Jezebel (23 page)

“Get out of my way,” she uttered. “The last thing you want is to make an enemy of me.”

“I came down here to help you out. This is how you show your gratitude?”

“You came down here to help yourself at my expense,” Jessie Belle countered. “But you got caught. I wasn't about to assist you in any way.”

“You're such a grand lady, huh? At least that's what these people think about you. How do you think they'd feel about you if they knew the truth?”

Jessie Belle didn't flinch. “Are you threatening me?”

“If you don't want people at this conference knowing your dirty little secret, then you need to give me ten thousand dollars and I'll disappear.”

“I'm not giving you a penny,” Jessie Belle retorted. “You stole from me. Why should I help you?”

“Suit yourself. I'll just have a nice lil' talk with your husband. I think he needs to know the kind of woman he's married to—you look like a high-class lady, but you're not.”

Jessie Belle grabbed Chrissy roughly by the arm.

“Ow,” she hissed. “You're hurting me.”

“Chrissy, you don't even know the meaning of pain yet. I want you to be clear on this. I don't take kindly to threats.”

“And neither do I,” Chrissy stated, snatching her arm away. “If you want my silence, you'll have to buy it for ten thousand dollars.”

“If you'd like to see another day, you'll walk away now. And I promise you it won't be a quick death. I have friends who will erase this life that you're wasting.”

Her expression grew hard and resentful, but Chrissy walked away without another word.

Jessie Belle considered the matter settled.

She went back upstairs and sought out Sabrina. “I should have you thrown out of one of these windows,” she threatened.

Taking a step backward, Sabrina looked perplexed. “For what? I didn't do anything.”

“You brought that greedy whore into my life. Now, Sabrina, you need to fix it.”

“What do you want me to do, Jessie Belle?”

“Find a way to shut her up,” she ordered. “I mean it.”

“I have a cousin here who could use some money,” Karla interjected. “He…uh, likes to knock around women. He could scare her—you know?”

“I don't care what you do. I just want Chrissy out of my life
now
.”

Sabrina nodded. “We'll take care of it, Jessie Belle. I'm sorry, Jessie Belle. I thought she was cool.”

“Huh…I can't stand that girl,” Karla uttered. “She needs to be taken down a peg or two.”

Jessie Belle walked toward the door. “I don't want to know anything about it. Just arrange it and do yourselves a favor—leave town on the next available flight. I'll talk to you when I get back to Raleigh.”

“Jessie Belle, I'm sorry,” Sabrina stated. “I'll make sure she doesn't say anything.”

“You'd better,” she warned. “That piece of trash is not about to ruin my marriage.”

“D
id you read about the young woman that was beaten up behind the hotel last night?” Traynor questioned over breakfast.

“Oh my goodness,” Jessie Belle uttered. Silently, she wondered if it was Chrissy.

If it was indeed the greedy little tramp, then no better for her
. “What is this world coming to? She's alright, isn't she?”

“No. She was beaten pretty badly, from what I read. A couple of broken ribs and a broken leg.”

Jessie Belle shook her head sadly. “It's such a shame. Probably a drug deal gone bad.”

It was wrong of her to feel this way, but she truly hoped that it was Chrissy. The tramp had made a huge mistake trying to blackmail her. Jessie Belle hoped she now got the message that she was not to be trifled with.

Sabrina and Karla were good employees and never gave her an ounce of trouble. She trusted them. Chrissy, she never once trusted.

“Does it say if she's going to make it?”

“Not really. Just that she was badly beaten. The article talks about the irony that the leadership conference is being held at the same hotel and that she'd been arrested earlier for prostitution. They're speculating that she was beaten up by a john.”

“I guess she didn't learn anything after the arrest, huh?” Jessie Belle shook her head sadly. “It's such a shame.”

Traynor agreed.

While her husband was facilitating a workshop, Jessie Belle went to check on Sabrina and Karla, but they were gone. She found that they'd checked out shortly after her last conversation with them.

Good.

She called the hospital asking about Chrissy, but couldn't get any information.

Jessie Belle returned to the conference room where Traynor was finishing up. She sat in the back listening to and admiring her husband.

His eyes found her, and Jessie Belle winked.

A smile spread on his face. She was glad that they were on track once more in their marriage.

Jessie Belle intended to keep it that way. That's why it was so necessary to send the girls home and have Chrissy shut up. She didn't need any problems in her marriage.

Things were good between them, but the marriage was still fragile.

Traynor saw a group of his friends gathered in the lobby and made his way over to where they were standing. His footsteps slowed as he heard his name mentioned.

“I hear tell that it's Deveraux's wife that's in charge—she's the one those gals are working for. I heard it from the horse's mouth.”

“No kidding? She's a madam?” asked the one named Sampson Taylor. “Man, are you sure about this?”

“If she's got herself a stable of girls working for her—that's for sho' what she is. That gal gon' bust hell wide open. Mark my words.”

Traynor couldn't believe his ears. Surely they were talking about someone else—not his wife. Jessie Belle didn't have a stable of girls working for her. He'd know it if she did.

Wouldn't he?

“Who told you this?”

“A girl named Chrissy. She the one who got beat up last night. She approached me yesterday, but I turned her down. I sat down and tried to minister to her, but she just laughed and talked about all of us being hypocrites. She then told me that she worked for Jessie Belle. I heard her as plain as day.”

“Does Deveraux know about all this?” Sampson questioned.

“He must—how could he not know?”

Furious, Traynor decided to make his presence known. “I know nothing of the kind because it's all a bunch of lies.” He glanced over at Sampson. “I can't believe that you of all people are standing here listening to this mess. You know my wife—has she ever been unkind to you in any way?”

He shook his head no. “Hey, I'm just as shocked as you are, Traynor. But why would that woman lie?”

“I don't know, but I intend on finding out.”

Traynor's eyes traveled to James Conway, one of the candidates for president. “Is this how you run your campaign? By trying to make my wife look bad? You're wrong for this.”

James Conway stood in his path. “Look, Deveraux, I'm not trying to start any trouble here. I'm so sorry that you're gonna be hurt in all this, but I think it's time you know the truth. Your wife—Traynor, she's nothing but a Jezebel. I'm not talking rumors—I'm speaking what I know. That hooker clear as day say that she work for Jessie Belle Deveraux.”

“I don't believe you.”

“She's not who you think she is,” James stated. “Open your eyes, Traynor. Didn't that girl fly on the same plane as you? She told me she and three other girls came down here with you and your wife.”

Curling up his fists, Traynor declared, “I'll not have you talking about my wife like this.”

Shrugging, James uttered, “I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I'm real sorry.”

“Yeah, right…I don't believe that for a minute. You're enjoying this way too much.” Traynor was ready to knock the fire out of the man standing in front of him. “If I hear you say anything against my wife…”

Sampson put himself between the two men. He reached over and placed a hand on Traynor's shoulder. “C'mon, let's go.”

“Lies,” Traynor uttered. “It's all lies. My wife a madam. It's crazy.”

“I don't mean no harm by saying this, but do you think there's any truth to what they were saying?”

Traynor looked Sampson straight in the face. “Jessie Belle is nothing like that. She would never have a stable of prostitutes working for her.”

They walked past the lounge.

Traynor stopped. “I need a drink.”

“Not here,” Sampson cautioned. “You can't be down here in plain sight drinking.” He glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was nearby. “Come up to my room.”

Jessie Belle stopped her pacing back and forth long enough to check the time.

It was five minutes past the last time she looked.

Worried, she whispered, “Traynor, where are you?” She'd expected him back two hours ago.

Maybe his meeting ran later than he expected, she thought to herself. She felt a wave of irritation wash over her. He could've called to let her know. There were phones all over the place in the hotel.

Another ten minutes passed.

By this time, Jessie Belle was really getting worried. She picked up her purse and headed to the door.

Something was wrong. She could feel it deep in the pit of her stomach.

She reached for the doorknob.

It turned.

Jessie Belle quickly opened the door. “I've been so worried about you,” she stated.

Traynor practically fell into the suite.

Reaching for him, she asked, “Traynor, what's wrong with you?”

Jessie Belle caught a whiff of alcohol. “Have you been drinking? Traynor, what in the world….?”

She stared at him in disbelief. He was so drunk, he could barely stand on his own two feet. Traynor didn't drink, so what happened?

“Wh-who are you?” he hissed, slurring his words.

“What are you talking about? I'm your wife, silly.”

Traynor shook his head. “No…naw…wh-who are you really? Are you J-Jezebel?”

She didn't know exactly why, but his question offended her. “My name is Jessie Belle.”

“Do you know what people are saying about you? They're calling you a Jezebel. They say that you have women working for you.
Prostitutes
.” Traynor shook his head sadly. “Tell me it's not true.”

“Honey, you know good and well that you're not a drinker,” she admonished while silently trying to figure out how Traynor found out about the girls. Had he spoken to Chrissy?

“I don't know what you're talking about, Traynor. Honey, from now on, you need to stay away from alcohol.”

Jessie Belle reached for him. “C'mon, let's get some coffee into you.”

He pushed her hands away. “Are you…is it true? Are you a madam, Jessie Belle? Do you have girls working for you? I need to know the truth.”

“What you need is a good night's sleep,” she countered. Jessie Belle needed some time to figure a way out of this mess. “We'll talk about this in the morning, Traynor.”

He shook his head no. “I want to t-talk to you n-now.”

“Why?” Jessie Belle demanded. “You won't remember the conversation in the morning.”

“It's true, isn't it?”

Before she could utter a response, Traynor looked like he was about to throw up. Jessie Belle rushed him to the bathroom, but not before vomit stained his clothes.

She wiped his head tenderly with a cool cloth—the same way he'd done when she was going through morning sickness—while he emptied the contents of his stomach.

When he was done, she helped him stand. “C'mon, I'll help you get out of these clothes.”

Traynor pushed away from Jessie Belle. “Leave me alone. Don't y-you…don't touch me.”

“I'm just trying to help you.”

“I don't need your help. Just leave me alone.” He staggered toward the bedroom. “Jezebel…”

Her back stiffened. “My name is Jessie Belle.”

He muttered something she couldn't interpret before he slammed the bedroom door shut.

Jessie Belle began pacing back and forth across the floor, but this time it was because she worried what Traynor would do once he was sober. She prayed he wouldn't remember their conversation when he woke up tomorrow morning.

“I can't lose my husband,” she whispered. “I've done all of this for him. Traynor just has to understand that I did it for him.”

Jessie Belle peeked into the bedroom an hour later.

Traynor appeared to be sleeping.

She eased inside the room, removing her robe. Jessie Belle watched him for a few minutes before climbing into the bed.

He didn't stir.

Jessie Belle couldn't sleep. Her mind was troubled by the unknown.

After a restless night of tossing and turning, Jessie Belle climbed out of bed fifteen minutes after six. She was seated in the living room deep in thought when Traynor walked out of the bedroom two hours later.

“Good morning, honey,” Jessie Belle greeted as brightly as she could manage. “How did you sleep?”

“Morning,” he mumbled.

He remembers. I know because he's too angry to even look at me
. Jessie Belle chewed nervously on her bottom lip. It wouldn't be so easy to get out of this fix. She wanted to strangle Chrissy for opening her big mouth.

“You really tied one on last night. What got into you?”

“You said we'd talk this morning,” Traynor stated. “So talk.”

“Do you have to sound so cold?” Jessie Belle questioned. “I've never done anything to hurt you. All I've wanted to do was to be a good wife to you and help you with your ministry.”

His eyes traveled to hers. “Meaning what exactly?”

“Meaning that you are the man you are today because of my hard work. I found out things about people to help clear the path. That's all. Don't think they weren't researching your background for skeletons in the closet—I wasn't the only one, Traynor.”

His eyes didn't leave her face. “So where do the prostitutes come in?”

Jessie Belle chewed on her bottom lip a moment before responding, “Traynor, it was their choice to commit adultery—I didn't hold a gun to anyone's head. All they had to do was say no, but they didn't.”

“Jessie Belle, why?”

“What do you mean, why? Traynor, all I did was protect you so that you could take your rightful position. Those other men—they lied and cheated. These are not the men who should be in leadership. They're all hypocrites. I just didn't want another Sam McCall as president. The organization wouldn't survive and you know it.”

“And you think we're not being hypocritical? None of us are without sin, Jessie Belle.
Sin is sin
. You deliberately set out to hurt those men and their ministry. I never wanted any of this.”

“But you enjoyed the benefits nonetheless.
Didn't you?
So don't you dare try to act like you're better than me, because you're not.”

“I feel like I don't even know you.”

Traynor had never looked at her with such disgust and disappointment before and it stung. Jessie Belle fought back tears. She would not allow him to see her cry.

“I did all this for you.”

“I didn't ask for any of this, Jessie Belle,” he said a second time. “I didn't need this—any of it.”