HOUSTON, TEXAS
RASHAD FAREWOOD,
Rashad stood behind Bradley as she used her key card so they could gain entrance into the suite. Once they were inside, Rashad let out a light sigh which caused Bradley to look over her shoulder at him. "You tired?" She asked, completely understanding if he was since he hopped off of a late flight and went straight to supporting her at the panel event getting no rest in between.
"A little bit," He responded to her. "I'm about to go wash up so we can go out with everybody," He advised grabbing his suitcase with his left hand so he could stroll it to the bathroom with him.
Bradley blocked his path as she stepped closer towards him with a smirk dancing along her face. Still in her heels, she was now able to reach up and wrap her arms loosely around his neck without sprouting on her tippy toes. "Too tired for me?" She questioned in a tempting voice before leaning in to set a light kiss onto his lips.
Rashad kept his bloody hand nestled into the pocket of his jacket, refraining from wrapping it around Bradley's waist like he wanted to. "Not right now baby," He shook his head no, politely declining her offer for them to have sex. "I'll get you right later though. I promise," He kissed her lips.
Bradley face screwed up as her brows bumped together in confusion. It was very rare for Rashad to turn her down, especially when they were on great terms. Dropping her arms to her sides, she continued to eye him questioningly. "What's the matter with you?" She tilted her head to the side.
Rashad let out another sigh, this one deeper and much heavier than the one he let out prior. "Nothing's wrong with me Brad. I just said not right now," He shrugged his broad shoulders.
Bradley took a step back from him, which allowed him to move past her so he could head towards the bathroom. Bradley was still unconvinced by his response so she followed. "Rashad you're not fine," Bradley protested. "Did this situation with Kimora and Sincere resurface some things for you. I'm open to talk about it if you are," Bradley tried her hand at guessing what could have possibly triggered the switch to flip within Rashad. They were on good terms, however she figured after airing a few things out during the panel event, Rashad started reanalyzing the situation.
Rashad turned around to face her, a light chuckle eased out of him. "Brad, baby, I'm good," He sounded more assertive and less dismissive with this response.
"Are we good though?" Bradley countered with another question.
Rashad smiled at her as he peered into her oak brown eyes. "We're amazing," He replied before craning down for a kiss.
Parting from the kiss, Bradley nodded her head deciding to ease up on Rashad despite still having a lingering eerie feeling within her. "Alright, I'll leave you to it," She motioned towards the shower before exiting the bathroom.
Rashad made sure to shut the door behind Bradley so he could have some privacy. Slowly he retracted his hand out of the pocket of his jacket. His eyes observed the way Sincere's blood dried against his skin. Rashad blacked out while he was beating Sincere. He could hardly remember the aftermath of it all, but by the look of the amount of blood left behind on his hand Rashad knew that he had caused some irreversible damage. Hanging his head low, Rashad could feel a heavy feeling of shame weigh down on him. He had changed his life for the better, however the people who he changed for also stood as his triggers.
He stood before the mirror, ridding himself of his jacket. His shirt was splattered with Sincere's blood, staining the crisp white color. He managed to strip himself completely and concealed the tarnished clothes. Starting a steaming hot shower, once he stepped in, the blood that cached his hand loosened immediately. Rashad's golden brown eyes watched as the blood streamed down the drain. Although his hand was no longer stained with blood, he knew he had much more to do to get the traces of blood off of his skin. With a wash rag lathered in soap, Rashad scrubbed his hand until his skin was raw and tinted a deep red.
Rashad had truly fucked up.
After his shower, he stepped out and wrapped a fresh towel around his waist. Exiting the bathroom he caught sight of Bradley, she was holding a conversation on the phone. Rashad moved about the suite getting ready, allowing her to have her phone conversation with who he later learned to be Georgia. It just so happened, the ladies shared goodbyes once Rashad finalized getting dressed and was putting on his jewelry.
Bradley sat behind Rashad as stood before the mirror making sure to secure his chain around his neck properly. She watched him intently, trying to piece together what had him acting so differently. As hard as she tried to figure it out, her mind came up blank. "What you staring for?" Rashad chuckled lightly as he eyed her through the mirror.
He watched as Bradley shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, just looking," She let out.
Another chuckle escaped from Rashad as he turned around to face her. She had retired from pant suit she rocked for her event and switched her style to something a bit more casual. She matched a white halter neck top with a pair of leather pants that hugged her curves perfectly. Completing the look, she switch her heels to a pair of black ones which coordinated better with the new outfit. "Well, you look beautiful baby," He complimented her.
Bradley looked down at the outfit before averting her attention back to him. "Thank you," She expressed her gratitude.
A smirk canvassed Rashad's face as he reached his hand out to her. Bradley eyed his hand briefly before setting her hand into his. Rashad whisked her out of her seat and pulled her into his arms. "What's the problem Brad?" Rashad asked knowing that's he had something on her mind.
Bradley pursed her lips as she seared her eyes into his, hoping to find something in his eyes. "That's what I'm trying to figure out," She said to him.
Rashad secured his arms around her petite waist, giving her the feeling if security she loved so much. "You all in your head cause I told you not right now?" Rashad raised a brow at her.
"Slow your roll pretty boy, that's not the only reason," She scoffed lightly once she noticed the cocky grin that was beginning to grow on his face.
Rashad laughed with a shake of his head. "What else Brad? Let me know so I can clear it up for you," He encouraged her.
"Your energy just seems off. Like you're on edge. Something wrong? Is it me? Is it work?" Bradley continued to prove hoping that she would get to the bottom of it.
"Listen," Rashad instructed her as he placed his finger underneath her chin so she could gently guide her head up to look at him. "Nothing is wrong. I'm good. Today's about you and how great you did during your event. We good?" He hiked his brow up at her once more.
Bradley gave him a measly head nod which evoked a scoff out of Rashad. "Don't do that. I asked are we good?" He repeated, hoping for more confidence in her response.
He craned down, pressing his forehead against her which pulled some laughter out of her. "Yeah, we're good," She asserted with a different level of confidence.
"Now gimme a kiss so I know it's real," Rashad said to her which caused her cheekbones to rise higher and her face to heat up. She did as he requested, granting him the kiss. Although he was able to calm her worries momentarily, Bradley still felt like her questions went unanswered. She was going to give it a rest for now and hopefully bring it up some other time.
Rashad released her from his hold once they heard a knock sound off on the door of the suite. Bradley took initiative of going to answer it, Rashad sending a smack to her rear while she was on her way. The knocks were heavy which concerned Bradley a bit, however once they transitioned to a catchy beat, Bradley knew it was one of her girls. Opening up the door, Bradley was met with Rome and Astel.
"Finally," Rome groaned. "What were y'all doing—screwing?" Rome teased as she playfully poked Bradley's arms.
Bradley laughed as she shook her head. "No, not this time,"
Rashad chuckled at Bradley's response, realizing that she was still rubbed the wrong way about what happened prior. "Posh and Duke ready?" He asked.
Rome nodded her head in confirmation. "Yeah, they're arguing about God knows what so they said they'll meet us in the lobby," She shrugged her shoulders.
"Poor Duke, has to deal with the devil herself everyday," Astel mumbled with a shake of her head, sympathizing for Duke.
Rashad couldn't contain his laughter as he held the door of the suite open for the ladies so they could all make their way out. "See this is why Posh be ready to whoop your ass," He jokingly warned Astel who scoffed in response.
Bradley scolded Rashad by lightly punching his arm. He always knew what to say to instigate catty arguments between the ladies. So far things between Astel and Posh have been cordial due to the nature of the trip, and Bradley would like to keep it that way. Once they were all out of the suite, Rashad and Bradley walked hand in hand to the elevator with Rome and Astel towing behind them. The elevator ride down to the lobby was pretty swift, once they were on the ground floor, the group was able to spot Duke and Posh.
As they approached Duke and Posh, they could all hear how the couple were bickering in hush tones. "Nigga I said what I said," Posh gritted out to Duke as she folded her arms across her chest.
Duke smacked his lip in response to her. "Fuck what you said cause you don't know what the fuck you're talking about," He scoffed as a mean mug panned on his face
"Whoa, what's going on? Y'all were just good," Rashad bumped his brows together as he shifted his eyes between a visibly upset Posh and Duke.
Posh snapped her head in Rashad's direction, a scowl on her face. "Your ass is part of the problem too. You covering for this nigga or something?" She hiked her perfectly arched brow up at him awaiting a response.
Confusion masked Bradley's face as she too turned to Rashad awaiting his response. "Look, I don't even know what she talking about," Rashad shrugged his broad shoulders, more so responding to Bradley instead of Posh.
"Sis, what is going on?" Rome piped in, wanting to get to the bottom of Posh's anger.
Posh cut her eyes in Duke's direction before opting to explain everything so everyone wouldn't be so confused why her and Duke weren't seeing eye to eye. "This nigga up and disappear for damn near an hour, and you go with him," Posh pointed her finger at Rashad in an accusing manner. "Y'all happen to come back with the same story, but I call bullshit," She gritted out lowly so their conversation would remain within their circle. "I went through this nigga phone and I ain't see not one phone call from his dad. The last phone calls he got was from me and you," Posh motioned her hand between her and Rashad.
Any other time Posh went on her tangents about her suspecting Duke of doing something, Bradley would wave her off, but right now she couldn't. The uneasy feeling she had about Rashad earlier began to brew again as he now was dragged into the drama between Posh and Duke. Rashad also was acting weird and for a minute, Bradley thought she was just being over dramatic but now that Posh was expressing the same suspicions she began to feel like she wasn't being dramatic after all.
"She's fucking crazy," Duke shook his head at Posh as he slouched in his seat with an annoyed look plastering his face.
Bradley wasn't like Posh so when she suspected something was off, Rashad was able to convince her that it wasn't. Posh on their other hand, took matters into her own hands and wasn't about to let Duke fill her head up with elaborate stories to convince her otherwise.
Posh quickly turned around to face Duke, a menacing look peering through her eyes. Bradley noticed Posh's fist balled up which immediately sprung her into action to restrain her friend before she could do anything would regret later. "I get that you're mad Posh, but not here in this lobby," Bradley reminded Posh.
Posh inhaled a deep breath in hopes of calming her already brewing temper. Agreeing with Bradley, Posh knew that the lobby was just too much of a public place to let Duke have it like she wanted to. Instead of offering him a response like she wanted to, she grabbed her purse from the seat next to him and set it on her shoulders. Being that Posh calmed herself down, Bradley released Posh from her hold.
"I'm good," Posh clarified that she had calmed down. "But y'all better get to talking when we get in the car," She warned Rashad and Duke before making her way to exit the lobby, leaving everyone else to trail behind her.
Rashad walked with his hands sinking in his pockets and his shoulders slumped. Posh's suspicions weren't nothing to really worry about, however he didn't want to cause any trouble in Duke's household. As he thought of the best way to not only kill Posh's suspicions, but also Bradley's as well, he felt a tug on his arm, preventing him from walking.
A light sigh drifted out of him upon noticing that it was Bradley. "What the hell is she talking about Rashad?" Bradley gritted up at him in a low tone to keep others out of their conversation.
"I don't know Brad," He shrugged his broad shoulders. "It's Posh, she get like this about everything,"
Unconvinced by his response, Bradley folded her arms across her chest. "Don't even say that," Bradley shook her head. "Personally I think she's onto something,"
"Yeah? Why is that?" Rashad countered as he tilted his head to the side, awaiting her response.
"You've been acting weird since we got back from the panel. You keep trying to brush it off, but now I think there's something you aren't telling me," She accused him. "Now both you and Duke are trying to play Posh and I like we're stupid? What the fuck is going on Rashad?" Bradley side eyed him as a scowl masked her face.
A heavy breath full of stress exhaled out of Rashad. He retracted his hands from his pockets, cupping them gently around Bradley's face. "There's nothing going on Brad," He asserted, sticking to his story.
With her arms folded across her chest, Bradley peered up at him with a look of disgust etching her face. It was now evident that he was blatantly lying to her face. "Keep lying to me and see how bad shit get for you when it all comes to light," She gritted at him before proceeding out of the lobby like everyone else.
Rashad ran his hands down his face as he lingered behind her, taking his time to the sprinter. Once he got into the vehicle, he claimed a seat next to Bradley who was visibly annoyed by him. Duke and Posh were seated across from Rashad and Bradley. Duke exchanged glances with Rashad, as they attempted to deliberate how to get Posh off their backs.
Duke slouched in his seat as Posh stood up in hers. "See, I don't know what going on. But I do know y'all niggas better get to talking before I get to assuming," Posh ordered as she shifted her eyes between Duke and Rashad.
Duke smacked his lips. "You already got to assuming Posh. I told you what it was. If you wanna keep this loudmouth shit up around our folks that's on you, but I'm done explaining myself," He nonchalantly shrugged his broad shoulders before fixing his attention onto his phone.
"You think I give a fuck about them seeing this? You knew what it was when you got with me nigga. If I want answers I'm gone get them," Posh snapped at Duke.
Posh was insufferable when it came to getting to the bottom of things. Bradley was willing to revisit her conversation with Rashad later, simply because she didn't want things to get ugly in front of all of their friends.
"Posh, let's just put this conversation to rest for the rest of the evening. We're celebrating Brad, remember," Rome attempted to reel her friend back in so she wouldn't continue on with the matter.
Posh cut her eyes at Duke one last time before taking Rome's advice. She took her seat, a menacing mean mug etching her face. "I'll let it go for right now. But one thing about Posh Franklin, she's gonna find out," She tapped her chest as she referred to herself.
Duke let out another heavy groan before taking off the hat he had on his head and putting it over his face. He knew he was lying and he also knew Posh knew he was lying. He just wished that Posh knew how to let things go instead of harping on the issue, especially in front of their friends.
As they drove to the club that Rome was able to secure a section for them to enjoy and celebrate Bradley, a thick silence filled the car. Posh was still visibly upset and Bradley was in her own thoughts trying to figure out what was going on. Rashad noticed the distant look in Bradley's eye which prompted him to set his hand on her thigh, immediately catching her attention. Bradley wasted no time brushing his hand off of her thigh. Rashad paid her no mind, setting his hand back on her though, this time giving it a light squeeze. Leaning in close to her ear, Rashad spoke to her. "Whatever crazy shit you putting together in your head, I ain't do," He asserted to her lowly. "You really gotta trust me on this. There's nothing going on. Okay?"
Bradley turned her head so she could be eyeing him. He searched for a sign of confirmation from her, which she never gave since she simply rolled her eyes in response. Bradley knew Rashad well enough to know when something was visibly off. Truth be told, she felt the shift in his energy far before they got back to the suite. Then him proceeding to decline her offer for them to have sex, not saying he didn't have the right to say no, but Bradley knew her man. The way he dismissed her advance so he could quickly get in the shower and come out and act absolutely normal had her mind racing. Bradley was hoping that this was just another case of her reading into the situation too much cause the thought of him cheating on her after her event that he had just praised her for, didn't make any sense either.
Eventually the driver stopped the sprinter at the club. Rashad assisted Bradley out of the sprinter and Duke made sure to still do the same for Posh. The night life welcomed them as they gained immediate access to the club and was ushered to their section. Bradley was actually really happy that Rome who was appointed the duty of finding how they were going to celebrate, opted on a club instead of an intimate dinner. She didn't think she could handle having conversation with Rashad after he continued to deflect the fact something was obviously up. The loud music, flowing drinks and the energetic atmosphere was bound to break the tension that was within the group.
Rashad and Duke both remained behind on the seats of the section as the ladies stood up enjoying the music. "You good?" Duke asked as he watched Rashad pour himself a drink.
Rashad nodded his head in response to Duke. "Yeah. Sorry about this shit causing trouble between you and P," Rashad apologized as he down the shot he poured himself.
Duke shrugged his shoulders. "I knew what it was when I caught Sincere's ass lacking," Duke assured Rashad as he spoke over the booming music. "Posh will get over it eventually," He waved off as he trailed his eyes over to Posh who was enjoying the music and the energy of the club.
The men sat behind for the night battling their own thoughts of what they did to Sincere. The ladies seized the night as theirs as they danced with each other to celebrate Bradley's amazing day. Rome approached the ladies with another round of shots, which they all indulged in. Once Posh threw her shot back, she licked her lips before a smirk panned her face. "Fuck Duke and his secrets," She scoffed. "I don't need no nigga tying me down anyway," Posh shrugged her shoulders. Bradley laughed, simply letting Posh run her mouth. Posh was evidently in her feelings by the whole situation and the fact that Duke wasn't being honestly with her was driving her over the edge. Posh worked very hard to change the way she handled issues within her relationship and her growth thus far was tremendous, however right about now Duke had her wanting to throw blows with him.
Bradley leaned down towards Posh so she could be heard over the music. "I don't know Posh, what if they're not lying?" Bradley shrugged her shoulders.
With the strobe lights flashing through the dark club, Bradley was able to see the stale face that Posh eyed her with in response to her question. "Girl don't piss me the fuck off," Posh snapped. "I went through his phone and he ain't have a call from or to his daddy rehab facility. What else beside chopping it up with another bitch could he have been doing? I ain't saying your man was being silly in another bitch face too, but I know for a fact mine was. And when I get to the bottom of this shit, consider that nigga gone," Despite Duke not bothering to clarify anything, Posh had it all put together in her head, she was just waiting for everything to unfold.
Bradley bit down on her bottom lip in deep thought. "What if mine was too?" She asked as she glanced towards the seats in the section where Rashad was helping himself to another drink. Due to having a lot on his mind, he was being very heavy handed with his brown liquor which only caused Bradley to shake her head.
Posh smacked her lips. "Hey, you know what I say—these niggas guilty until prove innocent," She declared which caused Bradley to furrow her brows since Posh had it completely backwards.
For the rest of the night, the group were all on the same page of how they wanted things to pan out. Drinks seemed endless for all of them, neither of them caring about the flight to Atlanta they had to take for the second leg of the beauty convention.
Once 3 AM struck the clock, Astel was able to be the responsible one out of everyone and drag them out the club. She even went far enough to make sure Posh got into the sprinter despite Posh cussing up a storm about the club ending at what she considered too early.
The ride back to the hotel was silent for the most part. Everyone was in their own little world feeling the affects of the liquor they downed recklessly. Once they were back in the hotel, Rashad draped his arm around Bradley's shoulder as they both dragged themselves towards their suite. As Bradley drunkenly rummaged through her Goyard bag for the key to the suite, she felt Rashad push up behind her.
Surprisingly enough, he seemed to have found a cap to his alcohol tonight. Even though he was definitely drunk, he didn't over do it like any other time. Upon feeling his erect member harden through his designer jeans and brush against her rear, Bradley let out a flustered breath. For a moment she lost track of what she was initially searching for in her bag before snapping back into reality.
A deep chuckle drifted out of Rashad as he allowed her to fish the room key out of her bag and hold it against the scanner so they could get in. Once they stepped into the suite, Rashad locked the door behind them.
Bradley stepped out of her heels, thanking God for the opportunity to allow her feet some rest. Setting her bag aside, she then turned around to face Rashad. Both of their eyes were glossy and low from the alcohol and night out. Without any second thought or hesitation, Rashad lifted Bradley from the ground causing her legs to wrap tightly around his torso. Bradley collided her lips with his, igniting a sloppy yet fiery kiss that brought a rush into their bodies.
Rashad maneuvered around the suite, and made way to the bed. He set Bradley down on the bed, finally parting from the kiss. Bradley stared up at him with her bottom lip crannied between her teeth as she felt her stomach flutter with butterflies. Rashad hovered over her, his golden brown eyes piercing through her soul. His eyes were full of lust as he licked his lips marveling at her beauty. As he remained over her, his chains dangled down, gracing Bradley's skin lightly, bringing a shudder up her spine.
"I told you I'll get you right later," He throated out in his baritone voice, reminding her of the promise he made.
He stood up completely, standing at the side of the bed, eyeing her through his hooded eyes that hung low due to how many drinks he had. Bradley watched him intently as he undid the buttons to his Prada shirt he had on. As he freed himself from the shirt, Bradley's mouth watered at the sight of his upper half fully canvassed with tattoos. The ink left little to no free space on his skin. She admired his toned physique, licking her lips at the sharpness of his six pack. Rashad averted his attention to Bradley, his hands going to the button of her pants.
With ease, Rashad slipped Bradley out of the leather pants that hugged her curves perfectly, also freeing her from her panties as well. As he tossed her bottoms elsewhere, Bradley did her due diligence by slipping herself out of her top, leaving her bare under Rashad's eye. He reached his hand down to Bradley's core to gently feather his hand over the slit of her pussy. Bradley licked her lips in anticipation as Rashad rubbed her pussy allowing her wetness to coat his hand. Bradley kept her eyes on Rashad as he knelt down. She felt his tender lips sprinkle light kisses along her inner thighs, ascending up to her core. Wanting to keep control of the steamy night, Rashad placed his hands firm on the inner portion of Bradley's thighs to keep them open for what he had in store for her.
A sharp breath drifted out of Bradley as she felt the tip of his tongue glide along the slit of her pussy. Teasingly, he feathered his tongue along the slit, earning an eager groan from Bradley which amused him. Using his two fingers, he parted the lips of Bradley's pussy, admiring the sight of her wet pink flesh welcoming him. Rashad wasted no time diving in. Bradley's sweetness seeped into the bed of his tongue as he worked it skillfully. In the midst of devouring her, Rashad basked in the sensual sounds that fled from Bradley. Her breath grew choppy as she exhaled heavy breath to keep herself at bay. Rashad tightened his hold on the inner portion of her thighs in attempts to keep her still instead of trying to push him away.
Dragging his tongue up to her clit, he teasingly circled it which ultimately caused Bradley's back to arch up from the bed. Seeing how sensitive her clit was to him, he continued to toy with her by gracing his tongue over it, then proceeding to suck on it slowly. "Shad!" Bradley gasped out as she felt the pressure begin to build in the pit of her stomach.
She unclenched the grip she had on the sheets with her left hand, using it now to push his head so she could regain some of her strength. She began to feel like putty under his tongue as he continued to eat her mercilessly. Her body grew limp, all she could do was simply be in his hold and let him devour her. Rashad extended his arm up, placing his two fingers into Bradley's mouth. She did her due diligence by lubricating his fingers before he extracted them out of her warm mouth slowly. Bradley's hands returned to clenching the duvet underneath them once she felt his wet two fingers glide into her pussy with ease.
As Rashad slurped and sucked on her clit, he worked his finger, pumping them in and out of her. His fingers glistened with her wetness, which ultimately made him eager to slide his dick, deep within her walls. Bradley's nicely pedicured toes curled in ecstasy as her back rose from the bed. The pressure grew unbearable as her stomach tightened in knots.
Finally lifting his head from in between her thick thighs a menace like smirk etched his face as he continued to stroke his fingers in and out of her. His pace quickened as he now elected his thumb to stimulate her throbbing clit. Overwhelmed with ecstasy that ripped through her body, Bradley's hips bucked as she implored for Rashad to spare her. Completely disregarding her sexy pleas for mercy, Rashad curved his fingers upwards as he continued to work his thumb on her clit. With every pump of his fingers, he grazed Bradley's spot which sent her into instant overdrive.
A heavy and ear rattling moan struck through the hotel room as Bradley's cum pooled out of her and lathered Rashad's fingers. Breathlessly, she attempted to clench her legs shut as she rode through the orgasm he inflicted onto her. To her dismay, Rashad pried her legs back open his fingers now extracted out of her however his thumb continued to rub her sensitive and throbbing clit.
Bradley finally mustered up the strength to push Rashad's hand away. Rashad decided to let up, his taunting smirk still gallivanting on his face. Rashad undid his jeans, allowing them to accumulate at his feet before stepping out of them. He did the same with his briefs causing his erect member to stand tall. Bradley marveled at his toned body and all of his glory as he stood before her. She could see the menacing looking in his eyes which let her know that with all the liquor in his system, he had no plans on making sweet, passionate, love to her. He was actually planning to fuck her senselessly until they both couldn't take it. Quite honestly, she wouldn't prefer it any other way.
Rashad licked his lips in anticipation as he peered down at Bradley's bare body. With the tip of his dick, he teased the slippery folds of her pussy. Their eyes never parted as he took his time inclining into her wetness. Her tight walls conformed to the girth of his dick perfectly, almost like a glove. Bradley hissed out a moan as Rashad began rocking his hips lightly, to start the rhythm of the night. Every time, he would retract out if her, he couldn't help but to be mesmerized by the sight of all the wetness that lathered his dick.
Underneath him, Bradley exalted out moan after moan as she tried her best not to get too acclimated to the easy pace he was taking now despite how amazing it felt. She knew her man well enough to know that he was simply building momentum so he could have his stamina in tact. "You're so fucking wet Brad," He grunted out as he basked in the depths of her core.
As he progressed his pace, Bradley's breast bounced up and down in the same rhythm. Her face contorted into beautiful love faces that sparked a thrill in Rashad. The collision of their skin sounded throughout the bedroom, meshing with the imploring sound of Bradley's pleas. Sweat canvassed their skin as heat gravitated off of each other. The drunk sex was much needed tonight. Rashad felt like he had some making up to do. Although the night seemed to be ending on a good note now that he was fucking Bradley senseless, deep down he knew that wasn't enough. He was hoping that it would hold her over until he could figure out how to keep her at bay while Duke handled his issues with Posh who wanted to get to the bottom of it all.
As he rammed himself into Bradley again, causing her wetness to splatter against him, tears of pleasure welled into her eyes. "Rashad!" She shrieked out in ecstasy as she felt him deep inside of her.
The calling of his name ignited a certain encouragement within him as he rocked his hip in a steady and rough motion. Leaning down, he forced Bradley's hands to relinquish the tight hold they had on sheets underneath them so they could lock their hands together. He extended her arms above her head, putting her at more of a disadvantage to then before. As he stroked her with his long and thick shaft, his golden brown eyes pierced into her russet brown orbs, never parting from each other. Bradley had made every effort to release her hands from his grip, so she could claw at his back, but failed to do so. He powered through her with his rough and deep strokes that he countered with tender and delicate kisses, serving Bradley in all aspects.
His kisses trailed up from her jawline to her plump lips. Drunkenly, the two engaged in a sloppy, wet, yet passionate tongue wrestle with each other. They opted on parting from the kiss briefly so they could catch their breath. In a swift motion, Rashad freed her hands from his hold, and hiked her right leg high on his shoulder so he could go deeper within her. Rashad bit down in his bottom lip, a deep focus festering within his orbs. As sweat beaded his forehead he admired the overwhelmed look that masked Bradley'a face as the pit of her stomach tied in knots. A heavy moan stretched out of her, rattling within the walls of the hotel room as she clenched her eyes shut. Her body convulsed in mild shakes as Rashad lightly kissed on the inner portion of her leg that was hiked high in his broad shoulder.
"Cum Brad. Let me know how good I'm fucking you," He throated out in his husky voice which prompted her eyes to roll to the back of her head and her stomach to do summersaults. Her milky white cum pooled out of her, lathering Rashad's dick generously. Rashad pumped a few more strokes into Bradley before he found himself at his climax where his thick and warm nut shot into Bradley. A heavy groan of satisfaction exalted out of him as he extracted himself out of her fully, with an accomplished smirk etched on his face. Bradley looked defeated, her make up had gotten blotchy and smudged from the mixture of the sweat and tears that stained her face. Also her once tamed and nicely styled hair sprawled about the bed carelessly as she laid on her back.
Rashad came crashing down next to Bradley, tossing the duvet over them so the wouldn't be too cold. His breathing was just as choppy and heavy as hers. He wrapped his arms around her, allowing her head to rest on his. To him, he wrapped the night up well. Influenced by the liquor and their body still feeling light from the orgasms they were riding out, a wide stretched smile took over both of their faces.
Inebriated, a chuckle sounded out of Rashad as he spoke senselessly. "You might get pregnant tonight Brad,"
Bradley found him amusing. Although she was drunk as well, she found sense through the liquor to shake her head no. "Shut up," She waved him off with some laughter.
Rashad peered down at her, his same arrogant smirk prancing his face. The couple ended up going for two more rounds, completely defeating each other. After all of the work he put in, Rashad found himself sound asleep with Bradley in his arms. Bradley however, she couldn't sleep. The sex was amazing, however it wasn't enough for her to let go of the issue that had been bothering her. She bit down in her bottom lips contemplating on whether or not she should take Rashad being sound asleep to her advantage. After a moment of pondering, she decided to gently brush Rashad's hands from her waist. To her dismay, her cautious movements weren't enough to keep Rashad asleep, he was a light sleeper which caused his eyes to flutter open and for him to raise his head from the pillow.
"Where you going?" He asked in his groggy voice.
Bradley looked over her shoulder at him, a light smile etching her face. "To the bathroom Shad. Relax, I'm not going anywhere without you," She lied to him as she shifted her direction to the bathroom.
Shutting the bathroom door behind her, Bradley let out a heavy breath. She had to stall long enough so he could fall back into his slumber. She decided to go in search for one of his shirts so she could wear instead of remaining naked. Pulling his suitcase out of the closet in the bathroom, she set it down on the ground so she could unzip it. Getting it opened, she flipped through a few articles of clothing that just weren't comfortable enough for her to sleep in before coming across one of his graphic tees. She pulled it out of the suitcase, putting it on. On the verge of shutting the luggage, she noticed a bag that was nestled at the very bottom. Her curiosity piqued which ultimately caused her to halt from shutting the suitcase, instead she retrieved the bag out of it. Slowly, she opened it up, trying her best not to make too much noise with the plastic bag to alert Rashad. She got it opened, her brows furrowed together once she noticed it was an article of clothing. Bradley didn't fully take it out if the bag, she simply inspected it while it was in the bag.
Stunned, she quickly jerked her hand out of the bag once she noticed the blood that stained the shirt. Her stomach tightened as her heart thumped rapidly against her chest. Dryness took over her mouth as she shuffled around quickly to set the bag back into the luggage how she found it. Rashad never really had the chance to properly discard of the the shirt that was soiled with Sincere's blood. He was actually planning on discarding it while Bradley was sound asleep, which is why he got so antsy when Bradley got up from bed to use the bathroom.
A heavy feeling of fear crept down Bradley's spine as she zipped up the luggage and set it right where she found it. Nervously, she paced the bathroom floor trying her best to get herself together so she could go back to bed. As she paced the floor, Bradley began to set into realization. It all began to make sense. He and Duke's sudden disappearance, his touch and go demeanor after the panel, how much he continued to assure her everything was fine without going into detail—the ambulance that flooded the premises of the venue! Everything hit Bradley like a ton of bricks and practically knocked the breath out of her.
Placing her hand on her chest, Bradley desperately tried to get her breathing in control and her heart rate to slow down. She didn't have it in her to confront Rashad. Bradley just knew that whatever he got himself into, was for the sake of her. Bradley jumped to conclusions, immediately writing off the hope that Sincere was still alive. Bradley just knew Rashad had killed him, and that tore her up. She felt like she drove Rashad into doing what he vowed to never do again. He had committed his life to right standing with God, repented his sins and focused on what was important—his family. Whatever he had done to Sincere had definitely knocked Rashad hundreds of steps back from the growth he had made, and Bradley couldn't help but to feel like it was all her fault.
"Brad, you good baby?" She heard him call out for her from the bed.
Bradley let out a shaky breath as she eyed herself in the mirror. "Yeah babe, I'm coming out now," She advised him. So it could make sense why it was taking her so long to get back to bed, Bradley flushed the toilet then proceeded to wash her hands.
Exiting the bathroom, Bradley shuffled back to the bed feeling like weights were shackled to her ankles. Eventually she got back into bed, Rashad claimed her back into his arms. He expected her to be sound asleep in no time so he could make his move to discard of the blood stained shirt in his luggage. Unbeknownst to him, Bradley had already discovered it and it created a heavy burden on her heart that left her restless.
3 DAYS LATER
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA
Bradley turned the key to the front door of her and Rashad's home, pushing the door open. Behind her, she dragged her suitcases along so she could enter the home. The beauty convention had come to an end after the second leg in Atlanta and although Bradley was ecstatic to see her babies, she wasn't too thrilled to be back home where she had to face Rashad and act oblivious. After she found the blood stained shirt in his suitcase, the following day, the two parted ways so he could go back to New Orleans for the twins and she continued on to the second leg of the beauty convention. Bradley was honestly putting on her best front. She answered all of his phone calls stayed up to the wee hours of the morning on FaceTime with him, everything went well while she was in Atlanta and he was back home. However now that she was back home too she knew her body language would out her before she even had to say anything and one thing Rashad was great at was reading her body language.
Upon entering the home, Bradley could hear the nursery rhymes Rashad had broadcasting on the television for the twins entertainment, sound through the home. Stepping out of her sneakers and leaving her suitcase at the door, Bradley shuffled into the home, anxious to see her babies. Strolling to the living room, a wide stretched smile panned out on her face at the sight of the twins. They were maneuvering about the living room alternating between crawling and using the furniture to hold themselves up so they could walk. Rashad sat with his back facing Bradley typing away on his laptop. Although his focus was locked on the laptop, he still managed to keep a close eye on Blake and Jace who had become extremely busy bodied.
"Yo Jace Cedonni Farewood, throw something else in this front room and see how quick you get put down for a nap," Rashad warned Jace as he pried the television remote out of his grip.
Jace took nothing he said serious as he grabbed Rashad's phone with his other hand and tossed that instead. Bradley couldn't help but to laugh, revealing her presence. Upon hearing her laughter, it casted Rashad's and the twins attention. "That's how you talk to my kids?" She put her hand on her hip as she raised a brow at Rashad.
Rashad laughed as he shook his head at the fact that he was oblivious to her coming into the home. "So you ain't see the way he threw my phone across the room?" Rashad countered her with a raise of his brow.
Bradley nodded while she made her way around the couch. She stripped from her jacket, upon furthering into the living room she earned a few excited high pitched screams from the twins as they hastily crawled over to her, nearly falling over. "You tested him. He don't take lightly to threats," She responded to him while she lifted both of the twins up in her arms attacking them with kisses. They basked in her affection, grinning as Bradley told them how much she missed and loved them.
Rashad sat aside, watching how she interacted with the twins. If there wasn't anything else Bradley was amazing at, she was amazing at being a mother. He spent most of the time just watching them. Seeing her shower the babies with the love she always wanted as a child was just so refreshing to him.
Bradley heard Rashad teasingly clear his throat, indicating that she had yet to give him any attention. A chuckle sourced out of Bradley, as she leaned over towards him with puckered lips for a kiss. Rashad met her for the kiss, which he attempted to deepen, but fell short once he felt Jace and Blake push his head away from Bradley. Parting from the kiss, Rashad shook his head. "Oh so that's how it is?" He playfully side eyed the twins who were pleased once he and a Bradley were no longer kissing.
"You must've really gotten on their nerves while I was gone because they're not sparing you today," Bradley threw her head back in laughter, fully amused by the twins antics.
Rashad let out a deep sigh. "Nah, your kids just bad," He screwed his face up playfully, with a shake of his head.
For a short while, Bradley captivated the twins attention with her presence of being back home after being gone for five days. As soon as they heard the theme song of their favorite cartoon sound from the television, they completely disregarded Bradley and wiggled out of her hold and off of the couch so they could return to playing. Bradley let out a playful sigh of defeat knowing that she was no match against their show.
Rashad extended his arms open, indicating that he wanted Bradley in his hold. Bradley landed right into his arms allowing him to cradle her which drew some infectious laughter out of her. "I missed you while you were away," He enlightened her as he craned down, setting a kiss on her tender lips.
While in his arms, she seared her orbs into his golden brown ones. She could see and feel the love he had for her exude through his eyes. For the entire duration of her flight, Bradley contemplated on whether it would be a good idea to let Rashad know she found the blood stained shirt in his luggage. She feared his reaction and also feared him actually confirming what he did to Sincere.
"You good baby?" Rashad cut into her thoughts once he noticed her become disconnected.
Bradley quickly nodded her head followed by her clearing her throat. "Yeah babe, I'm fine," She assured. "I'm gonna go unpack my bags," She tapped his built chest lightly, indicating that she wanted to be released from his hold.
"I can do that for you later baby," He offered her. "You do it for me all the time when I come back from my trips," A light smile canvassed his face as he thought of all the times she alleviated the burden of unpacking for him whenever he came home.
"Thank you," Bradley expressed her gratitude. "But I do want to wash up and get all this airport funk off of me,"
Rashad smacked his lips at her finding another reason to part from his hold. "Brad, just relax. Can we at least bond for ten minutes?" He raised a brow at her.
A chuckle sourced out of Bradley. "I'll be right back after I take a shower," She assured him.
In defeat, Rashad loosened his hold, allowing Bradley to get up. Before she made her way out the front room, she leaned down to set kisses on both Jace's and Blake's cheek. Rashad sent a smack to her rear as he admired the view of how fitting the leggings she had on were. With a laugh and shake of her head, Bradley made her way up the stairs and to their bedroom.
Once in the bedroom, she shut the door behind her letting out a light sigh filled with stress. She didn't know how much longer she could sit with the heavy feeling that was beginning to burden her. Part of her wanted to just be left in the dark, while the other part wanted to brace for impact for what was to come. Rashad made a reckless and sloppy move by handling Sincere at the panel event and Bradley couldn't help but to feel like it would catch up to him soon.
In hopes of clearing her mind of the situation, Bradley started herself a shower to clean up from all the travel she had done. She took a long and steamy shower to relax herself and to remain at ease from finally being back home. After a while, she stepped out, wrapping a fresh towel around her. Upon stepping into their bedroom, Bradley's hand rose to her chest due to her being startled by Rashad's presence. Her little scare caused Rashad to bump his brows together in confusion as he eyed her. "Everything okay?" He asked. "You're acting off,"
As her heart rate came down, Bradley let out a breath. "I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting you up here. Where are the twins?"
"They didn't take a nap at their usually time so I put them down," Rashad shrugged.
"And they let you do that peacefully?" Bradley raised an unconvinced brow.
Rashad chuckled with a nod of his head. "Yeah, they don't pull stuff like that with me. You the sucker,"
Bradley waved him off with a scoff, denying the fact that she was indeed the push over parent. She went on to look through the drawers for undergarments and shift to their closet so she could find a casual outfit to wear. As she got dressed, every so often she would feel Rashad's eyes searing into her. Despite feeling like she was acting as normal as can be while sitting on the information that she knew, Rashad could feel the difference within her. Once she was in a pair a sweats with an oversized tee, she tied her hair up in a messy bun. "Not too occupied for me now?" Rashad teased with a smirk.
Bradley smacked her lips at him with a laugh. "I never said I was busy. I just didn't want to stay in those airport clothes longer than I had to," She explained to him
"I hear you," Rashad nodded his head while gesturing for her to make her way over to him.
A light smile canvassed on her face as she shuffled over to him. Her arms wrapped around his torso allowing her to rest her head on his chest. This was the usual for them. Whenever he would come back from his business trips, they would spend ample time just enjoying each other's presence.
They were in each other's embrace sharing a comfortable silence until Bradley spoke up. "Shad, did you ever have a conversation with Sincere?" She asked as her head remained on his chest.
A tenseness overcame Rashad body as he bit down on his bottom lip, contemplating how he should respond to Bradley. Off instinct, he wanted to protect her by lying and telling her that he and Sincere didn't cross paths. However, his heart grew heavy at the the thought of lying to her which led him to feeling conflicted. Harboring all of his feeling of guilt, he detached his emotions from the situation. "No," He replied to her. He sounded so convincing, as if he had no reason to lie. His ability to manipulate the truth as well as he did was somewhat scary for Bradley, but she understood that it came with the job of his past life.
Although he sounded convincing, Bradley knew the truth—well she thought she did. "Really? So why'd you come to Houston?" She bumped her brows together as her head remained on his chest.
Rashad could feel the urge of his heart wanting to accelerate, however he knew that would be a dead giveaway. Instead, he took in a light breath as his broad shoulders shrugged. "You called," He clarified. "When you call, I come. Had there been another incident with him while I was present then you would have witnessed me handle everything. But he seemed to get the picture. Besides, there was no need to cloud your business opportunity with drama," Rashad went on to say. His explanation sounded great on the ears, however Bradley couldn't be convinced. She knew Rashad, and when he had something on his chest, or any animosity he was bound to clear it up. Whether he took the safe approach and spared whoever by having a conversation about the situation, or he went into the situation with full aggression and let his hands do the talking. There was really no in between with him nor will he ever change his mind once he made up which approach he was going to take.
Bradley roses her head from his chest, angling it up so she could sear her russet brown orbs into his golden brown orbs. "Can I tell you something?"
Rashad pursed his lips as he peered down at her. "What's up?" He nodded his head indicating that she could proceed.
"I've been with you for three, going on four years so I can tell you that what you just said sounds nothing like you," Bradley coldly let out as she took a step back from him.
Caught off guard by her statement, Rashad screwed his face up in confusion. "Bradley, what is this about?"
"Just tell me the truth," Bradley began to plead, her eyes filling with a look of desperation as she tried getting through to Rashad.
Rashad shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not lying about anything," Rashad continued before smacking his lips. "I thought we left this shit in Houston Bradley?" He questioned as if he needed for her to clarify.
"You lied to me then, and you're lying to me now," Bradley folded her arms across her chest as she looked up at him, hoping that he would finally decided to tell the truth instead of withholding it from her.
Rashad smacked his lips lightly before shaking his head. Rashad no longer wanted to entertain the conversation, however no matter how bad he wanted to walk away from Bradley, he couldn't. He felt backed into a wall as Bradley stood before him awaiting a response. He was unsure how much Bradley knew and who she got the information she was sitting on from, which made it incredibly hard to figure out how to see himself out of the conversation. Rashad felt horrible about lying to Bradley, however he knew that it was for her security at the end of the day. Rashad took a seat at the side of the bed, a heavy breath exhaling out if him. Bradley stood before him, awaiting for him to say something, but he had completely shut down. Rashad wasn't going to say a word and whatever Bradley gained from that would be up to her.
She waited a little while longer, feeling the frustration fester within her. "We're a unit," Bradley decided to cut into the silence. "We have kids and our lives are bonded together by so many other things. I need to know what happened so I can prepare myself for any blowback if shit does hit the fan. I don't like being blindsided Rashad," Her tone sounded pleading, matching the look of desperation in her eyes. Rashad knew that Bradley was prying for all the right reasons now, however he still didn't have it in him to come out with the truth.
"Nothing happened, and this is my last time telling you that Bradley," He warned her in a stern and cold tone as he peered into her eyes.
The look in his eyes was the same look that he used to have earlier in their relationship. He was detached and built a wall to harbor away all of his emotions and his conscience. It was evident that Bradley had allowed this situation to completely consume her. It weighed heavily on her and she couldn't help but feel like the catalyst to everything that was beginning to spin out of control. Bradley retired her arms from being folded across her chest, instead she positioned her hands in her hips. She couldn't take Rashad lying to her any longer. Bradley felt like she had made it very clear that she already had some sort of idea of what happened. She just didn't understand why Rashad wouldn't just open up about so she can know how to move.
"I found the shirt," Bradley hastily let out before her lips pursed inwardly in fear of Rashad's response.
Bradley witness a red tint overcome Rashad's fawn skin as his chiseled jaw structure clenched. Truthfully, Rashad had no idea how to react. Mindlessly, his first instinct was to react out of anger and frustration about Bradley not knowing when to let things go, however he knew he couldn't. Bradley was a woman who had built her entire life off of structure. She needed to know the ins and outs of everything so she wouldn't be lost in the craziness. He understood and respected that, however he needed Bradley to understand that with him being devoted to her and the family they created out of love, he would go to the ends of the earth to protect her and cover all his bases while doing so.
Rashad stood up to his feet, his extensive height towering over her. Grabbing her face, Rashad forced Bradley to match his eye contact. Although Bradley could feel his assertiveness and seriousness within his actions, he still managed to handle her with a level of care. "The means I take in order to protect you and my family will never be something you will understand. You get that?"
Bradley felt compelled to nod her head yes in agreement as he towered over. Even though he spared her no details of what she really wanted to know, his tone and actions were very telling and confirmed all of her speculations. "Now let this shit go Bradley," Rashad ordered as he dropped his hands from her face.
With her heart hardened with fear of how this situation could impact their family's future, Bradley watched as Rashad exited the bedroom in desperate need to clear his head.