She did not want to go home after she left Hook's place, so she went to see her parents. Her parents were lawyers semi-retired from their law practice. Semi-retired because they could not seem to let it go. Her father was sixty-seven and her mother sixty-two. They lived in a mini-mansion in Eureka, another west St. Louis County suburb.

They still lived in her childhood home. They were both old money, so she grew up privileged and not a want in life. Her parents were not strict, but they never allowed her to stray from the upper echelon in life. She did all the pageants, cotillions, her mother's sorority youth programs, every tea, every fashion show, everything had to be elite.

Even though her parents were elitists, she tried to have an open mind. Some of her friends were not from that background. Jared wasn't from that background and they were super close. She always tried to get to know a person before she made a complete judgment of them.

She tried with Hook. It didn't seem to work for her.

Sure, they were different, but she actually liked Hook. He was not what she imagined a "thug" to be. He was done with that life. He tried to do better with his life, opening up the car shop with drug money instead of staying in and making more drug money. She gave him props for that.

Sure, he had two daughters. He was doing what many men were not doing, and that was taking care of them. He could have never been a part of their lives, just make babies and bounce, but he was there.

When she needed him, afraid for her life because of her crazy husband, he was there for her.

Then why did she treat him like crap?

"Mom, Dad, you home?" she asked when she used her key to go inside.

Even though they both were still workaholics at their firm, they did most of their work from home nowadays, only going to the office or in court as needed. Her mother liked to take artsy classes in her free time, her father did nothing but sit in and watch sports all weekend. She headed to his man-cave in the basement.

"Dad?" she called out before walking in on him. Maybe he was into porn or something, she did not want to barge in on her father and see something she could not unsee.

"I'm down here," he yelled out as she made her way down.

He was relaxed back in what used to be her and Shay's big playroom, but now his man-cave. Big screen tv, surround sound, a fully stocked bar, pool table, a basketball shooting game, all his sports collections, he was a big-time Chicago Bulls fan. Also, all his awards from over the years were all over the walls. A shrine to himself.

"What's my baby girl doing over here on a Saturday morning?" He got up to hug her and kiss her on the cheek.

"Just hanging." She took a seat on one of his stadium lounge chairs. "Where's mom?"

"Shopping."

"It's eight-thirty in the morning!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Stores are still open so she's still shopping. Your mom spends money faster than we can make it. Good thing we make enough of it," he said with a chuckle.

"So work is good? Still not going to fully retire any time soon?"

"They are going to have to bury me in my office," he said. "And speaking of, why is Matt pestering me about you and these divorce proceedings?"

"He what?"

"Yes. You know I don't like to be in your business..."

That was a lie.

"But you are my baby girl, so of course I am siding with you. If you're done with the marriage, then you are done with the marriage. I don't care how long he's been working for me or that he's been like a son to me or any of that. Blood is blood."

She was surprised at her father. She thought he would take Matthew's side like Shay seemed to be doing. She was the one who got Matthew in at her parents' law firm. In those ten years, he handled some of their biggest cases, winning most and making them a lot of money. When she told her parents she wanted a divorce, they could not believe it.

They only saw what she wanted them to see and she did not tell them he hit her and cheated on her. All they needed to know was she was unhappy.

"Thanks, dad. Can we get the divorce sped up? I don't want to keep going through this with him. He came into the house with a gun on me. I don't feel safe and I-"

"He what?" Her father jumped up. "Baby girl why didn't you tell me that asshole did that to you? Your sister said something happened but didn't go into detail. He's done."

"That's why I didn't tell you," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't want it to affect his job or-"

"He threatened my child, yes, it affects his job." He cut the television off and picked up his cell phone. "Two can play that game."

What was her father going to do? Fire him? That would only get him more upset. This was becoming a nightmare.

"Has he come to the house again?"

"Well...no...I mean, I haven't been staying there."

"Where have you been staying?"

Of course, she never told her parents about Hook, and why should she? She never knew where the relationship was going and introducing him to her parents meant things were serious.

"A friend."

"A friend? Jared?"

"No."

"A guy friend?"

"Yes."

"I mean, you are grown, don't act like you can't tell me that," he said, finishing his text on the phone. "I'm having a meeting with Matthew first thing Monday morning. He's not part of the family anymore, he for damn sure ain't welcome at my business."

"Dad, he might get even more upset with me about this. He might try and come back and get me at home. I changed the locks and security system but-"

"You're staying here till we get this dealt with."

****************

Staying with her parents was better than staying with Hook. She still missed him. She missed his cooking, his cuddles, his smell, the way he licked her dry, she missed licking on his dick, yes, all the sex.

What the hell did she do before him?

Not a damn thing. Just her work. So she delved into it and slowly began to forget about him. She secretly hoped he would call and beg for her back, but she knew he was too much of a man to do that. She ended things. The only way things could go back was if she made the first move. There were many nights that she almost pressed his number.

"You need to just call that man, with yo petty ass," Jared said to her while they were in her office and she was staring at a pic of Hook.

"Huh...what?" She put her phone down.

"Call. The. Man! Call him, fuck him, suck his dick, whatever you need to do, gone and do it," Jared said.

Shay balled up some paper and threw it at his head.

"I'm in here too, punk," she said to him.

"So! You need to hear it too," Jared said, tossing the paper ball back at her. "When the last time you and Mr. Rogers-looking dude fucked? And I'm not talking about "had sex," I'm talking about raw, down, and dirty fucking each other brains out. That's what Angel had with Hook and she needed it. She needs it. I say get over your ego and get back on the horse...I mean dick in this case, but you get me."

"My husband does not look like Mr. Rogers," Shay said with a pout.

Unfortunately, he did and was about as square as him.

"I'm not going to sit here and say the sex wasn't good, because it was. The best I ever had, but don't you think we needed more than that to try and make a relationship work?"

"One, how many men have you exactly had in your life to compare to? You lost your virginity at seventeen. Gave it up again in college to the dude who shall never be named. Luckily you didn't get dick from me when we dated."

Angel groaned at him, hanging her head down in shame.

"And then there was Matthew. So four men you've ever been with in your life. Girrrrlll...you can't judge that man by that if you ain't been around the block a bit."

"First of all, I don't get down like that. Secondly, of the other three, he was the best. Fact is fact."

"Antyway! Didn't you try and get to know the man? I thought you were getting all deep and telling deep, dark secrets and stuff?"

"The more I learned, the more he was just so different."

"One look at him you should have seen he wasn't a match for you," Shay said. "But it's a good thing you came to your senses before you flaunted him around mom and dad. I can't imagine what dad would say. Disown you maybe."

She rolled her eyes at her sister. The way her father was acting about the Matthew situation, she had faith he would possibly be cool with a guy like Hook. Her mother was like Shay so she was glad she dodged that bullet. They were the B in Bougie. It seemed Shay was the only one with a problem with him for now. And her.

"Angel, that man almost got shot for you. That should have been enough to seal the deal and fall in love with the man," Jared said.

"In love? Did you just say the L-word?" Shay laughed. "Nope, no way. Like sis said, it was just sex that she needed to get out of her system, now she can move on with her life. Divorce almost final, she can find a nice respectable man on her level. Maybe another lawyer from daddy's firm...or would that be weird?"

"Girl, stop playing, she better not," Jared said. "She better get someone worlds apart from Matthew...like Hook...but you ain't hear that from me." Jared sashayed out of the office.

He had a point. She definitely needed someone not even close to Matthew.

A/N: If Angel makes you upset I get it. She had a good man who changed his life from all the bad stuff he went through. Don't give up on her readers, she'll get better.

Shay is a whole mess! Nothing redeemable about her, at least Angel is trying.

XOXO
Kimberly