Let's Get It On (15 page)

“Hello again, Maurice,” Lauryn said. “Is this Kenya? Wow, was it Weight Watchers or lipo?”

“Excuse me?” Kenya snapped.

“Your dramatic weight loss,” said Lauryn. “I thought by now you'd be at least three hundred pounds. You actually look all right.”

Kenya inhaled deeply to calm herself. She wasn't about to get into a childish shouting match with Lauryn. But what had Lauryn meant by “hello again”? So Maurice had seen her recently? Had he turned to her for some reason?

“Excuse us, Lauryn. We're leaving,” Maurice said as he and Kenya walked away from the desk clerk.

Lauryn watched as they got on the elevator and Maurice pressed the button for the twentieth floor. Quickly, she hopped on. “I'm going up, too,” she said, smiling brightly. She turned to Kenya, who had linked her arm with Maurice's, and said, “So, how much weight did you lose? How did you do it?”

“Lauryn, why don't you give it a rest?” Maurice said.

Batting her eyelashes, Lauryn turned to him and said, “You never did. That's one of the things that you loved about me. The fact that I wasn't fat and took care of my body. Remember how I used to—”

“How's your girlfriend?” Kenya asked. “You're a lesbian now, right?”

Lauryn looked from Maurice to Kenya. “You-you told her that?”

“Oh, he told me a lot of stuff. Mya was your college roommate, right? How long have you and she been doing this sort of thing?” Kenya asked.

When the elevator stopped on the tenth floor, Lauryn hopped off. Before the doors closed, she hissed, “Even if I'm a lesbian, I was more than woman enough to take Maurice from you before, and if I want to, I'll do it again.”

The doors closed before Kenya could reply. Maurice rubbed her back gently in an attempt to calm her down, but inside she fumed. Turning to him, she said, “Do you believe her? And just what did she mean by ‘hello again'? Were you two together?”

“Don't start with that,” Maurice said. “I ran into her while I was in the bar, waiting for you. I don't want anything to do with Lauryn.”

Where have I heard that before?
she thought bitterly. Kenya had figured out that Maurice was in Lauryn's sights when she saw how Lauryn would cheer every time he made a touchdown and how she'd scream his name across campus when he walked by. He'd said he didn't want anything to do with her then, but lo and behold, he'd ended up in bed with her.

“Maurice, I think I'm going to go home,” Kenya said.

“This is too much, and I'm not going to be the same fool twice.”

“What are you talking about? If you think that I'm still involved or want to have something to do with that woman, then you're wrong. When are you going to realize that you're the woman I want?”

She wished that she had the answer, wished that there was a magic word that he could say that would make her memories of being hurt and finding them in bed together disappear.

“Kenya, what more can I do?” he said. “What more can I say to make you understand that I don't want Lauryn or anyone else but you.” He drew her into his arms. “The biggest mistake I've ever made was letting you walk out of my life, because I was blinded by sex.”

She wanted to believe him; everything inside her told her that she could trust Maurice and his love. But there was that nagging voice that said she'd be hurt again.

“Mo,” she whispered, “I'm afraid.”

“You don't have to be, because I love you. I need you more than I need my next breath.” Stroking her cheek, he wanted to make love to her right there in the elevator, for the security cameras and everybody to see. He wanted to prove to her that the past was dead and their future was right there, and that all they had to do was step into it. “Kenya, this is real.”

Her body quivered as he held her and touched her gently. “All right,” Kenya said. “I believe you.”

“Then you're going to stay with me tonight and forever?” he asked. His voice seemed desperate.

“Yes,” she moaned. “I'm yours.”

The elevator doors opened on the twentieth floor, and Maurice swooped Kenya off her feet as if she were his bride on their wedding night. With great skill, he unlocked the door to his suite, with Kenya in his arms, and kicked the door wide open. Then he laid Kenya on the bed. She looked up at him, smiling at him. Her innocent look sent a shock wave though his body, filling him with a hot yearning that nearly caused an explosion in his trousers.

“I want to taste every inch of you,” he moaned as he began to peel her clothes from her body. He unbuttoned her blouse and lifted her bra until her breasts slipped out. He salivated at the sight of her nipples and took them into his mouth as she moaned in delight. Tonight, he was going to make love to her body, soul, and mind. He blazed a path of kisses down her stomach to the waistband of her pants. With his teeth, he unbuttoned them and was surprised to see that she wasn't wearing any panties. That brought a smile to his face. Kenya used to be so reserved, so timid, when it came to lovemaking. Now, she was different, more passionate and willing. He loved it. Needed it. Hungered for it.

Slipping her pants off, he spread her thighs and felt the heat radiating from her womanly core. Seductively, he licked her inner thighs, causing her to arch her back and silently urge him to taste her. He was happy to oblige. Burying his face between her thighs, he sought her sensitive bud with his tongue, reveling in the taste of her juices and going deeper and deeper into her as she clasped her hands around his neck.

Kenya's body shuddered as the waves of an orgasm began to wash over her underneath Maurice's tongue lashing. Her body responded to his touch as he reached up and squeezed her breasts while continuing his kiss. She was wetter than she'd ever been, and Maurice got off on it. She felt him grow harder and harder as she let go and gave in to ecstasy. “Maurice,” she moaned. “Oh God!” He blew gently on her hot core, making her shudder and shiver.

He looked up at her and said, “Delicious.”

“Make love to me,” she demanded wantonly. “Now. I want you now.”

He shook his head. “I'm not done yet.” Sliding down her thigh, blazing a trail with his tongue, Maurice took her immaculate toes into his mouth, one by one. Her body was on fire as he sucked her toes as if they were covered in Godiva chocolate. She sank into the bed, holding on to the bedspread so that she wouldn't fall off the edge. Her breathing was shallow as Maurice reversed his position and ended up between her thighs again, kissing her throbbing core, then her navel and her tender breasts. Kenya's nipples were harder than mountaintops. Clenching her legs around his waist, she made her desires clear: she was primed and ready to feel his manhood inside her. Maurice slipped inside her, momentarily forgetting that he hadn't protected her. Despite how good it felt, and how she gasped and called his name, he pulled out.

“I have to protect you,” he said as he reached into his wallet and grabbed a condom.

Kenya's insecure side wondered why he had brought condoms to the hotel. Had he done so because he and Lauryn were planning to have sex? Closing her eyes, she silently chided herself for entertaining those thoughts. He'd just confessed his love to her, and she was still second-guessing him. Maurice seemed to sense her apprehension.

“I got these after I talked to you.”

“And suppose I had decided not to come up here with you?” she asked as he slid the condom in place.

Turning to her, with a sly smile on his face, he said, “I probably would have gotten drunker, made water balloons with them, and dropped them off the balcony.” He dove in between her legs, swimming in her hot ocean of love. Kenya closed her legs around him, pulling him in deeper and deeper. She pressed her pelvis into his, meeting his passion with her own heated desire. Kenya had never felt this way, had never felt so alive and desirable. Her inhibitions were gone when she was with him. Maurice rolled over, allowing Kenya to mount him and take control of her pleasure.

Once she was on top, she arched her back and bucked like a rodeo star. Maurice moaned in delight as she grabbed his ankles. He sat up so that he could suck her breasts and hold back the explosion that was building inside him. Kenya made it impossible to do so as she tightened her grip on his penis. Kenya collapsed on his chest, and he held her tightly. Sweat poured from their bodies as they basked in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Kenya drew circles in the sweat on his chest. “Do you think that we can be like this forever?” she asked.

“I like the sound of that.” He kissed her on the chin, then cupped her bottom. “My brother thinks that we're making a mistake.”

“He's wrong. The only mistake that we could make is to let the past come between us again,” she said.

“Ah, she finally gets it,” Maurice said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Kenya could feel him growing against her thighs, and she reached for another condom. “Round two?”

The next morning, Kenya woke up in Maurice's arms, feeling more secure in his love than she'd ever thought that she could. For once, she didn't have the nagging questions about Lauryn tormenting her. She wanted to plan their future; she wanted to plan their life together. She snuggled closer to him and brushed her lips against his, causing him to stir in the bed.

His eyes fluttered open, and he saw Kenya's smiling face.

“Good morning,” she said warmly.

Stroking her thighs, he replied, “It certainly is. You feel good. Like silk.”

A flutter started in the pit of her stomach, and heat spread through her body. It was so easy for Maurice to turn her on. It took just the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his lips against her skin.

“Don't you have to work?” he asked.

“I'm going to head in late,” she replied. “I think I deserve it.”

“And so do I.” Maurice greedily kissed her, causing her to melt against his body. She felt his manhood grow against her thighs, and she got as wet as a marsh during a summer rain. Kenya spread her legs and guided his erection to her awaiting valley. Neither of them had thought about a condom, because passion had taken ahold of them, at least momentarily. Maurice quickly pulled out before he nearly climaxed inside her.

“I can't believe we did this,” he said as he sprang from the bed and dashed in the bathroom. “The last thing either of us needs right now is something unexpected happening.”

Wrapping herself in a sheet, Kenya rose to her feet and said, “You're right.”

Maurice walked out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Not that I wouldn't want you to have my baby,” he said. “I'd love to see your belly swollen with my son, Mo Jr.”

“And why do you think I'd name my son after you?” she ribbed. “What if I want to give him his own identity?”

“I guess it would be a lot for him to live up to, being Maurice Jr. After all, Michael Jordan didn't name his firstborn after himself, or did he?”

“Are you comparing yourself to the greatest basketball player of all times? Dude, you have one ring. He has six,” Kenya joked as she tugged at his towel.

“I'm working on it, which reminds me. I'd better hit the gym today, or training camp is going to be a killer. I can't have some rookie come in and steal my spot.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Then I'd better get out of here and get ready for work.” She glanced over at the clock. It was nearly ten thirty. “I have a lunch meeting I need to prepare for.”

“Tonight, you and I will have a date, dinner, and then a dip in my hot tub. Clothing optional,” he said, with a wink.

“Sounds good to me,” Kenya said as she let him go.

Maurice ordered a pot of coffee and danishes for breakfast as Kenya checked in with the office on her cell phone. Watching her, he felt his heart swell with pride and love. She was such a professional and was sexy as hell when she chewed her bottom lip and crossed her legs. He liked seeing her in control and so sure of herself. Just like the girl he'd fallen in love with when she'd bossed the other kids around on the playground. He hated that he'd taken part of that from her when he made the mistake of choosing lust over true love. He'd never make that mistake again, and he'd never hurt her as long as he lived, because she was the most important thing in his life. Maurice knew that if the fame and fortune went away, Kenya would be there with him through thick and thin.

Lauryn would've left as soon as the money went south. How could he have been so blinded by the tricks she'd pulled in the bedroom? That was a trait that was passed on to him by his womanizing father. Maurice swore that he'd never let another woman blind him with a tight waist and big breasts. Then he looked over at Kenya and realized that he had all he needed in her. She was sexy and sexually pleasing, and more than anything else, he loved her with all of his heart and soul. Why couldn't he see that all those years ago?

She looked up as she snapped her silver phone shut. “What?” she asked when their eyes locked.

“I was just thinking,” he said. “Why does it take time and distance for us to realize that everything we've ever wanted was right in front of us?”

She shook her head. “Been watching the
Wizard of Oz
and
Rent,
huh?”

Maurice stood up and closed the space between them. “I'm serious. Marry me, Kenya.”

Slowly, she rose to her feet and looked him in the eye. “What?”

“We should be celebrating our fifth anniversary, anyway. I have wasted too much time, and I nearly lost you. I don't want that to happen again.”

“This is too sudden,” she said. “I mean, we've only been back together a short while, and there are a lot of things we need to do before we can entertain the thought of being married.”

“You love me, right?” he asked as he closed his arms around her waist. “That's all we need.”

“Love isn't all we need,” she replied. “Can we talk about this later? I have to go.” She pushed out of his embrace and dashed out of the room, leaving him standing there, dazed and confused.

 

 

After leaving the hotel, Kenya could think of nothing but Maurice's proposal. Was he crazy? Or was this the real thing? The moment she entered her office, she told her assistant, Talisha, to hold all her calls. She headed for her private bathroom, showered, and changed into her spare business suit, which she kept in her office, and called Imani's cell phone. When she didn't get an answer, she called her mother.

“Angela Taylor,” her mother said in a clipped tone.

“Ma, it's me. Did I interrupt your editorial meeting?”

“Ah, the prodigal daughter phones. I haven't heard from you since you went on vacation. How's Charlotte?”

“Great. Business is good. Since there's so much development here, everyone needs a lawyer.”

“And you're okay? Any Maurice Goings sightings?”

“Well,” Kenya began, “Maurice and I have been seeing each other since we linked up in the Bahamas.”

She heard Angela's office door slam shut. “You want to repeat that?”

Kenya recounted how she and Maurice had ended up at the same resort, leaving out her near sexual assault and her night of overindulgence. “And this morning he asked me to marry him,” she concluded.

Angela sighed heavily into the phone. “I hope you said no and will get over this thing you have for that boy. I thought that he'd gotten married, anyway.”

“She left him at the altar.”

“Did he cheat on her, too?” Angela asked coolly. “You can't be considering marrying that fool, can you?”

“I love him and he loves me, but for the record, I didn't say yes.”

“Thank God. Your father still hates Maurice, and you can best believe that he would hit him harder than any offensive lineman.”

“Defensive lineman, Ma. Maurice is a wide receiver,” Kenya said.

“What's offensive to me is the fact that you have allowed this man back into your life, as if you've forgotten what he did to you. You left school because you caught him in bed with that tart. Wait a minute. Was that the woman that he was going to marry?”

“Yes,” Kenya said, starting to regret calling her mother in the first place.

“Please tell me that you're not going to seriously entertain his proposal, because I don't want to see you crawling back to Atlanta, crying again,” Angela said.

Kenya took a slow breath. “I don't mean any disrespect, but I'm an adult. If I want to be with him, why would I let you stop me?”

“Oh, so you want to play grown-up now? If you were so sure about Maurice and being his wife, then you'd be calling me to tell me that you two are getting married. You're no fool, Kenya. I hope to God that you don't think that because he has money now, he has changed.”

This call is definitely a mistake. I don't need to hear a lecture right now,
Kenya thought. She should've known that Angela wasn't going to be happy, because she still hated Maurice. Obviously, Kenya didn't think that marrying him was a good idea, but she definitely didn't want her mother judging her because she and Maurice were seeing each other again. She made an excuse to hang up with her mother and stared blankly at the wall, thinking about their conversation. Angela had done a good job of stirring up old doubts that Kenya was desperately trying to put behind her.

Yes, she still loved Maurice, but marriage? There was so much about him and his life that she was still in the dark about. Was her mother right about him? Maybe he was the same selfish jerk that he'd been in college, and maybe she was asking for more heartbreak. Then again, he could've changed. He could really be in love with her.
Yeah right.
Her mother's voice echoed in her head.
Maurice loves himself, and if he wants to marry you, it's probably because he wants to repair his reputation from being left at the altar. What happens when he goes on the road and another woman offers her body to him? Do you think that he's going to turn it down because you're sitting at home, waiting for him?

Twisting in her seat, Kenya turned toward the window and looked out over the city.

“Miss Taylor, you have a delivery,” Talisha said over the intercom.

“Please send it in,” she said. Kenya straightened her jacket and turned her seat around and watched the door.

The first thing she saw was a huge bouquet of roses. She looked down at the delivery man's linen pants and wondered which florist had such luxurious uniforms. When he lowered the flowers, Kenya shook her head. “Maurice, what are you doing here?”

“Isn't it obvious?” He held the flowers out to her. “I wasn't sure if you'd left me, considering the way you ran out of the hotel this morning.”

Kenya stood and accepted the flowers. “They're beautiful, but I have a meeting in a few minutes.”

“I know, but you didn't answer my question this morning.” Maurice reached into his pocket and removed a black velvet box.

Kenya looked away, knowing what was inside. Why was he doing this when she had just told him that she had work to do?

“Maurice, I can't do this right now. Damn it, you know I have a meeting, and yet you come in here with your roses and your . . .” He was standing in her face now and holding the sparkling three-and-a-half-carat diamond and emerald ring underneath her nose so that she had to face it. Kenya couldn't deny that it was beautiful, because it was the same ring she'd picked out when they'd been daydreaming in high school.

“Maurice,” she said, her voice barely audible.

“I want you in my life forever. Marry me, and I'm not taking no for an answer, and I'm not leaving until you say yes.”

Before Kenya could answer, Talisha called her on the intercom. “Mr. Peterson is here for your meeting.”

“Just a minute,” she told her assistant. “Please apologize for my tardiness.” She pressed the button to turn the intercom speaker off, then turned to Maurice. “You have to leave.”

Folding his arms across his chest, he simply shook his head and sat down in the chair across from her desk. “Why won't you answer my question?”

“Out,” she snapped. “If this is some kind of game to you, then you can just find another playmate.”

“This isn't a game. It's real, and I'm speaking from my heart. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Kenya walked over to the door and placed her hand on the knob. “Please leave,” she said. “This is an important meeting for me.”

“Fine. I'll wait out front until your meeting is over,” he said as she opened the door. “Then I want an answer.”

Mr. Peterson immediately recognized Maurice and extended his hand to him. “Mo Goings! How are you? That was a great catch in the Super Bowl.”

Maurice shook the man's hand and smiled brightly. “Thank you,” he said. But his eyes never left Kenya's face.

“Do you think that we're going to make it back to the big game this year?” Mr. Peterson asked.

“We'll see,” Maurice replied as he took a seat on the leather chair in the waiting area. “Don't let me interrupt your meeting with Miss Taylor.”

Mr. Peterson turned to Kenya and smiled. “You must be some lawyer if you have Mo Goings as a client.”

She smiled tersely and ushered Mr. Peterson inside her office. As she closed the door behind him, Kenya turned around and glared at Maurice. In return, he blew her a kiss.

 

 

Maurice had been waiting for two hours before Kenya emerged from her office. Mr. Peterson walked out first and gave Maurice a thumbs-up before heading for the elevator. Kenya stood in the doorway, looking at Maurice and shaking her head. “Why are you still here? And where is Talisha?”

“She went to lunch. I told her that I'd listen for the phones for her.”

“I have a lot of work to do this evening, and I don't have time to deal with you, all right, so if you don't mind, leave.”

Rising to his feet, Maurice stood inches from her. “You don't listen, do you? I said I'm not leaving until you give me an answer.” Maurice pulled the ring from his pocket and held it out to Kenya. “This is your ring, and I want to be your husband.”

“This is crazy,” Kenya said. “What do we really know about each other?”

Maurice shook his head. “All we need to know is that we love each other. Hell, Kenya, we've known each other since we were little kids. The question is, What don't we know about each other?”