“And? Your ass can’t go longer than two days without sex.”
“Well…” I hesitated. “We might’ve made a pact.”
“A what?”
“Before he left,” I said, lowering my voice. “We both agreed we wouldn’t fuck anybody else. No toys. No sneaky links. Just… wait until we linked up again.”
Shonica went silent for a second. Then, she replied, “So let me get this straight. You agreed to gonutlessfor over a month for a man who only came throughonce?”
“Technically, hecamethrough three times,” I muttered.
She cackled. “Tae, you’re down bad.”
“I know.”
“You let him say no toys?”
“I know,” I repeated, staring at the message he just sent. “I was dickmatized, okay? I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Clearly. You need help.”
“As do you.” We both laughed and hung up.
But the truth was, I really had been holding out. The battery-operated lineup in my nightstand drawer was collectingdust like nobody’s business. I’d taken two long showers this week and stared at the wall after both, mad as hell that I couldn’t even let my fingers wander without feeling like I was breaking a deal. Ahmad had me acting like I was on sex probation, and I agreed to it. What the fuck was I thinking?
I let out a soft breath and stood up, walking into the kitchen to refill my mug. My stomach flipped a little. Three more days, and I was finally getting touched again. Real pressure. That deep, dangerous stroke that had me limping and aching days later.
Back on the couch, my eyes dropped to my phone for a second, thighs clenching. Then, I picked it up to text Ahmad back.
I placed my phone face down and briefly closed my eyes. I remembered the way my legs buckled trying to pour a glass of water after he left. And I agreed to wait for that again? Damn.
My eyes fluttered back open as I reached for my laptop. “Let me get back to work before I break the pact and fuck myself into a nap.”
T h u r s d a ym o r n i n g sw e r ealways loud. Kids yelling, music playing through earbuds, somebody smacking gum like they had beef with it. Same shit every week.
I actually fucked with this bus job, even though some of these kids were annoying as hell. I liked the routine and the early hours. I always had a soft spot for kids, plus the parents respected me and kept it cool. It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept me on track with my goal. I was saving for a house. Tired of apartment living. I just needed to stack for a few more months with this bus shit and theQuickieDropdeliveries.
I had one hand on the wheel, the other resting on my thigh, eyes scanning traffic while a bunch of seventh graders argued about who could fight and who couldn’t. I tuned most of that shit out. After doing this for years, I learned to block out the noise.
But today I was already on edge thinking about Saturday. Valentine’s Day. Usually, I’d be arguing with my ex about some shit when we should’ve been loving and fucking. This year, though, was about to hit different. Taelyn had me fucked up in the best way since the first night I met her pretty ass. It was supposed to be a quick drop-off delivery like the rest of them. But nah, we took shit to a whole other level, sucking and fucking like we go together and shit.
Then, we made the pact not to fuck on nobody else until we linked back up. Truthfully, I just wanted her to chill out on using them freak toys for a minute. I was trying to see what that pussy do when it hadn’t been touched in a while.
I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Taelyn since. Yeah, we’d been texting here and there and talking on the phone, but a nigga was dying to see her ass. She was working, and I was grinding and dodging my ex. Vonnae had been on my back, popping up on my routes, waiting outside my crib, and some more shit. If couldn’t take no for an answer was a person, it’d be her.
I wasn’t in the mood for bullshit. Not when I had a whole Valentine’s plan sitting in my head waiting to come to life. Taelyn didn’t know it yet, but I wasn’t just providing good dick and good vibes. I was about to set the tone. Shit, I’d even bought this card game I found offline calledFreaky Vibes & Soul Ties. Was I trying to fuck her through the mattress? Hell yeah. But I was also trying to get to know her a little bit. Nothing toocrazy.
As I turned onto the main road, my phone lit up with a call.
I already knew who it was, so I let it ring twice before answering. “What?”
Vonnae’s voice came softly. “Ahmad… can you not hang up, please?” I didn’t say shit. “I miss you,” she said, voice breaking like she practiced it in the mirror. “I been thinkin’ about you every day. I know we was toxic but…”
“Nah,youwas toxic,” I cut in. “All I did was be there and try to love yo’ ass through the shit. How many times I gotta say that shits dead, Vee?”
“Come on,” she said quickly. “I just… I just want a chance to fix it. I don’t even wanna argue. I just wanna talk. You don’t even text me back anymore.”
“I ain’t obligated to respond to you,” I said, and she went quiet. “You said we was done for the hundredth time. I took that shit serious. You should too.”
