“I’ll talk to you later,” I said and hung up the phone.
I had to figure out a way out of this mess before I killed my own reputation with my father.
11
Bonnie
“You messed up good this time, girl.”
I stared at myself in the mirror while holding my lipstick to my lips. A pale pink that brought out the flush of my cheeks. At least, that’s what my aunt had always told me. I looked down at it, and my mind started going a thousand miles a second. Would Mom like this color on me? Was she more of a red girl then a pink girl? What would she think of Israel?
What would she think of this whole situation?
I slammed my lipstick down and felt the plastic tube crack beneath the force of my palm. The warm, smooth lipstick smattered itself against my hand. Gross.
I raked it across the countertop. The harsh pink color went everywhere, including the plastic embedding itself into my hand. When I turned my palm towards me, the mixture of pink and red mesmerized me.
“You’re losing it, Bonnie,” I murmured.
I placed my thumb against my palm and blended the two colors together. I flicked the plastic pieces away from my skin and watched my blood darkened the lipstick.
It reminded me of myself and Israel. The light I was trying to bring into his world while his darkness threatened to swallow me whole. And yet, when the pink was darkened with the red of my blood, it didn’t seem less beautiful. It didn’t seem ‘lesser’ than anything else.
They both worked together, in tandem, to come up with a color that left me breathless.
“Bingo,” I whispered.
I washed the lipstick and blood off my hands. I patched my hand up with band-aids, and soothing salve then cleaned up the mess on the countertop. I ripped open my drawers to find another tube of that pink lipstick, then rummaged around until I found my crimson red color. Both of them were almost half gone, but as I carried them downstairs, I felt my plan already unfolding.
A new lip color, a new lingerie outfit, and a new chance to woo Israel.
“You’ve got this, girl,” I said to myself.
I waltzed my way into the kitchen and decided to make some magic. I broke the sticks of lipstick off and placed them in a small plastic dish. I heated it up in the microwave, blending the colors together every fifteen seconds or so. And after the new color came out just as captivating as I had wished it to be, I poured it back into the empty red lipstick mold.
But not before I used my finger to smooth some of the warm mixture against my pout.
“Perfect,” I said with a smile.
I capped it off and set it up high in the cabinet to cool off. I washed my hands one last time and cleaned up the mess I’d made. I felt a renewed sense of vigor come over me as the elevator dinged down the hallway. I smiled to myself as I smoothed my lips against themselves one last time. And as I unfurled my silken robe, I felt the cool air conditioning of the penthouse grace my skin.
I padded down the hallway in my bare feet. “Welcome back, handsome.”
Israel stepped off the elevator and slowly looked my way. And when I watched his eyes fall down my naked body, I knew I had him. While I understood how much I’d messed up earlier by leaving, I knew I could make it up to him. All I had to do was present him with what he wanted the most.
And the way he licked his lips made me smile.
“I want you to know how sorry I am for today.” I was glad things had worked out the way I’d known they would, but I was sorry I’d felt forced to go behind his back to make it happen. I slowly walked toward him, sashaying my hips deeply for his viewing pleasure.
“I can see that,” he said.
“Will you let me make it up to you?”
I saw his pants tightening around his pelvis, but not once did he reach for me. “It’s not necessary.” His tone grew dark and husky.
I slid my fingertips down his tie. “It could be if you want it.”
I fluttered my eyes up to see him, but he kept his composure. Despite the growing thickness between us, his face remained stoic. His eyes stayed empty. And while his body betrayed his want for me, he didn’t give in.
“Come on, Israel.” I wanted this and I needed him to want it just as badly. “You know you want it.”
He gripped my arms and pulled me into him, causing me to gasp. I felt the whole of his cock pressed against my stomach, and I wanted him more than words could describe. I watched his face grow closer to my own. I felt his breath against my lips. I hung my hands on his forearms, wanting to touch more of him as my own eyes fell closed.
But when he spoke, I felt my world shatter. “You won’t get what you want by misbehaving, sweet girl.”
My eyes flew open. “What?”
He pushed me out to arm’s length before releasing me. “You won’t get what you wish by disobeying me left and right.”
Did he really just say that?. “I’m not a child. You don’t have to give me commands.”
He hung up his coat. “Then, prove to me that you can operate without them.”
Oh, if only she could. “You haven’t given me that chance.”
He spun around. “I’ve given you it many, many times. And every time I give you the smallest thing I need you to do—like staying around here, or taking me with you whenever you go somewhere—you pull something like this. You prove to me that you can’t even listen to something I’m telling you to do because I don’t want you to get slaughtered. You
