Betrayal (20 page)

Ariel didn’t want to admit that she still had feelings of lust for Trey. Sexually, he had taken her places that she’d never been before, and
secretly, she wanted to revisit them, but he was the wrong person to serve as a tour guide. He was her stepson now and completely off limits. She knew that Meri would misconstrue the statement, and probably encourage her to explore her feelings for Trey. Meri wasn’t a fan of Preston. She liked him as a person, but thought that he was too old for her friend. Occasionally, she would tell Ariel that she needed a younger man to toss her around the bedroom.

“Why are you asking me how Trey looks? You know as well as I do that he’s an attractive man. Anyway, I didn’t call to discuss his appearance. I called to tell you that we came up with a solution to the Michele problem,” she said, changing the subject.

Obviously, Ariel didn’t want to talk about her stepson in a sexual manner, so Meri didn’t press the issue. “That’s good to hear. What have you guys concocted?”

“Once the trial I’m working on is over, Trey and I are going to Washington together and we’re going to tell Preston the truth. As ugly as it might sound, we realized that hearing the entire story from us would be better than him hearing a twisted version from Michele.”

“Hmm,” she thought about what Ariel said, and then added, “That sounds fine and well, but don’t you think that you should have a sit-down with Preston and tell him the truth by yourself? After all, he is your husband.”

“You’re right, that’s why I wanted to wait until I was pregnant. I’d planned on telling him the good news and bad news at the same time, hoping that the good would balance out the bad. But with Michele on the warpath, I can’t wait until I’m with child. And to be honest, I can’t face Preston alone either.”

“I see,” Meri said, still not convinced that Ariel’s plan of action was the right way to go. “Ariel, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. Now don’t get mad, but why did you marry Preston when you knew that one day his memory would return, and that you’d be in this predicament? Why put yourself through all this grief?”

Ariel had asked herself the same question again and again over the course of the past few months. “I’m not mad. That’s a fair question.
Well …” She exhaled hard into the phone. “Whether or not I married Preston, his memory was eventually going to return, and one day I’d have to answer for what I did.”

“Yes, I realize that, but at least you wouldn’t be living under the same roof with him, with the possibility of being kicked out,” Meri said bluntly.

“True. I married Preston because I love him. I know that’s hard to believe especially since I slept with his son, but Preston has always been there for me. I’ve never mentioned this before, but when I was a wet-behind-the-ears law clerk, he took me under his wing and guided me in the right direction. And when I was challenged with the tough cases as an attorney, it was Preston who I consulted. I know it sounds like I’m just grateful to him professionally, but I’m not. Before his nomination, he was caring and nurturing and always put me first. Preston has unconditional love for me, and I trust him wholeheartedly. I knew in marrying him, I’d be rolling the dice, but it was a chance I had to take. Anyway, if I would’ve backed out of the wedding, he would have questioned my reasoning, and since he didn’t know about my affair at the time, I couldn’t give him a good enough excuse as to why we shouldn’t get married. So I went ahead with the wedding, because ever since I was a little girl, all I’ve ever wanted was a family of my own. Something I never had,” Ariel said, with a faraway tone, as if she were remembering her parentless childhood.

“Daarling, I know you had it rough growing up, knowing that your real mother gave you away, but do you really think that Preston can get over your betrayal and forgive and forget?”

“I pray that he can. I don’t want to lose him. He’s my rock, and I need that in my life. My affair with Trey was just a fling, even though part of me wanted it to be more. I now realize that a man like Trey will probably never settle down with just one woman. And even if Trey wasn’t related to Preston, chances of us becoming a serious couple were really never in the cards. Our attraction was purely based on sex and nothing else. Preston is the man for me, and I plan on keeping my husband.”

“I understand. My second husband was the love of my life, and I
did everything to keep him happy. Unfortunately, he died before we could grow old together.”

“Growing old with Preston is exactly what I want to do. And hopefully have a few babies in the process.”

“I wish you the best, Ariel,” Meri said sincerely. “Since time is indeed of the essence, maybe you should drop whatever you’re working on in New York, and take the train back to D.C. before Michele puts a bug in Preston’s ear.”

“That’s not necessary. Trey plans to call Michele and invite her up to New York to spend a few days with him. As lovesick as the girl is over him, I’m sure she’s packing as we speak,” she said confidently. Trey was handling Michele, so Ariel was no longer worried.

“I hope you’re right, daarling,” Meri said skeptically.

“Why are you sounding so doubtful?”

“Daarling, like I’ve told you before, I’ve been around the block more than a couple of times, and I know how delicate matters of the heart can be. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, ‘It’s a thin line between love and hate.’ Well, I’m here to tell you that no truer statement has ever been spoken. One minute you’re in love, and the next you despise the very person you couldn’t live without the day before,” Meri said, speaking from experience.

“Stop being so paranoid, Meri; everything is going to—” she heard the call-waiting beep, and stopped mid-sentence. “Hold on; I have another call.”

When Ariel clicked back over to Meri a few seconds later, her tone had changed from spirited to serious. “I’m going to have to call you back. It’s Trey.”

“Sure, daarling,” Meri said, and hung up.

“Hi, Trey, what’s going on? Did you talk to Michele?”

“Yeah, I talked to her.”

“Well, what did she say? Is she coming to New York for a few days?” Ariel asked frantically. She was dying to hear about their conversation, but Trey was giving her the abbreviated version.

“No, she’s not coming up,” he said drily.

“
What?”
She raised her voice. “Why not?” Ariel wanted to know.

“First of all, she didn’t answer or return my calls, and when she finally did pick up the phone, she was as cold as Siberia. I invited her to come for a visit, but she declined, saying that she was going to an important function.”

“What could be more important than seeing you? I remember a time, not so long ago, that Ms. Thang would have run over her own mother for a chance to spend time with you. What happened?” Ariel got up from the bed, and began to pace back and forth.

“I know. These days, she seems more interested in hobnobbing.”

“You think she’s dating someone else?” Ariel asked, trying to think of a plausible explanation. Knowing Michele, if she was holding Trey at arm’s length, she probably had a bigger catch on the hook.

“Could be. Suddenly, she’s treating me like an annoying ex-boyfriend, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she did have someone else. And frankly I couldn’t care less, as long as she keeps her mouth shut.”

Meri’s words replayed in Ariel’s ears, “It’s a thin line between love and hate.” And from the sound of things, Michele’s affections, for some reason or another, had shifted. “The trial I’m working on should be over by next week. Once I’m done, we can go to D.C. and tell Preston the truth.”

“From the indifferent way that Michele is acting, I don’t think we should wait until next week. There’s no telling what could happen between now and then. Can you assign someone else to the case?”

“I’m afraid not. There’s no way I can back out of the trial now. It’s a major case, and the client would be livid, not to mention the other partner, if I pulled out at the eleventh hour.”

“Well, things at the club are pretty calm. Why don’t I go to D.C. and have a talk with my dad?”

Ariel stopped pacing and thought for a second. “The plan was to tell him together. Do you think you should go alone?”

“Under the circumstances, I think it’s better that he learns the truth from one of us, before his memory returns. We’ve skated on thin ice for far too long; now it’s time to come clean. I’m sick and tired of appeasing Michele and having her hold this lie over our heads. I feel like
her prisoner. So, I’d rather go it alone than chance her telling my dad her version of what happened.”

“That makes sense, but I still think that we should tell him together. I’ll come down for the weekend, since we’re not in court, and we’ll have our meeting then,” Ariel said nervously. The thought of finally telling Preston the truth made her stomach curdle like spoiled milk.

“I’m going to go down ahead of you, to talk to Michele and make sure she hasn’t mentioned anything to my dad.”

“That’s sounds like a good idea. Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”

Even though they shared an ugly secret, Ariel trusted Trey, and knew that he had her best interests at heart. He didn’t want to hurt his dad any more than she did. Unfortunately, their untimely liaison would probably hurt Preston to the core, but that was a chance they both had to take.

PRESTON WAS
quiet all the way back to the town house. He just stared out the window without uttering a sound. Michele didn’t know what to believe. She prayed that her plan was effective, and that hearing Trey’s name associated with the Black Door had triggered his memory. She knew that once Laird got on the subject of sex, she wouldn’t be able to shut him up. Michele had heard of his reputation as a hound dog, and knew that he was the perfect pawn to use in her game. Besides, he had the hots for her. Even though he had never verbally approached her, she knew men, and the way he was always eyeing her boobs, she knew that he would do anything to sample her goodies. She had teased Laird more than she planned, but she had no choice. She knew that from now on he would be hot on her tail, but she’d deal with him when the time came. Her mission was accomplished, and Laird was part of the collateral damage.

When the driver pulled into the driveway and stopped, Preston opened the door and got out. He didn’t reach back for her hand like before, just walked like a zombie to the front door. Michele told the driver good night, and said that his services were no longer needed for the evening. She wasn’t about to go home, not when Preston was on
the possible verge of regaining his memory. She then quickly caught up to Preston as he was unlocking the door, and went inside with him.

Preston turned on the lights, and went directly into the den. He opened the liquor cabinet, poured himself a triple shot of Johnnie Walker Blue, and plunked down on the sofa.

Michele poured herself a small shot of scotch and sat in the chair across from Preston. “What’s the matter? Why did you want to leave so abruptly?” she asked. Her tone was soft, almost a whisper.

He didn’t answer her, just put the snifter up to his lips and took a healthy gulp. Michele watched him clench the glass as if it were his long-lost friend. She didn’t want to pressure him into talking, so she just watched as he drank the brown liquor like it was tea. He polished off the first glass, then returned to the bottle and poured another triple shot. He sat back on the sofa, and his eyes began to glaze over, as if the liquor was taking effect.

“Did you know about Trey and my wife?” he asked, in a faraway voice.

“Know what?” Michele asked, playing the dumb role. Part of her plan was to act as if she knew nothing about the affair. If she wanted to win Preston over, she had to pretend like she was clueless. She wanted Preston to confide in her. If he thought that she was in cahoots with Ariel and Trey, he probably would clam up, and she couldn’t take that chance.

“That they are having an affair,” he said, looking past her.

“An affair!” She sound alarmed. “What makes you think that?”

“The minute I heard Laird mention Trey’s name and the Black Door, I suddenly remembered everything.”

“Remembered what?” she asked, prodding him to make sure his entire memory had indeed returned.

“Last year, I was in New York, sitting in my office, reading the newspaper, and you called saying that Trey was taking you away for the weekend. I remember thinking that he must have gotten caught with another woman, and was trying to appease you. But you were so happy that I didn’t say anything. After we hung up, I got a fax from Senator Oglesby.”

“What did it say?” she asked, cutting him off.

“It said that Trey was the owner of a club called the Black Door. The senator then told me that I could forget about my chances of securing the nomination, because the press would have a field day with this information. I was devastated. I went over to Ariel’s apartment for some solace, but she was drunk. The minute I mentioned Trey and the Black Door, she blurted out that she was fucking him, and—”

Michele put her hand to her mouth as if she were shocked. “What? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said, looking at her for the first time since they had walked into the house. “That must have been the moment that I had the stroke, because the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.”