9. Yolani

Ronnie helped me from the car, and once I was on my feet, I straightened my dress. I wasn't really in the mood for a party, but my label head, Gina, was throwing a brunch party that she had twice a year, and it wasn't a good look for her artists not to show up and support.

Entering the beautiful party decorated with colorful flowers, gold tableware, fully loaded buffet, ice statutes, and a hefty dessert table, I smiled and hugged the people I knew as I made my way through.

"Here she is, the queen." Gina brought me in and kissed me with the side of her mouth.

"I am not." I laughed.

"Yes you are." Her brother agreed, clutching his flute full of champagne.

"She is humble for the most part, but she knows she's the shit." Gina grinned. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course." I smiled.

I chatted with Gina and a few other label mates as well as random celebrities that she'd invited and then took a lot of pictures before my stomach felt like a grizzly bear was inside of it.

Making my way to the buffet table, I filled my plate with mostly protein and only a few starchy sides. I was still on tour, and with my auto-immune disease heavily affecting my abdomen randomly, I didn't need anything else plumping my mid-section.

Taking my plate, I went to sit at a table by myself because all I wanted to do was text Cemone. I'd become even more attached despite us being away from one another for a while due to our constant traveling to random states.

A part of me was actually hoping he did spend the summer with me in Mississippi because not only would we be able to spend a lot of time together, but it was such a small unknown town that I rarely if ever had issues with leaks. It was the most privacy we would get at the moment.

"Hey, beautiful!" Milaysia's voice shrieked over me as she hugged me tightly, her perfume washing over me.

"Hey." I wrapped my arm around her body before she plopped down into the white chair next to me.

I already wanted to be alone, but I especially didn't want to sit with her ass. She immediately began running her mouth as I ate, and I was worried she would spit in my plate.

Milaysia was cool, but she was a clout chaser. She was the type to only want to be friends if you were a bigger star than her. I could tell she would never talk to me if I wasn't who I was, because she was only interested in people she could leech off. And now that I was talking to Cemone, that made building a relationship with her even less appealing.

She stopped running her mouth out of nowhere, which got my attention, and I saw that she'd peeped Cemone's name pop up on my phone. Well, he was stored as CC; however, as on him as she was, it was no shock that she caught on.

"So I noticed y'all been kicking it," she said, taking a sip of the pretty cocktail she'd been babysitting since she'd sat down.

"Who?" I feigned confusion as I ate some of the well seasoned chicken.

"Cemone."

"Oh yeah. We're good friends at the moment."

As I said that, I opened the message he'd sent to see it was a video of him showing his surroundings, something he'd been doing every forty-five minutes, unless playing or practicing, to show me he wasn't with anyone of the opposite sex.

The gesture made me chuckle and smile, forgetting that Milaysia was right here and watching me rather closely. Realizing this, I set my phone down and attempted to wipe the giddy smile off my face, despite how warm I felt inside. No man had ever gone the lengths Cemone had for me, and honestly, he was the last nigga I expected to be impressing me in this way.

"You know, Cemone Compton doesn't have female friends." As she scooted her chair closer to me, I did my best not to roll my eyes because I knew what was coming. As someone who had been cheated on in every single relationship, I was no stranger to woman-to-woman talks or warnings from former flings. Whispering, Milaysia looked deeply into my eyes and said, "Cemone is not a good guy. I'm sure you witnessed my trauma and drama, but then again, you're pretty uninvolved on social media, so you may not have seen the extent of it."

"All I knew, according to you, was that you were messing around, and he acted like he wanted you but played you," I summed it up.

"Exactly. Now, I'm sure he's on the same thing with you, telling you what you want to hear, but it won't last. After he gets his fix, fucks you for a few months, he's gonna ghost you then embarrass you if you even attempt to converse with him once he no longer feels you serve him," she ranted, clearly painting the picture of their last well-known incident.

Milaysia had tried to go to one of Cemone's popular and very wild parties but was turned away at the door in front of a herd of people who unfortunately caught it on camera as well as her acting a plum fool as a result. After that happened, she distanced herself from the Cemone topic as suggested by Gina and Milaysia's team.

That would never happen to me, because I would never call myself popping up on a nigga that had expressed he didn't want me prior to that. While I understood wanting a man badly, I had too much pride. And after unwillingly hearing groupie tales about how good in bed Cemone was, I didn't blame Milaysia for being sick, but she should've been sick in private. Too many times, we allowed these niggas who didn't even think shit of us to embarrass us.

"I hear you, but I'm not really worried about that right now."

I wasn't worried about it, but a part of me did wonder who exactly was telling the truth about their situation. Had Cemone been saying all the shit he was saying to me, to her ass once upon a time? It was one of the biggest reasons I was so hesitant to deal with him, let alone sleep with him.

Chuckling and shaking her head, she gulped down some of her cocktail, then scooted even closer as if she needed to. The party was live, and people were too hammered to be paying attention to our conversation like that.

"He talks a good game, baby, but that is exactly what it is. I mean, you don't need me to tell you this. Name one woman that has said Cemone was a good guy to her." She held up a finger.

"Okay," I nodded, wiping the chicken grease from my fingers, "let's compare."

"Compare what?"

"Tell me some of the stuff he was saying to you, and I will see if it's similar to what he's said to me."

"Okay… umm, let's see. He, of course, said he wanted to be serious with me, he really liked me, I was different than most women he was used to, and," she looked up in the air like she was thinking, "that's all I can remember right now."

"Then what happened?"

"We had sex and being the one-night stand king he is, he wanted nothing to do with me after."

"Ohh, okay. Well, he told me he wanted to marry me, for me to have his baby, and that he would be celibate until I decide to fuck him," I said, watching her face fall, which told me everything and that he hadn't said that to her. Cemone could still very well be playing a game, but I didn't need Milaysia's help or fake ass friendship to find that out. She was hating right now; she didn't truly give a fuck if he played me. "As far as him getting some ass and dipping, I couldn't care less because I don't plan to fuck him anytime soon, and if he wants to wait that long for some pussy, he deserves it at that point."

"Ri-right. I get that, but why even waste your time?—"

"I'm a big girl, Milaysia." I backed my chair out and ascended. "Thanks though." I turned to walk off, trashing my plate and drink cup, before texting Ronnie that I was ready.

By the time I said my goodbyes and took a few more pictures, he was outside, so I hurried to the car with a security escort and left.

As soon as I got home, I decided to FaceTime Cemone. Usually, I would check with him first, but I didn't feel the need to. I felt suddenly territorial over him and shouldn't have had to ask to see him via video when he'd just proven he wasn't too busy.

"Oooh, let me see it all." He smiled with his handsome ass. My God.

Standing, I went to my full-length mirror and flipped the camera so he could get a visual.

"A little short, but I'm sure you don't mind."

"You so fucking sexy," he responded lowly and slowly, clearly taking in the tight, short, white dress.

"Thank you." I blushed, going back to my chaise to sit and prop my legs up.

"Nah, thank you ."

"You know you don't need to send me videos all day, right?"

"Gotta let you know I ain't doing nothing a nigga ain't 'posed to."

"I'm supposed to trust what you tell me; I shouldn't need evidence. Plus, you're famous and quite tall. It's not that easy for you to be up to no good and not get caught up."

"You right, but I'm working my way up to you just believing what I tell you, so for now, I'm sending yo' ass evidence. I don't want shit getting in the fucking way of me and you."

"Speaking of things getting in the way, Milaysia warned me about you at the party." I giggled when he let out an exasperated sigh as I ran down everything she told me.

"What you say?" He put the blunt to his lips and inhaled, eyes low like he was examining me.

"I told her I wasn't worried about that because you weren't even close to fucking me, probably a year away, and that things you've said to me aren't the same as what you told her."

"For starters, I ain't said none of that shit. I ain't need to because she let me hit the first night. And if she didn't offer the shit up to me the first night, she would've never heard from me again, so under no circumstances would I have ever said any of that shit she made up. Ain't my fault she thought she could put it on me and have me wanting to wife her stupid ass. Those were her fucking words by the way."

"I believe you." I examined him back, turned on by everything about him: his voice, his build, his lips, the way he kissed, and even his bluntness.

"And damn, a year?" When I shrugged, he added, "Yolani, please, baby. Can I at least eat ya pussy in the meantime? Shit."

I tried not to laugh, so it came out as a huff. "Remember, this is your life, Cemone. You don't have to wait for me. There is plenty of willing pussy out there."

"I wanna fuck you though."

"That's the goal."

"Only one of them. The main ones are to make you mine, make you fall in love with a nigga." He blew out smoke. "But remember, the longer you make me wait, the longer it's gon' take for me to let you out the bedroom."

I giggled, asking, "Why am I the only one falling in love? Shouldn't you be falling too?"

"Already have. Waiting on you to catch up, love."

His words shocked me, and because he didn't follow them up with a smile or funny expression to let me know he was kidding, the shock catapulted. Butterflies filled my belly as his words replayed in my mind constantly.

"You don't need to say stuff like that, Cemone."

"You asked me a question. I didn't voluntarily provide that information. And I've long ago realized my gift of gab don't work on yo' mean ass."

Laughing, I said, "Glad we got that squared away. I have to shower, though, since I have a long day tomorrow." I didn't want to get off the phone, but duty called and at five a.m.

"When we leaving out to Mississippi?" He caught me off guard again, because I honestly thought he wouldn't come and was just talking.

"Couple weeks."

"What are the hotels like and shit? Any you recommend or don't? Or yo' people got room for a six-six and a half nigga." He smirked cockily, making me roll my eyes so I wouldn't continue to be subjected to how cute he was.

I definitely wouldn't last a year of no sex with Cemone Compton.

"No room necessary. It's only one motel, and it is not the best. My grandparents have a huge house with three guest rooms. The beds will be too short for you, but you'll live." I smiled as he nodded. "So you're really coming?"

"I am. Text me when you buy a ticket, and I will too."

"Okay." I held back the smile I wanted to show off until we hung up.

Just as I was about to put my phone up, my dad started calling, so I picked up. We hadn't spoken much with me traveling and being mad at how he'd treated Cemone.

"How is the tour going, sweetheart? I know it's sold out, but I mean the experience. I'm too old to accompany you like I used to, but Avery is holding it down for me."

"Daddy, it's fine. Is there a reason you called? I'm about to get ready for bed."

"Then why did you answer?"

"Because I was already on the phone, and it was in my hand when you called me."

"On the phone with who?"

He never asked that type of shit, so it was obvious why he wanted to know now.

"Cemone. But do not start with the lecture, please, because I am grown, like I told you before. I already know how bad it looks from the outside and how he will affect my career, but I have it under control."

"Do you? Because the shit online hasn't slowed up; it's amped up. I mean, did you see that postgame interview? That's the type of person you want to associate with or, worse, be with?"

"No, but he told me about it, so I know all the bad parts. The guy shouldn't have said what he said." I took up for Cemone. "And that's exactly the type of man I want to be with, a man that doesn't let people play with him."

"Next time maybe you should stay at your boss's party a little longer and off your phone so you could actually hear the shit being whispered about you, Yolani. You look crazy chasing behind that nigga when you could be with anybody."

"Like I said, I have to go, and I'm grown. Good night." I hung up.

Now my mood had been ruined, wondering if people were in fact talking shit about me. It must've been true because it got back to my father.

Putting it to the back of my mind, I proceeded to get ready for bed and get as much sleep as I could with all this shit on my mind.

M y last few shows were on the west coast, so anytime I could, I made sure to come home. There was no show tonight and thankfully because I was feeling terrible. My limbs felt tight and achey, and my stomach was definitely starting to protrude a little bit. I prayed that it would be gone in forty-eight hours, in time for my next show.

As I lay in my bed, wishing my mom would hurry up with the soup and biscuits she was making, my phone chimed. It was the special chime I'd set for Cemone because he wasn't the only one who was starting to have it bad. However, I kept mine under wraps for the moment, not quite sure yet if it was smart to show him my hand. He'd been doing pretty good with being celibate, but it also hadn't been that long.

"Hello?" I picked up, suddenly feeling a little better knowing he was on the other side of the phone.

"We in LA at the same time." I could hear him smiling.

I shut my eyes, wishing I wasn't feeling like shit and not in the mood for company. Not to mention, I didn't want Cemone prying into what was wrong with me. I didn't feel comfortable telling him about my medical issues just yet.

"I know, but I can't see you."

"Why?"

I pondered for a moment. I couldn't use Yailey because he would just offer to come over anyway like he did when I was at my parents' home.

"I'm handling some stuff with my dad, and I don't know how long it will run."

"Handling what exactly?"

"Damn, Cemone. Do you need to know my every move?"

"I do. I wanna see you, and I'm not hearing why I can't. Whatever the fuck it is won't run that damn long."

I was irritated but flattered by his persistence at the same time.

"How did you even know I was back home?"

"I wrote down ya tour schedule." I got quiet, not knowing what to say. What I did know was I didn't want him to see me this way just yet. If we didn't work out, he would have a piece of me I didn't want another man to have unless he was mine for life. "I miss you, love. You want a nigga to beg? I'll do it."

"No, I don't." I stopped him, knowing it would work because I already felt myself surrendering. "I will call you when I finish what I'm doing," I lied, feeling like shit for doing so.

"Aight," he replied, clearly satisfied with my response.

I hung up just as my sister knocked, walking in with soup.

"I snuck one for you." She nodded down to the blueberry Pop-Tart. She knew I loved Pop-Tarts, and that flavor was my favorite, but when I had a flare, my doctor and mother advised against them.

"Oh my goodness! Thank you, Yailey." I kissed her face when she climbed into my bed.

"I told Mama I would bring your food, and she didn't even notice me take it." She beamed, proud of herself and making me giggle.

"You are so clever." I ate some of the soup as she sipped on her coconut Dr. Pepper.

"So when is Cemone coming back to hang out with us?" She surprised me.

"Um…" I swallowed the soup. "I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because he's funny, nice, and fine." She laughed when I bucked my eyes and let my jaw fall.

"Excuse me?" I laughed along with her.

"What? I'm not a baby, and I have eyes."

"You're right about that, and he is fine, huh?" I smirked and Yailey nodded animatedly. "And he can be pretty nice."

"Right. So is he your boyfriend? My friends at summer school asked when I told the class how we all hung out, but I wasn't sure what to tell them."

"No, he isn't. He's just my friend."

"What? Why not?"

"Because even though he is nice, funny, and fine," I shot her a look, making her simper, "he can also hurt people, so I want to be sure I am not one of those people he ends up hurting. Make sense?"

"It does." She nodded, gulping some more soda down. "But I don't think he will hurt you, Lani. He likes you a whole lot, I can tell. That's why I decided not to make him my boyfriend and let you have him."

I almost choked on my soup from her comment, making her pat my back a little bit as I coughed.

"Oh, well thank you, baby sis." I dabbed my mouth with the dinner napkin. "How do you know he likes me?"

"Easy." She frowned as if I were an idiot. "He stares at you all the time, even when you're just sitting there being boring. He smiles when you talk, and he seems to always find a reason to touch you or your hair. He doesn't tug on it like Kyle does though. And he walks with you like you're weak or gonna break or something."

I chuckled out of shock, yet again asking, "How do you know what any of that means? You're only nine, Yailey."

"I'm about to be ten and going to the fifth grade, Lani. I know a lot about love and romance." She took a sip, clearly polishing it off by the sound the empty can made as she set it on my nightstand nearest to her. "Also, that's how Daddy is with Mom, and Dad loves Mom."

"He does." I nodded, thinking about the facts my little ass sister had just dropped on me.

I finished my food, listening to Yailey talk to me about all the drama in summer school. She didn't need to go, always making good grades, but she liked it. Because she went every year since she'd been in second grade, she was ahead of a lot of people in her class.

By the time I was done eating, she was ready to take my plate out, seemingly sending my mama in to check on me. As I lay down, finally having a moment to myself, that special chime went off.

CC: I'm outside. Open the door.

Me: What? I didn't call you yet.

CC: You never were. Come open the fucking door, Yolani.

Rolling my eyes, I got out of the bed and quickly tried to make myself look presentable by throwing on one of my tour crew necks and clipped my hair up in a claw clip. I added some earrings to my ears, already having something on my hands and wrists that I never took off, then applied some Fenty lip oil to my lips. Putting on a little bit of Matiere Premiere's Vanilla Powder perfume, I slipped my feet into my UGG house shoes and made my way down.

"Lani, who is that?" My mom stepped out of the den into the foyer.

Saying nothing, I opened the door so she could see Cemone as he stepped in, Nike track pants on his bottom half and a Nike T-shirt up top. His usual jewelry and cologne complemented the look. Catching me by my surprise, he pulled me close by the small of my back and kissed me deeply.

"How you doing, Mrs. Ian?" He spoke to my mother.

"I'm great, Cemone. You?"

"Better now," he replied, and I sucked my teeth jokingly as my mom smiled.

"I bet. Would you like any soup?" she offered.

"I'm straight, but I appreciate it," he responded as I led him to the stairs.

"We're gonna be upstairs," I told her as she watched, giving her a look that said she'd better not mention this to my father because I knew he'd pop up over here.

"You smell good." Cemone picked me up as soon as we got into my bedroom, putting my legs around him as we kissed.

I was thankful that this was day three of my limb pain, when it was mild, because on day one I could barely walk.

"You too," I whispered against his mouth just before we started to suck one another's lips.

Our kissing continued as we lay in my bed, him in between my legs, and when I felt him harden against me, I pecked him, giving a signal that we were going too far. Thankfully, he caught on, giving me another peck back and rolling off of me.

"Why you ain't wanna see me?" he asked, arm thrown around me as he lay next to me.

"I don't feel good, that's all. It wasn't that I didn't want to see you. I'm just no fun when I'm sick," I half lied.

"Fun? What you think I'm trying to do, have a pillow fight?"

Chuckling, I said, "No, nigga, but you know what I mean. And your idea of fun would definitely require some energy."

"Nah, not really, baby. As bad as I want it, if you do too much, I may nut in under thirty muthafuckin' seconds."

We guffawed in unison.

"You better not. I'm gonna tell the whole world if you do."

Grinning, he shrugged. "I can't make no fucking promises, love. I usually last a nice amount of time, but I may only have a couple minutes for you that first round, and that's with stopping in between strokes."

"Oh, wow. Well I hope it'll get right back hard then." I giggled.

Running his hand up my shorts and touching my bare ass in the way that made my pussy drizzle a little, he bit on his lip, then questioned, "You gon' let me hit raw?"

"Cemone!" I shrieked, but he just lifted his brows, letting me know he wanted an answer. "I didn't plan on it. I've never done that before. I'm not like you."

"Only time I did that was in high school, and it was one girl. I took her virginity, so I was running up in it raw. That's how I built up my pullout game."

"Sure."

"I'm serious. I like to fuck, but I'm not going in raw with females that let me fuck 'cause of who I am. My brothers and I got bad luck when it come to condoms. It's like a curse or some shit."

"So condoms don't work for you all?"

"They do, but they don't. Three of us used condoms and they either broke or didn't work."

"And how did that work out?"

"One brother, she miscarried, so I guess pretty well for him." He grinned when I turned my lip up at his distasteful comment. "The other, they ended up together, so pretty well for him too. I'm the only one that suffered the fucking consequences."

"Yeah, and it happened to you twice."

"I get twice as much pussy as them. Not flexing, it's just true." Kissing then sucking my thigh, he said, "But damn, you never done that before, huh? I want you to sit on my face."

We chuckled though I knew he was serious. Our faces came together before we kissed again, and when his hand went under my crewneck, I tensed up, not wanting him to feel the change in my abdomen. He didn't seem to notice or care, though, as he deepened our kiss. Getting on top of me, his hand dipped down into my shorts, and before I knew it, it was in my panties too.

"Cemone," I moaned, initially about to protest, but he worked his fingers well, circling my clit perfectly, and I hadn't felt anything like this in years, so I refrained.

"Just enjoy it, love," he reminded me, making me relax. "You deserve it."

I did. I did deserve it.

He sucked my bottom lip, then drifted to my neck, sucking on it as he put a finger inside of me. I hadn't been penetrated in forever, making me close my eyes at the feeling. When he pushed my right leg back some for more access while plunging in and out of me and thumbing my clit, whimpers escaped my lips. He was so gentle and perfect at this, something I didn't expect from a nigga who only had one-night stands in his adulthood.

He resumed kissing me, working his hand better than he worked the basketball on the court, while adding a second finger and making me snivel. He felt good, his fingers and strong body against me, then smelled so good, heightening this experience. I wanted to feel him, but for starters, I wasn't ready for that. Secondly, I could feel him through our bottom clothing, and that thing was impressive yet intimidating.

Moments later, I was gripping the back of his shirt, jerking against him slightly as I released.

As I came down from my high, Cemone peppered kisses all over my collarbone, slowly retrieving his fingers from me and then my now ruined panties and shorts. Like it was nothing, he sucked my nectar off his fingers, and the sight made me kiss him again. We lay there making love with our mouths for a little bit, before we got up, him washing his hands and me peeing, then getting into the shower.

By the time I came out, he was in my bed, watching the show I'd already had on all day but looking uninterested.

"You could've changed it." I smiled, sliding in the bed.

"I'm straight." He watched me as I got in the bed. "You need me to get some shit from the store or order some shit for you? I can pick the shit up, too, no matter where it's from."

"No, it's nothing like that. I just don't feel good. I must've ate something bad while out of town." He stared me down, so I asked, "Are you staying the night?"

"I gotta go grab some shit if you want me to."

"I do." He kissed me, then sat up to get out of the bed. "Before you go, though, you need to see your little girlfriend, Yailey."

Laughing brightly, he said, "Let me do that."

I trailed him out, then led him to her where she excitedly greeted him. My mom and I made eye contact during their exchange, speaking without words. I already knew she was telling me I was playing a dangerous game, but I didn't know if she meant with Cemone or with my father.

After, Cemone left to get some things, and by the time he returned, Yailey and my mother were gone, so we returned to my room, getting comfortable in the bed.

Hugging me from behind, he spoke lowly. "You know I'll do anything for you, love. Anything to make you happy, anything to make you mine on some forever shit." He pressed his lips to my shoulder, hugging me tighter against his broad chest. "Long as you got me, you ain't gotta worry about shit. Whatever you need, whenever, no matter what it is, I got you."

Turning slightly in his arms, I responded by thrusting my lips to his supple ones. As our kissing intensified, I flipped to face him fully. We stayed exactly like that until we drifted off.

C emone left this morning, so I got myself ready since I had a few meetings later as well as tomorrow before I left town again for another show.

As I grabbed my phone to put into my purse, I saw my social media had been blowing up. Nelly texted me, and I figured it had something to do with that since she controlled my pages for the most part since I didn't have the time to monitor it. I didn't care to either.

Opening her text, I saw she'd sent a screenshot from Cemone's baby mama Solene's page. Enlarging it, I saw she'd tagged my name in a caption of a photo she'd posted weeks ago saying since I was spending so much time with her baby daddy, I needed to tell him to respond about his son.

The photo was of a text exchange between her and Cemone, showing he didn't answer her even when she texted about their son.

Me: Why am I just now getting notifications?

Nelly: She just updated the caption and tagged you today.

Venturing to the picture, I saw my name was now removed from the caption.

Me: it's not there anymore.

Nelly: Yolani hive ate that bitch up and she deleted it. Lol.

I chuckled at the text, responding and then locking my phone. I'd been so in the clouds with Cemone that I'd forgotten all about his troublesome baby mama. It wasn't only Cemone directly that could affect my career, it was who he came with as well.

As I hopped into my car, I saw Avery calling, but since I knew exactly what it was about, I hit ignore and continued on my way.