The Brute & The Blogger

by Olivia Gaines

  “Tino?” She replied as she stepped out from behind the pillar, holding the beachcomber. It was hard to hide her surprise to see him. He knew the innkeeper was watching and had to make sure he wasn’t thrown out.

  “This has been the longest week of my life,” he started by telling her the truth, then he pulled her into his arms. “I was going out of my head just waiting for the time to see you again. He lowered his head to kiss her and she did not rebuff him. This also satisfied Jim, who climbed back up the stairs.

  He was still holding her as she asked, “How did you find me?”

  “Rodney,” he said as he looked at her beautiful face. “He dropped off the keys to the loaner.”

  “My brother told you where I was?” She stepped back and looked at him with amazement.

  “Yes. I was also surprised to find out you had a brother.”

  “There is a lot about me you don’t know; and there is a lot about you I don’t know either,” she said firmly.

  “Which is why I made the four hour drive. This is the perfect time to find out,” he told her.

  “Did you get your own room?”

  He walked over to select a bike of his own, “Nope. I am staying with you. Get your poetry pen ready my dear.” He pushed the bike out of the walkway and asked her, “Lead on.”

  They rode down the beachfront to small eatery where Ebony had made a reservation for dinner. She ordered a glass of wine; he asked for the whole bottle. Ebony ordered a shrimp plate; he requested the platter. “What are you doing Tino?”

  “What does it look like? You are so accustomed to being by yourself, I am here as well and I am not going anywhere. We will work through whatever reluctances you have. You want to get to know me-let’s get started.”

  Her eyes squinted at him, “Just like that? I am not sure if you are talking about sharing my meal or sharing my life.”

  He did not hesitate with his answer as picked up the glass, swirled and sniffed the bouquet of the wine, “...and tonight, I am sharing your bed.”

  Ebony choked on her shrimp.

  14. A magical night

  He was right, it was an ideal time to get to know him, but more than anything, she was excited that he had come. Secretly she hoped he would, so she did pack her sexy baby blue silk peignoir. Yet, again, she was filled with hesitation, because she had made him chase her. In her own defense, she was letting down her guard and letting him in. But who was walking through the door she was still uncertain.

  Two young women walked in the restaurant. One, a buxom brunette that dripped of sex appeal, plastic surgery, and way too much perfume. The second was also a brunette, conservative in dress and a less attractive version of the other. It was easy to discern that they were sisters. Ebony posed the first question, “Of those two women, which would you choose to spend a passionate night with?”

  “That’s easy, the mousy one,” he said as he forked a shrimp.

  “Really?” She was genuinely surprised and wanted to understand his reasoning.

  “Pretty girl sex is boring. They know they are pretty and are counting on the man being happy they are in bed with a pretty lady. Most of the time they lay there, moan and do something stupid they have seen in a porn movie. The language and word choice as well are rather flat and prefabricated,” he said in a flat voice. “It doesn’t feel genuine you know?”

  Ebony was shaking her head at his forthrightness. “No, I don’t know. Explain the other choice.”

  He sipped at his wine, “The other enjoys sex. She doesn’t have as much of as it as she would like, so if she gets you in bed, she is going to give you everything she has. She is also going to enjoy herself. If you come back again for seconds or if it was a one-time thing, she will be good to go.”

  It was also at this point that she began to get curious about his assessment of her. Like an idiot she had to ask, “...and me. How would you categorize me?”

  “Uncertain,” he told her as he called the waitress over to order two salads and two baked potatoes.

  “How so?”

  Tino, ate the last shrimp, “You are confident when you are with your words, but with a man that truly gets you...you are uncertain of how much to share. I don’t think the sexual side of you has been unlocked yet, which makes you even more uncertain of your ability to please another or to give pleasure.”

  Ebony was taken aback, “when did you get so damned philosophical?”

  “I’ve had five years of dealing with your blog posting ass,” he told her with a smile. “All of your feelings are in your words. I learned how to read them, and in the past month, I am learning how to read you as well.”

  It was a weak smile, but it was there. She was beginning to understand a few things. He had driven for four and half hours and he had every intention of making love to her tonight. “And you think you have the means to unlock my hidden nature?”

  He touched her hand with a large finger that stroked up her arm, sending goose bumps down to her inner thighs and back up over her goose bumps, “I am the key maker, Baby! Like I said, I hope you have your poetry pen.”

  She wasn’t intimidated, “I hope you brought your little square pencil.”

  “What do I need with a carpenter’s pencil?”

  She sipped at her wine and gave him a look, “when I am done with you, you are going to start sketching the pretty little yellow house you are going to build me by hand on this very beach.”

  Tino turned in the chair to locate the waitress, “Check please!”

  The ride back to the bed & breakfast was quiet, filled with only furtive glances and an unsaid understanding of what was about to occur between them. Tino was beyond ready, but he was working diligently to pretend he wasn’t as excited as a hooker at a sales convention in Vegas. They climbed the stairs to her suite hand in hand, smiling at the desk clerk as they walked by and Ebony waved at Jimmy.

  Tino wasn’t sure what he was expecting from the room, but everything was white. The bedding, the patio furniture was made out of white PVC, the bathroom tiles were white, and the shower curtain was white. He did like the double Jacuzzi tub which he immediately behind to fill with warm water.

  “Are you drawing yourself a bath?” Ebony asked from the balcony.

  “No, I am drawing us a bath,” he said as he added some of the scented bubble bath that sat next to the tub. “You wash my back, I nibble on yours kind of thing.” His eyes sparkled when he spoke to her.

  Ebony had taken a shower with a man, but a bath would be a first. She wasn’t embarrassed by her body, but uncertain how he would view it, with her rounded backside and smaller breasts. Never one to consider herself a classic beauty, she did consider herself to have a certain sexual appeal. Men were normally turned on by her bottom, but turned off by her brain. Tino seemed to enjoy both. Ebony was unclear of the things that turned her on about a man. She had only seriously dated three. One in high school, one in college and her most recent failure, Alex.

  She entered the bathroom to find his bare backside bent over the tub testing the water. Her breath caught in her throat when he turned to face her. His body was absolutely the picture of perfection. There were muscles, definition, more muscles and oh yeah, that thing. I am so turned on I feel like I should be re-baptized for what I am thinking.

  “Is something wrong Ebony?” He asked.

  In every relationship there is a defining moment. Ebony was about to create one as she let down her guard and decided to enjoy this man. Her uncertainty she put aside. He said he wouldn’t hurt her, so she took a step towards trust. “I’m just trying to figure out if I undress myself or leave it up to you?”

  He didn’t hesitate as he moved forward, “I got this.”

  Tino gently turned her to face the wall as he undid the zipper of the jumper she wore, letting the fabric pool at her feet. Encouraging hands helped her step from the fabric as he unsnapped her bra, letting it drop to the floor and turning her to face him, his thumbs hooked into her panties and slowly pulle
d them down to her ankles. The swallow he took was audible as he gazed upon her dark skin.

  “You are so beautiful,” he told her as shaking hands cupped the sides of her face. He kissed her gently to start, but hunger took over him. His kiss deepened, with his mouth, taking complete possession of hers again and again. His tongue rubbing against hers as a loud groan bubbled in the back of his throat.

  Tino turned to stop the water from overflowing in the tub, turning off the taps. “The bath will have to wait, I can’t.”

  He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He was surprisingly not as gentle as he tossed her in the air and she landed with a plumfh in the middle of the bed. He did a swan dive to land beside her as she giggled, telling him, “You are such a brute!”

  “Yes, but I will be gentle with you,” he told her as his body covered hers. He kissed her again as his fingers went to work exploring every inch of her body. His lips trailed down her neck until they reached her breast. The rough callouses on his hands felt magical across the smoothness of her thighs while his tongue made small circles around the taut flesh of her nipples.

  A gentle breeze from the ocean floated into the room from the open window ushering in the winds of change. Tino’s hand moved towards the juncture between her thighs making contact with the nub of flesh, also making small circles.

  “Oh, that feels good, Tino.” She moaned into his shoulder as his finger dipped lower, to collect moisture. Her body was ready for him, but he wanted Ebony to be wild with her desire for him to connect them as one.

  He moved down her body, his mouth, making a trail of hot kisses to her abdomen. His tongue licked the landing strip of hair before his face disappeared into her, “Ooooh, yes, yes...yes!” She cried out.

  Ebony began to move against his mouth, thrusting her hips upwards, enjoying the pleasure he was bringing her. His finger slipped inside of her bringing six more layers of pleasure. Tino was beyond reason with his desire for her. He rolled to his side and reached for the products he had placed on the nightstand, giving her the condom to apply to him.

  The girth of his manhood was still an amazement to her as she held it in her hand. Instinct made her squeeze and then stroke him, running her fingers across the bulbous head, eliciting a satisfied groan from Tino. She wanted to please him as much as he had her, and she leaned down to take him into her mouth. He nearly came off the bed. “That’s enough!” He told her as he took the condom from her hand ripped open the package and applied the protection.

  “I am about to go out of my mind. I need to be inside of you Ebony,” he told her. Gentle hands pulled her down on the bed as he opened a tube of his and her gel and applied a bit to his fingers then to her delicate area. He handed her the tube and she applied some to him.

  Tino leaned down and kissed her hard. “I will make this good for you,” he told her as he gently pressed into her. The tightness of her gripping him firmly as he pressed into her. Ebony’s mouth opened wide as she tried to breathe deep as the width of him filled her. He pressed deeper, pushing further inside of her. Ebony felt as if she had stopped breathing.

  “No Baby, breathe with me. When I push, roll your hips up to meet me,” he told her as he pushed again and she rolled her hips upward. Again and again they moved together. Her fingers intertwined in his hair as she whispered in his ear how good he felt inside of her. Ebony’s legs moved up higher to his back as he plunged deeper inside of her. He felt so amazing, so magical, as he began to roll his hips down then upward with each thrust.

  “You are so tight,” he told her. “You feel so amazing.” He thrust hard, going deeper, sending Ebony climbing the summit of pleasure.

  “Tino, I’m so close,” she moaned. She began to move faster against him, trying to take him all in. Her legs were moving, her body was writhing. “I’m so close Tino, so close.”

  He increased his pace, pushing, withdrawing, as he felt her tighten even more around him. His mouth captured hers again as he increased his pace to a fevered rate. Ebony was coming undone, crying out his name, clawing at his back as she found her pleasure. “Together, Tino, let’s finish together,” she pleaded.

  He obeyed her wishes by letting go and giving her everything he had until finally spent, he collapsed on top of her. Words of praise was whispered in her ear, telling her how wonderful she had been, as she spoke encouraging words to him about how he made her feel.

  In truth, he was embarrassed. It was not his best performance, but she felt so amazing, he had no control. Even lying next to him in his arms, he felt a little loss for words. Ebony Miller was everything that he had hoped and so much more. There was so much missing in his life, and he was ready to move forward and close some gaps.

  Tino Boehner was ready for his real life to begin.

  15. Drawing up plans

  “Ebony, are you awake?”

  She moaned and rolled over to face him. Slightly sore from their lovemaking, she was groggy from the overdose of passion he had given her last night. She only grumbled as he reached for her again.

  “I am sorry Baby, but I cannot seem to get enough of you,” he told her as he held her in the dim light of the morning sun which was creeping over the horizon. He took her again, gently, with ease and care as he brought her a fourth climax. Somewhere during the night, they managed to make it to the tub, then back to the bed, a shower, and now faced the day with either heading downstairs for breakfast, or sleeping in. They opted instead to sleep in.

  It was a beautiful two days they stayed at the Darling. The love fest was in full swing during the sharing of thoughts, ideas, and potentiality of what may come next for them. In Tino’s mind, he wanted her in his future, but first he had to deal with his past.

  He asked her, “With everything that has occurred between us, how would your parents react to you walking through the door with me for Sunday dinner?”

  “Probably about the same as yours,” she said, leaving it open ended. She didn’t miss the cue of what he was trying to ask but was afraid to say. “What are you holding back that you need me to know about you and your family Tino?”

  In truth, she was expecting something nefarious or his father was the leader of a white supremacy group, but there was a sadness in his eyes when he told her, “I am adopted.”

  Ebony’s mind immediately went to his sister. Well, that explains that. “Okay. There are lots of adopted people Tino, you are not the first.”

  “I know, but I have some memories you know. I was almost four when she gave me to the Boehner’s,” his voice was sad. “I remember having a brother.”

  He gazed out at the ocean. This afternoon they were enjoying the patio in their room, having a light lunch instead of going out. “I remember a brother; but it was me she gave away. I mean actually, packed me up and dropped me off on the Boehner’s doorstep like I was a lost puppy.”

  Ebony got up from her recliner and climbed into the lounger with him, her arms around him, trying to bring him comfort as he asked, “Why did she keep him and not me?”

  Her mind pinged with responses, but she tried to find the words to infuse him to take some steps versus wallowing in self-doubt and recrimination over something he had no control over. “Sometimes people do what they think is best for the child. It is hard to know what was going through your mother’s mind at the time.”

  She stroked the side of his face, “Are you adoptive parents good to you?”

  “Yes, I had a wonderful childhood,” he told her.

  “And maybe that is what she wanted for you. That life, she could not give you. She let you go to give you a chance. And look what you have accomplished,” she told him.

  It made him feel better, but in his heart there was still a gaping hole. “I need to know Ebony. I need to know who my people are. I can’t have our children growing up dating their cousins.”

  She did not react to his statement of our children. Truth be told, she was still trying to figure out how to bring him to Sunday dinner. Grandpa Sherman was g
oing to be a handful. It would be even worse when Grandma Pearl finds out he was the one who put her out of her home. And her Daddy... she started praying on the spot.

  When they loaded up and headed back to Raleigh, she was still praying, but Ebony Miller always had a plan. She just hoped this one didn’t bite her in the ass.

  The following Monday morning she started her new job. On Tuesday morning she understood that her haste had landed her in a job that only required partial use of her brain. She wrote two blog posts for the main page, installed Hootsuite on her computer, and tied it to a quote site, which sent out three tweets per day on giving, community and the importance of fellowship. She combed through the photo library and collected all of the images and created an Instagram account for the local nonprofit and tied it to the corporate partner. By noon the Twitter followers had doubled and she had 100 followers on Instagram. At one pm she wanted to shoot herself.

  Instead of complaining over being underwhelmed, she started doing some research on why women would give up one child and keep another. The reasons seemed logical to her, but to a child who was given away, maybe not so much. One of the reasons she found to be most compelling was if the children had different fathers, and the father of the second child was unaccepting of the first. It reminded her of a lion pride, only the lion taking over would often kill the cubs. She shuddered.

  She mentioned these ideas to Tino over dinner. Ebony also asked the question, “Do your parents know your mother?”

  It was as if the lights from heaven shined down on him, “I have never asked. I never wanted to because I didn’t want them to feel as if I didn’t appreciate what they have done for me.”

  “I mean you are thirty now, and under their direction, you have made something of yourself. I’m sure if phrased the right way, you may be able to find out some answers.”

  Tino liked her idea. He liked it so much, he invited her dinner at his place. She found out upon arrival that he lived with his parents, which was a complete shock. He was quick to correct her again.