Unfaithful

Part 3 - Talia

January third, I returned to work after a wonderful New Year's. I had tried to bring in the New Year with Moses, but he had disappeared about two hours before the ball dropped and I couldn't track him down. I'm sure he was working and mingling with the crowd, but I still wanted to see him. About forty-five minutes after the ball dropped, I had tracked him down just outside of his office. He was walking out just as I walked up to him. He was closing the door behind him as he walked into the hall.

That night on the phone, I told him that we needed to come clean about what's been going on between us. Things had been happening for so long and the truth needed to come out. Joel needed to know. His girl needed to know.

"I don't know how I'm going to do this, but I will," I nodded my head as I looked at Joel who was sleeping beside me.

Moses exhaled as he sat back. "Yeah... we do need to come clean. I need to come clean and be honest about my feelings."

I smiled. He was ready to tell the world about me. He was ready to be with me and I was ready to be with him.

The day I returned back to work, Lexie was out of the office all day, and she had asked me to accompany her, so I did. She was meeting with some well to do couple that wanted her to decorate their summer home in the Hamptons. Lexie tried to get an idea of their design style over the phone, but they just said something 'beachy' and 'sunny.' She and I spent the entire day in the Hamptons.

"You seem happier lately," Lexie picked up a bottle of sand and shells and looked it over carefully as we stood in the middle of a boutique.

"Do I?" I was holding a notebook and pen, jotting down the items that she was interested in.

Lexie looked over her shoulder at me. "Just ... be careful, okay?"

I looked at her with an eye raised.

"The entire family knows," she turned back to the little trinkets on the table. She picked up a large shell and flipped over to inspect it before placing it back on the table. "We've known since Thanksgiving. Be careful."

"Oh," was all I could say. I looked down at my notebook and tried to figure out the words to say. Something to explain myself. Joel was her cousin. He was family. I looked up at my boss.

"What you're doing is your business," she moved along to another table to inspect the items there. "You're all grown. Just keep it out of my company is all I ask. No drama falling into Lexicon of Style." She folded her arms as she surveyed the items in front of her.

"Okay," I nodded my head.

"And... don't get too caught up with King," she looked at me. "His heart...." she exhaled. "His heart is back."

"Back? What do you mean 'back?'" But I was already lost in my own thoughts. She was warning me to not hurt King. I had his heart - something Nyla never had - and Lexie didn't want me to hurt him. I had something no other woman had: King's complete heart. I smiled.

"Elexis Zamora," a woman's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned around and saw a very attractive brown skinned woman standing behind us with a smile on her face. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she was wearing a pair of jeans and knee boots. A long puffy jacket covered her top.

"Ariel," Lexie laughed slightly as she looked at the woman. She paused for a moment before stepping forward and giving her a hug. "How are you? It's so good to see you." Lexie stepped back and looked around. "Are you here alone?"

The woman smiled as she nodded. "Well, at this store I am. I am here with my brothers and Chanele."

Lexie's face lit up for a moment.