by Zuri Day
Terrell held out his hand. “Ms. Robinson.”
She accepted his handshake.
A simple, appropriate action except for the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes and how his fingers trailed against her palm ever so slightly. All while maintaining a friendly expression as though nothing was going on. A man shouldn’t be able to make a handshake X-rated, but Terrell was about to moisten her panties.
It was all she could do not to jerk back her hand. Instead she pulled and at the same time turned to the people who’d joined her.
“Terrell, these are my friends. This is Lauren, her husband, Calvin, and her sons, Cody and Conner, who attend the center.”
“I thought I recognized you,” Terrell said, shaking the hand of the ten-year-old. While shaking Conner’s hand, he spoke to Kyle. “This is your friend from school.”
“And home, and everything! He’s an Avenger, too!”
Terrell laughed. “I’ve seen you two playing together. It’s good to meet all of you. Let me give you a quick lay of the land.”
With that, a raucous afternoon of fun, rides, laughter and carnival-style junk food began. Aliyah was relieved to see so many from the center. That she was there, seen with Terrell, did not stand out. At various times the parties split, with the children going one way, accompanied by one of the center’s interns, and the couples enjoying some alone time. It was during one such time that Aliyah found herself meeting some of Terrell’s family, thereby breaking the rule to not do it.
They’d just left a target game where Terrell won her a large stuffed bear when an attractive, familiar-looking couple approached them.
“I see someone’s enjoying the festivities,” the woman said to him, before addressing Aliyah with an outstretched hand. “Hi, I’m Teresa. The good twin.”
Terrell feigned offense as the ladies shook hands. “Atka, did you not school your wife on how to behave in public?”
“No,” the handsome man answered. “She skipped my class.”
Everyone laughed.
“Sis, this is my friend Aliyah Robinson. Aliyah, my baby sister, Teresa, and her husband, Atka.”
“It’s nice meeting you both. Now I know why you looked so familiar,” she said to Teresa. “You two really look alike.”
“It’s why I’m in therapy,” Teresa said, deadpan.
“Best thing that ever happened to her,” Terrell quickly responded. Through this it was clear to see that the love between these two knew no bounds.
“Where’s everybody?” Terrell asked Teresa.
“Let’s see. Monique and a few others are over at Warren and Charlie’s. Ike and Audrey were playing hosts to some power couple from DC. Niko’s busy being mayor. I saw Mom and Dad earlier but I think they left. That leaves all the fun to us.”
Aliyah enjoyed all the event had to offer: food, fun, games and seeing her little man giddy with excitement. And sugar. At one point, she let Kyle go with the Hensleys to enjoy rides with Conner and visit the haunted house. Terrell took this opportunity to whisk her away, a few miles farther down the road, to the home of Warren, the grape-growing rancher, and his wife, Charlie, who with her jean shorts, tank top, cowboy hat and boots was the epitome of a 21st-century cowgirl. Had she roped a steer or rode a bucking bronco, Aliyah would not have been surprised. Nice enough, though. And down-to-earth, despite a home that seemed plucked from an interior design magazine, surrounded by land that was postcard perfect. As they left, Terrell drove her by Warren’s neighbors, Teresa and Atka, who’d built a home for their many trips back to PC from Alaska, Atka’s home state and place of their main residence.
Back at the festival, she met Ike and his date, watched Niko in action and quickly saw why he’d garnered the vote. Though each wielded it differently, every Drake man she’d met had an indefinable quality that was easy to notice and hard to resist. His brief yet passionate speech about the town’s bright future made her want to cheer and she didn’t even live there.
A fireworks display timed to music was the exclamation point to a perfect holiday. Five minutes after the last Roman candle boom, Kyle was asleep in Terrell’s arms.
“We can take him with us,” Lauren offered, as they all walked to the parking lot.
“That’s okay. I’m heading home, too.”
Terrell and Aliyah continued to her car. After Terrell placed Kyle in the car seat, Aliyah made sure he was strapped in securely.
“Thank you for inviting us here,” she said, turning to face Terrell. “I couldn’t have imagined how much fun this would be. I’ve never seen Kyle so happy.”
Terrell reached out to hold her but she stepped back. “Too many eyes,” she explained. “And as it is, I might have to make a stop at UC Davis to remove all the daggers the Tee Drake groupies were shooting at my back.”
“Couldn’t have been more than I should have thrown at all the men checking you out. But I wasn’t worried. They got to look, but I get to touch. So what are we doing?”
“I’m going home.”
“Why don’t you come over to my house? It’s just going to be my fam, a few friends.”
“Because I have a son who needs to be put to bed.”
“We’ve got beds at our house.”
“Yes, but I’m going to put him in the one in his room.”
He opened her car door. She climbed inside. “Then you know what’s getting ready to happen, right?”
After starting the car, she looked up at him. “What?”
“I’m going to be in the one in your room. Text me your address.” He turned and walked away.
“Terrell!” she yelled softly, if there was such a thing, so as not to wake the little one. She thought about simply not sending her address. That was an easy enough solution to not doing what she said she’d never do, and break another rule.
Except one should never say never. And that the prerogative of a woman to change her mind was a well-known fact. And it had been a long time since San Francisco.
So she texted him her address, and hurried home to welcome her guest.
Chapter 11
Once home, Aliyah lay Kyle on top of his bedcovers and took a quick shower. After spritzing her body with an organic concoction of vanilla and jasmine oils diluted in distilled water, she brushed back her hair, wrapped her body in a satiny, flowered kimono and returned to Kyle’s room. She’d barely managed to remove the costume from her sleeping Avenger and tuck him into bed before her message indicator vibrated.
“That can’t be Terrell,” she mumbled, looking at her watch as she crossed over to her room and the nightstand where her phone lay.
There’s a special delivery at your door. Come open it.
She did, and was immediately enveloped in a bear hug followed by a kiss so long and deep it threatened her breathing.
“Wait,” she panted, finally breaking away, a hand to her chest as she stepped around him to close the door.
“You all right, babe?”
She put a finger to her mouth and used the other to direct him toward her bedroom. Once there, and with her door firmly shut, she took a deep breath. “Kyle’s a pretty sound sleeper but I don’t want to chance him hearing you. That Mr. Drake came to visit Mommy is a story I don’t want spread.”
“I can understand that.”
“To answer your question, yes, I’m all right. Though that was some kiss. It almost left me short of breath.”
“Baby, that’s what I’m here for. To take your breath away.”
“Oh, Lord. Is that what’s his name making a comeback? Silky?”
“Which family member opened their big mouth?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“It had to be Teresa. I’m going to get her for that.”
Aliyah watched Terrell unbutton and remove his shirt,
then sit on her bed and begin unlacing his sneakers. She joined him on the bed. “By all means, make yourself comfortable.”
“Oh, I’m going to do more than that.” He stood, then unzipped and removed his pants.
She rested back on her haunches, her eyes lowered to half-mast. “Just what are you going to do, Mr. Drake?”
He lowered his voice even more. “I’m going to get rid of any and all obstructions between us.” He pulled down and stepped out of his underwear. His dick—thick, long, hard, ready—sprang up like a cobra ready to strike.
He placed a knee on the bed, reached for the kimono belt and loosened the knot. “Like this.” His eyes never left hers as he pushed the fabric away from her body, leaving her exposed, wanting. He ran a finger down the side of her face, continuing to her chest and over to flick a nipple.
Fully on the bed now, he lowered his head. “Then,” he whispered, his breath flowing across her nipple now pebbled with lust, “I’m going to kiss.” His lips caressed her skin. “Lick.” His tongue—slow, wet—laved across one nipple, then the other, trailed to her stomach and around her inward navel. Lower, to the triangular paradise now moist with desire, her pearl plump and exposed, ripe for the plucking...and he did, with relish. He nipped with his teeth and lapped with his tongue, parting her folds and lavishing her with all of the desire he’d held at bay all day.
He spread her legs wider, pushed his tongue deeper, branding her spot with the precision of a tattoo artist, and just as lasting.
“Mmm, baby, you taste so good.”
And on and on he went, licking, laving, lapping, loving, lower and lower still.
To a part of her body that no man had ever touched.
“Ooh, Terrell...”
“What? You don’t like it?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never—” She gasped, words lost to this foreign, excruciatingly maddening touch of his tongue. Hot. Wet. Licking her there.
He guided her over, onto her stomach. Her body quivered, goose bumps appearing at the heat of his gaze. His dick, already swollen, became even more engorged.
“This right here,” he whispered softly, almost reverently, as he squeezed her cheeks apart. And together. And apart again. “This is my favorite part of your body.” He kissed it. “Perfect.” He kissed it again. “The best I’ve ever seen.”
He ran a finger down each crease. Back and forth. Making her wetter with each long swipe. “Damn, you’re so wet for me. So instead of telling you what’s about to happen... I’ll show you.”
He turned her over, grabbed her thighs, buried his head in her sweet spot and thrust his tongue in deep.
Aliyah yelped, the sudden delicious invasion making her come with abandon. She grabbed a pillow to absorb the screams as on the waves of the seismic orgasm he positioned himself over her and sheathed himself inside her tight core. For minutes, or was it hours, he moved inside her, taking her over the top once again. Still hard, still hungry, he flipped them over. Laced his hands behind his head and watched her slide down his shaft, her breasts swaying in time with her hips, her eyes fluttering closed at the hypnotic feel of him inside her. Later, bodies glistening with sweat, tendrils of hair clinging against her neck and back, she rode with him once again over the edge. His groan deep and powerful, her body completely spent.
Collapsing on top of him she had breath enough left for only one word. “Amazing.”
It was a little after midnight. They lay naked, spooning, in her queen-size bed.
“You’re dangerous.”
Terrell pulled her tighter, nudged her with his package. “How so?”
She gave him a look. “You have to ask?”
“I’d never assume anything.”
“I now understand why you have such a large...female following.” He laughed. She joined him. “Not the comment you expected?”
“It’s why I don’t assume. But don’t think everybody gets what you got tonight. That was special. Just for you.”
She eyed him again. “Really?”
He turned on his side, the gaze meeting hers that of a very satisfied man. “Yes, really. You’ve got me feeling you on a deep level. For real.”
She looked away from him. “Don’t get mad at your sister. The nickname fits.”
“So it was Teresa. I knew it.”
“Says that it’s what makes you such a successful businessman. Can sell honey to bees she told me. A gift of gab that is as smooth as silk.”
“She said all that?”
“No, I added the last part.”
“My spiels work because they are honest, and come from the heart. When I say something, I mean it. Besides, for you I’d rather be thought of as silky for other, more personal uses of my mouth and tongue.”
Aliyah took a deep breath and tried to slow the heartbeat that his words had increased. Not to mention how her pussy just quivered. This conversation was getting into scary territory. And her feelings were following suit. “You’ve got me breaking rules, dude! Rule one, no serious anything.”
“Oh, so this is serious now?” he said, chuckling.
“No! But meeting your family makes it feel serious.” She turned her head toward him even though the room was dark. “Have you ever met the parents of a booty call?”
“I’m more than a booty call.”
“No, you’re not.” His confident, disbelieving laugh was slightly infuriating. “You’re a friend with benefits.”
“If you say so.”
“Rule two,” she continued, ignoring his smugness. “No male sleepovers, except for Kyle’s friends.”
“No worries. I’ll make sure we stay awake all night.”
This earned a swat on his exposed thigh. “No, you won’t. I have to work tomorrow.”
“What time do you have to be there?”
“Not until noon,” she answered with a grateful sigh. “But don’t expect pancakes for breakfast. You’ll be leaving shortly.”
“You’re putting me out?”
“Yes.”
“What, it’s screw and through?”
“Absolutely.”
“Ha!”
“Shh! Quiet, before you wake Kyle, and I have to explain what Mr. Drake is doing in Mommy’s bed.”
He turned, and settled on his back. “Aliyah.”
“Hmm?”
“Is that the real reason you were so against meeting my family, because to do so would change your views of our relationship?”
“It’s not a—”
“Okay, friendship. My bad.”
A second passed, and then another.
“No, not really.”
“What’s the reason?”
Aliyah repositioned herself to lie on her back, too. “Because being around families like yours reminds me of Ernest’s family, Kyle’s father. As I’ve already shared, that was not a good experience.”
“Made worse because your ex did not stand by your side.”
“That hurt the most, but it wasn’t the only thing.”
“Explain that.”
She let out a sigh. “It’s not important.”
“It is to me.”
“Why?”
He reached out in the darkness, ran a gentle finger down the side of her face, and down her arm, before resting it on her hip. “Because I like you, Aliyah Robinson. And I’m trying to get to know the person beneath the scrubs, and the tough, screw-and-through exterior. That’s all.”
Several seconds passed, to the point where Terrell doubted she’d answer. But she did.
“Being around Ernest’s family often left me feeling insignificant. Not just because they were wealthy, not just the materialism. It was also their societal recognition, their knowledge of a family lineage they could take back gen
erations and their amazing ability to simply ignore that which they did not believe in or think important. Huge matters, like world hunger, or global warming, or race relations or an economy spiraling out of control. Situations that sometimes impacted me and my family. It was as though if they didn’t talk about it, it didn’t exist.
“The Westcotts are native Rhode Islanders whose forefathers were prominent members of the larger community since, if they are to be believed, the ink began to dry on the Emancipation Proclamation. His father, a lawyer, has been a councilman for years. His mother is a socialite.” Said as though cotton were stuffed up her nose and eliciting the laughter she intended. “Their daughter, Jane, is married to a banker, whose Boston-based family is also part of the elite. So Ernest holding a conversation with me, much less dating and, gasp and sputter, getting me pregnant, was akin to murder in the first degree.”
“How’d you meet him?”
“At Brown University. He was a senior. I was a freshman minding my own business when he stopped my stroll across the campus and asked me on a date.”
“That just goes to show you how fine you are because many of those brothers don’t socialize outside their circle.”
“I don’t think he had plans for me beyond the sheets. My intelligence surprised him.”
“A woman with a booty and a brain!”
“You’re silly. One date turned into several and before you know it, we were official. After six months or so, he invited me to a dance. Big mistake. One look at me and his parents knew I wasn’t upper crust. I think he’d hoped my becoming a doctor would get me a pass, but no. His mother was not having it. She didn’t like me and made no attempt to hide it. His father was friendlier. His sister, cordial enough. Shortly after this, I got pregnant. Totally unexpected. Was on the pill and everything. Thought about not having it. That was a really tough time.”
“Why did you?” Terrell asked, with a comforting squeeze.
“I loved Ernest, and wanted to be with him. Yes, the baby presented a huge challenge, but I thought that together, we could get through it. He did, too. Until the ultimatum, when he was told to break off all contact with me or else. I think a part of him wanted to break out of the roles he’d been handed by his parents, to live a life that was driven more by the heart than the head and what’s considered socially acceptable. I think a part of him really loved me. But that wasn’t enough to risk defying his parents and losing a hefty inheritance. By the time the you-know-what hit the fan I was four months along and out of options.”