and gracefully as her six month pregnancy would allow.
“Is it safe?” Jabril asked, staring at the door through which his wife had disappeared.
Tamar was surprised at the question. “Wyndi is very kind and gentle. She’s not violent,” he explained, knowing exactly what his cousin was asking.
Jabril looked at Tamar, stunned by the adamant defense of the woman that could be facing prison time. There was something…he looked back where his wife had gone, then at Tamar, a smile breaking out on his face. He smacked his cousin’s shoulder as he chuckled softly. “I think tonight’s dinner is going to be quite revealing.” And with that, he walked away to find his wife once again.
Several hours later, Tamar entered the formal dining room where Wyndi was already waiting. “You look lovely,” he said, surveying her light blue cocktail dress with interest. He’d ordered new clothes to be delivered to her earlier in the week, tired of seeing her in the same old jeans and tee-shirt. It was amazing what an experienced seamstress could do for a woman’s figure, he thought, his eyes moving over her tiny waist and full breasts, subtly displayed in the gown.
Wyndi spun around, ready to take on the next step in their seemingly never ending battle. But she was struck by how handsome he looked in his tuxedo. “Goodness,” she breathed, in awe of his looks. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.
Which is how Laila found them, her hand tucked onto her husband’s arm with a huge grin on her face. “Good evening, Wyndi. I’m so glad you could join us for dinner tonight.”
Wyndi tore her eyes away from Tamar to look at the lush beauty that she’d met earlier today. The woman was quite stunning with her lovely brown eyes and rose tinted skin. She was now standing next to a very tall, very intimidating man. Wyndi wanted to shrink backwards but she wasn’t sure why. When she felt Tamar’s hand move around her waist protectively, she felt safer, leaning into his hard strength and oblivious to her actions.
But Laila noticed. And her smile brightened as she took in the couple. She was so thrilled that Tamar had found a love that might be as strong as what she’d found with her husband!
“So, tell me about yourself,” Laila urged, sitting down in the chair her husband held out for her.
Wyndi also took a seat, sitting across from the lovely woman, feeling washed out and bland next to her exotic loveliness. “There isn’t really much to tell,” she replied carefully. Was this yet another trick where Tamar tried to get her to reveal her secrets? She was growing wary of their constant battles. But she also knew that she couldn’t tell Tamar everything. There was just something holding her back that she couldn’t define.
“What do your parents do?” she prompted.
Whatever wariness she felt around Tamar didn’t apply to the beauty across the table from her. She was sweet and kind, gentle in her questions, and Wyndi simply wouldn’t believe that she was trying to get information out of her. And after a week of hostile or cajoling Tamar, she wasn’t able to stop herself from telling this woman about her past.
Looking down at her plate, she fiddled with her fork, unable to watch Tamar for his reaction. “My parents died when I was six years old.”
There was a stunned silence after that little bombshell.
“What happened?” Laila asked gently.
Wyndi might have been able to withstand Tamar’s orders or his questions while he drove her insane with sexual need, but she couldn’t suppress the sadness that crept throughout her body as she explained her past to this kind woman. “They were driving over to a party. My brother was babysitting me.” She looked up, then down again as she fought the tears welling in her eyes. “He’s ten years older than I am so he was doing his homework when the police arrived at the door to tell us about the accident.” She took a deep breath. “He was wonderful though. He fought so hard to keep us together. He got a job after school, even tried to drop out of school to support me. But in the end, he couldn’t make enough money as a high school student to provide food and maintain the payments on the house.” She straightened her shoulders as she took a sip of her water. “When child protective services arrived, he tried to carry me away. I was sobbing, which only