A Preacher's Passion by Lutishia Lovely Page A

That’s what I’m talking about. Baby knows how a brother likes to roll!” Darius leaned over and gave Bo a quick kiss before continuing to examine the packet’s contents. Along with the brochure on Quebec and travel itinerary was a brochure of the luxury hotel for their weeklong visit: the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, and various brochures on skiing and other entertainment options. Darius was overwhelmed at the obvious care and careful planning it had taken for Bo to put this together, and that he’d done it all for him. Few were the times Darius could remember feeling so loved and cherished. He stared deeply into Bo’s eyes before enfolding him in a long, gentle embrace. It was all he could do to express his gratitude; it was enough.
    After several moments, Bo whispered, “Isn’t there one more envelope in the packet?”
    Darius went through the brochures and found a small envelope he’d overlooked. It was heavier than the other envelopes, with obviously something besides paper inside. It was a small key. He raised his brow in a questioning gesture.
    “That,” Bo said, pointing to the key, “holds the final part of your birthday present. But for that you’ll have to wait until your actual birthday, when we’re in Quebec.”
    “Bo! That’s too far away.”
    “Only a few weeks; they’ll fly by.”
    “Give me a hint.”
    Bo thought for a moment. “Well, considering how ‘Possible’ is heating up the charts, let’s hope it goes double platinum.”
    Darius knew Bo had intentionally confused him. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
    Bo arose from the couch and pulled Darius up with him. They headed toward the bedroom. “No,” Bo said, as he rubbed his hand across Darius’s cashmere-covered behind. “But it will be worth the wait.”
     
    Stacy tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her thoughts were in turmoil, and all about Darius. She felt she needed to make a move, make something happen, and soon. She felt for sure that if the relationship did not move forward, it would begin to go backward. In a way, it already had, with Darius spending more time performing out of town, which meant away from her.
    But was it the right time to tell him about the baby? For some reason she continued to hesitate. The timing just didn’t feel right. At times she’d even questioned if what she’d done was the correct move, or whether it would backfire. She lay on her back remembering how the idea had come about.
    It was a night much like this one, when she couldn’t sleep. Belatedly, she’d remembered that she hadn’t taken her birth control pills that day. She’d traipsed into the bathroom and retrieved them from the medicine cabinet. She popped one in her mouth and was reaching for her water glass when she stopped midmove, the pill on her tongue. Slowly, she turned toward the mirror, opened her mouth, and lifted the tiny white pill off her tongue.
    That’s it , she thought, taking the pill and dropping it purposefully into the toilet. She’d then taken her birth control pill dispenser and dropped it in the trash.
    “Mrs. Crenshaw,” she’d said aloud, referring to herself by Darius’s last name as she eyed herself in the mirror, “it’s time to start Project Darius Jr.”
    The rest hadn’t been difficult. Darius didn’t always wear condoms, and didn’t worry about pregnancy because he knew Stacy was on the pill. They both had a healthy sexual appetite. Before Stacy had time to think it through, much less change her mind, she was pregnant. Darius was getting ready to be a father, and if her plan succeeded, Stacy would soon be his wife.

14
Marital Obligations
    Carla Lee’s world was upside down, and Lavon Chapman was the man who’d flipped it. She’d only known him four weeks. It felt like a lifetime. The first week they’d become intimate had been glorious. Stanley was out of town and the kids busy with school. Carla and Lavon had screwed like teenagers, every position, everywhere. But after