Preseason Love

by Ahyiana Angel

  Mel mentioned that he wanted to take us to this spot in Queens. I didn’t like the sound of going back to Queens with him, but my head was spinning so my senses were not on high alert. Dev was down without hesitation. She would use this as her chance to see a bit more about him, like where he hung out when he was not with her.

  We rode out to Queens chitchatting and blasting the music. When we exited the freeway, I could instantly tell that we were in the ’hood. You could see trash strewn about the streets, people hanging out on the corners, and abandoned buildings for blocks. Of course I didn’t say anything.

  As we made a few turns and rolled onto a well-lit block with quite a few bars lining the street, I saw a black car with extremely blacked-out, tinted windows swoop in front of us abruptly. It made a sharp Fast and Furious-type move, cutting Mel off and making it impossible to pass. Mel slammed on the brakes.

  Dev and I both flew forward, and my head smacked against the headrest.

  What the hell is going on? Are we about to get kidnapped or robbed or, shit, killed?!

  All I saw was my life flash before my eyes. I started to sober up pretty quick.

  Mel, still inside the truck, yelled out, “What the fuck?!”

  Before he could finish his rant, the truck was surrounded by at least fifteen men with guns drawn. They looked like undercover cops and they were everywhere. I was secretly relieved. Cops were a better option than some relentless enemy of Mel’s unloading an Uzi clip on us like a reenactment in a gangster film.

  So many thoughts went through my head in a flash.

  “Get out of the fucking car with your hands up!” screamed the officer with the gun pointed directly at me.

  I was in shock. All I could focus on were the guns. They kept yelling at us to get out of the car with our hands up in what sounded like a cadence. I had no clue how to get out of a car with my hands still up. This could not be my life. I had no idea where I was, let alone what type of illegal activities Mel was into. As far as I was concerned, we were all fucked.

  The officer on Dev’s side yanked her door open. She hesitated initially, then decided that she better go ahead and cooperate. They had already snatched Mel out of the truck, and his face was pressed up against the steaming hot hood of the car, and they were handcuffing him.

  Dev, Que, and I were instructed to go to the rear of the truck and put our hands on the back window. It was freezing outside, but the truck was still running so luckily, we could feel warmth on the windows.

  We watched as they tore through the glove box, side-door panels, seats and everything else. Mel’s Mercedes was a wreck. They searched every inch of it. I watched fearfully. I had no idea what they were looking for or what they might find.

  I asked the officer closest to me why they stopped us, and he said that Mel failed to stop when an officer signaled him to pull over. I found that hard to believe. Out of four people in a car, not one of us realized that there were lights flashing behind us and that we were being signaled to pull over by the police. I called bullshit. I looked toward the front of the car, and Mel was still in handcuffs.

  “What the hell did we get ourselves into?” Dev whispered to me with a shaky voice that was likely a combination of fear and the chills from the frigid temperature outside.

  “You tell me. That’s yo’ boy and they got his ass handcuffed. This was no accident or coincidence,” I said through clenched teeth. I could see the white fog from my breath disappearing into the night sky every time that I spoke.

  “Yeah,” Dev said. She was confused, angry, and scared. That made two of us.

  For a moment it seemed as though Que had lost his mind. He adjusted his slightly sagging pants under his belly and made a hasty move toward the front of the truck. I froze in fear thinking for sure that I would hear a shot ring out. I heard a commotion and I realized why he had made a move. They were about to put Mel into the back of a marked police car. With a hand on his gun, an officer near us yelled for Que to stop moving and stay back. Que didn’t stop. He threatened to arrest Que if he did not stay right where he was.

  For a split-second you could tell that Que had every intention of going to Mel’s rescue.

  Dev and I sprang into action and grabbed Que on either side to try to calm him down. He resisted, but we managed to pull him back.

  “There’s nothing you can do!” I screamed. “Do you want to get shot over nothing?”

  I didn’t know if Que was aware or even cared, but I definitely noticed that the officer had his hand on his gun, and although Mel wasn’t resisting arrest, it took what looked like four cops to rustle him into the back of the police car. For the short amount of time that I’d been in New York, I’d heard too many news reports where cops were using excessive force or killing innocent people over their reckless mistakes. I didn’t want to end up on the nightly news over some bullshit that had nothing to do with me.

  After things calmed down, one of the arresting officers came over and told us that they were taking Mel into custody. He wouldn’t tell us why or what the charge was. He informed us that we were free to go, and he handed Que the keys to the Mercedes.

  I walked a few feet away and immediately called Kari. It was 1:00 a.m. and I knew that things could potentially get awkward since we were not dating exclusively. But I did not care. I was so shaken up that I needed him. I needed to feel safe.

  Kari answered on the first ring. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”

  “Can you please come and get me?”

  Kari’s husky tone immediately changed. The bass in his voice became deeper and he was serious. “Are you all right? Where are you?”

  “I’m in Queens,” I replied, hesitant as to what his reaction would be. I expected him to be mad.

  “Do you know where you are?” Kari asked. “If not, ask someone and text me. I’m on my way.”

  I told Dev that Kari was coming to get me. She was still visibly distraught. She decided to ride with Que to the police station to find out the status on Mel. I wanted to insist that she stay out of the drama and come home with me, but I knew she would have gone with Que anyway. I surveyed my surroundings for a moment, then decided that I would go into one of the bars on the block to get my exact location, text Kari, and call The Clique while I waited.

  Since Kari lived deep in Brooklyn and not too far from where I was, I hadn’t been in the bar fifteen minutes when he called. He was outside. I cut my update short and let The Clique know that I would call them back with more details. The girls could always arrange a conference call quicker than lightning.

  I hurried toward the door of the bar with my coat fastened tight and my gloves on. I couldn’t get out of there quickly enough. I practically ran out of the door to meet Kari. He was standing outside of the car and I fell into his arms. I could tell that he was still extremely confused, but he did not say a word. He just held me tightly.

  Once we were on the way back to my place, I gave him the highlights from the night. He resisted saying that I was silly for even getting myself into that situation, but I knew what he was thinking.

  Kari covered my hand with his hand off and on throughout the entire drive. It seemed like he wanted to reassure me that he was there for me. That felt good. I had been so used to men not being there for me that this was almost a foreign feeling. I texted Dev to make sure that she was okay. She replied that they’d made it to the police station and she was fine and waiting on answers.

  Once we arrived at my apartment, it was super late and since it was a Friday night, or technically Saturday morning, I asked Kari if he wanted to stay over. He gladly agreed and we made our way inside.

  Being a classic overthinker, and despite all of the drama of the night, my mind was racing about how I should handle the situation.

  I’m positive that I want to have sex with him. Do I know for sure that he wants to have sex with me? I know that he is into me, right? Well, if he doesn’t want to have sex tonight, then he is definitely gay.

  Referencing my
conversation with Dev, I wondered whether it was better for me to take control or wait for him to make a move. I had to think fast and act fast. I excused myself. I had to tinkle something fierce after all of the alcohol that I’d drunk earlier in the night.

  While I was in the bathroom, I decided to freshen up a bit, which pretty much solidified my decision to put a plan into action. My nerves were playing games with me as I tried to wash up. I kept letting the soap slip out of my hand. I could still taste alcohol and my mouth was extremely dry. I brushed my teeth and tongue to ensure that everything was minty fresh. I sprayed a soft scent in all of the important places and last but not least, cleaned behind my ears. Men always liked to go for that spot so I had to make sure that it was right and ready.

  Kari was already in my room lying across the bed when I came out of the bathroom. His long legs were dangling off of the edge and I thought about how good he looked. His hair was freshly cut with his goatee lined properly. I could already imagine his soft, juicy lips licking and sucking on mine.

  He watched as I walked over to the bed. This is the moment of truth. I placed one knee on the bed and crawled on top of him. His eyes were locked with mine, making the moment intense. Before I reached his lips, I could smell his cologne, the distinguished scent of Creed. I loved every second of it. I rubbed my lips against his lips. That was our thing. Of course we hadn’t had sex yet, but we’d certainly had some great make-out sessions.

  Our kisses were intense. We had waited so long for this time to come; there was no rush on either side. Kari caressed my back while he slid his tongue past my lips. We kissed passionately for what seemed like an eternity. I could feel Kari’s sex bulging through his pants.

  He tugged at my top a few times before finally managing to get it off. This gave me a little chuckle so I sat up and straddled him with my eyes still locked in his gaze. I unhooked my black, lace, Calvin Klein bra in a sensuous motion to expose the mini-twins, and I watched his eyes light up. He leaned forward rapidly and started kissing my body as if he could not wait to devour me.

  Kari took the first nipple in his mouth and I lay back enjoying the pleasure. His free hand cupped my butt and he pulled me closer to him. I like this man. I could tell the difference with Kari; we were making love and not having sex. I was used to sex, but lovemaking was a bit foreign.

  He was having too much fun with my breasts so I gently pulled his head up to kiss him. I loved the intimacy of kissing. Our breathing was rapid and deep. Kari flipped me over and slid off my bottoms. My panties were drenched. I was ready to consume all that he had to offer. I snatched his belt open and unzipped his pants going for the one thing that I knew would be waiting for me. Once I had his penis in my hands, I couldn’t believe how hard it was.

  Kari moved down south kissing and licking on my inner thighs. I was glad that I’d decided to get a fresh wax the day before. The universe was on my side.

  Kari had serious technique. He used his fingers and his mouth to make me experience sheer orgasmic pleasure. As my moans grew louder, Kari became more excited. I took his index finger in my mouth and began to simulate what I planned to do with his penis. I motioned for Kari to come up so that we could be face-to-face. Our kisses had an added flavor this time and they were even juicier now with the anticipation.

  I pulled on Kari’s bottom lip with my teeth and my tongue as I slipped down his chest making a slight detour to suckle on his hard nipples. Once I reached my destination, I could appreciate that he was very well-groomed. I really expected nothing less based on his outer appearance and what I knew about him up to that point.

  When I took Kari inside my mouth, I felt like I had the ultimate control. I was about to make him moan and squirm. That was my mission. I licked the head of his penis in a playful motion a few times before getting to work. Between the sucking and spinning motions, it must have been more than what Kari bargained for because he pushed me away.

  I was so confused, I thought that I’d done something wrong. As the thought entered my mind, Kari grabbed my arm and pulled me close. We were lips-to-lips and he whispered that he was sorry. He said that he wanted to delay his climax; he wasn’t ready to cum yet. “I want to cum inside you,” he said.

  I had never had anyone say such a thing to me and it freaked me out for a brief second, but I did not want to overthink things. I asked Kari to get a condom. If he did not have one, I sure did. He pulled out the “gold wrapper,” and I put it on him. Honey dip would not be taking any chances. This was all a part of foreplay but also a method on my behalf to ensure proper use and my protection.

  Kari flipped me onto my back with an execution that gave me thoughts of porno action. He slid his hand across my sweet spot to see how juicy it was before his entry. Once he felt the proper welcome, Kari slid his thick penis inside of my pussy and looked me dead in my eyes not wanting to miss a single reaction. This lovemaking session proved to be one of the best in my life. I had never felt so connected to anyone during sex and those feelings heightened the intensity. The entire experience was unbelievable.

  The following afternoon, I woke up in Kari’s arms. I caressed his chest to see if he was awake. He responded with a kiss on my forehead.

  I smiled to myself. When I was about to daydream and doze off again, my phone buzzed. I realized that I had not heard from Dev, so I jumped up to grab the phone from the nightstand.

  “Hey girl, where are you?” I asked in a raspy voice.

  “I’m at Mel’s. They finally released him a few hours ago and we came back to his place.”

  “Oh good,” I said, relieved.

  “I’m guessing that you made it home okay. The last text that I got was when you guys were on the way back to the apartment,” Dev said.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Kari stayed over.” I tried to slide that in. “Have you slept at all?”

  “Nope, not a wink. I’ll probably go shower and take a nap right now. I’ll be home later,” Dev said very matter-of-factly. “Oh yeah, and I’ll get your story later too.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, call me if you need anything,” I offered before we hung up.

  I looked over at Kari. He had fallen back asleep. I was on a high, floating on clouds and feeling extremely nice. So I decided to get domestic and headed into the kitchen to whip up a little breakfast.

  Either the sound of clinking pots and pans or the smell of yummy food summoned Kari to the kitchen about twenty minutes later. He tried to mask the look of surprise on his face. I guess he didn’t take me for the cooking type. He walked up behind me and put his hands on my waist. I could feel his manly physique against my body and his calm breathing on my neck as he leaned in to me. He whispered “thank you” and kissed my lower neck, then softly pecked my shoulder. His touch felt so loving. It almost made me uncomfortable.

  I didn’t know if he was thanking me for the previous night or for the breakfast. But either way, I accepted it. He probably thought that my cooking for him was a stretch, and in some ways it was. Not technically speaking, but more emotionally. I wanted to like him and let him in, but it wasn’t that simple for me.

  “Breakfast is served,” I said.

  “That’s so sweet, babe,” Kari replied, as he walked over to the bar to take a seat.

  I reached over and set Kari’s plate and silverware in front of him, but I could not look into his eyes. I was sure that he noticed because I felt him piercing a hole in my body.

  I ignored the awkwardness and sat down next to him to eat. After his first bite, he rubbed his hand on my thigh and said how good the food was. Where did this guy come from?

  Chapter 7

  Low Life

  After the events of the weekend, I felt like I needed a vacation, but I had to go and slave at a desk for eight to ten hours. Working in PR, you never knew what the day would bring, especially at an agency like mine. A client could have a crisis that needed immediate attention. Breaking news could hit that could turn your world upside down. Or one of the senior pu
blicists could go on a tirade and start berating everyone that works on the team. Talk about a potentially uncomfortable and hostile environment. All of the day-to-day drama really created a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure, but after a while you would adapt and get used to it.

  I got a call late in the afternoon from my girl Latina in the Los Angeles office. She instructed me to go into one of the conference rooms and call her back. I hung up the phone and I felt my stomach begin to tighten and turn over. I didn’t know what she was about to tell me, but I did not have a good feeling. She wasn’t the messy type and the tone in her voice was very serious. It wasn’t a case of some silly gossip.

  When I got her on the line, she spoke very calm and almost in a hushed tone. The first thing that she said was, “Watch your back.”

  The pause after her first statement kicked up my anxiety another notch. “What do you mean? Tell me what is going on.” I didn’t have time for speaking in code. I needed specifics.

  “I overheard a conversation. Steve asked one of the vice presidents how things were working out with you in the New York office, and the VP basically said that you had not been reporting to him, so he didn’t know what you were working on and in fact, he didn’t know who you were reporting to. He essentially made it as though you are in New York doing what you want and not working very hard.”

  I sat there for a moment in disbelief. I couldn’t find words past my anger.

  “Scottie, are you still there?”

  “I can’t close my mouth,” I finally responded. “I’m in shock.”

  “Girl, I know. They are so sneaky and backstabbing. That’s why I wanted to give you a heads-up. It seems like something shady is going down.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it. You’re right, something shady is definitely going on.”