What They Don't Know (Won't Hurt Them Trilogy #1) (35 page)

“Lift,” he says
indicating I lift my arms so he can remove my blouse from over my
head.

“I got it, Bry.”

“Lift,” he says
again, loudly this time. I lift my arms, and he pulls my blouse over
my head. I try to turn but Bryant grabs me around my waist. One hand
on my stomach, the other he slowly runs all the way up to my neck.
He’s at my earlobe when I feel his breath on me.

“Bree, you feel so
damn good right here, right now.”

“Bry…”

“Shh…” He
silences me with one finger on my lips. He pushes his index finger
into my mouth while he bites down on my ear. Bryant grinds his hips
into my ass while his finger is still in my mouth. All that’s on my
mind is why these two men keep silencing me the same way.

“Please, Bry.” I
try to stop him from going any further with this. It’s too late;
he’s gotten rock hard. I mean it’s almost painfully poking me the
ass. His hand that was on my stomach has now found its way to my
breast. He’s pulled my bra down exposing my breasts to squeeze my
nipples. They are standing at attention. He turns me around to face
him. “Bryant, please, we can’t.”

“Why, Bree? It’s
not as if anything’s changed between us. It’s Friday, Bree. This
is what normally happens on Fridays anyway.”

“No.” I shake my
head. I move to get out of Bryant’s hold. “Can I sleep in your
guest room, please?” I whisper.

“Bree, what’s
wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m tired
that’s all.” He side-eyes me.

“You’ve been tired
before, Bria, and rode me like a champion. Something’s up. What’s
the problem?” He’s beginning to get annoyed with me denying him.

“Nothing, Bry, I’m
just—”

“Wait,” he
interrupts. “You said you didn’t fuck him that night, but you
fucked him?”

I nod not looking up.

“Motherfucker!” he
yells as he punches the wall.

“Bryant? What did you
expect to happen?” I scream as I storm out of his room. Walking
behind me, he closes the gap between us quickly. He grabs my arms.

“Let go of me,
Bryant!”

“No! When? Tell me
now.”

“Last night,” I
told him quietly.

“Holy fuck, Bree! Why
didn’t you…” he trails off. He lets go of my arm and steps
aside. He knows I want to leave, not just his room, but also his
home. I can’t even look at Bryant. I feel I need to say something.
He runs his hands through his hair in frustration.

“That explains a
lot.”

I look up at him. “What
do you mean?” Our voices are low like there’s sadness in both of
us. I mean, I know we shouldn’t celebrate, pop bottles, or jump for
joy at my admittance. But damn, we’re both standing here like we
lost our best friend; that’s how it feels anyway.

“Bryant,” I say
softly to him. As I reach for his hand, he pulls away. “Don’t do
this, Bry, please.”

He takes a few steps
back. “I’ll… I’ll call you a cab in the morning unless you
want to leave tonight.” I’m still tipsy, he knows how I get when
I’ve been drinking or sick. I never want to be alone.

“Bry, please.” He
holds up one hand, to stop me from talking.

“Tonight or in the
morning?” he says.

“In the morning,” I
answer. This way I have all night to try to apologize and convince
him that Cruz was a mistake.

Cruz
was a mistake.
I keep telling myself so I believe it
eventually. He was. He was a mistake. The act was a mistake. The way
my body reacted, a huge mistake. What I can’t understand is the way
Cruz reacted from it. He didn’t come; he demanded something from me
I couldn’t give. His attitude is always changing. The guy at the
hospital and the guy from Thursday aren’t the same. I can’t think
about Cruz right now.

Bryant is the only
person I am concerned about. I’m sitting in his guest room on the
chair at the huge-ass window. Two hours pass. There’s no movement
in the entire house. Bryant must be asleep. As soon as the thought
enters my head, I hear the front door close. It’s like one in the
morning, where is he going? Sitting in the chair, I get a great view
of the streets below. Far away, I can see the city lights. The view
is awesome for the wandering mind. Looking down, I notice Bryant
getting into Cruz’s car. What. The. Hell? I wonder what the hell
they could be doing at one in the morning. He hasn’t even responded
to any of my texts. I call a cab. I’m not in the mood for Bryant or
Cruz’s games. Fifteen minutes later, I’m locking up Bryant’s
house or at least putting his alarm on. I leave the spare key on the
table with no note to justify why I left. I don’t want to damage
our friendship further.

The black leather hat
that I wear is pulled down to cover my face or at least hide my eyes.
For the sake of the cab driver and myself. I may lose my sanity if he
comments on the expression I’m currently wearing. The thought of my
sunglasses on at one in the morning might raise more questions to my
not-so-sunny disposition.

A twenty-minute taxi
ride has me reflecting on the past month of my life. It’s been
interesting nonetheless. It’s not going to deter me from my life
happening. Bryant’s friendship means the world to me; but he made
me part of a deal that I will never forgive him for. Hopefully, not a
deal gone bad. It’s not my fault he’s put me in that position.
I’ll use it to my advantage, I’ll play the outsides against the
middle. What they don’t know, won’t hurt them. It’s a well-kept
secret amongst only those who know.

Cruz’s whatever-ship
has no emotional effect on me. Physically it has. I will not admit
this to anyone but myself. Physically giving me a feeling that can’t
be duplicated. Thinking back to the night that he gave me multiple
orgasms, my body tenses because I want—I need—that feeling again.
I can’t believe just that one time has my body withdrawing from
itself. What is it with him? He didn’t even come. I want his
orgasm. I want to know that I make him lose it. I think that’s why
I crave him. I want to know that I can make him edge over. My pussy
and my mind need gratification. I smile at what I know, that they
don’t. I’ll use who I can in this business, and take what I want
for my own satisfaction. This is what Bryant started. I’ll finish
it, by my terms only.

First, I’d like to
thank Jesus Christ for giving me the strength to keep going on this
journey. Some may criticize for this thanks, in such a read.
He
is a forgiving God.

Peggy H. and Mandy P.
Thanks for having no mercy on my words. It was a tough pill to
swallow. You polished me right up.

Bobbie B. and Jessica
H. My cheerleaders, without you guys, I would have quit this book
more times I’ve quit my job. I love you to pieces. Thank you for
words of encouragement. Thank you for believing in my story. Thank
you for the countless numbers of offered help. I listen, it may not
seem like it, but I do. You mean more to me than you know. This road
was bumpy and long, thank you for taking it with me.

In no particular order:
Renee C.; Laurenlin P.; Lauren B.; Addison K.; Amy H,; Natacha R-P.
from Lick Your Lips Cakes. In some way all of you inspired me,
encouraged me, told me to just do it. I remember the first person I
told I wanted to write. She said, “go for it, do it.” The second
person said, “I don’t see why you shouldn’t, you’ve read
enough. If you’re inspired and have stories to tell, you should.”
The third person said, “That’s awesome, don’t hold back.” She
also told me at a signing, When I was worried about taking so long in
line. “Don’t worry about it, this is your time.” I didn’t
take long in line, but I took it as a sign, “this is my time.” I
want to say thank you for your words, to write for myself. To be
different, to read reviews and learn from them. Thank you. I was also
told “to have faith,” and I do, every day.

Britt S. Thank you for
taking out the time to respond to my email; for taking a chance with
your work and allowing me to pair it with my work. Your work is my
vision; I can write stories from your photos alone. It’s my first
and I hope you like it.

Carlton B. You kept me
typing when I was panicking, from the first time my laptop crashed,
and I missed my editing date way back when. Well, it made it through
and crashed again when I was done with my final edits. Thank you for
saving me.

Jesse G. Thank you for
accepting the role as my formatter, thank you for being accessible. I
think you spoke to me in the middle of the night. (Save that story
for another book) I promise not to annoy you. Thank you.

Antonio F. My ride or
die partner, I don’t have enough correct words that would or could
express my thanks to you. A lot of hard days, you were one of the
voices cheering me on. You encouraged me to stay focused, which is
very difficult to do as a single mom. You also keep me faithful. You
have to know, I love you to the moon and back.

Brook M. My
ace-coon-boon, my pride and joy. (lol) I can’t even begin, you’ve
helped me so much. You don’t even know. I am so proud of you. From
all my laptop crashes, to the new purchases. You are my forbidden
fruit guru. Hahaha. Only a few will know what I mean.

DonVicVon. I live
through you guys, you keep me young. Even though you all are not
aware of this book, I thank you guys for all the laughs we share. You
keep my head clear. Love you.

Brittany F. Thank you
for keeping my secrets, thank you for all the cat videos on my bad
days. You and your dad are my lifesavers. I love you much.

Marie and Edwina. You
may or may not have thought I was serious when I shared this with
you. I was done, and not happy about my first round of edits. I want
to say thank you for not laughing at my dream. I love you guys.

Ray R. Thank you for each time you
see me, you are no different form the last. I miss you so much, and I
love you.

Betty R. You are
definitely not aware of this book and I want to keep it that way. I
will not tarnish your thoughts, of my angelic ways. You birthed me
and told me I could be what I want to be. I always laughed and told
myself…
She must be crazy, I’m
not going to the Army.
Thank you

Kevin C. My biggest
cheerleader, you stayed on my back for not believing in myself. You
believe in me more than I do. You have high hopes for this book. You
told me no matter what, I can do it. You are a constant in my life,
you are family. Thank you for always pushing me to my limits, without
crossing the line. ~xo

To the bloggers;
readers; reviewers; and authors who inspired me. I want to extend my
thanks to you. Thank you for the encouragement; for the pointers; for
the unknown help. Thanks for the acceptance.

Last
but not least

My babies. I want to
thank you for your patience. The time away from you guys is
unbearable. You are not aware of what it takes to become an author,
but it’s okay. Nothing comes easy, if it does don’t accept it.
You will know in about five to six years about this journey I’ve
taken. Until then, put this book down. I love you endlessly. Forever
and always.

~OY

O.Y. Flemming is an
anti-water; anti-forbidden fruit user. She loves blending different
coffee together, to create the perfect coffee hybrid. When she's not
sleeping; procrastinating; or obsessing over cars, she’s reading.
Her love of books started at an early age; she would form book clubs
with her elementary friends, and write book reports for fun. As an
adult, she was re-introduced to reading again and found a love for
story-telling. She loves the reading community; it’s no place like
home.