by Tiana Laveen
“She’s different, that’s for sure. Not my typical speed. I go slow and steady; she’s a bunch of fast loops… and I like the dizzy feeling she gives me.” He couldn’t help but smile, the excitement building inside of him.
“Speed and loops… looks like you’ve changed gears.” His best friend smiled at him and nodded, his expression reminding him of a proud papa bear.
“Hey, let me ask you something.”
“Yeah?”
“You know me and Katie’s situation. It took my parents a minute to warm up to her. I’d never brought a White girl home, you know?” Tristan recalled the situation all too well. “You ever date a Black woman before, Tristan? I mean, we’ve never discussed it but that’s because I’ve never seen you with one for as long as I’ve known you. Is this your first time?”
“No. I’ve dated Black women before.” He could tell from his friend’s face that he was surprised by that revelation. “It’s funny though, you know me… when something is short-lived I usually don’t say anything. I just don’t see the point. Dating someone for a couple of weeks isn’t really newsworthy. This right here with Carmen is an exception. She’s different.”
“I get that.”
“And I know this is going to sound cliché, but I didn’t even see her color. I mean, I knew she was Black obviously, but I was just so… I don’t know…” He shrugged. “So starstruck by her appearance that it’s like everything else flew out the window. My mind went blank.”
“I gotta see this for myself. You gotta picture of her?”
“Not one personally but it’s on her website. To be honest, it doesn’t do her a damn bit of justice, but here it is.”
Darryl got up from the loveseat, the ice in his glass sloshing about as he sat down next to him. A few moments later, his best friend’s eyes grew wide.
“Don’t tell Katie I said this, but dayum!” Tristan burst out laughing. “Okay, I can definitely see what all the fuss is about.”
“I told you! She’s bad, isn’t she?!” Tristan was all smiles, grinning from ear to ear as his best friend salivated over the woman of his dreams.
“Since when did you start describing attractive women as bad?!”
Tristan shrugged. “Just now I guess.”
They both hooted at that. Darryl drew serious once again as he looked down at the phone.
“Maaan, if I was single, I might have worked to snatch ’er from you!” he teased as he got to his feet and entered his kitchen, helping himself to another Godfather.
“We’d be having the fight of the century then. She’s single and ready to mingle. And she makes me tingle. I hope she sucks dingle.”
They both burst out laughing at his ridiculousness. Too much alcohol… The guy mixed the Amaretto and Scotch together then returned to the couch.
“Tell me something. What’s your biggest concern with this lady?”
“I think she might not suck dick… being a feminist and all.”
“Tristan, where do you get this shit from?” Darryl grinned at him.
“Can’t you hear her now? ‘I won’t suck your cooock! How belittling! You’re inferior! Worship me! I’m a woooooman! I was not born to suck on your cock! Suck it yourself! You suck on me, and be glad that I allowed you, you weakling!”
They both hooted and hollered at his Amazon angry woman rendition. After a bit more chatter, Darryl got ready to leave.
“Tristan, now when I call you in the next week or two to hang out, don’t blow me off.” The guy shoved half his body back into the doorway, jabbing his finger in his face. Tristan smacked it away, causing Darryl to grin.
“I won’t, I promise. We’ll get together soon, okay? I mean it.” Tristan stated before giving his buddy a side hug at the door.
“Yeah, we better. It was funny that you called when you did because Katie had just asked about you, too. I can’t wait to tell her about you walking in on that lady with her legs up in the stirrups!” Darryl hooted, his face flushing with color.
Tristan rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe.
“Please don’t… that was crazy.” He felt a buzz taking over, and silently prayed he’d fall right to sleep once his head hit the pillow.
“Man! I would’ve been cracking up if I had been in your shoes. I don’t know how you kept a straight face. You played it off real smooth though.” Darryl walked off his front porch, swinging his Lexus car fob.
“Darryl, hold up. Something is bothering me.”
The man turned around and faced him. “What’s wrong?”
“I just realized something else about feminists that I should be concerned about. It’s a deal breaker. My dream of a great time with Carmen could go all up in smoke.” He struggled to keep a straight face.
“What?”
“It’s serious! I’m terrified! A crisis could be imminent! So very frightened!” He pretended to be biting his nails and cowering towards the ground.
“What is it, man?!”
“I hope she shaves her pits!” He ducked when the car keys zoomed towards his face…
CHAPTER FIVE
A Tea Cup and a Turn Up
“Stirring tea…” the woman said, her voice so soft and light, airy like a white feather flittering in the spring breeze.
He could practically smell her through the phone… sweet, enchanting, brimming with the essence of strength and determination.
Tristan could hear the metal spoon going around and around, churning and churning like she did his curiosity time and time again. Darryl hadn’t been out of the house for fifteen minutes before he’d dialed her number. His mind was in a whirlwind, his heart pumping hard, and his brain swimming in booze. After the long discussion about her with his pal, how could he go to sleep? No, he figured it was time to call her and go deep… get down to business.
“I want to warn you that I’ve been drinking, but I’m not drunk.” He chuckled as he climbed into bed, clutching his cellphone to his ear. The cool sheets felt good against his bare skin.
“So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how intoxicated are you?” she quipped.
“Three. A solid three.”
“Okay, I can work with that. Thank you for all the work you’ve done by the way, Tristan, and the discount. The place is looking great!”
He loved how she squealed with exuberance.
“Hey, it’s what you pay me for. Enough about work though. I want to talk about us getting together.”
“All right. What day and time did you have in mind?”
“I have something special that I think you’d enjoy actually and it’s scheduled, pre-planned.”
“What is it?”
He could hear the smile in her tone.
“It’s a secret. It’s this upcoming Saturday and starts at six in the evening. A fancy, upscale affair. Does that day and time work for you?”
“Hmmm, okay. I believe I’m free, but I’ll double check. If one of my patients calls though, I may have to leave depending on what the issue is.”
“I understand completely.” He looked out the bedroom window to see the full moon, its bright, white glow lighting up the sky. “I’ve been coming to your office more than I need to… just to see you.”
“I know… and I’ve been making sure that you see me, as much as I possibly can…”
“Thank you, I’m glad this wasn’t all in my head, some wishful fantasy.” He smiled and slid his arm beneath his pillow as he lounged back against his headboard, ankles crossed, his gaze still fixed on the moon. “You’re so damn sexy.” She answered with a light laugh. “I find you interesting, too.”
“Well, I would hope so. Especially after you confronted me at work about my choice of reading material.”
“I’m not going to even pretend to understand it, but maybe, you know…” He shrugged. “You could teach me.”
“Are you open to learning?”
“Always. I live for it.”
“And what do I get in exchange for my instructional time?” She
chortled. He could hear her sipping on her tea.
“You get my ear and can rest assured that I won’t forget anything you say. I can teach you, too.”
“Oh really? What can you teach me?”
“Well, before I answer that, are you open to learning as well?”
After a brief hesitation, she replied, “Yes.”
“I can teach you how to plant, how to upturn the earth, the soil, make it bend to what you need. I can teach you how to grow… the soil has to submit, and then we’re at the mercy of nature. Sunlight, temperature, wind, water… these all can make or break the new harvest.”
“Mmmm, I see. How do you know I don’t already know how to garden? For all you know, right now, this second, I could have tomatoes, lettuce, and eggplants in my backyard.”
“Your hands are too soft. No one who spends most of their time close to the ground gets up unscathed. Nature has a way of tattooing you, marking you, owning you. People shake my hand and think I’m a construction worker. I am a white collar blue collar guy, a mixture of both, a rare breed. I enjoy all these different aspects of my job. I love designing landscape areas as much as I enjoy being out in the open with the guys in the bulldozers, directing them, and even dropping to my knees and getting my hands dirty. At the same time, luxury entices me. Nice cars, expensive clothing, great statement pieces… and I earned every single one of them.”
“I am certain you did. I imagine my style gets under your skin.”
Had she heard his conversation with Darryl?
“And you said I was a hoarder one time.” She chuckled. “I bet you are a minimalist… I’m curious about your house, your office, how you keep your own surroundings.”
“I am a minimalist. Good job.” He smiled and nodded, pleased with her accurate assessments. “But I was reminded that I’m a hoarder, too.”
“How can you be both?”
“I collect keepsakes, but they’re put away in a tidy manner. I don’t usually hoard things though; I hoard thoughts, ideas, observations. I hoard traditions. I keep the stuff no one else cares about, notice the things no one else does.”
“Really? And what have you noticed about me?”
“The high arch in your feet. When you removed your shoes and slid them under your desk last week, I noticed… I also noticed the slight gap between your two front teeth. It’s so minute, most would miss it; in fact, I would call it a partial gap. Your two front teeth meet at the bottom but have a bit of separation right at the gum line. How about the beautiful earlobes that you adorn with pretty, shiny things? You seem partial to small hoops and unique pieces. Your left earlobe has four piercings in it, two of which are unoccupied. You wear the same nose ring every day; I imagine you just keep it there. I can go on but does that satisfy your curiosity?”
“Actually, my curiosity about you is just getting started.”
“Perfect. That’s what I like to hear. I prefer face to face interactions but I can tell that I would enjoy talking to you all night. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yeah. What will you show me how to plant?”
“We can start with just a seed, any seed. Where you place it is just as important as what you select to plant.”
“Hmmm, yes, I can see that being true. Is there anything you want me to know about you?”
“It takes effort for me to speak eloquently. It doesn’t come naturally. My language choice is pretty simple, but since I’ve been in business mode with you for so long, it’s hard for me to shift over to my normal way of talking.” He laughed, and she did, too.
“I think that’s pretty common, you know? People speak differently in a work environment versus them just being around friends, things like that.”
“Yeah, but I just want to be myself with you, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to shift gears.”
“Is that a warning or a simple heads up?” she teased.
“I just didn’t want to take you off guard.”
“But there’s no need to warn me about being authentic. Just be you, whoever you truly happen to be…”
Carmen couldn’t recall the last time she’d had a three-hour phone call. She soaked in the tub in her en suite and craned her neck to catch the time from the clock on her nightstand. Almost midnight. With a cup of hot chamomile tea at her side and the soothing sounds of Faith Evans crooning, “Soon as I Get Home,” she was ready to unwind and go to sleep, if she could only stop her busy mind from racing.
Ever since her phone call with Tristan, she couldn’t stop smiling. She’d been waiting for that, for the man hadn’t contacted her right away after he’d asked that they get to know one another. He’d visited her office sometimes and they’d exchanged pleasantries, but he’d never mentioned the date again. Of course, neither did she…
Was it pride on his part? Who knew? He’d told her that he wanted to finish the first-floor renovations before they went out, but she didn’t expect him to not get in touch at all. He was a bit of a mystery, and yet, quite reliable all at once. Tristan was always there when he said he’d be.
If anything changed with their arrangements or agreements, he was prompt to notify her first. She liked that, the reliability. He came across as honest, sometimes a bit too much. And yet, despite it all, he still piqued her curiosity, her attraction to the man grew by the hour. She suspected who he truly was, deep within, was carefully guarded. It made her wonder what was he hiding deep within? He didn’t hide his sensuality, however. The man exuded and practically oozed of sex appeal. And the way he made her feel… The way he’d hold her gaze for far too long, the way his hand would slide across hers and then, he’d steal a kiss. His eyes, those stormy blue pools of hopes and dreams, held tight to something that made him almost unreadable.
One day, she was standing next to him when he took a call… a disturbing one in fact. He put the lady on speakerphone while he typed in notes on his laptop in her office. The matter was quite serious; someone had experienced a flood in their basement and not only had valuables been destroyed, but a child had ended up in the hospital. They’d needed work done.
Throughout that conversation, Tristan remained eerily calm. The woman on the other end of the line wailed a time or two as she recalled her precious items soiled and ruined, valuable books and important documents swollen from the water, and an antique baby crib that would never be the same again. The more frantic she became, the cooler he seemed to become. At that moment, she felt so much admiration for him. He had a special something she didn’t often see, and it made her heart flip. He was reassuring, and his typical abrasive nature was softened in this instance. He was kind and loving, his advice sound but gentle. It was as if, whatever ailed him, no one would know about it until the powder keg he was sitting upon exploded.
The man enthralled and titillated her like no other.
Now here she was, feeling youthful and silly as she floated on a cloud, splashing her legs about in the water after their long, at times funny, discussion. After replaying various aspects of the conversation in her mind, she rose from the tub, dried off, and turned up the volume of “Peace of Mind” by Party Next Door. Suddenly, her phone rang again, startling her. Making her way into her bedroom, her bare feet slick against the hardwood floors, she looked down at the caller-ID. Smiling, she answered.
“Why are you still awake, Tristan? You said you had a long day ahead tomorrow.” She placed her hand on her hip.
“I do…” came his sexy voice. “I just had to call you back though and tell you how much I enjoyed talking to you. And I want to taste you…”
“That’s rather forward of you.” Her lips curved wider.
“I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Look, you know how I operate by now.”
“Yes, you’re at times blunt.”
“And you don’t have a thick skin but I’m trying to be mindful of that. Regardless, I will continue to act professionally with you at work, but I’ve spent so much time around you. I am no longer willing to pretend like we
just met, haven’t had this connection, that we’re not into each other, that this date we’re going to have is just a date. It’s more than that; it’s the culmination of a mating dance we’ve been doing for the past few weeks. I’m not playing around.” She heard him sigh, as if exhausted. “I want you and I will stop at nothing to make you mine. Goodnight.”
And then, without another word, the man hung up.
Swaying naked in front of her full-length bedroom mirror, she circled her collarbone with her fingertip. Slowly closing her eyes, she smiled as she replayed his words.
‘I want you… I will stop at nothing to make you mine…’
Damn. He left her feeling sexy all over…
CHAPTER SIX
Your Mouth is Writing a Check That Your Ass Can’t Cash
The lavish soiree at the Minneapolis Institute of Art required RSVPs weeks in advance to get on the guest list. In this case, it wasn’t what you knew, but who you knew. Tristan had made a couple of calls to people he had done work for—people with long money who’d be able to pull some strings. His efforts paid off, for here he stood with Carmen, pleased as could be to have such a beautiful woman by his side, arm candy to savor.
She moved about the colossal room, which had a minimalistic flair to it, a perfect contrast to the small, colorful crowd that had gathered. Men wore earth-toned or dark suits and jackets, while the ladies had on long, elaborate gowns in vibrant colors, some with plunging necklines and sexy slits up the side.
Carmen donned a black, sparkly number. Her thick hair was piled high atop her head, showcasing her long, elegant neck that had been kissed with perfume. Had he been a betting man, he’d have guessed it to be cherry blossom. They explored the place together, sharing thoughts and ideas about the various pieces. In one hand she held a red glass flute filled with champagne. She took in the ancient Japanese art and statues, all from fine artists, ranging from Hashimoto Gahō to Miyagawa Chōshun.
