Page 5 of Fever

Chapter Two

“I love you, girl, and I want to thank you for being here with me.” Desiree tugged at the form-fitting skirt she wore.

“Why do I feel a but coming on?”

“But, this thing can’t last all night. The wedding is at 4 o’clock tomorrow, and I need my beauty rest.”

I smiled softly at my friend. We were standing on a narrow brick pathway outside the Bellefield Plaza surrounded by a rose garden. The smell of the fresh flowers sat heavily in the air, and each breath I pulled in gave me another gust of the potent fragrance.

“Desiree, tonight I want you to have a blast. I know you’re nervous and anticipating becoming Mrs. Julian Alexander Rose. You know I have your best interest at heart, don’t you?”

Desiree nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Stop that. You’ll mess up your lipstick,” I reprimanded.

“Yes, of course.”

“Okay, then trust me.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, and I grabbed her hand, holding on firmly. Easily we glided down the walkway into an open hut. Blue lights hung overhead, casting a royal shadow over the venue. Leather sofas and modern eclectic chairs sat around an opened floor. A Jamaica tune beat through speakers embedded inside the hut’s structure. Three bartenders stood behind a counter, all natives with welcoming smiles dressing their faces. A personal chef stood flanked in an apron behind a makeshift open range. Flames flickered through the grill where the chef prepared steak samplers for those in attendance.

When we made it past him, we came upon a stage that stretched the room from one end to the other. All the girls plus a few cousins, aunts, and friends smiled up at us.

“Well, it’s about damn time.” That was Eden’s sassy aunt Matilda.

“Oh hush,” Tracie another one of the triplet’s aunts inserted. “She can take as long as she likes. Come on over here, girl, and give me a hug, I ain’t seen you all day.”

We smiled and hugged everyone. Once Desiree made her rounds, Samiyah and I pulled Claudia and Desiree to a stand.

“Okay, ladies, close your eyes. They both obeyed, and we held their hands while Octavia and Selena tied a silk garment around their eyes.

“You’re blindfolding us,” Claudia said, stating the obvious.

“Mmhmm,” Samiyah and I crooned before we all burst into laughter.

“Are you nervous?” Octavia asked.

“I’m not sure yet, I’ll let you know,” Claudia replied.

We all giggled again as they finished their task then Samiyah and I pulled them to the stage and sat them in chairs. Desiree’s hands trembled slightly in mine.

“You are nervous,” I said.

“Just a little. More excited than anything.”

“And what else?”

“Hoping my soon-to-be husband doesn’t kill me for letting a stripper dance in my face.”

“I second that,” Claudia said.

“Technically, the strippers won’t be in your faces since you’re both blindfolded. They’ll just be in your hands, lap, and everywhere else.”

“Oh my God!” Desiree and Claudia screeched.

“Relax,” I said. “Julian and Jaden know what this night is about. I’m sure it’ll be the farthest thing from their minds come tomorrow when they’re both gazing at you walking down that aisle. Plus, they’re men. I’m sure their strippers are nastier.”

“Oh thanks. That makes us feel so much better,” Desiree almost snapped.

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