Private Affairs

Private Affairs

Jasmine Garner

She thought he was her soul mate, and he promised to give her the life of her dreams. Instead, the only thing he did was leave her in shambles.

Three years later, they have a chance encounter. After an evening of passion, she can't get him out of her mind. He wants another chance, but she has to forgive him in order for that to happen.

Everything tells her to walk away, to forget about him. Despite what her mind is telling her to do, her heart just won't let her, and she fears another heartbreak is just around the corner.

Is he her soul mate, or her worst decision?

PLEASE NOTE: This interracial erotic romance has mature content, adult language, and a few sizzling sex scenes that are NOT for the faint of heart.

1

Even when the massive iron gates swung open and we were greeted by acres of beautiful fountains and gardens, I still had a frown on my lips. Despite my pout, secretly I was in awe over the lush landscape. Once the castle itself came into view, my mouth officially dropped.

Our chauffeured car pulled directly in front of the rustic manor, the driver walking around to open the door for us. As soon as we stepped inside the castle, it was pure chaos.

Caterers carrying massive trays back and forth from the kitchen, the scent of flowers in the air as florists fluffed and spritzed them in their rightful places, and white wooden chairs being carefully placed on either side of a black and white striped aisle runner.

An adorably tiny brunette approached as soon as she spotted us. She squealed, using force that was unnatural for her size to pull my Kevin in for a hug.

“I’m so glad you could make it!”

Kevin broke the hug. “I wouldn’t miss your big day for the world. This is Keisha, my best friend.”

The brunette turned to face me, her eyes widening even more, making her face look like a porcelain doll.

“Oh!” I chuckled nervously as she pulled me in for a hug as well, shocked when she had tears in her eyes once she pulled away.

“Thank you so much for what you’re doing for me. I know it’s weird, but you are literally making my day perfect.”

I smiled to try to match her excitement. “Oh, it’s no problem. Thanks for the chauffeured ride here.”

She looked down at her watch. “I have to start getting ready. We’re all in the master suite upstairs. Come on up whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as she started prancing up the stone stairway to the second level, I let out a long sigh.

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Look, shut up and have fun. We’re here because of you. This is going to be a good time.”

I folded my arms in front of my chest. “No, we're doing this because of
you
; I would’ve been perfectly fine in the house this weekend.”

He shook his head. “You're right; it
is
because of me. I think I cared about your relationship with Steven more than you did.”

I bit back the curse words trying to escape my lips.

“It wasn't a relationship,” I said tersely. I didn't do relationships.

“And neither was Ross, Jerome, Tony, and
Alejandro
...” he said, saying the last name with a Latin accent.

“No. They weren't relationships either. Just a fun time.”

Throwing his hands in the air, he scoffed. “What kind of fun can you possibly be having with these guys? You're not fucking any of them. I feel bad for them. At least Alejandro got some ass from you. Once.”

I inhaled deeply. If he was trying to get me to loosen up, ragging on about my dating history wasn't the way to do it. And Alejandro was an accident. I was drunk.

Kevin was being an asshole, but he was smart enough to know not to continue. He hooked his arm around my neck and pulled me in for a hug.

“Well, whatever you had with Steven doesn’t matter; you’re without a man yet again. And since you refuse to date me, we're going to find you a nice piece here. There’s sure to be plenty of rich, single, and gorgeous eligible bachelors at this fancy wedding.”

I pointed to a tall, lean, honey-colored man at the end of the aisle runner. He had thick, long dreads and the juiciest lips I'd seen in a while.

“Mmm. Perfect.”

“Go talk to him then. That's my girl!” Kevin said.

“No. I meant for you.”

He lightly shoved me away. “Fuck you; go get ready. There's a restaurant in here with a bar. I'll be there until the wedding starts.”

He stormed off. I shook my head, laughing as I watched him ask one of the caterers for directions to the restaurant. He had no right to judge my dating habits when he didn't date at all. I’d known him since my freshman year of high school, and he’d never once had a girlfriend.

He never checked out women on the street, he didn’t have any porn, and he decorated the house we shared to perfection. There was no doubt in my mind- my best friend was in the closet. I felt bad he wasn’t comfortable admitting the truth to me, but some days I didn’t think he admitted it to himself.

I took a moment to neutralize my quickly souring attitude, gawking up at the stone arches in the gothic castle. The ceilings in the main foyer were sky-high with stained glass windows high above to break up the drab stonework. Decorators were testing their purple up-lighting on the walls. The décor looked romantic, in a kind of creepy way. The setting didn’t seem to match the bride’s bubbly personality. Then again, I didn’t know her.

The women in the bridal suite were cackling just as hard as the bride when I entered the room. All the bridesmaids were super tanned and super blonde. I was the single chocolate chip in the cookie- I was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Just as I started thinking about excuses to bail- sickness, a dead pet, maybe a fake heart attack- reinforcements arrived. There was a knock on the door, and I smiled for real once I saw a tray of champagne. I didn’t really drink; every time I did, something bad usually happened. But since my old friend Alejandro wasn’t around, there was no one to charm my drunk ass out of my pants.

I quickly took the most filled one, shooting the entire thing back after the maid of honor made a toast to her best friend. The bride laughed when she watched me drink.

"Sorry," I said, wiping my mouth.

"It's okay; I know you must be nervous; you don't know any of us. When Kevin told me he had a friend who could fit Laura's bridesmaid dress, I never thought you'd agree to it. But I'm so glad you did."

"Yeah. Thank you!" the other women chimed in. I smiled.

"What happened to Laura, anyway?" I asked.

"Bitch got pregnant."

I snorted hearing the bride's crude remark.

"She did it on purpose. To take attention away from you, Ashley," the maid of honor said.

"Yeah, your sister has always been jealous of you," another said.

Ashley rolled her eyes, wrapping her arm around mine. "I know what we can do; let's go meet the guy you're walking down the aisle with. I'll introduce you two before we start getting ready."

"Okay, sure."

I refilled my champagne glass and she led me to the men’s chamber at the other end of the long hallway. It seemed like we walked a mile before we reached the door.

"It's Ashley. I want ya'll to meet Keisha, Laura's stand-in."

The thick wood door creaked open and revealed a throng of gorgeous men. I looked down at the man who opened the door and frowned. Damn, he had a ring on his finger.

"This is Charles," Ashley said, pointing to the man. "That guy right there is Hank, that’s Tom, and your date for the evening... Wes."

I choked on my spit, interrupting Ashley. She peered down at me.

“You okay?”

I nodded, but was the exact opposite of okay. Ashley continued speaking, but all I could hear was my heart thumping in my ears. It couldn’t be.

My
date
offered me his hand, and I shakily accepted before I talked myself out of it. It was Ashley's big day, and I wasn't going to ruin it for her.

He seemed just as shocked as I did, so I knew it was him.

"I'm going to go get dressed."

I didn't care that I interrupted Ashley; I just wanted to get away.

Ashley had to run to catch up with me, and we entered the room together.

"Is there any more champagne?" I asked as soon as I stepped back into the room. The maid of honor poured me a glass, and I started getting ready.

In the make-up chair, reality set in. I blinked back the tears stinging my eyes, not wanting to ruin the professional's stunning application. Even though I was getting dressed, there was no way he could walk me down the aisle. I was going to have to switch with one of the other girls.

Once we were downstairs preparing to line up, I walked to bridesmaid number one, quickly turning back around when I saw her kiss her groomsman on the lips. They were a couple; there was no way they were going to split up.

I could feel Wes’s heated gaze on the back of my neck as I walked to number two. She squealed and leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Tom looks so gorgeous! He's been flirting with me for months; I'm going to make my move tonight."

I smiled at her, sighing to myself. I couldn't break up her booty-call.

"Okay, line up. Line up!"

The wedding coordinator pulled me away from the girls.

"But-"

"Quiet everyone; we're about to begin."

My face dropped as Wes and I stood next to each other, my heart racing as I felt his overpowering body heat enveloping my space. The tears I held back earlier were back on the surface. I stared at the bright light above us and blinked them back. Why didn't I stay home like I wanted to?

The music started, and my legs locked in place; I couldn't move. I couldn't walk down the aisle, not with him.

My body was in a state of shock as he hooked my arm around his, inching me forward as the first couple began their march.

"You look beautiful, Key."

His breath on my neck made my skin prickle and my stomach flipped at the sound of his voice. I never thought I'd see him again, and if I ever did, I damned sure never thought his smooth voice would have the same effect on me as before. I was disgusted with myself as I felt my body react to him.

We began walking down the aisle. I held my breath to prevent from screaming as the guests watched us. As soon as I locked eyes with Kevin, my lip started trembling. From his seat, he had the same look of horror on his face as me.

Droplets of moisture broke through on my skin by the time we got to our positions. My make-up was high-definition, but I wasn't sure it was going to last through the twenty-minute ceremony.

I tried to keep my eyes on the bride and groom, but Wes was directly in front of me on the other side. Anytime I glanced up, I saw his eyes on mine. Once, I glanced over to Kevin, and his face was paralyzed in dismay throughout the entire ceremony.

I was going to kick his ass; I couldn't believe he'd put me in a situation like this. A tear finally escaped my eyes. A bridesmaid pulled a tissue out of her cleavage and handed it to me. Once I noticed all the other women were crying, I let the tears flow. Everyone besides Kevin would think I was crying about the beautiful ceremony.

After pictures, we walked out to the massive garden where the cocktail hour was beginning. We had to mingle with the guests. We split into two groups, and I went with Ashley since Wes was with the other group. I'd walked down the aisle, smiled for pictures, and I was about ready for my bridesmaid duties to end.

Kevin spotted me and rushed over, wrapping an arm around my waist. He handed me a red cocktail.

"I am so sorry; I had no idea he was going to be here. I didn't even know he knew the groom!"

I shook my head. "It's alright; there's no way you could’ve known."

Two women walked next to Ashley and joined us. They introduced themselves; I was glad Kevin introduced me because I wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation.

"Keisha is filling in for Laura," Ashley added.

"Where is she, anyway?" One of the guests asked.

Ashley grimaced. "She's on bed rest. Has to lay flat on her back for twelve hours a day."

Wes separated from his group and was flirting with one of the guests. She was a cute little redhead with more curves than necessary. He was doing what he did best- making a girl weak in the knees. Once the woman laughed, he took that as an invitation to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. My eyes narrowed. That bitch.

The erupting laughter from the group I stood in startled me, but I still had no interest in their conversation. I smiled with them, nodding in agreement with whatever it was they were saying. By the time I looked back over to Wes, he was closer to his target, her too tight top exposing her too fake breasts. I shook my head. There was no need to attack the woman he was talking to; it wasn’t her fault he chose her. I was just jealous.

Jealous that the next time I got in bed, I wasn’t going to feel his hands smacking against my ass, over and over again. Jealous that I wouldn’t feel his tongue lapping over every inch of my body. Jealous that I wouldn’t feel his thick cock filling my wanting pussy. But then again, that was his fault, not mine.

“Keisha!”

I jumped at Kevin’s voice. The group had dissipated and we stood alone. I wiped the bead of sweat that was trying to form on my brow and looked up at him.

“Hmm?”

“What hell is wrong with you? Just forget about him; I’m sure he won’t even bother us the rest of the evening.”

After a marvelous five-course meal, guests immediately started dancing. I gulped down the last of my drink and stood with Kevin. His eyes widened once he glanced behind me and I could tell it was because Wes was approaching.