Sweetest Desires (A Sweetest Day Romance) by Beverly Taylor Page B

the one she used whenever she needed a pen or writing paper, she found to her astonishment it was locked.
    Thinking the key might be taped to the bottom of the drawer, she slid her fingers under it. Finding nothing, she returned to her bathroom to find a hairpin to manipulate the lock. After several failed attempts, she tried a nail file, but that didn’t work, either.
    Like a detective on a manhunt, she was dete rmined to root out her quarry, to find every girlie magazine that might be hidden in her house. She found two more underneath his side of the mattress, several hidden behind books on the bookshelves, and even a slim one wedged in the gap between the washer and dryer. The photos ranged from mildly erotic to extremely graphic. Finding them made her heartsick, and she felt justified in trying to pick the lock on the desk drawer.
    Katharine slowly dragged her hand down her face as if to rub away her despair. My husband is a pervert, her silent thoughts concealed. I’m married to a porno-addicted freak. She shook her head in denial, unable to accept her husband’s revealed d emons.
    “First Cindy and now this,” she spoke to the air. “I wonder what else he’s hiding from me.”
     
    * * *
     
    She thought about hanging up after the first two rings. She needed more time to think this thing through. However, before she could remove the handset from her ear, she heard a voice say, “Natalie Harper speaking.”
    “Natalie!” Katharine exclaimed, hearing a note of panic in her own voice.
    “Kat? What is it? Are you okay?”
    Katharine felt her chest heaving but could think of no words to say.
    “Kat? Are you still there? Kat? Answer me.”
    “I—I’m still here,” Katharine sniffed, squeezing her eyelids shut tightly. Just the sound of Natalie’s voice had swept her into a crying frenzy.
    “What’s going on?” Natalie sounded terrified.
    Barely pulling herself together, Katharine uttered, “As embarrassing as it may sound, I’m just going to come out and tell you before I burst. I found girlie magazines hidden all over the house.”
    Katharine heard Natalie sigh with relief. Clearly, she’d been sure something terrible had happened to Carson or the children. “CJ’s starting off kind of young, isn’t he?” Natalie joked.
    “This is serious. I don’t know what to do or how to confront him about it.”
    Natalie paused as if thinking twice before stepping out on a limb. “You know, Kat,” she said slowly, “I’ve heard some women say they encourage their husbands to view nudie magazines and videos because it enhances their sexual relatio nship.”
    A stunned Katharine struggled to express her i ndignation. “What is this?” Her voice rose a decibel. “A comedy routine still? You can’t possibly be serious!” She waited for a response from Natalie but received silence instead. “Pornography is an abomination and you know that,” she scolded.
    “I know,” Natalie said quietly. “I was just trying to ease your pain.”
    “Well, it didn’t work! You should see these women in the magazine. All of them have big butts and enormous breasts. I guess that turns Carson on. I remember the time when I used to turn him on.” Her voice cracked and the tears returned. “Now I turn him off like a light switch—especially compared to these women.”
    “C’mon, now. This isn’t your fault, so don’t go blaming yourself.”
    “I’ve tried to be everything Carson wanted me to be, but I guess it just wasn’t enough. Since he’d criticized my appearance, I’ve tried to look my best whenever he’s at home, even while I’m doing housework.” She paused to wipe her tears with the back of her hand. “I just don’t understand how a man who professes to be a child of God can behave like this.”
    Natalie responded quickly. “You know, I read an article in Ebony magazine about Kirk Franklin and his addiction to pornography,” she said. “I’ll try to find the issue and give it to you. Maybe you