AMANIYou know that feeling when everything seems to be going great in your life, then suddenly, something evil sneaks up on you out of nowhere like bad juju? Yes, that’s exactly how I feel as I throw my robe on and make my way to Will & Julia Perfumety by two forty-five in the morning, terrified as a chicken that’s being led to the slaughter.I’m already halfway there when I realize that I don’t have any shoes on, but there’s no going back. I keep my teeth gritted to hold back my whimpers of pain as rocks jab into my feet on the dark street.Thirty meters away from the company, I can already see the thick cloud of black smoke in the air and a blurry line of crimson in the distant skies. My heart almost stops beating.By the time I arrive at the gates, I’ve gone into full panic mode. I called 9-1-1 but they’re yet to arrive. How can I be faster than the damn police?Aunt Ophelia was right. Only our factories, our main area of production is currently burning. The main buildings where o
BHYRONThe chances that I might develop a heart attack soon is exceedingly high.During the short twenty minute drive to Will & Julia Perfumery, I mobilized my company’s personal fire service to the site of the incident. I’ve conjured every single horrible scenario possible. Amani trapped and scared inside one of the burning factories. Amani trapped underneath a falling building. Amani already burning to death.I know how it feels to be trapped. How it feels to struggle for oxygen. It’s a horrible feeling that still haunts me to this day. And the thought that Amani…“Who the heck let her into a burning building?” I ask one of my private detectives who’s already at the site. “Wasn’t anyone there to stop her?”“Only Miss Amani and her aunt were here, sir. According to her Aunt, she’d tried to stop her but Miss Amani was too stubborn.”I can imagine that. Amani’s stubbornness has probably grown by a thousand percent since I last saw her.Now she wants to worry me to death.***The mome
AMANIThis better be a bad dream. Or better still, a hallucination… because I would kick Henry’s dusty ass if I ever saw him in my dreams. I try to sit up but pinpricks of pain shoot up and down my spine. My legs hurt, my feet hurt, my arm hurts, my throat hurts. Everything hurts. Now, I have to deal with the one person that I’d rather die from smoke inhalation than talk to.“Careful there. You might hurt yourself.” His voice sounds like a horrific version of static in my ears. Crap! It wasn’t a dream after all.Henry tries to help me up but I give him a death stare and that has him freezing in his tracks.“Don’t you dare touch me.” I say on an almost growl.After struggling to sit up by myself, I turn to him and lift a brow; “what are you doing here?” He has the audacity to smirk at me. “You’re my wife, Amani. You’ve been particularly stubborn and annoying for the past few days, but I still care about you.”I almost choke on my own soot-flavoured spit. Unlike other people who wa
AMANIThe moment Henry and Laura exit the ward, a strange feeling of overwhelming exhaustion crashes on me and I lean back against the pillows with a strained sigh.I shut my eyes, trying to recover from that disaster when my vision suddenly darkens. My eyes fly open and my toes curl in surprise when I see Bhyron hovering over me. His sharp blue eyes are dark and intense as they rove over every inch of my body.“What are you doing?”His eyes meet mine and butterflies erupt in my belly. “Did he hurt you?”“What?”“That bastard, Henry. Did he put his hands on you?”My blood runs cold. “Uh… no. Why would you ask me that?”“Don’t lie to me, Amani. I saw you crying when I walked in.”I force myself to hold his gaze, despite the exhaustion in my limbs and the dread in my bones. I don’t want Bhyron getting involved in whatever issues I’ve got with Henry. Things could get incredibly messy.I clear my throat, deciding to change the subject; “why did you save me?”Bhyron’s eyes darken dangerou
AMANI“Okay, Aunt, how much have we lost?”It’s been four hours since Bhyron was taken to the police station and I'm currently getting ready to be discharged from the hospital. Aunt Ophelia has been acting weird ever since. By weird, I mean she’s been sending me weird glances.She heaves the one hundredth long sigh and I finally give in with an eye roll.“Okay, Aunt. What’s wrong?”She doesn’t even hesitate.“Don’t you think you were too hasty to accuse Bhyron of causing the fire? You should’ve seen him yesterday. The man damn near lost his mind. He was genuinely worried about you. Look, Amani, you know I’d always be on your side, but I really think you went too far this time.”My heart twinges painfully. “Bhyron was worried about me?” I whisper in disbelief.“Of course! If I didn’t see it with my own two eyes, I would never have believed it. He was scared to death. I think he really cares about you.”I shake off the fireworks erupting in my chest and lift my chin, staring her down;
AMANII’m convinced that Aunt Ophelia is currently the weapon fashioned against me that’s starting to prosper.Don’t get me wrong, I love my aunt to DEATH, but she’s done nothing but get me into one trouble or the other these past few days.After Duke announced that I was supposed to sign Bhyron’s bail papers by myself, Aunt Ophelia tried to follow us to the police station but he responded, and I quote;“I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to come along, Mrs. Ophelia. Bhyron only asked for Amani, but I assure you that I’ll drop her off right at your doorstep when she’s done.”That was supposed to be an assurance, but believe me when I say there was nothing assuring about his dark, deadly tone.My heart is on the verge of beating out of my ribcage as he leads us to a big ass SUV parked beside Aunt Ophelia’s pitiful Corolla. Even the driver who holds the door open for me looks scary as hell with the scar that slashes all the way across his left cheek.The ride to the police st
AMANII do the math really quick.I have one thousand dollars in my savings account and another two thousand in a checking account, making it three thousand dollars.I lift my chin, hold Bhyron’s gaze and whisper; “will you accept a three thousand dollar deposit?”His eyes narrow on me, warm and electrifying; “no.”Dang.“What does taking care of you entail exactly?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” His voice is deep and soft, and holds the promise of something wicked.I’m well aware that his mother and siblings are still staring at me like I fell from the sky. Without saying a word to them, Bhyron turns to Duke;“Please ask the driver to bring the car around. I’d like to leave now.”Brielle runs to his side; “Bhyron, are you sure you’re okay? I can take care of you if you want.”Bhyron smiles at her affectionately and pats her hair; “I’ll be fine, bed hair. I’ll call you later, okay?”I don’t even know what I find most surprising: the fact that Bhyron still calls his sister “bed
AMANII’m beginning to realize that there’s a very powerful connection between hatred and sexual tension. Because if there wasn’t, why would I hate this man with all my heart and still want to suck his dick like a lollipop while he does very immoral things to my body?Bhyron’s request hangs in the air between us like a forbidden fruit, silently begging one of us to reach forward and pluck it.He wants me. I can see the burning desire in his eyes. And I want him, too. My sex literally throbs with need.Ten heartbeat later, the car rolls to a stop and the driver’s voice snaps me out of me sexually induced reverie.“We’re here, sir.”I look away, clearing my throat as if that would miraculously rid my mind of dirty thoughts.The tension in the car is so hot, so thick, it makes it almost impossible to breathe. Acting without thought, I grab the handle and pull my side of the door open. I’m about to step out when Bhyron’s voice has me freezing in my tracks; “Don’t move.”I look at him ove
BHYRONAmani left with grandpa a few minutes ago but I’m still seated behind my desk, staring at the CCTV footage on my computer and watching the bags I bought go up in smoke.My intention was to apologize to her. I guess that failed, woefully.I don’t give a shit about the amount of money I spent. I can make that back in seconds. What matters is the look of pure hatred I saw in Amani’s eyes. That will haunt me forever.I bury my face in my palms and take a deep breath. Amani looked angry. Enraged. How she knew I was watching her through the CCTV, I’d never know. But for a moment, it felt like she was looking straight into my eyes, like she knew I was there. I get to my feet and pace the room. My wedding is set to happen in the next thirty minutes. I’m already dressed up and waiting to be notified to come downstairs for the ceremony. My long term goal of marrying the one woman who has the power to set me ablaze with just one look is finally about to be fulfilled, but I’m restless.Dr
AMANIJay flinches at my harsh tone but stands his ground. “Miss Amani, I assure you that the boss does not consider you a whore. These are just wedding presents and he’d be pleased if you accept them.”I tilt my head to the side, struggling to rein in my temper. That’s the thing — I never, ever want to partake in any activity that pleases Bhyron Macaulay. I still regret my little mistake from a few hours ago.I wanted to please him and it backfired right in my face.I look up and my eyes coincidentally lands on the CCTV camera positioned high up on the west wall. My fingers twitch with annoyance as a devious thought suddenly crawls into my mind.“Your boss is watching us right now, isn’t he?” I ask Jay, not bothering to take my eyes off the camera.Jay follows my line of vision and lets out a small curse when he realizes I’ve seen the camera. His tone suddenly changes, becoming defensive;“Miss Amani, I…”I shoot him a look filled with annoyance and he clamps his mouth shut.“There’
AMANITHREE HOURS LATER…My wedding is set to hold in the next two hours and I’m an emotional wreck.I stare at my swollen eyes in the mirror, willing my mind to forget everything that happened in that room three hours ago.“Girl, we don’t have time for this. The makeup artist has been waiting for you for almost two hours. You haven’t even tried out your wedding dress. I’m not sure you’ve even taken a bath!” Zuri half-yells, pacing the room nervously.“At this pace, we’ll never be ready on time. Not that I want you to marry that sonofabitch, but grandpa will be upset…”I keep staring at the mirror, trying to figure out the hollow-eyed woman who stares back at me.Anger, bitterness and shame swirls in my guts when I remember the smugness in Bhyron’s eyes after he successfully fooled me. The bastard tricked me. Once again, he proved that I can never trust him.“…and you won't even tell me what happened! Where were you this morning? What happened to you?” Zuri babbles non stop, pacing r
BHYRONI don’t know how much longer I can keep this up and I think it’s high time I told myself the truth.Hurting Amani’s feelings is not as satisfying as I thought it would be. Taking my revenge does not fill my heart with joy like I thought it would.The hurt and confusion in her eyes breaks me every single time. This was supposed to be easy, goddamnit! I was never supposed to feel anything for her. My job would’ve been goddamn easier if those bright, chocolate eyes didn’t appeal to my dark soul every single time.My goal was to take revenge for all the pain that Amani and her family caused me, but I barely stopped myself from pulling her into my arms just five seconds ago. All I wanted to do was clean her up, hold her and make sure she got a few hours of sleep before the wedding. And that was not the bloody plan!I slam the door behind me and lean against it, trying to calm my pounding heart.Anger, raw and venomous stirs in my veins. I’m angry at myself for hurting her and furiou
AMANI“…suck my dick, Amani. If you’re able to make me cum, I’ll let you wear the dress.” Shock, mixed with violent arousal explodes in my belly, leaving me weak and temporarily unable to think properly.My arms around Bhyron’s neck slips but he catches me at the last minute, cupping my lower back and pulling me against his chest in a half-embrace. I’m completely enveloped in his intoxicating heat and my heart is a large, melted puddle of goo. If not for his support, I’d have fallen flat on my face a long time ago.I should slap his face and stomp out of the room, but my brain is already conjuring images of his thick, swollen cock deep inside the walls of my throat. I gulp helplessly.It’s settled. I’m fucked.“What’s it going to be, little caramel?” He whispers huskily, trailing his fingers across my heated cheeks. “Will you suck my cock or do you want to live without my forgiveness? I can already feel your wetness on my thigh. If I touch you down there, my fingers will come back d
AMANI“You can forget about the dress. It’s not for you. You don’t have to wear it…”I never wanted to wear Bhyron’s dress. I never wanted a dress that was made specially for some strange woman whom he’s obsessed with. But those harsh words coupled with his cold expression hits me like a goddamn punch in the gut.He’s clearly saying I’m not worthy enough to wear the same dress as the woman of his dreams. Jealousy burns like a fever in my throat. I’ve never wanted to beat up an imaginary woman so badly in my entire life. I’m almost ashamed of myself. Almost.I stiffen against him, holding his gaze while trying not to burst into stupid tears. I wouldn’t even know why I’m crying in the first place. So what if Bhyron is in love with some unnamed dancing bride? I don’t like him. I shouldn’t be bothered.The logical thing to do would be to step away from him and lick my wounds while I still can, but the last time Amani was logical, George Washington was still president.Instead of counting
AMANIBefore I can get my thoughts together, Aunt Ophelia hurries forward and grabs my arm, her eyes wide with a haunted expression that sends chills down my spine; “Amani, dear, you have to leave. You cannot be seen in here.”Now I’m more confused than ever and even more determined to find out what the hell is going on. I’m convinced that Aunt Ophelia knows something. She’s definitely hiding something from me.She tries to pull me towards the exit but I stubbornly dig my feet into the ground, refusing to move. Noting my hesitation, Aunt Ophelia looks over her shoulder and lifts one questioning brow; “Sweetie, what are you doing? We have to leave.”The forced cheer in her voice and the tiny, fake smile plastered on her lips makes me even more resolute to go nowhere.I pull my arm from her grip and fold them, looking her straight in the eyes;“Okay, aunt. Spill. What are you hiding?”A flash of panic lightens her eyes before she’s able to hide it beneath a confused expression.“What
AMANII’m shocked to my bones. I’m in awe. I’m blown away.I move closer to get a better look. The closer I go, the grander it becomes.I barely have the words to describe it — It’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. It’s definitely expensive… and also seems familiar as hell.I search my memory on a quest to figure out where I’ve seen it before. It’s very unique, very unlike anyone of its kind out there. A second later, it finally dawns on me, leaving a strong bitter taste at the back of my throat. I remain rooted to the spot, blinking rapidly in shock as the pieces slowly fall into place. The current object of my obsession is a wedding dress. It sits alone on a raised platform in the middle of the room, sparkling and shimmering like a rare creature in all its glory. The platform is made of black onyx stone and probably costs far more than what my parents’ entire company is worth.And the dress itself… I lack the words to describe it. It sparkles from top to bottom, and a closer inspection
AMANII can’t sleep. I tried to, but images of Grandma Alice crying her eyes out against Bhyron’s chest literally chased me around a rocky path in dreamland, armed with a sharp knife.I shoot awake some moments later, breathing like I just engaged in a sumo wrestling contest. Sweat pours down my face in torrents despite the cold AC that blows my heated skin.Looking around the dark room, goosebumps rise on my arms and my heart tightens with fear at all the shadows hanging around. I hate darkness with a passion that rivals Hades. I cannot sleep without the lights on and practically glaring. Zuri hates me for it, which is why we can never share a room.The only reason the lights are off is because Zuri opted to sleep with me tonight after I practically clung on to her when everyone left. My chest tightens painfully as I recall the strange feeling of abandonment that weighted my shoulders when I realized the entire family was upset with me, Aunt Ophelia inclusive.Memories of that sla