Jadyn was at her laptop typing away as old school R&B played in the background. Candles were burning on the surfaces of her nearby bookcase, and a glass of wine was close enough for her to reach out and steal a sip.
I almost felt in the way of her creative zone, but we'd made plans that Saturday evening.
Truthfully, I felt a little antsy being back in Bedford Heights for the first time in three weeks. While I'd FaceTimed and called Jadyn regularly, I hadn't seen her in forever. Not to mention someone else I felt way too tempted to stop by and see.
Keith gave me my space and as much as I valued his respecting my need to keep a low profile, I missed him all the same. I almost felt pathetic wondering if he missed me. He was older than me, more mature, knew what he wanted, and serious. In reality, I was wasting his time, and I feared he'd realized that with all the time put between us.
"Ooh, turn that!" Without tearing her attention away from her screen, Jadyn waved her hand in my direction.
An all too familiar classic was now beginning to play and I felt my forehead crease in confusion. "What's wrong with this song?"
Jadyn swiveled around in her chair and shot me a pointed look. "I need positive vibes only for this scene I'm writing." All of her faux locs were secured up in two big buns, making way for the stern expression on her face to shine through.
"Oh-kay?" I still didn't get it.
" 'Don't Leave Me' by Blackstreet is total emotional manipulation. The whole song they're talking about 'going insane' and twisting some poor woman's arm to stay in a relationship. It's not romantic, it's psychotic...sorta like your fiancé."
I wrinkled my nose. "You totally ruined that song for me, thanks."
Jadyn grinned. "Oh, I'm still gon' let the song rock because it's fire, but did I lie?"
The lyrics of "Don't Leave Me" started jumping out at me as the song continued to play. They were threatening to go mental if a woman left. Cain was manipulative, getting the upper hand when my father was at his lowest. But he didn't want me to pity him. He'd never use that as a tactic to get me to be with him.
"I don't know, Jay," I admitted. "Cain doesn't seem...completely horrible?"
She pretended to gasp. "He's gotten to you?"
"God no. I'm sure he's a bad person, but at the same time, I don't think he's all bad."
"Forcing marriage on a girl sure constitutes as bad in my book, but what do I know? How's Keith?"
I blew out a breath and sank down on the chair across from her. "Complicated."
"How so?"
I looked around her office space, admiring her dedication to her craft. Jadyn was old school in the way she'd write out plot lines or character trees in notebooks before typing them up on her laptop. She even had a large white board on one wall filled with little scribbles and ideas. Looking at her and all her talent and intellect, sometimes I wished I were good at something.
Getting back on track, I returned to my best friend and opened up. "We've been taking a break, but, I can tell if he had it his way, we would be more than just friends with benefits."
Jadyn gave me a onceover. "You are a nice catch. Can't blame a guy for trying."
Keith wasn't trying to be more, at least, not outright. He drew a line in the sand the same way I had in the beginning, but it was me who kept crossing it. Me who spent the night. Me who wanted to learn to do yardwork. Me who wanted to learn how to cook by his hand alone.
Maybe we needed this time apart. To loosen up and not get too attached.
Yeah.
"So, anyway, I thought we were going out?" I changed the subject and gestured to where Jadyn was sitting cross-legged on her plush black chair at her desk.
Jadyn bit her lip and faced her screen. "I know, but I put my other script on pause—creative funk, ugh. And now I've been hit with something else, something juicy."
The passion in her eyes said it all. Jadyn was in love with this new project, enough so she had trouble getting away, even if only for a few hours while we hung out on the town.
"What's this one about?" I wondered.
A sneaky smile crossed Jadyn's face as she turned back to me. When she didn't say anything, a terrible idea popped into my head.
"You are not writing about this," I practically hissed at her.
Jadyn chuckled as she plucked up her wine glass. "I'm a writer, anything you do or say can and will be used in a script."
"Jay."
Jadyn gave an innocent shrug as she looked at me over the rim of her glass. "I changed a few details to protect the innocent."
I narrowed my eyes. "Such as?"
"For starters, our heroine is based in Bedford Heights. I figured a story about a street-smart woman enamoring a bougie guy was more interesting."
That did sound intriguing for a plot.
I settled down. "What are you calling it?"
"All I Need," Jadyn said as she hit a few keys, seemingly saving her progress before shutting her laptop. "Now, we can go."
"I'm reading that script," I declared.
Jadyn lost her sense of humor. "Sure, you can read it here."
That was the thing about Jay. She always turned down my offers to get her scripts into the right hands. There were plenty of Hollywood elites who often passed through our local Residence Hotel, but Jadyn wanted to make it on her own, not by nepotism.
The thing was, Jadyn was good. I'd read four of her scripts and she was truly gifted with words. Everything was easy to follow, from her descriptions to her dialogue. I lived for her character descriptions and how she set her scenes.
I couldn't buy Jadyn's career. She could sell herself.
"All I can do is hand your script to a director or producer, it's up to you to sell it. Which you will because you're so good," I swore.
A sense of vulnerability tugged on Jadyn's features. "Maybe someday."
I didn't push as Jadyn got ready for us to leave. She swapped out her shorts for a skirt, making me feel extra covered in my ripped jeans.
We were going to a gastropub for a much-needed night out. Usually when I was in Bedford Heights, I only hung out at Jay's, but I was excited to be hitting the scene.
"Fuck your diet for the night," Jadyn announced as she drove for the downtown area. "This place has the best food."
My stomach grumbled in compliance. "Seafood?"
"The best beer battered shrimp you can ask for," Jadyn swore.
"All I need to hear."
Jadyn smiled my way, and then a look crossed her face. She reached down and lowered the volume on the Muni Long song that was playing. "So, I got a crazy idea."
Uh-oh. "Am I going to like this 'crazy idea'?"
My best friend smirked. "Considering your unyielding loyalty to your dad, no."
I wasn't going to like what she had to say. "So, let's hear it."
We reached a red light and Jadyn faced me. "What if...you married Keith?"
I waited for the punchline and it never came, but I forced myself to laugh anyway. "Excuse me?"
"Think about it," Jadyn went on with an easy shrug. "You can't get married, if you already are."
While it was both true and obvious, it wouldn't be that easy considering my father and Cain. My father would be upset and probably make good with his threat of snatching away my inheritance and funds, and Cain... Cain would probably retaliate, leaving me a widow before I was even out of the honeymoon phase.
It was too risky.
Then I thought about it from the angle purely involving Keith. I didn't know him any more than I knew Cain, but the idea of marrying him didn't terrify me nearly as much as marrying Cain.
"That's ridiculous, Jay," I told her as she began to drive as soon as the light hit green. "Marrying someone else would cause more problems than solve them."
"Such as?" Jadyn challenged.
"Such as my dad and Cain's deal. Cain would just back out and that would piss my dad off."
"It's not always about your dad, Kennedy. Besides, it's just an idea to keep in the back of your mind, or the front."
It was an idea. When I thought about it, I had some big decisions to make. And I wasn't sure if I were brave enough to face the consequences of any.
The car came to a stop and we'd arrived at On Tap. A neon blue sign illustrated that they were also a pool and billiards hall as well as a bar. It was the weekend, so the parking lot was pretty full, letting me know the inside would be packed. A sense of claustrophobia overtook me as I got out of Jadyn's Volkswagen.
Music was pumping and could be heard even from outside of the building. The faint sounds of classic Cam'ron echoed from On Tap as we headed up the front walk towards the entrance.
Once inside we were immersed in a lively room. A bar greeted us first, and seated on every other stool were patrons drinking beers or shots. Some were even eating and stealing glimpses at the TV mounted on the wall replaying some NBA highlights.
The pool area was in the back of the room and a few games were going, making me anxious and curious. I'd never been too active with sports, save for a few years playing tennis in high school.
"Hey, queen, can I buy you a drink?" some man at the bar shouted at Jadyn as we were just about to pass it.
Jadyn wrinkled her nose. "If you come with it, no thanks!"
The man made a face but backed down.
I couldn't help but snicker. "Easy, girl."
Jadyn was indignant. "First, they call you queen, and then they treat you like a peasant. You'll know the right approach when you see it."
I thought it didn't matter for me. Men were off limits.
Jadyn ticked up a finger. "First things first, Jell-O shots!"
I frowned. "Jay, I can't."
Jadyn waved me off. "They're plant-based."
Well, that solved that.
One drink wouldn't hurt.
"One shot," I conceded.
That was all Jadyn needed as she tugged me over to the bar. "One shot, baby kidneys. And then you can switch to Sprite."
Being with my best friend after a month of stress was all I needed.
And yet, an ache singed in my chest. One I couldn't shake along with a feeling of longing.
Jadyn approached the bartender with a cool confidence I'd always admired and respected. She held up two fingers and looked the man straight into his eyes. "Two vegan Jell-O shots. Make 'em cherry."
The man slid his gaze over to me, briefly eyeing my cleavage in my lace top, before tipping his head and going to grab our shots.
A nervous chill danced down my spine when he returned with two shot glasses filled with vegan cherry flavored jel and topped with whipped cream and a cherry for garnish.
My hand shook as I accepted a glass while Jadyn paid for them. One whiff of the shot and I realized it was coconut whipped cream. At least it smelled good.
Jadyn gathered her shot and held it in the air to signal a toast. "To women only, fuck these men."
I cracked a grin, feeling that message through and through. I clinked my shot glass against hers. "Hell yeah!"
We knocked back our shots and I was elated to find that the alcohol in them weren't strong or overpowering. I could almost go for another.
Jadyn set her glass on the bar and scanned the room. "We gotta touch the pool table, at least once. And I'm getting you a basket of beer battered shrimp. Be right back."
Jadyn took off to check the availability on the pool tables while I sat back at the bar and faced the room. Groups of men were scattered around in tables and booths, some women were here and there, either with a man or with other women. Most were caught up in their own worlds, enjoying food and drinks, while I looked on curiously.
A man with a sleeve of impressive tattoos could be seen seated on the right side of the room with a young woman who was practically up under him. He was in a T-shirt with jeans, and she was too. Her natural hair was up in a single puff and by the way he was staring at her face as they sat close, I could tell he was in love. When he reached out and caressed her cheek and she smiled at him, a knot formed in my stomach.
I whirled around on my stool and dug my phone out of my purse. "Hey, can I have another shot?" I asked the bartender as my hand trembled around my phone. I'd need liquid courage to do what I was about to do.
He set another shot in front of me a moment later and when I reached into my purse to find my debit card, a hand covered my line of vision.
Beside me, a man was shaking his head. "I got it."
A twinkled glowed in his green eyes and his friendly handsome smile put me at ease. "Thank you."
He shrugged and faced the bartender. "Put it on my tab, Rick."
I raised my shot towards the man next to me. "To friendly people."
He tipped his beer my way and nodded. "To beautiful people."
I was happy when he didn't press for more conversation and allowed me to sneak and make my phone call.
Keith's line rang a few times before he picked up. "Hello?"
I hadn't heard his voice in almost a month and the sound of it made me melt, causing me to squirm on my stool. "Hey."
There was a pause and then he was back on the line. "Where are you? It's loud in the background."
Being coy, I lifted and dropped my shoulder, as if he could see me. "Nowhere special. Jadyn and I are out getting vegan Jell-O shots and enjoying the night."
Keith heaved a sigh. "Make sure you get an Uber home."
"They're not that strong." In fact, I could almost go for a third.
"Kenny," his tone was filled with a warning.
I loved it. "Well, there are some nice, handsome, strong young men here. Maybe one of them will give me a lift."
"Oh yeah?" Keith asked.
"Uh-huh." I hoped he could hear the grin in my voice.
Again, Keith sighed. "You're in my city, you don't think I know you're down at On Tap where they exclusively serve plant-based shots?"
Oh crap. "So?"
"I'll see you when I see you, Kennedy." He hung up and I was left looking at my phone screen.
Was that a threat?
A rush of heat settled between my legs as the ache in my chest intensified.
Usher was serenading the room with "Dot Com" by the time Jadyn made it back to me. She put in an order for two baskets of fries and shrimp and then we grabbed a private booth. Her with a Coke and me with a Sprite. See, we were responsible.
"Are you still getting hitched in December?" Jadyn asked. "It seems like things are happening way too fast."
"Tell me about it. I almost want to get married next week to just hurry up and start the countdown," I said.
Jadyn scowled and took a sip of her Coke. "I still can't believe you're actually willing to go through with this sham marriage."
"What choice do I have?"
"You shouldn't have to choose between being left out in the cold and going along with your dad's fucked-up deal."
I shouldn't have, but this was where we were.
"Order for Jones!" The bartender shouted at the bar.
Jadyn was quick to get up and collect our orders before returning with two baskets heaping with fries and beer battered shrimp. She hadn't lied, the shrimp was to die for. I was definitely going to need to hit Pilates hard in the coming week, maybe add in an hour on the elliptical for good measure as well.
When we were finished, we made a run to the women's restroom and cleaned up before hitting the first available pool table.
The pool cue wasn't heavy to hold, but I was still clueless on how to use it. I'd seen Gaius shoot pool a few times when we were together, but back then I'd always been caught up hanging out with the other WAGs to pay attention to the rules and methods.
Jadyn of course was a very hands-on woman, barely needing instructions because she picked up on things easily. Like pool. She racked the balls in the middle of the green felt before proceeding to circle the table to find where she wanted to make her first move.
Maybe I'd ask one of the men around us the best way to maneuver with the cue.
A gust of cologne washed over me. In seconds, two tattooed arms came down on either side of me where I stood on my end of the table. A step back had me brushing against a solid chest. Soon, lips were coming and grazing the crook of my neck and I shuddered and closed my eyes.
Keith.
The sound of clacking and balls scattering across the felt drove my eyes open.
Jadyn wasn't paying attention to where the balls went. Her eyes were fixed on Keith. "So," she stood straight, clutching her cue like a warrior, "this must be Keith."
He came from behind me and stood beside me, he nodded his head in Jay's direction. "I am. You must be Jadyn."
She studied his person before meeting his gaze. "I am."
Keith came back to me and he didn't look the least bit happy to see me. He glanced at my outfit, his eyes measuring the way my lace spaghetti stringed top hugged my curves and offered cleavage. "Know how to play?"
I didn't, but I wasn't interested in the game just then. Not when he was so close. His proximity had my palms sweating and my knees going weak.
"No," I confessed.
Keith was behind me again, his cologne filling my nose and wrapping my person in a warm embrace. When his hands took me and positioned me over the table with my cue, I clumsily closed my eyes again and basked in the closeness.
It had been too long.
"Like this," his deep voice said into my ear as he showed me how to work the cue between my thumb and index finger. "You can't be too far or too close to the ball. You need just enough distance to be able to drive the cue like...this."
With Keith's help, I managed to hit the cue ball and send it flying towards a solid orange one.
Was I solids or stripes?
Didn't matter, I wasn't interested in playing anymore suddenly.
"Guess that game is a bust," Jadyn drawled as she came closer. "I was solids, K."
Of course she was. I needed to brush up on my skills outside of shopping.
Keith shook Jadyn's hand and she made no attempt to hide that she was appraising him.
"I feel like I seen you from around the way before," Jadyn noted.
Keith kept his cool as he scratched at his neck. "I be around. My uncle run an auto body shop, so you could've seen me up in there."
Jadyn looked my way as she responded. "Could've." She set her cue stick back on the table, abandoning the game as well. "Well, I'll be back in the booth if you need me." Jadyn met Keith with a fierce look that sent a rattle to my bones. "Be good to her, or else."
"Yes, ma'am," Keith said as he let Jadyn pass us.
Jadyn hadn't been gone a second before Keith was crowding my space, causing me to back up into the pool table and panic when there was nowhere else to go.
Keith kept coming, not stopping until his hand was in my hair and he was steering my body into his. He held me close, burying his face in my neck, groaning. "Fuck, I missed you, Kenny."
My emotions seized me and I had to blink to conceal my blurry vision. He missed me. Just like I'd missed him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and beckoned him closer, smelling his scent and reveling in his touch.
All too soon he let me go.
"Have fun?" he asked as he looked around the room.
Those shots were good and the food was delicious. Pool would take another go, but I did enjoy my time at On Tap enough to come back.
"Yeah," I said.
Keith's hand took mine and squeezed gently. "Good, because we're leaving now."
I should've held my ground and put up a fight, but after not seeing him for weeks, there was no place else I wanted to be.
"We have to stop by Jay's, I packed an overnight bag," I said.
"Of course you did."
I tilted my head back, grinning up at him. "Mad?"
Confused, Keith perked a brow. "Why would I be mad when I came to get you?"
Giddiness took over as I walked with him back to where Jadyn was in the booth.
"I'm heading out, Jay," I said as I patted Keith's bicep. "Sorry to abandon you."
Jadyn wasn't offended in the least. In fact, a wicked grin had me curious. "Oh, don't be. Just thought of a much-needed pool scene for my script."
Oh God. Here we go.
I trusted Jadyn more than anyone in my life these days, so I knew she was working on a masterpiece that I'd love by the time I got my hands on it.
"Let me guess, the male lead's name is Kenneth?" I quipped.
Jadyn chuckled as she stood from the booth and grabbed her purse. "Whaaat? Do I look like the type of person who would be so obvious?"
I deadpanned. She had named the bougie man Kenneth. Great.
"Do I want to know what's goin' on?" Keith asked.
Jadyn put on her best innocent act. "Nah, you don't."
Keith was still confused, and I couldn't help but laugh. I hoped whatever Jadyn was writing ended with a happily ever after, not all of us were so lucky.
After stopping by Jadyn's on the way to Keith's to get my bag, and deciding to leave my Lexus because of my two shots, Keith brought me to his house. My hormones were suddenly raging and one step into the front door and I was on him.
"What time you on?" Keith's husky chuckle liquified my insides, leaving me wet and horny.
"It's been forever," I whined as I stepped out of my heels.
I all but tugged him to his bedroom where I was ready to tear off his clothes with my teeth if I had to. I quickly undid my jeans and let them pool to the floor before I mounted Keith in my bodysuit.
Only, he wasn't matching my energy. He held me at a distance as I attempted to kiss my way from his neck to his mouth.
"We can't," he said as he sat back on the bed.
I reeled back, confused, needy, desperate. "Please?" I took his hand and let him cup me, showing him how much I wanted it.
Keith moved the seat of my suit to the side and brushed along my entrance. The tip of one of his fingers entered me and I bit my lip and felt myself sink down on his hand for more.
"So greedy," he mumbled as he removed his hand.
My eyes flew open and I pouted. I wanted it, anyway he wanted to give it to me.
Reading the frustration on my face, Keith came and laid me down, hovering over me. He stuck his finger into my mouth and watched as I sucked it dry.
He neared my ear and whispered three words that smothered my hormones. "We're not alone."
Immediately I bolted up, colliding against his chest. "What?"
The grin on his face was handsome enough to quell my panic. "Dom's in the spare bedroom sleep."
Dom. It must've been one of the kids he helped with at the community center. But then...
"Why bring me back here if you had a guest?" As if the boy could walk in at any moment, I hurried and slid underneath the comforter.
Keith's humor dissolved as a seriousness coated his face. "Because I missed you and having you here was enough."
Enough.
Such a heavy word passed between us. Because deep down, beneath the surface, I couldn't have agreed more. It wasn't the sex I missed with Keith. It was him. And it was clear he'd missed more than just the physical with me as well. We'd missed each other.
I lie back and sighed. "What do you want from me, Keith?"
His hand came down on my heart, causing it to beat hard. And then he it slid under my breast until it was beneath me altogether.
"Nothing," Keith said in the end. "As long as you're happy, I want nothing."
He wanted nothing when everyone else wanted something.
He came and lay beside me, bringing me to his chest and sending me to my doom. I was falling for this man and it wouldn't end well.
"Did you miss me, too?" he asked.
I hated that he had to question it. "I slept in your hoodie every night."
It was the only thing that kept me sane.
My confession earned me a kiss to my temple. "I hate this."
I took his hand and interlocked our fingers because I feared he'd slip away if I didn't get a hold of him. "Me too." Turning over, I faced the wall and snuggled back into Keith. "Would you run away with me if I took off?"
He snuzzled against my hair. "Where would we go?"
"I've always wanted to go to Greece," I admitted.
"Greece, huh?"
"Yeah, it looks so beautiful," I said.
"Greece might be out of my price range, Kenny."
Mine too if I really ran. "What if I paid?"
Keith squeezed where our hands were tangled and kissed my bare shoulder. "Only if we could take turns."
I liked that. That my money didn't intimidate him in the long run. "Okay."
"But what if they cut you off, because you ran? Then what?" Keith asked next.
More than likely, that would be the case if I did decide to flee and not marry Cain. My father would freeze all my assets and empty out my penthouse. "Would...would you want me if I were poor?"
Keith let my hand go only to turn me on my back and peer down at me. "Kennedy, I'd want you if you had nothing. Where you come from doesn't define you unless you let it. Your father's money doesn't mean anything to me. All I need is you."
All he needed was me, and all I wanted was him. That was the brutal thing about reality, though, we couldn't always get what we wanted or needed.
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