Betrayed by Trust (2 page)

“Caitlyn turned me down. I thought I was most women’s fantasy,” Blake stated, as he sat next to his best friend since grade school at a local bar.

After tipping the waiter, Trent turned around to face
Blake. “What do you expect? That woman knows you as her boss and then you spring something like that on her. Tact is something you’re lacking.”

“I like the direct approach.”

“Well, if you ask me, your mental condition is hereditary.”

“Man, you better be glad we’re friends or I would pop you for that comment.”

“Just calling it like I see it. Your uncle asking you to marry some chick just to get your inheritance. Crazy man.” Trent held his drink up and took a sip. He asked, “Can’t you get the money your uncle left for you another way?”

“I asked my attorney if there was a way around it and there isn’t. I need that money or my business is going under. If I don’t do something
about it fast, we’re sinking just like the Titanic.”

“Do what you have to do. If it means marrying some stranger, then by all means, do it to save the ship.”

“Let’s hope Ms. Lady comes around or I’ll be in need of a life jacket.”

“How did you get yourself into this situation?”

Blake sipped on his drink and paused a few seconds before answering. “I wish I knew. I thought everything was in place. My company takes the risk by investing the money and resources. All the vendors have to do is install the phone lines and towers where we tell them. Some of my vendors have been dropping the ball lately and causing some of the phone providers to not extend contracts in certain areas.”

“That’s bad business.”

“Exactly. These vendors though are the only ones working in these areas so my hands are tied.”

“I feel for you.”

The music changed from a slow jam to a more upbeat sound. Blake and Trent watched a group of women dancing on the dance floor.

“
I can tell they’re all high maintenance,” Trent said.

“What woman isn’t?”

“I’ll drink to that.” Trent lifted his bottle up off the counter and took a drink.

“Here’s to Uncle Jack.”
Blake drank until the glass was dry. He motioned for the bartender. He ordered another round for them both.

“So tell me. What
’s Caitlyn like?”

Blake
remembered how he felt every time his and Caitlyn’s paths crossed. If he were to admit the truth, he would have eventually asked her out on a date without his uncle’s forced conditions. Her mere presence seemed to fill a room. He liked the way she tilted her head slightly when in deep thought or how her eyes twinkled when she found something funny. He also liked to see the fire radiating from her eyes when she got upset. That’s the last thing he remembered seeing before Caitlyn stormed out of his office earlier.

He responded, “She’s not bad on the eyes. I would date her.”

“How do you plan on getting her to agree to marry you?”

“I’m hoping she’ll do it after I throw this Mac Daddy charm on her.”

Trent laughed. “What’s your plan b, because from what you said, your plan a is not working.”

“Ye of little faith.”

“Now that’s one tall drink of water. I wouldn’t mind sipping from her glass,” Trent said, as Blake followed his gaze.

“Sure you’re right. Heads or tails,”
Blake said, as he took out a quarter and flipped it.

“Heads.”

“You lose.” Blake removed the top of his hand to reveal the other side of the coin.

“Go for it.” Trent saluted him with his glass.

Blake placed his glass on the bar and walked over near the dance floor where the tall slender woman with a head full of Chaka Kahn hair stood.

“Can I have this dance?” he extended his hand out.

“I don’t think my partner would appreciate seeing me out on the dance floor with a man.”

“Your partner?”
Blake said, sounding confused.

“Yes. There she is now.”

A shorter woman approached them and he watched as they kissed. His ego took a direct hit. “Ladies, enjoy the rest of your night,” he said.

Blake
didn’t wait to hear their responses. He looked over in Trent’s direction and Trent was laughing so hard, he almost fell out of his seat.  He detoured and headed for the door. He wasn’t in the mood to listen to Trent any more tonight.

He was barely in his car when his phone rang. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Your chick sure knows how to dance. You should have stayed--they might be into threesomes.” Trent’s laughter seemed to override the loud noise in the background.

“Stop wasting my minutes.” He clicked the phone off without waiting on Trent to respond.

Tonight he needed a little TLC and he knew just the woman to give it to him. He scrolled through the address book on his cell phone and made a booty call.

“How could you?” Caitlyn yelled from the other side of the door, as Charles tried to convince her to open the door to her apartment so he could get his stuff.

"
Caitlyn, you got to understand. Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money. I have my student loans and bills.”

“You sold me out for ten thousand. You could have at least held out for one hundred—or a million! You’re a piece of work.” His words fueled her scissors as she ripped and cut at the remainder of his clothes, stuffing them in a trash bag as she continued to rant. “I can’t believe you agreed to break up with me for money. I should have kicked you to th
e curb months ago.”

“Come on baby. Open up.”

At his request she opened up the door, throwing the trash bag at him knocking him off his feet. “Screw you, Charles. Here’s your stuff and lose my number,” she yelled.

“You didn’t have to hit me,” he whined.

Standing in the doorway she glared at him with rancor shooting from her eyes like fierily darts. “You better be glad that’s all I did,” she glowered through gritted teeth.

“Come on, baby. We can still see each other on the side. He won’t have to know.”

Caitlyn stood now with one hand slamming on her hip. “It was over the moment you accepted the money so don’t call me. Don’t try to see me. Forget that you ever knew me.”

She slammed the door.
To think she had spent the last twelve months with Charles. She wasn’t going to lie to herself and say she loved him, but she did care about him. She thought she could possibly grow to love him. Fortunately for her, only her pride was hurt. Not like the time she fell in love with Bryon Matthews.

Caitlyn
met Byron her freshman year in college and they were inseparable; or so she thought. Between working at her father’s store and going to school, her free time was limited. She thought Bryon understood; until she got off work earlier one night and caught him with another woman. It broke her heart and no matter how much Byron begged and pleaded, she could not forgive him. She not only lost her virginity to Byron, but her heart.

The phone rang bringing her back to the present.
“I ought to make you pay for my stuff,” Charles yelled from the other end.

Click.
Caitlyn hung the phone up because she refused to listen to him. She let the rest of his calls go to voice mail. He cursed her out in each message and she vowed to get her number changed the next day. Fortunately, she had gotten her locks changed as soon as she got home that afternoon after learning of his betrayal. She knew she shouldn’t have cut up his stuff, but she needed an outlet for her anger. Besides, she thought it was better to cut up his stuff than to stab him with the sharp scissors that were now placed on the nightstand.

One problem down and another one to go. She had to fig
ure out when would be the best time to accept Blake’s proposal. She had decided to accept because with her married to him, his guard would be down. He would never suspect her to be behind some of his business failings.

The Banks
family haunted her and her family for the past two years because of their unscrupulous business practices. Like uncle, like nephew. If it wasn’t for a Banks, her father would be alive. He wouldn’t have died from a heart attack from the stress of losing his business. She imagined herself opening up several stores. Crenshaw Groceries no longer existed because of the greed and heartless actions of men like the Banks. Yes, Banks would pay sooner than later. She updated her journal with the day's events, closed it up and closed her eyes; dreaming about the ways she would make Blake squirm in and out of the bed.

Caitlyn waltzed into work the next day wearing her designer shades and two piece lavender dress suit accenting her long legs. She was oblivious to the stares until she reached her floor. Every time she got near someone, their conversations would cease. She knew she was looking good, but for everyone to pause in her presence, something was wrong—dead wrong.

Tasha
Green, one of the few people she had befriended since working at Banks Telecom, was waiting for her at her cubicle. Tasha and Caitlyn had met at several social networking events prior to Caitlyn working at Banks. Once she was hired, Caitlyn looked at Tasha as an ally and got the inside scoop on everyone. She trusted Tasha, but she wasn’t comfortable sharing her plans about Blake with her or anyone else that worked at Banks Telecom. “Caitlyn, we need to talk,” Tasha said, while thumbing through a tech magazine.

“What’s up?”
Caitlyn could still feel eyes on her. People would look away when she turned to look in their direction.

“Rumor has it you got the boot. That’s why everybody’s surprised you’re here.”

“People need to mind their own business.” Caitlyn went about her morning ritual. She hooked her laptop into the docking station on her desk and put her purse in her desk drawer.

“I knew it wasn’t true because you would have called me.”
Caitlyn didn’t respond. Tasha asked, “You would have called me right?”

“Of course. Y
ou would have been one of the first to know.” Caitlyn assured her as she logged on to her computer.  She glanced at the clock. “I’ll meet you at break. I have a conference call I’m late for.”

Tasha
stood there for a few seconds before leaving Caitlyn’s desk. Once Caitlyn was left alone, she unhooked the earpiece from her ear and went to her immediate supervisor’s office. She didn’t wait on an invitation to come in. She closed the door as soon as she crossed the threshold. “Diane is something going on I should know about?”

Diane Langston, her fifty year old boss,
didn’t wait for her to elaborate. Instead she responded, “Sorry you got caught up in the rumor mill. With the economy and layoffs blooming throughout the telecom industry, you know people will talk.”

“I was just checking. I would hate to put in a full day of work only to find out I was fired.”

“On the contrary. You’re one of my best employees. In fact, you’re up for a promotion. I’m just waiting to get your paperwork signed and I was going to tell you.”

Caitlyn
sighed. “That’s a relief.”

Caitlyn
turned to walk away but halted when Diane asked, “How did the meeting go?”

She plastered a fake smile on her face and
lied. “He wanted to commend me for my hard work.”

“
Really…I thought…oh well, never mind. We shouldn’t have any problems getting your promotion approved.”

Caitlyn
excused herself from Diane’s office. A man carrying a huge arrangement of flowers met her at her desk. “Caitlyn Crenshaw?” he asked.

“That’s me.”

“Enjoy,” he responded.

“Wait,” she said, as she retrieved money from her purse to tip him.

He shook his hand. “No need to. It’s been taken care of.”

She assumed Charles used some of his money and sent her the colorful floral arrangement to say he was sorry. She searched for the card. It read, “Sorry for yesterday. Can we start again? Meet me for lunch. A car will be waiting downst
airs at one.” It was signed J.

A mixture of excitement and anger stirred within.
Caitlyn was angry at herself for feeling excited about having lunch with herself sworn enemy. She slipped the card in her purse. Caitlyn would accept his proposal and once married, she would threaten to expose him for the fake he was. She was sure he didn’t want people to know their marriage would be based on some contingency in his uncle’s will.

Her supervisor could keep the promotion because
Caitlyn was going for the ultimate raise. It wouldn’t bring her father back, but it would make her life a whole lot easier. She could be her own boss. Her mind went over all of the things she could do with a million dollars. With her CPA, she could open up her own accounting firm or even invest in re-opening Crenshaw Groceries. She had a little time to think about what she would do with the money.

After working for a few hours, she met
Tasha in the break room. “I want to run something past you,” Caitlyn said, as she sat across from her.

Tasha
held her hand up. She was talking on her cell phone. “My girl’s here. I’ll call you back when I get to my desk.” She flipped her phone close. “Frank says hi.”

“I don’t see what you see in him.”

“Don’t hate. Frank knows how to put it down in and out of the bedroom.” Tasha fanned herself.

“You’re a freak and gold digger rolled into one. How can you live with yourself?”

“It’s not easy being me.”

Caitlyn
chuckled. “You’re a mess.”

“Since you’re all in my business.
What’s up with Mister Charles?”

“Charles is history so please don’t say his name around me.”

“And you’re just now telling me. I’m upset.”

Caitlyn
looked around the break room. It didn’t appear that anyone was listening. She scooted her chair closer to Tasha. “What I’m about to tell you, you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone else.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Promise me.”

“
Caitlyn. You know I don’t like making promises unless I know what it is I’m promising.”

“Okay. Then I’ll just keep my information to myself.”

Caitlyn knew Tasha was going to give in because she was the type of person who hated not being in the know. Tasha had a reputation of being the queen of drama and a known gossiper. Caitlyn purposely tested Tasha with information previously to see if she could be trusted not to repeat it. She didn’t allow too many people into her inner circle but Tasha had shown Caitlyn she could be trusted. Caitlyn hoped she wouldn’t be making a wrong decision entrusting Tasha with the information she was about to share.

Tasha's
cell phone rang. “I got to take this call. It’s a customer. Meet me for lunch so you can tell me details.” Tasha flipped her phone open.

“Can’t. I have a lunch date,”
Caitlyn responded.

Caitlyn
pushed her chair away from the table. Tasha motioned for her to wait. Caitlyn pointed at her watch and said, “Got to go.”

There were a few times
Caitlyn almost confessed to Tasha about her real reasons for working at Banks.  For some reason, each time Caitlyn was prepared to talk to Tasha about the Banks, something would interrupt them. Caitlyn needed someone to talk to, so she vowed to try again later.

In the meantime,
Caitlyn had to mentally prepare herself for her lunch date with Blake. Her emotions were all over the place. Should she act the same and be her normal cheerful self or resort to the woman with an attitude that she displayed during their last encounter? It all depended on Blake’s actions. Her mom used to say, “You catch more bees with honey.”  On this day she planned on pouring it on thick.