Mate Bond....From Hell

Manipulative Dinner

~Kinta~

I straighten my back and wipe my mouth. My knees are hurting, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now. Lyric sighs and sits up, leaning on her elbows. “That was amazing…..as always.” I don’t respond because there’s really nothing to say.

I get to my feet and straighten out my clothes. I did what I came here to do, and I have other things to get to. We will be taking over in about a year, and I need to be ready for my role. I turn and start to walk to the door. “Kinta?” I turn and look at Lyric. She has sat up completely and is staring at me. “I…I found my mate this morning.”

“I don’t care.” The silence hangs in the air, and I wait. When nothing else is said, I take that as my cue and walk away.

I pull my phone out to look at the time and realize that if I don’t hurry, I will be late for my meeting. I head downstairs on my way to the conference room. I’m working out of there until my father vacates his office for me. He said he could leave sooner, but I don’t take many meetings, so it isn’t necessary.

Her scent hits me like a freight train, and I groan inside. Arric stirs in my mind, wagging his tail. He wants me to run to her, but I won’t. I need to keep my distance; it’s for the best. She’s waiting at the door, and I walk past her to enter the conference room. “You were with her, weren’t you?”

I stop walking, but I don’t reply. What’s the point of saying anything when it’s all clear? “Answer me, Kinta. Were you with her?” I sigh and turn to her. Her gray eyes quickly fill with tears, and it’s the worst. I can’t deal with this right now; I don’t have the time.

“Does it matter?” She sniffles, but I ignore it. “I have a meeting, Jayla. I’m busy right now.” She sighs, and I turn back to the conference room. Thanks to my wolf hearing, what she says as I step into the room doesn’t escape me.

“Just let me go already.”

~Malik~

I turn the key in the lock and take a deep breath. I slowly let it out while I twist the knob. I step into the house and am met with savory scents; she’s cooking. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I close the door behind me and smile. She’s cooking, so maybe she’ll be in a good mood.

I place my bag on the floor and drop my keys in the dish on the entryway table. I hang a left and enter the dining room. The table is set with candles already lit. I sit at my usual seat at the table and look into the kitchen. We have an open doorway that leads into the kitchen. Natasha is buzzing around the kitchen, getting food together.

I get comfortable in the chair and watch her. She’s so damn beautiful, even after all of these years. She’s 5’5 to my 6’0, and I love the height difference. She may be small, but she packs a huge punch. She has ebony skin, glowing brightly under the kitchen lights. She’s barefoot as always; anytime she’s in the house, her shoes and socks come off. Natasha is wearing short jeans shorts that stop in the middle of her thick thighs and shape her phat ass.

I swear I fall in love with her a little more each day, and it doesn’t matter what issues we may be having in our lives. I close my eyes, and her face flashes quickly. I open my eyes, startled. That wasn’t Natasha I just saw….it was that woman from before. Why would she pop into my mind? I don’t even know who she is, and I don’t care to know. I shake my head a bit, and a plate appears before me.

I look up, and my eyes meet Natasha’s brown eyes. She has a small smile on her face, and I swallow the lump in my throat. I look down at my plate, and my heart skips a beat. It’s my absolute favorite meal: fried pork chops, greens, cornbread, and mashed potatoes. I look up at Natasha and smile brightly. “Baby, what’s the occasion?” She shrugs and places her plate down in her spot. Natasha sits in her seat and turns to me.

“I just wanted to cook for you. I know that I haven’t cooked in a while.” This is true; it’s been a while. I’ve been the one cooking meals for both of us. I don’t mind cooking; I actually enjoy it. I spoon some mashed potatoes into my mouth, causing a moan to escape. Natasha is a good cook, and I miss her cooking for me. “And I wanted to tell you my idea.” I slowly put my spoon down and give Natasha my undivided attention. She looks nervous, and that doesn’t bode well.

“I’m all ears. What’s your idea?” Natasha plays around with her food a bit while I patiently wait for her to tell me her idea.

“I…..I think we should try in vitro.” S.hit, not this conversation again. We’ve been through this, and it always ends up in an argument. I sigh and pick my spoon back up. The mashed potatoes have lost their amazing flavor just a few minutes ago. “Bear? Did you hear me?” This is it. My response will dictate how quickly we start this argument. There is practically no chance that we will avoid an argument.

“We’ve talked about this before, baby. In vitro is super expensive and it takes such a toll.”

“Yeah, but we will get a baby.” I sigh internally and place my spoon down. I clear my throat and look into her eyes.

“You know that there is no guarantee that we will end up with a baby through in vitro. Not only that, but we’ve already discussed how we don’t have the money for it.” I make a decent living, and so does Natasha, but in vitro is the type of money that we just don’t have. I also don’t want to spend the money on something that is a maybe.

“You don’t want to have kids, do you?” I sigh. I close my eyes and try to keep the weariness inside.

“I want you to be happy. If having children is what you need to be happy, I’m down to do it. I just don’t want you to be heartbroken because it isn’t happening how you want it to.” I reach across, grabbing Natasha’s hand. I rub my thumb across the back of her hand. “I love you with everything I have inside of me. If it’s just you and I for the rest of our lives, I would be beyond happy. You are everything I ever wanted and more.”

“How can you say that? How can you look me in the face and say that knowing that I’m broken? What kind of woman can’t have kids?” Here we go; this is where everything derails. There is nothing I can say that will ease this or make it go away. If I say nothing, it will just persist until I flip out.

I let Natasha’s hand go, and I stand up. “I’m not doing this today. We’ve had this same conversation way too many times. I love you and I love our life.” I look back at my plate, wishing I had the drive to finish my food. I walk away from the table and upstairs to our bedroom. I think a workout and shower will be the best I can do tonight.