by Honey
“Auntie Royce, the telephone is for you.” Tyler appeared at the kitchen door with a cell phone in his hand.
“Take a message, honey.”
“It’s my mom. She says it’s important.”
Father Gregory stood from his chair. “Thanks again for lunch. I’m going to leave now so you can talk to your sister.” He turned to Tyler, remembering what had happened the last time his aunt had walked him to her front door. “Come walk me out, buddy.”
Royce took the cell phone from the boy when he walked past her. “Hey, girl.”
“What is Father Gregory doing at your house again, Royce?”
“He brought Tyler home from church because I didn’t go this morning. I showed my appreciation by inviting him to lunch.”
“My son said you guys finished eating lunch over an hour ago. He told me you were in the kitchen talking to Father Gregory. What is going on between you two, Royce?”
“There’s nothing going on, Zora. I promise.”
“You have a crush on him. I can feel in my gut.”
“I’m not in high school anymore. I’m a grown-ass woman. I don’t have crushes.”
Zora sat down on the bed and crossed her legs. She wanted to believe what Royce was telling her was true, but her strong instincts wouldn’t allow her to. “You better not play with fire, Royce Dominique. You will get burned.”
“I won’t play with fire. How is Eric?”
“Don’t try to change the subject,” Zora snapped. “I’m warning you. Stay away from Father Gregory. The two of you have gotten a little too chummy for my taste, and it’s dangerous.”
“You’re worrying about nothing, sis.”
“Can I assume that you and Brandon have gotten closer?” Zora massaged her temples when she heard Royce pop her lips in what she perceived to be annoyance.
“Brandon is not the man for me, sis. He just doesn’t ring my bell. I talk to him on the phone from time to time, but you can uncross your fingers if you’re expecting a love connection.”
Zora and Royce’s conversation didn’t last much longer after that revelation. The older sister had actually called to chat with her son anyway, but after he informed her that Father Gregory had joined them for lunch, she demanded to speak to Royce. Zora believed her warning to her sister regarding Father Gregory had fallen on deaf ears, and that disturbed her. She loved Royce, and she didn’t want her to experience another broken heart. But if she was fooling around with a priest, she was going to face something a whole lot worse than heartbreak.
* * *
“Yes!” Royce bolted from her seat on the bleacher with both hands raised high in the air.
Tyler had just scored his third basket of the game. Father Gregory was excited too, but he wasn’t as animated and expressive as Royce. Whenever Tyler touched the ball, she clapped and cheered loudly, encouraging him. Her simple outfit, consisting of a pair of tight, faded jeans and a royal blue and gold Saint Xavier’s sweatshirt, made her look as young and jovial as the cheerleaders. She had pulled her braids into a side ponytail to complete her youthful look. She was stunning even in her casual attire. And she smelled lovely.
Royce jumped up again and cupped her mouth with both hands. “Booo! Booo! You need some glasses, ref! That was a clean block!”
Father Gregory tore his eyes away from the foul line, where a member of the opposing team was preparing to shoot a pair of free throws. He smiled at Royce and shook his head in awe. She was quite knowledgeable about the game of basketball, and she didn’t mind challenging the referee’s calls. By nature, she was high-spirited, which amused Father Gregory.
He tapped Royce gently on her thigh to get her attention and regretted it immediately. It didn’t matter that they were in a gym half filled with other spectators. An innocent touch to any part of her body had the same stimulating effect on his that it would have if they were alone in her bedroom. It aroused him.
“Am I embarrassing you?” Royce looked down at Father Gregory and asked.
“I’m not embarrassed. I just don’t want you to upset the ref so much that he’ll give the game to the other team. He may go blind all of a sudden and start missing some fouls against our boys. Or he might slap them with fouls they don’t deserve.”
“Okay, I’ll sit down and try to chill out for the rest of the game. But I’ll have to make a lot of noise whenever Tyler scores. Is that cool?”
“Yes, it’s cool,” he told her, trying not to laugh.
It didn’t matter if Royce sat down and kept as quiet as a church mouse. She was still hard to ignore. Every time she made a sudden shift in position on the bleacher, her thigh would brush against Father Gregory’s, driving him crazy. And as usual, the heavenly scent of vanilla clinging to her soft skin stirred his manly sense. Then there was the memory of them kissing in her foyer, which was sketched in his memory.
Father Gregory couldn’t undo the spell Royce had cast on him. He longed for the day when he would wake up completely immune to her raw femininity. His daily prayer was for God to deliver him from his lustful attraction to her. He’d also reaffirmed his vow of celibacy to God. The single kiss he and Royce had shared was an awakening call to nature. It made Father Gregory keenly conscious that in addition to being an ordained priest, he was indeed human, and more specifically, a man. His flesh had needs and desires just like his regular male counterparts, but as a clergyman sworn to celibacy, he knew God required much more of him than others. Therefore, it had been necessary for him to repent and recommit his body, soul, and mind to the Lord after his experience with Royce. Father Gregory refused to fall into temptation again.
* * *
“You blew the damn game! How did you miss that shot, Benson? You were wide open!’
Tyler slammed his locker shut and glared at Romello. “You missed a lot of shots, ball hog! Grady and Quan were open plenty of times, but you wouldn’t pass them the ball. You wanted to show off, so you kept shooting bricks. That’s how we fell behind in the first place.”
“I’m the team captain. I have to make important decisions.” Romello approached Tyler to stand nose to nose with him. “I did what I thought would help us win. I passed you the ball because I believed you could tie the game. That was a big mistake. You suck!” He shoved Tyler hard into the row of lockers.
“You suck!” Tyler yelled, shoving him back with all his might.
“Hey! What’s going on in here?” Coach Yarborough burst into the locker room. He immediately stepped between the two boys and held his arms out, separating them.
“Benson made us lose the game, Coach.”
“We’re a team! No one person can blow a game. Every player makes mistakes, including you, Johnson. Now get your stuff and get out of here.”
Romello slid the straps on his duffel bag over his shoulder and brushed past Tyler. “This ain’t over, Benson,” he mumbled under his breath.
Chapter Nine
“I wasn’t afraid to fight Romello if I had to. I couldn’t let him punk me out. But he didn’t even want to fight anyway. When I met him on the court before practice today, he said we needed to squash our beef so we could be boys again.”
Father Gregory looked up from his computer screen. “So, this kid who once bullied you and constantly humiliated you in front of your peers now wants to be your friend? How do you feel about that?”
“Romello isn’t really that bad,” Tyler explained. He picked up a statuette of Jesus from the top of the bookshelf, and with a cloth, he wiped dust from the space it’d occupied. “He’s cool. And he’s the most popular dude in the entire school. He asked me to hang out with him and his friends sometimes.”
“Will you?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m thinking about it.”
“Think long and hard, Tyler. Romello and his friends are the same group of guys you skipped classes with, which led to you receiving five days of in-house suspension. And didn’t they start the food fight in the cafeteria and trash the computer lab? They talked you
into joining them, and you got in more trouble, didn’t you?”
Tyler nodded and dropped his eyes to the floor.
“Well, I don’t believe those are the types of fellows your aunt or your parents want you hanging around with.”
“But we’re all cool now. Romello apologized, and I let it go. Don’t you preach about forgiving people who’ve done us wrong? Isn’t that what the Bible says?”
“It does. As Christians, it’s important for us to forgive one another as Christ forgave all of us. But the Bible teaches us to be aware of the company we keep. The fifteenth chapter of Second Corinthians admonishes us to avoid deception because bad company corrupts good morals and character.”
Tyler twirled the dust cloth in his hand and squinted. “I don’t get it.”
“Plainly put, it’s not wise for a nice and polite young man like you to hang around troublemakers like Romello and his friends. If you do, in time you’ll take on their characteristics and start behaving as they do. You will trade the morals that your parents and aunt have instilled in you for rudeness and mischief. Your reputation will be tarnished. Is that your goal, Tyler?”
“No, sir. I just want to be cool with Romello and the rest of the team.”
“I suggest that you continue to be cordial to your teammates, but limit your interaction with them to the basketball court. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a world of trouble.”
* * *
“I prefer the lemongrass, mango, and grapefruit blend, Stacie. Add a little bit of honey, and it’ll be perfect. Make a fresh batch and distribute free samples during the lunch hour and when the evening crowd arrives. Let me know what the clients think. Thank you.”
The young lady who managed the smoothie bar inside Royalty Health and Fitness Center and Spa’s midtown location smiled at her boss. “You’re welcome, Ms. Phillips.”
Royce looked at her watch. She was expecting an important call from a potential new vendor. She left the smoothie bar and headed for her office in the opposite direction. It had been a stress-free and productive morning. The sales team had secured eleven new client contracts already, and it wasn’t even noon. The marketing team was doing an excellent job promoting the facility. Royce smiled and waved at the senior men’s weight-lifting class in the bodybuilding area.
“Ms. Phillips, you’re looking fabulous this morning.”
Royce froze in her stroll at the sound of the familiar but undesirable voice. She did a swift about-face. “What are you doing here, Brandon?”
“I was in the area on business. I finished earlier than expected, so I decided to swing by to take you out for an early lunch.” He smiled and walked toward Royce, closing the distance between them.
“I don’t have time to go to lunch today. And you assume too much anyway. What gives you the right to come to my job unannounced, thinking I would jump at the chance to have lunch with you?” Royce planted her fists on her hips and stared angrily at him. “Your overconfidence is borderline cockiness. I don’t like it. You’re not my man, Brandon. We’re just friends. That’s it. You shouldn’t have come here unannounced.”
“I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries. Forgive me.”
“You’re forgiven, but don’t ever let it happen again.”
Brandon rubbed his hands together and nodded with a bright smile on his face. Most women would’ve found him irresistible and fallen at his feet, but not Royce. Brandon just didn’t float her boat. It was too bad, though, because he was a great guy and Royce could tell that he was really into her. However, the one man she wanted had confessed that he wanted her too, but due to his commitment to a higher calling, they could never be together.
Royce smiled and placed an open palm on Brandon’s broad chest. “I’m expecting a call from a potential vendor any minute now. I’ll call you this evening.”
“I hope you’ll give me a ring tonight. We haven’t talked in a few days. Just now you were quick to point out that I’m not your man, but I’m trying to be, Royce. What is it going to take for me to win your heart, babe?”
Magically transform into Nicholas Gregory, was Royce’s honest answer, but she couldn’t reveal that particular thought to Brandon or anyone else. She decided to spare his feelings and pacify him with false hope instead. “I don’t know, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something by this evening. I’ll call you around eight-ish. Is that a good time?” she asked as if she were really going to call.
“Anytime is a good time for you, babe.”
* * *
“Yo, Benson, me and my boys are about to head to the mall to play games in the arcade and eat pizza. You wanna roll with us?”
“I don’t know, man. I’m supposed to go straight to the church after practice to volunteer.”
“It’s cool, dude.” Romello smirked and rubbed a hand over his freshly braided cornrows. “The Man Upstairs is more important than your friends and teammates. We’ll catch you next time.” He turned and walked away with his buddies a few steps behind him.
“Wait!” Tyler hurried to Romello’s side. “I’m going. I can sort through donated clothes and shoes for a bunch of homeless people tomorrow.”
“Are you sure, man? I don’t want you to miss a miracle or some blessings because you’re gonna hang out with me and my homies.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s roll.”
* * *
“Come on, ladies! You’re acting like a bunch of babies! Put some funk in it! We’re almost done! And one, two, three, four, and drop it like it’s hot! Come on! And one, two, three . . .”
Royce crisscrossed her legs and dropped her body into a low squat to the rhythm of the music. Sweat poured down her back and the sides of her face as she led the group of ladies into the final segment of a hip-hop cardio routine. She studied the reflections of the women in the wall of mirrors in front of her. It wasn’t hard for Royce to sniff out the slackers from those who were determined to go all the way. Those particular women had mastered the proper breathing techniques for high-impact cardio workouts, and their faces bore tense expressions.
The huge mirrors also made it possible for Royce to notice Cassie, her administrative assistant, enter the room. The petite chick with wild sister locks rushed past the rows of sweaty women who were huffing and puffing their way through the strenuous fitness routine. Something important had brought Cassie to the room. She would never interrupt Royce in the middle of a class otherwise, especially the class that Rain, the mega pop star, attended religiously.
“I’m sorry to bust in here like this, boss lady, but you have a very important phone call.”
Pumping her arms and rolling her hips without missing a beat, Royce frowned at Cassie. “Who the hell is it? It better be Barack or Michelle.”
“He said—”
“He? Is it Tyler? If it is, I’m going to thump his knucklehead when I get to the church.”
“It’s not Tyler. It’s your priest, Father Gregory. He said it’s urgent and he needs to speak with you right away.”
Royce stopped moving at once and snatched her white hand towel from the hook attached to the wall of mirrors. She turned to the ladies and yelled over the music blasting through the powerful stereo speakers in the front corners of the room. “I’m going to cut you weaklings some slack today! Class dismissed! Don’t forget to stretch and ice your muscles if you feel any tenderness!”
Royce power-walked out of the room and broke out into a full sprint when she reached the hallway leading to her office. There was an unsettled feeling in her belly. Something serious was going on. Father Gregory had never called her at work before. According to Cassie, his reason for calling today was of an urgent nature. Only God knew what that meant. Royce rushed inside her office and walked directly to her desk. She snatched the phone’s receiver from its cradle and pushed the flashing light.
“Father Gregory, what’s going on?”
“Good afternoon, Royce. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I felt the need to
call you. Tyler never showed up to volunteer today. I haven’t heard a word from him. I’ve called his cell phone several times, but he hasn’t answered it.”
A combination of shock and physical exhaustion from the workout caused Royce to plop down in her chair. “Where in the world could that boy be?”
“I have no idea, but I intend to find out. I’m on my way to his school. I’m going to drive around that area. Maybe he’s hanging out in the gym or in the neighborhood with his teammates. I’ll call you if I find him.”
“Thank you, Father Gregory. I’m going to shower and call Tyler’s closest friends before I go home. Maybe he went to Rico’s or Gabriel’s house. I just hope he’s safe, wherever he wandered off to.”
Chapter Ten
Father Gregory’s cell phone rang seconds after he returned to his car. He’d walked around the neighborhood where Saint Xavier’s School was located, looking for Tyler without any luck. He reached inside the pocket of his leather bomber jacket and removed his phone.
“This is Father Gregory.” He frowned at the sound of sobs and a panic-stricken voice screaming on the other end. “Royce, please calm down, dear heart. I can’t understand what you’re saying. Take a deep breath and start over. I’m listening.” He unlocked the car door and sat down in the driver’s seat and willed his heartbeat to return to its normal rhythm. The pain in Royce’s voice troubled him terribly.
“Tyler has been arrested! He . . . he was hanging out at the mall with those hoodlums on the basketball team. I didn’t give him permission to go to the mall. He was supposed to have been at the church with you.”
“Where are you, Royce? I could come and pick you up later and take you to the youth detention center. Is there a bond? Maybe we could get Tyler out of lockup.”
“I’m on my way to Metro YDC now. I’m prepared to do whatever I have to do to bring Tyler home. And once I get him there, I’m going to kill him!”
Father Gregory checked the clock on the dashboard. He had exactly twenty minutes to get to the church for prayer service and biblical exploration. “I would love to meet you at the detention center, but I’m expected at the church in a little while. Will you call me with an update? I want to speak with Tyler before he goes to bed if possible.”
