Love Across Colors (Urban BWWM Interracial Romance)

by Shauna Hudson

  The grocers wasn’t far away, so she was able to walk the distance, and she set off with a spring in her step that was temporarily cut off when she ran into Marcus and some of his friends.

  “Melinda, so good to see you,” he said, and this time Melinda did not detect the same note of admiration for her that he normally exuded.

  “Hi , Marcus,” she said and continued walking.

  He stepped in front of her , and she stopped , ; only now noticing the way the other men were glowering at her. “See, I know that I am a good - looking man, right , boys?” he asked and turned to his crew members. They groaned and avoided answering that question that might throw them in another light. “Anyway, I have been chasing that tail for years , and I have never gotten anywhere , and I kept trying, thinking one day I might be lucky.”

  “Where are you going with this , Marcus? I have somewhere I need to be,” she said as she tried to pass him.

  “Is it with that white dude?” he asked.

  Melinda stared at him in wonderment, now folding her arms. “And how would you know about that?” she asked.

  “Look around , Shorty; this is my neighborhood , and nothing goes on around here that I am not aware of. Do you think he could pass through here unnoticed? White boy hitting on my girl?” he fumed.

  “Marcus, I am not your girl, and I never will be,” she said.

  “I see that now, but tell me something; why didn’t you just tell me that I had the wrong color all along?” he braced himself forward and waited for her answer.

  “This had nothing to do with color,” Melinda said. “I just was not attracted to you.”

  “That’s because you have it all wrong in here,” he said, pointing to his left chest area. “Too many times these white boys have come in and taken our colored women, our beautiful women, and you all have allowed it. They need to stick to their kind and you to yours.”

  “I am damn well going to date whomever it is that I see fit to date , Marcus, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about that,” she said as she stormed past them.

  Marcus reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. “Hey, I’m not done talking to you.”

  She pulled her hand away with such aggression it frightened him for a second. “Yes , we are,” she said. She now walked up to face him, her breasts almost touching his chest. He was a bit taller so she had to raise her head slightly now to look into his eyes. “I’m not afraid of you , Marcus. I have seen you here every day with your gun - slinging friends, rolling up weed and snorting like bulls. It is not in your color that you lost whatever it is you thought you would have gotten from me; it was in your inability to provide me with anything I need. You have nothing to offer me Marcus; nothing but a gangster gone wrong,” she spat and turned on her heels and left.

  Marcus did not try to pursue her, fearing now the woman who surfaced whom he had never met before. When she glanced back, he had already walked off, tail between his legs, with the rest of his friends, embarrassed no doubt. Her morning had started off so wonderfully , but now had a bitter aftertaste. She fumed all the way to the grocers and back , and by the time she stepped into the house she was torn apart like puzzle pieces. Melvin asked about her attitude , but she refused to discuss the source of it and retreated to her bedroom where she spent the better part of the day. She returned downstairs later in the evening to prepare dinner. She was going to meet Wayne afterward s , and she figured she needed something strong to drink , ; something that would numb and nullify this bad feeling she had been carrying with her all day.

  By the time she saw his handsome face, all her sadness was obliterated and in its place a smile so broad lit up her face. She fell into his arms and engaged him in a kiss of gratitude , ; gratitude for finding her, coming into her life and for wanting to be a part of it , ; for always being there when she needed him the most and especially for the escape and relief he now provided her. He eased back after she had concluded her rampage on his senses and smiled.

  “What is the matter?” he asked.

  “What makes you think there is something the matter?” she asked and turned now to look out the window.

  He used his finger to hold her chin and turn her back to him. “I have spent the majority of a month with you, exploring your personality. I think it would be remiss of me if I couldn’t tell what your kisses mean or read your attitude,” he said.

  Melinda smiled inwardly, glad that she had someone in her life besides her father who paid such keen attention to even her mood changes, even if it was not something she wanted to discuss, but when she looked into his blue eyes, she felt a compulsion to tell him. “It’s just these neighborhood boys. They seem to have a problem that I am dating you — - a white man — - when there are such ‘eligible’ black men around I can choose from,” she said quietly silently .

  Wayne laughed. “Is that it? That’s what you are allowing to trouble your mind?” he asked as he pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the forehead.

  “It doesn’t bother you what other people think?” she asked as she looked at him through her huge brown portals to her soul.

  “Not at all , ; or maybe because I have been dealing with it longer. I know that I want someone in my life who is worthy of my affections, and that person can either be Caucasian, Black, Hispanic, Indian, I don’t really care. When it comes to it, we all have the one beating heart and the same red blood. We aren’t so different on the inside , and that’s where it matters,” he told her.

  Melinda smiled up at him. “And that is the reason you have me falling hard for you , Mr. Rutherford,” she said as she brought her lips upward s in an open invitation. He gladly received her and planted his warm lips on hers and used his tongue to caress her lower one, slowly, passionately, seductively, and in a moment Melinda wanted more than just his kisses. He slipped his hand under her dress and stroked her thighs, then prying her legs open so that he could get a feel of an earthly heaven. Melinda didn’t resist and soon, he was moving his thumb up and down over her sensitive spot, provoking moans. He buried his head in her neck , and she gripped the hair at the back of his head, holding him there firmly. Soon his moist lips found her nipples through the satin fabric , and the spot darkened around the area as he sucked on her from this angle. Melinda hadn’t realized until now that sweet sensations could come alive in this manner , ; having previously thought it could only occur on bare skin, but she now found the action quite sensual, and already she could feel the inside of her legs getting slippery as her fluid began to gush out. Wayne shifted himself, instantly aware of this very fact, and sought to collect every drop that flowed, and only seemed to cause Melinda to dive over the edge.

  She reached down to stroke his now erect masterpiece , and he held his head back and froze when she squeezed it hard , and then ran her hands up and down along the frame of it. She raised herself up to look into his eyes and maintained this eye contact even as she slipped him inside her mouth , and as he disappeared there, he gripped the side of the sofa, unable to control the feelings that now swept over him. Melinda kept her eyes on him as she tasted his salty sweet skin, and as her tongue played over him like a flute, he melted under her, and she lost control.

  He got up now and lifted her onto him, holding her steady as he repeatedly did so, and she cried out in ecstasy over and over again as he claimed her like a carnival prize. Sweat beads fell from her and onto his bare chest , and she slapped her hands palm down on him, unable to control her movements effectively. He didn’t seem to notice as he drove into her and she screamed for him to continue. After what seemed an eternity later, the two collapsed onto the bed, spent from their latest sexcapade. They lay there silently until their breathing returned to normal, and then his hands involuntarily moved , and found her small hands. He placed them in his own and squeezed them gently. She sighed and rolled over, content in the moment she wished would last.

  “What does your father think of me?” he asked her.

  “I don’t think he h
as an opinion of you really,” she said. “He is however anxious to meet you.”

  Wayne didn’t respond , and Melinda took that as a cue to pry some more. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I know it might seem rude that I haven’t been the one to introduce myself to him after all this time. Usually that sort of thing was common place back in the day.”

  Melinda started laughing so much Wayne had to ask her if she was alright. “I am. It’s just that you sounded just like him a few moments ago. Just this morning he was giving me that same lecture again about back in the day the man had to ask the father’s permission to court his daughter.”

  “See?” Wayne interjected. “I may have already lost points for that.”

  “I doubt that. My dad is just eager because he has been clamoring for grandchildren ever since my Mom died. I think it will give him something to do.”

  “Grandchildren , huh? Well , I will try my best to facilitate the old man,” Wayne joked.

  “Please don’t say that to him when you meet. I don’t need any further harassment which will be the case if you do.”

  “When will that be though?” he asked.

  “When will what be?” she asked, having lost the conversational trail.

  “For us to meet. When will that be?”

  “Oh. What made me think I had already told you?” she said as she slapped her hand on her forehead. “I told him you would be coming by for dinner tomorrow evening. Is that alright?” she asked.

  A big grin came over his face. “Tomorrow evening for dinner it is,” he said , and kissed her forehead affectionately again. “I just hope that when we do meet that I will not be a disappointment.”

  “I doubt that will be the case. He is going to love you,” she said.

  She rolled over and slid her right leg over his, and as his arms came around her, she sighed deeply, not remembering another time when everything in her life was perfect for once.

  Chapter 5

  The following day Melvin could hardly contain his excitement as he helped his daughter prepare dinner for their soon - to - arrive guest. It was a regular past time for them to prepare dinner together, but this particular occasion warranted above average anxiety. Melinda was concerned about how her father would receive Wayne in light of how others from the neighborhood were reacting. She had never dated a white man before, but living in this century, she could hardly believe that could be a problem, what with equality and acceptance being promulgated globally.

  They spent the afternoon chopping, slicing, dicing, baking and roasting until the aroma of dinner dominated the air space within the house. They were to have pot roast beef, baked potatoes, fried chicken, tossed salad mixed with fruit, collard greens and apple pie for dessert. The work they put in was a lot, but the reward at the end of it all would be worth it when they sat down to partake of it.

  At minutes after five, Melinda went upstairs to shower and get ready, slipping into casual clothes - — jeans and a sweater top — - and gathering her curls together with a clip fastened at the back of her head. Eye liner and liquid foundation was all she needed to accentuate her beauty , and when she went back downstairs, she saw her father walking away from the door with a strange look on his face.

  “What is it , D d ad? Who was that?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer right away. “Marcus,” he told her. Then he looked directly at her now when he spoke. “Why didn’t you tell me that Wayne was white?” he asked.

  Just then there was a honk outside and Melinda leapt toward s the door, temporarily forgetting her father or their strange visitor, for Marcus had never come to her house before. Maybe he was getting desperate that the lucky man in her life wouldn’t be him, so he had taken to pressuring her father. She stood by the steps and waved at Wayne as he alighted from his Volvo and turned the alarm on. The headlights flashed once when he did, simultaneously with the smile he flashed her. She came down one of the steps to meet him in a warm embrace. Wayne was painfully aware of her father standing inside watching them , and he restrained himself from kissing her, as much as he wanted to.

  She held onto his hands and led him inside. Once the doors were closed, she walked to her father, smiling the entire time as if she had done something he ought to be proud of. “Dad, this is Wayne. Wayne, this is my father , Melvin.”

  Wayne stretched out his hands to greet her father. “Pleasure to meet you , Sir,” he said and Melvin, almost like an ungreased engine, extended his own slowly.

  He gripped Wayne’s hand firmly and gave him a half smile, but he didn’t venture a response. Melinda looked at him awkwardly but then directed Wayne to the dining area where dinner was laid out on the table. She sat next to Wayne as her father took the head of the table. There wasn’t much hurrah to follow , so before long they were all chomping away at their meals.

  “This tastes absolutely delicious,” complimented Wayne as he bit into a slice of the pot roast. “To whom may I direct this?”

  Melinda beamed. “I did that, but D d ad did the fried chicken. You need to taste that,” she told him , and he followed her command by taking a piece of wing from the bowl. Two swallows later and he was nodding his head in approval again.

  “Very well done , Sir,” he said and looked at Melvin.

  Melvin smiled but continued to eat. When he was done he wiped the corners of his mouth with a white table napkin and then turned to look at Wayne. “So tell me , Son, how did you come to know this part of town?”

  “I don’t really know here , Sir , ; just my way to her,” he said and pointed to Melinda with his forked hand.

  “I see. Where do you live?” Melvin queried.

  “In the Hamptons,” Wayne replied, not sure where the conversation was leading.

  “Hmm. Was it that hard to find a woman there?” he asked.

  “Excuse me , Sir,” Wayne said, obviously confused.

  “Never mind. Would you both excuse me?” he said, and the chair scraped against the tiles even as he pushed it back, not waiting for an answer. He exited the room and went in the direction of the kitchen , and neither of them saw Melvin until Melinda had cleared the dishes and they went to settle for a while in the living area. There they engaged in small talk , and Melvin only made the occasional grunt and nod. Melinda was completely taken aback by his behavior, but she would get to that later.

  Wayne noticed how uneasy the man was, and not wanting to be the bone of contention now, he apologized and told Melinda he had an appointment across town that came up suddenly, but he couldn’t miss it. He thanked them both for a lovely dinner , and shook hands with the elder before departing. Melinda followed him to the car.

  “I must apologize for my dad’s aloofness; he isn’t usually this quiet,” she said.

  “That’s alright. It was my first visit; I didn’t expect him to rush into me. Maybe it will be better the next time when he has grown accustomed to me.”

  “Maybe.” She leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the lips , and he touched hers after with his finger before driving off. She stood there for a minute as his tail lights disappeared at the end of the drive. As she was about to walk off, she spotted Marcus standing a little way off, and suddenly she remembered that he had visited her home earlier. She walked over to him and confronted him now.

  “What was with the visit earlier? Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to visit me there?” she asked angrily.

  “I wasn’t there to see you, and the last time I checked, I was free to knock on any door I please, or is that now a federal offense?”

  “What did you want with my father?” she asked.

  “Why don’t you ask your father?” he spat at her, and for the first time since she had known him, he did not have glossy eyes when he looked at her; that was now replaced by venom that struck at her wildly. She walked off before she could be contaminated with his poison and up her steps.

  “Why the hell did you bring that man in my house?” Melvin asked as Melinda closed the door be
hind her.

  “What do you mean? That is Wayne,” she fired back.

  “Mel, when I told you that I wanted grand children and for you to settle down, I meant for it to happen with someone of your own color I don’t want any white babies,” he all but bellowed.

  “Are you serious right now , d D ad? I have never known you to be racist before. Where is this coming from?” she asked him.

  “I am not a racist. I have white friends , and I maintain good working relationships with everyone. I would just prefer if my daughter did not get involved with one.”

  “Isn’t that a little hypocritical , d D ad?” she asked now with frustration.

  “No it isn’t. It is preference; I can be preferential without being racist in the same way I can eat carrots and not lettuce. The choice is mine.”

  “Well you know what , d D ad? This choice is also mine, and I choose to be with Wayne, not because of his skin color or because it isn’t black , but because he treats me royally. Isn’t that enough , D d ad?” she asked, tears coming to her eyes now. “It would mean a lot to me if you would accept our relationship, because you both are important to me.”

  Melvin stood there with his head turned down, focu s sing on the tiles rather than her, and seeming to be in another place. When he looked at her again, there was this faraway look in his eyes, and he sighed. “I’m sorry , Mel, but that’s a blessing I’m afraid I can’t give,” he said as he walked off.

  Melinda stood there as the tears streamed down her face. Now it all made sense; he had asked before why she hadn’t told him Wayne was white, and then at dinner he had asked Wayne if he couldn’t have found another woman from his side of town. He didn’t even speak during the entire meal even though he had been pressing for this meeting for so long. He had been opposed to his being white , and had he met Wayne before, he would have probably interfered with the progress of the relationship.