A Sinful Calling (18 page)

D
illon was exhausted. It was going on midnight, and he'd just left Taylor's about twenty minutes ago. He wasn't sure if he was just tired in general or a bit fatigued from drinking the couple of beers and glasses of wine he'd had. But either way, he was glad he'd at least gotten an hour of sleep before getting dressed to leave. If he could have, he would have stayed at Taylor's until morning, but he'd known it wasn't a good idea. Raven was already fired up, and his not coming home would have only made difficult matters worse. He'd actually thought she would have called him by now, but she hadn't. He wasn't sorry, of course, but the fact that she hadn't tried to contact him did make him wonder what she was up to. Knowing her, she thought the silent treatment she'd been giving him and her demand for him to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms would eventually get him to change his mind about vetoing the board's decision. She was also likely acting as though she didn't care where he was or what he was doing tonight, trying to pretend she no longer wanted him. The Raven he knew wanted him to believe she was preparing to file for divorce, so he would beg her not to. But he wasn't falling for it.

When he'd gone to her office to try to reason with her, he'd been hoping that she would accept what was and they could move on. Because truthfully, he didn't want a divorce, for all the reasons he'd thought about. But now, after tonight, he wasn't sure. He didn't want to cause a church scandal, but if there was some way for him to divorce Raven and be with Taylor, he would. He'd heard a number of married men say that no matter how many women they'd dated in their lifetime, no matter how much they didn't want to be tied down, that one special woman had gotten their attention. They'd willingly (or in some cases unwillingly) met their soul mates, and their lives had been changed forever. Once upon a time, Dillon had thought the same thing about Raven, but when he'd begun seeing Porsha he'd known something was missing. Otherwise, he couldn't and wouldn't have started sleeping with another woman. Even if he'd made a mistake and had a one-night stand, he wouldn't have kept a full-fledged affair going for more than three months, not even for money. Then there was Taylor, who was making things even harder for him. He hadn't gone looking for her, he hadn't seen her coming, and they'd met in the most unlikely place—that is, since most pastors didn't frequent bars. But he was falling for her with record speed, and he couldn't stop himself.

He was sure Taylor wasn't perfect, because no one was, but he liked everything about her. He felt good when he was with her, and almost as if he were cheating on her instead of Raven. He knew it was a strange way to think, but he was contemplating not seeing Taylor anymore until he saw how things were going to play out with his marriage. She deserved better, and if there was a chance he could marry her and be with her for good, he didn't want their relationship to begin like this. He didn't want it to be based on lies and adultery.

Dillon drove down I-90 and turned on his radio. He wasn't all that in the mood for music, so he searched through talk show segments. He stopped when he saw the Christian channel he'd heard his dad on last week. Ironically, the same interview was replaying, which Dillon wasn't shocked about, because lots of shows were repeated late at night. It also didn't have to be the same show that had aired earlier that same day, if the station had a popular segment that had attracted a large audience.

Dillon kept listening and heard his dad say, “I appreciate that, Jacob. I'd be glad to.”

Then Jacob asked, “So do you meet pastors like this all the time?”

“Unfortunately, I do, and I'm ashamed to say that I know one of the young men very well. He lives right here in Mitchell. And in his case, he'll do anything to get what he wants, and he has no moral values. He even once had a fiancée who he treated like an animal, and he slept with his own brother's wife. He's also done things to other family members, yet he has a pretty sizable congregation.”

Dillon had heard every word the first time he'd listened to the interview, but it still hurt as though he hadn't. After talking to Alicia, he'd been sure he was going to go see his dad in person, but now he wondered if he should even bother.

A commercial break aired, and Dillon realized that last week his dad's words had made him so angry, he'd turned off the radio. But it sounded like the interview wasn't over, so Dillon kept the channel right where it was.

When Jacob returned, the conversation continued.

“So, Pastor Black, while reading your bio, which I must say is very lengthy and most commendable, I noticed that you have children. In particular, a son.”

“Yes, my son Matthew is twenty-three.”

“The reason I mentioned your son is because I'm just wondering if he's planning to follow in your footsteps.”

“Well, I can't say, but first of all, if he were to become a minister I would hope that it would only be because God has called him. That's something I can't stress enough, just like I was saying earlier. However, if God were to call Matthew, I wouldn't be surprised because he's always been the kind of child that most parents pray for. He isn't perfect, and he's made mistakes just like any of us, but he is a great person with a huge heart. He always thinks about others first and tries to do the right thing. So needless to say, his mother and I couldn't be more proud of him. He's always had a kind spirit, and if he'd been an only child he would have been more than enough. But thank God, we also have two other wonderful children, my oldest daughter, Alicia, and our youngest, Curtina. And of course, we also have our precious grandson, MJ.”

“That's great,” Jacob said. “So you have one son, two daughters, and a grandson.”

“Yes.”

One son? He meant two sons, and Dillon waited for his dad to correct Jacob. But he didn't. Curtis moved on to a whole other subject, and what Dillon also thought about was how he'd even counted Alicia as one of his children, even though this interview had aired days before their little reunion this evening. If Dillon hadn't heard this broadcast with his own ears, he might not have believed it, but now he knew the truth: His dad wasn't even claiming him publicly anymore. He was acting as though Dillon weren't his son, the same as he had when Dillon was born.

Dillon drove his car onto the shoulder of the road, threw it in park, and pressed the lever that opened his trunk. He got out, walked around to the back, and opened his cooler. There was no ice in it, which was the reason he hadn't bothered putting his beer in there before heading over to Taylor's. But he also hadn't wanted Raven to see it inside his car when he got home tonight. He doubted she'd come out to the garage, but if she left before him in the morning, she might casually glance over into his car or open it all the way to take a look. If she did, he didn't want her to see it.

He pulled out one beer, pushed the auto-close button for the trunk, and walked back around to the driver's side. He got back in and downed the beer almost nonstop. Then he opened his window and threw out the can. As a few cars zoomed by him, he sat thinking. Miss Brenda had been dead wrong about there being a chance to make things right with his dad. It was too late to repair all the damage that had been done. The more he thought about it, had his dad wanted to reconcile with him, he would have called him the same as he'd called Alicia this afternoon. He also would have invited Dillon to join them when they'd all driven over to Alicia's to surprise her. They'd held a planned family gathering without so much as thinking of him, and no one had to knock Dillon in the head to get their point across. He understood very clearly.

So much so that he dialed Vincent's number, shifted his gear back to drive, and drove back onto the highway. When Vincent answered, Dillon never even told him hello. Instead, all he said was, “Do it, and do it quickly. My mind is made up.”

A
licia sat at her desk, smiling. She couldn't have been happier, and she thanked God for all that had transpired two days ago between her and her dad. Even Matthew had shown up with little MJ, and they'd hugged for longer than usual. They'd laughed and talked like old times, and Alicia could tell her baby brother had missed her as much as she'd missed him. Then there was her four-year-old nephew MJ. What a sweet, handsome little thing he was. She'd always loved him, but after missing two years of his life, she was planning to spend as much time with him as possible. Wednesday had proven to be one of the best days ever, and she was in awe of how fast things had changed for the better.

Alicia did wonder, though, why she hadn't slept very well last night. She'd been so relieved when her family had left on Wednesday and so relaxed that she hadn't bothered taking another sleeping pill the way she'd planned. Yet she'd still slept six hours straight, which had seemed more than enough, because when she'd gotten up yesterday morning, she'd felt fully alert and energized. This was the reason she hadn't taken anything again last night, thinking she would rest well a second time. But, oddly, that hadn't been the case. She hadn't worried about anything and had only indulged in happy thoughts; however, she'd still tossed and turned for hours. If she'd gotten two hours of sleep total, that was all, and she didn't understand it. Nonetheless, she was definitely taking something before lying down tonight.

Alicia picked up her office phone and dialed her brother's extension, but he didn't answer. It was unlike him not to already be at the church by now, although maybe he had an outside appointment she didn't know about. She was somewhat concerned about him because yesterday when she'd asked him how his visit had gone with their dad, he'd told her he'd changed his mind. He was leaving things as is, and he wasn't planning to contact Curtis again. Alicia still hoped he would, though, so she pressed the Contacts icon on her cell to call his mobile number. But before she scrolled down to it, Raven burst into her office and slammed the door behind her.

“You know, I've waited three days to decide how I was going to confront Dillon, but then it dawned on me. You're the one I need to talk to.”

“Raven, why are you here?”

“Because my husband founded this church, and I have more right to be in this office than you do. I have more rights than you, period, although I can tell you think otherwise.”

“I don't think anything. You're just upset because the board voted against you. And rightfully so.”

“They voted against me because they saw right away how you, Dillon, and Levi felt. They knew that whatever they said or wanted wouldn't matter. Ever since you and Dillon reconciled your differences, he's basically kissed your behind and done whatever you tell him.”

“That's not true.”

“It
is
true!” she yelled. “I've just never said anything, but sweetheart, people talk. I found out a long time ago that you and Levi are the reason I wasn't named CFO. I heard you were both against me handling the finances because of my past. That's why Dillon went along with hiring Lynette. He was worried that Levi might not invest all the money he was planning to give, and that was the end of it.”

Alicia stood up. “Raven, I'd really like you to leave.”

“I'm not going anywhere. You're Dillon's sister, not his wife. Actually, you're only his half sister, yet the two of you walk around here like you grew up together. He loves the ground you walk on, like you're the light of his life, and that's why I never liked you. Well, no, that's not really true…I never even liked you when I worked for your no-good father.”

“Raven, I'm not going to ask you again. Please leave.”

“No, I'm staying, because you need to know how things are going to work from this point on.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You're going to go to the board and have them vote again. They're going to make me co-pastor. Then you're going to get your brother to have legal documents drawn up so I can also be named co-founder.”

Alicia wasn't sure if Raven had lost her mind, or if she was telling some sort of deranged joke.

“You must be crazy.”

“No, I'm fine. I'm the reason this church thrived so quickly. I'm the reason a handful of members turned into a thousand. But now you, Dillon, Levi, and the rest of the elders are trying to dismiss me? Well, I'm not having it.”

“No one's trying to do anything. That nonsense is all in your head.”

“Really? Well, not only are you and Dillon trying to walk all over me here at the church, your brother has a mistress.”

Alicia tried not to react, but she knew the look on her face told another story.

“Yeah, that's right, your precious brother who stands in the pulpit every single Sunday is sleeping around with some tramp. I've never said one word to him about it, though. The whole time, I've acted as if I didn't know a thing. As a matter of fact, once I found out, I became a better wife to him than I had been. I gave the man sex, even if I didn't want it, I cooked, I did anything I thought he wanted me to do. And if you wanna know the truth, I was more than happy to let him sleep with whomever he wanted, as long as he shared his role as pastor with me. That's all he had to do, and everybody could've been happy.”

“I don't believe there's another woman, but even if there is, that's between you and Dillon. I don't have a thing to do with it.”

“Oh, you have
everything
to do with it. You run all this, remember? Your dear brother founded New Faith, but you're Miss COO.
Chief
…
operating
…
officer
. So either you convince Dillon and the board to give me what I want, or this Sunday I'm telling the congregation who their pastor is. I'm telling them about his mistress, and that I'm divorcing him.”

“Raven, save your threats for somebody who cares. Now get out of my office.”

“You have two days. And if I don't hear from you by first thing Sunday morning, things around here will never be the same. Your dad will also have to deal with another family scandal. I can see the headline now: ‘Dillon Whitfield Black: The Apple That Didn't Fall Far from the Tree.'”

Alicia frowned. “You know, Raven, why is it that you want to be co-pastor so badly? Or better yet, why do you need to be co-founder? You didn't
found
anything.”

“Because over the last two years, I've watched this church grow like wildfire. Even putting the physical church aside, New Faith Ministries, Inc., will eventually make millions. I realized that a while ago, and I want what's mine. I don't want to have to fight for it years down the road, which means I need to make sure I have just as much control as Dillon.”

Alicia sat down and didn't look at her again. “It'll never happen, so deal with it.”

“Oh, I think it will. Did I forget to tell you that I have proof that he's messing around? The kind of proof that will stun the members of this church and all of Mitchell? Now, you get me what I want or else.”

Alicia watched as she walked away, and she wanted to cry. Not because of Raven's threats and demands, but because for no reason she could think of, the voice in her head was back.

You and Levi are going to lose everything you've worked for here, and so is your brother. This is all punishment because of what you did to Phillip. You can't hurt people and think you're going to be successful. You have to reap what you sow, and there's still only one way for you to do that.