April 2021

"El Amor" (Love)

by Jerrell Kal-El Smith

The streets were dark as thirty-two year old Ryan’s red Manolo heels clicked on the wet pavement. Usually she’d be aware that the splatters of water pasting themselves on the fabric of her shoes were ruining her heels. She rounded the corner her long black ponytail following her and stopped at a wrought-ironed gate. After a deep breath placed her hand on the cold metal. After a second or two passed she remembered that she had received a mysterious key the other day.  It was a long silver key with a heart shaped base. It was sitting at her desk when she got back from a meeting. Ryan worked as a lawyer and her assistant had put it there for her to read. The envelope had no senders address. When she asked her assistant who gave it to her she told her that some man came by, he didn’t give a name. She reached into the pocket of her black pea-coat and pulled out a red-and-black envelope in blood-red letters it read: El Amor.
     Ryan snapped out of her day-dream, it was like she was in a trance, replaying all of the things that just happened. She had been trying to convince herself to actually go through the gate. The wrought-ironed gate creaked open allowing Ryan to enter the yard. The building was made of stone with two snarling stone lions, crouched on either side of the stairs. Ryan walked up the stairs and banged on the door with the gold trimmed knocker.
      Knock, knock, knock.
      A small door opened up and a pair of hazel eyes peer out the door.
      “ What are you here for?” he says in his tenor voice. To be honest she couldn’t really think of an answer as to why she was there.
      “Well? Do you have an answer?” he pushed.
      “ Y- y-yes!” she stammered.
      “ Well, what is it?”
Ryan looked around her, she didn’t want anyone to see her as she revealed the black envelope to the pair of hazel eyes.
      “I received this black envelope in the mail. I just thought maybe you could tell me what it is?” she said.
      As he read the red letters, “El Amor”. Ryan watched his eyes open wide.  He shut the small door immediately. Ryan could hear the sound of the man unlocking, what sounded like, tons of bolts and chains. The door opened slowly allowing the scent of jasmine to creep out onto the porch. The hazel-eyed man, now with a white mask, appeared in the doorway. As Ryan went to say something to him a small crowd of people seemed to suddenly come from behind her, all in their own colored mask and black envelope in hand, walked into the house. They flashed their envelope before entering. The man just nodded at them, his eyes were however, still staring intently on Ryan.
      She entered the house, unbuttoning her coat in the process. He closed the door. They were standing in a foyer, dimly lit by sconces on the wall. Ryan could hear distant sounds of music and laughter.
      “Here, you’ll need this,” he said.
      Reaching behind him on a small black table was a red mask adorned with black diamond stones around the trim. The mask was just enough to cover the top half of her face, leaving only her eyes to be seen.
      “What is this place?” she said as he began to walk with her down the long corridor.
      “You have been chosen by one of us to enter “El Amor.” he said. “ It’s a place where you go to let out your most sensuous desires. You get a chance to be loved in a way that you’ve never imagined.”
      “ Why are we wearing these masks?” she asked.
      “ When you conceal your face, it leaves the other person no choice but to accept you for who you really are.”
      “So, who chose me?” Ryan asked. They’d reach the stairs. Ryan peered down.
      “Me.” he replied simply. Ryan looked deeply in his hazel eyes. Extending his arm, he gestured for her to go down the stairs. Ryan complied.
      As they walked down the stairs, the music grew louder with each step. On the bottom step, Ryan parted the hanging gold beads. She couldn’t believe her eyes as she took in the scene around her. There were a room full of candles and the most relaxing music. She looked around there was a couple on a red couch, kissing, passionately. Ryan looked at them, feeling a sea of feelings she had never felt before. Usually things of this nature would disgust or terrify her. The things that were going on in this place, she knew, would feel absolutely normal to most. Not her. But still, she had to question herself because she could feel her panties getting moist, which scared her. She looked in another corner of the room to see a menage-tois going on. There was a lady with a yellow mask sprawled out on a chair. She had a guy leaning over the arm of the chair kissing her neck. He had on a blue mask. There was a lady in between her legs, she switched back and forth between kissing the yellow-masked lady’s belly and inner thighs. Another couple, a man and a woman were pouring hot wax on each other. The woman was drizzling hot wax on the man’s penis and he shook with such a pleasure.
      “Is it too much for you?” the hazel-eyed guy asked. It startled her.
      “ I don’t know. It is a bit much to take in,” she replied honestly.
      “That’s the problem, you’re judging, you should be relaxing. Let the atmosphere take you in. This is now your sanctuary too. Don’t you want to be loved?” he asked while placing his hand on the small of her back.
      That one gesture felt so good to Ryan. She didn’t completely understand why she was feeling the way she was feeling. Her body was going limp and her thoughts going blurry. Every single touch felt so enticing to her. It made her feel so sensual. These feelings were all new for her.
She thought about how in college she was the type of girl that was super shy. She had very few relationships that never lasted long because she was too stuck into her work. She remembered her last boyfriend, Jonathan told her that she was such an uptight bitch and that she would never find a man that would be willing to deal with her. That was two years ago, and it’s been sometime now that Ryan has felt like maybe he was right.
The hazel-eyed man kissed her on the nape of her neck. She felt her body shudder as his hand grabbed ahold of her breast. He then squeezed it, gently. She let out a soft moan.
      “Just let go,” he whispered into her ear.
      The alarm clock woke Ryan out of her deep sleep. She reached over to see that it read: 9:00AM. She noticed the red mask lying beside the clock. She picked it up, running her fingers over the studded trim, and then slipped it into the drawer of her nightstand.
      Yesterday she would have thought today was going to be like any other day with lots of phone calls, meetings, and paper work. Usually Ryan’s day consisted of her waking up, eating a banana and a bowl of cereal. She’d read the newspaper, her attempt to try to keep up with the world around her. Then she would head off to work. But, after last night she knew things for her were going to be a lot different. She never knew she could feel so much passion for someone she didn’t even know.       
      She jumped out of the bed and hopped into the shower in record time. Today her outfit would consist of a light grey pin striped suit, and a light blue shirt. She put on her grey slingback shoes and threw her hair into a bun. She grabbed a bagel, a bottle of water, and headed out to her car.  Driving to work, all she could think about is the hazel-eyed guy in the white mask. He was sensitive to her needs and took his time on every part of her body. Ryan felt like she was falling in love. She had to know his name.
      “ Ms. Jackson, you have a man on line one for you.” Jane, Ryan’s assistant, asked her from the doorway of Ryan’s office.
      “ Did he give a name?” Ryan was getting irritated. She had no time to play games with Jane. She was too busy on the Internet trying to find out everything she could about El Amor. To her dismay, she was still coming up with no information.
      “ No, he said he wanted to ask your about your night?” Jane said.
      “ Oh, thank you. Can you put him through for me?”
      “ Sure.” Jane walked out of the office.
      A few seconds later Ryan’s phone rang. She looked at the caller id to see if there was a number but it read: Restricted.
      “Hello?” Ryan answered.
      “ Hello Ryan, I was calling to see how your day has been so far?” said the familiar tenor voice.
      “ It’s been good. I’ve been wrecking my brain all day for your name I never got it,” she said
      “I never gave it,” he replied.
      “ Well, why is that? I mean, you don’t just give a girl an out of body experience like that without giving her your name.”
      “Ryan, that’s your problem you’re thinking too much. This place is supposed to be a sanctuary for you to go and play out your deepest fantasies, fantasies people would frown upon if they knew you were acting them out.” He paused. “ You come to this place and you let go. The type of love and feeling you experience here, you won’t get in the outside world.”
      Ryan stood up and looked out her window.
    He continued,  “ On the outside there are too many barriers jealousy, opinions, just things that don’t allow you to be the real you. Here, the most unattractive woman can come and feel loved because with a mask, we can’t judge.”
      “ I can’t help but feel this way. You brought out so many feelings I never knew I had. Who am I supposed to go to, to get that same passion from?” she asked the man.
      “ You know where to come, Ryan.” The phone went dead.
      Ryan slowly pulled the phone away from her ear pressing it against her chest, she sighed deeply. Maybe he was right. Love doesn’t exist for everyone on the outside world, or at least that’s how Ryan always felt. Ryan was twenty-seven years old with no man, no kids, only a job. But, if she went to El Amor she could at least feel love and passion like no other. She barely had a sexual life and she was too shy to even think about investing in any type of sexual toy. El Amor was something that she felt may be worth her time away from work. Even if it wasn’t she wanted to at least go back and make sure of it. She hung the phone up.
      “ Jane!” Ryan yelled as she started gathering her things.
      “Yes, Ms. Jackson?”
      “Forward all of my calls to my voicemail. I’m leaving early for the night.”
      Back home she put on a pair of red slacks, a red and black corset trimmed with black lace.  After much thought she had decided on the black Manolo heels. She reached into her drawer and grabbed the mask she’d been given the previous night by the hazel -eyed guy. After spiraling her hair, applying make-up, and perfume she walked out the door.
      As she walked down the stairs of El Amor, everything looked the same as before, except different mask involved in different sexual tasks. She walked into another room, there was a bed, more candles, and a table with different types of exotic fruits. The hazel-eyed guy with the white mask was laying on the bed with another lady, stroking her hair. Ryan instantly got mad. She knew she didn’t have an actual reason to be, he wasn’t her man, and he had made it perfectly clear what there arrangements were. Ryan decided that maybe it was time for her to take his advice.
      “ You’re back?” he said
      “Yeah, it’s like you said, I’d know where to find you.” she smiled.
      “Come here.” he said. Ryan, even with her little confidence, was still very nervous. She climbed on the bed with them.
      “ Your body is gorgeous.” said the lady, she had on a fuscia colored mask. She reached out and gently touched Ryan’s cheek.
      A woman had never touched Ryan before and she’d never had sexual feelings for a woman either.
      “Honey” he touches the Ryan under the chin. “ Go stand up over there, by the door.” he says. Ryan complies.
      “ Now, take off your clothes.” he instructs, Ryan complies.
      The fuscia masked lady slowly walked over to Ryan. Ryan can feel her heart begin to pound. The lady stood inches away from Ryan’s face now. She lifted her hand and pulls one of Ryan’s tresses away from her face. She kisses Ryan, gently, on the lips making Ryan quiver a little. She continues kissing her and Ryan finds herself so engulfed that she’s kissing the lady back. The lady pulls away from Ryan, all while keeping her eyes fixed on Ryan’s. Ryan looks over at the guy with the hazel eyes whose eating from the plate of exotic fruit, she looks back at the lady in the mask, who drops slowly down to her knees and kisses Ryan’s inner thighs.
          Slowly pulling one of Ryan’s legs up until it is resting on her shoulder. The lady in the mask begins to gently flick her tongue over Ryan’s soft making Ryan melt with every touch. It doesn’t take Ryan long before she is more relaxed and loving the way the lady in the mask is sucking on her pussy.  As the lady laps and slurps up Ryan’s juices Ryan begins to convulse and shudder as she climaxes all over the lady’s mouth.
          The masked lady gets up and guides her over to the handsome man in the white mask, who is now stroking his dick.
          “Suck my dick. Both of you,” he instructs them both.
          They both get down on their knees and together Ryan and the same masked lady, whole only minutes ago had made her orgasm in the most amazing way, were sucking and kissing on his dick.
          “Aaah shit, Ryan, your even better than I’d imagine. Come here,” he told her in his smooth voice.
          Ryan climbed on the bed next to him rubbing her hands on his perfectly chiseled chest.
          “ Turn over. Let me taste that sweet pussy of yours.”
          Ryan was in ecstasy as this man, whose name she didn’t even know, fucked her with only his tongue. Making her cream as his tongue delved in and out her pussy, circling around her clit, and slurping all her juices.
          “Oooh shiiit, yes baby. Suck my pussy just like that,” she yelled.
          After coming for a second time he had replaced his tongue with his nine inch dick. After securing a condom on, he pushed all nine inches into her tight pussy. Rubbing her pussy at the same time he was able to bring her to another orgasm with his following moments later.
           The next morning, while at her office, Ryan calls her best friend, Mandy.
      “I have to ask you something. I mean, it’s a hypothetical question,” Ryan says into the phone.
      “ All right. Shoot!” says Mandy.
      “ Let’s say there’s this place,” Ryan starts.
      “Is it a real place?”
      “ Yes! Oh, I mean no!”
      “Is it yes or no, Ryan?” Mandy probes. Ryan takes a deep breath.
      “ No, it’s a fake place,” She continues.
      “ Ok.”
      “It’s this place where people go to live out their, um, sexual fantasies.” Ryan says, a bit hesitantly.
      “Sounds like a strip club.” Mandy interrupts.
      “ It’s not, just listen, please.”
      “ Ok, ok. I’m sorry. Go on,” she says.
      “You go and you live out your sexual fantasies. Nothing is too promiscuous, their no judgments, just passion. The people their treat you like every time is the last time your going to see them, and they want to be sure that you remember their every touch, every scent. It’s euphoric.”
      By this time Ryan’s no longer pacing the floor. She is seated at her desk, looking at her mask.
      “ Look, I have to be honest, if that place was real I’d say it’s a place where everyone goes to get HIV,” Mandy laughed. “I mean, be real. This place would probably be filled with people who are like, the lowest of the lows. Passion? Please, these all sound like a room full of strangers who are so unattractive they had to go somewhere like this to get some.” she kept on. Ryan started to feel bad.
      “ I hope this isn’t some business venture,” Mandy said.
      “ No, it was just this silly idea. Listen, Mandy, I have a lot of work to catch up on. I’ll give you a call later.”
      “ Ok you crazy girl. Thanks for the laugh!” Mandy said and hung up the phone.
      Days past, and Ryan reassumed to her usual routine. Mandy had made her realize that all El Amor would forever be was a fantasy. A place that was only real at night and in the morning it would disappear, as if it was never even there. She was happy that El Amor had allowed her to open up and to be honest about her feelings, but even she had to admit, she still missed going there and feeling that unique passion, even if it was from total strangers. Maybe she would return, maybe.