Vivian had been arrested for shooting Lauren’s mother. But she was in a mental facility, so there was no telling whether she’d get better. Of course, after the shooting, Lauren and Matthew didn’t move forward with the wedding. And now, two weeks later, Lauren doubted that they ever would. Marriage was obviously not in the cards for her, she figured.
“Good to see a smile on your face,” Lauren said as Matthew walked into the den.
“I have reason to smile. Florida Union heard that Carolina State passed on me, and they want to make me an offer.” He sat next to Lauren on the sofa. “So, if you’re willing, I’d like to still get married and move to Florida.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “You want to still marry me?”
“Nothing would make me happier.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice. Nothing would make her happier, either.
“Yes, I’ll marry you!” Lauren planted kisses all over his face. She didn’t know why she’d been given another chance. But she was grateful just the same. She was going to take the good from her parents’ marriage and toss away all the bad. Her happily ever after was here and she didn’t plan to ever mess that up.
A Note from the Author . . .
When I first came up with the title for this story, The Perfect Mistress was the perfect fit. But I almost changed it. After all, as a married woman of twenty years, I didn’t want anyone thinking I thought there was even such a thing as a “perfect mistress.” But the title fit this story perfectly. As I normally do, I wanted to tell a story that went beneath the surface . . . and in this case, show how the things we do as parents—good and bad—lay the foundation that shapes our children. THAT’S the bigger story here. At no time when Vernon was gallivanting around town, daughter in tow, did he stop to think of the seeds he was sowing into his own child. And the branches that would flow from that deception.
That’s why I write. Yes, I want to entertain you with a good story, but I also want to make my readers think about their own choices and reflect on the consequences that are often extensions of the decisions we make.
Of course, I would not be able to do any of the things that I do without the support of a network of people who support, encourage, and uplift me both personally and professionally. God has truly blessed me with an awesome team.
The coach, the top dog, the man who pushes me, my husband, Dr. Miron Billingsley. You’ve been on this journey since I began. Thank you for holding it down, pushing me, loving me, even when I rolled my eyes at your constant “shouldn’t you be writing instead of watching Scandal” admonishment. My three beautiful children, Mya, Morgan, and Myles. Thank you for your patience and understanding. And for keeping me grounded by sending me texts, telling me things like, “When you get off the red carpet, can you come take me to Target for a posterboard?”
To my sister, Tanisha Tate. You’ve been there since before Day One . . . since we were kids and I was making up stories on you for entertainment. If God told me to design the perfect sister, I would design you. Thank you for everything, especially carrying the load of caring for Mama. I am eternally grateful.
To Victoria Christopher Murray, my business partner, my writing partner, and my very dear friend. This book wouldn’t be what it was if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for putting your own projects on hold to help me work through the dynamics of this book. Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe you. (Have you ever thought about mentoring people?)
To one of the dearest friends a person could ever ask for, Pat Tucker. Distance doesn’t diminish how eternally grateful I am for your friendship. It has been an honor taking this literary journey with you.
There are so many others in this industry who have been a tremendous support . . . I’m almost hesitant to name names. But special thanks to my other business partner, Jacquelin Thomas, and also Nina Foxx, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kimberla Lawson Roby, and Lolita Files. To Tiffany Warren, Rhonda McKnight, and Renee Flagler . . . thanks for the convos that keep me from jumping off a cliff some days.
To my Brown Girls Books family: Jason, Princess, Pam, Norma, Kimyatta, Brianna, Lasheera, Michelle, Angela, Damita, Richelle, Gina . . . thank you so much for all that you do. To our amazing author partners . . . I’m so honored to be affiliated with you! We’re truly changing the game!
And to my dear, dear, FOREVER friends—who buy every single book, even if they don’t read them. Clemelia, Jaimi, Raquelle, and Kim . . . you have had my back since I was a telemarketer in college having you listen to my spiel every other day so I could get credit. It’s so great to have friends who understand when you don’t keep in touch like you should, but when you do, are able to pick right back up like you just spoke yesterday.
As usual, a tremendous thanks to my agent, Sara Camilli, my phenomenal editor, Brigitte Smith, my publicist, Melissa Gramstad, and the rest of my family at Gallery— thank you for believing in me! Big thanks to Sheretta Edwards for all of your help in making my writing life more manageable. Yolanda Gore, thank you also, for, well, everything.
I also have to give a huge thanks to all of those who made my movie dreams come true. For Let the Church Say Amen, thanks to Regina King and Reina King for your commitment to the project and staying true to the book. To Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit, BET, Bobcat Films, and all the talented actors and crew . . . thank you for bringing my work to the screen! To the phenomenal cast, including Naturi Naughton, Lela Rochon, Brely Evans, Trav, and Hosea Chanchez, you rock. But then, I’m sure you already know this. To my TV One team . . . especially fellow Houstonian, D’Angela Proctor, looking forward to big things!
Thank you to all the book clubs that support my work. I hate naming names, but I wouldn’t be where I am were it not for your support, so special thanks to Neo-Renaissance Book Club, Sistahfriends, Christian Fiction Café Book Club, Sisters Who Like to Read, Readers of Delight, Sistahs in Harmony, Cush City, Black Pearls Keepin it Real, Mahogany, WOW, Brag about Books, Women of Excellence, Savvy Literary Ladies, Mocha Readers, Characters Book Club, Tabahani Book Circle, FB Page Turners, African-American Women’s Book Club, Women of Color Book Club, Zion MBC, Jus’Us Book Club, Go On Girl Texas 1, Bookclub Etc, Pearls of Wisdom, Lady Lotus, Soulful Readers of Detroit, Brownstone, Agape Book Ministry. (If I left you off, charge it to the head . . . because the heart is eternally grateful.)
Thank you to all the wonderful libraries that have supported my books, introduced me to readers, and fought to get my books on the shelves. Thank you also to Yasmin Coleman, Pilar Arsenec, Hiawatha Henry, Curtis Bunn, Gwen Richardson, Orsayor Simmons, King Brooks, Lisa Paige Jones, Sophie Sealy, Radiah Hubbert, and Jurrell Ahmad Fullerton.
And I know this may be a bit much . . . but when you have a circle of friends and supporters, you want to show your gratitude, even to your cyber friends. So a great big virtual hug and a real life thanks to my Facebook friends/supporters: Naturopath Cecie, Tonia, Heather, Sharmel, Jackie, Linda, Ernest, Shirley, Sharon, Gloria, Pam, Tracy, Nelvia, Phyllis, Erika, Robbie, Leslie, Ashara, Nita, Jetola, Bettie, Cassandra, Renee, Marsha, Shawn, Deb, Michelle, Kathy, Jackie, Sheryl, Candace, Tyra, Alisha, Theresa, Lisa, Carla, Kendria, Josie, Denise, Ina, Chevonne, Dasya, Monique, Gina, Ina, Tracey, Raquel, Marcena, Cheritta, Maleika, Christie, Sylvia, Deborah, Demetria, Cebrina, Lolita, Tyra, Jetola, Cindy, Joanna, Maurice, Juda, Cecelia, Deborah, Shawn, Lachelle, Vonda, Marth, Chenoa, and Sherryle. I know there are so many more, but I think my copy editor will start cutting right about here, so this is for all those I forgot! Big, big thanks also to: ______________. (Write your name here!)
Lots of love and gratitude to my sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (including my own chapter, Mu Kappa Omega), my sisters in Greekdom, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who CONSTANTLY show me love . . . and my fellow mothers in Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
And finally thanks to you . . . my beloved reader. If it’s your first time picking up one of my books, I truly hope you enjoyed it. If you’re coming back, words cannot even begin to express how grateful I am
for your support. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
Much Love,
ReShonda
GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE
* * *
the
PERFECT
MISTRESS
RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY
INTRODUCTION
Lauren Robinson wanted a simple life, and a simple life meant no strings. If love always led to infidelity and heartbreak—like it did with her cheating father, Vernon, and scorned mother, Joyce—then the best thing was to never become someone’s wife. So Lauren took a cue from her dad and never expected anything from the married men she dated, who had oblivious wives and plenty of money to spoil her with. But when ex-boyfriend Matthew King comes back into her life—the first and last man to ever break Lauren’s heart—she begins to question whether she’s really happy.
Joyce Robinson didn’t know what she had done to deserve the life she was getting. Not only had she lost both parents to disease, she lost her husband, Vernon, too—to a vengeful, gun-toting mistress who would not accept him leaving her. Worst of all, her teenaged daughter, Lauren, had enabled him to destroy their family. Now, dying of brain cancer and stuck in a facility, Joyce is trapped—not just by her disease-riddled body, but by an embittered heart, a cold facade, and an unresolved anger toward her now grown-up daughter. Will she be able to make peace with Lauren—and her choices—before it’s too late?
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. In The Perfect Mistress, we’re introduced to two parallel narratives of mother and daughter, Joyce and Lauren. What are your initial impressions of their relationship?
2. It’s clear Lauren loves her father deeply, and when he suggests that she might lose him if her mother ever discovered his extramarital relationships, she definitively decides never to tell a soul out of that fear. How does his threat of leaving manifest in her behavior, both as a child and as an adult?
3. When Joyce leaves to stay with her parents after Vernon cheats on her, her father insists that she stay with Vernon, saying the only thing that’s unforgivable is physical violence, and that anything else can be worked through. What do you think of this statement? Can anything be forgiven, or should it?
4. Vernon tells Lauren that humans weren’t created to be monogamous and that she’ll understand when she’s older. When Lauren asks her father if he’d be okay with Joyce having boyfriends the way he has girlfriends, a “look of sheer horror” sweeps across his face. He tells her that it’s different for men and women. Is it? If so, how?
5. What is the pivotal moment when Joyce decides Lauren has committed the ultimate betrayal against her? Why do you think it was so easy for Joyce to blame and hate Lauren for what had happened?
6. Lauren ended her two-year relationship with Matthew in college because she believed he was cheating on her. When he comes back into her life, however, she is surprised by how happy she is to see him. What do you think are the real reasons why their prior relationship ended?
7. When Matthew and Lauren are discussing a high-profile sexual harassment scandal in the news, Matthew comments that it’s a shame such a talented guy is being brought down by his libido. What’s problematic about that statement? Besides the obvious differences between an affair and sexual harassment, what are other reasons why someone would stray apart from a dissatisfied sex life?
8. Time and again, people in Joyce’s life comment on how Vernon was such a great father but a lousy husband. Do you think he was a great father? Why or why not?
9. Vivian tells Lauren that she’s contributing to the “destruction of the black family” by having affairs with married men. Do you agree with her? Why or why not? If there were no women with whom men could have affairs, would their relationships or marriages be perfect otherwise?
10. Joyce says to Lauren, “It was bad enough that you stole his heart from me, but then you turned around and watched him give it to other women.” What do you think she means by this? How does this statement reveal Joyce’s true feelings?
11. Lauren reminds Joyce during Julian’s staged therapy session that she was just a child when her ultimate “betrayal” took place and thus is entitled to forgiveness, and that her debt is paid. What is Joyce’s response to that? Why do you think Joyce dismisses the “just a child” excuse?
12. Several people have to remind Joyce that Lauren deceived her mother because she wanted the approval of her father. Why do you think Joyce feels so hurt, even decades later, by Lauren’s secret?
13. Lauren’s mother makes the ultimate sacrifice on Lauren’s wedding day by attempting to apprehend Vivian, who was threatening Lauren’s life. What are the parallels between Joyce’s and Vernon’s last few moments on earth?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Do you believe the adage “once a cheater, always a cheater”? With your book club, discuss what it means to cheat (Is it cheating when it’s physical? Is it cheating when it’s emotional?), whether or not someone can change, and if you’d ever enter into a relationship with someone whom you know has cheated on others in the past.
2. Visit www.reshondatatebillingsley.com and select another Tate Billingsley title for your club’s next book. Have the group individually rank the characters in both books from best to worst (or favorite to least favorite). Take turns arguing your case!
3. A number of films tackle the topic of infidelity and the dissolution of a family. With your book club, select a film that centers on the woman—whether she’s the cheater or the scorned—and have a movie night. (Don’t forget the popcorn!) Afterward, discuss its parallels with The Perfect Mistress.
© ROCHELLE SCOTT
RESHONDA TATE BILLINGSLEY’s #1 national best-selling novels include Let the Church Say Amen, I Know I’ve Been Changed, and Say Amen, Again, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work. Visit www.reshondatatebillingsley.com, meet the author on Facebook at reshondatatebillingsley, or follow her on Twitter @Reshondat.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/ReShonda-Tate-Billingsley
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
Also by ReShonda Tate Billingsley:
Mama’s Boy
Finding Amos (with J. D. Mason and Bernice McFadden)
What’s Done in the Dark
Fortune & Fame (with Victoria Christopher Murray)
A Family Affair
Friends & Foes (with Victoria Christopher Murray)
The Secret She Kept
Sinners & Saints (with Victoria Christopher Murray)
Say Amen, Again
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Holy Rollers
The Devil Is a Lie
Can I Get a Witness?
The Pastor’s Wife
Everybody Say Amen
I Know I’ve Been Changed
Let the Church Say Amen
My Brother’s Keeper
Have a Little Faith (with Jacquelin Thomas, J. D. Mason, and Sandra Kitt)
And check out ReShonda’s Young Adult titles:
Drama Queens
Caught Up in the Drama
Friends ’Til the End
Fair-Weather Friends
Getting Even
With Friends Like These
Blessings in Disguise
Nothing but Drama
We hope you enjoyed reading this Gallery Books eBook.
* * *
Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com
Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a wor
k of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by ReShonda Tate Billingsley
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition July 2016
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Interior design by Carly Loman
Cover design by Min Choi
Cover photograph by Allan Jenkins/Gallery Stock
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-1497-4
ISBN 978-1-4767-1504-9 (ebook)
The Perfect Mistress Page 25