The Perfect Storm Pt. 01

All night Shonda presented a smiling and welcoing face, but now her expression now conveyed only deep soberness. "Yes." Shonda said.

Kiara looked to the floor, trying to avoid Shonda's eyes. "Well, I mean, is he even the kind of guy who would ask me home?"

"With that booty of yours I'd say you have a pretty good shot."

Kiara playfully punched Shonda in the arm.

"Seriously though." Shonda said. "He's been in jail for almost a year, and you are an attractive women who is clearly interested in him, if you wanted to try getting into his pants, tonight may be the easiest it's going to get."

Kiara rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know Shonda, I mean. If the guy is like you said, would he even be up for a one night-stand?"

Shonda chuckled. "He's sensitive, not a saint, I'm pretty sure he's been there at least once."

Kiara sighed. "Still, I'm not sure if I even want to go home with him tonight."

Shonda rolled her eyes. "Oh for the love of... fine, just dance with him, if you like it, give him your number and hook up later. If you don't, we pretend this whole conversation never happened. Deal?"

Kiara rocked on the sink. What the hell. "Deal."

When they returned to the table, they found it abandoned save Jeff.

"Where everybody at?" Shonda asked.

"You took to long, they went to the dance floor a few minutes ago."

"Aw shit. Well we better go out and join them. Come on Jeff."

"Actually...I think I'm just going to hang out at the bar. I'm a little rusty to be dancing sober." Jeff said.

"Oh." Shonda said. "Well I guess we'll see you on the dance floor later?"

Kiara didn't miss the glance Jeff shot her. "Yeah, of course." Then he went to the bar.

"Hmmm" Shonda tapped her lip. "What you want to do?"

Kiara smiled. "I'm going to get a drink."

Kiara waited a few minutes before sitting down next to Jeff at the blue lit bar.

"Jeff, right?" she asked as she carefully sat down.

His eyes seemed to brighten when he looked at her. "Yeah, it's Jeff. Kiara right?"

Kiara nodded.

"That's a really nice name, does it have a story?"

"It's Irish, like my Mom."

"You're Irish?"

Kiara gigled. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well...I mean...the lighting is kind of bad in here."

She laughed again. "It's from my mother. I'm half white, I'm a quarter Lebanese and a quarter Brazilian."

Jeff raised his eyebrows. "That's exotic!"

"You know, I do my best..."

They talked like this for about ten minutes, he'd ask her questions, she'd answer. Kiara, however, wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation. She was far more intrigued by the way the light seemed to dance off his slightly exposed chest, how his dark eyes slowly worked their way across her body, and the intense pleasure she got from both. She still didn't think she'd go home with him tonight, but in a week, well, that would be a different story.

After a break in the conversation, Jeff said. "So...do you want to dance?"

As a matter of fact she did, but she wasn't going to let it be that easy. "You're not even going to by me a drink first?" she asked.

"Is that why you were talking to me? You wanted to get a free drink?"

"You got me."

He waved her off. "Alright, alright. What's your drink?"

"Seriously, I'm kidding." she meant to wave her hand at him, but instead she put it on his thigh.

They caught eyes.

Kiara stood from the stool, slowly dragging her hand."Come on, let's go dance."

She lead him onto the dancefloor by the hand. Multi colored lights flashed overhead, and the sweaty bodies danced only partially to the music. They pushed their way through the gyrating crowd, the smell of a hundred different intermingling perfumes and colognes wafted through the air, and eventually found an open spot near the far corner of the building.

With a little breathing space, Kiara turned around to Jeff.

"Alright, show me what you got." Kiara said.

Jeff smiled and began to move. They both started out with a little two-step, Kiara making sure not to make immediate physical contact.

You make them work for it, that's how you get them.

She swung her hips slowly, running a hand through her brown locks before flinging them behind her. Jeff followed her movement with a simple two-step. They danced like that for two songs, but after the third Jeff started something different. He made slow, exaggerated movements, that remeinded Kiara of astronauts walking on the move. Then out of nowhere he would jerk his whole body to the right, and then the left, creating an impressive optical illusion. He continued to move with fluid grace, jerking and stepping in line with the base.

He's actually a pretty good dancer...

"Show off!" She said.

"Don't hate!"

Ok...I can show off too...

Shonda taught her some moves back in California. She turned her back to Jeff, put her hands on her knees, and went to work. After a little while she looked over her shoulder. Suddenly Jeff was having a hard time concentrating on dancing.

She turned and smiled to herself. That was too e--

She felt his body collide with hers. A wave of pleasurable heat washed over her.

That didn't last long. A laugh escaped her lips as she turned her head to face Jeff. His smile had become more measured, thoughtful. She could smell his cologne, a mixture of dark chocolate and vanilla. Her mouth started to water, and she wasn't sure if it was the chocolate doing it. His hips synced with hers, his arms at his sides.

Don't be shy! She reached back for his shoulders and slowly brought her hands down his well defined arms to his hands and placed them on her hips. She felt him stiffen through his pants, which in turn caused her to simmer beneath the pit of her stomach.

That's interesting... Guys rarely got this much of a rise from her out of the gate, but there was something about him that--

His hands started to move slowly down the front of her legs. Goosebumps erupted from her flesh as his skin found bare flesh as his fingers caressed her. The simmering turned to burning. She felt his breath hot against her neck, smelling of alcohol and mint. An involuntarily gasp left her throat.

She heard him chuckle softly against her ear, his mouth inches away.

Oh you think that's funny, motherfucker? She turned her head to him, half in a frenzy, his face only inches away from her own. His eyes flashed as they locked hers.

Time seemed to slow, the club faded into the recess of her mind.

Ok, Kiara, what do you want to do? She thought.

She moved without thinking. Her tongue must have decided it wanted to meet his tonsils, because she was pushing her face because before she could mentally process what she was doing, she her pressed her lips against his and kissed him deeply. Jeff seemed to be momentarily stunned, but only momentarily. Then he was kissing her back, bringing her body closer to him, pushing on her legs lightly with his fingertips. His hands started to move towards her stomach. She put her hands over his, feeling the veins in his strong hands. His tongue lightly caressed the top of her lips, and she shuddered.

She broke off the kiss, threw her head back against his neck and gasped for air as their hips still moved.

What is happening? Maybe it was all the stress from moving and starting a new job, maybe it was the fact she hadn't gotten any for four months, maybe it was just him. In any case, he was working for--

He kissed her where her neck joined the shoulder. Lightning erupted from the spot and struck hard deep within her. The desire boiling deep within her exploded throughout her body, and her eyes glazed over in a haze of lust. She spun around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in. Her stomach did back-flips when she felt her breasts press hard against his chest. There hips, still in sync, moved with only a vague concern for the music. His hands were on her back. Then they were on her lower back. Then they were just lower. When she felt his fingers on her bare flesh, she realized her dress must have hiked up. She also realized she didn't care, making her smile beneath his lips. She turned around and laid her head against his chest. She bit her lip as he kissed her on that special part of her neck again. It had taken her last ex a few make-out sessions to find that spot, and this guy found it right off the bat.

I hope that's not the only spot he finds tonight.

How long they went on like this, Kiara couldn't say. She wasn't exactly keeping track of time. Eventually there was a still in the music and she found herself being turned around and drawn into another deep kiss. When the kiss broke they both took a second to catch their breath.

"That was really fun." He said, holding her in one arm.

"Yeah it was, you're a good dancer."

He held her a little closer, a look of longing in his deep brown eyes. She wanted to eat those eyes, she wanted to eat him.

He sighed and dropped his arm from her waist.

"But I should be getting back home, my mom hasn't seen me for a while, and I don't really want to leave her alone so soon."

Wait...What? Kiara blinked. Was he not taking her home?

"But this was really cool though!" he quickly added. "Why don't you give me your number, maybe we can hang out later?"

Or we could hang out right now! Seriously, dude, I'd fuck you on a piece of cardboard in the alley if you asked. She thought about vocalizing her thoughts, but decided it was too much. I mean, when a girl rubs her naked ass against your crotch in the middle of a public dance floor, you can safely assume she wants to spend the night with you.

Instead, she smiled a generic smile, the kind of smile when you don't know what else to do. "Sure." Kiara said, and gave him her number. "Give me a call soon, ok?"

"I will." he hesitated, and kissed her.

She wanted to hit him. Oh my God! Just take me! She screamed in her mind.

Instead he turned and walked out.

Kiara stood momentarily stunned. What just happened?

Then she remembered her dress was still hiked. Kiara quickly pulled down her dress and walked to the bar. She sat there for thirty some minutes, ordering a few drinks, turning down a few offers to dance. Eventually she decided she needed to find Shonda. It took her a another ten minutes, and the turning down of another guy, but she eventually found her dancing in the corner with an attractive man.

"Hey Shonda, I think I'm going to head out."

Shonda turned to her, a look of confusion on her face, but then it was gone and replaced by a look of exasperation. "Didn't work out with Jeff huh?" she turned to the guy behind her. "Thanks for the dance, Luke!" and took Kiara by the hand and lead her to their coats.

"Wait, what about your other friends?" Kiara asked.

"Oh, we were all gonna meet up again in about an hour after you left. Quality Sista time, you know."

Kiara rolled her eyes. "You're friends didn't like me."

"Oh please, they loved you, they just wanted to get me to themselves."

As they walked out of the club, Shonda offered to drive, and they found themselves in the parking lot with Shonda's black sedan.

"So, what happened with Jeff?" Shonda asked as she stuck the key in the ignition.

"I don't know, Shonda. I really don't fucking know."

"Whoa! Is everything al-"

"We were dancing, it was good, he was working for me, and I thought I was working for him. We made out, and then he leaves to go to his 'Mom'."

Shonda smacked her forehead. "Oh Shit, I forgot about Mrs. Smith. He wouldn't have taken you home because he wouldn't want to get freaky in his Mom's house, and he wouldn't have gone home with you because he hasn't been around to help his mom for almost nine months."

"You knew? Then why did you try to hook me up with him?"

"Well I didn't know he was going to be there tonight." Shonda said. "I just thought you two would be a good match. You know, sexually."

Kiara rubbed her eyes. It had been a long, long time since a guy got her that excited, and him leaving before anything could happen just made her want him more.

"Yeah well, he may have just blown his chance." Kiara lied. If he was in the backseat she'd climb him like a tree.

"Uh-huh." Shonda replied. Shonda put the car in reverse and left the parking lot. As they drove through the city, Kiara stared out the window and tried to figure out what she would do with herself. After hooking up with fifteen guys in the last eight years (she really slept around in undergrad), Kiara had learned some things about her sexual process, the foremost being how difficult it was for her to achieve an orgasm. It wasn't that difficult for her to do it alone, but it was still a process. Yes, other women needed some additional stimulus to achieve the big O, but she suspected it was markedly difficult for her. Case in point, of the aforementioned sexual partners, she only came with three. Granted, she didn't usually give the guys enough times to find her sweet spots (most guys were a one night thing, and those she bothered to keep around she usually got bored with a guy in a couple of months), but did that really matter? After all, one of the times she was with a one-night stand back in California. (Ok, in all honesty the time in Cali had very little to do with the guy in question, and more to do with the jubilation of being done with the BAR.)

The other times were with her middle/high-school boyfriend—her first and last long term relationship—, the guy she hooked up with shortly after her boyfriend dumped her after she learned he had been cheating on her (and she broke down crying immediately after), and with a fuckbuddy she had in undergrad. Despite the heartbreak, part of her was actually glad of what happened in high-school. Through her break up with Tad she learned something important. Or more accurately, relearned something. When it came to love, someone was going to get screwed. Always. And you were either the one doing the screwing, or you were the one being screwed. She figured she should have learned the lesson

(daddy I love you)

when her dad

(daddy please don't go)

ditched them when she was six, but it turned out it took Tad to send the message home.

(please daddy)

She rubbed her eyes."God I need to come..." She thought. Jeff hadn't brought her to the point of no return, but he got close, damn close. She wanted him, and he wanted her, Kiara could see it in his eyes. She also saw sincere regret in his eyes when he said he had to leave. He didn't want to leave, but he did anyway. That frustrated her, which inexplicably only made her want him more.

"Hey Shonda?" Kiara asked.

"Yes?" Shonda said

"Jeff, does he...go for girls like me?"

"What do you mean girls like you?"

Oh God, you're gonna make me say it aren't you? "Does he go for girls who aren't, you know, black?"

"Why? I thought Jeff blew his chance?"

"I said he may have blown his chance."

Shonda laughed, then her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You know, now that I think of it, the only girls I know he hooked up with were black...but that's only two."

"I'm sure he's hooked up with more than that."

"Maybe, but the way you two were dancing on the floor tonight suggest that you not being black isn't a problem."

"You saw us?"

"Honey, we all saw you. Again, you ain't slick."

Kiara blushed. "God, all your friends must think I'm a whore..."

Shonda shrugged. "Not really, well maybe a little, but they see where you're coming from. Jeff is hot."

Yeah he is. Kiara stared out the window and let her mind wander again.

++

What the fuck is wrong with you Jeffery? Jeffery Smith thought as he walked up the subway stairs. You were locked up for the last nine months, had a beautiful woman all over you, and you left to go take care of you Mom!

The moonlight shimmered off the buildings around him as he stepped to ground level. The dank, moldy air of the subway station gave way to the only slightly less dank, moldy air of the street. Jeff was surprised to find how much he'd missed his city. Prison wasn't as bad as he expected it to be, but it was a far cry from enjoyable, and he tried not to think to much about it. Jeffery had been out of the Lincoln Correctional Center for fourteen days while taking care of his mom for the last ten. He told Ray and the girls he was getting out three months early for good behavior, but they insisted he keep it quite and surprise Shonda. But when Ray told him that Shonda wanted to meet up at a club on the other side of town, he almost didn't go. It wasn't that his mother wasn't capable of surviving on her own for a couple hours, heck a couple days, but there is only so much a wheel chair bound woman can do by herself. Compounded with his mom being watched by a total stranger from the social program through which he was paid because he was gone for the last nine months, Jeffery seriously considered meeting Shonda another time.

When he expressed as much to Ray, he did the one thing that would ensure Jeff would go: he told his mother.

"Nu-Uh, you ain't gonna miss Shonda's party because of me!" His mother approached him immediately after Ray's phone call. In spite of everything that happened to them, his mother still had life in her. "That little girl is practically your sister! Shoot, she's been like a second daughter to this family!"

"But..." he stammered.

"But nothing! I don't want none of your buts! The only place I want to see your but is out of this house and dancing on the floor with Shonda!"

His mother found a way to make the entire situation awkward. He kept trying to explain, and his mother continued to ignore him. So he went. It was really good to see Shonda again, and with the gang back—minus Leon—it felt like old times.

Then Kiara happened. He vaguely knew that Shonda had brought a friend back with her from the west coast, and when Shonda and Jeff chatted online she would talk about her from time to time, so he wasn't completely caught off guard when Shonda brought a guest. He wasn't prepared for how beautiful she was. They way her sweet blue eyes contrasted and complemented her devilish smile, he was so stunned he almost forgot where he was. He hadn't gotten laid since his last girlfriend, and they broke up almost eight months before his incarceration. One minute he was taking a trip down memory lane, the next, two years worth of desire came frothing from loins.

But he was with Shonda and the gang, he wasn't about to try and get with a girl, especially Shonda's friend at Shonda's party. It had been almost two years since he was with a girl, he figured he could make it one more night.

So when Kiara found him at the bar, he figured it couldn't hurt to talk a little bit. Not only was she beautiful, but she was a lot of fun to talk too. Intelligent, witty, teasing, and the way she looked at him. Then he asked Kiara to dance. He didn't ask because he wanted too—he did want to of course—he asked because he thought it was the polite thing to do. He he should've found some excuse to not go, but then she was touching him and pulling him to the floor.

Beautiful and Assertive. My Kryptonite. He thought.

He told himself they wouldn't do anything crazy, that he'd be able to keep grinding to a minimum. That all flew out the window when she started twerking. Jeff had been so taken aback by her face and personality he didn't even take a good look at her body. There was just no other way to say it: the girl had ass for days.

How'd I miss that? In a fit of lust and desire he collide with her. They were grinding before he even knew what he was doing, and boy, was she receptive. Next thing he knew, she was kissing him. He had not been expecting that, and at that point he didn't even try to hold back.