16. Erissa
“He should be home by now,” I told Shakira.
“Maybe something happened at the arena, and they had to stay longer.”
“Then he should’ve sent a text.”
“True, but men are stupid. It probably didn’t cross his mind.”
“Why are you defending him? Not too long ago, you were ready to let him have it.”
“I’ve calmed down and realized it’s not my place. He’s your man, not mine, and I’m sure you’ll let him know what’s good. This will be his one and only pass from me, though.”
I’d been home for two hours and expected River to be here at least thirty minutes ago. I hadn’t called or texted him because I assumed whatever was keeping him was a part of his job, and I didn’t want to be that girlfriend.
“At this point, I’m not even sure I should’ve been mad at him because of those bitches.”
“They were some hating-ass, disrespectful bitches, who thought River was still for the streets and were mad that you were there.”
As soon as Shakira and I entered the suite, we felt a chill, and the energy in the room shifted. We politely spoke to everyone, but there was a group of women with mean-girl energy. Of course, we ignored them, but they wanted our attention.
Ultimately, we found out that some of them had come with the players’ wives or girlfriends, hoping to hook up with the single players. River and Jaxon were high on their list, so they were disappointed to see us.
Shakira and Jaxon were cool, but as of now, nothing had happened between them. We’d run into him on the way to the suite, and the ladies had seen them talking, so they assumed she was there for him. While I ignored them, Shakira didn’t hold her tongue or mince her words.
“They weren’t too happy about you being there, either, because they thought you came for Jaxon.”
“I don’t care what those hos thought. They had no right to be rude, and I couldn’t stop myself from letting them know.”
“Maybe if I didn’t have Rivvy, my reaction would’ve been different, but that’s a big maybe. I have no intention of arguing with random-ass women over River, in person or online.”
“Oh shit. Speaking of online. I think I know where River might be.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Go to Keeping It in the Closet.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sick of that gossiping ass page.”
I opened the Flikstagram app and put the name of the blog in the search bar. The last thing they posted was a picture of a man with one arm around a woman and the other blocking his face. When I looked a little closer, I realized the man was River.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I said, more to myself than Shakira.
“Don’t jump to conclusions. There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation.”
@KIITC: Well, well, well. We can always count on @rivwest33 to give us some hot tea.
He’s been keeping a low profile for a few weeks and has only been spotted with the unknown redheaded beauty.
We were hopeful that she’d stolen his heart, but Mr. Westmore ain’t loyal to nothing but the streets.
Here he is, just hours after earning a victory in their season home opener, seen leaving his condo with a gorgeous, curly-haired, brown-skinned beauty. I guess the redhead’s time is up.
“They say a tiger never changes its stripes. Why did I think this man would change?”
“Sis, you should—”
“No, Kira. I shouldn’t do anything but remember the man I’m dealing with. He said he would try, but the season has barely started, and he’s back to his old ways.”
“I’m sorry, Rissa.”
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have been so trusting.”
“What do you want me to do? I can come over, and we can pour bleach on all his clothes, or scratch up all his cars, or—”
“Kira. It’s fine. There’s no need to do all that. I know where I stand, and I’ll move accordingly. I’ll call you later or tomorrow.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not, but I will be.”
“Call me if you need anything. I love you, sis.”
“Love you too.”
I ended the call and went back to KIITC's post to look at the picture more closely. I couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the identity of the man wasn’t in question. It was River Jamal Westmore.
I sighed as I went upstairs to check on Riverlynn. She was sleeping peacefully in her crib, looking adorably sweet, completely unaware that her father was a womanizing asshole. I left her room, and instead of going to River’s room, where I’d been sleeping for the past two weeks, I went to mine.
After going through my skincare regimen and a quick shower, I dressed in a loose-fitting T-shirt and shorts, then went downstairs to wait for River. I sat on the couch in the family room for about ten minutes before I heard the garage.
I became angrier with every second that passed while I waited for him to enter the house.
By the time the door opened, I was ready to explode.
I couldn’t wait for him to find me, so I met him in the kitchen to unleash.
He dropped his bag by the door, but he didn’t get much further than that.
I punched him in the chest and proceeded to go off.
“I knew you were a sorry-ass nigga. Why the fuck couldn’t you leave me be?
Why did you have to lie and make me believe you could be faithful?
Was this some kinda game to you? Was I a pet project or some shit?
Were you just trying to see how long it would take to get me to fall in love with your ass? ”
“Baby.”
“Don’t baby me. I’m not your fucking baby. I can’t believe I fell for this. I knew you would play in my face. I knew you wouldn’t keep your word.”
With every question and statement, I punched him in the chest. Suddenly, he grabbed my wrists, causing me to halt my words.
“I understand you’re upset, but you need to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Let me go.”
“I’m not letting you go unless you promise to stop punching me. I’d never raise my hands to you, and I expect the same respect.”
“Fine. I’m done talking to your lying ass anyway. Let me go.”
We stared at each other for a long moment before he released me. Immediately, I turned to leave.
“I can’t explain?”
“No. I’m good on you. If I didn’t love Rivvy, I’d be gone,” I yelled on my way upstairs.
I wasn’t only pissed; I was hurt, confused, and physically ill. When I made it to my room, I barely made it to the toilet before everything I’d eaten that evening came up. I spent the next ten minutes hovering over the toilet.
When I finally felt like I could stand without gagging, I got on my feet and stood in front of the sink.
I glanced in the mirror and looked exactly like I felt.
After brushing my teeth, I crawled into bed.
At some point, my mind stopped racing, and I fell asleep, only to be awakened by something warm and wet between my thighs.
“What—oh, shit,” I whispered.
I had no idea how River managed to remove my shorts without waking me, but it felt too good to figure out now. I adjusted my body to give River better access, then put my legs on his shoulders and palmed his head.
“Yes, baby. Oh my God. Yes.”
The man ate my pussy as if his life depended on it, and every time his tongue swiped over my center, a shockwave went through my entire body. I was sure he thought his magical tongue would return him to my good graces, but I wasn’t that easy.
“River! Oh, fuck! Riivveerr!” I screamed.
He didn’t let up and snatched my orgasm from my soul. My mind was still floating when I felt the weight of his body on mine. He covered my mouth with his, pressing his tongue inside. I eagerly sucked the remnants of my juices as his dick entered me swiftly.
He stretched me wide, filling me with his full length and girth. I moaned into his mouth as my pussy made room for him. I should’ve denied him, but every stroke felt like heaven, and the thought of denying him seemed asinine.
Suddenly, he aggressively pulled his mouth away from mine, causing my eyes to pop open. The light from the moon peeked through my blinds, allowing me to see that his eyes were on mine.
“I gave you some time to cool off because I know you’re upset, but let me tell you something.
The next time you got a problem with me, keep your hands to yourself and keep your voice at a respectable level.
I let you get that shit off your chest this time, but in the future, because regardless of what you think, our future is together, don’t you ever think you can break up with me without a civil, two-way conversation. Do you understand me?”
While he spoke, his strokes were slow, deep, and intentional. My mind, body, and soul could feel that he meant every word he said.
“You can’t—”
“E, it’s a yes or no question. Do you understand me?”
The speed of his strokes increased, and his dick went deeper than I ever thought possible.
“I—”
He slammed into me, and I could feel him in my chest as he shouted, “Yes or no?”
“Yes, baby. I understand.”
“Good girl. Do you want me to stop?”
My head flung from left to right before he could finish the sentence.
“You like when I fuck you hard?” I nodded. “You want me to fuck you harder?”
“Yes, please.”
“You gon’ stop talking to me crazy?”
“Yes, River.”
“I already made you cum once, and after that shit you pulled downstairs, you didn’t deserve it. Do you know how much it hurt to hear you say those words? You made me fall in love with you, and you got the best pussy on the planet, but you don’t even trust a nigga.”
“But you were with—”
“Nah, baby. I don’t want to hear that shit, because you don’t know shit about shit. Lucky for you, I want to give you the world, even if it is a nut you don’t deserve.”
He tucked his arms under my thighs and fucked me like I stole his most prized possession. I came twice before he filled me with his seeds, and when he finally removed himself from my womb, I was asleep within seconds.