Someone Like You (Blue Club 1)

by Robin Hart

  “Screw it!” Ben hit the counter hard, and Stephen could swear he heard something pop or crack, whether it was the counter or Ben’s hands or knuckles. “Everyone believes the sluts. A good man can’t ever get ahead.”

  Ben pushed away and headed for the door. “This is why all the sluts have to be punished.” He said.

  Stephen couldn’t hear anymore. Ben was practically foaming. He strode to him, lifted him by the collar and threw him to the ground, like he’d learned at his tae kwon do studio.

  “Look Ben, I’ve always protected you.” He said. “You were messed as a kid. I know what your mom did, just like what my mom did, but I don’t know what has your panties in a bunch all the time.” He planted his foot firmly on Ben’s chest, so Ben couldn’t wriggle away, even furious as he was.

  “You think you can judge me-”

  “But I would never have kept quiet if I thought you would actually hurt a person Ben.” Stephen rubbed his hand over his face.

  “Like you can judge me.” Ben said, trying to push his foot aside. “You’ve humped and dumped enough sluts yourself.”

  “Well I’ve been trying to change. I’ve been learning to accept myself. And you’re just getting worse.”

  “Screw you!”

  “No, Screw you!” Stephen said. “I don’t know what happened with the last girl, but I was glad you were done, that you were only into Helen. You wouldn’t do anything to her.”

  “Of course. She’s not the slut.”

  “Ben, only your mother is the slut. No one else is the slut. And maybe you should have taken a look at your dad.”

  “Don’t talk about him.” Ben said, spitting and drooling with rage as he squirmed. “He’s dead, don’t you ever talk about him!”

  “And then you found this new girl, and I thought it was different, but the way you are talking about her, like you’re going to hurt her.”

  “I’m not.” Ben said. “She’ll like it. She’s the type that wants it.”

  “No.” Stephen said, kneeling. “You hurt her and I find out about it, I’ll call the police.”

  “Get off me.” Ben said.

  Stephen lifted his foot. “Get out of my house.” He said. “I hope you’ll think about this. I’m the only friend you have left.”

  “Yeah right.” Ben opened the door.

  “I know you’ll be back.” Stephen said. The door slammed. “You always come back.” Stephen started to pick up the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

  The door opened. “Oh and you know what? You’ll be telling me I did the world a favor when I’m done, because maybe then her little Sean friend will finally score one for the good guy’s team. That should make you happy right? You were always bitter about that. And now look what a loser you are.”

  The barbs hit and Stephen accidentally cut himself on the glass he was picking up.

  “He’s even a tae kwon do freak, like you’re turning into.” Ben laughed, starting to pull the door closed. “The nerd even runs a dojang or something.”

  Mister Sean, Stephen thought, rushing to the door, but Ben had already slammed it. By the time he’d gotten it open, Ben was gone.

  Stephen stood for a long moment. He paced to the phone. He would call the dojang. But how could he tell Mister Sean without telling him how he knew? What would his teacher think of him for associating with a person like that. He didn’t know what to do.

  Stephen plodded over to his bedroom, found his TKD bag, and looked at it for a while. He’d been taught to do the honorable thing, for once in his life he would. He picked up the bag and headed for the dojang.

  Chapter 12: Choices

  Sean was annoyed to see Stephen stumble through the door a half hour late for class. He’d half a mind to tell the boy to get down for pushups, immediately, but paused.

  The boy, who was probably actually a couple years older than him, though people would have guessed the opposite based on his lack of maturity in manner and dress, was pale. He nearly stumbled over the doorstep and dropped his bag by the cubbies and immediately started scanning the dojang in a panicked way. When he located Sean, he blinked, looking nervous.

  Sean was glad he often came across as being in his thirties when he was in his gi with his severe teacher demeanor. The guy almost looked too afraid to approach him, which Sean was grateful for, since he was in the middle of a class. Still, Stephen had the audacity to wave him over, and when he didn’t come, he actually came to the mat.

  Sean folded his arms and came over.

  “Master Sean, I need to talk to you.”

  “We can talk after class. Do you know how disrespectful you’re being right now?”

  “I know.” Stephen said, feeling like a quaking oak before a mountain wind. “It’s about Nicole.”

  Sean’s eyes flashed. He looked at the class, then called over Amy, the top ranked black belt, and gave her the exercises to continue for the class. She nodded at him, blushing, then went back to obey. Stephen felt a pang of jealousy at the trust Sean obviously placed in her. Right now he just wanted to melt into the ground. He followed Sean over to the desk.

  “What about Nicole.” Sean said. “Wait, how do you even know who she is?”

  Stephen flinched.

  “I’m sorry.” Sean said. “I’ve had a bad couple of days. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “That’s okay.” Stephen said. He looked down at the floor. “Look, I don’t know how to say this, but she’s in trouble. Probably.”

  “Not really my problem.” Sean’s eyebrows came down. “She’s dating someone already.” But he couldn’t help caring. “Anyway what do you mean?”

  “That’s the problem. There’s a guy she’s dating.”

  “I know.”

  “He’s…” Stephen didn’t know how to say it. He toyed with his hair until Sean cleared his throat. “He’s bad.

  “Go on.” Sean said, wiping sweat from his forehead with his belt.

  So Stephen did, wishing the floor would turn into a river and wash him away the whole time. By the time he’d finished, Sean was white, and clenching his hands together over the floor, between his knees.

  “Thank you Stephen.” He said. “I’m sorry personal business had to taint your experience here at the dojang.”

  Stephen shrugged, relieved to have it all off his shoulders. “Just thought you’d want to know.”

  “I know how hard it must have been to come to me.” Sean stood, extended his hand to shake it. “Geez, I was a jerk.”

  “A bit, yeah.” Stephen took it, laughing.

  “I hope this won’t affect your attendance.” Sean said. “I think you have a lot of talent. You’ll keep coming?”

  “And paying?” Stephen said. “Sure.”

  Sean shoved him a bit, but laughed. “Great.” He pointed over to Amy. “Now go jump in class.”

  Stephen looked back as if he’d question him, but Sean waved him away. “I know it’s almost over, but you’ll be good and warmed up for the next one.”

  Stephen nodded and headed to the bathroom to change. Sean sat back in silence, watching the classes. He couldn’t go back in. He’d never felt so stuck in his life. Who knew if what this kid said was true? Of course every man wanted to believe that the person who was getting his girl didn’t deserve her, so he would have some kind of right to fight him off and take her back, but a woman-beater? He didn’t want that for anyone, and it didn’t even seem real, someone who would hit a woman.

  But that was exactly what Nicole would attract, wasn’t it? He sighed. He needed to stop clenching his hands before he bled.

  A few days ago he would have been in a position to say something to Nicole, but now? She hated him and with good reason, so what could he do anyway? She’d just accuse him of being jealous, which he was. He suddenly had an idea, so he packed up and grabbed the phone to call Nate to cover his classes. Nate of course was curious but agreed, once told it had something to do with a lady friend. Sean promised to fill him in later an
d hung up, rushing out to his jeep. He texted Nicole.

  “I’m coming over.”

  And didn’t wait for a reply before starting the jeep and heading to her place.

  “You want me to what?” Nicole said, folding her arms. “Do you realize how little right you have to be asking me to do that?”

  Sean shook his head. “Nicole, this isn’t about the fight.”

  “Besides, I thought you were sick of taking care of me.” She sat back against the couch, and Sean tried to ignore the cleavage caused by her rigid posture and folded arms that pushed beautiful, dark swells to rise up.

  “We both said things we didn’t mean, Nicole.” Sean said. “You know I didn’t mean that.”

  “That doesn’t make it okay to say it.” She said, her eyes getting dewy. “You’ve been my friend for a long time, but that doesn’t give you the right to say whatever you want.”

  “I know.” Sean said, putting his hands up in a placating gesture. “I was in the wrong.” He didn’t care who was in the wrong anymore. She’d probably treated him badly also but if this got her to be more willing to listen to him, to agree, he’d be wrong seven ways from Sunday. He’d just have to care and prove it. Sean was becoming more and more aware that her acknowledgement of his feelings had nothing to do with his freedom to feel them.

  “Look, just for the next few dates.” He said. “Just come to Club Blue. He doesn’t have to know it’s not a normal club, and that way we can all keep an eye on him.”

  “No.” Nicole said, standing and pacing. “That’s ridiculous. Why would I come and let you all spy on me and my dates anyway?”

  “We won’t be spying.” He said. “We’ll be busy with the other girls.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “We’ll try to be.” He said. “Especially me.” He stood and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, hoping it wasn’t out of line to get it himself.

  “Can I get a glass of water?”

  “Sure.” She said. “Glasses are over the sink.”

  Sean was only slightly disappointed she hadn’t come over and offered to get it herself, but he supposed she had a right to feel pissed. But why did he get the feeling she was more pissed that he hadn’t talked to her in the last couple days than because of what he had said before that? He was probably just flattering himself. As he ran the water and waited for it to get cold, he went back to his line of reasoning.

  “Look, Nick, if what I heard is true, then you shouldn’t be alone with him. It’s just safer. What do you know about the guy? If we meet him a few times and he’s fine, I promise not to bother you anymore.”

  “Promise?” Nicole said, walking slowly over to him. “Can you really back off?”

  “I can.” He said.

  She moved her arms around his waist, and he stiffened. “Really?” She said. “Don’t you want me for yourself?”

  “Stop messing with me.” Sean said, pushing her away.

  She laughed. “You’re so serious.” She didn’t know why she liked pushing his buttons, or she did, but didn’t want to look into it.

  “This is serious to me.”

  Wow. He was sexy when he got overprotective. “Let me think for a moment. This is a lot to take in.”

  So she sat to think while Sean paced in the background, his softly thudding feet a minute distraction from her whirring thoughts. She really hadn’t thought much about Ben in the last couple days. He’d called and left a couple of messages, texted to let her know he was thinking of her, but she’d honestly been thinking more about Sean than him.

  Well mostly she’d been absorbed in writing, but she’d also been trying to get to a healthy place mentally so she could consider what was happening between them from a sane viewpoint. Then he’d come to her with this frankly insane story about Ben being some kind of abusive psycho and she honestly couldn’t tell if it was just an excuse to get back on her good side, an attempt to get in her pants, or a genuine attempt to help out because he was worried. The first one didn’t sound like him, the second sounded even less possible, and the third was very much the Sean she knew.

  But it didn’t make sense. She’d never attracted someone who hit her before. Her type tended to be much more like her dad, someone who hurt you more on the inside, or sexually, like Jake. She wondered if a sick part of her would enjoy being hit, if that would feel like something she deserved, something normal and comfortable compared to the odd, surprising pains that came with falling in love with someone normal, like Sean.

  She hated being more comfortable with an abuser than with Sean. Like a part of her longed for it. It would be so easy to be treated badly, even exciting in it’s own way. It was scarier though, to imagine being with a good guy, looking for something happy, hoping for something, when you could get let down even worse than before. At least with someone like Ben she was going willingly into the darkness. With someone like Sean, she would be choosing the light, and if he threw her back to the darkness after she’d experienced the warmth, she knew that would be worse than anything.

  But she was too smart now to go willingly into something unhealthy again. She’d been working hard the last few months to change that, going to the club, being friends with Sean. Her romance characters had started to be a little healthier, with less rape elements (though women seemed to adore the alpha male thing). She stuck out her tongue, a little disgusted by the thought that she’d been the same.

  She decided to go to the club with Ben, if only to watch Sean act like a jealous, overprotective man for a little longer. It should be entertaining. She had no plans to let her time with Ben go anywhere, but Sean didn’t have to know that.

  Sean smiled and pulled on his purple shirt, this time pairing it with an awful teal tie that he knew Justin would tease him about. He didn’t care. He still couldn’t believe he’d come up with such a smart plan, not only that, but gotten Nicole to agree to it. It was crazy. She’d just said fine, though she hadn’t been happy about it, and had said it was only so that he would leave her alone about it after. He just hoped Ben would show himself as openly good or openly bad before Nicole decided that was enough time.

  He looked at himself in the mirror, pleased with how he looked despite the horrible color combo. Black slacks and a belt helped normalize things somewhat.

  He’d actually really missed the club. It was fun here, and he wasn’t expected to be mister maturity like he was at the dojang. He actually kind of trolled people here (a term Nicole had taught him from internet speak). He actually looked forward to Justin teasing him, and hoped Justin was in tonight. He hadn’t checked the staff list before coming it. Then again, there was a lot on his mind tonight. He didn’t know how he’d react when he saw Ben. He didn’t know if his ability to tell men were bad from Nicole’s letters would also apply in person. He didn’t know how he could be around to watch while still entertaining other women, without alerting Ben to what he was doing.

  He put his hand on the doorknob then dropped it again, trying to think more rapidly of how the night would go. Then he realized that Justin would be the perfect person to help. He would know what to do, and how much to tell the other hosts, and he could flirt and keep an eye on her and Ben when it would be too obvious for Sean to. Taking a deep breath and holding for a count of 8, then releasing it, Sean walked out into the club.

  He scanned for Justin, looking first to the bar, where Justin liked to hover because of his penchant for seeking out free refreshment. Not that it was really free, because it was just one of the perks of working there, but Justin was an incorrigible mooch, and took more advantage of the bar than Hope probably intended them to. Not that she would take fault with Justin for it. He made the women there too happy.

  Justin was at the drink bar, and when he looked up, his pretty boy face lit up with recognition. He smiled at Sean and shook his head as if to say ‘where have you been’. Then he appeared to notice his tie because he made a gesture to his own neck and glared, shaking his head slowly, failing to lo
ok ominous. Sean laughed and strutted over, chest out, showing his tie proudly, so that Justin dropped his face in his palm while laughing.

  “Where have you been stranger?” Justin said, reaching over the bar to slap Sean on the shoulder. “It’s been boring around here without you.”

  “I kind of doubt that, since apparently I was the most boring person here.” Sean frowned.

  “That’s the whole point. There’s no variety without our leading boring guy here.” Justin grabbed what was probably his fourth cranberry juice of the night and moved to down it when Sean leaned across the counter towards him.

  “Whoa boy.” Justin said, pulling back. “Don’t tell me you came back just to-”

  “Shut up. I need to talk to you.”

  “Well, maybe you should check out my schedule with Hope, I don’t know that she allows man on ma-”

  “Argh. Idiot.” Sean turned for the dressing room and motioned for Justin to follow.

  “I don’t know, I fear for my-” Justin followed, his arms folded over his chest like a virgin being led to sacrifice.

  Sean was suddenly not missing the club as much anymore.

  “She what?” Justin leaned back against the bureau, wondering if he’d heard correctly. “She’s bringing a date here?”

  “Yup.” Sean said. “I know that’s awkward, but it was the only way.”

  “Isn’t her date going to be weirded out?”

  “I was hoping he didn’t have to know. If she doesn’t tell him, he’d probably think it was a normal club right? Given the male to female ratio.”

  “True.” Justin said. “In this case, truth is definitely stranger than fiction. He’d never guess this was an escort club, just because he probably doesn’t even know they exist.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I have to admit though, I’m a bit hurt. I mean, you only ever come back when it’s something about Nicole.” Justin pouted.

  “Shut up.”

  “Rude.” Justin looked back towards the club. “I wonder if we should tell the other guys.” He turned back to Sean and Sean noticed for the first time that his hair was just a little too long, and was hitting his collar, and that there were slight dark circles under his eyes.