Temptation

by Victoria Christopher Murray

  “Who do you think you are?” Jasmine yelled. “Coming into my house and telling me what to do with my friends! Well, I have news for you. I was friends with Kyla way before you even came into the picture. You have no right to come in here and try to tell me what to do!”

  Alexis stood, towering over Jasmine. “Oh, I have every right. Because I know what a real friend is. You know what, Jasmine?” Alexis started as she folded her arms in front of her. “I always knew you were scum. I did. But even I never believed you would slither this low. You’re right, you have known Kyla a lot longer, which makes it even more amazing that you did what you did. How did you trick Jefferson into going to bed with you?”

  “Trick him! Is that what you think?” Jasmine laughed. “Jefferson could have easily said no, but he wanted me.”

  “Ha! Maybe the way a dog wants a bone—to chew on for a second, then throw away. Let me give you this news flash. Jefferson doesn’t want you. He doesn’t even like you. He loves Kyla. So, be smart—stay away from them,” Alexis said menacingly.

  “You think you can walk into my house and threaten me? Are you out of your mind? You have some nerve. Dressed in your expensive clothes like you’re somebody . . .”

  “Expensive clothes don’t make you somebody, Jasmine. You’ve proven that.”

  “Well, I’m not scared of you, Alexis. I don’t care who you are or how many businesses you own. You can’t stop what’s happening with me and Jefferson. We’ll be together tonight and there is nothing you can do about it.”

  Alexis shook her head slowly. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d feel sorry for you. You have lost what little mind you did have. So, because you don’t have much sense left, I’m going to break this down. Stay . . . away . . . from . . . Jefferson. Walk away now, while you can still walk.”

  “And if I don’t? What are you going to do?” Jasmine screamed.

  Alexis removed her purse from her shoulder and placed it on the table. She began to take off her jacket.

  Jasmine’s eyes widened. This woman couldn’t be serious.

  Alexis folded her jacket and placed it on the couch. “If you don’t stay away from Jefferson, I’m going to . . . Kick. Your. Behind.”

  Her voice may have been steady, but Jasmine could tell by the way her eyes blazed that Alexis was serious.

  Jasmine paused, letting Alexis’ words settle. She looked her up and down and measured her chances. She wasn’t about to get beaten in her own home. “And you call yourself a Christian.”

  Alexis inhaled a deep breath and took moments to release it. As Jasmine hoped, Alexis paused. “You’re right. I am a Christian. And that gives me even more reason to protect my friends.”

  Jasmine’s heart was still pounding. Maybe her strategy didn’t work, but then she exhaled as Alexis picked up her jacket.

  “Jasmine, next time, I won’t let you off so easy. Stay out of my way and stay away from Jefferson and Kyla. They’re working things out. And as soon as you realize you were a mistake, then you can move on and spin your poisonous web elsewhere!”

  “I told you, Alexis. I’m not afraid of you!”

  Alexis raised her eyebrows. “Then you’re stupider than I thought. You should be afraid.”

  After Alexis stomped out, with shaky legs, Jasmine ran to the door and locked it. Her fisted hands beat against the sides of her legs. Everyone was trying to keep her away from Jefferson, but it was not going to work. After several minutes, she allowed her breathing to become steady. They were all only making her more determined. And with everything in her, she was determined to win.

  Nineteen

  * * *

  It was almost seven when Kyla arrived. Taking a deep breath, she pulled into the garage next to the Range Rover. As soon as she turned off the ignition, the door to the house opened and she gasped as she caught a glimpse of him. He was wearing her favorite outfit—a tight, black, short-sleeved turtleneck and fitted black jeans. His muscles seemed to be popping everywhere. With a smile but hesitant eyes, he held the door open wide for her.

  “Hey, you,” Jefferson smiled.

  Like a moth drawn to a flame, she longed to run into his arms and forget all that had happened. Instead she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her denim duster and stepped past Jefferson, conscious of the charge that shot through her when her arm brushed against his chest.

  He followed her into the kitchen, where she turned to face him, not sure of where to go next. He kept a safe distance, but his eyes bore into hers, screaming his emotions.

  “Do you want something to eat? Or drink?”

  She shook her head. “No.” She paused. “I feel like . . . a visitor.”

  He reached for her, but pulled back when she stiffened. “Kyla, I want you here; I want you home. I want you to come back . . .”

  “Let’s go in there,” she said, pointing to the family room.

  Even when she sat, she didn’t remove her hands from her pockets and the shaking had reached her shoulders.

  “Are you cold?”

  “No,” she frowned.

  Silent seconds dragged as long as minutes and hung between them.

  “Kyla . . .”

  “Jefferson . . .” They spoke simultaneously, then shared a nervous laugh.

  “I love you, Kyla.”

  Her eyes dropped, then she lifted her face, staring back at him. Her face hardened against his stare. It was a moment before she spoke. “I hate you.” The words were so soft and the silence that followed so long, that Kyla wondered if she had really said the words or just imagined them. But, as she watched mist cover his eyes, she knew he’d heard her. “I hate you,” she repeated more emphatically.

  Jefferson swallowed hard and nodded.

  Shaking her head slightly, she continued, “Jefferson, how could you do this to me?”

  “I . . .”

  “How could you do this to us? Why didn’t you tell me that you weren’t happy . . .”

  “That’s not true. I was . . . I am happy with you.”

  “Then how could you do it?”

  He hung his head. “I don’t know. I made a terrible mistake . . . I can’t even explain it.”

  “Those kind of mistakes were not supposed to happen to us, Jefferson.”

  “I know. I don’t understand it myself.”

  “You don’t understand it?” she asked as she stood. “Well, let me see if you can understand this.” Facing the pictures on the mantel, she inhaled, willing herself to speak without tears. “The mistake you made ripped the guts out of me! I feel like I’ve been in surgery, but the doctors forgot to use anesthesia and then they forgot to close me up. I feel like I’ve been torn apart, split open, and left raw.”

  Jefferson brought shaky hands to his face, holding them under his chin as if he were praying. He nodded and waited for her to continue.

  Walking back to the couch, she sat on the edge and faced him. “You were in my blood, Jefferson, deep inside my bones. Every fiber of who I am loved you like a crazy woman, and now,” she paused and her hands fingered the gold heart around her neck. “Now, every space where there was love is now flooded with pain. There is no place on my body that doesn’t hurt, and I’m afraid this pain will never go away.”

  Instinctively, he reached for her hands and this time, she didn’t pull back. “Kyla, it will go away. I promise you. I will take it away. I will do anything I have to do.”

  Her head shook slightly. “You gave it to me, but you can’t take it away. I have to do that and I don’t know if I can.”

  “But Kyla, you didn’t do anything . . . I’ll do it . . .”

  “Yes I did. I lived in a make-believe world, blind to everything. I trusted you, I trusted Jasmine. I opened my home and my heart to that woman and . . .” She stopped.

  “Kyla, the only person to blame is me. I will put us back together. Counseling, working with Pastor Ford, whatever it takes. I want to help you heal, help us heal.”

  “You want me to heal?
” She looked him directly in the eye. “Heal from what, Jefferson?”

  His eyes narrowed. “From all the pain I caused you. From everything . . .”

  “Does that include AIDS?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Are you going to make sure I don’t get AIDS from you?”

  He blinked rapidly. “What?”

  “Did you use a condom, Jefferson?” Tears were beginning to fill her eyes once again.

  “Of course not. I don’t use condoms . . .” And then it hit him. He was a doctor and he had never considered the possibility of disease. “No, it wasn’t planned,” he said. “I didn’t want to . . . she came over here and seduced me . . .” His eyes couldn’t meet Kyla’s glance. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Then, this could just be the beginning.”

  “I’ll get tested . . .” He was surprised at how thin his voice sounded.

  “And, what about Jasmine? Suppose she becomes . . . pregnant.”

  He was silent for a moment before he spoke, “She’s not pregnant.”

  Kyla’s head reared back. “She’s not? How do you know? Are you shooting blanks now?” Even she winced at her angry words.

  “I will take care of everything. I’ll get us back to where we were.”

  “You can’t do that. Nothing will be the same again.”

  “All I know is that I love you and I’m holding on to the belief that you love me. And God is here with us, still in control. The Lord will help us make things right.”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  “Tell me, Kyla. Tell me that you don’t love me. Tell me that everything from the last sixteen years has been wiped away.”

  She sat still, silent.

  He lowered his eyes. “Please give me a chance to work through this.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered, her voice quavering.

  Slowly, he moved towards her and knelt, his hands resting gently in her lap. “We love each other and what we have is so much stronger than what I’ve done.”

  She closed her eyes. “I just want . . .”

  “What? What do you want?”

  She looked up, and against her will, her hands touched his face, her fingers traced the lines around his eyes. “I want to love you again . . .”

  He breathed. “That’s what I want . . .”

  “But I can’t.”

  “Yes . . . yes you can. We can make it. Our love was strong; it is strong. And I believe in us. That’s what you have to believe too.”

  “Our love wasn’t strong enough to keep you away from another woman.”

  He swallowed. “That was because of me, Kyla. Because of my shortcomings as a man. It was not about you or our love. You’ve got to give me another chance.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t open myself up like this again . . .”

  A tear eased down his cheek. “Kyla, there will never be another time like this. I can promise you that . . .”

  “You made that promise before.”

  He grimaced. “I did. And with what has happened, with all the pain I’ve caused you, I know that I could never do anything like this again. I am begging you. I am begging for your forgiveness.”

  Kyla remained still.

  “Can you try to forgive me? Just try?” His eyes pierced her with that question. “Try to remember the life we had before this, Kyla. Remember the love you know I had for you. It is still there. Try to remember . . .”

  Her eyes softened and he knew she was remembering.

  “Can you try to forgive me?” he repeated. “I know it’s going to take a lot of work. I know it may take months, even years. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance. I will spend every day of my life being the man that you thought I was. Being the man that you loved. All I want is a chance . . .”

  “Just a chance . . .” she whispered.

  “That’s all I’m asking.”

  She brought her hands to her face to hold back the tears that wanted to burst forth.

  “Just a chance . . . to show you that I love you with all that is in me,” Jefferson continued.

  She moved her head up and down.

  He didn’t want to wish or hope, but couldn’t help saying his next words. “You’ll come back? You’ll stay?”

  Again, she nodded.

  In slow motion, he stood, and with tentative movements, leaned forward, reaching for her hands. When she didn’t resist, he pulled her to her feet and hugged her close. They held each other tightly, trying to find the familiar space. Taking the tips of his fingers, he brushed her face and moved his lips to hers. She pulled away, shaking her head.

  He put his fingers against her lips. “It’s all right, Kyla.”

  Turning away, her watery eyes roamed the room, trying to find a safe space.

  He moved away, fighting his urge to hold her and giving her the space she needed. Forcing a smile, he said, “It’s still early. Why don’t we go out and get something to eat?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Neither am I, not really.”

  As she stood there, looking like a lost child, his heart reached out to her. And he wanted to do the same, but he continued to hold back. He didn’t want to chase her away.

  “Tomorrow, I’m going to call Pastor and try to get us in to see her right away. And I’ll take care of those . . . other things you mentioned.”

  She couldn’t look at him. She nodded.

  It felt awkward, the stranger’s kind of silence that surrounded them. “We can watch television or something. Whatever you want to do.”

  “Actually, I’m kind of tired. I think I’m going to call Alexis, then turn in. If that’s all right with you.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll come up with you . . .”

  Her words came quickly. “I’m not going to sleep up there . . .” Her eyes looked up towards their bedroom. “I’ll sleep in the guest bedroom.”

  “Okay.”

  The stranger’s silence returned.

  “I’ll go in now.”

  “Kyla, before you go . . . maybe we can pray together.”

  Her smile seemed weary. “Of course.”

  She returned to the couch and took his hands. They bowed their heads and Jefferson prayed. “Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you with praise and thanksgiving . . .”

  Kyla tried to focus on Jefferson’s prayer, but her mind was filled with a million thoughts. She squeezed her eyes tighter, trying to block out everything she was feeling. Was she doing the right thing? Maybe they needed more time apart?

  “And,” Jefferson paused from what he’d been saying and opened his eyes, looking directly at Kyla. “Help Kyla to know that I love her with all my heart.”

  At the mention of her name, Kyla opened her eyes. They stared at each other for a moment before Jefferson continued, “In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, Amen.”

  Kyla dropped Jefferson’s hand and stood. “Good night,” she said. He moved towards her, then stopped when she held up her hands. “No, Jefferson. I’ll see you in the morning. We can talk more then.”

  He watched her walk into the bedroom, and though his heart ached, he forced a smile. At least she was home. One step at a time.

  “I can’t believe you have me doing this,” Brian complained as he turned off Slauson and started up the hill towards the Colony Homes.

  “You were the one who said we had to do anything to get them back together.”

  “They are together. And we’re about to interrupt them.”

  “We’re not going to interrupt them if we don’t have to. I just want to make sure that Jasmine doesn’t show up like she said she would. No! Don’t pull into their driveway!”

  Brian swerved and kept driving straight. “Where am I supposed to go?”

  “Down the street. I don’t want anyone to see us.”

  Brian sighed deeply and turned the car around.

  “Work with me a little, honey,” Alexis said, as she rubbed her hand along his leg. “We won’t be long.”
He parked a few houses down and Alexis peered through the windows. “They’re home. The lights are on.” Her eyes searched the street. “And there’s no sign of Jasmine’s car.”

  “I can’t believe things have come to this. You’re turning me into a voyeur.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up; we’re not going to be peeking into anybody’s windows. We’ll wait a while and if Jasmine doesn’t show up, we’ll leave, okay?”

  “We’re wasting time. She’s not crazy enough to show up here.”

  “She’s not, huh?” Alexis asked pointing her finger. “Guess who’s coming to visit.”

  They watched a car approach slowly, then turn into the Blakes’ driveway.

  “I am not going to let her do this!” Alexis was bolting down the street before she completed her words. When Jasmine stepped from her car, Alexis was waiting. “Hello, Jasmine,” she said.

  “What are you doing here?” Jasmine’s voice did not hide her surprise.

  “I thought you understood English.”

  Jasmine slammed her car door. “Alexis, this is none of your business.”

  “I told you to stay away from Jefferson.”

  “Who are you?” Jasmine was indignant. “His bodyguard?”

  “No, I’m in charge of pest control. Jasmine, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you go home and haunt your own house?”

  “I don’t care what you say or what you think. This is between me and Jefferson. No one else. And besides that, he wants me. You’re making me out to be the villain and it’s Jefferson who took me to bed. Now, excuse me, he’s waiting for me now.”

  “Jasmine, you’re crazy and you’re a liar. Jefferson doesn’t want to see you. He’s with Kyla right now.”

  Jasmine took a step towards Alexis. “I don’t believe you.” Her voice was tight.

  “She’s telling you the truth.”

  The voice came from behind her and Jasmine spun around, squinting in the dark. She smiled. “Hi, Brian. I don’t know if you remember me. We’ve met a few times, I’m Jasmine.”

  “I know who you are.”

  Her smile widened. “Are you going to see Jefferson? So am I,” she said as she glared at Alexis.