Raven snuggled closer to Kane on her sofa, and he hugged her and kissed her forehead. It was shortly after ten a.m., and though Kane had dropped by last night around seven, he hadn’t left. He’d come straight through the door like a wild man, and although Raven had never seen him this way, she’d loved every minute of it. He’d taken total control, and he’d acted as though they hadn’t made love in years. He’d seemingly not been able to get enough of her, but she knew his actions were a response to the problems they’d been having. Raven had hurt him, and he’d wanted them to make love like never before. He’d wanted them to make up the way most couples do after a major argument, something she’d assumed they’d already done on Wednesday after Bible study. But now she knew that Kane hadn’t officially made things right with her the way he’d wanted to until last night. Plus, as the saying went, there truly was a very thin line between love and hate, and Kane’s emotional pain had heightened his ability to make deep, passionate love to her.
There was one thing Raven wasn’t proud of, though: having sex with two men on the same day, only hours apart. She hadn’t planned for things to happen this way, but she’d also had to do what she’d had to do. Still, Kane would kill her if he ever found out about John, so she had to be careful. There was at least one important difference, though. She’d only had sex with John, but she’d made love with Kane. Actually, she hadn’t even meant to go all the way with John, at least not yesterday, but then she’d decided it was best to give him what he wanted. That way, he would soon become mesmerized and so obsessed with her that he could barely see straight. She’d wanted him to leave her office both lovesick and yearning for more, and he had. As a matter of fact, he’d already texted her this morning, asking if they could meet up today. She’d purposely not responded, however, because she’d known that ignoring him would make him that much more desperate. But she wouldn’t force him to wait too long. She would keep him satisfied so he could get her that two hundred thousand dollars she needed. Thus far, she hadn’t mentioned anything about money to John, but in due time, she would. Soon she would have him positioned just where she wanted him, and he would do exactly what he was told. He wouldn’t ask questions or want lengthy explanations. He would merely do what was required to make her happy, or she’d never sleep with him again. And sadly, she’d also have to fire him.
“So did you enjoy yourself last night?” Kane asked.
“You know I did. You were like an animal.”
Kane laughed. “Well, if I was, it’s all your fault.”
“Oh really? And why is that?”
“You do things that make me crazy, and then I have all this pent-up frustration I need to get out.”
“Then maybe I need to make you crazy a lot more often.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I’m just kidding, anyway. And, baby, I really am sorry about keeping secrets from you. I’m sorry for upsetting you the way I did.”
“That’s in the past, but I will say one thing. I’m now wondering what a lot of other people are wondering.”
“What’s that?”
“If Pastor Black is the person who did this to you.”
Raven didn’t want Kane thinking that, but she also didn’t want him trying to pressure her into saying who had actually raped her. So she chose her words wisely. “It wasn’t him, and all I want is to move on with my life.”
“Well, you need to make that statement publicly. Have you seen all the rumors online? And yesterday, I overheard two of our employees talking about it. One woman said she’s a member of his church, and that he would never do anything like that, and the other said she wouldn’t put anything past any man.”
“People are going to talk no matter what.”
“But you know you worked for the man before you went to prison, and you were married to his son. So quite naturally, a lot of folks can’t help but question who did this.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“Look, baby, I know you don’t have a great relationship with your ex-husband or his family, but a rumor like this is serious. Nobody deserves to be accused of something they didn’t do.”
“It’s all in the past.”
“I don’t get that.”
“Why does it bother you so much?” she asked him.
“Because it’s not right. I mean, would you want people thinking I was a rapist?”
“No, but I never said that Pastor Black did anything. Not once did I mention his name.”
“But you know the rumors are out there. You know people are talking, and you could end that.”
“Yeah, and then everyone will start wanting to know who did rape me. Or they’ll find other pastors here in town to start speculating about.”
Kane raised his arm from around her shoulder. “You know what? You do whatever you think is best.”
“So I guess you’re mad at me again?”
He picked up the TV remote but never looked at her.
“I don’t believe you,” she said, sitting up straight and staring at him.
Kane flipped through a number of channels until he found a baseball game.
“So now you’re just going to ignore me? All because I won’t do what you want?”
Kane gazed straight at the television screen. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
Raven sighed and then got up. “Fine.”
Kane drew his legs up onto the sofa and made himself more comfortable.
Raven went upstairs to her bedroom. It was amazing how a blissful Saturday morning could turn so disastrous. But she knew Kane had strong convictions about a number of different issues, and he didn’t like what was happening to Pastor Black; not when he felt as though she could fix things anytime she wanted. What he didn’t know, however, was that eventually she would clear Pastor Black’s name. But not until John had embezzled the money she needed. Because if for some reason John couldn’t get the full amount or something else went wrong, she would have to get it from Pastor Black. She would have to blackmail him, mainly because she wouldn’t have any other choice. Not when she needed to pay D.C. his money.
Before he hurt her…or killed her, even.