Addiction

Fifteen

Excuse any mistakes ✨

Taraji

I made it back to Toni's guest house seeing Fantasia sitting there with roses on the table and breakfast.

"Hey." I spoke sitting my purse and keys down in the counter

"Hey." She came to me with a rose. "Look Taraji, I'm sorry. I had some time to think about exactly what you said and I see where you coming from. Let me tell you something, I'll never choose him over you. I would never go back to that, I'll find another way to save my mama. The look in your eyes, I swear I seen your heart crumble. I don't ever wanna see that again. Taraji, I don't know what this is or what we've gotten ourselves into. Though I know I don't wanna lose it. I decided to do continue with the color purple but after that is over, I want you. Understand?"

I could've took her right then and right there. "I understand."

"Seal it with a kiss then." I grabbed her by her neck pulling her to me and giving her a good ole sloppy kiss.

Hey eyes looked up into mines all slow seductive like. Mmm yea ima have to taste it one more time before I quit it. But who said we were really quitting it?

"Keep looking at me like that, you just asking for trouble."

"I might like trouble, especially with you." I never seen an ass move like that when a woman walk, but her... made me wanna eat that instead of actual food.

"So how's Janet?" We sat down across from each other.

"I don't know, it's not looking so hot over there."

"Well Wassuh?"

"Something dealing with Toni." I sat back on rather to say something or not. I know she's Toni's friend and I'm Janet's, though I already told Janet what I knew.

"What uh-what is it?"

"Tasia, you know tea?" She got quiet on me sipping her orange juice.

"Spill it."

"Look, Toni came over looking for a paper she thought she'd left here. I told her there wasn't no papers here and she realized she left em at the studio with Kenneth."

"Babyface.. right. Ima just cut to it, Janet knows Toni slept with him and I believe you do too." I pointed my fork as I looked towards her.

"Look she told me yesterday what happened and I told her she needed to get it together. Janet loved her waaayy too much for her to be out here cheating."

"That you got right."

"Man but this what got me, Toni came back to the house while I was there. Talking bout looking rough? Baby walked in like she walked through hell. Just terrible."

"I wonder what could be wrong?"

"You and me both, but if it has something to do with her recent actions, this ain't gone be good at all."

"That you can definitely say again."

"Oh heck yea.." we sat and conversed while finishing up our breakfast. I just really hope all is well in the other end of the road...

Janet

I made my way upstairs knocking on the bed room door. I heard sniffles as if she was crying, knocking again I heard her voice. " uh yea, come in."

Opening the door she sat up on the bed not facing me. Either this was eating her up or something else happened.

"Hey."

"Hey."closing the door behind my I sat at the edge of the bed.

The silence between us hurt me because I knew. It's like my heart knew. "I gotta tell you something." She wouldn't look at me, she kept her body turned away.

Before she begin to speak I just jump straight to it. She ain even had to waste her breath to fix up a lie. "I know."

"You know?" She questioned as her head went down.

"Nah ain no need to feel shame now, how many times?"

She didn't say anything so I asked her again because I know she heard me. "Joe many times Toni?"

"Twice. I stopped it today."

"I would love to know what made you stop? Was it the fear that you would get caught or was for me?

"You."'I wasn't buying it, but I'd listened to what the defense was. So I responded.

"How so?" I questioned her because really that's the lamest excuses ever.

"Janet, you give me more love that I ever could ask for. It was foolish of me to let those encounters happen, I take full responsibility for them. Understand you have every right to be mad, to leave and truthfully I'd want you too. Because I need to feel that, I was wrong and I can admit that. Janet I love you though I know what I've done shows the complete opposite. I thought about you. I thought about how beautiful you are, how much love you give, what you've been through, how you love me. I thought about our spoken words, I thought about how you look at me as the only human being in the world. I thought about how close we were as friends and how stronger our bond got now after being lovers. I thought about the first time I met you, what I thought about you. I thought bout how much I was hurting you, I thought about you.." She turned around and I seen bruising on her face and markings around her neck.

"Toni, did he put his hands on you?" She shook her head

"I'm fine."

"No Toni. Tell me exactly what happened. I wanna know it all... everything." My baby man.

"Our last two session were fine we went over the songs and we'd started talking bout how we use to be one thing leg to another we started kissing and clothes started coming off. Now today I went over there to talk to him about these activities, basically to say it was a mistake there's no reconciliation going to happen and that I moved on. Well through the grapevine he heard that you and me were messing around, seeing each other and it ticked him off. He tried to push himself on me and when I refused and tried to leave things got physical."

Ima break this fool. "Toni from now on whatever you're working on bring it to me. I'll produce it, have someone produce whatever, but you will not. Have. Him. Do. Anything. Else. You got me? You will not be around him, have contact with him after you get whatever you need from him. All connections, bonds, shows, events; anything with him in it is an absolute No. With that being said, while you're taking this time you get whatever paperwork you need I will be there with you always.  You got me Michele."

"Yes."

"Look yeen off the hook for this, but I respect you for bringing it to me and telling the truth. I am hurt by your actions nonetheless, I love you and if I didn't I wouldn't care what you do I wouldn't feel a type of way.Understand you're my pride and joy, I got you forever. You should've told me the first time y'all did something. Don't let this happen again."

"It won't." I took her to the bathroom and got her cleaned up. I'll inform Taraji tomorrow, but as of tonight ima be plotting; because no one and I mean no one places their hands on my babygirl....