Femme Tales Read online

  An hour later, Ebony was standing outside Belinda’s apartment building in Brooklyn. She didn’t quite know what to expect, but she definitely didn’t expect to find her living at The Boerum, luxury condos in Boerum Hill. Ebony had looked at purchasing one of these condos a year ago but didn’t because she liked the way the brownstone in Harlem allowed them to all have their own apartments, something they wouldn’t have had living in a condominium. She knew Belinda was paid well, but she didn’t think it was well enough to live in a two-million-dollar condo.

  “Hi, can I help you?” the concierge in the lobby asked.

  “Uh, yeah. I’m Ebony Trent, here to see Belinda Jansen,” Ebony said.

  He nodded then picked up the phone and called up to Belinda. “Ms. Jansen, there’s a Ms. Trent here to see you.”

  Belinda must have gone quiet on the other end because the doorman said, “Ms. Jansen, you there?” He listened for a moment then said, “Yes, ma’am. You can go up,” he told Ebony.

  “Thanks,” Ebony said then walked to the elevator, her mind racing with what to say. She hadn’t thought it out this far because she honestly thought Belinda wouldn’t want to see her. Once she reached Belinda’s door, she took a deep breath and knocked.

  Belinda opened the door and, without a word, stepped aside to allow Ebony to enter. Ebony could tell by the long foyer that this was one of the three-bedroom condos she had looked at. Maybe Belinda had roommates and that’s how she could afford living there. It had modern but comfortable furnishing with warm wood and earth tone decor. Ebony closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of lavender mingled with Belinda’s own subtle scent and began to feel as if all the tension she’d held for so long was slowly drifting from her body.

  “Why are you here, Ebony?” Belinda asked.

  Ebony slowly opened her eyes to find Belinda standing in front of her, arms crossed and looking very annoyed.

  “I came to see if you’re okay,” Ebony said.

  “You could’ve picked up the phone to do that,” Belinda said.

  “Can we talk?”

  Belinda stood there for a moment, holding Ebony’s gaze, as if trying to figure her out then shrugged in resignation. “Come sit down.” She led Ebony to the living room.

  Ebony sat on the sofa and Belinda sat in a chair across from her with her knees tucked under her. It was the first time she noticed what Belinda was wearing, a long sleek animal print satin nightgown and a black robe, with the same animal print on the cuffs, belted at the waist. Her long locs were pulled up into a high ponytail and her smooth feet were bare. She was, as usual, sexy as hell and sent Ebony’s mind into a place she was trying to avoid. Belinda watched her, waiting patiently for her to speak. Ebony cleared her throat, opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t think of what to say first.

  Belinda chose to speak instead. “Ebony, I can’t keep working for you if every conversation we have is going to turn into a confrontation.”

  “What do you mean?” Ebony asked.

  “After what happened tonight I think you should find another nurse for Mama Ellis. I’ll be happy to refer two very good nurses who I know are available and are also very discreet. They’re older and will probably be better company for Mama Ellis anyway,” Belinda said.

  “You’re quitting?” Ebony said in surprise.

  “Yes. I’ll finish out the week to give you time to interview my replacement,” Belinda said.

  “You can’t quit,” Ebony said in frustration.

  “I also can’t keep walking on eggshells worried about what will be the next thing I’ll say or do to set you off. I don’t know if it’s because of what happened my first night at Mama Ellis’s or if it’s just simply the fact that you and I will never get along, but whatever it is it makes being there unbearable.”

  “I…Mama Ellis…needs you,” Ebony said hesitantly.

  Belinda gazed at Ebony questioningly, not sure if she heard Ebony correctly or if it was just a mistake. Either way, she chose to ignore it.

  “The difficult part of her care and physical therapy is over and she honestly doesn’t require full-time assistance any longer. She’s as close to being her old self-sufficient self as she ever will be. I’ve already spoken to my father about her progress, and he agrees with my recommendation of hiring a part-time physical therapist to continue to work with her a couple of times of week,” Belinda said.

  Ebony frowned. “So that’s it?”

  “Yes. I’ll let Mama Ellis know when I see her on Monday,” Belinda said with a sad smile.

  Ebony nodded then stood and head for the door without a word. Belinda was so used to Ebony’s sudden departures when she didn’t want to deal with something that she didn’t try to stop her. What would be the point? Belinda sat for a few moments in the silence that followed wondering if the sadness and sense of loss she felt was because of the unexpected attachment she had formed with Mama Ellis and Sheree, or in spite of how much she had tried to avoid it, she had developed deeper feelings for Ebony than she wanted to admit.

  As she thought back over the past several weeks, she realized that Ebony’s unpredictable mood swings had come fewer and farther between the more times they all spent together. Although she and Ebony rarely spent time alone, or even had full conversations when they were together with Mama Ellis and Sheree, Belinda felt such peace and comfort at knowing Ebony was there. The physical attraction was still there, but over time other feelings had developed in those shared moments with the Trent family. Unfortunately, judging by Ebony’s attitude toward her, the feeling was obviously not mutual.

  “Well, after next week, none of that will matter,” Belinda said out loud as she stood and began turning out the lights on her way to bed, which was where she was headed when Ebony arrived.

  Just as Belinda reached her bedroom, there was a knock at her apartment door. The only person who would be over this late was her neighbor Phyllis who sometimes dropped in on her with a bottle of wine when her boyfriend pissed her off.

  “Phyllis, you really need to learn to call first,” Belinda said with a laugh as she opened the door.

  To her surprise, it was Ebony who closed the short distance between them in one quick step, gently grasped Belinda’s face with both hands, and kissed her so deeply, so passionately, that it left her senseless. Ebony slowly broke the kiss but didn’t release Belinda’s face. She softly stroked her cheek with the pad of her thumb as she once again gazed into Belinda’s eyes with such a vulnerable expression it made Belinda’s heart ache.

  Belinda grasped one of Ebony’s hands, pulled her fully into the apartment, closed the door, and led Ebony to her bedroom. Belinda was tired of fighting. Tired of second-guessing why she was so strongly drawn to Ebony. She threw caution to the wind, allowing her heart to lead the way.

  When they reached Belinda’s bedroom she turned back toward Ebony and began undressing her. She unbuttoned Ebony’s shirt and slowly slid both her shirt and blazer off her shoulders and down her arms, laying them on a chair nearby. She pulled the tank top she wore out of the waistband of her jeans, running her hands smoothly up along Ebony’s rib cage as she pulled it up her torso and over her head. Ebony’s eyes closed and her head fell back in reaction to Belinda’s touch.

  Belinda allowed her gaze to wander over Ebony’s body, enjoying how sexy she looked in her black sports bra above her six-pack abs, her jeans that rode low on her hips, showing off the waistband of her designer briefs and round behind. When she looked up, she met Ebony’s passion-darkened eyes, and she shivered with desire in response. Belinda kept her eyes locked with Ebony’s as she reached down to unbutton the fly of Ebony’s jeans, slip her thumbs into the waistband, and slide them down her legs, going to her knees before Ebony. Balancing on the back of the chair nearby, Ebony lifted one leg and then the other so that Belinda could remove her shoes and pants completely.

  Belinda ran her hands up the length of Ebony’s muscular legs, massaging from her ankles to where the cuff of her briefs began. S
he knelt within eye level of Ebony’s torso and leaned forward to press hot kisses to the bare flesh along the waistband of Ebony’s briefs.

  To see Belinda kneeling before her, to feel her soft lips pressed against her sensitive skin, had Ebony barely holding on to the self-control she was trying so hard to maintain. With a shuddering sigh, she closed her eyes, balling her hands into tight fists and pressing her nails into her palms to stay focused. But it seemed Belinda had other ideas in mind when she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her briefs, slid them down her legs, made Ebony lift her feet again to remove them, and then ran her hands up the length of her legs to cup her behind. When Ebony felt Belinda’s warm breath on her belly followed by the tip of her tongue tracing a hot trail along the juncture of her thighs, she had to grab hold of the chair to keep from falling over.

  Ebony adjusted her stance a little wider, giving Belinda the incentive to continue. She delved her tongue in the upper area of Ebony’s pussy lips to stroke it along her clit. Ebony moaned deeply as Belinda expertly sucked and stroked the enlarged nub with her lips and tongue, surprising her by how quickly Belinda was bringing her to the peak of ecstasy. Ebony’s grip tightened and her legs threatened to buckle beneath her as her passion built. Just when she thought she couldn’t hold back anymore, Belinda halted her lusty ministrations and stood. Ebony closed her eyes and gritted her teeth trying to steady her racing heart and pulsing womanhood.

  Belinda grazed her lips across Ebony’s, up to her ear, and whispered, “What do you want, Ebony?”

  Ebony found it hard to think, let alone speak. She opened her eyes and met Belinda’s passion-glazed, questioning gaze. She was standing there, ass out, as turned on as she could possibly be and this woman was asking her what she wanted?

  As if reading her thoughts, Belinda said, “If all you want is an uncomplicated fuck buddy, then I’m not the one and you can get dressed and leave right now. But if you want more, if you want a real woman who doesn’t give a damn about what’s in your bank account, because frankly, as you can see from my home, I don’t need it, a woman who will respect you, beast and all, a woman who will share your life, not run it or be run by it, then stay. The choice is yours.”

  Ebony saw the raw sincerity in Belinda’s eyes and felt such a tightness in her chest she almost couldn’t breathe. “I…I…” she stammered to find the words.

  “You what, Ebony?” Belinda asked gently.

  Ebony’s hands clenched into fists, anger hardened her face, and she roared in frustration. This was The Beast, this was the darkness that came out in Ebony’s music. Ebony’s body trembled and every muscle in her body seemed ready to snap at any moment.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Belinda said.

  “Why? Maybe you should be,” Ebony practically growled.

  “Because I’ve met the real you. I’ve met the gentle, loving, protective you.” Belinda raised Ebony’s clenched fists and placed a gentle kiss on each one. “I’ve also met this Ebony, The Beast, the survivor, and I don’t fear her because I admire her. I admire her strength and her passion. This Ebony is the one who did what it took to make something of herself, to give her family a better life than the one she knew. This Ebony is the one who will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves even if it means she has to sacrifice her own happiness to do so.”

  Ebony gazed down at her hard, large fists enveloped in the soft, warm grasp of Belinda’s hands and felt the tightness in her chest loosen a bit. She gazed up into the understanding in Belinda’s eyes and it loosened even more. She took a deep, shuddering breath and felt tension begin to ease from her taut muscles. In spite of all of that, her beast still held, waiting, and Ebony knew what it wanted. It wanted her to walk out right now because Belinda would be like all the rest, a user until she got what she wanted and left Ebony with her heart cold and dead. Just like her mother. But looking at Belinda, seeing now for the first time that there was not just understanding but love in her eyes, Ebony ignored her beast and listened to her heart.

  “I want you…I need you…to show me how to love again,” she said quietly.

  Belinda released Ebony’s fists and gently grasped her face.

  “You already know how to love, Ebony, you just have to let others love you back,” Belinda said. “Let me love you, Ebony.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” Ebony said, feeling that tightness once again.

  “You can if you just let go. All that pain and anger inside is what’s holding you back. It’s time to let go of that abandoned and lost little girl and embrace the strong, loving woman she’s become,” Belinda said, wiping a tear from Ebony’s cheek.

  Until that moment Ebony hadn’t even realized she was crying. What the hell? Ebony Trent doesn’t cry, she thought to herself. She hadn’t cried since the day she realized her mother wasn’t coming back and she and Sheree were on their own. The memory of that day, and all the hardships and struggles that followed, brought forward all the pain she only allowed to be released when she wrote her lyrics, but this time she had no pen or paper to write. She stood there literally naked and bare in front of the only other person besides Sheree and Mama Ellis that she loved.

  She could no longer fight it, she loved Belinda, and to see the love and concern reflected back to her from Belinda’s deep brown eyes was her undoing. The pressure in Ebony’s chest broke like a dam that could no longer hold back a raging river. She staggered back against the chair in surprise at the wash of emotion that ran through her. Her legs gave out and she slid to the floor at Belinda’s feet, her eyes filling with tears and a painful moan escaping from her lips.

  Belinda quickly knelt before her. “Ebony?” she said in concern, while pulling her into her arms.

  Ebony tensed for a moment, not used to being comforted. It felt so right to be in Belinda’s arms, and she could no longer fight the emotions overwhelming her. Belinda held her tighter as Ebony’s body shook with heartrending sobs. She wept for the innocence lost when she and Sheree were abandoned and she was forced to grow up too fast, having to do things to survive that shamed her just to think about them. She wept for the angry woman she’d become, sometimes even shutting out those closest to her just to avoid feeling too much or making herself vulnerable to being hurt.

  As her weeping slowly subsided, she not only felt drained but also as if something physically shifted within her. As she lay quietly in Belinda’s arms, her head resting on the fullness of her breasts, listening to the comforting rhythm of her heartbeat, Ebony realized what it was, she no longer felt the heavy darkness in her heart that she’d worn like a badge of honor for the past sixteen years. It had been replaced by a warmth and a lightness that gave her a sense of emotional freedom that she had never known before.

  “Are you okay?” Belinda asked.

  Ebony nodded, at a loss for words as she gazed up at Belinda, this amazing woman who, like some heroine in a fairy tale, broke the dark spell Belinda had been under for so long.

  She knelt in front of Belinda, gently took her face within her hands, locked her gaze with Belinda, and with all the emotion she felt in her heart told her, “I love you.”

  Tears gathered and glistened in Belinda’s eyes. “I know,” Belinda said with a soft smile.

  Ebony laughed out loud. A rich, joyous laugh.

  “What am I going to do with you?” Ebony said.

  “I can think of a few things,” Belinda said.

  “Really?” Ebony said in that seductively low tone that made Belinda’s body flush with heat.

  Ebony then brought Belinda’s face toward hers and kissed her slowly, passionately, thoroughly. When their lips parted, Ebony grasped her hand and stood, leading Belinda to her bed. Once there she removed Belinda’s robe and nightgown then laid her on the bed. Belinda shivered with anticipation as she saw Ebony’s eyes darken with passion and her lips curve into a seductive grin in a look that told her that her love may have tamed the beast but it still crouched in the darkness, waiting for moments like thi
s to stalk forward and appease its insatiable appetite. Belinda was thrilled to be its willing prey, for that night and many nights to come…mind, body, and heart.

  Awaken

  Based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale

  Chayse Carmichael dipped a spoon in the industrial sized pot simmering on one of the three large stoves in the Chayse’s Place kitchen to taste the contents.

  “Nikko, you forgot the whiskey,” she said to the sous chef in training standing beside her.

  “Whiskey, Chef? In collard greens? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Nikko said in disgust.

  The usually loud, boisterous kitchen went silent and all eyes turned toward Chayse, everyone waiting for the sparks to fly. Chayse sighed, handed the spoon she had used to a bus boy standing nearby, and turned slowly toward the young man looking arrogantly down his nose at her. She’d worked too long and too hard to get where she was today to have some twenty-year-old snot-nosed wannabe bratty son of a celebrity chef tell her how to run her own kitchen. Chayse took Nikko under her wing three weeks ago as a favor to his father, a well-known Italian cuisine chef she had studied under when she was first starting out. He had called her to ask if she would mentor his son, and she couldn’t possibly say no to one of her own mentors.

  When he told her Nikko could be a bit of a handful she hadn’t thought anything of it until his second day in her kitchen when he took it upon himself to make a change to her fried okra recipe by eliminating the corn meal, using just flour, and exchanging buttermilk for regular milk because he thought both made it too heavy. She hadn’t found out until a few of her regulars that night asked her why she changed the recipe. She had calmly explained to Nikko that although he was welcome to make suggestions he was not allowed to make changes without speaking with her first.