by Pamela Yaye
“I want to have kids right away, and we’re having a hell of a good time practicing!”
Coughing, Azure rubbed a hand over her pounding chest. An oversize fan was blowing cool air into the studio, but sweat drenched her palms and the back of her white ruffled blouse. Azure wanted to interrupt, to stop Harper from saying anything else outrageous, but she feared if she opened her mouth gibberish would fall out.
Blown away by Harper’s uncharacteristic display of bravado, Azure listened in stunned disbelief as he told the gregarious TV host—and 1.5 million viewers—how much fun they were having in the bedroom.
“Life is good,” Harper said, staring straight into the camera. “I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”
“I bet,” quipped the host. “You look like one very satiated man to me!”
He chuckled, agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m looking forward to the next chapter of our lives, and I just know Azure is going to be an incredible mother. She’s intelligent and witty and she never fails to make me laugh.” Gazing at her, he rested a hand on her leg, slowly caressed her thigh. Harper wore a devilish smile, one that should be illegal in all fifty states, and when he leaned over and pecked Azure on the lips, she swallowed a moan.
“I know you guys are newlyweds,” the host joked, holding her hands up in the air, “but slow your roll. This is daytime TV!”
The studio audience giggled and cheered.
Azure blew out a breath, shifted around on the plush beige couch. Global warming had to be to blame for her out-of-control body temperature. That or her flesh was reacting to Harper’s innocent caress. Which made no sense. This wasn’t the first time he’d touched her or stared deep into her eyes. But maybe that was it. Maybe the more he touched her, the harder it was for her to stay in control. Maybe? Azure wanted to laugh. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. She craved him—his kiss, his touch, the feel of his hands between her legs—and like an addict, she couldn’t wait for her next fix.
“I can’t wait for Azure to get pregnant. I plan to take extra good care of her and…”
Azure felt as if a hypnotist had put her in a trance. She couldn’t stop staring at Harper, couldn’t stop picturing them in bed making love. They were never going to produce the love child he spoke so fondly of, but Azure was all for a night or two of carnal pleasure.
“We’d like to have at least four kids, so if you’ll excuse us, we really must go, because we have some baby making to do!”
“Well, there you have it, folks,” the host said, wearing a cheeky smile. “They’re hard at work making babies!”
Shrieks of excitement and applause filled the air.
“I want to thank Philadelphia’s newest sweethearts, Harper and Azure Hamilton, for stopping by City Spotlight this morning,” the host said, staring straight into the camera. “It’s been fun. Come back and visit us real soon.”
“Thanks for having us,” Harper said with a nod to the host and one to the studio audience. “And we look forward to seeing you and your wonderful viewers at the Tuck Me In Foundation charity gala next month.”
“I’ll be there with bells on!” the host said. “After the commercial break, we’ll be joined by rising pop star Treasure J and celebrity chef Chaz Murano. Stay tuned!”
When the cameras stopped rolling, crew members swarmed the set. Lights were repositioned, furniture was moved and the statuesque producer hustled around the room, flapping her hands and shouting orders to her ten-man crew.
“Azure, you were great. The cameras loved you!” Reaching over, Harper unclipped her microphone and handed it to the engineer. Standing, he clasped her hand and helped her up from the couch. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he caressed his thumb over her soft, warm flesh. Holding her gaze, he raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. You know that, right?”
“I feel the same way.”
Azure cast a glance around the room and noticed all the women on set were shooting her evil daggers. No surprise. They thought she was legitimately married to Harper, a hot, rich attorney who came from money, and Azure didn’t blame them for wishing her dead.
“Are you okay? You’re shaking.”
Harper wrapped her up in his arms, cradling her to his chest.
A delicious warmth flowed through her. Harper’s touch aroused her, caused her to melt in his arms. It had been like that from day one. In public, he was a loving, doting husband, more excited than an A-list actor jumping on Oprah’s couch. And Azure enjoyed every wonderful minute of it. She loved the attention, how desirable Harper made her feel, and all the thoughtful things he did to brighten her day. On Sunday, he took her to the opera, yesterday he’d treated her to a shopping spree at Barney’s and tonight he was taking her to see a comedy show. Their first two weeks of marriage had been a dream, one filled with laughs, kisses and plenty of tender moments, but it was getting harder and harder for Azure to separate fact from fiction.
“Where to?”
Azure blinked, shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you going in to the office?”
“That depends on whether or not you’re free.” Harper smiled. “To be honest, I wasn’t planning on it, so I cleared my schedule for the day.”
“But you have that big fraud case to prep for.”
“I know, but I’d much rather spend some quality time with you.”
“What did you have in mind?”
His gaze zeroed in on her lips. “You don’t want to know.”
“But I do—” Azure paused when she spotted a stunning, fair-skinned creature sashay toward them and tap Harper on the shoulder.
“Harper, it’s so good to see you. How have you been?”
“Vienna? What are you doing here?”
Azure felt his muscles tense. Stepping back, he tightened his hold around her waist and angled his body toward the door. As if he was plotting his escape.
“Treasure J is my newest client,” she explained, gesturing to the adorable girl in the pink denim outfit practicing dance moves on the circular stage. “Mark my words. Treasure J is going to explode onto the music scene and knock Taylor Swift off the charts!”
Harper gave a cold, bitter laugh, one that would scare a villain in a horror movie. “You’re hardly one to be advising impressionable young girls.”
“Be nice,” she sang, tilting her head to the side and propping her hands on her hips. “Remember, I know all your secrets, Harper, and if you’re mean to me, I’ll go to the media—”
“Bye, Vienna. Have a nice life.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your blushing new bride?”
Harper hesitated, then gave a slow nod. “Azure, this is
Vienna Abrams. An old friend.”
“Okay, Harper, I’ll let you tell it,” she quipped, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, “but ‘friends’ don’t plan an elaborate destination wedding.”
Azure froze. So, this was his ex. The woman Harper had planned to marry. Jealousy reared its ugly head, caused Azure to feel insecure and inferior in the music executive’s presence. Vienna was just Harper’s type. Tall, curvy, with a perfect hourglass figure. She didn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere, or pesky love handles to contend with, either.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Azure, and I hope you and Harper have a long and happy marriage. All the best to you both!”
Azure didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t expecting this, wasn’t expecting Harper’s ex to be so kind and gracious.
Vienna sounded sincere, as though she meant every word, and was wearing a friendly expression on her pretty, oval-shaped face. Azure tried to smile, but it felt as if her mouth was wired shut. “Thanks,” she managed after a long, tense moment.
“Azure, baby, we better get going.”
With that,
Harper led her across the room, out the studio doors and into the sleek black town car idling at the curb. Azure didn’t mind the rush. The quicker she got away from Harper’s ex, the better, because meeting the woman Harper had planned to marry—not for publicity or fame, but for love—was more than Azure could bear.
* * *
On Friday evening, Azure walked into Harper’s gourmet kitchen fully expecting to see his Persian-born housekeeper behind the stove, but instead found Harper stirring a black oversize pot with a silver spoon. The grill was sizzling, the round, glass table was set for two and a cool, crisp breeze blew in through the bay window.
Rap music pumped out of the living room stereo, and to her surprise, Harper was rhyming fluently to the track playing. He was bobbing his head, rocking his hard, muscled body to the strong, pulsing beat.
Azure’s thoughts took an explicit detour. As she watched Harper, two things struck her at once: how damn good he looked in his V-neck sweater and faded blue jeans and how much she enjoyed seeing this side to him. This sexy, laid-back side.
“I can’t believe you’re home,” she said, unzipping her jacket and placing it on the armrest of the leather sectional couch. Everything in Harper’s Society Hill home was luxurious, opulent and beautifully arranged, and when their marriage was over, Azure knew she’d have a hard time leaving Harper’s lavish, six-bedroom house. “You never get home before six, but it’s only four-thirty. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine, I just decided to quit a little early today.”
Azure didn’t believe Harper for a minute, but she knew he wasn’t going to tell her the truth. Not that she needed him to. He’d been acting strange ever since they ran into Vienna at the TV studio, and after three days of his moody behavior, she’d finally decided to quit asking him what was wrong. If Harper didn’t want to talk to her, fine, she’d just do her own thing tonight. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you later. I’m going upstairs to work on my next article.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Not really. I stopped by the condo after work to see my cats and had a slice of Maggie’s homemade apple pie.” Azure sniffed the air. The kitchen smelled like cumin, and although she’d just eaten a sweet, gooey dessert, the spicy scent aroused her hunger.
“I wanted to do something special for you, so I made dinner.”
“But you don’t cook.”
“True, but I make a mean peppercorn steak,” he said, wearing a proud smile. “One bite, and you’ll be singing my praises.”
“What else is on the menu, Home Boyardee?”
Chuckling, he put down the spoon and lowered the temperature on the stove. “Caesar salad, French bread and wild rice.”
“And for dessert?”
“Chocolate cupcakes.”
Sighing dramatically, she tilted her head to the side and placed a hand on her chest. “A man after my heart.”
“You sound pleased,” he said, uncorking the wine bottle on the counter. “Does that mean you’ll join me for dinner? Please say yes. I hate eating alone.”
“Sure, why not? It’s the least I can do since you went to all this trouble.”
“Great! Hang tight. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”
Azure picked up the CD lying on the granite counter, flipped it over and scanned the song titles. “I didn’t know you liked rap music.”
“Who doesn’t?” he joked, stealing her favorite line. “I’ve been a hip-hop fan ever since high school, and after I heard ‘Fight the Power’ by Public Enemy, I wanted to be a rapper!”
“I’m guessing that didn’t go over too well with your parents.”
“You’re right about that.”
“Did they confiscate your boom box or ground you for a month?”
“Both. My dad was so angry he tossed my stereo out the window and all the rap CDs I’d saved up to buy!” Harper chuckled at the memory. “It’s in my blood to be an attorney, to practice and study law, but I’ve always wished I could work with artists and actors, too.”
“Then why not start your own law practice and specialize in the entertainment field? You’re an accomplished attorney, with an impeccable reputation, and I bet you’d have celebrities lined up to sign with you in no time.”
“I’ve been thinking of starting my own practice for a while now. It’s just an idea, something I’ve been pondering off and on for the last year,” he confessed. “My family wouldn’t take the news well, especially my dad, but I know over time he’d come around.”
“I think you should go for it.” Azure reached into the fruit basket, plucked a grape off the vine and popped it into her mouth. “And if you name your law firm something cool and catchy like Hit Makers and Associates, rappers will come running when they’re in trouble with the law!”
Harper tossed his head back and gave a long, hearty chuckle. “You’re too much.”
“That’s why you love me!” Azure winced when the words left her mouth. Sometimes she didn’t know when to stop. Shaking her head, she shook off her comment with a wave of her hand. “I’m just kidding, Harper. You know me. I’ll do anything for a laugh.”
“Anything?”
Harper picked up the credit-card-size remote control and pointed it at the entertainment unit. The lights dimmed, the blinds opened, revealing a stunning view of the landscape and the rap music was replaced with cool jazz. Harper picked up the bottle of wine, filled two flutes and handed one to Azure. “You will always have a special place in my heart, always be someone I care deeply for, and I wish you nothing but the best in life.”
Azure lowered her glass from her lips. “Why does this sound like goodbye?”
“Because it is.” Harper blew out a ragged breath, raked a hand over his head. “Azure, I’m sorry. I know we had an agreement, but I can’t do this anymore. You can’t live here.”
“Is this about my dirty clothes piled up in the laundry room?” she asked, resting her glass on the counter. “I’ll get to it tonight, I promise, as soon as we finish dinner.”
“This is not about the laundry. You’ve been a model roommate.”
Azure felt her shoulders slump, but she didn’t crumble. She would put on a brave front, remain unaffected and aloof, even if it killed her. And Azure didn’t doubt that it would. Like a fool, she’d foolishly believed that over time Harper might come to feel something for her. I should have known this day was coming, she thought, overcome by the weight of her sadness, Harper Hamilton is, and always will be, out of my league.
“If you want, I can help you pack after we finish dinner. It’s the least I can do, since I’m the one breaking our deal.”
Azure wanted to ask him about Vienna, wanted to know if they’d rekindled their romance, but wasn’t brave enough to ask. “Have you met someone?” she asked, despite the painful lump in her throat. “Someone you’re interested in being with?”
“Is that what you think? That I want to move someone else in here?”
“What do you expect me to think, Harper? We’re supposed to play husband and wife for the next three months, but now you’re calling the whole thing off after only two weeks.”
“Because living with you is making me crazy!”
“But you just said I’ve been a model houseguest!” she shouted back. “Which one is it?”
“Damn it, Azure, don’t you get it? Isn’t it obvious?” Harper growled, ripping off his apron and throwing it down on the counter. “Do I need to spell it out for you?”
“Yeah, Harper, you do because I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about wanting you, Azure! About wanting to kiss you and caress you and love you until I’m spent!”
Chapter 14
Unable to speak, Azure stared at Harper, wide-eyed and openmouthed. Convinced she looked like the visual de
finition of the word gobsmacked, she closed her dry, parted lips. Did Harper just say what I think he said? Azure shook the thought right out of her head. No, no, no. I must have misheard him. Must get my hearing checked as soon as—
“My attraction to you is destroying me, Azure. I can’t concentrate at work, and most days I feel like I am functioning at a grade-two level....”
Azure stood rigid with shock. His confession blew her away. She had no idea Harper felt that way, and to her amazement, the more he spoke the more aroused she got.
“I fantasize about making love to you, about being buried deep inside you twenty-four-seven, and it’s killing me.”
Her heartbeat accelerated, raced faster than the engine in a European sports car. His words gave her a rush of pleasure, caused tingles to spark between her legs. She heard the frustration in Harper’s voice, the angst, and wanted to put him out of his sexual misery, but before she could confess her true feelings, he dropped another bombshell.
“I’m a gentleman, not a saint, and if you stay I’m bound to cross the line, so please leave while I still have a semblance of dignity.” He dropped his hands at his sides, his shoulders bent, a defeated expression on his face. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
His gaze captured her, held her in its powerful grip. And when a sad smile touched the corners of his lips, Azure fell apart at the seams. She struggled to breathe, to think, to remain upright. Gathering herself as best she could, Azure waited until she was calm and composed before speaking. “Can I at least have dinner before you kick me out?”
Her joke fell flat, ratcheting up the tension another nerve-racking degree. Harper didn’t laugh, he just stood there, bracing his hands against the island, staring at her with sad eyes. Seeing his vulnerability only made Azure want him more. She craved his kiss, his caress, but she knew Harper would push her away if she touched him. This was it. They were done. Over. And the smart thing to do now was to leave before she acted on her desires and shamed herself.