by Janice Sims
Mother Maybelle, who would’ve turned blue if she had held her breath a minute longer, exhaled. Well, I can see that my help’s not needed here. She strolled back up the aisle, en route to the next case she had to help out.
The Red Oaks Christian Fellowship’s Annual Spring Church Picnic was turning out to be everything that Reverend Avery had promised his flock. There were games to test the agility and endurance of fairgoers young and old, routines performed by the church’s praise dancers, and the Praise Steppers stepped in the name of the Lord. The food ministry outdid itself, providing lavish buffet items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner under a large tent on the verdant campgrounds. Where recreation and food were concerned, there was a flavor for every taste.
On that unseasonably warm seventy-nine degree day, the only flavor Valerie desired was Norman, and he, Valerie. He couldn’t get enough of the sight of her and the way her womanly physique filled out her jeans, the clinging cotton shirt that cinched at her waist, or the kimono sleeve knit sweater that hugged her neck. Her hair was neatly tucked under a crocheted baseball cap, although a few errant curls framed her face. She looked so young, so sexy, so vivacious, and ripe for kissing. Norman’s face burned with the memory of the searing kiss they’d shared, and he wanted more.
Throughout the day, they played horseshoes, climbed a greasy pole, participated in the one-legged potato sack race, and Valerie won a Double Dutch contest that Mother Maybelle had practically forced her to sign up for. But it was the tug-of-war that turned out to be extra special for her.
There were too many men on the team Norman was on, and that gave them an unfair advantage. The organizers chose Valerie, at random, and told her to join the other team. Norman grunted in protest, mumbling a cussword under his breath. He took matters into his own hands.
He took Valerie’s arm, gently nudging her over to his team—right next to him—while several of the ladies from her former team grumbled and said they wished that some fine man would bring them to his team. They had hoped to be the lucky one chosen to stand next to Norman, so he could look at them the way he looked at Valerie. But they knew that would never happen because even Stevie Wonder would see that Norman only had eyes for the woman with the heavenly voice.
The game got underway, and Norman grabbed her around her waist in a possessive gesture, then placed his hands on hers. He implored Valerie to pull harder. Leaning back into the firm expanse of his chest, she had all the motivation she needed, and she pulled with all her might.
She couldn’t quell the magnetism that crept up her thighs when she remained that close to Norman a moment too long. Her skin tingled under his touch, and she had no intention of backing away from it. Still, Valerie felt that Norman Grant was dangerous. He was the type of man who could make her think about things other than church or the picnic they were on. If he could ignite the kind of heat she was feeling in her body at that moment, she knew that she’d better concentrate on helping her team win the competition, and that would keep her mind off the gorgeous man whose loose dreadlocks swayed in the gentle breeze. She grimaced and gave the rope a huge tug, and it was just the amount of strength needed to overpower the other team.
What Valerie didn’t anticipate was that when the other team fell over, it would cause a chain reaction of events that would end with Norman falling right on top of her. What she also didn’t expect was how good his hard body would feel on top of hers, or how kissable his lips looked so close to hers. His breath was warm and moist against her face, causing her heart to race. Goose bumps developed on her whole body from their contact, as each of them shared an intense physical awareness of the other. Their gazes locked; they were the only two people in the world at that point in time.
Norman and Valerie’s spell was broken by the booming sound of Reverend Danforth’s voice calling everyone to attention.
The crowd gathered around at the bandstand area which served as the central meeting place for the church’s entertainment and announcements. After a performance of Christian spoken word poetry by the drama ministry, Reverend Danforth came onstage again, garnering applause from the young people, who talked about how hip he looked in his Red Oaks Annual Spring Church Picnic 2004 T-shirt, jeans, and baseball hat worn backwards.
“Um hum, so you didn’t think I could rock some jeans and a T-shirt, huh?” he teased them, chuckling. “I won’t take long because I know y’all have been waiting for this all day. So let’s get to it. He gave a stack of papers to several young people to pass out. “Please take a list of the seven items that are indigenous to Georgia which you’ll have to find and bring back in order to win the scavenger hunt. The first five people to find and bring all of the items listed will receive a shopping spree at Jordan Marsh and a day at the Peachtree Villa, the hot new spa that opened up in town last month. The only rules are to play fair, no fighting, and remember that this is a Christian event. Please bring your findings to Mother Maybelle or me, and we will log in your number and let you know how you’ve placed. Godspeed.”
Valerie took Norman’s hand and led him away from the bandstand so they’d be out of earshot. “I have an idea,” she whispered. In that moment, what she felt for Norman had nothing to do with reason or good sense.
Norman’s heart raced. He was elated that Valerie wanted to share her thoughts with him. That was good, and it could only get better, he thought.
“I really want to win that shopping spree, so let’s do something so we’ll get the most out of this,” she said in her sexiest voice, moving closer to Norman. She peered intently into his eyes. “If either of us wins, we can buy something for the other, so we’ll both be winners, okay?”
Valerie didn’t know how precious she was to him, because Norman knew that he couldn’t have loved her anymore than he did then. He couldn’t think of anything he wouldn’t do for her. “Yes, baby. We can do that,” he said pulling her to him, holding her for a moment. “We’d better go back because we don’t want to miss the hunt.”
Neither of them wanted to be out of each other’s embrace, but they had to part if they intended to win anything.
Soon the participants dispersed in all directions in their hunt for the seven items. Valerie and Norman loved Jordan Marsh, the popular Southern department store chain, so any excuse to shop there—and especially on the church’s dime—was good enough for them.
They started their search, double-checking behind each other, hoping to increase their odds. In approximately an hour, Valerie found the Laurel and Hardy video, the jar of red eye gravy, and the bottle of R.C. Cola. They still needed the other four items, and she could have sworn that they’d walked around that campground at least twice.
Weariness enveloped Valerie as she tried to concentrate on where they should go next. She couldn’t walk another step. Her back ached between her shoulder blades. Every bone, muscle, and sinew in her body throbbed.
Valerie spied a stately oak tree in the distance, and she shuffled to it, propping herself against its trunk. Closing her eyes, she lost track of time and didn’t feel anyone else’s presence until a pair of soft arms encircled her. With one hand in the small of her back, and the other hand on her waist, Norman drew her body to him, and in one forward motion, she was in his arms.
Valerie’s body came alive everywhere he touched. She hadn’t noticed the scent of the cherry blossoms that were in bloom or the dogwood flowers that were opening up before Norman embraced her. Their scents mixed, with his intoxicating Eternity cologne overpowering and rendering her senseless. Oh Lord, help me, she silently prayed. “Norman, I…I—”
Tipping her face upward, he planted taunting little kisses along her cheek. He then kissed her in the moist hollow of her throat, continuing the torture of bypassing her lips.
Valerie’s nipples hardened and ached underneath the fabric of her blouse.
Norman’s warm lips smothered Valerie’s mouth, holding it captive with his sweet kiss. They extended her an invitation that demanded an answer.
Va
lerie’s lips opened to up to his, but nothing could have prepared her for the explosions she felt in her loins from his kiss.
Unhurriedly, his tongue entwined with Valerie’s, sweeping inside to caress the walls of her mouth. Teasing, taunting, tasting, he sampled every drop of her brown sugar and searched for more. Norman’s thrusting tongue pushed her over the edge, and electric sensations ignited from her mouth to her feminine core. Their tongues danced together in a silent melody to a tune of their own making.
While Norman explored her mouth, Valerie tasted him with a new hunger—the likes of which she’d never known before.
She moaned, relishing the feel of his velvet lips as his tongue explored everything she had to give.
His tongue moved inside her mouth, making love to it with strong, deep, impelling strokes. Valerie gave him as much of her sugar as he could stand, wishing their kiss would go on forever. Then, Norman tightened his arms around her, their bodies molding perfectly to each other’s.
Valerie felt his steely manhood against her, and that was all she needed to get her feminine juices flowing. A shudder ran up the length of her body, fanning the sparks of arousal that would lead to a leaping flame. Soon, her body temperature hit the boiling point, and she broke out in a sweat. She unlocked her lips from his, knowing that if she didn’t, she’d wind up on the grass with him doing only God knows what—not that she didn’t want to. “Norman, I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t, Valerie, but we can’t deny what we feel for each other, or what is happening between us,” he purred, his mouth closing over hers once again as he ignored the dull ache in his throbbing muscle.
“I—I—I—this shouldn’t be—it’s not—” Valerie stammered, reduced to a babbling idiot by Norman’s kisses. But she didn’t have to worry about speaking because he guided her into his arms, and they made out like two lovesick kids on prom night.
They finally broke away from each other when their lips became numb and swollen. Raising her chin with his finger, Norman was getting ready to press his mouth to Valerie’s once more when the sound of a whistle startled him. He swore, pulling away from her.
She sighed as she saw the look on his face change from elation to exasperation.
Footsteps approached, coming closer to them. “The scavenger hunt is now over,” the young woman announced through a bullhorn as she paced the area. “Please bring your finds back to the bandstand.”
All Valerie and Norman could do at that point was to gather the items they’d found and place them in the canvas bag on her shoulder. Norman passed her the can of boiled peanuts and the Vidalia onion that he’d recently spotted. She took them and put them in the bag, her body still on fire from their make-out session.
“Baby, we don’t have all seven items. We’re still missing the Alice Walker book and the Georgia peach,” Norman commented, frowning. “We don’t even have enough to put them together so you can win the shopping spree and the day at the spa.”
Valerie nodded her head to acknowledge him, unable to quell the heat from Norman’s touch which continued to radiate throughout her body.
Hand in hand, they walked back to the area where the picnic activities were—only to be seen by Mother Maybelle—who gave them a huge Kool-Aid grin. Although they’d looked everywhere they could along the way, they didn’t find the other two items.
Disappointed, they listened as the winner was announced. But Valerie could barely hear it over the revelation haunting her mind. After having been hurled to a romantic paradise filled with tender kisses, she was unable to deny the truth that had been in her heart for some time. Knowing that there was something extra special about Norman, a startling realization washed over her: I’m in love with Norman Grant.
Seven
Norman paced the perimeter of his townhouse’s large sunken living room like a caged panther. He didn’t know why he felt so tense and out-of-sorts. The names and faces of the many women he’d dated slipped through his thoughts. Grimacing, he remembered how his older brothers, Cleotis and Leon, had taught him everything he needed to know about women. When he became a man, little had changed. He’d become quite a ladies’ man, dating one woman or another, or several, taking them out, and then, after an evening of hot sex, on to the next one—never meaning any of them any good. Commitment and marriage were not options.
Norman found the remote and flipped on the television, finding a news program. He listened to a report about how terrorists blew up a train in Spain, and how Haiti had gotten a new president. Deciding that was too serious for him at that time, he flipped to a movie on the Sci-Fi Channel. When he walked into the kitchen, the coffeemaker caught his eye. He prepared the pot with some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans and turned the power on. He needed to be fully awake because he had some thinking to do.
Norman didn’t realize it before he met Valerie, but there was something missing from his life: the love of a good woman. Sure, he’d dated one woman, then the next, but that was becoming old to him. At thirty, he felt he needed to stop the drama, find a woman to settle down with, and make some babies.
He ambled over to the countertop and fixed himself a cup of the steaming hot brew. He blew on it and sipped. No one had to knock him upside his head about how and where to find a good woman. Norman already knew one—Valerie!
He realized that she was perfect for him in every way. His brain seemed to be in overdrive as he thought about how Valerie was beautiful, intelligent, classy, talented, and she had grit to complete the package. To his way of thinking, Valerie was just right for him but was more than he deserved.
After all, Norman couldn’t forget his checkered past with the numerous women he’d bedded but had meant no good. Would bad karma come back to bite him? Would he land Valerie, only to lose her to some fast-talking slickster who’d want nothing more than a cheap fling? Norman couldn’t let that worry him just then. He had things to do. He had to somehow put his past in perspective, step to Valerie, and let her know exactly how he felt about her. Norman Grant had good sense—and plenty of it. It told him that he’d better grab her and do so in a hurry. I’m positive that Valerie’s the one, he thought, walking into his spacious bedroom. I’d better scoop her up before someone else does.
Valerie came to rehearsal the following Thursday night exactly on time. Although her bearing was stiff and proud, her spirit was in chaos. She didn’t arrive early to practice praise songs, since she’d learned them all, or to spend extra time rehearsing her solo parts.
Norman called her over and spoke to her away from the other choir members, who were looking over some new sheet music. “What happened to you, tonight, Valerie? You didn’t call me to say you weren’t coming in early like we’ve always done,” he quizzed, hoping for a plausible explanation even though he hadn’t talked to her since the picnic.
Being so near Norman both excited and disturbed her. She felt as if she were frozen in limbo, to the point where she couldn’t make decisions or take any action where he was concerned. “I had something else to do,” she snapped, turning her face away from him. Tormented by confusing emotions, Valerie swam through a haze of thoughts and desires.
He stared at her, baffled as to why she was so cold and terse toward him after what they’d shared in the park. Didn’t she feel the chemistry between us? he wondered. Norman didn’t have an inkling what could have spooked her, but he would find out—or he would die trying. But at that moment, he had a restless choir to attend to. “We’ll pick this up later, Valerie,” he informed her, taking his seat at the piano.
She went back to her seat, cradling her head in her trembling hands until it was time to go over her new solo.
Valerie kept up her silent treatment for nearly three weeks, ignoring Norman’s around-the-clock phone calls. She didn’t return any of them, but she continued to go to choir rehearsal. She left right after it was over and turned down his offers to have coffee or latte at the café in town. Tossing her hair across her shoulders in an act of defiance w
hen Norman asked her out, she felt nauseous from the struggle that brewed within her. All of her loneliness, confusion, and the love she felt for him welded together in an upsurge of devouring yearning. I love you, but I can’t be with you, she thought, wondering if she should confess what was really bothering her.
Valerie went about her life as if Norman didn’t exist. He crossed her mind every now and then, but she ignored those thoughts and immersed herself in working lots of overtime. When she didn’t do that, she worked on extra projects from home.
As she was working on a project one night, Valerie felt a trapdoor open on the floor of her stomach as she heard the song, “All About You,” playing on the “Loving After Dark” program on her favorite radio station. Bile rose in her throat when the deejay announced that the singer’s name was Trina Tucker, but Valerie knew better.
She didn’t realize that her fists were balled up, but they were—and they convulsed with rage. In a clean sweep, she knocked all of the supplies and materials she’d been working with off her drafting table. Adrenaline pulsed through her arteries, inflaming her body. Valerie broke down and cried as the memories came flooding back in her mind.
She remembered hearing other singers croon her songs on the radio, and a few of them made the top ten lists on the Billboard magazine R&B charts. Had Lucas Williams been an honest producer, Valerie would have been a very wealthy woman because of all of the royalties she would have received.
Valerie pounded her fists on the table, still crying uncontrollably. “Why did Lucas steal my songs and give them to other singers?” she wailed into the air. No one was there to give her the answers she so badly needed. Girlfriend looked at her with a blank expression on her tiny face. “Why did he steal the thing that mattered so much to me? All I wanted to do was sing!”
After having such awful things happen at the hands of a man who claimed to love her, how could she possibly allow herself to give in to her love for Norman? How could Valerie trust him after she’d vowed that, after Lucas, she’d never trust another man ever again? Or fall in love?