Wednesday Nights With Jamie

by Daisy Dexter Dobbs

  Just as Lyla was about to upbraid her mother, she turned to Jamie when she heard his soft chuckle.

  “You remind me of my mother, Mrs. McGraw,” he said, sitting back in his chair after finishing the last of his pasta.

  Virginia shot a glance up from her plate, a snap of incredulous laughter bursting from her lips. “I can’t imagine that we would have anything whatsoever in common. We don’t travel in the same social circles.”

  “You have more in common than you might think, Mom. Trust me,” Lyla said, dabbing her mouth with her napkin a she hid a smile. Interracial Mothers-in-Law from Hell. Yup. It might make a great sitcom. Or maybe a ridiculously funny topic for one of those sleazy talk shows where everybody gets onstage, strips to their undergarments and bashes each other with chairs. Too bad it wasn’t as humorous in real life.

  “My mother is just as much against this union as you are, Mrs. McGraw.”

  “Oh I sincerely doubt that,” Virginia responded with a roll of her eyes. “I thought I raised my daughters right, Lyla, but I can see your base urges have overcome your upbringing. Let me make this as clear and plain as I possibly can. You’re nothing more than a prize to Mr. Donlon. A trophy. A white woman to have draped over his arm so he can show off to his ghetto friends. So he can feel superior. With you for a wife he can rub elbows with white men. He knows doors will be opened to him in the white world that couldn’t be otherwise. He’ll be dragging you down so he can elevate himself.”

  “Mother, that’s enough,” Lyla said. Dawn and David voiced their dismay as well.

  “Is that what you honestly think of me?” Jamie asked, clapping his chest with a pained expression. “Because you have my word, Mrs. McGraw, that nothing could be further from the truth. I sincerely care about your daughter and thinking of her as a glorified meal ticket has never crossed my mind.”

  “You’re young and inexperienced, Lyla,” Virginia continued, ignoring Jamie and the admonishment from the others. “You’ve clearly been caught up in the lure, the exotic thrill of sampling the forbidden. I can understand that. You’re hot for a Mandingo in your bed.”

  “Oh Jesus Christ.” David dropped his head into his hands.

  Jamie sat agape, like a statue frozen in astonishment. “A Mandingo?” he finally eked out before falling into incredulous laughter.

  “Good God in heaven, Mother, I can’t believe you just said that.” Incensed, Lyla felt her cheeks flame. “Will you please just stop?”

  Virginia sighed, shaking her head back and forth slowly. “You may as well go ahead and get it out of your system, Lyla. Just be discreet and make sure to use ample protection because those people carry AIDS. Once the newness is over and you realize there’s no common ground on which to base a life of quality and substance together, you can put this unfortunate episode behind you and get on with your life.” She turned her gaze to Jamie. “With a white man,” she finished.

  “Jamie, I am so very sorry,” Lyla said, her voice quivering with rage for her mother. “I don’t know what to say. Mother, I am more ashamed of you at this moment than ever before in my life.”

  “How dare—” Virginia began, only to be cut off by Dawn.

  “Cake!” Dawn pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. “We need some cake and coffee. Mother, David and I need your help in the kitchen.”

  “Lyla, go help your sister so Mr. Donlon and I can finish our conversation.”

  “Let me help you into the kitchen, Virginia,” David said, coming around to his mother-in-law’s chair and grabbing her by the elbows to pull her up.

  “But-but I’m not finished. I—”

  “Oh yes you are,” David affirmed.

  After the three of them had disappeared into the kitchen and the sounds of heated whispering became evident, Jamie reached for Lyla’s hand and clasped it. “So, how do you think Project Colorblind is going so far?” He grinned and Lyla laughed out loud.

  “Startlingly, horrendously, hideously awful,” she answered.

  “You’re gonna owe your Mandingo big time once I get you home,” he whispered, a sly smile taking hold.

  At the sound of Jamie’s teasing voice, Lyla felt some of her anxiety lessen. She was amazed that he’d been able to put up with her mother’s vicious harangue, all the while behaving like a perfect gentleman. He looked cool and calm, but she’d seen the little vein in his temple pulsing and his jaw muscle clenching as her mother insulted him.

  “Anything you want,” Lyla whispered, blowing him a kiss. Jamie’s eyebrows shot up and he grinned. “Except that,” Lyla clarified, her grin matching his as she remembered how the male brain worked. No doubt his thoughts immediately flew to her vibrator. “Distant future, remember?”

  “How distant?”

  Lyla smiled, happy for the chance to engage in some light banter with Jamie. “On our wedding night,” Lyla whispered.

  “I’m going to hold you to that.” Jamie kissed her hand. He finished the rest of his wine, apparently lost in thought. “First Charlie and then your mother,” he said finally. “Damn. I’ve never been a violent man but today…” A look of disbelief etched across his features, he shook his head back and forth.

  Patting his hand, Lyla said, “I know. I was tempted to pop Mom in the nose myself.” She laughed. “You’ve been amazing, Jamie. And it just makes me love you all the more. Hang in there. It’s almost over.”

  Within ten minutes everyone was back at the table, with Virginia blessedly silent. Lyla had no idea what went on in the kitchen but whatever it was had finally succeeded in shutting her mother up. She knew she’d hear all the details from Dawn later.

  The rest of them engaged in friendly conversation as they ate rich, fudgy cake and drank strong coffee. The only sound coming from Virginia was her spoon anxiously clinking against the walls of her coffee cup as she stirred.

  Chapter Ten

  “Look at me,” Jamie said once he’d stripped off his clothes. “I’m amazed.” He looked down at his body as if he were seeing it for the first time.

  “Mmmm, my thoughts exactly,” Lyla said with a throaty chuckle. She explored him slowly, lingering at the half-erect treasure dangling between his thighs that had given her so much pleasure. Her mission tonight would be to expand his cock to previously unknown heights as she did her best to pleasure Jamie senseless.

  He chuckled. “Seriously. I actually seem to be all in one piece after dragon-woman hacked me to bits back there. How can that be?”

  “It must be magic—the powerful magic of love.” Lyla slid her panties down, flinging them aside. He uttered a murmur of approval as he took in the sight of her naked form. That’s all it took to get her wet. A quiet hum escaped her throat as she felt her body quiver in response to his gaze. “I’ve got a little more magic in store for you tonight, my dear Mr. Donlon. Oh…unless, of course, you’re not feeling up to engaging in hot sex after your painful ordeal,” she teased. Licking her lips, she watched his eyes follow the trail of her tongue and she almost laughed when she saw Jamie’s cock swell before her eyes.

  “I can take whatever you dish out,” Jamie assured her, thumping his fist against his chest.

  “We’ll see, macho man.” Lyla skimmed her finger along the satin sheets as she strolled to the head of the bed. The same fingers did a slow glide up her torso, coming to rest at her breasts. She circled her nipples slowly, getting his rapt attention. And then she pinched them and moaned.

  “Oh that looks good. I like that,” he said, his tongue practically hanging out of his mouth.

  “Know what I haven’t experienced yet?”

  His eyes lit up. “What’s that?”

  Patting the mattress with one hand, Lyla crooked a finger, beckoning him to get on the bed. “Tasting you. There.” She pointed to his cock, smiling as it twitched in response. “I can’t wait to see how your big, black, exotic Mandingo cock feels inside my mouth. Mmmmmm…”

  Jamie stood there gaping at her for a moment with a dazed expression. “Dayum, woman,
look at those devil lights dancing around in your eyes. Mmm, what you do to me…” He leapt on the bed, tugging Lyla on top of him. “You are a wicked, naughty white woman—and too damn sexy for words.”

  “And now I have you under my spell.” Lyla smiled down at him. “The all-powerful love spell of the white she-devil.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth then licked her tongue, kissing her fully. “You just go ahead and feel free to feast away on my tasty exotic offerings, devil-woman. I’m all yours.”

  Lyla shifted until she straddled his legs, just below his jutting cock. “Mine…my man,” she said, gliding her hands over his chest to his waist and down to his hips. Her fingers explored his skin, alighting everywhere but his proud shaft. Jamie groaned as he watched her teasing hands avoid caressing the one place she knew he wanted them most.

  “Touch me,” he whispered on a groan.

  “Soon,” Lyla responded, her voice as soft as his. “I want to play for a while first.”

  She took her time investigating the tight, dark curls covering his groin, the tender skin of his inner thighs and the sensitive stretch of skin between his shaft and the pucker of his anus. He groaned again when she slipped a hand beneath him, cupping the heavy swell of his balls and kneading them between her fingers.

  “You’re beautiful, Jamie. Every inch of you.” Lyla finally wrapped her hands around his cock and squeezed. “A big, manly hunk of silky hardness.” She pumped her hand twice and Jamie’s whole body jerked.

  “Oh yeah, I could die like this a happy man,” he said, stroking Lyla’s arms. “I love the way your hands feel on me.”

  “Good. Then I’ll bet you’ll love this even more.” She bent and kissed the swollen cap of the head. “Mmmm, it’s just like tasting smooth, hot satin, Jamie.” She licked him, swirling her tongue around the tiny slit. His breath hitched as she slowly drew him into her mouth. She couldn’t take all of him, so she wrapped one hand around the base and limited her gentle sucking to the flesh that remained.

  “Heaven,” Jamie breathed. “I’m in heaven with an angel sucking my cock. Thank you, Jesus.” He sighed out his pleasure.

  Sighing with pleasure herself, Lyla sank further down on him, lightly grazing his flesh with her teeth. She glanced up to see a pained look of bliss across his features and his muscled chest heaving for breath. It was a beautiful sight, and she was responsible for it. She dragged her nails up and down the base of his cock as she dug the tip of her tongue into the tiny hole at its head and Jamie nearly growled.

  Threading his hands through her hair and fisting hanks of it, he rose up enough to get a good look at what she was doing. “Oh damn. Come up now, baby, I’m going to come.”

  Lyla let him pop free. His moist cock glistened as it wavered at attention. “I want you to come in my mouth, Jamie. So I can feel the blast of your hot male essence shooting down the back of my throat. I want to taste every last bit of your flavor.” A cry caught in Jamie’s throat as her lips clamped down hard and pulled. His hips bucked against her mouth until, jerking violently, he came with an explosive burst of liquid heat. Still pulsing, he held Lyla’s head close, muttering unintelligibly as the last of his seed jetted down her throat.

  Watching Jamie come as she brought him to ecstasy with her mouth was glorious, empowering. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” she asked, sinking into the invitation of his open arms.

  “I feel just like a kid at school,” Jamie answered.

  Lyla laughed. “That needs an explanation.”

  “Show and tell,” Jamie said. “You just gave me the best of both.” He yanked her hard against his chest and kissed her deeply.

  * * * * *

  Wednesday evening after work Lyla arrived at Jamie’s house, eager to enjoy the dinner he was making for her.

  “It smells so good in here,” she said, sniffing the fragrant air as soon as she’d crossed the threshold. “Are you going to tell me what you’re making yet or is it still a secret?”

  “Salad with blue cheese dressing, steak, baked potatoes and champagne,” Jamie said, wiping his hands on a clump of paper towels. “And there’s chocolate for dessert.”

  “I’m suitably impressed.” Lyla nodded. “I’ve never had a man cook for me before.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up. It was either that, hot dogs or cold cereal. I only kept it a secret in case I burned the steaks and had to make hot dogs at the last minute instead. And if I ruined those we’d be eating cornflakes.” He chuckled. “Once I get David’s meatball recipe I’ll be able to add those to my vast culinary repertoire. So, lovely lady, are you ready for our big night?”

  “I can’t wait.” Lyla smiled up at him, delighted that he’d gone out of his way to make the night of his formal proposal as special and romantic as possible.

  Later, as they sat at the Japanese-inspired black-lacquered dining room table, finishing the last succulent bits of perfectly cooked steak, Jamie cleared his throat. “I’ll be right back.”

  He returned a moment later with a dome-topped silver tray. “Dessert,” he announced with a bright smile, setting the tray on the table. “Go ahead, help yourself.”

  “Hmm…what could this be? Chocolate mousse? Chocolate cake? Some chocolate truffles, perhaps?” Lyla lifted the lid, looked at the lone Snickers bar in the center of the tray and laughed. “My favorite! You remembered.” She pulled Jamie down to give him a kiss. “That’s very sweet,” she said, pushing the tray aside.

  “Aren’t you going to eat it?” Jamie asked.

  “You mean now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sure.” Lyla shrugged. “Where’s yours?”

  “I got the king-sized bar, it’s big enough for two. I’ll just finish what you don’t eat.”

  Lyla barked a laugh. “Jamie, you’re talking to a chocoholic. We never share.” She winked. “But I’ll share with you this one time seeing as how you’ve been so sweet tonight.”

  “You can just break a little piece off the end for me,” he offered.

  “Uh-uh. Sorry, you’ll have to be satisfied with a center piece,” Lyla said, unwrapping the paper from the candy bar. “I like the chocolate on the ends.”

  Nudging her thumbs into the side she split the bar open, passing the smaller half to Jamie. He examined it quickly and smiled. As she raised her half to her lips, Lyla frowned.

  “There’s something wrong with this,” she said, pinching at a piece of something inside the candy and digging it out. When she held it aloft she gasped. “Oh my God, Jamie, how did you do that?” Fingers trembling, she fumbled with the plastic wrap until it came open and she plucked out a stunning engagement ring.

  “It wasn’t as easy as you might think. I had to go through four candy bars before it worked. Don’t worry,” he added quickly, “I saved all the discards so you can use them in your omelets.” He laughed. “Anyway,” Jamie continued with all the enthusiasm of a little boy who’d just made his first paper airplane, “I pressed the ring inside the candy from the bottom and then sealed the wrapper again with some glue. I wanted to do something special, out of the ordinary, when I gave you the ring.”

  Lyla examined the beautiful design, combining sleek black ebony bordered by tiny, smoke-colored marcasite stones and set with a brilliant white diamond in the center.

  “Jamie, this is positively exquisite,” Lyla breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

  “It’s platinum and white gold,” he said as she studied the intricate filigree work on the sides of the ring. “I looked all over for just the right ring and found this in a little antique shop,” Jamie explained proudly. “See? I’m the ebony, you’re the diamond and the mid-tone stones represent us combining together and the beautiful babies we’re going to make. When I first spotted it I thought it would be just perfect as our own personal symbol of Project Colorblind.”

  “It’s…it’s perfect.” Lyla started to cry.

  Jamie got on his knees befo
re her, taking the ring from her hand. “Lyla, baby, I love you with all my heart and mind. You’re the breath in my lungs, the sunlight in my heart and the other half of my soul. Please say you’ll do me the great honor of becoming my wife.” He slipped the ring on the third finger of her left hand and kissed her knuckles.

  By this time tears were streaming down Lyla’s face. “Even…even though I knew you were going to formally propose tonight,” she said through hiccupping sobs, “I never expected…I never dreamed…” She grabbed her linen napkin and wailed into it. “Oh Jamie, you’ve made me the happiest woman on the planet. Yes,” she said, peeking up from the napkin and swiping at her tears. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” She got to her feet, bringing Jamie up along with her and they kissed with such passion Lyla felt it clear down to her toes.

  “I know we’ll be happy together, baby, no matter what comes our way,” Jamie said, nuzzling close to her ear. “We can overcome anything, as long as we love each other. And I can’t imagine a time even when we’re old and gray and all dried up and wrinkled that I won’t love you. Lyla. You’re my one and only. My forever woman.” He kissed her again.

  “Now see what you’ve done?” Lyla sniffed, wiping away new tears after their lips parted. “I hope you’re happy, Jamie. You’ve succeeded in turning me into a sniveling, weak-kneed, quivering, blubbering mess.” She laughed and gave him a quick smooch. “I just want to know one thing.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Does your theory about overcoming anything also apply to our future mothers-in-law from hell?” Lyla squinted up at him.

  Shuddering in mock horror, Jamie paused a moment. “You know,” he said, rubbing his jaw in contemplation, “I’ve heard the conditions for Americans living in Australia are quite favorable.” He flashed a grin. “That’s on the other side of the world.”