Yuk. That is disgusting. I cannot imagine any scenario where I would end up in that basement with this woman. Gross.
“I doubt that,” I say, still using my fake high-society manners. “I don’t belong in the Club. Elias and Quin keep me far away from that life. But I’m sure you’ll have fun with all the other…” I want to say tramps, but it’s not fair, because they’re not tramps. They’re just people. People like me and Chella. So I don’t. I say, “Partners,” instead.
“Why, thank you,” she says. But I’ve offended her because she presses her lips together. “Do you still play music? I know you had that guitar hobby back when you were a child. In fact, I’m the one who talked your father into giving you your first guitar back when you were eleven. I can still picture you that one night he brought me home to your house for a party. You were—”
“Excuse me,” Bric says, pressing into me. “Helen, is it? I’m going to steal Rochelle from you. I’m dying to dance with my lover.”
I almost laugh. Almost. But the sting of that last statement is enough to quell it.
“Would you like to dance, Rochelle?” he asks politely. As if I would say no.
“Love to,” I say. “Can you hold my drink?” I ask the woman. She takes it out of habit, mumbling something about it being her pleasure, but I don’t wait and thank her—can’t wait and thank her, because Bric is pulling me away.
“What the fuck was that?” he asks.
“Apparently,” I say, as Bric puts his hand on my waist and we begin to dance, “that was my father’s old mistress. How wonderful it was to see her again.”
“I bet,” Bric says, smiling down at me.
“What a cunt. God.”
“You’ve never mentioned your father before.”
“No,” I say. “For good reason. He’s an asshole.”
“And your mother?”
“Stepmother, you mean. Another cunty bitch. My father loves the cunty ones.”
“Got it.” Bric laughs. “So where’s all this animosity come from?”
Really? Tonight, of all nights, in public, he wants to ask me about my old life?
“You don’t want to talk about it,” he says.
“Got it in one,” I say, trying to keep the mood light. But he’s serious now, so I try again. “No. Not here, anyway.”
“Do you think we’ll ever meet them?” he asks.
“Will I ever meet your families?” I counter.
He shrugs. “Not mine. They live far away. But Quin’s family is in town.”
I picture this meeting in my head. I know his father passed away a few years back. So no worries there. But his mother is still alive.
“Would you like to meet his mother?”
“Have you met her?”
“Of course.” Bric laughs. “Kitty and I are old friends.”
“Kitty,” I say, trying out her name. I wonder what Kitty Foster would think of me? Probably exactly what I thought of that woman back there. Gold. Digging. Slut.
“I haven’t seen her much lately, but we bump into each other every once in a while.”
“Well.” I sigh. “I’m going to pass on that. I can imagine that if I meet Kitty, the two of you would demand to know someone from my family. And I can’t think of a single person I’d be happy to introduce you to.”
“Not one?” he asks.
“Not even one,” I say. I wonder if he’s talked to Smith lately. I wonder how much Smith really knows about me? “I don’t want to think about my past, Bric. And I certainly don’t want to associate with my father’s ex-mistresses. I left my life behind for a reason. I don’t want her reminding me of that.”
Bric leans down to kiss me. “Hey,” he whispers into my mouth. “Don’t worry about that woman.”
“She says that Justin guy is a member of the Club. Just got an invitation.”
“I can uninvite him. And I’m going to make that very clear to Justin tomorrow. She’ll never talk to you again.”
“You’d do that?” I ask. “Give up a member just because I’m uncomfortable?”
“Why not?” he asks. “Do you really think I need another member? The only thing I care about these days is you, and Quin, and Adley. I will do anything to keep us happy. Kicking out a new member doesn’t even require a moment of consideration. It’s done.”
I sigh. Then smile. “Thanks,” I say. “But it’s really not necessary. I’m fine. I’ll probably never see her again. It’s not like the Club is my life anymore.”
“It’s not. You’ll never have to go there again. Not even for breakfast. We’ll find another place to call our own. Hell, maybe I’ll just buy another restaurant down in LoDo. Make it easy for everyone to stay away. The past is the past, right? No need to go backwards.”
“I could kiss you right now.” I laugh. “Somehow, you always know the right thing to say.”
He frowns.
“What?” I ask.
“Except when you came to me last year. To tell me about your pregnancy. I wasn’t thinking, Rochelle. I’d like you to know I’d never ask you to have an abortion. I would’ve stuck by you. Maybe I didn’t know it at that moment, but I would’ve figured it out.”
“I know,” I say. “It really wasn’t you. It was… Quin.”
“Have you talked about it yet?”
“A little. But I don’t want to bring it up again. He was mad at me. He had a right to be mad at me. And now he’s forgiven me, so let’s just leave it there.”
“Done,” he says. “And hey, if you wanna leave the party, I’m all for it.”
“No,” I say. “Don’t be silly. You’re here for business. I’m fine.”
“Well, shit. I was hoping you’d say yes and then we could fuck in the car before we got home.”
I laugh. “Yes, Mr. Bricman. You really do say all the right things.” And then I lean up on my tiptoes, until my mouth is right next to his ear, and I whisper, “I promise. After dinner, we can take a quick trip to the car for dessert.”
Chapter Twenty-Three - Quin
Adley and I are sitting on a blanket on the floor of her room, playing blocks. She’s a good stacker. Great stacker, actually. She got two the first time, then three. Three blocks stacked. She’s probably a genius-level stacker.
“Are you hungry yet?” I ask her. She takes the red plastic block out of her mouth to drool and smile at me. I think she’s getting teeth. I looked it up on the internet and this is the age when they first start appearing. Bric is a genius as well. That comment about checking for how-to-diaper-a-baby videos was legit. They have everything you can think of on the internet when it comes to babies.
All day at work I was searching. How to make a bottle, what kind of bottle you use (we’re already using the good kind—Rochelle is a genius too), what kind of diapers to buy. How many times a day they need changing. I tried changing her as soon as Bric and Rochelle left, just to have one under my belt before the real deal happened.