Heart of the Hustle Read online

  “Well, dance for me, then,” he told her calmly.

  “Okay,” Emelia whispered before bending over and rolling her bottom slowly into him as the slow song played in the background.

  Emelia danced the best she could after that. Her nerves were getting the best of her, but she refused to embarrass herself. In her mind, she had a point to prove. Angel wasn’t just some random boy at a party, he was her friend. She had to see him every day.

  “I can’t believe you were going to dance with other boys like this,” he said from behind her. “I would be mad as shit.”

  Emelia smiled to herself at his possessiveness. Obviously, she was doing a good job. She had already had somewhat of an idea that she was when he’d grunted and whispered some stuff she couldn’t make out, but him voicing it out loud confirmed it.

  Before answering him, she stood up so that her back was to his chest. She continued grinding her body into his.

  “I wasn’t.” She looked back at him over her shoulder. “I’m just dancing like this for you.”

  He winked at her and smiled. “I know.” He slid his hands from her stomach up to her breasts. “You want to do something else for me?” His voice came out a little huskier that time.

  Emelia nodded slowly, and he released her before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward his bed. When they were in front of it, he grabbed her neck and looked into her eyes.

  “You okay?”

  “You bring a lot of girls down here, don’t you?” she asked before she could stop herself.

  “Nah.” He smiled, and Emelia knew then that he was lying.

  Angel was too fine, and too popular, not to have a plethora of women, even if he did have a girlfriend. Emelia was young, but she was no fool. She knew how boys their age got around, and he was probably no different. Well, almost no different. The difference between them and him was that she felt things for him that she didn’t feel for them. They could have sex with as many girls as they wanted, but Angel . . . she wanted him for herself.

  “Don’t worry about that.” He rubbed his hand through her hair. “Worry about us.”

  Emelia nodded, and that was all it took. His lips were on hers immediately afterward, while his hands roamed all over her body. On the inside she was screaming, but on the outside she remained cool. Emelia was a virgin and had never even been close to having sex with a boy, until then. Though she was anxious, she was happy it was Angel she was with.

  He was being so nice and gentle with her. He removed all of her clothes, minus her undergarments, before freeing himself of his own. Emelia did her best to shield her body from his eyes, so the moment she was in his bed, she pulled the covers up to her neck. To calm herself down, she tried to focus on something else. When she could find nothing, she breathed in deeply and relaxed.

  Chapter Two

  I’ll love him forever

  The smell of cinnamon apples permeated the air as she lay perfectly still on her back. The gray cotton sheets beneath her skin were cool. The room was dark while the slow music continuously played softly in the background. The light blue lights from his surround sound speaker system illuminated only a small space of the room, mellowing out the atmosphere. Emelia’s eyes squinted at the Clemson University posters posted around Angel’s walls.

  Though she wasn’t very interested in them or anything else, for that matter, they were advertising, and a very welcome distraction. The same bright orange posters had held her attention plenty of times before while she sat leisurely in his room, but this time was different. Very different.

  Going into it unknowingly but too far to turn back, the two of them would use that night to take their relationship to another level. Being that she already knew what was brewing deep down inside her, when Angel suggested sex, she obliged willingly. Now she was lying in his bed in nothing but her panties and bra, waiting for him to find the condom he’d so desperately been looking for since they’d undressed.

  “I’m sorry, Emelia. Just give me a minute,” he said as he rummaged through drawers.

  “It’s cool,” she replied.

  His tall, lean frame towered over his dresser as he sifted through the top drawer of it. For a twelfth-grade boy, Angel was fairly tall. At six one, he was taller than most guys their age.

  Aside from his loving personality and impeccably unique talent of making Emelia laugh, he was so handsome, and so fun. His skin was lighter than hers, and he had the cutest pink lips and slanted eyes. Everything about him was perfect to Emelia, which was why she’d secretly chosen him to be her one.

  Losing her virginity to him wasn’t something they’d talked about, but it was about to happen, and surprisingly, she was ready. Unbeknownst to Angel, she’d replayed it over and over in her mind for months. Hopefully she wouldn’t regret it.

  “I found it,” he whispered to her as he pulled the blue covers on his bed back.

  They had been shielding her body before, but now that he’d moved them so that he could join her, she was on full display. The light breeze from his ceiling fan cooled her skin, bringing about a light sheen of goose bumps across her arms and legs.

  She shivered as he stared down at her. She fidgeted nervously as his eyes moved from the pink bra covering her full breasts to the pink and white panties adorning her small hips. With both hands at her sides, Emelia waited patiently. She wasn’t sure what was next, but she was ready.

  Angel finally slid into the bed and hovered awkwardly above her. “You okay?”

  Emelia looked up at him briefly and nodded.

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  Again, she nodded.

  After that, he said nothing else. Instead, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. Emelia entangled their tongues together as her thighs fell open enough for him to situate himself comfortably between them. They kissed for a few minutes until they were both a little more comfortable with the situation.

  Angel moved first, sitting up on his knees and pulling at the hem of Emelia’s panties. She lifted her butt from the bed just enough to aid in his efforts. He eyed her private area as he slid her panties down her legs. Unable to watch him, too afraid of what he might be thinking, Emelia closed her eyes.

  “Why are you closing your eyes?” he asked.

  Emelia opened them again and looked at him. He was smiling at her in that calming way that he always did as she shrugged.

  “I know you ain’t scared already. We ain’t even did nothing yet.”

  “I’m not scared,” she lied.

  “Well, keep your eyes open, then,” Angel told her as he used one of his long fingers to touch her there.

  Instinctively, Emelia’s legs closed, but he opened them right back up before scooting down a little more on his bed. Her breathing stilled as she watched him move until his head was between her thighs. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster as she anticipated what was about to come.

  She’d heard people in school talk about oral sex all the time, but being that she’d never even had regular sex, she didn’t know what to expect, and she most definitely didn’t think Angel was going to do it to her. After all, he was always so quiet and laid back. Even the few times they’d talked about sex with other people, he hadn’t mentioned doing it.

  “Emelia, what we do is between us. Don’t go around school telling our business. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Emelia’s voice came out a little hoarse, so she cleared her throat and spoke again. “I won’t.”

  Even though she wanted to know how it felt, and why so many girls liked it, she was nervous. She was clean, and she knew she didn’t smell, but what if he thought she did? What if it didn’t taste right or something? All kinds of negative things went through her mind as she waited for him to get started.

  “Emelia?” Angel paused for a minute. “If I’m bad at this, it’s because I’ve never done it before. Okay? I mean. I’ma try it because you’re my girl and we’re close, but I don’t really know how to do it.”

&nbs
p; His girl. Her heart smiled.

  “It’s okay.” Emelia’s insides grew warm and tingly as she bubbled over with passion for him.

  The room fell quiet again as the two of them allowed their current situation to take over. When she least expected it, Emelia felt Angel’s tongue. It was so thick and warm as it slid over the most sensitive part of her. Emelia gasped loudly and clenched the sheets.

  “You good?” Angel looked up at her with alarm spread across his face.

  Emelia opened her eyes and looked down between her legs at him. He was so handsome and innocent looking, not to mention seeing him with his face that close to her private parts made her feel all kinds of wonderful. That was enough by itself to set her off. Her entire body got hotter as she said the only thing that she could think of in that moment.

  “I love you.”

  He looked just as caught off guard hearing it as she was saying it. For a minute, she almost wanted to take it back, but it was true. She did love him, and she wanted him to love her too.

  “Did I do something wrong?” he asked, blatantly ignoring her last statement.

  Emelia shook her head. “No. It, um . . . it felt good.”

  He nodded before scooting down again and going back to the task at hand. Emelia lay in the center of his bed with her eyes squeezed tightly closed, enjoying the feeling of her best friend’s tongue on her body. He had been licking really slow at first, but the more she moaned and moved, the more he sped up.

  Emelia wasn’t sure how long it had been before he stopped, but she was almost disappointed that he had. It had been feeling so good, and now it was over. He was back on his knees maneuvering his body so that he could pull his boxers off.

  When he’d done so, he tossed them to the floor and grabbed the condom from the nightstand next to his bed. Emelia tried her hardest not to stare as he rolled the condom on, but she couldn’t help it. His male parts were like something she’d never seen before.

  Sure, she’d watched porn a few times, and even had a few boys send her pictures of theirs, but she’d never seen one in person. When he finished, he looked up at her again before wiping his mouth and leaning over her.

  “Did you like it?” he asked.

  Emelia’s eyes darted to the side in embarrassment as she nodded. When she finally looked back at him, he was smiling.

  “I knew you did, because you kept moving and making noises.” His goofy grin brought along one of her own. “That’s our secret, though, okay? Nobody needs to know but us.”

  “I know.”

  “You want to take your bra off?”

  Emelia looked down at her bra, totally forgetting that it was there. “No. I’ll keep it on.” Her breasts weren’t the biggest, and she wanted to shield them for now.

  Angel nodded and moved around so that he was back between her thighs. When he was comfortable and ready, he reached between them and grabbed his penis in his hand. She watched him as he looked down and guided himself to her opening.

  When she felt the tip of it poking her, she almost changed her mind, because it was already hurting, but she didn’t. She wanted to do this, and she wanted to do it with him. Her body tensed even more the farther in he pushed.

  Emelia squirmed and squeezed his arms tighter as he tried to push himself in. “It hurts.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t really get it in.” He pushed a little harder, and harder, and even harder, until Emelia finally screamed.

  Her scream wasn’t too loud, but it was loud enough for it to be heard throughout his room. “Angel, ow!”

  He chuckled lightly as he looked down at her. “Sorry, Emelia. I’m in now.”

  His eyes closed, and his mouth fell open as he moved in and out of her. Emelia wanted to push him right back out and put all of her clothes back on, but she couldn’t. He looked to be enjoying it and she didn’t want to be the one to quit, but it was hurting so bad. It even burned a little bit.

  Once Angel got himself together and found a rhythm of his own, he was moving inside her. Had Emelia not been in so much pain, she actually might have enjoyed it; however, that was not the case.

  “I’m sorry it hurts. It’ll feel better next time.”

  “I know . . . I’m okay,” she whispered.

  For the next few minutes, Emelia lay beneath him as music played in the background. Her mind was all over the place as the pain subsided a little. She was nowhere near enjoying it, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been in the beginning.

  The low grunts that Angel was making made her feel a little better, because that meant he was enjoying it. She knew for sure he was a few moments later.

  “I love you, Emelia.” He lips brushed against her ear when he spoke. “More than a friend . . . fuck Esmerelda, you’re my girl.”

  Emelia’s legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, as did her arms. She held him tight as he moved. His breathing picked up with each move he made. To hear him say that he loved her too made her feel that much better. Because he loved her, and she loved him, she did her best to take the pain.

  When it was finally over, she almost hated it. She liked the feeling of being beneath him. It had come and gone all too quickly for her liking, but she just shrugged it off. Maybe that was how it was supposed to go the first time. When he slid away from her and rolled the condom from him, she noticed that it was coated with something red.

  Alarm spread through her body when she realized it was on his legs as well. For a second she lay still, paralyzed from embarrassment. Little did she know it was only about to get worse.

  “You bled on my bed.” He looked at the spot she was lying on.

  Emelia sat up and looked at the dark circle of blood in the center of his bed. Mortification encompassed her entire being as she tried to think of what to say.

  “Oh no,” she whispered.

  Angel touched her arm, and when she looked at him, he was smiling. “Why you look so scared? It’s supposed to be like that.”

  Emelia squinted a little as she replayed the many conversations she’d had with her mother about sex, while reaching for her panties.

  “I’ll just wash my sheets before my mama comes home later.”

  Emelia nodded as she proceeded to get dressed. How and when he cleaned was nothing of her concern at the moment. All she wanted to do right then was get dressed and go home. When she had her panties on, she shifted so that she could stand up and put her jeans back on.

  Pain shot from her center, immediately slowing her movements. Why on earth did her body hurt like he was still in it? Emelia tried her best to get dressed without being too obvious that she was in a ridiculous amount of pain but failed miserably and had to lean on the dresser to pull her pants up.

  “You’re hurting?” Angel stood up and walked over to her. Still naked.

  “Yeah,” she admitted, wincing just slightly.

  He kissed the side of her face. “Just take a warm bath when you get home.” He kissed her again. “You’ll feel better after that.”

  “Okay,” she said lowly, not really fond of his response.

  Emelia hated that he was so knowledgeable when it came to sex. All it made her think about was how many other women he’d been with. That thought alone made her stomach hurt. When she pushed the thought out of her mind, she continued getting dressed.

  The two of them moved around each other, making sure his room and their clothes were back in place before he walked her outside to her car. They leaned on the side of it and hugged before he leaned down and kissed her mouth again. This time he added a little bit of tongue. When he pulled away, he was smiling.

  “I love you, Emelia.”

  She smiled and hugged him again. “I love you too.”

  Something totally unplanned had been the best night of her life. Never in a million years would Emelia have thought sex with Angel would have that type of effect on her, but it had. She didn’t know what the future held for them, but the one thing she did know was that she’d love him forever. Little did sh
e know, time had a way of changing things.

  Chapter Three

  Young, handsome, and rich

  Ten years later

  The loud revving from the engine roared as Angel sped down the interstate toward nothing in particular. Just a fly young hustler on the rise, enjoying life. With it being only two hours from his twenty-eighth birthday, he’d decided to take his early birthday present out for a spin.

  The black Bugatti Veyron with the red bottom had been customized just for him by his mother, and it was quickly becoming his new favorite thing. The shiny black wheels spun in circles faster than any eye could see as he pushed one hundred and twenty miles per hour on the speedway.

  The surge from the boost of gas in his engine had him feeling like he was at the peak of his favorite roller coaster, headed down. The energy and rush of adrenaline had his body shaking with excitement.

  With his old-school Tupac blasting throughout the small sports car, Angel switched lanes and pressed his foot harder on the gas. Instantly, the car sprang out even faster, which to the normal cars around him seemed to be impossible.

  After the front end of the car lifted a tad from the road, the car zoomed in and out of lanes. Angel shifted gears, swooping between cars, barely missing some and cutting off others. Driving the car gave him a feeling of being free. Almost like he was flying. Just floating through the air enjoying the breeze.

  There was nothing like this. Being young, handsome, and rich had its perks, and getting anything and everything he wanted had to be the best. He’d handpicked his car, and one week later, his mother had made it happen.

  Being the only responsible child to the largest male-and-female narcotics connect duo out of California was another perk. Angel DeLuca, the heir to the entire DeLuca dynasty, was well on his way to the top with little to no effort. His mother and father had been running it since long before he was born and had no reason to require his help now. Even if his older brother was too reckless to handle that type of responsibility, that didn’t mean they would just toss it in Angel’s lap.