“I don’t have time for games. My childhood ended a long time ago. People either accept the real me or they can keep moving.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I’m supposed to be moving on, for some reason I can’t bring myself to get up off my ass and go.” He locked his gaze on her.
She stared back into his brown eyes. “And for some reason, I don’t want you to.”
***
Thursday night at Bottoms Up was definitely better than the midweek day shift. Of course, better tips always meant putting up with more shit. Baby Jade laced up the front of her deep green leather corset, pairing it with matching booty shorts. The leather would be a nice change from the lace she’d been wearing lately.
She tried to shake the day off, but the burning kiss still had her mind reeling. Her body was still on fire. Lucky managed to get the front door fixed, and she was thrilled she wouldn’t have to deal with Mickey’s bullshit. Although she hated that Lucky had finished up in one day and didn’t have an excuse to come back.
That damn dream about him in all his glory had started the morning off with a bang. And it only spiraled out of control when she heard him knocking on the door one second and barreling through to her living room floor the next.
They spent the majority of the day making a pitiful attempt to ignore one another. Baby Jade cleaned, mopped, and rearranged her closet, leading her to think she might actually make it through the day, but the incessant flirting over lunch was too much to bear. It was different from anything she had ever experienced before. Who knew flirting could be absolutely raw and honest?
They ate lunch and enjoyed a couple of drinks. Baby Jade had too much wine for the middle of the day, leaving her more loose-lipped than usual. When Lucky told her he couldn’t make himself get up and leave although he knew he should, Baby couldn’t stop the words from pouring out. As soon as she said that she didn’t want him to, the floodgates opened. She went on to tell him things she had never shared with anyone before. Ma’Linn was the only person who knew such intimate details of her life. She replayed the events of the afternoon over in her head.
***
“Yeah, after the major meltdown, Momma spent the next decade in and out of institutions. By the time we finally got her into Pecan Grove, she’d been all over the state,” Baby explained.
Lucky leaned into her, hanging on her every word. “Damn, that must have been hard. Especially being young. No dad around or family to help out?”
Baby snatched a piece of her hair and twirled it around her index finger, the questions making her anxious. However, for some reason she couldn’t stop. He was damn easy to talk to, and it made her uncomfortable.
“No, I never knew my dad and Momma was never willing to talk about him. I learned early on not to ask. I guess it was one of her triggers.”
“That sucks. Sorry.”
“It’s all good. I lived with Ma’Linn on and off. She’s my neighbor, a feisty old black woman with a heart of gold. Never underestimate her. She’s crazy.” Baby laughed, thinking about her nosey friend and wondering why she had not popped in yet. “When I wasn’t living with her, I was on my own.”
“That’s how you started dancing?”
“After a while, yes. It’s not ideal and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But at the time, it got me off the streets.”
Lucky offered a weak smile. Baby had seen that smile before. It reeked of pity. She decided it was time to turn the tables.
“You said you lived in the city before. What brought you back?” she asked.
“Well,” he started as he readjusted himself on the couch, visibly uneasy. “I have some business stuff to take care.” Baby remained silent, pausing for him to continue. “Some family stuff.”
That was the opening she had been waiting for, “Family? Your family is in the city?”
Lucky rubbed his hands up and down the front of his jeans. She had succeeded in putting him on the hot seat. “Yes.”
“You’re from Orleans?”
He gave one slow nod.
The way he was acting made her anxious for him. The wine had gone to her head. She knew she should stop, but kept barreling forward. “Why did you leave in the first place?”
Lucky exhaled, letting out the deep breath he appeared to have been holding as he leaned back into the couch. “Damn, you don’t let up, do you?” Offering an ill attempt at a grin. “Ok, I’m gonna throw it out there. Yeah, my family is from New Orleans. I was born and raised in the Garden District. Please, try to hold back the eye rolling.”
Baby playfully tapped his arm. “I’m not rolling my eyes. I wouldn’t have guessed it is all.”
“I’m actually happy to hear that. It means all of my hard work of going incognito is paying off. I try to keep that bit of information to myself.”
“I can’t help but feel like there’s more to the story.”
“Yeah, a lot more.” Lucky closed his eyes, pulling in air through his nose before letting out a deep sigh. “My last name is Gauthier. As in Gauthier Offshore Services.”
The name caused Baby Jade to furrow her brow. Her mouth fell and she wrinkled her nose. She knew the name all too well. There wasn’t a person alive or dead who had lived in New Orleans within the last two hundred years who had not at some point come across a Gauthier, or at least heard the name. Unfortunately for Baby, the encounters she remembered involved grab happy millionaires who didn’t like to take no for an answer. Her stomach knotted as he continued.
“My family’s been working in marine transportation for years. They’ve done quite well for themselves. After high school, I went to college to get my Master’s in Business Finance. I was on the right track to make the old man proud.
While I was at LSU, I met a girl. Her name was Carrie and we got pretty serious. We dated for two years. Turns out, we had the same goals and dreams. She came from a well-off family, not as well-off as mine, but they weren’t left wanting for anything. My parents didn’t care for her, but that was no surprise since they always thought everyone was beneath them.”
Lucky took a quick swig from the Shiner bottle. “In our last year, we were starting to look forward to our future and make plans for after college, but Carrie found out she was pregnant. It was a huge blow. We were always careful. But after the initial shock wore off, I was kind of excited, more than Carrie was anyway. It messed with her timeline, her five-year plan. After some careful consideration, and against my parents’ wishes, I proposed. I figured it was the right thing to do and, with some hard work on both our parts, we could still make something of our lives. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel when she said yes.”
The way Lucky’s shoulders sagged and he ran his hands over his jeans, Baby knew whatever he had to say was going to be difficult.
“I’m guessing she didn’t agree?” Baby asked in a whisper.
He lowered his head and shook it from side to side.
“I’m sorry, Lucky. You don’t have to say anything more.” She didn’t want to drag out his obvious pain.
“No. I haven’t ever gotten this far. No one knows this part of my life.” He finished the second, and last, bottle of Shiner. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to Baby’s half glass of wine. She scooted the glass in his direction. He picked it up and took it down in one gulp. “No, Carrie didn’t agree. I’d come home from a weeklong stay at my parents, trying to smooth over the engagement. Carrie and I shared a small apartment near campus. When I got home, she and a friend of hers were in the middle of packing her bags. I had no idea what was going on. She wouldn’t tell me anything. They kept filling bags and boxes. Carrie looked like hell. She was in an old pair of my football sweats, no makeup, and messy hair, which was unlike her. She looked as if she rolled right out of bed. I tried to find out what was going on, but she refused to talk to me. After everything was loaded in the car, Carrie grabbed her purse and got ready to walk out the door for the last time. I couldn’t let her go. I grabbed her by the arm. I wanted h
er to talk to me, to tell me what happened. Everything was fine a week earlier. I was confused.”
Lucky ran his hands through his hair, and then he blindly stroked his beard. Baby Jade remained silent because she didn’t want to interrupt his train of thought. His eyes were dark and distant; she knew this was hard enough for him without her jumping in.
“I guess I was kinda scared too. I didn’t know what was happening. I was losing the only thing I thought meant anything in my life. My fiancé and my baby. My entire life was walking out the fucking door and I needed answers.”
He inhaled and let it out in one long breath. “Like I said, I grabbed her by the arm to stop her from leaving. When I did, Carrie doubled over and cried out in pain. Her purse fell to the floor. I tried to help her, but she wouldn’t let me touch her. I bent down to pick up her stuff. I felt like a complete asshole. I started shoving everything back into her bag. There was the usual chick stuff like lipstick, tissues, her wallet, and other girly shit. There was also a set of papers, stapled together with a logo of a female figure with some squiggly blue lines. It said Women’s Health Care Center on the front page and had her signature scrawled across the bottom with a ton of initial marks. I don’t know why, but I wanted to know what the hell it was. I flipped through the stack of papers and found this.”
Leaning forward, Lucky pulled his leather wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, the other end still attached to the chain hooked to his belt loop. He popped the two snaps and dug inside. He unfolded a small slip of paper and handed it to her.
Baby Jade’s heart plummeted. She knew immediately what the paper was. She held it between her fingers, but couldn’t bring herself to take a closer look. She didn’t have any words of comfort to offer.
“The ultrasound says she was eight weeks along. I know the image looks like a blur. But that blur was my baby. My son or daughter. That baby was both of ours. She had no right to take that from me!” Lucky jumped to his feet. His wallet still dangling from his hip. He paced the floor. Baby suddenly felt like she was intruding on his personal grief. “She took something from me I may never have again. She never told me or consulted me. She was going to tuck tail and run. Who the hell does that?” He looked to Baby with his hands in the air.
She fumbled for words. She was scared to say the wrong thing and set him off further. “Lucky, I’m really sorry. You’re right. She handled it badly.”
“Badly?” He gaffed. “All you can say is she handled it badly?” His stance was wide, and he balled his fist.
Baby stood, setting the ultrasound picture on the table. She met his gaze and pulled back her shoulders. “Hey, I’m not the one who screwed you over. I understand you’re in pain, and I don’t blame you for being pissed. But you need to remember where you are and who you’re talking to. I’m not Carrie!”
Lucky’s face fell, and he sank to his knees. “Damn, Baby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s not something I talk about often. I keep it locked away and this is exactly why. If I let myself think about it, it’s like I’m grieving it all over again. I want to hold my baby.” He buried his face in the palms of his hands.
Baby Jade lowered herself to the floor. Her brain told her she wasn’t the one who should be comforting him, but her heart told her different. She took Lucky’s hands in hers, lowering her face to meet his. His deep chocolate brown eyes were now dull and wet from the tears he was trying to hold back.
“I refuse to cry for her,” he mumbled.
“We both know the tears have nothing to do with Carrie. It’s ok to grieve for the part of you that died that day.”
The muffled sound that came from his throat was too much to take. Lucky was still on his knees, and Baby Jade moved closer, positioning herself between his legs. He followed her gaze and placed one arm around the small of her back, making it easier for him to lean in. Using the back side of his other hand, he grazed her cheek, taking his time making his way to her chin where he tilted her face up to meet his. Like magnets, his warm mouth found hers. The kiss was soft at first as his lips gently caressed her own. Her arms entangled around his neck, pulling him closer, and her hands found his thick hair. Growing hungry, she allowed her lips to part, welcoming him to explore. He tasted like Shiner, and she was taken aback by the craving consuming her body. She wanted to drink every part of him.
By the time Ma’Linn came rushing in, Baby Jade was on Lucky’s lap straddling his waist. His hands pinned Baby’s behind her back while his tongue devoured her neck.
Looking back on the scene now, she could see how Ma’Linn might have taken it the wrong way, especially since Baby never had company over since trying to walk the straight and narrow. Ma’Linn had hiked up her dress and stepped over the splintered remains of the front door. Within seconds, she was beating Lucky across the back with her extremely heavy, carry-all tote bag.
She’d started chanting some old school Vodun curse or some shit like that. After twenty minutes, Baby Jade got her to calm down and Lucky went back to work on the door. Baby walked Ma’Linn home and explained the bizarre events of the day.
“Oh, child, dat boy look like he can handle you good! Like you be needin’.” Ma’Linn tossed her head back and gave a hearty cackle.
“Am I that bad?”
“Sometime, yes. Ever’body be needin’ some good handlin’ from time ta’ time.”
Baby didn’t bother asking Ma’Linn if she’d been getting handled lately. Although it had crossed her mind the way her friend had been disappearing a lot during the day.
***
Now, eight hours later, Baby considered Ma’Linn’s words. Maybe she was right. Ever since she and Lucky spent their afternoon getting better acquainted, Baby felt more alive. Jewella still had yet to get under her skin tonight.
“You’re not wearing that on stage, are you?” Jewella asked, wagging two long bony fingers gripping a cigarette in her direction.
“What’s wrong with it?” Baby looked at herself in the makeup mirror and was impressed with the reflection, loving the way the green and black set off her dark hair and smooth skin.
“You know Mickey doesn’t like the leather. It looks cheap.”
“Mickey can kiss my ass. You know what? You can tell him I said exactly that,” Baby Jade shot back.
“Oh, don’t worry. I will,” Jewella said before she hurried up the dressing room steps.
Dammit! This was going to be a long night. She waited for a few minutes, ready to take her tongue-lashing from Mickey, but he never showed. She ventured upstairs and was happy to see the room was almost wall to wall with happy go lucky men waiting for a show. The music was upbeat, blasting some old school Def Leppard. Baby was put at ease when she spotted Jewella pouting in the corner and Mickey hobnobbing with a couple of thugs in suits. He obviously didn’t have time for his girlfriend’s childish antics tonight.
She made her usual rounds, making small talk with the regulars and making sure to pay special attention to the newbies and good tippers. She was stalling, uncertain how things would play out when she came face to face with Lucky.
Hearing the roar of the Harley as it parked outside the club made Baby’s heart thud loudly in her chest. She touched her fingertips to her lips, remembering the kiss.
It took him less than ten seconds to lock eyes with Baby across the packed room, making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. His gaze smoldered, blazing with intensity. His lips curved into a slight smile. More like a panty-dropping smirk.
Lucky didn’t step any further into the club. He sported his best bouncer face and settled up against the wall by the entrance, never taking his gaze off her. He left the stool open, and Baby assumed it was for her. She decided to ask Mickey if she was supposed to babysit the new guy again, praying he said yes.
“Hey, got a minute?” she asked Mickey as he scrolled through the playlist.
“Make it quick,” he snapped.
“Trying to figure out my role for the night. Working the
floor or babysitting in between sets?” Baby tried to be nonchalant, and not give away how anxious she was to be near Lucky, to smell him and touch him. Thinking about him made her light-headed. The man was intoxicating.
“Yeah, I guess you need to hang with the new guy. Jewella’s in rare form tonight.” Mickey’s head shot up from the binder, glaring at Baby. “And not a word from you.”
“Hey, I wasn’t going to say anything. I don’t need any drama tonight,” Baby protested.
“Me either. Squash whatever shit you have with her. At least for tonight. I don’t need the fucking headache.”
“Fine with me.” She turned to walk away.
“Baby?” Mickey called, stopping her in her tracks. She knew it was too damn easy.
“Yeah?”
“The way that leather grips your ass makes me think maybe I should rethink the dress code around here.” Mickey snickered and went back to his binder.
Baby Jade shuddered in disgust.
Putting on a show, she sashayed her way through the crowd on her way to meet Lucky. She felt his gaze following her every move. She toyed with him, taking her time, swinging her hair to one side. Still feeling the heat of his lips all the way between her legs, Baby knew what the sight of her neck did to him. She giggled as she moved closer and Lucky stood upright, attempting to adjust the front of his jeans without drawing attention to himself, but she knew better.
“Problems?” she asked.
Lucky stepped forward, closing the already small gap between them. “Not a one.”
Damn, he looked good. The spicy smell of musk filled her nose, and she noticed his damp hair. Her first thought was what it would be like to shower with Lucky, taking turns washing each other’s backs. At that moment, all she wanted to do was rip off his black Mom’s Biker Bar t-shirt and soap him up. If she were a dude, she would have to be adjusting her own jeans at this point.
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