Lemon

Chapter 12

Steele

"Banff is off the fucking chain! How haven't you brought any of us here yet?" I had to agree with Myair. The whole drive up, we'd been in awe, taking pictures and videos. Hell, Blink had done a FaceTime to show his girl that this was real. Sheeba had kept quiet the whole time, concentrating on driving. But now that we were in the pool, I wanted answers. My cousins did too.

"It was too cold to bring you here before," she said ruefully. "The road conditions up here can be treacherous in the Winter and early Spring. But today is, like, the perfect day. I'm off work until tomorrow, the weather is perfect, the roads are drivable, and you are all willing to come up with me."

"Well, don't go denying our family again if you get the chance, shorti. This view is incredible," Miles said. She smiled sweetly and put her head back under the water, floating peacefully. I had my head on a swivel, taking in the mountains around the pool we were in. If I'd been less worried about losing my phone in the water, I would have brought it into the pool with me like so many of the other people had. I couldn't describe the view of the mountains from the luxury of the water. It was… it was enough to have me praising her God.

We stayed in the water for hours, dunking each other and then laying out relaxing when the lifeguard asked us not to roughhouse in the pool. Sheeba was as relaxed as we'd ever seen her. She'd occasionally come up out of the water to sit on the ledge at her back and let the breeze dry her off before sinking back into the water, which was 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It was nice and hot, but the day was very pleasant. Like my baby said, it was a perfect day.

"So, y'all got paradises like this just stashed away?" Blink asked her. My girl just smiled serenely.

"If anyone is ever up for an overnight trip, we ought to visit Radium Hot Springs. It's bigger, and generally more crowded. But it has a regular pool and a hot spring. You can go back and forth between the two, just know that the hot water makes the cold water very cold. It's even more amazing. Just know that it's three hours and a province away."

"A province?"

"Most of the hot springs I know of are in British Columbia, the province next door to us. You guys are used to the East Coast, where a two hour drive is considered a long time. I'm trying to be considerate here. Everything on the West Coast is more spread out. I could take you to Fort McMurray to see the Northern Lights, but it's an eight hour drive. It's spectacular to see the Aurora Borealis, but that's a couple of days' trip."

"She's right," a middle-aged man said in a British accent. "Most of the world's true natural wonders cost - either in time or money." My people watched as the man swam away after saying this, Sheeba nodding at the wisdom of his words.

"Y'all ready to go? I'm hungry," Myair smiled after another hour of soaking and casual conversation. I was laying between my girl's legs as she sat on the ledge and massaged my shoulders and neck. It was deeply relaxing.

"Sure," she said, one of her amazing hands leaving my shoulder briefly. "It's been three hours. Let's clean up. I know the perfect place to eat. I actually visit whenever I get a chance." She gave me a half-hearted push out of her lap, showing me how much she wanted me to stay where I was. I took the hint and got up, following my cousins to the men's locker room.

"I'm serious about you marrying shorti," Blink said as he washed the chlorine off of him. "She good for you and she already proved she good for the family."

"Hell, that woman got Grandma changing her ways," Miles put in. "Don't you let your overthinking ass let her get away."

"I won't," I said casually, going to grab my clothes as I dried off.

"This nigga here got a plan. Care to share, cuz?" Cheesing like a maniac, I pulled out the ring I'd had made for her from Damascus steel and gems. It was a beautiful design, patterned with delicate gold and amethyst dust in the middle of the solid black ring.

"Damn, man. That's all unique and shit," Myair laughed, returning the ring after passing it around to the others.

"My girl deserves nothing less," I told them. "Just ain't figured out when to ask. I could FaceTime her father for permission, but Hefsiba is such an independent woman. She'd be pissed."

"Maybe not permission, but a heads up? You right. Sheeba is not beholden to anyone. She does exactly what she does when she wants to do it. I've never seen such a fearless woman. She-"

"That's the thing, though! Sheeba's always talking about how scared she is of everything. How frozen with fear she gets sometimes. But then she just goes ahead and does what needs doing. I admire that. I think it makes her twice as brave."

"True that. So conquer your fear and propose already," Myair smiled, correctly guessing what I was getting at.

"It's too soon," I said, closing the jewelry box and sticking it back in my pocket. "We only known each other for a month and a half."

"So what?" Blink shrugged. "Y'all done gone through more shit in that month and a half than most couples do in ten years. Irate in laws, hospital time, housing situations…"

"Oh and speaking of housing, we need to pay this chick for month two," Miles laughed. "She ain't gonna expect it and it'll be hilarious to see." We sent out the call and finished getting ready.

The place she was talking about turned out to be Chili's. We all found this hilarious because there were Chili's all over Connecticut, but Sheeba was quick to point out that there were none in Calgary except at the airport after you passed through the gate. They all ate heartily and Sheeba had the remains of her fajita packed up before they headed back to Calgary to see Old Man Sim. We piled in like a bunch of over-excited kids after a field trip, telling him about the day and showing pictures and shit. When I realized what we were doing, I looked up at my woman only to see her leaning against the door, a soft smile on her face.

"First time seeing Banff?" Debra asked as she came in to change the dressings on the external fixator.

"Yep," Sheeba grinned.

"I thought the dressings got changed in the morning?" I asked her, feeling a little defensive at being caught fangirling with my cousins.

"They ran out of time on days. Don't worry. They'll be back on track come tomorrow. In the meantime…" She got started, cleaning the areas where the fixator was poking through his leg. The guys started taking pictures of his wounds in disgusted fascination. My girl watched for a while, then slipped out of the room. I followed, unable to help myself. She was talking to her co-worker, Stephanie.

"A bunch of us are heading out to Lighthouse Pub next Tuesday. We were hoping-"

"I can't, Steph. You know I-"

"Oh, come on! Karaoke night hasn't been the same without you. Can't you just-"

"What's she talking about, Babygirl?" I broke into the conversation, causing both women to jump. Sheeba suddenly looked horrified.

"Your woman is a bit of a celebrity around here. She's been singing at Lighthouse Pub on karaoke nights for years. Things haven't been the same since you guys started showing up." I looked back and forth between them.

"You do karaoke?" I asked dumbly.

"This girl has the voice of an angel," Steph gushed. "You think you've heard her sing? You should see her on the stage! She really lets loose."

"Stephanie! That's enough."

"No it's not," Marshall jumped in. "You light up the stage when you sing, and didn't you get a card from a producer the last time you were there? Did you ever call him back?"

"When does this karaoke happen?" Miles asked.

"Every Tuesday at the Lighthouse Pub. She can really rock those soul-sister hits. Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker… She's amazing and Steph's right. We have missed her on Tuesday nights." Then the two nurses took off, called to two separate emergencies.

"It's really not as big of a deal as they're making it out to be. It's just a bit of a tradition that a bunch of us who can sing started a few years ago. It's really more for fun than anything."

"Then we should go," Miles grinned. "It'll be a good way to unwind on a weekday." I was still in shock. I knew my girl could sing. But Stephanie was right; I'd never heard her just… go for it. I'd always assumed she had a good voice but was shy about sharing. But nah, my girl had a loyal following and shit.

"You don't work next Tuesday. We're going," I told her firmly. I suddenly wanted to hear her sing. She blushed and walked past us.

"I'm suddenly looking forward to next Tuesday," Miles followed us back to Simeon's room. "I want to see your girl shine!"

Sheeba

I can't believe Stephanie and her big mouth! Building me up like that! I hadn't really sang my heart out in weeks. What if I'd lost the knack? While I was fretting, I suddenly found myself in Steele's arms.

"You're going to sing for me tonight," he murmured in my ear. "It'll be good practice for Tuesday." I shivered. Miles was hyping the guys about my singing, which made me want to tell him to shut up. He'd never even heard me sing!

"Guys, it's not that big a deal. We go to the pub, get wasted, sing a little for fun, and go home. Everyone sounds good when you're drunk at one in the morning! Stop making it out to be something it's not." The guys were looking at me like I was crazy.

"As the husband of a woman who sounds awful even in the fucking shower, I can say that you're full of shit," Myair laughed heartily. "I love Inalia with all my heart and soul, but I won't lie for her. The dogs start howling when she sings. She's that bad. So no, not everyone sounds good when drunk at one in the morning. And if you're getting cards from producers and shit, you clearly have talent. So, let's hear it." I blinked.

"Wait. Right now? You want me to-"

"It don't have to be a full performance or nothin. Just give us a little taste of what to expect on Tuesday."

"I haven't really sung in weeks. What if my voice cracks?"

"At least you realize that it could," Blink laughed. "Don't be shy. Pick a song and just go for it. We won't laugh. Promise."

I was doubtful, but I still sang Zero 7's Destiny for them. Singing acapella to such a music-heavy song was challenging, but I managed it by shortening the pauses. When I was done, the guys went ape shit, applauding and making so much noise I had to tell them to quiet down.

"What you talkin 'bout 'you can't sing'? Girl, that was amazing!"

"I never said I couldn't sing, Myair," I insisted while still trying to get them to hush. "I said that I'm out of practice. And y'all need to calm down before we get kicked out of the hospital."

"Okay, okay. Sing another one and we'll calm down."

"I'm tired Miles! I've been driving all day and soaking in the hot springs… I could fall asleep right where I'm standing."

"Come on, Sheeba. You can't just leave us with that little taste. One more song for the night," Simeon insisted.

"Fine," I huffed, and immediately launched into Pussycat Dolls' Feelin Good. The problem was it was not the kind of song you could sing when annoyed, so within the first verse, I was smiling and singing along to the music in my head. Steele started dancing with me as I sang and soon I really was feeling good. This in turn had me getting into the song, belting it out like I was at the karaoke bar. There was extra applause when I finished. I whipped around and finally saw the crowd gathered outside Simeon's room. Blushing hard, I bowed and started gathering my things, wanting nothing more than to escape.

"Thanks, Sheeba. I'll be able to sleep well after that," Simeon smiled at me. My whole face was on fire. I wasn't used to getting compliments on my singing at my place of business, but the guys just went with it, making this huge deal about how I was their future cousin through Steele and that I'd be performing next Tuesday at the Lighthouse Pub. I was mortified, but Steele kissed me and suddenly it wasn't so bad. We finally made it out of the hallway and to the car and the guys were still talking me up.

"Guys, relax. It was only-"

"Where'd you learn to sing like that?" Blink asked as we were on the way home.

"I came out of the womb singing according to my mother. I've never had a singing lesson or anything. I wish I had played an instrument, but that's not my gift. It's just me and my voice."

"Let me tell you. 'You and your voice' is more than enough, shorti. That was amazing. You should get Rod up here to hear her. He's got his own Podcast. He might be able to toss you some free press on that powerful instrument of yours."

"Oh, I'm not looking to be a singer. Nursing is more my speed. Besides, it's not like I make my own songs or anything. I've only ever written one song and I've never even gotten to perform it."

"What was it?"

"Oh," I stumbled over my words. Why had I brought that up? "Harriet - my ex's ex - asked me to write a song/her vows for the wedding. I completed the song, and she got mad, saying it was too personal to sing to her future husband. She asked me to sing it at the reception instead, then changed her mind at the reception, saying that it was wrong for me to use that song for the start of their lives together. Something about the groom's ex shouldn't even be at the wedding or something like that. It was weird, but I was already a groomsman, so I didn't think much of it at the time, and the song never got sung. I pulled up to my house and grabbed my take-home container out of the trunk before opening the house for the guys.

"You know what we're gonna ask now, right?" Miles grinned.

"What? No," I said immediately. Why, oh, why did I decide to share that particular memory with these people who couldn't leave well enough alone? "That was years ago. I don't remember the melody I chose for it. I barely remember the words." Oh Lord, please forgive me for all these lies. I remembered perfectly, I just didn't feel like singing anymore tonight. And certainly not that song. It was made for another man's wedding, so wouldn't it be weird to sing it in front of Steele? "Besides, it wasn't very good. It was my first and last attempt at songwriting. There's a reason why there was never a second attempt." I put my food in the fridge and headed for the stairs.

"We'll let it slide tonight, Sheeba. But eventually we're gonna want to hear that song," Myair smiled at me. "Good night." The next thing I knew, Steele was chasing me up the stairs.

"Why'd you lie to my cousins like that?" he asked once we were in my room and behind closed doors.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, going about my nightly routine. He just sat on my bed, smiling this knowing smile that was unnerving me. By the time I'd changed my clothes and brushed my teeth, I was ready to confess. "Fine! It doesn't seem appropriate to sing that song anymore. It was made for Walter's wedding. It would be weird to sing it now. I didn't want to expose you guys to my heart back then. It was still a little broken." Steele held out a hand for me and I climbed into his lap.

"You should have just told us that, baby. As it is, the guys are gonna insist you sing it since they saw right through your lie. In fact, I think you deserve to be punished for such a flimsy lie. I'm gonna take you over my knee."

"Huh?" We both laughed, then he suddenly looked dead serious.

"I mean it, Babygirl. Get over my knees. I'm gonna spank you for being such a bad liar." I was weirded out by this demand, but spread myself on my elbows and knees over his lap. He turned on my necklace and lifted my night dress to slap my butt. I flinched more from surprise than pain. Then he did it again on the other cheek and I couldn't help but tremble and moan. He smacked my bottom again and I could feel myself starting to get moist. He must have realized it too because his fingers were suddenly in my lower mouth as he punished me. He spanked me for a while, rubbing his hand against my slit to excite me. Then he repositioned me so that he could lick me properly while still smacking me. I was mewling by now, fully into my 'punishment'. I gasped when he suckled my jewel, moaning when his talented hand found the correct rhythm. His spanking slowed down as he worked me over but didn't stop, the occasional slaps making me tremble with anticipation. After that I could only writhe for him, fully engaged in the moment. God, it felt so good!

Eventually, I realized that I was staring at his throbbing manhood. It was so close to my face that I could smell his enticing aroma. I suddenly remembered how much I wanted to please him whenever he ate me out and freed him. Licking my lips in anticipation, I stroked him with my tongue from base to tip. He stopped mid lick and groaned.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" I smiled, licking him again because he tasted so good.

"Nah, Babygirl. You don't have to do that," he said firmly, pulling me away from his member, which I noticed had gone a little limp. That made me feel a little sad.

"But I've never done it before and I want to try." He went even more limp.

"My old girlfriend used to do that to me. But she made me feel so guilty for requesting it and made it seem like such a chore that I trained myself not to want it." There. Now she'd understand how messed up I was. I was a guy who hated getting head. Who actually saw it as a turn off.

"Well, that's all well and good for your old girlfriend, but I'm not her. Shouldn't I have the chance to decide if I want to or not? You make me feel so good when you touch me down there. I'd really appreciate the chance to see if I can make you feel good with my hands and tongue. Please? I promise I won't tell anyone." His penis started to come to life at that. "It'll be our little secret," I whispered as I crawled closer to his now erect phallus. I licked around his base and he started waving back and forth from the excess blood flow.

I took my time arousing him, dripping, I was so excited myself. Using my hands to massage his base, I slowly made my way to his head, taking my time as I went. Apparently, I was doing something right, because a perfect bead of precum formed on his tip. Congratulating myself on stimulating him at least that much, I headed towards my prize. Before I could reach it, though, Steele grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his face, licking me into such a frenzy that I forgot everything else. I screamed bloody murder, and every time I tried to get away, he spanked me and pulled me back for more torture. I was so lost, quaking on his face like I owed back taxes to the IRS. It felt so amazing! Somehow he got me turned around so I was grabbing the headboard and rocking on him. He devoured me until I couldn't take anymore and slumped over with a final whine, completely sated.