Page 92 of A Kingpin's Weakness
“Seems like you got a lot of women in your life.”
“Not a lot. Just two.”
My phone rang sharp and sudden, like a reminder that life didn’t wait for us to figure this out.
“Sorry, work.” I grabbed the phone, trying to sound professional.
“Hello, Ms. Johnson.”
“Yeah, I was gonna call you tomorrow. Flights booked. Back Monday.”
I kept my eyes down, not ready to face Seth. I hadn’t told him I was leaving tomorrow. That was my secret, a last-minute decision after talking to Imani earlier.
“You leavin’?” He didn’t care I was on the phone.
“Yes. Thanks. See you Monday.”
I ended the call fast, afraid he’d say something else.
“What was that, Stormi?”
“That was my boss. I gotta get back to work.”
“No, you want to get back to work.”
“Same thing. You already knew.”
“What if I wanted you to stay?”
“I can’t. I got a life. A career.”
“And where do I fit in that life and career?”
His voice dropped, soft and close like he was finally showing me a crack in the armor. He grabbed my hands, pulled me close, turned my face to his.
I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I was scared. Afraid to be that woman who left everything behind for a man who might break her. This was my last chance to get it right.
I was leaving. Seth and I? We couldn’t be. Not with all the ghosts, the secrets, the lies. My mind spun with all the reasons we wouldn’t work; all the times I tried to convince myself it was love but it was something else.
“Seth, this was real. And I appreciate you being there when I needed someone. But maybe… maybe we rushed it.”
He laughed, shaking his head like he didn’t recognize me anymore. “So what is it, Stormi?”
“I think we both know.” That was all I said before he opened the door, and I followed behind
We could hear their footsteps pounding back to the living room as Seth and I made our way down the hall.
“Just stupid,” Jo muttered, staring me down, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.
RJ and Noah tried to act like they were deep into their phones, scrolling like nothing was going on, but Dre? Dre kept glancing between Seth and me like he was trying to piece together some puzzle.
I let out a breath, voice low but sharp. “Thanks for the privacy.”
I walked out the door behind Seth, ready to leave it all behind, ready to shut the door on whatever that was. But then Seth stopped cold. He spun around, grabbed me, pulling me close like he was afraid I’d disappear, and then he kissed me. Not just a quick peck, but a deep, hungry kiss that swallowed up all the pain and words we’d just shared.
For a moment, the anger, the doubts, everything else it just vanished. In that kiss, Seth made me feel safe, like the world outside didn’t exist. Like when we were together, nothing elsemattered. But then reality came crashing back because loving a man like Seth wasn’t just complicated, it was dangerous.
I’d spent my whole life guarding my heart, building walls so high no one could get in. I didn’t want to be like Jo, always chasing the next man, never catching real love. I wanted more than that. I wanted to find the right man the one who’d be there for me and build a family. The one who’d give our kids the kind of father’s love I missed so damn badly growing up. It was everything I wanted since I was a little girl.
