He must be a glutton for punishment, he thought grimly, putting his keys on the dresser and staring at himself in the mirror. He could have any woman he wanted and here he was falling in love with a woman who had told him over and over that she was in a relationship with Jesus. What was he thinking?
He loved her innocence, her genuine love for people and the way she had turned words into music and latched onto your soul with that sensational voice of hers. He had seen how the guys at the studio looked at her and he wanted to tear them apart but how could he blame them when he saw what they were seeing? She was unapproachable and unattainable and he wondered if that was the attraction but he knew it was not that.
Lorelei had told him that when he met the right woman he would know it and when he did that he would quit his running up and down and she was right. He did not want to be with anyone else but he had a feeling telling her that would not make a world of difference. He had been tarred with a certain brush and he had the reputation that was there for the entire world to see including her.
With a dejected sigh he stripped off his clothes and headed for the bathroom. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long shower.
Chapter 7
“You want to come to church with me?” she asked him curiously.
It had been several weeks since he had kissed her and he had not mentioned it. As a matter of fact he had only dealt with her on a professional basis; she had started to think she had dreamt it but she had told herself she was happy that he had not mentioned it. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day and there was going to be a special service and she was going to be performing.
“Something wrong with that?” he had asked her mildly. It was Saturday and they were still at the studio. The concert was going to be near to Christmas but they were having rehearsals and the album was due to be out in time for the Christmas sales. He was taking her back to her apartment where she was going to be resting for tomorrow. She had done two more interviews and had offers to endorse perfumes and even sports line. She had agreed to the perfume endorsement but not the sports line.
“Nothing is wrong with it Tyrese, stop being so defensive.” She looked at him briefly. He was wearing tan dress pants and a tan and cream sweater and he looked relaxed and confident and extremely handsome. “Are we going to talk about that kiss?” she asked him suddenly.
“What about it?” he glanced at her briefly before putting his eyes back on the road. There were pumpkins everywhere indicating the time of year.
“Why did you do it?”
“You are a beautiful woman and I am a man Kayla, what do you expect?” he kept his gaze straight ahead but she noticed the tightening of his hands on the wheel. “You want me to apologize?”
“I want you to tell me why it happened Tyrese.” She insisted.
“I am attracted to you,” he had stopped the car at the apartment building and turned to face her. “There I have said it. I will see you in the morning at church.”
“You expect me to leave and go up to my apartment after what you just told me?”She asked him incredulously not budging.
“What else do you want me to say Kayla?” he asked her impatiently. “I have been trying to hide my feelings and to keep them under control because I know I am not the kind of man you would go for. I am trying to keep my distance so please bear with me.”
“So what am I supposed to do with that information?” she asked him feeling dizzy with what he had just told her.
“Whatever you want.” He said looking at her. She was dressed in a black wool dress that showed just a hint of cleavage and was molded to her curves like a second skin. She was on the front page of one of the most popular magazines and even though she was not showing skin she managed to look elegant and beautiful. They had dubbed her the ‘Cool Beauty of Soul’. “Go and get some rest please, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
She hesitated and then she opened the door and got out wrapping the cashmere jacket around her as the wind whistled through her clothing. He rolled down the glass. “Go on in Kayla before you get mobbed.” She went in immediately.
“Hi Miss Kayla,” Jules, one of the guards at the desk rushed forward to open the door for her. “I see you have made the papers again.” He said with a beam.
“I seem to be doing that a lot Jules,” she replied with a smile. “How are you?”
“I am okay miss and you have a visitor.” He told her.
“A visitor?” she looked at him frowning.
“Your dad and I sent him up to your apartment. I hope I did the right thing.” he said anxiously.
“Of course Jules, don’t worry about it.” She said with a forced smile.
All the way up to her apartment she wondered what he was doing here. He had never been to see her and she had no idea what he was doing here.
He was sitting in the living room and stood up when he heard the door being opened. He was alone and she had hoped that he would have been there with her mother. “My dear I was hoping you would get here before I had to leave.”
“I was at the studio recording,” she told him slowly as she took off her coat and hung it up. She stood there looking at him wondering if she should give him a hug.
He took the decision out of her hands because he came over and hugged her briefly. “How about giving me the tour of the place?” he asked jovially.
She nodded and preceded him first into the kitchen and then the study where she did her writing and rehearsing. Her guitar was there leaning against the wall in the corner and her lap top was on the large mahogany desk she had bought at an antique store that Tyrese had taken her to. She remembered telling him with a laugh that it had probably been owned by someone very famous.
“And now the tradition is being continued,” he had teased her. She wished he had come up with her, wished he was there with her to face her father.
“Quite a place,” he murmured as soon as they went back into the living room.
“Thank you.” She told him. “Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate?”
“Thank you my dear, hot chocolate is good enough.” He sat down on one of the single sofas and waited for her to come back with the beverage.
She gave him his drink and sat opposite to him and waited until he had started sipping. She had not made any for herself she just wanted him to say what he had to say and get out.
“I suppose you are wondering what I am doing here,” he placed the cup on the shiny side table. “I know I have not been here before but it’s just that I have been busy with the ministry and you are performing at the sanctuary tomorrow, I just want to go over some guidelines with you.”
“Guidelines?” she looked at him with a small frown.
“There are going to be press there and a lot of photographers and I know that they are going to be asking for interviews. I want us to show that we are a close knit family and that you did not move out because there were dissensions among us.”
“What do you want me to say father?” she asked him in resignation, feeling burdened by the fact that he had come to see her because he wanted them to look good for the camera.
“I want you to say that we are a united family of God and that you are still maintaining your Christian values.” He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I have built that ministry from scratch and I do not need it to be sullied in any way and I am asking you to ensure that.”
“You have never once told me that you are proud of me.” Kayla got up and wrapped her hands around her upper body. “You have never told me that you were approving of anything I do and now you want me to stand in front the cameras and pretend that we are one big happy family. You want to make sure that your ministry stands and not be touched in any way by what I am up to. What do you think I am doing father? You have never once being to a concert I have performed at and you are talking about us being a family? What family?” she was so close to tears that she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. She had no intention of m
aking him see her vulnerable.
“Young lady I just want what is best for all of us,” he said gruffly getting to his feet. “But if you cannot see that then I guess this conversation is over.”
“Okay father,” she told him wearily. “I will stand there and pretend that everything is dandy with us. I will pray and ask God to give me the courage to say what you need me to say.”
“I am doing this for us,” he said gruffly as he headed towards the door. He turned back and looked at her. “I will try and make it to the concert in December.” With that he left quietly closing the door behind him.
Kayla ran and locked the doors securing the chain and then she slumped down and burying her head on her knees she started crying.
*****
Tyrese was in the middle of pouring himself a glass of wine when she called him. He had come home and had dinner by himself because his brother had taken Lorelei out for dinner and had decided to come up to his suite and to be by himself and do some thinking. He had told her he was attracted to her, not that he was in love with her.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I am sorry to be disturbing you at this hour but I wanted to talk to someone.”
Her voice sounded weird and he put aside his glass and came to full alert. “Stop, you are not disturbing me, now tell me what’s wrong.”
“Can’t I just call and want to talk?”
“Kayla please, just tell me what’s wrong,” he said urgently.
She told him of her father coming to visit her and what he said to her.
He swore beneath his breath. “Want me to come over?”
“I cannot ask you to do that.” She murmured.
“Do you need me Kayla?” they both knew what he meant and he held his breath while she hesitated.
“I need you.” She whispered.
*****
He got there in fifteen minutes and as soon as she opened the door she launched herself into his arms and started crying into the front of his sweater. He lifted her easily and carried her to the sofa and sat with her in his lap, his hand stroking her back gently as she buried her face into his clothing and sobbed. He did not say anything, not even when she had finished crying but held her to him as if she was a fragile piece of glass.
After a few minutes she lifted her head to look up at him. “I am sorry,” she murmured. Her eyes were slightly swollen and her long lashes spiked with tears and he wanted to go and find her father and beat some sense into him. He had hurt her and that was unacceptable.
“For what?” he used the pad of his hand to wipe her tears.
“For probably ruining your very expensive sweater with my tears,” she said with a small smile.
“I have a closet full, ask my brother or Lorelei,” he said lightly. “Want to talk?”
“I just want to stay like this for a while if you don’t mind,” she snuggled against him and he closed his eyes against the feelings she was evoking inside his body.
“Not in the least.” He murmured his arms tightening around her body. “Want me to sing you a lullaby?’
She laughed softly against his chest. “Do you know any?”
“Apart from ‘Hush little baby go to sleep’? Afraid not.” He said with a laugh.
“In that case silence is much better.” She murmured closing her eyes. “I had promised myself that I would never let him make me cry again and he did just that.”
“Nothing is wrong with tears Kayla, I just hate that he is not the father he is supposed to be.” He murmured.
“Thanks,” she whispered, half asleep.
“What for?”
“For coming when I called.”
“No problem.”
He held her in his arms while she slept and then when he was sure she was sleeping he carried her and put her in the bedroom that she had made hers. He looked around at the neatness of it and the personal touches. She was very tidy and he could see that she loved bright colors. He smiled as he looked at the bright green covering of the bedside lamp, the gaily covered throw rug beside the bed and the bright green curtains.
He pulled the sheet over her and stood there looking down at her. Strands of hair had escaped the bun she had pinned on top of her head and he brushed them away from her cheeks. He smiled wryly as he wondered what his friends and the people who knew him would think of him if they saw him now. “Love does strange things to a man.” He said softly as he stepped back and turned off the lamp. He left the room and let himself out of the apartment making sure the door was secured before heading down.
He nodded to the curious security and went out to his car looking up as he saw a flash of light and knew that the fact that he was seen coming out of the apartment building where Kayla lived was going to make the headlines.
*****
Kayla kept looking for him. She had arrived at church half an hour before services were due to begin and she kept looking for him. She had woken up sometime in the night disoriented and wondered how she had got to bed. She closed her eyes as the events of the evening flashed before her. He had put her to bed and pulled the sheets over her and left. He had never once made a pass at her and he had left his home in the night and come running when she needed him. Why had he done that? You know why? A small voice whispered in her head. He wants to sleep with you. She shook her head and knew that was not it.
“Darling you look so lovely!” her mother greeted her warmly. She glanced over to where her father was talking to one of the camera guys. He was dressed in a steel gray suit and a light blue shirt and looked like the distinguished man of the cloth. Her mother was in a stunning lime green skirt suit and matching hat covering her thick dark hair.
“So do you Mom.” She said hugging her tightly.
“You will be singing with the choir of course,” she indicated that she sat next to her on one of the padded chairs on the podium. “I am so proud of you honey.” She hugged her again.
He came just before she was on to sing and her heart lifted when she saw his tall muscular frame coming straight up front. She also saw when the camera captured him walking in and then turned back to her. She sang one of the gospel songs from her upcoming album and as she usually did when she reached her solo piece she stepped forward and closed her eyes. “You give me grace where it was not deserved/You are my Lord and Savior and I love you because you first loved me/ Thank you for the many blessings you have given to me!/How can I repay you for thinking of me all those years ago?/You are my friend and you are my everything!”
She stepped back and sang the chorus with the rest of the choir, her clear beautiful voice ringing out to the back of the building and beyond, leaving everyone spellbound as they listened in silence.
Tyrese blinked as he felt the tears in his eyes. She was magnificent and he loved her so much. His heart stopped for a minute as he digested what had just gone through his mind. He stood with the rest of the people and stared at her. He loved her and he wanted her to be his wife. He had never felt that way about another person. He loved her! It became like a litany inside his head and even during the sermon he found himself looking at her. At one point she caught his eyes and she smiled at him, that slow sultry smile that had the power to put heat inside his body.
How was he going to convince her that he had changed?
*****
“Kayla you have a huge concert coming up in a matter of weeks how do you feel about that?” an eager young reporter asked her. The service was over and they were milling around trying to be a part of the limelight. Tyrese deliberately stayed in the background. She was standing with her parents outside the sanctuary where the interview was being done.
“Absolutely terrified,” she said honestly with a laugh. “Tyrese tells me I am going to rock the place so I have to take his word for it.”
The camera turned towards the tall man standing in the background and got a shot. “We have been hearing rumors about an intimate relationship between the two of you, how true is that?”
Kayla loo
ked at the young man and he started to squirm. “Exactly what you just said, rumors and I believe you are here to interview us as a family so I will let you speak to my parents now.”
*****
“So is it true? Are you involved with the young man or not?” Reverend Simmons asked her as soon as the interview was over and they had gone into the breakfast room to get something to eat. She glanced over to where Tyrese was standing talking to some of the boys who had come up to him.
“John.” His wife reprimanded him.
“It’s okay Mom, father is just being his usual untrusting self,” Kayla said with a frosty smile determined not to let him get underneath her skin. “He is a very good friend and he has been there for me through all of this but thank you for asking.” And with that she went to find Kathy who had her son in her arms feeding him some grapes.
“So you do remember your old friend,” Kathy complained good naturedly, admiring the burgundy suit her friend was wearing and the way her thick hair swung against her cheeks when she moved. “I see Papa bear dressed for the occasion.”
“He knows how to make an impression and yes I do remember the little people.” She grinned. “Hi Daniel,” she ticked the little boy’s chin causing him to laugh.
“And I see hot billionaire can’t keep his eyes off you.” Kathy murmured with an envious sigh.
“You are seeing things as usual,” Kayla told her dryly but could not help but take a peek over to where Tyrese was. “We are just friends that’s all.”
*****
He parked behind her as soon as they got to the manor. He had invited her to dinner and told her that he was not going to take no for an answer and she had acquiesced. Her mother had wanted her to stay for dinner but she had told her she had a previous engagement; she just did not feel the urge to sit at dinner with her father.
Love So Heavenly (A Clean Christian African American Romance) Page 7