Devyn stood and Andre leaned back in his seat, letting her words sink in. He knew of Stacey’s dance past. One could see she was a natural performer, but seeing so many men ogle her on stage got under his skin.
“I’m sorry, Devyn. You know I didn’t really mean what I said about burlesque dancers,” he finally said just as Devyn reached the door.
Devyn stopped and turned to him. “I know. Don’t worry about it. We’re good. And maybe you’ll get a chance to apologize to Stacey this weekend at the gala.”
Devyn smiled innocently at him.
Andre raised his eyebrow questioningly. “She’s going?” Andre had planned to ask her to accompany him to the gala that night, but things hadn’t worked out. When he saw the saccharine sweet look on Devyn’s face, he knew something was up. Narrowing his eyes on her, he asked, “Is she going alone?”
When Devyn shook her head, Andre’s heart dropped. Who the hell was she going to his gala with?
“Mercedes offered to introduce her to a co-worker friend of hers. I think they’re going to the gala. Isn’t that nice?” Devyn asked. “Oh, maybe now you can tell Lorenzo he doesn’t have to follow her every Wednesday or after her performances now. You know, since she might be seeing someone else.”
Devyn waved and headed out. Andre was floored. Not only was Stacey going to his gala, but she wasn’t going alone? She was going with some schmuck? And how the hell did Devyn know he still had Lorenzo watching over Stacey? Even though they technically weren’t together, he still worried about her safety. The thought of Stacey leaving work in the dark and no one watching over her filled him with a sense of anxiety he’d rather not think about. So, he’d hired Lorenzo to make sure she was okay.
Bring!
His cell phone went off, interrupting his thoughts. Looking down, he saw it was Maria. She’d been calling every day for the past two weeks. He’d send her straight to voicemail, but today was different. Hearing Stacey had a date to his gala irritated him beyond rational thought. He made his decision without a second thought.
“Hey, Maria. What are you doing this Friday night?” he asked without preamble as he answered the phone.
Chapter 13
Iris Collins was in a good mood as she stood under the handcrafted plaster relief ceilings and crystal chandeliers of the Imperial Ballroom at the Biltmore. Tonight, she was hosting one of her most cherished charities. Dressed in a navy blue, Badgley Mischka lace cape sheath cocktail dress, and a pair of silver strappy heels, she felt proud of the work she’d done with MADD over the past five years. Annually, this gala would bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organization, and help spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving, as well as provide assistance to those who’d had their lives altered by it. She knew all too well how drunk driving could take a life and ruin a family.
Iris watched as many of the movers and shakers in the sports, music and business world in Atlanta mingled and entered the ballroom. Checking her watch, she noted the time. It was just after eight-thirty, and she’d just received word from her personal assistant that Nikola and Devyn had just arrived. She smiled at that bit of news, but she was really waiting for her youngest son to arrive. She was expecting fireworks to go off tonight with her stubborn, youngest child.
“Iris, don’t you look fancy tonight?” Iris heard the raspy voice of her dear friend, Diane, from behind her. To most, Diane was known as Mistress Coco, especially around her club, the Black Kitty, but Diane and Iris went back decades, long before there ever was a Black Kitty. Iris’ pink colored lips turned up into an even more brilliant smile.
“Diane, it’s about time you showed up. Did you get lost?” Iris teased as she swiped two glasses of champagne from the passing waiter, handing one to Diane. Diane was dressed in a black, form-fitting Carmen Marc Valvo cocktail dress with sleeve lace trim, which stopped a few inches below the knee. Her short, natural silver hair was styled in a tapered cut.
“I sure didn’t. I got um….distracted.” Diane answered slyly, glancing over at her date who stood at the other side of the room.
Iris peeked around Diane’s shoulder and admired the six-foot-four, broad shouldered, caramel complected man who’d drawn the attention of her friend. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, which was just Diane’s speed. She liked her men young and virile, as she would say.
“I see,” Iris eyed her friend, “luckily, you haven’t missed anything. Oops, wait, here comes Stacey now. Isn’t she lovely?” Iris turned her attention towards the entranceway where Stacey stood.
“Of course, she is. She’s one of my girls,” Diane answered arrogantly. Diane was very protective over her dancers and would tell anyone who would listen that her club had the best dancers this side of the Mississippi.
“I thought you said she was bringing a date. Why is she alone?” Diane asked, her face a mask of confusion.
“She was supposed to come with a teacher from Mercedes’ school, but he couldn’t make it. No matter, there are plenty of eligible men here who would walk through fire to get next to her, which is perfect.” Iris clapped giddily.
“Iris, one day those children of yours are gonna turn on you for all your meddling in their lives,” Diane giggled conspiratorially with her friend.
“Oh please, like you wouldn’t do the same thing for your kids. Remember when you tried to get me to introduce Leslie to the Mayor’s son?” Iris questioned, referring to Diane’s twenty-four year old daughter, a lead dancer for one of the world’s leading pop stars.
“Psshh,” Diane snorted, waving off Iris’ comments. “That was when the fire department was trying to cite me for some type of violation. I needed an in and the Mayor’s son is cute. And Beau lucked up and found his own wife without meddling from me,” Diane defended herself, referring to her thirty-six year old son.
“Diane, you’re ridiculous.” Iris giggled at her friend’s antics.
“What do you have planned for tonight?” Diane asked after they regained their composure.
“It’s going to be good,” Iris said, wiggling her eyebrows before leaning in and lowering her voice to tell Diane her plan.
****
“Andre, slow down! I’m wearing five inch heels. I can’t keep up with your long strides,” Maria complained as he strolled through the double doors of the Biltmore.
“I wouldn’t be rushing if you had been ready at eight o’clock like I’d specified,” he chided as he held the door open for Maria. Andre was beyond irritated, and Maria’s lateness had only served to irk him even more. Knowing he would see Stacey again for the first time in three weeks had him on edge. The thought of her showing up on the arm of another man made his fingers itch to wrap around the bastard’s throat. When he felt Maria’s fingers wrap around his upper arm, he resisted the urge to shake her off of him. After all, he was the one who’d invited her. His foul mood wasn’t entirely her fault.
“I’m sorry, but I wanted to look my best for you,” she purred close to his ear. She was dressed in a long cream and black, sleeveless gown that grazed the floor as she walked. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in an elegant bun. She looked beautiful, and most men would be happy to have her on their arm.
But Andre wasn’t most men.
“Then you should have gotten dressed earlier so we wouldn’t have been late,” he stated bluntly. “Let’s find my mother.” He turned his attention to all the guests in the ballroom.
“Great,” he heard Maria mumble under her breath.
They walked through the ballroom, Andre greeting business associates, politicians and other important people in attendance. Everyone wanted a piece of Andre. He graciously talked about the charity they were hosting, but held firm on keeping talk of business for the office. Many guests passed their business cards and tried to set up a meeting with him, which he easily deflected and referred them to call his office on Monday to schedule a meeting. He was in no mood to talk about work or business right now. This event was special to him, and especially to his mo
ther.
“Hi, mama.” He greeted her with a kiss on her cheek when he spotted her. “You remember, Maria, right?”
Andre watched as his mother’s smile faltered almost imperceptibly, but he knew his mother well enough to know when she was faking it, and he knew that she wasn’t the biggest fan of Maria’s.
“Of course. How are you, dear?” Iris asked, greeting Maria.
“I’m well, Mrs. Collins. Pleasure to meet you again.”
Andre could tell the smile on Maria’s face was just as phony as his mother’s. The two women had never really hit it off although they’d met on numerous occasions, but they kept it cordial. Andre half listened as his mother and Maria made small talk. He let his gaze drift from his mother and Maria to the other guests. There was one person in particular he was looking for, and when his eyes landed on her, he felt the blood rush from his head to other parts of his body. He eyed her from head to toe as he took in the way her dress showed off her long legs, and the V-neck of the collar highlighted the delicate column of her neck. Her hair was different from the last time he’d seen her. Gone were the long twists, and it hung in curly ringlets that fell a few inches past her shoulder. She looked delectable.
Without thinking, Andre instinctively turned to walk towards her. It was as if her body had a magnetic pull and he couldn’t resist the urge to be near her.
“Oh, Andre, the mayor wanted to speak with you,” his mother told him halting his movements.
“O-okay, sure thing,” he reluctantly acquiesced, taking a step to follow his mother. He’d forgotten all about Maria’s presence until her fingers wrapped around his bicep as she trailed him.
****
Stacey couldn’t explain it, but she felt his presence as soon as he entered the ballroom. She hadn’t seen Andre, but she felt him. She’d arrived at the gala a half an hour prior, alone. Apparently, Mercedes’ teacher friend was unavailable on such short notice. When she tried to tell Devyn and Mercedes she couldn’t show up alone and tried to cancel, they wouldn’t hear of it. Devyn arranged for a town car to pick her up from her condo and take her to the gala. Now, she stood looking around for either Devyn or Mercedes. Instead of finding her friends, her eyes first made contact with Andre’s. He was staring directly at her, and Stacey couldn’t move as those blue eyes perused up and down her body.
Stacey allowed her own eyes to do an assessing gaze of Andre in his tailored black and white tuxedo, which had probably cost a small fortune, but damn if it wasn’t worth every penny. Time stood still as they stared at each other from across the room. Stacey smiled as her heart rate increased. She couldn’t deny how happy she was to see him. When the side of Andre’s mouth tipped up into a half-smile, she blew out the breath she’d been holding. Maybe coming hadn’t been such a bad thing after all.
Just as that thought had passed through her mind, she noticed cherry red fingernails grip his bicep, and a woman dressed in a cream and black gown lean in and whisper something in his ear. Stacey’s smile instantly turned to a frown as the woman stepped even closer to Andre’s side. They were clearly there together and the woman was staking her territory. Stacey recognized the woman as the one he’d attended Mercedes’ wedding with.
Stacey felt as if she’d been sucker punched in the gut seeing the woman’s hands all over Andre. She instantly turned away, looking to find Devyn and Mercedes to make her hellos and then hightail it out of there. She’d be damned if she stayed at this gala all night and watched some other woman with her hands all over Andre.
“Stacey, there you are,” she heard over her shoulder. Turning, Stacey saw Andre’s mother, who wore a bright smile on her elegant face.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” Iris asked.
Hell no, Stacey wanted to say, but held her tongue. She nodded.
“Yes, Mrs. Collins. Thank you for inviting me. This is a beautiful event,” she said instead.
“No problem. I wanted to introduce you to someone,” Iris rushed on. “This is David. David works at one of the top law firms in the city.” Iris gestured to the man at her side.
“Oh,” Stacey said, stunned. She was unsure how to reply as she looked over the man who was about five-foot ten, and had tan skin, blond hair and green eyes. His strong, chiseled jaw and scruffy beard gave him a roughish appeal. Stacey could admit that he was a very handsome man.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stacey,” David said taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the outside of her palm.
Unbeknownst to Stacey, Andre saw the kiss and his gaze narrowed. Without bothering to excuse himself from the conversation with the mayor and his associates, Andre angrily strode over to where Stacey, his mother, and the schmuck stood.
Who the hell does he think he is putting his damn lips on her like that? Andre angrily questioned to no one. He didn’t even hear the click-clack of Maria’s stilettos as she scurried to catch up to him.
“Oh, An—”
“Who the hell is this?!” he testily spat towards Stacey, interrupting the little pow-wow the three of them seemed to have going on.
“Andre!” Both Iris and Maria gasped.
“I’m sorry, David. Something has seemed to come over my son this evening,” Iris interjected. “Andre, this is David. I was just introducing him to Stacey.”
“This is who the hell you came here with tonight?!” he questioned Stacey, not even registering his mother’s words. Andre saw red when he saw that asshole’s lips make contact with Stacey’s hand. A possessiveness he’d never felt before came over him.
“Since when do I have to explain myself to you?” Stacey spat at him just as bitterly.
“Since you showed up to my Goddamn gala with this schmuck on your arm!” he retorted.
“Andre that’s enough!” Iris interrupted their little spat. “David I am so sorry. This is not how he usually is.”
“No, I’m sorry Mrs. Collins. I’m sure you raised your son better than this,” Stacey said eyeing Andre with cold eyes. “David, would you care for a dance?” Stacey threw on a sickly sweet smile, effectively dismissing Andre.
When David nodded, she tucked her arms around his as he led her to the dance floor. She could feel Andre’s heated gaze on her back as they strolled to the dance floor.
“You know what? I need to use the ladies’ room. Would you excuse me?” Stacey asked once her dance with David ended. She’d barely been able to concentrate on their dance. She was so angry, she couldn’t think of anything but that confrontation with Andre she’d just had. She needed a moment to compose herself.
“Sure, I’ll be right here.” David smiled and stepped back to release her from his embrace.
“Thank you.” She smiled and nodded before rushing off to the bathroom.
****
Stacey was livid as she pushed her way into the marble tiled bathroom. She barely noticed the bathroom attendant standing outside. Luckily, the bathroom was empty. She was so angered she nearly took one of the stall doors off its hinges pushing it open.
Who the hell did he think he was? He had no damn right questioning her about who she was or wasn’t there with. Especially not as that woman clung to his arm like a second damn skin!
“To hell with him!” she angrily mumbled to herself as she flushed and exited the stall. “He can kiss my ass!” she continued to rant under her breath as she washed and dried her hands. With her back turned to the door, she didn’t realize someone had entered the bathroom until she heard the loud “click” of the lock. Turning quickly, she saw the source of her ire. He had the damn audacity to stand there in his perfectly tailored tuxedo, spit shined shoes, and an irate expression on his own gorgeous face.
He has the nerve to be angry? Stacey thought.
“What the hell are you doing in here?!” she demanded.
Andre just stared at her with that angry look on his face, frowning and taking shallow breaths as if he was trying compose himself.
“Who the fuck was that?” he asked in a low voice riddled with acrimon
y. He began approaching her slowly, reminding her of a panther stalking its prey.
Even though she was pissed, her traitorous body began to tingle at the mere thought of being this close to him after three weeks of not seeing or talking to him. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t let her longing for him get in the way of a good cursing out.
She threw her hands to her hips. “Are you serious? Where the hell do you get off asking me,” she pointed her finger towards her chest, “who that was when you’re here with some tramp clinging to you like white on rice. Who the hell is that!?”
By this time, Andre was only a few inches from her. “She doesn’t matter. Are you fucking him?”
Andre knew the question was way out of line, but he was past the point of no return. No woman had ever made him so damn possessive. The last few weeks without seeing or touching her had been torturous. When he heard from Devyn she was bringing a date to tonight’s gala, he’d nearly lost it. When Maria called at the last moment, he’d thought he could take her and ignore Stacey. Now, he knew that was a mistake.
“Did you...are you…” Stacey sputtered, looking as if she could spit nails. “Am I fucking him?? You know what? YES! I’m fucking him ‘cause that’s what women who take their clothes off for money do right? We fuck everyone who—” Stacey couldn’t even get the last words out before Andre slammed his mouth over hers. Her hands came up to his chest to push him away, but when he reached around to grab her ass and pull her into his growing hardness, her hands moved up his firm chest and wrapped around the back of his head, pulling him in closer.
Andre pulled Stacey’s head back by her hair, giving him a better angle to take control of the kiss and her body.
Black Butterfly, Book 3 of the Black Burlesque Series Page 14