AlTonya Washington - Pride and Consequence

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.”

Zakira 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.”