“You need some help to get your stuff?” she asked rudely as she walked to the dresser, taking off her earrings.
“Naw, I’m not leaving until we work this out.”
Taylor spun around from the mirror. “We don’t have shit to work out. You made your choice when you got that bitch pregnant and didn’t give a fuck about my feelings.”
Ari stood and walked toward her. “I love you, Tay, and if you give me the chance to tell you what happened, you might be able to forgive me.”
She whipped around to face him. “I don’t care what happened, Ari. I can see what happened. You cheated on me while we were dating and that’s it.” Ari stepped closer. “Move back, Ari,” she warned. He took a step back.
“Please listen, baby.”
Taylor just wanted him to leave. If it took hearing him speak his piece to do that, then she was willing to listen to the bullshit. “Go ahead, Ari. Speak. But it’s not going to change anything.”
He started telling her about how back when his parents died, he was feeling so low and he didn’t think anyone understood. He went on to tell her about the trip he had taken to Miami and how he met Maci. He explained he was drunk and what happened should never have happened.
“Wait. Wait, Ari.” She tilted her head to the side and squinted at him. “So you telling me you only slept with her that one time and that’s it?”
“Yes,” he lied, “that’s it. One time, baby.”
She wasn’t sure if she believed him. It didn’t matter; either way, the pain wouldn’t allow her to forgive him right now. “Whateva, Ari.” With her hand, she shooed him away. “You said what you had to say, now you can leave.”
“So that’s it, Tay? You just going to put me out of our house?”
“Yep.”
Ari turned and started picking his clothes up off the floor and stuffing them into large black garbage bags he had gotten from the kitchen. “This is real fucked up, Tay. I can’t believe you right now.”
“Just leave Ari. I’m tired and too emotionally drained to deal with this right now.”
He picked the last shirt up off the floor and flung the bag over his shoulder. “This is not over, Tay. We will be together. I’m not losing you.”
Taylor placed her hands on her hips. “Well, you should’ve thought of that before you did what you did.” She looked him dead in his eyes. “See, the fact of the matter is that right now I can’t bear to look into your deceitful face. So—Get—Out.”
Ari turned toward the door, then turned back. “I’ll call you in a few days and maybe you’ll be ready to talk.” He slammed the bedroom door behind him.
She yelled out, “Don’t hold your breath.”
The cashmere bedspread was like a sponge soaking up the tears that fell as she fell across the foot of the bed.
After a few minutes, she heard the front door close. He had finally left. She turned over and stared out the skylight in the top of her ceiling until her cell phone buzzed from her purse. Rolling over and hitting the view button, she saw that it was a text from Kalon.
“Hey babe, I was just checking on you.”
Taylor hit the reply button. “Thanks, I was thinking about you.” She sent the message and waited.
Her phone buzzed again. “I need to go to New York for a few days and I wanted to see you before I left.”
Blushing, she replied, “OK. When?”
He texted back after two minutes. “Now.”
She couldn’t believe he was asking her to come over now. She had just left him that morning. “Are you sure, Kalon? You want to see me so quickly again?”
“Babe, I want to see you all day if possible, but I know it’s not. So if you can, please come over and stay the night with me. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”
Taylor sat up in her bed and pondered his response. She did miss him already. And the visions of Ari being with that woman would not go away. Right now she was going to do what Tay wanted, and her mind and body wanted Kalon. “I’ll be over in a few hours,” she replied.
A hot bath was the first order of business. She knew she needed to relax if she was going to have any strength for Kalon.
* * *
Ari sped his white Navigator down Halsted Avenue to Maci’s condo. She kept calling his phone over and over; it was time for him to answer. On his way over, he thought he would strangle her with his bare hands, maybe slap her around a few times or beat her ass. But those things would give him time in prison and he wasn’t ready to give up his freedom for a moment of insanity.
He pulled up to Maci’s condo and rang the doorbell.
She snatched the door open with a towel wrapped around her body and Adrianne hanging onto her leg.
“Daddy.” The little girl ran out the door and into her father’s arms. He picked her up and she hugged him around his neck with her little arms. “I haven’t seen you, Daddy. Where have you been?” Adrianne cupped her hands around his ear and whispered into it, “Momma said you were mad at her.”
Ari walked into the apartment holding his daughter. He was scared if he put her down, he might be tempted to carry out one of those thoughts he had on his way over. “Let me look at my little princess.”
Adrianne jumped out of her father’s arms and spun around like a model walking down a runway. She flipped her curls behind her shoulders. “See, Daddy. Don’t I look like Tara on TV?”
Ari smiled. “Yes, baby. You look better then Tara. Go play in your room and I’ll be there to play with you in a while.”
She ran off down the hall singing. When Ari heard her bedroom door close, he turned toward Maci, standing in the kitchen with a smile plastered on her face. “I just love to see you with her.”
“Cut the bullshit, Maci. Why the hell do you keep calling my phone and why the hell did you attack Taylor?”
Maci took a beer out the refrigerator. “You want one?” she asked.
“No, I want you to answer my damn questions.”
She took a swig of her beer. “I can’t believe I have to explain this to you. It should be obvious.”
Ari looked confused and shook his head. “What the hell does that mean, ‘it should be obvious’? Stop talking in riddles.”
Maci leaned against the kitchen counter. “It’s simple, Ari. I love you and you love me. Your place is here with Adrianne and me, and not with that bitch.”
Ari rubbed the back of his head. After all these years, he never let himself believe that Maci felt this way about him. Jay was right. They clearly were on two different pages.
“Look, Maci, I don’t know where you got the idea that I love you because I don’t. What you and I had was just sex and that’s it. Yes, I love my daughter but not you. My life is at home with my wife, Taylor.”
Maci slammed her beer down on the counter. She started yelling and spit flew from her mouth as she spoke. “Fuck that bitch, Ari. I have your child, not her. How the hell you going to put her before me? You got this bitch living in a mansion when your daughter and I are living in this tiny ass condo.”
“You need to lower your voice before my daughter hears you.”
She waved her hand in the air to dismiss what he said.
Ari had to get through to her. “If I led you on, then I’m sorry. I thought you could handle a no-strings-attached relationship, but I guess you can’t. You allowed yourself to fantasize about something that wasn’t there between us. I never promised you anything. So now you’re mad. But I’m warning you, Maci,” he said through gritted teeth, “keep your damn hands to yourself because Taylor doesn’t have shit to do with this.”
In one smooth swallow, she finished her beer. “So now you are taking up for the bitch? I did you a favor, Ari. She doesn’t know you the way I do. She can’t fulfill your needs the way I can. If she could, you would never have kept coming back to me. Tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it, baby. I can be Taylor if that’s what you like.”
He shook his head as Maci started to move closer to him.
She tried to kiss him, but he moved back. She dropped her towel to the floor. He picked it up. “Put this back on and tell Adrianne I’ll come by tomorrow to get her.” He looked at Maci with disgust. “You’re tripping.”
Maci wrapped the towel around her body. “Fuck you, Ari. Now you don’t want me since your little precious Taylor won’t take you back?”
Ari walked to the door. “It doesn’t matter what you say or do, I will get her back.”
Laughing like a maniac, Maci folded her arms across her chest.
Ari began to feel uneasy. “Why are you laughing at that?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing. Good luck with that.” She smiled coyly.
* * *
Taylor packed a bag for her night out with Kalon. “Oh, shit. My toothbrush.” She ran back into the connecting bathroom. She had called and spoken with Toni earlier about the family dinner her mother wanted to have. Toni explained that their mother wanted everybody to attend, and that meant Ari, too. Taylor wasn’t ready to explain to her family about Ari and her so she would hold off the dinner as long as she could. She finished packing and her cell phone rang. She answered, “Hey, chica.”
Pam started giggling on the other end. “Hey girl, I got Libby on three-way.”
Taylor spoke to Libby. “Hey girl, you’ve been MIA.”
“Yeah, I know. So what’s going on with you? Pam and I barely see you at work.”
Taylor sat on her bed and played with a thread hanging from the bedspread. She thought about telling her friends about Kalon but it was too soon. “Well, I had a run-in with Ari’s baby mamma.”
She heard a loud bang on the other end that made her jerk her ear away from the receiver. When she listened in on the phone again, she heard Pam say, “Dang, I dropped the damn phone.”
“Did I hear you correctly?” Libby asked. “You had a run-in with Ari’s baby mamma?”
“Yes, you heard me girl.”
“Hold up,” Pam ordered. “Tell us from the beginning what happened.”
Taylor told her friends the entire story.
“So you kicked his ass out?” Pam asked.
“Yeah, girl, and right now I’m glad he’s gone. I should’ve done this a year ago.”
Pam offered, “Well, Tay, if you need anything just let us know.”
“Yeah, girl, anything,” Libby agreed.
They switched the subject to work-related issues and hung up after a forty-minute conference call.
* * *
Kalon ran out to pick up some Chinese food for dinner. He had called Taylor earlier that day to make sure she liked it. Kung Fu Chinese Restaurant was five blocks from his house. He decided to walk.
The takeout line in the main lobby was long. People filled the place to capacity, standing along all four walls of the building. He heard someone call his name from a distance. Turning in the direction of the female voice, he saw Patricia. Damn.
Patricia came walking up in a blue halter-top mini dress. Her hair was in a ponytail, her feet were in thong sandals. “Hey, Kalon, I’ve been calling you. Why haven’t you returned any of my calls?”
Since the last time he ran into Patricia at Ohio Restaurant when he was with Taylor, she had been blowing up his phone since with nonstop calls. “I’m sorry, Patricia. I’ve been really busy.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Oh, I see. Are you busy now?”
Not wanting to get into a confrontation, he simply answered, “Actually, I am. I have a meeting this evening and I’m picking up dinner.”
Patricia raised the corner of her mouth. “You have a meeting? On a Saturday? Come on, Kalon, I’m not that stupid.”
The older Chinese man called Kalon to the counter and handed him his food. Kalon paid with a twenty and stuffed the change in his pocket. Patricia hadn’t moved out of his path. “I’m sorry, Patricia, but I have to go. Take care of yourself.”
He tried to walk out the door but she grabbed his hand. “Wait, Kalon. I really wanted to see where this could go. If you give me the chance.”
Kalon pulled his hand back gently from hers, hoping to avoid a scene. “To be honest, Patricia, I’m not ready for anything serious with anyone. I enjoyed the time we spent together but I think all we could ever be is good friends.”
“Good friends?” she repeated out loud to no one in particular.
“I’m sorry again, Patricia,” he said and patted her on the back.
He made his way through the crowd and walked quickly back to his loft to await Taylor’s arrival. He wasn’t fazed by Patricia because he had dealt with women like her before. Every so often he ran into the clingy type, the woman who didn’t know how to let go. She didn’t realize that her purpose was only to be a one-night stand.
Once at home, he moved around his kitchen swiftly, setting up the Chinese boxes on the table and pouring them each a glass of wine. He lit a few candles around the room because he read in some magazine that candles set the mood for romance. Tonight was the night he was going to make his move on Taylor.
He had spent too much time on her already. He needed to get her out of his dreams and thoughts. He could not yet fully process his actions toward Taylor the night before. It was like another part of him had taken over and he was watching from the sidelines. He made a promise that tonight, he wasn’t going to check out; he was going to stay in the present and leave all that romantic stuff to people who are in love—and that was definitely not him.
Dimming the lights made the candles have a more dramatic effect. The faint sound of Kalon’s favorite love songs playing on the CD completed the ambiance. A timid peck on the door signaled Taylor’s arrival. He had instructed the doorman to send her up the moment she got there.
When he opened the door, Kalon reached out and took the overnight bag off her shoulders, hugging her tightly. He became lost in the familiar smell of peaches that he remembered from the first time he met her. But he was lingering too long in the embrace. He pulled back.
“Hello, Taylor. You look nice.”
“Thanks, Kalon. You look good too, as always.”
He ushered her inside, helped her out of her coat. Taylor decided to wear something more causal—a pair of fitted blue jeans a white Kardashian T- shirt and a pair of black riding boots. He walked her straight to the kitchen. Taylor joked about there being so many boxes of food on the table. “Who else is coming to dinner, Kalon? That’s enough for me, you, and two other couples.”
With a boyish smile, he played along. “Barak and Michelle Obama are in the back washing up for dinner and Jay-Z and Beyoncé should be here any minute.”
“Oh, I guess I should have dressed for occasion,” Taylor said with a chuckle.
After Taylor said grace, she helped him open up the boxes of food. “Sweet and sour chicken, Kung Pao shrimp, vegetable chop suey, pepper steak. Dang, Kalon, when you asked me what my favorite Chinese dishes were, I didn’t know you were going to bring all of them home. I don’t know where to start.”
“How about a little dab of everything for starters?” Kalon picked up her plate and began loading it with a small helping of everything. He laid the plate down in front of her and handed her a pair of chopsticks. Filling his plate up, he steered clear of the spicier dishes.
She fingered a shrimp with her chopstick and popped it in her mouth. “Ummm, now that’s good and spicy.” She reached for her glass to wash away the heat.
“I don’t know how you can eat that. I mean, I like hot stuff,” he winked, “just not in my food.” Taylor chose to let that sly comment slide.
They ate until they couldn’t take another bite. Kalon got up and stretched out on the floor, lying on his back. He beckoned for Taylor. She took her boots off and lay down on the floor beside him.
They laid there in silence listening to the soft music for a few minutes before Kalon spoke. “I really enjoy spending time with you, Taylor.”
She rolled over in his direction and propped her head up with her hand. “I enjoy spending time with you, too.�
��
Kalon moved closer and pulled her to him. They laid staring into each other’s eyes and breathing heavily. Kalon’s mind was telling him to take it slow but his body was telling him to make a move. Passion was in her eyes. He had her just where he wanted her.
Her hair fell in her face. With a light touch, he moved it behind her ears. As he began tracing her full lips with his index finger, her lips parted slightly and he stuck his finger inside her mouth. Taylor sucked on the tip of his finger lightly. His lips were mere inches from hers. If he didn’t take her now, it felt like he would die. He smashed his lips to hers and they licked, sucked, and kissed until breathing became necessary.
Sitting up, Kalon looked at her longingly. He slowly undressed her, never breaking eye contact. Taylor lay fully exposed and ready. Kalon stood and undressed quickly, taking a condom out his wallet and setting it next to them. He wanted to take his time and explore her body. After all, this was going to be the last time he saw it.
“Damn, you’re so beautiful,” Kalon whispered into her ear. He showered her face and neck with little small kisses. When he reached her breast, he took a mouthful.
Taylor arched her back off the floor. She started to tremble and Kalon looked up.
“Are you okay? You know we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”
“No, I do. I want to do this.” She reached up and brought his face to hers. They started to kiss again. Kalon inserted one of his fingers into her vagina to see if she was ready; she was. She raised her hips off the floor.
Removing his fingers, he shielded himself with the condom. Careful not to put all his weight on her, he got on top and eased slowly inside.
She started moaning louder and clawing at his back. He went deeper, until he was fully inside. He stopped moving to let her adjust to his size and kissed her closed eyelids until they fluttered open.
“I don’t want you to miss any of this,” he whispered. He started to move slowly inside of her. “Are you okay, baby?” He kept moving in and out of her tiny frame.
His Betrayal Her Lies Page 13
