Tell Me No Lies

by Nikki- Michelle

  He eagerly jumped into my arms, ready to see his mother. I reached back inside my truck and blew my horn. I was grabbing AJ’s bag from the car when I heard him squeal.

  “Mommy!” he yelled excitedly when Chyanne opened the front door.

  “AJ, I missed you so much,” she said in her soft voice.

  I couldn’t lie; her voice made my dick throb in remembrance of what it sounded like when I was inside her. I turned around, and my eyes immediately went to her wrist.

  “What in hell happened to your hand?” I asked her.

  “Watch your language in front of AJ, Aric,” she scolded before scooping AJ into her arms.

  I allowed her and AJ to have their moment, because I knew they missed one another. I looked on in silence as she kissed, tickled, and held him as best she could with one arm. She was beautiful, as always. Her bohemian hair blew in the soft breeze. A loose-fitting white linen dress lightly hugged her ample hips and thick thighs. The bra she had on pushed her breasts up enough to make me miss sucking and touching them. She had brown sandals on, despite it being cool, and her flawless chocolate skin glowed. That scowl on her face when she fussed about my language did nothing to deter from her natural beauty. I could smell the soft scent of brown sugar wafting from her. She’d always taken a bath in brown sugar body scrub. I guess some things never changed.

  “AJ, will you take your bag in the house for Daddy?” I asked my son, knowing he would be more than eager to.

  I also knew it would give me time to question his mother. I wanted to know what had happened to her hand, wanted to know if my son was in a war zone. AJ hopped down from his mother’s arm, but not before kissing her cheek and lips. He grabbed his bag and made a beeline for the front door.

  “Mommy, Jamie?” He turned and looked at his mother.

  “No, Jamie’s not home. He’ll be home later.”

  My son then rushed into the house. I turned my attention to his mother.

  “What the hell happened to your hand, woman? Better yet, tell me just what the fuck is going on over here.”

  She fidgeted like she was uncomfortable before casting her chocolate-brown eyes at me. “Why?”

  “Because I want to know. Is he hitting you?”

  She looked incredulous, but there was still a secret in her eyes. “Who? Jamie? No, Aric. Only two men have managed to hit me, you and my father.” The look on her face told me she’d said that out of spite.

  “What does that have to do with anything? I’m asking you if the man you’re living with is putting his hands on you.”

  “And I told you no.”

  “So what happened?” I asked her again, and I found myself quickly losing patience. I folded my arms across my chest, and my posture stiffened, showing my annoyance.

  “I w-was in an accident,” she stammered.

  For some reason I didn’t believe her. “You’re lying,” I said, closing the gap between us.

  “I’m not lying, Aric. And even if I was, even if he did hit me, wouldn’t it be the same thing you’ve done to me?”

  “Fuck the bullshit, Chyanne. My son is in this damn house with you, and if Jamie is putting his hands on you, I’m taking my son. You can deal with that shit on your own.”

  Her breathing visibly changed, and anger turned her face into a scowl. “Don’t you threaten me about my son, Aric. I told you what happened, and I don’t care if you believe me or not. Now, get out of my driveway with your mess. I’m not even in the mood to deal with you today.”

  My head tilted, and I looked at her as if she was crazy. “I see you’re feeling froggy, but take my advice and don’t leap. Understand? I have the right to question what the hell is going on in the house that my son lives in. You don’t like it, kiss my ass.”

  She gave a huff and threw her hand up as she turned. “No, you kiss mine. I’m done on this. You can leave now.”

  I reached out and yanked her back to me. I didn’t realize I’d grabbed her already injured arm until she hissed, then turned around.

  “Let me go, Aric,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “Not until you understand that I’m not playing with you. I’ll take my son—”

  “Over my dead body!”

  That was how I knew that there was more to the story than she was telling me. Chyanne was not confrontational. Only when her back was against the wall did she come out swinging.

  “Chyanne, stop playing with me and tell me what really happened to you.”

  “Let my arm go. I told you I was in an accident.”

  “Mommy.”

  I was set to ask her something else until my son called out to her. Her eyes softened, and she turned.

  “Yes, baby?”

  AJ managed to communicate to her that he was hungry.

  “Okay, baby. I’m coming now,” she told him.

  She jerked her arm away from me. Something was going on, but obviously, she didn’t feel the need to tell me. Before she could make it into the house, I caught up to her, turned her back against the door of her house, and then pointed a stern finger in her face.

  “This is your last warning. I’ll take my son if I feel that he’s in danger of anything. You understand me?”

  She looked up at me, then casually rolled her eyes. “Get your finger out of my face, Aric. You don’t have to do all of that,” she said softly.

  “Do you understand me, Chyanne? I’m not bullshitting.”

  “Okay. I heard you. I’m sorry for my attitude, all right? I just don’t appreciate your tone with me.”

  Her attitude was a lot different now that I’d gotten in her face. Sometimes it took me being an asshole to get her to respond the way I wanted, but as long as I had got my point across, I didn’t give a damn. If my son hadn’t still been standing there, I probably would have tried to kiss her, since being that close to her had my dick aching. I moved away, kissed my son good-bye for the time being. I headed to my truck, then turned around.

  “Oh, by the way, did you pick up some cereal for AJ while you were at Publix yesterday? You know how much he likes his cereal,” I said to her.

  She was halfway in the house when she turned, tilted her head, and frowned. “Publix? I wasn’t at Publix yesterday.”

  I grunted, then just stared at her. “Oh. My bad, then. Thought I’d seen you there yesterday, while I was out.”

  She shook her head, then said, “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do any grocery shopping yesterday.”

  “Duly noted,” was all I responded.

  I hopped in my truck and slammed the goddamned door so hard, the shit threatened to fall off.

  Chyanne

  I was hoping that I’d sat far enough back in the church that no one saw me. If they did, I was hoping that no one asked who I was and that no one recognized my face from TV. When I was out, most people would stop and stare at me. It was more than likely because they’d seen my face all over the blogs and the major news stations in Atlanta. Gabe’s father’s funeral was being held at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. The choir was singing a hymn, and their red and blue robes swayed as they moved from side to side. I didn’t know what the hymn was, because my mind was not all there.

  Getting out of the house had been hard. Jamie and I had been arguing about every little thing. It was bad enough that I was already feeling bad for cheating on him with Gabe. I had no explanation for what I had been done. After Jamie told me what had happened to him and how many women he’d slept with, something in me, between us, changed. I couldn’t explain it. It was as if finding out those things about him, the man I loved more than anything, had made me see him in a different light. I didn’t want it to be that way, but it was. I still loved Jamie very much, but for the life of me, I didn’t know how to even begin being there for him.

  The other day, when I came home to find that he’d broken the TV and punched the bathroom mirror from the wall, I didn’t know what to think. If I were honest, I would admit that I was really scared of him in that moment. Jamie
had had this look on his face that made me think he had snapped. I regretted not answering his calls, but I couldn’t. If I had picked up the phone, then he would have known that Gabe was in my office. I didn’t know Gabe would show up, but when he did, it was to make his presence felt. Yeah, we talked for a few, but in the end, I ended up bent over my desk, with Gabe deep stroking me from behind.

  Come to think of it, I thought as I looked around the packed church, Maybe church is where I need to be. Yeah, there was a funeral going on, but maybe God could help me. I hadn’t been to church since I lost both my parents. One had finally returned home. The other never would. So maybe God could help me be a better woman for Jamie, and maybe he could give me enough strength to leave Gabe alone. Jamie and I had a child on the way, and God knew I needed to get it together, not only because I loved Jamie and never wanted him to find out, but also because I didn’t want the drama of dealing with Aric. He’d told me once that if he even thought that I had looked at Gabe the wrong way, he would mess me up. I believed him, whether I was with Jamie or not.

  My thoughts halted when I noticed Gabe had stood up to say a few words about his father. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He was a beautiful man. Some men went beyond the scope of sexy and fine. Gabe was one of those men. The black suit he had on was tailored to fit his tall, thick, and muscular frame. He had on a starched white shirt and a silver necktie that was neatly tucked, finishing off his polished look. I couldn’t see his shoes, but I was sure they set off the ensemble nicely. His locks swung around his shoulders. His look was smooth and dapper, just as his father’s had been when I first saw him. I cut my eyes to the left, then had no other choice but to smile when a few of the ladies next to me mumbled about how fine he was in the suit. I smiled only because I knew what he looked like once the suit came off.

  I moved around in my seat a bit, then crossed one thigh over the other, only to stave off the swollen and pulsing feel of my private area. Looking around, I saw that Gabe’s father’s funeral was standing room only. People were even standing outside. I’d wanted to come only to show him a little support. Showing support in a time of mourning was easy. You knew the right words to say, and even if you didn’t, you could make them up as you went along.

  Trying to be there for Jamie, on the other hand, wasn’t that easy. Those times when he was spaced out, I didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. Didn’t even know what to say those nights when he would pace back and forth to our bedroom door just to make sure it was locked. Those nights when he would fight in his sleep, those nights when he would wake up in a cold sweat, I almost got too acquainted with his fist. I’d think he wasn’t able to breathe underneath the covers, because of the way he was groaning, tossing, and turning. So I’d snatch the covers from over his head and he’d swing his fist, sometimes missing my eye only by inches.

  I knew what it was to be on the other end of a punch from a man, thanks to Aric and my father, and given how big Jamie’s hands were, I didn’t want to find out what his punch felt like. He had been apologetic once he realized what was going on, and had come to his senses. I’d had a mind to call Kay, but ever since Jamie found out that I’d told her about what had happened to him, I hadn’t asked her much else on the subject. Not to mention I’d pulled back because I’d been so caught up with Gabe that I barely had time for anything else. If I wasn’t with Jamie and AJ, then I was with Gabe. If I wasn’t with him, then work had me over a barrel. I was grateful for the prenatal vitamins I had been taking. The sickness I’d experienced had gone away after I started taking them.

  I focused my attention back on Gabe as he spoke about how much his father had meant to him and his mother. He was nice enough to mention Stephanie and her mother. During a little pillow talk, he and I had talked about them. He’d said he knew they would try to keep him and his mother from coming to the funeral if they could. I laughed with the rest of the people when Gabe joked about his father being afraid to go on roller coasters with him when he was a kid.

  Someone beside me whispered that it was disrespectful of Chief Williams’s mistress and son to sit on the front row with his wife and daughter. I tried to look around to see if I could see what they saw, but I couldn’t. I just shook my head at it all. Once Gabe was done, Stephanie sauntered up to the front. She had on a knee-length black dress that hugged her curves. Her long, silky jet-black hair flowed down her back. As usual, her makeup was flawless. The red-bottomed, six-inch heels she had on made her statuesque figure even more appealing. Still, that did nothing to take away the ugliness I saw when I looked at her.

  I still felt anger and contempt for her on the inside. I knew it was wrong of me, but for a second I wished it was she who was inside that casket. If I ever got a chance to put my hands on her again, I wouldn’t let go until she was good and unconscious. Every time I thought about the fact that she hadn’t been locked up somewhere yet, I got angrier. She stood there crying, with so much hurt written across her features, and I still felt no remorse for her.

  She must have felt my icy gaze, along with the mental daggers I was shooting at her. Although I was sitting far back in the church and had a wide-brimmed black hat on, she looked right into my face. Her breath caught, but most people thought it was because she was so choked up over the death of her father. But she’d seen me, just as sure as I was sneering at her. Just as quickly as she allowed my presence to rattle her, she got back on cue. I didn’t stay to listen to her, though. I knew that it was my signal to leave, especially when I saw Aric turn around smoothly. He’d been married to the woman for almost twenty years, so he knew her reaction was off. I didn’t know if he’d seen me, but I didn’t look back to find out.

  After fighting my way through a crowd of people, I quickly started down the block to get to my car. I had parked a block away because I didn’t want to be seen. The weather was cold, but the wind blowing made it feel as if it was freezing. Traffic was bumper to bumper because the city of Atlanta had blocked certain streets off. News station vans and newscasters were broadcasting live from the front of the church. I kept my head down and walked as fast as the five-inch heels I had on would let me.

  “Chyanne!”

  The male voice yelling my name stopped me dead in my tracks. If I were a cursing woman, I would have cursed under my breath. The fact that my spine had stiffened and I’d stopped were dead giveaways that it was me. I swallowed hard, then turned around.

  Aric was briskly walking toward me. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t look like he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ. He had a smooth, clean-shaven head; a perfectly aligned goatee, showcasing deep dimples in the sides of his cheeks; thick, sensual lips; and a walk that would put Denzel’s to shame. His hazel eyes were still hypnotic behind the black-framed Cartier glasses. Wing-tipped dress shoes scratched against the gravel in the concrete as he got closer. His long, stylish black trench coat billowed in the wind, and the white scarf around his neck did the same. His suit had also been tailored to fit his tall, brawny, yet athletic frame.

  “Yeah?” I finally answered when he stopped in front of me. I looked up at him, eyes squinting against the aggressive wind gusts.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “Giving support to a friend.”

  “What friend?”

  I mentally rolled my eyes at his line of questioning. “Gabe, Aric.”

  He grunted and then frowned down at me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure that I was until today.”

  “So I take it you and Gabe have spoken lately.”

  I had to be careful. Aric wasn’t a fool by far. So I knew when he asked me something, he was paying closer attention to my reaction than to my answer.

  “I may have called him after you told me of his father’s passing,” I answered. “Why did you follow me out? Shouldn’t you be consoling your wife? My bad. Ex-wife?”

  I wasn’t a fool, either. I knew if he kept asking me questio
ns about Gabe, he’d eventually make me say something I’d regret. So to take the heat off of me, I said something that would intentionally piss him off.

  His left pointing finger absentmindedly scratched the side of his chin. “Keep being a smart-ass. We’re already at a church. All that’s left is for me to lay your ass out.”

  I smacked my lips, then shook my head. I couldn’t lie and say I hadn’t been a little put off by the fact that he was sitting near Stephanie, after all she’d done.

  “Whatever, Aric. I’m leaving, unless you want to threaten my life again.”

  I was curious as to why he had an inquisitive look in his eyes as he watched me. There was something there that he wanted to say, but for some reason, he was restraining himself.

  He shook his head. “Nah. Call me when you get home so I can talk to my son. That’s where you should be, anyway.”

  “You don’t get to tell me where I should and shouldn’t be.”

  “Keep thinking that,” he stated, then pulled me into a hug.

  It was a familiar one. One that, had I not gotten reacquainted with what it felt like to be in Gabe’s arm, I would have found myself drawn to. His hands slid inside my open coat to pull me close to him. His scent rocked me. The heat he emanated almost hypnotized me, but it was when his hands came around to grip my ass that my vagina thumped in remembrance.

  “You’re gaining your weight back. I like it,” he said against my ear, just as he gripped my ass tighter, pulling me closer, allowing me to feel his lengthening manhood.

  I hadn’t told him I was pregnant yet. I pretended to be offended and wiggled out of his grasp. I shoved his shoulder. “Pervert,” I said to him as I turned to walk away.

  “Yeah, that ass is still mine,” he teased.

  I didn’t even turn around. Just lifted my middle finger as I continued on to my car.

  “Whenever you want to,” he teased again.

  I was happy to make it to my car. Once I was in, I fought my way into traffic, following the detours to get to the expressway. It took me about thirty minutes because the police were replacing traffic lights while manually directing traffic. I stopped off in Stockbridge, by Kay’s place to get AJ. He was fast asleep. She told me that they’d gone to the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, and he’d run around the place until he couldn’t anymore. He’d been asleep ever since. I thanked her, then told her I would call her to talk later. She wanted to make sure all was well with me and Jamie after the last time she was at my place. I lied and told her all was well.