by Cydney Rax
“You’re a very caring woman to help her out like this.”
“Why don’t you come have a seat in the living room instead of standing there by the doorway? What if the lightning gets inside the house?”
He followed her inside. “I’m not worried about that. You’d have to be the unluckiest person in the world to get struck by lightning, Nadia. Wow, you have such a pretty name. And your eyes are so beautiful.”
“Ohhh, thank you.” She blushed. She invited him to sit down as she sat near him. The television was playing a music video channel. Nadia resumed singing to Emmy and smoothed her hair. “Are you the godfather?” she asked.
He said nothing.
“Cornell?”
He ignored her.
“Mr. Cornell, are you all right?”
“Oh, sorry. I was so mesmerized by your beauty I could no longer hear or speak. Forgive me.”
She giggled and grew more comfortable.
“Are you married or single?” she asked.
Suddenly Ajalon looked up at a display on a table directly across the room. It was filled with a variety of stuffed animals. He stood and calmly approached the table.
“The baby has lots of presents and toys, eh?”
“Yes, she does. She’s a little princess and gets whatever her parents want to buy her.”
“I see.”
Ajalon picked up the largest teddy bear. He began to feel around the stuffed animal, from its head to its paws to its feet.
“Cornell, what are you doing with the baby’s toy?”
“Just looking.” He located a zipper in the back of the teddy bear. Ajalon unzipped the cloth and continued fiddling around with the animal. Soon he found what he was looking for.
He produced a teddy bear spy cam and held it up.
“Do you know what this is?”
She shook her head no in response.
“I’m afraid that your bosses don’t trust you. This is a hidden camera. Who knows how long it’s been there and what info it’s picked up. I hope that it hasn’t shown them anything you wouldn’t want them to see.”
She gasped and stood up. “Oh, my God. Maybe you should leave.”
“I’m not trying to scare you, Nadia, but you should just stay aware of everything you do inside this house.”
“Are there any more cameras?”
“Let’s find out.” Ajalon thoroughly investigated the remaining stuffed animals that were displayed on the table. Then he went into Emmy’s nursery, where he found another one in her crib.
He returned to the living room holding the device.
“Got it.”
“Thank you for what you’ve done. But won’t my employer be upset to find out that you removed the cameras?”
“Would you rather I put them back? You tell me.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll pretend like I know nothing about it.” She paused. “Thank you.”
Ajalon thought quickly and ran into the hallway. He pulled the string that opened the door which led to the attic. It was there that he stored the hidden cameras.
As soon as he was done and returned from the attic, a thunderclap boomed so loud the house vibrated.
The baby cried even more. Ajalon gently removed Emmy from her nanny’s arms.
“Shhh, it’s going to be all right.”
The front door opened and Nicole burst through the door. She exchanged an awkward glance with Nadia.
“What’s going on?”
“Um, ma’am, Cornell came by and wanted to see you and your husband.”
Nicole studied Nadia. “Okay. You shouldn’t have let Cornell in here while we were gone. But it’s okay. He’s one of our employees.” Nicole removed the baby from Ajalon’s arms.
“Nadia, you may go now.”
“A-are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s fine. Everything is okay.”
“Okay, ma’am.”
She saw Nadia to the door and closed it firmly behind her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I thought we were going to walk but it is raining hard.” He looked calm. “I knew that you probably wouldn’t go to the park tonight.”
“True. But still. You shouldn’t have . . .”
“It’s okay. Call your husband.”
“Huh?”
“Call him. You’re concerned about him. You want to make sure he’s okay on the road. That he’s reached his destination. You want him to know that you are fine and you’re riding out the storm.” He sounded authoritative as well as seductive.
Ajalon being there in the house with Nicole made her think of Rashad. Many days he didn’t arrive home until his dinner had gotten cold. He wouldn’t answer her questions about why he was so late. He’d say, “Business matters.” And now he was gone out of town. She fought hard to believe whatever he told her. But occasionally she wondered what he was really doing. Who was he with? It was at those times that she was glad she had Ajalon to talk to. He was familiar. They had each other’s backs. And she felt she needed him in more ways than one.
Soon Nicole was on the phone dialing Rashad’s number. They spoke briefly. He assured her that he reached his destination, on the outskirts of Louisiana. And he informed her he’d be back tomorrow, but he couldn’t tell her exactly what time.
“I just need to wrap up some loose ends here. Kiss the baby for me,” he said. He was on speaker phone.
The thunder clapped again.
“Are you sure y’all will be all right?” Rashad asked.
Nicole had put Emmy in her crib. She was nice and snug and had even fallen asleep.
“We’ll be perfectly fine,” Nicole told Rashad as she stared at Ajalon. “See you sometime tomorrow.”
She was trembling as she hung up.
Ajalon was leaning against the wall in between a doorway. She saw his silhouette. He was very quiet. But Nicole knew he was watching her.
She set down her cell phone and decided to go get something cold to drink.
As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, all the lights flashed then went completely out. The noise from the TV went silent. They were in total darkness.
“Are you all right?” she cried out.
“I’m wonderful.”
Nicole couldn’t see Ajalon anymore. But soon she smelled him. He groped around in the dark and managed to find her inside their house.
He reached out and found her hand and held it.
“Everything’s going to be all right, Bella.”
She swallowed deeply. Her mouth felt completely dry.
“I, um—”
“Shhh, come with me.”
Heart beating wildly, she followed the voice that had given her the command. She walked in the darkness with Ajalon leading. He went through the house until he came to the back door that led to the backyard. They had a covered patio. It had a small slanted roof and an area with some patio furniture, several chairs, and a few potted plants situated around the covered area.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
It was totally dark outside, too.
“There must be a blackout. I hope it won’t last long,” Nicole said in the shadows of the night.
The sound of rain drizzled in her ears.
“Wait right here,” Ajalon told her.
She waited.
Soon he returned. He fumbled around in the dark on her patio.
“What are you doing?”
“Shhh. You’re about to have the most unforgettable time of your life.”
She squinted and felt him standing in front of her. He pulled her down until she was sitting on the floor. But she knew she was on a thick blanket that he must have found when he went back into the house.
He had his cell phone with him and shone some light on her face.
She looked scared.
He began laughing.
“This isn’t funny,” she protested.
Soon Ajalon was sitting in front of Nicole. He leaned in and gave her a sweet, hot kiss. She was
shocked. But she gave in and kissed him back. She soon closed her eyes. The darkness would hide her sins. She’d wanted to make love to her ex ever since the day he’d come to find her.
With the sound of thunder and rain in the background, Ajalon began to undress his love. His fingers felt cold yet warm as he removed her shirt and pulled it over her head. She kept her eyes closed as she felt his lips kiss her on her neck, her arms, her fingers, and her back.
He cupped her breasts in his hands and licked her skin over and over. It was so sexy. Nicole moaned and tilted her head. She felt like she was in a dream.
“Oh, Ajalon.”
He quietly and confidently lowered her panties over her hips. He got undressed too quickly removing his shirt, wife-beater, jeans, and boxers. Together they fell back on the blanket. He started caressing her mound, rubbing it over and over as waves of pleasure made her shudder and groan. She was totally wet, completely his.
They kissed each other, allowing their lust to diminish their logic. Nicole had thought the love she previously had for him had died, but now she knew it was resurrected. She was born again and knew she wanted this deliciously desirable man inside of her. Rashad had been acting distant, but Ajalon was the one who gave her constant attention. His fingers caressed her until waves of pleasure made her tremble. Nicole grew hotter and hotter with want. As she stroked his body and covered it with kisses, she knew she hadn’t planned on any of this happening. Not really. But now it was too late. Who knew what their future held? He was doing such a good job proving his love for her, even those things that Rashad couldn’t always do.
Using his legs, Ajalon maneuvered her legs with his thighs and got ready to plunge himself inside her. As he pounded into her over and over, Nicole became completely lost in him. He built up a nice steady rhythm that grew more and more violent as he bucked and jerked. She moved with him, their bodies creating a sensual orchestra. Nicole never wanted that good feeling to end. She exploded in one orgasm after another. As the raindrops fell, she muffled her screams by sticking her tongue deeper and deeper in Ajalon’s mouth.
He placed his ear against her mouth. “I’ve been waiting to make love to you for two years.”
“Oh, Ajalon, what are you doing to me?” She bit him on his shoulder.
He moaned and said, “I’m loving you like I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Ohhh,” she responded.
She caressed his head as he pounded into her. It hurt but it was a good kind of hurt. Nicole came again and again and she finally murmured the words she knew he’d been dying to hear.
“I love you. Yes, I love you so much, Ajalon.”
Nicole was enjoying herself to the fullest. Plus, she knew that no one could see them. It would be their secret. She’d do it with him this one time and get it out of her system. She loved him but she hadn’t yet figured out if that meant she could try and be with him.
Like a couple on a honeymoon, Ajalon and Nicole fell asleep naked on top of each other on the patio floor. She stirred in her sleep then woke up abruptly.
“Oh, shit,” she said. The power had been restored. The floodlights shone upon the backyard. She grabbed the blanket to cover her nudity. To her it felt like the lights had eyes and they were staring at her without blinking.
She woke up Ajalon and they went back into the house. She immediately began turning off all the lights.
“Why are you doing that?”
“It just makes me feel better.”
“But we’re in the dark again.”
“I-I know that.”
She deserted him to go check on her daughter. Thankfully, Emmy was blissfully asleep. Nicole quickly thought of something. It was a little after midnight.
She packed a plastic Kroger bag with panties, a bra, a shirt, some jeans, and a toothbrush.
“Um,” she said when she returned to the living room, “I don’t think we should stay here. It would feel weird. I can’t shit where I eat.”
“I see. So what is your plan?”
“We’ll go somewhere else.”
“What about the baby?”
“Of course she’s coming with us.”
“I love it when you say things like that.”
Nicole ignored his youthful flirty ways. She packed up Emmy and made sure the house was locked. They got in her car in the darkness of the night. She made Ajalon slump down in his seat as they drove out of the garage.
“Shit shit shit,” she said to herself after they’d driven a couple of miles away from the house. “You can sit up now.”
“This shit is wilder than Birmingham.” He laughed.
“This isn’t funny, Ajalon. I have no fucking idea what I’m doing and it feels so dangerous, as if I’m playing with gasoline and matches.”
“But don’t you like it?”
“Somewhat, yes. But I’m a mommy now. I can’t be dragging my infant daughter out of the house just to be with my felon ex-boyfriend.”
“What? Why did you give me a negative label like that? I am not that man anymore. That was one moment in time. It shouldn’t totally define me.”
“I know,” she said, “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to figure out things. You gotta give me time.”
They entered the freeway. Nicole jerked in her seat every time a car sped past them. She felt like a fugitive. Like her name and face was on the walls of every post office in the country. Even though it was night, she wished she’d worn a wig and some dark sunglasses. But it was only her conscience bothering her. She questioned if what she was doing would cause Rashad to be angry, but with his mysterious trips out of state she herself wondered if he was doing things that would make her angry, too.
When they found an out-of-the-way motel, she made Ajalon check in at the front desk while she and Emmy waited. Once he got a key, they drove around the parking lot to their room.
“What’s the number?” Nicole asked.
“Room one sixty-six.”
“Are you serious? Get another room. I don’t like that number. That does not sound like a lucky number.”
“You’re being paranoid.”
“Someone has to be.”
To make Nicole feel better, he drove back to the front desk office and asked for a different number. “One on the second floor.”
This time they got a room that was more suitable.
“Room two twenty-six,” he said when he returned to the car. “Better?” He grinned.
“Perfect. Nice job.”
They parked and walked up the concrete stairs with the metal railing to their second-floor room.
Ajalon waved the key and they went in and locked the door behind them.
“Why is it so cold in here,” she complained.
“The cold is the last thing you should be worried about.”
“Of course, humping is all you care about.”
“I’ve wanted you, and last night was just the beginning, my love.”
She smiled in spite of herself. It felt good to be chased instead of being the chaser. They set their things on a table and made sure Emmy was settled in her portable crib.
“Damn.” Nicole yawned. “I am so exhausted. I’m going to call in sick in the morning and it seems like you will have to call in as well. There’s no way I’ll be able to go into work after the night I’ve had.”
He had stripped down to his boxers. His muscles were taut and solid.
“Damn, you look good. I gotta give you that.”
“Glad you like it.” He came and sat on the bed and pulled the covers back so she could join him. She fell into his arms and enjoyed warming up next to his body.
He kissed her forehead. “Just relax. You aren’t married. You aren’t even engaged. So technically, you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But we’ve lived together for months. In Texas, you’re considered common law if you live together for six months.”
“But you two don’t go around calling each other husband and wife, right?”
“No.”
“But your nanny thinks so.”
“That was a little glitch. Trust me. Rashad and I are not married.”
“What are you waiting on?”
“Who in their right mind wants to get divorced one day and get married a few weeks later?”
“But isn’t that what you want to happen?”
She nodded. “All I can tell you is that I prayed to God that if it is meant to be, let us be married. So I’m waiting.”
“Until then you can enjoy being with me.”
“All right.”
He made Nicole sit up. They reminisced and laughed for another half hour. And when Ajalon gave her the look, she nodded. He slid down her body and let his tongue start working on her mound. She loved how he licked her clit over and over until she squirmed and jerked around in bed.
“You taste delicious,” he said as he watched her facial expressions.
They made love until the morning.
Ajalon was deliriously happy. The one wish he wanted was granted. In his mind, she belonged to him again. Their destinies were intertwined. Feeling content, he fell asleep in his Bella’s arms.
Nicole watched her ex spread out next to her. She couldn’t believe that after all the progress she’d made with Rashad, now she felt like she was standing at a fork in the road. She still loved Rashad very much but was it possible to also love her ex, too? Although at first she didn’t want to accept it, she realized that she and Ajalon had unfinished business.
She turned over in bed and tried hard to fall asleep. But all she could do was think about the man who was breathing soundly next to her. And she lay stiffly all night long wondering what she was going to do about her and Rashad.
* * *
By that Wednesday afternoon the storms had slowly moved out of the Houston area. Eddison was taking an extended lunch break from his job at TSWU. He had just arrived at a local park to get in a workout. He lifted his gym bag from the back seat of his Chrysler 3000. He reached inside and pulled out a tiny box. He carefully slid it into his gym pants and secured the zipper.
A few minutes later he was leaning against his vehicle as Kiara pulled up in her car right next to him.
They greeted each other and minutes later they began to walk on a trail in Memorial Park, which was located near the college campus. The sky was slightly cloudy but Eddison didn’t care.