Chapter 16 #2
“No. You’re my wife. My partner. The woman I built an empire for.
” He kept advancing, and I kept retreating until my back hit the wall.
“You think I did all this for me? The businesses, the club, pullin’ away from the streets?
I did it for you. For our family. So you could have the life you wanted and deserved. ”
“Yeah, and at what cost? Because you still ended up fucking up and losing me.”
“I was tryin’ to build somethin’ big and powerful enough that you’d never want for anything. That our kids would never struggle like I did.” His hands came up on either side of my head, trapping me. “Every decision I’ve made and every risk I’ve taken was for you.”
“Fucking those bitches and dodging charges were for me, too? Don’t put that on me.”
“I’m not puttin’ shit on you. I’m tellin’ you the truth. The truth you ran from. The truth you’re still runnin’ from.” His face was inches from mine, and I could smell the liquor on his breath. “You left ‘cause you were scared of how much you love me. Of how much power I have over you.”
Tears were streaming down my face now. “I left because you broke every promise you made to me.”
“I know, baby. I’m fuckin’ sorry.”
“You said you’d be faithful. You weren’t.”
“I know.”
“You said you’d leave the streets numerous times. You didn’t.”
“I did, but…”
“After I left! After I took the kids and filed for separation! You only changed because you were forced to!”
“You’re right.” The admission seemed to cost him something. I could see it all over his face. “You’re absolutely right. I should’ve changed sooner and been the man you needed me to be once life got good. But I can’t change the past, Soul. I can’t take back that shit.”
“No. You can’t.”
“But I can be that man now, baby.” His hand came up to cup my face, his thumb wiping away my tears. “I can be faithful. I can be present. I can be everything you need. If you give me another chance.”
“I gave you so many fucking chances.”
“Give me one more.” His forehead pressed against mine. “One more. That’s all a nigga’s askin’.”
“I can’t,” I whispered. “I can’t keep breaking my own heart over you.”
“Then don’t break it. Let me put it back together.” Money’s lips brushed against mine, soft and gentle. “Let me love you the way I did in the beginnin’.”
“You don’t know how.”
“Then teach me.” He kissed me softly. “Show me what you need. I’ll be that. Whatever it takes, Soul. I’ll fuckin’ do it.”
“You say that now…”
“I mean that shit.” His voice was fierce. “I’ve spent a year and a half without you. And now you’re here, and you’re tellin’ me you still love me, and you think I’m gon’ let you walk away again? You’re out of your fuckin’ mind.”
“I just want a normal life, Money.”
“I get it.” He kissed me again, his tongue sliding against mine, and I felt myself melting. “You want the intensity, the passion, and the feeling of bein’ completely consumed by someone who loves you more than life itself. But… without the danger and the risks. I fuckin’ get it.”
“Money…”
“Give us another chance, baby.”
“I…”
“Say it, Solei.”
“Fuck,” I sobbed against his mouth. “I miss you so much it hurts.”
Money grasped my throat and kissed me like he was claiming me all over again.
His other hand pulled me closer, and I was drowning in him, in us, in everything we’d ever been.
And then suddenly, I wasn’t in his office anymore.
My mind traveled back to being twenty-three, standing in his apartment, nervous and excited and terrified all at once.
“Close your eyes.” Money’s voice was soft behind me, his hands gentle on my hips as he guided me through his apartment door.
“Money, what the…?”
“Just trust me, baby. Keep your eyes closed.”
My heart was racing. We’d been dating for a year and every day felt like falling deeper into something I didn’t fully understand. Something intense, consuming, and completely unlike anything I’d experienced before. I’d dated before, but none of them were like Money.
“Aight,” he said, his breath warm against my ear. “Open them.” I opened my eyes and gasped. His studio apartment was transformed.
Soft music played from a small Bluetooth speaker, something slow and sensual. “Money…” I turned to look at him, and the expression on his face made my breath catch.
He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. “Happy birthday, Soul.”
No one had ever called me that before him. Soul. It had been something new and the day he’d first said it stuck with me. I loved it. “This is beautiful,” I whispered.
“You’re beautiful.” He took my hand, leading me further into the apartment. “I wanted tonight to be special and to show you how much you mean to me.”
My heart was pounding. We’d been taking things slow–well, slow for Money.
Kissing and touching, but never going all the way.
He knew I was a virgin and wanted to wait for the right moment.
And looking at him now, at the way he’d transformed his space for me, I knew this was it. This was the moment. “Money, I…”
“You don’t have to say anything.” He cupped my face in his hands. “And we don’t have to do shit you’re not ready for. I just wanted you to know that I love you and that I’m serious about you. About us.”
“I love you too,” I said, and I meant it with everything in me. He kissed me, slow and deep, and I felt myself melting into him. His hands slid down to my waist, pulling me closer, and I could feel his dick getting harder by the second. “I’m ready,” I whispered against his lips.
He pulled back, searching my eyes. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.” I took his hand and placed it over my racing heart. “I want this. I want you.”
Something shifted in his expression, and his face showed heat, possession, and tenderness all mixed together. “Come here, baby.” Biting his bottom lip , he led me over to his bed. “You’re shakin’," he said softly, his hands running up and down my arms.
“I’m hella nervous.”
“Don’t be. I gotchu.” He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, and my lips. “I gotchu. I promise.”
Money undressed me slowly, reverently, like he was unwrapping something precious. When I was standing in just my bra and panties, he stepped back to look at me. I tried to cover up my body fat, but he quickly slapped my hands away.
“I keep tellin’ you about that shit. You’re fuckin’ perfect,” he breathed. “So fuckin’ perfect, Soul.”
“Okay, then,” I said, my voice shaky. “Your turn.”
He pulled his shirt over his head, and I couldn't help but stare.
He was beautiful. Big muscles and smooth dark skin, scars and tattoos covering his chest and arms. Evidence of the life he lived and the dangers he faced.
When he stripped down to his boxers, I saw the outline of him, and my eyes went wide. His dick was... big. Really big.
“Aye.” He tilted my chin up, making me meet his eyes. “Don’t be scared. I’m gon’ go slow. I’ll make sure you’re good, aight?” I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He lay me down on the bed, settled beside me, and kissed me until I relaxed. His hands explored my body, learning every curve and every sensitive spot. When he unhooked my bra and took my breast in his mouth, I arched off the bed, gasping.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmured against my skin.
“Let me hear you. Let me know what feels good.” His hand slid down my stomach, slipping under the waistband of my panties, and I tensed.
“Relax,” he whispered. “I gotchu.” His fingers made their way to my pussy, and he groaned. “Fuck, Soul. You’re so wet for me.”
He worked my clit slowly, building the pleasure until I was squirming beneath him, desperate for more. When he finally slid my panties off and settled between my legs, I was trembling.
“You still sure?” he asked, his eyes locked on mine.
“Yes.”
He reached for a condom, rolling it on, and then positioned himself at my entrance. “This is gonna hurt at first. But I promise it’ll get better. Just breathe through it, okay?”
I nodded, my hands gripping his shoulders. He pushed in slowly, just the tip, and I gasped at the stretch. It burned, and the pressure was intense and overwhelming. “Fuck…”
“Breathe, baby,” he said, his voice strained. “Just breathe.” Money pushed in a little more, and I whimpered. God, it hurt. “I know, I know,” he soothed, kissing my tears away. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. Just a little more.”
He pushed in further, and I cried out with my nails digging into his back. “Moneyyy!”
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” he groaned.
“It hurts…”
“I know. I know it does. But you’re doin’ so good, baby. So fuckin’ good.” He stilled, letting me adjust. “You want me to stop?”
“No,” I gasped. “No, keep going. I want all of you.”
He pushed in deeper, inch by inch, until he was fully seated inside me. We both froze, breathing hard, adjusting to the sensation. “You good?”he asked, his voice rough.
“Yeah. Just... give me a second.”
Money stayed still, kissing me softly and whispering sweet things against my lips. “You’re so beautiful. So perfect. I love you so much, Soul. So fuckin’ much."
Slowly, the pain began to fade, replaced by a warm sensation. “Okay,” I whispered. “You can move.”
He pulled out slowly and pushed back in, and this time it didn't hurt as much. He set a gentle rhythm, watching my face, making sure I was okay. “How’s that feel?”
“Good. It feels... good.”
“Yeah?” He picked up the pace slightly. “You feel so fuckin’ good like you were made for me.”
“Money…”
“You’re mine now,” he said, his voice taking on that possessive edge I was learning to recognize. “You understand that? You gave this pussy to me, and now you’re mine. Forever.”
“Forever, babe,” I echoed, lost in the sensation of him moving inside me.
“That’s fuckin’ right. Forever.” He thrust deeper, and I moaned. “I'm gon’ love you forever, Soul. Gonna take care of you and give you everything you ever wanted. You’re never gon’ want for anything, baby. I promise.”
The pain was completely gone now, replaced by pleasure that built with every thrust. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, and he groaned.
“Fuck, yes. Just like that.” Money picked up the pace, his hips snapping against mine. “You feel what you do to me? Feel how hard you make me? This dick is all for you, baby. All of it.”
“Money, I… oh God…” Every thrust hit deeper than the last, and I could barely breathe.
“I’m gon’ marry you,” he said suddenly, his rhythm increasing, his eyes locked on mine. “You know that, right?”
My eyes widened, heart pounding. “What?”
“I’m gon’ marry you, Solei. Make you mine for real.”
My heart stuttered. He couldn’t be serious. Not now. Not like this, with his dick buried inside me and my body trembling on the edge of release. “Money…”
“You gon' say yes, right?”
I couldn't think. All I could feel was him inside me, so deep and relentless. “Yessss,” I gasped, the word torn from my throat. “Yes, yes, oh Goddd…”
“That’s my girl. Cum on my dick.” He reached between us, his thumb finding my clit. “Let me feel it.”
The combination of his words and his touch sent me over the edge. I came hard, crying out his name, pussy clenching around his dick. “Oh, God… Moneyyy!”
“Fuck, yes," he groaned, his rhythm faltering. “That’s my fuckin’ baby.” Money thrust a few more times and then stilled, his body shuddering as he came.
He collapsed on top of me, both of us breathing hard, our bodies slick with sweat.
He rolled off me, pulling me into his arms, and I curled against his chest. “I meant what I said about marryin’ you. ”
I turned in his arms to face him, my heart still racing. “We've only been together for a year.”
“I don’t care. I know what I want. I’ve known since the day I met you.”
“Montana…”
“I’m just tellin’ you so you know. So there’s no confusion about where this shit is goin’.”
I studied his face, my fingers tracing his jaw. He was serious. Completely, terrifyingly serious. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. You’re it for me, Soul. The only one. The last one.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I love you so much it scares me.”
“Don’t be scared, baby.” He kissed my forehead, my nose, my lips. “I’ll protect your heart. Always.”
And in that moment, wrapped in his arms, his promise still warm inside me, I believed him. In that moment, wrapped in his arms, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting anyone else. I couldn’t imagine a future that didn’t include Money. I couldn’t imagine…
BANG BANG BANG.
The loud knock on the office door jolted me back to reality. I gasped, pulling away from Money, my heart racing for entirely different reasons now.
“Fuck,” Money muttered, his hands still on my waist and his lips on my neck. “Ignore it.”
BANG BANG BANG.
“Boss, you in there?” Black’s voice came through the door. “We got a situation downstairs.”
Reality crashed over me like a brick. I wasn’t twenty-three anymore. I wasn’t in Money’s apartment on my birthday, giving him my virginity and believing in forever. I was thirty-six, engaged to another man, and standing in his office with my lipstick smeared and my clothes disheveled.
“Shit,” I breathed, pushing him away with all my strength. “Shit, shit, shit.”
“Soul…”
“Move, Money.” I looked around frantically for my purse.
“Solei, listen to me.”
“No, I can’t do this. I have to go.”
“Baby, stop runnin’ from me.”
“Move.” I went to snatch my purse up and walked back toward the door.
“Solei,” Money’s voice was commanding and demanding as she placed his hands on his hips. “Don’t you walk out that fuckin’ door.”
I paused in front of him with my hand on the handle and my whole body trembling. “I have to,” I whispered. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”
“You already did it. You came here. You kissed me. You told me you love me. You can’t take that shit back.
” Tears were streaming down my face as I opened the door and ran.
I ran past Black, who was standing in the hallway looking concerned.
Behind me, I heard Money’s voice, loud and clear from the top of the stairs.
“I know that pussy’s wet, baby! Let me do somethin’ with that! ”
I ran down the stairs, through the club, past the stares and whispers.
I ran all the way to my car and locked myself inside.
My whole body was shaking. Pulling out of the parking lot, tears blurred my vision.
Money was right. My pussy was throbbing, and my heart was pounding.I hated him. I hated that he could get me like this.
“Fuck!” I cried out, banging on the steering wheel as I busted a U-turn instead of going home to my kids.