by Tina Martin
“Doing good,” he answered.
Sherita didn’t say a word.
Desmond was well aware that Sherita hadn’t spoken. Unfazed, he reached for the basket of croissants.
“Didn’t think you were going to make it, Des,” Dimitrius said.
“Had to take care of some business,” Desmond said, then smirked. He was trying to imply that he was with a woman just to keep up the appearance of a supposed bachelor lifestyle he’d been telling his brothers about. In actuality, what taking care of business really meant was stopping by a jewelry store where he purchased a wedding ring – a rare, yellow-diamond platinum ring that had set him back eighty-two thousand dollars. If he had to marry the girl, then he had to make sure her ring was comparable to the ring a Champion man would buy for his wife if this was the real thing. When the marriage was over, he’d get it back.
Sherita felt her stomach turn sour. How was she going to do this? She couldn’t even sit across from the man without feeling nervous and jittery, like she’d had too much caffeine on an empty stomach. Then there was the fact that he hadn’t bothered looking at her. Acknowledging her. Then again, she didn’t acknowledge him either. Anyway, she attempted to try some of the salad and didn’t touch any of the lemon-pepper chicken.
After filling his plate, Desmond glanced up at Sherita for the first time. He took a bite of chicken, then watched her open her mouth to receive a fork full of salad. When she did, she looked up and her eyes caught his. He knowingly and purposely held her gaze, looking at her as if he could see through her. He chewed slowly, watching her chew. Slowly. Then his eyes fell from her eyes to her lips, then back up to her eyes again.
Dante nudged Emily underneath the table and tilted his head in Desmond and Sherita’s direction so Emily could see the two of them staring at each other. Then he mouthed, “Told you,” to Emily and winked at her.
Emily smiled. She was completely caught off guard when Dante had told her about the deal with Victor and the marriage between Desmond and Sherita that would help secure the deal. Emily told him she didn’t think it was a good idea since Sherita was dealing with some personal problems that had left her depressed and ready to relocate. But Dante assured her that Sherita would be okay once she’d gotten to know Desmond. Once they stopped fighting the inevitable, they’d be a happy couple for sure.
Sherita swallowed hard, breaking her gaze with him. She hadn’t even chewed her food enough to swallow, but she did so anyway. If not, she probably would’ve choked.
“So, just to make sure we’re up to speed on this marriage thing, I want to reiterate that this is a fifty-million dollar deal we’re looking at here,” Dante said. “I need everyone on board. We have dinner scheduled with Mr. Westwood Sunday evening. Now, Desmond and Sherita, I’m going to need you guys to get to the courthouse sometime tomorrow. Will that be a problem?”
“No. Not at all,” Desmond said.
Sherita just shook her head, then took a sip of water.
“I don’t know, Dante,” Desmond said. “Sherita doesn’t look like she’s sure about this.”
Sherita looked up at Desmond, held his gaze and responded, “That’s because I’m not.”
“Then don’t do it,” Desmond said with an arrogant grin. “Nobody’s forcing—”
“Des…chill, man,” Dimitrius said.
Desmond sat back in his chair. “Fine.” He angrily bit into a croissant.
Sherita took a breath then took another sip of water.
“So, as I was saying,” Dante continued, “I need you two at the courthouse tomorrow.”
Sherita nodded. “Dante, I forgot to ask…how long will I have to do this…you know…this marriage thing?”
“Right now, we’re looking at five months.”
Sherita’s eyes grew big. “Five months! Why so long? I thought it would be a shorter term than that.”
“I’m sorry,” Dante apologized. “I should’ve told you that yesterday, Sherita. I was so overjoyed that you were willing to do it that it completely slipped my mind. So yes, it will be for five months, and you will also need to live together.”
Sherita shook her head saying, “Okay, that’s where I draw the line. I’m all for helping you guys, but I won’t live with him.”
Desmond chuckled and said facetiously, “This is nice. Y’all tell me to chill, but she sits here and talks about me like I’m not even at this table.”
Sherita looked at him. “I’m not talking about you, Desmond.”
“I won’t live with him,” Desmond repeated. “You didn’t just say that? Like I’m so bad to live with. It’s not like we’re going to be sharing a bed or a room for that matter. You’ll be in the basement.”
“In the basement?” Sherita asked. “I’m not sleeping in anyone’s basement.”
“Okay, let me rephrase…it’s a studio apartment, not your typical basement. I had it converted to a top-of-the-line apartment for guests.”
“Is that okay, Sherita?” Dante asked
Sherita looked at him, then glanced at Emily, seeing the pleading look in her eyes.
“Yes. That’s fine.”
“And there will be rules,” Desmond told her, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the table. “This isn’t a traditional marriage by any means. That means nothing about it will be traditional. Since such is the case, I have a few things I want to go over with you so you know what you’re getting into. Feel free to write them down if you don’t have a good memory.”
Sherita kept on eating, pretending she wasn’t listening to a word Desmond was saying.
Desmond continued, “One – you don’t cook for me, clean for me, wash my clothes…nothing of the sort. I have a maid service, and I order takeout. Two – you will not have any guests showing up at my house. Emily and Melanie are fine. No one else. Three – don’t bother bringing a lot of clothes and things because five months will go by like the blink of an eye, at least that’s what I’m hoping. Four – if we so happen to be in the same room at once, do not ask me how my day was or inquire as to my whereabouts, and I won’t inquire of yours. There may be more rules coming…these are just a few I shot off the top of my head. Questions?”
Melanie’s mouth fell open wider than Emily’s had. Neither had witnessed Desmond behaving like this before. They’d heard stories from his brothers about how challenging he could be to work with and how insistent he was about getting his way. That’s what made him phenomenal at his job. But there was no reason to talk to Sherita like that. No reason at all.
After dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Sherita said, “No. I don’t have any questions.” Pushing away from the table, she stood up. “Thanks for dinner, Emily. I’m going to go…not feeling so good.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Emily said, standing.
Melanie stood up. “Me too.”
After the women exited via the front door, Dante looked at Desmond and said, “You’re going to mess this up for us…you know that, right?”
“I told you I didn’t want to do it anyway,” Desmond said.
“Well, you have to do it,” Dante said, raising his tone. “Snap out of it, man. I don’t know what your problem is with Sherita, but everyone else seems to get along with her, just fine, except for you.”
“So you’re going to pick and choose who I’m supposed to like and don’t like now?”
“No, Des—”
“Then why are you, Dante? Jeez, man. I’m not the immature twenty-year-old you had to watch after after Mom and Dad died. I’m thirty. I can think for myself. It’s bad enough I have go along with this cretinous, pretend marriage to start with. Why don’t you just thank your lucky stars I’m doing it?”
Desmond pushed away from the table, exiting out of the front door. He breezed by the women in the driveway without saying a word, then got inside of his jeep and drove away.
“I don’t know what his problem is,” Emily said, “But I don’t feel like this is a good idea, Sherita.”
“It’s fine
, Em,” Sherita told her.
“No, it’s not,” Melanie chimed in. “He’s so rude to you.”
“It doesn’t matter, Melanie. It’ll be fine. I’ll stay out of his way and afterwards, I’m leaving. My lease is up in a month so instead of renewing, I’m going to put my stuff in storage and save the money I was spending on rent to prepare for my move. Everything will work out, now y’all stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you one-hundred percent sure you want to do this?” Emily asked again.
Sherita nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”
“All right.”
The women hugged, then Sherita got inside of her car and drove away. She would be okay. Dealing with Desmond wouldn’t be an issue because she knew how much she needed a change. Living with him would be a means to an end. It was a way for her to save money since she would no longer have to pay bills associated with her apartment. It would afford her the opportunity to look for a new home in Myrtle Beach. Her new beginning would happen soon enough, and nobody, not even Desmond, would stand in the way of that.
CHAPTER 15
Desmond saw her the moment she rolled up in the parking lot with her little, navy blue Honda. He’d been standing in front of the courthouse, waiting for her, pacing back-and-forth, dressed in a gray suit, black leather shoes, a royal blue and white checkered shirt and a solid royal blue tie that brought the outfit together.
With his hands in his pockets, he watched her get out of the car and swallowed hard at the sight of her. She actually had on a dress, a white one, but it wasn’t a gown. It was more like a summery, beachy dress – one that stopped at her knees, showing off her legs. She had her hair curled in spirals, bouncing all around her face and then there was her make-up. It was done beautifully and the sparkle of her lip gloss caught his attention. Held it.
“Hi,” Sherita told him, and it took everything inside of her just to say that.
Desmond didn’t say a word. He just stared at her lips. He wasn’t sure what to expect from this courthouse wedding. Would they say vows? Would he have to kiss her? Could he handle kissing her and manage not to feel anything from it, unlike the last kiss they’d shared? He’d been thinking about it last night while sitting at the dinner table.
“So, are we going to do this or not?” she asked.
“We are. Here, take this.” He handed her a platinum band. “You’ll have to put it on my finger, so you may as well hold on to it.”
“Was I supposed to get a ring for myself?”
“No. I got your ring. Let’s go,” he snarled, reaching for her hand.
She looked puzzled.
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “We have to make this look good, right? May as well start now.”
The moment she grasped his hand, she felt a current navigate through her body. And why was he holding her hand with a death grip?
Together, they walked inside of the building. Desmond hadn’t realized how tightly he was holding Sherita’s hand until he felt her attempt to wiggle her hand free. So he loosened the grip, then waited patiently. They weren’t the only couple getting married today.
“Do you, Sherita Wilkins take Desmond Champion to be your husband?”
Still in acting mode, Sherita looked at Desmond and smiled big. “I do.”
Desmond hid a frown.
“And Desmond Champion, do you take Sherita Wilkins to be your wife?”
He faked a smile. “I do.”
“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Desmond, holding Sherita’s gaze, leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. It hadn’t been anything further than a prolonged peck on the lips, but it was enough to signify this union. Enough to send his heart pounding again. Enough to confirm what he’d already known – that Sherita was the woman for him. Still, he didn’t like it. He could acknowledge it, but he wouldn’t act on it.
They exchanged rings. Sherita gasped when she saw the yellow diamond Desmond slid on her finger. It was one spectacular, jaw-dropping ring.
Walking back outside, hand-in-hand, the same way they had walked in, Sherita looked at Desmond. “Now what?”
He let go of her hand. “Carry on with your day. I’m going to work. You do whatever it is you do on a Friday.” He turned to walk away then stopped and said, “Oh, almost forgot…” He reached in his pocket and took out a key. “You need to move in today, so if you don’t have anything to do with your time, why don’t you get started with that.”
Sherita took the key from the palm of his hands. “Thanks.”
Desmond turned around and walked away. There was no you’re welcome or enjoy the rest of your day…nothing of the sort. He just walked away.
Sherita shook her head. This had to be the coldest, most unimpassioned wedding in history.
* * *
“So how’s married life?” Dante asked, withholding sarcasm from his voice as he peeped around Desmond’s office door.
“I knew I should’ve locked the door,” Desmond grunted.
“Come on, Des,” Dante said walking in. “Sherita’s a good woman, and you know it.”
“Do you know how many good women I’ve been with, Dante?”
“I don’t think you know how many good women you’ve been with,” Dante quipped.
“You joke, but it’s true. I don’t know. My point is, I never put a ring on their fingers, so being a good woman doesn’t necessarily mean Sherita’s worth changing for. None of the others were.” With his elbows on his desk, Desmond massaged his temples. “All I know is, Victor better not back out of this deal. I still can’t believe I actually went through with this nonsense.”
Dante took his cell phone from his suit jacket when he heard it beep. He read the text message from Emily. It was a simple I love you text that brought a smile to his face. He texted her back, told her the same and then focused his attention back on Desmond. “After you blew up at dinner last night, I suspect I know what’s going on with you…I know why you’ve never been in love.”
“Dante, I really don’t need this right now.” Desmond kept rubbing his temple.
Ignoring him, Dante continued, “When Mom and Dad died, you were the youngest. We all took their deaths hard, but you took it the hardest, and I tried…I tried to be there for you, but—”
“Stop. All right? Just stop! You got what you wanted, Dante. I married the girl! Now go make Victor happy. Fifty-million dollars is on the line, remember?” Beyond irritated, Desmond pushed away from his desk and left the office, slamming the door. Four hours later, he’d already regretted his decision to marry Sherita, and he was angry at Dante for putting him in this position.
CHAPTER 16
Sherita had just navigated her way to what she thought was Desmond’s house. Her eyes grew big when she turned into the driveway of what looked like a mansion sitting on at least ten acres of land. She noticed the stucco material on the outside of his house, a new roof, a three-car garage and horseshoe driveway. She double-checked the address again to make sure she was at the right place. She doubted that Desmond would live here alone. She’d heard he lived in a big house, but in her mind, she couldn’t picture one this large.
After confirming that this was his house number on Walnut Grove Lane, she parked and stepped out of the car. When her phone rang at about the same time, she looked at the display and saw that the caller was Dante.
“Hey, Dante,” she answered.
“Hi, Sherita. Have you taken anything over to Desmond’s house yet?”
“Funny you should ask…I just got here…about to get out of the car and take some stuff in.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Why?” she asked frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“I think I may have made a mistake by asking Desmond to do this. I’ve never seen him so livid.”
“So the entire deal is off, and I don’t have to move in?”
Dante sighed. Feeling like he was being prematur
e about this, he said, “Let me speak with Desmond again. That way, I’ll be in a better position to tell you how we’re going to move forward.”
“Well, guess I’ll head back on home then.”
“I’m sorry about all of this, Sherita. Hopefully, I’ll get it straightened out soon.”
“No problem. I’ll wait for your phone call, then.”
* * *
Desmond showed up for pool at Dante’s house. He wouldn’t allow his anger to keep him from the tradition of shooting a few games of pool with his brothers. It was a way for the brothers to talk openly in a non-professional setting and without all the family around. It was only them.
“Listen, Desmond…I wasn’t trying to get under your skin today,” Dante said. “All I was trying to say was that your inability to connect with a woman has to be something deeper than this bachelor lifestyle you exude, and if it has something to do with our parent’s death, which I suspect it does, then I’m asking you to talk to me about it.”
Desmond held the cue stick in his hand. He’d never been much for talking about his feelings, but realizing he’d been holding on to this for far too long, he said, “They’re supposed to be here with us.” Desmond inhaled a breath, swallowed hard and said, “When Dad died, I watched Mom die a little every day until she couldn’t live without him anymore. And then there’s you, Dante…you married Anita, and she died. I watched you nearly break down, completely lose yourself because you lost the woman you loved. I can’t go through that. I can’t give someone my heart then watch their life get snatched away.”
“You can’t afford not to give someone your heart, Desmond,” Dante told him. “Yes, Anita’s death was hard on me, and it took me a while but, eventually, I started over. And now I have Emily and a son.”
Desmond sighed heavily and nodded.
Dimitrius took a long swig of beer then set the bottle on the table next to him. “Dante’s right, bro. You can’t put your life on hold for what you think may happen,” Dimitrius added. “You have to live, Des. Trust me…I know what you’re going through. I was trying my hardest to avoid Melanie because of what my ex did to me. Now, I can’t imagine my life without her and Grace. That’s why I do what I have to do to protect them. You can do the same for someone, and I’m not saying that someone is Sherita. I don’t know who the woman is. I just know you’re missing out if you let life pass you by without ever experiencing the true love of a woman. You can be that man…a family man. I’m sure you didn’t buy that five-bedroom house all for yourself.”