27. Desire
Later that night,I showered alone while Aziel got Azaria ready for bed. When she woke up from her nap, he loved on her more than usual. He was always affectionate toward her, but today was different.
His hugs were longer, and kisses more frequent. He laughed hysterically at her silly stories and tickled her until she pleaded for him to stop. Her excitement was contagious when he agreed to read her two bedtime stories.
After a long shower, he came to bed on a mission. For the next two hours, my husband took my body to heights it had never been. He made me climax so many times, in so many ways, my head was spinning. We explored positions I didn’t know existed, and I loved every touch, every kiss, every lick, every bite, and every stroke.
The next morning, I was spent. My body was sore and weak, but I got moving after a hot shower. Aziel entered the kitchen just as I finished making breakfast, greeting me with a forehead kiss.
“I wanted to eat your pussy this morning, but you snuck out of bed before I could.”
“She needs a little break. I got you tonight, though. This weekend was a lot. How is your mental?”
It appeared as if my question surprised him, and he paused briefly before replying.
“I’ve never been asked that question, baby. I had to think about my response for a moment. My mental is good.”
“That’s good to hear. Do you have a busy day ahead?”
“I do, on top of starting the search for a new assistant. Mark is still on duty to take you anywhere needed. I’m meeting with Quinton and his lieutenant today to discuss the next steps with Iris. You have to make the final decision since you received the threats.”
“Umm, okay.”
“We can talk about it this evening when I know more.”
“Sounds good. After Ria’s lesson today, I planned to go dress shopping for the fundraiser. Is that?—”
“Oh shit, I forgot to tell you. I have someone coming over today with dresses for you all to choose from. I’ll text you the details. Can you reach out to all the ladies in my family to see if they can come over? Don’t worry about my mother; she already has a dress because she doesn’t do last minute.”
“Really? Umm, okay. I’m sure my mom and sisters can come over, but I’ll contact the other ladies.”
We exchanged a few more words and kisses before he left for the day. Getting through the morning tasks was rough because I was exhausted. I’d never been more grateful for Azaria’s mild-mannered personality. When it was time for her nap, she went down with ease as she always did.
All the ladies made themselves available to try on dresses and would start arriving in thirty minutes. The boutique owner would be here in an hour. I quickly pulled out the rest of the leftovers from Saturday, warmed them up, and made some mimosas. Everything was ready when the first guest arrived.
“Hey, Seela!” I greeted with a hug after letting her in. “I’m glad you could come.”
“Me too. The fundraiser snuck up on me this year, and I haven’t had time to dress shop. This is perfect.”
“What can be better than shopping in the comfort of your home?”
“Shopping in the comfort of someone else’s.”
“True!”
The buzzer sounded, and I looked at the camera to see my mother and sisters in Dream’s car and Alaina behind them in her truck. Once everyone was inside and had exchanged greetings, we headed to the kitchen.
“Oh my God, you read my mind. I was hoping you still had some leftovers. Savion and the kids ate what we brought home for dinner last night and didn’t save me a crumb,” Alaina said in a huff.
“Same!” Seela exclaimed. “But it was the boys. When I told AJ I was coming over, he asked me to see if you had any more.”
“Wow! I’m glad they enjoyed. We should do Saturday or Sunday dinner twice a month, rotating households, of course.”
“That’s a great idea. We can host the weekend after the fundraiser,” Seela volunteered.
“And if it becomes too much, we can all bring a dish,” my mother added.
“That’s even better,” I agreed.
We made our plates and grabbed a mimosa before sitting down to enjoy lunch.
“So, did Iris cause any more trouble after we left?” Alaina asked.
I released a breath. “Not directly.”
“Uh oh? What’s the tea?” Seela questioned.
“Well, I’ve shared a bit with my sisters, but there have been some developments since then.”
“Spill it,” Dream pressed.
Everyone was stunned after I shared everything that had transpired over the past few days, including some of the gritty details Aziel had shared about Iris.
“Men don’t listen. I told Aziel years ago that Tammy was in love with him, didn’t I, Seela,” Alaina said.
“You sure did, and I cosigned. He still claimed not to see it.”
“Yeah, that’s what he told me, too.”
“I can’t believe she was behind those messages. What did she think would happen?” Destinee asked.
“This technology has given people the guts to do and say anything because they’re behind the screen,” my mother commented.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Seela said. “I can’t keep up with all the apps out there now. We do our best to make sure the kids aren’t doing anything crazy on the internet, but we have to trust that we’re raising them right.”
“Are you planning to press charges against Iris?” Destinee asked.
“Most likely, I will. Aziel is meeting with the police today to see what our options are. He wants to keep this out of the media if possible.”
We continued talking until the boutique owner arrived. For the next couple of hours, I had more fun than I’d had in a long time. Azaria woke up and gave us unsolicited advice about how we looked, and she was right ninety percent of the time. Some dresses were hideous, others were to die for, but we eventually chose one to wear to the fundraiser.
“Mommy, look. Daddy in the TV,” Azaria said as she pointed at the screen.
Everyone had just left, and I was straightening up the family room while Azaria played with her dolls. The TV was on for background noise, and neither of us was paying attention to it, or so I thought.
“What the hell?” I mumbled, searching for the remote to turn the volume up.
“…threatened my wife via social media and showed up at our home making unreasonable demands. I’ve been made aware of what Miss Montclair has stated in several rants on social media. I won’t answer any questions today but will clarify some things.”
Aziel paused as a man whispered in his ear. He nodded a few times before the man walked away, and he continued.
“Miss Montclair is my daughter’s biological mother. Due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, she signed all of her rights over to me four days after she gave birth. Two days ago was the first time I’d seen or heard from Miss Montclair since that day. My priority is keeping my family safe. That’s all for now.”
Almost as soon as he disappeared off the screen, my cell phone rang.
“Baby.”
“Hey, did you see the press conference?”
“I caught most of it. What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry for not giving you a heads up. Iris has been on social media losing her damn mind. Since she mentioned me multiple times, I had to address it. We’ll talk more when I get home. I’m on my way.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”