by Keys, Sherie
Jacob smiled. “I know.” He could always count on Jeremy to sneak in a supportive speech even when he was making fun of him.
“Bye now, lover boy,” said Jeremy. Okay, Jacob took that last thought back. He swatted at his head with his briefcase, and Jeremy barely dodged in time to avoid being smacked on the head. Laughing, Jacob walked out the office door and down to the elevator.
***
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Almasi was getting ready for dinner in her dressing room. Yifeng had arrived, and they were picking out a dress for her to wear to celebrate the successful agreement—assuming that the meeting had gone successfully and that Mr. Kofi Kumi had decided to spare her for another few days of heart-wrenching decision making.
“Try this one on, Almasi,” suggested Yifeng, passing her a pale gold gown with shimmery sequins. “It will match the champagne you drink at tonight’s celebration. Mrs. Nettle picked the fabric, and I picked out the cut. Very slim, chic, and sexy.” She winked. “We had it made based on the measurements we took for the bridal gown back in July, so it will fit you perfectly.” She nodded to Almasi, urging her to step into it. “Quick! I want to see!”
Almasi stepped behind her changing screen and slid into the dress. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t reach the zipper in the back. “Zip me up, please,” she said, moving out from behind the screen. Yifeng moved to go behind her and zip.
For some reason, the zipper wouldn’t budge. “Yifeng?” Almasi asked. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” said Yifeng. “It’s just a little stuck, I think. Here… ugh, no. Wait a minute. I’ll try wiggling it.”
Almasi frowned. Had she gained weight? She was certainly eating better food here, but she had maintained her habit of responsible portioning, and her long walks in the back garden gave her plenty of exercise to work off any excess fat. If anything, she should be losing weight. But no, this dress was too small, and it had been designed exactly to fit her body! The chest felt tight, though, and it was squeezing uncomfortably at her already tender breasts…
Wait a minute.
No. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t… She wasn’t…
Almasi screamed out loud, frightening Yifeng, who jumped back, startled.
“A—Almasi, what’s wrong?” asked Yifeng. “What… are you crying?”
Indeed, there were ample tears rolling down Almasi’s face. Big, fat, heavy tears, tears, that threatened to stain the silk of the gown that was binding her chest too tight.
“Hang on, one moment, I’ll get you a handkerchief,” said Yifeng, still a little bewildered, but determined to help out her mistress. “Here,” she said, passing her a monogrammed little white cloth. “Now, sit down and tell me what’s troubling you. Why did you cry out just now?” Yifeng looked so concerned that Almasi decided to tell her the truth. Well, what parts of the truth she could afford to tell.
So Almasi sat down on the bed, still sobbing, and took a breath. She dabbed at her face with the handkerchief, and brown foundation came off with some of the sparkles of her makeup. Great. This would stain later, she thought. “Almasi… began Yifeng. “Talk to me, please, Madame.”
She looked up at Almasi in earnest, her baleful eyes full of innocence.
“I… Yifeng, you know how I told you I have been nauseous lately?” Almasi began.
“Yes. I suggested that you might have the flu,” recalled Yifeng. “It’s been going around among the serving staff, you know, and even the master and mistress are not immune to everything.”
“Yes,” said Almasi, nodding quickly. “I remember. Well… it’s not the flu that I have.” She shook her head for emphasis.
Yifeng was confused and concerned, and it showed in her face. “What is it, then?”
Almasi looked down, taking in a deep breath. “I… I believe I’m pregnant.”
Yifeng gasped. “Oh. Oh!” she said after a moment. “Almasi, that’s wonderful! The master will be so pleased!” Almasi’s face crumpled. Yifeng raised an eyebrow. “He will be pleased, right?”
“I… I have no idea,” said Almasi. She wished that she could tell Yifeng the whole situation. She wished she could explain how this pregnancy was going to flush everything she had planned down the drain. Even with her million dollars, she didn’t have the energy or will to support a child on her own, and it wouldn’t be fair to tell Jacob, because then he would only stay with her out of pity.
If they were really going to call off the annulment, if by some miracle he truly wanted her to be his wife forever, she wanted his love for her to be the drive for staying in the marriage, not the obligation to raise her child.
“Of course he will love to have a child. Why would he not want a little son or daughter?” Yifeng took Almasi’s hand. “We have all seen the way the master looks at you. He loves you, Almasi. And you are married, and certainly old enough and rich enough to support this new adventure.”
She smiled, trying to cheer Almasi up, and added, “And I will help you choose the baby’s little christening gown! Oh, it will be so cute! The prettiest baby, with such a beautiful mother and such a handsome father,” Yifeng added, nodding solemnly. “The best and loveliest baby.”
Almasi smiled, but then quickly began to cry again. She was pregnant. Pregnant. She would take a test later or tomorrow, but even without it, she knew it was true. It all added up. Her menstrual cycle was already a few days late, but she had not paid much attention, as there were more pressing matters on her mind. She had been crying more often than she ever had before, but again, she had chalked it up to the situation with Mr. Kofi Kumi.
And the nausea, the tenderness of her breasts, her strange appetites… it all made so much sense. She wondered for a moment how it had happened, since she and Jacob had been using condoms in bed since the start of the sexual side of their relationship. Had one broken? She had learned in health class a long time ago that condoms were only eighty percent effective as contraception, so maybe that was it.
But wait. No. She knew how this had happened… It was the shower sex. The passionate moments where she and Jacob had thrown their thoughts away, embracing naked, nothing coming between them.
Not even that important little sleeve of latex. Almasi shook her head, but the thought that her child had been conceived in one her favorite and most intimate moments was a sort of relief. It made her feel just the littlest bit better, knowing that her pregnancy had come from that warm, wet, wonderful place.
She was lost in her thoughts, but she had stopped crying, so Yifeng tentatively spoke up. “Madame?” she said quietly. “Your husband will be home soon, and you need to get dressed. Here,” she stood up and walked to the large wardrobe in the back of dressing room.
“I will find you something looser, maybe with an empire waist. You will look beautiful, and nobody needs to know until you choose to tell him.” Almasi looked up at last, meeting Yifeng’s eyes with gratitude.
“That’s right,” Yifeng continued. “This information is safe between you and me. I know how delicate this kind of a situation is. Pregnancy is a big deal. It changes your life. So I will not breathe a word. Not one soul in this household or anywhere else will know about this until you’re ready.” She came out with a long purple dress, one with a high emperor style waist as she had promised. “Here, try this on,” she instructed Almasi. As Almasi stood to go to her dressing screen, Yifeng added, “And I’ll get you a pregnancy test stick and bring it to you in the morning. If anybody sees me and asks, I’ll say that it is for Beatrice.” Almasi laughed. “What?” said Yifeng, laughing too. “We all know that Beatrice gets around.”
The two of them giggled together, and Almasi stepped out from behind the frame in the purple dress. It was perfect. “Thank you,” said Almasi, “for everything.” She’d been having such a hard time trusting anyone after what Mr. Kofi Kumi had done to her, but she knew that Yifeng’s devotion to her mistress was without pretense.
If Almasi really did decide to leave after the end of the co
ntract, or to go back to Ghana with Mr. Kofi Kumi to spare Jacob the diamond deal, she would miss Yifeng a lot. Tears welled in her eyes.
“No, no, no more crying!” exclaimed Yifeng. “There, there. Now, here you go. It’s almost time for dinner. Come, Almasi,” she said, leading her to the door. Just before exiting the room, she leaned down and whispered to Almasi’s tummy. “And you too, little Almasi baby!”
Almasi laughed, a little wearily, but with heart. This was going to be quite a night to get through, but if she kept her sense of humor, she might just manage it.
The dinner was one of the most lavish meals Almasi had eaten yet, and there had been some truly sumptuous food arrangements in the month and a bit that she had been staying at the mansion. Even Jacob was impressed, and he had been living with this kind of luxury for the entirety of his life. He noticed that Almasi had not touched her champagne, but he decided not to comment.
She joined in on the toast with everyone else, and she was being polite and cheerful with the guests. Her dress was also beautiful, and he noticed that her breasts looked especially big beneath it. He imagined that it was a tailor’s illusion, but he appreciated the view anyway. He couldn’t have guessed that the size of her breasts really had magnified, and that it was mirroring the small life that was rapidly growing inside her.
Also appreciating the view was Mr. Kofi Kumi. Almasi could see him leering at her from across the table, and too frightened to do or say anything that might make him push her to make a decision sooner, she was friendly and polite, responding to his questions and laughing at everything he said. She also noticed that Mr. Arko Kumi had become significantly cheerier since the meeting where he and Jacob had set down their plans and arrangements for the diamond deal.
He smiled throughout the meal, even throwing in a hearty laugh here and there when Jacob made witticisms about the stock market or the price of gold. Almasi pretended not to understand the jokes, because she knew that Mr. Arko Kumi still did not approve of women being involved in anything that he deemed to be traditional men’s matters.
However, she smiled at her clever husband, and he seemed to notice her loving gaze across the table, because he was smiling back and staring at her all throughout the night.
When the festivities were finally over, Almasi bade everyone good night and went up the many stairs to take a second shower for the day and relax in the water. When she entered the bathroom, she decided that her feet were too tired, and opted for a bath instead. The tub in the master bedroom’s bathroom e was enormous and deep, and she had the maid draw her a hot bath with bubbles.
When the tub was full, she dismissed the maid and eased herself in, smelling the different scented soaps and choosing to mix vanilla with lavender.
It was absolutely divine, and Almasi soaked herself until the skin on the tips of her fingers was wrinkly from being in the water so long. Eventually, Almasi decided to step out of the bath, wrapping herself in a big fluffy towel until she was completely dry. Then, she walked over to the mirror and dropped the towel on the ground, inspecting her appearance in the reflection.
Yes, Almasi concluded after a long look, she had gained some weight. It would probably be easy to pass it off as the result of her new rich lifestyle, at least for a few more weeks. The curve of her belly protruded only slightly more than it had previously. She had never been a skinny waif, so she had always had a bit of fat on her tummy. She had never minded it. She liked it, even. Jacob certainly adored touching the width of her body. As she thought of Jacob, she looked up at the reflection of her breasts. Yes, she decided. They certainly had grown.
She smiled at her reflection. Jacob would love that, she thought. Turning around, she saw that her backside was wider and rounder as well. She looked like a mother earth goddess, she thought. She was certainly beginning to feel like one. If she stayed with Jacob… well, she knew that he would care for her all through her pregnancy.
Not only was he loving, but Jacob had rapidly become a man who cared about honor, and doing the right thing. It was not as if he had ever even been a bad person. Almasi remembered how kind and gentle he’d been on that first day they had met, when he could have easily had her fired for cussing him out when he spilled her coffee.
And that was before he had sworn to be her husband. If she told him about her situation, she knew deep down that he would take care of her. He was Jacob. He was a good man.
But again, she thought, would he do it out of love, or out of duty? She had no way of knowing if he really wanted her, or if he was just a kind man who happened to need a wife for a diamond deal. She didn’t want to get too presumptuous, to get ahead of herself and later make her husband regret ever having married her. So perhaps it would be best for him if she did accept Mr. Kofi Kumi’s offer. It wouldn’t be terrible for her, either.
She knew that the Kumi family was rich, and although Mr. Kofi Kumi was conniving, he really did seem to want her. She could raise her baby and still be supported by a family. And when the baby came out pale, well, could Mr. Kofi Kumi really blame her? He would know what he was getting into when he took a married woman for his wife.
It could cause a scandal, having a mixed race baby out of a single race marriage, but they would deal with it. And although it would absolutely break her heart to pieces, it would save Jacob’s deal with Kumi Diamonds. And it would also save him from being trapped in an obligation to be a husband for longer than he had signed up for. Maybe it really was the best option.
But Jacob…
Almasi tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t help it. The thought of leaving the love of her life was too much. If she had to do it, she wouldn’t think about it yet. She closed her eyes and felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her chest began to convulse, and she sobbed out loud. She became a sad, horrible mess, tears all over her face, wiping them away with her hands only to have more spring from her eyes.
She pulled at her hair in frustration, and only stopped herself after it began to hurt her scalp. Almasi was shaking. She shook with anger, she shook with rage, she shook with fear and sadness and hopelessness and utter, utter despair, and…
“Darling?” The sound of Jacob’s voice made her jump. “Are you in there? May I come in?” He was so sweet, so kind. How could she be doing this to him?
She took a long deep breath, in and out. “One minute, dear,” she called, hoping her shaky voice was not betraying her emotional state. “I’ll be right out.”
She looked in the mirror once more. Keep breathing, keep breathing, she thought to herself. She drew a deep breath in, and then another. She lifted her shoulders and raised her head. She had been a queen, an angel, a goddess. Now it was time to be a warrior. Another breath. Another. Another. Her heartbeat was slowing down, her mind clearing. She could do this. She could do this. She could do this. She could do this. She could do this. She could…
“Almasi?” it was Jacob again.
“Yes,” she said. She smiled to make her voice sound happier. “Sorry, darling I will only be a minute.” And true to her promise, Almasi worked quickly to clean up the mess she had made of herself. She splashed cold water on her face, picked up her towel from the floor, and after hanging it up on the towel rod, reached for the fluffy pink robe hanging on the door.
She wrapped it around herself, tying the waist cinch high so that it would not squeeze at her belly. She looked down, imagining her little son or daughter sitting inside there. She smiled. “Okay,” she whispered. “Time to do this.”
And when Almasi opened to door to face her handsome, kind, and oh so caring husband, she was a beautiful, beaming warrior.
Chapter6
Almasi stepped out of the bathroom. Jacob, who had been turned the other way, pivoted around, and beamed widely when he saw her. She was wearing that soft pink robe of hers, and she was smiling gently. She was beautiful. Jacob crossed the room and took her in his arms, drawing her in for a warm, tender kiss. He let go of her then and placed his hands around her wa
ist, while her hands moved up to his shoulders to hug him loosely as they kissed. His fingers traveled up her waist and to her breasts, gently stroking her and caressing the softness and roundness of her curves.
They were definitely a little bigger than they had been a few weeks ago, Jacob thought as he massaged her tenderly. It made him happy to know that she was gaining a bit of weight, because it meant that she was comfortable and no longer had any need to stress over food portioning. Jacob sighed softly into their kiss. He was so happy to be providing for his wife.
Almasi allowed herself to forget the business aspect of their agreement and get lost in the bliss of kissing Jacob, taking in that feeling of being so safe and warm and secure in his arms. She moved her hands down to unbuckle his belt, and he mirrored her, untying the cinch of her robe. Almasi had a fleeting moment of anxiety—was she showing? Would he be able to tell? But as heat began to rise in her, she let that go, choosing to fall into the simple bliss of being with the man she loved. That would be enough, for now. She could tell him later, if she even decided to tell him at all. Now was not the time to be worrying about the pregnancy.
She finished the buckle and worked at the zipper of his pants, as Jacob unbuttoned his shirt with frantic fingers. When both of their bodies were bared, Jacob kissed Almasi full on the mouth and then guided her back to the bed, holding her hands in his own. Almasi lay back into the soft duvet and felt like she was lying on a cloud. Jacob pressed himself against her soft skin and kissed her, lightly at first, and then with more fervor as he went on. As they were kissing, his hand moved to circle her gently between her legs, and Almasi began to moan softly as he touched her firmly, moving a little faster as she became more breathless. His kissed moved from her mouth down to her neck, and then to her collarbones, her breasts, her stomach, and then to the warm wet place where she longed to feel him.
Almasi leaned back further into the pillows and grasped at the duvet beneath her, her legs beginning to tremble and her moans becoming more guttural as Jacob kissed and sucked and licked at her core with increasing intensity. Almasi let herself get lost in that bliss; in the feeling of being so close to the man she loved, in the ecstasy of all the little nerve ending in her body lighting up and the feeling of pleasure flowing through the entirety of her being.
