Page 12 of Safe Word
“Hell, I can barely make any decisions without having them approved by the label. Even my relationship is some bullshit set up by them. Granted, they let Cyrus come in and woo me all on his own. Somebody must have coached him on acting like he had some sense, because he pulled that off for a whole month. I mean I really thought we were in love. He was so attentive and charming that I should have known I was being love bombed. Silly me, I thought the shit was real. Once we went public and started getting so much media attention, he started to show his true colors. The more I pulled away from him, the more he and the label pushed for us to be together. Eventually, they told me that leaving him wasn’t an option because us together was good press. Nobody wanted to support a girl who couldn’t keep a man. Cy the God is the biggest rapper in the game right now; dealing with him gives you street cred. Like I need fucking street cred. I grew up in the projects. Street cred is not something I ever desired to have.” She rolled her eyes.
“So, what was that about last night?”
“He gets high and wants to prove how much of a man he is by making me have sex with him. I wasn’t feeling that shit last night, and when I told him that, he refused to take no for an answer.”
“He’s done that shit before?” I quizzed.
She huffed through her nose and rolled her eyes at my question. “Let’s just eat before my world class omelets get cold.”
“That’s not cool, Carteay. Even if you two are in a relationship, you have the right to tell him no.”
She scoffed. “One would think.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off her as I processed what she’d just told me. The sadness in her eyes made my trigger finger itch. Bythe time she looked back up at me, there were no traces of the sorrow I’d just seen.
“What was that you did last night?”
I smirked. “Which part? The one that made your eyes roll back in your head?”
She shook her head. “Not that, silly. Whatever you did when you flipped Cy’s little ass like a rag doll.”
I chuckled before answering. Her smile never wavered as she waited. “I don’t know. Probably a mixture of Taekwondo and some street shit. I can’t remember what happened.”
“I can’t picture your big ass doing no Taekwondo.”
“I’m pretty sure you witnessed my big ass doing Taekwondo last night.”
“Where do you even learn some shit like that?” she asked.
“My mom put me and my brothers in classes when we were growing up. As an adult, I kept an interest in both Taekwondo and Tai Chi.”
“OK. I know what Tai Chi is. It’s almost like yoga.”
“Yeah, I guess you can say that,” I acknowledged, nodding as I finished my omelet.
“Teach me.”
“You planning on beating your boyfriend up?”
“I just want to learn. Besides, I’m done with his ass. I don’t care what I have to do or give up. I’m done.”
“You have the right to make that decision.”
“Actually, I don’t. There’s some kind of clause in my contract about my image and the label being able to make decisions that will benefit my career. According to Ceasar, that includes who I date. My life isn’t my life anymore.”
“That’s bullshit. So that shit is real?”
“Yes! Most people won’t talk about it, but I know firsthand. I’ve tried to leave Cy before, and they threatened to sue me for breach of contract.”
“What the fuck, Carteay?”
“Hmph, as a matter of fact, I found out that they orchestrated us meeting. Then when I was tired of him, they pretty much hand delivered me back to his lying, cheating ass.”
“That’s crazy. So, what are you going to do now?”
“I’ll figure something out. For now, I just want to get lost in whatever this is we’re doing and not think about the world outside. Can I do that? I don’t want to impose. I know you have a life and probably have to work or whatever, but can I at least lay low here for a while?”
“How about you start by ordering you some supplies for while you’re here? As much as I love watching you walk around in my T-shirt, I’m sure you want to change.”
