Pride and Consequence (6 page)

“Sit!” she ordered, when they finally reached the kitchen.

Malik got comfortable at the kitchen island while Zakira removed the light dinner she had prepared from the oven. There were the delicious chicken potpies, a mixture of broccoli, tomatoes and cucumbers marinated in a zesty wine vinegar and crushed herb dressing, and huge apple-walnut muffins. A light white wine topped off the tasty meal.

For a while, the only sounds in the kitchen were the clinking of utensils and glasses as they feasted on the dinner.

Several times, Zakira's wide gaze traced every nuance of Malik's face. She tried to search out any signs that something might be wrong. Of course, he looked as fit as ever.

“These dinners get better and better,” he complimented, after taking the last swig of wine from his glass.

“Thanks, baby,” Zakira whispered across the table, genuinely pleased by the compliment. “Did you have enough?”

Malik massaged the back of his neck and stood. “I'm just gonna get another drink.”

Zakira's wide eyes followed him as he made his way to the counter. He lost his footing, just before he reached his destination. He had to grasp the edge of the oak counter for support.

“Malik?” Zakira called, rising from the table as well.

“I'm all right, Zaki,” he said, hoping he sounded convincing. “I don't think I need another drink.”

Zakira was not amused by his teasing. “Are you having another dizzy spell?”

Confusion etched on Malik's face and he turned. It was obvious that the comment took him by surprise. “What do you know about my dizzy spells?”

Zakira leaned against the edge of the table and regarded the handsome giant trying to put up a brave front. “I know you've been having them at least three times a week. But, of course, those are only the ones I've seen. I even know where you keep the pills.”

The depths of Malik's eyes took on a darker tint and he looked as though he wanted to respond. Then, thinking better of it, he ran his fingers through his dreads and moved away from the counter.

“I'm goin' to bed,” he mumbled, leaving Zakira alone in the kitchen.

The task of cleaning the kitchen turned out to be less time-consuming than Zakira anticipated. After she finished, she headed for bed.

Malik was still in the shower, when she walked into the bedroom. She decided to slip into her nightgown, since she had taken a shower just before starting dinner. She was smoothing lotion across her skin when Malik walked out of the steamy bathroom. For a moment, he stood staring at her while drying the droplets of water from his chest. He tossed the towel to the dresser and headed across the room, stopping just behind his wife. He grasped her hips in a firm hold and pulled her back against him. Burying his handsome face in the crook of her neck, he inhaled her sweet scent.

“I know you're tired of hearing it, but I
am
sorry,” he whispered, his deep voice sounding muffled.

The soft apology sent shivers down Zakira's back. She closed her eyes briefly and savored the moment. Then turning, she raised her face to his for a kiss.

Malik did not disappoint her. He pressed the tip of his tongue to the corner of her mouth, before tracing the lush full line of her lips. Zakira repeated the intimate action as she traced the wide sensual curve of his mouth.

When the kiss deepened, Malik lifted Zakira against his nude body and carried her across the room. Setting her down next to the bed, he lay back and pulled her down to him. With her straddling his huge form, Malik's large hands trailed possessively over her thighs and beneath the hemline of her gown.

Zakira threw her head back and moaned when she felt Malik's thumb caress the soft bud of her womanhood. The light circular motion of his finger soon had her wet with need. He removed his fingers and slid both hands around her hips to cup her full bottom. Lifting her easily, he slowly set her down over his throbbing arousal.

Zakira's hands caressed Malik's sexy, dark chocolate form, tracing his chiseled torso and abdomen. She rotated her hips and smiled when she heard him groan in response. Feeling his hard length inside her forced cries from her mouth.

Malik's touch traced every curve of her body, fondling her full breasts beneath the silk nightie she still wore. One hand reached up to pull the pins from her hair, before he unraveled the thick braids. When the black mass fell across Zakira's shoulders, he cupped her neck and pulled her down for a deep kiss.

Soon though, Malik wanted control and flipped Zakira to her back. He draped one of her shapely legs across his shoulder and deepened his thrusts….

“Malik?” Zakira whispered a long while later when they lay sprawled across the bed.

“Mmm-hmm?” he murmured, smoothing his palm against her flat stomach.

“Baby, if there were something wrong…you would tell me, right?”

Zakira never saw Malik squeeze his eyes shut as he answered. “I promise I would.”

Z
akira woke early the next morning wanting to make love to her husband again. “Malik…” she sighed, reaching across the bed. When her fingers touched the cool sheets, she sat up and looked around the bedroom. Malik was nowhere in sight, but Zakira was certain he was still home since he never left without waking her.

Slipping into the wispy gown that had been tossed aside the night before, she went in search of her husband. The moment she stepped into the hallway, delicious aromas drifted upward from downstairs. Nose in the air, she followed the wonderful smells all the way to the kitchen.

Wearing nothing but a pair of burgundy silk boxers, Malik was at work in front of the stove. A wicked smile tugged at Zakira's lips as she crossed her arms over her chest and enjoyed the sultry view. After a moment, her eyes drifted to the dinette table and she noticed the spread. There were fluffy-looking, round pancakes, fresh orange juice, milk and seasoned hash browns.

Malik was a whiz in the kitchen. It had been his primary reason for wanting to open the restaurant. Unfortunately, there were now so many obligations involved with running Badu's that he spent little time cooking.

“Have a seat,” Malik called from the stove without looking around.

Zakira did as she was told. She was about to serve herself when Malik walked over and set a mouthwatering broccoli-and-three-cheese omelet before her.

“Oh, thank you! My God, how long have you been up?” Zakira exclaimed, immediately digging into the omelet.

Malik shrugged and turned to the kitchen island. “I had to get up and get this,” he said, pulling a brightly wrapped package from a side drawer.

“What have you done?” Zakira asked, as she set down her fork and took the gift. It only took a few seconds to tear through the wrapping. When she touched the gold velvet box, her brown eyes snapped to Malik's face. “What is it?”

Malik pulled one hand through his dreads and sat across from her. “Open it.”

Sighing, Zakira opened the long case. Her loud gasp filled the room when she lifted a gorgeous diamond-encrusted tennis bracelet from the box. “Malik,” she whispered, shaking her head at the extravagant gift.

“Think of it as an early Christmas present. Besides, I wanted to make up for the way I acted last night when you asked about Doctor McNeil.”

“I love this,” Zakira assured him, gesturing at the sparkling piece of jewelry. “But all I want is for you to be straight with me.”

“I know,” Malik assured her, nodding his head quickly. He stood, but Zakira grabbed his hand before he could get too far. She tugged and waited for him to take the chair next to her.

“Malik, I've got an awful feeling about this and it has nothing to do with any dream,” she said, cupping the side of his face in her palm. “It's scaring me.”

Malik pulled her hand away from his face and pressed a hard kiss to her palm. He never answered, but Zakira could tell by the guarded look in his dark eyes that he was scared, as well.

Elegantly dressed couples filed into Badu's Restaurant. A long red carpet led from the establishment's entrance and ended at the edge of the sidewalk. Each guest felt like royalty as they clutched small white envelopes that carried Badu's logo on the outside and an invitation inside.

The restaurant had undergone a mild transformation for the event. Several extra dining tables had been set on the edge of the dance floor to accommodate the staggering number of guests. Several people took to the smaller dance space, eager to enjoy the cool jazz stylings of a local group. Others were more interested in the fantastic dinners that were served. Diners had their choice of three entrées: spicy roast duck basted in a fragrant white wine sauce with a delicious wild rice, broccoli and herb side; a hearty chicken, scallop and red onion sauté served on a bed of tender noodles; or grilled salmon steak with a fresh vegetarian stir-fry.

Malik watched Zakira mingling and smiling as she wandered through the crowd. Every aspect of the evening was so perfect he wanted the entire group to know who was responsible. Heads turned at the sound of a crystal goblet being tapped with a fork. Malik had requested the band take a break when he joined them on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention. I have a small announcement to make!”

Zakira turned to watch her husband. Her cocoa gaze sparkled with love as she admired his smooth, handsome appearance in the tailored, three-piece beige pin-striped suit.

“Tonight, many of you have approached me with congratulations on coordinating such a successful event. I wanted to let everyone here know that the menu, the atmosphere and the luxurious setting are all my wife's doing. What you see before you tonight are the results of her hard work. Zakira, girl, you wanna come up here and take a bow?”

Applause filled the air as Zakira made her way toward the stage. She accepted Malik's hand, and he escorted her up the short stairway. She kissed his cheek, then turned to face the crowd.

“I'm sure we all wish there weren't a need for this type of event,” she told the crowd, watching the group nod in agreement. “Since there is, I want to thank the committee for allowing me to be a part of it. I thank you for your compliments, but the real accolades should go to the women who lend their efforts each day to help fight this dreaded disease that affects so many children.”

Zakira's graciousness and emotional words brought forth another round of applause. She stood smoothing her hands across the sides of the chic, ankle-length silver satin evening gown and waited for the crowd to settle down.

“In lieu of applause,” Zakira was saying, “we here at Badu's would like to forward our fee for hosting tonight's event to the Richmond Children's Cancer Research Fund.”

Deafening applause followed the announcement. Zakira bowed, and then nodded toward the band, who were preparing for their next set. She left the stage with Malik at her side.

“So are you glad you accepted the invitation?”

Edwina smoothed her hands over the chiffon sleeves of her cobalt-blue silk evening gown. “Oh, Z, I still get shivers thinking about what you did. That was a beautiful gesture, forfeiting your fee from tonight.”

Zakira toyed with a curly tendril that dangled from the chignon atop her head. “I thought so, too. Raising money for any charity is hard enough without having to worry about another bill.”

“Amen,” Eddie agreed, her light hazel eyes scanning the crowded room.

“So, you didn't answer my question,” Zakira said. At Eddie's frown, she rolled her eyes. “Are you glad you accepted my invitation?”

Edwina groaned. “Yes, I am. Despite the fact that I've seen two of my ex-boyfriends here with their new women, might I add.”

“Please! I bet they drooled all over themselves when they saw how gorgeous you are.”

Edwina brushed her hand against Zakira's bare arm. “I appreciate your kind words.”

“Kind, hell, they're true. Edwina Harris, you need to let that mess go. It's their loss. Move on.”

“Mmm…spoken like a woman with a handsome, sexy husband to go home with.”

Zakira's cocoa eyes clouded with concern. “Speaking of which, I haven't seen him in a while.”

“Hey,” Eddie said, a questioning look on her face. “Is something going on with y'all? I mean, I wanted to ask you about it when I visited before, but I was caught up in my own drama.”

Zakira reached for her stepsister's hand and squeezed it. “Sometimes I forget how handy it is to have a therapist in the family.”

“You need to talk?” Eddie whispered, pressing Zakira's hand to her chest.

“Not here, okay? Lunch, tomorrow. Is that good for you?”

“Yeah, sweetie, it's fine,” Edwina assured her, pulling her stepsister close for a hug. “We'll finish discussing it later. You go find Malik.”

“Thanks, Eddie.” Zakira whispered, kissing the woman's cheek before hurrying off.

As Edwina stood near the edge of the dance floor watching her stepsister, she had no idea she herself was being watched. Trekel Grisani had caught sight of Edwina shortly after he arrived at the restaurant. He had noticed her speaking with both Zakira and Malik several times during the evening. They all seemed exceptionally close, and he couldn't believe he had never seen her before.

Several people told Zakira they had seen Malik head upstairs. She found him in his office, sprawled across the dark brown leather sofa. Just as she was about to approach him, his eyes opened and he sat up. Zakira decided to stay put and watch him. Malik covered his face with both hands and took several deep breaths. Then, he left the sofa and walked over to the wide desk. He stumbled just as he reached the brown swivel chair and grasped the edge of his desk for support.

Zakira balled a fist against her mouth to prevent herself from crying out. She watched Malik search one of the desk drawers before he extracted the now familiar pill bottle. He swallowed one of the capsules, then took a seat and closed his eyes again.

The next day, Edwina sat her elbow atop the table and propped the side of her face against her fist. “Are you sure you're not overreacting?” she asked, giving her stepsister a doubtful look.

Zakira rolled her eyes toward the restaurant's high ceiling. “No offense, Eddie, but you weren't there. You didn't see the look on his face when he stumbled. He was scared. He's acting so strange. The dizziness I figured was because he's working too hard, but now there's the pills, this sudden checkup, a new doctor, he's stumbling around like a drunk…I can't help but be worried out of my mind.”

Eddie smoothed her hands over her low-cut navy silk blouse and leaned back in her chair. “This worrying can't be good for you.”

Zakira's stylish ponytail slapped her cheeks when she nodded her head. “I know. But it's not going to stop until I get some answers.” She spotted Trekel Grisani heading toward the table.

“Hey, baby doll,” he greeted, as he took her hand and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Hey, sweetie.” Zakira replied, patting her hand against his cheek. “I'm surprised to see you outside that office of yours.”

Tree smiled, revealing his striking white grin. “Yeah, I break out every now and then.”

Zakira laughed, as she raised her hands above the table. “Tree, I want you to meet my stepsister, Edwina Harris. Eddie this is Trekel Grisani.”

Tree's extremely handsome face registered surprise. “Stepsister? And I'm just meeting her now?” he scolded playfully.

Zakira shrugged. “Better late than never.”

Tree turned and his pitch-black gaze narrowed the moment he saw the exquisite beauty who stared back at him with her gorgeous almond-shaped eyes. Tree stood uncharacteristically speechless. The lovely, delicate features that never failed to render men helpless succeeded once more. However, this time, it appeared that Eddie was just as captivated as Tree.

Zakira hid her smile as she studied Tree's entranced expression and Edwina's reaction to him. After a moment, she cleared her throat.

“Tree, would you like to join us?” she asked.

Tree hesitated for a moment. Then, shaking his head, he ran one finger across his wide brow. “Um…I'm sorry, Edwina, for staring,” he apologized very softly, his deep voice sounding very raspy.

Eddie fiddled with the wide collar of her blouse and nodded. “It's okay,” she managed, surprised by the apology. An apology, in fact, was very unnecessary when she was just as guilty. Trekel Grisani was unbelievably gorgeous. The close-cut wavy black hair, striking onyx eyes, wide nose and mouth made for an irresistible combination. Zakira had called him Tree and Edwina figured it was a nickname. A well-deserved nickname, in any case. The man had an awesome build, to say the least. Massive shoulders, a wide chest and back, lean waist and long legs…yes,
Tree
was the perfect name for him.

“Thanks, Z, but I'm meeting with a client,” Tree explained when he turned around. “I just wanted to stop and say hello.”

“Well, listen, if you have some time later on, could I stop by and talk for a while?”

Tree smiled and glanced at his watch. “That's fine. Maybe around three?”

Zakira smiled. “I'll see you then.”

Tree leaned down and pressed another kiss to her cheek. Then, he turned, pinning Eddie with his intense onyx stare. “It was very nice to meet you, Edwina.”

Eddie's sweet brown stare was practically glued to Tree's handsome face. “It was very nice meeting you,” she replied.

Tree stared for just an instant longer before he left the table.

Eddie waited a moment before she turned her head. Her eyes followed Tree's departing form.

A smirk crossed Zakira's mouth as she watched her stepsister. “Yes, he is.”

Eddie frowned and turned to face her sister. She waited for Zakira to elaborate.

“He really is as sweet and thoughtful as he is gorgeous and sexy,” she clarified.

Eddie shrugged. “That would appear to be true,” she agreed, lightly.