by K, S
He was very good at creating one on one erotic fantasy’s for women in the audience and making them believe there was an intimacy between just the two of them. He did it so effortlessly - and she was no exception.
Aside from the insecurity that came along with the legions of screaming, adoring women who would sell their soul just to be with him for one night, there was a persistent nagging voice in the back of her mind that whispered maybe he was too good at what he did. Was she just a game to him? When he was tired of playing, would he find himself becoming bored and move on to the next challenge?
Of course she didn’t share any of her concerns with Darrell. On the surface, things were just as perfect as they’d been from the very beginning when they started seeing each other three months ago. Bryan tried to allay her fears and tell her that he truly believed Darrell cared for her, but she was still hesitant to believe it.
“Roni, if you’re having doubts about the way he feels, you need to talk to him. Come on, sweetie, this isn’t you. What happened to the woman who charges straight ahead and considers unforeseen problems a minor annoyance?” Bryan gave her an encouraging smile.
“To be honest, Bryan, when it comes to Darrell, she’s nowhere to be found.”
“You really care about him don’t you?”
Roni looked at her cousin with guarded eyes, but Bryan knew her too well. His observation of her expression intensified when he suddenly uncovered what she was trying to hide.
“Roni….”
“Bryan…don’t.” Roni suddenly became busy typing on her computer, but Bryan wasn’t letting it go. He sat on the edge of her desk and folded his arms as he stared at her.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Ignoring Bryan, she let out a loud, irritated sigh but when it was something he wanted an answer to, he was like a dog with a juicy bone - he just wouldn't let go.
“Roni, I know you two have been spending a lot of time together. I mean a lot of time….”
Roni paused in the middle of answering an email and rolled her eyes at him, but Bryan still didn’t take the hint.
“Honey, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Finally having had enough of his insistent grilling, Roni sat back in her chair and glared up at him. “Do I know what I’m doing?! Oh, sure. I know exactly what I’m doing! I planned the whole damn thing! I planned to get involved with a twenty-something year old exotic dancer! I planned to damn near make him a habit that I just can’t kick no matter how hard I try! And yes I planned on falling in love with him! Alright?! Are you happy now…?! Does that satisfy your nosy ass, none of your business, curiosity?!”
Bryan’s jaw dropped. This wasn’t the cool, calm, and collected woman who never cracked under pressure. Closing his mouth, it finally hit him. That woman was gone. She’d fallen in love and he knew better than anyone that love could make you make you do some crazy things, make you act completely out of character. He silently cursed his male insensitivity regarding Roni’s feelings as he stood up and walked around the desk and reached down to pull her up.
“Come here, sweetie.”
“No.”
He felt like an even bigger heel when Roni’s bottom lip stuck out and her eyes flooded with unshed tears. He tugged on her hand until she stood up.
“Come here.” He wrapped his arms around her and whispered soothing words to her when her shoulders trembled from the force of her quiet sobs. “It’s okay, sweetie. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“How do you know that?” She shook her head as tears ran down her face “I don’t want to love him, Bryan. I just…don’t.”
“I'm afraid that’s not your choice.”
Roni tried to regain her composure as she lifted her head from Bryan’s chest. “I know, but….”
She stopped as her eyes narrowed at the security monitor mounted on the wall. Bryan turned around to see what she was looking at. Bill, their head of security, always had his hands full with overzealous women who usually wanted ‘just a minute’ with the dancers. Roni didn’t know why this one made her pause.
The woman was dressed in tights, high heels and a skimpy top and was pointing her finger inches from Bill’s nose as her neck twisted around on her shoulders. Three of her friends stood behind her, egging her on. Yes, the fans were usually persistent, even sometimes unruly if they’d had too much to drink, but this one…
“What’s wrong?” Bryan asked. Without answering, Roni instinctively picked up the remote control and turned the volume up so that she could hear the altercation. She cocked her ear towards the screen and concentrated on what the woman was saying.
“I want you to tell D, or Eclipse, or whatever the hell ya’ll call him, that Jade is here. He’ll see me. We go way back…!”
Bill tried to diffuse the situation quietly and professionally, but Roni could see he was fast losing patience. She and Bryan made it a point to stress to security that irate or disruptive fans were to be handled with the utmost discretion, and more times than not, Bill was able to just that. But this one was not going quietly.
“I don’t give a lovely fuck about an autographed picture! I wanna see D! I know him from back in the day when we kicked it in Philly! And I ain’t leavin’ until I see him!”
Jade folded her arms and pushed her hip out as she bucked her eyes and pursed her lips. She wasn’t one of these li’l Vegas chicks who usually came through this joint and her stance was daring Bill to lay a finger on her.
“She’s a pushy one, isn’t she?” Bryan commented with amusement lacing his voice. He looked at Roni, but she was walking out of the door. “Hey. Where are you going?”
Roni was at the elevator by the time he caught up with her. “Roni, come on, it’s just some lunatic fan of Darrell’s…”
“No, she said she knew him from Philly. I believe her. Let’s just say I’m…curious.” She stepped on the elevator and cocked a brow at Bryan as she held the door open. “Coming?”
Less than three minutes later, Roni and Bryan were walking towards Bill and the still screaming woman. She lightly touched Bill’s shoulder.
“Everything okay?”
Bill’s forehead lifted in surprise. No doubt he was wondering why Roni was down here. He handled situations like this all the time. Normally the women gave up after seeing their pleading and flirting wouldn’t get them backstage to see the dancers up close and personal. This one was proving to be more stubborn than most which is why he was moments away from giving his team the go ahead to forcefully remove her and her friends from the premise.
“Everything’s fine, Ms. Winston. It‘s being taken care of.”
“Huh! Everything is not fine, and I don’t know who in the fuck you think you taking care of, but it ain’t La’Jada Margarita Price! Now for the last time….where’s D?!”
When Bill nodded to three of his men to get the women, Roni held a hand up to stop them and looked at Jade. “You know Darrell?”
Jade’s lip curled up into a sneer as she looked Roni up and down. Who in the hell was this stuck up bitch? Jealousy ate away at her when she noticed the expensive outfit Roni wore that was, at the same time sexy, yet classy. Her eyes squinted when she saw the cloud of shiny hair that fell down Roni’s back. Prob'ly a weave, Jade snidely thought.
“Yeah, I know Darrell. What’s it to you?”
“I own this club. Darrell works for me.”
“Good, then maybe your bony ass can take me to him. Believe me. He’ll remember me.”
Roni’s eyes narrowed as she observed Jade from head to toe. Ghetto fabulous, hood rat, Roni huffed.
“Ms.….Price is it? I’m afraid we have a strict policy against allowing customers to fraternize with the dancers. If you want to leave your name and a number where Darrell can reach you, I’ll make sure he gets the message.”
Roni’s smile was sweetly insincere, and it conveyed to Jade that Darrell would get the message when hell freezes over. Jade got the message loud and clear.
>
“Oh, you’s a funny bitch, huh? Well let’s see how funny you think it is when I bust you in yo' ass and-”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…!! What the hell?!” Darrell interrupted Jade’s tirade. He came and stood beside Roni, protectively resting his hand on her waist.
Darrell was good friends with Tank, one of the security guards who had been listening to Jade talk shit. He’d slipped away and told Darrell that a chick was causing a ruckus and trying to get back to see him. Darrell had shrugged it off with an air of unconcern until Tank said the woman claimed to know him from Philly and that Roni had come downstairs to talk to her.
Darrell’s face showed his confusion. Why would Roni concern herself with something like this? He slipped on a white wife-beater and followed Tank. As he neared the entrance to the backstage area, he saw Bryan, Bill, and several other members of security huddled together. He craned his neck when he thought he saw Roni. Then he heard another female voice cursing at her and quickened his steps.
What the fuck?!
“Excuse me, man.” He moved a couple guys out of the way and frowned down at Roni, but her attention was focused on the woman standing there causing the scene. Darrell barely looked at the woman. His concern was for Roni.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” He didn’t think twice about using the endearment when speaking to her. Everyone in the club knew they were seeing one another. Although neither had confirmed or denied it, it was an open secret.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Baby?!” Jade looked back at her friends. “Looks like D got himself a suga mama, ya’ll!” Her friends “tittered” and “tee-hee’d” at her little joke.
“What the fuck did you say?” Darrell finally gave her his full attention. He moved Roni behind him and turned squarely to face Jade.
“Hey, boo. Don’t tell me you don’t remember me! It’s Jade!”
“I know who you are. What do you want?”
Roni glanced at Darrell. She knew he could get raw and cut someone down “till the white meat showed” with just a few words and an icy stare when he wanted to; Jade was getting a taste of both right now. Roni almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
Embarrassed, Jade looked around and finally realized that everyone was witnessing her humiliation. “Oh, so it’s like that? You think you too good for me now, Eclipse?!”
“What I think is that you done lost your mu’fuckin’ mind talkin’ to my woman like that.”
“Your woman! Shoulda known you’d find some rich bitch to take care of you. That’s about all you good for anyhow. Fuckin’. Might as well get paid for it. What do you call her when ya’ll in da bedroom? Mama?” This cracked Jade’s friends up as they gave each other high fives.
Eyes flashing, Darrell took a step forward with the intention of throwing her out himself, but stopped when he felt the light touch of Roni’s hand on his arm. He forced himself to calm down. This bitch was trying to take him there, back to that place and time in his life when he didn’t give a fuck about a got damn thing. The old Darrell would’ve verbally ripped her a new asshole without a second thought, then sat down and taken a dump. But he wasn’t that person anymore, or at least he was trying not to be.
Oh, he could go there if provoked, and Jade was definitely pushing his buttons. If it wasn’t for his baby silently communicating to him to let it go, Jade would’ve been fucked - and not the way she was obviously vying to be.
He felt Bill staring at him to see what Darrell wanted him to do. Giving Jade a final insulting once-over, Darrell nodded. That was all Bill needed. His guys grabbed Jade and her friends and half carried them towards the back exit to avoid any more of a scene than they’d already made. Jade struggled and yelled obscenities the entire way.
“Darrell! Darrell!! So it’s like that, you son of a bitch? Huh, Eclipse?! You think you too good for me now? You ain’t shit, Darrell! You ain’t never been nothin’ and you ain’t never gonna be nothin’ but a big dick swangin‘, takin’ clothes off, fuckin’ women for money, muthafucka!!”
Darrell cursed under his breath and grabbed Roni’s hand. As he moved towards the elevator, Luther was there smirking and shaking his head. Darrell wasn’t for Thorpe’s shit right now. Luther had been salty from the moment he realized Darrell and Roni were sleeping together. Darrell had to tell him several times to back up off Roni. He’d finally gotten the message, but never failed to make a snide remark to Darrell whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Luther was enjoying the little scene he’d just witnessed. Maybe now Roni would see that Monroe wasn’t worthy of licking the dirt off her shoes.
Darrell paused and glared at him for a moment before Roni tugged his hand. Already in a foul mood, Darrell's eyes conveyed to Luther that he had an ass whipping with his name on it and it was just waiting to be unleashed. If Luther kept pushing Darrell, it would be knockin' at his door real soon.
As he followed Roni to the elevator Darrell intentionally gave Luther’s shoulder a hard bump, causing the man to stagger back a couple of steps. Darrell’s expression dared Luther to utter a word.
After sending Darrell a seething glare, Luther stiffly walked away. His hands trembled with the need to pulverize Darrell, but he reluctantly admitted he was no match. Yeah, it was time to bring this fool down. He glanced in the direction Jade had been hauled off in.
And he knew just how to do it.
Darrell and Roni stepped onto the elevator. He grimaced when he faintly heard Jade still yelling out his name as the men rounded the corner with her.
“Darrell!! Daaarrellll…!”
As the elevator ascended to the third floor, there was a deafening silence inside of it. Darrell paced back and forth in the small space. Roni was quiet as she kept her eyes trained on the numbers above the doors. When they opened, the two of them walked to her office, still not speaking.
Darrell closed the door behind him then went over and threw himself in a chair. Roni leaned back on her desk and just watched him. She was more curious than anything. Darrell never talked about his past. She’d told him everything about hers, had even cried when she told him about the dark period in her life after Frank died. The only thing he’d mentioned is that he and Marcus grew up in an orphanage in Philadelphia and had no family. She knew she had to proceed delicately.
“So that’s someone you knew from back home?”
Darrell was slouched down in the chair. With his legs sprawled out in front of him, he stared straight ahead with a brooding expression on his face. When he heard Roni’s question, the sound that exploded from him was a cross between a scornful grunt and a mocking laugh.
“Home? Yeah. Okay.”
Neither said a word for a few moments. Then all of a sudden, Roni’s back straightened when the beam of Darrell’s suspicious gray eyes pinned her in place.
“What were you doing down there anyway?”
Roni opened then snapped her mouth closed. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a plausible excuse. She could say she’d been on her way to see him, but knew he would recognize that wasn’t the truth. She never went down to the performer's area because she wanted them to feel as if that was their personal space, a place where they could get ready for the show in peace and unwind afterwards.
Darrell sat up in the chair when her eyes nervously slid away from his. Now he really wanted to know. "Don't lie."
Her eyes flew back to his. Dammit! He knew her entirely too well.
“Okay! I…well I was in the office talking to Bryan and I glanced at the monitor and saw Bill having a problem with some woman….”
“Which happens all the time,” Darrell interrupted. “So?”
“So...” Roni shrugged. “I don’t know. Something made me turn the volume up and I heard her say your name and….” When Darrell just continued to stare, she stood up and sent a pleading look his way. “Darrell, don’t be upset. I was just curious. I mean, you never talk about your past, I know absolutely nothing about it…”
“Because
there’s nothing to tell, Roni.”
“Did you ever know your parents? Were they killed in an accident? Is that how you came to grow up in an orphanage?”
“Will you stop?!” Darrell jumped up and went over to stare out of the window. His shoulders were tense as he shoved his hands into his pocket. With his back to her he said in a harsh voice, “What do you wanna know? Do you want to know how my fifteen year old mother got knocked up by her thirty year old married lover who left when he found out she was pregnant? That the only reason why she had me was because she didn’t have enough money for an abortion?”
Roni walked over and stood behind him. “Darrell, I’m sure that’s not true…”
“She told me so herself. She gave birth to me a day after she turned sixteen. And when I was seven years old, she decided she’d sacrificed enough of her youth, so she dropped me off at an orphanage and never came back.” His voice was detached and unemotional as he told her how he and Marcus ran away at fifteen and how they scrounged, begged, and stole to survive until they came to Vegas. He turned around to face Roni and saw the tears running down her face.
“Baby, don’t cry for me. That was a long time ago - a lifetime ago. I have everything I need. I have a great life and I have you. Other than Marcus, I ain’t never had nobody in my corner before and knowing you got my back means a lot.” He framed her face with his hands and gently wiped the tears away with the slightly calloused pads of his thumb. “To me, trust is everything, Roni. Everything. You’re my woman and I trust you with all that’s in me. You and Marcus - and Bryan - you all are my family now. Anything else is gravy….” He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her lips before wrapping his arms around her.
Roni snuggled closer. “I love you, Darrell.”
Darrell’s reply was as natural to him as breathing. “I love you, too Roni.”
Two days later --- Philadelphia, PA
Jade came bustling into the large apartment she shared with Rakeem. She had been bitching for the last two days about the treatment they’d received in Club Ecstasy. Her little posse was right on her heels pumping her up.
