Chapter 15 #2
“So now, wouldn’t be the time or place to lift this dress and eat you in your favorite place,” he stepped forward, pressing his semi-hard dick against my backside.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned around, now face-to-face.
“Tell me how you pulled it off, and I might consider it.”
“Bullshit,” he called my bluff.
“Guess, you’ll never know because you’re too scared.”
“You’re baiting me, Blue. Ain’t nothing coming off tonight, but I’m cool with that. Watching you try to crack the code is more entertaining anyway.”
“Why do you insist on getting on my nerves?”
“Is Gummy Bear better?”
“Now, where did you come up with that?”
“Gummy Bears are stubborn and tough at first chew. It takes effort to get to the soft, sweet center that melts in your mouth,” He leaned in, voice low and thick.
“That sweet, juicy center is worth every second of the fight. That’s why you can’t just eat one.
They’re addictive as fuck, kinda like you. Plus, you keep eating my shit.”
Funny how Treason mentioned me being addicted when I was the one clenching my vagina to keep it from throbbing. He was hard to defend when he got in this mode. Talking that shit, so smooth and staring me down while he did it, so I knew he meant every word.
“I don’t like that one either.”
“Too bad. Pick one before I pick for you,” he demanded, with a seriousness that told me he wasn’t playing.
I sighed, “I’ll get back to you.”
“You do that.”
Treason remained completely present, laughing at me, and rambling on with little-known facts about each exhibit.
The only time he answered was when Jamie called, because we’d lost track of time and dinner had arrived.
We walked back to the entrance, where a romantic dinner for two was set up, and vintage movie clips were on the screen in the distance.
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.”
It just slipped out, softer than I meant, like my heart got there before my mouth could catch it. I regretted it immediately until I heard his voice.
“Even Candy Man?”
“ Candy Man ?”
“Hearing that name ruins your mood. Have you all tense and shit looking for an exit like he is Candy Man .”
“You’re so annoying.” But I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
I hated how easily he could do that— make me forget how heavy things felt sometimes.
“He did okay at first,” I shrugged. There were dates, nothing this thoughtful, because Lorenzo didn’t pay attention enough.
“Then once he felt like I fell hard enough, he stopped, I guess. Can I ask you something?”
“Oh shit,” Treason dropped his fork and used the napkin to wipe his face.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” he mocked.
“Make shit weird.”
“Aight, Blue. I’m listening,” he taunted, leaning forward, wearing the most obnoxious smile.
“Are you still fuckin’ Thandie?”
His shoulders laxed, “No,” slipping from his lips he’d just licked.
I reworded the question because I was dealing with a politician at heart. “Is she fuckin’ you?”
“I’m not fuckin’ Thandie and she ain’t fuckin’ with me. It was never a relationship. We were fuck buddies at best.”
Thandie was doing her best to prolong her fifteen minutes of fame, talking to anyone who shoved a microphone in her face.
She couldn’t keep his name out of her fuckin mouth, hiding behind her professional opinion when asked about our relationship.
A woman that smart knew she was fueling the drama while putting a target on my back.
Navie knows they’re fucking. She’s just in it for the money and clout, so she doesn’t care. Just like she did with Lorenzo.
Those comments always led back to Candy Man . I couldn’t get away from him if I wanted to.
“You are full of shit,” I chided, unsure if I believed his recount of events.
“Swear.”
“Don’t swear, Tre!”
“ I promise ,” he mouthed facetiously, “I don’t have shit to lie about.”
“You could be lyin’ in hopes I pull up this dress later.”
He laughed. Tre always laughed when I said something he deemed crazy.
“It might not be tonight, but you’re gonna do that anyway, Blue. You want to, but you like torturing yourself, so I don’t have to lie for that.”
“I don’t know why she’s doing all this behind you, but she needs to stop.”
“Attention is the new heroin. She’s trying to get another hit.”
“Well, I’m tired of hearing her mouth.”
“Tired or jealous?”
I narrowed my eyes, refusing to answer because it was a little of both.
“I need a favor?”
“You always need a favor. What now?” I sighed.
“Nothing you haven’t already been doing. Cook dinner. Fallon and her girlfriend are coming over for dinner.”
“ Girlfriend ? Damn, I guess she really isn’t fuckin you.”
“Nah, you’re more her type than I am.”
“Ew! Don’t say that.”
Treason shrugged, “We like the same shit, but she knows not to touch what’s mine.”
“Damn it,” I snapped, “Now, can you tell me how you knew?”
“Are you cooking or what?”
“Fine, but if either of them start with me, I don’t wanna hear not one ayo, chill .”
He shrugged, playing it cool, but there was warmth in his voice, revealing, “You were in the Madison Gazette. Eighth-grade Black History project.”
Local student brings Dorothy Dandridge back to life in Black History Month Tribute .”
I blinked, the memories flooding back. Black History Month is always my favorite. I wore a red off-the-shoulder dress to match Dorothy’s Carmen Jones look that year. Sloane even styled my hair in soft, vintage waves to present the monologue and movie poster.
“You had to dig deep for that headline.”
“What’s the caption for those breadcrumbs the internet is waiting on?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” A wave of curiosity hit me that I couldn’t hide. “Can I ask you something else?”
“You’re full of questions tonight. You must’ve really missed me,” he teased, learning things that I didn’t have to teach.
“You don’t seem like the forgiving type. How do you sleep so soundly next to me at night? I could try again.”
That’s the part they don’t show you in fairytales. The clause that says it’s too good to be true, because who gets a man like him without consequence?
“Fearing you would mean doubting myself, and I don’t do that. Besides, “I got what I wanted out of the deal. There’s no need for revenge.”
“Let me guess, that’s me?”
“Who else?” he joked, then explained, “I moved you in. Gave you something to do that keeps you safe while covering Rayven’s tuition. I share my Gummy Bears and even let you take over my fuckin’ bathroom because you like it better. I’m starting to feel underappreciated, around this bitch.”
“That doesn’t make it okay to blackmail and kidnap someone.”
“I never said it was right. I just didn’t give a fuck. I still don’t, but I know that if I want you to stay, I have to make this safe for you.”
“Stay until the election is over,” I reminded him, forcing his back against the chair as he ran a hand over his head. He’d gotten a haircut for tonight’s festivities because this wasn’t just a date with his fake girlfriend.
“You know why Jordan and Pippen were so good together?” He asked, his thumb grazing the corner of his mouth.
“Why?” I asked, sucked in by the man I wasn’t supposed to be falling for, but goddamn, he made it hard.
“Jordan was already a monster before Pippen. He could score, sell out arenas, and win games. But he didn’t start winning championships until Pippen came along. He did the things that didn’t always make the highlight reels, but they made the team better.”
“I don’t know what any of that means,” I chuckled, because I wasn’t a sports girl, but everybody knew Michael Jordan.
“Pippen did the little things and shined in his own lane so Jordan could focus on being a killer. They made each other better just by being who they were, but it all started with trust.”
I followed where Treason was going with this. He didn’t want things to end when the election was over, but staying was a big ask.
“How did Pippen know he could trust Jordan?”
He opened his mouth, then paused, a little thrown. Treason Westbrook didn’t have an answer, making me smile. Thanks to his relentless tenacity, he scrubbed his beard until he found one that suited him.
“He probably didn’t at first, but every time the game was on the line, Jordan showed up. Trust isn’t built in words. It’s built on how somebody performs when it matters. Tell me what you need, Blue?”
I studied him, trying to reconcile the man who forced me into this with the one sitting across from me now. Treason , breaking into my apartment and having me arrested, felt like ages ago. Tre was caring, soft with my heart, and patient.
“Time and mutual respect. Don’t treat me like another employee you order around if you want me to be your partner, Jordan .”
He didn’t like it, but he understood biting the corner of his lip like it killed him to reply, “I got you,” like it killed him.
Three words that were becoming a staple in our conversations.
It was a simple gesture, but one I wasn’t used to—not from a man or anyone else.
Feeling heard was so foreign that it left me stuck.
It didn’t matter because one very important luxury of dating Treason Westbrook was that I didn’t have to have all the answers.
After dinner, he escorted us to the viewing area to enjoy the movie clips playing and pulled out his phone. Usually, I was the one sneaking clips of him when he wasn’t a polished politician.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer right away, just leaned back in his chair like he had all the time in the world, framing me with his camera the way a man studies a painting.
“Making me look human. Isn’t that what you call it?”
“Oh my God. Stop!” I complained, shielding my face.
“I’m directing tonight. Put those hands down and rate my outfit before I make you pay for it,” he growled, my gaze flying to him.
“Tens across the board.”
He nodded, a smile creasing his lips.
“And the surprise date night?”
I scrunched my face and wiggled my hand, signifying the night was a little iffy. His brows shot up behind the camera, making me laugh.
“It’s like that?”
“I’m joking, Stink.” I crawled close enough for him to kiss the tip of my nose before diving into the deep end.
The turbulence of his kiss made my arms shaky.
His lips were so soft, knowing when to use forceful passion and sensual tugs that made me want to lift this dress.
“Twenty out of ten. Best date ever,” I admitted.
“Aight, it’s time to cut. Blue and I have business to handle,” he announced, putting the phone down.
His hand immediately found my thigh. Not in an erotic way, but reassuringly strumming my skin, occasionally squeezing it. He was so quiet after a while that I looked over and smiled at him, falling asleep.