bam’s. Let’s not do that. Yes, verify how many months she is. If she’s six months and the conception date lines up with when y’all had sex, then that’s your baby.” Chance’s eyes were tight.

He was right. I knew in my heart that she was telling the truth about not having sex with Bam the night of the reception. There was no need for me to go back-and-forth with the whole thing in my mind. I needed to get my ass on the first thing smoking to Mount Pleasant to talk to her.

* * *

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC

JACOBIA’S HOUSE…

“Joston, what are you doing here?” Jacobia asked me with widened eye lids.

The expression on her face was satisfying. Her skin glowed. I noticed when Chance announced himself, she abruptly sat up to readjust her dress. The way she readjusted it made it flair out from her stomach.

I walked over to where she sat on a lounge chair and took a seat near the bottom of it. “I’m here to see you. You look beautiful.”

Nervousness sat on her face. She fidgeted on the chair before she responded. “Um, thank you. I’m a little surprised to see you here.”

I stared at her for a moment. I glanced at Lark and Chance who had their eyes on me. Chance had taken a seat behind his wife on her chair, and his hand was now rubbing her belly. Fatherhood already looked good on him. I refocused on Jacobia.

“I get that. I’m a little surprised that you’re pregnant.” I extended my hand, then placed it on her protruding belly that she tried to hide under her dress. “How about we go in the house and have a conversation about that.”

I moved my hand from her belly to hold it out to her. She hesitated for a moment before she put her hand in mine. We walked to the house hand in hand after I helped her up from the lounge chair. My entire soul was in an uproar as I walked next to her. This was not how or why I thought that I would need to see her again. We settled on the living room couch for our talk. This is probably where we conceived our baby.

“How far along are you?” I asked once we both were settled and comfortable. I was never one to beat around the bush.

She shifted her body to face me more. One of her hands rested on her belly and the other on the couch. “Um, I’m almost twenty- seven weeks.”

I nodded my head. “So that’s what… roughly six months? Am I the father, Jacobia?”

Her eyes were misty. “Yeah, that’s six months, and yes, you’re the father.” She dropped her head for a second. “I know you might not believe me, but we can take a test.”

“I believe you,” I confirmed. “What I want to understand is why I’m just now finding out? Furthermore, I had to find out from someone that wasn’t you. That’s what blows me about this situation. Were you going to tell me?”

One of her shoulders lifted. “I mean, yes. I had planned to tell you at some point. There was a lot going on with the terms of our not-relationship. Plus, you live in Vegas and?—”

“Stop playing with me, Jacobia. I hear a lot of bullshit excuses on why you didn’t tell me about my baby. I don’t give a damn what we had going on. I deserved to know from the moment that stick said you were fuckin’ pregnant.” I didn’t want to hear the stupidity that she allowed to come out of her mouth. “As far as me living in Vegas, you act like I don’t own a home here. Let’s not act dumb.”

She held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! I was scared to tell you. Is that what you want to hear me say? You had just told me that we were cutting ties, then boom, I’m pregnant. Do you know how that looks? It looks like I trapped you or some shit.”

“There you go again with spitting dumb shit out of your mouth.” I shifted to face her. “Jacobia, how the fuck did you trap me when I came over here unexpected and fucked you raw? It wasn’t a mystery of whether or not you were on birth control. We established a long time ago that you weren’t, hence why we always used condoms.”

Jacobia had a horrible reaction to birth control when she was younger, so she opted not to use it. That night wasn’t the first time that we had sex unprotected. It was the first time that we had unprotected sex, and I didn’t pull out or she didn’t take a Plan B pill.

She sucked her teeth, pulling my thoughts back into the room. Her brow lifted. “From the way you say that, it sounds like you trapped my ass.”