Where My Loyalties Lie

by K. C. Mills

  Joy grabbed her phone, turned on the flashlight, and started quietly moving around her room, attempting to get ready without waking Logic. It was 5:30 and she was not happy about being up, so she was trying her best not to wake him because she knew he wouldn’t be thrilled about having to be up, especially when he didn't have to be.

  After she collected everything she needed, she made her way to the bathroom, shut the door and then turned on the light. Once she turned on the shower, she brushed her teeth and then shed her clothes to get in. She couldn’t stop grinning, thinking about the fact that Logic was in her bed. Joy hadn’t been this happy in a long time, and he was the source of it all. There was something about him that had her smiling all over, and she knew that she was in trouble. A man like Logic could do damage to her heart, but that was a risk that she was willing to take.

  After she was finished with her shower, she dressed in the matching bra and panties that she brought in the bathroom with her, dumped her clothes and towel in the hamper, and then snuck back into her room to dress. She stood beside her bed watching Logic for a minute, still amazed at how perfect he looked lying there in her bed. His caramel skin a contrast against her lavender sheets. She smiled as she made her way to her closet, stepped inside, shut the door and then turned on the light.

  Logic heard the door shut and finally opened his eyes. He looked around Joy’s room and smiled because he actually didn’t feel out of place. It was rare for him to stay overnight with a female, since most of his relationships were about sex; but being there at Joy’s apartment gave him a sense of peace, something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

  He climbed out of her bed and went straight to the bathroom. After he relieved his bladder, he washed his face and brushed his teeth before heading back to her room. He sat on the foot of her bed, mentally going through his day. It was early as hell and since he didn’t have to be at Intrigued until eleven, he planned on heading home to get some writing done.

  “Did I wake you?” Joy wore a slight frown on her face. She had been trying so hard not to disturb Logic that she felt a slight tinge of disappointment when she realized that she did.

  “Don’t sweat it, I needed to get going anyway.” Logic reached for Joy who laid the clothes she was holding on the bed next to him, before she positioned her body between his legs.

  “I told you, you can stay,” she said, as her hands softly held the side of his neck, and then moved down his shoulders.

  “For what, shorty? If you’re not here, then there’s no reason for me to be here.” Logic’s hands gripped the back of Joy’s thighs before he let them roam the rest of her body. He eventually pulled her closer to him and began planting kisses on her stomach.

  “I don’t know, I just didn’t want you to have to be up so early,” Joy answered, when in reality she just liked the idea of him being in her apartment, whether she was there or not.

  “If this is what I had to wake up to then fuck it, I’m good with it.” Logic looked up at Joy with a sexy grin that was about to force her to have to change.

  “Do you have to work today?”

  “Yeah, but not until eleven.” Logic pulled Joy onto his lap and then kissed her, before he lifted Joy enough to stand. After he kissed Joy on her neck, he moved past her to get his clothes.

  “Am I going to see you later?”

  He chuckled. “Do you wanna see me later shorty?” Logic let his shorts hit the floor, before he stepped into his jeans. Joy watched almost in awe, until his voice broke her trance.

  “Don’t you need to be getting dressed so that you can go deal with them bad ass kids?” Logic asked with a smirk.

  “I told you they’re not bad,” Joy frowned, before she lifted her dress off the bed and pulled it over her head. Logic moved towards her and let his arms slide around her waist, before he kissed her on the neck and released her to zip her dress. He was getting just as addicted to Joy as she was to him. He found himself constantly fighting the urge to have his hands on her.

  “Karma and I might come through tonight when she gets off,” Joy said, after she turned to face him.

  Logic chuckled, because he could tell from the way she said it that she was almost wanting to get his approval before coming by. He caught her arm as she tried to move past him, and pulled her into his body before he closed his arms around her.

  “Shorty, you don’t need permission to come see me; in fact, I expect you to be there. It’s going to be a long ass day as it is, so if you’re there then I might actually make it.”

  “I wasn't asking for permission; I just didn’t want to crowd you,” Joy said through her smile.

  “You’re good shorty.” Logic kissed Joy again and then let her go. “Now hurry up before those bad ass kids fuck up your classroom.”

  They both finished dressing and then left Joy’s apartment. They said their goodbyes and then after a few more kisses, Logic watched as Joy got in her car and left. He followed en route to his mom’s house. He figured that since he was already up, he’d swing by and see her before he had to head to work.

  “Ma, where you at?” Logic yelled once he was inside his mother’s house, and shut the door behind him.

  Mini came walking down the hall, already dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. She walked up to her son and he leaned down to hug her.

  “Why you out so early?” she asked over her shoulder, as she turned to head towards the kitchen.

  “Joy has to be to work at seven,” he admitted, knowing that she was about to go in with the questions. He and Joy literally had only been together for a week, and he had already stayed at her place.

  “Mmm,” was all she said before she turned to the counter. “You want coffee?”

  Logic smiled knowing that she was just waiting for the right time to start with her questions. “Sit down, I got it Ma.” Logic walked up behind his mother, placing his hands on her hips and turning her body away from the counter.

  She patted him on the arm and then moved to the kitchen table, while she waited for her son to start a pot of coffee. He joined her once he had it brewing.

  “So you like this girl, huh?” Mini asked looking at her son. She smiled at his handsome face, grateful that he was still here with her. She missed her baby boy and she could see his face in Logic’s. The two of them looked so much alike, it made it hard for her to look at him sometimes.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Logic said and chuckled.

  “I think it’s a little more than ‘I guess.’ I’ve never known you to stay with a woman, Auggie.

  “Chill Ma, you don’t know anything about that,” Logic smiled.

  “I might be old but I’m not stupid. You like this girl, Auggie.”

  “Yeah Ma, I like her but we just met.”

  “You just met, but you brought her here and you’re staying overnight with her, so she must be something.”

  Logic noticed the coffee was done, so he just got up, kissed his mom on the forehead, and went to the cabinet to get mugs for them. After he fixed both of them coffee, he returned to the table.

  “Just be careful, Auggie. I like her, but she’s different.”

  “Different how, Ma?” Logic asked.

  “Just different.”

  Logic knew his mother and he knew exactly what she meant. Her biggest fear was that he would go back to the lifestyle that she begged him to leave, and she felt like Joy might inspire motivation for him to return to it.

  “Like I said, we just met and you don’t have to worry about me. I’m good.” He winked at Mini and she offered him a soft smile. Even though he was 27 years old, he was still her baby and she would always worry about him. It was her duty as a mother to do so.

  Logic talked with his mother for another hour, before he decided to head in to work. He would be a little early, but he could use the time to go through the deposits. Over the past few months, it had basically become his job. Logic hooked Luther up with online banking, created spreadsheets to organize everything about the business, and kept
up with their orders and profits. Luther was old school, so he let it all go, and Logic took over that part of the restaurant. Logic’s street hustle had taught him to be good with numbers and money, so applying it to a legitimate business was easy.

  -9-

  Karma’s eyes moved around Intrigued, and stopped when she reached the corner where Logic was smiling and talking with Netra, one of the girls that worked there. She glanced at Joy, who of course was watching the same thing. Netra made a point to keep putting her hands on Logic while he stood about a foot away from her, body relaxed with his arms folded across his chest. He seemed to be interested in what she was saying, but he kept his distance from her.

  “Do you think he slept with her?” Joy asked without taking her eyes off the two of them to look at Karma.

  “Ask him,” Karma said. Joy’s question caused Karma’s attention to shift to her best friend.

  “I’m not asking him that.” Joy frowned and looked at Karma like she had lost her mind.

  “Shit, why not? You want to know, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not asking him that so he can think I’m some crazy, obsessed girlfriend.”

  Karma looked at Joy with a sneaky grin. “Girlfriend? Damn, it’s like that?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying, I don’t want him to think I’m crazy for being all in his business,” Joy said, not even realizing she said girlfriend until Karma pointed it out. It had only been a week, but it felt like they had been together for months. Either way, they hadn’t discussed anything about their situation.

  “That’s what you said boo, and your fucking him so you own the right to know who he stuck his dick in before you.” Karma looked at Joy with the most serious stare because she meant every word she said.

  “No I don’t. We barely know each other and it was just sex. I don’t have any rights to information about his personal life,” Joy said.

  “If he’s been all up in your guts, then boo, you can ask him whatever you want, about whoever you want, and he has clearly laid it down based on the way you’re over there drooling.”

  Joy balled up the napkin she was holding and threw it at Karma. “You know I hate you, right?”

  “Don’t get mad at me because you got some good dick and it’s written all over your face. So how was it anyway?”

  “I’m not telling you that.” Joy looked at Karma and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, so that’s how we’re doing it now?” Karma narrowed her eyes at Joy. The two of them had been friends for a little over four years, and basically knew everything about each other, not excluding their sex lives.

  Joy just laughed. She was dying to tell somebody about Logic and Karma was that somebody, so she finally gave in. “Girl, I’m gonna marry that man.”

  “Damn boo, it’s that good? I mean, you can look at him and tell, but daaayummm. You trying to marry that nigga?” Karma said with her fist balled up covering her mouth.

  “Let’s just say he can have all of me anytime he wants. I can literally still feel him inside me right now.” Joy tightened her thighs and then looked down at her lap.

  “Well shit, welcome to the club boo.”

  “You need to stop,” Joy said, but she couldn’t control her smile. Not only had Logic touched her body in ways that she didn’t think were possible, but he also had her just addicted to him in general. She couldn’t even explain what it was about him that had her so gone, but little did he know, he owned her already.

  “Joy Malone, if I didn’t know any better I’d say your ass was in love with that man already,” Karma said with a smirk.

  “I’m not, I just really, really, really like him,” Joy said, as she looked in his direction where he was still deep in conversation with Netra.

  “So you need to have a conversation with him, Joy.”

  “It’s too early for all that,” Joy said with a slight frown. She knew what she wanted, but this wasn’t high school and they had literally only known each other for a minute.

  “It’s never too early, boo. Like I said, if he’s been in your cookie you at least deserve a conversation. What if he’s just in it for the sex. Would you keep seeing him?”

  Joy hadn’t thought about that and honestly, she didn’t know. She wanted more than just sex, but she also wanted him. She hadn’t really thought about what she was willing to accept yet.

  “Don’t even, Joy. That’s not your thing and you know it.” Karma could tell that Joy was thinking about what she would do if Logic was not looking for a relationship.

  “I know that K.”

  “Don't wait Joy, talk to him. You’re both grown and if he can't handle a conversation then he can’t handle a relationship. He’s cool and all, but I’m not about to let him play you and I mean that.” Karma’s mood quickly transitioned and she was getting amped.

  “Calm down, K. Dang, you can’t get mad at him until he actually does something,” Joy said and laughed. If nothing else, Karma was her rider and always had her back.

  Again, Joy and Karma both looked in Logic’s direction, but this time he was watching them. He smiled at Joy before he focused on Netra again. He said something which caused her to look back at their table. She didn’t look happy, but she nodded and walked into the kitchen just as Logic made his way over to them. He grabbed the empty chair at their table, moving it closer to Joy before he sat down and kissed her on the cheek.

  “What’s up shorty?” His hand moved up her thigh.

  “That looked pretty intense, you sure Netra won’t mind you over there with us?” Karma asked, nodding towards the direction that he had just come from.

  “K, chill,” Joy said narrowing her eyes at her best friend.

  Logic chuckled. “Nah, it’s cool shorty. Your girl is just looking out. I can respect that.”

  He reached for Joy and gently grabbed her chin, turning her face to his, and then kissed her lips. When he released their kiss, he turned to Karma. “Don’t worry, she don’t have shit to worry about. She’s the only one in here who has a say in anything I do.”

  “Hmm, that’s what you say,” Karma said.

  “I’m a grown ass man, so I have a past just like I’m sure she does, but I don’t owe anybody in my past any explanations about what I do or who I do it with. So trust me, she has nothing to worry about.”

  “Thank you for that, but really it’s none of her business or mine,” Joy said interrupting their conversation.

  “Oh, it’s most definitely your business,” Karma said, peering at Joy and then Logic. “But I’ll let it go for now.”

  Logic laughed and Joy felt her face heat up from embarrassment.

  “How long you staying?” Logic asked.

  “Not sure.”

  “Stay with me tonight?”

  “And that right there is why your business, is her business,” Karma said.

  “Speaking of business, how about you mind yours K,” Joy said peering at Karma before she focused on Logic again. “Karma drove and I’ll have to go by my place to get clothes.”

  “Then stay and I can take you.”

  “Well damn, hello, I am sitting here.” Karma waved her hand in the air to break up the way that Logic and Joy were into each other.

  Logic turned and flashed Karma the sexiest grin ever, before he spoke. “Chill ma, I’m not telling you that you have to leave, I’m just letting you know that she’s going home with me.”

  “Don’t get it twisted, she was mine before she was yours,” Karma said feeling a little jealous.

  Logic ignored Karma and turned to Joy again. He wore a smirk on his face that had Joy instantly wet. “You’re mine shorty?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Joy blushed.

  “But she did, and who knows you better than your best friend,” Logic said and then pointed at Karma.

  “Don’t answer that,” Karma snapped, and then pointed at Joy before she turned to face Logic who seemed really amused. “So what is this whole thing? I mean, you’re i
n the corner for twenty minutes talking to that.” Her eyes moved to Netra and then back to Logic. “But then you’re telling Joy she’s the only one who has a say in what you do, and then asking her to go home with you. You fine and everything, but she don’t do community dick.”

  Logic burst out laughing, because Karma was so serious that it was all he could do.

  “Karma, oh my God, did you really just say that?” Joy yelled, looking like she wanted to slap her friend.

  “Community dick, what the fuck?” Logic said with a smirk but still laughing.

  “Yes, community dick. Exactly what I said.”

  “First of all, there isn’t a damn thing about my dick that involves a community of any kind, but like I said before, I have a past and so does she. I’m grown ma, so I don’t play games. But I get that you’re worried about your girl, so trust me when I say that this will be whatever she wants it to be. Now, can we please stop talking about my dick? That shit is weird as fuck.” Logic flashed Karma a smile.

  Now Karma was laughing. “You right, but I’m just saying.”

  Joy looked at Karma and then Logic. “Both of you need to find some chill, and if you’re finished dictating the terms of my relationship then yes, I’ll stay.”

  Logic turned to look at Joy with a grin. “You claiming me shorty?”

  Joy looked at him confused, so he explained. “You just said terms of your relationship, we’re in a relationship now?”

  “No, that’s not what I-”

  Logic grabbed her face again and kissed her. When he released their kiss, he wore a sexy grin. “Nah, too late shorty. No going back.”

  Before she could say another word, Logic was gone and Karma had a smirk on her face.