Relationship Goals

by Christina C Jones

  The sun was starting to go down, so the room was only half-bathed in light –enough illumination to see the clear lust in Noah’s eyes as she sat back, holding a condom up in front of me. The only answer I’d given to the apparent question was a cocked eyebrow before Noah’s quick fingers had my jeans undone.

  Because of the potential risks – not to mention my preference, in general – I didn’t do casual sex. Because I didn’t do casual sex... let’s just say it had been a while. I sat back and watched, damn near holding my breath as Noah pulled me from my boxers, then looked up with an expression that was equal parts panic, intrigue, and excitement.

  I just smirked.

  Her fingers seemed to move a little faster after that, lifting the condom wrapper to her mouth to rip open with her teeth while she kept the other hand fisted around me. A moment later, it was on, and she sat back a little more, spreading her legs to reveal her panty-free state to me.

  Damn.

  She sat up to move into position, and we both groaned when she sank down onto me, stopping about halfway to drop her head onto my shoulder. My hands went to her bare thighs, starting there before I slid them up to grip her ass cheeks, using that hold to urge her down further.

  Noah whimpered into my ear as I slowly guided her the rest of the way, then let out a low, extended moan of pleasure when she was fully seated in my lap. Instead of encouraging her to move, I pulled the thin dress over her head, leaving her completely nude. She bit down on her lip, then reached for the hem of my tee shirt, and I lifted my arms to assist. After she’d tossed the shirt away, she planted her hands on my shoulder for leverage, and started moving.

  Goddamn, she felt good. I moved my hands up to cup the perky mounds of her breasts, admiring the rich, flawless dark brown of her skin, capped by darker chocolate-toned areolas and hard nipples. I bent my head, interrupting her mid-moan as I pulled one of those hard peaks between my teeth, bringing a cry of pleasure from her throat before I closed my lips over it.

  Her head went back as she lost herself in what we were doing. I went back and forth, splitting attention between the sweetness of her breasts and the newly exposed skin of her throat and neck – places I quickly discovered seemed to turn her on even more. So I stayed there. Licking, sucking, biting every place I could reach as she rolled her hips, riding me.

  She felt... unbelievably good. So good I was trying my best to talk myself through the shit in my head – a long time coming or not, I wasn’t about to embarrass myself.

  Gradually, she stopped coming down as far, choosing instead to ride the tip. With one hand gripping her ass, the other with a handful of the hair she’d left free, I gave her a long, lazy upward stroke that made her gasp as she arched into me.

  “Yeah,” I muttered as she buried her face in my neck again, moaning as I took over, stroking her again. “You were all hype to get me here, don’t run from it now.”

  “Ni-Ahhhh!”

  Whatever she was going to say got lost in the moment as I pulled her flush against me, keeping her there as I lifted her head up, and covered her mouth with mine. As our tongues danced, Noah started moving – subtly at first, and then a slowly, rhythmic roll of her hips against mine.

  I slipped a hand between us, sliding through the wetness we’d created to press a thumb to her clit as she started riding me harder. With my free hand, I tightened my grip on her hair, gently tugging her head back as I kissed and licked her from her breasts back up to her exposed neck, making my way to nibble just below her ear.

  “Nick,” she whined, nails digging into my shoulders as she moved. Her breaths were short, chest heaving, legs trembling – clear signs she was reaching her peak. “Are...you... trying... kill me?”

  I chuckled into her ear, using her words as an invitation to increase the pressure and speed of my thumb against her clit, and meet the rocking of her hips with upward strokes of my own. “Nah... want to make you come.”

  Those words were barely out of my mouth before it happened – the tension in her body, the loud calling of my name, the sudden warmth of her skin on mine as she collapsed, but somehow kept moving until I was grunting in her ear with my own release.

  We stayed there, panting until we’d caught our breath, and then Noah lifted her head, and smiled.

  “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

  #

  “Who knew the Midwest had gems like this?” I teased, leaning back against the booth Noah and I had snagged at what I’d thought was just a coffee shop, but turned out to be... more. A live band on stage, dance floor popping, a full bar and a heavy crowd, even for a Thursday night.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh whatever. Just because you’re from fancy-pants LA, doesn’t mean you can look down on us. Especially not here. Black people are rebuilding this city from the ground up, and we are popping. The business you’re sitting in now, in the neighborhood you’re in now, is proof.”

  “Whoa,” I said, raising my hands. “Nobody is looking down on it, I didn’t know. Listen –the fact that you are here says enough.”

  Noah relaxed into my side, hand resting on my thigh as she looked up. “Nick... what have I told you about all this flattery?”

  “Nothing that’s going to stop me from doing it,” I shot back, an answer that made her smile.

  Somehow, she moved closer to me, practically sitting in my lap, but I didn’t mind in the least as her mouth came closer to my ear. “Let’s go back to my place?”

  I dropped my arm to loop around her waist, dragging her a little closer. “If you think I’m going to argue... you’re wrong.”

  A few minutes later, we were out on the street, walking hand-in-hand back to her apartment. It was cold out – although Noah said that was my Californian sensibilities talking – but the streets were well-populated, giving life to the city.

  “You like it here, huh?” I asked Noah, squeezing her hand. “After you uh... moved, to be with your grandmother... you’ve been here ever since?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I have. And – as you can probably tell – I love this city. My grandmother is here, my friends are here, my job is here... although... I don’t know.”

  “Nah,” I urged, pulling her into my side as we walked. “Say what you were going to say.”

  Noah glanced up at me, chewing at her bottom lip as she considered it. We made it halfway down the block before she spoke. “Well... I got offered a job at another magazine, right? A really, really great magazine, that I would love to work for. But – I love my current job, and I feel a certain sense of loyalty to my boss.”

  “Understood. I’ve worked with Cam – she’s good people.”

  “Very good people. Which is why the owner of the other magazine is good friends with her. Actually encouraged me to tell Cam about the offer, and talk it over with her.”

  I nodded. “Did you?”

  “I did,” Noah confirmed. “Cam thinks it would be a good move for me. Of course she wants to keep me at her magazine, from a business perspective, but as my mentor... she thinks I’d be a fool to pass it up, knowing the limitations of my current job, and what this new one can offer. Sugar&Spice has a certain audience, a certain purpose, that I think is incredibly good for our culture. But Glow is so...me.”

  I stopped walking. “Whoa, the other magazine is Glow? Yo – I’ve worked with Rose Golden and her team, their office culture is dope.”

  “Nick, who haven’t you worked with?” Noah laughed, shaking her head. “But... yeah, it’s Glow. Well... soon to be Glow Up. And they want me to be the face.”

  Grinning, I took both of her hands. “That’s bananas. A move like that puts you on a whole other level. You think you’re going to do it?”

  Noah shrugged. “I’m... considering.”

  “What is there to consider?”

  She laughed. “Uh, the fact that almost my entire life is here?”

  “Oh. Right. Glow is out in LA.”

  “It is.”

  I ran my thumbs over the backs of her fing
ers, choosing my words carefully before I spoke. “I’m out in LA.”

  “You are.”

  I lifted an eyebrow, hoping she’d pick up on my question without me having to ask. She kept her gaze on mine for a moment before dropping it down to where our hands were joined.

  “I have been trying my best not to allow that to be a factor. I like you, Nick. I like you a lot,” she said, lifting her gaze back to mine. “But it’s so soon.”

  “Whoa – Noah, you don’t think I’m asking you to—”

  She immediately shook her head. “Oh, no, not at all,” she assured me. “But, the thing is. I’d be lying if I said that you being in LA didn’t make the offer even more enticing. I don’t want to always be a plane ride away from you. Sure, we talk all the time, we see each other in pictures, and video chat, but it’s not the same as being able to be in your arms whenever I want to.”

  We’d started walking again, and I took advantage of the attention required to cross the street to consider my words.

  “It’s not the same – you’re right. A long-distance thing wasn’t ever in my plans either, but that’s what we’ve gotten ourselves into. We’ll make it work as long as we have to, but no lie – I’d be happy as hell if you decided to move to LA. But it should be about the job, and about your future – not about me.”

  A slow smile spread across Noah’s lips. “You wouldn’t think I was stalking you, or being weird?”

  “Nah,” I shook my head. “I’ve felt like I’ve known you since our first conversation. Packing up your whole life for me doesn’t even sound like a very “Noah” thing to do.”

  She laughed. “No, it’s not. But damn if I don’t consider you a major perk.”

  I turned to her, pulling her into my arms after we rounded the side of her building, heading for the front door. “Noah... what have I told you about all this flattery?”

  “Mmm, what are you going to do about it?” she purred, grinning as I lowered my mouth to hers.

  “Noah?”

  Just before our lips touched, I heard Noah’s name, and stopped. In my arms, Noah froze for a second before she stepped back, then peeked around me to find the source of the voice.

  “Sam?” she asked, her whole demeanor shifting, from warm, sexy vixen to uncomfortable. “Sam... what are you doing here?”

  “Sam” had been seated on the stone banister that flanked the four stairs leading up to the building, but now he moved, stepping fully onto the sidewalk.

  “I wanted to try to talk to you, but you seem busy. I’ll let you enjoy your night.”

  I frowned as Sam did exactly that – he said nothing more before he turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving me and Noah there on the sidewalk. She let out a deep breath as she ran a hand through her hair, then headed toward her building without a word.

  “Hey, what was that about?” I asked, following her inside, and toward the elevator.

  She shook her head as we climbed on, and then punched the number for her floor, remaining abnormally interested in the keypad even as the doors closed. “Nothing. Just forget it.”

  “I’m pretty sure you know that’s not about to happen.”

  As the elevator rumbled past a few floors, I waited for her to acknowledge what I’d said. When she finally glanced over her shoulder, her eyes held a note of regret I wasn’t expecting.

  “Do we have to?” she asked, as the elevator stopped, and the doors slid open.

  “No. No, we don’t have to.”

  The short walk from the elevator to her door was quiet. She pulled out her keys to get us in, and then locked the door behind us, turning to face me after she did.

  “He’s an ex. My last ex... the last person I dated before you.”

  I nodded. “Ended badly?”

  “You could say that. He was married – well, separated – and didn’t tell me. For almost two years, I was the perfect side piece, or something. I insisted on not going out, because I didn’t want blogs in my business, never wanted to go to his place because I was more comfortable at mine, etc etc. Whatever. It was a mistake. A huge one. And every time I think about it, it makes me feel like a fraud, for sleeping with someone’s husband, and an idiot for not realizing it. So... there it is.”

  I frowned. “You didn’t have to tell me that,” I said, stepping closer to her. “When I said we didn’t have to go there, I meant it.”

  “I know you did, but I know what it’s like to feel like someone you care about is being... sketchy. I don’t want to be that girl.”

  “You’re not that girl.” I closed the last bit of distance between us, wrapping my arms around her waist. “You’re... Noah.”

  She shook her head. “Yeah, well “Noah” isn’t always... little miss Zen, always making the right decisions. Sometimes I mess up really bad, and... Sam is one of those mess-ups. It frazzles me. I’m sorry if I’m being weird.”

  “You’re good.” I put a hand under her chin, tipping her face up to mine. “Listen... I hope you don’t think I’m expecting what I see on social media, your “brand” or whatever. I know it’s genuine, that you really do live what you promote, but... I don’t need the Noah highlight reel. Knowing you’ve made mistakes doesn’t make me like you any less.”

  Thankfully, that brought a smile to her face. “In that case... enough of that. Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Something like what?” I asked, lowering my head to brush my lips against hers, pulling a low moan from her throat.

  “Like if I can convince you to spend the night.”

  10.

  #NOAH

  Waking up beside Nick was... strange.

  In a good way.

  I expected to feel a little uncomfortable, a little awkward – first overnight visit standard feelings.

  Do I look cute when I sleep?

  Was I snoring?

  Was I... farting?

  Did I sleep with my mouth open and a fly flew inside? Is there a fly in my mouth right now?!

  But no... there was none of the silliness in waking up beside Nick. I felt light, and happy, and I was somehow still buzzing and giddy from last night’s sexcapades. Before my eyes came open, I was aware of the weight of his arm draped around my waist, hand flat against my belly to keep me close. Next was the realization he was hard, and it was digging into my back, reminding me of the way we’d spent the night.

  But he’s asleep... is it just a morning thing, or is it... something else?

  I lifted a little, trying to gauge asleep he was. I got my answer when he shifted away from my movements and rolled onto his back, trying to find a new comfortable spot since I’d disturbed him. A few seconds later, the subtle rise and fall of his chest resumed, and soft snores broke the relative silence of the room.

  And his boxers were barely restraining him.

  After a few more moment of deliberation, I decided not to wake him up to ask if the blood flow away from his dick was okay – something only on my mind thanks to the fine doctors at Google medical center. I’d read something about men with sickle cell staying hard too long, and the prolonged state causing irreversible damage, and....

  Ugh.

  Screw you, Google.

  I eased my way out of bed, deciding that if I came back in twenty minutes and he was still doing his best redwood tree impression, then I would wake him up. I looked up at myself in the bathroom mirror as I snagged my toothpaste and toothbrush from the counter. Had we really made it to a place where I was going to wake this man up to ask about his dick?

  Well... yes.

  We had.

  I took my toiletries with me to Arizona’s bathroom, knowing she wouldn’t mind. I didn’t want to wake Nick up before I had to, and Arizona was – funny enough – out in LA for the next few weeks, since the cohost of her pop-culture talk show had moved. Like Nick and I, they’d been making it work separately. But... like Nick and I... that distance couldn’t last forever. Especially when Arizona loved LA anyway. She was already looking fo
r a new place.

  I took my time going through my morning routine, knowing it would be hard not to bug Nick once I was done. Smiling at myself in the mirror as I undid the two thick braids I’d taken the time to force my hair into last night, I thought about how different things were for me, not even two months ago.

  Hell, two weeks ago.

  Nick’s insistence on coming to see me had been a pleasant surprise, and a welcomed reassurance that I wasn’t alone in my quickly-growing feelings. Although I complained about the distance, it had given way to a dynamic where he and I simply talked. A lot. Without proximity, we couldn’t make it about a physical connection – I actually liked Nick, the person.

  It didn’t hurt that our obvious chemistry hadn’t been wasted on a physical connection that turned out to be wack. I’d been a little nervous after researching the possible ways sickle cell could complicate sex – again, screw Google – but I was very, very, very pleased to find Nick wasn’t letting any of that hold him back.

  The pleasant ache between my thighs was proof.

  I bit my lip, trying to keep from smiling as I walked into the kitchen, but it broke free anyway, so I let it happen. By the time I put a glass up to the dispenser on the fridge to get some water, I was full-on beaming, and couldn’t seem to be still, bouncing on the balls of my feet in time to music in my head. I took a sip, using my free hand to milly rock, just a little, as I turned back to my counter.

  When I looked up, Nick was at the entrance to the kitchen, arms crossed over his bare chest as he leaned against the wall, looking thoroughly amused by my antics. “Are you always this happy in the mornings?”

  “What?” I asked, grinning. “You’ve never hit a little “happy to be alive” milly rock first thing in the morning?”

  He chuckled, then moved from the wall to walk an unhurried path into the kitchen. “I can’t say I have, but I’m glad to have experienced yours.”