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Borys pointed near the curtains of the stage. I could hardly make out Jerry, Austin’s bodyguard, until he stepped further out of the shadows.
Oh!
I smiled just before Austin joined him, slowly making their way over. I met them halfway.
“And another one!”
“Another what?” Austin asked, unsmiling as he approached us.
“Surprise.”
“What was the first?” I noticed the rapidness of his hug…which was fine, just strange. Quickly thinking about it, I realized how silly it was of me not to expect Jas to attend today. He attended last year’s event—even without Chi-Chi. He’d flown down from work on his cigar line in Cuba. So, why hadn’t he been a thought during my pity party last night and this morning? “Winning? You’ve always been a winner.”
I gushed, “That’s sweet.” Then there was an awkward spell, one Austin created by looking around but not directly at me. Still, I forged ahead. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”
“I told you I was coming.”
“You did?”
Austin scratched the top of his head. “Yeah. When I couldn’t see you in Jersey a couple of weeks ago. You know…when you stood me up?”
I laughed. “I got caught up in mamahood. I’m sorry. Clearly, I was on another planet because I don’t remember you saying you’d come.”
“Yeah. I can tell. You know your mobbin’ baby daddy thinks you ain’t have a real man before him.” He scoffed, then murmured, swiping his hand over his mouth, “He eventually fucked up with you. I wonder how high and fucking mighty shit feels now for him. How do he feel being on the outside?” He tapped Jerry’s arm, and they snickered together.
Jas…on the outside?
Was that how men thought when they did women wrong to the point of breaking up? And with Jas; was he on the outside of my real world like Austin had now been for four years? That was a lot to chew on, considering we shared a child. But then, perhaps that was our reality. When I thought of the upchuck of emotions I’d felt last night, reading Ebonee Williams’ comments, it was hard to agree Jas was the only one on the outside.
“And on that note…” I laughed, eyes swinging over to Borys. He followed suit. “Tonight was a success and my troupe and I need to debrief. How long are you in town for?”
ChapterSix
Part III
February | Three Years Later
As the moisturizer melted into my face, I felt ten pounds lighter. Having stripped out of my uniform, showering, and washing off the makeup from the show, I was finally coming down from the day’s anxiety. We’d won. Being anIDCwinner will forever be attached to my legacy as a dancer.
I exhaled, examining myself once again in the mirror. Gloom didn’t consume me tonight, not just because of my recent win. I was one thousand percent sure it was because of the mini-me awaiting on the property of this gorgeous villa her father snagged to come down and support me. Clothed in a bikini and terry cloth short-shorts, I toed out of the room I was assigned and could hear jazz music flowing from a short distance.
All Ava’s doing…
Had to be. She arranged for every detail in Jas’ life, it seemed, and in particular, his lush lodgings. I refused to give thought to what other ways the girl was accommodating. The place apparently had six bedrooms, all on one level. I found my way to the living room with a California-room-style opening to the outdoors.
The place was opulent, something I’d come to expect from Jas. The convict from a housing project in Harlem was extremely peculiar about his digs: permanent resident and vacation homes. The contemporary kitchen I passed, with a stainless steel stove, and hood surrounded by granite countertops, validated my argument. Even the low-lit palatial living room was populated with lush over-sized, off-white sofas and a gargantuan plasma television.
Conversely, my intention was just outside of the living room. Her bare feet moved off rhythm and little shoulders shifted awkwardly in the spirit of dance, but her dark brown eyes were fixated up high to her dance partner. Leaning into a pillar, I crossed my arms and gazed at them in the courtyard, surrounded by a glistening lit pool and gorgeously manicured shrubs mixed with exotically colorful florals. It was certainly a vibe of love and striking villatic views.
She was flourishing just as the flowers were in full bloom here in the courtyard.Damn… It seemed like just a few weeks ago, Ines was returning fromCostcowith another box of diapers for her to last the week. Her crawling on my father’s glossy and intently polished marble floors with big eyes and an adventurous heart didn’t feel that far back in the distance. No more bottles and disappearing pacifiers. Gone were the walkers, and she didn’t want to eat in her high chair when I visited her a few weeks ago at her father’s, though I insisted on it. My daughter was no longer a baby, and she’d been shedding her toddler scales daily.I mean… Yeah, kindergarten was not yet upon us, but Chivon would be three years old in a matter of days.
She was a tour de force already, vocal about her needs and possessive with her things…which clearly included her father. Her little fingers gripped his big hands, and her eyes expressed blind trust and intimate familiarity. That Chi-Chi was in love with her father. I was all too conversant with the phenomenon. Lucky for her, she was yet too young to learn how wrong she was. No matter how great of a dedicated and attending father a little girl has, fathers don’t belong to daughters. Their hearts, dicks, and egos are far more loyal to other outlets.
Look at him now…
His massive body resembled a gorilla compared to Chivon’s miniature frame. Striated grooves covered his back, chest, abdomen, and arms. His body was herculean, appearing to be able to crush our daughter without struggle. The dark, voluminous tight curls of his scalp, dust of hair lining his defined jaw structure, and full lips beautifully contoured were all elements of a delicious man.
In my wanton state, I should have been heavily aroused, but my good senses prevailed because I no longer had hope of intimacy with Chivon’s father. That faucet had been shut off by him. Sex had always been on Jas’ terms. From day one, when I unabashedly wanted to ravish the unrefined thug-a-boo convict, it only happened when he was ready. Even when I’d withdrawn from him emotionally, stunned when learning of his murderous inclinations, I still had access to his body, but becauseJasallowed it. It wasn’t because, to him, I was this irresistibly sexy woman. It was because he granted me access into his personal space.
