The Art of Deceit Page 4

  Later that day, he came into the kitchen as I was sitting at the table, eating brunch. He sat down but ate nothing.

  “Just calm down and eat. You need to replace all the strength that you used up last night. After all, you were hired as a muscleman, right?” I said without taking my eyes off my newspaper.

  Like a good little boy, he got up and made himself a plate. Once seated again, he spoke. “So, is this how it is going to be?”

  I looked at him as if I was confused.

  “You know what I mean, Tangie. We have to talk about what happened last night and this morning. I need to—”

  I cut him off. “That will be all for now,” I told the maid once I noticed that she was more interested in our conversation than in cleaning up. I waited for her to leave the kitchen; then I turned my attention back to Carl.

  “I really enjoyed last night. You made me feel good both inside and out. But you know what I am about, Carl. You put it best last night in the limo, remember?”

  “So is that why you damn near raped me? Did what I say really bother you that much?”

  I moved closer to him before answering. “Come on, Carl. I made love to you because I wanted to, not because of what you said. Plus, it was hardly rape. You enjoyed it too much for it to be considered rape.”

  “Well, what are you going to do now that we have slept together?”

  This man was really sounding like a little punk, and that was just what I wanted.

  “Well, I’m not going to do anything, Carl. I am going to continue to be with Tay’von, and you will continue to do what you are paid to do.”

  He looked like he was about to lose his mind once I made my comment.

  “Well, I am not getting paid to sleep with you, so we do have to figure something out. It’s not in my contract to fuck Tay’s girlfriend.”

  “There is nothing to work out, Carl!” I yelled. “You need to tell me if this is going to be a problem. I do not want this affecting your job, because at the end of the day, that’s all you’re here for.”

  “My job? You’re asking me if this is going to affect my job? I fucked my boss’s girlfriend!”

  “So quit!” I yelled without a second thought.

  If this motherfucker thought that he was going to mess up what I had going on, then he would have to quit, or I was going to tell Tay to fire his ass.

  “So this is your solution to this? I should quit?”

  “If that is what it will take for you to keep your fucking mouth shut, then yes, you should quit.”

  “You really are a coldhearted bitch, Tangie. I hope you know that.”

  “Yes, Carl, I do know, but tell me, what you are going to do? Are you going to start acting like yourself, or are you leaving the job?”

  “Fine, Tangie. If that’s the way you want it, then that is the way you will get it.”

  Before he could say anything else, I declared, “Good. Now eat up. We have a big day ahead of us.”

  * * *

  After a long day of shopping, I lay in bed, watching TV. Carl had barely spoken to me the whole day. He had just held my bags and stayed to himself. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with him yet. I thought that maybe my plan was working a little too well. But if fucking him would make him keep his mouth shut, then I would have to keep on doing it. Sexing him wasn’t going to be that bad. It was going to be a win-win situation, one that satisfied both of us. The phone rang, and it was Tay’von interrupting my thought process yet again.

  “So what city are you in tonight?”

  “I’m in Atlanta, but I am thinking about coming home for the weekend,” he revealed.

  “Oh really? I would love that. What time will you be in?”

  I really did want him to come home. I would be putting the finishing touches on the plans I had for Carl.

  “I don’t know yet, but I will call you on Thursday to let you know.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll be waiting for your call.” We hung up the phone, and I realized that I had only three days before Tay’s weekend trip home. So that meant that the time I had to push Carl over the edge was minimal.

  The next day Carl paid me no attention, but I made sure to make him as horny as possible. I gave the servants the day off so that I could walk around the house naked. I made sure to bend over when I saw him and to sit with my legs slightly open. I even played with myself while watching TV, making sure not to even look his way. That night we went out to dinner, and I still acted like nothing had ever happened between us. This was driving Carl up the wall, and he had to speak on it.

  “Are you really going to push what we did to the side just for your greed?”

  “Please, Carl, I am trying to enjoy my dinner. Don’t start this now.”

  I had to put an end to the conversation before things got nasty, but I knew that he would bring it up again. I just hoped that he didn’t do it at the wrong time, like when Tay was home.

  When we got home, I slipped into a red nightie and relaxed on Tay’von’s big bed. I had left the bedroom door open, and Carl walked in, like I expected him to.

  “Carl, you just can’t walk in here. You should really know your place. You’re not my man. You’re Tay’von’s bodyguard, so chill the fuck out.”

  “Don’t think that I’m sweating you, Tangie. It’s just that this shit is fucking with my head.”

  Poor thing. I knew that this would happen. I had stripped him of everything, and now he was lost. How could he look Tay’von in the face when he got back? Oh shit. I didn’t even tell him that Tay was coming. Oh well. he was going to find out soon enough. I pulled the covers off me and patted the bed for him to sit down.

  “Don’t worry about anything, Carl. I loved sleeping with you, and like I said before, you’re the best lover I have ever had. But what you need to understand is that I am thinking of bigger and better things right now. It is only after I get everything that I want that I can start to think about us.”

  “But life is not all about material things, Tangie. Think about—”

  I had to cut him off. “To me it is. That’s why I need you to be on my side, Carl. Yes, I could be with you. Hell, I could even fall in love with you someday, but I need Tay right now. Can you understand that? Once I have him, then you can have me.”

  Damn, I was good. You should have seen the look on his face. I had him by the heart, and I was not about to let go. He gave in, and he told me this with a deep kiss. He pushed himself on top of me, but I stopped him.

  “Come on, Tangie. I just want to make love to you.”

  “Well, Carl, I just want you to eat my pussy.”

  Carl ate me out like his life depended on it. After he was done, I told him that I wanted to sleep alone. He crawled out of Tay’von’s bed and went to his own.

  That night, I bet that he went to bed asking himself how I was able to take his manhood away. He had always been the one to drive women crazy, and now he couldn’t even sleep due to the imprint I had left on his mind. As for me, I went to bed thinking about my man coming home and about how this Carl thing was going to play out.

  Chapter 4

  Well, I’m Sorry For Giving A Fuck

  Yeah, I really thought I had everything together back then.

  “What in the hell was I thinking?”

  “What was that, honey?” my hairdresser asks when she hears me speak out loud.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just talking to myself.”

  So much time has passed, yet I am still kicking myself in the ass over some things that I have done.

  “I know what it is. You’re thinking about that fine man of yours, aren’t you?”

  Tasha is just one of so many people who think that my life is perfect.

  “And I’ll tell you one thing, I will even settle for that sexy-ass Carl, Tay has guarding you,” she adds.

  I cringe when she says “Carl,” of all people.

  “Yeah, well, that’s just what you would be doing, settling.”

  We both look ove
r at Carl, who is sitting in the waiting area, reading an Essence magazine. Even after all the time that has passed, he is still sexy as hell. But I have already had him, and I have been having him for some time now. He has become a leech to me, still wanting to have me, still wanting me to love him. And to think that he still gets mad when I tell him that he will never have me. He’s just plain weak to me, and anyone who knows me knows that I just can’t stand a weak man.

  “Yeah, I see that look in your eyes. Don’t even try to play it off. I know you want some of that brother,” Tasha says.

  “Girl, please, there’s nothing happening there. He doesn’t make enough money for me.”

  “Okay, say what you want to say, but I see it, and if I’m wrong, then you’re a damn fool.”

  “Oh really? Why is that? I have everything I want.”

  “Money can’t make you cum, Tangie.”

  “Really? Just the thought of it makes me cream.”

  We both burst out laughing.

  “Come on, Tangie. On the real tip, I know that when you get horny and Tay ain’t there, you have to be going crazy.”

  I just smile, because I don’t even have a chance to get horny anymore.

  “I just don’t know how you do it, with Tay gone so much. Then to have Carl walking around the house . . . Shit, I would have jumped on him a long time ago.”

  “Well, Tasha, some things just are not meant to be jumped on.”

  And we both just leave it at that.

  Early Saturday morning I was awakened by a warm body next to me.

  “Car . . . Tay’von, baby, what are you doing here so early?” I jumped into his arms, praying that he hadn’t heard me almost call him Carl. I noticed a funny look on his face, but it faded away quickly.

  “I caught an early flight. Plus, I have a big surprise for you.” He took my hand and led me downstairs. When we passed by Carl’s room, Tay stepped in to chat.

  “What’s up, nigga?” Tay asked Carl as he gave him some dap while Carl sat up in bed. As Tay held my hand and talked to Carl, I noticed that I was still wearing the red nightgown that Carl had eaten my pussy in the night before, and a chill ran through my body—a good one.

  “Get your ass up, Carl. I don’t pay you to sleep,” Tay joked.

  “Damn, Tay. You should have told me that you were coming home.”

  “What? Tangie didn’t tell you?”

  “No, I didn’t. It never really came up, to tell you the truth,” I said, as if it really had slipped my mind.

  Carl shot me a quick hateful look, which was missed by Tay.

  “So how was my girl while I was gone? She didn’t do anything bad after the good news you gave me, right?” Tay asked with a smile on his face.

  Carl laughed before answering, but only he and I knew what was so funny. “Nah, man. She’s been your perfect little angel.”

  I had to put a stop to this before Tay caught on to the sarcastic tone in Carl’s voice. “Come on, baby. I can’t wait anymore. You can talk to Carl after you show me the surprise you got me.”

  “Okay, baby, let’s go. Come on, Carl. You have got to see what I got my baby.”

  Carl got out of bed and followed us to the front door. Tay put his hand over my eyes and walked me outside. He took his hands away from my eyes, and I saw one BMW 7 Series and one white Range Rover.

  “Oh my God, Tay. Are both of these for me?” I asked as I walked toward the fire-red convertible with the big black bow around it.

  “I got the other one so that when you’re going out with your friends, you’ll have more room,” Tay said about the white Range Rover.

  All I could think was that I didn’t really have that many friends, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

  “You like them, right?”

  “Yes, yes, yes, Tay. I love them.”

  I ran over to the BMW and got in it. It was all decked out. He even had had my name put on the headrest. Tay’von told Carl to get the camera so that he could take pictures of me in my new cars. I sat on the hood of the convertible, and my red nightgown melted into the red paint. As I posed for the camera, Tay talked to Carl in a low tone so that he wouldn’t rain on my parade, but I could still hear what he was saying and took notes in my mind to use later on, if I had to.

  “Look at her, man. She’s like a big kid that just got a new bike.” Tay smiled and continued to speak as he realized that what started out as a publicity stunt had changed and formed itself into something real. “She’s happy as shit, and to tell you the truth, it makes me feel good as hell.”

  Carl held in his feelings about the situation and forced a smile on his face as I walked over to the next car and started to pose with it.

  “You don’t think that I am moving too fast, do you?” Tay said.

  “What do you mean?” Carl asked, knowing exactly what Tay was asking.

  “As far as buying her the cars and letting her stay in my house?” Before Carl could respond, Tay continued to speak. “She is just so in your face, and you know how much I like a bold bitch. I have never met a girl like her before. And you know that I have had my share of groupies and all, but there’s just something about her. Just look at her, man. I can’t help but to fall this fast for her. She got a nigga hooked, and there’s nothing that I could do about it.”

  Carl stopped snapping shots and looked at me. The look on Carl’s face told all his secrets. He looked envious, like he wanted to be the one in Tay’s place. As if he wanted to be the man who was making me so damn happy.

  “Nah, man, you did the right thing. Look at her. She’s so excited. Just follow your heart and try not to break too many on the way. Speaking of broken hearts, what are you going to do about Connie?”

  Tay shook his head. “Man, I don’t know. I still got love for her too, but this is different. I’ll deal with that once I’ve got an answer to your question, because the truth is that I still don’t know. But I will still need you to watch her. The cars don’t mean shit to me. If she’s not who I think she is, then I’ll put her and the cars out. And then I’ll go back to what I have with Connie.”

  While they spoke, I wondered who Connie was. I had never seen him out with a specific female. He was always seen with random industry girls.

  “Okay, I’ll keep an eye on her, but you really have to think about what you’re going to do. Connie is a good person, and if you choose to be with Tangie, well, you should let Connie know before she sees that shit in some magazine or on TV,” Carl replied.

  “I feel you on that one, but this is just a fucked-up situation. You know I got love for that girl, but Tangie, Tangie is—”

  “I know, Tay. I totally understand. She seems like one badass bitch.”

  Before Carl walked back into the house, he looked back and saw Tay in between my legs. I kissed Tay softly as my heart filled with gratitude.

  I wondered if Carl’s heart was filled with jealousy and rage. The look on his face sure did make it seem like it was.

  * * *

  Later on, I got dressed in a short gold Dior dress and matching shoes. I wore my long hair down, and I made sure not to forget my ice. Tay’von hadn’t told me where we were going, but he had told me to pack an overnight bag. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and looked at myself. My bluish-gray eyes shined like twinkling stars. Most people thought I wore contacts, and they usually were pleased when they found out that my eye color was real. My island tanned skin set off my long, wavy jet-black hair perfectly.

  My mother had always said that even when a woman had nothing else to offer, she should always have her looks. She had made sure to live that way until the day the private jet that was taking her to a modeling gig crashed and killed her. Many people said that I was the spitting image of her, except for the color of my eyes. That was the only thing that I got from the Brazilian photographer my mother had fucked. After he had found out that she was pregnant, he never spoke to her again, nor did she ever try to make him. In the little time that she had to raise me,
she had made sure that I knew the value of a good life and myself.

  “Try to live a life that is worth more than you are. That will be hard, because you are worth the world,” she would say as I sat and watched the makeup artist do her face.

  These words had always stuck with me. Even when I didn’t have a penny to my name, I always made sure that I looked like a million bucks.

  “Damn, baby. I’m going to have to keep you close tonight. You look good as hell,” Tay said when he peeked in the bathroom and saw me.

  “You know that’s right. As fine as I am, every man will want to snatch me up.”

  “I’ll kill a man before I let you go. Besides, I am going to have a hard time selling your cars with your name being on the headrest and all.”

  We both laughed and headed downstairs. Tony, another one of Tay’s bodyguards, and Carl were already in the car, waiting for us. I wondered what Tay had planned as I stepped in the limo.

  “So where are we going?” I asked after Tay got in and lit a blunt.

  I didn’t get an answer. Tay just smiled that sexy smile of his and passed me the blunt. My mother also used to say that there was nothing worse than a woman who was dressed up and smoking, but hey, I loved my weed.

  A little while later, we arrived at the airport, and my heart skipped a beat. Although I had traveled a lot, it still didn’t stop that feeling I got when I had to get on a plane. I always thought of my mother and her horrible crash whenever I was near one. Once we all stepped out of the car, an airport worker took us to a side entrance, ushered us inside, and got us checked in quickly. They did that so that they didn’t have a madhouse when people recognized Tay. As soon as we were done checking in, we headed outside and started walking toward the private jet, and I came face-to-face with the thing I hated the most. I didn’t know if anyone else noticed it, but I started to have a panic attack. I felt like my lungs were closing up, and I started to see little red spots.