by Xyla Turner
As I figured, the team gave me shit about it, but I couldn’t find the humor anymore. Justine and Sasha picked up my mood and took over. Afterward, I left early and scheduled a mini spa day with me, myself and I.
Hair, nails, feet, wax and a massage were all on the menu. Nothing hard or complicated to think about. I turned my phone off and let the oils do their magic.
The goal was to rid myself of the anxiety but that’s all I had when it was Saturday evening and I didn’t want to turn on my phone or go home. I wasn’t sure how to face the reality that I may lose my damn job. All because of what?
Therefore, I chose the punk move and reserved a hotel room for one night. Ordered the biggest steak they had on the menu, broccoli, chocolate mousse cake and a bottle of wine. I would eat, drink and be merry as I binge watched the Walking Dead.
That was my plan, and I was sticking to it.
At least until it was time for me to check out on Sunday.
Needless to say, Sunday came with a massive headache, a full bladder and that sunken feeling that happens when you escape life. Though my bits were waxed, hair was tight, nails were polished, I felt like shit and knew that when I turned back on my phone. Shit would be worse than I thought.
My chest was beating faster than normal, palms were sweaty and the not-so-good tingling session was coursing throughout my body. Everything seemed move slower even though my heart couldn’t take too much too quickly. What did not go slow were the notifications to my phone. Several voice messages from Justine, Sasha, Pete, a reporter and Harvey. There were several texts as well, but the only ones I read was from Mr. Black, himself.
Harvey: Where are you?
Harvey: Pick up the phone
Harvey: I’m outside your door
Harvey: No one has seen you
Harvey: Zora, talk to me
Harvey: Not that easy, sweetheart
Damn.
My heart dropped because I knew that he was right. Not that it wasn’t that easy for him but just life. It wasn’t going to be that easy to just tap out.
I called him first, and he answered on the first ring, “Are you okay? Where the fuck are you?”
“Harvey, calm down,” I said. “I’m fine.”
“Where are you?” the man was growling at this point.
“I’m downtown and on my way home.” I started.
“I’m on my way,” Harvey interjected before I could finish.
“Wait, Harvey. I just need some space right now, okay. That’s why I didn’t reach out to you yesterday. A lot was happening, and I just needed some time to think.” I rushed.
“Well, you had your time to think, yesterday. Now, it’s today and I’ll see you at your place in twenty minutes,” Harvey said with a measured tone and then the line went dead.
No, he did not.
Dread and anxiety etched through me as I nabbed a taxi to go across town. I text as many people back as I could but mostly it was to clear those damn numbers from the app icons on my phone. It still said ten unheard voicemails, and I didn’t want to hear any of them.
Especially Pete.
As the taxi drove near my place, I saw the hulking figure I’ve come to know as Harvey pacing in front of my driveway. My heart was racing, but this confrontation needed to happen one way or another. We’d been good and Harvey had done nothing wrong but that shit Pete spewed, sent me into a whirlwind and I did not want to deal.
Harvey went into his pocket, pulled out some bills, opened my door, so I could get out and paid the driver. Ignoring the bills I had in my hand, I pushed them back in my purse and waited for the cab to drive away. In front of me stood Harvey, with a face set as hard as granite and eyes trained on me.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Can we at least go in the house.” I did not ask and pushed past him to go inside.
My neighbors did not need to see me and my lover going at it outside.
Once we were inside, I dropped my stuff on the table near the door and walked to the kitchen to get some water. I could feel Harvey on my heels and then his voice booming through the not-so-small room.
“What the fuck happened?” He was on edge.
His face was hard, eyes trained on me, and his body was tight. If he were a cartoon figure, there would have been steam coming from his ears and head.
“Harvey, I needed some space. Therefore, I stayed at a hotel last night, drank a whole damn bottle of wine and right about now, I feel like shit.” I raised my hands up as if I was surrendering. “I’m tired, hungover and my head hurts. I do not need you screaming like a maniac or losing your fucking mind. Okay?”
The man took one menacing step toward me and I swear, I considered running.
“I have been up all fucking night, worried sick about you. Where you were? What could have happened? Called your coaches, family, stalked your social media sites and nothing. Worried sick. Why?” he asked with a condescending tone. “Because I thought you were woman enough to talk through your shit. Not up and disappear like there are people that do not care or worry about you. There are!”
“Woman enough?” I asked by matching his menacing step with my own. “Woman enough. I needed a goddamn break, okay. I don’t have to answer to anyone to take a break because I am a grown fucking woman and I will do what I want when I damn well please. On my time and my agenda because I am woman enough to handle my own shit. I don’t need to apologize, expect or inform anyone of my whereabouts. So, the next time you feel like you have the right to question me, think again.”
“Come again,” Harvey hissed almost so low, I couldn’t hear him.
“What?” I said loudly.
“Come again!” He roared in my face. “Say what!”
He closed the distance between us and we were toe-to-toe. I was looking up into his blazing eyes and his was boring down into me.
“You dare sit here and say I don’t have a right to question you, when my chest is beating a hundred miles per hour because I thought I lost the only thing that makes sense to me. My reward, my saving grace. You gonna stand here and tell me you don’t need to inform me, when we’ve spent the past three weeks together, almost every fucking day, if not at least talking. You change up and tell me I shouldn’t expect it.” He shook his head back and forth. “Fuck that. You’re going to apologize, you’ll inform and you will pick up the goddamn phone when I call you because I deserve more than that. I do have the fucking right and if I need to spank your ass red, to remind you of that. I will.”
Heat flooded my face as his words hit their intended targets. My heart and my pussy.
I opened my mouth to say something but then I closed it because I wasn’t sure what to say anymore. Harvey took the wind out of my sails with that last statement.
“Right,” he nodded in that knowing way.
The next thing I saw was the backside of his jeans-covered butt as he was taking me upstairs.
“Harvey,” I hit him on the back of his thigh. “Put me down.”
The brute didn’t answer but kept walking up the stairs and rounded the corner until we hit my bedroom. There he began to undress me, article by article, then he disappeared into the bathroom where I heard the shower turn on. Harvey returned, led me to the porcelain bath and scooted me inside. The man didn’t say one word.
Then it came rushing back to me, what he was doing.
Fuck.
I had robbed him from taking care of me, like the time I took care of him on one of his worst days.
Shit.
When Harvey returned to the bathroom, his clothes were gone, and he entered the shower. Before he could make it all the way in, I wrapped my arms around his neck and whispered, “I’m sorry. I fucked up. I should have given you the opportunity to comfort me and I neglected to see that. Please forgive me.”
Harvey’s body went tight as he stared at me. The anger and disappointment were gone from his features, but it was replaced with an awareness. He hadn’t responded, so I kissed the side of his m
outh and repeated, “I’m sorry, okay. Don’t be mad at me. I’m sorry.”
My mouth was on his neck, when I finally heard him say, “I was worried, sweetheart. Worried sick, something had happened to you and I couldn’t bear to even fathom that.”
“I’m sorry.” I began to kiss down his collarbone.
“Don’t do that shit again. You have a bad day, come to my office, my house, or something. You don’t just leave,” he emphasized.
“Okay,” I answered.
“Don’t leave me again,” he said in a lower voice that meant more than just booking a hotel for the night.
The man meant more than that, but I didn’t want to explore his meaning, but more of what he could do for me physically at that moment. I reached for his pulsing cock, and I began to pump hard. Harvey was having none of that shit. His one hand gathered both of my wrists, holding them above my head.
“It’s my turn,” he growled. “Turn around, hands on the wall and spread your legs.”
My core pulsed at the command and I quickly obeyed knowing he’d make it good for me. Seconds passed before I felt fingers sliding over my ass and playing at the entrance of my pussy. I was hot and wet. Harvey lighting the fire only made it worse. Then I felt a sting across the right ass cheek.
He spanked me, then he spanked the other cheek again.
“That’s two for not calling.” His hand came down on my ass two more times, then he said, “that’s for staying overnight.
Harvey repeated this three more times by given me two slaps of my ass on each cheek with a reason. I forgot about the damn rationale and focused on the pulse straight to my pussy. At that point, without washing or anything Harvey extracted me out of the shower and led me to the bedroom, after toweling me off.
He climbed on the bed and demanded, “Want you on my face.”
Holy shit.
Without a backwards glance, I climbed over Harvey’s face and position my wet snatch hovering over his mouth. There was no need for me to get adjusted because Harvey, pulled me down directly over him and began to lick me like I was his favorite creamsicle on a hot summer day. It was mind-blowing but also breathtaking since I was ready to come within seconds of his mouth devouring my dripping pussy.
“Harvey,” I moaned. “I’m coming.”
He flicked his tongue against my hardened nub and I began to ride his face with earnest. Harvey sucked the life out of me; afterward I was nothing but blubber. After the third orgasm the man was not done. In fact, he pulled me down his body, entered me and slowly rocked me until my orgasmic screams overpowered his grunts and the bite to my neck felt more like a branding of sorts.
I loved it.
Harvey was claiming me and ensuring I had no damn reason to leave. The man drove me absolutely crazy, but it was a good crazy. A dreamy crazy that I hoped I never wake up to. More importantly, I hoped was real.
I fell asleep in the crook of Harvey’s neck but his light snores beat me to the punch. He was tired and hadn’t slept all night. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember a man ever caring that much about my whereabouts.
I liked it.
Shit, who was I kidding.
I loved it.
Chapter 10
Harvey
“Tell me what happened yesterday,” I asked after breakfast.
That morning, Zora was the first one up, so she cooked us both omelets. The shit was good. There were no complaints coming from whatever concoction she created with the eggs, cheese, spinach, artichokes and diced tomatoes.
“Yesterday?” she asked, reminding me I hadn’t vocalized I knew she disappeared because of something that happened.
I had a good idea it was the same something that happened to me, but I needed her to fill me in so I could help. It took me by complete surprise that instead of facing it, she bailed. However, I do think I made myself abundantly clear she wouldn’t do that shit again.
“Yesterday. What made you retreat?” I asked again.
Zora cleared off the table with the dish towel and sighed.
“The coming out party didn’t go as I thought it might. Apparently, Pete was pissed right the fuck off and I think it just took him by shock because he said some shit, I didn’t think he was capable of. However,” she spoke over me because I was ready to interject. “I’m going to give him some time and then we’ll speak again.”
I said nothing and stared at her until she faced me.
“What?” she asked. “That’s what happened.”
“I know.” I nodded. “He sent me a pretty scathing email, which I will deal with him about. Him coming at you, on the other hand… He’ll be dealt with in another way.”
“Harvey,” Zora warned. “I don’t do business like that. He’s my employer and the owner of the Vikings. I can handle my own affairs. I don’t need you meddling.”
This had me out of my seat. I cornered her against the island.
“You are my business, my affairs and I will meddle,” I shared. “He doesn’t get a pass because he’s an owner. If anything, he should have remembered that before coming to you. It makes me think, he’s jealous. Pete doesn’t come off as insecure. If he thought I was poaching his coach, he would have seen your resignation letter and the announcement that you would be the new Warriors Coach. He’s on some boy bullshit and I don’t do business like that. He’s fucked up, Zora and he will be dealt with. Period.”
She contemplated me for a bit, then Zora reiterated, “You do what you have to do but I don’t need you avenging my honor is all I’m saying. I can and will take care of myself.”
“Don’t I know it.” I kissed the corner of her mouth. “Having a man at your back, sweetheart, means you don’t fight your battles alone.”
That statement caused a physical reaction as her shoulders relaxed. She was on edge and it was showing. She slid her hands up my chest and around my neck.
“Not quite used to that.” She kissed the corner of my lips. “Working on it, okay?”
Fuck, what was a man to say when she put it that way?
“Okay.” I turned our pecks into a full-blown kiss, that ended with us playing before we decided to actually do something that day.
Zora and I were talking about our buckets list and in both of our top five items, we wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter. Therefore, Zora and I were on our way to the learn how to fly Eurocopter AS355N outside of the city at the Pennsylvania Aviation Center. The instructor met us at the double glass doors, where he went through the process, training and videos. By the end of it, I thought Zora might back out, but she was eager to participate.
There was some screaming, nervousness and a little laughter but we survived the hour-long training and I pegged that as one of the things Zora can check off her list and remember she did it with me.
“What else is on that list of yours?” I asked her when we were headed back to my place.
“Hmm,” she said after licking the chocolate ice cream cone and causing a stir in my pants. “There’s skinny dipping, joining the mile-high club, riding a four-wheeler, hot air balloon and yeah.”
My eyebrow rose as I took note of everything she said and also realizing, I could make all of those things come true. I would make them come true.
“What about you?” she asked. “What’s else is on your list?”
“A number of things,” I started to say. “I’d like to fall in love with my one. Get married and have a kid or two. I want to go on a world tour. Build a house for my family. Then when we get old and retire, buy an RV and travel around to annoy our kids.”
There were a lot of subliminal messages in that statement but I planned to stand my ground on this one. However, instead of her avoiding the topic or blushing, Zora burst out laughing.
“What?” I asked.
“An RV to annoy your kids,” she said through tears. “You’re going to be one of those old parents?”
“Hell yeah. If I have to get them through school and shit, then yeah, one way or another, I wi
ll return the favor. Plus, that way, we’ll see our grandkids.”
Zora sobered then looked at me and said, “Old man Black and his RV.”
“Fuck yeah,” I exclaimed as she leaned into me and kept laughing. “Mr. and Mrs. Black and their RV.”
“Sounds like a good list,” she said. “Indeed.”
-----
Zora and I went out to dinner later that evening and once when we came back to her place, the two of us simply talked until the sun started to rise. Our backs were against the headboard as we share shit that I hadn’t mentioned to anyone in decades. My time short stint in army and my family lineage of army men. My mom and her knack for all things yarn-based. Zora shared about her family, brother, and even why she cut men off. That shit made me ready to kill a motherfucker but then I reminded myself those bitches had to happen, so I could have a chance to fix it. That’s what I planned to do. Get the shit all the way right with Zora.
She didn’t seem to catch my meaning about the marriage and RV’s or Mrs. I meant that with her because nobody else made me feel like she did. It was true, I had my share of escapades but that’s all it was. Shit that meant not a fucking thing but a thrill. A man gets tired of that shit after a while. Not because of age but for the mere fact I was tired of bullshit. Tired of the meaningless shit that led to more emptiness. I wanted more and that night at Pete’s party, the conundrum that was wrapped around Zora McCoy’s person, I knew it was me that needed to unravel her. Get to the core of who she is and what makes her tick, so I can turn it on and light it the fuck up. It was only fair, since she completely unraveled me, putting me on my ass.
On Monday, instead of going to my office, I went straight to Pete’s on the other side of the city. His secretary was not a good one because I walked right past her to his executive suite with frosted windows and chrome door knobs. Mentally, I shook my head as I pushed into his office, interrupting a phone call. His eyes went wide, but he kept talking as I took a seat, grabbed his company’s magazine, and crossed my legs.
Once his call was finished, he said, “What the fuck are you doing in my office?”
I took that opportunity to throw the magazine back on the table and stand.