The Favorite Son

by Tiffany L. Warren

  “You have got to be joking. I don’t know a man alive who would feel disrespected when a beautiful woman comes on to him. Well, yes I do. But they’re all gay.”

  Camden shook his head. “Then you don’t know too many saved men.”

  Ivy pouted. “All right, all right. I guess I misread your signals. I thought the feelings were mutual. After our jam session, I believed you were as attracted to me as I am to you.”

  “You’re attractive, but you belong to someone else. I honor that, and your husband.”

  “Unfortunately,” Ivy said with an eye roll. “Let me sneak back downstairs. You can come down later. This can be our secret, okay?”

  Camden shook his head as Ivy left him standing in the library, his neck still tingling from her uninvited kiss. Camden replayed his and Ivy’s interactions, wondering what had made her think he was open to romancing another man’s wife. Even if he didn’t have Dawn back in Dallas, he wouldn’t be open to that. Camden silently praised God that it wasn’t Blaine in the same position. He couldn’t say that Ivy’s virtue would’ve been safe—in fact, it probably would’ve been forever tarnished.

  That made him wonder how Blaine was going to survive running an entire church. Or how the church was going to survive him. Especially the beautiful and single women. They were in a world of trouble.

  Camden considered the offer to be the Minister of Music in Oklahoma City. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea for him to be at Blaine’s side. Then Blaine could have someone he’d be able to trust, and Camden could protect the women’s virtue.

  CHAPTER 25

  Blaine touched one hand to the veins bulging at his temple—a result of Regina’s constant badgering. She’d caught wind of his and Akil’s extracurricular activities in Houston and had proceeded with an interrogation. She was ten minutes in with no end in sight. Blaine wanted to kick her out of his apartment, but he was almost sure she’d fight him like a dude in the street.

  “I’m not stupid, Blaine. I know you well. Don’t forget that I used to date you. I know what you are capable of.”

  “How can I forget when you keep reminding me every five minutes?”

  Regina stopped her pacing back and forth across his hardwood floors and put one hand on her hip. “Really? How about you keep reminding me? Every chance you get you are in some ho’s face. I’m so sick of you.”

  “Well, you can step, then,” Blaine said. “My father thinks I need you, I don’t.”

  “If it wasn’t for your father and his deep pockets, I would step. You don’t think you need me, but you’re a complete mess. You’d never survive being a pastor.”

  Blaine knew that Regina wasn’t going anywhere. Especially not since Pastor Wilson had told them that the Oklahoma City church was happening sooner than they thought.

  “I will survive without you. With another beautiful and capable woman. She’ll get to live in the parsonage and go on first lady shopping sprees. And hopefully she’ll be a lot less annoying than you are.”

  Regina lifted her hand as if she wanted to slap Blaine and he burst into laughter.

  “You don’t really want to do that,” Blaine said. “You’re not that tough. Plus, it wouldn’t be good for the ministry if the pastor went to jail on domestic violence charges.”

  “You won’t hit me back.”

  “You come at me like a man, you get treated like a man.”

  Regina slowly lowered her hand. “Blaine, I’m not going to be married to someone who cheats on me. Your father told me you were trying to change.”

  “I am trying to change, but it’s a process. Here’s some honesty. Yes, I did get with that girl in Houston. That’s the truth. I didn’t plan it. It just happened.”

  “It just happened.”

  “Yes, and I will try very hard not to make it happen again, but I can’t promise you that.”

  “Just don’t lie to me, Blaine.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I won’t. But try to be my friend and be patient with me. I know I’m a whore. I like sex. A lot. And I like women. A lot.”

  Defeated, Regina sat down on the couch next to Blaine. “Will I ever be enough for you?”

  “Yes, I think so. When we get married we can figure out how to spice things up in the bedroom. You can wear wigs and costumes so I can feel like I’m with a different woman every time.”

  “Why do we have to wait until we’re married? It’s not like you haven’t already sampled the goods.”

  Blaine lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “You serious?”

  “Yeah. You have a show in Miami soon. Those groupies there are on a whole other level. I want you to know what you have.”

  Blaine remembered Regina’s mediocrity in the bedroom. He didn’t know if she’d be able to bring it well enough to erase his need for other women.

  “Last time we were together, you were pretty virginal. Am I gonna have to do all the work?”

  “You were my first, Blaine. But not my last. I’ve learned some things since then.”

  “Is that so? Well, why don’t you come over here and show Daddy what you learned?”

  Regina pulled Blaine’s face toward hers and kissed him deeply, and Blaine forgot all about their argument. Maybe Regina couldn’t make Blaine give up all the other women forever, but in that moment, he was only thinking of her lips on his. And her hand in his lap, proving that she had indeed had a tutor.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t,” Regina said after a long and drawn-out kiss.

  “We’re getting married, Gina. So, it’s fine.”

  Her face lit up. “You called me Gina. You’ve never shortened my name before.”

  “Well, maybe I’m sick of talking.”

  Blaine pulled her into his lap with every intent to finish what she started.

  CHAPTER 26

  Camden watched the YouTube video over and over again and still couldn’t believe his eyes. Ivy had been tagged by a roving reporter at a Praise and Worship workshop in Atlanta, and the interviewer had inquired about Camden. Camden didn’t think he’d angered her when he’d rebuffed her advances. He’d done it kindly. But scorn dripped from her responses.

  Camden noticed that the video had close to two hundred thousand views. That was more than the number of downloads they’d gotten for “Born to Worship” so far, and that was a hit record. People apparently wanted to hear gossip more than they wanted the gospel. Camden clicked play one more time.

  Dr. Rae: So there’s an interesting dynamic that’s happening in gospel music right now. You’re right at the cusp of it.

  Ivy: I am. I feel so blessed to have had Royce London pull me out of obscurity like he did. I wouldn’t be a part of this if it weren’t for him. I am eternally grateful to his following the leading of the Lord.

  Dr. Rae: Royce London is such an eccentric man of God.

  Ivy: (laughs) That’s a way to put it. Eccentric.

  Dr. Rae: Well, how would you put it? He travels with an entourage of men with questionable sexuality.

  Ivy: Royce is happily married, and I’ve only ever known him to honor his wife. He is not gay.

  Dr. Rae: Yes, but the young men around him are not as honorable. What about his newest addition, Camden Wilson out of Dallas? We’re hearing great things about him musically, but his personal life is also ambiguous. He’s apparently engaged to a woman back in Dallas that he’s known his whole life.

  Ivy: You’ve done your research, huh? I don’t like to gossip about people. I like to stick to ministry. Camden is very anointed in ministry.

  Dr. Rae: But you don’t know if he’s a homosexual.

  Ivy: I don’t know if I like your line of questioning. I thought we were going to talk about my upcoming project.

  Dr. Rae: Tell me about your project.

  Ivy: I just recorded a song written by Camden Wilson, and Royce is producing, of course.

  Dr. Rae: So you’re not going to answer the question.

  Ivy: I can’t say what that man does when he leaves my presence. I barely know
him.

  Dr. Rae: But you can speak definitively on Royce.

  Ivy: Royce is my friend. Camden is a new associate. Can we talk about the project now?

  Camden stopped the video. He didn’t need to hear the rest of it again. He didn’t want to listen to Ivy promote the music they’d been working so hard to produce, only to slay his character. Of course, no one could say that she initiated the conversation, but she definitely didn’t do anything to refute the claims.

  Camden’s phone buzzed on the table next to his laptop. He had a text message from Amber. You need to call Dawn. She’s spazzing out. #emergency

  Camden was dreading that conversation. He didn’t want to talk to her about this because it was stupid. He wasn’t gay. End of story. The fact that she was spazzing out irritated him, though.

  Camden sighed and dialed her number. Dawn picked up on the first ring.

  “Cam. Have you seen this YouTube mess? I thought you said Ivy was a good person. I thought you said she was a friend.”

  Her words rushed out like the flow of water when the faucet is turned on at full blast.

  “She didn’t really say anything.”

  “Exactly. She just let them say all of those horrible things about you.”

  “I don’t know what she could’ve done to stop them.”

  “She could’ve said it wasn’t true!” Dawn yelled. “It’s not true, right?”

  Camden wanted to hurl the phone across the room. How could she even ask him that? She was the woman he was planning to marry and she was questioning his sexuality?

  “You didn’t just ask me that question, Dawn.”

  “I just want … I guess if it were true … that would explain why you don’t want me.”

  Camden’s breath caught in his throat. For a few moments he couldn’t reply. He could just hold the phone and stare straight ahead.

  “Camden, did I lose you?”

  Finally, he responded. “No. I just. I can’t talk to you right now.”

  “Wait! Wait. Don’t hang up. I’m sorry! I’m confused about us, Camden. If we could only get engaged for real, and get married, then I wouldn’t feel this way.”

  “Yeah, I feel really motivated to marry a woman who’s known me for almost two decades and just asked me if I’m gay. I will call you later.”

  “I love you, Camden.”

  Camden didn’t reply. He disconnected the call and slammed the phone down on the table. Maybe his father was right. Maybe he should’ve never come to Atlanta. Maybe he wasn’t man enough to handle the responsibility.

  There was a light knock on his door. Camden got up to answer it and it was Royce. He held up his smartphone with the screen capture of the YouTube video on the screen.

  “I should’ve warned you about Ivy,” Royce said. “But I thought she’d changed. No … let me take that back. I thought she was still enamored with me. I never thought she’d go after you.”

  “Well, she did, and now she’s giving interviews and letting people think I’m gay.”

  Royce said, “If you’re going to be in this industry, you have to get a thicker skin. Gospel artists get accused of being gay all the time. If I let that bother me, I wouldn’t have the happy home that I have.”

  “Well, your wife doesn’t believe the rumors. That helps.”

  “Your girlfriend does?”

  Camden shrugged. “I don’t know. She just asked me if I’m gay, so what do you think?”

  Royce whistled through tightened lips. “I think you need a new girlfriend. It doesn’t sound like she’s built for the gospel industry.”

  “I don’t know. I’m starting to feel that way. I can’t believe she came at me like that.”

  “Well, you’re not there, and she’s probably worried. Why don’t you do something to put her mind at ease? Bring her here for a visit. I’ll pay for the flight.”

  “Thank you! I think we need the time together!”

  Royce nodded. “All right. Get ready, because we’ve got a practice tonight. We have a big show at the House of Blues on Sunday. We’ll be performing some of the tracks on Ivy’s new record.”

  “Ivy’s going to be here tonight?”

  “Yeah. You gotta face her at some point. Tell her she was wrong. She needs to hear that.”

  Royce’s advice was welcome, but Camden didn’t know if he’d be able to control his anger long enough to have a conversation with Ivy.

  CHAPTER 27

  When So G.I.F.T.E.D landed in Miami, Blaine got a whiff of the ocean air and felt exhilarated. He was, of course, excited about the concert, but he was more amped about the women he and Akil were going to see on South Beach.

  The way he saw it, this was his last time to have any fun. Pastor Wilson had already started his marketing for Oklahoma City, and everything was on track to open the first Sunday in August. Even if Pastor Wilson was preaching the first four Sundays, Blaine needed to be above reproach. Which meant no women.

  Their hotel was incredible. Pastor Wilson had sprung for an upgrade at the conference hotel, and they had two suites, one for the girls and one for the guys. Luckily, Blaine had convinced Regina to stay in Dallas and help her future father-in-law with marketing the new church and locating their home. Since they were having sex on a regular basis now, Regina felt a little more secure.

  Fortunately for Blaine, Regina’s instincts were completely off.

  Everyone was excited about the hotel suites, except Dawn. She wasn’t joyful about anything since that YouTube video about Camden hit the Internet.

  “Y’all want to go to the beach?” Akil asked. “We don’t sing until tomorrow afternoon, so we have plenty of time.”

  “What? We’re getting invited out by the manwhores?” Amber asked. “Isn’t that like taking sand to the beach?”

  Blaine said, “It is. But I’m a changed man. I’m about to be a pastor. I can walk South Beach without ogling women. It’s about the sand and the water.”

  Amber stared at Blaine and burst into laughter. “Shut up, boy! You might be able to sell that to your future bride, but I ain’t buying it. What about you, Dawn?”

  “I believe him. He’s got to settle down at some point. Why not now?”

  “Okay, clearly your judgment is a little cloudy lately. You’re walking around in an I-think-my-man-is-gay haze.”

  “I’m not,” Dawn said.

  “And Camden ain’t gay,” Akil said.

  Blaine didn’t have any comment on the rumors about Camden. He honestly wasn’t sure if the rumors were true or not. Camden had turned down so much quality booty over the years that it wasn’t all that far-fetched to think maybe he was batting for the other team. It would be horrible if he was, and Blaine hoped and prayed that it wasn’t true, but he wasn’t going to be the one to reassure Dawn.

  “It’s okay,” Dawn said. “I know it’s not true, so I don’t know what y’all are talking about. I do miss him, though. He doesn’t call enough.”

  “He’s working on a Royce London project,” Amber said. “You know that he’s got to be incredibly busy. I’m sure it has nothing to do with you.”

  “He did say he was going to fly me to Atlanta to spend some time with him when we get back from Miami.”

  “Awww … couple time. I love it. One day I’m gonna get a man,” Amber said.

  Amber pulled a swimsuit out of her bag and held it up. There was not a lot of material there. It actually looked like two handkerchiefs and some rubber bands.

  Akil said, “I hope that has a cover-up.”

  “No, Gramps, it does not. My produce needs some bronzing. Where better than South Beach? Y’all go get changed, and meet us back here in like twenty minutes. Then we can take over the beach.”

  Blaine and Akil left the girls and went into their own suite. They had a view of the beach through the big floor-to-ceiling windows.

  “This is the bomb, for real. When we blow up all the way, we’re gonna travel like this all the time, I bet,” Akil said.

  Blaine
nodded in agreement. He couldn’t believe that he was in a room like this without a woman. This was not a home-boys suite, it was a love nest.

  “Are you really serious about giving up the women?” Akil asked.

  “Shouldn’t I be? I’m about to be a senior pastor in a few weeks.”

  Akil laughed out loud. “I ask because you hadn’t experienced your epiphany in Houston. You had a good time with those country girls.”

  “I did,” Blaine said. He bit his lip at the memory. “But I promised Regina that I was going to try to change. So, this weekend, I plan to look and not touch.”

  “You plan?”

  “I never make promises, man. You know that.”

  Akil laughed. “Do you want me to try and stop you if something goes down? I can run interference if you want.”

  “I’ll give you a signal. If I want you to stop me, I’ll say the word ‘grace’ in a sentence. If I don’t think there’s a danger or I don’t want to stop, I won’t say anything.”

  “Okay. The wingman is on the job.”

  Blaine nodded. “I’m gonna miss you, man. Come to Oklahoma with me.”

  “Maybe.”

  “That’s all I’m getting?” Blaine asked.

  “No promises, right?”

  “Okay. Gotcha. Let’s get changed so we can hit the beach while we’ve got some daylight left.”

  Blaine and Akil quickly got into their swimming trunks and water T-shirts. Blaine wanted to wear something that would transition from the beach to the bar. Hopefully he wouldn’t run into too many other gospel artists there.

  After they got dressed, Blaine and Akil went back to the girls’ room. When Blaine saw Amber’s swimsuit, his jaw dropped. Her produce was on display.

  “Okay, I’m with Akil. You need to cover some of that up,” Blaine said.

  “I have a cover-up,” Amber said.

  She pulled on an almost sheer jacket that didn’t hide anything. Then she slipped on a pretty pair of flip-flops.

  “Let’s go,” Amber said. “And y’all can stop looking at me like that. Ain’t neither one of y’all my daddy.”