The Lies We Tell for Love (The Love, Lies & Lust Series)

by Mz. Robinson

  “You’re probably right,” I agreed with her.

  “One thing I’m sure of,” she said assertively, “is that nothing happened last night between me and Kelly other than conversation.”

  I decided to leave well enough alone and push the images of Kelly and my wife out of my mind. I trusted Octavia, and I knew if there was anything to find out about her and Kelly, it would eventually come to light. Until then, there was no sense in making unfounded accusations.

  ***

  I returned my mother’s call and filled her in on what was going on.

  “Send Charlene my love,” she told me. “Octavia and Charles too.”

  “I will.”

  “Your father and I will be there next week to visit,” she informed me. “I haven’t seen Charlene since Jasmine was born. We are long overdue for a reunion.”

  “Sounds good,” I said sincerely. “Maybe we can crank up the grill.”

  “Perfect, darling,” Mama purred. “Your father and I will bring a covered dish.”

  “Wait…Mama, you’re cooking?”

  “Um…no!” she said sarcastically. “I just said I’ll bring the dish. Isabella will prepare whatever’s going in it.”

  I chuckled. “I should have known.

  “It’s either Isabella or Publix,” she offered. “Take your pick.”

  “Don’t worry about either,” I told her. “You and Daddy just get here, and Octavia and I will handle the rest.”

  “That sounds even better,” she said.

  ***

  That night I sat with Jasmine lying on one side of my chest and Octavia’s head nestled on the other. I thought about Donovan and where he would fit into the picture if he was there with us. Earlier Octavia, Jasmine, and myself had enjoyed dinner with Charlene and Charles at their home. It was there that I informed Octavia’s parents that my mother sent her love and that she and my father would be in town the following week. Both Charlene and Charles seemed happy to hear it, but nothing could top their expression when Octavia announced that we were sending the two of them on an all-expense-paid trip to Paris.

  I was watching the six o’clock news with my two favorite girls lying next to me when I saw Gia’s face on the television screen. According to the reporter, the girl was found at DNA Diagnostics, hanging from a third-story window. “Officers say they do not suspect foul play,” the anchorwoman reported. “Miss Gia Diamante looks to be the victim of suicide.”

  “That is so sad,” Octavia commented, stretching her legs out in front of her. “I wonder what she was going through that made her feel like she had to take their own life.”

  I wasn’t there, but I was willing to bet money that Gia’s death was far from a suicide. “I don’t know,” I said. “People often feel like they have no one to talk to.”

  “True.” Octavia stood and stretched. “I’m going to go give Sleeping Beauty her bath then lay her down.” She bent down and kissed me on the lips before lifting Jasmine off my chest. “Be back in a little bit.”

  I waited until the coast was clear before I called Lawrence.

  “Talk to me.”

  “When I said to make sure she remained quiet, I didn’t mean murder,” I whispered into the phone. “Damn, man. Is that your only solution?”

  “It’s the best way to guarantee they’re going to keep quiet,” Lawrence said, yawning into the phone, “but why don’t you tell me who we’re talking about.”

  “The blonde,” I said.

  “Oh. Look, I know this is hard to believe,” Lawrence said, “but it wasn’t me.”

  “What?”

  “Nope. She was gone by the time I got to her crib,” he said. “I waited for a minute, but when there was no sign of her, I headed over to your baby-mama’s spot.”

  “What happened there?” I asked quickly.

  “Well, I waited for an hour for the tramp,” he said sarcastically. “After seeing no movement, I went to her door. Her assistant, Mindy or Mary or—”

  “María,” I said, helping him out.

  “Yeah, that’s it. María said Nadia had been gone for a few days,” Lawrence told me. “MIA.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what I said.” He blew into the phone. “She said she got a phone call and packed up and kicked rocks.”

  “So you have no idea where the crazy bitch is?” I said, stating the obvious.

  “Not a damn clue,” Lawrence advised. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she knew we were coming.”

  I pondered the idea for a brief second. “What about my son?” I questioned.

  “That’s the good news. I do know where your boy is,” Lawrence advised me.

  “Where?”

  “In New York, with his great grandmother.”

  Chapter 33

  Octavia

  I was looking forward to seeing both of my in-laws, but I missed Ilene the most. She’s a diva and dramatic as hell from time to time, but I love her to death. Amel and I were coming along slowly but surely with the plans for her wedding and reception, and I was enjoying every moment. Without a doubt, I was in need of some girl time, considering my bestie was still who-knows-where and had suddenly developed a bad case of I-can’t-call-nobody syndrome. I needed to hang out with a friend, and Amel would have to do. The two of us had just completed the seating arrangement chart for the reception when Katlyn knocked, announcing I had a visitor.

  “I’ll talk to you later.” Amel smiled and headed out the door.

  “Talk later,” I said to Amel. “You can send them in,” I advised Katlyn, who was standing at the office door.

  A minute later, Kelly strolled through my door, wearing a cream tailored suit, soft pink shirt, and gold tie. He was carrying a dozen long-stemmed roses. I hadn’t heard or seen him since the night of my drinking binge, so it caught me a bit off guard. He came in and sat down without an invitation, then smiled at me and laid the roses across my desk.

  “You shouldn’t have,” I said seriously.

  “Aw, it was nothing,” he said, staring at me.

  Once again, his gray eyes felt like they were penetrating me, and I suddenly wished I had told Katlyn to leave my office door open. Is it safe to say I didn’t trust myself with Kelly? Absolutely! “Again, you shouldn’t have,” I said.

  “I just wanted to come by and see for myself how you are doing.”

  “I’m good.” I smiled. “Thank you for your concern.”

  “I care,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “I told you that.”

  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” I told him nicely. “However, I think it’s best if you and I refrain from contact from here on out.”

  “Why? Are you afraid?” he asked.

  “No,” I lied. “Not at all.” The voice in my head was screaming, Hell yes!

  I watched as he smiled, then began to clap his hands. “Bravo, Bravo,” he said. “You are a very good actress, Octavia.”

  “I-I don’t understand.”

  “You can pretend all you want,” he told me, “but we both know the chemistry between us is only going to get better.” Kelly looked extremely confident.

  “Better? How?” I asked.

  “The more we see each other, the stronger the connection,” he said. “You can try to deny it. You can tell yourself you’re so in love with your husband that you would never touch another man, but we both know that’s a lie.”

  I was frustrated and annoyed with Kelly’s choice of conversation. “What do you want from me, Kelly?” I asked impatiently.

  “It’s simple.” Kelly stood and adjusted his jacket.

  “And what’s that?” I asked.

  “I want you, Octavia,” he said, turning to walk to the door. “And say what you want, but we both know you want me too.”

  I watched as he strolled out of my office with an arrogant swagger and closed the door behind him. Reclining against the leather chair, I closed my eyes, allowing the memory of what took place between Kelly and me in
my guesthouse to flood my mind.

  “Lie with me,” I said.

  Kelly stretched out on the bed next to me, lying on top of the covers.

  I closed my eyes and took comfort in the heat his body was providing as he lay next to mine. Five minutes later, I was on my back, staring up at the ceiling, with Kelly running his fingers up in between my thighs. His hands were warm and soft as he spread my legs. I kept my eyes closed, wanting to focus on nothing as I felt Kelly’s tongue against my clit. He pulled gently on the hood before wrapping his lips around it tightly. I felt a tingling sensation as he made circles around my hot button with his tongue. He pushed my legs further apart, then pushed his warm, wet tongue in and out, in and out of me. Grinding my hips slowly, I moved my warm slit up and down against his tongue. He grabbed my ass firmly and rotated his tongue up, down, in, and out. I could feel the heat penetrating from the inside of my body out. I opened my eyes and saw him fumbling slightly to open the condom and slide it onto himself. I could feel him positioning himself between my legs. I closed my eyes, again, trying hard to relax, but my body refused to cooperate.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  “Relax,” he said. “Just relax.” He attempted yet again to enter me.

  I closed my eyes, and the only face I could see was Damon’s. “Wait,” I said.

  I leaned forward against my desk, snapping myself out of my daydream. After I stopped Kelly that night, I’d thrown my clothes on in a drunken stupor and stumbled my way into the house and upstairs to my bedroom. I didn’t have sex with Kelly that night, but I knew what had taken place between us was not on the list of acceptable behavior for a married woman. Now, Kelly had made it blatantly obvious that he had no intention of giving up. I sat there weighing my options. I could tell Damon and risk creating a severe rift in my marriage, or I could keep my mouth closed and live with the guilt. Staring at the honeymoon photo of Damon and me that I kept on my desk, I sighed. “I’m sure the guilt will pass eventually,” I said to myself.

  Chapter 34

  Kelly

  “Where have you been?”

  I had barely walked through the door before Nadia got in my face. I slid my jacket off my shoulders and tossed it on the back of the armchair sitting by the door. What happened to women greeting their men at the door with a hug or a kiss? Hell, greet me at the door buck-naked with your mouth closed, but save the who, what, and when for someone else. I kicked my shoes off before walking over and plopping down on the sofa.

  “Where have you been?” she repeated.

  “I ran by The Ambiance for a minute,” I told her.

  Nadia frowned instantly. “That bitch must piss perfume,” she mumbled.

  I didn’t want to hear her whining but I decided to humor myself. “What do you mean?”

  “Octavia,” Nadia snapped, rolling her eyes, “First Damon and now you!”

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I teased.

  “Kelly, we had an agreement, and the agreement was not that you would bring your ass to Huntsville and fall in love.”

  “First of all, I’m not in love with anybody,” I corrected her. “I’m just playing my cards right—something you obviously forgot to do.” I looked at her and frowned. Nadia was beautiful and had book-smarts, but when it came down to common sense, she was lacking that shit big time. She had the perfect hustle, a child with Damon Whitmore. She could have been set for life, but instead of enjoying the ride and luxuries of being baby-mama with one of the most successful brothers in the United States, the tramp had to go and get greedy: demanding to be a family with the man’s wife, popping up at his parents’ crib, and trying to use his credit card to purchase cars—a bunch of real stupid shit! Nadia stood with her hands on her hips. She was wearing a tank-top and knit leggings that showed her every curve. She was on hiatus from performing, and I noticed she was starting to pack on a few pounds. I wondered if she noticed the fully equipped gym located just ten feet down the hall. Really, she had no excuse. She wasn’t working, and she didn’t have to chase after Donovan, so there was nothing to stop her from maintaining and keeping herself in top-notch shape.

  She switched over to the sofa and sat down next to me. “I thought we had an agreement, Kelly.”

  “We do,” I reassured her.

  “Okay, so what in our plans justifies you running up behind the Bama Barbie?” she questioned, referring to Octavia.

  “I’m not running up behind anyone,” I said. “I’m merely playing my cards right.” I looked over at her, giving her a look of straight disgust. “If you had your mind right and were on top of your game—”

  Nadia’s expression told me she was ready to pop off at any moment, and she wasn’t about to let me finish that statement. “If I wasn’t on top of my game, you would not have this shit you have right now, Kelly!” she snapped. “My being on top of my game is what got you here!”

  I wasn’t going to argue with her. I was in a very good mood, a very happy place in my life. Besides, there was some truth in her words. Nadia’s name was on the rental house we were standing in, as well as the one I utilized whenever I was in Atlanta. Also, if I had never met her, I would have never met Octavia. “Okay, Nadia,” I said, walking down the hall to my bedroom with her hot on my heels.

  “Kelly, do you even care about my feelings?” she asked.

  Inside my bedroom, I eased down on the bed while she stood in front of me, waiting for an answer. Hell no, I don’t care about your feelings, I thought, but I said, “Of course I do.” I smiled at her. “You found me, remember, baby?” It was true.

  I remember the day we met like it was only seconds ago. It was a hot July day in Huntsville, the day my life would finally change for the better. I was down on my knees in the middle of the floor of the Student Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, scraping gum off the carpet. I had been doing little odd jobs on campus to keep a little bit of money in my pocket. The truth is, there is nothing wrong with my credit. I don’t have any bills past or present. However, I was having trouble maintaining stable income. Shit, I was having problems getting a job, period. I had plenty of experience doing all sorts of things, but my past criminal history outshone my work history. Screw what they say on those little printed applications in that politically correct box that cordially asks if you’ve ever been convicted of a felony. It’s bullshit that prior convictions will not automatically bar you from employment. You check that you’ve been convicted of a felony, and watch how long you‘ll be waiting for an interview, let alone a job offer. But the director at the university was good people and let me do small jobs from time to time. I guess the sister wanted to throw me a bone. To show her my appreciation, I threw her a bone right back, if you know what I’m saying.

  Anyway, I was on my hands and knees one day when this beautiful woman walks in with the legs of a dancer. She had on a dress that stopped inches above her knees and stuck to the curves of her body like Super Glue. She was sexy as hell; that was Nadia. She walked by me and gave me a brief but sexy smile.

  “Hello,” she said, speaking to me.

  “Hello,” I said, before continuing with my work.

  Nadia took a seat at one of the small circular tables near where I was working and pulled out a book she was carrying. It seemed like she was watching every move I made, and she was. She passed me her phone number that day and told me to call her. “I have some work you can do,” she said sweetly.

  The two of us started talking on the phone after that. That first night, we talked for hours. She told me she was a professional dancer and that she was currently teaching a workshop at the university. She explained that she had just gone through a breakup with an old lover and was trying to get back into the dating scene. “I was here and decided to stop by his office to see what he was doing and to see if the two of us still had a shot,” she explained to me.

  “What’d he say?”

  �
��He turned me down.” Her voice dropped an octave.

  I’m a sensitive man when necessary, but the truth is I was not trying to hear about the man who got away. I was trying to hear about how I could slide in the spot he left empty. “If you ask me, it’s his lost,” I said smoothly. I could feel her smile radiating from the other end of the phone and the rest? Well, not to sound cliché, but the rest is history. When I first met Nadia, I thought I had hit the jackpot. I couldn’t believe that sexy, talented, career-oriented woman was interested in me, a former hustler who could barely afford to buy his own drawers. I have always been good looking, and I can fake my way into any crowd or group. I know how to blend in and break bread with the best. Granted, I knew the shit sounded too good to be true, but it was a fantasy, and I was down for playing the role. At first, Nadia acted like our meeting was chance, just a turn of my good luck, but I later discovered that our meeting had been calculated; she needed me just as much as I needed her, if not more. I won’t act like I didn’t develop feelings for her over time, because that would be a lie. I cared for her and quite possibly could have learned to love her, but for me, loyalty is everything, and Nadia didn’t know the meaning of the word. She claimed she loved Damon more than she had ever loved any man on Earth, yet she was willing to sell him out for the right amount of change. No loyalty! In my opinion, if she loved him that much, she would have killed herself before she betrayed him.

  “We’re not going to argue,” I told her. “I’ve had an eventful day, and I have a lot more on tap.”

  “Has any part of our plan come together?” she asked, sucking her teeth.

  Sucking her teeth all the damn time, I thought. Damn, that’s so unattractive. “I think we’re closer than we were before,” I said.

  Nadia rolled her eyes at me and walked off. I could hear her in the kitchen pouring herself a drink. “Look,” she said, strolling out from behind the wall that separated the kitchen and the living room, with a glass of amber-colored liquid in her hand. “My bank account is getting low. I don’t have another gig lined up, and I don’t have the body I used to have.”