10. Monroe

"The world is yours, Chocolate. Take what you need," London commanded as he pulled me down onto his penis. An immediate rush of pleasure coated my body. I bounced up and down, letting the euphoric feeling take over me… Freeing myself from all my inhabitations. Every label and box I'd had to live in, I was letting it all go on top of London's big, beautiful dick. I hadn't seen a lot of penises in my lifetime, but I'd seen enough to know his was immaculate. It was long, thick, and veiny, and it stretched and filled me to the brink of falling in love. My hips rolled, allowing my body to adjust to his size.

"Shhhit!" London moaned. He grabbed my ass and pushed into me with force.

"Oh my God!" A gasp escaped my lips as the waves crashed into the raft. My vision blurred. London thrusted into me harder and harder, digging into me with precision. "Ooh!" I cried out in pleasure.

"Let the world know how good this dick feels," London commanded.

I was at a loss for words as London dug his fingers into my ass cheeks and slammed me down on his dick. I threw my head back in enjoyment. I had never experienced anything like this before. London's dick was so deep inside me that it felt like he was hitting my heart.

"Oh fuck!" My moans were turning into pleasure filled cries.

"That's right, Monroe. Tell me!" He dove into me from the bottom. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and another moan escaped my mouth.

"Oh!"

"Tell me again, Roe!" London moaned. It was his first time shortening my name, and I liked it. My mouth opened to tell him how much, but no words came out. Instead, my pussy juices gushed down his long shaft. His hand gripped my neck.

"This pussy is a fucking masterpiece." He groaned.

My constant whimpers and screams blended with the sounds of the ocean.

"Anything you want in this world, I'm gon' put it in your hands. You understand?"

His words took me over the edge. I could hear my juices raining down on him as I rolled my hips to match his strokes.

"Ooh… Dr. London! Dr. London!" I was happily unraveling.

"Anything you want in this world… I got you!" London shouted. His grip tightened on my neck, making my pussy throb around him. I was cumming, and it was beautiful.

"Fuck," I moaned in a breathy drag. London's dick was everything I thought it would be, everything I needed it to be in this moment.

"That's right, take what you need. Wet yo' dick!" he commanded. My body trembled uncomfortably as London's grunts and thrusts increased. I was sure we were going to end up in the ocean at any minute from how hard the raft was rocking.

"My God!" I erupted on his dick.

"Not God, Roe, daddy!" He pulled me into him and connected my lips to his before trying to push me from his lap. He was about to release. I could feel him expanding inside of me. I loved it. I forced my body down and kept rocking my hips. This time his head fell back.

"I'm on birth control," I moaned.

"Shit, Roe!" A breathy growl escaped his mouth as he sprayed his seeds all over my walls. There was no way this man didn't have a slew of women lined up ready to fight me with the type of dick he was slanging.

"Damn, that was good." I attempted to roll off him, but his hands gripped my ass cheeks and held me close.

"You remember what I told you, right?" He kissed my forehead.

"Yes." I sank into his body. I figured he was referring to the promise he'd just made while he was snatching my soul from my body.

"Tell me what you want, beautiful," he whispered. London was so sweet and gentle with me. It was such a contrast from the men I'd been around my entire life. If things continued this way, I didn't think I could fight falling in love with him. I didn't know if that was what he wanted. I was fresh out of an engagement and practically on the run from my father. Still, I leaned into him, looking up into his eyes.

"To feel protected and have a safe space to fall in love." It was simple, yet I'd never been allowed either of those things. It was my deepest desire.

"I got you, Chocolate. Now come ride this dick again before we gotta get out of here."

My eyes flutteredopen as the sun filtered through the curtains, alerting me that it was morning. It took a minute for me to register where I was. The last thing I remembered was riding London into the night sky and feeling like I was floating on a cloud before passing out on his chest.

There was no recollection of arriving back to the villa or getting into bed. His good dick had indeed drained me and knocked me out cold. Rolling over, I stretched my arms and searched the room for London, hoping he'd decided to spend the night with me. The untouched side of the bed showed he hadn't. I sighed and nuzzled my head into the pillow. Last night was beautiful. I'd never had a man put that much thought into taking me out and the dick was superb. It was a great start to my new life.

Groggily, I crawled out of bed and sauntered into the bathroom to relieve my bladder. I was eager to find Dr. London. I craved being in his space again. After emptying my bladder, I turned on the shower. No matter how eager I was to find him, I wasn't going to go without taking care of my hygiene. I undressed and stepped into the walk-in shower. My body relaxed under the warm water. As I scrubbed my body clean, I thought about where my journey would lead me next.

I had no money, no place to stay, and no contact with the only two people in this world that I cared for. I couldn't stay in this vacation home with London forever. I couldn't hide from my father and Kashus forever. I eventually was going to have to figure my shit out. Still, with all the uncertainties of my life, I was happy. I welcomed the uncertainties. They were a breath of fresh air from having everything planned for me all the time.

Turning off the water, I exited the shower. I didn't know what today had in store, so I decided to slip on a mute colored T-shirt dress and nude sandals. I gathered my natural curls into a messy bun atop my head and headed on the search for the man who was becoming my bodyguard. As I headed down the hallway to the guest room London had been sleeping in, the faint sound of birds chirping outside matched the rhythm of my heart. I was excited, probably a little too excited. Reaching his door, I lightly knocked.

"Good morning!" I shouted through the door. When no response came, I pushed the door open softly and peeked inside. It was empty, and the bed was made. Disappointment coursed through my body, and I turned on my heels to venture downstairs.

As I descended the staircase, the soft sound of music could be heard. A smile displayed on my face. I hoped the music led me to London. I stepped off the stairs and allowed the sounds of Bossman Dlow to guide me. It was coming from the back of the house behind the kitchen. Pushing the door open, I saw him, standing in what appeared to be a greenhouse. He was surrounded by a ton of plants. The leaves of the greenery seemed to glisten in the sunlight contrasting with London's dark skin.

I watched him for a moment, bopping around, singing Dlow's lyrics as he tended to one of the plants. Seeing him there, in his element, made me more drawn to him. The more I learned about him the more complex I realized he was.

"You garden?" I finally made my presence known as I stepped into the greenhouse. London turned to me and his eyes lit up.

"Good morning, Chocolate." He greeted as he turned the music off. I couldn't pull my eyes away from his shirtless body. His chiseled, tattooed chest had me in a trance. The man was fine and the plants around him only added to his aesthetic.

"Morning." I walked closer to him, taking in the beauty of the scenery around me. The glass room was filled with plants There had to be about fifty of them.

"You garden." I repeated it, and this time it came out as a statement and not a question. London picked up a plant, clipping the dead leaves from its pot.

"I'm a plant daddy. It's a difference." He smirked.

"Oh, is it?" Hearing him refer to himself as a plant daddy had me getting wet at the seat of my panties.

"It is." He embraced me in a hug, fulfilling that urge I'd been on a search for. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. I don't even remember how we got back."

"After you passed out on my dick, I had the boatman pick us up. I drove us back to the villa, undressed you, and put you in the bed."

I giggled with embarrassment. I admitted, "I've never passed out like that before."

"You never fucked me before, Chocolate." He smirked as he let me go and returned his attention to his plants.

"I guess not," I mumbled, glancing around.

"Tell me, Monroe, do you garden?"

"No, I kill every plant I touch."

"Shh! Don't say that out loud." London took his hands up to one of his plants as if he were covering its ears. His gesture made me laugh as I looked around like the plants were about to beat my ass.

"Don't worry. Daddy ain't gon' let her touch you," he whispered to the tall leafy plant.

"You're crazy." I pressed a hand to my mouth to stifle my giggles. "It's beautiful in here though, a little hot, but so peaceful." I walked around, reading the labels on the pots as if I knew what they were.

"Thank you, Chocolate. It's my safe space. Helps with lowering my anxiety." He came up behind me. I could feel his body close to mine, but he stood at a respectful distance.

"Speak to it," he commanded. I turned my head to glance at London before turning my head back to the beautiful green leaves of the plant. I'd heard of talking to flowers, but I'd never done it. I wasn't a flowers and plants type of girl mainly because my daddy didn't believe in buying them. As much money as he had, he saw them as a waste. Flowers die was his motto, and it became mine, too. I stared at the plant then back at London.

"What do I say?"

"Say hello." He moved closer to my body. I took a deep breath. I didn't know why I was so nervous about speaking to this plant, but I was.

"Hello," I whispered. London reached around my body and picked up the plant.

"This one here is an African Iris. It's always been my favorite. African Iris, meet Monroe Iris." He introduced me to the plant as he moved it to another spot on the shelf.

"Did you know plants grow faster to the sound of a female voice? Just having you here gon' have my plants bussing! I need to give this baby some room to grow." He set the plant down. I swallowed hard at his words. He spoke as if I wasn't a visitor—as if I wasn't just passing by. I stood there for a minute watching as he added water to the African Iris.

"How'd you get into this?" I questioned. "Being a plant daddy and all? Who takes care of them when you"re not here?" I was intrigued. There weren't a lot of retired cartel bosses that were also a doctor and enjoyed gardening.

"Aunt Vanessa stops by, sometimes Alyza. I don't know. I think it started when I was a kid, helping work on my family"s coca farm. Somewhere down the line, I traded the coca plants for a simpler assortment."

I shook my head. "A love for gardening that was fostered by growing cocaine plants, wow."

"I'm a cartel baby." He shrugged his shoulders. "What about you? What do you do for peace?"

It was a simple question, but I had to think about it. Before yesterday, I hadn't had much peace. Each day with Kashus was spent dealing with drama and disappointment. He always had us wrapped in cheating scandals, or he was always complaining about something I did.

"I don't know really." I shrugged.

"You have to have something that brings you peace."

"I read, I guess. I have… had a library." It was the first time I'd missed something from back home. I dropped my head and tried to shield London from seeing my sadness. I didn't want him to think I was ungrateful for all he'd done for me. As if he could read my mind, he grabbed my face and gazed intensely into my eyes.

"We can get you a library here for the time being. I'll have some books brought over today."

The ease of his willingness to make me happy was refreshing and scary at the same time. Dr. Royale London was too good to be true. He had to be. Looking away from him, I reminded myself of how temporary this arrangement was.

"Um, I'd been meaning to ask… How long will you allow me to stay here?"

"As long as you want," he replied nonchalantly as he continued moving around his garden. "But at least until I can make sure you"re safe. I'm going back to Miami tonight. I have some surgeries scheduled, and I plan to meet with your father, but you can consider this your home."

I shook my head. Hearing that he would be meeting with my father allowed the reality of what I'd done to set in. There was no negotiating with my father. Once he found out what I'd done, I wouldn't be safe here, and neither would London. My father would come looking for me and force me right back into my marriage with Kashus. My head was spinning. When Kashus found out I'd let another man have me sexually, he'd probably kill me. My thoughts raced as everything hit me at once.

"London, I… I… Meeting with my father is a bad idea. He doesn't negotiate well… and then there's Kashus. He's going to come in guns blazing. It may be best that you distance yourself from me. I can be gone in a few days." I started pacing the floor.

"Too late. I'm already involved, and you not going anywhere until I assure your safety."

"You don't understand. Me leaving Kashus and being here with you… If they found out you helped me leave, they're going to try and kill you. You can't walk into that meeting." London grabbed me, bringing me into his body.

"You think I would have taken you if I didn't know the risks? I'm a doctor, but I'm not some weak ass nigga. An active member of the cartel or not, killing me would incite a war your father is not strong enough for. Besides, it's gon' take a lot for a motherfucker to kill me. Do you understand?" His voice was bolstering and soothing at the same time. "I asked you if you wanted out. I'm going to get you out… for good!"

"How?" I asked softly, pulling up from his chest. "How are you going to do that?"

"Don't worry about how. I got you. Now come here. I want to show you something."

He kissed my forehead then my lips before leading me over to the back corner of the room. Confusion covered my face as I watched him push a table over to the side. When he was done, he patted the floorboards. Suddenly, the floor moved to reveal a hole. My eyes bulged.

"My father gifted me this house because it was meant to be my safe house. My way to evacuate if shit went left. This house is equipped with several safe rooms, but this one is the only one that has a tunnel." He stared at the hole in the floor. "If you're ever in trouble, this is where you hide. Follow the tunnel to the end. It leads to the main road. Do you understand?"

I nodded. My heart beat at what he had chosen to share with me. London tapped the floorboards, and they closed again. He scooted the shelf back into place.

"Why are you doing this?" I questioned. I was a stranger, yet he was sharing his world with me. His safety. His peace. It was insane, yet I appreciated it all.

"To be honest, my intention when I first walked into my office and saw you was to make you mine, but I've discovered that you need more than another man in your life forcing something on you. You're like me, wanting to create something different for your family. If I can give that to you, then that's good enough for me."

My heart swelled and I connected my lips to his.

"You can still make me yours." I rubbed my hands down his chest. I was sure I sounded crazy, but I didn't care. In two days, this man had shown me enough to know I didn't want to be without him. He pushed me away.

"No, I can't. You have so much healing to do, Monroe. So much to discover about yourself."

"Heal me then… discover it with me," I whispered, moving closer to him.