A Constant Reminder (18 page)

“He’s not going to even let us hang out anymore.”

“Do you hear yourself? He’s not even that type of guy. We still have separate lives. We don’t do everything together. When did I let any guy tell me what I can and cannot do?”

“Not yet. He’s moving in so that’s going to change.”

“Yeah some things will change.” Roxanne threw some old clothes from her closet into an empty box. “But a lot of things will stay the same.”

“He’s just going to sponge off of you. He’s a loser.”

“Erika you are like the most negative person I’ve ever met in my life. You could spoil Christmas for a five year old.”

“Did you tell your momma?”

“Yes she knows.”

“What did she say?”

“My momma adores Adam. Everybody loves Adam but you.”

“Has everyone gone completely mad?”

“No not everyone, just you.”

Erika buried her head deep into a pillow. Roxanne was done with the Adam talk. She decided to ignore Erika. Her mind was made up. Adam was moving in and if she was lucky he would be here to stay.

***

Everyday life with Adam was better than Roxanne imagined. Morgan adored him and he didn’t come on too strong. He let Morgan seek him out as opposed to winning her over. He never tried to go overboard.

Roxanne loved the way he always added Morgan into the equation. She had boyfriends that never bought Morgan anything. She had boyfriends that ignored Morgan. She had boyfriends who would bring food to her house and not bring enough for her daughter.

Adam was different. He knew what Morgan liked to eat because he made a point to learn. He had even bought her dolls. Roxanne trusted Adam with Morgan. He never displayed any behavior that Roxanne felt was suspect. Sadly she couldn’t say the same of all her past boyfriends.

Adam never lived with a woman before but Roxanne was a dream girlfriend. She was attentive without being overbearing. He actually couldn’t get enough of her. He finally sold the townhouse he owned. He didn’t have any reason to hold on to the property. He was going to be a permanent fixture in Roxanne and Morgan’s life.

When Adam first laid eyes on Morgan he was smitten. She was adorable. She was just like her mother. Roxanne did a wonderful job raising her alone. It warmed his heart. It made him feel like anything was possible.

Roxanne’s mother agreed to watch Morgan so Adam and Roxanne could have a night out on the town. It was Erika’s birthday and she invited them out to a nightclub. This really wasn’t their scene but Roxanne promised she would show up. She preferred to cuddle with Adam in bed but Erika had beckoned her so she had to make an appearance.

Adam walked hand and hand with Roxanne down the dark alley. There was a sign perched above a third floor window half way down the middle on the brick building.

The sign had brightly lit big neon letters that read THE MYSTERY SPOT. There were a few people walking down the alley all headed in the direction of the sign. There were a few people leaving out of the entrance of the club.

The nightclub bouncer was a huge stocky black man. He was standing in the doorway checking the identification of a young woman with his huge silver chromed flashlight that doubled as a Billy club.

“How do you pronounce your name?” The bouncer asked the young woman in heels and a red mini dress that almost showed off her vagina. Her hair was dyed jet black and her body was slender but curvy. She had a huge back tattoo of a red devil with horns.

The bouncer looked into the young woman’s face and noticed her many facial piercings, nose, eyebrow, top lip, bottom lip and cheeks. Roxanne noticed them too. She also noticed that Adam didn’t seen to be paying any attention to the practically naked woman. He was a really good boyfriend to ignore her visible butt cheeks. Any of Roxanne’s exes would have drooled and gawked just like Roxanne wasn’t even standing there. Adam had class.

“Or-ron-ja-lean-na.” The pierced woman replied.

“That’s cute.” An odd response from such a burly guy, the bouncer gave the identification card back to the young woman.

“Yeah just like me.” The woman winked.

“Have a good time.”

The woman walked inside the doorway leaving Roxanne and Adam with the bouncer. The bouncer waved them in without even asking for identification. How old did Roxanne appear to others? She thought about this as they caught up to the pierced lady.

An Italian man holding a metal detection wand greeted the pierced woman in the tiny hallway. The man thoroughly ran the wand up and down the length of her body. It didn’t really matter because she was pierced in so many places.

The man waved her pass him and to the cashier’s window. The woman bopped her head to the music that grew louder the further she entered the nightclub. She turned and glanced back at Adam and Roxanne.

Roxanne glared at the woman when her eyes lingered on Adam a second longer than they should of. The woman recognized the
he’s with me
look Roxanne gave her.

The woman paid twenty dollars and Adam paid forty for Roxanne and him. Roxanne let the woman go far ahead of them. She noticed the staircase and she knew the woman was probably not wearing panties and she refused to let her boyfriend walk behind the woman and get a birds-eye view of the woman’s pierced pussy. It had to be pierced, everything else was.

Roxanne walked in front of Adam up a long dark stairway. The walls were sloppily painted with multi-colored, fluorescent glow in the dark paint. Roxanne was supposed to meet up with Erika and Teri to celebrate Erika’s twenty-ninth birthday. Why did she pick this place?

Erika had been acting foul every since Adam moved into Roxanne’s apartment. This was a way for Roxanne to show Erika that she would still hang out and kick it from time to time.

Oddly Roxanne never really went to clubs anyway. Roxanne had a child straight out of college and she took being a mother very seriously. Partying and drinking was never apart of her lifestyle after college.

Adam and Roxanne reached the top of the stairs. They both looked out into the crowded club and moved slowly into the mix of weird diverse looking clubbers.

Adam had been there before, many times actually. He decided to keep that to himself. Not much had changed in the seven years since he had partied at The Mystery Spot. The name hadn’t even changed. Meaning it probably had the same owners, some Russian drug dealers from Kosovo.

Even though the place was packed, Adam found a table in the back but near the dance floor. He reluctantly left Roxanne alone to order drinks from the bar. He knew how important this night was for Roxanne. Since he moved in with Roxanne he knew her relationship with her best friend was strained. He recognized that Erika didn’t like him but he didn’t read much into it.

Adam returned to the small table for two with two drinks. He placed them on the table and sat next to his girlfriend.

“What did you get me?”

“An Amaretto Sour, just like you like.” Adam pushed the drink over to Roxanne.

Even after this short time together, Adam made a point to know what Roxanne liked and disliked. It sometimes frightened her how attentive he was to her needs.

“Thanks.” Roxanne tilted her drink up and took a sip from the straw. “What did you get?”

“Long Island.”

“Adam have you seen Erika?”

“She was just at the bar with that other girl I think her name is Teri and some guy.”

Roxanne’s eyes focused on the bar but she didn’t see her friend.

“Drink up. I want to dance with you.”

Roxanne drank her drink until it was gone. Adam had finished his before her. He held his hand at the small of her back while he waited for her to finish. She thought it was really sensual the way he touched her. The drink sent a surge to her lady parts.

Adam stood and held his hand out for her to take. Roxanne took it and followed while Adam led her to the dance floor. She had seen him dance before but it was at home in a joking way. She wasn’t sure if he could move. Then she smiled when she realized how well he moved in the bedroom. He had to be a great dancer. His sexual rhythm was unmatched.

The music pulsated and vibrated off the walls. It was some techno house music Roxanne had never heard before. Somehow the DJ had blended Beyoncé’s song
Haunted
into the unknown mix.

Adam immediately pulled her close. He held one of his hands on her rear. He was pushing her into him and grinding to the beat. This was a turned up version of dirty dancing.

Roxanne’s mouth fell open. She glanced into his eyes and saw a glimmer of the ferocious man, the man that only came out to play on special occasions. These unexpected things turned her on about him. Or was it everything about him turned her on?

Adam bent to nibble on Roxanne’s earlobe. “Babe, I love this song. This is our song.”

“This song?” She inquired.

“Yes, you haunt me.” Adam pulled away to gaze at her.

“Do I?” Roxanne ran her hand into the dense hair on the nape of his neck.

“Yes in a good way, in the best way.” Adam grabbed Roxanne and held her so tight her bones shifted.

“Don’t break me.” She yelled over the music.

Adam pulled away and smiled at her. “I already broke you.” He raised one eyebrow.

Adam was always getting the last word. Roxanne was speechless, basically because his words were true. She would never be the same. Adam opened her up in so many ways. She would never love this way again. What a cliché. What a sappy love song? What the hell would she ever do without him?

Roxanne looked into Adam’s mischievous grin. This night was going better than she anticipated. Why did she even think it would go otherwise?

Adam palmed her butt cheek and squeezed it tight. She gasped for air. He hastily pressed his tongue into her mouth and kissed her like her mouth belonged solely to him. It did. He believed it and so did she.

Roxanne reached up and fingered Adam’s hair. She grabbed a few strands and pulled him deeper into her mouth. This was what real love felt like. She was always trying to convince herself that this was real, that this was love. She didn’t have to do that anymore. There was no doubt. She felt the passion in his words, his kiss, in his gray-blue eyes.

Adam pulled away to bring his lips to her ear. “This song makes me want to lick you all over.”

Roxanne felt a gush of moisture in between her legs. The heat they generated made Adam’s cologne trickle into her nostrils. It was the Givenchy she bought him. The hint of the cologne with his body chemistry was the most tantalizing scent Roxanne had ever smelled.

After the song ended they left the dance floor. Adam led her to the bar. He ordered another set of drinks. They moved to a table as soon as a couple vacated it to go to the dance floor.

“I can’t believe I haven’t seen Erika.”

“She’s here somewhere.”

“There she is.” Roxanne spotted Erika right away in a silver sequined dress.

“I told her we just got here and where we were sitting. I also said happy birthday. She didn’t roll her eyes at me so I think we’re making progress.” Adam grinned.

Roxanne spotted Erika in the crowd coming toward their table.

“You made it.” Erika said.

“We’re here, happy birthday.”

“Thanks, come out on the dance floor with me.” Erika extended her hand not giving Roxanne the option to decline. When Roxanne looked to Adam, Erika grabbed ahold of her hand.

“Now?” Roxanne asked.

Erika was tempted to ask Adam’s permission but she decided to refrain from being a bitch on her birthday. “Get up. Adam will be right here waiting for you.” Erika smirked.

“Go ahead. I’ll be right here. Your purse will keep me company.” Adam joked.

“Okay give me a second.”

Roxanne took a sip of her drink, a drink that was ice at this point before she left the table holding onto Erika’s hand. Roxanne looked over at Adam and apologized with her eyes. Adam was aware of how possessive Erika was of Roxanne. He had listened in on a phone conversation or two. He didn’t mean to. The apartment wasn’t that big so he stumbled into overhearing them talk.

He hated to admit Erika didn’t threaten him. He loved Roxanne and he had something Erika lacked and that was a penis. He couldn’t help his harsh point of view. It was just the simple fact of the matter. He knew Erika liked to be in charge. He even thought that she may have bossed and bullied Roxanne before he came into the scene. But those days were long over. Absolutely no one would mistreat his girlfriend.

Adam looked around the crowded nightclub. He noticed a tall woman with a skimpy dress. She was basketball player tall. Adam was six-one and the woman appeared to be six-five or six-six. He looked a little harder and realized that the woman was actually a guy dressed as a woman. He quickly turned away.

Adam took a long gulp from his Long Island Iced Tea. He looked down at his watch and when he looked up he saw a curvaceous pretty blonde standing before him. She was right in his face. She even took the vacant seat next to Adam, the seat once occupied by Roxanne.

“Hey dude. I know you.” The blonde smiled as her eyes darted all over Adam’s body and landed in his crotch.