Page 15 of Cause When You Love Someone

“Girl. You’re trying to turn yourself up. Maybe I don’t want to drink to sort through my pain. There are other things I can do to forget about a nigga.”

She laughed. “Like what? Messing with your bodyguard? You’re moving backward, Clarke.”

“And you’re moving funny! Go get something to eat and a bottle of water.”

She smacked her lips. “Ugh! I’m grown. I’ll drink what I want. Come on, Sage! I want to go to the bar.”

“Girl, I am not following your drunk ass around this lounge.”

I tapped the top of his thigh. “Please. Just make sure she doesn’t get into any mess.”

“Tuh. I’ll try my best,” he spat.

Once the pair walked off, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ishmael speaking to a man in the section next to us.

The chocolate man sported a low-cut and gold in his mouth.

The men looked nothing alike, but judging by the looseness in Ishmael’s shoulders and his pearly whites on display, I could tell they knew each other.

Drawn to him, I found myself fixing my silk press and dabbing the corners of my lips as I approached my bodyguard.

“Did you forget about me?” I asked in a soft voice.

“Never.”

I glanced at the man and woman at his side. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“Hm. I don’t know these people.”

The small lady rolled her eyes and pushed Ishmael back. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Essen, Ishmael’s best friend.”

My eyes drifted to the man covered in tattoos.

“Durk,” he said, lifting his head.

“Nice to meet you both.” I read the charm hanging from Essen’s necklace. “So, you all are a part of the Sons of Eshu?”

Durk frowned. “Damn, Ish. You been telling your girl our business?”

I grinned at the idea, but the grimace on Ishmael’s face wiped it away.

“We work together. She’s not my lady,” he replied.

“You say it like it’s impossible. We both know the truth,” I sassed.

Essen snickered into her hand. “Talk yo’ shit, girl!”

Somewhere between compliments and flirting, I ended up hanging with Ishmael and his folks. The men were all big in stature and energy, and their wives were welcoming. The group interacted like they were kin, making me realize how much I missed having solid friends in my corner.

When the men stepped away, a pretty lady with red hair, an hourglass figure, and a scar running down one side of her face tapped my knee. “So, you’re Ishmael’s . . .”

“Hm. Client.”

“Ha! Girl, please!”

The full-figured woman Ishmael introduced as Stevie giggled while she pushed her long braids off her shoulder. “Blaze, leave her alone. Maybe client is Ish’s nickname for her. You two looked cozier than just client and bodyguard.”

I groaned. “Damn. Is it that obvious?”

“That’s not something you should sulk about. Of all the men in this crew, Ishmael is one of the most . . . intentional. He’s selective with who he talks to and who he brings around the family.”

Essen interrupted the playful interrogation with a pointed stare. “You’re a lot calmer than I expected. I’m not going to lie, when I learned Ishmael was working for you, I thought there would be a problem.”

“I’m no saint, but a lot of what people judge me for is fake. A lot of what is shown on reality TV is contrived drama.”

“So, that wasn’t you beating the paint off a Benz a couple of months ago?”

My eyes raced to the woman I knew to be Stony. “Nah. That was all me.”

“Oh, I’m not mad at you.” Blaze giggled as she passed a tray of shots around. “I’ve done some crazy things for love, and even worse for revenge.”

By the time Ishmael came over to grab me, I walked away tipsy and committed to a future lunch date with the ladies.

I didn’t ask any questions as Ishmael led me to the rooftop, and to my pleasure, there weren’t many people occupying the area.

“Now that I’ve seen you with your friends, I must admit you’re cooler than I thought. I still can’t believe a motorcycle club is the company you keep.”

“They’re more versed than what meets the eye.

” He pointed to the man with the skunk strip in his hair and another who was built like a football player.

“Shiloh owns a few businesses, and Church owns a cleaning company.” He nodded toward the man with the toothpick.

“Durk purchased his tattoo shop a little while ago, and Loso’s been running his garage for almost ten years.

Not too much needs to be said about O’Cyrus Dellinger, the heavyweight champ. ”

I snapped my fingers like I was in a poetry club. “Damn! All those successful black men, and almost all have a black woman on their arm. I love to see it! Where’s yours?”

“I’m waiting on God to tell me.”

My head sloped to the left as I admired him. “You speak of God a lot. Did you grow up in the church?”

“No, and I didn’t have a grandma to pray. I had to learn to pray for myself.”

We changed spots and marveled at the city until I felt compelled to address the scene on the party bus.

“Thank you for being cool earlier. Chaz doesn’t have any self-control.”

“I didn’t do it for him. I did it for you. You are too damn pretty to be crying over me breaking his fucking face.”

My brows crawled up my forehead.

“What does that look mean?” he quizzed.

“Mm. That what you said may not be the worst idea.”

Ishmael shook his head and laughed into his fist. “That’s your date for the night. Did you forget why we’re here?”

“Yeah. For a second, I thought I was with my man and his friends.”

Tempted and tipsy, I spun so I was facing Ishmael. He looked like he was waiting for me to make a move, pushing me to stand on my tippy toes, despite wearing heels.

The corners of his lips twitched. “Do it. You bad.”

I moved to feel him against me, yet the feeling of someone watching us caused me to check my surroundings.

Sage stood a few feet away with his brows lifted and hands on his hips, reminding me of a mad mama.

“Ma’am!” Sage waved at me. “Did you forget why you’re here?”

“Almost,” I admitted for the second time. “I guess I should get back to work.”

Ishmael slowly pushed his body off the railing. “Yeah. Me too.”

When we rejoined the party, I searched the second floor for Chaz. He disappeared after the bottles were empty, and I hadn’t seen him since. The smug expression on Simone’s face made me go to her. She was posted up off to the side while Chaz’s friends and the ladies I invited stood by the banister.

“Simone, have you seen Chaz?”

“Nope.” She smirked. “Call him and see if he’ll answer.”

I took my phone out of my handbag, and the flood of notifications on the screen caused my chest to cave in.

“What the hell?” I glanced up to find Sage staring at me with sympathy, slanting his gaze. “You saw this shit?”

He flipped his phone around. “Just saw the notifications.”

I didn’t tell anyone my next move as I marched outside to where the special guests parked. Sage, Simone, and Ishmael followed me, and ironically, Ishmael’s friends were already outside.

Unable to contain my disgust, I paced back and forth with no regard for who was watching me.

“This nigga has done a lot foul of shit, but this takes the cake. I wonder who even recorded his nasty ass.”

Simone raised her hand and staggered forward. “That would be me.” She spoke proudly.

My eyes sliced through her. “Wait. What do you mean?”

“I went downstairs to pee, and I saw Chaz and Tracy together. By the time I made it to the bathroom, I could hear them outside the stall. Dumbasses didn’t even notice I was standing on the toilet next to them recording.”

“Why the hell would you post it on the internet? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t post shit! I meant to send it to you, but I accidentally sent it to Mira’s messy ass. Knowing her, she probably sold it to one of the blogs.”

The more she spoke, the more I thought of putting my hands on her. Simone had always been a brat, but knowing she was capable of basking in my embarrassment was something different.

Done for the night, I prepared to call Rock.

However, the sight of Chaz walking out the private exit holding hands with his baby mama changed my plans.

The part of my heart that was done with Chaz urged me not to say a word as they passed me.

The part of me that was tired of being disrespected made me snatch Tracy by her ponytail after she flicked me off.

In the blink of an eye, everything moved in slow motion. One second, I dragged Tracy to the ground, and the next, I heard Ishmael’s friend Blaze threaten Tracy’s friends when they attempted to jump in.

Being the hater she was, Tracy tried to pull my hair from the root, but I punched her in her nose until she let go.

When I remembered I had six-inch boots on my feet, I got Tracy to the ground.

Ready to stomp a hole in her face, I lifted my foot, but luckily for her, Ishmael tossed me over his shoulder.

“Put me down! Put me down now!”

Ishmael didn’t reply. He just carried me away while Chaz talked shit and helped his battered bitch off the ground.

“You need to relax, Clarke.”

“You need to put me down!” I snatched out of his arms then pushed him back. “I’m sick of being disrespected! If you don’t back up . . . ”

Ishmael grinned at my threat. “You got ol’ girl leaking, but I’m not scared of those pillows.”

“Don’t patronize me, Ishmael!”

He gripped my chin, forcing me to find his eyes. “Don’t threaten me.”

“I don’t want to fight you too. Can you take me home?” I pleaded with Ishmael.

He showed me the key fob in his palm. “I already made arrangements.”

“To your home,” I added, needing him to catch my drift.

“You didn’t stutter. I didn’t either.”

I couldn’t explain how we went from fussing in the parking lot to naked in Ishmael’s bedroom, but the small details weren’t important. The only thing that mattered was that Ishmael did as I asked.

“I have been wondering how wide you can open your mouth,” he teased while looking down at me on my knees.

Slobber leaked from the corners of my lips as I eased his ten inches down my throat. I didn’t think before I wiped the moisture off my face and rubbed it onto my clit.

“Fuck, Clarke. Go all the way down on it,” he muttered, already guiding my head further into his pelvis. “You got my fucking legs shaking.”

The sound of my gags birthed a deep groan from Ishmael. There were a lot of things that turned me on, and the sound of my man’s moans was like a lullaby.

“Nah. Open your eyes. This is what you wanted. Look at the mess you’re making.”

His tempting words sent my wide-eyed gaze up to his tapered stare.

Light from the bathroom gave me a clear view of him, and even with a face twisted in pleasure, Ishmael was fine as hell.

His body was more sculpted than I imagined, and when he took off his shirt, I saw he had a tattoo of a tattered cross covering his back.

Lost in the feeling of his dick pulsating between my lips, I squealed when Ishmael snatched me from the floor. Naturally, I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

“I want you to sit on my face. I don’t get to breathe until you get what you need.” He took hold of my bottom lip between his teeth. “You hear me? I want you to bounce that pussy on my tongue.”

“Aww, fuck.” I groaned and tossed my head back, giving Ishmael the opportunity to suck on my neck.

When Ishmael carried us to bed and turned my body around so my ass was in his face, I doubted how long I would be able to last in that position.

So close to Ishmael’s long dick, I didn’t hesitate to swirl my tongue around the tip and massage his balls.

The sweet taste of his pre-cum made my mouth water.

The moans from his lips made my pussy throb.

Fear of suffocating him caused me to hold myself up, but Ishmael bit into my ass cheek and yanked me down.

“Stop being scary, and let me taste it,” I heard him say in a muffled tone.

His shit talking motivated my hips to rock back and forth until a quiver raced up my spine. “Oh shit, Ishmael. Right there. Lick me right there,” I begged as my hands slithered up to my hard nipples.

Ishmael’s fingers ran down my back while his tongue tended to the hole below my waist. I could feel a tightness in the pit of my stomach when he moved his fingers from my clit to my asshole.

“Aww, yes. Do that,” I professed. “Keep doing that shit. Make me cum. I want to cum, baby.” I twisted my pussy against his chin until my orgasm hit then a minute later subsided. Between narrowed eyes, I saw his dick twitch. The need to please him terminated the thought of taking a break.

“I want you on top of me,” I declared, already getting into position.

Ishmael didn’t utter a word as he slowly slid inside of me, as if savoring the sensation of my warmth clinging to him. Even with us linked, I lifted my hips so he would go deeper.

“You have no business having pussy this good. You feel my dick throbbing inside of you?”

I nodded as I traced my fingernails from the top of his butt up to the back of his neck. I inherited the tremors that tore through when he leaned down and grasped my nipple between his lips.

“Mmm. That is my spot. Suck harder.”

My breathing increased when my generous lover followed my command and added teeth. The combination of pleasure and pain had me ready to nut fast like a nigga fresh out of the pen.

“I know you want to cum again,” Ishmael suggested as if reading my mind. “I can feel your pussy getting soaked again. Pussy grippin’ my shit like it got a mouth on it.”

“You’re doing that to me,” I whined in a soft voice. “You’re fucking me so good. I can’t hold it.”

“Give it to me. There ain’t no reason for you to hold it, baby.” He thrusted into me. “I’m going to fuck you all night.”