9. Desire
The next fivedays were blissful. Aside from the business calls Aziel had to take, we had hours upon hours of undisrupted time to get to know each other. He was serious about not leaving the villa, and instead of exploring Turks and Caicos, we explored each other—mind, body, and soul. He promised we could come back soon and actually see the beautiful island.
I felt terrible for my assumptions about him since he’d been the mayor and even more so since Azaria’s first day of school. He was the man I thought he was, and if he continued to be the person he’d shown himself to be so far, I’d be in love with him very soon. I was already quite smitten with him and falling fast.
“What are you smiling about?” Aziel asked as we sailed back to the main part of the island.
“You, me, us… everything. Thank you for a beautiful honeymoon.”
“You think it was beautiful even though we didn’t leave the villa?”
“That’s what made it so amazing. If we could spend as much time as we did together, without distractions, there’s hope for this marriage.”
“Well, I’m glad I could make you smile. I hope to keep you smiling for the rest of our lives.”
He leaned in to kiss me, and I happily obliged. Our departure wasn’t nearly as exciting as our arrival. I turned my phone on after we were checked in and settled at the airport. Aside from checking in with my family when we arrived and a couple of other times, I hadn’t used my phone at all.
Of course, I headed to Flikstagram to catch up on all the celebrity gossip. It didn’t look like much was happening until I came across Keeping It In the Closet, a popular gossip blog page. A member of the OC Blazers, Bronx Ravens, was being sued by his son’s deceased mother’s family. I remembered reading that story and how sad it was.
I continued scrolling, and my heart dropped when I saw a picture of Aziel and another woman. The post had several pictures, and I continued to swipe, revealing photos of him with various women.
KIITC: Onyx City is said to be the most melanated city in the United States, and I think their mayor has sampled every shade. Well, word on the street is he recently tied the knot. His bride hasn’t been revealed, but he’s been seen with a host of women in recent months. Which one of these beauties do you think got lucky?
I was aware of Aziel’s dating habits, so this post didn’t surprise me. Even though it stung a bit, I ventured into the comments.
angeleyes24: I’m from OC, and that man gets around.
udontknowme7: Damn, if our mayor looked like that, he’d forever have my vote.
imnotthe12or3: He ain’t the committing type. I feel sorry for the woman he married.
idoitbetter247: That man ain’t got a faithful bone in his body. He was dating two of my friends at the same time.
The comments seemed never-ending, and I had to stop myself from going further down the rabbit hole. Aziel had no control over what people said or thought about him. Instead of addressing what I’d seen, I turned my phone off.
The day seemed to go on forever, although it was late afternoon when we pulled in front of Aziel’s home. It was a mini-mansion, and I was impressed. However, I couldn’t focus on the beauty of his home because my attention was elsewhere.
“What’s all this?”
About eight news vans were parked on the street in front of Aziel’s house. One of them had the audacity to block the gate for entry.
“Looks like the news of our nuptials might have gotten out.”
“Umm, is that good or bad? I can’t imagine it being reason enough for all this.”
“Onyx City is the biggest city in the state, hell, in all of the southern states, period, and I’m the mayor. This is big news.”
“Okay, so are you going to talk to them?”
“Not today. I have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning. They’ll have to wait.”
“On a Sunday?”
“You don’t think Sunday is a good day?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea, but it seems strange.”
“Sunday wouldn’t be my first choice, but it has to be done sooner rather than later.”
He leaned forward and whispered something to Mark, his driver and security, who got out of the truck and addressed the person in the van blocking the entry. By the time Mark returned, the van had driven away. The gate opened after he entered the passcode, and we drove onto the property.
“Your house is beautiful. I can’t wait to see the inside.”
“This is our house. If you don’t like what you see inside, you can make any changes you see fit.”
He led me inside, and I was even more impressed than I was with the outside. Before going to our bedroom, he gave me a tour. There were six bedrooms, seven and a half bathrooms, a dining room, a formal living room, a family room, a small theater room that could also be used as a game room, a massive eat-in kitchen, and an office.
“I love it,” I told him as I headed to the bedroom we would share.
“You didn’t see anything you want to change?”
“Not really. Your designer did a great job.”
“She charged an arm and a leg, so she better had. However, let’s see if you feel the same about our bedroom.”
We entered, and I looked around while he waited for my reaction. The room was massive, and the bathroom and walk-in closet were each large enough to fit the bedroom inside my apartment. The décor was too dark for my taste, but it was nice.
“It could definitely use a feminine touch, but?—”
“Whatever you want to do, do it. This is your home now, and I want you to be comfortable.”
We’d discussed our living arrangements while laying out by the pool in Turks and Caicos. I didn’t know why I thought I’d go back to my apartment, and when I mentioned it, Aziel shut those thoughts down immediately.
“Woman, do you really think I’m gon’ let you sleep anywhere other than up under me?”
I smiled as I thought about his reaction. I loved how expressive he was about his feelings for and intentions with me. His words and actions made me more confident about marrying him.
“Thank you. I need to pack up my apartment and?—”
“I’ve already hired someone to pack and move your things. If there’s something you don’t want to be touched, tag it, and they will leave it for you to pack.”
“When did you have time to do that?”
“My assistant arranged it.”
His assistant arranged for strangers to go through my things? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“Oh, umm, that was very thoughtful of you.”
He grabbed my waist and pulled me into his body.
“You don’t have to be surprised by everything I do for you. I’m your husband, and it’s my job to make sure you don’t have to worry about a damn thing.”
I’d never hired anyone to pack or move my belongings, so I wasn’t sure what was required of them. The idea of strangers going through my personal belongings was weird. However, I loved that Aziel had the forethought to do something to make my life easier. I put my arms around his neck and stood on my toes to kiss him. It didn’t take long for things to heat up between us, so I made the kiss short and sweet.
“I’ve never had a husband, and I need time to get used to some things.”
“I’ll give you time to get used to it, but expect me to make your life easier whenever possible.”
I nodded before saying, “Am I expected to attend the press conference with you?”
“You’re my wife, and the purpose of the press conference is to officially announce our union. It would be a little strange if you weren’t there.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Is that gonna be a problem?”
“Do I have to talk?”
“The press may have a few questions for you.”
I sighed deeply because this was something I definitely hadn’t expected. When I didn’t respond, Aziel spoke again.
“I can have my assistant come over and prep you.”
“Your assistant? Wouldn’t that be a job for your public relations person?”
“She does both, and I’m her only client.”
“Oh, umm, then I guess talking to her would help. Maybe she can tell me what to expect.”
“I’ll give her a call while you take another look at the closet.”
I was confused by his statement because I’d already seen the closet.
“I don’t need to look at the closet again. I love it.”
“You missed a few things before. I’ll be in my office.”
He walked away before I could ask any more questions. I shrugged and went back to the ginormous closet. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, so I started on one side, admiring Aziel’s expensive clothing and shoes. When I reached the other side, the clothing began to look different. I gasped when I realized it was different because it was women’s clothing.
“Oh my God! This man did not buy me a whole new wardrobe.”
I began going through the clothing with an excitement I’d never felt. Everything was gorgeous, and the shoes… oh my God, the shoes were some of the most beautiful I’d ever seen. I lost track of time when I began having a whole damn fashion show.
“It looks like you’re happy with the new clothes.”
I sucked in a breath and put my hand to my heart because Aziel had scared the mess out of me.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that! You scared me,” I fussed.
“My bad, baby. I wasn’t sneaking; you’re just focused on something else. How do you like everything?”
“I love it all. This was so thoughtful. Aziel, how did you do this?”
“Your sisters helped me. I figured they knew the most about you.”
“When did you—you know what, I’m not going to overthink it. Just know that I appreciate your kindness and forethought. I’ll show you just how much later.”
I’d stripped down to my lavender lace panty and bra set and slowly approached him. He opened his arms for what I thought would be an embrace, but instead, he cupped my ass cheeks and lifted me from the floor. Automatically, my legs went around his waist.
“You sure you want to wait until later?” he questioned.
“Not if?—”
“Oh, shit. Excuse me. I didn’t realize you were in the middle of something.”
Aziel turned around with me still attached, exposing me to our guest.
“I’m pretty sure I told you I’d be down shortly with Desire,” Aziel said.
“Yeah, my bad. I’ll be downstairs.”
She disappeared as quickly as she’d come.
“Is that your assistant slash PR agent?”
“Yeah, get dressed so you can meet formally. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
He kissed my lips before releasing my ass and putting me down. After he disappeared into the hallway, I dressed in the clothes I had on before and did a quick mirror check to make sure I looked decent.
When I made it downstairs, I didn’t see either of them, so I followed their voices to Aziel’s office. The closer I got, the more I could decipher what was said.
“I apologized. Can we move on?” the woman said, clearly annoyed.
“If you think this will be a problem, I’ll change the gate and security code.”
“You’ve been married for two minutes, A. This is the first time I’ve ever had to be mindful of entering your home because I’m the only woman besides your mother, sister, and sister-in-law who’s ever been here. Give me a chance to get used to this.”
Her words and entitled tone rubbed me the wrong way, and I planned to discuss what I’d overheard with him later. I didn’t want to continue to eavesdrop, so I entered Aziel’s office.
“Hey, baby. This is my assistant, Tammy. She will go over what you should expect at the press conference tomorrow. Tammy, this is my wife, Desire.”
I approached Tammy and extended my hand. It seemed as if she hesitated briefly before doing the same.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“Likewise. I don’t remember seeing you at the wedding.”
“Oh, my apologies. Since everything was last minute, I had other plans that I couldn’t reschedule. Congratulations, by the way. You two seem… very comfortable with each other for having just met.”
I’d gone to stand beside Aziel, and he put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side.
“Desire is Azaria’s preschool teacher, so we met a few months ago and saw each other twice a day on most days,” he replied.
“Oh, wow. What a coincidence. Umm, should we get started?”
Something about Tammy didn’t sit well with me, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions since I didn”t know her. For now, I’d let her live.