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Max pops up to console Mr. Murphy. “You could have given us a heads up to prepare ourselves for losing little Jinx.”
“Dory, seriously? I told you and Mr. Murphy she wouldn’t be here for long. And all this is overkill.” I gesture toward the crowd watching our interaction with bated breath.
“It’s not excessive to mobilize our community when one of our own hasn’t shown signs of life in days.”
Mr. Murphy nods, agreeing with Max.
“When did you become part of the community?” I ask, wondering how she mobilized everyone when I barely exchanged two words with most of my neighbors.
“Don’t change the subject, young lady. You had us worried for nothing. Now do the right thing and update us on the little one’s progress.”
I check my watch, mentally calculating how long I can stay out before someone discovers I drugged Sansone. “Okay, but Ican’t stay long. And before you twist my arm, I need to get back in case Jinx has a nightmare.”
My neighbors who moments ago were eager to bombard me with all kinds of demands, glance at me with sheepish expressions. Surprised and touched by their collective care for the girl whose mother abandoned her, I update them on her progress. Although the briefing doesn’t satisfy them, they don’t complain.
Correction, my neighbors don’t complain.
Max proves to always be the exception. “So, when can we see her again?”
Everyone perks up, but I can’t risk exposing my address to Sansone’s people.
“I’ll let you know.” I back away, heading toward my car. “But right now, I’ve got to get back.”
Max separates from the crowd to stop me from closing my car door. “Zakiya, I need you to look me in the eye and promise me you’re okay.”
Something in her earnestness gives me pause. Despite years of trying to sever ties with her, she’s never let me. I never dwelled on why, but now that I’m seeing her genuine concern, I wonder if she suspected my childhood was anything but ordinary.
“You know you can trust me to have your back, no matter what, right?”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. Unable to lend a voice to the thoughts running through my head, I nod.
She steps away, allowing me to shut the door and back out. During my drive to Sansone’s home, I can’t help but dwell on my neighbors’ behavior. I want to detach myself from their concern, but each time my mind wanders to another neighbor who showed up my breath hitches, proving how attached I’ve become.
With my return looming, I suspect my situation will worsen because nothing I’ve done has deterred Sansone from his goal of keeping me.
CHAPTER 17
Sansone
A dull ache pulses in my head as I squint up at the ceiling. A fog bogs down my thoughts, delaying me from my morning routine. As lucidity returns, I realize I’m staring at the wrong ceiling.
Why am I in my room instead of Zakiya’s? When did I come in here?
I pat my chest and peer down my body. I’m in the same clothes I wore yesterday.
The last memory I had before falling asleep was of me approaching Zakiya to further my campaign to wear her down. An unexpected chuckle escapes. She got one over on me.
My loss should infuriate me, but I’m too full of admiration for the woman I’m more certain than ever I want to make my wife. Boredom will never be a problem for us.
Reinvigorated, I swing out of bed and head to the bathroom. I test the door leading to Zakiya’s room and find it unlocked. I open it all the way and soak in Zakiya as she sleeps.
Yeah, I’m perving on her. The shit she holds tightly to in her waking hours don’t seem to disturb her in her sleep, and it shows in the relaxed muscles of her face. Her cheeks have an addedsoftness to their fullness, giving her a youthful innocence. But that mouth will never be innocent.
My cock hardens in anticipation of having her lips wrapped around me. Of teaching her what I like and discovering together what she likes. Fuck! I’m already leaking, knowing I’ll be her first for everything.Soon.
I step away and undress for my shower, leaving the door open in case she wakes and becomes curious. Even better, if she joins me.
I enter under the spray of water, but Zakiya is too prominent in my thoughts. I take my cock in hand and slowly slide from the base to the tip, squeezing when I get to the top. After a couple strokes, I stop. Without Zakiya as part of the journey, it feels empty. I rush through the rest of the shower and towel off before reentering Zakiya’s room where I sit beside her and watch her until she shows signs of waking.
