It was getting late, and exhaustion was creeping into my limbs. Sometimes, I considered falling asleep with her, but I knew what would happen. It was a road I couldn’t take with her. Eventually, I would have to tell her the truth.
She needed to know at some point.
But I didn’t want the questions or the sympathy. I wasn’t ready for the long conversation that would follow, the prying into my past that I wanted to forget. It was easy to procrastinate.
She got up on her own and grabbed her dress off the floor. “I should get going…” She wanted to stay. The sigh of longing in her voice made it obvious she wanted to sleep in that bed beside me, her arms linked around my neck as our breathing fell in sync.
But I had to deny her. “You’re probably right.” I got dressed and drove her to her apartment. I hated taking her home every night because it meant I had to say goodbye until I saw her again. I hated the silence in the car, the heavy feeling of disappointment. We were both tired and we should have both been in bed, not saying bye on a doorstep like inexperienced teenagers.
I walked her to her front door and gave her a kiss. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight. I’ll see you later.” She got the door unlocked and walked inside.
I didn’t want to say goodbye. I wanted to keep her in my arms throughout the night. I wanted to eat her pussy for breakfast and watch her get ready for work in my bathroom. I wanted to make coffee for her in the kitchen before she left for work.
But none of those things would ever happen.
16
Rome
I was Calloway’s first girlfriend, apparently.
At least that’s what Jackson said.
And that’s how Calloway introduced me to anyone we came across. Being his first meant something to me. It allowed me to put up with the fact that he wouldn’t allow me to sleep over. It helped me forget that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the parameters around our relationship.
But I was still falling so goddamn hard.
I didn’t want to wait another week. I didn’t think I could survive seven days without feeling him inside me. At first, the request was just to protect myself, but now, I didn’t want to be protected.
I was ready.
I’d waited too long to get my feet in the water. I’d waited too long to jump headfirst into the unknown. Now, I needed to do it and enjoy it. I needed to do it with Calloway and hope for the best.
And it probably would be the best.
I had a meeting with a donor, so I got off work much later than I normally would. Calloway texted me and invited me to his place for dinner. He didn’t usually take me out to dinner because he liked the privacy of his home.
I preferred it too.
I could eat dinner while sitting on his lap, or he could he eat while I sucked his cock under the table. And more importantly, we could eat buck naked.
I was running late, so I had to speed walk to my apartment. When I finally got onto my floor, I was sweaty from busting my ass, and my feet were killing me from the stilettos I wore. Just when I reached the door, I noticed it was cracked—and the lock was busted.
Someone broke in.
“Motherfucker.” This happened to me last year, and they took all of my things. My computer and TV were gone, and they took my autographed Stephen Curry basketball. That last one pissed me off the most. The police never found the burglars, and I was angry for weeks.
I stormed into the apartment and saw everything misplaced. The armchair was moved and the bed was pushed up so they could access whatever was underneath. The TV wasn’t on the table. It was on the ground with the cord wrapped around it.
They were still in here.
An arm wrapped around my throat and choked me, coming from behind the door. He pulled with all his strength, immediately collapsing my airway. “Scream, bitch. See what happens.”
I slammed my heel onto his foot so hard my heel snapped.
“Fuck!” His arm loosened when he cried out in pain.
I threw my head back and hit him square in the nose.
“Shit!”
I grabbed his arm and pulled it across my shoulder before I hurled him to the ground, making his heavy body fall with a loud thud. I only had seconds before he regained his footing, so I turned him over and sat on his lower back, pulling his hands behind his back. “Scream, bitch.” I slammed his head into the floor just for kicks.
He got one arm loose and threw my body to the ground. Quickly, he moved on top of me and slugged me hard in the eye. In quick succession, he hit me again, making my mouth ooze with blood.