📍Bottom Lane, Warwick Avenue
Azar's Residence
2:33 A.M.

DARIO

I turn and narrow my eyes at the woman standing in the doorway, behind me.

My jaws tick, my paranoia now on ten.

"Yo, lock di door and go een, badman."

I don't mean to be so harsh with her, but it's the best thing for me right now. Maybe that will drag me out of the fucking daze I seemed to have dropped in, and back to reality.

With a pout of her plump lips, Jodie steps backwards. She rolls her eyes before saying, "OK. Drive safe."

I've heard that from her so many times it's like an anthem at this point...yet, for some strange reason, tonight, it feels different.

Her voice sounds softer, seemingly carrying the statement across in a more melodic manner.

Jah Jah.

I feel a pulse. My body stiffens, but I mask it, my face drawing a blank. "Ah. Later."

Completely oblivious to what's happening within me, she gives me a small wave before pushing the door softly closed.

And I release a breath.

Jah know.

How mi feel so?

Pushing the feeling behind me, I pull my sagging pants to my waist, and head for the gate.

Even as I step further out into the night, though, the cool air does nothing to settle the heat crawling up my neck. I rake a hand over my face, exhaling a sharp breath, before I move toward the wall.

Mi know say mi shouldn't bother come ya eno. Worse when mi did see the time get late certain way.

But mi nuh follow mi fucking mind sometimes.

And now? Now mi head feel so fuck up.

I scale the wall easily, landing on the other side with a soft thud. The Bimma sits right where I left it, the sound of it breaking the still silence when I press the fob. My mind races as I yank open the door and slide inside.

Besides my better judgement, my thoughts go back to her.

Recalling the way she looked at me just now. In fact, how she acted even while I was in the house.

'C'mere'

'Wah yuh want, Dario?'

'How yaggo find out if yuh nuh come to mi, badman?'

'Mi nuh trust yuh.'

It was clear I was getting to her head. I could tell by the way she moved, like she wanted to do as I said but didn’t trust herself.

Or, maybe, just maybe, she really didn’t trust me.

She have sense...

A low chuckle slips from my lips as I start the engine.

I grip the steering wheel, flexing my fingers over the leather. I should just drive off, go home, knock myself out...reset mi brain before mi do some shit mi cyaa tek back.

I know that's the right thing to do...yet I don't move.

Instead, I glance back at the house, jaws tight.

The lights inside are still on.

I know she's still up.

And that alone makes me linger longer than I should.

I inhale deeply, tapping my fingers against the wheel, before leaning back in the seat, shaking my head.

My mind goes back to earlier.

The way everything felt.

I could tell she was affected too.

I saw it in her eyes.

I heard it in the way she breathed when I stepped close.

And I felt it in my gut——

Something was there. Like a force pulling me to her. It's a good thing she told me to leave, else I don't know what would've happened.

Considering all the fucked up things my mind was convincing me to do.

Bad things.

Things I shouldn't even be considering.

Things I...

Fuck...!

No, this is wrong.

I shouldn't be thinking like this.

Mi shouldn’t want her inna dah way yah, dawg.

I know I shouldn't.

But I do.

Wait...!

Pause!

Hold di fuck up, dawg...wah yuh juss seh likkle while?

Want who?

Yuh figot who the fuck yawh talk bout just now?

Jodie?

Jodz?

Yuh likkle sister?

...Except she nuh feel like nuh sister nuh more.

Nooooo! Wrap this shit up...! Now tuh.

I curse under my breath, gripping the wheel tighter shaking my head as if to shake the thoughts away.

This nuh mek no fucking sense!

How mi fi a pree this right now?

'Bout Jodien at that, yo!

Mi know her from mi a likkle yute, never pree her certain way yet. Mi know her before she even turn woman, dawg. In fact, mi used to chase off ev'ry boy weh did a pree har when she just start buss breasts and dem thing deh.

Mi see her cry over waste man, mi see her laugh till she cyaa breathe. Mi see her worried, angry, sad, proud...

Mi know every version of her, dawg.

And was there for her as a big bredda was supposed to be.

So awah now?

Maybe because yuh see her inna a different light tonight?

...How?

Inna revealing clothes?

But ano the first. Jodie barely wears clothes at home.

Plus, ano the first mi a see her so.

Mi see her half naked how much'n time, when she used to come ova after school and change a mi yard.

It used to come like noth'n.

So why the fuck mi heart did a race when she step out inna di little shorts likkle while, pussy clump up so?

Why mi even did a look desso fi notice dat?

And why mi eyes neva even stop desso, but continue fi trace over har skin like mi no know every inch a it clean from she likkle?

An image pops into my head, sending a feeling throughout my entire body. Intense.

I tense.

Nah bruh. Mi cyaan a think ‘bout this. Mi nuh supposed to feel so, bredda. All mi bloodclaat hood a stan' up yute?

I shrug the thoughts away.

Settling on the consensus that it's a one-off thing.

Maybe a just the lateness a play wid mi head certain way. Then there is the fact that mi nuh touch no woman in a minute.

Yeah. A that.

'Cause a cyaa noth'n else a bomboclaat.

My phone vibrates from where it's at on the seat beside me, pulling me out of my head. I glance at it, the name on the screen sending a weird fluttery feeling through me.

Jah know, mi drunk yuh fuck. Because...a wah dis?

I open the chat and stare at the text message.

Jodz: Go home Dario

That mi fi come do, yes.

I feel my lips twist into a small smirk.

ME: Think a sleep yuh say yaggo sleep, badman.

There's a short pause before she replies:

Jodz: I want to. But I need to know you've left safely first.

ME: Feel fi watch ova yuh tonight.

Jodz: No need, I'm safe.

Never ask yuh dat.

ME: Mek me be the judge a dat.

I stare at the screen, watching as the three dots appear, disappear, then appear again. Like she’s hesitating, deciding whether to argue or let it slide.

Jodz: Dario…

That’s it. Just my name. But the way she spells it, I can hear her voice in my head. Soft, uncertain, maybe a little annoyed. I chuckle under my breath, shaking my head.

ME: Gwaan go sleep, bro. Ago liff up now.

I keep it light, even though I'm still on edge.

Mi nuh want push har too hard yuzeet. Even though a mi damn self mi a fight more than anything else. A madness this, and mi know it. But mi cyaan help miself.

Another pause. Then:

Jodz: Ok. Goodnight.

I hesitate, biting my down on my bottom lip, debating if mi fi just lef it desso. Keep things as they are. But before I can stop myself, my fingers move on their own.

ME: Sleep tight, baby girl.

Baby girl? Jah know?

I press send and toss my phone onto the passenger seat before mi start pree it too hard.

Convincing myself it's just an innocent term of endearment, fitting for the context, I pull away from the sidewalk and head up the road.

Naggo pree it as more than that...

Because mi know seh once mi start call a woman them kinda name deh, a fuck mi get fuck.

°

°

°

📍HEART Eastern TVET Institute
Stony Hill Campus
Friday
10:35 A.M.

JODIE

"Girl, yuh do the Entrap assignment?"

"Yeah," I tell Tash, turning to her at her question.

"Lend mi yuh book mek mi see it, because mi never understand one shit wah fi do pon section B."

The SWOT analysis? That was literally the easiest part.

"Really? Chin dunce like bat...!"

"A joke!" I laugh when she glares at me.

With the smile still lingering on my lips, I pull my notebook from my bag and pass it to her without hesitation.

"Mi hope yuh nuh copy it word fi word eno, miss, 'caa mi know yuh style," I warn, watching as she flips through the pages quickly.

Tash scoffs, already pulling out her pen. "Girl, nuh do that, man! Mi just a use it fi guide mi, man. Cho."

I roll my eyes, but I let her be. We both know she's going to copy it word for word, bar for bar, anyways.

Just as I zip up my bag, I see a shadow move in my peripheral. I glance up seeing it's Andre, a guy from my class. He walks past my desk and out the door.

I sigh, reaching for the portable fan that's in the pocket at the side of the bag.

The classroom is warm, the rickety ceiling fans spinning too slowly to fight the midday heat. This yah room ya did waa AC, nuh know weh dem a go wid ceiling fan inna this. Worse the fan dem demself look like them waa some cool breeze.

We're at the top floor, where we should be having two sessions of Accounting, but Mr Baccas sent word he was gonna be one session late as he had an emergency.

I crinkle my nose, feeling irritated. The scent of cheap perfume and hair oil lingers in the air, mixing with the aroma of patties from someone's bag. Popping my two top buttons open, I adjust my collar and lean back in my seat, turning on the fan, the cool breeze instantly calming me.

"Lawd, mi tired bad," Tash groans, from beside me, scribbling down the answers from my book. "Everything juss a stress mi suh. Di man dem a stress mi out, school a stress mi out! Mi cyaa bother eno! ."

Yuh waa hear 'man dem'! I chuckle. "That's why yuh nuffi tek up wah yuh cyaa manage, young girl!"

She huffs, tapping her pen against the desk. "Mi just waa rich and done. Mi nuh cut out fi this life, girl."

I sigh, rubbing my temple. From wah day this headache deh pon mi eno and it nuh come like it plan fi ease up. "Tell me about it. I envision myself on a beach somewhere right now sipping champagne and getting a sun tan. Damn..."

"A mi fi tell yuh!" She scoffs. "A juss thru mi need di' likkle cerfiticate eno. Because mi waa my owna things. Mi nuh like depend pon man fi mind mi. Else, mi nawh ask if smaddy son wouldn't affi step up. Trust mi."

I concur.

As an independent, temporarily dependent bish. Purrrr.

I go to speak but the sound of laughter and talking, as other students walk by, distracts me.

A group of girls pass by, giggling, their voices high and excited. I recognize one a them ——Kenisha, a girl from Top Lane. She does Foods.

About ten or so of us from Warwick Avenue attend here, as part of the Government's initiative to give young people from volatile and crime prone communities the opportunity to earn a skill.

Kenisha waves at me, and I wave back, although I'm surprised she even acknowledged me since she doesn't normally speak to me.

Weird.

Tash nudges me. "Neva know you and she a did fren..."

"Neva know either," I say, shaking my head with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Mad weird." she tsks. "Yuh know she did a ask mi if yuh have man di other day?"

My eyebrows lift at the randomness of that question. "A wah she wah know dat fah?"

The fuck?

Tash snickers. "Mi nuh know, she nuh mussi waaa yuh."

I laugh dryly. "She betta go someweh else wid that. Mi nuh fuck gyal!"

Because what the hell?

How is my relationship status any of her business all of a sudden when I don't even know this gyal...!?

Unless she saw me with someone.

But who?

The only man I talk up with remotely near Warwick Avenue is Dario.

And a couldn't him she a wonder 'bout.

Dario Dark-like-midnight Hendrix?

I don't think I've ever seen that man with a girl in all my years of knowing him.

Then again, him sneaking like mice.

I try not to think about the possibility of him being with another woman under sikes.

Sigh.

Plus, why she woulda care wah mi and Dario inna?

Fi all a bring question to Tash.

Like when gyal deh wid man, jealous over him, and waa scope out the threat.

Or a look she a look him...

Wouldn't be surprised.

The thought alone makes my chest feel tight, so I force it out of my mind.

Hissing my teeth, I open my book and focus on it. N'ave nuh time fi kill up miself ova foolishness. Ano Dario time now. A school time.

After all, school and Dario feel like two different worlds, and mi nuh inna di mood fi mix di two.

Tash stretches and yawns. "Anyways...mi feel fi cut di next class and go canteen early. Yuh in?"

I shake my head. "No girl, next class a I.T. and mi nuh able fi Mr Thompson."

Tash groans, closing my notebook and handing it back. "Mr Thompson can gwaan like him draws tighter than fiwi too much. The fucka miserable! Fi such a good looking man. Come like him n'ave nuh woman a him yard eno. Caa him cyaan a get pussy and uptight so! Lawd."

My lips spread into a teasing grin. Da gyal ya terrible yussi!  "Lowe di man, Tashauna, wah yuh know 'bout him love life?"

"Eeh, mek him stay deh. Bet if him did have a gyal a siddung inna him face, him woulda chill!?"

Nuh worry yuhself 'bout that.

I smile.

The bell rings, signaling the start of the next session, and I settle in my chair, as Mr Baccas walks in.

.                               .                            .

6:35 P.M.

I hear the last classroom door shut down the hall, the sound echoing in the quiet, empty space.

Some kids who dorm here were chilling in there, guess they left.

Moving swiftly, I pick up my things and exit the empty classroom I'm in, walking a few feet down and slipping through the door of the computer lab.

My pulse thuds in my ears as I step into the small office at the back of the lab, shutting the door behind me.

Mr. Thompson is already waiting, leaning against his desk, arms folded across his broad chest. His rose pink dress shirt is unbuttoned at the top, his sleeves rolled up, like he's been prepared and waiting.

"You took your time," he murmurs, eyes locked onto mine.

"Mi did affi make sure everybody gone first," I say, my voice hushed.

"So we have di place to ourselves now?" He's teasing me.

But I match his energy, peering up at him through my fusion lashes. My shoulders rise and fall into a nonchalant shrug. "Pretty much..."

"Good." He smirks, pushing off the desk and closing the space between us.

His fingers brush against my arm, trailing lightly down to my waist before gripping my hips, pulling me flush against him. The heat of his body makes my breath hitch.

"Yuh know how long mi a pray fi di day done?" he whispers, lips hovering near my ear.

Goosebumps clothe my skin.

I don't answer though, as it's more of a rhetorical question.

Instead, I pull his face forward, lifting onto my tippy toes, my lips brushing his in a slow, teasing kiss. His grip on my small waist tightens, his fingers pressing into my hips through the thin fabric of the blue uniform skirt.

I grab the back of his neck and pull him down, deepening the kiss.

Jahiem groans into my mouth, his hands slipping under my vest, uprooting my blouse, fingers rough against my bare skin.

My back bumps against the desk, and he lifts me onto it without breaking the kiss. His mouth is hot, desperate, trailing down my throat as he pushes my skirt up around my hips.

One pull and my tights are gone.

I feel a flutter in my groin when his fingers pass over my clit as he shifts my thong to the side.

The blinking of the lights on the server dazzle my eyes, so I close them, moaning at the sensation which travels through me.

"Lock di door," I breathe, trying to catch my breath.

He grunts, but pulls away, moving fast, twisting the bolt with a soft click before turning back to me, his eyes dark with want.

My top lip lifts into a smirk as I look up at his face. "Yuh can continue now."

"Yawh trouble eno," he mutters, kneeling between my legs.

I suck in a sharp breath as he drags his hands up my thighs, parting them wider, his fingers pressing into my skin like he hopes to brand me.

His lips follow, slow and teasing, making me shiver. My head tilts back as his tongue flicks against my aching clit, his grip tightening when my body jolts.

"Fuck...!" I moan lowly, biting down on my lower lip to trap the sound, closing my eyes once more. It's like all the tension that's been in my body all day has finally found a release.

Jahiem grunts in response, alternating between twirling his stiff tongue around the aching bud, and slurping at the juices which flow.

My hand finds the back of his head, cupping it and pushing his face flushed between my legs.

One thing mi know eno, tha' man yah know how fi eat pussy...!

My mind strays, conjuring up an image of a certain someone, and I feel a tug in my belly bottom. I whimper, now rolling my hips to thoughts of it being his head nestled between my legs.

It tips me over the edge.

Oh shit.

Oh shit...

Oh...shit!

I'm gonna com——

"Sir?" A voice echoes from outside the lab door. "Yuh still deh bout?"

My eyes snap open.

We both freeze.

"Y-Yeah," Jahiem calls out, his voice steady while I hold my breath, my body still trembling, hoping to hell the person doesn't come inside the lab. "Give me a few minutes."

"Alright, sir." The footsteps fade, and I finally exhale.

Must be one of the boys on dorm.
Jesus Christ, what a way we woulda get catch, tonight!

I glance down, my chest heaving, but Jahiem hasn't moved. He's still there, between my legs, staring up at me with that same draws-dropping smirk.

I internally roll my eyes at his cheekiness.

Yuh see yuh face?

"We done?" I whisper, my voice shaky.

His hands tighten on my thighs, lips ghosting over my skin. "An' yuh nuh come yet?"

I giggle softly as he snakes his hands underneath my thighs and pulls my ass closer to the edge of the desk.

His fingers press into my skin, firm, possessive, like he knows I won't argue with that. Probably because I won't?

But for some reason my mind drifts to the person at the door. Suppose him come back?

Or smaddy else for that matter...

"Yuh nervous?" he murmurs, his voice low, teasing.

I swallow hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. "No." It's a lie.

His smirk deepens. "Good. Because mi nuh done wid yuh yet. And mi waa my bruk too."

I grip the edge of the desk, my body betraying me as the thrill courses through my veins.

I know this is reckless. If anybody finds out...mi not even ago bring my mind desso, right now. For in this moment, none of that matters.

Right now, all I care about is the way he makes me feel. The way he looks at me. The way my body is left satisfied every time we do shit like this.

This is the closest I'll come to what I really want ——although it involves fucking another man to images of the man I actually want, because getting him will never happen —— and I'll take it.

Jahiem rises to his feet, his hands still on me, sliding up my sides, slow and deliberate. His gaze pins me in place. "Mi like yuh like this," he murmurs. "Shaky. Breathless. Wet and ready fi mi."

A shiver runs through me, and I hate how much I like this——how much I crave the way he looks at me, how sweet the risk feels.

The sound of footsteps passing by the door makes me jump, sighing when the sound fades.

"Jahiem, mi think we fi stop," I whisper, my fingers gripping his wrist. "Before smaddy come and see wi'."

He exhales a low chuckle, his thumb stroking the inside of my thigh, like he isn't even considering the consequences. "Den wi' affi mek this quick, nuh true?"

Him think a so this thing go? A wonder if him know say if anything, a my name ago be the first one fi get dragged through di dirt?

I close my eyes for a second, inhaling a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heartbeat and ignore the tingly sensation between my legs. When I open them, he's watching me, waiting, the ghost of a smirk on his lips.

Now that the fog is cleared, I can think straight.

"No. Mi a come go home," I murmur, sliding off the desk, my legs still unsteady.

He stares at me, long and hard then sighs. His hands reluctantly dropping to his sides. "Yuh sure?"

I hesitate, and he sees it.

A slow grin spreads across his face. "Aight. Me'll see yuh tomorrow then, Miss Azar."

I quirk a brow. "Tomorrow? Yuh mean Monday?"

He tsks. "Rahtid, today a Friday nuh! A so the week run off fast?"

I chuckle as I step out of his breathing space and move to put on my tights.

I can feel his eyes on me, on my ass, but I don't meet his stare.

Until I feel a hard slap on my ass cheek.

"Ouch!" I glare at him. "Sir——"

"Who yawh call 'sir'?"

"So wah yuh name? Nuh sir?"

"Gwaan ramp, man."

"Lucky mi nuh get the chance fi fuck yuh up, tonight. But nuh worry yuhself."

I blush, rolling my eyes to mask it.

We've been sneaking around for about a month now, but the furthest he'd gone is eating me out. Tonight, was the closest we came to actually fucking.

I pull the cotton material up and over my ass. "Gwaan chat. Mi soo' stop entertain this, oh."

He tucks his shirt back into his pants waist, tightening his belt. "Chat yawh chat, man."

"Watchya!" I smile besides myself. "Yuh mussi think a joke mi a mek. Yawh mi instructor, mi nuffi a do this wid yuh. Worse pon the people dem good good school compound."

He scoffs. "Yuh nawh talk why wi' affi do it yasso?"

I look away.

"Because yuh refuse fi come a mi yard...doh?"

I remain silent.

He chuckles, but opens the office door. "Hurry up and fix up yuhself fimi yawh, man...mi a carry yuh go Treez tonight."

Before I can object, he pulls the door shut behind him before heading to the front of the lab and through the main door.

Alright, gwaan hype! Watch and see if mi naggo stop gi' yuh mi pussy fi suck, crawses bwoy!

I say that all the time.

At the least bit of inconvenience.

And the worst part? I know I'll be back.

After all, he's the only man I'm entertaining sexually right now.

So, if he doesn't suck it, who will?