Away From Home

(Continuation of Trading Places from The Forbidden Pleasures)

Ice cream, gummy bears, and Love Jones. Her break up remedy, it always had been and it always would be. Three weeks was the length of the relationship that had April in Target at 9pm on a Tuesday night. The relationship itself or loss thereof didn’t necessarily cause her pain, but the idea that she’d failed did. Three whole weeks? It had to be a record, she thought. 

She was making her way to line number three ironically when someone walked directly into her and stepped on her foot. Of course she was wearing footies. April bit back a scream with eyes squeezed shut and held tight to her treasured snacks. Strong arms gripped hers tenderly. Her eyes opened to meet those of Chris Austin. 

"Chris?" His luscious lips spread into a dazzling smile, that was dreamlike. She’d always loved his smile.

"Hey April. How have you been?"

“You mean aside from the crushed foot?”

He laughed awkwardly and released her from his hold. 

“I’m sorry. I saw you from over there and I was trying to get to you before you got in line. I was walking too fast.” He gave a rushed apology. He looked nervous. 

“It’s ok. I’m glad you caught me. It’s good to see you, how have you been? How’s Erin, I thought you two were out in Texas?”

Chris was five boyfriends ago? The two had dated a while in college but their ambitions often battled the others. Academic overachievers with stacked extracurriculars and busy schedules, they often only found time for sex. Heated, filthy, explosive sex. The best sex April had ever had. 

Her feelings for him were real, but never got to reach their depths. Her family loved him, and he loved her, but they decided it best to separate. They tried to keep in touch for a while, then he married. April didn’t really care to stick around and be relegated to the friend-zone, and Chris had understood. 

He scooted to the side so they were out of the way of other customers and April liked that. It made their conversation feel intimate even though it wasn’t. She’d missed being in his space, his full attention on her. Her latest ex was completely forgotten. 

"I'm still living there, I came back to visit my mom. I'm going back in a few days though. And Erin is Erin.. You know, bossy, opinionated, borderline insane. We’re good." April giggled and nodded. Maybe he should have married her instead, she thought. He looked at the items in her hand. 

"Uh-oh. Another one bites the dust huh?"

"Yeah.. Things didn't work out I guess. He just wasn't the one for me." He nodded knowingly. Then again he was the only one who she thought was for her. 

He looked at her in utter disbelief and April realized she hadn’t thought the words, she’d said them. She felt so ashamed and could no longer find words to speak. Just stare at him. Time passed between them. Years stretched their limbs and lives. Memories flashed in their eyes and they viewed their most intimate moments as if on a reel. 

"Do you want company watching your movie?" He asked, breaking their silence. April hadn't expected that. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. But not that. Maybe an awkward goodbye, but not a request for invitation. They hadn’t spent any real time together since his nuptials and she wasn’t sure she trusted herself to be alone with him. Especially not after what just slipped from her lips. 

“It’s pretty late.”

“I’m awake. You’re awake. Were you planning to go to sleep anytime soon?” 

“No.”

“Then I want to watch the movie with you.”

April shook her head, exasperated, slightly turned on, and exhausted. Finding a proper excuse seemed too impossible a task. Then, the only true rebuttal popped into her head.

“You’re married.”

“I am. Erin knows you. She knows we’re friends. And I think she wouldn’t mind us spending time with one another.” He replied slickly. 

“You’re full of shit Chris.”

He bowed his head to hide the smile spread across his face. 

“Maybe I just miss your wit and sharp tongue.”

“I bet you do miss my tongue.”

He clicked his tongue and wagged his finger in admonishment. 

“Bad April. Friends don’t talk like that.”

April smiled, defeated. 

“We’re watching it at your moms though. My sister is in town. And I'd rather us avoid her and the discussions that your presence will spark.” She lied. No one was at her house, but she knew Mrs. Smith was home. That was all the buffer she needed. And only she and God knew just how badly she needed a buffer. 

“So it’s ok for your presence to spark discussions with my folks?” He asked in mock disdain. 

“Boy please, mothers are in the Hall of Fame for keeping their sons' secrets. Plus, Margaret loves me.” 

“Yeah, but you’re not a secret.” He said lowering his head and voice as though he were sharing just that, a secret. April rolled her eyes and eyed the checkout. Chris’s eyes followed hers then he snatched the snacks from her arms. 

“I’ll take care of these, and I’ll see you later?”

“Ok.”

“Ok then,” He turned to go then stopped. “It was really good running into you.” 

He flashed her another dazzling smile before heading to the checkout and leaving her there breathless. 

“Bitch! Guess who I just saw in Target!” April squealed into the phone. 

“Now you know damn well I’m not gone guess right. Who’d you see?” Her best friend breathed, excited to know who but over the dramatics.

“Chris, bitch.” April tossed her keys onto the counter while simultaneously kicking off her shoes. She needed to shower, shave, then find a modest and chaste outfit. 

“Awh shit. I haven’t heard that name in awhile. Wait, didn’t we just break up with whatshisname?” 

“Well, yes, but I mean we're good on that. That’s done. Now, back to Chris. AU-STIN Candice.”

“Hmm. So when you emphasize his name like that, what exactly are you trying to convey about this married man you dated ages ago?” Candice wasn’t much for bullshit or pretense. 

“He invited me over to watch Love Jones. He caught me in Target buying my breakup bounty and we just wanted to spend some more time together.”

“At ten o’clock at night. With a married man? Bitch you bouta fuck him!” She stated quite a matter of fact. 

“But I don’t wanna fuck him.” She whined like a teenage girl. 

April plopped onto her bed and stared at the clothes in her closet. She wanted to wear something sexy, impress him. But she also wanted to be respectful and cover everything and anything. She wanted to be casual, but not like she was hanging with her girls for a movie night. That was too comfortable. 

“Candice, I want to fuck him.” 

“Yes, you do. But hey, I’m all for it. What better way to get over the last dick than some past dick?” April shook her head.

“But friend, he’s married.”

“April Marie, now you done called me past my bedtime and I answered because you’re supposed to be heartbroken. Do you want permission to do what you and I both know you want to do, and are going to do, or do you want me to tell you to take your ass to bed?” No bullshit. No pretense. 

“That’s not my middle name and don’t take that tone with me. You are legally obligated as my best friend to put up with my shit.”

“If I ever kill one of these niggas and need a lawyer I know exactly who NOT to call. Making fake ass laws to fit your fancy.”

April put her phone on the counter and turned the water to cold before entering the shower. 

“Did I call you because I knew you’d tell me to do it and make me feel better about it?” She asked.

“Probably.”

She released a loud groan that made Candice chuckle. Her frustration was thick and tense. It was also unnecessary. April knew what she would do. Candice knew what she would do. And they both knew exactly what she wanted to do as well. 

“He looked good, Candy. I mean damn good. The boy has been in the gym doing overtime. Fresh haircut too. Ugh. And he smelled amazing. I wouldn’t let him out of the house if I were her.”

“Barbara, this is Shirley,” 

“Fuck you.” 

“You always said he was your best.”

“Til this day.” April thought back to the many nights that studying turned into paper sticking to their sweaty backs as they rolled around on the bed. 

He was always so skilled she wondered how on earth he knew how to drive her body so crazy. Oftentimes with other men she wished they possessed half of his appeal, attraction, or prowess. They never came close. Maybe that was why every relationship was short lived, she thought. Because she kept searching for Chris in them. At least in the bedroom. 

“I think you should do it, and enjoy it. You’re not the cheater here. There is no betrayal.”

“That’s very feminist of you.”

“Bitch is Erin a friend? Do we know this woman on a deep, personal level? Do we know what’s happening in their marriage? No. There is no common courtesy here because Chris is a grown man. It’s whatever choice he makes. If or when you screw Mr. Smith, he will be the only party in the wrong.”

“You know you’re very convincing. Why are you not a lawyer?”

“Eh, too much work. You be stressed all the time. Arguing is a hobby, I do it for free.”

“You do it well my friend, you do it well.”

“So, when’s he coming over?”

“I’m going to his mom’s. I lied and said May was in town so we wouldn’t be alone.”

Candice cackled into the receiver. 

“What the fuck April? Why go through all the trouble? My goodness.”

“Causeeeee, I don’t want to. But I really really want to. But Candy I swear I don’t wanna.” April dropped the razor, content with the smoothness of her calves and thighs. She’d already had her wax, but she liked being soft all over, just in case. 

“You’re like that kid in the kitchen staring at the cookies, counting over and over to see if their mom will notice one missing. She will or she won’t, but are you going to deny yourself the cookie?”

“Now I’m a kid.”

“No, you’re a pain in the ass April Denise. A pain in the ass who clearly needs to get fucking laid and I’ve simply run out of ways to tell your ass to go and do it. Shit.”

“I swear you get on my last nerve.” April said stepping out of the shower

“Yet you called moi.”

“Imma fuck him.” She wiped the fog from the mirror and eyed her physique. Not a lot had changed since college, she was in the gym about as much as the courtroom. Things were rounder, fuller, better. She wondered if things with him were better, she could already see how toned he was, would his dick be bigger? Go deeper? Would he still fit inside of her body like a key? 

“I know friend.”

A hoodie and some sweats, even though April knew her true intent she didn’t want to show up looking like the home wrecker she was.  It felt safe enough to her, nothing too sexy or exposing. All Chris could see was her hands and her cheeks and that’s all he needed to see. April wasn’t sure if she should ring the bell, it was late and she didn’t want to be disrespectful. She lingered on the doorstep for a moment contemplating simply going home and watching her movie alone. 

The door swung open and Chris stood there with a broad smile. He had to have been looking out the window awaiting her arrival, she thought. That excited April in a way that made her nipples hard. She could feel the sensitive skin pushing into the lace of her bra. She found herself being extremely aware of her body, her core, her desire, and her womanhood. Chris made her feel like a woman. 

“Don’t tell me you plan on standing on my doorstep all night.” He said with a chuckle. 

“No, move.” April said recovering her senses. She pushed past him and into the house. It was just as she remembered. Then she realized the level ground she stood on, they’d gotten the carpet pulled up. April thought it looked good. She turned in a circle taking in the living room, remembering the times they’d spent here on breaks from school. They used to remark how crazy it was that they grew up in the same city but ended up finding one another at a school 3 states away. Crazy.

“Is your mom home?” She asked, stopping in her twirl to glance at him. His eyes traveled up her body before settling on hers. He’d been watching her. The mask of lust he wore warmed April’s skin.  

“No, she's out for the night.” He said putting his hands in his pockets. Of course she was, April thought. 

“For the night?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. My trip was unexpected and she had plans she couldn’t cancel but she’ll be back tomorrow. Ready to watch the movie?” He stepped past her to grab the tv’s remote and motioned for her to have a seat. April dropped her purse on the green velvet loveseat before getting comfortable on the adjacent brown suede couch with her snacks.

“I think Netflix has it.” She said while removing her crocs and pulling her feet beneath herself.

“So we Netflix n’ chilling.” He said before flashing her a grin so mischievous it transported April to undergrad when a younger Chris was up to no good. 

“Hmm. Cute.”

“My mom calls me cute too.” He shot back. April couldn’t help but smile as he searched for her favorite movie. 

The man had a BODY. A grown man's body. Broad, tall, and muscular. Her mouth watered at the sight. His back muscles shown through his shirt, his thin waist, large thighs, and bow legged muscular calves had her pussy lit and her mouth open. It hadn’t been long enough for her to be so needy but she felt near distress. Chris turned to join her and caught her nearly drooling. 

“Better close that mouth before I find something to put in it.” He said roughly with a light in his eye. She could tell it was meant to be a joke. She could also tell that he meant it in other ways too. Each word dripped in an aching promise that made her want to leave it open. But she quickly shut her mouth and looked away as he settled on the couch beside her. 

She gave him the look. The “You know’ look, the ‘Don’t play with me’ look, the ‘I will turn you out boy’ look. Something every woman had but not everyone knew how to employ. His mother wasn’t here, his wife wasn’t here, and she had no problem fucking him senseless then sending him home happy and completely drained.  

"Ms. April, you're gonna find yourself in some trouble if you’re not careful.” He said, mirroring her gaze. He had no clue, trouble was exactly where she wanted to be. He pressed play on the film and she listened to the intro music while staring directly into his eyes. 

“You’re the one who’ll be in trouble.” She breathed. 

“We can be bad together.” April’s teeth tore into her bottom lip and she tore her eyes from his and focused on the movie. 

"How many times have you seen this movie?" He asked. She could feel his eyes on her.

"Millions, now shut up and pay attention." April felt trapped in her skin, trapped in her clothes. She was warm yet a chill kept sweeping over her. 

“I can’t.” He breathed as if he were just as frustrated as she. 

“Why not?” April asked, her head whipped toward him hoping he’d make his move so she wouldn’t have to. In her mind, if she didn’t initiate the sex, was she really a home wrecker by anyone’s definition? So she’d wait, but maybe he was ready.

“Cause the lights on.” He appraised her, she knew he could feel her energy, sense her need but he tore his eyes from her and stood to turn out the lights. When he returned to the couch he made himself comfortable, laying his head in her lap and stretching out. 

He lay there, quiet, breathing softly, lips slightly parted, his long lashes curled and thick. WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE. April screamed inside her head. She was analyzing him too closely. The fullness of his lips made her press her thighs together. They were so close, touching even. It felt so forbidden. April burned.

"Is that alright?" She repeated after Darius as he stood on stage ending his poem to Nina, Chris looked up at her and laughed. She grabbed a pillow and hit him.

"Shut up! Watch the movie." April squealed. 

“I bet you would’ve gone home with him that first night.” He said blocking another of April’s swings, he grabbed the pillow from her and wrapped it in his arms away from her grasp. 

“I sure the fuck would’ve, thank you very much.” 

He turned back to the movie and once again fell silent.. Her attention was now owned by the classic black romance taking place before them. The overwhelming desire she felt for him was a low hum in the back of her chest. It was there, but it wasn’t demanding her immediate attention. However it was slowly building.  

Then it hit its peak when one of her favorite parts slid on screen. Darius and Nina were making love to Maxwell’s Sumthin’ Sumthin’: Mellosmoothe. It was a perfect sex scene, everything about it from the song choice to the tender kisses planted on hot flesh.  April was so into it and humming the song that she didn't notice Chris staring at her until Nina and her best friend were in the cab. The kind of sex Nina described on screen was the exact sex April craved and longed for. The kind Chris had always given her. The kind that whispered to you. Sang to you. Made you feel like it was yours and only yours. That smooth dick. Deep dick. The type of dick that women only got in movies. The kind of dick that called your name. She looked down to find his light brown eyes piercing into her. The look was so intense, she wanted him to stop. She couldn’t breathe.

"Stoooooop." She begged. He didn't say anything, but he sat up. 

He was still staring at her when he grabbed her by her throat and buried his sweet tongue in her mouth. April grabbed his face and let her fingers explore him. From his head to his neck to his back, his smooth warm skin under his collar intoxicated her. She moaned into his mouth, she was gonna cum from simply touching him. He stopped, his eyes locked on hers.

“You’re married.” She whispered a soft reminder, his last chance to change his mind before she devoured him. 

He sat up, removed his ring, and pulled off his shirt. Her eyes left his as they examined his flawless chest. April let her fingers drift down the hard, smooth surface. She bit her lip in anticipation. He pulled her hoodie and sweats off leaving her in bra and panties, he maneuvered out of his sweats, leaving him in his briefs, his erection fighting against the fabric. 

She reached for his dick and he grabbed her hand before she could grip the warm thickness. He rubbed her hand up his chest to his lips, he kissed each finger, then took each one into his mouth and sucked. April held her breath trying not to explode. He grabbed her leg and pulled her sock off and took each toe into his mouth after kissing them softly in the same fashion as her fingers. 

April threw her head back and absorbed all the pleasure that was shooting right to the meeting of her thighs. He proceeded to do the other hand and the other foot, she was overflowing with lust. He kissed from her feet to her thighs then proceeded to kiss each thigh. April jumped when his teeth sank into her, her back arched pushing her pelvis closer to him. She needed to be touched there.  

As if reading her thoughts, as if he knew her body and had spent years studying it he obliged and slid his tongue over her swelling clitoris through the lace of her thong.  OH, that tongue. It wriggled and she wriggled and wiggled, but he had a grip on her hips. Her feet pressed into his shoulders when he suckled her bud rhythmically. He quickly grabbed her calves and pressed them into her chest. He wasn't letting up at all. April felt herself shatter, the glass falling everywhere. He kissed her stomach and dipped his tongue into her belly button. 

"I taste good?" He smiled that smile up at her. 

"Wanna see?" She licked her lips and nodded. 

Instead of rising to meet her awaiting lips he went back down between her legs and secured her thighs before sliding his tongue deep into her vagina. She pushed upward wanting more. He pulled her back down and replaced his tongue with two fingers. His nickname should’ve been Captain Hook the way those thick fingers curled inside of her hitting just the right spot every time. April found herself gasping for air, scratching at his arms, trying to run away. It was way too fucking good. When she could no longer fight, when she didn’t have the energy to run, when the approaching orgasm took over and her legs shook ceaselessly, he stopped. 

He came up and let her taste her pleasure on his lips, tongue, and fingers simultaneously. Her tongue wiggled around his fingers dancing with his. She used her feet to pull down his briefs in the back and he helped with the front, letting his dick spring free. The moment his flesh became sheathed with the condom April grabbed it and he sunk deep into her. 

Oh, the feeling. The agonizingly sweet, full feeling that can be compared to none other. He pressed her thighs into his side and leaned down to give her sloppy, wet kisses. He didn’t move, no. He just sank as deep as she’d allow, as deep as he could. She started to moan desperate for friction but bit her lip to stop the pathetic sounds from escaping her mouth. He licked her upper lip and her eyes rolled into her skull.

" I wanna hear you." She scraped her nails down his back and released the swell of desire she had tried to keep at bay as he began stroking her long and deep.  

He pulled out and flipped her body over. Grabbing her bun, Chris pulled April’s body to his. Her neck strained and her back bent. His tongue slipped between her lips and she caught it between her teeth then sucked it into her mouth. Twisting his fingers tighter in her hair he moved her head to his other shoulder and buried his tongue in her mouth once more. She loved the feeling of his fingers pressing into her waist, she loved the slight tension of her hair being lifted from her scalp. When his dick entered her once more she nearly came then and there. Smooth hands fondled her breast and squeezed her taut nipples. He fucked her hard balls slapping her clit each time he dug into her.

She was too tired to scream or moan so she remained suspended, mouth open and felt it all. He trailed kisses up her neck and rounded his hips. It was everything she’d been missing. The energy, the depth, the position, the strokes. The ones she kept being disappointed other men didn't have when she laid with them. It felt like it belonged to her. She released a strangled moan. 

“Can I taste it?” She pleaded. She didn't like how the words sounded nor did she agree to say them aloud. It just came out. 

He dug into her deep while sinking his teeth into her shoulder.

“Pleaseeeee.” She cried.  

He pulled out, leaving her on her hands and knees and walked around to her face. She gladly took him in, putting her mouth to work. April had never understood the thrill of tasting a man, but she reveled in it. The control and power, the pleasure she gave. This dick in particular deserved special reverence. She owed him years of head on the sofa during the Sunday night game, head while he drove as they ran errands on the weekends, and head in the middle of the night when desire pulled her from her sleep. He was owed, and she paid him with every inch of her tongue and throat. She paid him with her right hand stroking his dick and her left massaging his balls. She paid him with her lips trapping and suckling the head of his delicious dick and sucking out his sweet precum. 

She’d missed it. The way he sighed and his hand kept stroking his head let her know he was trying to keep it together. She wanted to catch the sweat that rolled down the center of his chest but she didn’t want to free his dick from her mouth. He grabbed her head and she let him have his way fucking her mouth until she choked. She was happy that he kept it in her mouth, just slowed his pace so she could breathe. Her eyes thanked him, showered him in gratitude and his fell on her in adoration. He caressed her cheek and slipped his thumb in beside his dick stretching her mouth. April licked and sucked them both, eager to please.

They watched each other. She watched how he tensed and took sharp intakes of breath. His eyes were glazed over, but they never left her face. He removed his thumb and let her saliva glisten her swollen nipples, letting his thumb pass over and sensate each one. With both hands April worked his shaft up and down and sucked and slurped until his eyes squeezed shut and he came in her mouth. His emotions passed over his face, pain, pleasure, disbelief. His pleasure shot straight down her throat and she swallowed before sucking the remaining cum from him like his head was a straw. He groaned her name and grabbed her shoulder but April couldn't stop, she had to taste him. He looked down at her with pursed lips.

“April, I can’t take it anymore.” His voice was that of surrender. Desperate surrender.

April knew his wife had never done this to him. No woman had. She knew this pleasure had been lost to him the same way it had been lost to her. She hated the idea of letting him slip from her lips and never pleasing him again. Never feeling the animalistic urges to eat a man's dick until he cried for her to stop because it felt so good he was afraid to lose himself. Chris was losing himself, oozing onto her tongue. They locked eyes. April swallowed and let him go before falling into the couch.  

 She looked up at him, through shaded eyes. 

“Fuck.” He said hoarsely before laying atop her. 

“You’re warm.” She mumbled. 

“You’re wet.” He whispered. April could feel his dick hardening once more. Her stomach tingled and she pushed her ass against him.

“Do you have another condom?” She asked hopefully. 

“Maybe. Are you staying the night?”

“Is that a requirement for using the other condom?”

“No, I just want you to stay.” He whispered into her ear. April felt the hairs on her neck stand.

“You’re married.” 

“You’re wet.”

He slid his dick into the dip below her ass cheeks and let it slide in and out. She couldn’t help but to arch her back. Her clit tingled as the swollen head of his dick slipped across her slick lips. Ugh. She couldn't even call it a damn drought. It was Him. He was doing this to her. She fucking hated it. And she fucking loved it. 

“I’ll stay. Just please, fuck me now.” 

She hated the way his smile spread across her cheek. April waited impatiently while he found his pants to retrieve another condom when his phone rang. Her eyes found him and the expression on his face confirmed what she knew in her gut. It was his wife. His smile had completely faded. Chris straightened before putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey baby. No, my moms out with some friends right now. Well, why are you up this late?" 

His dick was still rock hard and extended. April found herself staring at it while he silently listened to his wife. She tore her eyes away and got up to put on her clothes when Chris grabbed her arm and mouthed stop. He pulled her to the couch with him and laid her on her back before spreading her legs and pressing his body flat against hers. 

“Shit, that was a day, I’d be tired too. Do you have a busy day tomorrow?”

 April wasn't sure what was happening. She eyed him quizzically as he ripped open the condom with his teeth and put it on. His eyes asked her if she was up for it, the beating of her heart drowned all sound, she saw his lips moving but wasn't sure what he’d said. It didn't matter, he wasn't speaking to her anyway. He was talking to his wife. His hand covered her mouth and he positioned himself at her entrance. April released a breath and nodded. She held in her moan at the delicious full feeling, eyes rolling, toes curling, back arching.

“Yeah, I’m heading back Thursday. Just watching some Netflix and chillin’ right now.” Chris pressed mute on the phone, removed his hands from her mouth and gave her a wet and sloppy kiss. His tongue tangled with hers, then he pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth, before widening her mouth with his fingers to spit in her mouth. April was breathless, heated, and so horny she couldn't think straight. 

“You said you’d stay. And I’m not done with you yet.”