Watercolors

by Vera Roberts

  “The core group of voters right now is 18-24 year olds. Those are the millenials. They want people in Congress who have their best interests. They want people who look more like them. They want people they can connect with. Ocean is that person.”

  “I’m warning you, Edwards,” Thomas’s voice became stern, “you mess up my son’s chances and there’ll be hell to pay.”

  “And I’m warning you, Ellison,” Jay met the elder’s tone, “you mess up your son’s chances and I’ll take great pleasure in destroying every last bit of your legacy. This is the only warning you’ll get.” The phone went dead.

  “Son of a bitch!” Thomas slammed the phone down on the receiver. No one plays hardball with Thomas Ellison and those who did, never spoke about what happened after the fact.

  If Jay Edwards thought he could manipulate the Ellison’s to his liking, he was going to be in for a rude awakening.

  ~~~~~~

  She should’ve left his ass where she’d found him.

  As Aaliyah stared at a sleeping Ocean in her bed, she truly wondered what in the blue hell was she thinking?

  Within a couple of days of seeing her ex at her shop, she went and slept with him like a plum fool. A plum, horny fool, that was. She could’ve just left Ocean outside and not even bother to open the door.

  The heart wants what the heart wants. Aaliyah shook her head and corrected the thought – her yoni craved Ocean and he delivered. On her kitchen table. And then on her sofa. And then on her bed.

  They definitely fucked the first time. They made sweet love the second time. They had a combination of both the third time. Each time, the sex was more passionate than before. They exchanged energies and emotions. A give and take. A push and pull. This went on in to the wee hours of morning until they both were exhausted.

  Now it was five a.m. and Aaliyah wondered what the hell just happened?

  “You’re overthinking it.”

  Ocean’s deep voice soothed Aaliyah’s core like an old friend and she remained as she sipped her tea. “Last night was a mistake, O.”

  “Which time?” He rolled over and rubbed her back. “I regret nothing.”

  “I know you regret nothing.” Aaliyah crossed her legs and was reminded how sore her sex was. “This was a mistake on many levels. We should’ve just kept it cute and mute back at the shop. This was a mistake.”

  Ocean sat up in bed and kissed Aaliyah’s shoulder. She softly murmured when she felt his lips on her. “Why?”

  “Why?” She turned to him and immediately regretted doing so. Ocean’s sparkling blue eyes stared back at her with amazement and wonder. He was a truly beautiful man. “This is a disaster in the making, O. No one will care about whatever bill you’re about to pass when they’re focused on who you’re dating.”

  “I say my newfound publicity is a breath of fresh air in comparison to what my colleagues are going through. Pedophilia scandals, campaign finances misuse, hookers everywhere…” Ocean yawned. “I think people don’t care that I’m courting an ex-girlfriend.”

  “They do and you should care when it comes to policy-making.” Aaliyah put her cup down and struggled to stand up. Ocean worked her body like a part-time job. “This is going to end badly, O.”

  “Do you still smudge?” He asked.

  Aaliyah tried to not be distracted by a shirtless Ocean casually lying in her bed. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Get rid of all of that negative emotion surrounding you. It’s not good for your mind.” He peeled back the sheets and beckoned her to join him. “You’re too beautiful to be caught up in the what ifs bullshit. Come back and lay with me, beautiful.”

  Beautiful. Gorgeous. Lovely. Ocean was never short on the compliments he’d given to Aaliyah. He never said anything just to get into her pants. Either he meant it or he never said a word. “O, I’m being serious here.”

  “So am I.” He softly nodded. “I want to feel you next to me and we can talk about this.”

  Aaliyah paused, causing her heart to slam back into her chest. The last time she was that close to Ocean, she ended up straddling him. “Just talking. That’s it.”

  “I’ll be respectful, Liyah.” He smiled. “I won’t touch you.”

  Aaliyah didn’t know why she had disappointment. Maybe a small (really, it was large) part of her wanted to feel Ocean inside her again. She slid underneath the sheets and snuggled next to him. “O, what are we doing?”

  “Reconciling, I hope.” He answered.

  She looked up at him. “I know absolutely nothing of politics, O. How am I expected to see you when you’re in D.C.? You need to be in L.A. at some point, yes? How are you going to see me when you’re really between two places at any given time?”

  “I’ll figure something out and so will you.”

  Aaliyah settled into Ocean’s warm embrace and smelled the remnants of his cologne. It was different from the cologne he had on earlier when he saw her. “Did you go somewhere last night?”

  “I was at an event back in D.C. and then I came back here.”

  “With who?” She asked. “We’re adults here.”

  “A business associate of my father’s.” Ocean replied. “Nothing important.”

  Aaliyah nodded. Ocean went on a date and couldn’t even admit that much to her. “I’m going to see you and her in the papers, aren’t I?”

  “You’re going to see me being a politician politicking.” He crawled his fingers up her arm and kissed her shoulders. “That might mean I’ll be spotted with different women. It doesn’t mean I’m dating them.”

  Aaliyah smirked. Ocean knew certain parts of the press were hungry for intimate details of his love life and he obliged them because they were potential voters. The rest of the public couldn’t give a damn who he bedded.

  That was…until she re-entered the picture. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know who Aaliyah was. Was it always going to be like that? Ocean would fly down to fuck her after some event and leave early the next morning with fleeting promises to come again? “I love how you answered that without actually saying anything.”

  “I’m in the public eye, Aaliyah,” Ocean softly replied. “You said it yourself we weren’t dating, and I suspect you still feel that way despite what happened last night. Therefore, it shouldn’t matter if I’m spotted with a different woman who’s not you.”

  Ocean had a point she could admit. Strangely, she didn’t want to be his girlfriend but she didn’t want Ocean to date anyone else. Aaliyah truly hated how jealous and possessive she became over Ocean. No other man ever had the same effect.

  This fool was truly bringing out the worst in her. “You were on a date last night and you came back here to fuck me so I wouldn’t think different.” Aaliyah pried herself away from Ocean’s arms and immediately felt the loss. “You want someone respectable in public but you want to fuck me in private.”

  “I would love to fuck you in public but I’m afraid that’s against the law.” Ocean smiled and Aaliyah rolled her eyes. “Liyah, you have unfiltered access to me. You have my personal number, though I prefer you don’t call on that because I suspect it might be bugged. I’ll give you a new number to call me every week so no one else has it but you.”

  “As long as you’re in public with other women, it shouldn’t give anyone any reason to suspect we’re dating?” She surmised.

  “If you want to let everyone know we’re dating, I won’t stop you. I actually encourage that. But this is your game I’m playing. You’re setting the rules now.” He added.

  “I can only see you on your terms.” She added. “You can’t just fly down to see me to take me out to lunch, O.”

  “No, but I can fly you up if that’s what you want.” His eyes sparkled.

  Aaliyah realized how serious the situation was. She wasn’t dating just any man who had specific times on when she could call him. She was involved with a senator who had higher stakes than she did. “You still didn’t answer how all of this was going to work?”

&
nbsp; “Do you want it to work?” He asked.

  Truthfully, Aaliyah did. Even when Ocean was gone for a few hours, she didn’t realize how much she missed him. “Well, yes, but…”

  “Then, there are no buts about it. We’ll make it work one way or another.” Ocean rolled on top of her and Aaliyah willingly accommodated him. “I have to leave in an hour to catch a flight back to D.C. I want to make the most of my morning with you.” His hardened shaft poked her wet entrance. “Please tell me you have extra condoms in here?”

  “We used up the ones I had.” She regretted the admission. Aaliyah wasn’t celibate but she didn’t have a lot of partners to warrant keeping a box of condoms handy. “I am on birth control. The Mirena.”

  “Ooh,” Ocean slid down and spread Aaliyah’s thighs apart. “That’s even better.”

  Before Aaliyah could protest, she felt Ocean’s pointy tongue swipe across her swollen clit before he sucked on it. He reached under her ass and pulled her pussy closer to his face. He suckled the swollen clit and furiously licked it; causing it to bounce on his tongue.

  He held up one of her legs and continued to lick around her. He smiled when he felt her body begin to shake and her moans became higher with each lick. When she finally exploded, her continued to lick her pussy until she came again.

  Ocean crawled up to Aaliyah and kissed her. She devoured his lips, tasting herself on him and wanted more. He slid inside her and Aaliyah arched her back in exquisite pleasure. Her pussy suckled along the length of his cock and her mouth cooed in soft, muted tones. “Fuck, Liyah.”

  “O…” Aaliyah moved in unison with him as he filled her. “…this won’t end well between us.”

  “Oh, I think it will.” He captured her lips and played with her tongue. He pulled back and increased his thrusts. He moaned in Aaliyah’s face as he felt how deliciously tight she was around his cock. “This is my pussy and you’re not giving it to anyone else.”

  “O…” Aaliyah felt her breath hitch in her throat. He gathered her legs and practically sat on top of her while his thrusts became faster and harder. She felt his balls slap against her wet slit and she barely held onto his arms. Ocean was a master at everything but he was particularly skilled at sex. He knew how to fuck and every woman who was lucky to have him could attest to that. “Baby…”

  “That’s right. Focus on us and the pleasure I’m giving you.” Ocean moaned. “Your pussy feels so good, baby. You like how I’m fucking you? You like this dick I’m giving you?”

  Ocean’s dirty words sent Aaliyah over the edge. She barely held on until the orgasm seized her body in a vise. Pinpoints of pleasure and ecstasy clouded her mind and filled her body as she went on what felt like a never-ending orgasm.

  She rolled and sighed. Her body shook and stilled. She tapped out but Ocean wouldn’t stop until he gave her another one. She screamed his name and shook as Ocean continued his relentless thrusts inside her.

  “O…” Aaliyah cried out. “…I want to taste your come.”

  “Fuck!” Ocean pulled out and Aaliyah scooted down the bed. She opened her mouth wide as Ocean jerked himself. Streams of come shot out of his dick and Aaliyah licked her mouth to get some more. She deep-throated him, causing Ocean’s knees to buckle before he collapsed beside her in bed.

  “Did you…” He breathed. “….did you just fuck me?”

  “Why yes,” Aaliyah giggled, “yes, I did, Senator.”

  Six

  Miss you already, baby.

  Aaliyah read the text from Ocean more times than she wanted to admit. He’d left just a few hours before and Aaliyah already felt the power of his loss. She felt an emptiness she hadn’t experienced since their breakup and overpowering emotions of want and longing rose to the surface no matter how much she tried to suppress them.

  Feelings of being a schoolgirl with her first full-blown crush came to mind the more she read Ocean’s text. It was simple and straight to the point, yet it was so profound in many ways.

  She antagonized on what she should reply with. She was never that good with emojis, despite how much Brittany tried to teach her. Apparently, there was an emoji etiquette and she had to properly convey her feelings so there wouldn’t be any confusion. All it did was make Aaliyah more confused.

  She and Ocean were grown adults and the days of smiley faces and promising each other to kiss through the phone were long behind them. Still, the butterflies of feeling like she just discovered she liked boys made Aaliyah very aware.

  She needed to make the text short and sweet.

  Miss you, too.

  She folded the phone into her Michael Kors backpack and resisted to look at it. She had a private luncheon with Laura Buchanan from the SHE television network about her show. She needed to make a good impression and not focus on whatever was going on between her and Ocean.

  She also hoped the burning jealousy inside of her would be kept to a minimum.

  “I had no choice but to go out with her, Liyah. If I wanted to see another woman, I wouldn’t have come back here. I would’ve stayed gone.”

  Liyah covered her nude body with the soapy loofah as she read Ocean’s eyes. He wasn’t lying, though she wasn’t sure why he wasn’t being completely forthcoming with everything. It was clear he was hiding something from her and when he revealed it – if he revealed it – was going to cause problems between them.

  It put Aaliyah into a particular bind. Now that she was officially dating a politician, she had to weed out when he was being honest with her and when he simply told her something so he didn’t look too much of an ass.

  It was then Aaliyah realized her taste in men truly did suck. “How much longer is your father going to interfere in your life? Am I dating you or am I dating the both of you? I don’t like threesomes.”

  “I can’t guarantee my father won’t interfere again,” he pulled her close to his body and ran his hands down her soapy frame, “but I can guarantee you I’ll protect you as long as you let me.”

  “Protect me from what?” Aaliyah bit out as the memory faded into the background. As she read article after article about Ocean’s magical night with Ximena, Aaliyah had to suppress the angry and bitter feelings that threatened to come out.

  There was a rather intimate photo of Ocean whispering into Ximena’s ear as she giggled about something. Aaliyah wondered what was so damn funny that caused that reaction. Ocean had his share or sharp wit and plenty of corny jokes to go around, but he wasn’t that funny.

  If she were going to be Ocean’s girlfriend, she would have to accept she would eventually have to play a secondary role to his social life. She wasn’t always going to be around nor would she be available when she had her own business and career to worry about. She saw many scenarios play out in her imagination with all of them ending bad.

  What kind of games were she and Ocean playing with each other?

  Aaliyah couldn’t worry about that for now. She had her meeting with Laura Buchanan and they were going to go over filming schedules. It would be the one thing that would take her mind off Ocean and whatever was going on between them. She just hoped the meeting was as productive as she hoped or it was going to be painfully long.

  ~~~~~~

  “Aaliyah!” Laura stood up and greeted the younger woman with air kisses and a big hug. She was a petite black woman with dark, curly hair. She wore large, round frames on her face, giving her Anna Wintour vibes. “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

  “I’m doing well,” Aaliyah glanced around the restaurant and immediately felt underdressed. She wore a white tank top with low-slung jeans. Her long braids were wrapped up in a yellow head wrap and her makeup was natural and muted in browns. She was serving Erykah Badu teas.

  “That’s great!” Laura smiled a big smile. A man stood up beside her and held his hand out. “Aaliyah, this is my VP of Program Control, Shane Copeland.”

  Aaliyah shook the man’s hand. He was a tall, white man with average build and could probably be mistaken for a y
ounger George Clooney. “Pleasure to meet you, Aaliyah.”

  “Same here.” She smiled.

  “And over here,” Laura playfully rearranged the men, “is my VP of Marketing, Ian Riley.”

  Ian was a tall, biracial man who looked like he sometimes did the weather forecast on the weekends. He just had that energy about him. “Pleasure to meet you, Ian.”

  “Pleasure is all mine, Ms. Aaliyah.” He smiled.

  “And of course, you’re very familiar with the executive producer, Tony D’Amato!” Laura beamed.

  “Hey baby girl,” Tony gave his old friend a warm embrace. “long time, no see.”

  “Same here, Tony. I need to fix up that tat you have on your forearm.” Aaliyah caressed it. “Whoever did this did a piss-poor job on it.”

  “And that’s why you’re getting a show and they ain’t!” Tony pounded fists with her.

  “Come on, let’s sit down!” Laura sat down and everyone followed. She opened up the heavy, leather-bound menus and perused it. “Everything is fantastic here, Aaliyah. Choose whatever you want to eat.”

  Aaliyah followed a mostly plant-based diet but red meat called her, she picked up the phone like a long-lost friend. “The short rib looks good.”

  “It’s amazing!” Shane added, with a small purr in his voice. “It’s perfect, honestly.”

  “I think I’ll have the swordfish,” Ian commented. “I’m sure Becky would be happy to hear that I’m eating fish for once instead of a dead cow.”

  Aaliyah quietly snickered. Ian did look like the type who would have a wife named Becky.

  “I’m going to have the duck confit.” Shane replied. “That looks really good. What about you, Laura?”

  Laura puckered her lips and narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to concentrate. “I’ll have the herb-crusted red snapper. That looks really good. I’ll order a bottle of red wine for us to share.” She put down the menu and waited for her employees to follow suit before she addressed Aaliyah. “So, Ms. Aaliyah, what’s been going on in your life lately?”