by Darrien Lee
When they entered the foyer, a trail of red, white and pink rose petals greeted them. They followed the trail that led into Craig’s bedroom where the room was glowing with an assortment of candles. The bed was also covered in rose petals and the trail continued into the bathroom. The garden tub had floating candles and sprinkles of rose petals in the water.
“Bennett, did you do all of this?”
He embraced her. “No, I think Bernice had a hand in this, but before we go any further, I have something for you.”
He picked up a beautifully wrapped box from the bed.
“When I saw it, I thought of you. I hope you like it.”
Venice took the gift from his hand. “You didn’t have to get me a gift, Bennett.”
“I know, but I wanted you to have it.”
She proceeded to open it, removed a velvet box and just stared. He removed the expensive gold charm bracelet from the box.
“It only has two charms on it right now: the dolphin, which represents Ocho Rios; and a bell, which represents our wedding.”
“It’s beautiful, Craig. Just as beautiful as the first one you gave me in college. Remember?”
He smiled. “How could I forget?”
She held out her arm so he could place it on her wrist. She looked into his handsome eyes and said, “I still have the other bracelet.”
He took her hands into his and kissed them. “I knew you would always keep it, Sweetheart, and I’ll add to this one as we go through our life together. Okay?”
“Okay and thank you so much. I’ll never part with it.” She kissed him and said, “Oh, well, I might as well give you my gift while we’re at it.”
His eyes widened. “You got me something?”
“Of course, Bennett. Now close your eyes.”
Venice got up and pulled a white envelope from her purse. She sat down next to him. “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
Venice handed him the envelope.
“I hope you accept this with all my love. I had to be a little devious behind your back, but I hope you’re pleased. Lamar helped.”
Craig looked at her in confusion and opened the envelope. Inside was the deed to the office complex he’d wanted to lease.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“It’s yours, Bennett. You’re my husband and I wanted you to have it. Besides, there’s some nice office space there and I thought about opening up a sports medicine clinic on the second floor. I don’t want to go back out on the road as a team doctor, especially since we’re planning on having more children. I think the building has plenty of room for the both of us. It even has room for a sandwich or coffee shop. That is, if you don’t mind sharing it with me.”
He grabbed her and kissed her deeply on the lips, hugging her closely to his body. Once he released her, he said, “Venice, you are unbelievable. But I can’t accept this from you, Babe. It doesn’t feel right. I mean, being Jarvis’ money and all.”
She grabbed his chin and, with fire in her eyes, she stared at him.
“Craig Bennett! Jarvis wasn’t the only one who had a job. No, I didn’t make the amount of money he did, but I held my own. Jarvis left this money to me to use as I see fit! If I want to buy you something, there’s nothing you or anyone can say to make me feel guilty about doing it! I would never do anything to disrespect Jarvis or the money he left me!”
She angrily got up from his lap and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Craig dropped his head.
“Damn! I just messed that up.”
He rose slowly from the bed and tapped on the bathroom door.
“Venice…Babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. May I come in?”
There was silence for a few seconds, then she said, “Come on in, Bennett.”
He opened the door and saw her standing by the sink, but she didn’t face him.
He approached her and rested his chin on top of her head while hugging her from behind.
“I’m sorry, Venice. I didn’t mean to upset you and I do appreciate your gift.”
She didn’t respond to him. Instead, she said, “Bernice left us a tray of chocolates, fruit, cheese, and champagne. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
Venice turned and ran her hands up his chest and began to unbutton his shirt. Her hands trembled, not from nervousness, but from sheer emotion. She unbuttoned the last one and pushed his shirt off his shoulders.
He looked down at her. “Are you still mad at me?”
She finally looked him in the eyes. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself. I guess I overstepped my boundaries. I just wanted to surprise you.”
He played in her hair. “And you did. It’s a wonderful gift. I would have to be a fool not to accept it.”
“Are you sure, Craig, because I can…”
Placing his finger to her lips, he said, “I’m sure, Venice. I was just surprised, that’s all. Now come back into the bedroom so I can figure out how to get you out of that dress. I’ve never seen so many buttons before.”
Craig worked anxiously to unbutton it. Venice smiled and closed her eyes as he succeeded, slowly peeling the dress from her body. All that was left was a beautiful ivory bustier, lace panties, garter and stockings, all of which matched perfectly to the pumps she wore.
“Mercy, woman!”
Venice sat on the edge of the bed and placed her foot in his lap so he could remove her shoes.
“Craig, do you think you could help me with my garter, too?”
He swallowed hard and pulled her to her feet as he slid to his knees to unhook the garter. He slowly ran his hands up her inner thigh, causing her to sway. Once they were unhooked he slid her stockings down her legs, kissing her thighs, inch by inch. Venice pulled him to his feet and unhooked his pants, pushing them down over his perfectly round rear. The evidence of his love showed as she placed her hands in the waistband and freed him from the last piece of clothing separating them. The warmth of his body caused the hardening of her nipples and moistness in her lower body.
“Bennett, you are beautiful.”
He couldn’t answer. “ll he could do was free her of the bustier and panties and lower her to the bed.
“Venice, I love you.”
Before another breath was taken, he parted her thighs and slid into her. His thrusts were necessary to fulfill all his dreams and desires of the past, present and future. She was finally his…all his.
Wanting to get deeper, he raised her hips to meet his demand. She was only able to moan his name as he claimed her body. Their lovemaking was different, yet familiar. She held on as long as she could, not wanting this ecstasy to end. Wrapping her legs around his body gave him complete access to the core of her being. He devoured her lips as he quickened his pace. His groans were steady and loud as he filled her body to the hilt. Venice was the only woman he would ever make love to without any barriers between them.
As he neared completion, he heard her scream his name like she never screamed it before. Moments later, he released his seed of love and passion into her heated desire.
“Sweet Jesus! Venice!”
Out of control and wet with perspiration, their bodies shook harder than they ever had before as they trembled in each other’s arms. Exhausted he kissed her, mating his tongue with hers in a ritual designed only for lovers. The sweetness of her mouth and body kept him wanting more.
“Are you okay?”
“No, because you’ve stopped kissing me.”
He smiled, kissed her on the neck and said, “You know I’m addicted to you so you don’t have to worry about me not kissing you or making love to you. If it was up to me, I would stay inside you forever, Sweetheart.”
Grabbing him by the hips, she said, “Then don’t move, Babe. I can’t think of a better place I’d want you to be.”
He kissed her harder, then inched lower to sample her ripe breasts.
She closed her eyes and moaned, “Oh, Bennett.”
His body quickly responded again as he took her on another journey of heated passion. Rolling over onto his back, he held her firmly as she moved her hips against his body vigorously. He covered her breasts with his palms stroking her nipples as she rode his body hard. He rolled over, placing her underneath him. He drove his hips into her moistness, causing her body to go up in flames. His release was longer and harder than before as he moaned, “I love you, Venice.” She was no different as she screamed out her love for him. Tears flowed out of her eyes as he kissed each one away. Brushing tendrils of her hair from her face, he said, “I hope those are happy tears.”
She kissed him. “They are.”
“I hope so, ’cause we’re probably going to make a baby tonight.”
She snuggled her face into his neck. “I can’t wait to have your baby, Bennett.”
He kissed her on the forehead and said, “Our wait shouldn’t be long.”
“Just in case, we might need to make love a few more hours. Our plane doesn’t leave until noon.”
He looked at her in amazement and said, “Don’t start nothing you’re not going to finish.”
“Oh, I plan to finish all right.”
CHAPTER Thirty
Spending a few days in Hawaii was going to be ideal before returning home for Christmas. Venice and Craig were looking forward to surprising Brandon with Ms. Camille and starting a new life together. Craig was going to be very busy once he returned. Venice hired his firm to design the new Jarvis Tyler Anderson Youth & Educational Center. She wanted the project done right so she couldn’t think of a better person than her new husband to design it. She also wanted to break ground on it as soon as possible. This would allow them to spend some time at home, which was very important for Brandon and his grandparents. While Craig and Venice were on their honeymoon, Ms. Camille stayed at their house. Her new home was getting the finishing touches Craig had ordered. When they returned for Christmas, she would be all set-up and ready to surprise Brandon. Her furniture would be arriving in a few days and she couldn’t wait to get settled in.
Their honeymoon in Hawaii was nothing short of breathtaking. One day, Venice decided to play a little joke on her new husband. After spending most of the morning in each other’s arms, they figured it was time to hit the white sands for a little fun in the sun. While Craig was in the shower, Venice hurriedly put on one of the tiniest thong bikinis she could find. It was fire-engine red with bright yellow flowers. She had no intentions of wearing it in public, but Craig didn’t know that. She was eager to see his reaction.
When she heard him cut off the shower, she went over to the patio doors and pretended to be looking out over the beach. Craig opened the bathroom door to release the steam, but had yet to come out.
He stood in the mirror and asked, “So what do you want to do tonight? Do you want to try and find a jazz club or just chill at the lounge here?”
She turned, realizing he hadn’t looked her way. “It doesn’t matter as long as I’m with you.”
As he continued to towel off, she decided to walk over to the bathroom door to ask him for the lotion. “Bennett, could you hand me the lotion, please.”
He turned to her and said, “You bet, Sweethea….Venice, what the hell do you have on? No, what is that you don’t have on?”
Smiling, she twirled. “You like? I bought it yesterday. I just knew you would like it.”
He scanned her from head to toe, then turned to brush his hair while staring into the mirror in silence. Stopping, he turned to her and said, “Woman! You have lost your mind if you think I’m going to let you leave this room naked!”
“Naked! I have on a bathing suit.”
“No! You have two strings wrapped around your body!”
Venice hugged him. “Don’t you just love the bright colors?”
He froze, looked down at her, and said, “You’re trippin’.”
Pulling him by the hand into the bedroom, she twirled again for him. “Come on, Bennett. Why are you so old-fashioned? This is the style!”
He stared her down calmly. “We’re not going anywhere until you change swimsuits.”
She folded her arms. “Well, if you want me to take it off, you have to take it off for me.”
There was silence as they stared each other down, something they did quite often.
Venice then burst out laughing. “Gotcha! Baby, I wasn’t going to wear this piece of nothing out on the beach. It was a joke!”
Still laughing, she hugged him and said, “I couldn’t resist, Bennett. You should have seen your face.”
He managed a small chuckle. “Oh, you want to play. Huh?”
He tackled her, landing on the tangled sheets they had just gotten out of. She let out a playful scream as he covered her body with his. Slowly, he untied the small strings giving her a kiss here and a kiss there.
“Bennett?”
“Huh?”
“Order room service. We can go to the beach tomorrow.”
That was all he needed to hear as he managed to maneuver the garment away from her body. He quickly discarded his towel and began to sear her skin with the touch of his lips. The love showing in his eyes was undeniable as she arched to fit her body to his. Words were not needed as the passion consuming their souls touched. His kisses were like magic and his touch was pure ecstasy. She threw her head back to give him full access to her most erotic zone. Craig met her halfway as he covered her breasts with his hand.
“I love you, Venice. Even though you take pleasure in making me the butt of your jokes.”
“I’m happy to oblige my man in any and every way I can.”
His kissed her fully on the lips. “Do you mean that?”
She moaned provocatively as she felt his erection pressing against her thigh. “Most definitely.”
He buried his face into the curve of her neck causing soft moans to escape her throat. He moved lower to sample the beautiful lips he loved so much, linking his tongue with hers. They both moaned in unison as they savored the taste of each other. Going even lower, he toyed with the hardened, caramel nipples, which teased him so often. He covered one, then the other, making her tremble with anticipation. His hands sought out her heated core and he inched even lower and tasted the very essence of her. She arched and jerked as he took pleasure in her immediate response to his assault on her womanhood. Gripping the sheets, she mumbled incoherent words of fiery desire as her body went through a series of spasms.
Craig was skilled in this area and wanted to make it clear that he would forever fill her life with explosive passion. Leaving her paralyzed with desire, he parted her thighs and slowly entered her trembling body. He raised her hips, filling her body as he moved in and out of her fire-engulfed body.
Venice shuddered and screamed, “Bennett! My God! I love you!”
His body stiffened, then shuddered hard, filling her with his seed. With his face pressed firmly into the pillow, Venice could still hear him profess his love for her. Holding his glistening body tightly to hers, she breathed heavily.
“Baby number one, coming right up.”
“That was number six. Remember? We started this two days ago. Ready to start work on number seven?”
Venice smiled as she kissed him. “Be careful what you wish for, Babe.”
“I wish you would shut up and kiss me, woman!”
And that she did…and then some.
Arriving back from Hawaii was welcomed, but the change in weather was a shock. Christmas Eve was only one day away so Venice’s family still had their traditional party. It was going to be hard this year just like Thanksgiving, but she felt like she would be able to handle it. The Taylors’ home was filled with friends and family like every year. Craig’s presence and Jarvis’ absence were the only differences to the ritual. As guests continued to arrive, Craig volunteered to answer the door.
Joshua and his family appeared and as soon as he walked through the door, he said, “Dang, Craig, you’ve got the serious t
an! I can’t imagine what Niecy looks like.”
“Joshua, she has me beat. Wait until you see her.”
Venice walked into the foyer and Joshua burst out laughing.
“Venice, what did you do, lay out? And what’s this? War wounds?”
Joshua pointed to an obvious passion mark between Venice’s neck and shoulder.
“Forget you, Joshua. At least we did spend some time outside the bedroom on our honeymoon, unlike you and Cynthia.”
The smile left Joshua’s face. “Oh, Niecy, that was cold.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, but it’s the truth, my brotha. Sorry, Cynthia. Now hand me my goddaughter.”
Joshua pushed his hands in his pockets. “Whatever.”
Craig asked, “Ya’ll are not going to go at it all night, are you?”
Cynthia handed Sierra to Venice. “Get used to it, Craig. They’ve been doing it all their lives and there’s nothing anybody can do to stop it.”
They laughed and walked into the den together.
The night was filled with love, laughter, and the sharing of presents. The next morning, Craig, Venice, and Brandon would depart for Philly, and it was going to be bittersweet for the rest of the family. They always spent Christmas as one big family when Jarvis was alive. This year was going to be the start of a new era.
Their plane was leaving in ninety minutes. Craig was taking Brandon on his rounds to say goodbye to different family members. At the Anderson home, Venice asked Mrs. Anderson if a particular box of personal items were still stored in Jarvis’ old room downstairs. She acknowledged that they were and told her that she was going to run over to the Taylors to pick up Craig and Brandon and would be right back.
Downstairs, Venice entered the room where she spent many hours. It was weird to be there alone. She hadn’t been there since coming home after Jarvis passed away. She looked at her watch and realized she didn’t have much time left. She opened the closet and pulled over a chair so she could see the top shelf. As she shuffled the boxes around, she heard a noise.