"Now that loves taken over me
What will I do now
Now that loves taken over you
Baby, I'll show you
How it feels to live in ecstasy
Ecstasy, ecstasy
Now that loves taken over
Too Bad for you
You can't free yourself from me
Don't bother to
You'll have to stay here forever"
Chante Moore—"Love's Taken Over"
His family brought out the best in him.
Disa observed Erik the entire night interacting with each individual relative. Love poured into him and out of him as he laughed, drank wine, sang songs, and play-fought on her living room floor. It was a raucous celebration that went on late into the night.
Erik's eyes were dark pink from the liquor and his affectionate ways had him hugging up on her at times she deemed inappropriate in front of his girlfriend. Chloe was enamored with his family and didn't seem to notice her man trailing after Disa. Perhaps it was because the entire family was openly loving. Especially Marisol. She hung off of Erik and held his hand most of the night. They were so close and hilarious together. Erik seemed annoyed with her after the first three hours in Disa's house and their interaction turned into almost sibling interactions as Marisol kept bringing him to Disa to get some agreement on something they argued about. Earlier it had been about clothes, then music. Now the young woman was dragging Erik over to prove that he was wrong about a hairstyle on a Pop singer.
Disa wasn't sure she could put her finger on the problem, but Marisol seemed intent on keeping Erik near Disa instead of Chloe.
Strolling into her kitchen on bare feet and tipsy energy, Disa poured herself a shot of Bourbon and gulped it down. Music filled the entire house, and once more Marisol dragged Erik her way.
"Give him another shot of whiskey," Marisol said.
Her eyes were red, and her mouth was moist and eager to laugh.
"I'm good. Go back in there and leave me alone. You just want to argue and make fun of me," Erik slurred, playfully pushing his play-cousin away. Marisol giggled on her way out, her long glossy black hair bouncing on her back and matching the bounce in her hips.
"Water?" Disa asked.
"Please."
Erik leaned against the sink as Disa filled a large glass with filtered water.
"We'll be out of your hair soon. Seven hours is way too long to take over your space—"
"I love it. Really. Your family is an international smorgasbord of yummy."
"Please don't tell them that. They'll try to stay until the dawn. We are known to party until daylight."
"So be it."
"Nah. You've done enough. This is the best birthday I've had in years."
He draped his arms around her waist and kissed her. Flicking his tongue across her lips, Disa pushed him back out of respect for Chloe, but Erik rested his lips on her ear.
"You don't know what this means to me," he said.
He settled himself away from her and leaned against her sink.
Erik looked different.
Twenty-one had done something to him.
His hair was longer, and his body had matured. Her own brothers had gone through second puberty too, that subtle change when young men started looking manly and came into their own. The boyish energy she encountered the first time she had met him was gone.
Dante wandered into the kitchen, looking for another beer, and took one from the fridge.
"Hey Grandpop," Erik said, giving the older man a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"We're about to shut the party down, birthday boy. Can you call for the SUVs?"
"On it," Erik said, walking out of the kitchen.
"Tonight was amazing, Disa. Thank you for all of this."
"You are very welcome. Erik deserved an amazing celebration."
Dante gazed at her for a long time and it made Disa feel awkward. He moved closer to her.
"He's royalty," Dante said.
"Excuse me?"
"Erik. He's of royal blood. His father's side of the family. He doesn't like for people to know this, but I want you to know. You treated him like the prince he is today."
"Erik is a prince?"
"Yep. He is third in line to a throne in East Africa."
"He never mentioned that."
"He won't. Hides it. I want the world to know that my daughter gave birth to a prince but Erik wants to keep it quiet."
"You probably shouldn't have told me then."
"He loves you."
"Come again?"
Dante tilted his head back, and a mischievous look came across his face.
"I know my grandson very well. He's prancing around here with that nice young lady... Chloe... but his eyes won't stop gazing your way. I won't tell him I know. Truth is, the entire family knows. Every time he calls home or talks to a family member, he mentions you. The excitement in his voice gives him away every time. My grandson is a quiet and private person. Even more so with his relationships. But with you, he just gushes. There's a glow in his face."
Disa's eyes darted away when Chloe walked in, tossing her coat around her shoulders.
"Erik and I are leaving. I wanted to thank you for a beautiful dinner and party."
"I'm happy to see you enjoy yourself."
"We could stay behind to help clean up—"
"No, I have plenty of help here with my friends. Don't forget to take your extra plate home."
Chloe's shoulders went up and down with excitement as she opened the fridge and grabbed two plates.
"For me and Erik later tomorrow," Chloe said, glancing over at Dante.
Erik's grandfather poured himself some water from the sink and smiled at Chloe. She slipped out of the kitchen and Dante turned his attention back on Disa.
"She's sweet," Disa said.
He nodded, and Erik strolled back in.
"Ready, Grandpop?" Erik asked.
"Yep. Thanks, Disa. You're invited to join us for the BBQ at the hotel."
"If I can find some time, I will most definitely swing by for a plate of pork ribs."
"You gotta swing by. Let us make up for the dinner you gave us."
Erik reached out and squeezed her wrist. Dante stared at his grandson's hand and smirked.
"Getting my jacket," Dante said, stepping out of the kitchen.
Disa became self-conscious and her skin tingled from being so close to the birthday boy again. Birthday man.
"What?" he asked with a big pearly grin on his teeth. His slugs shined in his mouth.
A prince? Third in line to a throne? Her eyes cascaded over his handsome face. Erik did carry himself like he was something special.
He inched his way closer, making the space between them minuscule. His eyes were dreamy and drunk-colored.
"Go get some more birthday sex with your boo," she teased.
His eyes flashed and narrowed. It changed up his entire vibe. The voices in the living room went up a few decibels as people shuffled on shoes, heels, and outerwear. Disa noticed the yearning in Erik's eyes that sat so blatantly in front of her.
"I need to say goodbye to everyone," she said.
Brushing past him, she ran a nervous hand up the side of her neck.
"Disa!"
Serah and Soliel rushed her for a few selfies and group photos before she hugged bodies and double kissed cheeks. She eased past Erik once more when he strode into the living room to collect his woman. Chloe beamed with sensual energy, and Disa secretly wished her well with amazing sex for the both of them. Lord knows she needed it herself.
By the time the last guest had left, she and Yamilet flopped onto the couch with Tatum and exhaled with loud breaths.
"That was a lot," Tatum said, wiping her damp brow.
"You really went all out for him," Yamilet said, giving Disa an odd look.
Disa shrugged and glanced around at the large clean-up job they would have to do with balloons, streamers, and the movement of furniture back into place. Tons of empty wine glasses and fancy dessert dishes sat stacked on a round folding table.
"Let's just deal with it tomorrow," Disa said.
She reached under her couch and pulled out her smoke box. They shared a lit joint and eventually wandered off to beds in three different rooms.
Disa couldn't rest once she was under her covers. Tossing and turning, she stayed wide awake. Her brain kept buzzing thinking about Erik and his family. After an hour of wide-awakeness, she slipped out of her bed with her mind on eating more cake. The low hum of music from the living room led her to her sound system that had been left on by mistake. She took some time to check for other electronics she may have forgotten to switch off when she noticed the USB still stuck into her TV. She pulled it out and placed it in a safe place for Erik to pick up later.
Dante's words snuck into her head as she nibbled on the leftover cake in her dining room.
Erik had a crush. That was it. He hadn't been around her long enough to love her. He hadn't even seen her on her worst days to see if he could tolerate a Disa that wasn't always together. She ate cake and scoffed at the idea. A casual wandering of thoughts had her remembering the way Erik looked outside of his hotel room on the night she impressed Geechie Dan. A soft puff of air left her lips as she closed her eyes and imagined what it must feel like to stroke her fingers across his chest, or better still, let her fingers wander down to pull back the elastic band on his boxer briefs and see that weight he had.
"You are so wrong for thinking about that boy like that," she scolded herself.
How delightful it must feel to have those thick lips of his around her nipples... those gold teeth biting her neck and thighs. That big tongue dragging down her...
"Time for bed, girl," she blurted, hoisting herself from her seat and trudging back into her bedroom.
Staring at a corner of her bed, she remembered him first kissing her there, his hands so eager to caress her. Disa dropped her short housecoat onto the bed and crawled back under the covers. Plucking the clips out of her hair, she tossed the fake curls onto her bedroom floor and shook her own tresses so that they rested all around her head. Lying back, she cupped her lush breasts and imagined Erik licking her tips, making them turn into hard peaks. Smacking them together, she pretended he was reaching into his boxers and pulling out thick meat, pursing his lips as he did it.
Nimble fingers slipped between her slick folds as she fondled herself before spreading her inner lips wide open. Beneath her pillow sat a small gold vibrator that she tapped on and sat right on top of her clit.
"He probably fucks like a young spastic rabbit," she mumbled, thinking of how he might look hunched over her. The last young dude she had sex with fucked her with so much detachment and disorganized speed that she could only project that same goofiness onto Erik and his puppy dog eyes. However, the Erik in her imagination was a supreme lover.
Stretching her pussy lips open wider, she traced the vibrator all inside the fleshy pink that became wetter as she squeezed her eyes shut with an imaginary Erik on top of her, fucking her nice and slow, stretching her walls and kissing her neck. Her eyes watered as she tried to keep her voice quiet. She kept replaying the erection she saw in his underwear and replaying the way he danced at the club, his body sinewy and loose, his hips snaking about with controlled moves.
Disa allowed the vibrator to sit inside her pussy as she gripped her breasts again. Erik always tried to be slick looking at her cleavage every chance he got. He was an obvious ass man and titty fiend, and she had plenty of both. She flipped over and shoved her face into her pillow, acting out a fantasy of him fucking her from behind and palming her big tits. Arching her back, she thrust her ass in the air and undulated her hips. The vibrator took her to the brink.
"Make a big mess in my pussy," she whimpered.
"You want it deep?" he said.
Imaginary Erik pinched her nipples and thrust his tongue in her ear. Disa panted.
"Real deep," she moaned, wiggling her ass cheeks.
His balls slapped her clit, and the throbbing had her biting her lips and clutching the pillow tight.
"Make a big fucking mess!" she groaned deep inside her throat, trying to keep the noise to a minimum in case Tatum or Yamilet was still awake.
His hand swept down her back and slapped her ass before gripping the side of her waist, controlling the speed of his thrusts.
"God, I know that dick has got to be big," she yelped into the pillow.
She squeezed her heavy thighs together, and the vibrator did what it was supposed to do and she fell into an orgasm that lasted longer than it should have. Disa cried out into the pillow as the clenches inside her pussy pushed the vibrator out of position. It slid down her slick vulva shooting pulses down the nude skin and she came again, this time shouting his name at the headboard.
She laughed at the audacity of her pussy still contracting even as Erik's face faded from her imaginary love scene. Once her body calmed down and she could breathe normally, she pushed hair out of her eyes.
"He's probably not that good anyway," she grumbled, drifting into a deep sleep.
She woke up in the morning, with her pussy soaking wet from dreaming about him. In between a lucid dream state and wakefulness, she had another orgasm that felt more real than the last time she actually had sex with her ex-husband. Desperate to hold on to the dream, she could only grab faint snatches of it. She was riding him. Hard. Her right hand was around his neck, choking him, and he was so stiff inside her pussy and loving the way she dominated him. All he said was "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck, fuck me..." and she slammed her ass on him. His hands reached out to hold her wide round backside so he could thrust up into her, but she dropped her titties in his face, and his lips stretched around her right one while he squeezed the left one. And like most dreams did when they floated like nebulous clouds, it turned weird. His mouth stretched beyond human capacity and swallowed the top half of her body whole, consuming everything around him until her pussy contracted with such intensity that it woke her up completely.
Disa pulled out the vibrator one more time to chase another release while wide awake before cleaning her house.
###
Chloe took a shower in Erik's hotel room.
He fucked her twice once they hit the sheets after his party and fell into a deep sleep afterward. He woke up to the sound of water going on in the bathroom, so he reached under the covers of their shared bed and jerked off. The dream he awakened to had him fucking Disa in her kitchen. She wore a short nightie that barely covered her big ass, and he clapped the shit out of her cheeks as he bent her over the kitchen sink. His balls were heavy as the vision controlled his waking moment. His mouth fell open as he tried to keep quiet. The shower water stayed loud, and Erik shook the covers away from his length. He stretched his legs out and fondled his balls as he beat his dick.
"Take this dick, Disa. C'mon baby, ride Daddy like a good girl...fuck!"
His eyes went from his hands to the door of the bathroom. The water had stopped.
"I'ma cum in your fat pussy, Disa... put so much cum inside of you. I'ma nut all over those fat titties... all in your mouth... hit the back of your throat. Let Daddy hear you choke on this dick... dassit... spit on my dick..."
He grit his teeth as sweat poured down his face. The sound of his hand on his dick was loud. Pre-cum gathered at his tip and dripped down, covering his fingers and shining up his knob.
"I'm in the back of that throat, I'm hitting it back there... ooooohhhh...'bout to make me cum... I'm cumming... I'm cumming... oh fuck! I'm cumming all down your throat!"
The fluid in his sack was on the move. It surged and his ass cheeks clenched tight. Disa's big titties bounced in his face and he let loose a hot nut. His dick spit so much cum he had to throw the covers over the drenched sheets. That load would soak into the mattress for sure. He felt bad for the next hotel guests.
When Chloe padded into the room, he jumped into the shower and quickly dressed afterward. Work out sweats and a thin t-shirt.
"No breakfast in bed?" Chloe pouted.
"Working out with Grandpop and Uncle Bakari. Be back in a couple of hours," he said.
Dashing out of the hotel room, he hoped Chloe would think the fresh semen soaking their sheets was the damp wet spot from the hours before. He sauntered out of the hotel itself and made his way to a flat grassy area adjacent to the property. His grandfather and Bakari were already there sparring, and Erik stretched his legs and arms before jumping in to play. His uncle's cell phone played sounds of drums and berimbaus, and Erik swayed and dropped his body low to match the rhythm.
"Tighten up, boy. There ya go. Get your arms in there, see how Bakari is keeping his loose? Match him... yeah... there it is... nice..."
Dante coached him as he fought with his uncle. Bakari was ruthless, testing Erik's speed until Dante tapped in and pressed his palms against Erik's. They danced together as the music carried them into the zone. Dante broke away first and whipped his leg around to strike Erik in the chest. The force of the round kick propelled Erik back, but he charged forward to match Dante move for move. The old man still had power. Both older men tag-teamed against Erik, keeping him sharp and alert. After an hour, they all fell onto the grass, gasping for air and chugging down the bottled water Dante brought for them.
"I think he's ready," Bakari said.
"I think so too," Dante gasped, rubbing his chest.
"You alright old man?" Erik teased, tapping his grandfather's foot.
"I still got it, young buck!"
"I know ya do. Just checkin'."
"You might become a mestre sooner than when your mother did, boy," Dante said.
"Think so, Grandpop?"
"You still need a lot of work. Going back to Sao Paulo early will get you ready for your next cord. Marisol is going up for hers this time. New cords in a new year sounds about right. Y'all can work your way up together."
"Marisol needs more discipline," Erik said.
From the corner of his eye, Erik glimpsed the proud stroll of Besouro. Next to him was Marisol, and they were both dressed to work Erik hard. Clutched in both their hands were actual berimbaus. Before he reached them, Besouro struck his instrument with his baqueta and sang about the Master Hammer. Erik's mother. Marisol played a larger berimbau, and he finally noticed the red silk ribbon tied to the top of it.
"Happy Birthday, JaJa," Besouro said as Marisol handed him the birthday gift.
A handmade berimbau by Besouro was a priceless gift in capoeira. He missed having one in Cambridge.
"Thank you," Erik said, kissing Marisol's cheek and hugging Besouro.
Erik slipped the caxixi around his finger and held the small dobroa stone in place with the baqueta. He tapped a soft rhythm onto the arame string and closed his eyes. It was like holding his mother again. The sound emanating from the instrument was the voice of Califia calling to him. Reminding him of who he was and where he came from. Always. She was Mestre Martelo, the Master Hammer, the Queen of capoeira in his eyes. Besouro played his berimabau with him, and his grandfather, Marisol, and Bakari sang the words to Califia's song that now became his song.
His taps along the steel string of his berimbau became fast and the urgency in which he played made his grandfather's singing voice grow powerful. Erik's singing voice normally wasn't shit, but when he sang about his mother, no one could touch his vocal chops.
Mom. Look at me. I made it. I'm alive. I'm well. I survived. Do you hear me?
Marisol did flips around them and stylized her moves that reminded them all of Califia's fighting stance. Fluid. Fast. Theatrical.
They played on the grass for hours until his aunts and Walter came looking for them. Sweaty and proud, Erik showed off his gift as the sun beat down on his face. He couldn't wait to get back to Brazil.
A soft image of Disa popped into his head. She loved to travel. She loved to look at housing from different parts of the world where people struggled. Maybe she would like to go to Sao Paulo with him.
"I see you grinning boy, who you thinking about?" Dante said.
Erik's grandfather threw an arm around his shoulder.
"I'm not thinking of nobody, old man."
Dante moved in front of him and tapped Erik on his shoulder.
"Don't play with Chloe's heart if your mind is on her," Dante said.
"Her?"
"Disa."
Erik's cheeks heated, and he knew the warm blood rushing to his face probably made his brown skin flush with deeper red undertones.
"You look like your Mom thinking about N'Jobu," Dante said.
Erik's eyes dropped to stare at the grass at his feet.
"You are so far gone," Dante said.
It would be rude to break up with Chloe on his birthday. Erik liked her a lot, but Dante was right. He was hooked on Disa. But she wasn't willing to go there with him. It wasn't fair to throw himself into a relationship just to get away from his feelings for her. Chloe deserved better.
Erik made up his mind. He would break up with Chloe in a couple of days, then figure out a way to make Disa see he was the one for her.