Ruthless Read online

  Ruthless

  Shelia M. Goss

  www.urbanchristianonline.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Epilogue

  Reading Group Guide

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  UC HIS GLORY BOOK CLUB!

  Copyright Page

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Readers, I want to thank you for supporting my “notorious women” of the Bible series. I’ve chosen women like Delilah and Bathsheba, who, from their mere appearance, caused the downfall of several great men. But when you dig a little deeper, you realize the men had choices, just like we all have choices in our life. It’s up to each individual to weigh their options before acting or reacting. Our decisions can lead to life or death.

  I thank God for His grace and mercy. Without Him, none of this would be possible for me.

  I can’t do a dedication without mentioning my parents, who inspired me to be the best I can be: Lloyd (1947–1996) and Exie. To my two brothers, Lloyd F. (Jerry) and John, whom I love dearly.

  A special shout-out to my Cedar Hill Baptist Church family and to relatives who help spread the word about all my books: Hattie Hogan Jones, Nicolette Hogan, Demetrius Hogan, Mary Jean Foster, and Dorothy Hodges.

  Thanks again to Joylynn Jossel and my agent, Dr. Maxine Thompson. I would also like to thank my publisher, Carl Weber, and everyone else at Urban Christian.

  Kemmerly Beckham, Carla J Curtis, Kandie Delley, Peggy Eldridge-Love, Sharon “Shaye” Gray, Linda Dominique Grosvenor, Deborah Hartman-Fox, Sheila L. Jackson, Shelia Lipsey, Michelle McGriff, Angelia Menchan, Brock Anderson, Kevin Gill, A. Andrew Minix, and Augustus Shepherd, thank you all for your words of encouragement.

  Thanks to all who have shown their support to me over the years. I don’t have space to list everybody, but here are a few names: Emma Rodgers; Mrs. Til (Jokae’s Bookstore in Dallas); Abiola Abrams; Vincent Alexandria; Black Pearls Keepin’ It Real Book Club; Charlotte Blocker; Gwyneth Bolton; Tina McKinney Brooks; Crystal Brown-Tatum; Renata “Dee” Carter; Jennifer Coissiere; Cassie Coleman; Yasmin Coleman (APOOO Book Club); Ella Curry (EDC Creations); Jamise Dames; Desiree Day; Terrance Dean (Hello Beautiful); Essentially Women; Eleuthera Book Club; Brenda Evans; Pat “Sister Betty” G’orge-Walker; Yolanda Gore; Bettye Griffin; Cynthia Harrison; LaShaunda Hoffman (Shades of Romance Magazine); Troy Johnson; Yolanda Johnson-Bryant; Live, Love, Laugh and Books yahoo group; Lutishia Lovely; Rhonda McKnight; Alfreda McMillan; Mindful Thinkers Book Club; Darlene Mitchell; Michelle Monkou; Celeste O’Norfleet; Debra Owsley (Simply Said Reading Accessories); Onika Pascal; V Anthony Rivers; Tee C. Royal (RAWSISTAZ); Brian W. Smith; Sherena Smith; Stacy-Deanne; Dee Stewart; Olivia Stith; Joyce Swint; Marietta Underwood; Tanisha Webb; Tu-Shonda Whitaker; all my Facebook and Twitter friends; and the list goes on and on.

  If your name wasn’t mentioned, it’s not that I forgot about you. I just ran out of room. Thank you, ___________ (fill in your name). I appreciate you all.

  Shelia M. Goss

  Prologue

  David King used the borrowed hotel key and rushed into the corporate suite of Uriah Richards, his employee, to retrieve his forgotten cell phone. While meeting with Uriah to discuss a business proposition, David had absentmindedly laid the phone down and had forgotten it. He thought of it only when he needed to make a phone call. “There it is,” he said out loud as he picked up his iPhone from the coffee table and placed it in his black tuxedo jacket pocket. His bladder needed relief, so he decided to make a pit stop in the bathroom before returning downstairs to the DM King Media annual corporate party.

  The sound of the shower caused him to pause. The bathroom door was ajar, and he could see the silhouette of a woman’s body as she showered. David knew he should have turned around and made a quick exit when he heard the shower, but his feet were planted in one spot. His mind wouldn’t will him to move.

  He watched as the water slid down her flawless chestnut brown skin. David was not a Peeping Tom, but her hourglass figure held him captive. He observed from a distance as she exited the shower and dried off with the white, fluffy towel. David had been all over the world, but never had he seen a woman as beautiful as the one whom he now laid eyes upon.

  Her radiant jet-black hair cascaded down her back and accented her perfectly oval face. She seemed unaware that she had an audience as she sprayed on perfume. The sound of the hotel phone ringing broke David’s trance. He slid out of the hotel suite without the mystery woman ever knowing she had company.

  Chapter 1

  Sheba rushed out of the bathroom to answer the phone. The sound of her husband’s voice was on the other end. “Uriah, I told you I’m coming.”

  “Hurry up. I want you to meet my boss before he leaves.”

  “Give me ten more minutes. I’m getting dressed now.” Sheba sat on the edge of the bed and finished drying off. She had worked up a sweat from shopping, so she wanted to take a shower before changing into the new dress.

  “I don’t know why you had to get a new outfit. Now you’re late. There was nothing wrong with the dress you had.”

  Sheba loved Uriah, but they had two different views when it came to money and spending it. She loved the finer things in life, and he was a tightwad. She had hoped that with him getting the new job, he would stop tripping about the amount of money she spent.

  “You want me to make a good impression with your new boss, don’t you?” Sheba asked. She removed the sheer hosiery from its package and put it on as they talked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Then trust me. When you see me in the new dress, you’ll be glad I bought it.”

  They ended their call. Twenty minutes later, Sheba, dressed in a floor-length silver gown with a slit, cascaded into the hotel ballroom as if she was the queen of the ball. Men and women stared at her as she stopped to scan the room, in search of her husband. She was aware of her natural beauty, so she automatically ignored their glances.

  She noticed a hand waving in the a
ir. It was Uriah. She walked in his direction. The slit moved to the rhythm of her pace and showed her well-toned legs as she walked. The man standing with Uriah turned around to face her. His eyes seemed to pierce straight through her. Since he was a public figure, she recognized him immediately. He was the well-known David King. The CEO of DM King Media and Uriah’s new boss.

  She flashed her one-thousand-kilowatt smile and graciously walked up to where Uriah and David stood. Uriah reached his hand out for her, and she grabbed it. He kissed her on the cheek. Not once did she take her eyes off David. She could see why women flocked to David. He was a very attractive man. He stood at least six feet tall and had broad shoulders and naturally wavy brownish-red hair. He was what her friends would call a pretty boy.

  “Mr. King, I want you to meet my beautiful wife, Bathsheba.” Uriah smiled as he made the introduction.

  Sheba held her hand out to David. “Call me Sheba. It’s nice to meet you.”

  David’s hand seemed to hold on to hers longer than necessary. “The pleasure is all mine.” Without taking his eyes off Sheba, David said, “Uriah, you didn’t tell me you were married to a model.”

  Sheba continued to smile. She was never one to be bashful, but something about David made her feel a little uneasy. “You’re too kind, Mr. King,” Sheba said.

  “It’s David, and I’m telling you the truth.” He winked his eye.

  Sheba could feel Uriah’s hand on the small of her back. “Well, David, thank you for the compliment.”

  An awkward silence fell among the three of them.

  David finally broke the silence. “Uriah, don’t forget there are two settings for you and your lovely wife at my table. Dinner will be served in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Yes, sir,” Uriah responded as they watched David leave to go speak with someone else.

  Uriah led Sheba to a table near the front of the room. He held out her chair. She took a seat and waited for him to sit before saying, “So how did I do?”

  “You were great. Thank you for coming with me.”

  “Now, you know when you told me the meeting was in Dallas, I would have no problem taking off work. I love shopping in Dallas.”

  “I know. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. I hate to get next month’s credit card statement.”

  “Dear, you’re making six figures, so why shouldn’t I be able to splurge every now and then? Besides, I have my own money. I didn’t work my butt off to be an RN for nothing.” Sheba tilted her head and recalled the hard work it took for her to achieve her goal to become a registered nurse. She’d worked many long hours at one of the Shreveport, Louisiana, area hospitals before getting her license.

  “But most of your money goes toward your spending habits. For once, I would like to buy myself something,” Uriah complained.

  “Don’t I always buy you something?” Sheba asked. She rolled her eyes. “Here we go again. Arguing over the money I’m spending. This argument is getting old.”

  “Let’s talk about this later. I don’t need you embarrassing me in front of my coworkers, and especially my boss.” Uriah turned his back to Sheba and started talking to the man sitting on the opposite side of him.

  Sheba looked up and across the table and into David’s hazel brown eyes. He flashed a smile. She glanced away. Uriah’s actions had upset her. She wanted to leave but knew how important this event was to him, so she chose to put her feelings aside and pretend to have a good time.

  Dinner was served. Sheba remained quiet throughout dinner. She spoke only when spoken to.

  Uriah placed his hand on her thigh under the table and squeezed it. He leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Forgive me?”

  With a half smile forming on her face, Sheba responded, “Fine.”

  “I can tell you’re still mad at me.”

  “We can talk about this later, Uriah.”

  “Dance with me. Maybe that’ll make you feel better,” he said.

  “I don’t feel like dancing,” Sheba replied. She loved to dance, and the song that was playing was one of her favorites. Uriah knew she could be stubborn, so why he had chosen to upset her now, she didn’t know.

  “Just one song. I want everyone to see what good dancers you and I are.”

  Sheba made the mistake of looking into her husband’s eyes. She was a sucker for his puppy dog eyes. Looking into them, she couldn’t resist giving him what he wanted. She pushed her chair away from the table. “Come on. One dance.”

  Uriah led them to the dance floor. Although it was a mid-tempo song, he pulled her closer into his arms. “You know you’re the prettiest woman here tonight, don’t you?”

  “Tell me anything to get back on my good side.”

  “Baby, you know we’re trying to save up for another house. That’s why I want you to curb your spending.”

  “It’s not like we can’t afford the things I buy.” She held on to his arm as he dipped her.

  “For now, let’s forget about all of that and just enjoy each other,” Uriah said.

  Sheba pushed the conversation to the back of her mind. The next song was an old-school number by Kool & the Gang. She snapped her fingers and moved from side to side like her husband. She turned her body around, and when she looked up, David stood near the dance floor, watching them with a sly grin on his face.

  Chapter 2

  David’s date for the evening was a tall brunette named Majorie Logan. “I wish you would look at me like you’re looking at her,” Majorie whined.

  David stopped staring at Sheba, the beautiful woman who captivated him the moment he saw her in the shower, and gave Majorie his full attention. “What, Majorie? You got my attention. You want to dance, too? Come on.”

  Before she could protest, David pulled Majorie onto the dance floor. She could dance, but her body didn’t seem to have the smooth rhythm of Sheba’s. David found himself stealing a glance in Sheba’s and Uriah’s direction. To his disappointment, they were no longer on the dance floor.

  After finishing out the song, David grabbed Majorie’s hand. “I think I’ll sit this next one out.”

  Majorie kept up his pace. When they became stationary, she said, “David, this has been fun, but I know when it’s time for me to bounce. Good luck.” She got on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Majorie, you don’t have to.”

  She placed her index finger over his lips. “Shh. No need to apologize. I’ll have your driver drop me off at home.”

  David escorted her outside. “Bye, Majorie,” David said.

  “Good-bye, David,” she responded right after entering the limousine.

  David waited until the limousine had driven away before returning inside. He got a glance of a silver dress going toward the restrooms. He would know that body anywhere. He looked around for Uriah. Uriah was nowhere in sight. Instead of going back to the ballroom, David went in the opposite direction and headed toward the restrooms.

  He pulled out his iPhone and sent Uriah a quick text message. He wanted Uriah to keep some of his investors entertained until he returned. Once he received confirmation back from Uriah that he’d received his text, David placed his phone back in his inside jacket pocket.

  A young lady who worked for the hotel walked in his direction. When it appeared she was going into the restroom, David stopped her. “Can you tell the woman that’s in there that someone’s waiting for her outside?”

  “Sure,” the young lady responded.

  David slipped her a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill.

  The young lady looked at him. “Do you need me to do anything else?” she asked.

  “No, that will be all,” he responded.

  A few minutes later Sheba exited the restroom and looked around. She paused when she saw David. “Is everything okay? Where’s Uriah?”

  David responded, “Uriah’s fine.”

  Sheba sighed. “I thought something was wrong. Are you the one who sent the girl into the bathroom for me?”

&
nbsp; “Guilty as charged,” David admitted. His hand flew up to his chest in a bashful manner.

  “Why? Where’s my husband?” Sheba’s forehead wrinkled.

  “He’s handling some business for me right now, so he’s occupied.” A mischievous grin was plastered on David’s face.

  “Fine. I’m about to head back and wait for him at our table.”

  “Why don’t you walk and talk with me for a minute?” David asked as he walked closer to her.

  Her floral fragrance filled his nostrils as he inhaled her scent. He had to stop himself from reaching out to her. He placed his hands in his pockets as they walked to the opposite end of the hotel.

  “Uriah’s one of my best employees. Hiring him was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

  “He enjoys working for you.”

  “That’s good to hear. He’s done a great job overseeing my Shreveport affiliate.”

  “I will have to let him know to keep up the good work.”

  David opened the door leading to the balcony. “After you.”

  “Maybe I should get back,” Sheba said as she stopped in front of the door.

  “Uriah’s still busy. Enjoy the view.”

  Sheba stood and thought for a second and then followed David out onto the balcony. The other people on the balcony went back inside the hotel. David watched Sheba from the corner of his eye as she leaned on the rail. They both stared in silence at the beautiful view of downtown Dallas .

  David eased near Sheba and said, barely above a whisper, “Sheba, I have to be honest with you. I find you to be a very attractive woman.”

  Sheba turned to face him. “I’m also happily married. And I do stress the word happily,” she said.

  “You didn’t look too happy at the dinner table earlier. I could tell you two were having some type of disagreement,” he said.

  “That’s what married couples do. We sometimes disagree. It doesn’t mean we’re unhappy, though.”

  “What if I told you I could make your money problems go away?” David had overheard Uriah speaking with Sheba earlier about their finances. David knew he was crossing the line, but he had to have Sheba.

  “Cool. That means I can tell Uriah that you’ll be giving him a raise.” Sheba batted her long black eyelashes.