Free Every Woman Needs a Wife by Naleighna Kai Page B
Authors: Naleighna Kai
’Cause somewhere in the back of her mind she knew he was lying just like I did. For every time I had to settle for less than Vernon’s best, she owes me.”
Tanya gave her a thumbs-up as she hung up the phone.
Brandi smiled back, returning the gesture, saying, “So as Polaroid says, let’s see what develops.”
C HAPTER
Nine
V ernon dashed over the moment Avie vacated the spot next to Brandi. “Can I see you upstairs in the bedroom?”
Brandi turned, facing him. His shirt was unbuttoned, jacket ruffled, and his hair could use a comb. He looked annoyed, probably more with himself than anyone. “Why? Nothing’s been going on out here that can’t stay down here.”
Yanking her by the arm, he dragged her backward up the first six stairs, growling, “Woman, get your ass in this room.”
She shrugged him off, leveling a steely gaze on him. “Put your hands on me again and Donny locking you in the trunk will look like child’s play. He already asked to give you a half-order of butt whipping tonight, I’ll tell him you want a full one. He does deliver…” She followed him into the bedroom.
Vernon ignored her warning, growling, “What the hell are you doing, bringing that bitch in our house?”
Brandi pulled herself up to meet his gaze, snapping, “Oh, so
noooooow
she’s a bitch? She wasn’t a bitch three hours ago when you were lounging on her couch with a drink in your hand. She wasn’t a bitch when she was giving your dick a hallelujah handshake. She wasn’t a bitch when you paid her mortgage, her bills, and for that damn car.” Brandi glowered at him, poking a finger in his massive chest. “I don’t even drive a damn Lexus! So don’t ask me what I’m doing! I’m picking up where you left off—”
“My family’s out there,” he said, pointing to the door.
“Your
family’s out there. You bring this stranger into our home and—”
“You
brought her in,” she shot back, maneuvering toward the bed. “I’m just making sure she’s all the way in. Every time you slept with her, I slept with her. Every moment you spent away from your family to be with her, she was cutting into
my
time. Time I bought and paid for when I married your tired ass.” Brandi plopped down on the edge of the bed. “Now, I’m saving you the trouble of having to maintain two households. And I’m putting everything out in the open.” She stretched out languidly on the cream down comforter. “You’ve had a mistress and now I’ll have a wife. Hopefully, a better wife than you were a husband.”
“I won’t have her staying here—”
One eyebrow shot up.
“You
don’t have a choice.”
Vernon rocked on the balls of his feet. “So if I don’t go along with this asinine plan, what’s next?”
“That’s on you,” she said, shrugging. “If you’re not willing to share your mistress, we can split everything down the middle fifty-fifty.” She sat up, rubbing her sweaty palms across her thighs. “I’ll take my clients and you’ll keep yours. It’s what I’ve wanted since Simone was born.”
“I’m not giving up what I’ve busted my ass to build.”
“You should’ve thought about that before Mr. Slippery took a swim in Mistress Lake,” she replied. “Now I’m rowing the boat and it’s nothing but upstream for you,
Mister Spencer.”
Crossing the few feet between them, she planted a single hand on his chest, whispering, “There’s not a judge on this planet who won’t give me exactly what I deserve after listening to that tape. Avie’s ready to take a bite out of you so deep, she’ll hit bone before she lets go. Can you say…ouch!”
That thought alone was enough to make any man wet his pants. Avie had just been awarded the Black Legal Eagle plaque—only a lawyer who had won a certain number of county, civil, and appellate cases could achieve that honor. The woman had brought his father to his knees, a man who’d had a team of lawyers and she still won. So Vernon had to go
Tanya gave her a thumbs-up as she hung up the phone.
Brandi smiled back, returning the gesture, saying, “So as Polaroid says, let’s see what develops.”
C HAPTER
Nine
V ernon dashed over the moment Avie vacated the spot next to Brandi. “Can I see you upstairs in the bedroom?”
Brandi turned, facing him. His shirt was unbuttoned, jacket ruffled, and his hair could use a comb. He looked annoyed, probably more with himself than anyone. “Why? Nothing’s been going on out here that can’t stay down here.”
Yanking her by the arm, he dragged her backward up the first six stairs, growling, “Woman, get your ass in this room.”
She shrugged him off, leveling a steely gaze on him. “Put your hands on me again and Donny locking you in the trunk will look like child’s play. He already asked to give you a half-order of butt whipping tonight, I’ll tell him you want a full one. He does deliver…” She followed him into the bedroom.
Vernon ignored her warning, growling, “What the hell are you doing, bringing that bitch in our house?”
Brandi pulled herself up to meet his gaze, snapping, “Oh, so
noooooow
she’s a bitch? She wasn’t a bitch three hours ago when you were lounging on her couch with a drink in your hand. She wasn’t a bitch when she was giving your dick a hallelujah handshake. She wasn’t a bitch when you paid her mortgage, her bills, and for that damn car.” Brandi glowered at him, poking a finger in his massive chest. “I don’t even drive a damn Lexus! So don’t ask me what I’m doing! I’m picking up where you left off—”
“My family’s out there,” he said, pointing to the door.
“Your
family’s out there. You bring this stranger into our home and—”
“You
brought her in,” she shot back, maneuvering toward the bed. “I’m just making sure she’s all the way in. Every time you slept with her, I slept with her. Every moment you spent away from your family to be with her, she was cutting into
my
time. Time I bought and paid for when I married your tired ass.” Brandi plopped down on the edge of the bed. “Now, I’m saving you the trouble of having to maintain two households. And I’m putting everything out in the open.” She stretched out languidly on the cream down comforter. “You’ve had a mistress and now I’ll have a wife. Hopefully, a better wife than you were a husband.”
“I won’t have her staying here—”
One eyebrow shot up.
“You
don’t have a choice.”
Vernon rocked on the balls of his feet. “So if I don’t go along with this asinine plan, what’s next?”
“That’s on you,” she said, shrugging. “If you’re not willing to share your mistress, we can split everything down the middle fifty-fifty.” She sat up, rubbing her sweaty palms across her thighs. “I’ll take my clients and you’ll keep yours. It’s what I’ve wanted since Simone was born.”
“I’m not giving up what I’ve busted my ass to build.”
“You should’ve thought about that before Mr. Slippery took a swim in Mistress Lake,” she replied. “Now I’m rowing the boat and it’s nothing but upstream for you,
Mister Spencer.”
Crossing the few feet between them, she planted a single hand on his chest, whispering, “There’s not a judge on this planet who won’t give me exactly what I deserve after listening to that tape. Avie’s ready to take a bite out of you so deep, she’ll hit bone before she lets go. Can you say…ouch!”
That thought alone was enough to make any man wet his pants. Avie had just been awarded the Black Legal Eagle plaque—only a lawyer who had won a certain number of county, civil, and appellate cases could achieve that honor. The woman had brought his father to his knees, a man who’d had a team of lawyers and she still won. So Vernon had to go