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“I thought you were against my marriage.”
Nay waved a hand and moved on to the next rack of blouses. “I am, but since you went and did it anyway, you might as well get some use out of him. By the way, how was the wedding night?”
Nay made the question casual, but Shakarri caught the eager glance she flicked at her before she turned away. The memory of the intimate night with her husband started odd feelings in the pit of Shakarri’s stomach. She wasn’t sure what to think of them, whether positive or negative.
“It was all right.”
Nay put a hand on her hip. “Don’t tell me he didn’t satisfy you. Those cut muscles are all you get?”
Shakarri laughed to cover a bit of irritation. She heard a tinge of hopefulness in Nay’s voice. Sometimes Nay seemed jealous of her meeting Ezio. Shakarri had seen it in her friend before, but she was human. Nay had always stuck by her and even offered help when Shakarri’s dad did his dirt. Pride had kept Shakarri struggling to handle things on her own until she met Ezio. “I didn’t say he didn’t satisfy me.”
“You said ‘all right’ which sounds like his—”
“Don’t go there. I’m not discussing that with you, girl.”
Nay sucked her teeth. “You’re cruel. Well since you haven’t filed for divorce, I guess it wasn’t all bad. Maybe with time it will get better.”
Shakarri decided not to correct her. The truth was her night with Ezio was incredible. He was an excellent lover, and he’d done things to her body she never knew was possible. For a few hours, she forgot why she married him and all the legalities and contracts that were between them and just felt like the most treasured woman.
Granted, he’d been authoritative even in bed, giving her orders to obey him and guiding her on how to please him and how to maximize her own pleasure. That part she didn’t mind a bit. A dominant man in the bedroom was hot. The experience was so unbelievable Shakarri wanted to keep it all to herself and think about it again and again. She’d done so every day since their wedding night because Ezio wasn’t around. He flew to New York for an emergency meeting and was gone that next morning before she woke up. This was how her married life had begun.
“Okay,” Nay said, holding a blouse against her slim figure, “I’ll get this or this. Which one do you like better?”
Shakarri raised an eyebrow at her. “That top is going to cost half your salary.”
“What are you talking about? I believe I said it’s my birthday next week, and you said you were going to treat me.”
“I don’t remember saying that.”
Nay pouted and blinked her eyes as if she tried not to cry. Shakarri laughed. Her friend wiggled around, whipping one blouse in front of her and then the other.
“See how good it will look on me?”
“You were
never one with a low self-esteem.”
Shakarri’s phone dinged, and she fished it out of her purse. A text flashed across the screen from Ezio. “My plane lands at four. I should be home by five-thirty. Wear the DG floral dress.”
She snorted. Ezio had filled up an entire walk-in closet with clothes for her. She had no idea which dress he was talking about, and he was not picking out her clothing. After shooting a text back to him, she dumped her phone inside her purse. Nay was still performing.
“Didn’t he give you a credit card or something, like with no limit?”
Shakarri shrugged. “He gave me a few, but I’m not sure what the limits are. I’m not spending his money all willy-nilly.”
“Then what’s the point of marrying him? Dang, Sha, he won’t let you work. At least take him for all he’s got.”
“He didn’t forbid me to work! I can get a job if I want to.” She lied in so many words. Another one of their agreements was that she’d never work full time. She thought it was so she could raise their baby when it came, but apparently Ezio had no problem with a nanny taking care of the baby. Shakarri wasn’t having it, so she hadn’t fought him on that subject. “Fine, you can buy one blouse.”
Nay squealed and jumped up and down. “What about you?”
“I won’t get through all those new clothes Ezio bought me this century.”
“That’s what you think. I heard rich people don’t sit home eating bon bons. In actuality, they’re always attending functions, and you wouldn’t be caught dead in the same outfit you wore three months ago.”
“You’re exaggerating, and where did you even hear that?”
Her friend widened her eyes, tilted her head, and shrugged in that expressive way she used without words. Shakarri always thought it was funny.
