5. Chapter 5
Prince Damini
I kept tugging at my collar, the starch in my custom shirt choking me almost as much as the stupidity of the ride over. It was impeccably tailored, but it felt like a silk noose.
To make matters worse, I was trapped in the back of an SUV listening to my parents bicker like petty teenagers the entire drive to the Okoye Estate.
"She has zero respect for the schedule," my mother hissed, still fuming over my father’s second wife going over her allotted time. "I am the senior wife, Eze. I do not sit around waiting for a second wife to finish her shopping while my son prepares for the most important summit of his life. It’s tacky, it’s disrespectful, and I am sick of it. "
"Amina, please, we don’t have to do this everytime I’m late," my old man groaned, rubbing his temples. "It’s not a serious thing so relax. Can we please focus on the alliance today?"
"It is a serious thing because it speaks to her character!" she snapped back.
I didn’t give a fuck about our household drama.
I just stared out the tinted window as my stomach knotted up when the estate gates swung open.
I was about to face the monster for the first time in years.
The same woman who had tried to end my bloodline on the training sands all because of a little friendly banter.
All because I told her she'd look cuter if she smiled.
My inner thigh twitched with a sharp ghost pain right where her blade had sunk into my flesh.
And yet, the second I thought about her, my blood did that same stupid heat-up it did when we were kids. I’d be a liar if I said I hadn't spent the last few years thinking about if she had any new victims besides me. Ain’t no way another man gon’ put up with her stabbing them.
When the SUV rolled to a stop outside the grand conference room, my chest tightened.
Before stepping into the room, I ran a hand smoothly over my temple, feeling the razor-sharp edge of my fade just to remind myself who the fuck I was. I wasn't that skinny, awkward prince anymore. I was a man in my own right.
The second I crossed the threshold, I didn't care about the architecture, the guards, or the others. My eyes went straight to her.
She wasn't that girl with the short pixie cut from the tournament anymore. She’d grown her hair out long. The thick, jet-black hair fell past her shoulders in rich waves that made her chocolate skin shine under the lights. And God, her body.
She was still built like a tank, but now every inch of her was stuffed into some high-end silk that barely held her in.
God damn.
That silk button-up was fighting for its life, stretched so tight across her chest I could trace every single breath she took.
My eyes were glued to her, tracking the strain of that fabric over every single curve until my blood went straight below my belt.
I wanted to sink my hands into all that meat right then and there.
And sitting soft on that flawless cheek, plain as day against all that perfection, was the faint, pale line where my steel had sliced her all those years ago.
The moment she looked up, those stone-cold eyes locked onto me.
My heart thumped, and pissed me off. I fought down the urge to lick my dry lips under her scrutiny, forcing my posture straight and holding her gaze. I wasn't going to let this beautiful monster make me feel like the boy bleeding out on the sand.
Only after I made sure she saw I wasn't flinching did I finally break eye contact to acknowledge the power in the room. I gave a respectful bow toward the Chairman and then to Chief Idris.
"Thank you for stopping by," the Chairman rasped as he gestured toward the empty leather chairs opposite them. "Let us sit and talk about the wedding."
The Chairman pushed himself up from the head of the table. He stepped forward, taking my father’s hand in a firm shake before turning to my mother, bowing his head slightly to kiss the back of her knuckles. Beside him, Chief Idris stood up, giving us a respectful nod.
Adanna was the last to move.
She rose from her leather chair real slow. She didn't look at my old man, and she didn't give my mother a second of her time. Her dark, eyes stayed glued straight to mine, measuring me up.
My throat went bone dry right then. A desperate, burning thirst hit the back of my neck, and I knew a glass of water wasn't gonna do shit. I needed a double shot of heavy whiskey just to take the edge off the heat rolling off her.
As she stepped up to greet me, I tried to stay focused on her face, tried to play it cool. But my eyes betrayed me, dragging straight down to her big titties straining against the tight silk. I had to clear my throat just to keep from staring like a damn fool, forcing my gaze back up to her face.
She reached out a hand. I took it.
The second our palms touched, her grip clamped down tight. I squeezed right back, matching her pressure pound for pound until our knuckles went pale.
The proximity hit me like a wall. Right there in front of both our families, my dick went rock solid.
As our hands stayed locked, I caught the slightest, almost invisible twitch at the corner of her mouth.
We locked eyes until the Chief cleared her throat. She finally let go and took her seat. Watching her sit down, one thought hit me loud and clear: marrying this beautiful monster was going to be the biggest mistake of my life.