Samia and Bilal in Ottawa

"The Black community doesn't allow Black men the freedom of sexual self-expression, we all have to fit into what the community demands or we're toast," Bilal Jones said softly. The six-foot-tall, burly and dark-skinned African American stud leaned back on the chair, and looked at his good friend Samia Lahoud. The conflict and sadness that Samia saw on her good friend's face astonished her. That poor man, she thought, saddened.

Bilal had come to Samia's place straight from his downtown office at the headquarters of the Canada Revenue Agency. Decked out in a dark gray business suit over a blue silk shirt, dark gray silk pants and those Black Timberland boots that he wore everywhere, Bilal looked good. The confused look on his face worried Samia. If only he'd stop looking and acting like he's going to a funeral, Samia thought, a bit annoyed by Bilal's demeanor.

A few hours earlier, Samia Lahoud returned home after a business trip to the City of Toronto for her employer, the KPMG corporation. They sent her to check on a newly acquired subsidiary in the Greater Toronto Area. She'd been looking forward to some rest and relaxation after such a tough assignment. Samia looked forward to the Lebanese Festival which would be held at the Maronite Church of Ottawa in the East End in a few days.

"The Festival is going to rock," Samia said to herself, smiling, as she lay in bed, tired after her business trip. She was about to nod off when she got a call from a rather frantic Bilal. The brother apparently had a fallout of sorts with his girlfriend Hannah Anglade, and needed her help. Apparently, it simply could not wait. Samia to the rescue, the thirty-something gal thought, both peeved and concerned for her friend.

"With Black women being so sexually liberated and outspoken, you'd think they would allow Black men the same freedom," Samia replied, shaking her head. Bilal's words kind of rattled her. She was in no mood to hear about his sexual proclivities, that's for sure. Samia considered Bilal her best friend, but the handsome brother had a habit of quite simply oversharing when it came to his sexual exploits.

Samia thought of how Bilal regaled her with tales of how he'd banged the hell out of Nancy Wu, a big-bottomed young Asian woman who was her roommate during grad school. If Bilal hadn't sounded so distraught over the phone, Samia would have made up a lame excuse to avoid the heart-to-heart. Too late for that, Samia thought. Bilal was in her living room, in the process of unburdening himself...

Samia, an out and proud bisexual Lebanese-Canadian woman who understood all too well that sexuality could be quite complicated when culture, religion and race got thrown into it, tried to extend to her friend Bilal all the sympathy she could muster. Breakups were never easy, especially after a long-term relationship came to an abrupt end. Samia knew this from painful experience...

Heeding Samia's words, Bilal nodded, and paused. For a moment, his gaze wandered across the room. Bilal looked around the lovely townhouse which had been Samia's abode for as long as he'd known her. He could recall numerous parties there, some of them quite fun. Located in the heart of the Glebe area of Ottawa, Ontario, the place was stylish and neat, part of old town renovated for the twenty-first century.

"There's nothing logical about how people feel in my community, especially when it comes to sexuality, that's what I'm single again, " Bilal added dryly. Hannah's departure took a piece of Bilal's soul, that much was evident. Samia nodded, knowing that Bilal, who is out as a bisexual man, tends to downplay it when around people of African descent. For Bilal, it was a simple matter of survival. Samia had long stopped judging him for being a man of many worlds.

Bilal thought of Hannah Anglade, the tall, gorgeous young Jamaican woman he'd been dating for the past year. He had high hopes for her, and wanted to start a family with her, but Hannah simply couldn't accept his other side. In the end, Hannah returned the engagement ring that Bilal had given her, for she simply could not fathom marrying a man who swung both ways. Bilal had sworn to Hannah that he'd be faithful to her, but she ditched him anyways.

Truth be told, Samia definitely saw the split coming, even though Bilal desperately tried to convince himself that he and Hannah Anglade were meant to be. When one meets a couple, Samia surmised, one must always recognize that one half is usually more committed to the relationship than the other. From the get go, Bilal had been doing the heavy lifting in his relationship with Hannah, and in the end, it did him no good.

Samia knew Jamaican culture to be staunchly opposed to bisexuals, gays, lesbians and others. For a bisexual Black man like Bilal to try to build a life with a Jamaican woman, someone programmed to despise him simply for being who and what he is, well, this spoke to the level of naivete that continued to plague him. When a person looks for trouble with such perseverence, he or she usually ends up finding it...

"I see," Samia said, even though, she did not quite understand what Bilal meant. She just wanted to be there for her friend, racial and sexual politics be damned. The two of them had known each other ever since their halcyon days at Carleton University. Back then, Bilal was a newcomer to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, by way of Chicago, Illinois. Samia, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, was quite taken with Bilal from the get-go. As it turns out, the two of them had a lot in common.

Bilal Jones tried out for the Carleton University football team and won a spot on the roster, a few days after he set foot on campus for the first time. Samia, the precocious daughter of hard-working and deeply conservative Lebanese Christian immigrants, felt drawn to the tall, dark and handsome football player. Unfortunately, Bilal only liked big-bottomed gals of the African or Afro-Caribbean persuasion, much to Samia's chagrin.

Over the years, Bilal Jones and Samia Lahoud remained close friends. On the surface, they couldn't be more different. Bilal was tall and athletic, a proud son of Black America grabbing life with both hands in Ontario, Canada. Bilal's parents Muhammad and Nadia Jones brought their only son in the Nation of Islam, a powerful but controversial faith-based group back in America. After obtaining his MBA from Carleton University, Bilal Jones joined the Canada Revenue Agency.

Samia Lahoud stood five-foot-six, but carried herself with the confidence of an Amazon. The petite, curvy, bronze-skinned and dark-haired cutie had the brains of a four-star-general. While a student in the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, Samia was nicknamed The Cute Shark. Upon meeting Samia, most people assumed that she was soft and sweet...until they messed with her.

Samia's family put the O in overprotective, and that's saying something. Like a lot of Lebanese Christian families, Samia's parents, Joshua and Victoria Lahoud were concerned when they found out that their only daughter was very close to a Muslim man, especially one from the United States of America. In the Republic of Lebanon, Christians and Muslims engage in political power struggles, and are currently vying for control of their rapidly changing nation. Tensions are high between members of both faith, to say the least.

There is potential for conflict there, since it's well-known that Arab Christian families jealously guard their daughters from Muslim men. In the Islamic world, Muslim men can marry Christian women but Muslim women cannot marry Christian men. Upon meeting Bilal Jones, however, the Lahoud clan realized that he was a true gentleman. Bilal was friendly and charming, and the American saw Samia Lahoud more like a sister than a potential girlfriend, to her parents everlasting relief.

"Welcome to my life," Bilal said, sighing deeply, and Samia nodded quite sympathetically. A lot of women would actually consider a man like Bilal Jones quite a catch. The brother was tall, handsome, educated and made good money. Unfortunately, Bilal's honesty about his life and the close-mindnedness of the women he liked to date prevented him from settling down. Honesty isn't always the best policy...

"Bilal, my friend, you can do better than Hannah and her predecessors," Samia said firmly, gently laying her hand on top of Bilal's. She thought of Lamont, Bilal's last male lover, prior to his involvement with Hannah. Bilal had a history of picking outwardly attractive but innately rotten individuals as his bed partners, whether female or male. The moment Bilal introduced Lamont to Samia, she sensed that Lamont was bad news...

When Samia cautioned Bilal about Lamont, he ignored her warnings, of course. Lamont was great in bed, and adventurous, and apparently, tons of fun. The dude was tall, dark-skinned, masculine, and open to sex with both women and men. Like a lot of bisexual men, Bilal preferred to deal with handsome, sexually adventurous men who weren't allergic to vaginas, and Lamont fit the bill. The two of them had a great time, until Bilal began to notice that items were going missing around his condo...

"Sorry to hear that Lamont was a thief," Samia told Bilal, the day after her heartbroken buddy kicked out his former lover for stealing his credit card, among other things. Samia comforted Bilal like she always did, and the handsome African American stud never learned from his mistakes. He simply went out and made new ones, just like Samia knew he would.

"Forget Lamont, Samia, I met someone new, a lady who looks like an angel," Bilal told her, three weeks after the fiasco with Lamont came to an end. Samia thought her best buddy was rushing into things, and as usual, she was right. Bilal got over his bad experience with Lamont by swearing off men for the time being. He went after Hannah Anglade, a tall, fine-looking, big-bottomed Black chick with an attitude and a deeply religious background. What could possibly go wrong?

"No luck on either side of the fence," Bilal said wistfully, and he looked at Samia's place, before his gaze focused on something outside her living room window. At this hour, the Glebe was slowly settling into its late afternoon/early evening routine. A heartbeat from downtown Ottawa, the neighborhood was vibrant in its own way. Even the jaded and the wealthy like to come out and play...

"You need to stop chasing crazy women and crazy men, Bilal, life is too short to waste on such losers, and you're not getting any younger," Samia reminded him. Bilal flashed her that fearless smile of his. Samia smiled in turn, but this time, she held firm. Someone had to speak the truth to Bilal. He wasn't in his twenties anymore. Whether one likes women, or men, or both, there is a time to stop playing around and settle down...

"When the one arrives, let me know," Bilal said, chuckling softly. Samia rolled her eyes. Six months ago, Samia's relationship with a tall, beautiful young Somali Muslim woman named Hodan Abdi ended because the other gal feared being outed as a lesbian. Samia was okay with being discrete in her relationship with Hodan, but didn't like the other gal's caution, which bordered on paranoia. In the end, it drove a wedge between them, and Hodan left...

Samia missed the lovely Hodan sorely, but she didn't want to spend her life with a woman who was ashamed of who she was. Samia, whose conservative Lebanese Christian family had a hard time accepting her bisexuality could definitely relate to Hodan's fears. Still, Hodan's steadfast refusal to be affectionate in public, and her habit of introducing Samia as her 'shopping buddy' infuriated her. Enough of that, Samia thought. The breakup, though painful, had been absolutely necessary.

"What am I going to do with you?" Samia asked aloud, looking at Bilal as she leaned back on the couch. Bilal closed his eyes, hard. There was a look of elemental pain on his face, one which made Samia's heart wince. In the decade since they'd met, Samia and Bilal had never been more than friends. Bilal likes to fuck anything on two legs, regardless of color, race or gender, but he did have one rule. Female or male, Bilal required a nice plump ass on his lovers, and it was the one thing Samia lacked...

"Samia, I am going to stay celibate for a while," Bilal replied, as his eyes snapped open, and his words and sudden change in demeanor surprised the hell out of her. Samia looked at Bilal, who smiled in a gentle, almost serene manner. The tall, handsome brother rose to his feet, and gently took her hand, gently pressing his lips against it. Samia blushed, and Bilal nodded appreciatively.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Bilal? I don't believe you, I'm sure you're going to see a hot girl or a hunky guy at the Rideau Center and get smitten all over again," Samia said, laughing. Bilal looked at her, and sighed deeply. There was a seriousness and a world-weariness in his chestnut eyes which she'd never seen before. Bilal is changing before my very eyes, Samia thought, alarmed.

"I have to sort myself out, figure out what I want, and where I fit in, that sort of thing," Bilal said, and he wished Samia a goodnight, then headed for the door. Samia rose to her feet, and rushed to Bilal, more concerned than ever grabbed him by the arm, effectively preventing him from leaving her townhouse. Bilal looked at Samia, puzzled by her actions.

"One for the road," Samia said, as she stood on her tippy toes and planted a kiss on Bilal's lips. To say that Bilal was surprised by this gesture would have been an understatement. Samia kissing him shocked the hell out of Bilal. For the better part of a decade, Samia had been Bilal's best friend and confidante. He went around sleeping with women and men, sometimes both at the same time, but his pal Samia was always off-limits...

"Um, Samia," Bilal said, and before he could ruin things by saying something they'd both regret, Samia pressed her index finger against his lips. Smiling at her dear friend Bilal, Samia gently but firmly nudged him out the door, accidentally patting his bum along the way. Hmm, nice and firm, that ass, Samia thought, amused. Bilal made his way to his motorcycle, his mind racing as he considered the implications of what Samia had done.

Sweet lips she's got, Bilal thought, then instantly chastised himself for thinking about Samia in this manner. There are lots of hot women and hunky men in Ottawa, don't ruin your friendship with Samia by going after her, Bilal thought. Samia's actions puzzled him, and he wondered how he could get out of this predicament without jeopardizing their friendship. Shaking his head, Bilal sped homeward. All of a sudden, he had a lot of things to consider. For the first time in a decade, Bilal would not be asking his best friend for advice.

"Finally kissed him," Samia said to herself, smiling. Lying on the couch, she closed her eyes, pleased by what she'd done. Without thinking about it, Samia began to masturbate. Her hand slipped into her pants, and she began rubbing her clit between her thumb and index finger. At the same time, Samia rubbed her erect nipples. In her mind's eyes, Samia visualized...him, her favorite guy, Bilal.

"Come here gorgeous," Bilal told Samia in her fantasy, and the tall, dark-skinned, virile African American pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Samia kissed Bilal back passionately, and he swept her up, carrying her to the bed. Once he laid her there, Bilal smiled at Samia, and watched as she eased out of her clothes, revealing her curvaceous, bronzed body.

"Make me yours," Samia said softly, and a smiling Bilal did just that. Lying on the bed, Samia rubbed her breasts and watched as Bilal undressed, revealing a body that Olympic athletes would envy. She spread her legs invitingly, and Bilal flashed her his cockiest grin as he began his approach into her. When his mouth found her sex, she sighed with anticipation. Bilal began eating Samia's pussy, taking his time as he coaxed pleasure out of her...

"Ride me, gorgeous," Bilal told Samia, as he effortlessly placed her on top of him. Samia straddled Bilal, and reached for his manhood. Samia looked into Bilal's eyes, and saw nothing but love in them. She placed his manhood against her sex. Bilal lifted his hips and then, in one swift move, thrust into her, burying his dick inside Samia. Resting her hands on Bilal's shoulders, Samia began riding him...

"Oh shit," Samia cried out, in mid-fantasy, as she thrust two fingers into her wet pussy. Samia's eyes snapped open as she felt...it. That slow trickle of intense pleasure that builds up down below and then erupts, like a volcano that cannot be suppressed or denied. Her whole body shuddered. Her legs shook. Her lovely face twisted. Her lips quivered. Samia squealed as she came, oozing hot girly cum all over the couch. Some fantasy, Samia thought, grinning.

For a while, Samia Lahoud lay there on the couch, a guilty smile on her face. In her time, Samia had been with the ladies and the fellas, always rocking everyone's world. In lily-white Ottawa, Samia's Lebanese heritage and her exotic ( gosh she hates that word ) good looks made her a magnet for the babes and the hunks. Still, there was one person who always seemed immune to her charms. Bilal Jones, the bed-hopping, naive, smug and yet dopey-sweet bisexual brother from Chicago. I'm going to get me a piece of that action, Samia silently vowed. Let the games begin...