For Lovers Only (17 page)

Authors: Alex Hairston

BOOK: For Lovers Only

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Chapter 16

W
hen Erin and Joel left Legal Sea Foods they wound up walking across the street to the National Aquarium. Joel got a shock at the ticket booth, because the admission price for two was close to fifty dollars. He was tempted to ask for a discount, but went ahead and paid the full admission price because he didn't want to appear broke or too cheap. More than anything he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the ticket booth cashier or Erin.

Bright colors and exotic sea creatures set the scene inside the aquarium. Although both Erin and Joel had been to the aquarium numerous times, the exhibits always seemed to amaze them. Erin whipped out her digital camera and took plenty of pictures. She took some candid shots of Joel. A lady passing by offered to take a few shots of Erin and Joel posing together.

As they moved from exhibit to exhibit, Joel stopped in front of a colorful display of tropical fish and asked the question he had been dying to ask. “Why did you and your ex break up?”

Erin watched as the beautiful fish moved through the water with grace and ease. She snapped a picture and calmly said, “That's a long story with a quick and simple answer. He was cheating.”

“Why is that usually the case? That's what did it for me and blah ... blah ... blah. We had our differences, but the cheating completely did us in.”

“Same story with me and blah ... blah ... blah. It's funny looking back on it now. I can't even believe I was ever interested in a jerk like that. What did I see in him? We had nothing in common. He constantly complained and belittled me.”

“About what?”

“I'm ashamed to say.”

“You can tell me anything. I think we're friends now, not to mention lovers.”

Erin smiled and said, “True. All right, I'm just gonna put it out there. I wasn't freaky or sexually adventurous enough for him, and eventually he found what he was looking for somewhere else. He loved running the streets and hanging out with his stupid buddies. At first he used them to back up his lies. I suspected he was seeing other women because I noticed that his stories and alibis didn't match his friends'.”

“Sounds like he didn't know how to appreciate you. Sometimes it takes the right man to bring out certain qualities in a woman.”

“You're definitely the right man for me because you bring out so many qualities in me.” She took a deep breath then let it out. “I'm willing to do anything with you sexually ... anything you can think of.”

Joel smiled and his eyes widened. “Anything?”

Erin looked into Joel's eyes and said, “Anything. That says a lot about my comfort level with you and shows how much I trust you.”

“I trust you too. You don't have to try to overcompensate to please me. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. If you're willing to do anything sexually, I hope it's not just for my pleasure, but something we both could enjoy together. I'd hate for us to do something that would compromise your trust or comfort level.”

Erin said, “Man, you're so considerate and understanding. I know exactly what you mean. I just want to be a little more adventurous and creative. I'm thinking about ways of maximizing our pleasure.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Erin was thinking about a threesome, but Joel had no idea what she was really talking about. They kissed.

Joel wasn't in a hurry to leave because he was trying to make the most of this experience. He and Erin found a dark secluded spot near the shark exhibit. They did their usual thing and interacted like horny new lovers. As planned, the foreplay continued with hugs, kisses and more sexually charged conversations. They settled down a little at the dolphin show, but the action picked up again inside of the aquarium's tropical rain forest. The waterfalls, trees and exotic wildlife seemed to bring out a different side of them.

Eventually Erin and Joel left the aquarium and headed over to the Power Plant. The huge brick building with its trademark four giant smokestacks sits on the east end of the Inner Harbor. It used to be an actual power plant and now housed the ESPN Zone, Hard Rock CafÃ©, Gold's Gym and Barnes & Noble.

Erin and Joel walked through the doors of Barnes & Noble and inhaled the fresh mixed aroma of Starbuck's coffee and brand-new books. People lined the aisles, browsing through the thousands of books. She noticed a poster for an author's book signing and discussion, which had just started on the second level. The book was called,
Do Your Thing Girl ... A Sistah's Guide to Love and Relationships
by Dr. Thelma Rudolph.

Erin and Joel decided to stick around and check out the book signing. They made their way to the escalator. It seemed that a bunch of people were headed in the same direction. As they ascended the escalator, it became more and more obvious that Dr. Rudolph was a celebrity author. They overheard two ladies in front of them say that over the years Dr. Rudolph had been featured on numerous nationally syndicated talk radio shows, BET and TV One to promote her other books. Last week she was on the
CBS Early Show
and
The View
. Like most authors she was still waiting for her career-defining moment to be on
Oprah
.

Erin and Joel walked past the information desk and could see a huge crowd of people both seated and standing near the music section. Then they saw the author, a petite and very sophisticated-looking, forty-something black woman reading words of wisdom. She stood behind a podium talking to a group comprised mostly of young to middle-aged black women with smiling faces, nodding their heads in agreement. There were a few guys in the crowd and even they seemed to appreciate what Dr. Rudolph read.

She read briefly from her book on a number of topics, including: true love and intimacy; communication; getting to know yourself; finding a mate; and getting to know your mate. After reading the last portion, she asked the audience for questions and comments.

The women in the crowd seemed to ask a million questions related to communication. A couple of women commented about their personal experiences and shared relationship horror stories. The majority of the crowd asked questions about true love and intimacy. One woman was about to classify herself in the desperately-seeking-a-man category and asked about finding a mate. The discussion went on for about twenty minutes or so, and then Erin raised her hand and was instantly acknowledged.

She said, “You haven't mentioned anything related to my question, but I'm sure it's covered somewhere in your book. How soon is too soon to sleep with a man?”

Joel's eyes widened and he looked at Erin with this why-would-you-ask-that-question-in-front-of-all-these-people expression.

Dr. Rudolph smiled and said, “Oh, I see somebody might be getting lucky tonight.”

Everybody looked at Joel and started laughing. He laughed too, but looked kind of embarrassed.

Dr. Rudolph said, “There is a chapter in the book on when it's appropriate to have sex for the first time. I love that question and that's why I titled the book,
Do Your Thing Girl
. So, go 'head and do your thing, girl.” The audience laughed again. “I'm just kidding. Knowing when to sleep with a man for the first time is an individual thing. Only you can decide when it's right to have sex for the first time. We're all different ... because of customs, traditions and religions ... just to name a few variables. In the old daysâthat means the 1960s and beforeâback then the majority of women waited months, or in some cases until marriage, to sleep with a man. Nowadays marriage isn't so popular and women are jumping right into bed on the first date.” Erin looked embarrassed now. “I'm speaking generally, of course. If that's your preference, then fine. However, most relationships that begin that way are instantly placed in jeopardy of failing. The faster a woman gives it up, the less likely the guy is to stick around or to value their relationship. Keep in mind that there is always that rare exception. I know of a wonderful couple that slept together on their first date and recently celebrated their forty-fifth wedding anniversary.” The crowd oohed and aahed. Dr. Rudolph continued, “My parents hate when I tell that story because they don't think everybody needs to know their business.” The crowd burst out laughing again. Some of the slower people were still looking around asking, “What? What? What did she say?”

Dr. Rudolph mentioned what she called a woman's golden numbers, her age and the number of men she had slept with in her lifetime. “Ideally the number of men a woman has slept with should never exceed her age. Giving up the goodies on the first date tends to throw your numbers off quite a bit, considering that the average single woman between the ages of eighteen to twenty-five goes on three to four first dates per year. Every time a woman sleeps with a man she is giving away a part of herself. That's why we find so many young women who are burned out and have nothing else to give before they're even thirty. I want to share something with you briefly, just to give you an example of the future of sex and relationships in our community. I met a little girl at one of my teen talks and her golden numbers were 13-13. Believe it or not, she was proud of her numbers. She looked at me and asked why should she care about the number of boys or men she sleeps with as long as she doesn't become pregnant or contract HIV. To me that was extremely sad, because the odds are stacked against her and she hasn't even reached high school.” Dr. Rudolph paused for a few seconds and sipped from her bottled water. “Before any woman sleeps with a man she should get to know him. I mean, get to know him beyond his name, address, astrological sign, favorite TV show, shoe size and so on. Before getting intimate with a man, she should ask whether there is any history of sexually transmitted diseases. Of course she won't get the truth, but that's why we always use condoms, right ladies?” The women in the crowd all agreed in perfect harmony. “Also determine whether or not he is possibly the jealous, possessive or controlling type ... this cuts down dramatically on the likelihood of him being a stalker. Make sure he doesn't overreact or is quick tempered. Ask about his parents and siblings to see if there is any family history of violence or abuse. Feel free to ask the following questions: Does he have a criminal record? Does he have a history of verbal or physical abuse against previous girlfriends or other women? How does he handle stress? Even ask yourself questions: Do you feel comfortable around him, or are you walking on eggshells because you're afraid of him? Does he have weapons like guns, knives, or brass knuckles?” A few people in the crowd laughed. “I heard some laughs, but if a man is constantly displaying weapons, that's a hint that he doesn't have a problem using them ... on you even. If a woman can't answer at least ninety percent of these questions, then it's too soon to sleep with a man.”

Everyone really seemed to be impressed with Dr. Rudolph's advice, and how well she was able to simplify everything. Erin and Joel hung around the bookstore for at least another hour listening to her. As she continued giving relationship advice Erin felt more and more convinced that Joel was the ideal man for her. She momentarily shifted the idea of the threesome to the back of her mind. When the discussion ended Erin bought a signed copy of Dr. Rudolph's book.

After leaving the bookstore, Erin and Joel walked along the waterfront holding hands. Erin took a brief moment to call Kenya and check up on her. Kenya was surprised and excited to hear from Erin. They kept their conversation brief and pretty basic. There wasn't any mention of their sexy conversation or talk of a threesome. Kenya's anxiety level seemed to be well-controlled compared to the night before. She said hi to Joel, reminded them she'd be home soon, and that ended their conversation.

As the day wore on into evening, the temperature had become a little more bearable. Erin and Joel decided to rent a paddleboat. They paddled their way out into the middle of the harbor, and then near the piers to get a better look at some of the sailboats, powerboats and yachts. From the water they watched a couple of street performers sing and play their guitars for money.

Erin said, “Even though we're not on a yacht, I think this is really nice ... very calming and romantic. Being out on the water like this and seeing this city from an entirely different perspective makes me appreciate it more.”

“Well, you know going aboard a yacht would probably give you an even better perspective. If you want, I can make that happen too. I know this little boat pales in comparison.”

“I'm not concerned about the boat. This is about you and the way you make me feel.”

Joel smiled and said, “Watch out, you're starting to scare me. I wish you could see the look in your eyes.”

“What? How do they look?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

“Tell me. What do you see?”

“You've got the look of love.”

Erin blushed and said, “Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, but don't worry, I like it.”

“I really like you, Joel. Oh my God, you make me feel so good. I can't remember when I laughed and smiled so much. Thank you.”

“You don't have to thank me. You give me the same feeling.”