Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies (11 page)

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Authors: Trice Hickman

BOOK: Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies
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You Like Learning the Hard Way... .
Back in the present, Victoria tried to take her mind off of Parker, because she knew that more pressing issues were at hand. She sat up in the middle of the king-size bed in her hotel suite as her thoughts turned to her husband and what he must be going through. She'd talked to Ted an hour earlier, when she first came up to her room. He had said that his mother was still holding on, but that the doctors had told them it was doubtful she'd make it through the night.
Victoria couldn't imagine the sadness he must be feeling. During their conversation he'd tried to be strong, but his tone told her that he was in pain. After they ended their conversation, she had to gulp down two Tylenols in her quest to bury her growing headache.
She knew she couldn't hide out in her room for the rest of the evening, so she finally rose from the bed and headed to the door. On her elevator ride down to the ballroom, where the reception was still in full swing, she prayed that Debbie and Stan had exercised good judgment and left the scene. She also hoped that Parker and Samantha were long gone as well.
Victoria entered the room and spotted Debbie and Stan. They were joining in on a line dance that had just started.
I don't believe this!
As she scanned the room, her mood worsened. “Just my luck,” she whispered aloud. Parker's gaze was fixed on her as they locked eyes. His stare made tiny beads of sweat pop out on her forehead. She tried to play it cool as she walked over to where Denise was standing.
“You okay? You were up in your suite for a while,” Denise said, with concern.
“I'm fine. I had to get away so I could talk to Ted,” she responded, telling a half-truth.
Denise nodded with understanding. She knew what it was like to lose a parent. “What's the latest?”
“His mother is still holding on, but it's just a matter of time. Alexandria and I will probably fly out tomorrow,” Victoria said, trying not to look across the room in Parker's direction.
“If you need me to do anything, just say the word and it's done.”
“Thanks, but you've done enough already, holding things together down here. How's it been going since I left?”
“Girlfriend, this wedding is really bringing out some strange happenings.What's the deal with Debbie and that man she's cheezin' with?” Denise asked as she and Victoria watched the two work up a sweat while they danced off-beat to the lyrics of Ludacris.
Victoria had been anticipating this question and hoped that she could throw Denise off Debbie's adulterous scent. “Well ... ,” she began.
Before she could form her words, Denise cut her off. “How stupid is she? If you're gonna cheat, at least be smart about it.Why in the hell did she bring her lover out in public? And I'll be damned if he doesn't look just like Rob.”
Victoria knew there was no need to even attempt to try and clean it up. “I said the same thing,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I don't know what's gotten into her.”
“From what I can see, about six inches, maybe less ... Whatchu think?”
Victoria snickered. “That's hardly enough for the risk she's taking.”
“Humph. Sometimes that's all it takes. You never know what makes folks do the things they do.”
Victoria wrinkled her face. “I guess.”
“I'm gonna leave that one alone and put it in God's hands,” Denise said, wiping her hands, as if she was done with the matter. “And by the way, did you see who else is here?” She glared, rolling her eyes in Parker's direction.
“I know. I saw him earlier at the church.”
“How'd he manage to get an invite? I looked, and I didn't see his name on the guest list, but one of Gigi's hostesses obviously let him in. He probably smiled real hard and charmed his slick ass through the door.”
Victoria shook her head. “He's here with his cousin. She's one of Gigi's guests.”
“Humph. If she's a friend of Gigi's, she's probably no damn good, too, which would explain why she's related to Parker.”
Victoria wanted Denise to go easy on Samantha. “She's actually very nice. As a matter of fact, that's her over there.” Victoria pointed toward the back of the room, where Samantha was sitting at a table, talking with Tyler.
“I hope she's as nice as you say she is ... for Tyler's sake,” Denise said with skepticism. “They've been cuddled up in that corner ever since you went upstairs.”
Victoria took a closer look, noticing the way Samantha and Tyler appeared to be flirting with each other. Samantha's long, thin body was nestled close to Tyler's, and his arm was draped over the back of her chair, as if they were ready to embrace. Both of their faces were brimming over with smiles and something that looked close to lust.
Tyler hadn't dated much since Juliet's death. He'd thrown all his energy into YFI. And when he did meet someone of interest, it never went beyond one or two casual dates. Victoria had been wanting him to find someone for quite some time.
When Victoria thought about her best friend going through life without someone special to share it with, she was filled with sadness. Tyler was a kind, good-hearted man who had suffered many losses, yet he'd never surrendered to bitterness. He deserved happiness, and Victoria prayed that it would finally come his way.
But even though she liked Samantha, she wasn't sure that Parker's cousin was a good match for her best friend. While Samantha was smart, attractive, and had a good sense of humor, Victoria also remembered that for someone who was raised in
D.C.'
s affluent Gold Coast community, by parents with a very distinct pedigree, in a family with deeply embedded roots in the city's closely knit black elite, Samantha had a rough edge that she sported like a worn leather belt, loose and ragged. She favored men who boasted prison rap sheets rather than sheepskin diplomas. She'd had a brief run-in with the law several years back, the result of a wild night of partying that had spiraled out of control. Had it not been for her father, who happened to be one of the city's top attorneys, she would've no doubt served jail time.
As Victoria continued to study the two, she couldn't imagine what they had in common besides their libidos. Yet they were engrossed in what appeared to be a fluid and engaging conversation.
“Well, if you don't mind, I'm gonna head out,” Denise said, looking in Gigi's direction. “I see that the blushing bride is starting up again, and I want to leave before she turns this reception into a burlesque show.”
Gigi was flicking her tongue, seductively licking the icing off of Gary's fingers one by one as they fed each other wedding cake, turning the time-honored tradition into a soft porn spectacle. A few of her cousins were cheering as their camera phones flashed, capturing the moment.
“Go ahead,” Victoria said. “I'll call you if we fly out to-morrow.”
“Okay, I'm outta here. And, girlfriend, watch yourself with him,” Denise said, rolling her eyes again in Parker's direction.
A few hours later the reception had finally started to wind down. Debbie and Stan had left shortly after their uncoordinated attempt to dance on beat. Their departure made Victoria glad that at least one headache was gone for the evening. Tyler had left an hour later, inviting Samantha to have a late dinner with him. And to no one's surprise, Gigi and Gary were pissy drunk, along with the rest of their ghetto-fabulous wedding party. When Gary's best man announced there was a fleet of stretch Hummers out front, ready to take everyone to the after party at one of Atlanta's hottest nightclubs, the remaining party-goers cleared the ballroom as if someone had waved a gun.
All in all,Victoria was pleased that no one had gotten cursed out, injured, or arrested. She'd feared something bad might happen, given a few questionable characters in attendance.
After she signed the final paperwork with the banquet manager,Victoria headed back up to her room. She was looking forward to a peaceful night's rest, and since Alexandria was sleeping over at Susan Whitehurst's house, she planned to take advantage of an evening alone in the serenity of her hotel suite. She needed the peace and quiet because she knew the next few days were going to be somber ones.
She inserted her room key into the elevator, which gave her access to the floors above. She pressed the button for the nineteenth floor, and just as the doors were about to close, Parker stepped in.
“What are you doing?” Victoria asked in a startled voice. “Why are you still here?” She thought he'd left some time ago, because she hadn't seen him in the ballroom when the crowd began to disperse.
“I want to talk to you.”
She stared at him with a silent, heavy glare.
“I sense that you're still carrying hostility toward me.”
Victoria didn't open her mouth. Instead, she merely looked at him, unable to focus her thoughts. They rode in silence as people stepped into and out of the elevator on each floor. When they reached Victoria's floor, she made a beeline for the hallway, with Parker following close on her heels.
“Go away and leave me alone,” she hissed as she hurried down the plush corridor.
“Why won't you talk to me? You can at least give me that courtesy.”
“I don't have to give you a damn thing,” Victoria answered with irritation, not bothering to slow her gait or even look at him. “Now, leave me alone, before I call hotel security.”
They reached her room, and she was about to insert her key card into the lock. “My husband is on the other side of this door, so you better leave now if you know what's good for you.”
Parker shook his head. “No, he's not. He hasn't been around all day, not at the church or at the reception. Are you two having troubles?”
Victoria knotted her brow and pushed against the door, intending to step inside and leave Parker out in the deserted hallway. But when she slipped into the room, Parker walked in behind her.
“Are you crazy? Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?” she hissed again.
“Nice suite,” Parker said and smiled, looking toward the window across the room. “You've got a great view.”
Victoria couldn't believe his casual attitude, but she wasn't surprised by his bold audacity. “I guess you like learning the hard way,” she said, walking over to the phone on the nightstand. “When I tell hotel security that a big, six-foot-three-inch black man just barged his way into my room, they'll have you out of here before you can blink. Now, you have five seconds to get the hell out before I pick up this phone.”
It was apparent that Parker didn't think much of her threat, because he strode up to her in the same casual manner that he'd exuded when he entered her room. “Victoria, you're not seriously going to call security on me?”
She picked up the phone. “Try me.”
“Put it down. We need to talk.”
“Get out. I mean it!”
Parker reached for Victoria's hand that held the phone and gently coaxed it back to its cradle. When his fingers touched hers, she stood stock-still, unable to move a muscle. His touch was warm and exciting, making her think about things that created a small tingle below her waist. She could feel her weakness growing from the inside out, and she knew that she couldn't trust her body's reaction to him. She had to do something to back him down, something to break his spell and prove to him, if not to herself, that she was unaffected by his presence. But as much as she tried, she was frozen in place.
They looked at each other, their breathing becoming more rapid, yet perfectly in sync. “Parker, why are you doing this?” Victoria finally said. He was standing so close, she could feel his body heat and smell the wonderfully intoxicating scent of his citrus-spice cologne. “This will accomplish nothing but some hurt feelings and a possible arrest.”
Parker took one step back. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless, and it gave Victoria some breathing room. He gazed upon her with an intense stare that made her heart jump in her chest.
“Parker, I'm not playing with you. Please leave before this turns ugly.”
“I didn't realize how much I missed you until I saw you last weekend, and I thought ...”
Parker couldn't finish his sentence, because he was caught off guard by the way Victoria seemed to recoil from him. He'd been so sure about the chemistry he'd felt between them, and he thought it was mutual. He couldn't believe he'd been so wrong. Feeling defeated, he turned to walk away but then paused and spun around to face her. “I'm sorry for the way I've behaved. I apparently misjudged things. I thought there was still something left between us, something I thought I saw in your eyes when we were at Hilda's,” he admitted, shaking his head. His voice was steady, and his words were sincere. “I was obviously wrong. Please forgive me,Victoria.”
This time when he turned to walk away, he didn't look back.

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