Page 73 of Desire

“Uh oh? What’s the tea?” Seela questioned.

“Well, I’ve shared a bit with my sisters, but there have been some developments since then.”

“Spill it,” Dream pressed.

Everyone was stunned after I shared everything that had transpired over the past few days, including some of the gritty details Aziel had shared about Iris.

“Men don’t listen. I told Aziel years ago that Tammy was in love with him, didn’t I, Seela,” Alaina said.

“You sure did, and I cosigned. He still claimed not to see it.”

“Yeah, that’s what he told me, too.”

“I can’t believe she was behind those messages. What did she think would happen?” Destinee asked.

“This technology has given people the guts to do and say anything because they’re behind the screen,” my mother commented.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Seela said. “I can’t keep up with all the apps out there now. We do our best to make sure the kids aren’t doing anything crazy on the internet, but we have to trust that we’re raising them right.”

“Are you planning to press charges against Iris?” Destinee asked.

“Most likely, I will. Aziel is meeting with the police today to see what our options are. He wants to keep this out of the media if possible.”

We continued talking until the boutique owner arrived. For the next couple of hours, I had more fun than I’d had in a long time. Azaria woke up and gave us unsolicited advice about how we looked, and she was right ninety percent of the time. Some dresses were hideous, others were to die for, but we eventually chose one to wear to the fundraiser.

“Mommy, look. Daddy in the TV,” Azaria said as she pointed at the screen.

Everyone had just left, and I was straightening up the family room while Azaria played with her dolls. The TV was on for background noise, and neither of us was paying attention to it, or so I thought.

“What the hell?” I mumbled, searching for the remote to turn the volume up.

“…threatened my wife via social media and showed up at our home making unreasonable demands. I’ve been made aware of what Miss Montclair has stated in several rants on social media. I won’t answer any questions today but will clarify some things.”

Aziel paused as a man whispered in his ear. He nodded a few times before the man walked away, and he continued.

“Miss Montclair is my daughter’s biological mother. Due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, she signed all of her rights over to me four days after she gave birth. Two days ago was the first time I’d seen or heard from Miss Montclair since that day. My priority is keeping my family safe. That’s all for now.”

Almost as soon as he disappeared off the screen, my cell phone rang.

“Baby.”

“Hey, did you see the press conference?”

“I caught most of it. What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry for not giving you a heads up. Iris has been on social media losing her damn mind. Since she mentioned me multiple times, I had to address it. We’ll talk more when I get home. I’m on my way.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

In the following days after the press conference, I was torn apart by every local and a few national media outlets. News vans parked in front of my house, hoping they’d catch something newsworthy or I’d give them an interview. It was insane.

Desire gave me unwavering support throughout it all. In the days leading up to the fundraiser, I worked from home. She was right by my side, helping me strategize and figure out how to clean up the mess Iris had created.

“Your focus can’t be on making Iris look bad. If she continues with her media rants, people will make their judgment. Focus on all the positive things you’ve done since you took office and what you plan to do if you win another term.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the job as my assistant? I can eat your pussy in my office every day during lunch.”

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