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Melvin sat at the food court in Kings Plaza mall staring at his smartphone. He was on Craigslist looking for an apartment to rent. There wasn't much to peruse over. He put his face in his hands and massaged his temples as he thought again for the hundredth time how he came to be in his present predicament.

Melvin Campo was thirty years old and he would admit to you that he was a slave to his dick. It had gotten him into trouble so many times in the past and this time it was no different. Only this time, Melvin's soon-to-be ex-wife, Cynda was not in a forgiving mood. She had forgiven him all of the other times before but no more. After she busted him cheating this last time, she kicked him out of the townhouse they had in Staten Island. She informed him a little while ago that she had already talked to a lawyer.

Melvin couldn't figure out why he was so stupid. Cynda was fine; no rephrase that. Cynda was GOT DAYUM fine, even after bearing two children for Melvin. She was tall and beautiful with soft butterscotch skin and just as tasty. They had been married for eight years. Melvin thought about it. I guess I just thought she'd always be there, he thought to himself. I can't blame her.

Melvin's kids were young, two and four. Cynda had no problems about him coming over to see them. She expected it. But as for Cynda herself, she was off limits. She would not even entertain any talk of him coming back home.

Hence his present predicament. Melvin worked at the local Gold's Gym and also had clients as a personal trainer. It was a female client that got him into trouble this time. He just had a very hard time saying no to attractive women. Melvin knew he had to learn how to exercise some form of self-control. It was a very hard and painful lesson to learn.

When he got kicked out, he wound up on the doorstep of his friend and co-worker, Paul. They were good friends and Paul agreed to let him stay for a while. But Paul meant "a while." His wife Stalina was good friends with Cynda and Paul wouldn't let Melvin bring any of his shenanigans into their home.

Melvin still loved Cynda. It had only been a few days since he was displaced but he missed her terribly. He knew he was in the wrong for what he did so he didn't blow up her phone trying to come back home. Well, that wasn't entirely true. The first twelve hours he did blow up her phone, trying desperately to get her to talk to him. Cynda wasn't hearing it. Now all Melvin wanted to do was get his own place and get a stable enough environment to bring his kids over to spend time with them and maybe, just maybe, win Cynda back. That was ultimate goal.

So here he was, looking on Craigslist. He soon realized that he couldn't afford an apartment on his own. He had no idea that rent could be so expensive in this area. Even studio apartments were out of his price range. He sighed and began looking at rooms for rent. He wasn't feeling having roommates but what could he do.

He sipped on his Ginger Ale as he looked through the ads. Most of the ads didn't seem ideal to him. There were some townhouses but they wanted too much for a room. He called on a couple but found out that they had already found some to rent the room. Then he found one that looked somewhat promising. He noted the number and called to speak to them about it.

"Hello!" the person answered. It was a female voice.

"Hi there. My name is Melvin and I'm calling about the ad you have on Craigslist about a room for rent. Is the room still available?" he asked.

"Oh yes. And just in time. The rent is due soon. Can we meet?" the woman asked.

"Uh yes, sure. When?" Melvin asked.

"What are you doing now?" the woman asked.

"Talking to you. You want me to come over now?" Melvin asked.

"Yes, please. The address is 1540 Tully Drive and it's apartment 3," she said.

"Okay. I'll let you know when I'm outside." Melvin said.

"Kool." the woman said and hung up.

Melvin had to smile in spite of himself. Maybe this was a good sign that things will work out after all. He threw away his trash and left the mall. The apartment was twenty minutes away. He drove to the address and looked at the building. It wasn't that big; more like a duplex with four apartments in it. It looked pretty nice and seemed well maintained.

Melvin went inside and up the stairs. He knocked on Apt 3's door and waited. After a couple of minutes, the door was answered by ghetto gorgeous chocolate honey with short blond hair and wearing a tight white t-shirt and gym shorts.

"Hi there," she greeted. "My name is Caramel. Come on in."

Melvin came inside and took a look around. It was a pretty neat setup with lots of space. It looked pretty clean and Melvin wondered if they were neat freaks. Caramel showed him to the couch and they sat down. She had a huge smile on her face.

"When Trinity and I first placed the ad, we thought we'd have all kinds of people trying to answer it," she said. "That hasn't been the case. We've only had a couple of calls, including yourself."

"What happened to the other person?" Melvin asked.

"They didn't work out," Caramel replied.

"I see." Melvin said thoughtfully.

"We had one other girl staying here. She was working with us. But she decided to get a place with her boyfriend and left us. That's why we're looking," Caramel said.

"Oh okay," Melvin said. "Can I see the room?"

Caramel got up and led him to the middle bedroom. Melvin tried not to stare at her glorious butt cheeks as she walked in front of him. Stay focused, he told himself.

"Here it is," Caramel said, opening the door and showing Melvin in. He looked around. The room was nice and big and had a large window. He nodded in approval.

"It's $500 a month and we share the utilities. They only amount to like $150 a month total. So around $550 a month," she said.

They went back out and Caramel showed him the kitchen and the bathroom. Everything was clean and neat. She then showed him downstairs where the laundry room was. They then discussed the particulars and Caramel told him about living around the area. Melvin told her what he did for a living and that made Caramel smile.

"What do you and Trinity do? You said y'all worked together," Melvin said.

"We're dancers. We do private parties and we sometimes dance at clubs but mostly we try to do our own thing. You know there's not many stripclubs around Kings County anymore," she replied.

"Strippers huh?' Melvin said, trying not to grin. "Okay. So where's the lease I need to sign?"

Just then the door opened and an attractive slimmer woman entered. She was lighter-skinned and more petite. Tattoos covered her arms and she had her nose pierced. She had long dreadlocks down her back. She looked at Melvin and took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were a hazel green color.

"Melvin this is our roommate, Trinity," Caramel said with a smile.

"I'm Melvin. It's nice to meet you," Melvin said, stepping forward and holding his hand out to Trinity for a shake. Trinity warily shook it and put her sunglasses back on.

"Welcome," she said simply, walking into her room and shutting the door.

Caramel waved away her behavior with her hand. "Don't mind her. She grows on you," she said. She went to a desk drawer and pulled out the lease agreement. "This is the lease that Trinity and I signed from the landlord. He lives on the first floor. Your name is printed here and you sign on the last page. We can take it down to him after that."

Melvin grinned as he took her pen and signed his name on the lease agreement. He was so happy that this was working out. He didn't know how he felt about being roommates with two strippers but he was sure he could handle any situation that might arise. He was sure all they wanted from him was rent money.