by La Jill Hunt
Later that night, I was tossing and turning in Bilal’s bed, unable to sleep. I looked at my phone and saw that it was almost two in the morning. Realizing I was thirsty, I got up and headed to get something to drink. When I walked into the dark kitchen, I gasped and stared. Standing in front of the fridge, drinking a bottle of water was Bilal, wearing only a towel.
“Oh, did I wake you? I’m sorry,” he said, putting the cap back on the bottle. I didn’t respond. I was too busy staring at his chest, which looked as if it had been chiseled perfectly. My eyes continued to travel along his muscled torso down to where the towel was wrapped around his waist. My eyes widened as I noticed the slight bulge.
“Kendra, you okay?”
“Huh?” I blinked, quickly returning my gaze to his face.
“I asked if you were okay.” He looked at me strangely.
“Oh, I’m uh . . .” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “I’m fine. And no, you didn’t wake me. I was thirsty.”
His eyes looked me up and down, and I was suddenly aware of the heat that was rising between my legs as I stared at him. He took a step closer to me, handing me the bottle of water he was holding, but I didn’t take it. Instead, I reached out and touched his chest, running my fingers across the ridges of his muscled torso. He lifted them, putting them to his lips and kissing them softly. I inhaled his scent and wrapped my free hand around his neck. His mouth pressed against mine gently, then harder, as my lips parted and my tongue met his. I gasped as his hands slipped under my shirt and cupped my breasts. He teased my hardened nipples.
Then, I felt it: a firmness pressing against my thigh. I reached for the towel and tugged slightly, causing it to fall to the floor. My hands slowly eased down until I reached his thick penis. It took everything for me not to pull away because of its size and thickness, and it wasn’t even fully erect. My emotions were all over the place. This was really about to happen. I was going to have sex. Despite being anxious and nervous, I was still turned on.
Bilal smiled, then lifted me off the floor, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me into his bedroom. We fell onto the bed, and after slipping my shirt and panties off, he began exploring every inch of my body with his tongue, starting with my toes. He sucked each one, then nibbled the inside of my ankles all the way to my inner thigh, which he bit softly. His fingers slipped into my wetness, and I moaned in ecstasy and opened my legs wider. Bilal put his mouth where his fingers had been moments before, causing me to squirm and grip the headboard of the bed. I felt myself about to lose control, and I was torn between begging him to stop or demanding more. I reached for his head to ease back, but he grasped my wrists and pushed me away just as he put my legs over his shoulders and licked deeper.
“Mmmm,” he groaned, making me even wetter than I already was. His tongue glided back and forth along my swollen clit, and my legs began shaking.
“Oh . . . God . . . Bilal,” I whined between gasps. “You’ve . . . got . . . to . . . stop.”
He ignored my pleas and continued pleasuring me until I climaxed. As I was lying breathless, he eased off the bed and walked away. I was confused, until he returned seconds later, holding a small packet in his hands that he tore open. After slipping the condom on his now fully hardened manhood, he climbed in front of me.
“Bilal, wait.” I put my hand against his chest.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned.
“I . . . it’s just . . .” I tried to find the right words to explain my hesitation.
“Are you a virgin, Kendra?” he whispered.
“Yes.” I nodded.
He pulled back slightly as he stared into my eyes, then said, “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. It’s okay.”
His sincerity instantly made my desire for him increase. As I stared back at him, I knew that I was ready. I wanted to be with him, but I was still nervous.
“No, I want to do this, but . . .”
“But what? Tell me.”
My eyes glanced down to his crotch, and I said, “I don’t think it’ll fit.”
“It will fit; I promise.” Bilal laughed, then kissed me. “I promise I’ll take it slow.”
I relaxed a bit, enjoying the feel of his lips on my skin as he kissed my neck, then shoulder, and down to my breasts. By the time I felt the swollen tip of his hardness between my legs, I was wet and inviting. I gasped loudly from the slight pain when he inserted his shaft into my tight crevice.
He paused and looked down at me. “You okay?”
I nodded as I bit my bottom lip, enjoying the feel of him inside of me. He took his time, starting with slow, intense strokes, which became deeper and rhythmic. My nails scratched his back as he pressed my legs back and continued nibbling my collarbone.
“Damn, Kendra.”
My hands eased across his shoulders, and I called out as his shaft plunged into me. “Bilal . . . I’m . . . about . . . to . . .”
Before I could even tell him, he kissed me long and hard, and I climaxed over and over again, and then, so did he. A blissful feeling came over me. I’d never been so satiated in my life. I immediately came to the conclusion that sex was something I definitely enjoyed.
Bilal rolled over and exhaled loudly. “Whoo!”
“What does that mean?” I giggled.
He raised an eyebrow at me and said, “It means that was fucking amazing, no pun intended. Are you okay?”
“I’m great,” I told him.
“Are you sure? I tried to make sure not to hurt you.”
“I’m sure, and it was incredible. Thank you.”
“And you thought it wouldn’t fit.” He reached over and playfully hit my thigh, then pulled me up off the bed and into the bathroom. After showering together, we returned to the bed and both fell into a deep slumber.
* * *
The sound of my phone vibrating caused me to open my eyes. Bilal rubbed his hand along my back as I eased off his chest. “Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered, kissing the top of my head.
“My phone,” I told him as I stretched toward the nightstand. Seeing that I couldn’t reach it, he slid over to the nightstand and took the phone off the charger, passing it to me just as it stopped. Seeing the number on the screen, I sat completely up and tried dialing the number back.
“What? What’s wrong?” he asked.
My heart was pounding, and I tried to breathe as I answered him. “It’s the hospital.”
Celia
I listened to the latest messages from Kendra. She had been calling and texting nonstop, and I continued to ignore her. I knew that what happened between her mother and Darnell wasn’t her fault, but I wasn’t at a place where I could talk to her. I was dealing with the aftermath of my emotions. I wasn’t surprised by my sister’s actions at all. I had learned years ago that she was who she was and didn’t give a damn about anybody who was hurt by her actions. I was angry at her, but most of my anger was directed toward Darnell, who had not only slept with my trifling sister but lied about it when I confronted him. His lying just added fuel to an already burning fire of fury, and I wanted to kill him. Luckily, his life was saved, because he wasn’t home when I arrived after leaving the hospital. I still lost it, breaking pictures and vases and throwing anything I could get my hands on. I was enraged, and even after destroying my living room, hallway, and den, I was still pissed. Perspiration that had formed on my forehead eased down the side of my face and mixed with my tears. I looked around the mess I’d created and decided the last place I needed to be was in that house. I packed my bags and left.
My phone rang again. This time, it was Nikki, so I answered.
“Cele, where are you? I’m worried,” she said.
“I’m fine, Nikki. I just needed to get away. How’s Avery?” I asked. Although I was tempted to leave town and go far away, I didn’t. I still wanted to be near my niece, even though her dumb-ass mother had prevented me from seeing her. Instead, I drove to one of my favorite resort spas
and checked into a suite, hoping to clear my head and find some peace of mind.
“That’s why I’m calling so early.”
“What happened? Is she okay?” I sat up in a panic.
“She spiked a fever, and they ended up doing emergency surgery the other day,” Nikki explained. “She’s fine now.”
“This is so messed up.” I sighed. “But I’m glad they got it. So, now what?”
“The doctors are still just watching her closely.” Nikki sighed.
“I know Kendra is a wreck with all of this.”
“Yeah, she is. I told her to just give you some space right now, but, Cele, she’s a mess, especially since Di kicked her out.”
“What? When did Di kick her out?” All the anxiety that I had released over the past two days slowly returned.
“The same day she kicked you out of the hospital. Kendra said she was trying to make her go to the church service at Mount Hebron, and when Kendra said no, Di lost it and kicked her out. She even threatened to block Kendra from being able to see Avery, but she changed her mind. Hell, she would probably kick me out of there, too, but we haven’t run into one another, thank God. I know when she’s going up there, because Patrick tells me,” Nikki told me.
“Don’t tell me you’re still letting him be around her, Nikki. You can’t be that gullible.” I sighed.
“He’s not around her like that. I told you he’s just acting as her PR person while all of this is going on and keeping her reigned in. And really, he’s not doing it for Diane. His only interest is Avery and making sure she’s good.”
I closed my eyes and tried not to snap on my best friend. A blind man could see that Patrick had dollar signs in his eyes every time he talked about Avery and the accident in front of the news cameras and on social media. The last time I’d gone against my better judgment and checked the GoFundMe campaign, it had over ten thousand dollars and counting. And I didn’t care what Nikki said; there was no doubt in my mind it wasn’t going in any kind of trust fund for my niece. It was going to her man and my sister.
“I guess,” was all that I said then went back to a more pressing issue. “So, if Diane kicked Kendra out, where the hell is she staying? With Champ?”
“Nope, with her boyfriend,” Nikki answered.
“What boyfriend?”
“Bilal.”
“Bilal? Since when? I know I saw him at the hospital, but I ain’t realize they were a thing.”
“How long? That part I don’t know. But they are together. He’s been the absolute sweetest. He’s truly been looking out for her, Celia,” Nikki gushed.
I thought about how Kendra had reacted when we ran into Bilal at the car wash and I coaxed her to give him a chance. My gut instinct had turned out to be right. I knew that he would be good for her, and hearing that he’d been there for Kendra gave me a little relief. Still, I wasn’t too thrilled to hear that she was staying with him. Maybe I had been a little too hasty in rushing off. Then, I thought about why I left and the fact that Kendra, who I had treated like my own child since before she was born, had known all along and hadn’t said anything to me. A wave of hurt overcame me all over again.
“Well, I’m glad she found somewhere to go,” I told her.
The phone got quiet until finally, Nikki spoke. “Celia, I know all of this is killing you. Talk to me.”
“Nikki, listen, I don’t want to talk about it. All I wanna say is you need to be mindful about your man. I’m not just saying that as your best friend. I’m saying that as Diane’s sister.”
“I get what you’re saying, but trust me, I ain’t worried about him and Di. Now, that heffa Tiesha, on the other hand. She’s gonna make me go off. Ever since she saw Patrick on the news, she’s been tripping. She actually had the nerve to show up at the vigil the other night. Patrick was so embarrassed.”
“I’m sure he was.” I was glad she couldn’t see my eyes rolling through the phone.
“Cele, when are you coming home? You have to come and face the music eventually,” Nikki reminded me.
“I know. I just need a break from everyone and everything.”
“Have you talked to Darnell?”
“Not since he called and flipped out about me breaking shit up and leaving the house a mess,” I said simply as if it were no big deal, which to me, it wasn’t. I’d ignored Darnell for a day and a half until finally, I called him. He had the nerve to try and snap on me, until I shut his ass down and told him to get the hell out by the time I got back.
“Then he had the nerve to say ‘Celia, I’m not going anywhere. You need to bring your ass home so we can talk about this.’ And I told him, ‘Fine. You don’t wanna leave, then I will, and you can just talk to my attorney.’”
“Wait, you got a lawyer?” Nikki gasped.
“Not yet, but I’m getting one. You really don’t think I’m gonna stay with his lying, cheating ass, do you?”
“I guess not.” Nikki sounded sad. “This is just a mess.”
“Oh, it’s a fucked-up situation all the way around.”
“I’m gonna keep you in prayer, girl. Anything you want me to tell Kendra?”
“Nope, just kiss Avery for me and keep me posted.” I sighed.
“Will do. I’ll talk to you later.”
After hanging up, I called downstairs and ordered breakfast from room service. I took a quick shower and had just put my clothes on when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was my food, I opened it without asking who it was. Stunned, I blinked for a second.
“Detective Donaldson?”
“Hey, Celia. Are we disturbing you?” he asked, pointing at his partner, who was standing beside him.
“Uh, no. I was expecting room service. Come on in.” I opened the door, and they walked into my room.
“You remember my partner, Detective Perkins.”
“How are you, ma’am?” Perkins asked.
“I’m fine. Um, what—how—” I tried to understand why they were there.
“Well, we’ve been trying to reach you for the past few days, and when we couldn’t, we tracked you down,” he said. “I was concerned, especially since the last time I saw you at your home, I could sense something was wrong. Went to your house, the hospital, your job and you seemed to kinda vanish, so I became even more suspicious.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling a little important, even though I knew he was only doing his job. “I needed to get away for a couple of days, that’s all. Is something wrong?”
“Well, we’re working on your niece’s case and getting witness statements and additional information. Is there a reason why you left town, especially in the middle of a family crisis? It seems kind of odd.” Perkins stared at me. “You were one of the first people to report your niece missing and at the hospital making sure she was taken care of. And then, you left and haven’t returned. Is there a reason you’re avoiding—”
“What are you asking?” I started to become offended with his line of questioning. “And the reason I haven’t returned to the hospital is because I’ve been banned by Avery’s mother. Did she nor the hospital tell you that?”
“No, she didn’t,” Perkins replied.
“Well, I’m sure she’ll confirm when you ask.” I folded my arms and was about to sit on the side of the bed when there was a knock at the door. “That’s my food. Excuse me while I get it—unless you’re afraid I’ll leave here too.”
“No, it’s not a problem. Go ahead.” Detective Donaldson nodded.
“Thank you.” Cutting my eyes at Perkins as I passed him, I opened the door, and a guy from room service wheeled in a cart with my food. I signed for it without even making sure it was right, then pushed the cart to the side and walked back to continue my conversation. “So, now that you see that I’m alive and understand why I haven’t been to see my niece, is there anything else you need from me?”
Perkins’ phone began to ring. “Excuse me. I need to take this call.”
“Go ahead,” Detective Don
aldson told him. Once we were alone in the room, he sighed and said, “Celia, first of all, I’m glad you’re okay. Like I said, I tried calling you several times and couldn’t reach you. It was as if you disappeared, and I became worried.”
“I haven’t really been having my phone on the past couple of days. I told you, I needed some time away,” I explained.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” he asked softly.
I stared into his handsome face, noticing that his beard was a little shorter and neater than the last time I saw him at my house. I then realized that he had gotten a fresh haircut.
“I’m fine.” I nodded. “Do you have any more information about who did this to Avery?”
“We actually got video footage from the parking lot of her school, and it looks like whoever did this targeted her,” he told me.
“What? Someone did this on purpose? Who would do something like this?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out. We’ve talked with her sisters, and they can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt her, but clearly, she was approached by a car and was then followed. The video only shows so much, but we’re working around the clock on this,” he said. “Are you sure you haven’t noticed any strangers hanging around your sister’s house or neighborhood?”
“I’m not there very often,” I told him. “But Avery is a sweetheart. All of my nieces are. Have you asked Diane?”
“See, that’s another issue that we’re having. She’s refusing to talk to us or cooperate with our investigation. She’s also claiming to have hired an attorney, because she’s seeking damages from the city regarding your niece’s disappearance and our handling of this. But we did everything by the book and handled it properly. You would think she would be more helpful in trying to find who did this, but she’s not—which is a red flag.” He became very still, and his stare was intense.
“She didn’t have anything to do with this,” I told him.