by Leslie North
“Joseph, stop laughing,” Aaliyah complained.
“Go clean up, I will cook.”
Aaliyah sulked as she left the kitchen to change her clothes. She had never cooked in her life but she wanted to cook for him. She liked the idea of him coming home to her after a long day. She wanted him to relax whilst she made him dinner.
“Teach me,” she said when she returned to the kitchen. Joseph turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” he asked her.
“Teach me how to cook.”
He gestured for her to join him as he reached into a drawer to pull out an apron. Putting it over her head, he turned her around to tie it in the back. “While this won’t help with your head, perhaps we can keep your clothes clean this time,” he teased.
Pointing to the cutting board, he showed her how to cut the vegetables as he stood behind her. Leaning against him, Aaliyah smiled. If this was what cooking with him would be like, she could do this every night. Grabbing a carrot, he held it to her mouth as she took a bite. Kissing her neck, he slipped his arms around her waist as he pulled her tight against him.
Rubbing her hips against him, “If this is how you plan to teach me how to cook, I don’t think I’m going to learn anything,” she scolded.
“Oh, you will learn something,” he responded as he continued to kiss her neck. “It might not be cooking, but you will definitely learn something.”
Turning her around, he stepped between her legs as he drew her into his arms. Sliding one hand up to her neck and the other to her lower back, he kissed her as she rubbed up against him. She grumbled in frustration when he broke the kiss as they stood there panting.
Turning her back around, he reached for the bowl, as he placed the ingredients inside. Reaching for the spices, he helped her measure them out. Setting them aside, he slid his hands up her sides, as he kissed her neck. She smelled of cinnamon and curcumin. Groaning, he nipped at her neck as she yelped in surprise.
“Hey, we are supposed to be making dinner, not turning me into dinner,” she chastised.
“You are right,” he told her, as he cleared the counter. “You are much more suitable for dessert and I intend to have that now.” Scooping her up, he carried her to the bedroom where he set her down in front of the bed. Not giving her an opportunity to object, he quickly stripped off their clothes before pushing her back on the bed. Aaliyah was surprised at his actions, but she found that she liked this side of him. As she lay back on the bed, he hovered over her as he kissed her.
Kissing his way down her body, he couldn’t resist concentrating on her more sensitive spots as she squirmed beneath him. He cupped her mound as he rubbed his fingers along her slit. He easily slid two fingers inside as he began slowly pumping in and out. She arched her hips up to meet his thrusts, as she thrashed around on the bed. Chuckling, he stilled her movements as he kissed the inside of her thighs. Kissing his way up her thighs, his mouth joined his fingers as he continued to twist and thrust his fingers deep inside her.
Moaning, Aaliyah began to shake as pleasure overwhelmed her and she came. Groaning, Joseph lapped up her juices as they rode out her orgasm. As she calmed down, he laid down beside her as he caressed her skin. Smiling down at her, “I have to say that I much prefer dessert first, perhaps we need to do that more often.”
Laughing, she sat up and reached for her clothes before giving him a cheeky grin, “Perhaps next time, I will be the one to have dessert first.”
When they returned to the kitchen, Joseph picked up where they left off as he gathered the vegetables and pulled the chicken out. Heating the pan, he showed her how to season and cook. As they worked together, Aaliyah admitted that she loved cooking with him.
As they sat down to eat, Aaliyah asked him about his day. She loved hearing every little thing that went on at his work. “I have started looking for work,” she told him. Joseph looked at her.
“I hate that you have to change your lifestyle because of me,” he said to her. Aaliyah shook her head.
“Don't be, because I am not. I was bored with my life and now, I could not be happier and it’s all because of you.”
***
Aaliyah was in the living room watching television when she heard the doorbell. She looked through the peephole to see Soraya and Sara standing anxiously. She smiled as she opened the door. “What are you two doing here?” she asked.
“We are here to see you of course,” Sara said, as they hugged her.
“How did you find me?” she asked as they moved into the living room.
“We are both married to sheikhs,” Sara said.
“Oh yeah,” Aaliyah replied, as she laughed. Of course they could find anyone if they wanted. “Would you like something to eat?” she asked them.
“No,” Soraya said.
“Yes,” Sara replied.
Aaliyah laughed. “Of course.” She went to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers. Joseph always made plenty, so that Aaliyah did not starve during the day.
“Even though you are not hungry, you have to try Joseph's food,” Aaliyah said to Soraya.
“Okay,” Soraya replied. “So how have you been?”
“I have been great.”
“Wow, this food tastes amazing,” Sara said.
“It really does,” Soraya agreed.
“Yeah, he really is a great cook,” Aaliyah replied as she smiled. Sara stared at her for a moment. There was something different about her but she could not put her finger on it.
“Are you using a different moisturiser?” Sara asked her.
“No, I am not. Why?”
“Your skin looks different.”
Aaliyah shrugged her shoulders. She had not changed anything and she had not noticed her skin looking different. “So are you ever going to return?” Soraya asked her.
“I don’t see the point,” Aaliyah replied. It was sad that things had turned out this way but what could she do? She was not willing to give Joseph up.
“Tariq thinks that Joseph is a decent man,” Sara said. Aaliyah raised her eyebrows.
“Really?”
“If he did not, he would have come to drag you out of this place by now.”
Aaliyah laughed. It was very true. Tariq would have not allowed her to stay with him. When she had spoken to him, he refrained from giving his opinion in regards to Joseph. He simply asked Aaliyah about her well-being and if she needed anything.
“Tariq is too strict but he means well,” Aaliyah replied. “He and Amir always looked after me.”
“I think Joseph should spend some time with Amir and Tariq so that they can get to know each other,” Soraya said.
“That is a good idea,” Sara agreed. She looked at Aaliyah. “Are you alright? You seem unwell all of a sudden,” she said to her.
“Sara, I am fine. You are worrying over me too much,” Aaliyah replied. Sara could not figure it out but there was definitely something going on with her.
The three of them hung out for the rest of the day. When night came, Sara and Soraya had to return to the city. They were glad to see that Aaliyah was doing well as everyone had been so worried about her since she left.
***
“What did you do today?” Amir asked Soraya during dinner.
“Sara and I went to see Aaliyah,” Soraya replied. Amir raised his eyebrows.
“You did?”
“We did.”
“How is she?”
“She seems very happy. It was good to see her.”
Amir sighed with relief. At least she was happy but he was not comfortable with her being so far away even though it was less than an hour’s drive. “I still need to meet with this Joseph properly,” Amir said.
“Yes, you and Tariq need to do so. Only then can you relax,” Soraya replied. Amir frowned.
“Is he the same man from the police station?”
“He was the one that actually arrested us,” Soraya smiled remembering it. It had been a very adventurous day.
<
br /> Amir shook his head. “That is an interesting way to meet,” he said. Soraya agreed with him. It was definitely fate though as they had met him twice in one day.
Chapter 13
Tariq's assistant walked into his office and announced Joseph's arrival. He had invited him to join him and Amir for lunch at the office. Joseph was still dressed in his uniform. He bowed his head as he walked into the office. Tariq gestured for him to sit down at the table, which was already laid out with food.
“I am glad that you could join us,” Tariq said sternly.
“Thank you for inviting me,” Joseph replied. Tariq gestured for Joseph to start eating. There was silence as Tariq stared at him. He always analyzed an opposing party before speaking.
“So, you are sleeping with our cousin,” Tariq said getting straight to the point. Amir and Joseph both looked at him in surprise. Joseph did not know how on earth he was meant to answer to that.
“I beg your pardon?” Joseph replied. Amir sat back to watch the action unfold prepared to chime in when needed. There was no way he was letting Joseph off that easily.
“She is living with you. You must be sleeping with her.”
“I would never do anything against her will.”
“Now that you have deflowered her, what will happen? Will you grow tired of her and throw her aside?”
“No sir, those are not my intentions. I would never do that to her.”
“So what is the end result of this relationship?”
“I wish to marry her. I actually came here to ask for your permission.”
Amir raised his eyebrows. He had not expected that at all. Tariq still wore the same expressionless look. He too had not seen that coming but he wondered if he was simply trying to get himself out of an awkward situation.
“What?” Amir spat out.
“Are you sincere?” Tariq asked Joseph.
“I am very sincere. I have loved Aaliyah since we were teens. I allowed her to walk away from me once, I will not do it again,” Joseph replied. Tariq intimidated him but he was not going to let that stop him from being with the woman he loved. He had to talk to him man to man.
“In marriage, you need more than love.” Tariq wanted to test him, to see if it was more than infatuation. He wanted to see what Joseph was really made off.
“I agree. Communication is important, and that is not an issue between Aaliyah and me. We have no secrets between us and we are not afraid to speak our minds to one another. I am also able to provide for her, whether it is financially or emotionally. I respect her and value her. I will do whatever I can to keep her happy,” Joseph said. Tariq was impressed by his answer. Not many men respected their partners or admitted that they did.
“What will you do about gaining approval from our family?” Amir asked.
“Hopefully, your family will approve of me one day. I will wait patiently,” Joseph replied.
“If we do not allow you to marry Aaliyah, what will you do?” Tariq asked. He took a sip from his glass.
“My priority is to keep Aaliyah happy and healthy. I can be patient, but if she wants to marry soon, then I will abide by her wishes. However I do hope our relationship would have gained approval before that happens. I do not wish to burn any bridges,” Joseph said.
Tariq studied him for a moment. He may want approval but he was not going to wait forever. He showed courage and just how much he loved Aaliyah. If he was an opportunist like his mother said, then he would have been willing to wait forever. He would have been grovelling and desperate for approval.
Joseph breathed a sigh of relief when he finally left the office. Convincing Tariq to trust Aaliyah with him and allow him to marry her had almost been impossible. Tariq had finally agreed but threatened to end him if he mistreated or harmed his cousin in any way. Amir had the same thoughts as he nodded in approval.
That night, Tariq went to visit his parents. He needed to talk to them on behalf of Aaliyah. Fiddah was normally the peacemaker in the family but she had yet to speak with her daughter in law, she was so angry. Mrs and Mrs Botros were sitting in the living room having tea after dinner when Tariq arrived. He greeted them as he sat down.
“What brings you over at this hour?” his mother asked him.
“The obvious, Aaliyah,” Tariq replied. His mother put her cup down and looked away. “She has been gone for a month now. Will you now call her back home?”
“She left on her own accord. She can also come back on her own accord.”
“You and I both know that it is not that simple.”
“Son, we did not want things to end up this way,” Mr Botros said.
“Then accept her relationship.”
“You of all people should understand!” his mother spat out.
“I do not know what it is you mean by that but I find Joseph more than capable of looking after her.”
Mrs Botros laughed sarcastically. “Do you even know the man?” she asked him.
“I sat with him this afternoon,” Tariq replied plainly.
“What for?”
“He wants to marry Aaliyah.”
“Of course he does. How else will he get into our company?”
“Mother, enough. Don't you realise that Aaliyah is never going to come back? You might as well let go of this foolishness and accept them or you will never see her again.”
“Foolishness?”
“You never even tried to hear them out or even meet with him.” Tariq was also guilty of judging him at first, but he was willing to see it through. His mother went too far with her words. “Do you know why Fiddah is so angry with you?”
“Obviously because she cares for her grandchildren.”
“No. Her mother also came from such a background.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Fiddah's grandfather was a police officer.”
Mr and Mrs Botros dropped their jaws and looked at each other. “How do you know that?” Mr Botros asked. Surely he would have known that his great grandfather was a police officer.
“Because I have spoken with Fiddah. You already know that she has never judged people based on their background. This time you struck a nerve,” Tariq replied. Mrs Botros could not believe it. She never meant to offend Fiddah.
“This is crazy,” Mr Botros said. “We must apologise to mother.”
“Yes, you must. Her grandfather built his riches from scratch. He saved every penny and then passed on what he had to Fiddah's mother. With that money, she started their coal company,” Tariq said. They all knew about Fiddah's coal company but no one knew exactly how it started. They only knew that it was Fiddah's mother who started it.
“This makes no sense,” Mrs Botros said. She felt as though she was going to faint. Tariq got to his feet.
“My dearly beloved parents, you need to apologise to Fiddah and approve of Aaliyah's relationship. Trust me when I say that she is in good hands. On that note I bid you goodnight.”
Mr Botros could trust in Tariq's words. If he thought that Joseph was a good man, then he probably was. He was a good judge of character. He felt ashamed of the way he acted in front of his mother. He had no idea that her grandfather was a police officer. He knew he had to apologise to her at once. “We should go see mother tomorrow,” he said to his wife as she nodded quietly. She was still in shock, as she felt ashamed of herself.
Chapter 14
Aaliyah and Joseph were lying on the floor naked. He had decided that after the bar fight, he was going to teach her how to defend herself, but it had quickly turned into something else when he pretended that she had gotten the best of him, as she had pinned him to the floor. When she smugly commented on it, he turned the tables as she suddenly found herself pinned beneath him. They soon forgot the lesson, as clothes flew off. Lifting her legs to his shoulders, he penetrated her, as she cried out his name. Taking up a rapid pace, he thrust in and out, as she panted beneath him.
Grabbing her arms, he pulled her up into a sitting posi
tion as she wrapped her legs around him. Leaning back on her arms, Aaliyah rotated her hips as she met him thrust for thrust. Screaming his name, she rocked into him as she came. Holding her tightly against him, he shortened his thrusts, as he bumped against her pelvis. Groaning, he could not hold out any longer, as her muscles clenched tightly around him.
They both lay there breathlessly, looking at the ceiling. While she loved making love to him, this time felt so much more arousing than it had before. Perhaps it was the wrestling.