5. When Truth Gets Loud #3
He dragged his eyes away before he could get caught staring too hard and scanned the room for his family.
Angelou’s laugh cut through the music first, deep and reckless.
Trevor followed the sound to a corner section roped off with black velvet.
Jackson leaned back with that quiet observant posture he always carried, locs pulled back, eyes tracking everything like he was sketching the room in his mind.
His dad sat between them, sharp in a tailored blazer, a glass of dark liquor resting comfortably in his hand like he had been born knowing how to hold it.
Angelou spotted Trevor and stood, arms wide. “Look at this man,” he announced as Trevor approached. “Fresh fade, fresh papers, fresh start.”
Trevor rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the smile that crept up anyway. He slid into the booth and clasped hands with Jackson first, then leaned in to hug his father. Leon’s embrace was firm, steady, the kind that said I got you without needing to speak it aloud.
Angelou was already waving down a server. “Two rounds of your top shelf whiskey. We are not easing into anything tonight.”
The first round arrived quickly, dark liquid in chilled glasses. Angelou lifted his in a toast, “To freedom.”
They clinked. The burn hit Trevor’s throat fast and hot, settling into his chest like liquid courage. The second round came before the sting had even faded. Angelou insisted they run it back. Trevor did not argue. He welcomed the blur at the edges of his thoughts.
Leon set his glass down slower than the rest of them and turned toward his youngest son. The music swelled around them but in that booth it felt quieter somehow, contained.
“How you doing, son? Really doing.”
Trevor inhaled, stared down at his hands. The new fade felt foreign when he dragged his palm over it. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Some days I feel light. Then other days I hear Ma in my head.”
Jackson’s posture shifted, attention sharpening.
“She kept telling me to slow down,” Trevor continued, voice rough. “I thought marrying Katelyn was me stepping up. Doing the right thing. I didn’t think about whether it was the right thing for me. Now all I can hear is her saying I could take my time.”
Leon’s jaw tightened at the mention of Della. For a moment his gaze drifted somewhere else, somewhere years back.
“Your mother,” Leon said slowly, “believed in you more than anybody. She also knew you had a habit of running toward responsibility like it was a finish line.”
Angelou leaned forward, forearms on his knees. “You were nineteen, Trev. You did what you thought a man was supposed to do.”
“I hurt Zara,” Trevor said quietly. “She’s the one that pays for it.”
Jackson shook his head locs flowing from side to side. “Zara has you. She sees you showing up every day. That’s what she’ll remember.”
Leon reached across the table and gripped Trevor’s shoulder. “Regret can either teach you or trap you. You don’t get to rewrite the beginning. But you get to choose what this next chapter looks like.”
Angelou lifted his glass again, softer this time. “This ain’t the end of your story. It’s the beginning of you being happy on purpose. If you want it.”
Trevor let those words settle. Happy on purpose. The idea felt unfamiliar, almost indulgent. He had spent so many years trying to prove he was good enough that he had never stopped to ask if he was fulfilled.
Before he could respond, the crowd erupted again. The dancer he had noticed earlier finished her set in a split that drew another wave of applause. She rose slow, chin high, eyes scanning the room like she was selecting her next destination.
And then she looked straight at him.
Even from across the club he felt it, that deliberate focus.
She hopped off the stage, heels clicking against the floor, hips swaying with unhurried confidence.
The closer she got, the more striking she became.
High cheekbones. Full lips glossed to perfection.
Long legs that seemed engineered to command attention.
Rhinestones traced the curve of her bodysuit, catching the light with every step.
“Sapphire,” Angelou greeted, grin widening.
She slid into their section like she belonged there, because she did. Her perfume wrapped around them, sweet and intoxicating.
“Angelou Porter,” she purred, running a manicured finger along his shoulder. “You been hiding from me.”
“Been busy,” he shot back easily. “But I had to bring my family to see the best in the city.”
Her gaze shifted to Trevor, slow and assessing. “And who is this fine specimen looking at me like I’m the eighth wonder of the world.”
“That,” Angelou said, clapping Trevor on the back, “is my little brother. Just signed his divorce papers. He deserves a proper welcome back to the streets.”
Sapphire’s smile deepened, wicked and playful. She leaned closer to Trevor, close enough that he could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes.
“Congratulations,” she murmured. “You celebrating or you mourning?”
He swallowed. “Still deciding.”
“Well,” she said, straightening, “I specialize in helping men make up their minds. ”
Angelou laughed and pulled out his wallet. “Private dance. On me.”
Sapphire’s brows lifted in approval. “Paradise room’s open.”
She extended her hand toward Trevor. For a split second he hesitated, aware of his father sitting a few feet away, aware of the shift this represented. Then Angelou slipped two condoms into his palm, subtle but firm.
“Handle business,” Angelou whispered.
Trevor stood, pulse thudding in his ears. Sapphire’s fingers intertwined with his, her grip confident as she led him through a hallway bathed in purple light. The music softened as they moved away from the main floor, replaced by a slower rhythm that vibrated through the walls.
The private room was intimate, walls lined with black leather, a mirrored panel reflecting dim light back at them. A plush couch curved beneath a spotlight that cast everything in a sultry glow. The air felt warmer here, heavier.
Sapphire closed the door behind them and turned, eyes locking on his again.
Up close she was magnetic, every movement intentional.
She stepped into him slowly, palms sliding up his chest, testing the terrain.
He could feel his body responding before his mind caught up, heat pooling low, breath turning shallow.
“Relax,” she whispered, guiding him to sit.
She took a step back, giving him a full view of her.
Then the music shifted and so did she. Her hips rolled in controlled circles, arms lifting above her head as she began to move with deliberate precision.
She climbed onto his lap for a moment, just enough to let him feel the warmth of her body without granting more, then slid away again, leaving him reaching for air.
Every spin, every bend, every arch of her back was a study in control. She wasn’t just dancing for him. She was studying him, watching the way his jaw clenched, the way his hands flexed against his thighs. She leaned down until her lips hovered near his ear.
“Tonight,” she breathed, “you don’t have to be anybody’s husband. Anybody’s son. Or anybody’s father. Just be a man.”
The words settled into him like a spark hitting dry wood.
Trevor exhaled slowly, eyes darkening as he reached for her waist, ready to stop watching and start feeling. Sapphire sat in his lap and started to grind against him.
“It’s okay, Daddy. You can touch me. I want you to touch me.
” Her voice was the perfect mix of a whine and moan that shot straight to Trevor’s dick.
His hand tightened on her waist guiding her movements.
A whimper fell from Sapphire’s full lips.
He felt her juices on his pants. Her smell permeated throughout the air.
She smelled delectable. Her brown eyes locked with his and in that moment, they knew what this was.
Before he lost his nerves and got back in his head, Trevor had his dick sheathed in the condom his brother was smart enough to give him and he was pushing into Sapphire’s walls.
“Fuck, this pussy feels so good. Work that shit for me, ma.” His rough voice commanded.
“You stretching me out so good, where the fuck have you been?!” She asked while bouncing in his lap.
“I was wasting time elsewhere, but I’m here now and I’m fucking you good.
Keep working that shit.” Trevor met Sapphire thrust for thrust. His thumb found her clit and began to rub in slow circles.
If this wasn’t a quick fuck, he would’ve definitely loved to have taken his time with her.
The hand that was gripping her waist came up and wrapped around her throat.
Her pussy gripped him tighter from the sensation.
He could feel her start to flutter around him.
He moved his thumb faster across her clit and gripped her neck tighter.
Sapphire’s hands gripped his legs as she continued to bounce on him.
Watching a woman come undone was a fixation for Trevor.
Seeing the ways she could use his body to bring her the ultimate pleasure also turned him on.
In this moment, seeing Sapphire orgasming on him pushed him over the edge and he came harder than he had in a long time into that condom, which he had to thank Angelou for, because there was enough cum to definitely make another baby.
Trevor gently lifted her off his lap. A lazy smile appeared on his face. He felt lighter already.
“Thank you, this was amazing.” Trevor said while pulling the condom off and tying it up. He would flush it in the bathroom.
“Shit, I should be thanking you, baby face. That dick is gold. I wouldn’t mind seeing you again.” Sapphire replied, fixing her clothes. She was glad she was done for the night after this because she just came hard enough to go to sleep.