Page 63 of Chemistry: The Chemist

Against my car, I stroked her long and I stroked her hard, sure I was making a mess of the black sweats clinging to my thighs. And just when I noticed her peak approaching, I dislodged myself and lowered her to her feet. Her disgruntled moan nearly made me reconsider, but I stood my ground.

“Get in your car and go home, Eden.”

I unlocked the door of my whip as I approached the driver's side, pulling my pants up in the midst of the madness. When I slid in, I wasn’t alone. Eden sat next to me, right where she belonged. But, not tonight.

“Go home.”

She opened the glove compartment, hands trembling as she removed the blindfold. She placed it on her head and pulled it down over her eyes.

I watched in disbelief as she felt around for her seatbelt, securing it shortly after discovering it. When she rested her back against the seat, I reminded her she wasn’t welcome.

“Go home, Eden.”

“It’s been four days.” Her voice cracked. She was becoming the version of Eden that softened me. The version that could have anything from me. Ask anything of me.

“I don’t give a fuck if it was ten. I was coming back. I’ll always come back. I am a businessman. I have business to tend to. Once it’s done, I’ll always come back. What part of that shit don’t you understand?”

“I’m sorry.”

I snatched the blindfold off her face and tossed it in the backseat.

“I can’t babysit you. I won’t babysit you. Do whatever the fuck you want, Choc. Just make sure you’re able to live with the consequences, because I will have no problem doing so. I didn’t see you for four days. This time, let’s make it ten.”

“Don’t do th–”

“You don’t get to decide. You’ve made your bed. Lie in that motherfucker. Goodbye, Eden.”

The burner that I’d purchased for communication would be at her doorstep by morning. I just needed my baby to hold out a few hours longer and I’d be at her fingertips. But, in Eden fashion, her impatience had written a check her ass couldn’t cash.

She unbuckled the seatbelt and climbed out, reluctantly. I could still smell her arousal long after she was in her car with the engine running. I could also smell the traces of blood lingering.

Disappointment tugged at my heartstrings. She’d had her period. I quickly calculated her next ovulation window. Two weeks from now, I’d have the opportunity to plant my seed.

Three weeks of her madness and I was ready for a lifetime of adventure. She kept my adrenaline pumping. Kept me wondering. Kept me on my toes. Kept reminding me women of her caliber were hard to come by and I’d be foolish to let her slip away. I didn’t plan on it.

The city lights became fewer and farther apart as I got closer to home. Just as I backed into the garage, I contemplated making another trip downtown. Eden had gotten under my skin, but now I wanted her against it.

Stand your ground, I finalized before shutting my door behind me.

I headed straight for the shower where I discarded her scent and washed away the evidence of the day I’d had. By the time I pulled back the sheets, I was ready to call it a night. I had an early morning and having a late night would be an unwise decision.

Stretching my hand across the bed, I gripped my sole source of comfort other than a body that was miles away, feeling the discomfort her lack of composure caused. The brown blanket was all that was left to commemorate the bond I shared with my mother.

I slept with it nearby. For a sense of peace. For a sense of stability. For a sense of normalcy. For her. Because, since she’d been gone, nothing was the same anymore.

FIVE

The ceiling fan whirled above me as I lay flat on the bed with my nose toward the sky. Misery had crept into my bones and made itself home. Not even my mother or Art could rescue me from the funk I was in. They’d both tried. There was only one solution.

Him.

It was day nine of punishment and I was praying I still had a piece of my sanity by the time midnight rolled around. I had four hours before my fate was revealed and I was counting down the minutes. Because I had work in a few, I knew lying around sulking wasn’t possible, but I’d lay as long as I could while technology failed us all.

The flowers that never died were on my kitchen counter. Gifts, several he’d funded, had filled the living room. Deliveries showed up at my door daily. Each time there was a knock, I was hoping to find him behind it.

A new cellphone, one that had only one number stored and a photo of me wrapped in his sheets for a wallpaper, made the perfect, useless accessory for my nightstand. I’d called Chem nearly ten times in less than ten days, still, I hadn’t heard his voice or seen his face.

Parts of me had regretted the second I accepted Tre’s invitation to the bar a few blocks away. We’d crossed paths in the lobby a few times. His smile was radiating. His conversation was interesting. My center was aching. His invitation couldn’t have come at a better time.

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