Love, Honor, and Betray by Roby, Lawson (ebook reader ink txt) 📕

had with Aaron,and how she’d nearly ruined her and Curtis’s marriage for good. She was also reminded of the fact that Aaron had turned schizoon her as soon as she’d told him their little fling was over with. He’d set their house on fire while she was still in it.He’d tried to kill her.

She would never forget what a nightmare that had been and how her mistake had caused a mountain of pain, not just for Curtisbut also for Matthew. It had taken a while for them to overcome the entire fiasco, and if that hadn’t been enough, Curtishad started up his multiyear fling with Tabitha, gotten her pregnant, and then learned that Tabitha was HIV positive. Worse,a former interim pastor filling in for Curtis, Reverend Tolson, had tipped off the top national media, and it had taken themweeks and months to overcome all the scrutiny and gossip. The whole thing had just about killed Matthew, and Charlotte neverwanted to see her child go through such agony again.

So, no, she decided. It was best to ignore Michael’s message and pretend she’d never read it. It was best to pretend she’dnever searched for him on Facebook in the first place.

Better to just enjoy her meal there at The Clubhouse, head back to Mitchell with her brand-new clothing and accessories, anddo what her mother had suggested: give Curtis an ultimatum and then wait for him to send his precious little girl as far awayfrom all of them as possible.

Chapter 15

Michael maneuvered his body to Charlotte’s side, panting frantically, and Charlotte thought her entire being was going to explode.It had been forever since she’d felt so exhilarated, young, and like she just couldn’t get enough of a man. This was how ithad always been with Michael in the past, and it was amazing how, even though it was more than a decade later and he was inhis forties, nothing had changed. The man still offered the kind of sex that made you want to broadcast it across the country.He gave her what Curtis had always given her, too, before she and Curtis had found themselves at odds over this Curtina issue.

Charlotte lay there, catching her breath, and thought about how easy it had been for Michael to change her mind—when she’dtold him she couldn’t meet him at his friend’s house. She’d sat at the restaurant, debating back and forth, but when she’dchecked her Facebook inbox again, this time, Michael had gone as far as sending her his cell number. He’d asked her to callhim, and without much hesitation she had done so. Not because she wanted to have sex with him, but because she’d wanted toexplain to him why they couldn’t get together. Against her better judgment, however, she’d allowed him to convince her thatall they would do was talk about old times, and that there was nothing wrong with old friends hooking up for good conversation.But when she’d arrived, one thing had soon led to another, and their lying next to each other right now was the result.

Michael turned toward her. “Girl, I’m completely speechless. I mean, there’s a lot I could say, but I honestly don’t knowwhere to begin.”

“So it was that bad, huh?” she said, teasing him.

“No. It was just that good. It was the best and just as mind-blowing as it was when I first met you.”

Charlotte wanted to tell him how much she agreed with him, but out of nowhere, guilt crept in. She’d actually slept with yeta second man behind Curtis’s back, and she’d done it in less than forty-eight hours. That Tom guy had pleasured her prettynicely, but she’d pretty much already forgotten about him. But this, what she’d just experienced with Michael, was somethingdifferent. They’d made passionate love, but there was also an emotional connection. She’d felt a strong sense of chemistryas soon as she’d laid eyes on him, and it was as if no time had passed at all. It was as if they’d never missed a beat, andit was obvious how comfortable they still were with each other.

“And you’re still as beautiful as ever, I see,” he said.

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. It is a compliment, right?”

They both laughed. “I’m just messing with you. You are just as handsome as I remember.”

“I’ve really missed you, Charlotte. I didn’t realize how much until you arrived here this afternoon, but even yesterday whenI saw your note, I don’t remember feeling so uplifted about anything in a long time. You really made my day.”

“I’m glad we connected, too,” she said, but she thought about Curtis again. Her conscience was trying to get the best of her,but she wouldn’t let it.

Michael gently stroked Charlotte’s hair, over and over. “I think the reason I was so excited to hear from you is because mymarriage is a real drag. I can barely stand to look at Sybil anymore, but she won’t give me a divorce. Not without my practicallygoing broke, anyway. But I’m to the point where I don’t even care about the money, because what I want is to be free of her.”

“I’m sorry things are so bad. They’re not good for me and Curtis either.”

“And why is that? I mean, for Sybil and me, we simply outgrew each other many years ago, and we’ve never had a thing in common.”

“Well, Curtis and I have had our problems, but right now our struggle has to do with his daughter. The one he conceived withhis dead mistress. Curtis decided without my consent to move her in with us perma­nently, and I want her gone.”

“Wow, that’s a tough one.”

“Very. It’s a hard situation, and I’m not sure we’re ever going to come to terms with it. Curtis isn’t budging, and I’m notbacking down either. Not about this.”

“I hear you.”

Charlotte turned on her side so that she faced him. “So what else has been going on? I see you’re still working in the financialworld.”

“You know I’ve always loved being a