to be shy, Delilah apologized. “I hated the way you left this morning.”
Samson interrupted her. “Let’s stay outside. I don’t want anyone to hear our conversation.”
“But, Pastor, it’s eighty degrees out here, and you know brown sugar melts,” Delilah teased with her eyes.
“It is hot for April. Follow me to my office. I’ll just tell Elaine to hold all of my calls.”
Delilah smiled as she followed him to his office. She didn’t bother to speak to Elaine as they passed by her. In the past, Elaine had made it obvious that she didn’t like Delilah, and as far as Delilah was concerned the feelings were mutual.
As soon as Delilah closed and locked Samson’s office door, she pounced on him. Samson didn’t resist her as she stuck her tongue down his throat. He moaned, giving her the desired effect she wanted, and that’s when she pulled away from him. She straightened her skirt and took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk.
It took Samson a minute to recover from the French kiss. “Delilah, we can’t keep doing this,” he said as he took a seat behind his desk.
Delilah made sure the short skirt she wore eased up even more as she crossed her legs, giving Samson a view of what he would be missing if he didn’t continue their liaison. “You still have time to call off your wedding,” she said.
“Why would I do that?” Samson asked, looking puzzled.
Delilah leaned in closer, showing her cleavage. “You could have this every night if you would tell Ms. Prissy to take a hike.”
“I love Julia,” he responded.
Delilah laughed. “Yeah, right. If you loved her so much, there’s no way you would have been in my bed.”
“That was an accident. I had too much to drink.”
Delilah enjoyed watching Samson squirm. He didn’t think she would let him get off the hook that easily, did he? She was not a piece of old clothing he could just throw away. No, she was human. She was flesh, and she was in love with him.
“Is that the excuse you’re going to give her when she finds out about us?” Delilah asked.
“There’s no need for either one of us to say anything to Julia. It happened one time, and it won’t happen again,” Samson said in a low voice.
Delilah stood up and eased her skirt up over her hips. She walked around the desk and swirled Samson’s chair around.
“What are you doing?” Samson asked, stuttering.
She sat her naked bottom on his lap. “Oh, you might be a man of God, but you know exactly what I’m doing. And if you don’t, he sure does,” Delilah said, pointing between his legs.
Samson panted, “The door. Anybody could walk in.”
“The door is locked. The only way anyone will know what we’re doing is if you make noise.”
“We can’t,” Samson said unsuccessfully as Delilah unbuttoned her shirt.
Samson’s resistance turned into participation as he played with Delilah’s chest, and they both went at it as if they were at a buffet and hadn’t eaten in months.
Less than thirty minutes later, Delilah viewed herself in the mirror and fixed her hair. She put on more lipstick so she wouldn’t raise any suspicion with Elaine. “Now what was that you were saying about us?” Delilah asked as she turned around to face Samson.
Samson scared her when he fell down on his knees and started praying. “Father God, please forgive me. Lord, I’m weak. Temptation keeps knocking at my door, and I keep answering. Please remove the desires of my loins so that I can remain faithful to you, Lord. Lord, please forgive Delilah, as she is only a pawn of the enemy. Change her heart so she too can resist the temptations of evil. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
Delilah didn’t know if she should be mad or throw in an amen herself. There was some truth in his prayer. She was being used by his enemy to get him to do something he didn’t want to do. Now, the fact that he was a willing participant in sleeping with her not once, but now twice, didn’t have anything to do with William Trusts or the devil. He slept with Delilah of his own accord. Delilah knew it, and Samson did too. Delilah wanted to tell him while he was down praying to ask God to forgive him for lying—lying about not wanting her the way she knew he did, or the way she wanted him.
“Pastor, I’m leaving you for now. This thing between us”—Delilah pointed her finger at him and then back at herself—“is just getting started.”
Delilah left Samson staring at her as she walked out of his office. Elaine rolled her eyes at her when she walked by her desk. Delilah put more bounce in her step and slung her shoulder-length hair weave as she walked toward the bathroom.
While Delilah was washing her hands, Elaine entered the bathroom. “I know what you’re doing, but it’s not going to work,” Elaine said with clenched teeth.
Delilah viewed herself and Elaine in the mirror. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Elaine stepped closer. “Look. I can see through the games. Pastor can’t, but I can. There are plenty of single men in this church. Go try to snag one of them.”
“It sounds like someone is a little jealous,” Delilah said. “What is it about me that you wish you had?”
Elaine didn’t bother to respond. She left Delilah in the bathroom with a huge grin on her face. “I don’t know who she thinks I am,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. “I don’t care if you’re short or tall, big or small, I come from the Grove, and in the Grove we’ll snatch anyone up who steps to us the wrong way.”
Elaine had Delilah reminiscing about her earlier years when she had to fight just to survive the streets. That was an era in her life she was really trying to forget, but folks like Elaine and William just wouldn’t let her.
Chapter 4
Samson did his best to concentrate on his upcoming nuptials, but thoughts of Delilah in his office a few days ago seemed to be on the forefront of his mind. He prided himself on walking in the Spirit of the Lord, but lately lust for Delilah had taken center stage. He stared out the window at the open space in his backyard. Thoughts of Delilah were soon replaced with thoughts of the family he would have with Julia—the woman he loved.
“Lord, why now? I’ve been able to control my carnal nature for years. Now that you’ve sent me the woman I’ve prayed for, why now?”
He walked away from the window and took a seat behind the desk in his study. He picked up the black leather Bible his father had given him the day he dropped Samson off on the campus of Grambling University his freshman year. He could recall the speech he’d given him also. “Son, I’ve tried to protect you as much as I could. You’re going to be faced with many temptations. Don’t try to fight them on your own. I’m giving you a new Bible to start a new stage of your life. Use it. Let God fight your battles.”
During his time at Grambling, Samson was able to resist drugs and alcohol, but he wasn’t prepared for the onset of
