Antonia pointed a finger at his crotch, “
Yo
se…I know.”
He straddled her and lifted her legs around his waist
as he knelt on the edge of the leather sofa then he stopped at a pivotal moment when decisions are made in haste and working relationships sour.
Damn
, I almost got caught up
!
He reached to the floor and removed a prophylactic
from his pocket. Always
–always
use a condom was
the
advice he received from his uncle
many years ago when he didn’t understand what the hell Uncle Al was talking about. He might not have understood the importance as a child
,
but as a man
he recognized th
e words of wisdom were a
life-saver.
T
here were scandalous chicks, diseased chicks, lying chicks and downright careless chicks
. They’d drag
you
r ass
to
family court claiming you’re a daddy or
have you
gasping for breath
after contracting some
super STD
that caused
your penis
to pee fire
!
Condoms, I don them. That’s my motto!
Vibrant red nails raked his back as he put on the condom
then yanked
his
shirt
over his head
the moment he was done.
S
he
planted hot kisses on his hairless chest, “
Ummmm
,
”
then
fingers circled
his
sheathed penis to guide it between feminine warm flesh.
Her back arched to accept his swollen manhood
and her legs clamped around his waist pulling him forward, gravity sending him deeper than he wanted to venture
. “
Ooooh
papi
,”
she purred and tightened her thigh muscles in response to his slow
gyrations.
The sensual rhythmic action caused the tension to ebb from his body
as t
hey rocked back and forth in unison. He
hoisted
her buttocks off the sofa, pumping
feverishly like a man trying to silence a tortured soul.
His eyes closed attempting to connect…to feel an emotion…a bonding
,
anything. Yet,
his soul was barren
. Being inside her only elicited a
minor pleasure
.
She caressed his hair
and the
display of tenderness
made him
wish
he could
return
the affection but he couldn’t and
refrained from
lying. He refrained from
empty gesture
s
. He didn’t love the chica. Basically, he
felt..
.
nothing.
It’s sex, not love!
Antonia was a transient distraction, a woman he
kept around for
convenience. He never lied to women
. Antonia was
no exception
. She
accepted his lukewarm affections
,
but he
noticed
in her eyes
hope that one day
his feelings
might
change. She was unaware
he did not love her…could not love her simply because love toppled
t
he
strongest of men. It made
them
docile, weak, open to unnecessary pain and
left them
scarred when the ardor cooled.
He was young, but he’d been with many women and his feelings hadn’t changed. Except for one and she burned him and after that he said fuck it, love that is, for some people it’s just a game. They lie, cheat and lie again. The hurt wasn’t worth it. Besides, the way he was going, he’d wind up in jail or dead, unless he got out of this life and this city.
No, he could never love her…he simply wanted comfort.
The rotation of her
hips
elicited
an
equal fervor
, except his were thunderous explosions of frustration as a result of a shitty day
.
Despite his aversion to a committed relationship there were no complaints from women concerning his sexual prowess. In fact
,
they accepted his terms of a platonic relationship in exchange for carnal pleasure and of course
,
kind favors.
He was caught up in his head, until she suddenly pant, “
No mas, no more
..
papi
,
”
and he exploded in release then came back down to earth.
Antonia
slumped against the pillows with a satisfied smile, “Stay, I make something to eat.”
“Can’t…I’m working.”
Her eyes followed him, hoping he’d stay.
Antonia believed he’d come to love her eventually if she played her cards right.
She
did not seek to cover herself, modesty
belonged to th
e self-conscious
. She wanted Alfonzo to view her nakedness
and cr
ave it until he could not be without her. These were her fantasies
, ones not shared by the man of her dreams
.
Alfonzo was the whole package
, f
ine, smart, loaded
and
with
a rock hard body
which
made women want to touch. What she didn’t plan on
,
was falling in love
so quickly.
He
disappeared
into the
bathroom
with his clothes
and she heard t
he
sound of urination followed
by the
toilet flush
ing
.
Soon r
unning water was heard before he
returned
to the small living-room
fully
cloth
ed.
“I can’t give you w
ha
t you want
Antonia,” he said in Spanish, “anytime this isn’t
working out for you then let me know.”
He took a wad of Grant’s
and Franklin’s
from his
wallet and placed them in her hand.
“Hang with your
girls
or
buy something nice
,
chica
.”
He tried not to sound like a john because Antonia deserved better. Yes, her reputation as a
jealous
gold-digger
might be w
ell founded but beneath the shallow exterior was a woman who wanted a meaningful relationship
. He couldn’t give her
that
,
instead
he gave
money and
things to soften the rejection
.
She sighed
;
folded the money in her hands
and frowned. She wished he
’d
reconsider just this
once;
instead he bent and kissed her then turned to leave. She watched him go
hoping
one day he’d realize
exactly what
he was
passing up
.
***
“
Goddamn
,
you need a shower!”
Domingo
exclaimed
as Alfonzo settled in the
passenger seat of the
SUV
.
“Shut the fuck-up and drive. I’m tired!”
“
Yo
, don’t take shit out on me
because your ass don’t want to stay long enough to bathe
. I don’t understand you
cuz
, w
hy not just
stay over
?
”
“The minute I do
,
it
’ll
become
an
expectation. I
’ll
handle my business
and you take care of yours
primo
.”
Alfonzo rolled down the window
as t
he SUV
rolled
away from the eight story building.
“I’m flying out to Puerto Rico, I need to get outta’ here and chill.”
“I hear that.”
The serenity of the island’s clear ocean and soft sand beckoned.
Alfonzo’s
property in
San Juan possessed a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean that soothed
his
restless soul.
There were too many things on his mind and he needed somewhere
secluded to kick back
and
contemplate the future.
Domingo noticed the change in Alfonzo
during the past few days
. He
was
taking shit out on everybody.
The dude was itching for
combat at the
slightest
provocation, which
isn’t
good considering his history.
Alfonzo got crazy in a fight, he’d wild-out on a motherfucker and they never got up!
“What’s up with you man
–
putas
stressing you
?”
Alfonzo settled against the plush leather interior and exhaled, “
Yo
no se, I’ve
been getting bad vibes…tu
sabe
?”
“Not
really, “Domingo
said as his eyes followed a girl waiting at the crosswalk
once they came to a stoplight
,
“
Oooh
mami
.”
Alfonzo pulled down his cap totally disinterested. He tried to catch some Z’s while
the
SUV
cruised along Malcolm X Boulevard
with its
music pumping.
Tomorrow he’d call Uncle Al for advice on a few things. It’
s
been a while since they
chilled
, had a real man-to man talk
.
His uncle was the only
dude
in his life
who talked
sense.
H
e thought about
Uncle Al
’s phone call
the other day,
asking him to come down to City Hall. At first he thought
tio
got himself in trouble
,
until he stepped through the doors of the courthouse and saw him standing there sharp as hell with this gorgeous woman at his side
,
and then
it became obvious. His uncle was getting married by the Justice of the Peace, sneaky bastard. The woman Darlene was nice from the short time he spent with them
.
Uncle Al
swore him to secrecy
before he took off
.
“Listen, don’t tell anybody
,
yet. We’re going to have a huge celebration and invite the entire family over. Right now
,
we just want to keep things quiet,
tú
sabe
?”
“
Sí
,
entiendo
.
C
ongrat
s
man. I’m happy for you.” He
said.
That was a week ago
,
and he hadn’t spoken to his uncle since. It was time he broke up their honeymoon and
became
acquainted with his uncle’s new family.
Finally
,
Domingo
reached
the
crib
,
“
Te
veo
mas
tarde!”
Alfonzo
said drowsily
as he stepped out
.
“Call me
manana
and get a
fuckin
’ bath!” Domingo replied.
“
Shut up!”
Alfonzo
retorted then
strolled past his
Mercedes Benz SL600 Roadster
,
checking it for any damages
. I
t
remained undisturbed in front of
the
brownstone. Nobody messed with his shit
,
they were too afraid.
He jogged up the steps to the newly renovated
home
he purchased
for a bargain
during the market crash. The property owner was in foreclosure and the bank was selling it for a steal
. The property values in this exclusive neighborhood near the university were well over a mil. He grinned and to think he got it for half.
Upon completion of the renovation, it‘s value increased exponentially.
With the equity alone he could purchase two or three more houses in this distressed market with ease.