What She Needs

by Danyiel Nicole

  “Yeah, she came over this morning and told me that she doesn’t approve. When is she going to realize that I don’t need her approval?” Heath asks.

  “I wish she was as easygoing as dad,” Ada says putting one arm around Raymond. “Our lives would be much simpler if she were.”

  “That woman is impossible sometimes,” He says, exasperated.

  “Hey, I know you two are upset but Himaya is still your mother and you need to respect her as such,” Raymond interjects. “Sure, she is difficult to deal with at times but it’s only because she wants what she feels is best for you two. So let’s just give the mother-bashing session a rest, okay?”

  “Yes sir.” They both say humbly.

  “Alright everyone, breakfast is ready,” Tamia calls from the dining room and we all get up to enjoy the delicious breakfast my best friend has prepared for us.

  ***

  Tears run down my face as my friends board the St. James Company private jet to return to America. I really enjoyed seeing and spending time with them. Heidi, Ada, Tamia, and I shopped and hung out in Weymouth one day and then London City on the last day of their trip. I took Heidi to visit the Stansbury building and introduced her to Carolina and Patricia from HR. Heidi loves the building and she loves the way her area is set up. She mentioned to me more than once how beautiful London is and how she can’t wait to move here.

  Heath holds me close to him when tears fill my eyes as I watch the plane holding my American family leave in route to Florida. I’m starting to regret taking a job so far away from them.

  ***

  “Darling, is there a particular place you’d like to have the wedding?” Heath asks looking through one of the bridal magazines I purchased on my shopping trip.

  Since it’s Wednesday, Heath and I decide to just hang out at home rather than driving all the way back to Weymouth for a couple of days. His mother and father are still there and she is still upset that Heath hasn’t changed his mind about marrying me.

  “I’d like to get married in your pasture under the chestnut tree,” I say.

  “That’s a lovely idea. When would you like to do it?” He asks.

  “Next summer. It’ll give me enough time to lose the ten pounds you’ve helped me gain.”

  “Those ten pounds look perfect on you,” he says reaching over and squeezing my thigh. “I called Uncle Richard and told him the good news and he was all too delighted. He will be throwing us another engagement party when we get to the states in November.”

  “Well that’s nice of him.” Mr. Stansbury really is a standup guy, and he loves his niece and nephew.

  “I do have one request for the wedding,” I say grabbing the magazine and sitting on his lap.

  “And what’s that?” He asks.

  “I want you to make up with your mother because I want her to be there.”

  He lets out an annoyed groan.

  “I’m serious Heath. My mother can’t be here and I know it would break your heart if Himaya doesn’t come. I understand that you want her to accept our relationship and that will probably never happen. Just try to make amends for me, okay?”

  “Why is this so important to you?”

  “Because I believe that the way a man treats his mother is the way he will treat his wife. I need you to at least try; If you put forth effort with your mom I know you’ll be willing to work on our marriage when things get hard.”

  “Alicia, you know I’ll try when things get difficult in our relationship, I don’t feel the need to make up with my mother for that. If it means that much to you, I will talk to her when they come back from Weymouth.”

  “Thank you,” I say kissing him on the cheek.

  ***

  “Happy birthday darling,” Heath says waking me up from my sleep. It’s October twenty-second, my thirtieth birthday. I open my eyes to Heath standing in front of me in his gray sweatpants, and no shirt. “Benjamin made you breakfast and I’d like to feed it to you, and then if you’re up for it, I’d like to have you for dessert.” He says in that panty dropping voice and accent combination that makes me say yes to everything. I’m beyond thankful that my period went away a few days ago so that I can let him give me any birthday surprise he wishes to.

  I sit up against the headboard and he brings my breakfast to me; pancakes, bacon, eggs, orange juice and hot tea. He lays down next to me, baring every muscle from his waistline up and it’s kind of distracting me.

  “Eat up darling. I was serious about dessert for breakfast. I haven’t tasted that little lady in almost a week and I’m craving her.” Heath says in that voice that instantly turns me on and makes my appetite go away. I put my tray on the floor and he pins me down on the bed and starts to give me the best birthday wake up of my life.

  ***

  I take off my shoes no sooner than Heath pulls my X6 into traffic.

  “How was work darling?” He asks.

  I sag further into my seat.

  “That bad?” He chuckles.

  Carolina didn’t care that it was my birthday. She scheduled back to back meetings with clients, investors and even a virtual meeting with Mr. Stansbury. I can’t get too upset with her because Stansbury Investment’s European Division hasn’t been opened six months and business is phenomenal. Today is just the beginning of very busy days since Heath and I will be leaving for the states in a couple of weeks.

  Heath opens the door for me and when I walk in I’m greeted with everyone shouting, “Happy birthday.” That makes me smile, and my long hard day is soon forgotten. All of Heath’s family is here including Himaya, who is still having trouble with our engagement. Heath asked her to at least try and she’s doing her best.

  After dinner and that awesome red velvet cake Benjamin made, we retreat into the living room to open the gifts that everyone bought me. Heath sits next to me and Ada hands me the gift from her and Chauncey first. I open the big box and pull out a black coat.

  Ada laughs. “I know your southern bones won’t be able to stand your first winter here, so I decided to get you something that will keep you warm.”

  “Thank you guys so much. I can use this now.” I say giving them both a big hug.

  “Open ours now,” Himaya says with fake excitement handing me two little boxes.

  I open one and then the other and almost gasp when I see the beautiful diamond stud earrings and matching diamond pendant on a white gold chain. “This is beautiful. Thanks you two,” I say giving them both a hug.

  I look over at Heath who is smiling. I can tell he’s happy that his mother is at least trying to get along with me. He sits down next to me and hands me an envelope. I open it and tears fill my eyes as I read what Heath has written:

  I’ve loved you since the day we spoke on the phone earlier this year.

  Every day I thank God that he blessed me to be a part of your life and I pray that I can do only the things that make you the happiest woman in the world. I love you with all my heart and soul and I can’t wait to make you my wife.

  Your loving fiancé,

  Heath

  P.S. Get rid of everyone so that we can make love until the sun comes up.

  I giggle at the last part because he’s silly and I don’t know what else to say to that. He asks me to hold out my arm and when I do he fastens a diamond tennis bracelet around it. I give him a big hug and kiss too inappropriate for his parent’s eyes.

  “I didn’t know what to get you because you already have everything,” he says against my lips.

  “No, everything is perfect. I couldn’t have asked for more than tonight,” I say.

  We finish out the night talking about how things are going and our impending trip to the states. Everyone is engaged in the conversation except for Himaya who is playing on her phone. Raymond says something to her but she insists that she needs to respond to her emails and that she is listening.

  We sit around enjoying one another’s company until Himaya says that she was tired and ready to go. Heath and I wal
k everyone to the door and say our good-byes. Heath closes the door and turns around and gives me an are-you-ready smirk.

  “What?” I ask knowing full well what that look means.

  “I believe I made a promise to you at the end of the card and I’d like to fulfill it,” he says in that voice. He scoops me up into his arms and heads upstairs, not stopping until he throws me down on the bed. “For your thirtieth birthday, I plan to make you come thirty times. Are you up for that Alicia?”

  I gasp because there is no way in hell I’m going to have thirty orgasms, but I wouldn’t mind trying.

  Chapter 19

  “Alicia, come on we’re going to be late. Why are we always late because of you?” Heath calls from downstairs. He sounds frustrated. “Benjamin has everything loaded up in the car, what else can you possibly need that we can’t buy when we get to Orlando?”

  It’s November and it is freezing in England. Right now I’m looking for a coat that is big enough to help me fight the cold until I get to the sunshine state. I’ve been sick for the last couple of days with a stomach bug that won’t go away, and, on top of that, I’m getting over the flu. I look terrible; my face is puffy, my nose is runny, and my eyes are watery and to make things worse, the combination of sicknesses has been making me throw up everything I eat. The doctor prescribed me antibiotics but the cough and runny nose are still hanging around. I put on two pairs of socks and my Ugg boots, a beanie cap, a scarf, and then throw on the coat that Ada and Chauncey bought me for my birthday over my sweater before I walk downstairs where my fiancée is impatiently waiting on me. When he sees me he smiles and lets out a little chuckle. “Darling it’s not that cold outside.”

  “Not to you, but I’m freezing my behind off. I’m already sick and I can’t afford to feel any more miserable.” I say as we walk out onto the elevator.

  I’m so excited! I’m going back to America for the first time since I left in May, and Heath and I have a new condo to christen when we get there. At my request, we’ve set up an appointment with Dr. Jones tomorrow so that we can talk about some fertility treatments and possibly freeze some of my eggs so that Heath and I can try to start a family after we get married. We both agree that if it doesn’t work out, then we will look into adoption after I’m thirty-five.

  We pull up to the private terminal at the London City Airport and Heath helps me up the steps to the St. James Company private jet and then goes back to help Benjamin load our things. Once they are finished, we say our goodbyes to Benjamin and tell him to enjoy his vacation and then we strap in as we prepare to take off.

  ***

  “Alicia, darling, wake up.” Heath says. I’m in the bedroom of the jet and I’m so sick that I can’t function. “We have to get strapped in because the plane is about to land.” Those words are like music to my ears. This flight has been absolutely the worst. The dinner the stewardess fed me made me throw up twice. Luckily, I brought my medication for nausea, because if I hadn’t the pilot would have been making an emergency landing.

  Heath helps me strap myself in then he puts on his safety belt as the plane lands smoothly onto the runway at Orlando International Airport’s private terminal. I’m home and I plan on making it the best visit ever the minute I get better.

  I step off of the plane and inhale the fresh Florida air that I’ve missed so much. There is something about the combination of a cool breeze and the sun beating down on your face that makes you appreciate being a Floridian. I grab two of my suitcases and my coat while Heath and the flight attendant take care of the rest of our things. I walk to the exit of the private terminal where Tamia, Brittany, and Marcus await our arrival. Brittany is holding a sign that says “Auntie Licia we love you” in glitter letters. I walk up to them but I don’t hug them.

  “I swear I still have the flu.” I say to them as an explanation.

  “I missed you Auntie Licia.” Brittany says with those big bright eyes and cute little voice.

  “Oh I missed you, too, baby girl.” I say to her. Her hair is in a cute little bun and she’s wearing her school uniform because Tamia picked her up early to meet us.

  “Well hello there, Heath.” Tamia says as he walks up to us.

  He gives Tamia a hug and he shakes Marcus’s hand. “You must be Brittany. I’ve been waiting to meet you.” Heath says, handing Brittany a teddy bear he brought for her.

  “Thank you.” Brittany says with a smile growing across her face. “Are you my new uncle?” She asks.

  Marcus chokes on whatever is in his mouth and Tamia and I start giggling leaving Heath to answer Brittany’s question.

  “Yes . . . I guess I am your new uncle. Call me Uncle Heath.” He says proudly.

  Brittany’s smile grows wider and she starts to hug her new teddy bear in excitement.

  “Well Uncle Heath,” Tamia says him. “If Auntie Licia is sick we need to get her out of this weather. I brought her Evoque so that you guys can go get settled into your new place. Marcus and I are cooking dinner, and Heidi and her boyfriend are coming over, so I’ll meet you back at the house at about six.”

  “That sounds perfect.” Heath says looking at his watch.

  Tamia hands him the keys. “The car is over in the front of the parking lot. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

  We say our goodbyes and then head to our cars. I didn’t even have to make it to the parking lot before I saw my shiny-red-two-door-beauty. I walk over and stand next to it and Heath opens the door instructing me to get in so that I can get out of the cool air. Once he has loaded up everything, he gets in on the driver side, plugs our new address into the GPS, and then pulls out of the parking lot toward our new vacation home. I connect my iPod and let Luther Vandross play through the speakers as I look out of the window and enjoy the scenery that I’ve missed so much. The Greenway still has never ending construction but it doesn’t matter because it’s just as I remember it. The GPS instructs Heath to turn onto I4 East and I start to feel giddy inside. My heart skips a beat as I start to see the Fairwinds, SunTrust, Bank of America and Chase buildings, but tears begin to flood my eyes when I spot the tallest building of them all, Stansbury Investment. The shiny silver lettering sends my heart aflutter, not because I work for the company, but because it believed in me when my own husband didn’t. If I hadn’t been offered the CEO position in London, I probably still would be living here working on my marriage. I wouldn’t have been able to find real love like the kind Heath and I share.

  “There is no parking garage here so we have to settle for on-site parking instead. I couldn’t find a place that offered a parking garage in the area.” Heath says bringing me back to now.

  “On-site parking is fine,” I say because I’m just happy to be in Florida.

  “Alicia, darling, why are you crying?” He asks once he gets a good look at the tears on my face.

  “They’re happy tears. I promise.” I say with an embarrassed half smile.

  He reach over and squeezes my thigh and for some reason it feels good. It might be because we haven’t had sex in over a week because I’ve been sick. I find myself silently praying that I don’t vomit anymore today so that we can make love after we come back home from Tamia’s.

  He turns left on to S. Eola Drive into the parking lot of a tall sleek and modern building with what looks like little boutiques and shops on the first floor and I start to get excited. He parks the car and we get out grabbing as many of our bags as we can manage and then walk into the building. “Our penthouse is on the fourteenth floor.” He says to me as we step onto the elevator.

  “How did you find this place?” I ask.

  “Tamia and her realtor helped me.” He answers simply.

  He opens the door and lets me walk in first and I can’t help but to take a look around. This place is beautiful. It has four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms and the kitchen . . . oh my God the kitchen. It puts the kitchen in Heath’s penthouse to shame. The marble countertops, tile floors, white cabinets, center-island, and s
tainless steel appliances make it feel like heaven. The floors throughout the rest of the house are carpeted which I absolutely love because it gives off a homely feeling. My all-time favorite feature is the one-hundred-eighty-degree floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lake Eola.

  “Welcome home darling.” Heath says as he puts down the things in his hands. He takes two steps forward so that he is standing in front of me and then puts his hands on my hips and rests his forehead against mine. Somehow, the moment he touched me made all of my excitement fade away and I immediately turn into a weak needy being. “Do you like the place?”

  “Yes,” I whimper.

  “Are you okay to kiss?” He asks, his lips almost touching mine.

  “Ye-”

  His lips are on me in a millisecond, and he is kissing me, hungrily, needy, letting out every desire he has possibly built up for me in the last several days that I’ve been sick.

  “I. Want. You.” He says against my lips. I nod and we both hastily take off our clothes and discard them on the living room floor. He picks me up by my behind and I wrap my legs around his waist and arms around his neck so that my breasts are flush against his chest. This skin to skin contact feels so . . . erotic. My little lady is swelling, liquefying and pulsating all at the same time. He sits down on the white leather sofa so that I am straddling him and without any warning, he eases his hot, thick length into me. I let out a rushed moan of surprise and gratitude. It’s been too long. No one should be allowed to go this long without sex, especially if they sleep with someone every night. Without instruction, I start to move up and down his length, trying to make contact with the aching feeling that is lurking inside of me and bring him to his climax at the same time. He holds me at my back assisting me, rocking me back and forth, and then leans in and runs his tongue from the bottom of my neck up to my chin sending electric shock waves from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I look into his eyes and see his need for me, his love for me, and it sends my emotions into overdrive. I start to kiss him as I continue to rock my hips. My little lady starts to quiver from this intoxicating overload and after about two more strokes, I reach my climax and start to come over and over again, sending my body into a downward spiral.