by Pamela Yaye
“Thanks, Bridgett! My husband bought them for me,” Azure said, resisting the urge to do the happy dance right then and there. She was Mrs. Harper Hamilton, and so thrilled to be married to such a thoughtful, generous man, she wanted to shout it the rooftops. “My man has great taste, doesn’t he?”
Her coworker stuck out her pierced tongue. “Show-off!”
The women laughed.
“How are you doing, Bridgett? I haven’t seen you in ages.”
“That’s because you’ve been busy setting up house with that fine-ass attorney,” she quipped, swiveling her neck. “I was stunned when I heard Harper Hamilton had finally tied the knot, and when I saw your wedding photo flash on my TV screen, I dropped my cappuccino!”
Azure giggled.
“I had no clue you guys were dating, and if I had, I probably would have slashed your tires in a jealous rage, because I’ve had a crush on that man for years!”
You and me both, girl. You and me both, Azure thought, closing her office door. Clutching her cell phone in her hand, she heaved her purse over her shoulder with the other and moved briskly down the hall toward the sun-drenched lobby. Bridgett was hot on her heels, questioning her about the intimate details of her whirlwind romance with Harper and chatting a mile a minute.
“Harper sounds like a really great guy, but you better be careful, girl. He is a Hamilton.”
Slanting her head in her colleague’s direction, she shot Bridgett an incredulous, what-are-you-talking-about look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m just saying, when it comes to the ladies his father, Frank, has quite the reputation, and you know what they say, ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’”
Azure slowed but didn’t stop. She had no idea what Bridgett was talking about but decided not to question her further. On any other day, she’d join her loquacious coworker in the staff room for a cup of coffee and some juicy celebrity gossip, but today Azure didn’t have time to shoot the breeze. She had to hustle if she was going to make it to Haute Couture by four o’clock. The entire Hamilton family was going to be fitted for next month’s charity ball at the by-appointment-only boutique, and Azure shuddered to think what Harper’s mother would do to her if she was late.
“Let’s get together for drinks one day next week,” Bridgett proposed when they reached the reception desk. “Give me a call tomorrow and we’ll set something up.”
Azure jabbed the elevator button. “Sounds like a plan. Talk to you later!”
The elevator doors slid open, and Azure groaned inwardly. People were crammed inside the box like human crayons. Sliding between two middle-aged men yakking on their respective cell phones, Azure hoped and prayed the ride would be a painless one. Pop music blared from someone’s headphones, and the stench of cologne, nicotine and a day’s worth of sweat was so heavy in the air Azure’s stomach lurched. But before she could jump out, the doors closed, sealing her inside the tight, putrid-smelling space.
Azure felt her cell phone vibrate and checked the number on the screen. It was her mom. Again. She had been dodging her mother since the day after the wedding, and had yet to respond to any calls or text messages. Her parents were upset she’d gone off and married Harper, and rightly so, but Azure didn’t have the energy to deal with them today. Not after the long, stressful day she’d had.
Azure thought of switching off her cell, but she was expecting a call from Demetri Morretti’s publicist and was so anxious to find out if the baseball superstar would grant her request for an interview, she’d been clutching her BlackBerry in her right hand all day.
The phone stopped ringing, then started up again seconds later. Azure pretended not to hear it, but when the silver-haired woman beside her shot her an evil look, she reluctantly answered the phone. “Hey, Mom, how are you—”
“Alice Rose Ellison, are you out of your ever-loving mind?”
The elevator went quiet, and Azure could feel the heat of a dozen stares.
“Mom, I can’t talk right now—”
“Why the hell not?”
Azure stared down at the phone. Uh-oh, she’s really mad.
“Imagine my surprise when I turned on my computer and saw your wedding pictures splashed across the society section of the Philadelphia Blaze!”
“I can explain....”
“What were you thinking?” she demanded, her tone colder than ice.
“I wasn’t. Everything happened so fast, and I got caught up in the moment, I guess.”
“Thank God you did! Marrying Harper Hamilton was the best decision you ever made.”
Azure sputtered, tripped over her tongue in her haste to make sense of what her mother was saying. “So, you’re not angry that I married Harper?”
“No, of course not. Harper Hamilton is the ultimate catch. Rich, successful, well connected. You couldn’t have done any better, honey. Well done. Nicely played.”
Azure frowned. “I don’t understand. Are you mad at me or not?”
“I’m not mad that you married Harper Hamilton. I’m mad that you married him in that hideous-looking satin dress!”
Of course, Azure thought, shaking her head. I should have known.
“I mean, really, Alice, what were you thinking? Why would you set out to be the butt of Perez Hilton’s vicious jokes?”
Azure heard giggles and chuckles behind her, and knew everyone in the elevator was enjoying the show. Hanging up on her mom would be disrespectful, and Azure knew her dad was probably waiting in the wings to speak to her, but she had to get off the phone before she lost her cool and said something she’d later regret.
“Honey, you really need to get a gym membership and sign up for one of their advanced cardio classes. If you exercise for an hour every day and stick to a strict, eight-hundred-calorie diet, those love handles will be gone before you know it.”
Azure winced. Even Mrs. Hamilton wasn’t that mean.
The elevators slid open, and Azure gulped in some fresh air. “Mom, I’ll call you later,” she lied, hustling through the lobby and flagging down a taxi once outside. “I’m on my way to Haute Couture and I really can’t talk right now.”
“Why not?” she barked, her tone losing its warmth. “Are you having a second, more extravagant wedding ceremony? One you’re planning to exclude your loving family from?”
“No, Mom, I have to find a dress for the Hamilton family charity gala.”
“Oh yes, yes, their annual fundraiser for the Tuck Me In Foundation. I went a few years back and enjoyed myself immensely. Whatever you do, don’t buy anything white or strapless or satin. It will only emphasize how big your butt is. And those pesky love handles.”
Azure’s thumb inched toward the end button.
“And one last thing, make sure you get two seats at Mayor Nutter’s table.”
“Mom, Harper and I will be sitting with the rest of the family at—”
“The tickets aren’t for you, honey. They’re for me and Dad.”
Azure gulped. “You’re coming to Philly next month?”
“You bet your stiletto boots we are!” her mom shrieked, her voice high-pitched, loud and excited. “I mean, really, Alice, what kind of mother would I be if I didn’t come to town to meet my wealthy new son-in-law and his über-rich family?”
A mother who wanted to spare her already stressed-out daughter any more humiliation, Azure thought, blowing out a breath of frustration. Now she had to contend with Mrs. Hamilton and her mother at next month’s charity gala. The thought made her stomach churn, and even thinking about Harper didn’t help. With Harper, she was free to be her insecure, sarcastic self, and knowing that he liked her—faults and all—usually was enough to turn her smile upside down. But not today. Not in light of the bombshell her mother had just dropped.
“Ta-ta, dear.
Now run along and go get those tickets. Talk to you soon!”
When Azure heard the dial tone buzz in her ear, she clicked off her phone and hurled it inside her purse. A taxi stopped, and she ducked inside.
Dropping her purse at her feet, she slumped in the backseat and closed her tear-filled eyes. Azure didn’t know if she was feeling emotional because of the hurtful things her mother had said, because she was exhausted or both. She couldn’t stop thinking about the charity gala, couldn’t stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong at the Hamilton family fundraiser. With her mother and mother-in-law there, the event was sure to be a fiasco, an evening filled with tension, stress and more drama than a daytime soap opera.
And Azure had a feeling she was going to be smack-dab in the middle of all the chaos. Does the man upstairs really have it out for me or what?
* * *
“Oh my goodness....” The words tumbled out of Azure’s mouth when Harper emerged from behind the changing room door in a tailored black tuxedo. Her eyes stalked him through the boutique, and when he joined his brothers on the raised, circular stage in front of the mirror, Azure felt her girly parts throb and tingle. Thank God I’m sitting or I would have fainted at his feet!
Licking her dry lips, she fanned a hand in front of her face. It was stunning, mind-boggling actually. Azure had never met a family like the Hamiltons. Not only had Philadelphia’s wealthiest African-American family been blessed with good looks; they’d been endowed with smarts, intelligence and winning personalities. The Hamilton clan shared a tight bond, one that Azure noticed the moment she entered Harper’s uncle’s estate, and watching Harper joke around with his brothers and cousins made Azure wish she and Eden were closer.
Azure heard someone groan, and turned around just in time to see Marissa Hamilton collapse onto one of the plush beige chairs. “Are you okay?” she asked gently, noting the attorney’s pale skin and lifeless disposition. “No offense, but you don’t look too good.”
She combed a hand through her long, tussled brown hair. “I’ll be okay. It’s just the flu. I’ve survived a lot worse.”
“Do you want me to get you something to drink?” Azure gestured to the round glass table beside the front window. “They have everything here. Coffee, tea, soda.”
“No, thanks. I’ve already had three cans of ginger ale! I’m going to sneak out of here when my mom’s not looking and go home to bed. I was at the office until midnight, and up by six for court, so I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
I know just how you feel, Azure thought, wearing a sympathetic smile. Tossing and turning had become her new late-night pastime. She hadn’t had a good night sleep since moving into Harper’s sprawling Society Hill home, and Azure wondered how many more sleepless nights she could take before collapsing from sheer exhaustion.
“This is my big break!” Keeping her eyes glued to her mother, who was chatting on her cell phone and fussing with her husband’s pin-striped tie, Marissa quickly collected her things and sprang to her feet. “Bye, Azure. See you soon!”
Alone now, Azure returned to doing what she did best: lusting after Harper. That’s why she couldn’t sleep. They lived in separate wings of the house, but Azure was very much aware of his presence and knew his daily routine like the back of her hand. She wasn’t a morning person and struggled to make it to work on time every day, but the second she heard Harper in the kitchen, she jumped out of bed. After freshening up, Azure joined him at the breakfast bar, and there, over mugs of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon bagels, they discussed their plans for the day and which high-profile events to attend in and around town.
“How do I look?”
Azure blinked, and when she saw Harper stalking toward her, wearing a boyish smile, she had to stop herself from leaping off the couch and straight into his arms. Harper kept his physique in tip-top shape by playing racquetball five days a week, and as her gaze spilled down his chest, Azure decided he had the sexiest body she’d ever seen. “You look beautiful! Like a Calvin Klein model ripping the runway!”
Harper’s brothers—Benjamin and Shawn—erupted in laughter. They stood on the raised stage, in front of the mirror, elbowing each other like a bunch of middle school boys watching a couple round third base under the football bleachers.
Harper chuckled. “I’m not beautiful. I’m tough and manly and macho.”
“Well, I think you’re gorgeous,” she said, admiring his physique, “and anyone who thinks differently is probably legally blind!”
More hearty chuckles from the well-dressed peanut gallery.
“I don’t know about you, Cupcake, but I’m ready to call it a day,” Harper said, sitting down beside Azure on the plush sofa and resting a hand on her thigh.
Azure knew Harper was only touching her for show, only playing the role of the loving, affectionate husband, but every time Harper touched her, she melted. His gentle caress ignited her desires, and when he gave her a peck on the lips, her body shook like a rattle.
“We should go for dinner at Table 13 once we finish up here.”
Azure agreed. She’d been on her feet for the past hour, had been poked and pinched by the seamstress as she modeled the black, one-shoulder dress she was wearing to next month’s charity gala and was so hungry she was beginning to feel faint. And after being interrogated by Harper’s father, Frank, about their relationship, she could use a tall, cold cocktail. “Is it safe for us to leave?” Azure asked, glancing around the boutique in search of Harper’s bossy, high-strung aunt. The wife and mother of three was not only planning the upcoming charity fundraiser, but giving a speech, as well, and she insisted that everyone look chic and sophisticated for the event.
“Everyone’s been fitted, so it should be fine.”
“Your mom’s not coming?”
Harper shook his head. “No, she’s home sick with the flu.”
Azure wondered if Mrs. Hamilton was actually sick or just avoiding her. The thought made guilt rain down on her, made her feel as if she was somehow responsible for her mother-in-law’s frame of mind. She was only married to Harper for show, but Azure didn’t want to cause a rift between mother and son. Maybe she should try and reach out to Mrs. Hamilton. Make an effort to smooth things over with her. I’ll send her flowers and a box of chocolates, Azure decided, feeling confident about her decision. If that doesn’t score me a few points, I don’t know what will! “I hope your mom feels better soon.”
“I phoned her a couple hours ago, and she actually sounded pretty good,” Harper said with a smooth nod. “I’m sure she’ll be up and running in no time.”
“Does your aunt Jeanette know your mom’s not coming? She was looking around for her a few minutes ago.”
“Yeah, I told her. She’s flipping out, but I told her not to worry. There’s still plenty of time for my mom to get fitted. Hell, she’s a designer. She can do her own alterations!”
“Why didn’t your mom design the outfits for the charity gala?” Azure asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. “She’s the latest ‘It’ designer, and the whole fashion world is buzzing about her fall collection.”
Harper shrugged. “I don’t know. These days Mom’s insanely busy, and I’m guessing she probably couldn’t fit it into her already-tight schedule.”
“Has your mom always worked?”
“Yes. She did a great job juggling everything, and I can’t ever remember a time in my life when she wasn’t there for me or didn’t put me and my brothers first.”
“I envy you. My mother never worked, so she made me—or rather me losing weight—her full-time job. She used to force me to exercise every day before and after school. To this day, I hate spandex and Richard Simmons.”
Harper gave her knee a light squeeze. “You’re not alone, Azure. I had an overbearing parent, too. My mom was around so much I used to forget she even h
ad a job!”
They shared a laugh, but when Harper spoke again, his voice was filled with admiration.
“My mom was the best. Loving, warm and a lot of fun. My dad was always off working, so she had to pick up the slack, which I’m sure was no easy feat. You’ve met my brothers,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “They’re a handful! Especially that Nelson!”
Listening to Harper talk about his childhood made Azure wonder what it would be like having a family with him. It was never going to happen, but she daydreamed about what their children would look like. Harper would be a great dad, the best. He’d be strict, but loving, compassionate and attentive. And if they had a girl, he’d probably spoil her rotten. She’d be a daddy’s little girl for sure, nipping at his heels all day long. Harper would love their daughter unconditionally, no matter what. He wouldn’t be ashamed to take her out in public, the way her father had been with her.
Azure fiddled with her purse strap as painful childhood memories engulfed her. A thick, acrid taste filled her dry mouth. Wiping her mind clean didn’t expunge her feelings of bitterness, but when Harper leaned over and kissed her, her scowl morphed into a smile.
“I’m going to change, and then we’ll get out of here, okay?”
Azure nodded, and as she watched Harper stride back across the boutique, she undressed all six feet two inches of him with her eyes. Staring up at the ceiling, she prayed for an extra dose of self-control, because these days keeping her hands to herself and off Harper was more challenging than deciphering the lyrics to a Nicki Minaj song.
Chapter 13
“Just one more question before I let you two lovebirds go,” the bubbly, rail-thin Channel Six TV news reporter said, raising her index finger in the air, “This question was posted on our Facebook page from one of our loyal viewers, and I’m very curious to hear your response. Are you guys thinking of starting a family anytime soon?”
“No!”
“Yes!”
Azure cranked her neck in Harper’s direction. The bright studio lights illuminated the twinkle in his eyes, and a grin was playing on his full lips. He was enjoying the interview, and discussing their sham of a marriage had put him in a fun, playful mood. This was the third interview they’d done today, and although Harper had said several things that surprised her during the segment, his response to the baby question left Azure at a loss for words.