EMDS - #1 - A Congressman's Temptation (MxM)

c.17

 Fredrick and I arrived at the large house. He pulled our two duffel bags from the trunk and guided the way to the door. He rang the doorbell and there was an instant commotion coming from inside the house. 

  “ He’s here, he’s here! “ I heard the woman yell. 

  “ Is it too late to turn back? “ I pulled on Fredrick's shirt. 

  “ You promised Erica. “ that was all he said. 

  I turned back to the door as it swung open, revealing the large, beautiful woman. Her hair flowed down to her full hips. The orange shirt she wore complimented her macadamia colored skin, accented with the many golden pieces of jewelry she flaunted. She looked past Fredrick and at me. 

  “ Est-ce que tu parles français? “ her soothing voice spoke as her smile widened beyond belief. T: Do you speak French? 

  “Légèrement “ T: Slightly. 

  She squealed, pulling me into her bosom then pushing me inside the house. She grabbed Fredrick, her hands roaming his body and then slapping him lovingly across the face. I laughed. I walked further into the house, taking in the scent of the home. Vanilla. Cinnamon. Peace and blessings. It sent a sudden wave of relaxation over me. 

  “ Come, come. “ she grabbed our hands and led us towards the kitchen. “ Mama Sadie will take care of you gentleman. “ 

  At the table were three more beautiful women with that gorgeous long hair. They smiled, hitting each other as Fredrick pulled out my chair, allowing me to sit down. He took the seat next to me. 

  “ A perfect gentleman. “ one of them cooed. She furrowed her brow, looking between Fredrick and I. “ Must be nice. “ 

  “ Hush, Kia. “ the other shooed her. “ We’re in the presence of royalty. “ 

  “ I wouldn’t say all that. “ I chuckled. 

  “ And he’s humble, just like Erica told us. “ the third young lady smiled. “ Well, you had words with Kia. My name is Chelle, and that is Ruth. “ she pointed at the young woman who shooed her sister away. 

  “ I know better to ask this, but how old are you? “ 

  “ I’m thirty-seven, Chelle is thirty-two and Ruth is the youngest one. She’s thirty. “ 

  “ Damn. “ Fredrick mumbled, taking the words right out of my mouth and mind. 

  “ Exactly. “ Kia smirked. She better watch herself. 

  “ Anyways, tell us about yourself. “ Ruth started, but not before their mother barged into the dining room. 

  “ No, no, not before I set the food down. “ she complained, placing the dish down and leaving again. Chelle retreated to the kitchen to help her mother. I stood up, but Kia shook her head. 

  “ Please don’t. “ she chuckled. 

  After a few more seconds the table was set, the food was blessed and all eyes were on me. I was troubled with having to feast on this good smelling food while ranting about my crazy life at the same time. 

  “ So about me, I grew up in a small town in Florida. My father's the current Senator, and before that, he served as a member of Congress. “ I told them. “ My childhood was sheltered, of course. My parents were strict, and even further, planned out our future careers.” 

  “ Really? “ Fredrick and Mama Sadie spoke at the same time. 

  “ They eased up once we got older and rebelled. “ I smiled. 

  “ I know that all too well. “ Mama Sadie scoffed, looking between the three girls who rolled their eyes. 

  “ Erica told me you had seven daughters; did I misunderstand her? “ I forked the food into my mouth, inhaling and exhaling deeply. 

  “ No, those last four witches are away on a trip. “ she chuckled. “ They’re pissed at me, though. “ 

  “ They should have been here instead of chasing d**k. “ Kia added, sipping on her water. Her mother and two sisters eyed her, but it didn’t faze her. Fredrick and I, on the other hand, loved it. “ They knew well in advance this day was coming. “ 

  “ Pas devant notre invité. “ her mother scolded her. T: Not in front of our guest. 

  “ It’s fine. “ I laughed. “ Where I come from, she’ll be revered. “ 

  “ So what made you start writing? “ Kia asked. 

  “ Honestly, I didn’t feel like our market was wide enough. Still don’t. Many LGBT stories that you read will mostly be on media platforms, at least in America. There are more open artists here in France, but I still feel there is more work to be done. Our stories have been undergrown and censored for far too long. “ I told them. 

  “ How was your experience, you know, understanding what you were writing about? “ she was referring to me being a homosexual and writing homosexual content. I loved the question. 

  “ Being black, gay, and from the South is a no-no, although every story is different. Some of us are thrown out and fed to this nasty world, and some of our parents still love us if we don’t express ourselves. Many of our parents still have skeletons in their own closet, so they don’t know what the hell to do, so they just stop trying. “ 

  “ Triste. “ Ruth sympathized. T: Sad. 

  “ Exactly. My mother always knew, but my father didn’t accept it because he didn’t understand it. We live our lives, fighting for someone to see us and the fact is that they do, they just don’t see our point of view. They can’t. They know what they know, and are very strict about that. “ 

  “ I think it’s brave, Elijah. Kicking down doors and stomping on heads. “ Mama Sadie added, sucking down the bone of the piece of meat she was eating. 

  “ So how did that sexy Senator feel about you moving out here? “ Chelle asked, changing the narrative of the conversation. A narrative I didn’t want to discuss. 

  “ Senator? “ Fredrick looked at me. That was why. 

  “ Yep, he came out that closet just for Mr. Dexter here. “ she smiled. “ I heard he even killed his wife over him. “ 

  I began choking on the water. Fredrick quickly patted my back as I regained my breath. Everyone eased their tension once they knew I was okay. 

  “ Excuse me, killed her? “ 

  “ Don’t mind that child, she’s repeating what she heard on that crazy internet. “ Mama Sadie glared at Chelle who rolled her eyes. 

  “ He doesn’t compare to this perfect god sitting here, though. “ she winked at Fredrick. 

  After we all got to know more about each other, I was falling more and more in love with this family. They reminded me of my own. They made their judgmental comments, but deep down, you could feel how close they all were and they genuinely loved each other. They made me feel like one of them. 

  “ Aw man. “ we had just finished laughing about a story Kia was telling. Mama Sadie offered me another slice of chocolate cake and I passed while Fredrick insisted. I shook my head. “ I have to say, I’m really enjoying this. It feels like a home away from home. 

  “ Awwww. “ they all cooed simultaneously as we burst into fits of laughter. 

  “ You’re welcome anytime. “ she chuckled as Fredrick devouring the cake. 

  “ He likes to eat too. “ Chelle groaned. 

  “ You know, not my favorite part of the play. “ I winked at her. 

  “ How can it not be? “ Kia chimed in. 

  “ You see, I like giving gifts more than I receive them. “ the two girls nodded, understanding. 

  “ Mr. Dexter, I have seven girls and one boy; I know s*x talk no matter how it’s disguised. “ she looked over to me. “ But I’m not a fan either. “ 

  “ Dad wasn’t doing it right. “ Kia side-eyed her mother. 

  “Your father was the only man who could take me to heaven. “ she pondered. 

  “ Yeah, I’m out. “ Ruth playfully gagged. 

  Mama Sadie laughed, getting up from the table and grabbing the dishes. I joined her, collecting the remaining plates and serving trays from the table. I told her that I would wash the dishes, which turned into a whole ordeal about hospitality and me being a guest, but my steady insisting won her over. Fredrick placed his hands gently on my waist, kissing me on the neck and retreating to the side of me, beginning to rinse the dishes. 

  “ So, about this Senator? “ he smiled. I knew he was joking, but I just felt that I needed to tell him. 

  “ Yeah. We broke up right before I came to Paris. “ 

  “ Oh, you didn’t have to tell me. “ he nudged me. 

  “ I know. He’s still lingering in my heart, that’s all. “ 

  “ I don’t care about who was before me, I just care about now. I know that ass is stuck with me. “ he gave me a cocky grin, smacking me on the ass. I moaned. “ Exactly. “ 

  “ Whatever. Don’t make me show you whose boss. “ 

  “ Please. “ he stood behind me, grabbing me by the hips and gently thrusting into me. He placed his chest to my back, circling his waist around. Just reminiscing on the feeling had me ready to pounce on him. He bit down on my neck, moaning. “ Tu aimes la façon dont papa te caresse? “ T: You like the way daddy strokes you. 

  “ J'aime la façon dont papa me caresse. “ I winced. T: I love the way daddy strokes me. 

  “ Mhm. “ it came from the corner of the kitchen. We both looked back to Kia enjoying the view. “ I would kill to be in that bedroom. “ 

  Fredrick and I finished the dishes and headed upstairs for the night. The next morning, Mama Sadie had cooked breakfast before we parted ways. Neither Fredrick nor myself wanted to go, but we assured her that we would be frequented visitors and they were elated about that. Fredrick carried the bags to the car and we climbed inside, waving them away and starting the journey back home. Fredrick placed his hand on my leg and I looked at him. He leaned over, giving me a quick peck on the lips. 

  “ Je t’aime bebe. “ he cooed. T: I love you, baby boy. 

  I cupped his chin. “ Pas plus que je t'aime. “ T: Not more than I love you. 

  He smiled, interlocking our fingers as Carlos continued the journey to the house. Once we made it, we walked inside and headed straight for the bedroom. Both Fredrick and I were still full and needed a good nap, and that’s what we did. But then the nightmare began. 

  I was standing on a ship dead set in the middle of the ocean. The clouds were few and far between, and the sun was shining against the deep blue water. The breeze brushed against my face as I clung to the railing, looking down at the sea. 

  “ Don’t jump! “ Fredrick’s voice echoed. I looked over to him, running full speed towards me. “ Please, baby, don’t jump! “ 

  Suddenly, I was lunged overboard as the wind yelled into my ear. I couldn’t scream. I wasn’t fearful. I was content. I let the water encircle me and I splashed deep into the blue. I opened my eyes and was also able to breathe. My lugs filled with the crisp, cold air and exhaled it all the same. 

  I heard another splash in the water. I looked to my left and saw Kelly with a knife through the middle of her chest, between her breast. Her throat was slashed, and the blood began floating through the water. Then came Andrew. He floated down to her, dislodging the knife from her body and stabbing her more. That’s when the fear came. I screamed at the top of my lugs for him to stop, and he just looked at me. 

  “ I did it for you, kid. “ he yelled back before floating over to me and holding the knife to my neck. “ I did it all for you. “ 

  He moved the knife along my neck, but I felt nothing, I could just see the blood. There was so much of it. So much that it turned the blue-stained water completely red. Then everything went black and I was back at home. In America. I was lying across the cold sheets, looking up at the ceiling. There was a thud on the wall and I quickly sat up. 

  “ How dare he tell me to not call my son? “ my mother wailed. “ Peter has the goddam nerve! “ 

  “ I will fix this, I promise. “ I heard my father moving things around. 

  “ No, Charlie, we have to stay out of the way. “ my mother insisted. “ As long as ‘Lijah doesn’t come home, everything will remain under control. “ 

  “ I don’t want to lose him again, Kels. “ my father began to cry, then another loud thud followed. “ Dammit! “ 

  “ Listen, I know it’s hard, but we can do this, okay? We can do this. “ my mother comforted him. 

  “ You’re right. We’ll get through this. “ 

  I lied back down, and I was suddenly back at home in Paris. Fredrick had climbed into the bed, lying next to me. I felt his warm touch on my body. 

  “ I have a secret that I need to tell you. “ he spoke, lowly. He planted a soft kiss on my right thigh. “ My reputation goes deeper than just some club owner. “ 

  “ Huh? “ the ringing became louder in my ear. I heard him calling out to me, but the ringing got louder. And louder. And louder. My vision blurred. 

  I sprawled awake as the setting sun kissed the room. Fredrick’s grip was tight around me, so I moved slowly and stealthily so I wouldn’t wake him. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen to grab some water. I drank thirstily from the bottle before placing it down on the counter and processing my emotions. I missed my mother and father so dearly. Every time I tried to call them, they never answered. I was worried about Andrew and wondered if anything that Chelle said was true. For some reason, the night he called and told me to never come back popped into my mind. I remember so many people telling me that the day before I left for Paris. 

  I reached for my phone to call Erica. It wasn’t that late in the evening, so I was hoping she was up. And she was. Breathing heavily. I knew what she was doing. 

  Wassup? 

  Is this a bad time? 

  No, no, what is it? 

  Have you talked to mom and dad? 

  I could hear her thoughts. She was debating telling the truth or lying about it. They’re trying to protect you. 

  From what? 

  ‘Lijah, it’s best if you don’t know. 

  Did he kill her, Erica? Was it because of me? 

  Baby, I don’t know too much about that. They never told and I didn’t ask. 

  But you heard about it, no? 

  I did. Chelle is the one who mentioned it to me, but it was assumed to be just another headline. There was silence. Dead silence. Don’t you take your ass back home, I’m not playing. 

  What are you talking about? 

  Don’t play me like I don’t know. You will fully regret going home, ‘Lijah, and it’s not just about Andrew. What about the business? Fredrick? Me? 

  I hung up the phone. The last thing I wanted to do was make a promise I couldn’t keep. This was all bothering me, and this dream didn’t make it any better. The worst part about it was I felt like the old me. The old me who was led astray by emotion. The old me that didn’t go with my gut, telling me not to do this and to do that. But another part of me felt like this could truly be the end of putting that person to rest. To let go of Andrew and to let go of my life back in Florida. 

  I packed my bag and hopped on the next flight. 

  I was headed back to Florida. 

  I said nothing to no one. Not a single word. 

  I left.