Choices and Sacrifices Ch. 07 Pt. 2

She moaned aloud when another was placed just above the edge of her towel—at the tops of her breast. Her hands delicately peeled the cloth off of her body and she shivered when the air hit her body. Her nipples were contorting into tight nubs on her chest.

Her imagination was working overtime but she didn't want it to stop. She envisioned him rising over her still fame to position himself above her. His long locks were hanging freely and were inches from brushing against her parted lips. He was completely naked; lightly chiseled biceps were flexed while he sustained his weight. His expression was grim and it almost looked as if he was taking pity on her. His brows were downturned and his grey eyes were saddened.

Sabrina was tempted to talk to him—that's how real everything seemed. But when he inched forward, moving his body up against hers and pushing himself into her, she lost her sense of reality. In that moment, she was with Keegan and he was making love to her as if he loved her. She'd soak up the insane form of his attention for every second it was worth.

The feeling of being filled by him was replicated unerringly. She groaned deep in her chest, allowing the sound to bounce off of the walls. She was in bliss when he made his own small grunt of gratification when his balls pressed against the softness of her ass. He ran his hot tongue over his pink lips just before he bent down to place another tender kiss over her collar. He rested his head there while he pumped in and out of her soaking cavern. The saliva he put on her collar was accented by his heavy breathing. Calloused skin ran over her waist and down her left thighs, caressing the full flesh out of admiration.

Pressure put force against the walls of her body and she knew she was close.

Keegan ground his pelvis against her with more force while steadily building his pace. Sensing her impending orgasm, he lifted his head and looked her sternly in the eyes. Her body's upward jerking wasn't enough to break their intimate stare. Every powerful shove forced a tiny pant of air to flee her lips and brush against his.

Sabrina's already shut eyes crinkled in pleasure. She stopped breathing for a moment and allowed the feeling of contentment to cloak her body. The powerful orgasm made her sink deeper into her mattress and sigh out in satisfaction. Keegan was still above her, watching with large wondrous eyes. When she'd settled, he cracked a tiny half smile at her. Immediately fter his tiny gesture, Sabrina could see his figure dissipating into the darkness of her thoughts. His absence caused her eyes to fly open.

Her room's emptiness was immediately apparent. She looked down to find her fingers knuckles deep within herself and drenched in her own substances. Her collar held no trace of Keegan's existence. A brief look told her that nothing validated what she'd just experienced, in spite of that fact that it all felt so surreal yet absolutely valid.

Sabrina woke up in a positive mood; she was going to church today. She was somewhat excited to hear the inspirational words of her bishop and enjoy her favorite songs. Sabrina got out of bed early, just so she could walk Venice around the community.

She slipped on a pair of slippers along with a thick cardigan. Her hair was tied high on her head and her eyes weren't even fully open. With strides full of leisure, she barely picked her feet up off the ground while walking through the livingroom. She opened her apartment door and stepped aside to let her greyhound through.

The intelligent dog was hesitant; she'd never walked out of the front door without being in Sabrina's arms and wrapped in a sheet. Sabrina smiled before coaxing her on.

"Go ahead Nicey." The dog took her time stepping through the threshold and the two went down the apartment steps and outside the building. Venice immediately began sniffing through the grassy lawn in search of a spot to relieve herself. Sabrina folded her arms under breast and gazed around.

After doing some research on the topic, she found that her landlord had just the right amount of authority to give her a 3 days notice. So since she was being evicted tomorrow, she thought that it'd be perfectly fine to let Venice wander around the lawn and do whatever she pleased. Typically, Sabrina had to monitor who was behind the buildings so Venice could roam the patch of grass in the backyard. But today she decided that they'd take advantage of her landlord's discovery.

She could see the orange tinted sun peaking over the trees. It was a serene visual and matched her disposition exactly. After a long segment of darkness, some advancement was being made. The change wasn't immediate nor was it drastic but she was comfortable with her current state, even if it seemed as if she shouldn't be. The adjustments she was going through were all needed to move forward.

*

Sabrina missed the soothing clack of her heels. Each individual thud was a boost to her confidence.

Because she hadn't been to church in awhile, she thought it'd be appropriate to return looking decent. She twisted her kinky textured hair into an intricate pattern that lead into a sophisticated bun. It was shiny and broadcasted her done-up face. She wore a nude lipstick with a light, clear gloss. Her lashes were voluminous and captivating while her gold hoops set the hues in her body lotion. Her dress was a deep purple and reached a modest length of mid-calf. A dainty gold necklace and bracelet added to her classy look.

"You look great." Quincy said from the driver's seat. Sabrina looked toward him to notice that he looked pretty good too. He was clad in a russet brown sweater and dark jeans. His hair had a little length at the crown to allow some of it to display his tight curl pattern. The sides were professionally faded. His skin was moisturized, and gave his pore-less face an airbrushed look.

"Thank you." Quincy thought over the idea of kissing her, but then remembered all that she confessed to him the day before. He really didn't want to rush things so he decided against it. He put the car in drive and began carefully driving down the road.

*

Sabrina rang out her fingers while Quincy pulled into the parking lot of her church. There was a small road that you needed to drive down before you got to the parking lot, so Sabrina used the distance to analyze the entrance. She pushed her hand against the passenger side door as she tried to see from afar.

"Stop—Stop driving and turn off the car!" Quincy flashed her a fleeting glance before slowing down a few miles.

"What? Why?" He was clearly confused and Sabrina felt bad for frightening him. She remembered what she'd said about valuing others' opinions of her, but she'd been through enough the past few days. Scrutiny wouldn't do her any good, and if she could avoid it she would try her best.

"I can get out here and walk." Sabrina said. She waited for Quincy to put the car in park but he never did. "Quincy, I—" By the time she got the word out, she was already too late. He was pulling up at the curb of the church and she could see a family she knew very well, approaching the entrance. The magnetic purr of the expensive car enticeded their attention and she knew they'd share what they just saw. The ushers were inquisitively trying to pierce through the ink black tinted window to see who it was sitting in the passenger seat.

Sabrina sat in the car for an extra moment and realized that they couldn't see her. They had no idea who she was and she could leave without them knowing a thing. She turned to Quincy to see him watching her fixedly as she thought.

"Let's go." He gave her a sour look.

"Go? Inside?"

"No, I don't want to go to church." He rolled his eyes before turning off the engine. He sighed exasperatedly before facing her head on. His golden-brown orbs were intensely set on hers.

"Sabrina, what is church for?" Sabrina was taken aback by the nature of his question. It was so feasible yet difficult to answer. She stumbled over her words before she finally pieced together what she wanted to say.

"For praising and showing your appreciation to God." Quincy nodded while she spoke.

"So how does that have anything to do with why you're in this car with me?" Sabrina smirked at him knowingly. If there was ever a moment where she felt as if Quincy might've been a good partner for her, this would be it. His convincing tongue and alluring tone was working in his favor. He sounded confident and wise which was attention-grabbing.

"It doesn't."

"But you know why you are, right?" Sabrina nodded silently. He turned to sit properly in his seat and restart his car.

"And that has nothing to do with them, so go ahead and go to church."

*

Sabrina sat in the last pew of the church, exactly where she'd sat with Keegan. Everyone was seated and she'd managed to sneak in just before the bishop started. She could see her mother and sisters sitting a few rows ahead of her. They conversed quietly with one another while people got settled around them.

She missed her sisters. Over the past few years things had gotten tenser between them because of Sabrina's desire for individualism. But when things weren't tense, they were fun and enjoyable. They'd talk about their favorite TV show, Scandal and laugh together at their mother's house until she kicked them out. Ivy's signature bun was tight at the nape of her neck. Brittany was beautiful and confident while her mother observed all the people around her.

Sabrina smiled; she missed Ivy the most. Her calm and loving personality made her endearing. The aura of innocence that she held made Sabrina want to protect it. Sabrina always thought that it was one reason her mother was so set on trying to control her. It was more than clear that Ivy looked up to Sabrina more than she did Brittany. So if Ivy saw that Sabrina could successfully break away from their family and be happy, she'd eventually be compelled to try it.

Their Bishop approached the podium with his glasses perched at the tip of his nose. He looked down on his notes while silently commanding the worshippers' attention. Behind him she could see the choir pouring into the pews on stage. She knew they would sound different without Rochelle; Sabrina could always pick out her voice through all the others.

The Bishop cleared his throat and finally lifted his dark brown eyes. Sabrina sunk deeper into her seat when his eyes perfectly lined with hers. It was completely obvious he'd purposefully found her gaze through all the other people sitting in the crowd. She shook her head slowly, begging him not to acknowledge her any further. Soon, he turned his eyes and looked over the crowd.

"Good morning," He announced. Everyone replied in harmonic synchrony. "Today I will be talking about dedication." Sabrina rolled her eyes as she glanced at the door beside her. "When something is going on in your life, you cannot forget that God is larger." The crowd sweet-talked him on.

Sabrina knew that this sermon would be specifically for her. He'd stepped off of his podium to walk leisurely across the front floor. He had a microphone in hand while he made eye contact with people.

"So he will not help you get through whatever it is you're going through, if you put him on the back burner." Sabrina was embarrassed. That was exactly what she'd done for the past few months and it was also why her healing was coming along so slowly. She was too transfixed on the fact that she'd lost Keegan and she stopped being appreciative for what she still had.

*

After the service, Sabrina had found enough courage to approach her mother. She really wanted to make things right between her them, just for the simple fact that she was right. She wasn't apologizing because she was sorry she hadn't broken up with Keegan immediately after her mother's phone call, but because she'd given up her relationship with her only relatives.

Sabrina could see them getting out of their seats and collecting their things in preparation to leave, so she decided to move in while their attention was elsewhere. Her mother exited the pew first, and was in the midst of smoothing out her dress when Sabrina spoke.

"Hi ma," It was all she could come up with in that short amount of time. Her mother gave her an unreadable looked. It was something short of pity and utter displeasure. Sabrina swallowed hard, wondering if showing up out of the blue was a good idea. It was obvious that she and Keegan weren't together anymore. She might as well just apologize.

Her mother's cat shaped eyes were unchanging, looking expectant. Sabrina shifted on her feet before she parted her lips to speak. "I wa—wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry. You were right I didn't take you seriously." Her mother's eyes softened before she exhaled rigidly.

"Sabrina I know you think I'm a witch but I just know what I'm talking about. I don't want to ruin your life and you need to understand that." It seemed like she was about to walk away, but was grounded by something else. Sabrina looked into her mother's eyes and saw her mesmerize look turned toward something behind her. She then noticed that almost everyone around them had a similar watch in the same direction. Curiosity forced Sabrina to peer over her shoulder and she suddenly understood their gaping.

Quincy was quite a handsome man and unfamiliar to the people in the church. Visitors were recognized almost immediately. Sabrina growled inwardly when she saw him moving toward her. His eyes roamed the crown, searching for hers. When it was clear to everyone else that Quincy was heading for her, her mother looked between them both a few times until he was within a few feet. Sabrina turned her head away from him, hoping he hadn't seen her scowling. A hand tenderly rested on the small of her back for just a second and Sabrina knew it was Quincy letting her know he was there.

Sabrina wished she could've taken a photo of her mother's face when she saw Quincy standing beside her. It was like she'd just seen royalty.

"Hi, I'm Quincy." He outstretched his hand, showing off his gleaming white perfectly straight teeth. Her mother shook it, giving him a flirtatious smile and flashing it at Sabrina for a second as well.

"I'm Erica, nice to meet you." The difference between her introduction to Quincy and Keegan was breath taking. It made Sabrina sick to her stomach to see her mother accepting Quincy as her daughter's partner so easily. She could barely look Keegan in his eyes not to mention say more than one word to him. But here she was with Quincy, giving him the attention of a son-in-law. After Quincy shook both of her sister's hands, Sabrina turned to him with a forced smile.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was tight and hushed. He stifled a sly grin.

"I decided to come in for a minute." Sabrina averted her gaze and took a step away from him.

"So what are you two?" Brittany asked, not even trying to hide her nosiness and light tiny of jealousy. Sabrina responded immediately.

"Just friends." Sabrina crossed her hands across her chest, clearly irritated by Quincy's presence. She knew that as she tried to get back into her family's circle, Quincy's name would be brought up plenty of times. She'd be questioned to death every time she was in their company.

"Alright Quincy, let's go." Sabrina turned to her mother. She leaned in for a brief hug and kiss and her sisters received the same treatment. "I'll call you later."

"Wait Sabrina, we'll just go out together." Her mother suggested. Soon they all began strolling out of the church together. Sabrina was at the end of the group, listening to her mother chat Quincy up as they walked at a deathly slow pace. She asked him about his career and how he'd met Sabrina until they got to the front door. Sabrina could see that the car was parked right outside the church. It was the flashiest thing within a 3 mile radius.

She could've killed Quincy.

Soon they parted ways and she could see her mother's mouth break open when they got in his car. Sabrina was sure her anger could be felt like heat waves running right into Quincy's skin, so she decided not to speak. She'd just wait for him to say something first. It took a matter of minutes.

"I know you're pissed," Sabrina scoffed. "But I have 2 sets of good news." Her silence signified that she wouldn't be taking much.

"Okay, I found your car and they're waiting for you to come pick it up." That was great news. She looked to him with wide eyes full of disbelief.

"Seriously?" He looked to her for a moment before he looked back at the road. He chuckled lightly, flexing a tiny dimple in his chin. Sabrina sighed.

"Thank you." She wasn't too mad at Quincy anymore. He clearly wanted to help her and she was grateful for that. He'd done a lot.

"Open the glove compartment."Sabrina reached down to lift the lever on the small drawer. She could see what he wanted her to see against the registration papers and manual. It was a Hilton hotel card. She looked to Quincy curiously.

"I can't—"She was just about to protest when he cut her short.

"It's paid for and you'd be wasting my money if you didn't stay."

"When I get my car, I'll get my card and pay you back." Quincy laughed whole heartedly.

"I paid for two weeks." Sabrina propped her arm against the door's frame so she could rest her eyes in her palm. That was over two thousand dollars worth of stay. Sabrina lived well, but an extra two grand was not in her budget for the month. Especially when she planned on paying a down payment of a new apartment relatively soon.

"They'll let you keep Venice and everything. Just stay while you try and find a new apartment." Sabrina was silent for a few minutes.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him honestly.

Because I feel guilty and responsible. And the only thing he had to offer her was his money. She didn't seem interested in anything else. His failure to reply evoked a burst of sound from Sabrina.

"What do you want from me, Quincy?" Sabrina spoke more forcefully and that was when Quincy finally got the gist of her words.

"Nothing, I don't want what you think I want. I just want to help you and be there for you." That was exactly what it seemed Sabrina needed but she wasn't sure if Quincy was the right person to start receiving it from.

2 MONTHS LATER

"Quincy, you're going to be late; hurry up." Sabrina was sitting on Quincy's couch, impatiently waiting for him to finish getting dressed. She was instructed arrive at his house an hour ago, so they could leave 45 minutes ago. Although Quincy was nowhere near ready.

She and Quincy had been 'dating' for a little over a month. Sabrina found it hard it put a title on it because it was hardly a romantic relationship. They were similar in many ways, but differed in many more so they were more like bickering best friends. They had the same sense of humor but Quincy was very money-oriented which Sabrina had a hard time dealing with sometimes. It led to a few arguments but they always made up within days.

Staying away from his was somewhat hard because her mother and sisters made him a church celebrity. He arrived every Sunday and sat with her family during the services. She wondered if that was his reason for attending in the first place; just to see her again and undermine whatever attempt of breaking away from him she managed to make. Their relationship was odd to say the least, but to outsiders like her mother, they were the perfect couple.

Although both of them knew sex would never occur. Sabrina could tell Quincy had come to terms with that, but for some reason he was okay with the idea.

"I'm supposed to be late; I'm the reason the entire thing is happening to begin with." Sabrina groaned before getting up and looking herself over in the full length mirror.