Deadbeat Mother

It's Her

~Neela~

I dry my eyes and fix my face. I keep my makeup to a minimum so little cries like that won’t be easily detectable. I pinch my cheeks, making sure they give me a rosy look. I straighten out my clothes as best as I can and make my way out of the restroom.

I plaster the best smile I can muster and walk back over to where my husband is sitting. He pats the spot next to me, and I oblige, not wanting to have any drama to go home to. His slimy friend comes back around, looking at me like I’m his next meal. I do my best to swallow the bile that wants to rise and keep my professional smile visible. “Babe, this is Soren. We’ve been doing business together for a while. He was hoping to get a little one-on-one time with a famous supermodel. I told him you’d be happy to do that for him.” The look in Steven’s eyes tells me that if I dare defy him, I will pay dearly, and I’m not interested in testing that at all.

I nod and reach my hand out to Soren. His hand is clammy and gross, but I pretend I don’t notice. I stand up, and immediately, he places a hand on my ass, giving it a few squeezes. I want to push him away from me. I want to cry out so that someone comes to help me. But I do none of that. I simply walk next to Soren and let him molest me as he likes.

We go to the other side of the VIP room and sit on the couches there. I’m in full view of Steven, and he watches us while he talks to others. I can only pray that there are no more after this guy; I don’t want my entire night to be like this.

Soren’s hand brushes my breast, causing me to tense up. I look up and catch Steven’s eye. He nods slightly, and I try my hardest to relax. Soren leans in close so his mouth is at my ear. His fingers trail around my knee before traveling up my thigh. I wish I had pants on. I wish I wasn’t here. I wish this weren’t my life. “I need you to keep your face clear. I don’t want him to know we are speaking.” What the hell?! I want to look at him, but I think that would be a bad thing to do right now. “Nokio sent me to talk to you. You are a hard woman to get alone; this was the best way. I’m sorry I have to touch you, but it can’t be helped. Blink once and smile if you understand.”

Soren moves back slightly from my face, and I can feel his eyes on me. I slowly blink while letting a smile grow on my face. Soren leans back in, pushing his hand further, almost at my center. “I have an SD card in my hand. It’s tiny, so you have to be careful. I have something on it that will make it stick to your thigh. You HAVE to get it before your husband finds it. It has pictures on it that you would want to see. You can put it in your phone and look at them. Nokio says to be careful.” My breathing is heavy, and I’m trying to remain as calm as possible. It’s hard to do because I’m scared as well as excited.

Soren’s hand moves along my thigh, and I can feel something there when he moves it. “I’m going to kiss you on the corner of your mouth, and then I will help you back to your husband. I….I hope you take care.” Tears are forming, and I do my best to keep them in. I can’t afford to let them go because that would alert Steven to something not being right.

Soren leans in and places his lips at the corner of my mouth. I swallow but don’t move. He stands up and holds out his hand. I’m scared this card will fall, but I can’t retrieve it yet. I have to trust that it won’t move, as Soren said.

I place my hand in his, and he helps me up. We walk back to the group, back to Steven. Soren sets his head to mine and mumbles, ‘sorry,’ though I’m not sure why. Standing in front of Steven, Soren stands behind me and presses his body into mine. His hand comes around, and he gropes me. Steven loves to see s**t like this, and I hate it. “Thank you so much for the time. She’s amazing.”

“That she is. I trust she was welcoming.” Soren’s nose moves along my neck.

“Very. I hate that I have to go, but I must. The little woman is getting restless at home.” All of the men have a chuckle at that. Steven stands up, and Soren hands me to him. He turns me around, and Soren takes my hand, kissing it. “It was a pleasure.” I dig deep to find my voice.

“Thank you.” Soren nods and walks off. Steven pulls me in close to him.

“You did well. We will be leaving soon; you can go ahead.” I swear I can’t breathe and need to get out of here as soon as possible. I smile at the men and walk through the VIP, trying not to break out into a run. I carefully walk down the stairs and out the back door. I stop and take a big gulp of air. I need to get into the limo and get that card before Steven knows anything.

~Evan~

The air is cool and fresh outside, and it’s exactly what I need to deal with, whatever this is that’s going on. This entire situation is crazy, and I don’t know what to do. Natalia kissed me; like she put her mouth on me. WTF?! We aren’t like that; we’ve never been like that. I don’t want to be like that.

I appreciate the friendship we have and that we’ve had all of these years. I appreciate all the help she’s given me with jobs and Cooper. She’s like the sister I never had, and I’m grateful for that. There’s nothing more there for me, and that needs to be clear to her.

I hear a door open, and I look toward the sound. I walked down a bit when I came outside, just needing some distance. I’m on the other side of the dumpster, so I peer around it to see who made the noise.

The minute I did, I wish I hadn’t been so nosey. I wish I had stayed on the side of the dumpster. My heart wasn’t ready, isn’t ready…..could never be ready. I have to be going crazy because it can’t be her. Leaning on her knees, outside of the same club I’m in, is none other than the woman who broke my heart, the woman who walked out on Cooper and me, the woman I’m still hopelessly in love with……Neela.