Twice the Lies (Once Upon a Liar Book 2)

by Elbie Dee

  My discharge papers were only handed to me seconds before; he wasted no time. After he released the handcuffs from the bed rail, he instructed me to go into the restroom and put my inmate clothing back on. I did as I was told, seeing that refusing would only get me into deeper shit. After the gorgy uniform was back on my body, I placed the hospital uniform in the hamper and rejoined him in the room.

  “I’m ready,” I sarcastically stated.

  He walked to where I stood in front of the bathroom door and instructed me to put my hands behind my back. One wrist after another, he cuffed them behind my back and gripped the chain connecting the two. He instructed me to begin walking. He guided me toward the door, before he reached in front of me so he could turn the knob. I proceeded out of the room with my head down, until something caught the corner of my eye. I darted my eyes toward the direction of a few rooms down, and my heart fell to my knees.

  “Oh my God,” Merrisah whispered, as she stood next to what appeared to be her mother. I stood like a deer in headlights for a few seconds. “That’s my shooter!” she screamed.

  “No the fuck I didn’t!” I yelled back and watched as her mother began to calm her. It appeared as if she was being released, since she had all her paperwork in her hand.

  “Let’s go!” the officer demanded and tugged on the cuffs to get me to start walking again. Her screams only continued, and I hoped it would hold no justice in court.

  9

  Dezire

  Matt and I met at the Park Road Soda Shoppe in his hometown of Kannapolis. He allowed me to decide on the restaurant and offered an upper-class dining experience. I declined and told him that the shoppe was probably the best. It held a variety of foods, so each of us would be able to choose something we liked. When he suggested he’d drive to Rock Hill and pick a place in my town, I immediately declined. I told him I didn’t mind a bit to make a drive. Only I knew that it was to lessen the chances of my parents seeing me.

  I pulled into the lot of the stretch mall and glanced through the businesses until I located the suite where the diner was located. Once I got a view of it, I pulled into the nearest parking space to the door… which was four spaces from the handicapped parking. It was eleven-forty, and I had twenty minutes before it was time for my date. To buy time, and to get my mind off things for a minute, I called Brilese.

  “Hey Dez,” she answered, sounding as if she was down.

  “Hey. What’s wrong, babe?” I asked, concerned.

  “The lawyer Bradson set up for me is my shitty ass kids’ father, and I was forced to face him again,” she informed me.

  “Oh my gosh! You didn’t tell me he was a lawyer!” I stated. Throughout all our talks and venting, for all I knew was that he abandoned them. It couldn’t have been untrue, because as long as Brilese and I have been friends… I never had gotten the chance to lay eyes on him.

  “I didn’t know. Caught me by surprise, too!” she stated. “I’ve got to find another lawyer quick!”

  “Isn’t he already paid for?” I asked. Bradson and I were able to conversate about Brilese a bit, and I could have sworn he told me her case was accepted.

  “Yup. Do I care? Nope,” she said. I could hear the pain in her voice as she spoke from the other end of my line.

  “Brilese, you might have to stick it out right now,” I honestly replied.

  “I know, and that’s what sucks the most,” she concluded, before I told her my time was up and I had to go in and meet with Matt.

  “Good luck, babe!” she said, before hanging up the phone.

  I tried putting her problems out of my mind, as I fixed my floral blouse. My makeup was on point, after I reached above me to pull my visor down and look at myself. I closed the visor, and took a deep breath. It was 11:55, and I had five minutes to pull myself together and get into the diner to meet him.

  I twisted my key from the ignition and pulled it out before leaning back on the seat to place it in my front, jean pocket. After releasing my foot from where it was placed on the brake, I opened my door and hopped out. I closed the door and looked down at my outfit. I made sure there wasn’t a wrinkle in my jeans, and my blouse flowed over my waistline the way it was supposed to. Once I was up to my standard, I began to walk toward the entrance of the diner.

  “Just one?” the young hostess greeted me.

  “Actually, I’m looking for someone,” I informed her, as I tried looking around each booth to see if I could spot him first.

  “Is that who you’re waiting on?” she asked and pointed into the direction at the booth closest to the wall, and furthest from the door.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed.

  I couldn’t help but to smile harder than I ever had before, as I made my way in Matt’s direction. With each step I took, the more nervous I became. He looked good from a distance, but it wasn’t compared to each feature I noticed upon approaching. After my third step, I watched him smile back at me. His pearl white teeth peeking through his soft pink lips made my heart thump. The fifth step is what really did it to me, though.

  He put his head down, and chuckled. From that moment, my nerves went haywire. The intensity caused me to skip a step; I was glad he didn’t notice. My heart was tense, and my eyes wanted to shed a tear. If my reaction was in slow motion on the film of a movie, I was sure I’d have the world’s vote. Something about that man did something to my soul.

  “Hey,” I initiated, once I got to my end of the booth, and before I sat down. At that point, his head was lifted as I stared directly into his ocean colored, blue eyes.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, after he got up from his chair to stand on the floor beside me. I was in shock with the respect he held. The only other person I’d known to be such a gentleman, is my father.

  I smiled, and he gestured to me to have a seat by pointing his hand to the booth as he held his palm toward the ceiling. I took my eyes from looking up at the man who stood a foot taller than me and did as directed. After I was comfortable, he noticed and returned to his seat.

  “I ordered you water. If you want something different, be my guest,” he stated. The one thing we already had in common, was the fact that neither of us could hold our smiles in.

  The waitress approached, and I ordered a Coke. I wanted to be classy, but the Cobb Salad I was about to order would cover the sugar intake. We both placed our order at the same time my drink order was taken, and he had no shame. He ordered a cheeseburger with bacon, and loaded fries. I only wished I could have the audacity to order the same. The way he sounded when he ordered it, caused my mouth to water. As bad as I wanted to change my order, my pride wouldn’t overcome my wishes.

  I sipped my tall glass of water until the waitress arrived with my Coke. Without meaning to, I downed the soda in one chug… leaving it halfway full. Matt chuckled, and that’s when I noticed he was watching me. Laughing my embarrassment away, I changed the subject.

  “So, what do you do for a living?” I asked.

  “I’m a supervisor at a warehouse,” he replied, which left my pussy to thump a beat. There was something about a man getting dirty that I liked; one that was a gentleman of course.

  Everything happens for a reason, and I’m glad I embarrassed myself. During the time we were waiting for our food to arrive, we talked and laughed. I learned so much about him, even down to the trauma he witnessed with his ex-wife. Feeling comfortable, I opened up about my one and only heartbreak when my high school boyfriend dumped me for a cheerleader.

  “You can be my cheerleader,” he said, as he gave me a smirk. I didn’t mean to, but I accidentally bit my bottom lip because of his flirtatious ways.

  “Cobb Salad for the lady,” the waitress approached, and I was saved by the bell. She placed my large bowl in front of me, before putting Matt’s burger in front of him. “Anything else?”

  “A plate that looks like his,” I laughed, and the both of them joined me in chuckles before she walked away from the table.

  Commonly, neither one of
us talked while we ate. When I took my first bite, we remained silent until we were finished. The moment our plates were cleared, the waitress re-approached. She dropped our bill and pre-bussed our table. I watched as she removed the plates and hoped we wouldn’t leave anytime soon. Unfortunately, Matt took the check as a sign that we had to go.

  “I can pay for mine,” I offered in respect. I knew I left my wallet in my car, but I wouldn’t mind going to grab it.

  “Oh, no! That’s not how this works,” he replied, as he looked at the bill he picked up from the table.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, as I was in amazement at the gentleman he was.

  “Definitely. The only thing you need to do, is to go on a date with me again,” he stated.

  I made him aware that I agreed with him, after I nodded my head as my teeth went underneath my lip again. If my skin was as light as his, I’m sure he would have seen my blush. After snapping myself out of a daze, we both agreed that we were ready to go. He placed three twenties on top of the bill, and we hopped out of the booth at the same time. Walking side by side, we walked out of the door of the restaurant.

  “So, I made a good impression?” he asked, once he walked me to my car and we stood gazing at one another.

  “Definitely,” I replied.

  “Good enough to get a hug?” he asked, in a shy tone.

  I smiled and opened my arms out toward him. He welcomed me by grabbing my hands and forcing my face into his broad chest. His cologne made its way inside of my nostrils, and it reminded me of the time I smelled Himalaya by Creed at a mall not too long ago. His arms rested on top of my shoulders, and I wrapped mine around his waist. No doubt about it, he felt my heart thumping through my chest.

  “See you soon,” he said, after minutes of holding me. He placed a kiss on my forehead and started to walk away.

  I watched as his jeans gripped the crease in his small ass, before I caught myself mesmerizing. Without wanting him to notice, I turned and opened the driver’s side door to my Sonata. I quickly placed my foot on the floorboard and loaded my vehicle. I rushed to close the door, just so I could watch his movement from my rearview mirror before he vanished.

  Luckily, I made it in time. He was only a few steps away from where I left standing on the pavement; he was still just as sexy. I watched until he was next to a red truck and unlocked the vehicle manually. Just when I thought he wouldn’t catch me; he opened his door and glanced my way. I quickly shifted my eyes toward my steering wheel, but something in me told me he already noticed.

  “Fuck it,” I said aloud, and hopped out of my car with the key still in my palm. I slammed my door shut and began to lightly jog toward him. By the time I made it, he was in his driver’s seat and was seconds from closing the door.

  “Hey. What’s wrong. Is everything okay?” he asked, once I was standing on the pavement on the inner side of his door.

  “Yeah, everything’s good” I replied, and tried catching a breath without him noticing.

  Once I knew my composure was held, I placed my right foot on top of the panel. I pulled myself up by gripping onto the door, and the holder that was installed next to the seatbelt. Before he was able to reach for me to help, my lips were already planted on top of his. My curiousness of my lips being too big for him released from my mind once he began to kiss back.

  “Wow,” he said, after pushing my shoulders back enough for him to look me in the eyes. “What made you do that?”

  “I wanted to,” I said, without caring about anyone watching. “I want you… now.” I wasn’t planning on being sexual, but my words controlled themselves at that moment.

  “What? Now? You sure?” he asked, as his eyebrows scrunched. I could tell he was confused.

  “I’ve never done this before. But when you know, you just know,” I confessed. I leaned my chin above his shoulder and whispered into his ear. “Now get in the back seat and let me fuck you.”

  10

  Axe

  Mr. Brown

  The reaction I got from Brilese when she was in my office, was expected. When I first heard about her going to jail for an accessory to a murder case, I was in shock. Yeah, she roughed a couple of bitches up back in the day, but I never expected to get a call about her with the type of case she was faced with.

  At first, I thought it was a typical, Failure to Appear, case when I heard a man’s voice on the other end of my business line. Nonchalantly, I answered the phone with not a drop of enthusiasm in my voice. He explained that his fiancé was being charged and explained the case. I had my notepad on my desk and was writing down the most important parts of what happened.

  “Okay. And what’s the defendant’s name?” I asked, after the man explained it all to me.

  “Brilese Selters,” he said, and my heart dropped out of my ass. Right then, I knew I had to accept it. The person raising my biological children was in deep shit, and I needed to get her out of it.

  “The consultation cost is two-hundred and fifty dollars. Will you be able to pay that before an appointment is scheduled?” I asked him.

  I was a businessman, and it required payment. Besides, I didn’t want to take the chance in blowing my cover. If that happened, then I would lose the chance to see Brilese face to face and explain things. On a plus side, I knew it was possible to get a chance to meet my kids for the first time they would remember.

  “I’ll get that to you tomorrow. Can we meet?” he asked.

  I told him to meet me at a restaurant nearest to my office, and we would elaborate further. After he agreed to the meet time, we hung up the line. I slammed the phone back onto the hook and instantly buried my hands into my face. My elbows rested on my desk, and I rubbed my face before relaxing my palms on top of my waves. My eyes focused on my calendar, before my vision turned to a blur from my thoughts.

  Why did I agree? I asked myself. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the exciting sound of seeing her and the kids, or the case itself that led me to accepting it. Whatever it was, I was going to face her eventually. Different emotions arrived throughout the day. Anger toward myself being the point which led to reminiscing about us as a family that night.

  After a long day of work, I arrived at the two-bedroom apartment I leased. It was close to Downtown Charlotte where my office was located, so the location is what captured my interest. Once I reached my floor, I walked down the hall until I was in front of my door. I huffed and looked toward the ceiling, before pulling my keyring from the right pocket of my black slacks. I lowered my chin and unlocked the door before walking into my empty home.

  The reason I opted for a two bedroom instead of one was because of Brilese. I thought about what it would be like if we worked things out. Even if they only stayed one night, I needed a room for the kids. The day I would get the chance to build enough courage to approach her, I hope would have been worth it… and we could finally become a family for once.

  I approached the kitchen after latching the chain onto the door, and forcefully threw my keys to the left of me, landed on top of the centered island. My hands massaged my face as I walked around the front of the bar area and took a left to enter the door leading to my bedroom. I walked to the middle of the room and felt for the string on the ceiling fan. I had the chain in my hand before I pulled down on it and activated the light.

  I took a deep breath and exhaled, before I began undressing myself. I unfastened the tie and threw it on top of my King size bed. I slid my tan, Croft & Barrow shoes from my size twelve feet and kicked them to the side. I unbuttoned the navy blue, solid colored dress shirt and slid it off of my shoulders and down my arms before I dropped it to the floor. After unfastening my belt and the button on the waistline of my slacks, I joined the pants with my shirt on top of the carpet.

  In my garden style apartment, both bathrooms were in each room. Since the full bathroom connecting to my bedroom was more convenient and I never had company, all my hygiene supplies were located in that one. With that being said, I strode to the right
of my bedroom until I was inside of the bathroom. I activated the light, and pulled the jet black, shower curtain back before turning the nozzle of the water dial to the hottest setting.

  Once I pulled the lever and the water started beating down into the tub, I closed the curtain again and began to undress. First, I pulled the navy blue, knee length socks from my feet, before following with my grey briefs. Once they hit the shower drying mat, I lifted the wife beater over my head. I was completely nude and turned away from the shower curtain. I walked a step to the sink, before pulling my toothbrush out of its rack. After lifting the tube of toothpaste up from the sink’s vanity, I looked in the mirror. I stared at my chest before the fog blocked my vision.

  I got a tattoo of Brilese’s name with a heart around it once she got pregnant with Karleiyah. She planned to return the gesture of love after our daughter was born, but that’s when things started to go sour in our relationship. Because of the stress, I became prone to drugs. We would always fight about the nights I never came home. My mother tried to give us therapy sessions, and it only worked for a little while. During the short period where our happiness was at a high again, she got pregnant with our son. She left me when my habits began to worsen.

  It was so early into the pregnancy when we split that neither of us were aware of the gender of our second child. She made it clear to me that once I had gotten help, that I was more than welcome into their lives. Months turned into years and I never reached out. The only reason I knew I would have a son is because my mother made me aware.

  Although I was distant, my children were close to my mother. I had every opportunity to be reunited with Karleiyah again and had a chance to meet my son for the first time; I chose not to. Even after I got sober and was on my journey to become a lawyer, I knew it would only hurt them. Additionally, I wasn’t ready to face the battle if they went back to Brilese and informed her of my presence without me consulting her first. It wasn’t up until the other day where I had regained enough courage.