Oh…my…goodness,” Porsha said out loud, covering her mouth with both hands and falling back in her chair. She’d just watched Raven’s Facebook Live broadcast, and she was stunned, to say the least. Porsha was the absolute last person to question any woman who said she’d been raped, but in this case, she already believed Raven was flat-out lying. And there was a reason for that, too: Porsha had worked side by side with Raven for two whole years, and she usually knew when Raven wasn’t being honest. Today, though, she was being downright deceptive, something Porsha could tell just from watching her.
It was true that Porsha wasn’t a saint herself, not even remotely, but there were simply some lines she wasn’t willing to cross. In the beginning, there had been certain sins Raven wouldn’t have committed, either. But the more powerful she became, the more invincible she thought she was. Then, of course, there was all the money she was now earning—income that was increasing every month. To put it plainly: The success of the ministry had gone straight to her head, and Porsha had a bad feeling about it.
But now Porsha thought about something else and shook her head. The only pastor who Raven had worked for prior to going to prison was Pastor Black. Surely she wasn’t referring to him. Would she actually go that far, trying to create the kind of rumor that would get more folks feeling sorry for her? Something that would get more people following her?
Porsha tried to weigh every possibility, but then decided that she should at least give Raven the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t believe her accusation at all; however, she would also be less than a woman and friend to ignore it.
Porsha dialed Raven’s cell phone.
She answered on the first ring. “Hey, Porsha.”
“Hey. So…did I hear you right? I just saw you on Facebook.”
“What? About being raped?”
“Yes.”
“You did.”
“Wow. I had no idea,” Porsha said, trying to sound empathetic.
“That’s because I’ve never told anyone. Only God, me, and the person who raped me know about it.”
“This is awful.”
“Yeah, but it happens. To more women than most people realize.”
“Do you mind my asking who it was?”
“At this point, I just think it’s best to leave it all in the past. And the only reason I shared what I shared today was because I felt led to help others who were watching. Those who have been raped and are silently trying to cover up their pain.”
Porsha couldn’t believe Raven was stooping to such a cruel level. Because what if people thought she was telling the truth? And that it was Pastor Black who’d actually raped her?
“So, I watched your message,” Raven said, effortlessly changing the subject.
“Really?” Porsha said.
“I did. Saw it on YouTube this morning.”
“What did you think?”
“I thought it was okay.”
“Just okay?”
“It was fine, but down the road I think it could be great. You know, once you do it a few more times.”
Porsha wanted to laugh out loud. Raven was a real piece of work, and of course, there was no way she was going to say anything nice about what Porsha was doing. She never had, and Porsha knew it was because she wanted her to stay in her place. Collect her 50 percent of income and go about her business.
“Advice noted,” Porsha said.
Raven didn’t say anything else.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at our staff meeting.”
“Yes. See you then.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Porsha set her phone down, but for as long as she and Raven had been friends she couldn’t remember Raven speaking so dryly to her. They’d said “bye” to each other many times, but today, it was the way Raven had said it that was different.
Porsha took a deep breath and returned her attention to next Sunday’s inspirational message. This was what she’d been working on right before tuning in to Raven’s ridiculous Facebook broadcast, anyway.
But as soon as she wrote a couple more sentences, her phone rang. Given Raven’s nasty attitude, she doubted that it was her—and it wasn’t. Surely, though, Porsha must have been seeing things, because displaying across her screen was the name Dillon. For some reason, Porsha had never removed him from her contact list, and now she was glad she hadn’t. Otherwise, she might’ve answered it by reflex, since she did tend to answer all calls, including those she didn’t recognize.
The phone stopped ringing, and Porsha wondered if Dillon was leaving a message. But as soon as she’d finished her last thought, her phone rang again. This time, her stomach felt as though it were turning flips, and she debated answering. She couldn’t deny, too, that a part of her wanted to know why he was calling.
She lifted her phone from her desk. “Hello?”
“Hey, how are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“Couldn’t be better.”
Porsha didn’t respond, and now Dillon was quiet, which meant the conversation had already turned awkward.
But then he continued, “So, I’m not even going to beat around the bush. What’s going on with that witch, Raven? Why is she doing this?”
Porsha pretended to be clueless. “I don’t know. What do you mean?”
“I just saw her Facebook video. And from the sounds of it, she’s trying to say my dad raped her.”
“I don’t know,” Porsha said again.
“She conveniently didn’t say the name of this so-called prominent pastor, but everyone knows her history with my family. She worked for my dad, robbed his church and went to prison for it, and of course, she badmouths me every chance she gets.”
Raven was always saying how she was sure that Dillon was monitoring her every move, and now Porsha knew she was right.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” she said.
“The truth. Is she purposely lying on my dad to make herself look good? To gain sympathy from people? To make money? What?”
“I think you need to talk to Raven.”
“Yeah, well, I certainly plan to. Tripping out on me is one thing, but telling the kind of lies that could damage my father’s ministry, or worse, get him arrested, is something else.”
Porsha listened but wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say.
“And you know what else?” he said.
“What?”
“For the life of me, I still can’t believe you became friends with that tramp.”
“Well, I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I was wrong for sleeping with you. Having an affair with her husband.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t like you really even knew her.”
“No, and it wasn’t like I was your only mistress, either,” Porsha spat back.
“True, and I know I deserve that. But you and Raven friends? Please.”
“Why do you even care, Dillon? Why does it matter to you?”
“Because if you think you can trust Raven, you’re being naïve. If you think she’s going to stay all partnered up with you, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Raven only cares about Raven, and she’s the kind of heartless woman who wants to run things—all by herself. She’s drunk with power, and she wants to be rich.”
Porsha knew he was right, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of knowing she agreed with him. “I would really rather not talk about this.”
“Fine, then let’s talk about you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Meaning?”
“How have you been doing? You know, since the last time we talked.”
Porsha chuckled. “You’re really something else. So just like that, you’re going to call here, acting as though nothing happened between us. Like you didn’t start dating someone else behind my back.”
“I’m not saying any of that. I know I was wrong. Way wrong, and I admit that. But I’m sorry, and I certainly never meant to hurt you.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you didn’t, Dillon.”
“I’m serious. I had no business treating you the way I did. I should’ve divorced Raven just like you kept suggesting.”
“Well, you didn’t, so that’s that.”
“I still don’t get it, though.”
“What?”
“You and Raven? Running a ministry together? Who would’ve guessed?”
“Stranger things have happened, right?”
“True, but wives and mistresses don’t become friends.”
“First time for everything,” she said. “And who’s to say we’re the only ones?”
“If you say so.”
“I do. And since we’re catching up on everything, how’s your fiancée doing?”
“She’s doing well.”
“Good for her.”
“Do I detect a little saltiness? Maybe a little jealousy?”
“Dillon, please. You and your fiancée are the least of my worries.”
“Doesn’t sound like that to me.”
“Well, you are.”
“So how much money did you have to give Raven?” he said out of nowhere.
“Excuse me?”
“How much money did you have to invest so she could start her church?”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no way Raven would allow you to hold a position there otherwise. Not without money being involved. Raven might pretend to be your friend, but she’ll never get over the fact that you were my mistress. She’ll never fully forgive you for that.”
“I have to go.”
“Okay, wait,” he hurried to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but for whatever it’s worth, you need to be careful. You need to watch your back.”
“Really? You mean just like I should’ve done with you?”
Dillon laughed. “Touché. I guess I deserve that.”
“I guess you do.”
“Still, just be careful. Because believe me, Raven can’t be trusted.”
“Good-bye, Dillon.”
“Bye, baby.”
Porsha hung up the phone and frowned. Baby? Was he serious? After all that had happened between them? Surely he didn’t think she wanted him. Because she certainly didn’t. And she never would again. That’s what she’d been telling herself, anyway, for two whole years. She’d told herself that because it was true. She was completely done with Dillon for good.