A Sinful Calling (11 page)

W
here were you, Dillon?” Porsha yelled.

“I told you, I was home. I couldn't get away like I thought.”

“Then why did you call, saying you were already on I-Ninety?”

“Because I was. But then Raven called to see what time I was leaving the church. She was supposed to be going to dinner with a friend of hers and then to the movies, but her friend had to cancel.”

“So? What does that have to do with you coming to see me?”

Dillon didn't like her tone. He'd just left Taylor's, and as soon as he'd gotten in the car he'd checked his phone. Porsha had called him ten different times—even though she'd never called him before—so he figured he'd better call her back before he got home. Now he regretted it, though, because the whole time they'd been on the phone, he'd had to make up one lie after another.

“Hello?” she spat.

Dillon adjusted his rearview mirror. “I'm here.”

“Then why aren't you saying anything?”

“What was I supposed to tell her, Porsha? She was already home for the rest of the evening, so it wasn't like I could be gone for a ton of hours.”

“You do it every week. Sometimes more than once.”

“Only when I know Raven will be doing something else.”

“Well, the least you could have done was call me or text me.”

“I just told you, I couldn't get away.”

“Yeah, right. You could have if you'd wanted to, and I don't take kindly to being stood up. If you weren't coming, you should've let me know.”

“Look, I'm sorry, okay? It won't happen again.”

“Where are you now? Because I can tell you're in the car, driving.”

Dillon had known that was going to come up, which was the reason he'd first thought about parking somewhere and turning his car off before calling her. But it was already going on eleven and he needed to get home. After quickly making love to Taylor a second time and then hurrying to shower, he'd still stayed at her house longer than he'd planned to.

“Raven wanted some ice cream, so I'm on my way to a convenience store. That's why I'm calling you.”

“I don't like this,” she said. “I don't like it at all.”

Dillon thought about all the money her father had left her, and while he wished he could forget about that, he couldn't. He needed all the contributions she was willing to give, so that they wouldn't have to lower the budget for their marketing campaign. He, Alicia, Levi, and his CFO, Lynette, were meeting with the firm next week, but Dillon knew they would need no less than two hundred fifty to three hundred thousand dollars. He wanted to roll out something big, and his plan was to have commercials airing so often that whether Mitchell residents watched TV in the morning, afternoon, or evening, they'd still see one or more of them. This didn't count the online and radio advertising they wanted to do or the direct mail campaign. They needed a lot of funding, and the last he'd checked, Lynette had only budgeted about one hundred fifty thousand. He wouldn't tell his staff where the rest of the money had miraculously come from; instead, he would simply let them know that an anonymous donor, someone who believed in their vision, had decided to bless them. But even if he put the marketing campaign aside, he still needed at least another fifty thousand dollars from Porsha to carry out his plan of ruining his father. For days, he'd been trying to figure out how he would go about doing it, and strangely enough, it had been Vincent's original idea that had come to him when he was following Taylor to her condo. The alcohol had given him the ability to think on an uninhibited level, he guessed. For a while now, no matter how many times Vincent had insisted that his idea was the perfect scheme, Dillon had sometimes thought it might be going too far. But not anymore.

“I promise I'll make this up to you,” he said.

“I don't want to hear it, Dillon. You stood me up, and I think you and I both know that you'll be spending the entire holiday weekend with your little wifey.”

“Yeah, but I'll still see you on Monday like always.”

“That's four days from now.”

“Sometimes we don't see each other more than once a week anyway.”

“I know, and it's not enough.”

Dillon shook his head and changed lanes. “Baby, why are you doing this? Didn't you tell me the other day that you understood my situation, and that you were willing to be patient?”

“Doesn't matter. I changed my mind. I won't wait a whole year or more for you to leave that woman.”

“Well, what do you expect me to do? Leave her tomorrow?”

“You're trying to be funny, but I'm serious. I'm not stupid. I know you can't just pack up and move out immediately. But I need you moved out and filing for divorce before Christmas. I won't spend the biggest holiday of the year without the man I love, and I'm certainly not going into a new year being treated like a whore. My parents didn't raise me to settle.”

“You do realize it's already July, don't you? So how am I supposed to leave my wife and ask for a divorce in five months? And for no reason?”

“The reason is because you've decided to marry me. Or maybe you don't want that. Maybe you only started seeing me because of my father's money.”

Dillon raised his eyebrows. What she'd said was true, but he also loved having sex with her. Still, that was neither here nor there. What concerned him was that she'd become terribly demanding and so in love with him, even though they'd only been sleeping together for three months.

“Why don't we talk about this when I see you next week?”

“Why can't we talk about it now? You left me sitting here all night, wondering what happened to you, and now you're trying to rush me off the phone? Your little wifey's ice cream can wait.”

Porsha was starting to get on Dillon's nerves. She was sounding more like a crazy woman and nothing like the classy, intelligent person he'd gotten to know. “I know you're upset, but you've got to give me some slack here. Do you want me to rush my divorce and then lose all my members? People don't take kindly to pastors sleeping around on their wives, and if that pastor ends up with his mistress, they definitely don't want anything to do with
her
. If I left Raven and then married you right away, everyone would know I've been seeing you all along.”

“Nobody would have to know anything. We can figure out a way to break the news. We can even wait a few months before we start being out together publicly. But I still want you to leave Raven.”

There was just no getting through to her, and he was starting to wish he could have another drink. He still felt pretty good, but the vodka he'd drunk earlier hadn't been nearly enough to deal with this kind of drama. Porsha was in rare form, and he could tell that if he didn't find a way to calm her down, she might be trouble.

“I'm going to try my best to see you tomorrow or Sunday.”

“How, Dillon?” she asked.

“I don't know. Just let me see if I can work something out. I can't promise anything, but I'll definitely try. And anyway, girl, you're not the only one who was disappointed tonight. I wanted to see you, too. The whole reason I was coming was because I so needed to make love to you. I had a really stressful day, and when that happens, you're the only one who makes me feel better.”

“You're just saying that because I'm pissed off.”

“No, I'm saying it because I mean it. But I can show you better than I can tell you,” he said, slightly laughing.

“Whatever,” she said. Her voice was a lot softer, and Dillon breathed easier.

“Now, let me go inside this store and do what I need to do. I'll call you tomorrow, though, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You love me?” he said. He'd never asked her that before because he didn't want to have to say it back, but desperate times called for desperate lies. He needed that money, and he was willing to say whatever he had to.

“What difference does it make?”

“Do you or don't you?”

She paused and then said, “Why do you think I've been acting such a fool tonight? But the question is, do you love me?”

And there it was. He'd known that question was coming. “I wasn't sure until three days ago, but I do,” he said, preparing to pour things on thicker than usual. “And that's what makes my marriage to Raven and my position at the church so difficult. I want nothing more than to be with you, but I can't just move out without consequences.”

“I guess I just got upset because you told me you were on your way, and then hours later you still weren't here. All sorts of stuff went through my head, and the last thing I want is to be used. I wouldn't be able to handle that, baby. It just wouldn't be good.”

Dillon's call-waiting signal beeped, and his home number displayed on the screen. He had to deal with the matter at hand and would have to call Raven back. “I wouldn't do that to you. I wouldn't hurt you that way.”

“I want to believe you,” she said, sounding as though she was crying. That was a little scary.

“You can, and you'll see that soon enough. I haven't always been the best person, but when I started ministering, I changed. It's one of the reasons I know I'll have to divorce Raven, because I can't continue committing adultery. It's wrong, and I know God isn't happy with it.”

“I don't want to keep fornicating, either. I want us to do things the right way. So that's why I'm going to keep helping the church financially, and I'm just going to trust you. And I'm sorry I went off on you the way I did.”

Dillon grinned. “You had every right to be angry. I would have felt the same way. But hey, I really do need to get inside this store.”

“Okay, but baby, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

How exhausting
was all Dillon could think, and he hoped he wouldn't have to deal with this kind of thing for too much longer.

He dialed his home number.

“Hi, baby,” Raven said. “Where are you?”

“I'm just dropping Vincent off at home. We went out and had pizza.”

“Oh, that's nice. Are you on your way home?”

Dillon knew he needed a little more time to get there, so he used the lie he'd told Porsha. Except he wouldn't be lying about it now. “Yep, right after I stop and get your favorite ice cream.”

“I'm still stuffed from dinner, but if you're getting my dark chocolate that would be great.”

“Dark chocolate it is,” he said, looking at the time on his dash. He was still twenty minutes away from Mitchell, so once he picked up the ice cream, it would take him an additional twenty minutes to get home. But if Raven asked him what had taken him so long, he would tell her that the first store he'd gone to didn't have dark chocolate, and he'd had to drive to another. It would mean telling yet another lie to another woman, but what else could he do? Tell the truth? Only if he were brainless.

A
licia hugged Levi from behind, and he turned his head around so she could kiss him. The Fourth of July had finally arrived, and they were standing in front of the grill in his mom's backyard. Levi had been working on the meat since early this morning, and there were only a few small items left to cook. The ribs and chicken were done and already simmering in the oven with barbecue sauce slathered over them, and once Levi finished the burgers and bratwursts, they'd be able to eat. Alicia's mother-in-law was in the house finishing up her last couple of side dishes, and some of Levi's family members sat patiently on the deck. They were a little on the loud side, but they were definitely already having fun. Uncle Buck, Levi's mom's older brother, was a seventy-five-year-old jokester and the life of the party. Aunt Tilly, his wife, still wore high heels even to family cookouts and joked just as much as he did. Their youngest two children, Kane and Kawana, who were boy and girl twins who Uncle Buck and Aunt Tilly had conceived when they were in their forties, were as nice as could be as long as you didn't cross them. Otherwise another side of their personalities showed up, and if you disrespected one twin, they made it known that you'd automatically disrespected both of them. They also each had one gold tooth in the top front row of their mouths…just like Uncle Buck and Aunt Tilly. They were all good people, though, and they loved Alicia. She, of course, loved them, too.

Melanie and her dad walked from the kitchen through the patio doors. Alicia had thought she'd heard her mother-in-law speaking to someone, but she hadn't been sure.

Alicia smiled and walked up on the deck. “Hey, Mel,” she said, hugging her.

“Hey, hey.”

“I'm so glad you came, Mr. Johnson,” Alicia said, embracing him. “How are you?”

“I'm doing well, and I've lost a little weight, too,” he said, laughing.

Alicia chuckled. “I see, and good for you.”

Mr. Johnson had been overweight for a while, but after having a heart attack and then surgery, he'd finally made the decision to go on a diet. He'd been losing a little here and there the whole time, and it showed. This was all after separating from Melanie's mom and divorcing her, and he seemed so much happier.

“Thank you, my dear, for having us,” he said.

“You're quite welcome. We're glad you could make it.”

Alicia turned toward one of the patio tables. “Let me introduce you to some of Levi's family members, and then you can have a seat. Uncle Buck, Aunt Tilly, Kane, and Kawana, this is my best friend, Melanie, and her dad, Mr. Johnson.”

“Nice to meet all of you,” Mr. Johnson said. “And you all can just call me Andrew.”

“Yes, very nice to meet you,” Melanie added.

Uncle Buck smiled. “It's great meetin' you two also, and we're glad you came.”

“Why don't you two sit down here at our table,” Aunt Tilly said.

Mr. Johnson pulled back a chair. “Don't mind if I do.”

“Hey, how's everybody doing?” Dillon said when he and Raven walked outside. Dillon had on a white short-sleeve polo shirt and khaki shorts, and yes, both were made by Ralph Lauren, but Raven had on a white floor-length sleeveless dress made by Diane von Furstenberg. Alicia knew quality clothing, which was the reason she recognized it, but who wore a five-hundred-dollar dress to a backyard cookout? Raven also had a Louis Vuitton cross-body bag hung over her shoulder and waist—and she didn't own any purse that wasn't made by Louis, Chanel, or Gucci.

“Hey, Brother,” Alicia said, hugging him, and then looked at her sister-in-law. “Hi, Raven.”

Raven forced her usual phony smile. “Good to see you. Thanks for having us.”

Dillon and Raven spoke to everyone, and Dillon walked down to the grass by Levi.

“What's up?” Dillon said. “I see you're cooking up a storm out here.”

“Trying to. Thanks for coming.”

“We wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”

Alicia watched Raven, who was still standing on the deck. She definitely didn't want to be there, and she certainly wouldn't want to sit with the Cunninghams. They didn't have enough education, money, or expensive clothing to meet Raven's standards, and she seemed uncomfortable. She was acting as though she were better than them already.

“Have a seat, Raven,” Alicia said.

Raven looked at Melanie and her dad and Levi's family, and quickly sat down at the other table, which was still empty. Alicia wanted to laugh, but she didn't want to start anything.

“So you're the pastor's wife, I hear,” Uncle Buck said to Raven.

Raven nodded her head. “Yes, I am.”

“We don't do much churchgoing, but my sister tells me that your husband is a dynamic speaker. She loves her some Pastor Dillon.”

Raven forced another fake smile. “That's always nice to hear.”

Aunt Tilly laughed. “And he's a fine young thing, too. Bet he keeps you reeeeal happy, don't he…if you know what I mean.”

Aunt Tilly and Uncle Buck cracked up laughing even louder, and Kane, Kawana, and Mr. Johnson laughed right along with them. Melanie knew how Raven was, though, and tried not to smile.

Alicia could tell Raven wanted to crawl under the deck.

Levi and Dillon were still down by the grill, but they'd heard what Aunt Tilly said.

“You all leave Lady Raven alone,” Levi said.

Kawana scrunched her eyebrows. “‘Lady'? That's what they call you at the church?”

Raven didn't look at her but said, “Some members do, and others call me Lady Black.”

“But we can just call you Raven, right?” Kane wanted to know. “We don't need to go bein' all formal on the Fourth of July, do we? This ain't the royal palace or nothin' like that. This is just the commonfolk side of town.”

The Cunninghams and Mr. Johnson laughed out loud again. They knew Raven was as uppity as they came, and they were having a ball with her.

Finally, Raven pulled out her smartphone and ignored all of them.

Ironically, Alicia's phone rang, and she picked it up from the ledge of the deck. She smiled when she saw her mom's number.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. How are you? Happy Fourth.”

“I'm good, and Happy Fourth to you.”

“Are you all getting ready to eat?”

“Almost.”

“Wonderful, and please make sure you tell your mother-in-law I said hello.”

“I will. So how's New Orleans?”

“Well, remember when I called you yesterday and told you we were going to the concert tonight?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, honey, your mom and stepdad went last night, too. And talk about a good time.”

“You two are partying hard.”

Tanya laughed. “We definitely are. Can't wait to come back next year, either.”

“I knew you guys would have a great time.”

“Maybe you and Levi can come with us.”

Alicia swallowed the lump in her throat. She wouldn't cry in front of all these people, but she was so happy she definitely wanted to. “That will be the best trip, Mom.”

“I know. Your dad James and I were talking about it earlier. He wants to speak to you, but if Levi is close by, let me say hello to him first.”

Now tears filled her eyes, and Melanie looked at her.

Alicia walked over to her husband and brother. “Hold on a second, Mom,” she said, holding the phone out to Levi.

“Who's that?” he asked.

“My mom.”

Levi smiled at her and took the phone. “Hello?”

Dillon smiled at Alicia, too, and then hugged her. “I know you've wanted this for a long time, and I'm so happy for you. I'm happy for both of you.”

Tears fell from Alicia's eyes, and when Dillon released her, Melanie walked over.

“Didn't I tell you this would happen?” Melanie said, embracing her.

“You did, but I was starting to lose hope.”

“God always comes through in His own timing, and while we don't know why He chose now, you can believe He has His reasons.”

When Levi finished talking to Tanya, he gave the phone back to Alicia, and she chatted with James for a few minutes. When she hung up, she went inside the house to see if her mother-in-law needed any help. As she entered the kitchen, she hugged Darrell and D.C., Levi's two closest childhood friends, and they stepped outside where Levi was.

“Hey, Mom, you sure I can't help you with anything?” Alicia said.

“Now, young lady, you know how I am about my cooking. I always appreciate the offer, but I like to handle all my dishes on my own.”

Levi's mom owned one of the best family-style restaurants in town, and she was very particular about everything she prepared. She wanted everything to be perfect, so when she hosted dinners, parties, or cookouts at her home, she told everyone they didn't have to bring anything. She did trust Levi with grilling the meat, but only because she was the one who'd taught him how to do it so well.

“I know how you do,” Alicia said, “but I still wanted to ask again. I hate not helping you.”

“It's fine, really. You can help me carry some of it out, though, if you don't mind.”

“Not at all. Oh, and my mom just told me to tell you hello.”

“When you talk to her again, tell her I said hello back. Levi told me the great news.”

“We still can't believe it. She even asked to speak to him a few minutes ago.”

Treva Cunningham walked around the small island and hugged her daughter-in-law. “Praise God. I know these last couple of years haven't been easy for you and Levi, but I'm glad everything worked out. I always knew it would.”

Alicia teared up again, still hugging her mother-in-law. “Thank you for not judging me, and for being a mother to me when I needed it most. I love you, and I won't ever forget it.”

Treva pulled away from her. “Sweetheart, you don't ever have to thank me for something like that. When you married my son, you became my daughter. And that's that, you hear me?”

Alicia nodded, and they hugged again.

Not every woman could say she had a mother-in-law who loved her unconditionally—or even liked her for that matter—but Alicia could, and she thanked God for her husband and his mother. These last two years, she wasn't sure what she would have done without them. They'd been there for her in every way possible. They'd been her angels from heaven for sure.