Saint
“Dinner went well.”
As I maneuvered the car into the driveway and the garage, my eyes fell on Victoria. Cutting the power to the car, I focused my attention on her.
“It did? I thought you and my mom would come to blows for a second,” I chuckled.
“We were able to resolve our differences outside,” she revealed, lifting her hand to open the door.
“I got that, Tori.”
With a grunt, I eased out of the car and rounded to her side. “It seemed like my mother had a change of heart about you,” I pried for details once she was out of the car and in my arms. I was curious to know what they were discussing.
“She knows you’re in good hands, Saint. Now stop fishing.”
“Fishing? Ion do that. I leave the fish where they belong: in the ocean.”
“Digging for information, silly,” she giggled, tugging at my tie. “She told me about your love affair with the ocean, though even a blind man could see that.”
We eased into the house, where I toed off my shoes and hung the keys on one of the climbing man hooks on the wall. Kneeling, I helped Victoria out of her heels.
“That first day you encountered the beach?”
“Oh, yeah...That,” I said, standing. With both of our shoes in one hand and her fingers gripping my other hand, we made our way upstairs to continue what we were forced to interrupt earlier for the sake of the dinner. Victoria removed the plethora of pearls draped around her neck and headed for the closet to put them away. I began prying the buttons of my shirt apart.
“So, what’s all the chatter about this business you’re starting?” Victoria asked from the closet.
I sighed. “My dad thinks I should pursue something with the portion of my trust money he allocated for a startup. I’m just not business savvy like the rest of them.”
“Good thing you have a wife who is.” Victoria reappeared from the closet with a sexy smirk.
“Tori… That’s the problem. I don’t have an interest in starting anything. What would I do?”
“I don’t know. Something that aligns with you,” she suggested. “Ooh! What about an aquarium?”
“Fishes belong in the ocean, not a manmade prison for our entertainment,” I bristled.
“Okay… What about a dive school or… or… a nonprofit?” The joy radiating off her body as she came up with a business concept for me made my chest expand. She truly had a gift for it.
“A nonprofit for what, Beauty?” A dive school seemed like a good idea, but it would detract from my time in the lab, and teaching others to dive didn’t pay nearly as much as I was currently making.
“I don’t know… Let me think on it.”
Victoria disappeared into the closet to shed her blouse and remove her jewelry.
“Saint!”
She returned from the closet dressed in her bra and slacks. Eyes full of wonder, she asked, “What about a nonprofit for autistic children?”
“Like a charity?”
“No, babe. A recreational center or something of the sort. A place where children can come and be themselves without the fear of being bullied or anything. I don’t know. I guess I got a little inspired after speaking to your mom. Wouldn’t you have liked to have access to such a place if it existed when you were growing up?”
She had a point. My gears were turning. “That sounds wonderful, but where would I find the time, Tori?”
“I’ll help. You can even hire help. You’ll be enhancing the community around you. It’ll be great. Plus, you have firsthand experience being autistic, so people will gravitate to the center. I can see it now:Miller Center for Autistic Children.” She held her hand out to emphasize it like a tagline flying through the air.
“Maybe a different name,” I cringed.
“What’s wrong with that name?”
“Maybe something more inclusive for the community as a whole in case there aren’t that many autistic children in town. Something that welcomes everyone, from young to old. Autistic to allistic.”
“Okay! Look at you! I’m here for it. This is so exciting. I can’t wait to hammer out a business plan with you.”
“I just want some pussy,” I confessed, void of any suavity or embellishment. Despite my admission, I’d been lying to myself about our relationship being solely physical. I couldn’t place it, but Victoria… did it for me. The way she held me down, the way she made me feel comfortable in my own skin, the way she balanced me.
“We’ll get to that,” she promised with a laugh. “My creative juices have been churning since we left your parents’ house. I feel so charged up.”
“Juices churning, huh?” I stepped into the closet, removing the belt from my pants and unzipping them.
“I’d like to go diving with you one day, Saint.”
“Really?” My brow hiked as I removed the button down from my limbs and tossed it in the hamper. “Have you ever been diving before, Tori?”
“Snorkeling, yes, but actual deep diving? No, I haven’t.”
I stepped into her space, forcing her to retreat back into the dresser situated in the center of the closet. With nowhere to go, she planted her hands on my shoulder as I lifted her to sit on top of the dresser.
“We can start training for your plunge tomorrow,” I breathed between kisses littering her neck, collarbone, and the side of her face.
“Don’t you have to work?” She managed to ask between whimpers.
“No, I’m off this week and…”
Kiss.
“There’s nothing…”
Kiss.
“I’d rather do…”
Kiss. Kiss…
“Then go deep diving…”
Kiss…
“With you.”
Victoria lifted her bottom to assist me in sliding her pants and panties down her legs. Once I had her fully naked, I went diving, all right, deep in her warm abyss.
It was six o’clock when I woke Victoria to prepare for our adventure in the ocean. With all the necessary equipment laid out –equipment intended for myself since I didn’t have many spares in my possession– I waited for her to work through her morning rituals before I began my lesson.
Admittedly, I was eager to get started. It was the first time anyone close to me expressed an interest in diving. I could easily go on for hours about diving and marine life to anyone who would listen. Most of the people in my circle didn’t care that much. The disinterest didn’t bother me. I understood my passion wouldn’t always be shared amongst all. Today marked the day an opportunity was presented to dive headfirst into my interests with someone who cared. I couldn’t wait.
Victoria came downstairs, dressed in a black two-piece swimsuit. She wore a cover over it that would soon be discarded for a wet suit. With the oxygen tanks sitting out on the patio along with all the other gear, I encouraged her to follow me outside.
Once seated in front of all the equipment, I went through a descriptive overview of everything –from the material the tank was made of to all its parts. It was important that she understood all the parts of the diving gear. Once we were actually underwater, I didn’t need her looking confused when it came time for us to communicate about a specific part.
“So, will we be going under today or what?” She asked, growing impatient after the first hour had passed.
“We’ll do some shallow dives in the pool to get you accommodated with all the gear and relaxed with wearing everything. It’s too soon to dive with you, Beauty.”
She was pouting then with her arms crossed like an upset toddler.
“I want to make sure you’re safe when we get out there, Beauty. So, maybe not today, but soon,” I revealed, watching her deflate.
“I really wanted to go see the turtles and fish.”
“I know, babe, but safety first,” I explained.
Scuba diving was a dangerous sport for a host of different factors. From the pressure of the water, decompression illness, and the possibility of rupturing a lung or an eardrum, caution was required. After spending twenty minutes explaining all this to Tori, she looked overwhelmed.
“How do you feel? Do you still think you’re up for taking the plunge?”
“I mean, how hard could it be? You do it every day.”
“I’ve been doing it for years, Tori. Certain things come second nature to me… But I’ll bring you up to speed. The key thing to remember is to be slow upon ascent and breathe. Never hold your breath underwater with equipment. That’s why you have the breathing equipment. Just… trust your diving instructor.”
Once the scuba store finally opened, we went to pick out a wetsuit to fit her. The task took us at least half an hour. We left the store with a wet and dry suit, though I was skeptical if she’d ever end up using both. I spent the remainder of the morning getting her acclimated to the pool water with all the gear on. We broke at twelve for lunch.
Looking at the way she unashamedly devoured her veggie burger without a care in the world made me light up like fireworks on the fourth of July. I couldn’t stand them loud motherfuckers, but they were nice. I watched as mustard coated the crease on the side of Victoria’s lips and smiled.
I liked her. She was sexy and funny, and she helped me ease up out of my shell. I could be myself with her. The sensation was one I hadn’t experienced in… ever. All of the women I dealt with–there weren’t many– had never brought me to that level of comfort. With others, it was simple. I had hard, long dick. She had wet pussy. We fucked. We came. The end. Not with Beauty, though. I mean, yeah, we had earth-shattering, spine-tingling, mind-blowing sex, but we also had all the other things that made a nigga like me journey down a highway of thoughts.
Themes like
finding forever,
freedom to flourish,
forging a family
and things like vulnerability were at the forefront of my thoughts and feelings. Things I never imagined for myself, much less us sharing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was love. In truth, I didn’t know shit.
“Can’t we do a shallow dive today?” She begged between stuffing her face with fries.
“Tomorrow,” I insisted. “I need to quiz you to make sure that you’re retaining all the information. I want to see you dress in all the gear without assistance and call out each piece of equipment as you put it on.”
“Ugh. Boring.” Victoria tipped her head back and groaned.
“This boring shit will save your life,” I advised sternly while adjusting the dive belt. Victoria gathered the trash left behind from our lunch and tossed it into the takeout bag. “Don’t you have work to finish up at the office, though?”
“I’m telecommuting until I take this famed dive.”
“That’s code for you getting on my nerves until we go diving,” I smirked.
“You love it, though,” she teased, blowing me a kiss.
“I do.” Shamelessly, I smirked as I confessed my addiction.