Prince: Love Always Wins

Prince

“Bruh what the fuck did you just say?” I looked over my shoulder at a sleeping Le. I was glad that sleep came for her. I was up all night just fucking thinking. The shootout didn’t fuck with my psyche at all. It was Le and the things she was holding back. It was bigger than just Hamp. She was so peaceful as her chest rose and fell but I could see when she looked at me last night she was spooked out of her mind. Even with the distraction that I usually brought she couldn’t fake it any longer. She wasn’t okay. I knew she would flip out as soon as I told her this shit.

I paced the floor back and forth. I know damn well Chaz didn’t mean what the fuck he said. No way. As much energy as my shoes picked up, I was going to burn a hole straight through my newly laid carpet. I rechecked my watch. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours and this nigga couldn’t even keep shit under wraps that long.

“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Beat her ass and make her stay?”

“Nigga you saw her leave?” I looked at the phone like he lost it while I stepped into the hallway.

“I just told you I didn’t. I took a shower, and when I came out, she was gone. She does this shit all the time.”

“You know this shit different. Meet me at Priest's house.” I hung up the phone. I don’t know where the disconnect was coming in with Chaz. Maybe I had been away for too long because we simply didn’t move like this. I did have an added incentive since that was my woman’s sister, but damn, you hear we just got in a shootout, and you let her leave? Le ass was gone be stuck to me like glue until I figured the shit out. Maybe she would never choose me. Perhaps I could only rid her of this plague that was consuming her. At her core, she was a beautiful person. I was man enough to say that shit stung me last night. I could handle anything that came my way so putting a nigga down wasn’t foreign to me. But the way that woman decided to shut me out did some shit to me.

I wasn’t ready for the possibility that things between Le and I wouldn’t go as I thought. The conversation, or lack thereof, showed me I had to be prepared to self-preserve. It was up to her. I wasn’t sure she could get out of her own way, and the last thing I wanted was to end up in the same situation I was in years ago. It tore me to shreds.

“Le.” I walked back in the room. She grumbled and threw the covers over her head.

“Wake up. We gotta shoot by Priest’s before we leave out.”

She popped up. She slept her bonnet off. I placed it on her head last night. Now, her hair was all over the place. I loved that look on her.

“We have to go.” I made my voice a little firmer. Reasoning finally hit her, and she nodded her head. She walked to the bathroom. I hovered around the door as she began to wash her face and get herself together. I was so damn drawn to her. Her getting on her knees last night almost cracked my ass. I wasn’t using sex as a weapon, and I knew if those pretty lips touched my dick, it wouldn’t have mattered what she did and didn’t say to me.

“What time do we need to leave?” She asked softly as she turned on the shower. She started to undress, and her round ass stopped my thought process. “,” she said softly.

“Just get dressed.”

“Wait. I don’t have any clothes; what am I supposed to wear.”

“Pria left some things here last time she was here. I have some things dropped off for you already to the cabin.”

“Pria huh?” She pasted on a smile. I could see her confidence coming back as she strolled past me. Her naked ass rubbed against me as she passed. The urge to grab her was only bridled by my pride and ego. She walked into the spare bedroom with me trailing behind and started pulling out the drawers. She pulled out a few articles of clothes and laid them across the bed.

“Wait, where is my phone.”

“For what? What you doing?”

“I’m going to take pictures and send this to your sister and ask. I will not be sliding my ass into something yo’ other lil’ girlfriends have worn.” I could tell she was attempting to joke to clear the air between us, but I wasn’t going. Not this time. I winced thinking about her touching her phone because I knew it was only a matter of time before she started asking questions about her sister. I could bet any amount of money that they shared locations. While that was a good thing, the question of her not being where she was supposed to be would only panic her.

When I didn’t crack a smile her face dropped. She walked toward me, nipples pearled and her pheromones drove me crazy. Damn she needed to put some clothes on.

“, I know I have no right to ask for this, but I really just want to have a regular day. I’m so used to dysfunction. This isn’t the first, second, or third time something like this has happened to me.”

“You are right. It is unfair for you to ask that. Yo, pretty ass needs to put some clothes on.”

“Or what?” Her soft hand brushed against my dick and it jerked. My hand went to her neck and I pressed her against the wall. I could feel her nipples through the fabric of my shirt. Her mouth fell into an O shape, and her eyes closed. I watched her as her pelvis bucked forward. I was losing control, and I didn’t want to do shit but carry her ass into that next room and torture her until she told me her secrets. Hold her climax as ransom until she finally surrendered and saw that it wasn’t shit that she could tell me that would make me feel differently about her. The only thing affecting how I felt was how she was shading herself now.

“I just want to feel you, baby. Please,” She whined, knowing exactly what her begging would do to me. It was my mission to please her.

“This my shit? I’m the only one that can have this pussy baby?” I asked and kissed away her response, feeling the electricity between us. I wanted her so fucking bad, and it had nothing to do with her body.

“I’m tired of the pieces, Le. I want everything. You got that for me?”

I backed up from her. Her chest rose and fell as she stared at me like she could kill me. Well, she split me in half last night, too.

“I told you I would. I just need to—"

“Get dressed.” I walked out of the room.

A few minutes later we were riding in silence on our way to Priest’s house. The ride was silent and I was grateful she hadn’t asked any questions about her sister just yet. As soon as we got out of the car, that all changed, though.

“Nesha’s phone is going straight to voicemail.” She said as I knocked on the door. Chaz hadn’t brought his ass yet so I at least had a few more minutes before the explosion.

“We will figure it out.”

“Oh my God!” Le screamed when she saw the baby in Priest’s arms. She pulled my nephew from him and zipped up the stairs. Happy the situation took care of itself for now, Priest nodded toward his back room. I followed him.

“Calm down, bruh. Whatever it is, we gone work the shit out. I know how much she means to you,” Priest said from the couch just looking up from his watch as well. I couldn’t remember a moment where I felt so much damn anxiety. Something happening to her sister would break her in half when she was already in a fragile state. I would feel like the shit firmly rested on my shoulders because I knew what was going on too. I should’ve just protected her myself instead of leaving Chaz in charge when I knew he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants for an extended period of time

“Calm down? Ain’t shit we can do about this but find out what he knows and go from there,” I said.

“It’s straight, bruh.”

“I can’t believe this nigga moving like this.” I finally took a seat across from Priest.

“He's young, and this shit is pretty unforgivable if it turns out bad, but it won’t. Them girls smart as hell. I knew that the moment I met them. I never had an issue feeling comfortable with them around my wife. They can hold they own.”

“I don’t like that shit.” I raked my hand through the small amount of hair I kept up top.

“Shit me either, because if it was mine I damn sure would be going crazy. But Nesha is like a sister to Satisa. That’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’m saying we're going to find her. We have to.”

“I’m gone have to kill this nigga. That’s the only way.”

Priest shot me a look of complete understanding but didn’t say a word. I just saw the cloud of smoke ascend upward and sit above us and linger there. Though I leaned into the lifestyle more than my brother ever had it wasn’t something I took pleasure in. Shit it always felt like it was going to be one more thing. One more task until I was completely free from all the things my past tangled me in. With what Le and I both had going on is what made my initial statement feel like such a terrible omen of what was to come. Fire And Ice. On certain days I didn’t know which element either of us played.

“There he go.” Priest moved toward the door when he heard a knock on it.

Priest looked my way with a smirk. Damn, I knew my brother so well. All in his expression he communicated that he was with whatever. He knew, like I, Chaz wasn’t near accepting life's facts. He was still out here for himself. So if push came to shove and I would have to toss Chaz's young ass up, he was with it. Whether I wanted to have more conversation, dead shit right there, or cut his ass off he was with it. I gave Chaz grace because of his age, but really, he didn’t know half of the shit I had been through and the deep ends I could jump off. Priest sat across the table those days just like he did now with that same expression, trusting me to make the right decision. It felt good to see it. I was so glad I hadn’t lost that. All the shit I had been through and he not only trusted me. He still looked up to me. It was us versus everybody, even our closest if it came down to it. Ties never severed and bonds didn’t break. That realization alone put a smile on my face but wasn’t shit funny. No matter what he had going on with Nesha, a man’s word was all he had to stand on.

“I don’t think I could ever be faithful, man. She always on some bullshit. She pull this all the time. She gone show up later today like ain’t shit happen. Watch.” Chaz was trying to make light of the situation and I shook my head.

“It’s like this. Your business is your own and I ain’t got shit to do with it. When that shit hits Le, it becomes mine, though. Leave her alone bro’. You ain’t got no good intentions by her. Once we find Nesha, Priest and I will make sure she is covered until this is resolved.”

“What nigga?” I heard Chaz’s voice elevate. He stood and I did as well. Before he spoke again, Priest was on his feet as well, watching silently.

“You heard me. You can’t keep your fucking dick in your pants leave Nesha the fuck alone. Once we do find her, she needs to stay safe. If y’all can’t keep shit together for more than ten minutes, leave her alone, and we gone sit somebody on her.” I only gave him the courtesy of repeating myself because he was family.

“Who is this nigga?” Chaz threw his thumb my way and brushed down his hair trying to calm himself. He looked to Priest, but he stood there, still unmoved. “I don’t know what you niggas on but I’m gone. Don’t worry about the shit. I’ll find her and she safe with me.” He grabbed his jacket and mugged us both on the way out the room to show his manhood. Shit, I wasn’t trying to scare him; I was just being real. Everybody had to stay on target and I damn sure was about to finish this shit.

“You really think he gone leave her alone?” Priest asked.

“Nah, but he get it. If he don’t I’ll make him,” I said flatly.

“Damn, it’s like that?”

“Hell yeah it’s like that. I’m getting too old to deal with that type of shit, bruh. I’m just trying to see where this shit goes, and I can’t do that distracted.”

“Makes sense.” I could hear the humor in his voice as his footsteps came from behind me.

“Get the fuck on somewhere, Priest.”

“Nah, I’m trying to see something. So that’s it? Is this shit just an obligation, or are you really in there like that? Long haul type shit?”

“Married life must be boring as fuck huh?” I reached in the cabinet to grab a glass. “You over here in my damn business, ain’t it?”

“I might be, nigga. I’m just trying to figure it out.” I looked his way and it was a huge smile on his face.

“Just because you beat me to it don’t mean it ain’t been on my mind just as long. I ain’t got no problem with my actions or my words. Not anymore. It’s on her whether or not she can accept this.”

“Chaz!” I heard Le call for him, and I hopped up to meet them. The shit was about to hit the fan. “Where the hell is my sister? Her phone is going to voicemail.”

“You and your sister got that yelling shit bad, don’t ya?”

“Stop playing with me, Chaz. Where the hell is she?”

“He doesn’t know. But, we will find her,” I said as I stepped into the room. She snapped her head in my direction, and in a split second, she turned back to Chaz and dove into him. She was spinning her arms and landing on any open spot. She was so wild with her hits that it took a few seconds for me to reign her in. I lifted her off her feet, tossed her over my shoulder, and didn’t let her down until we were securely in the bathroom with the door closed.

“Leave me the hell alone, ! I have to find my sister.” She pushed toward the door.

“We are going to find her.”

“No! I’m going to find her.” She was scratching and clawing again. I put her back to my chest and crossed her arms in front of her.

“I got you. Let me handle this.”

“I can’t lose my sister. , let me go!” she screamed, but then she snapped. Through the reflection in the mirror, I saw the tears staining her face. I turned her around and pulled her into my chest. She crumbled, and we both slid down to the floor. I let her cry and wail in my arms as my heart shattered as well. Family was of the utmost importance to me as well, and I would move heaven and earth for mine. I need to call Pria.

“This shit is all my fault. I ruined our lives, . What if he has her? My sister can’ t be-”

“She’s not. You hear me? She’s not. You would be able to feel that. Get up. Look at me.” I pulled her face close to mine. “What does your heart say?”

She took a large gulp and closed her eyes. “I killed somebody.”

My mind turned in a few different directions, but my body didn’t react. I was waiting for her to say something else, but she didn’t. She kept her eyes closed, like she didn’t want to see me.

“That’s vague, baby.”

“Maceo. My ex-boyfriend. He was abusive. He was attacking me one day, and he was trying to rape Nesha while I was passed out. I was in and out, but I made it to the gun, and I killed him. I thought I did.” She paced back and forth.

“What you mean you thought?” I asked, stopping her.

“Everything was moving so fast. When they were shooting, I could’ve sworn I saw him, but he was dead. I know he was. I shot him myself, and we took his money and ran. I couldn’t have.” Her eyes began to leak profusely again.

“You not crazy. If you saw him, you saw him.”

She shook her head, knowing I was right, and this shit just got a little deeper than I thought. “I need to find Nesha.”

“Nothing is more important to me than your protection right now. I can’t have you going out on your own. I need you to trust me with this. I promise I got you.”

“No, this is not your fight. I see what you are doing and I don’t want you to compromise yourself.”

“I’m already compromised because of how I feel for you, but that’s my choice, and I can handle whatever comes our way. I need you to trust that. I need you to trust me. I’ll solve this for us but I can’t have you fighting against me. Just give this shit to me. You don’t have to carry it no more.”

She didn’t say yes. In fact, she didn’t say anything. I leaned back against the door. I wasn’t leaving until I got her answer. I just had to be prepared for whatever it was. She lifted her head to the ceiling and I saw the liquid pool in her eyes. I resisted my urge to soothe.

“I don’t know how to be what you are asking for. I want to, . I want to more than anything.” I wanted to stay back but my hands moved to the side of her face and brought her eyes to me.

“You don’t have to know. Just say yes. Please just let me have this shit so I can show you the type of man I can be for you. What I can be for us.”

She rubbed her lips together as her eyes fluttered closed. When she opened them I felt a rumbling in my chest.

“Okay. I’ll let you handle this. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“Kiss me,” I commanded.

“What?”

“Right now. I need you to kiss me.”

She stood on the tips of her toes, and when our lips joined, I felt an explosion. The passion that set between us was undeniable. As I leaned against the frame of the door, her body rested completely on mine, and her hands clutched my shirt. We floated somewhere between space and the real world for minutes until we disconnected. Our foreheads rested on top of each other while we caught our breath.

The sound of her phone made her dive for it frantically as soon as she answered, I understood why.

“Nesha what the hell? Do you know what’s going on? Why the hell would you drop off like that? Chaz? Why would that be an excuse? At least you could have told me!” She was livid. Rightfully so. “It’s selfish! You had me over here ready to beat Chaz's ass, and you really just on one of your get-back missions? In the middle of the shit we are going through? I know I didn’t say anything on the phone. I was going to tell you in the morning. That’s the whole reason I said it was important!”

She looked at me and threw her hands in the air in irritation, and I leaned against the door frame, waiting for her to finish. All I really cared about was that she was found. That means it was another problem that I didn’t have to solve. All I know is that I wanted out of here and to get my woman and I some alone time. Everything would be handled. No way that Hamp wouldn’t go underground after this. He would be found for sure, and whoever the nigga that rose from the dead was he was going back in the dirt soon. My first order of business was us. She gave me the exact thing I had been looking for. As she was finishing her conversation, I zoned out, and I was already on the phone texting Remy, telling him that I needed a few more days than expected. I would make it up. I needed this time with her and I was closing in on the contract with the hotel. We had a meeting to finalize this Friday, so this small window may be our only time to take advantage of it for the next little while. I started pulling plans together for the next few days. She was willing. She surrendered to me and that was what I needed to know we were on the right path.

“Can we leave?” she snapped when she finished her call.

“She good, right?”

“She is fine. I’m sorry about everything. She's just pulling one of her stunts again.”

“I got you. We can leave in a few hours.”

“Y’all okay in there? Is Nesha okay?” I heard Satisa call from the other side of the door.

“I feel so damn bad,” Le whispered. I shared the sentiment that it wasn’t the time to have such drama around a joyous occasion. We would have to circle back around in a few days if time permits to welcome the new addition. We emerged from the bathroom.

“We good, sis’. Everything fine. Give me my nephew.” I pulled PJ from her hands and everything melted away. He was such a handsome little dude.

“Don’t y’all go getting no ideas now. I mean if you haven’t already,” Satisa teased.

“Don’t worry, if we haven’t, we will soon.”

Le blushed and waved her hand as I passed my nephew back.

***

“You good? You need to get up here?” I teased as Le struggled a few paces before me while we scaled the mountain. She had kept up more than I gave her credit for. She was fit, but a mountain trek wasn’t like a casual day at the gym.

“Fuck you, ,” she spat as I looked at the perfect view of her ass and the sun getting ready to go down. We only had about twenty minutes left.

“Come here wit’ ya mean ass.” I pulled her by the waist and placed her on my back.

“See, you just wanted me all over you. We could’ve saved that for the house. Who has a house you have to hike to? You mean to tell me that there were no driving paths?”

“Stop whining; it’s worth it.” I laughed, ignoring her complaints. Like I said, she did well.

She decided to enjoy the rest of the journey on my back. Once we got on an even path, I just started to break a sweat. My house was in the distance, and I let her down on her feet to walk the rest of the way.

“Wow! It looks so beautiful up here,” she admitted. “What the hell, ?” She changed her tune when she saw a car coming our way. “You said we couldn’t drive up here.”

“No, I didn’t. I said I don’t drive up here.”

“It better have a bath up here, and a full body massage better follow.”

“You got that, plus more. Come on, let me show you what I built.”

I faced her, and she blushed before turning away slightly. I pulled her by the hand and led her inside. An intense feeling of freedom washed over me once I stepped inside. This was my place. No one had ever been here, and I had no reservations about sharing it with her. That’s how I knew.

“Come look at your favorite room.”

“Yes, what does the kitchen look like? Whoa.” She stopped when she saw the room flooded with her favorite flowers.

“You were with me the whole time. How did you do this?” The shocked look on her face was all the appreciation I needed, but knowing Le, she would give more. “, thank you so much, baby. These are so beautiful.” Tears shamelessly coated her face as she marveled and seemingly took a moment to smell each flower. It was over a thousand long yellow-stemmed roses.

“You know what yellow roses signify?” I had to interrupt because she was so caught up in the scene I thought I would never get her back.

“Friendship, but I know you got them because they are my favorite color.”

“Not just friendship. They signify strength. I don’t know if anybody told you how incredibly strong you have been. To go through the things you went through, something that never should have happened, and for you to still be brave enough to be here. To be open to what we are building even though the walls you built were high, it is worth every effort to climb them muthafuckas.”

I got closer to her as she stood on the other end of the island. I had a few more things to say, but I knew I had to keep her out of reach if I wanted to finish. “They also signify a way to say welcome. I want you to understand nothing but good things are to come not just for us together but for you as well. You are standing in your own light. You’ve picked up and started a movement with your business in weeks, and I am incredibly proud of what is to come for you. Last, they do mean friendship.”

I saw her shift a little and felt a surge, knowing she would be uncomfortable if we were ever in that space alone. “I love our relationship. The way we joke around with each other and get each other’s jokes. Your friendship means the world to me and can only strengthen how we conquer the world together. You don’t understand how much you telling me about your past, how you trusting me makes me feel. I want every part of you, Le Monroe. I mean it.”

She opened her mouth and said nothing. Her pretty head was so overwhelmed.

“I don’t need you to respond. Your words will come to you in time. I need you to know I can handle any insecurity you think about yourself or about this. I would’ve hiked a whole damn mountain with you on my back if necessary just for you to see this.”

She lifted her head and cleared her eyes as best she could. “It feels so good to let go, " she whispered. For somebody else, that may not have been the response they were looking for, but it hit me in the center of my chest. It was time for all the words to be done. It was time for straight action. I pulled her into me, and our lips touched, but this time, it was different. I felt her surrendering, and then I felt the moment she pulled back.

“All of it Le.” I swept the roses off the counter and laid her back against the granite countertop. Her back lifted from the coolness.

“Wait, , I’m sweaty.”

“I’m grown, baby, you think I give a fuck about that?”

“I need to shower, please. Just give me a few seconds.” She hopped down. All that mouth Le could have sometimes, and she was so bashful. I loved every damn facet.

I watched her walk away, went to the guest room, and showered myself. I had quite the evening set up for us. We had a chef coming in around six, but seeing that it was just around two, I made a call and pushed it to eight. She wouldn’t have to worry about anything tonight. I wanted her to be carefree and comfortable. Even though it was a short ordeal, I was happy she was able to put it out of her mind because once we left this mountain, things were about to shift. I was stomping out those niggas by any means necessary. That would be what consumed my days and making sure she was straight. Between that, the current build, and the new project, Le needed to know her only place was beside me.

I finished before she did and sat on the bed in the master suite until she finished. She came out draped in a towel. She looked around the room and migrated to the fiberglass window. I stepped behind her and pulled her to my chest.

“This is an amazing view. Can you imagine how it looks when it’s snowing?”

“I have been up here a few times when it was. It is beautiful. Maybe we can come next year. Around that time, it’s a lot of family activities, so the whole mountain is buzzing. I’m sure you would love it.”

“I can’t believe you built this. It’s so beautiful.” She slinked away. Her hand touched my signature on the wall, and her eyes lit up.

“Another hidden treasure, huh?” She ran her hand across my name again.

“I always figured that I would have kids, but that didn’t mean I wanted to have a boring sex life. I wanted a place where my wife and I could do what we wanted, but kids shouldn’t be privy to whips, chains, and shit. It’s soundproof, too.”

She nodded but discomfort was clear on her face.

“You okay, Le?”

She flashed that fake smile I hated.

“I’m fine. This is just beautiful and overwhelming.”

“Not exactly a lie. Not exactly the truth.” She allowed my statement to cling in the air for a moment.

“You talk about your ex-wife. Did you do these things with her? The rooms?”

“I tried. That's when things started to fall apart for us. It was hard for her to see me the same way once I showed her this. She didn’t understand my need for control.”

“What happened after you showed her.”

“We never had sex again. Three months before it ended and we weren’t intimate.” I said honestly.

“Uh, let’s not talk about that tonight. In fact, let's not talk about anything. We have a few days, right?”

I nodded with my mind on the same course of action as hers.

“Let’s just feel.” She pushed the button, and the wall started to move.

She was right. My plate would be full when we left, but the next few days, my indulgence would be her and how sweet it was.