“Oh, wow,” Darlita said.
“Yay, way to go, Lady Arykah,” Chelsea cheered.
“God has truly blessed me to be in a position to give to others and not expect anything in return. I’ve never had a problem with paying it forward. That’s how I stay blessed,” Arykah said.
“Amen,” Monique said.
“Yes, I’m a shopaholic, a shoeaholic, and sometimes I can be an alcoholic. But I pay my tithes, I try to live right, and I stay prayed up. So when I call y’all and say, ‘Let’s roll,’ y’all better put those Rollerblades on and roll with me.”
“Trust when I tell you,” Monique said to the ladies as she thought about the stilettos Arykah just bought her, “y’all don’t wanna be left behind.”
Gladys picked up her glass of water and held it out over the middle of the table. “To Team Arykah!” she said.
The ladies lifted their glasses and toasted them all together. “To Team Arykah.”
The waitress was at their table. “Ladies, your steaks will be ready in about twelve to fifteen minutes.”
“Good,” Arykah said to her. “We’re hungry.”
Arykah’s cellular telephone rang. She saw the church’s name on the caller ID. “I bet this is Lance calling,” she said to the ladies. She pressed the talk button and brought the telephone to her ear. “Lady Arykah speaking.”
Lance sat behind his desk at the church. “Hey, I’ve been calling the house and didn’t get an answer.”
“That’s because I’m not there.”
“Well, where are you? How about we meet for lunch?”
“I’m eating lunch now.”
Lance looked at the time on the clock on his desk. 11:49 a.m. “Already? Where are you?”
“At Gibson’s Steakhouse in Oakbrook Terrace. Is church over?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t take the Holy Spirit long to move.”
“You didn’t preach?”
“No, I didn’t need to. A steak sounds good, I’m on my way.”
“Uh-uh, I won’t be here that long. I’ll bring you takeout.”
Lance sensed that Arykah was upset. She had never not wanted him to join her for a meal. “Are you okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Who are you with?”
“My team.”
“Oh, so that’s where they went. They just couldn’t wait to tell you everything.”
“They did what they were supposed to do,” Arykah said. “Were you gonna tell me?”
“Of course, Cheeks. That’s why I was calling. I wanted us to grab a bite to eat and discuss this mess.”
“I’ll be home in about an hour. We can discuss it then.” She disconnected the call.
“Whatever you do,” Myrtle said to Arykah, “keep in mind that he did what he thought was best.”
“He thought it was best to put y’all out of the church and leave Angela on the front pew?”
“You weren’t there, Arykah,” Myrtle said. “These girls were getting ready to put a hurtin’ on Angela.”
“Yeah, we were,” Chelsea confirmed. “Don’t be angry at him, Lady Arykah. Bishop Lance did the right thing by putting us outta the church.”
“Humph,” was all Arykah said.
Seven
Arykah arrived home from the restaurant at approximately 1:20 p.m. “Diva Chanel,” she sang out loud when she entered the front door.
Moments later, Arykah heard little toenails scratching the hardwood floors.
“There’s my girl,” Arykah cooed when she saw Diva Chanel running toward her from the great room. Arykah walked to the kitchen with Diva Chanel jumping at her legs. She set Lance’s takeout, and her bag from Neiman Marcus, on the center island. Then she scooped up Diva Chanel and kissed her wet nose. “Were you a good girl? Huh? Were you a good girl, Diva?”
“No, she wasn’t,” Lance said when he came into the kitchen. “She got ahold of one of my shoes again.”
Arykah set Diva Chanel down on the floor and looked at her husband. “She’s a puppy, Lance. Puppies eat shoes. You know that.”
“My shoes cost a lot of money,” he fussed.
“I pay for them so who knows that more than me? You don’t see any of my shoes on the floor for Diva Chanel to get at. Why can’t you keep your shoes in boxes, in your closet, like I do?”
“Because, sometimes, Cheeks,” Lance started, “when a man walks into his home, he just wanna kick his shoes off and relax. He shouldn’t have to worry about his shoes getting chewed up.”
“He should if there’s a puppy in the house,” Arykah retorted. “Which pair did she destroy this time?”
“My tan leather loafers designed by Tom Ford.”
Arykah’s eyes grew wide. “Lance, those were brand-new, and I paid over a grand for them.” She was disappointed that Lance was so careless. Three weeks ago, Diva Chanel had gotten ahold of the Alexander McQueen dark blue velvet slippers that cost Arykah $750.
When Arykah married Lance, the most expensive pair of shoes he owned had cost $200. She wasn’t only a shoe fanatic for herself, Arykah spent a pretty penny dressing Lance’s feet as well. And since it had been her hard earned dollars that funded his expensive shoe collection, Arykah figured he would be more responsible and protect them from a puppy.
She shook her head from side to side. “You can’t be careless like that, Babe. Not when you know that Diva Chanel is a shoe lover like her momma. I love to wear them, and she loves to chew them.”
“I’m putting her on punishment.”
Arykah looked at him. “I don’t think so. You’re the adult here, Lance. It’s not Diva Chanel’s fault that you don’t care about your shoes.” Arykah pointed to the takeout bag she had placed on the center island. “I bought you a porterhouse steak, well done. There’s also a loaded baked potato in the bag.”
Lance rubbed his empty belly. “You’re a woman after my own heart, Cheeks. I’m starving. What’s in the other bag?” he asked. Lance knew exactly what was in the white paper bag with the red writing. Neiman Marcus was Arykah’s home away from home.
“Therapy,” Arykah answered. “I needed to purchase some therapy to help me deal with this Angela Moore situation. And after what Chelsea told me had happened at church this morning, I need to go back and purchase more therapy.”
Lance knew his wife, and he knew her very well. Arykah used any excuse to buy shoes. High heels were her addiction. If Arykah had a headache, she shopped for heels. If it stormed outside, she would shop for shoes. If there was a full moon, half moon, or crescent moon, Arykah shopped for shoes. In her world, any excuse, any reason, or any occasion was cause for shoe shopping. Arykah exercised and did squats in stilettos. She vacuumed the rugs in stilettos. And often Arykah made love to her husband in stilettos.
“I’m gonna take Diva Chanel outside in the backyard to play while you’re eating. When you’re done, Lance, we need to discuss Angela Moore and what we’re gonna do about her.”
“I can tell you right now that we ain’t gonna do anything about her. I’m gonna handle Angela alone .”
Arykah shifted all of her heavy weight onto one leg and glared at Lance. “What do you mean you’re gonna handle her alone? We’re in this together, Lance. You and I will handle this as a couple.”
“First of all, Cheeks, you can’t be within five hundred feet of Angela. Remember?”
“I don’t want you near that tramp either.”
Arykah didn’t know that Lance had been keeping a secret from her. It was his intention to use that secret to get Angela to drop all charges against her and Monique. What Lance was about to do would ensure that Lady Arykah would be sitting on the front pew at Freedom Temple Church of God in Christ, with her best friend at her side, come Sunday morning.
Lance nodded his head. “I understand that, Cheeks. Angela may think she has the upper hand, but I’m going to beat her at her own game.”
Arykah looked at him curiously. “What are you gonna do, Lance?”
Lance stepped to Aryka
h and kissed her lips softly. He smiled. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” Arykah said. “It’s Ho Angela that I don’t trust. How do you think it made me feel when I heard that she walked her behind to the front pew and sat in my seat? It doesn’t feel good to know that she took my place.”
“First of all,” Lance said, “I already told you that no one can take your place. There is no substitute for Lady Arykah Miles-Howell.”
Arykah turned her head. Lance placed two fingers on her chin and softly turned her face back to where it was. “Look at me,” he said.
Arykah connected her eyes with her husband’s.
“I love you. And no matter what Angela does or says, that will never change.”
Arykah exhaled. “I know that, Lance, but—”
“There is no ‘but.’ Okay? Listen to what I’m telling you, Cheeks. You are my wife. We have a great life together, a great marriage, a great ministry, a great house, and a great dog when she’s not chewing my shoes.”
Arykah chuckled.
“Do you really think that I’ll let someone like Angela take all of that from us? You think I’m gonna allow her foolishness to destroy what we have?” He shook his head from side to side. “Nah, Cheeks. I ain’t having that.”
Arykah loved the way Lance spoke. Everything he said sounded good to her ears.
“Lance, I just gotta ask this because it’s bugging me.”
He stepped back and folded his arms. “What?”
“Why did you put my team outta the church and let Angela stay?”
“Angela needs attention. She’s full of drama, and she would have caused the biggest scene had she been asked to leave the church or the front pew. The sanctuary was not the place for Angela to act a fool. That’s not what the congregation came to church for. Folks were there for healing, for deliverance, and to receive the Word of God. I wasn’t gonna give Angela that shining moment that she wanted so badly. I refused to do it.”
Arykah nodded her head. She wished Lance had put Angela out and allowed her team to stay, but she understood his decision. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“And if I hadn’t dismissed your girls, I would have had to make another trip to the jailhouse. And my bail money fund has been depleted.”
Arykah chuckled again. “Mother Myrtle told me all about that.”
“I needed you today,” Lance admitted. “I kept looking for you because I wanted you to stand with me and pray for the people. The Holy Spirit moved through Freedom Temple this morning. I was missing my other half. Every time I looked toward the front of the church, I saw that you weren’t there. You know when I’m ministering, Cheeks? When I lay hands on the people and I turn and give you that look?”
“Yeah,” Arykah said nodding her head. She knew exactly the look Lance was talking about. Whenever he stood before someone, especially a female, he’d turn and look at Arykah with a certain glare in his eye. That was his signal for her to come to him. Arykah loved ministering with Lance. It kept her adrenaline flowing. “I hate that I couldn’t be there this morning.”
“Angela was standing up front, and when I looked for you, I saw in her eyes that she was pleading for me to ask her to minister with me.”
“Humph,” Arykah said. “She wants to be me so bad. It’s so shameful.”
“Well, she’s out of luck. God only made one Arykah.” Lance saw Diva Chanel sniffing at the kitchen sliding doors. That was how he and Arykah knew she needed a potty break. “Go ahead and take Diva Chanel outside,” Lance said. “Let me worry about Angela Moore.”
Arykah believed in her husband. If Lance said he would handle his ex, then Arykah would relax and trust that he would.
The next morning when Arykah turned over in bed, she saw that Lance was already gone. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. She lay her head back on the pillow and sighed. “Nine thirty-nine.”
She remembered last night. Lance had lit candles around their Jacuzzi tub, drawn Arykah a bath, and joined her. The events that took place after that had caused Arykah to oversleep. She threw the covers from her body and got out of bed. Her inner thighs were sore. “You worked me good, Bishop,” she mumbled on the way to the master bath.
Arykah went to her sink and brushed her teeth. She heard Diva Chanel scratching at the master bedroom door. “Coming, Diva,” Arykah said. She opened the bedroom door and Diva Chanel shot inside. She ran past Arykah and jumped on the bed with her tail wagging.
“Time to go outside,” Arykah said to Diva Chanel.
Because Lance was always up before Arykah, he had taken on the responsibility of letting Diva Chanel out in the backyard to relieve herself and play. Lance always brought the Yorkie back into the house before he left for work.
Arykah disarmed the house alarm on the panel in the laundry room that separated the garage and the kitchen. She then unlocked and slid open the kitchen patio door and watched Diva Chanel run out. The telephone rang. Arykah picked up the receiver from the kitchen wall next to the refrigerator. She saw Dr. Santana Lovejoy on the caller ID and sighed.
Arykah didn’t want to answer the call but knew she had to. She wouldn’t be able to avoid Doctor Lovejoy forever. She pressed the talk button and brought the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”
“Good morning. Is this Arykah?”
“Yes, this is she,” Arykah confirmed as she watched Diva Chanel run from one side of the fence to the other.
“This is Doctor Santana Lovejoy. How are you?”
“I’m very good, Doctor Lovejoy. You?”
“I’m well, thank you. I wanted to give you some time before I reached out. I’m just calling to check on you and see how things are progressing. I’d also like to schedule another session with you and your husband if you’re up to it.”
Arykah thought about it. She didn’t want to see a therapist. She only agreed to sit down with Dr. Santana Lovejoy because everyone was pressuring her to do so. “Well, since my first session didn’t go so well, I think I’ll pass.”
“Are you sure?” Doctor Lovejoy asked. “It couldn’t hurt to open up and get your emotions out. Perhaps a session alone, without your husband, would work better for you. And we don’t have to meet at my office, Mrs. Howell. We can get together at a café, or a park, or anywhere that you may feel comfortable. I understand that a stuffy office isn’t the most relaxing place.”
Arykah tried to tell Dr. Santana Lovejoy, in a nice way, that she didn’t want to be bothered. She wasn’t getting the hint. “I appreciate you for checking on me, but really, I’m fine. And if I decide that I need to speak to someone, I’ll be sure to call you.”
“Well, okay then,” Doctor Lovejoy said. “If and whenever you want to talk, just call.”
“Thanks again, Doctor Lovejoy,” Arykah responded. “Good-bye.”
“Take care.” With that being said, Dr. Santana Lovejoy disconnected the line.
Arykah placed the receiver on its base and wondered if Doctor Lovejoy had only called because her partner may have told her that she had been arrested the day before. Arykah would bet the topic of her time spent at the Cook County Correctional Facility was pillow talk for the female couple.
She glanced through the patio doors and saw that Diva Chanel was sniffing a little too closely to the tomatoes that Lance had planted two months ago. She opened the door and called Diva inside. Then Arykah set the house alarm and went to the master bedroom to take a shower.
At approximately 1:15 p.m., on the north side of Chicago, Lance sat behind his desk at Howell Construction ending a lunch meeting with two contractors. He put the last of an Italian beef sandwich in his mouth when his secretary, Vivian, pressed the intercom button.
“Mr. Howell, Miss Angela Moore is here to see you.”
“Thanks, Vivian. Send her in and hold all calls until further notice,” Lance responded. “We’re done here, guys,” he said to the contractors.
Both men stood, gathered their empty lunch containers, and proceeded to leave Lanc
e’s office when the door opened.
Angela entered wearing a cherry-colored corset that laced up the front. Her C cup-size breasts stood at attention. The black tight jeans she wore were extremely tight. Black strappy high-heel sandals were on her feet. Angela’s makeup was done to perfection, her body was extremely pleasing on the eye, and her perfume was alluring.
The two contractors stopped in their tracks to get a good look at her. Angela smiled at the men. Without saying a word she knew she demanded their complete attention. They couldn’t take their eyes off of her. When Angela walked past them, they turned to glance at her outstanding butt.
Then they shook their heads in disbelief at the perfect figure eight walking by.
“That’ll be all, guys,” Lance said to dismiss them though he understood why the men were in awe of Angela. She had the body of a goddess.
The men gathered themselves and left Lance’s office.
Angela chuckled as she sat in a chair on the opposite side of Lance’s desk.
“You always gotta have all of the attention, don’t you?”
Angela crossed her right leg over her left knee. “Not all of the attention, Bishop. Just yours,” she answered seductively.
Her perfume smelled heavenly, but Lance dared not tell her. Angela was strikingly beautiful, but Lance knew it would be best if he kept his comments to himself.
“Thanks for coming.” He had been expecting her.
Angela looked at the empty container that had held Lance’s Italian beef sandwich, the half-empty fruit punch bottle, and the remaining five french fries on his desk. “You asked me to meet you at your office for lunch. Well, here I am, and it looks like you’ve already eaten.”
Lance picked up a french fry and put it in his mouth. “You were mistaken. I said to meet me in my office after lunch.” He’d never break bread with Angela again.
That didn’t please Angela. She had hoped that she and Lance would have a romantic lunch in his office, then lock the door and make wild passionate love on top of his desk like they used to do. She had come prepared. Angela was without panties or a bra. “Why am I here?”
Lady Arykah Reigns Page 14