Marked

by Charisse Spiers

  She reaches over and shuffles through some of the items, mostly photos at different stages of my life up to age seven. "Here. This is where he went and got the paperwork to try and have your last name changed to ours, but she refused to cooperate. She wouldn't even have the birth certificate amended to list him as your biological father. She would act like she was cooperating so he wouldn’t try to fight it in court, but then never follow through. She kept baiting him for more money and told him that if he gave it to her that she would start letting him see you, but each time he increased child support she came up with a different excuse, like meeting him would confuse you, she wasn't sure you were his, a child needs his parents together or not a all, the list goes on. We all knew you were his. You looked just like him. Even I could see that regardless of how much it hurt."

  "Why are you telling me all of this? Why didn't he just tell me it was my mother instead of blaming it on himself and on you? Don't you realize how long I've hated you?"

  She stands and grabs her purse, placing it on her shoulder as she looks at me. "Because, Kaston, it wasn't my place to tell you. That was your father's call to make, but he's gone, and unless your feelings about me change I doubt I'll be seeing you around. I just thought you shouldn't go through life thinking he didn't try in the beginning even though he made everything right in the end. After your sister died he realized it was better to fight and lose than to stand by and do nothing at all. If you want to know why your mother hasn't attempted to contact you, it's because your father has still been giving her money to leave you alone. He's been supporting her all of these years because he never wanted her to stir up trouble for you. He wanted you to have as normal of a childhood as possible. He was willing to do anything to make sure that happened. We will both miss him, but you don't have to live the life he did, Kaston. You don't want this life. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."

  She lowers her tone so that no one can here her. "The world will always have bad and good people. You can't change that. No matter how many bad people you remove, there will always be someone to replace them. Nothing you do will bring either of them back. I accepted that painful truth when I realized I lost two people instead of one. Life it short, Kaston. Make the best of it. The choice is yours, of course. Goodbye, Kaston."

  She turns to walk away, but I grab her hand to stop her. "What was she like? He never talked about her."

  "That's because he felt like he owed you the world to make up for what he missed. You were his primary focus after she died and he was scared you would resent him for choosing, but to answer your question...she was strong, outgoing, funny, and stubborn, but easy to love. I see a lot of her in you. She was a good kid. The two of you would have really loved each other had you been given the chance. Maybe you should pay her grave a visit one day and introduce yourself. I'm sure she's been waiting."

  She reaches into her purse and tosses a few folded up bills on the bar. "I'm sorry things worked out the way they did. I really am."

  "Thanks, Marilyn. I appreciate you coming here for this. If you ever need anything let me know. You know how to find me."

  She turns and takes a step but stops. "I do have one request."

  "What is it?"

  "Will you bring him home and bury him where he belongs...beside Emily? He doesn't belong there. He belongs here. He's been gone long enough. It's time."

  "You have my word. The second I can get him here he will be."

  She nods, still facing away from me, her voice cracking as if she's trying not to cry. She puts one foot in front of another and starts to walk, leaving me in this hotel bar, my mind fucking blown. I'll be damned. The wicked witch wasn't wicked at all.

  I pick up my glass and drain it, leaving nothing but the ice. As I set it back down I pull my phone from my pocket and scroll through my contacts for the person of interest. He picks up on the first ring. "Yeah, bro, what you got for me?"

  "You ready for your first job?"

  "Hit me with it. I'm itching to start, man."

  "Anna Cox. Hometown: Newark, New Jersey. Fifty-two years of age. Dark hair and brown eyes. High school graduate. College drop-out. Gave birth to one child in New York at the age of twenty-four...a boy. Find her and get back to me with the details."

  "You got it, boss. Standby."

  I disconnect the call. Maybe it's time to pay mommy dearest a visit...

  "You want another glass," I ask as I stand from the couch with my now empty wine glass."

  She takes the last sip and hands me the glass. "Sure, I'll turn on some music. Thanks for hanging out with me. If I would’ve had to work on my birthday I would have been mad enough to kick a kitten. This is coming from the animal lover. I swear if I get that job and it pays the rent I'm quitting. Everyone thinks that bartending is a job with perks until you see that you're working when everyone else is out for a night of play. No one wants to do shit on weeknights."

  "Yeah, well, if it makes you feel any better I requested off like three months ago. There was actually a really big party tonight. I think an engagement party of some big shot bachelor. Imagine that. The tips and man-candy would have probably been enough to make me cry thinking about, but nothing gets in the way of my only friend's birthday."

  "Don't you think it's kind of weird that we don't really click with normal girls? What happens when you find a new guy that lives around here and he whisks you away and marries you? Shit, that's going to be one boring life."

  She giggles, clearly buzzed after our drinks at the bar and the two glasses we've both consumed already while catching up on much needed girl talk. Sometimes we go weeks where our schedules don't line up.

  I place the cork back in the bottle after pouring us both half a glass, feeling pretty tipsy myself. My entire face crinkles in disgust. "Okay, that's never going to happen. Marriage is not in my vocabulary and babies are like a disease to me. I stay far away from them. I didn't sterilize myself to back out later. Mistakes are not an option. K. Thanks."

  I take another sip of my freshly poured wine and dim the lights to a low amber glow. One thing the two of us have in common is that the view of our apartments was the selling feature. We live in different buildings because of that one fact. The lights of the city become more visible through the one wall of windows at the other end of the living space, without all of the interior light.

  Delta starts dancing to the music playing on her iHome dock, raising her arms above her head while swaying to the music. The colors of her tattoos are motioning like a flag in the wind. "Come dance with me."

  I pick up her glass in my empty hand and walk out of the kitchen area into the open living space, my bare feet cooling a few degrees with each step across the tile floor. Setting her glass down on the mantle of the fireplace I drain the remainder of wine in my glass before setting it down to accompany hers.

  Playfully skipping in her direction, I wrap her in my arms as HIM starts playing, slowing down the melody from the hip-hop tune that was previously playing on shuffle. "You know you'll be my best friend till the end right?"

  She lays her head against my shoulder as we sway to the music. "Yeah, but we're getting older, Lux. I don't want this phase of our lives to end. Some people want to grow up, but not me."

  "Me either, boo, me either, but I promise nothing will ever change between us. Those scared little girls from elementary school still live deep inside. We're still those socially awkward girls from middle school that snuck off in the middle of the night with our moms’ liquor stash to hang out in Black's field because it was far better than being at home. We'll never change from the hell-raising teenagers in high school that didn't give a shit about anyone else...and we're still the two grown adults that need nothing more than each other and an occasional good time. Love was never on our side. It's always been the two of us against the world, Delta, so your needs will always come before anyone else's. You're my family. If a man can't accept that then fuck him."

  "I love you, Lux. Every birthday with a good memory has
you in it."

  I rub my hand up the length of her neck and stop on her cheek, followed by the other one, and I look into her eyes. "I love you too, Delta."

  Leaning in, I press my lips to hers with a different meaning for the first time in years. As if a kiss has memory to a person we fall into a rhythm, re-familiarizing our lips with each other. Our tongues collide and mingle as her hands move from my hips to my lower back, steadily falling to my ass where they stop, pulling me closer to her.

  I grab the bottom of her shirt and pull it up her body, removing it completely and tossing it on the floor. She smiles. It's no secret that we're both turned on. We have a history with each other that runs deep. It's nothing more than sharing a love with someone you care about, wanting to meet a need when they have one. We can do this and tomorrow wake up as if it never happened. We've done it before.

  Taking hold of the front of her shorts, I pop the button through the slit and lower the zipper, before peeling them over her ass and letting them fall to her bare feet. Lowering to match the height of her waist, I kiss each hip tattoo as I clench the band of her panties in each hand, lowering them down her legs, and trailing kisses down her thigh until they are in a heap at her feet. I run my fingers over her mound and look up at her. "You're freshly shaven. I thought you haven't been hooking up with anyone."

  "I haven't, but I shave once a week, always on the weekend just in case. I can't let it go very long or it annoys me. You know that."

  Her skin is smooth. I glide my fingertips up the sides of her body until I get to her bra. I unclasp it and pull it over her shoulders, letting gravity do the rest. Her nipples are hard. She grabs the bottom of my dress and removes it, following the same steps as I did with her. I have a very dominant personality for a girl. Delta is a firecracker and doesn’t take shit off anyone, but she's more of a follower than a leader, a lover than a fighter. It's why we've never gotten in a fight. We balance each other.

  I cup her firm breast in my hand, rubbing my thumb over the hardened center. "Do you like to be touched here?"

  Her breathing picks up. "Yes."

  "Do you prefer my mouth or my hand?"

  "Your mouth."

  I lean down and enclose my mouth over the pink center, flicking my tongue up and down, wetting it. She moans out and grabs ahold of mine in return, squeezing it. It feels good, making me suck. "Oh, fuck."

  Releasing it from suction, I trail my tongue up her body to kiss her. This will be so much easier in a lateral position. I release her lips. "Is your B.O.B charged?"

  She bites her bottom lip. "Always. Want to go to the bedroom?"

  "Yes."

  She grabs my hand and pulls me through the apartment, both of us completely nude. The scenery changes from the natural cityscape and modern feel of the apartment to her dark bedroom in colors of charcoal and dark pink, accented with girly skulls. Once inside the door I shut it, locking it out of habit. She places her hands on each of my hips and pulls me toward her until our hard nipples are brushing against each other, returning her lips to mine. The heat and neediness in her kiss amplifies. I walk her backward until her body is pressed against the side of the bed. We both need more.

  I cup my hand over the smooth center between her legs, checking to see if she's wet. She is. Extremely. "Sit. Where is BOB?"

  "In my closet along with my new one. Bring them both."

  I walk in her closet to retrieve them both, one pink and one purple, before setting them on the bed beside her. Placing my hand on her shoulder, I slightly push her backward until she lies on her back, her ass still at the edge of the bed with her feet hanging over. She wraps her leg around my waist, pulling me toward her. I grab her ankle and trace my hand up the length of her leg, stopping at the back of her knee, before mirroring it with the other hand. I spread them. "Feet on the bed."

  She does as I instruct, presenting me with her pussy. Being a woman gives you certain advantages over a man in pleasing a woman. She's swollen and dripping wet. It’s visible. Pressing my right, middle, manicured finger over the center of her opening, I run it up her center in a straight line, wetting her clit as I massage in a circle. Her hips buck off the bed. "Do you want me to make you come both ways, Delta? Do you want to be able to look at Kross tomorrow without coming unglued? I need you focused. I need you to be strong in order to set you apart from every other girl."

  I pick up speed. She clenches the sheets as she moans out in breathy spurts. "Yes."

  "You can't do that when you're sexually deprived. It makes you fucking needy. You should have come to me earlier. If no one else can do it for you...I will."

  I shove two fingers from my left hand inside her pussy, hooking upward as hard as possible until I can feel her G-spot, never letting up on her clit. "Shit, Lux. That feels so good."

  I start to finger fuck her in shallow thrusts, staying close to her G-spot. "You have to teach a man what you like, Delta. They aren't fucking mind readers. They don’t have the same parts as us. Voice your wants, your needs. It's the only way to be thoroughly fucked and satisfied. There is no reason to miss out on great sex because you aren't getting what you need."

  I can feel her starting to clench around my fingers. I remove them, all of them. She groans. "Why did you stop? I was so close. Fuck. I haven't had that feeling in so long."

  "Because when I'm done with you, you'll be in such a mind fuck, but you'll at least know your body. I know you want Kross whether you admit it or not. You don't land a man like that by being fucking weak. Guys don't want what they can have with ease. They want what they have to work for. They want the one that's different from the rest."

  I place my knee on the bed. She scoots toward the head of the bed with me following behind, her legs still spread. I lean down and kiss her, sucking her tongue into my mouth as it brushes along my lips. She pushes up with her feet and starts rubbing herself against my pelvis, leaving a trail of wetness behind.

  I lower myself, sucking her nipple into my mouth and rolling it between my teeth, exerting the slightest amount of pressure. "Please, Lux."

  I increase suction until she moans out loudly. "Tell me what you want, Delta. If I were Kross what would you want me to do to you?"

  Her breathing is erratic. "Put your mouth on me."

  "Where?"

  "You know where."

  "Say it."

  "Further down."

  I bite her stomach. "Here?"

  "No."

  "Where? Fucking say it, Delta. Own up to what you want and demand it."

  She groans in agitation. I knew she was a little more modest when it came to sex than me, even though she doesn't look it, but I never knew she was this much worse. I'm probably extreme in the opposite direction. I just don't give a shit. A man will please me or I'll move on to the next one.

  "I want your mouth on my clit while you fuck me with the dildo. There, I said it. Fuck, I don't know how a guy handles you."

  I stand on my knees, now towering over her. A smile spreads across my face as her cheeks become flushed with a red hue. I rub my index finger down the center line of her torso until I reach her pussy again, thrusting inside. "The rougher the better. I'm a fighter," I say as I wink. I reach behind me with the opposite hand and grab the dildo. "Put that pillow under your ass."

  She follows instructions. I lean down and kiss the inside of her thigh. "Wait."

  "What?"

  "Give me the other one and turn around. You're having all the fun."

  And she's back...

  This is why we are best friends: selfless, fair, and gives as much as she receives. I reach back and grab it, then look back at her. I spread her lips and extend my tongue, pressing it flat against her clit, before running it up the length of her body, stopping at her mouth. I kiss her, mumbling against her lips. "Don't stop until we both come...hard. Got it?"

  "Fuck yes. Let's do it."

  She grabs one dildo out of my hand and places it beside her for quick grab.

  I straddle my legs
to each side of her and turn around. She places her hands on the front of my thighs, inching me backward until I'm where she wants me. I rub my middle finger over her clit in circles to get her to spread wider. She gets the hint. I spread her lips open with my index and middle finger, giving my tongue better access.

  She moves her hand to the back of my thigh and rubs upward toward my ass. Her hand disappears and then connects again in a slap, stinging my skin. She didn't hold back. "Fuck yeah. Again."

  She repeats, but harder this time, then rubs her finger back and forth over my clit. I'm so wet right now. She inserts two fingers into my pussy as I start flicking my tongue over her clit, making me want to continue faster from the feel of her fingering me. She bites my leg beside my pussy as she fingers me, sending my hormones over the edge.

  "Shit."

  I suck her clit into my mouth so hard she screams out. Before I can react her fingers disappear and she rams the dildo into my pussy, filling me. A throaty moan sounds in my throat but I don't stop. She pulls out and does it again, making me arch my back, then the tip of her tongue touches my clit.

  Damn. It's hard to concentrate.

  Holding my weight on my forearms I free my other hand. Aligning the tip of the dildo at her entrance I push in slowly, the opposite of her. Her rhythm falters for a moment until I'm inside her fully. As if we had the same thoughts both vibrations begin at the same time. My legs tense.

  She pulls out and pushes up at an angle as she shoves it back inside, hard, pushing me forward a little, but continuing to flick the point of her tongue back and forth over my clit. Each time I thrust the dildo inside her she matches me harder in the pussy and faster on the clit. It feels so good I can barely breathe. She's telling me what she wants. She wants me to mirror her...so I do.

  She instantly bucks her hips upward, just as I release her clit from my mouth and narrow my tongue into a point and match her rhythm.