by Emery, Lynn
“Hi, I’m Bébé. Y’all sit anywhere. I’ll be back in a minute.” She sashayed off on long, graceful legs.
Andrea walked to a table near the window. A breeze blew in, making the white gauze curtains flutter. Ceiling fans helped keep the interior of the club comfortable. The band ended the tune to applause.
“What do you think so far?” Andrea said once they were seated.
“I’m wondering how you could stay away from this place,” Lee said. He propped both elbows on the rough surface of the round table.
“There was a lot of work at the …” She paused when he held up a finger. “At the you-know-what,” Andrea finished.
Bébé appeared right on cue with a basket of mixed nuts and pretzels. She put it on the table. “What can I get y’all?”
‘Two Abita beers,” Andrea said promptly. She turned to Lee. “You’ll love it. It’s a Louisiana brew made from spring water in the famous Abita Springs.”
“Got ya.” Bébé was off again.
“Man; and I thought I knew Louisiana.” Lee smiled at her.
“No way. New Orleans is more like a neo-European city. You gotta get the whole flavor of the Bayou State, cher,” Andrea teased.
As if to confirm her statement, the band started to play again. This time the song was slow and poignant. The lights in the nightclub muted. A miniature glass oil lamp was on the table between them. Andrea’s brown eyes glowed from its tiny reflected flame.
“I’m looking forward to future field trips,” Lee said softly.
Her mouth curved up deliciously. “Discreet field trips?”
He leaned forward and kissed her. “Absolutely. Now let’s forget about the world. Dance with me.”
Lee led her by the hand onto the dance floor. There were other couples dancing, but he didn’t pay attention to them. He held Andrea in his arms and let the rest of the world go away. There was only the music, the way her body perfectly fit against him, and the sweet smell of her perfume. She put both arms around him with her hands holding his shoulders. Her head rested against his chest. Her hips swayed in time to the music, matching his rhythm as well.
Lee felt himself harden slowly, desire pumping through him. He’d never been so aroused by a simple dance before. Andrea snuggled closer, molding her pelvis against him. Lee choked back a moan and gripped her tighter. Andrea raised her face to him and he kissed her, this time hard. He tried to satisfy a lifetime of hunger with the sweetness she provided. Yet a thousand years of kissing her would never be enough. Lee knew what he’d only suspected and feared the first time they touched. He would love her even if it broke his heart.
“Ahem!”
A deep, gruff male voice startled them both and broke the spell. Andrea looked over Lee’s shoulder and smiled. Lee scowled and turned toward the source of a most unwelcome interruption.
“What?” Lee growled.
“The song is over, that’s what. Y’all the only ones still on the floor,” the husky man said. His bushy eyebrows went up to his receding hairline as he glanced at Andrea. “Hey, baby girl.”
“Poppa Ben!” Andrea let out an embarrassed laugh. “You look wonderful.”
“For an old man, you mean. Let me get a look at you.” Poppa Ben took a step back and put his fists on his hips. “Pretty, just like your mama. And who is this?” He nodded to Lee.
“Jamal Turner, meet Ben ‘Poppa Blues’ Lavergne.” Andrea went to Poppa and kissed his cheek.
Lee smiled and shook hands with him. The older man’s grip was strong. “How ya doin’?”
“Doin’ real good for a relic.” Poppa tightened his grip to prove his point. He stared at Lee steadily.
“Yep, I can tell,” Lee said. He extracted his hand and flexed it.
“Cut it out, Poppa. I’m not eighteen anymore,” Andrea said, and pinched his arm. She turned to Lee. “Poppa used to intimidate my dates.”
“I’m just sayin’ hello is all.” Poppa wore an innocent expression.
“Sure you were,” Andrea quipped.
“Nice to meet you, sir. Anybody that looked after Andrea is all right with me.” Lee grinned at him.
“There you go. I got a feelin’ we gonna be buddies.” Joe clapped a huge hand on Lee’s shoulder that made him rock back on his heels.
Lee blinked from the impact. “I’m really glad to hear it.”
“Let’s sit down. Hey, Bébé, bring us some beer,” Poppa shouted.
“On its way,” she called back.
Poppa led them back to their table and they all sat down. They laughed and talked for a time. He was a jovial teddy bear of a man. Yet he skillfully questioned Lee about his job, education, and family history, all with a pleasant smile. Lee mused that Poppa Ben would be an asset to any private detective agency.
“How’s Charlene? Haven’t seen her in over three months.” Poppa sipped from a mug of beer.
“I can’t believe Mama’s been here at all!” Andrea said with a look of surprise. “She’s always saying how dull it is in Bayou Blue.”
“Been comin’ to my place off and on for the last couple of years at least. Guess she’s gettin’ homesick in her old age,” Poppa said with a chuckle.
“I wouldn’t advise you to mention old age to Charlene,” Andrea warned.
Poppa laughed heartily. “Oo-wee, she’d take my head off! Look, I better get back to work. You two have a good time. Not that you won’t.” He winked at them and laughed again when Andrea blushed.
“Poppa Ben,” she muttered, and pursed her lips.
“I remember being young and crazy in love.” Poppa clapped his hands together. “I’m gonna have the guys play a special dance tune just for you. Take care of our baby girl, son. Don’t make me come lookin’ for you.” Poppa wore a mock scowl to punctuate his pretend threat.
“No, sir. I don’t want that!” Lee held up both hands.
“ ’Bye, sweet,” Poppa said.
He planted a kiss on Andrea’s cheek, shook hands with Lee, and ambled off. He went to where the band leader sat drinking at the bar and said something to him. The man gave a thumbs-up sign to Andrea and Lee.
“Poppa is too much,” Andrea said with a smile of warm affection.
“He seems like a good man.” Lee waved to him, and then turned to Andrea.
“He is. Poppa Ben and Daddy were closer than a lot of brothers. They were so much alike.” Andrea gazed across the room at him.
Lee recognized the pang of loss in her expression. “You were still a kid when your dad died, huh?”
Andrea nodded. “Almost ten. He was killed in a car accident.”
“That’s rough. At least you’ve got good memories, though.” Lee drank from his glass.
She looked at him. “And you don’t?”
He shook his head. “Nope,” he said in a clipped tone.
“That bad, huh?”
“He was no-good dirt,” Lee said, his voice flat.
“And your mother?”
“I used to blame her for a lot of what happened, but she did her best. She went through a lot for us.” Lee stared down at the table.
“Yeah, I guess there comes a time when you have to stop blaming your parents.” Andrea leaned forward until her arms rested on the tabletop.
“I guess you’re right,” Lee said. He reached out and she placed her hand in his.
Without saying more, they’d reached an understanding. Later they would talk about the past. For now, no more needed to be said.
At that moment a long, sensuous note came from the guitar of the bandleader. The sound seemed to reach out and wrap itself around them. Lee and Andrea got up at the same time. They came together without saying a word. Once again Lee burned at every point where their bodies touched. Andrea rested her lovely face against
his chest and held him. Lee wanted to protect her from all harm. He rubbed her back as he pressed his lips to her forehead. In seconds desire flooded him with such force he felt dazed. Andrea looked up, her brown eyes gleaming.
“I’d like to leave now,” Andrea whispered.
They stopped moving to the music. “Are you sure?” Lee whispered. He brushed his mouth against the smooth skin of her cheek.
“Yes.”
Poppa came over and they said goodbye. They drove back to her apartment. The night closed around them, making the inside of his car intimate and cozy. Jazz played softly on the radio. The closer they came to her apartment, the more Lee’s heart raced.
He followed her inside without hesitation. He made no protest when she turned on the compact disc player or dimmed the lights. Lee did not hold back when she came into his arms with a sigh. His blood pounded wildly through his veins when she guided his hand to her breast and kissed him. His fingers caressed her until the nipple pebbled through the fabric of her blouse. He moaned deep in his throat as he hardened beneath the gentle stroke of her fingers.
Andrea used her other hand to unbutton her blouse. Lee’s hands moved on their own, pushing sleeves down her arms until she was free of the garment. He kissed a line down her neck and to the soft mounds of flesh above black lace.
She pulled his shirt from his pants and ran her fingernails along his spine. Lee gasped at the sensation and buried his face between her breasts. They undressed each other slowly, savoring each moment. Lee unhooked her bra, then pulled back to admire her full brown breasts, the nipples peaks of milk chocolate. He leaned forward and licked them hungrily. Through a luscious haze, he felt her hands rubbing his thighs. Andrea grasped the bands of his briefs and pulled them down. Impatient to be near her, Lee broke off caressing her to yank them off. He stood still and looked at her. She wore only the black lace panties that matched her bra. Her skin was like luminescent burnished gold in the shadow of one small lamp. She walked toward him and caressed the head of his erect penis. Lee groaned and pulled her to him. He buried his face in fleecy curls of thick brown hair that smelled of jasmine.
“Are you very sure?” Lee said hoarsely.
It was the only note of caution he could muster. He’d reached the limit of his self-control. Still, he gently rubbed one of her nipples with his thumb to be sure of her answer. She did not disappoint him.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Andrea sighed between peppering delicate kisses across his chest.
She used both hands to drive him senseless, alternately squeezing and stroking him. Lee picked her up and Andrea wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed and caressed as he carried her to the bedroom. Andrea let go long enough for him to sit on the bed. She pushed him on his back and straddled him. He relished the way she took control.
“Nice bedspread,” Lee mumbled between kisses. “Get rid of it.”
“No time,” Andrea said, rocking her hips against him until he was senseless.
Lee nipped her flesh gently as she moved against him. “You feel so good,” he gasped.
Andrea kissed his shoulders while combing her fingers through his hair. Lee groaned when her fingers closed around him. Her tongue traced a fiery trail down his chest and back up again to his neck. She stood and took off her panties with slow deliberation, staring into his eyes as she pushed them down her hips and thighs.
Then she disappeared into her bathroom and came back with a square foil packet. He nodded when she held it up. Andrea tore it open and surprised him. She knelt in front of him and expertly fitted the condom over his penis, her fingers gently caressing him.
“Now, please!” Lee said hoarsely, reaching for her.
She mounted him and eased his penis inside her. Lee cried out as she began a rocking motion that made him forget everything else. Every nerve ending felt raw and belonged to her. Control was the last thing he needed or wanted. He gave himself over to her completely.
Andrea seemed to know exactly how to move. Every few minutes she shifted her hips just right, sending him to new heights of ecstasy. He uttered guttural shouts in a voice he did not recognize as his own. Lee reached out and squeezed both breasts in his hands, rubbing the nipples with his thumbs until she cried out, too.
“Faster, baby,” Lee moaned. He strained forward in a frantic effort to feel more of her.
Andrea lifted up and down faster, harder, until both dripped with sweat. They crashed together, crying out each other’s names. Lee saw and felt a white-hot flash. His world dissolved into only one explosive moment when he strove to make the feeling last. His orgasm seized him and he lost all reason. He lifted them both up with one powerful thrust. Andrea screamed, shuddered once, and then tightened around his penis. Then Lee’s body went limp; the only sensation was Andrea’s weight on top of him. He heard her panting as if from a distance.
After a few seconds she sat back and carefully lifted her body. She rolled to lie beside him in one smooth motion.
“No,” he gasped.
Lee pulled her back to stretch full length on him, her head resting on his chest. He did not want to lose the delicious heat radiating from her skin. It was heat they’d ignited together. Spent and satiated, he felt the world come back. Music drifted to them from the speakers in the living room.
“I’ve never felt this good before,” Lee whispered in a shaky voice. Somehow he could not find words to explain how deeply she reached inside him.
“I know. I feel it, too.” Andrea nuzzled his skin with her lips and lifted her face to him. She wore a dreamy smile. “And I don’t care what people say.”
“Are you sure?” Lee combed her tangled hair with his fingers.
She settled her cheek against his chest again. Relaxed and content, Andrea sighed. “I’m sure, Jamal.”
Lee flinched at the sound of only one of many lies he’d told her. What had he done?
Chapter 15
The next day, Lee was back at work and trying to concentrate on the real reason he’d come to Bayou Blue.
Denny came into the records room. “It’s on for Friday night,” he said, and slapped Lee on the back. “Awright?”
Lee nodded to him. “Sure. What time you want me there?”
“Eleven is when the party starts.” Denny grinned. He shuffled his feet in a hip-hop dance. “We gonna get paid some real money, man.”
“Keep it down,” Lee said. He got up from his seat and looked down the hall.
“Ain’t nobody around, man. Relax. They all got patients or something.” Denny chuckled and continued to dance.
“I wasn’t asking to go to a party, Denny. What’s up with that?” Lee frowned at him.
“We always get together. Like, you know, combining business with pleasure.” Denny bobbed his head. “Gonna have some fine women in the house, too.”
Lee’s eyes narrowed. He wondered if Denny was luring him into a setup. “I’m into business, all right? I get plenty of pleasure elsewhere.”
“It’s not like that,” Denny said. He stopped clowning around when Lee’s expression did not change. “Okay, look, don’t get all tense.”
“I don’t want no crap, Denny.” Lee pointed a finger at him.
“I’m telling you it ain’t no big deal. Ty is into serious business. Trust me.”
“Uh-huh,” Lee said with a grunt.
“The party goes on up front and we get down to business in the back.” Denny waved a hand. “That’s all.”
“What did you say about me?” Lee doubted Denny would give him the whole truth, but asked anyway.
“I said there’s this dude from South Central got some contacts. I mentioned the Crips and a little something about making big money.” Denny grinned again. “That got their attention.”
The Crips had a solid base in Shreveport, Louisiana, a city in the far north of the state. Gang leaders with family ties in the area visited to escape violent retaliation from rivals. Shreveport was a sleepy small town compared to Los Angeles. Unfortunately the young men had kept themselves busy by organizing a Louisiana branch of the Crips. The Bloods, another ruthless L.A. gang, had taken root not long after.
“Just so they understand I’m serious.” Lee sat down again, but didn�
��t return Denny’s smile. “If y’all want to make real money, you have to put business first.”
‘Trust me; these dudes are lookin’ to get paid like us.” Denny nodded with vigor.
“Yeah? Then I don’t advise them to wait around too much longer. The Latino Kings are moving in fast, and they’re getting strong in New Orleans.” Lee crossed his arms.
“Damn! I heard a bunch of those chumps got de-ported.” Denny sat down on a small stool across from him.
“Don’t think that’s gonna stop them. Blink once and those guys will own this state.” Lee propped his elbows on his knees. “I’m telling you what I know.”
“Yeah, they’re vicious. Hey, what say we hang tonight? Help you get in with my boys,” Denny said with a grin.
“Sure,” Lee said.
“We can go to Sonny’s Pizza Place. The women go there, too, man. Got some fine bi—” Denny broke off when Andrea appeared suddenly. He coughed loudly to cover the profanity he’d used.
“Hi.” She glanced briefly at him, then longer at Lee.
“Hi, Miss Andrea. How are you doin’ today?” Denny put on his good-boy expression.
“Great, as a matter of fact.” Andrea smiled at Lee.
Denny looked from Andrea to Lee. “I’ve got some work to do up front. See you later.” He winked at Lee and left.
“Hi,” Andrea said again, and sat down on a chair next to him.
“Hi.” Lee smiled. “I think Denny picked up on the vibrations.”
“You think?” Andrea glanced over her shoulder, and then turned back to him. “We’re not that obvious, are we?”
“No, I guess not.”
Another lie. He was not at all sure of what he could handle anymore. But there was no turning back.
Andrea breathed in and out. “About last weekend.”
“Yes?”
“It was fabulous. Let’s do it all over again, beginning with Friday.” Andrea leaned forward slightly.
“Uh, I can’t.”
Andrea’s smile faltered. “Oh … I understand.”
“No, it’s not like that,” Lee said, brushing his fingers across her cheek. “I promised Denny we could hang out more. In fact, we’re having pizza tonight.”