Aftermath (14 page)

Archie smiled. “Thank you.”

Dominique settled back into her seat on the recliner and sipped her drink. She noticed that he chose the cranberry juice. “So, your children … do you have boys or girls?” she asked.

“Oh, I have just one. A daughter. She's seven.” Archie smiled as he thought of her. “I just traveled back to visit her this past summer.”

Dominique nodded. She thought that was nice—a father who cared for his daughter so much that it lit up his face. She had been blessed to have that. Unfortunately, Octavia hadn't and Dominique couldn't help wondering if that was what she was rebelling against.

“I go there to see her. But then it's hard to come back here. I miss home. But the money is here, ya know?”

Dominique nodded.

Archie sipped his drink. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a spare bag of weed and held it up. “You wanna smoke now?”

She nodded, and handed him a Dutch Masters cigar from the drawer of the end table. Archie proceeded to roll up a perfectly packed blunt as Dominique watched.

“What's it like where you're from?” she asked, eager to take her mind off her troubles. Imagining a place like the Dominican Republic was a very welcome distraction.

Archie smiled, showing all his pearly whites, and regaled her with stories of his island culture. He was animated as he spoke, clearly in love with the place he still called home despite the fact that he'd been in America for more than ten years.

They smoked the blunt until it was gone as they talked. Soon, they'd shared many laughs, various stories and several drinks. Without noticing it, so much time had passed with them talking this way that it was after midnight.

Archie rose to leave and Dominique wasn't sure why she was sad to see him go. This was the most they'd ever talked before, since their conversations thus far had been limited to idle chatter whenever they saw one another. He seemed smart and compassionate. And she had been so focused on being faithful to Jamel that she had barely noticed how cute Archie was. The full, thick head of hair, the accent, his eyes, and sexy lips all came together in perfect synchronicity and resulted in a one beautiful man. Dominique stood next to him and he towered over her, his hair hanging past his collarbone. She was staring at him without realizing it, completely unaware that she was practically undressing him with her eyes as she imagined what he looked like underneath his winter clothes.

He smiled at her and moved in closer. “Why're you looking at me that way?” he asked, his accent casting a spell over her.

She blushed a little and looked away, but Archie stepped toward her and turned her face back toward him. Leaning down, he kissed her lips and was pleased that she kissed him back. Their tongues danced together and he pulled her body roughly toward his. Dominique was aware that this was crossing the line. And for one brief, fleeting moment, she thought of Jamel and considered pulling away. But Archie's kiss had her stuck. He held her face firmly within his hands—firmly and yet so gently that she felt secure. She clung to him, his T-shirt fisted in her grasp. She had never been kissed like this and she wanted Archie more than ever.

The music coming from the speakers did little to quell the fire that burned between them. Aaliyah's “Rock the Boat” seemed to only intensify their passion. Her inhibitions completely gone, Dominique led Archie to her bedroom.

“Stroke it for me … stroke it for me,”
Aaliyah sang and Dominique had never wanted anything more in her life. Boldly, she climbed up onto her bed and Archie eagerly climbed on top of her, roaming her body with his hands while kissing her in a way that made her feverish. He made her feel alive, the way he touched her, his hands so unyielding and so tender at the same time. Archie undressed her and she eagerly stripped him out of his clothes. Through clenched teeth, she sucked in her breath as he put on a condom and entered her dripping wetness.

Dominique felt like she'd gone to paradise. His long, thick penis slid in and out of her, his hair shrouding her face as he ground into her.

“Oh…” she moaned. “Shit!”

“Yes,” he panted in her ear. He kissed her and she faded out of this reality and into a whole new space and time. Dominique was aroused in ways she'd never imagined by his hunger for her. Archie touched a part of her that had gone undiscovered until then. For more than an hour he made love to her, stroked her, bit her, sucked her, licked her, kissed her, and entered and exited her, driving her to the point of no return. His rhythm was something magical that swept Dominique up into a frenzy of ecstasy she had never known. Her legs began to tremble from the sheer magic she was feeling. Her moans intensified and he knew that she was nearing her climax.

“Come,” he whispered to her, his face mere centimeters from hers. “Come on.”

“Ohhhhhhhh,” she breathed as she came so viciously that her pussy pushed him out of her.

He held her close to him and resisted the urge to reenter her. Instead, he hugged her body tightly next to his as she panted breathlessly. When her breathing steadied, he looked at her. They stared into each other's eyes, silent except for the music playing during this lull in the nonstop sex they'd been having.

“Weak” by SWV played and Dominique had to smile. She indeed felt weak from their lovemaking. They just lay there in silence, nestled together, their limbs intertwined, and stared at each other. They looked into each other's souls and saw the possibilities that lay there. They kissed, giggled, touched, and held each other and soon came back together once more. Tossing and turning, they alternated in their hunger for each other. Dominique rode him and watched his face contort in rapture. Archie made her purr, feasted on her, fucked her until she came again. He felt empowered then, she could tell. His facial expressions matched hers and his intensity increased. He could feel her constricting around him, every part of her tensing and releasing in a way that squeezed his dick into a volcanic eruption. He came and it felt wonderful.

Lying beside her, Archie propped a pillow up on his arm and pulled Dominique closer to him. He snuggled her so close that she could feel his heartbeat and he could feel her breath falling steadily on his body. It felt like they were one, and evening faded into morning.

All Rise!

The telephone rang at four-thirty in the morning and stirred Dominique awake. Her home phone seldom rang, since most people called her cell. So the shrill sound shook her from her blissful slumber with a jolt. Her abrupt reaction roused Archie, as well, as Dominique scrambled for the telephone.

“Hello?” she stammered, realizing she was still naked. She pulled the sheet closer to her body.

“Ma?”

Dominique wanted to cry with joy. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “Octavia, where are you?”

It sounded like Octavia was crying. “Brooklyn.”

“Are you okay?” Dominique was already out of bed and halfway dressed. Archie watched her, surmising that her daughter had finally gotten tired of running. He climbed out of bed himself and gathered his clothes.

“Um … yeah.” Octavia sounded so unsure. “I'm at my friend Holly's house … Holly, from school. Her mom wanted me to call and tell you that I'm here. And I'm okay.”

Dominique was so confused. Holly's
mother
wanted Octavia to call. “You've been there all this time?”

“No…”

Before Dominique exploded and demanded to know what the fuck was going on, someone took the phone away from Octavia.

“Mrs. Storms, this is Holly's mom, Rebecca. Octavia came by our house tonight and spoke with my husband and me about her situation. We've persuaded her to call you so that you can come over and talk with her. I'm sure you've been worried sick.”

Dominique sat down on the bed and Archie sat, too, searching her face for clues. “She just came there tonight?” Octavia had been away from home for seven days.

“Yes,” Rebecca said. “I think that once you come over here and talk with Octavia, everything will make sense.” The woman paused. “I think she's sort of scared. I assured her that you would be happy to hear from her, but she's still very nervous.”

Dominique didn't want to curse or yell or do anything to scare Octavia or the white woman on the other end of the phone. She calmly asked for Holly's address and wrote it down with her hands trembling the entire time. Dominique hung up and was aware of Archie's hand stroking her back. She turned to him, shaking.

“I have to go.”

“Where is she?” he asked.

“Brooklyn. Williamsburg. I have to get there now.” Dominique snatched her sneakers out of the closet.

“You cannot drive like this,” he said. “I'll come with you.”

She shook her head. Was he crazy? “No. I have to go and see about my daughter. I like you, Archie. But I don't need you coming with me at a time like this.”

Archie tried to explain. “I understand—”

“Thank God she's okay!” Dominique threw her hands up in praise. She looked toward the ceiling as if truly grateful to the Almighty. Looking at Archie again she shook her head. “But why hasn't she called me in seven muthafuckin' days? I'm gonna kill her!”

He had to resist the urge to laugh as he listened to her rant. He understood her being this upset, but he found it amusing that she was happy her child was alive and eager to kill her at the same time.

“Calm down,” he said firmly. “Listen, I will drive you there in your car and take the train back to the city. I'm not going to stay there with you. You can handle your business with your daughter and bring her home. Call me whenever you get the time.” He kissed her trembling hand and rubbed it gently. “But you can't drive like this.”

She nodded. He could have told her that he was going to drive her to Jupiter and she would have gone along with him as long as he kept touching her the way he did.

Together they got dressed and Dominique grabbed her car keys off the dresser. She turned around and faced Archie once more. She wondered how she'd gotten herself into this situation with him, yet she was grateful he was there with her at a time like this. It felt so good not to be alone for once.

He pulled her close to him, holding her tightly at the small of her back. His pillowy lips pushed into hers and he lingered within a breath of her. “Ready?”

She nodded and he took her by the hand, leading her out the door.

*   *   *

Toya had known
that peace wouldn't last for long.

“What are you saying?” she asked Dominique as she sat up in bed cradling her BlackBerry in her palm.

“Octavia is in Brooklyn, Toya!” Dominique was nearly breathless. “Can you go there and make sure she doesn't try to run away again before I get there?”

“Where?” Toya switched her bedside lamp on. “Give me the address and I can meet you there.” She glanced at the clock. It was just after 5:00
A.M.
She loved her friends, but they were definitely some early-in-the-morning and middle-of-the-night bitches these days! She took down the address and warned Dominique to drive carefully.

Dominique glanced over at Archie in the driver's seat of her MKX and decided that Toya didn't need to know about this. “I will,” she said, before ending the call and holding on for dear life as they sped to Brooklyn.

Along the way, Dominique looked at Archie in a new light. He had ravaged her and made her feel things she'd never felt before. She wondered if it was his passion for her or if it was the fact that she'd gone so long being faithful to Jamel during his incarceration. She had been without sex for close to three years as she waited patiently for the man she loved to come back to her.

And now she had been intimate with Archie—intimate in a way that she had never been with any man before him. She knew that she should feel guilty. But as he looked at her and smiled, laugh lines creasing his handsome face, she felt nothing short of joy.

They arrived at Holly's house at precisely the same time as Toya. She made Archie turn the engine and headlights off, and Dominique watched as Toya climbed out of her Benz, hurried toward the front door, and then as she was ushered into the house. She was thankful that Toya hadn't noticed her car.

Dominique turned to Archie. “Thank you,” she said.

He nodded. “You're welcome, Dominique.” Her name rolled off his lips like music.

For a few silent seconds, he looked at her. “You're so pretty,” he said, gazing at her with a smile spread across his face.

She was wondering whether or not she should promise to call him. She wasn't sure that she ever would. She didn't want to lie. As she battled within herself, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers one more time. Then he handed her the keys to her car and climbed out. Dominique got out, too, and watched as he crossed the street and walked toward the subway station two blocks away.

“Don't kill the poor girl, ya heard?” Archie called over his shoulder.

She laughed, blew him a kiss even though his back was turned, and walked up the walkway to greet her prodigal child.

*   *   *

Octavia sat on
the sofa, tapping her foot nervously on the marble floor in Holly's living room. She may as well have been facing the guillotine, her fear of her mother's wrath was that great. Her heart beat so rapidly in her chest that she wondered if it was possible to have a heart attack at her age. Holly and her family had been tiptoeing around her for quite a while now, everyone anticipating the moment the doorbell rang and the festivities began.

Octavia kinda wanted to kick Holly's ass. She had gone to her classmate in confidence, since the two of them had gotten to know each other while working together on a science project. Holly had always talked about what pushovers her parents were; how they never went in her room and let her friends stay the night without question. Octavia had remembered that and had hoped they would be lenient enough to let her stay there until she could figure out what to do next. But Octavia—Holly's only black friend—would've been hard to conceal. So, Holly had gone to her mother in confidence and asked her if Octavia could stay there for a few days. Holly had persuaded Octavia to tell her parents the truth about why she was there. Instead of understanding, her mom had filled her husband in on everything and together they had forced Octavia to call her mother. Octavia's entire plan had crumbled before her eyes and now her back was up against the wall.