How To Pray With Your Lover's Body

Short Story

In the darkness of the pre-sunrise, I nuzzle my face into his neck. I can feel soreness in places he explored last night with ravenous need. He shifts, sighs, and turns away from me. I try not to take it personally but I do. I wrap my hands around his massive frame and kiss the back of his neck. Mine. 

In a few hours, we find ourselves in the bathroom. Brushing teeth can be a ritual. We are affirming through a cleansing of our mouths that the words we speak with and to each other will be tender and pure. I want to swallow him whole. 

In a few hours we are spread out on the couch ignoring the long list of to-dos we shoved aside. Today is not for work it’s for melting into time wrapped neatly in the comfort of a trusted presence. It took us 30 minutes before we found the perfect show that neither of us would watch anyway. His hand on my foot is very distracting. I try not to moan at the gentle pressure applied to my arch. I try not to look him in the eyes either. It’s just too much for me. I fail. He slices right to my steamy center. 

Of course, we don’t make it past the first twenty minutes. We are a horny mass of lust intertwined. There is no telling where his mouth ends and my body begins. I prefer it that way. He does too. I can tell by the way he presses into me. We are two palms becoming one symbol— a prayer to never separate. 

We know God is not listening. At least I hope They aren’t. Despite cries of pleasure in their name. A tongue dragged across collar bone. A kiss pecked under breast. A hand grasping tender bottom. A hand dragged tenderly across privates. There are no confessionals for this and I wouldn’t ask for forgiveness anyway. Sometimes sin is worth it. 

In an hour and a half, we are eating lunch. I watch the way his full lips bend around a straw. I wish I were that straw. I think he can read my mind by the way he smirks and stares up at me from those wicked eyes. 

Soon we are zipping up our bags. A solemness has descended into the room a dark slime swallowing every memory. 

We do not say many things.

We do not say:

1. I love you

2. I need you

3. What if we ran away and disappeared into the world

4. What if I had chosen you first…. 

Instead, we do a walk-through making sure that there is no trace left of us. Sweep the bathroom where he had me pressed against the tile. Sweep the kitchenette where I had him pressed against the fridge. Sweep the room where I believe our essence has seeped into the walls and preserved a lifetime of passion. 

We close the door; a final prayer.

“Only 8 weeks left before the big day… it’s not enough time.” 

“8 weeks is a lifetime,” I reply. 

“A lifetime would not be enough time.” His reply hangs like steel columns dangling in the air. 

The only response is an embrace. I nuzzle my head into his neck hoping to imprint his scent permanently into my olfactory bulb. There are no words left to say. There is only pretending he does not belong to someone else. The only prayer for a lover should be two lips, two bodies pressed in prayer for a final time. 

---

Whew, fan yourself off! I thoroughly enjoyed writing this piece and I hope that you enjoyed reading it. There is something to be said for seduction, lust, and how little of it people read on average. (Shout out to my smut/romance readers). It takes a special type of talent to write good sensual pieces that don’t make people cringe! It’s very much about subtlety and tension.

I will try to include more pieces like this in rotation. Funny enough I wrote this piece right before going to see the movie Challengers which ended up being exactly that! Which brings me to my next point. I am introducing a new segment in my newsletters called “Thee Gallery”. Those of you who know me know that I am always full of recommendations on where to eat, what to watch, read, or listen to. This is an outlet to give some recs.

*I’ve finally set up a “buy me a coffee” page so if you’re not quite ready to become a paid subscriber but want to spare a little coin you can do so here!*

TELL ME:
Do you read romance/erotica? Is there a turn of phrase/sentence that you enjoyed in this piece? Did the ambiguity about their relationship/situation work for you or did you dislike it? Would you like more pieces like this from me?

Read some of my other pieces here:

1. Smiling With No Teeth
2. The Angry Black Woman Deserves to Rage
3. Humbleness Is A Luxury I Can't Afford
4. Black Business: Blackness, Rejection, and How Wealth & Whiteness Works Against You Because It Worked For You
5. Love Can Be Quiet Too

BIG UP:

Marc Typo

for being a test reader and a sounding board for many of my outrageous ideas and for giving us the most intimate and vulnerable pieces on Black fatherhood.

For all of you who have already subscribed thanks so much!! For those of you who haven’t subscribed yet, it’s never too late to join my smart and funny subscribers (nickname sadly still pending)!

As usual tune in next Tuesday for my next newsletter.