She stopped and turned. "Let him!" she shouted back. "Let him find out that his brother is a manipulative, two-faced, greedy, good for nothing pig of a man who tries to force himself on married women!" Then she turned away and continued to run, heading all the way out and down the path to the garden.

Chapter10.

Almasi walked around in the garden, trying to catch her breath. That confrontation had taken a lot of guts, and although she had shown plenty of bravado while talking to Mr. Kofi k.u.mi, she wasn't so sure that she felt very brave. The satisfaction of having kicked Mr. Kofi k.u.mi in the groin was one thing, but the consequences of her decision would be another thing entirely.

She knew she'd done the right thing. Even if this would cost them the diamond deal, she would explain everything to Jacob, and he would hopefully understand. She had done it for the sake of their unborn child, and for the sake of her love. She just hoped that love was worth more than diamonds.

Eventually, Almasi exhausted herself walking around. She sat down on a bench near the lavender patch, and eventually the soft smell of the flowers combined with the warm late afternoon sunlight had her feeling calmer and sleepier. She stretched herself across the bench, laying on her back with her hands on her belly, and she quickly found herself falling asleep.

When Almasi woke up, she opened her eyes and saw a man standing about twenty feet away, by the zinnias. She blinked and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When she sat up, the man turned around. It was Mr. Arko k.u.mi.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Adamson," he said, walking toward her. "I hope my presence did not alarm you. I saw that you were sleeping, and I was hesitant to awaken you, so I have been waiting for you to wake up on your own." He stopped at a respectful distance. "I came out here because I know it's one of your favorite refuges."

He noted the expression of surprise on her face. "Don't be so alarmed. Just because I don't talk much doesn't mean that I haven't been paying attention, but in any case, that's not what I'm here to discuss. I'm here because I believe that we need to talk," he said.

Almasi sighed. Well, here it was. "Have you told Jacob yet?" she asked.

Mr. Arko k.u.mi's expression remained neutral. "Told him what?" he asked.

"That you're out of the deal," she said. "That he will be losing your business partnership."

Mr. Arko k.u.mi gestured to the s.p.a.ce on the bench next to her. "May I?" he asked. Almasi nodded, so he moved to sit down. He didn't stare too intensely at her, deciding instead to set his gaze into the distance. "I have told Jacob nothing of the sort, because I have not come to that decision yet," he said seriously. "I wanted to talk to you first before jumping to conclusions based on minimal evidence."

"Then..." Almasi paused. She turned to look at the man sitting next to her. "What is it you want to ask me?"

"I would like to hear your side of the story," he said, sounding detached as always. "My brother made some rather harsh accusations about the nature of your marriage to Mr. Adamson."

"Well," said Almasi. "I will admit, some of those accusations are true." He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, so she continued. "You see, I was an intern at Jacob's office, and he approached me with a proposition. He said he needed a wife in order for this diamond deal, explaining that the owner of the company he was partnering with would be more in favor of signing with him if he were married."

"That is true," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "I pride myself on being a man who upholds traditional family values. It shows that he has dignity, and that he can commit to things. It takes a lot of commitment to be married to someone, and it isn't a duty that is to be taken lightly. When I work with married men, I know that they can be responsible adults. I know that they can negotiate with others and maintain lasting relationships." He looked at Almasi. "But I digress. Continue telling me what happened."

Almasi took a deep breath. "Well, Jacob is a very good man, but he hadn't gotten around to marriage yet, and he really, really needed this deal to go as well as possible. He respects k.u.mi Diamonds, and he thought that being married instead of single would show that his values aligned with yours.

So he interviewed me, and I signed a contract promising to marry him. I would not be forced into anything s.e.xual if I didn't want it, but I had to play the role of his wife while you were here, and then we were planning on getting an annulment once you left, but things... they ended up different than we'd planned.

After spending so much time with him here, I began to fall in love with him, and," Almasi paused, uncertain. "I believed he had fallen in love with me as well. The problem is that neither of us can talk about it. I don't know about Jacob, but personally I was too afraid of coming off as unprofessional to him by admitting my love. So, by the time you arrived, we were already together, just like any normal married couple, but we still had to hide that secret." She paused and tried to read Mr. Arko k.u.mi's facial expression, but he hadn't budged throughout her story.

She continued, hoping for the best. "But then it got a lot more complicated. You see, I had been writing about my feelings in a diary. I know it sounds frivolous and silly, but it was a good way to sort out my thoughts without giving away my secret to anyone, but then the diary fell into your brother's hands, and, well... He used that information to threaten me. He said that if I didn't sleep with him, he would reveal the ruse to you.

I was so embarra.s.sed to have been caught, and I thought that surely Jacob would hate me for ruining his business deal. Besides, I had made a commitment, and keeping commitments is one of the most important things to me."

Mr. Arko k.u.mi nodded. "So even though I dismissed Kofi's advances, I didn't tell Jacob what had happened, but Kofi kept appearing in places where I was, trying to talk me into being with him. I continued to refuse, but he kept pushing, even forcing kisses on me, and saying that I should come back to Ghana with him and be his wife.

I didn't want that, but he made me promise to consider it if I wanted to save Jacob's deal, and I did consider it, for a while. Even though I'm in love with Jacob, I wasn't sure if he loved me back enough for it to be worth more than the diamond deal to him, and you see... "

She paused. "Jacob doesn't know this yet, and I have only just barely begun to show, but I'm pregnant with his child. I was so afraid that I would have nowhere to raise the baby if I didn't go with Kofi, since I was unsure of whether or not Jacob would be willing to have me stay with him.

In the end, I could never raise my son or daughter away from his or her father. That is no way to have a family, and I could never be away from Jacob. I love him too much. So, I know that it is selfish, but I chose to let Kofi reveal the truth to you." She turned to look at Mr. Arko k.u.mi, who had stayed silent this entire time. "Even if it means that Jacob loses the diamond deal."

Mr. Arko k.u.mi remained silent for a long, long time, and Almasi's heart raced with fear. What was he thinking? Did he understand her side of the story now, or would he condemn her for being a liar? If he really cared so much about family values, he would understand Almasi's desire to be with Jacob and to have their family together in the United States, but he could just as easily find fault in their deception and call the entire deal off. She held her breath and waited for him to answer.

Eventually, after the longest moment Almasi had ever experienced in her life, Mr. Arko k.u.mi spoke. "This is a complicated situation that you have found yourself in, Mrs. Adamson," he said. "And I can certainly see how your deceptions might be condemnable." He paused, and she waited.

"However," he continued, "I am impressed by your loyalty to your husband. Regardless of how your marriage started out, you have shown that you are faithful and caring toward him in adverse situations. You are a strong minded woman, Mrs. Adamson, and that may get you in trouble once in a while, but the depth of your sense of right and wrong is admirable."

Almasi felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "So... Will you continue with the deal?" she asked tentatively.

"I will, so long as you promise me one thing," he said. Almasi tilted her head quizzically, and he continued. "That you will stay with this man and raise your child together."

"There's nothing I want more in the world," said Almasi. "But I don't know if he feels the same way."

"I will go speak to him," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "I will explain the situation as you have told it to me, so he may be a.s.sured that you have not been unfaithful, and tomorrow, Mr. Adamson and I will sign the deal, and I will fly back to Ghana with my brother." He looked at her sideways. "Who, rest a.s.sured, will be getting a serious talking to from me when we get home." There was a hint of a smile playing at his lips, and Almasi tried not to grin too widely.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much, Mr. k.u.mi."

"No," he said. "Thank you. Thank you for proving to me that my future business partner and his wife will be well-equipped to deal with any challenges that come along. You have gotten through this situation, which I can tell was very, very difficult, but your courage and compa.s.sion have seen you through, and if I were you, I wouldn't worry about Mr. Adamson forgiving you. Anyone can see that he is deeply in love with you."

That last statement made Almasi's heart leap. It meant so much coming from Mr. Arko k.u.mi, who, in spite of being standoffish, seemed to be very observant and a good judge of character. As Mr. Arko k.u.mi stood to leave, he turned to Almasi and offered her his arm. "Would you like to walk back to the house with me, Mrs. Adamson?" he asked.

She smiled at him, and let him help her up. "Thank you, I would," she said. So they walked back to the mansion in silence, Almasi enjoying the breeze and the beautiful quiet of the evening. Thank G.o.d, this would be all right. She trusted Mr. Arko k.u.mi to talk to Jacob, and she wanted to trust his perception of Jacob's love for her, too. In any case, this arrangement would work out somehow. Almasi allowed herself to smile. Everything was going to be okay.

The Final Chapter It seemed like it had been forever since Mr. Arko k.u.mi had gone into the study to talk to Jacob. Almasi was sitting in her lounge across the hall, trying to be patient as she waited. Eventually, she stood up and went over to the bookcase. There was a whole a.s.sortment of books, everything from dry engineering manuals and medical textbooks to historical fiction novels and anthologies of poetry.

Normally, Almasi was more interested in the serious and more academic side of things, but she found herself browsing through the poetry section, eventually choosing a collection of poems by Robert Frost. She returned to the sofa and flipped through the pages, allowing herself to become engrossed in the words. Eventually, she settled on a poem she really liked, one about birch trees, and she sat and read it over twice.

A knock on the door drew Almasi out of her reverie, and she looked up, startled. It was Mr. Arko k.u.mi, with Jacob in tow. Jacob looked embarra.s.sed and uncomfortable, and wasn't meeting her eyes. Mr. Arko k.u.mi muttered something to him, and he nodded. "I will let you two have some time alone," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi, and he left, closing the door behind him.

Jacob stood near the doorway. Neither he nor Almasi spoke, and he didn't know where to begin. When Mr. Arko k.u.mi had come to talk to him, he had initially been confused and worried, and then when he had contextualized Almasi's behavior, Jacob had been relieved. Mr. Arko k.u.mi had emphasized how brave it had been of Almasi to do what she had done, and Jacob couldn't agree more.

However, he felt that he himself had been a childish coward by comparison, and now he didn't know what to say to ask for his wife's forgiveness. Eventually, he looked up at her, and he saw that she looked just as afraid as he was. So he cleared his throat, and spoke. "I owe you an apology, Almasi." She opened her mouth in protest, but he continued. "I allowed myself to be deceived by Mr. Kofi k.u.mi instead of listening to you. I didn't even give you the chance to explain everything to me. I just ran away like a little boy, and you deserve better than that. You deserve to be married to a man."

"Jacob, I..." she began.

"I understand if you're mad at me," he interrupted. "You have every right to be angry, but I just want you to know that I see now how wrong I was, and I... I hope you can forgive me."

He looked so plaintive, so broken. Almasi's heart swelled with affection and pity. Poor Jacob. He'd only done what he thought was right, and now he was so clearly remorseful. She stood up, and walked toward him. "I will forgive you," she said, "if you can forgive me for not telling you about what had happened sooner. My pride got in the way. I should never have doubted that you would be kind and that you would understand." She smiled tentatively and reached for his hand, and he looked into her eyes and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Mr. Arko k.u.mi... He told me that you had something to tell me," said Jacob. "He wouldn't tell me what it is. He said that you deserved to be the one to tell me. What is it?"

Almasi took a deep breath. "Well..." she began. "You know how I've been gaining weight in the past few weeks?"

Jacob was confused. "Um, well, I mean, I have noticed it a little bit," he said, not really knowing how to respond. "But I figured that it was because you were finally in a less stressful environment and had more food to enjoy, and," he added quickly, "I think you look beautiful when you're heavier."

Almasi laughed. "Well, that's just your luck," she said, "because I'm going to be getting heavier for another nine months or so." She smiled up at him.

Jacob still didn't catch on to her words. What was she talking about? Did Almasi... ? Then suddenly it dawned on him. He looked down at her belly, and then back up at her face, and then down to her belly again. "Almasi... Are you telling me that we're having a baby?"

Almasi noticed how he had said "we." She smiled wider. "Yes... Yes, Jacob, we are," she said.

He spanned the s.p.a.ce between them in half a second, and then she was in his arms, and they were embracing tightly as if neither of them ever wanted to let go. "How long have you known?" he asked as he hugged her. "And why didn't you tell me sooner?" There was a small hint of betrayal in his voice at the second question.

Almasi's eyes welled up with tears. "I wasn't sure if you..." She took a deep breath. "I didn't think you'd want to raise a child with me. Our marriage was only meant to be for a month, and... I didn't want to pressure you into staying with me just because you had gotten me pregnant."

Jacob let go of her, holding her by the waist and looking deep into her eyes. His own bright blue eyes shone back at her. She had missed that. The intensity of his gaze, the beautiful color of his eyes. She wanted to get lost in his eyes forever. "Almasi," he said, "of course I would have let you stay."

One of his hands moved to her belly, lightly circling the spot where their teeny, tiny little beginning of a child was growing. "What kind of a person do you think I am, who would get someone pregnant and then leave her to fend for herself?" He shook his head incredulously.

Almasi sighed. "That's just the thing, though," she said. "I didn't want you to stay with me out of a sense of duty or some kind of chivalrous obligation. If you stay married to me, I want it to be because... " She drew in a shaky breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say. "I want it to be because you love me."

Jacob's eyes widened. "Of course I love you," he said softly. "Of course I do. I love you, Almasi." The sentence tasted sweet on his lips. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

Almasi was shaking and laughing and crying all at once. "I love you, too!" she exclaimed. "Oh my G.o.d, Jacob, I love you so, so much." She reached up to kiss him, and he kissed her back with fervor. They both felt high with joy and relief. Why had they not trusted each other sooner? Why had neither of them believed their hearts when they had seen it? They had both been so afraid, but there was no need for that fear now. They loved each other, and they knew it, and they would be together forever now.

After a long, long kiss, they pulled apart for air. Jacob shook his head, smiling. "You know, I never thought I could love a woman like this until you came along," he said. "But then when I met you... everything changed. You changed me, Almasi, and I will forever be thankful that I b.u.mped into you that morning at the office."

Almasi laughed. "Well, at least something came out of my best work shirt being ruined by a clumsy good-for-nothing!" There was no bitterness in her tone, only mirth, and Jacob found that he loved the sound of his wife's voice teasing him. "And you spilled my coffee, too!"

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, well if you had just taken the stairs instead of the elevator, that could've all been avoided."

Almasi leaned in for another kiss. "Well then I'm glad I took the elevator," she said softly.

"Me too," said Jacob. He smiled widely. "Me too." And he took his wife in his arms, making a mental note to tell Jeremy to cancel the annulment. Jacob would never spend another day of his life without this woman. They belonged to each other, and as their lips met, they silently renewed their vows with every kiss.

Eventually, it was time for dinner, and the two of them made their way out to the patio to eat. Only Mr. Arko k.u.mi was outside when they arrived hand-in-hand, much to Almasi's relief. As they sat down, Mr. Arko k.u.mi spoke.

"I'm afraid that my brother will not be able to attend this meal tonight," he said. "He's feeling a little bit under the weather." He looked at Almasi, and Almasi smiled back.

Jacob looked back and forth between the two of them, confused. "What am I missing?" he asked.

Almasi adopted her most polished and professional tone. "I sacked him in the nuts," she said with her sweetest, most innocent smile.

Almasi began to laugh as she saw Jacob's jaw drop, but Mr. Arko k.u.mi was laughing as well, so eventually Jacob started to chuckle, too. He shook his head in amazement.

"That's my wife," he said. He turned to Mr. Arko k.u.mi and adopted a faux serious tone. "Please do send your brother our regards."

Mr. Arko k.u.mi resumed his usual facial expression, although there remained a twinkle of merriment in his eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Adamson," he said. "I shall do so."

As the group was served their dinner, the topic of conversation changed, moving from commerce to international politics to the diamond deal. Almasi knew that, although Mr. Arko k.u.mi had been kind in helping her, his views were still old-fashioned when it came to women speaking on these topics. Although it made her a little sad, she decided not to push her luck and come off brasher than she could afford to be.

Jacob loved her for her quick wit and well-rounded education, and she knew that the time would come when she could have in-depth conversations with her husband and other guests and business a.s.sociates about all of these topics. For now, though, she smiled and stayed quiet, eating her pasta. The pesto sauce was delicious, and she found that she had quite an appet.i.te for it.

Almasi listened as Jacob spoke about the deal with Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "I've contacted my a.s.sistant Mr. Sanchez, and he'll be coming over in the morning to witness our signatures on the deal," he told Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "As you have requested, we have changed your itinerary to allow you to leave in the afternoon tomorrow, instead of staying for another day."

"Perfect," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "Thank you very much, Mr. Adamson. It's important that my brother and I don't impose longer than is necessary." He glanced at Almasi. "And I do believe that you two deserve some time on your own to catch up," he added thoughtfully. She smiled thankfully at him. She and Jacob had had such a strained few days, and they really did need some time on their own to sort things out between themselves and to get into a better groove.

Besides, even though she didn't mind Mr. Arko k.u.mi's company, the sooner Mr. Kofi k.u.mi was gone, the better. She knew that he would not approach her again now that the others knew of his conniving ways, but she didn't like the idea of being in the same place as the horrible man who had tried to force himself on her and manipulate her into thinking that her husband would not love her. The sooner Mr. Kofi k.u.mi was out of her house, out of the country, G.o.d, out of the continent, the sooner Almasi would be able to rest easy.

They finished the meal relatively uneventfully, and then Jacob and Almasi said goodnight to Mr. Arko k.u.mi and went upstairs. When they got to the hall, Almasi remembered that she had moved all of her things out of the master bedroom earlier when she had been afraid that Jacob would think she had cheated and not want her around him anymore.

Although it had only been less than a day, it seemed so bizarre to Almasi that things had been the way they were before all of the drama had unfolded and been cleared up. She turned to Jacob. "So," she said. "I could use a hand bringing my stuff back to our room."

Jacob noticed the emphasis Almasi put on the word "our." He smiled. "Yes. It's funny how things travel from place to place in this house, is it not?"

"Absolutely," said Almasi. "It's spooky, really. It must be a ghost. Or maybe Beatrice."

Jacob laughed, and together they went to collect Almasi's things from the guest room and bring them back to their room.

After arranging everything and putting it all back in its proper place, Jacob and Almasi got undressed and headed to the master bathroom. They didn't need any words as they stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water, kissing so much that they forgot about washing completely for a long few minutes.

When they finally did get around to it, they still couldn't manage to get their hands off each other, instead lathering the soap on each other's bodies and sighing in delight at the feeling of their hands touching each other's skin.

Jacob gently ma.s.saged Almasi's b.r.e.a.s.t.s with the lavender soap she had brought back from the other room, and she moaned, enjoying the touch of her husband's gentle hands on her sensitive b.r.e.a.s.t.s. For his part, Jacob felt his arousal growing with every sound that escaped Almasi's lips, and he delighted in the slickness of her beautiful dark skin under the water.

Almasi noticed that Jacob had become hard, and she brought her own hand down from his chest to his abs, teasing lower and lower as she went. Jacob moaned out loud, and she laughed a little, kissing his mouth and feeling the resonance of his moans get stronger and stronger as she worked her hand along his shaft from base to tip. They kissed hard as she stroked him, the tip of her thumb circling the head of his erection in a rhythmic motion that went faster and faster.

Eventually, just as his breathing had become labored, she stopped, and broke their kiss. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Almasi smiled gently. "I want to finish this in bed," she said. He smiled back and nodded, and so they rinsed off, kissing some more, and stepped out of the shower, shutting off the water and grabbing towels so they could dry themselves off as they made their way to the bedroom.

Jacob laid on his back on the bed as Almasi climbed gently over him. She reached down to stroke herself first, preparing to slide onto him. Seeing what she was doing, Jacob moved a hand up to touch her, gently sliding a finger inside her. She moaned quietly, and when she was ready, she took his hand in her own and gently positioned herself to move slowly onto his thick erection.

The pace was agonizingly slow for him at first, as he wanted more, more, more. Almasi could tell, and her grin was a little wicked as she languorously took her time, rocking her hips oh so slowly, as she moved herself up and down. She rested her palm on his chest, idly drawing swirly little patterns over his skin with the tip of one of her fingers. That motion itself felt so erotic to Jacob, so intimate, and it was not long before he was begging, pleading for her to go faster.

Almasi smiled. "Why didn't you ask earlier?" she said innocently, and then before he could make his reply, she began to ride him hard, moving up and down his shaft quickly and roughly as he gasped in pleasure. It was not long before he came, shaking and spasming beneath her. She smiled as he cried out her name. She had rarely felt so powerful in her life.

Jacob was enjoying Almasi's newfound confidence in bed as well. He sighed, wide-eyed, smiling up at her deliriously. "That was... " He had no words for the feeling it gave him, that overwhelming sense of wholeness and completion, the feeling of being so safe and full of ecstasy. So instead, he simply said, "I love you."

From the look on Almasi's face, it was the right thing to say. She kissed him softly on the mouth, and then moved off him to lay down next to him. "I love you, too," she whispered. "G.o.d, I am so glad I get to say it."

The couple laid there in bliss, hearts pounding, fingers intertwining. After a moment, Jacob spoke. "Now, my dear, it's my turn to tease you and drive you wild."

Almasi smiled, playing coy. "Is that so?" she said. "What are you planning on doing to me?"

Jacob loved the way she could be so strong and dominant in one moment and then play innocent the next. He grinned. "What would you like?" he asked.

"Well, I love everything you do to please me," she said, "but right now, I really would like to have your face close to mine." She leaned in to kiss him on the mouth, biting down on his bottom lip just enough to elicit a quiet little moan.

Jacob pulled back for a moment. "So," he said, keeping his voice as steady as he could, "would something like this work for you?" He reached a hand down, maneuvering his fingers over her core ever so gently.

Almasi leaned her head back in pleasure and sighed happily. "I think you've found the perfect solution to our problem here, Mr. Adamson," she said.

"Well then, Mrs. Adamson," said Jacob, smirking. "Shall we?"

In response, Almasi kissed the smirk off his face.