Entangled Deceit: A Reflection on Second Chances

By Frank Spreader

Avril comes to the awareness that she is unraveling the connection she has meticulously woven with Henry, permitting her newfound superior, Sam, to attain his desires. Does one who deceives merit another opportunity?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Spreader
• Release date: Mar 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224612147

Frank Spreader

Incurable writer. Creator. Extreme reader. Travel fanatic. Introvert. Friendly coffee junkie. Music ninja. Internet nerd. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Thinker.

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Entangled Deceit: A Reflection on Second Chances

Copyright 2024 Frank Spreader

Published by Frank Spreader at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Warning: This story contains adult content and may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

Author’s note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.

I sank into the depths, where darkness held its sway,

Closed doors, extinguished lights, in solitude I lay.

Contemplating swift forgiveness, unable to stay,

A day without you, unbearable, my heart in disarray.

The pain persists, turning me fearless, I flee,

Running away, yet going nowhere, from reality I flee.

On your return, silent thanks, denial vigorous as can be,

Four months elapsed, their impact on you and me.

Were four months enough, a measure of time?

Did they inflict on you a comparable climb?

Or did the severity within me chime,

In echoes of anguish, a poetic rhyme?

Prologue

Avril, entranced, suspended her breath. The kiss Sam bestowed on her shoulder abruptly ceased.

The man with cascading curls cast a furtive gaze toward the table upon which Avril had delicately rested her mobile phone. His broad bosom, laid bare, adhered to the elegant slope of the woman within his embrace.

Henry found himself in disappointment as his apprehensions materialized. Yet, he was not obligated to discern the attire Avril adorned this evening.

Sam successfully convinced her to change her attire upon their arrival. All present were adorned in garments befitting a pool party.

Having endured a tedious night due to Avril’s reluctance to embrace the water, Sam acquiesced, leading them to seek refuge in a tranquil corner away from the party’s tumult, solely to allow the woman to respond to her lover’s messages. They stumbled upon an unlocked, vacant chamber. Beyond, the music pulsated with an untamed rhythm. The laughter and animated conversations resonated with reciprocal cadence. At times, the soft splashes of water were audible, contributing to the revelry of the party.

You ain’t gonna call him?

Avril tightened the cloth wrapped around her waist, moving away from Sam. I can’t call him if you’re here.

Why don’t you want him to hear my voice? Sam leaned in again, whispering heavily into Avril’s ear, then sealed it with a kiss that left a faint red mark on the woman’s white shoulder.

Avril averted her gaze.

He had no desire for the girl who rendered him infatuated to the extent of justifying any means to attain her, to neglect him. With intention, Sam caressed Avril’s nape, tenderly kneading her chest with daringly sensual strokes.

Avril let out a groan, slipping away.

Yet Sam swiftly traced her chin, gliding beyond her shoulder, and embraced her lips with a kiss.

Sam! Avril exclaimed, her voice held back. The shadow-haired girl, with guilt eternally lingering in her thoughts, never found respite. Yet, as though irrevocably immersed in the suction of mud, she faltered in her attempts to guard herself from plunging deeper into the sin of betrayal. In stillness, she observed as Sam reversed her form and toppled her onto the bed.

Myriad tumultuous thoughts occupied her mind, encompassing a fear she recognized the source of. Yet, it couldn’t be easily dismissed, for it had firmly entrenched itself in something larger than the sway of Sam, something even Henry’s profoundly genuine love for her couldn’t conquer.

As a devoted lover, Henry dutifully adhered to Avril’s admonition from a few hours prior, refraining from calling under the pretext of the ongoing party. Rather than that, he dispatched the message.

Unbeknownst to Avril, Sam let the phone fall beneath her feet. Naturally, Sam had no genuine desire for Avril to abandon him in order to dial another man. While unable to anticipate anything beyond the recurrent pleasures of the moment, he was unwilling to let a single instant pass without the opportunity to caress Avril’s body tonight. It was precisely due to the sense of unattainability that he savored an exceptional and electrifying sensation, a feeling he believed might also be one of the reasons why Avril found herself in this room with him at this moment.

From their initial encounter, the enchanting woman had captured his focus. The beautiful lady, who playfully scolded him over a slice of peanut butter cheesecake, effortlessly claimed dominion over his thoughts with the ease of a blink. The satin blouse and floral skirt she adorned that morning made it challenging for Sam to cease envisioning undressing the woman who was brimming with love in her heart, a woman who had previously tenaciously resisted his allure.

He was the first to discover that Avril was no longer solitary. He was also sufficiently acquainted with Henry through the spoken words of others.

Henry Taliaferro was his name, as gallant as his demeanor, as luminous as his future, and as handsome as his countenance.

Rather than surrendering, Sam was convinced that relationships in apparent harmony were sometimes more effortlessly swayed by temptation. He never lamented his unscrupulous methods, even when their initial kiss remained unilateral. He understood that the kiss was the key that unlocked Avril’s truth, illustrating that, at times, a faithful lover fell short. If I reckon, it’s best we make him wait a spell, Sam said with a sly grin, restraining both of Avril’s hands on the sides of her head.

For over two years, Henry and Avril had shared their lives. A diminutive diamond-embellished ring encircles the girl’s finger.

As she contemplated its exquisite gleam, she became further entangled in a myriad of unanswered questions. Avril never harbored a longing for Sam. Nor was she ever engulfed by a thousand words of his affection. It all commenced with Sam’s insistence on her. And the specters from the past, which she never wished to recall, slowly rekindled their presence on her shoulders.

She was no longer certain if it was the pressure that held more sway or if there were other reasons she preferred not to uncover. Avril harbored no fondness for his character, showing no interest in what Sam possessed. Her love for Henry still endured.

He was the only man she craved. Henry remained unfailingly tender. The man handled her as if she were a delicate blossom of glass. His touch was consistently tender.

Even when Avril yearned for a slightly unconventional night of lovemaking, Henry persisted in making it as sweet and romantically usual—whether it was a candlelit dinner or a new bedspread sprinkled with rose petals.

Avril consistently portrayed Henry’s love, akin to the verses written in love songs.

Henry was a man who wouldn’t allow his lover’s head to collide with the bed surface without the shelter of his hand. Henry meticulously orchestrated every detail, from their home to the car, foreseeing the unfolding of their lives in the years to come. Perfection was essential as per the plan, not for his own sake but for the one he held dear.

Sam, I can’t go through this again.

Why?

You know why.

Because this is wrong? Sam sighed. I know this ain’t right for you, but it is for me. If it’s wrong, then I don’t wanna be right, Avril. Maybe it’s time for you to figure out where you stand between me and Henry. We can make this right. Look at me. Loving me ain’t as hard as loving Henry.

I’ve never loved you, Sam.

Sam shifted to Avril’s side, allowing her to envelop her form with a blanket.

I couldn’t do it, Sam. The more we continue like this, the less likely it becomes. Even if Henry eventually discovers what I’ve been doing, I still couldn’t be with you. I don’t want a relationship that begins with a mistake.

He believed, as in the days gone by, Avril would return to him no matter what. He only had to bide his time. He already held the cards. Sam caressed the woman’s back, consenting to escort her home.

Chapter 1: Avril’s Night of Intrigue

Should a maiden perceive that locale as not belonging to her, it was Avril.

She abstained from smoking and lacked finesse in savoring intoxicating libations. She, too, found little pleasure in dancing with abandon, despite her genuine fondness for the art of movement. The exquisite contours of her physique were cultivated through the disciplined practice of amateur contemporary ballet and, naturally, the morning jog. The number of men inviting her to the dance floor merely to touch her that evening was beyond the reckoning of fingers.

Yet she possessed too much sanity to lose herself amidst a crowd teetering on the brink of unconsciousness. Her countenance was akin to the clarity of morning dew, gently radiating a pure luminosity. Her cheeks were adorned with a naturally blushing shade of pink. Her succulent lips were full and consistently moist, particularly in moments of unease. Her most enchanting eyes emitted a wistful radiance. Her eyes, dark as chocolate, posed the most alluring threat to those of the opposite gender.

Whenever one endeavored to meet her gaze, one must courageously risk being submerged in the allure of her tenderness. The majority found admiration in the orderly, curved rows of her eyelashes. Or her naturally exquisite hair, beckoning fingers to stroke and cherish its allure. When that lovely hair was lifted at the nape of her neck, it exuded sensuality, causing the heartbeat of every man to pause. Her evening gown, polite and unassuming, appeared almost undeserving as it enfolded her graceful form.

Avril was unmistakably not the woman who would linger in a nightclub until the late hours without compulsion. She found solace in devouring pulp romance novels within the confines of her rented apartment, adorned in her most comforting, threadbare shirt, while savoring a cup of tea to alleviate the tension accumulated throughout the day of toil. However, she was aware that partaking in festive celebrations was integral to the existence of a mature woman in the metropolitan realm.

Looks like your drink’s running low. A guy around Avril’s age suddenly popped up, a guy who’d subtly tried a few times to strike up a conversation. Mind if I get the next one for you?

Lost in contemplation, Avril was startled by the most captivating of expressions. No, thanks, she said politely.

Don’t like it here, huh?

A tad.

Why push yourself if that’s the case?

Job, Avril responded briefly, then glanced around, surveying her surroundings.

In apparent acknowledgment of Avril’s disinterest, the man inquired about another trivial matter before vanishing once more, courtesy of Avril’s feigned deafness.

As she took the final draw of her lightly rum-kissed piña colada, Avril became restless, her gaze fixed on the small numerals on her phone’s display. In the wee hours, she remained uncertain about the duration of revelry among her office companions. An anniversary unfolded for one of the heads of the division in the place where she toiled.

She found herself unable to decline, offering no excuses whatsoever earlier. Yet, it appeared to be excessive for a mere birthday celebration. Her companions entirely overlooked the fact that their wives and children were waiting at home.

Avril resolved that she should depart ahead of the others. Engrossed in squinting her eyes to spot the known gathering, she traversed the shifting beams of colorful lights.

A woman stood by her side, ordering a drink identical to hers.

Instinctively, Avril bestowed upon her a smile. Scarcely anyone opted for sweet cocktails in a setting like this. It was akin to discovering a companion in fate.

I’m Patricia, uttered the woman close to Avril’s charming face.

Oh, Avril, responded Avril with unease.

Her brows knitted together.

Involuntarily, she experienced a sense of awkwardness.

All through the evening, no woman deigned to converse with her. Throughout her history of occupying public spaces, it was only on this occasion that someone, other than a man, extended an introduction without apparent cause.

This piña colada is for you, Patricia said out of the blue, offering a glass of the just-delivered drink.

Oh, apologies, I’m ready to head home.

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to approach you or anything like that.

Avril shut her eyes to quell the sense of embarrassment. She apologized for giving her conversation partner the impression that she was teasing, when in reality, she was just on the verge of leaving.

I’ve noticed guys approaching you several times, Patricia persisted. I thought you might need a sitting companion to make it more comfortable.

Oh, I’d be thrilled, but I’m running a bit late already.

Are you certain?

Absolutely.

Alright then.

Following Patricia’s departure, carrying her ordered piña colada, Avril pondered the situation.

Patricia, tall for a woman, possessed a countenance of distinct strength and character. She adorned her face, yet it had slightly faded in certain areas due to perspiration. A few minutes later, when Avril was convinced she had to depart without bidding farewell, instead of lingering until morning, Patricia reappeared with her previous piña colada. Avril’s smile blossomed subtly in greeting.

You probably lost some silly game, and your friend told you to invite me to join your table.

Do I appear as if I’m some greenhorn still into playing those kinds of games?

Why not?

The laughter of the two women filled the air.

Seriously, not really, Patricia said with a serious expression that matched the tone of her speech. I’m not interested in you in a weird way. I came here with my husband and our friend.

Avril nodded in agreement.