Happy Tempting Tuesday, folks!

I decided to skip the questions today because this is another chapter that is actually pretty serious to me. If you are triggered by this whole black lives matter movement or any racial situation or have problems with the LGBTQ+ community, I advise you not to read this but it's sad if you can't. If you've gotten to this point, you really shouldn't have a problem with my LGBTQ+ talk.

This is only one of my ways of bringing light to a dark situation. This is not just an American issue, but an issue all over the world. Enough is enough. Please make sure you gain knowledge about the situation at hand, you share that knowledge (knowledge and information are two different things) with others who need it, and share it with no hate in your heart. No frustration or anger. Because that's the last thing we need in a time like this.

Anyway, please see the triggers that are in the summary of this book!

You may continue! 💜🤫
****

"Raina, are you okay, sweetheart?! Rena, how about you? Oh goodness! I heard what happened and they sent the perfect police officer there to help. Man, do I miss the police-"

"Okay, Carmon! We get it. We don't need to talk about this with Raina around. Just know we're okay," Rena warned pointing at my little hero laying along the couch cushions on the floor. Her eyes were glued to Rena's phone while playing Solitaire.

That's it. My best friend was turning my best girl into a damn nerd like she was. Not saying there's anything wrong with Raina playing that game...but she should be in my makeup cabinet like she usually is. I want my little girl to actually have a life, not sit around reading and playing games all day.

Plus, Rena has taken my daughter's time away from me lately. She's been going to the park with her, playing games with her, reading and writing with her...

Everything I should be doing but Rena won't let me. Might as well call Rena her mom. Well...that could be arranged...

Carmon, what the hell are you saying? That's YOUR child!

This is true. Honestly, my mind has been a bunch of mush since I saw Trent last. It's come undone like a bunch of spaghetti noodles and the words that come from my lips are not ones I'm proud of. Is this what it's like to be in love or something? If so, I don't like it.

"Jasmine, do you want to play?" Raina said taking me out of my thoughts and passing Rena's phone in the air like she's trying to give it to someone. Oh yes. That's it. She's been around her Auntie Rena for way too long. She's talking to herself.

"Before you go there, that's her imaginary black friend. Leave her alone and let her hang out with her friend," Rena caught me as I was about to get up from the couch and tell my daughter that she was talking to air.

Did she even think of how I would feel about her little 'imaginary' friend? What if I didn't want Raina to have an imaginary friend because it would make her look stupid out in public? Kids nowadays don't do imaginary friends anymore. They actually have friends and by friends I mean real people. These other kids are going to think that my daughter is insane.

"Rena, I see that you're trying to help, but I think you've done enough for Raina. I think it's time I spend more time with my daughter," I said getting comfortable on the couch and rolling my eyes at Rena's comment.

My daughter will not go through the same life Rena's went through. No man, barely any friends, and her head stuck in books all day. There's so much more to life than just fictional romances and sex scenes. Hell, you can get all of that in real life now. The possibilities are endless.

Shit, Mateo is a perfect example. This police officer knows how to put it down in the bedroom...the kitchen, his police cruiser, a local diner around the corner, and plenty of other places. He was such a freak and his large shaft had me climaxing in an hour at the most. Now that I think of how he's helped Rena and my daughter; I may have to give him a...uh...special treat soon.

"Mommy, Jasmine and I are going to have tea time in our room. See you later!" my little girl spoke as she skipped off holding a piece of air in her hand. I couldn't help but facepalm because this little dreamer was going to be the death of me. She was embarrassing me and we weren't even in public yet. I really need to get my mind off of this.

"Okay, Rena. I can't tell you how much I commend you for being there for my baby. Thank you for not causing problems by yelling and resisting the police, ya know? There's so many people that do that," my lips went off on a whole different tangent not realizing that Jess was walking by and hearing everything I was saying.

"Well, maybe if people like you didn't give us a reason to, we wouldn't have to yell and resist," she said with a sharp tongue as she sat down beside Rena on the couch. Rena's hand rubbed Jess' leg to calm her down. For some reason, she was coming after me and I said nothing wrong. I didn't do anything to her.

"Jess, Carmon wasn't lying. If colored people would just comply and listen to the police, they wouldn't be so oppressed," Tiffany's stupid words came from her lips and changed the entire mood with a coffee in her hand. As if what she said wasn't wrong. That was not what I was saying at all. My words weren't meant to attack Rena or Jess by any means. Shut up for once in your damn life, Tiff!

As Rena's eyes widened in surprise of Tiff's words, Jess snarled as made herself comfortable in her blue pajamas. Oh, poor Rena. "Bitch, please. If white people weren't so ignorant and so caught up in wanting to be the dictator of this country, we wouldn't be so oppressed now would we, Tiff?"

"Here we go again. Tiff, why did you even open your mouth? You don't even know what you're talking about. That's just like saying if we, the LGBTQ community, just stopped loving who we all want to love then we wouldn't be treated the way we do. You can't just go around saying shit like that, Tiff," Jana spoke while sitting against the couch with her bottom on the floor. She wiggled herself in between Jess's legs while petting them. Eh, give it about a week and they'll be fighting again. Jess is just like that.

"Well...I didn't even have to say it. You already did. You guys want to be different and fight for your originality or whatever but go about it the wrong way. Opening your mouth is how you get hurt," Tiff argued back.

Facepalming once again, my ears heard an angered Jess speak with "Keep opening those lips of yours and you're going to wish you had put a lock on those bitches. Your stupidity is showing, Tiff. Might want to apply makeup to it or, better yet, wipe that shit off with stupidity remover."

And here's where it all goes downhill. I couldn't even look up from my hand as Tiff came back with "Me?! I'm the stupid one?! Says the bitch that hasn't even stepped foot into a college! Being loud and not complying doesn't help shit! You're just proving the colored stereotype. Why the hell does it matter to you? You aren't even black."

"But I'm a person of color, bitch! I'm not white or pale like your dumb ass. I'm part of the damn minority and proud to be! So, I got a right to be loud and pissed the fuck off, bitch! I'd hate to be part of a community that wants black people's rhythm but not their blues. The same people that don't have their own shit so they take from others," Jess spoke out of anger.

"Jess, really? You 'people of color' are literally on our property. I'm not surprised at your amount of knowledge about this. You obviously didn't listen during your History classes in high school." I lifted my head and heard Tiff say that.

That's when Jess stood up and reached over to hit Tiff, but Jana held her legs from the ground and said "Baby, don't entertain her. She's just mad about Bryce not saying anything to her since her little truck stop on the beach."

"Look, everyone! We are all on edge right now and I'm not trying to start anything. Rena and Jess, I wasn't trying to be offensive like my dumb sister over here. You guys don't deserve what happens to you guys and to the BIPOC community. Rena, I was trying to say that I'm proud of you for standing up for what is right and for my child peacefully. It was really brave of you. You know I love you guys," I finally stopped the argument as all eyes were on me.

Everything was quiet once I cleared the air and I felt a bit of relief until "You want to know what has me on edge? Your dumb sister talking shit about the people that have to be a damn shield to her almost every day. It's disgusting."

"Oh Jess. Maybe if you didn't put yourself on the line by refusing to follow orders, you wouldn't-"

"Says the bitch who barely follows orders unless they're from a rich white man that can beat your ass. Then you start acting like a damn dog. I guess ignorance shows itself in its truest form during the roughest times. By the way, you probably didn't know this but those history books were made from those rich white men that didn't really give a shit about your education. They used you and you decided to look over it like the little bitch you really are. This country was actually stolen by the white people...like you. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to my room to...let off some steam. Don't come in, please and thanks," Jess announced as she marched off to her room.

Jana stared a hole through their room door while Jess' words of wisdom gave me an idea for Trent's advertising campaign.

****

Walking into work made me nervous. Hopefully, Trent would even listen to my proposal. If not, maybe my work outfit would change his mind and approve of it. In my mind, this was going to be so much easier since we've fucked around lately and he actually likes me. We've also been spending a lot of time together so he would definitely understand what I want to do.

Once I arrived at the desk, Nikki caught my attention with "Hey, girl! You're wearing pink today? I'm surprised. Your dress code usually consists of purple and blue. What's with the bright colors today? Have you been seeing Mr. Carter late-"

"Can you not, Nikki? People can hear you. I think my best friend inspired me to wear her favorite color today. After what's been going on these past couple of days, I feel like I needed to switch it up," my lips opened as my hands slid down the sides of my fitting pink dress and I reached for the percentages.

My eyes widened at the numbers and my already sunken heart fell once more. His percentages looked terrible as they have drastically gone down since the charity event. Somehow, he's been sliding by as if nothing was wrong. This bothered me so much.

"Carmon, are you okay?" Nikki asked as she went through her emails on the computer. It was as if she had eyes on the back of her head because she knew I was surprised.

"Nope. I think I need to talk to Tre- I mean...uh...Mr. Carter. I'll be right back," I mentioned as I took the papers in my hand and stood up only to be pulled right back down by my fellow co-worker. For someone who was supposed to be his assistant, she surely wasn't keeping up with his business' numbers. Either that or she just treated the sinking numbers like Trent did. Like they weren't even there.

"Carmon, you can't go back there. He hasn't given you permission to do so. Here, I'll go back there and give it to him for you," she spoke as she reached for the papers.

Although she was following protocol, I wanted to talk to him myself. I wanted him to hear my ideas from my mouth. There would be a chance where Nikki would ruin the explanation and ruin everything. Not that I didn't trust her, but this was something I wanted to do myself. She was so used to following orders that she didn't pay attention to slip ups or problems.

"Sorry, Nikki. This is one of many times I'll be breaking the rules. That's what rules were made for," I said as I stood up and walked down the long hallway nervously. Nikki's whispers of pleas for me to stop only motivated me to keep going.

I didn't think that this hallway would be so long, but I had something to accomplish and the only way to do that was to break some boundaries. Walking down the hallway, my body was swaying and meeting doors were open for these horny business men to watch me. My mind was on a mission, but my eyes couldn't help but see plenty of these sensual men bite their lips at me. Honestly, I was used to it but very uncomfortable.

Once I got to his door, I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was a strong chance of rejection, but it didn't hurt to try. Am I right?

My hand was about to knock on the door until it swung open to an amused Justin looking at me up and down. His eyes roamed every part of my body like I was his prey. This couldn't be happening me right now.

"Well, look what just rolled up on Justin Street. A sexy woman coming for me. How you doing, beautiful?" he spoke while I backed up and he exited from the office. The groaning in my head grew louder and louder.

Rolling my eyes and sighing at the pathetic player, I said "I need to speak with Mr. Carter. It's very important."

"Wait a minute. If I'm not mistaken, Nikki's explained to you that you aren't allowed to be back here. You little rebel. You break rules like a bad girl," he spoke and bit his lip back while studying my chest and trying way too hard. Sometimes, I wonder how this man was Trent's best friend and CFO of the company. He was so forward.

"She has, however, this is something that Trent needs to hear about from me-"

"Tell you what. I'll let you see him and tell him what you need to tell him. I just want something in return. You could probably get in there with my help, baby," he spoke as his eyes lowered and he moved my hand to touch the small little French fry between his legs.

Wasn't this a sexual harassment issue in the workplace? I couldn't say that because he still wouldn't leave me alone and no one would believe me in the first place. His little peewee wouldn't even please Rena. She'd probably run at the sight of this.

Usually, I would just go ahead and fuck men like this. Justin was a whole different story and he was just being stupid. Maybe I could use him to my advantage.

Smirking at him to play along, I came out with "You know what? I've been a very bad girl. I may need to be punished and I'm sure you have the perfect punishment, don't you Mr. Adams?"

"Ms. Barrett, you keep this up, you're gonna get it right here and now," he sucked in a breath as his body froze up and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I wouldn't have been shocked if he already came in his pants because he was really enjoying this simple rub against his dick. And it was just with my hand.

Unfortunately, my tease with his little bouncy ball had to end as soon as Trent's office door opened and the business man came out with a stressed look on his face. Of course, it rubbed me the wrong way because he didn't look like that around me.

"Justin, do you need some time to yourself? Get out of here with all of that," his dark voice sounded as he scrunched his nose up at Justin's hard on. I'm surprised he could even see it.

Biting my lip to hold back my laughter, my eyes watched Justin straighten himself up and walk off. This loser was just too pathetic. He needed a woman in his life.

"Ms. Barrett, aren't you supposed to be at your desk?" Trent's low voice caught my attention and I turned to look at him. His straightened face didn't crack at all. It was such a cold look that I wasn't used to.

A nervous feeling came over me as I spoke with "I know, but I wanted to talk to you about something serious, Mr. Carter." My head fell down to the ground as his posture gave off a bothered look.

Soon, he pointed towards his office and invited me inside. It was so strange seeing him in a professional setting again after everything we've been through. This place was different because it was as if I didn't know this man behind the desk. Outside this office, I knew him as Trent. The man I cared about, the man that I like to sleep with, the man that...actually caught my heart's attention.

As soon as he shut the door and locked it. I turned around and sighed heavily. "Mr. Carter, your numbers are-"

His precious lips connected with mine as his hands slid down my body and around my hips slowly. This was what I was talking about. We couldn't be professional for long around each other. It was too hard to stay skilled around him.

As our lips parted slowly, he held me in his arms as he spoke with "You don't know how much I needed to see you. Carmon, can you believe that all of my accounts have been wiped out? The company has seen a drastic decrease in sales and I'm freaking the hell out. None of my partners are helping and I don't know what else to do."

Seeing him like this made me feel like I failed him. Like I couldn't fix his mood at all no matter what I did. My heart felt so bad for him and his feelings were the only thing on my mind in that moment. He already knew what was going on, but my idea could possibly help.

"Well, that's why I'm here, love. I thought it would be a great idea if you sponsored a certain float in the Pride festival coming up. All of the girls and I are participating in the parade and it could give you more attention," I presented the idea as he watched me with a confused look. So, I continued to go on about what Pride was and how much it could benefit his company. Telling him which numbers would go up and everything.

He didn't seem so pleased with my proposal seeing that his arms folded over his navy blue blazer with the tie to match just to say "Carmon...I can't do that. This company is based on Christian principles and it was passed down from my hardcore Christian father. He's absolutely against that because he says that God made Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Steve. I'm sorry, darling."

I really couldn't believe it. The rejection of the idea was expected but I surely wasn't ready for the reason as to why we couldn't go through with my plan. It felt like it all blew up in my face.

"Trent, not to be rude or anything, but I thought that this was your company. If you know me well enough and love me like you say you do, you'd at least think about-"

"Babe, why does it matter so much to you? You're not even gay," he said as he sat back in his office chair and ran his fingers through his hair in stress. Those words rubbed me the wrong way. Almost everything I thought about him was just taken back. Like he was the same as all the other men I've slept with.

"First of all, this is not just for gay people. This is for the whole LGBTQ+ community. The lesbians, the questioners, the asexual people, the pansexual people, the bisexuals, and just the people that want to love whoever the fuck they want to love but can't because of people like you. Oh and by the way, Mr. Psychic, you must not know me well enough because I'm actually pansexual. I'm attracted to whoever I want to be attracted to. But I guess you didn't even stop to think about that because I was just a booty call to you, right?"

"Carmon-"

"Stop it. You know what? I should have seen this shit coming. I knew good and well I shouldn't have said the L word like that. You must just pass it around like you do your dick, right? You know what? You make me absolutely sick," I said as I threw his cup of pens, that sat on his desk, at him and walked out of the office so fast.

Maybe that was doing a bit too much, but I was frustrated. People just don't understand how ignorant they sound when using the Bible or God's name to judge someone else's life that doesn't even bother theirs. No one asked for their opinions and they condemn those that just want to love whoever the hell they want to.

Wasn't this something I'm supposed to be used to? This is my lifestyle. I wasn't supposed to fall in love or have feelings for the people I've been with because it's for chumps, right?

Oh hell, consider my ass a chump because I really let this bastard into my heart like he really cared. For once, I actually thought that an actual relationship was meant for me again. Rena and Jana got my fucking hopes up only to let me down again.

Unfortunately, this came with a few tears and I couldn't stay at work. Grabbing my car keys from the desk, I was grateful that Nikki wasn't there. She was on a lunch break and now I was on mine. Probably a permanent lunch break from this place.