Pain Lived, Love Found

by Lake, Thalia

  Where did she grow up, what is her family like? What are her likes and dislikes? Is she seeing someone? I wanted to know the answer to the last question more than anything else. In the meantime, I’ll give her space, but not for long.

  Chapter Ten - Girl’s Night Out

  I called Angie and told her about my disastrous attempt of apologizing face to face with that jerk Luca Santorini. I was so pissed that I thought he’d still be the charming man that I met at Starbucks. Boy was I wrong. Angie’s solution to cheering me up is always a girl’s night out, mostly because she didn’t get out much being a wife and mother to two young ones. There was a new upscale club called Pure that opened downtown that Angie was dying to go to. She was also dying for some time away from her kids, and I needed a couple of drinks in me. Being surrounded by our small circle of close friends would help me forget about this awful day. I don’t normally go out during the week, but this was a special circumstance.

  After work, I went home and took a shower and tried to figure out what to wear to this new club. I didn’t want to be too casual with jeans, so I grabbed my skinny legged leather pants and my cute black off the shoulder top that had flowy sleeves. I put on my four and a half inch black leather booties and my favorite silver jewelry that I hardly get the chance to wear to complete my look. As I stood in my bathroom looking at my hair in the mirror, I frowned. I pinned my hair up this way to look good for him, to impress him. The more I thought about it, the more stupid I felt. Immediately I took out the bobby pins holding my hair in place and shook my hair out, finger combing it into its usual style. I freshened up my makeup, not that I wear a lot to begin with, and I was ready to go.

  Angie offered to pick me up, which was fine by me. I’m not a heavy drinker and I’m usually the designated driver, but it was nice to not have to drive for once. Our good friends Tracy and Veronica were going to meet us there. Ten minutes later Angie was frantically ringing my doorbell.

  “I gotta pee girl!” She said, after I opened my door, and she ran inside my loft to the bathroom. A few minutes later she walked back out to the living room with a satisfied look on her face.

  “Look at you in the leather pants! Alright, diva, I see you boo!” She said, smiling.

  “Thank you, diva, I’m just trying to keep up with you!” I said in return. Angie was gorgeous to me, a true natural beauty who was stunning without a stitch of makeup on. She was a fitness and health nut with a body to die for, not to mention she had two kids under the age of five. I hate her for having that killer body after having two babies back to back, but in a loving way of course.

  About ten minutes later, we arrived at the club. They offered valet parking, so Angie gave the valet the keys to her Audi, and we walked to the front door bypassing the long line. Angie and her husband Damon went to college with one of the club owners, and that got us in ahead of everyone else. When we walked in our eyes were big in amazement. It had a nice chill vibe to it. The decor was all white and ocean blue and other bright colors that reminded you of the islands. Art deco waterfalls were everywhere, and big red and black couches and lounge chairs were placed in various locations throughout the club. There seemed to be a spot for everyone. If you wanted to hang out at the massive bar, there was plenty of room on the first and second level; if you wanted a little more intimate setting to sit and chill, there were areas for that as well as a second floor seating area. If you wanted more privacy for you and your group and you had the money and pull, there were the VIP sections; and if you wanted to dance the night away, the large dance floor sat in the middle. No matter where you sat, you had a great view of everything that was happening, and you got a beautiful view of the Detroit River and the city skyline. The club owners put a lot of money into this club; that’s for sure.

  Veronica spotted us first and waved us over to where she and Tracy were seated. We walked over, and everyone exchanged hugs.

  “How long have you guys been here?” Angie asked.

  “We got here just a few minutes before you guys,” Tracy said. “Y’all look cute! Look at Sloane looking extra sexy tonight! We need to get you mad more often if it means you’ll come out of your shell more!” Tracy laughed.

  I shot her a look but laughed as well. I’m known as the uptight, prim and proper one of the group. I was never a party girl, not even in high school or college. It never interested me, and getting drunk until you’re puking and hung over wasn’t my idea of fun either.

  “So tell us what happened that got you needing a night out?” Veronica asked.

  I started from the beginning, from when I first saw Luca at Starbucks and everything that transpired afterward. Everyone at the table had frowns on their faces.

  “What a jerk!” Tracy exclaimed.

  My girls were so supportive, I loved it.

  “Men in power and men with money always feel the need to throw their weight around. It sounds like he might have an ego problem to me,” Angie chimed in.

  “Don’t all men have an ego problem?” I asked, cynically.

  Veronica finally spoke. “I don’t know you guys. I think he likes Sloane and his feelings got hurt because Sloane left the meeting without saying goodbye, and then she lied to him about why she left. He’s probably wondering what it is about him that repulses her to the point that she feels the need to run away from him and lie to him. Just try to put yourself in his shoes. I’m not excusing his jerky-ness, but I can see both sides. The male ego is very sensitive.”

  Even though what Veronica said made total sense, I had a hard time believing it.

  “If you saw this man you wouldn’t think this way. He can have any woman he wants. I’m not saying I’m chopped liver, but he won’t have any problem moving on - trust me. I was probably just the first one who didn’t throw herself at him. Where’s the waiter? Let’s order some drinks,” I said as I looked around for a waiter and waved one over to our booth. We ordered our drinks and continued to talk and laugh. I didn’t want to stay on the subject of Luca too long. The purpose of being out was to have fun so I could forget about him and the awful day I had because of him.

  The DJ was jamming, and the blaring music was the distraction I needed. He played several of our favorite songs back to back, current and old. There were some guys standing at the bar watching us like some horny high school boys. I hated that. Either grow some balls and come ask us to dance or stop staring! Tracy and Veronica were interested, but they weren’t going to make a move until the guys made a move first.

  “This is why I’m glad I’m married,” Angie said, with her lip turned up as she sipped her Cosmo.

  “Where are the real men who see what they want and go after it? Not huddle around in wolf packs staring and giggling like some little girls!” she continued.

  “Amen to that,” I said in agreement.

  Just then, our ladies anthem came on as if on cue - “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. We all knew we had to get up and dance. We made our way to the dance floor and shook our butts with the best of them while laughing and having fun. After that song ended Cameo’s “Candy” came on, so we stayed and danced some more. Is this old school night or what? I liked this DJ whoever he was. He was playing a good mix of songs. After that he went back to playing the most current club and dance songs to appeal to the mixed crowd of twenty-five year old and up patrons.

  We left the dance floor and went to the ladies room to freshen up. As we weaved our way through the crowd to get back to our booth, I felt strange, as though I was being watched. There were entirely too many people in this place for me to pinpoint these familiar feeling eyes, so I ignored it and continued to our table. Once we were all seated, we ordered another round of drinks and talked about what was going on in each other’s lives.

  Tracy was having issues with her overbearing mother who was pressuring her to marry and give her grandbabies, Veronica’s cheating ex-boyfriend David is still trying to get back with her but she’s not having it, and Angie is just having mommy issues with her young
boys. She’s trying to potty train one and get the other one from being so attached to her hip. We all listened attentively to each other and gave the best advice we could.

  I took a sip of my rum and coke and casually looked up to find a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring back at me. My heart began to pound out of my chest. I hated that seeing this man had this effect on me. I could not believe it. Could my luck be any worse? Across from us sitting in the VIP section with whom I’m assuming are his friends, was Luca Santorini. I rolled my eyes in disbelief and disgust and moaned out loud.

  “What’s wrong, Sloane?” Angie asked with concern.

  “He’s here, I can’t believe he’s here,” I said, with my head down.

  “Who?” all three of the girls asked in unison.

  “That jerk Luca, that’s who.”

  “Oh my God, where?” Tracy asked.

  “Stop being so obvious! He’s looking dead at us so act normal. Laugh, smile, act like we’re talking about something else.” I hissed under my breath.

  “But where is he?” Veronica asked as she held her drink in front of her face. If I wasn’t so mortified that Luca was here, I would have died laughing at how utterly ridiculous Veronica looked. She’s that one friend who doesn’t know how to whisper or look inconspicuous.

  “Straight ahead in the VIP section. He’s facing us, the one with the dark hair and deep blue eyes.”

  “The one in the middle? He is HOT!” Angie hissed under her breath.

  We all looked at her in surprise. No one other than her husband Damon usually caught her eye, which I thought was very sweet. And yes, Damon is hot.

  “What? I may be married, but I’m not dead! He’s gorgeous girl, you didn’t tell me he was that fine!” Angie said as she hit me on the arm.

  “Ouch!” I said and hit her back.

  “I don’t know, Sloane….I think I would have to give him a pass for being a jerk. He’s too cute to kick to the curb so soon. If you don’t want him, tell him you have a friend that is very interested.” Veronica purred.

  I shook my head and took another sip of my drink. “Y’all can drool all you want. He’s still a jerk; I don’t care how fine he is.”

  It was hard for me to enjoy the rest of our evening. No matter what we discussed or how hard I tried to avoid those piercing blue eyes, I felt Luca’s presence all over that club. He never stopped staring at me even though he carried on conversations with his friends. I had to admit that he looked very sexy in his blazer and white dress shirt with the first two buttons undone. I could see his dark chest hair peeking out, and I wanted to run my tongue across it. Good Lord, what is wrong with me? My hormones haven’t been this out of control in a long time. Even still, I think chest hair is sexy, but not too much. As he sat there casually drinking his bourbon with an arm draped over the back of the booth that they sat in, he simply oozed sex. There were plenty of thirsty women on the prowl tonight who were constantly trying to get his attention. Luca ignored most of them but gave a few a head nod and a polite smile. I was still angry with Luca, but seeing other women shamelessly throw themselves at him stirred something inside of me. I wasn’t very familiar with jealousy when it came to a man. My aunt Faye taught me years ago that if a man can be taken away from you by another woman, then he was never yours to begin with. If I had a boyfriend who cheated on me, and there were a few who did, I simply let them go. I never tried to fight the other woman, nor did I fight with him. I simply washed my hands of him and kept it moving. What I was feeling towards Luca was different because he wasn’t mine, and that’s what frustrated me the most. Why do I even care that other women are interested in him?

  Tracy and Veronica were practically throwing their panties at Luca’s friends. They were cute; there was no denying that fact. The girls decided to get up and slowly stroll to the bar with the hopes that Luca’s friends would follow them, and they did. Tracy had on a red mini dress with sky high stilettos while Veronica had on a black mini skirt and a tight cream sweater that showed off her ample chest, and black leather high heeled boots.

  Angie and I watched them and shook our heads. Our girls always knew how to get what they wanted and weren’t shy in the least bit. I wish I had an ounce of their confidence. My shyness always got in the way.

  “I’m sorry you’re not having a good time anymore,” Angie said as she reached out and rubbed my hand.

  “It’s not your fault girl. How were we supposed to know that he’d be here?” I asked.

  “I can take you home if you’re ready to go. Those two can have girl’s night without us. They’ve found company,” Angie offered.

  Just then my phone rang. I looked at the screen to see who it was, and it was my brother, Johnny Jr.

  “I need to take this, it’s Junior,” I said as I slid out of the booth and weaved my way through the crowd towards the front entrance. Johnny rarely called, so for him to call this late it had to be something serious. I was so worried that I forgot to grab my coat. I walked as fast as I could to get away from the noise of the club so I could hear my brother on the phone.

  “Hey Junior, can you hear me?” I asked once I got outside.

  “Yeah, I can hear you better now. You clubbing during the week? I’m surprised at you girl!” He said laughing.

  “It’s girl’s night out, and I needed a drink or two after the day I had. What’s up big bro?” I asked as worry still hovered over me like a dark cloud.

  “Look, I know you don’t want to hear about our parents, especially pops, but I wanted you to hear from family instead of an outsider that pops has cancer.”

  I felt nothing. I didn’t feel any sadness or concern and I felt bad for feeling so cold towards our father, but that’s how I felt.

  “What kind of cancer is it? He did smoke for many years.” I stated.

  “Prostate.”

  “Oh.”

  “They caught it early, so his prognosis is good,” Junior added.

  “Well, that’s good” I forced myself to say. “I suppose mama is freaking out. Her precious husband is sick. She’ll die if he dies. Literally,” I said disgustedly.

  “I couldn’t even tell you how she’s reacting to it. I haven’t talked to her in months. Pops is the one who told me.”

  “Of course he did, he wants attention from someone.” I was pacing the sidewalk as I talked, trying to stay warm.

  “Well look, thanks for calling and telling me. How’s Jessica and the boys doing? I gotta get over there to see y’all,” I said.

  “Everybody is doing fine, the boys both have jobs now to help pay for things while they're in college.” My brother said proudly. My nephews Jacob and Jason are both at Michigan State University and are living on campus as a freshman and sophomore.

  “Well, that’s good. Why don’t you and I do lunch one day? We need to catch up.”

  “I’d like that, baby girl. Call me tomorrow and we’ll set something up.”

  Smiling I said, “Ok, I’ll do that. Talk to you later. Love you.”

  “Love you too, baby girl.”

  After I hung up the phone and turned around to go back inside I was still looking at my phone when I ran into someone’s hard chest.

  “Oh shoot, I’m so sorry!” I exclaimed. When I looked up and saw that it was Luca the blood in my veins went cold. Ok, I’m lying. My blood didn’t go cold; it got hot. Matter of fact, my entire body became hot, and suddenly I didn’t feel so cold anymore in this freezing night air.

  “Excuse me,” I said coldly, and tried to walk around his tall body, but he wouldn’t let me.

  “Where’s your coat? You’re going to freeze to death out here,” he said frowning down at me.

  “That’s none of your business.” I snapped. How dare he question me as if he had the right to do so? I tried to walk around him again, but he got in my way, again.

  He took his jacket off and put it around my shoulders. Looking me in the eyes he asked, “Can we go inside and talk?” His eyes were dark and brooding, but his
voice was surprisingly calm.

  “There’s nothing to talk about, and take your jacket back,” I said as I took it off and handed it to him, but he refused to take it.

  “Stop being stubborn, Sloane. You’re freezing, and you’re going to get sick. Let’s go inside,” he said in a more commanding tone, which I didn’t like. Who did he think he was?

  “I’ll go inside when I’m good and ready, and stop trying to boss me around!” I yelled. I shoved his jacket into his chest and walked back inside, but Luca was right on my heels. Guys were trying to talk to me and were whistling at me, and Luca angrily pushed them away as he took me by the arm and directed me upstairs to the second level. He pulled me into a private office and turned on the light and closed the door. I snatched my arm away from him and turned around to face him, fuming with anger.

  “What do you want? You made it very clear this morning that we have nothing to talk about!”

  “I wanted to apologize for how I treated you today. You didn’t deserve that, and I know I was behaving childishly. I was a jerk. I’m sorry Sloane.”

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like we’ll be working together anymore. I have to go.” I tried to walk to the door, but Luca quickly got in my way.

  “And what does that mean? Are you quitting Pricewaterhouse?” He asked with a deep frown creasing his forehead as he stepped closer to me, towering over me.

  “No, I’m not leaving. It just means that there are other people who will be working on your account,” I said simply.

  “But I want your expertise. I told you, I only deal with the best,” he said, in a serious tone.