"What did you think of your bedroom, girl? Right nice, isn't it?" Sam's tone was somehow low, but he seem anxious for her approval.
"It was lovely," she replied, glad that she could be honest . "Am sure I will be comfortable."
He squeezed her hip again. This time, however she saw a glitter in his dark eyes when he did so. Now she knew it wasn't accidental. Such a public caress shocked her, and the look in his eyes frightened her a little.
"Layer," he said with a wink, "you will like the bedroom more."
She couldn't reply. The thought of the coming night was almost enough to paralyze her, if she let herself dwell on it. So she forced it to the back of her mind and tried to somehow make it through the night.
It was a private gathering, with everyone around except her parents. Sai tried to smile at the appropriate times and contribute some polite conversation over the dinner that was served but she was too dense to more than go the motion of being a gracious hostess.
Sam kept touching her. Sai noticed Kofi kept watching Lucy. And Chrys, whose eyes made her shiver, kept watching her, but now his expression was unreadable.
She wished desperately that she had never agreed to marry Sam. She thought hers was the most dismal wedding dinner she'd ever attended, and felt a small sense of amusement because she was the most unlucky person to be hosting it. The amusement quickly died, when Sam stroked her arm with a gloating possessiveness that made her feel sick. She forced herself not to vomit. She felt like he was flaunting her before the guest.
She was feeling so uncomfortable that she has to look away, and found herself staring at Chrys again. His cold eyes met hers, then flickered to Sam. When he look back to her, she was mortified to see a faint understanding. That he should know she was dreading the night, and what Sam would do to her, was unbearable.
She went paled at such thought, then blushed, then paled again once more. She wanted to run from all this unpleasant place. She had never before had any idea that a man might be imagining her without her pajama's pulled up, but she was certain Chrys was thinking just that. Every ounce of modesty she possessed was on the verge of breaking.
The only thing she could do is pretend not to notice him. It was rather like closing one's eyes and pretending to be invisible, but it was better than nothing.