Page 30 of Smoke After Hours

Smoking weed.

Then fucking my Benz on top of the money I won us.

epilogue

Soul Smoke: When the depth of your love for someone burns bold and blazing.

One Year Later …

BENTLEY

I knewI would miss Volley as soon as he went on his other missions, but I hadn’t known how much my life was centered around seeing him every day until I couldn’t even call him without using a secure line or burner.

I didn’t know how long he’d be gone, but whenever he was able to return, Jackie D had worked it out where he could work for the Crownes and Mavericks here in New York. Even better, he wouldn’t need to do any solo missions that lasted longer than a few days. If the missions did, he would be working in a team and have support, which made my heart smile. By nature, Volley was the kind of man to run into the line of fire, but I wanted him as safe as possible. All Jackie D had done was chuckle deeply when I made my list of demands before he surprisingly agreed to them. He was still intimidating, but he had a soft spot for Volley just like I thought.

Pot Palace wasn’t the same without him here either, and there was even some new couple sharing Volley’s vacated space, so I kept my blinds and curtains closed all the time now.

I never would have thought that the mere act of shutting out the room across from mine would be such a miserable experience, but Volley was a part of me.

Now that I was safe and the threat against my father was over, I felt comfortable enough to open up to Volley’s family about how he’d been my guard all these years. It made it easier when he told them he had to be gone for a little while for work. They didn’t question how he originally landed the job at Crowne Security, which pleased Volley because he didn’t want to burden his family with the demons that haunted him. He knew he had me though. I’d never let the guilt consume him.

Volley’s family kept me company though. I met up with Cross, Luxe, Sleigh, and Chelsea every month, and Volley’s mom and his aunt had joined us on several occasions. Sleigh and Chelsea fit right in as if they’d always been there, proving that sometimes, fate got it right.

All my life, I’d been prepared if things went south, but right now, my life was thriving. Business was unprecedented with us needing to expand and create other franchises for the HighHoppers membership with the Toasted Tease and Taste Smoke Hop being the most desired event to experience in the month of April.

My father, Abraham, and I had reconnected and were trying to build a better relationship. He even thanked me for getting the Crownes involved in helping him all those years ago. I thanked him right back for ensuring that I had a man like Volley by my side. Although I was the one who stumbled into Jackie D while in Canada and he helped me because he sensed I needed it, I knew no one did anything for free. When they tracked down my father and offered him safety, my father had to have paid a hefty amount of money to have me protected for all of these years.

We often talked about my mom, Elene, and my bonus mom, Cora, as Dad attributed the strong woman I am today to the resilient women who raised me.

True to his nature, he was a workaholic and trying to get into Chicago politics by working closely with Illinois senator, Voshon Carrington, and Chicago’s Mayor Parkland. I couldn’t blame him for diving back into some semblance of what he’d always known though. His life had been put on pause while he was in hiding, so I told him although we would never forget everything that happened and would always celebrate where we came from, I was willing to close the chapter of our broken past and start fresh.

In so many ways, Volley and I were both trying to focus on our present and future, and less on our pasts.

As I stepped out of the elevator to Pot Palace, I was instantly bombarded by all my roommates catching me up on their day and the latest gossip in our co-op. I shot the shit for about an hour before hopping in the shower and retiring to my room.

In my quiet sanctuary, I lay sprawled on my bed, my thoughts consumed by the man I loved and terribly missed. With a sigh, I traced my fingertips along the edge of the pillow besideme, where he only got to rest his head for a few days before he was called away on assignment.

Memories of us over the years flooded my mind, each one a sweet reminder of the warmth and intimacy we’d shared as protector and client. As best friends and roommates. As lovers and soul mates.

Closing my eyes, I recalled the way his gaze would always find me no matter where I was in any room. His eyes, deep and intense, would track my movements with an unwavering focus that only Volley possessed. It was always as if I were the only thing that mattered in the world to him. I missed the way his eyes would light up with a soft and tender joy whenever I entered the room, even if his face remained stoic on the outside. It was as if he could see into my soul when we locked eyes, unraveling my deepest desires with just a glance.

But now, in the stillness of the night as the minutes ticked on, his absence weighed heavily on my heart, and I longed for the warmth of his presence. The smoke hop this year hadn’t been the same without him. April was my favorite time of year. His too. He should be here.

Sighing, I opened my nightstand and took out Red Devil, hoping that my fantasy of him while I masturbated helped me miss him a little less.

After lifting the oversized shirt I was wearing, I slid off my panties and cut on the device, already enjoying the way the vibrations felt throughout my body. It didn’t take long before I was completely engrossed in the moment, my orgasm building deliciously fast.

I was so familiar with the sound of the vibrator, that when another sound echoed in the room, my eyes went to my doorknob while I watched the lock slowly turn as a key was being entered.

My lips slightly parted, my heartbeat quickening in anticipation at who it was. There was only one other person with a key to my door, my body sensing his presence as every nerve ending of the hair on my arms stood to attention.

The scratch of the wooden door opening against the doorjamb never sounded so beautiful.

“Volley,” I muttered, when his larger-than-life presence stepped into my room, quickly shutting the door behind him before turning on a lamp.

I hadn’t seen him in almost a year and all I wanted to do was throw myself into his arms and welcome him home, but I didn’t move, continuing to work Red Devil against my pussy.

“Fuck,” he grunted when I let my knees fall back and lifted my shirt so that he could see more of my naked body. A body that came to life under his watching gaze.

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