by Jessica Cruz
“I’m getting out of here,” Dennis spat again. A small pool of blood was left where he previously stood. Just past him, Bethany Howell stood in the distance with her car keys in her hand watching the whole event with amusement lit up in her face. As soon as we made eye contact, she disappeared into the parking lot in search of her car.
As Dennis stomped around to the other side of the building, my mother stared at me through large, hopeless eyes. We didn’t speak. We just stared at each other. Finally, she bowed her head and followed in the steps of her beloved husband. At that moment, she wasn’t my mother.
She was Mrs. Darth…
Chapter 15
“How are you doing?” I woke up to Wes running his hand through my damp hair.
Despite the cool temperature, I had been sweating all night long. It made for an uncomfortable sleep. I sat myself up and cringed. My fist hurt. It was sore and pretty swollen. Still, it had gone down a lot from last night after soaking it in a bucket of ice.
“Tired,” I answered softly.
As far as I knew, Dennis left right after I hit him. He was probably too embarrassed to explain his swollen and bloody jaw. I had tried calling my mom a million times, but she never picked up. I didn’t know what to do. Calling my dad was out of the question. He’d be pissed for so many reasons. Calling Nick was an even worse idea, and that was only if he actually picked up the phone.
Wes handed me a frozen water bottle for me to grip in my hand. I complied, finding no reason to disobey the best nurse in the world. After I hit Dennis, it took everything in me not to chase after him to do it again. It was the best feeling ever. He honestly got what was coming to him. I was only stunned into submission at the sight of my mother abandoning her child to tend to the man who paid her bills. After that, I climbed into Wes’s Range Rover and waited for him.
Of course, Wes was pissed when he found out what happened. He thought I should’ve gotten security instead of going after Dennis on my own. It was nice that he was concerned about my safety, but I could handle myself. That’s what all those kickboxing classes were for. Besides, it was just Dennis. I’ve dealt with bigger guys at Lux in the past.
“I’m sorry I ruined your night,” I apologized. I flinched as I gripped the cold bottle. My hand looked at least twice its normal size. It was quite the struggle getting my grandmother’s ring off of my finger before the skin consumed it. “Dennis had it coming.”
“I don’t care about the dinner,” he groaned. Wes was completely consumed with guilt. He felt like it was his duty to protect me, and my protection should be his priority. When he found me with blood all over my hand, he freaked out. I’m pretty sure he didn’t sleep at all last night. He just laid with his hand wrapped around my waist for fear I’d get myself caught up in a new predicament. “I care about you, Adriana. What if Dennis had attacked you instead? The asshole was drunk. He could’ve hurt you. Is your mom going to press charges?”
“The question is will he press charges against me?” I couldn’t help but laugh. The look on Dennis’s face was priceless. If anyone should’ve been worried about an attack, it should’ve been him. “My mom’s probably going to live in denial about this whole thing. You can’t help someone who won’t help herself. I’m done sticking up for her. She made her choice.”
“You’re mom’s probably scared,” Wes said in a soothing voice. He needed to stop being so damn reasonable. I was in no mood. “I’m proud of you though. I just wish I had walked you to the car. I can’t believe none of my security team heard or saw anything.”
“It’s fine. No one expected Dennis Darth, drunken millionaire judge, to have his wife cornered against the wall in the back of the building where he was hosting a party,” the thought was chilling. I didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened if I was a minute later.
Throughout their marriage, I had witnessed several displays of verbal and emotional abuse. Darth was an extremely controlling man who ruled with an iron fist and fat wallet. After tonight, I was sure the abuse went far beyond that. It was domestic. I couldn’t stand the thought of him touching my mother. Part of me felt guilty. What if my sudden act of rage meant serious consequences for her? Without anyone to defend her, who knows what could happen? I just wished she’d call me to tell me she was okay.
Now more than ever, I was sure that I needed to see Nick. I couldn’t handle all of this by myself. Although I wasn’t sure I could tell him all the details because of his temper, I just needed to feel connected to my brother again. We were so close growing up. I couldn’t understand the sudden abandonment of my father and me. Whether or not I was speaking to Isabel again, that didn’t condone this disconnect. That’s not how our father raised us…but then again, maybe he was more like our mother than either of us could anticipate.
“Can I borrow your laptop? I think I’m going to book a flight to Boston for Sunday,” I climbed out of bed and stretched into the air. Unfortunately, I really didn’t think ahead, so I had no clothes with me besides the lace dress I wore last night. I had to wear Wes’s old, Princeton t-shirt and boxers. I didn’t mind though. It smelled like him in the best possible way. I was pretty sure I’d be stealing these items.
“Why are you going to Boston?” Wes asked, immediately defensive.
“I want to see my brother,” I answered shortly. “We should catch up. Don’t you think now is as appropriate of a time as any to do so?”
“Maybe, I should come with you,” he responded. “I don’t know if you should be wandering around a strange city by yourself.”
I rolled my eyes in response. It was hard being in this position. On one hand, I loved the fact that he cared about me, that he wanted to see me safe. On the other, I didn’t want to feel smothered, and I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to make the super hero act into a habit. I had made it this long without anyone watching over me.
“Wes, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said smoothly. I stepped close to him and wrapped my arms around his body, placing my head against his naked chest. I could hear his heart beating a wild rhythm. He was scared for me. There was no reason though. I looked down at my swollen hand. Okay, there was a little bit of a reason. “I won’t be by myself. I’ll be with Nick. I haven’t seen him in so long. It’s probably not the best idea to show up at his doorstep with my new boyfriend on hand. He has a temper. I’m trying to appeal to his sentimental side. He’s my brother. He’ll take care of me.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” he ran his chin through my hair, breathing in my aroma. “When I saw you covered in all that blood, I almost had a heart attack. I didn’t know what the hell happened.”
“You don’t have to worry about me so much,” I looked up at his cold eyes. He was so upset. He blamed himself for the predicament. It made me wonder if there was something else behind it. “Are you okay? Is there something else bothering you?”
He shrugged and shook his head, clearly trying to let go of whatever he was holding onto. I just couldn’t figure out why he looked so guilty. I gave him a kiss. He changed the subject, “Are you sleeping here tonight, Adriana?”
“I’m not sure,” I answered, running my hands through his dark hair. It was so soft. How did men always have better hair then women? It was a curse on the female society. “I have to go up to Lux later. I’m quitting tonight.”
“Oh yeah,” he beamed. He bit my bottom lip in a playful fashion, utterly thrilled with my decision. I’d have to make sure that he knew this choice wasn’t entirely for the sake of our relationship. I just didn’t even know how to confront my reasoning for this. “I have to work for a while tonight, but come to my house after. I’ve never spent a night with Jersey.”
“She turns you on?” I asked, slightly surprised. I always assumed Wes was repulsed by my alter ego.
“I’ve never played with her before,” he whispered against my lips. A tantalizing feeling ran up my thighs, making me wet. “She seems fun.”
“Then
play, we shall,” I pulled away from his grasp and slowly undressed, keeping my eyes locked on his. I took off my clothes, piece by piece, taking my time, making sure he could see every curve of my frame.
I sauntered over to my boyfriend, who was dressed in nothing but sweatpants, and bit one of his nipples, still keeping my eyes locked on his. I sucked hard and ran my tongue around the puckered point. I could feel his erection growing at my hip.
Slowly, I began to kiss down his chest to his abdominals. I sat on my knees looking up at the sculpted, bronzed god. He returned a mystified gaze in my direction. His jaw hung open slightly in sheer anticipation. In one swift motion, I yanked down his sweatpants, revealing his aroused penis. I gripped its length and sucked hard.
Wes sucked in air through his teeth, raising his head from pleasure. I continued to suck harder, pulling him in deeper into my mouth. I licked my tongue around his cock and choked him down. Wes put his hand to the back of my head, guiding the deep motion to a faster pace. I looked up at him, staring into those green, hooded eyes. He looked delicious and tasted even better.
With one slow, excruciating suck, I pulled myself off of him and smirked. I grinned, “I’ll see you tonight, Wesley Holden.”
“You’re kidding?” He groaned. Slowly, I shook my head. “You’re not going to let me finish?”
“Nope,” I stood up and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Have fun thinking about me all day. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Jersey’s a cruel girl,” Wes shook his head, “but don’t worry I’ll get my revenge on her.”
“Look who finally decided to show her face,” Lou laughed from the backdoor. “I almost thought you quit on me.”
“I’m about to,” I said nonchalantly while tying my hair up into a bun. “I’m done with this place and the bullshit.”
“No, you’re not,” Lou said in disbelief, shutting the door behind him, so we were by ourselves in the parking lot. He furrowed his brow. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah,” I answered coldly as if I didn’t care, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I was going to miss this place more than I wanted to admit. Lou and the rest of the boys were all amazing. Gloria and I had some of our craziest memories here. Even working for Charlie was somehow a blessing. I just couldn’t believe how quickly and drastically everything was about to change. Nothing was as it once was. After I told Charlie about the photographs, I was sure to enter an all-out war, and for once, I wouldn’t have Gloria to have my back on this. “I’m going in there to talk to Charlie right now.”
“Why are you leaving?” Lou shook his head slowly, back and forth. This was really breaking my heart. He was my teddy bear, the guy who’d fight first and ask questions later when it came to my protection. I knew what we had wouldn’t be able to survive me leaving Lux. It was just one of those situations that ended with the departure of the workplace. He was such a good guy, too. I hated this feeling. It was making me feel soft when I needed to be bold in front of Charlie. “Is it because of that new boyfriend?”
“Don’t blame this on Wes. I’ve always made my own decisions,” came my prompt response. I was sure everyone would be narrowing down the reason for my departure to be solely in Wes’s hands. “I have my own reasons.”
Lou put his hand on my shoulder and stared at me right in my eyes. I had never felt him so sincere, and suddenly, it was intimidating. He said, “You should be with someone who accepts you for you, someone who’s not going to judge you for how you make money. Isn’t he everything you ran away from in the first place?”
Even in the cool fall air, I suddenly felt remarkably overheated. This was just too much for me to handle. It was like one thing after another. Fuck, I couldn’t catch a break. I couldn’t even find the words to respond to him, so I just stared blankly and moved from his hold. I opened the door and left him outside. Yes, it was probably pretty shitty to do, but I had enough to deal with on my hands for tonight. Add that one to the list for next week.
As I walked down the hallway, I caught the passerby stares of my coworkers followed by the sound of catty whispers. Charlie must have been pissed and bitching about me recently. I had missed out on more work in these past few weeks than ever before. Any other girl would have been automatically fired but not Jersey. She was going to be the main attraction on his website posing alongside her partner in crime, Roxie.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Charlie spat as I entered his office. I was wearing jeans and an oversized hoody; clearly, I had no intentions of climbing the length of a pole tonight.
I waved my swollen hand in his direction, “I knocked some asshole out last night. I’ll do the same to you.” I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He leaned back assessing me, intrigued by my harsh greeting. “I want that picture back. I know you took one from the studio.”
Charlie raised one of his bushy eyebrows. A look of shock captured him. He cursed, “How the fuck do you know about that? Did you go back there?”
I nodded my head slowly with a tormenting grin on my face, begging him to challenge me. I crossed my legs, making myself more comfortable, “I bought all photographs displaying my person. I’m done with Lux. I’m not representing a damn thing.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Those pictures were gold,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, turning beat red with frustration. “I can’t fucking believe you’d do this shit. Jersey, we were a team. All of a sudden you get a little dick, and you turn your back on us! You don’t even have Gloria on your side anymore either! You’re giving everything up for the first guy who makes you wet.”
“Use. Somebody. Else,” I uttered firmly. This was probably the longest that I’d been in the building without getting high or drunk. I needed to take myself out of that lifestyle. When Gloria turned her back on me, I had already lost too much. “I quit.”
“Fuck!” He screamed, slamming his hand against the wall. He walked around to the other side of the table, looking me up and down. “Fine, you want to be a little bitch. I can play that game, too. The picture gets posted up on the site tomorrow. I don’t give a shit whether or not you’re here. Your tits on that homepage are going to bring the business to the door. The girls here will keep them spending their money.”
“No,” my voice broke a little bit, giving away my weakness. I couldn’t let that picture go up online. No one could see it. I’d lose the respect of my father and brother, and I’d probably lose Wes altogether. He still didn’t know anything about the photo shoot, and honestly, I wanted to keep it that way. I spat out. “I’ll do it one last time.”
“What?” Charlie growled. He was the puppet master of an extremely fucked up puppet show. He knew exactly what strings to tug to get what he wanted.
“Promote it,” I blurted out, speaking quickly. “Jersey’s last night on stage. Make it huge. I’ll be there. I give you the show you want. You’ll make tons of money. You can trade me the picture. This can be done and over with after that.”
Charlie nodded his head, considering the prospect, “I could do that…or I could force you to stay, make you work long term for your freedom.”
“You know I won’t let you do that no matter how much dirt you have on me,” it was a bluff. I’d do whatever it took to get that picture back, but he didn’t need to know that. I couldn’t risk staying here longer than I had to. “C’mon. I’ll give you one, last show, whatever you want.”
A devious grin crossed his lips. He stared at me through narrowed eyes and shut his door. My stomach churned inside of me. I started to feel sick. I didn’t know what he’d want in return for that picture that required privacy.
He said, “Gloria.” He looked just like the fucking devil. “I want you to get Gloria.” I stared at him with confusion in my eyes. “She’s pissed at you. I don’t know what the fuck you did to the little bitch, but she freaks the fuck out just hearing your name. You convince Gloria to dance with you Friday night, and I’ll give you the picture. I’ll make a shit load
of money that way.”
“She hasn’t said a word to me since the photo shoot,” I answered in a small, childlike voice. “How do you expect me to do that?”
“Not my problem, Jersey,” he sat back in his chair, leaning back and putting his feet up on the desk, “but I saw you two at the photo shoot. You two all up on each other…” He shook his head and closed his eyes with a pleased smirk. “Gave me a raging hard on.” He opened his eyes and stared into mine. The smile faded. “Let me know now because if not I have a website to launch.”
“I’ll figure it out,” I clenched my fists together. I was so angry that I couldn’t even feel the pain from my swollen hand. “Promote it as my last show. Gloria will be an added surprise, so I have time to work this out.” I stuck out my hand. “Deal?”
Charlie leaned forward and grasped my hand, squeezing it hard, sending a shot of pain through my swollen palm. I did my best not to flinch as I kept my eye contact with him. He shook once and uttered, “Deal.”
Chapter 16
I shifted gears as the light turned green and took to the Haddonfield streets at high speed. Wes clung to his seat with a heavy grip, staring wide eyed in fear at the street in front of us. I revved my engine as I took a hard turn and then sped down the bumpy road. At the very end of Holly Drive, the Darth Mansion sat on a vast lot of sprawling land made up of plentiful foliage. I pressed the code into the security system and the gates opened to the endless driveway. For a split second, I hesitated. I didn’t know what to expect, but here goes nothing. I had to find out.
I pulled up in front of the house and parked the car. We both got out at the same time, staring up at the exquisite property, housing a truly dysfunctional couple. Wes grabbed my hand, feeling the heavy weight of tension on my shoulders. He tried to take on some of it as his own, but this was mine. This was my burden to carry.