by Zane
God he’s tall! And he smells so good! Those were the first two things on her mind as she returned the embrace.
“How was your flight?” Nakalem asked as he took the heavy case out of Akinyele’s hands.
She switched her purse from her right shoulder to her left. “My flight was fine…and you have to be the absolute most gorgeous creature that I have ever laid eyes on,” she blurted. Oh no, Sista Gurl! That’s not in Akinyele’s rules! You NEVER compliment a man before he compliments you!
“Likewise,” Nakalem said.
“What? Your flight was good too?” she said in a flip voice.
“No. You know what I meant. You’re the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.”
“I bet you say that to all of the women that you import into Savannah,” Akinyele replied, making sure to add the inflection of a joke in her voice.
“Yep…the girl I fly in next week will be even prettier than you.” Nakalem winked as he took her hand and led her towards baggage claim.
Walking through the airport was a high in itself. Akinyele had always been a hog for attention and here, she definitely got it. Her wild auburn hair stood out like a beacon amongst the sea of flat perms and weaves worn by the women milling around. She was definitely turning the heads of the male locals. And as if that wasn’t enough, every time she would glance over at Nakalem, she would find him looking down at her. Smiling, she sped up to keep pace with his long strides.
Nakalem looked so different from his pictures. Alike yet different. He was taller, bigger, darker. Much more handsome. Real life added twenty pounds to the frame of the man who had burned up the phone lines to make Akinyele feel welcomed into his city and his home, but she didn’t mind. She liked large men. Not fat but extremely large and that was definitely what Nakalem was. Of course, she was no lightweight herself. She was what Louisiana natives call country thick. They made an interesting pair as they stood by baggage claim, waiting for her luggage on the turnstile.
“Are you hungry?” Nakalem asked as he slapped away Akinyele’s hands when she reached for her suitcase.
“A tad bit,” she replied, her stomach grumbling a note of deception. “Are there any good restaurants around here?” she asked with a guilty smile as Nakalem led her out one of the exits.
“You are about to have the best seat in the house at the best restaurant on the Southeastern seaboard,” Nakalem replied as he rolled her suitcase with one hand and carried her train case with the other. Nakalem made the weight of Akinyele’s bags seem non-existent as compared to odious. “You are about to dine at Chez Nakalem.”
“Hmm…I didn’t know you cooked.”
He stopped in front of a big black Land Rover Discovery. They’d never talked about what he drove but she was impressed. Finally, a man with a vehicle that made hers look like a Gremlin.
“And I didn’t know you smelled like love,” Nakalem said as he placed Akinyele’s bags in the back and then opened the front door for her. Nakalem stopped Akinyele as she was about to step in.
“Can I get a hug now?” he asked, making eye contact with her for the first time.
“You gave me one already,” she said. Although she loved Nakalem’s smell and the way that he felt, she didn’t want to spoil herself. If the weekend was a disaster, she certainly didn’t want to go home yearning to feel his arms.
“Think of that one as a hello-I am-so-happy-to-see-you-hug,” Nakalem said with his arms akimbo.
“And what is this one going to be?” she inquired in a panicky voice.
“This one is the welcome-to-my-world-embrace,” he said as he gripped her in a hug that felt like Home. Yep…he felt like Home.
“Pretty interesting city,” Akinyele complimented as they exited off onto a quiet street. “I can see why Sherman thought it was too pretty to burn!”
Turning slightly in his seat, Nakalem peered at her.
“I knew that you were intelligent and were on the up and up on your cultural history, but I didn’t know that you were a Civil War buff.”
“Actually, I am simply a history buff in general. Civil War, African history, Vietnam, World War II…the usual,” Akinyele said casually. Hell, he needn’t know that she often spent her nights making love to the History and Discovery channels.
“I’m excited!” Nakalem exclaimed.
“Huh?” Akinyele asked, turning to get a good look at him. Surely he wasn’t going to ruin a nice time by talking about his erection. But, in her own weird way, she was curious about what he was packing. A man that size had to be…
“I mean, you’re beautiful, smart, and your perfume is breaking me down. I am looking forward to this weekend,” Nakalem explained, interrupting Akinyele’s filthy thoughts.
“Oh!” she answered. Her lack of dick was definitely taking a toll on her mind. Of course he wasn’t talking about an erection.
Akinyele drew in her breath as they pulled up in front of a pastel-blue wooden house with a snow white picket fence. It was absolutely gorgeous. Simple, yet so wonderful. The flora and fauna of the yard were amazing. Bright pink hibiscus peeked through dark green shrubs. Tiger lilies were everywhere. It seemed as if a tornado had uprooted a house and yard in Antigua or St. Thomas and had placed it gently on the ground in Savannah.
“Wow,” Akinyele said as Nakalem shut off the engine. “Your gardener must make a fortune.”
“Nope, not at all,” he said, blushing. “I do it all myself.”
“You don’t look like the type to stand around pouring fertilizer on flowers to make them grow,” Akinyele stated earnestly.
“Gardening can keep you grounded. Teach you a whole bunch about life,” he said.
“What can playing in dirt teach me about life?” she asked.
“It teaches you, amongst other things, that it requires a whole bunch of shit to make anything beautiful bloom, be it a flower, a plan, or even a relationship.”
Speechless, Akinyele’s mouth hung in an open smile as he came around to open her door. Looks, a nice house, a nice ride, a good job, and a sense of humor. Did it get any better than this?
“A little harder, Baby.”
“I thought you liked the way I was doing it in the beginning.”
“I did, but now I need you to go a little bit deeper.”
“Okay, if you insist. Let me grab a little more oil,” Akinyele said as she got off Nakalem’s back and crawled over to the bowl of warm sesame-almond oil. Dipping her hands in the fragrant oil, she resumed her sitting position on his back and began to knead away at knots of tension in Nakalem’s neck and upper back.
It was as if she was manipulating warm, chocolate taffy in her hands. The man’s body was gorgeous. When she’d suggested an after dinner massage, he’d reluctantly come out of his shirt.
For dinner, Nakalem had made Oysters Rockefeller, which she’d told him in one of their early conversations was her absolute favorite food. The wine coordinated perfectly with the shellfish and the conversation flowed over the soft sounds of Joe Sample on the sound system. The only way to end such a perfect dinner was by showing Nakalem her appreciation with a sensual massage on his wonderful, but tense, body.
“How can any man let you go?” Nakalem moaned as Akinyele squeezed his left shoulder blade.
“Are you moaning because this feels good or are you moaning because my weight on your back is killing you?” Akinyele asked in a teasing manner.
“You know the answer for that.” Nakalem flipped onto his back, nearly knocking Akinyele to the floor.
“Hey! You could’ve hurt me,” Akinyele uttered with false concern as Nakalem looked up at her straddling his lap. She could feel a definite lump rising up to meet her crotch but chose to ignore it for the sake of tact.
Being so close to a man was a feeling that melted something deep inside the pit of her stomach. It had been ages since she’d had even the simplest affection and here she was, sitting on top of a very large piece of fudge.
“What are you thinking about?” Nak
alem asked, leaning up on his elbows.
“Everything and nothing at the same time,” Akinyele answered. “I’m thinking about how nice this is…you, your house, your hospitality. It’s overwhelming. I’m just thinking it’s too good to be true.”
“Maybe it is…. but then again, maybe it isn’t,” Nakalem said as he sat up to join her.
The first kiss was like honey. Scratch that. The first kiss was like silk. No…. the first kiss was like honeyed, silken heaven. His lips were smooth. His tongue was warm. His embrace was reassuring. Akinyele felt like she was melting in Nakalem’s arms. She’d always wondered what it was like to see fireworks when you kissed someone. Now, she was an expert on the subject.
Flipping Akinyele gently onto her back, Nakalem kissed her and ran his strong hands through her thick, kinky hair. Groaning, he lowered himself onto her and explored her mouth with his tongue.
“Akinyele?” he said between kisses.
“Yes, Baby?” she answered.
“Akinyele, Akinyele, Ak-in-ye-le,” Nakalem murmured as he crushed his mouth down on hers.
It was pure sugar. She had never been held like this. Never been kissed. An old Alexander O’Neal and Cherelle song chimed in her head. I’ve been kissed but I never knew love like this. I’ve been missed but I never knew love like this. It wasn’t love…yet. But Akinyele did understand what they were singing about.
“Let’s go upstairs,” Nakalem said as he pulled Akinyele to her feet.
Before dinner, she’d showered and changed into a linen shift that hugged her voluptuous curves, and tied a matching scarf around her head to contain some of her afro. Now, her hair stood in shocks and her perky dress was limp. Climbing the stairs in front of Nakalem, she could feel his hands cupping her ass and stroking her exposed thighs.
With a flick of Nakalem’s wrist, Akinyele’s dress was unzipped and falling to the floor.
“Damn, Baby,” he murmured as she stepped out of the fallen circle and reclined on his bed. “I knew that you were hiding something inside of those clothes, but I had no idea that you had it like this.”
“I have been known to pack the pork,” Akinyele said jokingly as she leaned forward, allowing her triple D’s to strain against the emerald satin bra that attempted to restrain them.
“It’s all them greens and cawn brade and hawg maws ya’ll eat down in Loosieana,” Nakalem said in a fake country accent as he fingered the skin at the edge of her bra.
Stripping down to his snow white boxer briefs, Nakalem joined Akinyele on the bed. When he reached over to embrace her, she rolled over to the opposite side.
“Come here,” Nakalem said in a low voice, looking at her through half-closed eyes.
“I am here,” Akinyele said as she got under the soft down comforter.
“No. I mean come closer.”
Moving into Nakalem’s arms, she melted away as he kissed her and caressed every inch of exposed skin. After a few minutes, Akinyele drew away.
“Good night, Nakalem. I had a wonderful day.”
“Akinyele?” Nakalem placed his hands upon her satin-encased hips. “It gets even better.”
“I am sure it does. Now goodnight.” Akinyele kissed him on the cheek.
With a look of absolute shock on his face, Nakalem gave Akinyele a wry smile and reached over to snap off the lamp.
Akinyele was hot and bothered. She couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t the balmy Savannah night robbing her of slumber either. It was the man spooned against the backside of her body.
Nakalem’s breath against the nape of her neck felt so…so…so ooooh. She could hear him breathing, but he wasn’t asleep. He was wide awake. Having the same lascivious thoughts that Akinyele was. Any minute now, Nakalem was going to…
“Akinyele?”
“Yes?”
“Are you asleep?”
“You know better,” Akinyele answered as she backed a little bit more into his steely erection.
It just happened. All of her life Akinyele had been hearing that phrase slip from the mouths of those around her. A person pulled over by the police for running a red light. It just happened. A brand new white refrigerator decorated with crayon marks. It just happened. An overworked and underpaid secretary going off and slapping her boss. It just happened. Buying a winning lottery ticket. It just happened.
Akinyele hated the phrase. Her world was black and white. No shades of gray. Things had reason. There was a definite chain of events that set the slightest thing off. There was a logical explanation for everything in the universe. Nothing just happened until…
…Nakalem reached down and felt the wet crotch of Akinyele’s satin tap pants. Stealthily sliding his fingers within her soft folds, her body responded by throbbing warmly and wetly against his finger. With a moan, Akinyele turned over to face Nakalem as he lifted her finger to his lips and sucked it as she watched in lust. Removing her bra, he massaged Akinyele’s breasts and erect nipples with his hands and mouth until she purred like a Persian kitten.
Sliding down under the covers, Akinyele lost sight of Nakalem but definitely felt his presence as he gently licked her inner thighs. With gentle nibbles, he bit the plumpness of them as she gasped and dug her nails into his shoulders. Opening the folds of her pussy, his tongue traced a hot trail until her brain melted and she was moaning like a widow at a grave. The man was a pro. Not to be outdone, Akinyele maneuvered her body to where his mouth was still in paradise and her mouth was sucking on Candyland. After a few seconds of oral competition, Akinyele couldn’t tell who was moaning louder or whose mouth was fuller. By the time Nakalem entered her, Akinyele was well on her way to the fabled earth-shattering orgasm that Cosmopolitan always promised her. Nakalem began with slow, deliberate strokes, which gradually increased to hard, slapping pumps that hit places that she forgot existed. When Akinyele began her climax, she could hear Nakalem moaning loudly and calling out her name, signaling his own.
They came. Together. They saw stars; they saw colors; they saw lights. They saw heaven. It just happened.
Chapter Six
AFTER THE MORNING AFTER
Hanging her loofah on a shelf in Nakalem’s shower, Akinyele stepped out and began rubbing Happy scented lotion onto her skin. Rubbing some shea butter into her hair, she spritzed herself with more Happy. Being the fashionable person that she was, she’d packed nothing but dressy clothes. When Nakalem said he’d wanted to spend a lazy morning, Akinyele had been forced to borrow a pair of fleece cut-offs and a Morehouse T-shirt. The shorts were warm and hugged her behind while the shirt was soft and oversized. It impressed Akinyele when a man’s shirt was large enough for her to get lost in.
Walking into the bedroom, Akinyele grabbed her makeup and then put it down, deciding to let Nakalem see the real her. Walking downstairs, Akinyele sniffed her way into Nakalem’s kitchen. The smell of blueberries assaulted her as she took a seat at his table.
“Good morning, Princess,” Nakalem said, as he sat a fresh blueberry bagel in front of her.
“Good morning, Shuga,” Akinyele replied.
“So what would you like to do today?” he asked as he sipped aromatic black coffee across the table from her.
Flinging away the napkin and pushing the bagel aside, Akinyele walked over and took a seat on his lap.
“Today,” she began. “Today, I want to pretend that I am your woman.”
“Your wish is my command,” Nakalem said as he reached up to kiss her.
The day turned out to be somewhat of an epiphany for Akinyele. That night as she lay in his arms watching him sleep, she’d began to muse on how life was. It’s amazing how doubt can almost make you miss your train. Pessimism had almost marred her time with him. She almost didn’t swallow her pride and answer his ad. She just knew they wouldn’t be able to relate face to face. Boy, was she wrong.
He’d hit places that had never been hit. In that day alone, he’d opened every door, bought her goldfish and flowers, washed her hair, painted her toenails. He’d c
limbed inside her head, told her that money and status weren’t suitably important, made her believe in fate, faith, and destiny. He’d read her Ntozake Shange, told her that he saw himself on top on the world (not to mention her) in five years. He sang her Bill Withers, taught her how to dance really slow, shared a bottle of his best brandy, said “I think I love you,” lifted her head to the clouds and taught her that her feet needed to be on solid ground, and showed her the best use for costly chocolates.
This was her man. She could feel it.
Hallelujah!
Chapter Seven
FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE
“American Flight 2681 non-stop from Savannah to New Orleans is now boarding,” the squeaky Asian voice announced.
“I want you to know, Akinyele, I had a wonderful time,” Nakalem said as he wiped a tear from the corner of her right eye.
“I hate saying good-bye,” Akinyele choked.
“Don’t say good-bye,” he answered.
“What do you want me to say?” she cried out.
“I want you to say I’ll pick you up at New Orleans International on Friday at seven-fifteen p.m.”
It had been three days and twenty odd hours since she’d felt Nakalem’s touch. Sitting in her house surrounded by costly things felt like she was trapped in a mausoleum. Akinyele was so unhappy without Nakalem. She had spent less than three days in his company and now she felt like she couldn’t live without him.
Monday morning, Akinyele had been bombarded with flowers, emails, and phone calls. Tuesday, she hadn’t heard from Nakalem at all. Nor did she hear from him on Wednesday or Thursday.
Today, she’d sent Nakalem a grand total of seven emails without getting one single reply. She’d called his office all day and got no answer at his extension. She’d dialed the main line for Pries, Inc. where he was an investment banker and was informed that he was out of town until the following Monday. What was up with that? Did he not have the decency to tell her that he was jetting off to somewhere?