Craving Temptation

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Troy asked as he lay with his head in Amina’s lap, the two relaxing after a full meal.

  She laughed. “You did. Did I tell you how incredible you are?”

  Troy hesitated, his eyes shifting from side to side. “I’m not sure I heard that from you,” he said, his tone teasing.

  She giggled a second time. “Well, you are the most incredible man, Mr. Elliott!”

  He laughed with her. “I’m also stuffed. I shouldn’t have eaten that last slice of cheesecake.”

  “But it was good cheesecake.”

  “It was very good cheesecake!”

  Amina shifted her legs beneath the covers. Troy lifted his head ever so slightly before resting himself back into her lap.

  “Did you call your brother?” Amina asked.

  “Nope!”

  “You should check in.”

  “I’m honeymooning. He knows what I’m doing. I don’t need to check in.”

  “Well, I called my sister. I wanted to make sure she was okay and things were going well with Mother.”

  “And?”

  “And she’s having a good time. They’ve really hit it off.”

  “That’s a good thing.”

  “It is.” Amina paused for a brief second. “I also called my father,” she said, her voice dropping an octave.

  Troy opened his eyes to look at her. “Did you tell him?”

  Amina shook her head no. “He didn’t answer.”

  Troy blew a deep sigh. He twisted his body upright, shifting to sit beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his body, her head dropping onto his chest. He didn’t need her to say anything to know that Amina’s heart was broken when it came to her father. They’d talked for hours about her frustrations, how she’d moved to Memphis hoping to establish a bond with the man. How much she regretted the distance between them. Her heart was broken and the weight of that wore heavy on his own spirit.

  “Why don’t we plan on going to see him together when we get back? I owe him a conversation and just because we’re not going public with our relationship just yet doesn’t mean we can’t share the news with your father, especially since you’ve quit his campaign.”

  “We can do that?”

  Troy nodded. “I need to apologize to him.”

  “For what?”

  “For stealing his beautiful daughter without asking his permission first.”

  Amina smiled. “You didn’t steal me.”

  “I imagine that if some man we don’t know suddenly marries our daughter before we’ve had a chance to determine whether or not he’s worthy, we’re going to feel like he stole her. I owe your father that apology.”

  Amina nestled her body closer to his. She knew beyond any doubt that she’d hit the jackpot to have a man like Troy love her the way she knew he did. She suddenly couldn’t imagine her father not feeling the same way.

  15

  “So, where is she?” Kareem questioned. His arms were crossed over his chest, his tone voicing his displeasure.

  Basil shook his head. “Apparently she went to Atlanta to visit our mother. Rasheeda went with her.”

  Kareem was not amused. “I thought you had her under control?”

  “You saw for yourself how obstinate Amina can be. She has always been a problem. Rasheeda would make a better wife.”

  “Rasheeda doesn’t have a law degree and isn’t licensed to practice law in this state,” Kareem hissed. “Rasheeda is of no use to me!”

  “No, she isn’t. So you need to let me handle Amina, my way!” Basil hissed back.

  Kareem cut an eye at the man. “We can’t afford to have any problems, Basil. Amina knows too much. And we need her to file the paperwork on that last piece of property where that bakery, Just Desserts, sits. We needed that done yesterday.”

  Basil blew a heavy sigh. “Don’t you think I know that?”

  “Then act like it!” Kareem snapped. “Let me explain this to you again, Basil. This deal is worth millions. That entire area will soon be rezoned and once the city puts their official stamp of approval on that change, we can flip those titles to our buyer before anyone knows what happened. The new owner’s name will be on those deeds and by the time anyone figures out what we’ve done, we’ll be long gone and extremely rich.”

  The two men stood toe to toe.

  “I said I will handle my sister,” Basil said, spittle flying out of his mouth as he snarled.

  “Then do it! And your sister and I need to be married before the end of the month.”

  “Why so soon?”

  “Because if anything goes wrong a wife can’t be forced to testify against her husband. And as long as she can’t testify against me, and obeys what I tell her, then she won’t be testifying against you, either.”

  Rasheeda was taking longer than normal to check her bags. Amina became concerned when they called for the early morning flight to begin boarding. She and Troy had arrived at the airport before dawn, their short honeymoon ending to get him back onto the campaign trail before he was missed. His brother and Harper had flown home the morning before, Quentin needing to get back to the bakery to get a jump on the week’s baking. While she and Troy had lounged in the lap of luxury at the hotel, Rasheeda had spent the weekend with their mother, the two women getting to know each other. And now she was late.

  Just as Amina was thinking she might have to search her sister out, Rasheeda rounded the corner, waving in their direction.

  “There she is,” Troy said, pointing toward the young woman. He dropped an arm around Amina’s shoulder.

  “You made it!” Amina exclaimed as Rasheeda moved to her side.

  “I’m sorry. I should have called or at least sent you a text.”

  “That’s okay. You’re here. We need to get in line. They started boarding already.”

  Rasheeda shook her head. “No. I mean I should have let you know sooner that I won’t be flying back to Memphis with you.”

  A look of surprise crossed Amina’s face. “Why not? What’s wrong?”

  Rasheeda shook her head, smiling brightly. “Nothing. I’ve just decided to fly to Baltimore to visit Todd. Then I’m coming back here to spend more time with Mother.”

  Amina nodded, her own smile showing her approval. “Good for you!”

  Rasheeda nodded. “My flight leaves from Gate Fourteen in an hour. But I wanted to see you and give you a hug before you left.”

  “Awww! I love you!” Amina said as she reached her arms out to her sister .

  Rasheeda hugged her tightly, planting a kiss against her sister’s cheek. “You were a beautiful bride, Amina. And you look so happy now!”

  “I am happy,” Amina replied, her eyes shifting to stare at Troy.

  Rasheeda moved to give her new brother-in-law a hug also. “You two have a safe flight and please keep taking good care of my big sister. I like having her around to look up to.”

  Troy nodded. “Definitely.”

  The last call for boarding Flight 1462 echoed over the intercom. The two sisters hugged one last time.

  “When do you think you’ll come back to Memphis?” Amina asked.

  Rasheeda shrugged. “I’ll be honest. I really don’t know if I want to come back.”

  Amina shook her head. “If you do you can always stay with us.” She tossed her husband a quick look. “Right, Troy? She can stay with us?”

  “Of course! That will never be a problem,” he said.

  Rasheeda nodded. “Thank you. Now go before you miss your flight.”

  Amina reached out for her sister’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I’ll call you tonight to make sure everything’s okay. And you tell this Todd guy that we’ve got our eye on him so he better do right by you!”

  Rasheeda laughed as they moved through the gate, Troy passing the flight personnel their tickets. She was still waving, a bright smile on her face, as they disappeared from sight.

  The morning cro
wd at Just Desserts was more animated than usual, everyone in a particularly good mood for a Monday morning. Had Troy not known better he would have sworn that their secret was out, everyone celebrating his and Amina’s good news.

  Miss Alice was the first to rush them as they came through the bakery door. Round, plump and gregarious, her extroverted spirit and youthful exuberance made her seem like a three-year-old on a sugar overload. She enveloped Amina in a deep bear hug, her gaze narrowed over Amina’s shoulder as she glared in Troy’s direction.

  “You could have told me!” she said loudly.

  Troy tossed a quick look around the room, hoping that no one was paying them an ounce of attention. “Sorry, Miss Alice,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

  She held up her index finger. “I’ll get to you in a minute,” she said.

  Troy rolled his eyes. Behind the counter Quentin was laughing heartily, clearly amused that the older woman had his brother hemmed up.

  Miss Alice drew back to stare Amina down. “You’re forgiven, baby girl. You didn’t know any better. This one though”—she tossed Troy another look—“he knows better.”

  Quentin looked like he’d gotten caught with his hands in the cookie jar. He shook his head as he introduced the two. “Amina, this is Alice Moore. Miss Alice helped raise me and Quentin. She’s like our surrogate mother. She’s also mean and bossy. And she really has a hard time keeping a secret!”

  Miss Alice’s eyes narrowed even more as she eyed him, her mouth pursed to give him one good lashing.

  Troy continued. “But we love her very much because even when we mess up she continues to love us back.” He gave Miss Alice a wide, toothy smile.

  “That’s better,” she murmured. “’Cause I know you wasn’t talking bad about me!”

  “Miss Alice, this is Amina Salman-Elliott. My . . .” He tossed another look over his shoulder before turning back to the old woman and mouthing the word “Wife!”

  Miss Alice chuckled warmly. She hugged Amina one more time. “Come sit,” she said. “Let me get to know you, baby!”

  She led the way to the corner table, pulling Amina along behind her. Troy watched as the two women sat huddled together in conversation. Amina’s eyes were wide and bright and laughter bubbled from her midsection. He moved to the counter where Quentin and Harper stood watching.

  “Sorry,” Quentin said as he tossed up his hands in surrender. “You know I can’t lie to Miss Alice.”

  Troy shook his head. “Like you’ve never lied to Miss Alice before.”

  Harper laughed. “Well, I know you’ve never lied to Miss Alice,” she said.

  Troy nodded as he leaned in, his voice dropping one more time. “I’m scared of Miss Alice. She would hurt me if I ever lied to her,” he said.

  The trio burst out laughing again. Across the way, sensing that she was being talked about, Miss Alice gestured for his attention. As he approached the table the matriarch whispered something in Amina’s ear and the two women laughed cheerfully.

  Troy tossed up his hands. “Really?”

  Amina laughed.

  Miss Alice gestured for him to take the seat beside her. “I like this one,” she said as he sat down. She tossed Amina a quick nod. “I like her a lot.”

  Troy reached for Amina’s hand and squeezed it. “She’s a very special woman, Miss Alice.”

  Miss Alice smiled. “I just know you two are going to have a very nice life together. But I have to say one thing.” She met Troy’s stare, her own expression turning serious. “Secrets ain’t never good for nobody. If you love this woman she ain’t supposed to be no secret. Get yourself together and do right,” she said as she stood up. “’Cause I can’t be voting for a man who ain’t doin’ right.”

  Troy took a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am.”

  He and Amina locked gazes as the matriarch bid them good-bye. When Miss Alice was across the room giving Quentin and Harper their own hard time, Amina gave him a soothing smile.

  “So what now?” she asked.

  Troy smiled back. “We go tell your father as soon as we can and have ourselves an announcement party by the end of the week.”

  Rachel was surprised to find Amina Salman waiting in the conference room of Elliott and Harris, Esq. when she returned to her office from court. Surprised because she’d had no contact with the woman since their first meeting and because Amina didn’t have any appointment that she was aware of.

  Rachel passed her briefcase to her assistant with instructions to hold her calls and to get her a chef salad with bleu cheese dressing and a Diet Coke for her lunch.

  “Amina, how are you,” she said, greeting her warmly as she made her way into the conference room.

  Amina came to her feet, extending her hand. “Rachel, it’s good to see you again.”

  “Did we have an appointment?”

  Amina shook her head. “No, we didn’t. I’m actually meeting Troy here. He said he needed to stop by to pick up some paperwork and I was on this side of town.”

  “Oh! I apologize. My secretary made it sound like you were here to see me specifically.”

  “I had asked if you were around. I was hoping to ask you a question. I know you’re busy so if this isn’t a good time I can definitely schedule an appointment.”

  Rachel gestured for her to retake her seat, dropping into the chair across from her. “Now is as good as ever. If you schedule an appointment I’ll have to charge you. I’m on lunch right now so you get a freebie.”

  Amina laughed. “Troy said you were all business.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t put it that nicely.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  Rachel smiled. “It looks like you two have gotten quite close.”

  Amina met Rachel’s curious stare, her own smile ever so slight. “Troy isn’t the reason I asked to see you,” she said.

  Rachel’s eyes narrowed, her eyebrows lifting curiously.

  “I’ve recently resigned from my position as campaign manager for Nasser Salman’s campaign. With Troy likely to win this election I thought you might be in need of another attorney to help fill that void when he’s gone.”

  “So you need a job?”

  “I want a job. I’m a really good attorney but then you already know that. And with my high-profile background I would be an asset to your organization.”

  “So let me understand this. You think Troy is going to win so you’re pulling out of your father’s campaign to keep from being associated with a losing team. And now I should hire you?”

  “I’ve left my father’s campaign because we don’t agree on his political agenda and I can’t help him win if he refuses to follow my advice. And he has adamantly refused to do just that. Troy is going to win because he has a stellar team that he respects and whose advice he follows. And you should hire me because I’m darn good at what I do.”

  “We really weren’t thinking about taking on a new partner.”

  “I’m not interested in a partnership. Not right now. But I am interested in a legal position that will afford me the opportunity to do what I do best, as well as enable me to familiarize myself with the Memphis judicial system.”

  Rachel nodded, pondering the opportunity. “I could use another pair of hands around here and you are good.”

  “I’m better than good. I’m one of the best.”

  “Have you discussed this with Troy?”

  “No. I came to you first.”

  “Because you and Troy dating might be a problem. I mean, what happens if you two break up?”

  Amina’s smile widened. “I don’t anticipate that happening anytime soon.”

  “You sound pretty confident about that.”

  “Confident about what?” Troy questioned, making a sudden appearance in the conference room’s doorway. “What does Amina sound confident about?”

  Rachel smirked as she crossed her arms over her full bustline. “About you not breaking up with her anytime soon.”

  Troy nodded.
“She’s right. I won’t be.”

  Rachel looked from one to the other. “I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer but you two should know better. This isn’t high school. I mean things might feel great right now but once that honeymoon period is over and life gets real, things could go downhill.”

  Amina nodded. “They could, but they won’t. I am committed to Troy for the rest of our lives.”

  “And I’m committed to Amina,” Troy said as he moved behind her, both hands dropping against the curve of her shoulders. “But why are you two having this conversation?” he questioned.

  “Amina wants a job.”

  Amina tilted her head back to stare up at him as Rachel continued talking.

  “She thinks you’re going to win this election and that she should come work for us and take over your cases.”

  Troy met Amina’s gaze. “I hadn’t thought about that but it’s a great idea.”

  Amina smiled. “I’m full of great ideas.”

  “Well, I’m not so sure,” Rachel interjected.

  “Why not?” Troy questioned. “We’ve talked about hiring another attorney. Amina comes highly recommended. I can personally attest to her many skills. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

  “Until Amina finds out your winning personality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and I have to deal with your relationship-gone-bad attitudes. You know workplace romances never end well!”

  “What about workplace marriages?” Troy asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Workplace marriages. You sit on the board of your husband’s business. You two have done some major work together and neither of you is having a problem. Are you?”

  “But Dwayne and I are married,” Rachel said.

  Amina held up her left hand and waved the diamond ring on her finger in the air. “So are we,” she said, her face beaming.

  Rachel’s eyes widened. Her gaze skated from one to the other. “Married? You two got married?”

  Troy nodded. “Amina made an honest man out of me this past Saturday,” he said.

  Rachel jumped from her seat, moving quickly around the table. When she reached Troy’s side she gave him a hard punch to his shoulder. “You got married and didn’t tell me!”