by Mia Madison
I shook my head. “He won’t be involved with anyone else. He’s too loyal for that. He told me I was allowed to do as I wanted, so long as I was discreet.”
Dilayla scowled in displeasure. “Who the fuck…?”
“Exactly! And that’s why I’m on the fence,” I said. “He’s too loyal for a side chick, but sleeping in separate rooms, side men, and artificial insemination ain’t my kinda party.”
“Oh, girl boo. Y’all will fuck y’all way into a pregnancy,” she said, pointing her fingers downward in assertion. “That won’t be a problem. But from what I see, you’re actually in a good position to win, mama. Check it.”
She leaned forward, and looked at me dead-on. “He’s loyal, he’s got money, and he’s family oriented. You’ll be debt free by the time you get married. And even if you don’t get along with his mother, you’ll be pregnant so she’ll need to kiss your ass anyway for the sake of her son and the babies. And that’s assuming she’s hard to deal with. She might be as sweet as he is, because she wants him married, and it’s clear he wants a woman who can get along with his mother.”
I silently took her in as she continued.
“As far as you’re concerned, you have the man you want, but the love part will take work. I’ve seen how Dom looks at you when he thinks no one is watching. He’s in awe of you, thinks you’re the sexiest thing walking.”
“Really?” My heart pitter-pattered when she said that.
“Duh! That’s his problem; he’s intimidated by you. He never thought a woman like you would ever take notice of a man like him. He’s had too many fuckbitches use him for Nick and Kenny—and he’s learned their ugliness has done nothing to make them more open to a commitment.”
“One grande savage, no chill, for Dilayla.” I pushed an imaginary Starbucks cup across the table like a barista.
“Sheeeeeit,” Dilayla said. “I’m just saying. If I weren’t already taken by Nick, you’d probably have competition. Dom’s one hell of a catch. He’s a diamond in the rough, and you know I can bring the shine out of him.”
“Bitch, watch it!” I raised my butter knife at her, making a mildly threatening expression as I did.
“Girl, bye! I don’t want him, I’m just saying.” Dilayla tossed her middle finger at me. “Dating these days has a new level of crazy to it. Forget trying to find a good man. They all crazy these days, and all they want to do is Netflix and chill. Fuck Netflix and chill. Eat my pussy and leave!”
Dilayla continued to rant, but I let her. It was amusing, and lightened the mood. She made several solid points about Dom, and this idea he had.
“Listen, Morelli. Just marry the man. He’s not perfect, but you can learn to love him, he can learn to love you, and you can work on making the marriage solid.”
“Can I?” I questioned that theory. “He seemed pretty solid on thinking we needed to divorce once his mother passed.”
“He also seemed pretty solid he wasn’t getting inside them sweet walls until you dropped to your knees, sucked the life out of him, and then got on all fours and threw it back on him.” Dilayla got on all fours and pretended to have air sex. “Oh daddy, daddy, take me… take all of me.” She moaned and exaggerated, making fun of me with a silly porn star voice.
“I hate you!” I threw a piece of fruit at her, hitting her on her butt. She picked it up and ate it, causing us both to laugh. She finished eating while she sat on the floor and argued once more.
“Call that man up and tell him yes. It’s 2017. We gotta drink water, eat good, have nasty sex, and mind our business. Marry him now and work it out later.”
“You sure about that?”
“Why not? The dick’s great and he’s a gentleman,” Dilayla said. “He’s just convinced you’re too much for him. I don’t know what beautiful woman broke his heart, but not every ‘unattainable’ beauty is unattainable.”
“He’s not even that bad looking. I actually think he’s fucking adorable.”
“Yeah, he is, but you know how it is. When you’re next to two football players, you become invisible unless you’re the shoe-in.” She gave a sad smile as she thought about it.
“It’s a damn shame. He’s been a good man this whole time.” My face filled with the heat of anger. All these women had no idea what kind of man Dom was, but I did. I could see it. I could sense it. And I could feel every inch of it. He was an iceberg. You didn’t see much from the basic view, but his depth and true form were incredible.
I had to find a way in, especially if I would be his wife. Because I didn’t want to marry him for money alone. I wanted him for real.
Dilayla stood and cleaned up brunch. We were headed to the studio for a private dance lesson. I finished the last of my food, now cold, and helped her clean up.
“Is that what made you finally give in to Nick after three weeks? Chivalry and penis?”
“Big daddy is a savage and a gentleman, just like your fiancé,” she emphasized the last word with a flourish. “I’m an old lady. I need security, freedom, nice things, and good credit, so I’ll be with one man. I don’t have energy to date and shit. Don’t send me a dick pic. Send me your credit score, and then tell me how we’re gonna fix mine.”
“You’re right,” I said, nodding. I was more convinced than ever, that if I just allowed this to work, I could make Dom and my marriage into something real.
“I know. Now stop walking around dickpressed and tell him yes.”
“Dickpressed? What the—”
“Dickpressed is when you’re walking around depressed and sad because you don’t have any dick in your life. It’s been what? Over a year since you had some?”
I looked at her with shock. “How you know?”
Dilayla tittered as she finished off her mimosa. She lifted it in a cheer. “That’s what I do. I drink and know things.”
Dom
“Are you serious?”
“Do I sound like I’m not?”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Nick’s brows furrowed. He gestured dramatically as he held a bottle of beer in his hand.
“I know I sound crazy, but trust me, I’m completely sober.” I raised the bottle of water in my hand. “Besides, this is my only real opportunity.”
“Real opportunity?” Kenny asked. “You can find a million women to play Miami Hearts with. Morelli is the wrong one.”
“I agree,” Nick chimed in.
We were shooting the shit in Kenny’s private office at the leasing center, tossing back beer and pizza after the employees left.
Today had been short, but it was crazy to see we were already well into the early evening. Even though I’d been on weeknight dates, I was never late to work, and the fellas, aware of my situation, demanded to get the details.
I tried to keep it clean, and avoided discussion all day. I didn’t like to kiss and tell. Besides, we were in earshot of staff. I successfully avoided every question they asked until our staff left, and the general combination of anxiety and beer lowered my guard.
That’s when I confessed to taking Morelli out—and, consequently, asking her to marry me. Which was exactly why they were freaking out on me.
“My mother’s life is in the balance right now,” I persisted. “Even if she doesn’t die within the next year, another stroke could leave her unable to walk, talk, or even see.”
The guys gave sympathetic nods of understanding. Mortality was real, as was morbidity.
“Mom just wants to see me happily married,” I continued, hoping to appeal to their perspectives. “She wants to see me married with children. She wants my kids to know her as Grandma. I just want to give her the opportunity to experience that wish.”
“Yeah, but you proposed marriage and kids on the first date?” Nick said. “Did you even have a ring? You’ve been everything but interested in the girl until now.”
“No,” I grimaced, my face turning red. “I didn’t think about a ring. I didn’t know her size, or what she liked. I…”
I
paused, pinching the bridge of my nose because it dawned on me how unromantic and crazy I must have looked at dinner last night.
“Dude, take a breath,” Nick cautioned me. He squeezed my shoulders and urged me to take a sip of water.
“Emergencies have a way of pushing you out of your comfort zone, I guess.” My thoughts were morose as I took a sip of water and let my gaze sweep the floor.
“Don’t be like that,” Kenny chimed in. “Depressed and morose. We’re just concerned. For you and her. Nothing about this sounds appealing or romantic, and you know women love romance.”
“Marriage is the most romantic thing ever, and you tossed up the idea over late-night tiramisu? How would this even work?” Nick added.
My face curled in exasperation.
“I mean, romance isn’t my focus. My plan is simple: we get married, she gets paid handsomely as my wife, and gets financial support and alimony as mother of my children when we’re divorced.” I shrugged. “I get to make my mother happy before her passing.”
“And she’s okay without any romantic involvement?”
They both looked at me with eyebrows cocked as they waited for my answer. I took a sip to avoid discussing this any further. I wanted to change the subject, but had no idea how.
“You already know that’s not the case,” Nick pushed. He looked at Kenny. “That’s my wife’s cousin. She’s practically family now. You know she asked about him a few times since the wedding.” They shot each other a knowing look before pulling their gazes back to me.
“What do you mean, she asked about me?” Now it was my turn to turn the tables on them. I sat up, waiting for details.
“Oh, nothing,” Nick teased. He pulled out his phone and casually unlocked it. “I’ve just got, oh two or three messages from Dilayla about how Morelli wanted to know if you were single or not, and what kind of women you were into.”
“Lies.” I blushed, feeling self-conscious of the attention brought to light in the conversation. Learning that Morelli seriously asked about me several times was intriguing.
“Again, we ask,” Kenny pushed, “Can she deal with an unromantic arrangement? Separate beds and no sex outside of making kids?”
Wild thoughts of last night’s sex, and this morning’s afterglow filled my head. Morelli was a wild animal in bed. She had the tightest, wettest pussy to ever bless my shaft, and she drained me dry. Something told me I hadn’t even experienced the depths of her jungle, but would get there in time.
“We slept together…” I uttered aloud. I covered my face in mortification of my admission. I never expected to confess to this.
“What?” Nick cuffed his hand around his ear and came closer. “You what?”
“We… slept together,” I dragged my words because I actually wanted to keep that secret close to my heart.
“Last night?”
“… And this morning.” My voice nearly squeaked as my throat dried up. I realized I couldn’t lie to my friends.
Surprise drained the color from Kenny’s face, and a soft gasp escaped Nick’s mouth.
“You hit?” His voice rose in a shrill of astonishment.
“It wasn’t my intention.” The heat in my face increased, and I hated myself for my words.
Kenny shot Nick a reprimanding look and hit him on the shoulder. Nick shrugged and turned to me. “I’m sorry man. I’m just excited. It’s been a long time since… Never mind. What happened?”
I told them about Morelli’s reaction, her fist-clenching anger that consumed her as she glowered at me and told me she was leaving, how I convinced her to accept a ride home from me, and how I insisted on walking her to the door.
“I couldn’t just let her storm out. I was raised to make sure a woman got home safely, especially when I’m her ride.” I took the final sip of water from the bottle and reached for another beer. I needed it.
“You were always a gentleman,” Kenny stated. Nick nodded in agreement.
“I got her to the door, and I apologized one last time. She told me to come inside, and when I did, she pounced on me.”
Memories of her pushing me against the door flooded my mind. I could see her vividly moaning for me, sliding to her knees while begging to taste it.
“Was it good?”
“Amazing.”
“Had to be, if you did it again this morning,” Kenny mused. He and Nick tittered, and I turned red again. He folded his arms and repeated himself. “Again, how do you expect a marriage to work with a woman without sex or romance?”
“Money?” I said weakly.
“You’re crazy.” Nick said. “Fucking insane. Morelli really likes you.”
“A lot,” Kenny chimed in.
“Yeah, well it’s not one hundred percent right now. She said she’s willing to think about this. I’m just awaiting her call.”
As if on cue, my phone vibrated, and started to ring. It was Morelli.
“That’s her,” I announced, holding up a finger for them to be quiet.
“Hello.”
“Hey, daddy.”
“Hey… how are you?”
“I’m good, and you?”
“I’m, I’m good.” I struggled to keep from blushing at her flirtatious tone. Even after I’ve sexually experienced her, she still brought out the shy guy in me.
“Great. Well, I’ve been thinking about your proposal…” Her sultry tone trailed off.
“And?” I waited with baited breath, anxious for her response.
“I’m going to accept it. I think it will be good for us.” She spoke with grounded certainty.
“Great, great.” I exhaled in sharp relief. That part of the battle was over. “We can get started right away.”
Kenny and Nick’s eyes bugged, yet I shot them a warning glance. She asked when we needed to meet.
“I’m still at the office. Have you eaten?”
“Yeah, I’ve already eaten.”
“Okay, well, we can meet tonight, or tomorrow if you’d like? My house?”
“I’m actually pretty exhausted, and I work tonight. Tomorrow is better.”
“Oh, well, that reminds me. If you accept, you have to quit dancing. Immediately,” I emphasized my words. I didn’t have a problem with her career, but I didn’t know how my mother would react to an exotic dancer as a daughter-in-law.
“Well, in that case, we really have a deal—as soon as I have some kind of cash deposit. $100K, right? Can you get $25K in twenty-four hours?”
“$50K in thirty minutes wired to your account.”
“Bet. Call me later.”
When I hung up the phone, the guys bombarded me with questions, mainly around whether or not I was sure about my decision.
“I get it, money isn’t an issue for you like it is her, but this can backfire,” Kenny warned. “I see how you look at her. You’re attracted to her. You’re already fucking her, and you’re going to marry her. But will you treat her like a lady?”
“Of course I will, that’s my wife.”
“No, what I mean is, will you give yourself the chance to love her? For real? Because the truth is, you still feel like she’s out of your league. You’ll give her all the privileges—money, status, a comfortable lifestyle, and sex—but she won’t last long if you plan to cut her off in five years without giving your marriage a chance.”
“You really think she cares? I’m giving her one hundred thousand dollars.”
“Do you fucking hear yourself, man?” Nick’s expression radiated disbelief. “The girl’s fucking crazy over you. She asks Dilayla about you all the time. She was even dating other guys to distract herself. She is fucking into you, bro. And she’s willing to play this game with you, but she’s going to fall in love. She’s halfway there. Don’t play with her heart like that.”
“Why do you care so much?” I accused, feeling guilty of the brazen truth that hit me.
“Because I’ve gotten to know her quite a bit over the past few weeks, and she’s honestly a good girl,” Nic
k said. “She’s everything you’ve actually been looking for, but you’ve been overlooking her because you’re scared of the package.”
“What?”
“What’s the major reason you don’t like hot girls, Dom?” Kenny asked. “You said you got tired of them putting you in the friend zone while they ran after Nick and me. You grew tired of having them look you over for the man standing next to you, or calling you for a shoulder to cry on when another man’s broken their heart.”
“You know what Morelli does?” Nick added. “She dances, entertains, and thrills men. She listens to them talk about women they love that cheat on them, don’t appreciate them, or take them for granted. She writhes and wriggles on men so they can experience the fantasy of the ultimate woman, not realizing there’s a woman underneath all that glitter and sex appeal who wants a man who can see all of her, and not just the busty fantasy.”
Again, speechless.
“The same way you’re getting looked over for love, she’s been getting looked over. And you’re doing the same thing most of these men are: you’re paying her to play a role, tossing money at her, and overlooking what’s underneath, waiting to be loved.”
“Shit.” An anvil dropped on my ego, and I felt like shit for realizing everything Nick said was true. “I’m usually the logical one. Here I am getting schooled by the NFL’s biggest playboy.”
“Well, love changes things,” Nick said. “Before Dilayla, I was open to love, but not really. Once I met her, and got to know her for real, I knew what I wanted was attainable. A beautiful, intelligent, sexual woman who made me feel like a man and treated me like a king. She was just buried up under the wrong one, so I had to take that.”
Kenny nodded. “Same with Raquel. She was waiting on another dude who had no idea who she was and what she was capable of. It didn’t take but a few encounters with her to just… know.”
“We would hate for you to mess up a good thing,” Nick said. Kenny nodded. “Morelli is ready for something real, and no matter how much you’ve pushed her away, she keeps gravitating back to you.”