I looked down at it and wrinkled my nose. “I don’t smoke.”
She shrugged, left it there anyway, and told me to have a good night. Then she walked off without a second glance.
I leaned back in the chair, sipping my wine, and let my eyes wander over the yard. It felt surreal, being back here after everything. Memories poured into me without permission, nights in this same estate when it was just me and Pressure, mornings where I woke up in his arms and believed I was the only one who mattered. I thought I had moved on, thought I was done with all the chaos that came with Pressure, but now that I was sitting here in his home again, it was impossible to ignore what I felt.
The glass was half gone before I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t spending the night alone. If I was going to be back in this mansion, it wasn’t enough to stay in a guest room. This was our place before it was anybody else’s. If I belonged anywhere, it was in his bed.
I finished the last of the wine in one long swallow and stood up. My slippers slid across the floor as I went back inside andcrossed through the foyer. The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped in with my head high, nerves buzzing in my stomach but pride holding my chin steady. By the time I reached his floor, I had convinced myself there was no reason to feel nervous. He was mine before any of them, and deep down, I knew that bond couldn’t be erased or duplicated.
I walked to his room, smoothed my dress, and knocked softly on the door. There was no answer, so I knocked again, a little harder this time, and waited. A whole minute dragged by before I finally heard the lock click. The door swung open, and my brows shot up when I saw who stood there.
It was…Kashmere.
We froze, face to face, her eyes cutting into mine in a way that told me everything I needed to know. She wasn’t smiling, being polite or pretending. Her expression was cold and sharp, a look that dared me to try her.
I straightened my shoulders and held her gaze, making sure she knew I wasn’t intimidated. The silence between us lasted too long, the tension rising with every second. She finally stepped forward, and when she walked past, her shoulder brushed hard against mine like it was on purpose.
“Excuse you,” I snapped, turning to glare at her.
She turned her head slowly, her eyes locked on mine, and said, “Nah, bitch. Excuse you.”
The word hit me like a slap. I had never had another female talk to me like that in my life. I had never even been in a fight, but the way she said it, like I was nothing, made my skin heat. My mouth opened, ready to fire something back, but before I could, the door behind me opened wider.
Pressure stepped into view, a blunt in his hand, smoke curling lazily in the air. His face was unreadable with that same calm, confidence I knew too well, but his presence alone shifted everything.
Triggered by Kashmere’s disrespect, the words flew out of me before I could think. “You need to keep your bitches on a leash.”
The second it left my mouth, I realized I had said too much.
Pressure exhaled smoke and sighed, not looking at me the way I wanted him to. He didn’t bark or chase. He didn’t grab me the way he used to when he wanted to remind me I was his. He just looked tired, like my words barely moved him. Kashmere was already gone down the hall, and all I could do was roll my eyes and step into his room, pretending I wasn’t fazed.
Inside, the smell of his weed filled the air, mixed with that scent that was always just him. His room was everything I remembered—luxury, power, and comfort blended together, but instead of rushing to me, Pressure sat back on the edge of the bed and pulled on his blunt like I was just another distraction in his night.
I stood there, watching him, waiting for the man I remembered. The one who used to blow up my phone if I didn’t answer, the one who used to sit outside my house until I came out, the one who would threaten any man who even looked my way. That man would never sit here so calm while I stood in front of him. That man wouldn’t let another woman brush past me without checking her on sight.
This Pressure was different, and I didn’t know how to take it.
“You ain’t gon’ say nothing?” I asked, my voice sharp.
He looked up at me, smoke slipping from his lips as he finally spoke. “What you want me to say?”
“Did you just have sex with her?” I asked, even though I really didn’t want to know the answer.
Pressure looked up at me and held my gaze for a minute. “Nah, I didn’t but even if I did, that ain’t yo’ business, Ka’mari. We not together.”
The casual tone cut me deeper than anger ever could. He wasn’t chasing, wasn’t begging or doing anything I expected. Forthe first time since we had been involved, I realized I didn’t have his full attention anymore.
These women had changed him.
He wasn’t just mine to play with, to leave and come back to when I felt like it. He wasn’t the man running behind me, breaking rules and crossing lines to keep me close. He had options now, real ones, and I was just another face in a mansion full of them.
I crossed my arms, masking the shake I felt inside. “I came up here to be with you.”
Pressure smirked faintly, took another hit, and leaned back. “You already in my room. That’s on you.”
His words were smooth, but they weren’t the ones I wanted. I wanted him to grab me, pull me close, remind me that no matter who else was around, I was the one he couldn’t let go of. Instead, he sat there cool, like I hadn’t once been the center of his world.
And for the first time, I realized I was in for more than I expected.
