by Anna Black
After we were all measured, and dresses were ordered, Gabby invited us back to her place. Since Malice had dropped me off, I didn’t agree until I confirmed that he could pick me up from Gabby’s. With an ‘of course babe,’ from my man, we went to Gabby’s. Gutta was home, taking care of Gianna, but he and the baby disappeared after we all oohed and aaahhed at her. She was now six weeks old and so damn adorable. Once we all had glasses of wine, girl talk began.
“So, Grace Elaine Jackson, when are you going to share your deflowering story?” Gabby asked.
I almost spit out my wine. “Umm, when I am finally deflowered.”
“The fuck, you and Malice ain’t hit yet?” Gemma said.
“Hold on, your old ass is a virgin?” Crystal quizzed.
“And I thought the deflowering was going to happen last Saturday night,” Chas added.
I covered my face with my free hand. I shook my head and wondered why my closest friends were my biggest judges. “First, Crystal, my old ass is still a damn virgin, and yes, last Saturday was supposed to be the night, but when I told him I was a virgin, it like shut shit down.”
“Wait, wait, wait, he didn’t dive into that virgin cat of yours? Oh yeah, I need more info,” Gemma said and polished off her wine. She tapped her glass and then Chas handed her the bottle from the coffee table that sat closer to her, so she could refill her glass.
“And when you say virgin, I mean, have you ever masturbated? Do you have toys at least? I got to know how you are damn near thirty and ain’t fucking,” Crystal inquired. I wanted to say none of your fucking business, bitch, I don’t know you like that, but I didn’t pop off on her.
“To your question, Crystal, no, I don’t have toys, nor have I’ve ever masturbated. It’s like you don’t miss what you’ve never had, and Ms. Gemma. He didn’t reject me. He just rejected to take my virginity with us being so new. He said that he wanted us to grow a little closer before he took something so valuable. He wants me to be comfortable with giving him my body first,” I said and polished off my glass.
“So, are you comfortable with giving Malice your body first?” Chas asked with a little concern in her voice.
“Fuck, yes!” I spewed the f word again. The word just jumped out of my mouth.
“Daaaayyyyyyyuuuuuummmmm,” Gemma dragged out. “Look at my shy sis, she is ready to throw that pussy on that big ass tree,” she joked, moving in a riding motion, and the ladies laughed. Gemma was always so damn animated.
I didn’t laugh with them. It wasn’t funny to me. I was in love with Malice, but I wouldn’t tell them that because I didn’t want them to tease me about it. I know it happened fast, but I believe I had fallen in love with him the first night I met him.
“Gracie, what are you not telling us?” Gabby asked, and it silenced the roars of laughter and jokes.
I dropped my head. “Nothing sis,” I said.
“Grace Elaine, you know you can’t lie to me,” Gabby said.
I shook my head and said nothing. My eyes watered a little. “Listen, Grace,” Gabby said gently. “There is nothing wrong with holding out for the right man, and there is definitely nothing wrong with being a virgin. Saving yourself for the man you fall in love with is a great thing, sis, and I know Malice’s decision to wait is a sign that he cares about you just as much, because a muthafucka who didn’t care, would have dived right on in and not considered how precious your virginity is. I respect Malice for that move, and you got a good one,” she said.
I smiled and nodded my head. She was absolutely right. Malice was definitely a good one. “I think I’m in love,” I confessed out loud. I waited for the backlash, especially from Gemma, but they all cheered for me.
“Another Wilkerson man down!” Chas yelled and then stood. She began to twerk. “Girl, and when you put that virgin pussy on him, he will be screaming yo’ damn name every time he is between them thick ass thighs,” she said, and the girls roared in laughter again. I wiped my eyes and then relaxed. They could feel me, and no one thought of me being in love that soon was crazy.
The girls and I talked, laughed, and I noted all the advice that Tori, Gabby, and Chas gave because they had Ethan, Gutta, and Rel on lock. Crystal, Stephanie, and Gemma were all still single and had no one special, so I dismissed their trifling advice. It was close to seven, and when Gutta came downstairs, we were all good and tipsy.
“Baby, I need to head to the club. Do I need to call Tabitha?”
“You do,” she said nodding. She was full enough.
He laughed. “Do I need to call a car for your girls?”
“Nope, I’m good, and Stephanie riding with me,” Crystal said.
“I’m going to get a few winks in y’all’s guest room, so I am good,” Gemma said.
“Rel, coming for me,” Chas said.
“And Malice is on his way for me,” I added.
“Okay. I will go and call Tab, with y’all drunk asses,” Gutta laughed and walked his sexy chocolate ass out of the family room. I had to admit it again. Samson and Delilah had given birth to four of the sexiest muthafucka’s — I mean men, that I’d ever laid eyes on.
When Malice came in, the woman all gushed like that was their first time seeing my chocolate giant. “Y’all need to stop,” I said.
“Gracie, go home and handle all of that thickness right there,” Gemma teased, and I could not wait to get the hell out of there. He helped me into my coat, and he let me lock my arm into his as he helped my tipsy ass to his SUV. He helped me into the passenger seat, and as soon as he cranked the engine, the speakers played Avant and KeKe, You & I. I loved that damn song. I reached and turned up the volume and sang along. That wine had me feeling good, and if I was on somebody’s stage, I could have given a damn concert. When KeKe’s part started, I sang along loud and proud because I had the vocals to ride with her. Before I hit the highest note, he killed the volume, so it was all me. My man bobbed his head, and I kept singing as the melody played in my head.
“I love you, baby,” were the last words I sang, and then we stopped at a traffic light.
“I love you too, Juicy,” he said and grabbed my hand. I mean, I loved Malice, but I wasn’t like saying I love you to him, but I smiled at him and squeezed his hand. I was tipsy, but then it's like I caught my second wind with the words that dripped from his lips.
I hadn’t been paying attention to the route we had taken, and when he turned into a parking lot that I wasn’t familiar with, I asked, “Baby, what is this place? Where are we?”
“You’ll see, Juicy,” he said, and I looked at the sign, and it read, “SNAPS & LAUGHS.” I wasn’t a big socialite, so I had no idea what kind of place it was. When he parked, got out and came around to my door to open it, I knew I’d soon learn.
20
Malice
I knew I was taking a considerable risk in taking my baby to SNAPS&LAUGHS, but I wanted her to shine. It was like a momma bird dropping her baby out of the nest, and I’d hoped she wouldn't hate me for what I was about to do. I told her I loved her, and that was because I knew I did. She was the only woman that I loved enough not to just have her heat. I had had relationships before and cared deeply for some, but this BBW here, had me wanting to put a ring on it and make her a beneficiary of all that I owned. I loved the fact that she was so graceful, humble, and soft-spoken, but I wanted her to be bold and not shy away. That night I would see if she were brave enough to break out of her shell.
Once inside, I greeted my staff members that worked to secure that spot, and then the owner showed us to the table upfront right smack dab in the middle. We sat, and even though I knew she had been drinking with her crew earlier, I ordered her a white wine. She gave me some static, but I assured her that I had her, and all she had to do was sip it slowly. She gave me her smile, and I could feel that she trusted me and knew that I only had her best interest at heart. “You are so beautiful baby,” I said into her ear. She blushed.
“Thank you, handsome,” she replied, and the
n the MC took the stage. The club catered to comedians and poets. The main reason I brought my baby was to get her shy ass up on that stage and to recite one of her pieces. I had read over a dozen of her poems earlier that day while she was out with her girls, and I was blown away. She had mad skills, and I’d hoped she’d be a big girl and get up on that stage and show everyone else the star that I saw in her. We watched a few acts as my baby laughed for the comics and snapped to the poets. When the MC called her name, she looked at me.
“Oh, fuck, no! Malice, no. I can’t get up there,” she said between clenched teeth.
“You can, and you will. You are a star baby, and you can do anything. Your poems are special, just share one, for me, please,” I asked. The MC called her name again, and she shook her head at me. “You can do this,” I assured her. She let out a deep breath, grabbed her glass, and downed the contents.
“If I get up on this stage and give you what you want, you will give me what I want tonight,” she demanded.
“Done,” I said and smiled. She stood, and the crowd applauded. She leaned in and kissed my lips, and I slapped that ass when she moved towards the stage. She went to the side of the stage and walked up a couple of stairs before walking up to the mic. Grace looked at me, and I smiled at my baby while mouthing the words, ‘you got this’ to her. She nodded and then took her place in front of the mic.
“Good evening, everyone. I am Grace E. Jackson, and tonight I want to share with you a poem I wrote titled, Heart One.
She grabbed the mic and closed her eyes, and then began reciting;
“Don’t leave me standing out here alone
This is a place I’ve never been
My entire life I’ve looked for you
Your existence is my testament to truth
I’m trying to slow my pace
I want to run fast deep inside you
My heart pounds for fear
Be still heart, before he hears
Anticipation is making me sick
My vision blurred from the excitement
Exhilaration makes me dizzy
Rational mind hurry, rescue me
Electrical currents running throughout
Shocks my sense of sensibility
I feel inside out
My core exposed to the elements
My wall neglected to protect it
I can’t see anymore
I can’t hear anyone
My heart burst into a flame
I’m fighting blindly
I’m falling quickly
Heart one
Me none
Heart won
I’m in Love.”
When she finished, the crowd snapped along with some howling, whistling and complimentary cheers. She rushed over to me, and the smile she wore was priceless. “Babe, damn, you did that,” I said as soon as she sat.
“You think so?” she asked, looking around, and the crowd was still snapping and cheering for her. “I did, didn’t I,” she said with more confidence that time.
“Yes, honey, you did, and when we get back to my place, I’m going to make your pussy feel so damn good,” I whispered in her ear.
“Baby, I am looking so forward to that,” she said and kissed my lips. The MC was back on, and Grace waved for the server. She wanted another glass, and since I was on my third Crown, I let my baby get what she wanted. We stayed and watched a few more performances, and when we got into my SUV, my heart was beating so fast. I had an instant wave of warmth that covered me when I looked over at Grace.
“Damn, you are so fucking pretty,” I said, and she giggled and said thanks. Her eyes, them damn cat looking eyes, looked like the color had changed. I don’t know if it was because she was a little intoxicated, but I was just drawn in. Her hair hung in those long, dropped curls that she always wore, and her twins sat up nicely under her lavender V-Neck sweater. The jeans she wore hugged her curves, and she rocked the cutest high-heeled, chocolate leather boots that matched her dark brown leather jacket. She was so well put together, and I admired my baby’s style. I pressed the button to start my vehicle. “Yeah, let me get you home before I take you right now in this damn truck,” I said and put my shift into reverse.
We chatted about her performance and how free she felt after facing her fears of getting up in front of a bunch of complete strangers. She also finally agreed that she’d do it again. I held her hand as we rode back to my loft.
21
Grace
When we pulled into the garage, I couldn’t wait to get inside because that wine had gone through me and a sister had to pee. Malice couldn’t help me out fast enough. I jogged ahead of him to the elevator. “Baby if you don’t want me to piss on myself, you better walk faster because I can barely hold on,” I said because I was a few steps ahead of him. By the time I got to the elevator gate, he was right beside me. He opened it, and I hurried in, doing my pee-pee dance from side to side. He laughed. “I know you’re not laughing at me, baby,” I whined.
“I am because I told you that it was a little drive to get back to my place and to go to the bathroom at the club went, I went, and you were like, nah baby boo, I’m good,” he said mimicking me.
“Whatever, Malice,” I countered, rolling my eyes. As soon as that elevator stopped, I ran my ass straight to the powder room near the POOL TABLE. I still had on my leather jacket and purse in hand, but if I had waited for another second, I’d have pissed all over myself. When I was done, I exhaled and wiped. After I put my purse down on the floor, I peeled off my jacket and hung it on the door hook so I could wash my hands. When I walked out of the bathroom, I didn’t see Malice. I put my purse on the table that sat near the door and then hung up my jacket. I had had about four or five glasses of wine in total, but somehow, I no longer had a buzz. I figured it was because the half-filled glasses from the club technically counted as one, so I opened the fridge to see if there was any more in the bottle that I had the night before.
Seeing that the bottle wasn’t empty, I grabbed a glass and poured me some and then took a couple of swallows so I could pour what little remained into my glass. I tossed the bottle into the trash can and then went over to the sofa and took off my boots. I figured Malice had taken Bistro out and I was so happy that he loved my dog and helped me with him. I headed to the master and eyed that huge garden tub with jets and went over to start the water. I set the temperature nice and hot, and then I went over to clean the make-up from my face. I dug around in my toiletry bag for a hair tie and my hairbrush, and I put my hair up in a high ponytail on the top of my head. The curls on the ends hung, and I was still cute, I thought as I admired my reflection. Malice just had me feeling so sexy, and even though I was a big girl, I still had it going on. I smiled to myself.
The tub wasn’t even half full when I checked it, so I went for my bag to pull out my nightgown. It was a satin, pink nightgown, with spaghetti straps and I hoped it would be sexy enough because I didn’t have a lot of lingerie. The piece I had gotten for our first night I had already worn it, but nothing happened. By the time I undressed and made it back into the bathroom, the water had risen higher than the jets, so I stepped in. I turned on the jets and then sat down into a perfect temperature bath.
The jets felt nice, and then I realized I forgot my glass of wine on the kitchen counter. “Shit,” I grumbled, and then he walked in with my glass.
“I think you might need this,” he said, walking over to the tub.
“Thanks. I was just sighing because I had forgotten it on the counter.”
“I figured. I came in with Bistro and heard the water running, so I knew what was going down up in here, but one thing you forgot,” he said and went for a lighter. He lit the four candles that were on the perimeter of the tub, and then he went over and dimmed the lights.
“I didn’t know that light had a dimmer.”
“It’s that little button on the side of the switch. It moves up or down.” He informed me.
“I saw that, but I
wasn’t sure what it did, so, therefore, I didn’t touch it,” I giggled, and then took a sip of my wine. I placed the glass on the side of the tub and watched the water rise. Malice went over to the linen closet near the door and came back with some type of oil. “What is that?” I asked, curious.
“It’s some bath oil that I got from this vendor a few months ago at a little expo where my guys and I did security. The booth that I stood near, the lady had all of these fragrances and oils, and even though I told her I wasn’t a bath man, she insisted I take it for my lady. Well, I didn’t want to tell her that I didn’t have a lady, because she was already flirting a lil bit, so, I took it. Never used it, so if you like it, it will be here for you. I have her card somewhere in my wallet if you wanna order more,” he explained and added some to my bath. The scent of lavender hit my nose, and I liked the fragrance of it. I rubbed my thighs, and I could tell right away that the oils were concentrated enough to make my skin soft in the tub filled with water. Soon, the water was high enough, and he turned it off for me. He then stood and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To take off my clothes,” he answered, and I smiled.
22
Malice
I removed my sweater, tee, and jeans, and when I was down to my boxers, I was about to head back to the bathroom, but I grabbed my phone and turned on Pandora. My Bluetooth automatically connected to my wireless speakers, so I went straight to Joe’s station. He was romantic enough, I thought, and then put my phone down. I went back into the bathroom and grabbed a bath towel from the linen closet. I put it on the floor near the tub and then went onto my knees on the towel. I leaned in and kissed her cheek.
