A Christmas Party Ch. 10

*sorry for the long wait guys, it's nothing of my own doing. Stuff just got in the way, but here's the end. Hope it meets your expectations and I expect your comments and votes. Thanks a bunch*

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"Stop, please. You know I have somewhere to be" Phi whined, more importantly they both knew she'd rather not be somewhere else. Yes, she was addicted to him, a World Record-worthy addiction it was. How she had become so enamored with this man within a matter of weeks is something she would never be able to understand, but she'd be lying if she said she had regretted any second of fuelling her addiction.

It had been a month since she officially began to date Keith and it had been quite an adventure. He was nothing like her previous boyfriends who were usually bland and uninteresting. Whoever said opposites attract definitely got it wrong with her and Keith, there was a lot of herself in him. The snide comments, witty come-backs and dirty words were definitely characteristics she proudly carried. They seemed like a match made in potty-mouth heaven and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Phi shrugged off Keith's adventurous lips as she searched for her top- well, more like stood in one spot and scanned the place for it. It was hard to tell where it had been flung to in the heat of passion- or if it was still wearable in fact. And his planting soft kisses on her bare back and shoulders wasn't makinf things any easier.

"Just stay with me a while Phi, you know you wanna" he teased, his electric grey eyes twinkling with a promise of mischief.

"If I don't get down to the church on time, Kachi will literally cut my head off and feed it to a stray dog. I've been with you the entire day already Keith, don't be selfish" she replied, though his insistent kisses were doing a good job in convincing her to spend the night.

"Aren't I allowed to not want to share my girl with others?"

"If you still want to make use of your jaw, those 'others' better not be 4-month old pregnant women named Kachi" Phi replied. She grinned once she finally spotted her blouse hanging against the door. Leaving Keith's embrace- which was more difficult than it sounded, she hurried to the piece of cloth and put it on, secretly glad she did lest she return to her previous position beneath him before either of them could stop the urge.

Keith didn't seem as pleased though, "Can't you call and ask that she shift the time a little?" He sulked

"Oh, you mean like I did an hour ago? And an hour before that?"

He rolled his eyeballs dramatically, "Yeah, yeah, you've made your point." He walked lazily toward her and wrapped her in another embrace, "So, when will you be back?" He drawled as he bent to plant a light kiss by the corner of her mouth.

She obliged him when his lips zoned him on hers. They shared a long, heated kiss that made Phi's nipples tighten and made her wish she didn't have to leave just yet. She dug her fingers into his shaggy hair as they moaned in unison. His hand slid lower and he palmed her ass as he drew her closer, once she felt his hardness she pulled away, she would NOT be returning to his bed if she had a say in this, "Not today sweetie" she replied with a sunny smile.

He twisted his lips in confusion at that satement, "You mean like no more sex today or not today as in, you're not coming back today?"

Phi raised her brows, "And the difference is?" She asked. The truth was they couldn't stay five minutes in the same vicinity wothout wanting to rip each other's clothes off.

"Good point" he smiled mischievously.

She returned his smile as she reached for her handbag, "Glad we understand each other" she turned to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips- or at least what was intended to be a chaste kiss until he deepened it. The sound of her phone ringing got them out of their mouth-eating contest. She fished it out and rolled her eyes with a smile when she saw the caller.

"Phi speaking" she spoke into the phone.

"Where the hell are you?"

"Where I was an hour ago" she could literally hear the bristling coming from the other side.

"Phumi Khanyisile Khumalo, if I don't see you in thirty minutes, THIRTY MINUTES, you WILL be demoted to some other unimportant position like...like..."

"I get it, I get it...I'll probably end up as the cleaner. I'll be there in twenty minutes tops, don't pop out the baby too early" she replied and then ended the call before Kachi could come up with a retort. She smiled at Keith, "Gotta go love, kiss kiss" she waved him goodbye and walked out the door.

Keith sighed deeply as he crashed onto his bed. Yep, Phi was definitely worth the hassle.

*****

The nerve of those people!

Claire sat in her highlander outside of the chapel Kachi and Jeremy's wedding was to take place in about a week's time, brimming. Jeremy had yet to confront her concerning the tape and it really kept her on edge, from the looks of things the little twit hadn't bought it after all.

She huffed indignantly, if that stupid secretary had kept her yodelling mouth shut just maybe she would have been able to wiggle her way back into Jeremy's life. And then there was that idiot Donny, she should have known not to trust the oaf, if he couldn't go through with this foolproof plan it was no wonder why he hadn't been able to get Kachi to date him in nine years.

She briefly thought of walking through the doors of that Chapel and disrupting everything, but she figures that would be pretty dumb and embarrassing, plus, she was sure to get that long-awaited backlash from Jeremy- one she just might not be able to withstand. There had to be some way to make Jeremy see the light, make him realise she was his soulmate, not that silly, gold-digging immigrant.

As she looked out her window, she noticed a curvy black woman walking down the road. She snickered, they all looked the same to her. She barely turned away when she noticed the woman catch her form in the car and halt. The next thing she knew the woman was walking up to her, she tried to look away thinking perhaps she was heading to some other place, but she began to fret a little when she noticed the woman's eyes were deadset on her.

In an effort to seem like she hadn't noticed her at all, she took out her mirror and began to touch up her make-up.

"Hello." A cheery voice spoke from the driver's window.

Claire looked up at the same woman, she seemed a lot more intimidating up close, "Hi, how can I help you?"

"You must be Claire."

Claire nodded hesitantly, a nervous smile plastered on her face, "Yes, and who might you be?"

The female extended her hand out to her and Claire accepted it, "The name's Phi..." She began, that sweet smile still dancing on her pretty face, "..I'm the maid of honor for the wedding that will be taking place in that Chapel next week, and the one who'll report you to the authorities for stalking if I EVER see your plastic, desperate, man-chasing self anywhere near my friend and her fiancee again. Hope we're clear?" Phi asked with her unwavering smile.

Claire stared at her, her face pale with fear, she wasn't as scared of the threat to get her reported to the authorities as she was what this smiling woman would do to her- she seemed capable of a few illegal actions too.

"Oh, and you better get this pretty car of yours off the drive-way before I get to that chapel or I WILL return and I'd hate to ruin this baby- permanently" she waved at her and turned around to continue her walk towards the chapel.

Phi grinned when she heard the sound of an engine roaring to life and what she knew to be Claire's car zooming off. She hoped she wouldn't have to see that face again in a long time.

The sound of the piano told Phi that she just might be a few minutes later than she planned, and the sight of a scowling Kachi that greeted her the second their eyes met confirmed that feeling. She jogged toward the procession, basically nudging Farrah, the red-haired bridesmaid who was in her place, she was Kachi's rommmate back in college. The girl looked pissed but not pissed enough to not relinquish the position.

She smiled apologetically at her partner, Phillip, Jeremy's friend in college as she tried to avoid the daggers Kachi was shooting her and concentrate on the procession itself.

Twenty minites and three takes later, the rehearsal was called off for the day and Phi was faced with an angry Kachi in need of answers.

"I can explain" she began.

"I'm waiting"

"Something came up" she said.

Kachi raised a brow, "Something like what? Did Keith's dick get a stroke?"

"No, but good to see you're upping your potty-mouth vocabs girl" she said with a smile.

Kachi rolled her eyes, "It's not funny Phi, this is the third time you're showing up late for the rehearsals, at this point I just might replace you with the pianist, at least she knows the entire thing."

"Come on Kachi, I know the steps...anyway, guess who I saw close to here."

"Who?"

"Claire"

Kachi stared at her wide-eyed, "What?! What the hell is she doing here?" Kachi said. Her voice a notch higher, catching the attention of some of those standing around- Jeremy included. He shot a concerned look their way, but Phi raised her hand to him, signifying that all was well.

"No need to worry, I took care of it."

"By 'took care of it' would you by any chance mean you killed her and threw her body in the dumpster?"

"No, but I like where you're going with that"

Kachi didn't seem to find Phi's comment funny though. She was too busy thinking of Claire, what did she want from them? She looked over at Jeremy who was having a conversation with Oliver and Jim, two of his groomsmen, his eyes locked with hers when he turned toward them, he smiled at her and she returned his smile. She loved that man and no one was going to put a dent in their perfect romance, not anymore.

An idea popped into her mind and she smiled mischievously, something Phi noticed, "Ooh, what are you thinking? Would it have anything to do with a knife?"

Kachi smiled at this, "Not literally." She replied.

Phi smiled with her friend, glad that whatever thought she was having had gotten Kachi off her case for now.

*****

"Hey man" a baritone voice spoke, breaking Donny out of his reverie.

Donny looked up to see Jeremy towering above him, "Hey" he replied, just a little surprised that Jeremy was speaking to him. He had resolved his issues with Kachi enough to be invited to the wedding and get a front-row seat, but he and Jeremy were yet to become best buddies, hell, they just barely tolerated each other.

Jeremy sat next to him and a moment of silence reigned between them both, "You know Kachi adores you" he began.

Donny gave him an odd look wondering where that came from, "I guess"

"No, she really does. In fact I don't think she can go an hour without mentioning your name...sometimes I get jealous"

Donny turned to Jeremy at this, "Why would you? You got the girl after all." As much as he wanted to sound unaffected by that fact, there was just a hint of loathing beneath the comment. He definitely hadn't gotten over Kachi just yet...well, not as much as he would prefer.

Jeremy smiled, "Yeah, you got that right." He said as though he meant to gloat-which he did, though not entirely. He coughed, "But that's not what this conversation is about"

"Really? What is it about?"

"It's about two grown men sorting out their differences for the good of the woman they both love" Jeremy replied.

Donny nodded, a bit put off by that comment, "Fine then."

"No, not fine. Let's get some things straight Donald, you don't like me, and trust me the feeling is mutual, maybe you hate me just a little more for obvious reasons, but we need to agree to be at least cordial to each other for Kachi's sake."

"I'm willing to give that a try." Donny said as he extended his hand to Jeremy.

A pleased smile popped on Jeremy's features as he accepted the handshake, "Glad we agree on something."

They both looked towards Kachi and she was grinning at them. Both men returned her smile, yes, they were definitely on the right path.

*****

Claire stared at the piece of envelope in her hand, wondering what it contained. She rarely received mails of any sorts and so was understandably surprised to have one delivered to her this morning.

She chewed her bottom lip, she had a nagging feeling that whatever was in it would not be something she would like. Shaking off the feeling, she opened the envelope, inside was a piece of paper and what looked to be an invite.

She took out the folded piece of paper first, it was quite a brief note.

We hope you can make it

That was the only message, swallowing a hard lump, she looked into the envelope at the burgundy and gold coloured invite with the intricate design, she knew it was definitely top class material from the looks. She took it out of the envelope and almost died from the sight that greeted her; Kachi and Jeremy's wedding invite.

She flung the invite away like it was on fire. That bitch! That conceited, gold-digging little bitch! If she could get her hands on her she'd regret the day she stepped her dirty feet on this soil.

Her attention was diverted by the sound of her phone ringing, she blindly reached for it and answered without checking the I'd

"Hello?"

"Did you get my invite?" A female asked from the other end.

Claire's face reddened in anger when she realised who it was, "You fucking cunt!" She raved.

"Hmm, I'm guessing that's a yes" the voice said mockingly.

Claire bit her bottom lip wishing it was Kachi's mouth she was biting- hard enough to draw blood, "I swear when I get my hands on you, I'll make you regret you ever lived, how the fuck did you get my number anyway?"

"That's unimportant, you never ask the right questions, do you?"

She couldn't stand the cheeriness of that voice. She was taunting her, NOBODY taunted her, "I'll kill you I swear."

"That's good to know dear. But I didn't call to ask what your dreams are about." She replied unfazed by the threat, "As much as I'd love to give you a detailed explanation on how I plan to dissect your limbs and send them off to Africa to be eaten by hyenas if I ever see you within the radius of I or Jeremy, that's not to be." The voice remained cheery, "but know that as much as I can be sweet and cute, I WILL be deadly if you cross my lane you conceited, scheming bitch." The voice was now hard, losing all it's sweetness.

Claire scoffed, "And I'm supposed to be scared?"

"Oh no..." Cheeriness returned, "...not yet anyways, just watch your back. Hope you make it for the ceremony"

The line went dead before a scowling, mad Claire could reply. She screamed and flung her phone at the wall, the gadget falling into pieces once it came in contact with the hard surface. She absolutely HATED that bitch!

*****

"Are you ready?" Ugo asked as he dusted a lint off Jeremy's shoulder. They were in her father's house in New York about to begin the traditional phase of their marriage. They initially wanted to skip that, but neither Kachi's father or her brothers wanted to hear of that, as the first and only daughter of the family, they insisted that it was imperative they have a proper handing over in the traditional sense. Her father, Clement, did allow that they perform the rites in the country and it was agreed that it should be pretty small and intimate.

Jeremy smiled at his refelection, he looked pretty good in the grey colored native attire, he particularly liked the silver embroidery on the neck, he could see himself wearing the shirt and pants after today, it was comfortable enough.

"I think I am." He replied his future brother-in-law.

Ugo smiled, "Good, let's go."

Phi stared at Kachi in confusion as she wondered what had her smiling so smugly. She had hd that really annoying grin on her face for hours now and she was starting to fear her best friend just might have lost her senses....maybe it's pregnancy hormones, she thought. Whatever it was though, it was freaky. She would ask her later, when her cousins weren't around.

She watched with interest as Ella, one of two female cousins she had met, tied the headgear which she was told was referred to as gele back in Nigeria. It seemed a difficult process tying it perfectly, but Ella definitely pulled it off like a pro so that it stood high upon Kachi's head. Soon, it was her turn to be attended to and again, Ella worked her magic.

"Wow, you're pretty good at this." Phi commended as she admired her reflection.

Ella smiled shyly, she was a younger version of Kachi in terms of mannerisms, she definitely hadn't spoken much the entire day, "Mumsy made me learn it when I stayed an extra year home before going to the higher institution."

Phi turned to her with a confused look on her face, "Huh?"

"Mumsy- my mum."

"Oh, okay." She replied , returning to her position and totally ignoring Kachi's mocking smile.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered in the rather large sitting room of Clement Obi. Jeremy had to admit, the man did pretty good for himself, he had been to his restaurant two days ago and it was quite an impressive place, he particularly loved the African vibe it carried, from the interior decoration to the music and of course the food. Kachi definitely failed to give her father as much props as he deserved, plus the man was much nicer than he had anticipated. He didn't smile a lot, but he was more jovial the seemed- at least to Kachi. Ugo didn't think so.

The ceremony kicked off with a little prayer by Kachi's father, after which they broke a kolanut and shared it amongst the older people present, he watched with interest as her father spoke a few words about her, occassionally cracking a joke that led to laughter or revealing a certain attitude about her Jeremy knew Kachi would be embarrassed to hear.

The next phase had Kachi stepping into the sitting room looking stunning in a nicely embroidered silver, off-shouldered top and a grey and ash checkered wrapper tied around her waist, atop her head was a silver headgear he was unfamiliar with, but he thought enhanced her pretty face even more. Just the sight of her coming out, a light smile plastered on her face as she made her way toward her father made his heart flutter and his stomach do multiple flips, oh how he loved this woman.

She knelt in front of her father, her head bowed in respect, he began by saying a prayer for her, after which he handed her a glass of wine which she was to hand over to her husband.

Jeremy watched her approach him and kneel before him, a shy smile upon her lips as she did. She handed him the cup, he accepted and drank it's contents, after which he helped her get to her feet, stood and followed her to where her father sat. His father sat two seats away from Kachi's father, a smile plastered on his face as he watched them come closer, he had cancelled a business trip to be here and Jeremy was grateful, he needed family around too, Susie couldn't make it, but he knew she wouldn't miss the white wedding for the world.

They knelt in front of Kachi's father, he lay his hands upon their heads and blessed them, after which he invited Jeremy's father to do the same, though it was just a little awkward for the older Blaire, he did.

The entire ceremony was over faster than Jeremy thought, he was relieved when the time for refreshments came.

As they socialized with the few guests, Jeremy felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see a guy about his height who looked a lot like Ugo, but just a little darker, without much thought, he figured this to be another of Kachi's brothers.

"Hey, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Kachi's elder brother, Kezie." He began as he extended his hand out to him.

Jeremy took the hand and shook it, "Jeremy, it's nice to finally meet you."