I'll Stand by You
Page 5
For a while, they lay in silence. He put his arms around her, holding her closer.
Soon, his breathing steadied, and she could tell he’d fallen asleep.
The last thing she remembered thinking, before she, too, fell asleep, was that she wanted to do it again.
* * *
When Darren woke, for the briefest of moments, he was unsure of where he was. But memories of the night rushed back as quickly as the erection that now pained him. He wanted her again, but knew that she would feel discomfort.
Her virginity had surprised him. But something had happened to him in the heat of passion. He didn’t want to use the word love. He was not ready for that, but his feelings for her had become more defined.
He shifted her arms from around him. He needed a shower.
He rose from the bed and headed for the bathroom. He flicked on the switch and a brilliant yellow light illuminated the room. For a moment, he glanced at himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw.
He’d always been lithe, but had added muscle with frequent exercise. He’d always been proud of his “tool,” knowing that its length and thickness fascinated most of his conquests.
Now he looked at it in a different way. Sure, his male pride was still there, but the reality struck him. It was sad that most women found his penis more fascinating than him.
He could barely remember a time when women didn’t go out with him because they wanted this part of him.
Even his wife had been the same. She’d been insatiable. Looking back, he couldn’t remember when they’d even talked. He didn’t know her.
With Eboni things were different. He’d felt a special yet unexpected connection. He stepped into the shower, turned the faucet on and adjusted the water to lukewarm.
He closed his eyes, loving the feel of the water on his still-heated body. He tried to keep her image from his mind, but realized he was fighting a battle he would lose.
Warm hands on his body startled him.
He turned around. Eboni stood behind him. Immediately, his body stirred, his erection coming, strong and firm.
Her hand reached down and gripped him.
“I don’t advise you to do that. You’ll be a bit sore from your first time.”
“You pleasured me earlier. I can return the same thing.”
She took body wash and lathered his erection, until he felt as if he’d spill himself in her hands, but he focused on controlling himself.
When she was satisfied she’d washed him well, she placed her mouth on him and again he fought to maintain control.
She sucked his length as it slid in and out of her mouth. There was something exciting about watching her head move back and forth, but pleasure forced him to close his eyes and all he could feel was the warmth of her mouth on him and the sweet sensation along the length of his manhood.
Soon, his legs began to weaken and his body began to shake. She replaced her mouth with her hand and as his muscles contracted and released, she stroked him. His release came in a powerful rush and he groaned out loud with the intensity.
His legs buckled and he almost fell, but Eboni held him tightly.
He opened his eyes and smiled at the look of wonder in hers.
As the water rained down on them, he searched in his memories. In all of his life, he could not remember being so satisfied.
* * *
The next time Eboni awoke, she was alone. A feeling of dread washed over her, but she remembered that Darren had told her he had an early meeting.
She stretched, embracing the feeling of contentment. The soreness between her legs was a reminder of what had happened the night before. She knew she was blushing, but in the light of day, she could not believe some of the things she had done. She’d never been much of a prude, but the things she’d said and done were very vivid images in her mind. Her arousal was evidence enough of Darren’s impact on her.
What was she going to do? Though they’d become
lovers—or should she say, they’d made love?—she still had no idea about the real nature of their relationship. Were they lovers or just friends with benefits?
She knew what she wanted them to be. She could not imagine not being in his arms and making love again. It was too early to think about anything long-term or even a happily-ever-after, but she knew she wanted him.
Memories of her sisters and their nightly ritual of storytelling came to mind. Their mother had read all the wonderful stories, but had transformed the traditional heroines into heroines of color with their own unique stories.
She smiled, remembering those wonderful times. She wondered what her sisters were doing right now. Did they remember those same times? Were they, wherever they were, thinking about her, too?
She rose from the bed. Today was going to be a wonderful day. She was falling in love with the most wonderful man.
She gasped and stopped in her tracks.
Where did that come from? Was she falling in love? Was this what falling in love felt like?
She wasn’t sure. She hoped that her reaction was a result of the magnificent lovemaking.
The phone rang and drew her from her musing. She had to get a hold of herself.
She raced to the phone and picked it up before it stopped ringing.
“Eboni, it’s Darren.”
“Hi,” she replied politely. She tried to hide the happiness she felt.
“Sorry I had to leave without saying goodbye. I did tell you that I had an important meeting but was not sure if you would remember or not.”
“I remembered,” she said. “Thanks for calling.”
“We’re actually taking a short break,” he said. He paused. “I had to call you.”
“You did?” Happiness surged inside.
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about you all morning, about us, about last night.”
“Me, too,” she whispered softly.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I said, ‘Me, too.’”
He laughed. “That’s good to hear.” He paused.
“Don’t you have to get back to your meeting?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“Okay, you’re feeling all embarrassed. I’ll leave the dirty talk for tonight.”
“Tonight?” she asked.
“Yes, when I come over. I can come over, right?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said quickly then paused. “I want to see you.”
“Good. I’ll be home early. Tomorrow, I’m taking you out to dinner. So you have all day to make yourself even more beautiful.”
“Is there an invitation somewhere in there?” she asked.
Darren chuckled. “Oh, you want me to be a gentleman?”
“It would help, if you really want me to go out to dinner with you,” she teased.
“Eboni, my beautiful next-door neighbor, lover and friend, I’d love to take you out for dinner tomorrow night. Will you honor me with your company?”
“I most definitely will,” she replied in a pseudo British accent.
“Then, it’s a date.”
“Yes, but only if you drop by tonight,” she teased.
“Oh, the young lady does want another night of passionate lovemaking. I am more than willing to oblige.” He laughed. “However, while I am enjoying this stimulating conversation, I’m getting the signal from my secretary that the meeting is about to start again. Bye, my honey,” he said, before disconnecting the call, but not before she heard a trail of laughter in his voice.
For a while she sat by the sofa, thinking about the significant changes in her life. There was a part of her that was scared. She wasn’t even sure where all this was heading, but she was on board to give it a try. She remembered once hearing the words it is better to love badl
y than to not love at all.
The fairy tales they’d read as children had been just that—childhood fantasies.
The story had been about love, romance and happily-ever-after. Reality was a lot harsher. There was no telling the future of this relationship and while those childhood fairy tales were a part of the fantasy, they rarely happened in real life.
As a little girl, she had envisioned a life with her sisters and parents. And then tragedy had changed their lives completely.
When she’d hired the private investigator she’d wondered if she were doing the right thing.
Maybe her sisters were happy and didn’t want to be reminded of the past.
But she’d had to try. If too much time had passed for there to be a joyous reunion, at least she would know that now.
She glanced up at the clock. Time for her class at the gym. She needed to have a good workout. With the stamina Darren had, she needed to be very fit to keep pace with him.
With a smile on her face, she headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.
She was going to need all the energy she could muster. The lovemaking thing did have a strange appeal.
* * *
“Stand on your toes, then stretch. Lower your shoulders and relax.” Eboni paused, her eyes focused on the group of women. “That’s the end of the class for today. I’ll see you all next time.”
There were cheers and several loud groans before the class slowly dispersed, smiles of contentment on some faces.
“So how about us girls hanging out for a bit?”
Eboni turned around and squealed. It was Cheryl, one of her colleagues from work.
“What are you doing here, girl?” Eboni asked.
“Captain Ward owed me a day off for working overtime. I know I usually come in on the weekend and late at night, but when I heard you had a class this morning, I wanted to make sure I got here. Of course, my mother-in-law decided to drop by for a chat. I tried to do everything I could to get her to go. It’s a good thing I love her.”
“I’m glad you came. How are Calvin and the boys?”
“They are fine. Calvin has been asking about you. I can’t believe it’s been over three weeks since I helped you move in. We’ve missed you at work. Want to do some shopping and then lunch after we work out?”
“Sure,” Eboni replied. “In fact, I need a new dress for tomorrow.”
Cheryl squealed. “You have a date! Girlfriend, I’m listening.”
“Let’s go work out, and I’ll give you all the details at lunch.”
“Can we do lunch first and then go shopping after,” Cheryl pleaded. At Eboni’s look of reprimand, she added. “Okay, okay, shopping, then lunch.”
An hour later, Eboni and Cheryl stepped into Macy’s, obvious glances thrown their way.
“We have eyes on us,” Cheryl whispered.
“Eyes on us?” Eboni asked.
Cheryl tossed her hair and smiled at the man who watched as they walked by.
“We must look hot. He’s gay and still staring at us.”
“Cheryl, you are so crazy. How do you know he is gay?”
“Oh, I just know these things. Had a best friend in college who was gay. But come, let’s get a move on. I saw the most delightful little number in here last week. I can’t wait for you to try it on.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Didn’t you say you needed a dress for your ‘date’ tomorrow?”
“I did, but Macy’s?”
“Yes, Macy’s. You’re rich, so you can afford to splurge sometimes. The dress is on sale, so hopefully not all of them are gone.”
Eboni realized it didn’t make sense protesting. She just breathed deeply and followed.
Half an hour later, Eboni stood in front of the mirror wearing a dress that must have been created in heaven. It fit her to perfection. It hugged every curve and made her feel like a strong, sexy woman.
“Perfect,” Cheryl said, echoing her thoughts. “And you don’t have to look at yourself as if you didn’t know you were beautiful.”
She knew she was attractive, but the woman staring back at her was stunning.
“I can come over tomorrow night to help you get ready,” Cheryl offered.
“I’m quite capable of getting myself ready.”
“And here I was hoping to get a peek at your mysterious lover.”
“In time, in time,” Eboni promised. “You are too impatient.”
“Okay, just want to make sure that whoever is sexing my girl is worthy.”
Eboni gasped.
“Don’t be shocked. You know me. I’m not one to be diplomatic.”
“For sure,” Eboni agreed.
“So how is he?” Cheryl prodded.
Eboni gasped again.
“Pray tell. No one is around. Just us girls.”
“He was fine.”
“Fine? That’s all you have to say,” Cheryl protested. “He was fine. I want to know if he rocked your world, made your toes curl and made you scream for the whole building to hear.”
“Yes,” Eboni finally replied. “He was that and more.”
“Now you’re getting dirty. So is he large? I don’t ever want a man with a short wee-wee. I’ll buy me one of those electronic gadgets first. Fortunately, Calvin lives up to my expectations.”
Eboni laughed and was about to respond, when a woman entered the changing room. “Can we leave this for over lunch?”
“Sure, hon, as long as I get all the dirty juicy details. But let’s get you out of this dress. I’m so hungry I can eat two men in a Spider-Man costume.”
Eboni could not help by laugh. Cheryl was outrageous, but she had a heart of gold.
* * *
When Eboni stepped out of the bathroom that night, a wave of fatigue rolled over her. She limped slowly into the bedroom, her feet still sore from her shopping trip earlier. In her bedroom, a new dress and lots of Victoria’s Secret items waited to be a part of tomorrow night’s transformation.
The doorbell rang and she wrapped the towel around her.
When she opened the door, Darren greeted her.
He stared at her with eyes hot with desire, the same desire reflected in her eyes.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Immediately, he pulled her to him.
He took the ends of the towel and pulled them apart and watched as it fell to the ground.
“I’ve been thinking of you all day.”
She smiled. His words echoed what she had been about to say.
“You are so damn beautiful,” he continued. “I could take you right here and now.”
“I think it’ll take a bit too long to get to the bedroom,” she agreed.
He reached for the towel on the floor, spreading it onto the carpet. He waited until she was lying on it and made short work of his clothes, tossing them aside after he pulled a condom from the pocket of his pants.
He lowered himself to the floor and settled his body between her legs. She widened her legs, giving him easier admittance.
He took the condom and rolled it on his turgid length.
“I want you now. We’ll have the whole night to cuddle.”
As he said this he slipped inside her, his single thrust startling her with its force, but she groaned at the powerful pleasure racing through her.
“Oh, my God, you feel so good inside me,” she whispered.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment all day.”
“Then stop talking and make love to me.”
He smiled, before he started thrusting in earnest.
* * *
Eboni awoke slowly. Light forced its way between the curtains, allowing her to see the outline of the man sleeping next to her.
She inhaled deeply, the image of him inside her vivid. Even now, she wanted him again and wondered if she would ever tire of wanting him.
Darren stirred, his eyes slowly opening.
“Morning, beautiful.” He reached over and kissed her gently on her cheek.
“I was about to say the same thing.”
“Me? Beautiful? You mean this old mug.”
“Old mug? You can’t be more than thirty years old. That’s not old.”
“Thirty-two, in fact, and I’ve lived a long, hard life, little princess. I’ve earned the right to say I’m old.”
“Maybe wise is a better word.”
“Wise? Definitely not. At least not when it comes to women.”
She did not respond.
“I didn’t mean you. I may be cautious about relationships, but I think you are the best thing that has happened to me in ages,” he said, immediately observing the hurt in Eboni’s face.
Her hurt dissipated. He did know how to say the nicest things. And he sounded genuine.
He pulled her toward him, putting his arms around her and resting her head against his chest.
“While I would love to make love to you again, I need a little more sleep. I have a busy day ahead of me.”
“That’s fine. This is perfect.”
He mumbled something she didn’t understand and in time his breathing slowed.
She didn’t even realize when she joined him in dreamland.
Chapter 5
When Darren woke an hour later, Eboni was gone. A note on the dresser informed him that she had gone to teach one of her fitness classes.
He quickly put his clothes on and headed to his own place. Today was going to be a hectic one. He had several meetings and then planned on working in the office until early evening.
He was looking forward to his date with Eboni that night. He’d not been on a date in ages. Well, a real date. He had escorted a few of his lady friends to events. Inevitably, he would end up in bed at their apartments, never his. He’d make love to them and head home.