Open Door Marriage

by Kai, Naleighna

  “Woman, don’t …”

  “Tori’s on rotation until tomorrow.”

  He had her within his arms in the time it took to breathe and carried her off to the bedroom. They made the kind of mad, passionate love that meant she missed wine-tasting class altogether. And dinner. And breakfast. Evidently that “hot minute” of holding off had come to a much-needed end. They didn’t even make it through a month.

  It truly was all good times for them. Their only arguments came from differing views in politics. While they both agreed that Obama’s time in the White House had been marred by the GOP’s dogged determination to do the exact opposite of any forum the POTUS put in place to help the average American, they disagreed greatly on how the man went about doing things.

  Dallas huffed as they watched another State of the Union address. “He should have went in and gone straight gangster on those fools in the first damn place.”

  Alicia laid her head on his shoulder. “And have him prove everybody right? That a brother couldn’t handle his business without showing his ass?”

  “One time and they would’ve learned that if they didn’t play ball, he would take his toys and go home then play his own damn game.”

  Alicia sighed as they continued to watch their president—each voicing their opinion in such a way that Tori finally came out of her bedroom and banged on the door and said, “Will you two amateur political analysts keep it down! I swear, if you’re not fucking like bunny rabbits, you’re chattering like squirrels. Give it a rest already!”

  The two of them looked at each other and busted up laughing.

  * * *

  They survived the first twenty-one days of Tori’s wavering between actually enjoying how smoothly things were shaping up; then remembering that she shouldn’t. Every time it seemed as if the two women were mending their relationship, Tori’s jealousy would rear its ugly head and they would be back to square one.

  Dallas was on the road a lot for his games, but he spent every moment he could at home. Sometimes, he surprised Tori with flowers and jewelry or by leaving a CD of him singing—actually, butchering—one of her favorite songs in her pearl white Benz. Once a week, he had a crew of specialists show up at the medical school and set up shop in the cafeteria to give her, her classmates, and the instructors the royal treatment, which had made her mega-popular at work and toned down some of her anxiety.

  And what he did with Alicia was create as many special moments for them together that he could. Many nights, he would take Alicia to a private creek near the woodlands and swim with her under the stars. During one of those times, she had opened to him, telling him of the time when she first learned what fear was all about …

  * * *

  Annapolis, Missouri

  The wind whipped about and screams rented the air. Six-year-old Alicia and her nine-year-old brother, James huddled in the closet as the roar of what sounded like a thousand engines rattled the house. Alicia’s heart slammed against her little chest. Her brother wrapped his arms around her. His shirt was plastered to his brown skin, making it cold to the touch. “We’ll be okay,” James whispered, rocking her back and forth. “They’ll come back for us. You’ll see.”

  Alicia moved closer to James and they sat in the darkness for an eternity. She missed her twin, Lisa, who was at Nana’s house learning how to sew. Their parents had left the house when their mother went into labor. That seemed like days ago. Before the rains came. Nana was supposed bring Lisa home and come stay with them while their parents were at the hospital, but the silver-haired woman never made it.

  “What if the wind took them, too?” Alicia asked him.

  “No, they promised to come back. Mommy and Daddy always keep their promises, don’t they?”

  Alicia nodded, almost as unsure of his words as she was that the house wouldn’t come down around them. The wind had made a shower of branches and limbs slam against the house, breaking the windows and sucking out some of their belongings. That’s when they had run from the bedroom to the closet.

  James pulled the blanket about her shoulders. He sang to her, just as he always had when the shadows that played about her bedroom wall kept her from falling asleep. James was so brave and smart. He could chase those shadows away with his voice and she would drift into a happy place until the sun touched her face the next morning. But there was no sun this morning. Only dark clouds. An even darker sky. And rain. And the sound of the wind in its angry journey through their city.

  As she listened, Alicia noticed there was something different in his voice this time. Something she knew quite well; something that James was beginning to understand. Fear. The feel of his hand trembling as he tried to comfort her; the slight hitch in his breathing was enough to bring on a different thought. If her brother was afraid, then they were definitely in trouble.

  She focused on the words of the song. Come by here, Good Lord. Come by here. Yes, they needed God. They needed someone. Against her will, Alicia’s eyes began to close and she drifted into an uneasy type of slumber with his arms wrapped around her.

  When she awakened, the world was a frightfully different place. They were no longer in the closet. As far as the eye could see, mountains of wood, metal, and glass stood in places that once held houses and families along a tree-lined street. The sky above them was tinged with a murky grey. The wind brushed across them from all sides, bringing with it a biting cold air that made Alicia shiver. Somehow she believed that the wind had carried them faraway, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

  Alicia shook James and he slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head. His eyes widened when he probably became aware of the one thing she had figured out moments ago. She had been wrong. They were still in what was left of the closet, but only the threshold and frame remained. The concrete foundation underneath was now a macabre outline of the once-happy Mitchell family it contained. Their entire house was gone, as well as everything in it.

  “My parents didn’t keep their promise to return,” Alicia finished telling the story to Dallas. “Only later did I learn that it was because they weren’t alive to keep it. My nana and twin died that night, too. And ever since then, it feels like I’ve been drifting … just drifting.”

  Dallas swam over to her. “Not anymore, baby. Not anymore.”

  Each time they went to the creek to swim together, Alicia opened a little more to him, telling of her past and the things she had endured before finally arriving on her grandparent’s doorstep. Dallas admired her strength and tenacity and was thrilled as she slowly began to lay her heart on the line—for him.

  Alicia was beginning to trust him, but he could tell there were things that she held back. Sometimes she would pause, sifting through her memories, filtering out the things she either thought were too painful to share, or too sordid for him to understand.

  Dallas tried, on many occasions to reassure her that she was safe with him now. That no matter what life threw at them, he would never leave her.

  He understood Alicia, and she understood him in ways that Tori did not—the need for simple things; quiet times, a good meal, peace in his own home. Sometimes they didn’t have to say a word—a look, a movement, an unspoken thought connected them, and she responded to him. He adored her.

  The most pleasurable moments of his life were seeing Alicia’s smile, hearing her laughter, and knowing that he had satisfied her or pleased her in some small way.

  And that brought him more satisfaction than he could put into words.

  Chapter 22

  Monday, December 10—7:58 a.m.

  “You’re the one that asked—no, practically, demanded that I come live with you and Dallas,” Alicia screamed back at Tori. “Yet you’ve been giving me hell since I walked through the door.” She tilted her head, peering at her niece. “Is there a name for what’s really wrong with you?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with me, dear aunt.” Tori’s lips lengthened into a sour smile. “I just know that you won’t be able to keep his inter
est for long. Enjoy it while you can.” Tori hurried from Alicia’s bedroom and was out the door and on her way to the hospital a few minutes later.

  Alicia stayed in bed, mulling over yet another argument that always seemed to end this way. And once again, Tori hit on Alicia’s sore spot. The older woman had wondered what would happen when things cooled off.

  Alicia picked up her cell and noticed there was one missed called from Dallas. He was just leaving practice, and he normally checked on her before he went on any errands. She was glad that she’d missed his call, and she had no intentions of calling him back. She wasn’t going to tell him what she was about to do. And she couldn’t lie to him—he could always hear it in her voice.

  Tori was trying to play hard, but her pain was evident and while Alicia had tried putting her own needs first, Tori had her questioning more and more what was she doing? What would happen with Dallas after the newness wore off? After she fell head over heels, deeply in love with him? That, she wouldn’t be able to handle. No. Enough was enough. She needed to get out now. Before she couldn’t get out at all.

  * * *

  At dawn, Alicia quietly made an exit from the condo and stole away in a taxi.

  The moment the front door closed behind her, Dallas raised up from the sofa and stared at the door. He rushed to Alicia’s bedroom, confirmed that her bed was empty, then bolted out the door. He looked up and down the empty street, just in time to see the cab turn the corner.

  “Shit!” he yelled. He knew that this was trouble. There was only one reason why Alicia would be up and out of the house as the sun was just starting to rise. He contemplated what to do. By the time he made it back upstairs to get his keys, she’d be long gone. Dallas darted back inside and went straight to the computer. He perused the last searches she had done and quickly found what he was looking for. He threw on some clothes, grabbed his wallet and passport and was hot on her trail.

  The auburn-haired ticket agent at DFW International Airport pulled up the cost of the tickets and said, “Sir, are you certain you have to be on this particular flight? It will save you a lot of money if you could catch the next one.”

  “This one works,” Dallas replied, trying to tamp down his impatience.

  “But sir, the only ticket we have left is non-refundable. And it’s over $10,000.”

  Dallas didn’t respond.

  “And do you have a visa?” When he shook his head, she added, “Travel is big business, so they will let you into the airport, but they don’t issue visas after you get there, so you’ll be stuck in customs.”

  “I know,” he said, trying to keep his voice level. “Thank you for your concern, but I’d like a ticket for this flight. Right now.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said. She took the charge card and passport he offered. When she slid him his boarding pass, she gave him a wan smile. “You have a nice flight.”

  “Thank you.”

  With no luggage, Dallas made it through security and hurried to the gate, ignoring the fans trying to get his attention. He scanned the area for Alicia and felt an instant sense of relief when he saw her seated near the window. He leaned on the beam next to the phone charging station at the gate and waited.

  Moments later, she frowned and looked up from the novel in her hand, appropriately called, Set This House in Order—something Dallas was having one hell of a time trying to do. Alicia and Tori living together under one roof was the horrible idea that Alicia had warned it would be. Tori went at Alicia whenever she found the opening to whip on the guilt or remind everyone that she would be Dallas’ wife.

  Alicia’s eyes widened with shock, but she quickly refocused on the novel in her hand.

  Still he waited.

  She tried to ignore him, but occasionally looked up only to find him still watching her.

  A woman’s thick accented English came over the loud speakers, “Air India, Flight 1267 will now begin the boarding process. First Class passengers, please have your documents ready, as you are boarding now. And thank you for flying with Air India today.”

  Alicia quickly grabbed her things and hurriedly fell in line behind the passengers who were filing in. She gave the attendant her boarding pass, walked a few feet and turned back to him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.

  Dallas didn’t crack a smile as he held up his own boarding pass.

  Her shoulders slumped, and she left the line and stood at a spot where there would still be several feet between them and a blanket of white noise that could effectively buffer their conversation. “Dallas, you can’t come with me.”

  He didn’t bother to respond.

  “You’ll miss your game tonight!”

  Dallas shrugged, but he never took his eyes from hers.

  “You’ll get a huge fine, and you’ll probably lose your contract.”

  He leaned against the steel counter and folded his arms across his chest.

  “And I know you don’t have a visa,” she added.

  He shook his head, and it caused her to sigh.

  “They’ll deport you!” she warned. “They’ll deport you the minute you get off that plane. And it’ll be all over the news.”

  Dallas raised a single eyebrow and waited. Now he understood why she timed her departure as she did. She thought he wouldn’t come for her. From his place at the charging station he simply said, “You get on that plane, and I’m right there with you, Alicia. They may fine me. But I’m not going to lose my contract. And I meant it when I said that loving you is more important than all the money in the world.”

  Alicia closed her eyes, and a single tear escaped, quickly followed by another and yet another. But he didn’t move to comfort her or to keep her from getting on that plane.

  They stood in silence for a moment, then finally, she ran to him, and he took her in a deep embrace like he never wanted to let her go. They stayed that way until the wavy-haired attendant came over to ask, “Um, sir, are you and the lady going to board the flight?”

  Dallas shook his head and kept his arms around Alicia, ignoring the curious stares and smiles from the people around them.

  “Dallas, I can’t do this anymore,” she whispered as she held onto him. “You’re always at practice or a game. And it’s just me and her.” She looked up at him. “I don’t recognize the Tori who lives in your house. And when she finally pushes me beyond my limits, you won’t recognize the Alicia who lives in your house either.”

  Dallas wiped her tears with the back of his hand. He lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “I’ll take you house hunting on the way home.” With that, he embraced her once again.

  They were still entwined long after the plane had left without them.

  * * *

  Dallas crossed the threshold of the condo, scooped Alicia in his arms and practically ran with her to the bedroom.

  He had skipped training this morning, taking her to see several houses so she could pick out one she’d like. At the last home—all that talk of the kind of bed she wanted, how she couldn’t wait to see him walk out of the shower with his dark skin against all that white background, and the wicked things she wanted to try with him—in her new house—made him horny as hell.

  The minute they crossed the threshold of the condo, Alicia snatched off her stilettos and took off running toward the bedroom with him hot on her heels. He was out of his shirt and slacks in the time it took him to clear the door.

  Alicia tore off her dress and lace underwear, pushed him back onto the bed, and straddled his thighs. She took his hand in hers and held them over his head and said, “Keep them there. You can’t touch me.”

  Dallas grinned, but complied, loving that she had taken control.

  She took his erection in her hand, stroking it as though she was reacquainting with a long-lost friend. When she guided him to her moist center, the feel of her tight walls closing around him made him close his eyes.

  “No!” she said and his eyes flew open. “I want you to watch me.”

  And watch
he did. She began a rhythm that was slow and teasing, causing his breath to catch and his arms to reach for her.

  “Put them down, Dallas. You can’t touch me.”

  “Baby, I’ve got to …” he hissed with pleasure as she came down on him once again. “Oh shhhhhhh….”

  Alicia quickened her movements, and he found it hard not to grip her hips. She gave him an intense look and he forced his hands down by his side. He moved his hips, thrusting in answer to every move, increasing the crescendo into pure bliss.

  She teased him, letting her breasts hover just above his lips where he couldn’t wrap his lips around her nipples. When he couldn’t take anymore, he flipped her over, pulled her to the edge of the bed, spread her thighs with his knee and centered himself within her. Then he thrust into her as she released a low, throaty chuckle. “Ohhh, the big man can give commands,” she taunted. “But he certainly can’t take them.”

  His answering thrust caused her to sigh and tighten around him.

  Alicia wavered between being submissive and wanton. When she held onto him, thighs securely wrapped around him, hands encircled about his neck, she had cried as he brought her into that third orgasm.

  He looked up just in time to see Tori’s tear-filled eyes looking in on them. Only he heard the click of her heels as she ran away.

  * * *

  Tori ran to the bathroom and braced herself against the cool edge of the porcelain. It was one thing to know that the two of them made love, but seeing it was …

  “Tori?”

  She looked at his reflection in the mirror.

  “Dallas, I can’t talk right now.” She shook her head. “So y’all are fucking every single day now? Whatever happened to building a friendship first?”

  “Done,” he said simply. And the sound of finality was like a hammer blow to her heart. He stepped closer to her. “I’m so sorry. We’ve tried to be careful. I thought you wouldn’t be home until later.”