by H. H. Fowler
Hey gorgeous, you didn’t respond to my text. Should I take that as you trying to avoid me? I’m scheduled to leave tomorrow evening. Let’s get together tonight. I want to discuss…”
He didn’t get to finish reading A’moree’s message. With Tayah nearby, he didn’t want to risk raising any suspicion. He jabbed the phone back into its place.
“Congratulations, honey,” Michelle beamed, squeezing her daughter. It was the happiest feeling she’d felt in weeks. “Well deserved, well deserved!”
“Thank you, mother! I guess hard work does pay off.” She wheeled around and then threw herself into Dominic’s arms. “It means so much to have both of you here…”
“I’m glad that you called me,” Dominic said, holding onto her as long as she would allow him. “I really had fun tonight.”
“So did I,” Michelle said. “Abraham is such a loyal soul. He told me I would have enjoyed myself.”
Tayah released Dominic, her face now lit with concern. “He hasn’t called? He’s been gone a long time.”
“I know, dear, and I’m worried.” Michelle took out her phone and checked it as she’d done ten minutes before. “All I got from him was a text saying he had to leave.”
“Do you mind if I see it?” Tayah said, holding out her hand. She read the text aloud. “Something urgent came up. Sorry to leave you unattended.”
“I don’t know what to make of that,” Michelle said. “This is not like Abraham.”
You got that right, Dominic thought. You haven’t any idea who Abraham is. He shared a furtive look with Tayah and saw that she knew exactly what he was thinking. Loyal Abraham had gone to pick up one of those dirty prostitutes.
“He’ll be back,” he said casually. “I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so, Dominic, because I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Tayah said, rubbing her mother’s hand. “If you’re ready to go, you can take my car and I’ll ride with Dominic.”
“I am kind of tired,” Michelle said, seriously giving Tayah’s suggestion some thought. “And I’m not in the best mood right now…”
“Here then, take my keys…”
“How are you gonna get your car?”
“Don’t worry about it, mother. I’ll pick it up at the house tomorrow.”
The look in Michelle’s eyes told Tayah that her mother needed to talk to her in private.
“Dominic, would you excuse us for a few minutes, please?”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he smiled. “I’ll walk over to the bar and get some cider. You guys want some?”
“No, that’s okay,” Tayah told him. “I still have a half glass of fruit punch in front of me.”
“He’s such a nice boy,” Michelle said, as she watched Dominic shake hands with a gentleman in passing. “I always wondered why you never married him.”
“Lately, I’ve been thinking about the same thing,” Tayah chuckled. “Things have not been going well between Phillip and me at all.”
“I can say the same thing for your father and me. We are not on good terms either.” Michelle looked as if she was about to come down with another spell of crying. “I’m not staying at the house. I’m at the Best Western for the weekend.”
“You guys had another fight?” Tayah said that more as a statement than a question. “He came to visit me yesterday and told me to talk some sense into your head.”
“Oh, really? What else did he say?”
“If you’re so interested in what he has to say, why won’t you talk to him?”
“You know just how your father is,” Michelle said in her defense. “He would make me feel as if I’m overreacting.”
“Well, I’m inclined to agree with him.”
“That’s because you don’t know everything.”
“And, I suppose that you do?”
“Tayah, your father is a difficult man.” Michelle’s eyes had already begun to water. “He will find a way to wiggle his way out of this one.”
“Out of what, mother? Dad told me that he was having an argument with that woman. They were not making out in his office as you have imagined.”
Michelle couldn’t understand why people couldn’t see the ‘real’ Leroy. He’d fooled them with his good looks and charm, but behind that, he was a controlling, lying bastard who made it obvious that he was in charge. He’d even gotten their daughter to believe his hogwash. “I walked in on them. Did he tell you that he was all over her? They were giggling and enjoying themselves. Does that sound like an argument to you?”
“Mother, I was not there, but I believe my father has told me the truth.” Tayah kept her eyes locked on Michelle, knowing what she was about to say next would not be something her mother would want to hear. “You need to stop running from your problems and deal with them.”
“I’m not running from my problems…”
“Yes, you are. How do you expect to solve anything if you’re always back and forth, jumping from one place to the next?”
Michelle sat up, indignant. “You want me to stay in that house with your father? I’ll literally, lose my mind…”
“And you will also lose your husband if you don’t break this destructive habit!” Tayah refused to let her mother have the last word. “Here, take my car keys and go home to him. Listen to what he has to say.”
Michelle dropped her head in exhaustion, tired of the struggle to maintain a life of happiness. Tayah took her hands and caressed them, as if to let her know she wasn’t taking anyone’s side. She simply wanted her parents to get their marriage back on track.
“Please, mother,” she begged softly. “Do this for me. Do this for Eric and Sean.”
Half Hour Later
Dominic assisted Tayah into the passenger seat of his car and then made his way around to the driver side and started the engine. As they drove off, he didn’t think the night could get any better, especially after enjoying the best three hours of his life. He should be home with his head in the books, but any time spent with Tayah, however little it was, was worth the sacrifice.
“It’s only ten-thirty,” she said. She removed the Japanese sticks from her updo and then relaxed her head against the headrest. “We should go somewhere.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
She turned her head toward him. “Does it sound like I’m kidding? I want to spend some time with you.”
He kept his eyes on the road, fearing a direct stare would cause his heart to leap out of his body, “Where do you want to go?” he asked, his throat tightening with anticipation.
“I don’t care. Just don’t take me home.”
The only place that came to his mind was Temple Terrace, the location of his one-bedroom apartment. But he dare not listen to the dictates of his fleshly desires. Abraham had taught them that the devil was in the details. How sad that his mentor hadn’t heeded his own advice. He would not make such a grave mistake.
“I was really impressed tonight,” he said after a few minutes of wrestling of what to say next. “I hadn't any idea that you were so famous.”
“Famous? Please, don't make fun of me.”
“For real, girl. If I didn't know better, I would think you were a celebrity or something, striking that 'Halle Berry' pose in front of the cameras. You had those poor people jumping out of their skin. This one woman looked as if she was having the Holy Ghost. She was clapping so fast I thought she was gonna take off through the ceiling…”
Tayah's smirk turned into a full blown laugh when Dominic impersonated the actions of the woman. And even with his face wrinkled up and his body looking all funny as he did it, she still found him incredibly appealing.
“Boy, you crazy,” she said, as she tried to calm herself down. “You know it ain't that serious.”
“Oh, really? I bet when you all have the next meeting, they're gonna be talking about this night nonstop.”
“I did have a good time tonight, though,” she said,
as she reflected on all the good music that had been brought in tonight. She gently placed a hand on his bicep, appreciating the firmness against her palm. “Thank you, Dominic. Really. I'd felt so down earlier – with everything going on with my marriage, and with my parents…”
“You don't have to explain, Tayah. I told you I will be there for you. Even before you married Phillip, I'd made that promise to you. I'm not happy about your decision, but I'm learning how to live with it.”
She kept her hand on his arm, eventually giving it a gentle squeeze. A thousand questions ran through her mind, but the only one that had always been at the back of her mind was why she and Dominic had never gotten together.
“Take me back to your place,” she told him, her voice now filled with desire. “I'm not going home tonight.”
Dominic took his eyes off the road long enough to give her a questioning glance. “You're not serious. We can't…we shouldn't cross the line…”
“Dominic, please, don't give me a sermon. How do you know what I'm thinking about if you're not thinking about the same thing? My intentions may have only been to talk.” She took at quick look out the window, noticing they were nearing the ramp for Temple Terrace. “Your turn is at the next light. What are you going to do?”
When he failed to respond, she leaned over and pressed her lips against his jaw. The warmth of her flesh sent electric bolts through every pore of his skin. Breathlessly, he turned to face her and found himself being drawn into a moment of irresistibility. Their eyes locked, their lips coming together as if they were being pulled by an invisible magnet. A light seemed to shine around them, which got brighter and brighter as they drew closer and closer. Unexpectedly, they were shaken by the unmistakable horn of an eighteen-wheeler, traveling sixty miles per hour in their direction.
“Dominic!” Tayah’s eyes looked as if they were popping out of her head. “Turn, turn, turn!”
The brakes of the eighteen-wheeler whistled in the wind as the driver struggled to steer its huge body out of the way. The distance between the two vehicles was closing in, and the only thing Dominic could think of to avoid a head-on collision was to lock the wheel to the left and pray his car made it around to the sidewalk. Tayah didn't think it was possible. She went ballistic.
“Oh my God, Dominic! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!” She squeezed her eyes tight and braced for the deadly impact.
TO BE CONTINUED….BUT HERE’S A SNEAK PREVIEW OF BOOK TWO…
Church Boyz II
When Things Go Wrong
A Novel
H.H. Fowler
Chapter One
“We’re not going to die, Tayah!”
Dominic kept the steering wheel turned tightly to the left as he floored the accelerator. The engine roared, which sent the car across the mouth of an eighteen-wheeler. It narrowly escaped a head-on crash. The car spun violently in the dust before coming to rest in a shallow ditch. The driver of the eighteen-wheeler jumped down to the asphalt and ran toward the other vehicle while inspecting it for any signs of noticeable damage.
“Hey! You two all right?” He placed his forehead against the window and peered inside. “I could have killed you back there! What on earth were you thinking?”
Dominic’s hand shook as he rolled down his window. “Sorry, I, I didn’t see you –”
“Obviously not! One second more and you two would have been under my truck.” He swiped at the perspiration dripping from his brows. “Have you been drinking?”
“No, sir…”
“Then; what the hell were you doing?”
Dominic felt a wave of guilt, just thinking about his answer. He did not dare confess to this man that he had been about to plant his lips all over Tayah Paxton-Benjamin – a kiss that would have been their first and perhaps, their last. He turned his head toward her and saw the same guilt shifting in her beautiful brown eyes.
“You kids are lucky,” the man told them. “You two have much to be thankful for. Do you need me to call an ambulance?”
Dominic checked himself and then Tayah. No one was bleeding, so he assumed a trip to the hospital would be a waste of time. “No, sir. I think we’re fine. Just a little shaken up.”
“All right, then. I’m about to take off,” the man said. “Pull your car onto the road to make sure you can move.”
“Yes, sir.” Dominic eased his foot from the brakes and let the car roll forward. “We’re good. Thank you…”
“Don’t thank me. Thank the Big Man upstairs.”
“Take me home to my husband,” Tayah instructed Dominic as soon as the man left them alone. “That’s where I should have been headed to begin with. Maybe this is God’s way of letting me know –”
“Stop it, Tayah.” Dominic had known Tayah long enough to know that she often took the blame for situations that were out of her control. Clearly, he was at fault, because he was the one who’d carelessly taken his eyes off the road. “If there’s anyone to blame, it should be me. I’m the one driving...”
“But I distracted you, Dominic.” She felt disgusted by her actions and could barely look at him. “For a stupid kiss, I could have gotten both of us killed tonight.”
“We’re alive and that’s what counts…”
“I shouldn’t have crossed the line with you like that.”
“C’mon, Tayah, you didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do –”
“I forced myself on you, Dominic.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Tayah hid her face in her hands. “My God, I am so embarrassed…this should have never happened…”
Dominic felt the only way that he could get Tayah to relax was to confess his feelings for her. Maybe she would understand that this situation was not only about her. He had not planned to do it, but somehow, after having such a close call, it gave him the guts to tell all. “Does it help to know I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first time your father introduced you to me?”
Tayah’s expression went from horrified to unconvinced. “Dominic, you can’t be serious. Why are you telling me this now?”
“It’s the God’s honest truth,” he tried. “You remember that night, right? When our church visited your church? My stepfather was one of the conference speakers…”
“For a guy who’d almost been killed, your memory is certainly ticking, tonight,” she said.
Dominic continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Seven years ago. I will never forget that night. When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about you…”
Tayah rolled her eyes.
“I’m not playing. I thought we would get married one day.”
“What made you believe that? You never even told me how you felt.”
“How could I? I was in a relationship with a girl from my stepfather’s church. By the time that we’d broken up, you and Phillip had already started seeing each other.”
Tayah grew silent. She reflected on the time when Dominic first started to visit Mount Moriah on his own. He would go to his church in the morning, and at night, he would hang out at Mount Moriah. Before she knew it, Dominic had become a full-fledged member. Leaving his stepfather’s church had not been an easy decision for Dominic.
“It’s too late now,” she told him, not appreciating Dominic’s untimely announcement about his feelings for her. Maybe if he’d told her this before her life flashed before her eyes, it would not have seemed so inappropriate. “I’m married to Phillip,” she reminded him.
Dominic smiled regrettably. “Yes, and it is to my detriment that I allowed it to happen. All I want is for you to be happy, Tayah, and if Phillip’s the one you choose, then I’ll have to back away and let you live your life. It hurts like hell, but it’s the right thing to do.”
I didn’t just ‘choose’ Phillip, Tayah thought. Phillip pursued me. YOU didn’t. “Why are relationships so complicated?” she suddenly asked.
Dominic glanced at her before he made a right turn at a stop sign. “I think it’s all about give and t
ake,” he told her. “When we don’t follow the rules, we suffer the consequences…”
She looked at him. “Dominic, that was a rhetorical question.”
“It was?” He grinned. “Cause I was about to bless you with a sermon.”
“I know. That’s why I stopped you…”
An awkward pause triggered Dominic’s next question. “Are you okay?”
She did her best to smile away his concern, but on the inside, she was wrestling with her understanding about what had caused her to act as she had tonight. It was as if she had no control over her lustful appetite. She had never acted this way with a man, not even when she and Phillip were dating. The fact that she’d been willing to spend the night in Dominic’s bed, shook her morals to the core. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” she said.
Dominic kept his eyes on her as he brought his car to a stop in front of her condominium. “I know you’re still thinking about what happened tonight…”
“How can I not? We almost lost our lives over something stupid…”
“I don’t want to dwell on what could have happened –”
“You don’t understand what this is doing to me right now.” She placed her hands over her temples. “I’m confused, frightened, and everything in between. I don’t know what this means for us.”
He didn’t know either, but he wasn’t about to let her tell him something he didn’t want to hear. “Nothing has changed between us. We are still –”