Play the song. You know you want to. 

Without further adieu, I present to you... 

D E C A D E

Xenophilius Berkshire

May 21st, 2027

7:32 PM

I had a feeling I already knew what this Danica woman would look like. From afar, I could already tell who she was. Her long, curly black hair. Dark olive skin and plump lips. A tight bosom with amazing legs. Jesus Christ, Mel. Sometimes I feel like she's torturing me. This Danica chick is hot.

I walked into the dainty restaurant with my eyes immediately set on this Danica woman. She's got her legs crossed. 5 maybe 4-inch heels. Valentinos. All white. Gold studded. Peplum blouse that hugged her body so tightly. White capri pants held together by a light brown tassel belt. Leather notebook, a little like mine. Metal calligraphy pen. She's classy. 

Approaching her table with my hands in the pocket of my topcoat, her Bambi-like eyes looked up right at me And she smiled.

"So you're Oshun's father," Danica smirked. "I was hoping it was you. It would all have made sense."

"Oh?" I grin, pulling the seat from underneath the table. I sit across her and scoot in closer, maintaining eye contact. "Amelie didn't tell you? Oliver? Why is that?"

"Why don't you go ahead and tell me?" Danica placed both her hands on the table, intertwining her fingers. Her nails were painted a deep red. Cuticles were clean.

"This isn't apart of the book, Danica," I beckoned, shaking my finger with a smile. "Naughty naughty. What are you so interested in about the making of my Oshun?"

"They've kept it so secret, and I'm just wondering why that is. That's all."

I smirked right at her as her complexion flushed red. Blood pooled in her cheeks as she looked down at the table to avoid eye contact. It's great to know I've still got game. 

I open up the menu and flip through. The sticky menus threw me off, but it's expected. The bistro we were in wasn't all that popular. "So tell me, Danica," I spoke, "Was it Amelie that reached out to you about the making of this book?"

"Yes, she did," she replied coolly.

"Any thoughts on the titles?"

"Disclosed information. Can't share that with you. You'd have to ask Mel."

I looked up from the menu and straight into her eyes. She gulped. "So she's hiding things from me now?"

"I'm sure you can go on ahead and ask her yourself."

I chuckled. "We like to keep our conversations short."

"And why's that? Do you have a significant other that's not letting you speak to your ex?"

"Is that your way of asking me if I'm single, Danica? I've checked your hand multiple times and I notice that you're not married."

Danica blushed. "Let's keep things professional, Zeno."

"If you insist," I replied, looking back down at the menu. "Steak sounds good right now, doesn't it?  A warm, juicy piece of meat. Especially when it's chilly outside, don't you think?"

Danica bit the bottom of her lip, discreetly clenching her thighs together. She cleared her throat and looked down at the menu. "I agree."

"It's hot in here," I complained. I removed my topcoat and placed it behind my chair. Beneath my coat was a tight grey shirt—athletic fabric— that accentuated my broad muscles. I knew exactly what I was doing. Can't help it, you know? Haven't had sex in, like, 2 weeks. "Have you already ordered?"

"No I was—I was waiting for you," Danica replied, feeling that her eyes started traveling around my body. "So, your tattoos. Do they hurt?"

"This one hurt the most," I lifted up my left arm and showed her my outer forearm, "It's got the most shading. I dropped 900 pounds on it, too. It's worth it, though."

"It's beautiful," she commented. 

My daughter's name in cursive. Largely taking up my whole forearm, with roses and thorns intertwining within the lettering. 

"I got it done a day or two after she was born."

"She really does look like you," Danica said. "Just with curly hair."

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"Very."

"Like her mother," I said. Realizing what I just said, I internally huffed. Fucking idiot. How are you going to get this woman in bed if you're talking about your ex?!

Keep it professional, Zeno. Keep it professional. 

{~}

9:12 PM

"Zeno—oh—I can't—oh, oh, oh!" Danica climaxed around my dick, her walls clenching tightly around my base. My hands were glued to her waist, gripping on her tender skin. Her head knocked back as delirious moans left her sweet little mouth.

Thrusting from below, her palms were planted onto my chest. Her nails dug crescents onto my forearms from earlier, and only now it's stinging. 

She collapsed on top of me, catching her breath. Her sticky skin pressed against mine, and my flat reeked of her perfume and sweat.

It was an attractive smell. The type to make my mouth water. 

"What were you saying earlier?" I panted as she lifted her head to look up at me, "We should keep things professional?"

She scoffed while resting her head right back onto my chest. 

"You're the one who insisted on leaving the bistro so soon," Danica sneered. "I haven't even finished my plate. And do you always tip that big?"

"Is my tip big? I don't know, you tell me."

Danica smacked my chest as I chuckled. "You know what I'm talking about. It's generous of you, really. We hardly ordered anything, and the gratuity was a lot. What do you do for a living?"

"Is this for the book or is this something you want to know on your own?"

"I can take out the notebook right now if you'd like."

"Ah, don't," I responded. "Give yourself some time to recover. I'm sure that if you heard anything important, you'll remember it."

Danica giggled against my chest, placing small little kisses across my clavicle.

"Tell me what life was like after your family split from the Malfoys," Danica queried. "Your father's contributions, your uncle's."

Danica lifted her head once again and looked at me. Her attention was diverted.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. "My father did an unforgivable thing. Far from betrayal. It's a shame to see it all collapse. He kept my uncle's son a secret for 19 years. Was it rooted from jealousy? I don't know. My father, to this day, still doesn't know why he kept it a secret. Everything all went to shit when we picked up my sister from Colorado."

"Why was your sister in Colorado?"

"Because I'm a fucking horrible human being who attracts horrible people. And those horrible people come into my life and fuck everything up. I had an ex. Insane, that one. Made my sister and her step-brother run away to Colorado. Eleanor? She's in Azkaban now. She sexually abused Miles and she sexually abused me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Zeno."

"I've already healed from it. No need to pity me, darling."

I haven't healed from it. Danica's breath smells just like Eleanor and it's making me sick.

"Lorenzo confessed to my uncle about Jack a week after Lola came home. Miles was forbidden from our vicinity. My Uncle Draco and he got into a lot of fights. Physical, verbal, you name it. My aunt just sat there all the time. Numbly staring. Unable to speak. I think she was hurt the most if you ask me. See, my aunt and father have a history together. They were together for their fourth and fifth year at Hogwarts. But that's another story for some other time. It's complicated."

"Complicated? How so?"

I sighed. Danica climbed off me and pulled a sheet over her naked body. She leaned on her elbow while facing me. Behind her was the large window that overlooked the city. My loft was in the heart of Edinburgh. It was a port for art. Photography was something I was into, so Edinburgh had to be the place to live. I wasn't mesmerized by the woman in front of me.

I was mesmerized by the view.

"It's a long story. I don't like thinking about it because it further shows how much my father wasn't really the good guy he proclaims to be. To sum it up, with my father's Seer abilities, he wiped her memory completely one night. It only made it hard for him. I had his diary. Read all about it when I was 16. No one knows but me. And him, of course."

"Wiped out her memory? What, so you're saying he Obliviated your aunt? Why?"

"They were together in secret for 2 years. My father refused to let anyone know because he knew Draco would harass him for it. Lucille is a muggle-born witch. My father's a pureblood. Back then it was totally prejudicial. One night, in the diary it said that Lucille was in his arms. The Seer ability kicked in and he already knew that Lucille was going to end up with Uncle Draco. So, he wiped her memory of them ever being together completely. And that goes for all the sex they had. The lovey-dovey moments. The good stuff. I pity my father, I really do. But maybe things would've been different if he didn't Obliviate her memory. Maybe I wouldn't have been born."

Danica's lips were ajar. "Your whole family is a mess, do you know that?"

I laughed it off. "Well aware of that, Danica."

She sat up from my bed, the sheet still wrapped around her body, and walked around to look for her bag. Once she found it, Danica pulled out her notebook and pen. She took a seat at the edge of the bed with her legs crossed. "Tell me what life was like after the split of your family."

"I split with my girlfriend. Mel. Hardest thing to do in life was let her go. But I had to. The guilt from Lola's disappearance crushed me. And with all the secrets that would soon be revealed was the worst, too. My family was moving from Dorset to somewhere else. We almost lost my little sister Lilith to the stress," I looked up at the ceiling and bit my lip. Scrunching my eyes close to prevent from tears falling, I gaped my mouth open a little bit to breathe. "I was unable to provide the attention and care that Amelie deserved. I would lose sleep or sleep too much. There was never a middle ground. I ate a lot, and I didn't eat at all. It went on for 7 months. Life was hard. I loved Mel, don't get me wrong. But I had to learn how to love myself again. I'm the type to blame myself for all the faults around me, even though I know that I shouldn't."

Danica wrote aggressively. The notebook was propped against her thigh, and the sheet was wrapped around her body once again. Her hair fell down to her back. The curls weren't as coiled as the first time I saw her. 

"We moved to Germany for a little bit. I ended up traveling around the world taking photos. I taught other people how to take great photos. My sister Lola became an Auror in the Ministry. My brother Prince is in his last year at Hogwarts. He's a Ravenclaw. Lilith just entered her first year. She's a.... Hufflepuff, I believe? Yeah, she's a Hufflepuff. It was expected," I did a soft chuckle as I remembered the memory about Lola and me regarding her House, "Lola and I made a bet that Lilith was either going to be Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. I was obviously right. Prince couldn't join in on the bet because he has Seer abilities, so it isn't fair if he did."

"Where does Lola live?"

"Lola lives with my parents. She's there taking care of all the dogs that my mum and dad got. My mum has a thing for small dogs. They have, like, 3 of them. It's insane."

Danica lifted her eyes from her notebook and scanned the loft. Open-space concept. You could see the kitchen and the dining room right where we're laying. And there's a little secluded space for my Oshun.

"Is that little room for your daughter?" Danica pointed out the small spot for Oshun. She took notice of the large white wooden lettering on her door. "Oshun Aaliyah? That's her middle name?"

"Yes, ma'am. Oshun Aaliyah Berkshire. Ball of energy."

"Tell me how that happened. How did you and Mel have a child after your split?"

I smirked. "It's a funny story, actually. Christmas Party back at Oli's house. Made Oshun on his roof. We were both single. Weren't seeing anyone. She decided to keep Oshun. I supported her. And that's how it went."

"You didn't want to get back together with Mel?"

"Oh, trust me. I did. Badly," I insisted. "We both were at different points in our lives. She just became a Therapist. I was working on a very important piece for an art exhibit. It was hectic. When Oshun was born, it was difficult making things work. Lucky for her, she met Benjamin. They married one another and she was happy, I couldn't take that away from her. He treated my Oshun like his own, too. As long as she's happy, too. That's really all that mattered."

Danica closed her notebook. She set it down and crawled towards me. Her arms found their way to wrap around my body. Danica laid her head onto my chest, twirling shapes and letters against my skin. "Would you go back to Amelie if she let you?"

"In a heartbeat, Danica. That's the mother of my child. My twin flame."

Suddenly, a knock came from my door. Our heads turned to the entrance when I jolted up from the bed. I slipped on my boxers and shuffled towards the door.

"It's 9:42 PM," I grunted, "Who the hell could that be?"

Unlocking a few locks and swinging the door open—

"Did you forget?" Mel snapped, with Oshun on her hip and a small backpack hanging from the other side of her arm. 

"Fuck, I'm sorry," I replied, swinging the door wider, gesturing that she come in. From behind, Danica squeals and she's shuffling on my bed. "I thought you were coming at 10:30 PM, not 9:30 PM."

"Well, we're here now," Mel huffed. She set down Oshun as the little ball of energy ran towards the dining room, disregarding the woman in my bed. Mel looked at my bed and saw Danica. Her eyes widened, shook her head, and continued making her way towards the kitchen. "Good evening, Danica! Could I get you something to drink?"

I looked over at Danica when I notice that her face is flushed red. Hair is a mess and the whole duvet is covering her body. She's speechless and unaware of the situation she's in. 

"Um—good evening, Mel. I'm alright. I've got—I've got my drink already."

"Well, you let me know when you're thirsty, okay?" Mel smiled, opening my fridge while I followed her. She turned her head to me as her smile dropped. "So you're seducing my author now?!" Mel whisper-shouted.

"Hey, she wanted it, too, you know," I rolled my eyes, grabbing water above Mel's head from the fridge, "Plus, she's really good with her mouth—"

"Zeno, enough," Mel gritted through her teeth. "No need to know how good my author is in bed. Behave yourself, please? Fucking christ. Your daughter is here. I need Danica out in 30 minutes. I'm going to make dinner. Did you eat yet?"

Watching Mel work herself around the kitchen felt... right. This is our relationship now. She comes every now and then with Oshun to cook dinner. We have family meals pretty often. Sometimes, Mel will come with Oshun while I'm hooking up with some stranger. She doesn't mind. I wish she did. A part of me wishes that she would become jealous like she used to. 

"I haven't eaten yet, no," I responded. "What are you making?" 

"Oshun wants Greek. I'm making Pastitsio. Sounds good to you? Ask Danica if she wants some."

"Danica," I blurted. "Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"Oh, you know what? I can just—I'm actually thinking of just leaving right now. I don't want to interrupt right now."

"You're not interrupting at all, Danica! Please, if you're hungry, you're more than welcome to—"

"Thank you, Mel, but I better get going. Ex-husband has the children right now." Danica got up from the bed and immediately slipped on her clothing. Mel and I watched her leave my loft. 

The door shut and I immediately huffed. "Awkward..." I mumbled.

"You're the one who brought my author to your bloody loft," Mel sneered. "I mean, it could be anyone else! But no, you chose my bloody author!"

"She kept looking at me with her fucking bedroom eyes, Mel! And you have to admit that she's pretty smoking hot."

Mel rolled her eyes as she unwrapped the ground beef from its packaging. "You're something else, do you know that? Zeno, I swear you're a headache."

"Hush, woman. Aren't you shagging that man from your local boutique?" 

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

"No," Mel replied. Thank god. "He lasts 4 minutes. I never came during intercourse with him." 

My eyebrows arched. Unable to hide my emotions, a smirk played across my visage, while Mel took notice. "Is that so?"

"Watch yourself, Xenophilius. Your daughter is not too far away from us."

"Oshun, my love!" I shouted from afar. "Could you come to Daddy, please?"

The sound of her feet hitting against the ground brought butterflies to my stomach. She came running in, curls bouncing and a bright smile across her face. Oshun had her arms open as she climbed on top of my lap. With her giggles, I placed kisses on her cheeks multiple times until she grew tired of laughing. 

"Tell me what you did today, Princess."

"We went to see Mama Onny," Oshun replied in her soft voice. "And then we went to see Mama Luna. And then we went to see Aunt Lola! And then I saw Snowball, TimTam, and Gruyere! Did you know Gruyere is older than TimTam? Also, Lilith taught me how to play the flute! Can we get a Snowball, TimTam, and Gruyere?"

She meant my mother's three lapdogs. 

"Are you going to take care of those three lapdogs? It's a hard task to do, Oshun. Plus, your mum and I are very busy. Too busy to take care of three dogs, my love."

"I can do it, Daddy. I can! Please?"

I shook my head. Oshun pouted and crossed her arms. Her brows scrunched like her mother.

Ah, another kid wouldn't hurt, would it?

"How's Onyx?" I asked Mel, cradling Oshun on my lap.

"She's doing better," Mel replied while she diced vegetables. "She's steady. No progress, but she's stable."

I gulped. "She'll get better, Mel."

Mel sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course," I replied instantly. "I'm sorry."

"Do you want a specific dessert?" Mel turned around facing both of us. She leaned against the kitchen counter. My mouth instantly watered at the sight of her in her white tank top that just hugged her body completely. I couldn't help myself. My eyes traveled. They traveled. And I had no shame in traveling. I've seen every inch of this woman. Clothed. Without clothes. And to this day, she still has her way with me. I'm sure she knows it.

"Just a peach pie," I answered. "Can you do that for me, Mel?"

She contemplated. Oshun hopped off my lap and ran to the living room, leaving her mother and me alone. 

I slowly got up from my chair and approached her. Her breath sucked in as she gave in, putting all her weight onto the counter behind her. Her eyes never broke from mine. She watched me inch closer. 

My hand grabbed the side of the counter, my forearm pressing against her waist. I leaned down with my mouth at level with her ear.

"Can you do that for me, Mel?" I whispered. 

***

D I S C U S S I ON 

Lol. It's great to know the tension between Mel and Zeno will never die. I posted this chapter earlier because I got my writing mojo back. Hopefully, it doesn't burn out!!