Reaching over to grab my water, I saw Chelsey making her way into the library. I debated following her, but decided to keep working. An hour later, she still hadn’t come out. A man only had so much self-control. So knowing it was a bad idea, I left the spot I was working, and went into the library looking for her.
My plan was only to see her and leave. I didn’t plan on actually talking to her, but I did, and once again she made me so angry I felt fire inside. When she mentioned going out on dates I thought my head was going to explode, but I couldn’t let her see that. Instead, I laughed away my anger.
I shouldn’t have been upset with the thought of Chelsey going out with other guys, but I was. Jealousy ripped through me, scarring me inside with just the thought of her being with another man. I wasn’t sure if I was the only guy she’d even slept with, but I liked to think I was. There was no telling what Chelsey had done during the year after I left, but as long as I didn’t know about it, it couldn’t affect me.
I’d know she was dating. I wouldn’t necessarily see it, but I’d know.
After I was done for the day, I went home and showered before heading out on the two-hour drive to The Golden Banana. I wasn’t in the mood to have a bunch of women grabbing all on my shit, but again, bills didn’t pay themselves.
I danced five different sets, and as much as it disgusted me, I fucked Rosie with a Viagra cock until she was screaming and collapsing on the couch. It wasn’t sexual for me at all. I was taking out my anger on her. It was good she just so happened to love rough sex.
Once I was home and in the shower, I couldn’t even get myself off. I went to bed hungry with a painful hard-on and the fucked up desire to cry. Chelsey being in my life again wasn’t good. It brought up memories that were still so raw, painful things I didn’t think I’d ever get over. I needed her to go away, but I still wanted her so badly.
**********
SUNDAY, I DECIDED I needed a day off. I’d been going non-stop and I could feel myself crashing mentally and physically. Still, I went to the gym and took out my frustrations with a hard workout.
Once I was done at the gym, I went home to shower and get ready for the night I planned for Maddie. It had been so long since I’d taken her anywhere fun. I worked so much that it was easy to forget my little sister didn’t have much of a life outside of Grandma’s house.
I strapped Maddie into the backseat of my car, and we sang along to the radio on the way to a park in the city. Once a month they’d set up a movie screen and play something decent. I figured it would be nice for Maddie to get some fresh air and we could catch a movie at the same time.
I held a basket of sandwiches in one hand, and Maddie’s hand in the other on the way across the park. Every time I looked down, Maddie was smiling up at me. It was a good moment. One I wished my mom and dad could be there for.
Then I looked up, and my eyes clashed with Chelsey’s. The park suddenly felt too small, the basket too heavy. She was looking right at me, and she wasn’t alone.
Ivy League sat across from her, plucking things from a basket and smiling entirely too much. I took in the scene the two of them made together, and decided right away I hated it. He was too stiff for her, too clean. Then again, wasn’t that what she wanted? Wasn’t that what her parents wanted for her?
She looked delicious in a pair of jeans and a light blue sweater. Her hair was down, but I could tell she’d taken her time to put some curls in it. Ivy League reached out and grabbed her hand, and anger spilled into my stomach. She smiled up at him like the sun shined out of his ass and fire licked up my spine.
Fuck no. This wasn’t going down. Not if I had anything to say about. Chelsey hurt me. She’d destroyed me at a time in my life when I needed her the most. She didn’t get to go out and date. She didn’t get to be happy. It wasn’t fucking fair.
My legs were moving, and I was pulling Maddie along with me before I realized what I was doing. Then I was at their side looking down at the two of them. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in my throat. Chelsey looked up at me anxiously like she was waiting on me to say something to ruin her date. She had to know I would’ve.
“Blaine,” she said. “How are you doing?”
Her question caught me off guard.
Maddie tugged at my hand, taking my attention away from Chelsey. I looked down into her sweet, blue eyes and I knew I couldn’t make a scene in front of her.
So instead of lashing out the way I wanted to, I turned back to Chelsey and smiled. “I’m good. Just spending some time with Maddie,” I said, swinging Maddie’s arm and making her giggle.
“Well, it’s nice to see you again.” She smiled and then turned her eyes on Maddie. “Hi, Maddie. What a pretty shirt you’re wearing.”
Her smile was stiff and all for show. I could tell by the stiffness in her spine she was still nervous. My eyes moved over her face and took in her anxious expression.
Maddie tugged at her shirt and bashfully hid her face in my leg.
“Blaine, this is Charles,” she said, motioning toward Ivy League. Charles was his name. Like the fucking King of England or some shit. His name was perfect for his stiff ass. He reached out to shake my hand, and I shook it, wishing I could rip it off. “Charles, this is a friend of mine from Georgia, Blaine.”
A friend from Georgia. A fucking friend.
I needed to go. I couldn’t stand there and say nothing. Especially when something sarcastic and angry was simmering just beneath my skin. The fact that she’d called me a friend made me want to lose my shit real quick.
“Well, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone to enjoy your date. How else is Columbia going to get their next generation?” I adjusted the lunch basket in my hand. I needed to go before the anger exploded, but apparently, I didn’t move fast enough. The words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. “Good luck getting a response from this one, Charles. She’s a dead lay. Ask any of her friends.”
Chelsey’s mouth dropped open and her face turned pale. I didn’t wait around to hear what she had to say. Instead, I tugged Maddie across the park toward my car. The movie and everything I planned was forgotten. I’d take Maddie somewhere else, somewhere away from Chelsey and Ivy League.
34
CHELSEY
MY DATE WITH CHARLES WAS A BUST.
I spent the rest of the date wishing it was over. After Blaine left us, Charles’ attitude toward me changed. I didn’t even bother filling him in on the situation. Another date with him was out of the question. Not only did Blaine ruin it, but I was completely bored, which said a lot.
After Charles dropped me off at my door with a chaste kiss on the cheek, I went inside and went straight to bed. I didn’t get much sleep. Nightmares haunted me, and I kept waking up out of breath. By the time the sun was creeping in through the window, I knew my day was going to be crap. I had three classes to deal with and I’d gotten no sleep.
I was lying in bed, watching the fan above me turn, when a loud knock sounded on my door. I never had unexpected company, so it was a shock to me. I climbed from the bed and dragged myself across my apartment to the door. Another knock sounded before the doorbell began to ring over and over again.
“I’m coming!” I yelled out.
Pulling the door open, Lynn stood there staring back at me.
“Hey!” Her smile was huge as she tugged her suitcase behind her and squeezed between me and the doorframe.
“Um… hi. What are you doing here?”
“I’m surprising you, silly. Are you surprised?”
She slammed her suitcase down on my couch, and fell beside it. Blowing a piece of hair from her face, she propped her feet up on my coffee table.
“Yeah. I’m surprised.”
“Good. Things are getting kind of crazy back home with Momma and Daddy so I thought I needed a break. Plus, we had such a great time together last time I was here.”
Shutting the door, I turned to her with my hands on my hips. Something was off. Lyn
n wasn’t someone who’d just show up out of the blue. She wasn’t telling me something.
“Okay. Now tell me the real reason you’re here.” I sat beside her on the couch.
She laughed. “We’ve known each other too long.”
“You’re stalling,” I pointed out.
“Okay, so I met someone.”
“Okay. And?”
“And he lives in New York.”
“Wait. I’m confused. How did you meet someone in New York when you live in Georgia?”
“Well, I kind of met him last time I was here.”
“Oh my God. When? Why didn’t you tell me?” I pushed playfully at her arm.
“Because I know you, Chelsey. You’re not going to approve of him.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing. It’s just—”
“It’s just what?”
“Well, he’s kind of a male stripper.”
“How can he be kind of a male stripper? Either he is or he isn’t.”
“Okay. He’s a male stripper. I met him at The Golden Banana when we went for Sherry’s bachelorette party. And before you say anything, he’s amazing. He’s just working there to pay for college. He goes to Julliard. He’s an amazing dancer.”
“Yeah. I bet the ladies shoving money in his underwear would agree.”
“Come on, Chels. Don’t be like that. Anyway, we’ve been talking; Marshall and I, and well, I thought maybe I could stay here for a bit and get to know him better. I can help out anyway you want. I just really like him. Actually, I think I might be falling in love with him.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay. Just be careful, Lynn.”
“Always.” She smiled. “So, while we’re on the subject, I’m supposed to go to the club this Thursday to see Marshall.”
I knew where she was headed. “No, Lynn. I’m not going back to that place. You can’t make me.”
“Oh, geez, Chelsey. Don’t make it sound like I tortured you. You had a good time. What girl wouldn’t in a place like that?”
“Me. I’m a girl who wouldn’t. It was hell.”
“Yes. I saw the devil there. He was the one in the red thong with the six pack abs and monster cock. He possessed me with his moves. I need a preacher. Stat,” she said sarcastically.
“I’m being serious, Lynn. I can’t go back there.”
“Come with me.”
“No. You’re not pulling me into that strip club again. Seriously, it was hell last time.”
I didn’t tell her I couldn’t go back because of Blaine. I had yet to admit he was there. Let her find out on her own. I didn’t want to see him again, and I definitely didn’t want to spend another night watching a bunch of guys get groped.
“Please,” she begged. “Are you really going to send your best friend out on her own all the way to New Jersey? You’re my wing-girl. I need your support. Plus, I could get murdered and left in a ditch.”
“I’m pretty sure Jersey doesn’t have ditches.”
“Fine. I’ll be taken hostage by a fist-pumper with an orange tan and too much gel in his hair. That sounds equally bad. Is that what you want for your best friend?”
I wasn’t going to win. I might as well give now and save myself the argument.
“Fine, but I think there’s something you should know first.”
If I was being forced to go to the strip club again, I at least didn’t want any surprises.
“Blaine works there,” I blurted out.
Lynn’s expression dropped and her face paled. “What?”
“I saw him the last time we were there. You would’ve noticed, too, if it weren’t for the lighting and all the alcohol you’d had.” I ran my hands down my face roughly. “And now he’s everywhere. During the day he works for a lawn care company and every time I leave class he’s there trimming bushes and mowing the lawn. It’s been hell.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears began to flow.
She put her arms around me and held me tight. “Why didn’t you tell me this, Chelsey? I could’ve kicked his ass for you.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just hard seeing him. It was completely unexpected.”
“Yeah, I bet. So he’s been living in New York this whole time. What a fuck face.”
“He can’t know how bad off I am. It’s embarrassing. If I go with you, there can’t be any drama.”
“Maybe I should go alone. I didn’t know any of this. I would’ve never asked you to go back there if I’d known.”
“I know, but I can’t run from him forever. Plus, what kind of friend would I be if I let you get caught up with a gorilla fist-pumper?” I laughed through my tears. “Just promise me no drama, and I’ll go.”
She laughed with me. “It’s going to be hard, but I promise I’ll keep my lips sealed.”
It was nice having Lynn there. Although she spent most of her time on the phone giggling in the spare room than she did with me, I wasn’t complaining. At least she had something to do while I had my face in a book studying.
Thursday came way too fast, and soon we were getting ready to go to the strip club. I was crazy nervous, but I knew I had to face him. He needed to know he didn’t have a hold on me anymore. Even though secretly he did.
We left ten minutes later for the club. I could hardly believe I was returning. I was walking straight into the mouth of hell, and I was doing it willingly. But that’s what you did for friends. Lynn was there when I needed her. She’d been there to dry my tears after Blaine and after the baby. Being there for her was the least I could do. Even if it meant sticking myself in a room with Blaine and spending the night wishing I wasn’t there.
The same bouncer was at the front door, except this time he was expecting us. I guess Marshall, Lynn’s new stripper boyfriend, had warned him. Again, we went through without our IDs being checked and again, Lynn went straight to the bar.
I kept my eyes glued to her back the entire time. I didn’t want to let them wander and accidently land on Blaine. Maybe I’d end up lucky and he wouldn’t be working. That would be great. Then I could try and relax.
There was a dancer on stage in a white G-string and a captain’s hat who was finishing his routine. Soon the MC was on the mic announcing the next dancer.
“Okay, ladies. Are you ready to get hammered?” The MC said into the mic.
The room full of women went crazy, and my heart dropped knowing Blaine was about to step on the stage.
The MC continued to announce him, but I couldn’t hear anything over my heartbeat. Then the lighting changed color and he was on stage. He was dressed as a construction worker, his hard hat pulled low over his face. He held a sledge hammer, and when the beat switched, he stuck it between his legs and pretended it was his penis.
He ran his hands down the sledge hammer like he was touching himself, and then he pumped it toward the crowd, making the women all but swoon.
The bar dug into my back as I pressed against it with the need to disappear.
“Is that him?” Lynn asked at my side.
I couldn’t answer. Words were impossible. So instead I nodded my answer.
“Damn, Blaine has grown in the last year.”
I turned my eyes on her and she laughed.
“Seriously? Is that all you can think about right now?”
She covered her smile with her hand. “I’m sorry, but look at him. He was always sexy, but damn.”
I swore I wouldn’t drink again, but it was needed. Reaching over for Lynn’s glass, I downed it in one gulp.
The liquid burned through my stomach and did nothing to calm my nerves.
When my eyes landed on the stage again, Blaine was already mostly naked, and pumping his hips in his signature jack hammer motion. My body felt heated, and no matter how badly I wanted to turn away, I couldn’t.
Then his eyes met mine across the room, and he was jumping from the stage and coming my way. I panicked. I looked around for a place to hide, but
I wasn’t quick enough.
He scooped me up, earning a loud response from the women in the room, and tossed me over his shoulder. I held on to his hot skin as he jumped back onto the stage. I wanted to fight him—I wanted to throw a fit—but there were so many eyes on us. All I could do was go with it when he laid me flat on the stage.
He leaned over me, his mostly naked body hot against mine. Then he proceeded to do a few push-ups on top of me, teasing my breasts with his chest every time he came down on me. He smirked as he thrust his hips against me.
“Isn’t this how you used to like it?” he said for my ears only. The music was so loud around us there was no way anyone could’ve heard him anyway. “You used to love it when I pressed my hard cock against you,” he said, thrusting his hips into me as he grinned into the crowd. “I wonder if I can get you off in front of all these people.”
His hardness pressed into me, and a tiny moan I hoped he didn’t hear moved past my lips. Thankfully, he kept looking out into the crowd of women instead of down at me.
It was all for show, but still, my body responded the way it used to. It felt unnatural considering there were so many people staring at us.
“Blaine, stop,” I said, making him turn his eyes on me.
“What’s wrong, Little Doe? You came to the strip club. I’m just giving you the full experience.”
Then he spread my legs wider, my skirt bunching around my thighs as he held himself above me with his arms and worked his body into mine.
My body was flushed from embarrassment and desire. Closing my eyes, I pretended I wasn’t there. I pretended I wasn’t being dry humped in a room full of horny women. I pretended Blaine wasn’t above me making my body weep with want… making the beginnings of an orgasm climb up my spine.
It was wrong. So wrong.
Finally, he pulled me up, kissed my hand for show, and let me climb from the stage. I ran like a scared, little girl straight to the bathroom. Lynn was on my heels.
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