The Mafia’s Wanted Desires

ASHLEY

My black manicured fingers moved swiftly on the screen of my phone, my lips stretched in a wide uncontrollable grin as I conversed with the girls on a group chat we had and often talked in. My hectic work schedule would agree with me that I desperately needed this Girl’s Day Out. It’s been a series of meetings with several editors during the week.

I barely even got the chance to breathe throughout the week as all we did was to assess the samples of books that had been stuffed on our website, going through them to see the ones that were suitable for publishing, and boy, it’s been a shitload of work. I wasn’t going to pretend like I didn’t enjoy every bit of it. I enjoyed it. Going through so many books which are distinct and unique in their ways, possessing alluring storylines, was so refreshing but it doesn’t diminish the fact that it has been so exhausting and it occupied every bit of my time.

It was the weekend and I didn’t want to stay indoors since Arden had an impromptu trip yesterday. I decided to hit the girls up for a girl’s day out and I was really lucky because they were back in town for a while. Our hangouts always have me so giddy with excitement, not because I haven’t seen them in a while. Well, it’s part of it but it’s basically because I looked forward to spending time with them and I loved hanging out with them. They weren’t just my best friends, they were my family.

So, being with them felt like being__

“Mrs Gray?” Lawrence’s questioning tone jolted me out of my reverie and I looked up from my phone to see him sparing me a glance through the rearview mirror. I felt guilt engulf me once more. It was…kinda weird, having him work for me after what transpired between us the other day. I had been drowning in the guilt of what I made him do and what he went through in Arden’s hands. Sure, I apologized to him for putting him in trouble and I even compensated him but it all just couldn’t go away like it never happened.

Deep down, I think it will always be present.

“Mrs Gray?”

He called me again.

I blinked, putting my phone aside.

“Yeah?” I asked him, my voice warm.

“We are at the beach.” He announced and I mumbled an oh, realizing my surroundings. I sent him a warm smile and picked up my woven bag, stepping out of the car and shutting the door behind me. I took my beach hat off my head, brushing my fingers through my hair that was sticking out in different directions, due to the soft breeze. I looked over my shoulder to see three guards, following me at a safe distance.

I peeled my eyes off them, tucking my hat into my bag and I whipped out my phone afterward intending to fire a quick text to either of the girls that I was at the parking lot and was about to approach the beach but I was prevented from doing so by the catcalls I got, which made my skin to prickle with disgust.

“Yo, pretty thing!”

One of the boys hanging around the parking lot called out to me and through my peripheral vision, I saw my guards approaching him.

“It’s okay,” I prevented them from putting him in his place and they retreated, nodding their heads simultaneously. I threw a stink eye at the boy in question, then I flipped him off afterwards. I made my way to the beach, my eyes scanning the bustling area with shrieks and disembodied waves of laughter echoing in the air. It reeked of undiluted happiness and the air in the atmosphere was pure and lively. I spotted Dawn and Ivana, who at the sight of me, raced towards me in their stunning bikinis, shrieking with no care in the world.

I met them halfway and enveloped them in a bear hug, their soft giggles and chuckles seeping into my ears.

“Hey, bitch!”

“Girl, I missed you!”

“I missed you guys so much. Is it weird?” I asked after they let me out of their grip and they pouted, shaking their heads sideways. I couldn’t help taking second glances at them because video calls didn’t do justice in any way.

I mean, the last time I saw Dawn on Facetime, she looked stressed as hell and still managed to pull off that sleek seductive look of hers. But right now? She doesn’t even look at it. She was turning heads in her red sensual two-piece bikini that clung to her body like a second skin, enhancing her curves. Her smooth skin made a fine contrast with the flimsy material and pulled it off in a jaw-dropping way.

The diva had no makeup on her face and she looked like she just stepped out of a Spa. Her ginger-red hair cascaded down her shoulders, looking super lush and shiny under the soft beaming of the sun.

And Ivana? She looked too good to be true. She has always possessed a soft, ethereal beauty that just seems to announce itself wherever she goes. She looked enchanting in her black swimsuit which revealed an ample amount of cleavage.

Her blonde hair was thrown in a messy bun with tendrils framing her face, her black LV shades sticking in her hair. Her lips looked a little shimmery and I knew it was the effect of her signature lip gloss. For a bride that was tying the knot in weeks, her skin goal was a thousand over a hundred. She was popping effortlessly.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Gosh, I couldn’t wait to see her in her wedding dress! She’s going to look amazing!

“Now I feel under-dressed!” I whined, sticking out my bottom lip in a childish manner. Yes, I did feel under-dressed in my animal print bikini that I had a black chiffon kimono draped over.

“What? Girl, are you kidding? Look at all those curves. Bitch, you are slaying that bikini. I wouldn’t look half as sexy as you did in it.” Dawn countered, her eyes doing a slow sweep over my body.

“Dawn is right, Ash. You look amazing. I bet he couldn’t take his eyes off you when he saw you in the bikini.” Ivana chipped in, buttressing Dawn’s point with a slight twitch of her lips. I grew red in the face, looping my arm around hers as they led me to the bitch. Dawn had her hand slipped into my other hand.

“Ohhhhhh!” Dawn whistled.

The two of them were embarrassing me!

“What? No! Arden is on a trip and about seeing me in this outfit? Hell no! I have never met someone so possessive as he is. He wouldn’t let me out of the house dressed like this. He probably would prefer me dressed as a nun to a fucking beach.” I ranted, my lips pursed in a tight frown as I imagined the expression on his face if he saw me in a bikini. I was only able to pull this off because he wasn’t around. I was pretty sure we were going to be having a sequel to World War II if the situation were reversed.

“I don’t blame the man!” Ivana said in a sing-song voice and I nudged her hard on her shoulder, eliciting a giggle from her.

“Yes, look at those babies!” Dawn added, smirking, referring to my boobs.

“I am done with you two. You guys are supposed to be my friends!” I chided, frowning and the duo snorted, leading me to the spot they had reserved for us.