Choices and Sacrifices Ch. 12

So, Keegan was done explaining himself. He'd done it enough and Paul knew him well enough.

"Introduce me." Keegan gestured toward the stage.

*

Sabrina and Rochelle were at a large round table in the center of the dining hall. Every seat was filled and there had to be at least 150 people sitting in the crowd. She'd gathered that the event was a televised community celebration of a local grassroots non-profit. They had successfully raised one million dollars to help support their community outreach efforts which ranged from homeless relief, food banks and even rent support for low-income families. This was their way of thanking those who donated to their cause.

Sabrina wanted to ask how Yoel was related or connected to this event but didn't have the appropriate opportunity once it had started. She decided to just enjoy her moment away and continue drinking as much free champagne as she could.

"We'd like to introduce our most generous donor—who has presented us with a $200,000 donation," To the left of the stage, a check was unveiled and the crowd clapped before he could finish his sentence. The cameramen shifted around ahead to get the perfect shot of the check. "Maryland's own, Keegan Luther."

Sabrina's body went cold. Slowly, she turned her head to Rochelle to, surprisingly, see her just as bewildered as Sabrina. "Rochelle, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Sabrina whispered. Rochelle had already begun shaking her head feverishly as if to denounce any of Sabrina's accusations before she had the chance to voice them. The people at their table glanced at them curiously.

"I didn't know he'd be here, Bean—I promise I'd never do that to you. I just got a ticket in the mail and I thought it'd be a great chance for you to get out of the house—I really didn't know, I'm sorry!" Sabrina believed her. The tears forming in her eyes was confirmation enough that she didn't know and that she deeply regretted putting her best friend in this position. Rochelle knew the pain seeing, hearing and thinking of Keegan brought her and she would never voluntarily subject Sabrina to it.

Sabrina eyed the exit behind them; she could make it if she walked quickly.

"Thank you all so much for being here," He adjusted the microphone to his height. "I'm very thankful to be in the position to make this kind of contribution to an amazing organization." Sabrina, as always, couldn't move when she'd heard his sultry, silken bass voice. He was dressed in a black tuxedo fitted to perfection—tapered at his waist and clung to his broad and fit shoulders. His eyes twinkled from the stage lights overhead and he was handsome to say the least. He hadn't acknowledged her so maybe she would be less obvious if she didn't move. He would never be able to pick her out of this crowd if she tried to fit in with everyone else. "I look forward to working with you all in the future to help bring more positivity to the community and make impactful changes to the lives of many more people. So, this is only the beginning for me." He smiled and the crowd was clearly charmed. They clapped lightly.

"Also," Sabrina's heart sank. She knew something was coming that she wouldn't like. The look on his face told her so. "I hope you all don't mind if I deviate from the topic just a bit to say..." He looked down on the podium with a bashful smile and then returned his eyes up right to hers—as if he knew where she was the entire time but had just been avoiding eye contact until he found the perfect moment to still her heart. "You look beautiful, baby."

Sabrina huffed out a sigh as she rang her hands in anxiousness under the table. Aside from a handful of people in the crowd who let out a scandalous sound, everyone was completely quiet. They looked around as if they would know who he was talking about just from the expression on their face.

Maybe that was true.

He finally left her gaze and turned his attention back to the audience. "The love of my life is here, tonight." Now most of the crowd hooted and hollered; clearly familiar with his book and his story. His smile grew large as everyone voiced their support of his emotions and their disdain for hers. Sabrina knew she should've tried to blend in by clapping or something but she was honestly in shock. She couldn't process what was happening. "And I know I've been ruining her life with this book—so I want to apologize to her for that. This will be my last public appearance and my last time speaking about her." The cameras flashed quickly when he said that last sentence. It would be a headliner tomorrow, for sure.

Sabrina was... disappointed. She honestly didn't want him to forget about her or their love. She didn't want him to stop acknowledging the importance she held in his life. She hated to admit that she had found some comfort in knowing he thought about her almost as much as she thought about him.

"But I just,"

He was on his knee. Someone in the far-right corner of the hall let out a loud, yelping and surprised sound. Sabrina's attention was immediately diverted.

"Keegan! This isn't the right time!" An older white woman called up onto the stage from her seat in the front. It was a clear chastising. She recognized the woman as his mother from the photos Keegan showed her when they lived together. Keegan pressed on—holding out a ring that blinded everyone from even ten feet away. He knelt in front of the crowd, his eyes back on her and more intense than ever. The photographers' flashing was almost a constant stream of endless light at this point and the only sound heard was the roaring of everyone in the room.

Sabrina was absolutely paralyzed.

"Sabrina," He started. The crowd quieted down just enough to hear the anticipated words. "I can't think of living my life with anyone else. I need you. Please, marry me." It was less of a proposal and more of a public beg.

Sabrina felt as if she were in a vortex. The world was literally spinning around her and swallowing her whole. She couldn't think of anything else other than the love she had in her heart for that man on stage. Rochelle was rambling something in her ear—something about making the right choice and making a run for it out the back door. Keegan's mother continued screaming at him from the sidelines and every camera in the room was panning the crowd in search for her. She watched him and saw his eyes silently pleading for the rights of her heart once again, in front of everyone. Her tear fell as they smiled at one another from where they both were in the room.

He'd never once lost the rights to her heart.

She was his from the minute they met and there would never be another way to get around that fact. He was the man she couldn't go a day without thinking of even when she swore she held nothing more for him than hatred. She'd been hurt, absolutely. But she could learn to heal from those wounds with the commitment of Keegan. He wasn't her father, he wasn't her mother, siblings or Quincy. He was the only person making a conscious effort to correct his wrongs in her life. She could learn to appreciate that... as his wife.

Sabrina stood and silently nodded.

"Yes?" He asked, completely unconvinced with what his eyes were telling him.

"Yes," Sabrina mouthed. Keegan let his head fall onto his forearm which was balanced by his bended knee. His back heaved and she knew he was crying. Keegan's mother stood with her hands clasped over her mouth and nose. She was crying for the pain her son had finally been released from and for the future of happiness that would start from that day onward.

"Yes!" Rochelle stood with Sabrina and clapped harder than anyone else in the crowd. Rochelle was finally able to let her personal opinions loose because Sabrina made her choice. Rochelle knew that Sabrina would always regret not taking a chance on true love and she worried about her friend constantly. But now, she could rest easy knowing she had sided with her emotions instead of her fears. Rochelle let her tears roll where they chose and Sabrina was off to comfort Keegan before she'd had the chance to think twice about it.

Sabrina grabbed the hem of her gown and marched through the circular tables full of people and toward the edge of the stage. As she grew closer, some sort of magnetic pull sped her up. She reached an arm out to grab his hand and hold it firmly in hers, something like a fan who happened to get close enough to her favorite artist. He looked up with bloodshot red eyes and a soiled face full of tears. Sabrina smiled at how adorable he looked—like a little boy.

"I love you so much, Sabrina." He said between sniffles. Sabrina pulled at his arm and he leaned his face down to hers. She used her thumbs to wipe at his cheeks and cradle his sweet, gentle face. He looked dazedly into her eyes and she returned the look tenfold.

"I love you too, Keegan." Keegan swallowed his cries when her words fell over him. He leaned in to lock their lips together. Sabrina's neck was craned upwards and he gave his best efforts to meet her face halfway. The kiss was deep, passionate and full of a lust that had been harbored for nearly a year. Keegan deepened the kiss by placing a rough hand on the back of her head and forcing her mouth even closer to his.

"Alright, now!" Rochelle warned from behind. Sabrina broke their kiss by uncontrollably smirking at her best friend. This was being recorded so maybe she had a point. Keegan used the opportunity to pull the hefty, cushion diamond ring right from the box and place it on her left hand. The crowd got even louder than they were before which seemed almost impossible.

Sabrina couldn't help but gasp.

She was engaged to the man of her dreams—literally. The man who had claimed his space in her mind every night. She'd finally fought her fears and won the battle to let herself be happy. Keegan grabbed the microphone again after what seemed like a long but eventful intermission.

"Well," He laughed, swiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. His other refused to let Sabrina go. "I would like to conclude my speech by saying—once again, thank you, for this * incredible * opportunity." Everyone chuckled at the subtle joke.

*

Sabrina didn't get a chance to breathe before Keegan was all over her. He'd opened the limousine door for her to enter and once the door was shut, he was everywhere at once.

He started off with slow, deep and sensual kisses that really emphasized just how pent up she really was. Her pussy pulsated from the contact and she was somewhat scared her liquids would seep through her underwear. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd been this turned on. He held her firmly by her waist as the driver sped off down the black city streets. Soft Trey Songz played in the background and she wondered if the driver did that on purpose.

Keegan moved his lips from her mouth down onto her neck. She used that moment to catch her breath just as her eyes fluttered closed. But she caught a glimpse of her hand and decided to hold her fingers into the air behind his head instead. The backseat was completely dark but it seemed every ounce of light had been absorbed by the rock. She smiled to herself and moaned simultaneously. It was a mixture of genuine contempt and pleasure as a result from Keegan's work on her neck. He gently suckled on the soft skin below her ear and rubbed the curve of her bottom while he held her. She leaned somewhat on her side and that gave him the perfect opportunity to gently grab and rub the flesh of her backside.

"I missed you like crazy. I can't even explain it." He whispered in between his kisses. Sabrina moaned something unintelligible as he turned her into putty in his hands. "I've been dreaming about your kisses every night." She had done the same. She had dreamed about this moment one thousand different ways and this was the perfect reality she prayed for.

She had also prayed to be pulled out of her sadness with the promise of never giving her heart up so easily again. And so, He heard her prayers and provided her with better days and less crying. He'd done his part and He had given her a slice of joy again. But she fell short on her end the moment she put Keegan's ring on her finger. Sabrina had a brief flashback of her darkest days. Where her crying seemed endless and she constantly contemplated the value of her life without the happiness she once knew. Her heart was broken and she had just let the perpetrator back in with open arms. She'd even went as far as to offer her entire lifetime up to him.

Keegan could feel the rigidness in her body and the way she stopped responding to his touch. Her deep, measured and heaving breaths had morphed into shallow panting full of anxiety. He pulled away from her neck to look into her eyes. His heart sank at the apprehension he saw in her orbs and he wondered if he had been moving too quickly with her.

Maybe she still wasn't ready. Maybe she'd never be ready.

"Sabrina," He was just about to start persuading and comforting her but decided against it. He pulled away from her body despite it physically hurting him to do so. "Uriah, pull over please." He didn't want to go much farther if he'd need to take her back home. "I'm not going to convince you to do anything. If you want me to take you home, I will. And I will never contact you again, I promise." He ground his teeth as he gazed out the window opposite of her.

The words stung his mouth as he spoke them but they needed to be said. He couldn't be happy with this if he knew she wasn't. He'd been persistent but this still would never work if she wasn't willing to meet him halfway.

"I'm just scared, Keegan." She whispered with a tightened throat. "I can't go through that again." She didn't think she'd come out on the other side the way she had this time. Sabrina feared what kind of control Keegan could have over her.

"I'm never leaving you again." He said it as if it were a known fact—like it was common knowledge. He sounded somewhat annoyed, too. "The only thing that kept me sane was this book. It was recalling my love for you and knowing that there was a chance it could help me have you again." Sabrina toyed with her ring in her lap. He grabbed both of her hands to recapture her attention. He held them firmly.

"I never want to hurt you again and I will do anything to prove that to you." She bit her lip to contain her cry. It didn't stop her tear from rolling off her cheek and somewhere below her. "Let me prove myself to you, please." He begged.

Sabrina nodded solidly, her face broadcasting all the uncertainty she felt in her core. But she was still willing to see where this went. She was ready to try again.

*

Keegan let his tongue trace the length of her slit and he moaned lowly. Her sweet and savory taste was something he had absolutely missed. Sabrina let out a small whimper above him and he stroked her soft thighs around his head. His hands rubbed the soft flesh of her hips and curved down under her bottom. He continued his gentle ministrations on her hidden jewel; just the way he remembered she liked. Just the lightest amount of pressure would have her withering in just a few minutes.

Sabrina let her hands wander over his scalp—missing the feel of dreadlocks below her fingers but still appreciating his amazing and unchanged tongue work. She leaned up on her forearms to watch him in action. His new luxury penthouse had a ceiling window that let the moonlight fall directly into his bedroom. His grey eyes looked up at her and they watched one another while his head, mouth and lips continued without missing a beat.

He ate her with a level of passion she didn't think existed. Keegan ate her pussy as if it was literally his first meal in a year. As if she'd been withholding him during all the time they'd been apart. He released one hand from her thigh and backed his head away to look lovingly into her folds. He ran the tip of his fingers over her opening a few times, back up her length and onto her clit and then back down to insert them deep into her core.

Sabrina gasped when he curved his fingers to better pleasure her.

"Yeah baby?" He asked from below, a sinister smile on his lips. She rolled her eyes at him at the same time she unintentionally rolled them into the back of her head. He had no business with this much skill and this much confidence.

Keegan added his mouth back into the mix and Sabrina was more than sure her body would never be the same. The out of body orgasm rolling over her was beyond anything she ever had. The combination of his tongue, fingers and his presence in general was enough to make this the orgasm of her life. Sabrina clenched at the duvet below her and felt her toes curl up on his back. Keegan met her body with every convulsion and pushed his head deeper into her pussy.

Sabrina pushed at his crown in hopes of forcing him back but he was persistent. He suckled her clit until her very last shiver of satisfaction. Sabrina released all her muscles and laid lifelessly on the bed. She felt Keegan place open mouth kisses over her thighs, stomach and breasts.

Once at her chest, he coiled and arm around her waist and plastered his spread hand along her back from above. With her nipples a few inches closer to his lips, he took it upon himself to suck her large areola into the back of his throat. He thought it'd be a good opportunity since she was coming down from her climax, but Sabrina's husky moan told him that it might have been more intense than he planned.

He released it with a pop and gave the other similar attention. She cradled his head and rubbed over his scale while he nursed affectionately on her chest. She watched his long lashes rest on his cheeks while his throat coaxed her breast just a little further into his mouth.

Keegan was ready to make love to her.

He leaned up and reached for a condom on the bedside table.

Sabrina swallowed the discomfort in her throat. They had never used condoms before so he must have been with other women during their break to feel as though he needed to wear one now. Or maybe he was worried about her. She tried to shake the absurd feelings; she should be thankful he cared enough about her health.

She watched as he rolled it down his length and moved back into his position above her.

"What is it?" Had he always known her this well? Sabrina didn't answer right away. She hadn't planned on voicing her thoughts. Keegan backed away and Sabrina grabbed his bicep to keep him within distance. She felt like she'd been such a nuisance with her insecurities. It was really unlike her.

"Nothing's wrong I—We just have never used condoms before so I was trying to figure out—"

"I haven't been with anyone." He cut her short with a strong confidence in his eyes. Sabrina nodded. "I assumed you would want to because we haven't been together."

"I haven't been with anyone either." She whispered onto his lips. He was relieved to know that. He wasn't quite sure if she and Quincy had been together and he honestly couldn't stomach the thought for more than a second. He just reduced it to not being his business. Sabrina had every right to do what she wanted. But he was glad to hear no other man had gotten the privilege to enjoy her body in the ways he had. And he was set on making sure no other man would ever get the privilege.

He pulled the condom off and tossed it in the direction of the trash bin. Sabrina sighed and looked at the intersection of her thighs. It was there that he was waiting to make his grand entrance—hard and raging with built up tension.

Keegan led himself into her center slowly. They both reveled in the feel of one another after so long. Keegan was overcome with pleasure and hunched over to bury his face into the crook of Sabrina's neck. He growled lowly in her ear and tried his best to focus his thoughts as to not end this prematurely. This was the moment he'd been planning for and if he wasn't careful it would end it in a matter of seconds.