Chapter 22 The Blackmail
Sloane’s POV
I blinked.
Three times.
Anita. Anita. Anita.
How could I forget her?
My thumb hovered over the message button on her profile, wanting to click on it and send her a text.
What exactly would I send?
Stay away from my man? Eww no.
He’s mine, babe? Absolutely not.
I dead the idea as quickly as it came, turning off my phone and going back to bed.
I was the definition of a grumpy asshole when I rolled out of bed in the morning.
How could I sleep? When the images of Anita’s beautiful face and perfect body played in my mind over and over.
More often than not, I found myself scrolling through her account, and God she was beautiful.
She ticked all the beauty standards of today.
The blonde hair. The amazing body. The self confidence.
I used to think I was beautiful, but in a city like this, what I called beauty wouldn’t thrive.
I stared at the mess that my room was, determined to make today more productive.
This fake relationship was clicking three weeks and I had nothing to show for it. Malik on the other hand had everything.
He was very close to getting what he wanted.
Me? I hadn’t even spoken to Dr. Humphrey. I was far behind.
I really needed to get started.
I threw on my flip flops and made my way to the kitchen. In my mind, I was the only one at home.
When I saw inked back facing me, I turned around and darted out.
“How long are we going to keep playing this game, Sloane?” His voice pierced through the air and I stopped in my tracks.
He’d seen me already.
I turned around and made my way back into the kitchen.
“Good morning.” I greeted Malik with a smile on my face.
He was silent.
I watched him make his coffee, the muscles in his back moving with every movement.
I studied his tattoos. It was a mixture of calm and rugged. I used to think it was just a bunch of random stuff he tattooed just to look the part, but for the first time ever, I felt like there was a story behind it.
“So, yours forever, huh?” He asked, finally breaking the silence.
I froze.
He actually saw the post.
“I didn’t do it on my own volition. Brenda told me to do it.”
“Good, Sloane because it is very important that you don’t let any ideas infiltrate your head. People would comment very cute stuff about it, but remember this for what it is. It will never happen.”
Why did the facts hurt, though?
“You just don’t think you could ever fall for a woman that looks like me?” The words slipped out of my mouth before I knew it.
“Sorry?” His brows creased in surprise.
“Well, you’ve made this explicitly clear from day one that this is fake. It seems like you’re almost trying to convince yourself that it’s fake.” I counter attacked.
He was quiet.
Then, he burst out laughing like I said something funny.
“I’m reminding you that it's fake. When this is all said and done, I don’t wanna be tagged as an asshole who broke a woman’s heart.”
“You’ve spoken about breaking my heart twice. How sure are you that I wouldn’t flip an uno reverse card and be the one to do the heart breaking?”
Malik was speechless.
Then, the nonchalant look was back on his face.
“I’m not gonna fall for you and you’re not gonna break my heart.” He said, plainly before sipping his coffee.
I proceeded to make mine.
“Who’s Anita?”
The look Malik had on his face was similar to the type one would have if they saw a ghost.
“Excuse me?”
“Anita Howard. Who is she?”
“Sloane, I…”
“I’m not trying to make a big deal out of anything. You can have your fun with your blondes, but she commented on the post I made yesterday.”
“What’d she say?”
I scrolled down to the comment, held up the phone so that he read the comment.
“Are you being for real?” His brows bunched up in utter shock.
“Does it look like something I’d forge?”
Immediately he took the phone from my hand, took a screenshot and airdropped it to himself, disappearing into the corridor.
Malik’s POV
Malik: See me at Emerald Hotel. I’ll text you the room number. Be discreet.
Anita: Okay, big daddy 😜💦
In no time I was driving down to the location, ready to give Anita a piece of my mind.
Forty five minutes later, I was seated on the bed of the hotel room, scrolling through my phone.
Malik: Room 200
The text showed two blue ticks.
Five minutes later, I heard a quiet knock on the door.
Anita sure knew how to be discreet.
“Hi, daddy.” She smiled at me, leaning over for a hug, but I side-stepped , dodging the hug.
“Is this how to finally admit that you miss me?”
“Why are you being such a bitch?”
A look of shock morphed on her face.
“Sorry?”
“Why are you commenting shit on my girl’s instagram posts?”
“Oh please,” she raised her hand in the air, rolling her eyes. “It’s really not that serious.”
“Oh, it is.”
“Did you come here to question me or to give me some dick?”
Her question threw me off guard. Was she being for real?
“Are you legit, Anita?”
“I literally came here wearing no clothes because I thought you were going to get right into it. Does your dick not work again or what?”
“You…” I swallowed my words back, closing my eyes to calm myself down.
“Whatever happened was between us. Leave my girlfriend out of this.”
“Dude, I didn’t even say anything. She said you were hers forever and I asked her if you were really hers. I mean.” She threw her hands wide open.
“I’m not here to exchange words with you.” I supplied.
“Neither am I. I’m here to exchange saliva and bodily fluids.”
I turned around, ready to walk away when she gripped my arm.
“The fuck, Anita!”
She stepped in front of me, slipping off her fur coat. Anita was in nothing but a matching set of red lingerie. She really wasn’t lying when she said she wasn’t wearing anything.
I did my best for my eyes to stay on her face.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m seducing you because I miss you and I want you to fuck me.”
“Anita, please. I can’t.” I shook my head.
Hoping that she understood.
“Why? She’s got you whipped on her boring pussy?”
“How much do you want? Remember that Lamborghini you said you wanted for your twenty-fifth birthday, I’ll gift it to you early. Just please stay out of this.”
Her hand reached the back of her bra, unclasping it.
She tossed the underwear to the floor, leaning over and taking off her black pointed heels before taking off her fishnet stockings.
All that was left was the thong she was wearing. She turned around, touching her toes while she shook her ass.
“Anita, please.” I begged, desperation etched in my voice.
She walked over to the nightstand, picked up the keycard and swiped it across the scanner, locking the door from the inside.
Then she reached for her phone in her bag, typing some things before she shoved her phone screen in my face.
It was the video from the dive bar where she sat on my lap.
From the angle the photo was taken from, it seemed like we were having a moment.
“This isn’t fair, Anita.” I shook my head.
“The whole world thinks you’re a loverboy who is down bad for Ms. Sloane. You know I can change that narrative if I post this?”
Fuck my life.
“Why are you doing this?” I shook my head.
“I’ve told you why, Malik and I’m deadass about posting it.”