I started with Zaniyah. She looked up at me with that smile that had dimples deep enough to leave an impression. “I had a good ass time with you the other night,” I told her. “So, it’s only right I choose you first.”
Her face lit up, and she stepped in close to hug me. Then she moved off to the side.
Next was Chanel. She strutted over like she just knew I was gon’ pick her next. She had one hand on her hip, her walk all hips and attitude. I reached up, rubbed under her chin, and muttered, “Ol’ feisty ass.” She smirked, and I promised her we was gon’ get our time in. She gave me that look like she’d hold me to it before movin’ back.
Toni Roc was next, then Jayla. Both of them came forward, and I gave them their moment before sendin’ them over with the others.
My eyes landed on Pluto. I took my time lookin’ at her, lickin’ my lips without even meanin’ to as the memory of her pretty ass pussy slid through my head. I called her over. She came without hesitation, wrappin’ her arms around me and holdin’ on a little longer than most, and I didn’t rush her ‘cause I wanted to feel her just as bad as she wanted to feel me. When she finally stepped back, she went to join the rest.
I called Imani, then Renae, Savannah, Nyah, Soriya, and Khari in quick order. Each one stepped forward, we exchanged a few words, then they moved to the side.
When it was Kashmere’s turn, she walked up slow, her eyes locked on mine the whole way. “That’s how we doing it?” sheasked, her tone cool but sharp enough to let me know she felt some type of way about me choosing her out of the last three.
“Chill,” I told her, leanin’ in to kiss her cheek. But she pulled back just enough to make it clear she wasn’t lettin’ me off easy. Her eyes stayed on mine, unblinking, like she was lookin’ for answers I wasn’t ready to give. I didn’t speak on it, but I knew why she felt some type of way. She’d been in my bed last night, close enough for me to feel her breathin’ while she rubbed my back until I fell asleep. That kind of peace was rare for me, and maybe that’s why it stuck with her.
Now there was only Lola and Ariyah left. I looked at Lola. I still hadn’t figured her out completely, but when my eyes met hers, I couldn’t deny what I saw. “You’re hard to figure out,” I told her honestly. “Don’t really know what to make of you.” I let my gaze slide down her perfect frame and back up, takin’ in everything.
Her eyes glossed over as she stepped forward. There was a light tremble in her smile when she hugged me and kissed my cheek before movin’ to stand with the others.
That left Ariyah. She was a sweet girl, real pretty... But I couldn’t fake a connection that wasn’t there. “I can’t keep you,” I told her. “We don’t seem to have much in common, and I don’t wanna waste your time.”
She nodded with grace, stepped in to hug me, and headed upstairs to pack her things without drama.
As the women began to move away, my eyes found Kashmere again. She was looking back at me, and for a few seconds, it felt like the rest of the room fell away. There was no smirk on her lips this time, no quick joke or smart remark. Just that unshaken stare like she was readin’ me inside and out. And even though I had thirteen women left to think about, part of me wanted to forget all of them and see what it’d be like to keep her close for more than a night.
I didn’t let it show, but I knew the truth—she wasn’t just another one in the lineup, yet I had her feelin’ like she was.
By the time the room cleared, I had my thirteen, but I also had one more problem on my hands, and she was walkin’ away in heels, not lookin’ back, even though I could still feel her eyes on me.
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
Ihad just come close to being eliminated, and I ain’t gon’ lie… that shit scared me. Standing there in front of Pressure, hearing him say my name last instead of sending me home, had my stomach twisted in a way I didn’t like. I really wanted to be here. I wanted to be in this house, in his space and in his world.
Pressure was everything I’d been drawn to in a man my whole life from the way he moved with that calm confidence, how he didn’t have to raise his voice to get respect, the way his style hit every time like he had people hired just to make sure he never missed. Watching him handle these women, picking who stayed and who went, made me want him even more. I didn’twant to miss my chance, not when I felt like something about me and him was meant to be.
As we started walking away from him after the elimination, the other women’s heels clicking against the floor, I felt this push in my chest. If I left it like this, I’d just be another face in the crowd, waiting for him to maybe notice me again. I wasn’t willing to risk it, so I decided to step.
I stopped mid-step and turned around. He was still standing where we’d left him, talking low to Kay’Lo, his eyes scanning the room like he was already somewhere else in his head.
“Pressure,” I said, my voice low enough that it felt like it was just for him.
He looked over at me, and for a second it was like he was still trying to figure me out, the same way he had earlier when he told me I was hard to read.
“Can we… go somewhere private and talk?” I asked.
His gaze stayed on me, and I could feel him measuring whether or not I was worth the time. Then he gave a small nod. “Yeah. C’mon.”
I followed him down the hall until we stepped into one of the smaller rooms off to the side. The door clicked shut behind us, and the hum of voices from the foyer faded.
I moved closer, closing the space between us until I could reach for his hand. My fingers slid against his, and I held onto him for a second before speaking. “Thank you… for taking a chance on me and not sending me home today.”
He gave me a slight nod, waiting to see where I was going with this.
I stepped even closer, my chest brushing his arm, my voice softer now. “I just… I need you to know I would never lie to you or play you like that. I’m all woman, Pressure. All of me.”
I took his hand and guided it down over the curve of my hip until it rested between my thighs. My leopard print leggingswere tight, clinging to every inch of my body and I wanted him to feel what I was saying, not just hear it. My heart was beating hard, knowing how much was riding on him believing me.
His eyes stayed on mine while his hand stayed where I put it. Tears burned the corners of my eyes, and I didn’t even try to hide them. “I just needed you to know that,” I whispered.
