by Vera Roberts
Scott pulled Mariana over his knee and crushed his hand against her ass. He slapped her ass a few more times just for good measure. She murmured in pleasure. “Good. Now that I got you to finally shut up, let me explain,” He helped her stand back up, “I brought you here to prove a point to my family.”
“And what would that be?”
“That I don’t care what they think,” Scott let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I was in a relationship before with a Black woman that ended very badly. Ever since then, my mom and my sister think every Black woman they see is the devil. Do I think they’re right in believing that? No, but I can understand why they do.”
“So I just accept them?”
“You don’t have to accept shit.” Scott was already exhausted by his heavy heart. “I’m letting you know so you can be prepared for them. They both know about you and I’ve sent them pictures of you, so they are fully aware you’re Black,” he paused, “they’ve been aware.”
“For how long?” She asked.
Scott first mentioned Mariana a month ago. “For a while now.”
Mariana wasn’t sure if she should’ve been happy or angry. Scott loved her enough to tell his bigoted family. On the other hand, he had kept that news from her. “I don’t know what to say right now.”
“I understand you’re angry, but you have to trust me: I didn’t do this to embarrass you or get some wicked pleasure from seeing you humiliated,” Scott unlocked Mariana’s handcuffs and gently massaged her wrists, “but if you want to leave me, I understand.”
“This isn’t something I can just get over easily because you feel guilty.” Mariana stood her ground. “No amount of fancy shoes or handbags is going to ease you out of this fuck-up, Scott. What you did was not cool.”
“I know and I’m sorry, really I am.” There was sincerity in his voice. “I hope you can forgive me.”
Mariana didn’t want to. She would’ve loved to stay mad at him for the rest of the trip. But she couldn’t do it. She loved him too much. “I forgive you.”
“Good,” Scott kissed Mariana’s forehead. “We have a bit of time before we head over to my mother’s for dinner. Let’s go back to the hotel to freshen up and relax.”
“That sounds good,” Mariana smiled. “I think we both need to chill right now.”
“Yes,” Scott smiled, “I think we should chill. Let’s shower when we get back to the room to freshen up.”
****
Mariana stepped into the shower and let the warm water beat on her skin. She stood underneath the shower head and closed her eyes, feeling the water pour on her face. Scott joined behind her and pressed his body against hers. “I’m sorry, Mari,” he kissed her earlobe, “I’m really sorry.”
Mariana’s shoulders dropped upon hearing her boyfriend’s apology. Scott wouldn’t have apologized if he didn’t truly mean it. “Forgiven,” she whispered.
Scott turned Mariana around and lifted her face to his, staring into the depths of her doe-brown eyes. “I promise to protect you, no matter what happens.”
“Even from your family?” Mariana asked.
“From everyone,” Scott replied. His lips met hers and they softly kissed. Scott wrapped his arms around Mariana’s back and slid his hands down, cupping her firm and tight ass. “I love you, baby,” he whispered.
“I love you, too, honey,” she replied.
Scott bathed his girlfriend, soaping the loofah and spreading it over her body. He washed every curve and between her legs. He then adjusted the showerhead to rinse Mariana off. Mariana took the loofah from Scott and began to wash her lover’s body, soaping up his muscular body. She looked into his eyes as she washed him. Scott was all she ever needed and wanted. She couldn’t see her future without him.
After Mariana rinsed Scott off, the lovers dried themselves. Scott picked up Mariana and carried her to the bed. He removed the towels from their bodies and took out a small vial of baby oil. He poured some into his hands and rubbed the sweet jasmine oil all over Mariana’s body. He turned her onto her stomach and lightly massaged her back, kneading his fingers gently into her flesh.
Scott turned Mariana on her back and nestled between her legs. He looked into her eyes and didn’t have to say one word. They both read each other’s eyes and felt the overwhelming love and desire between them.
He sheathed himself inside her, their bodies melting and becoming one. They rocked slowly as their tongues danced and lips found each other. Her heat tightly welcomed him once again as he moved inside her, faster and faster, and she met him stroke for stroke. Mariana’s soft murmurs gradually morphed into moans as she clawed and gnashed against her lover’s hot skin. She was thirsty for his love, his touch, and his warm embrace.
Higher and higher they both climbed until she climaxed first, then he shortly afterward. He eased himself off her lithe body and lay beside her, his hands protecting her. Mariana soon drifted off into a small sleep while Scott lay awake and stared at the ceiling before him. He decided right then and there he would protect Mariana, no matter the cost.
Even if it meant his sanity.
SIX
Atlanta. Hotlanta as it was known during the sweltering summer months. The opportunity was ever-present. Everyone was an aspiring something—model, rapper, actor, director, singer. The atmosphere was thick with love and warmth. Caprina felt like she could truly be herself in Atlanta. She had a few friends in the city and would stop by the see them later in the week.
Her primary focus was Scotty and his new little girlfriend, Margie. Fuck! Caprina silently scolded herself. Her name is Mariana. Caprina would have to try harder to remember that chick’s name.
The chauffeured limo dropped her off at the Mandarin Oriental hotel where the concierge was waiting for her. She walked to the front desk to get her key. “Yes, I have a reservation,” Caprina took out her driver’s license, “under Ricci Jenkins.” She could’ve booked the hotel under Caprina but didn’t want to risk Scott finding out she was there before she was ready. She needed to make an appearance.
“Sure thing, Ms. Jenkins,” The hotel clerk handed her her reservation along with room key. “There you go. Enjoy your stay.”
“Oh, I will.” Caprina began to walk away before she turned and addressed the clerk, “by chance, have an older White gentleman and a younger Black female checked in yet?”
“I’m sorry, Ma’am, I’m not allowed to give out that information,” the clerk said.
Caprina felt a tingle in her spine when the clerk addressed her as Ma’am. It brought back many great memories. Yes, Ma’am. I will, Ma’am. Don’t worry about it, Ma’am. Can I cum, Ma’am? “Don’t worry about it. Thank you,” she nodded and walked away.
After Caprina arrived at her room, she took off her heels and fell onto the bed. Scott was going to be in Decatur for a while. He was going to see old friends and family. He was going to take Mariana on a tour of the city. They would probably go shopping and spend New Year’s Eve doing something special and romantic.
And then…and then… Caprina gulped. She didn’t want to think about what was going to happen next. He’s going to fuck her brains out.
There is a fine line between ambition and impatience. The level of success always determined which side of the coin a person fell on. When it came to her career, Caprina was ambitious. When it came to her personal affairs, Caprina was impatient.
Sarah was taking too damn long, Caprina determined. How hard could it be to fake remorse and guilt and make up with a person? Caprina was practically an expert at it since she had been doing it so long. But rushing Sarah would only make matters worse. She needed to take her time on this. She needed to have Scott when she was ready for him. No. She needed him to be ready for her.
And then there was the issue with Sarah. How in the hell was she going to get rid of her? A brilliant plan formed in Caprina’s mind. She’d call up one of her famous friends at the agency and ask them if they could take on her new protégé. Sarah would be booked with so ma
ny photo shoots, she wouldn’t even think about Scott—or her for that matter. She would be far, far away from the situation.
Still, time was running out. The longer Scott was with his young little girlfriend, the harder it was going to be for Caprina to pry him out of Melissa’s arms. Wait, her name is Melanie. No, that’s not it. Her name is Mariana. Caprina took out a notepad and wrote it down. She must not forget that little girl’s name.
Mariana. Mariana. Mariana.
Caprina tossed the notepad aside and stared out the window of her hotel suite. There was a saying that good things come to those who wait. Caprina would just have to be a bit more patient.
She made a list of things she had to do while she was in Atlanta. One of her celebrity friends was throwing a New Year’s Eve bash and Caprina was invited. She’d do a little shopping and tour neighboring Decatur. Her primary focus remained on Scott. She had to figure out when he was leaving and time her reappearance just right. There was no room for mistakes.
It was becoming a life or death situation.
SEVEN
Whenever Linda was nervous, she would wring her hands. She didn’t do it often but enough that Mariana knew when her mother was uneasy about something. She now found herself wringing her own hands. It wasn’t a typical meeting of the parents. Scott’s mother and sister hated Mariana before they had even met her. It wouldn’t make a difference if she showed up with a bouquet of roses or wearing a potato sack. She was going to be treated the same no matter what: like shit.
“I would say you have nothing to be worried about, but we both know I’d be lying,” Scott quietly spoke.
“Oh, I’m not worried about them,” Mariana shook her head as she looked out of the suite window. She finally stopped rubbing her hands and folded her arms across her chest. “I’m worried about me. I know my mouth.”
Normally Scott would shoot Mariana a stern look that spoke he meant business but he couldn’t blame her for what she was feeling. He was about to send her in front of a firing squad with eyes wide open. “We could always cancel.”
“No. Running away will just delay it, and I did enough running already since we’ve been here. But if I feel uncomfortable, I’m getting the hell out of there, no questions.”
“Understood.” Scott stood up and walked over to his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her and Mariana leaned back into his chest. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Hell, no,” Mariana blurted, “but I can’t have people who don’t know me not accept me because of something I didn’t even do.”
Scott turned Mariana around. He kissed her softly. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Oh, I’m amazing, all right.” She turned her focus to something that would possibly break the tension between them. “Master, I’ve decided what day I want to go commando this week.”
“Yes?” Scott smiled.
“Thursday.”
Scott looked up at the ceiling and thought about the day. It coincided with introducing Mariana to his father and his girlfriend. Scott smiled at the coincidence of it. “Perfect. I’ll go commando as well.”
****
“Remember, we’re going for dinner and we’re coming straight back home. I do not want to be there any longer than I have to,” Christine Reed Alhamadan instructed her husband, Hassan.
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting to someone you never even met?” Hassan asked.
“Why? They’re all the same.” Christine pointed out. “They’re all baby mamas or ghetto mamas.”
“First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey aren’t ghetto,” Hassan reminded.
“They’re the exception and not the rule,” Christine stopped at a light. “How many real-life Oprahs and Michelles do you know?”
Christine was Scott’s older sister by two years. Growing up, the pair had been inseparable, with Christine being overprotective of her baby brother and Scott of her. If Christine’s heart was broken, it was a fact Scott and his friends went to torture the poor soul who dared to cross that line. Scott quickly earned a reputation for being a hell raiser.
But the closeness between them dissipated after The Great Disaster. Christine was so infuriated that she declared every Black woman was the devil. A life-long Democrat, Christine even went as far as voting for John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election because she couldn’t stomach having a Black woman as First Lady. She would have preferred the idiocy of Sarah Palin ruining the country if it had meant not seeing Michelle Obama in the Oval Office.
To Scott, Christine’s hatred for Black women was not only disturbing but just plain comical. Not long after his failed wedding, Christine had married her longtime Arab boyfriend and settled into life as a teacher. Occasionally, she would complain how people were racist and bigoted, never once thinking about the very role she played. Christine justified her behavior that she had no problem with Black men; just Black women.
“All right, we’re here.” Christine pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Remember, we’re just here to make nice and be done with it.”
“You know, Chris, you just might like her,” Hassan suggested.
Christine shot him a death look. “Doubtful.”
*****
Mariana had felt nauseated since she had left the hotel. She wasn’t sick to the point of vomiting, but she felt increasingly uneasy. It was guaranteed that Scott’s family was going to hate her. Nothing she could do would help or rectify the situation. Despite the multiple orgasms and the soreness between her thighs, Mariana was still royally pissed at Scott.
Scott focused on the drive before him. He occasionally glanced over to Mariana, who was staring outside the passenger window. He didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts. He already knew she was still pissed at him. He obviously hadn’t fucked the anger out of her.
The drive to his mother’s home was longer than he remembered. The city changed so much since he’d left. New businesses, homes, and apartment complexes had sprouted up. The roads to his mother’s home were surprisingly crowded, and Scott found himself getting a little impatient. He silently smirked to himself the irony of it all. Was he really in a rush to get there? For all Scott knew, he was driving Mariana to a KKK meeting.
Scott turned a corner and pulled up in front of his mother’s home. He saw his sister and her husband had already arrived. Lovely, he thought, David Duke is here.
****
He was just as she remembered. Well, not exactly. He was definitely a bit more muscular. He had been hitting the gym. His hair was too long for her liking; he needed a haircut. And he had grown a beard. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But everything about her Scott was the same.
Deborah was glad her baby was home.
As usual, he brought her a gift. Another Tiffany piece. Deborah had a growing collection of those blue little boxes in her bedroom. She thought about throwing them away, but she wanted to keep them. Sentimental reasons.
“I see L.A. has treated you fairly,” Deborah admired her son, “you have a tan now.”
“Maybe.” Scott’s tone was different around his mother. He was warm and receptive. He smiled more and was definitely more polite. He was a true Southern boy. “I’ve been doing a lot of walking and hiking.”
Deborah felt Scott’s waist. He always kept himself in shape but she couldn’t feel an ounce of fat on him. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to have a cheeseburger now and then.”
“I’ll eat a lot here if it’ll make you feel better, Mother,” Scott grinned.
Deborah’s boyfriend, Tim, soon joined the group. “Glad to see you home, Scott,” he hugged him.
“Glad to be home, Tim,” he hugged back.
Deborah finally turned her attention to Mariana. She had an innocent quality about her, unlike the Great Disaster. The young woman was shy and kept looking around, not meeting eyes with anyone. “And you must be Mariana! It’s a pleasure to finally meet the woman I’ve heard so much about!”
�
��Pleasure to meet you, Deborah,” Mariana smiled.
Deborah looked Mariana up and down. She was more beautiful in person. She could be a model. No, Deborah briefly closed her eyes, she couldn’t be a model. It would remind her too much of the Great Disaster. “Likewise. I hope you enjoy your stay in Decatur.”
“Is that my baby brother I hear?” Christine came running out of the kitchen and jumped on Scott, who twirled her around. “I missed you so much, baby bro!”
“I missed you too, sis,” Scott put Christine down, “Chrissy, this is Mariana.”
The shift in Christine’s personality was instant. The warm Southern hospitality was replaced with a cold front. Mariana could’ve sworn she felt a sudden chill in the room. “So you’re my brother’s new…” She hesitated. “…girlfriend. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
Mariana instantly picked up Christine’s tone and mannerisms. It was clear she was trying extra hard to be nice to her. “Pleasure is all mine.”
“Mm-hmm, I bet.” Christine forced a smile. “Dinner’s ready.” She walked into the dining room.
Scott pulled Mariana close to him. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Appetizers are never bad,” Mariana sighed, “it’s the dinner that can kill you.”
****
Dinner was uneventful. Everyone was surprisingly cordial and friendly. Tim and Scott talked business and politics with each other. Hassan shared Army stories while Deborah caught up everyone with the local Bingo gossip. After dessert was served, Mariana helped Deborah in the kitchen.
“So how long have you and my Scott been dating?” Deborah inquired as she rinsed off dishes.
“About seven months,” Mariana said proudly. It seemed like they’ve been dating longer.
“Very well,” Deborah nodded. It was the type of nod that didn’t let one know if she agreed with what was said or if she was just trying to be polite. “Are you two serious?”