Chapter Nine

 

Ahmalee

 

 

On Sunday, Cain takes me to Beasley’s for brunch. He orders the hot chicken and eggs benedict with a Belgian waffle. I go for the egg casserole. We both have mimosas.

I say, “Our first breakfast as husband and wife.” Butterflies are still swimming around in my stomach. I can’t believe I’m married.

“It is—one of many more meals we’ll share together.”

We exchange smiles. I say, “I’ve never been here before, by the way, but this food is soo good.”

“It is—not better than the food my wife cooks though.”

I’m all smiles. Danggit, he knows how to get me to smile from ear-to-ear. I tease him and say, “Oh, so you’re married. Hmm…didn’t take you for the married type with your dreads and those eyes that can seduce a woman.”

“Then you thought wrong because I’m taken and she’ll never get rid of me.”

I rise from my seat to take a quick kiss from his syrupy-tasting lips.

When I sit down, I hear a guy close to our table say, “Abel—thought that was you. What up, man? Long time, no see.”

Abel – I mean, Cain – stands up to greet this guy. They slap hands and then Cain says, “This is my wife, Ahmalee.”

“Wife?” the guy says. He looks like he’s beside himself – face balled up into a hot mess.

“Yep, man. Wife.”

I smile at him.

“You done gone off and got yourself married?”

“I did.”

“Hi,” I say to the guy. I would’ve reached to shake his hand but I’m eating and that’s just nasty.

“I’m Libra.”

Libra? Did he just say his name was Libra?

I check out after that and steal a piece of Cain’s waffle while he’s distracted. Watching the two men talk, I determine they’re around the same age, both tall and they look like they’re having catch-up talk like, how’s the family kinda talk.

I hear Libra say, “I heard your company is doing big things, man. You got any productions coming this way?”

Cain glances back at me, laughs it off and says, “Nah, man. I’m just spending some time with my wife.”

“Well, congratulations. I wanna be like you when I grow up.”

I thought Cain would tell Libra his company is no more, but he doesn’t. He lets the man believe what he wants to believe. I’m sure it’s still a sore spot for him. I wouldn’t go around advertising that either.

“Anyway, let me go get some grub. Heard they got some good food up in this piece,” he says, patting his stomach. “It was nice to meet you, Ahmalee.”

“You too,” I say, then he leaves us alone with our Sunday brunch.

Cain sits down again – sets his brown eyes on me something heavy. I can feel their weight on my chest.

As soon as Libra walks away, I say, “Old colleague?”

“No. Just somebody I know.”

“From your new job?”

He shrugs dismissively. “Something like that.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Is he hiding something from me?

“What?” he asks, giving me that dangerously sexy smile.

“Why are you being secretive?”

“I’m not being secretive, Mrs. Wesley. He’s somebody I know.”

“Hmm…okay. Is his name really Libra?”

He grins. “It is. Come sit next to me.”

I push my plate across the table then get up and sit next to Cain on the cushiony booth bench at this table.

He says, “That’s better,” then palms my thigh. He squeezes. Makes my body jerk. I’m laughing because he’s never done anything close to this and it’s a little ticklish. I practically threw myself at him last night and he didn’t bite. Now, he wants to get frisky in a restaurant. I can’t figure this man out, but I love me some him.

Amused, I ask, “What are you doing, Cain?”

“What are you doing, Ahmalee?” Staring at my lips, he says, “I saw you eating my waffle.”

I laugh again. “I’m about to eat some more of it if you just gon’ leave it sitting there looking all buttery and pretty.”

“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about your lips.” He pulls me close to his body and takes my lips for a test drive. If I did have any syrup on them, I don’t any longer. He’s sucked it all off. And he’s moaning like he does when he eats.

I pull away from him and say, “Cain Wesley, what has come over you this morning?” I glance around then whisper, “People are looking at us.”

“What do I care if people are looking? You’re my wife. I should be able to kiss you whenever I want and wherever I want.”

He leaves a smaller kiss on my lips then, with those scrumptious things still touching mine, he says, “You can have this waffle. After all the food you shared with me, baby, you can have anything you want. And I mean anything.” He squeezes my thighs harder. “Take a bite. I like to see your lips when you chew.”

So, I chew. I cut a chunk of his waffle, and he sits there and watches as I eat it. Then he leans close to me. I feel his teeth graze my neck. His tongue bathes me. Feels so good. This man got me feeling all warm and fuzzy up in here.

Even still, in the back of my mind, I have questions about his interaction with this Libra fellow. If that man is someone he knows from his recent job, why did Libra say long time no see? And then he’d said, I heard your company is doing big things.

We fell in love quickly, but I think I know Cain well enough to recognize when he’s rattled. He looked uncomfortable when Libra showed up, and I don’t think I got a straight answer from him on how they really know each other. I can only make assumptions, but for now, I’ll let it go. I know I love Cain and I know I can’t know everything about him, the same way he doesn’t know everything about me.

When he’s done with my neck, he sips his mimosa and looks at me. I drink mine and look at him. He resumes eating. I can see the muscles in his neck as he chews.

Sometimes when I look at him, my mind goes back to the Cain he was before – the one I found face-down in my shed. Those sad memories make me want to love him harder. Like the way we kissed last night, for instance. I kissed him with all the love in my heart – kissed him for all the times he felt alone in this world. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Cain. I almost feel like I wasn’t supposed to. The love that has built up inside of me over the years was reserved only for him.