Alessandro (Members From Money Book 21)

by Katie Dowe

  *****

  “You could have told me,” Millie accused her as she stared at the beautiful man standing and talking to a group of women who were intent on expressing their thanks.

  “We are not as close as we used to be, Millie,” Jayda reminded her.

  “And I regret that.” She looked at her exquisite friend for a moment and realized that the girl was not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside; she had a light of truth and honesty about her that caused people to be drawn to her. She and Winston were still going on but she realized that it would never be anything special. “You love him?”

  “More than life itself.” Her laugh tinkled out causing Alessandro to turn and look over at her, his dark eyes roaming over her. “Please excuse me.” She touched her friend briefly. “We will talk,” she promised.

  He reached for her hand as soon as she joined him and brought her close. “Ladies, if you would excuse us I want Alessandro to officially meet my parents.”

  Pastor Barry Walker and his wife Jenny Walker greeted their guests in their humble home with a spread that she had got up early to prepare. “This is delicious, Jenny,” Katarina said warmly as she tasted the crispy fried chicken. “And your potato salad is splendid.”

  “I agree,” her husband said as he bit into his with relish.

  Pastor Walker looked at the tall darkly handsome man seated next to his daughter and felt a dart of fear. Surely someone as beautiful and rich as he was would not be satisfied with just his little girl no matter how beautiful she was!

  “So, Alessandro,” he said with a forced smile. “My daughter tells me that you are interested in her. Any plans on getting married?”

  “Dad!” Jayda protested as she looked at Alessandro in concern.

  “It’s okay.” He placed his hand over hers briefly. “As a matter of fact I sat there in your service wondering how to propose to her.”

  Jayda felt a jolt inside her as she looked at him. “Alessandro?”

  He turned to her, his smile enigmatic. He had seen her coming into the room after taking off her gown and he had not been able to take his eyes off her! He had managed to tamp down his impatience as the ladies stopped him to express their thanks but all he had wanted to do was to be with her. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it slowly before putting it back on the table. “You are right.”

  “About what?” she whispered. All the others had ceased to exist as far as she was concerned.

  “About me not wanting to be without you. As a matter of fact you are right about everything, Jayda Walker. I am twisted inside out and I know that I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I have never felt this way before,” he finished wryly.

  “Aren’t you going to say it?” she asked him shakily.

  “Jayda, will you marry me?”

  “Of course.” She inclined her head slowly. “I was just wondering what took you so long.” Her dimples came as she smiled up at him and his breath caught at the look of absolute love and trust in them.

  He bent to kiss her lips not caring about the occupants at the table. He released her and looked at her father and mother. “I am asking for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I know I am probably not the man you would want for her but I promise that as long as I live I will be true to her.”

  “Congratulations,” Pastor Barry Walker said a little hoarsely as he stared from him to his daughter who looked as if the sun had been captured in her dark brown eyes. She was in love with him without a shadow of a doubt and somehow she had managed to turn this dark brooding man into someone who wanted to be with her!

  “This calls for a celebration!” Jenny Walker got up and hurried into the kitchen. “If we had known this was going to be a proposal of marriage we would have gone shopping for better wine.”

  “I am happy for you, Cara,” Katarina told her son softly as she got up and came around to hug him. “And you, young lady, we need to talk. So lunch tomorrow.”

  “I am looking forward to it,” Jayda said with a warm smile. Her gaze strayed to Isabella who had been so far silent.

  “We are going to be sisters,” she said with a wide smile as she came around to kiss the girl’s cheek.

  Adam Rivera hugged her, his eyes going to his son with a look of wonder in them.

  Chapter 10

  “Heir to the Chocolate Dynasty Alessandro Rivera is engaged! After playing the field for most of his life and living it up in Italy where he went back as a little boy; the broodingly handsome Alessandro has finally selected a woman to settle down with and none other than Event Coordinator Jayda Walker, the only child of Pastor and Mrs. Barry Walker of the Evangelical Temple on Orchid Road. It was not too long ago that the chapel experienced their own share of tragedy when several young members of their church were killed in a mass murder at the school they attended. The chocolate giant stepped in and put up scholarships in the names of the children who were killed. One has to wonder if it is because of the romantic connection that had so far been going on between the two lovebirds!”

  Jayda read the news item on the internet and wrinkled her nose. Ever since they had been engaged she could not go anywhere in peace. He had warned her about it but she had not really believed it until she had stepped out on Monday to go about her daily business. She had been rushed by newshounds who wanted to know what it is like to be engaged to such a wealthy and powerful man! He had given her a ring on Monday, a simple diamond solitaire that she knew cost a small fortune. He still had not told her he loved her yet but she did not care about that right now. He had asking her to come and live with him in his well-secluded apartment but she had told him no. She had no intention of shacking up with him and she had told him so. It had become a very sore point where they were concerned but Jayda was determined to hold her ground. She wanted her wedding night to be very special. She had been contacted by the wedding planner and his mother and hers as well as Isabella were coordinating the wedding which would take place in November. She had also told him that she wanted to buy her own wedding dress. Her parents had told her that it would be a gift from them to her.

  It was almost seven and he was coming to pick her up and take her to dinner to celebrate their engagement but he had called and told her that he was hung up in a meeting and was not sure when he would be out.

  “Should we cancel?” she had asked him uncertainly. Ever since he had asked her to marry him it was as if he had shut off himself from her. She was starting to wonder if he was regretting asking her.

  “I think we should.” He paused and then continued. “I will be out of the meeting late so you might as well go to bed. I will call you in the morning.” His tone was cool and impersonal and Jayda felt her heart constricting.

  “Are you okay?” she asked him softly.

  “I am swamped here, Jayda, please understand. I actually work for a living,” he said impatiently.

  “What is it, Alessandro?” She refused to allow him to nettle her. She was starting to know him well and even though they did not live together she knew when he could not control a situation he got impatient and upset.

  “I have to go. Goodnight.” He did not wait for her to respond but hung up on her.

  Jayda told herself that she was not going to cry. She never allowed a situation to encompass her so much that she gave in to despair! She was in love with this beautiful contrary man and all his moods and emotions that came with it and she was going to have to learn to deal with him.

  Taking a deep breath, she picked up the dress and hung it back into the closet and went to put her nightgown on. She had known it was not going to be easy loving him and being with him but she did not care! With a sudden decision she went for her phone and looked for his cousin’s wife number. She had met Monique Romano, wife of the famous clothing line Romano’s, just a few days ago and the woman had welcomed her to the family and had given her the number. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was after seven and dialed the number.

  “Hello?” the woman
’s soft melodious voice came over the line.

  “Monique. Hi, it’s Jayda Walker.”

  “My dear, how are you? I was just looking at pictures of you and Alessandro and said to Lorenzo that you make a striking couple.”

  “Thank you. I hope I have not caught you at a bad time.”

  “I just came in from the office and discovered that the twins and their father have gone over to visit his parents. What can I do for you? I was looking at wedding dresses that would suit your taste. Abigail and I came up with several. It’s a tradition for us wives to help with everything. I hope you don’t mind. We are a very close knit group.”

  “My parents were planning to buy my dress,”

  “No need to, darling. It’s compliment of Romano’s.”

  “Thanks.” Jayda paused a little before continuing. “Alessandro is – can be very difficult,” she said with a catch in her voice. “Usually I do not let it bother me, but he is moody and is acting as if he wants to call the entire thing off.”

  “Lorenzo was the same,” Monique said with a laugh. “We met in Italy where I had saved up and gone for the summer to let my hair down and I got more than I bargained for! I met this gorgeous European man in a restaurant where I was struggling to place my order and he helped me. We started seeing each other and when he made love to me I knew I was in love with him. I was such an idiot that I had no idea that he was the Romano until I came back home and scandal broke! We had to get married and he did his best to ignore me and made me feel as if I did not belong.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I never gave up on us and eventually he saw that we were meant to be. I am not very familiar with Alessandro as he grew up in Italy but he reminds me of Lorenzo when we first got married. He told me that I am the calm to his heat and it is true. They are Italian, honey, and they are very hot blooded. I am sure that Alessandro would not have proposed to you if he did not mean it.”

  “Thank you.” Jayda felt buoyed by the reassurances and felt the hope bloomed inside her again.

  “You are welcome. We will send the dresses to you. Just choose and let us know. And Jayda? Welcome to the family. Leesa is our unofficial leader of the pack and we have been scathingly called the chocolate and cream clique because we happen to be black women who marry white men. But we look past that and stick to our group so I am taking this opportunity to welcome you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jayda hung up the phone in a better frame of mind. With a smile on her lips she went into the kitchen to make herself some tea. She had fallen in love with a man who had been famous for his affairs because of his beauty. She had been aware of all that when she had fallen in love with him. She had done her research and had stared at the women he had been paired with even when he had been in Italy and had managed not to lose hope. She had always been confident of her beauty but had never put much stock in it due mostly to her parents who had told her time and again that true beauty comes from the inside. She had never been envious of anyone in her life and had always lived the way she had been brought up by parents who put God in everything. She had done her praying and asked God to bless their union and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she belonged with Alessandro and she was not going to let him or anyone else spoil this for her.

  She made the tea and took it back with her to the bedroom. She waited until she had finished drinking it before she called him again. She had no intention of asking him for an apology or asked him why he was behaving the way he was. She figured that whenever he was ready to tell her he would.

  “Still in meetings?” her voice was soft and nonjudgmental.

  “I am just getting out. Look I am sorry-”

  “I was just here sipping some tea and decided to call and find out if you are okay. Have you eaten?”

  “What?” His voice sounded dumbfounded as if she had gone crazy.

  “I know you have been busy for the entire day and I am wondering if you had something to eat. Have you?”

  She could hear him breathing at the other end and she smiled.

  “No,” he said gruffly. “I will eat when I get to the apartment.”

  “Are you leaving now? I really hope so, Alessandro. You need to get some rest.”

  “I will. I promise.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “Are you okay?”

  “Now that I have spoken to you, yes I am. I love you, Alessandro.”

  “I know,” he said softly, his voice husky.

  “Goodnight, my love.”

  “I will see you tomorrow.”

  Jayda got beneath the sheets contented in her love for a man who she knew was going to love her the way she loved him!

  *****

  She felt like Cinderella attending various balls with the handsome prince! She was required to show up at many functions on his arm and was also required to dress the part of the fiancé of Alessandro Rivera. Everywhere they turned up the cameras flashed in their faces and she was getting tired of smiling for them. It was another fairytale love affair as far as they were concerned. All over the country the members of the one club were falling in love with African American women and getting married and more over they were staying married! Very rich men marrying ordinary women who were from different backgrounds and were making it work! The latest in the fascinating saga were Alessandro and Jayda and they could not get enough of them!

  “What are you wearing tonight, Ms. Walker?” they shouted as soon as she was helped from the car by Alessandro. They were attending a benefit in Chicago and they had been in New York two nights before attending a ballet, the first time for Jayda.

  “A Romano’s original,” she said automatically as she quickly pulled the cashmere over the slinky brown dress she had worn. She had lost track of the amount of clothes she wore but had been warned by her soon to be mother-in-law and sister-in-law that she was going to be photographed frequently so she had better not wear the same outfit twice. It was three weeks to the wedding and the anticipation was great! She had met several of the wives already. Princess Debbie had just been in New York for a week with her husband and Leesa had put together a dinner so that they would be introduced. She had met Felicia, Carrie, Kelly, Deandre, Latoya, Olivia, Yanique, and Aaliyah and of course Danielle and she would be meeting the rest at her wedding. The women were warm and made her feel welcome.

  Her parents’ church had also been invaded by the press as they tried to find out every little thing about her past. They had dug up the fact that she had almost been engaged to Winston and had remarked that she had left a small town man for a giant! Jayda had tried not to be hurt by that but it had stung a little, maybe because Winston had called and had accused her of leaving him because she had a rich man in mind. She had not told Alessandro anything determined to put it behind her.

  *****

  “Mr. Rivera, we have the penthouse suite ready for you and your fiancé.” The manager himself came forward with a beaming smile. “We have sent up a bottle of our finest champagne and of course some of your delicious chocolate for you to enjoy. If there is anything else you need please do not hesitate to call.”

  “Thank you.” Alessandro nodded as he took the card to open the door of the suite. The benefit had finished very late and he had told her that he did not think they should go back tonight. It was Friday and they had the entire weekend so they should go back in the morning. She had agreed. It was her first time in Chicago and she wanted to enjoy some of the sights.

  She stepped into the luxurious room as soon as he opened the door. The suite was decorated in a delicate shell pink and Jayda had the feeling that she was lost in a fairytale. The bed was on a raised dais with curtains billowing around the huge frame and her feet sank into the thick carpet.

  “How about a shower?” he asked her casually as he took off his jacket and his tie and started to unbutton his shirt.

  “Go ahead. I want to have some of this very delicious looking strawberries,” she murmured as she slipped off her shoes. For so
me reason she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. They were far away from home and even though she knew that there were more bedrooms she had a feeling that Alessandro was expecting something more than she was prepared to give him!

  *****

  He stayed long in the shower allowing the heat of the water to beat down on his body working out the kinks. He was tense and aroused and it was a constant position for him. He had been with her for weeks now and had relegated their being together to public places. He was required to entertain and he liked that she was on his arm, she looked like she belonged but he needed her and the need had become like a raging inferno inside him. He had to have her tonight! He had deliberately reserved the penthouse suite for them and had even bought clothes for her to wear home tomorrow without her knowing. He stepped out of the bath and reached for the towel to dry himself off.

  He wandered into the bedroom and saw her sitting with her legs curled beneath her watching something on huge flat screen television attached to the wall.

  “I thought you would have changed,” he said softly as he came over to her. She muted the television and looked up at him. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed his firm muscled chest with the sprinkles of dark hair going down until it disappeared in the towel.

  “I was waiting until you got out,” she murmured.

  “It’s the penthouse suite, Jayda. There are actually three more bathrooms. I was thinking you would have come to join me.”

  She got up slowly, her body trembling slightly. “We should get some sleep.” She made to pass him but he reached for her arm and brought her up to him.

  “I am afraid that is not going to happen.” His hands moved to frame her face. Her hair had been done by a professional stylist and had been brushed ruthlessly and twisted into intricate knots and placed on top of her head. Diamonds glittered at her lobes as a part of the engagement gift he had given her. She was exquisite and he needed her more than he had ever needed a woman in his entire life. He had so much to teach her and he intend to start tonight.