by Unknown
“Hmm, you decided to use your maiden name if you make it famous?”
“Heck yeah; I’m not giving my ex-husband any shout-outs to my claim to fame.”
He chuckled, “Well everyone has to start somewhere. Keep plugging at it and you’ll get there.”
“Getting a foot in the door would be nice. Anyhow, I had not planned on meeting you in the process.”
Orlando rubbed his hand down the front of his shorts to rid the dampness on his palms. “Regan, that’s what we need to discuss. I don’t want to stand in the way of your dreams. We should go back to being friends and not pursue anything beyond that.”
“That’s not what I want, Orlando.”
He saw her eyes well with tears; it made his heart ache. He had fallen for her but letting her go to find herself would save him from suffering another loss. He took her hands pressing her knuckles against his lips. “Baby, you need time to explore what you want. I can’t do the yo-yo thing. I did that with Maggie. She would get with this guy and they would be cool for a minute. Then he would disappear or whatever, she expected me to be here waiting for her. Like a fool, I would take her back.”
“You must have loved her to keep doing that and then to marry her.”
“I married her because she told me she was pregnant; not because I was in love with her. She used me to get back at her long-time lover for doing his dirt.”
“That is awful, Orlando. But what she did is not new. Some women have to have that second man in waiting in case the first one gets away.”
“I don’t take kindly to being played a fool, especially when a kid was supposedly involved. That took me a long time to get over.”
“Do you want kids, Orlando?”
What the hell happened? How did I get off track of breaking it off with her to talking about having kids? He nodded. “Yeah I do. I want a big family but some things just aren’t meant to be. I keep meeting women I think may be the one then the bottom falls out.”
“I know that was meant for me. But you never know what will happen and with whom; don’t you give up hope finding the right woman,” she said lowering her eyes.
He cleared his throat. “I was not singling you out. I just feel if we fell in love, you would hate me for holding you back from doing your thing; I don’t want that to happen.”
He thumbed away the tear that fell from her eye when she blinked. She turned her cheek to kiss the palm of his hand and said, “I’m already in love with you.”
Her words crashed against him hard. He had to catch his breath and sat back on the sofa taking in deep breaths. Regan caressed his face as he stared into space. “Orlando, I received a response from a news agency in South Carolina. If I get the job I will be moving and there is no way I would ask you to walk away from your career to follow me. I thought it would make things easier if I didn’t say anything and just left. I see now that was a bad mistake and I should have been honest with you.”
“So why are you telling me you love me if you’re leaving?”
“I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I had fallen for you before we spent the night together. Also, I got a sense you weren’t feeling any love for me. You looked at me as a friend and I tried to keep it that way.”
He looked at her. Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time they spilled over. Regan wiped them away quickly. He studied her face as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He swallowed. “Well, there are firehouses in South Carolina. I’m sure I’m qualified to work at one of them. My record is spotless and I’m an officer.”
Regan’s body began to tremble against him as her arms went around his neck. The pain from the wound on his shoulder vibrated down his arm. Finally, she released him. “God, I love you. I cannot believe you would uproot for me.”
“That’s what you do when you love someone. You make sacrifices.”
“Are you saying…?”
He nodded cupping her face in his hands. “Yeah, I’m saying I love you too.” Her head rested against his chest. He caressed her hair. “I have never, in my life, said those words to a woman and I should have told you a long time ago in order to avoid this whole mess.”
“I agree. I tend to love hard, Orlando. Just let me know if I’m crowding your space.”
“Will you do the same for me? I’m a distant person and will have to be reeled in when I drift. It’s not because I don’t love you, it’s because I’m not used to sharing with anyone.”
Her hand traveled up his thigh arousing him. His manhood came to life when her fingers gently folded around him. The shorts were the only barrier between him and her hungry fingers; he was nude underneath. He only threw on the shorts and no underwear since he wasn’t expecting any action to occur seeing how he attempted to make a clean break from her.
He moaned as her hand worked him. He ran his hand over her back, and underneath the waistband of her pants to touch her soft skin. The scent of her perfume filled his nose enticing his aroused member to grow yet harder. He groaned when Regan slipped the waistband of the shorts around his manhood, freeing him from the confines of the material to cuddle between her soft hands. She rubbed up and down. His eyes closed, and jaw slackened. “Damn, baby.” He dropped his head against the back of the sofa and sucked air into his empty lungs. Her sexual abandonment brought him down a peg him and filled him with a sense of pride.
Regan nuzzled his neck, her lips dragging against his freshly washed skin to form a smile. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hell no!” He snapped.
Her lips blew over the expansive head of his manhood as if to cool him off. Chills ran down the base of his spine spiking every nerve along the way. Then her soft lips closed over him sucking gently at first, then, taking him deep into her mouth as far as she could.
Orlando thought he would lose his mind. If someone told him this would be the last time he’d ever have sex, he was thankful it was happening this way and with this woman. He was in love and intended to savor every moment they spent together.
Pulling her up by the shoulders, he whispered. “Baby, you have too many clothes on. Let me help you lose some of them.”
Regan slid off the sofa and stood before him. Pulling the silk white blouse over her head, she dropped it on a chair. Wiggling the snug linen skirt around her hips, she lets it fall to the floor kicking it aside.
She is so damn beautiful. Orlando thought as she methodically removed items of clothing one at a time in strip-tease fashion. She reached behind her back to unclasp the black satin bra, letting it find a place among the heap of other clothing. He for sure thought he would blow his load as he watched her dance, tantalizing him, not letting him touch.
He wanted to pinch himself. The perfect vision was before him; his fantasy of all fantasies; Regan wearing nothing but a thong and stilettos. A surge of power rocked through his body. It roared through his manhood, seeking escape, demanding release. She had to stop teasing him or risk being snatched and thrown on the floor for him to have his way with her. She must have sensed what he was thinking.
She straddled his lap sandwiching his manhood between their bodies. Her warm lips kissed at his neck, chin, and then captured his lips. Her mouth tasted sweet as he played and gently sucked her tongue. His hands cupped her breasts, kneading them. His hands were large, but her breasts fill them nicely. He massaged them with increasing pressure drawing a moan from her throat.
He broke the kiss to bend his head forward and suckled a hard nipple. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feel of it in his mouth, against his tongue. He must have been enjoying it too much as she cried out as he popped her nipple in his mouth.
She arched her back. “Ahhh….”
“Too rough?” He mumbled.
“No, I like it.”
With her back arched and her chest heaved upward, he kissed down her stomach and dipped his tongue inside her bellybutton savoring the taste and feel of her soft skin. He twisted her body until she was lying on her back on the sofa and he was sitting half -o
n half- off the sofa but between her legs. He slid his hand between her legs and ground his palm against her mound covered by the swatch of black silk. Regan’s hips rose off the cushions of the sofa pushing against his hand.
No longer able to resist her body or the pounding of his manhood, he hooked his fingers under the thin band of her thong drawing them down her soft legs and over the heels of the shoes. He took a minute to observe her lying on the sofa, exposing her very being to him. Bending his head, he licked at the juices flowing freely. Regan arched her back higher. His hands went beneath her buttocks lifting to give him a better position. Teasing her with his tongue, her moans grew louder, bolder the more he licked and teased.
She begged, squirming on the sofa. “Please, make love to me.”
He obeyed and wiped her essence from his mouth. He lifted his knees to take his shorts off. Parting her thighs, he thrust inside her, pausing to stop the threat of ejaculation as he sank into the soft folds of her body. It also let her muscle spasms and suck him in deeper.
He got into a groove of thrusting. The old sofa sang under the pressure of their bodies pounding atop it. Orlando felt sweat cover his body as he thrust deeper filling her completely. He couldn’t stop when she cried out. She made him lose his mind and control.
Her moans grew louder and he went to pull back, but her hands pressed on his butt, urging him not to stop but to go deeper. Deeper he gave her. The sensation was too strong for him as he grunted, groaned, and pounded into her small body. The sound of skin slapping skin was echoing around his head. He felt consumed, possessed by this woman. A feeling he wanted to have for the rest of his life.
He felt her quivering and murmuring something close to his ear. Her legs crossed over his back as she began to orgasm. Her muscles had gripped him so tight he could barely penetrate, then, it happened; he erupted. His chest tightened, he couldn’t breathe. His heart was sure to fail if the orgasm didn’t end. He lowered his body covering her.
They were both slick with sweat as they rested. His mind cleared as his heart rate slowed. “Regan,” he whispered in her ear.
Her voice was tired and weak. “Yes.”
“I made a terrible mistake.”
“No you didn’t I wanted it too.”
He lifted off her sitting up. “Not that, baby. I didn’t use a condom.” He dropped his head into his hands.
She sat up holding him around his broad shoulders. “Orlando, I’m on the pill. I have been on the pill since high school. Mark never wanted kids so I never stopped using them even after my divorce. I’m protected.”
He released a heavy sigh. “Thank god you are responsible. But I’m also clean. After Maggie cheated on me, I had myself tested for my own sanity. I haven’t been with anyone since her.”
“I’m not worried. I had myself tested also. Mark stopped sleeping with me the first time he got with Naomi. Anyway, when we reconciled for those few months, I was worried he may had been with other women. Just because he was rich and hung with people of his caliber didn’t mean all of them practiced safe sex.”
“Yeah, that is true.”
“Isn’t it funny how no one wants to talk about their sexual history if they use protection, but will high-tail it to the doctor to be tested if they slip up and go bare?” She stated in a preachy manner. “I think people should be upfront before having sex. I have never been with anyone but him and now you.”
He raised a brow. “You want to give me the speech after the fact? Baby, I have had more than two sexual partners and practiced safe sex before I got married. This is the first time I have slipped up and I’m blaming your sexy strip tease for that,” he chuckled.
She rubbed his chest. “Would it be so bad if I got pregnant? You said you want kids and I wouldn’t mind having a baby before I’m too old.”
He squeezed her body closer to him. “I would love to make a baby with you but not like this. Regan, when we have a baby it will be the right way. I love you, but we have to make sure our relationship is stable and no more going back and forth. I don’t want to be an absent father with visitation rights, but a husband sharing a home with my baby and his momma.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “I know and you are right. We should get to know each other better and work on us before bringing a baby into the mix.”
“Yup, because there is a strict no return policy on a kid, once we make it, we have to keep it.” He patted her on the leg. “Shall we shower and fix whatever you were going to make for dinner?”
Regan looked over at the grocery bags sitting on the floor. “Oh, yeah, I did bring stuff to make dinner. You think the chicken is still good?”
He got off the sofa pulling her by the hand. “Never mind, we’ll go out to eat after we bathe. I don’t want to take any chances coming down with food poisoning.”
*****
After a light dinner, they returned to Regan’s house. Upstairs in Regan’s bedroom they lay on the bed watching a baseball game. She wasn’t well versed in the game but listened as Orlando explained the game as best he could. It didn’t matter to her the game was as boring as paint drying, but that Orlando was with her and they had confessed their love for one another.
She sat propped against the headboard itching to grab the magazine on the night table. Orlando’s head was lying on a pillow across her lap. She lightly touched the bruising surrounding the wound on his shoulder. “Does it hurt?”
“Nah, only when I bump against it,” he said keeping his attention on the television.
“How will you carry your gear? The scar is right on the spot and the bruise is huge around it.” Seeing the large scar sent a chill down her arms. He could have been killed in that fire. With Mark, she expected him to walk through the door late in the evenings, but with Orlando, it would be different. He would have to spend days at the firehouse and she would not know what was going on with him.
“It should heal quickly. Plus, I don’t let a little pain keep me from doing my job.”
“Do you want to talk about the fire? I’m a good listener.”
He turned on his back looking up at her. “Babe, I’m dealing with it. We see tragedies all the time. It may take me a couple of days to work through them but I do.”
Regan caressed his head. “Okay. You are the big brave firefighter that doesn’t need any help.”
“I’m not saying I won’t ever need help. If I encounter a situation I can’t handle, we have resources at our disposal. Regan, we are trained to handle whatever is thrown at us. The guys at the firehouse support each other. We talk about it and deal with it. We cannot let every failed rescue slow us down or we risk jeopardizing the next life we have to save by questioning our abilities. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She nodded listening to him. He was so knowledgeable when it came to his work. She couldn’t imagine him running the streets or getting into trouble as a teen. “I get it. It won’t make worry any less about you, but I get what you are saying.”
He smiled. “Don’t start that worrying thing. Use that energy to get your dream job.” Cheers from the television caught his attention. “Ah, a grand slam,” he said pumping his fists.
He folded his arms across his chest returning his attention to the baseball game. Her cell phone rang. “Hey, Lincoln,” she said lifting Orlando’s head off her lap so she could get up.
“What are you doing?”
She went into the hallway to talk on the phone. “I’m watching a baseball game on TV.”
“You’re watching baseball? Come on, Regan, what do you know about baseball?”
“I didn’t say I was watching the game alone. I have company.”
“So who is the mystery guy?”
“He isn’t a mystery. I’m watching the game with Orlando.”
Regan removed the phone from her ear as her sister yelped. She would not admit her sister was right but would let her have her glory in assuming such.
“That is excellent, Regan! I got to you didn’t I? You finally
listened to me.”
Regan let the warmth of her smile travel through her body. She was in love and not afraid to show it. She didn’t think a second chance would come for her after losing Mark, at least not in a year. She was willing to play the single lady role and date men but not get seriously involved. She was giving herself five years before trying marriage again.
Orlando broke that plan the first day she laid eyes on him. “Yes, I listened to you and him. Lincoln, I told him everything.”
“How is it going to work if you move, Regan.”
“He is an amazing man. He said he would apply for a job with the fire department in South Carolina.”
“Really? He is willing to start over at the bottom?”
“What do you mean start over? He would apply for a position as a lieutenant.”
“No, Regan. He would have to start over. He won’t go to another firehouse in his same position anywhere outside of Cleveland.”
Her heart dropped to the bottom of her feet. She could not ask him to throw his career away. He was an officer and worked hard to get that position. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive, sister. Not to mention we’re talking about the south and him being biracial.”
“I swear, Lincoln. I think it makes your day to let the air out of my sail. Between you and his ex-wife, I don’t need freaking enemies.”
“Regan, I’m not letting the air out of your sail. I thought he would have told you how it works. Obviously he is willing to start over in order to be with you.”
“What am I going to do? I can’t have that hanging over my head. He has too much experience to take a step backwards. I’m not doing the interview in South Carolina. I have another offer from a local news station. I’m going with that one instead.”
“Girl, you sure keep your lips shut. What station and doing what?”