Temptation

by Victoria Christopher Murray

  “Only sick folks call me doctor and sick is certainly not the word I’d use to describe you.”

  Alexis laughed.

  “And it’s no longer morning,” he chuckled. “Sorry I woke you.”

  “It’s okay. I never sleep this late,” she yawned.

  “Well, I promised I would call. I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed talking with you last night.”

  Her smile grew wider. “I enjoyed myself too.”

  “Good. Then, I uh . . . you mentioned that you weren’t sure if you had any plans for today and I was wondering if we could get together later.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Is there anything in particular you like to do?”

  “I enjoy all kinds of things,” she flirted. “What about you?”

  He cleared his throat. “Why don’t I pick you up around four and then we can decide.”

  “Sounds great.”

  She gave him her address, then jumped from the bed and scurried to the mirror. Turning from side to side, she pulled her hair back. Good thing last week was touch-up time. She noticed her nails. Spreading her fingers wide, she frowned.

  She punched in one of the coded numbers on her phone.

  “Nancy’s Nails.”

  “Hey Nancy, this is Alexis. I need a humongous favor.”

  “What, girl?”

  “Squeeze me in today. Right now.”

  “Oh girl, it’s Saturday. We’re already backed up.”

  “Pleeease.”

  “Why didn’t you come in yesterday?” Nancy whined.

  “Because I didn’t know I’d have a date tonight.”

  “Get out of here! A couple of decades have passed since you had a date! You told me you’d given up on men.”

  “Well, some things change. Please, Nancy. I’ll pay you triple.”

  “Triple? Well, girl, just how fast can you get here?”

  The day’s light streaming through the bedroom window and the warm rays settling on her face awakened Kyla. With her eyes still shut, she stretched, basking in the extra hours of sleep she had gotten. Usually she greeted the dawn and got Nicole dressed, fed, and ready for her acting class. But with their daughter away, leisurely hours were laid out before them this weekend like a precious gem.

  Rolling over, she allowed thoughts of last night to drift through her mind and her lips curved into a smile. She reached across the bed, patting around for Jefferson. The empty satin sheets felt smooth and cool.

  She sat up, straining to listen for her husband, but knew that he could be anywhere in their capacious home. She climbed from the bed and her eyes roamed the room for her bathrobe.

  “Ooh, baby. If you keep standing there like that we’ll just have to start last night all over again.” Jefferson came into the bedroom balancing a breakfast tray in one hand.

  Kyla felt the heat rush to her face and giggled as she grabbed the top sheet off the brass-framed bed. Twisting it around her body, she turned to face her husband.

  “Ah, don’t hide.” He tugged the sheet away from her as he laid the tray upon the bed. “I love the way you look.” He traced his fingers across her bare shoulders, then kissed her softly.

  “I think you’re more appreciative of my body than the neighbors will be,” she said, pointing to the uncovered window, then pulled the sheet around her once again. “Is this for me?” she asked, looking at the array of fruit set extravagantly on the tray.

  “Yes, I did it all by myself.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead. “You know, Ky, I can’t remember having a better birthday. Did I thank you?”

  “You thanked me very well last night,” she said, brushing her lips against his.

  As he pulled her down onto his lap, the sheet fell and she shivered against the cool air.

  “Let me warm you up.” He nuzzled against her neck and planted small, soft kisses. Kyla closed her eyes and inhaled softly. “If you don’t stop doing this to me, I’ll never get out of here.”

  “Where are you going?” She wrapped her hands tighter around his neck.

  “I have to go to the clinic.”

  She pulled back.

  “I have to finish up the expansion paperwork with Brian. Remember, you’re taking the proposal in for us on Monday.” Jefferson took a grape off the tray and rubbed it against her pouting lips before he dropped it into her mouth. “Shannon’s coming in for a few hours, so we should be finished quickly. I told her I’d be in by noon, but I was recovering. You wore me out last night.”

  Kyla took a grape from the tray and ran her tongue lightly against it before she fed it to him. “Maybe I could tempt you . . . to stay?”

  “I’m definitely tempted,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “But I’ve got to go.”

  “I thought we’d spend the entire weekend celebrating. That’s why I sent Nicole to your mom’s.”

  “Kyla, if we celebrated my birthday all weekend, I would never let you get out of this bed!”

  “That was my plan.” She tugged at the buttons on his shirt. “Stay.” She ran her tongue along his neck.

  “I won’t be long.” He brought her fingers to his lips. “Do you want to go out tonight or should we stay in and finish where we left off?”

  “It’s your birthday. We’ll do whatever you want.”

  “Woman, don’t make no promises that you can’t keep.”

  She tipped her head from side to side. “Oh, I can keep my promises.” Her smile was seductive. “I may have been a virgin when I married you, but you’ve been an excellent teacher.”

  “And, you’ve been the perfect student.” He leaned over and their tongues did a slow waltz. Kyla felt her heartbeat rise to the rhythm of their kiss.

  It was minutes before they broke their embrace. “I’d better get out of here. I won’t be able to stop in a few minutes,” he said, his eyes revealing all that he felt. As he leaned forward to kiss her again, she held his head close for a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked noticing her faint frown. “You’re not upset that I have to go to the office, are you?”

  “No. I understand,” she said softly.

  “So? What’s wrong?”

  “We’re so happy. And it’s always been like this. God has poured down infinite blessings on us.”

  “He has. But if you feel things are too good, just remember all those times you tell me I’m getting on your nerves.”

  “I’m serious, Jefferson. Will things always be this good?”

  His fingers grazed the side of her face as he nodded. “We’ve had sixteen wonderful years and we’ll have sixteen times sixteen more.”

  She smiled.

  “And do you know why?” he continued. “Because it’s not just us. It’s you and me and God.”

  They kissed again. “Get out of here,” she said, giving him a little push.

  She watched his back as he strutted from the room, his gabardine slacks revealing his four-times-a-week workouts. Picking up an orange slice, she stretched on the bed, lingering in the quiet. After she finished, she put on Jefferson’s terrycloth bathrobe and took the tray downstairs, laying it on the kitchen’s granite countertop. She wandered into the family room, wiggling her toes through the deep cream carpet.

  Thanks to Carmen’s visit yesterday, the house was spotless. Kyla bounced onto the leather couch and clicked on the television. The surround-sound thundered through the room and she clicked the remote, returning the room to silence.

  Now what was she going to do? She had rearranged her normal Saturday activities. Miss Imogene was overseeing the construction workers at The Compassion House and with Nicole away, she wasn’t playing Shuttle Mom. The only thing she had to do was wait for Jefferson to return.

  For a moment, she thought about going upstairs to her exercise room and spending some time on the bike, but she didn’t have the desire to even climb the stairs. Leaning back, she picked up the Bible they kept on the end table and turned to her favorite book.

&nbs
p; She loved the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul’s letter about faith and the grace of God. From the first verse, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, to the last verse, Nor height, nor depth nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, this was one book of the Bible that left no doubt about God’s love.

  She reread the chapter a few times, trying to commit it to memory. But after a while, her eyelids grew heavy. Closing the Bible, she stretched out and allowed herself to drift into a peaceful sleep.

  Jasmine wasn’t dreaming . . . the phone was ringing. She reached for the pink cordless phone. “Hello.” Her voice was groggy.

  “Jasmine, it’s Serena. You sound like you were taking a nap.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Well, it’s five here, so it’s two out there.”

  Jasmine struggled to sit up and rubbed her eyes. “I was out late last night.”

  “That’s good. So, you’re starting to get out now?”

  “It was no big deal. Kyla gave a birthday party for Jefferson. Anyway, why’d you call?”

  “Can’t I just call my sister to say hello and see how she’s doing?”

  “You can, but we both know you don’t. So, what’s up?”

  “I’m hurt. I just wanted to say hello . . .”

  “And . . .”

  Serena laughed. “And, Dad’s here and wants to talk to you.”

  Jasmine sat straight up. “No! I don’t want to talk to him. You didn’t tell him about me and Kenny, did you?”

  “No, you need to do that,” Serena whispered.

  “Is he standing right there?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, I’ve got to go.”

  “What am I supposed to say?”

  “I don’t know. You had the big idea to call me so you figure it out. But don’t tell him about Kenny.”

  Jasmine clicked the phone. Seconds later, when it rang again, she slumped into the couch’s pillows and waited for the answering machine to pick up. She massaged her neck, trying to relieve the stiffness that settled in from a restless slumber. When she tried to stand, the ache stung her back. She always felt this way when she slept in the living room and each time she promised herself never to do it again. Sleeping on a loveseat was impossible, but that’s all they had in the living room—two matching loveseats. That had been Kenny’s idea—to be a little different. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

  Holding her head in her hands, she sat up straight when the doorbell startled her. She sat still, silent, willing the visitor to disappear. But when the ringing continued, Jasmine remembered that her BMW was sitting outside. Her garage door had broken and she had meant to get it fixed, but she didn’t even know how to begin. Kenny had always handled these things. Maybe Jefferson will do it for me, she thought.

  When she realized the visitor would not be dissuaded, she crept to the door, peeked through the peephole and raised her eyebrows in surprise. She opened the door, just enough for Kyla to squeeze in, and stumbled back to her makeshift bed.

  Kyla followed Jasmine to the couch, and when Kyla leaned over and hugged her, Jasmine burst into tears.

  Kyla held her, trying to bring comfort as they’d done for each other so many times before. As Jasmine’s sobs continued, Kyla pulled her tighter, wondering what could have gone wrong. Last night, she had thought Jasmine was taking the first steps towards recovering. For the first time in months, she had looked like she was ready to move on.

  Minutes ticked by before Jasmine lifted her head. “I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “I cried so much last night I didn’t think I had any tears left. But when you hugged me . . . it’s been so long since someone hugged me and meant it.”

  “I thought you were crying because you know how bad you look,” Kyla said, hoping to buy a smile. It didn’t work. Instead, Jasmine wept softly.

  Kyla went to the bathroom and returned with a box of tissues, but when she saw Jasmine, she stopped short. “Ugh! Girl, that’s nasty!”

  Jasmine burst out laughing.

  “At least I made you laugh,” Kyla said.

  “Because you’re so crazy. What does it matter where I wipe my nose? I’m the only one who lives here.”

  “So. Your snot will still be all over that blanket and you’ll never be able to use it again. Here.” Kyla wrinkled her nose, stretched out her hand and handed Jasmine the tissues.

  Still chuckling, Jasmine yanked a few tissues from the box. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be out celebrating.”

  “I wish. Jefferson had to go to the clinic. Just had to finish up some paperwork for the expansion.”

  “So the Medical Center is getting bigger and better.”

  “We hope so.”

  “They’ve done some incredible things over there. I know you’re proud.”

  “I am. We’ve been blessed.”

  “That’s the story of your life. Success is your middle name.”

  After a long silence, Kyla said, “I thought things were going a little better for you.”

  “I thought so too.” Jasmine bit on her lip and fought back the tears that threatened to come again. “It’s so hard,” her voice quivered. “I never expected Kenny to walk out.”

  “You said you put him out,” Kyla frowned.

  “I didn’t want to be embarrassed.”

  Kyla leaned over and touched her friend’s hand. “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about.”

  “Well, I am. Especially since I’d been asking him for a divorce for years . . .”

  “I never knew that.”

  “Yes, you did. You never paid any attention to me. You just thought I was complaining. I didn’t think Kenny was listening either. Only he was. The thing is, I never really wanted a divorce.”

  “Then why did you say you did?”

  “It’s only been since he left that I realized that I never wanted him to leave. I just wanted him to be different. I wanted him to be more.”

  When Kyla’s eyes questioned her, Jasmine continued with a sideways glance. “To be honest . . . I wanted him to be more like Jefferson.”

  Kyla’s eyes narrowed. “Like Jefferson how?”

  “I wanted him to be ambitious and successful and financially stable and give me all of the things that Jefferson gives you.”

  “Jasmine, I hope you never said that to him.”

  “Not in so many words, but he got the message. Kenny never had any drive. He would have been satisfied being a research assistant with that insurance company forever. Did you know that in the ten years he was with them, he only got two raises?”

  “Maybe that’s all they would give him.”

  “He should have found another job. Everyone knows that you have to change companies to advance. But Kenny couldn’t put his energy into that. All he was interested in was hanging out. He knew every Happy Hour at every club in L.A. And on the weekends, it was worse. He would hang out and dance the hours away. It got to the point where I only saw him when he came home to sleep and change his clothes.”

  “I never knew that,” Kyla said trying to keep the surprise from her voice.

  “I wanted you to think I had the perfect life like you. And whenever we planned anything with you and Jefferson, Kenny would make sure he was there. He liked you guys. He just didn’t like me.”

  “Now, I know that’s not true. Kenny loved you. I think he kept you alive when your mother passed away. That was when I knew he was something special.”

  Jasmine hugged a pillow and nodded her head slightly. “It may have started out that way, but things changed. I wanted to grow, get more out of life. And Kenny wanted that too. Only he was a dreamer. The only way he was going to get anything was if he won the lottery. He let me do all the work. He was willing to go along for the ride.”

  Kyla looked at Jasmine as if she were seeing her for the first time. As close
as she thought they were, she hadn’t known that this had been going on in Jasmine’s life. “So things started getting bad because Kenny didn’t make the money you wanted?”

  “That and the fact that I hated his job. Do you know how embarrassing it was when we went out and I had to introduce him as a research assistant?”

  “What was so bad about that?”

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Only a woman who is married to a doctor could ask that.”

  “Jasmine, look at all that you have.”

  “Oh please! I have a house that I can’t afford, bills stacked to the ceiling, and a different man in my bed every week because I can’t stand to sleep alone.”

  “Jasmine . . .”

  “Remember when we said we were going to marry doctors?”

  “But we were kids. Jefferson wasn’t a doctor when I fell in love with him. What does it matter what your husband does if you love him?”

  “It’s easy for you to say that now. You and Jefferson made me and Kenny look like paupers.” Jasmine tossed the pillow angrily across the room, then leaned back and folded her arms in front of her.

  Kyla was surprised at Jasmine’s words. “That’s not true, Jasmine. But you have to stop comparing our lives. Kenny was not Jefferson and you’re not me.”

  “Don’t you think I know that! Kenny didn’t have to be Jefferson. He just should’ve been a better Kenny.”

  “Maybe Kenny was being the best he could be.”

  Jasmine snickered and shook her head. There was no way Kyla would understand. “It wasn’t good enough.”

  Kyla stared at Jasmine. “Is that why he left?” she asked softly.

  Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t know the real reason.”

  “Maybe it was because you were telling Kenny the same things that society told him every day—that he wasn’t good enough. That had to kill him.”

  Jasmine hunched her shoulders, but said nothing.

  “Did you guys ever think of counseling?” Kyla asked.

  Jasmine nodded. “Kenny wanted to go, but there wasn’t really a need for it. A counselor wouldn’t have been able to help. All we needed was for Kenny to change even just a little bit.”

  Kyla paused, carefully choosing her next words. “I wish you and Kenny had been more spiritual. I wish you had God in your lives.”