Chapter 39
thirty-nine
A pounding headache and a bear-like snore in her ear pulled her eyes open.
She looked around the dark room, her eyes finding the clock on the nightstand.
Six-ten am. Her body on Kairo’s schedule even though they were hundreds of miles apart.
Looking to her left, she found Cairo’s naked body.
The man was a sight and she was the weak bitch who let him fold her up like a lawn chair.
Unwedging herself from his hold, she tiptoed to the bathroom. She could still feel every inch of him in a torturous pleasure. As much as she wanted to love it, she fought the air. Then scrubbed her face.
“What did you doooo?” she whined softly to herself in the mirror, the evidence of how he devoured her all over her neck and chest. “Got damn it, Kamilla.”
The bathroom door opened and Cairo tiredly strolled in with ease. That dick that made her stupid hours before just bouncing from side to side while he roamed into the separate space to relieve himself. Kamilla bit her lip, then scolded herself. “Stop it. You’ve gotten me into enough shit.”
The toilet flushed and Cairo came into view still at full salute. He washed his hands and turned the shower on. “You talk to yourself in the mirror every morning?”
“Only when I do something stupid,” she muttered. “Like fuck my ex on a work trip.”
“Your ex?” he questioned. “According to the front desk, I’m your husband. Get in, breakfast is on the way up.”
“I’m fine, I’ll get some black coffee and-”
“You can get your fine ass in this shower, or I can put you in this shower and then drop you on this dick,” he countered, making her groan. “Don’t do that.”
“You’re noone’s daddy in here,” she grumbled.
True, he wasn’t but definitely was a daddy and after their romp, more than likely twice.
She stumbled into the shower, grabbing a washcloth in the process.
Under the water, she tried to wash off fast so she could hop out and leave him there, somehow pack up all her stuff and get another room.
Horrible planning because he took the towel from her and took over.
“I hurt you last night?” he asked, concern etched into his voice.
“No. It’s just been…a minute,” she shared. “No one outside of me.”
He didn’t say anything, just washed her from head to toe and she returned the favor.
This moment, this tenderness would end the moment he uncovered the reason behind the stretch marks and added weight she couldn’t get to leave.
It couldn’t be uncovered here, so she pretended.
Took her turn to wash him and live in a fantasy that five years of grinding and mothering the child that was so much like him didn’t happen.
Cairo sat on the bench, grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close. “Ride this.”
“Could you say please?”
“Please, Mariposa. Ride your dick so I can focus today without the urge to take you behind the stage,” he groaned, watching her straddle him.
She inched down on him, making him wince in pleasure. She pulled him close because once this weekend was over, pretending wasn’t an option. Every mark he left on her body, he kissed while gripping her hips like a man deprived.
Up and down, grind, squeeze like he taught her, Kamilla kissed and clawed at his flesh.
“Say it,” he urged. “Say you missed me.”
“I missed you. I missed you so damn much,” she moaned sweetly in his ear. “So much.”
Cairo filled her up again, his eyes baring into her while she tried to hide the remnants of her deceit.
Kisses to her lips before he released her, made the weight of the truth heavier.
Kamilla removed herself from his lap and traipsed to the separate room to relieve herself.
Once she was dried off, moisturized, and wrapped in a robe, she joined him at the table he sat at the night before.
“Fredo called twice,” Cairo announced, studying how she froze for a moment and recovered. “Y’all still got business?”
Kamilla picked up her phone holding the screensaver of the moon. She purposely kept pictures of Kairo out of view of anyone. “Uh yeah. He’s looking after something for me. I’ll call him back later.”
Cairo grunted, detecting there was something else she wasn’t saying but professionally, they didn’t have the time to dive into it. “Come eat. I know you got shit to do, and I’m not trying to have your assistant all up in your mix. I sense you like to keep your shit private.”
“What makes you say that?” she asked gingerly, sitting down.
“All your social media platforms are filled with work shit,” he started. “You, Haddon…”
“Haddon is a friend. More of a brother. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Cairo found relief in that. “How you come across him?”
Only giving parts of the story that mattered right now, she said, “an internship at El Jefe.”
Telling him she only took a fourth of what he left, taking night and online courses until she got her degree because she was pregnant and working were out of the question.
He nodded.
“So…you’re here. How?” Kamilla asked. She truly didn’t know. When she told them to bring him home, she also added that she couldn’t handle the details. “Probation?”
“Nah. Good lawyers thanks to Nate and Fahaad. No prints on the gun, no real eyewitnesses, and ballistics didn’t match for the kill shot. So early release into a half-way house and a year later, I’m here.”
“Mm,” she hummed, looking at the time. “That’s good.”
“I want to know what happened while I was away and I know we can’t get into now because you’re chasing your moon.”
She bobbed her head. “Could we save all of that for when this weekend is over? I know you’re on the hunt for an artist.”
“And what are you on the hunt for?” he questioned.
Kamilla pushed out a sigh then allowed herself to smile. “If I can bring back the trifecta, I’m A&R. I got a lot riding on making sure my head is in the game.”
“I understand that. Got your eyes on anyone?”
“Can’t tell you that. Professionally, I’m watching everyone.”
“That’s fair. I need you to eat so I can get out of here before CiCi comes and undresses me with her eyes,” he stated with detest.
“You’ve been locked up for five years, I’m not going to feel a way,” she replied, earning a scoff.
“I’m not that nigga, K. Don’t position me like one either,” he spoke, uncovering her pancakes and fruit. “Eat.”
She sat in silence, sure to silence her phone. After breakfast was done. He stood, kissed the top of her head and left without another word spoken. She dropped back into her seat and groaned.
“Shit. How am I getting out of this,” she muttered as she turned her phone over. Another call from Fredo. Quickly answering to temper her son, she put the phone to her ear. “Hey, baby.”
“What were you doing, mommy?” Kairo asked, his mouth all on the speaker. “I got six fishes.”
“You got six fish? You’re a big boy now. Did you eat them?” Kamilla asked, her heart aching.
“No, Papa threw ‘em away. But I got fish sticks. Mommy…”
“Yesss,” Kamilla sang.
“When you comin’ home? I want my toys,” he announced.
“I’ll be home Sunday night. I’ll come give you a big kiss.”
“I’m going to sleep with you, okay, mommy?” Kairo propositioned like his father. A demand formed as an ask.
“You can sleep with mommy forever. Be good for Papa, okay?”
“Okay, love you to the moon,” Kairo shouted.
“Not if I steal it,” Kamilla replied.
“Uh uh. I’m taking it first,” Kairo laughed.
“You are my moon, baby. I love you, the most.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Kairo stated before hanging up.
Kamilla pulled in a heavy breath. “That man is going to kill you.”
Another call came through this time from Dania. When Kamilla answered, they let out a twin, “Biittcchhhh.”
“Don’t be mad at me,” Dania started. “Did you see him?”
“Yes,” Kamilla weakly admitted.
“You fucked him!” Dania screeched, turning their phone call into a FaceTime. “Look at me when you answer that.”
Kamilla propped to phone up and covered her face held up two fingers. “He’s going to kill me.”
“You didn’t tell that man he’s a daddy?” Dania asked.
“Between being questioned about where this shit came from and folded up like a lawn chair… I omitted the truth. This is a mess, D. If I tell him about Kairo, he’s dragging my ass out of here. Fuck the job and the promotion.”
“You act like he wouldn’t take care of you,” Dania retorted.
“It’s not about that, it’s about the fall out – again. I can’t be unemployed and hated by him. A struggle has to be picked.”
“And you’re picking your career over your man. Yikes, Kamilla. You’ve seen his temper,” Dania warned. “Tell him before he finds out another way.”
“I will. I swear I will. What’s up, you sounded like you had tea,” Kamilla said, happily taking a distraction.
“And do. Your little boyfriend was in JJ’s Steakhouse with his mother and cousin, only for that pretty little cousin to be the kissing cousin,” Dania shared. “No wonder he wanted you to audition, he’s trying to make you a sister wife.”
“Someone has to kiss him because it’s not me. Not in this lifetime or the next,” Kamilla stated. “Did he see you?”
“Girl, duh? I blew up his spot so uh, be prepared for that. And try and keep it from our boy, we just got him back.”
“Dania, please. His crazy ass assumed I came in here talking to another man last night. Whole time the other man he’s so worried about is his damn child. This is so stupid,” Kamilla huffed as a knock sounded at the door.
“I’m serious, K. Restaurants have been blown up because of you. Men have lost their lives. Do not activate his crazy. Never mind, you fucked him. It’s activated. Girl, you’re in danger,” Dania joked. “Ohh wee. What do you want me to say at your funeral?”
“That you helped,” Kamilla quipped, getting up. “I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
“Alright, stay off dick, girl. He already has one he has no clue about,” Dania added, making Kamilla flick her off and hang up.
Kamilla opened the door, letting CiCi in. She held up a key and offered Kamilla a wide smile. “What’s that?”
“So, at the after party you left early, I bumped into this guy. Started talking and I found out he was a jeweler. I asked him about what he knew about forever rings and come to find out there’s a master key every jeweler has and I got it,” she excitedly spilled.
“What’d you do to get it?” Kamilla asked.
“After everything tonight, I might have a little date,” CiCi announced. “Give me your hand.”
Kamilla held her hand out. “Take Kwan with you. You don’t know that man and we are in La Bega. They snatch, grab, and traffic out here.”
CiCi maneuvered the key to undo the ring. “Fine, if you say so.”
“I say so. Thank you,” Kamilla sighed, pulling the ring off her finger. “Thank God. Talk to me about what’s on the schedule today.”
“Industry Bizz panel, Lunch with Creators, and a producer sound check. I took the liberty of extending the invite to C4 since he’s the only producer on your list,” CiCi shared. “Unless you’re opposed to that.”
“No, that’s fine. I only have tonight and tomorrow’s Hype contest to come up with a pitch.”
“Gotcha, do you need anything?” CiCi asked, opening the door for wardrobe and makeup.
“Black coffee and a sprinkled donut. Please. My nerves are bad this morning and I don’t like public speaking.”