Page 155 of Own It

Mylo beamed at my answered cutely, making me smile while rolling my eyes playfully.

After we finished eating, Mylo didn’t leave right away, offering to watch a movie with me, and stupidly I agreed. I should’ve been telling him to go home knowing that every time we made eye contact, a nervous feeling swelled within my belly, but I foolishly decided against it.

No movies piqued our interest, so we decided to watch Power. That was fine by me because even though I’d only watched sparingly, I’d enjoyed what I saw.

“So is this like what you and Rakim do?” I jested, sort of.

“In a sense.” He rocked his head left and right.

“So you’re rich?”

“I do well.” He gave me eye contact for a brief moment, and I could sense that he was being modest about his finances.

“Did Zaire do what you guys did?”

“Uh, he worked in another area is all I can say. We worked together but not really.”

“Oh, I see,” I lied. He didn’t even give me enough to see any-damn-thing, and I guess that was best.

Zaire was such a mystery to me still, and now he was gone yet here at the same time but inside of my stomach.

“You aight?” Mylo inquired since I’d drifted off into my thoughts of what shit would’ve been like if Zaire was alive.

He and I had hit it off so well, and I was hopeful about it, considering I hadn’t been lucky in love in the past. Most men couldn’t handle what I did to make money yet didn’t have enough to retire me or connections to help me make money another way. Other niggas were just trash, either having no money, cheating ways, or no goals or hustle about them. Occasionally, they’d possess all three attributes.

Zaire was different though. He wasn’t judgmental, he had his own money, and though he had a hood appeal, he was gentle with me. Some men were rough with me, not just physically but in conversation because of what I did for a living, but that wasn’t Zaire. I felt like a woman with him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I nodded, wanting to think about something else other than Zaire.

“We talking about what I do, but I don’t know what it is you do or shall I say want to do. I know you don’t plan to be a stripper for the rest of ya life, right?”

“To be honest, before this situation, I kind of did, but now I want something more. I want to go to school to at least get some credentials, but for what, I don’t know.” I shrugged, expecting Mylo to wear a judgmental expression like most men of his stature when I stated that I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my life.

“That’s a good place to start. May have to dabble in different shit until you figure it out.”

“I plan to, though it’s gonna be hard to do with a newborn.”

“You gon’ have help.”

“Oh, are you gonna babysit for me?” I smirked, turning on my couch some to face him as I sat with my legs folded.

“I don’t know about all that. Maybe I can pay someone to look after her or him for a bit.” He grinned, making me roll my eyes playfully.

“That’ll work. I would appreciate either.” I watched him lick his full lips a little too intently. “You want kids?”

“I’m indifferent. If I have ’em, I’m cool, and if I don’t, I’m straight too. I’ve seen too much shit, though, and being a parent seems stressful.”

“In what way?”

He sat up some, sighing lightly, then replied, “Seems like soon as yo’ kid come into this world, it’s a nonstop worry game, and it don’t end when they get older. Feels like being a parent is filled with constant torment about ya kid dying.”

“I can see that.” I glanced off. “Damn, maybe I need an abortion,” I half joked. His comment did make a lot of damn sense though.

“Nah. That little muthafucka is a Godfrey and gon’ have plenty of people looking after ’em.” He touched my stomach, and it sent chills throughout my body.

Time seemed to slow to a molasses like speed as his big hand moved across my stomach that was barely showing if at all. As if his arm and my hand were magnetic, I brushed my fingers up his appendage. Memories of the one time we had sex flooded my mind just as Mylo tugged me toward him, pressing his lips to mine.

I held off at first, but as he kept kissing me, while his hands ran amuck all over my frame, I fell into the moment, slipping my tongue into his mouth.