C H A P T E R | E I G H T
ANNIVERSARY
𝙲 𝙰 𝚁 𝚃 𝙴 𝚁 𝙼 𝙴 𝙺 𝙷 𝙸
CARTER opened the doors to he and Destini's bedroom after leaving the girl's rooms and found his wife laying in bed in something Chanel, flipping aimlessly through channels on the flat screen that was mounted on their bedroom wall. He climbed into bed, wrapped his arms around her and snuggled his body close to hers,
"Everybody's in bed sleep," he said, having put the girls to sleep a few minutes prior, "So now it's time for you to get up and get dressed," she laughed and pressed the channel button, "You're laughin' and I'm dead serious - - I don't know why you even laid down."
"Get up for what," said Destini as she browsed through the T.V. guide to see what was on for the night, "Why?" It was still pretty early so she figured she and Carter could find something suitable to fall asleep to on the tube.
"Cause," he pulled her body closer to his, his bigger and taller frame engulfing her smaller one, "I'm taking you out," Carter smirked, "You really thought I forgot didn't you?"
"Hmm?" Her eyes stayed glued to the T.V. as Carter chuckled deeply and kissed his way down her sweet smelling neck, "Carterrrr," she whined and giggled when his tongue tickled her, flicking across a spot where he hadn't kissed, "Why you playin' around," she said, "Just cause I let you eat it the other day don't mean I'm gonna let you beat it today," she laughed, thinking back to the other day when she and Carter got the full use of their outdoor pool, "And forgot what?"
He looked at her, propping himself up on his elbow, watching her while she watched the T.V. She was completely oblivious as to what he was thinking and Carter couldn't have been happier because he just knew that she thought he forgot. He knew that Destini didn't say anything about it because she thought that he didn't care anymore, that he had stopped giving a fuck a long time ago so what was the point of mentioning it?
She didn't know how wrong she really was, "Brooklyn. August 28th - - the year was what, '05," she slowly turned her attention away from the T.V. and looked at him, "And I remember I took this young - - cute lil' shorty out - - we went to this concert around the way - - I told her I'd be at her house at eight - - and a nigga didn't have a car yet - - I was still saving up - - so I caught like 3 trains and one bus over to where she was stayin' with her pops."
She slowly sat up as Carter continued to talk, "So I made my way over to her father's place in Bed-Sty and I was scared shitless - - goin' out of my mind cause I knew I had to meet this nigga. Now usually, I wouldn't have even done all this just to mess with a girl but this girl - - she was mad different. She had me up on the phone with her all night when I should have been doing my homework but I was talking to her - - this girl was worth the trouble. I convinced myself this girl was worth all that so I got my shit together and took a deep breath and rang her doorbell."
Destini's eyes were wide and interested as she stared at Carter, "And I heard her running to the door a few seconds later and when she opened it - - man when she opened that door I knew that she was worth those three trains and that one bus that I had gotten on - - shorty was maddddd ass fly standing in the doorway wearin' them bamboo earrings she always wore with her name in the middle and the matching Gucci link necklace to go with it," he chuckled, "And I could tell she wanted to kiss me but pops intercepted the fuck out of that one and came up behind her in the doorway, invited me in, and interrogated the hell out of me."
Carter continued on as Destini placed her hand over her mouth, unbelieving of how detailed Carter's memory was, "I guess I passed the test because a few minutes later I heard him say, '11 o'clock and not a minute later', to me. I promised him I'd have her back on time and she asked me where I was taking her and I told her I wanted to take her somewhere nice and do something she'd never forget," he said, "I spent all the money I had on two tickets to this Usher concert - - cause you know that's who she was feelin' at the time - - and I took her out on a date not knowing that years later she'd be my wife and the mother of my three kids, and we'd be sitting here right now talking about that night."
"Oh my God," Destini lunged on top of Carter knocking him on to his back as she straddled his lap, "Carter you remembered that?" She said, "Like you really - - you really remembered? I'm in shock," Destini said as she laughed with one hand over her mouth. Carter grabbed her hands and kissed them as he looked up at her, "I can't believe you remembered."
"Why would I forget," Carter said as he massaged her hands and pulled her down into a kiss, "Babe," he whispered against her lips, "Of course I remember our first date."
"You were so scared to meet daddy," she said as she laughed against his chest, "But he loved you after you met him - - and I told him you were a perfect gentleman on our date," Destini kissed Carter's lips as he laughed a little, "But Carti where we going? I don't have my hair done - - I'm in rollers and pajamas," Destini said, "Plus I didn't even get an outfit."
He held her hands, massaging them with his as he laid back on the cushions of the pillows with Destini's body pressed warmly against his, "Take your hair down and go in the closet - - I bought you something," he snickered as she looked up, "I had been saving it since that trip I took to Milan," said Carter as she ran to the closet and found a white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it. She pulled the ribbon apart and opened the box, finding a beautiful red dress inside courtesy of some expensive French boutique and one smaller box. Inside the box was a beautiful ruby necklace from Harry Winston, the same jewelers that had made the Nations capital sapphire stone in the Smithsonian in Washington.
"Carter you didn't," she turned around with the necklace in her hand as Carter stood at the doorway of their walk in closet that looked more like a store than a closet, "You didn't."
"Mhm," he said opening the clasp of the necklace and placing it onto her neck and then clasping it, "I did," Carter kissed her neck and smiled, whispering into her ear, "Ain't nothin' sexier than seeing my lady in red," he kissed her ear, "So I want you to put on that dress," Carter slid his hands down to her waist, "And take your hair out them rollers," she giggled as he rocked with her, holding her from behind, "And be my date again tonight Mrs. Mekhi."
"And just where are you taking me, Mr. Mekhi," Destini said as she and Carter were still wrapped tightly together, "Where will I be accompanying you to, tonight?"
"First dinner at Cipriano's..."
"Mmm... Italian...okay," she said giggling and nodding, "Interested."
"Then," he said, "We're going to the theatre - - to the opera."
"Carter," she turned around and looked at him, "The opera? Black people don't go to the damn opera - - we're gonna have no clue what they're singing - - it's not in English," Destini said laughing, "Where are we really goin - - oh my God, you're serious."
"Well we're goin', so proves you wrong," he said, cupping her chin in his hand, "I figured we should try somethin' different and shit - - you know, open up our horizons - - be more diverse and cultured and all that good shit," Carter laughed, "We even got box seats right in the balcony, baby. We bout' to be official as hell up in there."
"Hmmm," she looked up into his eyes and couldn't help but giggle, "Aight, I'll try it."
"And then after that me and you," he tapped her nose, "Are gonna do one more thing - - go one more place - - but I can't tell you yet - - it's a surprise."
"Tell me," she squealed, "Carter please - - tell me."
"Nope," he patted her on the behind, "Now go get ready - - reservations are at 9 and you know how Cipriano's be tryna get all ignorant on a nigga if you two seconds late and I don't wanna have to cuss a bitch out like I did last time."
"Mmmkay," said Destini as she mumbled the word against his lips and pecked him once more, "The opera," she said shaking her head and walking into the bathroom, "Mr. Mekhi you truly are unpredictable."
● ● ●
Aiko sat in the midst of the elegant restaurant, dressed the part with the company of her father sitting directly across from her as he cut into his Italian veal, "Why the long face, sweetheart?" Her father said as he looked up from his plate to a see his only daughter with a troubled face, "You seemed so unhappy the whole night. What is it?" He asked, "You don't like your food?"
She had barely touched her plate - - she told her father she didn't want to go to dinner anyway because she knew he would pick this Italian restaurant and she knew that everything on the menu was loaded with carbs that she didn't need to partake in. She had a shoot coming up in a few weeks and it was swim suit so her body needed to be on it's p's and q's. She wouldn't have really ate even if she didn't have the shoot - - Aiko had this weird thing about eating in front of people - - she HATED it, so she often waited to eat when she was alone.
Not only that, she knew even if she stuffed her face with food at the table, she'd only head right over to the bathroom to throw it up anyway so she rather just wait until she got away from her father to pig out. At first she used to just do it for the photo shoots but then she discovered her bulimia as a way to deal with other things - - things that she had been dealing with since she started runway modeling at the age of twelve. That was the glamorously ugly life of a fashion model - - vying to stay thin, keep work, and constantly be relevant.
"It's fine," she said rather blandly and rolled her eyes like the spoiled brat that she was. It wasn't the food that she didn't like, it was the fact that she hadn't heard from Carter in two weeks since they had fucked back at her apartment. She had went to her fashion show out in Los Angeles and came back and Carter still hadn't called. Aiko even called Carter a few times and she still hadn't received a response from him. She was frustrated, in need of his attention, and in need of a few mind blowing rounds of his mind blowing sex.
"You're not doing that again are you," he said as she looked out the window, wondering where Carter was and why the fuck he wasn't calling her back.
She could literally take a knife to his heart right now because that's what she felt like he was doing to her and she didn't feel like she deserved it; she fucked him like her life depended on it every time and she sucked him like his dick was made of gold and candy so she didn't understand why all of a sudden he wanted to put her on hold. Sometimes it was like she had forgotten all about their time in Milan where they spent the majority of their time in the hotel suite fucking and fucking and fucking - - they had gone two days without even leaving the room once. Now that he was back in New York, things seemed to change for the worst and she didn't particularly like it.
"Aiko," she tore her eyes away from the window and looked at her father, "You're eating aren't you? You're not going back to your old ways, right sweetheart?" Her father was a very important businessman who owned a few multi-million dollar corporations just like Dominic did and spent most of his time traveling the country. Aiko, now twenty-two years old, her father was pretty much doing the same thing that he had done all throughout her childhood.
"No daddy," she said annoyed with his presence, "Of course not," Aiko said sarcastically, "That place cured my condition, remember," in reality, the rehab center that her father sent her to for her bulimia hadn't cured a thing.
If anything it made things worse for Aiko because all she got out of that experience was an even more severe eating disorder and a stronger appetite for sex; she couldn't survive in that place without fucking something so, she had an ongoing sexual relationship with her therapist. She fucked him good and he passed her psychoanalysis report, which in turn got her discharged from the program early and back out into the free world where she had wanted to be.
"It better had," Mr. Hamilton said, "I spent a hundred and fifty thousand dollars to send you to that place," he shook his head, "I'll be damned if they didn't fix whatever was making you throw up your food," she looked at him and narrowed her already slanted eyes.
"Yeah, daddy, whatever was making me throw up my food," she shook her head, "God daddy, you can be so fucking ignorant sometimes it amazes me how you run a multi-million dollar company," she said, "No wonder mommy fucked the pool guy every Thursday," she said under her breath as she looked at her nails and flipped her hair behind her back, "Ugh, I'm ready to go. You're pissing me off."
"I thought we were having quality time together," he said as he wiped his mouth with the napkin in his lap, "Aiko sometimes you can be impossible to deal with - - you make people not even want to be around you. Why can't we have a nice, calm, civilized dinner," he sighed, "You haven't even touched your food."
"Excuse me," she rudely pushed her chair back, about to get up but just as she did she saw camera flashes in the front of the restaurant and a slight commotion as the doors were opened. When she looked up she saw the root of her problem, all six foot of him dressed elegantly in a tuxedo with a shorter woman in what Aiko knew to be from the Yves Saint Laurent Fall collection, on his arm and the paparazzi snapping photos of them entering, standing near the hostess.
Aiko's eyes narrowed as they were shown to their seats, laughing and talking and looking so happy and excited about wherever they were all dressed up to go. Instantly she felt enraged - - she couldn't stand to see that bitch on his arm just grinning and acting happy like she was the only one - - if only she knew. If only she knew what she and Carter had done two weeks ago - - or even back in Milan - - if only Destini knew how freaky her husband really was with other women.
"Is that Carter Mekhi?" Aiko grabbed the knife sitting on her place setting so tight in her hands that she grabbed the table cloth along with it as she looked on at Carter and his wife - - the bitch he often threatened her with - - the one he ran home too after he was done digging her walls out giving her some of the best loving she had ever had before. She heard her father's question but she didn't feel the need to answer it, "Yeah," he chuckled, "That is him. Well isn't that sweet," obviously Aiko's father didn't know what was going on her life, "His wife's beautiful isn't she."
"She's okay," Aiko said as she curved her eyebrow, "She looks better in the pictures than in person," I look way better than that hood rat bitch, Aiko thought to herself, she ain't touching this - - why the fuck does he waste his time with that. She thought she would have looked much better in that dress than Destini did - - she knew she would have.
"You know Carter and I did business together in Tokyo last year," said Mr. Hamilton as he wiped his mouth, "He's an extraordinary businessman - - we closed a twenty million dollar deal with - -"
"Hm, that's nice daddy," she said yawning, "How nice."
"Let me go over and speak," Mr. Hamilton said to his daughter as he got up from his seat, "Are you going to come over with me?"
Aiko smirked and stood up, "I'd love to," said Aiko as she put her napkin down and put her game face on. They walked over to the table as Carter and Destini were in conversation drinking some of the finest red wine the establishment had to offer.
"Mr. Mekhi," Carter looked up from his conversation with his wife and saw his old business associate standing right by his table, "I saw you over there and thought I'd come over and see how things were going."
"Oh, hey," Carter stood up graciously and shook Mr. Hamilton's hand, "Mr. Hamilton, I barely recognized you for a minute with the mustache and all," he laughed and shook hands again, "How's it goin' man?"
"Wonderfully," said Mr. Hamilton, "My daughter and I were just here spending a little quality time," he chuckled as Destini looked at him and offered him a kind smile, "Your wife I assume?"
"Yeah," Carter said, "This is my wife, Destini," Destini extended her hand, "We were gonna do the same," he put down his wine glass, "And then the misses and I are headed over to the opera."
"The opera?!" Mr. Hamilton said, "Oh it's wonderful - - my wife and I went a few weeks back - - it's beautiful. You'll love it."
"I hope so," said Carter, "I haven't heard much about it but hey - - why not."
"I was just telling my daughter about how you and I worked together on that merger in Tokyo last year," Mr. Hamilton said, "Oh, let me introduce her," Aiko stepped up a few seconds later and Carter's eyes befell what he had spent countless nights intertwined with back in Milan and even now back in New York, standing there flawlessly. As beautiful as she was - - she was just as much if not more, crazy.
Carter swallowed his wine harshly and looked up at Aiko who smirked at Carter like a Cheshire cat yet he played it cool and kept his eyes out the cleavage of her dress. She was standing there smirking like she was the only one who had something to smirk about when really Carter had a call log full of missed calls from her and unanswered texts that he could definitely smirk about - - she hadn't caught him in anything like she thought she had because all he'd do was deny, deny, deny.
"Mr. Mekhi this is my daughter Aiko Hamilton," said Mr. Hamilton, "Aiko this is Carter Mekhi."
"Nice to meet you," she said toward Carter and didn't even look at Destini, "I've heard so much about you, Mr. Mekhi. Your reputation precedes you."
"All good I hope," Carter said laughing as Destini laughed a little with him and place her hand over his, "Nice meeting you, too, Ms.Hamilton."
"Excuse me," said Destini, "I have to go to the ladies room," she said as she got up and bid Mr. Hamilton farewell.
"Actually," Aiko laughed, "So do I," she followed after Destini and looked back at Carter curving her eyebrow and licking her lips at Carter as she disappeared into the bathroom, "Oh my goodness," Aiko said, stopping Destini, "Your necklace," she pointed to the Harry Winston ruby that Carter had just bought her, "That's beautiful."
"Oh," Destini laughed a little, "Thanks," she said, "It was a gift from my husband - - our anniversary."
"Really?" Aiko leaned on the counter and watched Destini like a snake, "Anniversary?"
"Yeah, of our first date," she said, "We went out on this day."
"How sweet," Aiko looked in the mirror and pulled out her lipstick, touching up her lips, "I'm sure it must be so hard - - you know marriages these days - - they crumble like that," Aiko snapped her fingers, "It's amazing how you're still able to hold yours together. Especially with a man like that," Aiko chuckled.
"A man like what?"
"You know," she said nudging her, "A man like Carter."
"I don't know what you mean."
"You know what they say about men who live the kind of life Carter lives," Aiko said, "So much money, so many women, handsome, - - you'd think with all that going on even a ring couldn't tie him down," she shrugged, "But hey, I guess Carter's the exception, right? I bet you never have to worry about those things - - he probably comes home to you every night, the whole nine," Aiko smirked and threw her lipstick back in her purse, "Well - - enjoy the rest of your night."
● ● ●
"So what'd you think," Carter said as the valet handed him his keys in the front of the theatre and opened Destini's door. They both slid in their seats, Carter in the driver's side as the doors were closed, "It was something different right?"
"Yeah," since the encounter with Aiko, Destini had felt a little uneasy and she didn't know why. Something about that girl just wasn't right and didn't sit well with Destini, "It was pretty interesting."
"What's wrong," Carter said, cupping her chin in his hand, "You feel okay?"
"Mhm," Destini nodded, "I'm - - I'm fine. I just I was thinking," she looked at Carter who seemed concerned, "Really," she placed her hand on his, "I'm fine, babe."
Carter scrunched his mouth a little making Destini laugh and then pulled out of the valet into Manhattan traffic, "Where are we going anyway?" Destini said as she wrapped her hand around Carter's as his drove stick shift in the Maserati.
"It's a surprise remember?" He said softly as he looked over at her, moving her hand with his when he shifted gears, "It's like a two hour drive though," Carter said and stroked Destini's hair as he was stopped at the light looking over at her with her head against the head rest, "So you can lay back and get some sleep in you want."
"Carter Ryan Mekhi, why are you taking me somewhere two hours away at two in the morning?"
He laughed and licked his lips as he zoomed into the tunnel to get from New York to Jersey, "Cause," Carter said, "I want us to do somethin'."
"What's that?"
"Why you gotta know right now?" He said as he was stopped at a light, "Ugh, I can't stand you," Carter said playfully as Destini played with his fingers, examining her ring finger and Carter's, "You can't never just let some shit happen."
"Cause I need to know where you takin' me," Destini said laughing, "You might be kidnapping me."
"I probably am," Carter replied and drove off at the light as Destini reclined in her seat, "Yeah, I am. What you gon' do bout it?"
"Nothin'," Destini said as she relaxed her head, "I'm just gon' let you kidnap me," Carter laughed again, "You know our babies are gonna be lookin' for us right?"
"They'll be aight," Carter said, "My moms is there."
"So what's so important that we have to go two hours away?" She said looking in the back seeing blankets in the backseat.
"Us, ma," said Carter, "Me and you. That's what."
"What?" she looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"
He picked her hand up, intertwined it with his and kissed it softly as he leaned back in his seat and drove down the New Jersey turnpike, "Well, there's this place I wanna take you," Carter said, "Sometimes I go there by myself and just think - - I never take anybody here," she looked over at him, biting her bottom lip as he talked enamored by his gorgeous side profile, "But this time I go I don't wanna be alone - - I want us to watch the sunrise together cause who knows if we'll ever get the chance again."
-