Chapter 4

4

E lias

It wasn't my plan to be a cliché baby daddy. I didn't plan to be the type to have an on-again, off-again relationship with my baby mama. Over the past half decade, that had been the case. Though Amanda and I hadn't been in a committed relationship since our son was five, we still fucked around when we both were single.

Since I was bored and not wanting to meet anyone new, I found myself headed to her studio to bust a quick nut. I'd been on a three-way FaceTime with my brother, Neko, and my best friend West. They clowned me as usual about not committing to Amanda. I knew on the outside looking in, it may have looked like Amanda and I were avoiding the inevitable—an assumed happily ever after. We weren't good as a couple, but we were great coparents and bed partners. I'd never commit to Amanda again, but I'd choose her pussy over someone new every time.

We talked for about five more minutes before I pulled into the parking lot of Amanda's studio. I didn't tell her I was pulling up, so I was grateful no one else's car was outside. Amanda owned a dance studio, and she had a dance team that competed quarterly. She used to be a stripper, but after niching to seven and eight figure clients only, Amanda made millions over the course of her career and retired by the time our son turned six.

It didn't matter how well I provided for him and how much I offered to take care of her, Amanda wanted to make and spend her own money, and I respected that. We met twelve years ago while she was working at a newly established gentlemen's club. That night, she left me hypnotized. I could admit I was thinking with my smaller head when I took her home and didn't let her leave for about three months.

Amanda was beautiful, had the body of a goddess, and her pussy was like an ever flowing ocean. We were obsessed with each other the first six months of us knowing each other. Honeymoon phase I suppose. Whatever it was, it wore off as soon as we stopped spending as much time together. The power of her pussy started to affect me less, and I realized there wasn't much more that she had to offer. During that time, all Amanda cared about was money, sex, drugs, and having a good time. That was cool for weekend fun, but I needed more stability and structure for my life.

Eventually, Amanda and I agreed to split, but we didn't stop having sex. When she got pregnant, we tried to be in a relationship again. And again. And again. We were now in a good place where we accepted what it was and would never be between us, and we were happy with it, regardless of what anyone else said.

I got out of my car and headed to the double doors of her studio. They were locked, which I was grateful for. When she first opened the studio, she used to leave the doors open at all times. Even though this was a fairly safe neighborhood, I didn't like the idea of just anyone being able to walk in on her because of how loud she often had the music. I'd installed cameras and hired a security company for when she had classes or competitions here to make sure she was always okay.

I rang the doorbell and shoved my hands into my pockets, hoping she would be able to hear it over the bass that was blasting. It took me ringing it again, but she eventually made her way to the door. Her smile was wide as she unlocked it. The sight of her in nothing but a thong and a sports bra as sweat gave her a glowing sheen made my dick throb.

"Hey, E."

"Wassup? You alone, right?"

Amanda's head bobbed as she opened the door wider and allowed me entrance. "Yes. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was bored."

She chuckled and led me back to where she was dancing. The smaller dance room had red mood lighting bouncing off the walls, floor, and ceiling as a Chris Brown song permeated the space.

"You want to watch me work on this floor routine for my online class?"

"Hell yeah."

Though she laughed, I was serious. I'd been fascinated with the female frame since I was exposed to how different it was from mine. Beauty, art, of all kinds piqued my interest—but a woman's body had always been at the top of the list. Not just sexually, but generally. I could use being a visual creature as an excuse, but I felt like that downplayed the beauty of God's best creation.

I grabbed a black chair off the wall and put it a few feet away from where Amanda pointed. She swirled around the pole a while before lowering to the floor. I wouldn't have tried to name or describe the moves she did if my life depended on it, but every split, bounce, twerk, and spread of her legs aroused me more and more.

When she made her way over to me and straddled me, I pulled the wad of cash out and showered her with it as she gave me a lap dance. A lap dance that led to her head being in my lap. Minutes turned into an hour, and by that point, I'd fucked her on almost every wall of this room. Once I was empty and satisfied, I asked her if she wanted to get cleaned up and grab something to eat, and she said yes.

Afterward, I'd probably go home and crash since our son was with his grandparents for the weekend.

As we headed out of her studio to our cars Amanda said, "I'm going to miss this when you get married."

Her confession caught me so off guard it took me a second to process it and respond. It wasn't until we were at her car so I could open the door for her that I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. I'm going to miss this when you get married."

"You're going to miss me randomly pulling up on you for sex?" I asked with a chuckle as I leaned against the door.

"Yeah. We're friends and we enjoy each other. You're the best dick I've ever had. Every time I get it these days, I immediately get this feeling that it's going to be over soon."

Sucking my teeth, I pushed off her car and opened the door. "I don't know why you're thinking that. I'm not dating so I won't be getting married any time soon… if at all. You still got some time to have me all to yourself."

Though she grinned, Amanda's head shook as she got into her G-Wagon. "Whatever, E. I'm serious. My intuition is telling me things are going to change between us soon."

Her expression saddened, and as much as I wanted to ignore it, I'd never been the type of man to downplay a person's feelings.

Leaning down into the car, I gave her a kiss on the forehead. We'd stopped kissing on the lips after we broke up, and I didn't see that changing any time soon.

"Nothing or no one is going to change our vibe, Amanda, aight?" Her mouth twisted to the side as she nodded. "Go home and get cleaned up. I'll pick you up in like an hour so we can go eat."

"Okay." She agreed softly, and her solemn mood had me wanting to say fuck spending any more time together.

I wasn't sure why she was feeling the way she was because there wasn't a woman I'd crossed paths with lately that I was even interested in. I'd be lying if I said Amanda's gut steered her wrong. If she said she felt things were going to change between us soon, unfortunately, that was a warning I was wise enough to heed.