The One, page 22
She got trots of the mouth, it seemed like, and rattled off her grievances which all seemed to be centered around me leaving her once I had my fill. I think she even insulted me by suggesting that I was slumming for a while but would soon get tired of it and move onto some skinny broad she’d invented in her head, to whom I was going to get married and have a houseful of children with. My woman is delusional as all hell.
I let her get it all out without uttering a word until she’d tired herself out with her little one-sided idiotic rant. I could’ve told her that she sounded just as stupid as the people who judge her, but that wouldn’t have served any purpose, so I decided to be the sensible levelheaded one. I did let her sweat for a minute or two in pure silence as we looked at each other.
“That first day I came to your office and took you to lunch, do you remember what we talked about?” She looked stumped as she tried to remember the conversation. “That’s just great, Steph, it was one of the most important conversations of my life, and you forgot it already.”
I pouted or close, which I knew would send her into protective mode. “No, it’s not that; I’m just trying to remember; we’ve had so many great conversations.” I gave her a disbelieving look with all the hurt I could muster thrown in for good measure.
“We talked about having kids.” Not exactly, but close enough.
“We did?” I nodded my head at her question and saw a chink in her armor. She chewed on her lip, and I could see some of the crazy leaving her eyes. As long as I live, I’ll never understand how the fuck women’s heads work. How do you go from smiling and happy one second to gloom and doom the next?
“I kinda sorta remember.”
“So how did we go from that to you wanting to break up with me? I thought we had a good thing going, I thought you’d want to spend the rest of your life with me, but I guess I was wrong. So, what is it? Do I snore? Am I untidy, what? What has brought you to the conclusion that you want to break up with me?”
“I don’t want to break up with you. I just thought … you know.” She shrugged like that was supposed to answer the damn question.
“Stephanie, listen, I don’t know what goes on in your head, and I’m not sure what you missed this past week, but I tried to show you in every way that I’m in this for the long haul. I didn’t realize that you were so self-centered that you didn’t realize or appreciate the things I was doing to show you how much I love and enjoy having you in my life.”
I pretended to leave my seat in anger, and she was the one holding onto me now to keep me in place. I was dying inside, but I had to do this; I had to show her that she had as much of a hold over me as I had over her, that we were both vulnerable in this space, and in so doing, give her some of her power back.
“No, I did see everything you did; I more than appreciate it; it’s just that, I’m afraid.” She said the last bit in a whisper, and it broke my heart a little bit more. I could’ve kicked my own ass for not realizing how deep this thing was. Because I’m not an asshole, I never really understood the impact other people’s treatment had on her. I thought glaring onlookers into silence was enough, but what do I know?
The girl was willing to walk away from a good relationship because she was afraid that I might somehow wake up one day and realize that she wasn’t what I wanted because of her size. I’m not sure how that plays out in her head, but it was time that I took a deeper look, I guess because I’m pretty sure that this new wrinkle was steeped in that pedantic shit.
“What are you afraid of? Help me understand. I thought we had a good thing going; I was looking forward to a future together with more of the same.”
“Do you really mean that? You’re not just saying it to make me feel better?” I gave her a look that made her grin, and the band around my chest eased a little.
I cupped her cheek, and she inhaled softly, “Stephanie, my sweet, adorable girl, don’t you know how much I love you?” Her eyes widened, and I’m pretty sure she stopped breathing for a while, but I didn’t look away, didn’t take my hand away as I looked into her overflowing eyes. I was hoping with everything in me that she could read my eyes, that she could see the truth of my words reflected in them.
It didn’t matter, though, because I’d already made up my mind about the course I had to take. Maybe by baby number three, she’d get the message.
MACE
I’ve got to say, fucking for the sole purpose of breeding is a game changer. If I knew how hot that shit was before, I’d have tried it long ago. Then again, I’ve never wanted this with anyone else, never felt the overpowering need to share my seed with someone like I do with her.
Once the idea was planted in my head, I couldn’t not do it even if I wanted to change my mind because now my body wanted it, knew that it was the best damn thing ever. I could already envision a little one running around with her face and my mouth and her sweet disposition, and I wanted it.
Each stroke held purpose; each thrust of my hips sent my cock deeper, which I was convinced was needed if I wanted to breed her good and proper. What the hell do I know, I’ve never set out to breed a woman before, so I was just going on instinct here. And besides, once my mind was made up, it was as if my body had taken over and was hellbent on getting the job done.
I know some might frown on my seemingly underhanded tactics, but what the hell, I don’t care. The situation calls for it as far as I’m concerned, and it’s not like I haven’t thought the shit over. Okay, I’m talking out of my ass, trying to justify my actions, but what else can I do?
Whoever came before me has filled her head with a whole lot of meaningless bullshit that she, for whatever reason, as smart as she is, has taken to heart. Now I could spend the next five years or however long it takes to unpack all the damage the asshole ex has done, or I could knock that shit out of the park by being proactive. I choose to work smarter, not harder.
By the third time I emptied my balls inside her, I was feeling like job well done. She was panting and wheezing next to me in bed when I pulled out, her body still suffering from little aftershocks, and I wasn’t doing much better myself. It felt like someone had attached an electric prod to my nuts, and I’m pretty certain that I’d cum harder and more than at any other time in the past, including with her.
Something about riding her deep and knowing what my boys were up to make our lovemaking that much more potent, as if my body was on track with my mind and had only one purpose between them. This was different than all the other times I slipped and came inside her because, this time, it was intentional.
She didn’t seem to notice, or maybe it’s because this wasn’t the first time that I’d forgotten to wear a condom and offloaded inside her, but little did she know I was doing that shit purposely now and with intent. When the time comes, I’ll act surprised and ask some of the nonsensical questions men usually do in situations like that, but she wouldn’t know that I’ll be watching her for the signs long before then.
I feel no remorse or shame because, as I said, I’ve realized that I’d found myself in a sticky situation. Words, even deeds, don’t seem to get through to her. I have no doubt that my words of love had barely breached the surface of whatever walls she had built up around herself, but throwing a kid or two in her, locking her down for life, should do the trick.
I was all in even if she wasn’t at this point, so that’s why I turned onto my side and started rubbing her tummy as if that would help my master seed to find its way to where I needed it to be. I missed that class in biology; okay, I just know what makes sense to me. In my head, I was hoping that the smartest one made it there ahead of any asshole sperm that was going to grow up to irritate the fuck out of his mother and me.
I can hear the naysayers now, whining and moaning about the injustice of it all, like I give a fuck. They don’t live in my skin. Besides, I’m just giving her what she wants, aren’t I? Only she doesn’t know it yet; she doesn’t know that daddy will be staying around to help her raise the kid she wanted so badly. If Nat wants a kid, she should get Jaxx’s demented ass on board. That’s the only part of the program that I’m not down with, having someone else raise my kid, our kid. Aunt Nat is gonna have to handle her shit.
Just what in the blue heaven is going on in my head anyway? I’d damn near rubbed the skin off her tummy while lost in my head. Isn’t it amazing that she’s so blissfully unaware of the power she has? That she could turn a man like me into this? And I’d dare say I’m worlds better than her idiot ex.
“Mace, what are you doing?” She chuckled and raised up enough to look down between us at my hand.
“What? I’m rubbing your stomach.”
“Why are you concentrating so hard? What are you thinking about?” She didn’t seem to really want or expect an answer since she tried to roll out of bed, still grinning.
“Where’re you going?” I held her in place because even I knew that she shouldn’t be walking around if I wanted my boys to stay planted.
“I have to get cleaned up; I’m a mess.” And that’s exactly what I don’t want.
“Looks fine to me; stay put. I’ll go get a washcloth. Here, put your feet up.” That’s not suspicious or anything.
I put a couple of pillows under her feet to elevate them before heading for the bathroom, ignoring the weird look she gave me. See what I mean? You have to work fast with this one. I was only gone for a minute, if that, and by the time I returned, the laughter was gone, and she now wore a look of deep contemplation. Are all women this difficult, or just mine?
“Mace!” Uh-oh, I’ve been caught. Think fast, and don’t take any of her crap. Remember, this is what she wanted; you’re just doing your part as a supportive partner. I think maybe I should’ve thought this thing through a little bit further. Oh well, we’re in the trenches now, my dick and I.
“What’s up, baby?” I continued cleaning between her thighs where some of me and her had leaked out onto her inner thighs, then held the wet cloth against her pussy lips as if that was going to keep more from seeping out.
“I just realized I haven’t seen you call your parents the whole time I was at your place. Are they okay? Did something happen?”
What the fuck is she thinking about that shit for? And why did she notice? I guess I should be pleased that she’s that attentive but damn. I looked up at her, still holding that cloth against her heat, weighing my next move. When did looking into her eyes become this powerful?
I felt the clutch deep in my chest before it made its way to my bowels, where it sat heavy. Dammit, I can’t lie to her; when did that happen? Not that I had intentions of being dishonest, but some things I should protect her from, right? That’s what I’ve been trying to do for weeks now. But how could I know that the look in her eyes would defeat the purpose?
She looked so trusting as she waited for me to answer that I instinctively knew that if I lied to her now, it would become a nasty habit. If I could ignore that look of pure innocence and trust and lie to her, it’ll make me worse than my sister. What the hell is going on with me anyway?
“Baby, I have to tell you something, and I don’t want you to be upset. Promise me that this will change nothing, that you won’t let it hurt you.” Even as I said it, I knew it was a stupid thing to ask, but I could always hope.
“You’re scaring me; just tell me.” Those eyes grew bigger with a hint of unease in them.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you.” I dropped the washcloth and cupped her cheek as we held eyes.
“That night at the club, when you met my sister and her friends, something happened,” I told her all of it, including my visit to my parents’ house and how that went, then held my breath as I awaited her response.
“I knew it; I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” I wanted to kick my own ass when the first tear fell from her eyes.
“No, you misunderstood; those are happy tears.”
“Come again!’ I’d already moved up the bed to take her into my arms and now held her wrapped up tight.
“You did all that for me? Really?”
“Well, yeah, it’s what I’m supposed to do, isn’t it?” She wiped her face, and that feeling of slowly dying eased up off of me.
“It’s sweet, but it’s unnecessary. You can’t cut your family off because of that. They’ll hate me even more.”
What the fuck is this now? Trust a woman to confuse the issue.
STEPH
‘Girl, you have been well and truly bred.’
‘Miss. Kitty, what are you talking about?’
‘You’re not that damn green. Let me ask you this, though, who in the hell is supposed to be pushing out your big-headed kid? It ain’t gonna be me. I didn’t sign up for none of that shit.’
I tried to ignore her and carried on doing my hair in the mirror while Mace went downstairs to make breakfast. We had started a routine during my stay at his place, and it seemed he wanted to continue it here. I was still flying high from the night before and had no interest in Miss. Kitty’s mess, but she was out for blood, it looked like.
‘You can ignore me all you want, heifer, but you better figure something out because when the time comes, I’m going on lockdown. You mark my words.’
‘What exactly is it that you’re fussing about now?’ To tell the truth, I wasn’t really paying attention to her sass. Ever since Mace told me about his sister, I’ve been thinking about how to fix the situation.
He's such a guy; he thinks just cutting her off is the answer, but I know that things don’t work that way, especially when it comes to family. I didn’t let on that her words and actions hurt, but they were no worse than anything I’d heard before. But there’s something else he’s missing or overlooking that I, as someone who’s navigated around mean girls all my life, can’t ignore. Peer pressure!
Not to say that his sister couldn’t have a mind of her own or even have been the one to start it, but from what he said, she wasn’t the one who made the first comment about me. I know all about following the crowd to be an ass; I’ve seen it time and time again. But this isn’t high school or even college. This is the man I love, and his family and his idea of just cutting her off would only do more harm than good.
He'd shut me down last night, and when I pushed back, I’d only found myself ten toes up again, so that was that, but I plan to approach the subject again at breakfast and all day if I have to. I’m not sure what it is, maybe it’s his presence in my life, but her actions don’t hurt as much as they would have in the past.
“Would you look at that?” I spoke to my reflection in the mirror. It had only just dawned on me that I really wasn’t as affected as I normally would’ve been. I’d learned to smile through the agony of embarrassment and rejection in my twenties, but this wasn’t that. I genuinely wasn’t sad or upset this time around. It was the first time this had happened, and I couldn’t wait to share it with Nat…
‘Are you listening to me or not?’
‘What Miss. Kitty? I’m trying to get ready for work.’ I could almost imagine her rolling her eyes. ‘What is it that you’re upset about now?’
‘First of all, you’re about to leak all over yourself, so you better put something in there to stop that shit. Second, haven’t I taught you anything? How come he doesn’t wear one of those things that the other one used to wear?’
‘What are you talking about now? Who wore what?’ I stopped with the mascara wand in my hand as I tried to make sense of her ramblings until it hit me, ‘a condom, you mean?’
‘I don’t know what they call it, the raincoat thingy. Lookie here, I saw some things last night; one of them was doing breaststrokes hellbent for leather….’
‘Not now Miss. Kitty, I’ll be late.’ I rushed from the bathroom and found some drawers to shut her up so I could get some peace. I knew damn good and well what she was getting at, but my head was not in the right space for this mess. I caught on to what Mace was up to about the third or fourth time we made love last night, but instead of being freaked out, my mind and body seemed to have gone in a whole other direction.
He'd already let it be known that he’d overheard my conversation with Nat that first night, so the fact that he was still here and not using protection seemed to me to be saying he was on board. So, Miss. Kitty could grumble all she wanted; she was not raining on my parade. Of course, I didn’t believe for a second that I could get pregnant that easily, so that could be the reason for my blasé attitude.
MACE
I came upstairs to see what was taking her so long and heard her talking to her pussy again. I must need my head checked because the shit had become natural to me as well, just to accept that my woman talks to her body parts. Not just talk, but whole-ass conversations. Who am I to judge?
“Steph, breakfast is ready. You coming, or you need more time for your conference?”
“I’m ready. I put on big girl underwear so I can’t hear her mess.” At least she didn’t try to deny it. She’d given up trying to convince me that all women talked to their snatch like it was a new best friend when I reminded her that I’m a grown-ass man who’s been with a woman before. But when I think about it, I’ve talked to my dick more than once, so I guess it’s a thing.
“We need to go shopping for some suits for you, what color is that? Shit brown? That’s not your color.”
“What’s wrong with it?” She looked down at herself in the butt ugly suit she had on.
“Baby, you need bright colors; you’re a bright-color kind of girl.”
“Really? You think so?” From her tone and the hopeful look in her eyes, I surmised that the asshole ex had told her differently, and that’s why she thought she had to dress like a dowdy matron. Just how insecure is this ass anyway? He left a lot for me to unpack, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I don’t have time to think about him anyway; he’s already being taken care of. All that’s left to do now is convince her over breakfast that she’s not meeting my family until they apologize.
