Belonging to Lust

Chapter 179: What You Want, Boy?

The sound of a familiar ringtone going off in the distance jerked Zaiyia from her slumber. Raising her head up from Heath’s naked back, her brown heavy eyes scanned around her bedroom. It was dark outside according to the slit parting of her curtains. The slightly chilled air made her bare skin shivered, reminding her of her current nude state. The flesh that was pressed against the hunk of meat beneath her felt warm though. A smile was on her lips as she rose from the bed to locate her phone, deserting a dozing Heath behind on his stomach. Snagging her robe off of her armchair by the bay window, she whipped it on as she rushed down the stairs where her phone sitting on the kitchen island was the only thing illuminating the main floor. Scooping it up in her hands, she muttered a curse at herself when she saw the caller’s name before answering the phone. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”

“Where’ve you been?” Alice whispered impatiently from her bed where her two siblings slept on either side of her. Her bedroom door was locked, her blue eyes never leaving it just in case her drunk father decided to come back around. “I called you over three times in a row and you never answered.”

“Damn, over three times?” Zaiyia recited incredulously before issuing an apology followed by a lie. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Alice. I was doing my homework on my bed and must have passed out at some point. I didn’t hear any of your calls until now.”

Alice let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.”

Hearing her unsettled tone, Zaiyia helped herself to one of the stool seats lining one side of the island and inquired tentatively. “Hey, are you alright? You sound anxious about something.”

“I’m fine. It's just…I've been thinking…” Alice sighed again and rolled her eyes to herself for feeling awkward about this matter. “I’ve been thinking about that talk I still need to have with you and…your mom’s boyfriend.”

Silently gagging at her choice of words to describe Heath, Zaiyia brushed it off to proceed forward. “So…what’s up with that? How are you feeling about it?”

“I still want to do it, if that’s what you’re asking. I actually had been meaning to discuss it with you that day when I showed up late for school, but then…” Alice sighed for the third time that night as she leaned her head back to stare up at her ceiling. “I don’t know. There was just so much going on at the time. I had to concentrate all my energy on the whole assembly thing and then other stuff just got in the way. I wanted to tell you again after school today but it didn’t seem an appropriate place. Then I thought I’d just show up tomorrow at your house and explain it but I don’t exactly know what your plans are this weekend and I didn’t want to interrupt anything you had going on.”

“I’m grateful you didn’t. I’m not gonna be here this weekend it turns out.” Zaiyia briefed her.

“What? Why not?” Alice queried, her voice sounding panic-filled. “Where are you going?”

“On a camping trip with Heath’s family.” Zaiyia explained. “I’ll be gone all weekend long.”

Frowning to herself, Alice tried to swallow down her rising hysteria. She desperately needed to speak to Zaiyia and her guardian, and she’d prefer sooner rather than later. Sadly, it was out of her control now. She regretted not taking the chance when she had it in the beginning, but she wasn’t ready then. Now she was. “Then when would be the right time for me to come over?” Not wanting to worry Zaiyia that something bad was going on in her house with her abusive dad, Alice forced a small laugh past her lips. “I’m terrified now that I’ve finally made my decision to accept your help, I might go back on it if I have to wait forever to come over.”

“We got Monday off from school.” Zaiyia reminded her, trying not to let her concern for Alice reveal itself in her own voice. “We can meet up then and talk.”

“I can make that happen.” Alice agreed to it. “Only…is it okay if I bring my brother and sister along with me?”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” Zaiyia lied, seeing all the problems with it. Scared to ask in case the answer was bad, she forced herself to get it over it. “Alice, is everything okay over there?”

“It’s fine. Why?” Alice asked, trying to make her voice mellow out.

“Nothing, I just…wondered what made you change your mind that’s all.” Zaiyia slightly fibbed. It was a genuine curiosity of hers, but it also wasn’t the true reason why she was poking for information.

Alice paused for a long time, unable to toss her another deceit. “How about I promise I’ll tell you the next time we see each other? Is that okay?”

“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Zaiyia inquired. “Cause if you going through some serious shit right now we can get you out of there in five minutes, traffic or not!”

Alice smiled to herself. “No, it’s fine. We’re fine.”

“Alright, if you insist. We can wait til I get back to talk.” Zaiyia ceded.

“Thank you. Goodnight, Zaiyia.” Alice whispered out.

“Goodnight, Alice. Stay safe and keep in touch.” Zaiyia ordered her before hanging up her phone.

Movement from upstairs sounded at the same time she lowered her phone from her ear. Lifting her eyes to the ceiling, she was positive Heath had woken in her absence and was probably looking for her. He typically did that whenever she wasn’t in bed with him.

Excited to head back to him, Zaiyia sprung off the stool to head up the stairs when her phone rang in her hand again. Checking the caller ID, it turned out to be an unknown number. Shrugging to herself, she decided to answer it real quick. “Hello? Who is this?”

The person on the other end was quiet. Zaiyia could tell they were there by the soft breathing, but they didn’t utter a word back.

“Hello?” Zaiyia restated down the line. “Who is this?”

Again they didn’t answer her.

Becoming irked with who she concluded to be a prank caller, Zaiyia snapped at them. “Okay, you fucking loser. How about you grow the fuck up and stop prank calling people cause this dumbshit is fucking stupid not to mention as old as time! Hang up your phone, get yourself a life and grow the fuck up!”

Heath came down the stairs then at the same time Zaiyia was about to hang up on her prank caller.

“Wait! Don’t hang up!” The person on the other end frantically exclaimed.

Zaiyia’s eyes widened then. She recognized that voice anywhere. “Alan?”

“Yeah. It’s me.” Alan muttered out lowly in the quiet darkness of his bedroom.

Heath had stopped halfway on the stairs at the mention of Alan’s name to observe her through narrowed green eyes. Zaiyia ignored his half-naked magnificence as best as she could to focus on Alan by turning around. “Why the fuck are you calling me? And where did you even get my damn number from?”

Ignoring the second question entirely, Alan told her urgently. “I have to talk to you.”

“About what?” Zaiyia demanded to know but Alan didn’t respond. He sighed wearily, sounding stressed over something but she didn’t have the patience to wait all night on him. “What you want, boy?”

Suddenly, Alan’s line clicked, signaling he hung up on her.

Heath watched Zaiyia stare inquisitively at her phone before dropping it into her robe pocket. “What’s going on?”

Turning to face him, Zaiyia gave him a shrug. “I wish I knew. He hung up on me.”

“Come back to bed.” Heath instructed her, nodding his head back up the stairs.

“Are we actually gonna sleep this time?” Zaiyia giggled, earning a sensual smile back. They ain’t sleeping.