Tai chuckled. “Hell no.”
“I guess,” Vivian continued, “a man’s going to always have somebody, no matter how he acts. What are the statistics now, like ten women to every man? The men sure take advantage of that, don’t they? They can always get somebody.” She looked at Tai.
Tai nodded, but kept her eyes on the road. “Speaking of men having somebody,” Tai said, changing the subject, “I bet you could start a choir with the women trying to climb into Cy Taylor’s bed.”
“A mass choir, girlfriend, one thousand voices strong!”
“I can imagine. His seminar was exceptional, and I hear his tapes sold out. Is it true he’s a millionaire?”
“Many times over. He’s had uncanny success in the stock market. Must be the anointing.”
“Millicent’s a blessed woman.”
“Millicent?”
“Isn’t she his lady friend?”
“She’d like to be, but no. Cy has made it clear that he doesn’t believe she’s his future wife.”
“It’s clear to her all right. Clear as mud. She led me to believe they’ve all but set the date.”
Vivian looked at her friend before replying. “Between you and me, I’m rather concerned about Millicent. We had a conversation last month, and I think that she thinks that he’s her future husband. My spirit tells me she’s in for a rude awakening.”
“Didn’t Cy invite her to the conference?”
Vivian thought for a moment. “More likely she invited herself. I mentioned Derrick’s participation just last week and she said nothing of coming. My guess is she found out Cy was conducting a seminar and that’s what prompted her being an attendee.”
“She and hundreds of others. We put an insert with his picture on it in the brochure, you know. Word must have gotten around. You would have thought there was a rock star in the building with all the females who converged on him after service. I’m surprised I didn’t see Hope at the front of the line. I did notice she had on a new suit for the occasion. And I did see her finally finagle her way to his side in the reception room last night.”
“Well, I think it’s wonderful that women are so concerned with getting a handle on their finances,” Vivian stated with a smile in her voice.
“Right, on the man who has the finances more likely. Can’t say I blame them, though; the man even made my kundalini tingle!” “Kundalini” was a reference to the seventh chakra, the area of the body that supposedly housed sexual energy, according to her former New Age coworker Chandra, whom Tai had tried unsuccessfully to convert to Christianity. Publicly, she shunned Chandra’s New Age sayings. Privately, however, Tai had humorously adopted this particular word and in better times between she and King had often invited him to “stir her kundalini with his ding-a-lingy.”
“Girl, shut up!” Vivian laughed at this remark, remembering when Tai had first told her about this new addition to her vocabulary.
“Tell the truth, shame the devil.”
Vivian laughed again at the forthrightness of this first lady. “Tai Brook, you have no sense.”
“Baby, I’ve got five senses, and they were all working overtime with that man in the room. God forgive me, but I must admit that when I looked at him, baby!! Some thoughts ran through my mind, and not all of them were holy!”
“Girl, you a mess!”
They were silent for the remainder of the journey, each woman deep in her own thoughts. Before long, they’d reached their destination, Gates Bar-BQ. Tai and Vivian bowed their heads briefly before plowing into the succulent meat. It was one of the few times Vivian suspended her self-imposed “fish only” meat diet and ate a piece of chicken. If there was ever a place that made eating chicken a worthy event, it was Gate’s. She grabbed one from a stack of napkins and wiped her already greasy mouth and fingers.
“Ooh, I’d forgotten how good this was. And the sauce? Unh, unh, unh!” Vivian grabbed a long, thick fry and dipped it generously into the tangy, spicy barbeque sauce before taking a large bite. “Remind me to buy a couple bottles of this before we leave.”
Tai smiled at her friend’s pleasure. She wasn’t the only one who thought that Gate’s made the best barbeque sauce in the world. She pulled apart a piece from the pork slab she’d purchased. “Sure you don’t want a rib?”
Vivian’s stomach recoiled at the thought of eating pork, and she just looked at Tai and rolled her eyes before Tai continued. “Some of this nice, juicy pork, girl, it’s good for what ails you!”
“More likely, it will be what ails me!”
Both women laughed before Tai looked up and caught her breath, her eyes widening and then narrowing in a single motion. Vivian turned to see what had caught Tai’s attention and saw a petite woman with shoulder-length, brunette hair standing in line. She turned back around, giving Tai a questioning look. Tai sat back in her seat, took a sip of soda and visibly relaxed.
“Is that her?” Vivian asked quietly and cautiously.
“I thought it was,” Tai replied. Her shoulders slumped at the thought of her husband’s mistress, and suddenly the sauce-slathered ribs didn’t taste so good. “She looks enough like her to be her sister.”
Vivian turned again to get a better look. When she turned back around to gaze at her friend, there was compassion in her eyes. “So it’s still going on, huh?”
“The affair? Oh, yeah. King tries to be discreet and act like nothing’s happening, but I know.”
“So you two aren’t—”
“Please. And it’s going to stay that way. As long as his no-good ass is fuckin’ someone else, he won’t be fuckin’ me!” Tai reached down, grabbing another rib, and bit into it ferociously.
Vivian inwardly winced at Tai’s verbal bluntness but did not censure her friend. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel or what she’d do if she found out Derrick was having an affair. She could only sympathize with Tai, knowing that there wasn’t enough mercy in the Bible to keep her in an adulterous marriage. Still, Vivian was in no position to judge what was and was not the right reaction where Tai and her marriage were concerned. She knew only that whatever happened, she would be there for her friend. Vivian continued after a long silence. “So what are you going to do? It’s been almost two months now. Things can’t keep going the way they are.”
“That’s just it, Viv, I don’t know what to do. As crazy as it sounds, a part of me still loves King. I thought I had my mind made up to leave him. But during the conference I was acutely aware of my church family, how much I love them and how much they mean to me. What would happen to that if I divorced the pastor? Where would I go? What would I do? And why should I be the one to give up the things and people I love when I feel I played an equal, albeit different role in Mt. Zion being the church it is today? I mean, really, do you think there would be a spot in the pews for an ex-first lady?
“I’ve thought about relocating because I know this city wouldn’t be big enough for both of us. Maybe I could go back to my family in Chicago or maybe to my relatives down south. But how would that affect the kids? You know with the twins, the sun rises and sets on their father. How could he continue to play an active role if I move away? But how could I keep from killing his ass if I stayed in the same town?”
Vivian’s eyes widened, a look of genuine concern on her face.
Tai laughed out loud. “Oh, I’m just kidding, girl. King may be worth a lot, but he’s not worth a prison sentence with somebody else raising my kids.”
Vivian laughed as she took a sip of soda. She was thankful for the lightened moment. “I was getting ready to ask you, is you crazy or is you just lost your mind?”
“Yes to both those questions,” Tai said, smiling. Then the young brunette walked by, and the smile quickly faded from her face. “Right now, I’m taking it one day at a time. King and I are more like roommates than a married couple. I do my thing, he does his. We only talk when necessary and are civil for the sake of the children. I know about April, he knows I know and he’s still
seeing her. Mama Max has talked to him. He keeps telling all of us that it’s over, but that’s a lie. Every time he comes home after being with her, no matter how he tries to hide it, it’s written all over his face. Those are the nights when I’m sure I’ll leave.” Tai took a deep breath as she sat back and stared out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of King anywhere in her future.
Vivian watched as the weight of the decision to divorce or not divorce King settled around Tai’s shoulders. She thought back to how sure she herself had felt moments before as to how she’d handle an affair in her marriage. But would it be an easy, cut-and-dried decision? Just like that, it’s over, bye? Much easier to say when the situation was hypothetical; much harder with the reality of twenty years, four children, two thousand members and one soulmate.
When Tai came home after dropping Vivian off at the hotel, the house was quiet. The twins were at the movies with her neighbor. King was, well, King was wherever he was, with April no doubt, since the conference had ended that afternoon. Tai kicked off her heels and then grabbed them as she made her way through the living room and up the steps toward the guest room that was now her personal, private abode. She felt totally weary as she undressed, her conversation with Vivian weighing heavily on her mind. Thank God for Vivian. Though talking about it was painful, it had felt therapeutic to talk about King and their marriage, a conversation she knew would go no farther. With Vivian, Tai could be herself and not be judged, criticized or reminded that she should feel a certain way or speak a certain way or act a certain way because she was a pastor’s wife.
Tai stepped naked in front of the mirror. She eyed herself critically from first one angle, then another. She smiled triumphantly at her small bulge of a stomach. Another six months and that baby will almost be flat again. She cupped her breasts in her hands and pushed them upward and inward. They didn’t sag quite as much. She’d now lost twenty-five pounds. No, the breasts were passable, though after four children, the word “firm” would never be used to describe them again. She turned to the back and frowned deeply. No matter how many leg lifts and butt tucks she did, her booty was still feeling the pull of gravity. And what did she have to do to get that cellulite to go away?
She slipped into a bulky, terry cloth robe and headed for the kitchen. She stood at the cabinet, deciding between a glass of water, soda, juice or wine. She opted for Princess’s favorite which she now also loved, peach sparkling water. She grabbed a bag of popcorn and, putting it in the microwave, leaned back on the counter as it began to pop. She thought again about Vivian and their conversation. She smiled, thinking of the Sanctity of Sisterhood convention, the topic that she and Vivian had talked about excitedly and continuously after the subject of King and her failing marriage was exhausted.
She enjoyed working with Carla on the segment entitled Sacred Sex. Tai laughed at the irony of her speaking on this particular topic. She hadn’t questioned when Vivian had suggested it, although Tai thought God must indeed have a sense of humor.
Tai poured the popcorn into a bowl, then grabbed it and the sparkling water and headed upstairs. She was still thinking about the various sessions for the summit when a Scripture popped into her head. Setting the popcorn and water down, she hurried over to the bookshelf and grabbed her concordance. Thumbing quickly, she found the passage almost immediately, Hebrews 13:3–4…. Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Tai sat back and reflected on those Scriptures. “The marriage bed is undefiled,” she whispered aloud. Tai glanced up at the clock on the dresser and reached for the phone, even as ideas continued to root and take shape in her mind. It was still early enough to call Carla. Tai hoped she was home.
King moaned and grabbed April’s silky tresses as she swirled her tongue around his sensitive nipple, then suckled first one and then the other. She followed his kinky hair trail with her tongue, moving lower and lower until King’s groan became a growl that he could not contain. He grabbed her roughly and rolled her over, pinning her beneath his massive bulk. He began the same assault on her that she’d done on him, now sending his senses roiling. He caressed and kissed and licked her before entering her fiercely, swiftly, pounding into her over and again. She moaned and writhed and whispered in his ear, “Ooh, yes, do it, baby. That feels so good, so good.” Her words sent him spiralling, pumping harder, faster until they both exploded with mind-boggling releases that left them panting and sweating.
King gave April a peck before rolling off her and falling heavily against the mattress. He’d never had sex like this in his whole life. Had never met a woman who made him feel the way April did.
“I love you, King,” she whispered, turning toward him and snuggling under his arm. She began kissing him again, first his mouth, then his neck, then sliding down to continue her oral assault.
“Whoa, whoa, baby, you’re gonna kill me,” King teased. “Let a brother catch his breath.”
“I just can’t get enough of you, you know that,” April purred as she grabbed part of the sheet and began wiping the sweat from King’s body. “You are without a doubt the hottest, most talented lover in the world. Thank you.”
“Thank you?”
“Yes. Thank you for coming to me, being with me. You’re my most prized possession.”
“Oh, so I’m a possession now.” King turned to face her, tenderly wiping strands of dampened hair from her face.
“You know what I mean. Not that I own you, but that you’re my world. You’re what matters to me.”
King rolled back over and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t like it when she talked like that, like he was her everything. He didn’t, couldn’t, belong to her. Someone named Tai was in the way. He rolled out of bed and headed toward the shower.
“Don’t leave yet,” April whispered. The words were spoken before she could stop them. She was a strong, astute woman and knew that with a married man she’d get only bits and pieces. Still, she wasn’t ready for him to go.
King felt guilty enough when he left Tai at home. Now he was going to feel guilty when he left April? “You know how heavy my Sundays are. You know I can’t stay.” King looked at her as he turned on the bathroom light. She looked ravishing, sitting perfectly still in the middle of the bed, her hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back, lips slightly swollen, eyes boring into his. He let his gaze continue downward, firm, large breasts made even more voluptuous by a skilled surgeon’s hand, nice, tight stomach, hot, moist…
King turned away quickly and walked into the bathroom, turning the water on full blast. He’d barely begun soaping himself before he heard the shower door open and felt her body press up against him before she reached around and grabbed the soap. “Here,” she murmured, taking the bar and moving it sensuously in circles across his shoulders and down his back. “Allow me.” April soaped her own body and then used her flesh to continue to soap King’s. He stared down at her as she dropped to her knees to soap his legs and calves and to carefully wash his feet. His eyes glazed as his penis began to harden and throb from her expert ministrations. He grabbed her head, pulling her toward him. King didn’t leave her house for a long time.
The spirit of seduction
Millicent was livid. She had simmered slowly since the last “amen” of Mt. Zion’s leadership conference. She seethed with anger during the three-and-a-half hour flight home. Now her rage was in full boil. In her mind, Cy had not treated her at all appropriately. Didn’t he know that she was his future wife!
The voice of God filled her mind. No, he doesn’t.
“Well, he’s gonna know it!” Millicent spouted angrily as she paced back and forth in her condo. She picked up a glass figurine and hurled it across the room. The impact left a dent in the wall and broke the carefully sculpted angel into several pieces.
She barely noticed, sitting down on the couch, breathing heavily, and shaking her leg up and down in a nervous patter. She thought back again to how the events unfolded in Kansas and
became even angrier at each distorted memory.
First, there was the fact that Cy didn’t come out to greet her personally when she arrived at the church, but rather had her escorted directly to the sanctuary. The hospitality suite didn’t count; after all, everybody and anybody could come in there. She hadn’t recognized one first lady or pastor in that room, not one! Wherever they were, that was where she was supposed to be. But after she was seated on the third row amidst the pastors’ and deacons’ wives in the sanctuary, she felt less offended. And then when Mrs. Brook had entered the main edifice with Millicent’s very own first lady, one Mrs. Vivian Montgomery, in tow, she knew her access to the inner sanctum of conference attendees, and thus close proximity to Cy, was basically assured. Relaxing with that thought, Millicent had allowed her mind to create the probable scene of why Cy hadn’t asked to see her as soon as she’d arrived. Of course, he was probably preparing for his session. She even remembered smiling at the thought of his sermon preparations in their future. Guess I should get used to that, she had mused. My future husband will need his solitude in those moments. She’d imagined him holed up in the pastors’ study, in deep thought, no, on his knees in prayer, seeking His guidance from on high on how best to lead His children out of the bondage of poverty into the promised land of prosperity. Had she seen him laughing heartily at Bishop Anderson’s jokes and thoroughly enjoying the kingly feast that was the pastors’ private lunch, and had she witnessed the adjoining room filled with first ladies and other distinguished female guests, she would not have been amused.
Her ruffled feathers were further calmed when, after Cy’s illustrious and thoroughly informing conference seminar, she had been escorted, along with Cy, Tai and Vivian, to the pastors’ personal reception area and again introduced to Pastor King and his wife. She felt right at home as they sat chatting amicably over coffee and appetizers, just the six of them, before being joined by a few other ministers and their wives for a dinner in the private dining room. The pastors’ private dining room!
Sex in the Sanctuary Page 20
