Pride and Consequence (12 page)

Zakira pressed her hand to his cheek. “I won't be able to see you, either. I'm suffering, too, you know?”

“I know,” he acknowledged, covering her hand with his own. “But you'll still have your life…your memories. I won't ever have you again. I won't even be able to miss you, because I'll be dead.”

“Well, baby, this attitude, this—this coldness,” Zakira whispered, her throat constricting around the lump there, “this is killing me and I can't stand it. I want you to love me or play ‘stud' to me, as you call it. Call me selfish, but I want as much of you as I can get. As much as you can give, until…”

“Shh,” he soothed, when she began to cry. “I realize how wrong I was to do that to you. To us. I love you more than my life.”

Zakira allowed her tears to flow more freely. “I love you, too,” she whispered, laughing when his mouth settled to hers and he kissed her deeply.

They spent the rest of the morning in the private oasis, holding on to each other beneath the swaying trees.

T
he next few weeks were like a roller-coaster ride for Malik and Zakira. Some days were wonderful. They basked in the love they felt for one another, and the nights became even more sensual. Unfortunately, for all the good days, there were those times when Malik was in such an evil mood, he barely said more than three words to his wife.

Through it all, Zakira was becoming more familiar with the business. She found that while cooking had been her passion, the business end of running a restaurant was just as fulfilling. There were times when Malik didn't want to come in to the restaurant at all. Fortunately, Zakira didn't mind picking up the slack.

Such was the case when Eddie came to visit one day. Zakira had become a regular sight behind Malik's desk and was in the midst of haggling with a prospective supplier.

For a moment, Edwina stood just inside the door watching her stepsister on the phone. At first sight, the small woman might have appeared out of place behind the huge, mahogany desk, but that was far from true.

Zakira finished the call and waved Eddie closer. “Hey, girl, what brings you in here?”

Eddie smiled and stepped closer to the desk. “I'm on my way to my office. I just thought I'd stop in to see what was up.”

Sighing, Zakira picked up one of the thick folders on the desk and waved it in the air. “Work, honey, work.”

A small frown crossed Edwina's delicate features and she propped her hands on her hips. “Why do you sound excited about it?”

Zakira pretended to misunderstand. “How can anybody be excited by work?”

Eddie shrugged and smoothed her hands down over the clinging material of her short petal-pink miniskirt. “Well, Z, you sound pretty happy to be here in the midst of all this.”

Zakira leaned back in the gigantic suede desk chair and closed her eyes. “I'll admit I love it, but I wish Malik was here to help me.”

Again, Eddie was surprised. “To help you, but not to take over again?”

Zakira didn't respond, but she couldn't stop the smile that touched her mouth. Soft laughter between the two women began to fill the room, when the office door flew open.

“Man, Chanel wasn't at her desk, so I—” Tree was pulling gloves from his hands when he looked up. “Oh. Sorry.”

Zakira stood behind the desk, smiling at the surprised expression on Tree's face. “I'm covering for Malik again.”

Tree noticed, but his midnight stare had already found Edwina across the room. His pitch-black eyes narrowed, but he finally nodded in response to Zakira's words. “I'm sorry. I was supposed to see him today.”

“Well, I can—'Scuse me,” Zakira said when the phone interrupted her. She resumed her seat behind the desk and answered the line.

Meanwhile, Eddie was studying the tops of her petal-pink platforms. She could almost feel Tree's onyx stare boring into her, and she hoped he wasn't planning to stay. Eddie had opted to take a plane back to Virginia after the weekend in Maine. She had not spoken to Tree since and she had given him no explanation for her strange behavior that night in his room.

“Sorry, guys, I gotta go down to the bar,” Zakira announced as she grabbed a pad and made a hasty exit.

Eddie closed her eyes briefly. Then, she stepped away, placing more distance between herself and Tree.

“So, how are you doin'?” he asked after several moments of silence.

Eddie turned and managed a shaky smile. “I'm fine…and you?”

Tree nodded, pushing his gloves into the deep pockets of his navy wool trench. “I've been better,” he admitted.

Eddie winced at the noticeable edge to his words. She wrung her hands and took a few small steps toward him. “Oh, Tree, I'm so sorry. I feel like a damn heel for the way I acted.”

Tree's dark brows rose slightly, he was surprised by her admission. Taking advantage of the moment, he held her exquisite hazel gaze captive with his smoldering dark one.

“Did I come on too strong?” he asked.

“No, no you didn't,” Eddie immediately assured him.

“Then would you mind telling me what happened?” Tree queried, his slow stride bringing him closer.

Edwina smoothed her hands across the back of her stylish haircut. She leaned against the desk and raised her eyes to his. “I guess I'm still just really afraid to get close to anyone right now. I don't know, maybe I'm moving too fast. I've been doing a lot of…soul-searching since my last breakup. I guess the drama of that whole mess has affected me more than I realized.”

Tree nodded, the subdued look on his face making him appear even more handsome. He followed Eddie to the desk and leaned down, bracing his hands on either side of her. “Will you let me take you out sometime? Nothing heavy…whenever you feel up to it?” he softly proposed, his gaze steady and intense.

Eddie managed a brief nod and a smile.

The dimples creasing Tree's cheeks deepened when he smiled. Then, the smile faded, and his expression became serious. His black gaze fell to her full lips and he was drawn to her like a puppet on a string.

Edwina's lips parted instantly and her lashes fluttered over her eyes in anticipation of the kiss she had dreamed of. His lips were a breath away and his hands were already cupping her hips to hold her steady.

“Guys I'm sorry about that!” Zakira burst into the office, apologizing. Her delicate brows rose as she witnessed her stepsister and Tree jump apart as though they had been burned. For a moment, she watched them suspiciously. “Did I interrupt something?”

Eddie rolled her eyes toward Zakira, but shook her head. “No, you didn't. Listen, I need to get going for an appointment, so I'll see you later.”

Zakira simply waved her goodbye. Amusement brightened her vibrant brown eyes.

Edwina ignored the knowing look in her sister's eyes and turned toward Tree. “It was nice to see you again,” she told him.

Tree nodded, the look in his midnight eyes full of desire. When the door closed behind Edwina, he sighed and turned toward Zakira. “I really don't understand her sometimes.”

Zakira shrugged and headed to the desk. “Well, Eddie's crazy,” she teased. “But she's very beautiful and sweet.”

Tree's long black lashes closed over his eyes as though he were envisioning Eddie in his mind. “I won't argue with that,” he murmured.

“So, what brings you into the restaurant?” Zakira watched Tree ease into a chair before the desk.

“I was looking for Malik. I thought he'd be here. I told him I'd stop by.”

Nodding, Zakira pushed her thick hair behind her ears. “He didn't feel like coming in today. If you ask me, I think he taught me the business to keep us apart. Now he can stay at home and not have me hovering.”

A sympathetic look touched Tree's face. “Honey, I'm sure that's not true.”

Before Zakira could disagree, the phone rang. It was the private line, so she answered immediately.

“How are you doin' over there?”

Zakira felt small shivers wiggle up her spine at the sound of Malik's soothing, deep voice. “I'm fine. Everything's smooth so far.”

“Good, I'm calling to tell you Tree is supposed to stop by to see me.”

Zakira smiled, glancing at Tree. “He's already here. Did you want to talk to him?”

Tree stood and took the phone. “Yeah, man?”

The strong tone Malik used with Zakira vanished the instant he heard Tree's voice. “How soon can you get here?” he asked.

Tree frowned at the uncharacteristically weak sound of his friend's voice. “Why?” he asked.

“I need you to get over here fast.”

Zakira looked up when Tree slammed down the receiver. Before she could ask what the problem was, Tree was already headed out the door.

“Does Zakira know how bad off you are?”

Malik gave Tree a sour look. “Do you think she'd be at the restaurant if she did?”

Tree ran one large hand over his wavy hair and sighed. “You need her here with you, man.”

“I don't need to hear this now.”

“I think you do.”

Malik raised his hand. “I need to talk to you about this party.”

Tree's head tilted slightly as he blinked. “'Scuse me? Did I just hear you say
party?
”

Grimacing, Malik pushed himself off the sofa and walked over to the fireplace. He closed his eyes against the heat from the glowing flames. “I need this, Tree.”

After a moment the confused scowl on Tree's face became one of understanding. “So, it's time, huh?”

Malik nodded. “It's time.” He pushed his hands through the shoulder-length dreads as he turned. “You still with me?”

After a few moments of silence, Tree nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, you know I am,” he said wearily. “What do you need?”

Malik went over the details for his “party” and Tree dutifully noted each request. As soon as Malik was done with the list, Tree left.

When the front door slammed behind him, Malik groaned. He gave a silent prayer of thanks that his old friend was there. Tree knew him too well not to know what the party was all about. It was time to say goodbye to family, friends…and Zakira.

“All right, what have we got here?” Zakira whispered to herself as she inspected the refrigerator. She had gotten home about 7:00 p.m. and headed to the kitchen to start dinner.

She chose long-grain white rice, crisp greens, a mixture of frozen vegetables and two thick sirloin steaks. While the rice was cooking, she chopped the greens and put them on to steam. Meanwhile, the frozen vegetables boiled as she prepared a sauce of butter, black and cayenne pepper and roasted peanuts. The steaks baked in the oven. They would be sliced, sautéed in an onion gravy and poured over the rice.

While everything simmered and baked, Zakira began taking off her work clothes. Too tired to even climb the stairway, she let each garment drop to the shiny, hardwood floor.

Malik had been in the den napping on the sofa when he heard what sounded like the clamoring of pots and pans. He decided to investigate and headed to the kitchen. When he walked in and saw Zakira removing her clothes, his heart ached for her.

Zakira whirled around when she heard the low groan behind her. She spotted Malik leaning against the doorjamb and rushed towards him. “You should be in bed,” she softly chastised.

“I know,” he absently replied, his gray stare trained on her barely clothed body. “I was on the, uh, den sofa.”

“Well, let's get you back in there,” Zakira murmured, placing her arm about his waist.

Zakira helped Malik back to the sofa, pulling a heavy afghan across him. When she made a move to leave, he grabbed her arms.

“Stay with me?” he softly asked, his grip tightening just slightly.

Happy that he needed her, Zakira smiled at the boyish expression on her husband's gorgeous dark face. “Okay,” she said, slipping beneath the soft afghan.

The moment Malik had Zakira lying over him, his hands began to roam her seminude body with persuasive strokes. He massaged her back, his fingers dipping beneath the clasp of her bra to unhook the back.

Zakira shifted her position on top of Malik and gasped when she felt the extent of his arousal against her belly. She looked up, and her lips immediately parted for the deep kiss. Malik's tongue thrust smoothly into her mouth and they both moaned. Zakira cupped Malik's face in her hands and began to slide herself over his iron length.

Malik's hands slipped from Zakira's back, down her waist to the delicate lace panties. His long fingers dipped in to find her hot and very moist. He smiled, hearing her gasp. He deepened the kiss and the intimate caress below.

“Malik? Malik?”

“Hmm?”

Zakira broke the kiss and placed her hands flat on his chest. “I need to go check the food.”

Malik's lips found the base of her throat to be irresistible. “The pots are fine,” he assured her.

“I can't take a chance,” Zakira replied, trying to move away.

Malik suddenly flipped Zakira beneath him. He continued the deep, slow caress between her thighs while his mouth feasted on her bare breasts.

The sensuous, double caress was her undoing. Zakira closed her eyes and arched her back, seeking more of his touch. Her soft cries filled the air, becoming louder until Malik pulled away.

“What's wrong?” she whispered, seeing him raise his head and look across the room.

“Something might be burning. You better go check.” His gorgeous eyes were full of mischief.

Zakira slammed her fist against his chest. “You…jerk.” She pushed him away so she could leave the sofa.

Malik's deep chuckle filled the room as he watched her race out of the room.

Thirty minutes later, Zakira emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with food and drink and wearing a short robe. Malik selected a steamy, erotic thriller to put in the DVD. In comfortable silence, they enjoyed the delicious meal. The movie proved to be as good as they'd heard it was and held their attention.