For Lovers Only

by Alex Hairston

  Erin’s furniture had an ultra-modern appeal. Joel ran his hand across the custom-designed contoured black leather sofa. He took note of the detail and unique craftsmanship of the wooden cocktail table and matching side tables. He sat on one of the leather armchairs that conveyed style and comfort. What captured Joel’s attention most as he looked around the living room was the entertainment console and armoire that was accentuated by abstract sculptures and colorful, exquisite hand-blown glass art.

  The movers had completed their job and asked that Erin do a walkthrough, to make sure that her furniture that required assembly was properly done and the rest was positioned the way she wanted. It only took a few minutes for her to give the movers her approval and they headed off to their next job.

  Erin showed Joel the rest of the apartment. They started out in the dining area and kitchen and then headed to the bedrooms. Kenya’s bedroom was pretty modest, with a queen-sized bed and white lacquer furniture. Naturally Joel found Erin’s bedroom to be the more appealing of the two. She had a queen-sized bed with contemporary solid oak furniture. Erin’s bed looked inviting to Joel, even though she hadn’t put any linen on it yet. She was busy explaining something about the apartment when Joel approached Erin from behind, wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on the side of her neck.

  At first Erin was really focused on explaining certain details of her apartment, like hanging pictures and maybe painting to add a little color to the walls. Now she couldn’t concentrate on anything else except how good Joel felt. His kisses made her so wet that she had to feel Joel inside of her again. He was addictive.

  Joel pulled up her sundress and bent her over the bed. He slid her black thong aside. He penetrated her with his right thumb, reached forward a bit with the fingers of the same hand and stimulated her clitoris, using a slow and then vigorous motion. Erin loved how good Joel’s hand felt. She moaned, whined and begged to feel his hard dick inside.

  Joel had hoped to get in a quickie at some point, and this was the perfect opportunity. He reached in his front pocket, pulled out a condom and slid it on. He tapped his hardness against Erin’s ass a few times and then thrust it inside and gave her the fuck she had been looking for.

  As they both got closer to finding release, Joel turned Erin around and lay her on the bed. He angled her on the corner edge of the mattress. He penetrated her deeply and used the mattress to make Erin bounce right back at him with the exact force and quickness he liked.

  He asked, “You like that?”

  Erin screamed with pleasure. “Ah, yeah! Mmmmm. Yeah, I ... like ... it ... rough.”

  At least forty minutes passed before Erin and Joel finished what had started as a quickie.

  The heat and humidity outside had returned with a vengeance. The temperature had reached a scorching ninety-six degrees and the staggering humidity was at one hundred percent by the time Erin and Joel left their building to drive downtown. Heat waves rippled like flags caught up in a steady breeze. When they reached his Jeep, Joel opened the passenger side door for Erin. She hesitated to get in right away because the air was so stifling, but eventually climbed inside with a little reassurance from Joel.

  He drove away with the windows down for a couple of minutes, and by that time the air conditioner kicked out enough cool air to keep him and Erin comfortable. As they rode along the beltway, 92 Q premiered a new Jay-Z song. The beat, along with an accelerated tempo and Jay’s lyrical flow, made them instantly fall in love with the song. The rhythm overtook them. Without even noticing Joel was speeding, accelerating with tempo of the song and swerving from lane to lane. Joel’s reckless driving scared Erin half to death. Her fear of being maimed or dying quickly brought them back to reality.

  When Erin and Joel arrived downtown they lucked out and found a metered parking space that was really close to the Inner Harbor. Joel avoided paying the outrageous garage or parking lot rates. Any means of saving a little cash put an instant smile on his face. Erin was happy they didn’t have too far to walk because she wasn’t trying to break a sweat if she could avoid it.

  The sidewalks were lined with people walking in every direction. The fact that the Orioles had a home game made the area even more congested. Excitement was in the air, along with the thick and rich aroma of spices and pit-barbequed meats. Erin and Joel looked and felt confident and comfortable with their arms around each other for the first time in public. The sun beamed down on them as they walked past the Renaissance Hotel and the Gallery Mall on their way to Legal Sea Foods.

  Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is a lively waterfront tourist attraction and Legal Sea Foods is one the most popular restaurants in the area. Typically the restaurant would be packed with a hungry crowd on a busy Saturday afternoon like this, but luckily there was only a moderate crowd, so Erin and Joel only had to wait a few minutes to be seated. As they stood in front of the hostess station while they waited for their table, classic ’80s pop music played in the background like a soft whisper and two flat-screen televisions above the bar were tuned to a battle between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees.

  It was hot as hell outside, but after being inside for a few minutes it felt as if the air conditioner was set to subzero. Joel noticed that Erin felt a chill. Heads turned as Joel switched positions and held Erin from behind. He gave her a simple but sensual kiss that started on her cheek, moved toward her ear and then down her neck.

  Joel brought his lips back toward Erin’s ear and said, “You look so beautiful and sexy that I just can’t help myself.” He looked up for a quick second. “I think people are watching us.”

  She whispered, “I don’t care. Don’t stop. Hold me tighter. That feels good to me.”

  “This entire date is gonna be about foreplay. Is that all right with you?”

  Erin smiled and said, “Yeah.”

  Joel continued to tantalize Erin’s skin with his lips. She closed her eyes, purred like a kitten and melted from the warm sensations he created. The passion that the two shared was more than obvious and the customers couldn’t help sneaking a peek. Some of the men seated around the restaurant looked disapproving, while others appeared to admire his bold public display of affection. The majority of the women who witnessed the passion got turned on, and desired the same type of attention. Everyone assumed that Erin and Joel were deeply in love.

  The hostess got their attention and led them to their table. When they arrived immediately Joel pulled out a seat for Erin. She was impressed and gave him extra points for constantly making her feel special and for knowing how to treat her like a lady.

  When Joel took his seat the hostess placed menus in front of them. But they didn’t look at the menus right away because there was just so much to take in. From his seat, Joel had a perfect window view, where he watched crowds of interesting looking people pass by the restaurant. He looked across the street toward the harbor and noticed the 1854 Civil War ship, USS Constellation. Its mast extended high above the Pratt and Light Street pavilions. In the distance he saw a huge new construction site with an enormous crane that was used to build overpriced condos on the southern end of the harbor.

  Erin faced the restaurant’s interior. She looked around, admiring the restaurant’s ocean-themed art deco design. There was a giant mural of an underwater scene on the back wall and two huge arches that were shaped like whale tails that extended from one side of the room to the other.

  Tinted windows and dim lighting set the relaxed mood while “Every Breath You Take” by the Police, played in the background. The entire waitstaff was dressed in all black. They zoomed by with clockwork precision as Erin and Joel studied their menus. A few seconds later their waitress, Amy, came over and introduced herself. She was a friendly and energetic all-American beauty with red lips, white skin and blue eyes.

  Joel ordered lemonade and Erin ordered an unsweetened iced tea. Amy returned a few minutes later with their drinks then took their appetizer and entrée orders.

  Erin said, “For
my appetizer I’ll have the curry-battered coconut shrimp. For my entrée I’ll have the surf and turf, with the three double-stuffed baked shrimp and steamed broccoli.”

  Amy smiled and said, “Excellent choice. How would you like your steak?”

  “Medium-well, please.”

  Amy turned her attention toward Joel. “For you, sir?”

  “I’d like the jumbo shrimp cocktail for my appetizer and for my entrée I’ll have the Maryland lump crab cakes with steamed broccoli.”

  “Another excellent choice. Please don’t hesitate to ask for anything else you may need.”

  Erin and Joel both thanked Amy.

  As their waitress walked away Joel asked Erin, “Have you ever been here before?”

  “No. I’ve always wanted to, but never put forth the effort to make it happen. Thanks for making this happen.”

  They smiled at each other and held hands across the table.

  “Don’t even mention it. I’m used to coming here in the wintertime. Too bad it’s so hot out, because the cream of crab soup is really good.”

  “Trust me, it’s cold enough in here to eat hot soup.”

  They both laughed.

  Joel drank his lemonade while Erin added Splenda and squeezed lemon juice into her iced tea.

  Erin said, “I feel so sorry for Renee.”

  “So do I.”

  “She seems to be a nice person. I know that her mother passed and all, but I think she came around this morning looking for a little bit more than sympathy.”

  “She was. I’m not even going to lie, but that’s all I was willing to offer her. I think I made it clear that things were over between me and her. Hopefully she was able to find closure. You walking in on us with her crying and seeing me with my arm around her was awkward. I appreciate you being so understanding and not jumping to conclusions.”

  “No problem. At first I didn’t know what to think. When I saw your face I knew that it wasn’t anything romantic going on, but Renee’s facial expression showed mixed emotions. I knew she was dealing with losing you and some other kind of tragedy. Would you be as understanding if you walked in on me and my ex in a similar situation?”

  Joel made a silly face and said, “Yeah. Of course I would have.”

  “Seriously?”

  “I dunno. Probably not. You know how guys act in situations like that.”

  “No, tell me.”

  “Crazy. Mad. Violent. Nah, I’m just kiddin’.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Okay. Either I would have been extremely calm or would have completely zapped out on both of y’all.”

  “I can imagine you being calm, but not zapping out or being mad at all. You know what they say about quiet, easygoing men.”

  “No, what do they say?”

  “We gotta watch the quiet ones because when y’all get mad a completely different side comes out. The other thing I heard is to never underestimate quiet men in the bedroom. This afternoon was a perfect example of that. I enjoyed you so much. I knew you were good, but I didn’t know you were gonna put it on me like that. You got buck wild. I’m still weak in the knees.”

  Joel smiled and said, “You make me act like that.”

  Erin and Joel cut their conversation short because Amy returned with their appetizers. They sampled each other’s shrimp and shared small talk. The more Erin and Joel talked, the more they seemed to have in common. They both admitted to being neat freaks. For the most part, they shared the same political, religious and spiritual views. They were both Democrats. Although they didn’t go to church on a regular basis now, they were raised going to Baptist churches. They also had similar tastes in food, movies and music.

  Erin and Joel felt stuffed after finishing their entrées, but somehow they found enough room to share a slice of chocolate layer cake. The chocolate was so rich—a natural aphrodisiac. Erin took off her shoes and ran her bare foot up and down Joel’s leg. Amy brought the check while Erin fed Joel chocolate cake and used her foot to provide an intimate massage. Erin found humor in the fact that Joel needed a few extra minutes to stand after paying the check.

  Chapter 16

  When Erin and Joel left Legal Sea Foods they wound up walking across the street to the National Aquarium. Joel got a shock at the ticket booth, because the admission price for two was close to fifty dollars. He was tempted to ask for a discount, but went ahead and paid the full admission price because he didn’t want to appear broke or too cheap. More than anything he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the ticket booth cashier or Erin.

  Bright colors and exotic sea creatures set the scene inside the aquarium. Although both Erin and Joel had been to the aquarium numerous times, the exhibits always seemed to amaze them. Erin whipped out her digital camera and took plenty of pictures. She took some candid shots of Joel. A lady passing by offered to take a few shots of Erin and Joel posing together.

  As they moved from exhibit to exhibit, Joel stopped in front of a colorful display of tropical fish and asked the question he had been dying to ask. “Why did you and your ex break up?”

  Erin watched as the beautiful fish moved through the water with grace and ease. She snapped a picture and calmly said, “That’s a long story with a quick and simple answer. He was cheating.”

  “Why is that usually the case? That’s what did it for me and blah ... blah ... blah. We had our differences, but the cheating completely did us in.”

  “Same story with me and blah ... blah ... blah. It’s funny looking back on it now. I can’t even believe I was ever interested in a jerk like that. What did I see in him? We had nothing in common. He constantly complained and belittled me.”

  “About what?”

  “I’m ashamed to say.”

  “You can tell me anything. I think we’re friends now, not to mention lovers.”

  Erin smiled and said, “True. All right, I’m just gonna put it out there. I wasn’t freaky or sexually adventurous enough for him, and eventually he found what he was looking for somewhere else. He loved running the streets and hanging out with his stupid buddies. At first he used them to back up his lies. I suspected he was seeing other women because I noticed that his stories and alibis didn’t match his friends’.”

  “Sounds like he didn’t know how to appreciate you. Sometimes it takes the right man to bring out certain qualities in a woman.”

  “You’re definitely the right man for me because you bring out so many qualities in me.” She took a deep breath then let it out. “I’m willing to do anything with you sexually ... anything you can think of.”

  Joel smiled and his eyes widened. “Anything?”

  Erin looked into Joel’s eyes and said, “Anything. That says a lot about my comfort level with you and shows how much I trust you.”

  “I trust you too. You don’t have to try to overcompensate to please me. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. If you’re willing to do anything sexually, I hope it’s not just for my pleasure, but something we both could enjoy together. I’d hate for us to do something that would compromise your trust or comfort level.”

  Erin said, “Man, you’re so considerate and understanding. I know exactly what you mean. I just want to be a little more adventurous and creative. I’m thinking about ways of maximizing our pleasure.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Erin was thinking about a threesome, but Joel had no idea what she was really talking about. They kissed.

  Joel wasn’t in a hurry to leave because he was trying to make the most of this experience. He and Erin found a dark secluded spot near the shark exhibit. They did their usual thing and interacted like horny new lovers. As planned, the foreplay continued with hugs, kisses and more sexually charged conversations. They settled down a little at the dolphin show, but the action picked up again inside of the aquarium’s tropical rain forest. The waterfalls, trees and exotic wildlife seemed to bring out a different side of them.

  Eventually Erin and Joel le
ft the aquarium and headed over to the Power Plant. The huge brick building with its trademark four giant smokestacks sits on the east end of the Inner Harbor. It used to be an actual power plant and now housed the ESPN Zone, Hard Rock Café, Gold’s Gym and Barnes & Noble.

  Erin and Joel walked through the doors of Barnes & Noble and inhaled the fresh mixed aroma of Starbuck’s coffee and brand-new books. People lined the aisles, browsing through the thousands of books. She noticed a poster for an author’s book signing and discussion, which had just started on the second level. The book was called, Do Your Thing Girl ... A Sistah’s Guide to Love and Relationships by Dr. Thelma Rudolph.

  Erin and Joel decided to stick around and check out the book signing. They made their way to the escalator. It seemed that a bunch of people were headed in the same direction. As they ascended the escalator, it became more and more obvious that Dr. Rudolph was a celebrity author. They overheard two ladies in front of them say that over the years Dr. Rudolph had been featured on numerous nationally syndicated talk radio shows, BET and TV One to promote her other books. Last week she was on the CBS Early Show and The View. Like most authors she was still waiting for her career-defining moment to be on Oprah.

  Erin and Joel walked past the information desk and could see a huge crowd of people both seated and standing near the music section. Then they saw the author, a petite and very sophisticated-looking, forty-something black woman reading words of wisdom. She stood behind a podium talking to a group comprised mostly of young to middle-aged black women with smiling faces, nodding their heads in agreement. There were a few guys in the crowd and even they seemed to appreciate what Dr. Rudolph read.

  She read briefly from her book on a number of topics, including: true love and intimacy; communication; getting to know yourself; finding a mate; and getting to know your mate. After reading the last portion, she asked the audience for questions and comments.