“Suit yourself.” Delilah popped the cap off a can of Sprite and took a sip before sitting down next to him.
Samson moved farther away from her. She didn’t move again. He reached into his jacket pocket and waved the disk she had given him in her face. “You had no right taping us.”
The forceful tone of his voice concerned Delilah. She had never seen Samson this angry.
“I can’t see you every night, so I needed some reminder of our time together.”
“Where’s the hidden camera?” Samson stood up and started picking up the figurines around the room. “Is it in here? Is it under here?”
“There’s no camera, Samson.”
“I forgot, the video shows us in your bedroom.” Samson placed the figurine back on the table and looked directly in Delilah’s eyes. “Lately, people have said some bad things about you, and I’ve taken up for you. But now…”
Delilah stood up and walked in front of him. “Now what? Can I help it that I fell in love with you? How do you think I feel knowing that I’ll never be good enough for you? That you only want to use me?” Tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
Samson turned away from her. “It’s not like that. I can’t have this video get out. This could affect my ministry.” He turned around and looked Delilah in the face. “Do you really love me?”
Delilah whimpered. “Yes, I love you more than I’ve loved any other man.”
“Then destroy the video and promise me no one else will see it.”
“I can’t make that type of promise,” she responded.
Samson reached for her hand and held it. “Please. I’m begging you. Get rid of it. I’ll do anything.”
Delilah had Samson exactly where she wanted him. Julia was history. She imagined replacing Julia in Saturday’s wedding. Where would she get her dress on such a short notice? Delilah squeezed his hand. “You can call off your wedding and tell Julia you and I are getting married instead.”
“Delilah, you know I can’t do that.” Samson released Delilah’s hand.
“Well, you did say anything,” she pouted.
“Anything but that. You know I love Julia.”
Delilah thought about William and Trusts Enterprise. She could now fulfill her obligation to William, and get him off her back and collect the rest of the money he promised her. “You can sell the property to Trusts Enterprise. That would make me happy.”
Samson released Delilah’s hand. “Why are you concerned with Trusts Enterprise?”
“I work for them. My boss told me they were interested in the church property. I need the commission, so if I make the sale, I get the bonus.”
“Sorry to disappoint you again, Delilah, but I refuse to sell out. Selling the property to Trusts Enterprise is not an option.”
“Please. Do it for me.” Delilah batted her eyes a few times.
“Never in a million years.”
Delilah picked up the disk from the sofa. “Then what am I to do with this?” She waved the disk in the air.
Samson took the disk and broke it in two. “That’s destroyed. Now promise me you’ll destroy the video so I won’t have to worry about this showing up again.”
Delilah moved closer to him. “Promise me you’ll always be a part of my life.”
Samson cleared his throat. “I can promise you that I’ll be there as your pastor, but nothing more.”
“That’s not what I was talking about and you know it.”
“You’ll find someone else who is available and will make you forget all about me. Watch.” Samson pulled her into his arms.
One minute Delilah was angry with Samson, but with this kind gesture, it melted the anger away. “No one could ever replace you,” she whispered. She rested her head on his chest.
“So do we have a deal? Will you destroy the video?”
“Yes,” Delilah said. She crossed her fingers to cancel out the lie. She had no intentions of getting rid of the video. Not yet, anyway.
Chapter 12
Samson hoped he could trust Delilah. He destroyed the disk, but he wondered if she had the recording saved on her camera. If word ever got out about his affair with her, Julia would cancel the wedding, and his parents would be disappointed. He had to do whatever he needed to keep the thing between them private. He loved Julia, and he was still going through with the wedding.
The attraction he had for Delilah was a distraction, but he couldn’t allow it to overshadow his good judgment. Allowing himself a few minutes of pleasure shouldn’t hurt anything. He worked hard in the ministry, and sometimes the stress from being everyone’s confidant became a little too much for him to bear. Even with all the prayer and meditation, he needed an outlet.
Samson knew Delilah wanted him the moment he met her. He encouraged her to open up to him, and when the opportunity presented itself, their counseling sessions overlapped into something more. He could be an imperfect Samson around Delilah. She didn’t expect anything from him—that was one of the things that attracted him to her.
He never expected their secret relationship to get out of hand. For him, it was only an affair, but Delilah allowed her feelings to cross the line. Now he had to figure out a way to pacify her enough so she wouldn’t destroy the relationships he had built up around him.
Samson attempted to justify his actions as he quoted, out loud, a scripture from the third chapter of Romans. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Samson’s phone ringing brought him back to the present. “Son, I need to see you,” Regis said from the other end of Samson’s cell phone.
“I’m driving now, so where do you want me to meet you?” Samson asked.
“Your mother’s gone, so just swing by the house.”
Samson ended the call with his father. His dad normally asked him how he was doing, but today he didn’t waste any time. He wondered if there was something wrong with his health. Samson turned his vehicle around and headed to his parents’ house.
Fifteen minutes later, Samson used his house key and entered his parents’ home. He called out for his dad but got no answer. He located his dad in the den, sitting in a brown leather recliner and engulfed in a movie.
Regis’s body jumped a little when Samson appeared next to him. “Son, you startled me.”
“I called out your name.” Samson took a seat in one of the other brown recliners in the room.
“You know when I’m watching something I tend to tune things out around me. Years from being with your mother.” Regis laughed and so did Samson.
“I can come back another time.”
“Nonsense. I called you over, remember?” Regis located the television remote and muted it.
Samson decided to get straight to the point. “Is everything okay with you? With Mom?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Regis responded. “I called you over here to talk about you.”
Samson, puzzled, said, “I’m doing fine.”
Regis positioned his body so he would be looking directly in Samson’s face. “Some people have been telling me some things, and frankly I don’t like what they are saying.”
Samson fidgeted in his chair. “Like what?”
“Now, I have never been one to judge because the Bible says, ‘Judge not that ye be not judged.’ But from what I can see, Delilah Baker is nothing but bad news.”
“Dad, you know you can’t believe everything people tell you.”
Regis laughed. “Son, I might be old, but I’m not dead. Women like Delilah have been trying to bring down the men of God for generations.”
It was Samson’s turn to laugh. “Come on now. It’s not even that serious. She comes to me for advice. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“If you think I believe that, then you, my son, have a bigger problem than I thought. Do you think you’re the only man who’s been tempted?” Samson didn’t answer. Regis said, “Answer me.”
“Dad, maybe we should talk later.”
Regis ignored him and said
, “Do you think it was easy for me to resist temptation when I was a pastor of Peaceful Rest? No, it wasn’t.”
Samson had always known his father to be faithful to his mother. He never heard any rumors of him stepping out on her. Now he wondered if that was the case.
Regis said, “We’ve been blessed to have some good genes. And women around here love men with good hair because in their minds we would make good-looking babies.”
“I’m not trying to have any kids right now, but when I do, it’ll be with Julia.”
“Good intentions can lead to lifelong despair if God is not involved.”
Samson stuck out his chest. “Dad, I got this. Everything is under control.”
“From where I sit, things are about to get out of control. Anytime people are murmuring about something and it gets back to me, there’s an issue.”
“Who is saying these things?” Samson asked.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you be careful. Every day, you have to put on the full armor of God in order to resist temptation that surrounds us.”
Samson thought about what his dad said. “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t chase women like some of the preachers I know. I’m a pretty stand-up guy.”
“But you’re not perfect. Even I, who’ve been in the ministry since I was twenty-five years old, have fallen short. Don’t ever think you’re above reproach. Every man has an Achilles’ heel, and Satan knows it.”
“Dad, I’ve never known you to step out on Mom. So are you telling me you cheated?”
“I cheated, but not the way you think.”
Samson shook his head from side to side. “I don’t understand.”
“My addiction was alcohol. Being a minister can be stressful, so instead of taking my burdens to the Lord like I preached to my congregation, I turned to the bottle. My love for alcohol almost destroyed my marriage and my ministry. But thank God for His grace and mercy. See, that’s why I can sit here and tell you, son, that without putting on the full armor of God every day, you can’t fight this battle by yourself.”
Samson listened. If his dad could get over drinking alcohol, he surely could resist Delilah. But did he really want to? That’s the question that plagued his mind.
Chapter 13
Delilah felt guilty about lying to Samson. The original video of them together was saved on her flash drive. She wouldn’t destroy it, but Delilah had no plans to give William a copy. She couldn’t pinpoint the moment her assignment for William turned into a quest for her to get the man of her dreams. If only Julia weren’t in the way.
Julia appeared to have it all—the looks, the education, and most importantly, her past was different from Delilah’s. Julia grew up in a two-parent household and had all the luxuries her parents could afford. Delilah couldn’t compete with her on that level, so she used the one thing she knew she had: her looks. Julia, although pretty, couldn’t hold a candle next to Delilah’s natural beauty.
Delilah knew it was wrong for her to go after Samson, but until he said I do, she would continue to pursue him. Delilah felt like she knew exactly what Samson needed, and that’s why he was drawn to her. She could give Samson the desires of his heart. Samson could be himself around her. He didn’t have to put on any pretenses. In her ideal world, Samson would allow her to be in control, and Delilah would take care of all of his needs.
Delilah lay across her bed and recalled how Samson’s demeanor changed when he approached her about the disk. She saw a side of him she didn’t know existed. It was a dark side, a place she never would have thought existed in a man like Samson. She tried to think of something else, but Samson filled her mind.
She fumbled in her nightstand drawer and retrieved her Bible. One of the church programs fell out. Samson’s handsome face stared back at her. She placed the program to the side and flipped the pages of the Bible open to the book of Judges. She read, in her opinion, one of the greatest love stories ever told—the story of Samson and Delilah.
Delilah didn’t recall falling asleep, but before she knew it she and Samson were being transported in time. In her dream, Samson married her instead of Julia. Many men tried to get Delilah to leave Samson, but Samson would fight them off. Each time, their love grew stronger and stronger. Their lives were perfect until William appeared and jolted Delilah awake.
Startled out of her dream, Delilah decided to give Keisha a call. Her friend answered on the third ring. “Guess what? Samson’s going to be all mine,” Delilah spat off.
“Say what?”
Delilah could tell she caught Keisha off guard. “I threatened to show Julia the disk of him and me together, but get this—he wants to be self-righteous and tell her himself.”
Keisha blurted: “Girl, have you lost your mind? Blackmail? Really, Delilah?”
“I’m not going to show Julia the video. I just wanted Samson to see how serious I am about us. He needs to break things off with her so we can move on with our lives together.”
Keisha attempted to be the voice of reason. “Girl, stop it before you get yourself into something you can’t get out of. You’re a beautiful woman. Find an available man and leave your pastor alone.”
“But I love him. I think he loves me too; he’s just afraid of what people will think.”
“Do you blame him? You’re throwing yourself at him like you’re desperate. Stop the madness now.”
Delilah wasn’t getting the response she wanted from Keisha. She wished her friend were more supportive of her quest to get Samson. She had to convince Keisha she was right in pursuing Samson. “Just think about it. Julia will leave him once she finds out about me. His parents I’m not too worried about. They’ll eventually learn to love me. The church, well, the members all love him, so they’ll forgive him.”
“I will be praying an extra-long prayer for you because, girl, you have gotten out of control.”
Delilah laughed. “Keisha, stop tripping. I’m serious. It’s just a matter of time before Samson’s all mine.”
“You must be dreaming because if you believe he’s going to cancel his wedding to be with you, Delilah, you have another thing coming,” Keisha said.
“I can give him what Julia can’t.” Delilah refused to give up hope.
Keisha laughed on the other end of the phone. “Julia’s not giving it up to him; you are. Why should she when you’re her substitute?”
Ouch. That hurt. “Here I thought you were my friend.” Delilah couldn’t believe Keisha had said something so hurtful to her.
“I am your friend. That’s why you can count on me to tell you the truth, whether you agree with me or not.”
Delilah hated to admit it, but Keisha never bit her tongue when it came to telling her anything. Sometimes she could be a little too harsh. Keisha’s blunt honesty, however, was one of the reasons Delilah cherished their friendship. Keisha was the sister she never had.
Delilah asked, “What do you think I should do with the video?”
“Erase it and act like it never existed. You’re lucky Samson didn’t go upside your head.”
“He would never do something like that.”
“You never know what a man is capable of doing until his back is up against the wall.”
Keisha had a point. She recalled the way Samson’s eyes darkened when he approached her about the disk. She wouldn’t admit it to Keisha, but it did scare her for a minute.
“I’m not giving it to William, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Destroy it. Give William back his money and look for another job.”
“I can’t,” Delilah whined.
“You can, but you won’t.”
“Have you read Samson and Delilah’s story? It’s one of the greatest love stories ever told. Samson and I are destined to be together. This isn’t just fate, it’s biblical, Keisha.”
“Delilah, I would be remiss if I didn’t share this with you. I hate to tell you, but the story of Samson and Delilah in the Bible is more of a tr
agedy than a love story. Do you want to destroy the man you claim to love?”
Here she goes again on one of her tirades, Delilah thought. “No, of course not.”
“Then do as I suggested. Forget William and Samson and move on.”
“William I can forget, but Samson, never. I love him too much to give him up that easily.”
“But the love isn’t reciprocated. You deserve so much better.”
“Keisha, you just don’t understand. You don’t know Samson like I know him. My love for him won’t allow me to give him up.”
“I hope you don’t live to regret this quest of yours. Samson is a man of God, and your trying to destroy him will only bring bad things on you.”
“I’m the one standing in the gap for him. If I didn’t agree to help William, he would have found someone else, and you can guarantee that person wouldn’t be making things easy for Samson.” Delilah said those things more to herself than Keisha, as she attempted to justify working for William.
“Your allegiance should lie with God, but it sounds like you’ve aligned yourself with the devil.”
Delilah couldn’t disagree because there were many days when she thought William was a pawn of Satan. “I love God, and I love Samson. Unless Samson does something to change my mind, I will protect him from William’s wrath.”
“From what I’ve heard about William, he’s no one to play with. Be honest with him and get out while you can. Men like William will destroy anybody who stands in the way of them getting what they want. I love you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Keisha said.
“Are you sniffling over there?” Delilah asked.
“No, I’m all right.”
To Delilah, it sounded like Keisha was crying. Maybe her friend was right. Maybe she should get out from under William while she still could. She hadn’t spent the money he had given her yet, so all she had to do was return it. Delilah knew it wouldn’t be that easy, so she pushed thoughts of returning William’s money to the back of her mind.
“Keisha, I’m a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself. Trust me. Things will work themselves out. William will get his land, and I will get what I want—Samson.”
Delilah Page 5