Page 32 of Rome: The Ballerina

“He gone be resting unwell if he even think about it,” Israel stated calmly.

“I second that motion,” Rugger spoke, finally.

“See, he ready to kill ’bout this pussy and you talking about you don’t know how he puts up with me. Baby, my throat is deep enough to drown a whale. Please don’t ever question my authority. This man is not coming up off me.”

“Sorry to that man,” Roaman groaned.

“Knock the dust off that big ass pussy of yours and maybe you’ll catch a man, big sis,” Roulette teased. “Lips so big I know niggas would love to lay in that fat mot–”

“Ladies please–” I interjected.

“Sorry, baby. What is it?” Range asked.

“I called to say that–” I paused, turning the camera around. “I’m going on a date. That man is not only in my dreams. He is now my reality. I don’t have time to talk now, but I will later. Stay by the phone. I’ll call you back in a few hours, hopefully.”

“No– no you won’t. Tonight is the night to let that monkey hang, baby girl. We will not be waiting on your call. We will all be praying you’re enjoying every ridge, inch, curve, discoloration of that man’s dick tonight.”

“Well, I don’t plan o–”

“Goodnight, Rome.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, baby.”

The departures continued until everyone hung up and I was left staring at the screen. For almost six years, they’d been waiting on this day. The day I was welcomed to womanhood by the tip of a man’s dick. Not just any man. That man. The man from my dreams.

Everyone knew him. Everyone had heard about him. Everyone was waiting on him. Everyone was rooting for him. They understood his magnitude. His force. His power. His position in my life. And now that he was here, they were clear about their support of his presence in my life.

“Well–okay. That didn’t go as planned. On the bright side, they are aware. No secrets.”

I ended the call and took a final look in the mirror. I slid my hands down my sides, admiring the softness of the dress. It was pleasant against my skin.

I stretched my legs, conquering the length of the hallway until I reached the set of gold doors. The three-story home was a dream. And, nights like this one, I was thankful for the four-passenger elevator Teddy had installed.

Some days, my body was too worn out to climb the stairs. Too beat up to make it past the hallway. The piece of machinery would be a lifesaver. Tonight, it would keep me from risking twisting an ankle or breaking a bone on my way from the second floor to the first floor.

I pressed the button and waited for the cart. Within three seconds, the doors were opening and I was inside the clear rectangle. I pushed the number one and stepped back as the doors closed.

On the first floor,the doors separated. The cool air welcomed me deeper into my home. Fine bumps swelled my skin. I felt divine. Celestial. Angelic. The fabric of my dress tickled my thighs with each sway. Each step. Every movement.

Click.

Clack.

My heels tapped the marble beneath me. The palace Chemistry had designed was built for a queen and the family she would birth and feed from her bosom. Flashes of my children running through the halls curled my lips upward. My shoulders rounded, drawing closer to my chin as I looked around.

Perfect. It’s perfect.

There was so much space to fill. I could hardly wait until the day the fulfillment began. It would be such a grand time, no matter how trying the journey was.

Chemistry was a father of two. Rather had become a mother of one. Rugger was a mother of one, and actively trying for her second child. The words hadn’t been spoken but preventative measures weren’t being taken either.

Roulette had inherited a child also. My time was near. I could feel it in my bones. Roaman was the last of our tribe that considered a life with children. Royce had no intentions of embarking on motherhood. Neither did Range.

Ding.

Dong.

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