Lethal Love: Deceit can be Deadly

by Perri Forrest

  “Amazing…”

  “And what about your family? How did they feel when you married that guy? And everything since then?”

  I saw what I believed to be a flicker of sadness alter Nova’s expression. She went from bright-eyed and relaxed demeanor, to tense shoulders and darkness.

  As if on cue, our food was placed on the table. I wasn’t sure whether or not to push, or if I should just let the food pose as a distraction. It seemed that bringing up family was an emotional trigger.

  But after a while, she came around on her own.

  “Sorry for going silent on you, Leo…” She spoke softly, inspecting her food’s presentation.

  “It’s okay. You don’t—”

  “In answer to your question, family is scarce on my side. I have a cousin that I was really close to. Her name is Gianna. I haven’t talked to in a few years. My mom is presumed dead. Haven’t seen or heard from her since I started first grade. Never had a father to speak of, and my maternal grandmother—who raised me—died a few years ago. So, I’m on my own, for the most part.” She shrugged. “Always been that way. Maybe that’s why I made such a poor choice in the so-called village I chose to be a part of. Looking for the love and bonds in the wrong places, had me seeing things through smoky mirrors. I didn’t see any of that for what it really was until the mirror was foggy. It was an avoidable failure. But I realized not long ago, that it was the missing male figure. Never had that man there early in life, that was supposed to show me what love looked like. To tell me that I was special. That model that other men needed to measure up to. Bill Cosby, was who I looked up to; and look who he turned out to be. So, yeah…”

  Fuck.

  Man, that shit fucked with me bad.

  “You were your own lessons,” I told her. “But look how you came out on top. And no lie, you’re probably one of the strongest people I’ve ever met—man or woman. Seriously. I admire you, Nova. I hate that you’ve pretty much gone through life alone, but it made you strong. I hope you see that.”

  She nodded slowly. “I do.” For several minutes it was quiet at our table as we ate our meals and let the music carry us. I was giving her space to think. “Thank you, Leo,” she said suddenly. “For being there, and for being a friend.”

  “I’m glad that it could be me. I’m here for whatever you need. And those aren’t just words.”

  She smiled. “Well, in that case, there is something that I do need. I mean, since you offered.”

  “Okay, what’s that?”

  “I want a bachelorette pad. Something with two to three nice-sized bedrooms, and a pool.”

  “What would you do with the house?”

  She shrugged, and it was clear that she could care less. “I don’t know. Pretty sure he’s going to be in prison for a long time. He can’t do anything with it. But he did put most of the money in. Maybe he’ll need it for an appeal or whatever,” she laughed. “I just know that I need something else. Something that’s mine. Something sexy… for a single girl.”

  When the DJ started to play Ella Mai and John Legend’s, “Everything,” I got an idea. I put my fork down onto my now-empty plate, and wiped my mouth with the dinner napkin.

  With my hand extended to her, I said, “How about we go dance some of this food off, and you can tell me more about this place you’re looking for. And I can tell you all about how I’ll make it happen.” At first, she just stared at me with reluctance. But then she reached for my hand, and allowed me to pull her to her feet. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I teased.

  “Not at all.”

  Looking at how the soft material lay obediently against her body, and how beautifully it complemented the smooth, dark tone of her skin, made me eager to have her in my arms.

  28 | Raquel Long

  “Babe, what’s got your attention over there?”

  “Nothing. I’m right here with you, baby.”

  “Not completely. I know when I have your undivided attention. Tonight, I haven’t had it. You’ve been staring off in another direction pretty much the whole time we’ve been here. I just can’t follow the scent. Too many people here.” When she didn’t answer, Raquel’s partner reached across their table and gently grabbed the tip of her finger, wiggling it lightly. “Earth to Raquel…”

  She put her hand on top of his. “Okay, baby. I lied,” she confessed. “You caught me. I plead guilty. I’m so sorry, babe. This is supposed to be our night, and that’s what it’s going to be.”

  Raquel’s boyfriend of two years, Justin Barnett, laughed. “Yeah, right,” he told her.

  “No, for real,” she whined. “I’m all in… with you.”

  Justin, who was also an attorney, wasn’t falling for it. “You might as well tell me what’s going on so we can get it out the way. Besides, if you tell me about it, then you may be able to let it go, and we can focus on us.” Justin brought the Grey Goose mixture to his mouth and swallowed it down. He smiled, admiringly, at his lady love, then moved to sit next to her. “Come on, woman. Spill.”

  “You and all your sun-kissed goodness. So damn sexy, Mr. Barnett.” She rubbed the trail along his beard, then leaned in to kiss him on the lips. “What’d I do to deserve you?”

  “Raquel…”

  She pulled back. “Okay, okay,” she surrendered. “But let me start by saying that just because I took notice of something, doesn’t mean that I’m not here. I just… okay, follow my gaze and stop when you see the woman with the short, silky-like dress on. It’s like a champagne color. With the white—”

  “White dude? I see her. What about her?” he asked, returning his attention to Raquel. “I just know that you’re not about to go off on one of those Black Love, rants, and how—”

  “That’s Drew’s wife,” she interrupted.

  “That Drew Levine, dude? The one that killed the woman he was cheating with? That Drew?”

  Raquel gave her guy a look, complete with a smirk. “Babe, you’re an attorney too. You know how this works. Innocent until proven guilty.”

  “Yeah, prosecuting attorney. And in his case, proven filthy is more like it. All the evidence is there, Raq. And they’ve finally put the nail in the coffin with the murder weapon. Don’t you think it’s time to face facts?”

  “I mean… he’s saying that he’s innocent.”

  “Oh, that’s not a shocker at all.” Justin breathed out an exasperated sigh, while shaking his head. “Forever the optimistic. This time I think you need to go ahead and throw in the towel. And since I know how relentless you are, and how much you hate losing, let me stop beating that dead horse over the head. I’ll ask this instead—what does any of this have to do with you watching the woman’s every move?”

  Raquel shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just sayin’… looks like she’s already moving on.”

  “She might be. And judging by who she’s with, I guess it’s safe to say that she has a type.”

  “Seems like, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he said, looking out at the dance floor again. “But you know what? Can you blame her? She lost her best friend and her husband—to each other. Let that woman live her life.”

  “I know…” Raquel stated quietly, while still holding onto thoughts of her own in the background.

  “And didn’t you tell me how you were constantly having to pull dude’s coattail about living foul with other women?”

  “Yeah, that, I definitely did.”

  “Well, then. Again… let Stella gone and get her groove back. Even if it is with another one from melanin ground zero.”

  “What?!” Raquel shrieked, immediately catching on to Justin’s clever jabs. “You’re a mess!” She burst into laughter, so hard she had to cover her mouth. “You know you’re wrong! I can’t stand you having me laughing like a crazy person up in this sophisticated setting.”

  ~*~*~

  As Raquel watched Nova, she kept playing over in her mind the most recent visit to see Drew. He had flown into a rage in the middle of thei
r discussion. “It’s that bitch! Are all of you fucking idiots?! She did it!” he kept yelling when Raquel brought the murder weapon into the discussion. “Drew, it was under your car seat… in your car,” she had tried to reason. But Drew wasn’t trying to hear any of it. He became so violent that they had to cut her visit short.

  Raquel was sure she had a case for reasonable doubt when they found the second semen trace. But now, with the gun matching ballistics, and the paternity test coming back with a 99.9% positive match in favor of Drew, there was nothing left for her to do. Because now, the only thing that the other guy could be guilty of was… well, nothing. At least nothing that mattered.

  Case closed.

  And with that, Raquel snapped out of it and upgraded her seating arrangements to her man’s lap. There, she began showering him with the attention that should have been his hours ago.

  “Let’s go dance, baby,” she whispered into Justin’s ear. “I wanna be closer than close.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he said, kissing her shoulder blade, and lightly patting her behind signaling her to stand.

  On the way to the dance floor, Raquel’s mind wandered. She couldn’t help but wonder who the other guy in Royce’s life, could have been. She’d had intercourse with another guy in the same seventy-two-hour period.

  Who is he?

  Maybe he found out…

  Maybe he killed Royce in a fit of rage…

  But… the weapon.

  Maybe both the guy and Nova knew. And they worked together!

  Or… could it be you, Nova?

  According to Drew, it was Nova. Raquel didn’t think so. Not initially. But it wouldn’t be so far-fetched. And the look in his eyes was that of desperation. Maybe there’s something to his claim.

  Without fail, Raquel’s desire to win always overshadowed her judgment. Always. She had to have the last word. Be the only heroine standing. She realized that she may be onto something; that Drew might have been telling the truth. But the question still existed: Who is the guy?

  Because it would be simpler trying to establish reasonable doubt, than trying to get Nova to tell her anything. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t try, but she needed to try finding guy number two, first. If she could find him, she might still be able to build a case in Drew’s favor.

  Maybe.

  29 | Nova

  Leo had held onto me for a whole three songs. As silly as it was, yes, I was counting.

  In his arms was the type of comfort and security that I imagined a new baby felt, when wrapped in one of those swaddle things. It was warm, hypnotic, and safe. The music almost served as a sweet lullaby. It pushed all unwelcomed thoughts into an abyss where they were swallowed up and put to sleep. A lot had contributed to this intimate moment we shared. Leo had said so many beautiful things before we got to the dance floor. Every last word touched my heart in different places. And it didn’t hurt that he looked like a whole meal, with all the perfect sides, situated on the most beautiful platter.

  I wanted to taste and keep on tasting.

  When we got on the dance floor, it was awkward at first. I didn’t know how close would be too close. But I didn’t want to put too much space between us either. I didn’t want to do anything that would give the impression that I didn’t want to be there. Or that I didn’t want to be touched by him. I had wanted to feel his touch in a real way, since the start of the date. Something other than the few hugs we had exchanged. And that moment had finally entered the mix.

  In the beginning of our rhythmic sway, conversation was minimal. I revisited the criteria for my new living space—must-have amenities, and desired locale. It was when logistics were out of the way, that silence fell and brought the music to the forefront.

  The Deejay must have had his own agenda, because not one of the songs that he played had an uptempo. But I had no arguments about it. I was good where I was. And Leo was really gentleman-like with the way he paid strict attention to where his hands ventured. They were on my back, subtly caressing in choreographed motion. Then there were times where he landed at the curve of my waist, then the small dip in the area just before my backside. A couple of times I felt a poke of manly excitement from him. It would appear as a light tap against me, and be gone just as quickly as it came.

  Control.

  He had it. A type of control that had my mind roaming. I wondered how much of himself he had to give, if he let go and allowed natural instinct to take over. He had no idea that my natural instinct had long taken over. It was just that mine was tucked away, undetected down below.

  But, for how long?

  In my semi-tipsy state, I wanted to feel Leo inside that tucked away place. I had a feeling that he would know damn well what to do if he happened to find himself before the unchained door to my heart. Maybe it was the strong arms, or the firm back, or the overall chemistry, that sold me on that feeling.

  Didn’t matter what it was, I knew I was right. And I knew something else too—that I wanted to find out.

  Out of nowhere, a hand landed on my shoulder. Both of Leo’s hands were around me, so I knew that it wasn’t him. Freaked out by the intrusion, my body jerked, halting our sway. I snapped my head around to see who the hand belonged to.

  Surprise, surprise.

  30 | Nova

  “Hi, Nova.”

  It was Raquel, Drew’s attorney, standing way closer than she needed to.

  Leo’s hand fell to the small of my waist, where it remained. Guarding.

  Raquel was with a guy who was very nice-looking and the definition of tall, dark and very handsome, with eyes that reminded me of apple cider. A look of discomfort eclipsed his face, though he tried hard to play it off by wearing a smile that didn’t even look like it fit him. My guess was that she’d told him who I was, and then insisted on making her presence known. Probably against his wishes.

  I pulled back from the hold she had on me. “Umm… hi, Raquel,” I uttered, smiling in her direction.

  If a rise was what she thought she was going to get out of me, she was sadly mistaken. I didn’t give a fuck that she was there. In fact, it was good that she was. I reached down and latched onto Leo’s hand and attempted to lead him away. I’d been polite enough to speak. My part was done.

  But in all predictability, she was on our heels, her guy in tow.

  “Good seeing you out,” she said, having followed us back to our table.

  The nerve of her ass! It wasn’t like I had invited her, or even given her any kind of look that read, ‘Please join us.’

  What the fuck does your dumb ass want, Raquel?

  I don’t know if Leo thought me and this woman were friends, but before I knew it, he was sending out invitations. “I’m Leo,” he said. “Would you guys like to have a seat?” he offered.

  The sigh that escaped me, was loud enough to be heard, even over the music.

  “Hi Leo. I’m Raquel. This here is Justin,” she gushed, grabbing her man’s hand and quickly taking the available seating across from us. Justin bowed his head, offering a non-verbal greeting. He didn’t want to be there; nor did I want him there. “So, you look cute, Nova,” she said, in all her fake friendliness.

  “Thanks. You do too.”

  Sensing the tension, and probably knowing that it was a ‘girl thing’, somehow, the guys ended up in their own conversation. That annoyed me because it meant that Raquel and her man were going to be in my space for an extended period. I already had to get this woman off of my phone the other night, and now here she was again—pestering. She was going to find herself in a real fucked-up position if she kept trespassing into my space.

  The hostess showed up right on cue with more libation and it couldn’t have been a better time.

  “So, what brings you out tonight?” she asked, like me and her were girlfriends sharing deets. “I mean, besides that very attractive gentleman.”

  “Raquel, what do you want? At this point, it feels like stalking a little bit.”

  Now that Leo ha
d gone off and engaged in his own tête-à-tête, I didn’t need to play nice. I could handle Raquel the way I wanted to, without scaring the man off.

  “So, you and Leo… is this a thing? He seems nice.” I gave her the glare of death. I hoped that my silence would send her back to where she came from. Instead, she posed two more questions. “Where are things with you and Drew? You know he’s still insisting that he’s innocent, right?”

  “Are you serious right now?”

  “I am.”

  “Then you must be some fuckin’ level of senile,” I hissed, leaning in close to her. “Because you disturbed my peace the other night with this bullshit and now here you are again. Did you forget that you’ve already told me this? And did you forget what I said at the time? Just because you have some kind of infatuation with that man—”

  “Nova, it’s not an infatuation. Trust me.”

  “I don’t trust shit. You’re on a date, and you’re over here in my shit asking me about a man who’s in jail for killing his mistress. Is this the type of shit you went through years of education for?”

  “You don’t have to be nasty, Nova.”

  “It seems like I do. Because you’re like some obsessed fan who seems to not get the message.”

  “Obsessed?”

  “I didn’t stutter, Raquel. You sure your man ain’t pullin’ a Drew on you? Because all I did was go to work every day, and he felt the need to take his prized possession through another car wash. But you… you think about another man, night and day. And with all that beautiful chocolate goodness…” I leered over at the two guys in conversation, then back at Raquel. “What do you think his mistress looks like?” I shrugged. “Lets’ just hope it ain’t one of your friends.”