Me: ABOUT ME WANTING TO RETURN THE FAVOR! ABOUT IT BEING BEST THAT YOU’RE ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECAUSE IF YOU WEREN’T I’D BE RETURNING THE FAVOR RIGHT NOW! OKAY?!
“Okay, baby. Just get some rest. You had a pretty late night last night.” She shifted out of the doorframe with the knob in hand, positioned to leave. “Your dad heard Stenton carrying you in last night. He said it was four in the morning.”
Holy mother of Joseph! That explained my care.
Stenton: Zo…
That was all I allowed myself to read from his return, though there was much more behind it. I immediately typed back.
Me: No. Don’t explain or apologize for our reality. It is what it is. You belong to someone else. I get it. Thanks for the bag and trip.
I waited a few seconds to hear the jingle confirming the text went through then deleted our entire exchange, powered my phone off before burying myself beneath the covers and fighting to find my way back to sleep. I couldn’t do this with Stenton. Refused to do it to myself. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t choose me.
~~~~~~~~~~
~Stenton~
I kept checking my phone for a response from Zoey and found myself re-reading her cold message. It was an act of futility. If I knew Zoey, she wouldn’t reply again. She was that damn stubborn. Honestly, I was surprised to get a text from her to begin with. I mean, I guess I did expect to hear from her about the gifts in some form. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to reference last night.
Admittedly, I’m a selfish motherfucker when it comes down to Zoey Barrett. I was able to get honest about this to myself after we’d started fucking. It was my intent to make my scheduled flight after her BBQ in Alpine. Then I spoke privately with her in the vestibule and got caught up in ZoeyLand, fucking losing resistance to her. She was beautiful and into her head, making that damn clicking sound with the back of her throat. That shit always did things to me. I felt proud in general and elated for her overcoming the hurdles my selfish ass put in her way. Zoey appeared humbled, not tripping off the success over my deviation. I knew she’d persevere. I never doubted her endurance.
But then I couldn’t stop at pushing back my flight plan, twice. I had to go to the damn club, invite Alton and the guys to camouflage my need of wanting to celebrate by her side some more. I even had my assistant call the club to set up the veil for privacy. Then I had to touch her. Bad move. Touching Zoey’s soft skin made me want to feel her. When I held her, I smelled her, got bewitched in her unique and personal scents. Then I wanted to kiss her. That got road blocked when she removed herself from my fold and kept a distance for the rest of the evening. And that should have been a sign for my selfish ass, but no! Never could Stenton Rogers deny himself of Zoey, especially because he had exclusive knowledge of what her pleasures were. Especially because he knew her kitty hadn’t been touched in some time. Especially because he feared her * being occupied by another.
So, what did Stenton do? He formulated a transportation diversion and informed Tynisha as to how Zoey would be getting home that night, understanding that her inebriation would prevent her from figuring out that I was plotting against my son’s mother. It was wrong and deceptive, but that’s what I often engaged in with Zoey. I’d resort to manipulation just to quell my insatiable need for her.