by Tiana Laveen
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I will! But I’m the last frontier. You do what’s needed and then we can test it out. You’ll need marketing, advertising, things like that. I can point you in the right direction but this is all up to you. I think you believe in yourself a great deal, Langston. I think its human for us to sometimes second guess ourselves is all, especially when we can’t seem to get out of a rut. Your creativity and positive attitude, including those big dreams of yours, will help you out of that ditch. Strength and determination are required… now get ’er done.”
He leaned over and pulled her in his arms, causing her to squeal. She loved his strong arms around her, the smell of his skin and hair. In the flashes of their movements she caught his smile—his happiness filled that room to the brim. The soft fabric of her shirt was soon over her head and the clatter of dishes moving about the table was all that she could hear. Groans and sighs between kisses, arms stretched wide as her back landed softly onto the floor… a blur of emotions. The clanking of his belt melded into the symphony of sound around them as they grasped at one another, feverishly holding on to each other’s very soul.
The heat from his open mouth bathed her exposed breasts until a wet warmth consumed her nipples. Her eyes rolled as she fell under his seductive spell. He ripped her panties off her, tossing them aside, and she gave herself to him, thighs stretched wide, bracing herself for the intrusion of his long, thick, beautiful cock. Piercing passion consumed her as he roared, thrusting deep and hard within her, his mouth still working against her chest. Sweat and lust married, creating a hedonistic concoction…
Never had she been taken so amorously. The love in his eyes called to her.
“Baby girl, you know whose pussy this is! Tell me who owns this sweet snatch!”
“It’s yours, baby…” She rocked her hips into his thrusts; his plunges were deep and demanding. He rolled his body in just the right way, the heaviness of his form making her shudder. Her attraction to him was so strong, it broke her down.
“You’re damn right it’s mine!”
He rose up on his palms and forced himself inside of her over and over again. Her body rocked on the hard floor as he drove within her, so mercilessly. “Ain’t nobody gonna fuck up what we got, you hear me?! Partners in crime… One day I’m gonna make you my wife. Mark my fuckin’ words. You’re mine! And ain’t a damn thing anybody can do about it!”
He groaned when she wrapped her thighs around him, her heart pounding as she came hard. Shaking like a leaf, she whimpered, the orgasm so good, her body raw to the touch. He snatched her closer against his form, lifted her legs, and wrapped her ankles around his neck. Hard, fast, rapid fire thrusts… He looked down at her as if she were prey… as if he could pray and give thanks for her. His eyes swam with possibilities, hopes, dashed dreams, and fighting the good fight. She could see the pain in his eyes, the agony in his smile. He groaned as he fell upon her and crushed her lips in a kiss. And she fell apart beneath him as he came within her…
“Fuck!”
Liquid warmth flooded her pussy. He pumped his hips hard and tight, his gaze never leaving her.
“Mmmm, you feel that, baby?! Cummin’ so hard in you!” He slid his hand between them and caressed her clit, ushering yet another orgasm from her as his cock pumped within her, releasing the last of himself. Time went in reverse, then fast forwarded and stopped. They rested clumsily against one another, both breathing hard, smiling, basking in the afterglow. After a short while, her Adonis broke the silence.
“I tell you I love you every day, Yasmine, but sometimes I’m not sure it’s enough.”
“It is… You’re the most romantic man I’ve ever known.”
“You’ve only been with three. That ain’t sayin’ much.”
They both burst out laughing.
“That may be true. I don’t have a lot of notches on my belt, baby, but I still have a lot of friends, family, went out with my share of guys, but no sex… Trust me, I dated, all right? You are the most romantic by far.”
“I’ve been told that a time or two. I like to treat a woman like a woman is all.”
“You make me feel special. I find cards in my mailbox, little love letters from you… You take my hand and walk with me, always kissin’ me.” He smiled at her, took her hand and kissed it. “Flowers, candles, chocolates… even the first night we met, you gave me roses.”
“And a Slim Jim. Don’t forget that part. I wanted to give you the Slim Jim in my pants, too, but I had to work on you a bit first. Now I get to make dick deliveries all the time. Your pussy is my favorite port.”
She slapped his shoulder playfully. “You’re silly…”
“And nasty… you always call me nasty.” He grinned and kissed her nose.
“You are, but I like it.” She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Damn…” His gaze turned intense. “I love you so much, girl.”
“I love you, too.”
Layering her face with kisses, he made her sigh. Then, she felt his cock harden once more.
This man gets turned on so fast. He gonna make my pussy sore again… all this sex all the time.
She smiled at the thought.
“I can’t say you’ve never been loved before, Yasmine. I’m sure you have. But you ain’t never been loved like this. Love is an expression. And you do it by your words and actions. I ain’t got much, but what I do have is yours, baby.”
“I’m so glad I found you…” She got choked up on the words. Her eyes stung with tears, but she blinked the emotions away.
“Yasmine, don’t cry, baby.” He kissed her and held her close. “I know you’re worried about Noah and all this mess. You try to pretend that you’re not concerned, but we gotta trust each other, work together, and just let the chips fall where they may. Don’t you worry about a thing… I ain’t gonna let nothin’ bad happen to you or Noah, ya hear me?”
She nodded, knowing he meant exactly what the hell he said! Her chest swelled with anxiety, but she exhaled with relief.
“I believe you, Langston… I trust you. But this is going to take more than love to fix.”
“Naw, it won’t. Love fixes everything. You just gotta know what weapon to load before you fire… You don’t fix hatred and confusion with more hatred and confusion, baby, or tossin’ money and lawyers at it. It’ll just come on back around; the problem will return like it ain’t never left. You gotta pull that shit up from the root, Yaz.” Her heart beat so fast, a swell of emotional pain burst within her and then, the tears broke free, trailing down her cheeks. “You fix it with ambition, nerve, creativity, gumption and love… and I got plenty of that, ya hear me?”
His eyes narrowed on her as he wiped her tears away with a slide of his thumb.
“I hear you…”
“People think I’m nice, and I am, till they try to hurt or fuck over somebody I love… then the fuckin’ monster comes out. I ain’t gonna beat up Noah’s father, but only ’cause you asked me not to. ’Cause as God is my witness, I’d be in my truck right now headin’ to his house to knock his fuckin’ lights out. But no matter how you slice it, he’s not going to mess up our family. My mama ain’t raise no fools. We Lopez fight for one another. Right, wrong, indifferent—family is family. Noah ain’t my blood, but you both are my kinfolk as far as I’m concerned. You’re my family now, and I mean what I say!”
He pointed at his chest, brows furrowed, a look of determination and anger on his face. “I’mma marry you, woman. We gonna move to that big, pretty house one day, and have a baby or two of our own, too! I’m going to be a man who can take care of his family and then some! I come from a long line of men who gave up their comforts so that their wives and children could have more than they did. The struggle is over though… It’s been a generational curse. No more poverty of the mind, body, or spirit!” He trembled against her, tears now flowing down his face, too.
“Langston! What are you keepin’ from me, baby?”<
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He looked down at her, then looked away. “My Mama is sick and she been lyin’ to me about it. So has my father. They been tryna act like it’s just a cold or allergies but I know better.”
“Oh Lord, I’m so sorry, baby.” She tried to sit up and hold him, but he pressed her back down with his weight, lavished her with needy kisses. He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers, then shuddered as he guided himself inside her, beginning to thrust within her again. Her body shook with each movement.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now… just give yourself to me, let me drift away in my dreams, baby…” He squeezed her tight as his hips pumped in short and fast spurts, his fucking a thing of determination and brutal need. “In my dreams, ain’t nobody sick… ain’t nobody ’fraid of losing custody of their boy… ain’t nobody robbin’ Peter to pay Paul. In my visions, it’s just us, baby. It’s us, makin’ love, just like we’re doin’ right now. It’s us makin’ plans for the future and us makin’ our wildest dreams come true. And that’s exactly what the hell we’re gonna do…”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Drink to Your Health
RIO GRANDE VALLEY Premium Outlets in Mercedes, Texas was filled with people taking care of the sales and enjoying the abundant Christmas cheer. With Christmas only a few days away, Langston did his last minute shopping, his mother tagging along with her white faux fur jacket and shopping bags in tow. The older woman was clad in warm clothing, completed by her knitted bone colored scarf and matching hat. She sported a big smile on her face as they went from store to store. It had been a long while since they’d had one-on-one time together.
“I’m thirsty, Langston. You thirsty?” She looked at him with hooded blue eyes, as if she were due a nap.
“I could use somethin’. There’s a place over here that has coffee, teas, things like that.”
“All right, but I want somethin’ cool… maybe a pop or somethin’.” He nodded, wrapped his arm around hers and led her over to an eating area. Every now and again, he shot her a glance. The woman’s face was ashen, the color gone. Mama was naturally pale anyway, but this took it to another level. He helped her sit down at a bench.
“You want a Coke? Sprite?”
“Coke will do me just fine.” She dropped her purse on the table before her as if it took all of her energy.
In five minutes, he returned to her side with a large Coca-Cola with extra ice and a hotdog smothered with onions, peppers and mustard just how she liked it.
“Here you go, Mama. I’mma go over there,” he pointed across the room, “and get me a smoothie. I’ll be right back.”
“That’s fine, baby.” She picked up the hotdog and bit into it as he turned away.
The Smoothie Tsar place had a rather lengthy line, but he figured it would move fast. When it was his turn, he perused the menu, annoyed with himself when his typical indecisiveness seeped in. A middle-aged man stood at the counter, his thin lips dropped as he stared at him.
“Sir…” he stated in a monotone voice. “Have you decided?”
“Can I, uh, can I mix some of ’em together?”
The guy looked at him quizzically. “Mix them together?”
“Yeah, like can, I get half of the Protein banana smoothie and mix it with the berry energy bonanza?”
“Uh, well, never had that request before but I suppose so.”
“Let me get a small PBS and a small BEB, but put ’em in a size large cup and I’ll mix it all together.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a few supplements he needed to take. He didn’t miss how the guy studied him before he did as instructed. When the guy was done making the smoothies, Langston stood at the counter mixing and stirring like some chemist. The crowd of people had cleared, but he wasn’t quite through with his science experiment.
“So, uh, what exactly are you doin’ there?” the man asked as he cleaned the counter with a white rag, going over the surface in circular motions.
“I’ve got some B12 here and Boron. This right here is Creatine.” He took the long spoon and stirred once again. The man drew closer, looking interested.
“That’s pretty ingenious… mixin’ those all together like that. I’ve been brainstorming new flavors, ways to get new customers. We come up with different things.” He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s well received, sometimes it’s not.”
“Yeah, different strokes for different folks. Actually, I, uh make my own smoothies most days. But I was short on time today.” He tossed his straw wrapper in a nearby trashcan.
“Oh yeah? Good for you.”
“So you’re the manager I take it or somethin’?”
“No, I’m the owner.”
Langston paused, in shock. “The owner? What are you doing workin’ behind the counter then?”
“It’s Christmas!” The man laughed and threw up his hands. “More customers, more demand. I’m filling in.” Langston nodded in understanding. “It’s a small business… you know, nothin’ big.”
“Yeah? Small operations can explode though. You shoulda offered a Christmas themed smoothie for example… like, somethin’ called Peppermint Power…peppermint and energy boastin’ natural ingredients. Or Cranberry Joy… Gingerbread Dream, that could have nutmeg ’nd stuff… just gotta think outside the box is all. Since you run the show, you can do what you want.” The man looked at him for a long while, then smiled. Langston slurped on his drink. “This sure is good. Now see? You’ve got good ingredients, I’ll give it to ya. I can’t even taste my supplements and the vitamins I broke apart and dumped in here. This is good, real good.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You know, I want to market and sell my own smoothies. Basically do what you do.” He chuckled.
“Do you now?”
“Yeah. How do you determine your menu? ’Cause I got ideas out the wazoo. I don’t mind sharin’ a couple with you, either. Each one teach one, you know?”
“You do have good ideas actually. I think I’ve been doin’ this so long that I’m in a bit of a rut.”
“That happens. Best of luck to you though. You’ve got good drinks so you should be all right. Well, I better get goin’. I brought my mother around with me and she probably is wonderin’ where the hell I wandered off to by now.”
“Hmmm, before you go, can I ask you one more thing?”
“Yeah.”
“You seem pretty big under that coat. You lift weights?”
“Yeah.” Langston cracked a smile. “I’m a professional bodybuilder.”
“Ah.” the man chuckled. “That explains it. You seem to know a lot about supplements, things like that.” Just then, a customer walked up. “I’ll be right with you. Look, my name is Paul but people call me Peewee.” He handed him a small piece of paper. “That’s my card. I want to brainstorm with you. You’ve got some really good ideas… uh, what’s your name, son?”
“Langston… Langston Lopez!” He couldn’t help but smile as he took the guy’s card then shook his hand.
“Mr. Lopez, give me a call tomorrow sometime, okay? You and I should talk.”
Langston jammed the card in his pocket. “I sure will. You take care now.”
“You too, and if for some strange reason we don’t talk, Merry Christmas, all right?”
“Merry Christmas to you, too!” Langston hightailed it back to his mother, who was still sucking on her drink and looking about the place.
“Mama, sorry ’bout that.”
“I figured you ran into some girl but then I remembered you’re serious this time… not playin’ the field.” She chuckled before slurping on her straw.
He sat across from her, slid the card out of his pocket, and slammed it on the table.
“Check it out!”
Mama picked up the card and squinted, then brought it so close to her face, it was like she was trying to stick it on her damn forehead.
“Smoothie Tsar? All right. What’s the big deal?”
“Mama, the owner was th
ere. I laid on the ol’ Libra charm and was small talkin’ wit’ him after I made my own smoothie basically right in front of him! Just so happens, he wants fresh ideas, new blood. He and I are gonna have a powwow soon! This could be my big break! He knows about the business, I know what the people want!”
“All right, well, you slow down and put your business cap on. You know what they say, fools rush in. You’re always full of good ideas but you better guard them like a hawk, Langston… make him earn your trust. This is good though!” She smiled at him and winked, then placed the business card down on the table between them.
“It is, ain’t it?” He wrapped his hands around his smoothie cup and polished it off. The sound of ‘Jingle Bells’ playing could be heard in the distance.
“Mama, remember when I was a little boy and sometimes I’d have those strange ideas? I’d come to you and tell you so and so might move away or I felt like somethin’ real bad or good was comin’ down the pike?”
“Mmmm hmmm.” Mama ate the last of her hotdog and wiped her hands of crumbs. “You’d have a vision. Sometimes they’d come true. Some folks just got good intuition about people and things like that. You’re one of ’em.” She swallowed.
“Yeah… that’s right. I had that feelin’ months ago when lookin’ at Brit one night when she was lying on your couch… She and I got into it real bad not too long after. Three days before Nana died I had a dream she disappeared, vanished into damn air… then she was gone, just like that. I had another strange feeling when Yasmine almost got robbed. That’s why I turned and parked my truck. I could feel somethin’ wasn’t right when I saw that son of a bitch’s car and uh… I’m havin’ it right now.”
Mama was now giving him her full attention.
“Mama, I’m not going to accept a lie for an answer anymore. I know you and Dad been hidin’ something and I want you to tell me what it is. How long you been sick? Weeks? Months? Years?” He clasped his hands, trying to keep his composure. Mama looked away, then started fiddling with the straps on her purse.