It's in the Rhythm (11 page)

* * *

“We've taught our children right from wrong,” Ginger said, turning down the floral comforter on the bed. She and her husband were retiring for the evening. “We've done all we can. We have to let them live their lives.”

Pastor Martindale removed his shirt. “It's just that I know God has a higher calling for Garrett's life.” He sat on the foot of the bed, removing his shoes. “I think he does things just to defy me.”

“Oh, that's not true. Let God handle it. If it's His will, He will deal with Garrett in His own way and time. There's nothing you or I can do about it. It doesn't help the situation when you argue with him all the time.”

“He doesn't listen to me. It's like talking to a brick wall.”

“I wonder where he gets that from, ” she said, fluffing the pillow. “You don't talk to him, Otis. You preach to him.”

Pastor Martindale swirled around, staring at his wife. She had never spoken to him in that tone before. An obedient wife, she never interfered with his decisions. “Ginger, what are you saying?”

“I'm saying the more you preach to him, the further you're driving him away.”

“What else can I do?”

“Be more supportive of him.”

Pastor Martindale turned back around, removing his pants. “That's hard to do when I don't agree with what he's doing with his life.” He hung his pants on the back of the chair, and then walked around to the left side of the bed. “What do you think about that woman he's seeing? He's not even serious about her. You heard him. That can lead to nothing but trouble. Mark my word.”

Ginger slid under the covers. “Her name is Imani. She seems like a nice girl.”

“Then you approve of her?”

“I just want our children to be happy. If she makes Garrett happy, then I'm happy.”

Pastor Martindale slid in bed next to his wife. “And Tamara?”

“I just wish she would let us know what's going on. I'm going out of my mind not knowing.”

“Garrett knows more than what he's telling us,” Pastor Martindale said, adjusting his pillow. “Where's Brian? He left hours ago and hasn't returned.”

“I don't know. I'm trying to understand what Tamara and Brian can be going through that she can't talk to us about,” Ginger said. “She knows she can talk to us about anything.”

Pastor Martindale rolled onto his side. “We raised them that way.”

Ginger frowned.

“What's that look for?”

“You—” Ginger began, but stopped abruptly.

“What?” Pastor Martindale prompted. “Don't you start keeping things from me.”

“Do you think Garrett and Tamara feel they can talk to us about anything?”

“Of course. Why do you ask?”

Ginger sighed. “When they were growing up, we were pretty strict on them. They were pastors' children. We never allowed them to be regular kids.”

“They're not regular kids,” Pastor Martindale said defensively. “They're supposed to live their lives as I preach it.”

“And that's why they don't feel comfortable talking to us about things going on in their lives. That's what going on with Tamara. Whatever is going on between her and Brian, she feels she can't come to us and talk about it.”

“That's ridiculous,” Pastor Martindale huffed. He rolled onto his back. “We've always stressed we would listen and try to keep an open mind, no matter what the problem is. That's how we handled it when she became pregnant,” he said, his voice rising an octave as he thought about the embarrassment it would have caused him to have a pregnant daughter. He insisted they marry. His wife was against the idea, but he'd talk her into believing it was best for everyone involved.

“You know how I felt about them marrying under those circumstances.”

“What else could we do? It was the best possible solution,” he huffed. “The pastor's daughter pregnant and unwed. I would never live it down.”

“Who was it best for?” Ginger asked. “Not for Tamara.”

“She made her bed. She had to lie in it,” Pastor Martindale said. “How can I stand in the pulpit, teaching against fornication, when I can't control my own children?”

“That's the problem, Otis. You're trying to control them. They're grown now. Let them make mistakes on their own and learn from them.”

“Tamara wasn't grown when she became pregnant with Taj. She was only nineteen. That's too young to be a single mother,” Pastor Martindale argued. “I'm surprised at what I'm hearing from you. You're her mother.”

“She was too young to become a mother, but if I had talked to her about sex instead of preaching about it, maybe she wouldn't have been in that situation.”

“You can't blame us for our children's sins.”

“I'm not doing that, Otis. I'm just saying we should have done more parenting than preaching. Children rebel when pushed too hard, and you know that. That's what's going on with our children: rebellion. Garrett is singing music we don't approve of and doing heaven knows what. Tamara may be going through a divorce. She's not happy in a marriage we allowed to happen. Everything is a mess.”

“Ginger, you're not going to make me feel guilty about preaching the Bible. That's what I taught our children, what the
Bible
said. I will never apologize for that.”

“Otis, I'm not asking you to apologize for preaching the Bible. I'm just asking you to be more understanding, loosen the restraints a little bit. Be their father, not a preacher.”

Pastor Martindale didn't answer. He closed his eyes, a gesture she'd become accustomed to when the conversation was over.

* * *

Garrett stole a glance at Imani as he pulled Imani's rented Mercedes out into traffic. Even in profile, it was obvious that she was sulking as she looked out the passenger-side window. The only sound in the car's interior was Carl Thomas on the radio. Garrett always knew when Imani was mad at him because she would ignore him. She knew it would get under his skin.

May as well get it over with,
he thought. They were sure to discuss it at the hotel.

“Let's talk about it,” he said softly.

Startled by the sound of his voice, Imani looked over at him and saw that he was staring at her, his eyes full of irritation. She didn't answer.

“We may as well talk about it now, get it out of the way.”

The way Garrett nonchalantly spoke of the incident angered her more. “What were you thinking?” she said after a few minutes.

Garrett grew silent. He just wanted her to get it out of her system. He wasn't in the mood to argue with her about it all night.

“Or you weren't thinking at all. Who is she?”

“Her name is Trinity Blake. We sang in my father's choir together. We've been friends for years,” he explained. “Nothing happened. I did a show at Cadence, she came to the show, enjoyed it, and gave me an innocent kiss afterward.”

Imani crossed her arms over her chest. She remembered the hurt she had felt upon seeing the photo for the first time. “Innocent kiss, my foot.”

Garrett glanced over at her again. “It was an innocent kiss.”

“There's nothing going on between you?”

“No. Before that night, I hadn't seen Trinity in over a year.”

“I didn't know what to think when I saw the two of you plastered all over the tabloid.”

Garrett had taken his eyes off the road when he brought the car to a stop at the traffic light. He saw the issue of
Black Flavor
. The headline read, “Garrett, Imani, and the other woman.” He'd dismissed it as he'd done other rumors. He learned since he'd been in the spotlight not to take the media seriously. It was about selling magazines. Imani was the opposite. Her image was very important.

“I'm sorry. I tried to give you advance warning about the picture,” Garrett said as the traffic light turned green. “You know how the media works. They put a slant on everything to make sales.” He leaned forward, and, without taking his eyes off the road, searched for another radio station. He stopped when he found one playing Marvin Gaye's “Mercy, Mercy Me.” Then he settled back in the seat while the smooth sounds of the music surrounded them.

“If you hadn't gotten yourself in that predicament,” Imani said, “they wouldn't have anything to write about.”

“Come on, Imani. I had no way of knowing that Trinity was going to react like that,” he said as the vehicle stopped at another traffic light. Judging from Imani's reaction, he was grateful that Michelle didn't photograph what took place at Trinity's house afterward. The touch of her lips on his, the feel of her smooth, caramel skin, and the sensation of her hips moving against his were still etched in his mind.

“How long did she sing in the choir?”

He made a left turn. The hotel was two blocks up the street and on the right. “Five years.”

“You're telling me the truth? Nothing ever happened between you and that woman?”

Garrett took a deep sigh. “Imani, I've already told you we are just friends. Don't try to make more out of it than there is.”

“I know you're not catching an attitude,” she snapped, rolling her eyes at him.

“I don't have an attitude, but you have a habit of blowing things out of proportion.”

“I can't believe you said that,” Imani said as the vehicle came to a rest in front of the hotel. A valet stood waiting. Garrett relinquished the keys and his car was whisked away.

Garrett escorted Imani through the revolving glass doors and upstairs to her suite on the fifteenth floor. Once inside the room, the conversation picked up again.

“Do you know what people are saying? How it makes me look?”

Imani was trying her best to calm the quivering in her voice. She told herself that she wasn't going to allow the situation to get the best of her, but every time she thought of Garrett and his “friend,” it bothered her…especially as it looked like Garrett was returning the kiss.

“Baby, I'm apologizing to you again,” Garrett said, giving her a sour look. “It won't happen again.”

“It better not,” she said after a few moments. She couldn't stay mad at Garrett, no matter how hard she tried.

“Come here,” Garrett said, taking her in his arms. “I can't believe you flew to D.C. to check on me.” He leaned forward, giving her a tender kiss.

Imani smiled up at him. “I had to. I thought my man was getting out of line. See what happens when I let you out of my sight? You get into trouble.”

“Is that what I am?” he asked as he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss. “In trouble?” He planted kisses alongside the nape of her neck and then recaptured her lips.

Imani couldn't help but feel a shiver slither through her. She became moist as she felt the bulge of his manhood. In the blink of an eye, she'd forgotten about the photo. Garrett's kisses always did that to her.

“You know I came to feel the rhythm,” she crooned, moving her lips against his. She deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to explore the recesses of his mouth. He swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

Standing next to the bed, Garrett undressed her, and then quickly undressed himself. He eased her down onto the bed, positioning himself on top of her. Streams of moonlight through the window illuminated their naked bodies. His lips found hers again as his hands moved magically over her full, brown breasts. His mouth replaced his hands. A soft gasp escaped her. His tongue tantalized one nipple, which had swollen to its fullest, setting her aflame. He continued to explore her soft skin with his mouth, searing a path down her flat belly before settling between her thighs, tasting the center of her essence. She moaned with erotic pleasure. She was aroused to the peak of desire, pleading with him to give her what she really craved, but he ignored her as his tongue continued the sensuous assault over every inch of her flesh. He stopped long enough to place the latex protection over his sex before he slowly entered her inviting body.

She gasped and arched to accept every single inch of him. He recaptured her mouth again and their bodies began a slow tempo that soon built to a rhythmic pace. The pleasure was pure and explosive. Imani loved this man with all of her heart and soul. She wanted to relay it in their lovemaking. She moved her hips in a flurry of uncontrolled passion. Garrett's response was to match her stroke for stroke. Their bodies soared higher, until the peak of ecstasy was reached.

Garrett groaned when he felt the first tremors race through her. He swallowed his moan and sank deeper within her, a moment later letting out a growl of pleasure when he let himself empty inside of her.

Afterward they lay in each other's arms, their bodies naked and moist from their lovemaking. Garrett ran his hand up and down her arm. He looked down at her face. She was flushed, her eyes were glazed, and her lips were swollen from the intensity of his kisses. “What?”

Imani smiled up at him. “You were incredible. I missed you.”

“So were you.”

“You know you still have some making up to do.”

Garrett chuckled. “Meaning?”

“Meaning this night isn't over.” She kissed him again as another surge of passion pushed through her.

“That's all right with me, baby.” He returned her kisses.

She positioned herself to straddle him, taking him through another round of lovemaking. It was if she couldn't get enough of him. They made love over and over until there was no way they could go through another session.

“I love you, Garrett,” she whispered aloud, revealing what she felt in her heart.

She felt his body stiffen. Her mind began to spin. Love? Why couldn't he tell her he loved her? She would give anything to hear him say that he loved her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

“Imani?” Garrett replied. “You know I care for you very deeply.”