Bengali Tigress

She reached for my erection, but I caught her hand and instead turned her around like a dance move. Then I snuggled up behind her and wrapped her in my arms. Her hands came up and brushed along my forearms, and we just swayed in that embrace for a minute or more. I stepped back and removed her bra and panties.

Then I had an ambitious idea. So, I turned her around and picked her up, with my hands under her thighs. She put her arms over my shoulders and moved to kiss me as my erection brushed up under her. I felt the dampness already there, as I put my lips to hers and she hummed happily, while I turned us both and started backing up to the bed.

Until I stepped on her shoe. Off-balance, I twisted, before we both crashed onto the turned-down bed... sort of. I landed on my side, with my hips just off the edge of the bed. That caused me to slide to the floor. Concerned for her, I looked and found her face down on the mattress, with her legs, from just above the knees and down, hanging out in the air, wiggling. I quickly got up and saw her hair all around her face, with her chest heaving rhythmically.

Smiling, I crawled up besideher. "Is Baghini laughing?" The pile of hair and her chest heaved bigger. Then she pushed herself up on her arms, and the real laughter escaped.

"What did you think you were doing?" she laughed, as she started to crawl up to the pillows.

I slid up to the pillows, and meekly said, "Sorry!" She grabbed me and kissed me, still laughing. It took us only minutes to work up to the really heavy breathing. The passion grew into a couple of rousing orgasms, which led to some cool off time as we cuddled.

After a while, she rolled over to face me, putting her hand on my cheek. She was going to say something, but I spoke first. "Sanchari, you are the most special woman I have ever known."

I could see her eyes getting wet above the big smile, as she said, "Will it scare you if I tell you that I have never been happier than with you?"

"Doesn't scare me at all, beautiful. You hungry?"

She nodded, and so we ordered dinner. Sanchari jumped in for a quick sweat-removing shower. We were both in bathrobes when the knock at the door came. I answered it.

"Mr. Ma..."

"You? I'll have you... you - where is my daughter! Mr. Manjur burst past me, and I knew we were fucked. Baghini was in the bathroom, and saw him look at her and he seethed.

"Father!" she barked.

I moved around behind Mr. Manjur in the hallway to get past him. Then, I went to stand by the dresser.

Loud words finally came to his ever-reddening face, "YOU... you disgrace me like this! My own daughter!" He sputtered for a moment and then continued, "They said you were in here, but...but I did not want to believe it! You... you are... besya! Ebam ei amerikana sange! [whore! And with this American!]

"Shit, this is so bad! What are we going to do? And I wish I knew what he just said?"

That's when I heard her voice, at least I thought it must be her voice, because there was no one else in here. But I had never heard anything like this from her. Her voice was strong, proud, and she hissed at him, "Speak English! Do not disrespect him like that. He is involved in this, too."

Mr. Manjur seemed startled for a moment, but then flashed a scowl in my direction. He growled, "Is it you... Mr. Tanner, that teaches my daughter to talk back to her father like this!"

Her voice was harsh, and determined, "No, Father! This is all from your 'little flower.' You taught me this! Yelling, intimidation, threats... And now? What? Spying?"

"You talk to me with such disrespect! You are no longer my daughter!"

"Good!" she screamed at him.

His rage was growing at her every challenge. Pointing at me, he yelled, "And this man no longer has a job with me... and I will see him fired, and his contract canceled!"

"Oh, fuck! I'm so... wait. What is she doing?"

Sanchari came out of the bathroom and moved to stand right in front of him. She screamed, "You Fucking Coward!"

Those words seem to knock some of the fight out of him. After a moment, he collected himself. "Coward?" he barked back and then stuttered and stumbled, "Your father. How dare you!... You ungrateful..."

"Grateful for what, father?" she again hissed. "That I, yes a woman, have succeeded at my job so well that you are now an honored man for your great charity work? Really? And every time you get another award, you are so grateful to me that you have, never once, mentioned my name in your speeches!"

He looked outraged but said nothing. She turned and paced the few steps to the front door and back. "Yes, you gave me a job in Singapore when I left home... but it was me... ME... my hard work and talent that got you to make me the director. And now you will just throw me out because I live my life as I choose?"

"Sanchari!" and there was a slight edge of compassion to his words, "You cannot 'choose' to lay with a man when you are not married to him! It is against our faith... Against the All Mighty's laws."

"Your faith, not mine!"

He was taken aback by that answer. "You were born Muslim, Sanchari. You cannot change that!"

"It's a faith, father, not ancestry. And it is no longer what I believe in!"

He turned to me, and growled, "It is you that has perverted her? This is not my daughter!"

Sanchari grabbed his arm. "Look at me. You talk to me! He has nothing to do with my faith or how I have chosen to live my life!"

There were sharp raps on the door. Startled, Sanchari turned and opened it. Looking past her, I saw the staff member with our meal cart, along with two security people.

"Shit! As if we don't have enough problems. Now what?"

One of the security men exclaimed, "Mr. Manjur! We had no idea it was you... I mean we had complaints of shouting, but we didn't know..."

Mr. Manjur waived a hand that stopped him. "Please give the manager my apologies. It is just a family matter and we apologize for disturbing anyone."

The security man said, "Of course, sir! I will convey your apology and thank you for your cooperation. Good evening."

Sanchari pulled in the food cart, and I quickly found my wallet and pulled out the tip. She pushed the cart past her father, and I handed her the tip, which she passed on. Then, she closed the door as I moved the cart away.

Now her voice was closer to normal but very stern. "Father, I live my life, as a woman in this world of today, and am the equal of any man! I've often deferred to you and your beliefs because I didn't want my family to suffer any further disgrace because of me. But I will not live my life solely to serve your purposes!"

He pointed at the messy bed, and his voice was terse and just short of shouting. "And now you have disgraced the family, again. Have you no shame left?"

Sanchari slammed her palms into his chest, causing him to take a step back to keep his balance. I even flinched at her sudden "attack". She stood for a moment glaring at him, and he seemed perplexed at her physical action. Then my heart stung as I saw her tears. She could hardly contain the anger in her voice, "Your disgrace, you mean? Your pride! Where is my baba that put me on his lap and told me he would always protect me?"

"I was..."

She hit his chest again and knocked him back another step. He seemed unable to comprehend her violence and didn't seem to be trying to speak anymore. "Where was my baba when I was 15, and the man he picked for me to marry raped me because I said 'No' to marrying him!"

She hit him once again, sending him bumping into the lamp. "Were you protecting me - or you - when you flew me to wherever it was, and they gave me that abortion!"

"Sanchari," he pleaded.

She did not wait for him to say more. Her eyes turned to me with her tears streaming and a sad look that pleaded to me. "And because of that convenient abortion when I was 15, I can never bear you a grandchild! Is that how you 'protected me,' baba?"

Now I knew what the look was for. She was revealing that we, if there were to be a "we", could not have children together. My heart was breaking for her.

Somewhat contrite, he began, "Sanchari, I never meant..."

"Don't you dare say that to me, father! You told me the rape was my fault, that I had disgraced you and the family... that you would not be able to find a man that would want to marry me. And you told me that... that I was worthless! Now, you want to tell me that it was what? A Joke? Poorly chosen words?"

He reached out to her, but she backed away.

"Baba... I pleaded with you to let me leave so that I wouldn't continue to disgrace the family. You brought me here, put me in school. I gave up my mother, and my sister when I was sixteen. And now... my niece, nephew, and brother-in-law, too. So, if you want to disown me, deny me now, you go ahead... I can get a new job, a new home, and you'll never see me again! If you can live with that, then you're not my baba, anyway!"

Mr. Manjur looked behind him, found a chair, and dropped into it. "Blaming everything on Nondo Ghosh, eh?"

"That old idiom? No, it's not all your fault, father. But you are the one who set it all in motion when I was 15, and you're the one today that holds our future... Nick's and mine, in your hands. So, what will you do?"

I felt so much pain for her that I hadn't even thought of my own situation in all this. And, sure as hell, I was proud of her.

"Please listen, my Flower?" he said, with a tear sneaking out his eye.

She crossed her arms and glared, cheeks wet, but with tears no longer flowing.

"I suppose I can be a bit blind to my own ambitions. And I am sorry what I did to you then. But you were just a girl then, and I mean no further disrespect, but it was my job as your father to tell you what to do. Now you are grown, and, as you have made clear today, quite formidable and independent. More so than I ever imagined possible. For that short sidedness, I can only apologize."

Her arms unfolded. "Thank you for that acknowledgment, at least."

"But this, Sanchari... a man? With your intelligence, what would you have me do? Our faith... well my faith, does not tolerate such behavior. I cannot say, 'Oh, excuse me you two. Please continue what you were doing."

With a sigh, she said, "Baba, I know I can't expect your faith to ignore what you have found here today. I do understand. I know you should deny me as your daughter, to confirm your religious beliefs. But at this moment, it is only the three of us that know of this, plus for you, Allah. Well, plus those three staff, and your spy, all of whom I assume you can acquire their silence from?"

"I can," he said.

"But, is your faith so rigid that you can ignore everything you have done to me, all that you have cost me, and then ruin me again for finding the most delightful, gentle, and hopefully forgiving man that I have ever known? Is that really what your faith means to you?"

She glanced at me, with a sad smirk, and I grinned happily back at her.

"You've got him on the ropes, Tigress. Close the deal!"

"But Flower, such sacrilege? You ask me to ignore that you take a man into your bed, and whom you do not even love! Mr. Manjur turned to glare at me, but then I could see something was happening in his mind, as his face started to change. His glare faded as his eyes trailed away, and then he turned back to look at Sanchari.

"Or do you... love him?"

"That is between us, father."

"NO... Not when you ask me to suppress my faith and live with what I may do because of that. Do you love him, my Little Flower?"

My Baghini fidgeted, looked at me, then turned her eyes down as the tears came again. The soft voice came back, "Yes, baba, very much!"

"YES!" exploded inside me.

Her wet eyes came up and looked at me, and I nodded enthusiastically. She quickly smiled and gurgled a chuckle. I so wanted to hold her, kiss her, and actually say the words of my love for her. But there was still too much at stake. She was in the battle for her life and I had no way to help.

Mr. Manjur turned to me, "And you, Nicholas Tanner, what are your feelings for my daughter, whom you have defiled?"

"Oh shit, Nick. Now you're on. Don't blow it!"

I tensed, my mind rapidly shuffling ideas to find ones that could be good enough to counter the clear challenge in his question. Deciding, and determined, I took a deep breath while he grew obviously impatient with my slow response. "Sir, I could simply say that I love her as well, but that would not be nearly enough. I am incomplete without her. Her absence from me is like a wound. She is in my mind always, waiting to be thought of at the first opportunity... Her happiness means everything to me, sir."

I looked over to my Baghini and found her biting her lip and using the bathrobe sleeve to wipe away her tears.

"Then it seems what I will ask, Flower, will be even less difficult than I had hoped."

"What is it?" she sniffed.

"Mr. Tanner, would you be willing to accept my daughter as your wife, and soon... as a resolution that I can accept for ignoring that I knew of this physical relationship?"

I wasn't letting that question stand, even if it cost me my job... or jobs. "No, sir, I will not accept your daughter." Both Baghini and her father were clearly startled. She looked at me anxiously, obviously concerned.

I walked close to him, and looked down at him, in that chair with his cheek still damp. "Mr. Manjur, sir, you wanted my honesty. Now, it is more important than ever that I be honest with you. I will not accept her, because that term means she is a 'thing'... to be given, or taken. I will marry her only if she is fully willing to stand at my side, equal in every measure and every decision."

Baghini scurried over, captured my wrist, stuck her face into my arm, and snuffled. I could feel her body shaking.

I continued, "While I respect your faith, if it comes to a choice between the respect of her or you, then she will win every time... regardless of any disgrace your family perceives. It is my wish to marry her, only if she is willing, and not because it is some... ultimatum of your conscience."

I coaxed her to let go of me, and I got down on one knee, and said, "Sanchari Begum Manjur, will you have me as your husband?" Her smile gleamed bright as she glanced at her father, and then turned to me, nodding furiously.

"Flower, it seems you have chosen very wisely. I should have expected no less of you. And I suppose you, too, Nicholas. My congratulations to you both. Can my lovely daughter forgive me the smallest bit, and give me a hug?"

Sanchari brushed back all of her hair, which was everywhere after so much nodding, and went and hugged her father after he stood.

Mr. Manjur looked to be both satisfied and sad. "I shall be going now. And Sanchari, why don't you take a week off after Nick - if I may call him that -- finishes his cooling project? Go to America to help him move here? I assume you two are planning to live here and keep working for me?"

She looked at me with that question on her face, and I nodded.

"Yes, father, we plan to live here and work for you. I will take that vacation, but may I have two weeks so that I can be a tourist as well? And, of course, this would have nothing to do with the fact that we will be well out of the sight of anyone you might know? Right?"

"That is a convenient benefit, Flower," and the family smirk spread across his face.

Then it hit me. She had looked familiar in the bar that first night because I had met her father!" I started chuckling, and they both looked at me, oddly. I caught myself, and said, "'Nick' would be fine. And I will take good care of her in America, sir."

"Just, please, do it very privately... please?" he said.

"Of course, sir."

He took her hand, and said, "And my dear, Sanchari. Please know that you have made me ashamed of how I have treated you at times. And I apologize for being too blind to have seen it before. But, if there is a next time, please do not yell or hit me. It is very painful for this old man's heart."

Their smiles to each other were heartwarming.

"Alright, as I said, I am going. And I hope you will be too, soon, my flower?"

"Yes, baba," she chuckled.

With one last turn to smile at her, he left.

My Baghini stepped back against me, with a thump, and then I had to hold her up, as she shivered and nearly collapsed.

"I have never talked to my father like that! Never! I don't know how I did it? Now I'm just shaking so much."

"Maybe it was my Tigress that told him off. She was pretty impressive. I hope you never get mad at me like that!"

She spun in my arms, still unsteady, and found my eyes. "You really meant what you said? About love and marriage? To me?"

"Depends"

"Depends, on what!"

"How big your baba's shotgun is."

"What does his shotgun have to do with this?"

"I'm joking! Yes, I meant everything I said to your father. It was another idiom I was teasing you with. Sorry the humor was lost on you. Look up "shotgun wedding."

She thumped a fist onto my chest, laughing, "Don't scare me like that! You want to make more jokes, please don't do them about loving or marrying me! This doesn't seem real yet."

"But, you are happy, my Baghini?"

"Oh, yes!" she chirped, "Very, very happy!"

"Then I suppose we should shop for your engagement ring tomorrow. I assume there is no custom of yours that would object to that?"

"Not mine. There are confusing rules for Muslims, but my new rule is that you must have one, too. For my father's sake, though, it will not be gold."

"Okay, we shop for two rings, silver or platinum."

"This all seems impossible, Nick. Just over an hour ago, we were making love, then I was nearly disowned, and now we are engaged! And I'm going to see America for the first time, and I'll be alone with you for two weeks. Plus, we have to plan our wedding, honeymoon, and future!"

"My vote is a honeymoon in Bora Bora."

"Great choice, Bagha. I agree! And, will you accept my condo as our home, at least to begin with?"

"Certainly. See, this is easier than you thought."

"I only need you, Nick. And since I haven't said it to you... I love you, Nicholas Tanner!"

"And I love my bismayakara Baghini, and the future Misses Sanchari..."

"Manjur-Tanner."

I laughed and squeezed her tight. "I like that. Please meet my lovely wife, Sanchari Manjur-Tanner, the Bengali Tigress!"

"Nick! That is private... for us, that name Baghini." Then she loosened the knot at the waist of my bathrobe. "Before I leave, why don't I remind you, one more time, what that name is to be used for?"

"You think I have forgotten?" I smiled.

"Then I ask," she whispered, "I want more... please!"