by DL White
"You don't like pubes in your teeth?" I asked, watching her approach me naked, her full breasts tempting me with their side to side sway at every step.
She smirked as she sat next to me, then rubbed a warm towel over my genitals and between my thighs. "I wax for you. I'm just saying."
"You do, and I love that."
I dipped to take a nipple in my mouth, sliding a hand between her legs to stroke her in appreciation. She gasped, leaning back, her hips already rolling. She laid a hand over mine and guided my rhythm, adjusting the pressure on her clit.
A ragged, sultry cry tore from her throat before her pelvis began a sinuous gyration. A flush colored her skin as she shuddered through her climax.
“Watching you come is my favorite thing.”
Esme heaved a lung clearing sigh and rolled toward me. Her hair was still in that purple puff on top of her head. Her face was bare, a satisfied smile on her lips. I leaned over to kiss her.
"You're beautiful in the morning. I probably look like some kind of wolf." I pawed at my beard, which probably needed a fresh lineup.
"Mmmmm, no. Fine as hell, like always. I'm still trying to impress you, so don't get used to me waking up like this."
My eyes narrowed. "Should I not get used to morning head either?"
She grinned. "That all depends on how you feel about morning pussy."
"Message." I nodded.
"Would you like some breakfast, or do you have to leave?"
I sighed. "I would love breakfast, but I need to change, then head to the office to tie up a couple of loose ends since I'll be out Thursday and Friday. That's ok, right?"
She shrugged a shoulder. I took the opportunity to put my lips on her once more, brushing my lips across her skin. "Unemployed," she reminded me. "Are we flying?"
The way her lip curled up was adorable. I sat up, then looked around for the clothes I wore. She pointed to a neatly folded pile on the nightstand, atop four books with post-it notes hanging out of them. I reached for the pile, pulling on my boxer briefs first.
"You know the guy that owns 9 Mile Station? Friends of my parents?"
She nodded. "They live in Florida, but they do business in Atlanta, so they bought a jet. They charter it out when they're not using it and offer it to me all the time. I'm taking them up on it. Flying is a little easier when it's private."
"I'll take your word for it."
"You'll be fine." I pulled on my t-shirt, then my sweats. My shoes were downstairs at the door. I sat down again, then bent to kiss her, dragging it out because I didn't want to leave.
"Trey?"
"Yes, baby."
"You need to brush your teeth before you go so I can kiss you like I mean it."
"Damn, you're mean." I laughed, though. "Do you have a spare toothbrush?"
"O'Neal brings me travel kits from everywhere. I don't know why, because I don't travel. I set one out on the counter."
"We're changing that no traveling thing," I called out, on my way to the bathroom. "Once you get used to flying, we can go anywhere."
"Yeah, we'll see about that." She rolled off the bed and pulled on a long, silk floral robe and tied it tightly around her. "I'll meet you downstairs."
I brushed my teeth and headed down, not registering that I heard more than one voice in the kitchen.
"If I knew you were home, I would have… you know what? I wouldn't have."
"Just nasty, all night long. Oh! Oh my God, Trey!" Shouted a male voice, pitched high to sound like a woman. "Yes! Right there! Oh my God!"
"You done?" I heard Esme ask, through laughter.
"No. Cause your dude was all unh, Esme! Yeah, that's good. That's so. fucking. good."
I squinted, a little bit offended. Was that supposed to be his impression of me?
"Boy, shut up," said Esme. "You're supposed to be in Madrid. That's a 22-hour flight, round trip."
"I switched with another flight attendant since I took that other job through Turkey, then turned around and took another shift the next day."
"So what time did you get home?"
"Early enough to hear everything. We need to devise some kind of system, if you're gonna have men over—"
"First of all, this is my house. You pay rent. Sometimes. Second, I'm not going to have men over. It's one man. Third, you act like I don't have to wear earplugs when you entertain. You don't give a shit if I'm home while you're—"
"Uhm…"
I stepped into the kitchen, which stopped all conversation. Both heads turned in my direction. I'd met O'Neal once before, the night I brought Esme's wallet to the house, but once she walked in the room, other people ceased to exist. I vaguely remembered the man that stood at the kitchen counter, clutching a large stoneware bowl.
The Whitaker family resemblance was strong. He and Esme looked a lot alike, and that was to say that her cousin O'Neal was one of those pretty dudes. His friends probably hated his ass, drawing attention from all of the women all of the time.
"Hi. I'm Trey." I offered a hand to shake. He set down the bowl and crossed the room to shake my hand.
"We met," he reminded me. "But I wanted to shake the hand of the man that pulled the stick out of my cousin's ass. She was getting on my nerves."
I wasn't sure if I should side-eye this dude or not. "You're… welcome?"
"He's making me fly, O'Neal."
His jaw dropped, then he laughed. "Nuh-uh. Yeah?"
"Yeah," I answered. "Thursday. Out to South Carolina. It's a short flight."
"You'll get on a plane for a man you've known for a month, but not for me? I see how it is."
"Whatever," Esme said, casually picking up a magazine to flip through. Her hands were shaking, though. "I'm not on the plane yet."
He turned back to me, then smirked. "Look at her. Already shaking like a leaf. You might have to knock her ass out."
"I'll keep that in mind." I hooked a thumb toward the front door. I'd already put on my shoes and had my keys in hand. “Baby, I gotta run. I'll call you later with the details for this weekend."
"I'll walk you to the door."
"You ain't gotta leave. You can do all that noise-making and humping right here in the kitchen-"
"Shut up, O'Neal!" Esme yelled, pulling me through the living room.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Esme
* * *
This time, O'Neal and Jewel lounged across my bed, eating popcorn and watching me move from the closet to the open suitcase and carryon bag like it was the best movie they'd ever seen.
"It's so weird," said Jewel. "Isn't it weird?"
"Isn't what weird?" O'Neal asked.
"Esme is packing to go on a trip. It's weird."
"You act like I never leave the state." I frowned at them both, feeling deep lines of confusion across my forehead.
"You don't. You don't go anywhere. You meet some guy and let him take you everywhere we tried to force you to go. If he takes you on rides at Disney world, I'm disowning your ass. You go with family first."
“I’ve been to Disney with family.”
"What if they go after they get married, though?" Asked O'Neal. "Then he's family." "Then they have to take us, obviously."
"Would you two shut up with that shit?"
Jewel, Jada, and O'Neal had been calling me Mrs. Pettigrew for two days, since O'Neal busted into the WhatsApp chat to gossip, not realizing it was the wrong damn chat.
Now my parents demanded information about Trey, and wanted to how long did I know him, and where was I going with him, and oh my God, you quit your job over him?
I was mildly furious at O'Neal since I'd had to spend the evening assuring my parents that I'd planned to quit Benning anyway and had built a nice savings cushion in preparation. And that Trey was an upstanding young man who did not want me to quit my job over the mess with Miller. Though he was grateful, I did that all on my own.
I flapped my fingers at both of them and went back to the closet. "Which of these should
I take?" I pulled out two sundresses; both were flowy and frilly and made me feel extra feminine.
"The blue one," said Jewel, pointing to the dress on the left. "Shows off that nice rack."
"Do you not have anywhere to be, Jewel? Where is your husband, your children?"
"Away from me together. Math Olympics or some nerd shit. How is this my life?"
"I don't know, math teacher who married a man with a Ph.D. in math. However did this happen to you?"
O'Neal dumped a handful of popcorn into his mouth. "So, where is he taking you? South Carolina?"
I nodded, frowning at the kernels of popcorn I was going to have to clean up. "Myrtle Beach. He knows of a cute place on the water, near a farm. I uh… need to pet a cow. And ride in a boat."
"You what? Is that some kind of pre-sex ritual?"
"Is what a pre-sex ritual?" Jada walked into the room, her hair cornrowed with blonde strands weaved through the braids.
"We just walk into the house now. No knocking or ringing the doorbell?"
Jada took a seat near the window in my comfy reading chair. "I used to live here, and I still have a key. And the garage code is the same. You don't try very hard to keep us out. Stop pretending you don't want us to meddle in your life and let us meddle in your life. Is what a pre-sex ritual?"
"She has to ride a cow."
"Pet a cow, O'Neal. I actually have to just touch it… wait, hold on."
I opened a drawer and pulled out the infamous, worn list that I no longer needed to carry around with me. I handed it to O'Neal.
"Remember when you told me to make a list of ten things I was scared of? Ten things holding me back? I took your advice. Sort of. I wrote a Never list. And Trey has been helping me cross them off."
"Oooh." Jewel's face lit up as she scanned the page. "That's why you rode the Ferris wheel. And got up on that rooftop."
"Yeah. Kinda. Trey gave me the support I needed, I guess. In return, I was supposed to talk Miller into more reasonable terms. We decided that we would wait on the physical until the contract was signed so that no one could say I slept with him to make it happen. But we couldn't resist each other and I—”
"Caught feelings, and some self-respect, then got the hell on up outta Benning," recited O'Neal. "So these last two items? He knows?"
"Yeah."
"And… this weekend is… the weekend?" Jewel asked.
"Yeah," I answered again.
"Oh, girl. Hell no." Jewel shot up, waving a hand at Jada and heading for my closet. "Come on, Jada."
"What's wrong?"
"You gotta repack. We might have to hit the mall."
"Why?"
"Because you packed like y'all are an old married couple, not two lovers about to fuck up some sheets at the Marriott! Where is that little red dress that you bought when we went shopping last summer? That's first time we're fucking worthy."
"First time a man is taking me away worthy," added Jada.
"First time a man is blowing my back out worthy," finished O'Neal.
I groaned, flopping back on the bed.
"Esme, you're going to be fine."
"Mmhmm."
"Seriously. It's an hour, tops. You'll be comfortable like you're in your living room."
"Trey, can you stop talking? It's making me more nervous if that's possible."
"Ok, baby. But can you please unclench your talons from around my damn arm? I lost circulation ten minutes ago."
I heaved a breath and let go of Trey's arm, scooting back in my seat. We were at PDK Airport, a private airstrip in Atlanta, waiting for the jet to arrive for us to board. I was nervous. as. fuck. I couldn't stop the whole body tremors from thinking about getting on an airplane.
"You know what? I can't. I can't do this, Trey. I can't."
"Es. Look at me." He clutched my arm. "Look. at me." I looked up, into his face, into his eyes. "I've got you. You're going to be fine. Do you trust me?"
I swallowed, audibly gulping air. My heart slammed around in my chest. "I want to."
"I know. This is a big one, but when we land, you get to cross this off of your list. I need you to find the Esme who got on that Ferris wheel. Find the Esme who danced with me on the rooftop. She's fearless. She's a badass. Is she in there?"
I sucked in a breath, then blew it out. Then sat up straight and picked up my bag from where I'd dropped it because I needed to sit down. "The badass is in.”
I watched a small jet fly into PDK airspace, then land and glide into place.
"Good. That's us. Are we doing this?"
"Yeah. Before I change my mind."
We went through a brief TSA baggage check, and then I forced myself onto the plane with Trey at my back. We settled into two of eight seats on a cozy Gulfstream. The cabin was small, with four seats grouped together and four seats more spread out. More passengers boarded, idly chatting amongst each other as they chose their seats and fastened their seatbelts.
I tried my belt again. Just to make sure I was strapped in. Trey reached across the armrest to hold my hand, winding his fingers between mine.
"Remember the Ferris wheel? How you had to close your eyes until we were up, then once you felt ready, you could look around? Why don't you try that?"
"Because I want to see us take off," I said, leaning over to peer out of the tiny, oval window.
"Alright. We're not getting off of this plane, you hear?"
"Ok."
"Seriously, Esme. We're not taking a train or driving to Myrtle Beach. We're flying. It's an hour long flight. Alright?"
"I hear you." I shifted my weight, leaning in for a kiss, then I squeezed his fingers weaved between mine. "I trust you. Don't let go."
"Never," he whispered. "Never letting you go."
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, holding onto Trey for dear life as the plane began to push forward.
"That wasn't bad at all," I said, stretching my arms, then my legs. Passengers around us were unbuckling their seatbelts and chatting as they headed toward the exit. "That was only an hour?"
Trey unbuckled his seat belt, then mine, cutting his eyes at me. "All of that drama at the airport, for you to fall asleep. You only woke up because touchdown was a little rougher than normal."
"Well… I didn't sleep all night, worrying about this flight. I guess I passed out." Trey glared. "Wait, did you want me to scream and shake and cry?"
"No. But… I wanted to feel like I was here for you." He fake sniffled.
"Aw…" I leaned over to kiss his cheek. He softened up a little. "I'm sorry that you made me so comfortable that I fell asleep."
"Unh huh. Tell me anything." He pointed, gesturing for me to get up. "Let's go. Welcome to Myrtle Beach."
We deplaned, grabbed our baggage, and hopped into a shuttle to pick up our rental car. In an hour, Trey was loading our suitcases into the back of a midnight blue Range Rover sport.
"Oh, this is cute." I slipped my hands over the butterscotch leather interior, breathing in the scent of a brand new, clean car. My Jetta was paid off, but I could be tempted away. "Don't let me fall in love with this car. I don't have a job."
Trey laughed. He pushed buttons, flipped levers, turned the wipers on and off. "You want me to buy you a Range Rover, baby?" He pushed the ignition button and pulled out of the rental car lot.
"Hey, guess what?"
"What?"
"You flew today. In an airplane. You feel good?"
"Yeah." I grinned. "I feel really good. And I'm excited about this weekend and all the things to come. So to speak."
"No pressure. I'm the one that has to perform."
"Sex is a symphony, not a solo. We perform together."
"What if I'm not the world's greatest lover?"
"How would I know?" I answered with a shrug. "I chose you because I like you. Are you nervous?"
Trey didn't answer for a long, quiet few minutes. He stared ahead and drove, heading for the highway.
He sighed, then reached across the ce
nter console to tuck his hand between my thighs. "Actually, yeah. I'm nervous."
I curled my fingers around his. "Are you going to make me comfort you when I'm the one who's never had sex?"
"Nah," he answered. "I'm good. Just… excited. So let's go pet a cow."
Trey headed to the ramp to Hwy 501 and turned up the satellite radio. We rode in comfortable silence, listening and singing along to old school R&B. The GPS called out directions until it told us to turn right. The sign along the side of the road read Thompson Farm & Nursery.
Trey pulled into a parking spot near the entrance. "All the animals you can touch, right at your fingertips. They even have a petting zoo."
"Trey. Wait." I clutched his arm before he could open his door. "I didn't hurt your feelings or anything, did I?"
His brow furrowed. "When?"
"When I asked if you were nervous and you said yeah."
"Oh." He shook his head, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. "Nah, not really."
"Not really? Or yes, a little?"
"Yes, a little. But it's not a big—"
"It is a big deal. I'm sorry. I don't mean to minimize your feelings."
"We're good. I'm thinking about ways to make this a good weekend for us. Even if you say you don't need anything special, it’s still our first time away together. I still want it to be nice. Plus, it's your first time. You’ll remember your first time.”
“Do you remember yours?”
He laughed. “Uh, yeah. It was like that move Gone in 60 Seconds. Not my best work. And I’m not trying to repeat it this weekend.”
“You better not.” My eyes slid closed, then reopened. "I've been looking forward to this for so long that I forgot that it's about more than me. Forgive me? With my mean ass?"
Trey gave me half a smile, then leaned across the console. I brushed my lips across his once, twice, then a third time before he opened his mouth and his tongue snaked out to meet mine. We sank into a long, unhurried kiss before he groaned and pulled back.
"If we don't go pet these damn animals, I'm gonna fuck you in the backseat of this Range Rover." He pulled the latch, popping the door open.
We walked around the entertaining, delightful little ranch, watching the children run screaming from one field to another. The farm boasted a variety of animals, including buffalo, donkeys, sheep, goats, alpaca, and even a 105-pound tortoise.