Put A Ring On It (7 page)

“Knox is studying podiatric medicine, Mother! Oh my God, don’t you realize that podiatrists are so low on the totem pole; they’re not even recognized as real doctors.”

“I beg to differ, young lady.”

“Seriously, they don’t earn—”

“He’s going to earn plenty and watch your mouth.”

“Bullshit! I’m grown, so don’t tell me to watch my mouth. This is my house and—”

“You sound bitter, Nivea,” her mother interrupted. “You sound bitter and jealous of your baby sister.”

“I have no reason to be jealous of her. I’m just saying…Courtney is always trying to outdo me. And you and Daddy…you guys allow it. I can’t believe you’re both eager to co-sign on her decision to marry a damn foot fetishist!”

“Knox is ambitious. I’ll have you know that his family’s church
is one hundred percent behind him. That young man’s church is raising money to get him set up in private practice.”

“It takes a lot more than some church donations to set up a practice.”

“Knox is going to buy out one of the parishioner’s practice. I’ve obviously overstayed my welcome.” Denise set the coffee mug on the kitchen table and stood.

Nivea followed her mother into the living room. She silently watched her mother slide into her coat. “Listen, Nivea. Nobody is out to get you,” Mrs. Westcott said as she pulled her hat on her head. “It’s your own fault that you chose to marry that grubby, uneducated, warehouse worker.”

Leaving Nivea to marinate on those last hurtful words, Denise Westcott slammed the door behind her.

O
ver the phone, Harlow finished telling Vangie her account of the Water Nymph incident. “Testosterone levels were high, girl. There was all kinds of crazy on that boat. I don’t ever want to be stuck in the middle of the ocean on a private yacht again.”

“The way Drake defended your honor sounds extremely romantic,” Vangie said dreamily.

“I couldn’t even enjoy my moment. I felt like I was in a scene from a gangster flick. Those Africans were reaching for pistols, and Alphonso and Drake weren’t backing down.”

“Mmm. Alphonso is starting to sound real good. When are you going to hook us up? You know I love bad boys.”

“I’m serious, Vangie. There was nothing funny about that situation. They were talking about spilling blood and tossing mofos to the sharks. And I couldn’t talk any sense into Drake. He was so furious, he was ready to wage a war on the ship. I’ve honestly never seen that side of him, Vangie. He was scary.”

“Scary enough to call off the wedding? I know you’re not tryna take that big bling off your finger.”

“Hell no!” Harlow laughed. “Oh, Vangie, can you believe it? Drake and I are engaged!”

“Congrats, girl. But you’re leaving something out.”

“No, I’m not.”

“What else is Drake into? I wouldn’t think that someone in the business of selling cars would need an armed bodyguard.”

“Drake is constantly dealing with large money transactions—that’s why he keeps Alphonso close by. After that frightening episode with Talib, he needs more than one guard. My baby needs to be protected by a security team.”

“Don’t you think you need to know a little bit more about what he’s into?”

“It’s not my business.”

“It will be. Now that you’re engaged, Drake’s business is your business.”

“I guess,” Harlow said, sounding pensive.

“Have you set a date?”

“Not yet. We’ll do that after the holidays.”

“First dibs on maid of honor,” Vangie blurted. “You gotta give me the sympathy vote since Nivea’s getting married in six months.”

“You know Niv and I aren’t all that tight. She’s your friend. I just put up with her. You’re definitely going to be my maid of honor.”

“Thanks. I’m feeling a little down, though.”

“Why?”

“Nivea’s engaged. You’re engaged. I feel like a reject.”

“You’ll find someone, Vangie. It took me a lifetime of kissing frogs to find my Prince Charming.”

“You’re a lucky woman, Harlow. And Drake’s a lucky man. You and Drake are making me want to believe that the concept of true love is more than a myth. I wish I could meet a man like Drake. Why won’t you introduce me to his man, Alphonso?”

“I want you to find someone, but I’m not sure if Alphonso is the right fit for you. You’re all chatty and happy go lucky. Alphonso is all about business. He hardly ever talks, and never cracks a smile.”

“Sounds sexy. Come on, Harlow; introduce us. Let me be the judge of who’s the right fit for me.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Drake about it.”

D
rake made a series of business calls while Harlow swam laps in their private pool. Exhausted, she grabbed the ledge and pulled herself out of the crystal blue water. Eyeing her with admiration, Drake reclined on a lounge chair. “You swim like a fish, baby. Lemme find out you got some mermaid blood.”

Harlow laughed. “I used to fantasize about being a mermaid and living in a kingdom under the sea. But unfortunately I’m completely human. With human fears. That said, I have a question for you.”

His expression impassive, Drake stroked his chin. “What’s on your mind?”

“Do you have some gangster tendencies that I don’t know about?”

Drake didn’t answer. Looking briefly pensive, he shifted his position. His jawline tightened as he laced his fingers together.

“I thought Alphonso was your right-hand man,” Harlow went on. “But now he seems more like a bodyguard.”

Drake studied her for a moment, and then finally said, “I’m sorry you had to go through that this morning. But on some real shit, it wasn’t about anything.”

“Oh, really? The way Alphonso and Talib’s security people were patting their waistbands and revealing weapons, it seemed pretty damn serious to me.”

“Talib was trying me; that’s all. Now that he and his goons know how I’m built, we can amend this deal to work in my favor.”

“I don’t trust Talib. He’s a loose cannon. Do you really think it’s wise to do business with someone as young and impulsive as Talib?”

With a hand motion, Drake dismissed the notion of Talib being a threat. “Talib’s nothing but talk. A spoiled rich kid; that’s all.”

Harlow brought a towel to her head, drying her hair that had spiraled into curls. “You were awfully bold, Drake. Seemed foolish of you to deliberately antagonize men carrying guns.”

“I had my piece on me.”

Harlow flinched. She removed the towel from her head, and let it drape around her shoulders. “You carry a weapon?”

“Hell, yeah.”

“I didn’t even know that you owned a gun. I can’t imagine you using one.” She looked at Drake questioningly. “You’re a Yale graduate…a businessman. How can you switch from being dignified and respectable to being a gun-toting thug?”

“I got some thug in me,” he admitted with a quick smile.

Harlow didn’t return the smile.

Drake’s eyes became dark and serious. “I have to protect myself. And I have to protect you. I’m going to do what I have to do to keep us safe; even if it means pulling a trigger,” he said without a trace of regret.

“I don’t feel like I know you as well as I thought.”

“Unfortunately, you caught a glimpse of my other side. You weren’t supposed to see that. Had I known shit was gon’ get ugly, I wouldn’t have brought you on the ship.” Drake blew out a harsh breath of air. “I didn’t know that Talib couldn’t hold his liquor.”

“I’m still processing the fact that you carry a weapon. You’re working on a strange business deal…” Harlow paused, studying Drake closely. “You proposed to me. You say that you want to get married.”

“I do.”

“There shouldn’t be secrets between us,” she said softly, looking away after the words came out of her mouth. She had her own secrets, and she wondered where she’d draw the strength to tell Drake the complete truth about her past.

Drake shifted his position. “To an extent, you’re right. I do need to be forthcoming about certain things…like faithfulness, but I don’t need to report to you about my business dealings. I don’t want you worrying needlessly.”

“If there’s nothing to worry about, then why would I?”

“You’re worrying right now. Look at you, with your pretty face all twisted up.”

“Stop teasing me, Drake. If your business is legitimate, why do you need to carry a gun?”

“Now you’re prying. You’re expecting too much if you think I’m going to give you a rundown of every aspect of my business practices. You’ll always be safe with me. I love you, Harlow, and I’ll never let anything happen to you. That’s all you need to know.”

There was nothing Harlow could say.

Responding to Harlow’s sad expression, Drake held out his arms. “Come here, baby.” He folded her into a long consoling hug.

Drake had secrets, too. His refusal to tell her why he needed a bodyguard and a weapon when conducting business made her less guilty about confessing to wrong deeds that she couldn’t undo.

A hand touched her in the pitch-black night. Her body stiffened. Fingers brushed across her hip. Harlow gasped and jolted awake, opening her eyes to impenetrable darkness.
Oh, no!
She lay motionless, holding her breath, and fearfully biting down on her lip.
Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, he’d leave her alone and go away.

But he was already in bed with her. She could feel the heat of his body next to hers. Fear clung to every fiber of her being. As her eyes darted wildly, she could see shadows everywhere. Then her vision slowly began to adjust to the darkness. She made out the vibrant colors of tropical artwork. A soothing sea breeze wafted through lace curtains, revealing wicker chairs on the balcony. Everything within her eyesight evoked peace.
I’m safe,
she told herself as she waited for her pulse to slow down.

“Drake?” she spoke his name questioningly, as if checking to make sure it was really he and not some monster from her past lying beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

Reassured by the warm and familiar sound of Drake’s voice, Harlow said, “Nothing’s wrong. I had a bad dream.”

Drake circled his arms around Harlow’s waist. Pulling her near, he kissed the back of her neck, whispering his love as he lifted her nightgown, running his hand over her bare ass. He clasped her tightly to him, and then from behind, Drake sank deeply inside her.

Harlow gritted her teeth. The tears that brimmed created a burning sensation in her eyes. She couldn’t tell Drake that being pulled from sleep—being groped in the dark, terrified her. She had no way to explain that she felt no pleasure right now. What he was doing felt like an ambush. Sex that was initiated without her knowledge or permission was unsettling, and disturbingly reminiscent of the worst times of her life.

She released an agonized groan, which Drake mistook as a sound of pleasure. Tightening the grip around her waist, he drove deeper, unaware that Harlow was crying.

W
iping tears from her eyes, Harlow stared at the ceiling. Careful not to awaken Drake, she eased off the mattress and crept out the bedroom. Inside the luxurious bathroom, she huddled in a corner. Shuddering, she covered her mouth, muffling the sound of her sobs.

Being snatched from sleep by an insistent, sexual touch was a surefire way for Harlow’s past to come back to haunt her. On numerous occasions, her carefully constructed façade had unexpectedly shattered. It was an awful way to exist. Keeping up a brave front, pretending that she had it together while silently suffering inside, was challenging.

Drake was going to be her husband. He deserved to know the truth about her. But imagining his revulsion, Harlow’s tears poured like rain.

Her head began to throb and she moved to the sink. Searching through the vast array of toiletries shared by her and Drake, she located a bottle of aspirin and twisted off the cap. Absently, she shook the pills into her palm. Instead of the familiar smoothness of tablets, there was a heavy and rugged texture of something foreign.

Harlow blinked in confusion at three dirt-covered rough-hewn stones that were clustered together in her cupped hand.
What the hell?
She peeked inside the plastic bottle. There were two more misshapen and filthy little pebbles. She shook those into her palm also. She inspected them with her eyes and touched them with a fingertip, yet she was unable to identify the crude objects.