Graphite

by Anne Leigh

  “Baby, just one more. Please…” He’d pleaded after the fourth time.

  My body was putty to his command so I’d granted him access, and he’d given me my fifth orgasm.

  The dark curtains shielded us from the reality of the outside world and like Bishop, I wanted to stay in my slumber, but I really had to pee.

  Checking the time on the digital clock, across from where my man’s big body laid, I saw that it was ten past ten.

  Slowly, I raised his heavy arms and pushed a pillow in between them, careful not to wake him up.

  Bishop was an early bird. I knew this because he’d often texted me before I woke up for my classes and by the time I received his messages, he’d already worked out and showered.

  I tiptoed to the bathroom and winced at how sore my thighs were. I remembered him asking me to set them atop his shoulders and his tongue had lapped at me like I’d never been lapped at before.

  He was a great lover hence why my breasts had whisker burns and my legs felt like I’d run a marathon.

  After doing my business in the bathroom, I walked outside to the living room area of the suite. This time I took advantage of me being alone to really look at my surroundings.

  The flat screen TV against the deep beige walls was a nice touch but it was the presence of the uniquely shaped couches that caught my attention. I sat on the one facing the patio and pressed on the remote control to open the windows.

  The sun’s glow against the greenery of the golf course created for a peaceful scenery. It reminded me of the time I went on a vacation with Hanna before we started college. Up in the deep mountains of Colorado, Hanna and I had enjoyed a stress-free weekend stay at one of Colorado’s luxury hotels. We were pampered and taken care of like the princesses we were, as my brother had said when he gifted me with the vacation package.

  My stomach grumbled before I got lost down memory lane so I picked up the phone and at the first ring, the kitchen staff answered. I ordered two omelets for Bishop, two orders of pancakes, and Belgian waffles for me, in addition to two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice.

  Bishop didn’t have the same dietary restrictions that Scott had as far as I knew, so I hoped what I ordered was enough.

  The thought of Scott brought a twinge in my chest.

  He’d occupied that space in my life for so long that even now, when I looked at a menu, I thought of him.

  I wished that one day he would find the right woman for him.

  He’d left me alone for two weeks, but he’d started texting and calling again. I answered his calls a few times because he was still a dear friend, but whenever he veered towards the topic of us getting back together, I had to shut him down.

  Was it because I broke up with him that he wanted me back?

  I couldn’t go back to Scott.

  Especially not after what’s happened between me and Bishop.

  And also because of the feelings I have for the man who commanded my body like it was his own possession.

  “Babe?”

  I heard the gruff voice emanating from the bedroom.

  I answered with a lazy, “I’m here. I ordered breakfast for us.”

  “Mmmhhm-kay,” he called out, sounding sleepy and lazy, not wanting to face the day yet. “Gimme a few.”

  “Okay,” I said and plugged my phone into the wall charger. I hadn’t the time to check my messages and by the time I’d picked it up, I only had a two percent charge.

  I stood up and basked in the amazing view in front of me. Texas was home, but San Diego had so many great escapes to go to.

  I was willing to pitch in and pay Bishop for dinner and the hotel accommodations or at least half but he lifted his eyebrow and said, “No. It’s on me, babe.”

  I had no qualms in paying my half. When I was with Scott, he paid for the food, but I also paid for my share such as drinks and gifts to our friends. It was important to set expectations from the beginning to reduce misunderstandings.

  I was still trying to find my footing with Bishop, but the many times I offered to pay, he gently lowered my hand when I was reaching for my purse and gave me a look that broke no disobedience.

  Speaking of obedience, I was quite surprised at how commanding he was in the bedroom.

  He always brought me to pleasure first, but he was quite detailed in his instructions. Hands on the sides, babe. Touch yourself. Swirl your tongue around my cock. Pull your legs up and let me fuck you like this.

  My thighs clenched at the memories and I knew that Bishop was in his own league as a lover.

  He demanded but he gave so much more.

  He commanded but he also kneeled down to give me pleasure.

  “Deep in thought?” His broad shoulders wrapped around my arms.

  “Yeah. I didn’t even hear you.” I leaned my head back against his chest, savoring the feel of the strength in his arms.

  I scented the minty fresh toothpaste he’d used and gah, my mouth started to water.

  I wanted to turn around, but his large hands held me captive.

  I was in an embroidered Hanro Carla pajama set which I loved because of the feel of the soft cotton and girly look. I also liked Derek Rose pajama sets, but it was too hot for San Diego so when I ordered this one, I knew that this was going to be perfect sleepwear for the sunny seaside community.

  His hands molded to my breasts, his mouth was on my neck, and my legs pushed down on the carpeted floor to keep my bearings.

  “I’m sore…” I said in a weak protest. “My vagina needs time to recover. I’m surprised I can walk today.”

  “I’ll be gentle,” he said, his erection digging on my ass and I found myself getting wetter.

  I surrendered my body to him.

  When Bishop came near me my body lit up and found its key.

  His lips sucked on my neck as his hands massaged my breasts softly, giving tiny pinches to my nipples which only made them harder.

  The knock on the door interrupted the journey that his hands were taking down to my pajama shorts.

  There was no way he could greet the staff without them noticing his hard on and now that I’d turned around, I saw how delicious he looked in his black boxers which he wore with no accompanying shirt.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, kissing his muscled, tanned chest.

  His eyes were hooded with desire as he nodded, the long ends of his hair falling to the front of his eyes and the action of him sweeping his hair with his hand just made me more turned on.

  As if he couldn’t help himself, he reached for my chin and brought my mouth to his lips.

  In his kiss I felt the overwhelming desire to be inside of me and the gentle way he held my chin was enough to make me combust.

  The knock on the door became insistent, followed with a “Ma’am? Your breakfast’s here.”

  Technically it was brunch but who cared.

  It could be dinner for all I knew and I would have no sense of time because Bishop ruled my world.

  Removing myself from his reach, I started to walk towards the door.

  “Hold on, babe,” Bishop said as he disappeared towards the bathroom.

  When he came back, he was holding a white fluffy bathrobe with the HM emblem.

  “I don’t want anyone to see your body.” His eyes darkened as he surveyed me in my pajama set, “You’re for my viewing pleasure only.”

  I laughed and shook my head, “Alrighty, caveman.”

  He smirked, moved to the side, and watched me as I wrapped myself in the bathrobe.

  I teased, “Better?”

  With a nod of his dark head, he smiled, his eyes raking over me, “Better. I’m gonna grab some stuff in the fridge while they cart the food in.”

  I opened the door and greeted the middle-aged petite woman who held the feast on a cart tray. I apologized for the delay in answering the door and thanked her when she left the food inside.

  Bishop appeared bearing two champagne glasses, along with a bottle of champagne.
/>   “How are you going to open that?” I wondered out loud. “We should have asked for a corker.”

  His smile was of pure arrogance, “Easy babe.”

  “You gonna use your muscles?” I said in a mocking voice. “It’s gonna get messy.”

  Holding the bottle with his right hand, he removed the golden foil wrapper and said, “This one comes with the wire cage.”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “Ah okay – you want to sit outside?”

  “Sure.” He agreed. “It’s a nice day out.”

  It was. I hadn’t opened the sliding door to the outside veranda but it looked to be in about then 70’s. Gone were the high 90 degree temps. I learned that SoCal had two seasons – rain or shine. Most of the time, the sun was out and as the rest of the country started cooling around September, California had a mind of its own, cooler temps starting in late October.

  Bishop grabbed the cart’s handle and started steering it outside.

  The air was balmy and I could smell the ocean air as soon as we stepped outside.

  He started uncovering the dishes and you’d think I’d ordered filet mignon and caviar with the way his eyes were smiling.

  The smallest things made him happy.

  A warm feeling spread through me, knowing that the littlest thing brought this smile on his handsome face.

  He walked towards me, and since he’d put on a light blue shirt, I couldn’t feel his skin on me anymore. I found myself missing it.

  Gah Kara, you’re turning out to be so needy.

  I’d been independent for as long as I could remember.

  I never let anyone rule over my mind.

  But this man, the man who was pulling me in closer to his side so he could kiss my hair was obliterating all the preconceptions I have of myself.

  He asked me to sit on his lap when we ate breakfast and my instinct was to say no.

  But when he looked at me with those intense, melted chocolate eyes, I lost the power to say no.

  He fed me spoon after spoon of the delicious egg dishes that my stomach settled in contentment so fast. He forked a strawberry and fed it to me before licking the side of my lips because the juice had dripped to the side.

  Between feeding me, he helped himself to the heaping feast. We shared two glasses of orange juice mixed with champagne and when we’d cleared the food, I felt as if my stomach was going to burst from all the food I’d eaten.

  We didn’t talk much while we were eating.

  Just being with each other was enough to fill the quiet that never felt empty.

  We savored the calmness of the leaves swaying in the gentle breeze and the sounds of birds chirping nearby.

  “Thank you, Bishop,” I said as I moved my body around to straddle his legs. The couch created from wine crates had very soft cushions that accommodated both of us comfortably. “I’m having a great time.”

  His mouth tilted to the side, making him look boyish, and I brushed the hair that fell around his eyes. “Even when I make you sore?”

  I grinned and placed a soft kiss on his full lips. “Especially when you make me sore.”

  He brushed a hand on the side of my face and with his dark eyes focused on mine, he asked, “You happy, babe?”

  I nodded my head and said, “Happiest. I haven’t been this happy in such a long time.”

  He was silent for a few seconds, taking in what I’d said, and then I felt his cock thickening against my soft pajamas and his boxer shorts. “Want me to make you happier?”

  My response was my lips on his mouth, my hands on his abs, and my butt pushing down on his cock.

  He carried me without any hardships. My body was a weightless pile in his arms.

  Setting me down on the rumpled bedsheets, he proceeded to show me just how much he wanted to make me happy.

  And as he pushed inside of me, I had a feeling that I’d only feel this bliss with Bishop.

  Because as he held my body in his command, he also held my heart with his gentle hands.

  Kara

  “He’s not gonna disappear,” Ian said as he sat across from me.

  I was walking towards the university bookstore when I received the text from Bishop asking if I had a few minutes for lunch.

  I had an hour and a half before my next class so I headed east instead of south and jogged towards the Student Union.

  He spotted me right away and gave me a quick peck on my lips and asked me to grab us a table. It took me a few minutes before I could find us a good one. I had to wait after the couple before us left to take in the four empty seats. Lunch time could be a drag in finding unoccupied seats.

  I was busy watching his sexy butt fall in line when I heard Ian. I met him at Tau’s frat party, and since Bishop and I got together, I learned that he was my man’s best friend.

  “Where’s your bodyguard?” Ian asked with his brows crinkling.

  Shaking my head, I responded, “Cody? He has class right now.”

  Cody had a full load, and it was a miracle that the guy could take on frat duties, play lacrosse, and maintain good grades. I’d talked about relieving Cody of his duties again to Bishop, but Bishop said that Cody was actually getting off the hook, whatever that meant, because walking with me to and from places was hardly a hardship compared to what other frat members had to do. I’d also learned that good grades were a must to stay in Tau. Fraternities and sororities weren’t my thing. To me, they hardly signified any added value to my college experience, but listening to Bishop talk about Tau made me think of them differently. My carefree brother also seemed to be a great frat president; Bishop only had positive things to say about him.

  “Haven’t seen my boy this happy since…ever,” Ian stated, his gray eyes lauded with sincerity. Bishop and I had hung out at Ian’s place twice now and I’d gathered that Ian was the opposite of Bishop. He was loud and obnoxious. He started fights when they were on the field. But he was also a genuine guy who told me things as it they were, not glossed over.

  I gave him a shrug and a smile. “He’s the best.” I spotted Bishop as the third in line at Wako Yako. A girl was talking to him and even though he was conversing with her, he maintained a healthy distance between the two of them. I felt my spine tingle in awareness because he was talking to another girl, but Bishop hadn’t done anything to make me think otherwise. Jealousy was an unwelcome visitor that showed up at unwanted times.

  Ian forked a spoonful of noodles to his mouth before asking, “Are you going back home for the holidays?”

  The holidays were in a few weeks and as much as I didn’t miss my mom’s nagging, I missed the comforts of home and watching the snow in our backyard.

  I nodded, “Yes, Rikko and I are going back two days before Thanksgiving.”

  “Cool.” Ian looked down on his phone and said, “Speaking of Rikko, does he know about you and Bishop?”

  Such a simple question.

  “Ah, umm.” I struggled to answer, “Rikko doesn’t get a say in who I date.”

  The truth was I hadn’t said anything to my brother because I didn’t want him to tell Scott. Scott had been texting me non-stop, wanting to get together, and I’d evaded his attempts to contact me. It helped when they had away games and he had classes and practice and medical appointments. Appointments that I would have gone with him to if I was still his girlfriend. Rikko had filled me in that Scott was lonely, but he was doing okay when it came to his health.

  I kept my responses brief to both of them because I didn’t want them, especially Scott, to think that I was free and ready to be with him again.

  Ian’s eyes turned contemplative, “It’s not for me to say, but things can get messy if you don’t tackle them head on.”

  I grazed my eyes on my YSL laptop case, a birthday gift from my brother, and soaked in Ian’s words before answering. “I know. We’re just waiting for the right time so Bishop can talk to them. I guess they have this frat rule that they can’t date other frat member’s exes. I just don’t want a
nyone to get hurt.”

  “I got no business talking about this with you, but lady, you gotta straighten it out before it curls you under a bunch of shit. Bishop’s the best man I know. He doesn’t fool around. I’d hate to see him hurt,” Ian said in a matter of fact voice, his shoulders straightening, and I could tell how much he cared for Bishop.

  I lowered my head, placing my fingers on my shoulder, feeling the tightness that was slowly creeping in and said, “I know.”

  Scott and I were over. Probably even before I came here. I’d given him too many chances and it didn’t work out.

  It wasn’t a question of why was I not telling Rikko about Bishop and I, it was just a matter of when.

  “Babe.” Bishop’s legs swung over the stool beside me, and I felt his left arm wrap across my shoulder for a hug, my eyes closing for a second, savoring his scent.

  I saw him fist bump Ian and they started to talk about practice while Bishop spooned brown rice and chicken into my awaiting mouth.

  He loved to feed me.

  He wasn’t embarrassed at all that he was serving me lunch while he was in front of his friend.

  And the furthest thing from my mind was to be embarrassed about him.

  I was just biding my time, waiting for the right opportunity to tell Rikko about the two of us, but Ian was right, waiting might create more problems.

  “When’s your next game?” I thought it was this Saturday but I had to be sure.

  “Saturday,” Ian answered before Bishop could respond since his mouth was filled with food.

  “I’d like to go.” My Saturday was free and this would be the first home game I would be attending as Bishop’s girlfriend.

  Bishop’s hand on my jean-clad thigh stopped moving, his dark eyes widened and he said, “My frat brothers are gonna be there.”

  “I know,” I replied, my insides churning in a blender of anticipation and fear. I cared for Bishop. He didn’t deserve to be in the shadows with me.

  “Rikko’s gonna be there.” He said, his voice enunciating every word while Ian’s face formed a smile, “And so is Scott.”

  I lifted my right shoulder, “I have every right to be there.”