As she lay there breathing heavily, her body shook from the aftershocks. Her pussy pulsed as I continued to rock my fingers inside her.
“No more,” she begged. “Please. I need to catch my breath.” She grabbed her chest. Her skin had grown damp from exhaustion and glowed in the soft light of the tableside lamp.
I didn’t have enough. I wasn’t done. No matter what she thought, I was in charge now. No longer would I let her lead me by the balls and rule the relationship. I’d use the one weapon I had that I knew worked on Max.
Sex.
Bringing my mouth down on her again, I gave her no rest. I locked my grip behind her knee and pushed my face forward, leaving no space between us.
“I hate you,” she whimpered as she tried to use her feet on my thighs to move away. “It feels so good.”
I kept to my plan, devouring her pussy like it was my last meal. I’d forever leave an imprint of my face on her pussy for her to remember. I wanted there to be no doubt who brought her the most pleasure in her life.
Her hands slapped down on the couch before she dug her nails into the white cotton material. “Fuck,” she hissed as her back arched.
As the walls of her core pulsated, her body began to shake uncontrollably. Her mouth grew rigid as her lips trembled and hung open slightly. The spasm raked over her body for some time as I kept my lips on her flesh, pulling her through the ecstasy she had fought so hard.
By the time she came down from the last orgasm, I thought my dick was about to break off. I had a hard-on to end all hard-ons. I’d fought every urge I had to stop in the middle of my carnal feast and shove my cock inside her warmth. Who said that I wasn’t a patient man?
When I backed away from her, I slid my fingers out and licked every ounce of her arousal off them. She glared, but watched me with her mouth still agape. The look on her face brought me pride. I’d brought her over the edge again and again and I’d accomplished what I set out to do—remind her that she belonged to me.
As I slipped my fingers out of my mouth, I moaned. Even though I’d had my face submerged in her sex for longer than I’d realized, the last drops were still as sweet.
Using my saliva mingled with her wetness, I stroked my cock. My eyes rolled back in my head from the frisson of pleasure that skated over my body. I needed to come. Not for the orgasm, but I needed a release from the pent-up emotion from the day. I needed to fuck her attitude out of her system and mine.
As I stood, she kept her eyes pinned to me. She took in shaky breaths as I rubbed my cock and paid special attention to the tip. I gripped tighter, catching on the piercings, sending a jolt through my body.
“But—” she said as I moved toward her.
“Now,” I demanded, unwilling to wait or let her be in charge.
She nodded as her eyes grew wide and I moved closer. Releasing my hardened length, I grabbed her behind the knees and dragged her body forward so her ass no longer touched the couch. I pulled upward as I bent her legs toward her body, moving her ass into the air and folding her a bit as I pushed her knees toward her chest.
I pushed through her opening, feeling a bit of resistance. She was tight normally, but after the numerous orgasms, her pussy had constricted as a means of self-preservation. I tugged her forward and plowed into her.
As her cunt squeezed my length, a shiver went down my spine. I didn’t know if anything had ever felt as fantastic as her body impaled by mine.
I wanted to wreck her. Ruin her like she had me. Make her never forget the fact that I owned her body. No one else had sent a spark of passion through her like I had. There was no other woman on the planet that lit my fuse the way she did. It wasn’t something I’d give up. Even if she had a future that would be riddled with health issues, I wouldn’t turn my back on her.
When you find that something so unlike anything else in the world, it can’t be easily tossed aside. I’d fucked enough women in my life to know when there’s a magical force at work. The zing I felt when I touched her made it undeniable.
When I’d said that I wanted to wreck her, I didn’t mean for life. I wanted her for myself and no one else. The main thing I wanted to wipe from her mind was any thought of running and leaving me behind. I wouldn’t let her, even if she tried.
My mind was filled with so many things as I thrust into her repeatedly. I tried to keep my mind occupied, not ready to come inside her yet. The warmth and silkiness of her insides rubbing on my stiff shaft was universe-rocking. The continents collided, changing the landscape of my mind and altering the trajectory of my future path.
Max was mine, and no one else would ever have her.
“Max, say you’re mine,” I said through gritted teeth as I pulled my dick out before jamming it back inside.
“What?” she whimpered.
I moved my face closer, making sure she’d hear me. “Say you’re mine and no one else’s.”
“Obviously I am,” she replied.
Everything with her seemed to be difficult at times. She liked to yank my chain.
“Max,” I said, pushing just the tip inside her and pausing.
She sealed her eyes shut. “I’m yours,” she whispered.
Warmth cascaded over me at her admission. “Look at me when you say it, and keep your eyes open this time.”
Her eyes opened. “I’m yours,” she said in a stronger voice as she stared at me.
“Again,” I said as I thrust inside her.
“I’m yours,” she said, a little louder, before sucking in a breath.
I pulled out and jammed my dick back inside her heat. “More,” I commanded as I picked up the pace. I could feel the orgasm ready to break free, and I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
“I’m yours!” she yelled as her body trembled beneath me.
“Max,” I moaned, wanting to hear her say it one more time as I came inside her. “Again!”
“I’m yours, Anthony!” She gripped my legs, digging her nails into my skin.
The bite of her nails coupled with her pussy clamping down on my cock like a vise sent me spiraling over the precipice and to the most body-consuming orgasm of my entire life. Everything inside me awoke. Tiny sparks rocked my body from head to toe as my mind went blank. The only thing I could focus on was the rush of bliss that had ravaged me.
Although I’d wanted to ruin her and remind her that she was mine, her words and body had made it quite clear that I was hers and hers alone. Never again could I look at another woman in the same way. My heart, mind, body, and soul were Max’s.
“Mine,” I whispered as the last aftershock shot through my body.
“Yours,” she replied, reaching forward and pulling my lips into a kiss.
We were irrevocably locked together forever with no other course than to roam this path together.
I
rang
Max’s doorbell and could hear her heels on the hardwood floor as I waited. Yesterday, after much prodding both verbally and with my pecker, Max had finally given in and said that she’d come to a Gallo Sunday dinner. I had to agree to going to her mother’s next week out of respect.
Since I’d met her mother already, although not how I would’ve liked it to happen, I’d said yes. I knew that her mother was okay with everything, but her brother, Denzel, would be there. I remembered him from the first night at the bar, when I had become a little overeager about getting to know Max. Hopefully he’d let it slide, understanding that I cared for Max.
Actually, when I really thought about her, I knew I loved her. Maybe I loved her from the moment I saw her. I never believed in that shit, but she’d crept inside me and made it impossible to forget her. I swear to shit, they should have taken my man card away from me. Next stop, I’d grow a pair of tits for the way I’d become all sappy and shit.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself as I rolled my eyes.
I’d never admit it to anyone, but I was pussy-whipped. More accurately I was Max-whipped. She could have anything she wanted. I’d give in to everything. Everything unless it came to her health. Then I’d give nothing.
After much resistance, she had taken the DNA test for ataxia. I went with her to the clinic in Tampa, and we were told the results wouldn’t be available for several weeks, but we weren’t given a specific time frame. I held her hand, reassuring her that, no matter what, I’d stay by her side.
Outsiders would think I was fucking nuts. The woman had treated me like a piece of trash. More accurately, like a piece of cock she could use and get rid of like a cheap whore. Before Max, I would’ve been okay with it and happily moved along. She had driven me mad for longer than I’d like to admit with her “please fuck me” and then “get the fuck out of my life” statements. My head had spun from the back-and-forth.
Looking back on it, I understood where her thoughts had been in the situation. If I had a future I felt was hopeless, would I willingly invite love into my life?
I knew I was a selfish motherfucker. I’d always been, but there was selfish and then there was cruel. If I were in her shoes, I probably would’ve lived my life much the same way I had—refusing attachment and fucking my way through life.
The problem had happened when we’d both realized how special the spark truly was. Neither of us had felt it before, and it kept bringing us back together, calling us to one another like the song of a siren and luring us to each other.
I wished things had been different. I wished we hadn’t had the rocky start, but there was nothing I could do to change the past. Maybe it would help us become a stronger couple moving forward, but I knew I’d always have a sliver of fear inside me. Scared that she’d run away in a moment of panic if she were told that she was carrying the gene and would someday meet the same destiny her father had.
My heart ached at the thought. There was no way Max had the gene. I could feel it. She was too graceful, too beautiful, and too full of life to be robbed of her life by something so crippling as ataxia.
“Hey,” she said as the door flew open. She had a sexy smile on her face.
I returned the smile and let my eyes wander down her body and take in her beauty. She had on a skintight pencil skirt and a crisp white dress shirt tucked into the waist. Black sling-back heels cradled her feet. I knew I shouldn’t have known the term, but having Izzy as a sister made it impossible.
My eyes crept back up her body and settled on her face. “You look stunning,” I said as I reached out and held her face.
“Thanks. I want to make a good impression,” she replied, as her smile grew larger.
“You could’ve done that in jeans and a T-shirt.” I bowed, needing to kiss her lipstick-stained lips.
“Watch the makeup,” she whispered, keeping her eyes locked on mine. “I don’t want to have to go back upstairs and fix it.”
“I’ll be careful,” I said above her lips before gently bringing mine down on her mouth. As I released her, I said, “Let’s go. We’re going to be late, and then you might as well have had a paper bag on. Maria Gallo doesn’t do late.”
She slammed the door and started to stomp away. “What are we waiting for, then? Oh my God, she’s going to hate me already.”
I laughed at her reaction. She already had the fear of Maria in her and she hadn’t even met the woman yet.
“We have plenty of time,” I replied as I followed her down the sidewalk.
“No, no,” she called over her shoulder. “I want to be early. Brownie points always help.”
“Suck-up. I’m never early,” I said as I looked at my watch, and she laughed in response.
I’d picked her up a little early, hoping to make out a little before we headed to my parents’ house. One look at her and I knew it wasn’t going to happen. She looked too perfect to mess up. Once dinner was over, all bets were off.
I held open the car door for her, closing it behind her after she was situated. My parents had always taught me manners. I’d just chosen not to use any of them my entire life. It would have thrown off too many wrong vibes if I had.
We had a thirty-minute drive to my parents’ house. I didn’t know if I’d sat this close to Max alone and not had it lead to sex. I set my hand on her leg, needing to be connected to her as we drove. We talked about work and family. She and I were alike in that way.
Work and family were the two most important things in our lives. They took precedence over everything else. When my family asked me to do something, I dropped everything and helped. I was still the big brother, even though, at times, it didn’t seem like it. They’d all grown, found their other halves, but only Joe had started a family. Sometimes, I acted like the youngest, unwilling to give up my freedom and totally join adulthood.
The drive flew by as we chatted about everything. She grew more talkative the closer we were to my parents’. I could tell she was nervous as she picked at her skirt, smoothing it over her legs, and fidgeted.
“Max,” I said as I put the car in park and turned it off. “It’s going to be okay.” I’d never brought anyone to dinner, but I knew how everyone had embraced Suzy, Mia, James, and Angel. She wouldn’t be any different.
She blew out a puff of air and closed her eyes before dragging in a breath through her nose. “Okay. I shouldn’t be nervous. Got it.”
I brushed the hair off her shoulder and ran my fingers up her neck. “It’s okay to be nervous, but I promise they will love you.”
“I’m sure your white family was over the moon when they found out you’re dating a black girl.”
“Max, they were over the moon when they found out I’m in love with a woman. Color’s inconsequential in the eyes of my family.”
“Uh huh,” she mumbled, and rolled her eyes.
“I’m creeping up on forty and have never brought a woman home to meet my family. I haven’t had a girlfriend since high school by choice. You’re different not because of your color, but because your heart. Shiiit,” I drawled with a small laugh. “They’re happy to know I’m not gay.”
She giggled. “No!” she yelled, covering her mouth. “They didn’t?”
“My siblings knew how I was. They’d seen the endless parade of women I’d been with, but not my parents. My mother secretly thought I was gay. It’s not that they wouldn’t have loved me, but I know she would’ve mourned for the children I’d probably never have with a partner.”
I immediately regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. I shifted in my seat, thinking of a way to stop the hurt I knew my sentence had caused. She didn’t want to have children, and here I was, like a dumbass, saying that it was all my mother cared about. My stomach was in knots and no longer craved the pasta that was about to be dished out.
“Anthony,” Max said as she placed her hand on top of mine.
I couldn’t look her in the eyes. “What?” I whispered before trying to swallow past the lump in my throat.
“It’s okay, baby. I know what you meant. We’re going to have to talk about kids someday. We need to have that conversation before we get any deeper.”
Before we get deeper?
I was in as deep as I could be. There was no lifeline or turning back. I was sunk, with her as my anchor.
“Max, I want whatever you want. If you don’t want to have kids, that’s fine with me. I’m kind of old to even think about having a child. I’d be almost sixty by the time they’d graduate from high school. Now, if you said you wanted to have a baby, I’d make sure to give ya one to make you happy too.”
“You’d have a baby to make me happy?” she asked as her eyebrows knitted together.
“I’d do anything to make you happy. Including a baby.” I nodded, but I didn’t know if I was trying to convince her or myself.
“You know it’s not like a purse, right? I mean, you can’t decide a baby doesn’t suit you anymore or clashes with your lifestyle and get rid of it. There’s no refund once the bundle of joy arrives,” she replied, giving my hand a squeeze. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to talk me out of it or trying to make sure it was something I wanted.
“Max,” I said as the corners of my lips twitched. I wanted to kiss her and mess up that lipstick more than anything in that moment. “I know, Kitty Cat. It’s not something I want, but I want whatever will make you happy.”
“You make me happy, Anthony,” she said before she bent down and planted a light kiss on my lips.
“I love you, Max,” I whispered into her mouth as we sat in my car, parked in my parents’ driveway.
“You’re going to make me mess up my makeup,” she whispered back. “I love you too, Anthony.” She gave me a quick peck before blotting her eyes with her fingertips.
I smiled as I watched her dry her eyes without making a mess of her perfectly applied makeup. “Ready?” I asked as I glanced at the clock and realized we were five minutes early. “Or you wanna make out for a little bit?” I wiggled my eyebrows.
She slapped me on the shoulder. “We’re going in before you ruin everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
“Max, you’re even more stunning without makeup.”
“You’re a complete liar, Anthony Gallo, but thank you,” she said as she grinned and swiped her thumb across my lips. “Let’s go before I chicken out.”
“Well, we’re the first ones here, so it’s probably good to go in now. They won’t pile into the foyer to stare at you like you’re a zoo animal.”
“Oh, God,” she muttered as she grabbed her face.
“You got this, beautiful. Let’s go meet the Gallos,” I said as I climbed out of the car.
Before I could get to her side, she opened the door and stood.
“Hey,” I said. “I was going to get that for you.”
“I got it, Anthony. I’m a big girl.”
“I know,” I said, nodding. “But my mother may be watching.” I looked toward the house, trying to see if I could spot her face in the windows.
“You’re really scared of her, aren’t you?” she asked before laughing softly as she placed her hand in mine.
“No. I’m not scared of Ma. I just never want to disappoint her, Max.”
She stopped walking, pulling me back by our connected hands. “Anthony, you’re making it really hard today for me to see that asshole I met in the bar.”
I grinned as I looked down at her. “I don’t ever want to be that man again, Max.”
“I like him. He’s frisky. Bring him out every once in a while for me. He’s a freak in the sheets, and I adore the hell out of him.”
“I can do that,” I responded before brushing my thumb along her jaw line.
“Lipstick,” she reminded me.
I blew out a breath and looked toward the sky. Today would be an exercise in self-control, and I could already feel it slipping.
I reached for the door handle as Max said, “You can’t just go inside.”
I looked at her, confused. “Yeah, I can. We do it all the time. I grew up in this house. Trust me. Everyone is beyond knocking at this point.”
“Okay.” She smiled at me and gave my hand a quick squeeze.
“Here we go,” I said as I opened the door and took a step inside. “Ma! Pop!” I yelled in the foyer, and waited for them to come to us.
“Should I take my shoes off?” Max whispered as she glanced down at her feet.
“Nah. You’re a guest.”
“Anthony!” Pop called out before I heard the squeak of the recliner being righted.
Ma walked out of the kitchen, entering the foyer with her arms outstretched. “Baby,” she said, motioning for us to come to her with her fingers.
As I reached for her, she grabbed Max and wrapped her into a giant hug. I stood there watching it as it happened. I no longer was the center of attention when I walked in the door. I now had another half, one who captured my parents’ attention more than I did.
“Hi,” Max said quietly. There was no doubt that the hug had cut off her ability to speak any louder.
“Son,” Pop called out as he walked in and held his hand out to me.
“Pop.” I shook his hand, stealing glances at the two most important women in my life.
“Let me get a good look at you,” Ma said, holding Max by the shoulders and looking her over. “You’re so beautiful.”
Max beamed at the compliment. “Thank you, Mrs. Gallo.”
“Maria, please. You’re prettier than Anthony described you.”
Max shot me a look over her shoulder. For the love of God, why had Ma had to say that? I’d told everyone she was drop-dead gorgeous.
“Anthony said you looked like a grown-up Rudy from
The Cosby Show
, but I say you’re a prettier version of Gabrielle Union.”
Hold up a second. I couldn’t believe that my mother had just told her about my Rudy comparison. I wanted to crawl into a hole. I’d never uttered those words to Max. I had been too worried about my balls to even drop it in passing. Beyond that, I was shocked my mother knew who Gabrielle Union was. The woman was full of surprises.
“He did, did he?” Max asked, glancing at me as I made my way next to them.
“Ma, we can drop the BET references. I think Pop needs to take away the controller.”
Ma smiled and slapped me on the arm. “Baby, I don’t know what BET is, but I know a beautiful woman when I see one.”