Shine Bright Like A Diamond: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (6 page)

Almasi was new to all of this, but she learned quickly, and Jacob was proud of his beautiful, smart, and now evidently
talented
wife. They spent the entirety of the next day in bed, and Jacob put his phone on silent, ignoring any calls from Jeremy or whoever else might want his attention.

This was the first time he had ever slept with a woman and stuck around afterward. He wanted to make it special for this special woman, and that meant giving her his undivided attention. Almasi absolutely basked in his devotion. She truly was born to be a queen. But inevitably, after a slow, languorous day of hot touches and soft moans, there was work to be done. So they reluctantly donned their clothing and exchanged one last, slow kiss before heading downstairs to get to work.

Jacob checked his phone messages—there were twelve from Jeremy (typical!)—and finalized his preparations for Mr. Kumi’s visit the next day. Almasi wrote more in her diary and then discussed the meal menu for the upcoming weeks with the chef. They met up again at 7:00 for dinner, and then, after another bout of lovemaking, they both fell asleep early, this time wrapped in each other’s arms with her head resting on his chest.

Eventually, the morning came, and there was lots and lots of work to do for the big arrival. Mr. Arko Kumi and his younger brother, Mr. Kofi Kumi, would be arriving at the airport at 11:00 and at the mansion no later than noon. While Jacob went over his business proposal speech, Almasi was busy with Yifeng, selecting a dress that would be flattering but appropriate for greeting the notably conservative guests.

“This is so exciting, M--Almasi!” exclaimed Yifeng. Almasi had finally gotten the young woman to stop using such formal terms when she spoke to her. Almasi had not really had many friends when she left to live with Jacob, and now she was completely alone except for her husband and the service staff. Talking to another woman around her age was a relief, and the last thing she wanted was to spoil it by having the other woman show such unnecessary, and frankly, unnerving deference to her.

“That it is, Yifeng,” said Almasi. Truth be told, Almasi was more nervous than excited. She fiddled with the engagement and wedding rings on her hand. Of course, Mr. Kumi would believe it was real … right? There were still knots in her stomach as she stepped into her dark blue dress. Deep breathing. In, out. In, out. She caught Yifeng’s eyes in the mirror and smiled. She would be okay, she knew it. She had her own wardrobe assistant, for crying out loud. And her husband was clever, and apt, and charming, and… Yes. It would all be completely fine.

When the doorbell rang and a maid hurried down the hall to answer it, Almasi and Jacob were in the foyer. Jacob could tell that Almasi was frightened. She’d had a fitful sleep the night before. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. She turned her head to look at him, and he smiled. She smiled back. “It is going to be okay,” he whispered. She nodded. It would be.

“Mr. Arko Kumi and his brother, Mr. Kofi Kumi,” announced the maid, and the two men entered the foyer. Mr. Arko Kumi was tall and slim, and wore a very fancy suit. His curly black hair was cropped short, and he had  a severe expression on his face that reminded Jacob a little bit of Jeremy.

Mr. Kofi Kumi was dressed a bit more casually, wearing a white  shirt with rolled up sleeves and dress pants. His hair was also cropped short like his brother’s, but his facial expression was a little more relaxed. He  was the first to speak.

“Mr. Adamson. I am Kofi Kumi, and this is my brother, the man who is here to meet with you, Mr. Arko Kumi. Thank you for welcoming us so generously into your home,” he said, reaching out to shake Jacob’s hand. Then he looked at Almasi. “And this must be the missus! It is pleasure to meet you, Madame.” Almasi shook his hand and gave him a small smile.

“The pleasure is mine and my wife, Almasi’s, Mr. Kumi,” said Jacob. He reached his hand to Mr. Arko Kumi. “Thank you for coming so far to do business with Adamson Jewelry Incorporated.  I promise you will not regret it.”

Mr. Arko Kumi took Jacob’s hand and shook it firmly. He had a very tight grip, Jacob noticed. “We will see about that,” he said, but his tone was not unkind. He nodded to Almasi. “Madame.”

Almasi reached out to shake Mr. Arko Kumi’s hand, but he didn’t seem to notice. He turned back to Jacob. “Our luggage is in the limousine. I trust you will have your servants carry it up to our rooms.” He did not pose it as a question.

“Yes, immediately, sir.” Jacob called for a maid, and detailed Mr. Arko Kumi’s request, and the she disappeared into the hall again. He turned back to Mr. Arko Kumi. “Now, Mr. Kumi, my cook has prepared some hors d’oeuvres and other refreshments. Shall we sit on the back patio and talk, sir?” Almasi hid her amusement at seeing Jacob call another man “sir.”

Around here, he was the top man in town, and so it was very strange and rather hilarious to see her husband talked down to by somebody else, especially someone who was staying in Jacob’s own home. However, Jacob, who was always gracious, took to it very well. It just showed what capable hands she was in, Almasi reminded herself.

“Yes,” said Mr. Arko Kumi. “That will be very satisfactory.” And so, with Jacob leading the way, the party made their way to the patio. A large spread of all kinds of different foods awaited them  there: samosas, spring rolls, spanakopita, little cheese with olives, caviar, deviled eggs, dips and breads and vegetables, and a whole other assortment of various kinds of delicacies were served on beautiful china.

Almasi made a mental note to praise the cook later; he had really outdone himself. Maybe she would even suggest that Jacob give him a raise. The selection was breathtaking.

“We have a few different wines available,” said Jacob, addressing Mr. Arko Kumi again. “Would you prefer white or red?”

“White,” said Mr. Arko Kumi. He did not seem unhappy, but he was terse, and did not use more words than he needed to.

Jacob seemed unfazed. “And you, sir?” He was addressing Mr. Kofi Kumi now.

“White as well, please,” said Mr. Kofi Kumi politely, and Almasi smiled. At least this one had manners, unlike his stuck-up brother.

They talked business over this afternoon feast. Almasi quickly became bored, as Mr. Arko Kumi clearly had no time for her. The only question he asked her was whether or not she’d had any children. She replied that she had not. “Soon,” he said in response. Almasi did not know what to make of that answer. Was it a suggestion, or a prediction? Either way, he said nothing more to her, and she had to amuse herself by imagining all of the various things she could be doing if she weren’t stuck outside with these boring people and their boring boys’ club.

Eventually, Almasi excused herself from the patio, saying she had to attend to something and that she would be right back. She snuck up the stairs to her lounge and retrieved her diary. After pulling the necklace with the silver key out from under her dress, she quickly unlocked it, and then grabbed a pen from her desk and began to write.

She was rage scrawling, talking about how bored she was and how irritating men and their stupid exclusive deals were and making that note to reward the chef and writing about Mr. Arko Kumi and his annoying, lifeless face and, and—

Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Somehow, in her rush of words, Almasi had broken her pen, and now the ink was bleeding across her hands and onto the lap of her dress. She stood up quickly, cursing quietly to herself. She couldn’t go back out like this. And to get to her room from the lounge would mean walking across the main hall and going up the stairs. Praying that nobody would see her and that her absence had gone unnoticed, Almasi walked out into the hall and turned the corner fast and—

—and bumped directly into Mr. Kofi Kumi.

Almasi swore loudly and then looked up at the man in front of her. He was tall. Not as tall as his brother, but taller than Jacob, and most definitely taller than Almasi. She took a deep breath. “H—hi,” she began. This was not going well. She breathed in again. “Mr. Kumi.”

The man smiled down at her. “Please, Mrs. Adamson,” he said. “Call me Kofi.”

She didn’t bother to correct him by saying that technically she had kept her maiden name and was therefore Mrs. Quinn.

“If you would just excuse me—” she began, but just then he noticed her ink stains and interrupted her.

“Ah, sneaking off to go writing, are you?” Mr. Kofi Kumi asked. “Letters, perhaps? A grocery list? A secret diary?” He was teasing her now, but he had also hit a little too close to home. She frowned. “You might not want to make it so obvious,” he continued. “My brother does not approve of impoliteness.”

That was rich, to be saying this of the man who had not even bothered to greet her properly. “I suggest you clean that up. I can escort you, if you would like.” His smile was charming, and his dark brown eyes danced playfully, with laugh lines crinkling around the sides.

“No thank you, sir,” she said. “I will be back out in a few minutes. Just enjoy your wine and food.” As she turned to go up to the washroom, she paused. “Oh, and Mr. Kumi?”

He looked back at her “Yes?”

“Please don’t tell them you saw me like this.”

“I will not. I am a man of great discretion.” He smiled at her. “And it is Kofi, Mrs. Adamson.”

She smiled back at him in relief. “Thank you, Kofi. And call me Almasi.”

“It is no trouble at all, Almasi.” And with that, Mr. Kofi Kumi was gone.

It only took Almasi a few minutes to scrub her hands clean, and a few more to pick out a dress that looked similar enough to the first one that it wouldn’t draw too much attention. She left a quick note for the maid, Beatrice, writing in pencil so as not to risk another ink accident. The she slipped downstairs, and fortunately didn’t bump into anyone else on her way back to the patio.

The others barely seemed to notice when she came back and sat down in her chair. Jacob was deeply engrossed in a conversation with Mr. Arko Kumi about the pricing of diamonds versus rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, and as she sat down, Mr. Kofi Kumi made eye contact with her and winked. Her secret was safe with him, she was certain. So Almasi breathed a sigh of relief and took a sip of her wine, tuning out the conversation and listening to the sound of the light breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees.
It will all be over soon
, she thought. Soon.

***

The next morning was the first shop tour of the visit. The idea was that Mr. Arko Kumi and his brother would visit all of the nearby shops that Jacob owned to get a sense of the spirit of the company. Almasi would come along to show good form. Although she was clearly of no interest to Mr. Arko Kumi, Jeremy had insisted that this was the best way to incorporate a sense of family values and loyalty to tradition.

Jacob had agreed, and, well, Almasi couldn’t really argue. She was being paid for this, she kept reminding herself. Pretty soon, that million dollars would be hers. As for her relationship with Jacob… well, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. If all he needed her for was her presence, and some convenient sex for a month, she could take it. She refused to admit to herself how much that could break her heart. Now was not the time for her to have a woman’s heart. This was business, not pleasure.

The morning of the first shop tour, Almasi was in such a rush that she didn’t even have time to think about writing in her diary, which she had left on the table of her lounge. Instead, her mind was focused on selecting her “shop viewing dress,” and getting into the shoes, the jewelry, putting on the makeup and doing her own hair—Yifeng still had yet to master how to tame natural black woman curls the way Almasi could—and then of course, getting into the limo with everybody else.

Once they were on their way, all the men did was talk of business. Although Almasi knew plenty about commerce --  she had a university degree in it, after all,—she knew that Mr. Arko Kumi would not value her input the way Jacob did, so she stayed silent and looked out the window. Jacob was too transfixed with his business deal to pay her any attention, but Mr. Kofi Kumi made eye contact with her a couple of times, showing sympathetic expressions and occasionally rolling his eyes when his brother wasn’t looking.

While Mr. Arko Kumi embodied the spirit of business, with his brusque, to-the-point attitude, his brother Kofi was the very spirit of pleasure. Oh, he sat obediently through the meetings, and showed feigned interest at the jewelry shops, but it was evident that all he really wanted was to get this over with and have some fun.

Almasi was not so sure that she approved of his lackadaisical, even hedonistic attitude, but her frustration with the situation was enough that she could certainly sympathize with his boredom. At least he had the chance to be included in the conversation, though, which was far more than could be said for Almasi.

While Jacob paid her due attention every night, and seemed thrilled to be around her and to kiss her and love her, he also knew that he could not risk upsetting his client by letting it seem like his wife was involved in his official company business. After a few days of the Ghanaian guests’ visit, Almasi found that she was growing tired of this arrangement. She kept pushing through, though, for the sake of the money, and also… also, maybe a little bit for Jacob’s sake.

He had no time to see that her fondness had grown into love, so she was becoming a little less careful now. If he was completely consumed by thoughts about the diamond deal, perhaps he wouldn’t notice the way she whispered “I love you” to him when she was sure he was asleep, and perhaps he wouldn’t notice the way her smile grew soft and sappy whenever he gave her a bit of his time in his busy, busy day.