Chapter 14
Samson felt bad about how things played out with Delilah. She claimed to love him, and his male ego ate it up, but he knew it was wrong. He had no business sleeping with Delilah. He knew God was not pleased with his behavior. Samson headed straight to church after he left his parents’ house. Elaine’s car was the only one in the parking lot, and he assumed she was in her office.
He kneeled down before the altar. “Father God, please hear your servant’s prayer. I have been obedient to you in so many areas of my life, but lately I’ve succumbed to the desires of the flesh. I know you’re not pleased with my actions, and the video was a wake-up call. Lord, forgive me for the sins I’ve committed against you and against the woman that you’ve blessed me with.
“Delilah has a good heart, but her affections are directed in the wrong place. I pray that she gets peace of mind and that she realizes her worth. Only you can change her mind and heart. With you all things are possible.
“Lord, please remove the yoke from around my neck. Free me from my carnal desires. Forgive me, Father, and guide my steps so that I won’t be a hindrance to anyone trying to serve you.”
Samson finished praying and stood up. He turned around and came face-to-face with William Trusts. “What are you doing here?”
“If the man of God won’t come to you, you have to go to the man of God, right?” William, wearing a red pin-striped suit and matching hat, sat down on the closest pew, his cane in hand.
Samson remained standing. “Let me get my bottle of holy oil. Better yet, let me get the whole box.”
William leaned on his cane as his sinister laugh filled the sanctuary. “You got jokes I see.”
“If you’re here about the land, forget it.”
William tapped his cane on the floor. “No, we have another matter to settle. I understand you’ve been getting a little cozy with one of my employees.”
“I don’t entertain rumors.”
“Must be some truth to it because you never asked me which employee.” William leaned back on the pew.
“William, you have one minute before I forget I’m a pastor and kick your butt out of my church.”
Getting straight to the point, William said, “What would your fiancée think about you messing around with Delilah Baker?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, so you can get out of here with your threats.”
William stood up. “Oh, I’m going, but know this: I’ll give you until the end of the month to sell me the property. If not, I’m taking it.”
William picked up his cane and tipped out of the sanctuary. Samson fell back down on his knees to repent of the sinful thoughts that filled his mind about William. After praying, he got up and headed to his office. Elaine was on the phone when he entered the office. “Hold on, that’s the pastor now.” She looked up at him. “Julia’s on the phone for you.”
“I’ll pick it up at my desk,” Samson said as he rushed to his desk. “Hi, beautiful,” he greeted Julia after picking up the phone.
“I stopped by this morning, but I guess I missed you,” she said.
“I had some last-minute errands to run,” Samson responded.
“Are you nervous about Saturday?” she asked.
“Is fat meat greasy?”
They both laughed. After going over wedding details, they got off the phone. Samson called Elaine on the intercom. “When Deacon Thompson gets here, I would like for you to hold all my calls unless it’s my parents or Julia, please.”
“Will do,” she responded.
Samson turned on his computer and checked his e-mails. Sometimes some of the members would send prayer requests via e-mail, and he didn’t want to miss any. He made a mental note of the prayer requests and kneeled down at his desk and prayed for his church members. He had just gotten off his knees when someone knocked at the door.
“Come in,” Samson yelled.
Deacon Calvin Thompson entered, standing more than six feet tall and wearing a custom-made suit. They greeted each other with a brotherly hug.
“So what can I do for you, Pastor?” Calvin asked.
“Calvin, you’re probably one of my best friends.” Calvin was not only one of Samson’s best friends, he also was the church’s attorney.
“You’ve helped me out of plenty of messes,” he said.
“This time it looks like I need you to get me out of a mess.”
Calvin leaned forward in his chair. “Is William Trusts badgering you again? If so, I’ll get my people on it.”
“William is persistent. He’s not going to give up until he gets the church property.”
“As the church attorney, I’ve checked into it, and he has no legal claim unless the church decides to sell it to him.”
“That’s good to know. I’ve prayed and prayed about it. I don’t think we should give up the land. I think Peaceful Rest will grow, and we’ll need that land to build a new sanctuary twice as big as the one we have here.”
“Some people think we should sell it, but I trust your judgment.”
“I appreciate that, man.”
“Let me deal with Trusts,” Calvin said.
“I wish that were all there was to it. I don’t even know how to say this.” Samson walked to the window and stared outside. “Have you ever had to get yourself out of a compromising position?”
Calvin laughed. “You’re talking to a lawyer. If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Samson turned around and sat back down behind his desk. “I can trust you, right?”
“I wouldn’t be the best man in your wedding if you couldn’t,” Calvin responded.
Samson leaned his head back and let out a few deep breaths. “I have a situation. I thought I could handle it, but it’s not going away.”
“Samson, whatever you need me to do, I got it covered.” Calvin sat up straight in his chair.
“What I tell you must not be repeated. I mean it. Don’t even tell your wife.”
“I’ll treat it as attorney-client privilege.”
Samson sighed with relief. “It’s Delilah Baker.” Samson went on to tell Calvin about his encounters with Delilah. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders when he confessed.
“Women like Delilah are plentiful. She won’t go through with her threats. If she were going to tell Julia anything, she would have done it a long time ago.”
“I need you to make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near Julia before the wedding.” Samson was relieved that Calvin didn’t seem to judge him.
“Consider it already done.”
Calvin exited Samson’s office, leaving Samson alone with his thoughts. He had no idea of Calvin’s plans, but he hoped whatever they were, they would convince Delilah to back off with her threats.
Samson leaned back in his chair. What was he thinking? Calvin was no match for Delilah. Sending someone over to clean up his mess would set her off.
Samson dialed Calvin’s number. “Don’t confront Delilah. Just have my back if something goes down.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Samson responded as he twirled his chair around to face the window. Samson hung up the phone and dropped his head as he prayed for another solution.
Chapter 15
William was the last person Delilah wanted to see. She wondered if she should ignore his knock and pretend she wasn’t home. William shouted from the other side of the door. “I know you’re in there, so you might as well open the door.” He beat on the door again.
Knowing if she didn’t answer he would come back, Delilah decided it was best to deal with him now and get it over with, so she opened the door. “William, good to see you.” Delilah moved to the side and allowed him to enter.
“Your preacher man is a hard one to crack,” he said. His six foot two inch frame towered over her as they walked to her living room.
“Told you it isn’t as easy as you think it should be.”
William picked up a few of her figurines. �
��I don’t want you to do anything else until after the wedding. Once he’s married, he’ll have more to lose if he’s caught in an affair with you.”
Delilah wasn’t too sure she liked William’s plan. Threatening Samson with the video didn’t give her the results she wanted. When Samson left her house earlier, she had a long talk with Keisha. Keisha reasoned with her, and although Delilah didn’t completely agree with her, Keisha had a point. Delilah had to let him go—let him go and see for himself that marrying Julia would be a mistake.
“So are you down? If so, I’ll throw in another $25,000. Half now and the other half with the other money I owe you,” William said.
“I really like Samson. I don’t want to see him hurt.”
William touched her chin and tilted her face so she would be facing him. “If he cared about you, and I mean really cared about you, he would not be leaving your bed to go marry some other woman. Your allegiance is to the wrong man.”
Before she could blink, William’s lips were on top of hers. She pushed him away. “Stop. What’s gotten into you? I can’t believe you kissed me.” Delilah wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
“Sweet Dee. You’ll be calling me when the good Rev. is no longer taking care of your womanly needs.”
Delilah rolled her eyes. “I would rather be celibate than sleep with you.”
“Be careful what you say now. I am your boss.” William’s signature laugh sounded throughout the room.
“Boss or no boss, I will not sleep with you.”
“Good. Because I want you to stop playing around and sleep with Samson.” William removed a stack of money from his jacket pocket. “Here’s the down payment.”
“I’m not a whore.” Delilah didn’t take the money.
“Well, according to my sources, you used to drop it like it’s hot every night at The X Spot.”
“I’m a changed woman. You know that.”
William placed the money in her hand. “I know that I’ve invested a lot of money in this shopping center project, and you, my dear, are going to close it for me. I’ll be in touch.”
Delilah remained in the same spot until she heard the front door close. “I hate you William,” she yelled as she removed the money from the paper wrapper and counted it.
She promised Keisha she would let things be, but William’s offer to pay her more money drew her back in. William could be so persuasive when he wanted to be. She would not let William win this round. She loved Samson, and she would not allow him to destroy her one and only love—even if it meant forfeiting any other money.
She dialed William’s number. He answered on the first ring. “You can come back and get your money. I’m not doing it.”
“Oh, you will do it or else the good Rev. will get a package on his wedding night with your personal resume—you know the one where you opened up shop for the highest bidder.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Delilah bit her bottom lip.
“Trust me, I would,” William said. “So do we have a deal?”
She blinked her eyes a few times and shook her head. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll take that as an affirmative.” He laughed. “Good day. I have more pressing business to take care of.”
Delilah paced the floor. She could tell Samson William’s plans. Would that make him trust her more? Would he still go through with the wedding? Probably. So who was she fooling? She gathered up the mail that had accumulated on her desk in the den and started going through it.
“What do we have here?” she asked out loud. She removed the gold seal from the opening of the envelope. “I should have opened up my mail sooner,” she said after reading the enclosed invitation.
Delilah placed the envelope in her purse and went to her closet to find something to wear. She tried on several outfits until she found the perfect one. It was a shimmering red form-fitting, knee-length dress accenting all of her curves. She applied a minimum amount of makeup but lined her lips with ruby red lipstick. She puckered up and looked in the mirror. “Ladies, don’t start the party without me.”
Delilah stopped by Mall St. Vincent and picked up a last-minute gift for the bride-to-be. She paid extra to have the set of lingerie gift wrapped. She now stood outside on the porch of Michelle’s brick home. Rushing because she was running late, Delilah almost broke her heel on the sidewalk leading up to the house. She rang the doorbell for a second time.
A young woman whom Delilah didn’t remember seeing before answered. “Are you here for Sister Julia’s bridal party?” the young woman asked.
“I sure am,” Delilah responded.
“I can help you with your gift.” The girl attempted to take the gift from Delilah’s hand.
Delilah held on tight to her package. “I got it.”
The girl looked at Delilah strangely but said, “Everybody is in the den.”
“Lead the way.”
Delilah could hear plenty of laughter as she followed the girl. She admired the decor and felt she and Michelle had similar taste. Once they entered, the young woman announced, “We have another guest.”
Every eye in the room was focused on Delilah and the girl. The room fell silent.
“What is she doing here?” Dorothy asked out loud.
Delilah walked over to where Julia sat and handed her the gift she had been carrying. “This is for you.” Delilah turned in Dorothy’s direction. “And to answer your question, Ms. Dorothy, I’m part of the Pastor’s Aide committee, and this is a Pastor’s Aide-sponsored event, so I’m here.” Delilah twitched her head and smiled before turning around to find an available seat.
Julia said to Dorothy, “It’s okay.” She looked up in Delilah’s face. “Delilah, thank you for the gift.”
“You’re welcome.” Delilah took a seat and crossed her legs. “Is this a party or what? Why all the frowned up faces?”
Elaine said, “She’s right. One monkey don’t stop the show.”
Delilah uncrossed her legs and then crossed them in the other direction. Not once did her smile crack. “Flip Wilson said it could, but that’s a conversation for another day.”
Kelly intervened, “It’s game time.”
Delilah said under her breath, “Yes, let the games begin.”
Chapter 16
Samson was enjoying the bachelor party some of the men insisted on throwing him until Calvin said, “Michelle just called me. Delilah’s at the bridal party.”
“I better get over there,” Samson said, placing his can of soda on the table.
“Nonsense. Michelle’s going to play interference. If anything jumps off, she’ll call me.”
As much as Samson tried to forget about what was happening at Calvin and Michelle’s place, he couldn’t. Delilah hadn’t called him once since he’d left her place earlier that day, and that scared him. He slipped away from the men and walked out on the patio. He dialed a number.
“Delilah, I hadn’t heard from you, so I just wanted to make sure things were cool between us.” Samson knew it was a bad idea to call Delilah, but he didn’t hang up.
He could hear women laughing in the background. “You miss me already?”
“Are we cool?”
“Do you want to talk to her?”
“No. Are you crazy?”
“Not certifiable.” The noise level decreased on Delilah’s end. “I’m surprised to hear from you.”
“Just checking on you.”
“I’m fine, and your wife-to-be is fine too. After the games, we’ll be opening up gifts.”
“What are you doing there, Delilah?”
“Are you jealous? Would you rather I be at your party instead? You know I can leave here and come where you are. All I need is the location.”
“I would feel better if you left. You don’t even like Julia.”
“No, I don’t, but I love you. So if she’s going to be a part of your life, I’ll have to adjust.”
“Man, what are you doing out here? The fellows are looking
for you,” Michael said, interrupting the words Samson was about to speak.
Samson didn’t hear him coming, but turned to face him as soon as he realized he wasn’t alone. Samson held up his hand. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were on the phone.” Michael turned away and went back into the house.
Samson turned his attention back to the phone conversation with Delilah. Slightly above a whisper, he said, “Leave before any drama starts, okay?”
“You should be getting back to your party, and I’m about to get back to mine.” Delilah hung up on him.
Samson re-entered the house and whispered in Calvin’s ear. “Man, we need to go crash the bridal party. Delilah refuses to leave. I don’t trust her around Julia.”
“Calm down. Forget Delilah for a minute and enjoy your night. Are you my partner or what? Because I’m ready to show them who the dominoes kings are.”
Samson decided to take his friend’s advice and relax and enjoy his party. “I’m counting every time I lay a bone down,” Samson said.
“That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s do this.” Calvin followed Samson to the den, where the other men were waiting.
Samson sat across from Calvin, and after a few hands played, Calvin slammed a domino on the table. “Thirty.”
When it was Samson’s turn, he counted, “Twenty-five.”
Michael and his partner barely counted. When it was Calvin’s turn again, he shouted, “Y’all really don’t want none of this.” He counted again. He and Samson stood up and high-fived each other.
Michael pretended he didn’t care that he and his partner were losing. “I just haven’t been getting any good hands.”
“Oh, you was talking noise when Samson wasn’t here,” Calvin said as he placed his dominoes on the table.
When Samson’s turn came around, he turned and looked at Michael. “Just because I feel sorry for you, I’ll let you get ten in.” Samson, with a wide smile across his face, placed his domino on the table.
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