by Love Belvin
“Why?” His chin pushed into his chest as a posture of patience.
Sadik wanted me to explain.
“For one, because it’s a beach house. Second, it’s a beautiful home and very intimate…but that could be because I’m coming from the monstrous Elliswoods Palace. That place is colossal!” I giggled helplessly.
“What’s so funny?”
“Monstrous. That’s how I describe your…dick.” I lost my lungs, laughing so hard.
Sadik glanced down at himself. “Monstrous.” His forehead was stretched and lips lifted as he nodded. “New one, but I’ll take it.” He stood from the bed and strolled over to the open door of the patio. Sadik stretched his arms over his head, gripping the frame. I sat up on my elbows, peering at the artwork ahead. The sight of his muscular glutes and cut back made my heart skip a beat. After meeting his family and experiencing their shared traits, there was no way I believed any Ellis was as perfect as Sadik. “Bilan,” he called, gaze still ahead.
My body tensed. “Yeah?”
“Get dressed. We have shopping to do.”
∞22∞
I gazed out the window at the locals strolling down the street outside of the restaurant we found in town. The place was nice, low key, and slow-paced. So unlike Paterson or Woodland Park, for that matter. The people seemed nice here, everyone greeting with a smile and nod. Many of the shops catered to beach and water activities. And that was another discovery this morning: on the side of the house was an in-ground pool. It wasn’t half as large or as lavish as the one I’d swam at Elliswoods, but perfect, in my opinion. Elliswoods Palace was large and opulent, but overwhelming to an outsider.
A chirp from a device had me facing ahead. On the other side of the oversized plate of a demolished cobb salad with turkey bacon was a preoccupied Sadik, engaged in one of his phones and an iPad, typing away. He was adorable in a fitted Connecticut Kings baseball cap, plain white tee, army fatigue cargo shorts, ankle socks, and sneakers. Unaccustomed to seeing him so casual, he looked delectable. He’d been between work and selection since we left the house this morning. We drove a couple of towns over for furniture stores and, between two, were able to pick out pieces to match the bed he’d wildly purchased, and a kitchen set. We purchased pots and pans, toiletries, and linens, too.
Today had been an entirely different experience from just twenty-four hours ago. I still couldn’t believe the devastation experienced between two families. And Sadik… I understood my brother and I had a tumultuous relationship unshared by most siblings, but the lengths he went through to keep Iban’s secret safe betrayed a lot of people. The look on Earl and Irene’s faces as they tried to figure out what was going on was striking. The tearful expressions by Lia and Monica would haunt me for some time.
“I want to call Monica. We exchanged numbers when she gave me a tour around the compound.”
He glanced up, brows bunched from his task as he considered it for a second. “I think you should. Monica’s a gem. I hate she’s going through this.”
I agreed, eyes popping out of my head. “And she’s pregnant. They both are! It’s disgusting, Sadik.” I smacked my tongue of the bitterness of it all. “Is infidelity a morally accepted flaw in your family?”
It was a rude question, but an unavoidable one. Cheating started at the apex of their family tree, it seemed.
Sadik finally laid down his devices. His feline eyes on me. “Loyalty is taught in my family. Unity and the importance of, not just being family, but communing. You see how we’re together several times a week. Iban and I don’t usually stay over like that, but we make sure not much time passes in between. Taaliba’s been traveling, but with a little push from me, she comes home regularly, too. My father was sure to build a complex large enough for his family to reside in, and not get restless. He just bought property in Antigua. An island for his family to have land and pride.
“We may not be perfect, but we’re accountable to each other. We move with a purpose, and we love the hell out of each other.”
I scoffed. “You sure do to keep that secret,” my tone bitter. I’d grown comfortable around Sadik, I could tell in that moment. Speaking against his family was clearly rude. But so was the way they treated me… “You going to forgive Iban? It didn’t sound like it last night.”
“Of course, I am.” His mouth tight, jaw flexing as he peered outside. “He’s my brother. His fuck ups are mine. I just need to manage him. Give him some space for a bit.”
“How long?”
Sadik shrugged. “But guess who don’t get space when I’m upset?” Those felines darkened upon me, eliciting a shiver down my spine.
“Good,” I tried, playing unaffected. “Good, because you sure didn’t give me the space I requested last night.”
“No more alone space for you, Nalib,” his tone and expression deathly serious as he planted his elbows on the table. “From now on, your space is my space, and mine is yours.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t work that way, Sadik. I need to be sure you’re faithful to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He sounded offended.
“Because you have no reason to be.”
“Try, because I have no needs beyond you, and I expect you to be the same in return.”
Again, I shook my head. “It’s not that simple,” I murmured, shifting my gaze out the window. “Look at you. You’re a good looking man with exotic features and amount of money. How am I supposed to maintain that if you’ve not been groomed for fidelity?”
And that Tiffany woman! Ugh!
He leaned into the small table, engaging me. “Look at me. I want one thick—but ironically, underfed—freckled Somali. I want to give her the world, spoil her, impregnate her—”
I swung my body from under the table to stand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
No way was I going to talk about children. I had way too much growing up to do. These past two months with Sadik magnified that.
In my wake, I could hear Sadik chuckling.
“It’s unearthly gorgeous out here,” she whispered with conviction, eyes low from glasses of wine as her attention was on the ocean under the dark sky. “How did you find this place?”
We were back at the house after a long day of shopping, sightseeing, and arranging the few things we’d bought for the house. Rory dropped us off and went about her way to claim the small beach town. We ordered in from a seafood restaurant that made a baked salmon Bilan didn’t need my assistance eating.
I replaced the two inside piles of cards as we played “Speed.”
“Yeah. It’s beautiful.” I gazed out to the water, too, as we sat on the back deck of the house with Vesta Williams’ “Sweet, Sweet Love” playing from inside. “What do you think about when you’re staring out there?”
“Peace. Mental quieting. Safety.” She turned to me, a wry smirk pulling at the side of her mouth. We continued to play. “I appreciate you with the beach theme.”
“You’re very welcome. I see it makes you happy. That makes me happy.”
Her head shot up, lips poked. “You say that, but…”
“But what?”
Bilan sat up in her chair, almost like fortifying herself. I reached for my beer.
“What are your dreams?”
My eyes shot open while my mouth was full with brew. I swallowed too hard and fast. “Dreams?”
“Yeah. Like when you were younger, what did you want to do with your life by now?”
I struggled with a cheap grin on my face as I considered telling her. “A politician.”
This time, her eyes blossomed. “Really? What do you know about policy?”
“Public policy?” I chuckled. “My crazy ass began studying it my first year at Blakewood.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Earl Ellis wasn’t having that shit.”
“Why?”
I shot her the side eye. “With my father’s history in crime, there was no way he could sponsor an education that
I would struggle with making good on. No one would take me seriously.”
“How do you know?”
“I have businesses in three different industries. All of my twenties was spent discovering the government secretly monitoring all branches of my enterprises. I had nothing to hide, but had to protect my integrity, too.” Those years were miserable between discovering what was behind the excessive audits and undercover employees and applicants, and having to endure my father’s ‘told you so’s’. “But I was determined, and it taught me how to move differently. Made me smarter, and ultimately…” I shrugged. “Had me earn my father’s respect.”
“That’s amazing. Sounds stressful, though.”
“It was—on both ends, but I quickly realized if I was going to be my own man, I had to give up on the fruitless dream and began hustling in the opposite direction: business in the private sector.”
“Mmmmmm…” she hummed mellifluently—or maybe because in my eyes, Bilan was a perfect princess ready to be crowned, stained, and spoiled as my queen. “Do you know any politicians? I’m finding it hard seeing that as a goal for you.”
“A good friend of mine—fellow BU alum, in fact—is running for mayor of Paterson. It’s been such a dirtied, scandal-ridden seat historically. But I know he can do it. He’s young, has a reserved reputation, is married with a young baby, is community-committed because he still lives and owns in Paterson, has fresh ideas, is an eternal optimist, and is a humanity enthusiast. He’s the guy, and I’ve pledged my support.” I nodded with poked lips, convinced. “He’s holding a phenomenal hand in life.”
“You admire him. How dope!” She clinked her glass with my beer bottle. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“Yeah. Can you believe he envied my life back in school? He would say he’d never visit home in those four years if my father didn’t own a jet.” I snickered, recalling those wilds days with strippers awaiting us on the plane to party, courtesy of Double E. “I had to threaten my father to ignore his begging for a job as a shortcut to earning good money before he graduated. My father obeyed, and Julius Richards finished. Not sure he’s making as much as he’d like as the head of Office of Emergency Management for the city, but I’m sure he’s fulfilled.”
“And you’re not?” she asked, aghast. “Look at you!” She scoffed. “You’re beyond good-looking, independently successful, and wealthy. I mean…” Her hands went into the air to gesture the property. I was stuck on her mention of my looks again, as though it held any significance. “You rent a beach house just to impress a no-named girl from Woodland Park.” I laughed at that. “To be honest, I think being a mogul is a good look for you. Do you honestly believe you could be a starving politician?”
“I wanted to live the life of a public servant. I didn’t need the money. My father has been rich since before I was born. By the way, men and women seated in offices like that aren’t all poor.” I shrugged. “I just wanted to assist…advocate, make a difference by touching the lives of the underserved.” She dropped the cards in her hands, signifying her main interest had shifted to me. “That’s why finding a woman to inspire me beyond sex, and maybe surface conversation over dinner has always been a challenge.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m an honest man—another interpreted meaning of my name—just like I did with you, I don’t hide my father’s reputation. Most times, women knew before meeting me, and it was the lifestyle they subscribed to.”
“But you’re not your father.”
“Huhn?” I turned to her. That’s when it hit me, I’d been gazing out to the water…for a while. “What did you say?”
“You’re not your father. I get it. You’re your own man.”
“Damn right.” I rubbed my head. “And being my own man, and honoring and respecting him aren’t mutually exclusive items. I’m damn proud of my father. He supports me and has facilitated the building of Sadik. It’s just that we’ll have two different legacies.”
Our conversation quieted for a bit. I used the time to consider how having Bilan now changed so much for me. How having to convince my father and brother of that would be a worthwhile challenge.
A deep sigh from across the table had my regard shifting up her. A lock of her short hair at the top danced against the light, end of May breeze. Her chocolate eyes glittered beneath long lashes as she took a sip of her wine while shooting me a contemplative gaze.
“So, now I need to figure out how to support your reality…possibly work on your dreams.”
My forehead wrinkled. “My dreams?” I snorted. “Baby girl, I’m too old to dream. I’ve accepted my fate and am working it.”
“But, are you happy? Remember I asked you that?”
“I do.” I nodded.
“Happiness is a misunderstood, over-exaggerated state for most. But to me, there should be a bit of it between a man and woman when they work together toward a common goal.”
“What would ours be?”
She shrugged, glancing out to the water again. “Changing your outlook on happiness. Making you feel complete and accomplished as a man.” Her voice was low.
“What do you know about that type of partnership?”
I was curious. Those were things only found in a strong partnership like my parents’.
“My mother. She may not have had a happily ever after, but she swore to me there was one. She told me to hold out for a man who’d love me more than I loved him, and to support him with my last strength. The key would be in getting a man who could lead.” Her eyes fell from mine before ascending again. “You’re a leader, Sadik. Now, I have to figure out how to aid a man like you—if you really want me to be your girlfriend.”
“My wife,” I made clear. “You’ll be my wife.” Chuckling, I reached into the paper shopping bag from the grocery store we hit up last before coming back to the house. “Funny that you mentioned that. This is another thing I came across that I felt would be useful to my avid reader.”
She breathed while picking up her wine glass. “I haven’t read regularly for fun in ages, it seems.”
I pulled out the book, holding the cover over the table for her to see.
“Tending to the Man Who Governs the Masses: How to Protect What He Values Most by Twanece Edmondson. Hmmmmm…” Her eyes bounced around the hardcopy. “Never heard of her. Sounds like a mouthful.” She took it from my hands and thumbed through the pages.
I began grabbing all the cards on the table, realizing I’d lost track of whose go it was. It was all good, though. I enjoyed the switch in our attention.
“You know what else is a mouthful?” When I peered up, Bilan placed the book on the table, her eyes molten chocolate now.
“What’s that?” I fanned the deck of cards, watching her leave her seat.
My face tightened with curiosity when she slipped to her knees and crawled over to me. I slid my chair from the table enough to give her space.
“You,” she whispered. I pulled my hands back as she went for the waist of my cargo shorts. Her heated gaze on me while unraveling them. She pulled the tabs apart, allowing the ocean breeze to cool my pubes. She buried her face in the hairs and sniffled. “Hmmmmm…” She pulled back. “You know how much I love the smell of you?”
I adjusted in the chair as her soft hands pulled my swelling dick from my boxers.
“Think I have an idea.” I sucked in a breath when her tongue met the head of my cock.
“Oh, god!” I screamed.
Hands roped behind my back, thanks to the canopy implement of the bed. The side of my face pressed into the mattress, and my legs curled back, heels pushed into the fat of my butt. Cheeks spread wide with his face buried deep, vicious tongue reaching my achy clit had my eyes rolling back.
I was coming again!
“Deeeeeeeek!” I yelped powerfully with chattered teeth.
My body yanked fitfully with little range of motion as I bounced back onto his face. Sadik was nasty, and I’d grown addicted to it. Never in my life
would I have thought I’d enjoyed being bound, let alone getting aroused as a man tied me up.
And here was my favorite part: when his face withdrew, Sadik’s knees gathered behind me, his palms with a mean grip on my hips as he breached me hard from behind. No warning, no patience. Just an abrupt thrust that had my lungs vibrating and my sex quivering from the pain and pleasure combination, thanks to my fading orgasm. He pounded and plummeted, thrust and bounced on my hiked ass, grunting every blow. His strokes were vicious and possessive, just like the man himself. And here he was, introducing a new facet to my lover: the brutal one.
With one rough thrust after another, I found my groin churning again. My pussy soaked him in helplessly, greedily, and without choice in the matter.
“Come again, Bilan!” He growled. “Come for me again, now!”
I arched my back in a way I didn’t know possible to give in to the promise of the rub he ensued deep inside. Within seconds, a third orgasm rolled over me. I couldn’t scream through this one. No, it was so commanding, tears pricked my eyes as I held on against the tsunami of ecstasy tumbling over me.
Sadik produced a wail making my heart swell and mind blow from its vulnerability. He pounded until the waves slowed, then circled and drilled until his hips suspended and pelvis pushed into me.
When I was able to open my eyes, the bright sun was an irritant before it became a friend. Beach mornings were perfect, and especially with Sadik. I wanted to say so, but something felt awkward. He pulled out of me gently, but too fast for my recent preference. He made quick work of untying my arms and wrists, and even rubbed the circulation back into my shoulders before leaving the bed for the bathroom.
The sound of the shower told me he’d be in there for a while, so I rolled over and stretched my arms and legs. It made me try to recall the last time I’d been to the gym. Since being consumed by the phenomenon that was Sadik, I hadn’t had time for much, including work. My life had become unrecognizable. No school, little work, and no gym. I’d hardly been home. Made me wonder if having a dog was worth the trouble. I’d been paying a neighbor, who so happened to be a dog sitter for a website placing them when owners needed a temporary guardian. I couldn’t afford to keep paying for a service if I wasn’t working.
