by Honey
“Venus never loved me! If she did, why did she leave me? She took what she wanted and . . . and left me. All she wanted was that child in there!” Jay stomped her foot and pointed in the direction of Nahima’s room.
“That child? Do you hear yourself? You are the most evil and emotionally detached human being ever to walk the face of the earth. Nahima is your child, Jay! I know you hate to hear it, but you need a reality check. You are her mother, but you just referred to her as that child.” Zach ran both hands down his face, wiping away tears. “What kind of damn monster are you? You may not have carried her or nursed her, but it was your egg that Whitaker’s sperm fertilized. Venus most definitely birthed her, but you created her! That’s your face Nahima has!”
Jay pressed her hands over her ears and shook her head from side to side like a deranged person. Tears and snot poured down her face as she panted for air. “No! No! No!” She screamed hysterically. Then, as if she hadn’t heard a word Zach had just spoken, Jay composed herself and stepped to him. “I hate you,” she growled. “Jill and I will be outta here by the end of the week. I have to go back to work now.”
“Wait, Jay. We haven’t finished this.”
She spun around quickly and flashed fiery eyes at Zach. “Oh, I’m done, big brother. I am done.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jill had felt like her heart was about to explode when she jumped inside the linen closet in the hallway. All the banging and screaming in Zach’s room had interrupted her sleep. She had left her bed to see if there was something wrong with Nahima, but instead, she had been totally blown away when she discovered Jay had come home in the middle of the night. Zach’s bedroom door had been cracked, making it impossible for Jill to ignore the loud, heated exchange. She had heard everything. She suddenly felt cold in the closet and shivered, as if the temperature had dropped below zero degrees. In actuality, she was experiencing emotional shock. Jay had run down the steps and out the front door several minutes ago, but Jill could not mobilize her weak and stunned body.
She fell to her knees in the closet when she heard Zach leave his bedroom. She heard his fast footsteps heading toward Nahima’s room. That was her cue to get out of the closet as quickly as possible and run to her bedroom. Jill stood and then turned the knob slowly and quietly. Just as she gave the door a gentle push, Zach rushed back down the hallway. She panicked and gasped. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes clamped shut. Jill could feel her heart pounding erratically in her chest.
Zach’s footsteps paused right outside the closet. He stood there quiet and still, wondering if he had heard movement inside the closet or if he had only imagined it. He laughed and shook his head. “I must be losing my damn mind,” he mumbled, about to walk away. But some invisible force held him in place. Zach stretched out his right arm and pushed his bedroom door closed with a boom.
Jill pushed the closet door open and bolted out, but she collided with Zach, who was still standing there. They stood toe-to-toe in silence, neither knowing what to say. He felt her soft body trembling against his. When Jill lifted her face to look into Zach’s eyes, he could tell instantly that she had heard every word spoken between him and Jay. She had been crying, and her eyes were red and swollen, as if she were in mourning. Without forethought, and only for the purpose of comforting her, Zach enfolded Jill gently in his arms. Physically and emotionally drained, she collapsed in his embrace, and he lifted her off her feet.
When Jill’s feet left the floor, she raised her legs and wrapped them around Zach’s waist, exposing her bare bottom. He slid his clasped hands down to rest on her backside and started a methodical, flesh-singeing massage. With yearning, Jill’s lips found Zach’s and covered them in a kiss so slow and tantalizing that his knees buckled. Careful not to drop her, he adjusted his footing and eased his tongue deep inside her mouth, and she received it as if it were nourishment to sustain her for days to come. Zach’s right hand found the knob on his bedroom door and turned it. He entered the suite, with Jill clinging to him as he kissed her senseless. A side kick closed the door, and Zach steadied his lustful mind long enough to lock the door with his free hand.
Jill hummed out her passion as wave after wave of pure ecstasy washed over her. Zach sat at the top of his king-size sleigh bed and propped his back against the headboard, Jill straddling him. He slid the white T-shirt over her head, and she sat naked, her smooth dark skin glistening under the light of the crescent moon shining through the window. Alternately, Zach tasted each nipple with the tip of his tongue, taunting and teasing both hardened buds, to Jill’s delight. She whimpered and threw her head back, intoxicated by the scent of foreplay invading the air. Jill pressed her feet deep into the mattress and stood. Her wet diamond sparkled brightly before Zach’s eyes. He palmed her bottom and buried his face in her feminine essence, where he drank her sweet nectar with fervor, like a starving newborn suckled milk from its mother’s tit.
“Mmm, Zachary, Zachary,” Jill sang in a high-pitched voice, repeating his name.
Zach felt her body beginning to take flight toward the mountaintop, and he stopped abruptly to delay her ascent. Jill squirmed, moaned, and begged for more of what he had given her, but he refused. Zach wanted her to experience ultimate sexual gratification, the first kind of coupling passed down from Adam and Eve to hundreds of generations. It was the traditional physical fulfillment reserved only for man and woman. He guided Jill to her knees and directed her hand slowly to his fully erect member. She explored, squeezed, and caressed it, finding satisfaction as it expanded and pulsated in response to her touch.
Zach lifted his muscular thighs and slid out of his boxer shorts. Jill freed him of his tank top and kneaded his chest with her right hand while stroking his now bare penis with her left one. Unable to prolong the inevitable, Zach took hold of Jill’s hips and elevated her body slightly. With perfect aim, he thrust his hips upward and brought her hot wetness down as he looked into her hazy eyes.
Her tight virgin walls felt pain, but also pleasure, upon his entry. Gradually, Jill took in the full length and breadth of Zach, allowing him to touch a part of her that had never been touched before: her soul.
It was a gentle and unhurried ride toward euphoria. Zach rocked and moaned. Jill bucked and hummed. Each lover determined to give the other their very best, without limits or inhibitions. They soared high to unknown dimensions with reckless abandon. Ripples of unfamiliar fulfillment overtook Jill, starting from within and spilling outward. The sound of a melodious love song, the scent of delicate flowers, rapturous sensations, the sweet taste of honey, and the sight of sparkling stars all bundled into one life-changing release. Jill had now heard, smelled, felt, tasted, and seen love for the very first time.
Seconds later, Zach followed her into that special, secret place and closed the door on the world and all its inhabitants. Nothing and no one else mattered outside the haven they’d created for themselves with desire, passion, and need.
Their eyes met, and they became fully aware of what they’d just experienced. Zach and Jill were now connected in a way that could never be reversed. It would be impossible for them to go back to their separate worlds, having touched the innermost part of each other.
“Zachary,” Jill said softly and closed her eyes. She lowered her head onto his shoulder.
“Jill, please don’t cry,” Zach whispered, rubbing her back with a gentle circular motion. He could feel her warm teardrops trickling down his shoulder and back. “Sh. Everything is gonna be okay.”
Zach eased onto his back, with Jill still straddling him. She relaxed her legs and lay flat on his body. He rocked her gently and cooed in her ear until she fell asleep.
* * *
“Uncle Z!” Nahima tapped on the locked bedroom door. “Uncle Z, let me in! The sun is shining.”
With care, Zach rolled onto his side, Jill in his arms. He eased her onto her back, trying his best not to wake her. He found his shorts on the bed and slid into them. He hurried to the door
and cracked it open.
“Good morning, Uncle Z. How did you sleep?”
“I slept fine, pumpkin. Why don’t you go downstairs to the kitchen and grab a juice box from the refrigerator? I’ll be there shortly to get breakfast started.”
“Okay.”
Zach closed the door and looked at Jill as she slept on his bed. Her naked body was exquisite in every way, and even more so now since he had christened it. He tore his eyes away from her and went to the closet to get a blanket. Zach covered Jill and rushed into the master bathroom and showered in record time. The face he saw in the mirror as he brushed his teeth was that of a troubled man. How could something that felt so amazing be so immoral? Zach marveled at the contradiction.
He left the bathroom and clutched his chest when he saw his empty bed. Jill was gone, and so was the blanket. Zach ran out of the room and down the hallway to the guest room with only a towel covering his lower body. He tapped on the door.
“Jill, are you all right?” When she didn’t answer, he tapped again, but harder. “Jill, I need to know if you’re okay. Please answer me.”
Zach turned the knob. The door was locked. He panicked. He continued to knock and call out to Jill in desperation. She didn’t answer. Zach walked away, his emotions jumbled, to give her the time she needed to process what had taken place between them.
Chapter Fifteen
Jill had heard Zach, but she was too ashamed to face him. She had no idea what to say to him anyway. Nothing made sense to her at the moment. She had enjoyed making love with Zach, but the guilt of betraying Jay weighed heavily on her heart. Even after learning the agonizing truth about Nahima, and hearing Jay express her ill feelings toward the child, she still felt a sense of loyalty to her. Jill would forever be indebted to Jay, but she’d placed her heart in Zach’s hands last night. She pulled the blanket over her head and pressed her face into a pillow and cried tears of confusion.
* * *
By noon Zach’s concern about Jill had driven him over the edge. He and Nahima had gone to Jill’s room several times to check on her. Each time she’d told them she was resting because she was extremely tired. She had refused to eat breakfast, although Zach had offered to serve it in her room. Nahima had just returned to the kitchen with a plate of food that she had tried to give Jill, but she had sent the child away.
“Ms. Jill said she’s not hungry, Uncle Z. I think she’s sick. Maybe her tummy hurts or she’s got the flu.” Nahima placed the fork and the plate of pasta salad and chicken tenders on the counter. “I’m gonna go watch the Disney Channel.”
Zach climbed the stairs, with every intention of speaking with Jill, no matter what. He wanted to respect her privacy, but he had to see her to make sure she was okay. He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t pressure her to talk about what they’d done, but he would certainly take full responsibility for his actions. He had to convince Jill that she had nothing to feel bad about and that everything would work itself out.
Jill sat up and adjusted the blanket across her body when Zach entered the room. He’d had no other choice but to use his master key to let himself in. He shut the door, then pressed his back against the closed door and shoved his hands into the pockets of his denim shorts. All morning he had been anxious to see Jill, but now that he was in her presence, words escaped him.
“I am so very sorry, Zachary! Please forgive me. What we did was wrong, and it was all my fault. Jay will hate me if she ever finds out. Can’t it be another secret for us? Please, Zachary.”
Zach rushed to the bed and kneeled against it. He touched Jill’s face and stroked it gently. “It wasn’t your fault, baby. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me. I should’ve stopped things before they got out of hand, but I couldn’t. What happened between us . . . the love we made . . . it was beautiful. Yes, Jay will be very angry, but not just with you. She’ll probably be more upset with me. Don’t worry. She’ll never find out, okay?” Zach pressed his palm against Jill’s cheek and smiled.
“Thank you, Zachary.” She dropped her eyes.
“Look at me, Jill.”
Slowly, she lifted her eyes, which were filled with tears, and met Zach’s gaze.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have made love, but I don’t regret it. Do you?”
“No,” she answered without hesitation.
For the rest of the day, Zach kept his distance from Jill, though that evening, he did serve her dinner in her room. She needed time and space to deal with her emotions. So much unexpected drama had unfolded over the past twenty-four hours, and the impact of it all had to be devastating. Jill had learned that Jay was Nahima’s biological mother and that she had attempted to make contact with Venus, her ex-lover. And then Zach had made love to her while she was confused and vulnerable, which had only complicated her life further. But Jill had confessed to him that she had no regrets, and neither did he.
“Uncle Z, I’m ready!” Nahima came bouncing around the corner, jostling Zach from his thoughts.
“Come on, pumpkin. Let me take you home to your mommy. I’m sure she misses you.”
* * *
“I knew it! Damn it, Zach! What were you thinking?” Dex slammed his hand on the dashboard. Instead of having lunch in the cafeteria, he and Zach were eating in his Ford Explorer for privacy.
Zach refused to look at his friend. He stared straight ahead, out into the packed parking lot. “It just happened, Dex.”
“Yeah, I bet it did. That innocent girl has been in this country only two months, and you and Jay have already turned her life upside down! I knew as soon as you got back from Jamaica that you had a thing for Jill. I tried to get you to talk about it, but no, no, no! You were in denial. Now what are you gonna do? You can’t keep boning your sister’s woman, Zach.”
“I’m hoping she won’t be Jay’s woman much longer.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Zach looked directly at Dex. “I want Jill. I love her, and I wanna be with her.”
* * *
The tension in Zach’s house was insane. Jay had big nerve. She wasn’t speaking to Zach at all in his own house, but he didn’t give a damn. One evening they sat in the den, just a few feet away from each other, and watched an entire episode of CSI in complete silence. And as the closing credits began to roll, Jay removed her keys from the coffee table and left the house without a word. The next morning Zach found a note Jay had written and taped to his bedroom door. It said her plans to move out had been pushed back indefinitely because she was in the process of working out a deal to purchase a condo at the Seven Seas rather than a house in the city. Zach laughed at his sister’s cockiness. At the bottom of the note, she had added that he should be pleased to know she’d be spending as much time as possible away from his house so she wouldn’t have to see his precious Nahima.
Things were a bit awkward between Zach and Jill also. They were always cordial to each other but were careful not to have any physical contact. Their conversations were pleasant, but they spoke about nothing deep or thought provoking. Since the morning after they’d made love, neither of them had mentioned it. Zach wanted to discuss it, and he was curious about what was going on between Jill and Jay. He knew for certain that they hadn’t been intimate. Jay had spent only one night at the house since the big argument. On that particular night, Jill had suffered from a migraine headache, which she’d complained about all day.
Zach had been patient and understanding, but it was time for him and Jill to talk. He trotted up the stairs and went straight to the guest room.
“Knock, knock,” he said, then opened the door and stuck his head inside. “May I come in?”
Jill sat up on the bed and picked up the remote control to turn off the television. She self-consciously tugged at the hem of her red dress and checked her neckline.
Zach didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, so he sat in a chair in the corner of the room, instead of at the foot of the bed, like he had planned. “I don’t want you to
be afraid of me, Jill. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you.”
“I know that. It’s just that I’m very confused right now. So much has changed between us. Things aren’t the same between Jay and me either. I don’t know how I feel about her anymore, Zachary.” Her eyes watered. “How can she love me but hate her own child? Why didn’t she tell me she had a daughter? And why did she bring me here if she is still in love with Venus?”
“You’ll have to ask Jay that, Jill. I can’t answer those questions for you. Have you spoken to her about anything you heard us arguing about?”
Jill shook her head. “She doesn’t even know I heard the fight. She would be vexed if she learned I had eavesdropped on the two of you. But I couldn’t help it. Jay was so loud.” Jill got up and walked across the room. She stood directly in front of Zach. She cupped his face with her hands and looked into his eyes. “I need to know the full story about Jay, Venus, and Nahima.”
Zach pushed her hands from his face and shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell. If you wanna know anything about Jay’s past, you’ll have to ask her, Jill. I’ve already crossed the line by making love to you. I won’t tell you anything about my sister without her permission.”
“I need to know, Zachary! Don’t you understand? I have given up everything to be with Jay. I left my family, my country, and abandoned my dreams for her. And I’ve since learned it may have all been in vain. My God, Zachary, don’t you think I deserve to know the truth?”
Zach stood and wrapped his arms around Jill. When he broke the embrace, he took her by the hand and led her downstairs to the den. They sat face-to-face, and he told her everything he felt she needed to know about Jay and Venus’s relationship. Some things were hurtful to hear, but she insisted that he tell her. Before Zach left the room to leave Jill with her thoughts, he placed a soft kiss on her lips and wished her a good night’s rest.
