Chapter 17
J
oel felt more certain than ever that he and Erin could have a successful relationship. They had been together for almost a week and had hardly spent more than an hour at a time apart. At first they spent the majority of their time relaxing at Joel's apartment, but Erin's place required some minor finishing touches before Kenya arrived on Friday. During the first part of the week Erin and Joel painted a few walls and hung paintings. By the time Wednesday rolled around, Erin had her apartment in the best shape possible. She felt more comfortable with her place and invited Joel over for some rest and relaxation. What that really meant was she wanted him to come over to help break in her new bed. Wednesday was so much fun that she invited him over for dinner and a candlelight bubble bath on Thursday.
Shimmering golden candlelight illuminated Erin's bathroom as she and Joel soaked in soothing hot bathwater topped with loads of long-lasting bubbles. They sipped chilled champagne while Miles Davis blew his trumpet in the background to a tempo that was just as soothing as the scented aloe-and-citrus bubble bath. Erin added a few squirts of baby oil to give the water a more pleasing texture and consistency.
Erin lay at one end of the tub and Joel lay at the other end with the faucet right by the side of his face. They repositioned themselves, because he looked uncomfortable and they both needed to feel more body contact. Joel moved to the opposite end of the tub and Erin sat between his legs. She lay back comfortably against his hard muscular body.
The water made their bodies feel silky smooth and irresistible to the touch. That moment was all about stimulating, touching, and kissing. Erin wrapped Joel's legs around her and massaged his sculpted calf and thigh muscles. She arched her back, reached above and behind with both hands to massage Joel's neck. At first his hands roamed, until he felt Erin's erect eraser-sized nipples. He squeezed her breasts with his strong hands and pinched her nipples ever so gently. His hands moved in slow motion up and down Erin's abdomen and then back to her excited breasts. He was tempted to explore the pleasure in her valley. His hands moved downward and massaged Erin's inner thighs with an intense rhythmic motion.
Joel zoned out for a moment and became the slipping-sliding motion of his hands. Erin got lost in the pleasing sensations he created. She couldn't wait to feel the silky smoothness of his hands in and around her vagina. He sensed the anticipation building, because Erin began to shift her body in hopes of making the slightest amount of contact in her erogenous zone with at least one of Joel's fingers. He eventually gave in and allowed two of his fingers to graze Erin's clitoris. He understood her body in ways that no one else did. Joel knew exactly how much Erin yearned to feel the stimulating touch of both of his hands. Minute by minute, he increased the pleasure by using more fingers and applying alternating pressures down there.
Erin said, “Oh my God. That's it ... just like that.”
Joel teased and asked, “Like that?”
In an airy tone Erin said, “Oh yeah ... just like that. Please don't stop. That feels so good.”
Joel was incredibly turned on by Erin's arousal and loved the way she reacted to his touch. He played with her clitoris with one hand and traced her vaginal opening with the other. Her body signaled that it was time to be penetrated. He provided the perfect external pleasure and gradually introduced the internal stimulation she desired. Erin could feel Joel's fingers as they explored and zeroed right in on her G-spot.
She arched her back even more and said, “That's it ... right there ... my spot!”
Erin's body shuddered. Joel kissed and sucked the back and sides of Erin's neck. She became overwhelmed with pleasure. Joel was so excited that he came.
Erin's insides tightened, quivered and then tightened again. She moaned loudly. After that came a round of additional body spasms and a lot of heavy breathing. Minutes later Erin and Joel made their way to her bed.
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Early Friday morning Erin rose with the sun. She looked and felt beautiful. Getting up early was all about making sure everything was in order for Kenya's arrival later that evening. Joel was awakened by the sounds of dresser drawers opening and closing, along with Erin's sporadic movements at the foot of the bed. He opened his eyes and saw her bent over at the foot of the bed wearing a tangerine-colored bra and panty set. He realized that she was putting clothes away and folding towels and linen.
Erin stood up to fold a towel and noticed that Joel was awake. She smiled and said, “Good morning. Sorry to wake you so early.”
Joel yawned and then returned a smile. “Good morning. It's okay. I don't need all this sleep anyway. I don't wanna become lazy.”
“That's good to hear. Neither do I. That's one reason I decided to get out of bed so early. You wanna head over to the New Town Diner for breakfast?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Joel gave Erin a sexy gaze and said, “C'mere.”
Erin blushed and walked toward Joel. When she got close enough he kissed her on the lips.
Joel said, “You look so sexy in your underwear.”
“And you look sexy in my bed, wearing nothing but that smile.”
Joel slapped Erin on the butt and said, “Damn, I love that bounce.”
“If you keep reminding me of how much I'm bouncing, wiggling and jiggling back there you're gonna make me feel fat.”
“Shoot, there's nothing wrong with being fat as long as it's distributed in all of the right places.”
“Is it distributed in the right places now?”
“Yes. God, yes. It couldn't be better.”
“You're crazy. Let's see what you think of Kenya when you see her later. She's got some junk in her trunk, too.”
“I ain't thinking about the junk or her trunk. All I see is you. Why are you always promoting Kenya?”
Erin shrugged. “I dunno. She's attractive and she's going to be around us a lot. I just want you to know that I'm very secure with our situation. You're a man and it's okay if you look or let your imagination run wild.”
Joel laughed and said, “You are so funny. You don't have to prepare yourself for me to start gawking at your buddy. I have a lot of self-control. And you're right, I am a man with a wild and overactive imagination. The only thing that would mess me up is if you and Kenya were bouncing around in front of me wearing matching underwear.”
Erin displayed a mischievous grin. “We might have to do that for you.”
Joel didn't take Erin seriously at all. He dismissed whatever she said because he thought this was her little way of feeling him out, to see whether or not she could trust him around Kenya. “Uh-huh. I'll believe it when I see it.” He shook his head and said, “You're crazy. What else is on your mind?”
“Ah, let me see.” She paused as her mind moved away from the sublime and got back to the normalcy of everyday life. “Do you mind if we make a quick stop by Wal-Mart after breakfast?”
Joel laughed. “That's fine with me, but you know good and well that there's no such thing as a quick stop by Wal-Mart. You'll go up in there with one or two things in mind and come out with over twenty items, half of which you didn't really need at all.”
Erin laughed and said, “That's not true. All I need are some cleaning supplies and maybe some new bath towels.”
“Yeah right, we'll see. I can see the list growing in your mind right now.”
Erin and Joel enjoyed a delicious breakfast of French toast, home fries, chicken sausage and orange juice at the New Town Diner. Afterward they headed to Wal-Mart. Just as Joel had predicted, Erin had a shopping cart full of items for every room in her and Kenya's apartment. Being in a family store like Wal-Mart and seeing young couples with their children made Joel think. He saw a woman pushing a little girl in a shopping cart who was the spitting image of her mother. Seeing them, he imagined having a little girl who looked just like Erin. A few minutes later he saw a little boy with his father, picking out a baseball bat and glove. That made him think about his father, and how much he wished they could have spent quality time together like that. Joel's mind began to drift. He thought of his future and at the same time missed his past.
Out of nowhere he asked, “You wanna meet my parents today? I think it'd be a good idea for them to meet the woman I plan on marrying one day.”
Erin was stunned, because she had no idea where Joel's mind was. He had a habit of just blurting out his random thoughts, and Erin hadn't quite gotten used to it yet.
She said, “I'd love to meet your parents, but not today. I want to make a good impression so I need a little more time to prepare.”
“What are you talking about? They would love you ... just the way you look right now.”
“This isn't my best. I'm a mess, and they'd probably pick up on it right away, especially your mother. You know how mothers are with their sons. She'd probably think I wasn't good enough for you. Plus, my anxiety level is already high enough because of Kenya's arrival. I hope she'll like the apartment, because she agreed to pay rent on a place she hasn't even seen.”
“I understand. But I need to head by their house sometime today because I haven't seen or talked to them in a while.”
“Well, it's probably best that I don't go. I'm sure that you and your parents have a lot of catching up to do.”
“You're right, we do have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Y'all don't need me all up in your business.”
Joel laughed and said, “All right, I'll go by myself, but you'll be the main topic of our conversation.”
Erin thought Joel was joking when he talked about her being the woman he was going to marry one day. She didn't take him seriously. But he was seriousâhe really wanted her to meet his parents soon. She was the type of woman that was worth showing off to everybody.
Joel arrived at his parents' house a little after eleven o'clock in the morning. The front door was closed and the air conditioner was running. His mother's wind chime hardly moved in the stagnant air. From the front porch he could hear a gospel song called “Jesus Can Work It Out” coming from the kitchen, playing as loud as a live concert. He used his key to get inside. When he stepped inside he smelled the aroma of fresh herbs and spices in the air, and saw his mother standing at the kitchen counter preparing lunch or getting an early start on dinner. She loved to keep herself busy throughout the day. Cooking happened to be one of the things she did best.
Right away Joel noticed that the house was full of sunlight and felt very much alive with the spirit. The music and the bright sunlight were a sign of victory and happiness. Mrs. Davis rocked back and forth, singing her heart out. As soon as she saw Joel's face, she lit up and stopped what she was doing. She turned down the volume on her little boom box and walked toward Joel.
With a smile Joel said, “Hey, Ma. How've you been?”
She greeted him with a smile and threw in a warm, heartfelt motherly hug and kiss on his cheek. “I'm okay. How've you been?”
Joel stepped back and asked, “How do I look?”
His mother looked him up and down. “You look like your old self again. Guess you finally stopped worrying about that ole rotten Renee.”
Joel liked the glow he saw in his mother's eyes. He wondered if he was responsible for it, but he didn't want to read too much into it. He simply answered, “Yup. I'm finally over her.”
“Good.” She started back toward the kitchen. “I was hoping now that school was out you'd find time to stop by here to check up on me.”
Joel followed his mother into the kitchen. “I'm sorry. I've been really busy, that's all. That doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you.”
“Good, because I've been thinking about you a lot lately. You want a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat? If not I can make something else if you'd like. I've got some spaghetti on the stove and some garlic bread in the oven.”
“No thanks. I just ate breakfast not too long ago.” Joel inhaled deeply and said, “Mmm. The spaghetti does smell good.”
“Thanks.” Mrs. Davis took a really good look at Joel and smiled again. “Look at you.”
“What?”
“You really look handsome. Good to see you looking happy again.”
“I've got a new woman in my life now.”
In an instant a concerned look covered Mrs. Davis's face. “Oh Lord.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. Joel frowned and his mother quickly changed her tone. She sighed gently. “I mean, sit down and tell me all about her. Is she anything like Renee?”
“No.”
Joel was quickly reminded of Renee's mother's death. He was about to tell his mother about Mrs. Rhodes's passing, but he stopped himself. He hated being the bearer of bad news. The last thing he wanted to do was spoil his mother's bright and cheerful day.