“Where are we going for dinner?” Jada asked, holding her hemline, preventing her mini from becoming micro while scooting along the air-conditioned limo seat.
“No questions. Just enjoy the element of surprise.” Placing a dissolvable mint strip on his tongue, Lawrence knelt before Jada. He spread her thighs, pushed her thong to the side, and held his tongue against her clit. His lips surrounded hers; then he blew cool air through his mouth three times.
“Damn, that feels refreshing,” Jada moaned.
Licking or sucking would unpleasantly alter the sensation, so he slowly glided his tongue into her vagina. When Jada grabbed the back of his head, he stopped and sat next to her. Lawrence tilted her flute and poured the champagne. “A toast to us.” He tapped Jada’s glass, kissed her lips, and said, “I love you.”
Jada gazed into his eyes and listened to the melody in her heart. “I love you, too,” she responded.
The restaurant host greeted them at the door. Jada laughed and pointed at the huge disco ball centered over the small dance floor. Every table was covered with a red cloth. The women were dressed in red from head to toe: shoes, purses, and outfits. The men wore black tuxedos.
“Aren’t we a little out of place?” People were either gawking or admiring their attire. Lawrence’s suit and collarless shirt were black, but he didn’t have on a bow tie.
“Mr. Anderson, your family is waiting. Follow me.” A short, heavyset woman, with patent-leather shoes so tight her feet looked as if they would double in size if she took off her one-inch heels, escorted them to a group of tables.
When Jada looked closer at the people there, she noticed Lawrence’s parents, siblings and their spouses, grand and great-grandparents were all seated at the tables. “Do y’all do everything together?” Jada mumbled.
“No. But we do share Valentine’s Day so no one in the family feels alone or lonely. My great-grandmother started this tradition during the Depression. No one eats until everyone arrives, so sometimes we party first and eat and clown around with one another over dinner later. And as usual, I’m one of the last to arrive.” Lawrence held Jada’s chair until she was seated at the table with his parents. “We’ll bring the kids next year after we’re married.”
Lawrence’s great-grandfather proceeded to bless the food. The waiters served home style, placing platters and casseroles on each table. Jada picked at her greens, cabbage, and succotash.
“Lawrence, you need to feed your fiancée; she’s not eating,” Lawrence’s mother said.
His mother reminded Jada of someone who kept her wig on a stand and false teeth by her bedside.
Smiling, Lawrence said, “She’s fine, Ma. I love her just the way she is.”
During dessert Lawrence slipped another strip on his tongue and smiled at Jada. She clamped his hand between her heated thighs. He fondled her clit, dipped his finger in her coconut cream pie, then sucked it slowly.
His mother’s eyes shifted from Jada to Lawrence. She grumbled between her teeth, “Stop that. Use your fork.”
Lawrence leisurely placed Jada’s napkin in her seat and escorted her to an empty chair under the disco ball.
Jada whispered, “What are you doing?” Everyone already knew they were engaged.
“No questions, remember?” Lawrence smiled.
Brian McKnight’s “Back at One” resonated throughout the restaurant. Jada covered her mouth with both hands, watching Brian as he sang a few lyrics at each table. Brian handed Lawrence the cordless microphone, and Lawrence picked up the song where Brian left off.
Okay, Lawrence must be lip-syncing like Millie Vanillie.
Lawrence gestured for her hand, gave Brian back the mic, and continued singing in her ear as couples joined them slow dancing on the floor.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could sing like that.” Jada laid her head on Lawrence’s shoulder.
Stroking her hair, Lawrence spoke tenderly, “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me. Yet.”
“Baby, you sound so good, I had an orgasm.” Let the family party without them. Jada was ready to make love to her man.
“We’re just getting started. Wait until I get you back in the limo.” He kissed her hair.
Wait until she got him back in the limo was more like it. “How much longer are we staying?” Jada asked, hand dancing to The Temptations.
“Are you ready to leave?”
Jada responded quickly. “Yes.”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Lawrence said goodbye to his family and escorted Jada to the limo.
As soon as the door shut, he doused her hair in champagne and pulled her dress below her breasts. He teased her nipples with ice cubes, filled his mouth with bubbly, and sucked hard as he fucked her with his index finger.
Jada ripped open his shirt. Several buttons flew off. Vigorously her hands raced about his chest. She licked his left, then right nipple. Unbuckling his belt, she slipped his erection into her mouth. Moving his pants down to his knees, she pushed her thong aside, teasing her clit as she squatted on his dick. Each time her muscles tightened, Lawrence held her ass against his pelvis.
“Don’t cum yet,” Jada commanded, squeezing his penis with her vaginal muscles. Changing positions, she tightened her hand around his shaft until his head became enlarged. Controlling the flow of his cum, she hungrily sucked the head. Bobbing repeatedly, she stroked the shaft. Bringing Lawrence to his peak, Jada pressed his thighs together and straddled her legs outside of his. With her hands braced on his knees, she rotated up and down until she got all Lawrence had to offer for round one.
They culminated the night at Lawrence’s house, where he had her silk and lace lingerie laid across a red-and-white picnic cloth in front of the burning fireplace. A bottle of bubbly was chilling next to the giant dark- and white-chocolate-covered strawberries. And the Jacuzzi water was pleasantly hot. That must have been the urgent phone call he needed to make before they left the restaurant. Their all-night foreplay exploded with passion that outlasted the sunrise.
Chapter 10
Darius was officially a sixth grader because the last day of school was yesterday, but tomorrow the movers were coming for all of their things. His mom was serious about marrying Lawrence, and there wasn’t anything he could do to change her mind. Darius didn’t want his mother to stay single forever, just until he went off to college. Mom said the movers would pack and unpack their belongings. “They’d better not break my trophies,” Darius had said, admiring his recent MVP memento that stood four feet high. The National Junior Basketball League wasn’t as competitive as the AAU league, but he was. He wanted to win every game by a twenty point margin so his opponents were clear which baller dominated the courts.
Bored, he double-checked to make certain his bedroom door was locked and dialed Ashlee from his home computer. “Can you believe I’m ten years old and Lawrence still massages my head like I’m a kid.” Darius spoke into the built-in microphone on his desktop.
“I’m sure my dad doesn’t mean it like that. He does that to me, too,” Ashlee said, blankly staring into the camera. Imitating her dad, she rubbed her head. “Ask him to stop.”
“I have. He just laughs and goes about his business. The next time he tries that, I’m going to grab his hand.” Darius raised his arm and grabbed his wrist in front of his camera so Ashlee could see how serious he was.
Shaking her head, Ashlee said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. He does have really big muscles. He almost slapped my mom once, but my mom said he wasn’t serious. They were horseplaying or something. What do you like most about school?” Ashlee blew a huge pink bubble that blocked her lens until it popped, covering her nose and mouth.
Darius stuck his chest out. “If he ever hits my mom, I don’t care if he is playing, he’s going to have to deal with my dad and me.” Relaxing, he said, “I like girls and basketball of course. How about you?”
Two girls in his fifth grade class had real breasts, and he couldn’t wait to see them again w
hen school started in September. One day they approached him on the playground and said, “Darius Jones. We’ve decided to be your Valentines. So you can either have your boring girlfriend or both of us. But if you choose us, you have to bring us the same gifts.” Darius had no idea what he was supposed to do with two girls; but two sounded better than one, and since they had volunteered, he spent his money on two large, pink heart-shaped boxes of assorted chocolates. Each box was decorated with white lace and a silk red rose with a green plastic stem.
“Science, math, and drama. But drama is extracurricular.” Ashlee made a serious, silly, and cute face.
“I thought about drama. My mom wanted me to enroll, but basketball consumes most of my time.” He alternated between the number four and five: forward and center. Forward was his preferred position.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ashlee stood on her hands and walked across her bedroom and back.
“Hell, I’m already grown. I’m going to the NBA. I’m going to be a combination of Shag, Jordan, Kobe, Iverson, and Wilt the Stilt Chamberlain mixed together.” Wilt was a certified player. After doing the math, Darius calculated he’d have to have sex with a different woman every day for over twenty-seven years to break Wilt’s record. He’d have to get started soon because old people like his mom and dad probably didn’t do it anymore. The girls he gave chocolates to on Valentine’s Day had kissed him on opposite cheeks, so maybe he’d had sex twice already.
“I believe in you, Darius. You can do anything you set your mind to. You coming to visit me this summer in Madrid?” Ashlee sketched on her pad with long strokes.
“Yep. You the only friend I have. And you’re going to be my half sister. So I guess that’ll make you my sisterfriend. My mom said she has to renew my passport. What are you drawing?” He envied how Ashlee could do so many things in a short period of time.
“Yeah. But let’s leave out the half stuff. I’m your sister and you’re my brother. Make sure your mom hurries up because I’m not going to Spain without you. It’s a surprise. I’ll show you when I’m done.”
Darius needed Ashlee’s opinion on what had bothered him for quite some time. “Honestly, I don’t want my mom to marry your dad.”
“You, too. I wanted my parents to get back together, but my mom keeps saying I’m dreaming. I hate living in Texas. It’s so far away from my dad. And it’s too hot.”
“We can dream if we want to.” Darius spread his arms wide. “But if our peeps do get married, at least we’ll have each other. When you come back to L.A., we’re going to all the theme parks.”
“Okay.” Ashlee’s pink lips curved up. Her top teeth were perfect, but the bottom row was a little crooked. She was so nice and sweet it didn’t matter. And her hair had grown longer, too.
“I’ve got a plan,” Darius said, moving closer to the camera. “We can run away from home.”
“Yeah, and divorce our parents,” Ashlee agreed. “Maybe then they’ll take us serious.”
Darius spoke firm. “Make sure you pack a toothbrush, and lots of clean underwear and socks.”
“Is that all?” Ashlee asked. “What about food?”
“I don’t know. My mom always says, ‘Darius, you got your toothbrush? And extra underwear and socks?’ so I guess that stuff must be pretty important. She never mentions food because we always have money, I guess.”
“Okay. Let’s run away right before the wedding,” Ashlee suggested.
“Great idea! I’ve got to go. My mom is calling me.”
“Yeah, and we know what happens if she has to call you twice. Hey, here’s your surprise.”
Darius laughed. Ashlee had drawn a caricature of him with a basketball head. “Bye, Sisterfriend.”
Chapter 11
December 31 Jada stood behind the doors of the First African Methodist Episcopal church, waiting to walk down the aisle. Mama had told her, “Honey, you have to shit or get off the pot. This man has patiently waited for you. If you’re not going to set a date, let him go.” Why couldn’t they stay happily engaged forever? Marriage ruined a lot of good relationships. But Mama was right. Lawrence was tired of her procrastination and had handed her an ultimatum, so Jada had chosen the last month of the year. For the first time, at forty-four, Jada Diamond would carry the title Mrs. while her last name remained Tanner.
Lawrence was the perfect fiancé. No matter what he was doing, he stopped precisely at eight o’clock every night and called her. And each weekend they would set aside thirty minutes to candidly discuss their likes and dislikes about each other and their relationship. Sex on a regular basis with a man who knew how to hit all the right spots without being coached didn’t hurt either. They agreed never to say no, except during illness. Always satisfying her man, Jada didn’t understand why women withheld sex, because the supply well exceeded the demand.
Their wedding plans started out plain and simple. By the time Lawrence’s friends and family—immediate and extended—got wind of the wedding, the list grew from seventy-five to three hundred. Lawrence argued and won because his parents were paying for everything, including their honeymoon.
Being an only child and the offspring of parents who also had no siblings, Jada’s family consisted of Darius, Robert, and her mother. Her girlfriends Jazzmyne and Candice were there today along with her staff. Terrell still hadn’t married Candice, but Candice hung in there with him.
“You know I’ll marry you. Please don’t do this.” Jada heard Wellington’s voice echoing in her ear.
Lifting her gown, Jada twisted halfway around in slow motion. A cool breeze swept across her face. Jada still heard Wellington’s voice.
“What?” She whispered.
As soon as the doors of the church opened, Jada turned back and scanned the room for Wellington. Maybe marrying Lawrence wasn’t a good idea. Was she supposed to think about another man on her special day? Was it normal? Perhaps everyone had second thoughts but kept them private. Although Jada found herself searching for Wellington, thankfully he wasn’t there. Wellington was the only person who could speak, not hold his peace, and she would change her mind. Maybe secretly she wanted him to talk her out of marrying Lawrence.
Simulated snowflakes trickled from the ceiling. Jada, Lawrence, Darius, and Ashlee usually spent the Christmas holidays in New York City. Snowball fights, snow angels, warm cocoa, and lots of joyful moments taking in Broadway plays and watching the ball drop in Times Square were shared amongst all.
Guests seated in the pews covered in white specks did a one-eighty and stared at her. They weren’t the only ones spellbound, so were the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and Lawrence. The pianist stopped playing. Jada suddenly realized it was too quiet. White rose petals were scattered along the white floor runner. The flower girl stood near the altar, holding an empty basket. The coordinator, Denise, stepped in front of Jada and closed the doors. As soon as they were shut, people started mumbling.
“It’s okay, darling, lots of brides get cold feet. I want you to take a deep breath. Inhale.” Denise held her hand against Jada’s stomach. “Good girl. Now release.” Denise pressed Jada’s abdomen in slightly. “One more time,” Denise instructed. “Now, this time when the music starts, I want you to start, too.”
Jada looked at Denise and said, “What are you talking about?” Jada pointed toward the church doors. “I’m waiting for him to play ‘Here Comes the Bride.’ ” The song wasn’t her preference. Lawrence’s mother was old-fashioned and requested the traditional tune. Jada’s selection was an instrumental version of “Ribbon In the Sky” by Stevie Wonder, but that was another battle not worth fighting.
“Honey, it’s already played from start to finish. Twice. You didn’t move a step. Let me get some water and touch up your makeup. Don’t move.”
“But I don’t want any water,” Jada responded. “I’m fine. Just tell them to start.” Jada refused to say start again, because she couldn’t believe she stood in the doorway so long. That part of the video would be c
lipped and destroyed along with any incriminating photos.
Returning with a paper cup in her hand, Denise said, “First of all, the water isn’t for you. It’s for me. You can’t mess up your lipstick. Secondly, we will not start again until I’m convinced you’re ready to walk down that aisle.” Denise took a sip of water and handed the floral-printed cup to the usher.
Holding the powder puff in one hand and a handkerchief under Jada’s chin to make certain the foundation didn’t stain her Vera Wang original, Denise patted gently. White. Halter. Low back. Long train. The beauty of Jada’s black-velvet skin radiated a wonderful contrast to her gown. Lots of exposed cleavage was hidden behind her veil for Lawrence’s view only. Fresh white roses were added to the lower half of her gown to match the flower girl’s petals.
Something old: the pearl necklace her father had given her before dying. Something new: a diamond anklet Mama and Darius bought. Something borrowed: Jazzmyne’s silver hair clips. Something blue: her spirit. Conspicuously absent.
Denise fluffed Jada’s hair and asked, “Ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready,” Jada whispered.
“Great. You’ll be fine this time. Just take small steps.” Denise gently placed the veil over Jada’s face.
Jada flashed a fake grin. This time she didn’t hesitate. Resembling an outdoor wedding, hundreds of gardenias graced each pew, the altar, and the podium; Denise had definitely outdone herself and would be compensated accordingly. From the corners of her eyes, Jada watched the faces of too many strangers. Candice and Jazzmyne smiled as they stood with her wedding party. Jada stepped on cue until she arrived at her fiancé’s side.
Never Again Once More Page 8