by Vera Roberts
“I know enough to know you won’t last very long in this family,” Christine retorted.
“Would it be better if I was White?” Caprina asked.
“I used to be a social worker,” Christine stared up at the starry night, “it was my lifelong dream to help others. Social workers don’t get paid a damn. But it’s not about the money. It’s about the love. Helping others who are less fortunate, who have gone through trauma, who just need another shoulder to cry on, you know?
“Month after month in the welfare office I worked in, I would see these women…with their hair done to the nines, their manicures, their fake Louis Vuitton bags picking up their monthly checks. And every month it’s the exact same story: baby daddy number one is locked up. Baby daddy number two is on house arrest. And there would be more baby daddies where that came from. So what do these women do? Do they go to college? Do they try to get out of the ghetto? Do they try to get off assistance? No. They don’t and they refuse. If Uncle Sam is paying for everything, why should they work? And guess what? They’re all Black.
“Do I hate Black women? No. But I can’t tell the difference between Shaniqua and her three baby daddies down the street and you. You’re all one and same to me.” Christine finally looked at Caprina. “So there. You wanted an answer, you got one.”
Christine’s hateful words reminded Caprina of how alive and well racism was still in the world. It was one thing if certain designers didn’t want her to model their clothing because she was Black; no big deal she could always work with another designer.
It was an entirely different ball game if a member of her boyfriend’s family hated her because she was Black. If Caprina needed a reason not to get too serious with Scott, Christine gave her plenty. “You’re a hateful bitch.”
“I’m a correct bitch,” Christine replied.
“If we get married and have children, I’ll make sure not to keep them around you.”
“If you get married and have children, I’ll try my best not to be near the mulattos.”
****
Scott was in the kitchen helping his mother clean up when he brought up Caprina. “So….” He smiled with anticipation. “What do you think?”
“Think about what, honey?” Deborah replied.
“Caprina.” Scott genuinely smiled. “What do you think about her?”
“She’s nice,” Deborah grinned. “She’s very nice.”
Scott placed a cup inside a cupboard and turned to face his mother. He could tell by the tone of her voice, she was trying extra hard to be respectful. “What is it, Mother?”
Where do I start? “I don’t like her,” Deborah commented. “I don’t like her at all.”
“Mother, you have never liked any of my past girlfriends.”
“And that’s because they were whores!” She blurted out, more harshly than she intended.
“Mother…”
Deborah stopped cleaning the dinnerware and took a deep breath. She steadied herself on the counter and said a silent prayer to God. “Pumpkin, there’s something about that woman that isn’t right with my soul.” She shook her head. “It just isn’t right with my soul.”
“What is it, Mother?” Scott asked.
Deborah looked into her son’s eyes. Scott had always been a cheerful person, smiling and willing to help out others even if the time would interrupt his schedule. He was also a doormat and Caprina took full advantage of it. His lips were smiling but his eyes were lost. Despite the impressive acting job he was doing, Deborah could tell Scott wasn’t as happy as he claimed. “She’s changed you.”
“For the better,” Scott added.
“Child, who are you fooling?” Deborah challenged.
Scott chose not to argue with his mother. He wouldn’t win no matter how right he was.“I’m going to marry her,” he replied.
“Okay.” Deborah didn’t react one way or another to the news. Scott might as well have asked her about the weather.
“You can at least pretend to be happy for me, you know?” Scott begged.
“How can I be happy for you when I know you’re making the biggest mistake of your life? Pumpkin, listen to me,” Deborah held her son close, “there is something about that woman that’s sinister, you hear me? If you want to marry her, fine. Just tell me when and where and I’ll put on my best pearls. But I want you to really think about marrying her. You’re making a very big mistake, Scott.”
Chapter Seven
Caprina walked to the guest bedroom where her and Scott were staying and checked her phone. She received a text message from one of the Dommes she networked with. We cordially extend an invitation to your slave for next month’s tea time. We hope you both can come.
Caprina loved participating in their little tea time shindig they had every month. All of the Dommes were nice and friendly to her. Except that one…that one bitch Caprina couldn’t stand. She ran the show and everyone knew it. It was only because Caprina hadn’t taken over yet. I will soon, though.
Caprina had never referred to Scott as her slave but the term did make her tingle. He did everything for her from hand washing her panties every night to cleaning his home just the way she liked it. Soon, he was going to get a new car because she wasn’t about to be seen in some substandard Lexus.
Reverse slavery. Caprina liked it. She replied back to the text message. We would love to come. I’ll bring my slave.
****
Later that night, Caprina and Scott were getting ready for bed. Despite her confrontation with Christine, Caprina thoroughly enjoyed herself with his family. They were kind, warm, and felt at ease. There were no cameras, no paparazzi, nothing stalking her behind the bushes. She was at peace for once.
Scott was a nice, Southern gentleman. He opened doors, pulled out chairs, and gave her his jacket when she felt cold. He was probably the best thing that had ever happened to Caprina. She cared for him deeply. Did she love him? She loved him as a personal friend. She had never loved anyone and was hesitant to start.
Love was a slippery slope for Caprina. She had been tricked too many times in the past by former suitors and even her own family. Her mother told Caprina she loved her right before she ended up in the hospital. Since then, her idea of love had been salty.
She knew Scott loved her and would do anything for her. She remembered a night when she came home to a candlelight dinner and champagne waiting for her. Scott then drew a bubble bath for her and bathed her. After the bath, Scott patted down Caprina’s body with a soft towel and spread warm oil all over her body. They made love all night.
It was one of the most romantic events a man had ever done for Caprina and if she wanted to, she could have fallen in love with him. He would do anything for me, wouldn’t he? Caprina decided to test Scott’s will. “Have you ever had sex here?” She asked.
“Is that a trick question?” Scott replied.
“I was just wondering because,” she played with his cock, “I’m feeling frisky right now.”
Scott and Caprina stayed in his old bedroom, just down the hall from his mother’s own room. From years of practice, Scott had mastered the art of keeping quiet during sex. He also instructed his past girlfriends to bite the pillows if it was getting too much. When he noticed his bed started to squeak, he fixed it immediately with a thick blanket stuffed between the mattresses. If the headboard knocked against the wall, Scott placed another blanket. He was his own personal MacGuyver.
“Well, we have to be quiet now. Not even a moan.” Scott instructed.
“It’s not me, I’m worried about,” Caprina got off the bed and reached into her overnight Gucci bag. She pulled out a strap-on. “It’s you I’m concerned with.”
Scott eyeballed the strap-on harness. It was pink with a matching silicone dildo and thin straps. He could tell the dildo was smaller and thinner than his cock. She’s going to use it on me. “Are you serious?”
“Am I serious, what?” Caprina corrected.
Scott didn’t mind playing w
hen they were in the privacy of his home or in a hotel somewhere exotic. He did mind playing when they were at his mother’s home. It made him uncomfortable and it felt sacrilegious. He was stuck between honoring his mother and disrespecting his girlfriend.
“You didn’t answer me, Scotty,” Caprina grinned, “am I serious…what?”
“Ma’am,” Scott swallowed. “We won’t do this here.”
“Oh, come on, Scotty,” Caprina climbed back on the bed. “I promise to be gentle.”
“I will not play in my mother’s home, period.” Scott was firm. “We can get a hotel room and play, but not here.”
“Why are you acting like a bitch?” Caprina scoffed.
Why are you acting like one? “There’s no room for discussion, Ma’am. I’m not doing it.” Scott stood his ground.
“Fine,” Caprina tossed the harness to the side. “If we won’t fuck tonight, we don’t fuck for the rest of the weekend.”
“Fine.” Scott could hold out. They were leaving in a couple of days.
“We won’t fuck for another few weeks, either.” Caprina warned.
“Now wait a minute.” Denying sex for a couple of days was one thing. Denying sex for a few weeks was cruel and unusual. “Is it that serious?” Scott asked.
“Yes. You won’t give me what I want, why should you get what you want?” Caprina smiled.
Scott read her eyes. They were full of devious intent and manipulation. She was getting off on what she was doing. He didn’t want to disappoint his girlfriend but he didn’t want to disrespect his mother. “No.”
“Fine,” Caprina turned over and turned off the light. “Good night, Scotty.”
Scott sat up in bed and looked over to his girlfriend. The weekend was going perfect despite reservations from his mother and sister. He didn’t want to give them a reason to not like Caprina any more than their personal feelings. If Scott denied Caprina, it wasn’t just the future weeks of no sex he would have to deal with. It was ultimately her wrath for the rest of the weekend. “Fine,” he muttered.
“Fine, what?” she replied.
“Fine,” Scott hesitated, “Ma’am.”
Caprina turned on the light and turned around. She had a big smile on her face. “Good boy. I knew you would come around.”
Chapter Eight
“So how did it go with Mama Reed and the Imperial Wizard?” Jeff began.
The visit to Scott’s family turned out to be uneventful. After Deborah and Christine got to know Caprina better, they finally accepted her into the family. Deborah was hesitant to give her blessing to Scott but promised him she would be happy for him if he was truly happy. His sister, Christine, was a different story. She wasn’t entirely convinced Caprina was good enough for her baby brother and Scott didn’t attempt to change her mind. Begrudgingly, Christine did accept Caprina with a strict warning to Scott. I’m only being nice because you love her, and not because I like her.
Everything was now in place for the big proposal taking place in a few weeks. Scott had picked out the ring, a nice three-carat princess-cut diamond flanked by two pear-shaped side stones. It took up much of his savings and he had to take out a loan to finance the ring but he knew it would pay off in the very end. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Caprina.
Of course, there was the issue with his friends, Jeff and Elliott. Scott wasn’t so worried about them. He knew they would love Caprina as much as he did. “It didn’t go too bad. Chrissy finally settled down after she got to know ‘Prina. My mother warmed up to her as well.”
“There’s a hesitation in your voice,” Jeff picked up, “not everything was that kosher.”
“My mother warned me against Caprina,” Scott still couldn’t understand what reservations his mother had about his girlfriend. He chalked it up to it just being the way mothers are.
“What did she say?”
“She said something didn’t feel right in her soul about her,” Scott shrugged, “you know how my mom is.”
“And I know how your mother is usually right,” Jeff added. “You might want to take heed what she said, partner.”
“She didn’t like any of my girlfriends,” Scott reasoned.
“Well, you weren’t bringing home the church type, Scott,” Jeff reminded.
“I don’t know,” Scott looked up at the sky and sighed, “I’m going to ask Caprina to marry me.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Jeff wasn’t sure if he heard the news correctly. “How long have you been dating her?”
“About four months.”
“And you want to marry her?” Jeff asked. Scott was always known to be like a puppy following around a woman around whenever he was in love with someone. “Don’t you think that’s a little soon, bro?”
“When it’s right, it’s right.” Scott had never been surer about anything in his life. He never wanted to marry his past loves. “She’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Alright, well before you take the plunge into the abyss, I wanna meet this chick in person,” Jeff said, “I wanna see the chick that’s got my boy sprung.”
“Alright, just tell me when and where.”
“There’s this new lounge opening up on Third Street downtown by my boy, Jacob. Swing by there and have her mingle with us little folk.”
Scott was anxious for Caprina to meet his friends. She had already passed the major test with his family, now he needed his friends’ approval. “Not a problem.”
****
“There’s a VIP lounge opening up on Saturday,” Scott began, “I wanted to see if you would like to come. My friends would be there and they want to meet you.”
“Saturday, Saturday, Saturday,” Caprina scanned through her Blackberry. Her schedule was clear with the exception of tea time with the mistresses. “That’ll work. We can go there for a little bit and then leave for tea time.”
“Tea time?” Caprina always surprised Scott with so many BDSM terms, he wasn’t sure what that one was.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you! The other mistresses want to meet you so we’re going to have tea time with them. They’ll have their slaves there as well.”
The term slave was stuck in Scott’s throat. He didn’t think of himself as Caprina’s slave and wasn’t sure he was completely comfortable with that particular term. “Um, okay.”
“It’ll be fun,” Caprina promised. “You’ll be with the other slaves and y’all can do whatever slaves do.”
“Okay, I’m your slave?” Scott clarified.
Caprina condescendingly nodded as if it was something Scott should’ve known.“Yes. In fact, I bought a gift for you to wear on Saturday after your little shindig with your friends.” Caprina walked to the closet and laid out Scott’s attire. “What do you think?”
In front of Scott was a pair of ass-less leather chaps and a spiked collar. “Where’s the rest of it?”
“That’s it,” she pointed. “What do you think?”
Scott swallowed. She’s serious. “It’s lovely, Ma’am.”
“Very good. Very, very good.” Caprina smiled. “This Saturday will be a night we won’t ever forget.”
Scott couldn’t take his eyes off the monstrosity before him. “You got that right.”
****
The new lounge was named EMK and it promised to cater to only the grown and sexy. It was two stories with a large dance floor and DJ’s spinning tunes on the main floor and plush lounge sofas and mini-cabanas covered the second floor. Onlookers crooked their necks trying to spot their favorite celebrity peeking out from one of the cabanas.
Scott met up with his best friends as he and Caprina made their way to the second level. She was already impressed by how Scott catered to her. He was her personal security guard, chauffeur, and caterer. He was definitely a keeper.
“Caprina, these are my best friends, Jeff and Elliott,” Scott introduced everybody. “They’ve known me for a very long time and you could probably bribe them with enough information if t
he price is right.” He winked.
“I wouldn’t need any price; I’ll just tell her anyway,” Jeff bent over and kissed Caprina’s hand, “pleasure is all mine, Ms. Waters.”
“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance,” she smiled.
“Ms. Waters,” Elliott repeated Jeff’s gesture, “I’m in honor to be surrounded by your beauty.”
Caprina blushed. It had been a while since a man placed her on a pedestal. Scott did it every day but it was nice to hear it from somebody else. “Why thank you.”
Another one of Scott’s friends quietly approached him. “Okay, got it. Excuse me everyone but I have to attend some business. I’ll be right back.” He kissed Caprina’s cheek and left.
