Forbidden (Completed) EDITING - Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Demarcus
When Erica called me, I dropped everything I was doing. My friends are mad at me but I don't give a shit. I'll take any chance to be alone with her. They probably doing the same old shit anyway.
I rung the doorbell. This building is definitely different from my apartment building. Not saying I live in the trap or nothing but you can tell people with money stay in here.
She opened the door. Her eyes were puffy and red. My heart was crushed. Seeing her down like this.
"Hey, Erica." I smiled.
"Hey, come in." She said lowly moving aside.
"I brought you some Chinese food. I brought a little bit of everything just in case you didn't know what you wanted."
"That is very kind of you. You can set it on the counter, right here." She pointed.
The place was decked out.
"You and your husband must be really balling to have an apartment and a house." I looked around admiring all the nice furniture, art pieces that looked like they cost more than my entire apartment.
"It's mine. It was a gift from him. I come here to get away from him when I need too." She poured her a glass of red wine. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?"
"Yeah, you got some Hennessy?"
"I sure do!" She opened up the liquor cabinet. It had every selection you could think of. "Ice or no ice?"
"No ice. Erica, Where's your bathroom?"
"Straight down that hall, first door on your left."
"Thanks!"
"No problem." She smiled.
In the bathroom. I didn't even have to use it. I just needed had to have pep talk with myself for tonight. I needed to man up. I was tired of feeling tongue tied around her.
Splashed my face with some cold water to wake me up.
I journeyed back out to the living room. Erica was still making us drinks. I start to snoop around a little bit. She had all this beautiful black art on the walls. I had never seen some of these paintings before.
The pictures on the sofa table of her and her kids, her husband. My eyes went straight to one where she was dressed in lingerie with an open dress shirt over it. It was classy, sexy just like she is and I didn't expect nothing less.
"Victoria Secret Model?" I joked as I held the picture up so she could see.
She laughed as she walked towards me. "I wish. I took that for my 45th birthday. It was a reminder that I still have it. Whatever actually "it" is."
No lies were told in that statement. She damn sure still got it.
"Here you go." She handed me my cup of Hennessy. "Please sit, make yourself comfortable."
"Whenever you ready to talk. I'm all ears." I sipped my drink and sat it on the coffee table. I take it that's what I'm here for.
"I'm ready to now. I can't keep this in any longer."
"I'm here to listen." I put my arm on the back of the couch.
"When I got home tonight I saw Terrance cheating on me." She deeply sighed.
I knew all along that nigga wasn't shit. What a fucking loser. What the hell is wrong with him?
"Erica, I'm so sorry to hear that. You deserve so much better."
"No, I blame myself for it. I never been the one to keep the reigns tight on him. Which caused him to stray. " She muttered. "I'm so stupid!"
"Erica, you can't blame yourself for that. It shouldn't matter if you did keep the reigns tight on him or didn't. His loyalty is still supposed to be to you. That nigga strayed on his own."
"I can tell myself that but I know I'll still blame myself regardless." Tears filled her eyes. I watched her quickly wipe them away as they fell. "I watched them in the act for a little bit. Me and him used to make love like that. He looked so in love with her." She sniffled.
She always talks so highly of him like he's not the piece of shit he is.
"Erica, that nigga is a clown and you don't need him. You're beautiful, funny and not to mention smart. Any man out there with good sense would be lucky to have you."
"You mean that?"
"Of course I mean it." I smiled back at her.
"That is sweet. I appreciate that." She placed her hand on my leg. Her soft touch had me feeling some type of way. "Alright, I'm done being sad."
"You trying get into this food now?" I asked her. I was starving.
"Yeah, I could eat."
"Bet."
I got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen to grab the bag of food.
My phone starting vibrating. I sighed as I reached in my pocket. I looked at and saw it was Jamal. I hit decline. I'm trying to have all my attention on Erica right now.
I put my phone on DND as I walked back to the couch.
"You want to watch a movie?" Erica asked me.
"Yeah, I'm cool with that."
"You pick the movie since you're the guest." She looked at me with a smile on her face.
"Aight, obliviously it's gotta be funny. I know you're tired of crying. I'm not even gonna do that to you." I rubbed my beard in thought. "Whenever I need a good laugh I watch Life." I suggested.
"It's been a while since I watched that. Good choice!"
I feel I can really be myself around her. Not the self I have to pretend to be in front of my boys. So they won't clown me. I'm a romantic kind of guy. If she wanted to watch the Notebook or something like that and cry her eyes out. I would be with that too.
•••••
"It's still funny as I remember it to be." Erica said as we watched the credits roll.
While watching the movie we talked the whole time. About everything from do we believe in afterlife to our favorite cereals.
I looked down at my apple watch and saw it was almost 1:30. Time flew.
"You mind if I turn on some music?" She asked me. "I like listening to music while I clean up."
"Nah, I love music. Go ahead." I smiled at her.
She used the remote and turned on the sound system. Some 90s r&b played. I have an old soul so I bobbed my head a little to the beat.
There's nothing like 90s r&b. Guys actually weren't afraid to sing about how they felt about their women.
As I sat on the couch zoning out to the music. I turned my attention to Erica in the kitchen. I watched her body sway a little to the beat of the music. I see tonight, brought that fun side of her out to play.
I got up and joined her in the kitchen. She's been on her feet all day I couldn't let her do all of. this while I'm sitting right here. Today has been rough for her.
"I got it." I took the plate from her hand.
"Have at it. Anytime someone offers to wash a dish, I let them."
She watched closely as I did. "What? You think I don't know what I'm doing, huh?"
"No, I'm just observing. Don't mind me." She took a sip of wine. "Umm, thank you for coming by tonight. I really needed the company."
"It's no problem." I dried my hands off with a dish towel. "I'm glad I came over. This was better than whatever my friends had planned on doing tonight so."
A moment of silence fell between us.
If I don't take this moment now. I never will.
I walked up on her and removed her wine glass from her hand and sat it on the counter next to us. Wrapping my arms around her slim waist. I swayed us back and forth to the tune of the music. She welcomed my invitation and relaxed , her hands rested on my shoulder.
Feeling like a guy whose crush said yes to going to prom with him. That's how she made me feel. All that shit about her age doesn't mean a thing to me. I always had a thing for older woman anyway.
When I was a teenager and I would see Halle Berry, Sade, Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson on TV or a magazine.
I starred deeply into Erica's brown eyes. Holding her cheek in my hand and I leaned down. Our lips met, My tongue escaped from my mouth into hers.
She broke away. "Demarcus, we- can't." She said, hesitantly.
"Why not?"
Dammit I was this close!
"Just because it's the weekend it doesn't change what my title is. I'm still your professor."
"You're not Mrs. Carter the professor right now. You're Erica the woman behind all that. The woman whose husband doesn't appreciate her. You got someone standing right in front of you who does appreciate you." I twirled my fingers in one of her curls.
"I could lose my job."
"Nobody is gonna know about this. This is just between me and you. I promise." I smoothed over her cheek with my thumb. "I promise." I whispered against her lips before we started kissing again.
My free hand traveled down below her waist. I grabbed her ass and I squeezed it. I've been fantasizing about doing that for the longest.
Amongst other things I thought about doing to her.