“Jasmine, I feel you grippin’ me, baby,” he said out of breath. “Ahhh…!” he screamed, banging me beautifully until he came. We held onto each other, gasping for air. The waves were tranquil again.
There was golden silence surrounding us, until we heard, “Hey, young fella. I see you done caught yo-self some good fish out dere, huh?”
It was the old fisherman’s raspy voice, giving Harrison a toothless grin, and a “thumbs up” from afar. Harrison returned the gesture as we kissed and laughed at the same time.
RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW
A cabaret-style celebration, and live drummers banging sultry African beats, had folks celebrating at the Heritage Parade. I’d just finished my rum punch near the bandstand when I saw Harrison. It had only been a couple of days since our rendezvous at the beach, but I missed being close to him, safe in his arms. He rocked to the rhythms of the conga drums, holding an adorable baby in his arms. The baby boy wore denim overalls, and appeared to be around a year old. He giggled as Harrison proudly raised him up to the sky, and then glided him back down like an airplane into his arms. The little one had a smooth bald head, like Harrison, whose ear bandage was covered with a nice red-and-black crocheted tam. His festive gait lessened when a lanky, ebony-brown woman, dressed in a tube top and capris, approached.
By the small crease to his brow, I could tell he was unsettled. I assumed the baby was his son. I knew the woman in red was the community whore, whom I gathered was his wife. Her name, Naomi; the smart-mouthed gal who back-talked me years ago, when I caught her making out in my shed with the neighbor’s son, Marcus. She had a reputation for dividing her private goods between the young men of Sapelo and St. Simons Island. I heard that she’d married a soldier, but I didn’t know it was Harrison.
Harrison was an amazing stud, who knew how to talk to a woman, and didn’t back down until he got what he wanted. His joking nature, coupled by his earnest gaze at my delight from the pleasure he gave…those images were hard to resist. Though he was here with his family, I
felt a connection to him. Naomi talked to Emma, one of the island elders standing beside her, while my focus stayed on Harrison. Finally, he felt the desire of my soul searching for relief. His almond-shaped eyes shifted from the young child, straight through the partygoers, to me. He smiled as I let my hair down, swaying my hips to the beat of the drums. I raised my arms, waving them in time with the dip of my hips. The split to my sarong widened. The fluid moves of my body had him in a seductive trance. We both enjoyed this playful hunt, and my thighs became increasingly moist, hoping he’d find a way to join my dance.
I put my finger to my lips, slowing parting the fullness of them, smiling as he watched intently. I sucked up and down my fingertip. I could tell the gesture excited him, based on the slow lick of his lips. I pretended that he was my fingertip, and I was locked on his dick. Sucking him as he slurped the sensuous juices of my pussy. The thought of us making love this way had me aroused.
The beats got harder. My hips shook faster, my body sweltering from the mixture of island humidity and bridled passion. The dancing bodies around me were engrossed in their own world of excitement. Some fueled by the liquid spirits they had consumed; others aroused by the hypnotic drum force. I swept the newness of sweat drops from my chest into my mouth, moaning his name. Harrison read my lips and stepped closer. He studied the roundness of my breasts as I opened the top button to my yellow knit midriff. I sauntered closer, licking my lips, enticing him. He took more steps, at a calculated pace, opening his mouth slightly. We were still a few feet apart, but bonded by sensual chemistry. I gyrated harder. The dance of his eyes followed my lead. We created a private code. A passionate body language, longing to be unleashed.
Naomi moved into my line of sight, pulling Harrison away. The drums stopped. Her eyes threw darts at me as she took the baby out of his arms. They walked near the food tent. He broke free from her grasp and faced my direction. Naomi’s calls to him were unanswered. His hearing had been impaired from the war, but he knew she was speaking. He wasn’t paying attention to her. The hunger in his eyes spoke to me. We remained still as the music began again. Slowly, I turned my back, ignoring his silent pleas. The fantasy was over. Frustrated, I swiftly removed my sandals, and wormed through the crowd. I ran toward home, where I would endure another sleepless night.
HERE I AM
The tears streamed down my face as I sat in a tub of water so hot, it had reddened my skin. I wasn’t ashamed of how I’d performed for Harrison at the parade; I was mad at the world, for being lonely. Confused as to why his mere presence weakened my defenses, replacing them with primal vulnerability. The Merlot that had settled in fine crystal now flowed across the wooden floor. Deep red wine with a quality so pure, it could’ve been mistaken for blood. The glass I had flung was wedding crystal. My fury caused it to shatter against the bathroom wall. Beauty defiled to broken fragments. I stared at a jagged edge from one of the pieces alongside the tub. The enchantment I felt from Harrison between my legs had turned to numbness.
Solemnly, I picked the piece of glass up from the floor. I trailed it steadily against my wrist, then my hand began to shake. The glass fell from my wet fingers into the water.
“Damn you!” I screamed, splashing water to the ceiling. I exhaled and slowly reclined back against the tub. I let the water cover me to the neck, as I tried to calm my emotions. The tightness and tension in my upper body began to lessen, but a faint knock at the door suddenly roused fear.
“Who’s there!” I screamed as I straightened my posture. I had one leg out of the tub, trying to step cautiously.
“Miss Jasmine, it’s Harrison. I didn’t mean to scare ya.”
Relieved that I recognized the voice, I found a safe place to plant my feet, and exited the tub. Water dripping from my body, I tried to figure out how to step around the glass to get to the towel draped against the vanity. “How’d you get in here?” I asked, shivering.
“The door was unlocked.”
“Well, that’s news to me, but you wouldn’t have known it was unlocked, unless you tried it. What do you want?”
“Can I come in?”
“I’m not decent.”
I heard a soft chuckle. “Let me decide that for myself. Can I come in, Miss Jasmine?”
I didn’t protest, which obviously was his cue to open the creaking door slightly. He peered in, observing me with my hands strategically placed over my private areas.
“Whatcha tryin’ to hide, huh?” I looked down to the floor as he approached, glass crumbling under his dusty work boots. “I’ve seen and tasted your sweetness, lady.” He pulled my hands down. “There ain’t no shame in that.” He lifted my chin up.
“What’s all this glass doin’ on the floor?”
I shrugged. “I had an accident, is all.”
His hand gently smoothed over a wave of my damp hair. “You all right?”
My lip quivered as I recalled what he’d said to me, our first meeting at the mission.
“Don’t ask a question you don’t wanna hear the answer to.”