Love's Thunderstorm

The soft glow of spice candles, masked the face of her lover. The staccato rhythm of passionate lovemaking made her skin tingle as her hips met his, thrust for thrust. Jasmine and Pumpkin filled her nose with sensual scents, mixed with sweat and sex. The smell overwhelmed her, it consumed her, possessed her. The soft click, and blaring music awoke Suzanne from her erotic dream. The dream was always the same, as was the moistness between her legs.

Suzanne sat up in her bed, brushing her hair away from her face. She had been thrashing in her sleep again, and was glad she slept alone. She stood up, slipped off her perspiration soaked gown, and headed to the bathroom to shower. She stood in the mirror looking at her nakedness as the shower heated. Steam filled the bathroom, as Suzanne covered her head with a shower cap. As she stepped into the shower she felt a hand caress her back and grab her shoulder. Suzanne screamed herself awake, she was still dreaming. It was 5:30am. "Damn" she whispered, "It's going to be a long day."

***

"Current economic trends prevent us from hiring anyone else for production side" Suzanne paused and looked around the room. It took her a week of sleepless nights to prepare this business briefing and it looked as if no one was listening to what she was saying. She continued, "Miller's plant production is down 8 percent and that translates into decreased profit margins and possible cutbacks on staff." Kevin Miller, general manager and owner of the plant adjusted in his seat, then cleared his voice to speak. " Tell us something we don't know Susie?" She hated that name Susie, but he refused to call her by her right name even after working for his company for 12 years. Suzanne turned the page on her legal pad and said "Product placement of Millers new fertilizer, from market research will make for a profit increase of 18-19 percent. Kevin sat up straight and uttered, "well it looks like we are going to make money anyway huh?" The rest of the people in the room just laughed. This pissed her off, she didn't want to do the briefing anyway, but she was an administrative assistant and the manager of her department was on vacation.

She replied, "Yes sir."

"Well done Susie, I guess that's it folks."

All that work for nothing, she closed her portfolio and picked up her cheat sheets. Kevin was a straightforward type of person, and she should have known to be more to the point. Suzanne picked up her briefcase and walked towards the door, when Eric, another assistant from production side, stopped her. "Suzanne?" he asked, "When are we going out" his smile showed tobacco and coffee stained teeth.

She looked him in the face and said "One day Eric, just not soon, I am in school remember?"

"Awww " he whimpered " I got tickets to the rodeo and I wanted you to go with me"

"I'm sorry Eric, work, school and raising a family has gotten me stretched out." She walked away smiling knowing full well that she would never on a date with a critter like him. He was short, round and balding, so not her type as her daughter Maria would say.

It was 4:45pm and she needed to get to class, the drive wasn't the problem. It was the little things that needed to be completed before she left. This was her last semester in the Masters program and she was ready to be finished. Suzanne rushed to put all the applications for employment in the managers in box, close out her computer and turned on her voice mail before walking to her car. She called her oldest daughter at home, the phone ringing four times before Katie answered. "Katie are you on the phone?" Katie replied "Yes, dads on the other end"

"Well tell him that he needs to call me when he gets in town. I am on my way to school, so you and Maria make sure the doors are locked and no visitors."

"Yes ma'am, we got you" Katie said snickering "I am serious, remember what I told you"

" Yes mom I remember, it's hard being a single parent at a young age, so no visitors" she repeated "Good girl, momma got to go, love you bunches"

"Love you bunches too." The phone went click as Katie clicked back over to her dad on the other end.

Suzanne hurried to her car it was now 5:00pm and she only had 30 minutes to get to class, plenty of time but she like to be prepared for the unknown. She had been divorced for four years and had to do it all, but she didn't mind. Her ex-husband Mitchell was a good provider, but the relationship couldn't stand two women, so a divorce ensued. That left her raising two girls that were now 14 and 15 with Katie being the oldest. She had gotten pregnant right out of high school and didn't want that type of life for her girls. So she constantly kept up with them and made sure that they understood the facts of life. Men lie to get what they want.

The long drive comforted her, with night falling early during autumn she loved the way the leaves looked in the twilight. It was the smell of burning leaves and the fall colors that brought back happier memories of her marriage. As she turned into the university parking lot, she brushed her brunette hair back and put on her glasses, preparing herself for class. Statistics was the final hurdle in her long battle to become more marketable in the workplace.

This was the night of midterms and with a business briefing that had to be done right in the middle of it; she didn't feel good about the test. Suzanne got out of her car and smoothed her skirt over her hips, turning to make sure she looked presentable before walking into class. At 5'5" she was thick, she preferred big beautiful woman, but thick would do. She weighed 160 pounds, and was always trying to lose weight. Having DD breast didn't help her self esteem any, she felt like men were always looking at her chest. So she wore clothes that were baggier than normal. Suzanne felt fat all the time. She looked at her watch it said 5:27pm "Shit!" she exclaimed. She had three minutes to get to class. Suzanne gathered her things and began to trot to make it to the second floor.

When she arrived Suzanne knew she was late. Her watch read 5:35pm and Avery was already passing out the test and electronic answer sheets. She quietly put her things down, not before the teacher cleared his throat and said "Ms. Franklin, I am so glad you decided to join us." She just sat down and replied in a sheepish voice "Sorry I'm late" Avery didn't reply he just continued to pass out the midterm exam. Suzanne cleared her mind and took out her pencils to test with. When the professor got to her, he looked her dead in the eyes and said "as Master candidates we must learn to be as prompt as possible. "

"Fuck you" she thought. The professor placed the test and answer sheet in front of her and spoke aloud "Alright ladies and gentlemen you have 2 hours, and when you are done wait for your results before leaving" looking at his watch he started towards the front of the class and said "Start now" Suzanne opened her test and what lay before her looked like Greek.

It was almost time for the test to be over when she looked down and noticed she had about 20 more questions to go. Suzanne felt her face flush, as she knew she wasn't going to make it. And Avery didn't give extra time. A little while later she heard student after student getting up from their chairs walking towards the professors desk. She could hear an electronic beep as the scanner scanned each student's answer sheet and printed out the results. She hurried through the last 20 questions, almost crying because she hadn't studied enough. "Times up!" the professor yelled. Suzanne had 4 questions left and just closed her test, frustrated. When she stood she saw Silas, one of her classmates shaking his head as he walked towards the professor, at least she wasn't alone.

Silas walked with the grace of a male model, he was always dressed nicely when he came to class, and at 6'4" he commanded a presence. He frequently spoke to Suzanne in that melodic, yet masculine voice about class work. His voice always made her blush for some strange reason. His brilliant smile framed by a pecan colored skin was striking. Not to mention hazel eyes that seemed to look inside of her every time they chatted.

Avery took Silas's answer sheet and unceremoniously sent it through the scanner; the incessant beeping was like a jackhammer in Suzanne's head. She knew she was next. The professor showed Silas's his results and proceeded to take Suzanne's. He sent her sheet through the scanner and looked up over his glasses after seeing the results. "Ms. Franklin seems like you have a problem." Suzanne gulped hard. "It looks like you are going to have to make a 75 on the final or you will have to take me again next semester" She felt her eyes mist up, but didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "You have made a 63 which is failing, and a 72 which isn't spectacular" She turned and walked to her desk where she gathered her things. Trembling, she picked up her book bag and headed out the door.

It was at her car door where she lost it. She had worked so hard to get to this point in school, all to be stopped by something as simple as a midterm. Deep sobs racked her body, she felt as if she let everyone down who was depending on her. She opened her car door and threw her books in the back seat.

Suzanne was mad as hell at herself for failing this test, any other test but this one wouldn't made her as upset. This was the proverbial hurdle at the end of a long 2-year race. It was in the reflection of her car's passenger window, she saw someone driving towards her. She turned to look and realized it was Silas, he pulled right up next to her "Are you ok?" he asked Suzanne replied, wiping her eyes "Yes, I'm fine" but she knew she wasn't. "How did you do on the test?" Silas asked. That one question made tears roll down her cheeks once again. "That bad huh?" Suzanne hurried to wipe her face. Silas turned off his engine and opened the door to his black Cherokee. When he stepped out he had a Kleenex in his hand. She gently took the tissue and wiped her face. "You can have that" he said and smiled. She noticed how his teeth looked like they were glowing against his beautiful skin. Suzanne smiled back and said "Thank you"

Silas spoke this time softly while looking at Suzanne, "Look I didn't do as well as I liked, so don't feel bad." She looked at him and said "Yeah but I knew better than not to study as well as I should" He leaned back against his jeep and said "Well, I'll tell you Avery is a prick. But I got to get past his class to get my degree" Suzanne nodded. "I am going to give you my business card it has my number on it, just give me a call if you want a study partner." She took the card from his hand and said "Thanks I might just need one." He turned and slid his 6'4" frame back into his jeep.

She climbed in her car put her seatbelt on as usual. Suzanne adjusted the mirror in time to see Silas drive out of the parking lot of the campus. She could smell cologne on the Kleenex, and on the business card she held in her hand. "Hell, two heads are better than one." she thought.

She drove home thinking about the test. She knew she had to score high enough to get through Avery's class. The end of city lights signaled her getting close to home. As she rounded the curve that led to her home she noticed her ex-husbands truck in her driveway. Suzanne parked beside the big 4 by 4 and got out grabbing her books. When she came through the front door, she saw him sitting in the living room talking to their youngest daughter.

"I figured you would be late" he spoke

"We had a test tonight, midterm" She placed her book bag on the counter, looking in the refrigerator for a quick bite to eat. "What are you doing here Mitchell?" she asked

"I was in town for a conference and wanted to see the girls, I hope you don't mind"

"Just call me first before coming here, Ok?"

"Oh, just incase the new man is here" he said smartly. Suzanne turned around and looked at him, she wanted to go off on Mitchell. But she didn't need an argument tonight she had to get a jump on the finals, which were everything they had learned in Statistics. "Nope, because sometimes we aren't here." He knew something was wrong with his ex-wife her answer was too generic. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen where Suzanne was standing. "What's the matter, I usually get a snappy comeback." She just smiled, and then the crying started again. Her tears stirred him; he never liked to see her cry. "Hey, Hey Sue" Sue was his nickname for her "What happened?"

"I failed my midterm and now I got to pass the final with a higher grade than I made all semester." Mitchell wiped the tears from Sue's face his rough hands were a familiar and welcome sensation, but she could not forget that because of him, it took years to get her self esteem back. Suzanne removed his hand from her face and placed it down on the counter. Her fierce green eyes red from crying, displayed mistrust, to a man that once joked that she had a bubble butt, and watermelon tits. The girls left the living room and went into their bedrooms, not wanting to disturb their parents.

Mitchell pulled out one of the kitchen table chairs and told Sue to sit down. She sat with a plop. It was a cold reality that she had to pass her finals with a higher than normal grade. She and Mitchell sat at the kitchen table for what looked like hours, talking over solutions for school, the girls and their jobs. She almost forgot what he had done. But it was nice to be with someone you used to love. Looking at her watch she noticed that it was a quarter till midnight. "I got to shower, study and get ready for bed Mitchell" she spoke softly. He stood up stretching "Yeah, I got an early meeting" he said yawning " I am going to kiss the girls goodnight" Mitchell walked down the hallway to the back bedrooms, and Suzanne headed for the shower. She undressed quickly and turned the water on. The bathroom steamed up quickly. She pent her hair up and grabbed her favorite shower gel. When she stepped into the shower the steam filled her lungs, and the hot water soothed her body.

During her shower she heard the bathroom door open, Suzanne looked around the curtain to see which one of the girls was being rude. It was Mitchell to her surprise. "Mitchell, get out of here" she spat

He walked over to the tub and pulled back the curtain to reveal his ex-wife's nakedness. "Come on, don't you need your back washed?" She just handed him the washcloth and said, "Do a good job" His strong hands stroked her back and buttocks, first in circles and then in long strokes. She knew she had let her guard down, but hell it was a bad day and she needed some comfort.

When the water turned cold, she shut the shower off and stepped out of the tub. She noticed how Mitchell was bulging in his pants. His eyes looking her up and down, she felt a familiar pulsation between her legs. It was a while since she had a boyfriend, or even sex for that matter. Mitchell grabbed her by her hands and led her to the bedroom where he lay her still dripping body on the bed. He spread her legs and kneeled before her proceeding to lick and taste all of her creamy wetness. He sucked and sucked paying close attention to her clitoris, and labia. Mitchell knew this body well and was touching on all the spots that he knew would make Suzanne orgasm. He reached up occasionally to caress one of her supple breast, rubbing his palm over an already erect nipple. Doing the same on each side. Suzanne began to buck and moan. He knew she was getting close so he stopped and unzipped his pants, freeing his already erect member. He turned her over on her stomach and lifted her ass high in the air. Licking her slowly between her cheeks, she began to gasp as Mitchell's tongue probed her from the back, first slowly then fast. When Suzanne flopped on her stomach, he gripped her small waist pulling her back to the sensual torture.

Mitchell stood and slowly penetrated her swollen sex; she pushed back against him wanting him deeper inside of her. "Damn, baby your tight" he whispered. She didn't speak she wanted more and more of his solid penis to explore her. Mitchell gripped her waist and began to slide in and out from behind. His rhythm matched hers, thrust for thrust. He couldn't help thinking how good it was. Watching Suzanne's ass bounce up and down, her ample breast swaying back and forth. She began to orgasm, in torrents, his penis slick with her juices. His pace quickened to match her thrusting; his orgasm was hard and long. He pulled out to spray her full butt cheeks with his semen. "Shit" She said sliding from under him. I got to shower again. Later in the morning, she would need another one, as he stayed the night.

***

Suzanne didn't want to think about the night before. It just made her mad to think something as simple as a test made her vulnerable to her ex-husband's advances. She continued on about her day, filing applications and giving interviews. Not only was she in a bind, she had to deal with Mitchell. Who was probably thinking he could come over anytime he wanted to. The day dragged on, during lunch, she decided to outline the chapters once again. It was when she hit one particular area of statistics; she had a question and couldn't remember how the formula went. Terror filled her chest; Avery wasn't going back over this stuff. She had to think, whom she could call to get some help. Then it struck her, she had Silas's card in her purse. She dug down in her purse to find the card next to the Kleenex he gave her. The front read: Silas Walden Realty and listed his cell number. She dialed the number and listened as the phone rang, and rang. Just before she hung up, a smooth masculine voice answered on the other end "Silas Walden Realty may I help you?" She wanted to hang up the phone but she asked, "May I speak to Mr. Walden?" her voice trembled "Speaking" he replied "Silas this is Suzanne from school"

"Hey, how are you Suzanne, what can I do for you?" She told him of the problem she was having and they agreed to meet at the local library to study. With that being out of the way, she continued on about her day.

After work Suzanne stopped at Wal-Mart to get some pens and paper because she was running low. Upon paying for her items, her cell phone rang. "Hello she answered?" It was Mitchell, not wanting to be rude to the cashier; she said "hey let me call you back when I get out of the store." She closed her phone and apologized to the woman scanning the items. She hurried out of the store, she didn't want to keep Silas waiting, she was appreciative he was helping her. She called Mitchell back while turning out of the parking lot of the super center. "Mitchell, I was in line. What's going on?" He answered back "I am leaving town tonight, what time will you be home? I wanna say goodbye" She knew what that meant; he wanted more sex. Suzanne replied " I have group study tonight, so I will be home late"

"How late?"

"Around 11:00pm" hoping it would be too late for him to stay. "Well, I will see you in about 2 weeks when I come to get the girls" he replied then hung up. "Whew!" she said aloud, she got caught with her panties down once, and didn't want it to happen again.

When she arrived at the library, she saw that Silas was already there. She was on time, but he was early. Suzanne stepped out of her car after placing a parking space between the two vehicles. She walked into the library and noticed that Silas had already placed books on the table. She walked over to the table he had chosen, and placed her book bag on the floor. "Hey thanks for coming, I really need some help" Suzanne uttered. Silas stood and offered her a seat. She had never noticed how handsome he really was. She just never looked at black guys like that. She noticed how his pecan colored skin seemed like velvet. They started to study and go over any problems she was having. He was funny, and an excellent teacher. Suzanne realized that he was actually helping her more than studying himself. She looked up from one of the reference books and asked " What did you make on your test" Silas replied while exhaling "a damn 86" She sat straight up in her chair, "You did good, why do you need to study this hard?" He replied, "Because I failed the first exam, and needed at least a 90 to pass, this course" His hazel colored eyes blazed with anger. "Wow" Suzanne said "What do you need to at least make it out of his class?"