by Love Belvin
“I’ll never forget you, Lexi!” she blubbered into my chest.
All that was missing was the violin. I’d be damned if I didn’t feel a jerk in my belly, a tug at my emotions that I didn’t find easy to release.
“You can always email me about R. Kelly’s concerts.” I giggled. “If I ever have the chance to meet him, I’ll record a video of him saying hello to you.”
Her head shot up. “Re-really?” she trilled, wailing halted, nose and lips trembling. “You think he would sing my name?”
I croaked a bellyful laugh at that one. “Don’t push it, Yanti!”
“I guess you’re right.” She sniffled in my arms.
I felt the subtle tug at the back of the elastic waist of my yoga pants. Ezra was ready to move on down the line. I gave my final hug and moved on to Ida.
The last parting words were from Ezra and Jarabu. It was in Indonesian, and I’m sure purposely, so I didn’t catch their exchange. I could tell the theme of it was fond though.
“Listen, Lexi,” he demanded soberly with a thick accent, but not as heavy as the others. “You’re welcome back anytime. Anytime.” He shook my hand at a rhythm that matched the staccato of his word delivery. His dark eyes gestured over my shoulder. “If he has it his way, he won’t be back for years; if I had things my way, he’d stay where he’s needed forever. I beg of you to come back the moment you need reprieve from the rat race of the U.S., okay? Promise me, please.” His imploration was as severe as they come.
His feelings for Ezra were that tender. I glanced back at my husband with a questioning glare and was met with impassivity. However, though his mouth expressed nothing, Ezra’s eyes were soft as they regarded his friend. There was a connection; perhaps Ezra was like me. Maybe he simply wasn’t good at expressing emotions.
I turned back to Jarabu and nodded.
“I promise,” I murmured not quite knowing how I’d get this man back on a twenty-one hour flight to Indonesia; a place I still couldn’t point out on a damn map.
We each gave our final wave before getting into the jeep, and took off to the airport.
Our flight home was slightly different than the one to our honeymoon destination. Ezra pulled me to the bedroom as soon as we were cleared to remove our seatbelt and move about the aircraft freely. Before I could inquire why, the door was slammed shut, my clothes were roughly and quickly yanked from my body and Ezra was on top of me, inside of me, petitioning for an orgasm. And I’ll be damned if my body didn’t give it to him almost moments after he demanded it directly in my ear. When I exploded, it was like his heavy, muscular frame was a damn machine as he plunged his thick cock inside my quivering channel, driving forcefully until he pulled a second one out of me. My thighs squeezed around his waist, trembling from the lack of control. He grunted, animalistic over me as he thrust with vicious horsepower, sweat dripping from his strained face. That wide nose flared and those piercing eyes commanding something deep inside my psyche. The channeling seared me to the point of my tense body collapsing in segue underneath his, rolling into yet another orgasm.
Fuck me…
My palms pinched his hard wings in an attempt to brace myself against the harsh jolting of my body as he rocked hard on top of me.
“Christ, Alexis!” His cry prompted mine as he plummeted into me manically before his pelvis suspended in the air for seconds long then jutted into me successively.
That’s when I realized he was coming himself. It was then that I understood the complete and utter intoxication of empowerment when a man releases inside of you. The way Ezra let go was not because he was ready. It was like he had to because he could no longer hold on.
This time after he pulled out and allowed me to rest, I did so completely. So much so that when he tapped me into some level of consciousness to wash my legs that where leaking his essence, I declined. I wanted his juices to permeate my skin. To penetrate me so that when we returned to our new reality, I could always experience the bliss of responding to him on this level. I may not have totally trusted Ezra, but a layer of resistance had been pulled back. And as some cosmic reward, I’d been able to experience bliss on another level. Uncovering God’s provision of the human anatomy in this manner was nothing short of a miracle.
The next time I awakened, Ezra adamantly demanded that I eat.
“We’ve slept for over three hours, beloved,” he groggily informed.
Simultaneously, my bladder screamed in protest. I shuffled off the bed and padded into the en suite bathroom. My thighs were slickened together, forcing me into the shower. When I returned to the comfy bed, I noticed a new color of bedding. Ezra was patting the area next to him. I found myself skipping to him under the guise of being seduced by food. I nestled against the pillow, still fatigued, while he fed me grapes cheese and crackers. I’d even noticed the acidity of wine when he offered me a drink. When I glanced at the tray where he’d been grabbing portions, I saw a clear glass. I knew instantly that was his water.
I refused his feeding when sleepiness exceeded my hunger pangs.
“You sore?” Ezra rasped as he swiped his hands together, ridding himself of the debris from the food.
Immediately, my nipples pebbled. I felt the clench from my lips below in a split second. My bottom lip folded in, teeth scraping as it pulled out. But it was the shiver of my spine that made the decision.
“Ummm…” I hesitated, “I don’t think so.”
“You sure?” He gulped down his water seemingly unaware of the spell he cast me under effortlessly. Then his tongue appeared, scraping over his top front teeth. I nodded, slightly. “Good.” He took another sip. “Because I need you again.”
The sheet dropped as my body reactively and impulsively reclined. And then he was on top of me again, pinning my wrists above my head as he used to when we kissed, rendering me helpless. Ezra thrust powerfully, beautifully until we were both ascending and then dozing into sleep.
Undulating sensations pushed me into consciousness. My pelvis assaulted with sharp spikes of pleasure called me to awareness of my sex being stroked silkily with strong thrumming. I sighed heavily and offered myself to the source of pleasure. So sedated I couldn’t differentiate reality from my dreams: dreams I’d been living out as Mrs. Carmichael. My back bowed tortured over the bed at the feel of strong strokes against my sensitive flesh. I felt the newly familiar climb of ascension.
“Oh!” flew from my lungs as warmth blanketed me, filling me, rousing me from my sleep to catch my push into a magical stratosphere.
I’d had more sex in the past two weeks than I’d had in my entire life, and the orgasms in less than twenty four hours were more than I could ever imagine. So it wasn’t until I felt the first plunge of his powerful hips that I realized this was real. I’d been awakened to an orgasm, and was well on my way to another.
“Eight hours in. Thirteen to go, kitten,” he groaned as he pushed my thighs to my ears and sank into me.
I’d been too lost in pleasure to formulate a response. I don’t think I came again before being hurled back into sleep just after he’d met his powerful release.
The next time I woke up it was on my own. My consciousness gained until my eyes fluttered open to an empty bed. The grumble of my belly spurred me into the shower again. When I paced into the main area, I met Ezra’s eyes. He’d been playing chess alone.
“Mind if I play?” I don’t know from where the urge derived.
“Yes. Not until after you eat,” he rasped, engaged in the board.
Oh…
His response was terse, but spoke to something yielding within.
“But first, are you okay?” His eyes are now on me, wide and inspecting my body beyond my pending answer.
He’s concerned about my weak ass breakdown from last night when I came.
I guessed it should’ve been expected since my emotions flared from out of nowhere. But I felt pretty good this time.
“Ummm…” I bit my bottom lip. “Yeah, I’m good. Why wou
ldn’t I be?” My tone matched his previous one.
His neck stretched as he exhaled, obviously caught off guard by my defensiveness. “How are you feeling…your body?”
I turned and found Melody strutting down the hall, lips bright and matte.
“Lex, can I whip you up something?” She smiled and I saw how she attempted to ignore this intimate exchange. I was incredibly uncomfortable on so many levels.
“Again, I’m good,” I answered swiftly before turning my attention to Melody.
I ordered a sandwich and salad and waited in the seat at the main table until she served it and then ate it in silence. While eating I checked my email having a sliver of hope for an interview proposal. No luck. When I was done, I sat down for another chess lesson with Ezra.
About thirty minutes into the game, when Ezra still hadn’t wiped me out, with his eyes to the acrylic board he asked, “Any employment prospects?”
I sighed, breaking my concentration, “No. I’m beginning to wonder if I’d have more options with just a bachelor’s.”
“Don’t worry. Something will come through. It may not be exactly what you want at first, but it’ll be something in line with your passion for social services. God honors community building,” he assured, eyes remaining dedicated to the board.
I took the opportunity to peel back another layer of the arcane Ezra.
“Was that your experience in science? Does He honor defying nature?” I heard the lack of confidence in my voice.
Then his eyes rose to meet mine. My breathing hiked.
“I don’t see science as defying nature so much as it is exploring creation. God is omniscient, far beyond the capability of our wisdom and knowledge. He creates a few with the minds to discover His wonders. I’m sure it entertains Him to see us labor to explore His creation.”
Hmmmmmm…
“Did it take you long to find employment?”
Ezra chuckled. “It took me long to seek employment. Even when I assured my parents that I’d been looking, it wasn’t in earnest. It’s really God’s grace that I’m tenured now.”
“Really?” I asked too eagerly. “How?”
Ezra sat back, exhaled and tugged his beard as he did. And this began what was becoming one of my favorite things to do with my new husband: exploring the universe of Ezra.
I felt tapping on my frame, awakening me from a deep sleep.
“Beloved, we’ve landed.”
I didn’t recall buckling for the landing in the first place. I licked my dry lips and rubbed my tight eyes. Ezra unbuckled me and offered his hand. As we left the aircraft my heart constricted again at leaving the means of travel that took us to paradise. The flight staff bade us goodbye and we headed to a waiting truck where Carlos received us with a bright, warm smile. He snapped a picture of Ezra helping me off the tarmac. I’d been too groggy to return his warm energy. Ezra spoke with him for a few moments before getting in the truck with me.
Once pulled we off, Ezra asked from across the back seat as I folded into my corner, “I have a few errands to run. Would you like to be taken to the house to rest?”
That question seemed offensively odd. Why would he want to separate from me after fucking me into bedlam earlier? And why in the hell would he be running errands after returning from his honeymoon?
If Ezra thinks he’s using me to hide his whorish ways, he has another fucking thing coming!
I now knew the way he fucked and couldn’t possibly fathom him holding out for seven fucking years! Oh, no! I may have entered into this damn thing foolishly, but I ain’t no damn fool!
“I’d much rather tag along,” I answered with surprising aplomb.
It wasn’t untrue, I wanted to be with him.
“Okay,” he granted with just as much ease. “Carlos, please take us to the lab.” Then he turned to me. “It’s going to be a long day. I have several things to check in on before turning in.”
Was he warning me?
“That’s fine. I have nothing better to do than follow behind the man with an issue of control.”
“Control?” he snorted.
“Yes, Mr. Deuteronomy 24:5.” I regurgitated the justification for taking off an entire month that he shared one night over dinner last week.
Ezra grinned as though he was impressed by my sponge of a brain. He slid his arm through mine and took me at the wrist, encircling. That calmed my sudden and unbelievable attachment to him. We remained that way from Teterboro to Kearny.
We pulled up to Kaiser Laboratories. The entrance was nicely manicured and the vicinity relatively empty. Carlos parked in front as Ezra led me inside, clearing me with security, and we headed straight to his office. He invited me to sit and stationed himself behind his desk and engaged his computer. I pulled out my iPad and clicked on the employment app to search job opportunities. I was semi-aware of his conversations when he made several calls. Most of the content I didn’t understand because it was in science jargon that I didn’t care to decipher. But one call came from his cell.
“Precious, how are you?”
Precious? We’d barely been three hours off the plane and she was contacting him already.
“Why, thank you,” he answered her formally, raking his big hands down his beard as he exhaled, fatigued. He’d had to have been beat after flying for nearly a day. “Yes, a couple of hours ago.” Then his eyes traveled over to me. So badly I wanted to shift my eyes away, but it was too late; it would’ve been an even more awkward move. “I did and I’d like to believe she did, too.” Then things got quiet as he listened intently to her. Whatever she said was lengthy. Finally he replied, “Thaddeus? I haven’t heard from him while away. I’ll wait for him to inform me himself. As far as Wilson, I’ll reach out to him soon. I plan on stopping in on Bible study tonight for a brief visit. No. I plan to be invisible. I’m still off duty. Very well. Okay.”
He disconnected the call.
“So, church tonight?” I hummed while facing the device on my lap.
“Sometimes this church boy needs to experience the sanctuary,” he offered drily. Then we met eyes. “One of my trainees is speaking this evening. I’d like to evaluate her without adding to her nervousness by alerting her of my presence.”
I gave a cool nod of acknowledgement while stretching my lip facetiously.
There was more silence before he murmured, “I’d like to stop in at two of my labs. Do you mind?”
“Only if I can’t shadow.”
His eyes roved over me from head to toe before gesturing to the coat rack in the corner. My eyes followed. I was wearing black yoga pants and a fitted black tee.
“You’ll need a lab coat and shoe covers,” Ezra advised.
While we paced the building, Ezra greeted faceless people—some literally with face masks—I’d grown irritably curious.
“Is she your assistant or something?”
Ezra glanced at me from over his shoulder. “Who?”
“Precious.”
“Why would you ask that?” I noticed his brow hike.
“Because I want to know why she would call you seconds after you step off a plane.”
He snorted, continuing his amble down the corridor. “Is my kitten jealous?” His grin was sinful, working against me. “Are you displaying traditional responses to your mate interacting with someone of the opposite sex? Because if you are, I can tell you while it’s cute, it’s wholly unnecessary.”
The last thing on my mind should’ve been sex, but damn me for being a sex fiend.
“Is she your assistant at the church?” I forged ahead as he stopped at an aluminum door and scanned his card.
Ezra stepped inside and was met by another colleague. They spoke about a failed inspection and Ezra threatened reprimands. I’d gotten a healthy dose of his controlling nature, even felt badly for the staff involved. Then he led me to another secured area where there was a shorter hallway, low neon lights in the empty space. As soon as the sliding door clicked closed, then locked, I was
pushed into the wall, a wide pelvis thrust into me.
“Precious Graham may provide the illusion of intimacy between us, but I am no more close to her than I was to you before we married.”
His whiskers teased my skin, lips dangerously close to mine. I wanted them on me, soothing the abrupt green monster in me. These were questions I should’ve asked before we married. I knew this, but at the time I had been so damn caught up in his mystification, Precious wasn’t a threat. But now…
“Stripping her down naked and dropping a vibrator on her pussy type of close, or kissing her shoes off and making her come on your clothed thigh type of close?”
Slowly, he broke out into a salacious grin. My chest expanded in incomprehensible trepidation.
“You keep with that cheek and I just may have to punish you that way again. This time, it will be in my bed where I’ll have more tools at my disposal.”
The wicked gleam in his eyes and the faint, torturous push of his breath against my neck worked against my fighting resolve.
“You were the only woman who could bring me to the edge of temptation, beloved. You keep pushing and I’ll show you what sex with me is like without the kid gloves. Your training-wheel days can be shortened.”
I could feel my nose flare and my pulse quicken, but I didn’t give a shit.
“You never answered my question,” I murmured against my arousal, holding his gaze.
He cracked! Ezra rolled his eyes just slightly.
“I dated her in my college years.” Air caught in my lungs. I knew it! I could tell they’d had some level of chemistry. My chest constricted in…betrayal? “And yes, we indulged a few times, but I can tell you it’s one of my life’s biggest regrets. I can also promise you it’s been tossed into the sea of insignificant events of my life like so many others well before laying eyes on you.”
I didn’t feel like our conversation was over. Hardly.
“Does she still want you?”
He stammered at that one, and paid a moment to consider it. “Perhaps she’s still…fond of me, but that’s all inconsequential, beloved. I am a married man now. I also need to get into this restricted lab for a couple of minutes so we can get on with our evening.”