

### IT WAS ALL A DREAM

### Racq Symphony

Published by Racq Symphony

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright © 2016 It Was All A Dream.  
All rights reserved.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No part of this eBook may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express permission in writing of the author.

# Table of Contents

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#  SCENE 1

Life as we know it is changing, right before our very eyes. Right below the wrinkle lines that creep across your face and rest in the fetal position above the eyebrows. Life changes. It changes the people, places and things we love and hate. For Jade and Julian, life was definitely changing and there was nothing they could do about it. Julian's daughter was getting ready to turn six and he was gearing up to marry this beautiful, long-legged woman that stole his heart and invaded his thoughts just a few years before. It was Jade. She was the lemon squeeze and raw sugar in his southern-made red Kool-Aid. Most people tend to think that it was Julian that who introduced himself to Jade that day in Las Vegas, but truth be told, her frankincense and myrrh aroma captivated him the moment he stepped inside the bar. His smile would speak to her spirit before his lips could utter a single word. He had lips that curved like a perfectly drawn heart. The lips that kissed her goodnight, warmed her body and delivered the best head Jade had ever experienced. And now, those same lips would give way to the words that would seal their lives and ties their souls together as one, forever.

They had been wrapped up in planning the biggest, most intimate wedding for the past year. Their lives evolved around color schemes, fabrics, flowers and the finest cuisines. Of course Julian didn't give much input or assistance. He just let Jade do whatever she wanted as long as his home town was represented in the theme. Standing in the living quarters of his three bedrooms, two and a half bath condo, Jade tried to wrap her head around the reality that was setting in so quickly. She would soon be somebody's wife.

A title that she never thought she would own or even deserve. The table was covered in color swatches for the chairs, chef recommendations for the food, dress confirmations for the girls and Julian still hadn't given his suit preference for his guys. There wasn't a whole lot of time left and the most pertinent decisions hinged on his input. Julian emerged from the bedroom with his cellphone glued to his ear. He was engulfed in a heavy conversation with his PR rep regarding the wedding being broadcasted to the world. His black baller shorts trimmed in grey hung just below his knees while his full body tattoos completed the comfort look.

He walked in and planted a kiss right below the back of Jade's neck. She normally loved those types of kisses but in that moment, she was a little agitated. Julian placed his hand over the phone and asked Jade, "What's wrong baby girl?"

She replied, "We have so much to do, Julian and I need your help with this stuff. I can't do everything on my own." She let out a sigh.

"Jade, baby you know that ain't my thing. Call Mariah or Sasha. You know they do that stuff in their sleep. Whatever you decide, make sure the N.O. is represented well and that me and the guys look as good as your girls cause you know how Chauncey is about his clothes." He replied with a chuckle as he went back to his phone call with the PR rep. His voice slowly faded away. "Yeah, yeah I'm here. No not a problem. Cameras? How many we talking?"

Jade plopped down in the chair, her hands planted on both temples as despair welled up in her eyes. She gave Mariah a call in hopes that she can provide some relief. The phone rang twice and went to voicemail. While Jade listened to Mariah's quintessential voicemail message in hopes that the inevitable beep would come quicker, she was reminded of the time when life seemed to be simpler and far less chaotic. A time when her and Julian would stay out late enjoying everything the night had to offer and wake up earlier to receive what their bodies wanted to gift to one another. Right about the time when her mind was en route to the incredible night of her proposal, the loud beep to Mariah's voicemail rang in her ear. "Hey girl—it's me. I need help and—just call me back, okay? Bye." No sooner than those words floated from her throat, down her tongue and out of her glossed lips did she receive a phone call from Mariah. She hurriedly answered the call. "Hello, Mariah!"

"Hey Jade. Sorry about that. I was taking another call when you beeped in. You sound sad. What's wrong?" Mariah asked as she fiddled around her sofa looking for the remote to pause the Bucs basketball game.

Jade desperately answered, "I need help with this wedding. Julian never has time to give me input and—I don't' wanna fuck this up. It's so important to him—and to me. I was gonna call and ask Sasha but I know she got a lot going on right now with the baby, her business and Chauncey. Please help me!"

Mariah responded quickly, "Girl! I told you to let me take care of it from the beginning, now ya ass all stressed out over nothing." She located the remote and turned her TV off completely off. It's always amusing to see people become frantic in their actions after the help has been turned away. Mariah replies again, "Tell me what you need help with."

Jade released a sigh, opened her mouth and words started flying like darts to a bullseye. "I need to finalize the suit selection for the guys. I can do that part in my sleep but what I really need help with is the décor, seating arrangements, flowers—all this unnecessary shit that's required in weddings."

"Well damn, Jade! That's a lot of work to be done in such a little time. We only have like two months left before the day gets here. Email me what you have so far. I'll review it and send you my recommendations." She answered.

"Thank you so much. Like, you really don't understand how much this means to me—to Julian even though his ass ain't helping." She responded. A look of relief escaped her face. The help she needed finally came through. Jade and Mariah ended their phone conversation. While sitting at that same table, now with a better outlook on her wedding, Jade felt lighter. She opened her laptop and drafted the email to Mariah. Jade sat back in the chair and stared out into the big open glass, black draped windows. Getting lost in her thoughts of everything falling into place, she was suddenly overcome with the sense of fear. Would she be the wife that she knew Julian needed? Could she deal with Raven still being in their lives—forever? Although she and Julian's daughter had a great bond, she worried about being called step-mom and how it would make her feel. Being a friend is one thing, but a mother is something she didn't think she'd ever have to do. Would things change? Would Julian ever leave her to go back to Raven? These thoughts paraded her mind as if they were floating through the open glass, black draped windows.

#  SCENE 2

"It's been a long day. I just wanna go inside, relax and love on my wife." Chauncey said as he fumbled in his pockets looking for his house keys. Chauncey had been back and forth between Los Angeles and New York filming his new TV show, " _Hours at a Time"_ for the past few weeks. He finally got some free time to go home and see his son, C.J., and Sasha. Time didn't wait for him. It didn't pause for the cause so that he could be there to watch his son take his first steps, say his first word or even spit up on his Sasha's clothes. He had to witness it all on FaceTime. His career was taking off faster than LeBron's hairline. One movie after the next. Three months after C.J. was born, he and Sasha got married in a small, private ceremony in the Cayman Islands with only their parents in attendance. Soon after their wedding, Chauncey was cast in another TV show so he had to leave Sasha to tend to the baby by herself. Of course his mother would pop in every now and again and help out when and where she could. Their friend, Chauncey's fellow acting mate and C.J's Godmother, Tracy, would also come by while she wasn't out filming and doing press. Sasha had all the help she could possibly need, but Chauncey missed her. He missed is wife. He missed his son. He was glad to be home. He finally found his keys, opened the door and the sweet smell of peach cobbler held his senses hostage. His messenger bag slipped from his shoulder and rested on the floor as his feet carried him from the vestibule to the kitchen. Sasha, adorned in a strapless multi-colored sundress, her skin kissed by the sun, greeted Chauncey at the bar with a warm, inviting kiss to his love parched lips. Her hands locked around his head as his hands explored her body through her dress. She caressed the coils in his hair. She reveled in the softness of his skin, the succulence of his lips. He tasted the longing for his love through her lips as their tongues apologized to each other relentlessly. Chauncey couldn't escape the aroma coming from the peach cobbler. He wanted Sasha, but he wanted food. His belly craved for it.

The food from the plane was okay if you considered peanuts to be a delicacy. But Sasha's cooking stirred his heart and filled his belly. It made him thank his momma for all her hard work and God for blessing him with a woman who knew how to satisfy him. One thing was sure about their relationship, Sasha knew how to bring him to his knees in more ways than he could fathom. Chauncey pulled his mouthwatering lips away from Sasha's, severing their kiss for the moment, and allowed an _"I missed you baby"_ to flow from his lips. She savored the scent of Polo black from his neck and his shirt. Her hands slowly strolled down his arms, capturing every curve of his arm muscles. "I missed you too, Chauncey," she replied.

Chauncey rested from his feet onto a bar stool. His hands wrapped around Sasha's waist, he looked at her and asked, "Where's C.J.?"

"He's in his room taking a nap. He's been up most of the day, running around, giving me a headache. Your mom says he acts just like you did when you were his age," she responded.

"Mom always got something slick to say about me when I'm gone, huh?" he laughs. Sasha shrugged her shoulders and gave him a smile. "That peach cobbler smells really good, baby. Can I have some yet?"

"Of course you can, honey. I made it for you. It's cool enough to eat now. Let me fix you some."

Sasha tried to pull away from him so that she could go prepare a plate of cobbler for him with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream like he liked it, but Chauncey still had his arms wrapped around her. "Babe, you gotta let me go so I can go fix your peach cobbler," she said.

"Oh, my bad, baby. I just missed you so much. I got caught up in your eyes." He replied. Chauncey smacked Sasha's ass slightly and released her from his capture. She walked around the bar, grabbed a small plate from the dark berry-colored cabinet and prepared a small portion of cobbler and ice cream for him. With one hand, she slid the plate over to Chauncey. With the other, she handed him a spoon. As he began to eat, she cleaned the few dishes that were left sitting in the sink. "How was the last day of filming, baby?" She asked him.

Inhaling the last spoon full of peaches, a sprinkle of homemade crust and remnants of ice-cream on his plate, he looked up and said, "It was good. Stressful at times, but I'm proud of the work that we did. I really feel like this is the next level in my career, baby. I'm just glad to finally be home. I missed yall. I missed my bed. I missed all this good ass cooking too." He got up, took his plate to the sink and cradled Sasha from behind; slipping the plate into the warm, soapy dish water. "How long has C.J. been sleeping?" He asked while he teased her neck with warm kisses.

Sasha moaned silently. "About an hour," she replied. They were back to where they left off. His hands slowly moved from her shoulders to her elbows; down to her waist then her hips. He pressed himself up against her ass and she felt his thunder ready to strike. Sasha's head fell back into his chest. His kisses moved from her neck to her cheek and back to her lips as he spun her around to face him. Her center moistened. Chauncey enjoyed the peach cobbler but now he yearned to taste Sasha's sweet nectar. The tension was as thick as pound cake between them and Sasha wanted to slice it as much as Chauncey did. They hadn't touched each other in weeks. She was overdue for dose of his love treatment. Back in her air, her eyes reflected her longing for him. She kissed him. He kissed her. They savored each one more intense than the last. He slowly moved her dress up, caressing her thighs with every stroke of his hands. He grew longer. Inside his jeans, he grew stronger. Like the Incredible Hulk, he needed to break down, tear down, and rip apart her center. Like the Hulk, he wanted to plant love seeds there. They were eager to devour each other but little C.J. interrupted those plans.

"Mommy— Mommy you leave me. I wake up now." C.J. said as he slowly tottered down the hall, dragging his vintage _my buddy_ doll and rubbing his restful eyes. Chauncey and Sasha's faces were covered in melancholy but that rapidly changed once C.J. saw his daddy and immediately ran up to him. "Daddy!" he yelled. C.J. missed his daddy— the man that would teach him how to be a man. He rushed into his arms. Chauncey embraced him gently but C.J. held a tight grip, a big as his little arms would allow him to. His hero was home and he wanted to hold on to him as long as he could. "Hey little man. I missed you. Did you miss daddy?" Chauncey asked.

"Yeah. I miss you." C.J. said as he buried his head into his daddy's chest. They all ventured into the living room; Sasha sat on the brown leather love seat and Chauncey relaxed himself in the recliner with C.J. still attached.

#  SCENE 3

"No, Shawn, wait! Wait! Let me write this down real quick. I promise it won't take me long." Mariah said as she wrote down the ideas she came up with for Jade about the wedding ceremony. Shawn had been planning to spend some alone time with Mariah since she has been swamped with interior design work for her celebrity clientele, courtesy of Klaudia, Shawn's mom. For the past year and a half, Mariah had managed to design homes, offices and even some movie sets for some of Hollywood's finest. Even Kobe invited her to take a look at his newly purchased retirement home to see what magic dust she can sprinkle on it. With all of the traveling back and forth to LA, she decided that it would be best for her to just move there. Mariah's career took off and well, Shawn was beginning to feel a little deprived of his quality time and malnourished in their sex life.

But all of his empty spaces weren't completely Mariah's fault. Shawn's work life played strings to that soundtrack as well. Radio shows, auditions and award shows still bombarded his calendar. It almost seemed as if time didn't want the two of them to be in the same space at the same time. "Come on, Mariah. You should be done writing that shit down by now. I need you, girl. Tell me something, do I need to get on your calendar for you to spend some damn time with me?" He asked firmly with a little bit of softness in his voice.

Mariah looked up at him. His eyes were beautiful, brown and glossy. It was at that moment that she realized that he was more serious about spending time with her than he was about Steph Curry and his three-point shot. She abruptly put her pen and notebook down, grabbed Shawn by his hands and pulled him down to her. No longer standing and waiting for her to get done, he was where he longed to be; in the quality of her time. It wasn't about the quantity. He just needed something to keep him going, something to keep him motivated and strong for the next fight against life. She was always his drink of choice for the next round.

"Shawn, I feel like we don't even know each other anymore. We've been going so much I'm not even sure what the goal is anymore. What are we trying to accomplish?" Mariah sincerely asked. It wasn't as if she didn't want to give him what she knew they both needed, she just didn't know if they were even connected like that anymore. Shawn rested his hands on her thighs and peered into her eyes. He knew what she meant and at one point in the hustle and bustle of their careers he felt the same way. Life is what you make it to be. Relationships are the same way. You have to work twice as hard to keep it functioning after you do the easy job of getting it.

Shawn wasn't afraid of hard work and neither was Mariah. It took a lot of hard work, determination and a whole lot more to land his first movie. Mariah worked a job for years that had no positive yield while also grinding in interior design on the side. They were no strangers to it. They lived it. "Baby, whatever I gotta do to make you know me like you use to, tell me. I know our lives have been like a revolving door lately; you going in and me coming out, but Mariah, baby I don't want you to feel like what we have ain't worth working for. We just trying to be the best we are individually and for each other, that's all." He responded.

Mariah held his face in her hands and said, "Shawn, are you happy? I mean, with me. Are you happy with me? Do I still make you happy?"

"Of course you do, girl. I told you, I've never met anyone like you before and I don't think I ever will again. You make me more than happy. Whatever word is used to describe that shit, that's how happy I am with you." He said with a chuckle. "I love you, Mariah."

"I love you too, Shawn." She leaned in and gave him a kiss. His lips held on tighter than the thread on in fresh sew in. He missed those moments. Moments that were all about him and her. It didn't take much to get him aroused. Mariah had that effect on him. He kissed her back; never letting go of her lips. He didn't come up for air. He breathed her. She was his life line. In that moment, he needed a connection. With both hands, he caressed her thighs. Her jeans felt like her soft, cocoa butter skin. His lips pressed against hers. His tongue did backstrokes with hers. Mariah felt her guard coming down. She felt the weight of her work life vastly melting away. She needed that moment too; a fraction of time where she can be refueled by his love and his touch.

Shawn quickly ripped her dark washed jeans and her no longer a secret boy shorts from her body, revealing her beautiful pink promise between her thighs. Unable to wait any longer, his mouth sought after a kiss from her promise. Mariah didn't hesitate to let him take hold of her. She was desperate for his affection. Her lips parted. He savored every part of her promise: Her lips, her clitoris, her center. He caressed and licked the insides of her thighs, making her shake intensely at the sight of his good pleasuring. "Oh— Shawn—ahh—" she lamented. Her clitoris swelled with pleasure. With every flick of his tongue, her thighs grew weaker. He peered up at her. Her countenance covered in pleasure.

He peeled off his basketball shorts in record time. He spread her legs like a field goal, thrusting fervently inside of her promise. Mariah screamed and Shawn let out of grunt that made her rivers flow like rain in the spring time. "Mariah, baby. Don't ever let us get too far into our work—that we miss out on pleasing each other," he said pounding on her walls. "Okay, Shawn—mmm—okay," she replied. He pounded her walls, knocked down the mirrors inside her, the mirrors that reflected how longed he'd been missing inside her. Pain and pleasure fell from those walls.

"Baby, do you remember the day we met?" Shawn asked.

"Yeah, I do." Incoherently she responded while her body moved in fluid motion to his every thrust. She couldn't resist the thrusts any longer. She had to allow him to continue to pound inside her like a strong man working hard on the railroad. She gave way to allow his steel rod to pound harder and harder inside her socket, her promise, his secret place inside her.

"The moment I saw you, I was determined to make you mine and keep it that way. My love for you has never changed." He replied.

"I love you too, Shawn. Please don't stop, baby." She whimpered. Like a baby, yearning for attention, she whimpered. He stroked her harder, stronger, with each stroke increasing in speed. Speed like the coyote chasing after the road runner. His hardness chased after a fiery orgasm. The rawness of his manhood deeply stroked her soaked goodness; digging for the gold of her promise.

"Fuck!" Shawn yelled. His body jerked like a 6-speed car with the gears jamming as he released a beautiful creamy gift inside of Mariah's promise. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to come so quick. I just— I needed you and my body just reacted." He laid his head on her breast and held her. He held her like Robin Hood held on to his bounty, like a man trapped in a dream about sports cars and basketball. He held her and she embraced him.

"It's really okay, Shawn. I understand. We shouldn't wait so long next time. Like you said, we have to make time for each other." They lay there. Lay right there. No sheets to hide his bare ass and her open doors. They lay there, right there. They kissed, and kissed again. Mariah took hold of his bottom lip with every take of the kisses she would give. She smiled. He smiled. They kissed. His member awakened from his slumber. This time she would take him. Inside her, she took him. Her finger slipped inside her mouth, being clothed by her own self-made water. She aroused him. He aroused her. She mounted him. Mounted him face to face. Breath to breath. Skin to skin. She locked in. His key in her socket. Ready. Set. Go. She rode him. Like a long trip up and down the hills of the great Smokey mountains. No latex barriers, no satin hindrances, she rode him. His hands clocked in at the ten and the two. He kept her steady, kept her pace like they liked it. With every bounce, her moans escaped the opening of her lips. She rode, but he stroked. Stroked her like a felt tip pin. Making smooth strides and glides inside her well of promise. He swam well, well enough to hold his own.

"How does it feel baby?" He asked

"Like heaven, Shawn." She replied. It was her heaven on earth. She gave the rain and he brought the thunder. Together they declared their heaven.

"You want me to go deeper for you baby?"

"Damn, can you get there Shawn?"

"Anything for you baby—anything." He let go of her ten and her two. Resting his hands on her nine and her three, the two luscious, round circle on her backside. He grabbed her nine and her three, her ass, gripped her tight and thrusted all of him, all eight inches of himself into her promise. He gave everything he was, gave it to her promise. She whimpered. Her head fell back, mouth exuding fog like orgasmic rays. She moaned. He grunted, more and more he gave. "Yes, Shawn. Oh god, yes." Louder she whimpered. "Come for me baby." He summoned her and she obeyed. Her walls came crashing down around him like the wall of Jericho. The treasure of her promise was now open, revealing her creamy center, the nougat she stored inside. He loved it. Loved to see her cover him with her promise.

#  SCENE 4

Julian sat in silence. The room was quieter than offering time during Sunday morning service. Soundless. But his thoughts were loud; loud and boisterous. Why was Jade so distant all of a sudden? Her body was there, her gorgeous body, but her mind, the place that he penetrated the most, was absent. He couldn't figure it out. Jade was good at holding her emotions in, good at shielding herself from having to express what lied beneath that beautiful head of naturally curly red hair on her head.

Day after day, they would go without the in-depth conversations that they used to have. Maybe it was the wedding planning getting the best of her—Maybe. The time was surely winding down. In a few months, she would bear his last name, make him a prouder man. Julian's well-manicured hands rest on his temple. If he asked, maybe just maybe she would tell him what was going through her mind. But he needed her to be open. He needed her to be available.

Julian sought after information, Intel. He searched the house, the drawers, and her work bag. "Maybe there's something on her calendar," he wondered. Surely there was something that would give him an inkling of an idea as to what was going on inside her head, her heart.

Nothing.

Not so much as a sprinkle of prairie dust of information to help him. His only way of finding out what the issue was would be to talk to Jade. He went back over the past few weeks in his head. Maybe it was something he said, didn't say. Perhaps something he did, didn't do. "Damn. It's gotta be this damn wedding. Shit is stressing her out. I know it." He remembered the brief conversation they shared when she asked about the suit choices for him and his guys. "Yeah—shit. That's it. She been at this all her by herself. I ain't really helped her out much. That's on me. I gotta make this right. Can't have Jade feeling like she out here by herself," he said to himself.

As soon as he realized his plan of action, his phone rang. It was Raven. The darkest part of his past came calling into his present, determined to destroy his future. Their agreement was to have clear, open communication that only concerned their daughter, that's it; but Raven, being herself, never fully vowed to that agreement.

Julian cleared his mind and his throat—answered the phone. "Sup Raven. Everything alright with baby girl?"

"Hey Julian. Everything is cool. You sound disturbed. Anything I can help with?"

"Nah. I'm good. So if everything is cool with the baby, what you call me for?"

"You was on my mind so I figured I'd call. I miss you, Julian."

"Shit, Raven! I told you to only call me concerning Juliette. Why you can't just do shit right?"

"Damn! I get it. You don't want me. I thought you would've changed your mind by now but I see you still stuck on that red-headed hoe. That's alright. I hope you know how this shit gon' end. You'll be beggin' me to come back."

"Raven, I don't wanna argue with you. Just stick to the damn agreement and don't worry about me and Jade. I told you that shit before. We good over here, aight?"

Raven knew just what buttons to push to get Julian out of his character. They were together for years. She held him down, gave everything she had to him but only considered him an investment. When her investment didn't give way to the return she thought she would get once he landed a lead role in _Life Behind the Beats_ , she became the baby momma with a vengeance. She didn't love him, she tolerated him, treated him like child—like another pawn in her come up scheme but Julian was nobody's fool. He saw it coming. Like walking the green mile, he saw it. The closer he got, the more her motives became clearer and when she almost had the hook in his mouth—like a fish escaping the worm-bated hook of its capturer, he jumped and didn't look back.

"Whatever Julian—you'll be back." Raven said as she uttered a sinful laugh and hung up the phone.

He endured the silence again. The room was thoroughly lit physically but his emotions over shadowed it. This time his mind was occupied by something different. No vacancies for Jade. All sold out. Anger. Rage. Regret. Sympathy. All occupying rooms without paying rent and all because of one phone call with Raven: the bird with broken wings. The baby momma sent from Satan's hole in the wall. "I hate that bitch!" He said. He sent his phone flying across the room like a Boeing 747 with neon lights doing two hundred miles a millisecond. Then it hit him. Raven was the problem. That evil, blond-haired bird with broken wings was the cause of all the silence between him and Jade.

#  SCENE 5

"Yo E!—Elan, baby where you at?" Alec yelled throughout his spacious penthouse apartment. The view outside gave rays of the typical slow walking, fast driving, smooth cycling LA lifestyle. He had just arrived home with a brand new script for a role that would break all rules. This new TV show about fighter pilots from the war days that would put a new spin on black pilots. It was called _"Over the Edge"_. A lead role is what he captured. He knew that _Life Behind the Beats_ was going to open some doors for him but he didn't know how huge the door would be and for a man of his stature, he had no problems walking through it.

Los Angeles, nicknamed the City of Angels, Alec found his angel while escaping to the city of sin. Typical oxymoron. Angels. Demons. Everyone has a little bit of both. Vegas was surely good to he and Elan, twice over. After their second trip there, they grew closer, their love as strong as a black boxer's right hook in the prime of his career. Elan became a fixture at Alec's home. He gave her the green light in his heart and now over his watch business. "Hey babe, I'm back here in the office reviewing the proposals for your new watch collection. You've got to see this, Alec." Alec parked his keys on the grey-bricked fire place mantel and slowly strolled down the hall, one sexy muscled bowleg at a time. His left hand stroked the waves on his head. One left turn then another left he made, arriving at the door of his home office. Peace greeted him at the office door. His big brown eyes drifted from the hardwood floors to the round glass table. There sat Elan, hair pulled into a curly bun, sprouting from the top of her head like fireworks. Her black glasses pulled just to the tip of her nose. Her sweet caramel colored skin beaming with a glow that shined like the noonday sun. Stunning. His smile met her smile. Timeless. Left hand in his pocket, right hand holding his script, he leaned against the door trim.

"Welcome home, babe. How was your day? Come. Sit. Tell me, what's new?" Elan asked. Alec joined her at the table and placed the script face down. He examined her face, found his peace in her eyes. He kissed her. Her lips of comfort. He breathed her air, savored the taste from her lips and said, "E, you not gonna believe what just happened to me—for me, for us. This one is a game changer," as he sat back in the chair and flipped over the script for her to see. The top of the page read boldly,

Over The Edge

" _Nikko"_

Elan couldn't contain her excitement. She screamed. "Alec, this is the show you've been auditioning for these past few months. You got it! I'm so happy for you, babe. You worked your ass off for this." Her eyebrows lifted, "A nice ass, might I add." They laughed. Before silence could enter the room, Elan scrolled across the iPad to show Alec the proposals. "You think that role is a game changer? Take a look at these?" She handed it to him and silence came in and took a seat.

The lines across his forehead switched positions with the rise and fall of his eyebrows like the clouds on the weather channel. Elan didn't know what to think or how to respond, so she entertained the silence while he studied the numbers. Elan was a business guru. She breathed proposals, so she wasn't nervous about what she presented to him. She had already looked at everything twice over but she was hesitant about the negotiations she made on his behalf. The hand on his watch ticked every time her heart tocked. She bit down on her bottom lip and anxiously held her breathe. She obviated her eyes and fidgeted with her fingers as if she were playing a magical Bach piece at high speed on the keys. "So— what do you think?" she asked. Alec laid the tablet down, leaned back into the chair and stroked his facial mane. His lips parted but no words escaped.

"What? Are you not satisfied? Please, Alec say something." Her heart raced, raced like Smoke in Biker Boyz and Alec had the tunnel vision. He straightened his composer, rested his elbows on the glass table and lightly touched her cheek. "This is amazing, E. I'm literally speechless right now. Even when I think I know everything you, you show me more. Thank you for all you do for me. I appreciate it. I'm serious."

Now she could breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Her breathing was back in motion like a well-oiled car. She was relieved. "Alec, don't scare me like that. Shit! I thought you didn't like the damn proposals." She slapped his arm, gripped his forearm muscle and caressed it.

"Ouch!" He laughed. "I like it when you hit on me like that—especially when you're mad. It's sexy. Go on girl and grip these muscles. You know you want to. They're yours anyways."

"You play too much," she responded, her smile bright as the sun.

"So, I think I want to go with the second proposal. It looks very promising and the profit margin is way up. This watch model that we are giving them is a timeless piece—one that I cherish the most because Elijah and I worked the hardest on it. Every detail of it means something."

"That's actually what I was thinking too. The numbers look healthy and you and Eli will still have ownership of all the designs."

"I can't thank you enough, babe. I should go call Eli and tell him all the good news."

"Yeah, go do that. I'll shoot these over to him really quick that way he will have them while you two talk it over. I'm sure he will be equally pleased. And don't worry—you can thank me properly later." She responded and smiled. She licked her lips and he knew right away what _thank me_ she meant.

"Don't tease me like that woman! Wait til' I get off this phone." He responded. He got up, left the room and made the phone call to Elijah.

#  SCENE 6

Loud noises rang out. Sounds of clatter and boxes falling down like waterfalls. A hurdle of bullets rapidly echoed, one after the other like a game of cat and mouse. The cat in this case was a semi-automatic rifle. AK-47 with chrome casings, personalized trigger and tricked out scope. Covered in his tailor made battle dress uniform. The seemingly sexual-derived vibration of his phone interrupted his alone time with his target practice. Elijah, in the middle of a range session with his cast mates for his new show, _"Half past Twelve"_ he immediately put the safety on and lowered his riffle in a classic military style. He raised his arm into the air, his hand taking a formation of black power and stretched out his fingers, flashing twice, signaling a halt. Lots of dust, heat and low winds that day. Lots of fun on Elijah's account.

The training instructor took note of the signal. He was a tall man with bronze hair, gray highlights, ha a grainy voice like an old military general who had seen better days in Kuwait. He yelled, "Seize fire!" Hot sweat dripped from Elijah's forehead. He strolled back inside the facility, took out his phone and noticed that it was Alec who called him. He checked his texts. Alec left something for him. _"Yo, Eli. Call me. Business."_ The text read. "Cool," Eli said. He removed the wide, white earplug from his left ear, dialed Alec back, and removed his protective eye wear.

"Al, what's good bro? You okay?"

"Bro, thanks for hitting me back. I got some great news, man."

"Hit me with it."

"We got a few proposals back on the Hardison watch collection—one in particular I think you'll like. Thanks to Elan, the profit margin on it is almost ninety-two percent."

"Man! That sounds like a winner. Send me whatever you have so I can look at it. Maybe we can move forward pretty soon. Damn! This is great news."

"Cool! Elan sent you the proposals via email. Check em' out when you get a chance. By the way, what in the hell are you doing anyways?"

"Man, you know I'm out here at the shooting range getting ready for this movie. Gotta get my aim right."

"Oh yeah. You know moms don't play about us half doing shit but you got it. Aight, so call me when you read over everything."

"Most definitely. Talk to you later."

The phone went silent, sounds of hurdling bullets rose once again. Remnants of seize fires and reloading chambers echoed inside the building. He took a deep breathe, contained his excitement, lodged the earplug back in its place. He put the phone back in his pocket, warming up against his thigh, slid on the bulky eyewear and went back outside, finishing his session.

6:00pm

Arriving home, late in the evening from target practice, Elijah removed his jacket, then his shoes: left foot, right foot. Released a peaceful sigh, swayed his neck around, right to left in sync with the second hand moving on his self-manufactured Hardison watch collection. A true, timeless piece it was. Chrome outlay, black Parisian leather band, each circle, triangle effect was drafted inside the minds and by the hands of he and Alec. Titanium glass and inner workings of hearts strings. True engineers. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of vanilla and lavender mingled with a few stems of basil and honey, a concoction he created on his own to saturate his place. Then he remembered her. A smile as innocent as a catholic school girl and as devious as the Joker crept across his face as he made his way to the front room for relaxation. Tisha loved the smell of his place, his décor, his admirable cooking skills and most of all the way he made love to her. The way her skin melted in his possession, her body obeyed his every beckon and call. He rested his tired, chiseled body on the sofa, stretched out and laid back, head resting on the arm of it. He drifted away, held captive by his relentless thoughts of Tisha.

His lust-filled captivity trapped his thoughts inside his mind, wouldn't let go until the thoughts of her blessed his body and sanctified his love sick soul. He reached down towards his belt and undid it. His zipper followed the formation. His eyes visited the inside of his eye lids then his hand met with his member, the long, thick and strong part of him—thick like a mars candy bar, veiny, smooth and erect. He stroked himself, up and down, restricting his motion at every vivid scene of Tisha's chocolate body in motion, riding him, bouncing up and down on his member. The more he sensed her hips grinding in sync with his, the stronger his strokes became. He was lost, lost in a world of aloneness and sensual pleasure. He missed her. Her lips, hips, her succulent breasts—the kind that made babies cry more for and men weaker than one-ply toilet paper. Her love was his drug of choice and he needed a high. "Ahhhh—mmm—shit!" Eli moaned but there was no moan to reply back to him. Empty moans, empty dreams and an almost empty member. Then—at his moment of complex capacity, that moment when his cup almost ran over, his phone gave way to a melody that settled his tension and relieved his aloneness. It was Tisha. The drug he needed to get high off of. Even though it was only a little after six in the evening, Tish was his love in the midnight hour.

"Hello," she said, voice resembling ocean waves during a night stroll on the beach.

"Tisha—baby—I was just thinking about you. I miss you, girl."

Elijah let out a sigh of relief. He never liked to please himself. Felt it was a selfish act, knew Tisha wouldn't be okay with it, knew it would just be temporary. He wanted something sure and Tisha was his sure thing.

"Hey babe. I missed you too. It's been a crazy day at work."

"Oh yeah. Tell me about it."

"A bunch of my students got a hold of the answers to a test that I was giving them. Coincidentally, they all made a ninety-two. Every single last one of them. Had to write everybody up and come up with a whole new test."

"Damn baby. How in the hell did they pull that off?"

"I don't know. Maybe I left something out or dropped something from my bag. Who knows?"

"So tell me, do you miss me enough to let me come see you?

"You wanna come here—to Miami to see me? Don't play with me, Eli. You know I want to see you."

"Baby, I'm not playing. I need you. Work has been hard—great, but hard and I need your touch, girl. Besides, this distant lover shit ain't working." He laughed.

"Oh, Eli! Please. Yes you can come to Miami." Tisha screamed.

"Then it's settled. I'll see your pretty face this weekend, girl and um, have them lips ready for me when I get there."

"Lips, huh—I'll have both sets ready." She replied. He got the message and so did his member. They spoke their love for one another, talked for a few hours. Eli spilled the juice about the watch deal and Tisha wiped it up with more talk about her classroom. Eli got his fix and Tisha—was prepping her mind for some alone time with her hearts' desire.

#  SCENE 7

He sat in the library, papers sprawled about the table. His Mac Chromebook, a half consumed bottle of Fiji water, yellow and light blue highlighters to the left of his blue ballpoint pen all creating a euphoric simulation of a manmade place of serenity. He was in the zone, standing at the fifty yard line in his mind, ready to take it to the hole. He had memorized the first half of his lines and felt victorious, felt like he had climbed Mount Rushmore, climbed it with no rope, no gloves, and no assistance. Kendrick went from one television show to another with no real cemented role.

From audition to audition, meeting after meeting, his dedication finally yielded something he could be proud of. It was one thing to be an actor trying to make it in the big leagues; but to be an actor, born and raised in the city that bred actors every microsecond, he kind of felt like he was just one of the dime-a-dozen. His father was an actor, his mom a director/producer but he didn't take to kindly to handouts from them. He worked hard to get where he was and like a man working hard, chiseling at the block of clay, day after day, he could finally see the image that he was sculpting. Kendrick now had a lead role in a very promising movie called _The Fresh Publication_ , a movie about a group of guys who decide to defy all odd during the civil rights movement to establish the first black newspaper geared toward music, sports and the arts. He was excited and nervous about it but felt a sense of heavy responsibility. Not just because of the role, but because he had to make sure that Chassidy was well taken care of, after all, he asked her to move to Los Angeles with him and she agreed—uprooted her life, left her family, friends and her job to be with him, the man who graciously acquired her gift of purity and, in return, provided her with his unfailing love. They were in love like two love birds on the edge of a pecan tree; their love was authentic and full of life, bursting from the seams of their hearts—or so he thought.

Chassidy made his home her home. Kendrick took great care of her. Although she had a degree and a plethora of work experience, Kendrick didn't want her to work. He wanted her at home, wanted that old school feel to his life: the woman in the kitchen cooking, cleaning and pleasuring him at all times but since he was hardly at home because of his nature of work that gave Chassidy more time alone than she needed. Like the old saying goes, an idle mind is the devil's playground and in Chassidy's case it became his playground, pool hall, late night club scene and breakfast in the morning.

The thoughts that haunted him in the back of his mind crept to the front and immediately his countenance changed. He worried that Chassidy was changing but not for the better. He tapped his fingers on the table, his emotions getting the best of him, pulled his phone from his pocket to see a text from Chassidy. He smiled, locked that worry back in the closet and read the message. _"Hey Kendrick, I'm leaving the house for few. Be back around eight tonight."_

Right back to the closet he went, opened the door for worry to come back out, allowed it to get comfortable. "Kendrick? Since when did she start calling me by my first name? No " _I love you"_ or nothing—hmm." He sat there—gazing at the heap of papers on the table, dazed, perplexed and distraught. "Let me go home. Something don't feel right." Kendrick quickly gathered his papers, highlighters, pen and Chromebook, slid them in his messenger bag, gulped down the rest of his Fiji water, hurled the bottle into the recycle bin and darted to his car. Clear blue skies, ocean-like clouds hanging just right, the sun smiling bright as only Los Angeles would capture. His car moved in and out of traffic like a floating paper towel. His mind was clouded and his emotions were running rapid. "Maybe I'm overthinking it. I mean, she could've just forgotten to say baby or maybe she was rushing and the " _I love you"_ is still sitting in her text box waiting to be sent. It's a simple mistake—yep that's what it is." He sat behind a car at the red, now green light. A blonde haired girl was in the driver's seat, putting on her makeup, transforming into some type of Hollywood model and texting. He beeped his horn, "Pay attention and go, fuck!" The anger and aggravation in his voice was so prevalent. At the next light, Kendrick hopped on the 101 and Nascar raced to his place, nothing but open road and too many scenarios playing hopscotch in his head. Hot off the 101, a right, another right, down the road, his thoughts louder than his car engine—he made a left and turned into his neighborhood. Before he knew it, he was home.

He sat in the car. Chassidy's car wasn't there but he knew that. His heart just wanted to see her. He got out of the car, went inside, placed his keys on the table and took a seat. Breathe. The smell of her Chanel perfume permeated the apartment. He glanced around, noticed that she left her iPad. He picked it up, tapped the screen, still had seventy-one percent battery life left, the back of it was still warm but the lock was on it. He couldn't get in. He sat back in the chair, rubbed his temples trying to understand where she could have gone and why. He took his phone out of his pocket, realized he had a text from one of his homeboys, Malik. He read it. _"Yo, Drick man, I swear I just saw ya girl down here. What in the hell is she doing in Compton—by herself bro?"_

Kendrick was taken back. His mouth hung open like an airplane hangar. He texted him back, _"Nah, bro. Can't be my girl. She wouldn't be caught dead in the CPT—especially by her damn self."_ He glared at his response and knew in his heart that his homeboy was right. Chassidy had changed. He thought about going back outside, back into his car, back on the highway. It was a quick ride, no more than thirty minutes. He could turn that thirty minutes into fifteen doing ninety, let his emotions fuel his driving. Or he could just do what he was doing—nothing. He loved Chassidy with everything in him.

She broke him down, dissipated his pride to dust when they first met, outside the Las Vegas airport. He had changed too, altered his life to accommodate her, to have her. He loved her as best as he knew how to love a woman, the way his daddy loved his momma. "Maybe I'm overreacting—yeah. She'll be back." He told himself. Yeah, someone was coming back but would it be the Chassidy that he fell in love with or the mighty morphing Chassidy that left the house and went to Compton? Kendrick couldn't eat—no appetite that night. He lay across his bed, waiting for her return. Eight o'clock came and went with the wind. It was midnight and still no Chassidy. His worry fanned him right on to sleep. An hour after he fell asleep, Chassidy walked through the door, lightly laid her keys on the counter, stashed her purse in the closet, took off her shoes. It never rained in southern California in the spring but for whatever reason, Mother Nature expressed contents of Kendrick's heart.

She tiptoed into the bedroom; noticed Kendrick was still fully clothed, asleep on his back with his phone in one hand, one of their pictures in the other—a fist full of worried tears. She took off her clothes, stepped into the shower and cleansed herself quickly, not wanting to awake him by the sound of strong water running. When she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, water drizzling down her neck, Kendrick was still asleep. She adjusted her weight to her left foot, stood there watching him breathe, in and out, his chest moving up and down. Chassidy knew she was gone too late, too long and to the wrong side of town. She had to make up for it, make it up to Kendrick.

She took a corner of the towel and dried her neck, and then she dropped the towel onto the floor. She walked over to the bed, sat down, leaned in and kissed his lips. They were cool. She kissed him again and again until they warmed up and her love moistened. Kendrick moaned and his eyes opened. He remembered those lips, they belonged to Chassidy. She came home. He didn't care what time it was, he didn't even check to see. She took his hand, slid it in between her legs, let him feel her love. It was moist, hot and throbbing for his attention. His eyes brightened. He whispered, "I missed you, Chass." She looked at him, unzipped his pants, exposing his soldier standing at attention, saluting her like she was the American flag. She stroked him once, and then mounted him, slide down slowly, like a kid on her first playground slide. "mmm—baby, I missed you too." she said as he gripped her waist, pulling her into him, pushing himself deeper inside her. His eyes searched her eyes for answers. She moaned, he thrust, her breasts bounced in the air, head tilted back and her arms on his chest.

The more she screamed, the deeper he thrust.

"Baby—ahhh—wait—mmm—Kendrick!" There it was again. She screamed his name, his whole first name, his government affiliation. A grudging growl escaped his lips, loud and deep. He came inside her quick, hard with all the worry, anger and frustration in his mind, no fucks given. Chassidy looked at Kendrick. He looked back, their breathing was choppy. He never came first, always allowed her to reach her climax before him. "Kendrick, what the fuck was that?" she said as she let him slide out of her. She laid next to him with her back to his side; him out of breath, her out of time. "Chass, where have you been?"

"What do you mean where have I been? I went out with some friends. We hung out. That's all."

"Where, Chass? Where did you hang out with your friends? Where did yall go?"

"We went to Compton, Kendrick—played some pool. I didn't tell you cause I knew you'd act just like this. Damn! I'm not a child, you know. I don't have to tell you ever single thing I'm doing."

Kendrick was furious, angrier than a bull that had run through too many red capes but he knew in that moment she was right. She wasn't a child, she was his girl, the woman he gave an engagement ring to and called it a promise. He also knew she wasn't telling the whole truth but he accepted her explanation. "Chass—baby I'm sorry. I ain't mean to come at you like that. It's just—nothing. I'm sorry." He replied. They lay in the bed, back to back now, anger subsiding on one side, deceit on the other, listening to the sound of the rain beat against the windows.

#  SCENE 8

"Yo, Jade—can I talk to you for a minute?" Julian asked. He'd walked in on Jade going through some of the color swatches for the table cloths.

"Sure, J. Give me a quick second, okay?"

"Yeah, baby girl. I'll be in here." Julian replied. He turned around and went back into the bedroom, sat at the end of the bed waiting for Jade to enter. He was nervous, not knowing how the conversation would turn out but he was determined to find out what was going on with Jade. She put the swatches down, took a sip of her water and went to the bedroom to meet with Julian.

"What's up, babe? What you wanna talk to me about?"

"Come sit next to me." He tapped on the bed, signaling her to sit next to him. She pulled her hair behind her right ear and asked, "What's wrong? You seem tense or something."

"I just wanted to talk to you, you know—see what's going on with you. You've been distant with me lately and it just ain't like you, Jade."

"I'm good, J. It ain't nothing for you to be worried over, believe me. It's just this wedding had me stressed out, feeling like I was in over my head but Mariah helping me out now so I'm good. I just wanna make everything perfect—for you."

"I hear that Jade and understand me when I say this: don't ever stress ya self over no one day and nothing will ever be perfect. You hear me? Nothing is perfect. I trust ya judgment and now you got Mariah in on it, I know its gon' be good. I love you, baby girl and I got you—aight?"

"I love you too, J and I hear what you saying. I just wanted things right for you. You got an image to uphold."

"Yeah, but you my priority first. Fuck the image, Jade—you bout to be my wife, wedding ceremony or not. We can kill all this shit right now, the cameras, everything and just go down to the courthouse. I don't like it when you shut me out like that. That shit is crazy—had me feeling like I was losing you, losing us."

"Baby, don't say that. You got me, remember that shit? I ain't going nowhere. This me and you, J—until the wheels fall off and the sun rise on our love in the morning. Now give me a kiss with yo sexy ass."

Julian obliged Jade, gave way to his lips to meet with hers. He got what we needed to off his chest and felt like he and Jade were back on track, headed to becoming Mr. and Mrs. Julian Gates. He felt safe again, safe in the language of their love, safe in the faith of their future. But Jade was lying. She knew it was more than just the wedding that had her doing the moonwalk away from interacting with Julian. If she told Julian the truth, the ugly, naked truth she didn't know how he would take. She saw it as a game of operation; if she said the wrong thing, mentioned the wrong name it could possibly hurt him, them, their relationship. So she played along, let him play operation on her mind instead of pulling her heart out, showing him what really had her needing his healing.

He bit his bottom lip, the one that curved up to make one half of a heart, looked Jade up and down, searched her from head to toe, lingering at her eyes. He saw what he wanted in her eyes. He saw desire, a longing, a need that had to be met by him and only him. Julian reached up to touch her face, to touch her skin, hoping that she would brush back against his hand but her phone blared a song loud enough to scare them out of their trance. It was Mariah calling. Jade looked at the phone, sent her to voicemail and went back to the moment. The phone rang again—Mariah. This time Julian took the phone, turned it off, turned her attention back to him. She belonged to him in that moment. He kissed her again and again and again until every part of her panted for him. "Jade—let me make love to you tonight, baby girl."

"Julian, you don't have to ask."

"No Jade—not like any one of our normal escapades— _I_ wanna make love to _you_."

"Whatever you want, Julian. I want whatever you want, right now, right here."

Julian kissed her again, this time from her forehead to her nose, her lips, chin, and her neck. He nibbled on her left shoulder, left a kiss on the right shoulder. Jade's head tilted back. She felt different. This was different. Julian slowed down while he unbuttoned her shirtdress, one by one until it was off and mingling with the floor. In two slips of his finger, so was her bra. He caressed her breasts, savored each one, licked her nipples, sucked them like a newborn. He laid her back on the bed, kissed her belly, licked her feminine abs, One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six, all six of them. Her skin tasted like coco butter, smelled like sage. Another slip of his hand and her thong met the rest of her clothes on the floor. She lay there on the bed, on the silk sheets bare, open and vulnerable to Julian, just the way he wanted her. He removed his tank, distressed jeans and boxers. Now they were the same, they were one. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they were bare, in their natural form just like God created them. He went back to her, kissed her thighs, inside them, kissed her knees, caressed her calves, kissed her feet. She looked at him, her eyes widened. Julian had never kissed her entire body, not even when they were high as the sky. He moved back up to her belly button, toyed with it with his tongue. He followed her landing strip down into the depths between her beautiful thighs.

He spread her legs, licked her lips, inhaled her scent and made love to her clit. She shivered, never felt his touch like that before. Jade tried to hold in her screams. He was making her body respond in ways he'd never done before. She couldn't contain herself. She screamed, screamed like a virgin with a brand new broken hymen. Julian didn't let it stop him from his quest. He silenced her with his tongue as he broke free from the sensual torture to her clit and savored her lips between her thighs once more. He stroked his instrument, again and again. He was ready to play, ready to play the strings inside her center. On his knees, his trumpet stood proud. Jade wanted to touch him, wanted to put her lips on the mouthpiece of his instrument, but her body wouldn't move, as if she were in a trance bound by his selfless pleasure.

Julian opened her legs wide enough to fit inside and he entered her, giving her his fullness of joy. Like entering a sweet sixteen surprise party, Jade gasped. They fit well together. His trumpet, her casing, a perfect match. He stroked her steady, stayed the course, made her anxious, desperate, and forgiving. Each stroke was as deep as he could go. She tried to meet him, greeted his every stroke with her own swing. But with each stroke, Jade became weaker, wanted to tell Julian what was really wrong. She wanted to open her mouth, let honesty flow like a river but the deeper he stroked, the more she moaned. He loved her moans, loved the way she gripped his back, the way her nails found a place there. She moaned and whimpered, whimpered and moaned. That was what his love for her was really like. That real, authentic love. No Mary Jane, no Cîroc or Tequila, no arguments. It was pure. Their bodies made sweet music and Julian was the conductor for the night. Jade's mouth parted, just enough for Julian's name to slip out. He loved to hear his name on her lips. He stroked her deeper and deeper until her legs shook, until his thighs clapped in synch with hers. No pain, all pleasure.

Jade couldn't handle it. It was good, so good, the best they'd ever had before. It wasn't rough. He didn't beat her center like a drum. It was slow, calculating, sensual. She was open, like a catholic at the confessional, her body, mind and soul. She moaned louder. Jade was inches away from crying a river and she couldn't hold it back anymore. Julian stroked deeper, like he was in search of something, something more than what she could give him but more so what he could give her. He was searching for himself inside her.

"J—baby please." Jade said. Her voice trembled.

"Let me do this, Jade. Let me make you come. I love it when I make you come." His speed increased. His intensity strengthened. He stroked her until her walls started echoing. She felt like her mind was falling down, like a game of Jenga everything was tumbling down at once. She screamed, grabbed the sheets, called Jesus, Julian, gave a few choice words that would make Lucifer jealous. He didn't care, not in that moment. All he cared about was pleasing her, getting her to the place of euphoric cosmos. He opened her legs wider and went deeper; long, intense strokes. Jade screamed louder but this time, tears rolled down her face. She felt good, his love making was amazing. His instrument filled her, made room inside her case. Jade met an orgasm so strong that her body vibrated. "That's right, Jade. Come for me." She couldn't express how him being inside her made her feel. Guilt and pleasure produced those tears. He filled her up, wouldn't pull out until he emptied himself inside her. She called out to him, hoping that this time, he'd hear her out.

"J—baby please. Look at me."

Julian looked into her eyes, saw her tears, saw what he was searching for, saw his reflection. He wiped away her tears and kissed her cheek. "What's wrong, Jade? Tell me." He asked.

'I—I love you so much. I wasn't completely honest with you earlier—I'm scared."

Julian, catching up to his breath, asked her, "What are you scared of baby girl? Huh? I told you, I got you. I love you. Tell me what are you so scared of?"

"I don't know if I can be a good wife to you—if Juliette is gonna still like me after we get married or if you'll leave me for Raven." She let out a sigh and river full of tears. She cried, sobbed like a mother who had lost her first child. Julian couldn't believe what Jade said. How could she think such things? Where did those thoughts come from? He cleaned her face again.

"Jade—listen baby girl, you already make me happy. Don't worry about that okay? Look at me, Juliette loves you. She adores you. You don't ever have to worry about me leaving you for Raven. I told you that shit is over between us. The only thing you should be worried about his having my son. In case you ain't noticed, I'm still trying to get pregnant." He laughed, licked his lips, smiled and placed a kiss on her warm lips. He reassured her she was his only desire, the only woman that could play the strings of his heart. "Now, can I please get something to drink? A brother is thirsty. Don't I look thirsty to you?" They laughed together. Jade felt lighter, secured and solidified.

#  SCENE 9

"Come on son, it's time for you to go night, night, okay." Chauncey said to C.J. as he got him dressed for bedtime.

"No daddy, I no go to sleep right now. I stay with you." C.J. replied while his eyes told a different story. They were two seconds from closing like venetian blinds.

"C.J. you can't stay up with me buddy. It's way past your bedtime. I tell you what, how about daddy stay in here with you? Is that okay?"

C.J. yelled "yay!" then he snuggled up with is _my buddy_ doll and lay on his daddy's chest. Chauncey looked down at C.J., one hand behind his head. He wondered why God would choose him to be C.J.'s daddy, why he was favored with such an important task. He felt blessed. He looked at the _my buddy_ doll, remembered when his daddy gave that exact doll to him. The overalls were still intact. The buttons still looked new, stripes still as bright as the day his dad pulled it out of the bag. He drifted off to that moment as he rubbed his son's head, staring off into space, back to the past and holding his future; that moment when his dad came home with the doll. He pulled it out of a bright red bag and handed it to him. Chauncey loved it. He loved his dad even more but shortly after he received that doll, his dad disappeared and the doll was all he had left. He figured that his dad was at work, out of town, coming right back. He would sit looking out the window everyday with his doll waiting for his daddy but he never came back, not for a handshake, not for a graduation, audition—nothing. He packed that doll up before he left for college, never forgot about where it came from and who gave it to him.

When C.J. was born he gave him that very same doll and made a promise that he would never leave and not come back. He would be the daddy that he needed, he longed for to C.J. He would never miss any moments of his life. He glanced back C.J. He was fast asleep; his little hand still holding onto that doll and his grip on Chauncey was even stronger. Chauncey lightly kissed his little forehead and laid him on the pillow, pulled the covers up and tucked him in. He whispered an " _I love you, son"_ to him, got up and turned his night light on and closed the door. Sasha was still awake. Standing in front of the dresser putting on the body butter that Chauncey liked, she glanced at herself in the mirror, remembering a time when life was simpler, when the thought of her and Chauncey being together was just a dream floating inside her mind. God allowed their union to be so, strategically orchestrated from the first time they met. Now they were married, had a family, living out their dreams, walking in their purpose. Chauncey walked down the hall, made a left turn and stood in the doorway of their bedroom, hands in his pockets, watching her adorn herself with his favorite fragrance. "Look at you. You're so beautiful, Sasha."

She glanced over at him and replied, "Thank you baby. You don't look so bad yourself." They chuckled.

"You ever stop and think about how we got here, you and me, our son. We have a family, Sasha. You and me. I've never known love like this before."

"From time to time, when I'm cleaning or cooking, even putting C.J. to bed, I think about how we met, how we connected on a level unknown to either one of us. Our love is pure, untainted and can't be manipulated. I look at C.J. and say to myself, he's the expression of our love in the flesh. God did that for us and for that, I am thankful."

"I remember when you told me that you were pregnant, how nervous and excited I was. It really bothered me though, tugged on my heart, made me think, how in the world would I be able to fulfill the responsibility of being a father when my father walked out on us. C.J. makes me better, makes me wanna go the extra mile for him."

"I told you that you'd be a great father and you've been that and more. He's lucky to have you." Sasha replied. She walked over to him, grabbed his shirt, a piece in this hand, a piece in the other, pulled him into her space. "You smell so good." He said. She glared up into his eyes, all the way up to his six feet, one inch view. He leaned down, kissed her forehead, then her lips. She savored his kiss, he savored her lips. Their tongues danced a slow, sensual waltz. She took in his breath, he inhaled hers. Chauncey took her by the hand, the black negligee she wore swayed behind as they made their way into the bedroom. The door softly closed behind them.

The radio softly played Shalamar's _"This is for the Lover in You"_ in the background. Their bedroom became their temple for the night, where sensual worship would take place. He sat on the bed, allowed her to straddle him, kiss him, envelope herself in his atmosphere. She felt him, felt him through his nighttime baller shorts. He was waking up, yawning inside them, stretching out and filling with strength. He was readying himself for worship. He had already confessed his sins, asked for forgiveness and was ready to enter her courts with a praise that even Solomon couldn't comprehend. He explored her body with his hands, not being negligent underneath her negligee. He filled his hands with her ass, gripped and squeezed it, made her fill his mouth with her moans. She had nothing on underneath; wore nothing but the black negligee. Sasha craved him inside her center. He kissed her neck, made is way to her breasts. Her straps fell one by one. He wanted to see them, grope them, kiss them, suck on them like honeysuckles in the summer time.

She rubbed his head; cradled his head while he visited them, reintroduced himself to them, carried on a long, much needed conversation. She melted underneath and he grew stronger. "Chauncey—" She called out to him.

"Yes, Sasha."

"I missed this; the way you pay attention to my body. I missed your touch, your warmth."

"I missed you too baby. I love every detail of your body—even the stretch marks." He replied. He looked down, saw his rod was ready to give correction. Sasha took notice of it too. Chauncey wanted to lay her on the bed, wanted her to open wide, receive him with a grand welcome. Sasha wanted to take him on a ride, down the winding roads, the hill tops, the low valleys where the Rose of Sharon resided. She pulled his rod out, exposed the goodness that God had blessed him with and ushered it into her courts.

"Ohh—Sasha, baby," he moaned. Then she moaned. He returned another moan, and another moan getting louder as Sasha changed gears. "shhh, the baby, Chauncey," she whispered. She was desperate for his love, found pleasure in his rod. He wrapped his arms around her, restricting her movements. He slowed her down, slowed her pace, let her give deliberate worship and savor the moment. She moved so calculating, like her body knew how to drink from his well. His love was better than wine, better than the finest of oils. She wanted that drink, bounced up and down on his rod to find it. His up met her down, over and over and over. He was close to exploding inside her but he wasn't ready, not for the finale just yet, not ready to take up the offering and go. He picked up her, his rod still occupying her courts, laid her on her back and pulled out.

He slipped his finger inside her, felt her warmth with his finger. He put his finger in his mouth, licked it, tasting her sweet nectar. He wanted more. Chauncey opened her doors, went inside and let his tongue have a conversation with her. They talked for a while, reminisced on old times, past conversations. He teased her clit, the small part of her that made her forget her name. She squirmed as his mustache swept across her clit. He teased her, blew inside her, kissed her chocolate-coated pink centered lips, down in her valley of worship. He became her lover for the night, forever. Sasha couldn't wait any longer. Her body was anxious, hungry for more, her kitty purred for his affection again. She wanted to worship more. Between her legs his rod and her courts met. He thrust inside her thunderously. She screamed.

"Shhh, Sasha—don't wake C.J., please," he whispered, smiling and mimicking her instructions earlier.

"Don't make fun of me," She gave a slight chuckle and quickly went back to the moment. "I can't help it. You shouldn't give it to me like that. You being inside me feels so good, so perfect." He stroked her, stroked her good, like a well-played violin. That excited her.

"Mrs. Hill—do you remember the first time we made love?" he asked as he went deeper into her courts, passing by the pews, headed to the altar.

"Mmm—" she moaned, "Of course I do, Mr. Hill."

He smiled. "Can I ask you something, Mrs. Hill?"

"Yes."

"Can I have you?" Her eyes widen. The last time he asked that question their lives changed but she considered him and before she knew it, a _"yes"_ escaped her lips, giving license to his ministry of matrimonious love making. The O'Jay's wooed them, started singing what Chauncey's body was saying, ordered her to let him make love to her—Sasha, his lady, his pretty, brown sugar baby.

He smiled, kissed her lips, gave her all of him, strong, wide, weighty. Sasha arched her body, made accommodations for his rod to strike deeper. He stroked deeper and faster, stroked past the pews, made it to the altar, laid down his gift and stayed there for more worship. His breathing thickened as they moaned in synch, like a four part harmony choir. She came gently, covered him in her nectar, covered him with the juices of the choicest of fruits. She gripped his back, let out a moan, a purr, became vocal. He covered her moans with kisses, stretched her legs wider, praise danced inside of her, faster, harder, deeper. He wanted to live in her, make his home inside her courts, build a bed, bring sheets, mattresses, and get comfortable. She screamed, he pounded, she whimpered and he expressed his gratitude. Like the Atlantic Starr's, she requested, "Chauncey, send for me again, baby."

"I'm sending for you now, baby. Can you meet me?" He went past her courts, and behind the veil, the place of private worship. She met him at the altar, to give their gifts, pour out their oil, and leave their sacrifice to be consumed by the fire of the Lord of their love making. He stroked her faster, made a popping sound; removed his rod from her courts and slowly entered it back inside again and again. Sasha's body went crazy. "Chauncey, I can't—I'm coming."

"I know, Sasha. I just wanna stay in this moment with you—fuck!" He sent for her and she met him, curtsied, danced and worshiped with him. He poured his oil inside her, his warm, life giving oil and she covered him in her nectar. He lay there, between her legs, resting his head between her breasts. She rubbed his head, traced the waves in his hair pattern.

"I love you, Mrs. Hill."

"I love you too—Mr. Hill."

Out of breath, out of oil, out of nectar the doors of the church were closed for the night. They were more in love in that moment of unrestrained love, praise and worship than they were forty-five minutes before.

#  SCENE 10

The flight to Miami was as smooth as spreadable chocolate. No overcast or high winds, no crying babies. Elijah slept through the whole flight, so peacefully, so serene. Once off the plane, he stretched his legs, arms and fingers; a gleaming smile resonated on his face and he inhaled the scent of metal airport seats, conveyer belts, eight hour old TSA uniforms and airport food. Enclosed by the sounds of Spanish, English and Creole languages seemingly in a three part harmony. A mother running behind her toddler, several people engaged in casino lingo conversations on their phones, business suits and mirror tented sunglasses. Miami gave him a unique welcome. He stood in the line like the department store mannequins seamlessly eyeing his luggage and within a quick second, his hand reunited with it. He strolled through the airport, looking to his left and his right searching for the face of the beauty that led him to Miami. In the far distance, he noticed her silhouette gleaming his way. His heart raced, feet followed suit, his smile brightened with every step closer he came toward her. The closer she swayed to him, the more his mind fell deeper into a trance of longing for his love that was almost in arms reach. But the voice of Siri broke that trance. Your brother is calling. Eli, your brother is calling, her robotic expression said repeatedly. His focus broke but his feet kept moving towards his future, his present, his Tisha. She was exceptional. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the thing that caused Siri to sing Alec's ringtone, looked down and slid his finger across the screen, accepting the call. "Yo, Al! What's up bro?"

"Eli, nothing much. I just wanted to touch base with you. Elan and myself, we flying out tomorrow to seal this deal on the Hardison watch collection."

"Okay, cool. Sounds good."

"I know you can't meet us there, so I'll forward you the conference call number. You can hang out with us that way while we do the paperwork. Is that cool with you?"

"Most definitely! Shoot me the number and the time, and I'll be on the call. Let's make it happen bro."

"It's a done deal, Eli. I just sent it to you—now. You should have it in your imessages."

"I got it."

"I'll get up with you later."

"Deal."

Elijah ended his call with Alec. Siri's voice was no more, silent. Then he was there, and she was there, in his space, in her space. His feet carried him like wings on the back of the mightiest angel, Gabriel, straight to her. She waited for him, waited for him to end the call and accept the invitation to join her in her space. Her eyes wondered across his entire body, imagining what it felt like to run her fingers across his head, over his shoulders, down his back and over his chest. Tisha wanted to capture the fabric of her man. He gazed into her eyes, inhaled her scent, kissed her. He kissed her like he needed her air to survive, like his lips needed CPR and her lips were certified to administer. His luggage waited next to him. It paused for their cause. Her lips were soft, mirrors of heaven's clouds, cool and warm at the same time. Perfect.

Forgetting about the atmosphere and airport that they occupied, he pulled her closer to him, grabbed her ass, the softness of her posterior, both hands in possession of her possessions and she released a moan that echoed throughout the walls of his heart and her center.

"I missed you baby girl." He said to her, his wind beneath the wings of her lips.

"I missed you too, Eli. Missed you more than my lips can say. Thank you for coming."

Their lips parted, took a recess break and the airport reality set back in motion like a carousel ride. Noisy children, crying babies and yelling adolescents who mimicked infants when they didn't get their way or their breast milk in time filled their ears. The smell of fried bread, too many Budweiser's and sweaty flesh consumed their senses. It was time to leave the airport before the heated between them dissipated. Elijah grabbed his luggage with one hand, held her hand with his other one, locked into her realm once again as they strolled to her car and departed. On the way to her place, Elijah watched her drive, watched the way she handled the blaring, consistent but sometime unpredictable Miami traffic, wondered if she could still handle him that same way. With all of his sudden stops, increasing speeds, slow and steady strokes. He was ready to test her waters, wade in them.

"Babe, are you alright? You're really quiet. How was your flight here?" Tisha asked

"The flight was smooth, baby girl. No turbulence, no distractions. I'm just admiring you. I love what I see. No turbulence, major distraction though," He laughed.

"So I'm a major distraction huh?"

"Yeah. Look at you. You're glowing girl. So beautiful. You're my kryptonite. You make me weak."

Elijah was right. Tisha was a good kryptonite to his dark-skinned Superman. Made him weak, took his Samson strength away and stored it in her Delilah, her place of power, the place where she could store his power for the times that he felt powerless. She became his vault, his chameleon, something that women morphed into for men many times over. Departing the exit, she made a right, another right and then a left, they arrived at her condo. Tisha pulled into the parking garage and turned the engine off and they sat, taking all of the silence in, allowing the sexual tensions between the two of them to rise like fresh baked bread. "Kiss me," He asked her.

"Well give me your lips." She replied. He leaned in, over the arm rest, cup holder and the mingling strings of aux cords and phone chargers. She kissed him, pressed her warm lips against his, let her tongue whisper to his. His kiss set off the sprinklers inside her panties and hers caused a fire inside his boxers. The wait was great. He released her lips and a smile cascaded across his face, displaying all thirty-two of his pearly whites. "You kiss me like you want me or something."

"Maybe I do."

"You sure? I mean, we can do this right now if you want, right here in the car."

They laughed in unison.

"Not in the car, Eli. Be serious."

"I am serious, baby girl, right here. Let's get some car action, cameras, people looking, staring, jealous of our love making."

"Let's go upstairs. There's peace, quiet and a bed there."

"See, you playing." He said playfully, "But just know I'm game for some car action at any time."

They got out of the car, her car and went upstairs to her condo. In the elevator, Elijah moved closer to her posterior. She felt his heat against her, burning, striking and ready. If he could have taken her right there, he would have and there would nothing she could do about it. But he waited, allowed his heat to stay under wraps until they reached her door.

The elevator yelled, signaled that their exit was there and they made their departure. They arrived at her place and went inside.

"You can give me your things, babe. I'll put them away and you can go grab a shower. I know you wanna relax after that long flight."

Elijah moved closer to her, wrapped his arms around her, leaned in face to face, breathe to breathe and asked, "What makes you think I wanna relax, baby girl? I want you. Right here. Nobody's watching us."

"Right here?" She replied, allowed her hands to explore his body, peered into his eyes and kissed him. "Go shower. I'll be right here when you get back."

"How about you join me?"

"How about I just do that?"

They made their way to the bedroom. Tisha warmed up the shower and Elijah warmed her neck with more kisses. His breathing roughened, became heavy while his heat sparked, gained strength, ready to spread like a wildfire. He was ready to explore her body in every way she would allow him to. Tisha released herself from his kisses to grab some towels. When she returned, he was already in the shower, unclothed, raw, ready and waiting for her. He watched her undress herself, dress, panties, bra all removed. He stroked his heat in agreement to her reveal. Tisha joined him in the shower and he kissed her, sucked her bottom lip, let their tongues meet and greet each other once again. He moved from her lips to her neck to her breasts. He groped them, squeezed and caressed them.

He loved her breasts, loved the soft, yet firmness of them. He gave them names. Fire and Ice. The left one, fire, was more sensitive than the other. He sucked and licked until it stood erect like his heat. The right one, a tad bigger than the other, Ice, he caressed. Tisha moaned, steam reflected on the shower door and they hadn't even touched the wash cloths or the body wash yet. His tongue was intrigued and in search for more. Back to her lips, her tongue, the warmth of her mouth. He kissed her again and she returned the favor. He smiled, turned her around to face the shower wall, spread her walls like the opera curtains and entered her center with power, no latex barrier to keep them separate. He thrust in, she threw her ass back to him, always meeting him half way. He gave her pain and pleasure. She moaned, he accepted it. He grunted, increased his speed, thrust in and out like a man hungry for breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner and a snack. His body longed for her warm center.

Elijah licked and sucked on her earlobe, kissed her neck, whispered in her ear, "I love you, Tisha. I missed you. You miss me?"

Tisha moaned. As much as she wanted to respond with her words, her body held that priority. The deeper he went, the louder her moans became. Suddenly, he pulled out, turned her around, and grabbed the washcloth and body wash. He cleaned her, took his time with her body like an antique car. He cleaned her lovely brown skin, from her neck to her feet, lingering a little with Fire and Ice.

She became more aroused by his gestures, taking his time to please her, making sure she was pampered and pleasured all at the same time. While she rinsed off under the cascading shower head, he took another cloth and cleansed himself from head to toe. Soap ran down his neck, over the hills of his chest, skipped beats over his abs. He gently cleaned his heat, made sure it was right just for her. Down his thighs, his calves and to his feet he cleaned himself. As she stepped out of the shower to dry off, he stood under the shower head, hands perched on the shower wall and his head down as the water cleansed his body like Tisha would cleanse his lustful soul.

Back in the bedroom, he dried himself off, lotioned his body and said to her, "Let me oil your body. Let me make you shine like gold, baby girl." He oiled her skin with cold-pressed coconut oil, massaged it in, taking his time with Fire and Ice once again.

"Thank you, Eli. You didn't have to do that."

"I have to do whatever it takes to keep you happy, baby girl. Besides, it's my pleasure to please you."

She eyed his heat, standing strong, full of ammunition, ready for war. She reached out, took all of him into her hands, stroked his heat, made him stronger with her soft touch. He moaned, signaling his ready to aim, ready to please and be pleased. Tisha asked him to sit on the bed, guided him there, kissed his lips like it was their first time. Her center moistened, prepared herself for his entry, dripped with excitement. She straddled him and he touched her center, touched her wet lips, the doors that housed the spot called G. He fingered her center, tested her waters. Ready. Aim. Shoot. His heat entered her and shots were fired. Tisha moaned. He groaned. He pushed in deeper, she rode him carefully, accepting all he gave her. She rode him, made his hotline bling, made him sing sweet melodies inside her love.

Their motions were steady. His breathing deepened, his heat thickened inside her, her moans became intense. His heat turned up, no Fahrenheit could measure it. With every up and down she provided, their connection became more powerful. She loved him, loved the thought of him being inside her, owning her, pleasing her and him the same. Her center was where he resided, her heart his home. Her coconut oiled body became one with his.

He made it to the place called G, inside her center, stayed there, lingered, left gifts of pain and pleasure. She screamed, moaned, panted like an animal in heat. He gave her everything he had. He'd taken over her ride, her stick-shift driving and pushed inside her center deeper, stronger, filling out her center. His body needed her, his heat had an agenda and he had made it to his target, the place called G.

"Tisha—baby girl—I'm coming—kiss me." She obliged. Her lips joined his as he held her waist and fired a round of orgasms inside her center. He moved inside her rapidly, long, deep strokes until he emptied his heat inside her chamber. They made love like that all night long, making up for the thousands of miles, airways and streets that separated them.

#  SCENE 11

"Babe, where's my tie? The blue one with the black stripes."

"Alec, its right here—where I put it the first time, sitting right on top of your suitcase."

"Oh yeah, right here."

Alec was so busy trying to make sure that he had everything in order for the closing meeting on the Hardison watch. He was nervous, excited and so anxious that it seemed like he had a temporary case of short term memory loss in the moment. Elan became his sight when his eyes couldn't see. While he ran around the house looking for items she had already packed up, Elan managed to get everything to the door, ready to carry out to the car so that they could get to the plane and head to their destination. The trip to New York wouldn't take long, just enough time for them to get there, sign the paperwork, shake hands with their new investors and the rest of the evening would be just for them.

Typical California traffic resided outside their door. The wind was minimal, the noise was serene. You could see the billboard bearing Alec's face from the windows. It was bright and he was proud. Proud of the work he'd accomplished and proud of the legacy that he would leave, not only for his family and friends but for his future children to glean from. Alec always thought less concerning his needs and always made his family his priority. They gathered their things and headed to car, arrived at the airport and boarded their flight. Six long hours later, they arrived at the LaGuardia airport. Elan had already pre-booked their Uber so the driver waited for them outside.

Inside the Uber, Alec's nerves were shot. He rehearsed his lines like he was going to an audition. A pen in one hand, his paperwork in the other, he read through everything again. The figures were right, designs were flawless. Elan couldn't stand to see him like that. He was a wreck.

"Alec—babe. Calm down. Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't know. I just wanna make a good impression on these guys."

"But Al, you've already made the impression. The deal is pretty much done. All we are here to do is sign on the dotted line. Relax, babe."

She took his pocket square from his suit, wiped his forehead, folded it back and put it back in his suit pocket. Elan placed a kiss on his lips and the worry melted away. She took him by the hand, gently squeezed it, assured him that everything was okay. They arrived in midtown Manhattan, on Park Avenue. The streets were flooded with people walking fast, snapchatting, in business suits and dresses talking on their cellphones, hailing taxis and Ubers. Huge skyscrapers decorated the city. It looked like a scene from the first Matrix movie. Neo had to be in the mix somewhere.

Alec and Elan took deep breaths. He breathed like he would never experience this kind of air again. He straightened his tie, brushed the jacket to his stone grey suit, grabbed Elan's hand and inside the building they went. The building was enamored with hand drawn paintings, steel railing and huge canvases of strategically designed watches. They marveled at the décor for a short second and then got on the elevator, heading to the fifth floor. Alec still seemed a bit nervous, but not as much as he was in the Uber ride over. Elan moved a little closer to him on the elevator, squeezed his ass just enough to warrant a smile on his face.

"E, girl, what you tryna do? You better stop that before I put it on you in this elevator."

"I just wanted to see you smile, babe. Relax."

"I'm gonna relax alright—right between your thighs as soon as we finish this deal."

Elan was turned on. She knew exactly what buttons to push to get him to relax and savor the moment. The elevator bell rang, doors opened and they stepped out. A man greeted and escorted them to the board room. The meeting took all of twenty minutes. Elijah was on speaker phone then entire time expressing his gratitude for the opportunity and his solace for not being able to be present in the moment. The Hardison watch collection would now be available on the best retail markets, all custom made.

Back outside they were again, surrounded by more people in suits, walking and talking, conducting business as usual like a well-oiled machine, Alec exhaled. So many great things were happening for him and his brother, but the biggest thing of all, his passion, the Hardison watch collection was brought to life because of the lady in his life, the one who stood by his side, the one he worked for. That same Uber car was parked, ready to go. They got inside and before Elan could fasten her seatbelt, Alec kissed her, kissed her for all the days and nights she spent worrying with him, slaving with him, restless for him. His kiss caused her to moan with intensity. Her legs opened, thighs relaxed. Her center moistened.

"What was that for, babe?"

"Thank you, Elan. None of this would have been possible without you."

"Aww, Alec. This was your vision, your passion—your dream. You worked hard, you and Eli. You both worked extremely hard for this. It is well deserved." The Uber arrived back to the airport and they boarded their flight back to California.

#  SCENE 12

"Chass, you been coming down here for months now, hanging out with me, shooting the shit, playing pool, playing with my heart, girl. What the fuck are we waiting for? I want you to be mine, all the way mine. Come on, Chass. Don't disturb this—this groove we got going on."

"I know, Marcus. I know. I'm just waiting on the right time to leave. You know Jade and Julian getting married in a few weeks. I'm thinking about doing it before then."

"Listen, I know Kendrick moved you all the way out here. You ain't got no family here. You don't seem happy with him. Chass, I can make you happy. I can give you all the things you ever wanted. You just can't be fucking with Kendrick no more."

Marcus and Chassidy met in Vegas at the same time Kendrick met her. He came along with the group to relax after the _Life Behind the Beats_ movie was a wrap. He seemed to take a liking to Desiree, one of Chassidy's friends, while he was there. They hung out, had drinks and had a lot of fun but after the trip, they didn't stay in contact. He and Chassidy did. At first he would see her all the time with Kendrick, at photo shoots, parties, club scenes but he could tell she was unfulfilled, so he stepped in and became captain save-a-Chassidy in his own mind. He fell in love with her, standing on the outside looking in.

Marcus and Kendrick were cast mates and really good friends, or so Kendrick was led to believe. All the while, Marcus had become Mr. Steal His Girl. He snake charmed Chassidy right from under Kendrick's arm and didn't give two fucks about it. Chassidy was his poetry in motion. She possessed all the curves that he liked, desired, coveted; the curves that made Kendrick desperate for her love. It's amazing the things men correlate love with.

"Come here, girl," Marcus said as he eased her closer to him. They sat on the sofa watching the Cavaliers turn the Raptors into mincemeat. "Look at me, Chass. This is where I want you, right here with me." He kissed her. Her lips spent time with another man's lips. She felt a different kind of feeling with Marcus. She didn't have to be the good girl. With him she could be the good girl gone bad. His kisses stirred her, made her forget her love for Kendrick, like a cold shower.

"Marcus, don't kiss me—kiss me—like you're kissing me.

"I wanna feel what it's like to be inside you, Chassidy. Can I do that?" He kissed her again, made her heart race. That cold feeling had turned into the peak of summer. She was nervous. She'd only been with one man—Kendrick but she was falling pussy first for Marcus. He kissed her again.

"Giving yourself to me ain't wrong, Chass. What we got is true love, right? Don't worry about that nigga, Kendrick. Imma take care of you, aight?"

His tongue moved in and out of her mouth, dancing to the rhythm of the beat rising in his pants. She couldn't resist him. Her pussy purred for him louder than the game on the TV. She moved from his side, sat in his lap, in the riding position; let her tongue talk back to his tongue while unzipping his pants, exposing his hardness. It was beautiful. Stiff. Veiny. Solid.

"Can you ride?" he asked.

"Can you steer?" she replied

That was his cue. He dressed his hardness with a candy-flavored condom, lifted her dress and slid her down on his hardness, his long, black dick. He stretched her center, made room for himself inside her center. She bounced up and down up and down on his long, black dick, while his hands rested on her hips guiding her, steering her to their destination. She studied his eyes, held his face in her hands while he stroked her and made her coo like a baby for him. Chassidy moaned and wept. She wept for her deception, wept for her unfaithfulness, wept for the pleasure in being fucked by another man.

His dick was good to her, filled her center, made her feel wanted, sexy and craved. He filled every place inside her that Kendrick left open. Inflicting deeper, longer strokes, he made her pussy purr, made her scream. Tears rolled down her face and he kissed her lips, licked her tears from her cheeks.

"Chassidy, don't cry, baby. I love you, girl. I'd never do anything to hurt you. You understand?"

"Yes, Marcus—I understand but—"

"No, Chass. No buts, baby. You love me right? This dick make you feel royal don't it?"

"Ahhh, YES Marcus," she screamed.

Marcus pushed inside her deeper and harder. He whispered to her, "Come for me, Chassidy. Rain on this dick." With every thrust, he made the same request. "Come for me, Chassidy," and she came. Like the arrival of the bride from Coming to America, she came all over his long, black dick, showered him in her creamy, white rain. He could see it dripping down as he continued to push deeper and faster. She shook and jerked, got every last bit of nut out of her body, for the old, the new and the in between. Sweet convulsions.

"Oh—shit—Chassidy. Don't move, baby. I'm coming!" and he came strong, so strong that she wailed like a woman in labor. Her head rested on his shoulders and she let the warm tears run from her eyes like broken faucets. She was already straddling the fence with Kendrick and that heated sexscapade just pushed her over to the other side.

#  SCENE 13

Things were set in motion for Jade and Julian's wedding in two weeks. Mariah finished helping Jade with the last minute details. All of her orders had been placed and delivered. The flowers had been ordered and ready for the day of the wedding. The guys would be fitted for their suits on the day before.

"Yo, Mariah! We still on for dinner tonight, right? Seven—that's what we said."

"Of course, Shawn. I have nothing planned except for spending time with you, alright? Relax baby."

"I'm relaxed. I'm just ready to spend some time with my baby, that's all."

Shawn and Mariah came to the conclusion that in order for their relationship to be best it could be they would have to put as much effort into it as they did their careers. Sometimes life can take on a bigger role and slowly put the most important things in your life on the back burner until it's burnt to oblivion and charred beyond recognition. Mariah made reservations at a disclosed location for them to be alone, a dinner for the two of them. A few hours later, Mariah was dressed and ready to go. Shawn was on the phone with Julian discussing the flight information for the wedding.

"Shawn, it's time for us to go. We're gonna be late if you don't come on."

"Hold on babe. I'm coming. I'm getting this info from Julian real quick. Give me two minutes," Shawn replied. "Aight, so you say we need to be at the airport by six in the morning right? Aight, Cool."

"Yeah, man. Six and don't be fucking late, Shawn. I got a jet waiting on yall and we all gotta go get fitted for these damn tuxedos at nine so be on time," said Julian

"Nigga, I got this. Aight, I gotta go. Mariah gon' kill me if I don't hurry up. Imma get with you later.'

"Bet."

Shawn rushed to the door, grabbed Mariah by the hand and they left, heading to their dinner date.

The days continued to stroll by. Chassidy's time away from Kendrick increased so he poured all of his energy and frustration into his new role. So many late nights he spent studying, pouring over his scripts and worrying where his lady was. Her mind and her body frequented the other side of town. He called and texted her repeatedly. He became the obsessive, repulsive lover. Her bell didn't right for him like it used to. Instead, it was ringing for someone else, someone familiar. It felt like their introduction in Vegas all over again.

She finally arrived back home. It was after two a.m. and Kendrick was still up, waiting and working.

"Welcome home, baby." He greeted her, leaned in and gave her a hug. Reluctantly, she hugged him back. He knew his attitude wouldn't get her to open up so he tried the softer route. "I missed you, Chassidy. Come sit and talk to me for a minute."

"It's late, Kendrick. What do you wanna talk about this late?"

"I really wanna talk to you about us. I feel like—"

"You feel like what, Kendrick? Like I don't want you no more? Like I don't love you or that I hate being here? Is that what you feel like?"

"Well, yeah but, wait—I didn't know you hated being here or is it just here with me?"

"It's everything about here, Kendrick. I thought that by coming here, leaving my family, I'd have a chance to live but it seems like all I've been able to do is live in your shadow. Everybody around this damn city knows me as _Kendrick's_ girl. Nobody gives a damn about Chassidy!"

"Chassidy, I asked you come to here to be with me. I know that. It's my fault that you fell into my background. I thought that by bringing you here with me that we could build on what we had. I never wanted to change you, Chass, never. I gave you that ring because I love you, wanted you to be my wife but you weren't ready for that yet. Now you say you don't' love me no more. What happen to our love, Chass?"

"Our love disappeared, Kendrick. It faded to the back of your career. Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just came to get my things. I'm leaving." Chassidy got up, gathered her clothing, shoes, any and everything she could fit in her car. She took off his ring and left it on the bed.

"Wait—hold the hell up, Chass. Where are you going? Are you just leaving for a few days or something?"

"No, Kendrick. I'm leaving this place and you. Marcus and I—Marcus is gonna let me stay at his place."

"Marcus? My homeboy, my friend? Marcus that lives in Compton? What the fuck, Chassidy? That's who you've been with all these nights, the nights you told me you were out with your friends. You were out with him? How could you hurt me like this?"

Tears cascaded down Kendrick's face as if they were in competition. She bruised his heart, left it in a million pieces and in a billion different places. He was unrepairable and inconsolable.

"Chassidy, please baby, please don't leave me. I need you. I love you. I'll do anything, anything you want. Just say it, Chass, I don't know if I'm the one you want to stay with, I hope I am but I know that I'm the first and only one that made you come. "

"You're right, Kendrick. You were my first but you're definitely not the only one to make me come. I left the ring on the bed. Goodbye Kendrick."

She walked out of the door and his world went cold. He cried for days, cancelled rehearsals, turned his phone off, shut himself in his apartment and away from reality. He was caged inside his own thoughts, feeling like his mind was in as many pieces as his heart. He only thought of her on two occasions: when he missed her and when he hated her, sometimes day, sometimes night. That girl was poison. It was driving him out of his mind. It was hard to comprehend; he couldn't get her out of his head. He missed her, the way he kissed her, he loved her. He thought he took precaution with her. His pursuit was honest and pure, worked his way to her heart and she stole his, deceived him. She was his wife without a ring.

#  SCENE 14

It was morning. They slept the night away. It happened. The inevitable. They slept together, did the tango, unclothed. Fell into that deep place of sin, accepted the invitation from Satan to dine at his table that was spread just for them. They couldn't turn back the hands of time. That would require a level of spirituality that only God possessed. They laid there like Adam and Eve did when they ate the forbidden fruit. They had eaten the fruit, tasted its juices, consumed it to the core. But they forgot one thing, that one thing, one part of the equation.

They forgot about Jade— they had to face the fact that she would know, she would find out. Julian and Jade belonged to each other, were two weeks, three hundred-thirty-six hours away from saying what they will do for and to each other in front of thousands of people and cameras. They didn't consider all of the pain they would cause to Jade, to their daughter, to their friends and families. They slept the night away and now they would have to face the morning and the mourning. Julian would have to face his soon to be wife, Jade. He only came over to Raven's place to take Juliette's dress for the wedding to her for safekeeping. One thing led to another, drinks, arguments and compromises.

Raven seduced him. She knew what it took to get inside him and to get him inside her, again. The weather changed. The winds, they still blew. As if we could choose the way we would fall it would be way too easy to brush this incident off. Julian, dazed and perplexed, woke up and looked around, tried to figure out why he was still at Raven's place.

"Shit, Raven. What the fuck? What the fuck did we do? Raven! Answer me."

Raven laid next to him, high as the sky around her mind was black, waiting for him to awaken from the spiked drink she gave him. She drugged him, made up her mind to do so in order to get back at him for his relationship with Jade. She was sick, both mentally and emotionally.

"I told you that you'd be back," she said. Uttering a laugh that made his skin crawled, made him wonder what happened to the woman that carried his child for nine months. "Nigga, you thought I was playing? I told you. I always get what's due to me and you belong to me."

"Raven, I don't know what the hell you gave me but fuck you. You don't own me." He got up from the bed, staggered to the bathroom and threw up everywhere. He held on to the porcelain god until he couldn't bare the strength to throw up anymore. He lay there in the bathroom while Raven grabbed the camera. She zoomed in on him lying helpless on her bathroom floor.

"I got all this shit on tape. Everything. The way you fucked me last night, tasted all of me, licked all over my body. Jade ain't gonna want yo ass after she see this tape."

"Raven, you didn't. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"You loved it, Julian. You still love me and you know it."

"No the fuck I don't. I love Jade. I told you, we done." Julian managed to get up from the floor, wiped his mouth, grabbed his clothes and his keys and ran out of her house speeding all the way home. He couldn't believe that Raven would stoop to such a low place. She drugged him, raped him and taped it all for Jade to see. He was determined to get to Jade before Raven did.

#  SCENE 15

A few busy days had come upon the Hill household. Chauncey was preparing to leave for a few press conferences, launch parties and business meetings. His mom and Tracy would have to step in once again and help Sasha out in his absence but they didn't mind.

Holding C.J. in his arms, he said to him, "Hey, little man. Daddy has to leave for a little while but I'll be back, I promise, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, daddy."

"I love you too, son. Here, go to your mommy." He handed C.J. to Sasha, threw his messenger bag across his shoulder, grabbed Sasha around her waist as they stood in the front door. "I'll be back for you too, love."

"You always come back for me," she replied. He smiled, placed a sweet kiss on her lips. She smiled back.

"I'll be back in a few days, just in time for us to leave for Julian and Jade's wedding."

"I know, love. I'll have everything packed and ready so you won't have to lift a finger except to touch me."

"And you know I love to touch you." He grabbed her ass, a good portion of it and gave it a squeeze. He kissed her once more and they said their goodbyes. Sasha and C.J. stood in the door and watched him ride away into the day.

Two days before his arrival back home, Sasha started feeling weird. She had no appetite, couldn't hold any food down and stayed in the bed. She thought to herself, "Maybe I have a stomach virus. But that can't be. C.J. would have it too." Tracy was there keeping an eye on C.J. for her. There was really only one explanation. She was pregnant. She hurried to the bathroom, scavenger hunted through her cabinet to find the pregnancy tests she stored in the back. There were two of them and she found them both.

"If I take one and it says no, then I'm good. I'll just do them both to clear my conscious." She waited nervously, seemed like a lifetime in the bathroom. Then there it was. One line blinked, two lines stared back at her, a reflection of herself and her husband. The beginning all over again. The same thing on the second test. Sasha was pregnant and Chauncey had no idea—again. Tracy went into the bedroom to check on Sasha while C.J. watched cartoons.

"Sasha, you alright in there?"

"Yeah, Tracy. I'm okay."

"You sure? You don't sound okay."

Sasha opened the door with the two pregnancy tests still in her hand. The look of disbelief covered her countenance. Tracy looked at her face, then her hands and jumped up and down with excitement.

"Oh my God, Sasha! You're pregnant?! Oh, girl. I'm so happy for you and Chauncey."

"He doesn't know, Tracy."

"That's even more exciting. You can tell him when he comes home. Another God-baby for me. This is great."

Tracy hugged Sasha and returned back to C.J.'s room. Sasha laid back down in the bed, rolled onto her right side, wondering how they would be able to juggle another baby with Chauncey's hectic schedule and her business. Then she remembered that the first time around, she had the solution and Chauncey had the worry. They had switched places this time. She remembered the how worried he was about being a father and now he had become a great father. There was nothing for her to worry about. Two days later, Chauncey came home. She had come up with a plan to tell him about the new baby. She had a game set up, hoped that he had enough energy to play it.

He walked through the door, dropped his messenger bag like always and headed straight to her. "I missed you, love." His arms were wide open. He received her, kissed her, let his tongue dance with hers again.

"I missed you too, Chauncey. I have something that I want to show you—well something I want to play."

"Play? A game? Aight. Wait, where's C.J.?"

"He's out with Tracy. She took him out to get some ice cream for a little bit. They should be back soon. So about this game—"

Chauncey walked into the kitchen, looked in the fridge and said, "Wait, before we start. Can I get something to eat? I am hungry as hell. I haven't been this hungry since—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he turned around and looked at Sasha. His eyes widened and he asked her, "Sasha, baby are you—are you pregnant?"

Sasha smiled.

"I knew it! I felt it the other night when we made love. You remember that night—the night I came back from LA. I know we've made love several times since then but that night was special."

"Soo—what you're saying is, you planned this shit—again?"

"Girl, you shouldn't have said I could have you. That shit works every time." He laughed.

"Chauncey!"

"What, girl? You know I love you, right? It's me, you, C.J. and whoever else that is in your stomach. We're expanding our family and I ain't going nowhere. We in this for life."

"Yeah, I know. I love you too."

#  SCENE 16

He handed her the suitcases one by one. She placed them by the front door for him to take to the car. There were packed and ready to head to the great state of Louisiana for Jade and Julian's wedding. Their friends were getting married, tying the knot, getting hitched and they would be there, along with more friends and family members to witness it. Elan never really thought much about marriage. She knew that she wanted a long term relationship, but the thought of marriage never crossed her mind and Alec never made mention of it.

They were in love, that heavy, powerful, grandmamma and granddaddy type of love. The kind of love that made you wade in the waters of life for each other. He'd risk his own life if it meant he could find her love at the bottom of the ocean. Elan grabbed her dress bag, purse and went outside to the car to wait for Alec. Alec made sure that everything was turned off, including the lights. He locked the door, joined Elan in the car and off they went to the airport but this time, they traveled by private jet, courtesy of Julian.

"Ah shit! Julian really outdid himself this time. Babe, look at this jet. It's cold."

"It's really nice. Our friends are a special group of people."

"Yeah, they are."

They walked on board the private jet, settled into their seats, waiting for their luggage to be loaded and the pilot to take off. The flight was only three hours long. The plane was cocaine white on the outside, adorned in the finest of wood grain and tan leather seats inside. Alec let out of the folding beds, looked at Elan and winked.

"Don't get no crazy ideas, Alec. We have to meet our friends in NOLA in one piece."

"What you mean, girl? I am the architect of crazy ideas. You know you want me." The pilot boarded the plane, luggage was loaded. It was time for takeoff. Alec toyed with her while the plane took off. He teased her neck with kisses. He was determined to show her how much he appreciated her dedication and her love for him, even thirty-five thousand feet in the air.

He asked her, "Let me give you some sexual healing, E."

"Healing? But—Alec, I'm not broken. I don't need no healing."

"Come on, Elan. You know what I mean. Oh, you scared to make love to your man on this plane? "Ain't nobody back here but you and me. You get what I'm saying?"

"Oh, I get you. I ain't scared of nothing."

"Well come with it then, girl. Show yo man how scared you ain't."

He kissed her, caressed her nipples through her dress. He squeezed them. They were ripe, ready to be devoured. Her dress was strapless so he slid the top down, exposed her breasts, sucked on her right nipple while he caressed the left one, alternating back and forth and driving Elan senseless. He sucked, licked, nibbled on her breasts and she stroked him until his manhood was alive and well. He grew in her hand, filled her palm with the weight of his manhood. She moistened more and more as the plane was reaching altitude.

"Elan, listen. Don't scream. I know that's gonna be hard for you to do but don't."

She looked at him, gave him a side eye and said, "Look what you got. How am I _not_ supposed to scream, huh? Tell me that?"

"Woman, just do as I say."

"I ain't making no promises."

Alec laid her on one of the beds, removed his shoes, pants and boxers and pushed her dress up. He ran his hands all the way up her thighs, spread her legs, placed both legs on his shoulders and one hand over her mouth. He entered her. At a slow pace he stroked her. He stirred her, stroked her pain, gave her pleasure, killed her center softly with his manhood. His hips grinding inside hers, she moaned, held back her screams. She arched her back, gave her center to his manhood and made it easy for him to make love to her, to get to the center of her tootsie pop. Their love making complimented each other.

Her muscles tightened around his manhood, took hold of him, restricted his thrusts. Their lovemaking was strategic, one of a kind like one of his handmade designed watches. "Elan, I need to hear you babe. I hear your moans, baby and I love it but let me hear your voice, need you to tell me how you want it, if I'm doing it right. I'm gonna remove my hand. Just don't scream." He removed his hand from her mouth.

"Alec, make love to me deeper, harder babe."

"Like this, Elan." He thrust deeper and she screamed, howled like a wolf at sunset. "Shhh. Didn't I tell you not to scream, woman?"

"Shit, Alec! I can't help it. You hit my spot and it felt so fucking good."

The pilot came over the speaker, asked if they needed any assistance. Alec assured him that everything was okay, that Elan had simply dropped something and that there was no need to come and assist. Alec could handle the situation himself. "I'm gonna give you something to scream about woman. Turn over," he whispered.

Elan turned over, rested on her hands and knees and Alec entered her love from behind. He tortured her center, demanded retribution for her screams, showed her that he was in control while he slow stroked her. She couldn't scream anymore. She just moaned. She moaned so loud that she grabbed the travel pillow and bit down on it. He slapped her on the ass and it talked back to him. Her whole body went into convulsions. He made her come, made her release all her warm juices all over his manhood. He loved the sight staring back at him. It aroused him, made him speed it up. He gave her deeper thrusts and she whimpered. Her hands tightened on the bed. She didn't want him to ever stop. He was so deep inside her center, deep enough for him to drown with a life jacket on.

"Thank you, Elan. I love you, girl—I—love—you. Every word was attached to another thrust. Damn—love—this—puss—" he came inside her. The plane had just reached the max altitude. The perfect culmination to their love making.

#  SCENE 17

Julian walked through the door of his condo still slightly staggering. Jade sat at the bar, sipping her coffee, legs crossed, waiting for his explanation for disappearing all night long. He didn't come home last night and she wanted to know why, what excuse he had come up with this time.

"Good morning, Julian. Where the hell have you been all night?"

"Jade, baby. I gotta tell you something. You ain't gone like it. You probably gone leave me because of it but I'm a man, so I have to tell you before you see it or hear about it." Julian staggered to the couch, laid his head back on the arm of it.

"Julian, what's wrong with you? Are you drunk? What happened?"

"Jade, I went over to Raven's place to take her Juliette's dress for the wedding. I asked for something to drink while she put the dress away. Then we got into this crazy ass argument about you and me. I thought I took care of that shit weeks ago. She wasn't trying to hear nothing I said. Next thing I know, I woke up this morning, still in her fucking house."

"So you mean to tell me, you were at that bitch Raven's house all night?"

Jade, you not understanding what I'm saying. She drugged me, baby. Whatever the hell she put in my drink—I can't remember anything after the argument."

"Please tell me you not saying what I think you trying to say, Julian. Did you fuck her?"

"Jade—"

"Did you FUCK her, Julian?" Jade yelled.

"I think so. I don't' know."

"What the fuck do you mean, you don't know? Did your dick go inside her pussy? Answer me!"

"She said she had a tape, said she was gonna show it to you. I promise, Jade. I never meant for any of this shit to happen."

Jade sat there, furious, angry, delirious and confused. Her and Julian were set be married in a few days and just like she thought, the bird with broken wings was still flying over her nest. Tears flowed from her eyes and no speech left her lips.

The choices we make today will always affect our tomorrow. Julian didn't think that Raven would turn out to be the most evil person he ever knew. They were together for years, shared a child together, went through the fire and the flood together but somewhere in that flood she thought she could survive by using Julian as her float. She made him do for her love the things he would not do.

"Jade, baby please. I'm begging you. Please forgive me. I love you. I didn't mean for it to happen. You have to believe me." Julian got up from the couch, walked over to Jade, got on his knees, the surrender position, humbled himself and begged her forgiveness but it fell on deaf ears. Then came a knock at the door, shook them both out of their heated debate. Julian went to the door, opened it and there stood Raven with the tape in her hand.

"This bitch got the nerve to show up at my house, our house. Why the fuck are you here?" Jade rose from her seat and before she knew it, she had made it to the door. There they stood. The unholy trinity. Jade. Julian. Raven.

"I came to bring this tape to Julian—and to apologize to the both of you. Julian, I was wrong for last night. I was wrong for drugging and seducing you. I realize that no matter what I do, you'll still be in love with her and there's nothing I can do about it. So here, here's the tape."

Julian snatched the tape from her hand, looked down at it but before he could look back up, Jade had clocked Raven from the right. No psychic could've predicted what she would do or how she would do it. All Jade saw was red, visions of bloody murder. "I told you—the next time you came to my house, I wasn't gon' play nice wit' yo ass." Twenty minutes later, Raven lay in their front door, unconscious, face swollen and bloody. Jade sat the bar, hands covered in her soon to be husband's ex-lover's blood. She vindicated herself, her man. Like a mother lion, she marked her territory.

Even the strongest Eagle falls down but he gets back up and learns how to fly again and Jade became an Eagle that day. Raven eventually became conscious again, stumbled to grab her keys, accepted her defeat and left.

#  SCENE 18

"This the right place?" said Kendrick

"Yeah, he said Durand's place," replied Alec

"Aight. Let's do this yall," said Shawn

Shawn, Chauncey, Kendrick and Alec all walked inside Durand's tuxedo shop, ready to get fitted for their day of attire for Julian's wedding. Julian greeted them inside. Handshakes, hugs, fist bumps, ritualistically went down in the lobby of the shop.

"I missed yall, man. It's good to have yall here with me."

"Man, I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Shawn

"Yall ready to do this or what?" Julian said to everyone

"Lead the way bro," Chauncey said

The host led them to the back of the shop, showed them to their dressing rooms and waited for them to change. They all stepped outside the rooms when they were completely dressed. Head to toe all black, Julian in all white. They all checked out their suits in the mirrored room and decided to catch up on each other's lives.

Shawn said, "This suit is fire!"

"Look at the way it hits my glutes, man," Alec said.

"Shut yo ass up, Al. The only person concerned about yo glutes is Elan," said Julian. "Speaking of Elan, how are yall doing?"

"Man, we couldn't be better. Eli and I just closed a deal a few weeks ago on the Hardison watch collection all because of her. I don't know what I would do without her man."

"That's what's up. That's real love right there," Julian replied. "What about you, Chauncey? How's my godson doing?"

"Awe man, he's getting bigger every day. But check this out right. Sasha—she's pregnant again."

"Damn!" the guys said in unison.

"Quick draw McGraw ass nigga. Congrats man. You got a good woman. She gotta be good to deal with yo ass. I know you ain't laughing Shawn. How's Mariah dealing with yo ass?" Julian said

"Man, don't worry about my lady. She good. We working on us, getting things back in order. Kinda lost ourselves for a little bit but we back on track."

"That's what's up, man." Kendrick hadn't uttered a word during whole conversation other than, _"damn"_. He just stood there, looking at his reflection in the mirror, hoping they wouldn't ask about Chassidy. "Man, I gotta tell yall what went down between Jade and Raven. Shit almost cost me my woman."

"What the hell you do now, J?" Shawn said

"Man, I went over to her house to take Juliette's dress over there. Next thing I know, I woke up butt ass naked in her bed."

"Shit!" Shawn said

"Fuckkk," Chauncey said

"She date rape drugged my ass—fucking raped me and videotaped the shit. I managed to make it home, told Jade about it—she flipped out on my ass. I thought everything was over right then and there."

"What she do, man?" Shawn asked

"Man, she wouldn't say nothing—just sat there. Silent. Then Raven showed up to the house."

"Ah shit! She dead ain't she?" asked Alec

"You flew us all out here to tell us that Jade killed Raven and hid the body, didn't you?" said Chauncey

"Believe it or not, she came to apologize. And get this, she admitted everything AND brought the tape. But Jade beat the shit out of her. I tried to stop it but yall know how Jade is."

"Sounds like some lifetime shit. That's crazy as hell, my boy," Shawn said

"I'm just glad I still got my woman and she still wants to marry a nigga after all that. Kendrick, why you so damn quiet? How's Chassidy doing?"

"Fuck Chassidy!"

They all stood there shocked. Alec's eyes searched the room for something to land on. Shawn looked at Chauncey. Chauncey looked at Julian.

"Yo, Kendrick. You aight?" Julian asked

"Man I'm good. Fuck her."

"What the fuck. What she do, bro?"

"She left me. For months, she'd been stepping out on me. I didn't see that shit coming. It hit me hard, like a fucking freight train. I could've handled it better if it was a bomb ass nigga from her hometown, but she left me for Marcus—fucking Marcus, man."

"That's some cold-blooded shit right there," Shawn said

"Man code violation like a muthafucka," Alec said

"I almost lost my job fucking around with her. She hurt me, broken me down but I'm getting better—for my damn self."

"I hear that, man. Damn. Looks like we almost done here. Yall up for drinks or what?"

"I sure could use a drink after all that shit. Feeling like an episode of _Single Ladies_ up on here. Hell nah," Shawn said.

Jade and the girls enjoyed brunch with unlimited Mimosas at Stanley's restaurant while the guys enjoyed their time at the tux shop.

"So Jade, tell us—what the hell happen to your hands? How are you gonna walk down the aisle or the street like this tomorrow?" Mariah asked

"I told that bitch, the next time she showed up to my house, I was gon' fuck her up—she showed up." Jade said as she sipped her Mimosa.

"Yo, watch the language. C.J. is sitting right here," Sasha said.

"My bad, Sasha. Hey little man. My God-baby is so handsome."

"You mean, all our God-baby," Elan said.

"He looks just like Chauncey—head and all," Mariah said.

"So, like I was saying. Raven showed up to my house with a rape tape in her hand. She drugged Julian, raped his ass. Yall know he too little to fight her off _and_ he was drugged. If she hadn't shown up with that tape, I wouldn't have believed him. I almost lost my man that day—just did lose my mind."

"Bet she won't fuck with you no more," Elan said

"You can bet that."

"Elan—language," Sasha said

"I'm sorry, Sasha. Why aren't you drinking your Mimosa? You don't want it?"

"You know I don't drink. Besides, alcohol isn't good for the baby, E."

"But the baby is right there in your lap, Sasha. Live a little."

"I'm not talking about that baby."

"Are you saying—you're pregnant?"

Sasha smiled.

"Oh my gosh, Sasha! Another God-baby for me," Jade said "Congrats sister."

"You and Chauncey are doing the damn thing. Congrats girl. My bad about the language," Mariah said

"Thanks sisters. It's definitely been a journey for us all."

"You're right, Sasha. Alec and Eli just sealed the deal on their watch collection a few weeks ago. I couldn't be more proud of him."

"That's amazing, Elan. You love that man a lot. I'm happy for yall," Sasha said

"Shawn and I kinda forgot about the relation part of our ship. We got so caught up in work that we almost forgot about each other but we got things back on track. We back out in this sea called love again."

"That's good, Mariah. Relationships are hard work. Both sides have to be willing to sacrifice for the good of the relationship. No matter what the cost."

"I definitely sacrificed my fists right up side Raven's head though—you know, for the good of the relationship." The girls laughed, ordered and ate their brunch.

"Anybody heard from Chassidy?" Sasha asked

"Nope. I was hoping she'd be here with us this weekend but I guess not." Mariah said

"That's unfortunate. I was kinda hoping to see her and Kendrick this weekend." Elan said

"Kendrick is here. Chassidy is not," said Jade as she stuffed her face with chicken and waffles.

"I wonder what that's all about." Elan said. After brunch was over they all retired back to their hotels to rest up for the next day: the wedding.

#  SCENE 19

Everything and everyone has a purpose. Creation lives to die, the same thing happens in relationships. They live, begin flourish only to die. But something beautiful always comes from the ashes, from the bowels of the death or the loins of the birth, the life. You could say Jade and Julian's marriage was the personification of Jesus's resurrection. It began full of life, thriving like a newborn baby but somewhere down the line, in the middle, sitting on the curve, death was invited in, came flying in as the bird with broken wings. It was crucified, not on a cross but on an inebriated bed.

Their relationship died because of lies, deceit and betrayal. But a few days later, on the day they stood before their friends, family and enemies, they stood before the God of their salvation and shed tears of regret, apologies and forgiveness and happiness. They forgave each other's sins and from that a marriage was resurrected from those ashes. Their forever thing became solidified that day.

The day had finally come. The day that Julian would marry his rib, the best part of him, his equal. The Plantation was covered in hues of black, white and shades of grey. As Julian and his guys stood at the end of the long, brown bricked pathway waiting for Jade to come down, he breathed deeply. The air he inhaled was new. It was a culmination of Jade, sage, creole musk, oysters, perfume, cameras, friends and family. Julian couldn't pick one best man, so he made all the guys his best men and they couldn't be more proud. Jade stood at the other end, in between the two rows of decorated hedges, clothed in a white mermaid dress, encrusted in diamonds and pearls. Her veil covered her face, covered the tears that were already flowing down. Mariah stood there with her, fanning out her train that fill the temple of the Southern Oaks Plantation.

"You ready, Jade?"

"As ready as I can be right now, Mariah."

Mariah handed Jade her bouquet and processed down the aisle to meet the other girls standing with the guys. All eyes were on Jade. She inhaled then she exhaled. She released all of the drama, hurt, pain and confusion caused by Raven throughout their relationship. Her dad stood on her right side, placed her hand in his and said, "Let's go, baby girl. They're waiting on you."

"Okay dad. I'm ready." And she walked. One foot in front of the other, slowly with her eyes set on Julian. With each step closer she could feel a change happening inside. She felt her heart opening new doors and her emotions becoming lighter. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the officiant, her girls, Juliette, Julian, C.J. and his guys.

"Who gives this woman?" the officiant said.

"We do," Jade's parent replied.

"I love you, baby girl," Jade's dad said after he placed a kiss on her forehead. He then placed her hand in Julian's hand and took his seat next to her mother. The officiant began his speech. Telling everyone present about the foundations of marriage, to keep it Holy and reverence it. God honored marriage, He delighted in it. He instructed them to remain a three-fold cord and to only consult God. Then it was their turn to speak, but they had no words, just stares. Jade's eyes were locked inside Julian's. The officiant tapped him on the shoulder, "Your vows, son."

"Oh, my bad," Julian said. He straightened his composure, parted his lips and began to speak. "Jade, you know I ain't good with speaking from my heart in front of all these people but for you, I'd do anything. From the moment I saw you, I knew you would give me hell." Everybody laughed. As tears began to flow from his eyes again, he resumed his vows. "But I also knew that I could never live another day on this earth without you. My promises to you have never failed. We in this together and if you will still have me, today, please marry me."

Jade wiped his eyes with her hand, smiled and spoke her vows as well.

"Julian, the beat to my heart, the air that I breathe. You've never changed, not for me, not for yourself, not for anyone. One thing I can say about you is that you've been consistent. Your love for me has never wavered. I promise to you on this day, in front of all these people, our family and friends, that I will love you, care for you, do whatever it is to keep our love strong, including beating a— never mind. I love you, Julian and if you will still have me, today, I will marry you."

There was not a dry eye on the plantation. C.J. even cried and Chauncey had to console him. The officiant pronounced them husband and wife and Julian kissed his new bride, Jade. Shouts of joy love and congrats filled the plantation. It wouldn't be New Orleans if they didn't flood the streets right after with horns, dancing and music. It was tradition.

Everyone was having a great time celebrating the two love birds, enjoying great food and good spirits. Shawn gave a riveting speech about the first time he met all the guys while auditing for _Life Behind the Beats_. It was then that their unbreakable bond was formed. They became brothers from several different mothers and fathers, but brothers no less.

Of course Mariah had to give the run down on how she met Jade and how they all became sisters after the movie. Mariah tried her best to hold back her thug tears, but it didn't work. Sasha had to finish her speech. While everyone enjoyed the rest of the night, Sasha, Chauncey and C.J. retired for the night. They had an early flight back to New York the next day, Sasha needed her rest and C.J. was becoming a little restless himself.

They arrived back to their hotel, showered and laid in the bed. With C.J. in the middle, Sasha on his right, Chauncey on his left and his hand resting on Sasha's thigh, they drifted off into the night.

#  SCENE 20

I heard the birds chirping outside, making conversation like it was an emergency, sun was bright and my deep purple satin sheets were warm, like my flesh had been touched by another piece of flesh. Body heat that's made by two people, not just me. I felt refreshed, new and stronger but strangely I was in my bed, the bed that I've had for six years. The bed that's in my Florida home. Alone—nothing but books, my black and white leopard print bra, my cellphone lying next to me and the _Life_ _Behind the Beats_ movie playing the intro to the DVD loudly on my forty-two inch flat screen TV. Why is my hair in a bun? This can't be real. I looked over to my dresser and my black hat was still resting on it, bags still packed, plane ticket still sitting on top of my luggage.

I pulled the sheets back and I was still dressed in black sweat pants and a black shirt; my black Adidas sitting by the door. I sat up, looked around the room frantically. Where is my husband? Where is Chauncey? My son! Where is our son? I grabbed my cellphone, looked at the time. The phone says it 10:42a.m. I jumped up, ran over to my luggage and snatched up the plane ticket. The date on my phone was the same date that was on my plane ticket. I touched my stomach, the place that housed my son, C.J. for nine months; the place that Chauncey laid his head and sang to our son before he entered this world. It was flat, possessing six abs. I lifted my shirt. No stretch marks, no trace of C.J. ever being there. No trace of our new unborn child developing inside there.

My hand had no ring and I never knew his love, never experienced his faithfulness to me. Then I realized I'd been sleeping the whole time. Everything that happened never actually happened. I never left for Vegas, never got on the plane, never went to the bar to get a drink of water—never met Chauncey Hill. We never shared a kiss, shared a bed, created two children, a marriage, a life together. It was all a dream. A dream that felt so real that I could still feel Chauncey inside me. My courts, my center, my love still sensed him. My heart was still his to occupy. He still had equity there, equity in a place that he had yet to tour and purchase.

Then my phone rang loud, shook me right out of my eerie thoughts. It was Mariah. I was still confused, but I answered the phone anyway. "Hello?"

"Hey girl, it's Mariah. What time does your plane leave?"

"My plane?"

"Yeah, girl. You know the plane that is taking you to Vegas."

I still had the ticket in my hand. I looked at it. "It leaves at noon but I haven't even left my house yet."

Why did I just say that? I remember those words. The dream. I said these exact words in the long, fantasied-filled dream.

"Sasha, are you okay? You sound—confused."

"I'm not sure. I, uh, I had this dream, I thought it was real. It felt so real." I sat on my bed, tried to find the words to put together to tell Mariah about everything that I thought was our reality.

"What dream, girl? You need to be getting to the airport. What you trying to do, get left?" Then she laughed. Mariah laughed just like she did in the dream.

"Mariah, I'll see you when we get to Vegas."

"Alright, girl. Listen, whatever you had to drink last night, please don't do that anymore, okay?" she laughed again but I wasn't amused, I was still lost in a fallacy world.

"Shut the hell up, Mariah. You know I don't drink. Bye girl." I hung up the phone, stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to find Chauncey inside myself. He wasn't there. Everything had changed but everything was still very much the same. I grabbed my black hat, put it on and straightened it the way I liked it, checked my black sweat pants. I put my black Adidas on but not before wiping off a little dust from the side did the same thing in my dream, grabbed my luggage, my ticket, my phone and left my house, headed to the airport. In the car ride there, I reminisced about everything that I thought was real. Jade and Julian never got married, Chassidy never cheated on Kendrick with Marcus. She'd never even met him yet. Mariah and Shawn never even breathed the same air at the same time in the same place. And Elan, she never felt the touch of Alec's hand brush across her face.

If Vegas hadn't happened yet, then Tisha didn't make that solo trip to California to attend the NAACP awards with Chauncey and I. She and bitch ass, Brandon were still together. She hadn't met Elijah. My heart sank. "Why me? Why do I always get caught up in biospheres of fiction?" There was so much hootenanny and not enough time to process it all. I glanced in my rearview mirror. No car seat back there, no C.J. again. Traffic moved faster than normal, no bumper to bumper, no school buses. I arrived to the airport in record time and just like I expected; it was organized chaos.

I walked up to the counter, handed the lady my ticket, checked in for my flight, checked my bag. She handed it back after keeping me hostage for fifteen minutes longer than I wanted to be. I wanted to be held hostage, but not by her. I wanted to be held hostage by my dream again. I longed to go back to the place where Chauncey and I made love to the sounds of Donny Hathaway serenading us in the background. The place where C.J. carried his _my_ _buddy_ doll around with him everywhere he went because his daddy, my husband, Chauncey gave it to him. I needed to be in that place where my friends were happy, in love, away from pain and in the arms of their hearts desires, walking in their full purpose.

Suddenly, I was shook out of my trance buy a feminine voice over the loud speaker telling us that it was time to board the flight to Las Vegas, Nevada. I boarded the plane, put in my earphones and pulled my hat over my eyes. I needed to disappear from my reality and reappear in the land of Mr. and Mrs. Hill. I relaxed in my seat and drifted off while the plane took off. Immediately I was back there, laying in the bed with our son, C.J. sleeping, my unborn child resting in my womb. Chauncey laid on the other side of C.J., asleep, his hand resting on my thigh. We surrounded our son like protective parents, like lions protecting their cub. I looked at him, admired his physique, his hair, his brown skin. I reached out, touched his lips, felt the softness of them. I leaned over and kissed him. My lips were pressed against the warmth of his once again. I felt at home, at peace in my world with my family. The family that God had given us, placed in our hands to lead, children to raise.

"I love you, Sasha," Chauncey mumbled as he woke up from his sleep. He smiled at me. His eyes opened wide enough for me to see myself in them. I found myself in him again and he in me.

"We have now arrived to Las Vegas, Nevada. Enjoy your stay," said the pilot over the speaker. It was gone from me again. Like virtue from a preacher. Chauncey's love, our children, our life was nothing but a vapor once more. I was back in the air of realism, still longing for that abyss of love, still looking for those promises that needed resurrection. I stepped off the plane, an earbud hanging from my right ear. I made my way to the baggage claim area and stood there—waiting. Waiting for change. Waiting for the two realms to come clashing together like wind and fire. I waited for God to give me those things that I longed for, dreamed about, thirsted after. Then my bag showed up, my black bag and I reached out to grab it but so did another hand, a hand that wasn't attached to my body. This hand looked familiar, looked like it had explored my body, and touched my mind, my lips and my soul. On the wrist of that hand bore a watch. A watch that seemed as if it told a story of a time when time didn't exist; where we waded in an abyss of our God-given love.

It was his hand and that watch that made me smile bright enough to light up Vegas on its own. I looked up. His beautiful brown eyes met mine and I saw myself. I found myself in him and I smiled. So did he. "You have a beautiful smile. I'm sorry; I didn't get your name." He spoke to me, said my smile was beautiful in the now, the real world. The same words he uttered in my dreams while I stood at the bar waiting for my water. Without wavering, I replied.

"My name is Sasha."

"Hi Sasha. My name is Chauncey—Chauncey Hill."

It was at that moment that I realized this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and relationship; that God had merely showed me what was to come, the love that we would know and that dreams, given by Him, do come true.

###

Thank you so much for reading my book. If you enjoyed reading, please take a brief moment and tell me all about it by leaving a review at your favorite retailer. Be sure to spread the love and tell all of your friends.

-xoxo

Racq Symphony

#  About Racq Symphony

Racq Symphony was born in the 80's and developed a passion for writing short stories, screen plays and books that possess movie-like fluidity while in middle school. Later in life, she put down her gift of writing to raise her daughter. She moved to Florida to go to school. She obtained several degrees; none of which satisfied her writing thirst. In late 2015, thanks to her S.O.C sisters and best friend, Racq regained her passion for writing.

## Other books by Racq Symphony

Love's Abyss

Resurrected Promises- The sequel to Love's Abyss

## Connect with Racq Symphony

Website: http://racqsymphony.wix.com/symphonybooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/racqsymphony

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Email: RacqSymphony@gmail.com

