Pool of Lies: All Lies Have Consequences...

by Small,DJ

  The thought jarred Ava from her musing, and she asked, “How do you know?”

  The woman shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. If you want more, you know what I want.”

  The lack of an answer and the woman’s vague request irritated Ava. “I don’t do private dances.”

  The woman dropped the butt of her cigarette onto the ground, and she put it out with the heel of her boot. “I guess I’ll keep my cash to myself then.” The smug response further irritated Ava and she almost wanted to punch the woman. A smirk appeared on the woman’s arrogant face then she looked up at the sky. “It’s getting late, Sunshine, why don’t you head on home.”

  Ava scowled when the woman used her stage name. Not only did she hate it in general, but hearing it come from this woman made her hate it even more. The ridiculous name had been given to her by the manager of the club after he had seen her audition. He had said that her presence on stage was like that of a ray of sunshine. “Don’t call me that.”

  The woman lowered her head and gave a brief chuckle. “What else am I supposed to call you? That’s the only name I have for you, darlin’.”

  That nickname was even worse than Ava’s stage name. “Don’t call me that either. I’m not going to tell you my name.” She scoffed. It was getting late, and she was growing tired of the circular conversation that she was currently engaged in. “I don’t even know why I’m still talking to you. I should just do like you said and go home.”

  The woman took a step closer to Ava and said in a low voice, “You and I both know why you’re still talking to me.” She smirked. “But if you’re going to play this game, then I can do the same.” With the woman standing closer to her, Ava remembered why she was talking to this stranger that intrigued her on so many levels. The dark-haired woman leaned in, and Ava’s breathing faltered as she waited in nervous anticipation for the woman’s next move. The sound of her car door opening brought her back to reality. She looked into the woman’s eyes, and saw the playful glint that was in them as she grinned at Ava. “Well?”

  After taking another second to gather her wits, Ava glared at the woman. She had no idea what she had been expecting, but she felt ridiculous for having expectations at all. She turned, and tossed her bag into the passenger seat. Ava ducked into the car and looked up at the woman, who was still holding the door open. “Are you going to close my door since you’re playing the chivalry card?”

  The woman chuckled and shook her head. She gave Ava a slight nod then said, “Have a good night, Sunshine.” She closed the door and Ava watched as she turned around then headed for a dark blue motorcycle. She continued to watch as the woman hopped onto the bike and brought the loud engine to life. She revved the engine a couple of times, then took off.

  Ava rested her forehead against the window and took several deep breaths. She wasn’t someone who got frazzled easily, but that woman had thrown her entire night into a tailspin. Her and her captivating eyes had done something to Ava, and it unhinged her, but in a good way. She took another breath, then sat up and started the car.

  During her drive home, Ava couldn’t stop herself from thinking about the sexy, mysterious woman that had irritated the hell out of her. Ava wondered if she would see her at the club again since she had been to it before. As her mind began to turn to menial thoughts about the stranger, a small part of her hoped that she would see her again, while a larger part hoped that she wouldn’t cross paths with the woman again.

  Chapter Two

  Ava walked into her apartment a little after three in the morning. She carefully closed the front door, then dropped her shoulder bag onto the floor. Ava gently placed her keys in the ceramic bowl that was on the table in the entryway, then headed for the stairs. She was exhausted, and all she wanted was a hot shower and her comfortable bed. Once upstairs, Ava walked to her room.

  Walking through the room, she left the lights off and silently made her way to the en suite bathroom. Ava had just crossed the threshold of the bathroom, when a soft groan came from the bed. She stopped walking and her body tensed up. Ava waited a moment. When a full minute had passed and the room remained silent, Ava walked quickly into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

  She leaned against the door and took several deep breaths to slow her racing heart. As soon as it was back to a regular rhythm, she flipped the switch that turned on the vanity lights that were above the bathroom mirror. She glanced at her reflection, and grimaced. She looked worn out, and only some of it was caused by her makeup, which was smudged because she had wiped it off in a rush at the club. The rest of it was true exhaustion. Ava made her way over to the shower and started it. She stripped out of the sweatpants and t-shirt that she was wearing then got in.

  Ava scrubbed away the stench of booze, smoke, and the plethora of other scents that clung to her skin that were from the club. She then gave her hair a thorough washing to get all the hair product out of it. When she stepped out of the shower, Ava felt like her usual self, and when she looked in the mirror, the person that she had come to be over the last few years stared back at her. Who she was at the club was hardly an alter ego, but she felt more like her true self when she was there.

  Ava wrapped a thick towel around her body then turned off the lights before making her way into the bedroom. She went over to the dresser, and just as she pulled open the drawer that held her pajamas, a lamp turned on and a tired voice asked, “Are you just getting in?”

  Ava took out a pair of pajama bottoms and pulled them on after she turned to look at her wife. “Yeah. I lost track of time at the hospital. I thought I was close to a breakthrough, and next thing I knew, it was two in the morning.” She grimaced a little. “I’m sorry, Robin.”

  Robin rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms and as she lowered her them, she scrutinized Ava with bleary eyes. “Ava, what the hell is this super secret project that you’re working on? It’s got you coming home later, and between it and your normal hours, I hardly see you anymore.”

  Ava walked over to Robin’s side of the bed and sat down on the edge of it, taking hold of her wife’s hand. “I know babe.” Ava had told Robin the reason why she was staying late at the hospital was because of a project that she was working on. She didn’t like lying to her wife, but she enjoyed having something that was just hers. Another rationalization Ava had come to, was that Robin wouldn’t understand why she needed to dance. Her wife would probably take it personally, and that wasn’t the case. It had nothing to do with her. Ava leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Hopefully within a few months I’ll figure it out and will be able to come home at a decent hour.”

  Robin pulled her head back. “Months?” She scoffed. “Ava, I’m not going to wait around for months while you lock yourself in that hospital trying to solve some medical mystery. It’s not fair, and I’m a little hurt that you would rather spend more time at work than with me.”

  Ava sighed as she stood up from the bed. She walked over to the dresser and got out the top that matched her pajama bottoms. Lying and fighting with her wife was something that she didn’t want to do, but Ava wasn’t ready to give up her other job nor was she ready to tell Robin about it. Consequently, her work had become a frequent point of argument between them over the last few months. Ava pulled on the silk camisole. “What do you want me to do, Robin? Tell the hospital that one of their best surgeons can’t work on the project because her wife wants her home at four?” She shook her head. “You know that’s not how my job works.”

  Robin got out of bed and snapped, “I know that isn’t how your job works, but when you volunteer for projects that keep you from coming home at a reasonable hour, it becomes a problem.” She gestured towards Ava. “You don’t have to volunteer for every special research project that comes along,”

  Ava scowled at Robin and shook her head. She walked over to her side of the bed and pulled back the blanket, staying silent as she got into it. It wasn’t that she had nothing to argue back with, she just
didn’t want to continue. Not only were they arguing over a fictitious project, but at some point during their disagreement Robin was going to say something that she actually meant and that would result in a genuine argument. Ava got comfortable, resting back on the headboard to look at Robin.

  The two of them didn’t say anything for the longest time, then Ava said, “You know why I do the things I do. I told you a long time ago where I wanted to be. You accepted that. If you have a problem with it then you shouldn’t have married me.”

  “Oh, fucking come on, Ava! You can’t pull that shit on me!” Robin exclaimed as she looked up at the ceiling. She looked back at Ava. “You can’t make me the bad guy here. I support you and your dreams. All I’m fucking asking you to do is come home at a decent hour.” Her voice rose as she asked, “Is that too much to ask for?”

  Ava let her head fall back against the headboard and she gazed up at the ceiling. She sighed. She was tired, and done arguing with Robin. Ava cleared her throat then said, “No. It’s not.”

  Robin threw her hands up in the air. “Fucking finally, an honest answer!” Ava brought her head down and glared at her. “Sorry. But getting you to admit such a thing is like pulling teeth.”

  Ava nodded then lowered herself further down the bed so that she could lay her head on her pillow. “I know. I’m sorry too. But Robin, you do know that me coming home at decent hour isn’t going to happen right away? I have to get other people involved, and make sure they’re up to date and-”

  “I know, I know.” Robin sighed. She got into bed and lay on her back. “As long as you promise that it won’t take too long, then I’ll be understanding. Do what you need to do so that you can get home earlier.”

  Ava rolled onto her side so that she could face Robin. She traced the shell of her wife’s ear with the tip of her finger. If this was the lie that was going to give her some time to figure out what to do, then it was a necessary one. She smiled a little then told her, “I promise.” Robin turned her head and kissed Ava’s finger then she moved closer so that she could kiss her on the mouth. The kiss lasted a few seconds, before Ava pulled back. She smiled and said, “Once I have my schedule back to normal, I plan to make it up to you.”

  Robin chuckled and remarked, “I’m not going to hold my breath on that one.”

  Ava moved her hand under the cover to pinch her wife’s side, and Robin drew in a sharp breath through her teeth. “I am.” Ava smiled. “I was thinking we could take a trip to France. Stay at a nice inn or hotel that has a great view of the Seine and we can spend the entire time making love.”She slid the hand that was resting on Robin’s waist to her ass and Ava squeezed the toned muscle.

  Robin chuckled. “As I said, I will believe it when I see it.” She ran her hand through Ava’s damp hair. “I know how you get when you’re in medical research mode.”

  Ava kissed the underside of Robin’s jaw then murmured, “Oh, it’s going to happen. I’m already thinking of the numerous places that we’ll be having sex.”

  Robin let out a small laugh. “I’m sure you are.” She kissed Ava then said, “We have to go to sleep. We’re having brunch with your parents in the morning.” Ava shook her head then moved her hand to where it was between them. She slid the roaming appendage down the front of Robin’s shorts. “We really have to get some sleep. I don’t want to give your mother another reason to dislike me since she already thinks so highly of me.”

  Ava smirked, then kissed the side of Robin’s neck before she gave it a gentle bite. She whispered in Robin’s ear, “My mom will be fine, so let’s not talk about her anymore.” She took Robin’s earlobe between her teeth then gave it a gentle tug. “I want to feel you,” Ava breathed against her ear. Robin turned her head to met Ava’s lips for a passionate kiss while the hand inside of her shorts started to caress the sensitive flesh between her thighs.

  Ava felt bad that she was using sex to help Robin move on from their almost-argument, but she didn’t want them to dwell on it. At some point, she was going to have to figure out what to do. She could only tell so many lies before her wife found out about her second job. That left Ava with two options; she could tell Robin about her being an exotic dancer, or she could quit. As Robin’s tongue glided into her mouth Ava focused on making love to her wife. She would think about what she would need to do later.

  ∞

  The alarm went off at nine o’clock and Ava groaned as she pulled the thick comforter over her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the fact that she was waking up at such an ungodly hour on the weekend. Robin reached over her so that she could turn off the alarm, and as soon as she was lying back down, Ava cuddled up to her. Robin let out a small chuckle. “I told you we should have gone to bed.” Ava grunted and Robin chuckled some more. She kissed Ava’s forehead. “Care to join me for a jog this morning?”

  Ava sighed and resigned to the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. Robin going on a jog provided her with an opportunity to go run a few errands. She lifted her head and brushed her hair out of her face. “Not today babe.” Robin frowned.

  “I need to do a quick errand before we go to my parents. We can’t show up empty handed now can we?”

  Robin forced out a breath then said, “No, I guess we can’t.” She moved to get out of bed. “That would give your mother more ammo to use against me.”

  Ava smirked as she watched Robin head for their bathroom. “You don’t work today, do you?”

  Robin looked at her, irritation written all over her face. “Why, Ava?”

  Ava held up her hand defensively. “I was just double checking. I want to apologize for being an absent wife so I thought I would take you out to dinner tonight.”

  Robin’s eyes squinted a little then relaxed when she grinned and said, “I’ll have to check my schedule.”Ava laughed as she went into the bathroom. She knew that her wife didn’t have to work, but she wanted to be sure.

  They both had chaotic schedules, so at the start of their relationship they had decided to make sure that she and Robin had the weekends off in order for them to spend time with each other. It was something that they’d been doing for the last three years, the only recent change to it was that they saw Ava’s parents on the weekend too, which they had been doing for the last year.

  Ava and Robin would have a meal with them one day then on the other they would go out, or just stay at home and cuddle on the couch. Today they were having brunch with Ava’s parents, and she was thankful for that. She didn’t want to sit through another long dinner with her mother.

  Ava rolled out of bed and headed for their closet so that she could get dressed. Once she was dressed, she went into the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. Robin was brushing her teeth, and she gave Ava a lopsided, toothpaste covered smile as she entered. Ava returned the smile then picked up her hairbrush. She and Robin getting ready together was something that Ava usually cherished because it was the only part of the day where she was able to spend time with her wife and there were no interruptions.

  However, the guilt that Ava felt for all of the lies she had told Robin overshadowed their time together this morning and it weighed heavily upon her. She glanced at her wife in the mirror. She didn’t want to destroy her marriage. Ava loved Robin, and compared to other people’s marriages, theirs was actually pretty great in spite of the arguments they had been having about Ava’s work. Ava sighed as she came to a decision. She was going to tell Robin about her second job at dinner tonight, and was going to accept whatever consequences came her way.

  After Robin finished brushing her teeth she gave Ava’s cheek a quick kiss then said, “I’m going to get dressed then head out. Okay?” Ava nodded, then another kiss was placed on her cheek. “I love you.”

  Ava smiled a little. “I love you too.”

  Robin left the bathroom and Ava closed her eyes. Telling Robin that she was an exotic dancer was going to be hard, but she had to do it. Robin deserved the truth. She would have que
stions, and Ava was going to do her best to answer them. She just hoped that her wife would understand why she needed to do it. Ava took a deep breath and blew it out then she finished doing her hair before brushing her teeth.

  When she was done in the bathroom, Ava went back into the bedroom, and padded over to the closet to get a pair of shoes. After she had those on, Ava left their apartment and headed for the parking garage. She walked to her car, and once she was inside and had the door closed, Ava unlocked the center console.

  She opened the compartment, and pulled out an envelope that was stuffed full of cash. Ava dropped it into the passenger seat then started up the car and left. Her first stop was the bank where she had her single account at. Ava had earned several thousand dollars working at the club the last few weeks and she had to do something with it.

  The teller at the window called for the next customer and Ava walked up to it. She smiled at the woman. “I need to deposit two thousand of this into my account, then I would like the remainder turned into a bank check made out to the Children’s Medical Research Foundation.”

  The woman nodded as she took the thick envelope. Ava noticed the way the woman eyed the money in skeptical manner and said, “I sold a car online.” The skeptical look disappeared from the teller’s face after she heard Ava’s explanation, and she processed her transaction. Once everything was finished, Ava left the bank with her check.

  Her next stop was located in the town that was next to hers. Ava pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, then went inside and headed up to the administrative floor of the building. When she walked into the reception area, the woman manning the desk gave her a polite smile. “Good morning, how may I help you?”