Aphrodisiac Instructions No. 08: Hot Honey

You said you wanted something sweet. Then you handed me the cayenne. Make it hurt a little. Buttermilk cold across my hands Paprika, garlic, pepper in the pan You lean on the counter, taking a sip Watching every move, waiting for me to slip I ask, “How hot?” You smile and shrug So I double the pepper You bite your lip I stop. Why’d you stop? You know why. Oil getting hotter Kitchen getting smaller You haven’t touched me yet And that makes me want you more Sweet first Let it sting Little bit of danger Changes everything Honey and heat Something underneath One taste And you’re already Coming back to me Chicken hits oil with a violent hiss You jump, then laugh and take another sip You reach across me, moving slow Like you don’t already know What you’re doing When your body brushes close Pay attention. Baby Girl, I am. Just not to the thing You think I am. Golden at the edges Honey simmering red You ask if that’s enough I just shake my head. Not even close. Sweet first Then comes the heat Honey on your fingers Cayenne underneath You wanted it hotter Now look at me One taste And you’re wondering How hot it can be I pull the chicken Set it on the rack You steal a piece Before I can take it back I catch your wrist You look at me Like you hoped I would Bossy. Hungry. There’s a difference. You laugh So I step closer Lift you up Set you on the counter Your knees fall wide Just enough to pull me closer You take that first bite Never breaking eye contact Hot honey drips From the corner of your mouth Runs beneath your collarbone And keeps heading south I watch that golden line You know damn well I’m gonna follow So I lean in Catch the honey with my tongue Slow enough to make you forget You’re still holding that drum Your breath shivers Fingers tighten in my shirt You gonna let me finish? Eventually. You take another bite Daring me again Another drop slips free I catch that one before it lands You pull me closer by my shirt Thought you said it needed more heat. I wasn’t talking about the chicken. SWEET FIRST THEN IT BURNS Now you know exactly Why you never fucking learn Honey on your mouth Fire in your chest Every little taste Only makes you want the next Sweet first Then the sting That little bit of danger Changes everything You wanted something reckless You wanted something good HOT HONEY DOES EXACTLY WHAT IT SHOULD Hotter. Careful what you ask me for. I know what I asked for. Yeah. That’s what I thought.