Games

by Wanda B. Campbell

  Games

  A Novel by

  Wanda B. Campbell

  Electronics Edition

  Copyright © 2006 by Wanda B. Campbell

  Published by W.B. Campbell Publications/Micah 6:8 Books

  Games. Copyright © 2006 by Wanda B. Campbell. All rights reserved. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to be included in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places and occurrences are either created in the authors’ imagination or are used in a fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. While the authors may have been inspired in part by actual events, none of the characters in the book are based on an actual person and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Note from the Author

  For those who have read First Sunday in October, Liberation and Unresolved Issues, and thought, Hey, did I miss something? Well, here it is. Games is the second book of the Simone Family Series.

  You’ll remember how young Brian and Shay connected from the beginning, but the paths they choose may surprise you. Not as wise as their parents, Reggie and Julia, the young pair make immature mistakes and play games that could cost them their future together.

  I sincerely hope you enjoy Brian and Shay’s journey. Perhaps their story will bring back memories of your younger game-playing days.

  As always, I love hearing from readers. Feel free to join my Facebook group, Wanda B. Campbell Readers & Supporters. Or email me at wbcampbell@prodigy.net.

  Thank you for your continued support. Without you, this journey would be very lonely and meaningless.

  Many blessings,

  Wanda B. Campbell

  The Fall

  Shay looked out over the city from the bay window. From where she stood, the streets of Oakland were a place of peace and tranquility, unlike her mind. Her thoughts and her desires raged a battle so fierce common sense and immorality collided—the pressure giving her a slight headache. Her mind told her run as fast as her size-nine feet would take her and don’t look back, but the fire fueled with longing racing through her veins conveyed a different story. One time wouldn’t alter her life one bit. One taste of ecstasy wouldn’t bring damnation. Or would it?

  Shay didn’t know what to do. She had never wanted anything so badly in her life. The mere fact that she was still standing in his living room after the many warnings and red flags her conscience sent, confirmed that this was a battle she was about to lose. Shay closed her eyes. “God, please help me,” she prayed in a whisper and went back into the den instead of out the front door.

  ***

  Brian stared out of the kitchen window. He’d finished the dishes ten minutes ago, but couldn’t move. He had a decision to make and didn’t trust himself to make the right choice. He’d avoided making a decision for two years, now it was unavoidable. She was different now and so was he.

  All evening he told himself this was not right, that God wouldn’t be pleased, but his flesh promised him complete satisfaction. Tonight his one-year-old commitment to God was being tested to the max. No matter how hard he prayed the fact remained: He wanted LaShay Hampton in the worst way.

  He considered calling his father. Just hearing his voice would bring him back to Earth, but truth be told, Brian wasn’t sure he wanted to come back, not yet anyway.

  Brian walked into the den, just as Shay turned around. The little strength he had quickly vanished with each step she took toward him. In his eyes, Brian saw that Shay was fighting the same battle as he. Brian placed his arms around her, causing her breathing to accelerate. She returned his embrace and parted her lips. Brian’s darkened eyes seemed to look right through her outer shell and directly into her desires. As if she couldn’t stand the torture, Shay pulled Brian to her and kissed his lips. After a short feast, he pulled back nearly breathless.

  “Shay, this is going to change everything. If you’re not ready for that, help both of us and leave now,” he warned.

  Shay didn’t move.

  He surrendered then. “Tell me what you want, Shay,” his voice deep and loaded with passion.

  She didn’t say a word, just slowly lifted her tank top over her head.

  Brian’s heart pounded as he watched her remove the straps to her undergarment. He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.

  Later

  “Oh, my God, what have we done?” Shay murmured while covering herself with what little sheet remained on the bed.

  “We had sex,” Brian answered regretfully.

  “This was a big mistake. I shouldn’t have allowed this to happen.”

  Shay’s words added injury to his emotional wounds. He’d sinned against God and in the process he hadn’t physically pleased Shay. Brian sat on the side of the bed with his back to her. “Sorry, I was that bad.”

  Shay leaned over and stroked his back. “Brian, that’s not what I meant. What we shared was beautiful. Something I’ll always remember. Thank you for giving me the gift of womanhood. But what we did was wrong. We committed sin.”

  “I know.” He sighed. “I should have stayed sexually pure. I should have been more responsible.”

  “Where do we go from here?” she finally asked.

  “I don’t know, but we can’t do this anymore.”

  She agreed. “I know. I can’t handle this emptiness, this guilt.”

  He finally turned to face her. “Shay, we cannot go back to the way we were. We-I need to put some space between us. I’ll always remember this night, it was wonderful, but I don’t know if I’ll ever overcome this guilt either.”

  Shay quietly retrieved her clothing and dressed without saying a word. Just before she left his bedroom she kissed him on the cheek and softly told him good-bye. He stayed in the same spot, long after he heard the front door close.

  Chapter 1

  Shay cried all the way home. Her first sexual experience was supposed to bring her joy. It did, for a moment. Then the guilt of committing fornication overwhelmed her, sending ecstasy out the window. She no longer felt like a secure twenty-three-year-old woman. Willfully committing sin brought an instant feeling of shame and vulnerability that she’d never known before. And exposure. She felt as if the driver of every passing vehicle on I-680 knew she wasn’t a virgin anymore. Everyone knew she’d just spent two hours in the bed of a man that wasn’t her husband and for the most part, enjoyed it.

  She didn’t feel worthy of any favors from God, but she was thankful her mother and stepfather were already in bed when she arrived home. Shay didn’t have the strength to face anyone; right now she could barely face herself. Inside her bathroom she soaked in a hot bubble bath and tried to understand why and how she ended up in bed with Brian Pennington.

  They were introduced to each other over three years ago, shortly before her mother married his father. With only an eleven-month difference in their ages, they had a lot of things in common. From the beginning they were inseparable and instantly became best buddies. Back then, Brian was someone for her to hang out and debate with, nothing more. At least that’s what she tried to make herself believe. In truth, she became possessive of Brian from day one.

  Shay would never admit it to him, but she had always admired Brian for being so focused at a young age. He always knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. From day one, all he talked about was being a criminal defense attorney. Shay, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure what she wanted to do with her life, but being around him made her want to figure it out. Brian unknowingly brought direction into her life along w
ith companionship.

  When her mother gave birth to her little brother two years ago, their relationship took a turn. That was the first time their attraction for each other surfaced and since then they had an unspoken commitment to each other. It was impossible for either of them to date other people, because they spent all of their free time with each other. They talked on the phone often and shared the important events of each other’s lives. She was the first to call him on his twenty-first birthday and Brian was the first to congratulate her upon graduating from Stanford University. Brian escorted her to school and social functions. Shay accompanied him nearly wherever he went. The two even traveled together. Their parents were not blind to their closeness, but they never discussed it with them.

  Now, at age twenty-three Brian was no longer a young boy with no rhythm; he was a man. And he looked like a man. The once-oversized goofy kid had transformed into a fine six-foot-four-inch two-hundred-forty-pound smooth dark-chocolate specimen. Brian was her type of man: tall, dark and thick all around. Shaving his head bald only made him that much more appealing to her. That alone, should have been enough for her to stay away from him, but it wasn’t.

  She’d heard the warning signals loud and clear, but told herself she could handle it. She told herself she could tolerate the constant hugs and affectionate kissing that escalated to petting.

  At first they started with friendly little pecks on the cheeks; then graduated to soft kisses on the lips. From there, deep-seeded passionate kisses with plenty of tongue. The other day when they’d enjoyed a swim, something they’d done hundreds of times before, Shay nearly hyperventilated when he stepped from the pool in black briefs. She became instantly stimulated and had to drape a towel around her chest when he rubbed lotion onto her shoulders. That day she vowed never to go swimming with him again. Even as she made that vow, she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it. Fact was, she liked being with him and constantly fantasized about being intimate with him.

  Today they’d gone ice-skating. She hadn’t planned on coming back to the house with him, but at the last minute changed her mind. They had made tacos for dinner and went into the den to watch a movie. Halfway through The Bodyguard, she ended up straddling his lap, nearly intoxicated from kissing him. A soft moan escaped when she felt the tenderness of his fingers underneath her tank top. But then he suddenly lifted her from him and went into the kitchen.

  “Why didn’t I just leave?” she groaned as she squeezed the water from her sponge. Shay knew the answer: She really didn’t want to.

  Shay’s heart warmed as she reminisced about how good Brian made her feel. After the initial penetration, Brian was so gentle and caring, fumbling his way. She appreciated him for taking his time to try and please her. When she reached the pinnacle of womanhood, she cried softly. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think she was in love with him.

  She bolted upright, splashing water on the floor. “Oh, God!” Panic filled her, now realizing how irresponsible she’d behaved. She and Brian had had intercourse twice without any protection!

  “Oh, God, please don’t make me pay for my sin with an unwanted pregnancy,” she prayed. She would have to wait at least a week for the answer to that prayer.

  Before climbing into bed, she kneeled down and prayed. “God, please forgive me for yielding to my flesh and committing fornication. Forgive me for enjoying it. And, God, please take away this guilt and please take this desire from me.”

  Chapter 2

  After a long hot shower, Brian lay in bed unable to sleep. He looked at the now-empty space next to him. Changing the sheets hadn’t changed the facts at all. Brian had given his virginity to LaShay Hampton. “How did I get here?” he asked himself for what seemed like the thousandth time. He already knew the answer; Brian wanted to be with Shay, had wanted to for a long time.

  For the last two years, she’d been the woman in his life. It didn’t start out like that. In the beginning, Shay was just his buddy, someone to hang out with when he visited his dad. That first year, she rarely called him by his name, opting to identify him as “fat head”. They had a lot in common, but he thought she was bossy and controlling. Shay always had to have the last word on everything. They couldn’t get through the day without at least one argument. Then after his little brother, Josiah, was born things changed. She changed.

  She no longer bossed him around, but treated him with respect. Like he was equal to her and she no longer threw the fact that she was eleven months older than him in his face. When he needed someone to talk to, Shay was his best listener and his chief supporter for every idea. She was always there for him.

  For two years, he tried to ignore his feelings for her. Brian was successful as long as he didn’t see her, which wasn’t too often. After he committed his life to God, he thought his feelings for her would go away, at least the physical ones, but they didn’t. Shay didn’t give him any reason to think she felt the same, so he never voiced his feelings to her.

  Brian knew spending so much time with her was lethal to his salvation, but he couldn’t help it. He just had to see her, had to hear her voice and rationalized his need for her as friendship. Brian was handling his physical feelings for her well until a few days ago when they went swimming.

  Brian was glad that he was already in the pool when she removed her robe, revealing the little red two-piece swimsuit. Somehow when he wasn’t looking, Shay had transformed into a woman. The kind of woman he liked. Her five-foot-seven-inch frame owned all the right curves in the right places for him. Her cappuccino skin matched perfectly with her hazel eyes and light-brown hair. Brian wondered what she would have done if she knew what was running through his mind as he rubbed lotion onto her. Shay’s skin felt so good, he told himself that was the last time he would touch her until the time was right. Brian knew that day he would eventually have her; he just didn’t know it would come this soon and under these circumstances. He’d figured once he finished law school, they would try a relationship.

  Today, Brian knew it was risky inviting her inside, but he wasn’t ready for her to leave. He didn’t have to sit so close to her either. Before he knew it, Shay was straddling him and he was held captive by the sweetness of her mouth. Brian broke his promise not to touch her when he slipped his hands beneath her top and caressed her. He didn’t mean to, but her soft skin was too inviting. The deep moan that escaped her lips brought him back to reality and he quickly got away from her.

  Brian never asked Shay to leave; he hoped by the time he returned from the kitchen she’d be gone, but she wasn’t. When they made eye contact, he knew he had lost the battle for his sexual purity.

  There was no doubt in his mind, what happened between them was wrong, but it was also beautiful. Brian gave her part of himself he could never get back and truth be told, he didn’t want it back. Being inside the woman he cherished had in a sense stripped him of himself and at the same time ushered in unimaginable guilt and shame. His body was a temple and he defiled it by being one with Shay. Although it was wrong, he was happy they’d shared their first experience with each other.

  Before Brian dozed off, he prayed for forgiveness and for God to remove the desire he still held for Shay.

  Chapter 3

  Shay’s mother, Julia Simone-Pennington, sat on the floor of the den playing with two-year-old Josiah. He was her miracle baby. After rearing Shay, she’d thought her days of parenthood were over. They were until she fell in love and married Reverend Reginald Pennington. At times, she wished they were younger, because she loved him so much that she wanted to give him a whole tribe of babies. After three years of marriage, she could still count on him to keep every promise he made to her.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Reggie said as he slipped his arms around her and kissed her neck.

  “I see you’ve finally gotten enough strength to crawl out of bed,” she teased.

  “You shouldn’t do me like that first thing in the morning. It takes me until noon to recuperate,” he said this ti
me kissing her on the lips.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Reggie picked up Josiah. “Brian called and asked me to stop by. He wants to talk to me about something.”

  “Is everything all right?” she asked

  “I don’t know, he just said he needed to talk.”

  Julia was quiet for a moment. “Honey, you should eat before you go.” She went into the kitchen to heat his food.

  “Some things never change,” Julia said when Shay entered the kitchen.

  “Good morning, Mom.”

  “Baby, it’s after noon, but that’s morning to you,” Julia teased her daughter.

  “I got in late last night.”

  “I know. We turned in after eleven o’clock and you weren’t here yet.” She gave her daughter a stern look.

  “Sorry, Mama, I should’ve called.”

  “Yes, you should have. I know you’re twenty-three, but that doesn’t keep me from worrying about you. Next time just call, so I can go to bed without worrying, alright?”

  “Alright, Mom.” Shay smiled, thinking if she’d called last night she wouldn’t be a fornicator this morning.

  Reggie placed Josiah’s highchair between him and Shay at the kitchen table.

  “Good afternoon, sleeping beauty.”

  “Hey, Dad,” Shay affectionately addressed her stepfather.

  Julia and Reggie exchanged glances with each other. Normally, Shay didn’t address her stepfather by the endearing term.

  Shay cleared up the confusion. “I know what I said, Reggie. I called you ‘Dad’. Outside of Uncle Jonathan, you’re the closest thing to a father I’ll ever have, so get used to it,” she said flatly.

  “It’s not that I don’t like you addressing me in that manner, you just surprised me,” Reggie clarified.