AMANIWhen I finally recover from my shock, I try to climb out of the bathtub but Bhyron chooses that moment to thrust upwards. His naked cock rubs against my throbbing core and I freeze, shivers of shocked pleasure skittering up my spine.Dang. I’m cooked. “Where do you think you’re going?” His deep baritone filters into my senses.I meet his gaze head on, trying not to let my traitorous vagina overrule my ability to think.“And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”He has the audacity to lift a brow, acting all confused and innocent.“What are you talking about?”Annoyance kicks in. “Oh, don’t you dare pretend like you don’t know. Why are you naked? When did you take your briefs off?”“While you were taking off your jeans.” He deadpans proudly, his eyes glinting with seriousness.I huff. “That was not the deal, Mr. Macaulay. You agreed to keep your briefs on.”“I never agreed to any such thing. It’s all in your head.” I try to argue but pause when I realize that he’s right. He
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SEXUAL ACTIVITIES THAT ARE NOT PARTICULARLY NORMAL. ***AMANIOf all the things I expected Bhyron to bring, a cucumber was at the bottom of the list. In fact, it wasn’t even on the list to begin with.“What are you going to do with that thing?” I ask, my limbs burning with nervousness and curiosity.He pauses and looks at me with a hooded gaze; “oh, this? You’ll see.”It’s official. I’m crazy. Because why am I not shouting and screaming to be set free? Why on earth am I still lying there like a docile little lamb being led to the slaughter?I’m still a married woman for goodness sakes!Bhyron stalks in my direction and goes on his knees between my spread thighs. He trails the tips of his fingers over the sensitive skin of my inner thighs and my head falls back, my lips parting in a tiny moan.“I’m going to eat you out now.” He announces in a soft tone. “I hope you’re ready for me…”Without waiting for my response, Bhyron buries his head between my thig
AMANI I wake up and the first thought that crosses my mind is “dang, this bed is comfortable as hell.” The second thought is; “fuck, I’m so sore.” And I’m not even joking. My thighs and crotch hurt like I was involved in some kind of heavy labour the previous night. My eyes slowly flutter open and for the next ten seconds, I stare at the bright white ceiling and luxurious chandelier, wondering where the fuck I am. “Dang, my head hurts.” I mutter into the quiet room as I struggle to sit up. The moment I sight the luxurious decor and floor-to-ceiling curtains, all my memories come rushing back like a goddamn geyser. Giving Bhyron a bath. Stupidly taking off my pants. Letting him kiss me. Bhyron cuffing me to his gym equipment. Bhyron… fucking me with a cucumber. My cheeks heat and redden like a roasted tomato. I bury my face in my palm and let out a long, muffled groan. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I’m so so stupid. “You’re a foolish, foolish girl, Amani.” I mutte
AMANIIt takes me about ten seconds to realize that this isn’t a kitchen. It’s a… studio? Production house?The room is decorated like a kitchen with all the fancy cooking equipment, shiny countertops, the big ass refrigerator and of course, the food that’s simmering on the stove. But there are cameras everywhere. And lighting equipment. And two men who appear to be studio professionals.But that isn’t why my mouth dropped open in awe. Behind the stovetop is Bhyron. A black apron with the inscription; “More cooking, less brawn” is tied around his waist to protect his crisp white shirt from food stains. His hair is slicked back and tied out of the way in a ponytail, and wait for it… he’s stirring the pot of stew on the stove and saying something to the cameras.And then, the big shocking surprise. There’s a woman by his side. And she’s none other than Sharon Armstrong. She looks nothing less than perfect, as usual. Her dark hair is also tied in a ponytail, like Bhyron’s, and she has a
AMANIOur financial situation has been horrible for the past few days. I can barely keep up with my rent and I have to save up just to afford food everyday.Why am I saying this?I’ve been so broke that I wasn’t able to afford a proper headstone for my son’s grave. I already planned to have a beautiful headstone installed for him next month when I had enough money. Right now, I stare at that same grave that was just a heap of sand the day before, my mouth half open in shock.“Who did this?” I whisper in disbelief.It’s beautiful.Someone built a tombstone for my son overnight. It’s in the shape of his favourite cartoon character, Lightning Macqueen. Yes, the tomb is shaped like a toy car. It even has headlights, and there’s a small rectangular opening in the middle for his casket.I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life.When my shock finally abates, I cannot help the smile of pure happiness that curves my lips. I'm sure Little Dave is probably giggling and clapping his ha
AMANIDIVORCE AGREEMENT…My fingers are still trembling as I look up to meet Bhyron’s confident gaze.“You got him to sign it.” I whisper in disbelief. “How? Why?”He steeples his long fingers, his eyes gleaming wickedly.“Look at the edge of the paper.”My eyes fall to the edge of the paper and my stomach tightens when I find it soaked with red liquid.My head snaps upwards and for the first time, I notice the tiny red spots on Bhyron’s collar.“Wait… is that blood?”The confidence in Bhyron’s eyes does not waver when he says;“Sure it is. But it’s not mine.”The atmosphere seems to drop by a few hundred degrees. My heart is currently pounding wildly against my ribcage;“Did you kill him?” He shrugs; “I almost did. But in the end, I decided to leave him with a couple of broken limbs, a broken nose and one swollen eye. He might end up having to crawl all the way his car, and his nose might never look the same again, but that’s okay. He’ll survive.”A strange mixture of shock and horr
AMANIAunt Ophelia hurriedly wipes her eyes and forces a smile;“It’s nothing, sweetie. Just something in my eyes.”I know she’s lying, and I want to ask again. Then it occurs to me that she might not actually feel comfortable talking about her problem when Bhyron and Jay are in the room. So I turn to him and lift my chin;“Uh… thanks for dropping me off. You can leave now.”His jaw is set at a stubborn angle and I know he wants to argue with me. So I add; “just leave, Bhyron. I’ll give you a call later.”His jaw eases. Then he leans forward and growls very, very softly; “I’m looking forward to that call. If I don’t see it by midnight, I’ll come to you in person to find out why.”On a normal day, I’d brush off his threat. But after getting to know the new Bhyron, I’ve realized that this man is capable of anything. And he’s unpredictable as hell. So I just nod.“Of course.”He opens his mouth to say something else but closes it a second later and stalks out of the room without looking
AMANII’m still struggling to pick my jaw off the floor but Aunt Ophelia is not done speaking.“I really thought he liked me. I didn’t know he worked with the Gunam brothers.”I stare at her wide-eyed.“You really thought he liked you? Aunt, you’re a married woman. Do you realize that you’ve been cheating on your husband?”She keeps her face lowered to the ground.“Thorn and I are not currently the best of friends.”“What do you mean?”When she looks up, her eyes are clouded with sadness. “Thorn’s mother isn’t actually sick. He just went over there because our marriage has really been… strained lately. We’ve been fighting a lot. We barely see eye to eye. Everything is falling apart.” Another sniff.“The main reason I cheated years ago was because I…” a deep breath. “I caught Thorn kissing his Personal Assistant when I paid him a surprise visit once. I was so upset that that same night, I ended up in the strip club where I met Desmond.”My brain is currently whirling with shock. Images
BHYRONThe past few days have just been a rollercoaster of revelations. It’s crazy how so many secrets can be swept under the rug for years. It’s even more appalling how lives can be ruptured by these secrets within seconds.I asked my mother for an urgent meeting and of course, she tried to come up with excuses. But I told her in a not-so-kind tone that we had something important to discuss. Then I hung up. I’m not sure if she’d actually want to see me, but something tells me that I need to speak to her. Today.I want to send Amani home but she’s feeling a bit nauseous so I’ve decided to keep her by my side. I need to keep a close eye on her.Right now, we’re walking through my mother’s clothing company, Beauty and Roses, Amani’s smaller hands firmly clasped in mine.“Oh, Mr. Macaulay. Your mother already informed me of your coming. She’s waiting for you in the office.” I nod at Carla, the receptionist. “Sure. Thanks.”Seconds later, I’m knocking on the heavy oak door. The door swi
AMANI“I want to see grandpa today.” I mutter excitedly as I fly down the stairs.I woke up an hour ago to an empty bed. Bhyron was gone, but there was a note on the bedside table that made my heart flutter.“Little Caramel,I prepared a scented bath for you. Soak in it so you can relax. Afterwards, come downstairs for breakfast. Your husband is waiting.”I literally swooned all the way to the bathroom.If anyone had told me that Bhyron and I would be together today, I would’ve probably laughed on their faces. But here I am, skipping across the penthouse, my heart giddy at the thought of seeing him again after I’d all but slept inside his skin last night.I love him so much. “Bhyron!” I squeal when I arrive at the dining room.My husband looks up and his whole face lights up when he sees me. God, this man is gorgeous. Too gorgeous.He’s clean shaven this morning and dressed in a blue sweater that does magical things for his eyes. I can spot black slacks beneath. Does this mean he’s n
AMANI“Duncan, get the car ready. We’re going back to the Hope Fortress in the next five minutes.” Bhyron’s voice swims like a fog above me, pressing into my tired brain as the sound of sirens fade into the distance. He swings me into his arms and I cling onto his neck for dear life, burrowing into his chest, breathing him in.God, he smells so good. I would give anything to slide under his skin right about now. “Baby, are you okay?” He whispers as he lifts me through the revolving glass door. “How are you feeling?”“Tired.” I mumble pitifully. My emotions are all over the place. Tears currently sting my eyes but I chalk it up to pregnancy hormones.I’m just glad it’s all over. I’m glad that King Murder is finally going to jail. I hope he gets a death sentence for all his atrocities. His death would never bring back the hundreds of children he kidnapped, sold and killed, but its a start in the right direction. A monster like him does not deserve any more chances at life.When we fi
AMANIBhyron hasn’t said a single word since Sharon announced herself. Beneath my palm, his shoulders are stiff as a rock. His gaze, cold and blank, is firmly fixed on Sharon. The bitch doesn’t even have the decency to look ashamed of herself. She pats her belly with a smug expression, holding his gaze head on.“Sharon.” He seethes. “Start explaining. Now.”She shrugs unapologetically and lifts her chin. “My explanation is simple, Byron. I don’t owe you one. I tried to get us married the first time and you abandoned me at the altar. I tried again but you kept choosing her over me!” She snaps, jabbing a finger in my direction. “You and I went through so much together after she disappeared. I was by your side while you tried to build your business. But the moment Amani returned, you tossed me to the gutters like I meant nothing!”She flicks a glance at her perfectly manicured fingernails and lets out a cold chuckle..“Did you expect me to spend the rest of my life waiting for you? I m
AMANIOkay, what in the actual fuck is going on here?!I turn around and panic grips my throat like a vice as I watch Zuri stumble backwards, her eyes wide and hazy with shock.“Zuri!” Without thinking, I pull away from Bhyron and lunge towards her, grabbing her before she falls to the concrete floor.“Zuri. Baby, can you hear me?” Fear slithers down my back when she doesn’t respond. Her eyes are wide open and she’s looking straight at me, but she seems distant, almost like she’s fallen into a trance.“Bhyron, she’s not responding!”A shadow falls over me and I look up to find Duke staring down at us — at Zuri — his eyes flashing with a deadly mixture of fear, worry and rage.“Give her to me.”It’s a command. Not a request.I don’t bother arguing. I hand Zuri over to him, my heart squeezing as I watch the big man delicately maneuver my best friend into the safety of his arms. He strokes a lock of her curly blue hair out of her eyes, lowers his face to hers and whispers softly; “Zu
BHYRONThere’s something very suspicious about this entire situation. After the disaster of our wedding, I went on a fucking rampage. I burned and destroyed every single last one of King Murder’s properties that came within my reach while he went into hiding. Thinking about it now, my blood heats with the fierce hint of violence.I have to give to him, he was wise enough to hide. Because only the devil would’ve been able to look at his body once I was done with him, if I’d gotten my hands on the bastard then. I hold Amani’s soft, smaller hand in mine, still amazed by her show of strength. Yes, I would rather she stayed back at the office and out of harm’s way, but there was something about the defiant spark on her eyes when she told me she’d like to confront King Murder that stirred my stony heart.I make sure to keep her behind me, shielded by my body as we make our way down the hall. I flick a glance at our joined hands and my heart beats a painful, comforting rhythm.She didn’t p
AMANII try to sit on my own, worried that my weight is a burden to Bhyron, but a low growl rumbles in his chest and he clamps his arms around my waist, keeping me locked against him. I look up and our eyes meet. I nearly melt from the heat in his gaze. He frowns at me, telling me exactly what he thinks about my attempt to escape. So I stay put. I wiggle against his chest, wrap my arms around his hard, solid belly and stay snuggled around my husband.“The guns in Grandpa’s house. The fierce-looking guards. The underground tunnel. Oh, and the tinted cars that kept taking you guys to God knows where at night.”His lips curl in a mysterious smile and he leans forward, running the tip of his nose across the shell of my ear.“How did you know about that? Were you watching me, little caramel?”I shiver in his embrace and lower my head, my cheeks reddening with awareness. “A little bit. You’re very interesting to watch.”To my surprise, Bhyron throws back his head and laughs. My head snaps
BHYRONLeft to me, I would never bother to relive those horrible memories. They’re with me day and night, haunting my nightmares and my waking moments.But it’s not left to me anymore. The moment Amani became involved, it was no longer in my hands. I need to say it out loud. I have to get it off my chest. Maybe, just maybe, doing this will silence the demons that haunt me till this day. So here goes;“When I was eight years old, I was kidnapped. It started out like a normal day, I’d gone to school as usual but on my way back, the unexpected happened.We were ambushed by three trucks filled with men all dressed in red. They killed my driver and two bodyguards. My bodyguards.” I pause for a moment, shivering as the worst of the memories come tumbling in.Amani presses closer against my back, silently lending her support. Believe it or not, that gives me the strength to go on.“The goons didn’t just shoot my guards, they tied them to a wooden stake and roasted all three of them alive wh
BHYRONAn hour and thirty minutes later, we’re all seated in Bhyron’s spacious, luxuriously decorated office. There are five of us — me, Zuri, Amanda, Bhyron and Duke.Amanda and Zuri were already waiting when we arrived. Zuri holds my hand, silently lending her support while Bhyron stands behind his desk, opposite us. There’s a strange look in his eyes, an interesting mixture of pain, sorrow and fear that tempts me to run across the room and hold him.Dread clings to the stiff atmosphere like the smell of petrichor on a dusty rainy day. Whatever Duke, Bhyron and Amanda are about to tell us will be horrible. I can already feel it. “Let’s go straight to the point and get it over with, shall we?” Duke begins. “But before we start, we’d like to show you a video, Amani.”My heartbeat accelerates painfully. Duke turns his laptop, giving me access to the video that’s already playing on the screen. My eyes are glued to the screen, scared that I’ll miss something if I even dare to blink.A