Page 66 of A Toxic Redemption

"I kind of cheated on him."

My eyes damn near bulged from their sockets at her admission. Lori seemed to have really liked Bino, and I was shocked that she would step out on him. They weren't officially together, but from what I understood, they were all about each other.

"Girl, what happened?" I checked the time on my phone to see the time. I had about thirty minutes before I had to be on the roof. "I need to know before I leave out of here."

"Well, he's been so distant lately, and it was bothering me. I would continuously try to get him to talk to me, and all he would say was he was going through something, and he needed time." When a tear slid down her cheek, I walked over and pulled her into a hug. "I thought he was seeing someone else, so I tried to get my lick back. He popped up on me at my house, and a guy from school was over there with me."

"That's not cheating, sis," I rubbed her back, thinking about Monty and me. "You know I went through something similar."

"Yeah, well, you didn't open the door in a robe with nothing underneath while the man was still naked in your bed."

"Gah damn, Lori!" I screeched and covered my mouth. "Did Bino kill him?"

"I almost wish he had." She sarcastically chuckled. "Bino told the dude to make sure I showed him the trick I did to his balls and left."

I felt so sorry for her, but she knew better. Lori has never been a tit-for-tat type of person so I didn't know what would possess her to do something like that. She fucked up big time.

"Well Lori, I don’t know what to tell you, baby," I sympathetically stated as I strapped my heels, "You should have learned from what Khalil went through with Mia that you can't play these niggas and expect for them to just forgive you. I know that you and Bino weren't in a relationship, but he fucked with you heavily. If he told you to chill because he was going through something, you should have believed him."

Khalil confided in me and told me what was going on with his aunt. I felt bad for them all, honestly, but I understood his stance on it. He missed out on years with his father because of her jealous and spiteful ways. Then, for his brother to be in cahoots with her simply for money? I didn't want to even imagine how Bino and Jake must feel. Kira hadn't really spoken on it, and it wasn't something that we were going to discuss now.

"All I can say is you should have believed your man."

"But he wasn't my man," she snapped. "Bino made it clear time and time again that we were 'chilling'."

"Well, don't even be mad, boo." I was over the conversation. Lori can't get upset because she chose to play with him. He told her to relax, and she chose to get fucked. "Take your loss and move on." After slipping on my last shoe, I stood upright and did a slight twirl. "How do I look?"

The hunter-green mock-necked dress fit my body like a glove. The split going up the left thigh made it impossible to move without showing my treasure. The black heels made my legs look delectable, and I couldn't wait to see what they'd look like holstered on Khalil's shoulders tonight. My hair was pulled into a messy bun with curls cascading all around. I kept my jewelry to a minimum with Chanel studs, and my Cartier watch. I grabbed my Chanel clutch and waited for the ladies to tell me what they thought.

"You look so pretty." Kira smiled as she dabbed her eyes. She went into her back pocket and grabbed her phone. "Sasha is going to lose her mind."

"So is David," we laughed as I headed toward the door. "I'm out, ladies, and thank you again. I'm ready to go enjoy my man."

As I entered the elevator, I was suddenly nervous. For many reasons, this date was a big deal to me, and I wanted it to be perfect. After what seemed like thirty seconds, I was on the rooftop of the hotel. The night air wasn't that cool, but with how I was feeling and sweating, I needed the breeze to calm me down. Stepping off the elevator, I locked eyes with none other than Khalil Simmons.

He looked so damn good in his Tom Ford suit with a hunter-green shirt underneath to match my dress. His lineup was fresh, and I could smell his Maison Margiela cologne before he even reached me. Daddy was definitely getting fucked tonight.

"Damn," he spat as he eyed me lustfully. "I can't wait to take this muhfucka off of you, girl." He kissed my neck and roughly grabbed my ass. "Then you smell like peaches. I know that pussy tastes like it, too."

"Boy, move." I pushed him off of me when he began to hump my leg. "Let's eat."

"I'm trying to, but you're playing." He grabbed my hand and followed me to the table. I heard him mumble about my assgetting fatter, and I couldn't help but simper. Khalil was too much at times.

As we took our seats, I looked around and was happy that my vision had come to life. I wanted the scene to look as romantic as possible, and they did just that. Candles were lit all about with soft music playing in the background. The chef was ducked off in the corner with his little grill, and the smell of lamb chops filled the air. As the hostess brought out our wine for the evening, I couldn't help but blush under his stare.

"You're beautiful, Luck." He placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his fists. "Do you know how much you mean to a nigga?"

"I think I have an idea." I smirked and caused him to do the same. "It's always nice to hear it, but tonight it's all about you."

"Me?" Khalil sat upright when the hostess brought the dinner out. We've never been an appetizer type of people. Lamb chops, lobster mac and cheese, and steamed veggies were on the menu for tonight. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You're you," I honestly answered as I cut into my meat. I couldn't help but close my eyes and moan at the taste. Either this food was delicious, or I was just starving. "Sorry, but yes. You've been holding shit together for months since your brother and Mia came back into town with KJ, not to mention you have been kicking ass as a father. I admire you, and I'm proud of you. You made it easy for me to fall in love with you."

I meant every word I said to him. I can't pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with this man, but I do know that when I finally accepted it, it hit me full force. Fighting it was pointless, and I wish I had let him love on me sooner. We weren't ready at the time, but now we are both all in.

"You want me to tell you the moment I fell in love with you?" Khalil asked as he sipped his wine. "You probably won't believe me."

"When?"

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