Vérité

by Rachel Blaufeld

  Tiberius walked me home after his game, our dinner, and studying, leaving me at the door with gentle kisses and big promises.

  When I crawled into bed, I tried telling myself that promises were good. They were something I’d never had or believed in growing up, but had heard they existed. Just not for me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I deserved promises, I still wanted actions—because actions implied more in my emotionally barren mind.

  I still was trying to understand what Tiberius meant about it meaning something when we were together. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to reconcile how I foolishly thought it meant something with Pierre. In reality, I was nothing more than an easy piece of ass for him, and he viewed himself as a quick A+ for me.

  Puttanesca. Perrier. Thriller by Michael Jackson. Tuxedos.

  At first I was hot and then cold, kicking the covers off and pulling them back on, my mind playing games until dawn. As the sun slowly broke the horizon, I was finally dozing when my alarm blared through the room, signaling it was time for practice.

  I could barely keep my eyes open by the end of the day when Tiberius showed up at my table in the Union holding a large coffee.

  “Hey, are you a mind reader?” I asked him as he waved the steaming disposable cup in front of my nose, startling me. I inhaled deeply, breathing in every last molecule of java goodness.

  “Yeah, that’s me. Basketball player, mind reader,” he answered with a cute smile, his dimples coming out to play. He stood over me wearing low-hanging jeans and a Nike dry-fit T-shirt that clung in all the right places.

  “Seriously, how did you know I needed this?”

  “See that booth over there?” He tilted his head toward the far side of the Union where green herringbone banquettes lined the wall.

  “Uh-huh,” I answered.

  “I’ve been sitting there for the last thirty minutes watching you yawn,” he said as he slid into the booth next to me. “Thinking about how good you look.” His voice was deep and gravelly, his fresh-from-the-shower smell wafting under my nose.

  “Stop,” I protested, but not really meaning it.

  “Why you so tired?” he asked, leaning close, whispering his question, his breath like hot lava on my skin.

  I shrugged, not wanting to fess up.

  He winked. “I didn’t sleep so well last night either.”

  “Not my fault.” I was pulling out all the punches, flirting on all cylinders despite my tank being on empty.

  “I know, self-inflicted but worth it.” He shrugged. “Go ahead, enjoy your liquid love,” he said, nodding toward the cup.

  I took a big sip, moaning as the hot liquid slid down my throat, warming my belly and immediately jolting my brain awake. A tiny bit dribbled down my chin, and Tiberius raised his thumb and swiped it off.

  “Liquid love, you could say that again,” I announced before taking another big swig. “So, what are you up to other than stalking me?” I set my coffee down in front of me, wrapping my hands around the slender cup.

  “I’m done with class and was studying, but one of the guys is having a gig down in the townhouses, so I gotta go. Was hoping to find you, bring you with me.” He stretched out, his legs spanning the whole width of the table, his athletic shoes sticking out the other end.

  “Oh, I don’t know. You sure?”

  I didn’t know where the hesitation was coming from. In an instant, my flirtatious self was gone, leaving a timid schoolgirl in her place. I didn’t want to be just an obligation, but wanted to matter. Not to just anyone, but to him.

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t, Rex. Come on, let’s roll,” he said, standing up and grabbing my coffee.

  “Don’t take that! I want to finish it,” I yelped.

  He laughed, flashing his dimples at me. “I’m just fooling with ya.”

  “Good!” I declared, stomping my foot to make my point.

  He nodded his head toward the door, and out we went.

  We stopped by my place, where I changed into skinny jeans and a tight pale-pink tank top. After throwing on a worn leather jacket over the tank and yanking on my black motorcycle boots, I was good to go.

  Our walk to the townhouses was brisk; the air was chilly now that November had arrived. Soon there would be snow, and my workouts would be moved indoors to the gymnasium building where I would circle the track over and over again. Like my life, where I kept circling back to a dead end, a place where there were no answers or solutions, and definitely no future.

  On the track, you never really went anywhere, and neither did I. My existence was one big gerbil wheel, and I wasn’t sure that was enough anymore.

  When we neared the townhouses, we could hear music blaring a few doors away from Ty’s place. It was so loud, I was surprised the whole house wasn’t shaking. As we approached, Tiberius whispered, “Stick with me, don’t wander all around.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Want everyone to know you’re my girl.”

  I slapped his bicep in response, but probably hurt my palm more than him.

  The place was packed wall to wall with athletes. Everywhere I looked, there were tall, broad well-muscled guys and fit, gorgeous girls. It may as well have been a Sports Illustrated Special Edition party. The kitchen was converted to a full-serve bar, and someone offered us a huge joint as we walked into the common room.

  “Nah, thanks, man,” Tiberius answered. “You want?” he asked me, raising an eyebrow.

  I shook my head. I’d never gotten into smoking anything, especially with my need for lung power in running. It was sweet the way Tiberius asked me, though.

  “Whattaya want to drink?” he asked me.

  “Actually just water, if they have it,” I yelled over the crowd.

  “Okay, wait here.”

  I was positioned near the corner, relaxing as the tunes seeped deep into my veins. Rocking from side to side, I checked out the scene in front of me. Although everyone was loud and rowdy, they all seemed so happy. I’d never witnessed anything like it before, and sadness washed over me. Where was all the happiness in my life?

  Before I could sink completely into a melancholy funk, Jamel and Lamar came crashing through the room, Lamar holding something high above his head.

  “Mar! Give it,” Jamel shouted.

  “Dude, you’re not getting this back,” Lamar yelled back.

  I tried to focus on what he was holding. “Oh my God,” I whispered to myself, then ducked my head and covered my eyes.

  “Hey.” Tiberius had made his way over to me holding a bottle of beer and a bottle of water, completely oblivious to the ruckus in the middle of the room.

  “Is that what I think it is?” I asked, my face still planted in my hands. I peered through one eye, spreading my fingers just a sliver so I could see him when he turned toward his teammates.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  He handed me my water, and I brought the cool bottle to my cheek in an effort to cool my blush as I grunted in disgust.

  Tiberius slanted an amused glance at me. “You girls don’t run around with each other’s bras?”

  “Uh, no. And that’s not a bra,” I said with a shudder. “That’s a jock strap.”

  “I prefer cock sling.”

  I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “You wear one of those?”

  “Nah, not usually. I go with the compression shorts, but Mel is real protective of that area. Overly protective.” He took a sip of his beer, then wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me close. The music had changed to something less pulsing, more rhythm and blues. “Enough about Jamel’s junk.”

  He moved us as one to the beat, his leg coming in between mine, but this time it was so much more seductive. My arms stretched high to wind around his neck. With Tiberius singing softly in my ear, we danced like that for another three songs, the world falling away in one fell swoop.

  “You ready to go?” The eyes he pinned on me were anything but innocent, his dimple nowhere
in sight.

  Taking in his change of mood, I nodded and said, “Yes,” but it came out hoarse with lust.

  He took my hand and guided me through the crowd toward the door.

  Jamel and Lamar had settled down and were drinking in the kitchen. “Ya’ll leaving?” they hollered after us. “’Bye, T-Rex.”

  My cheeks burned with the blush that crept back onto my cheeks. God, these guys.

  I didn’t ask if Ty was walking me home. Not wanting the night to end, barely tired anymore—unsure if it was the coffee or just being in his arms—I wanted to freeze-frame the moment. When he started walking on the path toward his townhouse, I didn’t say a word, just followed. He had his arm thrown over my shoulders, and I felt like a peanut next to him.

  It was a shame I didn’t believe in superheroes; Tiberius could have been my own personal Superman.

  “You okay with this?” Tiberius asked as we stopped in front of his place.

  I nodded.

  “Say it, Rex.”

  “Yes.”

  When we walked inside, I stopped in the foyer and asked, “Where’s Trey? I didn’t see him at the party.”

  “He went back to Cleveland. Keep it on the down low. Coach’d be pissed.”

  We stood in the hallway, staring into each other’s eyes, both of us afraid to make a move. Tiberius lifted one large hand and ran it down the side of my face, reaching back to release my ponytail and allowing my hair to fall in blond waves around my face.

  Taking his time, he swept the errant pieces behind my ears before he bent low to kiss me. This time his kiss wasn’t gentle. His mouth was urgent and bruising on mine, as if he’d been lost in the desert and I was his first taste of water in a long while.

  He walked us back toward the wall, caging me in, never letting go of my lips. His tongue swept through my mouth as his hand traveled down my side, finding purchase on my hip. My hands wound their way around his neck as I stood on tiptoe before he picked me up and carried me into his room, still not breaking the kiss.

  Once inside his bedroom, he broke away. “This okay?”

  I nodded and then added a breathless, “Yes.”

  Turning, I walked toward the bed and crawled onto the mattress, eventually kneeling on the edge. Tiberius stood in front of me, my face finally even with his broad chest.

  “Beautiful,” he mumbled as he slipped off my leather jacket and slid the straps of my tank top off. Once my neck and shoulders were bare, he leaned forward and placed kisses all along them, then teased the top of my breasts with his warm breath and smooth tongue.

  My senses came alive. Woodsy deodorant and musky male scent swirled in the air around me. Everything was much more vibrant—his navy shirt looked like the midnight sky, and the pale pink of my tank shimmered in the moonlight streaming through the window. My fingers tingled to touch and my skin hummed with need. My belly roared with want and hunger, but not for food.

  I brought my hands to the hem of his shirt, interrupting Tiberius’s trailing kisses long enough for me to fling it over his head. He followed suit and pulled my tank off, unhooking my bra to release my breasts. Finally, we were skin-to-skin, his heart beating against mine.

  “Like ya, Rex,” he whispered, and I smiled against his lips. “Told you it’s gotta mean something.”

  I smiled again, this time nodding my head.

  Tiberius stopped kissing me and lifted my chin, bringing us eye to eye as our hearts beat in sync.

  “I like you too, Ty, but I don’t get why me?”

  “’Cause you’re not into me for my jump shot or my jersey. ’Cause you got the best smile when you let it come out. ’Cause you’re kick-ass fast in your running shoes. ’Cause you’re tough and sweet, but don’t even know it,” he mumbled all along my cheek before he started kissing me earnestly again.

  We went toppling onto the bed, his body tumbling over mine. He caught his weight on one forearm and brought his other hand to cup my cheek. Intrigued, I raised my head and licked along his flat nipple, tracing his tattoo with my tongue.

  “I’m not sure that’s what my school had in mind for their crest,” he said with a smirk, but I didn’t stop, just continued my exploration, my tongue finding a narrow ridge along his abs. I followed it down south until Tiberius yanked me back up.

  “Huh-uh, Rex. You’re not taking over.”

  I wiggled up and around until I could see his expression. The confident alpha of moments before was gone. Apparently, I’d embarrassed him.

  “I’m not taking over, Ty. I just wanted to touch . . . explore you.”

  “Well, you don’t get to bring the whole I seduced a teacher thing into the bedroom with me,” he said, tiny specks of coal flashing through his blue eyes.

  “Okay.”

  I wanted to reach up and press my mouth against his, but I waited for him to cave and lean in. He took my lips in a gentle kiss, and we started over. Momentum built quickly between us, and Tiberius ran his hand along my side. His palm came to cover my breast, his thumb drawing circles around my nipple. I reached around his back and smoothed my hands over the hard planes, taut with tension.

  The tiny cracks in his fingers—I assumed from dribbling the ball—felt so good coursing along my sensitive skin. I moaned into his mouth, and rather than swallowing my tiny sounds, he let go of my lips and let my purring fill the air.

  This time, he was the one to begin traveling south, and I let him have that move. First, he took my nipple with his mouth and sucked hard while he brought his hand up to my other one. The contradiction of his soft and smooth mouth on one breast and his rough hand on the other was driving me to the edge—fast.

  “Tiberius,” I whispered.

  “S’okay?” he mumbled along my cleavage.

  “Yeah, feels good,” I said, my fingertips drawing figure eights on his back. I wanted more, but I didn’t push. The hard truth was there was something to be said for how Tiberius was taking his time; I was just too impatient to admit it.

  With my mounting excitement, I lost track of how long he adored my breasts, but I brought myself back to the moment, telling myself to savor whatever this was—this being what Tiberius was doing to me. My senses were already strung out when I felt him unbutton my jeans and slip them down, urging me to lift my hips so he could maneuver them the rest of the way. Kicking my boots off, my pants were gone in one fell swoop. Then, Tiberius let his tongue dip and linger along my belly button before hitting my core.

  “Ah,” I let out, revealing too much pleasure, yet not saying enough.

  “This okay?” Tiberius asked again.

  It was obvious he was afraid to push me beyond my limits. I wasn’t sure if that was because of his lack of experience or something else, maybe his general nurturing nature, but I didn’t have time to ponder it as he flicked his tongue along my clit. When he slowed to a teasing pace, taunting my tiny bud, causing my back to arch off the bed, it was clear he was not lacking any knowledge in knowing what to do down below—with his tongue.

  “I’m gonna come. I’m gonna come,” I choked out. Not knowing what he expected or wanted, I now knew without a doubt that he needed to be in charge. Wondering if I should just let go, I desperately reeled in the flood that was ready and waiting to course through my veins.

  When he said, “Let go, Rex,” I did on a scream. His name came tumbling off my lips into the dark night, echoing in my head, or maybe I just kept repeating it. I was so loud, they may have even heard me all the way at the party.

  Tiberius made his way back up my body, planting kisses along my torso, blowing on my already distended nipples, and nuzzling my neck. I could smell myself on him, and I hoped he didn’t mind.

  “Wow,” I breathed out, then snaked my hand down to his waistband and ducked in, grabbing his dick before he could protest. I wrapped my hand around his girth—not able to fit it all the way around—and started teasing and pumping.

  “Tingly, stop, babe.”

  I froze. “Why?”

  �
�’Cause you don’t have to, that’s why. Tonight was about you, about me taking care of you,” he said before he took my hand and drew it up around his neck. Then he planted a huge kiss on me and swung me over to his side, settling my head on his chest as he asked, “Want to sleep here?”

  All I did was nod before drifting off to sleep in Ty’s long wingspan, my head moving with the rise and fall of his chest as the aftereffects of the most insane orgasm soothed me like a lullaby.

  The next morning I woke up plastered to Tiberius’s side, my arm thrown over his thick waist, my hair a rat’s nest on top of my head, and my muscles more sore than after running for days.

  I didn’t feel like moving or fleeing. A blanket of contentment washed over my tired limbs as I took in his steady breathing, the rise and fall of his broad chest. In front of me was a dream come true, a fairy tale worthy of being in the movies, encapsulated in a weapon. His muscles were like steel, his arms coursing with veins from shooting day after day, his calves bulging from lifting high on his legs. But as I lightly ran my fingers over the smooth skin on his arm, I knew this to be only the outer packaging. Wasn’t that what I’d been seeking my whole life? For someone to see me as more than a blond, blemish-free California socialite?

  “Hey.” Tiberius rolled over in bed, pulling me into his arms as he kissed my forehead, then moved down to my mouth.

  I batted at him, protesting, “Ugh, my breath.”

  He paid no mind to my warning and began kissing me. He kept it closed-mouthed, our lips fusing for the briefest of moments before he pulled back and mumbled, “Morning.”

  “Hi.” I nuzzled my head under his chin and placed a kiss on his collarbone, running my tongue along the plane from one side to the other.

  “Feels good.”

  I looked up and pouted.

  “What’s wrong?” A look of panic swept over his typically relaxed features.

  “I gotta go. I need to be in the weight room today. Worst day ever.”

  He pulled me in tighter, squishing me against him, and ran his lips along my brow. “You gotta work at being strong, T, just like everyone else.”