“What else is new?” Libby asked, noisily slurping the last of her drink.
“Whateva,” Pam countered.
Taylor got a kick out of the banter between her two friends. “Let’s see, where should I start with my drama? Well, my car got vandalized again.”
Both girls gasped at Taylor’s disclosure.
Pam was the first to speak. “When did this happen?”
Taylor put down her fork. “I found it this morning when I was leaving for work. It could have happened last night. I’m not sure. It could have happened any time this weekend because I was mostly in the house.”
“Do you think it’s the same person who busted your car window?” Libby asked.
Taylor blew out an aggravated breath. “Yes, I think it’s one person; I have an idea who it is.”
Both girls perked up, waiting for her to name her suspect.
Taylor took a bite of her medium-well steak.
Impatient, Pam egged her on. “Don’t leave us hanging, Tay.”
“I think it’s the girl Ari had an affair with.”
“I think it’s that bitch, too,” Libby said
Taylor flipped her shoulder-length hair behind her ears. “I just need to be sure.”
Pam looked at her like she was crazy. “Tay, who else could it be? You know as well as I do that it’s that girl.” She swirled the ice in her glass before taking another sip out of it.
Taylor threw her hands up in defeat. “I’m pretty sure it’s her. I have someone looking into it for me.” She really didn’t want her friends to know that she had hired a private investigator but she had just tipped her hand.
“Who?” Libby asked.
Taylor looked back and forth between Pam and Libby, nervously trying to change the subject. Fate stepped in and did it for her when Kalon Knight came into her view. “Kalon Knight?” she breathed.
Pam cocked her head. “Who did you say? Kalon Knight?”
Kalon advanced toward her.
Taylor couldn’t speak. Mouth dry as cotton, she reached for her drink. Sweaty palms and racing heart were undisputable signs to Taylor that she was indeed about to die of a heart attack.
With his date’s arm linked around his, Kalon walked right up to her table. “Hello, Taylor. We meet again.”
Taylor tried to look nonchalant. “Hello, Kalon. It’s good to see you again.” She earnestly hoped she sounded disinterested because inside she was trying to restrain herself from jumping his bones.
Pam and Libby looked at Kalon and Taylor.
A few droplets of sweat rolled down the small of Taylor’s back. If she could just play it cool, they might not pick up on how much of an effect Kalon was having on her.
Kalon tore his eyes off of Taylor long enough to ask about the ladies seated with her. Pam, who was seated on the aisle, extended her hand first. “I’m Pamela Jones.”
Kalon took her hand and kissed it.
Pam giggled and batted her eyes at him.
Libby extended her hand next. “I’m Libby Townsend and we,” she explained, pointing to herself and Pam, “are Taylor’s best friends.” She drew back her hand before Kalon could place a kiss on it.
Taylor thought he was just a gigolo who knew how to charm the pants off of anyone in a skirt. She refused to be his next victim.
The tall beauty on his arm cleared her throat.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kalon said, “this is my friend Patricia.”
Taylor looked up at the model figure standing above her. Nobody could miss the daggers that Patricia’s eyes were throwing at Kalon. It was clear that she didn’t like being introduced as his friend.
“Babe, I think our table is ready,” Patricia suggested. She rubbed her hands up and down Kalon’s arm, marking her territory.
Kalon pulled a card from his jacket and handed it to Taylor. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you, Taylor, but I just wanted to come over and speak.” He bent down to eye level. His scent was an aphrodisiac. “Please use my card. I’d like to discuss some business with you about your magazine and some new things Angel Kids is involved in,” he said with a wink.
Patricia tightened her grip and pulled him away.
A small gathering of young black men seated at the bar whooped it up when their team scored a touchdown.
Taylor jumped at the sudden commotion. She picked up the card and wondered if Kalon really had business to discuss or was this his way of trying to get her attention.
“Earth to Tay,” Libby said, cupping her ear as though speaking into a headset.
“I’m here, girl. Stop playing.” Taylor thumped Libby on the arm.
“Damn, who the hell was that?” Pam inquired, licking her lips.
Libby smacked her lips in agreement. “Oh my God, you don’t know who that is?”
“Ummmm, no.”
Duh, is what Libby’s face said, “Girl that is Kalon Knight, the biggest player in Chicago, the only good thing about him is that company he started called Angel Kids.”
Pam stole a quick look at the table where Kalon was seated. “I don’t care who he is. The man is fine as hell. I need to be hooked up,” she said, staring hungrily in Kalon’s direction.
“It seems he’s already taken,” Libby said.
Index finger waving in the air, Pam sassed back, “By whom? Not that wannabe model on his arm; he made it known she was just a friend.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Libby answered, “No, not her. Ask Tay.” She started drumming her fingers against the table. Pam propped her elbow on the table and put her chin in her hand. Both girls waited for Taylor to confirm or deny what Libby was implying.
She looked at them with apprehension. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know who he is dating.”
“Ah, but you know who he wants to date,” Libby said.
“How would I know that?”
Libby angled her head toward Taylor. “Come on, Tay. Anybody with eyes can see how you were drooling all over that man and I can definitely see he was interested in you, too. Why would he seek out our small little company to do business with, huh? Unless his motive is not the company but the owner of the company.” Satisfied that she had proven her case, Libby leaned back in her seat.
Five members of the wait staff clamored to a corner table, one of them holding a birthday cupcake with a lit sparkler on top. They reached the astonished birthday girl, set the treat down in front of her, and belted out the restaurant’s personalized version of the happy birthday song, clapping with every word.
When the noise settled down, Pam summoned their waiter. She asked for the dessert menu.
Taylor asked for the check.
“Libby,” Taylor said, looking down in her wallet for her credit card, “I told you about letting your imagination run wild.” The Platinum American Express card blended in with the silver and black tablecloth.
“Yeah, yeah, call me crazy, but I know what I saw. That man wants him some Tay.” She held her hand out for Taylor to give her five.
Taylor pushed her hand away. Deep down, she hoped Libby’s theory was wrong. However, she been around long enough to know that Libby was right on target. Taylor needed to derail this idea that Kalon was after her. “According to you, he wants any woman. So how can you say it’s me he wants? It could be you or Pam he was interested in.”
“Uh uh, girl, don’t play me. He barely looked in my direction,” Libby refuted, bouncing her hair up and down with her hands, “and you know how good I look.” She couldn’t keep a straight face at her own words. “He was just being nice to Pam.”
Pam gave Libby the talk-to-the-hand sign.
Libby looked at Taylor. “Believe me, his eyes were on you then just the way they are on you now.”
The three of them turned in the direction of Kalon’s table and he sent a smile and a wink.
“My point exactly,” Libby said.
Taylor felt a flash of heat run along her cheeks. Lord help me. This man is dangerous. The waiter brought the bill and she slid her credi
t card in the leather folder.
When the women left, they had to walk past Kalon’s table. Pam led the way, smiling and bobbing her from head side to side. Libby followed closely behind.
Taylor was last to leave. As she reached the table, Kalon grabbed her hand. She looked down at the hand that held hers. “Excuse me,” she said. When she tried to resist, he drew her down to ear level. “I’m looking forward to hearing from you.” Taylor snatched her hand back, straightened up, and strutted out.
* * *
Maci ran around her condo preparing for Ari’s arrival. He was about to drop off Adrianne. In the master bathroom, Maci freshened up her lipstick, then put her face right up to the mirror to apply her mascara. She opened up her black robe and smiled in the mirror at the sight of the lacy teddy underneath. The timer on her stove sounded. Lasagna and garlic bread, Ari’s favorite meal, would be steaming hot when he arrived. She pulled the dish out the oven and opened a bottle of wine. Pouring two glasses, she set them on the table to breathe.
Then she waited.
The love she felt for Ari, she had never felt for any other man. She knew the type of cologne he wore, Unbreakable by Lamar and Khloe Odom. She knew his favorite music artist was Kanye West. There was nothing about Ari that she didn’t know. No other woman would ever be good enough for him.
The chiming doorbell roused her out of her daydream. It’s on and poppin’. She ran into the foyer and looked into the mirror on the wall, fluffing her curls. Adrianne’s little sleeping body thrown across her father’s shoulders was the first thing she saw when she threw the door open.
Ari looked at Maci’s attire and shook his head. He walked past her wordlessly and went up the stairs. She followed him to Adrianne’s room without a sound. He had once joked that his baby girl must have had a lot of say-so when it came to decorating her bedroom. There was no theme, just some Dora the Explorer items clashing with Barbie Doll stuff. Dora and her friends were pictured on the comforter and pillow cases. Barbie’s face graced the curtains and a throw rug.
Ari pulled the bedcovers back and gently laid Adrianne down. He took off her shoes and clothes, and even changed her into her pajamas without waking her up. He tucked the covers under her chin and kissed her forehead.
Shoulder against the door jamb, Maci stood marveling at the love Ari displayed for his daughter. If only I could get him to show me that type of affection. She moved closer to the bed and put her hands on Ari’s shoulders.
He stood and turned toward her.
She posed for a kiss.
He walked out the room.
Maci followed him, closing Adrianne’s door. She hurried down the stairs. He was at the front door. Maci ran and put herself between him and the door. “Please don’t leave,” she begged, hands folded as if she were in prayer. Ari reached beside her to open the door. “Wait, Ari. Can we talk?”
“Talk about what, Maci?” Anger boiled in his eyes. She had to find a way to calm him down and get him to at least sit. If her plan to get him in bed was going to work, she needed to think fast.
Spitting out the first thing that came to mind, she said, “I need to talk to you about the new private school I want to put Adrianne into.”
Ari looked at his watch. “It’s late, Maci. We can talk about this another time.” He reached for the door handle.
“Wait, Ari, damn. You can’t give the mother of your child five minutes of your time to talk about your child’s education?” She tried not to look like the liar she was and hoped the guilt trip about his concern for his child’s education was working.
Relenting, he said, “Okay, you have five minutes and you’re on four now.”
Rushing into action, Maci ushered Ari to the couch. “You want something to drink?”
“No, and you’re running out of time.” Ari sat on the very edge of the cushion, like he was ready to leap up and run out the door at a moment’s notice.
“Well, I’m going to get myself something to drink.” Maci looked poised as she excused herself but when she went into the kitchen; she slammed her fist on the counter. This is not what she expected. Ari was being so difficult. Getting him to eat was definitely out of the question. She had done all this preparation and he was not cooperating. Desperation made Maci open up the kitchen cabinet and take out some of the pills she took when she couldn’t sleep. She crushed two of them up and poured them into Ari’s glass of wine, stirring them around with her finger.
Entering the living room, she handed Ari the drink.
“I told you I didn’t want anything to drink. And now you have two minutes.”
There was a clinking sound as Maci placed the drink on the glass coffee table in front of Ari. “I know what you said but you look like you could use a drink.”
“What is this all about, Maci?”
She took a sip of her wine. She had to think of some way to keep his attention off the time. “Well, I spoke to Adrianne’s teacher the other day and she thinks Adrianne is really gifted. According to her, we should put her in this accelerated program.”
“What kind of accelerated program?”
It was hard to tell if she had really reeled Ari into the conversation. She took another sip and just started winging it. “She thinks Adrianne should be in this program where kids take these tests, and if they score high enough they skip a grade.”
Ari perked up.
I’ve got him now.
“Wow, I didn’t know she was that smart. I mean, I knew she was smart because she is my daughter but I didn’t know all that.”
Maci saw Ari opening up and relaxing, so she kept going. “Yeah, so what do you think we should do?”
Picking up the glass in front of him, Ari took a sip. He was obviously weighing the options. He took a couple more sips, then turned the glass up and gulped the whole contents. Maci almost jumped up from the couch in excitement, but she played it cool.
“I think we should go ahead and get her enrolled,” he finally said.
Maci clapped her hands together. “Great. I knew you wanted the best for her. But this is going to cost.”
Ari sat his glass down. “Money is no object for my baby’s education.”
Maci started talking about other schools in the area. Some of what she said was true; some was made up as she went along. It wasn’t long before she could see Ari’s head falling down and jerking back up.
Slurred speech confirmed that the pills were taking effect. He asked sleepily, “What did you put in my drink?”
Maci stood over him, waiting for the pills to kick in totally.
He tried to stand but fell back down on the couch. “I can’t believe you did this, Maci. Your head is fucked up.” He started waving his hands in the air to push Maci away.
“Don’t fight it, Ari. Just let it happen,” she breathed into his ear.
Ari fell over on the couch, eyes closed and mouth open.
Maci smacked his arm. He was out cold. This was going to ruin her plans. She wanted to seduce him and get him to sleep with her so she could videotape it and send it to Taylor. Carrying Ari’s dead weight up to her bedroom would be like carrying bricks. She was finished unless she could come up with a Plan B.
A few minutes of thinking, and Maci snapped her fingers and sprinted up the stairs. Her camcorder was stashed on the side of the flat screen TV in her bedroom. She unplugged it and ran back down to Ari. The coffee table was just the right height. She placed the camcorder on the table and hit record.
It wasn’t easy, but she finally got all of Ari’s clothes off and had him stretched across the couch. Then she removed her robe and teddy. She hadn’t slept with him since that last trip to San Francisco, when he told her she couldn’t go on any more trips with him. That’s also when he informed her that he would not have sex with her again.
Expectancy made her hands shake as she reached out to rub his chest. She ran her hands up and down his muscular, smooth body. His limp dick lay across his thigh. Knowing what his body responded to, she st
arted jerking her hands up and down it to make it firm. After two minutes and no response, she put it in her mouth and turned toward the camera, sucking and licking it up and down. It was so limp it was falling out her mouth. She did that for ten minutes and then got on top of him, trying to insert his member inside of her. With a couple more attempts, she got it to stay in and she made small bouncing movements to keep it in. She put her finger inside his mouth and started yelling his name.
“Yes, yes, Ari. Right there. Ah. You’re hitting my spot.”
Maci released her juices all over Ari’s stomach and thighs. She got up and cut the camcorder off. In the kitchen, she poured herself another glass of wine and smiled. She started fantasizing about the wedding that was sure to happen after this.
* * *
Kalon found himself standing outside of the Dynasty Magazine suite. Two weeks flew by, and he still hadn’t heard anything from Taylor since he saw her at the restaurant. He had noticed Taylor as soon as he entered Ohio Street that night. His first thought had been to ignore her. After all, he had been persistent in trying to take her out and she had been giving him the cold shoulder. As the waiter was showing him to his table, his legs took on a mission of their own. He had just wanted to know why she wouldn’t call him or at least say she wasn’t interested.
She still left him hanging. He intended for that to end today. He was going to go right in and confront her, letting her know he was really interested in her and not give her a chance to run away from him.
The receptionist seemed to be talking to herself when Kalon walked up to her. As he got closer, he noticed the headset she wore. The young woman’s gold hoop earrings were enormous and they jingled with the slightest move of her head. He wondered how callers could hear her voice with all that metal clanking in their ears. She held up one finger to him. More clanking, this time from the multiple bracelets on her wrist.
He looked around the suite. He expected that a woman like Taylor would have a well-decorated space; he wasn’t disappointed. He particularly liked some of the wall pieces she had.
His Betrayal Her Lies Page 8
