Throw Me Something Mister!

Lena had lived in New Orleans for years. At first, she thought it was the most magical and fun place she had ever seen. Now, after living there for a while, she was rather jaded. There was too much crime, too much poverty, too much racism and things didn't seem like they were going to change anytime soon, no matter what anyone said. Especially the politicians.

When she first moved there, she was enthralled with the quaint houses and the friendly people, but now, she was discouraged by the blighted houses, the pot-holed streets and the seeming inability of most of the population to speak in proper sentences.

But that cloud seemed to lift every year at Mardi Gras. It was her favorite time of year and had been since she had first attended one almost 15 years ago. She had been a graduate student in Illinois when she and a friend had traveled to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They had a wonderful time and Lena figured that any city that threw a party for itself was the place for her.

Everything she seemed to dislike about New Orleans was diminished by the sheer fun and pageantry of Carnival. Right after Christmas, the first signs of the upcoming season began to appear. She saw a stand with copies of the current Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide next to the register at Rite Aid. Back when she moved to New Orleans, the Rite Aids were all K & B Drug Store, their purple sign a familiar icon to everyone in New Orleans.

Years ago, the owners had sold out to Rite Aid and Lena didn't like the stores as much. They seemed to have lost their individuality. Now, she shopped at Walgreen's.

But as soon as she saw the guides, she bought 6 and sent them to her friends who lived out of town. Lena lived in a huge three-bedroom apartment on Prytania Street, 1 block off the parade route. She had gotten the place rather cheap – her rent was only $500 a month and she had lived there for almost 10 years. It was perfect. Every year at Mardi Gras, she had at least 5 visitors who came down to party with her.

Lena's collection of Mardi Gras memorabilia was extensive. She had beads, cups, doubloons, stuffed animals and other throws all over the place. She still loved catching throws and sent some off as souvenirs for friends and family.

When she bought the guides, she usually made a trip to Accent Annex and bought decorations for her apartment. She put flags and other things outside her apartment and decorated her door and purple, green and gold. She started playing her collection of Mardi Gras music and found that it always put her in a better mood. She brought king cakes once a week to work to share with her co-workers.

It was definitely her favorite time of year.

This year, only two friends had made the trip. It was nice, actually. She wasn't stumbling over sleeping bodies on the floor or waiting to use the bathroom. She had attended most of the parades the weeks up until Fat Tuesday with friends from in town. Her out of town friends had arrived the week before and they had all gone to watch Muses, their favorite all female krewe. They had some of the best throws by far. The Zulu Ball was the next night. It had been fun to dress up in their formal gowns and go watch the elite show off. Lena knew a lot of people and it was always an opportunity for her to network and see friends. They danced and partied till the end and then went down on Bourbon Street.

Lena rarely went down there unless her friends were visiting. She had a friend who played in a band at one of the clubs there and they hung out with him. They ended the night at the St. Charles Tavern, not far from where she lived. They had a great breakfast and then staggered to her place where they fell into bed about 5 a.m., knowing they would have to be up by at least noon to catch the Saturday parades.

The parades reached her block about 2 p.m. and they got up and went out to beg for throws. Endymion was going to roll the St. Charles route this year and they were excited that they wouldn't have to go to Mid-City to watch the parade. And a few of Lena's friends from Mid-City called and asked if they could come over and watch the parade with her.

Lena had fired up the barbecue grill early that afternoon and cooked ribs, chicken breasts, shrimp on skewers and veggies for her friends. They went out and bought beer and wine and ice cream for their party after the parade. They would have the leftovers to munch on the next couple of days.

The entire weekend was easy and fun. The girls were having the time of their lives. Each of them had a huge duffel bag they kept their throws in and were comparing to see who had gotten the most that year. It was a yearly competition. Lena swore that the cutest girl always got the most, and her friend Casey said it wasn't the cutest, but the most assertive.

Jane said it was the one who was brave enough to bare some skin. Jane regularly teased men by pretending to lift her shirt and then not doing it. But she was a tall, elegant redhead who turned male heads routinely. She always caught the fella's eyes. Her crown of curly red hair always made her stand out.

Casey was also tall, but she was voluptuous with full breasts and hips and a tiny waist. She was black, as was Lena, but she had light skin and hazel eyes. She wore clothes to spotlight her traffic-stopping figure and even though she was not a size 6, she got plenty of attention from men.

Lena was stretching it when she said she was 5'4". She was petite and cute. She had long reddish brown hair, braided near her scalp that fell past her shoulders in tight spiral curls. She had clear, mocha skin with big dimples and large almond-shaped dark brown eyes. She had a rounded figure with a generous butt and long legs.

All three women were knock-outs and always got catcalls and whistles when they walked down the street. But all three didn't seem to be able to sustain a relationship. Lena's limit seemed to be 2 years and then things always went south. They had decided though, that this year, they would party and enjoy themselves without giving much thought to men.

It was warm for this Mardi Gras and all three girls wore shorts and tee shirts while out watching the parades. By Monday, Jane was afraid she was going to get sunburned, but Lena broke out some sunblock for her and saved the day. Lena had taken the week off work, as she usually did. She needed to catch up on her rest after keeping late nights with her friends on a nightly basis.

Fat Tuesday was beautiful. The girls all had bought beer and offered it to the riders in Zulu for coconuts. The strategy always worked for Lena. She rarely came home from Zulu with less than 4 coconuts for her efforts. Because she knew people who rode with Zulu, this year she came home with a bumper crop of 10 coconuts, making her the winner of the competition. They dropped off the coconuts and Lena checked on the huge pot of gumbo she had left slowly simmering at home while she went to watch the parade. Jane wanted to watch Rex, much to the objections of Casey and Lena.

"Those old racist bastards don't throw shit!" Casey spat. "You catch stuff from them. You're white! Me and Lena just waste our time."

"That's not always true, you guys! Come on! Let's just hang out for a while, ok? Everybody isn't an asshole."

"I do like to see the Boeuf Gras," Lena conceded grudgingly. "Ok. Let's watch a few floats and then we'll go in and come back for the Truck Parades."

They agreed and went back to their spot.

Just as Lena got comfortable, a float rider motioned for her to lift her shirt and show him her breasts. He had a measly set of beads in his hand, hardly worth the effort.

"Bite me, you cheap bastard!" she yelled at him.

Casey laughed. "He could have at least had something nice to offer,"

"I wouldn't show my tits to any of those old bastards!" Lena fumed.

Though it was commonly thought that women bared themselves routinely during Carnival, the truth was that the tourists were the ones who partook of the vulgar custom. New Orleans women rarely showed their breasts and it almost never happened outside of the downtown area where the tourists watched parades.

The St. Charles street neighborhood where Lena lived was more of a family atmosphere with families bringing all their kids, putting up their grills and cooking food while they all watched the parades. But the men asked anyway.

Another float passed and the riders were throwing the traditional Rex beads generously for a Rex float, so Casey and Jane ran behind it, trying to catch some throws. Lena did not feel like chasing a Rex float, so she stood her ground. The float behind the one her friends chased had only a few riders on it and at the end of the float, a masked rider looked at her and motioned her closer. He held in his hand the most beautiful beads she had ever seen. They looked to be crystal and the light reflected several colors as he held them out to her.

"Hey, Pretty Girl!" he beckoned, "I have some pretty beads for a pretty girl! These are special and just for you, Pretty Girl. They are magic beads and they will give you what you want. Take them, Pretty Girl with the big dimples and Happy Mardi Gras!"

She reached up and took the beads out of his hand, and thanking him, wished him a Happy Mardi Gras as well.

Jane and Casey returned with their hands full of booty and stopped when they saw the beads that Lena held in her hand.

"Those are beautiful, Lena! Where did you get those?" Casey asked. "From the man on the back of that float," she pointed at the float. "There's no man on the back of that float, Lena," Jane told her.

She looked up and true enough, there was no man at the end of the float. There was no place for anyone to sit.

"But there was a man. He called me 'Pretty Girl' and gave these to me."

"You must have meant another float, Leelee. And those are really the most beautiful beads I have ever seen!" Jane told her.

Lena gazed at the float, puzzled. It had been that float that had just passed. She knew it. But she couldn't worry about it. She put the beads around her neck and marveled at their beauty once again.

She wore them the rest of the day, touching them off and on, as if to remind her that they were really there.

Casey and Jane met some people they knew and they wanted to stay out for the rest of the parades. Lena went on home to get the dinner ready for when all her friends came in. They ate gumbo and then went out to a couple of parties. Lena was tired and elected to stay at home. No telling when those crazy girls would come back.

She sat in her bedroom, her feet propped up as she listened to some music to relax. She took the beads off and gazed at them. The man's words came back to her, "...these are special beads...they will give you everything you want....". Like they could, she thought. They're just beads.

But she started thinking. What did she want?

That answer was easy. She had a nice apartment, a good job, money saved, and great friends. The one thing that she missed was a man in her life. It'd been a long time since she'd had a boyfriend and she missed having a man around. She was ready for a relationship, but she never seemed to meet the right guy. She had a lot to offer a man – she was smart, independent and very attractive.

She looked at the beads, still marveling at the prism of colors as she turned them in her hand.

"Ok. So you're magic. So give me the perfect man for me."

As she spoke, the beads began to take on an eerie glow and felt slightly warm in her hands. She was surprised, and stared at them, but kept talking because it seemed she was relaxing and felt like talking. "I like a tall guy, over 6 feet tall. My Daddy was 6'5" and I liked that. And I like muscular, athletic bodies. Not freakily muscular, but long, lean muscles, with long legs, narrow waist, big broad shoulders and a big chest. Oh, and a nice booty. All women like a man with a nice ass. Yeah. A man in good shape with hair on his chest. And this time, I want a white guy. I've been dating brothers for years, and peeking at some really fine white guys. I want a big, old fine, white boy to make me feel good. It's my fantasy, so I can have what I want, right?"

She stopped to sip her glass of wine and felt a warm breeze blow past her, ruffling her hair. She looked up. The window was closed and the fan wasn't on. Where did that come from? But she was enjoying describing her perfect man, so she kept talking,

"A guy with long, shaggy, dark hair. Cut like Don Johnson's hair was the last season of Miami Vice. That was very sexy. And I like a guy with a deep voice...."

"Thank God," a deep voice spoke, "I thought you would never get to the voice so I could talk to you! Ok, Lena, you've been doing good so far, but you haven't given me a face yet. What do I look like? I can't go on just being a blur!"

She looked up, completely startled to see a man, sitting on her bed, exactly as she described, naked, with a blue blur where his face should be. Was he real? She reached out and touched him. He was real. "Of course I 'm real!" he sighed. "But I need more work, Lena. Come on! Let's go. I need to be finished!"

She should have been frightened, but she wasn't. Actually, she felt good for his being there. She rubbed the beads one more time. They were hot now, and no longer clear. They were pearlescent now, glowing from within.

"Y-you're naked," she said, softly.

"Of course I am and that isn't important right now. My face! Come on, Pretty Girl!"

"All right. You have high cheekbones, a generous mouth with full, kissable lips. You have white, even teeth and a nice straight nose. Not too big or too small. You have large, round dark brown eyes with long, thick eyelashes. You are nearsighted and sometimes you wear soft contact lenses and sometimes, you wear tortoise-shell horn rimmed glasses. Your hair is dark brown, nearly black, and long, to your shoulders.

She smiled as he gazed at her. He was gorgeous. But still naked.

"Yes, I'm naked. We'll get to that. Do you like how I look?"

"Yes, I do. You are gorgeous!"

"I'm here to make you happy. Now. The most important part." And he pointed at another blur between his legs where his penis should have been.

"I have to do that, too?" she squealed.

"Of course you do," he sighed, sounding almost exasperated with her. "I have to be perfect for you. It has to be what you want, honey. I can call you honey, can't I?"

"I love it," she sighed. "Good. Now, please be generous. You know how important this is. I don't want to live my life with a teenie weenie."

"OK. A long, fat one."

"Lena, my baby, you can't be so vague. You have to be specific. This is important. How many inches long? How many inches around?"

"Wow, you are sure pushy about your dick, honey!" she laughed. "All right. I'll be generous. Nine inches long. Three or...."

He was signaling that wasn't enough. "...four inches around. That should hit the spot."

She paused and giggled at her faux pas. "Yeah, I like this. It's ok. I can live with this and you will like it, too. I will make sure of that," he said, gazing at it.

He looked up at her and smiling a devilish smile, tucked his penis between his legs and out of her sight.

"So you don't get distracted. What am I like besides kind and thoughtful?"

He had great eyes – full of life and fun and so very expressive!

"You have a good sense of humor. I guess, kind of like mine. You're honest, sincere, and a lot of fun. Easy to talk to. You share things with me, how you feel, your thoughts, dreams, we talk easily to each other. We like to be together."

"That will be easy. I like you already. You are gorgeous and funny. I see it in your eyes. You're sweet, too. I like sweet women. You and I will be very happy together, Lena. I know it. So go on. More about me."

"You're smart. You have a college degree and you are articulate and...wow, I have to do all of this like this?? Can't you help me? Don't you know what you want to be? You should have some say in this."

"I want to be what you want, but I'm glad you asked me that. It means you aren't self-centered. That's great. Ok. You don't have to say much more. I'll know what you want. I'll be able to read your mind for a while till I'm completed. Then, I'll be just like any other guy and you and I will be falling in love. You know, that's what we're doing right now. We just had a little help, Lena."

He moved closer to her. She noted that he was still naked, but that he was getting quite a hard on.

"You like a guy who can cook and you want me to help you around the house. Ok. And you like football and lots of other sports. Great! We'll be happy! And you want me to be a good lover. Well, gosh, almighty, Lena, don't be embarrassed by that!" he teased, touching her face. "It's important that I can please you in bed. How in the world will I be able to make you fall in love with me if I can't make you happy sexually? I'll do what you want me to do and I will please you. I was made to please you, after all. And I will. And I know you will please me. Our lovemaking will be perfect. I love your body and your lips are so sexy..."

"I'm falling for you already and I don't even know your name..."

"Oh, yeah, I don't have a name. Can I choose my name, please?"

"Oh, please, nothing macho or nerdy!"

"Oh, no, my love. I have just the name. Jeremy. Or Peter. You like that name, don't you? Peter Jeremy...and Walter Payton is my favorite football player, so I'll be Peter Jeremy Payton. You like that?"

"I like that. I do like Peter, but Jeremy is so sexy. Can I call you Jeremy?"

"You call me what you like, Lena, baby," he said, softly, embracing her, "So I'm Jeremy Peter Payton. You have a neat name. What's your whole name, Lena?"

"Lena Mahalia Wells. My Mama loved Lena Horne and Mahalia Jackson."

He was kissing her face and holding her close to his big, hard body. She shivered and dropped the beads in the bed. He picked them up and put them around her neck.

"We'll need them for a while so we can get to know each other better."

"How long will that take?" she whispered against his lips. "I don't know. We need to make love to move things along," his lips were trailing down her neck, leaving soft, sweet kisses that she felt to her soul. One of his hands cupped her breast and gently, but urgently squeezed her nipple between his fingers. It hardened to his touch and he smiled and moved down and nipped at it through her shirt. She sighed deeply and pressed her body closer to him.

"Oh, yeah, you like that, don't you, baby?"

"Yessssss......." she moaned.

She wasn't wearing a bra. He pulled the tee shirt up and took the nipple in his mouth, nipping and sucking it, hard, feeling her response.

She reached down and touched his penis which was rock hard by then. She knew just where to squeeze to give him pleasure. She was good!

He sucked both nipples until her body was throbbing to his touch. She was ready for him. He kissed her and with his fingers, found her clitoris and began to rub it. She was moaning and moving her body against him.

Delighted with his progress, he stopped to take off her clothes.

"We have to do this now. It has to be before midnight to finish the spell, Lena," he said, softly, positioning himself above her. She let out a long soft moan as he thrust himself into her. She wrapped her legs around him and he felt her tighten herself around him deep inside her. It felt better than anything he could imagine in life. Each stroke felt better and better and joined them closer together. Everything she hadn't told him and every thing he needed her to know flowed between them as they made love. She was tight, so very tight, and hot and sweet and so very good. He held her hips in his hands and continued to plunge deep in her, groaning in his pleasure. He heard her whisper his name. He felt her body arching, rising and falling in his hands.