“Zane,” I hissed as his fingers found my sweet spot.
“Are you wearing a thong for me, Lucky?” He grinned.
“No.” I shook my head, blushing.
“Feel me.” He brought my hand against him and pressed my palm into him hard. “We could be done in minutes.”
“That’s not a good thing.” I laughed and he pushed me back against the counter.
“What’s not?” He leaned down to kiss me, and I felt his hand creep up under my shirt and caress my breast.
“Zane.” I put my arms around him and closed my eyes. Why couldn’t we always have moments like this? Why did real life always have to get in the way and make things complicated?
“Lucky, are you in here?” I pushed Zane away from me as Braydon walked into the kitchen. My face was flushed, and I looked at him guiltily. I really needed to have an honest conversation with Braydon.
“Hey.” I smiled at him, and grabbed a glass. “I was just getting a drink.”
“Oh, I thought Zane was warning you away from me.” Braydon laughed, and Zane glowered. “’Cos I’m a big, bad wolf and all.”
“Braydon, I’ll meet you in the garden in a minute, okay?” I pushed him towards the French doors. “Go out to the backyard. I’ll be out in a moment.”
“I’ll be waiting, sugar lips.” Braydon laughed and walked out.
“Hey,” I turned around and faced Zane. “I can’t wait for tonight.” I sidled up next to him and he pushed me away.
“I don’t want you talking to Braydon anymore, Lucky.” He frowned, his eyes looking distant.
“You can’t just ban me.”
“Do not go outside and talk to him.” His face looked stern. “I’m not going to tell you again.”
“Why not?”
“He’s bad news.”
“Why is he bad news?” I shook my head, befuddled.
“Just listen to me.” His voice was sharp. “I don’t have to explain myself.”
“Because it’s always on your terms, right?” My voice caught. “I can’t keep playing this game, Zane. You can’t choose to tell me only what you want. It’s not fair.”
“I told you about my brother today, Lucky.” His voice was pained. “That was a big move for me.”
“And I’m glad you told me, but it didn’t have to be a secret, Zane. I told you about my parents. You knew I would understand. I know how badly it hurts.” My breath caught.
“You don’t understand.” He looked at me angrily. “We are not the same, Lucky.”
“I’m not saying we’re the same. I’m just saying I know what it feels like to lose someone you love.”
“I don’t know what you want from me, Lucky.” Zane’s eyes were bleak. “I don’t know you well enough to share my deepest, darkest secrets with you. I’m sorry. That’s not who I am.”
“I didn’t say I expected that.” I bit my lip and sighed. “Look, you have guests out there, we don’t have to talk about this now.”
“Lucky, I’m waiting,” Braydon called out to me from the doors and I walked out to him, averting my gaze from Zane as I left.
“I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.” Braydon frowned as I joined him. “Zane hates me.”
“Why did you come if you knew he didn’t like you?”
“I wanted to see you.” He smiled impishly. “I missed you and I was worried about you.”
“Why were you worried?”
“Zane’s a little crazy.” He shook his head. “I would feel horrible if something happened to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” I sighed. All of a sudden I was dreadfully tired. It had been another really long day and I was emotionally exhausted.
“Zane has anger issues.” Braydon looked at me seriously. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but Zane has it out for me.”
“What?”
“I know, it sounds crazy, but he is really crazy. You know he dates every girl I’m interested in.”
“Huh?”
“Zane has taken out all of my exes.” He pulled out his phone. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve been trying to contact you. I care about you. I don’t want him using you.”
“What are you talking about, Braydon?”
“Look.” He opened up the photo gallery on his phone and started showing me photos. “You see all these girls? These are all girls I’ve dated at one time.”
“And?” I was so annoyed that I didn’t even look at the photos.
“Just take a look.” He pushed the phone in my face and I looked down.
“Okay, and?” I was about to tell him to leave when I saw the next photo on the screen. “Wait, let me see that.” I frowned and grabbed his phone. I scrolled through all the photos quickly, and I felt my heart freeze. I recognized at least ten of the women as Friday night dates of Zane’s. “How do you know these girls?”
“They are all girls I dated.” Braydon leaned towards me. “I don’t want to make you jealous, Lucky. I’m not interested in them now. They were all good-time girls, I want a real commitment now, with someone like you.”
“You dated all these girls?”
“Well, you know.” He grinned. “Slept with, spent a few weeks with, that sort of thing.” And then he frowned. “But then Zane always took them away from me.”
“He stole your girlfriends?” I frowned. “Why would he do that?”
“He’s crazy man.” He shook his head. “And now he’s after you. But you’re special to me, Lucky. I can’t let him get you, as well.”
“I know some of those girls.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’ve seen him with some of them in the diner.”
“I’m sorry, Lucky. I didn’t mean to make your life a Hollywood movie.”
“I need to go, Braydon.” I stood up. “Thanks for telling me everything.”
“Can I take you out to lunch tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” I looked at his earnest face and felt something in me click. Wasn’t Braydon the type of guy I had always told myself to date? “Maybe. Call me tomorrow, and I’ll let you know.”
“Awesome.” He pulled me towards him and gave me a big hug. He smelled like sun, sand, and beer. But he was warm and soft, and I felt comforted by his embrace.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked through the living room quickly. I needed to go to bed. I just wanted to be by myself. I didn’t care if I was being rude by leaving the party early. These weren’t my guests and none of them had been particularly nice to me. I certainly didn’t owe them anything. They were Zane’s guests and I didn’t care if he thought I was a bad cohost.
I walked quickly through the room and ignored Gina’s shrieks of, “Lucia, Lucia.” She was lucky I didn’t turn around and tell her shut up. I ran up the stairs and was about to sneak into my room when I saw that Zane’s door was slightly ajar. I’m not sure if it was shock or curiosity that caused me to walk up to the door, but I crept to the door quietly and peeked inside. I saw Zane sitting on the bed, caressing Angelique’s cheek. The beautiful blonde was lying in bed and saying something. I leaned in to get a better glance and I saw tears running down her face. My breath caught and I tried hard to hear what they were saying.
“I don’t blame you, Angelique.” Zane’s voice was tender. He leaned towards her, but I couldn’t see what he was doing. “My heart is broken, too.” He sighed as he pulled back. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same.”
“I’m sorry,” Angelique whispered, and I wanted to burst into the room and scratch her. You had your chance, bitch! I wanted to scream. Let him go. I won’t break his heart. My breath caught as a sob escaped me. I stepped back quickly and walked to my room. I closed the door and locked it, and then went into the bathroom. I ran the bath, stripped off my clothes, and turned off the lights before I stepped in. The tears started streaming down my face as soon I got into the tub. I submerged my face in the water and sobbed as I lay there. I sobbed with abandon and confusion.
Why had Zane been dating all of Braydon’s exes? Had he been sleeping with me just because Braydon had shown an interest in me? It would make sense, after all. He had been coming to the diner for months and he had never been anything other than cordial and friendly to me as a server. He’d never shown any extra interest or asked me out. In fact, he hadn’t shown me any interest until I had gone to the party and he had seen me with Braydon. Immediately after that, he had taken me to his house, taken care of my car, given me a job, and seduced me. He had changed my life and everything had gone so quickly. How had I gotten myself into this situation? This was why my Last Boyfriend Plan had been in place. It was to save me from unneeded heartache. It had been in place to protect me. But I had thrown it away in a heartbeat just to be with him.
I had, once again, allowed my emotions to supersede my brain. I knew that Zane Beaumont was bad news. I knew that a guy like him would only break my heart. And now, here I was, heartbroken.
I had a made a mess of everything. I scrubbed my skin as I lay in the bathtub. I couldn’t believe I had withdrawn from my classes. What was I thinking? I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths. It’s going to be okay. You’ve gotten through worse. I repeated over and over to myself. I should be happy for Zane. He had his true love back now. It seemed to me that he and Angelique were made for each other. I’d never seen him that tender and caring towards anyone before.
I yawned and closed my eyes as I leaned back in the tub. I felt so tired. I thought I heard a banging on the door, but I was too exhausted to get up and check. All I could think of was Zane on a different date every week. And all of the girls were Braydon’s exes. I had scoffed at them when I saw them. I had thought they were all so dumb. I had felt superior to them, knowing that he came in with a different girl every week, but the joke was on me. It was me who had believed I could change him. It was me who was sitting here with a broken heart. And all I had been was another notch on his bedpost—another girl he had taken away from Braydon. I sighed and turned over and realized I was still in the tub when I swallowed some water. I sat up quickly, spurting out water, and jumped out of the tub. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked into the bedroom, too tired to put on any pajamas. I jumped into bed and sunk into the sheets. I felt lonely without Zane there to snuggle with. I missed him. I started crying again. How could I miss him this badly already? I hated him. I wanted to scream and shout at him. How could he have done this to me? As I drifted back to sleep, I realized that I could stop Zane from thinking he had won. If I went back to Braydon and dated him, then it would show Zane that he hadn’t stolen me from him. He wouldn’t have won. That’s what I have to do, I thought to myself as I fell into a deep sleep. I have to date Braydon.
Chapter 14
“Lucky, open up!” A voice was shouting through the door, and I groaned from under the covers.
“Stop banging!” I shouted back without opening my eyes.
“Open up the door,” Zane’s voice was furious and it sounded like he was going to break the door down.
“Okay, okay. Hold on,” I groaned as I got out of bed. My head was aching and I was still wrapped in my towel. “Good morning to you, too,” I greeted Zane as he rushed into the room.
“Where is he?” He ran to the bed, opened the closets, and then ran to the bathroom. “Where is he?”
“Who are you talking about?” I shook my head, puzzled.
“Braydon. You both left the party at the same time and you locked the door.”
“I had a bath and went to bed.” I rubbed my eyes and took in Zane’s disheveled appearance. “Did you sleep in your clothes last night?”
“Did you sleep in a towel?” He grabbed my shoulders and looked down at my face. His eyes looked wild and crazy, and for a second I was worried that he was losing it. “Why are your eyes red?” He frowned.
“I don’t know.” I looked down.
“Wait a second.” He rushed back into the bathroom. “The tub is still full. You didn’t fall asleep in the tub, did you?”
“Kind of,” I admitted sheepishly. “But I—”
“Lucky, do you know how dangerous that is?” His voice rose. “Why do you seem to have no concern for your life?”
“I woke up and went to bed.”
“After you fell asleep in the tub. A tub that is full of water, I may add. Do you know how many people have died in bathtubs?”
“This isn’t a horror movie, Zane,” I joked, but he didn’t crack a smile.
“You may not care about your wellbeing, but I do.” He turned away from me. “I’m going out for a bit.”
“I see.”
“I have to take Angelique home, as Braydon just left her here.”
“She stayed the night?” My voice cracked.
“Yes, of course.” He sighed. “She slept in my bed.”
“I see.” I wanted to cry again, but I wasn’t going to let myself break down in front of him. “I suppose you’re back together now?”
“What are you talking about?” Zane’s voice was loud and angry.
“Zane, dear, are you ready?” Angelique popped her head through the door. “I borrowed your shirt, I hope you don’t mind.”
“It looks better on you than me, so of course I don’t mind.” He smiled at her softly. “Go downstairs and I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”
“Okay.” She left the room with her blonde hair swinging and I stood there in despair. This was truly turning into a nightmare.
“Are you going?” I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of hearing pain in my voice. That was reserved for me alone.
“I thought we made headway last night, Lucky. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Are you joking? You’re the one that spent last night with Angelique,” I hissed furiously.
“Angelique slept in my bed, and I slept in the spare room.” Zane frowned. “How could you think I spent the night with her?”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t want to tell him I had been snooping around the door the previous evening.
“Lucky, I like you.” He sighed. “What more do I have to do to show you that?”
“I have one question for you.” I took a big gulp and faced him. “Did you date Braydon’s exes?” I watched as the annoyed expression left his face and a blank, tired expression replaced it. And that was when I knew. There was no other explanation. It wasn’t just some big coincidence. “It’s true, isn’t it? You went out with Braydon’s exes?”
“I asked you to trust me.” He looked away and walked to the door.
“Just tell me the truth, did you date Braydon’s exes?”
He stopped at the door and turned around and looked at me with a bleak expression. His stare was blank and he looked as cold as an ice statue. “Yes.” The word was direct and firm, and just as quickly as it came, he was out the door and walking down the stairs. He had no explanation and no comforting words to give me. It was as if he didn’t even care about how his words would affect me. But then, of course, he wouldn’t care. Zane Beaumont was incapable of love. He had already told me he didn’t want a relationship. I was the fool who thought I could change that. Who could make him see how great love was. When in all reality, I was only a fool, nothing else and nothing more.
***
Most women would have hopped on a plane and gone home if they had gone through what I had. But I decided to stay. I decided to stay for a two reasons: one being that I didn’t have the money to go anywhere; the other was that I really liked Mr. Johnson, and I really wanted to make this documentary and do this research. Sidney Johnson was a part of history. He had gone through what I read about in my history books. There was no way I was going to give up this opportunity. Not for a coldhearted guy like Zane. I knew it would be hard—just thinking about him hurt—but I knew it would be just as bad if I weren’t with him.
I took out my notepad and went downstairs to Zane’s dining room. I sat at the table and made notes from our meeting yesterday. Ther
e was something about the Johnsons’ love story that inspired me. I think it was because love changed his destiny. Betty’s love made Sidney want to be a better person. When everyone else in his family had given up, when all the odds were down, he persevered and made it through. What had happened to his family was truly horrible. Residential segregation had been a bad thing—was still a bad thing—but he’d still made something of himself. The power of love was truly great. As I scribbled my notes on the page, I realized that I wanted this documentary to focus on the positives that had come out of Jim Crow and our horrific past. I wanted the documentary to celebrate those who had beat the system and toppled the odds. I wanted it to be uplifting. I wasn’t sure how Zane would feel about the change, and I was scared. I knew he wanted to make it to celebrate his brother and his work, but I wasn’t sure if he would be open to veering slightly off track. I was passionate about the changes I wanted to make, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have that conversation with him.
I must have spent a few hours writing, because I didn’t notice that Zane was still out until my stomach started grumbling. All of a sudden I felt cooped up and alone in the house. I didn’t want to be here by myself. I didn’t want to go through his fridge and make myself something to eat. It felt too intimate being in his house without him here. I closed my eyes and tried to forget everything I had learned within the last twenty-four hours. I didn’t want to focus on the dull ache in my heart that made it hard for me to breathe and focus.
I picked up my phone quickly and dialed Braydon’s number before I could change my mind.
“Hey, sweet pea.”
“Hi.” My voice was low and unsure. I didn’t know what to say.
“Is everything okay?” His voice was concerned. “Sorry I left last night, I was kind of out of it.”
“That’s okay.” I sighed. “Angelique was out of it as well. She stayed the night.” Why didn’t you take her home with you? I wanted to scream.
“She plays hard, she falls hard.” His voice was light. “Want to go grab some lunch?”
Exposed: An Anthology Page 74
