by Love Belvin
I turned to Lex. “After experiencing your husband’s spin on ‘nighttime blessings,’ I think I’m going to be okay.”
“A’ight, yo.” My head whipped to my left to find Tasche had returned with little Miss Lisa-Mare. “I gotta go. I need to sleep before my shift tonight.”
My phone vibrating on the table caught my attention. Seeing his profile name reminded me it was outdated. I’d have to think on how I’d change it.
My Lover: Change of plans. This afternoon’s meeting got delayed until tomorrow afternoon. Sorry Nalib. I won’t be back until late tomorrow. I’ll call tonight.
Disappointment settled in my belly. I’d been looking forward to seeing those kaleidoscopic irises and to running my hands over his smooth golden scalp. I’d been missing Sadik, unable to recall the last time we’d spent so much time apart.
With a throbbing heart, I turned back toward Lex to find her roll her faux angry regard from Tasche above us down to me.
“I can take that, Bilan,” Candy offered over my head.
I hadn’t noticed she was standing over me.
“I see you still can’t eat without my son feeding you,” Earl announced from the head of the table.
His glare over his reading glasses caused my belly to flutter, it was such a welcomed sight. I handed over my plate of cherry pie to Candy, realizing how bad I’d messed over it. It was the same with my dinner, but all with purpose.
I pulled my elbows over the table and a smile to my face as I regarded Earl. “I’m satisfied looking at the man of the house, who so happens to be the man of the hour, too.” I didn’t try to control my beam. “What did you think of your first dinner back at Irene’s table?”
I’d arranged this meal just as I had over the past month in Irene’s absence. Tonight, for Earl’s first meal with the family since his heart attack two months ago, I had a special meal prepared for him with his dietary restrictions in mind.
“Love,” he answered. “This was all love.”
Most were present tonight, but not all. It was Monday evening, the day after my revival visit to Redeeming Souls for Abundant Living in Christ. It was the closest to old times as we’d had but with Iban, Irene, and Sadik missing. Ironically, Irene’s absence was the second most obvious, my husband’s being the first. The room wasn’t as charged, the dynamic was somewhat off. Sadik was supposed to have returned last night, but his business was pushed back another day. This disappointment of his absence was reminiscent of loneliness.
“Because we love you, PaPa!” Ivana shouted over the table.
We all snickered at that show of affection from her.
“Not more than I love you two, though.” He gave a faux frown, a sign of a sad heart.
The girls giggled feverishly at that.
“And Sadik, too,” Iesha reminded him.
“Oh, of course, my number one grandson.” Earl pouted more, playing the role of emotionally needy PaPa. “I wish he would have hung out with us longer tonight, but I’ll give him a pow-wow for it when I see him in the morning.”
That made me laugh. The baby began dinner with us but got fussy and Camille took him upstairs for a good burping and an early bath. Thank goodness for her. I didn’t want to miss Earl’s night back as the head of the table. It was enough Irene was missing. The reminder of that tore at me.
I pulled my phone from my pocket under the table, needing the time. Standing to my feet, I marched over to Earl.
“Alright, young man. I told the nurses I’d make sure you’d eat responsibly and would back in time for your meds.” I grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and made the sound of a motor to entertain the girls.
They fell for it, leaping from their seats. As Monica typed into her phone, something she’d done a lot during dinner, Ivana and Iesha raced over to their PaPa cheerily.
“Daddy, I’ll be in tonight to talk to you after my video chat with my mentor,” Taaliba reminded him after snapping a picture of us taking off for the entrance to the dining room.
I tried maintaining an expression of contentment all the way to the door. The girls raced aside us as we eventually met the colossal Harlem Renaissance artwork framed in gold cases, boasting the walls of the gallery’esque halls.
When we arrived at the opening of Earl’s study, a nurse I recognized so happened to be there waiting.
“Girls!” Monica shouted behind us before I could speak. “Let’s get bath time going. Mommy doesn’t want to miss her show.”
“Awwww!” Iesha groaned.
“Night, PaPa.” Ivana kissed her grandfather on the cheek.
Iesha followed up with blowing a raspberry kiss into his hairy cheek. “Night, PaPa. Tomorrow we play cards.”
“Sho you right, princess,” Earl agreed. “I’m gonna beat your little hind, too!”
“You’ll have to catch me first!” Iesha shouted as she took off behind her mom and sister.
I turned to him. “You’re a lucky man.”
Earl shook his head, removing the glasses I didn’t see much of until after his heart attack. “Baby, fools run on luck. Successful men are blessed.” He gestured his seated body. “This here is from blessings, sweetheart—”
“Bilan,” I corrected quickly with a smile.
“Daughter,” he countered. “Hate it or love it, you’re my daughter, young lady.”
I reached over to kiss the side of his head. “I don’t think I’ve heard a more beautiful ultra-alpha command from anyone but your son,” I murmured. “Thank you.”
Earl winked before the nurse wheeled him into his primary living quarters. I waited, following them with my eyes until they were out of sight. When I turned to leave, I bumped into Nena, Earl’s girlfriend.
“Excuse me,” I breathed, startled with a polite smile. “I was…” my words halted.
Nena scoffed in a friendly manner, her tapered hair cut in one of its usual jazzy and meticulous styles, full lips stained red, and a look of one-way humor in her dark eyes. This one had always worn an expression of self-assurance and private humor while Diane, her counterpart, was straightforward with her thoughts and words. But tonight, Nena appeared subdued. I’d never been comfortable with the two women’s roles in this family to speak much to them. I wanted to ask her about the sadness clear in her eyes, but thought against it.
“Night, Bilan,” she murmured with a dry smile, almost as if to say ‘it’s okay to speak to me.’
Nonetheless, I was taken by her addressing me with familiarity.
I ducked my head in submission. “Goodnight.”
Without breaking my stride, I moved down the hall. My mind ran with so many thoughts, those including Nena’s strange countenance and kissing my baby once more goodnight.
That was before I stumbled over my feet into a hard, capable harm.
I blinked successively to clear my vision.
Under those dense, unruly brows I’d come to appreciate were a dark brown perimeter enclosing a hue of green, then yellow, and an impossible orange before a speck of black at the mecca of the irises. My breaths were ragged and gaze heated on his cool veneer. I could feel the swelling between my legs at the sight and scent of him alone.
“You ready for me, Nalib?”
∞19∞
Utterly stunned, I steeled in that awkward position in his arm. When had Sadik arrived? No one made me aware of it, including him.
Sadik pulled me up at the shoulder with his one free hand. When I straightened, I turned to face him, taking in his urban sophistication. He wore deep blue denim jeans, a stark white V-neck tee, and thong sandals. According to the color combo in the material of the straps and the design, I could tell they were Ase Garb. Just a few moments ago, I was subconsciously planning my night without Sadik and now, here he was, alive and in the flesh.
“You seem in deep thought.”
“Of my baby and snuggling with him tonight.”
“Is that all?” Those recusant brows lifted, irises gleamed in challenge.
I swallo
wed back my concerns regarding Nena and pulled in a deep breath to reveal my truth.
“I thought I’d be without you again tonight.”
His hand gripped my side with proprietary, his thumb strumming my belly. “You’re never without me, Nalib. I’ve made sure of it.”
I swallowed hard, nipples ringing. “How was your trip?”
“Dull,” he shared rapidly and unequivocally. “I’ve recently learned my disrelish to lengthy time away from you.”
My breath hiked and eyelashes smacked together as I processed that claim.
“Sadik would appreciate a kiss.”
His shoulder pushed against the wall. “I’ve been with my heir for over an hour now. He was gassy, pooting against my chest until he sighed of relief.” He snorted, lips curling from light humor. “I gave him a bath and put him down.” My eyes swept down his body. Why they locked onto his thickly-corded forearms was beyond me. “I asked Camille to lay him down in our suite for the night. We’ll relieve her when we’re done reacquainting.” He stood to his full height, nearing me again. “If you like, we can go up to say goodnight again.”
Trembling with need for the man before me, my husband, I nodded. “I’d like that very much.”
It was dark out on the compound, a beautiful summer night. The air was kind and the outdoor lighting created a warm glow along the garden as we traveled in a mini motor cart across the grounds. This trip was better than the one I’d taken with Monica during my first visit here.
“How’s school?” Sadik’s velvety cords awakened me from my musing.
He had one hand on the wheel, the other resting against his thigh as he drove us.
I blinked hard, considering that. “It’s been a balancing act for sure. Mostly papers in both classes. I’ve spent more time in the library here than I care to.”
“And that’s the weight of it?” he asked. “The papers? That’s been filling lots of your time?”
I shrugged. “That’s grad school: research and papers. All of the classes are pre-recorded and mostly filled with resources for our assignments. So between that and the Ellis Academy reports, I’ve been busy.”
“Hmmmmm…” he hummed, turning into a dirt road leading to a modest-sized building.
Odd…
“Have you heard from the developers?”
“Yes.” He pulled the cart in front of the building where I saw the marquee.
Love in Rhythm & Blues
I pulled in a sharp breath, recognizing the name of the film I’d been wanting to see. It’d been out for a couple of days, and the latest hottest ticket around for Black cinema.
“The lot has been approved and all the permits are squared away.” He keyed off the motor and faced me, hand draping over the headrest behind me. “The construction starts next week.”
A relieved breath left my lungs. “That was fast.”
He nodded, hand tapping the headrest. “It’s taking a lot of leveraging at the township level, but we made it happen.” Sadik reached over and fingered a curl on top of my head. “Were you and Kimmy able to settle on the kitchen design?”
I nodded. “Two weeks ago. She came up to meet with me and the rep from the developer’s firm. We were able to put together what’s going to be a gorgeous and functional kitchen space. She was also happy to see a mockup of her room on the lower level.”
His head bobbed slowly, back and forth as he processed, it seemed. Then he leaned over and planted his supple lips on the side of my neck. I leaped in my seat.
“Why are you being skittish?” he whispered, lips still against me.
“I’m not.”
“Your pulse is audible.”
“You please all of my senses.” I was all breaths and pants.
He withdrew, a wicked smile playing at his sensual lips.
A moment had passed before his expression sobered. “Did you wait on me to eat?” I nodded. He asked me not to eat with the family so we could have dinner together. I’d just began to regret my obedience. “Let’s go, Nalib.”
I trailed behind him with laced fingers as he led me into the building. From the vestibule, it was clear this was the Ellis cinema theater. There was a popcorn machine spurting cooked kernels, a counter display with various candies, a hot dog roller, and pretzel stand. Along the dark walls were cinematically framed pictures of classic movies like Coming to America, Home Alone, The Color Purple, Jaws, and Malcolm X.
I’d never been inside, only had it pointed out to me during my first tour. The marquee couldn’t be seen from the main road, so I didn’t pick up theater vibes from there.
“Mr. Ellis, Ms. Bilan,” the attendant greeted us from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Ellis theater. Your things are all set up in there for you. I’ll be here if you want a snack during the show.”
“Thanks, Devin,” Sadik replied then opened one of the large double doors for me to enter.
The theater was outfitted identically to the smaller ones in standard venues. The rows were tiered in height. The carpet was a rich burgundy and the oversized leather seats matched the motif. Against a high wall was the standard size projector screen. The seating was more plentiful than that of the main house. This place could seat about a couple of dozen people.
In the center of the room, David, the new pastry chef, was delivering plates covered in metal dome cloches to a candlelit table set for two. He offered a neck bow before disappearing into a back door.
“Let’s eat, Mrs. Ellis.” He lifted my hand in the air for prompting. “I hate when your salutation doesn’t reflect that.”
“Not everyone knows we’re married, Sadik,” I reminded him as I took the stairs in my heels.
“Let’s repair that.”
He held the chair out for me to sit. As he traveled across the table for his seat, I took note of the Muzak flowing softly above us.
“This is nice,” I breathed, contented.
“You’re more than nice,” he returned almost too quickly. “Besides, as I’ve stated pathetically, I’ve missed you.”
I felt my eyes sparkle his way. Those sentiments were music to my ears. “I’ve missed you, too, baby.”
He offered me the hand sanitizer on the table. I accepted it and rubbed the gel over my hands, watching him do the same. He then poured himself a glass of brandy. My water had been prepared for me.
“You like beets, Nalib?”
My face tightened in disgust. “Ewww, no. They reek.”
He removed a cloche, revealing a salad of sorts. “Not glazed beets. They go well with goat cheese, walnuts, arugula, tangerine slices, and a delectable balsamic vinaigrette dressing.” He forked a combination of the ingredients, managing a walnut on there, and brought it to my mouth.
I dithered, sniffing the food. Sadik lifted an admonitory brow and I opened for him. My eyes were on him as he licked his thumb and waited for my reaction. I moved the food around in my mouth, tasting the different textures. Similar to our sexual dynamic, I rarely found a problem letting him lead. And for the act of obedience, I was rewarded with a delicious culinary experience. I nodded my head.
“Mmmhmmm,” he gloated. “Sometimes you just have to trust me.” His lips curved into a grin.
“I do. Too much,” I shared honestly. “but I do.”
His eyes lowered into a lascivious slit before he forked salad for himself this time. I relaxed into contentment as my husband went about feeding me tasty foods. After the salad was a delicious plank of Chilean seabass, juicy baked chicken breast, the best roasted sweet potatoes I’d ever had, steamed asparagus, and creamy mashed potatoes. Best of all, I didn’t have to lift a finger to fill my belly.
“What?” he asked while stacking our plates.
“You’re fahn!” I joked, intoxicated by satiation.
Sadik snorted a laugh, eyes rolled adorably. “I’m pleased to know I ‘please’ all your senses.”
He sent a text on his phone then pulled his elbows up to the clothed table, his inescapable gaze fixed on me
.
This time I asked, “What?”
“Your hand.”
My regard fell to the table, where I wiggled my fingers. “You don’t like the neon orange?”
“I’m not referring to your nail color, baby. It’s your ring finger on your left hand.”
Once again, I glanced at my hand, specifically the glistening diamond of my engagement ring. “I’m so lost, Sadik.”
“I’ve had you out here illlegitimized.”
My faced tightened more with curiosity. “How so?”
He tossed his chin my way. “Under your seat. Take a look.”
Hesitantly, my gaze dropped to the floor. Gripping the end of the table with my right hand, I leaned over to reach beneath my chair. Sure enough, there was a small box there I managed not to kick over during the meal. When I pulled the small ring box up to the table, Sadik had his left hand splayed in the air.
I frowned.
On his ring finger was a thick platinum band fitting him perfectly, making Sadik appear lusciously owned. Next to his ring, on his pinky, there was another one significantly smaller in size, but the same design.
My mouth opened just to close. “Is…that…”
Sadik took a deep pull of his Mauve before removing the ring on his pinky and grabbing my hand. In the center of the table, he removed my engagement ring then slid the new band on. Next, he returned the engagement ring, pushing it into the band until they both rested at the base of my finger. The set was beautifully matched.
“Thank you,” I murmured, adorning the symbols of what we’d been building since I decided to let go of my fears last summer and embrace this reckless need of him.
“Thank you,” he corrected. “It’s something I should have done a month ago, but as you know—”
“Yeah,” I sighed nervously. “Life can get ahead of you.”
“You just make sure you don’t, Nalib.” He traced an infinity ring inside the palm of my hand, spiking my blood.
