Before the month was out, Nathaniel E. Thicke would be an Essence and New York Times bestselling author—and his life would never be the same.
Reverend Ed Smith steamed as he watched Nate on Conversations with Carla. He wanted to throw up as he saw the women swooning over him. They were repulsive to witness—none more, he thought, than that whore of a former first lady, Carla. Ed had relished the day she got her comeuppance, when her husband threw her out of the house like yesterday’s trash. Not that he liked him any better. To Ed, Stanley Lee was a heretic, a false prophet, just like the rest of those money-hungry preachers.
Ed snorted as Carla introduced Nate Thicke as, among other things, a motivational speaker. “So here he’s a preacher,” Ed said to the walls, “but in la-la land he’s a motivational speaker.” Ed’s laugh was dark and sinister as he reached for the bottle of brandy and poured another shot. “I’ll tell you what he is. He’s a whoremonger and a pimp!” Ed turned and spoke directly to the television. “You took something of mine, and I’m going to take something of yours…like your ministry, you fake-ass son of a bitch!”
Later that evening, Jennifer and Nate joined Carla and Lavon in the Chapman home. Carla had fixed one of her legendary southern spreads. Tonight’s included oven-fried red snapper, greens, fried corn—cut fresh off the cob—mashed potatoes loaded with cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, fresh corn bread from scratch, and a berry cobbler—blueberry, blackberry, raspberry—for the wee bit of stomach room that anyone had left.
“Goodness, gracious, Carla Chapman!” Nate exclaimed as he took a bite of the still warm cobbler that he’d chosen to have à la mode. “I didn’t think the dinner could get any better than that fish and those potatoes and greens, girl. But…unh, unh, unh…” Whatever he was going to say was forgotten as he took another bite.
“This food is stupid good, girl,” Jennifer agreed, taking a small forkful of the sliver of pie, sans ice cream, she’d accepted. Being in LA the past two days had made her acutely aware of her clothes labels that read “size 16,” as had her observation that Nate’s eyes seemed to linger especially long on slender women. She’d decided right then and there to cut back on food intake and start exercising when she returned home. Then, after another bite of Carla’s pie, she decided to skip that “cut back” for tonight. “I think I’ll have one more, tiny, tiny slice.”
Carla and Lavon simply looked at each other and laughed as Carla dished up the big slice she knew her sistah friend really wanted.
“I suggest we get started right after the holidays,” Lavon said when conversation returned to business. “Have the four-part segment on your book air around March or April. Your being on Carla’s show is going to keep the buzz going at least until then, so the series will just ride that wave.”
“Sounds good to me, but what’s important is what my manager thinks.” He tweaked Jennifer’s cheek as he said this, then kept his hand resting on her shoulder.
Jennifer’s heart soared. Everything was happening according to plan. She tried to remain casual, even as it felt like Nate’s hand was burning a hole in her blouse. “Lavon’s the expert in this arena,” she answered. “I think we should follow his advice.”
“You know life as you know it is over,” Carla said to Nate. “You’re public property now, my darlin’. I hope you’re ready because it can be a crazy ride.”
“I better be ready, especially with a manager like Jennifer, trying to book me on every radio and television show across the country.”
“It’s important for PR, Nate. We’ve got to stay in their faces. Especially during the first three months of book sales. Those are crucial, and will help when you negotiate the second book deal.”
“You’ve already got plans for a second one?” Carla asked.
Nate nodded. “Publisher called me shortly after reading the manuscript for this one and said they were interested.”
“Well, after today,” Lavon said, “you can count that deal as good as done.”
“The company is lovely but it’s been a long day,” Nate said as he wiped his mouth and laid his napkin on the table. “If y’all don’t mind, I’m going to call it an early night.”
The foursome continued their easy banter as Lavon and Carla walked Nate and Jennifer to the door. Jennifer hung back to let the men go down the hall first.
“You seem so happy,” she whispered to Carla. “I saw those looks you and Lavon kept giving each other.”
“What can I say? I’m madly in love with my husband.”
“I’m so happy for you, Carla. You deserve it after all of the hell you went through.”
The story was old news and there weren’t many who didn’t know about it. Carla had been the wife of and copastor with Stanley Lee, as well as a popular speaker on the Christian women’s circuit, when she’d met and had an affair with Lavon, a producer invited to their church by her husband to create a DVD series. Pictures of them together had been taken and then given or sold to LA Gospel, a popular tabloid-style magazine geared toward the Black Christian community. The scandal had rocked that community, not to mention Carla’s marriage and ministry. But just like the phoenix, Carla had risen from the ashes and was now having the time of her life.
“I appreciate your saying that, Jennifer, really. Going through that heartache, especially in public, wasn’t easy. But I’ll tell you what a very smart man said to me recently…If you give up everything, you can have it all.”
20
California Dreamin’
Jennifer became quiet as she and Nate neared the elevator of their plush hotel in Santa Monica. She’d learned that Nate liked to be the aggressor where their “spiritual relationship” was concerned, so she waited, and hoped, that he would want to be with her.
“More messages came in while we were at Carla’s,” she said, pressing the elevator button. “I know you’re tired though. You’ll probably want to wait till morning to hear about them.”
“Yeah, you’re a slave-driver, woman. That schedule was brutal.”
“But you were amazing. I can’t believe how well you’re doing. I mean, I’m not surprised, but it’s just that you handle this whole Hollywood TV thing like you’ve been doing it forever.”
The elevator doors opened and the two stepped inside. Once again, conversation waned. Jennifer tried not to think about what she wanted, and how much she wanted it. It had been two weeks since she and Nate had been sexual, but it felt more like two years. Nate was like a drug; the more you had of him, the more you wanted. It didn’t help knowing that he’d been spending the time he wasn’t with her with other women. She tried not to think about that now, just like she tried not to think about Destiny. Nate’s reaction had been interesting though, she remembered, when she’d casually mentioned her a week after returning from New Orleans.
“I was visiting my sister in New Orleans last week and guess who I saw?”
“Who?” Nate had asked, nonchalantly, as he watched the football network.
“Destiny Noble.”
Silence had filled the room.
“Did you hear me, Nate?”
“Hmm?”
Jennifer had walked to the couch then. “I saw Simone’s daughter, Destiny, in New Orleans. Did you know she was pregnant?”
“Destiny?” Nate asked, still watching TV.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“She was either pregnant or sporting a beach ball under her top. I wonder who the father is.”
Nate had remained quiet a long moment. Finally he said, “I thought Simone told me her daughter was in New York, checking out some modeling agencies. I doubt it was Destiny you saw. No, I’m sure it wasn’t her. Bring me some ice tea, please?”
And just like that, Jennifer’s theory had been dissed and dismissed. While Jennifer had been certain the woman was Destiny, Nate’s reaction raised doubt. Some days Jennifer believed what her eyes saw, other days she believed what Nate told her. Tonight, she chose to believe the latter.
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“Well, I guess it’s good night, then,” Jennifer said, when they reached her room. Nate’s suite was at the end of the hall. “Call me if you need anything.”
“All right, Jennifer. Good night.”
Jennifer’s heart plummeted, but she kept the smile plastered on while Nate scanned the card for her and opened the door to her room. Such gentlemanly acts, done without thinking, were why women swooned over him. “Congratulations,” she whispered just before she allowed the door to close.
She walked over to the bed and plopped down on it. Not a woman prone to crying, she was surprised to feel her eyes water. She didn’t want to feel sorry for herself. She was in LA, with the man of her dreams, living life like it was golden. Jennifer decided to take a nice, hot shower, and maybe go downstairs and listen to the jazz group she’d heard playing when they entered the lobby.
Moments after stepping out of the shower, her phone rang. “You said call if I needed anything, right?” a sultry voice asked.
“Yes,” Jennifer whispered.
“Well, I need it. Get down here.”
Jennifer put down the receiver, squealed, and, donning a sundress, sandals, and nothing else, hurried down the hall.
Nate finished his last in a round of calls, this one with Deacon Robinson, and then stretched out on the king-sized bed and waited for Jennifer. He had sensed how bad she wanted him, could feel her desire as they rode up the elevator. And even though he’d enjoyed a morning quickie with one of Derrick’s members whom he often phoned when he was in town, he had more than enough stamina to handle his very capable manager. She’d done an excellent job, after all…and deserved a thank you.
Jennifer tapped once before using the card she had to Nate’s room. She walked straight to the bed and climbed in, not even trying to perpetrate a fraud. “I’m so glad you called me,” she said, before plunging her tongue inside Nate’s hot mouth.
He immediately slid his hands up her dress, placed them on her bare, ample rump, and began kneading it slowly as he ground himself against her. Oh, yeah, this sistah’s hot. It’s going to be good tonight!
Jennifer stopped long enough to pull the sundress over her head, then lay down next to Nate. She placed her hand inside his boxers and was rewarded with the feel of his massive weapon, ready to aim and fire. She massaged it and his balls as their tongues dueled. Nate found a nipple, the suckling of which rocked Jennifer’s core. She opened her legs to give him access. He reached over for a condom that was on the nightstand. And then the phone rang.
“Don’t get it, Nate,” Jennifer whispered frantically. “I can’t wait for it, baby. I’ve got to have you now!”
“Hold on a minute, baby, I need to get this one.” It was Nate’s private phone, of which only a handful of people had the number. He had a feeling who might be calling. He was right.
Katherine started talking before Nate finished saying hello. “You’ve got to get to New Orleans, quick! Destiny’s in labor. She’s about to have your baby.”
21
Uncommon
Benjamin Nathaniel Eli Thicke was a perfect child, from the top of his full head of thick, silky hair to the tip of his long, thin toes. Weighing eight pounds, seven ounces at birth and measuring twenty-two inches long, the child seemed to have inherited the best features of both parents. There was still time for them to change, but right now his eyes were a dazzling hazel green, a nod to Destiny’s Creole roots. But after taking one look at his balls and the skin around his fingers, Nettie declared that the child would more than likely be dark, like his dad.
“Wow, he’s growing so fast,” Nate whispered, after Destiny had changed the baby and placed him in his father’s arms.
“That’s because it’s been almost a month since you’ve seen him, back in January,” Destiny replied, with just a hint of the whine that drove Nate wild. She’d tried to be understanding and take her grandmother’s advice and not nag, but she was a new, young, teenage mother. She didn’t care that everyone in the world wanted a piece of Nate Thicke, the rising star author. She wanted her man by her side.
“Dang,” Nate said as his cell phone rang for the umpteenth time. He didn’t even have to look at it to know it was Jennifer. She’d been acting funny ever since he left her hot and horny in his LA hotel suite. And he was sure she wasn’t the only one who’d noted his increased absence from the church during the month of December, when he’d spent as much time as he could with Destiny and their son. But once the holidays were over, it was back to work with a schedule that was insane. Not only was he receiving constant invites from the broadcasting industry, but the offers to preach across the country had tripled. Carla had been right when she said the life he once knew was over. And she was also right when she’d later said that sometimes he’d want the old life back.
“Here, take him, baby,” Nate said after his phone had rung three more times, followed by text message beeps. “This must be important.”
“I know you’re busy, but you need to carve out some family time, Nate, when you cannot be disturbed.”
“You’re right,” he said over his shoulder as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door. He didn’t want to take a chance that the baby would cry while he was talking to the wrong person.
Destiny shifted her hungry son to her other arm, pulled aside her top, and began to nurse him. All the while she thought about Nate—what was happening and with whom back in Texas while she continued to live in Louisiana. She’d checked Nate’s phone earlier, when he was in the shower. As she suspected, most calls were from women—most she knew, some she didn’t. She paid particular attention to names that showed up often. Katherine, Jennifer, Patricia, Anne, her mother, were all names she recognized. But one of them, Verniece, was new. Destiny suspected Nate was covering all of them. And for the first time since she fell in love with him at the age of twelve, she had a problem with that.
“Sorry about that, baby,” Nate said as he exited the bedroom. “I’m glad I took it, though. It was Jennifer. They’re having some type of faith-based function at the White House where ministers from various denominations are getting together to discuss pressing problems facing the nation. I’ve been invited!”
“Really? That’s great, baby.”
“You don’t sound too excited.”
“I’m happy for you, but I just wish I could be with you. I miss you, Nate. I miss us. I want you with me all the time. I wish we could go somewhere together, just the three of us, and be alone. I hate that the baby and me are here in Louisiana while you continue to live in Texas.” Destiny’s eyes filled with tears as she continued. “I just love you so much that when you’re not here…”
“Shh, baby, don’t cry. Shh.” Nate picked up Destiny, who was still holding Benjamin, and headed to the bedroom. “I miss you too, baby, more than I can say. But we have to do it like this right now, just for a little while.”
He reached the bedroom and took a now sleeping Benjamin out of Destiny’s arms. He kissed his son on the cheek before lowering him into the bassinet. Then he walked over to the bed and joined Destiny. “You know you’re my heart, right?” he asked her, as he slowly stroked her body until it flamed. “You know that I’m counting down the days until I can announce you to the world, let everybody know you’re mine. No one else’s, just mine.” Nate ran his hand over Destiny’s stomach, already flat again, barely three months after giving birth. “This belongs to me alone. Remember that.”
“But you’re not,” Destiny whispered.
“I’m not what?”
“You’re not just for me. You’re with a lot of different women.”
“Baby, you already know what that’s about. As the shepherd of the flock—”
“You’re their spiritual covering. I know, I know, Nate, but it doesn’t feel good. I can’t be with anyone else, but you can.”
A surge of jealousy and anger ripped through Nate, so powerful it shocked him. Just the thought of Destiny being with anybody else rocked him to the core
. He stopped touching her and sat up. “What, are you interested in somebody?”
“No, Nate, but—”
“But what? Where’s this coming from all of a sudden? This is how it’s been since you’ve known me. I know Katherine talked to you about it, and probably your mother too. If I find out there’s somebody else, Destiny, whoever it is will pay a steep price.”
“There is nobody else, Nate, and I don’t want anybody else. I only want you. I don’t know where these feelings are coming from. I just know I want you to myself. What about other preachers? Do they cover their flocks too?”
“Look, don’t worry about other preachers. And don’t worry about who else I’m with.” Nate’s voice softened as Destiny’s declaration of singular love for him calmed his ire. “Just know that you’re number one, baby,” he said, spreading her legs gently and easing a finger inside her. “And that nobody else can compare to this right here. Okay?”
“Okay,” Destiny whispered, spreading her legs farther and wrapping her arms around Nate’s broad shoulders. Within minutes, Nate was inside her, driving deep as if to brand her, deeper than she thought possible, making her cry with the pain and pleasure of it all. But before the night was over he was gone, back to Palestine and the whirlwind of activity that was now his life.
He promised them a vacation soon, just the three of them. That’s what Destiny held on to as, after feeding Benjamin and putting him down for the final time that night, she walked over to the television and pulled out the DVD series she’d been watching for the past month. She’d gotten them from Melody one day, after spotting them in her room.
“What’s this?” she’d asked after seeing a DVD entitled An Uncommon Woman—You!
“Girl, please, that ain’t nothing. Just some religious mess my mom keeps sending me.”
Reverend Feelgood Page 11
