Betrayal (32 page)

“Okay, daarling. Take care of yourself,” Meri said, kissing Ariel on the cheek as she left.

The evening air was cool and crisp as Ariel strolled down Park Avenue. She needed to clear her mind, so she casually walked back to the corporate apartment instead of taking a taxi. The thought of Preston and Michele being lovers kept playing over and over in her head. If that was the case, she really couldn’t blame Preston. Obviously, he had turned to Michele when his memory returned. Everything had happened so fast that Ariel didn’t even get a chance to ask Preston how he had regained his memory. She was curious; however, at this point, it really didn’t matter, the end result was the same. What mattered was that he knew everything, from her going to the Black Door, to her sleeping with his son, to Trey’s blackmail scheme with the senator, to their cover-up.

To anyone looking at her life from the outside, it appeared to be charmed. She was a partner at a prestigious law firm, making serious money; married to a Supreme Court justice, and living in a multimillion-dollar town house; but on the inside, her life was diseased. The lies and deceit had eaten away at her core like cancer cells gone awry. Ariel took several deep breaths, hoping that the fresh air would somehow cleanse her conscience—which of course it didn’t.

“Good evening, miss. This came for you while you were out,” said the doorman once she returned to the building.

Ariel took the package. “Thank you.” On the elevator ride up, she looked at the envelope.
It must be something from work
.

Once inside the apartment, she tossed the envelope on the table near the front door. She had had a trying day, and wasn’t in the mood to deal with any work-related issues. Though it was still relatively early, she showered, put on her nightgown, and climbed into bed. The stress of the past few weeks had worn her down, and she was exhausted. Before turning off the light, she checked the messages on her voice mail, hoping that Preston would have returned her calls, but the only messages were work-related. Ariel turned off the light and slid beneath the covers.

Sleep escaped her. All she could think about was the way Preston reacted when he learned the truth. He threw her out of their house, like yesterday’s trash, and that’s exactly what she felt like. Ariel regretted every minute that she had spent with Trey. She had never meant to hurt Preston, and wished that she could take back the past, but what was done was done. She tossed and turned for a good portion of the night and was relieved when the sun rose. Ariel hoped that this new day would bring with it some news from Preston. She couldn’t take the silent treatment much longer and was tempted to get on a train back to D.C. and confront her husband.
I’ll give him another two days, and if I don’t hear from him by then, I’m going home
.

She wearily got out of bed, threw on a robe, and went into the kitchen to make coffee. She ambled back into the living room ten minutes later, with a steaming cup of java, and noticed the envelope sitting on the table near the door. She had totally forgotten about it.
Ariel picked up the envelope, went over to the sofa, and sat down. She opened the seal with her pinky finger, and took out the papers.

HENDRICKS V. VAUGHN-HENDRICKS
was the first thing that caught her eye. She had seen these types of documents too many times before, and knew exactly what it was. Ariel was holding divorce papers from her husband. She wasn’t surprised in the least. She knew the dissolution of the marriage was a distinct possibility. Even though Preston wanted a divorce, the lawyer in her wanted to plead her case one more time. She reached for the phone to call Preston, but stopped. There was no case to plead. She didn’t have a leg to stand on. She had cheated with his son, of all people. Her betrayal was unforgivable. Though she empathized with him, the fallout of her actions was hard to swallow nonetheless.

She felt a lone tear roll down her cheek, and wiped it away with the sleeve of the terry cloth robe. She had entered into matrimony with a lie. However, she had hoped against hope that Preston would have a forgiving heart, but he didn’t. Her marriage was over and she had no one to blame but herself—and of course Trey. Ariel knew that this day would eventually come, and now that it was here, she fought back the tears and took the truth like a woman. She had been woman enough to go to the Black Door and fuck around, now she had to accept the consequences of her actions.

Ariel picked up the phone, called her attorney, and told him to proceed with the divorce. She wasn’t going to fight Preston. She realized the sooner they dissolved their marriage, the better. She accepted the fact that he would never forgive her, and she wasn’t going to ask him to anymore. Her next call was to her Realtor. She told the agent not to renew the tenant’s lease. Ariel needed her condo back, since she would once again be single in the city.

TREY HAD
been back in New York for over a month, and still hadn’t heard a word from his father. He had called down to Washington a week after the dreadful altercation, to talk to Preston man-to-man, without an audience, but didn’t get a response. He had e-mailed, as well as texted his dad, but still no answer. Trey didn’t like the way things were left. His father threw them all out before Trey had had a chance to smooth things over. Preston had become irate, and wouldn’t listen to any further explanations after he heard the entire story. Trey had hoped that his dad would have a little compassion once he learned that it was Trey who was instrumental in landing his nomination. However, he couldn’t have been more wrong. Trey’s only salvation now was the fact that they were related. He prayed that the old adage “blood is thicker than mud” would prove to be true. As an only child, he and his dad had always shared a special bond. Now that bond was in serious jeopardy, and it was entirely his fault. His father wasn’t speaking to him, and Trey didn’t know what he could do to repair the rift.

He was in the office doing paperwork, and should have been concentrating on tallying up the myriad of invoices stacked in front of
him, but his mind was focused on the scene that had taken place in D.C. Trey had had the game plan laid out in his head. He and Ariel were to march straight into Preston’s office, and explain, without any dramatics, how and why their affair had started. They were going to swear there was nothing between them any longer, throw themselves on his mercy, and beg for forgiveness. However, they had been blindsided when Preston wasn’t in his office, and had walked into the house hours later with Michele on his arm. Trey took one look at Michele’s body language—the way she was cozied up to Preston—and knew that she’d been putting the moves on his father. Michele was a Vixen with a capital V, and preyed on men like a carnivorous cheetah, chasing down her target and pouncing without a moment’s notice. Trey would bet all the cash in his safe that Michele had stalked his dad, and waited until the timing was right before making her move. Based on what Ariel had told him about Michele threatening to expose the truth, he wouldn’t be surprised if she helped to restore Preston’s memory. She was such a social climber, and who better to climb than a powerful Supreme Court justice. Preston was a part of the world where Michele wanted to be, so she no doubt put the moves on him. Trey thought about calling to confront her, but didn’t want to be bothered. Besides, what was the use? She would probably lie anyway. He didn’t trust her as far as he could toss her scheming behind. She hadn’t called him, so Trey decided it was best to leave well enough alone. At least he had the satisfaction of seeing Preston kick Michele to the curb. Trey thought about calling his dad again, but decided against it.
When he’s ready, I’m sure he’ll make the first move
.

“Knock, knock.”

Trey looked up, and standing in his doorway was Lexington, dressed in jeans and one of those red Gap T-shirts that benefited AIDS victims in Africa. He hadn’t seen or spoken to her in weeks. “Hey there, what brings you by in broad daylight?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m a vampire. I do come out during the day. Are you busy?” she asked, looking at the mound of invoices on his desk.

“Yeah, I am, but I can take a break.” Trey was glad for the distraction. He was tired of replaying the D.C. scene over and over in his mind.

“I just came by to see how the cleanup went,” she said, walking into his office and taking a seat.

“Man, your cousin is the bomb!” he exclaimed. “Not only did he pump out the basement, but he also cleaned up the sewage. You should have seen all of that sludge. It was a smelly mess. And to make sure there wasn’t any bacteria lurking behind, his crew acid-washed the entire space from floor to ceiling. It’s cleaner now than it was before the flood. Thanks again for the referral.”

“No problem, I’m glad everything worked out. Look, I just stopped by to say hi. I’ll let you get back to work.” Lexi had actually popped into the club to see if Trey was going to make good on their date. He had promised to take her to dinner for hooking him up with her cousin, but he didn’t mention their date, and neither did she. She wanted more than just random sex every now and then, and was hoping to turn their sex-buddy relationship into something more. However, she wasn’t going to push the issue. “Well, I’ll see you around,” she said, getting up to leave.

“Wait a minute, didn’t I promise you dinner?” he asked, remembering their deal.

Lexi’s face lit up. “Yes, you did.”

“Well, it’s a little early for dinner, how about lunch?”

“Lunch is fine.” She beamed. “There’s this great sushi bar around the corner. You do like sushi, don’t you?”

“I love
sushi.”
He winked.

Lexi blushed at the double entendre. “How could I forget?” The last time they were together, he had eaten her out like a seasoned pro.

“Give me twenty minutes. I need to make an important call.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Once Lexi was gone, Trey had a change of heart, and decided to call his father again. He dialed the number, and listened as the phone rang and rang. He thought that he was going to get the answering machine again, and was ready to hang up, but his dad finally picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dad,” he said, with hesitation.

“What do you want, Trey?” Preston asked, getting right to the point.

“I was hoping that we could talk. Is this a good time for you?”

“No, it’s not. I have to catch a plane,” he answered curtly.

“Oh, where are you going?” he asked, in an attempt at small talk.

“Out of town,” Preston said vaguely, without giving up any details.

“When are you coming back? Maybe I could come to D.C. for a long weekend.”

“I don’t know about that. Let’s talk when I get back. Look, I have to go now; my car is waiting,” Preston said, ending their brief conversation.

Trey hung up, hopeful. At least his father didn’t hang up the phone in his ear. This was a good sign. Now he’d just have to wait patiently for their private conversation until his dad came back. Trey gathered the papers on his desk, put them in a neat pile, placed them back in the in-box, and headed out the door.

Sushi Sake was ultrahip with over a hundred varieties of imported sake, and a four-star chef straight from the shores of Shimoda. Lexi was sitting at the sushi bar watching the chef slice, dice, and roll. His moves were precise and entertaining.

“Hey there,” Trey said, sitting next to her.

“Hi. I ordered you a saketini. It’s really good. Try it,” she said, handing Trey the martini glass.

He took a sip. “Hmm, that is good.”

“Here’s the menu. The sashimi here is also good.”

Trey looked over the menu, and ordered for both of them. As they were drinking their sake martinis and waiting for lunch to arrive, Mason walked up with his girlfriend Terra in tow.

“Hey, man.” He looked from Trey to Lexi. He was glad to see them together. Trey needed a good woman in his life and Lexi fit the bill. “What’s up?” he asked, with a pleasant smile painting his face.

“Nothing much; just having a bite to eat. Why don’t you guys join
us?” Trey said, extending his hand to the empty bar stools next to them.

“Trey, this is my girl, Terra,” Mason said, making introductions since they had never met. “She just flew in from L.A. She was out there working on a film.” He beamed proudly.

“Really? That must be exciting,” Trey said.

“Yes it is.” Terra extended her hand. “So you’re Trey.” She looked him over. “I’ve heard so much about you—”

“Come on, girl, let’s go to the powder room,” Lexi said, cutting her off. She didn’t want Terra to slip and tell Trey how Lexi really felt.

Once the women had gone, Mason sat next to Trey. “So, I see things with Lexi have moved outside of the club; that’s a good sign. You must be feeling her.”

Trey didn’t want to admit it, but he was starting to like Lexi. She had proven to be more than a fuck buddy. “You got me, man.” He grinned. “She’s pretty cool. I haven’t had a real relationship in God knows when. I don’t count being with Michele a relationship; it was more like being held captive.” Trey was a free agent once again. He and Ariel had reconciled the tension between them and were friends. Michele was finally a memory, and he was now free to move on.