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| Author Phoenix C. Brown |
Good afternoon folks and happy Hump Day. Well, it's time for another "Writer's Wednesday" feature and this week, I have the pleasure of introducing you to an amazingly gifted author, my good friend Phoenix C Brown. If you haven't read her work yet, take my word for it, you definitely SHOULD. I love the heart and soul of her words.
Author bio:
Phoenix C. Brown came onto the scene in 2011 with her debut novel, Beautifully Imperfect. Readers fell in love with the main characters Malik & Rebecca and they begged for a sequel. Never one to disappoint; she released All That Matters in the End in 2012. Her readers have deemed her the "Mary J. Blige" of the book world and that's a badge she wears proudly. Anyone who has struggled to keep a relationship, experienced the joy and pain that love can bring and the renewing of oneself through life lessons... Will enjoy Phoenix's work. Her way of telling a story is so relatable that the reader will often times see themselves or others in the characters she writes about. Her spellbinding way of pulling the reader in will have you feeling like you are eavesdropping on personal conversations and she will have you laughing, crying and cursing with every page. Phoenix lists Eric Jerome Dickey, Carl Weber, Omar Tyree, Terry McMillan and the late E. Lynn Harris as influences on her writing. Her goal is to take you on an emotional ride while still delivering an entertaining, relatable story. When she isn't giving in to the characters in her head she spends her free time with her husband and two kids.
Here's the 1st chapter from her latest release, "Back to Basics." Enjoy...
ChaPter 1
“love in this club”
Have you ever had a moment where you wished you had
the ability to rewind time and go Back to the Future like in the 80’s
movie? A moment where you wished you didn’t open your big mouth because it
would lead you somewhere you didn’t want to go.
Well that was me and this was my moment. When I mentioned to my cousin,
Bianca and my best friend, Sarai that I wanted to get out and meet new people,
the last thing I expected was to end up here.
After a few
bottles of wine, they persuaded me to get dressed and come with them to this
hole in the wall masquerading as a night club. I enjoyed clubs just not the
smoke machine, teeny-bopper types that my friends liked to frequent. I
preferred spoken word or jazz clubs because not only did it give me the chance
to relax but it also allowed me the opportunity to appreciate the local talent.
The nonsense blasting through the speakers had my nerves on edge. I wouldn’t
have been out on that dance floor even if I hadn’t volunteered to be the purse
watcher. The DJ had everyone looking like they were having some kind of
synchronized seizure as he shouted out instructions. I checked my phone to see
how much longer I would be subjected to this torture. I had promised them a few
hours and the sand in my mental hourglass was almost out.
“Do you
believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?”
The cologne
of the man assaulted my nostrils before he came into view. Whatever it was he
was wearing was definitely the knock off version. I tried not to gag from the
pungent smell lingering in the air. A group of young women passed by the booth
talking loudly and giggling. Their dresses barely covered the cusp of their
butts as they tried to balance in heels higher than their morals. I was praying
he would notice them and direct his attention their way.
“I thought
that would have at least put a smile on your pretty face.”
The man standing
in front of me was old enough to be a friend of my dad’s. I pulled at my dress
trying unsuccessfully to cover my cleavage. The way he was staring at me was
making me uncomfortable. I had heard horror stories lately of men attacking
women who didn’t give them the time of day. I figured it would be easier to
play along with the man than to insult him. I counted to ten and put a smile on
my face.
“Sorry, this
really isn’t my scene.”
“That’s
because you’re sitting here looking like a Beyoncé searching for her Jay Z. Why
don’t you let me take you out on that dance floor and show ya what I can do?”
“Thanks, but
I promised my friends I’d watch their purses.”
I waved my hand at the pile sitting next to me. “They should be coming
back soon.”
He scanned
the dance floor. “I don’t see anyone coming off that floor anytime soon, Sugar.
Why don’t you let me keep you company?”
He could
have easily been mistaken for one of the pimps out of the Foxy Brown movies my
dad watched religiously every Saturday. His salt and pepper hair was pulled
back in a ponytail and he had the audacity to have two gold teeth in his mouth.
This was the story of my life. While Bianca and Sarai were grooving with the
Denzel Washington’s and Omari Hardwick’s, I was trapped talking to the Morgan
Freeman’s of the world. I shut my eyes wishing I could blink myself away like
Jeannie from the television show I Dream of Jeannie.
“I
appreciate the offer but…” The lyrics to
Never Gonna Get It by En Vogue popped into my head.
“Sorry it
took me so long.”
I twisted in
my seat to see who the hand on my shoulder belonged to. Whoever it was had
impeccable timing since the older man didn’t seem to want to take no for an
answer.
“How ya
doing, Sir?” My rescuer asked.
“I’m great
but I’d be even better if you tell me this isn’t your prized possession.” The
look in his eyes made me squirm.
“Sorry to
ruin your night but yes, she’s my baby.”
“You better
be careful leaving good-looking young thangs like this by themselves. I almost
snatched her from you.” He tipped an imaginary hat at me. “You two enjoy your
evening.” I exhaled a sigh of relief as
he walked off in search of his next target.
“I hope you
don’t mind but it looked like you needed to be saved.”
The
gentleman sat down across from me. His accent and the dimple in his right cheek
caught my attention. In the back of my mind I was forming the words to say
thank you but nothing was coming out of my mouth. I felt dumb but it was
probably a good thing that my mouth wasn’t cooperating. The inappropriate
thoughts that were running through my mind would have definitely escaped.
“My bad. Did
I mess up your action for the night? I can always call him back over here.” He
pretended to wave to the man who had made his way to the middle of the dance
floor.
“No no no.”
I touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I appreciate the help.” I extended my hand to
him. “I’m Kenya.”
“Nice to
meet you, Kenya. I’m Kevin.” He raised his finger and the waiter stopped at our
table. “Can I please have a gin and tonic?” He turned to me. “What are you
drinking?”
“A Long
Island Iced Tea.”
“And another
Long Island Iced Tea for the lady.” He
handed the waiter some money and turned his attention back to me. “So Kenya,
why are you not out there getting your groove on?”
“I’ve chosen
to be the purse watcher for the evening.”
I pretended
to look at the television above his head but I was really checking him out; the
man was a walking billboard for sexy. He had the type of face and body that
would stop any woman in her tracks. The flashing lights from the club cast
shadows on his chocolate brown skin and I found myself wanting to trace those
shadows with my fingertips. I tried to stop staring but he was throwing all
kinds of sexy and I wanted to catch every bit of it. I cleared my throat and
looked out over the dance floor expecting an infuriated woman to come and claim
her man at any second. There was no way this guy was single.
“Oh so you
were serious. I thought that was an excuse to avoid that.” He motioned to the
dance floor where the man was dancing by himself off beat. “Would you mind if I
keep you company while you wait?”
“Not at
all,” I responded a little too quickly. “You still have a drink coming, right?”
I smiled.
“I sure do.”
He leaned forward. “It’s been awhile since I had to do this. Is this the part
where we make small talk?”
“You would
know more than I would. I’m only here
for those two.” I pointed to where my two friends were participating in the
cupid shuffle.
“Well, I
guess we will have to figure it out together.” He smiled.
Oh my God,
his smile was beautiful. His teeth were
so white that I expected to see a little twinkle appear like in the teeth
whitening commercials. I hated to sound like a cliché but the man literally had
taken my breath away.
The waitress
brought our beverages and I noticed her slip Kevin a piece of paper. I checked
my cellphone and saw it was only midnight. I had another hour or so of this
torture. I was used to being invisible in the eyes of others but that was
downright rude.
“I’ll be right
back.” Kevin took the napkin the waitress handed him and headed over to the
bar. Two females converged on him immediately. I stared at the women who most
would describe as sexy but I thought looked sleazy. The little black dress was
no longer in as it had been replaced by dresses with strategic cutouts designed
to cover the intimate areas of women. Unfortunately for the one rubbing up
against Kevin, her dress was too small and it wasn’t covering her areas at all.
I never would understand why women thought they would catch a man dressed that
way. I heard so many women complain about not being able to find a good man. I
could see why. The bait they were using was attracting the bottom feeders.
“Do you have
a tissue? That dance floor feels like a sauna.”
Sarai settled in the seat next to me and gestured towards the
bar. “What’s up with that guy? I saw you two over here looking cozy.”
Even
drenched in sweat, Sarai was one of the most beautiful women in the club. Her
cocoa colored skin was flawless and the best thing about her was her
personality was, too. She was a tough person to crack but once you did she was
the sweetest person you’d ever meet. Through every good and bad moment of my
life she had been right by my side. I appreciated her friendship because of her
ability to give it to you straight no chaser. If you asked her opinion you were
going to get it. Sarai didn’t believe in sugar coating anything. It was because
of that honesty that her and Bianca had a hard time getting along. I had to
admit there were a few times I walked away bruised from her honesty but I knew
it was always coming from a good place.
“Answer me,
Chick.” She tapped her fingernail on the tabletop.
“His name is
Kevin. He rescued me from that fiasco.” I motioned to the dance floor and
stifled a laugh as Bianca got cornered by the oldie trying to be a goodie.
“And…” Sarai
looked over in his direction. “Did you give him your number?
“No, I
didn’t.” I looked down at my glass. “Every person that’s trying to be helpful
isn’t looking for a hookup, Sarai.” I glanced at the bar and saw him and the
waitress talking. She looked perturbed and so did he.
“You said
you wanted to meet new people.” She shrugged. “He looks like a new person to
me. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m pretty
sure I’m not his type. I’m trying to play college ball and you’re trying to
bump me up to the pros.”
“Okay, you
keep messing around and you’ll be permanently on the bench.” She shook her
head. “If he came over to help you out I’m sure he’s interested. I’ll be glad when
you stop doing this to yourself.”
“Doing what
to myself? Being honest?”
“I’m not
doing this with you tonight. You need to get out of your own damn way.”
I hated when
Sarai and Bianca tried to give me the self-confidence talk. They would never understand
how it felt to be the big girl in the group.
Advice was easy to give but until one of them walked a mile in my shoes,
I wasn’t trying to hear it. Neither one of them had experienced the frustration
of trying to hang at the mall with your friends but never coming home with
anything. They would never understand how annoying it was to order food and
feel like everyone was judging what they ate. I had worked hard to drop fifty
pounds but in my mind, I still saw that woman who was a size 24, even if my
jeans said I was a size 16.
It would
have been easier for me to mentally adjust if I wasn’t still considered a big
girl by American standards. There had been many nights where men that looked
like Kevin overlooked me for women that looked like the ones sashaying around
the club.
“Why do you
guys look so serious?” Bianca slid in next to me, forcing me to scoot further
into the booth. “Did you guys see that old guy? He had the nerves to ask me if
I was taking applications for a sugar daddy.” She leaned over and rubbed her
heel. “Are you two ready to go?”
“Good
evening, ladies.”
“Well, hello
handsome.” Bianca leaned forward showcasing her perky size C breasts. “Would
you like to sit down and have a drink with us?”
Kevin shook
his head. “Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow your purse watcher. Are
you off duty yet?”
Bianca
looked at Sarai and then at me. The look of surprise that flashed across her
face was not lost on me. She was used to being the one getting all of the
attention. Generally she was so I understood her confusion. My cousin was every
woman’s nightmare and every man’s fantasy; her skin was blemish free, her body
shaped like a coke bottle and her hair reached half way down her back with no
weave or extensions needed. She was beautiful without makeup and gorgeous with
it.
“The purse
watcher is officially off duty.”
“Do you want
to brave the dance floor with me?” He smiled that thousand watt smile.
“I guess. I
sort of owe you from earlier, huh?” I drank the rest of my Long Island Iced Tea
and tried to get out on Bianca’s side, but she wasn’t budging. I had to scoot
all the way around the booth where Sarai had stood up to let me out.
I gave
Bianca a dirty look and followed Kevin out onto the crowded dance floor.
Beyoncé had all the women on the floor screaming “I woke up like this. I
woke up like this” while the men gyrated behind them. I loved Beyoncé and I
attempted to move along with the crowd but quickly remembered that dancing
wasn’t my forte. I was more of a groover than a dancer. A groover was that
person you could see dancing in their chair looking cool until they stood up.
My upper body never coordinated correctly with my lower. Now, when I was in
Zumba class, I was always on beat but this wasn’t Zumba and these heels were
not my Nike Shox. As soon as Kevin pulled me into him, I felt self-conscious. I
was hoping he couldn’t feel my spanx through my dress and I was praying that I
didn’t fall. The heels seemed like a good idea when I was getting dressed but
they definitely weren’t dancing shoes. The slippery surface of the floor had me
feeling awkward and clumsy.
“So, what
was the deal with you and the waitress?”
The DJ came
over the sound system as John Legend’s song All of Me started to
play. “Here’s one for the lovers in the
house. Pull her closer fellas and give her a night to remember.”
The stubble
from his goatee tickled my cheek as he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I
needed to explain to her how rudeness would never get her anywhere in life.” He
pulled me closer. “I told her it wasn’t cool to disrespect you like that.”
“Wow! You’ve
just been my superhero all night.” I joked. “But seriously, thank you for being
such a gentleman.”
I decided to
take Sarai’s advice and enjoy the moment. It felt nice to feel his muscles
tightening as he held me close to him.
“Does your
heart always beat this fast?” He murmured. “Or are you feeling what I’m
feeling?”
“I don’t
know what you’re feeling,” I said so low that I was surprised when he
responded.
“I’m feeling
that this dance shouldn’t be the last time I hold you.” He pulled away and
looked down at me. “Can I see you again?”
Any other
time I would have allowed my insecurities to take over but this time…this time
I wanted to not worry about tomorrow and live in the moment. The music stopped
and the lights of the club came flooding on. He stared at me and I stared right
back at him.
“Tomorrow’s
not promised.” I smiled. “Let’s see what the rest of the night brings us. The
steady flow of liquor had kicked in and gave me liquid courage as my Dad called
it.
He hesitated
and I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Was this the moment when the
lights come on at the club and you realize that lighting can make anybody look
half decent? I bit down on my lip and stood there uncomfortably not sure what
to do.
“Sounds like
a plan to me. Let your friends know that I got you for the rest of the night.”
Kevin gestured towards the table where Bianca and Sarai were waiting for me.
“I’ll meet you out front in ten minutes.” He walked off and I headed over to my
girls.
“It looks
like you had a good ending to the night.” Sarai smiled
“Actually,
the night’s not over.” I picked up my purse and coat. “We’re going to hang out
a little longer.”
“What?”
Bianca snorted. “Girl, you better stop tripping and take your butt home. Since
when do you do booty calls?”
“I wasn’t
aware that there was a rule that said you were the only one allowed to do
that.”
“You’ve
obviously had too much to drink. This isn’t like you at all.” Bianca brushed
her hair out of her face and smiled down at me like she was talking to a child.
“Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
“Maybe you
didn’t hear me. Should I text it to you instead?” I held up my cellphone and
pretended to be typing a message.
“See, that’s
what I’m talking about.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “Who does stuff like that?”
“Bye,
Bianca.” I turned my back to her and hugged Sarai. “I’ll call you in the
morning.”
I walked
away from the table before I followed through on my urge to curse Bianca out.
Her fake concern had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her.
Bianca was used to being the center of attention and even if it had been Sarai,
she would have still had something to say. I wasn't going to let her make me
second guess myself. She was right about one thing: This wasn’t something I
normally would do but the opportunity rarely presented itself to me. I was
going to take the night for what it was. No expectations.
I entered
the restroom and maneuvered around the other women doing last minute fixes on makeup
and hair. The giggles and whispers buzzed around me as women discussed their
next stop for the night. Once a mirror freed up, I rushed to it and pulled my
lipstick out of my purse. I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were
slightly glazed and my face was flushed. I smiled at myself and winked. My
weight loss had slimmed my face down considerably. The early morning cardio
sessions had paid off in the form of revealing my hidden bone structure. I
turned to the side and surveyed my figure in the full length mirror. My curves
were there but I honed in on the areas that still needed more work. I
readjusted my spanx which had started to fall. It was an instant reality check.
“What are
you doing, Kenya?” I shook my head and ran out of the bathroom only to
collide into Kevin.
“Hey, I was
looking for you! You ready?”
“I can't do
this, Kevin. Thanks for the invite but I think I drank a little too much. I'm
not a booty call type of woman.” I searched the club hoping that Sarai and
Bianca hadn't left yet.
“That's
okay! I'm not a booty call type of man.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “I
thought we could grab a bite to eat, that’s all. No pressure.”
“Maybe some
other time.” I searched my contacts for Sarai’s number. “I'm going to call my
friend and have her come back to get me. I'm sorry for wasting your time.”
People
hustled around us getting last minute phone numbers and making plans to see
each other again. He took my phone and began typing. He handed it back to me.
“I saved my
number so you have no excuse to not call me.” His smile was working its magic.
“I'm in town for the rest of the weekend.”
He
disappeared into the crowd. I looked down at his number and replayed his words
in my head. “I'm in town for the rest of the weekend.” I had nothing to
lose. As my grandma used to say, “You only live once.”
I pushed the
send button below his number before I changed my mind. “You haven't left yet,
have you?” I could hear horns honking in the background
“No, I was
almost to my car. Does this mean I can stop standing in the middle of the
street and come get you?”
“Yes, I’ll
see you in the front.”
I popped a
peppermint in my mouth and walked outside. Even though winter was quickly
approaching, I was still surprised by the rain blanketing the parking lot. My phone
buzzed and Bianca’s face flashed across the screen. I sent her to voicemail. I
was comfortable with my decision and I wasn’t going to let her talk me out of
it. A black BMW pulled up in front and Kevin stepped out. He walked over to me
and put his jacket over my head.
“Your
chariot awaits.” He led me to the car and opened the passenger door. I slid
onto the leather seat and tried to control my shaking legs. For the first time
in a long time I felt attractive. I looked out the window as he navigated the
city streets. Kevin Nash from 102.3 KJLH was giving his love quote of the
night.
“I love his
love quotes,” Kevin said and turned up the radio.
“Why,
because his name is Kevin?” I teased.
“Ha, you
have jokes,” he replied. “I tend to think they are reflective of what’s
happening in my life a lot of the time. I actually save them.”
“Really?” I
felt the butterflies in my stomach awaken. “I do that as well but not with his.
I copy the quotes from Being Mary Jane and save them in a journal.”
“Wow, so
we’re both weirdoes.” He laughed and pulled into the circular driveway of the
Ritz Carlton. He drove up to the valet and cut the engine. “The restaurant here
has the best sushi. Is this okay with you? If not, we can go somewhere else.”
“This is
fine.”
I stepped
out of the car and followed him through the massive glass doors into the lobby.
The marble floor lit up like the tiles in Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean
video. The glass chandeliers glistened
and reflected sparkly shadows onto the other patrons.
“Kevin, I'm
umm, I'm confused.” I pulled my hand from his. “Is this a joke or
something?"
“Why would
you think this was a joke? I think you're beautiful and I like beautiful
things.” He placed his finger under my chin and lifted my face up. “I don't
know what tonight will bring. I do know that I would like to get to know you
better. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll take you home."
It was only
dinner, I had nothing to lose. I took his hand and followed him to the
elevator. As soon as we reached the 24th floor, we were met by a waiter that
directed us to one of the booths next to the floor to ceiling windows. I slid
in and tried to stop my leg from trembling as he slid in next to me. I surveyed
my surroundings.
The red
leather booth we had been seated at faced out towards the skyscrapers that Los
Angles was known for. The view was breathtaking but not as breathtaking as the
man sitting next to me. Kevin carried himself in a way that exuded class. There
was no denying he took good care of himself.
“Would you
like me to order for you? Or do you have an idea of what you want?”
I hadn’t
realized I had been staring at Kevin and not the menu in front of me. I was so
lost in thought I hadn’t even seen the waiter approach us.
“Umm sorry.”
I stared at the menu ashamed that I had been caught admiring him like a
teenager with a crush. “I’m not sure. Why don’t you go ahead and order for me?”
I handed my menu to the waiter and sipped the water he had placed in front of
me.
“Have you
ever had sushi?” He asked.
I shook my
head. “I tend to like my food cooked, not fresh out of the water.”
“Are you
feeling adventurous or do you want me to play it safe?”
“I’m out of
my comfort zone already so I might as well go all the way in.” I winked at him.
“Handle your business, Sir.”
“We’ll start
with the Chinese Chicken Salad and then we will share the Crispy Shrimp and
Crab and the Hamachi Crunch Roll.” He handed his menu to the waiter.
“Trust me,
after tonight you will love sushi.” He put his fingers to his lips and kissed
them up to the sky. “It gets no better than this place.” He squeezed lemon into
his water. “So tell me something about you, Kenya.”
“I don’t
like talking about me,” I said honestly. The only reason I was out tonight was
to get my mind off of my problems. I didn’t want to sit here and pour them out
to him. “Why don’t you tell me something about you instead?” The candlelight
illuminated his face giving him a sexy glow.
“I don’t
think that’s fair but I’ll let you make that up to me later.”
He leaned
back into the booth and put his arms around the back of it. “I grew up in
Brazil and moved out here with my dad when I was twelve. I’m a lawyer who
defends the scum of the earth known as entertainers.” He chuckled. “Just
kidding. I have some great clients. Thankfully, I work more on the
transactional side of things instead of the litigation side.” He bit into his
lemon. “Other than that, I like long romantic walks along the beach and taking
pictures with puppies.”
His sense of
humor was on point. I loved that he was funny. Most men weren’t blessed with
personality and good looks. The salad arrived and he doled some out onto my
plate and then reached his hand out to me. I took it and he bowed his head and
prayed.
“Thank you
heavenly father for blessing us with the opportunity to share a meal. May the
food be nourishing to us both.”
“Dig in.” He
tapped my plate with his fork.
Wow. A fine,
funny praying man with money. I glanced around the hotel expecting to see
Bianca or Sarai jump out with cameras and yell, “You’ve been punked.” My
growling stomach made me do as he suggested and dig into my salad. The crisp
wontons melted in my mouth.
“This is so
good.” I took another bite and closed my eyes to savor the flavor. I was going
to have to recreate the dressing for the next time the girls and I had our
Netflix night at Sarai’s house.
“See, I know
a little something about food.” He moved his water glass over as the waiter set
the two plates of sushi down at the table. “So, are you still feeling
adventurous?”
“I think
so.”
Sarai was
going to die when told her I actually tried sushi. She had been begging me to
go with her for months but it didn’t appeal to me. The plate in front of me
actually looked like it was going to be good.
“Great! I
want to play a game.” He pulled a quarter out of his pocket.
“What kind
of game?”
“I’m going
to spin this quarter on the table.” He held it up and flipped it around. “If it
lands on heads, you have to tell me one thing about you. If it lands on tails,
I have to tell you one thing about me.” He put some sushi onto a plate and
handed it to me. “Are you down?"
I bit into
the sushi and it was delicious. He smiled in satisfaction.
“See, you
need to trust me, Kenya.”
“Okay, I’m
down.” I picked the quarter up off the table. “But I get to spin it first.” I
spun the quarter and it settled on tails. “Ha.” I pointed at him. “I’m
listening.”
“That’s not
fair. I already told you I’m a lawyer and I moved here from Brazil. You owe me
two things first to even the playing field.”
“Fine! I
work for my parents at their dental office and I’m an only child.” I took
another bite of my sushi and wiped my mouth.
“See, that
wasn’t hard.” He bit into his sushi and spun the quarter. It landed on tails
again.
“Damn, I
don’t think I like this game.” He handed me the quarter. “My best friend’s name
is Elijah.”
“Okay, missy
spill it,” he said as the quarter dropped on heads. “Except this time, I get to
ask you a question to answer.”
“That’s not
the rules,” I protested.
“My game. My
rules.” He picked up the quarter and placed it in his pocket. “What brought you
to the club tonight? I mean, no offense, but you didn’t look like you wanted to
be there.”
“I didn’t
actually.” The waiter removed the empty plate and refilled our water glasses.
“I’m in a transitional period and my friends thought it’d be good for me to get
out.”
“Mind if I
ask what kind of transitional period?”
He drank some of his water and wiped his mouth. “Never mind.” He shook
his head. “I get it. We all go through it at some point.”
His smile
couldn’t disguise the glimpse of sadness I saw in his eyes. I knew that sadness
all too well. I had been running from mine for years. He was inches away from
me and in that moment, I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I leaned forward and
kissed him. His lips were as soft as they looked. His fingertips moved up and
down my arm slowly giving me chill bumps. This was exactly what I needed. One
night with no strings attached.
“Let's go,”
I whispered.
“Are you
sure? We aren’t finished with dinner.”
“Yes. Come
on, before I change my mind.”
He pulled
out his wallet and dropped some cash on the table. My mind was screaming to
turn around and walk away but there was something about him that wouldn’t let
me.
We stepped
into the elevator along with an elderly couple. They were so engrossed in each
other that they barely noticed us get on. I found it cute that she would giggle
every time he bent down to whisper in her ear. I wanted that one day but for
tonight, I needed to fill the desire of having a man’s body next to mine. Kevin
and I grinned as we retreated to separate ends of the elevator to make room for
other people getting on. The elevator ride was silent except for the smooth
jazz coming through the speakers. The elderly woman smiled at me in the
reflection from the interior of the elevator. She massaged her companion’s hand
as the elevator stopped on their floor.
“You two be
good.” She said before the doors closed.
When the
elevator doors opened again, I followed Kevin down a long hallway and I could
feel my nerves building. He pulled out
his room key and held the door open for me to walk inside. I stepped into a
spacious living room with a view looking out so far that the stars disappeared
into blackness. The lights dimmed and Luther Vandross’s voice came soaring through
the air. At least I thought it was Luther’s voice until Kevin came up behind
me.
“Wow. Your
voice is beautiful.” I stared at his reflection in the window. “What other
talents do you have up your sleeve?”
“I can show
you more than I can tell you.” He kissed my neck and turned me around to face
him. “You know you can stop this at any time, right?”
“I know.” I
traced the outline of his face with my finger. “I’m a big girl, Kevin. I know
what I want.” I brought his head down to mine and kissed him. I parted his lips
with my tongue and melted into him as our tongues intertwined. It was a sweet
kiss that quickly turned passionate.
“Relax.” He
murmured against my neck and I felt his hand unzipping my dress. “Enjoy the
moment. I want to see all of you.”
He began
humming and then started singing, let me hold you tight if only for one
night, let me keep you near to ease away your fears, it would be so nice if
only for one night.
He pulled my
dress up over my head and helped me shimmy out of my spanx. I searched Kevin’s
face for signs of disgust. There wasn't any. The lust in his eyes turned me on
even more. He moved his fingers over my bra and I instantly felt myself get
moist. A low moan escaped my lips as he massaged me through my underwear. He
gripped my waist pulling me in so close that his belt buckle poked into my
stomach. The kisses he started planting on my neck elicited moans that were
silenced once his lips met mine. The fact that I hadn’t had sex with anything
but my vibrator in over two years had me ready to get it on. I fumbled to
unbuckle his pants.
“No.” He
moved my hand. “This is about you.”
He led me to
the couch and removed my heels. His eyes never left mine as he massaged my feet
and worked his way up my legs. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until
he whispered.
“Breathe,
Kenya.”
I laid back
on the couch in anticipation of what was to come. I tried to burn into my
memory as much of the night that I could. He unbuttoned his shirt and I reached
out and rubbed my finger across the scar on his stomach.
“What is
this from?”
“An
accident.” He watched my face as he unbuckled his pants and kicked them off. He
laid next to me and I savored the sensations my body was feeling as his tongue
explored my breast. I also felt that familiar feeling of nausea. I squeezed my
eyes shut praying that it would go away.
“Kevin.” I
groaned in agony. “Kevin.”
“Yes, baby.”
“Kevin, get
up.” I pushed him off me and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it before the
contents of my dinner went pouring into the toilet. He came into the bathroom
behind me.
“Here, drink
this.” He poured some of the bottled water into my mouth.
As soon as I
swallowed it I heaved again into the toilet. “I’m so sorry.” I mumbled as he
held my hair out of the way. “This is why I shouldn’t drink.” I said in between
heaves.
“It’s okay.”
He grabbed a rag from the sink and wet it with cold water. “Hold this to your
head. I’ll be right back.”
I laid down
on the cold marble floor with the rag on my head as he had requested. I was
beyond embarrassed; I was mortified. I was confident that I wouldn’t be hearing
from him again after tonight.
