Unexpected Interruptions

by Trice Hickman

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Hallelujah. . .

  The team dinner at The Palm restaurant was going well. The food was great and the company was lively. Everyone was high on the success of ViaTech’s showing at SuperNet. As the wine and conversation flowed, Ted sat next to Victoria, barely able to contain his longing to be alone with her. Finally, after an hour into their meal, Victoria leaned over and whispered into his ear, “Are you ready to leave?” They said goodnight to everyone, then left the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back, a smile on both their faces, and gossip on the lips of their colleagues.

  Back at the hotel, they rode the elevator in silence and anticipation. But the higher they ascended, the more nervous Victoria became. When the doors opened, her throat was dry with second thoughts. They reached their adjoining rooms and stood in front of Ted’s door. She knew that once she walked into his room, things would change. She knew she’d do things tonight that both excited and frightened her.

  Ted sensed her trepidation and reached for her hand. “V, there’s no pressure to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  They walked in hand in hand. She made herself comfortable on the edge of the bed, not the sofa where she would have normally sat. She saw Ted’s surprise at her deliberate action. He walked over and stood in front of her, his face bearing a serious stare. “V, the last couple of weeks have been hard for you. I know you need time, and I’ll give you that.”

  “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “I know.”

  Victoria looked into his eyes again. “I love you, Ted. I’m scared out of my mind. But I know that I love you.”

  She stood and went into his arms. He pulled her in close as she closed her eyes and readied herself for his kiss. She felt his cool lips on her warm ones. They were soft and moist, just as she’d imagined.

  He kissed her gently, searching her mouth with his tongue, allowing the bright sensation to flood his body. His hand eased its way down to her behind as he rubbed his pelvis against hers. They started removing each other’s clothes. She kissed his shoulder, his bare chest, and the Adam’s apple of his neck. He unbuttoned her blouse, letting it fall to the floor, then slid her skirt down her legs, tossing it to the side.

  They finished undressing one another, standing bare and exposed for mutual inspection. Ted took a step back to admire her, taking in the full scope of Victoria’s naked beauty. His eyes washed over her body, ready to explore its elegant terrain.

  Victoria scanned his body and braced herself for the view she’d been curious about for months. As her eyes journeyed over his midsection, and then down to his groin, her smile widened. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but all she could think was, hallelujah!

  He took her breast into his mouth, gently kissing one while massaging the other. His tongue flicked her nipples until they were as hard and erect as he was. He glided his finger between her legs and felt her wetness, sending shivers through both their bodies. “Ooohhh, V,” he moaned. She secured her hand around him, massaging his hardness with the same gentle strokes she would use if touching her own flesh.

  “Make love to me,” she commanded.

  Ted wanted nothing more than to grant her that wish, but after waiting for so long, he didn’t want to rush in. He wanted to take his time and pleasure her in ways that until now, he’d only dreamed about. Gently, he guided her to the bed.

  He buried his head between her thighs, lifting her legs over his shoulders. His tongue was gentle and skilled, and his kisses were sensual and intoxicating to her heated flesh. He took his time—sucking, nibbling, and licking with care. He parted her delicate folds with his fingers, exposing her bare middle, devouring her in small, savory bites as she moaned with pleasure. The softness of his lips and the precision of his tongue made her thighs tighten and her body tremble.

  Ted knew she was ready for him. Slowly, he worked his way back up to her waiting lips. She kissed him hard, tasting herself on his tongue. His erection was centered at her point of entry as he pressed his lower body against hers, hungry for what was next to come. He parted her thighs, ready to enter her. He reached over to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and removed a handful of condoms. They looked at each other and smiled. He read her mind and answered her thoughts. “I’m an optimist,” he whispered.

  When he entered her, he moved slowly, plunging inch by inch until he filled her. And just as they did whenever they jogged together, after a few quick paces, their bodies fell into step.

  “Mmmmmmm,” Victoria moaned, lightly biting Ted’s shoulder, clinging to him. They moved up and down, left and right, in and out, and side to side—reaching, searching, and stroking each other. Their bodies were slick with perspiration and excitement.

  Finally, Victoria gave in to the ecstasy overtaking her body. Ted arched his back, thrusting harder, as she was begging him to do. “Ooohhh Teeeedddd,” she moaned, releasing the orgasm she’d been waiting for. Hearing her call his name, in that way, was music to his ears.

  They Climbed Mountains...

  He lay spooned to her in the morning dawn. His limbs were tired, fatigued from pleasure. After all the months of waiting, Ted had finally experienced his heart’s desire. Looking at Victoria sleeping soundly next to him, he thought about last night.

  After their second round, they were both exhausted. His only goal had been to please her and his only desire was to love her. He knew he’d accomplished both. He loved hearing her moan, and feeling her body quiver under him. He loved the way her legs felt against his skin, wrapped around his body as she clung to him. She exposed the whole of herself, bold and uninhibited.

  Ted knew more than ever how much he loved Victoria. She was complicated, yet apparent. Serious, yet silly. Confident, yet vulnerable. Easy, yet edgy. But he wasn’t blind to her faults. He knew that she could be obsessive and stubborn, with a tendency to nag until she got what she wanted. She was a bit spoiled, and could shut you out just as quickly as she could reel you in. And she was dramatic at times, almost to the point of annoyance. But these were the things that made her who she was, and he loved her for it. He lifted the sheet, admiring her form. Before they made love, she’d reached over to turn off the light beside the bed, but he stopped her. “I want to see you,” he’d said.

  He scanned her dark body next to his pale one. It reminded him of the picture of her parents that sat prominently on her living room table. He thought about how their children would look, whether they’d be a mixture of them both, or if they’d inherit her strikingly dominant features. He smiled at the thought of having a little girl who looked exactly like Victoria, just as she looked like her mother. The vision made him smile as she stirred, turning over to face him.

  “Good morning,” she whispered.

  Ted kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips, relishing in the brackish taste of her morning breath. “Good morning,” he smiled.

  Victoria trembled when she thought about last night. She could feel his unselfish love in every movement he made. Somehow, he knew the deepest corners of her essence and the geographic route to her internal pleasure. He knew when to bite and when to nibble, when to lick and when to suck, when to thrust hard and when to ease out. At one point, he pinned her wrists above her head, nibbled her earlobe and whispered in erotic detail how he was going to pleasure her. All the things he’d said he would do were things she’d hoped for.

  As Victoria lay in Ted’s arms, she let out a small sigh. “I wish we didn’t have to go back today. Before last night I couldn’t wait to get back home, but now, I could stay here in bed with you a few more days,” she smiled.

  “Consider it done.” Ted picked up the phone, called Jen, and had her change their flight arrangements. Next, he dialed the front desk and extended their stay through the weekend.

  “I love you, I love you, I love you,” Victoria squealed, showering him with small kisses.

  “V, I’ve waited so long to hear you say those words.”

  A kn
ock at the door interrupted them. “Does housekeeping come this early?” Victoria asked, looking at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand. “It’s not even seven o’clock.”

  Ted rose from the bed and walked over to where he’d dropped his trousers the night before. Victoria watched him, his narrow hips jutting out as he bent over to pull the tailored pants up the length of his legs. He opened the door and exchanged a few cordial words with a voice ladled in a Spanish accent. “I can take it from here,” Ted told the man. He walked back toward the bed pushing a small cart of food. “I ordered last night right after you fell asleep. I figured we’d need it this morning,” he winked.

  They sat in bed feeding each other, enjoying the food and the thought of the next two days together. Ted studied Victoria closely as she dug into her syrup drenched waffle. “When did you know you loved me?” he asked.

  Victoria wiped her mouth and placed her plate on the cart. “I was in denial for a long time, but after the Christmas party at my house, I finally admitted it to myself. And it’s funny; all my friends saw it from the beginning.”

  Ted brought Victoria’s hand to his mouth and kissed it softly. “Love is difficult to hide.” He lowered her back onto the bed, covering her body with his. His breath whistled a sultry lullaby in her ear as his heat blanketed her. He slipped on a condom and guided himself inside her. Slowly, they climbed mountains. Her low whimper told him that she was at her breaking point—and he was there to meet her.

  The next day they finally ventured out of the hotel. They strolled through the trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood in Northwest, the upscale shops in Georgetown, and then on to the luxury of Mezza Gallery on Wisconsin Avenue. Victoria was prepared for the disapproving eyes of the brothers in Chocolate City, but to her surprise, no one gave them angry stares.

  She thought about how difficult it was for black women to find a good man because the statistics were stacked against them. She knew she was blessed that she’d found one . . . a very good one. She’d fallen in love with a man who happened to be older, and who happened to be white. She remembered the contented look on Ted’s face as he held her while they lay in bed earlier that morning, and she made up her mind at that moment that she wasn’t going to apologize for loving him.

  Interrupting My Shopping...

  Victoria shopped at Neiman Marcus while Ted stood outside the store, engrossed in his cell phone and BlackBerry, taking care of business for the upcoming week. She was about to make her purchase, four Jo Malone candles, when she saw Mason Brightwood appear.

  It was reminiscent of New York, only this time she wasn’t completely caught off guard. She’d been prepared for something like this. DC was Parker’s city, and she’d imagined scenarios of being out and running into any number of people, like his parents, one of his siblings, cousins, or family friends. And she knew that Mason conducted business between New York and D.C., and was frequently in town—his mistress lived on Capitol Hill.

  “Victoria, funny how we keep running into each other,” Mason smiled.

  “Hello, Mason,” she managed with distant cordiality. “If you’ll excuse me, we’re on our way to dinner,” she said, looking outside the store in Ted’s direction. She was glad that he was still on his phone, immersed in ViaTech business.

  Mason looked in Ted’s direction. “Can I have a few minutes of your time?”

  “I’m really in a hurry . . . ”

  “Just a few minutes . . . please?”

  Against her better judgment, Victoria followed Mason over to the far corner of the store. But she wasn’t in the mood for his nonsense and immediately became agitated and regretful the moment he opened his mouth.

  “You look stunning as usual,” he complimented, appraising Victoria in her strapless sundress and strappy summer sandals.

  “What do you want, Mason?”

  “I’d like to apologize for my rudeness during your Christmas visit. Some of my comments were uncalled for. You just happened to get caught in the middle of a little sibling rivalry. It had nothing to do with you, personally.”

  “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?” Victoria snapped, starting to walk away.

  “And . . . I have a message for you from Parker.”

  She stopped.

  “He knows you’re here on business, and he knows I’m always out . . . on the town, so to speak. He told me if I happened to run into you, to tell you that he wants to talk to you. He said he’s been trying to contact you, but you won’t return his calls.”

  Victoria shook her head. “Well, I have a message for your brother too. Tell him that we have nothing to talk about.”

  “You can tell him yourself. He’s over at the house.”

  Victoria froze. “He’s here in D.C.?”

  “Yes. He’s been here all week.”

  With all that had transpired, she’d forgotten that Parker had planned to spend time with his family after coming back from Kenya. Before he’d left for the Africa Project they had agreed that the week of SuperNet would be perfect timing for a family visit; that way they’d both be in town together. Just knowing that Parker was less than ten minutes away from where she stood made Victoria’s stomach feel weak.

  “Victoria, the only reason he’s not here with me now is because he’s sitting at home, sulking and thinking about you. He’s miserable without you. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. “Honestly, that’s none of my concern.”

  “Listen, I know whatever I say probably won’t hold weight with you, especially after some of my actions. But I’ve seen a change in Parker since you two started dating, a change for the better. He loves you.”

  “If he loved me, why did he cheat on me?”

  Mason sighed. “He made a stupid mistake, but he never meant to hurt you. He still loves you and he’s sick over this. Do you know he actually cried last night!” Mason’s voice was incredulous, mimicking the old sarcasm that was his customary tone. But then he stepped back into the kinder, gentler Mason. “We all make mistakes, and yes, his was a big one. But I’m telling you, that white guy out there isn’t for you.”

  Victoria was about to blow her fuse. “How the hell do you know who’s right for me!”

  “I know that anyone other than Parker is wrong for you, and you know it too.”

  “I thought that Parker was the one. But it’s over. He disregarded my feelings and violated my trust. Tell your brother to move on, and leave me the hell alone. And if he even thinks about coming by my house again, I’ll have him arrested.”

  Mason shook his head. “Yeah, he told me about that. It was an irrational thing he did . . . coming by like that,” he shrugged, “but you’re making him act crazy. He’s lost his cool.”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes in amazement. “Don’t turn this around to be my fault,” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low. “This is unbelievable. Parker’s in this situation because he couldn’t control his wandering dick.”

  Mason raised a brow at Victoria’s choice of words, but continued to press on. “He loves you, Victoria. Give him another chance.”

  “I should slap you for interrupting my shopping with this bullshit.”

  Mason was shocked, but wanted to smile at the same time. He loved a woman with bite. “Victoria, I know it’s not much coming from me . . . in your eyes. But my brother loves you. Black love is powerful, remember that.”

  That’s What She Used To Say. . .

  Parker and Mason sat across from each other at a small table in the Mocha Hut, a popular coffee shop in the trendy 13th and U Street corridor. Mason was glad that his brother was finally up and out because he hadn’t left their parents’ house since arriving in town last week. It seemed all Parker wanted to do was lay around and sulk, which was uncharacteristic of the man Mason knew, the man who had always been his best-loved brother. He’d been trying to make amends with Parker since last December, and now they were finally on good footing again.

  To his reluctance,
and at Parker’s insistence, Mason told his brother about his run in with Victoria. “She damn near cursed me out right there in Neiman’s,” he said. “She even threatened to slap me!”

  Parker smiled, remembering how feisty Victoria could be. “You got off easy—she threatened to kick my ass in my own living room.” The two men shared a laugh, each for different reasons.

  “So, little brother, what’re you going to do?”

  “Man, I don’t know. She won’t return my phone calls or emails. I’m at a loss.”

  “Parker, you can’t continue to let yourself go down like this. I don’t care how good the pussy was.”

  Parker shook his head. “You might not understand this, but that’s not all there is to Victoria, or our relationship. I love her. I feel lost without her.”

  Mason smirked, taking a small sip of his freshly brewed coffee before he spoke again. “You need to get a hold of yourself. You look like shit, you haven’t shaved in days, and you’re letting your hair grow back again. Hell, this is the first time you’ve left the house since you got here.”

  “I’m goin’ through some serious shit right now, so excuse me if I don’t get decked out and hit the town.”

  “Well, you better do something if you intend to get your woman back. Like it or not, you’ve got competition, little brother.”

  Parker huffed. “I can’t believe she’s leaving me for that mothafucker. She doesn’t even approve of interracial dating. At least that’s what she used to say.”

  “I know what you mean. You hate to see your woman with a white boy. But Parker, she didn’t leave you. You fucked it up. Getting caught like that?”