Sinful Read Free Page A

freeway, he held out for more money. Unfortunately, his plan backfired. Instead of making another lofty offer to purchase his property, each built stores on either side and squeezed him in the middle.
    Weeks before Mr. Mercer was forced to pull the plug on his family business, Chandelle’s husband, Marvin, walked through the front door to price a blender. The salesmen on duty had neither salesmanship skills nor an appreciation for customers. After overhearing Marvin explain how that was a leading reason most people were reluctant to do business with African Americans (who expected to succeed simply because their doors were opened), Mr. Mercer took a good look the attractive medium brown shopper and quickly offered him an assistant manager’s position on the spot. Marvin’s first order of business was scheduling training classes for all eight of the slacker salespeople.
    Three years later, Mr. Mercer was happily making money hand over fist because of Marvin’s diligence and training techniques. The fact that he still held the same position, at the same salary grade, both made Chandelle very unhappy. She wanted him to be more of a corporate mogul instead of an aspiring store manager of Appliance World. She also kept after him to trade in his khaki pants and navy short sleeve pullover uniform for a sleek designer suit. Marvin’s business degree hadn’t produced much in the way of options, but Chandelle didn’t give up hope. Her husband would be important some day, she’d see to that. Oddly enough, Marvin was the type to fight sudden change head on. Although he loved Chandelle, it was her constant bouts of impulsivity and ongoing propensity to own a lot more than she could afford that he couldn’t stand.
    At 7:05 P.M. , Marvin’s cell phone rang. With a semiannual sale running at top speed, he was glad to have a moment to himself. He lay down the remnants of a half-eaten baloney sandwich, his third of the day, in order to wrestle the tiny handheld from his belt holster. “Hello, this is Marvin,” he answered, wiping crumbs from his thin mustache as if the caller could see him in disarray. “Uh, yeah, Kim, I have a minute. Thanks for returning my page.”
    The empty break room at the rear of the store watched him smile. Nearly twenty years had lapsed since he’d seen her, Kim Hightower, but he couldn’t shake the indelible image of a beautiful 18-year-old prom queen he’d carried a serious torch for, along with over a thousand other mannish boys at John Quinn High. Now an accomplished realtor, Kim was back in his life to help him and Chandelle find their first dream house. The thought of his lovely wife catching a glimpse of him gushing over another woman pushed that eager grin from his lips.
    â€œGood,” Kim replied. “I’m very excited to be working with an old schoolmate, but I’ll have to be honest, Marvin, I can’t seem to remember you. Anyhoo,” Kim continued, “we can catch up tomorrow. And just so you know, I have selected six very nice properties for you and the Mrs. to view. Based on your e-mails, there should be something she likes in the bunch. If not, we’ll keep going until we stumble onto something that she does.”
    â€œYou found six very nice houses in our price range,” Marvin asked, somewhat surprised. “I thought Chandelle’s list of ‘must-haves’ would have sent you running in the other direction.”
    â€œA lesser realtor might have, but that’s why you were referred to me. Like you, I have a reputation for exceeding expectations. Finding a home with the perfect amenities is the key.” When Kim sensed Marvin was blushing with pride, she laid it on a little thicker. “Oh, you’re not the only one who does their homework. Mr. Mercer is lucky to have you running the store from what I hear. Just make sure you have that pretty wife of yours at my office around nine in