Doms, Divas, & Dating

Chapter Six: Cat Suits & Ghosts

The next few weeks both crawled and flew by as Devina counted down the days until she would see Jacob again in person.

That first night after the bar was not the only night Jacob insisted Devina and her friends use his car and driver. She and Peter were becoming fast friends by the end of the second week. Devina felt weird about accepting it sometimes but also more cared for and treasured than anyone else had ever made her feel. So she embraced her self-proclaimed diva inside and let this exceedingly wealthy man pay to have her driven around town whenever she wanted. 

When Devina tried to bring up Jacobs' obvious issues with public or shared transportation, he skillfully redirected the conversation without ever giving Devina any real answers. She accepted it. For now.

Jacob’s trip kept him very busy, but he had made time every night at least to call, text, or facetime with Devina, if only for a few minutes. They even had a few facetime dinner dates when their schedules lined up for it. Devina did a better job paying attention to his questions and answers on those dates, although they spent most of the time laughing and just enjoying the little moments they had through a screen.

Devina learned Jacob was in Trieste, Italy, where one of the manufacturing shops for his company was. She also learned his mother was from Argentina but that his father was Russian. She still didn’t mention she spoke Russian, though. Something in her told her to keep that part of herself locked up a bit longer. So few people knew about her life before, and she still wanted to keep it that way.

DEVINA: What time should I expect you on Saturday?

Devina sent the text as she walked into the liquor store with Javi and Sib. They were stocking up for the penthouse party of the year. One they had held in Javi’s Dupont Circle heaven of a home since they all fell in best friend love freshman year. 

“So Devi dearest, what outfit have you picked out for your demi-god to wear?” Javi said as he swiped his Daddy’s credit card to pay for the goods. Just to be clear, it was his Daddy’s- not his father’s. 

“We had a whole bit about pirates and sirens, so I thought that would be cute. I hope I got the right size things for him,” Devina replied. 

“Let me see him again? Just one more time, I swear! Just let me get one more good look before he comes to the party and all my dreams of him really being gay are dashed when I see him crawling all over your fine ass,”

Javi said it with the most enormous, most ridiculous puppy dog eyes that Devina just could not say no to.

The three of them loaded up their liquor haul into the back of Sib’s suburban then climbed into the vehicle.

Once seated in the back, Devina pulled out her phone and clicked on the dating app. She had shown Sibil and Javi his picture plenty of times but never thought just to screenshot it.

Clicking on the icon, she scrolled through the app to the message section where she expected her conversation with Jacob to still be– only it wasn’t there. His photo was now that stupid black outline, and when she clicked on it, nothing popped up. No photos, no bio, none of their messages from that first night. It was as if the whole thing never happened.

Devina refreshed the app four times, and still nothing. 

“Give it up, girl! Don’t you save those envy green eyes all for yourself!” Javi teased from the front seat while Sibil drove them through the city.

“Uh, well, it's gone,” Devina replied.

“What?” Sibil asked.

“It’s gone. His picture and our messages are gone, and I can’t seem to get to his profile anymore,” 

Devina felt a little spark of panic beginning to take flame in her chest. She knew what it meant when you were talking to a guy, and his picture and profile suddenly disappeared. 

Jacob was ghosting her.

“Shut up!” Javi yelled as they pulled up to a red light. He clicked off his seatbelt and climbed his way into the back where Devina was.

“I’m sure there's a reason for it. I mean, you’ve been texting him and talking on the phone with him for weeks, Dev!” Javi said as he clicked around the app, verifying what Devina had said. 

Sibil was silent in the front. 

Devina was new to online dating flings, but Sibil was not, and Devina knew better than to get her hopes up thinking it was some sort of mistake after watching Sibil go through it so many times when they were younger.

Nowadays, no one walks away from the queen, Sibil McGrady, but before she found her confidence, plenty of men left her in the dust once they had what they wanted. Devina had been there each time to mend the damage each ghosting boy left in his wake. 

Devina knew it was over and that little flare of panic was now a raging fire within her.

“f**k it,” Devina muttered as she stole her phone back from Javi.

“It’s not like we were in a relationship, and I mean, we only had one date. And it was a daytime date, so it only half counts,” 

Javi looked up and met Sibil's eyes in the rearview for a moment before turning back to Devina.

“You know what makes situationship pain feel better?” Javi asked, scooting over to sit right beside Devina.

Devina tried to give him a careless look but she was certain her disappointment was plastered across her face by now.

“Edibles. Edibles make situationship pain feel better,” Javi said finally, and Sibil cheered her agreement from the front seat.

“To the penthouse, Sibby and step on it! We have brownies to bake and boys to forget!”

One and a half brownies and a whole bag of tortilla chips with queso later, and the three best friends were feeling just right.

“Has he texted you back at all?” Sibil asked quietly as Javi got up to get them more chips.

“No. Let's face it; he is not going to. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s done, and I refuse to be the one to reach out twice,” Devina replied.

They were cuddled up on Javi’s massive sofa, watching more BONDiNG episodes. Sibil reached over and dragged Devina closer to her, smothering her in a hug.

“I know it sucks, but it gets better. Just don’t let this set you back,” Sibil whispered.

Devina knew what she meant to say was, “don’t let this set you back the way Rhett did”.

“It won’t, Sib. The party is two days away, and after that, I will get right back to it. At least I ripped the dating bandaid off, right?” 

Sibil knew damn well Devina was just acting tough, but inside she was devastated.

Society acts like you have to be with someone years before truthfully falling for them, but a man with enough charm can make women act downright stupid. Abandoning all sense of pride and letting their hearts lead them right into the trap of the modern-day dating nightmare that is ghosting.

Devina discreetly checked her phone.

Still nothing from Jacob.

He had just been texting her last night. Talking about how excited he was to see her in person again this weekend. Wanting to take her out on a proper dinner date. 

“Okay, we are out of chips, so it's on to Oreos,” Javi said as he plopped down on Devina’s other side, tossing the package of cookies into her lap.

She knew she had hardly been eating the last few weeks, trying to look her best in her Halloween costume for Jacob, but now that he wasn’t going to be there, she might as well enjoy herself.

Plus, deep down, she knew she would just double up her workouts the next two days to work it all off before the party.

“We need to get you a new costume, Devina! You need to be HOT like on fire, smoking-flames-slutty hot. Nothing makes you feel better after a failed talking phase than getting hoe’d up and hit on by all the boys at a party- right Sib?”

“RIGHTHH!” Sibil said, her mouth already stuffed with cookies.

“OOOOO THAT! WE NEED TO GET YOU THAT!” Javi said, bouncing on the sofa in his excitement as he pointed at the scene.

There stood the perfect Mistress May wearing what looked like a latex cat suit, complete with ears and a tail.

“You’re joking, right?” Devina said, almost choking on a cookie.

“OH, I TOTALLY SEE IT!” Sibil added, sitting up and grabbing her phone.

“There’s this great s*x shop in Arlington. I bet you they have latex stuff,” Javi added.

“Guy’s no way. I’m all for a little sexy, but that is too much! My body won’t look like hers in that I will look like a stuffed sausage on stilts!” 

“Shut your pretty mouth up, Devina! Maybe it's time to get a little wild. Licking cherry filling off his fingers, wild baby! Harness that vibe, and nothing can look bad on you!” 

“Plus, your body is fantastic even when you aren't depriving yourself, Devina!” Sibil added with a severe mom look directed right at Devina.

Of course, Sibil had noticed. She always could.

Devina pulled a pillow up to her face to hide. 

Can I be that sexy? She thought to herself.

Fuck it. Was her answer.

“Fine, but I am NOT going to the s*x shop, or I will back out of this, so you guys are gonna have to take my card and buy it for me.” 

“DEAL!” Javi and Sibil shouted at the same time.