Chapter 22
The tears rolling down her cheeks gave me hope because they told me she wasn’t ready to dismiss me.
Things between us had been great, especially for two people who didn’t know each other before getting married.
I took advantage of the moments when she let her guard down because, without fail, when she noticed she’d let me in a little too much, back up it went.
I didn’t mind being patient because our situation wasn’t the norm.
She had every right to be cautious until her spirit led her to let her guard down.
I’d probably think less of her and be questioning her character if she’d been easy to win over, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have been led to propose in the first place.
“Kenzo, the feelings I have for you aren’t like any I’ve felt for anyone else. At first, I didn’t want to label it because it was so foreign, but the way my heart broke just now when I thought you cheated told me more than I’d been willing to admit. I . . . um . . . I love you too.”
“You don’t know how good it makes me feel to know the feeling is mutual, baby. I thought my confession might scare you away because we’re supposed to be keeping our feelings out of this.”
“That’s been a complete fail.”
We shared a laugh before I asked, “So, where do we go from here?”
“We don’t have to go anywhere. You can choke me while eating my pussy right here on this couch.”
I raised my brow, slightly surprised by her response. Her pussy had been wet since I snatched her ass from the guest room, because her sweet aroma had been tickling my nose.
“You like it when I choke you, baby?”
She nodded as she eased out of her panties. I helped her get them off her legs and noticed the soaked crotch. I put them to my nose and inhaled, then put the crotch in my mouth.
“You’re so nasty.”
I leaned forward to kiss her, sharing the soaked crotch of her panties with her so we could be nasty together. When I pulled away, she lifted her shirt over her head and scooted toward the edge of the couch to give me better access to her pussy.
She swung her legs onto my shoulders, and I wrapped my arms around her upper thighs. Before I dove in, she stopped me by pressing her hand against my forehead, causing me to look up.
“Choke me.”
I had no idea how I’d forgotten her demand, but damn did I appreciate the reminder. I released one of her legs and grabbed her neck, slowly tightening my grip. The look of anticipation in her eyes had me ready to erupt, and without further hesitation, I covered her pussy with my mouth.
She sucked in a breath and hissed when my tongue brushed over her center. I immediately knew she wouldn’t last long because she was already sensitive, and I’d barely touched her. As my tongue dipped and dived in, out, and between her lovely layers, she moaned and screamed to the heavens.
The amount of slick, slippery substance she’d released was unreal, and it sent me into another gear. I released her other leg and used my thumb to massage her clit as my tongue circled her juicy hole.
She grabbed my hand, pushed it against her neck, and groaned, “Tighter!”
That shit almost sent me over the edge. I tightened my grip, and her pussy sprayed in my face.
Normally, I would’ve caught as much as I could, but my dick was throbbing.
In the middle of her orgasm, I picked her up, found the nearest wall, and pressed her against it.
I pulled my dick from my shorts and slammed her down on it.
“Fuck!” I damn near growled when I entered her.
She was so wet and tight, I could’ve died in her pussy. Never in my life had I felt anything as good as this, and if I had anything to do with it, I’d feel it forever.
“Malyah smelled Callie’s perfume, saw lipstick on my collar, and a scratch on my neck. She was pissed.”
I’d called Ronin as soon as I stepped outside to head to work to tell him how my night ended. He didn’t need to know all the details about how Malyah and I had made up, but I’d tell him everything that led up to that.
“Damn. You didn’t tell her when you got home?”
“No. I didn’t think it was a good idea. I was honest with her about my past with Callie, and they’ve already had a few run-ins. I didn’t want to unnecessarily raise her suspicions.”
“I guess that makes sense. How did she confront you?”
“She didn’t. I knew something was wrong, but her stubborn ass wouldn’t tell me. She went to bed as soon as I got out of the shower, in the guest room.”
“Yeah. She wanted to send a message.”
As I backed out of the driveway, I shared a few more details.
“It sounds like you could’ve avoided an argument if you’d told her right away.”
“True, but we made up, and the argument was worth it.”
I exited our gated community and was immediately surrounded by police cars.
“Aye, man. Call my Pops. Six police cars just surrounded my car at the gate.”
“What!” Ronin shouted.
“Call my Pops!”
Naturally, I was confused, but I put my car in park, turned it off, and put my hands on the steering wheel. I hadn’t done anything, but that never mattered as a Black man dealing with the law.
“Get out of the car and put your hands up!” one of them shouted with their gun drawn.
I looked around, and I couldn’t count the number of guns pointed in my direction. Slowly, I opened the door, then put my hands back up before stepping out. I could barely come to a full standing position before one of the officers grabbed me and slammed me against my car.
“Kenzo Goode III, you are under arrest for assault and battery,” the cop said as he forced my arms behind my back and put handcuffs on me.
“Assault and battery? I haven’t assaulted anyone,” I denied, knowing it was pointless.
He pushed me toward one of the police cars as my father hopped out of his car.
“What the hell is going on here!” he shouted.
“Stop where you are, sir. Don’t go any further!” another officer yelled at my father.
“Pops, I don’t know what the fuck is going on. They said assault and battery, but they got the wrong man.”
“I’ll meet you at the police station with our lawyer.”
“Make sure Malyah knows I’m okay.”
The officer shoved me into the back of the squad car and slammed the door. I was pissed but trying to keep my cool. I hadn’t put my hands on anybody, and I couldn’t wait to find out who lied on my name.
I checked my surroundings as we drove away, and right before we turned the corner, I saw a woman in a gray jogging suit with the hood over her head and big sunglasses covering her face.
The woman held up her phone, presumably recording the entire incident. When I noticed the familiar car behind her, I read the license plate to confirm my suspicions.
“CRICH1.”
I should’ve known Callie was behind this when the officer said assault and battery. I hadn’t assaulted her, but if we ever crossed paths again, it might very well be a different story.
About two hours later, I was in the interview room with my lawyer, Matthew Thompson. He came in apologizing for the delay in his arrival, saying they’d given him the runaround for the first hour, and he had to threaten to sue their asses for denying me my right to counsel.
“Why am I here?”
“Callie Richards claims you assaulted her last night in the parking lot of OP Bar & Grill. There’s a video that’s posted of her on the ground, and you stepping over her to get into your car. It’s gone viral and looks very damaging.”
“Fuck.”
“Tell me what happened.”
For the next few minutes, I described what occurred between Callie and me last night.
“Do you think the bar has cameras outside?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but Ronin saw the whole thing.”
“He’s been blowing my phone up, but I had to get this handled and didn’t answer.”
“He’ll tell you the only reason I put my hands on her was to move her away from my car so I could leave.”
“I’ll call Ronin when I leave. In the meantime, your bail should be set shortly, and you should be released in the next few hours. There’s not much we can do until you’re out and more information is gathered. I’ll reach out to the bar owners about the footage, and we’ll talk more later.”
“Sounds good.”
“Your family is well-known and has never been involved in any scandals. Unfortunately, the media has gotten hold of this story, and it’s all over the local news. You might want to hire a publicist to help clean this up if you don’t have one.”
“We have a company spokesperson, but she’s never had to deal with anything like this.”
“I guess you’ll find out what she’s made of. I’ll be in touch.”
Matthew left, and I was taken back to a holding cell. I was surprised I didn’t wear a hole in the floor with all the pacing I did. Time dragged, but my mind raced as I thought about how disappointed my family probably was and how I’d fix this so it wouldn’t tarnish our legacy.
“Goode, you made bail. Let’s go.”
I was relieved but played it cool. After getting my belongings and signing some paperwork, I was free to go for now. The first person I saw when I entered the vestibule was Malyah. She rushed into my arms and embraced me tightly.
“Are you okay?” she asked after a lingering kiss.
“I’m pissed, but fine. Are my parents here?”
“No. I told them I’d handle it.”
“You paid my bail?”
“Thanks to you, I got a little money in the bank.”
I shook my head as I smiled. Had this happened last night, she probably would’ve let me sit in here for a few days.
“Thank you, baby. I’ll be sure to replace it. Let’s go.”
We exited the building holding hands and were bombarded with cameras. It didn’t dawn on me that the media would be waiting for me to be released.
“Mr. Goode, did you know there’s a video of you stepping over a woman on the ground who is clearly injured?”
“Court records show that you’ve been married for almost two months. Is it true the woman you assaulted is your mistress?”
Reporters with microphones and camera people surrounded us, and questions came from every direction. It was quite overwhelming, but I felt I had to say something.