"If you wanna stay, get down on your knees
And like the dog you are, come crawling to me
Cause nothing's on the table, just me in your chair
You know tonight, you can eat mon poussière

Nothing on the table, just me in your chair
You know tonight, you can eat mon poussière"

Rosie Ledet—"You Can Eat My Poussiere (You Can Eat My Dust)

His words stung her to her core.

Erik's truck blew back dust in her face as she stood in front of her house and watched him disappear into the night.

He wasn't supposed to find out. What happened between her and Jordan was a final kiss goodbye. A one-off. She was floating high from her Orlando success. Her publication in a journal and a magazine gave her the momentum to keep writing. At the conference, she met an editor at a small press that sat in on her panel and chased her down in the hallway to offer her a book proposal based on her paper and her use of Hoodoo. He was interested in an expanded text and suggested something on the level of Zora Neale Hurston's "Mules and Men". He wanted her to consider writing an autoethnographic work in her unique voice. She took the man's business card and promised to send him a breakdown synopsis in a couple of weeks. As he walked away, Kris squealed. Someone compared her voice to that of Zora Neale Hurston? Out loud and in front of other people? She was shook. A book. All that work in school brought her to that moment in time.

She celebrated with her family and it thrilled her that her mother was doing so well mentally and spiritually. Her brothers were living productive lives and her father had started a small garden in their backyard. Brandy came through and Kris confessed to what she was doing with Erik. There was a blank look, and then a broad smile.

"Your grandmother really pulled it off," Brandy said with a smirk.

There were visits with old friends and other relatives and then Jordan popped up like a Jack in the box toy. It started with one congratulatory post on social media and then a direct message asking to see her. She agreed to meet at an old hangout, Oohh's and Aahh's Soul Food Restaurant on Georgia Avenue. Feeling jittery walking into the spot, the smell of familiar comfort food overwhelmed her senses. Being back in D.C., and seeing Jordan looking so… amazing. Unbelievable to her mind a year ago.

Fresh haircut, fresh fits, and a fresh new attitude, Jordan was truly a brand-new man standing in front of her. They took their seats and ordered fried whiting sandwiches and jumbo lump crab cakes with Corona beers and peach cobbler for dessert. He made her laugh. Made her smile. Kris relaxed into a comfortable conversation and it was like the old good times when they were freshmen in college. Jordan had grown so much after their break-up.

They bar-hopped and reminisced until the sun went down, and after six hours, they still hadn't parted. She agreed to go to his new townhouse, and the place was almost bare. He was slowly purchasing furnishings and decorations, but it was all his. Eventually, they ordered Indian food and drank wine and she started feeling herself. She wanted to fuck him. She wanted to show him what he gave up on and would never have again. It was petty and not very adult, and she wasn't thinking about Erik or anything back in Texas when she climbed into Jordan's new King size bed. She dominated their union and flicked her fingers across her clit on top of him until she came. Rocking her hips and thighs on Jordan, her release was a true letting go of her dysfunctional past. She would go back to Texas and write a book. And then another book. She would seek more opportunities to speak about her work publicly. She was going to have a writing career and show the world how amazing her people were.

After their tryst, Jordan wanted more from her, and she caught a Lyft back to her parent's house. The next day she received a text from Erik and her heart squeezed in her chest. She couldn't wait to see him. She would save the book news until after she knew for sure a deal had been struck with the publisher.

The plane couldn't get down from the sky fast enough. She saw yellow roses, dimples, and gums because his smile was so wide when he saw her. He gave her the best homecoming lovemaking and then Jordan messed it all up. He couldn't just say all that shit into a voicemail message, he had to call the house phone and run his damn mouth.

Ego.

That's why she did it. She wanted to prove herself as a significant loss to him. Instead, he flapped his gums and Erik found out everything.

He loved her.

The manwhore of Mariscal loved her.

Her neighbors witnessed Erik's leaving from their porch, and Kris felt mortified standing naked under a hastily thrown-on robe, titties nearly out in the open. She stomped back into her house and paced her living room floor. His anger would cool and he would talk to her. They could get past it all. She would tell him she was feeling petty. The sex with Jordan wasn't great. The second she climbed off of her ex and his dick flopped down on his thigh deflated and slipping away from the condom, she felt nothing. Lunch, dinner, and some casual conversation was where she should've left that man, but she went all the way to make herself feel powerful.

A restless sleep glommed onto her and when she woke up the next morning to do her early prayers and meditation, her bone bag was cool toward her. Kris pulled out her rattan tray and poured the bones into her hand. Ice cold. They were ice cold.

"Please, I need some discernment… clarity. Help me," she whispered into her hands as she cradled them all.

The cold remained.

There was no sense tossing them if they were going to give her attitude. She poured them back into the velvet bag and took them back to her room and let them sit near her altar.

She could feel Erik's energy in her bedroom.

Their lovemaking from the night before rested over her sheets like a hazy purple cloud. She could see it. His anger was there too in the flashes of throbbing deep red that glinted like tiny stars inside the cloud. If she squinted, she could also catch the sudden streaks of dark pink and milky white. The pinpricks of the love he said he felt for her.

Shame painted her cheeks. She was so dumbfounded when he spoke of love that it paralyzed her vocally for a split second. What they shared was strong… solid… nothing she had ever experienced before, but it terrified her to even think of that possibility with him. Love had a permanence that struck fear in her cells.

Did she love him?

Kris tapped her right temple with her index finger and stared at her altar. She fed the shot glass pink moon water and a drop of rum.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," she pleaded to her ancestors.

A glimmer from the shadow of Erik's heart flickered in her peripheral.

"Y'all know me. Y'all see everything. You know I don't want Jordan. He knows I don't want Jordan. I want him, but I'm not… I'm not ready. That's not my fault. I just want my time. Not 'us' time yet."

She ignored the sparks of energy trying to catch her eye from her bed. He shouldn't be there. Not in her private space.

Kris stomped out of her bedroom and went to her kitchen pantry and grabbed white sage. She lit it on the stove then rushed back to her bed and smudged every inch, chasing that man's essence away. Walking around the room in three complete circles with humble prayers of supplication and forgiveness, she allowed the sage to burn up all the way until there was only an inch of stalk left. She tossed the remains into a metal bowl next to a lump of lodestone on her altar and left the space to open the windows in her house to chase him out.

Heading back to her kitchen she pulled out a small cleaned-out strawberry jam jar. This journey was about self-love and healing her spirit to be the woman she was becoming. She had to bring back sweetness to offset Erik's chaotic lingering energy. That nigga's spirit was strong, and even with smudging and open windows, she could feel him hovering.

"You can't be pissed at me and hang around!" she shouted toward the living room.

Her neighbors probably thought she had lost her mind screaming after witnessing her half-naked chasing down some angry cowboy with demon dick. Jesus. Be a rock.

Kris stood still in her kitchen and centered herself. Deep breaths made her heartbeat return to normal. She washed her hands and rinsed them with rosewater before opening the jam jar and filling it with a quarter cup of maple syrup, and a quarter cup of blackstrap molasses. She tossed in fresh rosemary and her eyes caught sight of the dozen yellow roses Erik bought for her. Padding out to the coffee table, Kris snatched up one rose and brought it back to her kitchen. She plucked the petals off the stem and tossed them into the jar. He gave the flowers to her with an open heart so she felt comfortable using them for her needs. Grabbing a tattered brown paper bag from under her sink, Kris ripped off a small corner piece, then took a marker from her refrigerator magnet that held her colored pens and she drew a red heart and wrote her name in big block letters. Folding the paper three times, she dropped it into the middle of the sweet mixture and twisted the jam lid shut.

The last thing she needed was a candle. When she walked back to her pantry, the loud rumble of a big vehicle sparked her nerves. She thought it was Erik returning. It wasn't. After another deep breath to calm her hands, she picked up a white candle and lit it over the stove. Hot drops of candle wax fell on top of the sealed jam jar and when she had a nice melty coating, Kris stuck the candle base into the cooling pool.

Placing the sweet jar on her kitchen table, she watched the candle burn a yellow-red flame and uttered a love prayer for herself. The heaviness in her home lifted and an easing in her chest made her nerves calm. She had been through worse. And survived. She was vulnerable but growing stronger. The world was open and new and her previous prayers had opened a doorway to a career.

She plopped into her kitchen chair and watched the candle flame flicker and dance, the scent of the burning wick tickling her nose. Voices of her neighbors drifted through her windows along with music and those loud chirping of annoying crickets.

Kris was determined to love on herself and give Erik time to come to his senses. He had done grimy things in his past. Surely, he knew she could slip up too. The sigh that escaped her mouth made her shake her head. She spent the last hour trying to fix the energy in her house to protect herself and her mind was already back on that man.

The tease of a smile quirked her lips. There was no way she could get away from him. Her heart was soft for that wild Mustang. Soft and oh so wide open.

###

The heavy odor of cattle and feces stung her nose.

Kris sat on a wide gate as the Stevens clan rounded up red Angus beef cattle in the distance. Her heart was in her throat as she watched Erik, Caddo, Biandro, Monroe, Selena, and the other men and women in their family ride horses hard and fast kicking up dust clouds and grass as they herded big fat galloping bull cows, mother cows, heifers, and the cute little fast calves. Erik's father Etienne and Caddo's father drove big trucks and a few ATVs behind them to keep track of stragglers.

Rza, Dirty Bastard, and Shaolin darted around the slower calves and herded them toward the humans waiting with Kris in the corral. Their swift dog legs earned their keep. Nana Rae stood near Kris holding a computer notepad. She spoke to her head ranch hand, Jose Luis, and Kris heard them talking about beef quality assurance and maintaining their certificate and some other business-related concerns.

Erik's two other uncles and a couple of his Aunts were inside the corral getting the animals settled, the branding irons prepped and ready along with tags to place in the calves ears. It all seemed stressful and busy to Kris, but the family and their ranch staff worked in tandem.

She smelled BBQ in the air and her stomach grumbled thinking about the feast that awaited them once all the work was done. There was a festive atmosphere with the back-breaking labor. The rush of heavy bodies galloping into the corral was thrilling to observe. There was an intricate chute system that little Asha helped manipulate that sorted cattle and calves to go in various holding areas.

Nana Rae looked up from swiping her pad.

"Where is that baby going?!"

A frightened calf took off on clunky but fast legs. Erik broke away from the thundering beef running into the corral and chased down the escapee. He grabbed a rope from Big Man's side and Kris watched him twirl it over his head as he charged forward. His release was pretty as it flew ahead of him and wrapped around the neck of the calf.

"Ow!" Kris gasped as the calf jerked back and tottered over its legs.

The animal shook its body and had no choice but to follow behind Big Man as Erik tugged it along to the rest of the herd. Kris felt her insides go all gushy and warm watching Erik work. His face sweated as his vigilante-style cowboy hat shielded his eyes from the Spring sun.

"Asha, how did they get out?!"

Nana Rae fussed again as two more calves escaped the separation from their mothers.

"Guess Erik gotta get them too!" Asha said.

Erik had already passed his first loose calf onto the corral. He pointed a finger at Asha and the girl giggled and shrugged her shoulders. Monroe assisted in the collection and both men cantered after the animals, tossed around their rope like pros, and Kris loved watching them laugh as they worked. Erik wiped his face with the bandanna around his neck and his eyes briefly settled on Kris. Anxiety ticked up in her, but his eyes slid away focused on something else.

Kris's ears perked up to the sound of bawling cows and crying calves.

"They miss their Mommys," Kris said pulling her lips down in a sad frown.

"Let's go have lunch!" Nana Rae said waving her hand around to the people present and into a ranch radio.

They had worked all early morning until the late afternoon. It was already two o'clock. Kris was starving.

"I hate hearing them cry like that," Kris lamented as she walked with Nana Rae.

"They'll be fine," Nana Rae assured Kris.

"Will you brand all of them?"

"Oh no. Most in the business now use tags for identification and tracing bad meat for diseases. We only brand the ones that we keep for family use so the plant knows to hold those aside for us. When they go to the slaughterhouse for packing, we have our personal meat cut up and we freeze it at home. I'll set some aside for you when I give some to May. Branding is fading as a tradition. A lot of ranchers don't like the idea of just using tags nowadays. But most ranchers always have some words for the government intruding on our way of life."

They didn't go to the main house but stayed near the corral where patio tables were set with food, libations, and coolers of ice. Pop Pop stood near three double grills piling ribs and chicken smothered in sauce onto platters. There was so much food that Kris knew she would need a food coma nap after partaking. Several dozen family members and staff grabbed plates and utensils to grub down hard and refuel.

Kris sat with Selena and Asha and chowed down on sweet white corn on the cob drenched in butter. Wiping her lips, Kris snuck glances at Erik as he spoke to Biandro and Etienne. His hair was longer and his facial hair was thicker giving him a strong manly look. Within the hour, stomachs were filled, restroom breaks were taken, and they headed back to the corral to brand and tag.

"Erik, could I talk to you real quick?"

Kris dug her boot heels in the dirt with her hands shoved in her front jean pockets. She smelled the musk of hard work wafting off of his body.

"I don't have a lot of time," he said as his eyes darted around checking for the other ranch hands.

"I know. I just want to ask if we could talk later. We've tried to ignore each other for a month and I don't want to do that anymore. I want to talk about what happened—"

"Nothing to talk about. I haven't ignored you. I've just been busy with the new place. Have I been mean to you?"

"No—"

"Have I acted an ass about how you treated me?"

"No, but I—"

"So it's all good. I'm over it."

Her lips pressed into a tight line as she stared at the ground.

"I want us to be friends again… eventually," she uttered.

When she looked into his eyes again, he had a sly smile on his face.

"We can do that," he said, " but don't expect it overnight. That shit hurt, Kris."

"I know. I didn't want… I can't…."

"I gotta get back."

He left her standing alone.

Kris wiped her eyes quickly under her frames as she glanced around to make sure no one saw her.

"Hey."

Monroe stood before her. His eyes flicked over to watch Erik take long strides toward the corral. She swiped her fingers under her glasses to stop any more leaks from her lids and fought the growing ball of pain in her midsection. That was the first time she had spoken to Erik since she broke his heart. She felt like shit all over again.

"It'll get better," Monroe said patting her arm.

She nodded, and her eyes grew blurry behind her glasses again.

"I know y'all tried to keep your lil situation on the down-low, but it was pretty obvious to everyone."

Kris tried to smile but her lip trembled. Everyone was already back to work while she and Monroe stayed behind. His eyes took in her face, and the tears fell.

"Aw girl," he said.

He threw a comforting arm around her and Biandro brought up the rear at the last minute.

"What's wrong?" Biandro asked. His hound dog eyes became soft looking at Kris.

"She uh—"

"Erik?" Biandro asked.

Monroe nodded.

Biandro patted her elbow and stood right next to her as Monroe continued holding her shoulder.

"You keep your head up and keep working on you, ya hear me?" Monroe encouraged.

Her eyes welled up again.

"He's got a lot on him right now. A lot of changes and it's tough," he continued.

Biandro moved along as Kris took in deep breaths.

"Whatever happened probably needed to happen, and if y'all are meant to be, then that thing will snap back like a rubber band. If not, you can be our play cousin."

She giggled then, and he winked his eye.

"We still like you even if that spoiled lil nigga act like he don't anymore. We all know he's stuck on you. Give him some time and take your time. Okay?"

"Okay," she shuddered out.

"Lemme show ya how we brand our red Angus!"

Kris followed Monroe back to the corral. The branding irons glowed a deep orange. It didn't take long to have the cattle walking through the branding chute. Biandro lifted and dropped levers to separate the animals as Erik stuck an iron onto each cow's flank where the letter "C" and an upside-down "R" were burned into the flesh with a sizzling sound and the stench of burnt cowhide. She grimaced as the animals vocalized their pain. It was a lot to take in how the meat she ate every day started on its journey.

The family worked until eight in the evening, switching off jobs among them. Erik tugged on his leather work gloves and gave Kris a curious stare.

"What?" she said.

"Come brand this last one," he said.

Monroe and Caddo watched her as she jumped down from the metal gate. Caddo took off his gloves and handed them to her. She put them on her much smaller hands and eyed the heifer that waited for its marking. Kris felt bad for it. Erik brought her the first branding iron, and she held it tight.

"Just press into the hide… there you go… just like that…" he whispered near her ear.

Kris saw Nan Rae and Selena watching her with pleased looks on their faces. She applied her weight behind the brand and saw the sizzle and burning of cowhide up close.

"I'm so sorry little cow," she chirped to the creature.

Erik switched out the brand irons and Kris placed the upside-down "R" above the "C". She moved too fast, and the letter came out a little crooked. She grimaced but the Stevens clan clapped for her.

"You're a real cowgirl now," Erik said.

His dimples made her swoon, especially when she saw the smile envelope his eyes fully. Maybe Monroe was right. Erik needed time just like her. Maybe… maybe there was a place for them down the road.

"C'mon y'all, dinner is waiting for us at the house," Nana Rae shouted.

Kris followed behind Erik as he spoke with Selena and his father. She watched the muscles in his back ripple through his t-shirt. He had taken off his sweat-drenched work shirt and let it rest on his shoulders. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell.

"I'll catch up with y'all. Gotta take this for the new place," he said.

Kris continued trailing behind the rest of the Stevens family, but her eyes kept darting over to watch Erik talk animatedly into his phone. She caught laughter and the smile on his face was big and broad. Things were going well for him with the new TLS. It would open around the time of his birthday. She made plans to bake him his favorite cake, red velvet with cream cheese frosting. By then, they could be in a better place together.

###

She was late.

The new butterfly locs she had put into her hair took longer to finish because Rekia ran out of hair bundles. Kris tore out of her friend's apartment like a whirling dervish. She kept checking on her red velvet birthday cupcakes stacked for Erik. They were still secure inside the container she placed them in. She jumped at the chance to bake them for the family party Nana Rae was throwing for him back at The Roux. Kris bought a fancy cupcake tower for her homemade goods, and she knew once she put everything together on Nana Rae's dining room side console table, it would look like a little Christmas tree in May. She was innately proud of her work on the gourmet recipe she found and hoped Erik would like it.

By the time she parked and had help from Selena and Asha bringing in all her baked goods and trimmings, the family was ready to start the festivities.

Except the birthday boy himself hadn't arrived yet.

He was due back from Austin that afternoon, but Kris was grateful that he was late. It gave her time to set up her cupcakes and slip his gift next to the others in the grand living room of the main house. She took a moment to check her make-up in the nearby restroom. The family started gathering inside the dining room passing around filled champagne flutes from under the giant "BIG 30" gold metallic balloons floating above the champagne bottles when Blue burst in from the front door.

"Sorry we're late," Blue said carrying a case of wine, "we had to stop at the store for some stuff, and then he wanted to drop by TLS to pick up some papers."

Blue was dressed in a nice tailored suit, and Kris was glad she splurged on her new dress because everyone was showing out.

"There he is!" Pop Pop shouted when Erik walked in carrying another case of liquor dressed to the nines.

Kris fingered her hair as she waited for him to notice her, but his shining eyes took in all the crowd inside the room. His uncles admired his slick dark suit and new designer chrome watch and Erik showed off by posing.

"Happy birthday!" his mother Portia shouted holding her glass up to him.

"Wait a minute," Erik said. He dipped out of the dining room for a second, and when he came back, he was holding the hand of a woman who looked very familiar.

The pit of Kris's stomach turned into stone.

"Everybody, this is my lady, Dionne," he said.

Dionne.

The real estate advisor for TLS.

Dionne smiled and nodded her head at everyone in a shy manner. Her shoulder leaned against Erik's for support. Portia drank a big gulp of her champagne, her eyes full of surprise. When she turned her head away, she caught Kris's eye.

"Dinner is buffet style, so help yourselves and mingle like we always do," Portia rushed out.

"What about my Happy Birthday from the whole Fam?" Erik teased.

Portia covered her mouth for a second looking more flustered.

"Everyone," she said holding up her glass again as her husband stood next to her, "to my baby boy who has hit a new milestone in his life. Opening another business, helping to take care of this ranch for his grandparents, and turning thirty today. My little boy, I love you so much. You make us proud every day. We wish you continued success and many blessings. Everyone…"

"Happy birthday!"

Kris gulped down all of her champagne. She couldn't chase away the churning in her belly as she watched Dionne stare at Erik with all of her googly eyes and the stroking of his shoulder with her free hand.

"Thank you!" Erik called out.

People moved at a leisurely pace, many hugged Erik and gave him kisses as they shook Dionne's hand. Kris moved out of the dining room, her appetite gone.

"Where are you going?"

Granny May stood by a bay window holding a plate of nibbles.

"I was just going to get some air. It's a little stuffy in there."

Her grandmother's eyes knew all that she was feeling.

"Don't run," she said.

"I'm not running, just getting air Granny."

"Okay."

Her legs couldn't carry her away fast enough as she took a personal moment near the wall-sized fireplace.

"Here."

Biandro shoved a fresh glass of champagne in her hand and took away the empty one she clutched.

"I thought you were going to snap that glass in half," he joked.

She tried to smile. His eyes wandered past her toward the dining room, then landed back on her.

"I'm moving to North Carolina," he said.

"You are? When?"

"After Juneteenth this year. That oil I bought from you last month. I used all of it."

"I don't remember bringing you any oil—"

"In your online shop on the Teakblot site. Where vendors can sell their goods?"

"Oh, yeah… sorry. I've had an influx of online orders lately. I just package and mail things on autopilot now."

"Doing well with it then."

"Yeah, I am."

"I bought the clarity oil with the little silver crystals in the bottle. Nice looking. I wore it every morning and bathed in it like the directions said. It worked. I'm going to be near my son."

"I know that's tough for you leaving all of this behind. Your family is so tight."

His eyes took in his grandparent's house.

"I have to think about Ramon now. He misses me so much. I hear it in his voice. This year he's called me every night instead of twice every weekend. I'm also in love with his mother and ever since we left the trail ride last year, she's been receptive to me. We talk all the time and I know it's the right thing to do for our child."

"I wish you the best, Biandro."

His lips lifted into an almost smile, but his eyes were cautious.

"I wish you the best too, Kris. You have a gift for helping people. I hope you learn to help yourself…excuse me, would you?"

Biandro stepped away to greet an older relative who needed some assistance sitting on one of the living room couches with their plate of food. Kris took that time to get away and find another place to mope, but there was nowhere to go. Her stomach betrayed her by growling and she made a plate. Since it was a buffet, she could maneuver around and then go outside to eat on the bench near the lake.

Erik introduced his new lady love to the family, so Kris was able to fix a plate and hid outside as she ate. She wasn't the only one spilling out into the warm air. Numerous family members spread out and chit-chatted with affection.

Kris ate as much as she could, but the food tasted like cardboard to her frazzled mind. She couldn't even appreciate the flavors of the Caddo steaks, or the creole shrimp drowning in the Steven's family seasoning.

His realtor. A woman who worked for him. That was his woman now—

"You found the best spot."

Dionne stood next to her and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. She lit up and took a long drag. She blew her smoke away from Kris's face.

"I was so nervous in there, but your family is so nice."

"Oh, I'm not related to anyone."

"No?"

Dionne's eyes did a slow elevator pass up and down Kris's frame.

"I'm a friend of the family. I also work at TLS. I'm Kris."

Dionne cocked her head back and blew fresh smoke. She didn't bother to move her head when she did it. The white cloud surrounded Kris's face eliciting a short cough from deep in her chest.

"Oh, so you're the little demon Erik told me about."

"Demon?"

Kris tilted her head.

"Damn, these cupcakes are good as hell!"

Erik strolled up to them smacking his lips on his fingers that were covered with the cream cheese frosting Kris made from scratch.

"What you doin' baby?" Erik asked.

When he shuffled around next to Dionne, he noticed Kris standing with smoke wafting around her face. Dionne took another puff of her cigarette before dropping it on the ground and twisting her high heel on top of it.

"I'm meeting your employee, Kris."

Erik saw Kris flinch when Dionne called her an employee.

"Kris is family. Thanks for the cupcakes. That display was cool as hell."

"I'm happy you liked it."

"Maybe I should try one," Dionne said.

"Too late. Them bad boys disappeared fast. I had to hide two of them for later."

"I'll make you some more," Kris said giving the birthday boy a sweet smile, pleased that her cupcakes were a big hit on his day.

"Just send me the recipe. I can make them for him."

Whatever sweet persona Dionne brought to the house earlier disappeared.

"Erik! Come open your presents, baby!"

His mother called for him, and Erik waved at her.

"Give me a minute, Mama!"

"I need to get your gift from me out of your car," Dionne said.

Erik pulled his keys out of his pants pocket and handed them to her.

"Meet you back at the house," she said sauntering away from her.

Erik licked his lips watching the woman's backside.

"Wow. You really kept her close to the vest," Kris spat out.

Erik shrugged.

"My best wasn't good enough for you, but it's great for her."

"How long—?"

"Two months. We hit it off after closing my TLS deal."

"You told her I was a demon. Fucking classy, man."

"I said that literally a day after you dogged me out. Forgive me for venting and being a little salty."

"To a complete stranger."

"She ain't a stranger now."

His eyes watched Dionne open up his truck. She pulled out a giant wrapped gift.

"Wonder what she got me," he said.

He walked over to her and Kris went in the same direction to get to the main house. She left him outside and snagged herself a lemon bar in the kitchen and ate it with her fingers. She grabbed two more and stuffed her face.

Mingling with the family, her mood lifted, and she drank some expensive white wine and sat with Pop Pop and Monroe listening to stories. Erik opened a few of his gifts until he was distracted by music and dancing. Dionne looked a little stiff among the family, but liquor loosened her up. Kris ended up playing pool with Caddo. Selena wandered into the game room carrying a covered plate.

"I have Erik's cupcakes. I thought he was in here," she said.

Caddo whooped Kris's ass with the final eight-ball drop.

"He went to his house to take the rest of his gifts there," Biandro tossed in as he started racking up the pool balls for a new game.

"Well, he lost out," Selena said.

"Give it here, I'll take it to him," Kris said tossing her pool stick to Blue.

Taking the cupcakes from Selena, she wandered out of the house. Erik's truck was gone, and she thought she saw Dionne step into the kitchen with Nana Rae. She hurried along knowing she could talk to Erik in private. Her mind raced with what she wanted to say, but more than anything, she wanted to know how serious this new relationship was. Kris still smarted from Dionne calling her a demon. The nerve.

She saw a light on his porch. Maybe he dropped off the gifts and his truck. She crept up the steps and considered leaving the cupcakes on the rocking chair near the front door. But small critters might run off with it. Vacillating between leaving and going her eyes turned toward the sound of the creek water. There was a glow coming from another window.

Stepping down from the porch, she wandered around and stopped in front of his bedroom window that was wide open.

Dionne writhed naked on her hands and knees gripping bed sheets as Erik hunched over her facing the headboard. Their grunts and groans spilled out of the window as his curtains fluttered, and Kris couldn't move. Her feet stayed rooted to the earth as she watched his ass cheeks flex. His thighs rested against hers as Dionne shouted earth-quaking platitudes to the way he was penetrating her.

Kris couldn't wrench her eyes away from his balls pressed into her jiggly backside. Dionne had a lot of ass, and Erik seemed to enjoy all of it as he slapped against her.

"Fuck, baby!" he gasped.

It was a stab in her heart.

Erik had twisted Kris into all kinds of configurations when he loved all over her, and she had stroked, sucked, kissed, and gobbled all of his parts. But she had never seen the back of him while he was fucking, and to see him loving on some other woman gave her a rare perspective. His body was insane from the rear. The live pornographic feel of it was shocking and stimulating at the same time.

"Cum, baby!" Dionne shrieked.

Erik threw his head back and a guttural roar erupted from his throat and Kris saw his balls and sphincter pulse. His dick pumped semen in a rhythmic twitching and Kris covered her mouth suddenly, dropping his cupcakes on the ground. She ran blindly back toward the main house, a thought holding her brain hostage.

He brought Dionne to his family's ranch. He fucked her in his bed.

A year ago, he told her that the only woman he would bring around his family and to his home was the one he planned on marrying. What else did he tell her before he left her side earlier? His best wasn't good enough for her… so now Dionne was reaping the benefits.

Kris dropped to her knees near the horse stables not even caring if her clothes became stained with horse shit. She had fucked up. Allowed a man tailor-made for her to slip through her fingers because she allowed fear to dictate all of her life choices.

Why was she so stupid?