Page 2 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Damn, baby. You’ve got the best pussy in the world.” Tone grunted as he wiped my juices from his beard. I swiftly gathered my things so I could make it to my hair appointment on time.

“You say that every time.” I giggled while I shuffled over to the bathroom so I could freshen up.

We hadn’t had sex, but I still needed to clean myself.

Honestly, I had been avoiding having sex with him because I had this weird feeling in my gut.

We weren’t in a relationship, but I also wasn’t messing around with anyone except him.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to holla at you about something,” he called out while standing in the doorway of his bathroom.

“What’s up?” I wrung my towel out and began to wash up. My momma taught me to carry an extra washcloth and an extra pair of panties in my purse, just in case of an emergency. She rarely had anything nice to say to me, so I held on tight to the few lessons she gave me.

“I was wondering if—” His words were interrupted by the sound of someone banging on the front door. I glared at Tone, wondering what kind of drama he was into.

“Stay right here. Let me see what’s going on.” I wasn’t dressed yet, so I reluctantly agreed. I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with bitches over the years, but he swore things were different now. I didn’t care about what he did outside of me, but the women he dealt with weren’t as understanding.

Tone and I have known each other for a long time.

He used to be a big-time hustler in my neighborhood, and I had the biggest crush on him.

We were eight years apart in age, so I never even bothered to try to get his attention.

When we ran into each other six years ago, we instantly hit it off, and the rest was history.

He was getting to the bag, so he didn’t have time for a relationship, which was perfect for me since I didn’t want one either.

Tone would give me money and random gifts whenever we were together, and his sex game was out of this world.

Naturally, like most men in the streets, he ended up getting caught in a sting and was sentenced to three years.

I wasn’t the type to put money on a nigga’s books or do jailhouse visits.

The dick was good, but not that damn good.

However, the moment he touched down, we picked up right where we had left off.

I enjoyed his company overall. For a street nigga, he could hold a decent conversation.

Plus, he was generous with his money, so being around him had its perks.

When we first started messing around, he was always on the move, which made it easier for me to do my own thing.

He hated the fact that I danced and had offered to pay all of my bills.

I allowed him to shower me with money, but I never liked the idea of relying on anyone to take care of me.

Most relationships were conditional, whether platonic or romantic.

All it took was one misunderstanding or fallout for all of the perks to disappear.

I’ve lived most of my life on conditional love, so I knew how things worked.

For that reason, I chose to enjoy things for what they were in the moment and leave the false hopes and promises at the door.

I continued to clean myself and get dressed in the room.

After a brief moment, I heard what sounded like someone arguing downstairs.

I prayed things didn’t get too out of hand because I wasn’t in the mood to fight.

I’d just gotten a fresh wig install, and my favorite nail tech did her thing on my new set.

The last thing I wanted to do was beat someone’s ass because they didn’t know their place.

Since my business was done there, I grabbed my purse and headed out of the room. Their voices grew closer and louder as I descended the steps, instantly ruining my vibe.

“I’m sick of this shit, Terrence! I’ve been holding you down for nine years, and nothing I do seems to be good enough.

Do you know how many niggas I’ve curved over the years?

Too fucking many. I could have been happily married with a man who loves me, but instead I’ve wasted all of these years chasing after your ass.

I’m tired of this. What do I have to do to make you love me and only me?

Why am I never enough?” Her voice cracked, but I rolled my eyes. Her familiar, whiny voice irritated me.

Moniece had been a thorn in my side on multiple occasions, and it had gotten physical a couple of times.

I would give her credit because she took her ass whuppings like a real bitch, but she clearly had no respect for herself.

There was no way I would be at a man’s house asking why he wouldn’t do right by me.

I’m sorry, but there were too many men out there to settle for one.

Especially someone like Tone. He was fine with a big dick and an even bigger bag.

She would have been better off letting him do his thing and enjoying the benefits while they lasted.

“Ahem.” I pretended to clear my throat as I stepped into view. Moniece’s eyes glared in my direction, but I wasn’t the least bit pressed.

“I thought I told you to wait in the room?” Tone uttered while scratching the back of his head. Nervousness radiated from him because he knew what I was capable of. However, he had nothing to worry about because I wasn’t on that type of time anymore.

“I have places to be. Don’t worry, I’ll let myself out.” I headed toward the door, but her voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You know he’ll never choose you? It doesn’t matter how many times you open your legs for him; his heart will never belong to anyone but me.

” She huffed with fake confidence in her tone.

I bit the inside of my cheek before responding.

I noticed her protruding belly, which only made this conversation even more pathetic.

“You’ve been chasing behind this man for years, love.

If this is what love looks like, then I never want to experience it.

You were down here begging this man to take your relationship seriously after he just finished eating my pussy and ass for the last hour.

Sis, you might need to learn how to love yourself a little more before you start trying to give out advice.

” Her jaw fell open as I turned to walk out the door.

I hated the idea of losing my favorite eater, but a baby was too much for me.

Tone had been begging me to take our situation seriously, but I refused to go there with him. Men were selfish by nature. They only did what felt good to them without regard for anyone else’s feelings. I wasn’t built for that kind of life. The day I found love, I wanted it to be for me and only me.

“Damn, girl, you cleaned up tonight,” Rayna commented as I stuffed the last of my money in my duffel bag.

I handled money so much that I could tell how much was in a stack just by looking at it.

Tonight, I made about forty-five hundred dollars, which was great for a weekday.

There were a few hustlers in the house, and naturally, they gravitated toward me.

“Yeah, it was a good night. I know Rob’s greedy ass is probably pacing the floor for his cut.

” I rolled my eyes because I hated our manager with a passion.

He was one of those crooked owners who took advantage of the girls under him.

When I first started working here, I was desperate for some cash to help pay the rent, so I accepted his terms. However, the older I got and the more I observed, I realized that he wasn’t as clean-cut as I once believed.

“You already know it. He didn’t even let me get dressed before he summoned me to his office.

I’m about sick of his ass. He had the nerve to tell me that if I wanted to keep all of my earnings, all I had to do was suck his bumpy ass dick.

These other bitches might fall for this shit, but not me.

I would much rather hand over that funky ass 40 percent.

” She scoffed. He lowered mine to twenty-five after I threatened to quit, but I never told anyone.

The only reason I chose this club was because they were the only ones who would accept someone underage.

At the tender age of seventeen, my mother kicked me out of her house without warning.

I was six months shy of my eighteenth birthday, and the fast food money wasn’t going to be enough for me to pay my own bills.

I met a girl named Ariana who connected me with this job, and I took it out of desperation.

When I first started, I agreed to the terms because I needed the money.

She also found a crackhead who agreed to put an apartment in their name for me, but I needed to give them four hundred dollars on top of the first months’ rent and security deposit.

My first night on the stage, the bartender gave me a shot of liquor to help me relax.

Whatever it was, it worked, and I got on that stage and won the crowd over.

I never liked to show my body because of my insecurities, but once I saw how the men went crazy over my shape, I grew to embrace it.

After two weeks, I had developed my own little routine.

Most of the girls weren’t very welcoming, but there was a handful who welcomed me and even took time to give me some tips and tricks.

I wasn’t too prideful to not accept the help since I needed to make as much money as possible.

Once Rob saw my money-making potential, he started to push my set back later and later.

The men began to request me by name and offered to pay extra for me to dance in their sections.

Of course, being the greedy bastard that he was, Rob never turned down an opportunity.

At times, it seemed like he was my pimp more than my boss, but I kept my complaints to a minimum because this was how I made my money.