Would I Lie to You?

by Trisha R. Thomas

  “What is it that you think you can do?”

  “Whether I can help or not, I need to be there. I’m not the type who just walks away; I’m not that kind of person.”

  “Really?” he said it slowly enough to pique her interest, and infuriate her at the same time.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, now centering on his dark glossy eyes, searching intently.

  “Nothing. Forget it. You do what you have to do.” He turned and put his energy back into his work.

  “Jake.” She reconsidered what she had to say. “Have you ever been in love?” She moved across the office floor like a lawyer questioning her witness. Her skirt tapered too close, the fabric swishing against her nylons.

  He stopped stroking the fine hairs on his face and rested his hands on the arms of the chair. “Is this one of those trick yes or no questions? If I choose yes, the next question is, explain your answer? Because if it is, I’m out.”

  “Okay, no need for an explanation.”

  “Yes.” He said it quickly.

  “Did it end on a good note, or bad?”

  He held up a finger, “When is the end ever a good thing? What about you? Ever been in love?”

  She squinted her eyes at him. “Well, of course, I’m in a relationship right now. That’s what this whole mess is about.”

  “But you still have to answer the question. Better yet, let me rephrase it. Are you in love?”

  “What’s love got to do with it?”

  “Hey, you started down that road, Ms. Turner, I didn’t” An unexpected smile arose on his face. A mix of triumph and clarity. “Are you in love or not?”

  “Yes. I can honestly say I am.”

  “With him or me?” Jake’s smile, unmistakably, was one of vindication. Venus stood up and made her way to the door. “This has been fun. Really. We’ll have to do it again sometime.” Jake grabbed her hand as it wrapped around the doorknob.

  “Answer the question.”

  “I can’t.” She snatched her hand back. “You happy?”

  “Ecstatic.” And he was.

  She’d given him what he wanted. A shred of doubt, a pinch of confusion. Throughout the morning meeting he was confidence personified. Profoundly aware that he knew something the others didn’t. This was not at all the reaction Venus expected from the earlier run-in. William, Legend, and Beverly took advantage of his lightheadedness, proposing ideas that ordinarily would have received his veto.

  His eyes were bright with vision. Beverly brought in two models for an impromptu fashion show. The clothing was hip and smart. Venus pictured herself in some of the pieces. “I like it, Beverly. You’ve done an incredible job.”

  “Absolutely.” Jake pulled up between the two as they were walking out. Venus couldn’t help but notice that his hand rested equally as comfortable on Beverly’s shoulder as it did on hers. “You guys want to do lunch? William has calls to make. Legend’s in, so it’d be the four of us.”

  “I can’t.” Venus politely removed his arm from her shoulder. “I have a guest,” she emphasized so he’d remember their earlier conversation. “She’s from out of town … we’re meeting for lunch.”

  “Your friend is welcome. It’ll be fun. Meet you guys downstairs,” Jake said as he moved through the two of them. “I’ll tell the fellas.”

  Venus took in an exhausted breath as she watched him stride ahead and disappear around a corner. “Give him my regrets, Beverly. I can’t stay.”

  “Oh, no. Unh unh, he’s in the best mood I’ve seen in a long time. I’m not going to be the only woman in the group. Unh, unh.” She put her hands on her fully curved hips. “It’s just lunch, it’s not going to kill you.” Beverly was still planted in front of Venus.

  “Today it will.”

  A look of clarity came over Beverly, “You guys are a thing.”

  “Actually, I don’t know what we are, at this point.” Venus was too tired to keep up the pretense.

  “Come on.” Beverly waved her to follow. Venus knew the direction of the secret elevator. It was their private transport. All conversations locked in a soundproof box.

  The red doors closed. Beverly faced Venus. “When I first got here I was blown away. Jake Parson. I didn’t even care about his past stardom, being a rapper and all that. I was thinking, damn, I’m one lucky woman. I have this fine ass brotha’s undivided attention. He was attracted to me as well, for obvious reasons. It’s almost like we had to get it over with so we could go on about our business. And that’s exactly what happened. Once we ended the mystery, the party was over.”

  The elevator stopped. “So once, you’re saying, once you guys slept together neither was interested anymore?” Venus put her head down, the information too heavy to manage.

  “Hey, we were honest No time wasted. I didn’t believe anything more could come of it, so I let it go. I think he felt the same way. Jake is real smart, deep. He thinks of someone like me as a side dish. I think of someone like him as the steak. But I don’t like steak, too many requirements for preparation. I like chicken, not too many things you can do wrong with chicken.” She smiled and winked.

  Venus jerked a smile back. “That’s the end of it. No more … just for old time’s sake?”

  “I’m done.” Beverly held up her hands. “So which do you prefer, steak or chicken?” They walked out the double doors into the busy streets.

  “I like ’em both,” Venus said, stepping out behind her. “I don’t think I could eat either one all the time.”

  “Well, some people don’t have choices. Some people have never tasted a steak in their life. And when they finally do, they wonder what the hell all the fuss was about”

  It took Venus a moment to realize they’d just reduced men into two categories. Jake and Airic, meat or poultry. “Wait a minute. What happens when you don’t want either, steak or chicken?”

  They both looked at each other, spoke in unison. “FISH.”

  She reached out and tapped Beverly’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “Hey, girl, there’s more strength in numbers. We need to realize if we don’t start talking to each other, we’ll forever be in the dark. Men depend on us not talking, keeping everything on the down low. That’s how they get away with so much …”

  “Shit,” Venus finished her sentence. “I can’t wait for you to meet my friend. She’s going to love you.”

  RIGHT on time. Wendy was idling in the loading zone. Venus waved and walked up to the car, sticking her head through the window. “Get out. I’ll park it. We’re going to lunch … and you get to meet Jake.”

  Wendy squealed with excitement, as if she was part of a covert operation. “Is that him?”

  Venus looked behind her to see Legend talking with Beverly. “No!” Wendy jumped, startled at her tone. She got out and Venus quickly introduced her. Legend seemed exceptionally polite. Beverly took her in like a newly discovered cousin.

  “I’m going to park my car. Keep an eye on my friend here,” she said to Beverly, but it was Legend who responded in his deep smooth voice, “I will.”

  By the time Venus returned from parking the car, the three of them were full of conversation and smiles. Venus had practically run back to the group, picturing nightmarish images of Wendy slapping Legend for his brashness, or worse, finding it appealing.

  “Where’s Jake?” She was slightly out of breath.

  “Still waiting,” Beverly said, looking at her watch. “He said twenty minutes an hour ago.”

  Legend whipped out his palm-sized phone and pushed speed dial. “Man, you got three fine ladies down here waiting for your eminence. Wassup?” He directed his comments toward Wendy, giving her an obvious wink. She reciprocated with a one-dimple smile. “Okay, five minutes, slave, or I’m taking all three of them for myself.” He closed the phone and slipped it back in his overcoat pocket.

  Venus nudged Wendy. “So what’d you do this morning?”

  “Not much. Everything was closed. California is
on slowpoke time. I finally stopped and just had a cup of coffee and a bagel.”

  Legend interrupted, “From here on, consider me your guide. Can’t have you coming all this way with nothing to do, Ms. Johnston here is all work and no play, but I on the other hand, will guarantee you a good time.”

  “She’s not going to be here that much longer; I think I can handle it for the next couple of days.”

  Wendy put an end to the dissension. “Maybe we can all do something together.”

  “You like to dance?” Legend asked, taking in Wendy’s long legs and wide hips with his eyes.

  “Dancing?”

  “See what I mean.” Legend pointed in Venus’s direction. “All work and no play. Don’t worry, I got you covered.” Wendy’s one-dimple smile appeared again.

  “Sorry ’bout that” Jake came out, still adjusting his coat over his shoulders. He immediately spotted the newcomer. “Jake Parson, how you doing?” He stuck out his hand.

  Wendy acted like she was meeting the pope, her hand slowly rising to meet his. “Nice to meet you.” Forgetting about all the assumptions she’d made the day before, she looked toward Venus and mouthed, Oh my goodness. Venus rolled her eyes.

  The sky was clear, and the the air was chilly. Jake led them to a restaurant not too far away. The five of them walked and talked in patches. Venus drifted behind, waiting for Jake to work his way back to her.

  “Miss me?”

  “Always.”

  “Everyone’s talking shaking their butts tonight Are you in?”

  “Definitely not.” Venus kept her resolve. “I’ll leave that to you guys. I have way too much on my mind to be out shaking my ass.”

  “I can help get some of it off your mind.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “There’s no law that says you can only have one night of fun per week, is there?”

  “No, thank you.” Venus ignored him and his shoulder that continually bumped against her while they walked. Ignored his light scent that filled her nostrils, making her slightly off balance.

  “You mad at me, for this morning?” Jake asked, humbly.

  “Why would I be mad at you? I’m the one bearing the bad news.”

  “Right.” He said it slowly. “I appreciate your honesty.”

  She looked up at him. Cautious. It was a dangerous move, watching his soft eyes, the smooth neat line of hair that framed his face. Jake grabbed her hand and trotted up ahead of the gang when he saw the restaurant approaching. “Right here, guys.”

  Venus felt all the attention zooming in on their union and wiggled her fingers free of his grip. Jake held the door open for everybody while Venus remained at his side. Beverly passed with a smile, still entertained from the earlier follies. The words steak or chicken hung between them. Salad, Venus thought back. Beverly winked good luck. Nobody dies a vegetarian.

  THE flirting between Wendy and Legend was enough to make Venus lose her appetite. The crab cakes sat untouched, next to the barely nibbled artichoke salad. Four out of five people were having a good time. Venus looked around the table and corrected herself—a great time. Her mind was saddled with thoughts of Airic, his business. Every minute that ticked by, she wondered if he was drowning in lawyers and false accusations. How he could go this long without telling her? Secretly, she held on to the hope that he would call before she got there, tell her everything. Secretly, too, she wished that he wouldn’t That way she could hold it against him. The final straw of discord.

  The decibel of laughter rose all at once. Venus drew a blank, the only one who didn’t have a big smile on her face.

  Jake noticed, sliding his elbow against hers on the table. “Didn’t your mother teach you, no elbows on the table?”

  Venus dropped them down in her lap. Obviously right where he’d wanted them. He reached underneath and grabbed her hand, squeezing it softly, then tight again. There were no words to describe the torment, the guilt. She rose. “Wendy, are you coming with me? I’ve got to get back.”

  The conversations stopped, everyone staring at Venus. Her heart was beating loud enough for them all to hear, she was sure. Did they know, could they see that sitting next to Jake had made her blood pressure rise to the point of making her dizzy? That his touch made her want to cry, break down and surrender? She picked up her purse and drew the strap over her shoulder. “I have to go,” she said it more quietly this time.

  Wendy’s expression was considerate, but decided. She was staying. Venus could go off and deal with her demons alone, in the privacy of her own space.

  Jake stood up, grabbing his coat off the chair. “Beverly, take care of this, I’ll reimburse you.”

  “Sure.” Her wide-eyed gaze fell on Venus. “See you later.”

  Venus swallowed and nodded, waving weakly to them all.

  The sun was bright and unyielding. The icy cold bit through her face and hands. How could she call this weather cold, Wendy had asked, while Venus piled covers on the sofa? This was mild, compared with back home. But all things were relative. All things were based on perception. Here where she’d spent the last month, her body had acclimated, warmed, and become comfortable. She looked into Jake’s profile while they walked. Here she’d allowed herself to open up and absorb the heat that surrounded her. But now it was bitter cold, and she was going to have to say good-bye sooner or later.

  She and Jake made it to the studio without exchanging one word. He stopped to look up and down the street for her car. Venus kept walking, he followed. The wind pushed against her eyes, causing them to burn and then water. She didn’t wipe the moistness away, letting it cool underneath her eyes. After three flights of stairs in the parking ramp, she pushed the door open to the floor her car was parked on.

  “Wait a minute. Wait, just stop.” Jake grabbed her arm. The echo of his voice in the distance, carried off by the wind whirling around them. “I see what you’re doing. Is this it, really? I need to know. I played with you before, Venus. I’m not playing now. I need to know if you’re really the type of person who would pretend to love someone you don’t. That you’d actually go to D.C., pretending you could make everything all right. Tell me now if that’s the kind of person you are.”

  Venus stood there feeling shallow and predictable. Easily read. Of course, she was exactly that type. She would stick, through thick or thin. Loyalty, dedication, those were supposed to be good things. Her nose was starting to run from the cold. She wiped, then crossed her arms over her chest, still not sure how to answer his questions. No. Yes. She’d never been the type to stand passively by and let things happen as they may, and yet, things always seemed to be happening to her. Who was responsible for that? Fate.

  “You’re going to go to D.C. and you’re going to stay For a minute I was so sure this was a formality, a small-print detail that had to be wrapped up, so you’d have closure and then we could move on.” His breaths started coming in short hurried spurts, “I was so sure … but now I see, you’re going to let it ride. You would actually follow.” He paused, trying to catch his breath. “You’d go down that path and let life be as it may … forget that you would be unhappy. Forget that you’re unhappy right now … you’re going to try and make it work. You’d walk away.…” His voice was hoarse and jagged.

  Venus reached for him. “Jake. Oh God.” He stumbled back but caught his balance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white plastic casing. He snapped off the cap and put his mouth to it. He inhaled, squeezing it twice. She held firmly on to him.

  “I’m all right.”

  “You have asthma.” She sat with him on the concrete divider. “I can run and get some water, something. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “No, Venus, I’m not all right.” His words came out slow and easy once again. Back to where they’d left off.

  She didn’t turn away, afraid to be labeled further, coward, right along with predictable. “It’s more than that, Jake. I do care about him. I do. It’s more than feeling obligated, or f
eeling like I have no choice with the hand I’ve been dealt. Airic has been there for me.”

  “Until now?”

  “Right Exactly, until now. So that means it’s my turn.” She took care before she began, but it was the story that needed to be told. She started from the beginning. Her relationship with Clint Fairchild, her wish for a happy life, her need to be married before the clock struck twelve. She told of the breakup, what felt like the ending of a marriage when in truth, they’d never even made it to engagement Four years of her life, she’d felt like she’d wasted. Humiliation. Then there was Airic, waiting patiently for her to reawaken, to understand that all was not lost, she had him. She had a great career, and most important, she had herself. Airic hadn’t solved all her woes, but he had made them bearable. She admitted that once in a while she’d drifted, believing that she’d settled for second best He was a workaholic. He didn’t have time for her, but she was too busy to notice. She was a workaholic as well.

  Venus turned his face toward her. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen when I go there. One part of me is furious that he didn’t tell me about his company, but on the other hand, I was here dealing with my mother. Maybe he didn’t want to burden me. I don’t want to assume anything.”

  Jake stood up. “You don’t understand.” He stared off, Venus honed in on his breathing, light and effortless. She let out a sigh of relief.

  “What don’t I understand?”

  “I want to know where I fit in. So what, if he forgot to tell you, or wanted to spare your feelings, what’s that got to do with me? Me and you? God, I haven’t felt this way …” He stared off again, frustrated.

  She stood up and pushed her head under his chin, she wrapped her arms around him. She closed her eyes, listening to the rapid pulse of his heart “I haven’t felt this way either.” She moved to her tippy toes, kissing him lightly on the chin, testing. He kissed her back on the lips, softly at first, then holding her tight She could hear the wind move through them, seeping through the light open spaces. She pressed herself closer, hoping to seal the gaps. To mend the heart that she had broken.