His Betrayal Her Lies (10 page)

“I’m sorry,” they both said in unison.

Taylor ran over to hug her friend. “I’m so
sorry, Libby, for the things I said that day. I never meant to hurt
you.” They let go of their embrace and looked at each other.

“I should have been there to listen to you
but I was in my own little world,” Libby admitted.

“No problem, girl.” Taylor led Libby to the
sofa in her office. “I need to talk to you and Pam. So much has
been going on in my life these past couple of days, I just need to
tell someone before I explode.”

Remorse was painted on Libby’s face. “Oh,
Tay, I’ve been a horrible friend. I can tell by your facial
expression that whatever you’re dealing with is not good.”

Taylor half smiled at Libby’s confession.
“Let’s all have dinner tonight at my favorite restaurant, Ohio
Street. See if you can get in touch with Pam for me. I stopped by
her office during lunch and her secretary said she wasn’t in. Do
you know what’s going on with her?”

Libby pinched the bridge of her nose. “I
haven’t talked to Pam. I’ll let her know you want a girls’ night
out.”

“Great, we can meet around eight o’clock
tonight,” Taylor said standing.

Her friend followed her lead. “Let me get
back to work, Tay. These auditors are working my nerves.”

* * *

Kalon turned on the lights in his loft. Three
women had tried to get his number while he was working out at the
gym in his complex; he just wasn’t interested. He had taken their
numbers out of courtesy but had no intention on calling. One woman
was on his mind—Taylor Gallagher.

He took off his tank top and boxers and
stepped into the bathroom for a long, hot shower. Water sprayed his
uplifted face while he thought about the confirmation he received
that the flowers had been delivered to Taylor. A second attempt to
reach out to her had gotten him nowhere again. He couldn’t
understand why Taylor wouldn’t go on a date with him.
I know she
is attracted to me
. He could see it in her face when he met
her. In his many years of seducing women, he knew when a woman
wanted him. He was definitely sure that she was interested.

After his shower, he sat on his Italian
leather sofa with a towel wrapped around his waist and enjoyed a
cold beer. He looked around his loft and felt a sense of
accomplishment. Being a black young entrepreneur had been his dream
ever since he was a little boy.

Vintage Italian décor filled the space. Every
painting and furniture piece was handmade and delivered from
Italy.

The phone rang. He set down his beer and
picked up the cordless handset sitting on the corner table. He
cleared his throat. “Hello”

“Good evening, Mr. Knight. We have a Patricia
White down here to see you. Should I send her up?”

Patricia?
Kalon ran through his mental
Rolodex but couldn’t think of who she was. He had been with so many
women it was hard to keep track of their names. “Ask her where I
know her from.” He didn’t care if the doorman thought that was kind
of odd.

Muffled voices were all he could discern over
the phone, then the doorman came back on the line. “Sir, she said
she was with you the other night and she left you a message on your
office phone this morning.”

Oh, that Patricia.
The redhead he met
at the traffic light a couple days ago. He already got what he
wanted—and it wasn’t that great. He decided he could use the
company. “Yes, send her up,” he relayed to the doorman.

He jumped off the sofa and ran into his
bedroom to put on his blue V-neck Sean John sweater and a pair of
True Religion jeans that rode low on his hips. The black socks he
grabbed out of his drawer would suffice. Stepping into his foyer,
he opened the door to a smiling Patricia.

“Hey there, stranger. I’ve being trying to
get in touch with you. You got me stalking you.” She made a show of
rocking her hips from side to side as she walked past him. She had
on the tightest, black, knee-length dress ever made. Kalon could
see everything, not that he hadn’t already seen it.

“Oh, is that right?” He gave her a sly smile.
She turned to face him and leaned in for a kiss.

Kalon kissed her cheek and showed her to the
sofa. “Please take a seat.”

“I think we’re past sitting and talking. I
know what I want and I came to collect.”

Kalon’s face remained neutral as his inner
voice said,
in your dreams.
Patricia got up and sat in his
lap. She started to place small kisses down the center of his neck.
His member started to do crazy jumps in his pants. He knew he had
to get this woman out of his house fast. “Let’s go get something to
eat,” Kalon stammered, breathing heavily.

Patricia tried to get closer to Kalon.

“I thought we could go to one of my favorite
restaurants,” Kalon proposed.

Patricia rubbed a hand down her dress to
smooth out the winkles. With disappointment on her face, she took
him up on his offer. “Okay, what restaurant is that?”

Kalon took his Sean John jacket from the
closet. “Ohio Street.”

Chapter 9

Libby, Pam, and Taylor were seated in a booth
for four. At this upscale restaurant, the food was brought to your
table and you were given a card that had “keep serving” on one side
and “go away” on the other. Pam took a bite of her shrimp. “So,
Tay, what’s been going on with you?”

Taylor folded the napkin in her lap. “I
should be asking you the same, Pam. I haven’t seen or heard from
you in a couple of days.”

“Girl, dealing with baby daddy drama. My son
is a senior in high school, and his no-good daddy and I are still
going round and round about the same things.” She sipped on her rum
and coke.

“What else is new?” Libby asked, noisily
slurping the last of her drink.

“Whateva,” Pam countered.

Taylor got a kick out of the banter between
her two friends. “Let’s see, where should I start with my drama?
Well, my car got vandalized again.”

Both girls gasped at Taylor’s disclosure.

Pam was the first to speak. “When did this
happen?”

Taylor put down her fork. “I found it this
morning when I was leaving for work. It could have happened last
night. I’m not sure. It could have happened any time this weekend
because I was mostly in the house.”

“Do you think it’s the same person who busted
your car window?” Libby asked.

Taylor blew out an aggravated breath. “Yes, I
think it’s one person; I have an idea who it is.”

Both girls perked up, waiting for her to name
her suspect.

Taylor took a bite of her medium-well
steak.

Impatient, Pam egged her on. “Don’t leave us
hanging, Tay.”

“I think it’s the girl Ari had an affair
with.”

“I think it’s that bitch, too,” Libby
said

Taylor flipped her shoulder-length hair
behind her ears. “I just need to be sure.”

Pam looked at her like she was crazy. “Tay,
who else could it be? You know as well as I do that it’s that
girl.” She swirled the ice in her glass before taking another sip
out of it.

Taylor threw her hands up in defeat. “I’m
pretty sure it’s her. I have someone looking into it for me.” She
really didn’t want her friends to know that she had hired a private
investigator but she had just tipped her hand.

“Who?” Libby asked.

Taylor looked back and forth between Pam and
Libby, nervously trying to change the subject. Fate stepped in and
did it for her when Kalon Knight came into her view. “Kalon
Knight?” she breathed.

Pam cocked her head. “Who did you say? Kalon
Knight?”

Kalon advanced toward her.

Taylor couldn’t speak. Mouth dry as cotton,
she reached for her drink. Sweaty palms and racing heart were
undisputable signs to Taylor that she was indeed about to die of a
heart attack.

With his date’s arm linked around his, Kalon
walked right up to her table. “Hello, Taylor. We meet again.”

Taylor tried to look nonchalant. “Hello,
Kalon. It’s good to see you again.” She earnestly hoped she sounded
disinterested because inside she was trying to restrain herself
from jumping his bones.

Pam and Libby looked at Kalon and Taylor.

A few droplets of sweat rolled down the small
of Taylor’s back. If she could just play it cool, they might not
pick up on how much of an effect Kalon was having on her.

Kalon tore his eyes off of Taylor long enough
to ask about the ladies seated with her. Pam, who was seated on the
aisle, extended her hand first. “I’m Pamela Jones.”

Kalon took her hand and kissed it.

Pam giggled and batted her eyes at him.

Libby extended her hand next. “I’m Libby
Townsend and we,” she explained, pointing to herself and Pam, “are
Taylor’s best friends.” She drew back her hand before Kalon could
place a kiss on it.

Taylor thought he was just a gigolo who knew
how to charm the pants off of anyone in a skirt. She refused to be
his next victim.

The tall beauty on his arm cleared her
throat.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kalon said, “this is my
friend Patricia.”

Taylor looked up at the model figure standing
above her. Nobody could miss the daggers that Patricia’s eyes were
throwing at Kalon. It was clear that she didn’t like being
introduced as his friend.

“Babe, I think our table is ready,” Patricia
suggested. She rubbed her hands up and down Kalon’s arm, marking
her territory.

Kalon pulled a card from his jacket and
handed it to Taylor. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you, Taylor, but I
just wanted to come over and speak.” He bent down to eye level. His
scent was an aphrodisiac. “Please use my card. I’d like to discuss
some business with you about your magazine and some new things
Angel Kids is involved in,” he said with a wink.

Patricia tightened her grip and pulled him
away.

A small gathering of young black men seated
at the bar whooped it up when their team scored a touchdown.

Taylor jumped at the sudden commotion. She
picked up the card and wondered if Kalon really had business to
discuss or was this his way of trying to get her attention.

“Earth to Tay,” Libby said, cupping her ear
as though speaking into a headset.

“I’m here, girl. Stop playing.” Taylor
thumped Libby on the arm.

“Damn, who the hell was that?” Pam inquired,
licking her lips.

Libby smacked her lips in agreement. “Oh my
God, you don’t know who that is?”

“Ummmm, no.”

Duh
, is what Libby’s face said, “Girl
that is Kalon Knight, the biggest player in Chicago, the only good
thing about him is that company he started called Angel Kids.”

Pam stole a quick look at the table where
Kalon was seated. “I don’t care who he is. The man is fine as hell.
I need to be hooked up,” she said, staring hungrily in Kalon’s
direction.

“It seems he’s already taken,” Libby
said.

Index finger waving in the air, Pam sassed
back, “By whom? Not that wannabe model on his arm; he made it known
she was just a friend.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Libby answered, “No,
not her. Ask Tay.” She started drumming her fingers against the
table. Pam propped her elbow on the table and put her chin in her
hand. Both girls waited for Taylor to confirm or deny what Libby
was implying.

She looked at them with apprehension. “Don’t
ask me. I don’t know who he is dating.”

“Ah, but you know who he
wants
to
date,” Libby said.

“How would I know that?”

Libby angled her head toward Taylor. “Come
on, Tay. Anybody with eyes can see how you were drooling all over
that man and I can definitely see he was interested in you, too.
Why would he seek out our small little company to do business with,
huh? Unless his motive is not the company but the owner of the
company.” Satisfied that she had proven her case, Libby leaned back
in her seat.

Five members of the wait staff clamored to a
corner table, one of them holding a birthday cupcake with a lit
sparkler on top. They reached the astonished birthday girl, set the
treat down in front of her, and belted out the restaurant’s
personalized version of the happy birthday song, clapping with
every word.

When the noise settled down, Pam summoned
their waiter. She asked for the dessert menu.

Taylor asked for the check.

“Libby,” Taylor said, looking down in her
wallet for her credit card, “I told you about letting your
imagination run wild.” The Platinum American Express card blended
in with the silver and black tablecloth.

“Yeah, yeah, call me crazy, but I know what I
saw. That man wants him some Tay.” She held her hand out for Taylor
to give her five.

Taylor pushed her hand away. Deep down, she
hoped Libby’s theory was wrong. However, she been around long
enough to know that Libby was right on target. Taylor needed to
derail this idea that Kalon was after her. “According to you, he
wants any woman. So how can you say it’s me he wants? It could be
you or Pam he was interested in.”

“Uh uh, girl, don’t play me. He barely looked
in my direction,” Libby refuted, bouncing her hair up and down with
her hands, “and you
know
how good I look.” She couldn’t keep
a straight face at her own words. “He was just being nice to
Pam.”

Pam gave Libby the talk-to-the-hand sign.

Libby looked at Taylor. “Believe me, his eyes
were on you then just the way they are on you now.”

The three of them turned in the direction of
Kalon’s table and he sent a smile and a wink.

“My point exactly,” Libby said.

Taylor felt a flash of heat run along her
cheeks.
Lord help me
.
This man is dangerous.
The
waiter brought the bill and she slid her credit card in the leather
folder.