Watercolors: Ellison Brothers Read online

  Everything began to make perfect sense to Aaliyah. It didn’t matter if she came dressed as nun or if she presented her true self to Thomas, he wouldn’t have accepted her, anyway. “Yet, you and your brothers all have black girlfriends?”

  “When you make something forbidden, you naturally want it more.” He replied. “I’m attracted to most women regardless of race.”

  “But you dating black women gave you a satisfaction that this will piss off your father?” She stated.

  “I learned a valuable lesson one day some many years ago,” Ocean stated, “that at one point, I have to live my life for myself. I can’t live it for them or for anyone else. My mother got that memo, but my father…” He shook his head and his shoulders dropped. “…it’s going to be a lifelong challenge.”

  Aaliyah noticed the somber change in Ocean’s mood. It seemed the father-son relationship between him and Thomas was as good as it was going to be. Ocean spoke fondly of his father at times, though there was a sharp undercurrent of disappointment and anger.

  Aaliyah decided to change the topic before she completely ruined his vacation. “Do you still give medical advice?” Aaliyah asked

  “Always,” Ocean continued to prepare dinner. “After every floor meeting, I have at least two or three senators coming into my office, asking me to check their heart rate.”

  “Ouch.” Aaliyah bristled. “I didn’t realize how stressful politics could be.”

  “It’s not so much stress but rather people don’t know how to act.” Ocean tossed the Brussels sprouts. “Everyone is friendly when they’re off the floor but when they’re on it, everyone’s a bully.”

  “Including you?” She glanced over at him.

  “Only when I’m pushed. People leave me alone for the most part.” He added. “But politics isn’t a profession where you’re going to leave with clean hands. Everyone gets their hands dirty one way or another. You do things you thought you would never do and make deals with people you had long despised to get what you want. It’s not a profession for anyone who is innocent.”

  Aaliyah removed her glasses and looked at Ocean. She knew he could’ve been talking about anyone but she had a feeling he was specifically referring to himself. “What things did you had to do and what deals with unsavory people did you make them with?”

  Ocean immediately thought of Jay. He still couldn’t get over at what a conniving asshole he was behind closed doors but America’s Favorite Uncle in the general public. If there was a true definition of Jekyll and Hyde, Jay certainly fit the bill.

  Ocean also made a life-changing deal with his parents. “You know that song by Garth Brooks? He speaks about low friends in high places? That’s why I had to deal with.”

  Aaliyah shook her head. The Ocean she knew hated politics and often talked about his own struggles working the city council to get proper funding for certain things. Now Ocean was the one thing he hated. “So why are you involved? You gave me a canned response before but I don’t believe that was the real reason.”

  Ocean stopped cooking and locked eyes with Aaliyah. “Sometimes, baby, to get what you want, you have to get your hands dirty.”

  Aaliyah was a little frightened by Ocean’s closet notoriety. She also found herself very much attracted to his cutthroat and powerful attitude. A deep yearning stirred within her and her mouth suddenly became hungry for him. “Oh, is that so?”

  “That’s so.” He smiled. “Politics isn’t a game for boys or girls, rainbow. Either you go hard or you go home.”

  Aaliyah got up from her seat and walked over to Ocean. She grabbed his dick print through his slacks and he immediately became hardened within her hands. “Go hard or go home, eh?”

  Ocean set the spoon aside and licked his lips as Aaliyah stroked him through his grey sweatpants. A low moan rumbled in his throat as she nibbled along his jawline. “I’m hungry,” she breathed.

  “Mmm….” Ocean’s breathing became heavy and his eyes, dark. “You should probably eat something.”

  Aaliyah lowered herself down to her knees and pulled Ocean’s sweatpants down to give her enough access. His hard cock jutted out and Aaliyah rolled the cock over her lips and mouth. She loved the scent of him; the musky aroma made her slick and hot.

  Before Ocean could say anything more, Aaliyah wrapped her full lips around his cock. She steadied one hand on the back of Ocean’s thighs while the other fisted his cock as she sucked him. The soft hardness of him fit snugly within her warm mouth and she moaned with each motion.

  Ocean looked down and gasped as he watched Aaliyah suck him off. She didn’t go through the motions of giving head. She thoroughly loved it and got off by hearing him lose control. She was an amazing lover like that – she loved to give just as much as she loved to receive.

  “Baby,” Ocean caressed her cheek.

  Aaliyah grinned and hollowed her cheeks to suck him harder. She let go of his cock and wrapped both hands around his legs as she began to deep throat him. Ocean gasped and his knees buckled when she took him deep the first time.

  The second time, he made a sound filled with angst and agony.

  The third time, he bit his fist and breathed hard through his nose.

  The fourth time, he begged her to not stop sucking him.

  All Aaliyah thought was, I got your ass now, boo.

  Her head bobbled as she sucked him more. She used a little saliva to lube him up and combined both hands to make a twisting motion as she sucked. Ocean grew harder and thicker within her hands and mouth. He held her steady as he began to fuck her mouth.

  “Damn Liyah,” Ocean moaned as he fucked her mouth, “you suck me so good, baby. You like sucking this dick? You like to take it all in your mouth?”

  Aaliyah went crazy. All she could think about was pleasuring Ocean, her man. Just thinking how it looked between them – she in her bohemian attire while Ocean was in a tank top and sweatpants, while she sucked him off with reckless abandon.

  She cupped Ocean’s balls and felt how tight they’d become. He was close to climaxing and she was too greedy to wait. She sucked him harder and eased up when Ocean released a loud moan and emptied in her mouth.

  He continued to fuck her while his cock throbbed and twitched with every release. The come hit the back of Aaliyah’s throat and she opened as wide she could to take all of him. Ocean’s body shuddered and he spoke in tongues, promising her everything in between.

  She licked him clean and put him back. Aaliyah went to get some iced water and gave Ocean a glass. “That was fun.” She said after a gulp.

  Ocean finished his glass and set it aside. “It was.” He backed Aaliyah over to the table and bent her over. He lifted up her skirt and pulled down her bikini underwear. “This will be more fun.” He relieved his cock from his sweatpants and slid inside Aaliyah, who gasped and moaned. “That’s it. That’s my pussy right there.” He bent over and kissed her ear as he fed his cock into her. “You love this dick, huh?”

  “Yes!” Aaliyah moaned. Ocean increased his thrust and she felt his balls slap against the wet slit of her pussy. She tried to ease away from it but he pulled her back.

  “Ooh, where you going, boo? Don’t run.” He licked her earlobe. He reached over and cupped her small breasts as he pushed harder inside her. “Take this dick.”

  “Ocean!” Aaliyah breathed. He’d given her deliberate thrusts inside the depths of her pussy and she couldn’t take it. The ecstasy he’d given her took her to another plane and her breath quickened as she clenched tighter around him. She lost her mind and a voracious vixen took her place.

  “Your pussy feels so good,” Ocean growled. He pounded her harder and felt her pussy quiver along his cock. She was about to come and he wanted to feel all of it. “Whose pussy is this?”

  “Yours!” She cried.

  “Say my name!”

  “Ocean!” The orgasm washed over Aaliyah and she trembled against her table. The orgasm tore into her, splitting her apart, and Aaliyah felt more connec
ted to him than before. Her emotions were everywhere and she didn’t know how to feel or even what to think. She was dazed, but not confused.

  Ocean came a short time later and emptied inside her. He lifted her shirt and kissed her back. He eased himself out of her and retrieved a wet washcloth to clean her up. He tossed it aside and straightened Aaliyah up. He turned her around and gave her a bruising kiss before he pulled away. “Dinner’s ready.” He slapped her ass.

  ~~~~~~

  Reality show filming wasn’t as easy as Aaliyah thought it would be.

  She mistakenly thought everything was captured as it was, when it happened. She didn’t realize she had to do multiple takes of the same thing. She had to walk out of her home a certain way. She had to be shown doing a sketch during certain lighting.

  The only thing real about the whole shebang was Aaliyah and her shop. Everything else was as manufactured as it could be.

  Still, publicity for the show meant other business opportunities and networking. She always wanted more than one income and the shop’s success let her fulfill that wish. She purchased a few properties and fixed them up for a profit.

  Her parents taught her to be smart with her money. If she was going to be a free spirit, she needed to have a bank account that resembled a Wall Street broker. There was no point of being wild, carefree, and broke.

  It wasn’t that Aaliyah didn’t treat herself or have lavish items inside her home and business. But she was hard-pressed to spend an insane amount of money on designer footwear when her Vans fit her just fine.

  Ocean’s style was wildly different. He had his trusted pair of Fuckboi Logic shoes but his jeans were now designer. His simple t-shirts came out of Neiman Marcus. Even his hair products were insanely expensive.

  Yet, it all didn’t matter. He wanted her and loved on her like she was the last breath he would ever take. The differences between them only fed their love instead of tearing them apart.

  He left the day before and returned to D.C. to conquer the world. Aaliyah felt like a groupie and went on Ocean’s website. It was clear and easy to navigate with many categories for anyone to choose from.

  She learned about his policies, the bills he enacted, and other nonsensical things about him like his favorite music and what he liked to do in his spare time. She knew all of that but it was different to read it from another perspective. She wanted to see how everyone else saw Ocean.

  Aaliyah knew the deepest fears and emotions of him, yet she still couldn’t tell him everything about her past. They were private with their love affair until she was comfortable enough to be known as his girlfriend and even then, Aaliyah wasn’t sure if the scrutiny of their relationship was something she could withstand.

  As Aaliyah watched the network set up filming for the next scene, she wondered if they would follow her to D.C.?

  ~~~~~

  “I have a question about all of this,” Ocean began as he sat in his chair. He re-read the Supreme Court nominee’s record and just shook his head. From being blatant misogynistic and xenophobic to small sprinkles of racism in his history, the nominee was clearly there to further the current president’s agenda.

  Ocean wondered why he even bothered when he knew the son of the bitch was going to be confirmed anyway. “You made a comment about Caleb Kelly kneeling and you said back in your day, athletes never protested the flag and they were all respectful.” Ocean put the sheet down. “I’m assuming you never heard of John Carlos and Muhammad Ali, huh?”

  Supreme Court nominee Brian Kirk stared at Ocean with a slight smirk. He was an older white man, who looked like he just stepped out of the 1950s and was stunned to see was in the current time.

  He wasn’t familiar with Ocean, but he was well-versed in Ocean’s father and what he had done for the Civil Rights Movement. He sincerely hated turning on his TV and seeing Thomas Ellison make his usual rounds on CNN and MSNBC. There were even talks Thomas was about to get a show.

  It would give Brian no greater satisfaction knowing he got one up on the elder Ellison. “I think there is a time and place for everything. Protesting against the flag, no matter the reason, is inappropriate.”

  “Have you ever been a black man?” Ocean asked.

  “I’m sorry?” Brian narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand the question.”

  “I asked you if you ever been a black man? I was clear. Have you ever been followed in a fancy car because surely, the officer felt you stole it? Have you ever been accused of a crime when you weren’t even in the area at the time it was committed? Were you ever asked how it was like growing up in the ghetto when you came from a middle-class background with two married parents?” Ocean smiled. “Because if you haven’t experienced any of that, you probably shouldn’t be dictating to black people how they should act when they face oppression and injustice on a daily basis.”

  “I understand people of color experience things I will never understand, but it doesn’t give anyone the right to disrespect the flag under any circumstances.” Brian retorted. “What is that teaching our youth? It’s okay to disrespect the troops out there protecting our freedom?”

  “How are troops going to war protecting our freedom when they’re fighting a cause that often has nothing to do with us?” Ocean retorted. “Just keep it one hundred with me – you like it when black people – and I specifically said black – are cute and mute.”

  Brian met Ocean’s eyes. Ocean didn’t just inherit his father’s charm; he also inherited his calculating and cold demeanor. “Like I’ve said before, there is a time and place for everything.”

  “So, how do you want black people to protest injustice in this country?” Ocean played with a pen. “What is the appropriate method for them to protest since you feel everything they do is inappropriate?”

  “I’m not going to encourage anyone to look at a thug kneeling for the flag and think it’s okay.” Brian replied.

  Ocean smiled. “White people sure do love calling black men thugs if they’re not playing House Negroes. It’s especially comical if said black man poses no threat to them. I swear you and your ilk love to think everything was all rainbows, unicorns, and puppies before and it wasn’t until the Internet and Obama that racism existed.” He leaned back in his chair. “So, what gets you shook more – a free black man exercising his first amendment rights, a rape victim choosing to have an abortion, or an illegal immigrant coming over to escape the murder and senseless violence in his country? What scares you more than numerous teenagers and children dying from mass shootings since you’re also against gun control? Please be sure to smile for the camera when you answer.”

  ~~~~~~~

  “Man, you should see the reaction on Twitter now!” Justin exclaimed as he entered his boss’s office. “#SenatorBae is the number one trending topic. You even got the bored Midwest housewives willing to give up the panties to you.”

  Ocean took off his jacket and set it aside. “I’m sure my constituents will approve,” he chuckled. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I know that asshole back there. He and my father were on opposing sides even before I was born. They know each other very well and the contempt for each other hasn’t died down not one iota.”

  “Yeah, CNN interviewed your father and he said he knew Brian from a long time ago. He also mentioned he hadn’t changed not a bit.”

  “I figured that much. If you’re for white supremacy, you don’t want to give up that hold.” Ocean sat down in his leather chair, “you want to keep it as long as possible and pass it down to future generations.”

  “So, his retort was personal?” Justin asked.

  “Damn right it was. That smug asshole would love nothing more than to finally get one up on my family by being a Supreme Court justice for life. And if the off-chance my father has to present a case in front of him?” Ocean rolled his eyes. “Even if my father was right, he would rule against him.”

  “And I bet that’s what he wants to happen,” Justin replied.

&
nbsp; “You bet. The moment a civil rights case goes to the Supreme Court, either my father, or my brother, Savior, will be a part of it in some capacity. And that asshole will be right there smirking along knowing he’s going to rule against them no matter what argument they make.” Ocean shook his head. “He’s going to get confirmed regardless. It doesn’t matter if I present an entire dossier on his ass, he’s going to get confirmed because the Senate wants all of the power.”

  “Your friend won’t help?” Justin asked.

  Ocean saw Aaliyah sent him a text. Proud of you, bae. “What friend?”

  “Edwards,” Justin retrieved a water bottle from the fridge and tossed one to his boss, “he won’t say anything?”

  “He wants the power,” Ocean opened the water and took a chug, “he wants a clear path to the White House and he doesn’t care what his fellow Klansmen do.”

  “I still don’t understand,” Justin began, “why does he want the White House if he’s not going to run. I know he attempted to run and then dropped out early citing familial obligations, though many would’ve voted for him. I personally think he would’ve won it.”

  “He doesn’t want it for him,” Ocean set the water aside. “He has an eye on someone else who would be good for it.”

  “Oh?” Justin inquired. “Care to share who it is?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” Ocean thought of the person in question, “but if my spidey senses are up to par, we’ll find out very soon.”

  Eleven

  “Girl, do you know how many people asked me if they could sign releases so they could be on the show?” Marcie “Big Mama” Johnson greeted her daughter with a bear hug and a bigger smile. “I get wannabe actors coming in all of the time! I started signing autographs!”

  “Really?” Aaliyah smiled. “I hope it wasn’t because of anything I did?”

  “Girl, you know it was!” Marcie laughed. She was a dark-skinned woman of average build, but there was nothing average about her. “My business has tripled! Everyone wants to know about your mama now!”