by Ju Ephraime
“Oh, yeah, you think you can handle this alpha male?” he responded, slapping her on her butt.
“I don’t think. I know I can handle this alpha male,” she told him. “Haven’t I proven myself time and time again, or do you need another demonstration?”
“Hear, hear!” He laughed. “We had better leave this hotel before I take you back to your room and request a reminder. My memory is very short.”
They walked out of the hotel, laughing at their silliness. The miles flew by under the powerful engine of Wolfe’s car, and in forty-five minutes, they’d arrived at his parents’ house. The house was ablaze with light, with several vehicles in the long driveway and on both sides of the street. Daphne could hear music, and the aroma of cooking hit her as soon as she stepped out of the car. Although she was somewhat heartened by the fact that she’d met Wolfe’s mother that afternoon, there were butterflies in her stomach thinking about the ones she had not met. As it turned out, the butterflies were unnecessary. Everyone was especially nice and friendly, including Wolfe’s parents.
Although she’d met his mother briefly, she’d not met his dad. Meeting him now, Daphne could tell where Wolfe got his looks from. Wolfe favored his father, in coloring and height; even the eye color was the same. Whereas, his mother’s eyes were grey, his dad’s eyes were more like Wolfe’s, jet black and direct. His hair was light brown, as was his skin tone. He also had Wolfe’s personality—very succinct. He spoke so very briefly to Daphne that she’d had difficulty remembering what exactly he’d said. He did make her feel welcomed. He was friendly but not overly so. She got the distinct impression that he would respond that way to any stranger who visited his home.
Wolfe’s mom made up for what was lacking in his dad. She was very friendly and outgoing. She immediately put Daphne at ease. She set the tone for the dinner, making Daphne feel very welcome.
She took her around to meet the other members of the family, who acted as though she was someone of importance. Apparently, she was the first woman Wolfe had brought home to meet his family, and everyone was curious about her.
Daphne had never gone to any other man’s parents’ home either, so she was out of her element in these surroundings, but she tried her best not to let it show. Everyone spoke French or the Creole version of it, but she was able to get the gist of the conversation if they spoke slowly, and she picked up one or two key words. That was all, though; full conversations were over her head. Wolfe must have sensed her dilemma because he spent most of the evening with her and spoke to her in English the entire time.
They were seated for dinner with Foxx and Jeremy, and since they both spoke fluent English, there was no need for an interpreter. The dinner was a very formal affair, elegant and classy. The French never did anything halfway. It was a ball that could have been held at any top-notch establishment.
There were several different appetizers on the dining table, which was set for twenty-five. The table was cleared between courses by four individuals who apparently worked for Wolfe’s parents. The appetizers were followed by three different varieties of soup, several main dishes, some of which contained meat and some poultry or fish. A large selection of vegetables and sweet desserts made up the main presentation.
Throughout dinner, Daphne’s wine glass was refilled as soon as it was halfway empty. By the end of the meal, she had a buzz and was a bit unsteady on her feet. No one else seemed so affected. Since her arrival on the island, she had consumed more alcohol than she had in her entire life. Everything had some form of liquor, whether it was wine or the local island rum that was in abundant supply. It was even in the many mixed drinks they consumed.
After dinner, everyone immediately moved to the back of the house, where there was a large pavilion, a ballroom without walls. Its huge domed ceiling was held up by Roman columns, and fine netting kept out flying insects. To one side of the dance floor was a stage set with musical instruments.
The band members, all Wolfe’s relatives and friends, were quite good. His father and mother sang a duet. Several other people sang their favorite songs or took requests from the guests. Daphne lost track of the time, but after an hour or two, the band members went back to the party, and a radio DJ started playing CDs. The music was loud; it seemed to come from all around, and Daphne realized there were speakers imbedded in the columns.
Suddenly, there were many more people than before. When she questioned Wolfe, he told her the dinner party was for family, but the dance party, which would begin around midnight and go on until the early hours of the morning, was for everyone.
Soon, the DJ made an announcement that the dance party was about to begin. The professional musicians appeared and the dancing began. This was a formal dance party similar to the one she’d seen at the clubhouse Wolfe had taken her to, but this dance was more formal.
The women sat in one section, and the men stood around. When the band struck up a tune, the men all walked across the room and held out their hands, requesting permission to have a dance. The women placed their hands in the men’s, and they moved to the center of the room and danced. When the music stopped, the men escorted the women back to their seats and then retreated to the other side of the room. However, as soon as the band began playing the next tune, the procedure would begin all over. This went on the entire night.
Daphne was fascinated. In America, she would dance as long as she wanted and never leave the dance floor. Here, the end of the selection was the signal to clear the floor, giving the band time to tune up for the next selection. She took part in the dancing now that she had a tiny bit of experience.
She enjoyed every dance, but most especially those with Wolfe. She danced once with Foxx and once with Jeremy, but she loved being held in Wolfe’s arms. They felt so right around her. Wolfe and she were in their own world when they came together. They were dancing to a slow tune when the music ended and Wolfe had to return her to her seat. She watched him dance with some of the other guests and tried not to feel jealous.
She was sitting waiting for Wolfe to ask her to dance when, suddenly, there was a commotion at the far side of the room where Wolfe was dancing with an older woman. She was a middle-aged woman, and Daphne didn’t see her as a threat, but when the crowd parted, Wolfe was no longer dancing with the same partner. He was dancing with a gorgeous young woman.
Daphne could tell by the way the woman was moving against Wolfe that she knew him intimately, and she didn’t care who knew it. Wolfe was dancing with her in the same way, and they were talking and laughing like old friends. Daphne began feeling sick. She needed some air. She was getting light-headed. She made her way out of the pavilion and onto the front lawn, breathing in the cool night air. She knew Wolfe hadn’t seen her leave; he was too involved with his partner. So she didn’t expect him to follow her.
She was taking large gulps of air to clear her head when Jeremy came up to her. He must have seen her breathing in deep gulps of air.
“Are you all right, Daphne?” he asked.
“Yes, I am. I just needed some air because it’s a bit stuffy under the tent.”
“Where is Wolfe?” he inquired.
“The last time I saw him he was dancing with a young woman in the corner next to the band,” Daphne replied.
“A young woman? Who?”
“How would I know?” she responded. “Everyone here is a stranger to me, even Wolfe, so I can’t tell you who it is he’s dancing so closely with.”
“Are you coming back inside? I’ll try to find Wolfe,” he said.
“I’m okay here. I need some air. You go on back inside. Here comes your girlfriend now. Go on.”
When Jeremy entered the ballroom, Wolfe walked up to him to ask if he was having a good time.
“I sure am,” he replied.
“Have you seen Daphne?”
“Yes. When I last saw her, she was outside. Why were you dancing so closely with Lena in the corner?”
“Why?”
“Don’t ta
ke an attitude with me,” Jeremy said. “You will have to explain yourself to Daphne. She saw you dancing and carrying on with Lena. I pretended not to know whom she was talking about when she told me you were dancing with some woman in the corner.”
“Shit!” Wolfe said, walking around Jeremy to get outside.
He wasn’t aware Daphne had seen him dancing with Lena. He’d tried to get out of dancing with her, but he wasn’t able to do so without her causing a scene. Lena was a bit unstable, which was the reason he had stopped seeing her. She was irrational and prone to violent fits of anger, so, to maintain the peace and avoid a disruptive scene at his mother’s party, he’d agreed to the one dance. How was he to know she’d rub her body up against him in such a sensuous manner?
He’d tried laughing it off, to make light of the situation, which was probably what Daphne had seen. He had to acknowledge it certainly would appear differently to an observer. But after the stress Lena had put him through, he had no intentions of starting up anything with her. She was unpredictable. The woman was definitely off her rocker. He constantly had to defend himself during the time he’d been seeing her. Now she might have created a problem for him with Daphne.
It took him a while to locate Daphne because she’d hidden herself in the darkest corner of the garden. He only saw her because the gold in her dress was shimmering in the darkness.
Walking up to her, Wolfe decided to act as if he didn’t know what was going on. “Daphne, why are you out here in the dark?” he asked.
“I needed some air. I felt a bit out of sorts.”
“What’s the matter? Come here,” he said, reaching for her. She went to him and placed her hand in his. There was a slight tremor to her hand.
“Why were you dancing so suggestively with that woman?” she asked.
“I was not dancing suggestively with her, as you put it. She was dancing suggestively with me. What was I to do, run away? I had a brief relationship with her, and it has been over for a while. I broke it off with her because of her unstable nature and her obsessive jealousy.”
“But you could have kept her body away from yours. It was almost vulgar.”
“Come, Daphne. You know, there is no such thing as a vulgar dance on the island. You either dance or you don’t. Had I not humored her and danced with her, who knows what she would have taken into her head to do? My dancing with her was the lesser of two evils. We just danced. Nothing more.”
“I want to leave now!” She was upset that he seemed so nonchalant about this, showing no remorse and making her feel as if she was the possessive one with a problem.
“Certainement. Sure,” he replied.
They made their way back to the main part of the house where his mother was overseeing the refreshments being laid out for the guests.
“Maman, I have to leave now,” he said, kissing her on her cheeks.
“I’m glad you came, Wolfe. I’ll talk with you tomorrow. Take care.”
She walked with them to the door, thanking Daphne for coming and wishing her a good vacation.
Daphne wasn’t even aware of her response because she was still feeling sick. Wolfe left her standing next to the columned entrance to the ballroom while he went to get the car. She was leaning on the column when she felt a touch on her shoulder. She turned and came face to face with the woman Wolfe had been dancing with.
“Salut, mon nom est Lena. My name is Lena,” she said. “I did not get a chance to meet you when I arrived. Why are you taking Wolfe away so soon? Are you and Wolfe an item?”
“What do you mean an ‘item’?” Daphne asked. “Wolfe and I are just friends.”
“Well, see that it remains that way. Wolfe was mine up until three months ago, and I intend to make him mine again, even if I have to crawl over your dead body to achieve it.”
“I don’t believe Wolfe is anyone’s possession. He’s certainly not mine. I think you should be havingthis conversation with him. I have no control over him.”
“Juste être en garde. Just watch yourself. I don’t share, and I fully intend to get him back. You’ve been warned.” With that, she flounced away in a cloud of strong-smelling perfume.
Daphne was so furious she couldn’t stand still. She began pacing back and forth rapidly. Her sick feeling had miraculously disappeared. Who did this woman think she was that she could warn her off Wolfe? Wolfe wasn’t a toy to be fought over, and she’d be damned if she’d cower in a corner and allow that woman to step back into his life. As far as she was concerned, Wolfe was a free man, and she had no intentions of backing off. But she was still very upset with him. If he had not danced with Lena, the woman would not now feel she had a chance of getting him back and threatening her relationship with him.
This got her thinking about the situation between the two of them. She had to return to America soon. If she didn’t, she could possibly lose her business, and it was all she had. She could not afford to lose it. She knew she had a fight on her hands when she returned home. And now she had a fight on her hands here for Wolfe’s attention.
Just then, Wolfe drove up and came out to let her into the vehicle. Ordinarily, driving with Wolfe had always been peaceful and quiet. Tonight, it was even more so, not much coming from Wolfe, and she certainly did not want to have any dialogue with him now. So, sitting in the corner of her seat, she tried her best not to yawn too frequently, but it was difficult. Wolfe cast brief glances over at her as he drove, but she deliberately averted her face. She couldn’t believe they were having their first lovers’ spat. Granted, it was a silent one with no verbal communication, but there was an obvious tension between them, and she wasn’t enjoying it at all.
The roads were practically deserted, and the smell of flowers hung heavy on the predawn air. Occasionally, a dog barked, or a rooster crowed, but other than that, the morning was very peaceful. Arriving at her hotel, Wolfe came over to her side to open her door. She stepped out, averting her face, prepared to walk away without saying anything to him. He grabbed hold of her hand and stopped her from walking away.
“Daphne, will you stop and talk to me?”
“There is nothing to say,” she responded. “I was warned to stay away from you by your woman, and I intend to do just that,” she said angrily.
“What woman?” he asked, perplexed. “Are we still talking about Lena?”
“Who else?” Daphne asked. “Are there others? How many more are waiting in the wings to attack me and warn me away from you?”
“She warned you away from me?” he asked, incredulously. “Listen to me, Daphne. Lena and I were through several months ago, and we were never an item. She was just a fling.”
“Just a fling?” Daphne echoed. “What am I then? What is my status, if I’m not ‘just a fling’? Tell me. I’d really like to know.”
“Stop this, Daphne. Your jealousy is unfounded; though, I must admit, I find it gratifyingly reassuring.”
To Wolfe, Daphne looked as though she’d swallowed something bitter. She kept clasping and unclasping her hands as she struggled to control her emotions.
Her voice came out very harsh when she said, “Well, I’ll be damned. You actually take pleasure in my discomfort? I wouldn’t have suspected your level of conceit and self-importance to be so great.”
He was never as pleased by anything as he was of her jealousy. It gave him some hope; however, he realized there was no convincing her she was wrong until she’d cooled down. He allowed her to brush past him to enter the hotel. He remained standing in the same spot, watching until she caught the elevator up to her room, and with a chuckle, he got back into his vehicle and drove home.
My, that was one angry woman. I must remember not to cross her or give her cause to doubt me again.
T hirteen
That got him thinking about his son, Etienne. Although he’d been little more than a teenager himself when he had fathered Etienne, he had accepted responsibility for him, willing to do his share. Etienne’s mother, Rosalie, had moved to the neigh
boring island of Guadeloupe, and he didn’t get to see him except during the summer school breaks, and even this was limited by the dictates of the mother.
She had turned vicious when she realized he wasn’t going to marry her, no matter what she did. She used his son to get back at him. She also manipulated every visit, so that she was present and flaunting her body in front of him when all he wanted was to spend time with his son. Her antics left him cold. He’d had no idea she was such a manipulative bitch, but when Etienne turned five and she purposely moved away with him, that was the last straw.
In retrospect, these two women—his son’s mother, Rosalie, and then Lena—had soured him on women; that was the reason he had not committed to an exclusive relationship until Daphne.
But now that Lena had decided to show her vindictive nature, he wouldn’t be surprised to receive a visit from Etienne’s mother. These two women had been the bane of his existence for years. And seeing how Daphne reacted to Lena, he was thankful that he’d told her about Etienne before someone else whispered it in her ear. All in all, he was pleased with the way she’d taken the news that he had a son. She had taken it very well.
He was beginning to feel a bit apprehensive now, but he didn’t want her thinking he was keeping secrets from her; that was not his intent. This thing between them happened so quickly, there was no time to discuss all his past relationships.
Later that morning, Wolfe stood in his office at his restaurant contemplating the situation between Daphne and him. Something had to be done. There was no putting it off, and it was not going away. If anything, whatever was between them seemed to be growing stronger every day.
Daphne was everything he wanted in a woman, although she was far removed from what he’d imagined as his wife and the mother of his children, but the heart knows what the heart wants. He would admit she was passionate, caring, and fun to be with, but she was a foreigner, and God help him, he loved her with a passion. And he couldn’t delude himself anymore; he wanted to be with her as much as possible. He missed her when she was not around him. The minute he left her, he was missing her already. Heck, he was missing her now, standing in his office, and it had not been a full day since he’d last seen her. He thought she might still be asleep and angry with him, but there was no denying his obsession.