Once a Liar by A.F. Brady

Author:A.F. Brady
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Park Row Books
Published: 2018-11-13T21:44:21+00:00

THEN

The first time I slept with Charlie, she invited me over to her house on Twentieth. She was officially separated from her husband, but I was still very much married. Again, Charlie and I planned a meeting to discuss Rhodes Foundation business. Neither she nor I would admit that we were meeting at her home for something other than business.

When I walked up the stoop, Charlie was already at the door. She appeared in stark contrast to the last time I had seen her at Da Silvano, when she was vulnerable and nervous. This night, she wore a low-cut dress and high heels. She walked me into the living room, where candles were lit and a bottle of Laphroaig sat next to two rocks glasses. It was a seductive scene, all set for me, and I wondered who was seducing whom.

We didn’t bother to pretend that we were planning a benefit, instead just downed two glasses of scotch and began devouring each other. She had that carefree wild-girl thing about her. Sex was an adventure, as meaningless to her as it was to me. Just another means to an end.

Juliette must have known immediately. She was an incredibly intuitive person, and I had become so disconnected from her that I wasn’t concerned with covering my tracks.

“How’s it going with the benefit planning?” she asked me one night.

“I’m doing very little planning, to be honest. Your protégé seems to have it all under control.” I knew she wouldn’t believe me if I took credit for any actual work outside of my job.

“You seem different these days, distracted.” She must have known but stopped short of actually confronting me about it.

“I’m working on a very difficult case with Sinan, and it’s constantly on my mind. That’s probably why I seem distracted.”

“Mmm, well, don’t work too hard.” She humored me for a while, letting me pretend that I was busy being a dedicated lawyer, committed to my work.

Thoughts of fidelity and devotion danced in my head, remaining just out of reach like a mobile dangling above a baby’s crib. I just didn’t care. Weeks later when she confronted me again, her reaction wasn’t so lenient.

“You haven’t been home before midnight in weeks. You hardly see your son anymore. When was the last time you put your family as a priority?” she hissed at me, watching as I pulled on my shoes to walk out the door again.

“I’m working to pay the bills, Juliette. How do you think we can afford to live in this hotel while you work on the townhouse? Do you have any idea what it’ll cost to send Jamie to private preschool? And the nannies?” I lied right to her face. We had plenty of money in the bank, enough to keep living at The Carlyle even if it took years to finish the house renovation.

“We don’t need your money, Peter. We need you. Your time, your presence,” she pleaded with me as I opened the door to leave.

I watched the disappointment spread across her face and turn the corners of her mouth down.

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