Impersonating Sam (Seven Sins Series)

by Leslie Lee Sanders

  Impersonating Sam: (Seven Sins Series)

  Leslie Lee Sanders

  Copyright 2011 by Leslie Lee Sanders

  Cover Artist: Mina Carter

  E-books are nontransferable and cannot be given away, sold or shared.

  Note:

  Previously published in 2010 as a standalone title and is currently revised and re-edited for the Seven Sins Series.

  Chapter One

  Sunni Mitchell wiped away the last tear she was holding back and slammed the front door. It was bad enough she'd been let go from her job, now her boyfriend let her go for another man, which wasn't part of any severance package.

  She thought if she slammed the door in his face it would help relieve some of the pain but it didn't. It made her feel like shit. The thud of the slam confirmed that their two-year relationship was now over.

  Never once during that time had she believed Chris could be gay. When he'd told her he was being true to himself by leaving her, it made her livid. Chris once told her that she would be his future wife. He told her how much he wanted a son, a daughter, and a brown and white beagle named Tiki. Now he's being true to himself?

  Sunni picked up her apartment key and stepped out of her once cozy home. When she closed the door behind her, she closed it gently this time. Hastily, she walked toward the only place she knew to go for comfort.

  Joseph Scott's house was just a block away.

  After knocking on his door, a bare-chested Joseph answered wearing his favorite black satin pajama pants, and water dripped from his short, wavy blond hair.

  “I can't believe it.” Sunni shook her head.

  “Yes, I take showers too.” Joseph lifted an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

  “You won't believe what just happened.” She pushed her way through the door.

  “Is everything okay?” He frowned. “You didn’t get nail polish on your favorite pillow, did you?”

  “Chris just left me, Joe.” She strained to hold back tears.

  Joseph tilted his head to the side. “Maybe he went to get ice cream.”

  “He left me for another man.” Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

  “Oh, honey, come here.” He wrapped his arms around her, rubbed his palm over her back in a soothing motion. “Now are you sure about that?”

  “He told me that he was in love with a man.” Sunni sniffed. “He said he’s being true to himself by leaving me. Does that even make sense?”

  Joseph patted her back and rubbed her shoulders. “Honey, it sounds like he’s been hiding who he really is for a while. I know it hurts, but I never put it past him to do this type of thing.”

  “What are you talking about?” She allowed Joseph to run his slender fingers through her ginger hair.

  “I guess a gay man can always recognize another gay man.”

  “Are you telling me you knew he was queer?” She glared. “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Sunni, he wanted to name his dog Tiki,” Joseph said, as if that proved it. “Plus, I know how you feel about us fruity cakes. I wouldn’t damn him over a hunch.”

  “I never called you a fruity cake.” She stood by the door. “I told you, I don’t care what you do behind closed doors.”

  “I know. I know.” He sighed. “Look, calm down and let’s talk about this.”

  “It’s not right.” Her eyebrows dipped. “I slept with him after he slept with who knows how many men behind my back. That’s just . . . it’s not right. Why didn’t he just tell me he wanted men long before he got me in bed?”

  Joseph squeezed her hand. “If he knew you then like I know you now, even mentioning the possibility of being gay would have never gotten him anywhere.”

  “I get it. You’re gay too, so you’re just gonna take his side, huh?” She placed her hand over her forehead. “What is this world coming to when you can’t tell your girlfriend you want a man instead of her?”

  “Don’t you think that’s a hard thing to tell someone you love?”

  “It’s honest, and I trusted him to be honest with me. Love?” She scoffed.

  “Maybe he wasn’t sure before. Maybe he was still questioning and doubting himself and now—”

  “Bullshit.” She glared. “I don’t buy it.”

  “Just calm down.” Joseph rubbed her shoulder. “You’re angry and you have a right to be but—”

  “Damn right, I do.” She continued to glare at him.

  Joseph sighed. “Come on, honey. Let’s get you something to drink.” He turned and walked toward the kitchen.

  She shook her head and sighed too. “I need to go. I just came over to let you know.”

  “I have vodka.” He lifted an eyebrow.

  “No, thanks.” She shook her head. “I have to go.”

  Joseph nodded. He walked back to her and gave her a big bear hug. “Okay, but if you need anything don’t be afraid to stop by, alright?”

  “I never told you I was sorry for saying you were a fruity cake or for using the queer word. I know you don’t like when I use those words.” Sunni looked down to her feet. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I was being such a bitch.”

  “That’s fine, Sunni.” He smiled. “I know you love me. I am all you got. You’re all I got.”

  “Besides Ben.” Sunni rolled her eyes.

  “Yes.” Joseph grinned. “Don’t hesitate to come over if you need anything, okay?”

  She nodded and walked out the door. During her walk back home, she realized Joseph was right. He was all she had now. All of her family she left back in Ohio when she moved to Arizona to be with Chris. Now Chris was gone. He might be gone forever. Thank God she had Joseph.

  Being friends with Joseph for almost two years was exciting to say the least. The only issue they ever had was that he wasn’t sexually interested in girls. Since meeting him, that little blemish always bugged Sunni but she had managed to look over it. She’d had a crush on him since they met but she didn’t pursue it for two obvious reasons: she had Chris and Joseph had Ben.

  When she first saw Joseph with Ben, it got a little under her skin. She didn’t understand. How was it possible to live the rest of your life with the same sex as a partner? Where are the two kids, the doggie and the white picket fence? It just didn’t seem possible. In her childhood, she remembered those bedtime stories of Cinderella getting Prince Charming and living happily ever after. Never once did she hear of Cinderfella winning Prince Charming’s heart.

  The next day was an improvement. After crying for almost an hour straight, Sunni organized her feelings and decided to look for a job. She went to the mailbox to collect the mail and to get a newspaper. She picked out the ads on her way to the kitchen and found the classifieds. Hair styling was fun before she was fired. Most of her work days she had spent at home arguing with Chris. The last thing on her mind was hair styling appointments which she had stopped going to. Being fired threw a wrench in her plan of saving up for a creative writing course in London. The course was one of the finest and renowned courses she had researched.

  It had been her lifelong dream to be a writer. Just thinking about writing filled her with excitement and got her heart racing. She and Joseph shared that passion. She kept boxes of stories and manuscripts, some written longhand, some typed, and some still in college ruled notebooks. Sunni anticipated the moment her writings would make an impression in the creative world. She guessed Joseph had his creative writings hidden away too. Although Joseph worked mornings as a sales representative in a huge office for a successful company, his dream was to sale millions of novels. She could appreciate that dream, but dreaming alone was not going to pay the rent. Over the past few hour
s she had contemplated letting her goal fade away into nothingness, but the excitement she felt inside wouldn’t allow her to let it go so easily. Nothing, not even Chris, could take writing away from her.

  Sunni shook her head and shuffled through the newspaper. As she leaned against her kitchen counter, she heard the front door open. She was giddy. Did Chris come back to tell her he’d made a mistake and wanted her back? When Joseph appeared around the corner she disguised her disappointment effectively.

  “Hey, Joe.” She took a sip of her dark coffee from her mug. “What are you doing here?”

  “We came to check on you before we headed off to work.” He walked into the kitchen confidently. He wore a crisp white shirt that flattered his broad shoulders, a blue patterned tie around his neck and dark blue slacks. He looked professional and gorgeous as always. “We were wondering if you had enough sense to throw yourself an I’m single party.”

  Sunni sat her mug on the kitchen counter. “What do you mean we?”

  “Ben's with me.” Joseph went to the coffee pot on the counter. “He’s worried too. You mind if I pour myself some?”

  “Go ahead.” She nodded. “You want some too, Ben?”

  Benjamin Franks. The dark eyed lover boy who stole Joseph’s heart. She considered him her friend because he loved Joseph. However, if he ever did anything to hurt Joseph or break his heart, she would not be able to forgive him. Joseph was too good to Ben, too sweet, too much fun.

  Ben came around the corner wearing his work uniform, a dark green shirt, black slacks and the words Coffee Café on the left breast pocket. “No, thanks. I’m not a big coffee drinker,” he said.

  Sunni nodded. Ben seemed to have a dream that she hoped would secure him financially. He worked at a café but, if she was correct, he aspired to be the executive chef at his own restaurant. It was a little unusual he wasn’t a coffee drinker but served it daily.

  Joseph picked up his mug. “Have you heard from Chris?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I want to talk to him about living arrangements. He knows I can’t afford rent.” She picked up her coffee and gathered the newspaper in her hands.

  “Sunni could care less,” Joseph said to Ben, with doubt in his tone.

  Ben looked at Joseph with his piercing brown eyes. “I don’t believe it.”

  “I’m not buying it.” Joseph moved closer to Ben with his steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “You think she’s cool and calm and just wants to know if rent’s getting paid?”

  Ben leaned closer to Joseph. “It’s almost like Chris is just some guy in her life that happened to miss out on a good thing.”

  Joseph moved closer to Ben but kept his eye on Sunni. “Do you think she’s already had the party without us?”

  “Most likely.” Ben eyed Sunni as if she was a piece of fine art on display. “At least that’s what she wants us to believe.”

  “Don’t talk about me like I can’t hear you. I hate when you guys do that.” She grinned. “What’s an I’m single party anyway?”

  “Whenever a friend or loved one separates from their significant other, we get together and party till the sun comes up,” Ben said.

  “Exactly.” Joseph nodded. “And you were long overdue for one.”

  “That’s not nice to say.” She sat down at the kitchen table and placed the newspaper on the tabletop next to her coffee. “Chris was good to me until he decided to screw around with men.”

  “I don’t know. Remember when he never came home that one night after work?” Joseph sat down beside her at the table and rubbed her shoulder. “And he told you his car had been giving him trouble so he had to stay the night at a friend’s. A friend you never even heard of. The next day you found two condom wrappers in the backseat of his car.”

  “What’s your point?” Sunni tried desperately to block the memory of that night out of her mind.

  “The party was long overdue.” Joseph smirked.

  “So we’re gonna throw one for you at our house tonight.” Ben nodded. “We can do whatever you like.”

  “Guys, thanks but—”

  “Before you say no.” Joseph raised an eyebrow. “I just wanted to let you know that no is not an option.”

  “It’s against the rules.” Ben grinned.

  Joseph nodded. “It means you have to party twice as much and twice as hard.”

  “I’m so angry right now.” Sunni cradled her forehead in her hand. “I can’t party. I’ll just ruin it.”

  “You didn’t say no, so we’ll see you at our place tonight at six.” Joseph sat the mug down on the table.

  “And bring a pillow,” Ben added. “It’s an overnighter.”

  Sunni shook her head and watched them leave the kitchen. Soon, they were gone. She heard the door close when they left. She was finally alone with her coffee, classified ads and a picture of her and Chris. In the picture, they cuddled close together on the sofa smiling and looking into each other’s eyes. They used to be happy. They were happy to have one another and to be in each other’s presence. She remembered it clearly, as if it was yesterday. Joseph had offered to snap the photo for them.

  The photo took beautifully. Chris’s bright eyes and pretty smile lit up the picture and brought tears to her eyes. She stared at the photo. Memories of running her fingers through his dark, wavy hair and fantasies about giving their children their first haircuts played in her head. She just knew her children’s hair would be as thick and full as Chris’s was.

  However, the image of Chris in the backseat of his car with some strange guy rudely interrupted her pleasant thoughts. Suddenly, all she wanted to do was take a nap and sleep off her heartache. Later, as six o’clock rolled around, the apartment was too quiet even for napping. Unexpectedly, claustrophobia hit her and she couldn’t wait to get out of her small apartment that constantly smelled like Ben’s café.

  When she knocked on their door, Ben opened it. A red party hat in the shape of a cone was atop his brown hair. It pointed to the side as if he was jumping out of a box and singing Pop Goes the Weasel all night. The gray sweat pants he wore clung low on his hips and he was shirtless.

  Joseph’s two-bedroom house reeked of cigars, and smoke filled the living area. Destiny Child’s anthem Survivor was blaring through the house and red balloons danced on the ceiling.

  Sunni laughed when she saw Joseph dancing in his black satin pajama pants and a party hat that resembled Ben’s.

  “What are you guys doing?”

  “Waiting for you.” Joseph swayed to the beat. “Did we mention it’s a pajama party? And where’s your pillow?”

  “I didn’t bring my pajamas or my pillow.” She slid closer to Joseph and rocked her hips to the beat. “And you started without me.”

  “You were late.” He poked her nose. “Here, want a cigar?”

  She shook her head. “You don’t smoke. What are you doing with cigars?”

  “It’s a celebration,” Ben answered as he danced his way through the living area to the kitchen with a cigar in his hand. “You want vodka?” he yelled from the kitchen.

  “My favorite,” she yelled back as she continued to dance under the soft light that shone from the chandelier.

  Joseph took a puff of the cigar and blew the smoke in her face. She coughed but managed to laugh as the smoke filled her lungs. “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “I feel good.” She smiled.

  “That’s the point.” He smiled too and softly kissed the corner of her mouth.

  She instantly blushed. Tingles shot through her body so rapidly it almost knocked her off her feet. A red balloon drifted over their light source causing the room to take on a romantic hue. For a second, that’s all it took for the soft heat of his kiss to linger on the corner of her mouth. Then, the balloon was gone.

  “Here you are.” Ben handed her a shot glass filled to the rim with liquid fire.

  She drank it in one swallow and gave the empty glass back to Ben. Immediately her eyes locked on Joseph�
�s captivating blue eyes. “You are the best, do you know that?”

  “I try.” He grabbed her hips in his hands and pulled her snug against him.

  A heat wave fluttered through her body and a warm tingle tickled the inside of her belly like a million tiny butterflies. He held her tighter and moved his body against hers.

  The music blared on as her heart beat faster. Warmth quickly gathered between her legs. The butterflies in her stomach were the only thing that kept her from pulling him in for a kiss. Her eyes moved from his eyes and down his naked torso to his sculpted abs.

  She fanned her face with her hand, quickly dousing the immense heat of attraction. “I need a drink of water.”

  Joseph separated their hips. “What’s wrong?”

  “My stomach hurts.” She held her stomach and squirmed her way out of his arms to sit on the sofa.

  “Did you eat anything?” Ben asked. He looked genuinely concerned.

  She had forgot that he was still in the room. “Coffee,” she answered.

  “Honey, that’s not good.” Joseph went to the stereo to kill the music. “You should’ve mentioned you hadn’t eaten anything.”

  “I haven’t really been hungry.” She stared at the beige carpet.

  “I’ll make you a sandwich.” Ben nodded. “That should make you feel better.” He walked away and disappeared into the kitchen, his party hat still atop his head.

  After a brief moment of silence, she shook the thought of Chris’s comforting embrace from her mind. She looked to Joseph. “I really can’t believe Chris did this to me.”

  “I know you cried for him,” Joseph said as he sat down next to her on the sofa and looked into her eyes. “But you shouldn’t. He isn’t right for you.”

  “I know. He’s gay.” She shook her head. “It’s impossible to find true love when—”

  “Come on now, Sunni,” Joseph interrupted. “Now why do you do that? You know it hurts me when you say those things.”

  Sunni stared at the carpet and lowered her voice as she confessed, “I always thought I should have been with you.” She wished God would take pity on her and force Joseph to fall in love with her right there at that very moment.