12. Yolani

"You are finally free from the shackles that is touring." Nelly laughed as I laid out all the stuff I planned to take to Mississippi.

"I know. Only good thing is how much weight you naturally lose, but that's a horrible thing at the same time because it's so tiresome."

"Girl, I can only imagine." She watched me move about as she lay across my bed. "Anything you need me to do before you go? I know all of what I have to do while you're gone."

"No, but if I think of something, I will contact you."

"So why aren't we at this hotel party the Bulldogs are having?" she quizzed. "You didn't want me finding a ball player for a husband?"

"Huh?" I frowned. "What hotel party?"

"One of the players, Sammie Fargo, just uploaded a post on his story about it. It looks lit." Nelly stared at her phone.

My stomach churned at the thought because I was sure Cemone was there, and he hadn't mentioned it, meaning he didn't want me to know. And why he didn't want me to know, I didn't even wanna think about.

I was very confused because from all the shit he had been saying, I didn't get why he would fuck up at this point. I'd just talked to the nigga an hour ago, and everything was normal, so it couldn't have been that he'd decided to give up.

"Did you see him in the back?"

"Him who?" Nelly fucked with me, making me cock my head at her. "No, but according to these bitches in the comments, the whole team is there, minus a few nobodies."

I nodded, trying to focus on what I planned to pack, but I couldn't even think straight. I decided I needed to just get it over with by catching Cemone doing dirt and then cutting his ass off while I still had the strength to. This would be much harder had we had sex.

As much as I liked to tell myself that tidbit, it wasn't true. I was very emotionally attached to him at this point, and sex or not, catching him doing anything would fuck me up. I probably would stay single for the rest of my days because, at this point, even pastors were fuckboys.

"Let's go." I dropped my shit that I'd been folding.

"To the party?"

"Yes. I wanna see what this nigga is doing." I kicked off my house shoes, grabbing some Bottega heels from my closet. They were cute, simple, and could make even this simple curve hem tube dress from Joah Brown look dressy.

Chuckling, Nelly sat up and watched me as I took my hair down from its claw clip and ran a comb through it before spritzing on my Vanilla Powder perfume.

"You're serious too. Shit, let me get a dress or something because if you think I'm about to prance around a bunch of rich niggas in tights and a halter, you crazy."

Giggling at her, I found a Gucci dress for her that she quickly slipped on along with a pair of my shoes. She then chose a perfume from my vast collection, and then we left the house, hopping into my Lamborghini and heading to the hotel out in Bel-Air, which wasn't far from me at all.

"What?" I asked when I saw her shaking her head out of my peripheral as I drove.

"You liiikkkee him! I've never seen you like this. You usually suspect and then allow it to come to you. You don't ever go looking."

Bending the corner, I replied, "I do like him, but I'm only doing all of this because he talks such a good game, I wanna catch his stupid ass in the act." I shook my head. "This nigga be saying some stuff too! Ugh! Bitch, you may have to bail me out tonight."

"Yolani, please remember you are a well-known superstar, and anything you do, you will be sued, and for a lot of damn money."

"Thanks. I needed that."

"Have you fucked him?"

"No, I have not, and thank God."

"How the hell have you been able to pull that off? I know the sex is amazing. Probably the type of dick to have you acting how you are now. But damn, you already doing this, so I can only imagine once you get some all the shit you're gonna be doing."

Laughing as much as I could, considering the circumstances, I said, "That's exactly why I haven't slept with him. I haven't given my body up in over three years, so I'm not going to just bust it open unless I can trust the person to not play with me."

"Well, seems like you should have guarded your feelings the same way, because he may not have gotten any ass, but he got everything else from the looks of it." Nelly covered her lips in gloss.

I didn't say anything as I kept my focus on the road, praying deep down that Cemone was on his best behavior and had a plausible explanation as to why this party was such a secret. I needed him to be all the things he claimed to be.

I'd told myself years ago I would never shed tears for a man who didn't have enough respect to do right by me, but with the way my stomach was churning and my heart was pumping, I doubted I would be able to keep that promise if I saw Cemone doing anything.

I toyed with my necklace that I hadn't taken off since Cemone had gifted it to me, as I sifted through my thoughts.

We finally got to the hotel, and valet was more than happy to tend to me and agree to leave my car parked out front. Nelly couldn't find the suite number, so we went to the front desk where the associate thankfully was a fan and broke all confidentiality rules to give me access. I assured her it would be fine since it was a whole party up there and plenty of people who hadn't booked the room were inside. This put her at ease, along with the picture I took with her.

Nelly and I couldn't ride up fast enough, using the key to access the floor. We hurried down the hallway and then finally made it to the room. We would've known which one it was had we not had a key because the music was loud as fuck.

Taking a deep breath, I placed the key to the door, and once the green light appeared, I opened it. Weed smoke slapped Nelly and me in the face as half naked bitches and skyscraping niggas littered the room.

"Hey, handsome," I heard Nelly say, but I was too focused on finding Cemone to look at who she was speaking to.

"Boogieman" by EBK Jaaybo played so loudly my ears were ringing as I tread through the party, eyes watering from the smoke.

As I coughed, I felt someone come behind me and hug me, kissing my neck. I recognized his cologne, even through the smell of the smoke. I quickly turned around to see him, and before I could say anything, he picked me up, big hands cupping my ass disrespectfully, but it turned me on, nonetheless.

"I'm gon' have some fun with yo' little ass," he said, licking his supple lips and giving me a glimpse of the diamonds in his mouth before he sucked on my neck so heavenly, causing me to moan softly. Thank God it was loud in here.

He was right. Us being together in Mississippi daily would result in us fucking. Being on different schedules had been saving us… me.

"Put me down," I said, but he ignored me, kissing my neck as he started to move.

Finally, we ended up in a bedroom.

"Give me a kiss, and I'll put you down," he demanded, and I complied, gracing his lips barely. That made him smirk before he placed me to my feet. "Fuck you doing here?"

"What are you doing here, nigga! I talked to you several times today, and not once did you mention this party!"

"I wasn't gon' go," he sat down on the bed, "but when you said you and Nelly were packing and shit, I came." He shrugged.

"I bet you did cum."

He laughed loudly, and I could tell he was high by the way his golden and green eyes glistened.

"Nah, I haven't done that in a little minute." He tucked his lips in, tugging me closer by my hips. Kissing my stomach, he said, "I want to, though."

"No thank you." I folded my arms and looked off, not in the mood to look at his cute face and smell his scent.

"Ask anybody out there, they gon' tell you I ain't been doing shit but chopping it up with some niggas on the team that I'm cool with."

"They'd lie for you." I regained eye contact with him. "I don't give a fuck what you do anyway."

"You came all the way here because you don't give a fuck what I do?" He smiled up at me, hands still on my hips.

"I just came to prove to myself that you were only spewing lies this whole time." I batted my lashes.

Pulling me down onto the bed abruptly, he said, "Yeah, aight."

Before I could say anything, his mouth was on mine. His arm circled my neck, hugging me into him as his tongue entered my mouth. He was so strong and smelled so good and expensive. I was warm all over as he got on top of me and in between my legs, running his hand up my dress.

"Cemone," I whimpered.

"You feel that?" He pressed his erection against my panties. He was brick hard and in seconds. "I wanna feel it bad, Yolani." He whispered against my neck, before sucking it, then my collarbone and making my clit jump. He sucked on the swell of my breasts, his hands gripping the sides of my thighs as he did it. Tilting me toward him slightly, he sucked and bit on my exposed hip since the dress had a high split, then pressed a soft kiss to it.

He finally came back up, kissing my lips and then staring down into my face.

I grinned at him, and he gave it back to me.

"You should be able to go to a party without me being like this," I said, feeling horrible.

Falling to the side of me, he brought me back closer to him, kissing my face.

"You good, baby. I understand," he replied, surprising me a little bit. "The fuck niggas always ruining the good girls."

Smiling, I looked up into his face as I laid on his chest. "You're one to talk."

"Find a good woman I don' fucked over and I'll retire early." He looked me over seriously. "Every woman I played with or fucked over ain't have good intentions."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I been me for a long ass time." When I sucked my teeth, he added, "I'm dead ass serious. I been playing ball since I was six years old, and by the time I got to sixth grade, females were already on me because of what I could do on the court, and the shit didn't slow up as I got older, better, and then rich."

I thought for a minute, realizing he was telling the truth.

"How can you be sure I have good intentions?" I hiked a brow.

"Because you have no reason to fuck with me unless you actually fuck with me."

I nodded because, again, he was speaking truths. I didn't need his money or his fame, because I had plenty of it.

"Again, I'm sorry for acting like this and being the way that I am sometimes. I'm not trying to be difficult or crazy. I just have to be cautious with my feelings and my heart."

"I'll put that shit back together again, love, then you ain't gotta worry 'bout it." He absentmindedly caressed my shoulder. Looking down into my eyes, he said, "I'm gon' put it somewhere safe."

Had we not been in a public place, I just might have fucked him, but I knew I wasn't quite ready yet. I was more ready than not, but I kept going back and forth too much to pull the trigger in this moment. So instead, I just kissed him a few times, hugging him tightly in the midst.

"Don't get tired of waiting," I whispered, kissing him.

"Like I said, I ain't going nowhere, and I only got an appetite for one."

A man telling me he wasn't going anywhere was probably the biggest turn on, and an even bigger one when he didn't know it was a turn on, making it all the more truthful.

"You're so fine," I admitted, pulling back to look into his blindingly handsome face. "Perfect." I kissed his nose.

"You fucking beautiful." He got off me and helped me from the bed. "That face is gon' be what makes a nigga bust quick."

"I'll just have to ride it backwards," I retorted.

"Please don't talk like that." He nodded down to the bulge in his Louis Vuitton jeans. "You gon' stay here and kick it with yo' nigga, or we leaving?"

"You're my nigga?"

"I am," he stated definitively.

"We can stay. I'm sure Nelly wants to, anyway." He nodded and went for the door. "I'm surprised you didn't try to fuck me on that bed just now."

"You my baby. No way I'm gon' fuck you at a party." His brows furrowed like he thought I was crazy. "Plus, yo' moans and shit is for my ears only." He smacked me on the ass as he opened the door for me.

We walked out, and once I spotted Nelly and made sure she could see me, Cemone found us a seat on one of the empty couches. As I was about to sit, he pulled me into his lap, kissing my shoulder with his big hand on my stomach.

Every touch of his had my stomach doing backflips. Cemone was walking sex, and it was hard not to notice. It was very obvious as to why so many women opened their legs for him, no matter his reputation and mouth. He was swagged out, rich, tall, charming, and had sex appeal through the roof. That was a bad combination for most women trying to remain chaste.

As the party continued, Cemone kept his arm around my waist the entire time like a seat belt, even when some of the scantily clad women came over, shyly asking me for a photo or autograph. I knew Cemone was in the background of most of the pictures, but I didn't think the ladies cared.

"I can't try?" I giggled when Cemone moved the blunt from my reach.

"Gotta protect that voice," he replied, and when he didn't hand it over, I knew he meant business. "It's too special to be tampered with by this shit."

"Damn, let her breathe and enjoy herself, nigga. You been keeping hold to her all fucking night," one of his teammates jested with a grin.

"Nah, I'm protective when it come to this one. You focus on these bitches around here." Cemone inhaled the smoke.

"Who are you? My daddy?" I frowned playfully.

"Yeah." He grinned, making me roll my eyes because I fell right into that one, unknowingly.

As I smiled, he gripped the front of my neck, tugging me closer to kiss me deeply.

I smiled at my phone as I lay across my bed, because Cemone had texted me in the midst of me going through my Mississippi checklist.

CC: Coming to see you.

Me: Is that a question.

CC: Nah I don't need to ask.

Me: My other little boo could be here.

CC: Well if you actually like the muthafucka get rid of him cause if I see his ass he getting shot.

Me: Lord. Lol. How long?

CC: Pulling up now.

Hopping from the bed, I decided to keep on the canary yellow tennis dress I already had on, slipping my feet into my gold PVC Prada sandals that I'd been wearing out.

I left my hair clipped up, then grabbed a jacket and my purse since I didn't know how long we'd be out, and it was already dusk.

I was way too giddy about seeing Cemone, smiling as I thought about him while descending my stairs. As soon as I got to my door, he was outside of the car already, beaming upon seeing me.

As I made my way to him, I prepared myself for him to pick me up, something he always did. I couldn't stop myself from cheesing as he did so, holding me tightly to his body as we kissed. Finally, he set me to my feet and helped me into his Maserati, before shutting the door and joining me on the other side.

"For you." He handed me a silver package, and I was so surprised by it that it overshadowed my excitement for it.

"Who told you I love these? Yailey?" I asked as I ripped open the Pop-Tart to see it was in fact blueberry, my favorite.

As he peeled off down my driveway and out of my iron gate, he said, "I told you I became low-key obsessed with yo' ass, trying to figure out what the fuck you liked or was into so I could have you. Had a nigga up late watching interviews. In one of 'em, you said ya guilty pleasure was blueberry Pop-Tarts, but you could only eat them when you weren't working."

"Hmm." I ate a piece and closed my eyes for a second at the perfectly sweet taste. These horrible shits should not have been this fucking good. "Thank you." I swallowed it down just before we shared a kiss at the red light.

I was so into eating both Pop-Tarts and listening to his brother's new album he had playing, that I didn't realize we'd been driving for a while and were now riding down Prairie in Inglewood.

"Going to the park," he explained, seemingly reading my mind and facial expression.

"Oh, for what?"

"To kick it. That's cool?"

"Yeah, that's fine." I nodded, eating the last piece of my snack. "I can tell you're a good daddy because snacks as soon as I get in the car and going to the park? Yeah."

He laughed, making a right.

"Glad you know. I can't wait for you to meet 'em. You gotta be my girlfriend first though."

"I figured." I watched the sun continue to set. It was pretty much dark now. "I can't wait to meet them either." I drank some of the water he'd set out for me along with the Pop-Tart.

We ended up at Darby Park, which wasn't the best park to be at and at this time of night, but I knew Cemone wouldn't put me in harm's way. If I ever had to be in the hood or hood adjacent, I'd wanna be with him.

After parking, we got out and tread to the basketball court, his ball locked against him.

"I used to always come here, play and practice by myself or with my brothers. On occasions, I'd play niggas for money, but my parents made me stop doing that shit after a grown ass man lost to me and pulled a gun on me." He chuckled but I found that shit to be crazy.

"Yeah, they had the right idea." I sat down as he bounced the ball, moving it between his legs effortlessly as if he was born doing just that. "Only you would be into some shit like that. How old were you?"

"I was fourteen, and he was like forty." He laughed when I did, shooting the ball, and it went in with no problem, despite him being so far away. My father had once said, long before I knew Cemone, that he was a three-pointer king. Dribbling, he continued. "Basketball was all I had though. That's why, for so long, I used it as my personality, as that one mean ass girl called out." He shot me a look, and I shrugged with a smirk.

"I didn't know you then, but from what I saw, it seemed that way, like you were a brick wall who could only utter his stats and bank account balance."

"Damn." He half smiled. "You mean as fuck, but I like it." He shot the ball. "Shows me I'm special to even be this close."

He retrieved the ball and sat next to me on the battered bleachers, if you could call them that.

"You are special," I said, touching his knee and kissing him.

"I know, but you was right about what you said at the time." He set the ball down between his feet. "Playing ball has always been my best and only feature, or so I thought, so I had to use that shit in all arenas of my life. And the shit worked with females, until you.

"My brother, the one right before me, Bashar," he shook his head, "I used to always wanna be like that nigga. You bet not ever tell him I said this shit after you meet him."

"Why not?" I laughed.

"Because I don't like pumping them niggas' heads up. He not even that type, but still, he'd use it against me later." Cemone smiled.

"Hmm, okay, then I won't unless you piss me off. Why is he so cool?"

"Because he could do anything. All my brothers have strong suits in different shit. Nobody is just on some bum shit, but Bashar can be in a room full of Fortune 500 CEOs and hold conversations with all of 'em. Then he can take his ass to a room full of hood niggas and do the same, neither groups noticing. I always thought that was dope, that he was a smart nigga but wasn't no Steve Urkel. Me, I can play ball. I'm good as fuck at it, but that's all I can really do."

"Not true, and don't make it sound like all you do is play basketball like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry. Nobody is like you in the league. Even my own dad said that, and he doesn't like you at all." I touched his beard as he chortled a bit. "You're a living legend already, and you know how you know you're talented?"

"'Cause I got a three hundred and twenty-five million dollar contract."

"That too but," I steered his face toward me, "because as much as people claim to hate you, they pay up when it's time for you to play. When you have real, undeniable talent, nobody can hate you fully because you're too good to pass up on. These basketball fans will never hate you enough to not watch you play, and that says a lot, and that is only because of how great you are. Let another player with less talent do what you have done and behave the way you have; he'd be dropped from the team."

"You got a little bit of a point." He simpered.

"I do, and you're a good man. Overly passionate sometimes, so you become crazy, but I think we all can be occasionally. And I haven't met your brothers formally yet, but I know I like you best already."

Leaning over, he kissed me slowly then deeply before I pulled back, feeling it get too hot, even in this cold ass air.

"Wish I could say the same, but Yailey is some tough competition," he replied, making me suck my teeth playfully. "You let me eat you out, and I might change my mind though."

"Cemone, please." I waved him off.

Standing and jumping off the bleachers, he said, "Let's play and make a bet," bouncing the ball.

"Why the hell would I play you in something you're a professional at?" I frowned. "Would you battle me in a singing competition?"

Shrugging one shoulder, he replied, "I might. But we not talking about singing right now."

"No, it's not fair."

"Aight. If you lose, that means you get to pick something for me to do. If I lose, I get to pick some shit for you to do. Fair?"

"No, it's easy to lose."

"I played into yo' game at the club, and since you love bets so much, let's go." He nodded for me to get up.

I did, since he had a point, and walked down onto the court.

"Okay, if I lose then… hmm, you have to lick my feet and suck my toes."

"Pick something else. That's too easy, and I ain't gon' let you go out like that." He continued bouncing the ball. "Nothing on you I wouldn't lick or suck."

I thought for a second. "Okay, you can't be confrontational for a week straight."

He stared me down as if I'd just shot his dog, so I knew that was a good one.

"Aight, then. If I lose, I wanna eat."

"No. I don't want that one, because it'll lead to sex."

"It won't. No matter how much you beg a nigga, I won't oblige you."

"How much I beg? Nigga, please. And yeah right. I won't even be able to finish the sentence before you'll have your dick out."

Chuckling, he said, "You funny. I don't want it until you want it. The pussy is better when you want it as bad as I do. I'm trying to turn you out, so I'll pass on the accidental pussy."

"Okay, fine." I came closer, sticking my hand out to shake his. He took it, shaking before pulling me closer and kissing me.

The game began, and it was more fun than I expected, with Cemone picking me up so I could put the ball in, even though I knew he was looking under my dress. I didn't mind, though, even knowing I had on a lace thong underneath. Every time he lowered me from the basket, we shared a kiss and then got back to it. I was having such a time that I stopped paying attention to what the goal was and ended up winning.

"Sit down." He pointed to the bleachers.

"Here? No. We are in public, and we're public figures, negro!" I was so shocked by his suggestion.

He ignored me, letting the ball roll away as he guided me back by my hips.

"I'm hungry now. I don't wanna wait until we ain't in public no more." His head whipped around. "Ain't nobody even out here. Better chance of you not begging me for some dick if we out here when I do it."

I contemplated, looking around, so Cemone picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" I yelled as he stalked toward a large tree.

Finally, he stopped, put me to my feet, and said, "Big ass tree and it's darker over here."

Before I could say anything, he thrust his lips to mine, reaching under my dress and slowly pushing my panties down. His mouth ventured to my neck and the tops of my breasts before he went down, helping me step out of my underwear. I watched him as he lifted my dress, placing one of my legs on his shoulders before swiping his tongue between my folds.

"That pussy perfect," he mumbled against me, making me coo softly.

He started to French kiss my lower lips, and I immediately began leaking at the feeling. He was right; I wasn't ready for sex-sex, but something like this was perfect after years of no action.

Lifting the leg that was on his shoulder and pushing it back some, he sucked my clit for a bit before lapping at it again. The feeling of his perfect mouth eating my pussy along with the slight slurping sounds due to all the juices I was producing drove me crazy.

"Cemone." I whimpered his name, reaching down to caress his head as he latched his mouth to my bud, sucking, lapping, and circling around it. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh." I lifted a little, feeling like I was about to possibly squirt everywhere.

Cemone didn't let up, though, keeping his face buried between my legs, moaning as he lapped between my legs like a parched dog. Moments later, I was cumming so hard my body lifted off the tree for a second. Cemone slowed down but was definitely still licking and sucking on me, making me snivel slightly at the feeling.

"One more," he groaned out of pleasure, sliding his tongue inside of me and then dragging it back up.

He licked my clit for a bit before honing it, sucking it with good pressure and making me call out loud enough for the people residing in the homes across Crenshaw Boulevard to hear.

We were two rich people who could've been doing this anywhere but in public, but I couldn't lie and say the thought of getting caught didn't make this experience more euphoric.

I clawed at the bark of the tree as my pelvis tightened, and a wave of pleasure coursed through me, causing my leg to jerk and tremble and my nectar to run down. Cemone wasted no time slurping up every drop, moaning in the process. Of course he had a sexy moan. What wasn't sexy about this nigga?

He pulled his head from under my dress, and as he stood, he picked me up just as my legs were about to give out. We fell right into tongue kissing, engaging so hungrily we were moaning. He was right; I did want to fuck him now. I slid my hand down his abs and toward his waistband, but he stopped me, moving me away.

He chuckled when he put me back on the ground and retrieved my panties from his pocket, handing them over.

"Shut up," I said, taking them.

"She thumping, huh?" He laughed as I slid my panties on, in need of a shower ASAP. "I'm not fucking you, Yolani."

"Good, because I didn't want to anyway. I got just what I needed," I half lied.

I did get what I needed, but in the moment, I could've gon' further.

"Yeah, aight." He hit me on the ass before scooping me up abruptly and making me squeal as he started toward his car. "I knew you would taste good." He kissed me, lips parted.

"Stop, you getting me hot," I admitted. The area between my legs was like an 808 right now.

Smiling, with his beautiful ass, he pecked me once more, then let me go just as we got to his car, him opening the door for me.

Though I was horny as hell, there was something to be said about Cemone keeping true to his word about not going further with me. I more than appreciated his willpower, but mainly him putting my needs before his.

A s I sat inside the Redmond Hill Records headquarters, all I could think about was Cemone. Even as Gina and my team filed in, I found myself smiling as I thought about the past week we'd spent together and all that we talked about doing once we got to Mississippi.

"Yolani?" Gina frowned, and I realized that I wasn't paying attention to whatever the hell she'd been saying.

"Sorry, yes?"

"I said that we need to discuss what is going on with Cemone Compton and what you plan to do going forward. We can give advice and what we recommend, but at the end of the day, this is your career, and you have to decide."

"What is there to talk about? Hopefully not the same stuff, because I'm not interested," I replied.

"No, this is new," my father and manager chimed in. I was taken aback, feeling like whatever it was could've been told to me during the plethora of times I'd seen him prior to today. "Fleur Douce, the perfume company that wanted to hire you to be an ambassador," he reminded me.

"Yes?" I asked, trying to remain chill, but I was panicking. Being the ambassador for such a high end, well-known perfume was a gold mine. They only switched ambassadors every two decades, and that was an amazing, passive, dependable income in case anything happened with my music or matcha.

"They are asking us to confirm or deny the nature of your relationship with Cemone," Gina answered.

"They haven't said too much, but they just wanna know what's going on." Nelly tried to soften the blow.

"Why?" I frowned. "What does he have to do with anything? My God." I groaned. "Why do all these people need to have a say so in my personal life?" I asked myself but said it aloud.

"They want to know because of the backlash you will receive if you are with him. That backlash will bleed into their brand, which I don't need to tell you they don't want," Gina explained.

"They want to know before they send the contract and wire transfer," Nelly added, fidgeting and looking worried for me, and that was because she knew exactly what was going on between him and me.

"Sweetheart, it's important that you make a statement, despite the unsurmountable evidence of the contrary, that you and Cemone are nothing romantic," my father pleaded with me.

"You could say he is a close friend and that you two are not very serious. You were having fun, but you are still single until the right man comes along. Kim can type up the statement. All you need to do is approve it. Then we tell Fleur Doucè the same thing, then get that contract signed." Gina cheesed, looking around the table at everyone who nodded to agree.

I stared down at my fresh nail set for a moment, feeling sick and maybe even a little stupid because of what I was about to say.

"No, I can't say that." I spoke softly, almost in a whisper.

I'd worked hard to get where I was, and on the outside looking in, it was probably dumb to not denounce Cemone as anything more than a friend I kissed and held hands with sometimes. I couldn't though. I felt too much for him and respected him too much to play him in that way. I just prayed to God he was as worth it as I thought he was because if he turned out to be a womanizing asshole doing all of this just to sleep with me, I would become a laughingstock for decades to come… and rightfully so.

"Excuse me?" My father bucked his eyes, looking like he wanted to jump across the table and choke me.

"I can't say that because while he's not my boyfriend yet, it won't be long before he is."

Shooting up out of his seat and shocking everyone, my father yelled, "This is what the fuck you want, Yolani! All this hard work, and you're going to throw it away on a man with multiple baby mamas and who can't conduct himself in a mature manner?"

He was so irate, Gina told everyone to give us the room, including Nelly.

"You don't know anything about Cemone," I stated dryly, making my father titter humorlessly.

"My God," he whispered, massaging the bridge of his nose. I didn't blame him because to him, I looked like a dumb, lovesick girl falling for a man who meant me no good. But that wasn't the case. "So he doesn't have multiple baby mamas? He doesn't try to fight during games? He hasn't pulled a gun on a teammate? He doesn't threaten reporters for asking simple questions? What the fuck am I missing here, Yolani? Did you forget what he did to and how he treated Milaysia?"

"No, I didn't forget, and yes, that stuff may be true, but… I can't explain it to you. You're gonna have to get to know him yourself, Daddy. All I know right now is that I like him, I see a future with him, and I won't fuck that up by telling the world he's the homie."

"You know when you run into men who don't treat you right, baby, you are supposed to learn from it." He came to sit next to me, trying to use a softer tone. "You are not learning from it, baby. You're picking the same type of men you used to, and it is gonna bite you in the ass, Yolani. Do you enjoy being treated badly? A man like that who is that violent will hit you. A man who has two baby mamas does not value relationships and marriage and, therefore, is usually unfaithful.

"All that is going to happen is that nigga is gon' get you pregnant, humiliate you, ruin your career in the process, and leave you to be a single mother like the two before you."

After letting him speak his piece, I said, "We will have to agree to disagree, Daddy. Tell Fleur Doucé that Cemone is my man and that should have no bearing on our business dealings."

Standing, I left my dad fuming in the conference room.

Going out into the hallway, I bypassed everyone at the label who was outside waiting, sure that they'd heard everything said between my father and me.

I heard footsteps behind me and knew it was Nelly by her breathing. She followed me onto the elevator, pressing the button to hit the lobby floor for us.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"You didn't hear?"

"No, I wanted to hear from you. I didn't feel the need to have my ear to the door like everyone else."

"I told him I wasn't going to make the statement."

"Damn, you really do like him."

"It's more than that. I've liked niggas before, but they were never more important or even equally important as my career."

"Exactly. If this situation came up with any of your exes, you would've had the statement typed up by now."

We chuckled together as we stepped off the elevator, treading toward my security waiting for me.

I didn't say anything as he escorted Nelly and me to the truck, but once we were in the back on our own, Ronnie driving on the other side of the partition, I said, "I've never had a man be this way with me. I don't feel like Yolani, the star. I feel like a normal woman being courted by a normal man, and I like that. It's not always rich shit, mundane conversations, and the typical stuff I deal with when dating.

"He's sweet. He tells me I'm pretty instead of not doing so because he feels like I hear it from everyone else all the time. He buys me flowers, nice things, not caring that I can buy them myself. And most of all, the nigga has the patience of a saint when it comes to being physical."

"Cemone Compton?" Nelly jokingly widened her eyes before we cracked up.

"Right." I stared out the window. "But I like that he makes it known he wants to sleep with me but doesn't pressure me at the same time."

Having sex of all kinds was very personal to me, and I didn't just fuck anybody. I'd never even had a fuck buddy like most women, and that was because I just couldn't allow myself to go that far with a man that wasn't mine. I'd platonically dated plenty of celebrity men, and it never lasted past a few texts and dates, because they were used to women in the industry giving it up within a month. With me, they were lucky to get anything after ten months, and that would only be if they were consistent.

It wasn't that I was trying to hold out. I just knew myself and how badly it would fuck with me if I fucked a nigga who only did what he had to do to get just that. Not to mention, I had to be comfortable, and that took time.

Now though, after dealing with back-to-back heartbreak, I was even more strict with who I gave access to my body. Cemone, however, had been able to make me more and more comfortable every time I was around him, choosing the perfect time to only go so far. He was flirty and forward but not pushy, and I liked that.

"Damn, I think he loves your ass, too, then because the Cemone I've heard about doesn't even want conversation, just ass."

We laughed heartily again.

"I don't know that Cemone. I mean, I know him, but that's not who I get." I watched the apartment buildings that Ronnie drove by, before adding, "I know I won't find anybody like him again, ever, so if these fans and companies can't deal with us being together, then oh well."

Nodding, Nelly said, "He better not fuck up, or I swear I will have that nigga shot. I know people."

"I'm sure you do, and I will be behind you one hundred percent." I giggled.

I was serious, and I knew Nelly was too. Like my family, she knew how important my career was and how hard I'd worked for all that I had accomplished, so for me to jeopardize it meant a lot.

"I can't believe this all started because I was trying to prove to this man he wasn't all that and that I would never date him." I looked to Nelly before we burst into laughter at the irony.

"That's what your little mean ass gets."