He gave me a slow nod. “I appreciate you for givin’ me that confirmation. I ain’t gon’ lie baby girl… you had a nigga a lil’ scared for a minute. But I’m glad I kept you.”
That was all I needed to hear. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight for a second before pressing my lips to his neck, letting them linger just long enough to feel the heat of his skin.
“Thanks again,” I said, pulling back.
He didn’t stop me as I left the room, and I made my way upstairs, passing a few of the women on the landing. None of them mattered in that moment. I’d gotten what I needed from Pressure—his attention, his touch, and the reassurance that I still had a place here.
Once I was in the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and leaned against it for a second, taking a deep breath. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror over the sink, and the weight of everything I’d just done hit me all at once. The guilt came in slow but heavy, pressing against my chest like a reminder I didn’t need.
I turned on the faucet, splashing water over my face, then braced my hands on the counter. My makeup was still in place, my hair still laid, and anyone looking at me right now would just see Lola Reign—the woman who was fighting to be the one Pressure chose.
But I knew the truth…
I turned and sat down on the toilet, pulling my leggings down to my thighs. Then, carefully, I removed the silicone camel toe,reached back and untucked what I’d hidden so well. My dick hung free, no longer pressed tight between my ass cheeks the way I’d kept it since I walked into this house.
For a moment, I just sat there looking down, the reality of my secret sitting in my lap in more ways than one. I had been playing with fire since the day I signed up for this, but in my mind, it wasn’t a game. I believed me and Pressure were meant to be. I believed that if I could make him fall for me—the real me inside, not just what he saw on the outside—he would understand.
I wasn’t planning on keeping my penis. That was never the goal. I’d been saving and planning, and I knew that if I made it to the end, if I was standing there holding that $250,000 he promised, I’d finally get the surgery. Then there’d be nothing left for him to question or no reason for him to doubt me. We could be together, and he’d know that every moment we shared wasn’t about a lie, it was about who I really was.
Until then, my secret stayed tucked away— literally and figuratively.
I pulled my leggings back up, making sure everything was smooth, then looked at myself in the mirror again. My eyes were still a little wet from earlier, but my face was calm.
I straightened my shoulders and unlocked the door. It didn’t matter what anyone thought they knew, or what Chanel had tried to say at that dinner table. The only thing that mattered now was making it to the end, and making sure when Pressure looked at me, he saw the woman who was meant to be his.
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate.
Right after choppin’ it up with Lola, I walked out the room and was met with Chanel’s gaze.
“So… about that time in,” she said, runnin’ her hand down my chest like she was claimin’ her spot.
These women was somethin’ else, man. Every time I turned around, one of them was ready to pull me off somewhere, and it was startin’ to feel less like I was pickin’ a wife and more like I was runnin’ a damn daycare for grown women. Still, I wasn’t about to dodge her. If I said we’d spend time, I’d make space for it.
“A’ight,” I told her, noddin’ toward the back. “Let’s walk.”
We stepped out the side door and hit the long stone path that wrapped around the back of the estate. The air was warm, andthe smell of the garden hit me as soon as we got past the patio. I lit the blunt I had behind my ear, lettin’ the smoke trail up while she matched my pace, her heels clickin’ against the stone like she was on a runway.
Before we even cleared the first corner, she was already in her bag. “You know I been in like six music videos, right? Not just the background stuff either, I’m talkin’ front and center. That Lil T. one? That was me in the red dress. That shit went viral.”
I took a slow pull, not rushin’ her. She kept talkin’ like I asked for her résumé. “And I stay in designer. This,” she tugged at the strap of her top, “straight from Paris. The bag? Limited drop. Only a handful of people even own this color. Most these girls wouldn’t even know where to shop for it.”
She glanced over like she was waitin’ for me to be impressed, then slid right into the next subject without givin’ me a chance to say much. “And between me and you, I don’t think some of these hoes are even here for you. I mean, you can tell. The way they move? It’s like they just want the money, and attention. I’m not like that. I’m ‘bout the realest bitch here.”
We cut past the pool area, the blue glow from the water bouncin’ off the glass walls of the guest house. She slowed a little when she caught her reflection in the water, adjustin’ her hair like we was on a photo shoot. I just kept walkin’, lettin’ her catch up.
The path curved and led us through the garden, rows of flowers stretchin’ in both directions with soft lights lining the walkway. She didn’t even pause to take it in, still runnin’ her mouth about places she’d been, shoots she’d been on, and all the people who “knew her name in the industry.”
I let her keep goin’ until we hit the far edge of the property where the stone walkway narrowed. The sound of the fountain carried through the air, and for a moment, she actually wentquiet to look at it. But as soon as we kept movin’, she started again, this time namin’ women in the house she thought were “fake” or “just playin’ the game.”
Finally, I stopped walkin’ and turned to face her. “You know I’on care about none of that shit you just said, right?”
The words hit her like I’d just pulled the rug out from under her. That mouth that stayed movin’ went still, and her eyes was fixed on me.
“I’m not saying you care,” she said quickly, her voice smaller than it had been the whole walk. “I was just… striking up conversation.”
I leaned in just enough, so she knew I meant what I said. “You ain’t gotta bring up other females to do that. I don’t care about what designer shit you got, how many videos you been in, or none of that. I could put you in some shit you never even heard of a day in your life. None of that impress me. Just chill and enjoy each other’s company.”
Her lips pressed together, and she swallowed hard, noddin’ once. The arrogance she’d been walkin’ with since we stepped outside had dropped right off her.
