Page 71 of Call Me Mrs. Taylor

“Read the room, baby.”

20

Raya

He’s mine!

My man, my man, my fucking MAN!

It’s official. I got him.

Life isgood.

But there’s bad news: today’s our last day here.

We have to leave the bubble, and I’m dreading it with everything in me.

Home means back to reality. Work. My father.

I really need to get this ring.

Ace gave me the roadmap yesterday, too. He wants me to let him in. I have to…tell him shit. He wants to know me. I can do it. Ihaveto do it. But it will be a struggle.

We’re at the pool right now. We’ve been so busy fucking, we didn’t get the chance before today. I sit on the side, water up to my thighs, and stretch my arms over my head, letting the sun soak into my skin, my sunglasses shielding my eyes as I sip my strawberry daiquiri.

Ace is in the pool, swimming like an Olympic athlete, slicing through the water with smooth, easy strokes. My man is so fucking fine. Muscles rippling, back flexing, droplets glistening on his bronzed skin every time he comes up for air.

That’s all mine.

I’m so blessed.

I take my phone out, snapping a few quick shots. One of me, looking relaxed and unbothered. A few of him, for my private enjoyment. Then I go to his Instagram and hit the follow button from my real account.

I smile to myself, swirling my straw in my drink. I feel like a million bucks.

Then I notice something.

There’s a shark in the water in the form of a homely bitch. She looks spicy white, but it’s hard to tell. She’s been swimming past him for the last five minutes, real casual-like, pretending she’s just doing laps. But I see what’s going on. She’s orbiting him. Testing the waters.

It’s not overly crowded here, four families at most, so she has plenty of pool to swim in. It’s definitely deliberate.

Ace ain’t even paying her no mind, because bae is loyal like that, but she better watch herself. I’m on high fucking alert, bitch.

I sit up, adjusting my sunglasses, blood rushing in my head.

Here this bitch goes again.

This time, she bumps into him.

Ace comes up from underwater, wiping a hand down his face, blinking the water out of his eyes.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, hon!” she gushes, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

He shrugs, already moving past her. “You’re good.”

There it is. She eyefucks my man. The bitch with the bad spray tan and a bikini that’s a little too small for the body she thinks she has.

I take a slow sip of my drink, watching through my shades as she keeps pushing.

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