“Later,” Aaliyah squeezed her thighs shut and focused back on her sketch. Her pussy still craved Ocean, though it needed a break from the pounding he’d given her all night. He fucked her as if his life depended on it. “I have a lot of work to do this weekend, despite it being a holiday.” She paused for a beat. “I also start filming this week. Tony will be here sometime next week as my first celebrity guest tattoo, followed by Dolce Gabbana in a few weeks. They were already set in stone but the show will give them each some much-needed publicity. Dolce has a surprise album coming out the same week the show will air so it’ll really benefit him.”
“Surprise album and you know about it?” Ocean teased.
“Yeah,” Aaliyah caught the goof, “but he doesn’t know when the show will air and neither do I so there’s the surprise.”
“Ah, got it.” Ocean chewed on a muffin and was shocked by how delicious it was. When he and Aaliyah dated the first time, she was barely in her kitchen and mainly used it to store art supplies. Now she was an expert. “This muffin is amazing, rainbow.”
“Thank you,” she noticed the new nickname for her, “and rainbow?”
“I figured you are as much,” he replied, “and it comes from one of your favorite songs and artists. Bold as Love by Jimi Hendrix.”
Aaliyah immediately remembered the lyric and felt her heart soar. Ocean was romantic in his own way that no other man could match. “You’re giving your life to me?”
“A rainbow like you.” He walked over to her and kissed her. “Blueberry muffin breath is surely better than morning breath, right?”
“Yes.” She giggled. “Anytime.”
“When did you learn how to cook?” Ocean asked. “You never made a spread like this before.”
“An ex taught me,” she went back to sketching, “he said I needed to know how to cook and save money so he taught me.”
“Oh,” Ocean chewed the muffin, “what’s his name?”
“None of your business, Mr. Secret Service.” Aaliyah replied.
“Is he a problem?” He asked. “I would like to know if he will be.”
“You can go out with other women and tell me to be chill about it while an ex I haven’t seen or spoken to in ages is making you shook,” her voice was calm and still as she filled in the lion’s mane, “comical.”
“That’s different,” Ocean defended, “I have an image to maintain.”
“Oh, and I don’t?” She glanced up at him. “So, it doesn’t matter if you date other women because it’s politics but if I’m seen talking to an ex, I’m a whore?”
“I didn’t say that,” he shook his head.
“You didn’t have to.” Aaliyah sighed and went back to drawing her sketch. “You didn’t have to say a word.”
Ocean walked up to her and covered the sketch with a hand. He lifted up Aaliyah’s chin with his other one. “You’re not a whore, Aaliyah. I never thought that way in the past, present, and I’ll doubt I’ll feel that way in the future. I’m in the business where appearances matter. Every thing I do, no matter how minute I think it is, makes a big difference to potential voters. I eat a certain food, it might be problematic. I like a certain music artist, it might tell the female voters how I feel about them. I wear leather shoes, I’ll get a nasty letter from PETA and believe me, they will send them.” Ocean stated. “I’m in a situation where every thing for my past counts against me. Every thing in my present will affect my future and possibly millions more. I have no choice but to be self-aware of my image now.”
“And you want to date someone who will put all of what you just said into question? The voters will see you with a sleeved-up, hippie girl and what do you think will go through their minds?” She locked eyes with him. “What game are you running, O? You kept telling me you didn’t want to seek another term and now what you said sounds indicative of just that.”
“I’m telling you for future purposes this is how things will be with me, regardless if I’m a senator or I go back to private practice. You need to be aware of this, rainbow. I’ve never lied to you and I’m not about to start.” He caressed her cheek. “I asked about your ex because if he’s a problem, I want to take care of it before he becomes one.” His eyes turned dark. “And you’re my only priority.”
Aaliyah lightly sighed. Ocean talked a good game because he had no idea about the past she hid. Once he found out why his father was hell-bent in removing her from his life, his good speech would go to waste.
“O, listen, there’s something you need to know…”Aaliyah began. “…it’s about…”
Ocean’s cell phone suddenly rang and he cursed at the distraction. “I have to get that, baby. If I don’t, I’ll hear it from my mother.” He rushed over to the phone and answered it. “Hello? Good Morning, Mother. Yeah, I’m in Atlanta right now. Well, I thought about going to California for the holiday weekend but I figured I’ll see you all this week anyway…”
Aaliyah breathed out a heavy breath she didn’t know she held. Ocean said he didn’t care about her past but Aaliyah couldn’t believe him. He might care once he realized what she did. She was saved by bell, though she didn’t know how many more lives she had.
Once Ocean knew about what Aaliyah used to do, it would be game over.
~~~~~
Las Vegas. The city of faded hopes and lost dreams.
Every person was determined to forget about their past and strike it rich, only to drown their sorrows in a fifth of vodka some hours later when they’ve lost all of their money.
