Just Be True To Me

***

She carefully situated the bag to ensure that the envelope didn’t get crushed. Her plan was to confront him as soon as they reached their room. The hurt in her heart didn’t come from the fact that he lied, but rather that she tricked herself into thinking that they’d turned a corner.

Clifford held the door opened as Mia shuffled inside. She dropped her bags at the foot of the bed before falling onto her face.

“Are you hungry?”

Her response was a series of incoherent mumbles. She listened as he ordered, wondering if he often ordered the same meal for the woman. Her mind strayed away from the plan, her heart convincing her to give him the benefit of the doubt, that the steps they’d taken in their relationship would nudge him toward honesty. More than anything, she wanted to believe that the information was wrong.

“I’m going to give you the best massage you’ve ever had after we’re finished eating.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

He sat next to her, stroking her hair after she laid in his lap. “You deserve it. You were brilliant today.”

“Rosario loaded the gun. All I had to do was aim and shoot.”

“Well you hit your target dead on.” He kissed her fingers before he lowered his voice. “If I’m being honest, it actually made me quite horny.”

“Is that right?”

His smile grew wider as he continued nodding. He chuckled as she climbed on top of him. He trailed his fingers down her neck, using a light touch as he began to unbutton her blouse. “Very much so. I was doing my best to concentrate on what you were saying, but I couldn’t keep my mind off what I wanted to do to you.”

“And what exactly did you want to do to me, Mr. Knight?”

He flipped their positions. “Do you want me to just tell you? Or can I show you?”

“Show me?”

His head was buried deep in her cleavage when the knocking started. He groaned. “They never come this fast.”

“That was she said.” Lust dripped from Mia’s lips as she imagined their bodies intertwined. The image made her forget about confronting his deceit.

***

Mia came out of the bathroom, humming, too busy drying her tresses to notice the changes that had taken place. The door closing pulled her into the moment. She dropped the towel upon seeing the red hue caused by the new curtains that were hanging. A faint cinnamon scent coated the air. Walking further into the room, she felt something soft sticking to the bottom of her foot. Peeling the rose petal away, she saw that the bed was covered with them.

Clifford popped the cork on the champagne bottle and poured them both a glass. “How was your bath?”

“I’m thinking about redoing my bathroom at home just so I can get the same tub.”

“You can always use mine.” He handed her a glass and pulled her into a hug. “I know I seemed abrupt and distant earlier.” He looked into her eyes. “I lied to you.”

Mia concentrated hard to maintain their sway. “About what?”

“The threat. I didn’t mean to scare you but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” Two steps backward led him to the bed. He sat down, resting the glass next to his left foot and pulled her between his legs. “I know this just became serious, but I want you to know how happy I am to have you in my life. You’re the first woman I’ve ever been with, I’ve ever met period, that I can see a future with. I’m not perfect and I will frustrate you sometimes, but I promise that I will make it my mission to make you happy.”

She wanted to believe him, as he was saying something that she’d been longing to hear.

“I love you, Mia. You’re the most important woman in my life,” he said. “You’re the only woman I want.”

She stepped away. She couldn’t take it, not another lie. Turning her back to him, she pushed the glass aside before pressing her palms into the dresser. “I can’t.”

“What’s wrong?”

The zipper screamed across their tracks as she ripped them open. She was holding the envelope to her chest when she turned to face him. “I can’t take you lying to me anymore.”

“I’m not lying. I meant every word. I love you.”

“You lied about me being the only woman you want.” The envelope landed at his feet. Her anxiety made her restless, making it impossible for her to sit. “I had Tamara follow you. I didn’t want to believe it, but…I can’t deny the truth when it’s right in my face.”

The candles crackling was the only sound in the space. Clifford peeled the top bits as a time, his temple beginning to twitch the closer he got to freeing it. He didn’t immediately look at the photos after he unearthed them. “You had me followed. What happened to us trusting each other?”

“I didn’t know if I could trust you. You lied about transferring the money.”

“That wasn’t me.” He rocketed to his feet.

Her voice became shaky as her fear grew. “And you didn’t tell me about what happened to your dad.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Because you didn’t trust me, right? Even though I was your attorney and your girlfriend.”

He said, “You weren’t my girlfriend then.” Now it was him pressing his palms into the dresser. The glasses condensation soaked into the edges of the photos. “What are they?”

“Look.”

“Just tell me.”

She didn’t respond.

Clifford flipped the top most picture over. His chest began to hurt. He flipped it back over, the heat of his breath warming his upper lip. The contents on the dresser shook after he pushed himself away from it. “Damn it, Mia. This isn’t what it looks like.”

“You said that before.”

“It’s not. I…I…I can’t explain right now but—”

“I specifically asked you if you knew that woman. And you told me you didn’t. You looked me in my face and lied to me.” With him already having seen her in her fullest glory, she didn’t hesitate to untie her robe. It pooled around her feet after she slid it from her shoulders. Removing a pair of jeans, she stepped into them, pulling a shirt over her head a second later. “Murder, cheat, put profit over humanity, I can handle all of that. But I can’t handle you lying to me or hiding things from me.”

“Mia, please.”

“Please what? Am I confused? Did I not hear you right? You said you didn’t know her. Yet there you are holding hands, smiling, and laughing with her.” Her knuckle began to ache after she jabbed the photo a second time. “You won’t even give me the decency of telling me who she is.”