Page 24 of Still Yours

It was a week after her twentieth birthday, and she was still holding on to her virginity… and she knew Lunden was trying to work his way into her panties.

When he acted jealous, it always pushed her away from having sex, like he was doing in that moment. Knowing how he was, she didn’t want to give him everything and tie her soul to his.

“I don’t make myself available to anybody but you, Lunden, so stop it. Are you about to take me to dinner? Or are we arguing again today, and I have to go alone?” She rolled her eyes.

“Nah, I can’t do dinner tonight; that’s why I came here. I ordered you and Storm some food tho’. But check it, I’m hosting my boy's birthday party tonight. I need you on my arm. I bought you some nice shit to wear; it’s at your crib. So be ready at nine, no later, Pretti. You know you take too fuckin’ long to get dressed.”

“Okay.”

He pulled her close to him by the waist and kissed her lips. “And take those fuckin’ braids out ya’ head. You look like some ghetto ass project bitch, and I don’t want you looking like that in the ten-thousand-dollar jacket I got you. Get your hair straightened.”

She pulled away from his hold and frowned. “What? Storm just did my hair. I'm not taking them down,” she whined.

“Whatever, just be ready at nine.” Lunden didn’t stress the issue because Storm had walked up, and he didn’t want her in their business. He kissed her again and walked off, leaving her fuming.

“Damn, what’s wrong, baby doll?” Storm asked as she looked at Pretti watching Lunden walk out of her shop.

“Your cousin is so fucking rude. Why?” she said, almost in tears.

Storm sighed, feeling bad for her new friend and boss. She knew how green Pretti was, and she didn’t like how Lunden was trying to control her.

“He’s always been a fucking dickhead. Girls think he is so fine and fall to his feet, so he thinks he can talk to anyone crazy. But I be letting his ass know.” Storm rolled her eyes and her neck as she spoke.

“He’s cool most of the time, but as soon as he sees me smiling with a guy, he gets crazy and says dumb shit to me.”

“I know you can't wait until Dexz comes home.” Storm smiled, and so did Pretti. It had been a couple of months since she heard from him, but she and Lunden were keeping money on his books.

“I miss my best friend.” She smiled as his face brushed across her thoughts.

“Well, I’m telling you now that Lunden is not Dexten. They may have the same traits, but my cousin is not him. Watch how you move with his crazy ass. He will have you in your feelings all the time,” Storm said truthfully. She loved her cousin, but she and Pretti had gotten really close, and she didn’t want to see her hurt.

“I hear you, Storm. Thank you for being a friend to me since I've been here. Are you going to this party Lunden is talking about tonight?” she asked, changing the subject from Dexz to Lunden.

“You know I'm going to shake my ass tonight. You need me to do your makeup?”

“Yes, and my hair. I'm about to take my braids out while we eat. I need you to straighten it.”

“What? You don't like your braids?” Storm looked sad. She had done four goddess braids with red tips.

“No, it's just too tight, and I don’t want to be sitting in the club with tight braids. Let's try it again next week,” she lied. She didn't want Storm to know she was changing it for Lunden because she would flip out.

“Alright, it does look a little tight around the edges. I'll hook you up after we eat if you don't have any more clients.”

“Yeah, I'm done for the day, and we're closing early. I made my quota.”

“Shit, me too,” Storm said as the two walked to the break room to eat what Lunden had gotten sent for them. After the girls ate and talked, Pretti sent her nail tech and other stylists home since they were done for the day, too.

After she and Storm dolled each other up for the night, they both went home to get dressed and promised to see each other at the club.

$$$$

Later that night, Pretti got dressed in the outfit Lunden had gotten her for their night out at the hottest club in Manhattan. It was a skintight black silk Chanel dress with matching red thigh-high boots. The dress stopped at her thighs and had spaghetti straps, showing a lot of skin. He had gotten her a fluffy leopard fur coat that stopped at her waist and a long-strapped designer bag.

“This nigga always wants me to dress like some New York chick.” She looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her room. The outfit was definitely fly, but it wasn't her style. She felt like she looked older than twenty, and a little slutty, but she rolled with it.

“What’s up, love? You ready?” Lunden yelled out from her living room. She freshened up her mascara because Storm had beat her face before she left the shop and walked out to the living room.

“I'm ready.” She walked out of the room.