“You’ll have the best time ever, and you know I’ll try to make it to as many of your events as I can.”
“I really appreciate that, Daddy.”
“I’m glad it’s in the summer so Matt won’t have to miss any school. You know he would die if he couldn’t come see you.”
“Isn’t that the truth. But you know I want him there, too. I want everyone there.”
Curtis walked down the hallway to Curtina’s room to check on her. “Oh, and hey. How’s your mom?”
“She’s fine. Actually, she asked about you, too, just this morning. She wanted to know if you were also working on another book and how you were doing.”
“You’ll have to tell her I said hello when you speak to her again.”
“I will.”
“Hey, you wanna speak to your big sister?” Curtis said to Curtina and then gave her the phone. He smiled as she spoke nonstop gibberish. When he figured Alicia had heard enough of it, he took the phone back and Curtina continued watching her video.
“Okay, it’s me again.”
“Curtina is so funny,” Alicia said. “But I love hearing her voice.”
“You’ll have to come visit us when you get some time.”
“Actually, Phillip and I were planning on coming down on Sunday for service, but since it’ll be Valentine’s Day, we decided to celebrate here. We’ll be down the next Sunday, though, for sure.”
“Sounds good. Can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait either. Anyway, Daddy, I’d better get back to my revisions and then get something to eat. But I’ll call you in a couple of days.”
“You take care, sweetheart.”
“You, too, Daddy. Love you.”
“I love you back.”
Curtis ended the call and thought about calling Charlotte. They hadn’t spoken since before she’d left, and he wondered how she was doing. But then he thought about the fact that she hadn’t bothered to contact him either, and how even when Matthew had asked her if she’d wanted to speak to him yesterday, she’d said no. Matthew hadn’t told Curtis what she’d said exactly, but Curtis had been standing around the corner and had heard Matthew’s part of the conversation. He’d even heard him questioning her about her dislike for Curtina and had wondered what Charlotte’s response had been.
Curtis continued debating whether he should call Charlotte, but then something came over him: resentment, disappointment, and anger. So much so that at that very second he decided he was through begging and pleading with her to work things out with him. From this point on, he would leave their reconciliation up to her. He would wait until she came to him, saying how sorry she was and how she was finally ready to call a cease-fire. He would wait for a little while, but if she didn’t come to her senses soon, well…
Chapter 22
The long, sleek, black stretch limo wound around the curve of the subdivision and turned into the driveway. Next, the driver stepped out of the vehicle and opened the door for Charlotte, and she got out and typed in the code to open the security gate. As it slid open, Charlotte got back into the vehicle, and the driver continued up to the house. This morning, Charlotte had really started to miss Matthew and couldn’t wait to see him, but she already dreaded seeing Curtis and his baby sidekick. She’d had a wonderful time in West Palm Beach, and thanks to Michael she hadn’t had to think about her husband or his daughter for three full days. As a matter of fact, this was part of the reason she couldn’t wait to see Michael again. He’d been the perfect gentleman, and even now she couldn’t stop thinking about the effect he had on her sexually. She couldn’t get over how good he still was in bed. Even during her three-hour flight home, she’d spent most of it fantasizing about him and daydreaming about the next time they would have a chance to be together.
When they arrived in the circle portion of the driveway and directly in front of the house, the driver got out and opened the door for Charlotte again. Then he pulled her luggage from the trunk. Charlotte walked up the steps and opened the front door with her key, and the driver walked in and set down both her garment and overnight bags.
“Thanks so much for everything, Carlisle,” she said, passing him a fifty-dollar bill. “I know the standard gratuity is always added on to the bill when the reservation is made, but I just want you to have a little extra.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mrs. Black, and I really do appreciate it.”
“No problem, and you take care.”
“You, too. I’ll see you next time.”
Charlotte closed the door behind him, but as soon as she did, Matthew came down the stairway.
“Hey, Mom,” he said, hugging her. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Hi, honey. It’s good to be back, too.”
“You want me to take your stuff up to your room?”
Charlotte smiled at how thoughtful her son was. “That would be nice, so thank you for that.”
Matthew picked up her bags and started back up to the second level. “So, you know the Saints won, right?”
“Yeah, I saw that. And I’m sure you’re thrilled to death about that,” she said as she followed him.
“I am. I told Dad they were going to win, but he decided to keep rooting for those losers. And I’ve been razzing him about it ever since.”
Charlotte laughed. “I’m sure you have. But hey, how was school today?”
“Well, while we were in the cafeteria having lunch, the police showed up and finally arrested Mr. Rush.”
“Good.”
“They didn’t handcuff him at first. But then, a few of us got up and looked out of the window and saw his hands bent behind his back and the police helping him into one of their cars. It wasn’t a regular police car, though; it was the kind detectives drive. We also heard that a second girl has come forward, but we don’t know who it is yet.”
“That really saddens me to hear that, Matt, but I’m glad you realize that not everyone can be trusted. Not even people you should be able to trust no matter what.”
“I realize that now, Mom, because I never would have thought anything bad about Mr. Rush. None of the kids would have.” Matthew walked into the master bedroom and set her luggage down. Then he pulled his iPod Touch from the lower front pocket of his Mitchell Prep Football hoodie and read a text someone had just sent him. He scrolled through it and then cracked up laughing. “Elijah is too loony,” he said and quickly texted a response to his friend.
Charlotte pulled off her jacket and kicked off her shoes.
Matthew read another text and laughed out loud again. “I’ll be back, Mom,” he said.
Charlotte shook her head and smiled. She wondered what these kids would do if they couldn’t text each other a zillion times per day. It was all they seemed to do anymore, and they couldn’t seem to live without it.
But Charlotte’s smile vanished when she saw Curtina walking into the room.
“Mommy!” she said, all bright-eyed and happy.
Charlotte stared at her in a not-so-pleasant way and hoped it was enough to make her leave. There was no such luck, though.
“Mommy!” Curtina repeated. This time she walked right in front of Charlotte and reached her hands up.
Charlotte gazed down at her with folded arms and spoke in a harsh but low volume. “If you think I’m picking you up, you’ve got another think coming. Now, get out of here and go back to your room where you belong.”
Curtina’s smile disappeared, but she didn’t move.
So, Charlotte took her little hand, forcefully escorted her across the room and then right out of it. Curtina burst into tears, but Charlotte quickly closed the door in her face. Curtina stood outside, weeping, but it wasn’t long before Charlotte heard Matthew.
“What’s wrong, Curtina? It’s okay. Stop crying. You can come in my room,” he said. Charlotte knew he must have picked her up because all of a sudden she didn’t hear anything.
Good. She was finally gone. Although, Charlotte was glad Cur
tis hadn’t caught that little brat bawling because she could only imagine the crazy fit he would have thrown. Actually, she wondered where he was since she still hadn’t seen him yet. Ironically enough, she heard his voice barely ten minutes later, and it sounded as if he was talking on the phone. She couldn’t tell who he was chatting with but knew it had to be someone from the church because he was raving over how spectacular the lighting system was going to be in the new building. At first, she’d wondered if maybe he’d been gone, but now she knew he’d obviously been downstairs in his study all along but just hadn’t bothered coming out to say anything to her.
Curtis walked into the room as he ended his call. Then he looked at her. “So did you have a good time?”
“Yes. Actually, a great time.”
“Good for you. Lots of sun and spa treatments every day?”
“Lots.”
“Good.” He picked up one of his many Bibles from the dresser and headed back out of the bedroom.
Charlotte watched him and knew she didn’t have the right to expect any excitement from him, not with what she’d been doing with Michael all weekend down in Florida, but it felt strange seeing how nonchalant he was about her arrival back home. He acted as though it was no major deal at all, and she’d be lying if she said her feelings weren’t hurt at least a little. He seemed to have a whole new attitude, much different than the one he’d possessed only a few days ago, and she wondered why. She didn’t want to think the worst, that he’d washed his hands of the situation and no longer cared about their marriage, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit concerned. She couldn’t help wondering if maybe Curtis had found someone else to be with, the same as she had. He wouldn’t do that, though. Maybe years ago he might have, but the new Curtis had promised her he would be faithful to her until the end. And she believed him. It was true that she was committing adultery again, but not Curtis. No, Curtis truly did want to live a respectable and decent life, and he was serious about being a good father and husband. He was committed to both God and his ministry, and regardless of how bad things had gotten between them, he wouldn’t take up with another woman. He’d said he wouldn’t, and Charlotte knew she was silly for thinking otherwise. She knew she’d gotten herself all worked up over nothing.
Chapter 23
Curtis sat reading the book of Romans, chapter seven to be exact, and hated that he was starting to identify with Paul all over again. He’d known talking to Sharon was wrong, but for some reason he’d called her a second time this afternoon and had chatted with her for another two hours. When he’d hung up from her this morning, he’d told himself that he wouldn’t make communicating with her a habit, but the more he’d played with Curtina and tried to busy himself with reading and watching CNN, it hadn’t been long before Curtina had gotten sleepy and Curtis had put her down for a nap. He’d taken her into her bedroom and dialed Sharon’s number immediately following.
Now he wanted to call her a third time but hesitated for two reasons. First, Charlotte was back in town, and he didn’t want to take the chance on her hearing his conversation. Sure, he was downstairs and on a totally different level of the house; however, he still didn’t want to be careless. But it was his second reason that was most important and the one that affected him greatly: the Scripture he’d just finished reading. He sometimes studied the King James version of the Bible, but tonight he focused on the New Living Translation. Romans, chapter seven, verses fourteen through seventeen: “The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.”
Curtis took a deep breath. Why is this happening? After all this time of doing what’s right and being content with it. Why, God? Why am I so tempted to sleep with another woman?
It just didn’t make any sense, regardless of how bad his marriage was because, like Paul, he knew right from wrong. He’d known the difference between the two since he was a child, so there was no excuse for the way he was feeling. His thoughts and actions were uncalled for, but, also like Paul, he simply couldn’t help himself. He knew the best thing for him was praying and asking God for help, but shamefully, he hadn’t. He hadn’t gotten on his knees the way he normally did whenever he wanted to converse with God about a serious matter, and he knew it was because he’d enjoyed his time on the phone with Sharon. He’d tried to tell himself that she was nothing special, but in truth, he was fascinated with the sound of her voice and flattered by her great desire to be with him. She was so easy to talk to and seemed willing to do whatever he wanted on a moment’s notice.
Another half hour passed, and Curtis struggled with the idea of calling her again. He knew he shouldn’t, but it wasn’t long before the good in him lost the battle and he dialed her number.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hey. How’s it goin’?”
“Wow, three times in one day. I’m impressed.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. I’m glad you called back. Although I knew you would.”
“How?”
“Just had a feeling is all.”
“Not sure I like that.”
“What?”
“Being predictable.”
“Well, I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
“So what are you doing?” Curtis leaned back in his chair and flipped on the flat-screen television mounted on the corner wall. He did this for added sound, just in case Charlotte did decide to come downstairs.
“Lying here thinking about you,” she said.
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. I told you I want you. And I meant that. I wanna do the kinds of things to you that some folks might consider illegal.”
Curtis’s body heated up. “I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
“Trust me. You’ll love it, and you won’t be able to get enough of it. You’ll crave everything about me from then on.”
“Sounds to me like some sort of voodoo,” Curtis said, slightly laughing.
But Sharon stayed serious. “No, nothing like that. But once you’ve been with me, you definitely won’t be able to think about much else. You’ll be back again and again and again.”
Now Curtis got serious. Years ago, he would have taken words like that to heart. He would have seen them as a challenge and would have been out the door, in his car, and on his way to prove that he was the one women couldn’t stop thinking about. Not after having sex with him. It had been that way for years, and while he hadn’t slept around as of late, his skills hadn’t changed. He still had the ability to drive any woman mad if he wanted to.
“So you think so?” he finally said.
“I’m positive.”
“Well, maybe we’ll have to see.”
“I agree. And since you’ve decided to put it out there, I say there’s no time like the present.”
Curtis hated the way she kept tempting him. She was doing all that she could, trying to get him over to her place and into bed with her, and he could barely contain himself. She was driving his curiosity wild, and he wasn’t sure about anything anymore. But maybe if he went to visit her that would be enough. Maybe once he saw her again, he’d realize she wasn’t all that and he’d be over her just as quickly as he’d become attracted to her.
But Curtis knew that wouldn’t happen because he was attracted to her. He didn’t know her from a bag of jelly beans, but he already liked multiple things about her. Her boldness, her beauty, and her irrefutable willingness to please him. So what was a man to do? How was any man expected to ignore a woman like Sharon and just forget about her?
“All you have to do is get in your car and drive over here. It’s as simple as that.”
“No, I don’t think so,” he struggled to say.
“Curtis, please. Please just give me a chance. Let me satisfy you.”
Curtis sighed and rolled up his shirtsleeves. It was the second week in February and exceptionally cold outside, but he felt like turning on the central air. Sharon was starting to get the best of him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to deny her. He knew he shouldn’t go to her, but at the same time, he didn’t know why he shouldn’t. Especially since Charlotte had decided to drop off the face of the earth for an entire weekend like a single woman. He’d tried to convince himself that maybe she truly had taken a trip all by herself and, as she’d said, “just needed to get away,” but his gut told him otherwise.
But was it really that? Did he really believe Charlotte was having an affair? Or was he merely looking for a way to justify his own thoughts and desires? Was he mainly just trying to find a way to rid himself of guilt?
Curtis glanced over at Romans chapter seven again and came to his senses. “I can’t.”
“But why? Why won’t you come to me when you know you want to so badly? I can hear it in your voice.”
“Because I’m married.”
“I realize that, but you’re not happily married. You won’t admit it, but if you were happy you wouldn’t have called me in the first place. Not just once or twice, but three times today.”
Curtis knew she had a point, but he wasn’t going to give in. He wouldn’t let her control his emotions and make him do things he would regret in the end.
“I’m going to hang up now,” he told her.
“I wish you wouldn’t.”
“Well, I am. But you take care, okay?”
Sharon chuckled. “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”
Curtis raised his eyebrows, wondering how she knew. He tried leading her to believe otherwise, though. “Afraid? Are you kidding?”
“You are. You’re afraid because you know what I’m capable of. You can feel it all through your bones, and that’s why you won’t come to me.”
Love, Honor, and Betray Page 11
