Chapter 9

“Girl, you are not these folk’s maid. You don’t have to do the dishes. You are here to take care of my cousin,” Divine announced as she strutted through the door. I turned to see her dropping her purse on the couch as she proceeded to the kitchen.

“It’s really fine. I just ate breakfast, so I figured the least I could do is wash the dishes,” I told her.

“Dang, no invite?” she quizzed.

Both of our eyes landed on Psalm who hadn’t said a word.

“What’s wrong with you, big head?” she asked, slapping him on the head.

“Don’t come in here with all that loud talking. My brother is resting.”

“You don’t think I know that? You think I came here to see your egg headed self?” She rolled her eyes.

“Girl, hush. You know you love me,” he said, extending his arms for a hug.

“I guess. Even though y’all didn’t invite me to breakfast. Let me look in on Bishop before I go open the store.”

“Don’t touch nothing in there either,” he warned.

“Boy, bye. Anya, you look really pretty today. Salmon or whatever that is, is your color.”

Even with my back turned, I felt Psalm’s eyes on me.

“Thank you,” I tossed over my shoulder.

Breakfast was so freaking good that I was floating on cloud nine as I checked out Bishop’s fluids and gave him his morning medicines. Who in the world knows how to make vanilla flavored whipped cream? Psalm, that’s who took the time out to make whipped cream for strawberry waffles. When I asked why it tasted so good, he revealed that he had actually made it from scratch. It was one of the high inventions he’d come up with one night just experimenting.

I had no idea who the man I sat across the table eating breakfast from was. The man who barely acknowledged me was out the door and in came this charismatic, funny gentleman. I didn’t know if it were possible for him to stay, but I’d be damned if my fingers weren’t crossed. This was a welcomed change.

Did I mention that the man bought two new tires for my car? After he stepped in and got me tired without being asked, then made me whipped cream from scratch, the least I could do was swallow his whole dick.

Psalm came through majorly when it came to my tires. I had no idea how I got nails in two of my tires at once. I’d had a couple of nails in my tires over the years, but never two at once. I seemed to have what my dad called buzzard luck when it came to my car lately.

Bishop’s IV site didn’t look the best, so I went about the business of changing it. I wanted him to be all set for a while once I changed his dressings. The wounds to his chest and back were healing beautifully. I had never met these people before Bishop came to the hospital, but I found myself praying for his full recovery every morning whether I worked or not.

As I finished taping down his IV his hand twitched, making me jump in the process. He wasn’t paralyzed, so movement wasn’t uncommon. It just surprised me. I shook my head as I went back to the task at hand changing the bandage on his chest.

I used the log rolling method to roll him onto his side so that I could change the dressing on his back. While he was on his side, I decided to put the wedge behind him to take some pressure off his back. An hour later, I was all done and sitting down to find something to watch on TV.

As if he had a timer on me for whenever I wanted to relax, Graham called me. I sighed, knowing I could only ignore his calls for so long. Since I had a few minutes to spare, I took the call.

“Hello?”

“Good morning. I just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for checking.”

“You at work?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Can you tell me why you won’t let me know where you work?”

“It’s confidential.”

“Like hell it is. You want to be so independent that you feel like you don’t have to tell me anything.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not your business, but that’s not why I’m not telling you.”

“Just tell me then.”

“Why is it so important?”

“Because you’re my wife! I need to know where you work in case something happens. I don’t even know where the hell you live. What kind of sense does that make?”

“If you would just sign those papers and set me free, I would no longer be your problem. You should be happy to go on the road and do whatever you were doing for weeks at a time. You should be happy to sleep with whoever you want to in peace. I’m done fighting with you for the bare minimum. Every time I try to pull away, you’re on your best behavior for a few weeks before you’re back to your old tricks. I’m tired, Graham. Just let me go.”

“I knew I was right. It’s crazy that you can keep hollering about me cheating but refuse to admit that you’ve met somebody else. You bringing up all those work trips I had to go on to pay the bills and how lonely you were. You keep accusing me of cheating because I wanted to rest on my days off instead of trying to entertain you. I guess once you got lonely enough, you went out and found a solution.”

“Wow! Are you done?”

“Are you done playing this game and ready to come home and talk to me like an adult?”

“Since you don’t know how to be done, I’ll be done for you. Have a nice life, Graham. You might not ever sign those papers, but understand that my life will go on.”

I ended the call and tossed my phone on the couch.

“You good?” I looked up to see Psalm leaning against the door frame.

“Um, yeah. I’m sorry if I was yelling.”

“You weren’t. I could hear the tension in your voice, not that I was eavesdropping. Want to talk about it?”

“No. I know not to bring my personal stuff to work.”

“How about we do something to take your mind off of it?”

“Something like what?”

Was it weird that I kind of wished he meant sex? I didn’t think it could get any more personal than sex, but I knew for a fact that it would get my mind off my jerk husband.

“Come here. Let me show you something.” He motioned with his head.

OK, he definitely meant sex. It was different when we just had sex out of the blue, but I wasn’t going to neglect my responsibility to roll around with Psalm. It didn’t matter how mind-blowing it had been.

“I actually need to keep an eye on Bishop.”

“You know you don’t have to sit in here and stare at him the whole time. Even if you feel that you need to, I installed a camera.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head at his revelation. “So, you’ve been watching us? What the hell?” So much for being professional.

“The camera’s on Bishop. Someone tried to kill him. First at his engagement party, then while he was in the hospital. Excuse me for wanting to make sure my brother’s safe, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure nothing happens to him.”

“Understandable.”

“Plus, I feel guilty every time I leave him here. The cameras help with that.”

“I guess I could also tell you that you don’t have to sit there and stare at him the whole time,” I stated.

“You could.” He chuckled. “Now get up and let me help you forget your problems with some mindless activity.”

My heart pounded in my throat as I stood and followed Psalm out of the room. Why was he so sexy all of a sudden? I mean, I knew his ass was fine. Tall, dark, and hung were my favorite adjectives. There were levels to Psalm’s sexiness.

He was this pot headed gamer, but he was also a huge computer geek. At the same time, he had this ruggedness to him that made me bite my lip every time he entered a room. The more I got to know him the more I was attracted to him. To my surprise, when we made it back to the living room, he plopped down on the couch. I noticed him picking up the controller as I took a seat beside him.

“You want me to watch you play a game?”

“I’ve been developing a new game. I think it would be cool for someone who’s not a gamer to try it out and give me some pointers.”

“Wait a minute! You made a video game, and we’re able to play it?”

“Us and anyone that buys it when it’s available in stores. I’m a game developer, among other things.”

“Wow! I’ve heard that there are people who make games. Here I was thinking you were sitting in here playing video games, and you were actually being productive.”

“Depends on who you ask. No matter how much money I make doing it, my aunt insisted that I was wasting time until the day she died.” He grinned.

For hours, we played Psalm’s game. It was about these creatures who went on quests together. You had to fight your way through monsters, then solve a round of clues to find a hidden key to get to the next level. The game kept me distracted long enough until I was no longer fuming over my disagreement with Graham.

For all of my shifts once I was done getting Bishop situated, Psalm and I played his games. I thought I loved the one where I could play a fairy and go on quests, but the game where we fought zombies was my new favorite. Psalm was a freaking genius. I loved how passionate he was about perfecting each aspect of a game.

One day I mentioned how the characters turned too slow when the sensor indicated that something was behind us. While I played the game, he went to town on his computer. An hour later, the characters’ response time was on point. I had no idea how he’d done it, but I had been officially converted into a gamer. I couldn’t wait to see the finished product.

“Do you need anything while I’m here, Mrs. Flint?” Joe, one of Bishop’s security guards, asked. The smirk on his face told me that was a loaded question.

“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

“I’ll be working the perimeter today, so let me know if you need anything at all.”

“I will.”

I said a quick prayer over Bishop before checking his fluids and administering his meds. He looked so peaceful just resting. On the other hand, his family was in turmoil due to his situation. It was hard to see them come see him and leave looking so hopeless. Every day I prayed for their peace and strength as well as my own. I also prayed that I was able to perform my job to the best of my ability and provide him with the comfort anyone deserved during their illness.

I had no idea who had shot him or even why. I didn’t know what kind of person he was prior to ending up in this situation. A google search only told me how good of a lawyer he was. I figured someone didn’t like the outcome of their case. None of that mattered to me. My job was to take care of him, and that was what I planned to do.

“Let me holler at you real quick when you finish,” Psalm said, jolting me out of my deep thoughts. I hadn’t even noticed him standing in the doorway.

“OK.” I nodded.

Once I made sure Bishop was comfortable, I walked out of his bedroom to find Psalm leaning on the wall in the hallway.

“Come here.”

Narrowing my eyes, I walked over until I was standing in front of him. Psalm towered over me, looking down with that look of disdain that I had grown accustomed to. I thought we past that, but apparently not. He took a step forward, and I took a step back. My back bumped against the wall as I looked up at him, waiting for whatever his quarrel was with me this time.

“What I told you about these scrubs, Ny?”

“Hm?” I frowned. Wait a minute. Now I was really confused.

“I thought I told you not to wear these little sexy ass scrubs. They don’t make grandma scrubs no more?”

“What are you talking about, Psalm? This is the same brand I’ve been wearing for years.”

“So, I guess you want me to fuck one of these security guards up, huh? I know you see how they watch you. Nigga was just in here about to trip over his own feet trying to help you.”

“He’s just a nice guy.”

“Well, I’m not,” he countered.

“Thanks for the reminder. Is that all you wanted?” I giggled. This was actually cute. Psalm was jealous.

“I feel like you’re trying to antagonize me. You don’t want to get no work done.”

“How do you figure that?”

“I told you to stay out of my head, but instead, you made it your home.”

“All I did was come to work.”

“Yeah, and now you got me trailing behind you like a lost puppy. I’m ready to knock niggas out for being nice to you. I told you to stay away from me.”

“I tried, but you wouldn’t let me.”

“I couldn’t.” He shook his head as he stepped back to occupy his wall again.

“I think I’m glad that you didn’t.”

“Spend the night with me.”

“Here?” I quizzed.

“Yes, here. I’ll let the night nurse have the night off.”

“OK.” I shrugged, throwing caution to the wind.

“Good. Finish up so I can show you the new developments on the zombie game.”

It was one in the morning, but I was wide awake. Psalm and I went for a long walk around Bishop’s ranch before settling back on his porch. We went from talking about how I became a nurse to me riding his dick with his face buried in my back. I leaned forward, placing my hands on the table in front of me to balance myself as I rotated my hips up and down his length. His huge hands cupped my breasts as I bounced on his dick.

“Fuck, Anya.” He grunted as he peppered kisses on my back.

Throwing my head back, I cried out to the heavens giving reverence for such a creation. Psalm was perfection. His dick was the embodiment of a masterpiece. The wetness that soaked both of us from the combination of our sweat and our essence was evidence of the passion we shared.

Without warning, Psalm stood, pushing one of my knees on the table. If at all possible, he plunged deeper into me. He grabbed a fistful of my hair, snatching my head back until I was looking up at the stars. I drifted among those very stars as he sent me into a state of sheer ecstasy. I loved it there. I loved being anywhere that I could share the same space with this man. Psalm snatched out of me groaning as he emptied his seeds on my ass. My legs felt weak as I took a step back to get off the table.

“Where you going?” Psalm asked.

I felt the sting of his hand on my ass before he used his hands to spread my cheeks. His hot tongue made circles moving up and down my ass before stopping on my most sensitive spot. My face pressed against the table as Psalm’s tongue swirled around my asshole. I clenched my fists against the table when he pushed his thumb in. As if that weren’t enough pleasure, he lowered his head to strum my clit with his tongue. I felt so good I was delirious.

“Put it in my ass, baby,” I moaned.

“Is that how you want it?” he asked, removing his mouth from me.

“Fuck yes.”

Then his tongue was in my ass again. He spit on my asshole before pressing his dick against it. Slowly, he breached my opening, causing me to scream. The pressure was almost too much, but the gentle care he took made the pain worth it.

He huffed through his nostrils as he slow stroked me from behind. My hands clasped the edges of the table as Psalm rocked into me just a little faster as my wetness increased. I underestimated his size, but thankfully, he knew what he was working with and took it easy on me. Graham made me fall in love with anal, but Psalm was gradually turning it into an addiction.

“Make me cum, baby,” I begged as his fingers dug into my ass.

“You dr-driving me crazy, Anya.” He grunted.

Reaching around me, he used his fingers to massage my clit. I bucked my hips against him as I came unraveled. Wetness seeped down my thighs as he picked up the tempo.

“Yes, baby. Just like that,” I urged him.

“Can I cum in it?”

“Yes,” I hissed.

My legs gave out as an orgasm ripped through me. Psalm held me up, sinking his fingers further into my ass as he filled me with his seeds.

“Gah damn. What you doing to me, girl?” he asked as he helped me off the table.

“Falling for you.”

Psalm kissed the back of my head “Hmph. Come on. Let’s get cleaned up so you can get some rest.”

I showered in the bedroom Psalm designated for himself while he used Bishop’s bathroom. I was exhausted, so I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep. I threw on a pair of tights and a T-shirt before walking out of the bathroom. Psalm sat on the edge of the bed dressed in a black tank and basketball shorts.

“Babe, I need to run somewhere. I promise I’ll be right back, OK.”

“Where are you going? Do you know what time it is?”

“I need to meet my weed guy. I’m almost out, and he’s leaving town for a few days. I’ll be gone an hour at the most. He’s meeting me a few miles up the road.”

“OK.” I nodded, knowing how seriously he took his weed.

I crawled into the bed that was way too comfortable for a guest room. Psalm had only been gone maybe fifteen minutes, and I was already getting restless. I knew he told me not to wait up, but I couldn’t help it. Since I was wide awake, I decided to check in on Bishop. I climbed out of bed and stuck my feet into the slippers I brought with me for our sleepover. When I walked into Bishop’s bedroom, I got the shock of my life seeing his eyes open.

“Hey, I’m Anya, your nurse,” I said carefully, unsure of what his mental capacity might be. He didn’t speak, but that was to be expected. “Let me just call your brother.”

I rushed out of the room and down the hall to Psalm’s room to get my phone. Psalm didn’t answer the first call, so I called right back. Still no answer. He had been gone for over twenty minutes now. He would be on his way soon, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I called Syre. Somebody needed to get here fast. Once Syre confirmed that he was on his way, I went back to Bishop’s room.

His eyes were wide as they darted around the room. “You’re OK, Bishop. Your brothers are on the way.” I checked Bishop’s vital signs and was pleased to find that they were all within normal limits.

“Are you in any pain? I’m not sure if you can speak, but blink once for no, and blink twice for yes.”

A single blink of Bishop’s eyes gave me some much-needed relief. Tears burned my eyes, and I said a silent prayer thanking the Lord for giving this man another chance at life. My phone startled me as it began to ring in my hand. It was Psalm.

“Baby,” I answered.

“What’s wrong, Ny? I’m on the way.”

“It’s Bishop, baby. He’s awake.”