Michelle knew what Amaryllis was getting at. “Sex is not a part of our relationship. We hug, kiss and cuddle. However, my body is my most prized possession. James will not receive my goods until we're in covenant with one another.”
Amaryllis sat on the edge of her bed and looked at Michelle in awe. “Are you telling me that you've been dating this man for over a year and he's never touched you?”
“I didn't say James doesn't touch me. He touches me all the time and I touch him, but we're careful
where
we touch each other. I told you that we hug, kiss and cuddle.”
Amateurs.
“And that's it?”
“That's enough. James and I never put ourselves in a position to be tempted. He's not allowed in my bedroom and I don't enter his. When he's here visiting, I'm dressed appropriately, and when I'm at his house, he's dressed appropriately. We practice discipline and respect. James and I love and honor the Lord too much to be saying âPlease forgive us, we got caught up in the moment'. God forgives, yes. But why put yourself in that place to begin with?”
“When you showed me your bedroom today, I saw lots of pretty lingerie hanging in your closet. Why do you have all of that if you don't wear it?”
“I
do
wear it. But for God, not James.”
“Why for God?”
“Because He's my true husband. Some nights, I light scented candles around my Jacuzzi tub, put on praise and worship music, then soak until the water gets cool. I get out and spray on my Perry Ellis or Ralph Lauren perfume, slip into one of those nighties and lie on my bed and tell God how much I love Him. I tell Him that no one can ever do for me what He does for me. Then I let Him know that He's the One that I worship and adore. I let Him know that no man could ever take His place in my life.
“Then I thank Him for my law firm and the home He gave me. I blow kisses at Him and tell Him that not only do I love Him, I'm also
in
love with Him. I assure God that He's my King. When I dress intimately for God, He knows that He's got a part of me that James doesn't. It tells Him that my body is
His
temple, not James'. Then I start to praise God by telling Him how great and wonderful He is to me and how much I appreciate the way He loves me. I let Him know that until He sends my soul mate to me, only He shall have my goods.”
Amaryllis sat on the bed and looked at Michelle like she was from another planet. “And you mean to tell me that after doing all of that, you're sexually satisfied?”
“Amaryllis, let me explain something to you. God satisfies me spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. When James becomes my husband, he'll be the one to satisfy me in that way.”
Amaryllis opted to end Michelle's lesson. All this talk of not sexing a man was giving her a headache. She laid down on the bed with Michelle's help. Once Amaryllis was comfortable, Michelle gave her the television remote.
“I don't know what's on because I rarely watch TV,” Michelle said.
“As long as you've got the
Lifetime Movie Network
channel, I'm cool.”
“Okay, I'm gonna go down and get your dinner.”
“I don't feel like eating anything right now.”
“Amaryllis, you've been here since this morning and you haven't eaten a thing. You've gotta put something in your stomach.”
“I'm not a Chinese food fan.”
“I can make whatever you want.”
“Michelle, don't worry about me. You've been up here long enough. Go downstairs and tend to your man.”
“After I take care of you, I will. What do you want to eat?”
Amaryllis exhaled loudly to show Michelle she was working on her last nerve. “Nothing.”
“Oh, you're gonna eat something, and don't think you'll be chewing on those Vicodin pills all the time.” Having said that, Michelle left the bedroom.
Forty-five minutes had passed before Michelle got back downstairs. James had already eaten, washed his plate and was into a football game when Michelle walked past him into the kitchen.
She saw him slouching on the sofa. “Have you eaten yet, sweetie?”
James extended his hands behind his head and stretched. “Yep, now I'm just missing my baby. What's going on up there?”
“I had to help my sister do a few things. I need to make her a bowl of soup. Will you excuse me for another ten minutes?”
“Of course. Isn't she coming down?”
“Not tonight. She's not feeling her best. She's lying down.”
“That's too bad. I was looking forward to meeting her.”
“Maybe tomorrow when she's feeling better.”
Michelle prepared Amaryllis a bowl of chicken noodle soup. She placed the bowl and crackers on a dinner tray next to a glass of apple juice and took it up to Amaryllis. “I've got your favorite soup.”
Amaryllis sat up as best she could against the headboard. Michelle placed the dinner tray on her lap. Amaryllis looked at the soup and frowned. “Ugh.”
“Don't even try it. You love chicken noodle soup.”
“I grew out of it.”
“Well, that's too bad, because you're eating it.” Michelle sat on the bed and crumbled the crackers in the soup just the way they used to eat it long ago. She stirred the soup and brought a spoonful up to Amaryllis' lips.
“You don't have to feed me, Michelle.”
“If I leave it, will you promise to at least eat half of it?”
“I promise that I'll eat a little.”
Michelle placed the spoon in the bowl then stood up. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Yes, can you get my Vicodin?”
Michelle got the bottle of pills and went into the bathroom for a cup of water. She poured the Vicodin pills down the sink and filled the empty bottle with regular strength Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. She then brought it and the water to Amaryllis. She watched as Amaryllis swallowed two pills. “Okay, I'm going downstairs to watch the football game with James. If you need anything, just holler.”
Amaryllis was astonished. “You actually watch the game with him?”
“Of course.” Michelle didn't know why that bit of information would be shocking to Amaryllis.
“But you hate sports.”
“I hate watching the game, but I love spending time with my man. And if I have to spend an entire evening yawning from pure boredom, why not benefit from it by lying in his arms?”
“I don't get it.”
Michelle shook her head from side to side. “Amaryllis, Amaryllis, Amaryllis, you've got
so
much to learn. It's not about being bored; it's about letting my man know that I care what his interests are. James knows that watching sports is something that I hate with a passion. And he tells me all the time that he doesn't mind me going into another room to watch a different channel or occupying my time doing something else. He's even offered many times to change channels and watch something that I'm interested in. But I know how he is about his sports, so I don't mind recording whatever I wanna see and watching it at a later time.
“If I make James watch the game by himself, then he might as well have stayed at home. And because he knows that I'm willing to watch a boring game with him despite the fact that I'm not a sports fan, he appreciates me even more. I can't tell you how many times his friends have invited him over to watch a football or basketball game with just the boys. Each time, he declines and comes right over here to watch it with me. The majority of the time I fall asleep, but James doesn't care because when he looks down, I'm lying right in his arms. I have to let my man know that as long as we're together, I don't care what we do.”
“Does he do the same for you?”
“Not really.”
“Why not make James watch a movie with you that he thinks is boring, then maybe he'll understand how you feel about sports?”
“Because it's not the same, Amaryllis. Men are different from women. There's no way you'll get a man to watch a movie if he's not interested. It just ain't gonna happen because their attention span won't let it. Men's lives revolve around their women, their cars, their jobs and their sports, not the
Lifetime
channel.”
Michelle sat down on the bed. “Let me tell you a story. There was a movie coming on one night that I wanted to see. I told James about it and he agreed to watch it with me. It just so happens that on that same night, there was a championship basketball game on. But James wanted to prove to me that he could sacrifice his games just like I sacrifice my movies. Twenty minutes into the movie, he gets bored. Next thing I know, he's blowing in my ear, trying to suck on my neck and telling me how good I smell. Then he started to unbutton my blouse. That's when I changed the channel to the basketball game. Immediately, his attention went toward the television.
“So I recorded the rest of my movie, curled up next to James and watched the game. He pulled me into his arms, kissed me and said, â
Thank you, baby.
' Sure, he could've spent the evening with his boys yelling at the TV, but he chose to be with me. Do you understand all that I just said, Amaryllis?”
“I guess so. The relationship you have with James is so much different from what I had with Randall. They are like night and day.”
“That's not true. Randall and James are the same; it's you and I who are like night and day.” Michelle left Amaryllis to her thoughts and soup.
Amaryllis managed to get about three spoonfuls of soup into her belly. She drank the apple juice, then set the tray on the floor and settled down on the bed to watch a movie. She didn't care what her sister just said. No man would have her doing anything she didn't want to do.
When James saw Michelle coming his way, he stretched out his arms to her. She sat down and allowed James to envelop her. “Who's winning, honey?”
“The Vikings got it by seven.”
It's not that Michelle cared; she didn't even know what a Viking was. The point of the question was to make James think she was interested.
“Everything okay upstairs?” he asked.
“Yeah, everything's fine.”
“I could warm you a plate if you're still hungry.”
“No, please don't move. I love being in your arms.” Michelle was hungry, but wanted nothing more than to lay her head against his chest.
“What exactly is the matter with your sister?”
“Amaryllis was keeping bad company and it caught up with her.” Michelle was very vague in her response, not going into detail about what kind of trouble Amaryllis was in. It was like she was protecting her sister from the outside world.
James was very curious what Michelle meant by
keeping bad company
. He wondered if Amaryllis was into drugs, running from a stalker, or if she was hiding out in Michelle's house from the Chicago Police. Whatever the reason for her being here in Vegas, James respected the fact that Michelle was the big sister to Amaryllis that she needed to be, and evidently, the cause for her visit was to remain personal. He held Michelle tighter in his arms and kissed her forehead.
She laid her head against James' chest and closed her eyes.
Lord, I thank you for my man and I thank you for saving him just for me. You knew exactly who I needed in my life.
For the duration of the football game, James cuddled Michelle and she fell asleep in his arms.
Chapter 4
On Tuesday morning, James' telephone rang at three-forty-five. Having left Michelle's house not too long before that, it seemed like he had just crawled into bed. He sleepily reached for the telephone on his nightstand. “Whoever you are, this better be good.”
“When have you ever known a telephone call this early in the morning to be good?”
“Alex, do you know what time it is?”
Alexander Moore had been James' partner as a homicide detective for the past four years. They started out as rookies together and were promoted to detectives at the same time. They were the only two African Americans in the entire precinct. James was leaning more toward dealing with domestic abuse, but Alexander felt the homicide department was more exciting and would keep their adrenaline flowing. After much persuasion for James to come aboard to what he called doing âreal cop's work,' Alexander managed to get him to change his mind.
Their first assignment as homicide detectives was to investigate a case in which a man shot and killed his entire family, then turned the gun on himself. James had never seen so much blood in all his life. And to see children's lifeless bodies made him sick to his stomach. Alexander, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. When Captain Murphy told them both they had to put on latex gloves and check the bodies for pulses, James thought he'd lose his mind. There was no way he was touching a dead body, not even if he were wearing three pairs of gloves, a ski mask and a rubber suit. When the Captain walked away, James turned to his partner. “Alex, I'll give you a sawbuck and a fin if you do this for me.”
“James, they're dead. What's the big deal?”
James frowned in disgust. “I don't care, I can't do it, man.”
“What are you gonna do when I'm not with you?”
“That's why I thank God we have the same days off, so I don't have to worry about that.”
James watched his partner calmly step from body to body, pressing on necks and wrists. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, placed it over his nose and mouth, and swallowed saliva repeatedly to prevent himself from vomiting. From then on, each time they left a crime scene, James put cash in Alexander's hand. He figured that as much money as he'd given Alexander, he should be able to claim him as a dependent on his taxes. There wasn't a day that went by that James didn't regret letting Alexander talk him into joining the homicide team, because along with the dead bodies came the telephone calls in the middle of the night.
“Yeah, I know what time it is, James. It's time for us to catch some bad guys. There was a shooting at Marv's Casino. Cap called and said some fool got mad at a slot machine. He claimed it cheated him when it didn't give him all of his winnings. He reportedly confronted the manager of the casino in his office and stated he was owed fifty bucks more. The manager told the guy that the slot machines didn't lie. The next thing anyone knew, two gunshots pierced the air.”
James lay on the bed half listening and half asleep. “So, is he dead?”
“As a doorknob, according to Cap. The gunman ran out of the casino. We gotta get over there and view the surveillance tapes.”
James let out a loud sigh. “I hate this job. I really do.”
“Yeah, well it pays the bills. I'll be at your place in twenty minutes, and don't forget your tie. You know how Cap gets when we're not looking our finest.”
“You know, Alex, for the life of me I can't understand why we gotta wear suits and ties to touch dead people and chase criminals. Doesn't Cap realize that gym shoes will outrun a pair of Stacy Adams every time?”
“Well, seeing how Cap is too fat to run himself, he probably could care less.”
“I'm gonna have to talk to somebody about this, because it just doesn't make sense.”
“Why don't you talk to the person who implemented the dress code?” Alexander suggested.
“That's a good idea. Who is it?”
Alexander chuckled. “Cap.”
At the crime scene, James took one look at the casino manager and knew without a shadow of doubt, he wasn't breathing. He presented Alexander with a pair of latex gloves. “Here, Alex, earn your money.”
Alexander put the gloves on, knelt over the body and felt for a pulse. He nodded to James, indicating that the man was lifeless.
The city coroner came into the manager's office. “What have we got here, Detectives?”
James was writing notes in his log when he looked up at the coroner. “Just another dead body at four
A.M
.”
Alexander removed his gloves, threw them into the trashcan and walked over to James. “I'm going to get the surveillance tapes, then head to the precinct. Are you rolling with me?”
“Yep, I ain't sticking around here no longer than I have to.”
As they were leaving the casino, Captain Murphy called out to James. “Detective Bradley?”
James had accidentally left his necktie at home and thought he was on the verge of being reprimanded. “What's up, Cap?”
“Are you aware that you're wearing mixed matched shoes?”
“Pardon me?”
“Your shoes; they don't match.”
James looked down and saw one black Stacy Adam and a brown one. “Sorry about that, Cap. I got dressed in the dark.”
“Well, maybe if you had on a black and brown tie, you'd probably make a real fashion statement. Come to think of it, where
is
your tie?”
James could've kicked himself. “I accidentally forgot it, sir.”
“You're in violation of the dress code, Bradley. Don't let it happen again.”
“I won't, sir.”
Captain Murphy looked at Alexander who was tickled at how James was being interrogated. “What's so funny, Detective?”
Alexander immediately straightened his face. “Uh, something I saw on television last night.”
Captain Murphy examined Alexander's attire from head to toe. “You got your vest on?”
“I sure do, sir,” Alexander said proudly.
Unable to scold Alexander, he decided to let them go. “Carry on, men.”
When they turned to walk away, James looked at Alexander. “Someone should tell Cap that jelly stain on his shirt doesn't go with that gray tie.”
They both laughed out loud, unaware that Captain Murphy still had his eyes on them.
“What was that, Detectives?” Captain Murphy asked them.
They both looked over their shoulders and answered him under one voice. “Nothing, sir.”
By noontime at the precinct, James and Alexander had been hard at work, trying to match mug shots with the face on the surveillance tapes. James was so sleepy and worn out, he didn't know what to do. “Alex, man, I say we call it quits and pick this back up tomorrow morning.”
“I'm with you on that, partner.” Alexander packed away their files and secured them in a filing cabinet.
Alexander was almost always the designated driver in the company car that was assigned to them. On their way to James' apartment, they drove by a chocolate candy factory.
“Hey, Alex, turn in here. I wanna get Mickey some chocolate covered raisins.”
“I thought you were in such a hurry to get home and into bed.”
“I am, but I can't see something that my baby loves and not get it for her.” James could have waited until later that evening to give Michelle her candy, but since the candy store and Michelle's law office were both on the way to his apartment, he thought he'd surprise her.
After getting the candy, James and Alexander walked into Price & Associates looking fine and debonair with their dark suits and sunglasses on. In the all-female law firm, James and Alexander were well aware of the many heads that turned their way and the eyes that followed them as they made their way up to the sixth floor.
Chantal, Michelle's secretary, pressed the intercom. “James and Alexander are here. Shall I send them in?”
“Absolutely, Chantal, and hold all of my calls, please,” Michelle replied.
Chantal gave them the go-ahead and James walked into Michelle's office with his partner close behind. She stood and walked from behind her desk straight into James' arms.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Michelle greeted James.
James embraced the woman he loved then stepped back to admire her beauty. Her hair was parted down the middle and flowing just the way he liked it, and her make-up was flawless, as usual. She wore a red tailor made silk single-breasted pantsuit that looked as though she had been born in it. “You're the gorgeous one, Mickey.”
“Not me, you are.”
“No, you are,” he said.
Alexander looked at Michelle and had to agree with James. “I have to take James' side on this, Michelle; you're absolutely radiant.”
“Why thank you, Alex; I'm flattered. What brings you two to my neck of the woods looking like the Blues Brothers in your suits and shades?” She chuckled.
James held up the little white bag he was carrying. “We were on our way home when we passed a chocolate factory. We stopped and I got you a treat.”
Michelle smiled. “You didn't.”
“Of course, I did.”
She looked inside the bag and squealed. “Chocolate covered raisins, my favorite. Thank you, honey.”
James scanned Michelle from head to toe again. “I can't get over how beautiful you look today, Mickey. You are really glowing. Should I be jealous?”
“I can honestly say that you have no reason to be jealous.”
James turned to his partner. “Alex, isn't she as fine as she wanna be?”
“And then some, man,” he replied.
Michelle sat at her desk to enjoy her treat. “Thanks, gentlemen. I'm due in court in an hour and I wanted to look my best.”
James and Alexander each sat down in a chair across from Michelle and watched her munch on the chocolate.
“So, how's your sister doing?” James asked.
“Amaryllis is going to be okay. I'm going to try and get her out of the house tonight. I want the two of us to have dinner with Daddy.”
The word âsister' caught Alexander's attention. “You have a sister, Michelle?”
“Yeah, I thought you knew that,” she responded.
“No; James failed to mention it. How old is she?”
“Twenty-six.”
“Is she fine?”
Michelle chuckled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, how does she look?”
“Amaryllis looks just like me, but her complexion is much lighter.”
“Then she's fine and I gotta meet her.”
James interrupted the conversation. “Slow your roll, partner.”
“Look, man, you already have your Eve. I wanna be blessed too,” Alexander said.
Michelle ate a piece of chocolate and licked her fingers clean. “Alex, my sister has some issues and a lot of baggage. She's actually here recuperating. I wouldn't recommend you trying to hook up with her, especially right now.”
“How long will she be in town?”
“I'm not sure, but it will be a while.”
James stood up to leave. “On that note, we're outta here. Kick butt in court today, baby.”
“I always do.”
Alexander looked at the white bag in Michelle's hand. “Can I have some of your chocolate covered raisins?”
“No,” she answered with no shame.
“No? I can't meet your sister, I can't have any of your chocolate. What's up with that?”
“I've already explained about my sister, but as far as my chocolate goes, there are two things that I don't share. That's my man and my chocolate. If you touch either one, you'll surely catch a beat down.”
Having said that, Michelle reclined her chair, leaned back and crossed her ankles on top of the desk.
“I was the one driving and didn't have to stop at the chocolate factory.”
Michelle still wasn't sharing. “Mmm, but I'm so glad you did. Thanks, Alex.”
Alexander looked at James. “How do you put up with her, man?”
“I stay in my place and I don't ask for any of her chocolates,” James chuckled.
Alexander shook his head and walked out of her office.
James stepped to Michelle, bent down and kissed her lips.
“Call me when court is over.”
“You know I will. Where are you headed?”