Scandalous (11 page)

My father stood on one side and Kenny stood on the other as we faced the judge.
I'd met the judge last week, at the wedding planner's suggestion.
Yolanda told me that there were still many people who didn't believe in being married by a woman.
It didn't matter to me
--
as long as the person spoke a language that I could understand and would help me say, 'I do,' I didn't care a bit about gender.
But I was glad that I'd met Judge Juanita Davis.
When we'd met at the hotel's bar, she was nothing like I'd expected a black-robe-wearing judge to be.
She wasn't stiff; she wasn't staid.
She was so cool, dressed in a rhinestone-studded jean pants suit and tossing back tequila shots like they were nothing more than the red Kool-Aid that Kenny loved so much.
Being with her was like hanging out with a girlfriend.
Not that we would ever be friends.
She'd given me her number, but I'd thrown it into the trash can before I even left the hotel.
Like I said, I didn't trust women, not even if they wore black robes.

My father, Kenny, and I stood in front of the judge and waited for Latricia to finish the last stanza of the song.
At the end, the guests applauded politely.
Latricia smiled and glanced over at Kenny, but when she looked at me, she rolled her eyes.

Dang!
I hope no one saw that.
She was just mad because when she'd met with me and Yolanda, she had thirty different songs that she wanted to play
--
and I didn't like a single one of them.
But Latricia needed to understand that this was my wedding and she was being paid to do what I told her to do.
So she could make all the faces she wanted.
I was the queen today.

Once the applause was over, Judge Davis smiled at me and Kenny before she said,
“
Dearly beloved
…
.
”

The wonderful thing about having a judge and not a traditional pastor was that we wouldn't have to go through all that mumbo-jumbo that came with preachers.
Juanita had told me that her job was to marry us
--
get us in and get us out.
Then we could get to the four-hour reception, which was the main part of the party to me.

Standing next to Kenny, though, I
didn’t want to think
about any of that.
Instead,
I wanted to think about
the first time I'd laid eyes on this man, though calling him a man was a stretch back then.
We were just high school kids who thought we were grown.
But though I'd had the attention of plenty of boys, Kenny was the only one who touched my heart, who made me understand love from someone besides my mother and father.

“
Who gives this woman to be married to this man?
”

“
I do,
”
my father said.
My father kissed my cheek, shook Kenny's hand, then sat on the front pew.

I'd told Judge Davis to keep out that line about if anyone objected to this marriage.
Not that I thought any of the men from my past would show up; I was worried about what some crazed woman might do.
Some jealous woman jumping up and telling a lie.
So many lies had been told about me that I wasn't about to take a chance.

So the judge just kept reading from her little black book, and I just kept hoping that this would be over quick.
Facing Kenny, we exchanged vows, made eternal promises to love each other forever, for always, and then stood holding hands as L. Alexander, a local up-and-coming R&B singer, sang
Born Again
.
L. stood just a few feet from the judge
--
and she was wearing white!

What?

She was singing at my wedding and she was wearing white?
Wasn't she aware of the fact that the bride was always the star?

With a sigh, I turned away and a smile was back on my face as I looked into Kenny's eyes the entire time L. sang.
He squeezed my hands and I knew what he was thinking.
And for the first time in a long time, I was right there with him.
I couldn't wait to be alone with my husband.
I couldn't wait to show him just how much I loved him.

At the end of the song, our guests stood up, giving L. a standing ovation.
Now, I admit, she did sing that song, but it felt like she was trying to steal my show.
First her white dress and then that performance.

She was supposed to sing again at the luncheon, but I started thinking that maybe I should send L. home.
My cousin, Trina, could fill in for her.
Not that Trina could carry a note, but she didn't seem to know that.
With Trina singing, all of the attention would definitely stay on me.

“
Well, all right now,
”
Judge Davis said.

She added a few closing words, and just like she promised, she had us in and out.

“
Jasmine Cox and Kenneth Larson, I now pronounce that you are one and you are man and wife.
”
As the guests clapped, the judge continued,
“
Kenny, you may kiss the bride.
”

Everyone cheered as Kenny held me in his arms and tried to thrust his tongue all the way down my throat.
If he could have, I was sure that he probably would have ripped my dress off of me right there.
I laughed when he allowed me to come up for air.

I was so happy.
So ready to be his wife.

“
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Larson.
”

I held my husband's hand as we walked back down the aisle, past all the faces that I saw before.
This time, though everyone was smiling
…
Alexis, Stephanie, and even my boss, Shelly.

But as I looked at my boss, my steps slowed down.
Because next to Shelly, in that last row, standing right next to her, was Roman.

Now, I can't say that I had too much of God in my life, but He had to be right there with me at that moment because that was the only way I was able to keep walking.
What I really wanted to do was fall out right there.

What was he doing here?
Did he know Shelly?
If he knew my boss, that would be a disaster!

It was difficult, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other, holding onto Kenny even tighter than I held him before.
But my eyes stayed on Roman.
He blended in with the rest of the guests, especially since he wore a tailored blue suit. But I couldn't even appreciate how good he looked 'cause my heart was filled with fear.
In the next second, though, he was out of my line of vision as Kenny and I stepped into the hallway.

“
Come here, come here,
”
Yolanda clapped her hands.
She was trying to set us up in the reception line so that we could greet our guests and send them into the banquet room for the lunch reception.

But there was no way we could do this line out here.
I had to get to Roman
--
find out what he was up to and then do everything I could to keep him away from Kenny and my father, and my sister.
And, oh my God
…
I had to keep him away from Kyla because she would recognize him after this morning.
And Alexis and Stephanie, who were also at the club for my party and saw that man strip down to a G-string.
Maybe Alexis and Stephanie wouldn't recognize him with clothes on, but Kyla would.

It was hard to keep my smile and my composure as the wheels in my head churned with everything that could go wrong.

“
Baby,
”
I whispered to Kenny,
“
I want to run into the restroom before we greet everyone.
”

“
Oh, okay.
No problem.
I can hold it down until you come back.
”

“
No, you know what?
”
I said.
“
Why don't we just move the reception line into the room where we're having lunch?
I never really understood why they wanted us in the hall anyway.
”

Kenny frowned.
“
Can we just change it like that?
What is Yolanda going to say?
”

Inside my head, I screamed.
Who cared what that barracuda thought?
But on the outside, all I did was kiss his lips lightly.
“
Isn't this our day?
We should be able to do whatever we want.
”

As the rest of the bridal party rushed up behind us to offer their congratulations, Kenny called Yolanda over to tell her the change of plans.
I saw her sigh, but I didn't have time to focus on her.
My eyes were on the guests who were strolling out of the room.
My eyes searched the hall for a place where I could talk to Roman, away from the prying eyes of my friends and family.

“
What's wrong?
”
Kyla asked me.

“
Oh, nothing.
I just
…
have to go to the bathroom.
”

That was supposed to be good enough.
That was supposed to get me some time alone to handle Roman.
But I forgot there was a reason why they were called my bridesmaids.

“
Not without us,
”
Kyla said as if she and my sister were my bodyguards.
Behind her, Serena nodded.

“
No, really, I'm fine,
”
I said.
“
Truly, I can do this by myself.
Trust me.
I've gone to the bathroom before.
”

Serena and Kyla laughed.

“
But you haven't gone as a wife.
”
The two gave each other high-five as if they belonged to some special wives' club and I was a new member.

“
We're coming with you,
”
Serena said,
“
so just shut up and lead the way so that we can get back to the celebration.
”

I tried to laugh and act like all was well.
It was hard now because the hall was filling up with our guests.
My eyes scanned the space, but though I saw everyone who'd been inside the room, I didn't see Roman.
I shook my head slightly.
Could I have imagined him?

But the moment I had that thought, I spotted him.
At the other end of the hall, by the elevators that led to the lobby
--
that led to the entrance, or the exit in this case.
He was close enough for me to see him, but far enough away that nobody would really notice me looking at him.

So no one else saw the way he smiled.
And no one else saw the way he blew me a kiss before he disappeared into the elevators.

I closed my eyes and exhaled a long breath of relief.
At least he was gone.
But as I followed my sister and Kyla into the restroom, I didn't really feel any better.
That was so bizarre.
What was that man doing here?
And the real question: was he coming back?

I tried to smile and primp and joke with my sister and best friend as we stood in front of the bathroom mirror, but it was hard to focus.

All I could think about was: what kind of madness had I gotten myself into?

Chapter 7

Kenny Larson and I were going to be married forever
--
because there was no way that I could go through another afternoon like this.
Not that the reception was all that bad.
If I ignored the fact that there were tables filled with women who couldn't even find it in their hearts to give me my props
--
not even on my big day
--
it would've been quite a celebration.
Especially having my new husband by my side.
Kenny held onto my hand as if we were one for real and I have to admit that I loved it.
I didn't expect to feel this way.
In the past, if Kenny had stayed too close to me, I would've told him to stop being so clingy.

But today, it was like something happened from the moment I said, 'I do.'
Today, I didn't care if he was clinging to me because I didn't want to let go of him myself.
Maybe it was because I finally realized that I really was totally and completely in love with this man.

Or maybe it was because of Roman.

I held my breath for four hours, wondering when he was going to return.
Not that I wanted him to come back.
God, no!
But the thing was, I didn't know if he would.
I was still trying to figure out why he'd shown up at my wedding in the first place.
The image of him standing there next to my boss, Shelly, haunted me through the entire reception.
Had he somehow shown up with Shelly
?
Like, was he her date?
That would've been a disaster, since Shelly and I shared mutual feelings of strong dislike for each other.

As Kenny and I moved from table to table greeting our guests
--
and accepting the envelopes that I prayed were filled with lots of money
--
I kept one eye on the door.
And as Kenny and I shared our first
“
married
”
meal together, I watched for signs of Roman.
Even when we swayed together for our first dance, I positioned Kenny so that when I looked over his shoulder, I could see the door in case I had to make a run for it.
But as Kenny and I danced, the only thing I saw was my boss sneaking out after she'd eaten all of my food.

There was no sign of Roman, and for the last hour of the party, I breathed and enjoyed myself, at least with my family.
Especially my nephews.
Those little boys loved to dance. As I carried James in my arms and held onto Junior's hand, we danced to every Michael Jackson song that the DJ played.

Finally, the reception was over.
A
nd
t
o tell you the truth, I was shocked that Roman hadn't appeared again.
He hadn't shown up and destroyed my five-hour marriage.

“
Okay,
”
Yolanda, the planner-from-hell, yelled.
“
Let's line up.
”
She clapped her hands and screeched some more.

Yolanda gathered the guests and directed them to stand on either side of the door, creating a center aisle for me and Kenny.

“
What is this?
”
I asked Yolanda.
This hadn't been part of the plan.

Her lips spread into a sinister smile.
“
This is a surprise.
Something special I put together just for you.
”
She motioned for me and Kenny to walk down that lane.

When that first grain of rice slapped me on my cheek, I was pissed.
Kenny laughed and ducked down as grown men and women tossed rice at us.
The guests cheered and I winced.
Those morsels felt like lethal weapons every time I got popped on my bare arms or someone hit me with a shot in my face.

I knew a couple of those women were taking direct aim at me.
Especially Alexis and Stephanie.
The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder with sadistic smiles on their faces and rice piled high in their hands.

But I weathered it all like the champ that I was and as Kenny held my hand, I dragged him as quickly as I could down that torture lane.

“
Have a good honeymoon!
”

“
Wishing you God's blessings.
”

“
Don't do anything I wouldn't do!
”

That last bit of advice came from the wedding planner!

I was more than relieved when Kenny and I stepped out into the hallway, but before I rushed away from everyone, I wanted to say goodbye to the people who mattered to me.

“
I'm so happy for you,
”
Kyla said as she hugged me.
“
Kenny is a good man.
Always remember that.
”

She didn't have to worry.
I knew that now and I would remember it always.
Kenny Larson was a do-right man, better than the hundreds of men I'd met in the club all combined and definitely better than that psycho Roman who, thank God, I would never see again.

I kissed my father, hugged my sister, and wrapped my nephews in my arms.

“
Where you going, Auntie?
”
Junior asked me.

“
I'm going on my honeymoon.
”

“
Can we go with you?
”
James asked.

I laughed.
“
No, not this time, but you know what?
”

“
What?
”
my nephews said together.

“
I'll bring you both back something fabulous!
”

“
Yay!
”
James cheered.

“
From where?
”
Junior asked.

“
From my honeymoon,
”
I said. I was still excited about the fact that I was going to some unknown exotic location.
Just the thought of that made me want Kenny even more.

I gave my nephew's a final kiss, then took hold of my husband's hand and smiled.
He gazed into my eyes like I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and I was sure that I was.

Now, I was ready to begin our new, wonderful life together.

***

Kenny didn't even let the door to the bridal suite close before his lips were all over me.
He smothered me with soft kisses, gentle kisses.
And I was caught up in his rapture as he carried me from the hotel's threshold into the bedroom.

It wasn't until he laid me on the bed that my eyes popped open and I pushed him off of me.

“
What happened?
”
he asked, his face crinkled with confusion.

“
Nothing, nothing,
”
I said, as I closed my eyes tightly and tried to push back the images.
Dang!
How was I supposed to lay down with my husband on the same bed where Roman tried to break my back last night?
I hadn't thought this part all the way through because if I had, I would've never let Roman ravish my body in what was supposed to be my bridal bed.

“
Jasmine,
”
Kenny called me away from my thoughts.
“
What's wrong?
”

I had to come up with something quick.
“
Really, it's nothing.
I
…
I was just thinking that
…
this is gonna be our first time as man and wife.
I want to take it slow.
I want it to be special.
”

His smile was so full of love that I wanted to take back that lie.

“
From the moment you said, 'I do,' this has been special for me.
And this,
”
he pressed his lips against my neck,
“
and this,
”
now he went for my nose,
“
and this!
”
He ended his words with a kiss and I returned his emotion.

I pushed back every thought, each image I had of me and Roman together in this bed, and it was easy at first because all I wanted to do was love my husband.
But as soon as I hit the sheets, it was Roman's lips on mine and Roman's hands on me.

I couldn't take it.

This time, when I sat straight up, I pulled Kenny up with me.

“
What the
…
.?
”

He didn't get the chance to finish
--
my lips were all over his.
I led him into the bathroom and while we were still connected, I tore the tuxedo from his body as he ripped the dress from mine.

“
Why the bathroom?
”
he asked when our lips parted for just an instant.

“
Because we've never done this before.
I want us to take our first shower together.
”

He grinned.
“
Kinky!
”

Kinky?
Not so much!
If Kenny only knew the number of men who'd had me in a shower
…
.but it didn't matter.
He and I
had never done this before, and for me, this was the only time that it would count.

Kenny turned on the water in the over-sized stall to full blast, checked the temperature and then asked,
“
What about your hair?
”

I answered him by pushing him into the shower until he was against the marble wall, and with the shower's rain pelting gently against my back, I knelt before my husband.

He closed his eyes and groaned and moaned and shuddered as if he was a teenager and this was his first time.
But he couldn't help it.
Kenny didn't know that he was in the
hands
of an expert.
With the skills that came from my years of practice, I showed him how happy I was to be his wife.

We made love in the shower for what felt like hours, until our skin was too pickled to stay there any longer.
But Kenny wasn't finished and when he carried me from the bathroom to the bedroom and gently laid me down atop the satin duvet, this time, I was able to enjoy every inch of my husband, every moment of our consummation.
Now, I had no thoughts of any other man, no memories of what had gone on in this bed just twenty-four hours before.
My thoughts were only of Kenny Larson.

Roman had been washed away in the shower and I was clean
…
as clean as any virginal bride.