From Africa Ch. 06

Northern Africa, 1949

I kept trying to sneak away from the wedding festivities, but every time I managed to steal a solitary moment, someone came to find me, dragging me back to the crowded meadow where Anna and Mark danced to a hastily arranged string quartet. Dad had hired a few people to serve food and drinks, acquaintances of William, so there was nothing for me to do but sit around and smile whenever anyone said anything to me.

Henriette had tried to warn me that my smiles looked more like smirks, but I was still angry about Olu's exclusion from the festivities. I imagined that he wouldn't have wanted to participate anyway, but I was offended that Anna thought so highly of herself. And I was angry that Dad, for all of his supposed love for Olu, would go along with her plan. I sat pouting for the rest of the afternoon, counting the minutes until it was time for Anna and Mark to leave for their honeymoon.

I spied Anna slipping away for a few moments, quietly walking to her bedroom. I went around the house, toward the back, so that I could watch her through her window. The festivities were taking place on the other side of the house, so I knew that I could watch safely, unless someone at the party began to miss me. Anna sat on her bed, smoothing her hands on her lacy white dress for a few minutes. Then she took a small box from the drawer of her bedside table, searching through it until she found a few slips of folded paper.

She carefully unfolded them, running her fingers along the edges, taking time to look carefully at each one. From where I was standing, I couldn't see what was written on them, but she smiled slightly as she flipped through them. I stood, confused, until someone came knocking on Anna's door.

'Come in,' Anna called, furtively pushing the papers beneath her pillow.

'Oh, here you are!' It was one of the bridesmaids. 'We've been looking everywhere for you... reminiscing, are you?'

'You've caught me,' Anna stood up.

'Well, people are demanding more photos... You'll have to suffer for a little while longer...'

'All right. Duty calls.'

'I suppose I'll have to find Olivia now. Where do you think she's skulked off to?'

'She's probably climbing trees in that expensive dress, for all I know. She's like a monkey, that girl, no grace or poise whatsoever...'

I smirked as they walked out of the room, waiting until Anna had closed the door before I climbed into the window. I dashed over to the bed, feeling beneath the pillow to find the papers she'd been looking at. I pulled them out, surprised and confused when I realized what they were.

They were simple pencil sketches of fossils, bone fragments, and other artifacts. Some I recognized, and others were unfamiliar to me, but all of them had been drawn on the same parchment paper that Olu liked to use. And the drawing style was his; precise, neat, and very detailed. I wrinkled my brows trying to discern the reason that Anna would be keeping them. I looked in the box, noticing that it was filled with things that were special to her: letters from Dad, a photo of our mother, and a few postcards from Mark.

I put the sketches back under the pillow, and quietly made my way back around the house, just in time to be grabbed by my father as he whisked me towards the photographer. We posed for what felt like a hundred photos before Mark looked at his watch and noted that they just had enough time to get changed for their train trip. Anna's maid of honor took charge, flitting to and fro, as Anna and Mark disappeared into the house.

I waited until the second round of drinks and deserts provided a distraction before I quietly made my way back into the house. I kept wondering why Anna would keep anything of Olu's. She had no interest in anthropology, so even if Dad had given them to her, I didn't think that she would have kept them. And knowing that Olu had drawn them would have probably made her want to burn the things. But they were obviously dear to her, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why.

I entered the house through the sitting room, pulling my shoes off as soon as I stepped onto the carpet. I walked across the room with the intention of going to Anna's room to wish her a farewell, but I stopped when I saw her in the hall.

She was standing outside of Olu's room, still in her wedding dress and veil, looking up at him. I saw her hand something to him, in a small red box.

'I can't accept this,' she said in a hushed tone.

'Take it,' Olu said.

Anna, strangely less formal and icy as she normally was with him, said, 'I can't accept it. Mark will wonder where it has come from.'

'It will be lost among your other gifts. Please, take it. I hope your wedding went well.'

'I must go now...' Anna hurried off, with the box still in her hand.

I ducked back into the sitting room, pretending to be searching for something, but Anna didn't even notice that I was there. I heard her close the door to her room, and when I looked down the hall, I saw that Olu's door was closed as well. I stood there, processing everything, realizing that there was more to Anna's seeming hatred for Olu than met the eye.

I went to Anna's room, and walked in without knocking. She turned around, holding her dress in front of her body, surprised at my sudden arrival.

'Oh, it's only you,' she turned away from me, carefully placing her dress in its large box.

'Anna...'

'What do you want? I don't have time to waste. We'll be leaving shortly.'

'I just wanted to say...' I saw the red box sitting on top of the clothes in her open suitcase.

'What is it?' she sounded impatient.

'I just wanted...' I lost my nerve. 'I wanted to say farewell.'

'Well, you could have done that outside with the others... you didn't have to come bursting in here. You act as if I'll never see you again.'

'Two months is a long time...'

She sniffed, pulling a new dress over her head. 'You don't have to pretend that you're going to miss me, Olivia. I know you'll be glad to be rid of me for a while. I hope you'll use the time wisely... hopefully your French skills will have progressed at least a little by then.' She snapped her suitcase shut, and pulled it off the bed, brushing past me to leave the room.

I stood there, looking at the folded dress in its open box. I could feel the anger stirring inside me, and I wanted to take scissors to it and rip it apart. I knew it was jealousy; I was jealous of whatever the secret was that she'd kept with Olu. I wanted to know, so badly, what had happened between them. It must have been long ago, because the house was too small for me not to have noticed something. And they usually steered clear of each other. I was dying to know what was in that box, and what feelings Olu had for my sister.

I heard peals of laughter and applause as I stood there fuming. I realized that Anna and Mark had left, and that everyone else was outside, waving and cheering. I took the opportunity to visit Olu, knowing that I could get at least a few minutes alone with him before anyone came looking for me. And even if someone asked me later where I had been, Anna would be able to verify the fact that I'd given her a private farewell.

I stepped into his room, not realizing how emotional I was. He was watching the farewell from his window, so engrossed, that he hadn't heard me enter. I could feel tears welling in my eyes. I felt betrayed, angry, afraid, and sad, all at the same time.

'So,' he said when he finally turned to notice me standing in his room. 'You're actually sad to see your sister leaving?'

'Do you love her?' I asked. 'Is that why you play with me? Is it because you can't have her? You're settling for me...'

'Olivia, don't upset yourself.'

'Is that why you were so rough last night? You were angry, because you couldn't have her, because she belongs to Mark now?'

'Olivia...'

'She treats you like dirt, Olu! How could you? How could you love her? I don't understand...'

'I don't love her...'

'Don't lie to me! I know that you do.'

'It's not what you think... it was a long time ago...' he moved toward me.

'Don't touch me!' I shrank away from him. 'Do you think of her, when you touch me?'

Olu furrowed his brows for a second, then burst into laughter.

'Why should I think of her when I touch you? You look nothing alike.'

'Don't laugh at me!'

'You're so young...' he pulled me into his arms, still chuckling.

I fought to free myself from his embrace, but he held my face in his hands, smiling at me.

'You think I'm young and foolish don't you?'

'No,' he kissed my lips. 'I think you're upset because your sister is leaving...'

'What?'

He laughed again. 'I'm only teasing you.'

He kissed my brow and sighed, holding me close to him for a few moments. I stood there wondering why he wouldn't be completely open with me; I knew that he was hiding something, but I didn't know how to find out what it was.

'You should go now, before they begin to wonder where you are,' he whispered, running his hands over my bare shoulders before opening the door for me to leave.

I let him gently push me out into the hall, taking a moment to wipe my tears before I joined the others. Before I could even make it down the hall to my bedroom, Dad pounced on me, grabbing my arms, and pulling me into a silent waltz.

'Darling, Olive Branch! I'm going away for the night.'

'Why?'

'Why must you ask "why" all the time? Don't you know that some things are never explained?'

'No. I don't know that...'

'Are you all right, Dear? Have you been crying?'

'There was something in my eye...'

'Well, since you're so keen on explanations, I'll tell you that Henriette will be with me.'

'Are you going to marry her, Dad?'

His jovial smile disappeared. 'Why do you ask me that?'

'Henriette loves you, Dad. You should marry her.'

'Anna would give me no peace if I did that.'

'Anna doesn't run your life, Dad! Besides, she won't be here much longer, after I leave for Europe; you won't have to worry about her sour attitude.'

'I shall return in a few days... You'll have plenty of uninterrupted time to practice, both your music and your language. Don't be disrespectful to Olu; and don't give William any trouble,' he kissed the top of my head, before turning to leave.

'Goodbye...' I watched carry his suitcase out of the house.

The house felt empty, with all of the revelers gone. William and the others had cleaned quickly and had walked out shortly after the last of the guests. I was left with Olu, but he was locked away in his bedroom. Feeling hot and tired, and downright sticky, I ran a hot bath and spent a long time lounging in the water, reading my notes for a while, and dozing for the rest of the time. I tried to clear my head, thinking of nothing but rest and enjoying the sounds of nature from outside. I opened my eyes to see that Olu had walked in.

'So, you've survived the wedding,' he smiled impishly.

'I have a headache...' I turned away from him.

'Let me massage your temples,' he offered.

'No thank you. I think I'll just go to bed in a few minutes.'

'You can't go to bed with a headache; just lying there trying to fall asleep will make it worse.'

'Do you have aspirin in your pocket?'

'No.'

'Well, then, you're of no use to me,' I said stiffly, pulling my knees into my chest.

'Why are you angry with me? What have I done?'

'Just leave me alone... I'm tired.'

Olu stood staring at me for a moment, making me blush for an instant.

'What are you looking at?' I looked down at the cloudy bath water.

'Isn't your water cold yet?' he leaned down to stick his hand in the bath.

'Olu! Stop that!'

'You've been in there much too long; you'll start to shrivel. Come on, out you go!'

He lifted me out of the bathtub in one swift motion, carrying my wet body in his arms. I tried to protest, but he only laughed at me, gently placing me in the center of my bed. I rested my head on the pillows, lazily looking up at him, noticing the large wet spots on his clothes.

'You've dried me off,' I laughed.

'So I have. I suppose I'll have to take these off, now...'

I watched him take his clothes off, draping them over a corner chair. 'I'm not completely dry; I'm still wet, in some places...'

'Hmm...' he smiled. 'I think I can guess which place is wettest.'

He climbed over me in the bed, resting his heavy body on top of mine, and taking a long moment to kiss me. He nibbled my lips and teased me into wanting more; I sighed with contentment when he pulled away from me, completely love struck by his attention.

'We have all evening... and all night...' he whispered in my ear, making my pussy spasm from the sound of his deep voice. He slowly kissed his way down my body, from my lips, to my neck, to my breasts, to my stomach, all the way down to my pussy.

'I have... all night... to savor... your sweetness...' he moved his large hands down to cradle my ass.

I bit my lip, holding my breath in anticipation.

I could feel Olu's warm breath first; I was too afraid to look, afraid that what I thought was happening wouldn't be so if I actually opened my eyes to see it. But he spoke again, describing his thoughts to me, showing me how much he liked looking at my wet cunt, and telling me how much he wanted to taste it.

'It's lovely... shaped like the petals of a flower, wet from the morning dew... you have very fat lips... a perfect fit for my mouth...'

I could feel his thick lips on my pussy, bestowing generous kisses, and his nose, nuzzling ever so slightly into my clit.

'Ahh...' I sighed, settling my hips into his firm grasp.

He kissed me this way for a long time, from top to bottom, over and over. I could feel my cunt lips swelling each time he touched me. It was a heavenly sensation.

'I wonder if you taste as sweet as you look?' Olu murmured into my pelvis, slowly dragging his tongue up the length of my pussy, stopping at my clit to swirl the tip of it around.

'Ohh!' I shuddered from the intensity of pleasure, trying to clench my teeth to stop them from chattering.

'Mmm...' Olu sighed as he continued licking me, so slowly that the arousing ache it caused was almost painful.

'Oh, yes...' my body shuddered again. I was suddenly cold, chilled all over, hypersensitive even to a passing breeze.

When he finally stuck the tip of his tongue inside my lips and pushed it up into my oozing pussy, my toes began to curl. I grabbed his head, gently scratching my fingers through his scalp as he moved his tongue around my slick opening. My nipples were as hard as stones, stinging as if they would burst.

'Olu... you're amazing...' I whispered as my eyes rolled up into my head.

It was when he began munching in earnest that I completely lost control. I was drunk on arousal, and I fell deeper into the spell with each stroke of Olu's tongue. He devoured me, slicing his tongue between my lips and inside my pussy, and sucking my clit with zeal. I wrapped my thighs around his head, lost to everything but my flooding pussy and his magnificent mouth. I began to babble senselessly, and it seemed that the louder my ridiculous musings became, the more effort Olu put into his suckling and teasing. I came, finally, so hard that my body flailed across the bed; Olu had to tighten his grip on my hips to keep me from falling off the bed.

'Oh my god! Olu... please... stop!' I begged him as I lay reeling from an unbelievably intense orgasm.

He relented, for a few seconds, allowing me to lie on the bed, with him still holding me around the hips, taking an instant to catch my breath. As soon as I started breathing evenly again, Olu plunged forth, lapping my pussy as if it were his last meal. I immediately screamed through a second climax, panting hoarsely, but failing to capture Olu's attention. He was only interested in exploring new ways to excite me, and he'd found one, in sticking his fingers up my cunt while he nibbled my clitoris.

This caused a different sensation altogether. A low moan escaped my lips as he pushed his thick fingers deep inside me, poking at my spot, making my pussy walls clamp down on them, working to capture and squeeze them. I felt as if I was riding on the air, with a pleasant funnel of suction pulling on my clit, and a strong spurt of wind pummeling my sweet spot, making me gyrate my hips to capture more of the feeling. I could feel a third climax building, so slowly that it began to frustrate me. I rocked harder, feeling my body moving down on the bed, causing Olu to move with me. I was straining to come at this point; he must have noticed, because he sucked my clit with more vigor, grazing the tip of it with his teeth. When he did this, my eyes almost popped out of my head, and my back arched; I moaned through clenched teeth, riding yet another wave of pleasure through to climax. My pussy desperately needed release; I pushed down, not realizing that I was spurting hot liquid into Olu's face until I heard him gasp in surprise. I opened my eyes to look down at him, watching him wipe his face with his hands.

'Oh! I'm so sorry...' I sat up, trying to help. 'I don't know how that happened... I'm so sorry, Olu...' I blushed deeply.

'Don't be. It means that I pleased you.'

'You don't have to make things up...' I blushed again, turning away from him.

'It really does, Olivia. It happens to many women. It only means that I've found the center of your pleasure...' He pulled me close and kissed me. I could smell myself on his face, and taste myself on his lips and his tongue.

'You gotten me all sticky again,' I frowned playfully.

'I like it when you get sticky,' he kissed the tip of my nose.

'Well, you'll have to get sticky as well,' I raised an eyebrow, looking down at his bouncing cock.

He gave me a devilish smile as I reached for his penis. My mouth began to water as I stroked it, ready to taste him again, eager to please him. It still amazed me, the way it throbbed in my hands, hot and alive, so sensitive to the touch. I'd finally learned how to caress Olu's cock; I remembered what he liked, and what made him moan, and I immediately aimed to make him moan senselessly. I decided to start out with a slow tease, kissing my way around his cock as he had done to my pussy, but eventually aiming to take more of him in.

My mouth watered even more when I tasted his saltiness. The tip of his cock was already wet; he was ready for action. I wet the rest of it slowly and thoroughly, licking him until his penis was glistening. I concentrated on the tip, swirling my tongue around it until I could feel Olu's hand on my head, gently guiding me closer to his cock. He wanted me to put it inside, so I sank my hot, wet mouth down to it, taking in as much as I could until I gagged. I put my hands at the base again, trying to prevent any more choking, but I could feel an almost insistent urging in Olu's tender grip on my head. He wanted me to take more, so I tried, closing my eyes, and suffering through a few minutes of gagging, until I finally relaxed enough to open more of my throat. I extended my neck to suck more of his long, thick cock in, just wetting it more at first, then, after getting used to having so much of it inside my mouth, sucking softly.

'Ahh... so nice...' Olu moaned quietly.

I looked up at his face as I increased the suction with my lips, moving my whole body back and forth as I'd seen Henriette do it. He had a look of contentment, smiling slightly with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he looked as if he were concentrating on something difficult. I sucked harder, making him hiss from the sensation. I could feel myself becoming aroused again, just from sucking Olu's cock and waving my ass in the air.

Olu must have read my mind, because he put his hand on my chin to lift my face away from his cock. He turned my body so that I could straddle him. I climbed onto him, sinking my pussy down onto his marvelously rigid cock. I sighed with pleasure as his cock filled me up, and I immediately began a sensual rocking and rotating of my hips. Olu thrust his hips up as I pushed down onto his, and soon, we were rocking frantically. My hair had fallen into my face, and Olu reached up to smooth it back, staring at me with his dark eyes. He pinched my nipples, and squeezed my breasts with his massive hands, making my milky orbs disappear between his long black fingers.