The Truth Behind The Lies (13 page)

“You look beautiful.”

No-no. I’m not accepting compliments right now Mr. Vandervol. You better back that shit up and tell me who the hell Raggedy Ann is up in here. I don’t care that I have only known your ass for five days. You belong to me.

My face must’ve done something ghetto as hell because he was just regarding me with skepticism.

I had some words to share with Mr. Dimples. “If you have work to do I can just take my ass back to my job.”

“I don’t have work to do so you can stay your ass right here.”

Did he just clapback at me?

“Really?” I smirked. I was much too surprised by his words to rip him one.

“I sense something like hostility.”

“Nothing slips pass you.” I couldn’t believe how flip my mouth had instantly become.

“Nina.”

“Bash.” I rolled my eyes. I was ready to vacate the premises. Let the door hit me where the good Lord split me. Run for the hills. Bounce and all that shit. I stood from the chair. Why was I acting like this? Who the hell am I right now? I took one brave step.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He growled and shocked me in place. It took me a few seconds to dismiss my professional persona and jump into my Southside jumpsuit with Timberlands.

“I’m going to my job.”

“Why?”

I don’t know. I don’t have the right to be jealous. If he would stop making me cum I could think straight. He ate my pussy yesterday. I don’t know. I think that gives me the right to be pissed. Does it? Shit!

“I don’t feel well.”

“Liar.” He barked. “Sit your ass down and talk to me.”

“When did you get so rude?”

“Five seconds ago. Sit your ass down.” Bash raised his hand and gently placed it on my stomach. He looked up at me from his chair. His icy blues were warning me. His hand carried a vital threat. The threat was clear. He could just push my defiant ass down in the chair. No need for that.

“Okay fine.” I quickly lowered myself back into the chair. “I’m sitting.” I snarled.

Silence swirled around us as he gazed at me like he was trying to figure out a quadratic equation.

“You look adorable when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.” Reflex words. Shit I’m lying. I am jealous. I’m a Jell-O pudding pop. I’m a hair gel. I’m Jailhouse Rock.

“Nina, now I’m up to speed. I get it.”

“Get what?”

“If I would have walked into your office and found a man hanging out I would have felt a multitude of emotions. Anger may have been at the top of the list. You can ask me anything. You know that. I will tell you whatever you want, need and care to hear.”

“She has a thing for you.” Right to the point.

“You think so?” He scoffed like it was news to him.

“I know so.”

“Her name is Dana. She is absolutely no one to me. I sometimes forget her last name and my secretary reminds me. She’s a mid-level accounts manger at Sunriso, one of my software companies. I believe you when you say she has a thing for me. I guess I just never noticed because I wasn’t looking.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“I don’t lie to you.” He smiled. “You’re my type. You and Dana are polar opposites. And yes I do have a black BMW. I was telling the truth about the car.”

“Sebastian...” I was stuck. “I just…” I’m not sure what I was even going to say.

“You said my entire name. Is that good or bad?”

“It is what it is.”

“My son says that all the time.”

“Your son? You never talk about him.”

“There isn’t much to say. My sperm fertilized an egg and I was a father.”

Damn, he was serious. “That is very clinical.”

He shrugged. “Did you bring my favorite sandwich?”

“Turkey club on sweet wheat.” He’s trying to change the subject. It was my favorite too from that deli. “I’m sorry I acted that way.”

“Don’t be sorry for expressing your feelings. I’m not going to judge you. I’m going to listen to you.”

“I don’t know why I,” got turned up. “I don’t know what happen.”

“I know what happen.” He smirked in his mischievous way, the way that caused me to bring an additional pair of panties to work with me.

“Tell me what happened.” Can’t wait to hear this.

“I imprinted on you.”

I broke out into a thunderous laughter. “You didn’t imprint on me. You just made me cum.”

“He shrugged and flashed his dimples. “Same difference.” He pulled my chair. I rolled as close to him as the chair would take me.

Then a kiss so deep I felt it in my bones. These kisses could make you claw another woman’s eyes out just for thinking about your man. I wish he were my man. It’s too soon for that. If I put it in the universe then maybe it will come true.

SEBASTIAN

Nina had no idea how special she was to me. She never asked if I slept with Dana. I dodged a bullet from an AK-47. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I would have told her the truth. The truth was the few times I slept with Dana weren’t memorable. It was more of a proximity thing. She was there. She mildly pursued me. I didn’t have anything else to do with my time.

Fucking an employee is not ideal but she doesn’t work in my building. She has never tried to move into a position other than sexual ones. It’s been months since I’ve been with her.

Seeing Nina was the highlight of my day. She is sunshine to me. I did my very best to keep my hands to myself at lunch. I hated to see her leave but we both had to get back to work.

I left my job after five. I had a standing appointment at the gym with Andy Graziano. He was like a brother to me. We were inseparable in high school. We shared almost everything. We even shared a few girlfriends until we grew up and became men. I had a home gym so we mostly met up to spar, sometimes fight hand-to-hand. Sometimes he would beat my ass. Sometimes I would beat his ass. We were equally strong and we bested each other with our brains instead of our brawn.

I emerged from the locker room and Graziano was standing on the mat all gloved up. We hadn’t done this in awhile. I missed last week. He missed the week before because he had to testify in a murder case. He saw me approaching and jogged over.

“Where have you been?” Graziano asked, tapping me on the shoulder with his boxing glove.

“Working.”

“You doing okay?” There was genuine concern in his inflection. Brotherly love, he is a person who truly understands me.

“Oh yeah, I’m good. I’ve just been preoccupied lately.”

“With what?”

I shrugged. “Nothing much.” I wasn’t sure I was ready to share Nina with anyone. We were so fresh. We were so new.

“You look different.” Graziano was staring at me.

“I do?” I started putting my boxing gloves on. I didn’t know what he was getting at but it was time to deflect.

“You mentioned a lady, a date with some woman of color.”

“Woman of color?”

“Look brother, I don’t know what race people are nowadays.”

“She’s Black.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes I’m very sure.”

“Did you go on a date?”

“Yeah I did.” I forgot I had even mentioned it.

“How’d that go?”

“It’s going.” I shrugged.

“You went out with your first homegirl. That is long overdue. Variety is the spice of life. Did she take you to get some chicken wings?”

“No.”

“Some rib-tips?”

“No.”

“Bro, I’m just fucking with you.”

“Obviously.” I groaned.

“You fucked her?”

“No, not yet.”

“Well, what you waiting on?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well it’s about time you get laid. You lay dormant too long and your dick falls off and breaks.”

“Is that right?”

“I know my shit. Look Vander.” Graziano was the only person that called me Vander. “You need to ignore whatever flaws she has and just fuck her. You think too damn much. Sex doesn’t require any thought.”

“She doesn’t have any flaws.”

“What?”

“She’s perfect.”

His entire face creased. “What the fuck is wrong with you? All these women are nagging, self-defecating, PMS-ing, crybabies.”

“Nina isn’t like that. She’s smart and funny and confident. There’s nothing wrong with her.” I spilled my guts like I was a lovesick teen. Did I really just try to sell her?

“I know she has to be something special. Give me a quick S.I.S.E. rundown.”

“Really?”

“Bro, tell me. I’m looking out for you.”

“Whatever. Tits, Tyra Banks 1997 cover. Ass, Ariel Meredith. Thighs, Beyoncé 2007 cover. Lips, Jessica White. Skin, Damaris Lewis. Eyes, Chanel Iman.”

“I’m still stuck on Tyra Banks tits. That was my favorite Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.”

“Nina is perfect.”

“Well fuck her if she’s so fucking perfect. Stop being a chicken shit.”

“I’m not.” I chanted eagerly.

“Look Vander, every woman you fuck falls in love with you. That’s exactly why I fucked them first when we were back in college. Once they had you they would never even look my way. We both know it’s not your winning personality.”

“What is it?”

“It’s your monster dick. So fuck her. Problem solved.”

“I don’t have a monster dick.”

He chuckled. “Brother, I’ve known you were hung like a horse since high school. All us guys joked about that freak shit behind your back.”

“That’s fucked up.”

He chuckled some more. “Yah, but it was fucking funny. We had to find something wrong with you. We obviously were too fucking stupid too know a huge cock is a gift.”

“Enough about my cock.”

“Fine Frankendick. I’m going to knock you out.”

“Never.”

“If you would have fucked your perfect little black lady friend then you would have enough energy to maybe give me some competition out here on these mats.”

“I will give you some competition. More than you need.” I bated.

“Brother your little nut buddies are backed up. I’m going to beat that ass Rocky Graziano style.”

There it is, his routine threat. Andy was distantly related to boxer Rocky Graziano and he never let anyone forget it. Rocky Graziano was one of the greatest knockout boxers of all time and Andy had knocked out a few guys in our rebellious youth. He always threw a few verbal jabs out to boast about his skills. I wasn’t related to any famous boxers but I could take him down from time to time.

“I refuse to go down.” I had a surge of cockiness take hold of my tongue. “Detective you are going to have to shoot me with your gun to put me down.” I teased.

“No need. A German will never beat an Italian.”

Graziano jogged over to the mat. That was my hint. I joined him. I was ready to fight. I thought I was ready to battle. Graziano started taunting me. He followed those taunts up with blows to my body. We never hit each other in the face without headgear. I got a few crucial hits in but he was right. I was wired and I needed the kind of release that wouldn’t come from this sort of physical activity.

I lost the boxing match. My mind is made up. I must fuck Nina.

NINA

★
WEDNESDAY
★

Bash was full of surprises. He was taking me to a concert so I had to dress accordingly. I wore a formfitting army green dress with a plunging neckline. It was usually a little chilly at some venues. So the long sleeved mini dress would be perfect for me.

I had no idea what artist or band we were going to see. Bash assured me it wasn’t the Blues. That was funny. He was funny. He assured me he wouldn’t be kissing any other women. That made me laugh. He told me he liked the two sets of lips I have. I instantly felt turned on. He’s an ass to say these things to me. He knows firsthand how wet I get.

We drove forever and I when we reached the Indiana state line I thought he might be kidnapping me.

“Are you kidnapping me?”

“Yes.” He looked over at me and smiled. His eyes glanced at my uncovered thigh.

“We’re in Indiana.”

“You can read.” He smarted but I didn’t take offense. It was kind of funny.

“We’re going to a concert in Indiana?”

“Yep.”

I thought about the only venue that had decent shows in Indiana. “Horseshoe Casino?”

“Yep.” He glanced over and smiled. I had a question but the curl of his lips monetarily fried my brain.

“Do you gamble, like at the casino?”

“I have gambled yes but I’m not a gambler. I can find other things to spend or waste money on. Do you gamble?” He asked.