Free Every Woman Needs a Wife by Naleighna Kai Page A

popped him upside the head as Brandi laughed, knowing he would do just that. “No, don’t put your hands on him.”
    Her brother’s face drooped with disappointment.
    Brandi gave his hand a gentle pat, gracing him with a forced smile. “Maybe next time he screws up.”
    “Better not be a next time,” he grumbled, squaring his shoulders as though preparing for a heavyweight bout.
    Brandi reached out, pulling him into a warm hug. “I love you, big brother.”
    “Still think you’re crazy,” he said over his shoulder, then watched Tanya, who had leaned over on the counter to make the call. The powder blue miniskirt had ridden a little higher on her thighs, exposing the beginning of her ivory cheeks. The men near Vernon couldn’t take their eyes off her. Even Vernon’s dad kept giving her a few glances and received a glare from Julie.
    Avie sidled up to Brandi. “Why didn’t you talk to me before doing this?”
    Brandi shrugged. “It just happened.”
    “How can bringing the mistress here serve a purpose?”
    “I don’t know yet. I’ll get back to you on that.” She turned to her friend. “And for the record, I didn’t bring her here; she just showed up with his wallet and I had a bright idea and went with it.”
    “What happened to make her think she could come here in the first place?”
    Brandi thought about that a moment. “I walked in on her and Vernon and laid my cards on the table. Vernon folded and went home. Tanya picked up her hand and played the big joker.”
    “No shit!”
    Brandi laughed. “And that’s what I call playing the game.”
    Craig and Jeremy gathered around Vernon like he was a wounded dog. Their wives glowered at them from across the room. Somehow, Brandi didn’t think Vernon’s friends would have a pleasant evening when they got home.
    “And from the looks of things,” Brandi said softly, “I still have the best hand.”
    Avie followed Brandi’s gaze across the room. “Looks like the testosterone crew’s rallying behind Chief Sperm-a-lot.”
    “Yeah, well, he really needed them at
her
house.”
    For some reason her friend didn’t crack a smile. “Brandi, you know you’re my girl and all,” Avie said, eyeing the mistress warily. “But what the hell have you been smoking?”
    “Forget you!”
    “She looks like an Amazon warrior. She could’ve tackled your ass right there in her living room.”
    “She was too shocked to do anything.” Brandi raised a hand to her temple, trying to rub away the beginnings of a headache. “Vernon lied to her, too. He’d even taken the girls over to her place a few times. Ain’t that a bitch?”
    The lawyer took a few seconds to absorb that piece of information, then turned back to watch the crowd. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to show up at her house?”
    “For the same reason you’re shitting a kitten right now.”
    Avie grimaced. “I would’ve talked some sense into your silly little head.”
    “I didn’t need sense, I needed justice.”
    The elder Spencer loomed over Vernon’s sulking form, arms flailing about like a choir director. “Look at the way my husband’s getting reamed. I got mine, baby.” Brandi gestured sharply to Tanya, who waved to Brandi from across the room. Brandi gave her a small Miss America wave. “Look at her, soaking it up like she came up with the idea. I couldn’t have done this better if I had planned it from the beginning.”
    “So now what?” Avie’s tone was dry.
    “What do you mean?”
    Avie’s thinly arched eyebrows shot up. “She’s leaving when the party’s over, right?”
    “No, dear, she stays,” Brandi said, shaking her head. “He had her all to himself for six months. I deserve
at least
that.” Brandi winked as Tanya twirled the phone in her thin fingers, carrying out her first duty as a wife. “No, Avie, the woman makes it up to me. She took time away from my children, she took time away from me. She’s going to redeem herself for those six months.