His Betrayal Her Lies (8 page)

She was also tired of keeping the secret
about his child. She had built up the confidence to confront him a
few months ago when he returned from California but she lost her
nerve.

Then there was the magazine. It was wearing
on her. She so wanted it to be a success.

With all these issues swirling around in her
head, her tears started to fall. She refused to slow down, but kept
running and throwing punches in the air.

During her sprint through the forest
preserve, she noted that the wind had picked up and the leaves flew
through the air. Even so, Taylor had started sweating heavily
because of her accelerated speed. Now the perspiration on her skin
made her chilly so she turned around to head back to the house. The
strong gust at her back pushed her along. “Dang. I know Chicago is
the Windy City but you don’t have to knock me over.”

Rounding the corner to her house, Taylor
noticed Toni’s car in her driveway. She didn’t feel like having
company but Toni had a key so she would come by and check on the
property when she or Ari were away on business. Taylor was sure she
was inside helping herself to everything in her kitchen.

“Good morning, Chica,” Toni said when the
front door opened. Taylor saw her step away from the refrigerator,
arms loaded with a yet-unopened pack of bacon and a dozen eggs.

“Good morning to you, too,” Taylor offered.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat on a kitchen
barstool. “What brings you by so early?”

Toni took some pans out the cabinet above the
stove. “I came by after my morning workout at the new gym up the
street from your house. You know it’s open twenty-four hours?”

Taylor frowned, trying to remember the gym
Toni was referring to.

“Anywho, I also came by to see how the
magazine conference went last night. Being chief editor and all, I
need to be prepared for any backlash that might be written about
the company.”

Taylor was disappointed that Toni had so
little faith in her to represent the company well. Her tone was
chilly. “I don’t need this shit so early in the morning, Toni. You
can take your breakfast to go.” Taylor got up so suddenly that the
stool fell backward to the floor. She marched toward her study.

Toni ran behind her and grabbed her arm
before she made it out the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Tay. I didn’t mean
it like you screwed up or anything. You know I’m a perfectionist
and everything just has to be right for Dynasty Magazine. You are
the face of the company and the spokesman. I just want to know if
people seemed to be interested in us. Are they on board with the
vision we have for the community?”

Taylor turned around and faced Toni. There
was no denying that Toni only had the company’s best interest at
heart. Plus, Toni was a straight-to-the-point person, just like
their mother. For both of them, their method of communication
sometimes distorted their message. Taylor always wondered if that
was the reason why Toni was still single at the age of
twenty-five.

“All you had to do was ask me how it went
instead of acting like I hurt the company’s reputation.”

Toni went back to making breakfast, laying
strips of bacon in a frying pan and cracking eggs into a bowl.

Taylor picked the stool off the floor and
once again took a seat. “There were a lot of reporters at the
conference and they already knew a lot about us and our vision to
write about young entrepreneurs approaching the scene in 2012. I
talked to a lot of other magazine CEOs and editors, too.”

Toni placed a plate in front of Taylor with
bacon, eggs, and fresh cut strawberries on the side.

“Thanks, sis.” Taylor grabbed a fork and dug
in.

Toni took a seat beside Taylor with her plate
of food. “Well, everything sounds like it went well. Libby told me
how scared you were at first and I told her not to worry about you.
You’re a Briggs.”

Taylor cackled at her sister’s comment.
“You’re right, Toni. I am a Briggs.” Taylor fidgeted with her fork
before turning to face her sister. “Can I ask you a question?”

Toni took a sip of her orange juice. “Sure.
What’s up?”

“Do you know Kalon Knight?”

Toni turned toward Taylor, eyes bulging out
her head. “Who doesn’t know Kalon Knight? His company is located on
the north side. He is the most sought-after, confirmed bachelor in
Chicago. Girl, he has been rumored to have dated models, actresses,
and pretty much anything in a skirt.” With a,
you’ve-got-to-be-kidding
kind of look, Toni added, “Wait a
minute. Please don’t tell me he tried to talk to you.”

“No, I just met him at the conference, that’s
all.” Taylor scooped food into her mouth. She wasn’t about to
divulge that she actually became another victim of Kalon Knight’s
charms.

“Oh, well don’t get me wrong, that man is
sexy and gorgeous.”

Taylor started choking on her orange
juice.

Toni looked at her sister with a sly grin. “I
know you, Tay. This man has affected you. I can see it all in your
eyes.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I
just asked you about the man because I found his organization
interesting and thought we should sign up.”

Toni raised her eyebrow like Taylor was
leaving out some key information but she didn’t push the issue.
“Sure, we can sign the company up. Angel Kids helps a lot of
unfortunate kids and it will be great to add that we are involved
in charity work into our mission statement.”

“Great then. Monday morning I want you to
enroll us.” Taylor knew the only reason Toni agreed was because it
could help the company.

Taking her plate to the sink, Toni grabbed
her designer bag. “Will do, sis. And thanks for the breakfast.”

Taylor kidded, “Did I have a choice?”

Toni laughed and walked to the door. She
stopped halfway and turned to face Taylor. “Can I ask you a
question?”

Taylor sat wondering why her sister was
looking so serious. “Sure,” she said nervously.

“Why are you still married to Ari? Father won
the re-election almost a year ago and you haven’t mentioned what
your plans are about this situation.”

Taylor rolled her eyes at her sister but
didn’t brush her off. “To be honest with you, Toni, I haven’t had
time to think about my situation with Ari and this child. I know I
can get out of the marriage anytime I want but I’m just not sure if
I want to.”

Toni put her hands on her waist and stared
down at her sister like she was temporarily insane. “Like I said
before, you’re a Briggs. You’ll figure it out.” Toni gave Tay half
a smile and left.

* * *

Sunday was a blur for Kalon. He had tried
making himself busy all weekend to keep his mind off Taylor. He was
upset that he didn’t get her last name. He wanted to ask her out
for lunch or dinner. It didn’t matter where they went, as long as
he could be in her presence. Sitting in his corner office decorated
in black and red, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. After
three rings, the person answered.

“Hey, this Kalon Knight. I need you to locate
someone for me.”

The man on the other end said, “Shoot.”

“At the magazine conference Friday night
there was a woman by the name of Taylor, sitting at table ten. I
don’t have her last name. I want you to find out her full name and
the company she is representing. Can you handle that?”

The voice on the line ensured Kalon he could
find this woman and he would be in touch within an hour.

Kalon hung up feeling confident. He had
several meetings lined up that evening, and when they were over he
still hadn’t heard from his informant. In his twenty-six years, he
had never pursued a woman this hard. He had never had to. Most
women approached him. Some even became stalkers. He couldn’t
understand why he was going to such great lengths to find out who
this woman was.

Walking back into his office, he took off his
suit jacket and tossed it on his red leather couch. Because of a
mild migraine, he could do nothing at first but rest his head and
close his eyes. Five minutes later, he sat up, taking his time not
to make his headache worse. Looking over at his phone, he noticed
the red message button flicking on his desk. Migraine or not, he
jumped off the couch and punched in his message code.

“Hey, Kalon. I really enjoyed last night and
hope I can see you tonight. Please call me. You have my
number.”

“You wish,” Kalon said, and hit the delete
button. He only hooked up with women one time. He never did double
dips. That’s why he wanted this Taylor woman. She had all the right
curves, and all he needed, wanted, was one night with her. He
closed his eyes. He could still smell her peach rose fragrance from
the night before. Licking his lips, he fantasized about her tight
frame in the palm of his hands; immediately he had a full
erection.

Kalon came out of his daydream when he heard
a knock at the door. “Come in.” Glad he was sitting behind his
desk, Kalon crossed his legs.

“Hey, man what’s going on?” Kalon’s best
friend and business partner, Ephraim, came through the door and
took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

“Hey, bro. Nothing happening. Just trying to
get a handle on all these phone messages.”

Ephraim smirked and crossed his legs. “All
those women keep calling you, huh?”

Kalon started flipping through some papers on
his desk. “You know how I do. I can’t hand in my player cards like
you and settle down with one woman. I got a lot of love to give.”
Both men broke out in laughter.

“Look, bro,” Ephraim said, “being with one
woman is the best thing that ever happened to me. I got tired of
bedding a different woman every night and the next morning I
couldn’t remember their names. I keep telling you if you continue
down this path, you’re going to meet some woman who is going to do
a number on you.”

Kalon laughed again. “Ain’t no woman gonna to
get close enough to do a number on me. You must have forgotten my
heart is made of steel.” Kalon pounded his chest like Tarzan.

“Okay, man, take this as a joke. I’m telling
you. You can’t continue to play this bachelor role forever. Love is
out there and it’s on the hunt. You can try to hide from it but it
will find you.”

Kalon felt a sharp pain on the left side of
his chest at Ephraim’s words. He always feared that he could fall
in love with someone. That’s why he came up with his one-time dip
rule. This gave him complete control.

“If love is after me, then let it take its
best shot.”

“Man, I know you ain’t—” Ephraim cut his
words off when Kalon’s phone rang.

“This is Kalon Knight.” He listened intently.
“Great. Thanks for your help.” When he ended his call, he got up
from his desk.

“Where are you going?”

Kalon turned with a wide grin. “Love just
called.”

Chapter 8

Maci stood behind the bushes watching Taylor
take her morning jog through the forest preserve. Ari wouldn’t let
her go on anymore trips with him and Adrianne, and this made her
furious. She would have to force Taylor’s hand, make her end their
marriage. This was the only way that she, Ari, and Adrianne could
be a family.

Maci hated Taylor. Frankly, she wished she
would die.
Why should Taylor get to live out her dream in that
big fancy house?
Maci didn’t want to be a single mother. She
was in love with Ari and one person was standing in the way of her
happiness. Things were changing; Ari was slipping away from her.
The older Adrianne got, the more desperate Maci became.

The pocketknife she retrieved from her back
pocket was usually kept in her car for protection. Still hidden in
the bush, she followed closely behind as Taylor finished her jog
and ran up her driveway. Maci slipped through the gates without
being noticed. Maci didn’t recognize the car that was parked beside
Taylor’s. She stayed put behind a tree and waited for Taylor to
enter the house.
Damn. I need another plan.

* * *

After Toni’s visit, Taylor stayed in the
house the rest of the weekend cleaning and thinking about the
question her sister had asked. Why hadn’t she left Ari? The honest
reason was because she was afraid of what people would think. She
felt embarrassed, betrayed, and stupid that she hadn’t known her
man wasn’t happy in their relationship. Under no circumstances was
she ready to face her mother and father and tell them that Ari had
a child out there and it wasn’t by her.
Damn you, Ari.

The canopy king-size bed she lay in swallowed
her dainty form. She cried until sheer exhaustion tranquilized her
into a fitful sleep. Kalon Knight’s face floated everywhere in her
dreams that night.

Monday morning was better. Taylor awoke
feeling good. She swore to herself that she had shed her last tear
for Ari’s indiscretions. It was time to move on with life and
forget about something she didn’t even know for sure was true.

Peach fragrance saturated the air after she
showered and rubbed her body down with her favorite lotion. It had
a calming effect on her. She donned a two-piece, black pant suit
and hurriedly brushed her reddish brown hair into a high ponytail
on top of her head. Grabbing her Coach tote bag and slamming the
door behind her, a groan came from her lips when she realized her
keys weren’t in her hand and she might have locked herself out.
Preoccupied with feeling around inside the side pocket of her tote
bag, she looked up when her hand grazed the key ring.

“Whew.”

But her relief was short-lived. She dropped
everything on the ground when she caught sight of her Beamer.

“Oh my God! Who did this to my car?” She ran
up to the car, then circled it, scrutinizing the key marks engraved
in her paint. All four of the tires had been slashed. The word
bitch was carved on the hood and the word hoe was carved on the
trunk.