by Shana Burton
Jamal placed a hand on her shoulder. “The important thing to remember here is that you got outside your comfort zone. You did something impetuous and discovered something about yourself you didn’t know before.”
She exhaled. “I guess I can look at it that way.”
“And speaking of looking,” his lips curved into a mischievous smirk, “you gon’ let me see those pictures or what?”
“No!” shrieked Catt. “Nobody’s ever going to see those pictures!”
“Except your dad, you mean.”
She sucked her teeth. “Very funny.”
“Maybe not so much right now, but I guarantee you’re going to look back on this and laugh,” he assured her.
“That day can’t come soon enough!” Catt was startled by her phone vibrating. She grimaced when she looked at the caller ID. “I guess we don’t have to wonder whether my dad got the picture.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s him!”
Chapter 15
Jeremiah hung up the phone with a puzzled look on his face. First, there was the scintillating picture of his daughter that he received via a picture-message on his phone. If that wasn’t shocking enough—and it was—Catt’s bungled explanation for it was a blatant lie.
“I think someone hacked into my phone and sent it,” she’d told him. When asked if someone had stolen her phone, then returned it, she said no, then yes, then that she wasn’t sure.
“But you did take the picture, right?” he asked her.
To that, she claimed that she must’ve snapped it by accident after taking a shower.
“Let me get this straight,” he continued, “you accidentally took a naked picture, which happens to look posed for, and then someone stole your phone, sent the picture to your father, and then returned the phone with you being none the wiser. Is that what you’re saying happened?”
Apparently it was.
Jeremiah wasn’t positive, but he was almost sure that he heard a man in the background coaching her on what to say. Presumably, it was the guy she’d been traveling with. He was never too keen on the idea of Catt spending weeks alone out on the road with him. But now, it appeared that he had a legitimate reason to be concerned. Catt had never lied to him before. Not that he knew of, at least, and the Catt he knew would never pose for racy pictures, much less send them to anyone. She had already described Jamal as a man with questionable morals and character. Now, it appeared that he was trying to corrupt Catt, but that wasn’t going to happen, not as long as Jeremiah Cason had breath in his body.
Jeremiah beckoned Eldon to his office. He knew that he must act quickly and decisively to get his daughter out of Jamal’s perilous clutches.
“You wanted to see me?” asked Eldon.
“Yes, come in. Sit down.” He offered Eldon a chair. “Have you talked to Catt since she left on this road trip?”
Eldon nodded. “Briefly, right before she left.”
“But not since then?”
“No.” Eldon was alarmed. “Is something wrong? Have you been able to get in contact with her?”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Jeremiah assured him. “In fact, I just got off the phone with her a few minutes ago. I am a little concerned about her, though.”
“Why?”
Jeremiah leaned back in his chair. “It’s this Jamal fellow that she’s traveling with. I don’t know if I trust him.”
“Do you think he might be dangerous?”
“To my daughter’s physical well-being, no. But I’m very concerned about his influence on her spiritual and emotion well-being.”
“Catt has a good head on her shoulders, sir. She doesn’t seem like the type who is easily swayed. She has an excellent spiritual foundation, and I can’t see her compromising her standards for anyone.”
Jeremiah wasn’t as convinced. “Lest we forget, the serpent was craftier than any other animal that the Lord God made. I’m not saying that Catt is naïve or anything like that, but she’s away from everything familiar, including her church. It makes it a lot easier to fall.”
“So what do you want me to do? You want me to pray for her? Talk to her?”
Jeremiah sighed. “I’ve got something even better in mind. Don’t you have family in D.C.?”
“Yeah, my parents are there. Why?”
Jeremiah drummed his fingers on the desk, plotting. “When is the last time you’ve been up there to see them?”
Eldon thought back. “Not since Christmas. Their anniversary is coming up. I thought about going up there for the celebration, but I just don’t see how I can get away right now.”
“If you’re worried about time off, don’t be. Take as many days as you need.”
“Thank you, sir! That’s mighty generous of you. But the time off isn’t the only issue.” He hung his head. “I’m a little strapped for cash right now. Plane tickets don’t come cheap these days.”
“The Lord always provides a ram, son. You know I’m not a stingy man. If you need help with airfare or anything else, I’ll be more than happy to oblige you. God didn’t bless me with finances to keep it to myself. He’s blessed me, so I can bless you.”
Eldon was grateful, but he wasn’t stupid. There had to be a catch somewhere. “I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you don’t even know my parents. Why would you go so far out of your way for them and for me?”
He skimmed through Catt’s itinerary. “My daughter should be up that way in a few days. It might be nice if you surprised her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see a familiar face, especially yours.”
“Oh, so that’s what you meant by having ‘something better’ in mind?” he concluded, finally catching on.
“I would feel a whole lot better about what’s going on up there if I knew Catt had you there to be that spiritual pillar she may need to lean on. Besides, I don’t need some smooth-talkin’ joker messing with her head only to break her heart once they return and it’s back to business as usual. You’re the man my daughter needs in her life. I intend to do everything in my power to see to that happening.”
“Do you really think this Jamal has ill intentions with Catt?”
“I don’t put it past him. And I know my Catt—she’s so giving and kind that she might not see his charm and empty promises for what they really are.” He cleared his throat to segue into the unspoken truth. “I guess I don’t have to tell you that my Catt doesn’t get a lot of interest from the opposite sex, not with men being so superficial nowadays. She’s liable to fall prey to any man showing her some attention. That’s why I like you. You’re able to see beyond Catt’s physical issues and see through to her heart.”
“Your daughter is a beautiful woman inside and out to me. I’d never do anything to hurt her,” vowed Eldon. “You have my word on that.”
Jeremiah stood and patted him affectionately on the back. “Do I also have your word that you’ll go to D.C. and show my daughter a good time?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Jeremiah reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed Eldon two crisp one hundred-dollar bills. “This is just a little something to make that happen.” Then he slid him a fifty dollar-bill. “Buy your parents something nice on me.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“I’ll have my secretary book the flight and make all the other arrangements. Your only responsibility is to make my daughter happy and to keep this other fellow as far away from her as possible.”
Eldon stuffed the money into his pocket. “Consider it done.”
Jeremiah reached for Eldon’s hand to shake on it, thus, making it official. The two exchanged knowing smiles.
Between the cash exchange and the handshake and their Cheshire-cat grins, it might appear to the average onlooker that a deal had just been struck with the devil.
Chapter 16
“How much longer do we have?” griped Catt, who was already tired and hungry. She mustered up the energy to smile at a coupl
e walking past their kiosk but not enough to ask them to participate in the promotion.
Jamal checked his watch. “Let’s give it another hour or so. I’m pretty beat myself.”
Catt closed her eyes and leaned back. “I can’t wait to get back to the hotel and take a long hot shower, put on music, and sleep like a bear in winter!”
“That sounds like a plan! You mind if I join you?” asked a male voice other than Jamal’s.
Startled, Catt popped her eyes open to see who’d said something to her. She leapt from her chair when she recognized the voice and the face. “Eldon, what a wonderful surprise!” she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. “What are you doing here?”
He released her from their embrace. “My folks live up here. It’s their anniversary. We had a huge party for them last night. When your dad told me you were in town, I was tempted to call and invite you.”
“I wish you had. It’s so good to see a familiar face.” Jamal cleared his throat, not used to being ignored. “Oh . . . Eldon, this is my lab partner, Jamal.”
Jamal extended his hand. “What’s up, man?”
“God is good, I can’t complain. You’re not working my girl too hard, are you?” he asked good-naturedly.
Jamal let his eyes drift over Catt’s body. “Naw, not yet.”
Eldon turned to Catt. “So do you have plans later on tonight? After you finish up here, I mean.”
Catt’s eyes darted to Jamal, who had now turned his attention to his phone. “What did you have in mind?”
“A nice, somewhat romantic dinner,” he answered with a smirk. “You game?”
“Will your parents be joining us?”
“No, the ‘newlyweds’ have requested a little time to themselves, and I need a good excuse to get out of the house. You don’t want to know what kind of sounds I heard coming from their bedroom last night!”
Catt laughed out loud. “I don’t think he was hurting her, Eldon.”
“I don’t intend to stick around long enough to find out who was doing what to whom if I can help it and if you’ll join me for dinner.”
Before she could reply, Jamal interjected. “Oni’s on her way up. I told her we’d meet her for drinks once her plane lands. We’ll give her a full debriefing in the morning.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had plans,” said Eldon, disappointed.
“I don’t,” she spat, glaring at Jamal. “Can’t you take the meeting with Oni by yourself?”
“It’s okay,” Eldon assured her. “We can do it some other time.”
“No, just join us at the restaurant with Oni. We can get separate tables. That way, we can have dinner and Jamal can have me nearby in case I have to hold his hand and walk him through the meeting.”
“I’ve got something you can hold,” mumbled Jamal.
Eldon blinked back and cleared his throat. “Well, on that note, why don’t you give me a call when you decide when and where you want to meet, and we’ll go from there?”
“Great, I’m looking forward to it.”
Eldon gave her another quick hug followed by a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.” He jetted off in another direction.
Catt sat down, smiling. “Wow, that was a wonderful surprise, wasn’t it?”
Jamal shook his head. “He’s not your type, you know.”
“And just how would you know what my type is?”
“Because I know women. He looks like somebody Daddy picked out for you, Stanley Johnson 2.0.”
“Eldon is a good, upstanding Christian man, which is more than I can say for you.”
“Good and upstanding aren’t words to describe the kind of man that’ll keep a woman from roaming the streets.”
“Maybe not the kind of women you deal with. But then again, you know what they call the kind of dogs that like to roam.”
“Did I detect a bit of jealousy in that last comment?”
“Why would I be jealous of the skanks you hook up with?”
“I saw how you looked at Yvette that day she came into the lab.”
“The look you saw was disgust! What kind of woman shows up to a man’s job that early in the morning to tell him where she found her panties?”
“The kind of woman who thoroughly enjoyed losing them the night before,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes. “Does everything have to be about sex with you?”
“No, but you can’t deny that physical attraction is important.”
“I never said it wasn’t. I just said it’s not the end-all-be-all.”
“Are you physically attracted to this Eldon character?”
“Eldon is a very good-looking man, Jamal. Not even you can deny that.”
“Yeah, he’s a decent-looking brother, I’ll give him that. But do you have that chemistry with him? You know, that spark that’ll have you sitting at work fantasizing about a joker all day?”
“I don’t waste time entertaining sexual fantasies. That’s the quickest path to sin. Once you start fixating on stuff like that, it’s only a matter of time before you act on it.”
“Yeah, that’s the whole point,” he stated flatly. “Anyway, does he make you feel the way I made you feel that day in the lab?”
Catt’s pulse raced. “I don’t know what day you’re talking about,” she lied.
Jamal transfixed her in his gaze. “Yes, you do, Catt. If your conscience let you, you would’ve ripped my clothes off right then and there!”
“If you’re talking about that day—”
He cut her off, posturing himself inches away from her. “I’m talking about that day the heat between us was so crazy that the beakers practically started heating up by themselves! You know exactly what day I’m talking about. Now, does this Eldon ever make you feel like that?”
Catt, who was flustered from being so close to him, planted her hands firmly on her hips. “First of all, Eldon would never invade my personal space that way. Furthermore, what Eldon and I have is based on mutual respect and reverence for the Lord, not lust and passion.”
“So he doesn’t inspire any feelings of a sexual nature whatsoever?”
“No, what we have transcends that.”
“Then like I said,” Jamal shook his head again, “he ain’t the one!”
Chapter 17
Eldon was on his cell phone again. It was the fourth time that a phone call had interrupted his and Catt’s dinner. To entertain herself, Catt had taken to guessing which couples in the restaurant were on a first date, which ones were having marital problems, and which men were planning on getting lucky that night.
“Sorry about that,” he apologized, pocketing his cell phone. “That was one of the church’s parents. She wanted to know if it was sacrilegious to let her son dress up and go trick-or-treating,” Eldon replied with a chuckle and adjusted his glasses. “How’s your Chicken Marsala?”
Catt nodded politely and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “It’s great, really tender.”
He reached for her hand. “Catt, I was hoping to talk to you about something tonight.”
“Yes,” she replied dryly, looking down at her plate instead of at him.
“Well, I wanted to talk about us and the future,” he added hopefully.
She lifted her eyes. “What about it?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but the whole dating game isn’t really for me. And if you look at the Bible, you never see couples dating. The Lord either sends their mate, or they choose who they want to share a life with and go from there. It’s none of this boyfriend-girlfriend, friends-with-benefits stuff you see going on today. I actually think they had the right idea.”
Catt stopped eating. “Don’t you think it’s important for a couple to get to know each other before making a lifetime commitment like marriage?”
“I think it’s important that two people share the same values, same ideas about child-rearing, and be equally yoked spiritually. It doesn’t take months and years to figure that out, though. Yo
u know pretty early on whether you’re compatible.”
“I suppose so,” said Catt, confused by the nature of the conversation. “Where are you going with this?”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about us and the future. Plus, I’ve been talking to your dad—” He was interrupted by his phone ringing. “It’s Minister Lunsford. I really need to take this call. Do you mind?”
“No, go on. A minister’s work is never done, I know.”
“Thanks!” He answered the phone. “Good evening, Minister. What can I do for you?”
While Eldon chatted with the minister, Catt turned her head in the direction of a loud but familiar cackle. It was Oni, and although she could only see the back of his head, she already knew who her date was: Jamal.
When Oni spotted Catt looking at them, she waved excitedly. Jamal turned around and, immediately, his eyes locked with hers. Catt’s heart began pounding, and Oni signaled for her to join them at their table. Catt excused herself from Eldon, who was still on the phone, and ambled over to them. There was an uncomfortable tension between Catt and Jamal, but Oni seemed not to notice.
“So is this work or play?” asked Catt, noting the half-empty wineglasses on the table.
“Which one does it look like?” Jamal replied snidely.
“I don’t know. It almost looks like the two of you are on a date,” she remarked. She pasted on a fake smile, but she was still unable to ignore that nagging pinch of jealousy.
“What would be so bad about my taking a beautiful, intelligent woman on a date?” posed Jamal.
“Nothing, I suppose,” she lied, not wanting to appear too interested. “It’s just that office romance can be a little dicey, that’s all.”
“Not necessarily,” he countered. “I believe in both work and play—all the better if you can kill two birds with one stone.”
“I’ll drink to that!” agreed Oni, lifting her glass.
“Aren’t you worried that people might start to talk?”
Jamal draped his arm around Oni. “Let ’em talk.”
Oni dropped the ruse. “He’s just yanking your chain, Catt. We’re not dating.” Oni elbowed him. “Don’t mess her like that. You know how seriously Catt takes her work.”