Chapter 7
“This day has been beautiful and eventful, and I am tired,” I said, glancing up at Kellon as we approached my hotel room.
Exhaustion washed over me, and with every step, my feet cussed me out for the amount of walking I had done. I thought we would only spend a few hours at the park, but we stayed the entire day, ducking and dodging crowds and signing autographs. At one point, we’d even broken out in a run.
“I’m glad you had fun,” Kellon replied with a warm smile on his face. “But the day is not over yet.” He tapped his phone on the door, and it swung open. “We gotta eat dinner.”
My breath immediately caught in my throat, and my hand flew to my mouth as the room came into view. This was not the way I’d left it this morning. Rose petals littered the floor. Balloons dangled from the ceilings, and candles flickered on every empty surface. It was beautiful, romantic even.
“After you.” He waved me inside and slowly entered. The smell of food hit my nose.
“You did this for me?” I asked. I couldn’t control my shock.
“Yeah,” he said casually as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
This setup looked like what men did for the woman they loved, but I was someone’s random baby mama he’d met at a party. We hadn’t had more than maybe six conversations. I was confused.
“Kellon, this is… too much,” I protested, feeling flattered by it all and overwhelmed.
“Nah. It’s your first time here. I had to go all out. Now, go freshen up for dinner. We kind of on a schedule.”
He nudged me gently inside the bedroom before I could protest. The door shut, and a mix of emotions coursed through my body. I’d never had a man do anything remotely close to this before. Hell, I’d never actually been courted. I always seemed to run into the Netflix and chill types.
“Shower!” he shouted through the door, shaking me from my thoughts and making me scurry off to the ensuite bathroom to freshen up.
None of this was giving friends or business. If it wasn’t clear to me before now, I was confident that Kellon was interested in me, but that couldn’t happen. I wasted no time undressing and hopping into the shower. Kellon said we were on a strict time crunch, so I needed to make it quick. I took cocoa butter-scented soap and lathered it across my entire body, washing away my nearly perfect day with Kellon Barnes. It was nearly perfect because, inside my little fairytale, there was an essential piece of reality that I couldn’t avoid. I was pregnant.
As the warm water cascaded down my body, my thoughts spun out of control. What would Kellon think? Would he be shocked? Would he see me differently? It was daunting, especially after God blessed me to meet such a wonderful man. He deserved to know the truth, though. The girl he was interested in was not available. I belonged to the baby growing inside me.
The damp air clung to my skin as I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. The gorgeous silk night set Kellon had laid out for me was on the bed. It was lovely, the perfect mix of sexy and comfort. I stared at myself in the mirror. Thoughts of how Kellon made me feel flooded my brain. He made me feel seen, cherished, and respected in this short time.
“You have to tell him the truth,” I told myself. I nodded my head in agreement before stepping out of the room.
“You’re right on time,” Kellon said when I stepped out the door. He hadn’t turned to look at me yet. He was sitting by the window, gazing out at the night sky.
“The pajamas are perfect.”
He stood from the window and turned to look at me. His eyes widened and then lowered with lust.
“Damn, you look good,” he whispered, making the hairs on my arms stand.
“Thank you! So do you.” I giggled.
He had freshened up as well. Gone was his sweat suit, and in its place were silk pajamas that matched mine. We stood there for a second, taking each other in before he broke our comfortable silence.
“Come have a seat,” he said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
He grabbed my hand and walked me to a small table where dinner was being served. I couldn’t fight my smile as he pulled my chair out and pushed me up to the table before sitting on the other side.
“This has been the most amazing day. I can’t thank you enough.” I couldn’t help but express my gratitude.
“Honestly, besides winning the Super Bowl, meeting you has been one of the highlights of the last twenty-four hours.”
“Wow. That’s a huge comparison don’t you think?”
“Don’t get me wrong… Winning the Super Bowl has been on my goal list since I first started playing football when I was five.”
“I bet.”
“It’s just… Can I tell you something?”
I nodded. The look in his eyes told me that whatever he had to disclose was heavy. I wondered if it was as heavy as the secret I had.
“You ever heard of my brother Jeronee Barnes?”
“I have. He passed away, right?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes sank, and suddenly, I felt terrible for bringing it up. Though I knew little about football, I heard about the death of Kellon’s brother a few times. It seemed to always be a trending topic in the media.
“When my brother died, he was two games away from playing in his first Super Bowl. He never got to live his dream because I insisted on driving us home that night.”
My hand flew over my mouth, and my heart broke for him. He blamed himself. That must have been tough to live with. I reached across the table and grabbed his hand, offering my support.
“Kellon,” was all I could manage to say.
“I should have swerved, hit the brakes or something before the eighteen-wheeler hit us, but I froze. I was inexperienced. It was only my second time driving on the highway. Rone told me it was too dark and wet for me to be driving, but I insisted, and now, he’s gone.”
A single tear rolled down his cheek as he clenched his jaw shut. I could tell he’d wanted to get that off his chest for a while.
“Kellon, you have to know it’s not your fault,” I said. It was all I could think to say.
“It’s hard to be happy about winning the Super Bowl when I deprived him of his.”
My mouth opened and shut. What was I supposed to say to that? Grief was complicated. It could take people years to learn to cope with it. Lolo’s boyfriend had died over four years ago, and she was still struggling with his loss.
“I’m sorry.” I finally spoke as I squeezed his hand. “I didn’t know your brother, but I’m sure he would want you to be happy and celebrate your win.”
I hoped that was good enough.
“See? That’s exactly why meeting you has been a highlight. It’s helped make this victory tour a hell of a lot easier.” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it. “I hope you know I’m not letting up on you, Phileigh Cheese.”
I giggled at his nickname for me. It was cute, and my middle throbbed from the feel of his soft lips against my skin.
“Letting up?” I needed him to clarify what he was saying.
“Applying pressure, beating your door down… getting to know you until you’re mine.”
“I need to tell you something.” Now seemed like a good enough time to tell him about my condition.
“Shoot,” he said as fireworks crackled outside in the night sky.
I jumped a little as my eyes turned to the window.
“You gotta end the day with fireworks.” He smiled in my direction as my eyes bounced from him to the dazzling display.
“This is beautiful!” I blushed.
“It gets better.” He stood from his seat. Music began to play softly in the background as the fireworks lit up the dark sky. “Would you like to dance?”
This man was full of surprises. I stared at him in disbelief. I’d never actually slow danced with a man before. Throwing my ass in a circle on his crotch? Yes, but this was not that. Slow, romantic music filled the room as Kellon stood with his arms out, waiting for me to join him. Everything about this moment felt magical. I felt just like a princess. Without hesitation, I stood from my seat. My feet moved of their own accord into Kellon’s arms. His hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me in close.
“I hope your first time here was perfect,” he whispered in my ear as we rocked back and forth to the sound of the soft music.
“It was perfect.”
“It was.” He pulled back from me just a little, and our eyes locked. Something was moving between us. “You’re so beautiful.”
His lips crashed into mine, and everything around us faded. I opened my mouth to give his tongue full access to me. He welcomed the invitation because his large hands cupped my face and kissed me hungrily, sending sparks through my entire body. He must have felt it, too, because without notice, he lifted me into the air like it was nothing. His lips never left mine as he placed me on the table.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Phileigh.” His hands roamed my body, and my legs wrapped around him naturally. “I’ve never met a girl like you. I want to know everything there is to know about you. Can I know you, Phileigh?”
My mind was screaming No! I’m off the market , but none of that escaped my lips.
“Yes,” I said just above a whisper.
It was so soft that I thought he didn’t hear me for a second. That theory went out the window as he placed a few soft pecks on my lips before pushing me down on the table.
“Can I start with learning the flavor of this pussy?” His hands roamed up my shirt and then down into my pants. I was speechless as my pussy leaked and my nipples hardened.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes,” I moaned.
He tugged on my pants, and I lifted slightly to allow him to pull them over my thick thighs. Once they were off, he tossed them across the room and spread my legs.
“This pussy is so pretty.”
He moaned before lowering onto his knees. My breath hitched with anticipation. He latched his lips onto my clit, and a burst of pleasure shot through my body.
“Ooh!” I moaned as he dove in headfirst, slurping up my juices. I couldn’t believe he was doing this—that I was doing this. It wasn’t right. I needed to say something.
“I’m… um… pregnant!” I blurted out in between moans. The words spilled out, and he lifted his face to look at me.
“That’s not how this works. You get pregnant after I fuck you.”
He lowered his head back between my legs and latched on to my clit, sucking me into his mouth. Did he think I was joking?”
“No… ooh! I’m twelve weeks pregnant.” It took everything in me to clarify. I grabbed his head and tried to get him to stop and pay attention to me.
“Uh huh!”
He lifted his head and stared at me for a moment. I thought he was processing my words, but after staring at me for a second, he returned his head to my center and continued to devour me. Was I supposed to stop him again? Of course, I was. This was wrong. Squirming, I attempted to push him away.
“Kellon, we can’t. Did you hear what I said?”
“You’re pregnant,” he said, staring at me. His face was wet with my juices. “I heard you. Is that why this pussy so wet and sweet?”
He slid his thick fingers into my insides, hooking my G-spot. My vision blurred, and suddenly, I didn’t care about me being pregnant either.
“Oh my… fuck,” I cried.
“That’s it. Let all those sweet juices out,” he coached, lowering his head back between my thighs.
“Fuck!” I moaned loudly. I was shocked that he wanted to continue after my confession.
“You with the baby daddy?” he questioned, still moving his fingers in and out of me.
“No.” My legs trembled around his neck as he intensified his movements, moving his fingers in and out of my wetness.
“He got a chance of coming back?” He latched onto my clit, and I could feel my juices wetting his face.
“Not at all!” I was panting and squirming.
This was not how I thought this conversation was going to go. He wrapped his hand around my thigh, never letting go of my pearl. I’d never felt pleasure at this magnitude before. Kellon was sucking my clit and dipping his fingers in and out of me like it was what he’d waited his entire life to do so.
“Kellon!” I called his name as my legs quaked around his neck.
I was cumming. Kellon lifted me from the table with his head still placed perfectly between my legs.
“Ooh… fuck. I’m cumming!”
An orgasm ripped through my body, making my legs quake around his neck before he lowered me into his arms. An embarrassed giggle left my lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“What are you doing?” I asked, but he didn’t respond.
He gently carried me to the bedroom and carefully laid me on the covers. His eyes burned a hole in me for a moment, and no matter how hard I stared at him, I couldn’t read his facial expression. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He moved to turn off the lights, sending the room into darkness. I didn’t know if he was leaving me or joining me. Suddenly, the bed sank from the weight of his body, and a wave of anticipation washed over me.
Was I really about to do this? Was I about to have sex with the Kellon Barnes while carrying another man’s baby? I opened my legs to allow him to climb between my thighs, and he chuckled softly, closing them.
“Not tonight. I’m putting you to bed.” He pulled the cover over my body and sat on the edge of the bed. My brows bunched together in confusion.
“Bed?” I asked.
“Have you been to the doctor?”
He ignored my question, and I sat up to look at him. This was the part where he let me down easily.
“To verify my pregnancy, but that’s it.”
“As much as I want to fuck you, Phileigh, I can’t penetrate you tonight. I’m not that nigga,” he said, staring at me sincerely.
I sank into the cover, wishing I could disappear. This was so embarrassing.
“I’m not about to harm the baby,” he said.
He was concerned about my baby. I stared at him speechless. He was showing me a level of concern that the person who helped me sprout this seed hadn’t shown, and I was completely caught off guard.
“I’ll be back to get you early. We can do a character breakfast before your flight leaves. Get some rest.”
He stood from the bed, preparing to leave. My mind was going a mile a minute. Was he saying that he still wanted to pursue me?
“Hey…” I called out to him softly. “Are we… like… are you still interested in me? I don’t want to assume anything.”
I was nervous about his response. He stopped in the doorway and turned to look at me before making his way back over to the bed and taking a seat.
“You being pregnant isn’t enough to run me off, Phileigh. I still want to get to know you.”
I bit my lip nervously. “But me being pregnant is a huge factor. I’ll be taking on something new, and I don’t know if I have time to invest in getting to know you.”
“We’ll both be experiencing something new then. You’ve never been pregnant before, and I’ve never dated anyone pregnant. We can figure this shit out at the same damn time.”
Together. Dated. His words echoed in my brain. The last twenty-four hours had been crazy. Heck, if I was being honest, the last week had been crazy. I’d found out I was pregnant, got ghosted, and now, I was sitting here with the man of every woman’s dreams.
“It doesn’t bother you that I’m pregnant?” I repeated. Maybe he hadn’t actually grasped what that meant.
“It doesn’t. It happened before we met.”
“But you don’t even know by who.”
“Don’t care. Y’all together?”
“No, he blocked me the moment I told him I was expecting. Apparently, my pregnancy doesn’t align with his engagement to a woman I knew nothing about. You’re looking at another statistic,” I said sarcastically.
“Damn. Niggas be out here moving foul as fuck. It’s his loss, though. Fuck that nigga.” He kissed my forehead.
“I thought I knew his character, you know? What do they say? I chose him, right? I can’t complain.”
“Bullshit. Just like you chose him, he chose to nut in you, knowing he had a gal. Please don’t beat yourself up about it. Everything happens for a reason.”
“I know my baby is meant to be here.” I meant every word.
“He or she is definitely meant to be here. Just like we were meant to meet. I don’t believe in coincidences, Phileigh.”
“I guess I don’t either… it’s just… This was all so unexpected.” I dropped my head, but he slid his hand underneath my chin and lifted it.
“The unexpected things are sometimes the best things that happened to us.”
We stared at each other for a moment. The comfort I was finding in this stranger was weird but needed, and all of a sudden, I didn’t want to have to leave his presence.
“What time are we leaving in the morning?”
“Your flight leaves at eight.”
“You’re not flying back with me?” My heart sank.
“Nah, I got more press shit to do. I got you a first-class flight back, though,” he stated, and I nodded my head.
“More press?”
“Yeah, the chaos continues for me. I have a few game shows, Brittani Shephard, and then I’m appearing on all the late nights.”
He said it like it was nothing, like his life wasn’t what dreams were made of. He’d just name dropped my favorite talk show host like it was nothing.
“Brittani Shepard? Wow! I love her show. I can’t believe you’re going to be on it.” I squealed. “I always dreamed of being in the studio audience.”
“Why not join me?’
“Join you?” My eyes widened in disbelief. Was this man extending another invite for me to join him out of town?
“Yeah. Why not?” He shrugged.
“I mean… I’m pregnant. I have a regular job. I got to get back to work, and do I need to remind you we just—” I rambled, staring at him like he was insane.
“I mean… I like being in your presence… You still owe me a haircut, and time is relative. Plus, you make me feel… at peace.”
Damn, did he always say all the right shit? I stared at him speechless once again. How could I counter that?
“What do I have to do to get you and baby Phileigh Cheese to come to New York with me?”
“New York?”
“Yeah, to see me film the Brittani Shepard show.”
“Even if that was logical, which it is not, my bestie is not going to let me off another day.”
“It’s a business trip, though. I still need a cut. I know bestie would support you making twenty grand.”
Twenty grand! For one haircut? I shouldn’t have even considered going. I needed to get home, see the doctor, and start figuring out my life as a soon-to-be single mother, but the offer was New York City with Kellon Barnes, Brittani Shepard, and twenty thousand dollars.
“Lolo does love it when I take celebrity clients.” I shrugged. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Barnes.”
“I know what I want, Phileigh, and I intend to apply the necessary pressure to get it. I want to get to know you, Phileigh Cheese, baby or not. Can you allow me the rest of the week to do so?
The rest of the week was pushing it. I was going to have to cancel clients and bribe the shit out of Lolo, but as I gazed at Kellon, I couldn’t shut out the part of my conscience screaming at me to say yes.
“Yes. I’ll join you in New York.” I gave in.
“Good girl.” Kellon leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. Who knew a forehead kiss could make my pussy leak? “Get some rest, Phileigh Cheese. We got an early morning.”
He gave me one more kiss on the forehead before standing up and walking out the door.
“Okay,” was all I could say as I sank into the bed, listening to him exit the room. Just then, my phone chimed with a notification from a money app. I glanced down, and my eyes bulged.
KB26 sent you $10,000.
I didn’t even get a chance to grasp it before another notification sounded from a different name.
Warhawkskb sent you $10,000.
My mouth dropped. He was paying me without even receiving the service. I thought briefly about sending it back, but quickly changed my mind. Everything about this was too much too fast, and I should have been pumping the brakes, but it seemed like I was already in too deep.