Chapter 8
EIGHT
A night at Makai’s had quickly turned into weeks at his home. Two . I’d slept in his bed fourteen days straight, most times without him present. Ghost and Midnight had become my companions, replacing Makai during the day when he was off to work.
This morning, however, he hadn’t let go of the bed and I was able to snuggle up next to him as soon as I made it in after work. It was the greatest feeling after a long shift. Makai comforted me in ways that made me believe anyone prior to him simply wasn’t doing enough, sexing enough, saying enough, communicating enough, or feeling enough for me or to me.
Perfection didn’t exist, but the thing we were building was the closest to it. Not because disagreements didn’t arise, but because we handled them head—on instead of letting things fester and create larger problems.
My shift was the latest topic of discussion. And as much as I wanted to fold and switch it as Makai suggested, mornings like the one we’d embarked on this time wouldn’t be possible. I lived for them and looked forward to them.
“Makaiiiii.”
Arching my back as I’d been advised, I shuddered as he entered me from behind. My wetness made my melting pot easy to access, again. The intense strokes he’d administered as I laid on my back translated well as our position changed.
“Baby, please.”
I felt the tip of his thumb circling my second hole, the one that made me dripping wet when toyed with. Makai understood this. He’d learned it over the last few weeks and weaponized my vulnerability to spark flames within me that neither of us could smolder.
“Cum on this dick, Glacier.”
My milkiness dripped onto the bed, making a mess beneath us. Our skin stuck together with each stroke. I was leaking like a faucet, thick, creaminess that sounded like stirred spaghetti.
I wasn’t sure if I could, again, but Makai had made me a believer enough times to know that anything was possible with him in control of our escapades.
“Arch that back and move ya fucking hand,” he grunted, slapping my hand away. “Take this dick. You got it, Mommas.”
His words.
His stroke.
His baritone.
His commands.
His encouragement.
His passive aggression.
They were a lethal combination, making my toes curl and my faucet leak. I gripped the pillows in front of me, trying my hardest to obey his rules. The pleasurable pain his long strokes caused had me dazed, dizzy, and unable to speak. Announcing my second orgasm was impossible because my head was stuffed so far in the pillow and all that occupied it at the moment was air.
“That’s it,” Makai moaned. “Shit, I’m ’bout to cum.”
Still reeling as sweat beads popped up on my chest, I managed to get a glimpse of Makai as he pulled out of me and let his soldiers march across my butt. I fell forward with ringing ears and an ultra-sensitive center. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and catch the Zs that appeared above my head. Makai wasn’t interested in sleep, though. He was ready for our day to officially begin.
“Get up,” he demanded, slapping my right cheek. “I’m starting the shower.”
I was immobile. My brain wasn’t sending the correct signals to my body, leaving me in a vegetative state. Not even words would form so I remained silent. It wasn’t until the warmth of a rag brushed across my skin did I feel alive again. Delicately, Makai removed his residue from my backside.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?”
“The water is running.”
“I can’t move.”
Soundlessly, he lifted me into his arms and tossed me over his shoulder. As if I was a feather, he never broke a sweat. His breathing remained even.
“There.”
He lowered my feet to the floor of the shower and closed the glass door behind us.
“Are you okay to stand?”
“Yes.” I nodded, unsure how long my response would reflect the truth.
The water was therapeutic. It rained down on my skin, rejuvenating my body with each passing second. I held out my palms, allowing the drops to fall freely into my hands. There was something so special and soothing about the element that I’d learned so much about throughout school and even in college.
“Turn around, Mommas. Let me get you cleaned up.”
Obliging, I fell into the habit that Makai and I had created.
He started at my chin, working the towel around my neck and then down my chest. My shoulders were next. My breasts followed. Gently, he took his time, making sure every inch was covered in suds.
He cleansed my body with the same passion he stroked my insides. My mouth slacked as my head fell backward, feeling each passing of his hand on the other end of the towel. He was making love to me, again, which made my orgasm inevitable, especially when his bare hand brushed against my vagina.
“Baaaaaby!” I shrieked, clinging to Makai for support.
“Shhh. Shhhhh,” he whispered, kissing me on top of my forehead.
“Mmmm. Mmm.” I hummed, feeling my muscles contract.
“Stand up, so I can finish washing you up, Mommas.”
What he was asking of me wasn’t tangible. I leaned into him, making his job harder. However, he still managed to get it done. After rinsing me off, he perched me on the bench that was a few feet away from the showerhead, but not too far from the heat that emitted from the hot water.
I placed my head on the wall behind me, reminiscing on the moment that led us to this point. During our first shower together, in his home, I washed his back and he returned the favor. However, the rag never left his hand. He cleansed me from head to toe. Every day, during our showers, it was more of the same. On occasion, he allowed me to cleanse his skin thoroughly, but his main focus was me. Always . In all ways.
After we’d both been cleansed, Makai hauled me into the bedroom wrapped in one of his plush towels. They smelled like berry fields and caressed me like a long hug.
“I never thanked you for going to dinner with me Friday, though we were supposed to have date night.”
It was something we’d agreed on a week and a half ago. Though our first date night was lost in translation and we ended up at his grandfather’s house eating with the family, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Meeting everyone was another event in our relationship that was scratched off my list.
“I enjoyed everyone. Especially all the babies.”
“They got plenty of them.”
“Quiet. There aren’t that many.”
Silence provoked me to continue, but Makai beat me to the marker.
“I have a question for you, Glacier, something I want you to answer honestly.”
“Okay,” I responded, bracing myself for impact.
To my surprise, there was no need.
“Is there anything I’m lacking?”
The sincerity in his voice lulled my heart. Makai had made it abundantly clear that he had no idea what he was doing and if he ever began doing it wrong, then I should address him. I had absolutely no reason to. He was a natural. Though he’d never been in love before, he’d been loved and he’d been loved properly. It made all the difference.
As tough as his edges were, his core was as fragile. Makai wasn’t all bad and neither was he the menace he’d been labeled as. He had a heart, a bigger one than any person I’d ever met in life. Though he didn’t open it to many, he’d opened it to me and I was grateful to have such a large chunk of him.
I left the pain of my old relationship behind me so that I could be as open and as vulnerable as our bond required. I didn’t label him the same as the other men I’d dated, because he wasn’t. Makai was special, different in every single way. Discovering new parts of him and new pieces to our puzzle each day kept me on my toes. He kept me on my toes.
Falling in love with him was unavoidable and I was almost certain I’d reached that point. The possibility crossed my mind as he patted my skin dry, waiting for me to respond.
“No, baby.”
“You for real, or you just saying shit to make a nigga feel good?” Genuinely, he needed to know. He stopped drying my body until I opened my mouth with another answer.
“I’m not. I promise. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to credit yourself for having a heart, Makai. A good one.”
“Because I’ve been heartless my whole fucking life, Kiwi.”
“Because you felt like you had to be in most circumstances. This isn’t one. When you step outside of that door, your heart shrivels again. But when you’re with me, it expands and it beats and it desires and it yearns and it?—”
“Loves.”
“Ma-Makai,” I stammered, having absolutely nothing more to say. He’d left me without oxygen.
“It does.”
Nodding my head, I agreed. My eyes burned from the saltiness of my tears as they formed, the first falling too fast for me to catch.
“Mine, too,” I confessed.
“Which makes me want to do this shit right, Mommas. The people I love, I don’t let them down. I never have and I never will. I’d go to the ends of the earth for ’em, no questions asked. I feel the same about you, but the shit is a little different.
“My family, they don’t expect much from a nigga, especially on a daily basis. I strived every fucking day to be the dude that you need that day because every day, I’ve realized you need something else, another version of me I probably haven’t even tapped into yet. So, I’m just trying to make sure I’m not lacking.”
He began rubbing my body down, again, using the towel to dry my tears as well.
“Am I?” My voice shook, hoping I’d been as accommodating to him as Makai had been to me.
“No. No. No, you aren’t. You make a nigga feel real fucking good these days, G. Purposeful. Ya know? Give me something to look forward to every damn day. I be out in the streets, ready to skip and bob my head to some fucking love song as I make my way back to you.
“I’m pressing niggas to hurry the fuck up so that I can get home to see you off to work. And the nights you’re off, a motherfucker better not even call my phone about business. All because I’m digging the way you make me feel and the way I feel about you. Maybe them ain’t the right words.” He chuckled.
“A nigga with a textbook memory and I can’t even think of enough to describe what be going on in here? You see what you do to me, woman?” He laid his palm against his chest. “But I like it. I’m scared but I’ve never been a pussy, though.”
His last few words stuck with me, prompting the next question. “What are you most fearful of?”
His eyes darkened a few shades as he stared off into the distance. He’d disconnected. I desperately needed him back in the moment.
“Baby,” I called out to him. He lowered his eyes to me, letting me know he was back with me.
“Becoming the man I saw my brother as over a two-year span and having the same reason to become that man.”
“Anna,” I whispered.
“Anna.” He nodded. “Aeir doesn’t even know how much I appreciate her, how much the fam appreciates her. She brought him back to us.”
“I’m so thankful for the new friendships you’ve helped me foster. The women are everything I could’ve imagined in a girl group.”
“They’re good people, baby. You’re in good hands. I promise.”
“I know.”
“After you get dressed, Aeir will be downstairs waiting. She’s already on her way to get you. I called in a quick favor.”
“Where are we going?”
Though excited, I wanted to know how my day would flow. Most of them were spent catching up on sleep, taking Ghost and Midnight for walks, FaceTime with Makai, and lunch dates with the girls when they were available.
“She’s taking you to look at some condos so you can get out of that bullshit ass?—”
“Makai,” I warned, knowing he was ready to fly off the handle. I lured him back in, back to me.
“Anyway, you leaving all that shit in there unless I spent my money on it.”
“Fine with me.” Shrugging, I continued. “But what you’re not going to do is get worked up over something so irrelevant. You’ve made it clear that you’re going to provide me with a new space. Let’s leave it there.”
“I was,” he stated as a matter of fact, kissing my lips to let me know that he wasn’t letting his thoughts overrule his happiness.
“Good. Now, how long do I have?”
“About twenty minutes.”
“Makai, you’ve wasted so much of my time this morning, knowing you had plans for me?” I joked, bolting through the bedroom and into the second closet in his bedroom that I’d made mine. It was fairly empty, but I was slowly building a decent-sized wardrobe with his help.
“My bad, Mommas. I was enjoying your company and contemplating telling her to cancel the plans but I finally said fuck it.”
He followed behind me like the lost puppy he was whenever it was time for me to leave him.
“Are you really going to stand there with those big, sad eyes and droopy lip?”
“Is it working?”
“No. Not really. As much as I want to hang out with you today, the sound of condo searching is enough to get me out of the house, baby. A new place? Oh my God, the feeling is unmatched.”
“And getting you out of your place will make me feel much better, too, so I ain’t tripping. Let me know how much longer on your lease or what it’ll take to break it and I got you.”
“Makai, you really don’t keep track of how much you spend on me, do you?”
“For what?” He tittered. “If you felt that little pussy between your legs, you wouldn’t keep track, either. I’m ’bout ready to empty my pockets right now, lint and all. You can have it, Kiwi.”
“Shut up and get out so I can get dressed.”
I snatched a pair of leggings and a cropped top to match. On top, I planned to wear my denim jacket and the sand-colored slides that Makai had purchased me.
“I’m not ready to leave yet. You can get dressed with me in here.”
He made his way inside, sitting on the bench in the middle of the massive closet.
“So aggravating.” My cheeks rounded as a smile lifted my brows and stretched my lips upward.
“Don’t do me like that,” he pled.
Spoiling Makai mentally and catering to his emotional desires was such a privilege that I was fully invested in. He was the biggest, bravest bear that simply needed someone to stroke the gentle parts of him that were hidden from the rest of the world.
“If you’re going to stay, can you help a little?”
“Whatever you need.”
He was on his feet immediately. Acts of service and gift-giving were undoubtedly his love languages. Being needed, feeling like he could be of assistance, and watching someone find joy in his gifts made his heart pump.
“Socks. Do you have any brown ones, specifically ones that match this?”
“Yeah. I got you. One second.”
Makai exited, leaving me with a hundred thousand and ninety-two feelings that all had a subject in common—my growing love for him. My baby .
I pecked his lips a final time and climbed into Aeir’s truck.
“Hm.” He pushed forward, kissing me once again before slamming the door.
“Pull off!” I demanded, knowing we’d be another few minutes if she gave Makai a chance to think of anything else that would keep me in his presence longer.
“Wait!” he yelled, knocking on the window.
“I told you to pull off.” I sniggered.
“Sorry, Glacier, but I can’t do my brother like that. Let him have his way. He deserves it.”
“Yes, baby?” I asked, poking my head out of the window.
“Here. Get y’all something to eat while y’all out. I know y’all like talking shit about us over sweet ass drinks and nasty ass food, pretending to hate us.”
“We don’t,” I scoffed. He had it all wrong.
“Yeah. Yeah. Here.” He handed me a few hundreds from his knot.
“I really don’t need this much, Makai.”
“But I need to give you that much, so take it. And call me if you find something you like. Don’t leave until you sign the lease.”
“Okay.”
“Here,” he said, again, this time handing me a card.
“What’s this?” I asked, staring at the thick, black card that was sleek and weighty.
“Your American Express card. It’s attached to my account so you ain’t worried about shit.”
“Baby, seriously?”
“Yeah. If you find something you like, call me. I want to make sure everything straight before you sign a lease.”
“Okay. Can I go now?” I laughed, knowing just how painful it was to release me.
My heart already longed for him as well, but I had business to tend to. Ironically, it was business he’d set in motion for me.
“Get ya big head ass on, then. Acting like I’m getting on your nerves.”
The smirk on his handsome face made me curl my fingers, stretching them to meet his collar and pulling him forward. My lips and his rejoiced, making contact again for the twentieth time since I’d awakened.
“I’ll see you soon. I promise.”
“Aight, Mommas. I’ll be somewhere in the city… waiting on your call.”
We parted ways, finally, the silence in the car leaving me with my thoughts. Makai was growing on me so heavily. Had I felt alone, I’d be concerned. I wasn’t alone. He exposed himself and the adoration we shared each day.
“I’ve never seen him like this,” Aeir averred.
Tilting my head in her direction, I rested my eyes on her immaculate brown skin.
“I’m in love, babe.” I dragged my words as I ran a hand down my face. “My God. Is it too soon? We’re going on five weeks.”
“Almost five weeks. Girl, why did it take more than five minutes? What’s wrong with you? It only took me one minute and I knew I had fallen for Lawe. To make matters worse, I was at work, where I was supposed to not even notice men for real,” Kleu blabbered, startling me. It wasn’t until then I realized why music wasn’t playing.
“I knew I loved Milo the first time I saw him on campus. From the beginning, we were stuck to each other like bees on a honeycomb.”
“I fell in love with Malachi through dreams and visions of him that confused my head. However, they never confused my heart. And the first time I heard his voice on the phone, I was ready to toss my body in front of him and demand he love me back.”
“So, I’m a late bloomer?”
“Not at all. I saw it in your eyes while we were on vacation. That’s why I assumed you had been dating for months. I would’ve never known that was your first date if you hadn’t told me.” Nonchalantly, Aeir comforted me.
“Okay. This makes me feel better. Now, I want to turn around and kiss my baby again. Shopping for condos don’t seem so fun now.”
“Good thing you aren’t, then.”
“What do you mean? He said?—”
“Because he doesn’t want you to feel as if he’s making such huge decisions for you and not considering your personal desires. Makai has already chosen your condominium. He’s just hoping you choose the same one so that he doesn’t have to rework the papers.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“It’s as if he just keeps getting better with time. I’m almost afraid to find out when it all will end.”
“It won’t,” Nature called out. “It won’t, Glacier.”
I gazed at Aeir for confirmation. She shook her head from one side to the other. “It won’t.”
“Listen to them,” Kleu added. “It doesn’t stop with them. They just find ways to get better, do better, love better, listen better… all the things. They are obsessed with progression. Not only in life but in love as well. That’s why I’m never coming up off my nigga.”
“Me either,” Nature addressed.
“I’ll go to my grave loving Malachi.”
“Just don’t beat him there or I’m going to resurrect your ass for him. I can’t see him go through that again.”
“I won’t,” Aeir laughed. “I promise.”
I remained silent, taking everything they were saying into consideration. Their testament to the Dominoes’ ability to improve the perfection they already presented was honorable.
“So, are we heading to the place he’s already chosen, or would you like to view the others?”
“Take me to the place my man has already prepared for me. I don’t care about the others. He knows me well enough now. I’m almost certain he chose nothing short of the best for me.”
“Shiiiiid. I know that’s right. Rep your man, girl. Call me later to tell me all about how much you love your new place, Glacier. I’m about to get my day started.”
“My next appointment is in five minutes. I’ll talk to you ladies later,” Nature chimed in.
“Talk to you all later.”
The music picked up, filling every inch of the truck with soft, jazz sounds. I examined the beautiful machine that Aeir drove daily. I’d seen hundreds of G-Wagons but I’d never been inside one. I’d only had the privilege of admiring them from afar. Now that I was inside, I could attest that the interior was as dreamy as the exterior.
Within fifteen minutes, we were approaching a high-rise building. Aeir was the first out as the concierge opened her door. I was next up, falling in line and following her as she traveled toward the entry where a woman stood, waving us over with a folder in her hand.
“Hi, I’m Eloise. Nice to meet you. Who is the lucky woman? Ms. Roseberry?”
She extended a hand to shake ours.
“I’m Glacier Roseberry.”
“Aeir Domino.” With a hand on her chest, Aeir clarified.
“Good. Good. Let’s get inside and out of this Berkeley wind, shall we?”
“Lead the way, please.” Nodding, I assured her we’d follow.
“I’ll start with the most obvious; valet and concierge are one and the same. We’re equipped with twenty-four-hour service. There’s an entire staff dedicated to assisting residents. Each floor has six members on their concierge team. They’re at your service whenever you need them.
“Cars of our residents are taken upon arrival and placed inside our elevator that leads directly to our resident’s floor. On this floor, you’ll find glass cubbies for each car. Residents can have up to three of them. When you’re ready to leave, you can step right outside of your door to your cubby where you’ll use the fob inside your vehicle to get back down to the ground level.
“The process simply repeats itself as you come and go. We have several elevators, all stopping on a maximum of three floors. Not all the elevators go to every floor. This cuts down on wait times when coming home.
“Because most residents come out of the car garage, they hardly use the elevators for anything but getting to their homes, not leaving.
“Let’s head upstairs. I can show you the amenities after we’ve toured your space. I think it’s best to start there.”
“Because I won’t be sleeping in the gym or the pool,” I agreed.
“Right. Let’s get to the more important spaces, the ones you’ll use most often.”
“Thank you.”
We entered the elevator and exited less than a minute later, on the very top floor.
“There are six condominiums on this floor. They’re all customized and look a little different. Yours, in particular, is the third largest and has the most incredible view of Berkeley. You can see the entire city from up here.”
She opened the door.
Including him.
Makai stood near the never-ending, floor-to-ceiling window with his back pressed against the glass. He looked up, noticing we’d entered and he was no longer alone. I whipped my body around, waiting for an explanation from Aeir. She shrugged with the cutest smile on her face.
“How’d he… We left befo?—”
“Your place is only eight minutes from his, babes. I drove around in circles to give him time to make it here before us.”
“Sneaky little thing!”
“I hate to cut out so soon, but I have to get back to my babies. If you need me, please call me.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. My job here is done. Before picking you up, my mission was a bit more complicated.”
“What was it, exactly?”
“Furniture. It’ll be here within the hour. All you have to do is say yes to this unit. If it doesn’t work, you can look at any unit you want on this floor, baby. I’ll put a motherfucker out if you want their shit. This building checked all the boxes and your safety won’t ever be in question,” Makai explained, shoving his phone in his pocket and making his way over to me.
“Yes.”
“But baby, you haven’t ev?—”
“Yes. I’m saying yes. I want to be exactly where you want me to be, wherever you feel most comfortable with me being. I don’t need to visit every room to know I love this place. Look at the windows, Makai. The kitchen, the size of the living room, the study… It’s a yes.”
I scanned the main areas that were visible, loving everything I saw.
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s settled,” Aeir boasted. “I told you she’d love it.”
“You did. Appreciate everything.”
“I’ll expedite that delivery order now. Everything should be here and situated within the next hour. In the meantime, I need to get going.”
“And I need to prepare to let her drag my Black ass around, buying shit to fill this bitch up.”
“Makai!” I blurted, tapping his arm.
“Fuck that lady. I’m sure she be cussing, too,” he whispered, leaning closer to Aeir and me.
“You have your hands full here, friend,” with a titter, Aeir warned.
“Thank you so much for all that you’ve done for me today. I don’t know what all it consisted of, but I’m certain it was a lot of work.”
“That’s the advantage of marrying a Domino. They make sure that hard work doesn’t truly exist in your world if they can help it.” She chuckled. “Pointing out everything from the Pinterest board I’d created was my only job. Not going home and coming to get you instead was the hardest part.”
“Well, nonetheless, thanks again.”
“Of course.”
We saw her out before the tour of my new condominium began. I was already filling a store cart in my head as Eloise began speaking again.
“This unit features a double dining and living room situation. It’s the perfect place for hosting if you have a large family.”
We do , I brimmed with pleasure, realizing it was now my reality.