Rose, Exposed

by Afton Locke

  When he ran his hand down the length of it, spreading the juices from the head all the way down, her ears buzzed with lightheadedness. This wasn’t a picnic with her mother within earshot. The car gave them enough privacy to do whatever they pleased. As her thighs trembled, needing him inside, her resolve not to make love before marriage faded away.

  “You danced awfully close to that white fellow,” he said. “Did you feel his cock against you, Rose?”

  She shook her head, unable to take her eyes from the enticing length of hard flesh sliding back and forth in his hand. He let go of himself and traced his wet fingertip along her bottom lip.

  “You’re a poor liar, sweet girl,” he whispered.

  In spite of herself, she extended her tongue and licked the essence he’d left on her mouth.

  “Yes, I felt it,” she admitted, “but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to anger him by backing him away.”

  Her fear of Jonathan seemed silly now. The real danger was right here in the car with her.

  Leroy took the hand that still clenched her purse, opened it and wrapped it around his shaft. Her fingers convulsed against the hot, silky hardness. It was the most exquisite thing she’d ever touched. Her entire arm trembled as a vein, swollen and buzzing under her fingers, filled her with electrifying energy.

  “Was it as big as this? he asked, moving her hand up and down his shaft.

  “No, I don’t think so,” she answered honestly.

  While she still grasped him, he slid a hand under her dress, starting at her ankle and ending at the seam of her labia. Her body answered his touch with a gush of wet heat.

  “Why you’ve got nothing on.” He frowned and his hand stilled, leaving her thundering heart perched on a precipice. “Do you mean to tell me you danced with no drawers?”

  Her flesh swelled against his fingers, begging them to move. “I-I didn’t have the right kind.”

  Stars exploded behind her eyes when he plunged the full length of his finger into her wetness with no warning. Her hand involuntarily tightened around his cock while her cunt tightened around his finger.

  “You’re so wet, Rose,” he said, breathing hard against her face. “Are you wet for Jonathan or me?”

  “You! Please forget…Jonathan.”

  “There’s nothing I’d like better,” he bit out.

  To her dismay, he stopped touching her between the legs, leaving behind a painfully throbbing pulse. She stroked him, sliding her fingers across the smooth head. The more pleasure she gave him, she hoped, the more he’d give her.

  But despite the hunger racing through her body, something didn’t feel right. There was a wall between them tonight. One of jealousy. She needed to clear the senseless passion from her mind and end this evening once and for all.

  “Please take me home now,” she said, attempting to pull up the bodice of her gown to cover her breasts.

  “We’re not done talking yet.”

  He pulled her bodice back down, leaving her naked to the waist. Then he knelt on the floor and pushed her down so she lay flat against the seat with her legs drawn up. Her hand dropped to her side and he took over his cock, rubbing it furiously about a foot above her breasts.

  Unable to blink, Rose stared in fascination at the musky flesh thrusting in and out of his strong hand. Ever since he’d parked here, she’d been afraid he’d take advantage of her. Now she wished he would. Unquenched longing tied every muscle of her body in knots.

  As slippery sounds and musk filled the car while he rubbed, Rose’s cunt burned hot enough to consume her entire gown in flames. If she married Leroy, she could have him inside her, but the thought of Jonathan entering her body gagged her.

  Before long, a hoarse shout filled the car and a stream of searing, pearly liquid rained down on her breasts. She watched as it pooled on her pale skin. The wrongness of it all made her eyes sting. Shouldn’t this essence be inside her instead?

  Leroy collapsed to a sitting position, his fast breaths slowing to ragged gasps. All hardness left his face as he looked at her. It was as if he’d finally realized the wrongness of it too.

  “You’re so beautiful, Rose,” he said gently as he dragged a finger through the semen on the inner curve of her breast.

  She didn’t know what to say or do. She dare not move for fear of soiling her gown. He reached into the front seat for a towel and cleaned her chest with gentle ministrations. How could this man be so rough one minute and so gentle the next?

  Minutes later, they were fully dressed and seated beside each other again. Rose slumped, exhausted, against the seat, feeling as if a cyclone had just ripped through her. She had no idea how late it was and didn’t want to know. Hopefully, her parents would be in bed asleep by the time she got home.

  “We didn’t do very much talking,” she said.

  Leroy faced the seat in front of him and scrubbed a hand over his perspiring face. “I didn’t mean to be so rough.” He looked at her with pained eyes. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  No, that part she liked. “Not physically.”

  “Just answer me one question,” he said quietly. “Who’s your man now?”

  “You are.” Still simmering down from the mindless heat that had scorched it, her body answered without thinking.

  He took her hand and studied each finger as if seeing her for the first time. “That means you don’t court with anyone else, including dancing.”

  She bit her bottom lip. Why did he have to ask of her the one thing she couldn’t give?

  “I don’t care for any other man,” she said. At least she could control her feelings if not her circumstances.

  Leroy gripped her hand more tightly. “I’m afraid that’s not good enough.”

  As her body continued to cool, her mind came to life. The feeling of wrongness that had niggled her all evening finally exploded. The force of it pounded her fists against the car seat after she shook off his grip.

  “Damn you, Leroy Johnson. I don’t belong to anyone!”

  She tore at the door handle until it finally opened. Her hands shook so badly they slipped. She would’ve fallen out headfirst if Leroy hadn’t grabbed her around the waist. It reminded her of the arm that had kept her from falling out of the tree.

  Was it protective or was it a prison?

  “Let go of me. Take me home now,” she demanded.

  Pulling her back inside, clear of the door, he closed it and grasped her shoulders. “Rose! Rose, what’s gotten into you?”

  She pounded her fists against his shoulders. “You’re crushing me, just like you did that butterfly.”

  His brows knit as he captured her wrists and laid her hands on her knees. “You seemed to enjoy yourself a minute ago. I don’t understand.”

  “It was all wrong,” she explained. “You-you pleasured yourself while towering over me, as if you owned me. As if you had something to prove. You didn’t care about my pleasure at all.”

  He wiped his hand across his mouth. “You’re right, Rose. Why didn’t you tell me to stop?”

  Heat raced across her cheeks. “Because part of me liked it.”

  “I am sorry.” His light kiss barely brushed her lips. “Please forgive me.”

  She nodded, accepting his apology.

  “I understand if you can’t marry me now, but I can’t share you with any other man,” he said. “I truly can’t. The thought of it just rips my guts out.”

  When he looked at her, the naked pain in his eyes made her wince. He wasn’t trying to manipulate her, she realized. He had emotional limits. From what she’d seen tonight, she didn’t want to test those limits any more than she had to.

  “You know I can’t go against my father.” She picked up her evening purse, which had ended up on the floor, and twisted it. At this rate, there’d be nothing left of it.

  “Even if he orders you to marry Jonathan?”

  The thought squeezed her abdomen, cutting off her breath. “I cannot marry that man. Somehow I’ll get out o
f it without angering Father, but you have to let me do it my way.”

  He dropped her hand. “I admire your loyalty to your father, but I can’t see you if you’re seeing another.”

  “You’re a very jealous man,” she said. “If you honored your family by spending time with another girl you had no feelings for, I’d understand.”

  His eyes flashed as he looked at her. “This isn’t just about jealousy, Rose. I’m worried about your safety. If you chose another black man over me, I’d step aside without a word.”

  “I’m supposed to meet Jonathan at his church tomorrow,” she admitted. “That’s not courting, is it?”

  Leroy cursed softly under his breath. “He doesn’t waste any time, does he? Get out of it. Claim you’re sick, just as you should’ve done instead of going to that summer dance. Will you?”

  The car filled with silence as he waited for her answer. Why did he and her father have to pull her apart this way? Now there was yet another strong-willed man in the mix, Jonathan Carter. The more time she spent with him, the deeper a hold he’d have on her too. It would be best to end it now. Besides, she’d only agreed to go to the dance, not be courted by a white man.

  She hated to lie to her father tomorrow, hiding the church invitation, but she’d lied so many times already today. Even spending this time with Leroy tonight necessitated a lie when she got home.

  A boyish smile stole across his face. “Come with me to my church tomorrow on Crab Creek instead. I’d like to introduce you to my family.”

  Rose suppressed a sigh of frustration. Why did he have to make things so difficult for her? There’s nothing she wanted more than to accept his heartfelt invitation, but she couldn’t and he knew it.

  “I’d love to, but I’m afraid I can’t,” she replied.

  He hung his head and nodded with resignation. “The invitation stands if you ever change your mind. I borrow this car and go there every Sunday to check on Mama.”

  Then he understood family loyalty. “That’s good of you.”

  “Someday I’m going to buy my own car.” He gripped the seat in front of him. “If I keep working hard, I can do it.”

  “I know you can.” She touched the rough stubble of his cheek. This gritty, determined man could have anything he set his mind to—except her.

  “I promise I won’t see Jonathan anymore,” she finally said, “but because I choose to, not because you told me to.”

  Leroy stroked her long hair as he pulled her into a fierce hug. “Aw, sweet girl, you’ve made me so happy. You won’t regret it and that’s my promise to you.”

  Her arms wrapped around him and squeezed hard, not wanting to let go for fear something might part them. For the moment, at least, the thought of losing him was worse than upsetting her father.

  When the hug ended, Leroy opened his door, letting in a welcome dose of fresh air. “Come on. There’s something else I want to do tonight.”

  She blinked in confusion. “Haven’t we done enough? It’s already so late.”

  Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car. “This won’t take long.”

  The minute she stepped out, she looked down at the rough ground, laced with gravel and oyster shells, and her wobbly shoes.

  Leroy chuckled. “You really aren’t dressed for the wilderness, are you?”

  She laughed when he picked her up. He carried her to the waterfront where the moonlight shone on the St. Mary’s River and a partially built pier. Light, resembling shreds of white paper, scattered across the dark water. She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling the breeze, which kept the mosquitoes away, and the scent of fresh wood.

  “Did you build this?” she asked.

  He set her down on the light tan boards and nodded with a proud smile. “With these two hands.”

  “I like your hands.” She placed her palms into his upturned ones.

  “Rose, will you have this dance with me?”

  The earnest look on his face made her eyes sting with tears of joy. She started to say they didn’t have any music, but they did. The fairies were all around them, she realized. Their singing filled her ears along with the gentle rippling of the water.

  She squeezed his hands. “You’re the only one I’ve wanted to dance with all evening. I didn’t think I’d get the chance.”

  This time she didn’t mind being held close against her dance partner. When he revolved her slowly around against the thick boards below, she saw only the rough beauty of this magical place. Leafy trees dipped down to the shore, throwing a canopy over a narrow rim of golden sand.

  Gazing at the pier, she imagined herself lying naked on the rough boards while Leroy made love to her.

  “I like it here,” she said.

  “I’m real glad to hear that,” he said as he stroked the back of her hair, “because I like it here too.”

  She blinked, seeing something in the landscape she hadn’t noticed before. It was a moving picture of her life with Leroy, the life that could be hers if she married him. They’d dance on this pier in simple cotton clothes, eat pork and beans cooked on an old woodstove, and love as hard as they worked in a simple bed.

  The fanciful image of the future evaporated as quickly as it had arrived, but that was how the fairies worked.

  “Life here isn’t easy,” he admitted as if he’d seen the vision too. “But it’s satisfying.”

  “I know.” It would be very different from dancing in silk at the mayor’s home. Different, as well, from the refinement Mother and Father had brought to the farmhouse she lived in now.

  “Of course, we only use one fork,” Leroy admitted. “That is, when we can find a fork. Sometimes we just eat with our hands. Hell, sometimes Pearl throws the food in a trough.”

  Rose laughed and swatted his cheek. “Stop that now. You’re pulling my leg.”

  Leroy’s lips curved with humor while his body moved with hers, unexpectedly fluid despite the bulk of it. Their hearts beat against each other, locked into a magnetic sync that couldn’t be broken. For the first time all evening, she didn’t want the night to end.

  She’d gladly live in a cave to spend more time with this man, but losing her parents was another matter. If they didn’t approve of her marrying Leroy, they certainly wouldn’t condone her living with him here in sin.

  And what if they married? Would Leroy confine her to the house like her father sometimes did and tell her what to do? The way he’d acted in the car tonight proved how strong-willed he could be. It also proved how much he cared about her. Why did this man have to be so confusing?

  The sound of movement in the bushes behind them sent her heart to her throat. Had her father come after her? Or had Jonathan followed them here from the dance? She gripped Leroy’s arms as they turned to see what was there.

  A man and a woman emerged into the moonlight, looking just as surprised as she felt. Thank goodness she and Leroy were fully clothed and these people hadn’t walked up to the car earlier instead.

  The man was white with blue eyes, and the younger woman was colored. Their skin tones were almost a mirror image of hers and Leroy’s. It was as if they’d looked into the water and seen a reflection of themselves.

  The woman reminded her of a fairy. She was small and barefoot with a dainty pink ribbon tying back her hair. Her eyes were an unusual shade of dark green.

  “Caleb,” Leroy said, straightening and letting go of Rose. “I hope you don’t mind us borrowing your pier.”

  The man’s moustache twitched with humor. “Looks as though you had the same idea we did. Well, if that pier can’t hold up to a little dancing, it’ll never survive the next oyster season.”

  Leroy made the introductions. So this was the boss and cousin he’d talked so much about.

  “You’re just as beautiful as Leroy claimed,” Pearl said. “Welcome to Pearl Point.”

  Caleb frowned as he looked at Leroy. “What are you doing in that ridiculous outfit? I hardly recognized you without your plaid cap.”


  Rose cringed inside, wondering just how much he’d told this couple about them.

  “It’s too complicated to explain,” Leroy said.

  She looked at Caleb. “Thank you for letting Leroy adjust his work schedule.”

  “You’re quite welcome, Rose. A happy employee is a hardworking employee.”

  Pearl elbowed her husband in the ribs. “Don’t take all the credit. I had something to do with your decision.”

  “Actually, she makes all the decisions around here,” Caleb admitted.

  Rose watched as the man took his wife’s arm under his and stroked her hand. This is what real love looks like, she realized. She’d already felt its stirrings when she was with Leroy.

  “You must come back sometime for dinner,” Pearl offered.

  “I’d like that,” Rose replied. Since Caleb was white, her father just might allow it, but she had to get through tomorrow first.

  “Well, we’ll leave you two alone,” Caleb said. “Nice meeting you, Rose.”

  “I’d better be getting home too,” Rose told Leroy after the other two left.

  Leroy nodded and gave her a long, sweet kiss that sealed the promise she’d made to him earlier. She’d made her decision, choosing him as her one and only man. It felt as right as the sensation of Leroy’s warm hand at the small of her back. Under the magic of the moonlight, anything seemed possible.

  Would her promise be strong enough to hold up when she faced her father?

  Chapter Eight

  Rose woke up with a start the next morning, wondering if the events of the previous evening had really happened. The gown, resembling a magical pink cloud as it hung on the closet door, proved they had. She couldn’t believe the entire household was asleep when Leroy had dropped her off last night.

  Leroy… She would never forget dancing with him on the pier under the moonlight. And their time in the car. They’d filled it with such heat and tension, she’d been sure it would explode.

  Remembering the sight of the powerful cock in his hand sent a rush of heat through her belly. She touched her breasts through the faded rose pattern on the thin fabric of her nightgown. The nipples roused into hard peaks as she recalled hot pools of semen covering them last night. He’d touched her between the legs, but not nearly enough. She still ached for him.