Chapter Thirteen
I eased my Mercedes into Jennifer’s driveway and then shut off the engine. I stared at the white single-story building and was impressed at how well-maintained it looked. The lawn had been freshly cut and the trees beautifully trimmed. I assumed it was Taj’s handiwork, because Jennifer didn’t show much interest in how her property appeared on the outside. So it had lacked that curb appeal I’d been trying to tell her about. Having a man around the home – other than for sex – counted for something.
The slight pain in my chest was a stark reminder that as fine and as tempting as Taj was, he wasn’t mine. It didn’t matter how badly I wanted him, it was wrong to harbor these feelings, or to be passive about his determination to pursue me. But God knew I was trying to maintain my distance. That was why I had hesitated coming to Jennifer’s home, simply because I didn’t want to risk running into Taj. That would be a disaster. I couldn’t look at him without melting into a puddle of emotions.
Since his limo was nowhere in sight, I thought it was best to hurry in and out. Ms. Strummer should be here any minute, as it was slightly past seven thirty. With Jennifer’s spare key in hand, I jammed it in the keyhole and gave it a twist. The front door creaked open and I entered into the quiet space. I wasted no time going to Jennifer’s bedroom to look for the check. However, I wasn’t prepared for what I walked into. A pair of handcuffs greeted me at the door. A lacy brassiere, which I assumed belonged to Jennifer, was haphazardly thrown on the shade of a lamp.
My gaze moved over to the rumpled sheets, which looked like two people had been in a severe wrestling match. Pillows were on the floor and right in front of the bed was a half-empty container of strawberries. The space was untidy and my first thought was that Jennifer needed to hire a maid, but as I moved deeper into the room and locked stares on an open box of condoms, I suddenly understood the reason behind the chaos. My insides became a rumpled mess.
Instead of searching for the check where Jennifer told me to look, I grabbed the ends of the satin sheets and shook them in the vicinity of my nostrils. I couldn’t explain what drove me to do it. Maybe I needed to be reminded that Taj was not the type of man I should be messing with. He was of the world, who unashamedly indulged in the pleasures of sin and he would only lure me away into grave immorality – as he had so ably done to my best friend, Jennifer. The sheets reeked of corruption, which should have ignited a holy anger within me. But lurking in its place, was the spirit of jealousy.
I closed my eyes to stop the hot tears from flowing. Why did I let Jennifer swindle me into this trap? I was doing fine until I stepped into this room. Inside of me was screaming to drop everything and run for my life, but my feet felt as if blocks of cement had hardened around them. I was completely overcome with the atmosphere to the point where it almost felt as if I were under a spell.
“I had no idea you wanted me as much as I want you.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention when I heard Taj’s voice. I thought I’d imagined it, but I could feel the presence of someone behind me. The satin sheets fell away from my fingers as I turned to face him. He was standing in the doorway, impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo. I sucked in a mouthful of oxygen when my eyes leveled with his lecherous gaze. I wondered how long he’d been standing there, watching me.
“I…er…Jennifer wanted me to get something for her,” I stammered and then began moving my steps forward. “I was about to leave.”
He began to move forward too, his expensive leather shoes making a tapping sound on the hardwood floors. I stopped within about two feet of him because I knew his intention was to block me.
“I don’t have much time,” he said, too husky for me to mistake what was in his sinful mind.
“Like I said, I was on my way out,” I repeated.
He grinned. “By the way you look in this smashing red dress, I assume you have somewhere to go. So, let’s make this quick.”
He pulled me into his chest and before I knew it, his luscious pink lips were bearing down on my mine. I didn’t have time to process what was happening. My mouth went dry and it felt as if the entire room was in a merry-go-round. My resistance was hanging by a thin thread and the only thing I could muster was a weak plea for Taj to reconsider. “Please don’t make me do this…I…”
“Explanations can wait,” Taj shushed me, as he strategically pressed his lips around the areas of my neck. “You know you want me; so stop resisting…I will be gentle with you…”
Resist him and flee for your life! It was such a clear command, but I was so consumed with the idea of being in the arms of Taj Brooks that I wanted to believe my mind was playing tricks on me. In fact, every scripture I’d studied on temptation seemed to have been blotted from my thoughts. And that should have been another red flag. The minute Taj untied the straps of my red dress and began to caress my shoulders, that small little voice abandoned me completely. I began to relax and enjoy something I knew was forbidden. We were well into a full minute of heavy kissing when I heard Maya’s voice coming at me like a clap of thunder.
“You backstabbing slut!” Her Asian dialect was very pronounced. “You will not get away with this!”
Before I could move myself completely out of Taj’s grasp, Maya was halfway in the room, spitting out a slew of nasty expletives.
“I knew my ears weren’t deceiving me! What the hell is this mess?”
Taj stood in front of me as if to protect me. As he was refastening his belt, I took the opportunity to put back on my dress. Taj’s mouth was pulled into a grim line, but when he spoke, his tone was surprisingly measured. “Maya, why did you come out of the limo?”
“You dirty pig!” she huffed. She closed in the distance between her and Taj and began jabbing her finger in his face. “I knew it was Sierra’s Mercedes in the driveway and you told me it wasn’t. I knew something wasn’t right. You left me in that backseat because you knew all along you were going to sleep with this slut! You lied to me! You told me that I was the only one!”
Maya’s unexpected entry into the room was already a nightmare, but to hear her claim that she and Taj had been sleeping together knocked the wind out of my body. I could barely breathe when I spat from behind Taj’s back, “As if this isn’t already humiliating enough for me, but you’re sleeping with Maya too? I should have known…”
Maya tried to get at me, but Taj held her back. “Of course he’s sleeping with me, you two-timing whore! Acting like you’re so much better than us with your fancy job and nice house, but you’re a worse slut than all of us put together! You are supposed to be a Christian! Christians don’t go around stealing people’s men and having sex in their best friend’s bedroom. All this time you were pretending to be something you aren’t! So don’t stand there and act like you didn’t want it! You just wait until this gets out…”
Maya’s words shook me to the core. I was terrified, disappointed, confused and humiliated – all at once. And what made me feel worst was that my testimony had been tarnished in the worst possible way. No longer would Maya have any faith in me or ever listen to my sermons about staying pure. Taj just stood with his head hanging down, a total mute. The only response I got from him was when he tried to block me from leaving. I drew back and slapped him.
“Sierra, let me explain,” he cried out.
With conviction shadowing my flight, I bolted out of the room and made a beeline toward the front door. I was too numb to speak. Moreover, I couldn’t believe how such a perfect day could unravel into something so horrid and so profane. If I’d said no to Jennifer and had gone directly to the Mesa Grill to meet Reuben, or if I’d run out of Jennifer’s bedroom when I’d had the opportunity, I wouldn’t be in this godless predicament. The word of God suddenly began pouring into my soul like a dam that had been let loose.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour…Temptation comes from our own desires, which ent
ice us and drag us away…No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man…He will provide a way of escape for you…
Was this some sick joke? Why couldn’t I recall those words the moment I needed them the most? Was God telling me that I hadn’t been alert or was the devil using such words to taunt me? Please God, help me to understand where I went wrong…have mercy on me...forgive me. I’ve failed You, I’ve failed Jennifer and I’ve failed myself. I knew nothing good would come out of pining over another woman’s man. But I let my lust consume me and drag me down a path that led to nothing but chaos and destruction.
My hand finally reached out to grab the doorknob, but I was jerked backwards by someone pulling on my hair. I screamed out in pain as both Maya and I careened into a small table that was in the foyer.
“How dare you walk away from me,” Maya growled. “You slept with my man and you think I’m gonna let you get off that easily? Get back here, you backstabbing hypocrite!”
Maya gripped my waist and violently swung me into the sheetrock. I saw butterflies as I tumbled toward the tiles. Taj didn’t belong to either of us and yet Maya had gone nuts. I tried to imagine the beast Maya would turn into if Taj had really been her man. Mind you, Maya had always had a despicable temper, but this was nothing like I’d ever seen. I tried to stand to my feet, but I was in so much physical pain that I thought it best to remain where I was.
That was my biggest mistake. Maya pounced on me and began to scratch like an obstreperous cat. To defend myself, I jabbed her in the stomach with my knee. She fell back a little, but it was enough time for me to raise my right leg and give her a strong kick. I had on heels and I felt when it punctured a soft area on her body. She wobbled into Taj’s arms, spitting out an even stronger slew of expletives in my direction. He detained her, but not without a noisy struggle.
Shortly after, a pair of car headlights shone through the window. Next, I heard an engine turn off and then a car door slammed. I crawled to the base of the window and looked out. It was Jennifer, briskly walking on the lawn toward her front door. Taj must have seen the headlights too, because he placed a hand over Maya’s mouth and dragged her toward the kitchen exit. A desperate plea blazed from the altar of my heart; I knew if Jennifer saw my sweaty appearance, there was no possible way I would be able to keep the truth from her.
Lord, if You get me out of this mess, I will recommit my life to You and serve You with everything that lies within me. No more ignoring Your voice and running away from the calling you’ve placed on my life. But most of all, I beg You, give me the strength to flush Taj Brooks out of my system!
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