Fast Life

by Cassandra Carter

  “I can’t stand Michael. I can’t believe I have to room with him for this whole trip,” Natasha grumbled as she played in the sand with her feet.

  “I think you like him,” Kyra teased in an innocent tone.

  “No the hell I don’t! And I know you ain’t talkin’ when you were all in the dark last night with Justin!” She twisted her neck as she spoke, and the subject made Angel sit up with interest. “Oops…” Natasha covered her mouth in sarcasm.

  “Oh! You went there with it, huh?”

  “What happened?” Angel asked.

  “Nothin’ happened,” Kyra said.

  “Honestly?” Tasha prodded.

  “Yup.”

  “That’s bullshit.” Both girls turned to Angel, surprised by her language, and laughed.

  “I know you guys didn’t think I never cursed, did you?” she said with a devilish smile on her face.

  “Um…yeah…actually, I did,” Kyra answered, saying her words slowly.

  “Well, anyways…I mean, spill the beans. I know something happened. I love Quentin with all my heart, but Justin looks good, so let’s be real. It’s obvious you two like each other, and now you’re together for a few days away from home in a nice place. You’re sharing a room, and that room has a bed. You would be dumb not to do him.” She directly shared her viewpoint. Kyra was shocked by her sudden change in attitude, but she liked it.

  “Okay. Okay, damn. Yeah, we almost did it. But then someone over here by the name of Natasha had to come and bust up the moment!”

  “Aha! I knew it! I knew it! Kyra was gonna get her some!” Her friend fell back on her towel as she let loose with a roar of laughter.

  “Where’s Kyra?” Justin asked. The boys had finally made their shoreline arrival.

  “She went to cool off,” Natasha answered as she turned over to bronze her back. Kyra had left only moments earlier to go take a dip in the waters of the Caribbean.

  “Oh.”

  “Baby, do you want me to rub your back down?” Quentin asked his girlfriend as he admired her tanned skin.

  “Yeah,” she cooed.

  As Michael looked over Natasha’s firm body in her lavender string bikini, he wished he could pose the same question to her but instead shifted his thoughts to the pigskin he was holding.

  “J, you ready to get down with some football?”

  “Yeah, that’s cool. Let’s go. Q, you coming?”

  “Yeah, in a minute.” He looked up at them for a quick second and then refocused on Angel’s partly oiled back.

  Justin and Michael moved a few feet away and began to toss the football back and forth. At one point Justin caught the ball but never threw it back.

  Kyra had emerged from the sea in her white bikini. Water dripped down her body and its many curves, and her hair was soaked. She flicked it to the side with one smooth motion of her head. Justin was hypnotized by her. He had never seen her body so close to naked or so beautiful.

  He dropped the ball, abandoning the game, and walked slowly over to her. She was just as mesmerized by his finely toned body and glistening skin as he stood before her in his swim trunks.

  “Hey, when’d you get here?” she made a conscious effort to focus her eyes on his face so he wouldn’t notice them roaming over his muscular build.

  “Not that long ago.”

  “Oh.”

  “I, umm…like your bathing suit.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “Do you wanna get in? The water feels so good,” she said as she looked out at the rolling waves and then back at him.

  “Sure.”

  It didn’t take long for everyone else to join in. Between games of chicken and people being tossed here and there, Kyra and Justin seemed to keep finding each other’s eyes. Little did they know they weren’t the only ones exchanging looks.

  “Mike, are you a’ight?”

  “Yeah I’m fine, why?”

  “Because, those fine-ass girls just passed us and you didn’t say anything,” Justin pointed out.

  “Nada,” Quentin added.

  “So?”

  “So any other day you would’ve been all up on them, trying to spit game to each one at the same time.”

  “Maybe his back hurts too much to spit game.” Quentin cracked a joke that only he and his brother enjoyed.

  “It’s not because of my back. I’m fine. But I’m going to be real for a minute. Don’t laugh.” He was serious.

  “Okay, we promise not to laugh,” Quentin said as he held back a laugh.

  “I really like Natasha. No joke. And it’s got me buggin’ because I don’t know what to do! She is not feeling me! She won’t even give me the time of day. I don’t know what to do to show her that I’m not playing games with her. The same reason I like her is the thing that is holding me back. She’s playing hard to get,” he explained.

  “You know, I think this is a time for an ‘I told you so.’”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I told you that one day you’d find a girl you would really like, and bam! Here she is,” Quentin said, reminding his friend of one of their past discussions.

  That night Kisses, a popular club on the island, was packed, and the line for entry stretched all the way around the corner. The bouncers were especially nice to Justin and Quentin and let them, as well as their guests, stroll in past the others in line. They were catered to like celebrities.

  It was dark except for the dance lights and fog coming from a combination of people smoking and the disc jockey’s smoke machine. The complex smell of cologne, coconuts and marijuana filled the air, and the bass of the music shook the walls. As soon as the group stepped through the door, they could feel the intense heat coming from the moving, grinding bodies on the dance floor. No one in their party wasted any time joining the crowded mass of people on the floor.

  Kyra emerged from the bathroom in a short pink satin and lace nightgown. She sloppily pinned up her wet curls as she walked into the sitting room. Justin’s back was to her as he faced the balcony. She slowly made her way over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder to offer comfort. He acknowledged her presence by taking her hand in his and kissing it softly.

  “I love you.” His love and passion for her was visible in the tone of his random confession. “I understand if—”

  “Shh.” She hushed him with a finger over his mouth, “I love you, too,” she replied, shocking herself at her own sudden honesty and admittance.

  “Then be my girl?”

  She moved in cautiously and pressed her lips against his for a moment. “I’ll be your girl,” she whispered before she moved back in for another kiss.

  Their kissing grew passionate, and their tongues became intertwined. Justin’s hands freely roamed her body in exploration as he kissed and sucked her neck.

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he laid her on the cool sheets, sending shivers down her body. He climbed onto her, looking into her eyes the whole while.

  Kyra brought him closer to her. She needed his body and his comfort. She needed him, period. His smile, his laugh, his voice, his touch, his protection and, most importantly, his love.

  He slipped off her negligee and stimulated every part of her with his lips. Kissing down her breasts, her stomach and all the way to her belly button and south. He brushed her thighs with his mouth, teasing her, to build her desire for him. He played with her body until he could hear her whimper.

  He started to massage her with his tongue, causing her moans to become louder and her hands to grip the sheets. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Makai had never done a thing like this before. She had heard about it from Mercedes, and when she’d suggested it to Makai, he refused, saying it was “nasty.” She’d had no idea how good it would feel. She’d had no idea what she had been missing.

  Justin retraced his trail of kisses and removed his boxers. He lay ready to penetrate her when she stopped him.

  “Do you have a…”
r />   He reached down on the floor into his jeans pocket and retrieved a black condom. It was a Magnum XL. Kyra’s eyes grew wide, and Justin let out a small chuckle as he tore the wrapper open and covered himself.

  For a moment, Kyra thought it was all a dream. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference, but she was more than convinced that it was a reality when she felt him inside her. As he slowly entered her wetness, she bit down on her lip and let out a moan. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer to her as he gradually sped up his thrusts.

  As he moved faster, submerging himself deeper inside her, her moans became louder, and so did his grunts and groans. Their breathing became heavy and their bodies dripped as they rubbed against each other.

  Kyra unwrapped her legs from around Justin’s waist and spread them as far as she could, allowing him to go deeper and faster than either of them thought possible. Her moans turned to pleasure-filled screams as she repeated his name and he grabbed her thighs. She clawed at his back and softly bit his shoulder as their moans became their new language.

  They communicated only with moans, their eyes and their tongues. The pleasure they generated was incomparable, and it only felt better with every stroke. Sensations grew so intense neither party wanted to stop. Their bodies shook and quivered together several times throughout the night, until all energy was spent.

  Finally Justin rolled over and Kyra positioned herself in the nook under his arm, resting her head on his chest. That night it was as though they became one. That night he made her feel complete. That night she knew she wanted him with her forever and he knew the same.

  The next morning, Kyra’s eyes slowly opened to the bright sunlight cast across the room. She looked over to see Justin lying next to her. She weakly smiled at the memories from last night that flooded her mind. She studied his features as he lay peacefully next to her in the sunlit room. She planted a gentle kiss on his lips, awaking him from his slumber.

  “Hey…” Justin uttered. His voice was full of sleep.

  “Good morning, baby.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Uh…it’s ten-thirty,” she told him, reading the clock from her side of the bed.

  “We should get up and get dressed. We have to get back home soon.”

  “Okay.” She stood and wrapped herself in one of the bedsheets.

  “Damn, girl,” he said as he watched her hips sway until she vanished into the bathroom. She let out a giggle and shut the door.

  CHAPTER 12

  When Natasha and Michael returned from their nighttime stroll, Kyra came at her friend with tons of questions. Natasha teased and taunted her until later that night. As the two best friends sat on the porch swing sharing Kyra’s last Cuban cigar, Natasha let her friend in on her secret.

  “Come on, man. Tell me! Fa real, this ain’t right,” Kyra was begging in frustration. She sounded only seconds away from throwing a temper tantrum.

  “Okay, okay!” Natasha laughed as she blew smoke out of her mouth. “You remember when we went down to Kingston?”

  “Yeah?”

  “And you remember when I had got sick that night at the club?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well…I wasn’t really sick.”

  “I’m lost.”

  “I did it to go back to the hotel to be with Mike.”

  “Oh my God….”

  “Wait, wait! Listen.” She giggled.

  “I’m listenin’.”

  “When we got back to the room, things got a little—how should I put this?—serious.”

  “So you guys made out?”

  Natasha shook her head no.

  “Oh no! You…you…you know!” Kyra exclaimed. She was practically the only person who knew that her friend was still a virgin. At least she thought she was still a virgin.

  “Yeah, we did it,” Natasha said nonchalantly.

  “What made you do it? And with him? I told you about him!”

  “I don’t know. It just seemed like the right time. I know what you said about him, but he’s really cool, and he’s sweet when you get to know him. He’s better than half the niggas back home, I know that.”

  “I been knowin’ that nigga for how many months now and I haven’t seen shit sweet about him.”

  “Anyway…me and him had our little fling while I was here and everything. That’s what we were talking about on the walk. He wanted to be in a relationship, but I said no. I’m not down for no long-distance business. It was fun while it lasted, but now the fun is over. It’s not like we can’t keep in touch, though. I gave him my number, but that’s as far as it goes.”

  “I feel you. You gotta do what’s best for you.” Kyra blew tobacco smoke through her lips.

  “You know, I really had fun on this trip,” Natasha concluded.

  “I know! I don’t want you to go!” Kyra giggled to cover her sadness.

  “You should come see me up in Chi-town next summer or something.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know how I really feel anymore about going home.”

  “Man, don’t let that shit keep you from home. You can’t let what happened with Makai and Mercedes keep you down. You’re better off without ’em.”

  The girls sat and relaxed, enjoying the remaining bit of the Cuban cigar and the Caribbean night breeze. After a while, Kyra began to speak. “Tash, I have one question.”

  “What?”

  “Was it good?”

  “Hell yeah!”

  The girls burst into laughter, and suddenly Kyra’s mother appeared in the doorway.

  “What’s so funny out here?”

  “Nothin’…nothin’…” Kyra muttered as she cut off all signs of laughter in her voice, tossing the cigar butt over to Natasha, who slickly tossed it over the porch railing.

  “Mmm, hmm.” She looked the teens over suspiciously and took a sniff of the thick air. “What’s that smell?”

  “What smell?” Natasha innocently quizzed. She was barely able to restrain her giggles.

  “You two come in soon now, you hear? We have to get up early tomorrow. Oh, and keep it down. It’s late,” she ordered, shutting the door and leaving the girls outside.

  Early the next morning, Kyra stood on the dock with her mother and her best friend awaiting the ferry to Nassau. They all stood and watched the sun rising from beyond the horizon. It was the most beautiful morning any of them had ever seen.

  “Man, I don’t wanna leave,” Natasha said again.

  “I don’t want you to go, either.”

  “You should really think about coming up to Chicago next summer, fa real. And if you can’t, I’m gonna try my hardest to make it back down here. Please believe, I don’t mind a vacation to the Bahamas every summer.” Her words were half serious and half a joke.

  The girls were still gazing out at the water when Kyra spotted the outline of a boat approaching the dock.

  “Looks like that’s your ride.”

  “Yeah…” Natasha said as she lifted her suitcases from the ground.

  “It was nice seeing you. You’re always welcome here. You be careful on your way back home and make sure you call when you get in. Tell your mother I said hello,” Geneva Jones said as she gave Natasha a hug. “Kyra, I’ll be in the car,” she said as she walked away. She knew they would appreciate a moment alone.

  “Same thing she said. Be careful, and call me when you get home. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Natasha pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “Love ya like a sis,” she whispered.

  “You, too.”

  Once again, they separated without a formal goodbye, and Natasha boarded the nearly empty boat. She stood on the top deck as the boat pulled off, staring back at her friend. Natasha’s and Kyra’s eyes locked as the ferry sailed into the distance. Neither wanted to part, but that was how things had to be. It seemed like they hadn’t realized how much they missed each other until they had to go their separate ways yet again.

  After Natasha le
ft, there seemed to be something missing on the island, at least for Kyra and Michael. They both moped around for days: Michael lovesick, and Kyra feeling a touch of homesickness.

  It was around midnight, and Kyra and Justin lay wrapped in her sheets. The room was completely hushed as they listened to the rain pelt the house and the strong winds of the restless storm whistle outside.

  “You miss her, don’t you?” Justin asked, disturbing the quiet.

  “Yeah, but I’ll be okay. You should be worried about Mike, if anyone, though.” She let out a sigh and snuggled herself closer to his warm body.

  “Have you ever thought about going back? You know, to visit some family or friends…”

  “I used to.”

  “But…?”

  “I lost my reasons.”

  “What about family or your dad? You don’t mention him much.”

  “Have you ever been off the island? And I mean off any islands around here. Have you ever been to another country?” She made sure to evade his question.

  “Nope,” he responded. He had been everywhere from Japan to Africa, to Australia and France.

  “Not even to the U.S.?”

  “Nowhere. With how my father acts sometimes, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to leave, even if I want to.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “Nah. Everything I need is right here.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Tell me about your family. What are they like?”

  “Some other time. It’s late. Maybe you’ll meet them someday, if you act right.” He wasn’t in the mood to be deceptive tonight.

  “Maybe.” She smirked and playfully smacked his chest.

  “Speaking of family, are you sure your mom isn’t going to come busting up in here at any minute?”

  “Psh. She’s never home anymore. She’s always workin’ or out with friends or whateva.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “I bet.”

  Silence fell onto the room again as Justin’s fingers wound themselves through Kyra’s many curls and waves. As lightning lit up the room, he voiced a question he’d never asked before.