Chapter 17
SHE MISSED HIM
Pretti was in the back of her shop, cleaning her hair clippers and getting them ready for opening at noon.
She was still tired from the night before and couldn't stop thinking about Lunden pushing her into a wall.
What he had done was so unacceptable. He swore it was an accident, but she knew his game too well.
“This nigga is getting crazy. I'm going to have to leave him,” she said out loud as she wrapped her cords and headed towards the front to finish setting up for the day.
She made it to the front and was startled to see Dexz sitting at her station, looking at his reflection in the mirror while stroking his beard. She forgot she had left the entrance unlocked, and he had crept in. She noticed he closed the blinds and locked the door.
“What's up, ma? That's you outside?” he asked, referring to the brand-new dark gray Range Rover that was sitting in front of the shop.
“Yeah, that's me.” She gazed at him through the mirror as she stood a couple of inches behind him. He hadn’t changed one bit. He was still the same cute, tall, chocolate Dexz she knew, just with a little hair, and he had gained a lot of weight.
“That shit fly. Who taught you how to drive? That nigga Lunden?” He smirked.
“No, I taught myself. This is my third trade-in since I’ve been here, but my first luxury car.”
Dexz stood up and walked towards her. Her heart was racing because it had been so long since they had been alone.
Just being the two of them used to be their norm, but now he was almost a stranger.
That was until his hands touched her face gently, and they locked eyes.
She was much shorter than him, so he looked down and kissed her on the lips softly, taking in the bottom one.
Their pecks turned into full tongue action for the first time as adults.
Dexz pulled away from their kiss and rested his forehead on hers as she whimpered. All the feelings they had for each other that they tried to hide had surfaced again.
“How did you end up with this nigga?” he asked, low and upset.
“He's been in my life ever since I got here, and we fell in love later. I'm so sorry. I ain’t know no better and feel like I still don’t. I was so weak without you,” she whined with her head down, but he lifted her chin.
“I played my cards all wrong with you. I'm sorry too, because this is my fault. I should have made you my girl before I got locked up or told you my feelings in a letter, so you could be ready for me. I just didn’t want to stop you from living your life while I was locked up. That shit is selfish.” He kissed her again and wiped her tears with his thumbs.
“It wouldn’t have been selfish. You put me in a position where I could live and survive on my own.
You promised you would take care of me and support my dream, and you did.
We’re here standing in my shop you bought me that we always talked about.
I would’ve waited for you or made myself available…
and I would’ve never gotten in too deep with Lunden. ”
“And I'm fucking proud of your fine ass. You did good while I was gone, and I don’t care about that nigga Lunden being with you because you’re mine regardless,” he mumbled.
Their intimate moment got steamy when he lifted her hot pink sundress over her head as they kissed. She stood in front of him in her bra and thong. She pushed him gently into her chair and stood in front of him while he took in her body.
“I'm not a virgin anymore, so you don't have to be scared of me now. I’m mature like you wanted me and ready for you,” she said as they locked eyes. In that moment, Lunden didn't exist. It was all about them.
“Shit, I'm ready. Lunden tried to push Storm on me, but you know I wouldn’t fuck her.” He bit his bottom lip seductively.
He pulled his dick from his new designer jeans and boxer briefs, already hard.
Pretti was turning him on at just the right time.
She couldn’t stand looking at her engagement ring with her soulmate in the room, so she took it off and set it on her station.
She climbed onto his lap and slid down on his dick slowly, because just his presence had her wet enough to not need foreplay.
Dexz couldn’t stop kissing her, and he was enjoying the way she was moaning into his mouth.
They had wanted their moment to happen since they were kids.
They might not have been in the situation they wanted to be in, but the moment was special and well worth the wait.
He didn’t want to come home and fuck anybody else.
He didn’t care who she was with either. He was coming home to get what was destined to be his.
“Dexz, this feels so right,” she muttered as she threw her head back and rode him like a pro with her hands on his knees.
He sucked on her pierced nipples, which surprised him, and played with her swollen clit as she zoned out and rode him.
He was impressed with her skills, but he already knew who taught her.
He brushed the thought aside and kept his focus on their lovemaking.
He wanted to kill Lunden for what he had done to his heart, and his heart was the woman on top of him fucking his brains out.
He had broken her in more than he ever expected.
“Shit, Pretti! I’m about to cum!” he uttered seductively as he stroked her from underneath. They had only been fucking for twenty minutes, but he exploded inside of her without a second thought.
Pretti silently lay on his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. It made her think back to the times when they used to be alone in their motel.
When she was sad about anything, he would hold her and play in her hair. However, she knew she couldn't lie up with him. She had a full day of money-making, so her time with her bestie had to end.
She stood up and slipped on her clothes.
She didn’t have time to freshen up, and she really didn’t want to.
She wanted to have Dexz all over her for the day.
She had let him nut in her on purpose, because she wanted all of him, even though she was actively fucking Lunden.
With Dexz, he could do anything, but with Lunden, she had restrictions because she couldn’t take birth control since she was allergic to every brand on the market.
“Our birthday is in three weeks. I’ma get us a spot in the Hampton’s. I need to spend some time with you so we can catch up.” He stood up and put away his manhood. Pretti fixed her face and her hair.
“Okay, that sounds like a plan. You ready to get that cut?” she asked with a smile.
“Yup… but listen. If Lunden is who you want, be with that nigga. I was gone; I can’t stop you from who you want to be with.
But I do want you to know I’m not happy about you fucking with this nigga, so if he does anything to you that I don’t like, it’s ova’ for him.
You hear me, Pretti. I want you bad, but I’ma let you live your life because I was gone. ”
“We’ll talk, Dexten,” she replied bashfully.
Dexz went to the restroom and came out ready for his cut. As she was cutting his hair, Storm came in and opened the shop.
She gave him a fly-ass low fade with a line on the side like Nas.
He wanted to keep a little hair, so the low cut worked for him.
He also kept his beard but cut it real low.
She trimmed his eyebrows, put lines in them, and gave him a mini facial before she sent him off into the world looking like a snack.
“Damn, that’s the sexy ass Dexz I used to know. I’m glad after all these years you want to keep some of your beard. This cut is on the house, but next time, I need my money for a cut and facial. Prices went up from them fifteen-dollar cuts.” She threw her hands on her hips.
Dexz laughed. “You ain’t never played about yo’ money. I got you next time.”
As he stood up, a few customers came in.
It was a little after twelve, so the afternoon clients were starting to fall through.
Then in came Lunden, holding a bouquet of white and pink roses and a few bags from Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
All eyes were on him as he walked through with his flowers and gifts.
Everybody thought he was bringing them because of their engagement the night before, but it was really his usual “I’m sorry” gifts.
Dexz looked at Lunden and then glared at Pretti. He smirked at them because he couldn’t believe they were a couple. It blew his mind every time he saw them interact, and it had only been a few hours since he had been around them.
“I’ma get out of here and let you rap with ya’ manz. I’ll be at your crib later tonight though. My PO is coming tomorrow.” He kissed her on the cheek and walked off, bumping into Lunden purposefully with a cocky smirk on his face.
“What’s up, my nigga? Treating your fiancée right. I see you, bro.” Dexz smirked as he playfully punched Lunden in the arm.
“Yeah, whatever, nigga. I always treat my girl right; this ain’t nothing. I see you got that shit cut off ya head tho’. You look like a new nigga,” Lunden shot back at him. He was pissed Dexz kissed his woman on the cheek, but he kept his cool.
“Yeah, I did, thanks to ya’ girl. I’ll check you later though, my guy. I’m about to go spend some of this dough and find me a chick to fuck on.” Dexz walked off, laughing. He could’ve told Lunden that he had fucked on Pretti, but he always kept it playa with himself, not kissing and telling.
He left out the shop feeling like a million-dollar nigga, but Pretti felt like her heart left out the door, leaving her behind. She had no interest in what Lunden had brought in for her, but she sucked it up and played her role.
“What’s up, bae? I got you something for our engagement.” Lunden handed her the flowers and the bags.
“Thank you.” She smelled the roses.
Lunden looked around to make sure Storm was nowhere in sight before he spoke.
“I also got this to apologize for last night. I wasn’t thinking. I get that you’re looking out for ya’ best friend. I’m just not used to how y’all are around each other. It’s new to me, all the hugging and kissing. That shit makes a nigga cringe,” Lunden admitted.
“You can’t be mad when me and Dexz are together. We have history, so we’re going to be close like we were before he got locked up.”
“I hear you. I guess it’s some shit I’m going to have to deal with.
That nigga knew you before me, so what can I say, but just watch yourself.
Remember you are my wife-to-be; you are going to marry me, and not that nigga.
Don’t embarrass me with this best friend shit, okay? ” He gave her a stern look.
“I’m not going to embarrass you, Lunden. Have I ever?”
“No, you haven’t, and that’s why I trust you. I made dinner reservations for us tonight. I’ll pick you up from your apartment at six. I have to meet with some niggas at my crib, so I’ll get dressed there.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready.” She smiled and kissed him on the lips to lighten the mood, even with Dexz’s soul still all over her from their lovemaking. She knew deep inside he was in a jealous rage and mad he couldn’t step to Dexz about her. But she kept the mood light, not even trying to argue.
“Alright, I love you, woman.”
“I love you too. Now I have to get to my clients. I’ll see you later.”
Lunden left her shop.
“Make up presents?” Storm asked when she walked up to Pretti’s station, already knowing what was going on before Pretti even told her. Storm already knew something was going to go down between them once Dexz came home. She knew Lunden would be jealous, and a fight was near.
“Yeah, and engagement presents, so he says. This nigga grabbed me up because I asked where Dexz was. I took my ring off last night, but he begged me to put it back on. I don’t know how much longer I can be with him.
I fucked Dexz before you walked in, and girl, I took my ring off before I jumped his bone.
I’m surprised Lunden didn’t know I had it off,” she admitted.
“Well, you know I got your back. Just to let you know, Lunden paid me to keep your bestie company, but as you can see, it’s not working.
I didn’t fuck him, and I knew you would mess around with him.
So, if I were you, I’d get my true love before some other chick does.
Don’t let that go over your head, baby girl. ”
Pretti sighed. “Dexz told me, and I hear you, boo. I’m so torn right now. But I’ll be making up my mind soon, though.”
“Ain’t nothing to be torn about… but we got money to make.
Since you been fuckin’, I’ll hold you down for an hour so you can go home and freshen up if you want.
That new Brazilian hair just came, and you know these bitches are about to be running through here like clockwork.
So, fuck these niggas for a minute and let's get to this money,” Storm preached, trying to change the mood.
She knew her friend loved money more than anything.
So she snapped out of her love trance and got to the bag.
“I wasn’t going to wash him off me because I didn’t want our moment to end.
I wish we could revisit it tonight since he is moving in, but I know Lunden’s ass ain’t gon’ let us spend the night alone.
I’ma head home and change because I forgot my day bag anyway.
I’ll be back in less than an hour. I’m not missing a dime.
I’m trying to get a second car and a bigger house. ”
“That’s my girl. You clockin’ big goals, baby.”
Pretti rushed out with only money on her mind. Wasn't no man in the world going to stop her cash flow because they got her in her feelings.