Page 3 of Grown Folks Confessions: Black Lush

I leaned against the wall, doing nothing to hide my smirk. “Maybe. Why do you want to know?”

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously, you know why I want to know.”

“Nope. I ain’t got a clue,” I said, although that was a lie. I could feel the sexual tension in the room, and it didn’t feel one-sided. But I didn’t dare get my hopes up thattheeLayla Payne—the girl I’ve never been able to get out of my head—was thinking about fuckin’ around with a dude like me.

“Here’s the thing,” she said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Before I explain myself, I need you to promise me that whatever happens tonight doesn’t leave this room.”

My dick jumped. “I promise.”

“No, you answered too fast, so I don’t think you get me.” She patted the side of the bed for me to sit beside her. “Ares, I know we fight all the time, and you could possibly be the worst decision I’ve made in my entire life.”

“Shit,” I huffed. “If this is your way of asking me to fuck you, need I remind you that even guys need to be wooed every now and then?”

She visibly swallowed. “I really am asking you to fuck me,” she confirmed, my mouth dropping before I could stop myself.

I had been joking, or maybe I hadn’t. I didn’t know anymore. “Y-You are?”

“Yes,” she stated clearly. “Ares Hood, I want you to fuck me, and I want you to fuck me right now.”

My eyes studied hers, my heart beating so damn fast I was sure she could hear it. I was never one to talk myself out of a good time, but it didn’t make sense. I stood and started rummaging through the room, opening drawers and looking under the bed.

“What are you doing?” Layla asked after a minute.

“Looking for a hidden video camera,” I explained. “There is no way in hell that you’re asking me to fuck you without having some kind of motive. Do you have a camera hidden here?”

“No.” She shook her head, her brow furrowed. “Why do you think I’d do that?”

“I don’t know.” I checked the closet for good measure and came up empty. “Call me crazy, but I’ve been tryin’ to get at you for a while, and you always turn me down. Now, out of the blue, you bring me up here to this bedroom for sex. You, Layla Payne, asking me, Ares Hood, to sleep with you? There has to be a catch.”

“No catch,” she declared. “It’s just …” Her voice trailed off as she worried her bottom lip.

She’s nervous again.Well, newsflash for her, I was nervous my damn self with the out-of-body experience I was having.

Sitting back down on the bed, I observed her more closely, studied how she was scrunching her forehead and rubbing the stress from her neck. Yet, what stood out most of all was the vulnerable look I saw in her deep brown eyes every time she glanced at my face.

Shit. She’s serious.And even though I could be an asshole, I wasn’t one to take advantage of a situation.

“What’s going on, La?” I asked, using her nickname and lightly grabbing her left hand. “I promise you, whatever we discuss won’t leave this room, but you gotta tell me something.”

She averted her gaze for a second, but met my eyes again, hers still susceptible, yet there was an added layer of determination now.

“I’m not who everyone thinks I am,” she revealed. “I don’t understand when a rule was created that high school girls needed to have all this experience, but it’s a crazy amount of pressure. Depending on the guy, he expects his girl to know what she’s doing and put out if they’re in a relationship.”

My mind drifted to Tony Sanders, Layla’s recent ex and the ultimate reason why she hadn’t ranked in the top ten. He’d said some pretty foul stuff about her not being good in bed, and although Layla took it like a champ, now I was wondering if it had affected her more than she let on.

“We all know Tony is an asshole.”

“Yet, all of you boys rallied behind his lies about me.”

“I didn’t,” I defended, and that was the truth. Matter of fact, I’d told others not to believe his bullshit either, but she didn’t need to know that. “You’ve dated a lot of guys, and the fact that he’s the only one to ever talk shit about your skills in the bedroom meant to me he was probably lacking and trying to make up for it by dogging you out instead.”

She glanced away, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “Did you know that today is National 69 Day?”

I nodded. “I did.”

She laughed. “Of course you did. You’re a Hood. Stupid question.”

Her question wasn’t stupid, but yeah, it was kind of a Hood thing. While most celebrated big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, we celebrated National Masturbation Month, Kink Day, Steak and Blowjob Day, BDSM Day. We still saw our families for the basic holidays, but if the day was naughty, us Hoods found a ready and willing lady to celebrate.

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