Art of Loyalty

by Monique Orgeron

  I sit up and lay my hand over his heart, whispering like I’ve done before. “You’re safe and sound with me by your heart. Do you feel me?” I put a hand on his head, “When you think of me, the monsters have nowhere to live inside of here.”

  He begins to settle but then as I lift my hand off his head, he grabs my wrist. Like a tornado, he flips me to my back with him on top of me. He still has my wrist in his tight grip; it actually hurts. It takes him a minute of staring at me before I see recognition on his face. It finally dawns on him that it’s me. He slowly releases my wrist then I can feel his fingers rubbing my bruised skin.

  With my arm still being held above my head, I feel him nudging my legs apart. There is no more fighting against what I want or what he needs. I open wide and wrap my legs around him as he enters me nice and slow. His eyes close only for a second, when he opens them, the look in them is something I’ve never seen before. I don’t recognize his intense stare, but I recognize the feeling of my heart and I couldn’t get away from it even if I wanted to.

  He continues to make love to me, slowly pushing in and pulling out, making me feel every single inch of him. My head pushes back and my back arches as he gets me so close to orgasm. He pushes in one more time bringing me to full orgasm without even saying a word or touching any part of my body other than my wrist. He follows right behind me as my walls contracting, pushes him over the edge. It was the quietest and slowest, most fulfilling sex I’ve ever had. No foreplay, no words, nothing extra, just raw, passionate, desperate love-making.

  27

  Vin

  Last night we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I wake before her, finding her lying on top of me again. When I feel her stretch, I let go of her.

  She smiles and cheerily says, “Morning.”

  “Morning.”

  “You want some breakfast?”

  “Yes, just not the same kind you’re thinking of.”

  We stay in bed and I make love to her over and over again. I fall asleep in her arms this time. I don’t know why it’s so easy for me to sleep when I’m with her, but it’s like I don’t even have to think about it. It just naturally happens. However, this rest was not peaceful. I wake with a jerk that wakes her.

  She runs her hand over my head, she asks a question that has me surprised. “Did you have another nightmare?”

  “How much do you know about my nightmares?”

  “A little.”

  She sits up and tries to get out of the bed, but I stop her, demanding the right answer. “I know enough.”

  “How much?”

  This time, she manages to get out of my hold and walks over to her chair, putting on her silk robe that lies there. “I know more than I should.” She wraps the tie around her waist tight and says, “More than anyone should.”

  She walks out the room, leaving me to think about what to do next. I don’t know how I feel about her knowing about my past. I never wanted anyone knowing, especially her. Talking in my sleep was something I thought I outgrew, but I guess I haven’t and that worries me. I need to find out exactly what she knows.

  With my jeans on, I head downstairs and watch as she’s preparing something for us to eat.

  “Brittany, we need to talk.”

  “About?”

  “My dreams.”

  She throws a pan down on the stove and lays her hands on the counter as she leans against it. With her back turned to me. She says,

  “You have nightmares, Vin. Some things I can make out and others I can’t.”

  “What can you understand?”

  “I understand you had a hard childhood. Harder than most children should ever experience.”

  “And?”

  “And that’s it Vin. I never brought it up because I figured you wouldn’t want anyone knowing.”

  She turns toward me and says, “I will never repeat what I heard you say in your sleep. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “Is that all you’ve heard?”

  She looks me dead in the eyes and says, “Yes. Just bad memories of a child hurting.”

  I nod my head as I walk towards her and kiss her lightly. I hate that she knows this part of my past, but I thank God that she doesn’t know the rest.

  She resumes cooking while I call my mom. I walk off because I don’t want Brittany hearing me getting yelled at by my mother. And as planned, the minute mom picks up the phone, the yelling commences.

  “Have you come to your damn senses now?! Are you coming home?! I’ve been worried sick over your ass!”

  “Mom, I’m fine, I just needed some time alone, that’s all.”

  “You can have all the time here; the damn house is big enough for you to get lost in.”

  “Mom, stop. Listen, I’m coming home but not tonight. Tomorrow you will be able to scream at me all you want, but I need one more night.”

  She doesn’t answer me. She hangs up, making me realize how pissed she is.

  Walking back into the kitchen, I see Brittany is finished cooking. She just heated some of her leftovers up on the stove, but it’s one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.

  “I told Catherine that I will be home in the morning. If you don’t want me here, I can go back to the hotel.”

  “No, you can stay another night. I think you need to be well rested before going home. If I know Catherine, she’s going to be pissed. Teddy said you haven’t answered any of her calls.”

  “You have no idea.”

  She laughs, and I can’t help but laugh with her. It’s so easy with her, I wish I could explain it but there has been nothing in my life that has made me feel at such ease.

  “Have you forgiven me, for following you?”

  “You mean stalking me?”

  Chuckling I answer, “Yeah I guess so. I just needed to know more about you.”

  “You had no right. None. I don’t forgive you, but I will put it on the back burner for now.”

  “I like Willy and Chloe.”

  “What’s there not to like?”

  “Why do you do it? Why are you an escort? I mean, it looks like you have good people behind you.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t eat together anymore because every time we do, you piss me off!”

  She stands, visibly upset, bringing her dish to the sink. With her hands stretched out on the counter, I can tell she’s using this time staring into the sink to calm herself down. I wish I wouldn’t have asked but I want to know, I want to know it all, anything that has to do with her.

  Brittany

  I can’t believe he brought this shit up again. I keep telling him no personal questions, but now he knows about Chloe and Willy. I take some time to think if I should just tell him the rest, what could it hurt now? Besides, I know more about him than he wanted me to, I feel like it would only be fair to share something with him. Without facing him, I start.

  “What did you think Vin? Did you think because I’m an escort I must have come from trash? That my family life was shit? I told you last time when we talked about Candy that you shouldn’t assume anything about us.”

  “Then tell me. I want to know why you do this. I understand why Candy does it now, make me understand what made you do it.”

  With my back still turned to him, I start sharing, “I’m going to tell you, but only because I know things about you, so this will level the playing field.”

  I can’t face him, not when I already started shedding my tears. “I had a very good and loving childhood. My mom and dad were the best. They loved each other very much, and they loved me and Chloe just as much. They were kind of hippies, but not fully. My dad was a teacher and my mom owned a yoga studio. When we weren’t in school, mom always had me and Chloe at the studio with her. Chloe was my little helper as we taught the younger children yoga poses and ran the daycare. It was the best job I could’ve ever asked for; I got to spend my days with my mom, Chloe, and the children. My love for the children made me decide to become a teacher like my father.”


  I start to laugh remembering. “You would think that would have made my dad happy, to have his daughter follow in his footsteps, but not my dad. He didn’t want me stopping at elementary education. He wanted me to be a professor. But I loved the children. We actually fought many times about it.”

  I wipe my eyes again before continuing, “I remember when I graduated high school, they were so proud of me. I had gotten a full scholarship to go to college and lord knows we needed it. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but enough. Things were going great, I had school and I still worked for mom at the studio. That all changed when they asked me to come home to babysit Chloe. It was their anniversary, so they wanted to go out to a nice restaurant then maybe a movie.”

  “Chloe and I had a great night. It had been awhile since I had spent any real time with her, so I spoiled her with pizza and ice cream. We watched movies until we both fell asleep on the couch. I remember hearing the knocking on the door. That fucking knocking changed my life. I woke up, moving to get to the door before whoever it was would wake Chloe.”

  “I never expected to see the police at the door. I remember the looks on their faces. I knew something was wrong, but I never fathomed what it was. They told me that my parents had been hit by a drunk driver. They were both killed on impact.”

  Wiping my eyes, I pause. Hating, that I remember it all so vividly still.

  “I fell to my knees so hard, tearing the skin, but I couldn’t feel anything. I couldn’t feel, see, or hear another word they were saying until I heard Chloe screaming behind me. She was so young. We both were, but she still needed mom and dad. Once I found my bearings, I managed to pick her up in my arms, trying to comfort and shield her from everything. I guess in some ways, I never really let go.”

  I turn to face Vin now, but I still can’t look at him. My eyes remain on the floor as I tell him the rest. “My parents had barely enough money to pay for the funerals and no burial insurance. I had to cut so many corners, keeping it at simple as I could, just to make sure it would all be taken care of. I was nineteen. The year before, my parents had made a will leaving Chloe to me in case something ever happened to them. I became Chloe’s everything.”

  I look up when I hear Vin ask, “Where was Willy?”

  “My dad and Willy never really got along. Willy was not the best father and that’s why they left her to me; there was no one else. I would never have let anyone take her from me anyway. So, at nineteen I was now in charge of a ten-year-old, a mortgage, and a business that barely made a profit. I had no choice but to quit school and find a job, one that would help me to stay afloat. If I couldn’t, I knew the courts would take Chloe away from me and that was not going to happen. I found a job at a local bar serving cocktails. They didn’t care how old I was as long as it was never talked about.”

  “By the time Willy came around, I was on the verge of losing the house. He wanted to help so he offered to sell his camp down the bayou and move in with us. He wanted to be there for us because of the guilt he felt for not being there for our father. He was like a stranger to us really. We’d only seen him a handful of times but here he was, willing to help, and I needed it desperately. The problem was Willy’s camp was not the castle he talked of; it was more like a shack on stilts. He sold it but there was just enough money to keep us going for another year. Willy only had so much he could give a month. Even with my job and Willy’s small government checks, we were practically homeless. Not only did I have Chloe depending on me, but Willy too. He had nowhere else to go now if I couldn’t save the house.”

  “One night while I was working, I had taken my break and literally broke down. I was under so much stress, plus I never really had the time to mourn. One of the men in the bar that night found me crying and asked what was wrong. He seemed nice enough, so I told him. I just needed someone to vent to and he was there. By the time I finished telling him, he offered to help. His help was in the way of paying me two hundred dollars to have sex with him. At first, I told him no, appalled at even the idea of him suggesting such a thing. But the more I thought about how much I needed that money, I agreed. That night, at twenty years old, I gave my virginity to a drunk in the back seat of a car for two hundred fucking dollars.”

  “I was ashamed and sick to my stomach but the next day I paid my electricity bill for another month. After that, I just went with it. It became an easy and fast way to make money. I hated every second of it, but I don’t regret it because it was how I paid the bills. It helped us to survive. The only problem was the owner of the bar found out I was hooking out of his place of business. He fired me and told me never to come back. Now I had no job and couldn’t find another. So, I started hooking every day. I would walk the streets downtown and at one point was willing to take whatever offer I could get.”

  “When Willy found out I had lost my job, he demanded to know how I was paying the bills. Which at the time, I was barely doing. He begged me to stop but at that point, there was no option. So, I continued, not caring what he thought as long as he would never let Chloe find out.”

  Vin interrupts me and asks, “When did you meet Catherine?”

  I dry my tears and continue, “Not long after. I figured if I went to a better part of the city, the clients would pay more. I was walking up and down the sidewalk in front of an upscale restaurant when I saw Catherine. I was waiting, hoping to attract a John when I looked up and noticed a woman watching me from across the street. She even sat down on a bench and kept watching. I remember being so unnerved by her constant staring. I was about to tell her something when a gentleman got my attention, wanting to know how much. Right in the middle of telling him how much, she walked up and told the man he couldn’t afford me. I was pissed, this guy was ready, and I needed to buy groceries. The man walked away, not wanting any trouble.”

  “She waited for him to leave, then introduced herself as Catherine Stern.”

  I glance back at the floor and remember the day Catherine came into my life and changed it for the better.

  “What the hell, lady?!”

  “I think we should start this conversation off with introductions. My name is Catherine Stern.”

  “Why should I care who you are?”

  “Because I am going to help you. Now you are?”

  “I don’t need your help!”

  This woman has some nerve. She just scared off my only bite for the day, and she thinks she’s going to help me? She just ruined my chance.

  “Look, lady, I don’t care who you are…”

  “I told you my name is Catherine Stern.”

  My brows pinch in aggravation. “Okay, fine Catherine Stern. I don’t need saving! I am doing fine. If you think you can make me feel bad for being out here, or make me go to your church or something, then you’re crazy, lady. I know what I’m doing.”

  She laughs, I turn my head both ways looking around to see if anyone else notices this woman. She might be beautiful and well put together, but she is obviously crazy.

  “I’m not some holy roller. I’m not here to make you do penance for your wicked ways. I am offering you a chance to better yourself. Now, if you like prostituting yourself in front of a family-owned business, or on the corner of some less than desirable places, then fine. You keep doing that, but you will get nowhere. One day you will be a used up, cheap prostitute that can barely get a man to pay twenty dollars for you to suck his dick. Your beauty will fade, and you will still be on some corner, hustling.”

  I lower my voice because I notice a few passer-by’s looking at us funny. “I don’t want a Madame.”

  “Good, that’s smart, but I am no Madame.”

  “Then who are you?”

  “I already told you who I am. I simply want to offer my assistance. You are a lovely girl, but you can be so much more. Now, I’m going to get a table inside and you are more than welcome to join me or…not.”

  She turns and walks into the restaurant. I take a few steps to watch as she is greeted by the hostess. S
he’s called by name and wasn’t even asked about a reservation. The hostess just greets her and then has her follow her to the back.

  I’m taking a few steps in both directions, pacing for a few minutes trying to figure out what this lady’s game is. When I see the hostess return to her station, I decide I have nothing to lose. I’ll just hear her out.

  I walk into the restaurant but when I open my mouth to speak, the hostess stops me and tells me that Mrs. Stern is already waiting for me.

  I follow her to the back, seeing that she is taking me to a private room. With every step, I’m getting more and more nervous. I have no idea what this lady really wants, but I guess I am about to find out. We walk into the room and I see a man talking to Catherine. When she sees me, she interrupts him and with a wave of her hand, she dismisses him. I sit down nervously, almost pulling the tablecloth with me. I start straightening out the material then I look up at her. She’s just eyeing me, then she asks,

  “Are you going to introduce yourself now?”

  “My name is Brittany Duplantis.”

  “Brittany, such a common name, but lovely just the same.”

  I don’t know whether to argue back or just keep my mouth shut, but she doesn’t give me the chance.

  “How old are you?”

  “I’m twenty.” My voice is shaky, and I realize she’s running out of patience with my meek voice. I straighten in my chair, repeating myself sounding more self-assured, “I’m twenty.”

  “So young, I imagine you have a story, Brittany. I would like to hear it.”

  “I’d rather not. It isn’t important.”

  “Everything about you is important. I need to know the why, so I can decide if you are hungry enough.”