Lies in Love (10 page)

Faltering
in her miniscule heels, Talia made her way to the living room and it
was then that she heard the sound of Sara’s horn from below.
She prayed to God she didn’t break her ankle at the club. Her
nerves getting the best of her; she began cursing herself for her
choice of attire. She was not at all excited to hear what the girls
had to say about her choice of dress. Contemplating returning to her
room to grab something of her own, she heard the horn honk again and
surrendered, turning for the door to head to the car idling below.
She carefully measured each step as she descended to the judge and
jury waiting for her. When she cautiously climbed into the car,
whistling and catcalls ensued. “Seriously, quit.” Talia
reluctantly smiled at their reaction.

“Holy
shit, Talia. You look hot.” Camey eyed her from the adjoining
backseat. “Is that my dress?”

Talia
stared at the darkness out of the car window, focusing on a ray of
light reflecting off of the back of her flower shop as she nodded.

“Well,
it looks great on you. You should keep it.”

Talia
turned to see Camey smiling sweetly at her. She chewed her lip as
Sara pulled the car onto the street and headed downtown. “I
don’t know if I’ll ever wear it again. It was a bold move
on my part that I’m not sure I want to repeat.”

“Shut
up. You look great and you
should
dress like this more often. You’ve got a killer body. I mean,
I’d kill for that ass of yours,” Camey gushed, causing
Talia to blush.

“Talia,
you look beautiful. I’m so glad to see you this way again. I’ve
missed this side of you,” Sara spoke from the driver’s
seat, peeking at her briefly while maneuvering through traffic.

“I’ve
never dressed like this before. It’s a lot to take in. I’m
not even sure why I did it.”

“It
doesn’t matter, mami. Don’t look back now. You look muy
bonita!”

Talia
breathed deeply, falling farther into her seat. What was she
thinking? She began to panic when the car entered the streets of
downtown. What made her ever think this was a good idea? She may
have dressed for Landon, but almost every piece of her was on display
for whatever guy, or girl for that matter, wanted to look at her in
the club. She forced calming, even breaths when the car pulled up in
front of
Satin
.
The valet opened their doors and ushered the girls to the curb,
sending a chill through Talia’s body. Whether it was from the
cold air against her bare back or pure nerves, she was thankful when
Lenny immediately opened the door, waving them in. “Nice,”
she heard him say as she passed.

The
club was loud and boisterous as usual as they were herded into the
chaos. Reina made a beeline for the bar and Talia watched Camey and
Sara head for the dance floor. Looking up at the balcony, Talia
questioned her next move. She was uncertain of whether she should
join her friends on the dance floor or grab a seat at a vacant table
upstairs. Would Landon assume she was waiting for him when he arrived
if she sat in the balcony alone, dressed as she was? She feared if
she joined her friends among the other gyrating bodies, Landon might
not be able to find her at all when he showed.
If
he showed. He had to show
.
Talia wrestled with her inner conflict, but decided to head upstairs
in search of a vacant table. As she neared the upstairs landing, she
noticed several men at surrounding tables staring directly at her.
She rolled her eyes, regretting Camey’s burgundy dress. This
had to be one of the worst ideas she’d had in months. A
waitress approached and took Talia’s order, then left her with
her thoughts. Sitting alone in silence, she tried to ignore the men
gawking at her, focusing more on Camey and Sara dancing seductively
below. Her inattentiveness seemed to be working at keeping men away.
Her only distraction had been the return of the waitress with her
martini. She had been sitting alone for well over thirty minutes,
spinning the olive pick around in her glass, stuck completely in her
own thoughts. With her eyes trained on her friends, she completely
missed the approach of a well-dressed thirty-something.

“Hey,
gorgeous, I’m Scott.”

Talia
turned at the voice. She wasn’t exactly frowning at him, but
she refused to smile. Disappointment overwhelmed her that Landon had
yet to show. And here emerged this stranger in what appeared to be a
tailored gunmetal-gray suit, standing close to six feet tall. He
wasn’t hideous, but he didn’t hold a candle to Landon
with his thin frame, Roman nose, and gelled hair. And his brown eyes
didn’t sparkle like Landon’s.
Damn
it, why am I so invested in him?
She
brushed the man off, turning her attention back to her friends below.

Scott
chuckled, probably due to nerves over her cold shoulder. “Mind
if I sit down?”

“Not
interested,” Talia spat.

“Would
you be if I told you I own the place?” He plucked at his lapels
and beamed.

His
words rubbed Talia the wrong way. He was extremely cocky, definitely
not an attractive quality to her. Not after what Mason put her
through. Damn this man for reminding her of him, just when all
thoughts had been focused on Landon and happiness. Suddenly Talia
realized she was in over her head. “Could you tell me what time
it is?” She’d left all of her belongings in the car and
had no idea how late it had gotten.

“It’s
almost ten.”

Talia
realized that Landon probably wasn’t coming. He’d usually
found her by now and that single thought dashed all hope of seeing
him again. Maybe she was just a game to him, just some silly
conquest. Thank God she didn’t sleep with him.

She
rose from the table, standing in front of Scott. “Excuse me.”
Without an explanation, she left her drink behind, hearing Scott call
after her, and moved as fast as she could in her heels to Sara and
Camey. They welcomed her with open arms when she reached them and
Camey quickly started her standard male inquisition.

“Who
was the hottie?” She raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

“Eh.”
Talia rolled her eyes and began dancing half-heartedly, quickly
feeling the heat close in around her as men moved toward her. “He
says he owns the place.”

“Holy
shit, Talia. Is that Scott Renfro?” Camey reeled. She clearly
knew way too much about
this
club.

“I
guess. He said his name was Scott.” Talia tried to wedge
herself between Sara and Camey before she said, “I’m just
not interested.”

“Mind
if I have a crack at him?” Camey was already moving toward the
stairs.

Sara
reached out and grabbed Camey’s arm. “Seriously?”
She eyed Camey, tilting her head toward Talia, the movement not
subtle enough to be missed. After a peculiar acknowledgement, the
girls began dancing again.

Men
approached, trying to rub against Camey and Sara. Talia was thankful
she was protected in between her friend and her sister. She was no
longer up to being here, disappointed, not just in Landon for not
showing, but in herself for believing a man again. This was all a
big, stupid mistake. She stopped dancing and looked Sara in the eyes.

“Are
you okay, Talia?”

Talia
was terrible at wearing her emotions for the world to see. “I
think I’m going to get a cab. I’m not feeling so great.”

“Really?”
Sara questioned delicately.

“Yeah,
really?” Camey wasn’t quite so gentle with her inquiry.

“I’m
sorry. I just need to get some rest.” She couldn’t come
up with a better excuse. She was too tired to care about making
apologies. She just wanted to leave.

“Do
you want me to come with you?” Sara watched her every move
while Camey moved in behind her with her pouty face on full display.

“No,
I’m fine. I’ll see you guys in the morning.” She
kissed Sara on the cheek and left the club, miserable and alone. All
the while she rebuked herself for falling, if only just the slightest
bit, for Landon. She knew deep down this was going to happen and now
that it had, she only had her irresponsible self to blame.

Entering
the cold that besieged
her very soul, Talia was thankful when a taxi quickly approached. She
jumped in and headed home, hoping that in the morning she could
finally get Landon off of her mind.

Landon
waited for fifteen minutes in his newest suit, a black-on-black
ensemble, waiting for his latest job to show. He’d had a brief
conversation with her on the phone that afternoon; her voice was a
little deep and scratchy, but. she sounded nice enough, recently
divorced and extremely lonely. Landon’s profile had intrigued
her; she’d said; he was just her type. He really hoped he lived
up to her expectations, but Talia had been swamping his mind all day.
The Kamikaze he’d ordered was set before him and he’d
tossed back half of the drink just to try and drown out the noise in
his head while he waited for his date to arrive. Alcohol was never an
answer for him, but somehow he wound up on his second glass before he
felt a soft hand squeeze his shoulder.

“Hey,
hot stuff. You looking for me?” A rough voice from too many
years of smoking called in his ear. Her skin was aged beyond her
forty years and on display in a low-cut cowl-neck sweater, showing
plenty of cleavage, matched with a pair of equally low-cut jeans. A
long beaded necklace landed right between her breasts, clearly
intended to draw attention to that area.

Landon
smiled, recognizing her voice from the phone. “Belinda?”
He stood from his stool at the bar and kissed her cheek as he
motioned for her to take a seat. “I went ahead and ordered you
a drink. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not
at all.” They took their seats, Belinda sipping at her drink
before resuming. “Thanks for meeting me. Quincy said you have
been really busy, so I’m glad you could squeeze me in.”
Landon could sense the insecurity in her voice.

“It’s
my pleasure.” He forced a smile, his mind still desperately on
Talia. He didn’t feel he was being fair on this date, but he
just couldn’t get her off of his mind. What was she going to
think when he didn’t show at the club tonight? He assumed,
after all the work he had to put in for a single date that she would
be angry, very angry. He hoped he hadn’t ruined his chances
completely.

“Quincy
suggested we meet here. My ex-husband lives in my neighborhood and
still watches my house. He’s trying to find something to hold
against me so he can get full custody of our kids, but I wasn’t
the one who looked for intimacy outside of our marriage.” Her
rough voice softened as she spoke. “I’m sorry. I guess
it’s a little early in the evening to dump that on you.”

“No,
it’s fine.” Landon stroked Belinda’s knee like he’d
done dozens of times before, but this time it felt wrong. He felt
like he was betraying Talia, like he was cheating on her. That was
ridiculous, though, since they had gone on one date and made no
commitment. Trying to clear Talia from his mind, he threw himself
into the date full force. “You look beautiful,” he lied,
but he wanted to ease her nerves as well as his own.

“Thank
you.” Her cheeks blushed when she accepted his compliment. He
could tell she hadn’t heard it enough. He always felt every
woman deserved to feel beautiful or their true self could never shine
through.

Landon
began stroking her back tenderly, trying to help her feel at ease in
his presence. He feared that she could read his detachment and he
knew that wouldn’t help move the evening along at all. “So
you said you have kids?” He had to get her talking, get him
thinking about anything other than Talia. Why couldn’t he have
just fucked her and gotten it over with. Now she was a blister on his
mind that he couldn’t get rid of.

“I
have three.” He could tell this was a subject she was very
comfortable with. “My Sylvia is my only girl. She’s
twelve. Then I have my two boys, Jasper who’s nine and Trace
who is six. They are the only thing that gets me through the day.”

Landon
nodded as he watched her dig through her purse. She presented him
with photos of her three children and he grinned at their young
faces. Thoughts of one day having his own children bombarded him
briefly when Belinda’s voice invaded his thoughts.

“So
how long have you been an escort?”

Landon’s
jaw fell. He wasn’t expecting the question and for the first
time it bothered him. He no longer took pride in the term escort. He
found some shame in that single word, hearing Brent and Lady Vanna
stating
No
emotion
over
and over in his head. Clearing his throat, he answered, “I’ve
been working for Quincy for about six years now.”

“Don’t
you long for a relationship? Or do you have a girlfriend and still
manage to keep this job?”

Landon
couldn’t believe where this conversation was going. “I
have no desire for a relationship. This job satisfies my needs just
fine.” He tried to force conviction in his answer; to block out
the voices that continued to creep in, replacing them with thoughts
of Talia, then chastising himself for not being in the moment..

“I
see.” Her head fell solemnly.

Landon
lightly stroked her neck before speaking. “Hey, I’m
sorry. It’s just the nature of the job.” He tucked a
strand of hair behind her ear and when her gaze lifted to his he
asked, “Should we go upstairs?”

“Could
I get one more drink first?” She downed the last of the glass
of wine that Landon had ordered for her.

“Sure.”
He smiled and waved the bartender over for another. When he returned
with another glass of wine, Belinda quickly downed it and jumped up
from her stool.

“Okay,
let’s go.”

Landon
watched curiously as he got up to follow her. She pulled a key card
from her purse and led the way, grabbing Landon’s hand on the
walk to the elevator. It was contact he was familiar with on these
sorts of dates, but it felt all wrong. He was actually beginning to
feel a twisting in his stomach and he nearly ran for the exit, but he
talked himself out of it, trailing her all the way to the room. When
she slipped the key card in the door and pushed it open, Landon took
a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of any distractions. This was
his job. He could do this. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t
done hundreds of times before. He took one more cleansing breath and
stepped inside the room, easing the door shut behind him.