“These assholes wouldn’t be coming out of the woodwork if you didn’t take your damn clothes off for money. I’m not dealing with this shit. You need to quit. End of discussion,” he said pushing past her to open her car door.
“End of discussion?! I’m not a damn puppy you can just lead around. And after you just insulted me, basically implying I’m some kind of whore like that man in there just did, I’m not even sure I want anything to do with you. Asshole!” she furiously spat at him.
Andre stiffened, his eyes widening for a nanosecond before they narrowed on her face.
“You should know I don’t respond well to threats,” he gritted out.
“And you should know I don’t make threats. That was a promise. You can either drop this stupid argument and apologize for insulting me, or you don’t have to worry about seeing me again,” she bit out.
Andre stared at her for a few seconds, but Stacey wasn’t backing down. She was not about to give up a second dancing career she enjoyed for someone who wasn’t even her boyfriend. When she saw Andre straighten and fold his arms across his broad chest again, she had her answer.
“I’m not changing my mind,” he said with finality.
Stacey ignored the pang of hurt she felt in her chest at his words. She wasn’t going to back down for someone she’d been dating just over a month.
“Fine,” she said shrugging and turning to get into her car. She felt Andre’s penetrating gaze on her back as she fumbled with her keys to open her car door. A big part of her hoped he would change his mind and stop her. Tell her that he was sorry for what he said in anger and give up his silly notion that he could make her quit an activity she loved, but that moment never came. The disappointment rushed through her as she slammed her car door. She refused to even look in Andre’s direction as she yanked at her seatbelt across her lap, started her car, and backed out of her parking space, speeding out of the parking lot.
****
Andre angrily watched as Stacey’s car peeled out of the parking lot. He too ignored the pang of disappointment in his chest that grew the further away her car got. No matter how disappointed he was, he would not change his mind. She was putting herself in danger by performing. Assholes were coming out of the woodwork and propositioning her because of her performing. Why the hell couldn’t she see how that was an issue? The thought of some jackass making a pass at her, or worse, putting his hands on her because he saw her on stage, made him see red. He’d been ready to beat the shit out of the man in the store. Hell, the way he was feeling right now, he had it in his mind to head back to the store to finish what he’d started before. Somebody needed to pay for the way he was feeling right now.
“Fuck!” he cursed out loud before pulling his keys from his pocket and striding angrily to his car. Slamming his own car door, he sped out of the parking lot. Before he hit the corner, his phone rang. Andre quickly reached for his pants’ pocket hoping it was Stacey calling to apologize to him for being so damn stubborn. When he pulled out his phone, he saw Maria’s name come up. Pressing ignore, he threw his phone into the passenger seat.
“Not tonight,” he mumbled crossly before pressing on the gas, speeding through a green light. He couldn’t believe how Stacey had stormed off, effectively ending their budding relationship when he clearly was just trying to keep her safe.
“Whatever,” he said dismissively. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t tamp down the twinge of regret that began to bubble up in his chest as he drove home.
Chapter 12
“Anything else you want to share? You’re looking down in the dumps,” Stacey’s therapist, Linda observed.
It had been nearly two weeks since her break up with Andre and she was still feeling hurt and angry over it. He hadn’t called her and although she’d picked up the phone many times in the two weeks to call him, remembering his angry words and his demand that she quit, ultimately stopped her. She figured since she hadn’t heard from him, he couldn’t care less. That was what had hurt most, thinking that he could just throw her away without a care in the world.
“Is it your mid-terms? Are you nervous about how you did?” Linda asked when Stacey didn’t respond.
Stacey shook her head. “No, mid-terms are fine. I’ve gotten my grades back on those already. I guess I’m still feeling this break up, or whatever it was. I’m not sure we were even a real couple.” Stacey sighed.
“Tell me about it,” Linda encouraged.
For the next ten minutes, Stacey told Linda about her relationship with Andre and how much she’d missed him when he was in Boston. She told her how happy she had been to see him at the Black Kitty that night, and then how it all had gone wrong when they’d stopped just to get some ice cream. She hated the tremor in her voice she felt when she talked about his demanding she quit burlesque, and how her refusal to do so ended their short time together.
“I see. And has this set off any triggers for you?” Linda asked perceptively.
Stacey wanted to lie and say that she’d been fine. That she was too distracted by school and work to even think about how her break up with Andre left her, but that wasn’t the case. She had been feeling withdrawn and noticed small bad habits creeping back in.
Stacey reluctantly nodded. “I skipped lunch a couple times this past week. Then at night, I’d find myself stuffing my face with a carton of ice cream,” she confessed.
“And how did you handle that?” Linda asked.
Linda’s non-judgmental tone helped Stacey to relax and tell the truth. Stacey knew better than anyone that being honest about her behaviors was the best way to avoid spiraling out of control down a very long and ugly road…a road she’d been down before and had to fight like hell to come back from. The stress of her last semester of school, mid-terms, and her feelings about her break up with Andre were beginning to get to her. She realized all this while talking with Linda.
“And what can you do to take care of yourself today?” Linda asked, sincerely.
“I have plans to meet Devyn and Mercedes at a spa later this morning. We’re doing the full treatment, massages, facials, manis and pedis,” she said feeling relieved just thinking about the outing with her friends. She hadn’t hung out with her girls in a few weeks. Devyn’s husband and three kids, and being owner of an event planning business, kept her pretty busy. Being a new wife and full-time assistant principal kept Mercedes busy as well. Not to mention, Stacey had a lot going on in her own right, but she was ready to have a fun day out with her friends.
“That sounds really good. And if you’re feeling like you need to talk, you have my cell number, right?” Linda questioned.
“Yes. I’ll call if I need to,” Stacey agreed.
“Good. Have fun with your friends,” Linda told her as they ended their session.
Stacey looked forward to her spa treatments with her friends. Maybe a day out with friends was exactly what she needed to shrug off the funk she’d been in since that night with Andre.
****
“Mmmm, ahhhh. This was so needed,” Devyn moaned as she laid her head against the black leather headrest and placed her feet in the bubbling water.
Stacey sat to Devyn’s left and Mercedes sat on the other side of her, her head laying against the headrest as well. Stacey smiled at how relaxed the two women appeared. She wished she could feel as relaxed, but seeing these two women who were blissfully in love and happy in life made her miss Andre even more.
Just get over it, she scolded herself, trying to force herself to enjoy the moment.
“Mmm, you can say that again,” Mercedes commented in response to Devyn’s earlier statement.
“I could, except our friend here doesn’t appear too happy,” Devyn astutely acknowledged, peering over at Stacey. “What’s up, Stace? You look like someone just kicked your puppy.”
“Mhmmm, we know what’s wrong. Same thing that’s wrong with your brother-in-law, Dev. They haven’t spoken in days probably. What happened?” Mercedes asked, bl
untly.
Stacey sighed and shrugged. “It just didn’t work out,” she said, not wanting to go into full detail of what happened between her and Andre, especially since she didn’t want them to know he’d essentially insulted burlesque dancers. Even though they’d broken up, a part of her felt protective over him. She didn’t want to distort his image in their eyes.
“Don’t give us that bullshit. What’d he do?” Mercedes pushed, sitting up in her seat like she was just waiting for a juicy story.
“Ugh, fine. The night he came back from Boston, he surprised me at the Black Kitty,” she began.
“Awww,” Devyn interjected.
“Yeah aww, until we went out for ice cream. Some jackass comes up and propositions me while Andre was in the bathroom. Apparently, he’d seen me perform and thought I’d be interested in giving him a private show,” she said using air quotes. “The guy tries to grab for me after I curse him out, and I do a finger lock my sister taught me just as Andre comes out of the bathroom. Long story short, after I had to restrain him from beating the guy down, he insists that I quit burlesque,” she told them.
“What?!” both Devyn and Mercedes exclaimed.
Stacey nodded. “Yup, he said these men wouldn’t get the wrong idea if I wasn’t a glorified whore.”
“Oh my God! He said that?!” Devyn’s gasped.
“Not in so many words, but he insinuated it,” Stacey said feeling her anger rise all over again.
“So, you told him to kiss you where the sun don’t shine, right?” Mercedes asked.
Stacey giggled. “Not in so many words, but...that was the gist.”
“Good!” Mercedes nodded.
“I can’t believe he would say something like that. Maybe he was just having a bad day or something. I know he really liked you,” Devyn defended, “but what he said was out of line.”
“I could tell he was feeling you too. I saw all those forehead kisses he gave you when you came off stage after performing,” Mercedes teased.
Stacey shrugged. “No big deal. A few forehead kisses doesn’t mean he really liked me all that much,” Stacey said trying to downplay her relationship with Andre.
She saw as Devyn and Mercedes both sat up, looking over at her and at one another. They made eye contact and burst out laughing. Stacey was confused.
“What? What’s so funny?” she asked wanting to be let in on the joke.
“Girl, forehead kisses are the damn reason I have three kids now!” Devyn laughed, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Hmhm, and they’re damn sure the reason my last name changed from Holmes to Santiago. Forehead kisses are a prelude to...well, I’m sure you’ve figured it out,” Mercedes whooped, wiping her own eyes from the tears that formed.
Stacey’s lips turned up into a half-smile as she thought about how affectionate Andre had been. She’d admittedly enjoyed any time his lips touched any part of her body, but forehead kisses while in public had a way of making her crave his touch.
“Anyway, are you going to the MADD gala next week? Iris wanted me to ask if you were coming. She and Andre host it every year,” Devyn asked.
Stacey had heard about the Mothers Against Drunk Driving event from Mercedes but had no intention of going. Andre had never mentioned it, another indication he wasn’t all that serious about her.
She shook her head. “I hadn’t planned on it.”
“You have to come” Devyn pushed.
“I don’t have a dress or a date. I can’t show up to something like that alone,” Stacey explained.
“Don’t worry about that.” Mercedes waved her concerns off. “We can go shopping one day this week, and there’s a single teacher at my school I think would be perfect for you.”
Stacey shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable. Could she go to an event she knew Andre would be hosting on the arm of another man? How would that look? And how would she feel seeing him again? But Devyn and Mercedes wouldn’t take no for an answer. In fact, after their spa treatments ended, instead of going out for an early dinner as planned, the women dragged Stacey to Neiman Marcus to shop for dresses. After trying on six different dresses, they decided on a long-sleeved Hervè Lèger jacquard mid-thigh dress. The dress was a pink champagne color that perfectly showed off Stacey’s long legs. They paired the dress with some strappy black heels, and Devyn insisted on paying for her purchases.
“Just consider it an early graduation gift,” Devyn told her, smiling and holding up the bags for Stacey.
“Now that that’s settled, let’s go eat. I’m starving!” Mercedes interjected.
Stacey had to admit her day with her friends had been exactly what she’d needed. She still missed Andre and now she was even more nervous about seeing him at the gala the next week, but laughing and shopping with her friends had taken her mind off him for a little while. She just had to figure out a way to make it through next week’s gala without making a fool out of herself, pining away for a man she was supposed to be done with.
****
“Andre.” Nikola knocked on his brother’s door before entering.
“What!?” Andre barked at him without looking up.
“I see your panties are still in a knot.” Nikola sighed, stepped into Andre’s office, and folded his arms across his chest.
I don’t need this shit today, Andre thought giving his brother a frown. “Did you need something?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’d like for you to deal with whatever the hell is bothering you. You’ve been acting short with the staff and me for weeks now,” Nikola growled.
“Whatever. I don’t need a damn lecture on my attitude. I’m busy,” Andre stated turning his attention to his computer.
“If you say so. I came to bring these documents for your approval and signature. Get ‘em back to me as soon as possible,” Nikola said placing the folders on Andre’s desk.
“Fine,” was all Andre said, effectively dismissing his brother.
Nikola simply shook his head as he walked out of Andre’s office. He knew how bullheaded his brother could be when he was in one of his moods, and he’d been in this mood for weeks now.
Andre didn’t even bother to look up as Nikola walked out. He felt a twinge of guilt at the way he’d been treating his staff and brother lately. He made a mental note to send his assistant some flowers and let her leave a few hours early later in the week to make up for it. His mood had been shit since the night he’d last seen Stacey.
Andre pounded his desk with his fist. Just the thought of her caused his blood to boil. He didn’t know if it was with anger, lust, longing, or some combination of the three. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, how she was doing, or if she was seeing someone else. He spent a number of restless nights thinking of picking up the phone to call her, but his pride wouldn’t let him do it. He’d kept himself busy with work, often not leaving the office until nine or ten o’clock at night. He’d avoided hanging out with Hwan as he knew his friend would question his foul mood, and he wasn’t up for talking about it.
Andre turned his attention back to his computer just as he heard another knock on the door.
“Dammit, Nik, I’ll get the papers to you soon enough,” he said without looking up.
“That’s nice, but I don’t need any papers,” Devyn said as she entered his office.
Andre abruptly turned his attention from his computer towards his doorway to see his sister-in-law strolling into his office and taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk. It briefly reminded him of the days when Devyn was his assistant.
“Sorry, Dev. I thought you were Nik,” he said, feeling a slight bit of remorse at having raised his voice at her.
“No problem, brother-in-law.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Oh shit, Andre thought knowing this would not be a social call. The only time Devyn referred to him as “brother-in-law” was when she was about to ream him about something. Like the time he’d fed the boys cake and ice cream for dinner while baby
sitting, and they’d spent the entire night up, crying with stomachaches. It took him months to live that down, and before Nik or Devyn would let him babysit again. He could probably guess what was coming, but he decided to ask anyway.
“What did I do now?”
“Who says you did something? Feeling guilty?” she questioned, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow.
I can play this game too, he thought. “Not particularly, no,” he said sitting back in his seat and resting his palms on the sides of his chair.
“You probably should over the way you’ve been treating your staff the last few weeks. You nearly took poor Margaret’s head off because she brought you two creams instead of three the other day,” Devyn shot back at him. “Or, maybe you should feel guilty for implying that burlesque dancers are whores.”
She folded her arms and eyed him. He should have known that comment would make its way back to Devyn. He could admit he regretted saying that in anger. And now as he looked into Devyn’s eyes, he could see she was pissed with him. She had a right to be.
“Dev, you know—”
“Save it,” she said waving him off, “You know, your brother asked me to quit burlesque too. Well, he didn’t ask, he demanded I quit. Seems to be a trait with you Collins men.”
Andre sat up in his chair. He hadn’t known Nikola ever had a problem with Devyn’s dancing. He’d never told Andre anything negative about his attitude towards her performing.
“What happened?” Andre asked, wondering how Devyn and Nikola made it over that hump in their relationship.
“I said no.” She shrugged. “You don’t know about my relationship before Nikola and I, but my ex was an ass. Anyway, when I got out of that relationship, I promised to never change who I was or stop doing something I enjoyed and that made me happy, for another man. I’d made too many sacrifices in my previous relationship to give up that part of myself. I don’t know everything about Stacey’s past, but I know she used to be a ballet dancer, and I know performing is in her soul. You can see it when she’s on stage. If you cared about her, really cared, you wouldn’t ask her to give that up.”
Black Butterfly Page 13
