by Suzanne Rock
“He’s gone, Olivia. He’s gone.”
“I’m so sorry.” She placed her hand on his shoulder and eased him back, surprised at how easy she could move him. As he slumped back in his chair, she climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“He was my best friend, Liv.”
“I know.”
“He was the only one who understood. . .” His voice caught as he slid his hands up and down her sides. “Now I’m alone. A stranger in a strange land where everyone hates me.”
“No, not everyone.” When he met her gaze, she bent down and captured his lips with a tender kiss. Breaking the kiss, she placed her forehead on his, arms still around his neck.
“Nayo, I want to apologize,” she whispered.
“Shhh.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Don’t. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“No, I do. Please just let me get this out,” Liv said. She took a deep breath and started to let the words spill out, hoping they came out right. “We’ve been through so much together the past 24 hours. Listening to the news reports, I got scared and I started to believe the things they were saying. I jumped to conclusions and judged you when I had no right.” She inhaled a quick breath and kept going. “This whole time you’ve done nothing but try and protect me. I didn’t really understand until just now when I saw the news telling the world that I am an accomplice in all this. They are spinning lies and using us to give everyone someone to blame this on, make it look like they’ve got it under control.” She let out a heavy sigh. “People out there actually believe that I could be behind something like this.”
Liv paused as a harsh reality set in. She sat up straight and studied his face with tear-filled eyes. Unlocking her arms from around his neck, she gently cupped Nayo’s face with her hands. “It breaks my heart that you deal with this every day, being so misjudged and mistreated. People believe lies about you without any facts or truth behind it, automatically thinking the worst about you just because of your race. And for a brief moment, I was one of those people. I’m so sorry, Nayo.”
Liv reclaimed his lips, but this time the kiss wasn’t tender. It was hard and passionate. She wanted him to feel how sorry she was with every stroke of her tongue, every nip of his lip.
* * *
Nayo didn’t understand her kindness. Hell, he had dragged her halfway across the city. Thanks to him, local law enforcement wanted to lock her away.
He didn’t understand her kindness, but he’d take it. As she started to move against him, something hungry stirred inside of him. He could feel her strength, her goodness, and he wanted that for himself.
He had been on his third trip to America, and still things hadn’t changed. He could almost feel the hatred of the people as he walked down the street. Very few people had wanted to do business with him. He was about to give up on his dream of bringing western culture to his country when Ethan Black had approached him about doing a documentary.
He supposed Ethan would no longer want to work with him after all of this. Part of him wanted to give up, to admit defeat and go back to his father, who would gloat and tell him that the two cultures were never meant to mix. Part of him believed that he was right, but only a part.
The other side of him didn’t want to give up, and the longer he sat there, sampling Olivia’s sweetness, the more that side grew. There were good, non-judgmental people in the world. Those who would be willing to give him a hand. If he tried hard enough, he could perhaps bridge the gap between the cultures, and hopefully open his people up to new relationships and experiences.
Experiences like this.
“What are you doing?” he asked as Liv pulled away.
She flashed him a sweet smile and stood up from his lap. “I know you’re hurting, and I want to show you that not all Americans are political bastards.” She eased apart his legs and dropped down to her knees.
Nayo wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry as she eased his already-hard cock from his jeans.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said.
She eased her fingers around the base of his shaft and looked up at him. “I know.”
Before he could say another word, she wrapped her lips around his swollen head. Pleasure burst through his core, making him dizzy. Nayo inhaled a sharp intake of breath and eased back in his chair as she slid her delicate lips down his shaft. She felt so amazing, so much better than anything he had felt before.
It was because she wanted to do this, he realized. Liv was giving herself freely, and trying to comfort him. She expected nothing in return for her actions, and knowing this both fascinated and enthralled him.
“Olivia.” He threaded his fingers in her hair, pushing it from her face as she moved up and down his shaft. She used both her hands and her mouth, stimulating every inch of skin.
He watched her as she worked. Each time she took him into her mouth, his desire escalated. Every time she ran her tongue around his tip, his need for her grew. Soon he was curling his fingers into her hair, pushing back the urge to thrust hard into her mouth.
“Stop,” he said. When she didn’t listen, he tugged her hair, pulling her away from his body. “I said stop.”
She looked up at him, and Nayo could clearly see both fear and desire in her features. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” He pulled her into a standing position and pushed her until her back was against the wall. “You could never do something wrong, Olivia.” He kissed the worry from her cheeks. “Not with me.”
“Then—”
Before she could finish her thought, Nayo grabbed her backside and lifted her into the air. As she wrapped her long legs around his waist, his hard cock pressed against her mound and he cursed the layers of clothes between them.
“Why aren’t you naked yet?” he grumbled into her ear, using his tongue to tease her there, licking and biting at her lobe. It sent shivers down her body, and she let out a moan as she started to grind on his cock.
His orgasm was already brimming at the surface from being in her mouth, if he didn’t get inside her soon, he might explode. He needed to take back control while he still could.
“Unwrap your legs and put your feet on the floor,” he commanded. As she did as he asked, he slid his muscular thigh up in between her legs, putting pressure on her clit through her clothes and pinning her to the wall again. He could tell she liked it when he had her constrained by the way her breath quickened and her eyes glazed over with lust.
As he captured her mouth with his own, he slid his hands under her shirt, running them up her sides and around to cup her breasts, letting out a moan when he found them bare. He began to roll and pinch her nipples between his fingers until she started to gyrate her hips and was riding his leg.
Trailing kisses down her neck, he moved his hands away from her breasts and grabbed the hem of her shirt, taking it up and over her head. He stood back to admire the beauty in front of him.
“Why did you stop?” she asked.
“I wanted to look at you. You’re so fucking beautiful, Liv”
Blushing, she lowered her head and averted her eyes from him.
“Don’t do that.” He lifted her chin to raise her head back up, but she kept her eyes down. “Look at me.”
Lifting her lashes, she locked her eyes with his.
“I want you to look at me, always. I want to see the pleasure I give you wash over your face. Now take off your pants.”
He watched as she did what he asked, pleased that she didn’t take her eyes from his a single second. Finally she was standing naked in front of him, and the sight of her made his already hard cock swell even further.
“Now put your hands on the wall above your head,” he demanded. “And keep them there.”
She slowly raised her arms, placing them above her head, eyes heavy with lust. As she stood there against the wall, on display for only him, he had to fight the urge to just take her then and there. He wanted to draw this out, make it so
mething she wouldn’t soon forget. So instead, he went to work on her breasts, twirling his tongue over her hard nipples, biting and pulling them with his teeth. By the time he made his was back up to her mouth, she was panting with need.
“You like that, when I give you orders and then have my way with you, don’t you my dirty girl?”
She opened her mouth to respond but all that came out was a moan. Nayo chuckled. “You like when I talk dirty to you too I see,” Nayo said, leaning in to claim her mouth with a kiss. “Well then why I don’t I tell you what’s going to happen.” He kissed his way up her jaw. “I’m about to drop to my knees and spread you wide. I’m going to lick every inch of your pussy with my warm, wet tongue until I get to taste you come.” And that’s exactly what he did, licking every last drop of pleasure from her, until her entire body shuddered with each pass of his tongue. She reached down and pulled him up to her, planting a deep kiss on his mouth. “I want you, Nayo,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Her words were his undoing. Grabbing her under her ass, he lifted her until her legs wrapped around his waist again, but this time there was no barrier between them. The tip of his cock rubbed between her wet folds and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep. She lifted her hips until his head pressed against her opening and he lost all control. Breaking his own rule, he thrust his hips upwards and drove his cock deep inside her in one swift movement. She dug her nails into his back and let out a gasp at the sudden invasion.
“I don’t think I can be gentle, Olivia.”
“I don’t want you to be. Fuck me, Nayo.”
“You are a filthy girl. My filthy girl.” He slowly pulled himself out of her and let go of her ass, letting her legs slide down him until her feet were on the floor.
“Go to the counter.”
“What? Why?”
“Go to the counter and bend over it,” he commanded. “I want to fuck you from behind.”
Without another word, she walked over and laid her torso over the cold marble counter, and he savored the view. Removing a condom from his wallet, Nayo tore it open and rolled it down his length.
He stalked over to where Liv waited for him, and rubbed his hands over the mounds of her ass, spreading her cheeks with his hands.
“You’re so dirty,” he said as he slammed himself into her pussy, eliciting a deep moan from Liv. Burying himself balls deep, he remained still, savoring the moment. Finally he pulled out until just the tip of his cock remained inside, then slammed himself home again. Over and over he repeated the movements, a slow, torturous rhythm that had Liv rocking her body backwards to meet him with every thrust, wanting it harder, faster.
“More, Nayo,” she begged.
Rubbing his hands over her ass and along the small of her back, he began to increase his rhythm. Faster and faster he rammed into her from behind, each thrust harder than the last. He reached up to grab a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back.
“You like it rough, don’t you?”
“God yes, Nayo. Please don’t stop. I’m going to come.”
Her words had his own orgasm building; he could feel the familiar tingle building at the base of his spine.
He could feel her pussy clenching around his cock and he knew she was close. Rubbing his hand over her smooth ass, he gave it a quick slap and then rubbed it again. Liv gasped at the unexpected sting of pain and then groaned and wiggled her ass on his cock, asking for more.
“You are my dirty girl,” he said, as he spanked her again, twice this time before rubbing his hand over the reddened area. He repeated his spanking and rubbing motions until her ass glowed pink.
The sight of her reddened ass riding his cock sent him over the edge. He pumped into her relentlessly, slapping their bodies together with each thrust. Liv gripped onto the counter to try and steady herself and she thrust her hips backward, wanting him as deep as he could go.
“Come with me, Olivia,” he said as he slapped her ass one last time, causing them both to break.
“Fuck, Nayo,” she hollered as her whole body shuddered and her pussy pulsated around his cock, pulling him in deeper and deeper. Nayo threw his head back, calling out her name as he pumped his seed inside of her. He laid over her and they stayed like that for a long moment, bodies twitching with the last remnants of their orgasms.
When their breathing finally returned to normal, Nayo gathered Liv up off the counter. Holding her in his arms, he bent down and laid them on the floor where they stood, both of them too weak to move any further. He wrapped her into his arms, pulling her close as they both lay there, bodies fully spent.
* * *
Liv could feel him breathing. It was a small thing, but comforting none-the-less. It could just be the afterglow of sex, but she had never felt so connected to anyone in her entire life.
It had started out innocent. Nayo was hurting and she wanted to soothe his pain, if only for a little while. She wanted to give him something he couldn’t’ get from anyone else – understanding. What had started out as a flicker of passion had turned into something more. Liv didn’t know how it happened, but she was starting to have real feelings for the man curled up beside her.
“Feel better?” she asked as she rubbed his arm. The fine hairs tickled her fingers and made her smile.
“A little.” Nayo snuggled closer and buried his face in her hair. “I love the way you smell.”
“I smell?”
He chuckled. “Like jasmine. It’s comforting.”
“How so?”
“It’s familiar.” He nuzzled her neck. “It reminds me of the bazaars I used to go to as a kid.”
She turned in her arms. “A bazaar?”
“It’s like a festival. The street is lined with local vendors, selling their wares.”
“Ah, like a farmer’s market.”
He thought about that for a moment. “Sort of, but not just food. People sell clothing, jewelry, anything they can, really.”
“Your father let you go to these bazaars?”
“No, he said it was too dangerous. My brother and I would sneak out and go anyway. It was a lot of fun.” His expression darkened. “But that was a long time ago.”
She brushed her fingers along his chest, enjoying the feel of muscle under her fingertips. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” He sighed. “But it’s okay. Taz was more of a brother to me than Jamal ever was.”
“I’m sorry about Taz, too.”
He grasped her fingers and kissed her knuckles. “I know, and I appreciate it.”
“Nayo. . .” She knew that she had to talk to him about their precarious situation, but wasn’t sure how to approach the subject.
“Yes?”
She looked at him for a long moment, trying to choose her words.
He tightened his grip on her hand. “Whatever you need to say, habibti just say it.”
“What does that mean? Ha-bibitty? You keep calling me it.”
Nayo smirked at her failed attempt to pronounce the Arab word. “Habibit. It’s an Arab term of endearment. It translates to ‘my love.’”
Liv blushed at his words. “Oh. That’s lovely. Thank you for telling me… Habibit.”
Nayo smirked again. “Actually, you would call me Habibi. Habibit is the feminine form.”
Liv giggled “Oops. Thank you for telling me, Habibi.”
“Much better.” Nayo laughed. “Now stop stalling and tell me what’s been worrying you.”
Liv let out a puff of air. “Ok. Just before I walked in and saw you, I was listening to the local news channel. They-they think that we are radicals.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I know, but they seem determined. They think that you planned all of those bomb threats around the city, and. . . .” she averted her gaze. “They think that I’m your accomplice.”
“But you’re not.”
She smiled. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is, just how they spin things.” She let out a long brea
th. “They think that we are on some romantic crusade, and are planning a suicide mission as a big finale.”
Nayo muttered something in Arabic as he pulled away from her and rubbed his forehead.
She propped herself up on her elbow. “We have to go to the police and straighten this out.”
“No.”
“But—”
“I said no.” Nayo sat up and started pulling on his clothes.
“If we don’t, they’re just going to hunt us down.” When he didn’t respond, she sat up. “You have to see that.”
Nayo rubbed his chin and walked a short distance away. “I can’t.”
“What?”
He turned to face her. “I can’t go to the cops.”
“Why?”
He sighed and pushed his thick locks back from his face. “I’m not an American citizen. They could revoke my visa and send me home.”
“We could talk to them—”
“They can’t send me home, Liv.” He shook his head. “I just can’t.”
She stared at him for a moment as she digested his words. “Why not?”
“It would be a disaster.”
“Why?”
“You love to ask questions, don’t you?” He sighed and waved his hand in the air between them. “I’m sorry.” He moved over to the window and looked out at the front gates “The truth is that I can’t go back because . . . I’m engaged.”
“What?”
He turned away from the window and faced her. “It’s an arranged marriage, set up when I was still learning to walk. It’s supposed to unite two powerful families in my country and secure our position of power.”
“Do you . . . do you love her?”
“Love her? I don’t even know her.”
“Wow.”
He leaned against the wall and ran his hand over his face. “We met a couple of times at formal functions. She was polite, but it was clear that she had no desire to be with me. She seemed distracted and at times condescending.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t take it personally. At the time it didn’t really matter who I married. All that mattered was the power my family would receive. She understood that as well.”