Belonging to Lust

Considering that Zaiyia had tried to commit suicide not too long ago, Heath decided to keep a close eye on the young girl through the rest of the weekend. On Sunday, they had spent the entire morning naked in his bed, napping and making love frequently. By the time the afternoon came around, they couldn’t overlook their hunger. Getting dressed, they entered the guest house with some snacks from the main house and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. Removing his clothes again, Heath began munching on some Cheetos while watching Zaiyia discard her top and then join him. Despite him expressing that he was fine with a little period blood, she kept her shorts on when they weren’t having sex.

Shoveling several of the nacho powders goodies in his mouth, Heath licked his fingers before glancing down at her. She was now sitting with her bare back leaning against his chest, devouring a creme-filled donut. Her eyes rolled back in pleasure the minute she took a monstrous bite and moaned at how exquisite it was. Heath chuckled and shook his head at her reaction. Reaching for a Mountain Dew, he took a few sips before setting it down. “So...how have you and Alice White been getting along these days? Are you two still talking to each other or has she turned against you yet?”

“No, she hasn’t turned against me yet.” Zaiyia answered around her food before holding up a finger for him to wait. She took her time chewing her food and swallowing it down with some Dr. Pepper so she could ruminate on her response. It seemed like forever since she thought about her former adversary. “I want to believe the girl is being real with me and isn’t about to stab me in the back. She seems genuine to me, and the others believe her to be so too. I guess at best all I can hope for is that when this is all dead and over with we can at least be acquaintances if not friends.”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t maintain any form of contact with her after this is all said and done.” Heath opposed with a frown, his hand delving into the Cheetos bag for more nacho goodies.

Zaiyia couldn’t help but smile at his protectiveness of her. “Oh come on, Sullivan! She’s not all that bad. She’s just…”

Heath waited for her to finish, but when she didn’t he leaned his head over her shoulder and echoed. “She’s just?”

Stalling, Zaiyia kept her mouth shut. She hadn’t meant to almost say what she was about to almost say. She and her friends were aware that Alice was being abused by her father, and according to what everyone in town knew of Mr. White, it was a fleeting impression to them as well. But they were the only ones that KNEW he was 100% abusive to his child. Zaiyia wasn’t sure if she could trust Heath with that kind of knowledge. It was personal information, and Alice might get pissed off if everyone knew about it. But this was Heath they were talking about here. Her Heath. Her...boyfriend. “I...I don’t know if I should tell you…”

Heath’s brows furrowed together. “Why not? Who am I gonna tell? My coworkers?”

“I’m not sure if Alice would feel comfortable with...you knowing about what’s going on in her life at the moment.” Zaiyia uttered before packing the last of the creme-filled donut in her mouth and softly moaning again. Who the heck invented these creme-filled delicacies because they deserved a monument dedicated to them?

Back to licking the Cheetos dust off his fingers, Heath stretched his neck out farther over her shoulder to shoot her a steely look that nearly had her choking on her food. Grabbing her Dr. Pepper to hold it hostage, he asserted. “Zaiyia Halifax, you better spill the beans right now on Alice White or you won’t see this Dr. Pepper ever again in life, you hear me? Now tell me what’s going on?”

Smiling at his inconsequential threat, Zaiyia relented. “Alright, alright, Detective Sullivan! I’ll tell you, but first you gotta promise me you won’t tell a living soul.”

“I won’t! Not even the diary that I keep under my mattress.” Heath quipped, holding up a hand like he was swearing to the bible in a courtroom. He didn’t expect for Zaiyia to suddenly shift forward from leaning on his chest, but he was agile enough to encircle his arms around her waist to pull her back against his chest again. “No, don’t move away.”

“Oh, you want me close?” Zaiyia grinned, tilting her head up to look at him. “How come?”

Dipping his head to the side, he lowered his mouth to her ear so he could nibble on it for a second. He then trailed his lips towards her neck, whispering. “You know why.”

Ever since Heath had doth them boyfriend and girlfriend, it hadn’t been mentioned again. Zaiyia wasn’t sure if they still had that label or if he only said that to keep her happy. She did try to kill herself two days ago, after all. Anyway, whatever they were, they just...were. Zaiyia probably would have had a problem with this if they hadn’t spent all weekend cuddling, and kissing within the closed quarters of their homes. Her mind has barely had time to register anything because they were having sex several times a day. It was kind of like they were dating, she supposed. They just couldn't behave this way outside the house or when they had guests over, that's all.

Thank god they rarely had guests.

Zaiyia ran her hands over his bare thighs, the hairs caressing her fingers. She softened in his hold as she prepared herself to probably screw all of her chances with Alice White. If Heath didn’t keep his mouth shut about the appalling secret she was about to unveil then she would no longer remain in her former foe’s good graces. But at the same time this was a serious topic that had to be addressed and the more she was around Alice the harder it became to not give a damn about her turbulent situation back at home. Biting her lower lip, Zaiyia sighed. “Alice’s dad physically beats her and her younger siblings. She gets the worst of it though.”

“He what?!” Heath exclaimed, jerking away from her. He gaped at the back of her head, taken aback by this information for two full minutes before he recalled the related gossip he had heard too. Everyone knew Mr. White had put his hands on his wife in the past, but the children? That was a different matter! Heath looked sick to his stomach. “Jesus Christ, I thought that was just a fake rumor to make the guy look even worse than he already is! You know, since he’s the renowned town drunk and everything.”

“Unfortunately, they’re right.” Zaiyia mumbled. “It’s true.”

Heath narrowed his eyes down at her head. “And just how the hell do you know this? Did she tell you her daddy was hitting on her?”

“I went to her house to speak with her for the first time about all this bullying fuckery.” Zaiyia divulged, her eyes on her smooth bent knees. “My friends and I found her home alone and...beaten.”

Going quiet, Heath contemplated this dire news. He may not like Alice White but that didn’t mean he wanted something like this to happen to her! The girl was a kid, and no child deserved this kind of treatment from their parents or anyone. This was a drastic situation that had to be dealt with as soon as possible! With a shake of his head, Heath declared. “Zai, we can’t keep this shit to ourselves. We have to go to the authorities and tell them what’s going on!”

With the arms around her slackened, Zaiyia was finally able to turn around and face him, her braids whipping along to cascade over her breasts as she stared up into his green eyes. “But I don’t believe Alice wants that to happen though! I don’t think she wants the help.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t she want help?” Heath demanded incredulously, finding the claim absurd. “Her father is physically beating her and her siblings!? He needs to be stopped now!”

“I don’t know why! I don’t know how to explain all this. Only she knows her reasons.” Zaiyia shrugged then placed the palm of her hand onto his chest. “Will you give me some time to grill her about this before you go to the police? Let me find out the answers and get back to you as soon as I get them then we can figure out what to do next.”

“Zaiyia, this is serious! Every second we wait to go to the cops could be costing those kids their lives!” Heath maintained firmly. “We need to go now!”

“Just trust me on this, Heath! Please!” Zaiyia exclaimed, cupping both sides of his face so he’d look her straight in the eye. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to them either but I need time. If you go to the cops Alice might not trust me ever again, and then the bullying will continue! I know it sounds narcissistic for me to worry about my dilemma right now when she’s being abused, but we’re pretty much in the same fucking boat here. We’re both being abused! Can you please just do that for me, Heath? Can you put a pause on this until I’m done talking to her first? I promise I won’t mention any of this to her. I just need to help this girl so she can help me too.”