“Okay! I’ll be here. Maybe we can finally go out tonight? You keep promising…”
“Yeah, we’ll see. I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up and stood there for a minute, doing the math in my head.
The house had cost me damn near everything I had saved. Furnishing it, setting up the nursery, making sure Kacey had everything she needed—that shit added up fast. The club was making money but not enough, not yet. The casino deal was still months away from paying out.
I wasn’t broke. But I wasn’t sitting pretty either.
The thing about being a Banks but not really being a Banks was that everybody assumed you had money. Prime and Quest and Justice—they had Banks Reserve. Generational wealth. Their father built an empire and left it to them on a silver platter. Me? I was Alex’s brother’s kid. Close enough to the name to get in the door, not close enough to get a piece of the pie.
I had to build my own shit. And I was building it. But it was slow, and it was hard, and in the meantime I had two women expecting me to be something I wasn’t quite yet.
Mehar wanted dates. Dinners. Romance. All that shit cost money I didn’t have right now.
Kacey wanted security. A home. A future. That’s why I bought this house I could barely afford.
And me? I just wanted to keep all the balls in the air long enough to actually make it.
I checked my reflection in my phone screen. Fresh cut. Jawline sharp. Yeah, I was still that nigga. I just had to finesse my way through this rough patch.
An hour and fifteen minutes later, I was at Mehar’s door.
She answered wearing some little shorts and a tank top, no bra, nipples poking through the fabric. Her hair was down, that blonde balayage framing her face. She looked so fuckin’ good. Much better than Kacey was lookin’ with that big ass belly.
“Finally!” She threw her arms around my neck, pulling me inside. “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”
“Never that.” I kicked the door closed behind me, letting my hands slide down to her waist. “You look good enough to eat.”
She giggled. Actually giggled. Like a schoolgirl. “Stop. I barely did anything.”
“You don’t have to do anything. You’re naturally fine.”
She ate that shit up. They always did.
“So are we going out tonight?” She looked up at me with those hopeful eyes. “You promised last time…”
I had promised. Multiple times. But taking her out meant spending money I didn’t have, and more importantly, it meant being seen in public. Word getting back to people. Questions being asked.
Mehar was supposed to be a temporary distraction. A little fun on the side while Kacey was pregnant and out of commission. I wasn’t trying to wife her up or take her on real dates or introduce her to anybody. She was just… entertainment.
But I couldn’t tell her that.
“I know, baby. And we will. But I just had the longest day…” I pulled her closer, pressing my body against hers. “Can we just stay in tonight? I need to decompress. And honestly?” I dropped my voice low, let my lips brush against her ear. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. Couldn’t focus on shit. Just kept picturing you… this body…”
I felt her melt against me. Too easy.
“We can go out tomorrow,” I added. “I promise. Tonight I just want you.”
She bit her lip, already gone. “Okay. Tomorrow though. For real.”
“For real.”
I kissed her then, deep and slow, walking her backward toward the bedroom. She responded like she always did—eager,hungry, desperate to please. Part of me appreciated it. The other part was already bored.
See, Mehar had a body that was stupid. Curves for days, ass fat as hell, titties sitting right. The kind of body that made niggas crash their cars trying to get a better look. But in bed? She was limited.
Always had to be on top. Always had to be in control. Wouldn’t let me hit it from the back, wouldn’t do missionary, wouldn’t do anything where she wasn’t running the show. First few times, I thought it was sexy. She was a confident woman that knew what she wanted. But now?
