The Ugly Girlfriend (The Lonely Heart Series)

by Nelson, Latrivia

  Rolling them both over, he was behind her with one of his muscular legs cocked up as he pushed further. Another moan erupted from his throat. His hands held her in place, gripping her body and massaging her muscles. He enjoyed her anxiety. It aroused him to the point of sweat.

  Biting his lip, he pushed into her again, enjoying the velvety feeling of her wetness. His hand was on her hip pulling her back as he braced himself. She cried out as she felt the first recognizable tremor. He moved her hair from her face and kissed her neck. His tongue slowly made evolutions around her sensitive ear before he bit it.

  “Give it to me,” he ordered as he whispered to her. “Stop worrying about everything and just submit to me.”

  “No,” she said, enjoying him. “You have to make me,” she said, allowing all of her inhibitions to give way to his taunts.

  “Oh, now you feel like coming out to play,” he smiled, biting her ear as he pumped inside of her faster. “

  “Yes,” she panted. “Yes. Yes.”

  “Well, come out.” He pushed again. “Come,” he taunted.

  LaToya turned over with him now on top of her. She marveled at how different he was in bed. Normally, he was just a nice guy with a calm demeanor, but now he was foreboding and direct. He demanded her body with his carnal cravings.

  Clenching his jaw, he moved over her and ran his hand down to her stomach. He looked at her and smiled. “Why did you keep this from me?” he asked, rubbing his knuckle over her throbbing clit again before he ducked to her mouth and kissed her parted, desperate lips. He bit the bottom lip, tugging at it as he pumped her harder.

  Grabbing his penis, she ran it over her wetness and flicked its large head, sending a warm shudder through his groin. He groaned as she stroked him slowly, bringing him to a near climax.

  He pulled away fast and slipped her nipple into his mouth. Again he returned to her perfect, succulent breasts. Sucking at her, he opened her legs as wide as they would go, feeling her body fight the unexpected.

  “Neither one of us are going to orgasm for quite a while my dear, so you might as well stop the cheating, eh,” he said with a grin before he moved his head down in between her thighs.

  At that very moment, LaToya looked up at the ceiling fan, in the darkness of his room and forgot that she was a big girl, an ugly girl, a lonely girl. At that very moment, LaToya felt beautiful. Pulling at the sheets, clawing at the pillow, screaming his name, laughing at herself, fighting against his nimble tongue and curious fingers, she suddenly felt alive.

  Chapter Eight

  LaToya’s eye resisted the sunlight as it flitted through the wooden blinds and shined in her face. Flapping her feet against the cover, she cupped her pillow, letting out a happy sigh and turned in the comfortable bed to realize that she wasn’t at home. Mitch lay asleep beside her, resting comfortably with one arm around her and snoring lightly.

  LaToya blinked hard. She had nearly forgotten what had happened last night, nearly forgotten that she had made love until the wee hours of the morning. Unashamed, she smiled and scooted closer to him, relishing in the body heat of another person. His virile scent was amazing. And it wall all over her, in her nose, on her lips, in her hair.

  Prior to Mitch, she had been forced to endure an empty bed for far too long. She wanted to remember each sensation of what it was like, every smell, every sound, everything.

  Mitch didn’t stir. Instead, he slept even deeper with, if possible, pure contentment on his face. She looked up at him curiously. A small stubbly beard had appeared overnight.

  Up close, she could see small wrinkles in his tanned face, and she noticed that he had somewhat large ears hidden behind his curly mass of hair. All perfect imperfections. Then the thought dawned on her. What would he be like when he awoke and found her there? He would see the small stretch marks that she had cleverly hidden the night before, the excess weight, the small scars from childhood. The big imperfections that were not perfect at all.

  There was a familiar weight on her chest as she thought of the possibilities. It would be painful, if he woke and felt different from last night, but she braced herself for the possibility.

  Placing her head on his chest, she listened to his heartbeat and enjoyed the moment. No matter what today brought, last night was amazing. They had been completely compatible in bed, turned on by the same things, attune to each other’s needs. He had made good on his promise to fulfill her fantasies, taking her places that she’d never been with a man.

  As she closed her eyes, she felt his fingers in her braids. She looked back up at him and watched the slits of his eyes open to deep green gems that sparkled at her in the morning light.

  “Top of the morning to ya, lassie,” he said in a guttural, low baritone.

  “Hey yourself,” she smiled.

  Mitch frowned. “What?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, raising her head.

  “You look like you want to say something, is all.” He sat up a little. The bed creaked. She was surprised it wasn’t broken after last night.

  “I was wondering if you wanted to say something?” She waited on bated breath. “About last night.”

  Mitch face went blank for a minute and then a bright smile appeared on his lips. His furrowed brow straightened and his face lit up. His voice growled. “Last night was amazing. You were like a nimble little tomcat in bed. I would have never guessed, considering that you’re so conservative all the time.”

  LaToya laughed.

  “What else did you want me to say?” he asked, pulling her in to kiss her face. “Tell me, and I’ll say it for you in seven languages.”

  “Nothing at all.” She rubbed his chest. “Do you want some breakfast?”

  “Sounds great,” he looked in her eyes. “Wow. You’re even prettier in the morning. You know that?”

  “Thank you,” she blushed. Pulling the covers around her, she tried to pull herself from the bed but felt his hand around her waist. She looked down at it, squeezing the cushiony extra skin, and she suddenly felt embarrassed.

  “Do you think that maybe we could pick up where we left off last night before we go downstairs to breakfast?” he asked.

  “More?” She bit her lip.

  “It’s just that,” he pulled the covers from her body and looked at her naked form in the sunlight. “You look even better now that I can see you.” He pulled her hand to his growing erection. “And I do love to watch.”

  LaToya melted down back into his warm embrace and felt him searching her mouth as he pulled her on top of him.

  This is heaven, she thought blissfully.

  ***

  By the time that LaToya got home, she had three messages on her phone. One from Mitch telling her that he already wanted her back. One from Deana to check on her after Sunday’s fiasco. And one from Angela. Byron had evidently told Angela that he had fired her, but after last night, she really didn’t care. Everything seemed to take on different meaning now.

  It had taken everything in her to steal away from Mitch after breakfast, brunch and a late lunch. After sandwiches, wine and more mind-blowing sex, he had all but asked her to move in, which she had refused.

  But still, even as she had driven away from him, she already missed him. She watched his muscular frame standing lonely in his driveway disappear in the rearview mirror and felt her chest constrict. She wanted to turn back and run back into his arms like some old love story. In fact, she had to think of reasons to leave. The pull to him was so strong until she needed a moment to clear her head. Falling in love was great. Falling so quickly and so hard was difficult to grasp. But he assured her that he felt the same – assured her that he was in it for the long haul.

  As she went to her bathroom to run a bath, she glimpsed the weight scale in the corner. She gave it a conquering smile. He didn’t care the least about her weight. And while she aimed to lose more for herself, for once, she didn’t feel that it was a prerequisite for a relationship.

  The hot water c
louded her thoughts as she eased into the bathtub. The warm water attached itself to the sore sensitive spots that Mitch had managed to leave on her.

  Resting her head back, she closed her eyes and sighed deeply, finally feeling utterly exhausted. Nestling down in the comfort of her milk bath, she finally started to doze away when the phone rang.

  She gazed over at the cordless phone and rolled her eyes. Who could it be?

  Curious, she reached over and looked at the display. Angela. What did she want?

  LaToya started to ignore it, but knew that Angela would just keep calling until she answered. With soapy arms and water dripping, she reached over and grabbed the receiver.

  “Hello.”

  “LaToya,” Angela said quickly. “I’ve been trying to call you for a day. Where have you been?”

  LaToya was silent. She didn’t owe her that explanation.

  Angela immediately picked on it and smacked her lips. “I heard what Byron did. I’m trying to talk him back into…”

  “Don’t bother,” LaToya interrupted. “I don’t need his business that bad. I’ll refer him to another service on Monday. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” She rested her head back down on the pillow in her tub and wiggled her toes.

  “He’s just really upset right now,” Angela tried to explain. “This isn’t easy for him.”

  “I’m sure it’s not, but to be honest with you Angela, it’s not my problem. He tried to make it be and that was his fault. I don’t know who was most qualified for the job at their firm. But I do know that I was most qualified for mine. I did a good job for him, and just because I didn’t jump on the band wagon with you, he fired me. So…” she rolled her eyes. “It’s whatever, really.”

  Angela was taken aback. LaToya had always been level-headed and professional. She never got into name-calling or pissing matches with people, and normally, when she made her mind up, she stuck with it. However, she had always backed her – in her corner. Now, she was choosing this man, whom she claimed to have never slept with, over their friendship.

  “Look, I don’t want this to tear us apart. When Mitch is gone, we’ll still need each other.”

  LaToya sat up in the tub. “What do you mean, when he’s gone?” Her heart stopped. Did the offer as partner mean that he would have to relocate? Oh, no. She felt her breath catch in her chest.

  “Well, when you all break up, because you know that men like that are just curious…” Angela sighed. “What I’m trying to say is that our friendship should outlast some man.”

  “Men?” LaToya shook her head. This woman was impossible. “If you had said when Mitch and Byron are gone, maybe I would be less offended. But it sounds like to me what you’re implying is that I’m not good enough.”

  “LaToya, please don’t tell me that you believe this man’s lies.” Angela flipped her keychain around her index finger and sat back in her office chair. “Of course, he’s curious. You’re something new. Something he hasn’t experienced before, but when he gets familiar….”

  “I’ve heard enough. You know, you’ve always thought that somehow, because you were lighter skinned, because you were smaller, because you dated more professional athletes, suddenly I was below you. Well, I’m not. It irks you to know that I have found a good man. It really irks you to know that I’m happy, and I don’t need your approval. And it’s killing your ass to know that my man is the one who was given this promotion. But Angela, honey, you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

  With that LaToya ran her finger over the phone and turned it off. Smiling, she sat back in her tub and giggled.

  ***

  The Hadley event was held at a massive mansion on the outskirts of town. The best and brightest of the firm along with other professionals from the city gathered under the cloudless night to commend the firm’s annual accomplishments, pay homage to their clients and announce the newest partners.

  When Mitch pulled up to the front of the mansion, the valet quickly ran out and opened the door for LaToya. Nervously, she got out and waited as Mitch made his way around the car to her. Taking her hand, he walked up the stairs to the front doors. He smiled proudly, holding her hand tightly and waving at the men who stood out front smoking cigars in their thousand dollar suits.

  “I can feel your heartbeat through your hand, dear. Relax. You look beautiful,” he said to LaToya as he opened the door for her.

  “Easy for you to say. You look like a million bucks,” she said, looking at him dressed up in a tuxedo that made him look like James Bond.

  “Well, if I look like a million, you look like four million,” he said, running his hand over her arm in her black gown that had been tailored to fit her body and expose her full cleavage. “Gosh, I hope that I can keep my mind off of those things long enough to get through the night,” he said as he looked down at her breasts. “My mouth is already watering.”

  LaToya smiled. She had never met a man who loved her breasts as much as he did. At least once daily, he found a way to get them in his mouth and to get her in the bed.

  As he opened the door for her, she walked in to find the house packed with socialites. In the main hall, a woman stood by the piano singing while the pianist played a slow tune. The house was lit up with sparkling lights and people in formalwear. Waiters and waitresses in black jackets and black pants served up expensive Hors d'oeuvres and flute glasses of expensive champagne.

  “Thank you for doing this,” Mitch whispered in her ear as he waved at another man. “I want to introduce you to some people.”

  As he escorted her across the large gathering, she caught a glimpse of Angela and Byron standing by the fireplace laughing and talking.

  Angela’s mouth dropped, and she stopped mid-sentence as she feasted her jealous eyes on her heavy-set friend. She had never seen LaToya look so beautiful. And she never thought in a million years that Mitch would have the audacity to bring her here among his peers and his bosses.

  Within minutes, Mitch was introducing LaToya to the senior partners of the firm and their wives. He explained proudly that she was the owner of a thriving cleaning business and represented over ten employees who had impeccable backgrounds. The wives were impressed. They complimented LaToya on her dress, asked for her business card and shared with her their desire to find good staff for their homes.

  Speechless, Angela watched in complete awe. Everything that she had said was falling apart. Her friend, the person whom she guessed would never even be acknowledged in these circles, was the center of attention. And they all accepted her, just as she was, because Mitch accepted her. And most importantly, because she accepted herself.

  From the corner of her eye, LaToya saw Byron whisper something to Angela and point over in her direction, but Angela quickly nodded no and walked away.

  LaToya smiled and held her head up high. As she went to the ladies’ room, she passed a long mirror in the corner. She titled her head at her reflection. The beautiful, vibrant woman that she was looking at was her. It brought tears to her eyes, but she quickly pushed them away.

  “I love your dress,” a woman said as she passed. She stopped. “I’m Catherine. I understand that you’re here with Mitch.”

  LaToya turned to the dark-skinned woman in a perfect black suit with red-backed heels, and a low fade and shook her head. “Yes, I’m his girlfriend,” she said proudly. Just the mention of that fact made her smile.

  “Well, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m arriving late tonight. One of my kids was not feeling very well, but I wouldn’t miss this event for the world. So, after I was sure that he was well and off to bed, I came on and left my husband to tend to him.”

  “How old is he?” LaToya asked.

  “Ten years old now,” the woman said, waving at a group of men who called out her name.

  “Do you work with Mitch?” LaToya asked, clutching her purse.

  “You could say that,” she smiled. “I’m one of the founding partners. Catherine Severs.”

  “Of course,�
� LaToya said, shaking her head. “Malone, Severs, Nelson and Crump.” She extended her hand to shake the woman’s hand. “Well, it’s an honor to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine, really. I’ve heard great things about you,” Catherine said with a twinkle in her eye. “Now, if you’d excuse me. I really must go and say a few hellos, especially one in particular to the man of the hour, Mitch.”

  LaToya nodded and took a deep breath as the woman walked off. Can’t judge a book by its cover, she thought to herself. Suddenly, she felt completely vindicated in her support of Mitch at Angela’s house. In fact, she felt vindicated for everything. LaToya was sure that Angela didn’t know that Severs was a dark, dark, black woman. That she had chosen Mitch over Byron. That the good ole boy network, while still working somewhere, wasn’t necessarily working at this firm or in this case. And she only hoped that her old friend might find that out as well.