Yaz stood up, placed her niece on the floor and laughed. “You might not be with him, but he’s damn sure with you. The second you call yourself fucking with someone else, you know exactly what's going to happen. Have you seen Dorian lately? Hell no you haven't. Since the day after Black saw him with your ass, he disappeared. Ain't nobody seen him since. One guess as to why.”
Yami closed her eyes momentarily and shook her head. Word was that Dorian had moved away after a run in with Black about dealing with her. Yami never knew for sure because he just kind of disappeared and never really contacted her to let her know why. She did run into his cousin a few months after he disappeared and all she said was that he was good and Yami didn't need to worry about him. She didn't know what Black had done to him, but it was obviously enough to keep Dorian away from her.
She knew her sister was right, but she was tired of Black running her life. She regretted the day she ever dealt with him, but she was stuck. Their daughter made him feel like he owned her, and as long as she stayed around here, he did. Guys were afraid to even look her way, let alone deal with her. She was just simply stuck, and she knew it.
“Look, Yami, I know it's a messed up situation, but you have one year left and you’re done with school. Just focus on that so you can leave and do your own thing. Trust me, sis, it's not worth it.”
“You’re right.”
Yami leaned back on the sofa, eyes still closed and let out a long sigh. Her daughter ran over to her, jumped into her lap and wrapped her thin arms around her neck.
“Mommy, is Daddy coming?”
Yami looked into her daughter’s huge round eyes and kissed her on the cheek before answering.
“Not sure, baby girl. How about you just hang out with me and Auntie Yaz for now?”
“But can I see Daddy later?”
Rayah’s little face turned into a pout, making her look like Black’s twin. Rayah loved her father because she only knew one side of him, the side that was loving and caring and always had a smile for her. That was the Black that Yami had fallen in love with, but it was only a small part of who he was. The cruel, abusive, and possessive monster that emerged when he felt threatened or couldn’t get his way was the Black that only Yami and his enemies in the streets knew.
He never let his daughter see that side of him. That, Yami was grateful for, but she just wished that he loved her enough to protect her from that side of him too. Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking, which was why Yami planned to graduate and get as far away from Black as she could. She hated to keep his daughter from him, but it would be the only chance she had at a normal life, and that was a risk she was willing to take.
Chapter Three
Miego sat in the stale smelling office building looking around while he had the attention of almost everyone in the room. Men watched him because they were intimidated by his dominating presence while the women were secretly hoping to get his attention. He was dressed casually in a pair of navy sweats that had a natural sag to them, a grey Nike T-shirt that presented the slogan Hustle for Kicks, and a pair of brand new classic Air Max. His jewelry was simple, a special edition G-Shock watch and a platinum link chain which was tucked under his t-shirt so that it wasn't visible.
Even dressed in the simplest things, Miego's appearance screamed for attention. It was hard to keep one’s eyes off him, as was the case right now.
Miego was impatient, and the whole song and dance of seeing a PO annoyed him. It was a complete waste of his time. He had enough money in his pocket right now to pay the total of what his weekly visits were going to cost him, but he knew it didn't work that way. It wasn't about the money. It was about the inconvenience of having him waste an hour out of his day once a week to have someone remind him that his freedom depended on their opinion of him. It pissed him off, but he could only blame himself.
“Ms. Lewis can see you now.”
Miego looked up into the face of a thirty-something woman who stared at him like he was a prize or something. If he hadn't been so annoyed, he would have laughed because she made no attempt to hide the lust in her eyes. Miego was used to it, though. Even as a child, he’d had the attention of females twice his age, so he had grown accustomed to handling it.
At thirteen years old he was six feet with a lean muscular frame. His mocha colored face housed a pair of slanted dark brown eyes, thanks to his father’s mixed race, and a strong, square jaw line. Now, that mocha colored skin was covered with tattoos, his lean teenaged body had transformed into the physique of the man he’d grown into while his face displayed the maturity to complete his look.
Miego kept his eyes on the woman who patiently waited for him to stand. Once he did, her eyes traced his body, starting with his face, lingering around his chest and arms, but quickly moving to his waist as he adjusted his sweat pants enough to make sure they hung low around his waist, but not enough to expose his charcoal grey boxer briefs. Because of his arrogance, he grabbed himself to make an unnecessary adjustment while his face moved into a smirk. He winked at his lust filled admirer, who quickly diverted her eyes, embarrassed that she had been caught checking him out.