14. Anastazia

FEW DAYS LATER…

“Whoa, fast, Mommy!” Sophie screeched, holding onto the sides of the Target basket as I pushed us through. I came early, soon as they opened, and on a weekday, so I could grab everything I needed with minimal stares and interactions.

“I know.” I smiled, liking that she found my anxiety fun.

The past week had been very busy, between being a mother, Asif’s crew having a heavy need of medical attention—whether it was from card games gone wrong or an attempted robbery on the corner—so I was working overtime.

On top of that, I was still doing trial preparation with Bashar. I hated it, but I knew he was right and only doing what he needed to be sure we won this and I went home. Add to that the nightmares I was still having, plus worrying every morning I woke up that so would Cedric, and I was exhausted.

I quickly got everything I needed for the week, as well as what was on my mother’s list, then made my way to the self-checkout. I wanted to avoid all people, including the ones who worked here.

“Are you the woman from the news?” I heard a high voice inquire as I scanned the items like a madwoman.

Moving the few unruly tendrils from my face as I stood upright, I took the stubby black woman in before nodding. “I am.”

As she made her way toward me, I blew out a breath of frustration, not in the mood for her think piece on why she felt like I was lying or her thoughts period. These people were trying me every time I stepped out, making it harder and harder to behave as if I had some decorum.

“I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I are praying for you and hoping you get acquitted of the charges, even if it changes to murder. I believe all the stuff you said, and those pictures,” she exhaled and shook her head, “were rough to look at.”

“Oh… thank you.” She’d surprised me with her stance, making me give her eye contact and stop scanning hurriedly.

“My daughter was umm, with an abusive man, but she took too long to do something about it. We buried her two years ago.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. Oh my gosh.” I didn’t know what to say to this woman and felt saddened to hear it.

“Yeah, me too, sweetie.” A small smile appeared before she said, “I know it’s wrong to say, but I thank you for doing what you did. I think if my daughter saw someone like you, she might’ve done the same thing. You may not believe it or know it, but you gave courage to a lot of women and have scared the shit out of some of these abusive assholes.”

We chortled a bit, and Sophie joined like she always did when people laughed, despite not understanding. As smart as she was, though, maybe she did comprehend.

“I sure hope so.” I giggled, wiping my damp eyes quickly.

She opened her arms for a hug, and I hesitated but eventually embraced her. We said some parting words before I finished checking out and left the store.

That easily, I was feeling a little better. It didn’t even cross my mind that what I did could encourage some until the woman said it. Had I seen someone like me on the news a while ago, I just might’ve gotten the courage to do the shit sooner.

I made it home about fifteen minutes later and gave Sophie a snack before I tried to tidy up my mama’s home. She said she didn’t mind, but she hadn’t had a toddler in her house for decades, and Sophie was like a tornado. I already felt like a burden on her, so seeing Sophie make such a mess, and me going out with Asif occasionally, had me feeling quite guilty.

“Ahhhh! A monster!” Sophie screeched, jumping in front of the vacuum I’d turned on, wanting me to chase her.

I knew right then I wouldn’t be able to clean much.

As I shut it off, feeling defeated, my phone rang, and I saw it was Asif. I couldn’t help but to notice the smile form on my face and the giddiness within my belly.

“Hi.” I sat down on the couch as Sophie inspected the vacuum, not realizing I’d just turned it off.

“You aight? I ain’t like that greeting.” His deep voice flowed through the phone, making me feel things.

“I will be.”

“Tell daddy what’s wrong.”

I chuckled, hearing the humor in his tone.

“Other than being on trial, I just have mom stress, I guess you could call it. My moms’ home is a mess. I haven’t cooked in forever, so she has to do it. I wish I could go out freely like I used to or go on social media without seeing people make a joke out of my life. I wanna see a movie—grocery shop without people assuming I did it because they see me out acting normally. Just… nothing is normal, but I will be fine.”

“What I tell you about that?”

“I can’t help it. I’m not used to having someone to lean on. I will be fine though. I just have to let all this pass.” I sighed, watching Sophie give up on the vacuum and go back to playing with her doll.

“Nah, you don’t. Some shit, I can’t control, but others, I can, and I will. I’ll be to you in a little bit.”

“Asif, no?—”

“Sit yo’ ass down, be quiet, and experience being taken care of, aight? That’s all I want you to do. Today, I want you to do what the fuck you want to and in peace,” he explained. “I’m wealthy, yes, but I can also take care of yo’ hardheaded ass in other ways. So let a nigga do shit for you when you need it or even when you don’t, aight?”

“Alright.” I nodded, realizing his foot had been put down, and there was no lifting it.

We hung up, so I spruced myself up a bit, redoing my messy bun to look more presentable, and then putting on some tinted makeup along with some Summer Fridays gloss. I decided to keep on my Skims boxer briefs with the matching top, because I would get hot soon anyway.

Asif arrived not long after I finished gussying up.

“Hi!” Sophie jumped up and down, and I spotted her little eyes checking for his hands to see if he brought her anything like last time.

Smirking down at her, he kissed me on the lips before saying, “Can I get some dap first?”

“Yes.” Sophie nodded as he knelt down to her level, putting his fist out. She mirrored him, paying close attention as he showed her how to do it.

“Aight.” He stepped back out onto the porch wearing a mischievous smirk as he pulled a cute Barbie airplane set from the porch.

“Ahhhh!” Sophie screamed.

“Asif, she’s only two.” I inspected the toy as Sophie placed it on the floor, eyes salivating.

“She is, but she smart as fuck. Them toys for two-year-olds would bore her baby Einstein ass.” He watched her while I watched him, loving that he paid enough attention to notice how advanced Sophie was. “You wanna clean up and I watch her, or vice versa?”

I was taken aback and… turned on.

“Umm, you watch her. Even the cleanest niggas aren’t clean enough.”

“Aight.”

I had to toss away my lustful thoughts as he focused back on me, smiling then kissing me once more before sitting on the floor with bossy Sophie. In the wife beater, sweats, socks, and corduroy slippers, the nigga looked like a tall glass of water in the middle of the Sahara right now.

“Okay. Well, I am gonna get some stuff done then?” It was a statement and a question.

Asif nodded at me, glancing up briefly as he focused on opening everything for Sophie to play with. I noticed he discreetly pocketed the tiny pieces.

I started cleaning the kitchen, hesitant at first, but as I listened to them play, I was able to get into it. I was able to complete cleaning my room, my mom’s, and even vacuumed Analicia’s old bedroom. Once I was done with the bathrooms, I returned to the living room.

“You wanna do anything else, love?” he quizzed.

“The grocery store, if you don’t m—the grocery store.” I cut my initial statement off when he squinted his eyes at me.

“Whatever you wanna do, just tell me. I don’t think I could tell you no for anything,” he said.

“So if I said take me to get my nails done and stay with me, you would?” I giggled, grabbing my purse after putting Sophie’s baby UGGs on.

“I would. Any time I get to spend with yo’ pretty ass, I’m gon’ take it.” He eyed my fit as I went toward him holding Sophie’s hand. “You gotta change though, baby.”

“This can be worn in or outside.” I stepped back to show him.

Stroking his beard, he said, “Nah, it can’t. I’m trying my best to put this shit to you without sounding like a muthafuckin’ neanderthal, but that’s for my eyes only. I don’t want other niggas, people, dogs, nobody seeing you like that. And I know if I been eyeing ya pussy print all day, other niggas will, too, and then if I see it, I gotta turn up. I don’t wanna have to do that.”

He spoke so calmly yet sternly that I could do nothing but respect it.

“Okay. I understand.”

“We’ll wait.” He held onto Sophie’s hand.

“Yes, we wait,” she repeated before smiling up at him.

Chuckling at her, I went to throw some sweatpants over my bottom half and my beloved jean jacket before coming back out. Asif was grinning from ear to ear, so clearly, he approved.

“You got a nigga about to shoot over pussy I ain’t even been in.” He held the door open for me as I chuckled, leading Sophie out.

We went to the store, and when I got there, I noticed it was quite deserted, to which Asif let me know was his doing. I shopped freely and let Sophie pick out a few things, before we went back to the house.

“Hey, Asif,” my mother greeted as she sat on the couch, back from wherever she, my aunt Fiona, and Lisara had gone.

“How you doing, Mrs. Chase?” He shook her hand as I shook my head at the look she was giving, as if she knew something we didn’t.

Asif assisted me in putting everything away, so, of course, Sophie wanted to help too. Once that was done, I prepped the food I was going to make for dinner and went to bathe Sophie and brush her teeth, while the steak burgers marinated in the seasoning.

Once she was out, she wanted to play with Asif again, who was chatting it up with my mama, but he was all too happy to get on the floor with Sophie, who now saw him as a jungle gym.

“Sophie,” I called out.

“She good, love. Go,” he told me, Sophie crawling over his head like a psycho.

I breathed heavily, but when I looked up to see my mom’s face, she was smirking. She nodded for me to go back into the kitchen, so I did.

An hour later, the cheeseburgers, fries, and side salads were finished, so we all sat down to eat. Sophie usually didn’t eat burgers, but she wanted to now since Asif was. My mother decided to have her meal in her bedroom.

“Good as Lisara’s?” I asked.

He paused after biting it and stared down at the burger, making me think something was wrong with it. He finished chewing, then said, “That’s why you made these?”

“Yeah, you said you loved cheeseburgers.”

Not responding, he took my hand and kissed the back of it, letting his lids shut for a quick moment.

“Thank you.” He drank some of his soda. “These might be better. I think moms was giving us the cheap shit ’cause it was so many of us.”

We chortled heavily, Sophie following suit as she mauled her burger. She was eating, so I couldn’t care less how nasty it looked.

“Yeah, it is a lot of y’all, so I don’t blame her.” I ate some fries.

“You know I wanna do some shit for black first-time homeowners with the bank, but I don’t know what. I feel like most shit has been done before or got a catch. What you think?”

“Me?” I was surprised.

“Yeah, you smart.” He took another bite of his burger, finishing and moving onto the next one.

“Well, most important thing when buying a home is the interest rate and the downpayment. So maybe you can offer something like downpayment money and good interest for people who have low credit. Just implement something to where you’re not giving money and benefits to people who won’t stay in good standing.”

He nodded before snickering a bit, making me ask what.

“Just knew you’d have something.” He checked his Audemars Piguet and said, “Movie starts in about an hour, so finish up.”

“Movie? I?—”

“I already asked ya moms, and she told me it was cool. Said she wants Sophie to herself, and you be doing too fucking much.”

My jaw dropped as Asif chuckled.

“Whatever. I’m almost done,” I announced.

Usually, I would completely smash this burger, but I didn’t want to completely fill up because I’d decided that I was fucking this nigga and tonight. He was intelligent, so emotionally mature, so fine, so aware, and I just couldn’t hold out any longer.

And something told me that I needed to eat light for what I was about to experience.

We finished up our food, then I showered and dressed while Sophie went to kick it with my mother. I opted for a simple spaghetti strapped dress and some sandals. Underneath this dress, though, was a lacy bra and panty set perfect for the night.

I packed an overnight bag, though, after clearing it with my mama, containing some essentials and sexy underwear that I proudly fit now that I had been eating right and running on the treadmill in the middle of the night when my nightmares kept me up. I wasn’t all the way back to my pre-baby weight, probably never would be, but I was back to a point where I didn’t mind showing off.

The movie wasn’t long at all, but I couldn’t truly focus because of what I was about to do tonight.

“How’d you like it?” Asif asked as he whipped through the streets illuminated by the streetlights.

“It was cool.” I noticed him heading toward my mom’s home. “Can we go to your spot for the night?” I asked.

Asif’s brows furrowed as he looked my way briefly. He stroked his beard like he always did, tongue running over his bottom lip, too, a little preamble before he said something.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, love. This shit, this tether between us is getting too strong, and if I take you home tonight, I can’t promise I ain’t gon’ try.”

“I don’t want you to try. I want you to do it.”

He glanced at me a few times in shock, and I did my best not to laugh.

“You sure?” He stared deeply into my eyes once we got to a red light.

“Do you still deal with other women?”

“I don’t.” He pressed on the gas. “Been hard on a nigga, I ain’t gon’ front, but I can see the bigger picture. I been a good boy.”

“Then I’m sure.”

“Aight, man?—”

I took his hand off the gear shift, cutting him off, and spread my legs before placing his fingers along my inner thigh, slowly bringing it up. He tucked his lips in, trying to focus on the road as I let him feel the damp seat of my panties.

“You tell me if I’m sure.”

He said nothing, keeping his hand between my legs as he made a U-turn in the middle of the street like he was starring in Fast this was his, and I trusted Asif and everything he told me to where I wasn’t gonna protest any further. So as he sunk into me fully, breaking me open, I didn’t stop him.

“Oh my gosh,” I cooed softly, completely filled.

“Tell me, baby.” He rocked above me, hard body chiseled to perfection. He looked like a black king right now, dreads hanging, bottom lip held captive by his teeth as he fucked me measuredly but perfectly.

“It’s yours,” I whimpered, feeling him plunge completely inside of me again as he kept my hands pinned. Who knew he still had dick to give?

“All this shit mine. Don’t no other nigga belong here.” He pounded me slowly, leaning down to suck my nipple into his mouth. “You got that water, baby, shit.” He grumbled lowly, speeding up slightly. “Go ’head, love, do it,” he told me, clearly feeling me throb around him as I started to cum while he ran his tongue over my foot.

“Fuck,” I cried out as he glided in and out of me, moaning himself. I loved how he sounded.

Letting me relax my legs some, he sat up, keeping my thighs pressed into my body as he stared between us, watching himself hammer me.

“Shit. All this for me, huh?” He growled lowly, speeding up his thrusts, and he held my hips, lifting them slightly off the bed.

He touched a part inside of me that I didn’t know was there, making me jerk and cum all over him again.

“Sif.” I whimpered his name as he continued grinding into me, fingertips digging into my sweaty skin.

“Pussy cumming everywhere,” he commented, and I felt it. I felt like I was dampening everything around me. “I wanna fuck all night, baby,” he moaned, pounding my pussy and rendering me silent just before I gripped the sheets and exploded again.

Pulling out, he got down to lick up all the sap I’d created before turning me onto my stomach. I lay there flat as Asif hovered over me, before he craned my neck a bit to kiss me hungrily as he caressed my ass. Moving down, he bit then sucked my shoulder while kneading my butt before kissing and licking down my back.

“Ahh!” I whimpered when he spanked me, before licking my asshole, teasing it with his tongue.

He trailed his tongue downward to my clit before sucking it for a bit, then lifted my hips just slightly. I felt the head of him at my opening again as he started to push.

“Stay right there, love,” he instructed, working his way back inside of me.

He parted my legs a bit until he was all the way in, making me grip the bed sheets again. Wasting no time, Asif began beating it up as I lay on my stomach, causing me to drench his dick and the bed even more than I had. This position was simple, but damn did it make me cum, and a lot.

Leaning down some, he turned my face to him, using my hair which he’d wrapped around his fingers, and started to tongue me down while pounding my pussy from behind.

“Fuck.” I sniveled softly, barely able to keep up with the kiss as he gripped my hair tighter and bent my left leg upward to go deeper inside of me as he beat it up.

“Shit, I wanna nut in you so fucking bad, baby,” he growled against my mouth, moaning so sexily I wished I could record to hear it again later.

I didn’t know what came over me, maybe the Asif effect, but I said, “Do it.”

“Do what?” he queried, and though he knew what I meant, I realized Asif liked to hear nasty shit.

“Nut in me, please,” I begged through a moan as my body jerked under him from exploding.

“Fuck,” he called out, giving me a few more very hard pumps before he stilled inside of me.

As I throbbed around him, we kissed nastily for a while before he finally got the strength to pull out of me. I couldn’t walk, that was for certain, so I just lay there on my stomach, frozen, as Asif kissed all over me.

“Oh my gosh,” I finally breathed out as he came back up to peck me.

He climbed off me, and I watched his tall, impeccable frame as he ventured into the en suite. Soon enough I heard water that was consistent with him running a bath, and I was thankful because a shower, unless he had one of those handicapped installments, was out of the question.

Asif returned and picked me up, taking me into the large luxurious bathroom with four sinks, a four-showerhead shower, and then the humungous Jacuzzi tub that was filling up with some bubbles. He stepped in, still holding me, then lowered down into it, allowing me to soak in the perfectly hot water while he shut it off.

“What?” I smiled since he was seated, and we were now facing each other.

“Nothing.” He took my foot, kissed it, and then began rubbing it. I had no idea they were sore until they became encased in his big hands. “You know we in a relationship, don’t you?”

Laughing, I said, “You nut in women you’re not in a relationship with?”

“Plead the fifth.”

“Asif. Ugh.”

“Nah, not vaginally. You the first.” He grinned when I turned my lip up.

“You are disgusting.” I giggled, seeing the humor in his face.

“But nah, I just wanna make sure you understand that now that you don’ gave it to me, it’s mine, and so are you. Meaning I’m ready to pop a nigga for even thinking about it.”

“I know.” I tried not to blush, but I don’t think I was successful.

“Come here.” He tugged me by my foot and then gripped me, making me straddle his lap.

“You’re hard again?” I felt him brick up against me.

“You sexy as fuck to me.” His hands moved around my body as he kissed between my breasts, moving the bubbles out of the way. “I need you to stay the night.”

“I can get shit for the baby to stay, too, whenever you want. I want both of y’all to kick it here. I don’t like when you take yo’ ass home, and I don’t like being so fucking separate. You ain’t gotta move in, but sleep here sometimes.”

I saw the sincerity in his eyes again and couldn’t say no, as badly as I wanted to. The thought of spending the night was bittersweet for me. It sounded amazing, but I didn’t want him witnessing my trauma.

“Okay.”

“Aight.” He grinned so widely it made me feel good about my decision. “How you feel?”

“A little worn out but I’m fine.” I half smiled before leaning down to kiss him.

It quickly turned freaky as he pinned my arms behind me before lifting me and bringing me down onto his hard dick.

Biting my lip to ease the pain of him stretching me, I tossed my head back some in pleasure as Asif’s mouth covered my nipple. Using one arm, he kept mine pinned behind me as he bounced me on his dick relentlessly, making me nut all over him, until he was finishing inside of me.

Afterward, we kissed for a while, then got out to actually clean up in the shower before brushing our teeth and going to lie down, void of any clothes of course.

He held me from behind, and I was tense at first, but he noticed and lightened up his grip, which I was thankful for.

As I listened to his fireplace crackle, his hand splayed across my stomach under the buttery soft comforter, I said, “She loves you, did you know that?”

It’d been on my mind, the way Milan looked in the club that night, like I was stealing the love of her life. While I didn’t care for her, I was still a woman and a huge empath, so it was difficult for me to ignore. I didn’t wanna be the woman making another feel bad, but at the same time, I owed her no loyalty and wanted Asif for myself.

“She loves the brand, not the man. I ain’t mean for that shit to rhyme; it’s just what it is.”

Looking over my shoulder, I asked, “What do you mean?”

“She likes what a nigga represents, what it means when she tell people she fuck with me. If I was clocking in somewhere, Milan wouldn’t have even paid me no mind. If muthafuckas in the streets didn’t stupidly kiss the ground I walked on, she wouldn’t be so pressed to fuck with me.”

“That makes me feel better.” I placed my hand on top of his that was on my abdomen.

His breath hitched before he let it go and said, “She reminds me of my mother in that regard.”

“In what way?”

I felt him shrug slightly as he tightened his grip on me. Even his dick on soft was impressive as it pressed against my bare ass.

“She didn’t love my father. She loved the notoriety, the money, the way he took care of her, the way he loved her. And I know that because she never reciprocated the shit. I was a kid, and I saw that. He would buy her flowers, go all out for Mother’s Day, and then he’d have to remind her it was Father’s Day. But soon as she thought he was pulling away, she would shape up for a little bit.”

I thought about Prime and how nice he was, how good of a man he was, and couldn’t understand why a woman would be the way his mother was.

“Wow. She was a piece of work.”

“All day.” He kissed my neck. “Don’t worry about Milan’s ass. I don’t engage in that type of fuckery, love.”

“What fuckery?” I tittered softly at the word.

“Playing with females’ feelings. I always keep shit a buck. Now how they choose to deal with what I give them is some other shit. But as far as me playing a role and pretending just to later fuck ’em over, nah. I was raised better than that. I ain’t no player. I ain’t no fucking cheater. I ain’t no dream seller. I’m a realist, and I keep shit real. I’ll leave a woman before I fuck around on her. And I’ll stay single ’fore I sit up and fuck around with a woman’s feelings. I’m too grown for that shit, and I got too much business that needs tending to. That’s a little boy’s game, baby.

“Milan knew what it was before you and does now.”

His words relaxed me, and like usual, I believed him. Asif wasn’t the type to put on airs, and that was something I’d recognized, even when we were just cordial.

“You better not leave me,” I somewhat joked.

“I won’t. I been looking for you a long ass time and waiting on you to free up my spot even longer.” He kissed my shoulder, making me simper as I stared at the fireplace.

“What you did today was simple but huge,” I spoke truthfully. “Thank you, baby.”

“No need to thank me, love. That’s just how shit is gon’ be, how it’s supposed to be. You too good of a woman to not have a nigga handling shit for you.” Turning me onto my back, he looked down into my face, beautiful eyes sparking like the warm fire. “I plan to be here with you forever, but if a nigga does leave this earth prematurely, it’s gon’ be impossible for another nigga to step to you, let alone impress you.”

Little did he know, we’d just started, and that was already the case. Asif had left an impression on me that quickly, and I knew another man would never be able to fill his shoes. He helped me understand women like my mother, ones who had such a good man that they didn’t need to remarry or replace him once he was gone from this earth. I always thought my mother was lonely, but being here and experiencing Asif showed me that she was most likely the opposite. She was content, happy to have experienced a man like my daddy.

“What do you need? I wanna give it to you,” I whispered in between the soft pecks he delivered.

“This.” Kiss. “You.” Kiss. “Us, Sophie included.” Kiss. He then peeled the covers back and said, “That,” before pressing his lips to my private area.

“Asif.” I giggled, limbs and pussy sore already. “It’s two a.m.” I smiled as he placed my thighs on his shoulders, kissing the inner area of both.

“I work off a seven to one ratio, love.”

“A seven to one ratio?”

“Make you cum seven times to my one.”

“I think I made it to eight in the bathrub,” I moaned, trying to count but his mouth was distracting.

Ignoring me, he pushed my right leg up and outward a bit before licking the length of my folds and causing me to shiver, while pinning my left leg to the bed. He was so take-charge and aggressive, and I loved it. I’d never dated a man with such a sex drive, but I was down.

Asif was the best eater I’d ever encountered, even better than this boy in college that used to eat me to smithereens. Asif had surely dethroned Zachary.

“No matter how many times I taste this shit, it’s good.” Asif licked the glaze I’d left from his lips before diving back in. “I gotta taste it daily, love.”

“Okay,” I whimpered, shaking from the way he was lapping at my clit. His deep voice vibrated against it, making me jerk a bit and grip his hair. When I pushed myself more into his mouth, he moaned in approval.

This was the best night of my life.