Destiny Mine

by Nana Prah

  “Not trying to seduce you on the ride home.”

  “Yay, congratulations. You’ve done a great job.” She clapped for him.

  “But I never promised anything about after I got you home.”

  Esi stepped backwards to avoid flinging herself at him. She turned around and headed towards her gate. “Thank you, once again, for the ride.”

  “What’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?” She wanted to tell him to keep his voice down, but getting away from him took precedence.

  If she allowed herself to get involved with him, he’d break her heart and walk away without a backwards glance. Fear of being another willing woman to him propelled her to mutter, “You are so damn arrogant.”

  “You’re afraid of me. Admit it.”

  She dug into her bottomless bag for her keys. Why hadn’t she searched for them while in the car?

  “I will admit to no such thing because it’s not true.”

  “Then you wouldn’t mind if I leaned over and kissed you.”

  Esi wasn’t sure if it was the smoothness of his voice or the thought of kissing him that made her knees weaken, but she couldn’t fall prey to his charms. She refused. “If you try, I’ll knee you in the groin with enough force to give you orchitis.” No man desired swollen testicles.

  He stepped back and winced. “So…that’s a no.”

  She paused in her key search to regard him. “You really are smart.”

  His chuckle surprised her. “Have you found your keys yet, or do you need help climbing into that gigantic bag?”

  The keys seemed to jump into her hand. She pulled them out, holding them up in triumph. She turned to unlock the padlock. As it clicked open she felt his warm, hard body close behind her. The sweet sensation of his hands caressing her shoulders made her eyes flutter closed.

  “You can’t knee me while we’re in this position,” he whispered in her ear. His mouth moved to her neck where he found the perfect spot to place a kiss. He moved the tiniest bit and kissed another tender area. With the third one, he applied a gentle suction.

  The tingling sensations slid from the concentrated spot on her neck down to her center. She held onto the gate so she wouldn’t fall as she tilted her neck to the side. His tongue replaced his lips, and she moaned. The man had skills. No wonder he’s so popular. Her eyelids flew open. She opened the gate and rushed through.

  It wasn’t until she’d closed the door and was safe on the other side that she yelled out, “Good night.”

  “You can run, but you can’t hide, Esi.” His purred threat accelerated her heart.

  She thumped her forehead against her palm before gliding it down to her neck where she had just experienced the best kisses of her entire life. What would happen if he touched her lips?

  He’d set me on fire.

  The Borg saying from one of her favorite shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation jumped into her mind.

  Resistance is futile.

  She shook her head. She’d get away from him unscathed. All she’d have to do was—not give him massages, not ride in a car with him, and never under any circumstances turn her back to him. That third one would be imperative.

  I will resist the charms of the renowned womanizer Dr. Adam Quarshie or my name isn’t, um….

  Chapter Five

  At any moment, the table Jason set up in the dining room would collapse under the weight of the food. “Everything is set,” Esi announced as she added one more dish.

  Ora opened an insulated bowl and reached for a strip of fried plantain. “Great idea to set it up buffet style. Especially since my husband invited a few more people over.” She stalked the short length of the kitchen.

  “Don’t be upset with him. I don’t mind.”

  “Because you’re the ultimate party girl. And, besides, look at you. You look fabulous. While I look fat.”

  Esi went to her cousin’s side. “You don’t look fat. You’re beautiful. You look pregnant. Which is a good thing, because you are. Enjoy it.”

  A hard knock on the outside gate filtered through the open windows, halting Ora’s response.

  “I’ll get it,” Jason said on his way to the door.

  “Yeah, you do that,” Ora mumbled.

  She walked Ora to the kitchen. “What is the matter with you?”

  To her astonishment, Ora’s eyes filled with tears. Her cousin never cried. Ever. At least not that Esi had seen.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. One minute I’m fine, and then Jason asks to change the television channel. Which annoys me, and I go off. Or I’m crying at the commercial where the boy says ‘My mommy is the best cook in the world.’” Her bottom lip quivered. “Because he loves his mother so much.”

  Esi grabbed a paper napkin, wet it, and handed it to her. “It’s the hormones.”

  “I know. I want control of my emotions. Isn’t there some sort of pill they could give me? An anti-hormone flux pill.”

  Esi released the chuckle she’d been holding in since the commercial comment. “You know better.”

  She shrugged. “I was hoping there’d been some kind of new breakthrough.”

  “None that I’ve heard of.”

  Ora’s eyes flashed. “There would be if men had to carry the babies.”

  “I’m sure a lot of things would be different. But can you honestly say you aren’t enjoying nurturing new life inside of you?”

  A weak smile appeared on her lips. “No.”

  “Good. You have to take the good with the hormonal. It’s a temporary condition, and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

  Ora’s forehead puckered. “Three months is no time? I can’t wait until it happens to you. I’ll be the first to count down the days for you, adding only prior to each one.”

  “You’ve already come this far, you can’t back out now,” Esi said, hoping her own hormones would flow in the opposite direction if she ever got pregnant.

  Jason stepped into the kitchen. His expression softened when he observed his wife’s watery eyes. “Are you okay, baby?”

  Ora walked into his arms and nodded.

  An unexpected lump formed in Esi’s throat. She wanted that kind of love and marriage. And she would have it. As soon as she found the right man to give it to her.

  “You guys can cuddle later. Let’s party now.” She led the way to the hall and stopped when the man who sat on the couch came into view.

  She turned around and pushed Ora and Jason back into the kitchen. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “What’s wrong Esi?” Ora tried to look around her to see.

  “I made a dumb mistake by not asking you the name of the guy you wanted to set me up with.”

  “I didn’t tell you?”

  “No. I would’ve told you there was no way I’d even consider being set up with Kwesi Acheampong.”

  Ora’s eyes widened with her gasp.

  Not as surprised as his wife, Jason asked, “How do you know him?”

  “I broke up his marriage.”

  “What? When? How?” Ora shrieked.

  Esi paced the kitchen. “He never told me he was married when we dated a few years ago. When his wife came knocking on his rented apartment door, I opened it.” She slammed her hand down on the counter recalling the embarrassment and rage she’d experienced once the shock wore off. “It turns out I wasn’t his first mistress, but, for his wife, I would certainly be the last.”

  “That dirty snake.” Ora glared at her husband.

  “Don’t look at me. We never talk about why he got divorced. He’s not even a close friend. He’s more a friend of Adam’s.”

  “Adam,” Esi and Ora hissed in unison.

  “I should have known that bastard was behind this,” Esi snapped.

  Jason stepped back from the women. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “Don’t they have some kind of club or league?” She dismissed the thought with a wave. “Never mind
.”

  Ora stood with fists on her ever-expanding hips. “Why are you friends with him?”

  Poor Jason raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “He’s Adam’s friend.”

  “I’m talking about Adam,” Ora clarified.

  “Despite his…flaws, he’s a good man and has been a great friend.”

  Ora snorted.

  Esi clenched her jaw and then released it when the pain of the action permeated her consciousness. “You shouldn’t leave Kwesi out there for too long. Liars and thieves run in the same crowd. Like womanizing assholes.”

  “I’ll get rid of Kwesi, but I think you’re being a little hard on Adam.”

  She appreciated her cousin-in-law’s loyalty and willingness to defend his friend. It didn’t escape her notice that he stated it as he headed out of the kitchen. She smirked. “No, wait. I never got him back. Now may be my chance. I’ll toss him out.”

  “Revenge is never good.”

  Esi ignored what she’d consider wise words at a less volatile situation. As she turned towards the door, plans of how she’d make the miserable, lying cheater pay tossed around in her head. The more embarrassing the better.

  Ora touched her shoulder as she was about to leave. “Wait, Esi. How come I never knew about this?”

  “You were in the Jason slump after you came back from South Africa. I didn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

  “But you could have told me.” Ora sniffled.

  “We can discuss this later. I have an ass to kick now.” She left Jason to deal with Ora’s rollercoaster emotions and walked out the kitchen door. She stumbled backwards when she ran into a wall of muscle. Son of a bitch. Could this evening get any worse?

  Adam reached out to steady Esi. He took a moment to hold her close. Her sweet vanilla scent enticed him to continue what he’d started when he’d dropped her off. Before she could carry out the knee to the groin threat from last night, he released her.

  She stepped back. “What are you doing here?” she snarled as she straightened out her dark green dress and bright floral scarf wrapped around her waist.

  Why couldn’t she for once be happy to see him? Or at least cordial? Was it too much to ask? Her question made no sense. He spent as much time at Jason’s place as he did his own. “Jason invited me to the dinner party.”

  With a huff she turned and marched back towards the kitchen. He took a moment to appreciate her rear. The woman had an ass you could stick a cup on without worrying about it falling.

  Temptation should be her name.

  Jason and Ora met her at the doorway of the kitchen.

  “Jason,” Esi hissed and pointed behind her. “What’s he doing here?”

  “I invited him and a couple of other friends.” Jason moved forward to greet his friend with a handshake ending in a slap.

  Ora stepped in front of her husband. “You didn’t tell me you invited him.”

  He winced. “I didn’t? It must have slipped my mind. How could I invite Kwesi and not include Adam?”

  “What’s the problem?” Adam asked.

  Esi’s nostrils flared. “The problem is, bastards tend to stick together.”

  “Hey,” he and Jason said at the same time.

  Ora took charge. “We can’t stand here arguing. We’re being bad hosts. Jason, you go kick Kwesi out. Esi, you start being nice to Adam. And, Adam, stop behaving like yourself for the night, and it will be fine.”

  “It’s okay.” Esi held her shoulders back. “You don’t have to send Kwesi out. I’ll go.”

  Ora narrowed her eyes to crinkled slits. “You will not leave me here by myself.”

  Her husband cleared his throat.

  “You know what I mean, Jason. Now let’s go have a good time, dammit.”

  There was no arguing with a pregnant woman, so they all headed to the hall. Esi continued to fume so Adam directed his question to Ora. “Why does Kwesi have to leave?”

  Esi intercepted. “Because. He deserves it.”

  “That’s a clear explanation.” His dry tone didn’t hide his sarcasm. “What did he do?”

  Esi whirled around to face him. The angry heat in her expression made him step back. It would have been a spectacular sight, if not directed at him. Ora increased her pace, walking away from the impending argument.

  “Your friend was married when he decided to get involved with me a few years ago.” Each word came out clipped. “I almost got into a fight with his wife when she found me at his apartment. Instead of fighting each other, we turned on her husband. We should’ve done it physically.”

  A long time dormant sense of jealousy raged through Adam as he thought of Kwesi being involved with Esi.

  He braced his powerful legs apart as he crossed his arms. “Did you sleep with him?”

  Her head snapped back. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “None of your business.”

  He stepped forward and gave her his most intimidating glare. She stood her ground. Why did the need to know make him act like a bully? An ineffective one at that. Did the woman fear anything or anyone? “So I take it you slept with him?”

  “There’s no way you’re going to manipulate me into answering the question, Quarshie.”

  He attempted to stare her down. If she had slept with Kwesi, then she’d be off limits. Not that she wanted anything to do with him anyway. To top it off, she worked with him. No way would he go in that direction. Besides, he’d never sleep with a woman he knew Kwesi had been with.

  “You’re right. Kwesi behaved like a jerk.” He relented.

  “Pardon me?”

  He looked into her eyes. “You heard me. I’ll never get married, but I do believe in the sanctity of it. Once a man has taken the vow, he should be faithful to his wife forever.”

  Esi opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

  “For once, Esi Darfour is speechless.” He reached into his pocket “Where’s my phone? I need to take a picture of this.”

  “Never say never,” she said in a near whisper.

  He furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”

  “You said you would never get married. Never say never.”

  Adam remembered spouting similar words to her last night. He also recalled the softness of her skin touching his lips. “Just so you know. Kwesi and I only know each other through a Ghanaian professionals group. We aren’t friends.”

  “Why don’t you want to get married?” She ignored his admission. Why had he told her anyway?

  “Did you sleep with Kwesi?”

  She screwed up her face. Hostility radiated from her as she pushed past him.

  Hot on her heels he hissed. “You will answer the question.”

  Instead of ignoring him or blasting him with an angry retort, she rounded on him until they stood toe to toe. Mesmerized by her saucy smile, he complied to her beckoning to come closer when she crooked her finger. “When you become a woman, Quarshie.” Then she stormed off, leaving him dumbfounded.

  Chapter Six

  In order to not upset Ora, Esi remained on her best behavior during the dinner. Kwesi had been tossed onto the street by the time she had walked away from the disastrous conversation with Quarshie. The gall of him asking her such a personal question. Just when she thought he could be a good guy, he yanked the impression away. The concept of change was an illusion with him, and she’d do well to remember that.

  The sincerity in his eyes as he spoke about the sanctity of marriage had decimated her anger. How many more surprises lurked under his handsome but arrogant exterior? Some woman in his past must’ve turned him into a commitment phobe. Wasn’t that the way it always went? The need to know if she was right and what happened burned so fiercely within her throughout dinner, she left most of her food untouched.

  The small party consisted of hospital staff, whom she knew, allowing her to ignore Adam. Whenever he came near her, she’d find a brilliant excuse t
o move away, seeking someone else to interact with. On the rare occasion she glanced his way and caught him staring, she resisted fanning herself as the temperature in the room seemed to elevate.

  After the last guest left the party, she helped Ora clean up.

  “That didn’t go too badly,” Ora said as they packed the food into plastic containers.

  “Are you kidding me? It was a train wreck.”

  “I’ll admit we could have done without the drama in the beginning of the evening, but after Kwesi left things got better.”

  Esi could’ve skipped out on the whole night.

  Ora twisted a cloth napkin in her hands. Esi paused and stared at her. “What, Ora?”

  “He watches you when you aren’t looking.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Isn’t that what his eyes are for? To see?”

  “He wasn’t watching the other women tonight. His gaze was all over you.”

  “Because his ego couldn’t take being ignored.”

  Ora shook her head. “I think he likes you.”

  “Adam Quarshie is attracted to all women. He thinks we’re on this earth for his pleasure.”

  “It’s good to see you haven’t gone soft on him.”

  Esi remembered how her knees had almost buckled when he’d kissed her neck. She cleared her throat. “Not me.”

  “Good because he’s a heartbreaker.”

  She slowed in wiping the countertop. “Has Jason ever told you why Adam won’t settle down?”

  “No. I’ve never asked. Why?”

  “I’m sure someone disappointed him, turning him into the dog we all know and lo—”

  Ora squinted. “You were going to say love, weren’t you?”

  “Loathe.” The lie slid off Esi’s tongue with ease.

  “You are such a bad liar. You were going to say love. Are you in love with him, Esi?”

  Her whole body jerked back. She’d never heard of pregnancy hormones causing delusional thinking, but there was a first time for everything. “No. It’s a figure of speech. I hardly know him. Plus, his reputation makes him poor husband material. I’m looking for a man to marry. Remember? Not for a good time.”