Raven strolled into John’s office and shut the door. Since it was Friday, she’d decided to dress down a bit and was wearing a thigh-length sleeveless blouse over a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans. Normally she dressed elegantly and professionally regardless of what day of the week it was, but now she was to the point where she did anything that might excite John. Over this last week, she’d seduced him in practically every way she knew how, and he’d loved every second of it. Raven had also successfully convinced him that she needed five hundred thousand dollars to oust Porsha instead of the original two.
She walked in front of his desk, leaned over it, and pecked him on his lips. Then she sat down in one of the chairs. “So how’s everything going?”
“Very well. I’ve reviewed every account the church has, so now I just need to figure out which to transfer from. I also have to decide on the amounts, because not only do I not want to move five hundred at one time, I don’t want to transfer more than fifty, either. But don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
Raven crossed her legs. “Good. Do you still think it’ll take another couple of weeks or so?”
“Actually, no. More like a few days from now. Maybe even as early as next Tuesday or Wednesday.”
“Really? That quick?”
“Yeah, and actually the sooner the better, because we have auditors coming in November.”
This made Raven a little nervous. “That’s only five months from now.”
“Yeah, but your average income is about fifty thousand, so with you forgoing that for the next four months, we’ll have the first two hundred paid back by October. That way, even if the auditors question the withdrawals and deposits, I’ll have figured out a good explanation for the full amount by then.”
Raven nodded like she was okay with what he was saying, but she wasn’t. Yes, she’d told him she would pay all the money back; however, there was no way she was doing that. She was keeping that half million dollars he was embezzling, and when the time was right she would tell him. By then, he’d be so caught up with lust and the hope that they were going to be together forever, he would hurry to steal more money if she wanted him to.
“We should be good then,” she said. “Everything will work just the way we planned it.”
“It will.”
“I really appreciate everything you’re doing for me, because I know this isn’t something you’ve done before.”
“No, but when I told you that I would do anything for you, I meant it. Plus, I know you’re only doing this to save the ministry.”
“I am. I would never take hard-earned money from our members and online followers and not pay it back. Never.”
John leaned back in his chair, staring at her.
“What’s wrong?” she said.
“Nothing. Just admiring how beautiful you are and how much you love people. You’re a good woman, and that’s why I don’t understand Kane. You know…why he slept with Porsha behind your back.”
“Neither do I, but that’s all in the past now.”
“I still can’t believe you confronted him and then broke up with him.”
“Well, I did. He left me no choice, but everything happens for a reason.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because if he hadn’t messed around on me, you and I wouldn’t be together.”
“This is true, but I’m still sorry that he hurt you the way he did.”
Raven hunched her shoulders victim-style.
“And then there’s Porsha,” he said. “I can’t believe her, either. It’s bad enough that she slept with your ex-husband, but to sleep with someone else you cared about…that’s major.”
“Not everyone is your friend. Some women will do anything when it comes to getting a man.”
“And you still haven’t said anything to her?”
“No, and I’m not going to until my attorney sends over those legal documents. Then, once you transfer the money, I’m going to offer her a cashier’s check in the amount of five hundred thousand dollars. This will be in exchange for her signing away all past, current, and future rights to NVCC and the overall ministry.”
“Do you think she’ll go down like that without a fight?”
“She will if she wants me to keep that video tucked away.”
John shook his head, slightly chuckling. “I’m still stunned about that one.”
“Actually, I’m being pretty nice, because I really don’t have to give her a dime. But she did invest the initial money for me to start NVCC, and I’m just trying to do the right thing,” Raven was sort of amazed herself at how easily and credibly she told lies. What was more astounding was the way John hung on her every word and believed everything she said. He would die if he knew the truth: that instead of offering Porsha a six-figure payout, Raven was going to blackmail her for three hundred thousand.
“Like I said, you’re a good woman, and you’ll be blessed for that.”
“I definitely try to be, but all this betrayal and deceit comes with the territory. Pastors have a lot to deal with, but we have to forgive no matter what.”
“I get that, but women like Porsha give women like you a very bad name. As it is, people are already leery about females being ministers and pastors.”
“I know, but Porsha is who she is.”
“Well, the good news is that she’ll be out of here soon,” John said. “You’ll be able to pay her and call it a day.”
“And I can’t wait,” she said, standing up. “Anyway, I’d better get back to my office so I can finish reviewing my sermon for Sunday.”
John slid off his glasses, scooted his chair back, and walked around his desk. He pulled Raven into his arms and kissed her. “You have made me a very happy man, you know that?”
Raven looked up at him. “And you’ve made me a happy woman.”
“Are you spending the night again?”
“I sure ammm,” she sang.
“I hated for you to leave this morning, and now I wish I could wake up with you every day.”
He was getting a little carried away, but Raven went along with his fantasy. “I know. Maybe in the future, though.”
“You mean that?”
“Of course I do. Absolutely.”
Raven had read through her sermon notes and made a few more revisions, and now she and Michelle were reviewing her upcoming travel schedule.
Michelle leaned toward Raven’s desk. “Here’s your event calendar for the remainder of the year. I’m sure you’ll have other invites, but I don’t think you should add on much more.”
Raven scanned the document. “I agree. I purposely turned down everything for this month and next so I could enjoy the summer at home, but I didn’t realize I’d said yes to so many fall engagements.”
Michelle smiled. “Well, it’s not like I didn’t try to suggest otherwise.”
Raven laughed. “I know, but I always think it’ll be fine. Plus, I need the exposure.”
“That’s true, but you also need to find some balance between your travel, social media activity, and everything you do here at the church. We just need to figure out a better plan for you is all, and we will.”
“You never cease to amaze me, and I truly appreciate you.”
“Just trying to do my job. That’s all.”
“Well, as much as I hate to bring this up, it’s time to handle that situation you and I talked about two weeks ago.”
“You mean with Porsha?”
“Yes, and I finally figured out a way to get her out of here. And it won’t be long, either. But because this whole plan is a bit complicated and unorthodox, the less you know the better.”
“Okay, but just let me know if I can help.”
“I will. My goal, though, is to keep you completely out of this. That way when Porsha is gone, your job won’t be affected at all,” Raven said, trying to convince Michelle that she was keeping her somewhat out of the loop as a way to protect her. But in reality, Raven was only hiding the details because she knew she was preparing to blackmail Porsha and also steal from the church, and she didn’t want Michelle to know she was capable of such crimes.
Michelle didn’t say anything, so Raven slightly changed the subject.
“So I hear a lot of women showed up last night for Porsha’s new ministry. I saw one of our members at a coffee shop this morning, and she said her sister attended. She also said her sister couldn’t wait for the next meeting.”
Michelle set her notepad and pen on the edge of Raven’s desk. “I saw a couple of comments on our web site, and I have to say, Porsha is very excited about this. It’s the only thing she’s had me working on for the last two weeks.”
“Yeah, but if those women only knew who Porsha really was. If they knew about all those skeletons piled up in her closet, they wouldn’t be so quick to support her.”
“Well, just knowing that she’s been smiling in my face all this time, knowing she doesn’t like me, has really changed my feelings toward her. I have to force myself just to speak to her.”
“I’m sorry that I even had to tell you about that, but you deserved to know,” Raven said, and realized that this was the perfect moment to turn Michelle even further against Porsha. “And you also need to know this: When I was married to my ex-husband, she had an affair with him.”
Michelle’s eyes widened. “Please tell me you’re kidding? Because if that’s true, how did you become friends?”
“Because I have a huge heart, and even when people betray me I can’t help forgiving them.”
“Oh…my…goodness. How did you find out?”
“That’s a long story, but just know that some people never change. And Porsha is one of them.”
Michelle folded her arms. “And she calls herself a minister? She’s fooling so many people. Innocent people right here at NVCC.”
“Yeah, and I take full blame for that.”
“Why? Because it’s not like any of this is your fault.”
“It sort of is, because I took money from her so I could start the ministry. Then I signed a lifetime financial agreement with her. I made a huge mistake, but it’ll be fixed very soon.”
“I sure hope so, because a woman like that shouldn’t be here.”
Michelle had lost all respect for Porsha, just like John had, and this was exactly what Raven had been hoping for. Not one but two NVCC staff members had turned on Porsha, and Porsha didn’t even know it. This was only the beginning, though, and Raven wouldn’t fully rest until she was gone. Permanently.