Sincere Deception Read online

  “You saw who?”

  “Eugene.”

  She scratched the tip of her head as she spoke. “I can’t believe it, Ava. I thought you were done with Eugene! Didn’t he cause enough harm in your life?”

  “He did, he did. I won’t deny that. But he came back, and not only did he come back—he apologized.”

  Kelis looked at me like I was a fool. “Are you serious, Ava? That man did you all sorts of wrong, and just because he runs to you and decides to apologize, it does not mean he loves you, cares about you, or gives a damn about never screwing you over again.”

  “I knew you would say something like that. But really… he’s changed. I know he has.”

  “How can you be so sure he’s changed? I mean, really… how do you know?”

  “I know he’s changed because not only did he tell me he has, but I can see it in his eyes. Eugene is not the same man he was several months ago.”

  As she laughed aloud, I felt ridiculous. Shaking her head shamefully, she said… “I don’t think you should believe anything that idiot says. He has hurt you once, twice, and I don’t see why he would be reluctant to doing so a third time.”

  “You know, Kelis… you sound exactly like Avery and Autumn. I know you all are only tryna protect me, but I got this. I’m a grown woman. I know what I’m doing; I do not need anyone else’s say so, or opinions.”

  As a response, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Look, I have a child of my own, so believe me when I say I have no interest in trying to be your mother.” She sighed again, then looked directly into my eyes. “But just like Avery and Autumn, I just want what is best for you. I don’t want to see you in pain, miserable, and stressed. I’ve already witnessed you that way and it certainly wasn’t a pretty sight.”

  “I understand your concern, but I love this man. If I want to be with him again and make this work, I have to trust his intentions and give him a chance.”

  By this time during the conversation, we were standing in front of Kelis’s vehicle. She was unlocking the door and preparing to get inside. But before she did so, she placed her hand against my shoulder and rubbed it. “I’m not here to judge you. I’m sure your family isn’t necessarily here to do that either. We just love and care about you. We just want to see you happy.” She sat inside her car and kept the door open as she spoke to me from the seat. “I am going to pick up my daughter from daycare, drop her off at her father’s house, and ride back over to your apartment. Love ya. I’ll catch up with ya later.”

  She stuck her key in the ignition, started the car, closed the door, and then drove off.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 5

  SENSELESS BETRAYAL

  The last thing I wanted to do was lie to my family and closest friends, but I knew they would not understand my decision to take Eugene back. Due to that fact, I decided to keep my rekindled relationship on the hush. Therefore, when family came over to visit my home, Eugene was not allowed to be there. This went on for two months, and I know that sounds horrible, but if we wanted to keep our relationship drama free, this method was mandatory.

  Lying on the bed watching me as I dressed myself, Eugene wore an aggravated expression. “Baby, I am really getting sick and tired of hiding from your friends and family. I just got off work. All I wanna do is get some sleep. Tell your peeps to stay in the car. They don’t have to come inside the building.”

  “Even if I did simply go downstairs and hop in the car, they’d still know you’re here. Your damn car is in front of the building.” I slid my heels on, put on my coat, grabbed my credit card, keys, and placed them inside my purse. I then walked to my bed, sat down, and directed my attention towards him. “I know sneaking around and hiding from my family isn’t the ideal situation. But we have been getting along so well. We have not had a fight, or any kind of animosity. I would like to keep it that way.”

  “I would like to keep things smooth too, Ava… but I’m not about to keep leaving the house every time you get notification that your family is going to stop by. I understand your reasons for not telling them we’re back together, but I honestly think it’s time they know. I mean, how do you expect us to get married anytime soon if they know nothing about us?”

  “I agree. I think it’s time they know also… I just don’t know how to tell them. But don’t worry, I will tell them sooner than later. I just want to make sure the time and atmosphere is right.” I leaned over to kiss his lips. I then smiled and winked. “The girls are on their way here, so please drive around the block until we’re gone. I’ll call you when I’m on my way back to give you a heads up.”

  When my sister arrived, I jumped into the back seat with Kelis and Justine. It took us about fifteen minutes to get to our destination. When we got to The Drake, a bar near downtown Cincinnati, we sprung towards the entrance and anxiously waited to get inside. The Drake was definitely one of the hottest spots in the city. Not many places could top its luxury atmosphere and sophisticated image. They were known for their fine wines, great choices of music, and high quality foods. Fitting nearly 400 people at a time, they were also the most recommended for hosting fabulous parties and VIP sessions.

  After about five minutes of waiting, we stepped inside the place and proceeded to our favorite booth on the first floor towards the rear of the bar. One-by-one, we positioned ourselves comfortably onto the soft leather seats. Our section was perfect—dimmed lights and relaxing music.

  Kelis started the night off by requesting a fancy pitcher of Strawberry Daiquiri’s, while the rest of us ordered a bunch of food. About twenty minutes later, the waiter returned with all types of burgers, fries, and spices of chicken wings. We didn’t waste a bit of time jabbing in. During the course of our meal, Autumn decided to take a brief moment to suggest a toast. She tapped her glass, smiled, cleared her throat, and spoke amongst us as she raised her glass into the air. “I just wanted to say that I am thankful to be here with all of you beautiful women. It’s not often that we are able to get out, kick our feet up, and have a genuinely good time. With work, school, and children, I know we are just too busy to mingle like we used to. I want to toast to my sisters, Ava and Summer, and wonderful childhood friends, Kelis and Justine.” Followed by her speech, we raised our glasses into the air, and then reached in for the tap.

  As the five of us were enjoying our sentimental moment, I noticed an attractive man wandering by our table. He grinned with joy as he watched us embrace. He then stopped and stood directly in front of our booth.

  “Good evening beautiful ladies,” he stated to us all. “What brings you out for celebration tonight?”

  “Oh, we’re just enjoying a night out. No special reason,” Autumn responded.

  “I can relate with that. Sometimes we all need a break from life to just sit back, relax, and have a few drinks with those we’re fond of.”

  “That’s true,” my sister agreed. She smiled, and then stuck her hand out for him to shake. “What’s your name?”

  “I’m Lee,” he said, politely shaking her hand back.

  “Well it’s very nice to meet you, Lee. I’m Autumn.” She turned towards the rest of us and introduced. “This is my sister, Ava, my younger sister, Summer, and my close friends, Kelis and Justine.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you lovely ladies also,” he said, with a charming sneer. “If you ladies need anything, just let me know. The bartender over there is my good friend, John. I can get you all some free drinks, and maybe even an exclusive VIP session the next time you come.” We glanced over at the bartender, then showed Lee much appreciation by thanking him for the offer. He handed us his business card, and then returned to the other side of the bar with his squad.

  “He’s a cutie,” Autumn said as soon as he walked away.

  “Yeah, he’s fine,” Summer agreed. “If I didn’t have a fiancé at home waiting for me, I’d surely be all over him!” We all laughed aloud.

  “Yeah, he’s cute alright,” Kelis said with a snort. “
But I bet he’s a playa. He doesn’t look much like the faithful type.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Justine asked.

  “I mean… look at him.” As we turned to examine the man and his crew, Kelis continued to elaborate her point. “You can tell by the way he’s dressed, his demeanor, his sharp, clean cut. Only a man without morals will have the audacity to come out of the house looking that damn fine!” We all laughed again.

  Autumn said, “Kelis, you’re a trip. You’re the only woman I know that can take one look at a man’s haircut and tell if he’s a player or not.”

  “Any man who is as confident as he is, is nothing but a liar, jerk, and cheater. Trust me… I know.”

  In that moment, my thoughts started to drift. It seemed like the perfect time to mention the status of my relationship, and without hesitation, I decided to speak.

  “Speaking of liars, jerks, and cheaters… there is something I need to get off my chest. For the past two months, I have been seeing Eugene. He’s been living with me, and now that we may possibly be thinking about marriage, I figured this would be the perfect time to tell you.”

  For a few seconds, the booth remained completely silent. Everyone just stared at me as if I had lost my mind. Then Autumn said… “Please tell me you’ve had too much liquor. Please tell me you’re hallucinating. This is a joke, right?”

  “No, it’s not a joke. I decided to give him another chance.”

  “I think it’s the dumbest thing you could do,” Kelis announced as she sipped her drink. After swallowing, she said… “You asked me not to tell anyone about you sleeping with the bastard, and I agreed. But I didn’t seriously think you’d have a private relationship with him.”

  “Look, y’all, I already feel guilty enough about hiding this for so long. I get why you’re upset, but I had to speak up.” I sighed. “We’re planning to get married sometime next year. If we’re going to do so, I have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. I mean, what kind of wedding would it be without my family’s support?”

  “You know I love you, Ava, and you know I want to be happy for you,” Autumn stated. “But I am not going to sit here and tell you that I’d be excited about you and Eugene joining hands in marriage. If I told you I would be, I’d be lying.”

  Glancing around the silent booth, I could tell that my news was less than joyous to everyone’s ears. It was obvious no one favored my decision to get back with my ex—let alone, marry him. Still, however, I decided not to let the disappointment show on my face. Instead, I simply smiled, and changed the subject. Nearly two hours later, we sobered up, paid our fees, left our tips, and left the bar. As soon as Autumn pulled in front of my apartment, I thanked everyone for the wonderful time, said my goodbyes, and got out of the car.

  Still a little tipsy, I slowly strolled up the stairs. When I got to the door, I stuck the key inside the lock. As soon as I entered, I took my shoes off and threw them to the side. With my feet throbbing, I figured I’d take a hot bath to allow them to soak. As I made my way to the bathroom, I was taken aback by an odd noise coming from my bedroom. I wasn’t quite sure if I was trippin’, or if in fact there was something strange goin’ down inside the partition of my bedroom. Without another second of delay, I placed my hand on the knob, turned it, and swung the door open.

  With her legs in the air, and his body propped in between her, I stood there like a bad case of déjà vu. As I tolerated the embarrassing moment of catching my man’s penis deep inside another woman’s flesh for a second time, I froze. I stood there for nearly ten seconds in disbelief. I then cleared my throat, walked towards the bed, and sat on it. As the sweat dripped from his face and body, Eugene acknowledged me with a look of shock and shame. He seemed as though he wanted to speak, but nothing worth saying could possibly come out. As I positioned my eyes on the girl, she couldn’t even look at me. Embarrassed, she placed both hands over her face.

  Still sitting on the bed, I finally chose to voice my piece. Speaking firm and agitated, I said, “You were too lazy to get in your car and drive around the block a few times, but you certainly wasn’t too lazy to stick ya dick in this bitch you got in my bed.” I took a brief moment to sigh, then continued. “Well, I’m glad you had a great night, Eugene. I mean, while you were here having the time of your life, I was sitting at a bar booth being interrogated. I had to sit there and listen to my family treat me like a damn child as they questioned me about why the hell I would want to marry a man who’s cheated on me. As I sat there defending you, you were here… in my bed… fucking a slut—again.”

  The more I spoke, the angrier I became, and as much as I wanted to cry my pain and express my regret, I decided not to. It was in that moment I vowed to never let a man see how much his actions could break me. It was in that moment I decided to suck the spit back down my throat, dismiss my upcoming tears, and replace that with a feeling of apathy.

  “Get out,” I said, dry. “Both of you… get ya shit, and get the hell out.” I removed myself from the bed, walked into the bathroom, and prepared my hot bath water.

  CHAPTER 6

  GOOD GIRL GONE BYE-BYE

  I gave that man everything. My time, my heart, my energy, my love—even the deepness of my walls. When he needed emotional support, I was there. When he needed someone to talk to, I listened. When he needed some good lovin’, I made sure he was satisfied. I even cooked his meals and washed his damn drawers. But instead of appreciating my efforts to make him happy, he decided to betray me once again. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around it all. I mean, what could possibly make a man deceive a woman who has proven her love for him time-and-time again? What does a woman have to do to find a man that is willing to stay down for her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated? I knew I should’ve never given that fool a second chance with my heart.

  I was so damn stressed; all I wanted to do was get out of the house, have some drinks, and take my mind off the bullshit. I let out a deep sigh as I stood in front of the mirror staring at my disturbed reflection. I then pinned up my hair, slid on a sexy fitted red dress, and added a hint of gloss upon my lips. I put my black heels on my feet, and drizzled myself with a pleasant scent. Before turning away, I glanced at the mirror once more and took another deep sigh. I turned out the bathroom lights, grabbed my purse out of the closet, threw my coat on, and headed out the door.

  When I arrived at The Drake, I sat at the bar and ordered myself a Long Island Iced Tea. I removed my coat, laid it in my lap, took my purse off my shoulder, and sat it on the counter in front of me. As soon as the bartender passed me my drink, I took a few sips, and then directed my attention towards the television across the room.

  “Well, hello, Beautiful,” I heard a familiar voice say.

  Before even turning around to greet him, I already knew it was the charming man from a few nights before—Lee. “Hello, Lee,” I said, uninterested.

  “How are you? Where’s ya crew?” he asked, scanning around the area as if he were expecting to see someone.

  Sighing, I replied, “They’re not here. I decided to spend some time alone.”

  “Rough night?”

  “More like a few rough nights.”

  “Wanna talk about it?” he asked, taking a seat next to me.

  “No, not really. I’d prefer to sit here and sip my drink. Talking about it would only make me feel worse.”

  “That’s understandable. I can see that you’re not having such a good time right now, so I won’t be a bother. But I must say… you are way too gorgeous to be sitting here looking so down. There must be something I can do to cheer you up.” Before I could even respond, he asked the bartender to fix us more drinks. He then introduced me to the bartender—his friend. “John, this is Ava. I met her and a few of her friends a few days ago.” John reached out his hand. Reluctantly, I extended mines for him to shake. “Make sure the lady and her crew are satisfied whenever they stop by,” Lee told him.

  John agreed with Lee’s demand by nod
ding. He then smiled and said… “Yes, all drinks are on the house from this point on as long as Lee says so.”

  “OK, well, thank you. That may actually come in handy, because the way I’m feeling, I may need the whole damn bar,” I joked. We all laughed.

  John placed two more Long Island Iced Teas in front of me, grinned, and then walked away to assist his other customers.

  Lee said, “I’m actually really happy to see you again, Ava. I would’ve tried to talk to you longer the other night, but I saw that you were occupied with friends, so I tried to respect that. Now that you’re here, I was thinking maybe we could get a little privacy so we could talk?”

  I glanced around the crowded bar. Not knowing whether to give in, or remain stubborn towards his suggestion, I finally said, “Sure… why not.” I snatched my things and followed him to a VIP section near the basement. The sound of smooth jazz was surrounded throughout the small room, and the lights were so dim you would’ve thought we were in a movie theater. With my leg crossed over the other as I held my drink, I sat there in complete silence.

  Smiling, he said, “I know I told you this already… but you are very beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. “You’re very handsome yourself.” I let off a slight grin, and then looked towards the floor.” I took a small sip of my drink, sighed, then cleared my throat. I was nervous, tipsy, and detached. Although this man was ridiculously sexy and unbelievably attractive, I was just not in the mood to fall under his enticing spell. For minutes, we continued to gulp our drinks and sit soundlessly. He then glued his eyes on me and flashed his smile.

  “So, Ava… what do you do for fun? What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a nursing student. I also work part-time as an LPN. That’s pretty much my entire life. When I’m not working or studying, I usually go out with my friends. There is nothing too special or extraordinary about my life.”