BWWM Romance: Crossing The Line: Interracial Romance / Wealthy Love Interest Page 9

  "I'm your father's assistant."

  "What happened to Deacon Williams?"

  "He's not your father's assistant," Derick said, smiling. His full lips and perfectly straight white teeth flashed an almost indiscernible sneer in Virgil's direction.

  "Huh . . ." Shawna said.

  "It's nice to meet you all," Virgil said. He and Derick reached for Shawna's chair at the same time and locked gazes. "Sorry," Virgil said. "I was just going to pull the seat out for the lady."

  "Allow me," Derick replied.

  Shawna quickly tapped a different chair and Virgil pulled it from under the table without further argument. The tension passed as menus rose to cover faces. Shawna gave Virgil an apologetic look and he shrugged, happy to be seated in between her and Derick. Although he had agreed to play nice, to give up his territorial nature was asking too much. Virgil didn't know who this man was, but the way Derick looked at Shawna told Virgil all he needed to know.

  "How have you been, Shawna?" Derick asked from over his menu. Shawna looked up at her father, who was busy studying the menu with her mother and ignoring the conversation. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her father liked to have the first and last word. For him to give a simple hello and allow Derick to drive the conversation piqued her interest. Over the phone, her father had rambled off something about substituting for their sister church, but quickly jumped off the phone when Shawna asked for more details. He hadn't even asked if she had been attending the sister church or planned on coming to his sermons while he was on her side of town.

  "I've been well, Derick. And yourself?"

  "Good. I started my apprenticeship and will hopefully start at St. Mary's School of Theology in the fall."

  "That's nice," Shawna said.

  "That's nice?" Her father repeated. "He's taking the path to becoming a true man of God and all you have to say is that's nice?"

  Oh, Virgil thought. Wow.

  "It's not a surprise or anything, Daddy," Shawna said. "I'm happy for him."

  "What do you do, Virgil?" her father asked. His eyes shifted down to the spiked bracelet and back up to Virgil’s face.

  "I'm a musician and a tow truck driver."

  "Do you believe in God?"

  "Daddy, that's not proper dinner conversation."

  "Why not? Are you telling me that God doesn't have a place at this table?"

  Nichelle shook her head and kept studying the menu. "Keep your voice down, before they put us out, Cordell," she said. "You just met the boy."

  "I need to know if he's tempting my daughter away from the light," Pastor Mills said.

  Virgil sat up in his seat and quoted from the Book of Luke about temptation and Pastor Mills raised his eyebrows. Shawna slowly turned to face Virgil, who squeezed her thigh to tell her not to give him away. He engaged Pastor Mills in a hearty biblical discussion while cutting off Derick's attempts to butt in. Nichelle still shook her head and rolled her eyes. She forced them to shut up and get their orders together because she was hungry.

  Derick focused on Shawna again, asking her about her classes and whether or not she planned on bringing her degree back home.

  "I haven't decided yet," Shawna said. "I kind of like it out here. I'm only a few miles away."

  "One hundred fifty miles is not a few, babygirl," her father said.

  "It's not a plane ride."

  Pastor Mills loosened up. Assuming he was in the presence of two men of God who had his daughter's best interests at heart made him relax and open up. He became more fatherly and less sentinel-like. Virgil recognized Shawna's features in her parents' faces. She had her father's smile and her mother's quick, soulful, brown eyes. She favored her mother more and Virgil got a glimpse into a beautiful, gracefully aging future.

  Shawna pinched Virgil when he started to chuckle at Derick's overly enthusiastic before-meal prayer. The conversation floated away from Shawna and her plans for the future to other secular things, such as sports, and Shawna and her mother gossiped about the women of the church. As the night went on, the more relaxed the table became, except for Derick. He refused to take his eyes off of Shawna, starving for her attention.

  Derick was the first and only boyfriend her father had ever approved of. She met him in elementary school. They were in choir together and their parents were close. When he asked Shawna to prom, she couldn't refuse. He did it in front of her parents. She literally couldn't refuse. Mikki was crushed when she heard that they weren't going stag together and quickly drummed up her own date. When they graduated, Shawna went to Derick's party and he went to hers. He was her first kiss, and that was all the firsts the church would tolerate.

  Shawna and Mikki applied for the same college and both got accepted. They ran from the small town like Lot and his wife, but neither of them looked back. Shawna wasn't going to start now. Her heart did ache a little. It wasn't as if she disliked Derick. She liked him a lot. He just reminded her too much of her father. Taking a drink of water, Shawna did her best to swallow any other feelings she may have had.

  "We will see you two on Sunday," her father said, as Virgil quickly snatched the check off the table. Derick attempted to make a dominance play but Virgil had his card in the waitress's hand before anyone could say anything. His father had taught him that trick. "Thank God for this delicious meal."

  "Thank you for picking up the check, Virgil," Nichelle said.

  "It was my pleasure."

  Virgil and Shawna walked her parents and Derick to their rental and waved at them as they drove away.

  "Holy shit, they didn’t even ask about the apartment,” she said. “And since when do you know scripture?"

  "The Bible is good inspiration for death-metal lyrics." He rested his hand on her ass. "Also, I like Catholic school girl uniforms."

  Shawna swatted his chest. "No."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, really," she said, walking toward the Honda.

  "What about a nun? Would you put on a habit?"

  "No."

  "Can I dress up as a priest?"

  Shawna gave an exasperated look and indicated her father who had driven away from the parking lot not even five minutes ago.

  "Oh . . . OH! Yeah, no, that's gnarly. Sorry. I will never make that joke again."

  "Thank you.”

  CHAPTER 8

  "You didn't say we couldn't fuck in the church," Virgil said, kissing her shoulder. They stood in the bell tower of the restored colonial structure. The church looked like something out of a wedding fantasy―a chapel on a hill, surrounded by cherry trees with a cobblestone walkway and a distant parking lot as not to intrude on the majesty of the structure and landscape.

  Virgil gently pulled up Shawna’s skirt, folding it instead of crumpling it. After they were done, they had to make themselves presentable and sit among the parishioners. Shawna couldn’t show up in wrinkled clothes.

  “Virgil . . .”

  “You’re practically dripping,” Virgil said into her ear. He tucked his hands into her panties and dipped his fingers into her hot wetness. His raging boner was pressed against her ass. He was sure being in church had made her hotter, not that he’d ever say so. He ground his hips into hers and nipped at her shoulder as she quietly moaned. Shawna’s dark skin didn’t mark the same way his did. He could tease and gently bite at her flesh all he wanted as long as it wasn’t hard enough to bruise. It took a lot of force to make her skin turn colors and he wasn’t interested in hurting her. That’s not the way he liked to make her scream.

  He kept playing with her clit, coaxing Shawna to lean her weight into him and allow him to support her while he made a mess of her. His hand roamed up her dress and massaged her breast, capturing her nipple between his fingers. It was a hard little knot of desire and he thrilled to this evidence of her pleasure in him. Shawna gripped the wall and they moved into the shadow far from the belfry’s balcony. She braced her hands high above her head and gave Virgil full access to her.

  Determined to make h
er cum, Virgil concentrated on her swollen clit. Using her own wetness as lubricant, he rubbed circles around her, switching directions, and tracing the letters of her name until she quaked in his arms. Shawna bit her lip as she stiffed and came.

  Pulling her panties to the side, Virgil unleashed his rock-hard cock and thrust himself in her. He had thought that he could just pleasure her, but he couldn’t. She was too good at turning him on.

  Shawna kept her head tilted back as to not rub makeup on the wall. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as Virgil fucked her from behind. She could hear the sound of him sliding in and out of her slick hole and felt her juices run down her legs. There was no turning back now. She would have to duck into the bathroom before mass began.

  Virgil bent his knees to compensate for their height difference. She felt different at this angle. The walls of her pussy squeezed tighter and he felt more ripples and ridges than before. The strain in his muscles brought him to the brink fast. It wasn’t meant to be a drawn-out lovemaking session, just a quick hot fuck to tide them over. A prayerful fuck, he thought. Please, God, keep Shawna wanting me. He supported her weight as her knees buckled from cumming.

  “Oh god, Virgil. I’m going to Hell.”

  “Not without taking me with you,” he panted, exploding inside of her.

  They quickly pulled themselves together and made their way downstairs. Virgil leaned against the wall, and waited for Shawna to come out of the bathroom. He smiled and nodded at the churchgoers as they passed by. Mikki strolled up the hallway and stopped in front of him.

  “I’m surprised you made it in without bursting into flames,” Virgil said dryly.

  “Ain’t that the pot calling the kettle Satan? Is there a reason you creepin’ outside the ladies room?”

  “I’m waiting for Shawna.”

  “What did you do to her?” Mikki asked, pushing the door open. She grimaced at the smile that blossomed on Virgil’s face.

  Shawna finished reapplying her lipstick and checking her hair in the mirror. She had to clean herself up and cover whatever sex scent was left with the sample body spray she had at the bottom of her purse.

  “You didn’t,” Mikki said. She checked under the stall doors to make sure no one else was in the restroom.

  “I didn’t what?”

  “Don’t act innocent.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mikki. We should go, or we’re going to be late.”

  Mikki sucked her teeth and put her fists on her hips. “He’s changing you, and it’s not for the better.”

  “What are you even doing here?”

  “Your mother invited me. At least someone remembered that I’m your friend.”

  “I’m not doing this with you right now.”

  “Right . . . you’re probably exhausted.”

  Shawna slammed her makeup in her purse. “The last I checked, you were the one who blew Kenny Porter in the graveyard. I am in a committed relationship. I am, as you so reminded me, a grown ass woman. Back off.”

  “What would your father say?”

  “I said, ‘back off.’ I’m not playing with you, Mikki. You’re trying my patience. What is your problem with him?”

  The door swung open and Nichelle walked in. “Ladies,” she said.

  “Good morning, Mom,” Shawna said.

  “Hey, Mrs. Mills.”

  “Hurry up, girls. You don’t want to be late.”

  * * *

  Virgil jumped. His phone buzzed and he glanced at the screen before showing it to Shawna. His band had a few gigs coming up and needed to practice. They had given him time due to his personal issues. Shawna hadn't breached the subject of meeting his band mates yet. Just like she didn't push him to talk about or introduce her to his brothers. Virgil's social life was full of sensitive areas. Tiptoeing around them seemed best at this point in their relationship. Virgil would reveal more in time. In the meanwhile, Shawna enjoyed the whirlwind romance they shared. She wasn't looking forward to the honeymoon ending.

  After the obligatory, awkward exchange with their pew neighbors, the parishioners began filing out into the aisles.

  "I'm going to say 'bye' to your folks and get going. I hope--"

  "Don't worry about it," Shawna said, squeezing his arm. She felt him tense as he resisted the urge to pull her into an embrace. Out of all the places to avoid gratuitous public displays of affection, a big one would be in front of her father's temporary spiritual flock.

  "I just don't want you to think I'm bailing on you."

  "I don't."

  Shawna met her parents at the front of the church where they spoke to each attendee on their way out, accepting compliments and blessings. Virgil gave Pastor Cordell a hearty handshake and they clapped each other on the shoulder.

  "Powerful sermon, sir. You made me think. I'd love to stick around, but I have an engagement."

  "That's alright, son. I'm just glad you came."

  Shawna took her place alongside her mother and squeezed Virgil's hand as he strolled towards the parking lot. He threw one flirtatious look over his shoulder before stuffing his hands into his pockets and whistling one of the selections from the choir.

  "He's a charmer," Nichelle whispered, while Cordell was occupied with a long-winded gentleman.

  "I know."

  There was work to be done. The sister church hosted a potluck to welcome their visiting clergy and the basement needed cleaning and decorating. Mikki allowed Cordell and Nichelle to aim her like a gun and shoot her at any problem they saw. Shawna's parents had always recognized that strength in Mikki, which is probably why, even though they suspected that she had a dark side, they allowed her to stay friends with their daughter.

  Derick sidled up to Shawna as she finished wiping down a long folding table and offered to take the other end of the tablecloth. "Your boyfriend seems nice," he said.

  "He is."

  "So, does this mean that you never meant to call me back or what?"

  "I'm not going to do this with you in a church basement." Shawna turned her back on him and began working on a new table.

  "I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm just saying that we ended kind of abruptly."

  He was right. Shawna ran for the hills as soon as she was able, but it wasn't Derick's fault. Freedom tasted so sweet and he reminded her of everything that she ever felt had held her back. He was trying his best to be her father, drinking Cordell's shadow as if it were the elixir of life. Derick followed him from the moment he joined the youth choir to now as he helped Shawna cover the banquet tables. She did think he might have realized this wasn’t the best way to a girl’s heart.

  Derick dipped his head and laughed. "Looking at Mikki in that weird yellow she's got on reminded me of Mrs. Hanson."

  "Oh no!" Shawna laughed. "That ain't right."

  "That woman was high-def before anything."

  "Even her lotion was loud."

  They broke into a fit of laughter and slipped into a conversation about the good ol' days when they were a terrible threesome, Shawna, Derick, and Mikki. They did everything from ditch field trips to ruining school plays from the rafters, and every time, Mikki got them out of it.

  "I thought she'd be a lawyer."

  "No way," Shawna said. "That's too structured. Mikki defines free spirit."

  "With her bossy self."

  "You better behave! Speak of the devil."

  Mikki sashayed over with a centerpiece and set it in the middle of the cloth Shawna and Derick smoothed out. "Ya'll keepin' up a lot of noise over here."

  "Two words, Mikki," Shawna said. "Mrs. Hanson."

  "That woman was born in technicolor!"

  They laughed and Mikki asked for help setting up the rest of the centerpieces. As the trio joked and reminisced, Shawna felt a yawning hole in her chest slowly close. She had been so wrapped up with college and now Virgil, that she had accidentally isolated herself. While she was busy running away from what she thought was bad, she had also aba
ndoned the good. Virgil had his humor and charm, but Shawna didn't know when she had her last, deep belly laugh. By the time the smell of chicken and ham came wafting from the church kitchen, Shawna was practically in stitches. Mikki led them outside and they stood on the church lawn, looking out at the late evening sun.

  "We're getting old," Mikki said.

  "Right?" Shawna rejoined. The last time the three of them stood together like that was the night of Derick's graduation party. They had to get out of the crowd and just be for a minute. They defined their group by their ability to stay in comfortable silence, exchanging their energies without a word.

  "I always thought y’all were going to get married and leave me by myself," Mikki said.

  Derick cocked an eyebrow and studied the grass at their feet. "Me too," he said.

  Shawna sighed and folded her arms. "You're not going to double team me."

  "I hate her dude, Derick."

  "He seems nice enough," Derick said diplomatically. He kicked at a pebble and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "As long as he's treating you right, but don't think for a minute I believe his bullshit. Your dad might, but I don't."

  "Honestly, D. You're not the one who matters. My father goes overboard on a lot of things and if I can get him to accept Virgil and get a miniscule amount of peace, then I'm all for it."

  "I understand," Derick said.

  The comfortable silence faded into awkward silence and Shawna felt like it was her fault. Unlike Mikki who was eager to slander Virgil and show her various faces of jealousy, Derick was calm, content with being by Shawna's side even if it were just for the night.

  "I really did mean to call you," Shawna said. She shooed away the pitter-patter of her heart. Derick was always a bit of a nerd in her eyes, but at one point, she would have been willing to call him her first love. He defended and protected her, even risking life and limb to step in Mikki's path every once in awhile. The night he picked her up for their prom, he had looked so handsome and treated her so kind. Tossing off the reins of their friendship, Derick did his best to settle in as her boyfriend, going as far as to suggest they keep a long distance relationship. But Shawna wasn't ready. She saw the lights of the city and all the handsome men within it. The muscular bodies and artistic style of the boys on campus sucked her in and she never wanted to be let go. She liked not knowing their families or their pasts, liked pretending she was really free of all that. When she lost her virginity, she remembered lying under her partner – some cute guy named Jim, nobody who mattered – surprised that he wasn't Derick. Derick was in everyone's plan for Shawna's future but her own.