Full Figured 16, page 13
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The hookah lounge that Karima picked for us to meet at for happy hour was smaller than I expected and dimly lit. I tried scanning the crowded bar to find her, but it was damn near impossible. Between the poor lighting and the hookah smoke, I could hardly see. I sent a quick text asking where she was, then decided to wait in a corner near the bar. A few minutes later, she responded.
Got stuck in a meeting at work. Prob not gonna make it.
I was about to leave when I heard my name being called. I didn’t see anyone at first and thought I was tripping when I heard it again. This time when I searched for the source, I saw Wes at the opposite end of the bar, waving as he made his way toward me.
“Oh, hey.” I waved back at him. We’d talked a few times after our initial date, but I’d made an excuse every time he invited me on another date.
“Fancy meeting you here.” He smiled. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” I told him. “So do you.”
Telling him he looked amazing was a stretch, but as usual, he looked nice. His outfit was slightly more relaxed: another collared shirt, this one with stripes, and instead of khakis, he wore jeans.
“You’re not leaving, are you?” He frowned.
“Yeah, I am. My girlfriend I was meeting can’t make it, so I’m gonna go.”
“Nah, don’t go yet. Look, I got a table right over there. Let me at least buy you a drink first.” He reached down and took my hand.
Having no other plans, and not wanting to waste my cute outfit, I decided to take him up on his offer. He led me to his table, which had a hookah setup already in place, and I sat down. When I ordered a glass of wine from the waitress, he tried to get me to order something else.
“That’s all you want? Come on now, I remember you told me you like Tito’s. Bring her a shot, too. Oh, and bring her a mouthpiece, too,” he told her. “You smoke hookah?”
“I do, but—”
“And bring us some hot wings, too, please,” Wes told her.
The waitress didn’t even look in my direction. I figured she was going to bring everything he told her to, so her tip would reflect it. I checked my watch.
Maybe if I stay for a little while, Karima can still come through after her call at work. I’ll text her and hang for thirty minutes. If she can’t make it by then, I’ll leave.
The thirty-minute window turned into well over an hour, mainly because a trio consisting of a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist who played keyboard positioned themselves on a makeshift stage and began playing. The neo-soul classic songs they performed were flawless, and I was caught up along with the rest of the crowd until they took a break.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize it was this late,” I said, noticing the time.
“Man, it’s not even that late,” Wes said. “Stay a little while longer. We’re having such a good time.”
“I have to work in the morning,” I said as I stood up. “It’s past my bedtime.”
“I don’t want you to go yet. Ain’t no telling when we’ll see each other again.”
Wes didn’t try to hide his disappointment, and I felt a little guilty. I hugged him and promised to give him a call, though I knew the possibility of me doing so was slim. I’d been gracious enough to allow him to move his chair closer beside me and put his arm around my shoulders while we listened to the music.
“It was great seeing you and hanging out,” I told him. “You’re a nice guy, Wes. I’m glad we’re friends.”
I turned toward the door and maneuvered my way through the crowd, which was even thicker than when I’d first arrived. I was almost to my car when Wes came running behind me.
“Sierra, hold up,” he called out.
I turned around, wondering if I’d forgotten something at the table. My keys were in my hand, and I made sure my phone was in my purse. “Yeah?”
“I’m saying, I really don’t want you to go yet. I’m feeling you for real.” He grabbed my hand.
Oh God, here we go. I thought I made it clear that I’m not interested in anything other than a friendship, but somehow this dude ain’t get the hint. I made sure to tell him I consider him a friend.
“Wes, I’m flattered, I am—”
My sentence was cut off by his attempting to kiss me. I moved just in time before his lips met mine, but he kept his tight grip on me. I realized he was drunk, and I tried not to panic.
“You are so beautiful. I want to take you home with me and show you how much I’m feeling you.” He pulled me close.
I tried pulling away. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“You’re a tease, and I don’t like that shit! You going where I take you!” The gentle demeanor that he had shown was now gone.
“You’re hurting me. Let me go!” I barked at him.
“Who the fuck you think you’re talking to? I’m sick of you Tinder bitches tryin’a play me for drinks and shit. Nah, fuck that.” He began pulling me in the opposite direction of my car. He was so strong that I couldn’t get away.
“Let me go!” I screamed as I tried to dig the heels of my shoes into the soft gravel of the parking lot, which was as dim as the inside of the bar.
“Let her the fuck go!” A baritone voice came out of nowhere, causing Wes to finally stop.
“Fuck you. This is between me and my girl, nigga. Keep stepping,” Wes growled.
“That ain’t yo’ girl. Let her go, man.” The tall, shadowy figure stepped out, and I saw that it was Moe.
Wes opened his mouth to say something else, but Moe’s fist connected with his jaw, causing him to stumble and nearly fall. I took advantage of the moment and snatched away as fast as I could. Wes recovered his balance and reached for me again, but Moe blocked him. Wes flung his large body against Moe’s, knocking him to the ground, then climbed on top of him, punching him in the face. Horrified by what was happening, I ran over and kicked Wes so hard that he fell to the side. Moe jumped up and stomped Wes in the chest.
“They fighting!” someone yelled. “Call the police!”
I pulled Moe by the arm. “Come on, Moe. He’s done.”
Moe glanced over at me, then nodded. “Let’s go.”
Instead of going to my own car, I ran and got into his, and we peeled out of the parking lot. Neither one of us said anything as he sped through the streets. My heart was pounding, and beads of sweat ran down the back of my neck. Everything happened so fast that I wondered if I was in the middle of a dream.
Moe looked over at me. He was sweating as much as I was, and his eye had started to swell. “You okay?”
I nodded, still too shocked to speak. I’d been moments away from being abducted and, undoubtedly, raped. And the one guy I despised more than anyone in the world had been the one to save me.
Chapter 7
I didn’t know how long we’d been sitting in Moe’s car. We’d been home for a while, parked in his spot in total silence. I didn’t know if he was waiting for me to say something first or I was waiting for him. Maybe we both were trying to think of exactly what to say. The radio wasn’t even on. I was certain the sound system in his Infiniti Q60 was state-of-the-art, considering it was a Bose like the one in my Maxima. But I would have to find out another time. Right now, the only thing we were listening to was the sound of our breathing. Oddly enough, it didn’t feel weird or strange. It was comforting. My cell phone rang and caused both of us to jump. I silenced the call without even looking at the screen.
“Shit,” I finally said.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “That was wild as fuck.”
“Your eye.” I looked at him and gasped, noticing that it was significantly swollen and damn near shut.
Moe leaned forward and stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “Damn, I ain’t even feel that.”
“You need to ice it.” I opened my door and got out first. Moe walked behind me and waited as I turned the key in the lock. I entered my condo, expecting him to come inside, but he didn’t. I walked back to the doorway, where he was still standing. He gave me an unsure look until I motioned for him to come in.
“Nice place,” he said.
“Thanks. We have the same layout. You can go into the living room.” I pointed and turned on the main light switch so he could see. While he took a seat on my sofa, I went into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer and moistened a hand towel. I saw him looking around, and I was glad that I’d cleaned up before leaving for the bar. I kneeled beside him and tilted his head back, carefully placing the towel over his bruised face before laying the ice pack against it.
“Ah.” He winced.
“Sorry, it’s cold, I know. But it’ll help with the swelling.” I didn’t know what to do first: thank him for stopping Wes or apologize for what happened after he stopped him.
“Thanks,” he whispered.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you,” I said. “There’s no telling what that bastard would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”
“That wasn’t your dude.” It sounded more like a statement than a question.
“Hell no. That was some clown I met online,” I explained.
“Man, you know how dangerous that is? You out here going out on dates with niggas you don’t even know? Late at night?” He looked at me like I was crazy.
“That’s not what happened. It wasn’t a date. I was waiting for my friend, and he happened to be at the bar.”
“Oh, so you know him.”
“I mean, I met him before. He seemed like a nice guy,” I whined.
“Seemed like. So you don’t know him.” Moe raised an eyebrow.
“No, I guess I don’t,” I relented.
Moe shook his head. “What’s going on with you, man?”
I sat up and turned toward him. “What do you mean?”
“I’m saying, you lost some pounds, and now you’re around here dressing different, going out with random-ass dudes, coming home drunk, and passing out in your car. Why?” He took the ice pack from his face and held it.
I stared at him, trying to think of how to respond to everything he said. The fact that he’d even noticed all of that about me was a total surprise. I tried to read his face, searching for an indication that he was joking, but the only thing I saw was genuine concern.
“I wasn’t passed out in my car. I was tired from a long day.” I wanted to make sure I cleared that accusation up first and foremost. “And I know you’re not talking about my dating life. You have so many randoms popping in and out of your place that at one point I thought you were giving out good dick and free sew-ins. Two things they all have in common: you and weave.”
Oh, shit, maybe that was too much. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.
Moe stared at me as if he was just as shocked by what I’d said about him as I’d been by what he said about me. Our eyes met. The ends of his lips curled, and then we both laughed. It was as if we were both relieved to get something off our chest that we’d been holding in.
“Well, damn,” he said when he finally caught his breath.
“I’m just saying.” I shrugged. “Oh, and one of your randoms came by earlier banging on your door looking for you. You should be ashamed of yourself because she barely looks legal.”
“What? Who?”
I moved his hand so that he was putting the ice pack back over his eye. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this one before, so she must be new.”
“I don’t know who that could have possibly been.”
“See, you got so many randoms that you can’t keep up with them.” I grinned.
“It ain’t as many as you think, for real. But back to you. What’s the deal? I thought you were different.”
“What’s different?”
“A good girl with a decent job and cute friends and a boyfriend who baked cookies on the weekends.”
“What are you, a stalker?”
“Nah, I’m just a neighbor, same as you.”
“Well, the boyfriend is gone, and no one really wants a good girl these days. You of all people should know that.”
“Why should I know that?”
“Uh, because you’re shallow and materialistic, that’s why.”
“Whoa, I may be a lot of things, but I ain’t shallow.” He had the nerve to act offended.
“You’re kidding, right? Every chick who crosses your threshold is a size six, wears the same outfits from Fashion Nova, and probably either is an influencer, has a beauty brand, or I’ll go so far as to say works as a stripper. You have a type. As long as she looks a certain way, you’ll deal with them—temporarily, of course. And you treat them well and make them feel special, so they don’t even realize you have no intention of committing to them.”
“That’s really what you think? That’s how you see me?”
“You saw me as the fat-ass good girl who stayed in the house and baked cookies,” I said as I stood up. “I’ll get you another towel.”
“Thanks. And I saw you as the beautiful albeit stuck-up bitch who lived across the hall and always complained about everything, to be honest,” he snapped. “And I thought I was wrong.”
“And I saw you as the fine yet conceited man-whore with bad taste in women and destined to be a bachelor his whole life, to be honest,” I said. “I could be wrong.”
“Very.” He nodded. “I have great taste in women. Hell, if your ass wasn’t so damn mean all the time, I probably would’ve asked your sexy ass out.”
“Liar. You would not.” I went to walk toward the kitchen, but Moe grasped my arm, stopping me.
“I’m not lying,” he said.
My eyes went from his fingers to his eyes. He must’ve sensed my mind, because he proved his point by pulling me closer and putting his arm around my waist. Because he was nearly six inches taller than my height of five eight, I had to look up at him. I softly touched his bruised eye, and he held my gaze.
He is so damn fine. I see why chicks stay trying to get at him. This man is pure chocolate perfection.
Even with a swollen face, he was gorgeous. I’d never noticed how thick his brows were. There was something about the way he looked at me. At first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. Then it hit me.
Shit, maybe he’s not lying. He wants me. Wait, am I tripping? There’s no way.
As I contemplated whether I was wrong, we kissed. I didn’t know who kissed whom first, and I damn sure didn’t care. The only thing that mattered in that moment was the feel of his lips on mine and the sweet taste of his mouth. My arms made their way around his neck as our tongues became acquainted with one another. The kiss was soft at first, but as he gently sucked my bottom lip, the passion grew. My mouth wasn’t the only thing that was wet. Moe’s hands slipped from my waist and cupped my ass, pushing me against his pelvis as if he wanted me to know the desire was mutual. I decided to go a step further and find out for myself. My fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans and slipped inside. His stiffness grew even more, and I smiled.
“Told you I wasn’t lying,” he whispered into my ear, making me hotter than I already was.
It didn’t take long for him to slip my jumpsuit off my shoulders. I was grateful that I’d chosen to wear one of my new, sexy bras. Before he removed it, he gathered both my supple breasts into his hands and teased them with his tongue through the lace. My nipples hardened, and I moaned as I pushed the jumpsuit over my hips and stepped out of it.
Damn, my girdle. I forgot about this.
I panicked at the realization of the black satin panty girdle I had on and tried to think of what to do. If Moe had a problem with it, he damn sure didn’t show it. He dropped to his knees and carefully peeled it off my thick thighs like he was unwrapping a prized possession. I was damn near dipping at this point and especially after I pulled his shirt over his head.
“Damn,” I whispered as I stared at his chest.
“You’re so fucking sexy, Sierra.”
I couldn’t wait any longer. I pulled him to his feet and led him into my bedroom. The kissing resumed, and I went to kick off my heels, but he shook his head.
“Nah, keep them on.” He pushed me onto the bed and began licking my inner thigh as he slipped my panties off.
I was glad I let Karima bully me into getting waxed. At the time, it hurt like hell, and I thought it was a complete waste of time and money, especially since I had no one I’d even consider fucking. Now it seemed like preparation, and the universe had rewarded me.
“Oh, shit.” I moaned as Moe’s finger entered my moist center. He positioned himself precisely before using his tongue to please me in ways I’d never had done before. I tried to move, reaching for my headboard as I climaxed so hard that I thought I would never stop, but he gripped my legs so tight and kept sucking on my clit. The torture was pleasurable, and I begged for him to stop. He didn’t until I’d nearly drowned him and he was certain that I was satisfied.
“That’s what I was waiting on.” He grinned.
“I guess reciprocity is in order,” I offered, looking down at the bulge between his legs.
“Maybe next round. Right now, I wanna fuck you.” He licked his lips and pulled out his hardened penis. Even his dick was beautiful: not too long, thick with a slight curve. I was in for a treat and knew it.
I reached into my nightstand and took out a foil-wrapped condom. I sat up on my knees and kissed his member before slipping on the rubber. Moe reached for me, and we made our way to the center of the bed. We touched and explored one another, and then he positioned himself between my legs. My eyes closed in preparation for what was about to happen. He slowly entered me, making sure I could handle what I was being given. Once he was sure, the tenderness turned to vigor, and we engaged in a sexual escapade full of rhythmic, ferocious intensity. When it ended, we were both exhausted and smiling.
“Whoa.” He panted and fell to my side.
“Exactly.” I nodded as I tried to catch my breath.
“We’ve been neighbors all this time, and this never happened. I’m kinda mad at myself right now.” He laughed.
