LAKE“I’ll take it to her. I want a tennis bracelet.”“All right. I’ll go shop it personally.”“Thanks.”“With that viral video online, aren’t you going to comment on that? People on social media know how to connect dots, Lake. The video is posted by a friend of the woman you’ve been sleeping with. Have you seen your personal account? They’re roasting you. I’m surprised you’re this calm.”“I’m too busy to give that video a second of my time. And I’m happy.”“The video might be gone, but what about that poor woman?” Her words stiffened me. She was right. Nowadays, you have to stand up for yourself on social media and explain yourself because they have the right to freedom of speech. Sometimes it sucked.“Fine.”“And the girl. The flowers are for her, right?” When I did not reply, Venus smiled. “Finally. I’m happy for you, Lake.”“Thanks, Ve.”I came home to a very silent penthouse. I also overlooked her car park at my private parking space.I went to her room. She wasn’t there. I looke
MAVERICKWhat the hell?I could see the fury in his eyes, but I’d done nothing wrong. It wasn’t written in the agreement or my demand that I was not allowed to have fun with my friends. And then he just appeared out of nowhere after he chose to ignore my calls.Well, he just made me mad. And he just showed me who he really was.Once we left the Bazz, I noticed their car park behind mine. “I’m not going home with you.”“You’re going home with me,” he said harshly.I faced him, meeting his fury with my fury. “And why should I? After how you treated my friend. And you just did what those women did to me back there. Humiliated me.”“That’s not entirely the same.” A deep frown formed between his brows.“Mrs. Winston, please, get in the car. We’re attracting people,” Owen repeated it.“I’m going home, but not to this man’s house.” I walked away from them.“Maverick!” Lake didn’t just want to accept his defeat because he used to get what he wanted. Not this time.I ignored him and unlocked m
MAVERICK“What are you doing here, Ricky?”“Hey, Nana.” I joined her in the living room. She was watching some knitting video tutorials on TV.“You haven’t answered my question.”“Because you didn’t give me a chance to.” I sighed as if I was too tired.She eyed me for a moment. “Boy problem?”I chuckled and took off my heels. I was about to put my foot on the coffee table, but Nana quickly hit my leg.“Sit like a lady, young woman.”“I was at my friend’s party. Cooper’s birthday.”“And then what happened? The guy who gave you that ring saw you both and didn’t like it.”“Yeah. How do you know that?” I stared at her.“I raised you, honey.” She tipped her head. “Go up and get some rest. Everything will be okay tomorrow.”“I hope so, Nana.” I got up. “Night.”***My phone kept buzzing. I cracked my eyes open and realized I had slept in my old room and was wearing my old pajamas.I grabbed my phone, and I had a couple of missed calls. Okay, there were tons of missed calls and text messages
LAKEAugustine Bates was a fine woman. She was funny, and she seemed to be able to read minds. She knew precisely why I was knocking on her door.Before we left, she said something to me that terrified me and made me happy at the same time.Unfortunately, I had to go to work while Maverick had classes. We went in separate vehicles, but at least we sorted things out and were on the same page.LAKE: I’ll pick you up.MAVERICK: No need. I won’t be late.LAKE: You don’t want them seeing you with meMAVERICK: It’s not like that, but I know you’re busy at work. Btw, Cooper said you apologized.LAKE: I told you. I did.MAVERICK: Thank you for valuing my friendship.LAKE: Anything for you.MAVERICK: See you soonAfter I left my office, I went directly home. It was both exciting and terrifying at the same time that Maverick might change her mind about our new arrangement.Driven by my desire, I stayed home and showered instead of going out and meeting my friends. I even declined Rusher’s invit
MAVERICKLake was ripped.He was ripped everywhere, skin tight over those pure muscles, veins bulging in those arms. His body seemed made of concrete, and his six-pack abs were worth drooling for.Hours and hours of weightlifting, running on the treadmill, and punching and kicking bags were worth it. Lake was really the hottest and sexiest man I’d ever met.My heart almost gave up in my ribcage when he grabbed me by my ankles, spread my legs wide, and then started planting kisses on my skin.He barely started, and I was already biting my bottom lip, gripping the sheets to stifle my moan. I only had two boyfriends. My experience in bed was nothing compared to him.Lake was notorious in bed compared to my exes. When he kissed and nipped my inner thigh, I began squirming, squeezing my eyes shut.My body contracted, my skin was on fire, and I was panting, waiting for him, for his mouth and tongue where I ached the most, but it didn’t happen. He was staring at me when I cracked my eyes ope
MAVERICK“I did not forget, but I’m clean.” Of course. It was in the agreement— the STI testing.“So do I, and I’m on a pill, but I guess you know that already.” I instantly remembered what his mother told me. I pushed that thought out of my head and kissed him.He smiled against my lips. “How long it has been?”“Months.”I sucked in a breath as he nudged, teased me, rubbed the head against my clit, and pushed his head through my folds.I cried out. My eyes widened as he invaded me and slid and buried his cock deep into me.“Fuck. You’re tight, baby.” He pulled out, and I suddenly felt empty. “I don’t wanna hurt you.”“Only my ego if you won’t be inside me in two seconds.” I felt no awkward moments between us. It felt like we’d been doing this for a long time. Considering I let him take me without a condom, I had put my trust in this man because I knew he would keep his word.He chuckled, wrapped his arms around me, and rolled us over. “Take the charge. I trust you not to break my dic
LAKEI looked down at my sleeping wife, looking so gorgeous. She didn’t make it to finish whatever she was reading.After our mind-blowing sex, we cuddled and talked for a few minutes until she began yawning. And then I kissed her goodnight.Maverick was fantastic in bed and apparently sassy. I couldn’t help but smile. Never in a million years had I dreamed of being married at twenty-six.After sex, I was always quick to get off the bed and bolt out, but this time was different. The sex was different, even better than I expected. No awkwardness or something.I slid off her bed and went to use her bathroom. I checked her medicine cabinet to see if she was using pills. As always, she was telling the truth. I returned to bed, pulled her into my arms, and kissed her shoulder.“Goodnight, baby.” I felt sleepy right away.I woke up before her alarm went off, feeling a heaviness on my thigh and abdomen. The sweetest smell flooded my senses. Then I remembered I was in her bed, and we slept to
LAKE“First and foremost, it’s never okay to bully someone regardless of status, gender, and age. It won’t only humiliate someone but hurt them emotionally, destroying their self-esteem. And you should not poke fun at someone working hard to make ends meet. It’s a job, a decent job. Imagine this—the world without our workers. Two days ago, someone taught me an important lesson. No one is above anyone else. We’re all equal in this world.” I took a deep breath.“Now, let’s go back to the video circulating online. These individuals mentioned stealing someone’s boyfriend and vandalizing a car using obscene words. I don’t want to mention the names of those who are involved. You know who you are. You may apologize or not. I don’t care anymore.”I felt I wasn’t alone anymore.“I’m addressing this issue because I’m somehow involved, and someone I care about dearly is a victim of harassment. These individuals crossed the wrong person. At this moment, I’m choosing kindness, so I’m not pressing