...Ain't Gold (Part Sixteen)

Nicole stood in her closet, hands on hips, amazed that with all the clothing she owned, she didn't know what to wear. Rich would be picking her up within the hour and she wanted to look good for him. In the end, with just enough time to brush her teeth, she decided on Parasuco jeans, knee boots and a white Prada sweater. She figured she looked good enough.
When she got downstairs, Rich was leaned up against a shiny new black CL500. He put his fist up to his mouth when he saw her, hugging her so tight she was lifted off the ground.
“Ooh-wee, damn girl!” He kissed her. “How’s my baby?”
“Hungry,” she said, sliding into her seat.
He shut the door. “Guess we better get a move on, then, hmm?”
“What happened to the Beemer?” she asked, a ways down the road.
“You don’t like this car?”
“No, I like it, I was just used to the other one.”
“Oh. I still got it, I just wanted to get a new one.”
She didn't understand. “But you just bought the Beemer,” she said.
He had to break it down for her. “Cars is like kicks, ma. You can never have too many.” His phone rang then. “Yeah. I’m wit my lady tonight. Yeah I know. So handle it then. Aight, one.” He looked over at her as he hung up. “Why your phone don’t never ring, Nik?”
“I don’t need it to,” she replied.
Good answer. He didn't need it to ring either.
He pulled into a parking space across the street from his building. Nicole loved how gorgeous the trees looked, snow weighing them down. Rich helped her out and across the street. Entering his apartment was liked entering an alternate dimension. It was so warm in there. His place was spotless, from top to bottom. It smelled to her like cologne and weed.
For dinner, she made them lasagna, garlic bread and salad from the groceries in the trunk. and for desert, she made a pound cake.
As he helped her clear away the dishes and tidy the kitchen Rich said, “I might have to put you to work. You gone put some pounds on me for real, you keep cookin like that.”
Nicole smiled modestly. They put away the leftovers and cleaned the kitchen together. There wasn’t really much to clean, just rinse the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. They snapped on the television and curled up next to each other on the sofa. After a while, they began to doze. Rich was jarred awake when the remote fell on the floor. He stretched and yawned. “Done went and gave me the itis, ma.”
Nicole grinned and yawned as well. She looked down at her watch. 12:15. “I should go,” she said, standing up.
He stood as well, raising his arms above his head. “You gotta go?”
“I’ve got to work.”
“Can you miss work?” Rich needed a fix badly. Five months was longer than he had ever gone without sex.
“I can, but -”
"Not tonight, ma."
“Rich,” she started. He silenced her with his tongue in her mouth. Nicole melted into him and he caught her in his arms. He lifted her into the air and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her into his bedroom and sat her on the bed. Nicole watched as he knelt and unzipped her boots, standing her up and pulling her shirt over her head. She helped him with her jeans, wiggling out of them and leaving them on the floor. Rich kicked off his boots and she unbuckled his jeans, while he slid his shirt off. He stood before her in his boxers, until she pulled them down. Rich felt a tremor go through his body as she ran her soft hands over him.
With one hand, he reached behind her and unsnapped her bra. After she’d taken off her panties, he stood back for just a minute to admire her butter pecan fineness. Climbing on top of her, he pulled the satin top sheet over them. Rich almost exploded from sheer anticipation. Nicole put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly as she could. She didn’t know how long they lay there kissing, but she did know she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Rich,” she whispered, licking his ear.
“Hmm?” He was obviously content making her miserable.
“Please, baby. I need-” she moaned loud and long as he plowed into her before she finished. Nicole clutched him tight to her body; spreading her legs wider. Rich filled her up and pleased her like nothing she’d ever known.
Rich was slow and passionate with his lovemaking. His philosophy was that you made love to the one you loved. He was pretty sure that what he felt for Nicole was love, so it was like the first time all over again. He had never been in love before so this was new to him. He took his time, savoring the delicious feeling. Nik was so soft and tight. He sped up and felt her teeth in his shoulder. It turned him on more than he already was.
Nicole was in the highest high she’d ever been in. Rich kissed her, caressed, her and spoke to her, making this a full body experience. Bucking hard, he took one of her small breasts into his mouth, playing his ring over her nipple, making her scream out in a hot mixture of pleasure and pain.
“Baby,” he whispered, after what felt like hours.
“Yes. Oh, yes, Rich.”
“Baby,” he said again, and she realized he was talking to her.
“Huh?”
“You on the pill right?”
“Yes,” she breathed, not understanding the relevance of the question. “Why?”
She found out a moment later. Rich kept going till he was out, which in itself seemed like a long time. When he finally slowed down, he buried his face in her shoulder. Nicole didn’t want the feeling to end.
"Damn, baby," Rich said, working a hickie into her neck. He didn’t pull out, just lay there and enjoyed the feeling of their hot bodies wrapped together. Two lovers intertwined, they fell asleep in a blessed place where all they could feel was each other.
When Nikki opened her eyes the next morning, she half expected Rich to have gone off to some errand somewhere. To her mild and pleasant surprise, she found him still on top of her. He snored softly, not loud enough to be disturbing. She stroked the side of his sleeping face and kissed him, closing her eyes again. He woke her up hard that afternoon. This time, it was fast and intense, with her legs pushed back against the headboard. Nicole had never had it like that before, but if she did again, she wouldn’t mind. When he finished, he hovered above her, holding her in his arms and kissing her gently.
Nicole made breakfast in his tee shirt from last night. After they ate, they made their way back to the bedroom after they’d hit the kitchen counter, the living room floor and the bathroom door.
Rich leaned over to the night table and produced a rolled blunt and a lighter. “You smoke, ma?”
Nicole scrunched up her face and shook her head. She had tried weed twice and it gave her such a splitting headache that she decided against it ever again. He lit it and she watched him hit it hard, blowing the smoke in her direction. “Contact high,” he said, laughing. She shoved him and he choked, coughing hard. He held it out to her. “You know you want some.”
Against her better judgment, she took a hit. Whoa. This was nothing like the last one she’d had. This was ganja. She pulled again and passed it back to him. They lay back, passing the blunt back and forth. Nicole lay on his chest. Rich toyed with one of her nipples as she handed him the blunt.
“You know somethin, Nikki? I know I be talkin shit when I’m high. True story, I think I love you.”
That made her smile. “Are you serious?”
Nicole peered at him through the haze before she snuggled back into his chest. It wasn't long before he received his answer.
“I might just love you too.”