“But ten days ago, I was engaged to someone else.”
“Yes, and you’re so crushed.” Isabella’s sarcasm was on full display. “You’re not hurting over Josh. What you feel is relief. Relief that you didn’t make a big mistake. A mistake you didn’t know you were making until you met Joshua. Admit it.”
Geneva lowered her head and nodded.
Isabella did a fist pump. “I knew it.”
“Every night before I fall asleep, I’m in awe that if I hadn’t been dumped by Josh, I wouldn’t have met Joshua,” Geneva said. Her voice hitched. “He’s a wonderful man. This whole experience is surreal.”
Isabella held up a hand. “Let’s change topics for now. I don’t want you falling apart in here. Let’s talk when our feet are done.”
Geneva nodded. They drifted to other conversations. Once they paid and tipped the techs, they decided to ditch the movie.
“God brought Joshua into your life, Geneva. And when God gives you a gift, you take it.” She squeezed Geneva’s hand.
“I never had this certainty with Josh. When I’m with Joshua, I feel a certainty from deep in my gut.” She stilled. “Could I be in love with Joshua?”
“Yes, you are. Your heart knows it.” Isabella cupped Geneva’s face in her hands. “It’s okay to do something crazy and fall in love. Allow yourself to throw your plans out of the window. Just open your arms and fall. He’ll catch you. I’m sure of it.”
“I don’t know how. My mother was carefree and it led to her death.”
Isabella dropped her hands from Geneva’s face and squeezed her shoulders. “You need to change your mindset. Your mother lived. She died with all her wishes fulfilled. She died doing something she loved. Will you be able to say the same?”
Ch. 17
“I can’t believe, after all these years, you’re looking to retire your playa card. You’re tripping over this girl. It’s Friday night and you should be in the club. Instead you’re here, doing what?” Brandon pointed to the Bible on the coffee table. “Reading the Bible and mooning over Geneva. That’s pitiful.”
Brandon propped a leg on the coffee table in Joshua’s hotel suite. He had flown in to Ohio to meet with Joshua about his contract. Before the men talked business, Brandon had asked how things were going with Geneva.
Joshua ignored the comment about the Bible. He had made that decision when Brandon expressed a lack of belief in God and His book. Instead, he said, “She’s the one. I feel it in my bones. I don’t have to look any further.”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying if I’m going on vacation with Geneva to a tropical island, I’m going to make her my wife. Because I’ll want to do some bad things to that good, Christian girl.”
“Wife?” Brandon yelled. “You got it bad. The trip is in four days. You can’t get your pre-nup together that fast.”
Joshua yawned. “I don’t intend to sign one.”
Brandon’s mouth dropped. “You lost your mind? You can’t marry anyone in this day and time without a prenuptial agreement. If your marriage doesn’t work out, she could take you for millions. Millions.” He shook his head. “This conversation is unreal right now. I can’t believe you’re talking marriage. You don’t know her well enough to jump into something that isn’t easy to get out of.”
“I might not know her long in days, but in my heart, it feels like forever.”
Brandon snorted. “I can’t believe you’re spouting that sappy crap with such conviction.” He cocked his head. “You really believe that nonsense, don’t you?”
Joshua nodded.
“Then you’re a bigger punk than I realized.” Brandon laughed. “The bad boy of showbiz has gotten all weak over a woman.”
Joshua snatched him up, put a hand around his neck, and squeezed. Brandon’s face turned purple. He gargled trying to catch some air.
“How much of a punk am I now?” Joshua asked. Brandon sputtered. Joshua threw him to the couch. “I’m no punk. I’m man enough to want the love of a good woman.”
Brandon held his neck and drew deep breaths. “I’m just messing with you. You didn’t have to go all hardcore on me.”
Joshua glared. “You didn’t have to open your mouth, but you did.”
The men squared off. After a few tense seconds, Brandon held up a hand. “I don’t want to see you make a mistake.”
“If I don’t make her mine, I’ll be making a mistake.”
Brandon’s eyes went wide. Joshua could see when his words sank in because Brandon waved a hand as if to surrender. “I’ll back out of your business. I’m in your corner, no matter what.” He held out a fist.
They fist pumped and the air cleared. Joshua took a seat across from him. Brandon opened the manila folder and took out the contract.
“It’s the same as last time,” he said, reaching for a pen from his shirt pocket. “I only changed the dates and added that instead of two tours over the next six years, you’ll do three.”
“I’m not signing that,” Joshua said.
Brandon’s eyebrows rose. “What did you want to negotiate?”
Joshua steeled himself. “I don’t have anything to negotiate. I want out of the business.”
“Music is in your blood. You can’t quit it even if you want to.”
“I’m not quitting music. I’m leaving Platinum.”
“You’d rather leave me who built you from the bottom to the top for some other fool?” Brandon fumed. “Who is it that’s recruiting you? Because I’ll match whatever they’re offering.”
“I plan to write different kinds of songs.” Joshua cleared his throat. “I plan to write gospel.”
“Gospel?” Brandon yelled. “You can’t move from what you do to gospel. Mace tried it and it ended his career. That’s why he tried to come back. Switching it up on people like that will be JJ-LUV’s swan song.”
“First, when I leave, I’m not coming back. Second, JJ-LUV might die,” Joshua said, counting each point out on his fingers. “But Joshua James will be very much alive.”
Brandon shook his head. “I can’t believe those words are coming out of your mouth.”
“Believe it. Ever since Zoya’s death, I’ve been thinking to call it quits. Now that I’ve met Geneva, I’m even more motivated.”
Joshua remembered the disgust on Geneva’s face at the video shoot. She had been appalled. When she had left, Joshua had done his job, but he began to view the environment through her eyes. He saw the depravity and detested it. That feeling made him go home and take a long shower. But no matter how much he washed, he couldn’t remove the stain of his surroundings. Joshua knew only God could cleanse him of the filth in which he had once reveled.
“What about the song for Club Five?” Brandon asked.
Joshua marched into this bedroom and returned with the lyrics. He plopped them on the couch. “Done.”
Brandon picked up the papers and studied them before giving a nod. “These are good.”
Joshua’s jaw clenched. “You act like you doubted they would be.”
Brandon looked him in the eyes. “Yes, I did have doubts. You’re not acting like you anymore, so I wasn’t sure you could deliver.” He read the lyrics again. “The girls are going to love this.”
“I’m glad it met your expectations.” Joshua clasped his hands on his lap. “Would you consider releasing me from my contract early?”
“No way. I’m holding you until the last hour.”
“But I’ve fulfilled all the stipulations of the contract.”
“I’m adding two special performances. One for Christmas Eve and another for New Year’s Eve.”
Joshua shook his head. “I can’t and you know it. I’m going with Geneva to Jamaica.”
Brandon held out the pen. “Sign the contract and I’ll change the venue dates. Otherwise, JJ-LUV will be booked solid. I can think of at least two other parties you can attend.”
Joshua’s eyes narrowed. “We’re frien
ds. How can you do this to me?”
“This isn’t about friendship. It’s business and you’re my biggest commodity. From now until New Year’s day when your contract’s up, I own you.”
“Please reconsider.” Joshua got up and went over to where Brandon was seated. “I can’t disappoint Geneva. Her fiancé jilted her. I can’t bail on her. The entire country knows we’re going to Jamaica together. If I don’t go, it will humiliate her.”
Brandon snorted. “I’m sure when she’s swiping your Amex card, she’ll get over any humiliation.”
“You don’t know her, so don’t say that.”
Brandon stood and jammed a finger in Joshua’s chest. “I’ve got news for you. You don’t know her either. What’s it been? Days?”
Joshua’s left eye jumped. Brandon was goading him on purpose, but knowing didn’t keep his temper in check. “Back off,” he said through gritted teeth. “As a matter of fact, I think it’s time you get to stepping.”
Brandon’s eyes held hurt. “You choosing this woman over me?”
“I’m not choosing her. I’m choosing God.”
“Go ahead. Choose some mythical being no one can prove exists.” Brandon shoved the papers in the manila folder. “I never thought I’d see the day you kick me out in the cold. This is how you treat the man who saved you when you lay in your puke, the man who fed you and put clothes on your back when you had nothing.”
“I’m grateful. But that was a long time ago. You won’t admit it, but deep down you know I’m not that man anymore.”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You think you better than me now?” He fumed.
Joshua shook his head. “I’m still me. But God is making me better.”
“Ha! Let’s see if your God can help you out of this contract. Pack your bags. You leave for Las Vegas tomorrow. And be prepared, you’ll be booked until midnight on New Year’s Eve.” He went through the door and banged it closed.
Joshua gazed at the door. His chest tightened. He had just lost his best friend. Geneva was right. To love God was to hate the world. To choose God was to reject the world, even when it came in the form of a man you had called friend for twenty years.
Joshua strolled into the kitchenette where he had left his cell phone. Geneva had texted.
I have planned activities for us to do on the trip. Would you like to see the itinerary?
Joshua’s eyes misted. He couldn’t talk to her and hear the disappointment in her voice. He quickly typed a response and hit send. I need to talk to you. I won’t be able to go. I’ll explain in person.
Joshua’s stomach clenched, picturing her reading it.
Then he slapped his forehead. Oh no! He had just done the same thing Josh did to Geneva.
She would never forgive him.
Ch. 18
It’s okay. No explanation needed.
Geneva replied to Joshua’s text. What else could she say? That her heart would ache at the letdown? That the tears would run from her cheeks to her pillow all night, possibly for a lifetime? That she felt like screaming and crying at the same time? That her heart could burst from the change of plans? Geneva couldn’t tell Joshua that. So she gave the necessary, polite response.
She answered how one would respond to a casual friend. That’s how she should regard Joshua. But she had fallen in love with him.
Geneva gritted her teeth. “Stupid, stupid thing to do.” She wished she had known before sending her text about the itinerary. That she had planned excursions for couples added to her humiliation.
Her lower lip trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears found an escape route. They slid into her ear and to the base of her neck before she buried her face in her hands and cried.
“He must have a good reason,” she told herself as she wiped the evidence of her disappointment away with the back of her hand. “Joshua wouldn’t cancel without a good cause.” She drew several deep breaths. “This isn’t Josh on repeat. I’ve got to stay calm.”
The doorbell rang.
Geneva looked through the peephole to see Joshua standing there. Her heart skipped at the sight of him. She opened the door.
“I need to explain,” Joshua said. Then his eyes widened. He stroked her cheek. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.” His voice held tenderness and remorse.
Geneva wrapped her arms about her waist and stepped aside to let him in.
“I told my record company I wasn’t going to renew my contract.”
Her mouth popped open. “Wow. How did that go?”
He rubbed his head. “Not well. Brandon scheduled performances for me from tomorrow through New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. I’m obligated until New Year’s Day. Then, I’ll be free.”
He clasped his hands together. “This has been the best couple of weeks I’ve ever had.” He looked away for a second. “This might seem strange, but I was lonely before you. I have what many desire – fame and wealth. There are times when at least twenty people are around me, but I still feel alone. Then your face reached out to me, and I didn’t know it at the time, but I feel it now. You’re who I yearned for. When I’m with you I feel… complete. You have to believe that when I’m performing in Vegas, I’ll be thinking of you.”
Geneva went to sit next to him, “I saw it. The loneliness. That’s what drew me to say yes to your request. I realized you needed a friend.” She smiled. “But I wasn’t the friend you needed. You needed the Friend above all friends. You needed God. I’ve never met anyone so hungry for the Word, the way you are.” She patted his hand. “Maybe that’s my true purpose in your life. A fleeting encounter that would lead you to God.”
He touched her chin and moved closer into her space. Her body warmed up. “You think that’s all this is between us?” His finger touched her lips, his eyes darkening. “I know why you’re saying that. You’re afraid.”
Joshua moved his hand to the back of her head and held it place. She gasped as the heat began to build. Her heart raced.
“Right now you’re in self-defense mode. You’re trying to preserve your heart from pain.” He inched closer until his mouth was on hers, and her mouth opened slightly. “But if you hold back because you’re scared, you might miss out on life.” His spoke into her mouth and Geneva trembled. “You might lose out on true love.” The sound waves of his bass voice hit the back of her throat and she groaned.
Joshua released her. “Now go ahead and tell me this is just about God. I know you feel a connection.”
Geneva fiddled with her hair. “I do. But maybe I’m confusing a connection for l—something more. Passion can be deceiving.” She thought of her mother. “Passion can kill you.”
He snatched her closer to him than before. Now their bodies touched. She felt the rhythm of his chest moving against hers, appreciating its strength and breadth.
“Breathe with me,” he said.
Geneva tried to pull away, but his grip was firm.
“When something is right, time or words aren’t necessary. Close your eyes and breathe with me.”
Geneva obeyed. Their bodies dipped and rose in synchrony. She allowed herself to follow the tempo he set. He sped up his breathing, and she kept pace. He slowed and she followed. A warm sensation flowed from her toes to her head. This had to be the most erotic experience of her life. Her body burned. She licked her lips, needing to make further contact.
Joshua took one of her hands and placed it on his chest. Then he placed a hand over hers. “Look at me,” he commanded.
Her eyes fluttered open. Geneva gasped. Raw need shone through his eyes.
“I need God and I need you,” he growled. “I will have both.”
Joshua crushed his lips to hers. Once her mouth opened, Joshua took advantage and plundered her lips, his hand still pressed to her chest. She moved her hands to massage his head.
He kissed her long and hard.
Sensations spiraled within her. Her control edged to the breaking point and she tried to end the kiss, but the onslau
ght continued. Oh goodness, he wasn’t letting up. He wasn’t giving her time to think.
Joshua ran his hands against her cheek and her collarbone. Anywhere he made contact, she sprang to life.
Still their bodies moved as one. Oh, Geneva wanted to… She squeezed her legs to contain the heat.
He tore his lips away, but there was no relief as his mouth moved to her ear. “I could kiss you like this forever,” Joshua mumbled. His voice against her ear made her insides tremble. He moved on, discovering her neck.
“Your skin is so soft,” Joshua whispered.
Geneva swallowed. She felt as if she was on fire. Joshua kissed her from one side of her collarbone to the other. Her body arched to give him access.
“Joshua…” she moaned. Still their bodies moved together. Her heart hammered in her chest. “Oh, I can’t take it.”
Joshua pulled away, keeping their hands joined. She could feel the heat of his body under her fingertips. Eyes darkened to the color of onyx roamed her body with appreciation.
Geneva touched her lips with her free hand. “I’ve never been kissed like that.”
He touched her chin. “All that passion, brimming, waiting for release…” Joshua licked his lips. “Mmm…mmm.”
Geneva sighed. If he kept up that talk… She claimed her hand and covered her ears. “You’ve got to stop talking dirty. It’s making my feelings rise up.”
He smiled. “It’s what I do, baby.”
Geneva lowered her head. Was she being sweet-talked by JJ-LUV? Her brows knitted. Is this how he kissed and spoke to the other women?
“Geneva, look at me.”
She forced herself to face Joshua.
“This feeling is for you. Alone. “The sincerity in his eyes assured her. “The passion between us is real and unique. It burns and will only grow for us. When your volcano erupts for me, I’ll be the one to drink your hot lava.”
The Resolution Page 8