Belonging to Lust

Chapter 86: Another Party

One Saturday afternoon, Zaiyia was laying around in the gardens among the flowers listening to music on her phone. Her eyes were closed as she relaxed beneath sun, soaking up it’s warmth while filing through her many thoughts of Heath, her haters, her friends, Alice White, and Alan. When she felt the ground faintly vibrate beneath her before quickly closing it on her, she was jolted from her mind. A soft smile came to her lips as she recognized the steps of the incoming giant. “Zaiyia!”

“Yeah?” Pausing her music, she propped herself on her elbows to look up at Heath as he closed the distance between. “What’s up, big guy?”

Heath lowered himself down to sit beside her on his vibrant green lawn with a deep sigh, his large frame facing her. He rested his arms on his knees as his green eyes locked on hers. “There’s an emergency in the city with one of the constructions going on on them big skyscrapers. I was called in among others to aid the team there, so I won’t be here for the rest of the day.”

Zaiyia frowned at him as she sat up fully and rested her elbows on her knees to mirror him. “Seriously? Is the damn thing about to hobble over or something?”

“It will if something isn’t done about it sooner rather than later.” Heath let out another deep sigh and leaned back on his hands to relax beneath the warm rays of the sun for a minute. “I don’t know how long it’ll take until we’re done or when I’ll get back home, but I promise you you won’t be sleeping alone on the property by yourself tonight. I’ll make it home.”

“I know you will.” Zaiyia assured him as she once again mirrored his position by leaning back against her own hands too. The idea of Heath being in danger was impossible to believe solely because of the man he portrayed himself to be. He had built his broken life from nothing to something in order to raise his siblings after his parents abruptly died, and even afterwards continued to push himself to obtain a comfortable living in his future. Now, here he was, living alone with his missing girlfriend’s daughter and getting ready to enter a dangerous zone within the city that could very well take his life, the life of his crew, and other innocent people near the construction site. And yet Zaiyia knew that even if the building toppled down with him in it he’d somehow resurface alive and well and return home to her. “Still, you should be careful.”

“I will.” Heath nods in agreement before raising an eyebrow at her. “And while I’m gone, I want you here doing your homework, and chores before heading to bed. You hear me?”

“You got it, Boss.” Zaiyia complied with a salute and wink.

“Uh huh.” Heath mumbled as he got up and headed back towards the main house to get ready for work. “See you later.”

Zaiyia lingered in the gardens for a while before eventually wandering into the main house just in time to hear the front door close, signaling Heath’s departure. Heading into the living room, she peeked out between the curtains to see him climbing into his truck and turning the vehicle on. Draping an arm over the passenger side seat, Heath backed out of the driveway. With a sigh of dismay, Zaiyia wandered right back into the kitchen again to start her chores. She already missed Heath’s perfect body strolling about the place.

________________________________________________________________________

Later on, that night while doing her homework, Zaiyia’s phone began to ring off. Not checking the caller ID, she picked up the device and answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey, babe!” Alan’s voice called loudly through her phone. “What you up to tonight?”

Zaiyia leaned back from the phone when he greeted her to protect her eardrum from bursting before answering him. “Oh, hey Alan. I’m not doing much. Just finished chores and shit. Why? You got something going on?”

“You bet.” Alan replied cockily. “I’m headed to another party at Cameron’s place tonight with my boys.”

“That sounds like fun.” Zaiyia said in a nonchalant tone, her eyes focused on solving the equation in front of her with her mind instead of using paper to manifest it for her eyes to visually solve. “I hope you have fun.”

Alan chuckled to himself. “No, babe, that’s my way of asking if you wanted to come too.”

“Oh, me?” Zaiyia reiterated, thinking to herself. Heath was gone on work duties in the big city and he had no clue when he’d get back tonight. Maybe it would be safe to sneak out to a party while he’s preoccupied. For all she knew she could still return to an empty house…but then again, she might not. What excuse will she have if he found out she left the house while he was away?

“Well? Do you wanna go or not?” Alan repeated again.

Biting her bottom lip, Zaiyia decided to take the chance and go to the party with Alan anyway. Her rebellious spirit against Heath for rejecting her was still alive and thriving despite the animosity and distance between them withering away and becoming replaced with friendliness again. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go with you.”

“Awesome, I’ll come pick you up in…let’s says, 15 minutes?” Alan suggested.

“Sounds great.” Zaiyia agreed with a nod as she sat up in bed and shut her schoolbook. “See you then.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Zaiyia was dressed and waiting for Alan on the porch swing when the invasive reminder of his hands on her body tonight made her cringe and desperately fish her phone out of her bag. Quickly, she called Monique’s number for help. When her phone oddly went straight to voicemail, Zaiyia tried Assata’s number next.

“What’s going on, Zaiyia?” Assata replied casually after two rings with a mouthful of chips.

“Why isn’t Monique picking up her damn phone?” Zaiyia demanded to know with a frown of disapproval.

“Oh, her ass got grounded.” Assata informed her while wiping the remnants of her chips on her sweats lazily. “Why, what you need that dumbass for anyway?”

Zaiyia sighed in defeat as she stared off at an open garage across the street where a couple were rummaging through some carboard boxes stacked against the back wall. “I was hoping she could come with me to a party tonight. I don’t wanna left alone with Alan’s wandering hands again, but at the same time I wanna go out and have a good time.”

“Shit, there ain’t no crime for wanting to have a good time!” Assata chimed in. “Hell, I wish my ass could be invited to more parties like you more often. Why do you get invited out all the damn time anyway?”

“Honey, I don’t know.” Zaiyia shrugged to herself. “Maybe it’s because I got this little white boy trying to get all up in my pants all the damn time and thinks that feeding me booze will make it easier for him or something.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Assata asked her rhetorically.

Zaiyia rolled her eyes and sighed while immediately changing the subject. “Whatever, girl. Do you and Aishah wanna come with me instead since Monique got her ass in trouble?”

“I’d thought you’d never ask!” Assata raved, hoping off her bed and heading towards her closet. “So, where we headed?”

“Cameron’s mansion, where else?” Zaiyia asked her.

“Yeah, stupid question. That rich boy got the best damn parties in town.” Assata mumbled to herself as she picked out a tight dress. “You riding with us or lover boy?”

As if on cue, Alan pulled up along the curb in front of her house and honked his horn to grab her attention. “No, I’m riding with the ever-so-desperate Alan tonight.”

Ooo, good luck, girl.” Assata winced.

“Yeah, thanks.” Zaiyia grumbled before hanging up the phone and hoisting herself off the porch swing to climb into Alan’s car and head off to the party.