Sex in the Sanctuary (14 page)

“So how did you two meet?”

“That was the easy part. She was King’s wife’s best friend. They’re still best friends. Anyway, we all went out after church, and it was pretty much on from there. She gave me a little run for my money for a minute. She never wanted to be a preacher’s wife.” Derrick smiled at memories he was obviously unwilling to share.

“But who could resist the Reverend Derrick Montgomery, right?” Cy asked, smiling.

“Exactly,” Derrick responded, reaching for a folder as he did so. “No, really, it was ‘who could resist God’s will?’ She knew I was the one for her; she’d gotten confirmation before I asked her.”

“Confirmation? What was the sign?”

“She had a dream that I was going to pop the question a couple days before I actually did it. So she wasn’t surprised. She knew I was the only one.”

Cy’s attention focused on Vivian’s dream. He was getting ready to question his friend further when Derrick’s intercom sounded. It was Sean, one of Derrick’s assistants.

“Pastor?”

“Yes, Sean.”

“Mr. Roberts is here.”

“Okay, send him in in five minutes. See if there’s anything he needs.” Derrick turned to Cy, who was already gathering the paperwork on the coffee table and placing it in his briefcase. “Did we cover everything?”

“Yep. Looks like we’re all set. I’d say Kingdom Citizens’ Shopping Center will be up and operational in just over two years. I’ve pulled a committee together to look over the list
of potential tenants aside from the bookstore, restaurant and business offices we’ve already okay’d. Don’t worry, Derrick. Everything is moving ahead smoothly. God’s hand is definitely on this venture.” Both men stood.

“You’re a good man, Cy Taylor. And Vivian and I will be praying for God to send you a good woman. You deserve it.”

“Will you tell him to put a rush on it?” Cy said, laughing, a laughter that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His eyes said that he was dead serious.

“He may not come when you want Him,” Derrick answered as Cy neared the door, “but He’ll be right on time.”

Millicent was just reaching for the office door when the man of her dreams opened it. Cy Taylor.
This has to be God
, she thought, offering up her most dazzling smile. It had to be God. Why else had she felt an unexplainable urge to come over to the church on her lunch hour? Sure, she did have some things to handle regarding the Ladies First meeting, but she could have stopped by after work. No, this was just another sign that before the dust settled, she would be Mrs. Millicent Taylor.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!”

“Hello, Millicent.” Millicent was about the last person Cy wanted to talk to right now. He tried to keep moving, but could see that he wasn’t going to get away without a conversation. Millicent just turned to fall in step with him. He stopped.

“How are you?” Millicent thought Cy looked a bit distracted.

“I’m okay.”

“Good.” She wasn’t convinced but decided not to push. “I left a message for you earlier.”

“Oh? I haven’t checked.”

“Well, see how God works? He wanted me to be able to
talk to you in person. And you know I’m okay with that.” She took a step closer. Cy took a step back.

“What did you need to talk to me about?”

Millicent looked at her watch. She still had forty-five minutes and could even squeeze out a few more if need be. “Why don’t we discuss it over lunch? I’m starved and I only have an hour.”

“I’ve got a business appointment. I’m on my way now.” Cy didn’t feel good about lying, but sometimes it was just easier. This was one of those times.

Millicent didn’t try to hide her disappointment. “You can’t reschedule? I haven’t had a chance to really talk to you in weeks. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me.”

I am,
he thought. “Now, why would I want to do that?” he said.

Millicent smiled again as Cy visibly relaxed. “Maybe because you know how I feel about you and that makes you uncomfortable.”

Her honesty caught him off guard. Cy was silent for a moment, sure that whatever he said wouldn’t be the right thing. “And you know how I feel about you,” he said finally.

“Feelings can change, you know. With God, all things are possible.”

Why did she have to go there and bring God into it? Cy was not in the mood for Millicent today. He looked at his watch. “I gotta get going.” He started to walk away, but Millicent grabbed his arm.

“Cy? Can we please get together for dinner tonight? I really do need your opinion on a few things. And I have the budget for Ladies First.”

Why did she have to beg? He hated to hear a woman begging, whining as if she were a dog and he was the bone.
As a matter of fact…
Cy had to squelch a smile before responding. “I can’t do dinner tonight but I will call. See you later.”

You will most definitely see me.
Millicent smiled to her
self as she headed for the office. She was more convinced than ever that Cy Taylor was her man. She counted off the reasons in her mind, reasons she’d created and collected. The first was the fact that they had dated, however briefly. She recalled their first date, lunch and an art gallery visit, as she waved at Stacy and Tanya sitting in the youth ministry office. She continued down the hall and turned into the break room, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She then proceeded down to the smaller conference room, setting her stack of files in front of her but not bothering to open them. Instead, she kept convincing herself that she was Mrs. Cy Taylor.

She flipped through her mental memories to their last date and the last kiss. They had been outside of Millicent’s condo, and even though she’d pleaded and pleaded, Cy had refused to come inside for coffee. He’d bent down then to plant a kiss on her cheek. Millicent had turned her face and met his mouth with her own. She’d deepened the kiss and pressed herself full against him. He’d instinctively reached around and grabbed her waist. She’d stood on tiptoe and placed both arms around his neck before letting one arm slide down his arm and across his back, stroking firmly, yet gently. That was when she’d felt the rise of his passion against her. She’d rubbed against it then, her eyes opening briefly as she noticed the size of it, evident even with all the layers of clothing. She’d moaned then, and that moan had brought Cy back from wherever he was because he’d broken the kiss abruptly and stepped back, breathing deeply, his eyes hooded and glazed. Millicent sat back smiling, sipping the coffee slowly. Oh, yes, he’d wanted her at one time.

Millicent was used to men wanting her. She’d attracted them like flies her whole life. And once the sex started? They were hooked. She knew what she had and knew how to work it. Most of the time, she’d get bored after a couple of months and move on. There was little thought given to the trail of broken hearts left in her wake. But that was before Cy. No
one had interested her since he’d come along. And she knew that if she could get him between the sheets for one night, it would be over. He would be hers.

Millicent’s eyes narrowed as she plotted her strategy. Yes, she wanted him. “It’s God’s will,” she said aloud.

She thought of all the times they had worked together on first one project, then the next. Church activity made it easy to stay close to him, stay involved in his life. She wasn’t happy about his having referred her to one of his former partners regarding her investments, but that was just temporary, she assured herself. She’d seen him looking at her when he thought she wasn’t watching and was convinced that all he needed was a little prod here and a poke there; men could be such scaredy cats when it came to commitment.

Millicent was getting closer to Vivian. Maybe she would confide in the first lady, seek her advice on how to proceed. After all, a woman who’d been able to hang on to a man like Derrick Montgomery all these years had to know a thing or two.

“Hey, Mill, what are you doing here?” Vivian’s question interrupted Millicent’s daydream, and she jumped at the intrusion.

“Oh, Sister Vivian, why, I was just thinking about you! Do you have a moment?”

Vivian looked at her watch. “Just a moment, I’m meeting my husband for lunch. Is everything okay?” She motioned toward the folders. “You’ve got a lot of work there.”

“Oh, it looks worse than it is. Actually, things are rolling along like a well-oiled machine. I was going to call you later after talking with Cy. I have the budget ready for the Ladies First summit.”

“That’s great, Millicent! You are truly a woman of God. He’s going to bless you for all you do in this ministry.”

“I sure hope so,” Millicent said quietly.

“Well, sistah, you can
know
so! You know what the Word
says,
‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.’”

“That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about, Sister Vivian.”

Vivian looked at her watch again. “I tell you what. Call Tamika in the morning and have her schedule an appointment for us. As soon as possible. If you want, we can make it a lunch. Someplace nice. Give ourselves a treat.”

“What about Gladstones in Malibu?” Millicent asked, standing and gathering the folders together. She grabbed the empty coffee cup and threw it in the trash.

“I haven’t been there in a while. That sounds great,” Vivian replied, heading toward the door. “You just keep believing. God’s going to work it out.”

Millicent stared after Vivian, not moving. God was indeed going to work it out. Vivian’s words were just another confirmation. She’d been getting them all day. First, God directed her to the church. Then she ran into Cy. Then she saw Vivian within seconds of thinking about her. “If this isn’t God,” she said aloud, “I don’t know what is.” She looked down at her ring finger, smiling softly, before opening the top folder and looking down at a paper she’d been doodling on before Vivian came. She’d filled up the page, repeatedly writing four words: “Cy and Millicent Taylor.”

Almost a month had passed since Tai had caught King with April. She had settled into a new yet strangely comfortable routine. With school out, she’d asked Anna to assist more with the children, including taking them to and sometimes picking them up from their summer sports and other activities. At least on the three days a week she went to the six-week computer class that had just started at the local junior college.

She loved being back in school. It made her feel young and fresh again. And she wasn’t half mad at herself when she looked at the little teenyboppers and twenty-somethings that rushed around in their youthful glory.
Y’all don’t have a thing on me
, she’d thought that first day. And, as if to prove the point, she’d been approached by more than one man young enough to be her son. Yes, school had definitely been a good idea. She loved it so much that she was even considering continuing on toward a degree. She’d seen a commercial on television a few nights ago that spoke of a program where one could earn their degree in as little as eighteen months. A college-
educated woman after all these years? She smiled at the thought.

After her computer class, she usually went to work out. She was still losing weight and had more energy. Sometimes she’d stop to pick up Mama Max; sometimes Mama would meet her at the fitness center. Those were always good times. Mama Max had lost ten pounds and didn’t tire out as easily as she used to either. Maxine Brook was not only her mother-in-law, but her friend, and she’d never be able to thank her enough for all she’d done. Her own mother, Mrs. Williams, would never understand what Tai was feeling. That was why Tai hadn’t told her about April, had just mentioned “marital problems.”

Her mother had responded, “Everyone has problems, dear, but none that the two of you and the good Lord can’t handle.” She’d then changed the subject and started talking about a recipe she’d gotten for homemade noodles and how excited she was to try it for Dad’s favorite “feel-good meal,” homemade chicken and noodle soup. No, it was best to keep quiet for now, until it was necessary to tell her parents what was
really
going on.

Her mother, so prim and proper, a direct and startling contrast to Harold, her boisterous, extroverted father. Tai tried to picture her father being unfaithful, but the image could not be formed in her mind. She tried to picture her mother’s reaction if her father was unfaithful, but that picture eluded her as well. She thought back then, back to and through her childhood. She tried to remember any times she felt discomfort from either parent and couldn’t recall a memory. To this day, they seemed to have eyes for only each other. How she wished she and King could be like that.

During most afternoons, Tai worked on things for the church or with Vivian on S.O.S. Since purchasing a computer, she and Vivian were once again pen pals, via e-mail, and more than once they’d laughed at how the letters had changed from
the ones of their teenage years. Tai was still toying with the idea that God had placed on her heart concerning the summit. It hadn’t taken full shape yet, but somehow she knew she had something to offer the women who would be gathered there. She just didn’t quite know what that something was…yet.

Evenings were spent with the children. On the rare occasion that King came home early, they’d have dinner with both of them talking to the children and seldom to each other. She hardly saw King anymore, and they spoke only out of necessity. King had been jolted when he returned from the revival and found his wife moved into the guest room. He’d asked what the move meant. She’d said she didn’t know. End of conversation. Tai knew she couldn’t go on living like this forever, but she was only trying to get through one day at a time. She figured she’d get through their conference in July, get the children all set for the upcoming school year and then head to Los Angeles and the Ladies First S.O.S. Summit in September. She was really looking forward to getting away and realized with mild surprise that she hadn’t been away, without children or family, in her adult life.
It’s time for a change,
she thought, and wondered if getting away for a while was the only change she was talking about. It wasn’t.

Tai’s body was on autopilot as she moved from the children’s rooms to the laundry room downstairs. Her mind was whirling with thoughts of what to do. She thought of King then and wished that at some point his mind had focused on what
not
to do. Like how not to have yet another affair and risk his marriage and put his wife and subsequently his children in such a predicament. She methodically separated the clothing by color, placing whites together, then colors and permanent press. She twisted the dial, grabbed the detergent, poured it in and waited for the water to start filling the machine. She leaned back, and an unwanted image floated to the surface of her mind’s eye—an attractive woman with
brunette hair and piercing green eyes. She remembered the fear that crossed April’s face for an instant, before being replaced with an attempted look of innocence as she stared into the eyes of her lover’s wife.

Tai began shoving the towels, underwear and other whites into the machine with a vengeance. King still hadn’t apologized. Aside from the blowout argument they’d had the day after she’d seen King and April together at the restaurant, he’d offered no explanations. Of course, she hadn’t made herself available for conversation. So what? He was the one at fault. It was his responsibility, no,
obligation
to seek her out. She was the one who’d been wronged, the one who’d been dogged. She’d been in this position too many times and would be damned if she was going to go to him and ask him anything about him and his slut. Hell would freeze over first, and she didn’t think that would happen any time soon because the Midwest was experiencing its biggest heat wave in fifty-five years.

Tai left the coolness of the laundry room and crossed the family room, opening the door leading to the backyard and outside. The heat rushed up to meet her, and she thought twice before remaining in the yard. The huge oak tree looked inviting, though, and she felt the need to breathe fresh, natural air. She walked over to the jungle gym and swing set, idly pushing the seat as it swung back and forth. She walked to the back of the house and grabbed the hose, turning on the water and sliding the hose across the yard toward the wilting flowers. She placed her thumb over the end of the hose then, causing a spray of water to shoot forth and cover the entire flowerbed. After a moment, she reached down, pulling some of the weeds out that had surrounded the base of the summer zinnias that had replaced the spring tulips. She wondered if getting April out of King’s life would be as easy as pulling up these weeds. A laugh that sounded more like a snort sprung out of her mouth. “I doubt it,” she said to the blooms waving under the pressure of the cool water. She stopped
then, walking back to the water spout and turning it off. She walked back to the big oak tree and then over to the swings.
Hum
, she thought as she sat down on one of the brightly colored plastic boards.
My booty isn’t as tight in this thing as it used to be.
She smiled at that thought, but the smile was quickly erased when an image of April once again flashed through her mind. A woman who looked as though she weighed a hundred pounds sopping wet and who could probably fit two booties into this seat. April. “April Summers,” Tai said out loud.

Tai began a slow swing back and forth, back and forth. She tried to imagine life without King. What would she do? Where would she go? She’d have to leave the church, of course, and having formed many deep friendships while being first lady of Mt. Zion, she knew that wouldn’t be easy. Would she stay here, in this city? Probably not, she decided. It would be hard enough trying to make a new life for herself without the thought of running into him or Mt. Zion members every day.
Where could I go?
Tiny beads of perspiration gathered around her neck before trickling down her back. That was all the encouragement Tai needed to go back inside. She stood up then and looked around. She could almost hear the sound of the children, especially the twins who had practically grown up in this very yard. She thought then about the children—the twins, Michael and Princess. How would they feel about their parents’ divorce? She’d always tried so hard to keep the bad parts of her marriage away from the children and was almost certain they had no idea how close they were to becoming part of a single-parent household. When asked about the new sleeping arrangements, she’d simply said that like Timothy and Tabitha the year before, she and their dad now needed their own rooms. The twins were “too near her not to hear her.” They had shared a room until they turned twelve and accepted the explanation without question. Michael was doing very well at Northwest University, and Princess had
accepted Tai’s explanation that she and King were having a major disagreement and needed space between them. All the children had such bright futures ahead of them, such promising paths. She wondered how filing for divorce would affect them, how it would change their lives.

Her main concern was for the twins, both of whom worshipped their father. They had good reason. No matter how King behaved as a husband, he was always an exemplary dad. She wouldn’t do anything to color the children’s image of their father. They’d find out soon enough about his character flaws. Timothy was especially close to both King and his grandfather, the only child out of the four she could see following in her husband’s footsteps of ministry. He’d take it hard, Tai decided, but Tabitha would be there to help him through it. The twins, as most twins were, had always been extremely close. Tabitha was the rational one among her children, all logic and wisdom with a just-the-facts-ma’am mentality. Tai smiled as she thought of her studious young daughter, glasses pushed low, brows drawn together as she tried to dissect and figure out the problems of the universe. Truth of the matter was, she figured them out better than some adults most of the time. Tabitha would be okay, Tai concluded. And, so would Michael. Princess would be very disappointed and would probably blame her. She’d always been a daddy’s girl. And, Timothy, well, he was at the age that if he wanted to stay with his father, that would be okay.

Tai was confused. Was divorce what she really wanted? On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, she knew for sure she’d leave. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she changed her mind and decided the marriage could survive. On Saturdays she tried not to think about it, and on Sundays she almost succeeded. She still hadn’t officially mouthed the words “I want a divorce” to King. So did she want the divorce? Or did she want the marriage? Today, Tai didn’t know what she wanted.

She headed for the kitchen and a large glass of water.
That was one of the nutritionist’s suggestions that she’d taken to heart and felt better because of it, to drink more water. She filled her glass and leaned back against the counter, still deep in thought. It floored her how she was standing here, calmly entertaining the thought of a life without King. If anyone had told her she’d have such thoughts, even a year ago, she’d have laughed in their face and called them a fool.

Tai reflected back over the last six months and tried to envision when King could have been meeting April. Most evenings, at that time, he’d been home. Of course, that just gave him all day. Tai had no idea what the other woman did for a living, or if she worked at all. Suddenly Tai stood straight up. Money! Was King giving this bitch money? Was he supporting her? Tai hadn’t even thought about the financial repercussions of what all this meant. She’d never concerned herself too much with the finances. King and their accountant handled the money. That was going to have to change. It was time to find out just where everything stood, including their financial situation.

The thought of Miss Thing getting a penny of what should have been her and the kid’s money sent her blood boiling. Tai thought about the fancy little bistro in Kansas City’s elite shopping district, where she’d busted King and his little paramour tramp. She thought of all the shops surrounding that area and the price tags on the merchandise in those shops. Her imagination began conjuring up all sorts of scenarios, none of them pleasant. She saw King buying the other woman gifts, maybe even meeting her for private getaways at a luxurious hotel. Where had they been meeting? Not at the church, she would have heard about that, just like she heard about last month’s visit to the church parking lot.

Tai put her head in her hands, but straightened as she heard Mama Max and the kids coming through the front door. A welcome reprieve; the situation was too much to think about, too much to consider. All she knew was that she was
sick and tired of being sick and tired. And she was tired of thinking about the marriage mess. So she joined everyone in the family room and turned on the stereo—loud. Before long she, the twins and Mama Max were all praise dancing, the adults trying to mimic the kid’s moves. Nothing could lighten one’s mood faster than a good dose of gospel music. With all that was going on, Tai needed as much “good news” as she could get.