The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set)

by Lashell Collins

  “I’m sorry, Otis. It’s just that I don’t …”

  “No, no, no,” he said, stopping her from saying any more. “It’s alright; I get it.”

  “You do?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I understand that it might be … awkward for you. For me too, I guess,” he added after a slight pause. “But listen … would it be okay if I met you there when you get off? I won’t come in if you don’t want me to. You can just meet me in the parking lot. But I would like to see you.”

  There was something about his voice that grabbed her. A certain sadness maybe? “Otis … is everything alright?”

  “Yeah. I just had a difficult day,” he replied quietly, being honest with her. “I got a lot on my mind. I just thought a friendly face might help. Or maybe your smile.”

  Brooke’s mind raced as she wondered what could have him so rattled. She expected him to be in a terrific mood now that the threat of statutory rape charges wasn’t hanging over his head any longer. But instead, he sounded worried and stressed.

  “I get off at one,” she said softly. “Would you mind giving me a ride home?”

  “No. I would love to take you home,” he answered, feeling himself brighten a little bit. “I’ll be at the back entrance at one.”

  “Okay,” she smiled.

  They hung up then, and Brooke sat back on the couch with a smile as she stared at her roses and finished her dinner.

  Otis hung up his cellphone and placed it into his pocket as he walked back into Cory’s kitchen and closed the french doors behind him.

  “Alright, I’m out of here, man,” Noah said, standing up. Then he looked at Otis and said, “Why don’t you come home with me. Mercy’s cooking dinner.”

  “Thanks for the invitation, but I’m going home. I’ve got a hot date later,” he said.

  “A hot date?” Noah asked. “With Brooke McKenna?”

  “Don’t you worry about it, hot shot. You just have my guitar cleaned and ready for me, alright,” he smiled.

  Noah shook his head, smirking at him. “Still all about the guitar, huh?”

  “What’s that look for?” Otis asked.

  “Because I see right through you, man,” he answered. “This is not about the guitar. You like this girl! In fact, you like this girl a lot!”

  Otis grinned at him but said nothing. “Cory, thanks for the beer, brother,” he said, shaking his hand.

  “Anytime,” Cory smiled.

  *****

  Teddy Denver kept the parking lot at his club pretty well lit at night. Much safer for the dancers leaving the club at three in the morning when the place finally closed for the evening. And it wasn’t like Sparkles was in a bad part of town or anything. But it was a strip joint, and it did get its share of riffraff. In any case, Otis rarely went anywhere without his trusty sidekick, and tonight the large man was seated in his Cadillac SUV parked right beside Otis as he sat in his McLaren.

  He had been here since about a quarter to one, just waiting. And as the minutes ticked by, his head began to swim. All evening long, since leaving Cory’s, he had done nothing but think about his lifestyle and the mess it had gotten him into. And honestly, the more he thought about it, the more he came to believe that it was a wonder he’d never had this sort of ‘baby mama drama’ before. He was the arrogant jerk that Brooke sometimes accused him of being. In his quest to never have his heart broken again, he had become a selfish, self-centered pig when it came to women and sex. Yes, Kiki Hall had come on to him strong. She had made the sex video without his knowledge, and tried to create some firestorm of media attention for herself by painting him in a bad light. But it was his lifestyle and his stupid decisions that had given her the opportunity to take her best shot.

  He was trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been acting like a fucking idiot for the past several years when he suddenly saw Brooke walk in front of his car, and he unlocked the door to let her inside.

  “Hi,” he smiled at her as she closed her door, and he leaned over and kissed her lips.

  “Hi,” she smiled back.

  He moved a strand of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, getting a glimpse of the heart-shaped diamond earrings, and he smiled.

  “Nice earrings.”

  She smiled again, bringing her hands up to finger the precious stones. “I haven’t taken them off,” she said bashfully.

  “I’m glad you like them,” he smiled, running the back of his index finger down her cheek. “You hungry? We could maybe stop and get you something to eat somewhere.”

  “Good luck with that at this hour,” she smiled. “It’s too late to eat anyway.”

  “Okay,” he said, nodding at her.

  Brooke frowned slightly as she studied him. He seemed like he wanted to say something more, but instead there was an awkward silence. And she remembered that he said he’d had a difficult day on the phone, and she wondered what had happened.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I’m fine. I told you, I’ve just got a lot on my mind,” he stated. Then he sighed. “What about you? You must be tired, huh? Long night?” he asked.

  “Long day,” she replied. “Have I got a story for you!”

  “Oh! Really?” he smiled as he started up the car and pulled slowly out of the parking lot, with Clyde in tow behind them.

  He listened closely as she told him her tale of what happened that morning in her first dance class with her teenage students asking if she was dating him, and the video they’d shown her. And she told him what they said about the tabloid magazine cover and her worries that someone might recognize her from the strip club.

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with all of that,” he said. “I guess when I asked if we could keep seeing each other, I should have warned you about the paparazzi and the public scrutiny. You know, Feisty … it’s probably not going to take long for somebody to name you. Could be one of your fellow dancers at Sparkles, or even one of the other instructors at De Luz. If a tabloid’s willing to pay for the information it could be anybody who outs you.”

  “Yeah, I’ve thought about that,” she said softly. “But I don’t know what to do.”

  Otis snorted. “Nothing much you can do except stop seeing me. That would solve all your problems,” he said sadly. “If you weren’t being seen with me anymore, the tabloids wouldn’t care.”

  She was silent for a few seconds as she watched him. And then she said, “I don’t think I like that option.”

  Otis smiled at her words. And he reached out and took her hand, holding it as he drove. She wanted to keep seeing him. Even though it could potentially cause problems for her professionally, she wanted to keep seeing him. He didn’t know why, but that thought made him extremely happy. And more than a little nervous.

  “So, what’s the deal with your car?” he asked, trying change the subject. “What’s the mechanic saying?”

  Brooke rolled her eyes at the subject. “It’s a complete mess,” she said. “The front end smashed into the radiator or something when we collided. Broke it in two. Anyway, he keeps telling me it’ll be about two weeks, maybe three. And it’s going to cost around $3,500 to fix, which is probably more than the damn thing’s worth at this point.”

  “Wow. I didn’t realize your car had that much damage to it,” he frowned as he tried to remember what it had looked like at the scene that day.

  “Well, as I may have pointed out to you in the past, you were pretty self-absorbed that day,” she smiled. And he chuckled at her.

  “Okay. I deserved that,” he smiled.

  “I’ll just be happy to never have to take the bus again. And I hate asking one of the girls to give me a lift home from the club at this hour.”

  Otis looked over at her as they were stopped at a red light. “You know, I’d be happy to give you the use of a car until yours is fixed.”

  “What?” she asked, looking at him as if he weren’t making any sense.

  “Yeah. In fact, I don�
�t know why I didn’t think of it sooner,” he said as the light turned green.

  “Otis. You are not giving me the use of a car, whatever that means,” she said.

  “It means I’ll provide you with a car to drive until yours is fixed,” he smiled. “And you can protest all you want, Feisty, but the decision’s already been made. As your official sugar daddy, it’s sort of my duty.”

  “Would you stop with the sugar daddy barbs,” she wailed. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

  “Nope,” he smiled.

  He pulled up into her driveway and parked the car as his bodyguard pulled to the curb behind them. He sighed heavily, and Brooke sensed that he was feeling stressed about something.

  “I can’t believe you came all this way just to drive me home,” she said softly, removing her seat belt and turning in her seat to look at him.

  Otis smiled slightly. “I don’t mind. This was actually the highlight of my day.”

  It was such a sweet thing for him to say, and Brooke could see that he was being totally sincere. It made her wonder again what had him in such a strange mood. He seemed so tortured somehow. Almost sad in a way, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to comfort him in any way that she could.

  “Shelly’s out for the night. She’s sleeping over at Neil’s place.”

  “Neil?” Otis asked, frowning at her.

  “Yeah. Her boyfriend,” Brooke answered. “She always spends Monday nights at his place. I’m not sure why, something about their work schedules,” she shrugged. “Anyway, I um … I thought maybe you might want to come in?”

  Otis stared at her, and the look in her eyes suggested that she wasn’t inviting him in for tea.

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked.

  Brooke hesitated for a brief second. Was she really doing this? “I’m just asking you to come in,” she replied softly. “Whatever happens after that … happens.”

  Her meaning was crystal clear, and he stared into her eyes for the longest time, wanting her. Picturing himself with her. But he reached out and took her hand once more as he shook his head.

  “Brooke, I would love to go inside with you. But I don’t think I should,” he said quietly.

  Brooke felt the sting of rejection in the pit of her stomach, sharp and painful. And all too familiar. “Why?” she whispered. “I mean I … I don’t understand. Last night …”

  “This has nothing to do with last night, Feisty,” he said, cutting her off as he reached out and caressed her face. “I wanted you last night, and I still want you now. Desperately. But I don’t … I don’t think it would be fair to you. I’m not exactly in the right frame of mind right now.”

  He looked away, almost as if he couldn’t bear to look her in the eye anymore, and Brooke took his hand in both of hers.

  “Otis, please tell me what’s wrong,” she asked. “Does this have something to do with the scandal? Did something else happen? I saw on the news that there won’t be any charges brought.”

  He took a deep breath and sighed once more, feeling her fingers rub softly against the back of his hand. It was such a soothing motion. It made him feel so close to her somehow. Like he was safe. Like they were safe from the world in their own little bubble, away from the prying eyes and the scary cameras with the monster lenses. He started talking. And before he knew it, he had told her everything. All about his conversation today with Mike and Noah. And about Kiki Hall’s latest stunt and wondering if this kid could be his and whether or not to pay for her medical expenses before he knows for sure. He told her everything. Even what it was all doing to him.

  “You know how the law defines statutory rape as sex with someone who’s under the age of consent,” he stated, glancing into her eyes. “And that’s usually around sixteen, seventeen years of age, depending on what state you’re in, right?”

  She nodded her head in response, but he just kept talking as his words came out in a heated rush. As if he was desperate to make himself understood.

  “But the law also says that even if that person is right at that consensual age, the act is still rape if it was forced in any way! So that’s all I’ve been doing. Since this whole thing first started, all I’ve been doing with my free time is watching that damn thing over and over again, looking for any sign that I may have forced her or coerced her somehow. I been driving myself fucking nuts … turning myself inside out trying to decide if that night could be seen as rape. And as much as I hate to admit it, Brooke … I think it can!”

  “Otis.”

  “I’m serious,” he continued, sounding distressed. “I probably coerced her. Even though the Cleveland District Attorney apparently thinks otherwise, I’m not so sure anymore. I mean, think about it … I coerced you into a date ten minutes after we met. I didn’t think twice about it. I thought nothing about wielding my influence and my fame to get what I wanted. I used it to my advantage. That’s what I do. That’s how I deal with women!”

  Brooke could see the angst in his eyes as he talked, and she could feel his remorse and his self-loathing. They rolled off of him in waves, and she finally understood that the thought of raping a woman in any way was extremely shameful to him. And she suddenly wondered how he had been able to hold his head up in public the past couple of weeks, knowing what everyone was thinking about him.

  “When I got the call this morning that there wouldn’t be any rape charges … I nearly cried,” he softly admitted. “And all I have been thinking about since is the fact that my life is so fucked up. You know, I may have money and fame and an amazing career … but something about it … it just doesn’t feel real anymore. It doesn’t feel like it means anything.”

  He shook his head and frowned as he thought about the words, struggling to express himself.

  “You feel empty,” Brooke said softly.

  The word struck him in an odd way, and he tried to push against it. But the harder he pushed, the more it enveloped him. His life felt empty. But that was crazy, wasn’t it? He had his family, and he had his brothers. The band was successful. His life was full. It had purpose. Why the hell should he feel empty?

  The very instant the question formed in his mind, so did an image of sitting in Buzzy’s backyard a few nights ago, watching each of his brothers with their girls. And that same sense of aloneness that he felt then came over him now. Fuck. The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks.

  He was quiet for a long time, and Brooke realized that she’d been lightly running her fingers over the back of his hand the entire time he’d been talking. Baring his soul.

  “You know I …” He hesitated for a moment, and he cleared his throat as he tried to get his thoughts together. “I’ll understand if all this changes what you may think of me. Or if you change your mind about wanting to see me.”

  “Otis … could this baby be yours?” she asked after a brief pause.

  He hesitated for a moment. “Like I told Mike and Noah … I wore a condom every single time. But I guess there’s always a possibility.” He sighed yet again, shaking his head. “My brother’s right. I’ve done some pretty stupid shit lately.”

  They were quiet again for a while as they sat in his car in her driveway. Finally, Brooke gently squeezed his hand. “It’s late. Come inside with me, Otis. Let’s go to bed,” she whispered.

  He stared at her, his soft green eyes boring into her as he tried to gage her emotions and her motives. Last night, she had been so certain that she wasn’t ready to go there with him. And while it was difficult for him to put on the brakes, he had respected her decision. And he had resigned himself to the notion that it might be a while, and strangely … he was okay with that. For some reason that he didn’t fully understand, he was willing to wait for this girl. And that was a totally new experience for him.

  “Brooke …”

  “What was it you said to me last night? That we could hold each other while we fall asleep?”

  Otis stared into her eyes, r
emembering how badly he had wanted to hold her last night. How good she felt in his arms.

  “Let me hold you, Otis,” she said softly. “It sounds like you could use the comfort.”

  She turned and opened the door, looking back at him with questioning eyes. And Otis didn’t hesitate. He turned off the car and got out, walking around to meet her in the driveway. As he took her hand and started toward the house, he glanced at the big SUV at the curb. The window came down slowly.

  “Thanks for the escort, Clyde. Go home. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “Have a good night, boss.”

  The SUV drove off as Brooke unlocked the door. And when they stepped inside and she locked the door behind them, she took his hand and led him through the dark house and up the stairs. They entered her bedroom and she turned on the lamp next to her bed. It set off a soft glow around the room as she set her bag down.

  Otis stood by awkwardly as he watched her remove her jacket and pull off her shoes. She was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless blouse, and she looked beautiful. She looked up at him as he watched her, and she smiled. And he felt a nervous ripple run through him as he smiled back at her. Why was he so anxious about this?

  Licking his lips, he turned, quietly closing the bedroom door. Then he stepped out of his shoes and placed them neatly beside her closet door.

  Brooke could see how nervous he was. He seemed almost afraid somehow, and it suddenly dawned on her that he probably was feeling fearful and uncertain. Unsure of how to handle himself or what would be appropriate. He had just told her how he’d been second-guessing himself and his behavior with women. Her heart went out to him as he stood awkwardly by the closet. He seemed so broken. And in a crazy shift of power, his self-doubt gave Brooke the confidence she usually lacked in these situations.

  She stepped over to him and looked up into his eyes. At five foot seven, she was considered tall. But in her stocking feet, the top of her head reached his chin, and she felt small and petite next to him. She reached out and placed her hands on his stomach, feeling the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. The room was so quiet, all she could hear was the sound of their combined breathing as he stood stock still, looking down at her. His soft green eyes were intense, and they never wavered from hers, and Brooke somehow understood that his game plan was to do nothing but follow. He had been burned by being the aggressor. By focusing on his own selfish desires. His wants. It had almost brought him down. So now he was putting her in charge. On that first date he joked about submitting to her. But right now, that was exactly what he was doing.