Page 23 of The Filth Kings II

“Monni…you can call me, Monni.” He looked at me for a brief second then looked away.

“Okay, Monni. I don’t think that you’re ugly. You may have some ugly ways, but I’m attracted to you. You can always fix what’s on the inside of you. I think that you have spent years convincing yourself of being ugly, now you actually believe it. Only you can change that, but I can reassure you that you’re not ugly at all. You fine as hell, actually. You’re chocolate, tall, with a damn beard for God’s sake. You walk with a limp?—”

“The fuck does that mean?” His face contorted, then what shocked me was a small smile broke through.

“It means, I know you got a big dick, and I want to feel it…whenever you’re ready. Besides our agreement, I want to be your friend even after our time is up.” I brought his hand up until it reached my lips.

I didn’t want to mess up a great moment between him and I so I simply kissed the back of his hand.

“Come on, Tavi. Time to get paid.” He smirked.

Monni grabbed my hand and led me down the steps. The faint smell of dampness and dust hung in the air mixed with the smell of heavy chemicals. I could hear the faint echo of our footsteps on the wooden stairs as silenced pressed around us. Soon as we reached the bottom, Monni pulled on a white string. The lights flickered on, revealing a sight that made me want to collapse, a sight I had never witnessed in my life.

His underground basement stretched farther then I could see; it looked bigger than upstairs. It wasn’t the space that held me captive, it was all the stacks of cash that had stolen my breath away. Piles of cash, stacked from the floor to the ceiling. Some bundles were neatly wrapped, others spilled over in chaotic heaps. The room smelled of ink and paper.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from all of the money before me. I never in my life saw some shit like this with my own two eyes.

“Monni, I?—”

“You left your suitcase at the top of the staircase. I want you to fill it up. When we go out to eat, we can go furniture shopping. You can buy a large suitcase then fill that up too with more money. Only under one condition.” He turned toward me.

“Wha-what’s the condition?” I asked hesitantly.

“Stop selling yourself. There are people around the world being forced to do what you’re doing. You beautiful, too beautiful to be at the hands of any man who has a dollar. The money you take from down here will be enough to start over.” He tucked his hand into his sweats and looked around the money filled space surrounding us.

“Oh, Monni!” I choked up.

I tried to hold back my floodgates and all of the emotions rushing through me, but it was hard.

“M-my ex, well, I guess you can call him my pimp. He can’t know about this, he’d want a cut. While I’m here with you…I can look for an apartment…better yet, I can go stay with my best friend. I’ll feel more safe. Maybe I can?—”

“Relax, Natavi. No one has to know about all the money that you are getting from me. If you tell anyone where the fuck I live, I’ll?—”

“Break me or kill me, I’m not stupid, Monni, and you don’t have to ruin my moment! This is a life changing moment for me. Your grumpy ass will not ruin it.” I giggled but was serious.

Monni could stand there looking all mean and handsome, but he no longer scared me. What he had was a hard exterior but inside was made out of gold. He had to have a heart to want me out of the current lifestyle that I was in. Maybe he went through something similar but by force in his past…that’s why he—he wants me to stop selling myself! I choked up, and dropped my head, seconds later I looked into Monni’s eyes with tears falling down my cheeks.

“Tavi?” He raised a brow and looked at me amused.

“First you laugh, now you are crying. Something is off about you.” He shook his head at me.

“Can I… Can I please hug you?” I asked him with a gentle voice that held an unspoken plea; he needed it as bad as I did.

It was more of a request than a demand. I didn’t understand the weight of his soul but I could feel his pain. He stared at me with uncertainty. I let long seconds go by, unafraid of the space between us now. I understood that this was probably something foreign to him, and he was mentally battling with himself right now. I wasn’t going to force myself on him. Today was probably a big step for him, he talked more than he talked to me the entire week of me being here with him.

“I don’t know how, I want to,” he stated hesitantly.

“Can I show you?” I wiped my wet face and took small steps toward him.

He nodded his head yes, just as I closed the space between us. Slowly, his hands moved, tentatively and awkwardly as they reached out to me. His arms encircled me just as my arms tried to close around him. I managed to clasp my hands behind his back. My chest pressed against his chest as warmth flooded through me. I held onto him tightly, he released a breath and tucked his nose and mouth into the nook of my neck.

I released my hands and stroked up and down his muscular back in a soothing motion. Hopefully, this moment would make him feel good about himself.

“Sometimes, healing begins with just being held, Monni.”

Chapter11

Natavi

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