by Love Belvin
She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. “That was so not right.” I smiled at her stubbornness. “I need to pee.”
“Go. Food will be up soon.”
Torturously, Bilan crawled over me to leave the tarp. I watched her ass jiggle all the way to the toilet room that was enclosed by a door. I used the time to text Rory to check in. I asked her to make arrangements for my day with Bilan. Then I called my queen.
“Well, hello.” She picked up almost right away.
“You miss me?” I smiled.
“Always. Are you just waking up?”
I rubbed my eye, feeling my body relax. “Yup.”
“Long night, I see,” she teased.
“Not answering that.”
“And you’ll be back on Monday?”
“Something like that. Yeah.” Moving along, I asked her about work. “How’s that replacement coming?”
“The director’s role?”
“That’s the only one you’re concerned with at your level.”
Being the owner of fifteen charter schools in the state, my mother had a solid staff to manage them all. She recently lost her Director of Operations to the public school system. We’d suspected an admin on the board of education had been trying to sabotage her charter program for years now.
“Nothing. I’ve interviewed six people in the past week—one from Oregon—and no one fits the role. Of course, the generous pay and benefits are attracting the masses, but this is a key role and should be filled by someone with the right educational background, as well as a, lack of burnout from the system. I almost prefer someone without public school experience, hoping they’ll bring in fresh ideas and fervor.”
I nodded, understanding. “I feel you. I’ll keep my eyes open.”
She giggled into the phone.
“What?” I asked.
“Like you know people in education.”
“I make it my business to know people in every industry, lady.”
She snickered at that, too. “Your father was upset about you missing a meeting with him again.”
He could get used to it. I wouldn’t even give that topic of his disappointment in me a moment of thought today.
“Was Dad the first guy with money to seduce you?”
“Honey, your Dad was the one and only dude with money seducing me.” She laughed.
“Was he aggressive with it?”
She hummed. “I suppose. He had a little something back then, nothing like now, of course. But Earl Ellis only knows one way, honey. I don’t think he’s capable of going slow or pacing himself.”
I took a deep breath, agreeing. From the corner of my eye, I saw the food arriving. I motioned them to bring the trays out on the tarp.
“Let me guess, you can’t shake your natural inclination to be yourself out there.”
“I’m damn sure trying.”
“Why?” Her tone was curt.
I scratched the back of my head. “Because I like her.”
“Then don’t be Earl. Extinguish that part of your DNA so that the other dominant facet of Sadik can lead the way, and go at her pace.” My brows shot up as I considered that. The last of the food was laid out on the comforter, and the staff quietly and swiftly left for downstairs. “This heffa better be something,” my mother warned.
That’s when Bilan walked out of the bathroom to the vanity to wash her hands and face.
“Oh, she’s something,” I assured watching her. “The question is, is she mine?”
“Wow,” she breathed. “Are we going there?”
I took a deep, cleansing breath. “I gotta go. Just wanted to check in with you.”
“Okay. Be safe and have fun.”
“Love you, baby.”
“Love you more, honey bunch.”
After hanging up, I slid the phone onto the wooden ledge and glanced around at all the spread. I took another deep breath, looking out into the ocean. This was just what I needed. A break from the bullshit. An escape with her.
“And who’s going to eat all this food?” Bilan was standing next to me, one hand covering her pubic hairs and the other arm holding her tits.
I reached for her to help her back into bed. She quickly covered her breasts with a sheet when seated next to me.
“Feeling better now?”
“After not sharing my morning funk with a man and risking turning him off? Yeah.”
I shook my head. “It’s kind of hard turning off a man with something he’s requesting.”
“I’m not too sure about that. Guys ask for things they turn out not liking after all.”
“Not men,” I made clear. “You eat eggs?”
She gave me her typical faint shrug. I started with the plate of scrambled eggs. It was an American spread today. With Bilan, I kept food simple, trying to appeal to her.
“Just a little,” she noted, watching me.
I forked a small chunk and fed it to her. Then I had some myself. As she chewed, her regard was across the water.
“This is paradise,” she mused out loud. “I can’t believe I swam in an ocean not crowded with seaweed and cracked shells. Even with mostly the moonlight last night, I could see clear to my feet.” She shook her head and turned to me, where I had a piece of French Toast waiting for her to eat.
Bilan pulled it off the fork, then I cut a piece for myself. It was okay; I’d had better.
“So a customs firm,” she commented, referring to my profession.
My brows lifted as I considered she was accounting for the expense of the trip.
“I said ‘for starters’, I have a customs firm—or third-party logistics is the appropriate term.” I bit off a piece of turkey bacon, then brought the remainder of the stick to her mouth. “You got hung up on that topic, and I didn’t get the opportunity to continue.”
“What do you mean?” she asked before taking a bite herself.
“I have several businesses.”
“Well, what else do you do?” One of her brows was higher than the other.
Bilan didn’t trust me, which was another reason I resolved to go slow with her.
“I own a dispensary—two, actually. Open.” I fed her home fries.
“As in marijuana?” she asked around her food.
Of course, that would be the first thing to come to mind for her.
“That would be the product.”
“Is that a part of your father’s business?”
I swallowed the eggs in my mouth before answering, “The marijuana dispensary industry is heavily regulated by the government. My father is a felon and wouldn’t qualify for the license to grow it.”
“How long have you been in the business?”
“About ten years.” I raised a piece of crepe to her mouth. “These are delicious.”
After seconds of her chewing, she asked, “That long?”
“It was a promising trade. I saw that coming. Got started with the one in Colorado—”
“You have a dispensary in Colorado?”
I nodded, going for a glass of orange juice. “Then bought the second in California a few years ago. That one just started earning consistently.”
“Wow,” she breathed as I handed her the glass.
I cut into the pancakes, hoping they’d be better than the French Toast. “Yup. That is what I do, too,” my tone wry.
“And, what else?”
“Investments.”
“In what?”
“Several things; primarily technology, though. I have a company that invests at the seed stage for things like app developers and receives a portion of the profits when it’s sold.”
“You’re a venture capitalist,” she trilled, understanding.
I nodded. “Mmmm…” I plucked a piece of pancake and offered it to her. “These are incredible.”
I watched for her reaction while she chewed. Bilan gave nothing away as she held the sheet to her chest, the curve of her left breast unknowingly exposed. I needed to get out of
these beddings with her or I’d lose my damn mind.
“I like the French Toast better. Better than everything. Can I have more of that?”
“You can have whatever you want.” I cut into that plate, then poured more syrup. “Let’s finish this so we can get out and explore the area. That okay with you?”
Bilan nodded, attention fully on the egg-battered bread. That obvious slight thrilled me.
Sexual frustration had hit an all new plateau for me, one I had never experienced before. We went skinny dipping, slept naked over the ocean, showered in view of each other, and he’d hand-fed me breakfast and hadn’t tried having sex with me. For all things holy, I’d seen the birthmark on his upper thigh, though I pretended not to when he stalked out of the shower before we left the bungalow earlier. All of that, and he hadn’t attempted sex. It didn’t make sense for the guy who took me for drive-thru STD testing on our first official date.
“Ready?” His silky alto rang next to me.
I’d been staring blindly out the window as we rode in a jeep to a pier. Sadik mentioned wanting to boat today.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat and followed him out of the truck.
Rory was with us, looking all of a male pre-teen in her short-sleeved Hawaiian button-up and distressed jean shorts, cut at the knees. She didn’t greet me when we left the resort, and for the first time, it wasn’t a big deal. That was likely because of my preoccupation with her boss—even now as we trekked out of the pebbled parking lot.
We stopped at a walkway leading to docked motor boats. Sadik turned to Rory.
As she lit a cigarette, she mumbled, “I prolly won’t be here when y’all done. I’mma go look for something to get into around here.”
“Alright. Take these.” Sadik handed her his phones. “Drop them off at the bungalow if you get back before I do.”
Pulling in a draw so deep, it narrowed her fishbowl eyes as she held it in, Rory nodded as she took off. Sadik took me at the hand and continued the path onto the dock.
“This is us, I think.” He slowed at a boat.
Seconds later, a tall, caramel man with curly salt and pepper hair and a checkered smile waved from the side of the boat. Sadik led the way until we met the man, who jumped onto the dock.
“Mr. Ellis?” His accent faint.
“Yes.” Sadik gestured to me. “And this is my Bilan.”
My Bilan?
“I’m Sammie.” The man gave a neck bow. “Welcome aboard the Outter.” He swung his arm and Sadik climbed onto the boat, then assisted me. “For what you have in mind, she’ll be perfect. Get comfortable and we’ll get you out to the peninsula for some adventure, huhn?”
The boat wasn’t too big, but it was nice and clean. Sadik and I sat on one of the white leather benches. Before we took off, a woman was carrying a tray of drinks to a nearby table. Sadik had a beer, and I opted for a white wine. My eyes barely left the trail of disrupted water from our powerful speed. This was heaven.
“You good?” he asked into my neck.
My eyes automatically hit the woman now laying out towels across from us. Heat creeping up my toes, I nodded while clenching the stem of the wine glass.
“I never asked how you slept last night.”
A smile crested upon my face. “Like a baby. And you?”
“The worst part was waking up to a warm, naked body and a painful erection.”
I shuddered, eyes closing and all. Sadik felt it and snickered.
“You’re weird,” I hissed.
“Nah. Just crazy about Bilan.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to fight the grin inching on my face. The mild shouting from Sammie on the upper level of the boat caught our attention, causing Sadik to let up off my shoulder. The woman pointed out to the water.
“Dolphin!” she relayed.
Sadik pointed for me, and I followed his line of vision to several dolphins leaping into the air, performing impressive somersaults.
“Wow…” I breathed.
This was amazing, nothing I’d ever seen. I was awestruck. Sadik’s pulling me into him by gripping my thigh told me of the bubble I’d found myself in. I turned to him and found those honeyed eyes of understanding and…peace on me. I couldn’t resist caressing the side of his face with my hand. He leaned into my touch.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
For the next few minutes, while we jetted off to our destination, I was able to admire the picturesque sights of the Pacific Coast. Then the boat came to a stop. Sadik stood and accepted gear from the woman assisting Sammie.
“What’s that for?” I asked.
“Do you want to scuba dive?” Sadik’s eyes gleamed with an energy I couldn’t name.
The idea made me nervous. “Can I watch?”
“Sure.” He began to put on a mask and was assisted with a backpack with a tank attached. So much equipment for leisure? I didn’t like the way he stepped to the lip of the boat before jumping off. That was when I jumped to my feet and went to the ledge myself to see where he’d gone. The water was a lucent greenish blue, but eventually I saw no sign of him.
“Would you like to go with him?” Sammie was at my side.
With a tight smile and animated eyes, I chirped. “No. I’ll just watch.”
I turned back to the water to wait. Nothing. I turned back to the bench, where my bag sat with things Sadik packed while I was changing into the bikini he laid out for me to wear out here. I thought to pull out my phone and take pictures. After several of them, I began to grow uneasy.
“How long can he stay down there?” I asked Sammie, who was peeling off the skin of some fruit with a pocket knife and chomping away.
“Hours if the fish don’t get him.” His accent was a little thicker that time, and I accounted for that being the reason I didn’t get the joke.
I went back to the ledge and waited for signs of him. A sign. Any sign.
Nothing.
“Your husband?” Sammie asked.
I shook my head.
“Boyfriend?” the woman asked, tongue thicker than Sammie’s.
I shook my head again as I checked the time on my phone. It had been close to thirty minutes since I’d taken the pictures.
“He called you his.” Huhn? I turned to Sammie. “Mr. Ellis called you his when he introduced you.” He pointed to the woman, who smiled affectionately. “She no like the water when my girlfriend. She need the water…now my wife.” He laughed.
I turned to the woman squirming against the wall of the stairs. She loved him; it was palpable.
“You two married?” I asked, pointing at them both.
“Twenty-two years. Even lived in America for three. She needed the bus then.” He laughed.
I got the joke. It was really funny. But… Sadik was down there too long, and he didn’t have security.
I tossed my finger over my shoulder. “Do you mind?”
The woman ducked her chin and hopped to a chest, where there was gear. Less than five minutes, with a quick 101 of scuba diving in hand and at least fifteen pounds later, I was wobbling toward the ledge, then leaping into salt water.
The sound was different down here, and so was my agility. All I could hear was my breathing and racing heartbeat. The lower I dropped, the darker it became. That reminded me to turn on the flashlight Sammie’s wife had given me.
“Ah!”
I swung my body aimlessly when a school of tiny rainbow fish swished around my head. I kept twisting around for more before seeing they were all gone. That was it: I was over this already. Where was Sadik? I glanced up and could still see the bottom of the boat. Sinking deeper, I saw colorful corals and groups of the tiniest fish. I had no idea they existed in these miniature sizes.
The one thing I didn’t like was feeling so weighted. In water, you can’t move quickly and for self-defense reasons, that concerned me. I tried channeling my mental and physical energy toward finding a russet-skinned, bald head, kaleidoscope-eyed man. Certainly, I’d be able to find him
amongst sea creatures.
I glanced up again to be sure I hadn’t floated away from the boat above. Then I swam toward a shaded object. It turned out to be old wreckage: a piece of a car it seemed.
That’s it. I’m going back…
This was beyond my world experience. I know I said I wanted to explore the ocean, but this was outside of my dreams. I had no business being down here. Maybe Sadik had returned to the boat since I’d left. The moment I turned to find the boat, I felt a gentle swipe of my ass. I tried jerking around and collided with a body. A human body. My flashlight revealed the top of Sadik’s head and my heart dropped.
I was relieved and startled at the same time. I wanted to scream at him, but remembered I couldn’t speak. He extended his hand to me and I took it, believing he would help me up to the boat and we’d be done with this excursion. But as I glided behind him, I saw new sea figures. There were fish of larger sizes and varying colors. More exotically hued coral reefs. I was legit spooked when I saw a humongous stingray. It was monstrous, even at a distance!
I learned Sadik had a camera when he motioned for me to stay and the camera aimed at me flashed. We did that a few times, swimming to different places close to the floor of the sea. We came upon a wrecked bus. I couldn’t tell the model of it, but we were able to swim inside, where there were fixtures resembling seats. The steering wheel was even still intact. Sadik had me sit on top of it or pretend to by clamping my hands into the frame of a couple of windows as he snapped away.
We were off again and, after a while, I realized our time down under had come to an end. Just before our final ascension, Sadik held me with an arm wrapped around my lower back, underneath the tank. He pointed ahead and after I swiped away a tiny worm-like creature, I saw it growing in size.
A shark!
