Sparks Fly

by Nicole Falls

  I looked at the clock and yawned, the lateness of the hour finally taking its toll on my energy.

  “I’ve talked your ear off, Dre. Lemme call an Uber so I can get outta here and get my butt to bed,” I said, standing up and pulling out my phone.

  “I have a bed,” Andre answered quickly, “Wait…I don’t mean that as…creepy as it sounded. What I meant is you can take my bed, I’ll crash in the guest room. Get you some shut eye for a few hours and head out when it’s light outside.”

  “I’m good.”

  “I insist.”

  “I don’t wanna put you out. I’ll take your guest room, you sleep in your own bed.”

  “My bed’s more comfy. I’d be a bad host if I put you up in the guestroom with the shitty mattress. Come on,” he said, walking toward the back of the apartment.

  I followed him into his room, tastefully decorated in various hues of blue with the largest bed I’d seen in my life.

  “Cheese and rice, this bed is bigger than my entire apartment. We can both sleep in here easily. Hell, we’re probably in different zip codes standing on opposite sides of it.”

  Andre just shook his head and handed me one of his tee shirts to sleep in. I quickly changed in his en suite and settled into the bed. As soon as I emerged he went into the bathroom for a few minutes, then came back out.

  “I put a set of towels out for you, in case you wanna shower before you do your walk of shame in the morning.”

  “You still going to the guest room?”

  He nodded.

  “Then it will just be a walk, no shameful acts committed on tonight.

  Andre laughed and walked over to the bed. He leaned down, placing a feather light kiss on my temple before saying, “Sweet dreams, beautiful.”

  I could have melted right into the floor.

  “This should be a crime,” I said as I sank further into the cloud that was his mattress, “Is this a Casper?”

  Andre exited the room, the sound of his laughter echoing off the walls of the hallway.

  Sleep came quickly and morning even quicker. I awakened to the smell of something delicious enticing me from the bedroom to the kitchen.

  ***

  “Yeah, man…I’ll be there, but please tell your wife I do not need her trying to hook me up with another one of her people.”

  Armond laughed, “Man I keep telling her, but she won’t listen. She’s determined to see you settled down so we can double date.”

  “Tell her I can find my own woman and don’t need her interference, bruh.”

  “It’s not so much interference as assistance,” Shannon said.

  “Nigga you got me on speaker?” I said.

  “My bad, man…baby I thought you were…actually, Dre, I’ll talk to you later. You still coming by, right?”

  “Absolutely. I’m not missing Shay’s banana pudding for anything. I’ll see y’all later.”

  “Later.”

  I flipped the pancakes from the frying pan to the plates on the counter and walked over to the fridge to grab a few eggs. A quick peek in the oven told me that the bacon was almost ready, so I needed to get a move on with these scrambled eggs.

  “Something smells good,” I heard from behind me and I turned around smiling.

  “Good morning. You ruined my surprise.”

  “Surprise?”

  “Breakfast in bed.”

  “Oh…I can go get back in…”

  “Nah, keep me company. I’m almost done.”

  Sydney settled onto a barstool and I finished cooking breakfast. After plating the eggs and bacon, I carried the two plates over to the breakfast bar where she had set up silverware, beverages and syrup for the pancakes. Before tucking in to eat, I grabbed her hand and said a quick word of thanks. She seemed momentarily shocked, but quickly recovered to say amen in unison at the end of my prayer. She insisted on doing the dishes after we ate, despite me telling her that I use the dishwasher more often not.

  “Any big plans for today?” I asked as I sat watching her dry the last of the dishes.

  “Just going to Shannon and Billy’s for a cookout. Look at me, acting like you know me well enough to know these people. Shannon’s my sister. Billy’s her hubby.”

  “Ahhhh…aight. Was gonna have you come by my business partner’s lil shindig with me if you didn’t have anything going on.”

  “Raincheck?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Soon after we finished breakfast, Sydney showered and left to go get ready for her cookout. We exchanged numbers, with loose plans to link up again at the end of the week. I couldn’t front like I wished we were linking up sooner, but she mentioned something about just moving and needing time to settle into her new space, so I didn’t press her too hard. All we did was spend a few hours together talking about damn near everything imaginable, but I felt…a deep connection to her that I wasn’t ready to let dissipate. It sounded crazy as hell in my head, so I definitely did not want to express my thoughts to her and possibly scare her off.

  ***

  “I’ma apologize in advance man,” Armond said as I was walking through the door.

  “For…?”

  Just then Shay appeared, grabbing my arm and dragging me toward the back of their house.

  “Dre! Come here…I’ve got somebody I want you to meet.”

  Here we go again. I see my talk with Armond did not phase Shay as she once again tried to get her Patti Stanger on. She’d introduced me to coworkers, sorority sisters who were in town temporarily, church members…hell even her gynecologist. None of these women were my type or interested in me, but that did not stop Shay from trying to be the damn love connection. I don’t know what her obsession as with seeing me paired up with someone, particularly since she never cared for any of the women that I’ve dated in the past.

  “Aw, c’mon Shay, man. Not another one…”

  Before we entered into the den she stopped me short.

  “This one is perfect for you. She’s who I wanted to hook you up with all along, but I needed to wait for her to exterminate a fuckboy, then get done lemonading before I could link y’all up.”

  “Really, Shay? You setting me up to be the rebound man?”

  “Oh please. Anyway, like I was saying. Dre, y’all will be perfect for each other. I feel it my shundo.”

  “Your shundo also thought your gyno was the love of my life…and how’re Dr. Alexander and her wife doing these days?”

  “Ok…sometimes it’s misguided, but this time. If you don’t like her, I swear on Armond’s head I won’t see you up with another person.”

  “Leave me out of your lies woman,” Armond yelled from the kitchen.

  “Billy, what are you in here yelling about now?” a familiar voice said.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Sydney entering the room.

  “Andre?”

  “Y’all know each other?” Shay asked

  “Who’s Billy?” I asked simultaneously.

  “Wait…which question should I answer first?” Sydney asked.

  “Mine,” Shay and I said in unison.

  Sydney laughed and rolled her eyes.

  “I’m gonna defer to Shannon since she’s my older sister and ladies first. Um…this is…15C, sissy. And, that’s Billy,” she said, pointing to Armand in answer to my question.

  “Ok now this is a nickname you’re gonna have to explain to me,” I laughed, “Sounds like another story…like the Pancake Incident. Which…by the way, you never got around to telling me that.”

  “And I never will…as far as Billy. Simple…Armond’s my brother in law…BIL…which eventually morphed into Billy. Wait…Shay this is the guy you were so pressed to hook me up with? You know she’s been talking about you to me for months.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep,” Sydney responded, “Seems like the universe decided to aid in her plans.”

  HIM

  I sat watching the post-show after Game 5 of the Playoffs when my phon
e chimed. The lateness of the hour let me know it was only one person. I picked the phone up and chuckled at the two-word text.

  “U up? – Queen Bee

  I had begun typing out a reply before tossing my phone next to me on the couch and refocusing on the show. For the past three hours while watching the game I’d been trying to distract myself and not text her. I was giving the requested space she’d asked me for no more than seventy-two hours ago. Our situation had become a bit too intense for comfort—her words—so she needed to take a step back. The step back included a whole “don’t call me, I’ll call you” speech which… if I’m being honest left me feeling…a way. We entered into our arrangement with no strings; on the premise that if one or the other found The One, we would cease and desist. But somewhere along the way…bomb ass sex turned into extended nights at each other’s places, cuddling on the couch watching NBA games, meeting up for the occasional bite to eat or cocktails.

  I met her through work. We didn’t work together, but her company provided a third party service that many departments in my company utilized. She was the liaison who visited us pretty frequently to ensure the product was quality and there were no issues with performance. My guy Pierre knew her and had actually referred her to the gig. She was the best friend of his fiancée, Mia and—in P’s words—thicker than a bowl of grits left out overnight. Pierre and Mia been trying to introduce us for a while, but our schedules never seemed to coincide. Every time she was in the office and P tried to link us, I had a conflict, so I thought she was just a figment of his imagination.

  Randomly, she and I made acquaintance on an elevator ride and P definitely wasn’t lying. Shorty was bad as fuck. She had the smoothest looking, coppery skin and rocked a clean ass tapered cut that almost made me ask her for her barber’s number. Impeccably clad in a wrap dress that emphasized her curves, she was a little shorter than I usually liked ‘em, but had an ass like a stallion and thick hips to match that had me damn near panting as I tried to make small talk as we rode twenty-six floors. She entertained my bullshit, even flirting back a little. I knew from the jump that I was intensely attracted to her and had started talking about the random ads on the televisions in the elevator to distract myself and keep my mans from making his presence known. It’d been years since I met a woman who made me harder than Chinese arithmetic from a simple glance. Once she flashed her pretty ass smile, I knew I was a goner. Something, however, held me back from asking her for her number that first time. I didn’t want to come off as just another thirsty nigga tryna holla. P had mentioned that she shot down more than a few of our coworkers—male and female—who’d not so discreetly tried to pick her up. Well that and I knew that I wasn’t looking for anything beyond sex. Considering the frequency of her appearance at the place that cut my checks, I knew I’d be foolish to risk it all for a piece of ass that could potentially be less than mediocre. But whenever she was doing check-ins or follow up visits, I always found a way to make sure I saw her face. P acted as my lookout, letting me know when she was scheduled to be in the building and I’d coincidentally need to be in his area or very close by.

  One day my department head decided we could use her expertise and were brought together on a weeks long project. I took advantage of this time to get a bit closer to her, but I still never crossed the line. I guess she got tired of me pussyfooting around because one day she asked me out for drinks. I was taken aback initially because while she was always pleasant and slightly flirtatious, I got no vibe that she was actually attracted to me. I mean…I’m no slouch, but I wasn’t the guy who had women falling all over themselves to get with him. So we ended up at a cantina drinking margaritas, which gave way to shots of tequila, which gave way to me face planting in her pussy in the bathroom of the establishment by night’s end. Not one of my finer moments, but I was never one to back down from a challenge.

  We’d been at the bar drinking for a while and the more we drank the sillier we got. She was real cool, easy to talk to, and shoot the shit with. She spoke with a confidence that bordered on arrogance…and wasn’t afraid to challenge my position on damn near everything. The cantina had turned into a lounge of sorts after ten at night and we were watching folks butcher songs at the karaoke machine. Suddenly, she shot up and scurried off, wordlessly. Minutes later she came back with a mischievous look on her face, looking like the cat that had eaten the canary.

  “What’s that look about?” I asked.

  “What look?” she tried asking back innocently, but trailed off in a series of giggles.

  “Why do I have a feeling you’re up to something?”

  She just shrugged and signaled the waitress. She ordered another round of shots of Don Julio for us—chilled with a splash of Rose’s Lime juice. This was easily the third or fourth round of shots and neither one of us seemed too phased. I was sort of impressed by her ability to hold her liquor.

  “All right…“Total Eclipse of the Heart” is up next,” the guy running the karaoke machine trilled before he turned in our direction and pointed to her, “Then “Blow” is on deck.”

  I turned to her with a raised brow, “You rockin’ the mic tonight?”

  She nodded and chewed her bottom lip a bit nervously.

  “Who sings “Blow”? I asked.

  “You’ll see…”

  Soon it was her turn on the mic. Before the song started playing, she placed the mic to her lips and said, “This one’s for you…” while pointing in my direction and blowing a kiss.

  The music started and the beat had a funky bass line that sounded like a throwback, but the synths and drums sounded more contemporary so I knew it wasn’t an old school song. The beat build for a few measures before the words danced across the screen and she began singing. She had a pretty good voice, surprisingly…unlike many of the people before her. I bobbed my head to the music as she sang, not really paying attention to the lyrics until I heard a line about something about skittles being the sweetest in the middle. The song went on and her singing and dancing got increasingly suggestive. At one point she abandoned the stage to come gyrate in my lap as she sang about her cherry being turned or torn out…honestly, at that point I was out of my mind with lust and could barely keep myself from running up to that makeshift stage, throwing her over my shoulder and getting her out of that joint.

  She finished her performance to a thunderous round of applause. With a quick curtsy and sashay off the stage, she looked in my direction and crooked a finger beckoning me closer. Of their own volition my legs began moving in her direction.

  “So did you like it?” she asked, looking up at me through her lashes and biting on her lower lip.

  I grabbed her, drawing her body flush with mine so she could feel the distinct evidence of my arousal.

  “That answer your question?”

  The slow smile that spread across her face let me know she was definitely satisfied with that answer as she grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the back of the bar. She led me into the unisex restroom, pushed me down onto some soft of sofa contraption, then quickly locked the door behind us. She slowly turned back in my direction and sauntered over, settling into and straddling my lap. My hands immediately moved down to caress her hips, eventually settling in a firm grip on her ass. Seconds passed of us saying nothing, just staring.

  “So is it really sweeter in the middle?” I asked, brushing my lips against hers lightly in a series of barely there kisses.

  “The sweetest you’ll ever taste if you quit playin’,” she quipped.

  “Word?” I replied, reversing our positions so that she was now reclined on the sofa.

  “Last boyfriend broke up with me because I gave him diabetes,” she whispered.

  “You know I do have a helluva sweet tooth,” I laughed.

  “Well gon’ head and let me satisfy your craving, baby,” she smirked, bringing her hands up to my ears to lower my mouth to hers once again.

  I leaned in to kiss the smirk off her face and our tongues tangle
d. Our kisses were unhurried…slow, lingering, and…perfect. I disengaged our mouths, trailing kisses over the sensual curve of her neck and over the tops of her two perfectly sized breasts. The sundress she was wearing buttoned down the front and I praised every deity known to mankind as I unbuttoned it to reveal nothing but black lace on glowing bronzed skin. I continued to rain kisses on her body until I reached her panty line. Running my tongue along the edge of her underwear, I felt her shiver slightly. I hooked two fingers in the sides of the barely there scrap of lace and removed them, spreading her legs and placing a kiss on each of her inner thighs. I pocketed her underwear as I maneuvered closer to her, hooking her knees over my shoulder and placing myself face to face with the prettiest pussy I’d ever seen. And I’d seen my fair share, trust me. I closed my eyes on an inhale, preparing myself for the feast that lay in front of me.

  “So are you just gonna stare at it all night or…?” she teased.

  My reply was lowering my mouth to her with a long, slow lick from the bottom to the top of her pussy, flicking her clit with the tip of my tongue.

  “Mmmm, shit,” she moaned.

  I raised my head to meet her eyes and said, “You know I’m about to fuck up your life right?”

  I didn’t give her a chance to answer as I dove back in, working my tongue up, down and around on her flesh as if were the most delectable delight since the invention of the cinnabon. Each lick, suck, gentle nibble and kiss elicited moans that varied between her calling on her lord and savior for me to stop and leave her be and urging me to stay right the fuck there and never stop what I was doing. And just when I felt the quiver in her thighs and her hands squeezing the top of my head that let me know she was dangerously close to combusting, a booming knock sounded on the door. Startled I pulled back slightly, but she was quick—locking her ankles together and bringing my head back to the cradle of her thighs.