AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She doesn't seem to know or care that anyone walking by might see her changing. Just another reminder that Pearl is totally different from the other girls I have dated. They would pout and simper when anything was the least bit hard, or wrong.
I unzip the garment bag that I brought and hand her the designer gown with pink and gold sequins. Then I partially close the door for privacy, although I don't think Pearl really cares all that much. She pushes on the door to be let out and looks down at her sneakers. "You didn't happen to bring shoes, did you?"
"As long as you don't mind recycling, I can give you the ones that you wore to the Kings game." I check in the truck's back seat, which resembles a mobile closet for Pearl. The personal shopper I paid to pick out fancy dresses for my fiancée just came by this morning, and I haven't had time to move the clothes into the house yet.
I make a note to get the shopper to order more shoes.
Once I hand the gold heels over, Pearl turns away from me, showing me her spine in the unzipped dress. The flash surprises me; most girls I know would definitely care if I saw them half-naked, even after we'd had sex.
There is something almost erotic about the sight. I clamp down my raging libido, reminding myself that we are late.
There's always later tonight for seeing Pearl's incredible body buck naked. I take a deep breath and try to calm my suddenly-racing heart.
Pearl gathers her hair at her nape and says, "Can you zip me?"
I can't help brushing my fingertips along her spine. She giggles and looks back at me. I zip the dress up and help her to step away from the truck.
My eyes rove down her figure, snagging at her shapely ass. The dress fits her like a glove, and stops midthigh so her toned legs are on display.
Pearl looks like a whole-ass treat, and I'm a man who’s been starved for a thousand years. I open my mouth to suggest that we just ditch the dinner.
But Brooks sticks his head out the restaurant door and calls to me. "There you are! Can you come inside so we can order already? I'm famished!!"
I press a kiss to Pearl's knuckles. Leaning my head close to hers, I whisper, "You look like a million bucks, darlin’."
She laughs and catches my hand. "Stop blowing air up my skirt."
Brooks holds the door open and points us toward the private dining room. Beau Rivage is the fanciest restaurant for miles around, and its interior reflects that. All the furniture is sleek and black. The tables are lit by candlelight and the uniformed waiters rush to and fro in front of the big windows overlooking the beach, carrying drinks and plates on giant black serving trays. We bypass tables full of couples whispering to each other over their menus and step into the large room just off the reception area.
I stop as I take in the long table, and the faces of my family and Pearl's sitting around it. No one looks particularly thrilled to see us, which isn't exactly the way I wanted to start things off.
An older Black woman gets to her feet as soon as we enter. "Pearl!"
Pearl puts her hands over her mouth and looks at me with wide eyes. "You invited my family?! River! We talked about this!!"
My mom jumps up, hustling around the table to hug Pearl. "Come in! Come in, sit down. We saved you two these seats right in the middle."
Pearl smiles and greets her, and then heads around the table to hug her Aunt Delta, her mother, and Malik. I see that Cole, Brooks, and Rex are here, in addition to Sam. After a minute of greeting everybody, I pull out Pearl's chair and wait for her to hurry over to it and sit down.
I sit down and look to my right. Pearl's Aunt Delta glowers at me.
"Hello," I say. I force a smile. "You must be Aunt Delta."
She looks like she's sucking on a lemon. She picks a piece of lint from her black dress and gives me a calculating look. "And you must be the boy that my niece has been sneaking around with. I don't know what Pearl was thinking, hiding a relationship from her family. Makes me wonder if the engagement is even real."
My heart rate rises and I feel my face get hot. "Err..."
"Delta, we talked about this in the car. Nobody wants your crackpot theories, okay?" Pearl's mom is quick to fire back. She levels an apologetic smile at me. "I'm Flo. And you probably know Malik, Pearl's brother."
I nod to Flo and offer Malik a quick handshake. "Pearl talks about you guys nonstop."
That's a direct lie, but it is out of my mouth before I have time to consider it. Delta arches a brow at me. "Is that so?"
My mom, who has strategically seated herself across the table from me, jumps in the conversation to rescue me.
"Miss Jackson, I was thinking of hosting my sorority sisters for a weekend at a hotel. Your resort would actually be the perfect place. What do you think about having a group of Kappa Alphas and a lot of wine? It sounds fun."
Delta smiles at my mother. "We would love to have you. Here, let me give you my card so that you can call me when you have your calendar in front of you."
