On the ride home, I pouted while he drove in silence. Too frustrated to carry on a conversation, but not willing to let him off the hook so easily, I asked. "Besides sex, what else are you holding back from me?"

"I'm not holding sex back, Dana. I told you, I need time."

"It's been half of a freaking year, how much more time do you need?"

"As much as it takes."

"For what?" I demanded.

"For me, Dana."

"And what about me?"

"Everything isn't about you, okay?"

"Yeah, Priya was so kind as to rub that shit in my face. Why are there parts of your life I have no clue about?"

"Because the time hasn't come to share everything with you."

"Not even sex, huh."

He gripped my hand. "There's nothing more I could want right now than to be with you, nothing."

"Then why did you stop?"

"I haven't been with anyone in six years, Dana."

"Yeah, well, then I really don't understand your hesitation."

"But do you trust me."

I pulled my hand away from his, tucked it between my thighs, then stared out the window. My silence lasted until Quincy walked me to my door.

"I'll call you." I mumbled as I stepped into my foyer.

"Dana, do you trust me?"

"How, when I don't even truly know you."

"Because I will never do anything to harm you."

"I'm not feeling too "unharmed" right now, so." I stepped behind my door, then began to close it, pausing when Quincy spoke.

"I apologize for how my reservations have made you feel."

"Don't, that's on me, right? So, no worries. Look, apparently you have some things to work through, and I gotta go. Like I said, I'll call you."

This time, I didn't wait. After shutting him out, I walked away from the door with no plans on looking back, not even for Quincy Winters.

___________________________

On a roll with exercising poor judgement, I called Marley.

"Why are you on my phone instead of laying in a pool of bodily fluids and shedding tears of orgasmic joy?"

After gulping my glass of wine, I sighed, then responded. "Because I'm not privy to either at the moment."

"What did you do."

"Really, you automatically assume I'm the culprit."

"Umm, yeah, I do, so what happened? Did Anton spill the beans?"

"No, this was all Quincy."

"Shut up."

"Yeah, your perfect man is is either gay, don't really want my Black ass,  there's someone else or all of the above."

"I know for a fact there isn't anyone else. Quincy's either at the office or with you."

The working relationship between Quincy and Marley intensified after her parents promoted her to project manager for the business they gained from Quincy's entire firm. And I knew what she was saying was true, but nothing else made sense about why he refused to make love to me.

"Well, gay then."

"Highly unlikely. I mean damn, I hope that's highly unlikely. What exactly did he say?"

"He said he needed time."

"Okay... and?"

"And that's it, fucking... time."

"Hmm, interesting. Come to think of it, he has been a little off lately."

"Off how."

"Quiet, like he's in another world."

"Well, it's not mine."

"Then be a good girlfriend, and give him what he says he needs."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm about to give his ass an abundance of time."

"Not like that, Princess Petty. We had plans for this weekend anyway, so, just chill with me, but let him know that you'll be available when he wants to talk."

"So, you're on his side."

"I'm on the side of love."

I laughed, then added. "You're acting off too."

"Only because you and I are getting two days of pampering. That's enough to change my whole life right now."

"Should we even go?"

"Your horny ass will not ruin this for me. Of course we're going. Now clean up the mess I made, and pack your shit. I'll be here to wake your neighbors at five."

"Please don't." I begged.

"Then have your ass on the curb at four forty-five, or it's jingle bells, baby."

I hung up, polished off my remaining wine straight from the bottle, then hunted Gus down before following Marley's orders. The last thing I needed was for my neighbors to make my life hell because Marley startled them from their sleep like she had done too many times before.

Just as I began to doze, my phone pinged. Quincy's text, enjoy your weekend, annoyed me. I had to mechanically finish what he started, and he wanted me to enjoy my weekend. "Yeah, okay." I muttered as I reached under my pillow and revved Gus up for another round.At four thirty am, I plopped atop my weekend luggage, relished a sip of coffee and waited for Marley's LED headlights to blind me. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived, blasting her horn as she pulled to a screeching halt in front of me.

Bitch.

I kicked her tires as I stomped towards her trunk and tossed my bags inside. "I have to live here, you know."

"No you don't. You could be in a mansion on the outskirts of town, but you play too much."

"I have no desire to move in with Quincy. So, could you please not get me booted out of my community?"

A superfluous grin preceded her laying on her horn again.

"Get in Princess Petty," she yelled. "And without your funky ass attitude. I'm not as nice as Quincy, and I'm driving so don't push your luck." Burning rubber as we pulled away from the curb, she added. "It's time for you to get your shit together and play nice."

I hated her, but as usual, Marley had a point. As we neared the edge of Axum, I decided to ask her to make a pitstop by Quincy's.

"Why? Our girl's weekend has already started."

"You're the one who told me not to be petty, to play nice. So, I want to apologize for basically slamming the door in his face last night."

She simply stared at me.

"Could you focus on the road please?" I urged as she drifted across two lanes.

"Poor guy. He can't win for losing with you." She muttered as she merged back onto the correct side of the road.

"Are you going to stop or not?"

"Are you going to find yet another reason to be pissed with him before we get there?"

"I beg your pardon."

"Bestie to bestie, you trip on Quincy... a lot."

"I don't trip."

Marley glanced towards me without turning her face from the road. She announced. "You're tripping right now. Leave that man alone, and let's enjoy the next few days."

"We have to drive past his house anyway. So, just stop, will you?"

"Nope." She answered.

"Fine, then I'll call."

She snatched my phone.

"Are you holding me against my will?"

"If you don't promise to leave that man alone, I'm going to throw this damn thing out the window."

"Oh my God, what the hell do you want me to do?"

Tucking my phone into her bra, she crooned. "Just what the fuck I said... leave that man....alooone."

As we rounded the curve nearing Quincy's, I gave up the fight, stared out of the window and pouted on the passenger side of the car. A few miles past the estate, Marley asked. "Umm, Dana? Does Quincy usually drive himself around town?"

"No." I grumbled as I lay back on the headrest. "Anton won't let him, not unless Quincy and I are together."

"Okay, then where is he going now?"

"What?"

I sat up and followed Marley's gaze towards the road in front of us. Quincy's SUV was one car ahead.

"I can't see shit through his tint. How do you know Anton's not driving?"

"Because he pulled in front of that car just as we were nearing his house. I didn't see anyone else, and no one can miss Anton's big ass."

"Well, if I could call him, I could ask where he's going."

"Leave him alone. I was just curious."

"That makes two of us, so-" I waggled my brows while displaying a devious grin.

"I'm not about to follow Quincy Winters around town. Are you nuts?"

"You don't have to follow him. He's getting on the highway, and so are we."

"Dammit." Marley muttered as she merged onto the interstate. Keeping a safe distance behind the SUV, Quincy weaved through traffic for thirty minutes before taking an exit unfamiliar to me or Marley.

To my surprise, she maneuvered across three lanes and kept pace with Quincy as she followed him along the same exit.

"Fuck it." She announced before I could ask. "I'm invested."