Would I Lie to You?

by Trisha R. Thomas

  “But I can’t. I don’t have any more time.”

  “Sorry. No children.” The receptionist shook her head with the apology. “You can come back later today, I’ll bold your appointment. But we have a strict policy against children in the clinic.”

  “If I had somewhere to leave her, I would have. I can’t wait! She’ll sit right here. She won’t be no problem.” The little girl twisted in the young mother’s arms, facing Venus, They caught each other’s eyes.

  Before Venus knew it, her feet had guided her to stand next to the girl. She took the child out of her arms as easily as a pickpocket, sliding away something that didn’t belong to her. “Go. I’ll take her outside.”

  Pauletta stood up, “Unh unh, Venus. No.” The look she gave made it clear she was already at her wit’s end.

  The young mother took her daughter back. “Thanks anyway.” She pushed out the doors letting in the outside screams of … muuurrrrderer.

  After all that waiting, the abortion took less than twenty minutes. No words exchanged on the way home. A silent pact between her and Pauletta to never speak of it again, to forget, and Venus had, conveniently, effortlessly forgotten. A weekend visiting home from college like any other. The following Monday she went back to school, picked up where she’d left off, except for the partying. The late nights studying came to an end. From then on she focused on school, focused on surviving and graduating without another piece of herself being removed and left behind.

  Wendy stopped chewing and put her fork down. She took the glass out of Venus’s hand. “What happened?”

  “Nothing.” Venus now trying to swallow the lump of regret in the back of her throat; she had to work fast to bury the memory, put it back in its rightful place. “Just thinking how lucky you are.” She lifted up her glass to toast. “And me, I still can’t get it right.”

  “What do you mean? You’ve got Airic. He wants to have kids, doesn’t he?”

  “We’ve been engaged for two years and haven’t even set a wedding date. Sound familiar?” She reached for Wendy’s frosty margarita glass, but Wendy pushed it out of reach.

  “What happened to your healthy resolve?”

  “I’ve met someone.” Venus blurted it out as if she’d been dying to say it since the moment she’d picked her friend up from the airport

  Wendy’s hands slapped the table. She leaned forward like she’d known all along. “Who?”

  “Jake Parson. He owns—”

  “JP Wear … Jake Parson?” Wendy’s eyebrows raised to one arch meeting in the middle.

  “You’ve heard of him?”

  “Duh … who hasn’t … luscious hips and fat juicy lips.”

  Venus laughed, “… luscious lips and fat juicy hips?

  “What-eeever. Eeew, an ex-rapper. How in the world—”

  “I’m contracted with his company through Chadnum.”

  “Hold it right there. Do you know what you just said? You’re messing with somebody you work with. That is the cardinal sin, girl. No, no, no.”

  “We don’t work together; it’s temporary.”

  “Exactly. That’s exactly how I would define an office romance. You’re around each other day in and day out and you start confusing that with a true relationship. You’re brought together for a project or something but soon as it’s over, so is the relationship. I know you’re not risking your thing with Airic based on an office fling.”

  Venus looked around the restaurant, slightly embarrassed. Wendy had just reduced her starry-eyed love to an office fling.

  “Especially, not right now. Look at you, you’re a mess. Completely vulnerable, with your mom sick and this circus that’s happening to Airic. I know that’s got to be hard. The investigation into his company is probably making him a little hard to deal with, but you guys are solid.”

  Wendy kept talking without noticing the shock on Venus’s face.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Seconds went by with silence between them. “You don’t know?” Wendy whispered.

  Venus shook her head, no.

  The story came out slowly, not Wendy’s usual snappy prose. “The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Airic’s company. Actually, my cousin Jasmin is the one who pointed it out to me or I would have never noticed it in the Post. It wasn’t headline news or anything. She remembered meeting Airic and you at Tia’s birthday party. They talked a lot about the Internet and programming since she works for AOL and he said he was always interested in new talent, so she was shocked when she read the article. Made it sound like the company was near death. Airic had been reporting false quarterlies to keep his stock price solid so his investors wouldn’t run.”

  Venus was still in the same position, stone-faced, her body supported by her elbows on the table.

  “But it’s just an investigation. They haven’t proven anything yet … I think.” Wendy paused, seeing the red veins overtake Venus’s eyes. “I can’t believe he would keep something like that from you.” This time she slid the melting margarita toward Venus. “I’m sorry, girl. I didn’t want to come here bringing bad news. I thought I was coming here to help you deal with it God, I’m sooo sorry.”

  WENDY fought with the wind and the wind won. She got out of the convertible car; strands of dark hair twisted around her face. It was a small price to pay to absorb the sun’s rays. On the East Coast this time of year it was a blustery thirty degrees, raining or snowing.

  They walked through the enclosed parking garage in silence. The heavy brass elevator doors opened, giving way to more gold-toned walls. The lobby of the apartment building had fresh flowers on the half-moon-shaped table with an antique brass mirror hanging above it Venus knew the impression it gave, the same way she’d felt when the realtor showed her the building. The chandeliers, the porcelain vases, and baroque art gave the impression of a Renaissance hotel.

  “Nice place.” Wendy attempted to break the awkwardness between them since they’d left the restaurant.

  “Don’t get excited. It’s little, it isn’t fancy.”

  “Oh right You can make a bird’s nest look like Taj Mahal.”

  Venus didn’t respond. She was still numb. Her fingers worked the key into the door lock. Wendy followed inside.

  “I knew it Look at this. I love the deep purple. It’s almost black.”

  Venus walked around her and went into her bedroom, then into the bathroom where she closed the door. She sat down on the toilet seat. She needed a minute alone, her face collapsed into her hands. The small shiny tiles seemed to be rising up one at a time like self-playing piano keys. She closed her eyes tight to block out the illusion. How could he not tell her? It explained his reaction when she’d discussed paying her mother back the money for the house. He was sinking. All this time, telling her how well the company was doing, he’d been lying. Even to her.

  Did he actually believe she wouldn’t hear about it, ever? Was he going to tell her about this? It was like swallowing a sharp sword. She’d been stabbed by Airic.

  She ran water in the sink, using her hands to splash her face. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She’d spent the last couple of weeks isolated in her own world with her mother’s sickness. Maybe he would have told her if she didn’t already have enough to worry about. That was the only possible explanation. Airic was not a liar and a cheat. She wouldn’t have been with someone who was foul, dishonest. Not Airic. It was her, not Airic, running around like a loose dog who’d managed to sneak from underneath the fence, freed from the yard, the rules. Playing dating games with Jake. And Clint, had she forgotten about him? For the first time in two years, she actually had.

  She submerged her face even deeper into the sink, trying to drown the guilt. She’d been the one preoccupied, out of touch. The entire time accusing Airic of not caring, not calling to check on her and her mother, while it was he caught in a nightmare.

  “Venus.” A knock at the door followed, then Wendy’s muffled voice. “
Your phone keeps ringing, but it’s not a normal ring.” She cautiously poked her head in. “Do you want me to answer it?”

  “It’s probably the security door downstairs.” Venus dried her face with a towel, then walked straight to the bedroom phone and picked it up. “Yes?”

  “It’s me.” Jake’s voice sent a shiver down her legs, a wash of happiness at hearing his voice, then a heavy plunge of sorrow overtook her. He was downstairs, he wanted to see her. The clock shone with large red numbers, ten-thirty. She could use the excuse that it was late, much too late. That would have been the truth. Plans changed. There’s no further reason to talk or laugh together. No reason to touch, slight sideways touches for no other reason than being near each other.

  “I have company, Jake.”

  She could hear him swallow his heart. No questions asked; the line went dead with his assumption.

  Venus hung up the phone and looked at Wendy who was looking at her. “Your office mate?”

  “Ahuh.”

  Wendy bolted to the large balcony window that faced only more apartments in the rear of the building. “I wanted to see him.” She pulled the curtain back in its place. “Shoot.”

  “It doesn’t matter now, anyway.” Venus sat down on the couch looking dejected and lost. Her hand rummaged through the knots that the wind had put in her hair.

  Wendy came and sat beside her. They put their heads together. The smoothness of Wendy’s slick mane pressed against her own springy curls felt like a meeting of the minds.

  “So, what now?”

  “I’d already planned to go see him this weekend. I was going to talk to him about us, our relationship.”

  “You were going to break up with Airic, end it just like that?” Wendy jumped off the couch, leaving Venus’s head to manage on its own. “I mean I can understand breaking it off because you’re not happy, but … wow … this is a trip. Jake must be something fierce in bed.” Wendy shook her head. “He’s got you whipped, girl.”

  “Can I be whipped if I’ve never even slept with him?”

  Wendy’s eyes widened, looking for more details. “Please don’t pull a Clinton. Sex is sex, doesn’t matter if he put it in or not.”

  “Okay, well, put it this way, we have slept together, but that’s all we did. He held me the entire night. I’d never felt more cared for, more loved.”

  “Venus, love? You’ve known him, what, a month?”

  “I don’t know if it’s been that long.”

  “Girl,” Wendy sat back down beside Venus. She gripped her hand, holding up the ring finger. “You’d give up a man you’ve known and loved for someone who just happened to be there to pick up the pieces when you were vulnerable? You better think about it.”

  “It wasn’t like that. Jake had my attention before I had a clue about my mother’s illness.” Venus got up and shook it off. “It doesn’t matter anyway, Airic needs me. I can’t just walk away. I wouldn’t treat him like that, not with this investigation on his shoulders. The last thing he needs is more problems.” She walked over to the purple wall. She was seeing the darkness, a wall of despair. All the color was supposed to make her feel alive, vibrant, now she felt nothing but dread, lifelessness staring back at her.

  “You guys are going to get through this, Venus. You can’t let something like this come between you. I meet guys all the time who look good, smell good, and I know they would damn well taste good, but I’m not trying to leave my whole world for a little taste, you know what I mean? Good lovers don’t necessarily make the best husbands.”

  Venus thought to say it wasn’t like that. She wanted to make it loud and clear that Jake was everything she’d ever wished for in a man … not a taste, not a little bit. Everything. Venus bit her lip while she listened to Wendy go on about the subject of men and all that she knew to be true. Venus wanted to agree; she’d had her share, she’d been on this earth long enough to agree … all true. But not Jake. She closed her eyes and listened while Wendy reenacted the story of Venus, her fall and rise, the days and nights crying over Clint, then finally realizing that she had a good man, someone who loved her right here and now, and that man was Airic. “He was there for you, Venus. Now you have to stick by him.”

  Venus nodded in agreement. If nothing else, she considered herself the kind that sticks. She’d never just walk away, turn her back on someone she loved.

  STARS

  THE overcast sky reflected how Venus felt. The morning sun was hiding behind thick gray clouds. Wendy wanted the top down, but Venus explained the dangers of riding around in the city fully exposed. “A criminal sees a single female riding around in a convertible in the downtown streets of Los Angeles, you can believe your chances of being followed and carjacked are very high.”

  Wendy rolled her eyes. “Well, what’s the point of having a convertible?”

  “To impress your friends when you pick them up at the airport” Venus pulled her briefcase and leather bag from the backseat and got out. “Be here at twelve so we can go to lunch. If you get lost getting back to the apartment, or anywhere else, call me. I’ll have my cell phone on.”

  Wendy rolled her eyes and flipped her dark hair off her shoulder. “Anything else?”

  “Nope. Just keep your doors locked and always watch your back.”

  “Grand.”

  “Have fun,” Venus said with a little prayer as Wendy pulled off, jerking slightly into the morning traffic. She should have left Wendy in bed and gone back to the apartment later to pick her up, but she’d come all this way to L.A. She wanted her to have some type of thrill.

  THE JPWear studio was quiet. She wanted to be there early enough to get her bearings and stop by Jake’s office. She wanted to see him before they were surrounded by probing eyes. Legend, William, and Beverly had enjoyed the soap opera tension from the day before. She didn’t want to spoon-feed them any more drama.

  Venus knocked on his door and waited, listening for movement. She took out her cell phone and called the receptionist. “Jake Parson, please.” She listened intently for his phone to buzz, nearly pressing her face against the door. She heard a light sound, and then his voice, “Jake Parson.”

  “It’s me.

  “How are you?” The warmth in his voice, the consideration threw her for a loop. She was sure she’d have some explaining to do before being welcomed back in his fold.

  “Jake, I’m standing right outside your office. I knocked but you didn’t answer.”

  Before she could get her words out, the door swung open. His wide hand reached out and pulled her inside. She was still whirling from his disposition, nothing like she’d thought. Where was the pouting and bitterness over yesterday’s rejection?

  “What happened, did you tell him anything?” The thrill of espionage covered Jake’s face.

  She pulled away from him and sat down on the nearest chair. “It wasn’t Airic. It was my friend, Wendy, from D.C. She came because she was worried about me.”

  Jake pulled up a chair next to Venus. He touched the side of her face. “Guess that makes two of us.”

  “Jake, I … we … this, I think …” She put her hand on his.

  “Oh, here we go.” He stood up and walked around to his safety zone, the other side of the desk where he could be in charge, make decisions and judgments.

  “I don’t want to ruin our working relationship. We’re almost got the deal closed with Lila Kelly. What I would really like is if we could suspend the personal until we’re completely done with the business. I mean, like you said, it’s countdown. Soon, you’ll be Jake Parson in Los Angeles, and I’ll be Venus Johnston back in D.C. Do you think we could be in a real relationship with that distance between us? Does that sound realistic to you? I mean, everything is good and convenient while I’m here, but what about when this launch is over? People are different when they’re working together—it feels almost like a marriage—but what happens when they stop seeing each other every day? When they don’t go with the coffee, like donuts, or th
e paper, like pens? What happens when the job is over?”

  “I don’t consider you a job, Venus.” He leaned back in his leather chair. “You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you? What else did you think about? What changed your mind between now and yesterday?” His soft wide eyes blinked concern. She concentrated on the clock on his desk, the repetition of the ticking, from one second to the next. She watched time pass, contemplating the answer.

  “I can’t walk away from the relationship with Airic right now. I can’t.” She stood up. “I don’t want to make our working together a bad roller-coaster ride. We’re going to have to let it go, for now, Jake.”

  “What changed?” He wasn’t letting go without the answer.

  Venus nearly smiled, a clumsy nervous smile. She and Jake were so much alike. He needed to understand, to know the why. She shook her head, clearing her mind. “Airic is in trouble. His company. I can’t throw this at him too, not right now.”

  For Jake, it seemed to be enough. He walked around the desk and extended his hand. “If you need me, you know where you can find me.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek to stop her lips from quivering. A bait and switch of pain. She wished she had the same type of distraction for her fear. For the part of her that wanted to wrap her arms firmly around Jake’s wide back. To be swept away and oblivious to the rest of the world, to not care about Airic or his problems. But she wasn’t that type of person. She did care, with all her heart, she cared.

  “Can I ask what kind of trouble?”

  “I’m not sure about all the details. I didn’t find out from him. Wendy told me what sounded like hearsay, but serious nonetheless. I’m going there this weekend. I’ll find out if there’s anything I can do.” Venus kept her head low, unable now to watch the muscle tighten around his jaw, or the movement of his lips as he continued to question her.