Page 35 of Certified Pressure 2
That shit hit me hard. I gripped the rail tighter and said, “If you love me like you say you do, why you fightin’ me every step? Why you lettin’ pride get in the way when I’m tryna put us in a better spot?”
She sniffled on the line. “Are the girls still in your house?”
I leaned back. “Yeah…”
“See?” she whispered. “That’s exactly why I won’t come. I know what I’d be walkin’ into.”
“Man, don’t do that,” I snapped. “Don’t try to flip this shit on me. They still in this bitch ‘cause you ain’t here. You the one keepin’ yourself away, not me. You worried about them, but the truth is you the one I been wantin’ here. You forget I’m tryna get married? If you ain’t here, what the fuck you want a nigga to do? Keep chasin’ behind you? You trippin’, girl.”
We both went quiet, breathin’ hard through the phone, both too stubborn to break first. Finally, she said, soft but firm, “I gotta go.”
I closed my eyes, my chest heavy like I just lost a round in a fight I ain’t even train for. “A’ight,” I muttered, even though I wanted to beg her to stay.
The line clicked dead, and I stood there on the balcony with the phone still in my hand, feelin’ like the call gave me everything and nothin’ at the same time.
I was back to bein’ pissed off, and on the verge of goin’ to that raggedy ass apartment, and kickin’ the fuckin’ door in. But I had to keep my cool.
I knew once I sent this money to Pluto, it was over. Whatever me and her tried to build was done. She would have her sister straight, and she would have her peace, but as far as me and her… We was finished.
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
It was past midnight and me and Kay’Lo had been choppin’ it up, eatin’ and drinkin’ in the theater room on the other side of the mansion. The big screen was lit up with some scary ass movie, blood splashin’ everywhere, and I had a whole bowl of popcorn sittin’ in my lap with a pack of Sour Patch Kids on the armrest. Kay’Lo was leaned back in the recliner with his drink in his hand, his eyes on the screen, but he kept crackin’ lil’ jokes that had me laughin’ so hard I almost spilled the popcorn twice.
I wasn’t tryin’ to act like this was no secret date or somethin’ sneaky. It wasn’t even like that to me. It was just the only time I felt seen since Pressure been caught up in Pluto, Kashmere, and Ka’mari drama. He had barely said two words to me in days, so what the fuck was I supposed to do? Sit up in my room twiddlin’my thumbs while he played house with everybody else? That shit wasn’t me. I followed my heart, and right now my heart was tellin’ me to laugh and drink and kick it with Kay’Lo.
“Girl, you screamin’ louder than the actors,” Kay’Lo said when some ghost popped up out the shadows on the screen.
“Boy, that’s ’cause you keep tryna scare me. You play too much,” I said, hittin’ him in the arm with a handful of popcorn. “You jumped too, don’t even lie.”
He grinned at me, his white teeth flashin’ under the dim blue lights of the room. “I ain’t scared of nothin’ but losin’ my money. That’s it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and the way he looked at me made me feel warm all the way down to my toes. He wasn’t starin’ at me like I was some burden he had to tolerate. He wasn’t brushin’ me off or tellin’ me to calm down. He was just here, lettin’ me be me, and I didn’t even realize how much I needed that until right now.
The drinks kept flowin’, and the movie was on but neither one of us was payin’ it no real mind anymore. He started askin’ me little questions about where I grew up, who I used to hang with, and what kind of trouble I stayed gettin’ into. I told him about the time me and my cousins almost burned my auntie kitchen down tryin’ to fry chicken when we was thirteen, and he damn near spit his drink out laughin’. He told me about Pressure catchin’ him sneakin’ girls into the crib back when they was teenagers and how Renza almost ruined it by ratting.
The more we talked, the closer we got. I didn’t even notice at first how my legs had gone from crossin’ on my own chair to slidin’ over his way until my thigh brushed against his. He didn’t move back, and when I looked at him, he was already lookin’ at me like he wanted to say somethin’ but was holdin’ it in.
“You look good sittin’ here laughin’,” he finally said, low enough that I barely heard it over the movie.
But still, I heard it… “Stop playin’ with me.”
“I ain’t playin’. You always talkin’ shit, but you fine as hell, Toni.”
I smirked but couldn’t stop my face from heatin’ up. “Boy, shut up.”
He set his cup down, leaned in, and next thing I knew his lips was on mine. I froze for a half a second, not ‘cause I didn’t want it, but because of how soft it felt. Pressure had always been rough, takin’ what he wanted, but Kay’Lo kissed me like he was tryna ask me for permission with every move. My body relaxed before my mind even caught up, and before I knew it, I kissed him back slow.
The popcorn bowl slid to the floor, and I didn’t even care. His hand found my waist and pulled me into his lap. I straddled him in the big leather recliner, my knees diggin’ into the cushions, and the feel of his tongue slidin’ against mine had me meltin’.
“Damn,” I whispered when we broke apart for air. “You know what you doin’, huh?”
He laughed soft. “I been knowin’. I just ain’t know if I could ever show you.”
He kissed me again, deeper this time, and his hands went up under my shirt, slidin’ over my titties. I let out a moan, grindin’ down on him as I felt his dick hard under me. The way he was touchin’ me wasn’t wild or rushed, but was careful, like he wanted me to feel safe even while I was losin’ myself.
“I want you,” he said against my neck, kissin’ and suckin’ until I was squirming.
I pulled his shirt up and over his head, feelin’ his chest muscles under my hands, and then I reached down to undo his pants. He helped me, pushin’ ‘em down just enough, and his dick sprang out, thick and ready. My pussy was throbbin’ just lookin’ at it.
