Flawfully Wedded Wives (21 page)

“I'm still here.”

“Yes, you are.” Lawson smiled. “So what's going on with you and your father?”

Sullivan sighed. “I don't know. Vera told me something very disturbing about him, but I have to consider the source before I take it seriously.”

“What did she say?”

“She claims that my father tried to kill her and that he actually did kill their unborn child.”

“Really? Why would he do that, or why does she think he did that?”

“She said he did it to keep the truth about their relationship from coming out, but, Lawson, the man she describes isn't the man I've gotten to know.”

“Then again, how well do you know him? Vera was booed up with the man for several years, so she probably knows him better than anybody. Your mother is a lot of things, but I've never known her to be a liar.”

“I've known her to be vindictive and evil,” said Sullivan.

“True, but that's not the same thing as being a liar.”

—
Kina Battle

 

Lawson knocked on the door to Kina's hotel room. She had decided that the fighting and discord had gone on long enough, and that the two of them would have to put an end to it one way or another.

Kina opened the door and blurted out, “I'm sorry for the other day. Please forgive me.”

“I'm sorry too.” They broke into laughter at the same time.

“Girl, come on in,” Kina said, allowing her to enter. “You can help me finalize plans for my grand opening.”

“Are you excited?”

“I am. My publicist sent out a press release about it a couple days ago, so I've been fielding calls all week from people who want to support the store. A lot of churches are planning to come. News outlets are going to be there. The crowd for the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be massive,” Kina commented, making assumptions. “You're going to be there, right?”

“You know I will, Kina. We're family. I don't want you to think we're not proud of you or don't support you. We just don't want to see you get in over your head.”

“And I love you for it, but you've got to trust me. I have everything under control.” Kina's cell phone rang. “This is my PR team. Probably more requests for the grand opening.”

Before Kina could say hello, her publicist, Christa, began to rant. “Kina, what in the world is going on? Who is this Joan person?”

The color washed from Kina's face. Kina clutched the phone, flustered. “Why? What have you heard?” If her publicist had gotten word about her ex-girlfriend Joan, nothing good could follow.

“Kina, what's wrong?” whispered Lawson. Kina shooed her away.

“This Joan person is conducting an exclusive tell-all interview as we speak, and she's claiming that the two of you were lovers. It's going viral. I'm sending you the link.”

“Why would she do that?” asked Kina, more to herself than to Christa.

“Is it true? Were you involved with this woman?” Christa demanded to know.

“It . . . it wasn't even that long or that serious,” Kina stammered. “It happened right after my husband died. I was lonely and confused.”

“That's great. This is a public relations nightmare, Kina! Your Christian fan base is going to be livid,” Christa remarked, predicting the outcome. “I've got to start working on an official statement for you. In the meantime, don't answer the phone, don't respond to any e-mail, and for Christ's sake, don't post anything online until I tell you to!” Christa hung up.

Kina turned to Lawson, rattled. “Joan did an interview. She told everyone about us.” Kina gathered her thoughts. “Hand me my laptop.”

Lawson grabbed it from the table and passed it to her. Kina's hands trembled uncontrollably as she tried to type.

Lawson took the laptop from her. “Kina, you're shaking. Let me do it. What are you looking for?”

“I need to find this interview. Do a search for Kina and Joan.” Lawson began pecking at the keyboard. Kina stopped her. “No, wait. Christa said she was sending me a link. I need to pull up my e-mail account.”

Kina accessed her e-mail and followed the link to the interview. There, on the monitor, was her jilted ex-lover, Joan Dunlap, sitting across from a popular celebrity reporter.

“Hello, my name is Keydra Parks and welcome to Celebonies.com. My guest sitting here today is Joan Dunlap from Savannah, Georgia. We all cheered along with
Lose Big
contestant Kina Battle as she inched her way to victory to become this season's winner. She especially received support from the Christian community, and she became as famous for her relationship with Christ as she did for her phenomenal weight loss. Lately, there have been different reports about Kina living a secret, not so Christian life once the cameras are off. My guest today is here to shed some light on who Kina Battle really is.” The reporter turned to Joan. “Welcome and thank you for coming on the show.”

Joan smiled. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Joan, we all know Kina Battle as the winner of
Lose Big,
but you knew her before the fame. What can you tell us about Kina?”

“First off, let me say that Kina is a beautiful spirit. I care about her very deeply, and I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt her. However, when I heard some comments she recently made about the LGBT community, I felt like I had to say something.”

“Now, Joan, you're a lesbian. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you've been open about your sexuality for a while, right?”

“Yes, I came out in college. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a lesbian. I'm not ashamed, and I don't try to hide it.”

“When did you meet Kina Battle?”

Joan shifted in her seat. “We met at the gym a couple of years ago. We had an instant connection. It was kismet.”

“Was Kina aware of your sexuality?”

Joan nodded. “I told her I was gay the day we met.”

“What was her reaction to that?”

“She was fine with it. She had a lot of questions, like when did I know I was gay and how did I think God felt about that, but overall, she was very accepting of my lifestyle.”

“Joan, tell us . . . what was the extent of your relationship with Kina?”

“Kina and I were a couple,” confessed Joan. “We were falling in love, at least I was.”

“So this was a real, bona fide relationship?”

“Yes. We were dating. We spent time together, we went on dates, and we talked about the future. I've kissed her. I've held her. We know intimate things about one another. It was a relationship.”

“What happened? Why did it end?”

Joan shrugged her shoulders. “I'm not sure. She said something about not wanting to have to explain our relationship to her son and feeling like God's plan was for her to be with a man. But I have no doubt that she cared about me, and if Kina had
her
way—as opposed to the church's way—we'd still be together.”

“Is Kina a lesbian, Joan?”

“Only Kina can answer that. All I can tell you is that I am, and that Kina was my girlfriend.”

“Have you talked to her since the breakup?”

Joan shook her head. “No, Kina cut me out of her life. I don't know if it's because she wanted to or because she felt she had to, but I've respected her decision and kept my distance.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Yes. I'm still in love with her.”

Keydra looked at Joan with empathy. “What would you want to say to Kina if she's listening right now?”

Joan faced the camera. “Kina, I want you to know that I know you, and this person that I see on TV is not the real you. You know that what we shared was real. It may not have been conventional, but you and I were happy. I don't understand why you want to deny it now. It's a part of your story. It's a part of who you are. When we were together, you were finally living on your own terms and being your own woman. Now you're just some media puppet. I miss that woman who I used to hold late at night and share coffee with. She's lost. I need you to find her again.”

“Well, you heard it here first on Celebonies.com,” Keydra Parks said, wrapping up. “Thank you for your time and your candor, Joan. To find out more about Joan and her passionate affair with Christian reality star Kina Battle, go to our Web site and follow us on social media. This story is only going to get bigger, folks, and we will keep digging until we find out all there is to know about your favorite carnal Christian, Kina Battle. If there are any other friends, foes, or lovers who want to call in or come by to set the record straight, no pun intended, about Kina, hit us up on our Web site. Of course, we'll be on-site for the grand opening of Ki-Ki's Tees. We'll be there, but will anyone else? Log on to Celebonies.com to find out!”

Lawson and Kina were both numbed into silence.

Lawson spoke first. “I don't know why Joan would go and do something like that,” she raged. “I thought she was your friend.”

Kina exhaled. “Who knows? It wasn't exactly an amicable split. I suppose I'd be a little salty too if the person I loved was ashamed of our relationship. I never thought she'd take it this far, though.”

“Do you think that's why Joan did it? You think she wanted revenge?”

“I never saw her as the vengeful type, but I guess people are capable of anything when properly motivated.”

“Okay, granted, it looks bad, Kina, but who really looks at the celebrity blogs, anyway?”

“My fans, for one. That interview makes me look like a total fraud!”

“You don't have to let the media define you. Take control of this story and tell your side of it.”

“My publicist has issued a gag order. She doesn't want me to say anything to the press.” Kina buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God, Lawson, what am I going to do?”

“You're going to do what Isaiah seven, four, tells us to do. ‘Take heed, and be quiet; fear not.'” Lawson took her hand. “This too shall pass.”

“That's great in theory, Lawson, but what am I going to do if another person decides to jump on the ‘kill Kina's career' bandwagon?”

“Then you do something you probably haven't done in a while, Kina. You need to let go and let God.”

—
Reginell Kerry

 

“Okay, Lawson, what's the big reveal?” asked Sullivan once Lawson let her into the house. “Make it quick, because I have a facial in an hour.”

“I'm as much in the dark as you are,” confessed Lawson. They were joined by Kina and Angel.

Sullivan sat down. “I got a text from Reggie saying there was some kind of emergency and to be here by four forty-five.”

“We all got the same text from Reggie,” said Angel.

Sullivan looked around the living room. “So where is she?”

“I don't know.” Lawson looked down at her watch. “I thought she'd be here by now.”

“Do you think this has anything to do with her and Mark?” asked Kina.

Lawson shook her head. “I have no idea.”

Sullivan stood up. “This is obviously some kind of hoax. Lawson, your sister has way too much time on her hands. You might want to encourage her to find a hobby.”

At that moment, all of their phones began vibrating or ringing.

Angel looked down at her phone. “It's another text from Reggie. She wants us to go to some Web site.”

Lawson wrinkled her brow. “Isn't this the same Web site that Joan was on, Kina?”

“Oh, no,” groaned Kina. “Who has a tell-all interview about me this time?”

“I guess we have to log on to find out,” Angel concluded.

They logged on to the Web site. Keydra Parks was in the middle of promising another salacious interview with someone else in Kina's inner circle. The ladies watched with a mixture of shock and revulsion as Reginell appeared on the monitor, sitting on the sofa in the living room in her apartment.

“What the heezy!” exclaimed Angel.

“Oh, my God,” cried Kina. “Lawson, call her. You've got to stop her!”

“Don't worry, Kina. I'm calling her now!” Lawson frantically dialed Reginell's number. “Shoot! It's going straight to voice mail.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” began Keydra, “we're continuing to follow this story about
Lose Big
winner Kina Battle as new details about the reality star's private life emerge. She presented herself to the nation as the all-American Christian girl. Our hearts went out to her as we learned about her struggles as a single parent and a former teen mom who finally found her voice and inner strength after surviving an abusive marriage. Conversely, the more we get to know Kina, the more we realize there is a lot more to her story than what she's shared with the world. Today as our guest, joining us by Skype, we have dancer—”

“Singer, songwriter,” Reginell interrupted.

“I stand corrected,” said the interviewer. “Exotic dancer turned singer and songwriter Reginell Kerry. Miss Kerry, how are you?”

“I'm great. Very excited to be talking with you today!”

“Miss Kerry, you were one of the dancers at the club that Kina Battle bombarded a few nights ago, right?”

“Yes, I was there.”

“And you're the cousin of reality star Kina Battle, correct?”

“Yes, first cousins. We practically grew up in the same house.”

The camera panned to an enlarged picture of Reginell and Lawson playing together as children.

“So I guess it's safe to say you know Kina very well.”

“Oh, yes, definitely.”

“Take us back to the night at the club.” Keydra showed a clip taken from Kina's Web site of the raid at Paramours. “What was going through your head when you saw Kina come in with her army and video cameras?”

“Well, first I thought it was wrong, because a lot of the women in the club don't want their business out there like that. A lot of them have other jobs or kids at home and don't need to be exposed like that. Some of the men in there have wives or professional jobs too. They come to the club to relax and chill out for a minute, not to have a bunch of crazy, Bible pushers all in their face.”

“Your cousin said her only mission was to lead people to Christ. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“It's all in the way you do it. She didn't have to come bust in there like that. Just because somebody's in the strip club, that doesn't mean they're not saved or that they don't love the Lord. Everybody ain't on the same level with that, so I don't think she has the right to judge them.”

“You've come here with some very strong allegations against your cousin. Tell us what's going on.”

“Basically, I just want everyone to know that Kina isn't as sweet and innocent as she wants everyone to think she is. I love her and everything, but it's time for the truth to come out.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Yes, I can,” asserted Reginell. “Ever since she won that reality show, she's been acting brand new, but we all know the truth, Kina!”

“Are you saying that fame has gone to her head a little bit?”

Reginell was riled up. “
A little?
Listen, the Kina who came back here is not the Kina who left! I ain't hatin' on her. We're all glad she won and got her body tight and right, but she's changed. Kina doesn't care about anything except getting her shine on. She doesn't care who she hurts in the process.”

“My producers tell me that you've brought some pictures with you.”

“Yes, I have.” Reginell turned to the enlarged screen projection. Pictures of Kina smoking in the Bahamas flashed on the screen.

Kina groaned and dropped her head. “Why didn't she delete those pictures?”

“Why did you let her take them?” asked Lawson.

“Yeah, America,” Reginell declared, “that's your holier-than-thou weight-loss princess right there with a blunt in her hands.”

Keydra feigned outrage. “Is that marijuana?”

“She ain't sucking on a Tootsie Roll like that.”

“Wow . . . I'm speechless. When were these taken?”

“A couple of weeks ago down in the Bahamas. You can't really tell in the picture, but she has a drink in her other hand. You know, she's been going around telling people she don't contaminate her body with alcohol, but she was contaminated like a mug while we were down there.”

“Are you willing to go on the record and say these pictures are authentic?”

“Shoot, yeah! I'm the one who took them! That's not all, either. Little Miss Perfect, Kina Battle, has been getting it in with rapper Cut 'Em Cali. She told me that herself.”

“Reginell, there are going to be some people who question your motives for exposing Kina. Some might consider this to be payback for her outing you at the club or might think that you're capitalizing on your relationship with Kina for your own personal gain. What would you like to say to those people?”

“Let me clear this up right now. I love my cousin, and I love her son. I would never maliciously put anybody on blast like this, but I can't stand fake people, and right now my cousin is being fake. I just think everybody who supports her or who is trying to emulate her ought to know the truth.”

“Almost every day there seems to be a new scandal released about Kina Battle. Are there more skeletons in her closet, or have we seen the last of them?”

“Honey, this ain't even half of it!” Reginell answered. “If you really want the dirt on Kina Battle, ask Sullivan Webb. Ask her why Kina stopped working at the church. Ask Sullivan what really happened the night her husband had a stroke and what it had to do with Kina. Just ask her.”

Sullivan stared at the screen in disbelief. “No, this heifer didn't . . .”

“These little pictures—they ain't nothing compared to the real story behind Kina Justine Battle,” declared Reginell.

“I am going to kill my sister,” vowed Lawson. “What was she thinking?”

“You know, it's one thing for my dejected lesbian lover to drop me off on Front Street, but Reggie is my blood. I knew she was upset, but she didn't have to get me back like that.” Kina shook her head. “I feel so betrayed right now.”

Sullivan crossed her arms. “It's not a good feeling, is it?”

“Sully, this is not the time. . . .” warned Lawson.

“Kina, you and Lawson shouldn't be all that surprised. You know how Reggie gets when someone crosses her. You gave Reggie the ammo and the motivation.”

“But why did she have to go dragging my name in it?” whined Sullivan. “I'm the subject of enough gossip as it is. I don't need this drama too!”

Kina winced, looking down at her vibrating phone. “That's my publicist. I'm not even going to answer. No doubt she's seen Reggie's little exposé, along with the rest of the world. I already know she's going to go ballistic on me.”

“Yeah, she did a number on you! How do you think it's going to affect Ki-Ki's Tees' opening this week? Do you think it'll have a negative impact on the store opening?” asked Angel.

Kina slapped her hand against her forehead. “I didn't even think about that. Ki-Ki's Tees opens in a few days. This is the last thing I needed right now.” Kina collapsed on the sofa. “This is a catastrophe. I should probably just call the whole thing off.”

“You can't. You've invested half of your savings in it,” Lawson reminded her.

“I don't know.” Kina sighed. “I won a lot of money, but who knew the price of fame was going to be this high?”

Lawson patted her on the back. “Don't let this get you down, Kina. We'll figure something out. You've got a whole team of people on your payroll who are paid to handle this sort of thing.”

“It's not just the bad press. This is going to kill any chance I have at endorsements and speaking engagements, not to mention the reality show I've been trying to pitch.”

“Y'all, maybe we need to pray,” Angel suggested. “Kina needs the Lord to intercede quick, fast, and in a hurry!”

Lawson said, “Ladies, you know the drill.” Kina, Sullivan, and Angel joined hands with Lawson. “Lord, we come to you standing on the promises of Jesus. We receive your Word and profess our faith right now. God, we know that there are people out there looking to stop your Word from being spread throughout the world. They want to taint it, and they're using your servant Kina to do it—even my family members. But, Lord, we claim that no weapon formed against her shall prosper. God, we trust in you, and we know that you won't let us be put to shame or let our enemies triumph.

“God, at the same time I ask that you let Kina be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, because you said that when we lose all sensitivity, we give ourselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity. Give Kina a pure heart. Don't let her succumb to the ways of this world. Forgive her for the times she's tried to please man instead of please you. Surround her with godly counsel so she can make wise decisions. Touch and rebuke Reginell for what she's done, because you show your love through your rebuke and discipline. Help us to be the kind of friends Kina can lean on, and show her how to use this platform you've given her in the way you intended. In Jesus's name, amen.”

“Well said,” Sullivan remarked, complimenting Lawson.

“Thank you, cuz.” Kina hugged Lawson. “Can I use your computer for a second? I need to check my account online. I may have to write Christa an extra-large check this week to keep her around.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Thanks,” said Kina, sitting down at the computer, then logging on to her bank account. She scrolled through the numbers, dumbfounded. “What the . . .”

Lawson frowned. “What's wrong?”

“Twenty thousand dollars! My money is gone!” Kina looked up at her cousin. “Lawson, I'm almost broke!”