by B. Love
The torture.
Or was it… a blessing?
She didn’t know yet.
Her mind couldn’t process this yet.
She needed to talk to Ransom.
Rushing out of the bathroom, she called his number and hoped he would have unblocked her by now. He hadn’t, so she texted Jax and told him to tell Ransom to call her. By the time she was three minutes into her drive to his place, Ransom was calling her.
“Hello?” she answered, trying her hardest not to sound as if she’d been crying as she wiped her face.
“You good?”
“Where you at?”
“Like seven minutes from my house. What’s up?” Her breath came out shaky as she released more tears. “Leigh… talk to me. Where do I need to be?”
She smiled at his care and concern. Even with his care and concern, she knew he still wouldn’t want to be with her. Since she wasn’t sure if she would keep the baby or not, she decided not to tell him until she made up her mind.
“I’m sorry.” She inhaled a deep breath and willed her emotions to get in check. “I shouldn’t bring this to you. We’re no longer in each other’s lives. I’ll handle it myself.”
“What? Leigh…”
Leigh disconnected the call and put her phone on do not disturb in case he tried to call back. As she nibbled on her lip, she nodded as her eyes dried up. The weight of this decision was too heavy. If she thought about it too long, it would drive her crazy. Deciding to go to him so they could talk, Leigh continued in the direction of his home.
By the time she pulled up, Ransom was carrying bags to a car that was parked in front of his driveway. Leigh watched as a woman got out of the passenger seat of his car. Was that the woman from Valentine’s day? Had they taken another trip together? She watched as the woman walked over to Ransom with a smile.
She pressed Ransom into her car, and he lowered himself to her lips. Leigh couldn’t deny it, he’d done good. She was super small and petite, the opposite of Leigh, but she was a really pretty woman. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Ransom, and Leigh couldn’t compete with that.
Gripping her ass, Ransom wrapped her legs around his waist and switched their positions so that she was against the car. After kissing her until they both needed to breathe, Ransom put her on her feet and opened the car door for her. When she was inside, he kissed her again, then put her bags in her trunk.
Ransom waited until she’d driven away to pull his phone out. Whoever he called didn’t answer. His head shook as he pulled the phone down from his ear. Leigh picked her phone up, smiling bitterly at the sight of the missed call from him.
Don’t disturb his peace.
Remembering her grandmother’s words, Leigh decided not to tell Ransom. She started her car and drove off as quickly as she could. Looking out of her rearview mirror, she saw Ransom watching her drive away.
There was no way in hell she could keep this baby.
“Are you having a good time?” Vincent asked, taking the blunt Maria offered.
Their fourth date was ending, and Maria still couldn’t believe how much time they’d been spending together over the past few weeks. While she hadn’t allowed him to know where she lived, or too many of her personal details, she was genuinely enjoying spending time with him.
Things weren’t too serious yet, even though that was clearly the path Vincent wanted to take. He was more aggressive in his pursuit and possessive of her than Maria was used to, but she thought it was a little cute. There was definitely more effort on his part than Jax. It didn’t matter how many times she told Vincent that she didn’t want anything serious yet, he still actively pursued her. Every day, he called and texted, and tried to see her at least once or twice a week — even if it was just meeting her at her arcade while she was there.
“Yea. You?”
Vincent nodded as smoke flew out of his nostrils. “I always have a good time with you.”
She smiled as she took the blunt from his fingers and looked out onto the river. It wasn’t her intent to be at the same space she frequented with Malibu with another man, but this was the place she would meet Vincent for their dates.
“Well, that’s good.”
“Can I ask you something without you getting offended?”
Having an idea of what he was about to ask, Maria agreed with, “What’s on your mind?”
“How long is it gonna take for you to trust me enough for us to take things to the next level?”
She smiled. “What level is that?”
“Me being able to pick you up and take you out. Us kissing… having sex. Being in a committed relationship. Meeting each other’s families.”
Not answering right away, Maria tried to keep her mind from wandering to the last time she had that type of relationship with a man. In all of her life, Maria had been in three real relationships. The first was with Malibu, the second was with Princeton, a year after him, and the third was with Nathan, about a year and a half ago. Princeton and Nathan were her attempts at moving on that had failed horribly. She was way too invested in her grief with Princeton to really give him a genuine chance, and with Nathan, she simply didn’t make their relationship a priority.
Honestly, she was only with him because she was in need of sex and wanted to go about it the safe way, but they really didn’t spend time together outside of in the bedroom.
With both of them, she allowed her mind to override her emotions. She told herself that she was being disloyal with Princeton, so she was unable to show him any love. With Nathan, she convinced herself that all he had to offer her was sex.
She hadn’t considered giving anyone a real chance at securing her heart until Jax saw the inner workings of her heart, but now, he didn’t appear to be an option. Jax agreed to give her space, and she hadn’t seen or talked to him since. There were moments where she was sure she would see him with Nash, and by the time she arrived, he would be gone. She straight up asked Nash if Jax was avoiding her, and since he always kept it real, Nash told her the truth.
He was.
At first, Maria was irritated, but eventually, she understood why. She knew what it was like to want something with someone you couldn’t have in that moment. At least with her, there was a chance for Jax to have her one day. But with Malibu… she would never have him again.
“I don’t let anyone outside of family and close friends know where I live, so don’t take offense to that. I don’t kiss men; it’s too intimate of a thing. The act of literally inhaling a person’s life source as they exhale is a big deal to me. Kind of like marriage. So I don’t do it unless I really, really like a man. As far as sex is concerned, you can eat this pussy whenever you’d like. I don’t like to waste my body counts, so I typically wait until I’m sure I know a man can satisfy me and I can satisfy him to have sex — how long that takes is up to you once I’m comfortable with you. And for the most part, I’m as comfortable with you as I probably will be. Trust me, you don’t want to meet my family. They are crazy as hell. And I told you, I’m not ready for a serious relationship, not sure if I ever will be. Right now, I’m just cooling it.”
“So are you dating anyone else?”
“Not really, but if I meet someone that I’m interested in, I will. If we did decide to commit, then I would be only yours.”
“And there’s nothing going on between you and Jax?”
Gritting her teeth, Maria massaged her temple with a shake of her head. She turned slightly to face him, hoping this would be the last time they had this conversation.
“Why do you keep asking me about him?”
“Because the streets are talking.”
“You’re not even in the streets, so how they talkin’ to you?”
“I know enough people in them to know what’s up, and every time I talk to somebody about you, they bring up him and a nigga named Malibu.”
Maria chuckled as she put space between them. She cupped her hands behind her back to keep from getting physical if
he said the wrong thing.
“Don’t talk about me to anyone. I like to keep what I do and who I do it with private. And whether I’m fucking with Jax or anyone else, that’s none of your concern. We’re not in a serious relationship; keep that in mind when you dealing with me.”
“I’m sorry, Maria. I just… really like you. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with. You got your own money and rank in the streets. I get excited to be in your life and I boast about you. I just wish you liked me the way I like you.”
Maria turned her back to him to get herself together. It was no secret that men were often infatuated with her because of how little she desired love and commitment. The less she gave and asked for, the more they liked her and offered. She used to thrive off that shit, but now, it didn’t faze her at all. Well, it hadn’t. Until now.
The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Vincent — not so much because she cared about him, but because she knew what it was like to hurt. And no matter what, she genuinely didn’t want to inflict pain upon anyone. So maybe it was good that Jax had been avoiding her until she was truly ready for him. Why in the hell did her mind keep taking her back to Jax?
Turning back towards him, Maria gave him a soft smile.
“I do like you.”
His head shook. “You like me, but you don’t like me, like me. I need you to like me, like me.”
Her smile widened as he pulled her into his chest. “I mean… I’m sure I will if there’s truly something between us. For now, let’s just be content with where we are and what we have. Please?”
“I can rock with that. I’m sorry if I seem like I’m rushing you. I just know I can be good to you.”
Standing on the tips of her toes, she lightly pecked his lips. Even though that wasn’t really her thing, he seemed to clearly be in need of her affection and connection. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Maria gave him a hug that turned into Vincent wrapping her legs around him and sitting her on top of his trunk.
“What you doing?” she asked, running her tongue across her top lip as he unbuttoned her jeans.
“You told me I can eat this pussy whenever I wanted to, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, I want to.”
Seeing no reason to deny him, Maria helped him push her pants down and move her panties to the side. Wanting her legs to be able to spread wide, Vincent pulled her left leg out of her jeans and placed it on top of his shoulders. He ran his nose up and down her clit, inhaling her scent before blowing a breath against her that made her shiver as she leaned back against the car.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” Vincent confessed.
His tongue slid between her folds three times before he sucked her clit into his mouth. Vincent’s hands went to her thighs, squeezing them and tickling them with the pads of his fingertips as he licked up the cream that began to slowly pour from her. Gripping her breasts, Maria bit back a moan as he stared into her eyes. He used the width of his tongue to caress right under the hood of her clit, causing Maria’s legs to slowly close around him as she inhaled a sharp breath.
Her back arched as she slowly rocked her hips against him, feeding him more of her pussy until she began to convulse.
17
Them
Shit was all fucked up within the crew.
Christian and Nash were at odds.
Leigh and Ransom were at odds.
And Maria was in a tight situation with an even tighter deadline.
Jax and Ransom’s shipments would be coming in as soon as the sun rose tomorrow, which meant Money would be expecting her to deliver Ransom’s product a little while later. Up until now, Maria hadn’t said anything to anyone about the conversation she’d had with Money. But now that the time had come and she still wasn’t sure what to do, she knew she had no choice but to sit down with Christian and Ransom to talk to them about it. Whatever they decided as a collective, she would do.
When she walked into Misery’s sports bar, Ransom and Christian were already seated and waiting. They also had a Long Island Iced Tea waiting for her, which she immediately took a sip of when she sat down.
“You aight, sis?” Christian asked with a smile.
Maria’s head shook as she looked from her to Ransom.
“I’ve been waiting to talk to y’all about this because I didn’t know what to do.” Christian’s smile fell as Ransom sat up in his seat.
“What’s up?” Ransom asked, folding his arms on top of the table.
“A little while ago, Money asked Leigh to bring me to him.” Christian’s eyes were rolling already, but Maria continued. “We went, and he basically said he’s only giving the two of you one final chance to stop selling here before he tries to kill you through war. He wants me to take your product in the morning and deliver it to him, so you can’t distribute it to your men, and so she can’t sell it through her bakery.” Her eyes settled on her sister. “Money said it can be a one-time thing or consistent, depending on how quickly Ransom folds. He said if I don’t deliver the product to him tomorrow, the next option is death, and that he’s only offering this because of his connection to Leigh.”
Maria waited for one or both of them to say something, but both of them just stared at her.
“Will one of you say something?”
Ransom looked at Christian. “I will understand if you want to bow.”
Christian’s head shook. “I got God within me. I make motherfuckas bow to me. He’s not about to run me out, and I’m firm on that shit.”
“You sure?”
“I’m positive.”
With a nod, Ransom returned his eyes to Maria. “Thank you for informing us. I want you to give Money a message for me. There is no deal, and there will be no war. When I see him, I’m going to kill him. And if he sees me first, he better shoot to kill, because if I live… every muhfucka attached to him will die.”
Things had been going well between Christian and Tyrell for a few weeks. Even though she’d been missing Nash like crazy, she respected his wishes and didn’t contact him. Through Maria and Jax, she was able to keep up with him to make sure he was okay. Every day, she wished she could text him good morning or receive a text from him at night, but neither of those had been the case.
Christian looked over her bakery one last time before heading out to her car. Tyrell asked her to pick Trent up from school and talk to him from a woman’s perspective. Over the weekend, Tonya found a girl in his room. After taking the girl home, Tonya tried to talk to him about it, but he was too embarrassed. Tyrell talked to him, but he felt as if his words were going in one ear and out of the other.
Since the bond they shared seemed to be growing day by day, Tyrell asked Christian to see if she could get inside his mind. She agreed and told him that she would spend the evening with Trent until he was done delivering his load for the day.
When she was comfortable in her car, Christian pulled out her phone for the first time in hours. As usual, she scanned her text thread and call log, hoping to see Nash’s name. Disappointment set in when she realized there was still nothing from him. She texted Tyrell and let him know that she was on her way to Trent’s school, then bit the bullet and called Nash. It had been driving her crazy to not at least hear his voice, but by the second ring, she quickly disconnected the call. Christian didn’t know what would be worse: him ignoring her call or him answering and having an attitude.
Surprise filled Christian when Nash returned her call. She squealed and accelerated her speed unintentionally before inhaling a deep breath and answering.
“Nash,” was her greeting.
“…Gucci.”
Smiling, Christian tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “How are you? Are you busy?”
“I’m well, and I’m never too busy if you need me.”
And she did need him. And want him, too.
“I miss you. I know this may be selfish of me to want to hear your voice, knowing you no l
onger want to be my friend, but I couldn’t help myself.” Nash sighed into the phone, and Christian couldn’t wait for his response. “I’m sorry for calling. I won’t call again.”
Her finger hovered over the end button, but before she could hit it, his gruff, low voice stopped her with, “Wait… I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too.”
She smiled, blinking her eyes rapidly to fight back the tears as she merged onto the expressway. “Then why haven’t you called?”
“Because that would make this even harder.” A beat of silence passed before Nash asked, “How’s the wedding planning going?”
Christian chuckled quietly. “It’s not going at all. We haven’t done anything.”
“What you waiting on?”
She wanted to say him, but instead, she answered with, “We’re not in a rush.”
Nash grunted. “Does that mean I have time to steal you away?” Christian wasn’t expecting that to be his response. It caught her so off guard, she couldn’t help but remain silent as she blushed. “Gucci?” Nash almost sang before chuckling quietly.
“Huh?”
“Your ass hear me.”
Giggling quietly, Christian shook her head. “Are you serious?”
“…I am.”
“Nash…” An incoming call made Christian groan. She was even more irritated at the sight of Tyrell’s name, and that hadn’t happened in a while. “Can you hold on real quick?”
“Just hit me up later, Christian.”
“No, wait. I want to talk to you. Hold on. Please.” Christian quickly switched the calls. “What’s up?”
“I’m going to be a little later than expected getting home. If you want to take Trent home after y’all do whatever y’all gon’ do, you can.”
“Okay, cool,” she agreed quickly, not wanting Nash to hang up.
“How far away are you?”
Christian released an irritated exhale as she checked the time on the dashboard of her car. “I don’t know, Tyrell. Maybe like seven minutes away.”