Page 12 of Going for Three

I joined her and Bloom at the island where they were discussing how she could build on her base. I listened, taking advice where she offered it. She left us alone to work again. Charm was a little closed off, and I wanted to fix that. I picked up one of the paper-thin testing strips and tickled her neck.

She giggled softly then a little harder. “Kianis stop! What are you doing?”

“I just wanted to see your smile.”

My words seemed to release her from whatever mental prison she’d placed herself in. That switch in her energy allowed for the rest of our date to flow with more playfulness and relaxation. When it was finally time to reveal our scents, I could admit I was excited to see what she’d created for me.

We were allowed to name our scents. She grinned when she saw what I named hers. “Good Luck Charm?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I can already tell that’s what you’re going to be for me.”

Her cheeks flushed with timidity.

“You can stop buttering me up now.” She sprayed the scent on her testing sheet then gave it a deep inhale. “Wow! This is really nice. It’s subtle but unforgettable.”

I felt proud of my work and couldn’t help but smile.

“My turn.”

She handed me her bottle, and I saw it was calledSanctuary. When I glanced up, I found her intently watching me.

“Why that name?”

She kept eye contact with me. “Because I feel like that’s what you could be for me if what I’m feeling is real.”

I didn’t realize that’s what I wanted to be until she said it. I licked my lips then sprayed the scent on the testing strip. I picked up on notes of sandalwood, vanilla, amber, and tobacco blossom. It was perfect for me, just like her.

“Come here.”

It sounded like static electricity as she inched forward to erase the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around her waist then hooked her chin.

“What you’re feeling is as real as it gets. I’ll be your sanctuary and more.”

And when our lips collided, I wasn’t even the one to initiate it. Charm’s hand on the back of my neck fed me what I’d spent all night craving… to feel her lips. Just as I expected, they were soft, moisturized, and coated in a sugary sheen I had to use the back of my hand to wipe off my lips when we separated.

“Thank you for a beautiful night.” Her voice was soft as she rested her chin on my chest.

I smiled. “Thank you for being beautiful. Inside and outside.”

Sitting at my desk,I popped open my laptop to begin working for the day. I had two brand meetings for sponsorships, editing to complete on my next vlog, and a plethora of PR boxes to get through and record content for. I was a busy woman and genuinely enjoyed every second of it. Having the gift of influence came with its perks.

I opened my email then went to my calendar to see what time the meetings were. My plan was to schedule my day around them after I finished getting ready. Once I confirmed they were back to back at 2:00 p.m., I was about to click out of it when something caught my attention. It was an event for the weekend that I knew wasn’t there yesterday. I had been looking forward tospending my Saturday however I wanted. I opened the invite to see it was a photoshoot for NAKED.

“What the fuck?” I cursed then froze, staring at the screen.

Tears began to blur my vision as fire sprouted from my core. She’d promised… No more half naked photoshoots, no more having to sacrifice my dignity for a few dollars or minutes of fame. Hopping up, I reached for my phone off my bed to call my mother.

My heart raced while I waited for her to pick up. I knew she was fucking with me when I got sent to voicemail. I didn’t care; I called again. I almost tossed the phone across the room when she sent me to voicemail a second time. I started to pace as I called her a third time. I sighed in relief when she finally picked up. I didn’t give her a chance to say shit.

“Ma, why is there a campaign shoot for NAKED on my calendar?”

“Good morning to you, too, my dear daughter. It’s on the calendar because you’re doing it. The pay is too good to turn down, and they’re not asking for too much. You’ll be fine.”

“You know how I feel about wearing lingerie. I don’t like having my body plastered any and everywhere. We agreed I would stop accepting anything remotely close to it moving forward.”

Over the last few years, I began to grow more uncomfortable with being seen as a sex symbol. It didn’t portray the real me. After a thousand lectures from my grandparents, who were the pastor and first lady of Grace Tabernacle, their words really started to get to me. Through developing my own relationship with God, I felt my own desire begin to change. My body was a temple and should be treated as such.

The icing on the cake was countless encounters with people who felt entitled to touch or harass me because they saw my body online. I knew I had to put a stop to it. That’s when I finallymade the decision to stand up for myself and stop all promotion for companies that wanted to exploit my body for profit. My mother agreed to it and was going back on her word as usual.

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