Blissfully Yours (Mills & Boon Kimani) (14 page)

Chapter 26

T
he feel of his muscular arms wrapped around her body, engulfing her in a sensuous full-body hug, felt like a slice of heaven. Every inch of her being craved him. Ayana was hungry for Brandon's touch. He awakened sexuality within her that she hadn't known she possessed.

He nibbled on her earlobe and then whispered, “I've missed you.”

“How much?” she asked softly in his ear.

“I can show you better than I can tell you,” he said, holding her closer.

Brandon trailed his lips from her earlobe to her neck, where he sucked ever so tenderly, before increasing the pressure, sucking harder and harder.

Ayana closed her eyes and held on to his bald head. “Ohhh...” she moaned.

He didn't stop until his efforts produced a deep crimson spot, branding her with his personalized mark of love. Brandon then trailed his lips to her chest, stopping right between her breasts. He teased her right nipple with his tongue and played with her left nipple until it firmed to his touch. He alternated from one to the other, licking her ample breasts. Brandon continued down her body with his lips, stopping only to tickle her belly button with his tongue.

Ayana lay helpless, enjoying his luscious lips.

He gripped her hips as he slid between her legs, resting his head in the center of her neatly shaven triangle. Brandon eased his tongue between the folds of her vagina and found her clitoris. He positioned his lips around the tiny head and gently sucked.

“Oohh...oohh...”

Brandon was on a mission to bring her to new heights of orgasm. He wanted to ensure she hungered for no other man. He sucked deeper and harder, his wet mouth engulfing her pleasure button. Saliva dripped from his mouth onto his chin and down her thighs as he worked his magic.

Ayana clenched his head tighter as he made love to her clit.

He reached underneath and took hold of her buttocks, bringing her lady lips closer to his mouth. Brandon's deft lips and tongue were working in concert at a rapid pace. Her essence was like sweet cream in his mouth.

Ayana was in a sexual trance and couldn't speak. Her body was doing all the talking. Her head was tilted toward the headboard. Her back was arched and her toes were clenching the sheets as she surrendered to him. She climaxed hard. Her body jerked as she released. The tension that had been building in her body was now gone.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, jolting Ayana out of her delicious dream. She opened her eyes and looked down, half expecting to see Brandon in between her legs, but all she saw was a moistened sheet. The oral encounter with Brandon may have been a dream, but her orgasm had indeed been real. She sighed, frustrated that he wasn't there in the flesh.

“Yes, who is it?” she yelled.

“It's Gabby. Ed wanted me to remind you that rehearsal is in twenty minutes. We're meeting downstairs in the restaurant,” she said through the door.

“Okay. Thanks. I'll be right down.”

Ayana stretched, climbed out of bed and made her way to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed in a white flowing maxi sundress. Her hair was brushed into a ponytail, and her makeup was minimal. Being in Jamaica with the heat and humidity, she didn't feel like putting on the entire Saturday Knight ensemble—wig, heavy makeup, designer duds, jewelry and heels. She would save all of that for the “big day.” Ayana put on a pair of oversize sunglasses, took her key card and headed out the door.

When she reached the restaurant with its ocean views and fresh-cut birds-of-paradise, hibiscus and ginger, she felt a sense of home, but that feeling quickly dissipated when Brooke, Trista and Petra came walking into the room. They rolled their eyes in Ayana's direction and went straight to the buffet. Ayana wanted to go over and explain why she had treated them so badly and apologize for her behavior. Unfortunately, she couldn't—not yet. She didn't like being ostracized by the cast and crew, but it was too late now. Ayana walked in the opposite direction, over to the coffee station.

“Where's the groom-to-be?”

Ayana turned around and faced Brandon. She looked through the dark shades into his handsome face and envisioned him making love to her, like he had done in her dream. She wanted to take him by the hand and lead him upstairs to her bed so they could make that dream a reality. They hadn't spoken since that day in New York, and all Ayana wanted to do was make amends. She regretted sending that text when they were at Serafina, but she had gotten upset seeing him talking with another woman and had reacted without thinking it through. The woman at the bar could have just been a casual friend, for all she knew. Being back in Jamaica, where they'd fallen in love, had brought her back to her senses. She truly loved Brandon and didn't want to break up with him. This was all a huge misunderstanding, and she planned on clearing things up and getting their relationship back on track.

She swallowed hard. “Hi, Brandon.”

“Look at you in all white.” He eyed her from head to toe. “Don't you look like the bride-to-be?” he said with sarcasm in his voice.

“It's not what you think. This wedding isn't...”

Before she could tell Brandon that the marriage was a charade and that she was leaving the show when it was over, Erick came up from behind and hugged her around the waist. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Brandon stood there for a moment, staring at him holding his woman, and then walked away without saying a word.

Ayana saw the disgusted expression on Brandon's face and knew that he was pissed. She wanted to back out of the arrangement right then and there. This sham wedding was ruining her life. Watching him walk away brought her to tears. Ayana was thankful for the sunglasses so that no one could see her red-rimmed eyes. She wiggled out of Erick's embrace. “Please don't hug me like that again,” she told him.

“Why not? We're a happy couple on the eve of our wedding,” he said with a huge smile on his face.

“Okay, everyone, finish your breakfast,” Ed said, coming into the room with Gabby trailing behind him holding a clipboard. “We'll be heading out to the pool area to rehearse in a few.”

Petra rushed over to Ed and said, “Reunion show supposed to be about all of us dating experience, but it the Saturday Knight show. Why she only one get lavish wedding in Jamaica?” she asked in her broken English.

“Cool it,” Ed said, waving his floral chiffon scarf in her face. “I plan to marry you off one by one—no worries. You'll get your chance to waltz down the aisle. Now come on, everyone. Down to the pool.”

Outside, the pool was enormous and inviting, with crystal clear, ice-blue water. It was the perfect backdrop to the turquoise ocean. A grandiose white-columned gazebo stood at the end of the pool with stunning views of the island.

Ed stepped up on the marble platform of the gazebo. “Saturday and Erick, come up here. You two will stand here with the minister.”

Ayana glanced at Brandon, who was standing near the edge of the pool. He was staring into the water, appearing deep in thought.

“Brandon, can you come up here?” Ed called out.

Ayana watched Brandon slowly make his way over. He kept his eyes straight ahead without giving her a second look.

“Stand next to Saturday. I want you to see the vantage point from here. I want a camera at the end of the row of chairs so that it can capture the ocean. A camera will also be in the front to film their faces as the minister conducts the ceremony. Got it?” Ed asked.

“Yep.”

As Brandon stood close to her, Ayana became anxious. He still had no idea that the wedding was a sham, and she could see the anger in his eyes as Ed spoke. Ayana was afraid that the longer Brandon went on without knowing the truth, the wider the rift between them would become until it was beyond repair.

“Saturday, I want you looking deeply into Erick's eyes as the minister asks you to recite your vows so that the camera can capture your sincerity,” Ed instructed.

The beautiful surroundings were the perfect venue for a wedding. Ayana had always dreamed of having an ocean-side ceremony, but she'd never thought her second wedding would be a sham. Ayana cut her eyes at Brandon and watched his nonexpression as Ed spoke. Brandon looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else but there.

“Excuse me, Ed. Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

“Not now, Saturday. I want to run through everything so we'll be ready to shoot tomorrow.”

Ayana wanted to tell Ed to ease up and not focus so hard on her reactions during the ceremony. He was talking as if the wedding was going to be the real deal. The more Ed spoke, the harder it was going to be for her to explain to Brandon the truth about the wedding.

Ayana stepped a bit closer to Brandon so that her arm was touching his. She wanted to convey with body language what she couldn't say with words, but he moved away from her the moment her arm touched his.
What's the use?
He's over me.

The rest of the morning and afternoon was filled with details for the televised nuptials. Ed left nothing to chance. He planned on this being the event of the season. The cast and crew all had their orders, and he expected them to carry out his vision flawlessly. Everyone was excited about the extravaganza except Petra and Saturday. The only thing she could think about was telling Brandon the truth—that the wedding wasn't legal—before she lost him once and for all.

Chapter 27

E
d had hired the best wedding planner on the island, and she arranged everything from ordering the bouquets for the bride and her attendants to selecting the delicious cuisine and champagne for the reception. She even had a designer wedding gown and shoes flown in from New York.

Today was the big day. All the minute details that comprised a wedding were taken care of with all the speed and ease money could buy. To expedite the magical day, Ed used some of his personal funds and told the wedding planner to spare no expense.

Ayana was in her room getting ready to make her grand appearance. She had made up her face expertly, complete with false eyelashes. Hair extensions made her natural hair even longer, giving her a more glamorous look. Ed wanted an attendant to help her dress, but she insisted on being alone. Ayana needed to collect her thoughts before putting on the performance of her life. She stood at the foot of the bed in her underwear and peered down at the pearl-white wedding gown, which was spread out on the bed. There was no denying the dress was beautiful, with its hand-embroidered beading and lace. This was exactly the type of gown she would have chosen if she were marrying Brandon. She sat next to the dress and ran her hand over the duchess silk satin. The feel of the smooth fabric was calming.

Ayana glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Sixty minutes to showtime,” she said out loud and exhaled. A part of her wanted to get the show over with as soon as possible so that she could finally prove to Brandon that the wedding was just for ratings. She planned on showing him that the marriage license was never filed, rendering the union null and void. Ayana reached for the hotel phone. She wanted one last shot at talking to Brandon before he saw her in the wedding dress. The hurt she'd seen in his eyes during rehearsal would be even worse during the actual wedding, and Ayana thought that she could spare him the pain if he knew the truth.

“Hi, may I have Brandon Gilliam's room, please?” she asked the operator.

“Hold on, please.” After a few seconds, the operator returned. “I'm sorry, miss, that line is busy. Would you like to call back in a few minutes?”

“Uh...okay, I'll do that.” Ayana hung up and thought about calling Brandon on his cell phone, but he would probably ignore the call like he had done in New York. She desperately wanted to talk to him and reasoned that she could get in touch with him if she used the hotel phone. Ayana waited a few minutes and called the operator back.

“Hi, can you try Brandon Gilliam's room again?”

“Sure. Hold on, please.”

After a few rings, Brandon picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey, it's me,” she said sheepishly.

“Yeah, what do you want?” he asked coldly.

“We need to talk face-to-face before the wedding. What room are you in? I'll come to you,” she said, speaking fast.

“You're getting married in an hour. What's there to talk about? This is a done deal. You've made your choice—now live with it. Goodbye, Ayana. Have a good life.” Click.

He hung up before she had a chance to explain the situation. Ayana felt like crying. The lie was killing her inside. Ayana had to do something and fast. She considered her options and realized the only thing to do was show Brandon the unauthorized marriage certificate. Maybe once he saw that the document didn't have an official seal, he would believe her once and for all.

Ayana quickly slipped on the gown, zipped it up on the side, stepped into the white satin shoes, grabbed her key card and headed out the door. Ed's suite was on the top floor of the hotel. She made her way down the hall to the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. When the doors opened, she stepped inside. An elderly couple stood near the row of buttons, dressed in matching Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts and holding souvenir bags.

“Oh, my, what a beautiful bride you are!” the woman said, putting her hand up to her mouth.

“I still remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. You were the most beautiful bride I had ever seen,” the man said, turning to his wife and smiling.

“Oh, aren't you the sweetest?”

The husband kissed his wife on the cheek.

“We've been happily married for thirty-seven years. And I wish you and your groom the same type of bliss me and my Walter have found,” the lady said, holding on to her husband's arm.

One look at them, and Ayana knew that true happiness was possible. Their love for each other was palpable. Ayana wanted her and Brandon to share that same type of love again. “Thank you. I plan on making that happen.”

Once the doors opened, she nearly leaped off the elevator. Ayana picked up the hem of the dress so that she could move faster, and dashed down the hallway. When she reached Ed's suite, a bellhop was wheeling out a white, linen-covered dining cart. She quickly whisked past him. The suite was huge with a long L-shaped entryway. As Ayana was making her way toward the living room, she could hear voices.

“So what are you going to do about the license?”

Ayana stopped in her tracks at the sound of Steve's voice.

“What do you mean?” Ed answered.

“I mean, you told Saturday that the marriage license wouldn't be filed.”

“Yes, that was my initial plan, but the officials here said we couldn't have a wedding without an actual license, so I had no choice but to file it.”

“The big question is...are you going to tell Saturday and Erick that the marriage is real?” Steve asked.

“I already talked to Erick and he's okay going through with the wedding. He adores Saturday and would love nothing more than to marry her.”

Ayana's knees nearly buckled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her first instinct was to burst into the room and confront Ed, but this was her opportunity to learn what Ed was planning.

“Are you going to tell Saturday the truth?”

Ed started laughing. “Are you kidding? You know as well as I do that she won't go along with this. She didn't want to do a fake wedding, so do you honestly think she'll be okay with an official wedding?”

“I guess you're right.”

“Of course I'm right,” Ed said with an edge of cockiness to his voice.

And to think I saved his life,
she thought, shaking her head. Ayana was hurt and disappointed. She'd thought that Ed was her friend, but the only thing he was loyal to was ratings.

Ed continued, “Besides, if the marriage doesn't work out, they can always get an annulment. People do it every day.”

“That's true,” Steve agreed.

Ayana had heard enough. She turned around and slowly walked out. As she made her way back to the elevator, she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that Ed was willing to dupe her into an arranged marriage for the sake of a stupid reality show. At that point, Ayana knew exactly what she had to do.