Black Pearl (15 page)

“That asshole did WHAT?!?” Devyn, just finished telling Mercedes about Marcus’ blackmail.

She held the phone away from her ear as her friend let off a tirade to end all tirades. Mercedes had the summer off since she worked as an administrator at a private school. During the summers she frequently traveled outside of Atlanta for burlesque shows. Devyn hadn’t seen her in a few weeks, and hadn’t had a chance to tell Mercedes about Marcus’ duplicitousness until tonight. Just as Mercedes was threatening to kick Devyn’s ass if she ever kept anything like that to herself again, Nikola walked into the bedroom. He could hear her on the line, even from across the room and gave Devyn a “that’s what you get” look. Almost a week later, and he was still telling her how she should have come to him instead of giving into Marcus’ demands. He told her Mercedes would be just as upset as he was. Now Devyn sat on the line as her friend read her the riot act, and her boyfriend grinned in the corner. Devyn glared at him.

“Is Nikola there?!” Mercedes asked abruptly.

“Yes he’s here, but wh–.”

“Put him on the phone,” Mercedes demanded. Devyn eyed Nikola as he walked over to stand in front of her and held out his hand. She put the phone in his hand.

“I already told her….Yes….He won’t….Yup….Okay.” Devyn glared at him as she was only able to hear one side of the conversation. The volume level of Mercedes’ voice decreased significantly with Nikola on the line.

“Hmmph.” Devyn let out an annoyed noise and Nikola smiled even wider. She stood and snatched her phone from his hand.

“Gimme my phone. Y’all not gonna talk about me like I’m not sitting here. And
you’re
supposed to have my back, Mercedes,” she said that last sentence into the phone.

“Girl, hush. You know I have your back, which is why I’m pissed at you. I’m still seriously contemplating getting on a plane to kick your ass for not telling me this sooner.”

Devyn sighed looking at Nikola. The look he gave her was unrepentant.

He remained adamant that she shouldn’t have tried to deal with Marcus on her own,
especially
when it meant her breaking up with him. He shrugged, planted a kiss on her forehead and walked into the bathroom. A few seconds later, Devyn heard the shower turn on. An image of a naked and wet Nikola made her forget all about Marcus and why her best friend was still going off on her.

“Yes, Mercedes...I won’t….uh huh,” she sighed.

“Cedes, I love you and I won’t ever keep something like this from you again. Hopefully nothing like this ever happens again. Anyway, right now I have a gorgeous, naked and wet man less than twenty feet away from me. I’m going to have to let you finish cursing me out later.” Devyn called Mercedes ‘Cedes’ only when her friend was getting on her last nerve. Mercedes’ ardor turned to amusement and she laughed and quickly hung up the phone, making Devyn promise to call her the following day.

Smiling, Devyn stripped out of her clothes, threw them in the laundry pile and went to join her man in the shower.

A few weeks later, Nikola made the trip to New Jersey with Devyn to visit her mother. Or rather, Nikola commandeered the trip and insisted they take the company plane so they wouldn’t have to deal with delayed schedules over the busy holiday weekend. When Devyn protested such a seemingly wasteful use of the company’s resources, Nikola assured her, the use of a company plane was for security reasons as well. As the head of a major financial services firm, it was a possible security risk to take commercial flights. The thought of risking Nikola’s safety finally got Devyn to relent. When they arrived in New Jersey there was already a car waiting to pick them up at the airport to take them to the hotel. Nikola booked a hotel not far from her mother’s home after Devyn informed him that if they stayed with their mother, she would make them sleep in separate bedrooms. She laughed at the face he made.

“I’m not going three nights without you in my bed,” was all he said before making arrangements at the nearest hotel. Devyn didn’t mind since she preferred not to sleep without Nikola either.

Devyn’s sister lived twenty minutes from her mom’s house, with her husband and three-year-old son. Devyn’s cousins and aunts and uncles, along with her brother-in-law, Cameron’s family was there for a Labor Day barbecue. After spending the previous day at Devyn’s mom’s house and Devyn showing Nikola around where she grew up, they went over to Michelle’s for the Sunday afternoon barbecue.

“He’s even cuter in person.” Michelle whispered to Devyn as they walked outside to the backyard, after Nikola and Cameron.

“You better not let your husband hear that,” Devyn joked.

“Please. That man knows I ain’t going anywhere, but I’ve got eyes too,” they laughed.

“Auntie Devyn!!” Devyn turned to see her three-year-old nephew, Isaiah running to her. She bent down to scoop him up.

“Isaiah, I told you no running around the grill!” His mother admonished.

“Sorry, mommy.” The sorry came out more like “sowwy” in an innocent tone, the three-year-old was famous for around the family.

“Don’t yell at my nephew like that. He’s just happy to see his favorite aunt. Who can blame him?” Devyn nuzzled Isaiah’s neck and he fell into a fit of giggles.

Michelle shook her head. “You keep spoiling him. Just wait until you have your own. Payback is a mother!”

Devyn rolled her eyes. “Now you’re talking crazy.”

“The heck I am. The way that man keeps looking at you, I’m surprised you’re not pregnant already.”

“Auntie Devyn you’re pregnant?!” Devyn choked on the water she sipped from her cup. Isaiah, having overheard the entire conversation, jumped in with all the delight, curiosity, and obtuseness of a three-year-old. Devyn glared at her laughing sister, before putting her nephew down and walking away.

The rest of the day was full of fun, between eating and catching up with her family. Devyn never regretted moving away from home, but she loved coming back to visit. When Cameron turned on the music and began playing R&B and hip hop from the 90s, she couldn’t help but make it to the space cleared out for dancing. She pulled Nikola out and he surprised her with his dance moves. When the electric slide, followed by the cha-cha slide came on, he knew all the steps as well as her. 

“You’ve been holding out,” she said as they danced to a slow song.

Spinning her around before recapturing her in his arms, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” she smiled and laid her head on his chest.

“Come with me to Brazil.” Devyn raised her head to look at him. Nikola was scheduled to go away in a few weeks, to Rio de Janeiro, for business.

“To work?” She asked.

“Well, I’ll be working the first few days, but I want it to be a vacation, just you and me. You have plenty of time to take off. Plus, I have an in with your boss. I used to put him in headlocks on a regular basis up until a few years ago,” Devyn smiled.

“Okay,” the smile Nikola gave her made her heart beat double time.   

“I love you. Thank you,” he pressed his lips against hers.

Devyn and Nikola were in their own little world, unknowingly being watched by most of Devyn’s family. All had satisfied smiles on their faces and a few even took bets on when they would be hearing about an upcoming wedding. None of her family had ever liked Marcus. They seemed to know from the beginning he was no good for her, but Devyn was blinded by what she thought was love.

Tonight wasn’t about Marcus or her past. All Devyn was focused on was the man who held her tightly against his chest.

“So you’re ditching me to spend a week in Rio, huh?” Devyn looked up as Andre walked into the office the following Tuesday.

“News spreads fast around here,” she said having just returned from Labor Day weekend at home, the day before with Nikola.

“Well, what do you expect when you tell Iris Collins something like that?” Andre joked about his mother.

Devyn shook her head. “It’s just a vacation. You’ll barely miss me, since you’re scheduled to be out of the office most of that week too.” Andre was also traveling to New York that week for business.

“Oh, that reminds me, we need to go over your itinerary for your trip. I’ve finalized most of the arrangements, but there are still a few loose ends. Even though, I’ll be away, if you need me that week, I’ll still be checking my email just in–.”

“You will do no such thing. It’s called vacation time for a reason. I’m sure everything will be fine. Plus, I don’t need to worry about a certain someone trying to put me in a headlock for interrupting his vacation.” Andre shook his head in mock fear.

Laughing, Devyn handed Andre his phone messages and turned to grab her iPad to follow him into his office to review his schedule for the day.

The following weekend, Devyn went shopping with Mercedes for clothing to wear while in Rio. Devyn wanted to pick up a few bathing suits, shorts, cover-ups and of course, some lingerie to look good in for Nikola. She planned to put her new lingerie to good use. Nikola insisted she use his card for the shopping trip. When she tried to leave it behind, he stopped her at the door and thrust it in her bag, giving her a minimum amount to spend, which far exceeded anything she intended to spend in the first place. Devyn smiled at the way he spoiled her. Mercedes never one to turn down a chance to go shopping immediately agreed to go. The two tried on clothes for one another, giving their honest opinion of how it looked. Devyn knew Mercedes would not allow her to purchase something that didn’t look right on her.

Their afternoon of shopping was followed by manis and pedis, and then lunch at a local diner.

“How was your trip to visit your family earlier this summer?” Devyn asked. Devyn knew Mercedes’ home life had been tough on her growing up, and Mercedes only made one visit a year to see her family. She only did it out of a sense of obligation.

Mercedes blew out a breath and waved her hand in the air. “It went,” was all she said.

“You want to talk about it?”

Mercedes shook her head. “It wasn’t that bad, just the usual bullshit. You know how my family is.”

Devyn nodded. “So tell me about the rest of the summer. I didn’t get to see your performance in New Orleans,” Devyn referred to one of Mercedes’ summer shows.

Mercedes spent the next thirty minutes talking about her performances over the summer and telling Devyn all about the people she met. Devyn listened as her friend’s face lit up with excitement, hands moving animatedly as she discussed the new routines she was considering adding into her performances. To Devyn, burlesque was a hobby—a hobby she thoroughly enjoyed and hoped she would participate for a long time to come. For Mercedes, burlesque was a part of her soul. The art of dance, the costumes, and performance component all lit a spark in Mercedes’ soul. Devyn often thought if she wanted to, Mercedes could perform full-time, but she knew the strict conservative values Mercedes’ family drilled into her head as a child, held her back from quitting her full-time job as a school administrator. Mercedes’ family didn’t know she performed, nor did they know about her sexuality. Devyn felt for her friend who felt she had to hide parts of herself from the family who should be a source of support. But Devyn also knew what it was like to hide part of yourself from your family or friends.

When she was with Marcus she rarely told anyone about what life was like behind closed doors with him. While he never struck her, physically, his words and disrespect were just as painful. She never wanted to return to that place ever again, and smiled when she thought about Nikola and how different he was from Marcus.

“You’re doing it again,” Mercedes interrupted her thoughts.

“Doing what?”

“That whole goofy smile and googly eyes when you think about him.”

Devyn smiled and dipped her head, unable to deny what was so clearly written all over her face. She shrugged.

“Can’t help it. Anyway, tell me about who you’re seeing now. Are you still seeing Quince?”

“Quince?” Mercedes looked confused for a brief second. She waved her hand. “Oh, no. That’s been over and done with. I’m seeing Sharon now,” she smiled.

“Sharon?”

“Yeah, I met her while traveling. She lives in Savannah—so it’s perfect. She’s not too close so I won’t get tired of her too soon.”

Mercedes continue to tell Devyn about meeting Sharon while in New York performing, and how they spent a week together in the city, wining and dining one another, and of course fucking each other’s brains out. Devyn laughed listening to her friend’s anecdotes and stories of touring. An hour later, the women parted ways, with Mercedes wishing Devyn a fun and safe trip.

Stepping off the plane in Rio, Devyn was immediately struck by the warm temperature, even though it was well after 8 o’clock at night. After the nearly ten hour flight—in which Nikola christened her as a member of the mile high club—more than once, she was ready for a bath and sleep. As usual, a car was waiting at the airport to deliver them to the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel. It was one of the most luxurious hotels Devyn had ever seen.

Walking into the penthouse suite, Nikola rented for the next seven days, Devyn’s eyes widened in surprise at the sheer opulence of the room. The suite was composed of a huge living room with cream colored furniture, a huge flatscreen television, and three large sliding glass doors. One of the doors led to the private swimming pool and terrace. The bedroom sat off to the right with a king size bed as the center piece. The marble bathroom contained a huge bathtub and a separate overhead shower.

Devyn knew by now, she shouldn’t be surprised. Nikola never did anything halfway. Once the bellhop placed their bags in the room, Devyn circled her arms around Nikola’s neck and kissed him passionately.

“Are you sure you have to work tomorrow?” She asked rubbing her breasts against his chest. He groaned and slapped her butt.

“I’m sure, but I’m leaving early and working long hours the next two days so that the rest our time here it’s just me and you.” Devyn pouted and he laughed.

“I know. I know. Work is important. What time is your presentation tomorrow?” In addition to a number of important meetings, Nikola was giving a big presentation on finance companies working to expand in international markets. He tried to downplay its importance, but Devyn knew it was a big deal and a number of big wigs and aspiring business students would be attending. To Nikola it was business as usual, but Devyn wanted to see her man in action.

“It’s at 3:00, but you don’t have to come. There’s plenty to do here at the hotel and I have a car on standby to take you anywhere you want to go–”

“I
want
to come see you tomorrow.”

He smiled down at her. “I’ll leave a ticket at the front desk for you tomorrow, and have the car pick you up around 2:15.”

“Good.”

“Enough business talk for the night. Are you hungry, I can order some room service.”

Devyn agreed and they ordered chicken salads for dinner since it was getting late. After dinner, Devyn drew a bubble bath for both of them in the huge bathtub. Once out of the bath, Devyn put on yet another one of Nikola’s t-shirts, placed towels on their bed, and told Nikola to lie down on his stomach. She knew he was tired from traveling and he had a few long days ahead of him, so she wanted to help him relax.

She pulled out her arnica massage oil, infused with rosemary and lavender oil, and climbed on his back, just below his waist.

“Comfortable?” She asked wanting to make sure she wasn’t placing too much weight on his back. She tried not to be insecure of her weight anymore, but in this position, she felt a twinge of apprehension.

“Devyn…” He growled in that warning tone of his, letting her know he knew her thoughts and didn’t like them. She bent down to place a kiss at the top of his back, between his shoulder blades.

“I was just making sure. Shhh. It’s time for you to relax.”

She poured the massage oil in her hands, rubbed them together and began giving him a full body massage. Starting at his shoulders, she rubbed and massaged the knots she found out, working her way down his back, kneading and adding pressure when she felt his body release tension. Slowly she moved down his back, adjusting her position to reach his lower back. She loved the feel of his hard muscles as they tightened and released underneath her hands. Moving even further, she kneaded his butt cheeks and giggled lowly when she heard his sensual groan. She moved onto his strong thighs—thighs she loved to ride when she was on top and ending at his feet.

Despite being a man’s man, Nikola took care of himself not only health wise, but when it came to appearances. He said since he worked out so often and hard, and spent hours on planes traveling or giving presentations he needed to take care of his feet, so they would take care of him. Devyn agreed completely as she kneaded the underside of his pedicured feet. Devyn could feel the arousal vibrating off him once she finished.

“Turn over,” she said, as she placed his foot down.

When he did, she could see his growing erection, as it flipped up towards his belly. Straddling his legs again, Devyn dipped her head and licked him from base to tip, before going lower to suck on his heavy sacks. Within seconds Devyn could feel Nikola’s hand grab her hair and she smiled. She loved when he pulled her hair during sex. Moving up she placed her mouth around his fully erect cock and began to move down until she felt it thump the back of her throat. She began to bob her head up and down as she sucked, and worked his balls with her hand. Within minutes, Nikola was coming deep in her mouth, and she swallowed. Sitting up she smiled sweetly at him before climbing down to get a washcloth to clean him up. When done, she removed the towels from the bed, pulled back the bedspread and climbed in to bed with her man, falling into a deep sleep.