Something Deeper

by Shara Azod

  “He’s a baby,” she said to the elevator. “Who cares?”

  You do, a voice whispered from deep inside the well of swirling desire.

  The doors opened again and an elderly man with a too young woman came in. Bolting out, Sky found herself alone in the lobby. Lee remained at the party, and she didn’t look as if she was leaving anytime soon. So, Sky had decided to leave when Mandingo started discussing “tossing salads.” She didn’t find him at all interesting, but had gone through the motions, missing Cashmere’s smoothness and wanting it back with each clumsy word that fell from Mandingo’s mouth.

  A bar rested just off of the lobby, and Sky headed in that direction. At least she could watch television while Lee did the horizontal hello with a linebacker. As Sky crawled into a vacant booth, she waited for the waitress to come over and take her order.

  Food was a long way from her mind. Though she was starving, it wasn’t for anything edible. Her dormant battery had been jolted with a jump from Cashmere. His words kept echoing in her mind, and she wondered if he would’ve done all those things he said and more.

  She suspected he would, but why? She was more than 19 years his senior.

  “Ah, there you are!” came a shout as Lee appeared in the bar’s entranceway.

  Excellent, now they could go.

  But Lee wasn’t alone. The shadow the size of a small boulder was a breath behind her, but stopped abruptly at the bar’s entranceway.

  Breathing heavily, she lifted her mask and wiped her face as she got to Sky’s booth.

  “Whew! What a kick ass party!”

  “Doesn’t seem like you’re done,” Sky said dryly.

  Lee shrugged, giving Sky a small smile. “Do you mind? I mean, taking a cab back to the hotel? I’m going to go with him over to New York, New York. His room. I don’t want to be without a car in case he gets all strange. You understand?”

  “Sure,” Sky said, and she did understand. Her friend had scored and she hadn’t. That was always the case between them. Though linebackers weren’t her type anyway.

  “Here’s a twenty to get you back.”

  “Okay.”

  “You aren’t mad, are you?” Lee asked, and the nervousness was clear. “I—I mean, I thought you would hook up with someone, you know?”

  Sky smiled at her friend. I’m so glad it wasn’t a stripper…

  “I did meet someone,” Sky said, patting Lee’s arm to cheer her up. “So, no problem.”

  “Really? How come you ain’t with him now?” Lee asked, suspiciously. “You didn’t like him?”

  That was the real question, now wasn’t it?

  “I, I--oh, God, Lee, he’s in his twenties. A baby.”

  Lee laughed. “And?”

  “I’m nearly forty,” Sky said indignantly. “As are you.”

  “So what? Everybody’s falling in love or lust with whomever they want, Sky. Hell, if he was into you, you could bank on a night of zesty love. No drug could make up for a young stud, girl. He probably doesn’t care about you making more money than him or having a better car, or anything stupid.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Lee shook her head. “See the big one over there. He’s 28 and plays football for an arena football team out of Memphis,” Lee confided. “Said he wanted a mature woman because women his age act like they’re still in high school.”

  “Yeah, his killer line? He found me stimulating.”

  “Hell, I dunno. He probably thinks he means it.” Lee laughed. “He might have been trying to get up your skirt. That’s what these parties are all about.”

  “You think,” Sky said, smirking at Lee.

  Obviously, Cashmere wanted sex. But he seemed so sincere too. Even she had her doubts when she learned he was white. “Well then, he’s probably over it by now.” Sky muttered to herself, and felt a little bit doleful about it, before moving on to something else.

  “Probably.”

  Sky frowned as she leaned against the crinkling leather booth. Cashmere’s words had sounded like a compliment, and they felt all warm and electrifying. So, it must have been. Yes, that’s it for certain.

  “Oh, he has no idea how I'd want to stimulate his, uh…”

  “Sky!” Lee laughed. “See if he’s still around because the look on your face is definitely one of come screw me to heights previously untouched. Go find him. He might even still be upstairs. Grab him before someone else does. Do it or I’m going to give you a big dildo for your birthday, in front of everyone at the school’s office party.”

  Lee’s eyes met hers. Red lined and streaked from cigarette smoke and fatigue, they seemed hammered and ready to sink in the bags beneath them. Partying hadn’t been pretty for either of them.

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “Yeah I would. I only want you to have fun. You’re my girl. But I don’t want you taking dangerous chances, you get me? So if this guy gives you bad vibes then scoot on back to the hotel. If he doesn’t, go grab some.”

  “I know, but I wanted to do something fun for myself. Not that we haven’t done fun things. The Blue Man Group was a great time, but…”

  “Say no more,” Lee said waving it off with the swipe of her ring clustered hand. “We’ve all been in a bit of a dry spell. Divorce will do that. Still don’t be afraid to give the goose away to someone who’s going to pay you back. In full, you get me.”

  She shaped her hands around a long, invisible cock and stroked it.

  They burst into laughter.

  “And he could’ve meant every word that came out of his mouth. I can be as appealing as anyone.”

  Lee laughed. “That’s my girl!”

  The man’s shadow fluttered into the entrance, followed by a raw cough.

  Lee put her mask back on and sighed.

  “Well, I’ll see you bright and bushy tailed in the morning! Be safe!” Lee shouted, heading to the entranceway.

  “Right.”

  With a miracle, Sky would be at the panel tomorrow. She wouldn’t be bright eyed and her tail wouldn’t be bushy, but slicked back into a nice, proper bun. As the senior department chair for English, she had to appear well dressed, rested, and professional—even during this conference to Sin City.

  Respect was important to maintaining her role. A black woman caught being even a little bit sensual got blown into something super sexual, whorish, and Sky couldn’t tolerate that—not on the job. So, she defied the stereotypes by presenting a professional appearance and behavior at work.

  Deciding to skip the alcohol, Sky left the bar. Cashmere would be fodder for her fantasies, nothing more.

  But as she reached the lobby, a well dressed man in a hotel uniform was carrying a tray which contained a bottle of wine and a matching pair of wineglasses. As he dashed by her, a piece of paper flew off. Picking it up for him, Sky scanned it and read that it was clearly labeled Cashmere Martin, room 904.

  Lee’s voice sounded off in her head.

  You won’t even see this guy after tonight. Go for it, chica! It’s now or never.

  The elevator doors opened and the room service waiter zipped in.

  Sky followed, blood racing as adrenaline saturated her. Excitement zoomed through her. For a minute she felt sick with nerves. What was she about to do? Follow the room service guy in? What if Cashmere wasn’t interested in seeing her again? Or worse, what if the wine was for him and someone else?

  Jesus, there’s a million ways this can go wrong.

  Before she could blink, the doors slid back to reveal the ninth floor.

  The room service attendant allowed her to exit first before following her out.

  “Excuse me, sir, is that wine for room 904?” she asked politely, her legs shaking like a tree branch in a hurricane. The mask still atop her head, she figured she must look like a lunatic to him. “I’m going into that room. You want me to take it?”

  The room service attendant eyed her with caution.

  “No madam. Mr. Cashmere must sign for the slip.”<
br />
  “Oh, this slip?” Sky held it up and winked at him.

  The room service attendant’s face darkened.

  “How did you get that?”

  “It flew off, speedy,” she snapped, not liking him tone.

  “Give it back.”

  “Listen, all I want to do is surprise him,” she said, tossing in a few winks for the waiter’s benefit. “You can walk me to the door, announce room service and then watch me take it in. He’ll come out and sign. I promise.”

  The waiter sighed and said, “Damn I hate working in Vegas. All right, let’s go.”

  Whoa, that was surprisingly easy and a bit naughty—but fun.

  They reached 904 in seconds and Sky yanked down her mask.

  “Ready?” the room service waiter asked, a condemning scowl on his face.

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  What if that scarlet teddy wearing hostess was in there? He left with her and she was all over him like a wet blanket at the party! Better yet, what if there’s more than one person in there with him? What am I doing here?

  There are so many ways this can get screwed.

  Which means I won’t be.

  “Room service,” the waiter shouted after three raps.

  Sky picked up the bottle in one hand and the wineglasses in the other, and stood in the doorway. A smile on her lips and a sick feeling in her stomach, she struck a pose she thought was sexy.

  The room service waiter loomed in the shadows, off to the left, watching her.

  His stifled laughs didn’t make it any easier.

  A series of movements resounded from behind the door, much too fast for Sky.

  The door swung open.

  “Room service?” she said and held up the bottle with a little shake.

  Unmasked, shirtless, and shoeless, Cashmere was breathtaking. So much so, Sky nearly dropped the wine.

  She wasn’t the only one shocked.

  Stunned, Cashmere’s mouth dropped into a round o before he recovered.

  “So, what service, Caramel, are you providing?” he asked, his voice thick as a terracotta robe. “And do I have to pay?”

  “We’ll have to see,” she said coyly.

  “Come in, please.”

  Cashmere signed the slip for the room service waiter and shut the door at once. He wore his trousers, but nothing else. Locking the door with the deadbolt, his naked and muscular back to her, he took his time applying the chain.

  Oh, no. He’s angry.

  Sky stood by the closed bathroom door. Her heart beating so fast and so hard, she could barely hear herself think, which, probably wasn’t a bad thing at all right now. Because she wanted to run out of the room and back to everything that was familiar.

  He turned around and leaned against the door, his head bowed, his hair falling like a curtain on either side of his face. Shiny strands with emerging threads of gold and bronze, shimmering in the mass of chestnut.

  “What are you doing here, Caramel?” he asked, his voice low and uncertain.

  “I—I brought your wine?” Sky said, feeling her stomach start to swirl.

  “No, no,” he laughed, looking up at her. His green eyes were filled with caution and restraint. “Why are you in my hotel room?”

  “I, I,” she faltered. I’m here to sex you boy toy.

  Did he really mean to have her speak it out loud? This wasn’t the best foreplay for sex. Sure, he was young, but how inexperienced?

  “Ah, again, I’ll go first,” he said, smirking, his arms behind his back as he leaned against the closed door. “If this was reversed, and I was in your hotel room, I’ll tell you why I would be there. It wouldn’t be for the wine, though that might be a start.”

  “Then why?” Sky gasped, her throat closing, her clit pounding. Quaking inside with fear at what he’d say, Sky struggled to settle her racing heart. She placed her hand over her heart—as if to keep it from leaping free.

  “I’d be in your hotel room because I want to make crazy love to you. No, no, I want to fuck the hell out of you. I want to meet the wild woman that lies beneath your polished persona. That’s why I’d be in your hotel room. Your turn.”

  Sky’s breath caught as his voice and his words poured over her, like cold water, dousing and washing away her fragile confidence. Did he believe those words or where they merely tools he used to chisel away her resolve that kept him out of her private garden?

  In a rush, he pushed off the door, and was in front of her, backing her up until her butt bumped against the wall. He put one arm on either side of her face, leaning against her, but keeping himself from plowing into her by using the wall for support.

  He was suddenly so close. She could smell the rustic cologne mixed with sweat on his skin. See the slope of his nose, see his thick, honey eyelashes and see the budding stubble along his jaw line. The bobbing of his Adam’s apple that showed, despite his calmness, the nervousness trapped in his throat.

  But above all, she could see his eyes and they burrowed into hers, and the smoke heat smoldering within spilled out and consumed every last one of her doubts about him.

  “You want me?” he asked, voice like petals against her flesh. “Be honest with yourself, with me, you want me to lick your pussy’s swollen lips, don’t you?”

  If she gave into her pulsating clit’s pleading, then she would be truly lost—lost to her lust and to this man’s insistent appetite. The words were harsh, naked, and incredibly rude, but hearing them whispered against her ears made her feverish all over.

  Being true to herself, Sky knew it, had known it the moment she sat beside him on the bed at the freak party. The second he caught her eye. She wanted everything he said and more.

  “Say it,” he said, his elbows bent as he leaned in closer to her face.

  Though the tension shot high and threatened to explode, she could see him restraining himself. It showed in the tense muscles, the clutched jaw, and his intense stare.

  God, yes, she did! At that moment, she wanted to be screaming his name and him hers before day broke over the horizon. White guy or not, Cashmere was hot and she meant to have him. All of him.

  With boldness she didn’t know she had, her eyes locked onto his and she whispered.

  “I, I, want you.”

  Once she spoke those three words, Cashmere relaxed. He inched forward, his elbows bending a bit more as he braced himself against the wall she had her back to.

  With his lips a breath from hers, he said with husk and heat, “I mean to devour you.”

  He kissed her, drowning her reply. Amazingly soft lips sealed over hers, drawing her lips into his mouth, one at a time. And true to his word, his hands glided down her dress, cupping her buttocks before massaging them, squeezing ripples of sensational desire throughout the rest of her body.

  Without his hands against the wall, the full weight of him fell into her, slamming her backward and pinning her against him.

  The kiss was gentle at first, but grew hungrier as he allowed himself to press against her. His hands flat against the wall kept his whole body weight from falling on her. Brushing her lips with his own, he pried her lips apart. His roving tongue explored her mouth as if there was nothing else in the world he wanted to do.

  Sky snatched his lower lip between her teeth, tugging slightly before releasing it, and crushing her lips to his. A fire burned inside her and Cashmere was cool water ready to quench her thirst and put out her flames. Exploring his mouth and snatching his hair into her hands, she gave in to her urges.

  Moaning, he embraced her, his strong arms circling her body.

  Pressing against her, Cashmere served only to make it seem all the more real. Lean and fit, not in a bodybuilder manner, but definitely athletic, Cashmere’s muscles flexed beneath her touch. Sky dropped the wine bottle to the floor and the glasses along with it, and slid her hands across his chest as he push himself away a bit to allow her room to touch where she wanted. And she did. Her hand swept over silky curls p
lanted across his torso, to the taut peaks hidden in those patches. Erect nipples poked high, seeking her mouth.

  He’s so fine, fit and… young.