Aquarius_Mr. Humanitarian_The 12 Signs of Love

by Tiana Laveen

  When it was over, he looked into her eyes and chuckled gently, causing her to do the same. Her fingers played in his soft hair, and her heart pounded to the natural high of being in love, accepting it for the beautiful thing that it was…

  Two weeks later…

  “You have gone completely over the deep end! What tha fuck, man?!” Tim yelled as they glared at one another in the breakroom. Aiden looked around them, noticing the few wanderers whose ears had perked up.

  “Keep your voice down, damn it!” He grabbed his lunch from the refrigerator and plopped down in the seat at the small, round table, not in the mood to go out to eat. Tearing into the bag and picking up his club sandwich, he grimaced at the limp lettuce that lay smashed between the two slices of toasted bread.

  “So, you and this woman are romantically involved? Oh, and let’s not forget that you’ve been fucking the shit outta her!”

  “Well, yeah,” Aiden stated nonchalantly around a big bite of sandwich. “Usually, when two people are in relationship, they have sex. Strange, right?” He chuckled.

  “This isn’t funny, Aiden.” Tim pointed his finger angrily at him. “Is it the lady I think it is? The Black lady who walks like a stack of books is on her head, with the nice ass, legs, and tits? She looks like a fucking Nicole Chapman with short hair… the one I got to see last week up close and personal. Yup, that’s your poison, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, that’s her.” He took another bite of his sandwich.

  “Unreal! I knew something was up with you lately but couldn’t put my finger on it. Now I see. I could understand a momentary lapse in judgement, but this wasn’t a one-time roll in the hay, either. Oh, no, no, no, no… that I could forgive, but no, this has happened every damn chance you two got. You’ve been porkin’ ’er like there’s no tomorrow!”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. “I find your outbursts amusing.”

  “How could you not tell me about this?”

  “You made it perfectly clear how you felt about it so why would I subject myself to exactly what I am hearing from you right now?” He took a sip of Diet Coke. “Besides, you know me, man. I do what I want to do when it comes to women. You know that by now. I liked her, we hooked up, we’re together now. End of story.”

  “End of story? No! End of your damn job, man! If William gets hold of this news your ass is grass, and you can definitely kiss that promotion goodbye. We’re together several times a week, after work hours. How were you able to keep so quiet about this all of this time? You played at the video game tournament for me last night and didn’t say one word.”

  “So?”

  “We won the prize money and you didn’t say shit when I asked what you’d been up to all day. You’d just left her damn apartment and it would have been a prime opportunity to spill the beans. You had plenty of chances to tell me how you’d gone against everything we discussed, Aiden. You’re sitting there like nothing is going on.”

  “I didn’t have to tell you at all, Tim. I only decided to do so after you looked over my shoulder and saw I was texting someone, ‘I love you.’ Instead of keeping up the charade, I decided to come clean. It’s no one’s business but hers and mine.”

  “Aiden, you’re fucking your client! This is outrageous! You’re actually screwing a customer. I can’t believe this!” The man pulled at his hair with both hands, as if his life were on the line. “We joke about it all the time but we never actually go through with it.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?! I am the one who told you that!” He reached into his lunch bag and retrieved his bag of Lays chips.

  “Okay, and now Golden Farms has offered her the damn position…”

  “Right, and she accepted. She’s in.”

  “But what if you guys stop chatting it up, or her job doesn’t work out and she gets a stick up her ass and blames you for everything? You could lose your damn job over it. I can’t believe this! I am in shock that you’d do something like this, Aiden. Why?”

  “Because I love her, Tim! No, we didn’t start out being in love, but you weren’t there when she’d call me and we’d go over her interview questions, and then we’d talk for hours about all sorts of things, night after night. You weren’t there when I looked into her references and saw all the volunteer work she’d done for people with disabilities, all of her glowing references from people who had worked with her—talking about she always went the extra mile. You weren’t there when she told me her ex-husband called her two weeks ago and for the first time since their divorce, she felt strong enough to tell him to go away and never look back.

  “She was ready to completely move on and leave the past in the past, something I’ve personally struggled to do!” He pointed to himself. Tim pulled out the chair next to him and sat down beside him, his expression softer. “You weren’t there when she told me she went into speech therapy because her favorite aunt had been abused by her husband. He sliced her damn throat and the woman couldn’t verbally communicate anymore and ended up losing her will to live! Addison said her aunt used to love to sing and that guy took it all away from her. If she only had a voice, man… if we all only had a voice!” His eyes watered. “Look, man, I can’t explain it, but she makes me… she makes me want to reach a little deeper, give myself a voice, give life to the stuff on the inside.”

  Tim gave him a sad smile, and he seemed to finally understand.

  “She makes me want to open up to her, to see what I’ve been missing… I don’t know.” Aiden slowly set the drink down, his emotions running wild within him. “She just makes me feel good and I am not just talking about sex. It’s one thing to feel good with someone, it’s another thing when they love you so much they force you to love yourself harder, too. She’s good for me, man. She listens. She heard me screaming, even when I wasn’t saying anything at all…”

  The slight drizzle proved exhilarating and refreshing. They hadn’t even bothered to take cover; instead, they sang off key, shopped and frolicked about like children on a sugar high. Hand in hand, Aiden and Addison raced from tent to tent at the farmer’s market, gathering an assortment of juicy citrus fruits and mason jars of local honey. It had been her idea; he’d much rather be watching television with a large pepperoni pizza and a Corona, but hey, love was about give and take. Addison pointed eagerly up ahead, letting it be known she wanted to keep perusing the eclectic wares. She’d spotted a vendor offering an array of colorful and exotic homemade jewelry, quaint tarot card decks, incense and tie-dye blankets.

  “Oh boy… hocus pocus shit,” he teased, causing her to playfully bop him in the shoulder before they moseyed on over. A woman sat behind a large white lopsided card table, a thick black shawl wrapped around her slender frame. The middle-aged lady ran long ringed hands through her lanky dark hair, then got to her feet and greeted them with a toothy smile.

  “Hello, beautiful,” she said, then went into a sales spiel. “Buy two of these necklaces, get a bracelet free… These are onyx.”

  Addison was taking it all in, hook, line and sinker.

  “This is jade, isn’t it?” She picked up a necklace and turned it to and fro. It was a silver and gold wrapped chain with a green elephant pendant hanging on it.

  “Yes, my love, it is. Beautiful, isn’t it? It sells for $23.00 but for you, I’ll let you have it for $19.”

  “The trunk is turned the wrong way.” Addison looked at the pendant closely, frowning as if her trust in the world had been suddenly crushed. Aiden figured she was simply putting the older woman on, trying to use an excuse to knock off another buck or two. “See?” She thrust the jewelry in Aiden’s face. “It’s bad luck for the trunk to be turned down like this.”

  He nodded in agreement, but he had no idea what the hell his baby was talking about. His gaze drifted to a bottle opener that was shaped like a football. It seemed rather out of place, but it was right up his alley.

  “You’re right,” the vendor stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I hadn’t noticed that b
efore. I do have others though.” She began to pull out trays filled with various pendants: gold crescent moons, ruby hearts, ebony and ivory cat heads, colorful parrots, and some bejeweled elephants, as well. “Oh, here’s one! Now, this is a ruby, but the trunk is up and it’s gorgeous!” The lady really laid it on thick.

  “It is really pretty… I’m partial to jade though.” Addison sighed in disappointment. She took notice of a pair of jade earrings and promptly plucked them from the display. “How much?”

  “Fifteen.”

  He grabbed the football shaped bottle opener and looked at Addison, taking delight in knowing she was going to try and bargain with the lady.

  “Twelve,” Addison countered with a crooked grin.

  “Thirteen and a half. I can’t go lower.”

  “Deal.” Addison giggled as if she’d made the transaction of a lifetime and Aiden couldn’t help but laugh.

  In no mood to haggle, he thrust a five-dollar bill in the woman’s hand, the exact asking price, and walked away with his new little trinket. They made their way over to a man who was selling assorted berries, kiwis, ingredients for homemade soap, and magazines. What a strange combination indeed.

  “It was funny to see you two going at it like that,” Aiden stated as he grasped an old Time Life magazine, dated 1976, from the table. As he gingerly flipped through the slightly yellowed pages, he caught her grinning at him from the corner of his eye.

  “My mother taught me and my sisters how to bargain. That’s how wealthy people stay wealthy. We negotiate. Everything is negotiable.”

  “Oh, really?” He smirked as he kept flipping through the pages and internally laughed at the photo of a man in yellow and red striped bell bottom pants and matching jacket. “Well, how about we negotiate going back to your place and then negotiate what position I want to take you in?” At this, he was met with a playful shove, almost knocking him off balance. He laughed, set the magazine down, and took her by the hand, leading her towards the parking lot.

  “I’m not done shopping,” she protested, holding a slew of recycled bags filled with knickknacks, jewelry and fruits in her right hand.

  “There’s another place you can shop at, and they have a big deal today and today only, so we better hurry. You won’t want to miss it!”

  “Oh really? Where?”

  You innocent little lamb you. You have fallen right into my slaughter house…

  “It’s in my pants. Now let’s go!”

  The woman’s laughter boomed as the pitter patter of rain increased. Pulling her to him, he crushed her lips in a kiss. He held her so tight, it felt as if they’d become one, right then and there. The world slowed, the rain increased, their passions raced. When they had the strength to break free, they were soaking wet, breathing hard and sitting inside of the car, laughing and noshing on a ripe, juicy pear she had in one of her bags. She took a bite then passed it to him, and he tasted it before starting up the car. What a strangely erotic Adam and Eve type of moment.

  Once they arrived at her apartment, he practically shoved her inside and carried her screaming and laughing into her bedroom.

  Peeling off the layers of wet clothing was a snap, and they made a mess of her bed in a matter of short minutes. Their wet, slick bodies wound against one another and their need grew by the second. He dove fast between her legs, his hunger for her forcing him to swirl his tongue all over her sweet pussy. Holding her close to his face, he inhaled her love, his dick swelling at her naked image and the sounds that emitted from her mouth. They soon changed positions to a 69. When she enveloped his cock between her lips, her warm, small hands pressed into his ass, he groaned and pumped with need into her mouth. She delivered the kind of pleasure that only she could administer. At the same time, he worked his tongue against her love, swallowing her essence and loving every drop. When he felt her tense, he knew she was close… and he would do just about anything to feel her buck against his lips and sigh in her customary and delightful way. Her orgasmic plateau shattered their shared space in time, and the beautiful feminine noises he’d grown to love purred from her lips as her oral grasp slipped from his cock. Plunging his finger within her, he coaxed another climax from her as he sucked firmly on her clit, craving to drain her totally of her resolve… put her beautiful ass in a state of total relaxation.

  She lay there, helpless and happy, as he hooked his hands under her arms and turned her around towards the headboard. Aiden looked deeply into her eyes as he kneed her thighs apart, then entered her. Their bodies moved together like crashing waves, the building momentum driving them toward a place they’d been but longed to return to once again. Thunder and lightning rocked the outside world as his hungry thrusts propelled him to their destination. Their moans mingled, words of love and nastiness wrapping around each other, speaking their heart and bodies’ desires.

  “Feels so good…” she whispered, then screamed, “Fuck me! My pussy needs you!”

  And he did—he fucked her hard and fast before silencing her screams of passion with a kiss. Holding her close, he kept kissing her, needing her. Her fingernails dragged and traced up and down his body, pulling at his flesh as he rode her hard against the squeaking mattress. It was only a matter of time before he could no longer hold back his pending release. Sounds emitted from his vocal chords, things he had no control over as he came deep within her.

  All of his senses felt heightened, amplified and in stereo.

  He could smell the rain drops infused in her short curls, the sweet, light, floral perfume that scented her collarbones and neck…

  He could hear her uneven breathing begin to slow as they just lay there in each other’s arms…

  He could see the love in her gorgeous dark brown eyes, her benevolence was tattooed in her smile…

  He could feel her soft, buttery skin against his body, awakening his desire for her once again. He wanted her in every way possible. She was a marathon he would never win, the sprint that would never end for there was no finish line, just a long road filled with the beauty of a place that was brand new and worth exploring. But it didn’t matter that this was an endless race because their connection, their love for one another, was infinite. This was no fly by night affair.

  Of that, he was certain…

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Careers, Cheers, Tears and Fears

  Tim lurked in the corner like some scoundrel selling scalped concert tickets at the coliseum. The twisted smirk on his face made Aiden shake his head in amusement as he neared him. His best friend laid his hand on his shoulder and said with an exaggerated sigh, “Today is the day, champ. Give it all ya got, Rocky!”

  “Get tha hell outta here. Don’t you have work to do?” Aiden chuckled.

  “Seriously, good luck, man. Your big interview for that great kahuna management position is today, and that’s a big deal. You’ll even be travelling to other branches, get a big pay raise… a nice fat check I imagine. I’ll need to borrow some money right away if you land this.”

  “I’m sure you will.” They both burst out laughing.

  “Treat us peons under you well. Remember the little people.”

  “Oh, shut up. Nobody is a peon. We all work our asses off. Well, most of us. Anyway, thanks, man.” They gave each other daps. “I appreciate the well wishes.” Aiden glanced down at his watch. “In five minutes it’s show time, so I better head on over to H.R.” He pulled out a tin of spearmint flavored candies and popped one in his mouth. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  “You do that!” Tim called out as Aiden started his walk toward the unknown. Each step he took felt surreal. He was either nearing his future, or staying in the present. Either way, he accepted both as viable options, but he had high hopes that his track record would speak for itself. As he headed towards the elevator, Mark passed him in the hall.

  “Hey.” The man’s face split in a greasy smile. “On your way to interview for the big gig, huh?”

  Aiden crossed his arms and grimaced
at the son of a bitch.

  “I just came from there,” the fucker continued. “May the best man win.”

  “Well then there’s no competition because there’s only one man standing here, now isn’t there? And it sure as hell isn’t you.” Aiden jammed his finger on the ‘up’ arrow button and waited by the double metal doors.

  Mark burst out in full forced laughter, bending at the waist, carrying on like a loon. When he stood erect, his face was bright red and his perfectly coiffed dark hair slightly disheveled.

  “That’s a good one, Aiden… that’s funny. Say.” The man ran his finger contemplatively against his chin. “I wonder what the big wigs would have to say about us employees fucking our clients?” Aiden’s blood went cold, but he refused to allow the bastard to see him squirm under the heat. “Do you think they’d let that slide? Hmmm, it could make all the difference in who gets the job offer, couldn’t it?”

  The son of a bitch cast him a wink, turned on his heels, and walked away. When the elevator doors opened, Aiden promptly stepped inside, chewing his inner jaw as he tried with everything within him to regain his composure. As the damn thing went up a flight, he pushed the altercation out of his mind and hoped and prayed for the best…

  The glaring red and blue lights of several police cars blinded him, the vehicles parked side by side outside his mother’s apartment building. Aiden sat in his car a good while, staring at the place, his mind morphed to a blank canvas. His heart became numb, and yet, he was there, in the eye of the storm.

  He’d had an awesome interview, then gave Tim an update that included the roundabout warning from Mark. After bouncing it off one another, they decided calling the fucker’s bluff was the best bet and if he did sing like a wounded bird, he’d handle that bridge when it was time to cross it. This right here though was a gut clenching ending to fairly positive day. Deciding to take the situation by the throat, he shoved the car door open and exited his vehicle, slamming it behind him, then approached Perry, who was talking to four cops, his arms flailing about and his voice loud.