by Stella Gray
“So,” Lila said, leaning forward conspiratorially. “We decided to mix it up tonight.”
“Mix it up?” I echoed.
Diane nodded, tucking one of her long braids behind her ear. “We usually bar hop for a few hours and then find our way to one of our favorite clubs to dance.”
“But…” Audrey glanced around at the others before turning to me with a big smile. “In honor of you joining us tonight, we thought we should do something a little different.”
I didn’t know whether I should be excited or nervous and I told them as much.
“Oh, excited for sure,” Lila said with a huge grin.
“Finish up your drinks, ladies,” Audrey said, checking her watch. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon.”
There were two more shots for each of us at the table and I gamely followed suit and tossed them back. I was definitely feeling the effects as we headed out of the bar and into the cold November air.
I hadn’t even thought to bring a jacket, something I regretted as I realized we were walking to our next destination.
“Here, take my scarf,” Diane said sweetly, wrapping the huge, hand knitted thing around me. It smelled like patchouli and incense, but it helped a lot.
“Where are we going?” I asked, trying to keep up with my new friends, who were all walking at a pretty brisk pace.
“It’s not far at all,” Lila said. She slowed her pace and put her arm around me as we walked, warming me up a little. “And trust me, when we get there, you’re gonna be so hot you’ll be glad you didn’t bring a jacket.”
It must be one of those trendy, themed night clubs with a hundred people packed onto the floor. The thought of it both scared and excited me. I didn’t know much about dancing outside of the ballroom, but I figured it’d be easier to blend in if I was surrounded by bodies.
Suddenly, Audrey let out a crow of delight.
“We’re he-ere!” she said with obvious excitement.
My mouth dropped open when I looked up at the building and saw where we were.
It was a strip club.
A male strip club.
“Now, we know that none of the guys here are half as hot as the man you have at home,” Lila said, giving my arm a squeeze.
“But we’re all single ladies and we need some man meat tonight!” Audrey said with a lecherous grin. “And don’t worry about tipping,” she added, pulling a fat stack of ones and fives out of her purse. “We are totally prepared.”
My eyes widened at the amount of money she was waving around. It was a lot of small bills, for a lot of g-strings. Or so I assumed. I had never been to a strip club in my life.
“Don’t worry,” Diane said quietly, pulling me to the side after seeing my face. “We’ll be together the whole time. And it’s mostly just screaming women throwing bachelorette parties, or groups of women who can’t stop laughing. Try not to take it so seriously. It’ll be fun.”
I didn’t know what to expect, but I was grateful for my fake ID when security checked them at the door. The last thing I wanted was to embarrass my new friends by not being able to get in. I was sure they didn’t know I was eighteen.
“You know, in the 1580s, a stripper meant someone who stripped the bark off of trees,” I babbled as we headed in. “In the 1830s, the meaning changed again and a stripper referenced a machine or appliance. It wasn’t until the 1930s that the term striptease was finally introduced, and that’s how stripper evolved into the word it is today.”
All three of the girls turned and stared at me. For a moment, my stomach sank. This was going to be high school all over again—people thinking I was a total weirdo for knowing things like this and bringing them up at the most random times. I guess it was one thing to talk about this stuff in school, but another to bring it up in public.
I braced for the comments about what a loser I was.
Instead, Lila grinned broadly. “I read somewhere that Time magazine is actually the first place where the word ‘striptease’ was used.”
“Really?” I asked, impressed and relieved.
“That’s so cool,” Audrey said.
Clearly, I had found my people.
Between Diane’s reassurances in the line outside and the word-nerding I’d just engaged in with Lila and Audrey, I immediately felt better. Until we were shown to our seats. Right in the front row. My phone buzzed and I pulled to out to find several missed texts from Stefan.
Leaving work, the first one said. Don’t wait on me for dinner.
It had been sent almost forty minutes ago.
I nearly laughed out loud. He’d probably lost his mind when he got home and realized that not only did I have no intention of waiting on him to eat, but that I wasn’t even home.
The next several texts revealed exactly that.
Where are you? he’d sent about twenty minutes ago.
Ten minutes later: I need to know where you are.
Did he? I was an adult, and I’d decided to go out for once. There was no good reason for him to keep me on such a short leash. And besides, I was safe with my friends.
I put my phone on silent and put it back in my purse. I’d spent enough of our marriage sitting alone somewhere, wondering where he was—he could see how it felt for once.
The lights dimmed and an announcer told us the show was about to start. Apparently, this wasn’t just a strip club; tonight they were having an all-male revue.
“Like stripping, but with a theme,” Lila explained as a bow-tied waiter brought us drinks.
We were seated in a little alcove with cushy chairs and a table. There were a few of them clustered around the stage, all full of screaming, drunk women. Most of the tables seemed to contain the bachelorette parties Diane had told me about—girls wearing ‘Bride-to-Be’ sashes or ‘Feyoncé’ shirts and penis necklaces. It was pretty hilarious, and I started to relax.
I hadn’t had a bachelorette party, not that there would have been many people to invite. The weeks leading up to the wedding had zipped by so fast, they still felt like a blur. In a way, I figured this night was making up for what I’d missed out on.
The music was loud I could feel the bass vibrating through me. That, combined with the booze, made me feel tingly and excited. I liked the idea of watching the strippers and then going home to Stefan. Maybe even doing a little striptease for him. If I felt like it.
It was fun being out with the girls. I made a promise to myself to do it more often.
Then the show began. The lights went down and the crowd went insane. Women were screaming and shouting, glowsticks whirling all around us, and Lila, Audrey, and Diane all joined in, shouting their appreciation for the dancers who were about to come out. To calm my nerves, I grabbed my drink, downing it so fast that the girls all giggled and applauded me.
“Go, Tori, go!” cheered Lila.
But before a single man could step across that stage, I was yanked out of my chair. I turned to find Stefan standing there, hulking over our booth, his eyes ablaze with anger.
“What are you doing here?” I sputtered, the combined effects of the noise, his rough treatment, and all the alcohol I’d had making my head swim.
“You’re supposed to be at home,” he said.
I crossed my arms, not wanting to get into an argument with him in front of my friends, all of whom were now staring at us, their eyes wide, their mouths hanging open.
He turned to them. “She’s only eighteen. Did you know that?”
Lila, Audrey, and Diane all shook their head in unison, looking like chastised children. Diane glanced toward the bouncers, probably checking to see if they were heading over.
“We’re going,” Stefan told me.
“I want to stay,” I said, holding my ground, but when I looked back at my friends I could see they all had wide eyes.
“Maybe you should go,” Lila said apologetically. “Especially if you’re not twenty-one.”
I was furious. Furious at Stefan for ruining my n
ight and furious at the girls for letting him boss them around. Grabbing my bag, I stomped out of the club. Stefan followed behind me. Once we were outside, I turned to confront him.
It was cold, but I barely noticed. My anger and humiliation kept me warm.
“How did you get into that club?” he asked before I could say anything.
“How did you find me?” I demanded right back.
I hadn’t told anyone where I was going, and hadn’t used his driver for that exact reason. Was he having me followed?
“I asked first,” he said, crossing his arms.
There was no arguing when he got like this.
“I have a fake ID,” I told him. “Like most teenagers in America. My friend got it for me when I was seventeen, but I never used it before.”
“And they let you in with that? Unbelievable,” he said. “Let me see it.”
I dug around in my bag and handed it over.
“Great,” he said, pocketing it. “Tonight was also the last time you’ll ever use it.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s not yours,” I told him.
“Report me to the police,” he shot back. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to help you get your illegal fake ID back from your husband.”
I was furious but I knew he was right.
“How did you find me here?” I asked again, knowing that he owed me that at least.
“I put a tracking app on your phone,” he said, turning and walking away from me.
“What?” I hurried to catch up.
“After your little stunt in Europe, I knew I couldn’t trust you,” he said. “So I had it added to your phone so I’d know where you are at all times.”
“You have no right!” I nearly shouted at him.
He turned, stopping me in my tracks. “I have every right. I pay the phone bill,” he said. “In fact, I pay for everything you have. Everything you want. Anything you want. And as your husband, I need to be able to know where you are and make sure you’re safe.”
“That’s not fair,” I said. “I never know where you are.”
“We’re going home,” he told me, but I didn’t budge. It was freezing, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going anywhere with him.
Without pausing, Stefan grabbed my arm and nearly dragged me to the waiting Town Car. I could feel the anger radiating off of him. I didn’t know what he would do when we were alone, but the moment the car door closed, he yanked me toward him.
And kissed me.
The kiss was harsh and unrelenting and undeniably hot. His tongue thrusted aggressively, as if he were claiming me with his mouth. His hands were everywhere, palming my ass, tugging my nipples, pulling my hair. I groaned into his mouth and kissed him back. But the moment I did, he pulled away from me. We were both breathing hard.
“I need to know where you are at all times,” he said. “You’re my responsibility. Don’t ever disappear like that again.” Then he turned away, facing his window.
We drove back to the condo in silence. When we got there, he went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. I undressed and crawled into bed, waiting, but when he joined me he didn’t reach for me. Didn’t try to finish what we had started in the car.
I was confused, lying there in the dark. What did this all mean? He had been worried about me. That much was clear.
Was it because he considered me his belonging?
Or because he actually cared?
Tori
Chapter 24
“—leaving for New York in an hour,” Stefan said, jarring me from my sleep.
“What?” I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. As I blinked in the early morning light, I saw that he was moving around the room. Making trips to the closet. Packing a suitcase. So he could leave me. “Why?”
“I have work there.”
Of course he did. “On a Saturday?”
“You know I don’t get weekends off,” he said.
It felt like he was running away. From our fight. From me. I didn’t like it—it made me feel defeated in my efforts to take our relationship further. And after all the upheaval last night, we hadn’t had a chance to mend things, or even talk about them at all.
“Well, how long is the trip?” I asked, knowing I sounded petulant. But that’s how I felt.
“A few days,” Stefan said, not even glancing my way.
As he packed, I got up to start my day. I took my time in the bathroom, mulling over my lingering anger that he’d barged in on me at the club and embarrassed me in front of my friends. I would definitely need to text them later to explain. I’d gotten a few texts from them around 2 am, apologizing for taking me out when I was underage. Hopefully they still wanted to hang out with me after everything that had happened.
I stood in the closet, trying to decide what to wear while Stefan came in and out, taking a suit from his side and gathering other things from his drawers. I did my best to ignore him, standing there in my robe while studying my wardrobe with laser focus.
Did he really think I was going to just sit at home and stay put while he traipsed off to New York for the weekend? There was plenty of mischief I could get up to while he was gone, fake ID or not. He might have been worried about where I was last night, but he wouldn’t be able to check on me when he was gone. Maybe I’d even get another phone, just for my nights out. As far as he’d know, I would still be in the condo every time he checked my location.
But despite my excitement at all the fun I was dreaming of having, I was mostly overwhelmed with disappointment. Because despite how Stefan had acted, I was sure things between us had changed in a big way. And that we were finally on the path to something stronger, something deeper and more real than just an arranged marriage.
I knew that under all the swagger and the power trips, he was a good, decent person. He had shown me evidence that he was. The way he’d comforted me after my father’s heart attack. The way he’d shown up at the mixer at my school. Even last night—I knew he’d dragged me out of that club because he was genuinely worried when I’d disappeared, not simply to assert his control. He obviously cared. That this wasn’t just a marriage of convenience for him.
“Where’s your bag?”
Stefan’s voice startled me out of my thoughts. I turned around, finding him standing there with an impatient look on his face. God. Why was he so damn attractive?
“Your. Bag,” he said slowly, as if I was a child.
“Why do I need a bag?” I asked.
“I told you. We’re leaving for New York,” he said. “Plane’s waiting for us.”
My heart leapt. “I’m going with you?”
He did want me with him! And I was going to New York with him because he didn’t want to be apart from me for the weekend. My sour mood immediately dissipated.
“You’re only coming because I couldn’t find a babysitter,” he said. “And last night proved that you can’t be trusted to behave while I’m not here.”
My heart sank a little. On the other hand, even if he wasn’t taking me because he was going to miss me, he was still taking me. That was the most important thing. I would get to go to New York, and I’d get to be with him.
“I’ve always wanted to see New York,” I said. “My father took me a few times, when he had work stuff, but we barely left the hotel. It seemed so busy and exciting, though. Maybe I’ll have time to go to a museum or something.”
He nodded. “It’s possible.”
Quickly, I packed a bag. It would be cold and beautiful this time of year, and I had no idea what we would be doing there, so I made sure to pack something for every possible occasion; a night out at the theater, a stroll in Central Park, a trip to the Met, ice skating at Rockefeller Center. My suitcase was bulging by the time I got everything in it.
Stefan gave it a look when I lugged it out of the closet but said nothing. Instead, he just gestured to the doorman who had come up to help with the luggage, and in the blink of an eye it was whisked out of the condo, pres
umably down to the car waiting to take us to the airport.
“Are you ready?” Stefan asked.
I shouldered my carry on, almost as heavy and overpacked as my suitcase, and gave him an eager nod. I was going to New York. I couldn’t wait.
When we stepped into the cabin of the private jet, it became blatantly obvious that this was indeed a business trip. Konstantin, Luka, and Emzee were all waiting for us.
“Tori, you came!” Emzee squealed, jumping up to greet me with a hug.
She immediately pulled me to the back of the plane where she could update me on everything that had happened since I last saw her. Even if this was a work weekend, at least I’d get to spend some time with her. I liked Emzee a lot. She was funny and friendly and could go on and on for hours talking passionately about her photography. We chatted while the crew readied the plane, but then she was called up to the front by Luka, who gave me a long, leering smile.
I turned away without smiling back, still disturbed by the way he’d cornered me in the condo and basically asked me to sit on his dick. I knew he was young and used to getting his way with women, but even if he’d been drunk, it was completely unacceptable. I was his brother’s wife. But in a way, I was grateful—because his actions were what had led to me and Stefan finally consummating our marriage. I could only hope that Luka would give up the drinking.
We took off and I curled up on the couch, watching Chicago out the window as it got smaller and smaller below us. Luka and Emzee had settled into their own seats on opposite ends of the plane, with Luka scrolling through Instagram on his phone and Emzee flipping through a folder of recent photos she had taken. Overall, it was shaping up to be a mellow two-hour flight.
Up toward the front, Stefan and Konstantin were talking, their heads close together, hands gesturing emphatically. They were discussing KZM business, no doubt. I had smiled at Konstantin when we got on the plane, but tried my best not to make eye contact. He still made me uneasy in his presence, and the less time I spent with him, the better.
