Adore You

by Nicole Falls

  I couldn’t even form a coherent thought. Everett has always been the most dependable guy I’ve known; loyal to a fault. Wrapped up in Ellis, I hadn’t seen he and Cass that much lately, but everything seemed to be fine at Sophie’s recital, which was the last time I could remember being in their presence together for more than a couple minutes at a time. Come to think of it, he did look rather bedraggled when he came to retrieve Soph from Ellis’ house that day. I’d attributed it to not getting much sleep, since I had remembered Ellis saying something about Ev working long hours developing a new game.

  “What do you need me to do? You know these hands are on demand.”

  A brief chuckle escaped Cassidy. We sat there for a few moments in silence before she spoke again.

  “When did I stop being enough?”

  She sounded utterly defeated, her voice breaking on that last word.

  Sighing, I responded, “I can’t answer that, Cassie. But you know what I can say? Everett is an asshole. Nah, scratch that. He’s a whole ass. You don’t deserve to be treated this way. I hope you put his raggedy ass out and he’s couch surfing at his mama’s house. Or…better yet, I’m hoping Auntie Randi wouldn’t let his ass in and he’s hemorrhaging money at some shitty hotel with PBS as its only station…because fuck him.”

  “Hey! I like PBS.”

  “Really, Cass? That’s the sticking point here? How is my niece? Does she know?”

  “I told her Daddy and Mommy needed a vacation from each other. Other than being a pain in my ass about why we couldn’t be the ones to stay in a hotel and have fun, she’s fine. I think I’ve put up a good front.”

  “Shit, Cass.”

  “I know. It’s a big fucking mess.”

  “What does he even have to say for himself?”

  “Not a thing. Hell, the reason you guys got stuck with Bug the other day was because I couldn’t get him to answer one question. He just kept saying ‘I fucked up’ whenever I pressed for details. If I just knew why, maybe this wouldn’t hurt so bad.”

  "Flight attendants prepare for take off," the captain droned.

  We were seated in the last row of the plane, much to my annoyance. I absolutely hated having to wait to deplane once reaching my destination. Usually when I travelled it was covered by work; so business class was almost always the option. That's the life – early boarding, free booze and legroom. Ellis was definitely more than accustomed to traveling in style, so why he purposefully chose de jure segregation was beyond me. I was already a little cranky because the flight was a red eye, so we were taking off hella late.

  Flight attendants were coming through to do their final checks, so I stowed my purse below the seat and pulled my blanket tighter around me. Damn back of the plane had the nerve to feel like the Antarctic.

  "You willing to share?" Ellis asked, tugging on the loose end of the blanket.

  "Hell no! Shoulda brought your own. You put us in this frozen tundra!"

  "Wow, really? That's how you feel?"

  "YES."

  I leaned over him to watch my favorite part of flying. Since Ellis refused to give me the window seat, I was draped all over him, basically. No other feeling came close to the way I felt as the plane pitched down the runway and ascended into the inky, starless black sky. I’d been on countless flights through the years and it still gave me that fluttery feeling of excitement on every ascent. Looking down upon the city lights twinkling and buildings being dwarfed in mere seconds always put me in a contemplative space. Made me a little less self-centered to realize I was only a very small part of the universe.

  I leaned back to see Ellis watching me, bemused.

  "What?"

  "You are so goddamn gorgeous, you know that?"

  I melted immediately. All of that previous annoyance dissipated with a simple ass compliment. Who in the hell am I? A woman in love, the voice in my head instantly replied. Which, to be honest, scared the shit out of me. Ellis and I had yet to say those words, but I felt good about us. And where we were headed. Not so sure when it happened, but here I was, going all in. I lifted the armrest between our seats to snuggle a little closer to Ellis. He brought his arm around me instantly, drawing me in for a kiss.

  "So you know what I was thinkin’?" he murmured against my lips.

  "Let me call the flight attendant to see if there are any business class seats left?"

  "No," he rumbled on a soft chuckle. "I was thinking about making you a four star general."

  "Come again?"

  "Wanted to give you some frequent flier miles."

  "El, what?"

  "You know...mile high..." he trailed off.

  "Oh...you tryna fuck?" I smirked. "Why didn't you just say that?"

  "Must you be so crass?"

  "Says the man trying to induct me into the mile high club. Which, for the record, I've been a long standing member of..."

  In the faint light of the darkened plane, I saw Ellis' jaw drop.

  "Word?"

  "Word."

  "Well damn. I guess you'll be the one making me a general tonight."

  "Wait. You've never..."

  "No. I was saving myself for someone special," he deadpanned.

  A loud clap of laughter erupted from my mouth quicker than I could smother it with my hand.

  "Wait. Is that why in the hell you got us back here like we're living in pre-Rosa times?"

  "Well when I Googled..."

  I broke out into giggles again. The look on Ellis’ face let me know that he was less than amused.

  "Awww, babe. Sorry. But that's so cute. You Googled it?"

  “Not everyone is a subject matter expert at fucking more than thirty thousand feet above ground, Bee. Anyway, a number of articles suggested starting a fake fight, then making up in the bathroom, but I nixed that shit immediately because I know you’re a germaphobe. Finally stumbled on one that told me to book a red eye with window and aisle seats. Wear loose fitting clothing for easy access. And to bring my own blanket because the ones provided by the airline are laced in The Clap. I knew your ass was like Linus and would have the blanket covered, so I just had to take care of everything else.”

  I looked up at his face and he looked so pleased with himself. Cocky little grin, chest a lil poked out. It was so cute, I wanted to laugh again but I held it in.

  “That’s why you were so insistent on me wearing this damn dress.”

  We’d almost gotten into a huge argument right before leaving to go to the airport. We went back and forth for about fifteen minutes with him trying to get me to wear this damned dress.

  I was freshly showered and ready to slip into my comfy and fashionable Ivy Park ensemble when Ellis came over to me with one of my favorite dresses in hand.

  “Wear this…”

  “El, you know I like to be comfortable when I travel.”

  “Exactly. You always talk about how comfortable this dress is whenever you wear it. And it has those pockets you’re consistently amazed by. Like garments haven’t had pockets for a century at the very least.”

  “But dresses rarely have pockets! It’s a treat!”

  “Bee, focus. The dress, wear it,” Ellis said, trading the soft joggers I had in my hand for the dress. “You can wear your Beyoncé gear on the way home.”

  “So you want to just keep talkin’ bout it or…?” he trailed off, raising a brow.

  I moved back to the aisle seat, pulling my blanket tighter around me. Ellis’ demeanor shifted immediately.

  “All of your Googling didn’t tell you to wait until after beverage service?” I said, winking.

  “Nah, but I guess I’ll defer to the expert here. Anything else I should know?”

  I launched into a long explanation about logistics concerning how to pull this off, timing, and so forth. Ellis’ face, as I explained what we needed to do in order to be successful at actually fucking in flight, morphed from slightly impressed to pensive with the more details I revealed.

  “Exactly how many times
have…wait, never mind. I don’t think I want to know that.”

  “Just once.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “For real.”

  “You who said, and I quote, you were ‘a longstanding member of the club’ and giggled her way through my Google research tales have only done it once? I’m not buying it.”

  “It’s the truth. And it wasn’t very good, honestly. So…I mean, if we do this, you’re going to have to make it worthwhile.”

  A cocky grin spread across Ellis’ features as my words sank in.

  “Challenge accepted. Now come here.”

  “They haven’t even begun beverage service. Easy, tiger.”

  “Okay.”

  That easy acquiescence from Ellis seemed odd, so I searched his face for any signs of anger or annoyance or disappointment. None was there, just his normal resting facial expression. So I grabbed my tablet out of my bag to get back into the book I was reading until it was go time. Celena had recommended it to me. It was about three good girlfriends and their lives, set in Atlanta. I was just about halfway through, really wanted to wring the neck of one of the main characters, but the writing was so compelling I hated to put it down. I was hoping to finish it on this flight since I had more than a few hours of uninterrupted time to really dig my heels in.

  A few minutes into my reading, I felt Ellis shift into the middle seat. I tried my best to act like I didn’t feel his gaze on me and kept reading about Renee, Debra and Maxine until I felt the bottom of my blanket slowly rising. It was then that I turned to see Ellis staring with the same calm expression from before. I could normally read his thoughts from his facial expression, but he’d schooled his features into a blank slate. Still saying nothing, he shifted the blanket halfway onto his lap, and then placed his hands on both sides of my waist, scooting me in between his legs. I paused reading, twisting to look at him.

  “Keep reading. I just want you close.”

  With the closeness of the seats and his height, our current position could not have been comfortable for him, but I was not even going to start any fuss. He wanted me close; I’d stay close. I heard the flight attendants coming down the aisle for beverage service at the same time Ellis moved his left hand from where it had been perched at my side, to slowly inching up the bottom of my dress.

  His mouth pressed against my ear as he asked, “So what is your book about?”

  I felt his hand creeping along my thigh as he pulled up the dress; a feather light touch he knew would drive me crazy. I shifted, trying to readjust my dress as his right hand encircled my waist, restricting my movements.

  “What are you…mmmmmmm.”

  “Shhhhhhh,” he breathed against my ear, “Keep reading.”

  My earlier shift had allowed just enough room for him to plunge two fingers into me as he slowly pumped them in and out. His thumb circled my clit, flicking it at the top of every rotation. I bit down on my lip hard, as a fluttery sensation built in my core. I could hear the flight attendants getting closer, but Ellis kept his fingers moving at a maddeningly slow pace. I felt an orgasm building when suddenly Ellis stilled his fingers. I looked up to see a flight attendant in the aisle in front of us, taking drink orders. I looked back at Ellis over my shoulder and the earlier blank look had been replaced with a devious smile. As the beverage cart bumped and rolled closer to our row, his fingers began moving again at that same deliciously torturous slow pace.

  “Sir, can I get you anything?” the flight attendant asked.

  Pressing down on my clit and speeding up his rotations, Ellis calmly replied that he was fine and had everything he needed.

  “Miss, would you like anything to drink?” she asked me, as I clenched my thighs to still Ellis fingers that were still gently pumping. That movement didn’t still his thumb, however, and I barely eked out a negative reply as I felt myself dangerously close to peaking. Ellis felt the quickening and stilled his hand movements once again.

  “What are you doing to me?” I whispered.

  “Just tryna make sure you’re ready when it’s go time,” he replied, moving his hands from between my legs.

  Okay…two could play this game. I shifted out of his lap, slightly maneuvering so that I could slip my hand down the front of his sweatpants. He was already hard and ready, letting out a low groan as I slipped my hand into his boxers and swiped my thumb over the head of his dick as I stroked from base to tip.

  “Ain’t as fun when the rabbit’s got the gun, huh?” I chuckled.

  Instead of replying, Ellis removed my hand from his dick and pulled my face close to his for a kiss. So caught up in our tongues parrying for dominance, I didn’t notice that Ellis had maneuvered my body to receive him until I felt the head of his dick at my slickened entrance. He teased both sets of my lips before slowly sliding inside of me, eliciting a moan that he quickly swallowed. My hips moved of their own volition, in quick, incremental thrusts as Ellis’ hands traveled up my torso to palm my breasts. He played and plucked until my nipples were budded, primed and ready for this mouth. He released my lips long enough to swipe at one distended bud through the fabric of my dress. I bit down on my lip, grinding onto him a bit harder as I tried to stifle a whimper as he went back and forth between my breasts.

  I felt my orgasm building, cresting as he pulled my hips closer, thrusting up slightly and grinding his pelvis against mine. As the base of his shaft came into contact with my clit, I lost it. Ellis quickly reacted, covering my mouth with his as he muffled the satisfied yelp of passion I released as I came. Moments later his climax followed. The necessity of breathing caused him to pull back a bit and we stared at each other, chests moving in opposition as we struggled to regain our breaths.

  “That was…” I whispered, trailing off because I had no words to describe it.

  I felt his dick twitch inside of me and instinctively ground my hips against his once again.

  “Dangerous,” he finally replied, stilling my movements. “You make me forget myself. And condoms far too often.”

  “You started this, you know, Mr. Mile High Seduction.”

  “And you upped the ante when I realized you weren’t wearing panties.”

  “Touché.”

  We disengaged, each heading to opposite lavatories to clean ourselves up as best as one could on an airplane before reconvening at our seats. We settled back into a loose embrace and I dozed off, fully satiated with no thoughts of finishing the book that had me so completely captivated before.

  We’d planned on arriving in Vegas in advance of everyone else to have a little time to ourselves before being thrust into The Trey and Demi Show. Ellis was in charge of all of the arrangements, so I was pleasantly surprised when our hired car pulled up into the semi-circle entrance of The Drake Hotel & Casino. The Drake was one in a franchise of several hotels known for their exquisite amenities and sumptuous suites. I’d mentioned to Ellis in passing that I wanted to stay at one of their properties after reading about the family that owned and operated the hotels and being pleasantly surprised at it being a Black family—two brothers and a sister at the helm.

  Despite being El Cheapo with our flights, El spared no expense when it came to the room. The suite was ridiculously large, but I was so damned tired the only thing I care about was face planting into a bed and soon. Knowing I would regret not doing it, I quickly washed my face before donning pajamas and snuggling under the covers. I had no idea what else Ellis had planned for us, but I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of this trip had in store.

  “This shower is definitely big enough for hella activities,” were the first words I heard as I turned over in bed, turning off the alarm I’d set. I don’t think Bee realized that the part of the bathroom she was in lacked a door and her whispered words carried further than intended. Whoever she was talking to, likely CadyMac, must’ve said something scandalous in reply because all I heard after that was an incredulous gasp and high pitched giggles. Which was all right with me because a laughing Bee was the be
st Bee. I glanced over at the clock and saw it was barely six a.m., but there was no telling how long Bee had actually been awake.

  I remember her mentioning her internal clock going haywire at the reality of traveling back in time that going west always provided. We had a pretty full day today. I planned a few surprises for her in the morning and afternoon and then we were going our separate ways in the evening to partake in the bachelor and bachelorette parties. I had no idea what the ladies had planned, but I had a very low-key night lined up for Trey. The only directive I had been given was no strippers. I felt like this came more from Demi than Trey, but I knew I would have to respect the boundary or hear about the shit later. I knew better than to get on Demi’s bad side, so the night I planned was going to be rather tame; no Hangover antics. Since my boss had an in with the manager of the Drake, I was able to procure a private gambling room for us all night, with an unlimited top-shelf bar and access to the premium cigar lounge.