Would I Lie to You?

by Trisha R. Thomas

  The phone rang at the exact same time the microwave bell went off. She pulled the hot bag of popcorn out, tossing it to the counter then chasing down the phone receiver.

  She used her fake groggy voice. “Hello.” She didn’t want Airic knowing she’d stayed up waiting for his call. It was nearly midnight, East Coast time.

  “Has Honey called yet?” The voice was light and familiar, but not Airic’s.

  “No. Not yet.” She gave serious thought to being angry but it wouldn’t be genuine. She wasn’t truly annoyed. “Exactly what do you want to talk about? Let’s get it over with.” She pulled the bag of popcorn open, ignoring the hot steam and tasting a buttery kernel but leaving the rest behind as she paced nervously around the apartment.

  “Okay, what does Honey do, what’s he look like, how’d you two meet?”

  “Sizing up the competition?”

  “Always gotta know what your competition is up to. Number one rule of business.”

  “So this is business, Jake?” She added his name almost as an afterthought.

  “My philosophies serve me well in all aspects of my life. So you’re going to answer my questions?”

  “He’s a delectable six foot two inches tall, wide shoulders, tight abs, kind of a Tyson Beckford thing going for him. He’s a self-motivated businessman who’s done quite well for himself. He’s sent me flowers every Friday since I’ve known him, regardless of where I am, what I’m doing. He sings to me and makes love like a Harlequin hero. I don’t believe I’ve left anything out.”

  “Okay, let me read this back to you. He’s around six feet tall, too slim for your liking but there are more important things to be mad at. He’s on the light-skinned side, but if he were as chocolate as Tyson Beckford he’d be near perfect. He works himself into the ground and sends you flowers to apologize for not having enough quality time. He keeps you laughing so you won’t notice the bigger issues. He’s a little stiff in bed but you’ve read enough romance novels to keep you going. Did I leave anything out?”

  A part of Venus wanted to laugh, the other part wanted to hang up before he delved any further. Was she that transparent?

  She sucked her teeth. “So you’ve scoped out the competition; now what?”

  “Define the plan of action. Zero in on the weakness, build from there.”

  “Sounds like it came out of a playbook. We’re talking about a relationship here? That’s how you go about things?” Venus was walking around her apartment, the phone cradled against her ear while she straightened pillows and not-quite-centered art on the walls. She’d straighten, take a step back, straighten again, a nervous habit.

  “Absolutely.”

  “And will you let me in on this plan, or is it a secret attack?”

  “Oh, you’ll definitely know what’s going down. Won’t be a question.” He laughed with invigorating confidence.

  Venus stopped pacing and found herself in front of the long maple-framed mirror that hung on her bedroom door. Reaching out to straighten it, she realized it was she who was crooked. Not quite centered. Wearing nothing but Airic’s flannel shirt that stopped above her knees, she leaned in closer making a confrontation with herself. Caramel brown skin year-round. Honest eyes. Direct. No lies. No tricks. Smart and savvy, especially when she wore her DKNY suit, the black one with the tight-fitting slacks. She was power in that suit. She pulled back to examine herself all the way down to the toes. Nice ankles and calves. She’d come to appreciate her legs, give them the respect they deserved. So what if they weren’t long and sensuous. More like an undersized gymnast. But they worked well with her spiked toe pumps, the ones that made her calf muscles stay in permanent flex.

  “Tell me what you’re wearing.”

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  She listened again, while his voice went lower, softer, “Don’t be shy, just tell me.” A perfect mix of titillation and fear began to rise through her. She placed a finger at the base of her clavicle and trailed down the center of her chest until it stopped at the closed button. The worn hole released easily. She let her hand travel the length of her nude front, down the flatness of her tummy. She walked back to the bed and climbed underneath the down comforter. “Why are you doing this? Is there some kind of bet on the table?”

  “You’re beautiful.” He paused, his voice swirling in her head. “You’re intelligent and sexy, an unbeatable combination. Now your turn. Why me?”

  She tried to tighten her breathing so he wouldn’t know the unsettling war he was causing. “You’re the one who called me. I didn’t call you.”

  “You asked me to call. You didn’t say it out loud, but trust me, the point was made.”

  “I’m going to hang up now.” Venus said it lightly and without resolve, waiting for him to protest, a small plea for her to stay on the line. He responded with only silence. Daring her, challenging her to walk away. She slid her finger to the large middle button on the phone. “I’m going to hang up now,” her final threat.

  The phone hummed then screamed in her ear before she could press the button … if you’d like to make a call please hang up. She lay there confused, her pulse erratic from the stimulation of Jake Parson’s voice in her ear. “Idiot. Fool,” she whispered to the unmoving ceiling fan above her head. She wrapped the pillow around her face, encasing her scream. Women were so gullible. A little attention, an ounce of wide-eyed enthusiasm, and out went all logic and reason.

  She jumped when the phone rang, this time lifting herself up to see who was calling on the small white box. Her own name appeared in the digital readout, Johnston Venus.

  “Airic,” she breathed out in relief, the one and only, honey.

  “Yes, hi. Sorry it’s so late. Did I wake you?”

  “I wasn’t asleep, just daydreaming with my eyes closed.”

  “Good news. I can make it out there this weekend. I’ll be there first thing in the morning. I’m actually on my way to the airport now.”

  “What happened? I thought you had to work,” she asked cautiously.

  “Nothing’s right without you. I’ll work tomorrow after dinner knowing you’re in the next room instead of miles away.”

  “Okay.” Hesitating. “See you in the morning.” She let the phone slide out of her hand and squeezed the cool comfort of the pillow to her face, pushing it hard against her mouth. Her thoughts were still defiant, why didn’t you call earlier, what keeps you from picking up the phone just once before one o’clock in the morning? It happened more frequently than she liked to admit since she’d come to Los Angeles. Airic forgetting to call, then calling as if he hadn’t forgotten anything at all. His work, his schedule.

  The phone rang again. Venus pulled herself up on her elbows. Unknown name. Unknown number. She snatched the cord out of the wall. She wouldn’t be a fool twice.

  GRAVY AND BEANS

  SHE’D dreamt of kissing him, his hands holding her tight around the waist. Venus usually only had crazy dreams when something was weighing heavily on her mind. Too much to handle while awake so it had to be dealt with on a subconscious level. Like she and Jake Parson sliding all over each other in a full embrace at the edge of a sandy shore. Rolling around until the water soaked their bodies, causing her to gasp for breath until she’d awakened.

  She was an awful person who didn’t deserve a fiancé who would fly five and a half hours just to see her. She slid a hand under the cover, between her legs, curious if it was all the workings of her mind, if her body had participated in the betrayal as well. She was greeted by warm moistness. Deliciousness wasted on an arrogant man. She removed her guilty fingers, wiping the evidence against her thigh.

  That’s all it was. Boredom. Jake Parson wasn’t anything new. Nothing she hadn’t seen before. Washington, D.C., was full of them—good-looking black men with charisma and charm, deep voices and lively personalities. Jake Parson wasn’t special. Just because he was rich and sexy and had a good phone-sex voice didn’t mean he was a prize. Besides, she had Airic. W
hat more could a girl ask for?

  AIRIC looked like he’d stayed awake through the entire night flight. His eyes were laced with red spider veins. Underneath were pools of darkness that made an appearance whenever he was heavily stressed. Venus hadn’t seen him look this tired in a long time, not since last May when his company had its initial public offering. The nerve-racking expectations. He’d hired a squad of high-tech cubs with promises of great returns, stock options dangled as carrots before their eyes. If the IPO didn’t produce the results he was expecting, he feared his young staff would take their bat and ball and go home, play for another team, a winning team.

  All the worry turned out to be a waste of time. The stock was released at $24 a share and climbed to almost $200 at the closing bell. She remembered the way he picked her up and spun her around, a kiss that left her breathless and dizzy. They were rich, at least he was, for a whole three days before the stock eased down to a comfortable $120 a share. It was still more than he’d anticipated. He now boasted a staff of twenty. The raft was stable in angry waters. The company was doing well, at least that’s what he continually reassured her. She didn’t know what to believe on days like this when he looked like he’d been run over and left on the side of the road.

  “Long ride?” She tippy-toed to reach his face, kissing him softly. “As soon as we get to my place I’m going to run you a hot bath and fix you some tea. You’re going to take a soak, then climb into bed.”

  “Yeah, that’d be nice.” His eyes stayed fixed and straight ahead.

  She was speechless. Where was his protest, his jokes about pampering being another marketing ploy like Valentine’s, Mother’s, and Father’s Day. Just another excuse that required a trip to the mall. Where was the comic influx? It’s not that bad, honey, I still have enough energy to make you scream like a girl. Then she’d say, I am a girl, and he would say, well then, my work is done. None of that. Only his sluggish lean body pressing on her as if she had to carry him the last mile. She stopped and turned to face him. “Baby, are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Tired. I didn’t sleep on the plane.” He pursed his lips and kissed her forehead. The lines more defined around his eyes. Older than Venus by a solid ten years. Neither one of them had any time to waste. Although he’d already experienced fatherhood, a marriage, and the divorce that followed, he’d made it clear that it would be all fresh and new again. A partnership, 50–50 right down the middle when they had children of their own. Why should she have to give up a career that she loved? They agreed on just about everything, even wrote it out. It made sense.

  Now, when she looked at him, his head leaning slightly against the passenger window, a frosted mist forming near his open mouth, she couldn’t see how things could be split down the middle. He was working so hard.

  What had she done last night? Listen on the phone while a man seduced her. Cried her eyes out until she fell asleep feeling like a lecherous pig for betraying Airic’s trust. The man who’d touched her life in more ways than she could name, standing by her when she needed a wall to lean on, underneath her when she needed a stable foundation, and too many times, simply a hand to hold.

  “I love you, baby.” She reached across letting her hand glide softly down his cheek. She traced his ear and stroked his fine soft hair. He needed a trim.

  The hostage line in the parking lot began to move. She was next to pay her ransom. She pulled out a ten and waited at the open window before she realized there would be no change. The Ethiopian parking attendant sat patiently while she daydreamed and smiled at her when she finally snapped out of it. The orange-and-white-striped gate had lifted. She put the car in gear and sped off.

  What was she doing here in Los Angeles, her on one side of the world, Airic on the other?

  He needed her, she needed him, but now they were miles apart from each other. Was it some kind of death wish she secretly harbored for the relationship? Why had she taken the assignment so quickly? She guided her shiny white BMW over the concrete bridge and joined the five-lane traffic jam on the 405 freeway. The sky was a dim, flat gray. The sun was nothing more than a smoldering haze, no circular shape or definition to it. Not like back home. Oh! She said it again. Back home. Then what was she doing here in Los Angeles? She’d asked herself that question numerous times. Her answer always straight from the pages of Essence, O, and New Woman … unleashing her career potential, setting goals and overcoming fears. She was, after all, the millennium woman. You can have everything, right, she said to herself while tilting the rearview mirror for an eye-to-eye look at herself. Underneath it all, she simply wanted to be loved … unconditionally loved. A husband, a baby, a home with a cuddly little dog. Well, she was halfway there. She had the house in D.C. and her precious little Sandy, a pretty brown cocker spaniel, a constant reminder of Clint Fairchild. The gift that kept on giving like a Post-it note on her forehead reminding her of what she’d lost.

  AT home Venus massaged Airic’s back and shoulders, her petite brown hands working hard but not seeming to cover enough square footage of his long narrow torso. Her fingers covered with lavender oil stretched and kneaded his skin. When she was too tired to rub another muscle, she pulled the sheet up around his glistening shoulders. His eyes, covered by the thick curved lashes, remained still. She leaned over him wondering if he was in dreamland. Was she in there? Did he have his arms wrapped around her waist? Was he pulling her chin up, awaiting a kiss?

  She was too old for romance. Good grief, she knew romance was about as useful as a paper towel. It did a fine job on first use, but it was temporary. Nothing worked like an old-fashioned cotton towel. Even when the edges got ragged, frayed, and thin, it did the job. Yet she couldn’t help but feel like something crucial was missing. She couldn’t help thinking of Jake Parson.

  The phone rang loudly next to the bed. Airic’s body lay still, not even a twitch. He stayed on his stomach, his head resting on his crossed arms.

  Venus bounced off the bed and carried the phone into the living room without looking at the caller ID.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey there. Just checking to see if you can pick up some peppermint extract on your way over for dinner.”

  Her eyes widened. Venus had forgotten about dinner at her parents’ house. There was no way she could drag Airic out for an excruciatingly painful Q & A session with her mother, not as exhausted as he was.

  “I can’t come. I’m sorry, I should have called earlier, but I’ve been playing nursemaid over here with Airic. He’s tired. Not feeling well.” Venus looked around the room as if another excuse could be found.

  “Well, if he’s that tired, why’d he bother to come?”

  “Guess he needed to see me, just like I needed to see him.” So there. Her mother was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it was Venus’s track record that concerned her. The inevitable ending.

  “I’ll bring over a couple of plates. If he’s not feeling well, he certainly doesn’t need to eat any of your canned specialties.”

  Venus bit her lip to keep from saying something rude. Her mother wouldn’t tolerate it.

  “What’d you fix?”

  “Brown rice, stripped beef, asparagus.”

  “With thick gravy?”

  “Same way you’ve been eating it for thirty years.”

  “I’m sure he’d appreciate it. I know I would. Thank you, Mom.”

  Venus looked around the apartment and started working quickly to put it into mother-inspection shape. She picked up the magazines and moved them into a stack on the glass coffee table. When she leaned over to pick up Airic’s socks and shoes, she saw a manila folder peeking from underneath the skirt of the couch. She leaned over and picked it up. Something Airic must’ve been looking at while he waited for Venus to run his bathwater. She looked around for his briefcase to put it in so he wouldn’t leave it behind when he left Monday. It was a natural habit to look inside.

  She opened it to the yellow-lined paper filled with notes,
jotted numbers, and dates. She scanned the single sheet, then closed the file and was about to slide it into the black attache before it hit her; those were future dates, with future earnings and stock prices. How would he know what the prices would be before the date happened? He had no control over that kind of thing. She opened it again and studied the dates. It was some kind of formula that calculated probability. Ah, her specialty. She always helped when she could, and he respected her business opinion and advice. She set it aside and planned to tackle it after dinner. She picked up his socks and tucked them into his shoes, threw his jacket over her arm, and grabbed his overnight bag. She took everything to the bedroom where he lay sleeping. When she passed him a second time, she pulled the chenille throw over his shoulders. He didn’t stir.

  THE telephone rang in two short bursts, signaling the intercom outside of her building. She picked up the phone quickly so it wouldn’t wake Airic.

  “It’s me, Venus.” Her mother’s voice always gave her away, whether she was tired, disgusted, or in a really good mood. Today qualified as tired.

  “Do you need some help, Mom?”

  “I need you to open this door before I drop these hot plates.” Then again, maybe it was disgust.

  Venus overheard the sound of the electronic lock releasing. She hung up the phone and raced down the elevator to meet her mother.

  “I got it.” Venus stuck her body between the elevator doors and reached out for the bag. Pauletta was wearing her favorite black exercise pants that she never exercised in, with a long white T-shirt that said BERMUDA, accentuating the spread of time she was trying to cover.

  “Airic’s still sleeping.”

  “Oh, okay, well I’ll see him another time.” Her mother stayed on the lobby floor.