AYAD

Chapter 1

"Aye! Aye! Aye! Get it!" The ladies voice yelled over the loud music. The night club was packed out and the drinks kept coming. The group was on a girls trip to Florida, and after weeks of bickering over trip details and saving up, the time to let loose had finally arrived.

There was never a shortage of pretty girls in Miami nightclubs, but Gracie and her friend group stood out that night. They were turning every head. Gracie noticed Becca staring at a guy from across the room. "Who's catching your eye?" Gracie loudly asked, barely able to even hear herself.

"Girl, I think he's coming." Becca flipped her long tresses over the shoulder and poker faced.

A gentleman approached the group, with two men in black following close behind him. He was average height, Arab, and strikingly handsome. From head to toe it was strictly designer. His light green eyes were fixed on Gracie as he spoke, "You lot had something to drink?"

His faint British accent caught the girls off guard. Leni pretended to fan her face, "Are you asking to buy us all a drink, baby?"

"Get whatever you want, it's on me!" He flashed a pearly white smile at Gracie again.

"He got money, money!" Leni cackled while bee-lining to the bar, with Becca and others following behind.

Gracie didn't go. She continued to sit in her spot with the gentleman now walking over and sitting next to her. "I'm Saheed, what's your name pretty?"

"Graciella. I go by Gracie." She shyly looked away, his gaze on her was intense.

"You don't want anything to drink?"

"I don't drink." She said flatly, she never had a taste for alcohol or drugs and intended to keep it that way.

"Come on, just one. I'm paying for it!" He moved closer to her, the smell of his cologne filling her lungs.

"I guess you'll have to buy me something else then." Gracie raised an eyebrow, now having fun with the playful flirting.

Saheed grabbed her hand, "My dad's a billionaire, I'll buy you anything you want"

-

And buy Gracie anything she wanted, Saheed did. He took her on lavish shopping trips, the nicest restaurants and it all led up to the 3 carat engagement ring on her finger roughly 8 months of long-distance dating after that night in the club.

The pair had just finished up a nightmare date where they couldn't stop arguing throughout. Saheed's driver silently put the car in park in front of Gracie's house. Before he could come around the car to open the door for her, she opened it herself and walked quickly towards the front door.

Saheed rushed out the car, following behind. "Gracie! Gracie!"

She spun around and glared at him. "What?"

"Why are you fussing about? I'm a man, Gracie! You can't possibly expect me to not have needs."

"That's not the issue, Saheed. The issue is you aren't letting this entire matter rest. I have been open to you since day one that I am waiting until marriage. It was never a secret. It's a strong conviction of mine and you told me that you could wait." Gracie crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want to keep fighting with you about this. You either accept it or we call it good."

"Thought relationships were about compromise?"

"Goodnight, Saheed."

"Wait, wait, wait!" He grabbed her arm to stop her from going inside the house. "I'll leave it. If you want to wait, that's fine."

"Are you just saying that?"

"It will be challenging, look at you." He took a step back and smiled at Gracie. She had deep brown skin, a petite frame, full pink lips, high cheekbones, and beautiful long hair. There wasn't a magazine she could not grace with her feminine charm. "Look at my lady!"

"Stop." Gracie let out a small laugh and playfully hit Saheed's chest. "You play too much."

"I can't wait to bring you back to my mum and dad. You will love them."

"Gosh, I hope they love me." She shifted from side to side, and looked out into the night sky. "This whole thing is really... different for me. I've never lived with a guy before, talkless of his entire family, you know?"

"Just chill on it. My family is proper laid back, well, maybe not my brother, Dabir is all stuffy, all business...blah, blah, blah."

Gracie felt nervous. Saheed always described his brother as being overly serious and a killjoy. He was much more concerned with carrying on the family legacy than Saheed was. Dabir was in and out of meetings, constantly, he was the Managing Director for his dad's media conglomerate, AES.

Saheed on the other hand, took whatever cut he got in his allowances and splurged it all on choice liquor, designer clothes, luxury cars and trips. Saheed would tell Gracie about how unenjoyable Dabir was to be around, it made her feel nervous every time she thought of the move.

"I hope it all goes well with him, it's just one more week until we all live together." Gracie took a deep breath, and then put her arms around Saheed in an embrace. "I have to go get ready for bed, I have work in the morning."

"Ah come on, girl, no! Just quit, you know I can provide for you."

She gave him a kiss on the cheeks. "Good night."