by Zane
Yardley started running his fingers gently through my hair and that turned me on even more. “What about that other pain?” he asked, referring to my pussy. “Did I help that out?”
I paused for a second, let his dick exit my mouth and gave him a hand job, letting my grip replace the pressure my cheeks had been putting on it.
“You prepped it for surgery.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh, now I think it’s time for you to operate, Doctor.” I licked a trail from his belly button up the center of his chest as I moved my hips into position over his dick, which was still holding steady. I marinated my pussy lips with the head and the cherry juice that remained. “One thing, though,” I added.
He knew what I was talking about. “In my right pants pocket.”
I lifted his pants off the floor and got the small box of three condoms out his pocket. I took one of them out, ripped the packet open, and propped it on my lips. Then I did something I’d seen on television once and put the condom on his dick with my mouth.
I was about to climb on him when he said, “Wait.”
“We don’t want to wait too long.” I slid my wrist up and down the rubber. “I want to take full advantage of the situation.”
“I need to know one thing, Rayne.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Tonight means something to you, right? I mean, you’re not going to sleep with me and then disappear out of my life. Are you?”
“No, I have no intention of doing that, Yardley. This is happening fast, you know? We’ve only been dating a few weeks.”
“But it seems like much longer to me.”
I had to be honest. “It seems that way to me, too. Let’s see what happens. Tomorrow’s not promised to anyone so let’s take it day by day.”
“Tomorrow’s not promised; this much is true. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look into the future; our future.”
“Yardley, you’re the most special man I’ve ever met. I agree that we’ve been placed together, in this space, in this time, for a reason. I won’t run away before we figure out what that reason is.” I picked up the jar of cherries and poured all of them, the remaining juice and all, over the rubber on his dick. “Right now, let’s make some cherry smash.”
We both laughed as I mounted him. The sensation of the cherries mixing between us was tickling me. We both came numerous times throughout the night. When Yardley took me from behind, it was so intense—or maybe my feelings were—that I screamed out in bed for the very first time.
It started raining and we opened the windows to let the fresh air in. We laid there, for what seemed like an eternity, with me on my back and his dick inside me. There were no words spoken between us; we spoke only with our eyes. Tears started streaking down Yardley’s left cheek and he shuddered. There it was, in those mesmerizing eyes; love.
Twenty-five
Yardley
She’d actually made me do it. Rayne Waters had made me cry during sex. It wasn’t because she’d pussy-whipped me or anything like that. Most brothers swear that’s the only thing that could make them lose it. Up until then, I’d felt the same way. But it wasn’t a pussy-whipping that made me cry. It was love. I was in love with her. I wasn’t sure what the other women had been to me anymore. Some of them I’d thought I was in love with. Obviously it was something beneath that; powerful lust maybe.
I couldn’t believe that I’d opened up so much to her that night; even though I was expecting Valentine’s Day to be special. It was almost as if I was begging her to be with me. Rayne had some serious issues she needed to overcome; I could see that. I was going to help her work through them. After all, a person’s thoughts and emotional tendencies are a culmination of everything they’ve ever seen or experienced. No one knew that better than me. Rayne didn’t trust men but I was determined that she would trust me.
Saturday morning the fellas and I were all present and accounted for on the court. It was getting colder and soon we’d have to give it up until the spring. Indoor basketball wasn’t an option for us. We liked being out in the open, doing our thing. So for a few months a year, we’d hibernate. We’d still hang out from time to time but not every Saturday. We’d bullshit around playing poker for phony money because I didn’t believe in gambling. I’d been to Atlantic City a few times and to Las Vegas once on business and it amazed me how people would sit glued to the same slot machine or blackjack table for hours at a time; steadily losing money. What really tripped me out is that as loud as casinos are because of the machines and hustle and bustle, the one thing you rarely heard in there was laughter. People would sit there with these deadpan expressions on their faces, stressing over something they clearly chose to engage in.
Felix used to take women to Atlantic City for the weekend to impress them. Then he figured out he was silly for taking sand to the beach. With all the cocktail waitresses and showgirls prancing around in skimpy outfits, a playa like him was better off traveling alone.
“So, you guys,” Mike said halfway through our game. “Are you coming to see me in the play next weekend?”
“Damn, I almost forgot,” Felix said. “I’m supposed to be going out of town but I’ll cancel.”
Dwayne, Mike, and I were equally stunned. Usually Felix was all about Felix and wouldn’t alter plans for anyone.
“You’d really do that for me?” Mike asked.
Felix threw the ball into his chest. “Of course. How long have we all been boys? You’ve been wanting to do this acting gig for a while and now it seems like you’re about to get that big break. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
That much was true. Mike had made some waves in the industry but starring in the latest Strebor Entertainment play was as big as it got in the African-American community. This one was called Curveballs and Mike had one of the male leads. It was about a love triangle involving a female veterinarian, a famous baseball player and a homeless man. Mike was playing the pretty boy, the baseball player who’d been caught cheating on his fiancée after making it in the pros. She’d dumped him and sent him on his merry way. It was all good, the money, the fame, and the women, until he got hurt. Now he was coming back home, trying to win her back, but she wasn’t having it. Instead, she was crazy over a homeless brother she’d met by accident. It was written by a New York Times bestselling author and Mike had let me peruse the script. It seemed pretty hot and I was looking forward to attending. I’d already asked Rayne to go with me.
“I’ll definitely be there,” I told Mike. “You know I’ve got your back.”
Dwayne said, “And you can count me in as well. I already bought tickets for me, my folks, my grandparents, and my lady.”
“Who’s your lady?” Mike and Felix both asked in unison; nosy asses.
It had been awhile since Dwayne had considered a female “his lady.” He wasn’t a dog like Felix but he wasn’t trying to get serious with anyone either. He’d date but rarely brought women around us for an introduction. We’d only hear fleeting tales of this woman and that woman. How good she was in bed; how her culinary skills were because Dwayne loved to eat. His momma was one of those old-fashioned Southern women who believed she had to have a full-course meal on the table every night.
We were all standing there, having paused the game, waiting for a response.
“Her name’s Opal,” he said. “Opal Reid.”
“That name sounds familiar to me,” Felix immediately chimed in. “She’s not someone I used to bone, is she?”
While I knew Felix was joking—at least halfway—Dwayne didn’t appreciate the question. “Fuck you, Felix! Do you ever think with anything other than your dick?”
Felix chuckled and looked up toward the right, like he was heavy in thought. “Honestly, no. I think about money but most of the time it’s all about my dick.”
I laughed then, remembering Arjay’s comment about men only concentrating on money and pussy.
“What’s so funny?” Dwayne aske
d, about to get militant with me. “That’s the problem with you brothers. Life’s about more than sex. Half the brothers in the jail are in there because they were trying to impress some hoochie; support them because they’re too lazy to support themselves.”
Mike chimed in on that one. “I disagree. Sure, some men have been stupid enough to let a woman talk them into a life of crime but a real man makes his own decisions. There isn’t a pussy on the face of the earth that could make me sling dope or commit any type of crime.”
“Amen to that,” Felix said. “Those idiots are locked up because they fell for that easy money game. I love money but I work for my shit.”
Dwayne went there then. “What about all the innocent brothers locked up?”
“Hold up,” Mike said. “A minute ago you were preaching about how half the brothers in jail are in there because of women.”
“Yeah,” Dwayne replied, “and the other half are in there because they were railroaded.”
“Whatever,” I said in disgust. “Are we going to finish the game or what? I need to make tracks because I have something to do later.”
“Your new girlfriend?” Felix asked.
“Yeah, what of it?” I replied.
“Don’t get nasty, Yardley. I’ve apologized over and over about Roxie.”
“And I’ve told you over and over again, Felix, you can have Roxie and she can have you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I sit there and vibe with some of the brothers when I work the late shift and some of them are fucking brilliant. I’m telling you. They’re in there writing novels, memoirs, getting their education, practicing jailhouse law, all of that.” Dwayne was trying his best to change the subject back. “One young brother was valedictorian at his high school last year and now he’s doing twenty to life for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Let’s just play,” Felix said.
“Let’s do this,” I agreed.
We ended up working up a good sweat and decided to let bygones be bygones. Besides, I’d get to see Rayne later that night and she was all that mattered to me.
I got home around one that afternoon. I planned to grab a shower and a long nap before I headed to Rayne’s place to pick her and her mother up. It was a bold move, inviting both Rayne and her alcoholic mother over my parents’ house in Silver Spring for dinner. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her so the cat was going to have to be let out the bag sooner or later. We’d all have to learn to be one big happy family.
When I entered the lobby of my building, I was taken aback when I spotted Sheila profiling on one of the leather guest chairs. She hopped up and threw her arms around me. “I’ve been waiting for you, baby.”
“Um, Sheila, what are you doing here?” I gently shoved her away from me.
“What do you think I’m doing here? I wanted to see you. Today’s Saturday so I knew you’d be playing ball this morning. Some things never change.”
“And other things do,” I told her. “Listen, I—”
“Look at you, baby. Umph, umph, umph, still as fine as wine.” She came closer and sniffed me. “Sweaty and all; just like old times. Remember when you used to come back on Saturdays, have me for lunch, and make love to me in the shower?”
“I remember a lot of things, Sheila, like you running off with your girlfriend Raven and leaving me a lousy note.”
She pouted. “I made a mistake, Yardley. Can’t you forgive me?”
“Forgiving isn’t a problem for me.”
“Great!” she exclaimed. “Then we can take up right where we left off.”
“You’re absolutely unbelievable!” I stated loudly, heading for the elevator so I could make an escape.
“Good idea. Let’s go upstairs and make love right this second.”
“Sheila, I’m not making love to you. I’m not even going to touch you.” I pressed the up button and got out my access card for the penthouse. “Do you think I’ve been sitting around twiddling my thumbs since you jetted? Life goes on and I’ve moved on.”
“Is she as pretty as me?” Sheila asked with much sarcasm in her tone.
“She’s prettier than you,” I said with a smirk. “Prettier, sexier, smarter, and everything else combined.”
“That’s some cold ass shit to say to me, Yardley! After all we were to each other.”
“What we had was cool, while it lasted. You made the decision to end it and now I realize everything happens for a reason. We weren’t meant to be together.”
“Yes, we were,” she insisted.
“No, not at all. I’ve found the person I’m supposed to be with. I’ve finally found her and I’m not fucking it up. You need to go out there in this great big world and find the man—or woman—you’re supposed to be with, but I can’t help you.”
The elevator opened and I got on.
“Can’t we talk this out?” Sheila asked.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
I watched Sheila disappear behind the doors and prayed it was the last time I laid eyes on her. All I wanted, all I could envision, was a life with Rayne.
Twenty-six
Rayne
“Okay, I’ll bite. I know what naps are but what the hell are baps?”
My mother had been hitting the bottle while I was at work and was being awfully loud as we sat in the waiting area of From Naps to Baps. She’d begged me to bring her with me to my weekly hair appointment. Against my better judgment, I’d decided to let her tag along. I felt sorry for her because she’d been hibernating in my apartment for a few days, feeling sorry for herself and only leaving out to make a “spirit run.” Yardley had invited us both to dinner at his parents’ home the previous Saturday, and it was a nightmare.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown were the kindest couple on the face of the earth and I saw where Yardley got his compassion from. I’d warned Momma not to show out but that was the equivalent of trying to teach a pig to wipe his snout with a napkin.
I’d given Momma one of my dress suits to wear because she didn’t have anything appropriate in her numerous bags. Yardley was driving an Infiniti that night. I didn’t even realize he had a second car since he always picked me up in his two-seater Porsche. Momma ranted and raved the entire way to Silver Spring. I’d made her “dry out” and she was feenin’ for some liquor.
When we arrived at the Browns’ split-level home, Yardley used his key to let us in so he could sneak up on his parents, who were sitting in the family room watching Jeopardy! Mrs. Brown, a petite woman with a voice that sounded like it would belong to a woman twice her size, embraced both Momma and me as if she’d known us for decades. I immediately felt right at home.
His father was tall and it looked like he’d spit Yardley out; the resemblance was so uncanny. He was much more soft-spoken than his wife and I could imagine him teaching math. Mrs. Brown was a science teacher. They were the perfect match; two people who visibly loved their careers, their only child, and each other.
“So you’re an only child also?” Mr. Brown asked me over the table as we dined on country-style steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and string beans with homemade biscuits.
“Yes, I am,” I replied.
“That’s debatable,” Momma blurted out, having taken Mr. Brown up on his offer for some dinner wine. She was up to glass four already and I was totally embarrassed.
“Debatable?” Mrs. Brown asked.
I glared at Momma across the table. She glared back and sucked her teeth.
“What do you mean by that, Arjay?” Mrs. Brown prodded.
“Being that I haven’t a clue whose Rayne’s daddy is, she could have fifty siblings for all I know. Surely if he pulled a fast one on me, then he’s pulled fast ones on other women as well.”
Yardley cleared his throat and took my hand, helping me to suppress the scream that was building up in my throat.
Mrs. Brown had this expression of disgust on her face. She glanced back and forth between Momma and me. I lowered my eyes to the ta
ble and refused to look back up until I could pull myself together.
“So, Son,” his father asked, “how’s the practice going?”
“It’s coming along great, Dad. You have to stop by the office soon and see the renovations.”
“Oh, they’re done?” Mr. Brown pointed to the bowl of mashed potatoes. “Arjay, can you pass the potatoes, please?”
“Certainly, Corbett.” Momma picked up the bowl and handed it to him. She lingered long enough to make eye contact with him and then touched his hand with her free one. “My, my, you have such soft hands.”
No she wasn’t! No she was not!
“Momma, can I speak to you for a moment? In the other room.”
“We’re in the middle of dinner, Rayne,” Momma hissed at me. “We can talk any time.”
Yardley leaned over and whispered in my ear, “It’s okay, baby. Let it go.”
“Corbett, how long have you and Agnes over here been married?” Momma asked, nodding her head toward Yardley’s mother.
“We’ll be married thirty-five years this spring,” Mrs. Brown replied. “Have you ever been married?”
Momma smirked as if to say, “I wasn’t talking to you!” She wanted Mr. Brown to answer.
“Humph, not me,” Momma replied. “Never been married and never trying to be married. There are too many men on this planet for me to be tied down to one. Variety is the spice of life and I love my variety, don’t I, baby?”
It dawned on me that she was addressing me. I didn’t respond.
Momma continued, “You two come across as the swinging type. Do you ever swing, Corbett?”
Mr. Brown obviously knew what Momma meant but Yardley’s mother didn’t get it, so she asked, “Swing?”
I could tell Momma was getting vexed. She wasn’t used to men snubbing her; even in front of their own wives.