by nikki blaire
“This isn’t so bad.” Ayda’s tone was hushed.
“No, it really isn’t.” He responded just as quietly. The moment seemed so fragile. It was as if it would shatter to pieces and fall away if they spoke too loudly.
“I’m just hoping that you really are as great as you seem. No bodies under your floorboards or a secret wife.”
“Wait a minute, those are on the same level as bad to you?” He started to laugh, but Ayda’s expression cut him short. She was serious.
“I promise, no bodies, no wife.” He smiled at her, his conscience rising up in his chest. He could have taken this moment to open up about Trinity, but he decided to keep that nugget of negativity to himself. He and Ayda were just getting to know each other, and he didn’t know too many people who liked to have everything dumped on them at once. He reasoned that since she already knew about him being a single father, that was enough, for now. He would share the rest whenever she asked.
“Yea, that’s what they all say until it all unravels.”
She snuggled into him before eventually falling asleep. He took advantage of the moment to leave a kiss to her forehead, but the kiss gave way to greed. It felt as if they hadn’t kissed in a lifetime and now he was feeling like a starved man. Tremaine dropped his gaze down to her closed eyes, and then to her lips. He licked his own and then leaned in to leave a soft kiss on hers. She didn’t push him away, so he kissed her again, deeper this time. A slight moan escaped her lips and her eyes fluttered open. He expected her to put up some sort of protest, but instead, she leaned in and let him continue.
He dipped in for more, so hungry now that he couldn’t control himself. His tongue darted out and quickly pushed through her parted lips for another taste of her. He tried to savor it, but he was in too much of a frenzy as his tongue searched for hers. He needed that contact to soothe the intense aching in his body. Once they connected, he swirled his tongue around hers and relished in its wet, soft, smoothness. Then, his hands were moving, roaming over her arms, inching lower, until he was gripping the thick round cheeks of her behind.
His hand slipped inside her shorts and he lost it. The skin-to-skin contact was a catalyst for his hormones. He was squeezing and kneading the fleshy mounds, gripping and swearing to himself as he wondered how something could be so soft and firm at the same time. One hand moved around to the front and that’s when Ayda jerked away.
“We can’t do this.” She pulled back. Her chest heaved and her eyes were glossy. She didn’t seem sure of what she was saying, but eventually, she pulled his hand from her shorts.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t…I…” Tremaine was stammering. All of the blood had rushed from his brain. He felt like a blubbering zombie. “I shouldn’t have.”
“No, it’s not that.” She shook her head forcefully. “I’m, you know,” She tried to insinuate, but Tremaine’s mind was too foggy to comprehend. “I’m on my period.” She blurted out.
“Ooooh.” He was finally coming to his senses. “I’m sorry. It’s cool. We can just lay here. You were falling asleep anyways.”
“You sure?” She searched his face for any hints of disappointment, but found none. He had not had sex in eight months. Another night was nothing to him.
“Of course. I’m good. We can just lay here for a little bit. I’ll leave after a little while.” He glanced down at her, his libido finally subsiding.
She nodded and then rested her head on his chest, and soon the sounds of her soft breathing lulled him to sleep as well.
Chapter Nine
Ayda stirred then stilled once she realized someone was lying next to her. She hadn’t woken up to another person in her bed in years. She glanced at the strong body next to her then quietly slid out of Tremaine’s embrace.
“What the hell?” She muttered to herself, unsure of how she had let something so intimate happen.
“Dammit.” She cursed herself for liking how at home he looked wrapped in her comforter. She moved to get up from the bed, but Tremaine’s arm stiffened around her.
“Rushing off to make breakfast?” He peeked through an open eye before letting his mouth curl into a smile.
“Not even,” She sucked her teeth.
She grabbed her phone from her side table to check the time. It was early morning and her calendar was reminding her about her mother’s brunch meeting for the Spring Gala. Renee would be over soon to ride with her to her parents’ house.
“Shit.” She growled again then forced herself out of bed out of Tremaine’s grip. Her first stop was the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. She threw on something comfortable then went back to her room to wake Tremaine up. She pushed the bathroom door open, ready to hurry him out, when her eyes fell on the most amazing specimen of man she had seen in a long while. Her eyes bulged, while she studied him, getting dressed beside her bed. His chest was defined, golden brown and covered in tattoos, while he stood pulling his pants up around his waist.
“When did you take off your pants?” She nearly shrieked at the sight of him. Her gaze traveled down to the sizeable morning wood poking out of his boxers, while he tried to zip himself up.
“I was sleeping. I wanted to be comfortable. Calm down, I’m putting them on.”
Her mouth gawked as the tented boxers twitched while he still tried to cover himself up.
“Yo, stop staring.” He chuckled, but Ayda couldn’t take her eyes away. Her mouth had fallen open and her center was becoming a milky mess.
“I can’t help it. It’s staring at me. Make it go down.” She finally looked away to find herself something else to wear that would be acceptable to her parents.
“I can’t just make it go down when it’s like this. I need to um,”
“To um what?”
“Use the bathroom. Is that okay with you?” His amusement was evident in his eyes and smile. Ayda snorted her approval, as he made his way by her to the bathroom.
Her phone rang and Renee’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hey, Renee.” She snatched the phone up, and then calmed herself. She needed to sound like nothing was out of the ordinary.
“I’m downstairs. Can you come down and get me?”
“Yea, no problem. I’m actually getting dressed, so I’ll be down in a minute.” She threw out the first lie that came to mind. Renee would never let her hear the end of it if she found Tremaine in her house. Although nothing happened, this most definitely felt and looked like a “morning after.” Ayda quickly pulled on a simple dress then pulled her hair into a neat puff with the curls spilling out to frame her face. She brushed her edges down, put on jewelry, and then brushed on a touch of make up. Her mother would scold her if she looked anything less than pristine.
She turned at the sound of her bathroom door opening. Tremaine walked out with his pants on and zipped up, but his chest was still a distraction.
“You look great. I’ve been meaning to tell you that I like your hair that way, natural. Are you going somewhere?”
“Thank you and I’m going to my mother’s.” She dabbed on her perfume, barely able to hide the vexation in her voice. “Renee’s downstairs waiting on me, so you have to wait here for a minute and then come down.”
“Wait a minute, what? Why do I have to wait?”
“Because she can’t see us leaving here together.”
“But she already knows that we’re dating.”
“A date. We went on a date.” Ayda corrected, while she fluffed her hair in the mirror. She spun around to find him standing right behind her. He pressed himself against her and kissed her neck.
“You’re ashamed of me?” He left a wet, warm trail from her neck to her shoulder.
“No.” She sighed into him. “Who could ever be ashamed of you.” She bit her bottom lip, wishing that confession had not rolled out. She made a mental note to get this word vomiting under control. “I just don’t feel like answering all of her questions on the way to my mom’s.”
Tremaine squeezed her arms,
but let the issue go.
“Alright, fine. You go first, and I’ll hang back in the hallway until you’re gone.”
“Thank you.” She grabbed her tablet and phone then shoved them into a purse. “I’ll see you later. And you still owe me a date.”
Tremaine followed her out of her apartment into the hallway.
“We’ll see.” He scooped her up into a tight hug before she broke away to rush to the elevators that went to the lobby. She clamored onto one, and when the doors reopened, Renee stood at the receptionist desk.
“Hey, sorry you had to wait.”
“No problem. It’s fine. I needed the time to fully wake up anyways.” She glanced down at Ayda’s bag. “You didn’t bring your laptop with you? I forgot mine, but need something to take notes if I’m going to really help you with this gala thing.”
“It’s the Spring Affair.” Ayda corrected. “And don’t make that mistake at the meeting. Those ladies will act like you crucified Jesus himself.”
“Alrighty then. Let me put on my ultimate bougie hat for this.” She laughed, then moved past Ayda to the elevators that she had just stepped off of. “I’ll just go upstairs and get your laptop. Is it in your office?”
“Wait.” Ayda lurched forward to grab her arm. “I have to find my keys.” She was trying to stall her long enough for Tremaine to get down to the lobby without her seeing him.
“Okay,” Renee glared at her in confusion. “Well, walk and find.” She pulled her arm away then headed straight for the elevators again. As soon as she approached, the doors pinged open, revealing Tremaine.
“Oh my.” Was all Ayda heard come out of Renee’s mouth, as she rushed up behind her to cover up what was glaringly obvious. “Hello, Mr. Henley. It’s nice to see you again.”
Renee held out her hand for Tremaine to shake as she stepped off of the elevator. He glanced over at Ayda before responding.
“Good to see you again too. Please, call me Tremaine. Ayda, good morning.”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Good morning.” Ayda stepped into the waiting elevator. “Come on, Renee if you want this laptop.”
Renee’s eyes darted between the two of them before she scooted in between her.
“Great to see you ladies.” Tremaine flashed a faint smile over his shoulder before the doors closed.
Ayda waited patiently for Renee to jump on her, but she did not say a word. They went into her apartment, grabbed the laptop, and then went to Ayda’s car. The car ride was just as silent until Renee finally let out a long sigh.
“That’s it? You’re just gonna sigh instead of talking to me?” Ayda could not take the tension anymore.
“I mean, what is there to talk about? It seems pretty clear to me that you don’t wanna talk about it at all since you were going to such lengths to hide it from me.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide him. I mean, it...I mean whatever. I wasn’t trying to hide anything.”
“Then what do you call it, Ayda? Because it sure looked like hiding to me.”
Renee kept her eyes forward, refusing to look in Ayda’s direction.
“I was just trying to avoid having to do this.” Ayda motioned between them. “But I ended up making it happen anyways, and I’m sorry.”
“Save your sorry’s and just tell me what’s the deal. Are y’all screwing, dating, what? And don’t you dare say y’all aren’t doing anything because I saw him, Ayda.”
Ayda shook her head.
“Well, for starters, we’re really not doing anything, yet. He works in my building.”
“Girl, don’t you try and play me for dumb. He was working in your building on a Saturday? So, is he like the janitor?” Renee’s face balled up into a frowning expression.
“I’m not lying. He does work in my building, and no, he’s not a custodian. He’s a property manager. ”
“Tomato, to-ma-to. Same thing.” She interjected.
“It’s not the same thing, but even if it was, would that matter?”
Renee sighed deeply, as if she were thinking about her next words carefully.
“To me, no. To you, maybe not, but to your family, from what I’ve seen, hell yes. I can already hear Marc with his sarcastic tone drone on and on about how you’re sleeping with the help.”
“Okay, number one, I’m not sleeping with him. Number two, he is not the help. I didn’t even know he worked in the damn building when I met him. We met at the coffee shop when his daughter bumped into me.”
“And he has a kid?” Renee scoffed. “This is going to be epic...and you forgot to mention all of this before he came to the office the other day. Wow.”
“Are you judging me? Actually, are you judging him?” The need to defend Tremaine kicked up inside of her.
“No, of course not. You know that I would never judge anyone. I’m just saying that this will be quite interesting once your family finds out about y’all doing nothing. And don’t say they won’t because they will. You told me that you like this guy, and it’s obvious that he likes you. I mean, y’all looked like you were two seconds off of each other in your office the other day.”
“We were not.” Ayda shrieked as she pulled to the gate surrounding her parents’ home. She typed in the code, and then waited for the iron doors to move aside. “And my family has nothing to do with this. Who says he’s ever going to ever know them? You know that’s not my thing.”
“Neither are morning after’s, but that’s exactly what I walked into this morning isn’t it? Tell that lie to somebody who wasn’t there. And I don’t know why you’re holding out, but you and I both know that won’t last long. Then, once he turns you out, you’ll have some explaining to do.”
“Turns me out? Renee, please,”
“Renee, please nothing. You and I both know that man has got more than lil’ bit and it’s very clear that he knows how to work with it.”
Tremaine’s very noticeable attribute briefly flashed in Ayda’s mind.
“See, drooling already.” Renee’s giggle brought her back to the present as she parked her car in the front driveway. There were not many other cars, which meant many of the women hadn’t arrived yet. Ayda sighed in relief. After such an eventful car ride, she needed a moment to gather herself before being bombarded by the Black bourgeoisie.
“Look, I’m sorry for making you feel like I was keeping him from you. You’re my friend and I wouldn’t do that. Forgive me?”
Renee eyed her for a short moment then smiled.
“Only if you give me all of the juicy details after you get some.” She smirked then opened her car door. “Now, let’s get this gala thing out of the way, so I can get back to my bed.”
“It’s the Spring Affair, Renee.”
“Yea, yea. I know.” They both stood in front of the steps that led to the massive porch. Ayda took the first steps forward with Renee following close behind. She knocked on the door, and a few moments later her mother swung it open.
“Oh, Ayda,” She gave her a daughter a once over. “You’re wearing burnt orange? That’s more of a color for fall and not spring, don’t you think?”
Ayda tossed a glance at her mother without further response, as she stepped into the foyer.
This was going to be a long morning.
“Good morning, Mrs. Forde.” Renee stepped between them, sensing the blooming tension.
“Renee. It’s so great to see you dear. We’re happy both of you are here to help. And you’re wearing yellow. A much more fitting color.”
Claudette led the way further into the house towards the table setting for brunch. As they walked through the house, Ayda felt her chest tightening while she passed women that she had not seen in years. She would not get through the Spring Affair if she was already experiencing anxiety at a simple brunch meeting. The ladies smized and gave out polite hellos to her and Renee, some stopping to make small talk. She remained polite, but was sure that she would be the topic of gossip as soon as she walked away.
“Ah, Ayda, it’s so gre
at to see you outside of work.” The sound of Tracy’s voice made both Renee and Ayda come to a screeching halt.
“I can drag her now since I’m not at work.” Renee whispered in Ayda’s ear through gritted teeth, but Ayda patted her shoulder to keep her at bay.
“Hi, Tracy. Great to see you as well.”
“Oh yes, Tracy is handling our invitations.” Claudette stopped walking as well to join the group. “Speaking of, we need to get one out to your guest, Ayda. The event is fast approaching.”
A look of triumph appeared on Tracy’s face, while their earlier conversation replayed in Ayda’s mind.
Are you bringing a plus one? I’m sure one of your boy toys would be happy to come, or will you be propositioning one of your brothers’ friends?
“Surely we don’t need to send Renee an invitation.” She tried to find a way out of admitting that she was still dateless. There was a list of men that she could call up for a one-night rendezvous, but she would not dare bring any of them to an event like this. Her family would be there, and so would Aaron. She had to bring someone that could one up him somehow.
“I’m talking about your date, dear.” Her mother cut in.
“You do have a date, don’t you?” Tracy fired right after, which left Ayda no room to delay. She had to think quickly.
“Oh yea, of course. You can send an invitation to Tremaine Henley. He’s my date.” She nudged Renee who was already giving her a curious look. “Renee will send you his address before we leave today.”
“Ah yes. I will.” She chimed in. Tracy’s cocky air deflated and she walked away leaving Ayda alone with her questioning mother.
“Henley? That’s not a last name that I know. I also didn’t know you were seeing someone.” Claudette crossed her arms. “But like I said before, you’ve taken to letting me be the last to know.”
“Mother, it’s a new relationship. It happened quickly. I haven’t told anyone and if you didn’t think I had a date, then why even bring it up?” She rolled her eyes. It was disrespectful, but her mother had pushed her buttons.
