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idea just how endless the benefits are going to be.” I removed his coat from the rack and helped him into it.
    “Oh, I think I do,” the bishop said, taking my hand off his lapel and patting it like I was a cute little puppy. “So, you’ll definitely be hearing from me again regarding this matter. Matter of fact, I’ll have my secretary set up a meeting for sometime next week, but in the meantime, thank you for a lovely evening.”
    “No, Bishop, thank you.”
    I wasn’t about to let him end our evening with just a pat on the hand, so I leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips. Just as my lips were about to touch his, he turned his right cheek, but I gently raised my hand, stopping his head. Our lips met in a soft kiss. Less than a second later, he stepped away with a confused look. I smiled as I noticed he was now wearing a fresh coat of cottoncandy lipstick.
    “I hope I wasn’t too forward, Bishop, but I just wanted to thank you properly—my way.”
    “Well, you were a little more forward than I’m used to, Sister Monique.” It was not exactly the response I’d hoped for, but at least he didn’t sound angry; just surprised.
    “I just wanted to let you know how I feel.”
    He didn’t comment either way about the kiss. He just made it known it was time for him to leave.
    “Have a good evening, Sister Monique,” he said as he turned the doorknob to let himself out. “Oh, Sister Monique,” he said right before exiting.
    I knew he couldn’t leave without just one more little peck, so I subtly leaned my head toward him. “Yes, Bishop?” I said eagerly.
    “I’ll see you at Bible study this Wednesday?”
    “Huh?” He caught me off guard.
    “Bible study. You’ll be there this week?”
    “Oh, yes,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment. “Bible study. Wednesday. I’ll be there.” On that note, he winked, nodded his head, and was on his way.
    “He winked,” I said to reassure myself as I closed the door behind him and leaned my back against it.
    That Bishop T.K. Wilson is some kind of fine, I thought. He’s got it all, the full package. He’s only missing one thing—me.
    Although the evening didn’t end with as much romantic promise as I’d hoped, I thought he might have at least gotten some kind of sign that he could definitely find the qualities of a first lady in me. He did say that I was perfect, and he did let me kiss him. It wasn’t a French kiss, but it was a start. The evening wasn’t totally in vain. In fact, while I might have used it as a ploy to get the bishop into my house, I was serious about the bookstore. Running the store would mean spending lots of time at the church. And who spends more time at church than anybody? The headlining man of God, of course. Yes, this would all work out just fine.

4
B ISHOP
    I left Monique’s house and drove home feeling a little vulnerable. I don’t know who I’m fooling—I felt a lot vulnerable. Monique had awakened feelings in me that I thought I’d suppressed over a year ago when Charlene went into the hospital. Monique brought out the weakness in me, the one part of being a Christian that I found the hardest to control. She brought out the lust in me. I could still feel the soft tenderness of the kiss she gave me. My mind couldn’t block the images of Monique’s beautiful body or the way her backside looked in those tight pants as she bent over to retrieve her cell phone. And I wondered if she’d felt the chemistry I’d been feeling throughout the evening, or if I had just become paranoid because of the seeds planted by James’s words.
    I picked up my cell phone and plugged in my hands-free device, then dialed James’s number. He answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath. “Hel … lo?”
    “James, it’s T.K.”
    “What’s up, Bishop?” he huffed. “You think I can call you tomorrow? I’m a little busy here, if you know what I mean.” There was no doubt in my mind James had a woman at his place.
    “Look,