Chapter 8
“ D o you know what you want to eat?” I ask Aryel as soon as we pull into the parking space.
“Curry chicken,” she says to my surprise. Although Redmond’s has Caribbean food on Fridays and Saturdays, Aryel has never ordered it or even shown an interest in it.
“What you know about curry chicken?”
“Uncle Dax had some and I liked it but I don’t want the bones though.”
“I don’t know if they serve boneless curry chicken,” I admit.
“I’ll ask the lady at the counter,” she proclaims and I just smile. My princess is so fearless, resilient, and smart. I love it and I’ll do anything to make sure she stays that way.
The Girl Scout meeting is over and my trunk is filled with cases of cookies. My overly ambitious little princess asked for forty cases and her troop leader gladly accommodated her. They also provided each girl with personalized links for online orders but we never use hers. Between the furniture store, Dax’s Auto Repair, and the distillery, we sell out without using online.
When we walk inside, I try hard not to immediately look for Truce but she’s been on my mind since I left her sexy ass this morning. I barely heard shit during the meeting. Thank God ain’t much changed about these cookies because I was zoned out.
Aryel spots Chantel, my brother Dax’s fiancé, seated in a booth by the picture wall. So we walk over to say hello. Aryel practically jumps into her lap; she loves her uncle and new auntie.
“What up, sis?” I ask.
“Hungry,” she says then laughs. “I stopped by to pick up dinner for me and Dax but I have to wait. Something happened and everyone went to the back for a meeting with Truce. I got free lemonade while I wait so I guess I can’t complain too much. I heard crying; everybody did. I don’t think it’s good.”
“Shit,” I utter. Truce’s mom was in the hospital. I hope nothing’s wrong. “Can she sit with you while I try to see what’s up?”
“Of course. Us girls need to catch up,” she says and Aryel beams.
I’m dialing Truce as I walk off. When she doesn’t answer, I step to the side of the counter. Luckily, Taj, the manager and Lyra’s friend, walks out. I approach her. She’s actually bawling.
“What’s going on?” I ask her.
“Auntie… She’s dead,” she says and I immediately hurt for Truce.
“Where’s Truce?”
“In the office. She needs to?—”
I’m walking through the employee door heading to the back before she finishes her damn sentence. I need to lay eyes on her. Surprisingly, no one says shit to me until I make it past the large coolers.
“Ay. My man, you shouldn’t be back here,” a tall, dark-skinned, bald-headed brotha calls after me but I keep going, looking for Truce. “My man!”
“It’s fine,” I hear Taj say from behind. She must have walked back after me. “She’s in the last room on the left,” she adds and I throw my hand up in appreciation.
I hear her as soon as I get close to the door so I don’t bother to knock. I just walk in and find her on the floor, weeping. Her sadness and apparent pain are tugging at my heart and causing the muscles in my damn chest to constrict. There’s only one thought on my mind, somehow taking her pain away. So I ease down on the floor next to her, scoop her into my arms, and pull her into me. Her arms wrap around my neck and she buries her face into my chest. Gently, I caress her back as she cries. We stay like this until she reveals her tear-stained face.
“Sorry,” she utters.
“Nah. I’m the one sorry for your loss.”
She shakes her head then rests it back against my chest. “She’s really gone and I can’t… God, I don’t even know…shit! It hurts.”
“Let me take you home.”
“Yes,” rolls off her lips without any hesitation. So I raise off the floor, still holding her. When we are totally upright, I ease her down. The moment her feet hit the floor, she adjusts then wraps her arms around me. “I need to tell my team bye,” she whispers, her voice still filled with pain.
“They’ll get it if you don’t.”
“At least Taj.”
“A’ight. I’ll get her and then I’ll get you home.”
“Okay,” she says, then blinks.
Tears fall and I thumb them away. “I’ll be right back.”
She nods then drops her arms from around me. After leaning in and planting a kiss on her forehead, I leave her in the office and go find Taj. She’s out front, behind the counter, helping with drinks. I tell her about Truce then rush over to Aryel and Chantel. I motion to Chantel and she stands and steps toward me.
“I just heard; it was Miss Irene. I can’t imagine what Truce and Mr. Greg are going through,” she says somberly.
“Actually, Truce is back there having a tough time.”
“Oh no,” she sighs.
“Yeah. I’m going to take her home. I don’t know if you have plans but I would really appreciate it if you could watch Aryel or take her to my mom. If you can, I’ll come get her later.”
“Of course. You know I got her. Take care of Truce and take your time.”
I reach into my pocket and pull out my wallet. “We were about to eat.”
“Please do not insult me and pull anything out of your wallet. Please.” She places her hand over my wallet. “Your brother would be so upset. I got her. Go! Take care of Truce,” she insists and I relent.
After putting my wallet back into my pocket, I thank her then walk over to the booth. I slide in and talk to Aryel. “I have to help my friend. She’s really sad and I need to take her home. Your aunt is going to get your dinner and take you to see your Uncle Dax. I’ll come get you later, okay?”
“A lot of people are sad in here.”
“I know. We’ll talk about it, but right now, I need you to stay with auntie, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy, but are you going to eat first?”
“Nah. I’m good, baby. I’ll eat something later.”
“I hope your friend stops being sad,” she says.
“Me too, baby.” She hugs me from the side and I plant a kiss on top of her head. “I’ll come get you in a few,” I tell her before walking out of the restaurant.
I jog to my ride then pull it around to the back of the restaurant. When I knock on the back door, the same man who tried to stop me earlier opens it. He and Taj are standing near the door. As I step in, she nods and flashes me a wry smile then the man gives me a nod of appreciation too. It’s clear this whole team is grieving because the entire vibe in here is different. It’s also clear that they also care and worry about Truce.
I walk toward the office and Truce is standing outside of it with her back against the door and her head bowed. I approach her, sliding my hand onto the small of her back. She straightens and we walk through Taj and the man out of the door.
As soon as we are in my ride, Truce buckles in, reclines the seat all the way back, then turns toward the window. With my hand resting on her leg, we ride in silence to her condo. I practically have to carry her inside. She’s broken and can’t stop crying. My heart really breaks for her because I can’t imagine my life without either of my parents. The death of a parent has to be the hardest.
When we pass the security at the desk, he calls out, “Sorry for your loss, Miss Truce.”
Crescent Falls is small and the news of the death of one of its most prominent citizens spreads fast. Everybody knows the Redmonds and they definitely know Miss Irene. I’m sure the news has even made it to my parents already too.
The moment we enter her place, she seems to get a little burst of energy. She lifts her head and stands upright but I still keep my arm steady around her as she walks to her bedroom. When we pass the sectional, she drops her small handbag on it.
We enter her bedroom and she doesn’t even turn on the lights. She walks to her bed, presses her hand on my chest, then steps out of my arms. While standing, she kicks out of her shoes then removes her clothes. When she’s down to just a brown bra and panties, my eyes study her too damn beautiful body but I keep my carnal desires at bay. Now isn’t the time. After climbing into her bed, she slides over then raises her comforter.
“Can you stay with me until I fall asleep? I’m exhausted,” she says, barely above a whisper.
Without a second thought, I remove my shoes and take my cell, wallet, and keys out of my pocket. I shoot Chantel a quick text, telling her I need to stay with Truce. She responds immediately:
Chantel: That’s fine. Aryel is good here. We got her.
Then I ease into bed with Truce. She climbs onto my chest, rests her head there, then drapes her leg across mine. I caress her back as she snuggles into me. In less than five minutes, she’s out, snoring lightly.
After about an hour, I gingerly ease her off of me then slip out of the bed. I grab my cell then creep out of her room. I snag a bottle of water from her fridge and walk into her living room.
Once on the sectional, I locate the remote and turn the television on with the volume on three. Then I FaceTime Aryel. It’s almost eight and I want to catch her before she goes to sleep. When her cute little face fills my screen, I smile.
“What’s that on your head?” I ask.
“Auntie tied my hair up. She has a lot of scarves,” she says, smiling hard. She really enjoys spending time with Lyra and Chantel. I think a lot of it has to do with her sorry excuse for a mother. Aria’s absence is felt by my baby and I hate that shit. “She gave me this nightgown too. It’s mine for when I come back; so you don’t have to send a nightgown in my bags anymore.”
“That was nice. Did you tell her thank you?”
“Yes, sir, and I gave her a hug. Where are you?” she asks. Her eyes are roaming the screen; she’s trying to figure out my background.
“Still with my friend at her house.”
“Is she still sad?”
“Yeah. She’s very sad. Her mother went to heaven.”
“Like my Grandma GiGi?” she asks, referring to Aria’s mother. She passed two years ago and my non-thinking ex-wife called Aryel crying. It was my baby girl’s first time experiencing death and I had to calm her down and explain it to her. Aria doesn’t think anything through, especially when it comes to Aryel. “She’s sleeping with God?”
“Yes, princess. She is.”
“Okay. I’ll pray for your friend when I lay down.”
“I think she will like that,” I say with a smile because my baby girl has the purest heart. When I see her yawn then ease down more in the bed, I end the call. “Get some rest. I love you.”
“Love you too, Daddy.”
After I place my cell on the cushion next to me, I open my water, take a sip, then find something to watch on TV. I settle on a Denzel movie I’ve never seen and watch the last hour or so of it. When it goes off, I finish my water bottle then turn the television off. I don’t want Truce to wake up and notice I’m not in the bed with her. So I trek back into her bedroom, remove everything but my boxers, then ease back into bed. When I do, she inches back onto me. Within minutes, I knock out with her. When I open my eyes again, her pretty but sad ones are looking up at me as sunlight seeps through her drapes.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“I don’t know but it’s early. The sun just came out,” she says then sighs. “Thanks for staying.”
“You never have to thank me for anything, Truce,” I tell her, meaning every word. I truly owed my entire boxing career to her.
“But I do because you didn’t have to stay.”
“I did because you asked me to.”
Her arms stretch across me then she hugs me. “I don’t want to get up,” she sighs and I caress her soft back. “In here, it isn’t real. I don’t have to go to Kaamal and talk about burying my mother.”
“You going today?”
“At eleven. Me, my sister, and my dad. Oh, God! My dad.” She inhales then exhales loudly and I feel her tears fall on my chest. She sniffles a little then continues, “She was just talking about lunch… I stepped out of the room… And… She was gone. Just like that; just gone. Never thought it would happen like that.”
I truly have no words. The pain and sadness in her voice is so loud and I don’t want to compound it by saying the wrong damn thing. That’s the opposite of what I want to do, so I simply utter, “So sorry,” then kiss the top of her head.
Her hand moves to the side of my face then she lifts her head. After sighing, she flashes me a half-assed smile then it fades. Her sorrowful eyes stare into mine for a moment and she says nothing. Then she inches up and rests her chin on mine. Her lower body shifts and she straddles me. Her head lifts, eyes still focused on me, and she leans down and kisses me softly.
She pecks me several times at first then, as her hands caress the sides of my beard, she slides her tongue into my mouth and the kiss deepens, gets passionate, then turns nasty. As she moans into my mouth, she moves her lower body. When I feel my dick bricking up, I stop the kiss.
“Truce,” I manage to groan. I want her bad as fuck but not like this. She’s emotional and probably not thinking clearly. So I start to raise up but she resists and tries to push me back down. Under no circumstance is her little slim-thick ass a match for me but I relent and let my body fall back onto her bed. “Ay. We shou?—”
Her lips covering mine stops my words and her body pressing into mine kills my second thoughts. She sucks on my bottom lip then my top one before reengaging my tongue back into passionate battle with hers.
“Mm,” she moans before lifting. My squinted eyes and furrowed eyebrows question her but hers plead with me. “Please,” she says while slowly shaking her head. “For a few moments, I just don’t want to feel any pain.”
She’s so vulnerable right now and pleading with me. Real shit, I’m torn right now and there’s a real ass battle going between my dick and my fucking head. After sitting up, I caress her back then stare into her eyes.
“I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“You’re not. I’m taking advantage of you,” she says and I can’t hide my smirk. “I need this,” she pleads. “Please.”
Her last please does something to me and I cave. While holding her back firmly, I turn us over in the bed. When her head falls back onto the pillow, she pouts a little then frowns. However, the moment my hands gravitate to her wrists, she smiles.
I raise her hands above her head, then hold her wrists together with my left hand. My right brushes against the side of her face then I lean in and kiss her forehead, nose, and her lips. When my lips move to her collarbone, she sighs.
“Ohhh,” she moans.
I slide a hand under her and manage to unhook her bra. When it loosens, I run my hand over her breasts then take my time and kiss each one. Needing to cup both of her titties, I release her wrists and move my hand. As I suck on her nipples, her hands move to my head. They stay on my head as it moves down her sexy ass body.
While my lips enjoy her sweet tasting skin, I remove her panties. When they are off her feet, I plant kisses up her toned legs to her thick chocolate thighs. A low moan falls off her lips the moment my face reaches her pussy. Her intoxicating essence floods my nose, making my damn mouth water. So I stop wasting time and dive in, burying my face in her sweetness.
“Damn,” I groan as I inhale and taste her.
Her hands guide my head as I spend time feasting on her pussy lips. I begin with a kiss; then, using my tongue, I part her lips. Taking my time to get fully acquainted with her, I slowly suck both sides. My tongue circles her clit before pulling it into my mouth. When she starts to squirm, I lightly graze my teeth over her swollen clit. Her body jumps then she whimpers, “Shit!”
“You taste so fucking good.”
I lick her clit, suck it, and kiss it, pleasuring her until her legs begin to shake. To control them, I place her legs across my shoulders. When I do, she clasps her feet together, trapping my head. Her shaking increases as her body vibrates through an orgasm. She’s cumming in my mouth and I gladly drink all of her sweet nectar.
“Rex! Shit,” she trills as she trembles. When her body goes rigid, I don’t let up. I continue my pleasurable assault of her sweet pussy with my tongue. While licking her sensitive clit, I insert two fingers inside of her. “The fuck!” she moans and her body jolts.
I thrust my fingers inside her warm, wet pussy. When I turn them and hit the top of her walls, she cums again. This orgasm is massive because her thighs lock around my face. Her moans get louder and her hands tighten on the back of my head. As I drink her juices, she thrusts her pussy in my face.
“Feed me my pussy,” I coax.
“God! Yes,” she purrs.
Then she rubs her pussy up my entire face, drenching my already saturated beard. Her moans and her soaking wet pussy have my dick bricked all the way. I’m ready to fill her. Without breaking my sucking and licking, I maneuver out of my boxers. When they pool at my ankles, I kick them off then inch up to her lips. Nastily, she licks my lips then sucks my tongue, tasting her own sweet juices. Our tongue sucking is interrupted when we both hear loud banging on her door.
“Fuck!” we say, annoyed as hell, in unison.
“They will go away,” I insist, but sadly, I’m wrong.
“Truce! Truce!” the voice yells as her doorbell chimes loudly.
“Monae,” she sighs.
“What?” I ask.
“That’s my best friend, Monae.” She pecks my lips then places her hands on my chest. Her disappointed eyes stare into mine. My sentiment matches hers.
“Shit!” I scoff, frustrated as fuck.
“Truce! I’m coming in,” her friend announces and Truce pushes my chest.
“Oh God! She has a key,” she utters before yelling, “I’m coming.”
“You literally just was,” I groan before falling onto her bed. When my face lands into the pillow, I want to scream. “Fuck,” I murmur instead, then turn onto my back.
“Sorry,” she whispers before sliding out of the bed. “One second,” she yells.
She grabs her panties from the floor, puts them on, then slowly ambles to her dresser. She opens the drawer, pulls out something, then drags a dress that stops mid-thigh over her head. As I watch her walk out of the room, all I can do is shake my damn head. When she closes the door, I ball my fists then pound them in the bed. My dick is bricked all the way and I can still taste her.
“Fuck.”