Chapter Ten
Valo
I don’t think I’ve ever been with someone who was so responsive to me before. Jade made a sound with everything I did, and that’s definitely something I can listen to more often. Her eyes were so bright afterward, and it didn’t take long before she fell asleep, cuddled up to me. While it shouldn’t, it still blows my mind how things started. It’s going to take a lot for Jade to see things differently, that things can happen differently than she’s used to, but I’m glad to be the one to show her.
Honeybun slips through my door, jumps onto the bed, and lies down on the other side of Jade. If she’s going to bed, then it’s definitely time for me to sleep, too. I tug Jade closer and close my eyes.
~
Jade exits my bathroom with a towel wrapped around her, the steam still hanging in the air behind her. Thankfully, I’m sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiles, comes to stand between my legs, and raises her eyebrows.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Trying to muster a little self control.” I grab her hips with a deep breath and pull her closer. “I have two questions for you. First, do you want to go to the game tonight?”
“Sure, I have a hot little jersey to wear.”
I grin. “Good. There will be a ticket waiting for you like last time. Second, we have a big Halloween party every year, the entire team dresses up and goes, and I wanted to see if you wanted to go with me?”
“Like with real costumes? You guys do that?”
“Yeah. A few of the guys go all out, but some of us keep it fairly simple.”
“I’d love to. What should we wear?”
“I’ll let you choose because I’m always the same thing every year. I get overwhelmed by all the options, so you pick whatever, and I’ll wear it.”
“What do you go as, Finny? A hockey player?” She cracks up at her lame joke.
“No, I have a little more imagination than that. I’m a vampire.”
“Please, please tell me you mean the horror like vampire and not that Twilight guy? If it’s him, I will find that picture and post it all over Liberty.”
“I’ve never seen that, so no. I mean the scary vamp. Okay, if you’re going to the game, you need to get dressed, so I can show you something first.”
I leave her to get dressed to let Gus know I’m riding with him to the game since she’ll drive my vehicle and I’ll ride back with her. When she finally walks into the living room, she’s already wearing my jersey. I’ve seen plenty of people in my jersey before. The people of Liberty love to show off their love for the team and wearing jerseys is part of that. Of all those people, none of them looked as good in it as Jade does. I don’t know what it is that makes it so appealing, but damn.
“C’mon,” I tell her, taking her hand and leading her out of the condo and to the elevator. I push the button that’ll take us all the way down to the parking garage. “Since you said there was too much truck for you and since walking or taking the bus isn’t an option, I need to show you what you’re driving to the game.” I walk her over to where my white Porsche Panamera is parked. “You should be just fine with this.”
“What the fuck is this?”
I laugh. “A car. If you want me to be more specific, it’s a Porsche Panamera.”
“It’s yours?”
“Who’s else would it be?”
“At this point, I don’t care because I’m go to drive this bitch like I stole it.” She laughs, and I do, too.
“Just don’t get pulled over then.”
“I won’t promise that in this beauty.”
We walk back up to the house and I leave her the keys to the car. Gus and I eventually leave for the game. We’re playing Portland tonight. They’re on a four-game losing streak and hoping to snap it with a win here. Of course, we don’t want that to happen.
The first period comes with a lot of chances on both sides. We crash the net a lot, but the puck just isn’t getting in. The second period is much of the same. There are some close calls with Portland scoring, but our goalie is a ninja with speed and stops all the shots coming at him.
The intensity of the game increases as the desperate need to score rises. The crowd roars with excitement of a potential goal every time we enter the zone and shoot the puck. With five minutes left, Gus earns himself a hooking penalty and takes a seat in the box. My chest heavily rises and falls as I prepare for the face-off. We can’t let them score is the sentence repeating over and over in my head.
Portland wins the face-off and a Viking gains possession. He passes it to another player and he lifts his stick and between the legs of one of our defenseman, the puck travels right on through, under the goalie’s arms, and straight into the net.
Fans are not happy because who wants to lose at home? There’s four minutes left. We do our best to keep the puck away from our net, shoot the puck every time we have it, and nothing makes it past their goalie. Portland snaps their losing streak and their goalie earns a shutout. There’s just some games where you play well, do all you can do, and it simply doesn’t end in your favor. Life can be like that, too.
~
I stare down at the costumes Jade laid out on the bed. She picked the combo of a slutty cop and a prisoner. Guess which one of us will be the slutty cop? At least this is simple. Probably better than the vampire. No makeup and my only prop is handcuffs, which will only be on one wrist. I drop my towel from my waist and start getting dressed.
I’m pretty excited about the party. Last year’s was borderline insane and the costumes were ridiculous on a few of the guys. It’ll be interesting to see what they pick this year. Jade enters the room just as I’ve finished getting dressed. I hold up the handcuffs and hold out one arm.
“Want to do the honors?”
“Hmm, I would love to. Do you know your rights?”
“If I say no, are you going to recite them? I am from another country, you know.”
She leans in close to my ear. “I have my own version I would love to recite to you later. You know, when no one is around.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Get dressed, so we won’t be late. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back here, and I can hear your version.”
The party is being held at the same banquet hall as last year and it’s not but a twenty-minute drive. Some of the guys really love it for the simple fact that they get a chance to be with their wives or girlfriends without their kids.
I place a hand on Jade’s lower back and usher her inside. By the looks of it, we’re one of the last few to arrive. I glance down at Jade.
“Want a drink first?”
“Love one.”
We make our way to the bar in the back corner. Standing there are the three stooges. I start laughing when I see my teammates, Russell, Marshall, and Jay. They are the biggest goofballs on the team.
“That costume is perfect for you guys,” I say, still chuckling.
“We’re just happy to see you as something new this year,” Russell comments, though his eyes are on Jade.
“You can thank my friend here. Jade, that’s Russell. Then there’s Marshall and Jay. Guys, this is Jade.”
“We’ll be sure to get rowdy later, so you can arrest us,” Marshall tells her with a wink.
“I’m sure my friend here,” she pats my chest, “can keep you guys in line without me having to use my spare cuffs,” she curtly tells them.
“Valo can’t keep anyone in line, so keep those cuffs handy,” Jay says. He glances at Marshall and Russell and adds, “Derek’s here. We need to go talk to him.”
They nod. “Nice to meet you, Jade,” Russell says before they all start walking away.
The bartender comes over to us and I order a beer then glance at Jade to see what she wants. She’s looking at the crowd of people though. I touch her hip, so she’ll turn around. “Jade, what do you want?”
“A screwdriver is fine.”
The bartender goes to fix our drinks. “Well,
what do you think so far?” I ask, looking over all the costume choices. From the stooges to an Elvis to the cookie monster, I kid you not. Then, of course, there are a few zombies, vampires, and grim reapers.
“It’s a great party to bring a friend to.”
I frown and realize I did indeed call her my friend, which really seems like the best term at the moment. “You’re mad?”
Jade doesn’t answer right away. “No, I’m enjoying the party. What about you?” It definitely does not sound like she’s enjoying this.
“The reason I said friend aside, I do remember someone saying they’d agree to whatever I say. That implies you’re not going to be pissed about it.”
She fakes a laugh. “Mad? Why would I be mad? I’m having fun and I know what I said. Everything is great.”
The bartender hands us our drinks, but I can’t let this go. She is mad. “If you aren’t mad, then you wouldn’t keep mentioning the word ‘friend’. C’mon, Jade, we’ve been here all of ten minutes. You aren’t having fun, particularly because I managed to piss you off.”
She kisses my cheek, like that makes everything better. “I’m not mad, Finny. I’m having fun. I promise.”
“And we both know you wouldn’t lie to me.” I give her a pointed look with a smile. “Don’t you want to know why I said what I did or would you rather not know?”
“Why did you then?”
“We hadn’t talked about it, and I’m not going to introduce you as something else without giving you a say, at least.” I feel like I should make sure Jade is okay with being my girlfriend before I blurt it out to people. For God’s sake, she thought that by me helping her out, I expected a free sex pass to fuck her whenever I wanted. Hell, she might not even want to be my girlfriend. I don’t know. Jade can be complicated in this area, and I rather make things clear with intentions because they aren’t always clear to Jade. And because I referred to her as only a friend instead, she’s pissed.
“Finny, its fine. I understand. Let’s have fun.”
I watch her for a moment before giving in. “Okay, let’s make a round. There are more people to meet.”
Chapter Eleven
Jade
I’m sitting on the floor in the middle of the bedroom, staring at the stupid costume. I feel like an idiot for getting them as a joke and even bigger fool for thinking Valo was going to introduce me as his girlfriend.
Who are you kidding, Jade? He’s a guy and you’re a stripper from the hood. I should have known better. For a split second, when we walked in, I felt like a normal girl going to a party with her boyfriend. Then he introduced me, and my heart dropped.
I fold the outfits and put them in the box and set them in the closet. Valo and Gus left this morning for their road trip and will be back at the end of the week.
I go into the kitchen and make a list of the groceries we’ll need. Valo left me his card and told me to use it for whatever I need. I finish up the laundry and put the clothes away. I take a break and flip on the TV. I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network and I realize I have a keen eye for cooking. Well, as long as they don’t get all those fancy meats and cheeses I can’t pronounce, I can do okay. I write down a couple of them and head off to the store.
Driving the Porsche is almost as orgasmic as it is with Valo. Last month, I didn’t eat for days, and now this. But at what price?
I walk into the store and begin to walk up and down the aisles and wondering: aren’t I a different form of a prostitute? I’m giving Valo sex and in return, I’m driving his eighty thousand dollar car, have food and his credit card, and a nice place to live.
Wow, I’m my mother, but with a Pretty Woman twist. My biggest fear is coming true, but in a different form. Shit. Now, I’m stuck because I don’t have any money but what Valo gives me. Maybe when he gives me his card, I’ll get cash back and keep it as my stash.
Great thinking, Jade. Then you’ll go to jail for embezzlement from a pro athlete.
Fuck. I give up.
I pay for the food without getting any cash back and head back to the condo.
~
“You can’t be serious, Valo,” I huff.
“Yes, I am. I know you need clothes. Take my card and grab a few things. Plus, a few outfits to go out in. No arguing about this.” His tone is firm, too.
“Fine, but I’m going to spend a lot of money.”
I lie about spending a lot of money. However, I do go to the mall. I spend the entire day walking through each store and I even have a soft pretzel. I buy three shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, and two cocktail dresses. I splurge on the high heels because the rest of the items are on sale or even off the clearance rank.
I take pictures of everything and send them to Valo, who is very happy about it. Now, I really feel like a high-end hooker.
~
“So, we’re going to a club. Is this like a club I use to work at or the type celebrities go to?” I flip through my clothes.
“I’d say in between, but leaning more toward the celebrity-type place. You can wear one of your new outfits.” He has on navy blue pants and a yellow dress shirt. He tells me he’s going to see if Gus is going and leaves the bedroom.
I pull out a deep purple lace dress. I liked it the moment I tried it on and I think it’ll be okay for tonight. I go into the bathroom and pin half of my hair up and let my natural curls fall down my back. I put my makeup on a little heavier because it’s a club; you always need to step it up a bit.
I double-check myself in the mirror and see the dress stops at the mid thigh. As long as I don’t bend over, I’m sure it’ll be okay. I slip my feet into the black high heels. I’m used to heels and I’ve got pretty good balance.
Let’s hit the town.
“This okay?” I ask them when I walk into the living room and twirl around. It looks like Gus and Valo were playing a video game when I interrupted them.
“Way more than okay. Wow.” Valo puts the controller aside and keeps looking me up and down.
“Are you looking for a new sugar daddy tonight?” Gus wrinkles his nose at me. Since they’ve come home, he’s been more of an ass to me.
“Depends on the offer, Gus,” I sneer at him. “Are we ready to leave?” I look at Valo.
He nods and we all head out to the truck. I try to climb in without showing everything, but at this point, I don’t give a fuck.
Of course, we end up at the biggest, most exclusive club in Liberty. We walk in without as much as a glance to the massively long line. Valo takes my hand and we make our way to the second floor where the VIP rooms are.
When we walk in, there are about fifteen people already here. I know most from the Halloween party. Some are wives and some are girlfriends, and I try my best to remember everyone’s name, but I’m not good at that.
Like last time, I’m Valo’s friend. What’s the point of even caring about a title? I never cared before. Then again, I never had someone like Valo before.
I made my bed and I need to lie in it. If I’m going to be his…whatever the fuck this is, I need to suck it up and shut up or crawl my ass back to Big Mike’s and hit the stage again.
Valo goes to the bar while I talk to a couple of girls. I think of them as tall Barbie and short Barbie. There’s more dyed blonde hair in this room than at Love Spa. However, they seem nice. Well, it’s a fake nice because I know what that looks like, but I go with their game.
After a couple drinks, several of the girls want to go down to the dance floor. It’s packed, but they ask me to go with them and I do. I like to dance. I never cared about taking my clothes off, and I’m not shy about it, but dancing was always what I liked. The girls and I find a spot and I swing my hips to the techno beat and get lost in the lights as I have always done before.
I rotate myself a little bit and I glance up at the VIP lounge and see Valo standing on the balcony looking down at me. He has a smile on his face from watching me.
Maybe a little bit of a show wouldn’t hurt. I turn back ar
ound and pick up the pace a little bit more for him. I keep it going for about three songs and then my feet begin to hurt. A couple of the girls are having the same issue and we head back to the room
Valo is sitting on the couch with a fresh drink for me when I sit down next to him. He puts his arm around me and pulls me close. This is what I like, our closeness. This is how I know he cares for me.
He leans in close to my ear. “That must have been weird for you, huh?”
“Dancing?” I pull back a little, confused at what he means. “No, I like dancing and those girls seem okay. They’re not as fake as the others.”
He chuckles and pulls me close again. “No, I mean dancing without taking your clothes off.”
My heart drops as does my stomach. The jerk. I would expect it from Gus, but not Valo. Rage is building as well as hurt at his words. If we were alone, I would really kick him in the nuts and leave. But this is still his territory and I need to keep cool for a moment or two longer.
“Must have been because no one was waving ones in my face.”
“Hey,” he squeezes my shoulder. “I’m just kidding. You looked,” he pauses for a second and grins, “hot out there.”
I ignore his comment about my dancing because it wasn’t a joke at all. “Sure, I totally thought the joke was hilarious. I think I need to be more drunk to understand it with the accent.” I almost down my whole drink. If I’m going to keep lying, I need to be drunker.
“So you can joke like that, but not me?” His expression is one of confusion and hurt. “Jade, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know, Valo. I know you were joking.” Just keep lying, Jade. That’s the only thing you seem to be good at anymore. “Let’s get something to drink.” I shake my empty glass at him and head over to the bar.
Chapter Twelve
Valo
I’ve never seen someone try so hard to lie about being pissed off and hurt. I shouldn’t have said what I did; I knew it the moment Jade replied. I’m an idiot, I know. I follow Jade to the bar, where she’s downing a shot and waiting for a refill on her other drink. Standing close behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist and lean down to whisper, “I’m sorry, Jade.”
Tainted (Oh Captain, My Captain #7) Page 8