Extraction (9 page)

I laughed.

“No, I'm good. But, I could see how that can be a problem,” I agreed with the man.

“Glad someone sees it my way.” He sat down. “Now what can I do you for?”

Straight to the point.

“Well, I have this friend and I cherish our relationship and I never wanted to cross the line with them, but I did. Now how should I fix it?”

The older man leaned forward and said in a whisper, “You and Phoebe finally had sex?”

My lips pulled back as I nodded my head.

“Well, hallelujah!!” he exclaimed. “Bout damn time.”

“What?” I asked.

“Man.” He glanced at me out the side of his eyes. “What took so damn long. You guys were sleeping in each other's beds. Hugging, she was sitting her sexy ass in your lap and kissing each other on the head. That foreplay lasted way too long for a young man like yourself. I'm an old man, so you know it had to have been bad if
I
say it went on for too long.”

“Foreplay? No, it wasn't like that,” I clarified.

“The hell it wasn't! You sound like her. ‘
It's nothing
.
We’re just friends
.’ Let me clue you in on something, son. Friends don't have sex. I guarantee that.”

Fuck.

“Y’all been playing a dangerous game. I don't know if it is because you’re both scared to commit or scared that either of you'll be hurt. But I'll tell ya this much, that girl up there deserves the best. She's a goddamn angel and if you hurt her, I'll die trying to hurt you. I don't sense that's what you want but don't put her through unnecessary bullshit if you're not sure what you want. All that bullshit about friends and then fucking. No.” His head made a sharp movement, then he leaned forward again. “It’s fine that she doesn’t
know. It's your job to make her know. After what's she's been through, she's a fighter in her own right. Courageous beyond what most people would do. Gave up everything and moved here. Sold everything but that car. She deserves good things. A good man. A good life.”

He gave me a side-eyed glance and said, “Are you that good man? That's the question you need to answer.”

This was not what I was bargaining for. I wanted to make it right. I wanted us to go back and be friends but it seemed that's not what I needed to do and I also didn't feel quite ready to make such a huge commitment.

I knew I was still fucked up in the mind and it was because of Phoebe that I'd made any progress at all. I couldn't let her go. I wouldn't.

“I can't let her go,” I looked at him square in the eye. “I won't.”

He nodded his head, then said, “Well, if that's the case. You do right by her. Ya hear me. You best do right by her.”

Almost as soon as he finished that statement, the front door opened and Phoebe walked in yelling, “Ollie, what's for breakfast? Did you cook my favorite?”

When she looked up, she stopped in her tracks and muttered, “Goliath?”

“Hey,” I said and stood up to meet her.

“Hey, yourself,” she said looking very uncertain.

I held my arms open and she came just like she always did. Her head on my chest and arms wrapped around me. I leaned down and whispered, “Missed you last night and this morning.”

Her head jerked back as she looked me in the eyes.

“I missed you too,” she said.

“Let's not do that again.”

Her head nodded, then she said, “Wait, not do what again?”

“Sleep in different beds,” I said.

“Okay,” Phoebe nodded her head.

My head descended and I kissed her forehead.

“What's on your agenda today, it's Tuesday, so I know you're going out to the nursery? Then what?” I asked.

“I wanted to go to Bella and attend this class on glass making. It starts at three.”

“Okay, dinner at my place. I'm cooking your favorite.”

Her grip tightened on me and she said, “Yes!!! I love your sauce. I'm going to find out the secret.”

“No, babe. I'll have to kill you.” I smiled.

“So be it!” She raised an eyebrow.

Ollie cleared his throat.

Phoebe let me go and said, “I'm sorry, Ollie. Can't ignore you.”

I turned around and saw that the old man was grinning at me like the cat that got the canary.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, y’all just look like that couple everyone hates. Hugged up, kissing, caring,
loving
! I wish I had a camera, so y’all could see the way you look at each other.” He held up his hands when Phoebe started to say something. “I know, I know. Just friends, right! Keep telling yourself that lie. Y’all are in love and apparently I'm the only one in this room that knows it.”

“On that note,” I started, “see you later.”

Phoebe was glaring at Ollie but eventually turned to face me and said, “See you later.”

“Thanks again,” I called to Ollie. “I'll see you around.”

“I'm sure of it.” He laughed.

In love, huh.

I wondered if we looked anything like Razor and his lady or Bronx and his lady. If so, then I was completely fucked.

* * *

I
made
my special jumbo shrimp, pasta and sauce for dinner. Phoebe moaned throughout the entire meal, which normally made me laugh but now it made me hard as hell. I wanted to tell her to stop but I didn't want her to feel like things between us had changed. She was being semi-normal and I was trying hard not to be weird. But things had changed.

We watched some television, talked more about the last episode and then Phoebe awkwardly looked at me.

“So, I told Rose, about what happened with us the other night and she suggested that we talk, then either agree to have sex or not have it ever again,” she blurted all of that out.

“That so?” I asked.

She nodded as she made her eyes wider than they normally were.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Well, what do you need?” she asked me in return.

“What does it matter what I need?” I was confused by the question.

“It just does.” She wouldn't answer my question.

I went to the bedroom, sat down on the bed and started taking off my clothes. Phoebe appeared in the doorway, then she said, “You didn't answer me.”

“I
am
answering you.”

I stripped until I was in my boxers and climbed in bed.

Her eyebrows rose as I stared at her and waited.

“So, is this an invitation to join you or a hint it’s time for me to leave?” she asked.

“It's an open invitation,” I said as I pulled the other side of the covers back. “You choose.”

“Hmm,” she noted as the smirk grew on her face. “I see how you are playing this. I accept your challenge and I'll beat you at your own game.”

Phoebe slowly took off her shirt, shorts, bra and panties. Then she climbed into the bed and stayed on the other side. Usually she went to bed wearing bottoms and a top and she always let me hold her. I reached for her but she moved away.

“Do you choose to touch me, now? I need to know.” She was mocking me.

“Fuck, Phoebe,” I was about to pounce on her ass. “Come here.”

“Okay, but only because you chose.”

She scooted over and I pulled her the rest of the way so her ass was in my crotch and my mouth was to her ear.

“Don't want to hurt you, babe,” I said. “I want it all and I want you in my life. I don't want to complicate things. Sex does that. Believe me.”

“Goliath, I don't disagree with you, sex does complicate things. However, we should un-complicate them. You and me,” Phoebe murmured against my forearm.

“How?” I asked.

“Well, I’m not sure.” She sighed, then moved her face around so she could see me. “We’re grown, right? We have been friends and there for each other in hard times or desperate moments. You think I’m totally funny, even though you rarely laugh. I think you’re hilarious, even when you’re not trying to be. We had a moment and we both needed each other in a sexual way. Does that mean our relationship should be sexual? Well, not really. We could have needed each other sexually at that moment, right?”

She didn’t look convinced herself.

“I see where you’re going but Ollie is concerned one or both of us is going to get hurt. He may be fucking right.”

“Goliath, please don’t start a sentence with Ollie is concerned or Ollie thinks. He’s shared his thoughts with me and I told him I love him, but no. We’re not doing that.” She scooted to sit up and then she straddled me. “We got this.”

“Do you?” I asked. “Because babe, I have no fucking idea about this. I just know I need you in my life.”

“We do. Listen to me. I know what I’m talking about. I’m a genius. You’ll see.”

“Phoebe, shit. I’m serious. I won’t lose you,” I pleaded with her. “I can’t.”

Her face descended towards mine that rested on the pillow. Then she whispered to me, “You won’t.” She took my lips in a kiss.

It was sweet, soft and with just the right amount of pressure. That move had my hands moving to grab the back of her neck so I could hold her and take over. My other hand moved down her body and rested on her ass in order for her to really feel what she did to me.

Who was I kidding? Who were we kidding? She was everything to me and I needed all of her.

Turning us over so that I was on top, caused our mouths to disconnect and Phoebe to laugh. I pulled my briefs off, spread her legs and entered my own personal heaven. She needed to know.

When I looked at her face, her mouth was open, her eyes were wide and forehead was scrunched up. The woman was fucking beautiful, even in that moment.

“Phoebe, this is all mine,” I told her as I pulled out and pushed back in. “All mine. Nobody else gets this, babe. Got it.”

“Yesss,” she sighed.

“Nobody,” I uttered when I pushed in again. “So fucking tight.”

Her nails were scratching the shit out of my back and I didn’t give one fuck. I was hers too and her marks would be just as visible as mine.

My hands grabbed both of her breasts and I held on while I rocked in and out of her. Phoebe’s legs were bent back and wide open; inviting me inside of her. Her hands were on top of mine while I massaged her nipples with my thumbs and I powered into her tight pussy like a man depraved.

Fuck, I had been.

For years.

“Oh God, Goliath,” she moaned. “I’m coming.”

“Fuck.” I went faster as she started to shake all over. “Come baby! Come all over me.”

Phoebe’s body jerked as she tried to close her legs but I held them open so I could take her like I wanted. Her face lit up when she came which spurred me to my own finish. As much as I wanted to stay inside, I knew I couldn’t because I hadn’t worn a condom.

“Oh, fuck. Baby!” The bolt of lightning came down my spine reminding me to pull out of her.

“Yes, Goliath,” she said and grabbed her breasts with both of her hands.

“Holy shit.” I pulled out and came all over her stomach.

Pushing it all out by jerking on my cock and watching my cum hit her body was so fucking hot.

Phoebe started to twirl it around her fingers. Then she collected some on the tip of her finger and put it in her mouth.

Goddamn.

“Next time, I want it in my mouth.” She licked her lips.

“Granted.” I nodded and fell beside her so I could reach for the tissues.

Once Phoebe was clean, she crawled into me and said, “I want this too, Goliath.”

Yeah.

I grunted and squeezed her tight.

Before I completely dozed off, she rubbed my chest and whispered, “All yours.”

P
hoebe
:

G
oliath
and I were back to normal. Well, not normal as in no sex, but normal as in we still did what we did before and there was sex. Lots and lots of sex and it was awesome sauce.

He was so good in bed, I kept thinking it was a dream. It wasn’t just that he pushed my boundaries further and further and I loved every moment of it but it was because it was him.

Only he could do that.

I’d swear I was falling in love.

Crap, who was I kidding, I was in love. I even told my dad about him which resulted in Dad wanting to meet him, but I wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Goliath. He barely knew what he wanted, forget the introduction of the parents. He didn’t even mention his parents to me, but I knew they were alive because I overheard him talking to them on the phone one day. When I tried to talk about his parents, he changed the subject, so I went with it.

I noticed with Goliath, talking about his past, his parents or even the future made him antsy. So, those were topics I avoided with him. For that reason, we got along swimmingly. Now the question remained, for how long.

A month after our non-verbal agreement to add sex as a component, I was leaving early from Goliath’s for a doctor’s appointment. An older couple was standing outside of his door.

“Oh, hello,” I greeted them. “Are you looking for someone?”

“Why yes, our son Goliath Minnows,” the woman spoke.

Okay.

“Oh, uh, yes. This is his apartment, right here.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. “Won’t you come in.”

They thanked me and stepped inside. I hastily walked back to the bedroom and shook Goliath a little too violently.

“Fuck, Phoebe, where’s the goddamn fire?” he growled.

In an attempt to whisper, I leaned down and yelled in his ear, “Your parents are here and I have to go to the doctor.”

He knifed right up and said, “Fuck.”

The man looked like he’d seen a ghost or something.

“Do you want me to stay. I can reschedule?” I asked based on the look that took over his features.

“No, no.” He was emphatic. “Go to the doctor’s and I’ll call you later. Okay?”

“Uh, okay.” I nodded. “Well, have a good day with them.”

“Yeah,” he said and turned over, pulled on some shorts and a shirt. “See you.”

I was dismissed.

As I left, I said to the smiling couple, “He’s coming out but it was nice to meet you. I have to run, right now.”

“Are you Phoebe?” the man asked.

What?

“Yes, I’m Phoebe,” I smiled at the man.

Before I could realize what was happening, the woman gripped me in a hug and started to cry. All I could make out was bits and pieces of what she was saying, but she was thanking me, glad I was in her son’s life and had helped him.

“Mom,” Goliath barked. “Let her go.”

She quickly let me go and said, “We’ll talk.”

“Phoebe has to go, right.” He gave me a pointed look which signaled for me to leave.

“Right.” I nodded. “Nice meeting you.”

I left and decided that we definitely needed to have a conversation about that sort of behavior because I didn’t feel right with the interaction. No introduction, no nothing.

When I arrived at the doctor’s, I was hopeful they would say my stress level was nonexistent because the new man in my life gave me an orgasm almost daily.

Nope.

Instead, they said it was due to those same almost daily orgasmic releases that I was pregnant.

Great googly moogly.

I hadn’t had my period in two months and that wasn’t rare for me because my cycle fluctuated and was never regular. However, I’d get sick to my stomach various times throughout the day and that was not good, so that’s why I made the appointment.

Goliath and I were not ready to be parents. We weren't even ready to commit to each other, forget co-parenting. This one, I was keeping to myself for the time being, but first he and I had to discuss the parent issues.

* * *

W
hen I came
home that night, he was not home. I texted him and he texted me back, saying he’d see me tomorrow.

Okay.

When tomorrow came, I was knocking on his door when I returned from my rounds.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted me.

“Hey.” I walked in.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“What’s right?”

Dang. I was in one of those moods. I didn’t mean to be nasty, but that’s where I was and I didn’t know how to stop.

“Okay, let’s sit and talk.” He was trying to pacify me.

“No, let’s stand.” I folded my arms. “Why don’t you want me to meet your parents?”

Well, that caused him to sit down.

“Babe, it’s not that. I just don’t want you to meet them
right now
,” he said.

“What difference does it make, right now or later?” I asked. “What’s later, Goliath? I didn’t know there was a later because we never talk about later or future. It’s like there is an unspoken rule: No past, no future, no parents. Am I right?”

“You’re right,” he said with a head nod.

“So…” I let it hang.

“Just not now?”

“You’re going to need to give me a reason why, Zou.”

His eyebrow rose, then he said, “Because I’m not sure what we’re doing just yet. You know this. We agreed to take what we need. We’ve been doing that and the whole parent conversation, past and future seems a bit pre-mature.”

Well, that did it for me.

I was in that sort of mood and while I didn’t go there often, today was going to bring it all out. I was blaming the hormonal changes taking place in my body as the Father of that change took what I thought was something with potential and trivialized it to just sex.

Yup, that was it for me.

My legs carried me to the door causing Goliath’s eyes to grow and he was about to get up, but I held up my hand to stop him.

“Nope, have a seat, honey. You’re going to want be sitting down to hear this.”

He lowered his body back into the chair and that’s when I began.

“Goliath, I’ve enjoyed us. Not just the past two months, but also the time before that. You were so much more than I anticipated when I got up the nerve to meet and talk to you. I never expected to fall in love and definitely not to a wounded soul like yourself. I’ve tried to give you what you needed, when you needed because you’d never talk to me. You wouldn’t confide in me about the turmoil that marred you so bad emotionally. I didn’t ask. I could guess, but I figured, one day you’d come around. I’ve wanted you to meet my dad since my life revolves around you, he’d have to know you existed. But I was afraid because you didn’t even know where you wanted us to be, so I just forgot the conversation about parents. Right? These are just a few of the concessions I made for you. I’m not trying to throw them in your face, but I do want you to know some of the things I haven’t voiced until now. So when you look me in my face and say, we’re not there yet. We’re not to the meeting of the parents, because you don’t know about me or us, that cuts deeper than any Samurai sword. It cuts to the bone. You won’t, wait, can’t be without me, but we’re not there yet. We’ve spent the past few months in each other’s bed every single night without fail and we’re not there yet. It doesn’t even feel right not talking to you every day, but we’re not there yet.”

I nodded my head, then I continued, “What I just heard you say, Goliath, is that we won’t ever get there because if we’re not there now, we never will be.”

He was about to get up, but I held up my hand as I turned the knob. “No, sit down. I’m not finished.”

“Phoebe,” he called. “Just …”

“I said to sit down because I’m not finished,” I screamed.

Goliath’s butt hit the chair and his face was in complete shock.

“As I was saying,” I gestured between the two of us with my forefinger and continued, “this won’t work. Okay. We can’t keep doing this. From now on, we’re neighbors. No sleepovers, no breakfast, no invites, and all that. If we see each other, we speak; if we don’t, we’ll assume the other is okay. No check-ins, no calls, texts or stalking okay. I won’t be throwing my trash away in the middle of the night anymore. This isn’t up for negotiation. I’m not taking opinions and I’m not talking about it. That’s how it is going to be. Now, you don’t have to worry about me meeting your parents and we can go back to our happy lives, right? You can sleep till noon and mourn your life away and I’ll do something with mine.”

He was shaking his head adamantly and if I could see right, it looked like tears were in his eyes. I didn’t wait around to confirm, so I quickly pulled the door open, closed it and ran upstairs to my apartment and locked it behind me. Seconds later, he started banging.

“Phoebe, open the door. Please.” He pounded on the door. “Babe, open the door and let’s talk.”

This kept going on for over thirty minutes and even the dragon lady came out and yelled for him to knock it off. He proceeded to cuss her out, which ended with her saying she’d call the cops.

My phone was ringing off the hook, so I left all of my electronic devices in the living room, turned on my music in the bedroom and cried myself to sleep under the covers.

* * *

T
hat was
Goliath’s last attempt to talk to me, which I appreciated and hated all at the same time. I missed him terribly as he was a permanent fixture in my life and often a source of my daily humor but I had to think about more than just me now. I had to figure out what I was going to do with us.

My plan was to move and live stress free and I never counted a baby into the equation. I would probably have to get a job to support one. I could barely afford to live off my jewelry income, although lately I had received a lot of orders. Like an abundance of them, which was actually weird.

One of my internet buddies mentioned to me about possibly moving further down south because the cost of living was cheaper. She said that I could probably share a shop with her, or keep my business online, or do both. She even had a guy that had an apartment for rent.

My dad would think I was bananas, but so was starting a relationship with a guy in your building. I knew it was not a good idea because the anxiety of seeing him at any time was almost too much to bear and it had only been three weeks. I had about another month or so to decide what I was going to do about the baby but in the meantime, since everything in Lily seemed to work out almost seamlessly, I did make one decision.

I was moving.

I had to break the news to someone else first. Ollie was the one I cared about most and what he would say. We’d already had the ‘I told you so conversation’ so now when I went to tell him I was going to move; I didn’t know what to expect.

“You say you’re moving, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah, Ollie. I know it’s short notice, but things are looking great in Savannah, Georgia. Want to see the apartment I’m going to rent?” I held out my phone.

He only nodded his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Well, this is good. Good chess play, sister. I like the way you think.” He pointed to me.

“What are you talking about, Ollie. This is no game. I am moving. I leave in two weeks. You’re the only person that knows, now let’s keep it that way.”

He nodded, then winked.

“Okay, keeping it that way.”

“No winking, Ollie.” I threw up my hands. “For heaven’s sake. This is serious.”

“Girl, don’t you think I know that. You’ve been here for years, fall in love and can’t bear the thought of staying, so you decide to pack up and move. This is goddamn serious.”

“Right.” I noted.

“Okay, well God’s speed to ya. I got to go to my chess game and try this new move I learned on those old bastards. They won’t know what hit them.” He laughed.

“Right, well, okay.” I walked towards the door. “I’ll see you later.”

“You sure will.”

I ran a few errands near Harrisburg and decided to stop and get some food on the way back. The drive through line was long, so I turned on my favorite station WDNJ and the DJ was reading a letter.