Cougar Cocktales Page 18

  “Why are you crying?” he asked her. He released her hand to get her some Kleenex from off the table. He ushered her to the couch so they could get out of the doorway. He sat in silence as she got herself together.

  “I have never had someone express such words to me. I owe you an apology.”

  “An apology? For what?” he said, looking at her strangely.

  “I never once thought that what we were sharing was more than a good time and good sex.”

  “But, I told you when we started back talking that I wanted more; you didn’t think I meant that?”

  “You have to understand something: my ex-husband was the first man I had ever been with, relationship wise and sexually. I am not proud of that, but I did learn a lot from him. He was very sexual and experimental. We tried everything from S&M, threesomes, foursomes, bondage, to role playing to sex clubs. But even in doing all that, I was never enough for him; he still needed more. That caused me to get depressed and I ate. Before you met me, I told you I lost weight, but I didn’t tell you much. I lost almost a hundred pounds. I weighed over two hundred pounds. This body that I’m in is who I feel comfortable in, but it took me a long time to get there. The last year of my marriage, he was abusive.”

  “He hit you?” Tyriq interrupted, clearly mad.

  “No he didn’t hit me, but he took away my spirit. He took away the last of my self-esteem. And I let him because I wasn’t happy with who I was inside and out.” She watched him as he calmed down. She stopped and went into the kitchen to make coffee. He followed her and they fell into their normal kitchen routine with him taking the items out for breakfast. She continued to bare her soul to him. “It took for me to go see someone to get my self-worth back and she got me into a diet and exercise program. While I was seeing my therapist, Vince was seeing someone else. I suspected but couldn’t prove it. Until one day he left his credit card at the hotel and they called the house. I asked some questions and found out they met there twice a week and the next time they did, I made sure I showed up. I had never felt so much hurt as I watched them together. I think what hurt the most was that she was young. Maybe your age or younger. I made sure they saw me and when he got home, all his things were packed. I had already changed the locks,” she told him through tears and he stopped and held her. She cried tears she didn’t even know were still in her. For her this was her closure. She didn’t need nor did she want to be with Vince; he truly was her past. Once she stopped crying, she excused herself to the bathroom. Looking at her reflection, she realized she was a different person than she was a year ago. Her life changed when she got that hotel call. Returning to the kitchen, Tyriq had finished making breakfast and was waiting on her to come back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned. She sat across from him at the table and took his hand and squeezed. “Thank you for letting me talk. I needed that. I have deep feelings for you, but I can’t say that I love you just yet and it would be unfair of me to even try and play on your feelings. I know how that feels and I would never do that to anyone.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. I am not going anywhere,” he told her. They ate in silence. While she was cleaning the dishes, Tyriq came up behind her and opened her robe and he began kissing her neck and down her back. He turned her around and lifted her into his arms. They began kissing while he slowly moved them over to the nook counter. He sat her down and sucked her breasts, while Lyric leaned slightly back supporting herself with her arms. Tyriq went into the fridge and pulled out some honey, chocolate syrup and whip cream. He poured the honey on her breasts and went back to enjoying his feast. The sticky, sweet aroma filled the air as she watched him lick and eat all the honey off of her. It was such a turn-on to watch him. Next he took the whip cream and chocolate and told her to lie back. He wrote “I love you” from her navel to her hot spot and followed it with the syrup. He placed her open legs wider and bent them so she could see what he was doing, as he proceeded to once again finish his dessert. The syrup ran in between her legs and pooled under her ass. She shivered. Tyriq ate her pussy like it was the last treat he was going to have. He ran his tongue over her clit and pressed his tongue down on it, He felt it expand in his mouth as he pulled on the nub. As he was licking the cream and syrup off of her, she felt him place two fingers in her hot spot. She moaned, as an orgasm hit her wave upon wave. Tyriq licked all the cream, honey and syrup from her, then he turned her on her stomach and entered her. Tyriq gripped her waist and pounded into her wetness. Lyric gripped the edge of the counter as he fucked her harder and harder.

  The lovemaking this time was a pure raw need. It was more intense and much more different than any other time. It was like he wanted her to feel how he felt as he took her body. After what seemed like hours, they both came hard. Tired and drenched, they both were shaking from the way they’d just come together. After she found her voice, she looked at him as she kissed him. She kissed him slow, sucking his tongue lightly and making sure she explored his mouth completely. Tears ran down her cheeks as they kissed. He stopped the kiss and then kissed the tears from her face. “Was it me, or was this different?” she asked him, but not really expecting an answer.

  “Yes it was.” He kissed her again and then carried her into the bathroom where they shared a shower. She walked him to the door and stood there. Tyriq had a three-hour drive back to the hotel where he was staying. He would be home tomorrow. He’d asked her if she wanted to come, but she had declined. She needed to check on the construction of the addition as well as finish a huge order for a party tomorrow. They kissed and she watched as he got into his car and pulled out of her driveway. Closing the door, she leaned against it and sighed. Tyriq did things to her body that she never knew was possible. Vince taught her about sex. Tyriq taught and showed her intimacy and passion.

  Sitting in her office later that day, she was pleased with the way the extension was going and that they were on schedule. She was doing her reopening on Tyriq’s birthday next month. His band was performing and she had a surprise for him: a music executive from A & M Records was attending. She finished working on the invitations and then went out into the shop. There was an event that evening, so the store was crowded. She spent the next three hours helping out. As she was locking up, she heard a knock on the window. Vince was standing at the door. This was the last thing she needed. She started to ignore him, but she knew he wouldn’t just go away. Opening the door for him, he walked in and sat down at one of the tables. She sat down and looked at him waiting for him to speak. He looked at her for a few minutes and then spoke.

  “You know, I can’t get out of my mind how beautiful you look now,” he told her.

  “Really, is that what you came all the way down here to tell me?” Getting up from her chair, Vince grabbed her by the arm.

  “Lyric, please sit down.” Rolling her eyes at him, she did what he asked.

  “I came down here to see if you got my text; you didn’t respond.” She laughed and seriously thought this man was crazy.

  “Were you really expecting a reply? What type of reaction were you expecting from me, telling me that you want me back? Do you think that I really give a flying fuck? You cheated on me, you told me that no man would want me outside of you; I listened to you, believed in you even when you called me names. There are some things I can never forget. You don’t deserve me and I sure as hell don’t want you. We are divorced for a reason,” she told him through anger. She stood up, knocking the chair over, its loud sound making her jump.

  “I need for you to leave now. You are a selfish bastard and I want you to leave me alone, please.”

  “I can’t do that. I am sorry I hurt you. But you know what I want, I get. And I am going to get you back,” he told her, looking over his shoulder as he walked out of the door. Lyric locked the door behind him. She picked up her phone and dialed.

  “Hey, are you free? Can you meet me at Intense in thirty minutes?” she said to the caller. Locking up the rest of the shop, she wa
lked over to her Benz and saw her favorite purple roses on her windshield. She was tempted to throw them away, but saw a young couple walking past and offered the roses to them. Getting in her car, she headed to Club Intense.

  Sitting at the bar, Donald walked over and greeted her. “Hey, princess, what you drinking tonight?” he said as he hugged and kissed her.

  “Give me my usual,” she said to the bartender as Donald nodded and told the server. Her drinks were on the house. Nicole sat down next to her.

  “I hope that applies to me as well,” she said, nodding to the bartender.

  “Of course, Nicole, of course,” he said, winking at her and walked away.

  “So I see you still banging Donald,” Lyric said to her, smiling for the first time the whole evening.

  “Yea, not as much as he would like, but he serves his purpose,” she told her best friend, sipping her drink. “So what’s up anyway?”

  “Where do I begin?”

  “The beginning is always good.”

  “First, Tyriq told me he is in love with me and Vince said he wants me back and won’t stop until he has me back as his wife.” Nicole choked on her drink.

  “Excuse me?” she said, wiping her mouth and glaring at her friend.

  “Yep and that’s the short version,” she said, shaking her head.

  “So what are you going to do? I mean I know that Vince is a wrap, no matter what his cocky ass thinks. But what about Tyriq? Do you love him?” Nicole watched her friend’s facial expression as she asked her the question. Lyric looked at her drink and swirled her finger in it. “I told him this morning that I didn’t love him. I am so confused; Tyriq is something I’ve never had before. My experience with relationships are limited, you know that. But I have to take all this into account. I do have very strong feelings for him. But I am afraid of loving him. I am afraid of the way he makes me feel when I am with him.” Wiping away her tears, she took a long swallow and motioned for a refill.

  Nicole was the one who had sat with Lyric for days, when she’d discovered Vince had cheated on her. She’d witnessed the verbal abuse he had lashed at her. Nicole also noticed how Tyriq made her glow, how they interacted with one another and she was even envious. “Follow your heart. You are good with Tyriq. He brings out something I haven’t seen in you with Vince.” She wiped away her own tears. The two women hugged. Lyric was glad she’d called her. She always could make her see things she didn’t see on her own. They spent the next hour drinking and talking.

  Donald came over as they were leaving. He saw the condition the ladies were in and motioned for his driver to come over. He told him to take Lyric home and Nicole would be going to his place. He would have her car brought to her home in the morning. When the driver walked her to the door, there was a package at the door. He set it in the inside of her door and made sure she got inside okay. Locking the door behind him, Lyric lay on the couch; she couldn’t make it up the stairs. Taking her phone out, she dialed Tyriq’s number. When he didn’t answer, she left him a voicemail. “I just called to say I think I love you too.” Smiling, she ended the call.

  • • •

  Vince stood over Lyric as she slept. He knew she would be mad as hell, if she knew he’d had a key made. Leaving back out the way he’d come, he had hoped she would open the package, but it was worth the wait. Hearing his phone, he knew it was Angela texting him. At some time he would have to tell Lyric the truth about Angela. But not before he got her back.

  The next morning, Tyriq used the spare key Lyric had given him and he entered through the kitchen. He didn’t see her car out front but decided he would just surprise her whenever she got home. He’d listened to her message after his performance and he’d replayed it over and over. Just to hear her say she loved him made him want to shout it out. He was just about to head upstairs when he saw something out the side of his eye. Walking to the couch, he saw Lyric, fully dressed sleeping on the couch. He laughed, as he could still smell the liquor. Gently shaking her, he called out to her.

  “Sweetness, sweetness, wake up.” Lyric stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled when she saw him and tried to lift her head up but was greeted with the worst headache ever. Laughing, Tyriq went to make her a hangover tonic. He made her drink it as she balked at its taste, but shortly, her headache was gone.

  “Tyriq, did you use the spare key to get in?” she asked him as she sat up completely on the couch, facing him.

  “Yes, I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No, in fact, you can keep it. It actually opens both doors. Nicole has my other key; I don’t feel safe with it being out there. I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay, I am all ears, but what’s that box right there?” he said, pointing to the box that she recalled seeing on the porch.

  “I don’t know. It was on the steps when I got home last night.”

  “Do you want to open it?”

  “Why, is it from you?”

  “No. But aren’t you curious?”

  “Not really, but come on, let’s open it and see what it is,” she told him, as he brought the medium-sized box over to the table and opened it. Lyric gasped at the contents. She pulled out her wedding dress; it was restored to its first beauty. She pulled it all the way out and a note dropped to the floor. Tyriq picked it up and read it aloud, “I look forward to seeing you wear this again, on our wedding day and yes, there will be another wedding day soon.” Tyriq’s face scowled and Lyric dropped the dress back into its box. Tyriq began to pace the floor.

  Lyric could not believe the nerve of Vince. This was crazy. She walked over to Tyriq and stood in his pathway. He stopped and looked at her. His jawline was set. He was mad. “Tyriq, you know I had nothing to do with this, right. That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Vince has claimed he wants me back and is going to try and break us apart. Don’t give him that satisfaction,” Lyric told him as she made him look at her. “You and I are going to get through whatever he throws at us together, okay?” Tyriq nodded and he wanted to believe her. He needed to. He knew that if he lost her, he would fight to get her back. So he could just imagine what kind of fight Vince was going to do to get her back as his wife. Tyriq pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “I love you, Lyric. We will do this together.”

  “I love you too. Can we please go lay down? My head is starting to hurt again.” He picked her up and carried her to the bed. They got undressed and held each other.

  • • •

  Over the next two weeks, Lyric and Tyriq worked together on getting the bakery expansion completed. She put him in charge of the entertainment and gave him reign on how he wanted it to be done. Vince called her or texted her daily. Lyric sent him the dress back and he was mad. He had texted her last night and told her that he would be there for her when she found out about the real Tyriq. She wondered what he meant and didn’t even bother to ask Tyriq about the comment. Later that evening, Tyriq was performing at Club Intense and she and her best friends went for dinner and drinks. The place was packed. They were all talking when all of a sudden, Donna screamed and grabbed Nicole’s hand.

  “Oh my goodness, what is that on your finger?” she asked her. She made Nicole blush. They all looked at her, then waited for her to reply.

  “Donald asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

  “When did all this happen, Nicole? We all just saw you two days ago at the shop and it wasn’t there.”

  “Right!” the other two ladies said at once.

  “He asked me a week ago. I didn’t give him my answer until last night.” Lyric looked at Nicole and wondered did she really love Donald. But her best friend looked happy, so maybe she did.

  “Congratulations, this calls for a toast,” Lyric said, motioning for the waitress. The women all toasted as Donald came over and joined them. She hugged him and then he whispered in her ear that there was a woman at the front asking for Tyriq. Since he was on stage, he came and got her. Lyric excused herself and walked to the door w
ith Donald.

  “Hi, I was told you were looking for Tyriq. Can I help you with something?” She looked at the pretty girl who looked like she was about seven months’ pregnant.

  “And who are you? His mother??” the girl asked her rudely, looking her up and down. “I came to talk to my baby daddy, Tyriq. Now are ya’ll going to go get him or do I have to make a scene?” the girl said, looking directly at Lyric.

  “What . . . What do you mean ‘baby daddy’; are you saying the baby you’re carrying is his?” Lyric asked the girl, wanting to make sure she heard her right.

  “I guess you’re getting deaf ’cause I know that’s what I said.” She pushed past Lyric in search of Tyriq who was now walking in their direction. Lyric turned around and watched the color drain from his face when he looked at the girl and her protruding stomach. Lyric felt sick.

  “Robin, what are you doing here?” Tyriq asked her.

  “So . . . so you know her? She said that baby she’s carrying is yours. Is that true?” Tyriq looked from Robin to her. “Are you going to answer me?” Lyric asked him, raising her voice.

  “Yeah, aren’t you going to answer her, Ty?” Robin said, laughing. Tyriq reached out to touch Lyric’s hand, but she moved out of his reach. The tears were rolling down her face and by this time, her friends were by her side, trying to see what was going on.

  “Lyric, please let me explain. Robin is my ex. I didn’t know she was pregnant, I swear.” Lyric wiped her tears and slapped Tyriq. Turning to leave, she didn’t look back when Tyriq called after her. He tried to go after her, but Donald stood in his way and shook his head no. Turning back around, Tyriq looked at Robin who was smiling the whole time. He grabbed her by the arm and led her to Donald’s office.