The Wandering Caravan (5 page)

6

Cortland

Packing up Sean and Scarlet’s apartment was much easier when we were all together. Also, they were selling most of their furniture. Sean said they would need brand new things for their new house. I didn’t see why it mattered but I didn’t question it. He was about to be a billionaire so he could call the shots.

Sean and Scarlet seemed to be better today, but they were still a little tense around each other. I couldn’t count the number of time
s I made a girl sore after having my way with her. It was never intentional so I didn’t let it bother me. But when I imagined Monnique feeling that way, it made me feel sick. I guess it’s different when you actually love the person.

After we finished packing everything, we went to MegaShake one last time. It wasn’t as much fun as it normally was. We drank our shakes slowly, trying to make it last as long as possible. There were a lot of memories in this place.

Monnique had her hand on my thigh the entire time. I liked it when she was affectionate with me in public. When we were around other women besides Scarlet and Janice, she was possessive and controlling. She wanted everyone to know I was hers. That was fine with me. I was the same way when guys stared at her with lust. It used to bother but now I forced myself not to think about it. It was a price I had to pay for having a gorgeous and exotic girlfriend.

But I was getting nervous with the move. Monnique was sacrificing so much to be with me, and I took that as a declaration of undying love. But what if she got tired of me and didn’t like where we lived? What if she moved back and left? I’d follow her in a heartbeat, but what if s
he didn’t want me to follow her? Now I was more obsessed with finding out why her serious relationship ended. What did he do? Whatever it was, I would make sure I didn’t make the same mistake. She was the source of all my happiness. I couldn’t let her go.

When we came back to our apartment, nothing was in it. We had a sleeping back and a few pillows on the ground and our suitcases. Everything had already been shipped. I didn’t have any extra clothes that weren’t unpacked, so we both slept in the nude. Normally, Monnique liked to wear one of my t-shirts, but I preferred it when she was topless anyway. Her breasts always felt good against me.

She snuggled beside me then rested her head on my shoulder. “Nervous?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

I ran my fingers through her hair. “It’ll be stressful at first but we’ll get used to it. I know you’ll love New York and Connecticut.”

“I’ll love it if I’m with you.”

“And I’ll always be with you,” I whispered. I meant it. This girl stole my heart the moment I saw her. My old girlfriend, Elizabeth, just wore me down and made me depressed. Monnique always lifted me up and pushed me to my greatest potential. She made me feel loved.

Feeling her in my arms always put me in the mood. Her soft skin felt warm against mine. Knowing she was naked ignited a fire in me. I always made love to her every night, even when she was sick or on her period. I needed it all the time. I knew she felt the same.

Wordlessly, I moved her to her back and held my weight on my arms. Her legs opened and pressed against my chest. She was flexible and bendable, another reason why I was obsessed with her.

She cupped my face and kissed me while I found her entrance and slid inside. There were times when Monnique was in the mood to be nasty, but most of the time she liked being intimate and tender. I actually preferred the latter. I felt more connected to her. Our minds and bodies were linked as one.

She was slick and smooth. I moved inside her slowly while I listened to the quiet noises she made. Her lips caressed mine until they stopped moving. She just breathed into my mouth, enjoying the way I made her feel.

“Cortland…I love you.”

I loved hearing that. It made my heart burst from my chest and my arms shake. We didn’t say it when we said goodbye on the phone or in person. The only time we did was when it was natural and organic. Sometimes I said it when she was watching a movie or picking out the right tomato at the store. It was usually random, but always meaningful.

And the fact she said it now made my heart melt.

She gripped my biceps and breathed deeply. I knew she was on the verge of her org
asm and I wanted to push her over the edge.

“I love you.”

Her nails dug into my skin and she moaned loudly. I knew she was coming. I kissed her neck and rocked into her gently, giving her as much pleasure as I could. When she was done, her fingers relaxed on my arms.

Seeing her below, meeting my gaze in the heat of our lovemaking made me crumble and explode. I moved faster as my orgasm flashed through my body, making me hot all over. I depleted myself inside her, loving every second of the pleasure.

When I was finished, I stayed on top of her. She looked at me with love in her eyes, and I could stare at the look forever. I gave her a kiss on the forehead then lay beside her, cradling her in my arms.

“My white boy always delivers,” she said with a quiet sigh.

I chuckled at her words. We had odd nicknames for each other. “I know what my big booty ho likes.”

“You got that right. Keep it up so I’ll stick around.”

I knew she was teasing me but the words struck a nerve. My biggest fear was winding up like her fiancé, alone and broken. “Baby?”

“Hmm?” Her eyes were closed.

“Why did you and your ex break up?”

She was quiet for so long I didn’t think she heard me. “Wh
y do you keep asking me that?” Her voice was monotone. I couldn’t tell if she was upset or mad.

“Because I want to know.”

“It’s just so random. We just made love and you want to hear about my ex?”

I knew it
was odd. “I’m just curious.”

“Cortland, I didn’t want to talk about it last time you asked me. I still don’t want to talk about it. And I never want to talk ab
out it.” There was finality in her words.

“You know
everything about my ex’s. Why can’t you tell me about yours?”

“You volunteered that information. I never asked. So I don’t own you anything, Cortland.”

She never said my real name, unless it was in bed. Now I knew she was upset.

“I just don’t understand what the big deal is. The fact you don’t talk about it makes me worry. You were engaged to this guy then you took off. What went wrong? Five years is a long time to invest in someone just to break up.”

“Drop it,” she snapped.

I knew the conversation was over. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you aren’t.” She turned her back to me then ignored me.

I didn’t mean to be so pushy, but I wa
s desperate to know why. If the breakup was simple, wouldn’t she just tell me? Was she not over the relationship? Was he the one that got away? I was probably thinking about it too hard, but I realized she and I hadn’t been together very long. Within a few months, she moved in with me. Now we were moving across the country and we hadn’t been together for a year. Did she not take that seriously? Did she just jump into relationships without thinking? How long were she and her ex broken up before we got together? Was I a rebound?

I couldn’t directly ask
any of this. That would be incredibly offensive, and she could just lie to me. Knowing the reason behind their breakup would give me a lot of indirect information. But she wouldn’t give it up.

There was only one other person who could get it for me. It was wrong to trick Monnique into revealing her secret, but I was desperate. I had to know.

When Monnique finally fell asleep, I walked outside and called Scarlet.

She was
asleep when she answered. “Muh?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry to wake you but I need your help.”

“Hmm?”

“I need
you to get some information out of Monnique for me.”

“Like what?” Scarlet asked.

“Information about her ex. I want to know why they broke up. They were together for five years and engaged. Then they just went their separate ways.”

“Why does it matter, Cortland?”

“It just does,” I said quickly. “Will you help?”

“Umm…Cortland, you’re my best friend and I’d do anything for you, but Monnique is a good friend too. I feel uncomfortable preying on her trust to get information out of her just to betray her. She’ll tell you when she’s ready.”

I rolled my eyes. Scarlet always had to take the high road. “Whatever.”

“Don’t get mad at me.”

I knew I was being unreasonable. “Could you do something else?”

“Maybe.”

“Could you persuade her to tell me?”

“I can try,” she whispered. She was probably trying not to wake Sean.

“Thanks.”

“Cortland, if I were you, I’d just let it go.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I’m scared she’ll do the same thing to me.”

“You two are killing me.”

I had no idea what that meant. “What?”

“First, Ryan was insecure in his relationship and now you are. You two need to just calm down. Your women love you and want to be with you forever. Just be happy. Monnique wouldn’t be moving across the country if she wasn’t certain of her feelings for you.”

“She seemed certain when she got engaged but she still left.”

“Cortland, knock it off. You have no idea what happened so don’t make assumptions.”

“The fact she won’t tell me just bothers me even more. I tell her everything.”

“So she knows we slept together?” she snapped.

She caught me. “No…”

“Some secrets are meant to stay secrets. Take my advice. Just let it go.”

I sighed. “Easier said than done.”

“When she’s ready, she’ll open up to you. You’ll have to be patient for the time being.”

“Okay.”

“You feel better now?” she asked.

I shrugged. “A little.”

“Well, I can’t
stay awake any longer. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.”

She hung up without saying goodbye.

I stood in the frigid air for a moment, just my briefs on. After I felt a little better, I went back inside. I crept to the sleeping bag and snuggled beside her.

“Where were you?”

I flinched at her voice. “Outside.”

“Doing what?” The anger was evident behind her words.

I never lied to her so I wasn’t going to start now. “Scarlet.”

“Why?”

“I was upset. She talked me down.”

Monnique fell silent. Her back was still to me. She never turned around.

I couldn’t sleep so I stared at the ceiling. I wanted to hold Monnique but I knew she didn’t want me to touch her. I let her be.

7

Ryan

“How are you and Sean?” I asked.

Scarlet was sitting beside me on the plane. Sean was on the other side of her but he was in the restroom. I took advantage of the opportunity
to have a chat with her. “We’re better. We talked it out. He just felt guilty for what happened.”

“And the honeymoon is going again?” I asked even though I didn’t really want to know.

She shook her head. “He keeps avoiding it. I tell him I’m fine but he ignores me.”

“He seems more scarred than you are.”

“Completely.”

“Maybe you just suck in bed and he’s tired of you.”

She glared at me then hit my shoulder. “Of course not.”

“I don’t know…he probably took advantage of the first excuse he could find to get away from you.”

She continued to glare at me. “Janice told me she’s had better.”

I eyed her face, looking for a lie. I didn’t see one, but I didn’t need to. “She did not.”

“Yep.” She flipped through her magazine without looking at me.

“That’s not possible,” I said firmly.

“You sound doubtful.” She had a smirk on her lips.

“I’m not. I know how to please my women.”

She shrugged.

“Nice try, brat.”

“If you want to play dirty, we’ll play dirty.”

Sean returned from the bathroom so our conversation ended. He rested his hand on her thigh, his wedding ring shining bright. I couldn’t imagine wearing one. I wondered if Janice would be upset if I refused to. It would get in the way of my work, and I couldn’t afford that.

Janice leaned back in her chair then closed her eyes. “I’m excited to go home.”

“Now you can see your family every day.”

“And they can see you.” She squeezed my hand then rested her head on my shoulder. She was extremely clingy with me but I liked it. As long as I was the only man in her life, she could do whatever she wanted.

“I’d like to get to know your family better.” Since I was going to propose, I had to pay a visit to her father. I hoped I’d get his permission. If he said no, I was going to ask anyway. Nothing would stop me from being with Janice for the rest of my life.

The flight stewardess approached our row then looked at me. She ignored Janice like she didn’t exist. I could tell she was into me. I also knew she didn’t care that I had a girlfriend. A quick fuck from a hot guy was all she wanted. Years of experience taught me how to read people well.

“Can I get you another drink, sir?” she asked, giving me the eye.

Janice wasn’t very confrontational with other people. If a girl showed interest in me, she usually didn’t care. But that wasn’t the case today. “My boyfriend doesn’t need anything.” She grabbed her empty glass and shoved it into the stewardess’s stomach. “But you can refill mine.” Janice gave her the death stare until she walked away.

As soon as she was gone, I le
t the laugh escape my mouth. “Baby, you’re crazy.”

“What?” she asked incredulously. “She was hitting on you right in front of me. That shit isn’t going to fly.”

“You’re cute,” I said. “I like it when you get mad.”

“Well, you’ll see it again if she’s dumb enough to try anything.”

“Ooh. I need to get some chocolate sauce.”

She glared at me.

“You know I’m kidding, baby.” I kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s go in the bathroom and we’ll fuck really loud. That’ll teach her a lesson.”

“That’s tempting…” Her beautiful smile was back.

Scarlet looked at us. “The same thing happens with Sean all the time. I just ignore it.”

“Because you’re a pushover,” Janice said.

“I am not!”

I laughed. “Scar, she’s right. You are a pushover.”

“No.”

Sean nodded. “Baby, you are.”

“I hate you all. I am not.”

“Then say something next time a girl hits on me,” Sean said.

“I will,” she said firmly. “I’ll tell her to keep her hands off my man.”

“Sure…” Sean laughed then stared at the TV in the front.

Scarlet was the least confrontation person I ever met. I couldn’t see her standing up to anyone. She was the person who was bumped into at the mall, but she ended up apologizing for it. She needed to grow a backbone.

When the plane landed, we grabbed our luggage then boarded the cabs. We took separate ones because Scarlet thought
we were going different ways. Cortland and I kept our silence and did as Sean asked.

When Janice and I were inside the cab, she cuddled so close to me that she
was practically sitting on my lap. “I wish we took advantage of the plane when we could.”

I ran my fingers through her hair. “I’ll rock your world tonight. Just
be patient.”

“I don’t understand how we have sex all the time but I’m never satisfied.”

“Because I always leaving you wanting more.” I winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re so cheesy but I love you anyway.”

“You want something to hold you over?” I whispered in her ear.

She bit her lip and nodded.

I moved my hand down the front of her shorts then into her underwear. Janice was a pro at being quiet since we fooled around everywhere and anywhere. It was another reason I loved her so much. I was practically a sex addict and she kept up with me.

When I felt her clitoris, I rubbed it in a circular motion. I knew she like
d what I was doing when her nails dug into my skin. She snuggled next to me then pressed her lips to my ear, breathing deeply. I rubbed her for a moment then inserted my fingers inside her. I knew Janice’s body better than she did. I knew how to ignite both her trigger spots at the same time, giving her an orgasm more intense than usual. I didn’t do it very often because I wanted it to be a special treat.

I knew when the explosion happened because she whimpered in my
ear, breathing so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. But she stayed quiet and didn’t attract any attention. My fingers were soaked in her juice. Now I had a huge hard-on in my jeans. I was looking forward to fucking her at the first opportunity.

When she was finished, she clung to me as she caught her breath. I pulled my hand out then stuck my fingers in my mouth,
sucking her juice. She had a unique taste. It was sweet like melon. She moaned when she watched me. I knew how to turn Janice on in a million ways. It was a gift.

We snuggled together in the back for the rest of the drive. She clung to me like she never wanted to let go. After we were intimate, she was especially clingy. She always wanted more than I could possibly give. After a few minutes, she returned to normal.

But I liked it when she was clingy. It reminded me I was the only man in her life. And I would always be the only man in her life. As soon as I asked the big question, she would be mine forever. She was stuck.