Her Forever Fling

by Kimmie Ferrell

  “You really wanna wash me, baby?” At the nodding of Melissa’s head, he grabbed the washcloth she’d laid out for him, then handed it to her as she turned around, reversing their positions until the pulsating spray of the water pelted the tense, corded muscles of his back. “I’m all yours.”

  “As long as you remember that,” she whispered, coming up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m going to get you all nice and clean.”

  Elijah didn’t doubt it for one second, but the glint of mischief in her eyes set all the warning sirens in his head going off at the same time. She added gel to the rag, and Elijah quirked a brow. “You’re going to have me smelling like you, shea butter and honey.”

  “Is that such a bad thing? If I recall correctly, you mentioned loving how good I smelled.” She ran the washcloth over his neck and shoulders, drawing tiny circles of suds over his skin. “You said it made your mouth water.” When she reached his arms, the pressure in her touch changed to one of gentleness, as if she were afraid she’d scrub away the ink of his tattoos.

  “It does,” he paused briefly, adding, “on you.” Elijah sucked in a swift breath when Melissa passed the washcloth over his stomach. His muscles bunched under her ministrations. The sexy smile on her face let him know she was enjoying this far too much. Still, taking deep breaths, Elijah allowed her to continue, not at all caring that the sensations of the washcloth and the woman controlling its movements were having dizzying effects on his. He closed his eyes, forced air into his lungs, and willed himself to gain control of his thoughts, his emotions, and most importantly, his body. The last thing Elijah wanted was to allow Melissa to catch him slipping, and come without being inside of her.

  Melissa laid a flat hand on his stomach. Her teeth gently tugged at his nipple before a cool swipe of her tongue soothed the sting. “Open your eyes.”

  Slowly, Elijah opened his eyes, blinking his Nubian goddess back into focus. She was absolutely stunning—swollen, thoroughly kissed lips curved into a shy but dazzling smile, shower cap on her head, eyes brimming with desire, flawless skin. Before he could fix his mouth to tell her how beautiful she was, Melissa dropped to the shower floor in front of him. Taking Elijah into her hands, Melissa carefully rolled the condom off and swirled the tip of her tongue around the head of his member, moaning loudly as she looked up to him with a smirk on her lips.

  “And you said I taste good.”

  “Melissa, I— Oooh shit.” His hands shot to the sides of her head, pushing the shower cap off. He tossed his head back, fighting the urge to pump his hips, and threaded his wet fingers through her curls. Yeah, Elijah knew the importance of a shower cap to a Black woman’s hair. He knew, firsthand, everything Melissa did to maintain her luxuriously thick mane. But at that very minute, with Melissa twirling her tongue around his dick like it was her favorite summertime treat melting under the sun, and her eyes locked on his with an intensity that could burn him alive, Elijah didn’t give a damn. He’d gladly help her pre-shampoo, shampoo, deep condition, condition, and style her hair if it meant Melissa would never stop delivering this sweet form of torture.

  Melissa scrapped her teeth over the length of his engorged manhood as she pulled it from her mouth, making a popping sound, then smiled. “You’re lucky I planned to retwist my hair because if I didn’t…” She wrapped her hands around his shaft and flicked her tongue over the slit of his mushroom-shaped tip. “I’d be so mad at you right now.”

  Lucky for me, Elijah thought, unable to voice the sentiment. How could he when he was entranced by the sight of this beautiful woman—his beautiful woman—taking him into the warm recesses of her mouth? Elijah was utterly captivated by the way her tongue snaked around him, the feel of the tip of his dick hitting the back of her throat as the water from the shower rained down on them, causing steam to swirl around them and Melissa’s hair to become plastered to her face. And the sounds she made? Those moans of appreciation that bounced off the wall of the bathroom? The slurping and gurgling that emerged from her throat as she bobbed her head up and down to a rhythm so sensual and sexy? It was all a masterfully composed symphony, and Melissa Gaines was the conductor. He dug his nails into her hair, massaging her scalp as his hips pistoled forward on their own accord.

  Forcing his heavy-lidded gaze on Melissa, Elijah’s mind raced with thoughts on any and everything except giving in to the sensations of his impending orgasm building deep inside of him. He mentally went over his schedule, counted the number of gray tiles in his direct line of sight, and even tried saying the alphabet backward, but Elijah was losing a fight he’d never had a chance in hell of winning. Whether he liked it or not, if he didn’t get control of his body or Melissa, he was going to come in her mouth and not inside of her.

  Melissa cupped his testicles in one of her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze while stroking him from the base of his shaft to his tip. “You like that, baby?”

  Elijah mumbled something that resembled a ‘yes’ to his ears, but he couldn’t be too sure.

  She pushed his shaft up until it rested against his stomach, dipped her head, then pulled his balls into her mouth, sucking, licking, and nibbling on them. “What about this?”

  “Shi— M-Melissa … b-baby.” Elijah shook his head, unable to believe he’d been reduced to stuttering. Needing to take control of this interlude, Elijah yanked Melissa to her full height, snatched the condom from her and quickly donned it. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips, spun her around, ignoring the bewildered look on her face, and in one swift motion, Elijah was buried inside of her to the hilt. “You feel so damn good, baby,” Elijah groaned, gripping her hips as his body slammed into hers, over and over and over again. The sound of their slickened bodies slapping together with each powerful thrust he delivered echoed throughout the bathroom.

  “Oh…oh…yes! Shhhh …”

  “Hmm, sweetheart. What was that?” Elijah slapped her on the ass, never once breaking his rhythm. “Did you say something?”

  Melissa shook her head and braced her hands on the wall in front of her, arching her back. “N-No, please don’t stop, Elijah.”

  “Oh, you want me to stop?” Elijah stopped thrusting and rotated his hips in a circle, hitting the very spot inside of her he knew would cause a wave of pleasure to crash through Melissa like a tsunami.

  “Nooooo,” Melissa whined.

  Elijah tightened his hold on her, alternating between grinding his hips and agonizingly slow thrusts. He reached between her thighs to tease her clit, causing Melissa to curse and scream out his name as seismic tremors racked her body and her orgasm erupted like an active volcano. The feel of her walls clenching and milking Elijah spurred him on, sending him spiraling headfirst into his own release. He continued to thrust, spilling his seed into the condom until they were both spent.

  “Wow,” Melissa panted, turning to face Elijah. She wound her arms around his neck. “I may be addicted to you, Dr. Grayson.”

  Elijah cocked a questioning brow, though his pulse sped at her confession, and his heart soared. He kissed Melissa on the forehead. “Nurse Gaines, I know I’m addicted to you.”

  Melissa covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “You better be.”

  “Trust me, baby. There’s no one I want but you.” Elijah stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel from a rack, and dried himself and Melissa off. “And as much as I’m craving you right now, that yawn is telling me you need some sleep. C’mon.” He took her hand and headed toward the bedroom.

  “Unh-uh, Dr. Grayson, not so fast. Aren’t you forgetting something?” She pursed her lips together and pointed to her hair. “You made this mess. You have to fix it.”

  A couple hours later, Elijah tossed the covers off his naked body and climbed out of Melissa’s bed. Despite being tired, he couldn’t sleep.

  “Where are you going?” Melissa asked, turning on her side to face Elijah. She stretched her arms over her head, yawning. “I thought you were…” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and
forced a small smile. “I mean, you don’t have to leave. You can spend the night.” Melissa closed her eyes and released a shaky breath. “That is if you don’t already have plans.”

  Cupping her chin, Elijah silenced Melissa’s rambling with a tender kiss. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere.” There was no way in hell Elijah could muster up enough strength to drive home, let alone get dressed. “But there’s that little matter of the mess we made in the bathroom with water splashing all over the floor, and we did leave a trail of clothing from the front door. I don’t want Jayla to come home to a messy house.”

  “Oh,” she yawned again.

  “Plus, I need to run to my car and grab my overnight bag.” He adjusted the silk bonnet on Melissa’s head.

  As Elijah anticipated, Melissa recruited his help with her hair. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken them much time for her to wash and condition her hair. Melissa decided to do—what she’d referred to as—a chunky twist out and explained to Elijah she would undo the twists in the morning and wear her hair curly. It all fascinated Elijah and gave him a newfound appreciation and respect for natural-haired queens.

  “Hurry back.” Melissa sighed deeply with a sleepy smile on her lips.

  “I will.” But even as he said the words, he remained rooted in place, unable to hide the smile on his face as he watched the subtle rise and fall of Melissa’s chest in the oversized shirt. Elijah didn’t know why or even quite understand the sense of calm that overtook him as he stood there. Finally willing himself to get a move on so he could return to bed, Elijah leaned over the side of the bed and lightly touched her cheek.

  “I love you, Elijah.”

  Elijah reared back, shocked at the words she’d whispered in her sleep. His lips parted on a barely audible gasp. These were the words he’d wanted to say to her for the longest time, but she’d beaten him to the punch. Hearing Melissa profess her love for him, even in her sleep, set off fireworks in his mind. It was better than every joyous moment he ever experienced in life, and those he’d only dreamt of rolled into one. He quietly waited for Melissa to move, to open her eyes, to say she hadn’t meant to say the words his heart longed to hear, but instead, she snuggled farther under the covers, back into a peaceful sleep.

  “I know, and I love you, Melissa.”

  And Elijah would do whatever it took to cultivate and preserve their love.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Nurse Gaines, thank you for meeting me on such short notice.” Nurse Kemp stepped aside to allow Melissa entry into the office.

  “It’s not a problem,” Melissa said with a smile.

  She visited Nurse Kemp’s office a handful of times since she started working at BCMH, and the brightly decorated space hadn’t changed a bit. Lush, green potted plants, beautiful artwork adorning the walls with pictures of her family sprinkled throughout, a small, burnt orange sofa and matching loveseat, and bookshelves filled to capacity made the space feel more like a living room, but the midnight black desk littered with paperwork, small, round conference table, and the visitor’s chairs Melissa hadn’t noticed were occupied, reminded her of where she was.

  Melissa’s chest constricted. The thunderous beating of her heart drowned out the warning bells screaming in her head. Her mind raced with possible reasons for this meeting. Had someone found out about her and Elijah? Though there were no rules against workplace relationships, she and Elijah tried to be careful since the morning he picked her up from work and spent the day and night at her condo a couple weeks ago. The following morning, Melissa arrived to work fifteen minutes late to avoid arriving at the same time as Elijah. She’d driven her own car and purposely parked in a spot halfway across the staff parking lot, away from Elijah’s car, to eliminate any gossip. He hadn’t expressed his disdain or impatience about it aloud, but Melissa knew Elijah was tired of the lengths they were going through to keep their relationship a secret. But if someone found out about her relationship with Elijah, Melissa didn’t know what she would do. Especially given the circumstances surrounding her hiring process and how she and Elijah met. Thankfully, no one outside of Dr. Banks questioned how they knew one another, and Melissa hoped to keep it that way.

  Melissa discreetly wiped her suddenly sweaty hands down the side of her scrub pants and stepped closer, briefly glancing at the stoic expressions of the two men and the smiling face of the woman. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Nurse Gaines,” Dr. Simeon greeted. He flashed her a polite smile.

  Chief Webster glanced up from typing away on his phone. His eyes narrowed as he gave Melissa a quick once over, then nodded his head in greeting before returning his attention back to his screen.

  “Good morning, Melissa.” If Melissa didn’t think it was possible, the smile on Nurse Francine Collins’ face grew wider. She winked before turning back in her chair and facing the desk Nurse Kemp now claimed, leaving Melissa confused by what was happening.

  Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait too long to find out.

  “I know you’re wondering why you were called here this morning. I don’t want to take up any more of your time, as I’m more than certain you’re ready to head home after working an extended overnight shift.”

  She was. Instead of working her assigned twelve-hour shift, Melissa came in four hours early to relieve a nurse who had an issue with childcare at the last minute and needed to pick her children up from school.

  “I know you weren’t due to come in until seven and I truly appreciated it,” Nurse Collins quickly added.

  “It was no problem,” Melissa insisted, taking the empty chair between Dr. Simeon and Nurse Collins. She smiled at them both. “It wasn’t like I was busy or anything.” In fact, Melissa’s plans were to clean the house and wash clothes after being dropped off after spending the night at Elijah’s.

  “That may be true,” Dr. Simeon stated, removing a cloth from the pocket of his lab coat, “It doesn’t negate how dedicated you’ve been to the unit since your hiring.” He plucked his glasses off his face and cleaned the lenses. “In the two and a half months since you were hired, you’ve received fifteen Golden Heart recognitions, the most any nurse has gotten in the unit. Patients are constantly singing your praises.”

  “You inspire the younger nurses and techs to strive to do and be better,” Nurse Collins interjected. “I’ve even heard a couple of residents campaigning to attendings to have you on their service.” She chuckled. “In the time you’ve been here, you’ve made a lasting impression on us all, Melissa. This is why I believe you would be perfect for the position.”

  “Position?” Melissa’s eyes bulged as her head volleyed between all the faces in the room.

  Chief Webster nodded. “As I’m sure you’re well aware, Nurse Collins is expecting and has been advised by her physician to begin bed rest due to signs of preeclampsia.”

  Melissa glanced over to Francine, wanting nothing more than to give her a hug. They’d spoken at length, and Francine expressed her concerns and disdain about being placed on bed rest so early into the pregnancy.

  “With Francine being out for the next couple of months, we,” Chief Webster pointed to himself, then to the other occupants of the room, “felt it best to temporarily fill her position.” Melissa opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Chief Webster rushed on, “It is only temporary until Nurse Collins has completed her bed rest and maternity leave. There will also be a small raise in your pay that will take effect at the close of business today.”

  “Wow, I-I don’t know what to say.” Melissa smiled, although her heart was beating uncontrollably in her chest. She was a charge nurse at her last job, but when she accepted the position at BCMH, she’d not only taken a slight pay cut but also a downgraded position. Not that Melissa cared too much. Her ultimate goal had been to gain employment and to leave Louisiana.

  “Say yes!” Nurse Collins said, wearing a huge smile. “Melissa, there is literally no one els
e in the unit who I believe is suitable to handle the responsibilities that come with being a charge nurse. You have already earned the respect of your peers. So it only makes sense it’s you taking my place.”

  “I agree.” Nurse Kemp smiled at Melissa. “I understand you accepted this position though it was a step below what you were doing at your former job. This is an excellent opportunity to show us how well you would work as a charge nurse, and once a position opens up, we would consider you based on your performance.”

  “Think of it as a trial run.”

  “I understand, and I accept.”

  “Good.” Chief Webster glanced at his watch, then stood. “Dr. Simeon and I have another meeting to get to, but I’m sure Nurse Kemp and Nurse Collins can handle things from here.”

  With a handshake and a final congratulations, the two men exited the room.

  After going over a few logistics, such as signing the temporary contract of employment, learning the expectations of her new role, and receiving the necessary computer access needed to successfully complete the job, Melissa left the office barely able to contain the excitement bubbling inside of her. She had loved working as a charge nurse at her previous job and understood being selected to take on Francine’s role was huge. Several nurses could’ve—and should’ve—been chosen over Melissa. Nurses who’d been employed with the hospital longer than she, but Melissa refused to allow herself to slip into a self-deprecating headspace. Not when all she wanted to do was celebrate this achievement.