by Briann Danae
"Thank you. How old are you now old man?" she laughed comfortably.
Laughing, smiling and being herself around D'Haven came naturally. Tugging at the hair on his chin, D'Haven chuckled.
"Old man? Damn like that?"
His handsome smirk made all the jitters in Astryd's body reappear.
"I'm twenty-nine. That'd make you what now… twenty-six?"
Astryd nodded. "Yep. Still a baby."
"Nah," he countered. "You're far from a baby."
Astryd quivered. His intense, dreamy stare had her freaking out.
"Still got a cute baby face though."
She swatted his arm, hitting nothing but firm muscle. "Oh, whatever. You mind if I get a drink?"
You mind if I get a drink of you? Is what D'Haven wanted to ask her. He was damn near parched from having this conversation with Astryd and needed her to quench his thirst. She asked so politely, it made his dick hard. She was a good girl, still. He could tell, but something in her eyes was troubling her spirit. Even in his almost drunken state, D'Haven could peep the facade she had up.
"Go ahead. Drink whatever."
Hearing those words, Astryd eagerly grabbed a flute and filled it with Patron, before adding some orange juice to it. D'Haven had his eyes trained on her as she took the first sip. When she exhaled the breath she seemed to be holding in, he grinned at the pleasant smirk on her face.
"What?" she questioned.
"Just admiring your beauty is all. Can I do that?"
Bashfully, Astryd ran a hand through her curls. D'Haven didn't have to ask, but she was glad he had. He was making her nervous again but in a good way. Taking a huge gulp of her drink, she nodded her head.
"Yeah, sure," she replied just as Baylei and Demi walked up.
Purposely, Baylei bumped Astryd causing her to swivel in her direction.
"My fault girl. I had too much to drink," Baylei offered up.
Though she and Demi had indulged in one too many shots before they headed to the club, that wasn't the reason she bumped into her. Seeing Astryd all in her ex's face had her hot. The way D'Haven was looking in his crisp white button down with the top two unbuttoned, thin gold chain around his neck, tattooed arms on display and fresh line, Baylei wasn't going for any female besides her being in his face. She didn't give a damn if it was his party or not.
Astryd gave her a simple once over and focused her attention back on D'Haven. "I'll come say bye before I leave."
"Aight. Don't make me have to look for you, woman," he replied making her blush.
"I won't."
"Hey, girl. Your man let you out the house tonight?" Demi said playfully, but in reality, it was the truth.
Alonzo had let her out, and if he knew where she was at, all hell would break loose. Giving her a shrug Astryd said, "Yeah, sure."
The mention of Alonzo had Astryd gulping down her drink as she walked away. She didn't want to have him on her mind, especially when she knew she had lied to him about her whereabouts. D'Haven peeped the flustered look on her face and frowned, and his frown only deepened when Baylei openly rubbed her hand against his crotch. D'Haven smacked her hand away.
"Aye, watch out. I ain't fucking with you like that," he told her.
"Why? Because of her?"
"Nah, because of you. I don't have to explain myself to you Baylei," he chuckled, picking is cup up from the table.
"Whatever. You lucky I don't show out up here."
"Go ahead. You gon' be getting put right the fuck out. Matter fact, you can leave for real. I ain't really feeling your presence right now."
Baylei's jaw dropped. "What? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I was invited!"
"By my sister. Before you start trying to make a scene, just leave man. I ain't in the mood for your ass."
With that, D'Haven walked away to mingle with his folks. Baylei was trying her best to get back in his good graces, but her attempts were falling short. With an attitude written all over her face, Baylei roughly made her a drink and quickly tossed it back. She couldn't believe the way D'Haven was handling her. Yes, she had fucked his niggas, but she thought they'd at least still be friends. He didn't even want to be that, honestly. Feeling herself tear up, Baylei shook her head and faced Demi.
"You ready to go?"
Demi frowned. "We just got here ten minutes ago. You can leave, but I'm not ready yet."
"Fine, but I'm going downstairs to find me a new nigga. Your brother acting all stuck up and shit," she fussed.
Demi waved her off. "Okay, girl. If that's what you think. I'll text you when I'm ready to go."
Baylei rolled her eyes and walked off. Sometimes, she asked herself why she was even friends with Demi's ass, then she remembered she had gotten close to her just so she could fuck D'Haven and make herself his girl. Her plan went through, but it was over now. D'Haven wasn't checking for her ass anymore.
Across the section, Astryd was tossing back a strong shot of something Honey wouldn't reveal. It went down smooth as hell, but that wasn't the point. Sticking her tongue out, her body shivered once the drink was in her system.
"Okay, no more shots for me," she announced.
"You have to take one more. That was for your raise, the next one is for D'Haven's birthday," Honey said as her man, Jamir, handed her a shot of something clear.
"I ain't drinking no clear shit," Esmin griped. "Where the Remy at?"
"Oh no. You gon' drink this Patron tonight," Greigh said making her girls chuckle. Leaning over she whispered in her man's ear. "You a beast off that Tequila, Daddy."
Esmin smacked her ample ass. "I'ma beast period. You just better be ready to toot that ass up on this dick and give me another baby."
"Gladly," Greigh grinned, smooching his lips.
"Y'all are so cute," Lee smiled. "Aren't they bae?"
"Nah. You the only cute thing I see for real," Demir replied draping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her into his side.
"Oh my gosh," Honey squealed. "Y'all are so mushy. I know y'all drunk."
"Nope. This is how we always are," Lee answered for her and Greigh. Her friend had her tongue down Esmin's throat, and she was sure she'd be carrying baby number two real soon.
Once Honey had everyone's attention, she gave a special birthday shout-out to her cousin, welcomed him home again, and everyone tossed their shot back. A few people were drinking straight from the bottle, and D'Haven was one of them. The Hennessy had him feeling lovely. He didn't even have the urge to smoke anymore, which in his case, was a good thing. His PO was an asshole and told him straight up that he'd be making him drop come Monday morning.
While everyone grooved to the music and caught up, Astryd stepped over to the railing and looked out at the sea of dancing bodies. She had reached her limit and couldn't stop twirling her hips. She felt free. A feeling she hadn't felt in so long, she didn't know what to do. The DJ set the mood just right as Astryd swayed to the smooth sound of Caramel by Lloyd. When she felt a strong pair of hands wrap around her waist, she froze up.
"No need to stop now," D'Haven whispered in her ear. "Gon' dance for me with your sexy ass."
Astryd's knees buckled, but his hold on her kept her from collapsing. The liquid courage crept up on Astryd in a rush. The feel of him enclosed around her frame, warm breath against her neck, and bulge in his pants against her ass, had her feeling bold. With confidence, she began to move her body like an exotic dancer to the beat. With each dip of her back and twirl of her hips, D'Haven was right there with her catching every move she made. Moving her hair from her neck, he placed a soft kiss against it, and the seat of Astryd's thong flooded.
"D-D'Haven," she whispered out in a tremble.
"Yeah Pebbles?"
"You can't kiss on me like that," she breathed out.
Ignoring her, D'Haven licked her neck and pulled her closer to his body. His hand caressed her belly as she stopped moving. Hell, she was hardly breathing as well. When his hand slid up her shirt, somehow, his warmth caused her to
shiver. Chills covered her exposed arms as he did whatever it was he was doing to her body. He was making it his own without properly asking permission, but Astryd didn't give a damn.
"I wanna eat your pussy so bad," he admitted in a gentle, sonorous tone. He said it as if it were an everyday task like brushing his teeth. D'Haven wanted to make it a daily task on his to-do list and place a check by it when complete. He made a promise to do it well too, if she'd let him.
Astryd couldn't find her voice. He snatched it away the moment he placed those soft, juicy lips against her neck. Though vulgar as hell, his admission of wanting to taste her were the most endearing words ever. She was so turned on if D'Haven whispered another word in her ear, she was liable to orgasm on the spot.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," someone called out from behind them.
Astryd didn't realize her eyes were closed until they popped open at the sound of that voice. Maneuvering from D'Haven's grasp, she squealed and jumped into her big brother's open arms.
"Winston! Oh my gosh! I didn't know you were coming home," she said feeling slighted.
"That's the point of surprises, baby girl. Happy to see me?"
Drunkenly, Astryd pinched his cheek. "Of course, I am. I swear you look like your daddy the older you get."
The siblings had the same mother, but different dads. While Winston didn't possess Astryd's foreign looks, he was still as handsome as ever. Smooth skin the color of cognac, a clean low-cut fade, and a ripped body like the football coach he was, Winston didn't lack in looks at all. Astryd was surprised he hadn't brought any kids home yet. His answer was always, I'm focused on me right now, kids can wait. And, they could until he was ready to settle down. Until then, he was going to continue to spoil his nieces as if they were his own.
"That dude looks like me," he chuckled before he and D'Haven slapped hands. "My guy. Welcome home, baby."
Embracing one another, their manly greeting that lasted longer than a usual hug made tears come to Astryd's eyes. The sacrifices made on D'Haven's behalf to keep her brother out of jail were the reason for the heartfelt greeting. In his last year of undergrad, and a scholarship underway with plans to attend graduate school, Winston got caught slipping, and Astryd felt like it was all her fault.
Three months into her relationship with Alonzo back in 2013, he flipped out and punched Astryd for asking a simple question. She had caught wind of him fucking around with a girl from their city, but instead of assuming, she brought it to him. When she didn't get the answer she liked and said something slick out of her mouth, a swift punch was delivered right after. Stunned by his actions, the first thing Astryd did was call her brother.
Hearing his sister sobbing into the phone had Winston ready to kill Alonzo on sight. At the time, he was home from school and kicking it with D'Haven. When Winston let him know what was going on, they dropped what they had planned and headed to Alonzo's crib, but got pulled over on the way there. Winston had a gun in the console and quickly panicked not knowing what to do. When the cops instructed them to get out and came back with the gun and some drugs questioning them, D'Haven spoke up and claimed the weapon as his.
Not wanting to see Winston throw his life away for a petty gun charge, D'Haven took the charge for him. Instead of the few years he thought he was going to sit down, the judge gave him the max because he already had a previous misdemeanor on his record. D'Haven felt it was the right thing to do and didn't regret it. The only person who felt remorseful was Astryd. In her mind, had she not called him to come get her, he and D'Haven wouldn't have gotten pulled over.
It was the past now though, and D'Haven was home. He wasn't into dwelling on his past transgressions in life. Those years behind bars taught him to appreciate everything positive when there was so much negativity in the world. Had he not wanted to claim the gun as his, he wouldn't have. He was a man about his and seeing the man Winston had become over the years was worth it. He held his boy down the entire time and blessed his pockets with the gift Astryd sent through Honey.
"'Preciate you. You buff as hell ain't you?" D'Haven jested.
"Them weights dawg. You about to bust out yo damn shirt. Got my sis over here with stars in her eyes," Winston laughed, pulling Astryd into his side and kissing her forehead. "You drunk?"
She nodded softly with a smile. "Mhm."
"You drove?"
Winston was playing the big brother role like only he could. With him being away most of the time, he cherished the moments he did share with Astryd.
"No, I rode with Honey. I have to be home at midnight though," she said before her eyes popped open and realization hit her.
Scrambling through her clutch for her phone, Astryd felt every drop of liquor she drank ready to spew from her lips. The time on her cell phone staring back at her read 11:49. She was having such a good time; the time had slipped away from her. She knew there was no way she was going to make it home in eleven minutes.
"Why midnight?" Winston asked.
"Ashlee has a dance recital in the morning. I gave myself a curfew," she giggled nervously. She was so swift with her lies, Winston didn't even peep the tremor in her voice.
"You'll be good to wake up. Just drink some water and take a BC powder before you go to sleep," Winston told her.
Astryd swallowed the ache in her throat, and her pride slid right down with it. She wanted to tell her brother, or someone, so badly about her abusive home life but couldn't. After the incident with Alonzo hitting her the first time, Astryd was going to leave him for good but found out she was pregnant. She couldn't believe how her life had turned out back then, and to this day, she was still in disbelief. But, her circumstances were only going to change if she wanted them to. No one else could make that decision for her and though it was scary, sometimes facing your fears is the only option when trying to survive. She was either going to sink or swim and right now she was on the verge of drowning but her two floaties, Ashlee and Ashlynn, were holding her afloat.
As the time ticked by, the more petrified Astryd became. She thought of slipping away and calling a Lyft, but her friends nor D'Haven were letting her out of their sight. She really got out of the house, and they were taking full advantage of it. When it hit a little after one, she yawned, and Winston came over to where she was sitting.
"Sis, I'm headed out. I got a meeting in the morning. You need a ride home?"
Astryd jumped to her feet so quickly, she stumbled in the heels she was rocking. Catching her wobbly frame from behind, D'Haven chuckled.
"Slow down, Pebbles. He ain't gon' leave you."
"He better not. You sure it's not out the way?" she asked, and Winston shook his head no.
"Nah. Even if it was, I was still going to drop you off. D, you good?"
The men slapped hands. "Yeah. Shit, I'ma head out in a minute, too. Let everybody finish drinking then get some food or something."
"Aight. I'll hit yo line tomorrow so we can link up."
D'Haven agreed and lightly pulled Astryd back to him once she took one step in the direction of the stairs.
"Come here. I know you ain't leaving without telling me goodnight."
The way the words flowed from his lips to Astryd's ears made her stomach churn. There was a slight slur in them, but stern enough to let her know he didn't appreciate her trying to walk off. Though the sight of her walking away was a sight to see, he'd much rather get another view of her pretty face before he closed his eyes in a few hours.
Astryd locked eyes with him, and her heart fluttered. It was everything about the way D'Haven carried himself that had her considering staying by his side for the night. The rebellious spirit she once possessed was creeping up but didn't quite make it to the forefront of her mind.
"Goodnight, D'Haven," she said softly. Eyes fluttering from his intoxicating smell and aura. She felt high in his presence and not because of the weed smoke smothering their section.
Pulling her into his embrace, Astryd wrapped her arms around his nec
k as his hands slid down her back. He wanted to grip her ass in the palm of his hands and thought against it but did it anyway. Respectfully, but savagely as well, D'Haven caressed her ass and whispered in her ear so erotically, Astryd could have fainted.
"It was indeed a good night, Pebbles. Your presence was the best present of them all."
She chuckled at the line and removed herself from his embrace. D'Haven wanted to kiss her, but he had already done enough.
"Drive safely okay?"
"Tech driving, so I'm good. You stay looking out," he grinned.
"It's only right that I do," she said and gave him a soft smile before heading to tell her girls bye.
D'Haven's eyes were trained on her until he could no longer see the top of her curly head descending the steps. He had it bad, but so did she. Had he known the sacrifice she just made to stay longer in his presence, D'Haven would have driven her home himself. The entire ride to her crib, Astryd looked at the time on the dashboard. What had her even more spooked was the fact that Alonzo hadn't called or texted her not once. That right there made her sick to her stomach.
"What time Ashlee dance recital start?" Winston asked as he pulled into the driveway.
"At 10:30. Want me to send you the information?"
Yeah. Text it to me. My meeting should be over around that time."
"Okay. Thank you for the lift home. I can't believe you snuck up on me," she grinned making him do the same.
"You know I gotta keep an eye on you."
"Mhm. I bet. I'll see you tomorrow."
He hit the locks. "Aight. Love you."
"Love you too. Drive safely, please."
"Always. I had one drink."
Satisfied with his answers, Astryd climbed out his car and moseyed to the front door. Winston didn't pull off until she was safely inside. With the kitchen light illuminating the hall, Astryd slipped her heels off and carried them in her hand up the steps. Her heart beat wildly in her chest the closer she got to their bedroom door. Palms sweating, she held on tightly to her heels and swallowed hard before walking inside. When she heard Alonzo's snores echoing lowly through the room, she released her breath and headed to the bathroom.