He lifted my hand and kissed it, and I shivered. “Nah. Just telling the truth.”
Silence found us for a few seconds before I said, “I know you’re not the monster they’re trying to make you out to be.What you did was smart and fair. You were protecting yourself and making your desires and intentions clear. I don’t see anything wrong with that as long as the woman is a willing participant.”
Falcon released a shaky breath. “Wish the rest of the world saw it like that.” He chuckled. “Seems like the more I try to do shit the right way, the more I fuck it up.”
“Mm mm,” I rejected, using his chin to turn him to face me—and what a handsome face it was.
Falcon had the sexiest cocoa brown skin, and his wide frame, muscular build, and tattoos only made it sexier. His tapered, wavy fade connected to a scruffy beard. A classic mustache-goatee combo wrapped around heart shaped lips that were the same shade as his skin. His dark eyes and naturally arched brows often felt like they were peering into me. Simply put, the man was fine as hell, and his personality and heart were making him even more handsome by the minute.
“You protected yourself, your team, and your image. She’s trying to destroy it, but we’re not going to let her. If you’re down to do this fake relationship, I am. I know we don’t know each other intimately, but what I do know about you lets me know you’re a solid guy. Don’t let her actions make your concrete crumble.”
His eyes softened as he stared at me. With a nod, Falcon released a long exhale and let go of my hand.
“If you’re with it, so am I. I need to make sure your folks are okay with it though.”
“Trust me, they are,” I said with a chuckle. “Especially Senior. Whatever it takes to clean up my image and keep the money flowing in, he’s down with.”
We sat outside for a little while longer before going into the dining room. As I suspected, they both were okay with the arrangement. Isaac made it clear that he expected his best friendto not only take care of me and protect me but respect me while he helped clean up my image. Falcon and I agreed to meet with Justine in a few days, to go over the process and start getting to know each other better so we’d look comfortable and natural when we were out in public.
That was when it finally hit me.
We were really going to do this.
I decided to post on my socials for the first time since everything went down. It was a picture of the gifts Falcon had gotten me with the caption:When my world was crumbling, a true friend stepped in to keep me solid and steady. Thank you for the gifts @FalcontheDEMOLISHER. They added a light to what has otherwise been a very dark moment. While the world judges me for something they don’t know entirely and clearly can’t comprehend, you showed me there are real, solid, and trustworthy people in my life after all.
Within seconds, my notifications started going crazy. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb and told my people I was leaving. Since I still didn’t have an appetite, there was no point in me sitting around while they finished their dinner. Plus, I wanted to isolate and spend time alone with my thoughts and feelings. Falcon and I were about to do something crazy, and if we didn’t pull this off perfectly, there was a chance this scheme would only make our situations worse.
Chapter
Eight
Falcon
Maybe my intentionswere more personal than I wanted to admit. As I watched Eli walk over to me, I realized I was doing this for more reasons than one, and getting to know her and pretend to be in a relationship with her was at the top of the list. Cleaning up my image should have been the number one priority, but having her was.
Eli was probably the prettiest woman in the world, and she acted like she didn’t even know it. Her peanut butter skin wrapped around a slim-thick frame that was short as hell to me but average in height for everyone else. Both of her nostrils were pierced with hoop nose rings. She had long, curly cinnamon-red hair that was always wild and all over the place. I loved that shit. Slanted muddy-brown eyes could look at me and hold me captive for hours, but my favorite part of her face was her beautiful, sweet, innocent smile.
Standing, I couldn’t resist the urge to pull her into my arms for a hug. We’d met with Justine to go over the deal and plan three days ago. The post Eli shared with the gifts I’d gottenher was already doing numbers and creating speculation. Most people weren’t surprised that we were friends because of her brother, but they were surprised that I’d gotten her something and was supporting her.
I ended up making my own post and sharing a picture of me and her from a few years ago. It was an off-guard picture that my aunt had taken after one of our games. She swore Eli was the one for me and that she saw something between us, but I made it clear we were just friends. Now, I was glad I’d kept the picture. It was a clear display of how good we felt talking to each other, . . . being around each other. Our smiles were bright and genuine, bodies naturally close and relaxed.
Along with the picture, I’d shared a caption along the lines of the last man fumbled her, but I was known to never fumble a ball or beautiful woman. I made it clear she deserved better than a cheating ass nigga and coveting ass best friend, and a lot of women were showing her love on my post. We still had a lot of work to do, but the engagement on those two posts gave me the confidence to know there was a chance Justine’s plan could actually work.
“Hi, Fally,” she spoke, giving me a hug.
It felt so good to have her in my arms. I released a satisfied hum and had to stop myself from picking her up and wrapping her legs around me.
“You’re so fucking tiny, Smiley. It’s taking everything in me not to pick you up so we can be chest to chest.”
Eli giggled and tightened her hold around me. “I mean, you are huge. I’m gonna start calling you my teddy bear. I wouldn’t object to you picking me up though. You give the best hugs.”
With her permission, I wasted no time picking her up and wrapping her legs around me. Her laughter softened my heart and made me smile. I didn’t care that we were in a public place. Justine would have said to milk it for photo ops, but I didn’t givea fuck about that shit. Having her close like this was my new favorite happy place.
When I set her down on her feet, I pulled her chair out and helped her sit down. We decided to meet atSandy Drinksat the beach to talk. The vibe was immaculate. Because of how it was positioned, it was the only restaurant and bar on the beach that was actuallyonthe beach. On the sand. Instead of sitting inside, we had a table outside with a firepit. In Rose Valley Hills, the weather wasn’t super cold late February. Our coldest months were from the end of December to early February. With it nearing spring, the highs were around fifty, and with the firepits and low wind, being outside at the beach felt perfect.
“How are you?” I asked, sitting down next to her.
Her eyes shifted toward the water, and I saw in real time how the ocean could relax a person’s nervous system. Her body relaxed, head tilted, breathing slowed. I didn’t even rush her for a quick answer. She needed this as much as I did, and I was happy holding space while God’s creation worked its magic.
