Chapter 11
“Bom Dia, filho.” Raul woke up early Saturday morning to a ringing phone. Before Raul even had a chance to greet his mother, he heard another voice on the line.
“Good morning, Raul.” Raul had to stop himself from groaning. His mother, along with Iris, Nikola’s mother and for all intents and purposes, his second mother, were both on the line. This could only spell trouble. Whenever the two tag teamed him like this it usually had something to do with his love life.
“We know you’re in Chicago on business, filho, but we wanted to catch up. You never call your mother anymore. How are you doing? Are you working too hard? Are you eating well?” Raul’s mother asked in her concerned voice.
Once again, before Raul could even get a word out, he was interrupted. “Same here. He never calls or comes by to visit his second mother. Even though we live in the same city.” Raul heard the admonishment in Iris’ voice.
“Filho, is this true?” his mother asked.
Of course it’s not true. I speak with you both at least three times a week. He wanted to say, but held his tongue.
“No, mama. I’ve just been busy with work. You know that’s why I’m in Chicago now.” It had been three weeks since Mercedes and Raul’s first explosive night together, and they were now in Chicago for more performances of hers. They’d gotten in the night before, and spent a good part of the night doing some very inappropriate things to each other’s bodies before falling in a dreamless sleep. But he couldn’t tell his two mothers that. So, as he eased from under a still sleeping Mercedes, and walked into the living room area of their hotel, closing the bedroom door behind him, he merely listened to the two women as they talked.
“Yes, Nikola says you are working with a friend of Devyn’s. Is that right?”
That damn Nikola. He and Devyn were still in Brazil for the summer, and likely spent time visiting his parents, who were like second parents to Nikola. His friend knew telling his mother he was working with Mercedes would peak her interest.
“Oh, you mean Mercedes?” Iris interjected. “Are you helping her, Raul?” She asked.
In more ways than one. Again, he opted not to share those thoughts with the two women.
“Yes, Mama Iris. I am helping Mercedes. She’s had a little trouble,” he said not wanting to go into full details.
“And how is that going?” His mother asked, but he could hear an underlying curiosity in her voice. She wanted to know if it was more than just business.
“It’s going fine. We’re in Chicago for, uh, her work and I’m here to make sure she remains safe.”
“Oh, son, you don’t have to hold back, we both know Mercedes performs burlesque. That cat was out of the bag a long time ago. She’s absolutely fabulous too. She’s beautiful and the Godmother of my grandbabies, Rosaline. You have to meet her,” Iris announced excitedly. Raul wasn’t surprised Iris knew Mercedes was a burlesque dancer, she’d surprised Nikola and Devyn with the news she’d been to a number of Devyn’s shows. Being from Brazil, and growing up attending Carnival, he knew his mother wasn’t uncomfortable with women dressing in a way some in the U.S. would call scandalous, for the public. He’d grown up seeing his mother, and other family relatives decked out in their Carnival costumes, elaborately decorated, and women dancing freely in the streets.
“Oh, Iris tell me about her,” Raul’s mother demanded.
“Well, like I said she’s Godmother to Theodore and Jacques. She and Devyn attended college together, and she is beautiful…” Raul drowned out the two women as he stared out the hotel’s window, down onto the Chicago streets. It was only 8am, so there were few people out and about. Raul thought about his nervousness for Mercedes’ performance that night. Since his employees were busy with other assignments, he didn’t have any back up with him in Chicago. The summer was in full swing and many of his high-end clients wanted extra security for their parties and getaways. Raul usually traveled a great deal during this time of the year with his top clients, but he’d made Mercedes his priority, for reasons he didn’t want to analyze at the moment. Especially, not with both his mothers on the phone speculating as to what was going on.
Raul turned as he heard the creek of the bedroom door open. He licked his lips when he saw Mercedes standing there dressed in the dress shirt he’d stripped out of the night before in his rush to feel her skin against his. The bottom of the shirt skimmed the tops of her thighs-thighs that reminded him of dark chocolate, both in the smoothness and taste. In fact, he had a taste for chocolate at that very moment. Forgetting the conversation happening on his phone, he took a step towards Mercedes.
“So, you’re just working with this Mercedes, filho?” Rosaline’s question halted his movement. At the same time, Mercedes realized he was on the phone, and whispered she would be in the bedroom.
“Is that her?”
Damn.
His mother had hearing like a damn cat. Nothing ever got past the woman. Even speaking in a whisper his mother could hear Mercedes’ voice.
“It’s quite early in the morning, no?” she asked, half reprimanding, half joyfully. He knew how bad his mother wanted him to marry and have a family she could love on. Usually thinking of the M-word made his heart race anxiously, but this time he didn’t have that reaction. Again, he chose to wonder about the reason why later. Much later.
“Yes, it’s early here, Mama, but security is a twenty-four hour job,” he said cryptically.
“Mmhm, I bet it is,” both Iris and his mother said at the same time. The two women had formed a unique bond in the decades since Nikola and Raul had become friends. When Iris’ husbands was killed in a car accident years before, Raul’s mother had stayed with Iris for weeks, as she grieved. They also bonded over lamenting that their sons’ were unmarried. Now that Nikola was married with a family, the two women focused on Raul, and Nikola’s younger brother, Andre. Neither woman would be satisfied until their boys were in love and married. Raul merely shook his head. The trio talked for another ten minutes, mostly focused on the two women inquiring about his relationship with Mercedes, and Raul working hard to evade their answers. Raul had to use nearly every evasion technique he’d learned at West Point and in the Army to escape this conversation without his mother and Iris going out and searching for a wedding planner. He’d thought if the U.S. was really serious about the War on Terrorism, they should just send Iris Collins and Rosaline Santiago into question suspects. If they both knew the depth of his feelings for Mercedes, they’d surely up their campaign to see him married in the near future.
After reassuring both women he would make sure to call them more often, they thankfully, let him off the phone. He walked into the bedroom to find Mercedes lying in the center of the bed, propped up on her elbows, knees bent, and legs apart. From where he stood, he could see that she wasn’t wearing any panties. He licked his lips as he stared into what he’d come to call the center of Heaven.
“So, security is a twenty-four hour job, huh?” she asked spreading her legs even wider.
Raul nodded, “It was either that or tell my two mothers I had you up half the night screaming my name.”
“Oh really? ‘Cause if memory serves, I heard my name called a few times.”
“You sure? I don’t remember that,” Raul said leaning, his head to the side as if trying to recall a memory.
Mercedes slid off the king sized bed and came to stand in front of him. “Let me remind you.” She rose up on her tiptoes, and placed a kiss on his lips, then moved down to his neck. She slowly ran her tongue along his collarbone, and Raul’s cock was instantly hard. She heard a low groan above her. She’d learned early on that licking and sucking on his collarbone was one of his sweet spots. She allowed her hand to run up and down his bare chest, while she moved down to twirl her tongue around one nipple then the other. Painstakingly slowly she kissed down his torso until she was on her knees in front of him. Tucking her thumbs in the waistband of his sweatpants, she pulled them down his lean hips.
Raul wore no underwear, and his cock sprang out of his pants. For a second she thought of teasing him, until she looked up into his eyes. The need she saw in his gaze penetrated to her core. Mercedes used her tongue to spread the pearl of pre-cum that emerged from the tip of his shaft. Deciding against taking it slow, Mercedes fit her lips around his girth and sucked him into her mouth. Raul groaned even louder as his head fell back against the wall behind him. At first, Mercedes let just her moistened lips caress up and down his shaft, but when she felt Raul’s hands in her hair, encouraging her for more, she upped the ante. Mercedes allowed her tongue to glide along the underside of his cock, while she hollowed her cheeks and sucked. She could already feel the weight of his cock grow heavier in her mouth as it filled with cum. She placed her hands on each of his butt cheeks and deepened her sucking. She knew Raul was on the edge when his grip tightened in her hair, but she pulled back, releasing his cock. Before Raul could protest, she dipped her head lower, sucking his balls into her mouth, and using one hand to continue stroking his length. She continued this for a few moments, before returning her mouth’s attention back to his cock. She quickened her pace, and took him to the back of her throat. She used one hand to massage his balls, as she let her tongue toy with his cock. Within minutes she felt his balls draw up, just before his cock bulged even more.
“Shit. Fuck. Mercedes!” she heard Raul yell above her, just as his semen splashed against her tongue. She continued to suckle him until the very last drop. When he stopped cumming, Mercedes felt him slump against the wall, as she stood up.
“You remember now?” She asked in response to his teasing from earlier.
Raul watched as she turned and walked towards the bathroom, unbuttoning and removing his shirt as she went. Just as she made it to the door, she peered over her shoulder.
“You coming?”
He knew this woman was going to be the death of him, but he’d go out a happy man. He half-smiled as he summoned the will to push himself from the wall, remove his sweatpants, and follow her into the bathroom.
*****
Chrissy, one of the stage kittens at the Chicago club, yelled out: “Knock ‘em dead, Dahlia!” Mercedes had performed there every summer, and a few holiday weekends throughout the year, for the past few years. The regular performers and owners had come to know her face, and greatly respected her as a performer. She’d just stepped out of her private changing room, to find Chrissy ogling Raul, as he waited for her. The sense of possessiveness she felt had grown exponentially in the past few weeks. She usually wasn’t a jealous or possessive partner. In the past, if a partner of hers had a wandering eye, she’d let them go without much fanfare. But with Raul, she’d see random women eyeing him and she found herself pulling him closer or putting his arm around her waist just to let those women know he was taken. It baffled her how much she’d come to care for him in a short period of time. And truthfully, it scared the hell out of her. She’d come to know the Raul under the exterior. Yes, he was gorgeous, successful, and extremely charming, but he was also compassionate, family-oriented, and one of the smartest people she’d ever met. He’d opened up his home to keep her safe and shared stories of his family and growing up in Brazil, his time at West Point and in the Army. For her part, Mercedes told him bits and pieces of her childhood, stories of her time at Howard and what drove her to try burlesque once she had her own independence. She didn’t go into detail about her relationship with her parents or how strict her father was on her, while he had countless extramarital affairs. If she shared that, she’d also have to share her fear of commitment. Instead, she held that part of her heart from him, fearing if she let him all the way in then she’d have no defenses against falling completely in love with him. Still, she feared she might be heading in that direction already.
“Thanks, Chrissy,” she said, as she adjusted the pink frills that adorned her black corset. She bent at the waist and smoothed up her black leggings, not because they were wrinkled, but because she knew it would get Raul’s attention. When she stood back up, the look on his face told her she’d accomplished her mission.
“If you want to make it to the stage, you’ll cut that out,” he whispered in her ear. Chrissy seeing the obvious chemistry between the two, opted to head back down the hall in the opposite direction.
Wise choice, Mercedes thought, as she felt Raul’s hand at the small of her back, escorting her to the stage area. They’d gone over and over the safety plan for this weekend. Luckily, this stage set apart from the audience, and a little higher up, making it difficult if anyone decided to jump up on the stage. Even though Mercedes knew her stalker was still out there, she felt safe as long as Raul was around. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She trusted that with her entire being. Although she hadn’t performed at the Black Kitty since that night, she’d performed at other Atlanta area clubs, and in Savannah. Raul was with her every step of the way. As a safety precaution Mercedes scaled back on the promotional events she often did, and did not tell anyone her schedule. Though she’d rather be able to join in on the promotional events, she understood the safety concerns and abided by Raul and his team. When the announcer finally called Black Dahlia to the stage, Mercedes was ready to go.
“Go get ‘em, Querida,” she heard Raul say behind her as his hand slapped her ass. That man loved to feel on her behind, and she didn’t mind one bit. She sent a wink and blew a kiss to him over her shoulder before walking on the stage.
With the spotlight on Mercedes in the darkened club, she forgot about the threats of a stalker, her suspension from her job, and even her fear of commitment. She let all her inhibitions go when she was on stage. When the sounds of Beyonce’s Lay Up Under Me began, Mercedes briefly looked to the side of the stage and Raul’s face was the first thing she saw. Her moods often dictated her performances. She chose songs and routines according to how she felt. She’d spent the past week choreographing a routine to this song because, in spite of herself, the upbeat melody and words of the song fell in line with her growing feelings for Raul. Mercedes crisscrossed the stage, pausing at the edge to give the audience a shimmy of her breasts. She glided across the stage, moving her hips and snapping in time with the music. She seductively began to unbutton the back of her corset, stopping to tease the audience, before dipping at the waist, doing a flick of her hair, and coming back up in nothing but her black pasties up top. She danced, and spun around, gyrating to the music and feeling free. The lyrics of the song matched to how she felt when she was with Raul. When they were together nothing else mattered. They could lay up under one another, make love well into the night, or laugh together. Mercedes turned and presented the audience with her backside as she popped her hip from side to side in time with the music, letting the frills on her panties move and sway. Mercedes spun around, dropped to the ground, and hit her signature move, dragging her toes as she moved her hips up towards the ceiling, while supporting her weight on her forearms. She twirled her hips, and moved them up and down as the audience clapped and whistled their appreciation. She loved that burlesque audiences were not afraid to show their appreciation, and in fact often competed to see who could applaud the loudest for the performer on stage. As the music ended, Mercedes dropped down and sat up on her knees giving the audience one last shake of her pasty covered breasts, and blew them a kiss. As euphoric as she felt on stage, that feeling was nothing to what she felt as she exited the stage and saw Raul clapping and whistling for her. She instinctively went into his outstretched arms. When he wrapped his arms it felt like coming home.
****
“Sir, there’s a problem with your room.” Raul stared at the hotel’s head of security. He knew the man wasn’t referring to the room he’d just stepped out of, closing the door behind him. He and Mercedes had just returned from her performances and she’d gone to take a shower when he heard a knock on the door. Peering through the peephole he saw the tall, bulky frame of the hotel’s head of security. Raul quickly opened the door and stepped into
the hallway when he saw the worried look on the older man’s face.
“There was an attempted break-in?” Raul raised his eyebrow at the man. In an attempt to throw off anyone who may be following them on their trip, Raul called ahead and had a room reserved under Mercedes’ name, and one under an alias he often used while working for clients. Since the first night they spent together, Raul and Mercedes shared rooms, which worked for him for other reasons, but it also was beneficial for Mercedes’ safety. Apparently, now someone had tried to track down the dummy reservation that he made under Mercedes’ name.
“What happened?” he asked in a no-nonsense tone; his instincts on high alert.
“Well, they never actually made it to the room, but one of our staff found that someone tried to break into our computerized guest list using a virus. It was relatively easy to thwart, but we were able to read the encryption of the name they were looking for. It was for a Mercedes Holmes, the same name you reserved a room under. Our team is trying to track down the source of the virus, but we’re running into some trouble. Though the virus wasn’t sophisticated enough to infiltrate our system, sourcing it has still been a problem,” the head of security stated, a frown marring his peach-colored face.
“Damn it,” Raul cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to leave Mercedes alone to head to the hotel’s security office. He knew he and his team could easily source the originator of the virus, but he would need access to the security’s system. He and Mercedes were scheduled to leave first thing in the morning. He didn’t want to leave her or alert her if there wasn’t any cause to. He quickly thought of a plan to get the information he needed while simultaneously keeping Mercedes in the dark.
“Is there a way for your team to send me the information you have?” Raul asked. “That way, I could analyze the information from my Atlanta office and if necessary send another one of my team members back to Chicago to meet with the security team.”
Black Dahlia: Book 2 of the Black Burlesque Series, BBW, BWWM romance Page 13
