Jaylin

by Brenda Hampton

  Jaylin’s breathing increased. His lips quivered, he was fighting his words. Just as he got ready to release them, a lingering tear rolled down his face. He blinked his long lashes, looking at me with his heart-piercing eyes. “I need you,” he said softly. “All I need is you again, and I give you my word that I will never hurt you again. I promise, just . . . just don’t give up on us. You’ve given up on us and I you can’t. Stop this pain from burning through my soul, baby, please put a halt to my pain.”

  My eyes were filled with tears and a magnitude of sorrow. Seeing him like this took me back, way back, to when we were children. Through every painful experience he’d had, I was there. Even on the day of our divorce, I felt everything he’d felt. Today was no different, and on Jaylin’s birthday, I couldn’t allow him to walk away from me for good. As his head was lowered, my forehead touched his. My hands were still grasped on his collar; I tugged it to get his attention.

  “You want me, you got me,” I confirmed. “But now what, Jaylin? Where do we go from here?”

  He moved his head from side-to-side. “I don’t have you like I need you. Travis does, and you can’t dispute that.”

  “No, Travis doesn’t have me. You do, and shame on you for believing that I could ever love another man, more than I love you. Now, let me ask you again. What do you want? It’s your birthday, so be as wishful as you want to be.”

  Jaylin reached up and wiped another tear that had fallen from his eye. He then brushed away mine, and with my face cupped in his hands, our quivering lips made a connection. The kiss went from deeply passionate to severely intense. So intense that I could feel an electrifying tingling sensation rising from the tips of my toes, to my hotspot that felt as if it was being tickled. I was eager to feel Jaylin inside of me again, and not even giving a care who was in the restaurant, I aggressively yanked at his shirt, ripping it down the middle. I grubbed my hands all over his carved chest; his hands were underneath my dress, gripping my soft mountains. My panties were in the way, but right after he hiked me on the table, they vanished. I unhooked his belt buckle, snatching his belt from the hoops. His pants were loose, and in a matter of seconds, I unzipped them and dipped my hands inside to massage his ass. From there, I journeyed to his loaded weapon that stood at attention in his briefs. I felt it grow from nothing to something—something that I could no longer resist. My strokes on his steel energized him. And in one swoop, his arm cleared the table. The wineglasses, China and candles crashed on the floor, causing the couples around us to gasp. I expected someone to interject, but pure silence followed. I leaned back, Jaylin was right there between my legs, inching closer. He breathed in, I breathed out. My arms were latched around his neck and with no space in between us, he released his package, finally bringing it home. I wheezed out loudly, and with my arms secured around his neck, I reached up to tighten my fingers in his curled hair. I pulled tighter as our bodies rocked together without missing a beat. Our breathing increased with every long stroke he delivered—my mind was swirling in circles. I couldn’t believe this was happening—why now, why was I doing this, and why did it have to feel so good? Jaylin held my legs wide in his arms, and with his wrinkled shirt hanging on one shoulder and pants down to his ankles, he set my whole body on fire. Sparks sprayed from my wet coochie; I could hear fireworks in the background sounding off. I gyrated my hips to adjust to his pace, but as his thrusts strengthened, the way I was positioned on the table didn’t work.

  “I . . . I feel you, Jaylin, all of you. But I need to feel more. Take your clothes off. Do me from behind and show me what I’ve been missing.”

  Just for a few minutes, he shut me down. He backed out of me, exposing his dripping wet muscle that was heavily glazed with my syrup. Hurrying to resume, he raised my dress over my head, tossing it aside. His shirt, pants and briefs were stacked in a pile near his feet. I needed to feel his nakedness close to mine, so I pulled him closer and clasped my legs around his waist. I uncontrollably massaged his chest, clutched his ass and stole numerous kisses from his lips and tongue that tasted like sweet honey.

  “Jaaaylin,” I cried out between each sensual kiss that left me craving for more. I just couldn’t get enough, and in a fit of passion, I reached for his package, resting it between my moist folds.

  “Wait a minute.” He stepped back and pivoted to address the couples behind us who sat in complete utter shock and awe. All eyes were focused on us, including Romero’s and the chef, who had obviously exited the kitchen to get a glimpse of the action. They stood like mannequins, and hadn’t said one word.

  “Dinner, wine, dessert, diamonds or whatever is on me,” Jaylin said to the couples. “Just leave your business cards on the table and I’ll pay generously for the inconvenience. I need some privacy right now. Will you all please exit?”

  The two white women sat in a trance with their mouths wide open. Their eyes were bugged and zoomed in below Jaylin’s waist. The men took peeks at me, but they were the first ones to make a move. Each of them left cards on the table, and everyone stood to exit. It was a slow exit—one that brought about a little confusion when one woman asked the other a question that her date didn’t approve of.

  “Was that thing real?” she asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Her man was offended. They argued on their way out, and after they left, Romero and the chef disappeared. Jaylin turned around, facing me again. The look in his eyes told me how he wanted to serve me, so I positioned my body over the table, resting comfortably on my stomach. My legs were spread wide. I looked straight ahead at the beveled mirrors in front of us, viewing nothing but pure sexiness as he boldly stepped up behind me. I didn’t dare want him to witness my facial expressions, but when he brushed his head against my folds, I clamped my eyes shut. Several deep breaths followed; his sudden entrance made me pause and contract my stomach. My eyes shot open and to muffle my murmurs, I bit into my lip, licking them to catch my saliva.

  “Keep your eyes open and look at us,” he said, looking at the mirror too.

  He bent over me, pecking his lips on my upper back. He dragged his wet tongue down my spine, and as he stretched my insides to full capacity with his super-hard muscle, my facial expressions spoke volumes. I kept opening my mouth to suck in air, while forcing my fluttering eyelids to stay open. I immediately adapted to his rhythm, and for fifteen long minutes, we indulged ourselves. Wetness covered our bodies and our enthusiastic voices sung out loudly. My face was shielded by my arm, but Jaylin wasn’t having it.

  “Look at me,” he demanded.

  “I . . . I can’t,” I mumbled. “Not now.”

  “Baby, look at me. I need to tell you something, please.”

  I slowly lifted my head to glance at the mirror so I could see him.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “Tell me you still love me too and that you never fell out of love with me.”

  “I dooooo,” I admitted. “I said I do and I meant every word that I said.”

  “Good. Now, hang in there, alright,” he said, encouraging me. His hands roamed and caressed my shapely curves. “Smile too. You’re so beautiful when you smile, and with all of this in you, why not smile?”

  I flashed my pearly whites, but kept lowering my head and tugging at my flat hair. The feeling . . . the feel of his dick journeying deeper while brushing against my walls left me feeling high. I could no longer “hang in there” and as his fingers wiggled over my clit, I stomped my foot on the floor and screeched loud enough to break every piece of glass surrounding us. Shards flew everywhere, causing my eyes to shoot open. In a very confused state of mind, I saw and felt Travis vigorously shaking me like a ragdoll.

  “Nokea!” he shouted as we lay in bed together. “Wake up!”

  I was so startled that I quickly backed away from him and tumbled to the floor. My butt hurt, but I covered my mouth, thinking about what had taken place in the dream I’d had.

  “Are you alright?” Travis rushed to say with frustration on his f
ace. “You kept moaning and groaning—I couldn’t even wake you up.”

  I removed my hand from my mouth, feeling so ashamed of myself for having such a dream. It seemed so real, and as sticky as my insides were, it felt real too.

  I rubbed my forehead, as if it ached. “I . . . I’m okay. I just had a nightmare. Somebody was chasing me.”

  Travis sat on edge of the bed, reaching for my hand so he could help me get off the floor.

  “Did you see who it was? I mean, I thought you were having a seizure or something.”

  That was putting it mildly. “No, I don’t know who it was, but I’m glad it’s over. I need to go splash some water on my face so I can get back to sleep. Sorry for waking you. I know how much you need your rest.”

  “I do, but I’ll be fine. I can’t sleep that well in this hotel room, but you know that staying the night at Jaylin’s house was out of the question.”

  “I know, but let’s not discuss that again. Okay?”

  Travis agreed, and as I headed to the bathroom to get myself together, I thought about our conversation from earlier. The second we arrived in St. Louis, Travis said he didn’t want to stay the night at Jaylin’s house. We got a room at a hotel that was less than two miles away. I kind of understood why Travis had issues with spending the night there, but with the kids being there, it was more about me spending as much time with them as I could. Besides, Jaylin wasn’t there. Nanny B said he was on vacation; I had no idea where he’d gone to. I guess our so-called end celebration was weighing heavily on my mind. Did it bother me so much that I had to go there like that in a dream? I was so shocked by the dream that I couldn’t even think straight. All I wanted to do was calm myself and do something . . . anything to work off this dire need I had for sex right now. I was sure Travis could help with that, so after I gathered myself in the bathroom, I stood in the doorway with no clothes on, calling his name. He turned around, looking at me with a sly grin on his face.

  “If you can’t sleep,” I said. “Maybe I should get back in bed and take advantage of you.”

  Travis yanked the covers back and patted the spot next to him. “Maybe you should. And if I’m the one chasing you, good things will come, once you’re caught.”

  I made my way to the bed, and as Travis brought me back to reality, I felt better. Thoughts of Jaylin had been pushed to the back of my mind.

  The following morning, Travis and I put on our clothes and were ready to tackle a busy day. He seemed a little on edge, and when I inquired about his demeanor, it appeared as if he was grasping at straws to create an argument.

  “For some reason,” he said, sitting on edge of the bed while putting his shoes on. “I just have a feeling that you’re not as excited about this baby as I am. You haven’t even told your parents yet, and I would think your mother would be the first person you would want to know.”

  I sat on the bed next to him, trying to explain why I wasn’t ready to tell my parents. “I will tell them in due time. My parents never wanted me to have children out of wedlock, and it was a disappointment for my father when I told him about my pregnancy the first time. He loves LJ more than anything in the world, but I’ve never forgotten my father’s reaction that day. If I tell him about our baby, I’m not sure how he’ll respond. I just want to give it a little more time; hopefully, you can understand that.”

  “Your father won’t feel the same way if we’re married. I don’t know what the holdup is, but just like everything else, Nokea, you continue to make excuses that trouble me more than you know.”

  He got up from the bed and walked away. I felt horrible about this. I thought my reasons were legit, but no matter how Travis felt, I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone else about the baby yet.

  On the drive to Jaylin’s house, Travis sat quiet as a mouse on the passenger’s side. He didn’t seem like himself lately, and even though I figured he was still bothered by his last encounter with Jaylin, I wasn’t sure if he harbored ill feelings toward me about that day as well.

  “I hate to keep asking you this, but are you upset with me about something? If so, Travis, please tell me. I’m sensing something with you, and I’m trying to deal with all of this as best as I can.”

  “You’re not the only one trying to deal with it.” He turned his head to look out the window. “I’m trying to deal with a lot. The first thing is, being in your ex’s house all day. I hope we get a chance to go somewhere else while we’re here.”

  His bitterness was starting to annoy me. “You can go wherever you wish. I told you the reason I was coming to St. Louis. That was to spend time with the kids and my parents. You didn’t have to come, especially since you’re acting as if you don’t want to be here. Yesterday you seemed fine. Today, however, is a different story.”

  “I have no problem with the kids, and you already know that. I just can’t deal with your ex. I don’t like how he conducted himself at your place that day, and I haven’t been able to get over it. Being in his house seems awkward to me. The less time we stay there, the better. I’m only hanging around for a few hours today. Then, I plan to go find something else to do.”

  Without even knowing it, Jaylin had me in a bad spot. I wished he hadn’t gone there that day, but for now, I had nothing else to say to Travis about it. The bottom line was, if he didn’t want to be in Jaylin’s house, he never should’ve come to St. Louis with me. I did, however, take what he’d said into consideration. We stayed at Jaylin’s house until noon. After that, we piled into the SUV with the kids and went to the zoo. The kids were having fun; Travis seemed a bit more at ease. He laughed with the kids, bought ice cream for them, and pointed out several animals as we rode the train. The only thing that pissed me off was what he’d said to LJ, as he was standing up on the train.

  “Sit the fu—sit down!” Travis shouted. “If you fall and bump your head, boy, that’s on you.”

  My head snapped to the side. I was getting ready to put Travis in check, but LJ spoke up before I did.

  “Travis, you’re not permitted to speak to me like that,” he said politely. “You’re not my Dad; therefore, I don’t have to listen to you.”

  I quickly spoke up while pulling on LJ’s arm so he could sit down. My eyes, however, were zoned in on Travis. “Don’t you ever speak to my child like that. Your tone was unnecessary, and there’s a better way to speak to people, especially children, when you want them to do something. Furthermore, you’d better make sure that never happens again.”

  LJ sat with his brows furrowed, he wasn’t too happy. Neither was Travis. He looked at me with fury in his eyes.

  “I was only trying to prevent him from hurting himself. Since I’m not his father, I guess I’m supposed to sit here and let him stand up when the signs around us clearly say everyone must be seated.”

  I snapped back. “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it. You were out of line, period.”

  “For the record, your kids fall in line, I don’t. And when all is said and done, he shouldn’t have been standing up.”

  “You’re right. But when all is said and done, maybe you should’ve stayed home.”

  Travis nodded but didn’t respond. I couldn’t believe what was happening to us; we had never experienced anything like this. I mean, we had minor disputes from time to time, but something about this was different. Travis had never raised his voice at my kids, and I didn’t like it one bit. It surely dampened the mood, and when we returned to Jaylin’s house, Travis changed clothes so he could go with my father to play golf. The golf course was located within the subdivision. They couldn’t have asked for a better day, and at 81 degrees outside, the weather was perfect.

  Since the kids were a bit disappointed about our abrupt departure from the zoo, we decided to hit up the kitchen and make a variety of cookies. My father and Travis ate some before they left, and Nanny B and my mother were outside on the screened-in porch that viewed the Missouri River. I could hear them laughing and talking about some of my mother’
s church members that she didn’t get along with. She and Nanny B could stay on the porch for hours and hours, drinking wine and listening to music. I also loved the peacefulness this house provided. It was one of the best pieces of property Jaylin had built from the ground, and it was unfortunate that no one lived here on a daily basis.

  The kids and I had the spacious kitchen in a mess. Several bowls were on the island, flour was on the hardwood floors, cracked eggs were on the table and more cookies were already in the double ovens baking.

  “Time to clean up.” I wiped my dirty hands on the apron. “Jaylene, you go get the broom, and Mackenzie why don’t you start cleaning off the table.” I looked around for LJ who had suddenly disappeared. “Where did LJ go?”

  Just then, he came into the kitchen, extending his cell phone to me. “Here, Mom,” he said. “Dad wants to speak to you.”

  I sighed, already knowing what this was about. Before I spoke to Jaylin, I told LJ to help clean up. Justin and I went into the parlor room that was structured like a half circle. I sat on the sofa, put Justin on my lap and then put the phone up to my ear.

  “Yes, Jaylin. What’s up?”

  “One question and you’d better have the right answer. Why in the hell is that muthafucka yelling at my son?”

  “Look, I don’t care if my answer is satisfactory to you or not, but I already spoke to Travis about his tone. It was inappropriate and it will never happen again.”

  “It better not happen again, and if it does, I’m going to drill my foot in his ass and yours. You know I don’t play when it comes to my kids, Nokea, and the way I see it, that bastard shouldn’t even be in my fucking house.”

  “Well, he is, and you know what, Jaylin? I really don’t have time for this. He made a mistake, and I corrected him. Now, we move on. I don’t even know why LJ called—”

  “Because I’m his fucking father,” he roared. “He’s supposed to call me, and if you want to pretend that this ain’t no big deal, that’s you! It’s a big deal to me, especially when I know that when Travis looks at my son, all he sees is me! It’s no secret how he feels about me, and—”