by Amarie Avant
Jada. Ari. Scarlett. God, how is it plausible to abhor someone who has done utterly nothing to you?
And then Daniel reaches between my thighs while mentioning an old age joke about prescription glasses. The tears drench down my cheeks but I'm also bubbling with laughter.
I love you.
Fuck! I will say those words to him, soon. Not now.
“But we already argue like an old married couple,” I reply, glancing out at the land.
Turquoise and purple clouds are a canvas across the sky. And though the helicopter was loud and choppy prior to placing the earphones over my ears, now, flying is having the desired calming effect.
“That's good. Agreeable people are weak.”
I shake my head. There's a rebuttal to every statement. “Arguing is the catalyst for steamy ass make up sex.”
I pull the headphones from my ears and descend toward Daniel’s lap.
I'm ready to throw lips to his dick. My mouth pools with salivation as I unzip his pants. His cock ascends to its rightful length, a king in its own right. The anticipation rises to extreme as my mouth connects with his smooth shaft, jaws slackening in order to love him more. I coat the hard ridges of his heavily veined and bulky cock with wetness, pulling his dick all down my throat.
So maybe I'm afraid to utter the words but my actions speak volumes. No other will love his body or suck his dick the way that I do.
Daniel places his hand at the crown of my head, offering a sweet push. Up and down. I urge his seed to cream my mouth. Tongue slithering over his silly hardness, I pull his heavy erection further down my throat with each caress until it's knocking at my tonsils.
Daniel’s muscular thighs tense.
I put in more work until his powerful spunk soars down my throat in endless waves.
After catching my breath, I sit back. I readjust the seatbelt around my chest and midsection before putting on the headset again, and cocking the microphone toward my lips.
“How was that?” I grin.
“Best I ever had.” Daniel licks his lips.
Damn, I had clenched the walls of my pussy while getting him off. Now my labia is quivering for a taste too.
I pull out a tube of lip gloss and am ready to slide it onto my lips when Daniel says, “Don't you dare.”
“Are we already arguing?”
“No, we are agreeing with me. My cock rubbed off all the gloss on your lips, and that’s the way they’ll stay.”
###
The night is young when we finally touch down on solid earth. “We could've lived in the sky, Daniel,” I say for the umpteenth time, but my imploring doesn't force him to cave.
He stands before me. “We were running out of fuel. I've the feeling you prefer the helicopter to the jet?”
I reach up on my tippy toes and taste his lips. “Only because I'm near you the entire time we fly.”
“We will go other places, Desire. My pilot will drive.”
“I don't need to go anywhere unless you're there.” My brain is fuzzy and the words I haven't said are perched at the tip of my tongue.
“Of course, you won't. You're mine.” He places a finger over my heart, tracing something… signing his name, I don't know. But I've emerged into this love.
“I've got this under lock and key.” Daniel reaches down, his tongue toying with my mouth. I open wide for him.
One, two, my heels click against the ground as my body sways. He licks those thick lips and then his mouth caresses my earlobe.
Daniel smiles and pushes stray bangs away from my eyes. “But I still want my meatloaf. Have to get my strength up, prepare for the task at hand.”
I smile as Daniel escorts me toward his SUV.
An hour later, we've returned to Odessa’s home. I linger while meandering up the steps. Daniel wraps his arm around my waist.
“I for one, am a big fan of your Body Mass Index. Move it along before you waste away.”
I recall the story about the nutritionist who had an issue with my BMI and scoff.
“Move it, Hammy.”
I'm playfully punching Daniel in the arm when the front entranceway opens.
Juliet fidgets with her fingers, one hip jutted out. “I'm glad you all returned.”
“Yeah, so apologize,” Daniel orders.
“I really don't need…” I begin, contemplating on the extent my mother loathes Azalea, hopeful that it will never come to that between Juliet and I.
She glares at him then glances my way. I expect anger on her part, to be hated by one of the most important women in Daniel’s life, but she grimaces.
“Go in Daniel. Desire and I need to have a talk.”
Daniel opens his mouth to speak again, but I press my shoulder into his bicep and he heads into the house.
She tilts her chin toward the sidewalk and we move away from the porch.
“Sheesh, I just seemed unnecessarily confrontational.” Juliet chuckles. “Call me crazy but I cannot stand my brother reprimanding me. Even if he's right. That being said, I would really like to apologize for my big mouth.” Her eyes warm with sincerity.
“I accept.”
“He took you for a helicopter ride?”
“Yes…”
“Not that he wowed any of those other women with one.” She begins to stroll, guiding us down the dimly lit street. “Crap, I just brought up the elephant in the room again! But your body language is questioning it, so I had to answer it. Daniel took me on a helicopter ride after my first real breakup. Look at me, I'm rambling.” She huffs. “The Rutledges trained me to be irritable. But Daniel has a good, good heart and he hasn't brought anyone home to meet Odessa. Not ever. So, we’re all just excited to meet you.”
“It’s been an honor to have met you as well. I never had a younger or older sibling but watching the two of you, I can tell you both truly have each other’s back. It all just makes me wish I had grown up with a sibling.”
Juliet hooks her arm around my shoulder. “Never too late to add a new addition to the family. Now, how are you at spades? We’re about to enter the shark den so I’m gonna need ya.”
“I can hold my own.”
“Good because between me and you, Lee sucks. Then again, Karuta playing cards are way over my head. I’ve gotta figure out a way to get him to sit out.”
I chuckle. Juliet and I meander back toward the house. Once inside, the homey fragrance filters through my nostrils, settling my frazzled nerves.
Daniel
The 702- area code flashes on the screen. With a grunt, I sit up in bed and watch my cell phone continue to light up. I rise, stretch my limbs, and accept the call while leaning against the double doors that lead to the en suite bathroom.
I glance down at mounds of sheets outlining the curve of Desire’s glorious frame. She sleeps with her entire body and head submerged under the covers. Just the thought of her takes some of the bite from my tone. “Hello, Rebecca.”
“Hi, Winnie.” She sneers the words. “I need money, Winnie. So, what are you gonna do about that?”
“Give me a second,” I mumble, then lift up and out of the room, closing the double doors swiftly. “First of all, what the fuck do you mean, what am I gonna do about that, Rebecca?”
I don’t wait for her to reply. Leaning my forearms against the railing, I continue, “You are an adult. Hell, you’re pushing 40 with no 401k plan, no aspiration to take care of yourself. So, don’t give me that shit about how I can help you and get a job.”
“Oh, how about I’ll see you at my great, great uncle’s exhibit in three days, Daniel. We will see about that.”
“Not if your ass isn’t on the list at the museum. Surely you’re too fucking lazy to waste energy acting a fool without an audience.”
“Big fan of the jokes, Daniel.”
“Big fan of the attempt at intimidation, Mrs. Christly.”
“That’s Mrs. Rutledge-Christly to you. See you soon.”
The call tone goes blank, but behind me a roun
d of applause rings out before Juliet heads to the stairs. She cocks her head for me to follow.
My shoulders are tensed. Nobody on God’s green earth—besides Desire—can get me so riled up. My grandfather, Wentworth I, taught me long ago that you do not allow people to sway you one way or the other. They are our playing cards, we are not theirs. But this shit doesn’t apply to love, hence Mrs. Taylor’s cause and effect when she tried to get the taxi yesterday evening.
Now for Rebecca Rutledge-Christly, my second cousin. Guess I learned the rules after that bitch got under my skin. She is truly a piece of work. As children, she coveted everything I had. I offered so much. Then Rebecca got hooked on drugs as a teen, ending up in Vegas.
Wentworth I turned a stiff shoulder, and my father never gave a fuck about anyone other than himself, only offering my mother, Celine, a morsel of attention when finding out she was pregnant with me. Rebecca’s parents had already turned their heads away from her due to the monthly stipend grandfather Wentworth sent them.
Naive and family-oriented, I went to the seediest area of Vegas and picked her up from a stinky ass strip club. I took her to one of the most prestigious rehabilitation resorts in the world. It was like a broken record, the numerous times the recovery resort allowed her to return. Rebecca met more celebrities than she climbed steps in recovery from methamphetamines.
Juliet pulls two cups out of the cupboard and a jug of Simply Orange from the refrigerator. “We could spike ‘em with gin?”
I glance at her sideways.
“Or not. Damn it, Goldie, that bitch is so irritating she makes me itch.”
“Don’t call Rebecca a bitch. She’s still our cousin.”
“Humph, I said it, you thought it, same thing. And she is no kin of mine.” Juliet guzzles down her drink. “She’s here for the dedication at the museum at the end of the week?”
“Yeah.” I smile for a second. “You’re coming?”
“What kinda food is on the menu?” Juliet’s eyes widen since I shrug in answer. “Well, if you figure out what those people are feeding, maybe Lee and I will attend. I’m not riding solo.”
“Desire will need someone by her side while I speak. Lee should come. They’ll both be lonely otherwise.”
“I am not saying a speech or…”
“You don’t have to.”
“Daniel, those are your people. Not mine. Back to Rebecca. Glad to see you’ve grown a pair. That bitch, your cousin, had the knack for walking all over you.”
“C’mon, Jules.” I shake my head. “You’re a little too bitter this morning.”
“Shit, yeah, I’m bitter. Those motherfuckers accepted this woman from the beginning and she was born with horns. Sheesh, I was a toddler watching her ass run amuck. Your grandfather gave into her until he just stopped. When it came to me, tsk, that old bastard never gave any slack from the start.”
My kid sister has a point. “Grandmother Marilyn loved you.”
“Yeah, when eyes were turned Marilyn reminded me of what it feels like to have a family.” Juliet huffs. “Look, it’s summer break. I’m not focusing on my final thesis, so I sure as hell am not focusing on them. I’ll attend the event because if Rebecca so much as looks at you sideways, I will personally have her committed.”
“Rebecca is bluffing. She’s back on meth, Jules. So I’m sure every dollar she has is tied down to cater to her addiction in Vegas. She won’t attend.”
“Daniel, you know people. Sane people. You’re an excellent businessman, but this isn’t the corporate world we’re talking about. We’re talking about a woman with a thirst for money. Odessa raised us right. Rebecca is entitled.”
“All right, so what if she attends? The will is ironclad. Rebecca hasn’t made any effort to pass a drug test in ages. If she passes, Rebecca has earned her right to the miniscule percentage she should’ve received monthly in the past.”
The flat glare on Juliet’s face reads that our cousin had no rights to any of it. Odessa was offered a fortune, and declined. But besides Rebecca and I, only organizations and charities were included in the will. There isn’t one single mention of Juliet at all.
Desire
For the next few days, I learn how busy and thoughtful Daniel really is. He included me during a few investment calls and I took mad notes. We spent time apart so that I could review the odds and ends with Lacy.
After that, and with Daniel in board meeting after board meeting, I spent time with Juliet and Lee. The three if us head the few hours to Galveston Island in one of Daniel’s off-road Jeeps. Juliet navigates the Jeep as if she is born for it.
Lee is in the backseat working on a research paper because he doesn’t have the luxury not to attend summer school. Juliet has kicked off her sandals. Her left foot is planted on the dash, right foot slammed on the pedal as she navigates past a sprinkle of cars.
“You thought you'd die?” She grins at me beneath a spray of dark blonde, corkscrew curls.
I laugh, recalling what I had said when she started driving. “Well, I was a little worried.”
“You and Daniel.” She shakes her head with a huff. “Wound up to the max. Gotta hand it to him, though. Busy as he is, he needed a woman who does her own thing.”
“Ugh, I could never see myself following a guy around.”
“Me either.” She cocks her head toward Lee who has Beats in his ears, steadily typing away on his laptop. “Train ‘em well, I always say.”
I laugh at what I assume is partially a joke since Lee comes to her beck and call. “You and Lee are cute together. Mind if I ask how you two met?”
“Sure. That's easy.” Juliet maneuvers in front of a Corolla without so much as a blinker. “Lee came up to me one day at the beach. I was grabbing my surfing gear out the back of my Jeep when he asked to interview me, saying he had a few questions for locals on the current and changing conditions on the shore. Well, that was right up my alley. Besides the obvious, hot guy, award winning smile.”
“Aw.”
“Yeah, aw. It gets mushier too. He had a notepad and asked me a questionnaire then asked for my phone number, saying if I'd like to gather results. I declined. He was too nice for my tastes. I gave him my Pepperdine email. So, he responded that weekend saying he had results. Since he also had a Pepperdine email I offered to meet him out in the commons. Long story short, Lee is in the same field as I am. We shared like five classes over the span of a year and I never noticed him. He'd done it all for a date. Prior to Lee, I was a serial dater. Never allowing myself to get past the second or third date.”
“Lee was thoughtful.” I grab the super sweet pick me up that we purchased from Starbucks at dawn, sip some of the caramel caffeine concoction, and continue to listen.
She nods. “Yeah, exactly. Besides Daniel, I’ve never gotten into the groove of anyone considerate enough to strategize on my behalf. All right, enough feel good moments. You've got me talking when we could watch the damn Hallmark Channel instead. We are almost there.”
“Hmmm.” I nosh on the inside of my mouth. There isn't much time to nurture this conversation especially while steering it toward her feelings about family and friends because off in the distance, Azul waves crash along the shore.
For the next hour, I am glad that Daniel is nowhere in sight. The boogie board Juliet provided to teach me on, I swear it wasn’t made for my body frame. There is a lot of gulping of salt water and it also burning my nostrils.
I spend most of the time trying to float in a few inches of water while raving at how thoughtful Juliet is for her nurturing hand.
“Thank you, Desire. I used to teach a kiddie surfing class.”
“Dang, I’m probably scarier than your class. I just don’t swim.”
“Well, I had a wide variety of little stunners and those who were spooked by the tiniest wave.”
“Humph, I’m the spook.” I raise my hand, and then hesitate and quickly place it back onto the boogie board. Then I stand to my full height in the shallow end.
“What are you doing?” Juliet frowns.
“The tide will continue to die down so why not surf a while?” I offer to her while wading toward the shore.
“C’mon, Desire.” Her frown becomes a pout. She’s now about ten yards away
Lee comes swimming toward us. “You’re doing well, Desire.” He also encourages, reaching up to his fiancée. He stands up and wades through the water toward me.
“See, now come back.” Juliet waves.
“Jules is a beast,” Lee says, walking back to shore with me. “She's right, though. You can't give up.”
“Yeah, if this were any other situation, but that ocean out there is endless.”
“Don't tell Juliet, I wasn't much for surfing before her.” He shrugs. “But we do what we have to do just to be next to the ones we love. Jules was born surfing.”
I smile.
He backtracks toward the shore. “There's Kindle, Nook, and a few app games on my iPad if you get bored. I'll try to weasel her out of the water in an hour or two. Any sooner and that's my ass.”
I dry off with a thick towel and then sink onto the knit blanket beneath the canopy. After a while, a sudden dose of loneliness creeps into my soul. For so long, Riley has become the son I always cherished—well-mannered. Handsome. Considerate.
An image passes before my eyes, much like the golden sun shining before me but more defined.
More like Daniel.
The blondest, thickest most lustrous hair and skin dipped in copper.
A boy or a girl?
Pungent seaweed salted air filters through my nostrils swiftly as I come to terms with what I've just contemplated. Daniel’s child.
Yes, I silently pray for it during sex. Not really. But just that, “damn, I wanna have your baby,” because the dick is just that good! Not the, “would you please place a baby in my tummy,” sort of seriousness. Regardless of the levels of freedom I feel as Daniel strokes deep inside of me… to have his child?
“Desirenda Taylor, you have lost your mind.” I whisper the words, chest deflating.