Line Of Trust

Chapter 9

“Dude, she went completely mental. I mean one minute she is right there with me and Miranda and when I turned my back she slaps her across the face. And I am sure I wasn’t gone that long,” Taylor said as he rested his back on his couch. He was talking to Tony on the phone about what had happened that day, filling him in on Desiree’s outburst.

“Did you ask what had happened?” Tony asked.

“No. I figured I was better off not knowing. At least at that moment I thought it was a good idea,” Taylor said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“That right there was your first mistake, my man. Always remember that you are better off knowing. However bad the situation is, you should always be in the know,” Tony told him. “So, there’s the fact that she might not be entirely to blame considering who you were dealing with,” he added. Taylor shook his head and crossed one leg over the other.

“Who, Miranda? I thought she was a delight,” he said.

“And that my friend should have been your initial sign,” Tony said. If he was in the same room, he would have seen Taylor’s confused look.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” Taylor said. He heard Tony take a long deep breath.

“Miranda can be a handful. She is known for her conniving mannerisms and I have heard on more than one occasion that she flirts with clients,” Tony said.

“Wait, what? No,” Taylor said.

“Well, was she as nice to Dee as she was being to you?” Tony asked.

“Well, I guess…okay, I am not sure. I was just trying to be supportive of Dee’s investment decision,” he said. “Oh my God, I am such an idiot,” Taylor said when he realized how blind he had been.

“Don’t worry. You are not the first man to be fooled,” Tony said.

“And when I got there, can you imagine she was in a bathing suit and I just thought we had interrupted her sun bathing session or something,” Taylor said. Tony laughed.

“Okay, I agree. You are an idiot. Why would a woman ask to meet you and then dress up in a bathing suit?” Tony asked.

“I didn’t even see it that way,” Taylor said.

“You must really love Dee if Miranda’s moves on you went unnoticed,” Tony said. Taylor smiled and once again ran his fingers through his hair.

“I do, man. I am so in love with her,” he said. “Do you mind if I ask, why do you keep Miranda around if you know what she does?” he asked, a bit confused. If he owned a reputable company like Tony did, he would have definitely fired Miranda.

“Because she brings in hundreds of thousands in billable hours and so long as she doesn’t do anything to jeopardize my company, I really don’t have to know how she adds those extra zeroes in my bank account,” Tony said. “And yes, I have a legally binding contract that states she cannot have any of my clients if she ever goes solo,” he added before laughing. “And that I own her for the next five years,” he added.

“Man, you really do own her,” Taylor said, laughing.

“Damn right I do,” Tony said. “Seriously though, you’ve to make sure to sort things out with Dee. That’s a good thing you’ve there, Taylor. It would be a shame for you to lose it over a misunderstanding,” Tony said just as Taylor heard the truck pulling up in front of the house.

“Looks like she is home. Talk later, bro,” Taylor said before hanging up. He stood up as Desiree walked into the house and looked at her. “Hi,” he said in a whisper as she slowly made her way towards him.

“Hi,” she said softly as she looked at him. He could tell that she was a bit disturbed by the way she was fumbling with the keys in her hand. 

“How are you feeling now? Are you okay?” he asked. She shrugged and put the car keys on the counter before walking towards him.

“To be honest, I’ve been better,” she said.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said with a smile.

“I’m glad to be back too,” she said as she got to where he was. Taylor smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He looked into her eyes and cupped her face in his hands before he pulled her close to embrace her. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

“No, I am,” he said in a low voice. He slowly pulled away from her and looked at her before he kissed her gently.

“I have something to tell you,” they both said in unison. They both smiled and Taylor looked at her.

“You go first,” he said.

“Okay,” she said as her gaze dropped to the floor. “I am sorry for acting out. This wasn’t your fault, all this…me acting out, me acting like a spoiled little brat.”

“It’s okay,” was all Taylor said as he looked into her eyes.

“Please let me finish,” she said as tears welled up in her eyes. “In all my past relationships, things never really seemed to work out. I always ended up getting hurt because…I just got hurt, a whole lot. And it somehow always started out with the men cheating and when I saw that stupid wh*re there in a bathing suit….I…I just lost it. And I know I should not be making you pay for the sins of my exes and…” her words trailed off as she brushed off a tear. Taylor stepped forward and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

“You are not the only one who has to apologize,” he said as he ran his hand up and down her back.

“What do you’ve to apologize for? You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.

“Yes I did,” he said as he pulled away from her slowly. “I should have seen it, you being jealous, which is kind of cute,” he said as he looked into her eyes. A smile played on Desiree’s lips as her cheeks flushed. “I should have seen it but for some reason I didn’t. You being mine is all I care about and I would never do anything to jeopardize that,” he added.

“I know that. I love you,” she said smiling.

“I love you too. And It’s because I love you so much that even if Miranda would have been right in front of me naked as the day she was born, I would not have even noticed,” he said. Desiree smiled.