Phillip opened the door to his study and then went down the hall to the kitchen.
“I talked to your dad, and he suggested Pastor Abernathy over in Chicago.”
“Really? I guess that’s fine. My dad talks about him a lot and I know he trusts him, so that’s the most important thing.”
“So, it’s a go, then?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll let your dad know,” Phillip said and then noticed that Alicia had her purse on her shoulder. “You leaving?”
“Yeah, I’m meeting some women from the church for dinner.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Maybe a couple of hours or so. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“No, I was just asking.”
“Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you in a little while.”
Alicia turned toward the door leading to the garage, but Phillip stopped her.
“So, you’re not even going to kiss me good-bye?”
Alicia hesitated but then pecked him on the lips. “See ya.”
“See you later.”
Phillip watched her walk out the door, and then it came to him. Maybe it was time he did something special for her. Something that would let her know just how much he still loved her and how much he really wanted their marriage to work.
He decided he would surprise her in a way he never had before, and he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
Chapter 20
Alicia had only been seeing Levi Cunningham for the last couple of weeks, but already she couldn’t get enough of him. The man was just that amazing. He had every single thing she could ever want in a guy—money, power, and such extraordinary sexual skills—and she wasn’t sure how she’d ever be able to wean herself off of him. And she couldn’t deny that she’d gone looking for the affair she was having with him because she had. She’d tried her best to forget about him, ever since that day he had approached her at Macy’s, but he’d always been in the back of her mind. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how tall and handsome he was, or about the black LS series Lexus he drove, or about the amount of money everyone in the city knew he had. She’d known it wasn’t right for her to fantasize about another man but the more she and Phillip argued, the more she’d thought about Levi, and it had only been a matter of time before she’d made it her business to find him.
So, one evening, after she and Phillip had found themselves in yet another tired screaming match and he’d slipped and said that she was a daddy’s girl and needed to grow up, she’d left the house and driven to Levi’s mother’s restaurant. She’d seen his car parked right out in front but after twenty minutes of sitting, she still hadn’t gotten out and walked inside. The reason: She’d been trying to talk herself out of following in her father’s old footpath, committing the ungodly sin of adultery, and she’d tried to convince herself that she and Phillip were going to be just fine. She’d even gone ahead and turned her ignition back on, preparing to drive off, but it was at that moment that Levi walked out of the restaurant and saw her. Even then, she considered driving away, but with every step he’d taken in the direction of her vehicle, she’d felt just a little more drawn to him, a little more mesmerized and like she couldn’t move. It was as if he’d been some sort of drug that had paralyzed her.
She remembered the way the entire evening had gone, no differently than if it had happened yesterday. He’d walked right up to the driver side of her car, and she’d rolled down her window.
Levi had flashed what she now called his signature smile. “Well, it’s about time.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“That you’ve had me waiting for almost two months now.”
“That’s funny because I don’t remember ever saying I was coming.”
“No, but you didn’t have to. I just knew when the time was right, you would be here.”
Alicia had smiled and then looked away from him.
“So, what’s up?”
“You tell me.”
“Well, before we take this any further, there’re three things I want you to know up front. I never lie, I don’t play childish games, and if I say something, I always mean it. And on the flip side, I expect the same exact things back from you, no exceptions.”
“You make it sound like we’re about to enter some sort of business deal or something.”
“No, but I use the same rules in my personal relationships that I use with business. That’s the way I’ve always been, so I guess what you have to decide is if you’re down for that or not.”
Alicia hadn’t been sure she’d liked how serious he had sounded because even if she did make the decision to sleep with him, it wasn’t like they would ever have anything more than that. They couldn’t. She was a married woman with a real-life husband at home and there was no pretending otherwise. Not to mention, her father would kill her if he ever found out she was even talking to Levi, let alone spending time with him.
“So, what happens if people lie to you, play games. or say something they don’t mean?”
“When it’s personal, I drop them from my life like a bad habit and I never have another thing to do with them. When it’s business, well, that’s when my reaction becomes a little more involved. But you don’t need to worry about that because your relationship with me will always be personal and never about business.”
“That’s good to know.”
“So, what’s the verdict? You in?”
“I’m not sure, because deep down I know this is wrong.”
“Because of your husband?”
Alicia looked at him.
“Is that it? Because if it is, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s not wrong when we both know it is. That’s just a fact.”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“If I was, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you, and I certainly never would have approached you a couple of months ago. I don’t operate like that. I’m a one-woman kind of man. I was in a relationship, but I ended it about four months ago.”
“Why?”
“She lied straight to my face and never even stuttered. And that’s all it took for me.”
“How long had you been dating her?”
“Five years.”
“And you dumped her just like that?”
“Just like that. I told you. Those three rules of mine apply to everyone.”
“So, you expect me to sit here believing that you’re going to see only me, even though I’ll be going home to my husband whenever I leave from being with you?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much the size of it.”
“Why?”
“Because from where I’m sitting, it looks to me like your marriage is only temporary. If it wasn’t, you never would have come looking for me.”
“But what if I’m not planning to ever leave him?”
“Then that’ll be your call, and eventually you and I will have to come to an end.”
Alicia had looked ahead through her front window and wondered if she was getting herself into something she would soon end up regretting. She’d wondered if Levi would actually allow her the kind of freedom to come and go as she pleased without any hassles or pressure like he’d been saying. It had all seemed too good to be true but her desire to be with him had been very strong, and her heart had told her it was okay to take a chance.
“Where do you live?”
“Just outside of the city limits. But I think it would be best if we find somewhere to leave your car and then you can just ride with me.”
Alicia had debated her decision for a few minutes longer and then decided she didn’t have anything to lose. She’d known that cheating on her husband wasn’t something to take lightly, but she had finally settled on the idea that what Phillip didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
That was two weeks ago, and as of today, she was glad she’d taken that drive with Levi because now she was lying next to a man who made her feel
like a real woman. He made her feel like she was the most important thing in his life and like she deserved everything the world had to offer and then some. Already, he’d opened up his home to her, explaining that it could all be hers, and two days ago, he’d given her a beautiful heart-shaped diamond necklace. Then, about a week ago, she’d talked about having to pay one of her credit card bills that had a balance of one thousand dollars, and he’d given her the cash so she could pay that off, too. But the only thing was, she needed a lot more than that because she’d already maxed out the five-thousand-dollar credit line on the MasterCard she’d signed Phillip’s name to, maxed out another three-thousand-dollar line of credit that Phillip had received an offer for, and now that she’d spent nearly four thousand dollars on the new family-room furniture, she was already cutting into the ten-thousand-dollar line they’d been given on the Visa she’d applied for online. Then, there were her Neiman’s and Saks accounts, which she’d maxed out as well, at five thousand dollars each, which of course never took long to do at either one of those stores, but she’d needed clothing for her new job at the church. She’d needed the accounts because there was no way she could walk around wearing just any old thing and embarrassing her father. Everyone knew she was Curtis Black’s daughter, and she had no choice but to live up to that.
If only she made a lot more money and could pay off her balances much more regularly and stop paying just the minimum payments, she was sure Neiman’s and Saks would gladly raise her credit limits, the same as they’d done over the years when her father paid her bills. But in the meantime, she needed more cash and she would just have to figure out a way to ask Levi for it. She didn’t want to request too much too soon because she didn’t want him thinking that she was only trying to use him—which she wasn’t—but she was going to have to ask him before the beginning of next month. She’d have to do so or resort to her only other option, asking her father, and she definitely didn’t want to do that.
Levi repositioned his pillow and gazed into Alicia’s eyes. “Are you happy?”
“With you?”
“Yes, but more importantly are you happy with the way I make love to you?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“Maybe. But I wanna hear you say it.”
“I’m happy with the way you make love to me.”
“Am I better than him?”
Alicia thought it was interesting how Levi would never say Phillip’s name. He would only say “he,” “him,” or “your husband,” but maybe he did that because without using Phillip’s name maybe that made Phillip seem less real.
Levi repeated his question. “Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Because otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it for you.”
“Not worth it how?”
“It wouldn’t be worth you being here with me when you have something better at home.”
“I guess not.”
“I know not, and that’s why I’m amazed when people have affairs but don’t get anything more than what they’re already dissatisfied with.”
Occasionally, Alicia had a hard time believing that Levi was a big-time drug dealer and mostly she tried not to even think about it at all. But he made a lot of profound statements, the kind most drug dealers wouldn’t even think about, and that sort of surprised her.
Alicia drew invisible circles on Levi’s chest. “Are you happy?”
“Very. I told you that I’ve wanted you for a very long time, and it feels good to finally have you. Well, partially have you, anyway.”
“But I’m all yours when you and I are together.”
“I know and I’m content with that for the time being. But I never forget what the reality is.”
“This is a hard situation because I was never counting on caring about you as much as I do.”
“You can’t help who you have feelings for or who you have chemistry with. It’s just not possible to do anything about that. Some people may never admit their attraction for another person, but everybody’s eventually attracted to someone other than the person they’re with, at some point in their relationship. Everyone.”
“I don’t know about that because had Phillip not started trying to tell me what I could and couldn’t buy and hadn’t started arguing with me all the time, I don’t think I’d be here with you.”
“Maybe not. But you still would’ve been attracted to me, even if you’d never done anything about it.”
“I don’t know if I agree with that.”
“So, you’re still trying to insinuate that you weren’t attracted to me, even before you met your husband?”
“I think I’ll just plead the fifth on this one.”
Levi laughed. “That’s what I thought. Because you know you’d be lying if you said you weren’t, and you know how I feel about that.”
Alicia playfully punched him, and he grabbed his chest like she’d done major damage to him. “What are you trying to do, kill me?”
“Yeah, right.”
Levi rolled the front of his body to the side of hers. “You ready for round two?”
“I was ready as soon as round one was over with.”
Levi grinned. “Then, let’s get to it.”
Alicia sped into the subdivision and hung the first corner faster than normal because she hadn’t meant to stay at Levi’s for seven whole hours. She’d gotten so caught up, the same as every other time she’d been with him, but she didn’t want to make Phillip suspicious. She couldn’t afford that, not when she’d just agreed they could get counseling and not after seeing the hopeful look he’d had on his face just before she’d walked out the back door. She didn’t think counseling was going to do much good for them, but now that she’d betrayed their marital vows and was sneaking around with another man, she felt as though she at least owed him a chance at trying to work things out. Plus, she did still love him.
But she had to admit that the more she was with Levi, the more she wished she was married to him instead of Phillip, even though there was always that menacing reminder dangling in the background: the illegal business Levi operated and the danger it could bring to him and her if she wasn’t careful. To this day, she’d never seen anyone come to his house, and she’d never heard him talking on the phone with any of the people who worked for him. But the way he lived spoke a multitude of words: the waterfall on the front lawn, the most glamorous chandelier she’d ever seen, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, an inground swimming pool, a spacious theater room, a workout room, and a sauna—the list went on and on. He had just about everything her father had in his house. The only difference was, her father was legit. Her father hadn’t acquired any of his fortune by dealing drugs as Levi was doing.
Still, at thirty-two, the same age Phillip was, Levi had everything a woman could want or need and he was offering it to her. He was offering his heart, soul, and money to Alicia, and she was having a hard time passing on it.
She pulled into the driveway, opened the garage, and then drove inside it. Then, she turned off the radio, left her vehicle, and went into the house.
Phillip met her at the door. “Where were you?”
“Out. At dinner, and then I stopped at the mall.”
“And you couldn’t return my phone calls?”
Alicia realized how she hadn’t even thought to check her cell. “I’m sorry.”
“This is just crazy. Here I keep trying to hold on to what little bit of a marriage we have left, while you act as though you want out.”
“That’s not true. But, Phillip, you know how things have been between us lately, and then we had that argument today, and I just needed some space. I needed some time to myself.”
“I thought you went to dinner with some ladies from the church?”
“I did, but then I went to the mall.”
“It’s always about shopping, isn’t it?”
“No. But today, I just needed some time away from here. That’s all.”
“Well, I wish you had told
me before I went out of my way, trying to make this a special night for you.”
“What’d you do?”
“You know what, Alicia? It doesn’t even matter.”
Phillip grabbed his jacket and walked out of the house. Alicia heard him drive away and felt terrible. Then, once she’d gone upstairs, she felt worse.
Inside the dimly lit room were five dozen long-stemmed red roses, at least twenty glowing votive candles, and playing softly on the sound system was one of Luther Vandross’s greatest hits CDs. A pure-white satin nightie and matching robe, neither of which she’d seen before, adorned the bed while matching slippers sat on the floor. Phillip had never done anything like this in the past, and the guilt she felt was tearing her apart. He was really trying and had obviously worked hard, putting such a wonderfully romantic scene together, but the sad thing was, the whole time he’d been doing it, she’d been making love to another man. Even sadder, Phillip’s more than kind gesture still wasn’t enough to stop her from seeing Levi. Right now, nothing was.
Chapter 21
It was official. Phillip felt like a complete fool. A naive child. A man who needed to wake up. But still, even now, he just couldn’t help the way he felt about his wife. He loved her. He wished he didn’t and that he could simply walk away from her, especially with the nonchalant attitude she was taking toward him and their marriage, but it just wasn’t that easy for him. He’d even spent the last few weeks trying to imagine what life would be like without Alicia, but whenever he played those kinds of scenarios in his mind, all he did was cause himself more misery.
Which was crazy because she was only one woman, and he doubted he’d have any difficulty at all meeting someone else. He was sure there were dozens of decent women right there in Mitchell, let alone throughout the rest of the country—women who wanted a husband they could love and find happiness with. As a matter of fact, Shandra, his high school sweetheart, the one who had shown up at church a couple of months ago, had spent the last two weeks telling him exactly those same words. Phillip had known he had no business taking her phone number, but when he’d seen her and her best friend at a local gas station one Saturday afternoon, they’d chatted, he’d enjoyed it, and she’d asked him to call her. To be honest, he hadn’t planned on doing so, not until that day he and Alicia had argued worse than ever before and he’d needed someone to talk to. Someone who had pleasant words to say to him and someone other than his mother.
The Best of Everything Page 16