See, I try to give books on here a chance but every time I do it's a fail lol So I'm reading through the comments on a book before I start reading it. The book is about a girl who's longed to be a stripper all of her life (I'm not judging the book because it's merely fiction and used for entertainment or whatever) but a girl in the comments was like she relates to the book so much because she's been wanting to be a stripper since she was 12, it's her life goal and she's counting down the days until she turns 18 so she can strip...Is that really the new goal people are aiming for, like seriously? I just don't understand some people...

Milan



I haven't seen or spoken to Theodore in weeks. I know he's kind of weary about the two of us communicating ever since his Mom caught us on the camping trip a few weeks ago but something needs to be said. I need to know what's going on between the two of us, and whether or not we need to establish closure to just end what we have going on. I don't know about him, but I've missed him the past few weeks. I feel lonely without him.

I'm stuck in this big house alone. Sure, Teddy and Victoria are around but the three of us don't spend time together. I don't even spend time with my own husband because he's been so caught up on Victoria. It's just funny to me, how when she started living with us, he started coming home more and staying the night ever single night. But even though he's been staying the night, I still don't see him. He doesn't even sleep in our bedroom anymore, so I'm more than sure he's laid up with Victoria as if me, his wife, isn't laying alone every single night.

But it's not like he cares anyways. He just sees me as a prize; eye candy for when he goes to events, or at least that's what I thought. Since Victoria's been here, he stopped paying me any attention. He started taking her to different events, taking her out to dinner every night and buying her things, expensive things. Everyday I see her with store bags from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, you name it. Teddy's constantly buying her things but doesn't stop once to think about me. It's like I don't even exist to him anymore. It's like I'm just living in his house while he and Victoria are free to do whatever they want.

So, instead of looking like the old, miserable wife Teddy wants me to be, I decided to take things into my own hands and visit Theodore myself. I know he'll be shocked to see me since I haven't called or talked to him in awhile but I guess it'll be a surprise for the both of us.

I pulled up in front of Theodore's new house. I don't know why he moved from the condo he was previously in. It was a lot easier to get their and a lot easier for the two of us to be together, but now it's too hard since he has Jazmine living here, Mr. McDonald and Isaiah. It's too many people here for my liking. I'd prefer it if it was just Theodore and Princess living here, that way, Theodore and I could do what we want without having to sneak around.

When I pulled up in front of Theodore's house, there were several cars parked outside, which was kind of strange since Theodore doesn't normally like too many people at his house. I pulled up in the driveway behind Theodore's car and parked my car as I looked around at all of the cars surrounding the house. I see Theodore's car, a Rolls Royce that has to belong to Mr. McDonald, a Charger that has to be Isaiah's and then there was a black Malibu and I don't know who's car that is. It can't be Jazmine's since she's too broke to afford a car, so I wonder whose it is.

Nonetheless, I climbed out of my car and walked up to the front door with butterflies in my stomach. I swear, Theodore's the only guy that's ever made me nervous before. It's just something about him that turns me on and gets me so anxious every time I see him, and I hate that things are like this. I wish I felt this way about my husband and not his son, but Theodore's done so much for me for the past five years that I can't help but to feel grateful, anxious and even nervous when I'm around him. Teddy hasn't done a damn thing for me in the five years that we've been married, but Theodore has and he should take some pointers from his son.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the front door. My heart skipped a beat when I heard Theodore yelling from the inside for someone to get the door. I knew he'd be at the door soon, so I fluffed up my hair just to make sure I looked good for him. But my happiness soon faded when Goldie, one of the girls from the strip club, answered the door with a smile on her face.

"Milan? Hey," she smiled, reaching out to hug me but I backed up.

"Uh what are you doing here?" I asked, frowning. She's the last person I expected to see here. I knew Theodore bought her to one of the family dinners to pose as his fake girlfriend but I don't know why they're keeping up with this shit. That was just a front for his family since he and I were dealing with each other, so I don't know why she's still hanging around as if she's wanted.

"Oh, Theodore wanted to cook me dinner tonight."

I scrunched up my face. "Dinner? For what?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know. We've been getting kind of close lately, so I guess he just wanted to do it out of the kindnes--"

"That's nice," I cut her off. "Where's Theodore at? I need to see him."

"Well, he's kind of busy right now making dinner but you can come in if you want."

I quickly shook my head. "No, I need him to come to the door immediately."

Goldie scrunched up her face. "Uh Alright. I'll get him for you."

She left the front door open as she walked to the back. Who the hell is she to be getting close to Theodore? And who is he to let that broad get in between us. She's a fucking stripper! What could Theodore possibly see in her that I don't have? I've devoted my life to Theodore the past few years, and the best he can do is replace me with an ugly, broke stripper that's been fucking her boss to put herself through college. Better yet, she's not even a stripper; she's fucking for money, so she's a damn prostitute and if she can spread her legs for her boss, there's no telling who else she's been having sex with.

Theodore approached the door, looking shocked, just like I assumed he would. "Milan? What are you doing here?"

I slightly smiled. "I uh came here to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to see you."

"And like I said, why?" he repeated as he stepped out of the house and closed the door behind himself. "Shouldn't you be at home with my father, healing? You're still walking around with scars on your face Milan, you shouldn't be here."

"My face is healing just fine, thanks to the doings of your mother."

"Okay," he replied, more so annoyed. "On some real shit, what are you doing here?"

"Like I said, I wanted to come see you." I took a step closer to him so I could wrap my arms around him but he took a step back. "Theodore? What's the issue all of a sudden? I know we haven't seen each other in awhile and we ended on a bad note because of your mother but we never fell out and you didn't come to see me when I went to the hospital, or even after I got out of the hospital. It's almost been a month since the yacht trip and I haven't seen or heard from you. The least you can do is give me an explanation, or something so I can understand what's going on with us."

"Listen Milan, there is no us. I wanted it to be an us but you crushed that dream so I had to let that shit die."

I scrunched up my face. "By ignoring me?" I asked, confused. I know I said I didn't want a relationship with him, but how can I promise him anything further than us sleeping together when I'm married to his father?

He shrugged his shoulders. "Milan, I had to do what I had to do. You knew how I felt about you. I was willing to come out to my family about us, which meant breaking up my family just so the two of us could be together but you didn't wanna do that because you're scared of what my parents will think. You denied me, and I'm not the type of person to ask multiple times and look thirsty, so I let you continue to hide behind my father alone. I'm not with that shit anymore."

I laughed. I can't believe he thinks I'm afraid of Teddy. Why would I be? All Teddy's capable of doing is lying and cheating on me but being a threat is definitely not anything that should be characterized with him. He's a joke, and it seems like Theodore thinks I am too. "Look, I'm not scared of your parents Theodore but you knew what would happen if we came clean about everything we had been doing. But you know I care about you and I love you a whole lot."

"So then your love should've prevailed over the consequences of our relationship and you should've just been open with me and everybody else, but no. You wanted to continue creeping around. I'm tired of that shit Milan. I've been keeping our relationship a secret for the past five years and I'm done with it. It's too tiring, especially when we aren't even on the same page with shit. It's clear that I wanted more out of the relationship than you did, so let's just save us the arguing and end shit here once and for all."

I frowned. "But what if I don't want things to end?"

"I don't give a damn what you want. I tried making things about you and what you wanted but you took advantage of me, so fuck what you want. It's about what I want and I want this shit to end. We'll be better if we go our separate ways anyways," he replied.

I can't even lie and act like what he said didn't hurt, because it did. Theodore's never talked to me like this before, and the more he talked, the more he reminded me of his father. He likes to deny his father but he's truly his fathers' son and there's no denying that. I know I should just take the little bit of pride I have left and walk away from him right now but I just can't. He's been the only thing keeping me sane the past five years, and now that I'm stuck in a house with Teddy and Victoria, I need as much sanity as I can get. And that's Theodore.

"I know I held back on us in the past but things have changed. I've changed," I explained. "Just please give me another chance so I can prove myself Theodore. You know I love you a lot and I know you love me a lot too. We just hit a rough patch but we can bounce back from this if you just give me another chance."

Theodore sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why should I give you another chance, huh? If I give you another chance, what's gonna be different this time? We're still gonna be sneaking around like we're fuckin' teenagers and not grown adults. Don't you get sick of creeping around and cheating? It's old Milan."

I scrunched up my face. "Yes, it's old and tiring but it's a risk I'm willing to take to be with you."

"Alright, so if I give you another chance, will you leave my father for me? Answer that one question for me and I swear I'll make up my mind."

"You know how difficult thi--"

"I don't give a damn," he cut me off. "Just answer the question."

I took a deep breath. "Yes, I'll leave him for you."

Theodore's face softened, showing me that he was pleased with my response. But would I leave my husband for Theodore? I know Teddy's not the best husband in the world but I would get a hell of a lot of slack from every single person in this family if I was to leave him and get with Theodore. And I'm comfortable with my situation with Teddy right now. Although we're at odds right now and constantly at odds, I can't imagine myself being uprooted from my normal life with Teddy, just to be with Theodore. I'll have to downgrade everything: my cars, wardrobe, spending and my house. I can't imagine going from living in a mansion so far away from our neighbors that we have to drive several miles just to get to their homes, to living in such a small, noisy neighborhood like the one Theodore's living in now.

Leaving Teddy would mean leaving my old life behind. I'd have to completely start over, and who's to say my relationship with Theodore will work out anyways? So I don't know if I'd really leave Teddy. But if telling Theodore I'll leave him is what gets me back on his good side, then I'll continue to say it.

"Now, can I come inside? I haven't seen you in awhile, so we have some catching up to do," I smirked, making him laugh.

He ran a hand down his face, sighing. "Milan..."

I sighed. "What's wrong now?"

"You think shit's just gonna be fixed based on you saying some shit you should've said years ago?"

I scrunched up my face. "Yes. What else needs to be fixed?"

"For one, I'm kinda seeing Goldie right now."

I shrugged my shoulders. "And? She's just a rebound to me. You didn't start messing with her until the two of us went our separate ways. You were just using her to try to get over me, so now that I'm back, she can go back to where ever she came from...which is the strip club."

Theodore shook his head. "Look, you ain't gon' do that to h--"

"She is a stripper! I'm just stating the obvious truth."

"The obvious truth isn't needed right now. I know she's a stripper. Damn. Everybody knows she's a stripper, but that's not as bad as you sleeping with your step son. Don't fuckin' talk about her as if she was a rebound, because quite frankly, you were just filling a void I didn't get from my Mama. And honestly, I was fucking with Mya during the time I was dealing with you so she's not a rebound."

I frowned as I folded my arms. And all of this time, I thought Theodore and I were committed to each other but I guess I was wrong. I had a hunch he was fucking around with those stripper bitches at his club. I guess I should've just acted on that hunch. "Excuse me?"

"Man, you heard me Milan."

"So after all of this time, what did I mean to you? Was I just another one of your many women?"

Theodore nodded his head. "Yes."

"I can't believe you," I said as I turned my back on him so I could walk away. I don't believe a word he's saying. After five years, I didn't mean shit to him. I was just another woman willing to sleep with him but I guess Goldie was different. She must have actually meant something to him, even though I've done more for him than she ever could. "You're full of shit Theodore."

"I know I am, but guess what?"

I sighed as I turned around. "What?"

"I might be full of shit, but so are you for thinking anything good could ever come from the two of us. I'm happy Milan."

"And you weren't with me?"

"How could what we had be happiness if we were creeping around and sneaking every time we got together? I'm happy with Mya because we don't have to creep around. She's real."

"And I wasn't?"

"No and you still aren't. You can't even be real to yourself right now about how fucked up our situation was or the fact that you were cheating on my father. Why can't you just accept how I feel and let the shit that was in the past, stay in the past?"

"Because I love you."

Theodore scuffed. "Like you love my father, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, this time turning my back on him for good. "You know what, forget it. Forget I came over here and forget I even said something about trying to make us work. It was clearly a mistake. Good bye."

"Bye," he immediately responded with so much anger and hostility in his voice.

I shook my head and walked down the pathway to get to my car. I took my time walking though, hoping he'd come to his senses and chase after me but he never did. It was silence as I walked to my car. Once I approached my car, I stood by the door before I even attempted to get inside. I wanted Theodore to chase after me and apologize and tell me that everything he just said was a lie but he didn't. All I heard was his front door close, making me sigh.

I guess Theodore was serious about going our separate ways.

Daniel



"I can't believe your Moms actually let you out of the house with me," Cashmere said as he kept his attention on the road.

I don't really know what's going on between my Mama and Cashmere but they've always been on the rocks since I could remember, but this time it's different. They've been separated for about a month now and I don't know if they're getting back together. They've been going through a lot these past few months, and honestly, I think their relationship is too dangerous for them to even be trying to work things out.

If they aren't fighting and arguing with each other, they're separated because of some stupid shit like Cashmere cheating. I think he's too damn old to be cheating. And if he loves my Mama the way he claims he does, he wouldn't need to cheat on her. I'm just sick of seeing my Mama upset. It's like she can't ever catch a break when it comes to niggas, and I'm sick of seeing Cashmere hurt her. I just wish the two of them would leave each other alone so my Mama can be happy.

And it doesn't help the situation that I don't like Cashmere. He was cool at first and I actually wanted him to be around because he made my Mom happy, but after I found out all the grimy shit he's done to her in the past, I don't want anything to do with him and I don't want him coming in my house or being around my Mama.

"That's only because she has a job interview this afternoon," I responded, nonchalantly.

He nodded his head. "That's what's up, what's the interview for?"

"It's a teaching position," I mumbled.

"That's good for her. I'm glad to see her making some progress and not letting our relationship get in the way of her career."

"She been making progress and she don't need no nigga to validate what she's doing."

He sighed. "You know I ain't mean it like that man, damn."

"But I just wanted you to know that y'all's relationship isn't effecting her. She's still living her life and doing better than she was before she met you. She's almost living as if she never even met you; happily."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Ion know, I'll leave that up to your interpretation."

Cashmere sighed as he came to a stop at a red light. "Man, what the fuck is up with you? Why you trippin' like a little bitch?"

"I'm not. You think I'mma just sit back and not say anything as you walk all over my Mama? She moved you into our crib! She cooks for you, cleans for you and does whatever you want, but you repay her by cheating on her. I know my Mama's not perfect, but she doesn't deserve this and you don't deserve her or to be working for my family. It would be a cold day in hell if King found out about the shit you've been doing to her. That nigga would rip you to shreds."

Cashmere chuckled. "That's funny because your uncles said the same shit and nothing has happened to me yet. Look, I'm not in a relationship with you, Prince, Isaiah or even King. I'm with your Mama a--"

"Nah, you're not with her and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure y'all don't get back together."

"As I was saying, I don't owe any of y'all an explanation and especially not you. You're just a kid and you need to stay out of grown folks' business. This don't have anything to do with you and you need to watch who you talking to. I'm still grown."

"Nigga, please," I sucked my teeth as I looked out of the window. "Just drive me to my crib and shut the hell up. I'm tired of hearing your damn voice."

"Oh, really?" Cashmere asked as he slammed on the breaks.

"Yeah, I am. You talk too much for a nigga that's gonna be dead soon."

Cashmere chuckled. "Oh, that's what's up little man. Since I'm so damn annoying, you can get out my whip and walk."

"Gladly," I said as I unbuckled my seat belt. I didn't want to be trapped in a car with him anyways. "Your fat ass should be walking with me." He was stopped in the middle of the street, but I swung his door open, hoping a car would it it but none ever did. They just swerved around his car as I climbed out of the passengers seat. "Best believe, I'mma fuck you up the next time you come to my Mama's house trying to bribe her with cheap gifts. She's not interested, so do us both a favor and get lost 'cause you skating on thin ice."

"Alright, just close my door nigga. I'll be waiting to see what your little ass can do to me."

I looked both ways, before crossing the street and jogging over to the sidewalk but I made sure to leave his door open. I don't know who he thinks he's fooling trying to talk tough to me. I know I can't handle Cashmere by myself but he just fucked himself over. My Mama won't be with any man that disrespects me and Cashmere just crossed that line.

The dumb ass fell for my trap.

Theodore III



Milan's got some nerve popping up over here expecting everything to be all fine and dandy. She completely flaked on me as soon as shit got hard. I know she had to lay low since my Mama busted her shit but she didn't even call me. If she loves me as much as she claims she does, she wouldn't have let anything get in the way of the two of us being together.

"Is Milan okay?" Mya asked as I walked back into the kitchen.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. She been trippin' since she took that fall on the yacht trip. Don't worry about her. She's crazy."

"Are you sure? She was pretty mad when she found out I was here with you. Did I do something to her?"

I sighed as I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "No, of course not. Don't even get yourself worked up over what she's got going on. All you gotta do is worry about me, you and my dinner."

Mya smiled as she relaxed against my embrace. "The dinner that you're supposed to be cooking me, but I'm cooking it for myself."

I laughed. "No, you're cooking it for the both of us for us to share."

"So what do I get then?"

"What do you want?"

Mya turned around in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck. "You already know what I want Prince," she replied, making me smirk. I don't know what it is about Mya but she excites me every time I'm around her, and when I'm this close to her, I can't help but to get hard. "I want you."

"Where?"

"Inside of me."

I smiled wide, like a little kid. Everybody was upstairs. Nobody wanted to help with dinner, so they ran upstairs and were hiding until the food was done, but they can wait a few more minutes. I mean, it's Mya; I can't pass this opportunity up.

"Can we go upstairs?"

"Nah, it's too many people up there but I have a better idea."

Mya smirked. "What?"

"Lemme fuck you right here."

Her eyes widened. "In the kitchen?" she asked, confusedly. "Your family's upstairs! What if one of them catch us?"

"Trust me," I began as I slowly pushed her towards the counter. I'm a pro at sneaking around. I already know what to do and how to listen out for my family. I didn't even let Mya get another word in before I pushed the food aside and bent her over the counter. "I've done this plenty of times. We not gon' get caught...unless you want to. Do you wanna get caught?"

Mya flipped her hair over her shoulder before looking back at me. "Of course not Daddy."

I smirked. "A'ight, then listen to what I say."

Just when I was about to pull Mya's leggings down, she pushed my hands out of the way and pulled them down herself along with her panties. "Prince?"

"What's up?"

"I wanna see your face." Before I could even respond, Mya turned around and grabbed my belt. She undid my belt and pulled my pants down before she leaned back on the counter and wrapped her legs around my waist. "Now hurry up before somebody comes down here."

I grabbed Mya's waist and was just about to push myself inside of her when I heard footsteps running across the floor upstairs. Damn it. It was Princess! "Daddy! Daddy!" Princess yelled from upstairs as she ran towards the steps.

"Shit. Get dressed!" I told Mya. I quickly picked up my pants off of the floor and pulled them back up as Mya did the same thing. I was hard as hell and poking through my pants but I didn't want Princess to see me like this. I looked over at Mya as I pointed to my dick poking out of my pants. "What the fuck I'mma do?"

"J-Just go sit down and hide it, I don't know," she stammered.

My heart rate sped up once I heard Princess hit the bottom of the steps, so I rushed over to the kitchen table and sat down, just as she ran into the kitchen. "Daddy," Princess began as she walked up to me. "When is dinner gonna be ready? I'm starving."

"Soon."

"When is soon?"

"Right now," Mya butted in, making Princess smile.

Princess turned her back on me and walked over to Mya. "Can you help me make my plate?"

"Of course."

"What do you want?"

Princess smiled as she stood beside Mya, who was standing behind the island. Princess definitely couldn't see over the island to see what was cooked, so Mya picked her up. "Can I get some cat fish and mac and cheese and corn bread?"

"Of course you can," Mya smiled.

I cleared my throat. "Uh, don't you think you forgot something baby girl?"

Princess frowned. "But I don't like broccoli."

"But broccoli likes you," I replied.

"But Daddy!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Mya butted in. "What if I give you a little bit of broccoli and a reward for eating your vegetables could be something you really, really want? Does that sound good?" Princess smiled wide, nodding her head. "Alright, so what do you want?"

"It's a secret." Princess looked at me before she started giggling. "Daddy can't know."

"You can whisper it in my ear," Mya chuckled, making me shake my head.

"Man, it bet not be about no little bad ass boys. You know I don't mind beating some ass Princess."

"Daddy! It's not about a boy," Princess informed me before she turned back to Mya. She cupped her hands over her mouth and whispered something in Mya's ear, which made her smile.

"Oh, really? That's what you want? No cookies?" Mya asked her, before Princess leaned back over to whisper something else in Mya's ear.

It wasn't long before Princess ran out of the kitchen with her plate of food and three cookies hidden in her napkin, as if I didn't see them. Mya made both of our plates before sitting across from me at the table.

"So, what was that about?" I asked her.

"Oh, just girl stuff."

"Like what? Is it a boy?"

"No, of course not."

I took a deep breath. "Oh, damn. Princess likes girls?"

"No," Mya laughed. "You're getting ahead of yourself Prince. Boys won't come for another couple of years, so you've got time to prepare for that issue."

I sighed. Damn. Well at least I know my baby girls' still innocent. "So what's something she really wants then?"

"Princess really wants for me and you to stay together for a really long time, so she wants me to stay the night to spend time with you. And the cookies were for later tonight. The cookies are to bribe her to go to bed earlier so me and you can spend some alone time together," she explained, making me chuckle.

I should've known Princess was up to something like this. "And she came up with this plan all on her own?"

Mya nodded her head. "Mhmm..."

"But?"

"I do like the idea of us being together for a long time."

"We gotta get in a relationship first."

"And that's up to you."

I smirked. "I like to take things slow," I told her. Making a girl wait to be in a relationship with you is the key to keeping a girl around for awhile. "I thought you knew this already."

"I do know."

"What about Banga?"

Mya's eyes widened. "I-I uh h--"

"He's in the hospital," I whispered. "What happened?"

"I really wanted to tell you. You remember that night I called you from a hotel about a week ago?" I nodded my head. "Well, that was the night I got fed up with his shit. We've been broken up for weeks but he just won't leave me alone. I moved from my house and moved into an apartment across the city to get away from him, but somehow, he found me, got a key to my apartment and started moving his stuff inside as if he lives there. But I just got fed up with him one night when he bought a dancer back from the club, one of my friends, so I hit him."

I scrunched up my face. "With what?"

"A pot."

"How'd he get outside on the sidewalk? Did somebody help you drag him out?"

She quickly shook her head. "No. He was unconscious, so I drug him into my room and pushed him out of the window."

My eyes widened. "By yourself?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. I-I didn't know what to do. I panicked! So I packed a bag and drove to a hotel really far away, checked in under a different name and paid cash."

"So you been laying low for the past week?"

"For the most part but the cops stopped me when I was at lunch with your Mom."

Damn. I've talked to my Mama since the two of them had lunch and she didn't mention anything about the police. She told me Mya told her about stripping and how we met. She basically told her everything and Mama accepted everything but she didn't say anything about the police showing up. "Really? And what did you say to them?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Nothing. I denied knowing anything and didn't say anything to them because I know they can't force me to say anything unless they arrest me. I swear I didn't say anything Prince, I promise."

I sighed. "I believe you," I told her. I knew if she went running her mouth to the police about me, the police would've been knocking down my door days ago. Back in California, the police were looking to pin anything on my Grandpa but could never associate any real crimes with him since he never had his hands in anything too dirty, so I know they're gonna be after me the exact same way. So I need as little police interference as possible. "I know you won't run your mouth to the police. You just gotta be careful."

"I know," she mumbled. "I just panicked and was thinking out of anger the entire time. You don't know all the shit Banga did to me when we were together. I hate him. I wanted to kill him Prince."

"Why didn't you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess I was scared. I honestly wouldn't even know what to do. I just want him out of my life, but I know he's gonna give me hell whenever he wakes up. That's why I'm thinking about leaving."

I scrunched up my face. "So you just gon' run from this nigga?"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do? I've been trying to get away from him for weeks but he always finds me, no matter what. It's like he's watching me or something. And even if I leave and go to another state, it won't be long before he finds me and kills me. I just know he will. So I gotta prolong my life the best way I know how to and that's leaving the state and disappearing."

"How come you ain't come to me?"

"Why would I come to you? It's embarrassing as hell telling you all of this."

"Y'all had a regular ass relationship and it just sounds like the nigga don't wanna give you up."

"We didn't have a regular relationship. You don't even know what happened."

"Inform me then."

"Banga used to abuse me."

I scrunched up my face. "What? How?"

"Physically, sexually. Most times it was sexually. He'd force me to have sex with him. He'd come home drunk from the club, sometimes he'll have random girls with him, he'll wake me up and force me to have sex with him and the girls. If I wasn't doing what he was telling me to do to then he'd intimidate me sexually or he'd push me around or choke me."

"Did anybody else know?"

"No," she mumbled.

"How come you didn't say anything to me or anybody else?"

"Because I was embarrassed, but I wasn't stupid. That's why I've been trying to get away from him for so long. I hated being with him but he just kept coming back around and following me where ever I went."

"Damn," I shook my head. "I knew he was crazy, but I didn't think the bastard was that dumb. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"When was the last time he hurt you?"

"About three weeks or so ago. I've been trying to avoid him so he wouldn't get a chance to. He hasn't been around much lately. He'll pop up every now and then but he always claims he's out handling business, so I don't complain."

"He's out doing sneaky shit."

"How do you know?"

"Because he's doing sneaky shit behind my back. I caught his ass doing some sneaky shit and he stole your phone," I told her. I don't want to be a snitch but Mya needs to know the type of immature nigga she was dealing with, even though I'm sure she already knows what he's like. "I guess he went through your phone but he found out we were in Savannah a few weeks ago, so he went to Savannah with his little crew and started questioning people about me and my family. I don't like niggas in my business Mya, especially niggas I do business with."

She scrunched up my face. "You do business with him?"

I sighed. "Look, I don't tell everybody this about me but I trust you won't say anything. Banga and his little crew work for me. They're just a few of the guys that push weight for me around the city."

"You were the one giving that shit to him?"

"Yes."

"So what do you do?"

"I'm the distributor. I get the weight from someone and I distribute it to other people around the city who pay me for it and eventually give it to their dope boys to sell but I'm not like Banga. I don't sell the shit on the streets. I'm not a dope boy. I just distribute the shit and run my clubs."

"Are the clubs illegal?"

"No," I told her. I mean, Grandpa did start them with illegal money and I use the clubs to clean my money but no illegal business goes down in my clubs. "And I'm telling you all of this so you can know what you're dealing with. I don't like Banga and I don't trust him. I wish you would've killed the nigga because now I got to."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Oh, don't act like you didn't know that didn't come with the profession."

"H-Have you killed a lot of people?"

"Nah, I don't like doing it. I gotta weak stomach," I chuckled, making her smile but I knew she was nervous. "I'm not gonna do nothing to you Mya, if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't hurt anybody I love."

"H-Huh?"

"I love you," I mumbled. I do love Mya. I don't know why I love her this soon, but I just do. I just thought I cared about her a lot, but seeing the way she interacted with Princess and how she interacts with my family, is something I haven't seen in any of the other girls I've been with. She treats Princess a whole lot better than her own mother does, and that's all I'm really looking for in a woman. I want a woman to accept my baby girl and treat her the way she's supposed to be treated.

Mya smiled. "I love you too."

"And I wanna make shit work with you."

"And I want things to work between us too, but I feel like we're stagnant. I feel like we've been in the same place and doing the same shit for awhile now. We've known each other for like a year now and have been messing around for almost the same amount of time. I'm tired of messing around when I want something more. I want you Prince."

I smirked. "What? You wanna be in a relationship with me?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You gotta know baby girl."

She took a deep breath. "Yes, I wanna be in a relationship with you."

"Alright, then it's settled, we're together but under what condition."

"What?" she asked.

"No girlfriend of mine can be staying in a hotel, especially not if she's hiding from some nigga. I want you here with me and my baby girl."

"And Jazmine, your brother and your Grandpa. It's already too many people living here as it is, and moving me in would make it even worse. And I don't really feel comfortable staying here with Jazmine since we were together now. It's kind of weird."

"What if we didn't stay here?"

"Then where would we go?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, some place else where we can all live and won't have to bump into each other. Some place big."

"Prince, I can't stay with you."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just can't. I feel like we're moving so fast."

"And? We've been feeling this way for awhile now, so what's so bad about the two of us just saying how we feel and acting on those feelings? You know you can't stay in a hotel forever, so you might as well stay with me until you can find another place to stay."

"Fine, I'll stay with you guys until I can get back up on my feet but I don't want Banga trying to come back to hurt me or hurt you guys. I don't know what I'd do if you or Princess got hurt because of something tha--"

"That's not gonna happen," I cut her off. "Nobody knows where I stay and Banga's not even conscious right now, but you know I'mma protect you Mya. Once he wakes up, he's gonna be dead and you can believe that. He can't hurt you. Do you trust me?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Then trust that I'mma protect you and won't let anything happen to you. Alright?"

"Alright," she replied. "Thank you, I really appreciate everything you've done to me since we met each other, seriously. I don't know what I can do to repay you but you've done so much for me. You've given me a job, protected me and taken me in. I really do appreciate your help Prince, and one of these days, I'm gonna repay you for everything you've done for me."

I smiled. "Come here girl."

Mya reluctantly stood up from the table and walked over to me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. "You don't have to repay me Mya, just think of it all as a favor. Lemme ask you something."

"What?" she asked as she wrapped her arm around my neck.

"Why do you keep calling me Prince?"

"Because I think it's sexy, like you," she said as she kissed my cheek.

I know Mya and I are moving extremely fast but I do have really strong feelings for her. She's everything I've been looking for in a woman since I moved down here to Atlanta. All the broads around here are exactly the same. They all got the same plastic surgeon to look the same, they all wanna fight each other and they all dress the same, but Mya's different and I like the fact that she's different.

Nicole



"So you mean to tell me, you just let that nigga walk out with your daughter and you haven't seen either one of their asses in about two months? Are you dumb?" Tee Tee questioned me.

At first, I was a little upset that Theodore was leaving with Princess but as the days went on, life became easier and easier. I love my daughter, I do, but she's a handful since she's so sick and so is dealing with Theodore, so I'm kind of glad he did leave with her because that's one less burden I have to deal with.

Back in high school, I wanted a kid and I wanted Theodore to be the father because I knew he was rich and came from money, so why not get pregnant with his kid? That was before I knew how mean and nasty he'd get whenever I wanted to be around her. He acts like I'm a terrible mother or something. I've shown nothing but love to him and Princess but Theodore takes advantage of me and I know he's been coaching Princess to do the exact same thing. That's why she hasn't been here to see me in over two months.

I was all right with not seeing her for awhile because I needed a break from that damn girl but two months is excessive, especially when I haven't even heard from her. But it's not like I even know how to get in contact with her though. Theodore moved and got his number changed so I don't know how to call either one of them to find out what's going on with my daughter. So I called Tee Tee over to help me out since she knows what she's doing when it comes to dead beat baby daddy's.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm not dumb. I just needed a break from Princess. She's a fuckin' handful and she gets annoying. I always have to give her a shot or make sure she's eating right and she needs so much attention. I'm still trying to survive down here, so I can't give her my attention 24/7, but she's too young to realize that. So it was best if Theodore took her anyways."

"I get she's a handful and I get you being woman enough to know you can't take care of your daughter on your own. I can respect that, but you haven't seen or heard from her in over two months. I can't get with that Nicole. Do you want to be in your child's life?"

I took a deep breath. "I mean...I guess, I think I do. It's just so hard dealing with Princess since she's so sick and Theodore doesn't make the situation any better. He's like a bitter baby mama whenever I'm around. He rubs it in my face that I can't physically or financially take care of Princess the way he can, but he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's never had to struggle or work for anything in his life, so he doesn't understand what I'm going through. You know how stubborn he can be Tee Tee."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know he's a bastard and he's stubborn as hell, that's why I don't want you to get caught up in his trap. He's shames you because you allow him to and it's a way for him to push you and Princess further and further apart."

"But I don't understand why he does it though. I haven't done anything to him."

"Look, Nicole, it's not you, it's him, like it always is. He thinks it's Theodore's world and he's got shit fucked up. He's doing this so he can bring in some other broads around Princess and make them her new mother. Princess is young, after awhile, she'll forget about you, me, Dylan and everything we've done for her and Theodore over the years. Word around the city is that he's getting close with some stripper hoe named Goldie. I suggest you check her ass and tell her who's man she's fucking with."

"How? I don't even know who she is, what she looks like or how to find her."

"She's a stripper at Theodore's club. All you gotta do is go to the club and wait until her dirty ass dances. Then you'll see the bitch that's getting cozy with your man and your daughter. You don't want that trash around Princess. It's no telling what kinda stripper mentality she's using to corrupt Princess. You need to find that slut before it's too late and Princess forgets about you," Tee Tee warned me.

I nodded my head. "Alright, I can do that," I replied. No stripper hoe is going to be around my daughter. Theodore's not gonna start bringing all of the bitches that work for him around my daughter, especially if he can't even check with me about it first. I don't want any of his employees around my daughter. "What about Theodore?"

"You take your ass to the club and you check his no-brain-having ass too if he thinks he can bring stripper hoes around your daughter. He needs to realize that Princess is just as much your kid as she is his and he needs to let you see her. He can't just take her and move away without even telling you. And if he doesn't comply, then take his ass to get, win the case and Princess gets to go home with you. It's a win-win situation. You get Princess and Theodore can't fuck around with or bring anymore stripper hoes around Princess," Tee Tee explained.

The more I listened to her, the less I was on board with her plan. I'm all for kicking the bitches ass that's around my daughter and Theodore's too, for thinking it's all right to have any ole kind of scum around my daughter, but taking care of Princess full time? I don't even think I'll be able to do that. Princess is too damn annoying and needy for me to take care of full time, especially when I have more important things to worry about.

~~~

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How was this chapter? How do you guys feel about Milan trying to keep things going with Theodore? Should she just give up and try to make her relationship work with Teddy? How long do you guys think she'll be with Teddy now that Victoria's back around? How do you guys feel about the way Theodore treated her? How do you guys feel about Daniel FINALLY having a POV? Is he in the wrong to treat Cashmere the way he is or is he just defending Lindsey? How do you guys feel about Lindsey trying to get a job? Will she leave Cashmere? How do you guys feel about Theodore and Mya? Are they moving too fast? Is Theodore just infatuated with her because she's good with Princess? How do you guys think Banga will react when he wakes up and finds out they're together? How do you guys feel about Nicole as a mother? Does she really want Princess? If she gets Princess, will she be able to take care of her?

Tee Tee is in the MM.