Page 26 of Choosing the Chief

He continues to eat. After a few moments, he speaks.

“Long story short, someone is not heeding my instructions. That never works well for the other party involved.”

I nod. “Any chance I can have the long story?”

He leans over and squeezes my hand. “In due time. Finish eating, I secured the appointments at Chanel and Dior you requested.” He stands and walks over to my side of the table. “It will be fun watching you stunt and spend your money on whatever you want. I want you to know I listened to you earlier and respect your point of view. Even if I do not agree with it.” Once he reaches me, he bends down and hugs my neck from behind and lands a kiss on my cheek. “However, I do have one small request. I know you already have quite a few Birkin bags that you bought yourself. But I would appreciate the privilege of spoiling you today. How would you like another Birkin? I want you to carry it and think of me.”

I chuckle and wrap his arms around my neck. “I don’t need five-figure handbags to think of you, Adom. I do that for free all the time. But yes, if it will make you happy, you can buy me one. Hopefully Hermes will have a time slot available for us to shop.”

“You leave that to me. You will leave Paris with new bags and scarves, courtesy of Adom Annan.” He stands. “I’m going to go inside and make a couple of phone calls…when you are finished, come in, and then we will go.”

Adom turns and disappears into the house and I remain at the table feeling both excited about shopping and uneasy about the mysterious phone call. There is something he is not telling me, and secrets never benefit a relationship. Are we even in a relationship?I never got a chance to talk to him about it. Random marriage proposals and hot sex aside, Adom treats me like his favorite pet project. I want to be treated as an equal in an established relationship. At some point today we need to hold a real conversation to define our status.

An hour later, we finally make it out of the house and end up playing tourists for the day. After quick but efficient visits to Chanel, Dior, and Hermes, we spend the afternoon at the Eiffel Tower. Then we have a ball taking pictures on the steps of the Paris Opera House and the Élysée Montmartre. We watch the last 30 minutes of visiting hours at my favorite French art museum, the Musee D’Orsay. Our evening ends at the Pont des Arts. I have not been on this bridge since they took all the love locks away. It feels different but still special, nonetheless.

Like true Parisians, we do not sit for dinner until it’s almost 9 p.m. Once inside the bistro, we sit inside a circular booth listening to a jazz band light up a small stage. We pair two dozen oysters with all the champagne we can drink. For me, that ends up being two glasses.

At the end of the first set, Adom wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him for a kiss. The kiss shoots through my entire body like a bolt of lightning, and it reminds me of the talk Adom and I must have. I end the kiss with two quick pecks to his lips and wipe the corners of my mouth with a smirk. I gather my courage and begin to speak.

“Adom, are we in a relationship?”

Adom draws his head back while raising his eyebrows. “You want to have this conversation right now, while we are enjoying our night out?”

I nod. “Yes, it’s a perfect night for clarity. You rescued me from myself and that god-awful hospital after my accident. You’ve created a space just for me in your home and your life for the past nine months. You got me through my opioid withdrawals. You flew me across the world to be with you at a critical time in your life and have asked me to be a part of it. You even bought me a tiara and promise to secure me a palace.” I pause and place both hands on his face, rubbing my fingers across his strong cheek bones. “Now I need to know if I have secured your heart. Because if I haven’t, marriage proposals, trips to Paris, and castles won’t make me stay with you. I need to know that you are in love with me and really prepared to do life together.”

Adom gently grabs my wrists and removes them from his face, kissing both sets of knuckles before he places them in my lap. “I want all those things with you too, but I’m scared I will disappoint you. The last thing I want is to hurt you. Do you think you could trust me with your heart in order for us to figure this out?”

“Without reservation, I always have. From the moment I met you, I always knew I could trust you. You never say things you don’t mean even if it will spare someone’s feelings. You always tell me the truth, so I never have to guess what is on your mind. And it is never a secret that you have secrets, or rather things you will not tell me. I have them too. So, I understand. I like that there are no surprises with you; what you see is what you get. And what I see, I want.”

He moves even closer to me. “What do you see? It has been a long time since I stopped to take a look at myself.”

I place my hand over his heart. “Adom, I see your heart. I see past the hard exterior and cold outlook on love. You are a man of principles and the immense ability to devote yourself to someone. You devoted yourself to me for almost a year and I am better for it. You were right earlier I don’t like to admit I need anyone. But I am no longer afraid to say I need you.” I remove my hand and take a sip of my water. “But I will not throw myself to a wolf. You have to be willing to take care of my heart, not only my body and needs. If you want me to stay, love has to be part of the deal.”

He releases a long sigh and runs his hands through my hair before resting his forehead on mine. “Yours is the only heart I ever want to be responsible for. Maya, I’ve never done this before. I’ve resisted long-term entanglements in business and life. How does a relationship even work?”

I chuckle. “I’ve never been in a relationship either. I have no idea.” I lift my head and he follows suit. I look him in his eye. “I will never purposely hurt you. You are my entire world. If I harm you, it is an accident. I’ve been rejected so much in my life by people who are supposed to care for me, I could not bear it if you left me too. I will stand next to you while you navigate your new responsibilities. I can’t promise it will be easy, but I will work every day to ensure that you have little to no worries. I am devoted to your happiness. That’s my one nonnegotiable-don’t leave. What is yours?””

Vulnerability hits his eyes in a flash. “Just never lie to me or withhold how you feel. With all that has happened to me in my life, trust is everything, Maya. Without it, we won’t make it.

I break into a smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “Let’s do it. What do you think? If we can do this for six months, I’ll be ready to marry you….if the offer still stands.”

He pulls me into him with a strong jerk. “Maya, I would marry you tomorrow. You know I go all in when I make decisions. But I’ll grant you some time. We have forever to look forward to. Six months won’t kill me.” He pulls me into his lap and kisses me with soft complete kisses that make my brain fuzzy. When we disconnect, I see love in his eyes.

For the first time in my life, I am sure about someone other than myself. I know that Adom Annan will never cause me to wake in the middle of the night and call his name out into the darkness from loneliness, terror, or regret.

Chapter Sixteen

Announcement

Adom

Ihave a girlfriend.It is something to get used to. I am 36 years old and managed to never have one. I’ve had flings, lovers, entanglements, and even a few submissives. But never a girlfriend. My first order of business is to change the title. Maya is a 33-year-old woman who has lived and loves me fully. She is not a girl, no more than I am a boy. Nevertheless, she is mine. That’s the big difference. Even while I took care of her over the course of our 16-year friendship, she never belonged to me. I was not responsible for her heart. Now I am. If it breaks, it is my responsibility to put it back together again. I must make sure it stays intact.

I was inclined to stay in our Paris haven indefinitely. But as Senya gladly reminded me, I have to get back to Tafo and learn as much as I can about village business while my grandfather is still alive. The old man and I met daily the week after Maya, and I met with him at his home. We spent as much as 12 hours a day going through everything he wants me to know. My grandfather is a leader and business savant with an unmatched work ethic. We have a lot more in common than I ever thought. I think we both regret the years we missed together. As we land, I’m looking forward to seeing the old man. Maya is asleep in the seat across from me. I unbuckle my seat belt and walk over to awaken her.

I plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Maya, wake up. We are landing.”

She stretches and twitches her nose. She’s adorable. “OK, babe.” She smiles after a yawn. “What do you want to do when we land?”

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