Love, Honor, and Betray Roby, Lawson (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📖

always told you that I loved him. I was always honest with you about that.”

“Well, if you love him so much, then why were you so quick to lay up with me? You opened your legs faster than a track starlast Wednesday afternoon and then acted like some porn queen when we were in Florida. You gave me sex so many times, my headswere spinning—both of them. You couldn’t get enough of me. But now you’re so in love with your husband. Yeah, right.”

Charlotte was flabbergasted. She listened but didn’t want to believe the man she was talking to was really Michael Porter.He sounded like Michael Porter, but his words were those of a stranger. He was talking crazy, and his attitude was very bizarre.It was almost as if he had two personalities, and today was the day he’d decided to expose his evil side. It was as if she’dnever even met him before.

“I’m sorry if I led you to believe I was going to leave my husband.”

“I’m sorry, too. Especially since you made me ask my wife for a divorce.”

Charlotte frowned. “I didn’t make you do anything. You did that on your own.”

“When you slept with me multiple times a day this past weekend and told me this morning how you couldn’t stop thinking aboutme, I knew that you wanted me to leave my wife. So that’s what I’m doing.”

“That’s fine, Michael, but just know that you’re not doing it for me. Also, I may as well just tell you, I can’t ever seeyou again. What we had is over, and I wish you all the best.”

Michael laughed out loud. “You’re a real slick piece of work, you know that? A common whore. The slut of sluts. No betterthan an average prostitute.”

“Why are you talking to me this way?” Charlotte said loudly. “What’s wrong with you?”

“You’re what’s wrong with me. But I’ve got some­thing for ya. I took all kinds of naked photos of you when you were asleep, and I’mgoing to hand-deliver them to your husband at his church tomorrow. Then, I’m going to burn down that mansion you’re so proudof.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Charlotte screamed. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you doing this?”

“Baby, wake up,” Curtis said. “Wake up.”

Charlotte struggled back to consciousness and sat straight up. She looked around and realized she was in bed.

“Baby, are you okay?” Curtis asked, stroking her back.

Charlotte breathed heavily, perspiration covered her face and chest, and the temperature of the room felt like a hundred degrees.

“You were having a bad dream,” Curtis told her.

Charlotte’s heart beat the same as if she’d been running a marathon, and she wanted to jump out of her skin. There were timeswhen she didn’t remember her dreams when she woke up or, in this case, remember her nightmares, but she remembered every aspectof this one. Michael had turned on her and threatened to tell Curtis about their affair, the same as Aaron had. He’d eventhreatened to burn their house down. Talk about déjà vu.

“What were you dreaming about?” Curtis asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, flicking on the lamp on her nightstand.

“Well, whatever it was, it really had you worked up.”

Charlotte looked at him and then thought about something. They’d come home from the school, Matthew had called to check onMr. Rush and then gone to bed just like in her dream—but the only difference was that instead of her coming upstairs to callMichael, she and Curtis had taken a shower together and then made love. They hadn’t said more than a few words to each other,but Curtis had made her feel like a brand-new woman. He’d made her feel better than Michael had, and now she knew she musthave been out of her mind to have ever considered leaving him. Yes, they had their problems, and yes, she had this deep-rooteddislike for Curtina, but after today—after Matthew’s near-death experience and her realization that her love for Curtis wasso eternal she couldn’t even explain it—she was going to be a better person. She would call Michael first thing tomorrow morning,letting him know she couldn’t see him anymore, and she would work harder at trying to accept Curtina. It wouldn’t be easy,but she loved Curtis with all her heart and was willing to do what she had to.

Charlotte eased her body down flat onto the bed and looked at Curtis. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“The way I’ve been acting this last month. But I promise you, things are going to be different.”

“This whole hostage thing really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. But even outside of all that, Curtis, what I realized is that I really do love you. I never stopped.”

Curtis leaned over and kissed her. “I never stopped loving you either,” he said. Then he devoured her lips and kissed whatseemed like every area of her body. He took total control, just like he used to, and she begged him to continue. She pleadedwith him to do whatever he wanted, and he did. He had his way with her, and she was thrilled about it. Her husband—the Reverend Curtis Black, the incredibly gorgeous pastor whom every woman in America loved—gave her exactly what she wanted.He proved once and for all that he was a master at his craft. The reigning champ. The one no other man could beat out. Hewas everything to her and then some, and she was glad she’d finally wised up. Glad she’d had sense enough to keep him.

Chapter 31

Charlotte passed the glass pitcher of orange juice across the table to Matthew and couldn’t have been happier. It had beentwo days since the hostage situation, but ever since then, she and Curtis hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other.They’d made love twice that evening, and then yesterday, he’d decided to stay home, and they’d done the same thing beforegetting up and then again in the afternoon, once Matthew had left the house. Matthew had decided not to go to school and hadlain around most of