Drama in the Church Saga (11 page)

“I've never heard of it.”

“Well, the owner of The Dollhouse has had lots of requests from customers who are interested in it. She is recruiting men to come and participate in the swinging.”

Payce started laughing. “You want me to be a male prostitute?”

“No, it's not prostitution.”

“Yes, it is. I'm getting paid for having sex with strangers.”

“No, you're getting paid for helping a couple live out their fantasies.”

“Reverend Kane, you're sicker than I thought.” He got up to leave.

“Payce, they're willing to start you off at fifteen hundred tax-free dollars a night.”

Payce froze in his tracks.

“That is just to start. If you do a good job and couples return to see you, they will pay you more.”

He sat back down in his seat.

“If you don't like it, you can quit, but I'm telling you it's easy money.”

Fifteen hundred dollars,
he thought.

“What about Tressie?” he asked.

“Tressie doesn't have to know. I'm not going to say anything to her.”

Payce thought about having fifteen hundred dollars cash in his pocket. He hadn't seen that much money since he was hustling on the corner. Reverend Kane waited for Payce to accept her offer.

“Let me think about it and I'll give you a call,” he told her.

“Don't make me wait long,” she replied.

Miles's facial expression said “I'm sorry.” This was another failed attempt by Elise to resuscitate her husband's limp rod back to life. She held his manhood in her hand and wished for a miracle. She prayed that he would have a positive reaction to her touch, but her efforts were unsuccessful. She got up and moved to her side of the bed.

The doctor had prescribed Miles medication to assist with his treatment, but so far they saw no improvements.

They lay in silence and stared at the ceiling. Thoughts of Sheridan drifted through Elise's mind. She wondered how an innocent cup of coffee could turn into nights of hot and heavy sex.

A part of her was ashamed. She was a Christian woman who was responsible for pointing out the sins of others. Now she was the one committing sin. This was an unfamiliar place for her in life, a place she had never thought she would be. An extra-marital affair had been inconceivable, but Sheridan's touch electrified her body. The worst part was that she didn't want it to end. She had fallen in love with him.

It started with Sheridan coming into the gym on Wednesday evenings. He would act as her personal trainer by assisting her with the weight machines and demonstrating different techniques to get the most out of her workouts. Those techniques often required that he touch intimate parts of her body. The feel of his hands made her nervous. She knew that their relationship was getting more personal, but she didn't stop it. She enjoyed the attention he showered on her. Then came the night when their relationship took a dramatic turn.

It was a typical Wednesday night, and Elise was expecting Sheridan to walk into the gym at any second, but he never showed. She thought that he might have been running late, but by the end of her workout there was still no sign of him. Disappointed that he was a no-show, she hated the thought of having to wait another full week before she saw him again.

In no rush to go home, Elise chose to sit in the sauna for a while. The warmth from the sauna wrapped itself around her skin. She sat against the far wall, leaned her head back and closed her eyes and enjoyed the quiet, serene atmosphere. She was alone for a while before someone came in, interrupting her solitude. She kept her eyes closed and tried to block out the presence of someone else in the small-boxed room.

“Is this seat taken?” the stranger asked abruptly.

Elise was startled and wasn't aware that her uninvited guest was so close. She looked up. The steam slowly cleared away from her eyes.

“Sheridan?” she called out.

“Yeah, it's me. I hope I didn't scare you.”

“Yes, you did scare me, but how did you know I was in here?”

“I asked the receptionist if she had seen you and she told me that you were in here. I'm sorry I was late. I had to go out of town to Miami unexpectedly and my flight was delayed.”

“Miami? That must have been a nice trip. Was it business or pleasure?”

“Business, unfortunately.” He sat down next to her. “There's this kid who goes to school down there and he is withdrawing from school early to enter the NFL. My firm is eager to represent him. So they asked me to fly down there to give a quick presentation. He's a good kid, comes from a stable home, and has parents who care. The father is the one who actually contacted us. He wants the kid to be represented by a black sports agency, but I got the impression that the kid had his sights on some of the larger agencies.”

“What does the father have to do with anything? Isn't it the kid's decision?”

“Ultimately, yes, it is the kid's decision, but his father played in the pros and has had a lot of regrets for putting his trust in a lot of people who would never understand what it's like to be a black man playing in the NFL. He's just a father who wants to help lead his son in the right direction.”

“Well, I hope you get the account,” Elise replied.

“So do I.” They sat in silence for a moment. She felt uncomfortable sitting next to him with nothing on but a towel. At least when they were at the coffeehouse she did have clothes on. She looked down at the towel wrapped around Sheridan's waist.
What do I do if he touches me or worse, kisses me? Calm down, Elise, the man has made no indication that he would ever hit on you. Every time he's been alone with me he has been a perfect gentleman.

Another five minutes of silence passed before a throbbing feeling began pulsating between her legs. She glanced over at him. He seemed unaware of what she was thinking. Elise couldn't hold back the desire that burned deep inside her. Lust had taken over her body and she was at its mercy. Throwing all caution to the wind, she quickly climbed on top of Sheridan and ferociously kissed his lips. Sheridan responded to Elise's advances by removing her towel.

The heat from the sauna created tears of sweat on their bodies. The sex was invigorating for both of them. He grabbed her tighter and tighter. He tried not to release his seed inside of her, but he couldn't withstand the feeling. He finally burst like a dam.

Elise leaned her head against his. The realization of what she had just done hit her like a ton of bricks. She had broken her wedding vows and deceived her husband. She got up and sat next to Sheridan. She held her head down and placed her hands on her head. Her remorse filled the room. He could sense her guilt.

“I know you regret what just happened,” Sheridan said. “If you say you don't want to see me again, I'll understand.”

Elise didn't say a word, nor did she look his way. Sheridan wrapped his towel back around himself and got up to leave.

“Sheridan!” Elise stopped him. She walked over and hugged him. “I'm scared of what's happening to me. I've never done this kind of thing before. I don't know what came over me,” she whimpered from the embrace of his arms.

They continued to meet, not only on Wednesday evenings, but also on Monday and Friday evenings. She stopped going to the gym and began having her workouts in Sheridan's bedroom. Fortunately, Miles was not suspicious of her sudden appreciation for going to the gym. He encouraged her increased workouts and wished that he could go with her, but Elise intentionally scheduled her time at the gym during his therapy sessions with Dr. Johnson.

Elise glanced over at her husband.
He is such a good man
. She felt guilty for having thoughts of another man while her husband lay next to her, but there was no way she could stop it. All thoughts started and stopped with Sheridan. She and Sheridan had made plans to get together on Tuesday night before he went out of town on business. It would be their last night together for two whole weeks, and Elise couldn't wait to see him. When she spoke with him on the phone, he hinted that he had a surprise for her.

“Elise, what do you think about us purchasing a few sex toys?” Miles asked. “Honey?” Miles shook his wife lightly, trying to wake her from her daydream.

“I'm sorry, honey. I must have been a million
Miles
away. What were you saying?”

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You seemed so deep in thought.”

“I was just thinking about Olivia,” she lied. “I hope she's able to find Bryant and the baby.”

“Yeah, that must be hard—to be wrongly accused of a crime, go to jail, and then have your baby disappear.”

“We'll have to keep her and the baby in our prayers. Now, what were you saying?” she asked.

“What do you think about us getting some sex toys? Do you think they could help out with the problems I've been having?”

“Sweetheart, I'm not sure, but it's worth a try. Before, I forget, on Tuesday after Bible Study I'm going to go over to the gym and work out a little, so I may be a little late getting home.”

“Why are you going to the gym on a Tuesday night? That's usually your night off.”

“Yeah, I know and I'm going to cut back on my workouts a little, but I want to get in there early this week and then I'll have the rest of the week to spend extra time with you.”

Miles was glad that his wife was going to be spending more time at home. Lately, she had been spending so much time at the gym that they barely spent anytime together. Also, he noticed a change in Elise's behavior that worried him. She frequently daydreamed and was unfocused. At first he thought she was having an affair, but he later dismissed that as paranoia.

He mentioned Elise's distant behavior to his therapist, who provided him with several logical reasons why his wife could be behaving oddly. She explained that impotency was not only psychologically damaging to him, but also to his spouse. The best thing he could do was to give her space and allow her to deal with the problem in her own way. If things continued or got worse, he could always suggest Elise talk to a counselor or therapist.

Miles turned to his woman. “Elise, would you like to say a prayer with me?”

Elise wanted to pray with him. Prayer was the one thing in their life that had always brought them closer together, but she just wasn't up for it today. “I'm really tired,” she replied. “Maybe we can pray together in the morning.”

“No problem,” Miles said. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, turned over, and went to sleep.

 

 

 

Pilar and Val luxuriated at the spa while they received their weekly beauty regimen of facials and body scrubs. They sat with avocado masks smeared over their faces.

“This feels soooooo good,” Pilar said aloud. “I love to get the avocado scrub on my face. When I was pregnant, I looked forward to one of these every week. I love the way it opens my pores.”

“Is Carlos glad to be back home?” Val asked.

“Oh yes!” she replied. “Since his return from Colorado he has been so attentive to the children and me. I think he missed us while he was away. He has been spending so much time with the children, and last night he even got up in the middle of the night with the baby.”

Val was envious of Pilar and Carlos. They were married and had a family. She wanted that from Julian.

“I can't wait for Julian and me to have a house full of kids.”

“Did you start with your wedding plans yet?”

“I started while he was away. I contacted several places in Philadelphia to have our reception, but I haven't had a chance to mention it to him. Since he got back from Colorado he's been away from home more than before he left.”

Troubled with doubts of what Julian could be doing while away from home, Val asked, “Pilar, do you think Julian is cheating on me?” she finally asked.

Ever since Pilar warned her about the numerous affairs that go on in the NBA, Val had been very suspicious of Julian's whereabouts.

Every time he went out she questioned where he was going and with whom. She checked his coat pockets for hotel receipts or phone numbers. One night she stayed up until four o'clock in the morning waiting for him to get home. When he finally walked in the door, she pretended to be asleep on the couch. He came in, checked on her, and went to bed. After she thought he had fallen asleep, she snuck out into the garage to search his car. When she didn't find anything, she knew she had reached a point where she didn't trust him, and it had to stop. She had to find out one way or another what he was up to.

“I wouldn't jump to that conclusion,” Pilar said. “His time away from home could really have to do with business.”

“I've been trying to convince myself that he is actually working, but intuition tells me there's something more,” Val replied.

Pilar and Val had finally made it out of the spa and were on their way back home. Before leaving the spa, Pilar insisted on treating herself to a detoxifying body mud wrap. The spa services coordinator told her that it would make her feel twenty years old again.

It was Val's first time sitting in a tub full of mud. The mud didn't make her feel twenty years old, but it sure was relaxing. It relieved so much stress; her back, neck and shoulders were less tense. The strain of worrying about Julian had been temporarily lifted.

Driving home, Pilar pulled into the grocery store parking lot. “Do you mind if we make a quick stop? I have to have something good and hot waiting for my man when he gets home, besides myself,” Pilar joked.

Inside the store, Pilar quickly scanned the aisles and found the ingredients she needed for her family's dinner. The two women chatted while waiting in the express checkout line.

“You cannot go to Julian with suspicions about his behavior. You have got to have some evidence to prove he's been unfaithful. Trust me, if there is evidence out there, it will come to you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Trust me. Right after Carlos and I were married, I got pregnant with our first child. I was so busy decorating the nursery and preparing for our daughter's birth that I missed a few of Carlos's games. At the time he was playing for Chicago, so one night I thought it would be a nice surprise if I unexpectedly attended that night's home game. Only I was the one surprised. I arrived at United Arena and sitting in Carlos's reserved seats was an eighteen-year-old redhead. I thought I was going to lose my mind. I politely asked her who she was and do you know what her reply was? She said, ‘You know who I am.' I knew in my heart the young girl had been sleeping around with my husband. I grabbed her by her arm and she shoved me. Carlos saw us arguing from the bench and climbed the stands to defend me. He publicly cursed her for putting her hands on his pregnant wife.”

“What happened?” Val asked.

“Well, you know that the media taped everything that happened. It was on the news and in the paper. Carlos was fined for leaving the game and I was ready to leave him. Furious, I went home and packed my bags. He begged me not to go and swore that he would never cheat on me again.”