His Betrayal Her Lies

by Angel de'Amor

  If she was completely honest with herself, she did miss him and his sex. His lovemaking was flawless and she could see why women were hypnotized by his long strokes, sweet gentle kisses, and magnificent body. The way she responded to him every time they were together was shocking. Normally, it would take nipple sucking, a few kisses, and rubs for her to become wet and ready. But with Kalon, her pussy automatically responded on cue at the very sight of him. All the man had to do was breathe and she was wet. And let’s not think about if he touched her in any small way—she was ready to rip off her clothes.

  Ari never made her feel that way. She had chalked it up to her having a low sex drive. Evidently Pam was right when she told her a long time ago that maybe Ari just didn’t do it for her. In her words, “If Ari isn’t hitting the spot, then he ain’t the one.” According to Pam, every woman had an untamed beast in her, patiently waiting for the right man to unleash it. Taylor had never given that much thought until now.

  “Thinking of you, too.” She hit the send button and got up off the bed to take a shower.

  * * *

  Kalon powered on his phone after the three-hour flight from New York to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. After meeting with his clients that morning and signing the documents to close his deal, he had lunch with his mother at her estate before flying out. As they strolled the grounds of her property after lunch, she promised to call more and he promised to visit more. Although he was happy that his mom made amends with him, he couldn’t shake the last thing she said before he walked out the door. “Don’t forget what I told you at dinner last night. Make time for love, and when you come back to visit, I want you to bring someone with you—but only if she means the world to you. Not any of those women you just have sex with. I want to see the one.”

  He took the escalator down to baggage claim, and for a change, his bag was the first one to come out on the carousel. He had to squeeze by a couple of people to pluck it off the conveyor belt before it took another trip around the loop. He was headed toward the exit when his text message alert sounded. A lopsided grin spread across his face when he saw it was from Taylor. Hmm, she’s thinking of me.

  His response was, “I want to see you tonight. My place, eight p.m. Don’t be late.” Tonight he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. It was time for him to make some changes in his life. He wanted to get to know the real Taylor and give this relationship thing a try.

  Chapter 15

  Taylor sat at her desk, feeling exhausted. Kalon had been back from his trip for two weeks and she had been spending her days at the office and her nights with him. Sex lasted until the wee hours of the morning. She couldn’t get enough of him and apparently he felt the same way.

  She had noticed a change in him after he returned from New York. He was more compassionate and attentive, and he wanted all her time. But the idea of them becoming even closer frightened Taylor.

  It had been awhile since she slept in her own bed, and frankly she needed a good night’s sleep so she decided not to see Kalon tonight. Just before she reached for the phone to call him, Libby and Pam came into her office carrying binders and stacks of papers. “Girl, this new assistant you got is on point,” Pam exclaimed. “She is definitely better than that last little girl you had in here, looking like she should still be on breast milk.” The three of them laughed out loud as they sat down.

  “Alright, give me the good news first,” Taylor ordered.

  Libby slid a binder to Taylor. “These are the numbers for the third quarter close. As you can see, I did a comparison from the 2011 third quarter. Our cost is down compared to the previous third quarter.” She flipped the page and waited for Pam and Taylor to do the same before she proceeded. “Here is a profit and loss statement, and the 2013 budget.” Pointing at the number on Taylor’s books, Libby continued. “If you turn to page fifteen, you will find the financial statements. Everything looks good.”

  Taylor closed the binder. “Sounds great. Pam, what’s going on in your department?”

  The women went over the company’s advertising strategy and the potential cost of hiring more employees. The company was rapidly growing, and that meant more revenue.

  After two hours of business talk, Libby eased into a different topic. “So, Tay, why have you been so tired at work? I know it’s not Ari because I ran into him the other day at the coffee shop on Madison and Clark. He looked rough, like he hasn’t slept in months. He gave me a half-ass wave and I turned my back like I didn’t see him.”

  “Wow,” Taylor said. “I haven’t seen Ari in almost a month. He calls every day but we have nothing to talk about.”

  Pam stood up and walked over to the window. Taylor looked at her, knowing that she was like a mind reader; she always seemed to know what was going on in Taylor’s life. And although Taylor didn’t lie often, Pam could always tell when she was lying. She had told Taylor that scratching her left ear and cocking her head to the side with a half-smile always gave her away. Pam didn’t win the best friend award for nothing; she had paid special attention to Taylor over the years.

  “So,” Pam said, “if it’s not Ari keeping you up, then who is? I know you, Tay, and that glow on your face can only come from a woman who is getting dicked really good.”

  Taylor and Libby laughed and shook their heads at Pam’s blunt remark.

  Not sure if she should reveal who her late night visitor was, or even that she had a visitor, Taylor replied, “No one, ladies. I just have a lot going on right here in the office and lately I’ve been taking work home.”

  Pam assessed Taylor closely. “Stop lying, Taylor. We’re not leaving until you tell us the truth. Come on, girl, we’re your best friends. Who the hell will you tell if you can’t tell us?”

  No one, Taylor thought.

  As the minutes ticked by, Libby’s and Pam’s eyes were fixed on Taylor. Silence. “We’re waiting,” Libby said, tapping her feet on the carpeted floor. More silence.

  Taylor was having an inner battle. There was nothing in her life that she hadn’t shared with these two women. They knew all her secrets, except for this one. If they knew she was having an affair—and with whom—they would surely go into a frenzy.

  After the long pause, Taylor broke the silence in the room. “I’ve met someone.”

  Pam took her seat and scooted closer to Taylor’s desk. “Who is he?”

  Taylor’s eyes bounced from Pam to Libby, and from Libby to Pam again.

  “Will someone please address the elephant in this room,” Libby yelled irritably.

  “Damn, Taylor, you act like you are sleeping with the devil,” Pam added.

  Silence.

  “Okay, fine. If I tell y’all who this person is, I promise you it’s not serious and we’re just kicking it, that’s all.”

  Both women said okay in unison.

  Taylor took a deep breath and decided to have no shame in her game. She was a grown-ass woman and she could do what she wanted. “It’s Kalon Knight.”

  At exactly the same time, Libby and Pam gasped in surprise. Libby’s hands flew up to her chest, with a look of terror on her face. Pam was smiling about the dirty sex secret she heard.

  “I can’t believe you are messing with that man after all I told you about him,” Libby said, disgust oozing from her tone.

  Pam held her hand up to Taylor for a high-five. “Girl, that man is fine as wine. I wanted to tap that but now that you have, that makes him officially off limits. Damn, you got to tell me if it’s true what they say about him. Is he better in bed then he looks? I can’t imagine anything being better than his fine ass.”

  Taylor crossed her arms and turned to Libby. “I heard everything you said about Kalon and it’s not like that. I’ve seen him a few times.” She then pointed to Pam. “I don’t know about telling you how good Kalon is. I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “Dang.” Pam snapped her fingers in disappointment.

  Libby fussed at Pam. “This shit isn’t funny at all.” Then she turned
to Taylor. “Wait a minute, did you say you’ve been with him a few times sexually?”

  “Yes,” Taylor said.

  “Do you remember my friend from college, Tina Waver?”

  Taylor arched her eyebrow. “Yes, what about her?”

  Libby looked up at the ceiling before continuing. “A year ago, I ran into her at my grandmother’s house; she was visiting her sister who lived next door. We started to talk and she told me about this man who broke her heart. She slept with him one time and he never called again. Never returned any of her phone calls either. To this day, it’s hard for her to take men seriously because he made her never trust what a man says.”

  “What does that have to do with me?” Taylor asked.

  “That man was Kalon Knight. Tina said a woman at her job who slept with him told her that he had a one-time rule, and after he got what he wanted from a woman, he tossed her to the side.”

  Rubbing her forehead, Libby got up and took a water from the mini fridge in the corner of Taylor’s office. “The part that doesn’t sit well with me is why he changed that rule with you.”

  Taylor already had water sitting on her desk. She took a swig. “I don’t care what type of rule he has. I’m not looking for anything serious. Maybe he did that because these women required more from him and he knew it. But he and I both know that we are using each other for sex, nothing more.”

  Pam chimed in, “Tay, it’s easier for men to sleep with women and not have feelings but you know we’re not built the same way. Be careful with your heart in this.”

  “Too late to worry about my heart, Pam. It’s broken. I don’t even know what side it beats on anymore, that space is hollow.” Thanks to Ari.

  Getting right to the point, Libby asked, “Have you talked to him about your marriage and how you’re not looking for anything serious?”

  Taylor froze in her swivel chair, hating to make this confession. “I haven’t told him I’m married, and I thought it was understood that we both wanted to just enjoy each other with no strings attached.”

  “Nooooo, Tay,” Libby drawled. “You have to tell this man about your marriage. You’re not a deceitful person and this shit can blow up in your face if he finds out from someone else. Plus how do you know what he wants? You never asked him, did you? He has already changed the rules for you, so I say be careful. Men don’t take kindly to their hearts being played with.”

  There was nothing more to be said. Taylor sat and thought to herself. If the game had changed, if Kalon now wanted to take things to the next level, surely he would have told her. Or would he?

  * * *

  At the gym, Kalon increased the treadmill speed to eight, propelling him from a jog to an all-out run. He wiped his face for the sixth time as beads of sweat rolled from his forehead to his chin then dripped down his T-shirt. Bumping the speed up another notch, he threw the white towel over the top of the machine’s digital display. A pool of sweat between his calves made his blue basketball shorts cling to his thighs.

  The hour-long workout gave him time to think about Taylor canceling their last four dates. The first night she claimed she had a headache and needed to get some rest. He understood and told her to feel better. But after she canceled on him twice more and then again this morning, he started to think there was someone else. And that thought didn’t sit well with him. Although he hadn’t asked her to be exclusive, he figured she would know by now that he wanted something more serious.

  The bad part was that he hadn’t been able to sleep the last four nights since she wasn’t there with him. His sex drive had been high ever since he lost his virginity at the age of fifteen to his cousin’s next door neighbor, Shanna. Right now his libido was doing tricks in his shorts. He hadn’t worn underwear in four days because his dick wouldn’t go down. At work, he wore loose fitting pants to keep from showing how horny he was for this woman. He needed her more than he needed food, and no other woman was going to be able to scratch his itch.

  If only I knew where she stayed. He had asked her once if he could spend time at her place and she immediately changed that subject.

  At the end of his workout, instead of doing a cool down, Kalon pressed the off button on the treadmill, making it come to a sudden halt. He felt dizzy as he stepped off, then remembered that he had not eaten all day. This woman has got me bugging.

  “Hey, Kalon, is that you?”

  He turned toward the familiar voice. Damn, Patricia. What does her stalking ass want?

  “Hey, Patricia, wazup?”

  She walked up, bouncing her double D’s in the too-small tank top and sporting her black Nike Capri leggings. “I thought that was you when I was getting my work out on the butt master machine.” She turned her butt around to give him a look. “You see how firm it’s getting?” she asked, rubbing her hands up and down her butt cheeks.

  “Yeah, they look great. I have to run, Patricia. I’m about to grab something to eat.”

  She perked up. “I was just about to eat, too. Where are you going?”

  Oh shit. Think. Think. “Actually, I’m going home to fix a sandwich and take a shower.”

  Her disappointment was replaced with a little dignity. “Oh. Well, okay just give me a call sometime. You said we were friends and all; I just want to hang out.”

  Kalon agreed to give her a call and left her standing there as he fled to the men’s locker room.

  * * *

  Taylor agreed to meet Ari at the Cheesecake Factory in Oak Brook. A public place was necessary so she could keep her swinging hands to herself, and when she got tired of listening to Ari’s bullshit she could leave. She had arrived at the restaurant earlier to have a few drinks and calm her nerves. Kalon had been calling her now for a week straight and she was running out of excuses on why she wouldn’t see him. Sitting at the bar, she ordered a drink. “I’ll take a white wine.” When the barmaid placed the glass in front of her, she took a few sips.

  In her mind, she missed Kalon and in a perfect world maybe they could have had something special. But the truth was that she was damaged goods and Kalon was her rebound guy.

  As for as Ari, she had thought long and hard on her decision. She was ready to tell him today that it was time for them both to move on.

  “Taylor, you look good.”

  She turned around to stare into the face of the man who caused her so much pain. “Hi, Ari. I think our table is ready.” The waiter walked them to a table set up for two.

  “I’m glad you finally decided to meet with me,” Ari said. “First let me tell you how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you, Taylor. You’re the love of my life.”

  Taylor took another sip of wine and listened.

  “I know you’re wondering why I did what I did. The truth is that my dad used to cheat on my mom. She found out about it but I don’t know if she knew about this part. He would take me with him to these other women’s houses and I knew it was wrong but I just didn’t know how to make it stop.”

  Taylor never knew Ari’s dad cheated on his mother. It gave her more insight into the man she thought she knew all these years. “I’m sorry, Ari, that you had to witness your father’s infidelities but it should have made you a better man. Why would you want to cause me the same pain he caused your mother? My heart is broken, Ari, beyond repair. I’m so lost I don’t think I’ll ever be able to truly trust anyone again.”

  Taking Taylor’s hand, Ari pleaded. “Baby, please just give us another chance. We can start slow and date again.”

  “I don’t know, Ari. I can’t deal with all this baby mama drama you’ve got going on. And I don’t think I can ever forgive you for fathering a child with another woman.”

  Panic was in his eyes. “Taylor, all I’m asking is for you to try.”

  She pulled her hand back and picked up her menu. “I’ll think about it.”

  They continued to talk about her company and his new flight assignments. When the meal was over, they ended the night with a simple kiss on the cheek.
>
  After dinner, Taylor went to her office to pick up her briefcase. Sitting at her desk, she thought about if she should give Ari another chance. The things that he experienced as a child did not excuse the fact that he cheated on her but she did understand. Although she had tried to turn her feelings off, she realized that she hadn’t been able to. Her heart still belonged to him.

  Trying to sort through it all, she looked around the room. There was a stack of mail on the windowsill. Immediately, she remembered the day she brought a pile of unopened mail into her office because the inefficient assistant she had at the time still hadn’t touched it hours after it had been brought to her. Sifting through the two-week old mail, she came across a manila envelope addressed to her. Inside was a DVD. Taylor took it out and flipped it over a few times. There was no label on it.

  I wonder what this is.

  She opened the disk drive on her laptop and placed the DVD inside. Windows Media Player opened up the video. At first there was just a black screen filled with static. Within minutes, a woman appeared on the video having sex with someone. It was hard to make out either face at first. But as Taylor began to squint, Ari’s face became crystal clear, then Maci’s.

  “This fucking asshole has been playing me the whole time.”

  Taylor ejected the DVD from her laptop and threw it across the room as tears rolled down her face. Her heart hardened. She picked up her Blackberry and called the only person who could comfort her.

  The voicemail she left just said, “Hey, Kalon. Can I come over?” She hung up the phone with revenge in her heart.

  “Fuck you, Ari. There will never be a ‘you and me’,” she spoke aloud to an empty office.

  Chapter 16

  Kalon fixed himself a drink from his mini bar. Taylor had just called and asked if she could come over. His first instinct was to tell her hell no but he missed her. The thought of not seeing her for an entire week was dreadful but he couldn’t let her just sashay back into his life without her fully knowing how he felt about her little stunt.