Here’s the link to gain access:
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 22.5
Royal went into his house and slammed the door closed, not even bothering to lock it behind him. He threw his cell phone to the ground, uncaring if it broke or not.
Three steps were the most he could take before he had to stop and lean against the wall for support. His love for Delia had humbled him, literally weakened him in the knees. No amount of pressure could squeeze the desire out of his loins.
“I knew I should have taken her in the car. And if she’d gotten pregnant, oh well,” Royal raged. “Maybe then she wouldn’t be so quick to discard me like yesterday’s newspaper. Maybe then she’d know and understand that I’m supposed to be in her life. That I’m supposed to father her future children, stepfather the ones she has now.”
Fueled by ire, Royal kicked his phone out of the way and gathered up enough strength to make it to his den. He spewed his rage and disappointment all the way there.
“She knows she wanted me just as much as I did her tonight,” Royal sprouted, recalling how Delia’s eyes had rolled in the back of her head in the car. He could still taste her sweetness on his tongue, which made him ache all the more for her.
“If I’d only gotten in her, she would be screaming my name right now,” Royal said arrogantly. “As fertile as she is, she’d probably be carrying my child before the month was out. The next time we’re together, I’m going to make sure I put a bun in that oven.”
Suddenly Royal stopped talking, stopped walking, stopped everything as the realization of how low he’d just stooped ethically pricked his conscience. What kind of doctor, what kind of man would willingly impregnate a woman just to keep her in his life?
Unacquainted with failure and disgusted by his own wretchedness, a desperate Royal turned to the only Person he could in a bind like this. He didn’t dare let his recent sin stand in the way. Nor the uncleanness of his spirit, soul, and body. He knew that God could cleanse them all.
Falling to his knees right there on the den floor, Royal uttered a humble prayer. “I’m sorry, Lord. So sorry for my sins, past and present. Particularly my sins towards Delia. I’ve tried everything I know to do to get this woman. A woman that I believe I’m destined to have. Now if I’m wrong about Delia, please help me get over her. But if I’m right, please help me gain her hand in marriage. Either way, Lord, I’m willing to change my ways. Willing to let You lead the way from now on and I follow. Because doing things my way is no longer working for me. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.”
Peace enveloped Royal even before he was done praying. Smiling, he rose from his knees and went to take a hot shower. No need for a cold one tonight. His spirit man was finally back in control, not his flesh.
By the time Layla arrived with his car and entered through the unlocked front door, Royal was in his pajamas and actually playing the baby grand piano in his living room. The tune was Make me Over by Tonex. Royal could identify with a lot of the words to that song.
“What prompted this? You haven’t played this piano or even been in this room in ages,” Layla said, waiting until he played the last note to speak.
“A meeting of the minds between me and God,” Royal replied.
“God?” Layla’s brows rose.
“Yes. It’s time for me to change my ways. I want a wife and a family of my own one day. I don’t think I’m going to have either if I don’t switch gears.”
“Do...do you have somebody in mind,” Layla asked, afraid of the answer.
“Yes.” Royal took a deep breath and just came on out with it, uncaring who knew of his love now. “I see no point in keeping it a secret any longer. The woman I want to marry is Delia Valentine. I love her very much,” he said, waiting for the boom.
Instead of the boom, Royal got eerie silence from Layla and not a trace of surprise. It was as if she already knew about them. She did.
Then came the questions. Lots of questions.
“How long has this been going on? You weren’t seeing her while she was your patient, were you? Is that the reason she switched doctors?” Layla asked, breaking her silence after a long moment.
“Not long, no, and kinda,” Royal replied, answering each of her questions.
“What do you mean kinda?”
“I mean, Delia switched doctors largely due to our strong mutual attraction. It was a wise choice for the both of us because it opened the door for us to date.”
“When have you two dated? I’ve never seen her over here once. You weren’t even together on Valentine’s night.” Layla eyes narrowed in memory of that night. “Maybe you were together that night after all. You did leave our movie for a long time. And she did suddenly change clothes that night. Did you use me as a cover for some shameful secret love affair you were having with an ex-patient, Royal?” Anger flashed in her eyes now.
“First of all, I’ve never used you for anything, Layla. You were and will continue to be my friend for as long as you want to be. Secondly, Delia just so happened to show up at the same movie theater as us that night. Thirdly, there are several reasons Delia and I dated secretly, but none of them have anything to do with me being ashamed of our relationship.”
“What does it have something to do with then?”
“I’m not at liberty to say right now. But I will say this, once God removes those obstacles from our paths, I am going to marry that woman.”
“But what if God doesn’t remove those obstacles? What if you and Delia just aren’t meant to be together?” Layla asked.
Royal took a deep breath and exhaled. “Then I’ll let her and all hope of having her go,” he said with a pained expression on his face.
So then there’s still hope for me after all, Layla mused, grasping at even the smallest of straws as Royal returned to his playing. The more she listened to his strong alto, the more she fell in love with him.
Royal’s voice was the last thing Layla heard as she fell asleep right where she sat. When she woke up the next morning in one of the guestroom beds, she fell in love all over again.
He carried me to bed! Layla mused, marveling at Royal’s considerate behavior. He actually carried me to bed! Now she really wanted Delia out of the picture.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
* * *
Several links to Tonex’s Make Me Over Again song (I like the first link best):
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 22.4
On the way to Royal’s house, the conversation was light, fun, and extremely playful. Laughter abounded. Delia completely forgot about Vanna, the spotlight, her past and anything else that divided them. It wasn’t until she pulled into his long driveway that things started to rapidly turn serious between them.
“Thanks for bringing me home, Delia,” Royal said, reluctant to get out of the car, though he had unbuckled his seatbelt. “I really appreciated it.”
“No problem. Like you said, you did safely deliver my last child and all,” Delia teased, reminding him how he extorted this ride home.
“It was my pleasure to assist you with Tess,” Royal replied, showing no sign of offense or remorse at that reminder. “How is it going with that other thing I did for you?” he asked, referring to her restored clitoris.
Delia inhaled sharply as he issued a potent reminder of his own. “Everything’s fine,” she said, wishing that her voice didn’t sound so husky right now. But she couldn’t help it. She still loved Royal. Her body still craved him.
“You sure?” Royal’s voice was equally husky. “I could check it out for you.” He reached over and put his hand on her right thigh.
Delia shuddered. “I—” She couldn’t think straight when he touched her.
“Let me check it out for you, precious.” Royal’s hand was moving between her legs even as he spoke. He used the other hand to slam the car in park and turn off the ignition.
Delia moaned as he touched her intimately. Not like a doctor, but like a man. Her man!
And because her body recognized Royal as her man, her legs instinctively opened wider for him. What an invitation!
“Precious,” Royal whispered, moving closer to her.
Like her legs, Delia’s lips instantly parted for him. They kissed long. Deep.
Royal’s kisses didn’t stop at her mouth. Unbuckling her seatbelt, he proceeded to kiss his way downward. That skimpy dress provided little coverage and so he was able to get at all the hot spots without much effort. Soon he was at the hottest spot of them all.
Delia gasped as Royal docked at her tropical island. She moaned and trembled when he came on shore and feasted at her buffet to his heart’s content. The ravenous sounds alone that he emanated in the quiet car had her lightheaded with passion.
The man was hungry...for her!
Delia went over the edge quickly.
“Yes, precious,” Royal said, finally lifting his head. He liked watching her surrender to ecstasy. But nothing was better than being inside of her as she did.
Yet he couldn’t…at least not right now. Royal didn’t have a condom on him. They were all inside the house. He’d taken to leaving them at home since he wasn’t dating anyone right now. Now he regretted that decision.
“We need to put this on pause for a minute, baby,” Royal whispered as Delia started to descend from her mountaintop. He sat completely upright now, but his left hand stayed busy in her valley.
“Why?” Delia panted out, moving her hips in time with his hand.
“I don’t have any protection on me. Though I know you’re clean, I don’t want to take you raw in case you’re still not on any birth control,” Royal replied, looking at her with such longing as he battled with himself to wait for even the shortest time to be inside of her again. His hand action didn’t count. The rigid part of him needed to be inside of her for complete satisfaction.
“I’m still not on anything.” Delia lowered her right leg down from the headrest. The other from the dashboard.
“I suspected as much. But don’t worry, baby. I got everything we need inside the house. I’ll meet you at the front door, okay?” Royal reluctantly removed his hand from her body and opened the car door.
“O…kay,” Delia mumbled as he hurried out of the vehicle.
Unfortunately for Royal, in the short space of time that it took for him to get out of Delia’s car and walk to his front door, the fog in her head had cleared. Her common sense returned and with it…conviction.
Instead of following Royal to the house, Delia turned the ignition, slammed the car in drive and sped away. In the rearview mirror, the look of pure shock could be seen on her lover’s face.
Royal’s eyes were wide. His mouth opened. His hands thrown up in the air in frustration and exasperation.
Delia stepped on the gas even harder. She had to get away from this man, lest she do even more sinning.
Why am I so weak for him, Lord? Delia questioned God as she continued to flee.
Her intentions were good when she drove Royal home tonight and yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself from letting things go too far. She’d wanted him to touch her. To kiss her. To do everything he did to her and more.
Why didn’t You help me, Lord? Delia thought, angry at herself and at God now. I thought You were supposed to help Your children.
Oh how she wished that God would just override her will at times like these. Not leave it up to her to do the right thing. She couldn’t be trusted to do what was right all the time. Tonight proved that.
Suddenly Delia realized that God had helped her. Had it not been for Royal leaving the car when he did, she would be straight up fornicating right now, not just skimming along the edges of it.
This was her way of escape.
“Thank You, Lord,” Delia said, deciding to be grateful now instead of mad. Things could have been a lot worse.
On the floor where it had fallen earlier, her cell phone lit up with a text message from Royal. It read: “Come back. Please!”
Delia didn’t dare pick that phone up, turn it off, or marvel at how he’d gotten her new number in the first place. Instead she turned the music on full blast and kept it there all the way home.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 22.3
Royal waited until the show was over before making his presence known to Delia. She seemed surprised, no, shocked to see him.
“H…how long have you been here?” Delia stammered out.
“Since the beginning. Layla and I signed up for this class,” Royal replied, deeming Delia even more beautiful up close. Oh, how he missed gazing upon her lovely features.
“Dr. Pacard is here, too?” Delia began to peruse the room in search of her doctor.
“She was here. She got called away during your performance. Because I lent her my car to go to the hospital, I was hoping I could get a ride home from you,” Royal replied.
Delia’s gaze snapped back to his. Her voice lowered. “Royal, I don’t think—”
“Delia, darling, everyone says we did fabulous tonight and I agree,” said her animated dance partner, interrupting what she was about to say. “You can be my partner any time,” Eriel added, clearly proud of their performance, as well.
“Thanks, Eriel,” Delia replied, giving him a chaste hug.
“Whose your friend here?” Eriel turned to look Royal up and down with open interest, confirming his sexuality once and for all.
“This is Dr. Royal Seeger. He delivered my last child,” Delia replied. “Dr. Seeger, this is Eriel Verge.”
“Nice to meet you, doctor,” Eriel said, extending a hand his way.
“Good to meet you, too,” Royal replied, courteously shaking the man’s hand and releasing it.
“Are you married, doctor?” Eriel boldly asked.
“No, but I intend to be once the woman of my dreams finally gives in to our love,” Royal replied, sending a message to Eriel and Delia in that statement.
Delia blushed.
Eriel’s brows rose. “I see.” He smiled his approval of the love match. “Well, I wish you and her all the happiness in the world,” he concluded, bowing out gracefully before walking away to socialize with others.
“Now about that ride,” Royal continued after Eriel left them alone. “Will you take the man that safely delivered your last baby home? Or will you be ungrateful and make me call a taxi?” He gave her his most charming dimpled smile.
Though slightly irritated by his clever tactic, Delia was unable to restrain her smile. It was just so good seeing Royal again, dimples and all. So good hearing his voice again. So good smelling his spicy scent…again. Oh, how she missed this man.
“Since you put it that way, I guess I will be taking you home,” Delia finally replied, deliberately wiping the smile off her face, lest she give him the wrong kind of encouragement.
“Great.” Royal grinned knowingly.
I just hope Vanna doesn’t have a spy cam posted somewhere outside the man’s house, Delia mused, fully aware that she was taking quite a chance with this ride in more ways than one.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 22.2
“Royal, I’m so excited about taking these lessons with you,” Layla said as they ascended the stairs of the dance studio on the windiest night of the month. “I’ve always wanted to learn ballroom dances.”
“Well, here’s your chance,” Royal replied, fighting not to frown. He did not want Layla here tonight. Yet the moment she learned he was interested in taking dance lessons, she got on the bandwagon.
Royal had his mother to thank for this bit of inconvenience. She’d seen the brochure in his car last Sunday, questioned him about his potential enrollment and then passed the word on to Layla.
By now it was obvious to Royal that his mother was playing matchmaker between friends. He just hoped Layla didn’t fall for it. He didn’t want to see her hurt, especially since he didn’t see her as a potential love interest at all. Not even when Delia wasn’t in the picture.
Some women are just meant to be friends, Royal mused, deeming Layla in that category, despite how attractive she was. Maybe I should start playing matchmaker myself. See who I can hook her up with.
As they entered the red-brick building, Royal wondered why more men didn’t pursue Layla. She was certainly good-looking, financially stable, and very smart. Yet she could be all work and no play at times. Moody even and distrustful due to her past.
Were those negative aspects of Layla’s personality major turn-offs for would-be pursuers? Or did her positive aspects intimidate most men who didn’t have all those things going for themselves?
Perhaps a little of both.
Yet the main reason Layla wasn’t being pursued by a lot of men was because they simply got tired of being rejected. Others got tired of being teased and let down. For the men in the second category, Layla would go out on dates with them, share kisses and caresses with them, and then deny them access to her body. All due to her secret love for Royal.
Finding a seat in the back of the studio, Royal scanned the crowd for any signs of Delia. He spotted her over in the southeast corner of the room talking to a tall, dark, handsome stranger.
The man might have been a stranger to Royal, but he was obviously no stranger to Delia. Not only did they have on matching costumes, she kept touching his arm with familiarity.
I thought Aisha said he was gay. He doesn’t look gay to me, Royal mused, wondering if his cousin only told him that to ease his mind. After all, Delia’s dance partner had more muscles than him. But then again, what did muscles have to do with a person’s sexuality anyway?
“Hey, isn’t that Delia Valentine?” Layla leaned over to whisper in Royal’s ear. She’d spotted that familiar face, too. Or rather a familiar profile since Delia alternated between having her back turned to them and standing sideways.
“Looks like it,” Royal replied, deliberately keeping his tone casual and low.
“Seems like we keep running into her,” Layla noted, narrowing suspicious eyes at him. Like so many others, she’d seen the newspaper photos of him and Delia, read the articles and wondered if there was anything personal between them. They’d seemed so familiar with each other on those photos and not in a professional way either.
“Seems so.” Royal forced his gaze away from Delia in order to throw Layla off the scent. He wasn’t ready for her to know about him and Delia yet. For if Layla knew, then his mother was going to know.
Royal wasn’t ready for that level of interrogation yet. Not when his relationship with Delia was already hanging in the balance. Though Royal was willing to walk through hell and high water for their love, he had to make sure Delia was his first before doing so.
“Right now I’m just wondering if I’m going to have to wear those tight pants when I dance,” Royal continued, changing the subject altogether now.
Layla chuckled at his words and relaxed again. “I think you’ll look cute in them.”
“Yes, but will I be able to reproduce afterwards?” Royal countered.
Layla held her hands over her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. Inside she fell a little bit more in love with him. No other man made her feel so relaxed, so capable of feeling carefree from her own sordid past.
Before Royal could say anything else comical, the lights were turned down and the show started. One by one the couples were brought onto the stage and introduced by an announcer. A little tidbit was told about each dancer and why they chose the class in the first place.
“Delia Valentine came to us proficient in the Beyonce Bounce,” the announcer said, causing the audience to laugh. “She wanted to expand her horizons. Now she can Cha-Cha, Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Samba, and Rumba with the best of them. In fact, Delia is one of our star students. Miss Valentine, give the crowd a little taste of your talent.”
Royal found himself licking his lips repeatedly as Delia proceeded to do the Cha-Cha with her dance partner. Her movements were smooth, fluent, and flawless, the same way she made love.
And her appearance.
From head to toe Delia was gorgeous. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. The red sequined dress was formfitting, short, and revealed her elegant back and supple curves. Her legs were even more toned than before from weeks of intense dance practice. The red strappy heels on her feet made Royal want to get on his knees and kiss each toe.
If he hadn’t delivered her last child himself, Royal would have never guessed that Delia had one child. That is definitely going to be my wife, he vowed, feeling his body expand the more Delia twisted and turned her body.
Suddenly Royal found himself jealous. And not necessarily of her partner either. No, he was more jealous of the fringes at the bottom of her dress. They kept caressing Delia’s shapely thighs as she danced.
Delia’s partner kept his hands on her back and arms, which wasn’t necessarily a sign of the man’s homosexuality, though it could be. Had it been Royal on that dance floor with Delia, his hands would have been all over her goodies.
“Delia’s good, isn’t she?” Layla whispered beside him.
“Yes. Very good,” Royal replied a bit on the husky side, licking his lips again.
Layla’s eyes narrowed for the second time that night. That’s when she knew something was definitely up between Royal and Delia. That knowledge inflamed her temper, though she still had no tangible proof yet.
Just then Layla’s cell phone vibrated against her waist. She looked down at the message and groaned as she read it. “Duty calls. I guess we’re going to have to sign up for those lessons another time,” Layla whispered a few seconds later, not sounding as disappointed to leave as she tried to look.
“I’m staying. You can take my car,” Royal whispered back, pulling out his key ring. His gaze kept returning to the dancing woman in red.
“You’re staying?” Layla looked shocked. “How will you get home?”
“I’ll catch a cab. Or hitch a ride home with someone,” Royal said as he pulled his car keys free from the key ring. Again, his gaze was glued to Delia.
“O…oh, okay.” Now Layla really didn’t want to leave him here alone. Yet she had to. One of her patients was in need and she tried never to let any of them down.
Carmen is ‘not’ going to like this, Layla mused as she walked out of the building a few minutes later. She didn’t like it so much herself for she already knew whom Royal would hitch a ride home with tonight.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
To see the dance Delia was doing in this post, click on the link below:
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 22.1
April
“Any new news about Delia?” Royal asked his cousin, eager to hear anything, great or small, about his beloved.
Delia had gotten her cell phone and home numbers changed recently, making it impossible for him to call her. Had it not been for his sympathetic cousin, Royal would not have the new numbers today. Yet Aisha only gave them to him after he promised not to use them until the timing was right or in case of emergency. Royal also had to promise to stay away from Delia’s home and business, lest he ruin all chances of ever getting her back due to stalkerism.
“There’s really nothing much to tell this week,” Aisha replied. “Delia called yesterday nervous about an upcoming performance in her dance class. The dance school she’s enrolled at is having an open house of sorts for newly enrolled and potential students to have a look at the talent of ongoing and outgoing students. Since I have a background in performing, she wanted some tips on how to remain calm in front of an audience.”
“Did you give them to her?” Royal turned into his driveway after his long commute home from work.
Aisha sucked her teeth. “Need you ask? You know how loyal I am to my family and friends. I couldn’t let Delia make a fool out of herself in front of others.” She chuckled. “After all the tips I gave her, she’s probably going to be the best dancer out there.”
Royal suppressed a moan. “I imagine she will be. Which school is this again?” he asked, ready to enroll in that school right away.
Aisha chuckled and then gave him the information he required. Before they hung up the phone, she said, “You better make this information count for something,
“Hopefully, it won’t be for much longer, cousin. Soon I’ll tell Delia all about our kinship and anything else she wants to know about me,” Royal assured her.
Then he thanked Aisha for her help again, parked the car in the driveway, and went to look up the phone number for the London Bridge Dance Studio.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 21.3
In the privacy of his living quarters, Agent Nuevo sagged against the closed door. His heart ached for the family he left behind. Not his mother, mind you, since Greta had been the biggest leech of them all on E-Blade’s finances. No, he missed Delia and their kids.
It pained E-Blade that he hadn’t even held his last child. Had it not been for his computer hacker of a partner Agent Fila, he might not have even seen pictures of his daughter.
Always willing to have his back, Fila hacked into Delia’s home computer and downloaded the desktop photos found there of the family. Fila had his back right now as evident by the fact that she was currently in the Rec room scolding Speed in vivid Italian and English for once again trying to bait her partner with his past. In their line of business, they needed no additional torments since they all came from sordid pasts and for the most part, were trying to forget them.
Can’t think about any of that now, Agent Nuevo told himself as he fought to get his mind back on the right track. I have a new life now and so do they, he thought, recalling the day he signed up for the agency.
It was on the day E-Blade almost bled out from that shot to the chest. What he thought was his last breath before death was actually his last breath before passing out from loss of blood.
With that fateful breath, E-Blade made a proposition to the cops that were in the ambulance with him. He said, “If I only had more time, I would tell you how to win your war on drugs from here to
At the very mention of that man’s name, E-Blade instantly started to get preferential treatment. The paramedics were told to do everything they could to save his life. The body bag he was put in gave the appearance of death, but had a long slit in it so that he could still breathe through a tube. Phone calls were made. Specialists were brought in. Arrangements and deals were formulated.
Delia would go free, which was the easiest thing of all to pull off because Bonz had also been working behind the scenes on that issue. To this day, E-Blade’s eyes still watered to know that his childhood friend would look after his family, despite what he’d done to him.
Since somebody had to take the fall for the incident in order to cast off suspicion of a cover-up and thwart additional investigations into the matter, it was agreed that Cami would do no more than five years in prison. Less if she maintained good behavior.
In exchange for giving up even more big names, E-Blade’s illegal offenses were secretly pardoned and he gained a new life, identity and a new face. The face of a John Doe corpse was given his likeness so that E-Blade’s mother would have a body to bury. A fake death certificate was issued.
Finally, E-Blade’s ex-partners were given free passes. Meaning, the backgrounds of Bonz and Racker would not be investigated. The whole time E-Blade talked about his partners, he never told how many he had and he never, ever mentioned their names. He would not snitch on Bonz and Racker. Not after all the other stuff he’d done to them.
Though it wouldn’t have been too hard for the agency to find out Bonz and Racker’s identities since the men had been friends since they were boys, they did not pursue it as an act of good faith. As a result, Agent Nuevo/E-Blade stayed faithful to the agency, becoming one of their top operatives.
Now all Agent Nuevo needed to do was act like he wasn’t interested in holding onto or recapturing any part of his past. This way Speed could finally lay the matter to rest. If only that didn’t mean destroying the disk that held the pictures of Delia and the kids and ceasing those periodic inquiries into their lives.
The only thing Agent Nuevo would not get rid of was the scar on his chest. Yes, that scar reminded him of a traumatic time in his life. But it also reminded him of his last loving conversation with Delia and how not to live his life.
Unfortunately, that reminder would not be enough to keep Agent Nuevo from dipping into Royal’s past. He had to make sure the man was on the up and up for himself before he totally relaxed about him taking his place in the family. If he found Royal to be unworthy, he might have to find some way to get rid of him.
I still might get rid of him anyway, Agent Nuevo thought, deeming it too soon for Delia to be so serious about another man.
With jealousy at the forefront of his mind, he was starting to think like E-Blade again. Hopefully, Agent Nuevo would not fully surrender to his E-Blade side and have Royal killed.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
E-Blade’s new look (looks like Giancarlo Esposito)
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3707804416/nm0002064
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 21.2
Having learned the hard way about letting his anger get the best of him, Agent Nuevo forced a smile upon his face. He would not let Speed provoke him into ruining the good life he had now.
“I’m glad
His family’s happiness was the main reason E-Blade remained ‘dead’ to them. That and the fact that he still had too many enemies out there. Some had direct access to his family.
Agent Nuevo couldn’t risk those enemies taking revenge out on his loved ones just to get to the old E-Blade, who was still alive and well, just with a different face, eye color, and new way of speaking.
The new face came from hours of plastic surgery. The new eye color was courtesy of colored contact lens. The new speech was from long sessions with the agency’s language coach, who was determined to put E-Blade’s frequent use of street slang into a neat box that he only drew from as the missions required.
Now Agent Nuevo/E-Blade mostly spoke fluent Spanish or very articulate English. The other languages he’d been taught were on an as-needed basis, too.
“Is that right?” Agent Speed said, looking at Nuevo as if he doubted every word he just said. He did.
“Yes, that’s exactly right.” Agent Nuevo got up and headed for the exit.
“Are you also glad that that same doctor is directly related to a woman you used to despise? A woman named Aisha Norwood-Forsyth?” Agent Speed provoked, trying to get in one more shot before his rival left the room.
I should have known they were kin by those dimples, Agent Nuevo mused, recalling that key feature from the face of the hero of the hour. He naturally assumed that Aisha introduced her relative to Delia at some point. He didn’t yet know that Delia met Royal all on her own.
“If he has half as much gumption as his female cousin, then I know
Agent Speed frowned behind him, disappointed that he hadn’t been able to roil his rival up more. He thought for sure this information would do the trick and send Nuevo packing, running back to his family – Nuevo’s number one weakness.
Agent Speed discovered that weakness a year and a half ago when he caught Nuevo searching through a London Bridge, Florida hospital database for birth announcements. Not just any birth announcement, but one belonging to a Tess Jackwood.
Since then Agent Speed had been trying to use that weakness to keep Nuevo distracted and off balance as they fought their way to the top of the agent pile. Some days it worked. Other days it didn’t. Today was one of those latter days.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Author Note
Though I answered this question in the comment section, I wanted to post it again here to make sure everyone sees it.
Q: When does the VOD start? Will you just post it on the blog when it does?
A: The VOD officially starts at Ch. 23. It would have started at Ch. 22, but I wanted to let EVERYBODY (VOD-ers and non-VOD-ers) see Royal get right with God again first (spoiler).
For those signed up for the VOD, Ch. 23 will be the first post over there. It will NOT appear on this blog.
On to other things now…
I want to take this time to personally thank all our new readers for joining in on this blog. I hope what you read here gave you a different view of inspirational novels. Perhaps even a different view of Christians as a whole. After all, we’re just people, too. We make lots of mistakes, yet it is our faith that prompts us to get back up and try it again, believing that this next time we will do it the RIGHT way.
I want to also thank those who stopped to buy books along the way. That was very encouraging. A sista really felt the love knowing that you put action behind your words when you could.
For those who signed up for the VOD, what can I say, “Thanks, and get ready to continue the fun over there very soon!”
Suprina
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 21.1
On a floating commune that looked like a regular cruise ship, but was something else altogether, two government agents sat in a recreational area and quietly played chess. They were Agent Nuevo, a black-Hispanic male, and Agent Fila, an Italian female.
Though their seafaring headquarters had everything from the latest spy equipment to restaurants and even a mall, Agents Nuevo and Fila preferred to play chess to relax and unwind.
“Still wasting time on useless games I see,” Agent Speed quipped as he entered the room. His freckled face carried its usual smugness. In his hands was a newspaper printout from some internet database he’d recently accessed.
Agent Nuevo frowned at the arrival of his number one rival in the AAC (At-All-Costs) Agency. The AAC was a special agency for undercover operatives who were willing to win the war on drugs at all costs.
“What do you want now, Speed?” Agent Nuevo asked, relaxing some of the thick accent he’d maintained since joining the agency.
“Thought you’d never ask.” Agent Speed’s smugness deepened. “Gentlemen,” he began dramatically, including Agent Fila in that number since everyone treated her like a guy anyway, despite her attractive face and shapely body. “Take a look at this article from a newspaper in a little city called
Agent Nuevo inhaled sharply as a familiar face smiled up at him from the newspaper article - Delia. Sweet, sweet Delia. His Delia.
In what looked to be a hospital waiting room, Delia was seated between a smiling olive-skinned man and a teenage girl. The girl was holding a newborn baby in her arms. The man was practically holding Delia based on how close he was sitting to her and the fact that one of his arms was behind her neck.
Agent Speed grinned at his rival’s reaction. “I figured you’d recognize your baby-mama,” he said, trying to sound ghetto and failing miserably. “Anyway, it seems she’s being hailed as quite the heroine in her new town. Helped a local doctor deliver a baby at that business she owns.”
“I can read,” Agent Nuevo retorted, sounding more like the man he used to be - Esteban ‘E-Blade’ Jackwood, instead of the man that he was now.
Agent Speed frowned this time. “Well, can you also read between the lines?” he replied, raking a hand through his cropped red hair. “Because not only is Delia sitting where the teenage mother should have been, but according to the article, the teenager named her little girl Precious because that’s what she kept hearing the doctor say all during the delivery."
"Don't do it, Speed," Agent Fila tried to intervene.
"A hundred bucks on who the doctor was calling precious," Agent Speed continued, determined to strike while the iron was hot. "Which means, Delia and the handsome gynecologist must have something going on behind the scenes. Did I mention that Dr. Royal Seeger is the same doctor that delivered your last child, that he is an upstanding member of the community, an active churchgoer, and loves children?” Agent Speed grinned and added, “Sounds like the ideal stepfather to me.”
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 20.2
“I remember you,” Delia said as soon as she saw Vanna at her open office door.
“Do you?” Vanna asked casually, crossing the threshold to the office, though she had not been formally invited in.
“Yes, you were at my grand opening.” Delia got up and closed the door behind her unwelcome guest. She didn’t bother to tell her to have a seat. Blackmailers didn’t deserve courtesy.
“That’s right. I was here that day.” Vanna sat down in one of the green cushioned chairs in front of the desk.
“You bought a lot of baby items as I recall.” Delia returned to her desk chair.
“Right again.”
“I also remember you bragging about being pregnant by some prominent doctor.” Delia suddenly gasped in realization. “Prominent doctor? Is all this about Dr. Seeger? Is he the father of your child?”
“Yes,” Vanna lied. “Except he doesn’t want anything to do with me or my child. He won’t even provide support for him.”
Delia shook her head in disbelief. “That doesn’t sound like Dr. Seeger. The Dr. Seeger I know loves children. I can’t imagine him not loving one of his own or taking care of his own, regardless of the situation surrounding that child’s birth.”
“Right now, Royal only seems to love you!” Vanna retorted, telling the truth in that statement. She’d called him personally and asked if he was in love with the baby store owner. The man said yes without hesitation, wounding Vanna to her core, making her even more vengeful and jealous of Delia.
Delia’s brows rose. Ire flamed in her temper. So the woman knew about her and Royal, too.
She must have really done her homework, Delia mused, taking a deep breath to ventilate her temper.
“Look, Dr. Seeger is a free agent in every way. I’m not even seeing him as a doctor anymore, so really there’s no need for all this,” Delia said, trying to let the other woman know that she wasn’t going to stand in the way of her happiness. She’d mentally let Royal go weeks ago, despite what her heart and body wanted.
“Oh, there is definitely a need for all this,” Vanna said, raising her voice an octave. “Until I can change Royal’s mind about us, my son needs things. Things that you seem to have an abundance of in your store.” Her voice lowered again, menacingly so. “So here’s how it’s going to go, Miss Valentine. In exchange for me keeping mum about your past, you leave Royal alone and agree to give me the same deal you gave that Donita girl. Except I want an open account at your store for the next five years.”
Now Delia was really hot. Her store was doing well, especially with all the recent publicity, but it was not doing well enough to have a leech attached to it for five whole years. What was going to happen once customer interest or the current baby boom died back down?
“Two years,” Delia negotiated, keeping a tight rein on her temper by the grace of God.
“Five or I will have your face on the front page of the largest newspaper in this city by tomorrow with the headline ‘Local Heroine Helps Bring One Life Into The World After Brutally Taking Another’.
Delia got very quiet. Prayerful even. She was going to need God’s help to let this woman walk out of her office with all of her hair and teeth intact. If only she had prayed for help with her tongue, because that was what she would use now instead of her fists.
“I don’t know what’s the deal between Royal and this baby you claim is his. But I do know that he likes his women in shape. If you lose some of that baby fat around your waist, he might give you the time of day again,” Delia said, slicing deep with the sharp edge of her tongue.
Vanna bristled in her seat. Her hands and her eyes instantly went to the pudge at her belly. She’d been too lazy and depressed to work it off. Now she had all the motivation in the world to get back in shape. Especially after seeing Delia’s flat stomach and hourglass figure in that pink double-knit scoop-neck dress. It was hard to believe she’d had one kid, much less the three mentioned in recent newspaper articles.
“Do we have an agreement or not?” Vanna asked, scowling up at Delia now.
“It doesn’t appear that I have much choice at the moment,” Delia replied through tight lips.
“You don’t.” Vanna smirked and stood to her feet, sucking her stomach in as she did. “Here’s a list of the things my son needs and where I want them sent,” she said, thrusting a sealed brown envelope upon Delia’s desk. “Oh, and if you even think about telling Royal any of this, I will leak the story about your past so quick that your head will spin.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me talking to him ever again,” Delia assured her, deeming the man more trouble than he was worth right now.
“Good.” Vanna smiled triumphantly. “Let’s keep it that way.” Then she turned around and left, making no mention of the interview she originally came here for.
There never was an interview, Delia realized as the door slammed shut behind Vanna. It was all a sham just to blackmail me into getting what she really wanted.
Just then, her cell phone rang.
Pulling it out from her purse, Delia looked down and saw Royal’s office number on the display panel. She scowled before pulling the phone up to her right ear. “For the last time, don’t call me no more!”
Ending the call with the press of a button, Delia threw the phone in the small green trash can by her desk. It was time for a new cell phone anyway.
‘Now’ what did I do? Royal mused, hearing the distant click of his call being terminated. What he should have been asking himself was, how much more rejection was he going to take from Delia before completely giving up?
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 20.1
March
“Miss Briscoe, once again, I don’t give interviews. Not even phone interviews. Sorry,” Delia told the persistent news reporter for the fourth time this week.
This Vanna Briscoe woman had called her every day for the last four days. It was always with the same request. She always got the same answer – no interviews.
“I suggest you reconsider unless you want me to go with a less flattering story about you,” Vanna said, revealing her impatience. She’d hoped to have her interview by now and a few other things. Yet with Delia shunning the spotlight like the plague, Vanna’s attempts at using flattery to entrap her into a meeting had been futile. Now it was time to play hardball.
“What could you possibly say unflattering about that miraculous birth at my store?” Delia asked, growing increasingly annoyed by this woman. She was about to hang up on her.
“Oh, I wouldn’t be talking about that birth. I’d be talking about a certain person’s death in my article. A certain Esteban ‘E-Blade’ Jackwood. You remember him, don’t you?” Vanna chuckled spitefully. “Imagine what the good citizens of
Delia frowned. “Be at my office in ten minutes,” she said, incorporating a few things that she’d learned from her days with E-Blade.
Never, ever discuss delicate issues over the phone. Too many bugs. Too much room for entrapment. Always meet in person, and even then make sure the person isn’t wired.
“I’ll be there in five,” Vanna replied gleefully. “After all, I’m just outside of your store in the parking lot.”
“Cool,” Delia replied. Then she slammed the phone down with one hand while the other hand balled into a fist.
I knew posing for those pictures was a bad idea, Delia mused, regretting ever listening to her mother on that issue.
At the time, Valena thought it would be a boost to Delia’s self-confidence if she saw her name and face in the newspaper on a positive note. Now it seemed to have backfired on her.
Now some crazy reporter chick is stalking me. But why? Delia stood to her feet and headed to her private bathroom. She had to look her best before meeting this newfound enemy.
Never let them see you sweat, girl, Delia thought, recalling what she’d learned from Bonz’s wife. Aisha was always cool, calm, and collected in times of adversity. She seldom reacted emotionally even when deliberately provoked.
Lord, I’m really gonna need Your help with my temper on this one. You know how rowdy I can get sometimes, Delia prayed, recognizing her own weakness and seeking help for it.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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***For those that already have paid, you will follow instructions # 3 - 5 only. See you at the VOD soon!
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 19.3
Royal and Delia shot out of her office at the news that someone was actually about to deliver a baby in her store. When they made it to the holding room, Royal immediately took control of the situation. He sent Jerry, the security guard, to call for an ambulance and gather blankets and other items from the store shelves. He gave his key ring to Delia and sent her to get his medical bag from his trunk while he tended to the scared pregnant teenager.
By the time the errand runners returned, Royal had the girl much calmer. His voice was soothing as he spoke to her. Yet it was downright affectionate when he spoke to Delia, calling her precious and claiming her as his impromptu nurse as they prepared to deliver the baby together.
The security guard proved to be useless after that. Jerry kept swooning, kept being nauseated. Finally Royal sent him out of the room to wait for the paramedics to arrive.
Quickly showing Delia how to sanitize her upper limbs all the way up to her elbows, they donned the handy surgical gloves from his medical bag and went to work. There was no time to lose. Donita, the pregnant teenager, was fully dilated and the baby’s head was already trying to crown.
Like true teammates, Royal and Delia worked together to help Donita bring forth this new life. Royal’s words stayed soothing to the birth mother, affectionate to his beloved.
By the time the healthy baby girl was delivered, the paramedics had arrived and were ready to take the new mother and child to the hospital. The afterbirth had been put into a small baby tub, sealed in plastic and sent to the hospital for examination also. Royal promised to follow along later after he had a moment to wash up and have a few parting words with the store owner.
“Delia, whomever you get to clean this room up, make sure they wear protective gloves at all times,” Royal told her once they were alone again. “We barely know Donita’s full name, much less her medical history and so you need to be very careful in handling anything with bodily fluids on them.”
“We’ll be careful, Royal. I promise,” Delia said, looking at him with deep admiration and awe. He’d been so good under pressure. So calm. She was more in love with him now than ever before.
“Good, now come into the bathroom so I can make sure you dispose of those gloves and wash your hands correctly before I leave. Since there’s a small blood splatter on the bottom of your shirt, you need to wash up real good and change your blouse. Hopefully that garment bag I saw hanging on the back of your office door is filled with changing clothes.”
“It is.” Delia nodded as she followed the amazing man to the adjoining bathroom. “I also have a shower in my private bathroom.”
“Excellent.” Royal smiled back at her. “I like that you always come prepared, baby. You make one heck of a nurse, too.”
Delia blushed beneath his loving gaze and compliments.
In the holding room’s bathroom, Royal stood next to her at the sink and showed her the proper procedure to remove and discard the used gloves. When it came to the washing their hands part, he stood behind her with his arms about her body.
Delia couldn’t help but moan at his nearness.
“I feel it, too, baby, but there’s not enough time to get into anything. I have to leave soon,” Royal whispered close to her ear. “Come see me tonight and we’ll celebrate our latest joint accomplishment the right way.”
Delia was about to tell him that she couldn’t on account of her new lease on life, but once again they were interrupted.
“Miss Valentine, oh…” Jerry’s voice trailed off when he noticed the intimate position the couple were standing in.
“Yes, Jerry?” Delia said, moving away from Royal. To hide some of her embarrassment, she reached for paper towels from the nearby container and busied herself with the drying of her hands.
“There are TV crews out front. Somebody must have told them what happened here, because they all want to talk to you and the doc,” Jerry replied, acting as if he hadn’t seen what he’d just seen.
Delia’s gaze sought Royal’s. “The spotlight can’t seem to help but find you, huh, Dr. Seeger?”
Royal shook his head. “I didn’t plan…” He stopped, remembering that they weren’t alone. “While you change your blouse, Miss Valentine, I’ll deal with the news crew.” He reached for paper towels to dry his hands.
“Thank you, doctor,” Delia replied through tight lips. Then she threw the used paper towels in the nearest trash can and stalked out of the room en route to her office.
Royal blew out a frustrated breath. Right then and there he knew that she was not coming over to his house to celebrate tonight or any other night until he could stop drawing so much attention to himself.
* * *
Fortunately, the newspaper and TV crews were kind to Delia, only focusing on the present, not the past. In fact, they deemed her and Royal heroes. Generous heroes at that since Delia gave Donita an open account at her store for the first year of the baby’s life. Royal gave Donita free medical care and offered to pay for her and the baby’s return to their relatives down in
It seems that Donita was a runaway, who’d left home last year with her much older boyfriend. The guy dumped her in her first trimester, leaving Donita to live from pillow to post for the remaining months of her pregnancy.
Sensing that the baby was going to be born soon, Donita had come into Delia’s store trying to steal last minute things for her child. She didn’t have enough money to buy those things for herself and didn’t have much support from the people whose she stayed with.
In gratitude to her generous heroes, Donita named her baby Precious Valentine. Precious, because that’s the name she kept hearing Dr. Seeger say all during the delivery. And Valentine, because that was the last name of the nice lady that owned the store and didn’t press charges.
Though Delia continued to keep her distance from Royal, despite the good press, she did consent to take several photos with him, Donita, and the baby for a few local news outlets.
Nearly everyone in town loved those photos. Valena framed the copies she clipped out of the newspaper. She hung one in the living room and sent the others to their friends in
Delia’s employees framed a copy and hung them near the front of the store. Pregnant customers particularly stopped to admire the photo. They liked knowing that if they happened to go in labor at the baby store, there was someone on hand with experience to help them.
Unfortunately, there was one person that hated those photos with Delia and Royal in them. It was a news reporter at that. Her name – Vanna Briscoe. She’d had her own baby by now and was struggling as a single mother in every way.
Something’s going on between them two. I just know it! Vanna thought, determined to find out more about this woman who clearly had two things she wanted most right now – access to Royal’s heart and an unlimited supply of baby items.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 19.2
Royal felt the change in the atmosphere as soon as he entered Delia green and blue themed office. Though she spoke to him in a professional tone, her voice was huskier than usual, she shook his hand longer than required at his arrival, and she kept looking at his lips throughout the meeting.
Deeming himself LL Cool J’s second cousin for the moment, Royal kept licking his lips to get Delia to look at them even more.
She did.
Unfortunately, that only told Royal that she still desired him. He already knew that. With the kind of chemistry they had, how could she not still desire him? Especially since it hadn’t even been three days since they last made love.
“Dr. Seeger, do you have any additional questions for me?” Delia asked as the meeting prepared to come to a close. She looked like she wanted to jump out of her skin by this time. Or rather jump on his skin.
“Yes, I do, Miss Valentine,” Royal replied, licking his lips one more time for good measure.
“Go right ahead,” Delia urged, sounding even huskier now.
“Do you love me?”
Delia’s eyes bucked. “I...I”
“Remember you’re a lover of truth,” Royal added, reminding her of her commitment to honesty as she struggled with her answer.
“Yes,” Delia admitted in a soft whisper, closing her eyes at the confession. She sagged in her chair, as if that answer had taken a lot out of her.
“Yes, to what?”
Delia took a deep breath, blew it out slowly and said, “Yes, I love you.” Her eyes were now wide open again as all hope of formalities were gone.
Royal moaned. Desire flared in his gray-blue eyes, causing them to darken almost to the color of his grayish-blue suit. His loins twitched and hardened as blood rushed below.
“I love you, too, baby,” Royal said, standing to his feet.
Delia gasped at the tent in his pants. “Sit back down, Royal. Please,” she begged. She’d only been saved a short time. She didn’t think she was strong enough to resist him if he actually touched her. And why oh why didn’t she leave her office door open?
Royal grinned knowingly. “You want me to be good, baby?”
“Yes. Please be good.”
Chuckling, Royal sat back down in the green cushioned chair. “I’ll be good…for now. But know this, Delia. I haven’t given up on us by a long shot. Which is the main reason I’m switching careers this year. I’m going to be an hotelier.”
“You’re leaving medicine? For me?!” Delia’s eyes were huge with shock.
“Yes, on both accounts. Doing so will take me out of the spotlight, keep you and your family out of the spotlight by association, and allow us to live normal lives…together.”
Delia’s eyes bucked again. The brilliant man had successfully uncovered her other reason for not dating him – concern for her family. He’d also successfully found a way around that reason.
“But you’re so good at everything you do that you’re probably going to blow up in the hotel business, too. Face it, Royal. You’re meant for the spotlight. I just want to crawl into the background and stay there.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have opened such a great store then. Because this is the busiest baby store in town. It was barely
“What do you mean by that? The part about my kids.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me of Junior, he’s a genius in the making. His face is going to stay in local newspapers once he starts entering contests and winning them. Then there’s
Delia’s mouth opened and closed without a sound as she took in all that he’d said. It did wonderful things to her soul to know that he’d really listened all those times she talked about her kids with him. It did other things to her body to know the lengths Royal was willing to go just to be with her. Besides Jesus, no other man had been so sacrificial for her.
Jesus, Delia mused, suddenly remembering her conversion. She had to tell Royal that she was saved now. That she couldn’t be making love with any man without a marriage license based on what she’d learned so far in her new Bible. And that even though her family might generate some media coverage on their own, they’d probably be in the forgettable sections of the newspaper, not front page and center like he constantly was.
“
Just then, the gray-haired store security guard burst into the office yelling, “Come quick, Miss Valentine! The teenager I just caught shoplifting just went into labor in the holding room!”
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Monday, March 24, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 19.1
Delia decided to do two things now that she was a Christian - start looking for a church home and take up ballroom dancing. Both would give her something constructive to do besides think about Royal all the time and improve her quality of her life.
Interestingly enough, Delia was more nervous about going to church than she was about ballroom dancing, though the latter required almost constant movement. She was nervous because the last time she was in church was the day they buried her biological father. All that whooping and hollering had frightened her terribly. She’d begged her mother never to make her go again. Valena didn’t, although she continued to go alone.
Two years later, Valena stopped going herself. She’d gotten remarried by that time to a domineering man that liked to be addressed by his last name – Tully. Because Tully didn’t want anyone to know the extent of his physical abuse upon Valena, which had been next to impossible to hide with her being so fair skinned and the lead singer, he made her quit the choir and ultimately the church. Valena stopped singing altogether after that. Even at home.
I miss Mama’s singing, Delia mused, sighing wistfully as she settled into her desk chair. She’d just come from the front of the store after getting her three cashiers squared away with their registers.
Switching from thoughts of her mother to thoughts of E-Blade, Delia realized that even he had been to church more than her thanks to a favorite aunt that kept him in church as a child. When that aunt died, the then angry pre-teen stopped going completely. Then when E-Blade’s mother became a drug addict, the young man wholeheartedly turned to the streets, taking his bitterness out on anyone he deemed an enemy. It was the grace of God that allowed E-Blade to not only live as long as he did considering all the people he’d killed, but to also get things right with Him before he died.
Hopefully church will keep our kids from following in their daddy’s footsteps, Delia mused, determined to overcome her fear of church for her children’s sakes.
Just then, Delia’s desk phone rang. “Baby-This-And-That, may I help you?” she said pleasantly.
“Miss Valentine, there’s a Dr. Seeger to see you upfront,” said Bailey, the lead cashier. She was on the front desk phone.
“Dr…Did you say Dr. Seeger?” Delia stammered out, her pulse racing at a gallop.
“Yes, he just bought out our whole inventory of new mother packages. Says he would like to see you to discuss opening an ongoing account for more packages as the need arises. Shall I send him back to your office now?”
Delia swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. “Wait a minute. Did you say he bought every new mother package we had?”
“Yes, ma’am. The ones on the shelves and in the storeroom. I’m making arrangements to have them shipped to his office right now,” Bailey replied, clearly excited about this large sale, too. New mother packages came with a 15% commission attached for each one sold.
On a personal level Delia wanted to turn Royal away. She knew exactly what he was doing today. Knew why.
Yet on a professional level, Delia was too smart of a businesswoman to miss this new opportunity presented her. The medical practice where Royal worked was premier in this town. Top-notch. If they established such an account with her store, other doctors would follow suit.
Opening her mouth, Delia allowed the smart businesswoman in her to speak. “Send him on back, Bailey.”
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets is moving soon!
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets is going to the VOD blog soon (as in THREE MORE CHAPTERS). So get your coins ready (VOD price is $4).
If you want to tag-team, that’s fine with me, too. Meaning, two people can share the cost of admission so that they both can read the rest of the story.
*whispering* Don’t tell my hubby. He thinks I’m too generous as it is. Lol.
If tag-teaming, please email me with both email addresses of the people that will be sharing that admission so that I can add them to the invitational list. Also at the end of the story, only one E-Book is going out per access fee paid. Which means, you and your reading partner will have to decide who gets the free E-Book. But I’m sure y’all will find a way around that, too. Hint-hint. lol. Don’t tell hubby I said that either. Lol.
Anyway, here’s the link to get you started:
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 18.2
There was a threefold purpose to Royal’s call to Aisha. One, to let her know of his interest in Delia. Two, to find out if there was any animosity between them on account of what E-Blade had done. Three, to enlist Aisha and even Bonz’s help if they were willing.
The one and only time Delia discussed the intricate details of her former life, she failed to mention how things were between her and her
All Royal could remember Delia saying about Bonz and Racker post-shooting was that they both survived what E-Blade had done to them. Everything else he researched on his own via family gossip and media databases.
For instance, Royal knew that Bonz not only survived E-Blade’s revenge, but in many ways had thrived. Not only was Aisha’s husband completely legit in all (not just some) of his business dealings, Bonz still married the love of his life, made it out of that wheelchair, and started a family with her.
Though Royal hadn’t seen or talked to Aisha since her brother’s funeral a few years back, it was easy for him to obtain her contact information thanks to his mother. Carmen kept up with everybody in the family via her quarterly newsletter. In fact, she’d been the one to tell him about Aisha’s marriage and the conditions surrounding it.
Thinking about that family newsletter now, Royal went to his home office and retrieved it from a file. “Aisha Norwood-Forsyth,” he read aloud as he perused the newsletter moments later. Settling into his desk chair, he picked up the phone to his right and dialed his cousin’s home number.
“Hello, may I speak with Aisha?” Royal said when a man answered the line a few seconds later.
“Sure, may I ask who is calling?” It was Aisha’s overprotective husband – Gregory ‘Bonz’ Forsyth.
“It’s her cousin, Royal Seeger. Or
Needless to say, that nickname did not go over well with his mother. Carmen named him Royal in order to set a certain precedence for how she wanted the rest of his life to be. She still held him to that high standard today.
To his credit, Royal always took his cousins’ ribbing with a grain of salt. He never once allowed what Aisha and Dominic said to get him down. If anything, their words only propelled him to try harder to be the best at everything he did. Royal also secretly grew to love that nickname because it made him feel like a regular kid instead of an untouchable child prodigy.
“
Royal smiled at the endearment Bonz had for Aisha. It reminded him of the endearment he had for Delia.
“Hey,
“I apologize for not calling you sooner, Aisha,” Royal replied. “Things have been very busy for me lately.”
“I imagine so, you being a big time doctor and all. Congratulations on all those awards you won recently,” Aisha said. “They took up just about the whole newsletter, but I’m happy for you just the same.” She chuckled.
“Thanks. And you know how Mama is. She goes on and on about every little thing I do.”
“Yes, we all know,” Aisha teased.
Royal laughed, inwardly chiding himself for not keeping in tough with her more often. He forgot how much fun Aisha was to be around in person or via phone. “So how are you getting along in life?” he asked, slowly building up to want he really wanted to talk about. “I heard about your marriage and first baby. Heard you were pregnant again, in fact.”
“You heard right. I married a wonderful man who enjoys keeping me very happy and…pregnant.” Aisha chuckled, patting her round belly as she sat down on a stool at the kitchen island.
“Right, right,” Bonz agreed in the background as he made his way over to the fridge of a snack. Though he walked with a slight limp now, that was minor compared to how traumatic his injuries had been.
Royal smiled at their jovial banter. “It’s good to hear you’re so happy,” he told Aisha. He longed for that kind of happiness with Delia. “How are your children doing? The one running around the house and the one running around in your belly.”
Aisha laughed harder. “They’re both healthy and strong.” With her chuckles trickling to an end, she added, “So,
Royal burst out laughing. It had always been hard to pull anything over on Aisha. Dominic had been the only one to ever really fool her about anything.
“Although I am interested in your life, too, I was actually calling about a mutual friend of ours,” Royal confessed.
“Oh, which mutual friend would that be?” As Aisha talked, she reached into the island drawer and pulled out all the cutlery that her husband would need for his sandwich. As usual, she and Bonz were a true team in every way.
“Delia Valentine. She was a former patient of mine. I want her to be more now,” Royal replied. He didn’t mind bearing his soul to Aisha. She’d always been non-judgmental and accepting of others. In fact, she was the first one to fully accept Dominic’s homosexual lifestyle. It had taken Royal years to get used to the idea of having an openly gay relative.
Towards the end of Dominic’s life they’d finally reached a point where differences in sexuality didn’t matter anymore. The two men had even started playing the occasional golf game together. In his will, Dominic left Royal his entire golf club collection. Those clubs were still being used today.
“So you’re crushing on Delia, huh?” Aisha smiled wide. “And to think I was going to recommend her to you some two plus years ago.”
“You were?” Royal was surprised by that news. “Why didn’t you?”
“For one thing, I wasn’t sure if she even had a medical problem back then,” Aisha replied. “For another thing, Delia and I weren’t on good terms.”
“How are you two now? Matter of fact, how is Delia’s relationship with all of her
“Good. I figured you were just the man to take care of it. As for the crew’s relationship with Delia, it couldn’t be better. We never blamed her for what E-Blade did. In fact, Bonz personally made Delia a silent partner in our daycare center so that she’d have steady money coming in to take care of her family since the media made it too hard for her to work there anymore.”
“I see.” Royal understood a lot better why Delia shunned media attention. Why she discontinued their relationship because he was a media magnet. Just this week, he was featured in the Valentine’s Day issue of a local publication, which had compiled a list of
“I’m glad everyone is on good terms now,” Royal continued. “But tell me, why were you and Delia ever on bad terms? She wasn’t trying to get your man, was she?”
“Back then Delia was still too in love with that crazy baby-daddy of hers to look at any man twice,” Aisha replied, making no apologies for her candor. Though she’d forgiven E-Blade because it was what God required, she still didn’t have a high opinion of him. “No, what Delia was trying to do was help her cousin get my man.” Aisha scoffed. “That same cousin ended up getting her man instead, which caused a whole lot of problems for everybody.”
“I see.” Royal frowned at that bit of information. He’d known about E-Blade’s infidelity with Delia’s cousin, yet he had no idea that Delia tried to pawn that same cousin off on Aisha’s man first. “She must have been really desperate back then.”
“Too desperate,” Aisha replied, blowing a kiss at her husband as he exited the kitchen with his sandwich. Bonz winked back. “Thankfully, Delia has changed a lot since then.” She naturally assumed that Royal knew about Delia’s latest change since he seemed to know everything else.
“Yes, which is just one of the reasons I’m so interested in dating her,” Royal replied, vividly remembering his last tryst with Delia.
“Good!” Aisha gleefully exclaimed. “Delia needs a quality man like you in her life and her kids definitely need a good father figure. The fact that you already know what you’re getting into and still want to get into it shows me just how exceptional you are,
“Glad to have your approval.” Royal smiled. Now he couldn’t wait to tell Delia about his connection to Aisha.
“Oh you most definitely have that.” Aisha suddenly grew serious. “The only thing I’m worried about now is your mother. For all of her spirituality, Cousin Carmen might not be too accepting of a woman with Delia’s past.”
“I know. I’m hoping that Mama will get to know and love who Delia is now, before she finds out how she was back then,” Royal replied, turning serious, too. He might be able to avoid the local media knowing about Delia’s past, but his mother was a different story. How do you keep a secret like that from a parent?
“Can you love Delia regardless of her past?” Aisha asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“I already do,” Royal confessed. “I think I fell in love with Delia the first day we met.”
Aisha smiled with approval. “Then let me tell you how to make her yours,” she volunteered without him even needing to ask for her assistance.
Royal was very encouraged when he got off the phone with his cousin. Aisha had told him exactly how to win the most brownie points with Delia. The fact that she’d been on Delia’s good and bad sides made her relationship tips even more credible. Now Royal knew the things that made Delia mad as well as the things that made her glad. He would use those things to his advantage starting bright and early tomorrow morning.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Female Genital Circumcision
Female Genital Circumcision (FGC)
Also known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
These are links to find out more about FGC/FGM:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2736067.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/jun/01/health.healthandwellbeing
http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_cutting
Can it be reversed? Some people seem to think so and are doing something about it. See the links under the associated quotes below:
· “The only midwife in the UK to practice reversals of FGM, Momoh finds that in half of the cases she deals with, it is possible to find the clitoris. “Often the clitoris is just there when you peel the scar tissue back, maybe because when it was done, the child had not developed,” she says. “When I can reverse FGM it makes me so very happy.”
http://www.stophonourkillings.com/?name=News&file=print&sid=805
· “An estimated 15,000 girls in the
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2872/is_2_27/ai_75099772/pg_11
· “Thousands of women a year are presenting to medical and community staff in
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/jun/01/health.healthandwellbeing
· “Mutilated women will often travel across the country to attend clinics known to have sympathetic and well-informed staff. Harry Gordon worked with Forward to start the first specialist clinic in the
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/jun/01/health.healthandwellbeing
I hope you use my research to start your own research project on the issue. Also here’s the contact info for Central Middlesex Hospital, which was mentioned on more than one occasion during my research.
NW10 7NHS
Main Tel: 020 8965 5733
Author Note
I was going to save this post as a part of my Letter to Readers section at the end of the book, but after the email I just received from one of our international readers, I realized I had to post this now.
While doing research for Pursuing Mrs. Regrets, I discovered that there were some women in the world whose clitorises had been deliberately damaged (often for cultural reasons). Which means they may have never known what it was like to make love with pleasure or with as much pleasure as an uncircumcised woman.
I can hear the westerners gasping now. That’s right, in some parts of the world woman are circumcised, too.
Though I dare not judge another person’s culture, traditions, and/or religious practices, I can’t help but question those things when the consequences of continuing in such practices far outweigh the benefits. Pretty much the same way I question my culture’s (or rather the older people in my family) use of extension cords to whip their children. I mean, did it really take using something that severe to keep us in line? Were we that ‘bad’ that a regular switch from a tree or even a belt wouldn’t have driven the rebelliousness out of us just the same (for those following Proverbs 13:24; 22:15)?
To this day, some of my relatives still bear the (physical and/or emotional) scars of those extension cord whippings.
But I digress…
The point I’m trying to make here is that Pursuing Mrs. Regrets gave me insight into a few things that I’d never known before. Things like how important the clitoris was to a woman, the fact that there were some women without them for various reasons, and the fact that clitoris issues can oftentimes be reversed. That’s right, I said REVERSED!
I was going to ask those interested in obtaining a copy of my research sheet with links to websites concerning Female Genital Circumcision (FGC), also known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), to email me, but I decided to just post the contents of that research on this blog instead. This way, the ladies affected by this practice can keep their anonymity since some may be embarrassed to even acknowledge that this has happened to them. I applaud the brave soul that did email me and prompted this discussion.
My prayer is that everything on this blog be helpful to someone…anyone.
Suprina
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 18.1
Royal must have reviewed Delia’s text message a hundred times that day. Not for self-torment, but in search for hidden truths. He’d found several by the time he commuted home.
‘After much thought, I have decided to discontinue our relationship altogether’- This wasn’t a hasty decision on Delia’s part. Meaning, she’d obviously weighed the pros and cons of being with him before coming to a resolution.
‘A woman with my past could ruin the career of an up and coming doctor like yourself.’ - This was one of those consequences Delia had weighed and used to come to her decision.
Royal was not so vain as to think that that was the only consequence Delia hoped to avoid with him. After all, he had a pretty high profile in town, regularly featured in the local newspapers for some new accomplishment he’d done or because of some social event he attended. No doubt Delia was also thinking about what that kind of media attention would create for her family if she was spotted around town with one of the city’s most eligible bachelors.
‘I’ve grown to care too much for you to ever hurt you that way.’ – Delia had strong feelings for him. Feelings so strong that she was willing to sacrifice something that brought her extreme pleasure in order to keep from hurting innocent people.
“Sounds like love to me,” Royal deduced aloud, convinced that Delia felt the same way about him as he did her. Yet he had to know for sure before putting everything on the line.
I’ll find out tomorrow, Royal mused, turning into his driveway. For now, he needed to make a long overdue call to a certain relative in
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 17.4
Royal didn’t get Delia’s second text message until
Smiling when he saw Delia’s name in his message box, Royal’s smile plunged into a frown when he actually read the message. His heart felt as if it had dropped to his stomach. Confusion clouded his brain. His knees got weak, causing him to find the nearest chair, lest he fall down.
How could Delia discontinue their relationship so easily? Especially after last night. Did she not hear him say that he loved her? Royal didn’t tell just anybody that. In fact, he’d never told anyone outside of his family that.
And what was this nonsense about not wanting to ruin his career? Royal never wanted to be an OB/GYN anyway, despite the fact that he was very good at it. That career path was his mother’s dream.
Plus, Royal now had a backup plan of being an hotelier. Hoteliers didn’t have to have wives with pristine pasts like doctors. He would make sure to tell Delia that the next time he talked with her, which was…
Now!
Using the cell phone, Royal quickly dialed Delia’s cellular, which had been their main source of contact all these months. He heaved a sigh of relief when she picked up on the first ring. Had she been waiting for him to call? Expecting it?
“I just got your last message and was hoping that we could sit down and talk about it. Can we meet somewhere for dinner tonight?” Royal said, speaking in a rush as adrenaline surged through his veins. One would think that he was in the ER right now and trying to save a patient’s life. “Or maybe you could stop by my house later tonight. That way I can tell you all about this new business idea—”
“No!” Delia nearly shouted, before self-consciously lowering her voice again. She immediately got up and closed the door to her office. “Seeing you again is only going to make things worse for the both of us,” she continued in her normal tone as she returned to her black swivel desk chair.
“Speak for yourself. I honestly don’t think it can get any worse for me, seeing as the only woman I’ve ever declared my love to has suddenly decided she doesn’t want me anymore,” Royal replied.
“Wanting you has never been the issue here, Royal. Deserving you is. You’re a good man. You deserve somebody that can love you the way you ought to be loved. Someone you can be proud to walk down the street with, present to your family, friends, and colleagues. With my past, I’m just not that person,” Delia said, bearing even more of her soul in those statements.
“Deserve me?!” Royal blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t deserve you, precious.” His voice lowered and thickened with emotion at the same time. “There’s nothing I could have ever done right in this life to not only finally meet my soul-mate, but to also know what it feels like to be inside of her. Deep inside.” He paused when his voice threatened to break. “Baby, being inside of you is like heaven to me. Heaven,” Royal added, his voice husky with love and need.
Delia shuddered from the force of his words. She was so close to changing her mind. So close.
“I…I can’t,” Delia forced out, remembering her last failed relationship, her family’s best interest, and her newfound salvation. “I’m sorry, Royal. Please respect my wishes. And please don’t contact me again.” Then she quickly hung up before he could really change her mind.
At the click, Royal understood firsthand how desperation could drive a man to act completely out of character. Right now he wanted to drive over to Delia’s store, demand that she see him, and then kiss and make love to her until she changed her mind.
Yet Royal knew he would do no such thing. Besides the fact that he could actually get arrested for stalking Delia at her job, he didn’t really want to grovel before a reluctant woman. There had to be a better way to change Delia’s mind. A way to prove to her that her past was not going to be a hindrance to him in any way. That he’d walk away from everything just to be with her.
Delia Valentine, it’s not over between us by a long shot, Royal mused, determined to not only win her back, but also marry her. In the meantime, he had a few pregnant women to attend to.
* * *
After that phone call with Royal, Delia retrieved her purse, let her new assistant manager in charge, and went home early. She cried all the way there. Cried some more when she got there. Delia’s hot teardrops singed the hall carpet on the way to her bedroom.
Thankfully, the boys were at school. Tess was taking her
Valena offered Delia as much comfort as she could. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. The hurt was too deep. Delia was in love with a wonderful man, a wonderful man that sincerely loved her and made love to her as if she’d been created just for him. And yet she couldn’t have him. How could the pain not be deep?
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Mama, but I need more,” Delia told her mother among more freefalling tears. “I need for God to step in on this. I need the kind of peace that only He can give me right now.”
“Maybe we can go to God together,” Valena offered, unwilling to leave Delia alone in her current state. She’d never seen her daughter this upset before. Not even when E-Blade died.
Reaching for her mother’s hands, Delia began to pray from her heart. At some point between Heavenly Father and Amen, Valena rededicated her life to the Lord. Mourning had somehow translated into rejoicing.
When Delia and Valena were finally composed again, they made a new pact. A pact that was actually a modification of the old one that they made before relocating.
Yes, they would continue to help each other come up in life. Yes, they would continue to avoid the wrong kinds of men. Except now they would rely more on God to help them and not just one another. Now they would also avoid certain types of good men, too. Men like Royal whose light was shining so brightly that standing close to him could thrust them into the spotlight, too.
Delia and Valena knew they couldn’t risk bringing that kind of attention their family’s way. For the sake of the kids, they were going to strive to live quiet lives, lives that faded into the background of society and created no ripples in the pool of life.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 17.3
After her shower, Delia sent Royal a brief text message to let him know she’d gotten home safely and was now in bed. She couldn’t run the risk of him calling before she was ready to talk to him again.
Next she called one of her
Alexis will know exactly how to walk me through this salvation thing, Delia mused, needing someone well-versed in the things of God to talk to now. Someone other than her mother.
Although Delia loved her mother and appreciated her wisdom, Valena knew even less about God than she did. Which was very odd because Valena used to be the lead singer in a church choir when Delia was a little girl.
As soon as her sleepy friend answered the phone, Delia came right out with a pivotal question. “Does God accept murderous skanks in His kingdom?”
“What?!” Alexis sounded and was shocked by that unexpected question. She was also suddenly fully awake, despite the early hour.
“I said, does God accept murderous skanks in His kingdom? Meaning, would He would want or even save somebody like me?” Delia reiterated, adding more clarification in the process.
“Yes, to both of your questions. God accepts all repentant souls,” Alexis replied. “Now before we go any further, answer a few things for me. I understand about the murderous thing, but why in the world would call yourself a skank? You’ve only been with two men in your entire life. Your teenage boyfriend and E-Blade. Has that suddenly changed?”
“Yes.” Delia took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then let the truth roam free. “I’ve been secretly seeing this man for the last three months, Alexis. Not officially dating him, but definitely sleeping with him every chance I get.”
“Every chance you get?” Alexis asked, still trying to take it all in.
“Yep. I broke it down with him again just last night - at the movies and at his house.”
“This isn’t like you at all, Dee. You usually need a strong emotional attachment with a man before even kissing him.”
“I know.” Delia sighed. Her brown eyes glistened with emotion. “I also know that if God don’t help me, I’m going to sleep with this man again, despite the fact that there’s no hope of a future for us.” She sighed again, sniffing back sad tears. “Plus, I’m just tired, Alexis. Tired of carrying around all this guilt about E-Blade, about a lot of things. So if God can remove these burdens of mine, I promise to live for Him for the rest of my life.”
“Wow, girl. You said a mouthful just then,” Alexis replied. “Hold on a minute and let me get my Bible. I want to explain a few scriptures to you, then we’ll go to God together and get you saved, okay?”
“Okay.”
Alexis came back within seconds with a small arsenal of handy scriptures. John 3:16, Romans 3:23-24 and Roman 10:9-10 were just the beginning. There were several more where those came from.
Ten minutes later, Delia understood a lot of things much better. She particularly understood that the road to salvation required faith, a repentant heart, confession, and reception. Salvation was so simple and yet so profound.
Did Delia believe that God could save her through what Jesus Christ had done?
Yes.
Was she truly sorry for her sins and ready to turn away from them?
Yes.
Was she willing to confess those sins before God?
Yes.
Was she willing to receive forgiveness and everything else Jesus died and rose again to give her?
Double yes.
Finally, undeniably, Delia was…
Saved!
“Thank you so much, Alexis,” Delia said at the end of their heartfelt prayer. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks. “I actually feel lighter already. How is that possible?”
Alexis chuckled. “All things are possible with God,” she replied, quoting from Matthew 19:26.
“I see I have a lot to learn. But I’m ready.” Delia smiled, sniffing back happy tears this time.
“You definitely sound ready,” Alexis agreed. “Now let me get off this line so I can call all our friends and tell them that God finally answered our prayer – Delia Valentine is saved!”
“Yep, saved.” Delia grinned, pleased to know that her
After that phone call with Alexis, Delia took advantage of the extra hour that she had before the kids woke up to send Royal a text message. She just didn’t have the heart to hurt him face to face, or even over the phone for that matter.
That text message read: “Dear Royal, after much thought, I have decided to discontinue our relationship altogether. A woman with my past could ruin the career of an up and coming doctor like yourself. I’ve grown to care too much for you to ever hurt you that way. I apologize for possibly hurting you now. I wish you all the best in life and I hope you can forgive me for receiving pleasure all these months at the expense of your feelings. Delia.”
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Friday, March 21, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 17.2
Delia made it home way before her children awakened. That was not the case with her mother. Valena was up and sitting at the kitchen table with a magazine and a cup of coffee in front of her, clearly waiting to have a long overdue conversation with her daughter.
“Good morning, Mama,” Delia said, heading to the fridge with the gallon of milk in her hands.
“Good morning to you, too, Dee,” Valena replied. “Now if we’re done with the pleasantries, you mind telling me where you’re really coming from this time of morning? Because I know it don’t take that long to get milk from the grocery store, even if you had to go all the way across town to get it.”
Delia’s cheeks flushed with color. If she was still a mischievous teenager, she might have been inclined to add to her earlier half-truth. But since she was a grown woman with children of her own and since she was trying to stay in the integrity zone in every area of her life, she told her mother the whole truth.
“I did go to the grocery store, Mama…after I spent the evening with a male friend,” Delia confessed, closing the refrigerator door. She removed the brief note she’d left on it announcing her late night errand.
Valena didn’t even look surprised. “I figured as much. I knew all those secret smiles, dreamy looks, and the constant using of your cell phone after hours weren’t for nothing.”
“Dang. I didn’t know I’d been so obvious.” Delia sat down beside her mother at the round table.
“Oh, yeah.” Valena chuckled. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in love.”
“I’m not looking to love anybody’s son but my own ever again,” Delia replied, not confirming or denying her mother’s assessment.
“Sometimes it happens anyway,” Valena said, sprouting a ton of wisdom in that statement. “As for this male friend of yours, when are we going to meet him? Or are you going to keep letting him treat you like some skank that he can only see at night?”
“He doesn’t treat me like a skank,” Delia defended, careful not to call Royal’s name. She wasn’t ready for her mother to know that she was sleeping with her ex-doctor. And she definitely didn’t want Charlize to know.
Valena scoffed. “He’s treating you like something since I seriously doubt you’re meeting this man so late at night just to stare at the moon.”
“Actually, he wants a real relationship,” Delia explain. “I’m the hold up. I’m the one that’s not ready for anything serious.”
“I see. Have you told him that yet?” Valena took a sip of her coffee.
“Yes, but he insists on loving me anyway. I told him not to,” Delia replied.
Valena almost choked on her coffee at those words. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and got her bearings back before responding. “
“Well, what do you suggest I do?” Delia asked, clasping her hands in front of her on the oak wood table.
“I suggest you either allow this man to love you properly or not at all. Don’t play with his emotions with all these mixed messages. Not only is that unfair to him, it can be dangerous for you if he decides he loves you too much to let you go,” Valena said, speaking from experience.
“You’re right. I’m going to stop seeing him. I’ll let him know today,” Delia decided. If only that decision didn’t come with so much pain. It was like losing her father and E-Blade all over again. How was that possible? Had Royal come to mean so much to her already?
“Good girl.” Valena smiled with approval. “I’m glad you’re being so adult about this. But I’m curious. Why did you choose to stop seeing him over just letting him love you? Is he good in bed, yet with major character flaws? Is he a cheater like E-Blade was?”
Delia shook her head. “No, he is handsome, educated, established in his career, has no baby-mama drama, owns his own house, loves kids, and loves me, despite my past.”
Valena’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you want to give up a man like that? He seems perfect in every way.”
Delia sighed heavily. “That’s the thing, Mama. He’s too perfect for me. A woman like me doesn’t deserve a man like that.”
“What do you mean a woman like you?” Valena looked offended that her daughter would even say something like that about herself. “You’re a wonderful mother, daughter, and friend. A great businesswoman.”
Delia smiled at her mother. “I appreciate you saying that, Mama, but no matter how wonderful I am, I could never be good enough for this man.”
“Is this man the Pope or something?”
“No.” Then Delia took a deep breath and told her mother exactly who the mystery man was. “He’s Dr. Royal Seeger, one of Charlize’s bosses. The same doctor that delivered Tess.”
Valena gasped in shock. Her cheeks went from pale to flaming red. “Oh,
Delia hung her head in shame. “I didn’t plan to, Mama. It just happened one night. And then it wouldn’t stop happening. In a way, I didn’t want it to stop. But now I do. Now I’m willing to do what’s best for everybody.” She stood to her feet.
Before leaving the room, Delia requested that what she’d just shared be kept between the two of them. She didn’t want anyone else to know of her shame.
Speechless now, Valena only nodded.
As Delia walked to her room with heavy footsteps, she felt even more ashamed of herself. Even more guilty. It pained her to know that she’d grieved her mother’s heart yet again. When was she going to get it right? What was it going to take to actually be someone that her mother and kids could be proud of?
Who could ever be proud of a murderous skank, Delia mused, mentally kicking herself for behaving so stupidly all these months. For once again making such bad choices.
I need help! Delia mused, opening the door to her bedroom. Maybe it’s time for me to try God after all, she thought, recalling those words from a recent phone conversation with her Christian friend and home-girl Alexis. Maybe He can keep me from making all these stupid mistakes in my life.
“Yes,” Delia declared with her mind firmly made up. She would give God a try. Today.
But first I need to take another shower, Delia mused, unaware that God would accept her just the way she was right now, despite the stench of sin upon her.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 17.1
Note: You might want to open up another tab and copy/paste the link below to get a fuller sensory impact of the tender moment Delia and Royal are about to share in this post. The linked song is Brian McKnight’s Never Felt This Way (Enjoy!):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KdG5_jHWY3I
* * *
When Delia showed up at Royal’s house around 2am, fresh from a shower and wearing completely different clothes from before, he was ready for her. All he had to do was light the candles in the bedroom and turn on some soft R & B music.
Though Delia tried to make this another quickie, Royal insisted on keeping things slow. In fact, he insisted that they dance before even getting in the bed.
As they danced to the instrumental version of Brian McKnight’s Never Felt This Way tune, Royal began to serenade Delia. All the trembling she did during his rendition suggested that she was either very partial to crooners or else extremely partial to him. Probably both.
Either way, Royal enjoyed knowing that he could affect her so powerfully. The look of sheer adoration Delia gave him while he sang and swayed with her had him granite.
When they eventually made it to the bed, Royal kept things just as slow. He took his time loving on Delia’s body, lingering upon every inch of her, leaving her quivering with need in his wake. When they finally became one, she clung to him, crying tears of joy as he slowly stroked her to ecstasy, not once but twice.
Realizing that Delia’s emotions had finally gotten in on the deal, Royal felt free to release a few emotions of his own. Things that his serenade alone should have told her. “I love you, Delia. I have for a while now.”
Delia instantly stopped moving, stopped crying, stopped everything. “I need to go.”
“Go?! Why?” Royal stopped moving as well, though his body was tense with impending release. He’d prolonged his own culmination to make sure she was thoroughly taken care of first.
“I can’t have you loving me. I can’t have any man loving me,” Delia replied, looking away from his intense gaze in the romantically lit room. She had yet to disengage them, yet to leave his bed at all, which revealed her reluctance to do so, despite the words she just said.
“Well, I do anyway,” Royal said, pushing past the fact that she hadn’t responded with her own declaration of love. He started to move again, determined to make the most of her willingness to remain in his bed.
Delia moaned with pleasure. Her gaze snapped back to his, displaying the depth of her desire and also a hint of the depth of her feelings for him.
Royal moaned this time. That heated look she’d just given him had him on fire. The fact that he could feel the rapid beat of her heart matching his even in her core had him so close to the edge that it wasn’t funny.
“Let me show you how much I love you, precious.” Royal began to stroke her faster now.
Delia gasped and moaned again as he hit her special spot repeatedly. Her nails dug in his back. Her hips began to move of their own accord as she matched him beat for beat. The bed banged loudly against the wall. Sconces on that wall shook as the lovers continued to ravish each other.
When Delia went over the edge this time, it was more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced before. Her toes curled. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she actually screamed with release.
Screamed!
That was entirely new since Delia had never been a screamer in her life. Okay, maybe when she was in physical combat, but never during sex…until Royal.
Speaking of Royal, he went over the edge with a loud howl, which was yet another new thing that started when he met Delia. His sweat-drenched body clung to hers until they both stopped trembling.
Afterwards, they showered together. No words were exchanged. Only kisses and lots of caresses. That moment actually seemed too sacred for words.
“Call me when you make it safely home, all right, precious?” Royal said, finally breaking the comfortable silence between them as he walked her to his front door.
“All right,” Delia said, still in a daze from all that had happened tonight.
“I love you,” Royal declared, giving her a final kiss at the door.
Delia only nodded in acknowledgment of his words. Though she wanted to accept Royal’s love and return it so badly, she didn’t see how she could. Or even if she should.
As a result, Delia turned around and walked to her car without another word. On the way home, she stopped at a grocery store for a gallon of milk so that her excuse for leaving home again tonight wouldn’t be a total lie.
“’Cause I’ve never felt this way about loving,” Delia sang, using that verse from Brian McKnight’s song as an excuse to say what was really in her heart. What she wished she’d been brave enough to tell Royal in return.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 16.4
Delia was waiting for Royal in the dark balcony of her movie. Instead of jean pants, she now had on a thigh length jean skirt.
“Where did you get that from?” Royal asked, zooming in on her skirt in the dark area.
“The store next door.”
“I like it. Let me know how much it cost so I can reimburse you for it,” Royal said, settling into the single seat that they would occupy in the darkest corner of the balcony. In this location, it didn’t matter which direction Delia was facing since no one could see them clearly anyway.
“No need to. It was on the clearance rack. I got it for a steal.
“If you insist, but my offer of reimbursement still stands. I see you got rid of your underwear, too,” Royal said, pushing the skirt up in the back as they prepared to become one again. He moaned as she slid down the sheathed length of him a few seconds later. He’d stopped by the restroom on the way over to take care of their protection.
“Would you rather I’d kept them on?” Delia wiggled sensually in his lap the way she knew he liked it. The way she liked it, too, since this position was also a great one for G-spot stimulation.
“No, you did the right thing.” Royal moaned again. “I just love being inside of you, Delia,” he whispered against her ear. He kneaded her thighs and added, “I also love these beautiful thighs. You got the best pair I’ve ever seen or felt on a woman.”
Delia moaned, too. “What I love is kissing your mouth. Your lips are softer than marshmallows. Sweeter, too.”
Royal chuckled huskily and offered those same lips to her. A long slow kiss ensued. It matched the slow rhythm of their hips.
As Royal’s large hands found their way down to her bottom, Delia found herself delectably sandwiched between them and his rotating hips. Both pushed her to the limit of her restraint. She soon began to buck against him.
Royal fully expected Delia to have that kind of reaction. By now he knew that she tended to get very wild when intimacy went from being just good to her to being outstanding.
Squeezing her tighter, Royal proceeded to match her heated movements. Was that his way of taming Delia?
No.
It was his way of speeding things up.
Though Royal liked Delia untamed and encouraged it, in wisdom he knew that they couldn’t stay wild in a public setting for too long without drawing undue attention to themselves. Especially with the theater chair squeaking beneath the weight of their actions.
Fortunately, no one else was up in the balcony and the movie’s sound effects were too loud to hear the chair or their moans of pleasure. As a result, while Will Smith was saving the world yet again from danger, Royal and Delia were able to enjoy each other to the full in that chair.
They went over the edge quickly. The descent from ecstasy was filled with long, slow kisses and sensual caresses.
Having learned that Delia was more amendable to his wishes when he was touching her in some way, Royal decided to make a request of her while they were still one. “I want you to come to my house tonight. I don’t care for how long. I just need to see you completely naked for a change. I also want to make love to you in a real bed again. In my bed,” he told her, remembering their first time.
Delia reluctantly shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. Mama’s already doing a lot of overtime babysitting as it is with my hectic work schedule and all. She might not want to watch them for extra hours on my days off, too.”
“Just try, Delia,” Royal said, deliberately rotating his hips beneath her again. “Please try, precious.” He leaned in to lick and suckle her neck.
Delia moaned. “Okay, I’ll try,” she promised, unable to resist his sensual appeal. Besides, he’d gone out of his way for her many times over the last three months. How could she refuse him this one request?
Royal smiled at Delia’s answer. Then after exchanging one more succulent kiss with her, he disengaged them, righted himself as best as he could, and took his leave. He would make a brief stop in the men’s room before returning to his own movie.
* * *
“That must have been a doozy of a case. You missed the whole second half of the movie,” Layla said when Royal finally returned to his seat.
“Yes, it was definitely a challenge. But I was more than equipped to handle it,” Royal replied, smiling at the memory of how he’d handled Delia in that balcony chair.
Correction, how they’d handled each other, because Delia had given as good as she’d gotten.
As Royal and Layla were leaving the theater fifteen minutes later, they spotted Delia leaving also. They all exchanged pleasant waves across the parking lot. Delia and Royal exchanged secret smiles.
“I could have sworn Delia had on jeans when we saw her earlier,” Layla told Royal as they made their way to his car.
Royal wisely kept his mouth closed. Twisting the truth was one thing. He didn’t want to outright lie to his friend.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 16.3
Halfway through his movie, Royal got a text message from Delia. She wanted him to meet her in the balcony of the movie she was watching for a secret tryst.
Desire flamed in Royal’s loins as soon as his eyes lit upon that hot message, which had been in all caps. He wanted to take off running now. Bump his pride.
But he couldn’t. Royal was with Layla tonight, remember? He couldn’t just leave her like that. Could he?
“Is that about a patient? Do we need to leave early?” Layla whispered from beside him.
“Yes and no,” Royal whispered back. “Yes, it’s about a patient. No, we don’t have to leave early. But I do need to step out for a few minutes to properly deal with the situation,” he said, twisting the truth just enough to accomplish his current goal – get to Delia ASAP.
“Go right ahead. I’ll be here when you get back,” Layla replied, unaware that he was about to have a secret rendezvous with another woman.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 16.2
Saliva pooled in Royal’s mouth at the sight of Delia at the concession stand. She looked so good standing there in a pair of formfitting jeans, 5” black stiletto boots, and a red sweater that hugged her bosom in all the right places.
It was a good thing Layla was already in the theater reserving seats for them upfront. Otherwise she would have seen him lusting for her patient. Royal did not want to have that particular conversation with Layla until he was sure that Delia was his.
Why?
Because he wanted to make sure Delia was willing to fight for their relationship, too, once word got out about them, considering her past and the fact that she was an ex-patient of his. Royal especially didn’t want anyone trying to talk him out of dating Delia. Not Layla. Not his mother, whom Layla would definitely tell that bit of information to once she found out. After all, Royal had sworn Layla to secrecy about Vanna and yet his mother still found out anyhow.
Though Carmen refused to give up her source, Royal knew exactly who’d snitched on him. He’d forgiven Layla and restored the friendship anyway. Yet he’d made a mental note to himself to keep future conversations with his colleague more centered on business topics.
Deciding not to waste this opportunity to converse with Delia, Royal walked over to the concession stand where she was buying popcorn and a drink. Taking advantage of her distraction with the cashier, he paid the five people in line behind Delia twenty dollars each to let him cut in line. For surprise sake, the deals was arranged silently with hand signals and gestures. One elderly couple refused Royal’s money, waving him in front of them with an encouraging smile.
“Evening, Delia,” Royal bent to whisper in her ear.
Heat shot through Delia’s body at that familiar voice. She turned her head slightly to peer back at him over her right shoulder. “Evening, Royal,” she replied, drinking in the sight of him in that gray turtleneck. The color matched the gray flecks in his eyes. The snugness showed off his amazing muscular torso, which she now knew that he kept fit in the fitness center at the hospital.
“You’re looking good tonight, precious. Real good,” Royal said a bit on the husky side.
Delia visibly shuddered at his words. “So are you.” She turned back around and paid for her items with semi-shaky hands.
“You here with anybody?”
“No.” Delia shook her head. She declined dates of any kind tonight because she hadn’t wanted to send anyone the wrong message on such a special day.
“Good. Real good.” Royal smiled with satisfaction that she was alone. He conveniently forgot that he wasn’t. When Delia had gotten her change and treats, Royal followed her out of the line, again forgetting all about Layla and the fact that he was supposed to be buying treats for them.
“Do you want to skip the movies and go back to my place?” Royal asked, after discreetly pulling Delia off to the side, away from everyone else. “I can entertain you much better than these actors.”
Delia visibly shuddered again. “I bet you can.”
“Oh, I know I can.” Royal gave her a sensual grin. “I might even be enticed to sing you a song or two.”
“You can sing, too?” Delia’s brows rose at that new information.
“So I’ve been told. Hang around me a little bit more and you might learn even more interesting tidbits about me,” Royal replied, hoping that those words would prompt Delia to get to know him in other ways. Nonsexual ways. Ways that laid the right kind of foundation for a healthy long-term relationship.
Unfortunately, Layla chose that moment to suddenly reappear. “Oh, hi, Delia,” she said, smiling pleasantly at her patient. She moved to stand beside Royal as if she belonged to him.
Delia blinked rapidly to refocus from that sensual fog she’d been in a few seconds ago. “Hello, Dr. Pacard,” she replied as her mind quickly cleared and focused on one thing in particular – the fact that Royal and Layla were here together. On Valentine’s Day!
“Which movie are you here to see?” Layla asked, too happy about being out on such a special night with Royal to notice how tense he’d suddenly become. How red his cheeks were growing.
Delia saw the tension in his body immediately. How could she not when she’d memorized every inch of that body, knew every nuance?
Swallowing over the jealous lump in her throat, Delia forced herself to answer Layla’s question. “I’m here to see the one with Will Smith in it. He’s my favorite rapper turned actor.”
“We’re here to see the one with Beyonce Knowles. Dr. Seeger seems to have a crush on her.” Layla chuckled and nudged him in the side, showing a playful side of her that even Royal rarely got to see.
“A lot of men have crushes on Beyonce.” Delia smiled knowingly, causing Royal’s cheeks to get even redder. “Well, enjoy your movie, doctors,” she concluded, before quickly taking her leave of them. Delia could only hold that smile for so long before it plummeted into an angry scowl.
Stop trippin’, girl. You’re the one that made it okay for him to see other women, she reminded herself, hoping that common sense would prevail and drive the jealousy out of her heart for good. The violence, too, since Delia had really wanted to slap-box Layla for even daring to stand so close to Royal a few minutes ago.
* * *
“Delia kinda looks like Beyonce a little bit herself with that new hair color and all. Don’t you think?” Layla asked as she and Royal made their way over to the concession stand.
“A little,” Royal agreed, avoiding the disapproving eyes of the elderly couple who’d given him free access in line earlier. They clearly thought he was a playboy, out to get two different women in one night.
“By the way, I thought you were reserving seats for us,” Royal continued, wishing that he had come to the movies alone tonight. Then he would have had unhindered access to Delia.
“I did reserve seats for us. I have a sweet old lady watching out for them now. I came back out to expand my order. Now I want pink lemonade, popcorn, and chocolate raisins.” Layla chuckled, behaving even more playful around him.
And I want Delia, Royal mused, looking over his shoulder just in time to see Delia’s perfect bottom sway in those unforgettable jeans before she rounded the corner.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 16.1
Three Months Later - February
Royal and Delia continued to meet for secret trysts well into the New Year. They met at various locations all over town, making love in some of the strangest places. One time they were in a mall bathroom. Another time in a grocery store parking lot at
All were places that Delia happened to be at the time, thought of Royal, and decided to call and see if he could fit in a brief tryst. Each time he would drop what he was doing to come to her, excluding medical emergencies.
Though Royal enjoyed their times together, he found himself increasingly frustrated by the whole set up. First of all, Delia was hardly ever available when he called for her. Secondly, each time they made love, Royal fell more in love with her. He couldn’t seem to help himself.
Besides being a great person in general, Delia was the best lover he’d ever had. She’d learned how to please him well. Had even studied up on a few things on her own to enhance their time together all the more. As a result, Royal had long since stopped seeing other women.
Perhaps I should start back seeing other women, he mused, starting to hate how much control Delia had over him.
Royal was tired of being at her beck and call and her not being at his. Tired of only sharing Delia’s body, but being left out of all the other areas of her life. He hadn’t even met her family yet, though she already knew some of his relatives. They’d even spent Thanksgiving and Christmas apart. Hadn’t been together for New Year’s Eve. Valentine’s Day was today and Delia already made it clear that she would not be available at all, day or night.
Who is she seeing tonight? Royal thought, asking himself the same question he asked her when she refused his invitation weeks ago.
Delia’s answer had been, “No one.”
If that is the case, then why can’t she spend the evening with me? Royal mused, wondering if she was indeed seeing another man on the side.
Just thinking about Delia seeing someone else burned him up. Royal had to turn the cold water up in his shower just to cool off his temper. She was supposed to be his. Only his.
Exiting the shower a few minutes later, Royal looked at the clock on the bathroom wall. It was only
“I can’t believe I’m letting yet another woman control my life,” Royal told his reflection. First his mother, now Delia. He couldn’t have this, no matter how good the sex was between him and Delia.
“I’m going out tonight,” Royal suddenly decided, ready to seize control of his life again. “If she can see someone else, then I sure as heck can, too. After all, we’re just sex buddies. We can see whomever we want. Do whomever we want,” he added, quoting Delia’s words at the end.
Now all Royal had to do was decide which woman to call tonight and hope that she didn’t already have a date for Valentine’s Day. Especially since he hadn’t called many of them in months.
Unfortunately for Royal, the only woman he could find free for tonight was a friend - Layla Pacard. She was off tonight, too, didn’t have a date for the evening, and seemed thrilled to go out to dinner with him even at the last minute. It was a good thing they were on friendly terms again after their November altercation. Otherwise, he would have had to fly solo tonight.
Royal was more relieved than anything to be going out with Layla tonight. With her, he knew he didn’t have to worry about anything sexual happening between them. It wasn’t like he really wanted to have sex with anyone but Delia anyway.
As expected, dinner with Layla was relaxing and carefree. Full of medical jargon, too, as they discussed various issues in their profession. They had so much fun together that they decided to go to a movie afterwards. No need to rush back to their lonely homes.
At the theater, things suddenly became a bit tenser. At least they did for Royal. That’s when he saw none other than…
Delia.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 15.4
Once they finally got in the hotel room, Delia did attack Royal. She attacked his mouth, his shirt, jacket, and his trousers. Eager to kiss the first thing. Just as eager to remove the latter things.
They made love fast and furious at first just to take some of the pressure off. Then things turned deliciously slow on the bed.
Unwilling to break their connection, Royal simply readjusted their bodies. Now on his knees with Delia’s legs upon each shoulder, he began to show her other ways by which he could bring her pleasure. Ways that didn’t usually fit into the sensual category, yet did when Royal Seeger was involved.
Tenderly caressing the upper surface of her feet with each hand, Royal began a slow ascent up Delia’s legs, pausing at different spots for different things.
At her ankles, he gently squeezed them before bringing each one to his mouth for a warm smack.
Delia shuddered in response. A low moan resonated from her throat.
Feeding off her every reaction, Royal smiled and went higher. His body hardened again with need, yet he did not cater to it. No, he continued to cater to Delia.
At her calves, Royal paused to trace them with his tongue, suckling in certain spots.
Delia sighed in contentment. Her brown eyes shuttered closed in bliss.
Royal went higher.
Pausing at her knees now, he lapped at the tender space behind each one, suckling at the end.
Delia’s eyes flew open. Strong spasms began to rock her core, incited once again by the simplest of this man’s acts.
“You definitely know your way around the female body,” Delia said, arching her body and rolling her hips in invitation.
“Yes,” Royal groaned out. “And before tonight is over, I’m going to teach you a few things about the male body. Particularly my body,” he said, responding to her invitation with a strong thrust.
Delia squealed with delight at his aggression. And when he lowered her legs from his shoulders, she showed him how aggressive she could be in return.
By the end of their three hours, Delia was convinced of a few things. One, that the karma sutra must have been among the things Royal studied in medical school. Two, that he was part coyote. How else could she explain the loud howls he uttered as she followed his sensual instructions to the letter?
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Soon it was time for Delia to return to her family.
“When can I see you again?” Royal asked as they redressed. They’d just come from taking a satisfying shower together.
“There you go again. Asking for more than I can give you right now,” Delia replied, zipping up her skirt. Except for her shoes, everything else had already been put back on.
Royal frowned. “As great as the sex is between us, don’t you want to see me again?” He moved to stand in front of her.
“Yes, but not if it’s going to make things complicated between us, Royal,” Delia replied, continuing to call him by his first name. After all they’d done tonight, they could never return to formalities again. “I can’t afford to get serious with another man. It hurts too bad. Too many lives are destroyed when the relationship goes sour.” She blinked away the pain that briefly shimmered in her brown pools and added, “I’m barely over the last bad experience.”
“So casual sex is all you want from me?” Royal couldn’t believe how hurt he was by that prospect. Especially since that was the way he had operated for years. Well, he didn’t want to operate like that now. Not with this woman.
“Yes,” Delia replied, moving away from him in search of her shoes. “Which means you still get to see whomever you want, do whomever you want without some jealous girlfriend spoiling things for you,” she said, pretty much summing up the kind of relationship she’d had with E-Blade. One exception was the fact that Delia wasn’t laying claim to Royal’s heart and so there was no grounds to react badly if he dated other women.
Royal’s frown deepened. “I don’t want to see or do anyone else but you,” he said, coming up behind her. “I don’t want you seeing or doing anyone else but me.” Possessiveness dripped from his every word. It was present in the claiming way he hugged her.
Delia moaned at his words, at his feral nearness. “No.” She shook her head and moved away from him again. “I can’t chance it.” She picked up her shoes from the floor and started to put them on.
“Can’t chance what?” Royal was getting tired of her constantly walking away from him. It was starting to make a brother feel two things he hated feeling – vulnerable and desperate.
Delia turned to face him. “I can’t take the chance of falling in love with you, Royal. Of you one day growing tired of me and cheating. Of that cheating stirring up that jealous, violent side of me again. A side that almost came out tonight when I saw you sitting at a table with another woman. The only thing that saved me from slapping a spark out of her face was the reminder that you weren’t my man.”
“But I want to be your man,” Royal said. “Your only man.
“Even so, the fact that I still struggle with jealousy and violent tendencies lets me know that I’m not ready for any man. May never be.” Delia let out a heavy sigh. “Since it’s obvious we’re expecting different things from this relationship, we probably need to quit while we’re ahead. Before somebody gets hurt, physically or emotionally. Goodbye, Royal. It really was a pleasure knowing you. A great pleasure.” With her shoes now on, she grabbed her purse from a nearby chair and headed for the door.
Vulnerable.
Desperate.
Deep loss.
Royal felt all of the above as Delia walked away from him probably for the last time.
“Delia, wait! If I can’t be your man, I’m willing to settle for being your friend with benefits,” Royal blurted out just as she opened the door.
Delia stopped short in her tracks. “You sure?” she asked, turning around to face him.
Royal nodded. “I’m willing to settle for almost anything to keep you in my life, precious,” he whispered huskily. What was left of his pride wouldn’t let him move from his spot. He’d humbled himself enough for one night.
Delia’s breath hitched at Royal’s humble reply. She felt a huge sense of empowerment. The ball had definitely been put in her court. How would she serve it?
“In that case, I’m willing to buy us more time together tonight,” Delia finally replied, closing the door again.
While she used her cell phone to call home and inform her mother that she would be staying out two hours later than expected, Royal completely undressed and returned to the bed. Not only was he preparing himself to make love to Delia again, he’d decided to stay overnight at the hotel. He wanted to test out their hospitality and other services firsthand now that he’d finally decided where to invest his nest egg.
The idea to own a hotel had come to Royal on the elevator ride up to the room as he thought of ways that he would do things differently in such a place. One of which was to have hall monitors on every floor for situations like that encounter with the drunken college students. All Royal had to do now was find the right location and the right partners.
Whoosh!
Just like that, Royal’s mind emptied of all thoughts, business or otherwise, as Delia came rushing over to the bed and literally attacked him. There was no other way to describe her aggression, her fervor as her hands and lips moved over his body with fierce need and longing.
When Delia was finally done with him for the night, Royal knew what he’d known from the beginning – she was the one. Somehow, someway, he had to convince her that they could and should go the distance…together.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 15.3
“I really like that new hair color on you. That outfit is pretty nice, too,” Royal told Delia as they stepped inside the elevator. After pressing the right button, he moved to stand directly behind her. Where he’d been the last time they were deliciously together.
“Thanks. I like that gray suit you got on, too,” Delia replied huskily, tingling at his proximity. Though they were the only ones in the elevator, he was super close to her. Close enough for her to feel each and every wonderful change in his body.
“I want you to take this suit off me when we reach the room,” Royal said, threading his hands through her locks. “You think you can do that for me, precious?”
“Yes.” Delia moaned at his endearment and hands’ caress. She leaned against his strong muscular frame as the elevator slowly ascended.
“Good. I look forward to it.” Royal’s arms went about her waist. He bent to plant a kiss on an exposed part of her neck.
Delia moaned again and moved her bottom against his rigid desire. She couldn’t seem to stop acting wanton around the man that had awakened her passion. The man that now cultivated it.
Royal moaned this time. “I like that. Do it again, precious. Slower this time,” he whispered against her neck, pressing his body even closer to hers.
Delia readily did as he requested. Her body grew hotter as he reached up to knead her breasts while moving his hips in perfect timing with her. Oh, how well they danced the dance of love together. It was quite possible that they would not make it up to the room before the festivities began.
Suddenly the elevator slowed to a halt. It wasn’t their floor, which meant they were about to have guests in the small space.
Royal and Delia groaned in disappointment. They immediately put a little distance between them, though he continued to stand in back of her, blocking full view of his tented trousers.
Delia did the best she could to smooth her hair back down before the elevator doors opened.
“Oh, my gosh! It’s Beyonce Knowles!” exclaimed the college age Caucasian girl that entered the elevator. She looked to be drunker than two skunks judging by her glazed blue eyes and staggering walk. It was a wonder she hadn’t broken an ankle in those 6" stilettos.
Her male and equally drunk companion nodded in agreement. “It is Beyonce. I loved you in that Crazy video. You were so hot!”
Delia shook her head. “But I’m not—”
“I have all your CDs,” the college girl interrupted in an excited tone. “What I don’t have is your autograph. You just have to give me one. I won’t take no for an answer.” She began to fumble through her purse for something to write on and with.
Delia tried again. “But I’m not—”
“Make that two autographs,” the white male said, beside himself with joy. “All my friends are going to freak when I tell them that I rode in an elevator with Beyonce Knowles.” He paused, looked very closely at Royal and added, “And Adam Rodriquez from CSI Miami.”
“Oh, my gosh! It is Adorable Adam,” the college girl said, now getting Royal confused with someone famous. “Can you believe our luck?” she asked her companion. “By the way, I’m glad you dropped that Jay-Z fellow,” she added in a loud whisper to Delia. “Adam is way cuter.”
Try as they might, Delia and Royal could not get a sentence in edgewise to convince the drunk couple that they were not Beyonce and Adam. In the end, they surrendered to giving fake autographs. They didn’t want to, but the college couple simply would not leave them alone. They even followed Delia and Royal out of the elevator and onto their floor in pursuit of those coveted signatures.
“I thought this was a classy hotel,” Delia said, after the drunk college students had returned to the elevator and were headed upstairs to the penthouse a relative had on reserve for them.
“This hotel does have class. Unfortunately spoiled little rich kids don’t always see the need to show any while they’re here,” Royal replied, remembering some rude rich kids from his medical school days. “If this was my hotel, I wouldn’t allow drunk kids to wander the halls, no matter what their parents were paying me. Anyway, let’s not let that spoil our night, Beyonce.” He chuckled, extending his left arm her way.
Delia laughed, too. “I’m right with you, Adam,” she replied, receiving the arm he offered as they started down the hallway to their room of love.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 15.2
Royal’s eyes darkened with desire as soon as he spotted Delia being shown to a table across the room. Heat shot through his body at the way that skirt hugged her shapely thighs, hips, and bottom.
And those calves.
Royal’s meal and his present company were completely forgotten at the memory of what he’d done to Delia’s calves that night in his bedroom. At the things he wanted to do to them tonight.
I may just break code and call her up anyway, Royal mused, starting to care less about being deemed a stalker.
Delia was becoming too special to him not to spend every available hour pursuing. Sadly, Royal hadn’t had much free time to pursue anyone this week. But he was free tonight. All night.
I love her new hair color, Royal mused. His fingers tingled to run through those long tresses. His eyes yearned to see those tresses wild and untamed on his bedcovers again.
“Do you know that woman?” asked Gwynne Langley, the blind date Royal had been set up with tonight. She’d couldn’t help but notice where his attention had gone.
Incidentally, Royal hadn’t known he was being set up tonight when he arrived ten minutes ago. He thought he was having a relaxing dinner with a colleague and that colleague’s wife after a hectic week at work. He didn’t know that Donnell and Nikki Cruise had invited one of their female neighbors to dine with them.
Tearing his eyes away from Delia’s fantastic frame, Royal cleared his throat before speaking to the mahogany-skinned woman sitting next to him. “Yes, I know her. She’s a former patient of mine.”
“Oh,” Gwynne replied, looking only slightly relieved. Something about the way Royal had stared at the woman suggested that they were more than professional acquaintances.
“So, Gwynne, are you enjoying your filet mignon?” Royal asked, smoothly changing the subject. He wasn’t about to encourage any more talk about Delia. Not with Gwynne, not with anyone, especially in these delicate stages of their developing relationship.
As the conversation at the table returned to a more neutral topic, Royal kept a close eye on Delia. His nostrils flared when man after man approached her table with open interest. It did his heart good to see her reject them all.
That’s right. Save yourself for me, baby, Royal mused, desiring to be the only man in Delia’s life.
Inwardly, Royal hoped Delia would not notice him in return. At least not while he was at a table with another woman. A woman that he did not want.
Royal’s hopes were dashed when Delia suddenly spotted him across the room while motioning for the waiter to bring her the check. He was too far away to see what her eyes held, but he did see her cheeks grow red.
Was she angry? Jealous? Both?
Why did I have to be stuck with such slow eaters? Royal raged inside. He’d been finished with his meal fifteen minutes ago. It was the other people in his party that lingered over their desserts. Gwynne seemed the most reluctant to conclude the meal, despite the fact that Royal had been constantly looking at his watch for the majority of the evening.
Not wanting Delia to think he’d lied about desiring a relationship with her, Royal quickly tried to think of some way to defuse the situation. An idea popped into his head so fast that it almost startled him. The idea was so brilliant that even he was amazed by it. Wondered if it had somehow come from on high.
But then again, why would God be helping him out in his love life? They hadn’t really talked in years. Even so, if it was God bestowing mercy, Royal was going to take full advantage of this opportunity…and then some.
Waiting until Delia had paid her bill and was headed out the door, Royal excused himself to the restroom. Instead of stopping at the men’s room, he proceeded out of the restaurant and into the main lobby of the hotel.
“Delia, wait up,” Royal said, drawing her attention to him as he followed a few feet away.
Glancing behind her, Delia fought the urge to show her natural behind and start cursing like a sailor. Mindful of where they were and of her new lease on life, she paused to let him catch up with her and to take several deep calming breaths. Each breath was pulled in slowly and released just as slowly to thoroughly ventilate her hot temper.
“What can I help you with, Dr. Seeger?” Delia asked, addressing him formally when he came to a stop in front of her.
“You can help me figure a way out of the current mess that I’m in,” Royal replied, meeting her gaze head-on.
“What mess?” Delia frowned, looking wary. She wasn’t trying to get entangled in any more messy situations. Ever.
“The mess I’m in is with you thinking that I’m on a date with another woman, which I’m not,” Royal replied, catching her totally off guard with his honesty. “Though my colleague’s wife would like for me to be, I didn’t come here tonight to be set up on a date. I came here to have dinner with two friends. Two married friends.”
“Why do you need my help with that?” Delia asked, not looking so wary now. Nor so uptight.
“I need for you to tell me how to make this moment right with you. How do I prove to you that it’s you and only you that I want tonight and any other night?”
Again, Royal caught Delia off guard with his honesty. Her mouth opened and closed without a word spoken in between. It had been too long since she’d met a man this honest. It turned her on. A lot.
“You can drop that woman in the restaurant and reserve a room for us for the next three hours that I have free,” Delia said, stating what she thought was an impossible condition as she put his desire for her to the test.
Surely Royal didn’t want her enough to drop that classy lady waiting for him back in the restaurant. What man in his right mind would turn down a beautiful refined woman for a cute semi-reformed hoodrat?
Instead of verbally replying to Delia, Royal reached into his wallet, pulled out a credit card, and went over to the front desk clerk. While his room request was being processed, he got on his cell phone and called Donnell’s cellular.
Royal didn’t lie and say that he’d been called away at the last minute. No, he told his friend the truth.
“Look, man, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to bow out gracefully now. Save us all that awkward goodbye that is sure to occur when I don’t give Gwynne my phone number or ask for hers at the end of the night,” Royal said, looking Delia straight in the eye as he talked. He paused to listen to Donnell for a few seconds before adding, “No, my mind is made up on the issue. And for future reference, please tell your wife to let me handle the task of finding my own woman, okay? All right. See you at work tomorrow.” Then he hung up the phone.
Delia stood there the whole time watching Royal in shock. She’d never had a man drop everything for her before. E-Blade had never been so sacrificial, not even in the beginning of their relationship.
When Royal got the room key, Delia willingly allowed him to escort her towards the elevator. Desire cascaded up and down her spine. If they hadn’t been in so public a place, she would have attacked him for actually choosing her tonight.
Her!
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
The truth about/behind love scenes
Since we’re about to go into another love scene soon, I thought I’d pause the story and tell you a few things about love scenes. Things that I didn’t find out about until I crossed over from being just a reader to being a writer, too.
Since I tend to think sequentially, I’ve numbered the points below:
- Love scenes should advance the story, not be randomly placed in books. They have to have a purpose beyond trying to tantalize the reader.
- Love scenes should draw characters closer together and at the same time cause conflict when the hero/heroine suddenly can’t be together anymore for whatever reason.
- Love scenes should reflect a person’s true character since most people (there are some exceptions) tend to act the same way in the bedroom that they do outside the bedroom. For instance, a selfish man who expects his woman to cook for him EVERY day even though she’s working a full-time job the same as him, will be just as selfish in the bedroom. In fact, more times than not, that same man will expect that woman to carry most of the burden in the bedroom, too, expecting her to please him more than he pleases her.
In Royal case, he is just as thorough in the bedroom as he is in other areas of his life (particularly his medical practice). And look how accommodating he is to the women in his life (mother, female friend, patients), which translates into him being an accommodating lover.
In Delia’s case, she has always been one to let the man lead the way, to set the terms of the relationship. Remember the agreement she had with E-Blade in the prequel? How she was willing to go along with him cheating because she couldn’t pleasure him anymore, even though she hated it? How her agreement of this eventually lead to him crossing blood boundaries and sleeping with her own cousin?
Through Royal and also the fact that she lost her other man, Delia is learning to be more aggressive in all areas of her life. She is learning to set her own terms in a relationship.
So from now on, whenever you guys read a love scene (mine or anyone else’s), look deeper for all the hidden messages contained therein. You’ll be able to tell the great writers (what I'm striving to be) from the not-so-great writers since great writers always leave story clues in every scene, including love scenes.
Hope this info was helpful to someone. Okay, getting off my nerdbox now and going back to editing the story. I want to post at least 2 more times before going to bed. At least that’s my goal.
Toodles!
Reader Comments (Q/A)
Suprina
* * *
Suprina: Yep. Some parts of that scene were also taken from real life experiences. Lol. For real.
Suprina: I don’t mind bearing with you. I love learning about other cultures as well. By the way, where exactly are you hailing from? And no, those three ingredients (certain hairstyles, urbanwear, child present and no man in sight) don’t necessarily attract the wrong kind of attention separately, but together and in certain neighborhoods, they do tend to work against a sista.
Suprina: Depending on which part of the
Suprina: Well-endowed in his private area. Lol.
Suprina: You had it right. It means to approach someone with interest (good or bad).
Suprina: Shawty is a knockoff word from ‘Shorty’ and ironically has nothing to do with a person’s height. It started out as an endearment between a man and the woman he was dating. Sort of like Boo, Sweetie, Honey, Baby, Sugar. Now men (at least where I’m from) use it to try to get women.
Suprina: To hook up can mean different things depending on the context. In Mr. Sausage Biscuit’s case, it means to ‘have sex with a woman so good that she gets hooked on him or at least gets relieved from sexual frustration’. In a way, he was trying to promise Delia a good time in the bedroom.
Suprina
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 15.1
Thankfully, Delia and Tess did not run into Royal at the grocery store near his home. He was too busy at work, even slept at the hospital that night since a lot of babies were choosing to be born before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
After feeding the kids and getting them settled into bed, Delia went to her own bedroom and began to pack up all of her ghetto-wear. She reasoned that if she wanted a different life now, she had to start dressing differently, even when it came to her casual clothes.
Delia was also convinced that she needed to start going to different kinds of places, doing different kinds of things. Thus she decided to treat herself to dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant in town. Because Delia was not well connected yet, she had to make her reservation a week in advance.
The timing was actually perfect for her. It gave Delia more time to plan for her night out alone, to primarily make sure her mother was willing to baby-sit for those extra hours. Time to brush up on a few etiquette tips. Time to find the right outfit and get something new done to her hair.
On Friday, Delia was ready to step out on the town. Taking a cue from Bonz’s wife, she retained her love for sexy clothing, but now chose more items that reeked of class rather than fads.
Tonight’s outfit consisted of a formfitting black and white cheetah skirt with a high-waist, a black silk blouse that draped in the back, and a pair of elegant black and white stilettos. Delia’s hair had recently been dyed honey-blond and was now in barrel-like curls upon her neck and shoulders. Now she really looked like Beyonce Knowles.
As soon as Delia entered the restaurant, male attention tumbled her way like a row of dominoes. Waiters stumbled over each other to escort her to a table. How could she not garner such attention?
Delia’s outfit accented her voluptuous curves, the stilettos accented her shapely legs, and the new hair color complimented her fair skin to perfection. She was stunning. Most importantly, Delia looked like she belonged in such a fine establishment.
I can do this, she told herself as she followed the waiter. Yet had Delia known that Royal was dining in the exact same restaurant tonight, she might have abandoned her plans and headed for the exit instead.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 14.2
“I think it’s time for you to go, big mama,” a burly security guard suddenly said from behind Delia and the woman in yellow. A cashier had called him the instant the two women started arguing. That prudent act was a major part of company training due to the store’s location in the city’s only urban district.
“But I haven’t paid for my groceries yet,” the woman in yellow whined, knowing instantly that the security guard was talking to her. Her would-be rival was far from overweight.
“You should have thought of that before you threatened to do bodily harm to an innocent woman,” the bronze-skinned security guard said, indicating that he knew exactly who had crossed over into the violent zone first.
“I’m not leaving here without my groceries,” the woman in yellow stubbornly insisted, clenching the handles of her full cart tightly. Possessively, as if she needed to protect all the junk food in her basket.
“Let her stay. I’ll leave,” Delia conceded, reaching down to pick her frightened little girl up. Tess had been holding onto her legs rather tightly in fear of what was about to happen next.
“Yes, Mommy, let’s go,” Tess said eagerly, clinging to Delia’s neck. Her eyes shot angry daggers to the woman who’d threatened her mother and made them leave the store without her sprinkles.
Black-owned or not, this is the last time I’m coming here, Delia mused, patting her daughter’s back in a comforting manner as she headed for the nearest exit. She just hoped Tess wasn’t too traumatized by all this.
“I’ll walk you out, ma’am,” the security guard volunteered, quickly following her.
On the way to her car, the security guard formally introduced himself to Delia. “My name is Jimmie Deane Calhoun.” He chuckled and added in a huskier voice, “But all the ladies like to call me Jimmy Dean ‘Sausage Biscuit’ because I know how to fill them up.”
What?! Delia instantly frowned.
Did this man not see her daughter here? And what in the world would make him think he could step to a complete stranger so disrespectfully?
Looking down at herself, Delia suddenly understood the security guard’s behavior. For one thing, she was dressed in typical hoodrat gear, starting from her tight hoodie, low-cut formfitting jeans, and platform boots. Then there were the cornrows in her hair. Thirdly, Delia’s lack of a man’s presence in a part of town that was inundated with single mothers on public assistance. Sadly, when a woman had those three ingredients active in her life, some men thought that it was okay to treat them a certain way.
I think it’s time for a few more major changes, starting with the ‘rest’ of my wardrobe, Delia decided, ready to give all her casual clothes away after this incident. Her business clothes were fine since they reflected the new Delia - the sophisticated businesswoman that she was striving to be.
“Did you hear me, shawty? A brotha is hung low,” Jimmie Deane persisted, breaking into Delia’s thoughts.
“Do you not see my child here?” Delia retorted, covering up Tess’s ears. “Furthermore, do you actually think that a big…stick is all you need to get with me? That just because I’m dressed a certain way, got cornrows in my hair, and in public without a man that that somehow means that I’m willing to lower myself to your standards?”
Jimmie Deane stopped short in his tracks. “Look, I was just trying to hook you up,” he replied, not handling this rejection well at all.
“Well, I don’t want to be hooked up,” Delia said, not even bothering to look back as she continued towards her car.
“Your loss. And don’t even think about coming back here to shop again,” Jimmie Deane said, ostracizing her from the store out of revenge.
“I wasn’t going to, Mr. Sausage Biscuit.” Delia chuckled, laughing at him and the whole ridiculous situation now.
Scowling, Jimmie Deane quickly looked around to make sure no one had witnessed his rejection. When he was sure that no one had, he squared his shoulders, turned around and strutted back to the store like he was still the man.
“You still want ice cream and sprinkles for dessert tonight?” Delia asked, upon removing her hands from her daughter’s ears.
Tess’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!” she exclaimed excitedly, revealing that she was not traumatized by today’s grocery store experience at all.
“I know the perfect store to get everything we need,” Delia replied, recalling the sight of a well stocked grocery store a few miles from Royal’s house. She just hoped they didn’t run into him there.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 14.1
There was something about making love to Royal that just massaged the stress right out of Delia’s body. After their tryst at the hospital, she took the rest of the day off and spent a relaxing evening at home with her family.
In the mood for tacos tonight, Delia braided her hair in seven cornrows, donned jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, and headed for her favorite grocery store. Though the store was located on the lower end of town, Delia didn’t let that stop her from shopping there. Not only was she used to stores like that from her days in
Deciding not to go alone, Delia took Tess to the store with her. The boys wanted to stay at home with Valena. Besides the fact that they hated grocery shopping, they were too engrossed with their video game to go anywhere right now.
Delia found Tess to be excellent company for this outing. With her flare for chatter, the little girl kept Delia’s mind occupation with other things, anything but a man named Royal Seeger.
Everything was going fine until they got in the checkout line. That’s when Tess decided to be super inquisitive about all kinds of things, including people.
“Mommy, why that man pants so high?” the toddler said, pointing to a tall thin man walking by.
Delia’s cheeks colored as people around them began to chuckle under their breaths. “Tess, it’s not polite to point. And please use your inside voice,” she cautioned, trying hard to keep the smile off her face at the man’s above-the-ankle pants. Where she was from such pants were called ‘high-waters’. No matter what they were called, they were still funny to behold.
“Okay, but why is his pants so high?” Tess persisted, lowering her voice as requested.
“He probably likes wearing them that way, baby. The same way you like ice cream with sprinkles,” Delia replied, moving their cart up a bit as the cashier finished with another customer.
“Oh.” Tess looked as if she actually understood what had just been said to her. She did. “I like sprinkles,” she added, focusing on what interested her the most now.
“I know, baby,” Delia replied, finally letting her smile roam free. “That’s why we bought some today.” They spent the next several minutes talking about those sprinkles, about all they would do with them when they got home.
When it was their turn with the cashier, Delia lowered Tess from the basket and placed her on her feet beside her. They would not be taking the grocery cart out to the car and so she would need to use her little legs soon.
Tess wasn’t on the floor five seconds before trouble began. “Lady? Why yo’ feet so white in the back?” the innocent child asked the heavy-set woman in the yellow housedress directly behind them. “You been kicking sand?”
Delia gasped in shock and swung around to face her daughter. “Tess! That was rude,” she scolded. Then she turned to the equally embarrassed woman behind them and added, “I’m so sorry.”
“You just oughta be,” the woman in yellow retorted, clearly going into the anger zone now that all eyes were on her feet. “You oughta whip that little heifer, too, for even coming at me like that.”
“Little heifer?!” Delia saw red as her temper flared hotly. She was far from relaxed now. “My daughter made an innocent observation like any normal kid would. It’s not her fault that you forgot to slap some lotion on them ashy feet before leaving the house. You should have at least hid ‘em in some sneakers instead of putting them on display in house shoes,” she added, inadvertently causing onlookers to laugh at the blunt truth she just sprouted.
“I will break you in two,” the woman in yellow threatened, balling her meaty hands into fists. The EBT card in her left hand looked like it wanted to scream for mercy.
“Ain’t nobody scared of you,” Delia countered, pushing a glossy-eyed Tess safely behind her. “I done fought skanks way bigger than you before and won. So if you can’t accept my apology for what it was, then c’mon wit it,” she added, fully emerged in slang now, ready to throw some bows, too. Elbows, that is.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 13.3
As soon as the door was closed and locked, Royal and Delia flew into each other’s arms. Hungry kisses abound. Eager hands sought fulfillment upon the other’s body. It was a good thing the blinds were drawn, lest they shock the people in the other wing of the hospital with their fervor.
Delia’s red sweater dress was promptly pulled up, her black lacy underwear lowered and removed. Royal’s white coat was promptly shrugged off and thrown across the bed. His scrubs and briefs were dropped.
While Royal dealt with their protection, Delia placed her underwear in her red purse and moved to put them both on the mirrored counter near the bed. She got no further.
Royal came up behind her and joined them in one smooth motion, maximizing G-spot stimulation in that position. No need for foreplay today. They’d had enough foreplay in their minds all week, which would explain why Delia already had a pool of passion swirling in her core.
“Mmm…it feels so good to be inside of you again,” Royal whispered in her ear as he ventured into the deeper end of the pool. He swam with fluent strokes. He swam strong.
Unable to say anything right now as the spasms began early in her body, Delia simply moaned. Loudly. Especially when he hit that particularly special spot.
Chuckling huskily to himself, Royal put his hips on pause. “I forgot how loud you can be at times.” He prudently reached behind him and retrieved one of the handy mints from his coat pocket. “Here, suck on this,” he said, placing the small mint at the door of her lips.
Displaying wantonness previously unknown, Delia opened wide and pulled the mint and one of his fingers into her warm mouth. She sucked hard on them both.
Royal moaned loudly this time. Though he instantly remembered where they were and grew quiet again, his subsequent movements became more forceful.
Delia instantly began to buck against him, thrusting backwards with greedy hips.
“Precious,” Royal endeared as he began to buck right along with her, giving her that vigorous feedback her body required. He bit his bottom lip to keep from crying out from the sheer pleasure of her contracting core and her suckling mouth. Both were bringing him that much closer to ecstasy.
Delia was already there. Her body stilled, her eyes closed as a powerful orgasm rocked her body. She could feel her toes curling in her shoes.
When Delia opened her eyes a few seconds later, she found Royal staring at her in the mirror ahead. A fresh dose of heat rushed over her body at the way his unique pools soaked up her every reaction. The man was literally feasting off her facial expressions as he continued to stroke her, this time very slowly.
Using this moment to her advantage, Delia’s hips began to move again, following the same slow pace. Simultaneously her mouth went to work on Royal’s index finger. She scaled all sides of it like a lollipop. She suckled it like a popsicle. The small mint had long since dissolved, giving her mouth even more room to focus on Royal’s finger.
Delia watched Royal’s eyes deepen in color at her bold actions. His succulent pink lips pursed. A rush of color rose upon his neck and cheeks from the heat that had taken hold of his body. His strong jawline was set, rigid in concentration.
When his strokes suddenly became faster again, Delia knew Royal had reached the point of no return. Using the mirror to heighten her pleasure, she watched in silence as he closed his eyes and went over the edge a few seconds later, biting his bottom lip to keep from crying out.
When is this man ‘not’ cute? Delia mused, observing the adorable way Royal kept licking his lips now, as if he’d just had something delicious.
Suddenly Delia noticed something else – herself. She didn’t look the same anymore. Though her face was the same, something about her eyes was different.
Instead of frustration, Delia saw bliss. Instead of anger, she saw passion. Lots of passion.
Yet the changes in Delia went even deeper than that. The old Delia would have never made love in so public a place. The old Delia wouldn’t be sensually sucking on the finger of a man she barely knew, despite the fact that Royal knew her full medical history and had even delivered her last child.
Unsure what to think about herself right now, Delia released Royal’s finger and looked away from the mirror. She didn’t know this new person she’d become. Was frightened of her.
Before Delia could think of some excuse to cut this little tryst short, Royal’s cell phone rang from the left pocket of his coat.
Groaning out his irritation at the inopportune ring, Royal disengaged them and moved to take his call.
Grateful for the distraction, Delia retrieved her purse and went to the adjoining bathroom to freshen up. Her hands moved quickly to put herself aright again. She even took the time to reapply her makeup and fix her hair.
When Delia emerged from the bathroom, Royal was just finishing up his call. He was also fully dressed again, having washed up in the sink at the mirrored counter.
“I have a patient coming in about forty-five minutes,” Royal explained.
“I figured as much,” Delia replied, once again hating these awkward post-sex moments. In a real relationship there wouldn’t be any such moments. However, since Delia wouldn’t allow herself to have a real relationship with any man, awkward moments like these were to be expected.
“When can I see you again?” Royal asked, clearly trying to turn what they had into a real relationship.
Delia shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Royal frowned. “Delia, we have something special between us. Don’t you want to explore it?”
“I’m not ready for a serious relationship. I may never be,” Delia insisted. “To be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready for whatever it is we’re doing now.”
Royal’s frown deepened at her words. “Delia—”
His cell phone suddenly went off again, halting his words. This call was about another one of his patients, who’d also gone into labor. She would be there within the hour. Now Royal was even more pressed for time. And he still had to take a full shower before seeing any patient.
While Royal dealt with that second call, Delia wrote a brief note and slipped out of the room unnoticed. By the time he realized she was gone, it was too late. She was already on the elevator and headed downstairs.
The short note Delia left behind read: ‘Had fun. No repeats. P.S. - The bulb in your east wall sconce needs replacing’.
“No repeats,” Royal echoed, shaking off the rejection he felt by those words. “Run all you want, baby, but this thing is destined to be. How can it not be?” he pondered aloud, convinced that a connection like theirs could only occur between a man and the woman he was supposed to marry.
Then pushing all personal thoughts aside, Royal finally left the room and prepared himself for another long day of work.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 13.2
“Miss Valentine, so nice to see you again,” Royal said, making his presence known as he stood beside her.
“Oh, hi, Dr. Seeger.” Delia reluctantly turned to face him.
As soon as their eyes met, the heat level rose between them. It was obvious that they were both remembering their night together…vividly.
Royal cleared his throat and blinked away the desire in his eyes. “What brings you by the hospital today? I hope nothing is wrong with you and your family.”
Delia shook her head. “No, we’re all fine. I’m here on business today.” She turned back to the nursery window.
“Store business?” Royal faced the newborns, as well.
“Yes, I have a small contract with the gift shop downstairs for my line of new mothers care packages. I just finished making this week’s delivery.”
Royal smiled over at her. “It’s good to know you’re spreading your wings like that. I’m very proud of you.”
Delia smiled. “Thanks,” she replied, chancing another look at him.
Bad move.
The man was just too handsome to look at. Especially up close. Especially when he smiled. Those dimples, those dimples, those gorgeous dimples.
When their eyes met again, heat singed both sets of pupils. Delia inhaled sharply at the intensity of their attraction. Royal let out a low moan. The air around them sizzled with sensual undercurrents.
“I…I came up here to see the babies after my delivery,” Delia stammered out, trying to keep things on a platonic level. If only her words didn’t sound so jumbled. So redundant.
“I see.” Royal had a knowing look in his eyes, as if he saw more than the point she was trying to make with her words.
“Being around babies always relaxes me.” Delia turned back to the window, hoping the newborns would relax her now. Desire had her coiled tighter than a snake.
“Babies tend to relax me, too,” Royal said a bit on the husky side. He cleared his throat again. “Makes me regret not being a pediatrician every time I see one.”
“You wanted to be a pediatrician?”
“Yes, but I was needed more as an OB/GYN. Even so, every time I deliver a new baby, I want to be the one to take care of them when they’re sick. To make sure they stay well.”
“You would have made a great pediatrician,” Delia said, chancing the briefest of looks his way.
“Thanks, Delia,” Royal replied. Then he changed the subject altogether. “Listen, I wanted to apologize for speaking out of line last week. I didn’t mean to mock your…purchasing decisions,” he said, delicately referring to that adult toy she’d bought the night of the accident.
Delia reddened slightly with embarrassment at that reminder. “Apology accepted,” she replied, keeping her gaze straight ahead. “By the way, you were right. You were much better than some toy,” she added, remembering that important fact, too.
Royal inhaled sharply this time. He looked to and fro, before speaking again. “There’s more where that came from, baby,” he whispered when he was sure that no one could overhear them.
Delia moaned this time as passion overrode her common sense. It made her heady to think that a man like Royal would be so interested in her.
In her!
“I’d like to have a little bit more,” Delia said, speaking just as discreetly, but no less boldly.
“When?”
“Now.” Delia looked him fully in the face now with an unwavering gaze.
Royal let out a low groan at the potent desire in her eyes. His body hardened even more. “Follow me,” he said. Then he led her to an empty room at the end of the long hallway.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 13.1
A full week later and Delia still couldn’t stop thinking about what happened between her and Royal. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she did. Her mind just wouldn’t let go of the things he’d done to her that succulent night. Of the fact that she’d never had a more thorough lover.
He was definitely worth my time of day. I mean, night, Delia mused, thinking about Royal again now as she parked in the hospital parking lot.
Delia wasn’t here to see Royal or any other doctor today. Nor was she at the hospital to visit with an ailing friend. No, she was here to deliver ten handcrafted mother’s care packages to the gift shop.
During Delia’s brief hospital stay last year, she’d been told by her mother about the meager selection of care packages for new mothers. Seeing that as another business opportunity, Delia had talked to the gift shop manager a month later, presented some samples of her wares, and ultimately secured a sale.
As a result of that sale, Delia now delivered ten baskets a week to the hospital gift shop, which sold like hot cakes. She hoped to expand to other gift shops in the near future.
When Delia was done with her delivery, she left her foldable Salesmaker cart at the gift shop for awhile and went upstairs to her favorite place in the whole hospital - the maternity ward. There she got a chance to see rows and rows of newborn babies. All cute. All with their whole lives ahead of them.
Delia smiled with anticipation of seeing all that new life and innocence. She wore that same smile on the ride up in the elevator and down the navy-blue carpeted halls to the nursery. That smile wavered when she recalled that Royal’s bedroom décor had been the same color as the hospital’s carpet.
Sheesh!
Had she memorized every detail of that night?
Yep. Every single one.
Delia even knew how many sconces Royal had on his bedroom walls – eight, two on every wall. The one on the east wall had a flickering bulb that needed replacing.
Just then, Delia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. At the same time she heard male voices coming from the left. Looking in that direction, heat instantly shot through her body. She had to stifle a moan of pleasure at the sight of…Royal. He was heavily engrossed in a conversation with two of his colleagues.
Just pretend like you ain’t seen him, Delia told herself, forcing her attention back on the newborns in the nursery window closest to her. Maybe he won’t recognize me, she thought, keeping her eyes ahead.
Please.
Delia was fooling herself if she thought Royal wouldn’t recognize her. The man had memorized every curve she had. Had kissed every curve she had. He knew her every profile – left side, right side, back and front.
And suddenly, Royal became very aware of Delia’s presence. Achingly so. Excusing himself from his colleagues, he made his way over to her.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 12.4
Across town, Delia put her private toy in a shoe box and tucked it away on the farthermost top shelf of her closet. Though she didn’t need the toy right now on account of Royal’s expertise, she was saving it for a rainy day.
That’s gonna be my man from now on, Delia mused, determined to forget all about what happened between her and Royal.
If only she could forget how deliciously he looked positioned above her, beneath her, behind her, and in front of her as he made the sweetest love of all to her. And she could never forget how Royal felt in all those positions – hard, manly…right.
Okay, if I keep this up, I may have to make this another cold shower, Delia thought, wishing that she could turn her thoughts away from Royal as easily as she turned the shower dials in her hands.
* * *
After reassuring his worried mother that nothing had been severely injured upon his body, Royal drove Carmen to church on that bright Sunday morning. Instead of listening to the hip-hop or R&B music that he usually enjoyed while driving, Royal’s radio dial was now tuned into a gospel channel. That radio station had been switched before he ever left his house.
Oh, yes, Royal knew how to play the part of a good Christian well. However, he wasn’t sure he could pull it off as easily today. Today his mind kept wondering back to those hours with Delia. Even now he barely heard anything his mother said from the passenger seat. He just kept nodding in the right places.
All Royal could think about was the incredible way Delia had responded to him. The way she allowed him to lead every step of the way, behaving like a willing student to his tutelage. He’d never met a more cooperative woman.
Delia also proved herself to be a fast learner. She quickly put the things he taught her into action, behaving as if they had always been second nature to her. And when she played cowgirl to his horse, Royal almost forgot his name.
I will have you again, Delia Valentine, he mused, willing to do whatever it took to be with that amazing woman again.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 12.3
“I was in a car accident on the way home from the hospital. Nothing is broken though, just bruised,” Royal told Layla as he opened the door wider for her to enter. She looked as tired as he suddenly felt, so he knew this wasn’t a social visit. This woman was here to sleep.
“Oh, so that explains that ugly bruise on your forehead and the bruises on your chest.” Layla crossed the threshold in her long black leather coat over blue hospital scrubs. She paused in front of him and reached up to gingerly examine the darkening bruise on his face.
Royal flinched. Not just from her cold hands, but also from the sudden flashback of Delia doing the exact same thing a few hours ago. Except she’d touched that spot with her soft lips, as if she’d been trying to make his little boo-boo all better. That was yet another sign of how good of a mother she was.
As for that bruise on his chest, it wasn’t a bruise at all. At least not in the regular sense. It was a passion mark, left right above his heart by Delia.
“It is very tender?” Layla asked, pulling her hand back down to her side. She moved to walk ahead of him down the hall.
“Yes, plus the fact your hands are cold. I’m getting you a heating pad tomorrow,” Royal replied, wisely omitting the part about Delia as he closed the door behind them. After Layla’s outburst in that Vanna situation, he stopped talking to her about his love life.
“It’s cold outside today.” Layla rubbed her hands together and blew on them. “Plus, you know I have circulatory issues.”
“All the more reason to get that heating pad for you. In fact, I think I’ll buy two. One for your home and your office. That way you won’t be touching your patients with those icicles, either,” Royal said in a teasing manner, though he meant every word.
Layla chuckled. “My patients never complain about my hands.”
Maybe not to you, Royal mused, recalling Delia’s earlier words. Aloud he said, “Either way, you’re still getting those heating pads.”
“If you buy them, I’ll use them,” Layla replied, crossing the threshold of the den.
Royal laughed. “Now you’re starting to sound like a Kevin Costner movie,” he said. “If you build it, they will come,” he added, theatrically quoting that famous line from Field of Dreams.
Layla laughed a full belly laugh, instantly turning her usually serious face into a thing of exceptional beauty.
Too bad Royal couldn’t see that beauty right now. He was too busy looking at the den countertop, remembering what happened there thirty minutes ago. He also recalled that he hadn’t washed it down yet.
Unfortunately, Layla was headed straight that way for a beverage…or maybe even a sandwich before bed. Oh, no, Royal couldn’t allow that kind of mixing to go on in his house. Too unsanitary.
“You might want to have a seat and let me bring you what you need from the fridge instead,” Royal said, grabbing her by the arm.
Layla stopped short in her tracks and stared back at him. “Are you trying to be courteous to me? Or is there another reason I can’t look in the fridge for myself?”
“I’m not going to lie, Layla. I had company tonight and things got kind of rowdy in here.”
“So that bruise on your chest really isn’t from the accident, huh?” Layla’s eyes scanned downward.
“No.” Royal released her arm and went towards the den’s kitchenette area.
“I knew it didn’t look like a regular bru—” Layla suddenly gasped, having just spotted the scratch marks on his back. “What kind of woman did you have in here last night? You have scratches all up and down your back on both sides.”
“I know about the scratches and I’d rather not talk about them, okay?” He moved closer to the sink.
“Fine. I just hope you wrapped it up,” Layla retorted, unable to leave the matter alone. “Unless you didn’t learn a good enough lesson from that Vanna situation.”
Royal’s head snapped back around to face her. “What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ don’t you understand, Layla? What I do in my love life, in my own home, is none of your business! You’re making me regret ever telling you about any of my women.”
“I never wanted to know about them anyway!” Layla countered. “I was just listening out of friendship.”
“Well, be a friend now and butt out.”
“I will!”
“Fine!” Royal concluded, turning around to the sink to wash his hands.
“Double fine!” Layla said, determined to have the last word before she stormed out of the room and ultimately out of his house.
Royal didn’t even bother turning back around when he heard the front door slam shut a few minutes later. Good. I wanted to be alone anyway, he mused, truly aggravated with all women right about now. Delia, Layla, and even his mother since he dreaded getting back up in a couple of hours to play chauffeur.
After washing down the countertop and every other place he and Delia had been in the kitchenette area, Royal called the twenty-four hour hotline to the car rental company that he normally used, took a quick shower, and then finally went to bed.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 12.2
Royal watched Delia drive off through the blinds. A huge sense of loss pricked at his heart from her hasty departure. Tiredness settled into his body, into his very soul.
Though Royal had lived out several fantastic dreams over the last few hours, none of them had ended with Delia severing all ties and storming off. Now he wished he’d never slept with her at all.
“Oh, who am I kidding?” Royal spoke into the silent room as he moved away from the window. If he had the chance to sleep with Delia all over again, he would, despite the fact that the last few hours were going to haunt him forever.
Just then, Royal’s house phone rang.
“Hello?” he said eagerly, hoping it would be Delia calling from her car with a change of heart.
“Hello to you, too,” Carmen replied.
“Oh, it’s you, Mama.” Royal’s spirit drooped. He should have known it wasn’t Delia. He hadn’t gotten around to giving her his unlisted home phone number yet. They’d only exchanged insurance information on account of the accident.
“Yes, it is. Who did you think it was?” Carmen replied, noting the disappointment in his voice.
“Nobody.” …you need to be concerned about, Royal silently added to himself. “What can I do for you so early in the morning?” he continued aloud, prudently switching the subject.
“I need you to take me to church. Your father called to say he wouldn’t be able to make it back in town before the
“No problem at all. I’ll be by to pick you up at ten,” Royal said, even though he really didn’t want to go anywhere.
After the late night at the hospital and his extended rendezvous with Delia, all Royal wanted to do now was go to sleep for a very long time. Yet for his mother, he would forego a few extra hours of slumber. Even rent a car to drive today since his regular vehicle was currently out of commission.
For Carmen, Royal would do a lot of things. For her, he would continue to go to church even though he wasn’t living a consecrated life anymore. For her, he would continue to be an OB/GYN even though he preferred pediatrics instead. Finally, Royal would continue to date women that Carmen tried to set him up with, even though he liked being the pursuer. He deemed his mother worthy of all of those considerations since she’d done so much more for him over the years.
Suddenly a car pulled up outside. Thinking Delia had returned, Royal quickly concluded his phone call and put on his shorts. He practically ran to the door to answer it, forgetting all tiredness now.
“You came back!” Royal said, flinging the door open with an expectant look on his face.
“I always come back,” Layla replied dryly. “And what in the world happened to you?”
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 12.1
Delia clung to Royal’s sweat drenched body as they slowly floated down from ecstasy together. She planted kisses on nearly every inch of his face and a few other places. They were grateful kisses to the man who’d freed her from the prison of sexual frustration…if only for one night. Especially since it was highly unlikely that she would ever make love to Royal again.
What Delia dissatisfied with him in some way?
No. Royal was an excellent lover.
The issue rested upon the fact that Delia had never been a one-night-stand kind of girl. Random trysts just weren’t her thing. She hadn’t even cheated on E-Blade even though she’d had plenty of incentive due to his many infidelities.
Besides, Delia wasn’t naïve enough to believe that she could ever have a future with a man like Royal, even if she was open to another romantic relationship, which she was not.
“It’s time for me to be getting home,” Delia said, reluctantly disengaging them. She slid off the countertop.
“Do you have time to take another shower? This time with me?” Royal asked, obviously trying to prolong her stay once again.
“No, I’ll just do a quick wash up and take my next shower at home,” Delia replied, heading for the laundry room. “It’s almost daylight. I don’t want my kids to wake up and find me gone,” she added, determined to make it to her clothes without any distraction this time.
Nodding in understanding, Royal looked towards the window. The first rays of sunlight peered in through the gaps in the blinds. Wow! They really had made love until the break of dawn.
“I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time. I’ll try to be quicker next time,” Royal replied, discarding the used latex in a trashcan as he followed her out the room. “Although most women don’t necessarily want their man to be so quick in the sex department.” He chuckled.
Delia swung around to face him. “Next time?! There won’t be a next time, Dr. Seeger. There shouldn’t have been a first time. I don’t want a man. Any man. Plus, you’re my doctor for goodness sakes!”
Royal frowned at her abrupt return to formalities. At her blunt rejection of him. And what did she mean there wouldn’t be a next time? After what they just shared there had to be thousands of next times, a lifetime of them. With each kiss, each touch, each meeting of their bodies it became abundantly clear to him that they were made for each other. Why didn’t she see that, too?
“First of all, I am not your doctor anymore. You made that clear by going to see Dr. Pacard, remember?” Royal replied, shielding his wounded pride with arrogance. “Secondly, I figured I could serve you much better than that toy you got in the front seat of your car,” he spewed angrily, hitting below the belt with that one.
Delia’s eyes widened. Her face paled in shock and then colored with embarrassment. She’d forgotten all about her late night trip to the adult store. After the way Royal just made love to her, she wouldn’t need that toy for a long time. Probably years. And those little tricks he introduced her to tonight were forever seared in her brain.
After telling Royal to go somewhere other than heaven, Delia retrieved her clothes, put them on without the luxury of a bath, and promptly left. She’d bathe when she got home. Her water bill was paid. She had plenty of soap.
This was another big mistake, Delia mused, pulling away from Royal’s house minutes later with screeching tires. So what if he was the best lover she’d ever had, even surpassing E-Blade. Delia wasn’t in the market for a man anyway. The only one she ever wanted was dead.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Monday, March 17, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 11
Leaving their clothes behind, Royal escorted Delia upstairs to his bedroom. They paused to share lingering kisses along the way.
By the time they made it to the navy-blue decorated room, Delia was a trembling mass of flesh. Impatient, too. She beat Royal to the king-sized sleigh bed in the center of the room and was laying spread eagle by the time he turned on the overhead light and joined her.
Royal smiled at her eagerness. Oh, yes, this was definitely a dream come true.
Suddenly the dream when askew. For as soon as Royal laid down beside Delia, she pulled him on top of her and began to rush the moment. Her arms went about his neck, her lips returned to his, and she started a fast grind against him.
“Slow it down, precious,” Royal endeared, breaking the kiss. “Slow it down.” To help her decelerate the moment, he rolled to the side and took deep breaths to ventilate his passion. There was too much he wanted to do with and to her tonight to rush things.
Delia groaned loudly with disappointment. “Slow down? Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had an orgasm? Forever it seems. Please, Royal. Please take me there again.” She reached down and squeezed him in his special place.
A surge of desire shook Royal’s body at her pleading, at her tight grasp. His eyes darkened in hue. Blood rushed through his veins, thundered in his ears. He jumped in her hand with need.
Royal was so tempted to take her right now. But he couldn’t. Delia deserved more buildup. More foreplay.
“Baby, let me take you to the top slowly. Please,” Royal said, issuing his own plea. “You deserve to be made love to, not screwed like a nail.”
Delia wasn’t convinced about that last statement. But if he believed it, then she was going to cooperate with him. Hopefully this would not be yet another decision she’d later regret.
“Okay,” Delia consented, reluctantly releasing him. Then she made herself relax as much as she could, trusting him completely with her body as she’d done on other occasions.
Royal smiled and leaned over to suckle one taut peak and then the other. Gently pressing both melons together, he took both peaks into his mouth for a long suckle and a few nibbles.
Delia moaned in pleasure. She arched her body towards him. Her legs involuntarily opened wider in invitation. Royal would R.S.V.P. that invitation in a little while. And when he did, what a party they would have.
Bending lower, Royal licked a slow trail from her flat navel up to her neck, nibbling and suckling at the end.
Delia moaned again.
Going in reverse, Royal blew lightly along that now wet path, allowing the cooling breeze from his warm mouth to stimulate every cell in her body. If ever a woman needed such stimulation, it was this woman.
Delia moaned even louder as another powerful shudder rocked her body. Had she been standing, her legs would have completely given out on her by now.
Royal smiled into her eyes. “I love how you respond to me,” he whispered huskily. Inwardly, he was mentally emptying his social calendar. This was the woman he wanted. There would be no others.
“I love how you make me feel,” Delia panted out, breathing erratically from the mounting orgasm that was just around the corner. She was almost there. Almost there.
“I’m about to make you feel even better, precious,” Royal replied as one of his hands eased down to her tropical island.
Delia gasped when he touched the same spot that sent her over the edge once before at his medical practice. She moaned when he touched that spot again, this time with something bigger than his finger. Much bigger.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tapping in rapid succession, Royal applied the right amount of pressure each time. Unlike most men, he knew that over sixty percent of women needed direct clitoral stimulation in order to climax. That sometimes intercourse alone just wasn’t enough to produce those deep vaginal spasms that every woman craved.
Delia’s eyes widened in surprise that such a simple act could be so powerful. Her toes were actually curling from it. Her release was imminent now. She’d rounded the bend.
Delia suddenly gasped in shock. Was Royal actually tracing her intimate perimeters with his most unique writing tool now?
Oh, yes.
And that graphite utensil was definitely from the grade H line since they were the hardest writing tools around.
Still Delia hadn’t seen anything yet.
Royal’s tracing soon began to take on a calligraphy effect. He seemed to be writing letters now.
R.
O.
Y.
A.
L.
Cheese, eggs, grits, and ham! The man had just written his name upon her…upon her…
Blackboard!
What kind of man thought to do something like that to a woman?
Delia started to climax. Hard!
And still the acid test had not been passed yet. Foreplay had always been able to stimulate Delia. No, the real test would come at the time of consummation, when her rain forest would suddenly become a desert.
Smiling at her reaction, Royal paused briefly to commit this moment to memory. Then he quickly busied himself with protecting them and a few other things.
Protection now in place, Royal slid a pillow underneath Delia’s lower back with equal deftness. Like the brilliant physician that he was, he knew that it was a bit harder to stimulate a woman’s G-spot in this position. Thus the pillow was needed to raise her pelvis up a few inches for the ultimate pleasure.
When Royal was done with that considerate task, he slid into Delia with finesse. How could he not? She was so ready for him. So ready and so…snug.
Those Kegel exercises had done Delia’s body better than good. Royal was going to recommend them even more to his patients now.
Delia gasped in surprise as she was filled to completion in one smooth motion. Surprise registered in her eyes again a few seconds later when she realized that her days of desert dwelling were a thing of the past. Instead of getting drier with each stroke, she became more tropical.
A monsoon began. Shouts of joy followed.
“Ah.”
“Ahh.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”
Delia shouted in rapid succession as she surrendered wholeheartedly to ecstasy for the second time that night.
Royal continued to stroke her strong. Steady. Hitting her A, B, C, D, E, F, and G-spots every single time. He also continued to touch her clitoris, heightening her release.
The whole time Royal’s eyes never left Delia’s face. He watched her go from maintaining constant eye contact with him to her eyes rolling in the back of her head as another powerful wave of inner spasms rocked her body. The whole thing gave him such a feeling of accomplishment.
Suddenly, Royal was blindsided by an unexpected side of Delia. Instead of basking in the afterglow of the incredible release she’d just had, she began to buck against him. Hard.
Her hips rolled and fervently grinded beneath his. Her fingernails dug into his back and clawed their way down to his buttocks for a tight squeeze. No skin was broken, but that action was sure to leave a mark or rather a long red trail upon his olive skin.
Royal didn’t care. He’d proudly wear any marks Delia left on his body.
“Oh, precious,” Royal growled out, matching her every rhythm. Oh, yes, he could buck with the best of them. If Delia needed a bronco, he’d be that for her. He’d be almost anything for her right about now.
Delia’s eyes widened briefly with amazement at the depth of Royal’s passion, his mind-blowing stamina, before closing in heated bliss as he quickly drove them both over the edge this time. She’d never met a man like this before. She seriously doubted if she ever would again.
Royal displayed the same energy when he ravished Delia in at least two more positions on the bed and once again on the den countertop when he followed her downstairs to retrieve her clothes. And that was just the beginning of what he had in store for her.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 10.3
“I…I don’t deserve a man,” Delia suddenly blurted out. Tears filled her eyes within seconds. Not a single one fell.
Royal halted in his tracks, sitting down mere inches away from her now. He wouldn’t dare make a move on her after that emotional outburst. It wouldn’t be right.
“Why don’t you deserve a man, Delia?” Royal asked gently, prompting her to confide in him if she so desired.
“Because the only man I ever truly wanted, I killed,” Delia replied, starting to tremble now. She looked away in shame.
Royal didn’t even bother to act surprised by that disclosure. Instead he draped a comforting arm about her shoulders, brought her gently to his chest and said, “Tell me about it.”
Royal continued to hold Delia close as she poured her heart out to him. She told him all about her children’s father. About how E-Blade was a man of contrasts. How he was extremely loving and giving towards those he loved, deadly towards those he considered enemies. How E-Blade even ran her abusive stepfather out of town and single-handedly financed new lives for Delia and her mother.
Delia grew extremely sad when she talked about what led to E-Blade’s infidelity. About how his unfaithfulness crossed certain boundaries that led to a huge family rift. How instead of taking responsibility for his actions, E-Blade channeled his anger towards the friend that let his infidelity slip during an argument.
Another dose of shame crossed Delia’s face when she shared how E-Blade displayed that anger. “Even though I don’t agree with what he did, I can kinda see why E-Blade tried to take Bonz out. But not Racker. Racker hadn’t done anything wrong.” She paused to take a deep breath, before adding, “Either way, I’m glad that both men survived what E-Blade had done to them.”
“Me, too,” Royal replied, omitting the fact that one of those men was his cousin by marriage. He knew that that would only make Delia feel worse. He didn’t want to do that. If anything he wanted to make her feel better.
The tears Delia had been holding back for so long finally started to spill down her cheeks. Even so, she went on to share what happened later the night E-Blade tried to murder two of their friends and ultimately lost his own life. She spoke rapidly as if she needed to get the whole story out before she locked it away in her vault again.
Royal was amazed by how vividly Delia remembered every detail of that night, even down to the color of the towel that had been wrapped around E-Blade’s body. I guess an event this traumatic would be pretty hard to forget on any level, he mused, continuing to hold her weeping frame close to him.
Again, Royal found himself wanting to make Delia feel better. But what could he say to lighten her spirits? What could he do to make her divorce all these regrets she had?
Consequently, Royal did something that made them both feel better… immediately.
Withdrawing from her slightly, Royal cupped Delia’s face in his hands and began to kiss away her tears. Slowly. Tenderly.
Delia’s eyes registered surprise at his actions, but she didn’t pull away. No, she moaned, encouraging him to proceed.
Royal did proceed. By the time he finally made it to her mouth for a light smack, they were both breathing raggedly. “I want you, Delia,” he whispered.
“I want you, too, Dr. Seeger,” Delia whispered back, her breath mingling with his.
“Royal,” he amended.
“Royal,” Delia echoed, erasing all formalities between them right before his mouth returned to hers for a deeper kiss. With a sigh, she parted her lips and allowed one of her secret dreams to finally come true.
Royal tasted salty from her tears, sweet from the orange juice he’d been drinking. Delia willingly drank from his fountain, encouraged him to drink from hers.
They kissed in slow motion, drawing out each probe, each suckle. Tasting. Being tasted. Relishing it all.
As they kissed, Royal’s hands stayed busy. He soon had Delia completely bare. There was no hospital gown, no sheet, no doctors and nurses several feet away to keep them in line now. It was just the two of them. They could do what they pleased, as they pleased.
Royal withdrew far enough to get a good look at Delia’s shapely frame. Though everything else was the same as he remembered, her breasts were fuller than before. Motherhood had definitely left its mark in all the right places.
“Like I said before, you’re beautiful. So beautiful,” Royal whispered, willing to repeat that as many times as she needed to hear it.
Delia trembled beneath his searing gaze. She’d never had a man to pay such close attention to her. Royal seemed to be memorizing her every slope and valley as his eyes continued to roam her frame from top to bottom and back up again. Everywhere his gaze fell she felt sizzling heat. Surely blisters would appear upon her skin any second now.
Showing that he was not stingy, Royal rose to his feet and quickly removed his clothing so that Delia could have a visual feast of her own. He heard her sharpen inhalation as she scanned his muscular frame. She obviously liked what she saw, too. All those hours in the gym had been so worth it now.
Royal moved to sit down beside Delia again. The fingers of his right hand brushed lightly across her lips, setting off a slight shudder in her body. Those fingers slowly, tenderly went…
Down.
Down.
Past her chin, neck, and collarbone in a vertical line. His eyes followed the same sensual path.
Royal’s fingers switched directions, going horizontally now. Left. Right. He squeezed and kneaded with the hand of a man familiar with a woman’s body. This was no breast examination. No, this was a mission of pleasure.
Delia shuddered almost violently this time. She moaned and arched towards him.
When their eyes met and held, Royal had a déjà vu moment. He’d seen this scene before in a dream. In that dream, Delia came to his house and they ended up making love until the break of dawn. It was high time to turn that dream into reality.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 10.2
After tidying up herself and the mess she’d made in the bathroom, Delia went to look for Royal. She didn’t have to look far. He was waiting for her at the end of the hallway.
Gone were his blue scrubs. Now he wore a white ‘wife-beater’ t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. His feet were bare. Delia had never seen him look better. And those hairy legs of his were doing wonderful things to her insides.
“Since this is your first time in my home, it dawned on me that you wouldn’t know that I was waiting for you in the den,” Royal said, explaining his presence in the hallway. “Would you like a drink? I was just about to get one for myself.”
Delia shook her head as she walked towards him. “I’ve had enough liquids tonight, thank you very much,” she teased, handing over her wet garments and the power mop. “Even though I’m not breastfeeding anymore, I still don’t drink alcoholic beverages.” The last time she drank alcohol, she’d killed someone, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.
Royal laughed, receiving the items she handed him. “I wasn’t offering you alcoholic beverages since I don’t indulge in them myself,” he replied, leading the way to the den. “I was talking about juice.
“Oh my bad,” Delia replied, starting to feel nervous again as evident by her return to slang. The man was just too handsome for his own good. “Even so, no thanks. Like I said before, I’ve had enough liquids for tonight.” Delia laughed to cover her nervousness as she followed him down the hallway.
“I imagine you have.” Royal chuckled, sending a warm smile back over one shoulder before facing forward again.
Delia’s laughter dried up in her throat at the sight of those dimples. She suppressed a moan. Her eyes scanned downward from Royal’s broad shoulders, muscular back, narrow waist, and tight…
Whack!
That was the sound of heavy-handed guilt smacking Delia up side the head for admiring another man. A man other than E-Blade. She instantly remembered the old maid sentence she’d imposed upon herself and became somber again.
More guilt settled upon Delia’s shoulders about a few other things. Things that she would discuss with Royal when he returned from the laundry.
When Royal returned to the den, he found Delia sitting on the long gray couch where he’d left her. She was staring down at her hands. A serious look was upon her face.
“Is something wrong?” Royal asked, making his presence known in the room. “I hope you’re not still feeling embarrassed about the bidet.”
Delia’s gaze rose to his. “No, I’ve lived with worse forms of embarrassment than that. Actually, I was feeling a little guilty about not coming back to see you for my yearly checkup. I just couldn’t, not after…you know.” She looked away briefly before fearlessly meeting his gaze again.
“I know.” Royal smiled in understanding, glad she hadn’t returned to his patient roster. It left an opportunity open for other things. “Have you been to see anyone yet? Annual checkups are important, you know,” he said, prepared to recommend her to someone else. Anyone else but him.
“Yeah, I saw a Dr. Pacard just this week. She was nice and very thorough. I mean, she checked me for everything in the world before finally giving me a clean bill of health, yet her hands were freezing.” Delia laughed, shivering now at that memory. “They never warmed up during the whole exam.”
Royal’s brows rose. “Dr. Layla Pacard?” he asked, going towards the fridge on the east wall for a bottle of his favorite beverage – orange juice.
“Yeah, that’s her. Do you know her or just know of her?”
“Layla is a personal friend of mine,” Royal replied, turning away from the fridge for a moment. “You should know that despite her cold hands, she has a very warm heart. Layla genuinely cares about her patients and does her best to make and keep them well.” He turned back to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of juice.
Delia’s brows rose this time. Unexpected jealousy shot through her body at his defense of his ‘friend’. She wondered how personal Royal and Layla were with each other.
“I never said she wasn’t a good doctor. Just that her hands were freezing,” Delia clarified, taking great care to keep the jealousy out of her voice. A spirit of competition rose within her from the old days.
“Duly noted. I guess I’ll have to buy a heating pad for her next birthday. I wouldn’t want her to lose patients over some cold hands,” Royal said, closing the fridge.
Delia’s ears perked up at the word birthday. “Have you two dated?” she found herself asking. After all, most married men didn’t even remember their wives’ birthdays. Was Layla that special to Royal for her birthday to be so memorable?
“No. Layla’s just a friend,” Royal replied, looking surprised that Delia would even ask about his personal life. The fact that she had asked made him smile.
“Is she a friend with benefits?” Delia asked. Where she was from friends with benefits were called ‘cut buddies’.
“What kind of benefits?” Royal sat down on the sofa, leaving a respectable amount of distance between them.
“Sexual benefits,” Delia said, slowly crossing her legs.
Royal’s eyes were instantly drawn to her lower limbs. Desire slammed into his body like a Mac truck at the smoothness of her sexy legs. His fingers tingled to squeeze her shapely calves.
Was Delia trying to tempt him? If so, it was working.
“No, Layla is a platonic friend. We went to med school together,” Royal replied, dragging his gaze back up to her face. “What about you? Do you have any friends with benefits in your life?” His eyes held hers captive now.
“No. I don’t want any, either.” Delia broke gaze and looked away.
“Too bad,” Royal muttered under his breath.
“What did you say?” Delia asked, looking at him again.
“It doesn’t matter,” Royal replied, dodging her question since it was futile to even answer it now. Delia had spoken as if her mind was truly made up on the issue of romance. He couldn’t think of anything to change it right now.
Unscrewing the top of his juice, Royal took a long swig, hoping that the cold liquid would cool his hot body down.
Like so many other women before her, Delia became mesmerized by Royal’s large Adam’s apple. She watched it bounce up and down as he swallowed. The man even drinks sexy, she mused, starting to feel hot now herself.
“On second thought, maybe it does matter,” Royal said, returning to the previous conversation after his long drink. “Why don’t you want a special friend in your life? A beautiful woman like you could have her pick of eligible bachelors.”
“I…you think I’m beautiful?” Delia asked a bit on the breathless side, too turned on right now to answer his question. Her legs crossed the other way, one slowly rubbed up against the other in a most sensual manner.
“Yes. Very beautiful,” Royal whispered huskily. He’d seen the hitch in her breath, the crossing of her legs again. She was ripe. So ripe.
Deeming this the opportunity he’d been waiting for to finally pluck this particular fruit, Royal put his drink down on the nearby end table and moved closer towards Delia.
© 2008 by Suprina Frazier
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Pursuing Mrs. Regrets - Ch. 10.1
Delia found herself in bathroom heaven when she opened the door to Royal’s facility. First of all, it was sparkling clean. No rings in the sink or the bathtub. One could probably eat off the white tiles below.
Secondly, Royal had everything a person could ever want to pamper themselves in that room. There were oils, lotions, and various kinds of soap. There was even a toilet and a bidet. When Delia tried to make use of both, something went wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
Like a scene from the movie BAPS, when Delia turned the hot water on and opened the spray valve, water from the bidet started to gush everywhere. Everywhere, as in all over the place.
“No, no, no!” Delia exclaimed, as if the water was a naughty child and would somehow obey her. When it didn’t obey, she scrambled to turn off the flow herself.
In a panic, Delia turned the valve the wrong way, causing more water to gush forth. The hot liquid splashed against the front of her blouse. She yipped loudly as it connected with her skin.
Cursing her ignorance of such refined contraptions, Delia frantically turned the spray valve the other way, gritting her teeth as the hot drops landed on even more skin. Finally it was off.
Unfortunately, the whole front of her body was now wet. Water was even in her hair. Had Delia still been using weave tracts, she would have been mad as fire about getting her locks wet. Since she’d been using Aisha’s hair grower, every strand on he