by A'zayler
“Yummy?”
“Hell, yeah, Yummy.” Calvary snapped his fingers with a mischievous grin on his face. “She looks yummier than a muthafucka too.”
“Oh Lord, I can’t take you and her together. This is going to be too much for me.”
Jerrico snatched his phone away from Calvary. “Give me my shit. You been talking to my woman for too long.”
Marcellus watched Jerrico place the camera on him, and his face lit up. A smile so big that the people inside the restaurant could probably see it.
“Hey there, tough girl. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, handsome. Where you at? I want to kiss your face.”
“At this li’l wing spot with my brothers. You must want to pull up?”
“Tell Money I said what’s good,” Goody exclaimed, speaking of Marcellus.
“Tell Money I said what’s good too.” Forever’s voice caught Marcellus’ attention.
He even sat up some and leaned over so that he could see her face. She and Goody were both on a bed with bright colored blankets, looking pretty as ever. Much like he and his brothers, they looked nothing alike.
“What’s going on, ladies?” Marcellus spoke coolly.
“Money Mars!” Goody playfully screamed.
“Well, if it isn’t the beautiful mystery man,” Forever crooned with a sly smile on her face.
“Beautiful?” Calvary chuckled. “Oh, she got game.”
All of them laughed at him.
“Baby came straight out the gate calling you beautiful. That’s game.”
“Thank you, Calvary! I keep telling everybody that, but they refuse to believe me. Forever is worse than me,” Goody argued. “She’s just sneaky and quiet with her stuff.”
“I am not. I’m a good girl.” Forever smiled and winked at Marcellus.
His mouth twisted to the side, doing the best he could to suppress his smile. Jerrico and Goody’s nosey asses were all in his face until he sat back. Even then, Jerrico was still looking at him with a smile on his face. He probably would have said something about it had Calvary given him the chance to. The moment Marcellus was back upright in his chair, Calvary’s crazy ass was on him.
“Aye,” he whispered. Marcellus raised his eyebrows at him. “You fucked ole girl?” He nodded his head toward Jerrico’s phone.
Marcellus’ inside voice wanted to scream yes, but he just smiled instead. He wouldn’t lie to his brothers, but he wasn’t big on telling his business either, and they both knew that. So, when he rendered no real response, they went back to what they’d been doing, but not before Calvary gave another gleaming smile while pointing at him.
“Hell yeah, you did.”
Marcellus waved him off with a smirk and looked back down at his phone. Jerrico was still on Facetime with Goody while Calvary busied himself on his phone as well. Marcellus was responding to a text from one of his promoters when one came through from Forever.
Forever: You’re such a mystery
Marcellus: Figure me out then
Forever: Believe me, I’m trying.
Marcellus: Come to me tonight
Forever: What about now? You free?
Marcellus: What will you tell your sister?
Forever: Nothing, you coming?
Marcellus: Give me twenty
Marcellus looked up from his phone and returned his attention to his brothers. They were both free of their phones again and were engaged in small talk.
“You headed to see Goody?” Marcellus asked Jerrico.
“Yeah, I’m finna pick her up and take her to get some ice cream or something. I’m full but she wants to hang out, so I’ma go scoop and love her up a little bit.”
“I hope this li’l date help you figure out who you want,” Calvary inserted. “Because I’d hate to see you on the ten o’clock news.”
“You’re an ass.” Marcellus laughed. “But you’re right, though. Goody doesn’t play.”
“Man, I already know what I want.”
“Who?” Calvary and Marcellus both asked while watching him stand to his feet.
“Love and happiness.” His big smile stretched across his face, and all Marcellus could do was shake his head.
Jerrico had better get his thoughts and his emotions on the same page or else he would be in a world of trouble. Marcellus didn’t necessarily know what it would be like to be in love with two women, but he did know that loving one was hard enough. Loving two had to be impossible.
Marcellus stood to his feet and followed them from the restaurant. “Keep on playing.”
“I ain’t playing. I love Paradise for real. Summer is cool, but that’s old news.”
Calvary slapped Jerrico’s back extremely hard again. “Glad to see you’ve come to your senses.”
Jerrico pushed Calvary away from him. “Get your ass on now, hitting me all hard and shit.”
The three of them exited the building together and dispersed to their rides after a few more minutes of talking. Marcellus picked his phone up to call Forever the moment he was alone. The phone rang one moment too long, and he hung up. It wasn’t a full minute before she called back.
“Hello.”
“Why’d you hang up so fast? You didn’t even give me time to answer.”
“I thought you might have been busy.”
“I was, getting ready for you. You on the way?”
“I am.” Marcellus switched lanes and headed in her direction. “My brother is on the way to get your sister. How are we going to bypass them?”
“We’ll just have to wait for them to leave first.”
Marcellus wasn’t exactly sure what he could do or where he could go to wait, but he’d figure something out. It was better than getting caught by their siblings.
“You got anything in mind? What would you like to do?”
She hummed, then said, “Anything that lets me get to know you. You’re always so quiet and guarded. All I know is that you’re good on the eyes, and you laugh a lot. Nothing more.”
That observation alone made him laugh. She was right; he did laugh a lot. He couldn’t help it. Marcellus wasn’t what one would call silly, but he just relaxed and found humor in a lot of what other people did.
“There’s not much to me.”
“I’ll see for myself. Should I pack to spend the night or are you bringing me back?”
“I think you should stay, but what about Paradise?”
Forever sucked her teeth. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll probably spend the night with your brother anyway.”
“Let me call and see. I’ll let you know when I’m outside.”
Marcellus ended their call and tossed his phone into the passenger seat. He didn’t need to call Jerrico to know what Forever had said was true. That was how it always was. Goody was constantly at his house. Ever since they’d been dealing with each other, if he called her, she was with his brother and vice versa unless Jerrico was at work. Even then, she had either just left the restaurant or was on her way. They were inseparable. How he assumed he had time to love Summer was a mystery.
With time to spare, Marcellus decided to go back by his office. He had a few calls and arrangements he needed to make before he decided to spend the night with Forever. Because she always went back to Goody’s house, her overnight stay with him was new and deserved preparation. Hopefully, he’d be up for the job.
Chapter 7
There’s more to me
“Shoot.” Forever snatched her finger out of the closed dresser drawer that she’d just slammed it into. “Ow,” she held it up and examined it while the pain throbbed through.
In an effort to ease the pain, she pushed the tip of it into her mouth and sucked it while continuing to throw clothes into the oversized purse she’d scammed from Goody. Her sister’s closet was filled with so much stuff that she probably wouldn’t even notice the bag was hers.
With all the things she’d need for an overnight stay at Marcellus’ house, Forever sifted through her
suitcase once more to grab her lotion and a pair of socks before standing to her feet and going into the bathroom. She checked her reflection, making sure her hair and face were good before hitting the lights, throwing her purse over her shoulder, and heading into the living room.
She’d heard the door slam a few moments prior, so maybe Goody was gone, and she could be on her way. To her surprise, Goody was still there. Seated beneath a red and gray throw blanket with headphones on and a notepad on her lap, her hand moved quickly across the paper, assumingly writing lyrics. Forever paused mid-step and just stood there, waiting for the perfect thing to say.
When she could think of nothing, she decided to just try to walk past her. Maybe her music would be on, and she could just leave. So much for that, though. Goody’s head turned in her direction the moment she walked into the living room. The bright pink headphones were removed as brown eyes the color of their mother’s trekked up and down her body.
“Where the hell you think you going?”
Forever wore a confused frown while walking toward the sofa. “What? Who said I was going somewhere?”
“That big ass purse on your shoulder. I want it back too. Don’t think I don’t know my stuff when I see it.” Goody smiled and looked at the tight black biker shorts. Forever was wearing then back to her face. “Them cute. Money’s going to be drooling all over himself.”
“Girl, ain’t nobody thinking about Marcellus. What does he have to do with anything?”
“I’m far from a fool, Ms. Girl. I know you and him have something going on.”
“We do not.” Forever sat on the sofa and made herself comfortable.
Maybe if she appeared to be relaxing, Goody’s suspicions would die down.
“You don’t have to lie to me, I’m not your mama. Hell, I want you to get some dick, especially fine dick. Marcellus exudes big dick energy. I bet you he be putting it down.”
Forever covered her face with the throw pillow next to her and screamed. Goody would say anything that came to her mind. Although she was partially right, she was so off base. Marcellus most definitely had big dick energy, just like he had a real big dick. The putting it down part was what threw her off. He had all of that and couldn’t do anything with it.
The three times they’d been together had been an experience, one Forever wanted to continue to have, but he needed to shake back, or else she was going to lose her mind. He and his body had all the potential in the world, but that meant nothing if he couldn’t perform.
“How long you been screwing my homeboy?”
Forever looked at Goody and shook her head. “Why must you talk like that?”
“Because I’m grown. Why must you talk like that? You act like a child.”
“Whatever, I don’t.”
“The hell you say.” Goody snickered while putting her notebook on the floor next to her. “For real, though. What’s up with y’all?”
“Nothing for real. We’re just hanging out. I thought you were gone.”
“I was about to leave, but Jerrico told me he had an unplanned dinner reservation, so I’m stuck here.”
“What you mean, unplanned?”
Goody’s eyes rolled. “Girl, somebody he knows reserved him for an anniversary dinner tonight, and he forgot all about it. He swore me up and down that he wouldn’t be long, and that he’ll be right over here to get me once he’s finished, but I know that’s a lie. One thing I’ve learned about Jerrico is that he goes all out for his friends and his food, so there’s no telling how long this is going to take.”
“Dang.” Forever read the message from Marcellus, letting her know that he was outside. “I would stay with you, but I’m not. I leave this weekend, and I want to make the best of my last couple of days.”
“Rub it in, why don’t you.” Goody picked her notebook back up and turned back around on the sofa. “Have fun.”
“I’ll do my best. Later.” Forever stood from the sofa and headed out the front door.
Marcellus’ truck caught her attention as soon as she began to descend the stairs. Before her foot could hit the last step, he was out of the truck and grabbing her hand. Forever looked up his tall frame, stopping on his face, and smiled. They quietly walked to the passenger side hand and hand. He opened the door and helped her get comfortable before rejoining her inside.
The vibe was relaxed and quiet as he drove away. Forever wasn’t sure what she wanted to say and had no idea if he wanted to say anything at all, so the truck remained at ease with no conversations transpiring along the way. It was late in the evening, and the sky looked amazing as the sun set. The pink, orange, and odd color blues calmed Forever’s wildly beating heart.
It was like that with Marcellus. Whenever she was in his presence, she felt nervous and somewhat hyper. Not sure why, or how she could remedy the uneasiness, she twiddled her fingers and enjoyed the scenery.
“Hungry?” Marcellus’ deep voice disturbed the silence so beautifully.
That simple word held so much bass and authority that Forever momentarily felt she’d gone mad just off the feeling she received from his speech.
“A little. You?”
“I’m always hungry. What would you like? We can stop or make something at the house.”
“Let’s make something,” she answered with a little perk in her voice.
Her eagerness had obviously humored Marcellus because his laughter came immediately after she spoke. The way he laughed at almost anything made Forever wish that more men were like him. She loved that trait. Him not being so serious all the time made her feel a lot more comfortable and free to be herself.
“You sure you want to spend the night with me?”
“Yeah, why you ask it like that? Should I want to go back to my sister’s house or something?”
Marcellus grabbed the top of her thigh and held it. “No. Being with me is fine. I’m just asking before we get there and get comfortable.”
“Oh.” Forever admired the way his hand looked on her leg. “Well, in that case, I’m good.”
A sly grin and a whispered, “don’t say I didn’t warn you,” followed her statement. Forever wanted to ask him to expound on what he meant by that but chose not to. They’d just pulled up to his home, so she’d find out soon enough. He parked the truck, helped her out, and even grabbed the purse stuffed with her belongings before pulling her behind him up the driveway.
The inside of his small townhouse smelled just like him as it always did when she was there. Being that she’d been there twice before, she knew her way around and kicked her shoes off, making herself more comfortable. In just her shorts and t-shirt, Forever walked into the kitchen to see what he had to fill her growling stomach.
Marcellus had disappeared up the stairs, so she helped herself to the fresh sprouts of broccoli, cabbage, and corn. More than positive there wasn’t much he’d have that she could eat, she began to prepare just the vegetables. She’d grown to love them more than anything in the world, especially broccoli. It was the key to her heart.
“Find something?”
Forever’s body shook in fear at the unexpected sound of his voice behind her. Of course, he laughed at her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His presence behind her stilled her movement.
Both of his strong hands gripped the sides of her shoulders and pulled her back so she could feel his chest on her back. Next came his lips to the side of her neck. Her long hair had been falling around her shoulders, but he’d moved that with no problem.
“Are you too hungry to wait?”
Forever took a deep breath. His words always sounded so promising, only for her to be rejected in the end. The way he handled her always made her want more… need more, but the delivery was always a setup because it just didn’t last.
“I can wait.” Her mouth said nothing that her brain had been thinking.
Marcellus reached around her and turned the sink water off. “Well, wait.”
That was all
that needed to be said before he quickly spun her around, so they were facing each other. His bare chest and the thin sweatpants he’d changed into made her body jump. Her eyes went to the broadness of his shoulders before anything. Marcellus was so large in stature. He could surely play for the NBA in another lifetime.
His chest and arms were like two big mountains, while his abs and waist looked like they’d been sculpted to match the perfectly carved features on his face. Just when she’d thought his lips had been her favorite thing, his eyes and eyebrows came in, reminding her of why they were still in the running.
His touch, strength, and smell only heightened what she already felt for him. Throw in his silent aura and immaculate style, and he was perfect. Just the type of man that Forever could see herself with if she ever felt like being seriously involved.
“Can I undress you?” His hand pulled at the band of her shorts.
Forever nodded, and he slowly obliged. So slow that she nearly suffocated on her own breath while waiting. When he finally got her down to just her panties and bra, he grabbed her hand and pulled her from the kitchen. Forever admired the masculine definition in his back as they padded down the hallway. His living room came into view just in time because Forever was sure she’d lean in and kiss the muscles in his back if he moved and they flexed one more time.
“Forever,” he called out to her while pulling her around so that she was in front of him. “Sit down.” He pushed her backward toward the sofa.
She took her seat and looked up at him in pure, unadulterated lust. That man was from the Heavens. Sofia had to have been a woman of God when she got impregnated with her sons. Not one of them looked anything short of breathtaking. Fine as hell. Period. Marcellus, in her opinion, looked the best, but Calvary and Jerrico could do their thing in one of the largest rooms of fine men too. They all had the juice, and they were damn near drowning her, Goody, and even Yummy’s fast behind was in heat.
“Every time you’re around me, I get this feeling.” Marcellus stared down at her from his spot in the center of his living room. “It’s like it takes over me, and I can’t do anything to simmer it down.”