I was nervous.
Without the influence of alcohol, my mind was in a whirlwind, thinking about the backlash that would follow after the stunt Zion pulled.
It was both bitter and sweet.
It was bitter because I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not Zion. And it was sweet because it was like my knight had finally come to rescue me from the dragon’s tower.
I wouldn’t necessarily call Akeem a dragon, but since I acquiesced to being his media and image rep, things between us didn’t feel as genuine as I would have liked.
Yes, I had mad love for him, but on my end, our relationship felt more like a friendship with benefits. His acting coach,momager, and uncle thought it would be a good idea to marry me to make people believe he wasn’t the wild-acting man they saw on social media.
He admitted that, in the first year of us being together, he knew who I was from my blog posts and interviews I’d done over the years when I wrote for Detroit Media News. I’d helped many people catapult their careers just by posting positive things about them.
In a way, I felt used, but because I was only partially known, I didn’t mind helping him clean up his image. But as time went on, I had to turn down jobs of helping other celebrities because Akeem didn’t want me to stray from him.
That was what I meant when I said I had to dim myself to make him look good. Marrying him would have been the highlight of his image because it would have shown that he’d changed from being the drunk man in the bar, Donald Trump-ing women. So, for two years, we put up a façade until I eventually grew to like him. I enjoyed the red-carpet moments, the industry parties, and the fine dining, but there was no intimacy beyond that.
Have fun, fuck, repeat.
There were no elongated stares, no pillow talks or talks of children, or where we would live, because his condo wasn’t somewhere to build a family.
That was why I didn’t put up too much of a fight when Zion returned. That man had haunted my soul for fifteen long years—not in a bad way, but in a way that I could never move on from memories of him, his love, his adoration for me, or his beautiful heart.
Being in his presence again made me both nervous and excited. I didn’t know what the night would bring, but I hoped it would end in that mind-blowing sex again.
I stepped into the bathroom of the beautiful villa and fell completely in love. The design was tropical, and glass windows stretched across the walls where the Jacuzzi tub and shower were located. The tall bushes covered the majority of the glass to provide privacy, even though we were the only ones on the resort.
I set my luggage on the countertop, then removed my essentials. I couldn’t believe Jessie was in cahoots with Zion. Like, how and when did she find the time to talk to him? It was supposed to be early in the morning before we left for The Garden House venue. As I said, they didn’t say much about me kicking them out last night after seeing Zion, but just the thought of Zion going to this extreme made me realize he wasn't playing when he said he was coming back for me.
I should have believed him.
He had never lied before.
Now, I had no clue what awaited me back home once my getaway was over.
I set the temperature to my liking, then peeled off the beautiful wedding dress, which cost Akeem almost forty thousand dollars, and then took off my veil. Removing the bobby pins that kept my hair together, I ruffled it before stepping inside the shower. As much as I wanted to revel in the feeling the water gave me, I knew Zion was waiting for me, so I made haste to wash thoroughly, rinse, and remove the beautifully done makeup.
Once done, I shut off the water, wrapped a towel around myself, and proceeded with my nightly routine. My sisters knew me well. We only lived together most of our lives, so they knew how particular I was about needing certain things. I used my facial cream, then brushed my teeth. After cleaning my face, I towel-dried my hair, then looked in my bag for something comfortable to wear.
“Jessie, you heffa,” I said aloud, seeing nothing but sexy lingerie in the bag and one outfit. I shook my head, finding a black lace teddy. Luckily, it came with a dark lining. I didn’t mind the sexiness, but I wasn’t ready to give up the goods just yet. We needed time to get to know one another again, but I knew by the end of the night, we would be familiar with one another.
Putting my things away, I walked out of the bathroom and made my way down the hall. I could hear Dru Hill’s “Never Make a Promise” in the distance. When I entered the living room, the lights were dimmed, and candlelight filled the space, giving off an intimate glow, while the sexy-ass man who kidnapped me stood with two champagne flutes, in some sweats and a t-shirt. When his eyes came to me, I could see the appreciation in them.
“Fuck, Dinny. I didn’t get to see everything last night, but . . . shit.” He moved over to me, handing me the champagne flute and kissing my lips. “You’re stunning, baby.”
I blushed. “Thank you.”
“Come on.” He guided me to the couch, where he had set out a charcuterie board with assorted meats, cheeses, and fruits on the coffee table in front of us. We took a seat, and my eyes went to him. I was still shocked that he was even there. That chocolate skin was still smooth, and those lips were still succulent. A thump hit my clit, just from thinking about how he sucked my pussy so good the previous night.
No, Jordin. Talk first, dick later.
“Tell me what happened.”
He took a deep breath, then looked at me. “They found the gun I used to shoot that nigga with. Trouble tossed it, but one of the people who were out there saw it and snitched. That’s when I knew I was going to have to sit down for a while. Every day I spent behind those walls chipped away at me mentally. But I knew what I was into would eventually come back on me.That’s why I was preparing to get out and move on to bigger, better, legal things. My lawyer tried to get the sentence reduced, but with them having that gun and his testimony, I knew I was cooked. The first thought that came to my mind was you.
“I know you had your family to lean on without me, but I still worried about you every day. The only people I had were my best friends. Shit hits different when you don’t have no family to support you behind those walls.”
“I was supporting you. I would have been there for you. I wanted to be there.”