Stuck With You

Pillow Talk

They laid on the bare skin rug in front of the fire, Leo looked down at Jasinda, her chocolate body glowing in fire light. Warm, smooth, she looked sated and tired. Kissing her shoulder, Leo stroked her spine, "What's going on with your parents?" 

Jasinda shrugged, "Same old, same old. Dads cheating on mom again, and she's cracking." 

Leo winced, he hated cheaters. "He's done it before?" Jasinda nodded, "Dozens of times...I think I have a couple of half siblings. But dad doesn't see them from my knowledge, just send them money so they can take care of themselves." 

Leo shook his head, "If you get a woman pregnant you should man up and take care of the responsibility." Jasinda sighed, "A bunch of illegitimate children staining the Prince name? My father would have a stroke. They are pretentious people, and my mother refuses to give up the life she's come accustomed to." 

Jasinda rolled over on to her side and propped her head up on her hand. "It's the same shitty dog and pony show. My dad cheats, my mom finds out, and depending on her level of embarrassment, she will leave." 

Leo looked at Jasinda in understanding, "But she'd go back." Jasinda nodded her disappointment written on her face. "Only one time I had faith she'd stay gone. Oh god she was so pissed! She found him f*****g his eighteen year old intern, and boy she was f*****g pissed!" Leo nodded in understanding, "I bet." 

Jasinda shook her head in disbelief, "I remember how strong and proud my mama was. She said if he'd rather f**k a child, she'd go on about her business and raise her kids alone. I was just twelve but seeing my dad having s*x with someone not my mom...I don't know." 

Shaking her head Jasinda rolled over on to her back, "I think that's why she was even more humiliated. She couldn't lie to me about what happened or keep somethings from me. I saw it, and she understood when it f****d me up." 

Leo exhale, "Can't no one f**k you up like family," 

Jasinda looked at Leo for a moment, "What about yours? I know you said you had a brother and sister?" Leo nodded, "Yeah I'm the middle child,  my older brother Jeremiah is the eldest and Kiesha is the youngest." 

Jasinda smiled, "Are you guys close?" Leo slowly shook his head, "Nah...we had different daddies." Jasinda shrugged, "What's that got to do with anything?" Leo sighed, "At first it didn't seem like it made a difference, our mama had been with this dope dude who got locked up," Jasinda nodded, "That was Jeremiah and Kiesha's father." Leo explained. 

Jasinda nodded, "And she hooked up with your dad while he was in jail." Leo continued the line, "Got pregnant with me. And when my dad split and their father got out, he was pissed of course, she was pregnant with another mother fuckers baby but he let it slid. He stuck around, at first he treated me like his kid...but as I got older, and me being the lighter than everyone else in the house became a problem." 

Jasinda shook her head, "That's ridiculous." Leo nodded with a sad smile, "Yeah. I mean I'm a couple shades lighter, but I thought black was black. But then everyone in the house started to look at me funny, it was obvious I wasn't...fully family I guess is what I'm sayin'." 

Leo exhaled as he rolled on his back, "I took off when I was eighteen, didn't look back. I went to California, that's where I met your brother."  Jasinda met Leo's eyes, "How did you two meet?" 

Leo smiled a little, "Well at first I was working at this bar in Cali, the pay sucked and I hated dealing with those drunk assholes. So I switched up careers, I'd tatted before, but I'd never worked in a shop. So after a few classes I got my license, I applied where he was working and we hit it off. Starting hanging out." 

Jasinda hummed, "And when you got locked up? You two kept in contact?" 

'Not like he had much a choice...' Leo thought. "Yeah, he called me every Sunday to make sure I was okay. Put money on my commissary book, visited when he could." Jasinda smiled a little, "That sounds like my brother." 

Leo grinned, "Yeah he's loyal ass hell, not to mention funny." Jasinda looked at Leo carefully as she whispered, "What did you do?" Leo stiffened. Jasinda had yet to ask him what he did, and he'd been happy not to have to make a lie to her before. 

But now it was a whole different situation. 

If he lied to her now, he was setting himself up for losing her when she found out the truth. So he looked at her and admitted, "Technically nothing." Jasinda sat up with Leo as he sat up and honestly said, "I just took the rap for it, so I could make good with someone." 

Jasinda shook her head, "You didn't do the crime you were arrested and charged with?" Leo blew out a deep breath, "Me and your brother were working for this man named Shadow. He wasn't just a tattoo parlor owner, he had money and connections that went into the core of the business world." 

Leo thought about four years ago, "When I looked at him I wanted to be like him. Have the money, the status, the women. I thought he had it made, and I wanted to shape myself to be like him." 

Jasinda looked at Leo scared, "So what happened?" Leo started to say it...the truth. But the lie was for now, better, "Some meth head broke into Shadow's place when me and Malcolm were working late. He was trashing the place looking for cash, and so you know we jumped his ass. Kicked him out, but he came back with his junky friends. One thing went left and..." 

Jasinda shook her head in protest when he stopped, "No, don't try to protect me by keeping me in the dark. Tell me the truth, what happened?" Leo fought for a moment, before he broke down and said the only truth," Your brother accidently hit one of them too hard with an aluminum bat. The guy died and all his friends bolted." 

Jasinda gasped as she looked at him heartbroken. "Malcolm?" Leo nodded, "He was just nineteen, I was about to be twenty two I knew he wouldn't make it a week in jail and I didn't want to see him hurt. So I took the fall when the cops pulled up three seconds later." 

Confused Jasinda whispered, "Why not tell them it was self defense?! They were trying to rob your place of business! It was an accident!" Leo gently stroked Jasinda's legs, "We were two young black men, when the cops rolled up the scene they already knew someone was guilty. And it wasn't the dead white man on the ground for trying to rob us so he could go get high. It was one of us for killing him." 

Jasinda swallowed hard, "My parents are f*****g rich. They could have sent their lawyers to handle this like that," She said snapping her fingers. Leo nodded, "I'm sure they could have. But you know your parents don't accept defiance. I don't know why they were on the outs, but when your brother was in school he was at my place A LOT. I saw them once, they just didn't know I was there." 

Jasinda watched Leo remember the one and only time he'd seen her parents. 

Standing in his dismal two bedroom apartment in their fancy clothes, Rhonda and Juno were livid with Malcolm, "How dare you insult us boy!" Juno had boomed as he sat on his high horse like he was God. 

Leo didn't hear what Malcolm had said to his father, but it was enough for Juno to go after him with his fist at the ready. Of course Rhonda had gotten in between them and had pleaded for her son to see reason. 

But Malcolm had refused. 

"They pulled all support from him. His schooling, his books, his car, everything. And I watched them let him suffer on his own, struggle and stress for almost two years and I knew they'd let him go to jail if nothing but to teach him a lesson." 

Jasinda sniffled, "They were fighting because my papa was cheating on my mom again. But this time Malcolm found out about it." Leo looked at Jasinda horrified, "He didn't know about the time you caught them?" 

Jasinda shook her head, "No, my mom ordered me never say a word to anyone about what I saw. She was so angry when she said it, I was so scared so I promised her I wouldn't." 

Leo and Jasinda listened to the fire cackle in the fire place before Leo softly asked, "Do you see me even different now?" Jasinda shook her head, "No, no of course not!" Kissing him sweetly, Jasinda whispered, "You saved my brother. I should be thanking the hell out of you!" 

Leo shook his head, "Don't. I didn't do it to be anyone's savor or anything. And to be honest...there was once I almost couldn't go through with it." 

Eyes darkening as he remembered the darkest time of his life, Leo recalled, "After a year into my sentence I was moved to the Canadian Prison. I don't know why, they just moved me there. When I got there, I found out my mama was sick. She wasn't going to make it." 

Leo closed his eyes in pain, "I wanted to see her one last time, tell her I loved her. I had put a lot of distance between us even though she had always loved me. I just felt like she chose her husband and his kids over me. And I use that as a reason to not talk to her for so long." 

Jasinda laid her head on his chest and Leo sighed, "I wanted to say goodbye at least. But they wouldn't let me out, and then the Chief Justice had me brought to his office and told me he knew I didn't do it. Told me if I pointed them in the right place, he would let me out time served." 

Jasinda nodded in understanding, "Why didn't you?" 

Leo sighed, "Shadow met with me in prison. Had the guards bring me outside and to his truck so we could talk in private." Jasinda looked at Leo as he admitted, "He gave me a choice. Get out now, with nothing, to say goodbye to my mama. Or get out, rich and able to take care of my family. I chose the later, and said goodbye to mama on a screen." 

Jasinda held Leo close and as he let her heartbeat soothe him, she whispered, "So you took the fall for a murder for my brother. What did you get in return?" Leo inhaled her scent before admitting, "Nothing yet. But I'm supposed to be getting a pay out to change my life. A new life." 

Jasinda looked down at Leo seriously, "Are you sure?" Leo nodded and smiled, "Positive...and when I get it, I'm taking you with me." 

Jasinda shook her head, "You're crazy." Leo gently stroked Jasinda's hair, "I know." Jasinda smirked and he gave her a sweet kiss as they bodies glided together for another lusty coupling in front of the fire.