Meet Me Halfway

by Xyla Turner

  "Girl, I wanted to die. What you should pay for was the look on poor Sherman’s face." I joined in the laughter. "The owner just looked exasperated and sick of buying new furniture because of Knox. The man must terrorize that town."

  We both burst out laughing louder.

  "Girl, he's hopping on planes?" I could sense her shaking her head. "That's something."

  "No, no," I interrupted whatever crazy thing she was about to spew. "We're just getting the other out of our system. You know. If he's in town or I'm in town, we'll hook up. That sort of thing. Nothing more."

  Tess' laugh grew, causing her to cough.

  "I'm sorry. That sounds like the same shit J.D. and I tried to do. Hook up at conferences and now you can see how that worked out. It won't work," Tess said with certainty.

  "Stop being a killjoy. You and J.D. were both looking to settle. Me and Knox are not trying to settle at all," I said. "See the difference."

  "No. J.D. wasn't trying to settle," she countered.

  "Fine. You were and I'm not," I finalized. "Anyway, what's the deal with the wedding? When should I start planning our Vegas trip?"

  Tess chuckled.

  "Not sure yet. He's moving here to expand his business but I'm not sure I want him to do that. We've talked extensively about it but I see his point. Raising kids in the city is more than a notion, not just for him but both of us. I watched Bridget from Accounting go through all these changes to get her child into a good school. Then she had to get childcare. My family lives in Philadelphia and I do not foresee having the assistance we need and support without hiring someone and I am not entirely comfortable with that option either," Tess admitted.

  "Ahh, I see," I acknowledged. "What do you suggest?"

  "Maybe he moves to expand and then we can move back when the time comes for kids." She groaned. "Nina, I don't know. He's going to be so mad if I tell him that."

  "Like hell he will," I argued. "He'll be delighted. It's a win-win. He expands and then he goes back home with his woman who's going to have his kids. Bet he'll fly there to give you his reward for this bit of news."

  There was silence on the phone, then Tess said, "Shit, you're probably right. Okay, I got to go. We’ll see, since I haven’t seen him in almost four weeks. He's so busy trying to make the move happen, I didn’t want to make any last-minute changes. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks, girl."

  "Of course." I smiled.

  "Fill me in about Mr. Knox. I know you think me and J.D. are different but he's a Timms man. They have a code," Tess warned me.

  "Noted girl. Bye." I hung up the phone.

  Taking another sip of my wine, I laid back and began to drift thinking of J.D. moving to New York. Then I thought what if Knox moved as well. Loud bells ringing jarred me awake. I was so stunned I didn't even look at the caller id and picked up the phone.

  "Hello?" I answered in a sleepy panic.

  "Nina?" Knox's voice rang through the phone.

  "Knox, yeah. It's me." I sat forward in an effort to wake up.

  "Just got in. Wanted to call and make sure you're good." He had a light tone about him.

  "Yeah, I'm good. Uh, thanks for coming down. I had fun this week." My eyes blinked so I could feel alert.

  "Nina...," he started to say in a serious tone, then it changed. "Course, darlin'."

  There was a loud noise and then Knox started cursing like a sailor.

  "Knox, are you okay?" I called. "Knox, Knox!"

  "Fuck!" He yelled. "Just hit my shin and fell on my knee. Motherfucker."

  "You alright?" I asked in a panic.

  "Yeah, yeah," he groaned. "I'm fine. Just wanted to let you know I was home. Got to put some ice on this shit."

  "Okay, do that. Thanks again." I hung up the phone.

  The next day, when I walked into the firm, I saw Mr. Barton who asked, "Is your friend gone?"

  "Yeah, he went back last night," I confirmed.

  "Good, so you can get that drink now, huh?" One of his eyebrows raised with the question.

  I laughed and said, "Good one. Still going to pass."

  "Damn, you've been glowing all week, guess I don’t have a chance then?" He smirked.

  "Guess so." I walked to my usual table and greeted the team so we could get started for the day.

  That night, I spent the evening with my cousins because they insisted that I needed a home cooked meal. Uncle said that he knew my friend was here and I probably wasn’t eating a lot of healthy food. I knew better than to say anything against the claim or the fact that he was the pot, calling the kettle black. As Aunt Linda handed me a plate with the portions big enough for three kings with food mashed potatoes topped with gravy, sautéed cabbage, beef ribs dripping in barbecue sauce and a large cup of sweet tea.

  I dared not complain.

  They really just wanted the scoop.

  "So, the white guy," my aunt whispered. "How'd ya meet 'em?"

  I laughed at the tone of her voice before I said, "We met through my friend Tess. Her fiancé is Knox's brother."

  "This Tess gal? She white?" she asked.

  "No, she's black," I said as my head moved from side to side with a smirk.

  "That the new thing?" she asked earnestly.

  "I don't think it's a new thing, Auntie. It's just the heart knows no color. I mean, who puts labels on love? Man did and put us in categories and all that shit. When a man and woman fall in love, color is not a factor. Cultures might be, even religion could be a factor, or political affiliations but their love surpasses color."

  I knew my aunt was from a different era and being from the south where the issue of race was very much a hot topic. They had seen people killed for less than mingling or the hint of a relationship with someone of a different race. Forget dating and marrying them. In some parts, it was still frowned upon but it had become more wide-spread in the north. Commercials, billboards, television shows, and media displayed more and more interracial couples.

  She smiled at me and said, "I guess I understand that. Your uncle was from the poor side of Mississippi. I mean po’, and my family were on the upper-class side so our relationship was frowned upon. We didn't see none of that. That man loved me, I loved him and we said to hell with everybody else. Ma was fuming mad but that didn't stop me from marrying him. Ya uncle," she smiled, "is a hard worker and he bought this house and made it what it is with his two hands. That's why we fightin' so hard to keep it. It's because it was produced by us and for us. They ain't got no right to take it."

  Tears came to my eyes as I hugged my aunt-in-law.

  "Auntie, I'll fight tooth and nail for that," I tried to reassure her.

  She kissed me on the cheek and said, "Honey, I may not understand what you see in that man but I do know one thing. He'd hang the moon for ya. Would take on a bull if it stood in his way too. A man on a mission, I know and understand. That was your uncle. He's like him. Maybe a little crazy but crazy for you. That's the type of man you hold onto. Regardless of color."

  Aunt Linda smiled and patted me on my face before she made her exit back into the kitchen. A tear finally dropped and I quickly wiped it away. I was not trying to keep him; I just wanted to have a little fun or something.

  Dammit.

  While I was still at my aunt and uncle’s, Knox called me but I refused to answer. Then he texted.

  Knox: Checkin' on ya ..call me

  Me: At my aunt & uncle’s, might stay the night

  Knox: Call me

  Me: In the middle of something right now

  Knox: Call when you get a chance. Heard from one of my guys

  Damn.

  There I was acting like a foolish school girl and he wanted to talk business. I waited for an hour to pass and when I was safely back to the hotel, I dialed his number.

  "Hey Knox," I greeted him.

  "Darlin', why couldn't you answer earlier?" he asked nonchalantly.

  "Told you. I was over my aunt and uncle’s house where they persisted in grillin
g me about the white guy," I said to throw him off.

  "You scared?" he asked without skipping a beat.

  "Scared of what?" I snapped back.

  "You, me. Us."

  Typical Knox. The man always put it out there.

  No chaser.

  "Knox, we agreed what it would be. There's no pressure there. You know this." I chuckled.

  "I know but that still don't stop it from being scary. Even putting a label on something that sounds so simple still means there's a label. I get you don't like shit with labels. Especially relationships." He acknowledged.

  Ummm.

  Had he been talking to Tess or something. Did he know my life or read my diary? What the fuck.

  Just as I was about to go in on his ass, he said, "Not trying to analyze you. Fuck, I'm just as fucked up. Labels or that relationship shit feels like a goddamn lasso is around my neck, cutting off my oxygen. Not trying to complicate shit but I want it to be clear, is all."

  That was exactly how I felt, which also led me down the same road and I had no idea why I was always sabotaging shit.

  "Okay, be clear," I encouraged the man.

  "Fine.” He declared. “Not sticking my dick in nobody but you until you give me the okay." Knox said in a matter-of-factly tone.

  "Why exclusivity?" I asked. "I'm fine with it but why do you want it?"

  "Told you we had more than a fuck. It's more than that and even if the thought of being hog-tied and dying from suffocation scares us, there should be something sacred about us. I spent a lot of time fantasizing and dreaming about your pussy, then a whole week of taking my fill of it, so I'm laying claim to it. Don't want no one sniffing around it, licking or touching it with any of their parts, unless it's your hand and I'm instructing you to do something. I'll show you the same courtesy with my dick, and I say we go from there."

  The man was bat-shit crazy but oddly enough, I knew exactly what he meant.

  "Okay, deal," I agreed. "I can do that but just so you know, I'm touching my pussy right now. She's wet and needs attention."

  "Fuck," his voice grew closer to the phone. "How wet? Stick two fingers inside and tell me."

  I moaned in the phone and slipped my panties down to my ankles. Opening my legs, I slid my two fingers down and rubbed my wet clit, then inserted the digits.

  "Oh, Knox, it's dripping wet," I purred in a low voice.

  "You're always wet for me." His breathing hitched. "Push in and out. I want to hear it."

  Oh, he was nasty and as I put my phone closer towards my center, I smiled that I was just as nasty. I could hear him muttering the word fuck over and over again.

  "You hear it?" I asked as I put the phone to my ear again.

  "God, I wish I was there to clean you with my tongue. I can taste you right now." Knox breathed. "Take a lick for me."

  Naughty as hell.

  I put my wet finger in my mouth and popped it out so he heard it.

  "Hmm, tastes like your lips and tongue after you’ve finished eating me out," I purred.

  "God, we need to Facetime. All I have is a visual. Fucking Android phone," he cursed.

  "Focus." I kept rubbing my clit. "What would you do if you were here? I'm close and need relief now that you got the inferno on high heat."

  "First, I'd rub that little nub of yours until you came in my mouth. Then I'll test it out with my fingers and wrap those wet digits around those beautiful brown double D-cups. Then I'd bring you down on my lap and have you move those magical hips and ride me and you home. I'd slap your ass every time you slowed down then I'd grab it tight, so you'd feel all of me claiming you, marking you, embedding myself within you."

  "Holy shit," I murmured as I felt the hot lava coming through me like a lightning bolt.

  My mouth was open but I couldn't say anything as I started to cum.

  "Fuck, I'm cumming darling. All over those sweet tits of yours. It's hot, creamy and nasty." Knox groaned through his heavy breaths.

  Wow.

  "Oh damn," he sighed. "You about to have me hop back on the goddamn plane."

  I erupted into laughter at his comment and began to clean myself up.

  "Will that put you to sleep?" Knox asked.

  "Hmm," I hummed in the receiver. "Yeah, that'll work for now."

  "Good, we'll work out something else besides those wet fingers tomorrow," he followed up. "Night, darling. Sweet dreams and think of me."

  "Same to you," I said before I hung up.

  That man tried to tattoo himself, his cock and his essence inside of me all last week. Who else was I supposed to think of? The entire place smelled of him and even though I would not tell him, he was wearing me down.

  The next few weeks consisted of daily conversations and sessions with Knox via facetime. After that first night with no visual, he was not having that shit, so he had an iPad overnighted to me. I was instructed to take it with me everywhere so he could facetime me whenever he wanted. It was an expensive gift but he'd hear none of my grumblings of not accepting it.

  After a while, I was glad he sent it because the naughty pictures, videos and sessions we teased each other with were priceless. I loved my Android phone but the facetime feature was perfect for a long-distance relat....

  Well, a long-distance friendship with benefits.

  Sometimes, we simply talked about our day or he'd keep me abreast about his proposal with the County Commissioner. Knox was pleased with our progress and thought that we had made a strong case to switch out the contractors to his company or another one, which would cost the county less and not intrude on citizen's homes. Oddly enough, Knox seemed more upset about their plight with housing than we were at times. He constantly praised me for going down there and raising hell.

  One night, while eating dinner we were facetiming each other and he said, out of the clear blue, "Come see me."

  I nearly choked on the mashed potatoes as they stuck in my throat. After drinking some water, I leaned closer to the screen and asked, "Say what?"

  "You heard me," he said with one eyebrow raised and now hairless face except his five-o’clock shadow. "For the weekend. I'll cover the cost and shit."

  "No, uh. No need for that, big boy. I can carry my own weight. Thanks though." I made that clear.

  "Darlin', this is how it goes. I'm asking you to come, I'm paying. I don't want to hear lip about it or none of that sassy shit you do. That's not up for negotiation." Now he moved closer to the screen.

  The man really was gorgeous. Dark hair, light mustache this time around, sharp angular face and the most mesmerizing eyes. Yet, there was something rugged and feral about Knox. On a normal day, I would have fussed with him until the cows came home but the look of steely determination on his face brought me to an argumentative halt. It was bad enough that Knox was unpredictable. I wasn't scared of him but he was the type that would take me over his knee in public and spank my ass. He gave no fucks about what folks thought.

  I actually liked that but it also kept me under control. It was probably not wise to have two crazy and unpredictable people. We'd paint the entire town blue.

  "Okay, Knox," I answered him.

  His head nodded before he said, "Good. Your flight leaves at six on Friday and you'll leave at eight on Sunday night."

  Why was I not surprised? Flights already booked and he didn't even bat an eye. He’d pulled a move from his brother's book.

  "Think you're slick, huh?" I said with a head nod. "Just booked it and what if I had something to do this weekend?"

  "You don't." He smirked.

  "Knox," I warned.

  "What?" he asked. "Want to see you, Nina. That's all."

  He said nothing after that and therefore, I left it alone.

  That Friday, I boarded a plane to Iowa and he greeted me at the airport. First, he stood against the column watching me but when I got within arms distance of him, he reached out with both hands and pulled me to him for a long, hot ass kiss. There were whistles and hoots in the airport
arrivals section because we were lighting all sorts of fires.

  "Well, hello to you too," I laughed when he finally let me go.

  "Hey," he greeted. "You got any bags?"

  "No, just this." I shook my carry on. "Traveling light."

  "Perfect," Knox said as he grabbed the handle and my hand. "Let's skedaddle."

  In no time, he had us at his place, which I'd never seen. It was a pretty modern house built for a family by the looks of it. The man had a picket fence and if I saw correctly, a swing in the backyard.

  "Wow, Knox," I gasped when we arrived.

  The sun had gone into hiding by that point but he had motion lights around his house, giving us a lighted path to walk on the premises. When we were inside, Knox took my bag and put it in the living room but led me to the kitchen.

  "Hungry?" he asked.

  "No," I answered as my head swiveled around the enormous room that was custom built.

  There was an island with a grill in the middle and an exhaust directly above it. There was a stovetop on the left and right side of the grill and counters surrounding the back. There were also two stacked ovens on the side, a walk-in pantry and a cook's dream counters surrounding the dual sink. This was no cookie-cutter home; it looked like it was made specifically for a purpose.

  "Okay. Wow, Knox." I couldn't help that my mouth stayed open in awe.

  "Yeah," he looked around. "I don't do much in here anymore."

  That was a loaded statement but I decided not to address it just then. If he wanted to talk about what he failed to mention, he would in his own time.

  "You sure you're not hungry?" he asked again.

  "Oh, I'm hungry. Just not for that sort of food." I raised my eyebrow.

  A growl escaped him as he stalked towards me, tagged my hand and led me through the house and up the stairs to his bedroom. After closing the door, Knox turned to me and commanded, "Strip."

  He sat down on the bed with both hands next to him as he patiently waited for me to obey him. I was tempted to ignore the demand but the look in his eyes had already guaranteed that I'd have a sore ass either way.