In Love with Ezra (Love Unaccounted Book 2) (44 page)

“I doubt it.”

“Oh, yeah? Try a strip club. How would your daddy feel once he learns his holy daughter-in-law worked at
Rusty’s
years ago?”

I snorted. “Again, Nyree, I doubt you can tell me anything I don’t already know about my wife.” My brows furrowed. “Except for one question: what attracted you to her? What had you ever seen in her that made you want to be friends?” I sat up in my chair, resting my elbows on the desk. “As you pointed out, she doesn’t come from money and has no relatives of influence. So why, after all these years of knowing a second-class citizen have you remained friends with her to the point of asking her to stand with you in your wedding? It’s truly perplexing.” I pulled at the fine hairs of my beard. “Unless, it’s that, like me, you don’t see poor. You don’t see ghetto and legacy-less when you experience Alexis. You see pride, survival instincts, intelligence surpassing street smarts, compassion, and a beautiful heart. Those attributes could be your only draw to her dismal world.”

Nyree’s face wrinkled in confusion, mostly deep thought.  

“Nyree, you may, after all these years, be confounded as to why you’ve remained connected to my beloved, but I am not—for you or me. For you, it’s because she possesses all of those qualities you should have, given all the resources you’ve been afforded coming up as a child of affluence. And for me, it’s simply that I find her incredibly attractive and accomplished considering the raw hand she was dealt as a child. I admire the decisions she’s made to create a better life for herself, considering what she wasn’t given. She didn’t look at your snobbish, narcissistic, and bitter persona and get defeated. Alexis fought against the odds and wound up a professional, who could hold an impressive job for almost a decade, an educated woman from a broken home with dual degrees, married to a man who provides her a security that the money the vicious hound in you can’t buy. She has a home, property, a job in leadership, and a man she doesn’t have to sleep next to with one eye open. That’s pretty impressive for a girl from Harlem, who lost a mother with mental health issues and a father, who has been more committed to the penal system than he ever has to her.”

I rubbed my mustache. “It’s hard not understanding how someone that came from less than you have could garner a more impressive life than you’re capable of building. That must be tough. It’s unfortunate that you choose to antagonize her bitterly instead of congratulating her and pulling from that bountiful source inside her, springing with ambition. But you’ll never do that. I don’t believe you possess the wisdom to put aside your envy to do this, something that could actually benefit the narcissist in you. Instead, you’d rather show up to my place of business unannounced, attempting to wreak havoc on my marriage, something you hold no power over. She’s mine forever, in spite of her working at a strip club, being parentless, fighting to survive. What was your excuse?” 

Nyree sat motionless with her hands glued to her lap. I thought she’d come suited with armor and ammunition only to find she had no fight in her. I again questioned Alexis’ attraction to her. She had no heart and a blackened soul. My spirit was offended by her arrogance and camouflaged weakness.

I hit a few keys on my phone before politely requesting, “Nyree, please leave my office and never return.”

Suddenly, she sat up, bringing her elbows to her knees, a suggestive posture considering her ample bosom. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear what I have to say about her?” she purred seductively in more ways than one. “I’m sure I can crawl over there on my knees and convince you to listen.

“I can assure you, I am well satisfied. And it would do you well to never ask again.”

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand the sight of her. Her fragrance threatened the gravity of my stomach. Her eyelashes batted in an unsavory manner.

Seconds later, my door swung open. Geoffrey entered, his expression impassive, his presence dutiful.

“Ms. Scott,” he called out to her unfamiliarly. Nyree turned to find him and gasped her shock. “I’m sure you crawling on your knees would not deem you any more unwelcome than you already are.

Quickly and shaken, she took to her feet, grabbing her things before meeting him at the door. She turned to me with heated eyes. She hadn’t been expecting to be overheard, much less caught by an in-law.

I held a tight smile and bright eyes until she turned from me and out the door, rolling her eyes.      

~Lex~   

I heard two knocks.

“So, this is where you spend your waking hours.” Lilly glared at me.

I slumped in my seat after hitting send on an email reply to Precious. “Yesss…” I sighed. “There are other places I’d rather spend my waking hours.” I thought out loud, thinking about my bed, with Ezra buried between my thighs. But lil’ Lilly wasn’t ready for that.

I hadn’t seen Ezra since he left for Atlanta on Monday night after dinner. He wasn’t due back until the morning, and I’d been counting down the hours. I’d started resenting his time away. I understood it was in the name of ministry, but didn’t. Why did I have to be so lonely as his wife while he was away bringing joy and hope to others at my expense. Wasn’t I the priority?

“Come.” I waved her over. “Have a seat.” Lilly quickly sauntered over and pulled a metal cushioned chair to my desk. “Now, what were you saying this morning? I couldn’t understand you, your Patwa was so damn strong.”

She’d called me this morning while we were both en route to work, fussing my husband out.

She glanced suspiciously over her shoulder. “Is he here? You can save me the energy of repeating this to his face,” she threatened, and I tried not to laugh my ass off. Lils going up against Ezra would be comical to say the least. But she’d do it. “I could kick your husband, Lex! He’s being so bullheaded. I’ve never known him to be so…”

“…much of an asshole?” I asked, saying what she couldn’t. Lilly didn’t use profanity.

“Yes,” she dropped her chin to her chest on a sigh. “We’re so close. We know what type of ceremony we want and everything, but Thaddy won’t do it without Pastor’s blessing. He even wants him to perform the ceremony.”

I ducked my head to summon her eyes. She glanced up. “Why do you guys need Ezra? Just do what you have to do. He’ll live…he’ll be salty as hell, but let me be concerned about that.” I winked.

“I said that, too, at one time, and Thaddy went off,” she gasped, pushing her frames up her face. And I fought from laughing at her moniker for Thaddeus. “He went off on some tangent about loyalty and commitment to the Kingdom. He said Pastor Ezra saw something in him when no one else did, and if it weren’t for him, Bishop Carmichael would have dismissed him and he would’ve never made it into the ministry at
RSfALC
.”

Hmmmm…

Thaddeus was nothing if not dedicated to Ezra. They were away together right now although Ezra would not grant him the one thing Thaddeus really wanted: Lils. That boiled my blood. The hypocrisy. So what Thaddeus got it wrong the first engagement? He had a compelling love story this time around. They hadn’t even announced it to their friends and families. Lillian wore the engagement ring on a necklace around her neck where she kept it hidden beneath her clothes. This was fucked up. That quickly my mood turned dark.

“I’ve spoken to him a few times, Lils. I guess I’ll have to keep trying. He just doesn’t get it.” Lilly’s brows met in confusion. “The love thing,” I tried to clarify. Her face squeezed even more, not understanding. That’s when I realized what I’d let slip. I shook my head, angry with myself. I could never share with her our covenant. She would never understand and I couldn’t blame her. Trying to correct my slip up, I tried, “What I mean is—”

There was a hard knock at my open door, making me jump in my seat. I glanced across the room to find Precious with crossed arms and a tapping foot.

The hell is wrong with her?

Before I could ask, she spoke with full on authority and flared nostrils. “I told you I needed to speak to you over thirty minutes ago before I left for the day.”

Princess has a lil bark in her.

I turned my head to the side, but kept my hard eyes on her. “Okay. My bad. I got caught up in a conversation with an unexpected visitor.”

I gestured to Lilly, who waved to Precious. Precious gave a flash wry smile before returning her daggers to me. I didn’t get her balls to confront me. Precious had been laying low for months now. I still didn’t know what Ezra said to her about that Nurses Ministry meeting, but I hadn’t been harassed by Precious or her Jezebel of a momma since. The only time I spoke with her was before their monthly board meetings, and Ezra was usually present.

“I have to get over to the church to greet the guest speaker, but instead I’m still here, waiting on you.”

Lilly’s eyes were wide with shock. I didn’t share with her much about my discoveries of the underworld here at
Redeeming Souls
. This confrontation was likely culture shock to her.

“Precious, what do you need?” I asked, wanting to end this.

“Your friend called asking for your email address and somehow got my line—”

“Who?”

“I don’t know for the same reason I’m about to tell you. You don’t have a secretary and if you did, I certainly would not be her. I directed her to the website where there is a directory. If you have friends that need such information, at least give them your direct line.”

“Is that all, Precious? Is that what’s got you all worked up, ready to shoot out of your princess
Prada
shoes?” I teased, not giving a fuck.

She was able to pull that shit off the last time, having me ready to kill Ezra and blow up
RSfALC
over some school-girl bully shit he knew nothing about. Things were still not the same between the two of us and I’ve been working overtime for the past few months to make him forget it.

“Are you really that insecure about my presence here? Or is it the big one in his life?” she asked with squinted eyes and a crooked neck.

I couldn’t believe little Lilly had to sit and watch this. Again, I hardly spoke to Precious: we stayed out of one another’s way.

“Precious, princess,” I lowered my chin to stress my sincerity. “I have nothing to be insecure about when it comes to you. Ezra may not be a perfect man, but one thing I have to give him was how quickly he cleaned up the mess you and your mother tried to catch me up in on my first day. The fact that I haven’t had to deal much with you since, speaks volumes. I’m his wife. He chose me. What are you going to do about that? Fire me? Good luck with that.”

“Okay. I get you’re good at what you do. You’ll be here a while. You’ve done a great deal in a short time, as you assured when you were interviewed. But did you ever think it would be beneficial to be nice to me? I can teach you some things about him.”

“Teach me what?” I couldn’t get it out fast enough.

My day was ending on a horrible note and I had to be in church in an hour. But I couldn’t redirect this train no matter how much I wished we would have never crossed paths.

“I think I need to step out,” Lilly mumbled, grabbing her things. She always played the safe route. I was too caught up to insist she stay. She passed Precious at the door. “I’ll meet you downstairs in the lobby, Lex.” And she shuffled out.

“I can perhaps teach you better conduct. You’re not in the hood, Alexis. We don’t do showdowns here.”

“First of all, my name is Lex. I don’t care what he calls me, it will always be Lex to you. And trust me, Precious, if I ever confused this for a school-house playground, you’d be the first to know.”

“He doesn’t like feisty women. It doesn’t matter that he married someone like you, he won’t tolerate aggression. He doesn’t like a messy bed. He doesn’t like being disturbed when he’s praying, reading, or preparing a sermon. He prefers everyone on church grounds to call him Pastor, except for here. He hates baths and prefers showers because he can’t stand sitting still. He only eats beef twice a month, and pork once a month. He fasts before most speaking engagements.”  She was counting off on her fingers. “He has one female friend that you should be concerned about besides me. Her name is Adele. She’s the one woman, beside me, cultured enough to keep his attention. If you don’t believe me, wait till you meet her. She has him wrapped around her
Chanel
painted finger. If you’re intimidated by me,” she blew air from her lips. “Watch out, honey. She’s seen places in the world you never heard of and that’s what Ezra likes. There’s nothing Harlem…local…small-minded about him. These I’ll give you for free.” She applied an arrogant leer.