by Arika Stone
“No, and I’m hoping he doesn’t find out. I’m not doing anything tonight but drinking.” We headed toward security, following Val.
“You say that now, but wait until you’ve had a few shots.” She winked.
Val began to talk to security as my group breezed past him and the line, entering the bar. We were well known here and didn’t need to wait.
We weaved in and out of the crowd, making our way to the bar. Jenni grabbed my arm. “Why did you bring him with you?” she shouted in my ear over the music.
“I didn’t have a choice.” The vibrator went off, and I pinched my legs closed. I looked around, trying to locate Val in the crowd.
Amber appeared between us, shoving a shot of tequila into my hand. After several shots chased by several beers, I was drunk beyond my normal capacity. I wanted to completely lose myself, or I wouldn’t be able to hide the random vibrations that were continually tormenting me.
“Come on, Evie, dance with me.”
Amber grabbed my waist and pressed my body into hers. I glanced at the bar. I wanted another drink. I spotted Val at the far end, talking to another gentleman, but even as he spoke, he was watching me the entire time.
“I think I need another shot and another beer.” I grabbed Amber and Jenni. “My round.”
The girls cheered. Amber reached out and pulled seven more girls in a chain along with me. Clearly, I was the ringleader of the group.
As I wiggled us back to the bar, the only free spot was next to Val. I didn’t want Amber to stand next to him, nor did I want Jenni to open her mouth, which she was famous for when she was drunk.
I squeezed next to him, shooting him a sideways glance. He smiled, curling his lips upward, pressing down on my trigger.
“Fuck you, Val.”
“You’ve had too much to drink, dear. You’re stumbling.”
Amber pressed her body against mine from the back. “Hi, Val,” she cooed.
I grabbed the sides of her face. “Don’t fucking talk to him.”
I turned back to the bar, and Val leaned into my ear. “Play nice,” he growled.
The owner, Lauri, walked over to me. “Eve! I had no idea you were here.”
“Hey, Lauri. I need eight shots of tequila.” I placed my empty beer on the counter.
Lauri set out eight shot glasses. “I hear this is your last night for a while. Why aren’t you singing?”
“Can’t a girl get a night off?”
Lauri looked at Val. “She sings a mean song. You should see her perform.”
“Oh, does she?” Val turned and looked amused. “Maybe you’ll sing one for me.”
It must have been the massive quantities of alcohol I had consumed. I hopped onto the bar in one quick swoop and grabbed the microphone that was sitting between several bottles.
“Is this a library or a fucking bar?” I screamed into the mic. “This is my last night here. Let me hear some fucking noise.” I thrust the microphone into the crowd.
The patrons began to cheer. I strutted over to Val and kicked his drink across the counter with my boot. The crowd went wild. I picked up his matches and lit one, flinging it onto the liquid and igniting a line of fire down the counter.
I slowly began to shake my ass. Billy Idol started blasting, and I reached for Jenni and Amber, pulling them to the makeshift stage we used weekly.
Jenni pulled back and said, “I can’t,” motioning to her brother. I shook her off. Dancing with Amber would do just as well.
I drew Amber close, taking the lead, intertwining our legs and grinding down. I pressed her neck back and kissed her on it, moving down to her perky breasts before I spun her around, pressing her ass into me. My hands danced over her thighs as I swayed her back and forth. The crowd was wild and egged me on, chanting, “More, more, more!”
I sauntered to the pole directly next to Val. I placed one hand over my head and the other on my stomach, inching its way down between my legs, under my pants. I slid down the poll before snapping up, removing my hand from my pants, and tossing the vibrator at him. I was in control now.
I watched him eye me with anger. Not only had I disobeyed his wishes, I was showing off for all to see. The song ended, and the crowded cheered. “Kiitos, kiitos. Get home safe and have a good night.”
I hopped off the counter, grabbing Amber by the arm. “Let’s go. I want a cigarette.” We headed out of the bar, leaving Val in the shadows. “What are you doing after this?”
She looked surprised. “Probably going home?”
“Come back to our house,” I stated, the alcohol clearly overtaking my body and my mind.
Val approached me from behind, tugging my arm. “Eve, you’re drunk. Let’s go home.”
“She’s coming with us.”
“No, we’ll drop her off at her house. You’re too wasted.” He picked up his cell phone to call a car.
“I am not.” I stumbled into him and leaned up, kissing him on the neck. I reached for Amber. “Come here.” I pulled her into me, kissing her hard on the mouth. “Would you like to come home with us?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said with a drunken giggle.
“We don’t do this when we’re trashed. You’re walking a dangerous line.” Val pulled me away from her, separating us. “Walk, both of you.” He pushed me forward. “You need to sober up.”
I began to walk forward and realized the sidewalk was wobbly, as if I was on a boat. “Am—” I grabbed onto her to steady myself.
We giggled in drunken reverie, clinging onto each other for support.
“I can’t walk anymore. I need to lean on something.” I pulled Amber to the nearest alcove and pushed her into the doorway. I reached down, trying to find a way into her pants.
Val pulled me back and stood between us. “I’m not letting you do this.”
Chapter 27
I hung my head over the toilet and dry heaved into it for the thousandth time. I looked out the window of our bathroom; the sky was dark, overcast, and snowing. Or was it? I couldn’t tell because my vision was blurry too. Everything had a white haze around it, and my head throbbed as though someone was banging a jackhammer on my skull. I looked down at my arm and noticed it was bruised pretty badly. Had I gotten into a fight last night? Had we had a rough session? I couldn’t remember. I looked around. I was confused. I had no idea what time it was or where Val was.
Nausea overtook my body again, and I vomited bile into the clear water below me. My throat ached and burned from the continuous heaving.
I heard footsteps and looked up. Val was leaning on the doorframe with a glass of water in his hand and a plate of food in the other.
“Good evening.”
“There’s nothing good about this evening.” I groaned before I met the porcelain god again. I swore my stomach lining was trying to exorcise its way out of my body.
“You need to eat and drink.”
I shook my head no.
“You’re going to dehydrate.” He approached, placing the plate and glass on the floor before soothing my hair back. “You need a shower too, but first, you need to eat.” He picked up the plate and handed it to me.
I wrinkled my nose. “No, it’s going to make me puke.”
“And that’s different than what you’re doing now? It’s only toast. At least try.”
I leaned against the wall and took the toast, hoping I would be able to hold it down.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“No, I’m still nauseous. Remind me never to drink again.”
“Don’t worry, because you’re never drinking again. I won’t allow it.” He wrapped his arm underneath me. “Come on. Let’s get you showered.” He picked me up from the floor. He opened the door to our shower and placed me inside. “Lean against the wall.”
I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. Everything felt as if it was swaying, and my legs felt weak. “Val, I don’t feel good.” He tossed off his clothing and hopped in next to me.
�
��Of course you don’t. What did you expect to feel like after a bottle of tequila, a six pack of beer, and God knows what else you consumed when I wasn’t looking?” He turned the shower on. “Come here.”
I rested my head on his chest, allowing myself to use him as my pillar. The water splashed over me, sending a chill down my spine. He soaped me up and gently washed my hair.
“I want to go back to bed.”
“Let me dry you off first.” He stepped out, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around me, carrying me into the bedroom and laying me on the bed.
I grabbed the covers and pulled them over me.
“Don’t get comfortable. I’m bringing you downstairs so I can keep an eye on you. The last thing I need is to find you on the floor passed out again.”
He pulled the covers off and pulled me to a sitting position. He slid one of his T-shirts over me and helped me get dressed. He picked me up and brought me downstairs, settling me on the couch with a blanket and pillow.
“I’ll make coffee for you. I’ll be right back.” He kissed me on the forehead.
Moments later he returned with coffee in hand and a stack of papers.
I accepted the coffee. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the papers. I propped myself up on the couch.
“A list of phone calls you need to return and your residence permit. But first we need to talk.” He plopped my messages on the coffee table and sat down next to me.
I took a sip of coffee. The nausea was finally starting to subside. “I don’t want to talk about last night.”
“Nor do I. I’ve done enough explaining today to last a lifetime, and I never want to be put in this situation again.”
I nodded. “My behavior was inexcusable. I thought you wanted a threesome.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about you putting on a show at the bar. You embarrassed yourself, and you embarrassed me. But I’m not even mad about that. That we can brush off as too much alcohol. I’m upset that you hid your partying from me.”
“I didn’t exactly hide it. You knew I went out with Jenni every Thursday.”
He looked harshly at me. “There is a big difference between partying and going out. Please don’t ever hide things from me again.”
“It never came up. It’s not that I hid it from you.”
He picked up the paperwork, getting back to business. “You need to call Vicki, Kristen, Howard, and Jude. Here are their numbers.” He handed me a piece of paper.
He continued, “And Jude emailed me something I think you should watch. It was on TV this morning in America.”
I squirmed. I didn’t like Val talking to my ex. “I didn’t know you two communicated.”
“We don’t. He called looking for you when you were sleeping.” Val got up to connect his computer to the television, returning with the remote in hand. “I’ve already queued the parts we’re mentioned in.”
“Is it bad?” I asked.
“No, not really, but you can judge for yourself.”
He turned on the video from Celebreality TV. “The lives of Hollywood’s most elite couples.” The reporter droned on as pictures of Val and me flashed across the screen.
“But these days some Hollywood couples are so eager to stay together that they are pulling up roots and moving wherever their hottie honeys are working. Case in point, Eve Lauren. Her rock-star boyfriend, Valo Ruska, whose home is in Helsinki, has no worries. Eve just moved to keep close to him. The cost? An estimated extravagant half a million for three months. But for Eve, no expense could be spared to keep her with her man.”
“That’s bullshit. I haven’t even spent twenty grand here yet. Where do they pull those numbers from?”
“You never cancelled your hotel room. I took care of it this morning after I saw this.”
My jaw dropped. In my lust, I’d completely forgotten to check out of the hotel.
He shook his head and began the next clip.
“And when Hollywood couples want to show their love, they indulge each other with expensive jewelry and diamonds. Just last week, it was reported that Eve received a five-carat emerald-cut Harry Winston diamond engagement ring on Thanksgiving weekend estimated to cost $250,000. Now that’s something she should be thankful for.”
I looked at him. “I’d love to know who leaked that.”
“I don’t know, but here’s the part you’ll want to see.” He started the video again.
“To spice up their sex lives, some couples spend big and live the high life to keep the flames burning. Last night, Eve and Valo were spotted at the trendy bar, Notes, where Eve gave him a not-so-private striptease. We just wished she’d have taken off more than the wireless vibrator she tossed at her sweetheart toward the end of her dance. Now that’s what we call the best seat in the house.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Wonderful, now our sex lives are on display.”
“What did you expect? Didn’t you notice the cameras going off when you were dancing?”
“No, I didn’t. It was the heat of the moment, I guess.”
My phone rang. Val handed it to me from the table. I looked at the caller ID. It was Jude’s office.
I put it on speakerphone. I couldn’t put it to my ear with my head still hurting. I lay down on the couch and placed it on my stomach.
“Eve, what’s going on? Or should I say what’s going down?” Jude said with a sarcastic laugh.
“Fuck you. What do you want?”
“I suppose living in Europe is rubbing off on you, or shall I say you are rubbing off on it? You’re in the papers, doll. Have you seen the reel?”
“I have.”
“People are talking. You know how that goes. Kristen has been trying to call you, but I suppose you were too busy under the sheets to care.”
“I’m not in the mood for this, Jude. What’s going on?”
“Did you know you were screwing with the daughter of a state senator? Nice move robbing the cradle. I see your boyfriend taught you well.”
“Get to the point, or I’m hanging up.”
“The point? The point is your company is falling apart without you. Your PR department can’t handle the press. They forwarded it to me because they can’t reach you. And fuck if your lover handles the publicity for you. Don’t they have reps in Europe, or is it considered normal to go stripping on bars with other women while he watches?”
“I didn’t strip. Give me a break. I just had too much to drink.”
“No shit, sweetheart. It’s time to put the bottle down and come home where you belong. You don’t drink, Eve, or did you forget that? And by the way, you should find a permanent lesbian lover. It has done wonders for your website. Your servers went down this morning from all the traffic. Women can identify with you, and men want to fuck you. I guarantee you’ll have more parties than you can handle when you return home. No such thing as bad press when it’s spun right.”
“And I suppose I have you to thank for that?”
“You owe me, doll. I’ll see you when you get back to New York.” And with a click of the phone, he was gone. Who was Jude to step in and handle my affairs?
“I’m coming back to New York with you. I don’t have to be in L.A. until the end of January.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yes, that asshole needs to be put in his place.”
“How silly. I thought you wanted to spend more time with me. I should have known better. It’s the battle of the male egos.” I sat up and kissed him. “I love you, Val. Jude means nothing to me.”
“I know, but I know how guys like him work. As soon as he thinks you’re out of my reach, he’s going to try to charm his way back to your heart. He still loves you, or he wouldn’t be saving your ass.” He looked at me all knowingly.
I pondered what he’d said. Perhaps he was right about Jude. But secretly I was glad he’d stepped up for me. I didn’t need my name dragged through the mud. “I suppose you’re right. But why didn’t
you save my ass?”
“Because I was too busy making sure you were alive. Do you realize you could have died? I was this close to calling an ambulance last night, but I didn’t want you to get bad press.”
I gasped at his words. “I didn’t mean to get that trashed. I don’t remember anything.”
“It’s better you don’t. You were convulsing on the floor by the time the doctor arrived. You had me scared. I thought I was going to lose you.”
He held out my arm. It was black and blue. “You were on an IV and oxygen until this afternoon.”
His phone rang, interrupting us. “Hei,” he answered, “Yes…I see…Very well then, we’ll be in at ten.” He hung up the phone. “Dr. Lindfors wants to see you in her office Monday for a follow-up.”
Chapter 28
Having Val save my life humbled me and brought a new respect for the relationship we shared. Although the nausea subsided, I felt sedated the entire weekend. I drifted in and out of sleep till Monday when he roused me from my slumber.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
I felt his lips on my forehead. “Good morning, Val. I love you.”
“I love you too. How are you feeling?” He snuggled me close.
“Much better. Thank you.” I looked him in the eyes. “If the paperwork doesn’t come in time for us to marry here, when we return to New York, we’ll get married before you leave for L.A.”
His lips curled into a smile. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” He kissed me again. “But we need to get up. Your doctor’s appointment is soon.”
I groaned. “Do I have to go? I’m feeling much better.”
“After the amount of worry you put me through, yes, you do. At least do it to put my mind at ease.”
I knew I had to give him this. He received no further argument.
Two hours later, we were sitting in plush leather chairs in a luxurious waiting room. I looked around. Everything was in Finnish. I had no idea what type of doctor Dr. Lindfors was, but whatever her specialty, I could tell she was not a doctor for the commoners.
I turned to Val. “Who is this doctor anyway?”
“She’s a private doctor.”