That was not an option for James. “No, I can’t do it.”
“What if this woman comes after you again?”
“Then I’ll put her in her place.”
“But what if she doesn’t stop? You can nip this in the bud now. Don’t let this manifest into something bigger. You are really underestimating Michelle’s love for you and her intelligence. And you better hope and pray real hard that she doesn’t ask me about that lie you told about me calling you over here.”
“It just really ticks me off that Amaryllis has placed me in a position where I have to lie to Mickey.”
“Amaryllis didn’t put you in a position to lie, you’ve made that decision all on your own, son.”
James walked to the door then turned to his Bishop. “Can you get my dinner for me?”
“In this house, liars get their own dinners.”
James walked into the kitchen and returned with the Tupperware bowl. He got to the door and paused. “I appreciate your time, Bishop.”
“You can mess around and let the devil destroy your relationship if you want to, but I advise you strongly to do the right thing and tell Michelle before it’s too late. I will say ‘I told you so’ before I try and help you fix the situation.”
James didn’t respond. He walked out the door and gently shut it behind him, not even giving his Bishop’s advice another thought.
Chapter 7
Two days later, on a Friday morning, James exited the elevator and walked straight into Michelle’s office without acknowledging Amaryllis sitting behind her desk. As soon as James closed the door, Amaryllis went to Michelle’s office door and pressed her ear against it to eavesdrop.
Michelle stood up and practically ran into James’ arms. “There’s my gorgeous man.”
He squeezed Michelle so tight he almost took her breath away. “I keep telling you that you’re the gorgeous one, Mickey.”
“Not me, you are.”
“No, you are.”
Michelle kissed his lips. “This is something we’ll never agree on.”
Amaryllis listened as they complimented each other. She was fed up with this ‘you’re the gorgeous one’ crap. Who cared about all of that? Every time Michelle and James got together, they drove her nuts with their petty game. One would think they were two teenagers the way they carried on.
Michelle had better have her fun now, because Amaryllis was getting ready to nip that ‘gorgeous’ thing in the bud.
Michelle wrapped her arms around James’s neck. “What brings you here?”
“I stopped by to ask you for a huge favor.”
“How huge?”
“Not real big huge.”
“Small huge?”
“I’m hoping you’ll see it that way.”
Michelle went back to her chair and sat down then looked at him. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“Alex and I are flying to Detroit to fetch two bad guys we’ve been looking for. For the past six months, they’ve been on the move. Apparently, they were hiding out in Motown and thought they had gotten away scot-free until they were spotted in a nightclub. And since it’s our case, we’ve got to do the fetching.”
“What did they do?”
“Let’s just say that women will be a lot safer without these two goons walking the streets.”
“Oh, I see. But what has this got to do with a favor from me?”
“I’ve got carpet cleaners coming out this evening to get a grape juice stain out of my carpet in the living room. I was hoping you’d let them in for me because Alex and I won’t get back until late tonight. It has taken three weeks to get this appointment and I really don’t wanna cancel. Please say you’ll do it.”
Michelle got up, walked around the desk and sat in his lap. “What time?”
“The appointment is for five o’clock this evening.”
“Okay, I’ll do it for you. I’m due in court at eleven this morning and I’m sure I’ll be done by then.”
James kissed Michelle on the lips. “Thanks, babe, I owe you one.”
James gave Michelle access to his apartment. “This big key is for the main door, and this silver one is for my top lock. The gold one is for my bottom lock.”
On the other side of the door, Amaryllis made a mental note of which key went to which lock.
“James, please be careful with these men. I don’t wanna have to hurt anybody for messing with my baby.”
He pulled Michelle into his arms. “I love the way you love me, Mickey.”
“If she loved you, she’d make love to you,” Amaryllis mumbled under her breath. She heard footsteps and hurried back to her desk. She sat down and began typing on her keyboard.
James exited Michelle’s office and was walking when he stopped and turned around. From his interior suit jacket pocket, he withdrew something large, squared and wrapped in silver paper foil. He tossed it to Michelle. She caught it and gave James the widest grin when she saw what it was.
“Ooh, a Chunky. My baby knows what I like.” Michelle smiled.
“There’s more where that came from. I’ll call you later.” He closed Michelle’s door behind him and completely ignored Amaryllis. He went straight to the elevator and pressed the ‘down’ button.
Amaryllis’ eyes followed him and she admired the way James’ suit framed him. She’d give anything to see those biceps and triceps that were bulging through the linen. And tonight she may get her chance to do just that.
“Hey, Detective, you want to have a little fun with your handcuffs?” Amaryllis teased. “We could play ‘cops and robbers’ and I’ll let you lock me up.”
The elevator doors opened and James stepped into it and turned to face Amaryllis. “You’re sick, you know that?”
The elevator doors closed and she sat there hot and bothered. James was playing hard to get real well, but that night, Amaryllis had plans to break him all the way down.
On a yellow sticky note, Amaryllis wrote down the information about James’ apartment keys then folded it and put it in her purse.
Just then, Michelle came from her office. “Hey, sis, I’m on my way to meet Daddy for brunch before heading to the courthouse. You ought to come with me. You could see your big sister do her thang.”
“Nope, don’t feel like being bothered with Daddy today. He irks me.”
Michelle exhaled. “Amaryllis, you and Daddy have got to get it together.”
“Tell him that,” Amaryllis said, giving Michelle much attitude.
Michelle exhaled a sigh of frustration, put her purse on her shoulder and walked to the elevator. “You know what? I’m not gonna let you two stress me today, I’ll see you later.”
As soon as Michelle was out of sight, Amaryllis hurried into her office to look for James’ keys. She frowned when she didn’t see them on the desk. She walked around and opened Michelle’s center drawer and saw one big key, a gold key and a silver key. She snatched James’ keys then grabbed her own keys and purse and walked to the elevator.
Fifteen minutes later, Amaryllis exited a hardware store with her own set of keys to James’ apartment. She crossed the street and entered a beauty supply store, finding just what she was looking for, sitting on a Styrofoam head on one of the store’s shelves.
A sales lady approached her. “May I help you?”
“Yes, how much is that long blond wig?” Amaryllis pointed. After the woman stated the price of the wig, Amaryllis became the owner of it.
Ten minutes later, Amaryllis walked into ‘Snap To It’, and purchased a small camera with a timer. She had one more stop to make. From the moment Amaryllis walked into the pharmacy, it took a half hour for her name to be called.
The pharmacist handed over Amaryllis’ prescription. “I’m sorry about the wait, Miss Price, we had to call Chicago to get your doctor’s approval.”
Amaryllis returned to the law firm with everything she needed. She placed James’ original keys back in Michelle’s center drawer then sat down at Michelle’s desk and
called Bridgette in Chicago.
“Parker & Parker Law Offices, Bridgette speaking.”
“Hey, girl, it’s me. I called to tell you that I’m getting ready to get my man.” Amaryllis was excited.
“You mean you’re getting ready to get someone else’s man.”
“Whatever.” She wasn’t about to let Bridgette rain on her parade.
“When is this going to take place?”
“If I play my cards right, I could sneak in James’ place and set everything up before he gets home tonight.”
Bridgette chuckled. “Set everything up? What are you gonna do, film a movie?”
“Something like that. I gotta wait for Michelle to do her thing first.”
“Your sister, Michelle? What’s she got to do with anything?” Bridgette wondered out loud.
“Oh, Bridgette, I didn’t tell you. James is Michelle’s man.” Amaryllis was nonchalant in her confession.
Bridgette was typing, but she stopped and gave Amaryllis her full and undivided attention. “Say what?”
“You heard me.”
“Amaryllis, is this the same man you told me about before? The detective? The minister?”
“Yep.”
“And he’s your sister’s fiancé?”
“One and the same,” Amaryllis answered, not even caring that her upcoming plans for James would devastate Michelle.
“Okay, you’ve done some wild stuff in your day, but this is totally off the chart, even for you. You didn’t tell me this guy was your sister’s man. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about how good it’s going to feel laying in his arms tonight.”
“Do you hear yourself, girl? He’s your sister’s fiancé. Hello?” Bridgette couldn’t believe Amaryllis’ gall.
“And?”
“And what you’re doing is wrong.”
“Bridgette, you’re the one who told me to do what I gotta do to get my man.”
“Fool, that was before I knew he was marrying your sister. You left that part out when you told me about him, you nut ball.”
“Well, now you know. I need to get off of this phone and plan my evening right.”
“Don’t you hang up on me, Amaryllis. This will destroy your relationship with Michelle. You do know that, don’t you? She’s your only sister and she loves you. You haven’t even been in Vegas two weeks, and already, you’re acting the fool. How can you live in her house, work for her and do this behind her back?”
Amaryllis looked at James’ photograph and traced his smile with her finger. “Easily.”
Michelle and Nicholas were just finishing eggs and bacon when her cellular phone rang. “Michelle Price speaking.”
“Miss Price, this is Yolanda Cooper with Blessed Events Consulting. I’m calling to see if you and your fiancé have decided on the wording for your wedding invitations. With the wedding just two months away, now is the time to place your order.”
“Hi, Yolanda. Yes, we’ve decided, and I’m sorry that I didn’t get in touch with you sooner. I’ll have my secretary fax our selection to you right away. It’s not gonna be a large ceremony, so we’ll only need one hundred invitations.”
“All right, Miss Price, I’ll look for the order on the fax machine.”
Michelle ended the call and looked at her watch. “Daddy, I’ve got to get over to the courthouse, but I want to know if you’ve decided on wearing a white tuxedo or a black one.”
“Baby girl, I’ll wear whatever you want me to.”
“I prefer white. Is that okay?”
“Whatever you want. How much are the wedding invitations?” Nicholas asked.
“Only about one hundred dollars or so.”
Nicholas reached in his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills.
“What are you doing, Daddy?”
“Giving you the money for the invitations.”
Michelle was pleased at her father’s generosity, but she and James had decided that they would cover all the expenses for their wedding. “James already paid for them.”
Nicholas put the cash away and withdrew his checkbook from his interior pocket of his suit jacket and started to write.
“Now what are you doing?”
“Writing James a check.”
“Daddy, that’s not necessary, James and I can take care of everything.”
“Michelle, I can afford to pay for my daughter’s wedding, okay? It’s what fathers are supposed to do.” Nicholas tore the check out of the checkbook and gave it to Michelle. “Give this check to James and tell him that you’re still my responsibility until you’re pronounced husband and wife, so don’t overstep his bounds. He’s lucky I’m letting him have you at all. I wanted you to be a nun.”
Michelle chuckled. “Oh well, you still have one daughter left. Maybe you can turn Amaryllis into a nun.” She thought about what she just said and wished she hadn’t.
Nicholas looked at her and shook his head from side to side. “Now that’s funny. Amaryllis a nun? That’ll be the day.”
“Daddy, I wish you would cut her some slack. Amaryllis has been on her best behavior since she’s been here in Vegas. How do you think it makes her feel when you praise me and frown at her? And please stop calling me Baby Girl when she’s around, because it hurts her feelings. She’s your youngest daughter, not me.”
“Listen, Michelle, a leopard like Amaryllis can’t change her spots. I told you that I’ve got a gut feeling that she’s still living foul. We just can’t see it.”
“She’s not doing anything, Daddy. Amaryllis isn’t the one keeping up mess, you are. And I’m surprised at your behavior.”
“And I’m surprised you let your guard down with her.”
“I trust my sister.”
“You know the song, Open My Heart by Yolanda Adams?”
“Yes, I have the CD.”
“In the beginning of the song, Yolanda asks God ‘What if I choose, the wrong thing to do?’ You need to ask yourself that same question, Baby Girl.”
“And why is that?”
“Because choosing to trust your sister is the wrong thing to do.” Nicholas sang the last five words to Michelle the same way Yolanda Adams sang them.
Michelle stood up to leave. She put the check Nicholas had given her in her purse, then gathered her things and looked at her father. “Amaryllis has faults just like the rest of us. No one is perfect. And it would be nice to have you in her corner instead of being on the opposite side of the ring with your boxing gloves on, ready to take a jab at Amaryllis every chance you get. Now, I want you to really think about what I’ve just said to you, Nicholas Price. I’m on my way to court. I’ll talk to you later.”
She kissed her father on the forehead and left the restaurant. He sat at the table and watched Michelle walk away, wondering if she could be right about Amaryllis. Was he being too hard on her? For some reason, he just couldn’t shake his gut feeling about her.
Michelle got in her Jaguar and called the firm.
“Price & Associates, Amaryllis speaking.”
“Hi, honey; it’s me,” Michelle greeted.
So what? “Hi.”
“I need you to do something for me.”
Like what, sex your man? “Sure, what is it?”
“In my top file cabinet drawer, there’s a manila folder marked ‘Invitations.’ Inside, you’ll find the wedding invitation that James and I selected. Can you please fax it to the number that’s on the front of the folder, to Yolanda Cooper’s attention?”
Fax it yourself. “No problem, sis. I’ll take care of it right away.”
“That’s why I love my sister; you always come through for me. We gotta get these invitations ordered and in the mail soon.”
“Why waste your time? There ain’t gonna be a wedding,” Amaryllis said to herself after she ended the call with Michelle.
She went into her sister’s office to retrieved the manila folder. She read the wedding invitation. The wording was beautiful and everything was
fine except one thing, and she knew how to correct it. She took the invitation to her desk and opened a bottle of liquid paper and covered Michelle’s first and middle names. She blew on it to dry it, then inserted the invitation into her typewriter. In place of Michelle’s name, Amaryllis typed her own name.
Satisfied with the wording, she called Blessed Events Consulting. “Hi, this is Michelle Price. May I speak with Yolanda?”
“Hi, Michelle. This is Yolanda. What can I do for you?”
“My secretary is faxing my wedding invitation to you, but I want to make you aware of a small change. I want to use only my second middle name instead of Michelle Denise.”
“That’s fine, Michelle, whatever you wanna do. What’s your second middle name?”
“It’s Amaryllis, and can you please make sure that it’s spelled correctly? I’ve already made the change; you’ll see it on the fax.”
“Okay, Michelle, but what made you change your mind about your name?”
“I like Amaryllis better. It matches perfectly with James.”
After ending the call, Amaryllis read the invitation again before faxing it.
I hold you in my heart for we have shared together God’s blessings.
Philippians 1:7
Mr. Nicholas Price requests the honor of your presence at the marriage of his daughter Amaryllis Price to Minister James Bradley
On Saturday, the sixth of December Two thousand and nine at two o’clock in the afternoon
Praise Temple Church of God 1751 Grace Parkway Las Vegas, NV
The trail winds onward through the hills from here to prairie’s end; will our journey ever last? As long as you’re my love, my friend.
To God be the glory for what He’s done!
Amaryllis faxed the invitation, covered her name with liquid paper and retyped Michelle’s name. She made a copy, shredded the original, then inserted the copy in the manila folder and placed it back in Michelle’s file cabinet.
Of course, Michelle would be upset at what her sister had done, but Amaryllis couldn’t care less.
Amaryllis Page 8
