Pool of Lies: All Lies Have Consequences...
Page 17
Rachel gave her a tearful smile and said, “Okay, but this place isn’t going to be the same without you, Ava.”
Ava laughed then told her. “The place is going to stay exactly the same, unless management decides to change the club completely.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Here I am trying to get all sentimental, and you’re pissing all over it.”
Ava gave the woman one more hug then told her, “Save the sentiment for later. I’ve still got three more sets to go.”
“Make that two.” Rachel pointed over her shoulder and smiled. “It’s your turn, Sunshine. Give them something they’ll never forget.”
Ava chuckled as she made her way over to the wings of the stage. She took off her robe and hung it on the hook. Ava waited for the DJ to announce her then made her way onto the stage. Her walk was provocative, and it became even more seductive as the music began.
A tiny smirk came to Ava’s face when she saw that Kacey was sitting right where she belonged, front and center at the end of the runway. Tonight Ava was dancing for one person; and that was the woman that had changed her life for the better.
The opening beats of the hip-hop track thumped through the club and Ava lost herself in the music as she put on her best performance for Kacey. During the middle of her set, Ava moved to the end of the runway, her eyes trained on Kacey. The other woman’s eyes never drifted away from her body. Ava dropped down to her knees, and she gave Kacey a seductive smirk before she did a couple of moves that were part of her routine.
She winked at Kacey as she stood, but her focus was diverted to a blinking red light that was in the crowd. Ava’s eyebrows furrowed, but her expression instantly turned into one of bewilderment when Kacey bolted up from her seat and headed right for the person that the blinking light was coming from. Before she knew it, Kacey was yanking the front of the man’s shirt, and was drawing back to punch him when Frank shouted, “Kacey, don’t do it! I’ll handle it.”
Ava stayed focused on Kacey and waited to see if she would listen to Frank. She snatched something from him, then tossed it to Frank before making her way back to the stage. She stood at the end of the runway and held out her hand to Ava. “We’re going.”
Ava nodded in agreement, and she took Kacey’s hand. The two of them went backstage so Ava could collect her belongings and say goodbye to everyone. On the drive to Kacey’s apartment, Ava thought about what happened at the club. Kacey had almost attacked another man because of her, and Ava felt like she should be concerned about Kacey’s violent response, but it wasn’t even on her radar. What worried her more was the fact that she didn’t want Kacey to risk herself like that again. Who she was required her to keep a level head at all times.
Ava was brought from her thoughts when Kacey asked, “Do you understand now?”
Ava pulled her gaze from the window, and looked at Kacey. She did understand. She sighed then told her, “I understood earlier today, Kacey.” She paused for a second. “I’m sorry I fought you on it.” Ava took hold of her hand and gave it gentle squeeze. “I never want to put you in a position where you’re risking yourself. It’s not good for either of us.”
Kacey glanced at her then back out of the windshield. “What changed your mind?”
Ava smiled, reaching out to brush a strand of Kacey’s hair behind her ear. “I saw the bigger picture.”
“And that is…”
Ava continued to smile as she looked at Kacey, who glanced at her again, this time mildly annoyed. The bigger picture was them and their life as a couple, but she wasn’t going to tell Kacey that. Not yet. Ava still needed to get everything between her and Robin settled. Once that was done, she would be able to start her new life with Kacey. Ava’s smile turned into a grin, and she leaned over to kiss Kacey’s cheek. She couldn’t wait for that to happen.
Chapter Nine
The sound of her work phone going off woke Robin from her alcohol-induced slumber. She had been drinking ever since the night that she had lost it on Ava. Another wave of guilt and pain crashed down on her. She typically had good control of her anger, even when she wanted to punch something, but Ava saying that she couldn’t – no – wouldn’t, have sex with her caused something to snap in her. It had been a gross overreaction on her part, and Robin had accepted that she had destroyed her marriage because of it.
Robin groaned and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. She tapped the answer icon then grumbled into her phone, her voice a little bit above a growl, “There better be a damn good reason why you’re calling me on my day off.”
Ricky, one of the guys from her security team, said, “Hey boss, something has um…come up. Can you get over here?”
Robin closed her eyes and groaned. She was not in the mood for this. Not only did she have a massive hangover, but she also wanted to track Ava down. She hadn’t heard from her since that god-awful night and she wanted to talk to her and apologize. Robin was worried about where she was; she knew that Ava wouldn’t have gone to her parents’ house since she had effectively cut her mother out of her life, nor would she have gone to stay with any of their friends - she didn’t like being a burden on others. Robin squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that Ava had holed herself up in some hotel, before refocusing on the phone conversation. “Can it wait, Ricky? I’ve got a hangover from hell, and I’ve got to find Ava.”
The man was silent for a moment. “Robin, you’re going to want to see this as soon as possible.”
Ricky using her name instead of calling her boss, along with him calling her on the weekend, lifted some of the haze that was in Robin’s brain. She realized that the situation was a serious one. Robin moved to get out of bed and asked, “Is anyone hurt or anything?”
“No boss. Everyone on the team is fine. There’s just something that needs your immediate attention,” Ricky told her in a reassuring but urgent tone.
Robin’s brow furrowed. She had no idea what could be so important if no one on the team was hurt. She sighed then told him, “All right. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
He told her okay then they disconnected the call. Robin headed for the bathroom and the first thing she did when she was in there was take enough ibuprofen to murder the headache that was pounding in her skull, then she got in the shower. As Robin washed, she thought about Ava, and the sheer magnitude of her screw-up. Twenty-four hours after they had decided to start a family, she had managed to ruin their entire marriage. Robin continued to mentally berate herself as she finished showering, and continued to wallow in self-hatred as she got dressed.
Shortly after, she left the apartment and headed to the building that housed her security firm. When she walked into the team’s suite of offices, she called out, “Ricky, where are you?”
Ricky walked out of the room where they kept the computer equipment and made his way over to her. Robin noticed the tight smile on his face as he said, “Hey boss. Can we go into your office?”
Robin eyed him for a second. He was tense about something, but she was certain that in due time he was going to tell her about whatever was making him uneasy. She nodded, and the two of them headed into her office. When she sat down behind her desk Robin looked at the few pictures of her and Ava that were on it. A pang of hurt and regret went through her heart. She needed to talk to Ava, and soon.
Ricky cleared his throat and when Robin looked at him he started talking. “Me and a couple of the guys went out last night after our shift. We went to this club on the other side of the city and…” He trailed off. Robin could tell that he was anxious about something by the way his Adam’s apple kept jumping in his throat. She began to wonder what he and the other guys had seen or done at this club. Ricky held out a manila folder that Robin had failed to notice. She took it from him, and as she opened the top cover Ricky began to explain, “Those were taken with my cell, the bouncer took the video camera that I had on me from the equipment room.” He fell silent, then asked with some hesitation, “That’s who I think it is, isn’t it?”
Robin flipped through the seven pictures that were in the folder several times, then stopped to take out the one where Ava was on her hands and knees at the end of the stage. She was looking at a woman with dark hair and the attraction that was between them was more than obvious in the picture. Robin clenched her teeth together so hard it hurt. Her eyes were fixed on the picture that was in her hand, when the cold hard truth slammed into her; the reason why Ava had physically withdrawn from her. Robin gritted her teeth even harder. This woman, whoever the hell she was, was clearly fucking her wife, and that meant Ava was cheating on her. It all made so much sense. Robin drew in slow, deep breath to keep her rage under control.
She put the pictures back in the folder, and as she closed it Robin asked in a low, controlled voice, “Where was this?” The man wasted no time in reeling off the name and address of the club. Then she asked the one question that she really needed the answer to. “Who was that woman?”
The apprehension rolled off Ricky in waves, and Robin had to give him some credit when he answered her question. She was certain that the anger was apparent on her face. “I’m not a hundred percent certain, but the bouncer called her Kacey. He stopped her from beating the shit out of me. I’m certain she would have killed me if she had the chance. The look in her eyes, boss, it was dangerous.”
Robin opened the folder again, taking out the picture of Ava on her hands and knees in front of Kacey. She glared at the woman’s profile. The bitch may have been dangerous, but Robin was a force to be reckoned with. The fact that this woman was sleeping with her wife sent a hot, flowing rage through Robin’s veins. She was going to make her pay for touching her wife, and Ava was going to regret the day that she decided to cheat on her. Robin was going to make certain of it.
Robin slipped the picture back into the folder then closed her eyes for a moment. An unnatural calm settled over her, and when she spoke again, her tone was neutral and even. “Thank you Ricky. I will deal with this.”
The anxious look that was on the man’s face seemed to have worsened, but he replied, “It’s not a problem boss. I thought you would want to know.” He let out a quick chuckle. “I know if it were my wife shaking her goods for strangers every night, I would like to know about it.”
Robin’s voice remained low. “I’m sure you would.” She stood up from her chair then picked up the folder. She looked at the man sitting in front of her desk. “Thank you again Ricky.”
She walked from behind her desk, then made her way out of the office, ignoring the worried look that was on Ricky’s face as she walked out. All she could think about was Ava and the pictures that were in the folder. Robin wanted to talk to her, at least that’s what she told herself. She wasn’t going to do anything crazy, she just wanted to talk to Ava and get a better understanding of the pictures, this Kacey woman, and why she was dancing at a strip club. That’s all she wanted to do.
∞
Ava rolled over and snuggled up to Kacey. The other woman wrapped her arm around her even though she remained in her deep sleep. Ava reveled in the feeling of being tangled up in Kacey, and an involuntary smile came to her face. She felt amazing, not just because of the night of sex that she and Kacey had engaged in, but from the fact that she was genuinely happy and content. Ava lifted her head and she kissed the tip of Kacey’s nose, grinning when her face scrunched up in a cute manner. Despite all their arguments, and the fact that Kacey could annoy the shit out of her most of the time, the two of them were good together.
Underneath Kacey’s jealousy and possessive nature, Ava knew that she cared for her. It was a selfless care that comforted Ava, and she knew that she was going to cherish what Kacey gave her for a long time. Ava kissed the woman’s shoulder then closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath through her nose, taking in Kacey’s scent. This woman, in a short amount of time, had wormed her way into Ava’s heart. She hadn’t seen it coming, but now that she was aware of it, she couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else.
Ava held onto Kacey a moment longer then slipped out of her arms. She got out of the bed, and headed for the bathroom. Ava walked over to the shower and turned it on before running both her hands through her unruly hair as her mind wandered to Robin. The two of them needed to talk, and they needed to do it soon. They had so much to discuss; Ava working at the club, Kacey, and the fact that their relationship was over. Ava frowned and bit her bottom lip. This was going to be one of the hardest conversations that she would ever have, because Robin had seen her through so much. Ava knew that she was going to be hurt and angry, but this was going to be good for them.
Ava got into the shower and as she washed up she got lost in her thoughts. It wasn’t until she felt a kiss on her shoulder did she realize that Kacey had joined her. As she kissed across the top of it, Kacey murmured, “You know you can’t sneak away that easy.”
Ava’s eyes drifted closed as Kacey’s soft lips made their way up her sensitive neck. She smirked and said, “I wasn’t trying to get away.” She turned around to face Kacey then Ava wrapped her arms around her neck. “I needed to wash away the smell of sex that was still on me.”
Kacey kissed her then grinned. “Well that’s obviously a waste of water; since you’re going to smell like sex in another second.”
Ava returned the grin, and before she kissed Kacey she said, “If we stay in the shower, we can kill two birds with one stone.” Ava pressed her lips to Kacey’s for a slow, lazy kiss. It was the type of kiss two people shared because they were happy with each other and they could spend forever kissing one another. As Kacey’s hands started to roam over Ava’s slick body, the intensity of the kiss changed, and the passion between them started to build.
Kacey pressed Ava against the glass wall of the shower then kissed her way down her neck as Ava ran her hand through her wet hair and tangled her fingers in the dark locks, giving them a firm tug when Kacey bit and sucked the delicate skin on her neck. A soft moan made its way past Ava lips as the other woman kissed across her collarbone and down her chest, making a torturous path down to her breasts. Kacey circled the firm, responsive nipple on Ava’s left breast with the tip of her tongue and again Ava moaned, arching her back in hopes of getting more of Kacey’s mouth on her. Kacey gave her nipple a languid suck before turning her attention to Ava’s other breast.
Ava lost track of how long Kacey paid attention to her breasts; all she knew was that she needed the woman in other places, and that need was an urgent one. Ava’s eyes were shut tight as the heady rush of arousal drove her to the edge of madness. She felt Kacey kiss the valley between her breasts before she began to kiss her way back up her chest. Ava let out a tormented groan but it was silenced when Kacey’s lips met hers for a fervent kiss. Ava hooked her leg around Kacey’s as she was taken over by a rush of arousal and passion that was consuming the both of them.
Kissing wasn’t enough for Ava. She needed to touch, feel, and taste Kacey. She wanted to make her feel everything all at once and then some. Ava broke the kiss and before Kacey could register what was happening, she switched their positions. When she had Kacey pinned against the wall of the shower she gave her a devious smirk and made her way down the woman’s body to put her through the same torment that she had put Ava through. Except this time, she was going to go further than Kacey had.
She worshipped each of her beautiful breasts, then trailed a path of kisses and soft bites down her torso. The contact caused the muscles underneath Kacey’s skin to twitch and jump in response. Ava knelt down on the floor of the shower as she made her way further down Kacey’s body.
She looked up and found that Kacey
was looking at her. Her dark, brown eyes were full of lust, desire, and anticipation and Ava only wanted to give her the one thing that she was yearning for. The fact that she was able to reduce the sarcastic, smart mouthed woman to a speechless, highly aroused mess was amusing to Ava, but she didn’t comment on it. In fact what she did say next surprised both her and Kacey. “I love you.”
She didn’t dwell on it, nor did she give Kacey the opportunity to reflect on it. Ava kissed the inside of her thigh, then moved to stroke the hypersensitive flesh that lived between them with her tongue. The taste of Kacey’s wetness danced on her tongue and Ava grabbed a hold of her ass as she worked to get more of it. The unique taste of the woman was something that Ava didn’t think that she would ever get enough of, but then again, she didn’t think she would ever get enough of Kacey either.
Kacey held the back of Ava’s head as her tongue continued to dance and glide in and around the delicate folds. Ava knew that Kacey was close to going over the edge when she began to draw in short, shallow breaths. She wanted to watch as her orgasm overtook her so Ava stood, replacing her tongue with two of her fingers as she did so, making Kacey inhale a sharp breath. Kacey was breathtaking when she was close to giving into her pleasure, and it was something that caused Ava’s chest to fill with love for the woman.
She kissed Kacey then pulled back to watch her face as her fingers continued to move in and out of her. “I love you Kacey,” she told her in a soft voice. “I will love only you.” The declaration was a major one for the two of them, and it was probably too soon, but it was what Ava felt. The thought of being with someone other than Kacey was unfathomable. Kacey made her feel like herself, she accepted everything about her without judgment, and more importantly she saw Ava for who she really was, not just some person to be molded into an image of what others thought she should be.
Yes, she loved Kacey, and she was going to spend every waking moment making sure she knew how much, but first, she was going to make her come. Ava massaged Kacey’s firm clit with her thumb and after a few strokes she was calling out Ava’s name in a breathless moan. Ava held her as she came and relished the fact that only she got to see this side of Kacey. It meant everything to her.