Fall Knee-Deep In It Read online

  “It’s perfect. I like Robert Glasper.”

  “Good. It’s a mix with him, The Internet, Iman Omari, and a few others. So, you were referred to me by Cameron Wilkes. Are you having any problems?”

  “Well, I’m needing a firmer relaxation massage, but not a deep tissue. My muscles are tight, mainly in my shoulders and back. So, he told me to see you because you offered that.”

  “Yes, I do. If I come across something that could be giving you problems, do you want me to work it out, like a deep tissue?”

  “Umm… I suppose.”

  “I’ll ask again before I do it.”

  She smiled and I couldn’t help but lick my lips, then smile back. She cleared her throat after staring at me for a moment, then said, “Okay, lay on your stomach.”

  She was just as flustered as I was. Looking away from her, I held the sheet out and she took it from me, holding it in front of her face. I took that moment to adjust myself before lying down because he’d grown in size. Her voice was so soothing and soft, but a deeper register than I thought it would be from when I first looked at her. After I’d gotten positioned, she draped the sheet over my lower body. I closed my eyes and prepared to feel what she was working with.

  I wasn’t sure what she was doing until I smelled smoke. Then I knew that she’d lit sage. She seemed to have a cool personality. Damn, I wanted to get to know her. When her hands glided over my shoulder, an involuntary moan seeped from my lips. Her touch became a little firmer as she went to my neck, sliding her fingers down the sides of it. My dick was getting stiffer and I was hoping she didn’t have to see it. But she had to have had this effect on other men. The more she rubbed, the more relaxed I got.

  As she rubbed my left shoulder, she said, “There’s a little something here, Maverick. Do you want me to work this knot out? I promise I’ll be as gentle as possible.”

  I could hear the smile in her voice. I needed to grab my dick. That shit was throbbing already, probably at the point of leaking precum. “That’s fine.”

  She’d never stopped rubbing me, but I got a little uncomfortable when her touch became firm as hell. Before I could complain about it, she’d eased up. “That was it. Was that so bad?”

  “Naw. It was firmer than I usually liked, but since it didn’t last long, I’m cool.”

  She continued rubbing down my back, then lifted the sheet from my legs, draping it around my midsection. This woman’s hands had been touched by God… had to have been. It was that level of pleasure that made you wonder if it was God or the devil trying to deceive you. It felt that good. I couldn’t control the groans and moans and I almost felt like I was gonna cum on myself. Now that shit would be embarrassing. Breaking my thoughts, she asked, “Did you want me to massage your rear end?”

  That question surprised me. I thought she would look over it, but I supposed she wanted to be thorough. “Not this go-round, but maybe next time.”

  “Okay. I take it that this massage is good for you, since there will be a next time.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Turn over, Mr. Pierce, so I can do your chest before you go.”

  I almost tensed up. That would have defeated the purpose of me being here. I was hard as a rock. As if sensing my discomfort, she said, “It’s okay. It’s a natural reaction to this type of pleasure. The sensuality of it tends to do that to most of my male clients. But if you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to let me massage your chest.”

  “After that explanation, I’m cool.”

  Just as I figured. She was used to seeing hard dicks. She held the sheet up as I turned over and got situated. As she covered my middle, I saw her eyes land on my erection. It seemed as if her breathing became shallow, or maybe I imagined that shit. My eyes stayed on her as she put oil on her hands. When she returned to me, she began rubbing my chest as I continued to stare at her. She was avoiding my gaze as she rubbed my chest, working over my muscles. The way she was moving her body as she rubbed, it seemed like she was somewhere else in her mind.

  When she finally looked up at me, our eyes locked. We both seemed to be in a trance that we couldn’t break out of. As her hands traveled to my neck, I closed my eyes, imagining that she was riding me and trying to choke me. I could feel my dick stand even more. I was grateful for the restriction of my drawers, otherwise, I would have been pitching a tent down there. She gently rubbed my face and forehead, and I swore I wanted to pull her fingers in my mouth.

  Opening my eyes, they landed on hers once again. She was so sexy. Her subtle curves were killing me. She was long and lean. There was no thickness to her at all… just slight curves where her tits and ass were. Just enough to make a nigga thirsty for more. “Okay, Maverick,” she said as her timer went off. “That’s your thirty minutes.”

  “Thank you. That was amazing,” I said just as softly as she had spoken, our eyes still locked on one another’s.

  She cleared her throat and removed her hands from my chest. After wiping her hands on a towel, she said, “Okay. I’m gonna leave out so you can get dressed. Just come out when you’re done.”

  “Okay.”

  She left the room, and I knew I would be here monthly. Her hands had performed magic on every part of me. I could only imagine what they would feel like wrapped around my dick. As I got dressed, I thought about asking her out, but I knew this would be too soon. I would wait until maybe my next appointment. My body felt amazing. She definitely knew what she was doing. I wouldn’t be recommending another nigga to her, though. Just that quickly, I only wanted her rubbing on me.

  When I walked out of the room, she was waiting at the front desk. Her eyes traveled my frame, then she quickly averted her gaze to a book in her hand. “Thank you. I feel amazing,” I said.

  She smiled big. “I’m glad. Well, would you like to schedule another appointment?”

  “Just put me in for once a month.”

  “Okay. Do you prefer weekdays or weekends?”

  “I’m off on weekends, so Saturdays are perfect.”

  “Okay. I have you scheduled for the tenth of next month. Thank you for your business, Mr. Pierce.”

  “Maverick.”

  She blushed, then said, “Maverick. Is ten too early? And did you want to continue your thirty minutes or upgrade to an hour?”

  “Ten is good, and please, upgrade me to an hour. That thirty minutes seemed to fly by.”

  “That’s what everyone says,” she said, then giggled. “You can handle your payment with the receptionist. Again, thank you so much for your business.”

  I nodded as she smiled, then walked off, taking her next client with her. There was no way I would be able to keep my cool for long… not with as sexy as she was. After paying the receptionist, I headed to my car, wishing I would have had an hour of her time instead of just thirty minutes.

  Chapter Three

  Yuri

  Instead of going home, I went to Sertino’s Café and ordered a turkey sandwich and a strawberry banana smoothie. My day had gone by quickly, and I knew I could attribute that to Maverick Pierce. That man was fine as hell. The way his muscles bulged in his back, I wanted to just slide on top of him. From the passion in his eyes, I didn’t think he would’ve objected. His eyes… oh my God. Once mine landed on his, it was so hard to look away. Although he had a nice-sized forehead, that shit was minor, compared to everything else.

  As I sat there thinking about him, my phone began ringing and I knew it was Rocco’s ass. Fuck him. When the phone stopped ringing, I sent a text. What?

  You still on that bullshit.

  I didn’t reply. He didn’t deserve my attention, let alone an explanation. He could go to hell with gasoline drawz on. My uncle used to say that shit all the time. It was no longer okay for him to suck the fucking energy out of me anymore. I was tired of allowing him to drain me of everything I had when he refused to do the same shit for me. At this point, we were roommates who worked different shifts. I would only see him when I couldn’t avoid it. />
  I pulled out my tablet to store my appointments in my app. My mind immediately went back to Maverick. I did my best to stay professional, but I believed he could see right past that front. When I’d seen him walk in and take a seat, I knew that he had to be Maverick. I wondered if he was as free-spirited as his name suggested. When he stood from that chair, I was in awe. It was rare to find a man that much taller than me. At six-one, most of the men I met were my height or shorter. When I had to look up at him, hearts filled my eyeballs.

  But the most intriguing part of him was that shit between his legs. He was hung like a damn mule… dragging the damn ground. Maverick made the stereotype true. Rocco was slender and made you wanna slap whoever said that tall, big-footed men had big dicks. They were a damn lie when it came to Rocco. His shit was about six inches on a good day, and was skinny as hell… no girth at all.

  When the waitress sat my order on the table, I cleared my throat, trying to drag my mind from the gutter. “Thank you,” I said to her.

  “No problem. Enjoy.”

  I nodded politely, then took a bite of my sandwich. Closing my eyes as I chewed, all I could see was his face. Damn. I had to get this man out of my system. He was a client, and since I wouldn’t be seeing him for another month, I had time to get myself together. When my hands glided over his muscles, I could only imagine that I was sexually pleasing him. His moans were mesmerizing, and they had me fiending for a stranger. Lord have mercy.

  Taking a sip of my smoothie, I moaned softly. It was just as good as I remembered it being. Before I could lose myself in my food, someone said, “Ms. Joseph?”

  I frowned slightly, then looked up to find one of my instructors from massage therapy school. “Hello, Mr. Harper. How are you?”

  I stood from my seat and shook his hand. “I’m great! How are things for you? Are you still at Mane Event?”

  “Things are great, and yes, I’m still at Mane Event. Are you still teaching?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be doing that until I die.”

  We both chuckled. “Do you come here often?” I asked.

  “Every Friday. They probably set their watches to me. It’s like I’m an old man.”

  I chuckled again. Mr. Harper was only a few years older than me… well, like ten years. “Well, I just wanted to speak. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  “Yes, sir. You too!”

  Smiling at the memories that flooded my mind of school, I continued eating my food, already dreading my nine appointments tomorrow. All of them had hour-long appointments booked and I just wanted to skip town and never return. I needed to hit the fucking lottery or something. Although, I would probably have a better chance at winning if I actually bought a ticket.

  As I continued eating, he called again. Rocco irritated my entire soul. I didn’t want to have to start over. I hated moving. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried with him, he did his best to make things more difficult. I wanted to block his number altogether, but I would wait until we were no longer living together. He’d really give me grief if I did now, and I didn’t want this shit between us to escalate. I wouldn’t hesitate to call the police on him, but I would rather not have to go there.

  I surely didn’t want to hear the I told you so’s from my mom. She didn’t understand what it was like to love a man to the point where you let some things slide. She and my dad were never married. According to her, Dad messed around on her and that was it. She left him and didn’t look back. She’d been on this niggas ain’t shit tune ever since. However, my dad said he was caught in a compromising situation. My mama walked up on something questionable, but that he’d never cheated on her. What that questionable thing was, I didn’t have the slightest clue because they both refused to talk about it.

  He believed she was looking for a way out and she accused him of the same. I really didn’t believe her love for him was as strong as his love for her. Sometimes, it felt as if he still loved her. She was so damn tough and adamant about not letting a man use her. I wasn’t letting Rocco use me. I was trying to protect my future. What was so wrong with that?

  As I shoved the last bite of my sandwich in my mouth, my mind went back to Maverick. He didn’t talk much, but his voice had been captured in my mind and it was like I could hear it in my ears.

  Ten is good, and please, upgrade me to an hour.

  I would upgrade him to life if he was that much of a pleasure to be around. Before I got carried away, as I often did with my imagination, I stood and threw my trash away, then grabbed my smoothie and headed out of the door.

  By the time I got to my car, my phone was ringing yet again. I rolled my eyes and huffed loudly. Grabbing it from my bag, I saw my mother’s name on the caller ID. As I sat inside, I answered, “Hey, Ma.”

  “Hey. Where are you?”

  “I’m just leaving Sertino’s. Why?”

  “Your poor excuse for a man had the nerve to call me, looking for you.”

  “Ugh! If I’m not answering his calls, he shouldn’t be calling looking for me. I’m sorry, Ma.”

  “It’s okay. I told him if you were with me, I wouldn’t tell him a damn thang, then blocked his weak ass. How much longer you got?”

  I halfway chuckled. She asked that like I was serving a prison sentence. “One more month. We are pretty much roommates at this point. I told him last night that I was done with his ass… completely. I’d been trying to be cordial, but I can’t take his entitled ass no longer.”

  “So, you’re just gonna stay out until you’re ready to go to bed?”

  “Pretty much. I’m gonna go home and take a nice bath, drink a glass of wine, then go to sleep.”

  “Well, Saturday night, me, Lizzy, and Marla are going to the Jokes and Jazz club. You wanna come?”

  “Umm… y’all might be too lively for me. Lizzy a lil on the wild side,” I said, then laughed hard, thinking about her antics.

  My mama did, too. Ms. Lizzy was not afraid to approach a man and tell him that he was fine. She had no shame in her game at all. It would probably do me well to go out and have a good time with my mama and her friends. It wasn’t like I had any. They’d become my friends, too. Me and Marla had gone out without them a couple of times and promised to keep that between us, so they didn’t get jealous. However, we were a lot more alike than we were with my mama and Lizzy.

  “Well, I’m not asking you this time. I’m gonna pick you up if you don’t show up at my house by seven.”

  I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Okay. I’ll be there at seven, showing all my legs.”

  “Yeeeeesss! You betta!”

  I chuckled, then said, “Okay. I’ll call you Friday to see what you’re wearing. Maybe we can coordinate or something.”

  She loved to wear the same colors or match when we went somewhere together. “Okay, Yuri. Love you, baby.”

  “Love you, too.”

  By the time I ended the call, I’d gotten to my apartment complex. When I parked in my spot, I could see the smoke coming from the patio area. I rolled my eyes, then retreated within myself. I didn’t want to have to say anything to him beyond hello. I really didn’t want to say that. Hopefully, his back would be turned. The way the BBQ pit was positioned, if he was standing at it, his back would be to the backdoor. Since he had music playing, maybe I could discreetly ease by him.

  When I opened the wooden gate, I realized that I had no such luck. He was sitting in a chair across from the pit, smoking a joint. Quickly standing to his feet and sitting his joint at the end of the little table next to him, he made his way to me. “Hey, Yuri. How was your day?”

  “Hey. It was cool.”

  “I’m barbequing some Zummo’s sausage, boudin, and chicken drumsticks. I know you love boudin. I made some potato salad, too. I got off early and wanted to surprise you.”

  I frowned slightly. I didn’t know what he was up to, but one day of him being considerate wasn’t going to make up for the months he hadn’t been. Slightly rolling my eyes, I said, “Okay.
Thanks.”

  As I tried to go inside, he gently grabbed my arm. When I turned to look back at him, he said, “I’m sorry for not appreciating you. I hope it ain’t too late to fix us.”

  Hell yeah, it is. The fuck? My facial expression softened, despite my thoughts, and I put my palm to his cheek. I didn’t offer him any words to confirm or deny, then pulled away and went inside. Rocco was trying to throw a monkey wrench in my plans by making me feel all soft towards him again. My best bet was to stay away from his ass and keep all the horrible shit he’d ever said to me at the forefront of my mind. This was only a ploy to keep me around.

  When I stepped inside, this nigga had music playing… old school. “Voyage to Atlantis” by the Isley Brothers was flowing through the speakers, causing me to sway side to side and lift my hand in the air. He knew I loved this shit. As I finally made my way to the bedroom, there were flower petals on the floor in the hallway, and when I got to the threshold, my breath was taken away. The room was littered with rose petals and long stem roses were on the dresser and bed.

  See, he wasn’t playing fair. He had to have gotten ahold of my journal. However, when L.T.D. came on, “Love Ballad,” I knew for sure. I often write down some of my favorite songs at the top of my journal entries. Those were songs that made my soul feel good. I didn’t know whether to be pissed about his invasion of my privacy or impressed at the lengths he went to impress me. While standing there, simply in awe, his hands slid around my waist from behind. I didn’t try to avoid him. It felt good. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against his chest, and said, “This is nice. Thank you.”

  “I been slacking, baby, but I plan to do better.”

  I turned around in his arms and stared up into his dark eyes. Putting my hands to his beard, I pulled his tinted lips to mine and kissed him softly. His hands traveled to my ass and squeezed. “Let me get my work clothes off.”

  “Can I help you?”

  I gave him the side-eye as he chuckled. “Wishful thinking. Wit’cho fine ass.”