If I come home to find my house smelling like weed one more time…especially when he knows that I cannot stand that smell. And no he does not have all his friends up in here too! Hell, you would think that any guy in his early 20s would want to be working, making his own money and a name for himself. But when you have a dad like Frankie’s, I guess your only worry is when the trust fund money is going to run out.

“Frankie!!!� I yell throughout our condo. Yeah, even though I work 20 hours a week along with going to school, Frankie and I needed that trust fund money to buy us a place.

“Frankie?!!� That’s when I hear the sound of laughter coming from our den. I follow the sound only to find my boyfriend and four of his friends smoking weed and playing video games.

“Frankie, I know you heard me calling you. What have told you about smoking that shit inside the house?� I irritably exclaim. Then this fool has the nerve to give me that lopsided grin of his, and that’s when I know that what I just said went through one ear and out the other.

“Hi baby, how was your day? Assholes, say what’s up to my woman!�

His boys and I exchange mumbled hellos while I look around to see that my den is a hot mess. Rolling papers and swisher residue cover my coffee table, soda cans—without coasters—cover the table too, pizza boxes are on the floor and is that a bong? I need his friends to leave because I’m about to get real ethnic in here.

“Frankie,� I seethe, “Can I talk to you for a second?�

A chorus of “oohs� follows him as he approaches me. Frankie throws them the finger and follows me into the kitchen.

“What’s up girl?� He says grinning at me.

“What’s up?! Look at my goddamn house and you’ll see what’s up! What have you done all day? Just sit here and kill brain cells? And you know how much I hate the smell of that shit, would it kill you to just smoke outside?� I rant angrily, my hands and arms waving madly.

“Do you know how sexy you are when you yell at me?� He whispers to me while licking his lips.

Smacking him upside his head, I yell “Are you serious right now?!! Frankie, I come home after a long day to a messy house and your lazy ass, and all you're thinking about is sex right now?� I have had enough for today and it’s time for his boys to go.

Heading back toward my den, I grab the remote and turn the TV off; receiving a series of “boos� and “what the fucks� in response.

“It’s time for ya’ll to go…NOW!�

These dudes know me and they know that I don’t need to tell them twice. Quickly grabbing their shit, all four of them dip out of our condo, giving Frankie clipped goodbyes as they run out the door. Locking the door, I turn around to see my boyfriend glaring at me.

“Don’t look at me like that Frankie, I’m out working and going to school…the least you could do is keep the house clean and—“

“You’re a whiny, fucking bitch you know that?�

Hold up…what the hell did he just say to me? “Excuse me?�

“Me and my boys were up in here having damn good time before you came home and started bitchin’, fuckin’ ruining my high and shit.�

Yeah, he must be stoned out of his mind talking to me like that after all the shit I do for him.

“Fuck you Frankie,� I say, my voice trembling a bit. I can’t even be in the same room as him so I go upstairs to the bedroom, slamming the door for effect and locking it. I lay down on the bed as tears stream down my cheeks. I don’t even know why I’m upset because it’s not like the way he talks to me is anything new. Ironically, his filthy mouth is how we first met.

It was the summer of 2006 when some of my girls from college and I decided to head to the LA valley for a road trip after being in NoCal all school year. It was a Friday and we were on our way to Pomona when we decided to stop in Claremont because my friend Chloe knew some people there.

“Ya’ll tryin’ to party? Because these boys sure know how to,� she smiled at us mischievously.

By 10:45 that night, I was sitting on the pool’s edge with a drink in my hand talking to some dude named Johnny Truelove. That’s when I saw him, wading in the water and coming toward Johnny and I. Wearing nothing but some blue swim trunks was 6’1� of lean, but hard muscle, covered in tattoos. I had never been a big fan of tats, but something about his had me intrigued (and a little turned on). With a fresh buzz, sexy lips, piercing blue eyes, and the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen, I was hooked and I didn’t even know his name.

“What’s up Truelove?� The stranger asked Johnny while they exchanged hellos.

“Nothing man, just chilling and enjoying myself with this beautiful lady right here,� Johnny replied, making me blush. Feeling his eyes on me, I turned to find the blue-eyed stranger staring at me.

“Frankie,� he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

“Bella,� I replied, watching his massive hand swallow my little one.

“She’s one of Chloe’s girls,� Johnny said.

“Oh Chloe’s here?!� Frankie voiced in excitement. “Where’s that crazy bitch at?�

Cocking him an eyebrow, I was about to get feminist on his (sexy) ass when Johnny sensed my reaction and laughed.

“Calm down brown! That’s just Frankie. He’s been cursing like a sailor since I can remember, he doesn’t mean any harm though.�

I turned to see that Frankie had found Chloe and was trying to playfully dunk her in the pool. I was trying to find out more about this Frankie character…and possibly make him mine. It was nearing 1:00 in the morning when everyone had either left or had crashed somewhere in the house. I soon figured out that we were at Frankie’s house, about to stay the night and get back on the road in the morning. It was still warm out and I couldn’t get to sleep so I decided to take a dip in the pool. I swam the length of the pool a few times and was into my zone when I bumped into a hard body and gasped in fright. Clearing my eyes of water, I found myself face to face with Frankie.

“Jesus, you scared the hell out of me.�

“Yeah, well you scared the hell out of me too. I didn’t know who was in my pool.�

Feeling embarrassed, I looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to your…facilities like that.�

That was the first time he gave me that lopsided smile of his and I swore I felt my stomach flip flop. “I’m just fucking with you girl, besides anything I can do to see you in that bikini…�

Laughing, I playfully punched him in the shoulder as we sat on the pool steps and got to know each other. I told him that I was from Oregon and went to an all girls college in Oakland. He told me that he was from Claremont, decided that college wasn’t for him and that his dad was paying him to do garden work at his own house in return for a place to stay. I remember feeling so tired that I ended up putting my head on his shoulder and dozing off. When I woke up the next morning, I was in bed with Frankie’s arm wrapped around my waist and my head on his chest. As I watched him sleep, he looked so peaceful and at ease. He didn’t look like that rough and tough thug that I thought he was when I first saw him. During our late night dip, I found out that on the inside of that tattooed exterior was a silly guy who loved to laugh and had a huge heart. With that in mind, I couldn’t help but to reach up and place my lips to his slightly parted ones, all while trying not to wake him. But when I felt his large hands grip my sides and reciprocate my actions, I knew that he—as well as a lower part of his body—was awake. We made out for what seemed like hours before he broke our kiss and gave me a smile.

“Well good morning to you too.�

We’ve been together ever since.

******

I soon found out that part of Frankie’s gardening included taking care of his father’s forest of pot plants in their backyard. This also included giving some of them to Johnny for him to sell them and for the two of them to split the profits, as well as him and Johnny smoking their product almost daily, hence today and our argument. I must have drifted off to sleep thinking about the old times when I hear:

“Bella! Bella! Open this door right now, I wanna talk about this.�

“Go to hell Frankie!� I retort.

“Bella…baby, I’m sorry for what I said…I-I didn’t mean it.�

“You say that every time Frankie.�

“But I mean it this time girl…�

“Please, you just like to hear yourself talk.�

I can hear him sigh from outside of the door, which means he’s going to revert to plan B: begging.

“Baby, please open the door, I don’t want you to go to bed mad at me tonight.�

“Frankie, that isn’t going to matter because you’re sleeping on the couch anyway…�

“What the fuck?! Look, I said I was sorry and I want to work this out…so let me in.�

“Fine!� I say, getting up to unlock and open the door. Doing so, I stalk past him to grab some sheets from our hallway closet and shove them into his chest. “Say what you have to say because I’m tired and—“

Dropping the sheets and pulling me flush against his body; he kisses me with all the passion he can muster. Damn him. Damn him for being the only one who can have me ready to leave him one minute then ready to fuck him the next. But I can’t just let him waltz in here, kiss me, and pretend like everything is okay.

“No Frankie…stop it,� I say, pushing at his shoulders. But I'm reminded of how strong he is when he lifts me from my waist and throws me onto our bed. I go to get back up, but he pushes me back down, holding each my wrists captive.

“Frankie,� I struggle against him, “Stop it! Let me go…�

“You know better than to tell me no Bella, so shut up and quit fighting me.�

I continue to struggle against him as he bunches my skirt up around my waist and rips my panties from my hips, making me gasp.

“Stop. It.� He says lowly, but emphatically. He begins to work on the removal of his shorts, pulling out his long, hard cock. Against my wishes, my body instantly reacts to the sight of it and he knows that as he runs his middle and index finger up and down my wet slit.

“You still want to fight?� He asks me before sucking on my neck. I glare at him in response, which makes him laugh cockily. “You know you can’t stay mad at me,� continuing his ministrations to my neck, “And I’ll be damned if you try to get up and leave again…you ain’t going nowhere.�

“You can’t stop me from doing what I want Frankie,� I say weakly.

“Oh I know what you want baby,� he responds, lifting up my top to suck on my nipples. “You want this dick inside you, this dick that nobody else can give you.� Fuck I hate him for being right. After my first time with Frankie, I knew that there was no turning back; he puts it down. Even when he’s high, he’s still insatiable…and I love it. And he’s right because I know that I’m going to be on all fours at any moment. He’s right about another thing too: I won’t leave him. No matter how chaotic our relationship may be, I love him and I know that deep inside there’s still that guy with the huge heart that loves me too. Don’t let the tough guy act fool you—he’d be a mess without me. That’s why I let him continue to kiss and nibble at my lips and finish undressing me. I help him remove his beater as he nestles himself between my thighs, and begins to work his hips against me. His lips find mine once again as our tongues battle each other sensually, mimicking our hip motions.

“Frankie,� I moan against his lips, letting him know that I’m ready for him. Focusing his gorgeous blues on my browns, he braces himself up on his forearms as he gives himself a few slow strokes. Just when I feel the smooth head of his cock tracing my entrance, he grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Tell me…tell me that you won’t leave me.�

I look at him like he has three heads. But then I see that he’s completely serious, almost scared even if I don’t tell him what he wants to hear.

“Frankie…I-I’m not going to leave you. I wouldn’t do that to you baby.�

I feel him relax instantly under my hold. Sucking my bottom lip into his mouth then releasing it, he smiles at me.

“Ok…I need you to do one more thing for me…�

“What’s that?� I reply softly.

“Tell me that you love me.�

My breath hitches in my throat when he asks me this request. In all our time together, I have never seen Frankie so vulnerable than at this moment. Believe me, we have been through some crazy shit and he still has yet to completely crack in front of me. But when I reach up and cup his face in my right palm, I forget about the arguments, the tears I’ve shed, and the craziness.

“I love you Frankie.�

Kissing me again, he pulls back, chuckling.

“Good. Now you might want to hold on…�

Surging deep inside my walls, Frankie knocks the air out of my lungs as he sets an unwavering pace. It’s always fierce and passionate whenever we have sex. He makes sure that I feel every pulse of his heartbeat, every inch of his damp skin, every inch of his thick hardness. My legs are wrapped around his waist as my hands skim up his back and into the short hair of his buzz. I’m holding on as tight as I can as he works me hard and rough, plunging in and out of my juicy depths. The sounds of my animalistic moans and the slapping of our skin fill the room as I grab the headboard and push back against his thrusts. He steals my breath again when he reaches between us and starts rubbing on my clit, pumping me faster.

“Fuck Frankie…� I growl out in ecstasy. That’s when I start to feel my muscles squeeze around his cock.

“You gonna cum for me baby? You gonna squeeze my cock?�

I almost let go at the sound of his words, but I don’t get my chance as I feel my body being turned over and placed onto all fours.

“Put that dip in your back baby,� he commands me breathlessly. Gripping my hips, he picks up right where he left off, sinking back into me. He drills me from behind; his front pressed against my back so that I can hear him panting in my ear. I grab the sheets and bite the pillow, taking all of it—this is what I mean when I say that Frankie puts it down.

“Frankie,� I practically sob, “I’m so close…�

“Shit girl…you feel so fucking good. Just hold on a little bit longer babe,� he asks me, working me hard and swift. Tipping my hips up further, he slides in deeper, causing both of us to moan at the sensation. Feeling the pads of his fingers traveling between my thighs, I (literally) know what’s coming. His fingers soon reach my clit again and begin to rub me furiously. I scream out his name as my body starts to convulse, making my pussy squeeze him like a vice.

“Oh fuck…shit…goddamn girl,� Frankie chokes out before he coats my walls with his warm, sticky offering. He collapses against my back, his hips still jerking; leaving me breathless as we both come down from our highs. I soon feel wet kisses on the back of my neck as Frankie pulls out of me and lies down on the bed.

“Damn girl,� he chuckles.

“What?� I retort playfully, “Because of what we just did, I don’t have to go to the gym for the rest of the week.�

He just laughs and gives me that lopsided smile of his that I love some much. I straddle his waist as I place a sweet, chaste kiss on his lips.

“Tell me…�

“Tell you what, girl?�

“Tell me that you’ll stop being a douchebag.�

Cocking his eyebrow at me, he smacks me on the ass while I laugh at his reaction. “I will stop being a douche…bag,� he deadpans.

“Ok, I need you to tell me one more thing…�

“I love you,� he cuts me off while I smile at his response. “I love you.�