Guilty (BWWM)

The Lies She Told

"I, uh, slept with someone last night.  Someone that wasn't Richard."  The words sounded so filthy when they were said aloud.

Val choked on air, dramatically placing her hand over her heart.  "You did what now?  I can't believe the good girl herself took a bite of the forbidden fruit.  Is it anyone that I know?"

Corrine looked down at her fiddling fingers.  "Do you remember awhile ago at The Studio when that random broody looking guy came?"

Val's almond eyes doubled in size, her heart dropped to her stomach.  "No..."  The words escaped shakily, low enough for only her to hear.

"Yeah, him.  We've been doing this since around that time.   I tried to stop, I did, but for some reason I can't and now I think I've developed feelings for him.  I created a mess!"  The words came out in one long ramble as she began to panic.  Frantically she placed a hand on her forehead, the other on her hip, and paced to and fro.

"Cori,"  Val called softly.  "Bleu is not the man you want to be involved with.  As much as I hate that shitty husband of yours, I can't let you go into the arms of a man like him."  

Corrine halted.  "You know him?"

"Carlos is one of his workers, more like his right hand.  I've known him ever since I got with Carlos."

"And you didn't think to tell me this?" 

"Cori, some things are better left unsaid.  This life is not for someone as kindhearted and good as you.  I'm telling you this because I love you: he is dangerous."

*******

The reality of her situation hadn't truly set in until now, when she was standing in the living room with Richard's angry gaze set on her.  The dress from the previous night was draped over her arms and she was in Valencia's borrowed clothes: an old t-shirt and sweatpants.  Richard was sitting on the couch waiting for her to walk through the door.

"I called you twenty times last night--at least."

"I'm sorry last night we got kind of carried away with drinking and--"

"And you couldn't have answered at least once?"  He hopped up from the couch, a furious vein popping on the side of his neck.  "And now you're fucking walking in at almost nine?  What kind of bullshit are you trying to feed me?"

Every now and then, Richard's temper flared to extremes.  By now, Corrine knew of the signs and now was appearing to be one of those times.  "Richard," she said in a smooth even tone.  "You need to calm down--"

Glass shattered on the wall closet to Corrine from the vase he'd thrown.  She jumped, instantly shutting up.  "Don't you fucking tell me what the fuck I need to do, Corrine.  What I need is for my wife to answer her goddamn phone when I call her and not come home the next day like nothing happened!"  He picked up one of the pillows from the couch and threw that as well, missing Corrine by centimeters.

His movements were unpredictable, his emotions growing unstable.  Corrine was visibly shaken up as Richard angrily came marching towards her.  Once they were face to face, he only glared into her eyes searching for a sign for something he himself was unaware of.  He tightened his fists beside him and tensed his jaw before heading for the door, slamming it in his dramatic exit.

The silence after the storm was taunting, as she looked around at the debris left in the aftermath.  Dropping the dress, where she stood, she dragged herself to the couch before throwing her face into her hands.  A mute sob shook her body as she analyzed the mess that she'd entangled herself in.  She'd never seen him so worked up and violent like that.  She was actually scared for her safety as she thought that he was going to hit her.