Soul Caress Page 12

  Kennedy listened to the laughter and banter that came from Malik’s family, the camaraderie and warmth that flowed so freely from one to another moving her. Malik’s parents, Joyce and Fred Crawford, may not have had all of the material trappings and social connections that her parents had, but the one thing that they did share—the thing that glowed from them—was unpretentious and uncompromised love for one another. She had never observed the type of genuine affection between her parents that Malik’s parents seemed to share. Fred and Joyce Crawford spoke to each other tenderly, even when one was just asking the other to pass the salt.

  Joseph and Elmira Daniels, on the other hand, were the perfect society couple. They looked good together on paper and on one another’s arms. Yet Kennedy had come to understand that theirs was a perfunctory marriage in which appearances were the only thing that mattered. Sitting in the modest backyard of Malik’s family, she realized that for her parents, love had taken a backseat. It was no wonder they could not understand what she felt for Malik because they had long ago forgotten—if, in fact, they’d ever known—what it felt like to have one’s soul caressed.

  “So Malik tells us that before your accident you were in finance?” his aunt Janie asked, pulling Kennedy from her revelry.

  “Yes, ma’am. That’s right. I worked for Morgan Stanley as a financial analyst,” Kennedy answered from behind a napkin she held over her mouth to block the forkful of baked beans she was chewing.

  “Sounds interesting. Did you handle people’s investments and whatnot?”

  “Not really. I dealt more with corporations.”

  “Oh, okay. I ask because I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this insurance money I have left from my husband’s policy. He passed a couple of months ago. He was Malik’s uncle, Robert.”

  “Yes, Aunt Janie. I remember when Malik went to Georgia for the funeral. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, child. Yeah, when my Bobby got sick, he said to me, he said, ‘Janie, I think I’m gonna want you to take me home when the time comes.’ He wanted to be buried down where his momma, daddy and two of his brothers were resting. Made me promise. So that’s what I did. He was a very good provider. I mean, we weren’t rich or nothin’, but my Bobby made sure we did all right. Both of our kids is grown and taking care of themselves now. I even got me three grandbabies. I didn’t even know that Bobby was paying on these life insurance policies for me and him, but that’s the kind of man he was. Now, I’ve got to figure out what to do with the money. My kids say I should buy myself a big house, but I keep telling them what I want with a big ole house all to myself? This little place right here is fine with me. It’s where me and Bobby spent the last fifteen years of our married life, so it’s just fine with me. I think I want to save the money for my grandbabies. You know, so they can go to one of those fancy colleges and become a financial analyst or something,” Aunt Janie said, patting Kennedy’s hand.

  “That’s a good idea, Aunt Janie. College is getting more and more expensive every minute. You could go down to your bank and talk to them about putting your money somewhere that will give it the best opportunity to grow. You don’t want to just put it into a regular savings account or anything like that.”

  “No, don’t I? Shoot, in the ole days we just stuck our money under the mattress and slept tight all night knowing it was right there.” Aunt Janie laughed.

  By the time the daylight faded and night fell, Kennedy felt like she was home. Now she understood where Malik got it from. Even when he was away from her side for long stretches at a time, helping out at the grill or securing Aunt Janie’s air conditioner unit in the window, she was comfortable. One relative or another kept her chatting and laughing all through the day and night. All day Malik’s cousin Kendall played music that kept them snapping their fingers and tapping their feet, but as the sun set, he slowed the pace and mellow tunes sung by Luther Vandross and Patti LaBelle filled the air above the tiny backyard.

  “Dance with me.”

  Malik pulled Kennedy to her feet before she could protest. In front of his entire family, he drew her close, her body pressed against his and shared a dance that carried an unspoken solemnity.

  Kennedy had adjusted to her vision loss, accepting her limitations as a small price to pay for having found a man like Malik. Yet as they danced, both of them wondered if they had gone so far out on a limb that neither of them was prepared to navigate. Once again, they fought to block out the naysayers and doubts, choosing instead to concentrate on what they had.

  “I’m in love with you, Malik,” Kennedy said, for the first time giving sound to the words that had been living in her heart for a long time.

  “How do you know that?” Malik asked.

  “I know because the hole that was in my soul before I met you is now full. I know because I want more for you than I want for myself. I just know,” Kennedy said.

  Malik had a million questions on his mind and in his heart, yet he voiced none of them. All he could think about was that he knew exactly how Kennedy was feeling because those were his feelings that she’d just described.

  “Loving you as much as I do scares me to death. I’m scared to go where you’re taking me,” Malik admitted.

  “I’m right there with you,” Kennedy whispered, her words soft against his ear.

  Later that night in bed in Kennedy’s apartment, they found their way to each other through the maze of questions and qualms.

  “If I put this on, then I can’t see you,” Malik complained halfheartedly, his senses already pulsating with excitement.

  He was lying naked across Kennedy’s bed and she was sitting on top of him, her bare skin glistening from the oil that he had just rubbed over every inch of her.

  “That’s the point,” Kennedy said.

  Malik hated the prospect of not being able to view her body, deriving almost as much pleasure from simply looking at her as he did from touching her. Yet he could refuse her nothing and could not even pretend that he would not succumb to her wishes. He folded and then tied the black silk scarf around his head, pulling it securely so that his vision was completely disabled.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  “Now, you get a chance to feel exactly what I feel when we make love,” Kennedy said.

  She lowered her body so that she was lying on top of Malik’s body. She began kissing his face, slow, delicate kisses that teased his senses. She moved farther down, her lips brushing against his neck, her tongue dipping into the canal of his ear. Without his vision, he could not anticipate where she would visit next, and each time she retreated and then returned with more kisses, his heart jumped a little bit. She continued her journey, visiting every inch of his torso and belly. His member stood at attention, aroused beyond recognition by what she was doing to him. He was embarrassed by the primitive moans that escaped from his lips. He wanted to call her name, beg her to stop and then not to stop, but he couldn’t find the ability to articulate sensible words. When her mouth reached his throbbing manhood, he lost it. He clutched the bedsheets at his sides and bit his lips, hoping that the pain would distract him from the mind-numbing pleasure. No such luck. She worked him over like a skilled courtesan, lapping and loving him until he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. She brought him to his first climax for the evening, his life juices spilling out all over his quivering legs. He felt as if he had died and gone to heaven.

  Kennedy lay fully on top of him again, covering his shivering body with hers. It took him a little while to recover, during which she continued to kiss and lick his face and neck. Kennedy waited patiently, trusting that once Malik regained control over his senses, he would take her to heights as yet untouched. She was not wrong. They sailed the night away, allowing the connection of their souls to guide the way.

  Chapter 18

  Kennedy was a bundle of nerves on her first day back at Morgan Stanley. Courtney, Mr. Schenck’s secretary, led her to her old office where everything h
ad remained just as she had left it except that the active deal files had been removed. Her deals had been divided up by colleagues. She had opted to leave Muppet at home, instead using a walking cane to navigate her way from the taxi and into the building’s lobby, where Courtney met her.

  By the end of the first day, she was much more relaxed, relying on her knowledge of finance to carry her when nerves over her condition threatened to overwhelm her. By the end of the first week, it was almost as if she had never been away.

  Just as Kennedy suspected, her mother went home and had given her father an earful. Joseph Daniels called Kennedy at the office and after a few minutes of casual conversation, he informed her that her mother was very upset about her lack of forthrightness.

  “What are you talking about, Daddy?” Kennedy asked.

  “Since when do you keep secrets from us?” Joseph asked.

  “Daddy, I don’t keep secrets from you guys. I just didn’t know that I have to debrief you on every step I take in my love life,” Kennedy responded.

  She had been suffering from a headache all day long. She was still feeling badly at the way her mother had treated Malik and, although he was reluctant to talk about it, she knew that it bothered him, as well. Knowing that her parents did not approve of him was making it difficult for her to concentrate. She’d sat at her desk for the entire morning and had not accomplished one thing. She’d been listening to an audio of a planning meeting that had been held the week before, but she could not recall one word she’d heard. Her focus was all off.

  “Now, sweetheart, you know that we respect the fact that you are a grown woman now and have your own life to lead. However, your mother tells me that the young man is practically living with you. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have mentioned the fact that you are in a serious relationship with someone. Perhaps there is something about this young man that you were trying to hide from us?”

  “Daddy, I wasn’t trying to hide anything. Malik is an honest, decent man and he’s been very good to me. He’s helped me out tremendously since the accident.”

  “Kennedy, I’m going to be frank with you. I’ve done some checking into your friend and, well, there may be things that you don’t know about him.

  “Malik Brandon Crawford, youngest child of three. Born to parents Joyce and Fred Crawford. His mother works as the head of housekeeping at a downtown D.C. hotel. And his father is a doorman for an upscale apartment complex.”

  “Daddy, I know all of this. What’s your point?” Kennedy asked, her headache climbing two decibels on the pain scale.

  “Hold on a minute, sweetie. Did you also know that Malik served six months in a juvenile detention center when he was fifteen years old and later dropped out of high school? There is no record of him earning a GED, either. And it seems like jail is a common vacation spot for the Crawford family. His brother, Malcolm, recently served time for nonpayment of child support, and it gets better and better. When Malcolm isn’t doing time, he’s a construction worker, or unemployed. His sister, LaToya, was an unwed teen mother.”

  “Daddy, LaToya is now a staff sergeant in the U.S. Marines and is happily married. Her daughter is ten years old, well-adjusted and very bright. Look, I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation with you. You have a lot of nerve delving into Malik’s family history like the C.I.A. or somebody.”

  “Honey, I’m just trying to protect you.”

  “Protect me? No, Daddy, what you and Mommy are doing is trying to control me. I love you both and I respect you, but I am not going to let you run my life,” Kennedy said adamantly, slamming her fist onto the top of her desk.

  “Kennedy, your mother and I just want what’s best for you and Malik Crawford is not it. You need to stay away from him.”

  As reverentially as possible, Kennedy restated her position and ended the phone call with her father. She was in such a state emotionally and had physically begun feeling even worse, that she packed up and left work early. When she arrived at home, she went directly to bed, which is where Malik found her that evening. Other than stating that she’d had an argument with her father, she did not share with him any of the details of her conversation. He suspected, however, that it was much worse than she’d let on.

  “Young man, I appreciate your meeting me here today,” Joseph Daniels said as Malik pulled out a chair and took a seat.

  The waiter handed Malik a menu, laid an ivory linen napkin across his legs and both men waited until he’d departed before making further conversation. They were seated inside The Box, a swank Mediterranean restaurant situated on Pimmit Drive. Joseph Daniels was dressed impeccably in a charcoal-gray Hugo Boss business suit. His receding hairline, sprinkled with a miniscule amount of gray hairs, was the only telltale sign of his age. His platinum wedding band caught the light as he reached to pick up the glass of chardonnay the waiter had poured for him before leaving the bottle on the table at his request.

  “Well, Mr. Daniels, you said it was urgent. What can I do for you?” Malik asked stiffly.

  There had been nothing remotely friendly about Joseph Daniels’s request for Malik to meet him at The Box, and the younger man did not delude himself into believing that this would be an opportunity for them to mend fences, or get on one another’s good sides. The Daniels had made it quite clear how they felt about him and the only thing that kept Malik from telling them both to kiss his behind was Kennedy.

  Malik knew how much her family meant to her and how devoted she was to them. He’d been biting his tongue for so long about them that it was numb, but he cared too much to see her hurt. The past few weeks had been emotionally draining for Kennedy and he’d been trying his best not to make her feel like she was in a tug of war between him and her parents. They were doing a good enough job of that without his assistance.

  “Have some wine. It’s a very good year,” Joseph said.

  Malik said nothing, watching as the elder man filled his glass. The muscle in Malik’s temple was already throbbing with tension, but he vowed to remain calm and to listen to what the man had to say. He owed Kennedy that much.

  “So, er, did you happen to mention to my daughter that you were meeting me this evening?” Joseph asked.

  “No, I didn’t. Should I have?” Malik asked.

  “No, well, uh…I guess that’s entirely up to you. I just felt that it was time that you and I talked…you know, man to man. Is that all right?”

  “Sure. I don’t have a problem with that. Mr. Daniels, I know we didn’t get off to a very good start. I really wish that I had had an opportunity to meet your wife under different circumstances, but it didn’t happen that way. I know how concerned you both are about your daughter’s welfare, and I just want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt Kennedy.”

  Malik spoke from the heart, looking Kennedy’s father squarely in the eye so that there would be no ambiguity or mixed meaning. Joseph regarded Malik for a moment, the sincerity in the young man’s words apparent to him.

  “I appreciate that, Malik. You seem like a decent young man, and I know that you care about my daughter. I hope you can understand how difficult it is for a father to accept the young men who come into his baby girl’s life. One day, God willing, you’ll have a daughter and you’ll be sitting on the other side of this table, in my seat.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Yes, well, in the meantime, it’s very important to me that you understand that I hold no personal ill will against you. From what Kennedy has told us, her mother and I, you’ve been nothing but honorable and respectful. We sincerely appreciate the assistance you’ve given our daughter during this trying time.”

  “I know I don’t have to tell you this, but Kennedy is a strong, tough woman. She would have landed on her feet without me,” Malik said.

  “Yes, well, be that as it may, you were there for her and we appreciate it. Kennedy is thriving. She’s working back at Morgan Stanley, limited duties on a part-time basis, true, but we bel
ieve it’s just a matter of time before she’s back to her old self. Did she tell you that the specialist she saw when she was at home with us gave her some very encouraging news?”

  “Yes, she mentioned it,” Malik said.

  He kept to himself the fact that Kennedy had told him that her parents were hell-bent on ensuring that she regained her eyesight. It was to the point that they heard only what they wanted to hear from the doctors and even from her. It was obvious to Malik that imperfection had no place in the Daniels family tree.

  “So, you see, it’s just a matter of time before Kennedy is one hundred percent again. She’ll be back to working full-time and will pick up her life right where she left off.”

  Joseph took a long sip from his glass, eyeing Malik over the rim as he did so. Malik remained silent, waiting for the man to get to his point, which he was certain was not going to be as pleasant as the phony smile that had been plastered on his face since Malik sat down.

  “I’ll get to the point. I think that it’s time that you start to take a good look at the situation, as it truly is. Now, I know that you and Kennedy have been spending quite a bit of time together. With her unable to do the things she used to do, she’s been…uh, well, she’s been accessible to you. However, that won’t be the case much longer and perhaps now is a good time for you to acknowledge the situation.”