My Brother's Wife 2: What The Heart Wants

by Mona

  “I’m not sleeping with him, Angie. I’m just trying to help him right now. The few times I’ve seen him, were only after his therapy sessions,” Arianna clarified.

  “It’s still wrong, Ari. He’s still in love with you while he and Andre are now enemies. Auntie Lorette is right. Keep playing and you’re going to lose your husband. And I agree with her, that’s it’s bad luck to think about another man while pregnant with your husband’s baby. Shit, you’re talking about the baby might come out looking like me and Auntie Lorette, that baby might come out looking like Mal.”

  “Oh shut up, and I don’t think about him. Like I said, all I’m doing is helping him. I haven’t told Dre, because he wouldn’t understand,” Arianna replied.

  Angeline shook her head and sipped her drink. As she savored the taste of her favorite red wine, merlot; her eyes landed on Desmond who had just entered the room with Andre. Licking her lips, she followed his every move as she watched him walk to the bar. God, he’s sexy she thought to herself. Her feelings for him deepened the night they kissed but fear of trust and insecurities held her back from completely opening up to him. Unbeknownst to him, she no longer wanted to be scared. She wanted to reveal her feelings to him and tell him how much she cared and longed for him. She wanted to jump in his arms and open up to him in the worst way. She wanted to act out everything they did in her dreams and then some. If only she could find the courage to do so.

  As Desmond headed to the bar, Andre made his way to the table where Arianna and Angeline were seated. “What’s up baby?” He greeted Arianna. Andre kissed her cheek and laughed at her attempt to answer him with food in her mouth. “Damn, you still eating? Weren’t you eating when I left a couple of hours ago?” He asked as Angeline busted out laughing. Andre laughed as well while Arianna rolled her eyes.

  “You guys better leave me alone with all of your jokes. I’m eating for two you know?”

  “Yeah, that’s what all pregnant women say,” Andre added and Angeline continued laughing.

  “That’s not funny, Dre. I’m eating for me and the baby,” Arianna she pouted her lips at him.

  “I’m sorry baby,” Andre apologized, reached over and kissed her neck.

  As Angeline smiled at them; Patrice, Lorette, followed by Edward and his girlfriend Imani, entered the ballroom. Everyone made their way to the table.

  “Hey guys. We made it just in time for the ball drop,” Edward announced a he shook hands and hugged Andre as well as Arianna and Angeline. Turning to Imani, he introduced her to the ladies. “Guys, this is my girlfriend, Imani Lachelle.”

  “Hello, everybody,” Imani greeted everyone seated at the table. Arianna and Angeline greeted her as well. Patrice and Lorette were able to make their acquaintance on their way down to the ballroom. “I’m sorry, you are Arianna, Andre’s wife, correct?” Imani inquired as she admired Arianna’s beauty. Smiling, she thought of her bestie, Sejine in that moment. Sejine told her all the glory details about the brief moment she shared with Andre in that private room in the basement of her club. Although, Imani considered the experience very much of nothing, based on the details Sejine provided, it still meant a whole lot of something to Sejine, because five months later she still reminisced about it.

  “Yes, I am. I’m Arianna Aeikan. Ed told us so much about you. Glad to finally meet you,” Arianna commented.

  “Nice to meet you as well. You’re even more beautiful in person than on television,” Imani complimented Arianna.

  “Oh, thank you. You too are very lovely,” Arianna said as she returned the compliment.

  “Nice to see you again, Andre,” Imani then turned her attention to Andre.

  “What’s up?” Andre replied as he glanced in her direction.

  “Oh nothing, just the same old thing. Restaurant is doing great, that’s about it,” She added and smiled.

  “Oh, that’s right; you do own a restaurant in New York, don’t you?” Arianna inquired.

  “Yes it’s a restaurant with a club in the lower level,” Imani explained.

  “Oh, that sounds great. Andre and I, along with my cousin Angeline here, as well as Andre’s cousin Desmond over there must check it out one day. I’ve been meaning to make my way over to Brooklyn to visit Andre’s family, but haven’t had the chance to do so,” Arianna admitted.

  “Oh, that would be great. I would love to have all of you visit.” As Imani and Arianna made plans, Desmond approached the table with a glass in his hand. Unsure of what it was he was sipping on; Angeline noticed his eyes appeared rather glossy. Once everyone was introduced, they made their way to the bar area with the exception of Desmond and Angeline.

  Desmond took a seat next to her as he stared at her with a serious expression. She suddenly felt nervous as she made eye contact with him. “So, uuhm how is Elijah?” Angeline asked.

  “He’s okay. A little shaken up but he’ll be aight. Ari spoke to him on the phone when we were making our way back here. He seemed to calm down.”

  “Wow, we hope Stacey is okay. We’re really worried about her.”

  “Yeah, we haven’t heard from her for the past four months since we had to let her go. She was a little upset, so we tried to reach out to her but we never could get a hold of her. Every time Dre and Ari went to her house to check on her and Elijah, she was never there. We couldn’t even reach her on the phone until we received the call from Elijah tonight from her phone. According to Elijah, she disappeared yesterday evening and never came back. She left her phone and her house keys, but her car was gone,” Desmond explained.

  “Oh, wow. Well, I really hope she’s okay,” Angeline said once again. Desmond nodded his head in agreement as he sipped on his drink, which consisted of cognac. Suddenly, feeling rather bold, he reached under her chair and pulled her to him. Angeline’s heart skipped a beat as he touched the side of her face.

  “You look good as hell tonight,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Thank you,” she replied in a voice above a whisper.

  “It’s about to be a New Year Angie. When we going to stop playing these games?” Before she was able to reply, he continued. “Your lips are soft as hell. I can’t stop thinking about your lips from the night we kissed. Let’s stop playing these bullshit games, Angie,” he whispered in her ears once again. Although he wanted her to confess her feelings first, he was sick of waiting on her. Little did she know, the games were ending tonight.

  Without giving him a response, she stood up from the table and gave him a faint smile. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Everyone is here. It’s not the time, nor the place. Tomorrow is New Year’s Day, so I don’t have much on my schedule, so we can get together tomorrow and figure out what’s really going on between us, okay?” She suggested. Desmond smirked as he simply stared at her. “I’m going to freshen up and will be back down in time before the ball drops,” she added before exiting the ballroom.

  An hour until midnight:

  “Let’s make a toast. Everyone raise their glasses,” Andre announced.

  “Wait. Ava, Angie and Des are missing. Where did they go?” Arianna asked.

  “Ava was putting little man to bed. She and I were playing with him, A.J. and Elijah and he fell asleep on us,” Ezekiel said with a chuckle.

  “Oh okay,” Arianna laughed too. “Uuhm, Ezekiel, maybe you can go check on her and make sure she’s okay. You can let her know we’re waiting for everyone so we can make a toast. Tell her to hurry, it’s almost midnight.” Arianna grinned as Andre shook his head at her attempt to play match maker.

  “Sure, let me go do that right now. I’ll be right back,” he placed his glass on the table and left the ballroom.

  “Okay, now where the hell is Rolonda and that so called man of hers?” Patrice asked with a scowl on her face. Her dislike for Ian and his relationship with Rolonda only increased since the night of Lorette’s dinner. She just failed to understand how Rolonda could reunite with a man who abandoned her and her children and was a no-show when his dau
ghter passed away. Shaking her head, she decided to calm her nerves by taking a sip of her champagne.

  “I don’t know where the hell she’s at. I called her phone but she didn’t answer,” Andre grabbed Arianna’s hands and pulled her to her feet. “Dance, with me, Ma,” he whispered in Arianna’s ear. Smiling, she followed him to the dance floor. Placing her hands around his neck, he reached down and wrapped his arms around her waist. They slowly danced to the beat of the soulful jazz music.

  “Don’t squeeze your daughter,” she joked.

  “Never that,” he kissed her neck. “You know I love you right,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Yes, babe. I love you too.”

  “I was thinking, after you give birth, we go back to Tahiti and renew our wedding vows for our eight year wedding anniversary,” Andre suggested as he smiled at her.

  “Really?” She smiled as well.

  “Really.”

  “I would love that,” she reached up and kissed his lips. Pulling apart from the kiss, he buried his face in her neck as they continued to slow dance.

  (Upstairs: Second floor)

  “You and Jason have a beautiful son.”

  “Dammit, you scared me,” Ava put her hand to her chest.

  “Sorry about that,” Ezekiel leaned against the wall outside of her bedroom door.

  “Thank you. That’s my baby,” she said with a smile.

  “I never knew you and him had a child together. There’s no mention of him when I Googled your name.”

  “It’s a long story and I rather not talk about it,” Ava stated.

  “Okay. I’ll respect your wishes,” he slowly made his way to her and they stood face to face. “So, you and Jason trying to get that old thing back?” He asked, causing Ava to chuckle.

  “What? Me and Jason. Oh, no way,” she shook her head in an exaggerated manner. “That’s way over and never ever will be again in life,” she expressed.

  “You sure about that?” he edged closer to her. “Because, from what I saw tonight, it seems he is still very much big on you,” he added. “Not that I can say, I blame him.”

  Ava looked down at the floor as she found herself blushing. “You and your words,” she smiled.

  Ezekiel smiled and moved even closer to her. “You bring them out of me,” he whispered as he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. “I missed you these past three months,” he continued as he pulled her body close to his.

  “Ezekiel,” she said in low tone as she trembled from his touch and the heat of his body. The chemistry between them was undeniable. “Ezekiel, please.” She slowly pushed him away.

  He removed his hands from around her waist and stared at her. “I’m a good dude, Ava. But you’re never going to find that out if you don’t give me a chance. Please, don’t judge me by my wild ways from the past and from what you’ve seen in the tabloids. Just because I’ve been seen with many women doesn’t mean I’ve screwed all of them. And please, don’t punish me for whatever it is your ex did. That’s all I’m going to say.” Glancing at her once more he turned to walk towards the stairs.

  “I like you,” Ava called out to him. Ezekiel stopped in his track and slowly made his way back to face her. “It’s just that, something serious went down with Jason. Now I really don’t want to reveal his personal business, but in order for me and you to explore anything, I have to be completely honest with you, so you will know what you are dealing with.”

  “Talk to me,” he said gently.

  Staring into his eyes, she told him the truth. “Between me and you, and to make a long story short for now, Jason is sick. I, however, am negative. It’s been two years and I’m still negative. I’m healthy. Both Romero and I are healthy and negative. According to my doctor, I’m pretty much safe as long as I practice safe sex and act responsibility,” she confessed.

  “Are you saying….” he began to say, but Ava cut him off.

  “Yes. He’s sick. I rather not say it out loud, because I feel bad enough telling you because he hasn’t really told anyone. I just feel I can trust you and I like you, and I need you to know what you’re dealing with.”

  Gently reaching for her hands, he linked them with his. “Thank you for trusting me with that and for being honest with me. Now all you have to do now is trust me with your heart,” he said to her as he moved closer.

  “What I just told you hasn’t scared you off?” She asked a bit surprised.

  “Girl, if that smart mouth of yours hasn’t scared me off, then nothing will,” he joked.

  Ava laughed as she leaned her face on his chest. “Shut up,” she mumbled.

  Letting go of her right hand, he placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his. “Give me a chance to keep that sexy smile on your face. Trust me with your heart.”

  Ava reached up and touched his face. “Okay. Just don’t break it,” she whispered as their lips slowly met in a sensual kiss. Once they pulled apart, he linked his hand with hers and they made their way to the stairs. He quickly glanced at the Rolex on his wrist. “Thirty minutes until the New Year comes in. I feel like the luckiest man in the world right now,” he said as he grinned at her.

  “You are,” she said with a smirk and he couldn’t help but to laugh.

  (Upstairs: Third Floor)

  Frustrated and unable to control his emotions any longer, Desmond approached Angeline and yanked her by the arm. Pushing the door open, he entered the bedroom, slammed the door shut, and immediately pinned her against the door, making it impossible for her to move. “Hey, get the hell off of me, Desmond!” she yelled as she desperately tried to break free of his hold but to no avail.

  “Calm down. I just want to talk for a second.” He said in a raspy voice. The liquor he consumed clearly had him in a drunken state and perhaps played a part in his sudden bold move towards Angeline, but he was sick of the games and he was ready to tell her just how sick of them he was. “I’m sick of your games. I don’t want to fucking wait until tomorrow to talk. You putting me on a schedule and shit? Who the fuck you take me for? Why can’t you be a woman about your shit?” Desmond stared into her eyes.

  “Excuse you? Leave me the hell alone, Desmond!” Angeline yelled and continuously tried to push him and break free of his grip but couldn’t.

  “Eh, Eh, stop…” he ordered her calmly. He stared at her intensely until she finally gave up on trying to fight him. “It’s very clear that you feeling me, it’s very obvious that you want me, but instead of telling me, you want to play these whack ass games like a little girl instead of the grown ass woman that you are. Be a woman about your shit. You want me? Fucking tell me,” he demanded as he stared into her eyes. The alcohol had him both in a mellow and aggressive state.

  Angeline was turned on to the fullest. Staring right back into his eyes, she no longer was able to deny her true feelings. His cocky ass is right she thought. “Well, it’s obvious that you want me too. Why don’t you tell me instead of playing the little mind games that you play. Why don’t you be a man about your shit”? She responded in a voice above a whisper while they continued to stare into each other’s eyes.

  Letting go of her right arm, he reached up and slowly unzipped the white Gucci top she wore. Once he got it half way down, he gazed at her slightly exposed cleavage. He then traced the lining of her breast with his fingertips, sending chills through her body. Bringing his face close to hers, he spoke in a low tone. “I do want you. I want to be your man. I want us to do all that corny relationship shit that couples do. I want to make love to you and I want to screw you. I want to erase any memory of what that French mothafucker did to you. I want to be your fucking man, Angie.” He then lowered his face between her cleavage and placed soft kisses around the lining of her breast. Once he heard a moan escape her mouth, he lifted his head and brought his lips close to hers. “Is that man enough for you?” He asked her with so much passion in his voice.

  Unable to control neither her feelings nor herself any longer,
she grabbed his face with both hands, pulled him down to her and kissed his full lips. Her love box moistened and her body felt as if it was on fire as the kiss deepened. Desmond then sucked on her bottom lips, causing her to shriek in sheer pleasure. Bending down further, he sucked on each of her nipples, one at a time, through the fabric of her expensive ass top. “Oh God, Des!” She squealed as he circled her nipples with his tongue. Raising his head, he reached up and slowly unzipped her top. Sliding it off, he tossed it over to the bed. Taking a step back, he pulled of the cream colored cashmere V-Neck sweater he wore and also tossed it onto the bed. “Des, it’s too soon for us to be doing this,” she whispered as she eyed his tattooed covered body with pure lust. Her mouth said one thing while her body said something else. She sexily, bit her bottom lip as she watched him stepped out of his shoes, unbuckled his belt and slid off the dress pants he wore.

  “You have exactly five seconds to take those pants off, Angie,” he said with authority. His voice was low and gentle but firm. He wanted her. He wanted all of her and tonight was the night they were going to seal the deal, fuck what she was talking. “We’ve known each other just about our whole lives. You wanted me back then and you fucking want me now. Stop fighting the shit and free yourself. Express yourself, Angie. Tell me how you really feel about me. Show me how you really feel.” Walking slowly over to the bed, he stood there in only his boxers waiting for Angeline to respond to him. Finally deciding to take a chance, she slowly slid off her black leather boots, her black tight fitting slacks and tossed them aside to the bed. Standing in her white laced bra with the matching thong, she reached up, removed the hair pins from her hair, which held her up sweep and let her hair fall down her back.

  She walked to him and they were face to face. “Everyone is going to wonder where we are when the ball drops. We’re supposed to be downstairs.”