Was it Good for You Too? (13 page)

Delvin's head snapped to her. “Three?! Baby, you need to go to the hospital,” he said, suddenly realizing that all the color had drained from her face.

“We'll wipe out the entire party's bill,” the manager added. “And send her a certificate for a romantic dinner on us.”

Delvin repeated it to Tailan, who said, “Well that's more like it.”

He ended the call, removed his tie and jacket, then took a seat on the sofa.

Tailan glared at him, then spread-eagle on the bed as though she was fallen timber. She lay there silently while he warred with the urge to take her into his arms. Good thing he hesitated. A few minutes later she made a beeline for the bathroom again.

“I'm taking you to the hospital,” he said from the other side of the door.

“No!” she cried. “I can't go to the hospital. I have a book tour to run.”

When things were silent too long, Delvin invited himself in. He found Tailan clutching the towel racks for balance as she attempted to reach the taps on the other side of the tub.

“Aw, baby.”

“What are you doing?” Tailan gasped when he stepped through the door.

“The obvious. Trying to get so fresh and so clean.”

She frowned first, then a cute giggle bubbled forth at his reference to the Outkast song.

Delvin reached into the tub to lend assistance. “I don't see how you can laugh at a time like this,” he said.

“Sometimes laughter's all a woman has to hold onto.”

Tailan's tone brought him up short. Delvin put his arms around her waist and tried to lift her from the tub. “Let me get you out of there.”

She shook her head. “I need a shower, Delvin,” she pleaded. “But I can't keep my balance.”

“Baby, it's okay really.”

“I feel … soiled … please,” she whispered.

He had heard those few words uttered often enough when she had first arrived at his parents' home. At one point his father made a teasing reference to the amount of water that Tailan used on a daily basis. Never lazy, Tailan went out and got a job the very next day. While at the dinner table two weeks later, she slid her first paycheck to Delvin's dad and announced proudly, “This is for my portion of the water bill.”

His father never mentioned showers, baths, or water bills ever again.

Delvin planted an understanding kiss on her head. He rose and made quick history of his clothes. When he got to his boxers, Tailan gasped, “What the hell are you doing?!”

He stepped in behind her and used his body as her anchor. “I'm helping you, my love. Let me.”

“I didn't mean for you to get in here with me,” she grumbled.

“There was no way to do this without getting wet,” he said, pressing his body close to hers. “Trust me, I won't touch anything that doesn't need touching.”

She looked up at him as he held her close.

“I promise,” he reassured her.

Delvin lathered her body, relishing the feel of her against him. The moment he lowered his hand to her belly, she relaxed. She allowed him to take care of her the way he had so long ago when touches were gentle, warm, and welcoming—introducing her to the softness that a man had to offer. Delvin became immersed in the soothing comfort of the moment.

He kissed her shoulder, then turned off the water, wrapped a thick thirsty towel around his hips and eased her out of the shower. In a quick, practiced, efficient manner, Delvin had Tailan dried, her body oiled and scented, then covered in a nightshirt in less than twenty minutes.

Delvin settled Tailan on the bed and presented the ginger ale and the saltines. He handed her a book and put up his hand in warning. “Before you try to throw your weight around and act all tough and toss me out, let me make a few things clear to you.”

The saltines slipped from her hand as she stared up at him.

“One, I'm not leaving you alone tonight. That's the reason I handed you a book. That should keep you occupied so you can ignore me. Two, you really should let your team run the tour tomorrow—”

Tailan parted her lips to protest, but he held up a hand.

“But I know you'd die before you'd let that happen.” Then he leveled an intense gaze her way. “But if I see any signs that you're going down for the count, I'm pulling your ass out and taking you to the hospital.”

She opened her mouth, but he held up a finger and she clamped down.

“Three, Pam told me not to wear you out making love to you all night, so I'll take a rain check for another time.”

Tailan gasped at his gall and tossed a pillow at him to show exactly how she felt.

He caught it, then tucked her in before planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Delvin?”

He paused, looking down on her.

“Thank you.”

“It's my pleasure,” he whispered, draping the blanket over her. “Go to sleep, baby.”

Chapter 14

M
ARRIOTT
M
AGNIFICENT
M
ILE
—T
AILAN'S
S
UITE
11:03
P.M.

Tailan couldn't sleep. So much had unraveled her day. On the other hand, so much was so very right. The tour's momentum. Delvin's steady, unshakable support. The worrisome Divas finally acting like they had some sense and getting in the game instead of constantly bitching about it.

Whew. Delvin Germaine was back in her life. Could she handle it? Growing up together, they had always made an unstoppable team. And even though right now he was an enigma to her, he still understood her, understood exactly what she was going for without even knowing the whole game plan.

They were always in sync with one another. It had started way back when they were still in high school. Tailan was good at English and history. Delvin was great in math and science. They helped each other, encouraged each other to succeed. So it was no surprise that C.V.S. made an exception, allowing them to be co-valedictorians because their GPAs had only one one-hundredth of a point between them.

Tailan shivered as she realized that accomplishment would've been a pipe dream if she had remained with her Aunt Trish and Uncle Lin. She pulled the covers up to her chin when her mind conjured up that outrageous confrontation that occurred when her living arrangement with the Germaines was challenged by her aunt and uncle.

* * *

An intercom crackled to life while Tailan was attending Mr. Richardson's English class. She was to report to the principal's office right away. When she walked into the anteroom leading to the main office, she discovered that Aunt Trish and Uncle Lin had charged into C.V.S. and demanded that she be turned over to them. Fear slammed into her. Knowing that she had been staying with the Germaines, the principal called them in. Seeing that he might need help controlling Uncle Lin, he also called the police.

But the paperwork her newfound guardians carried didn't silence Uncle Lin and Aunt Trish. “You belong with your family, girl. I don't care what papers these uppity folks say they got,” Aunt Trish threatened.

“I'll never go back home with you and him,” Tailan said, trying to rein in her anger.

“Officer,” Mrs. Germaine chimed in, “we have legal papers granting us temporary guardianship of Tailan.”

The muscular police officer reviewed the documents carefully.

“As you can see,” Mrs. Germaine continued, “everything's in order.”

“It also says that there's a court hearing on this matter next week,” the officer said, scanning the page.

Mrs. Germaine and Tailan nodded.

The officer turned to Aunt Trish and Uncle Lin. “She's right. All of their paperwork is in order. I suggest you take this up in court and not here at the school.” He gestured to the door. “I'll escort you off the premises.”

Uncle Lin pierced Tailan and the Germaines with an ugly glare. He snatched Trish by the arm and said just before storming off, “We'll be there. Y'all ain't gonna get away wit' kidnappin' our family.”

During the hearing the following week, Uncle Lin and Aunt Trish spread lie after lie after lie about Tailan. She was ungrateful. She was lazy. She never listened and was nothing but trouble.

“Your honor,” Aunt Trish squeaked, “I've tried to do my best by the girl. She's a real handful, sir.”

“Then it shouldn't be an issue that she doesn't live with you anymore,” Anna Germaine said. Her husband nudged her into silence.

Tailan didn't care what her aunt was saying. She kept her eyes glued to the judge. His honor looked bored out of his mind, but Tailan's life was on the line, and if this man held her future in the balance, she had to put the real story before him.

Tailan trembled as she stood.

“Your honor, they're not telling the truth.” Tailan's voice echoed loudly in the courtroom, causing her aunt and uncle to finally fall silent and glare at her. She stared boldly at her kin folks, then narrowed a gaze at her aunt. “Tell the judge why it was safer for me to sleep on the streets than to stay in your house.” When Trish remained silent, Tailan continued. “I can't live in a house where my aunt was going to allow my uncle—her own brother—to rape me.”

Gasps and murmurs of dissent rippled through the courtroom.

Aunt Trish's eyes bucked wide when the entire courtroom—bailiffs, clerks, attorneys—focused intently on the two people standing before the judge.

“I wasn't gonna let him do nothin' to her.” Trish looked at the judge timidly, then lowered her gaze to the carpet.

When the judge didn't respond, “She's a liar!” Aunt Trish screeched, under the scrutiny of every member of the court personnel. “She'll say anything just so she can live with those uppity ass—”

Tailan's laughter stopped Trish cold. “Then let me refresh your memory,” Tailan shot back. “The night I escaped, you and Uncle Lin were talking in the kitchen. I. Heard. Everything.”

Uncle Lin and Aunt Trish flinched, sharing an anxious gaze between them.

The chorus of voices grew louder, causing the judge to bang his gavel for silence.

“Mr. and Mrs. Germaine, Ms. Song, I'd like to have a word with you in my chambers.”

Delvin's eyes had closed for a moment, but his hand snaked out to grasp Tailan's, providing a silent bit of courage that was sorely needed.

“He should come too,” Tailan said and the judge beckoned for Delvin to come along.

Once inside, the judge gestured to the chairs in front of his desk and took a seat across from them. “Those are very dangerous accusations, young lady,” the judge warned, his bushy eyebrow shooting up to his thin hairline.

“But it's true,” Tailan said, then related the entire events which transpired that night.

The judge's jaw went slack as Tailan continued. “And my aunt was no better. When she heard what King would pay to have sex with me, she told Uncle Lin that they could get even more money from someone else if I was still a virgin.”

“Holy Mother of God,” Anna Germaine gasped, mirroring the sounds from the majority of the courtroom earlier.

“Strangers have shown me more kindness than my own family.” So many emotions were bubbling up in Tailan, she was afraid she was going to break down. But she wouldn't allow them to win. Like her mother, she would be brave enough to bring these monsters into the light for all to see.

“Your honor,” she said over to the judge, never taking her hands from Delvin's. “My uncle gets off on preying on little girls …” her voice broke on the next set of words she needed to say. “Really gets off on them being blood kin.” She tamped down on her nausea when her mother's beautiful face swam into her mind. “He's already gone to jail once for raping my mother. My mother was a little girl the first time he touched her, and I'm sure my aunt out there was underage the first time too.” She gripped Delvin's hand tightly. “Unlike my aunt, my mother spoke up. She wasn't afraid to tell the truth about that monster. And now, neither am I. Aunt Trish has lived with him all her life. And now there are children in that house. And those children have had children,” she said, swallowing her fear and revulsion at the ugly truth she was trying to convey. “They aren't safe either.”

Anna came to Tailan's side and said, “Your honor, are you going to look into these allegations? A conversation with the children and DNA will provide the court with all the evidence that's needed.”

* * *

They returned to the courtroom and Tailan slid a disgusted glance at Uncle Lin's frozen features. He could spin a tale until his lips fell off, but once the court had the truth …

Trish yanked free of the security guard's hold and charged Tailan, bringing her fist up to punch her.

Anna Germaine caught Trish's strike midway. “Oh no you don't, you pathetic human being!” She pushed Trish back into the bailiff's grasp. “We
uppity
people don't do that. We consider it and your kind of trash uncivilized.” Anna gave Trish such a look of disgust that Tailan felt it all the way to her soul. “This is what happens when women put a man before the children they're supposed to protect.”

“But they his,” Trish protested, not realizing the ramifications of those words. “He took care of all of ‘em. They got food. They got clothes. They got a roof!!”

“And you let them pay the cost with their bodies,” Anna snarled. “How disgusting!”

“Lady, you don't even know me,” Trish yelled.

“Oh yes, I most certainly do,” Anna Germaine shot back, stepping toward her. “I was raised by a woman like you,” she spat, crossing those few feet between them. “So don't tell me I don't know you.
You
don't know yourself. You didn't have to do that to your children. You didn't have to do this to yourself!”

“You believe her?!” she said, a hand grasping her heart.

“Her nightmares tell the story. The fact that she doesn't trust anyone—” She flickered a gaze to Delvin and added, “Well,
almost
anyone, speaks to a child who has seen more than any child has a right to see.”