Circle of Deception

by Skye, M.

“I’m glad you love it honey because we are throwing all that other junk out.”

  “Now you know I need some work clothes,” she warned.

  “I know you do, but they don’t have to be boring,” he stormed over to the sales clerk smiling the entire way. “I need some sexy businesswoman attire.”

  “Oh god, what did I get myself into?” Meg sighed quietly.

  The other girls joined Gio and Meg on the adventure for the new wardrobe, after ending their side conversation to find Gio piling on the clothes. “You guys are buying the whole store,” Melia leaned on Meg’s shoulder.

  “You know our brother,” Meg smiled in Gio’s direction.

  “What are you thinking about?” Maddie asked when she noticed the goofy smile on Meg’s face.

  “I was just thinking back to when we met Gio.”

  He was new in town and had no family. When he crossed paths with Meg over twelve years ago, he was homeless and fending for himself. Meg found him living in an abandoned house on her street and took him home. The girl’s mother, Maria, was rarely home. She spent most of her time with whatever conquest she was involved in. The girl’s father, Emilio, was always there for holidays and birthdays, but spent much his time traveling with his job, so Meg was in charge of the house. At the youthful age of fourteen, she took up with her sisters and became the mother figure they knew.

  Once Gio was with them, he explained how his family couldn’t, or wouldn’t, accept his gay status and threatened to send him packing. After receiving their ultimatum, he simply decided to fend for himself. The rejection caused them to lose touch and he never spoke to them again. All, he would say, was they were from somewhere along the East Coast. When Meg asked how he got all the way to California, he explained that he used his last dime to buy a bus ticket to get far away.

  After the night she found him, he persisted with them from there on out. All the girls came to view him as a brother and gave him the family support he so desperately longed for, and he did the same in return. On the rare occasion, that Maria and Emilio were home, they too treated Gio like one of their own.

  Emilio saw Gio as the son he never had. He accepted him for the person he was, not who or what he was attracted to. Meg was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear Gio walk up with the final choices.

  “Earth to Meg,” Gio waved his hand in her face.

  She was brought back to reality by his snappy tone. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Let's get out of here, we need to go home and get dressed,” he said in a hurried tone.

  As they all began to trickle out of the store, Maddie grabbed Gio and pulled him into the car with her and Melia to fill him in on the plan. He quickly yelled to Meg and Emily that he would get dropped off at his car as he boarded Maddie’s car. When he climbed in the backseat, he was brought up to speed.

  “You're doing what?” he exclaimed loudly.

  “Honestly, it wasn’t the plan at first, but we couldn’t see a better opportunity than now,” Maddie said nervously.

  “I think this is deviously and backhandedly brilliant,” Gio gushed and replaced his look of shock with a satisfied grin.

  Gio knew the whole story of why they broke up and was excited that she was going to have to face him and confront the past, and possibly move forward. While sitting through the conversation, his face took on an expression of elation. He was satisfied that he took Meg and dolled her up for the evening; he knew it would be eventful to say the least.

  ***

  On the other side of town, Alex and Aiden were sitting in their living room when the phone rang. “Hey, will you get that? I don’t feel like talking,” Alex said, and walked toward the stairs.

  “Yeah, I’ll get it. Where are you going?” Aiden inquired.

  “I’m going to take a quick nap,” he replied, and disappeared upstairs.

  “Hello,” Aiden flopped back down on the couch.

  “Aiden, hello. How are you?” Maddie asked.

  “I’m wonderful. Are we still on for tonight?” he asked sounding concerned.

  She couldn’t contain her excitement. “You bet we are, but there has been a change of plans.”

  “You’ve got my attention. What are they?”

  “We just have a few more guests joining us,” she replied jovially.

  “Do you mean…”

  “Yes!” she screamed.

  “How did you get her to agree?” he asked happily. “We haven’t all been in the same room in six years.”

  “We kinda didn’t tell her.”

  “She is going to kill you,” he chuckled.

  “You’re probably right, but we have to do this. How else is he going to be able to offer her that dazzling ring he held on to for six years?” she asked, catching him off guard.

  “I’m not even going to ask you how you know about that.”

  “Does he still love her?” she asked knowingly. “Because if not, we can drop all of this.”

  “He loves her more than anything in this world. He moved back here with the sole purpose of getting her back. You just get her there.”

  “I’ll do you one better, Gio and Emily will be there too.”

  “Emily? I just spoke with her a few days back, she didn’t tell me she was coming to town,” he said, with surprise in his voice.

  “She just got back today. I just saw her, and she is in on the plan.”

  “So this means Meg isn’t going to shoot him down right?”

  “She won’t be shooting him down. She hasn’t confessed it yet, but she wants him back. I can feel it,” Maddie shrieked.

  “Well, I can’t wait for tonight,” he said enthusiastically.

  “One more thing. Don’t tell him either. I want it to be a surprise for both of them.”

  “That I can do.”

  After hanging up the phone, he fell back with a huge grin. “Boy, won’t he be surprised.”

  Chapter 2

  Surprises and Ambushes

  “One last glance,” Meg said to herself, as she looked over her appearance in the mirror.

  “Come on here sis,” Gio said, winking at her. “You look smoking hot.”

  “You don’t think it's too much?”

  “You look great, stop worrying,” he grabbed her hand.

  One reassuring look from Gio, and the nervousness in her bright hazel eyes dissolved and was replaced with a brilliant smile. She wasn’t sure why she was anxious, but the way everyone had been acting since they left the store told her that something was going on. Maybe a blind date or something, she thought. With her hand latched to Gio’s, she walked the stairs.

  She was dressed in her red dress, looking radiant. Gio always had a way of shattering her nerves and then building her up with killer confidence. The fact that he was painfully honest let her know that he meant what he said about her appearance. When they made it to the front room, Emily was sitting, waiting for them in a beautiful black halter-top dress looking simply amazing.

  “You look stunning,” Emily looked over Meg’s appearance.

  Meg’s hair was now in deep spirals and pinned into a loose up-do that accented her dress and jewelry. The smile she shot Emily after the compliment put her conflicted heart at ease as she thought about the details of the evening that they left out.

  “You dolls ready?” Gio asked, extending his arms out to both women.

  “We sure are,” Meg smiled brightly. “Where are we eating tonight?” Meg asked, once they headed to the restaurant.

  “La Bella,” Gio answered quickly.

  “I love that place, they have the best truffles.”

  “We knew you would,” he replied and chuckled.

  “Are Lele and Maddie already there?” Emily asked knowingly.

  “Yes, they have arrived,” Gio supplied, winking at her through the rearview mirror.

  When Meg saw the looks exchanged between Gio and Emily, her suspicions were confirmed. “You guys know you're not fooling me.”

  “What ar
e you talking about?” Gio asked innocently.

  “I know you're setting me up.”

  “Why on earth would you think such a thing?” Emily asked, feigning shock.

  “The clothes for one.”

  “Oh honey, you really did need new clothes, date or not,” Gio said quickly.

  “Giovanni Ivan Valenzio, you know I can smell bullshit a mile away, now tell me what you're up to.”

  “Oh, okay you got me, I have Brad Pitt waiting for you at the restaurant,” he said, and began to laugh hysterically.

  “You know you can be such a cunt,” she flashed him a grin.

  “And you can be such a pain in the ass,” he said. “We are just going to enjoy each other.”

  Emily, who was just watching the exchange, smiled when she saw Gio’s game face. Only he could go blow for blow with Meg and keep up pretenses. She had to admit, he had nerves of steel.

  When they pulled up at the restaurant, the valet opened the doors for the women, and Gio quickly tossed him the keys. Once out of the car, Gio again extended his arms to the girls and led them inside.

  “Do you have reservations?” the hostess asked as they approached the front podium.

  “We should already have a party waiting for us under the name of Hanover,” Emily replied and began to look around.

  “Hanover, which Hanover?” Meg asked warily.

  “Your sister and Matthew, of course,” Gio interrupted before Emily could answer.

  Without being fully convinced, Meg just accepted his answer and walked towards the dining area after the hostess. When they arrived at the table, she noticed Aiden there and got a bad feeling about the evening.

  All the thoughts running through her mind disappeared when she saw the warm, inviting smile of her long-lost friend. Sure she had been around Matthew, because he was married to her sister, but seeing the smile from Aiden gave her a sense of reassurance. She thought after the breakup with Alex, he might not see her as a friend anymore.

  They greeted everyone and quickly took their seats. Emily gladly took a seat next to Aiden, and Gio next to Maddie and her boyfriend, Sean. With everyone else seated, this left Meg sitting next to an empty chair on the end. Seeing all of her old friends and family in one place made her feel good, but it also made her think about Alex and the way it ended between them. She couldn’t believe how wrong she had been about him.

  While Meg engaged in conversation with Aiden and Emily, Gio took the opportunity to ask Maddie about Alex’s whereabouts. “Where is he?”

  “He stepped off for an important call, he should be back shortly.”

  “Does he know she is here?”

  “Not a clue,” she replied and smiled.

  Meg found herself staring at Aiden while engaged in conversation. He looked so much like Alex it wasn’t funny. While he was still talking, she drifted off looking over at the empty seat, secretly wishing that Alex was sitting beside her. Despite what happened between them, she still thought about him all the time. She wasn’t sure she would ever stop. When Aiden noticed her looking at the chair, he stopped talking and smiled back at Emily.

  “I guess we were right, she does miss him.”

  “What about him, do you think he misses her?”

  He smiled at her question. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Yes. Now tell me,” she insisted.

  “He still has the ring,” Aiden said gleefully.

  “Oh my god!” Emily screamed, drawing the attention of everyone at the table. They were all so distracted by Emily’s outburst that no one noticed Alex heading in their direction.

  “Hey, I’m going to run to the ladies room,” Meg said to Aiden and Emily and began to get out of her seat.

  When she stood, she bumped into a waiter standing behind her and sent the tray he was holding flying out of his hand. When she began to tumble over, she felt a set of strong arms grab her waist and pull her close. The loud crash startled everyone at the table, but was forgotten when they saw who was holding Meg’s back against his chest.

  “I’m so sorry sir,” Meg said to the waiter, before turning around to thank the man who kept her from falling.

  “It's fine. I should have been more careful. I’m just glad I wasn’t carrying anything on the tray.”

  When Meg saw the group staring at her with amused expressions, she suddenly remembered the strong set of arms clasped tightly around her waist. When she shifted her weight, he slowly released her from his grasp and she felt a surprising sense of deprivation. Even though she hadn’t seen his face, something about this polite stranger felt familiar. As she slowly turned to face him, she heard several loud gasps from the table of onlookers. When she discovered the identity of her rescuer, she felt her knees go weak, and he reached for her once more.

  “Hello, Angel Face,” he said sweetly, while holding her up.

  “Alex…” she gasped quietly, still in shock. When he smiled at her, her heart began to flutter and she felt light-headed. “I have to go.” She tried to make a fast break, but her legs gave out.

  “Let me help you,” he pulled her chair over. The table was silent as they all watched the interaction between the two people who were obviously still in love. Meg just sat there, still looking deep into his crystal-blue eyes after he helped her to her chair.

  He hadn’t changed one bit in six years. He was still gorgeous with a body to kill for. His tight silver shirt offered an enticing view of his ripped muscles, which caused her heart to skip a beat. His short blond hair was spiked with gel and his shaved face gave him a boyish look. He looked good, good enough to eat.

  He must have felt the same way about her because in the few minutes he spent helping her, his eyes never left her body. She could feel his intense stare on her and damn if she didn’t like it. When he ran his hands down her arms, she felt like she was going to burst with desire. She knew she still had feelings for him, but it wasn’t until he was within arm's reach that she realized how much she wanted him.

  The thoughts running through her head must have been transparent in her eyes because she could have sworn she saw him blushing slightly.

  The look he was giving her made her want to strip him naked right there. She almost forgot where she was until she looked up and noticed everyone staring at them. After her embarrassment had subsided, she stood to head to the ladies' room.

  “I’ll go with you,” Emily offered, and rushed over to her side of the table.

  As they made their way to the restroom, Meg shot Emily a dirty look. “I know you knew he would be here.” Without voicing a response, Emily just nodded her head.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have agreed to come,” she replied bluntly.

  “And for good reason,” Meg retorted as they made it to the restroom.

  “Did you see the look in his eyes?” Emily asked. “He is still in love with you, and I know you still love him.”

  “I may have feelings for him, but that doesn’t change what happened.”

  “Dammit I’m tired of this,” Emily snapped and began to check the stalls in the restroom.

  Meg looked at her like she was crazy. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Settling this,” she answered, and stormed out of the restroom.

  After waiting a few minutes for Emily to return, Meg decided to step into one of the stalls and relieve herself. When she closed the door to the stall, she heard the outside door open and then close. “Are you ready to apologize?” she called out, hoping to get the disagreement with Emily resolved.

  When she heard the lock click on the door, she giggled at the dramatics of her best friend.

  “So are we going to have a rumble?” she questioned as she swung the stall door open.

  When she stepped out, she found Alex standing in front of her wearing an enormous grin. “We can have a rumble if you want to.”

  “I thought you were Emily. What are you doing in here?” she asked tensely.

 
“We need to talk.”

  “This is the ladies' room,” she said and walked up to the sink. “You can’t be in here.”

  After watching her skittish behavior, he walked closer to her and looked her up and down once again. “Why are you so nervous?”

  “I’m not nervous, I just don’t want any of the other women to come in and get startled by a man here,” she responded, without turning to face him.

  “If you're not nervous,” he asked while gliding his hands down her arms, “then why won’t you face me?”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Talking to you,” he began to kiss her neck.

  “This feels like a lot more than talking,” she panted.

  “You used to love this kind of talking,” he said and pressed her hands against the wall in front of her.

  “Oh god, we can’t do this.”

  “Of course we can,” he whispered, and slithered his hands down to grip her hips tightly.

  His boldness was sending her over the edge, and he hadn’t even began half of his torment. As much as she despised feeling this way, she was glad he followed her in. She missed the sensation of them together more than she would ever admit out loud.

  “What if someone comes in?” she asked in a low, breathless voice as her doubts began to overtake her.

  “They can’t, I locked the door,” he said boldly and turned her to face him. “Do you know how damn sexy you look?”

  She couldn’t believe the situation she was in. Locked in the restroom and about to have sex right there, but shockingly, she never felt more aroused in her life. He always did have that effect on her body.

  As he made his way to her lips, he also began to slide her panties down her hips, and she worked to accommodate him. Once he got them to her thighs, he lifted her up to the sink without leaving her lips and slid them all the way off. Her soft moans in his ear drove him to slip his fingers inside her warm flesh. The sweet feel of her dripping wet insides was almost enough to send him flying over the edge, but he was determined to fight to save his self-control until he buried himself deep inside her. When he began to stroke her gently, she arched into his hand and began to fumble with his belt buckle.