Temptation

by Victoria Christopher Murray

  Her shoulders tightened, but before she could say anything, he reached for her hands.

  “I’d mind, because I would like to say our first grace.”

  She bowed her head and her smile widened as she listened to his words. This man knew how to thank the Lord! When he finished, she picked up her fork and grinned. “Where did you learn to pray like that?”

  He shrugged and he bit into his burger. “Been doing it all my life.”

  “Saying grace?”

  “That and walking with the Lord.”

  She nodded her head slowly. “Me too.”

  “I know, Jefferson told me.”

  They laughed so loud that patrons from nearby tables frowned disapprovingly. Alexis cleared her throat and wiped her lips with the napkin. “Do you have a church home yet?”

  “No, not yet. I’ve been spending all of my time getting settled, but next week I plan to attend church with you.”

  “Oh really?”

  He laughed. “Don’t think I’m finagling another date. Jefferson’s already invited me.”

  “Well, that wouldn’t be so bad.”

  “What?”

  “If you were to finagle another date.”

  He bowed his head slightly and lifted his glass. “Well, Ms. Ward, to our next date.”

  She laughed and raised her glass too. “Cheers.”

  They chatted until the sun settled over the Pacific Ocean, bringing in the June evening chill. And as Brian drove her home and kissed her on the cheek at her door, she smiled, unable to remember when she’d had a better time.

  The room glowed with the flickers from the cinnamon-scented candles and her moist skin glistened in the room’s soft light. With half-opened eyes, Kyla felt a perspiration bead drip from her chin onto his face. Breathless, she wilted onto Jefferson’s heaving chest, listening to his racing heart, his heavy breathing matching her own. The minutes rolled past before their pulses could be considered stable.

  His fingers caressed her earlobe, moving against her flesh, arousing her desires once again. She took a deep breath, determined to hold back the feelings she already felt stirring inside. It had been a few hours and she was too exhausted to continue. What else could she focus on besides the sensation of his fingers dancing in the curve of her back? She started counting—one, two, three, four—his fingers moved to her shoulders, massaging her lightly. Five, six—he hugged her close, his breath tickled her ear—seven, eight. He buried his face in her hair—nine. She sighed as his lips followed his fingers. Where was she? One, two, three, four . . . She sat up and leaned against the back of the couch.

  “Honey, we’d better go up to bed if we’re going to make it down to San Diego in time for church with your mother.”

  “We can’t, we’re not finished.”

  “Jefferson, we have to get up early.”

  “You promised me that I could have anything I wanted for my birthday and I want you in every room of this house. So far, we’ve only done the kitchen and the family room. There’s quite a few more we have to do.”

  “You’ve lost your mind,” she teased. “There are nine rooms in this house. It would take us all night!”

  “That’s what I’m counting on.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned into him, running her hands over the tightness of his back. He kissed her head, her neck, then nibbled on her ear before his lips found hers.

  “Didn’t you just turn forty?”

  “That’s right, I just hit my prime.”

  “No, honey, you got that wrong. It’s a woman who hits her prime when she turns forty.”

  “See, I’m just trying to help you out.”

  “But, I’m not forty yet.”

  “Come on, just one last time. Then, I promise, we’ll go to bed.”

  “How can I resist a man who begs?”

  He leaned over her, letting the sheet fall away and kissed her forehead. When the telephone rang, he moved his lips to hers.

  Kyla pushed her hands gently against his chest. “Jefferson.”

  “The machine will get it.”

  “But, it might be your mom or Nicole,” she said in a husky voice as she rubbed his cheek.

  She picked up the cordless phone from the end table. “Hello.”

  “Kyla, this is Jasmine.”

  “Oh . . . hi Jasmine.”

  Jefferson shook his head. “She can’t stay here! Not tonight!” He motioned for her to hang up and Kyla nodded.

  “Kyla, is Jefferson there?”

  Kyla frowned. “Yeah . . . he’s a little . . . busy right now. Is there something you need?”

  “I need to talk to Jefferson.”

  Kyla shrugged and put her hand over the receiver. “She wants to talk to you,” she whispered.

  “No,” Jefferson said waving his hands.

  “Honey, I left her a note today telling her if she needed us, she should just call . . .”

  He shook his head. “I don’t care. Tell her to call back . . . later. Much later,” he said as his fingers glided up her leg.

  “Jas, he’s busy. Tell me what you need and I’ll give him the message,” Kyla said, shivering slightly now that his fingers had moved to her stomach.

  “You’re afraid to let the man talk to your best friend, Ky?”

  “Well, if you want to just call back tomorrow . . .” Jasmine sighed. “I wanted to know if he could do me a favor.”

  She waited a beat. “Okay?”

  “My garage door is broken and I don’t want to keep leaving my car outside.”

  “Okay, I’ll let him know and ask him to call you back. I’ve got to go, Jasmine. Speak to you later.” She hung up the phone and Jefferson clicked the button to turn off the ringer, then dropped the phone onto the floor.

  “She’s turned into a witch since Kenny left,” Jefferson said.

  “It’s just that she’s in a lot of pain.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. “Promise me that nothing like that will ever happen to us.”

  “Never,” he whispered, slipping his naked body over hers. As their lips touched and their tongues met, Kyla allowed herself to drift into the sacred land with the only lover she’d ever had and the only man she would ever love.

  Jasmine hung up the phone. It sounded as if she had interrupted something. Well, too bad. She lifted the phone, punched in the Blakes’ number again, then hung up before it rang.

  She picked up her phone book, flipped through the pages, picked a number, then dialed. “Hello, may I speak to Michael Newman?”

  “Who is this?” a woman asked.

  She didn’t say the words she was tempted to say. “I’m one of his clients and I just received some news that I must discuss with him.”

  “Hold one moment, please.”

  Jasmine tapped her fingers against the table as she listened to the muffled voices, chuckling as she imagined the conversation on the other end.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Michael, it’s Jasmine.”

  “Oh . . . hello, Ms. Larson. I didn’t know you had my home number.” He cleared his throat. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I’m sorry to call you at home, but I couldn’t help it. I was thinking how much fun we had the other night and I wanted you so bad. I thought we could get together for round two. How quickly can you get here?”

  “Well, I’m sorry to hear that Ms. Larson, but I think that can be handled in my office on Monday.”

  “I know you’re not telling me no.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I prefer to handle these things in my office.”

  “Michael, I don’t like to be turned down.”

  “I understand. But, there’s nothing I can do about that right now. This is a very bad time.”

  “Maybe I should have given my message to your wife?”

  “I wouldn’t recommend any moves like that, Ms. Larson.”

  Jasmine was surprised to hear the drone of the dial tone in her ear. “I ca
nnot believe that Negro hung up on me!” She slammed down the phone. Picking it back up, she hesitated, then placed it back on the receiver. No need to make Michael any angrier. She wanted to keep him in her stable. At least he pretended to care about her when they made love.

  She flipped through the pages of her address book, skimming past the names, then finally threw the book down. It was too late to call anyone anyway; they were all with their wives, wives they spent the weekends with, but complained about during lunchtime trysts and evening rendezvous with her.

  She stood at the window, staring into the silence of the night. Another night alone. She shook her head. How much more of this would she have to endure? Sighing, she clicked on the television, channel surfing until she settled on a Mary Tyler Moore rerun. Leaning back, she pulled the comforter over her and within minutes, found herself surrendering to a welcomed slumber. Tonight, there was no fear of hidden ghosts. Things were going to be different. She could feel it. When she closed her eyes, she dreamt to the tune of one of her favorite old songs: “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

  Five

  * * *

  The gravel kicked up a cloud of gray dust as Jefferson screeched the Range Rover into the full parking lot, finally settling into a lone space in the back of the church.

  “I told you!” Kyla said through clenched teeth.

  “What? We’re only about ten minutes late.”

  “I hate walking into church after the service has already begun. It’s so . . . rude.”

  Jefferson chuckled lightly. “Rude? Do you think God cares what time we get here?”

  “We should have been on time,” Kyla said as he took her hand and they trotted across the lot. “Especially since we’re visitors.”

  “We’ve been here a million times. No one considers us visitors anymore. Besides, this is all your fault. If you had let me go to bed last night . . .” he teased.

  Kyla sighed exasperatedly as Jefferson opened the large wooden door and the melodic voices of the choir sailed towards them. Walking on the tips of her toes, Kyla tried to ease into the last pew when Jefferson grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the front of the church. Holding her head down, she tried to smile, but couldn’t ignore the clearing of the throats or the occasional “umph, umph, umph” she knew were directed towards them. The ten-second walk down the center aisle seemed to take much longer and finally they scurried into one of the front rows.

  “Hey, Mom,” Jefferson whispered as he kissed her cheek.

  “What happened?” Constance Blake questioned softly as she leaned across Jefferson and patted her daughter-in-law’s hand.

  “It was Kyla, Mom. She wore me out last night,” Jefferson whispered.

  “Jefferson!” Kyla hissed as her mother-in-law smiled knowingly.

  “I was exhausted.”

  “Jefferson!”

  “She made me use muscles I’d forgotten I had.”

  “Jefferson!”

  Finally turning to Kyla, he grinned. “Ssshhh!” He put his fingers over her lips. “The preacher’s getting ready to preach. Quiet!”

  Kyla playfully pushed his hand away, but intertwined her fingers in his when moments later he laid his hand on her lap. She nodded her head slightly as she tried to focus on Reverend Morrison’s words, but her mind kept wandering. Between Nicole and church and the clinic and all the committees, there was never enough time for the two of them. But this weekend, they had played like newlyweds and she shivered as her skin tingled with just the thought of last night.

  She tried unsuccessfully to hide a yawn, then forced herself to sit up straight. It had been almost two in the morning when they’d finally fallen asleep. But every second of weariness was worth it and she couldn’t wait to get home tonight. She’d have to make Nicole go to bed early; they still had more rooms to conquer. She tried to stifle a giggle and jumped as Jefferson squeezed her hand.

  “Baby, this is not the place,” he scolded with a wide grin.

  Blushing, Kyla scooted down against the cushions of the pew. They had been married too long.

  As Reverend Morrison continued his message on focusing on the Lord, Kyla sighed with relief when he asked the congregation to turn to Ephesians 4:23. With an opened Bible in front of her, she’d have to concentrate now. But when the Reverend’s voice boomed through the church, talking about deceitful lusts and how they all had to renew the spirit of their minds, Kyla’s eyes opened wide. “Oh my God! He’s talking about me!” she thought in horror. But the next moment, she sat back. She was only thinking about her husband and their wonderful life. And what better place to think about all of your blessings, than in church? Sneaking a quick glance at her husband’s handsome, chiseled face, she smiled. She was blessed indeed.

  Alexis waved to Pastor Ford, then scooted across the chairs as she made her way to the crowded aisle. She smiled and waited as the aisle cleared of the congregation and just as she was about to step from the church, she heard her name.

  “Alexis, honey. Can I speak to you for a moment, please?” Miss Imogene called.

  “Sure, Miss Imogene.” Alexis smiled, though inside she cringed.

  “How are you, dear?” She hugged Alexis. “Where are Kyla and Jefferson?”

  “They went down to San Diego to pick up Nicole.”

  “Oh. Well, anyway, my dear, we’ve been waiting to get you in one of these Helps Ministries . . .”

  “I know . . .”

  “We could use some help in the bookstore or in the counseling room. I know you’ve worked a bit on Kyla’s project.”

  “I have helped a little with The Compassion House,”

  Alexis said weakly.

  “Well, dear,” Miss Imogene continued. “What do we have to do to get you more involved?”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Imogene. I really want to participate in one of the ministries. It’s just that I’m always so busy with work.”

  “Well, you have to get busy with God’s work too, my dear.”

  Alexis hung her head. “I’ll call you during the week to let you know what I’ve decided.”

  “That’ll be good,” Miss Imogene said, already turning her attention towards someone else. Alexis scurried down the aisle, keeping her head down so that no one else would stop her, and didn’t take a breath until she got into her car. Banging her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes. Miss Imogene was right and this week she would do something about it.

  But now, she had to find something to do today. Her eyes roamed to her car phone and she shook her head. Part of the dating rules—never call first. Desperation didn’t look good on anyone.

  She punched the button on her car radio that was programmed for 102.3. Spread the Word was one of her favorite radio programs and she bobbed her head to the familiar gospel tunes, grateful to have something to focus on. As she crossed Florence, making her way to Centinela, she slapped her hands on the steering wheel as the crossing train arms came down, halting traffic for an oncoming freight train.

  “Ugh,” she sighed. She leaned back and her car phone caught her eyes again. Before she could change her mind, she turned down the radio, dialing quickly and was surprised when a groggy voice answered.

  “Oh no, sorry I woke you.”

  “Regina?” Brian said a bit sharply.

  Alexis raised her eyebrows. “No, it’s Alexis. I’m sorry. I thought you’d be up by now. You said that you had some work to do at your apartment this morning and I just thought . . .”

  “That’s okay. I should have been up. I mean, I was up . . . early. And, then . . . I . . . uh, went back to sleep.”

  “Well, I’ll speak to you later.”

  “No, wait. I’m glad you called.”

  She smiled for the first time. “You are?”

  “Yeah. I was gonna call you, but I didn’t know what time you got out of church.”

  “I was just on my way home now and got caught at a train stop and thought this would be a good time to call you and . . .”

  “Yo
u don’t have to make excuses,” his voice smiled. “I said I’m glad to hear from you.”

  She cleared her throat. “I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I had a great time.”

  “So did I.”

  The silent seconds that followed made her feel uncomfortable. “Well, that’s why I called. I’ll speak to you soon.”

  “Well, what are you going to do now?”

  She shrugged as the traffic began moving. “Nothing, I’m on my way home. I might go into the office later.”

  “That doesn’t sound like fun. Why don’t we do something?”

  “Okay,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too anxious. “Any ideas?”

  “You could come over here and help me unpack.”

  Her smile turned into a frown.

  “Kidding! I was only kidding,” Brian said. “Why don’t we go out to brunch. You could show me around L.A. It’s been many years since I’ve been here.”

  “I could do that . . .”

  “Good. What time should I pick you up?”

  “It’ll take me another fifteen minutes to get home,” she said as she turned onto LaBrea. “Give me an hour.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  As she clicked the phone, she frowned slightly. She was about to have another date. Two in one weekend with the same person. It had been months since that had happened. “I’m gonna just settle back and enjoy this,” she said aloud. And seconds later, she yelled, “But, who in the world is Regina?”

  She turned the radio back on, blasting the song through her car and singing much louder than normal as she made her way north on LaBrea.

  Jasmine clicked the remote, passing the same stations again. “One hundred channels and there’s nothing on!” she sighed. She paused at Channel Nine and snickered as the television evangelist jumped across the stage like a bouncing ball. When he suddenly stopped and started asking for financial contributions, she laughed. “Yeah, right,” she screamed at the screen. As she started flipping through the channels again, the telephone rang.

  “What!” she exclaimed into the phone, sure it was Serena calling her back from yesterday.

  “Is that any way to greet a friend?”