Nobody Girl (22 page)

“I met my mother this morning.”

“Really?
That’s great … or is it? How did it go?”

“It
was
great.” She stood and paced the floor as she added, “I learned a lot about her. And I learned that I wasn’t actually dumped. She really did love me. And my birth name is Gabriella. And I get my green eyes from my father Gabriel. And there’s just so much that I want to say and talk about that
I
—”

“Let me take you to lunch,” Chase said, interrupting her.

“Lunch?”

“Yeah, that way you can tell me everything.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it’s Saturday. Don’t you want to go to the mall with your friends or skateboard in an abandoned parking lot or whatever teenagers do on the weekend?”

Chase laughed then said, “No, I want to take you to lunch.”

Delia sat on the bed and crossed her legs, then uncrossed them,
then
she stood, walked in a circle then sat back down on the bed. Doubt filled her mind again as she thought about her attack and Promise Stone. And for that matter how was he able to find out about her mother?

“My grandmother, Felicia, is a social worker. She has tons of connections. That’s how I was able to find your mother,” Chase said. She must have been thinking aloud. “And as for your attack and Promise Stone, well, bad news travels fast. I heard it through rumors.”

Even if she convinced herself that these were viable reasons, there was still the problem of his age and position.

“Chase, you’re my student. Um, I don’t know if —”

“Look, I’ll take you out of the city. We’ll go to Annapolis. I know this great seafood restaurant that makes the best crab cakes in Maryland. We’ll take separate cars. No one will recognize us. No one will know.”

Delia sat on the bed for a moment massaging the bra strap indentation on her shoulders. She really needed to get rid of the breast implants.  Finally, after taking in a long breath and releasing it, she said, “Okay.”

Chase and Delia sat in a booth chatting for so long that their waiter jokingly asked if they would be staying for dinner as well. After paying the bill, Chase stood and reached for her hand to help her out of her seat. Then he placed it in the crook of his arm and led her out of the restaurant.

She felt a tinge of self-consciousness as she noted people staring at them. Did they have a problem with a black woman being with a white man? She shook off the thought. She wasn’t going to let doubt and insecurity ruin a perfectly delightful afternoon. The people were probably staring at the fact that while she wore a jean skirt and a yellow knit sweater set, Chase had slicked back his hair and donned a suede smoking jacket as if he were Cary Grant. Delia could only laugh at his courageous sense of fashion.

As they walked arm and arm along the sea wall near the Naval Academy, Delia breathed in the salty air and noticed how free she felt. She wished she could keep this moment forever. Even though their easy conversation had trailed off and they now walked in complete silence, she had never felt so absolutely comfortable and peaceful in her life. For the first time in she didn’t know how long, she wasn’t wondering who her husband was sleeping with, or why she wasn’t good enough for him.
She wasn’t searching her mind for how she could make herself better or blaming herself for not being worthy of her birth mother.
And she wasn’t trying to figure out who could possibly be trying to kill her.

Best of all, she felt loved by Chase, the man.
Not even a hint of CJ the sullen, cantankerous teenager had come out all day. Instead, every look from Chase’s passionate dark blue eyes, every seemingly accidental caress on the small of her back or side of her arm made her almost completely forget CJ’s existence. Giving her his jacket to stave off the chill in the November air was something CJ would never have done. And by the time Chase reached for her hand and began to massage it in that same special way he did while they were on the cruise, CJ faded into a distant memory.

When they reached the end of the sea wall, Chase didn’t turn around to head back to the cars. Instead, he hoisted her up and sat her down on the three foot barrier.

“What are you doing?”

“I have a surprise for you,” he said with a boyish grin as he joined her. He stood and found his footing then helped Delia to her feet. They used each other for balance as they walked around the cement embankment to where the water brushed up against the large rocks. After climbing the rocks to higher ground for a few minutes, Delia saw the surprise. She smiled at the romantic set-up he had arranged. Chase helped her sit down on the blanket then turned on Frank Sinatra’s version of “Our Love is
Here
to Stay.”

“
It’s
cider,” he said, reaching for a bottle out of an ice bucket and filling a glass for her. “I also have strawberries and chocolate and cheese.” He lifted the lid off of a silver tray then popped a strawberry into his mouth.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me. How did you —?”

“Wait, there’s more.” He took matches out of his pocket then lit two candles that had been hidden behind the CD player. Then he turned on three outdoor heaters that he set up creating a radius of warmth around them. When everything was perfectly arranged and nothing could be heard but Frank’s docile tones and the crashing of the waves Chase reached for her hands and said, “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your touch, your smell, your laugh. I’ve even missed your sneeze. You have no idea how hard it is to see you every day and have to contain what I feel for you.”

“Chase
... ”
Delia tried to think of a reason to stop him but was struck speechless by the intensity in his eyes.

Scooting closer to her, he caressed her cheek and asked, “Can I kiss you now?”

Delia hesitated a moment not knowing if she could trust herself to kiss him. She didn’t know where it would lead. It scared her to realize she knew
exactly
where she wanted it to lead.

Not waiting for a response, Chase leaned in and seized her lips. The strength of his kiss and the fresh taste of strawberries made her moan with desire. Without pulling away from the kiss, Chase removed his shirt, placed it behind Delia’s head and lowered her down to the ground. Hands slipped under her shirt and messaged her stomach, her sides,
then
her back until they reached the snap of her bra. After unsnapping her bra, his hands slipped around front to cup her ample bosom.

A familiarity came when she was with Chase. She remembered their first time together and how she just felt right. She hated feeling that what they’d shared was wrong, tainted, and well, illegal. She wanted to forget everything and just be with Chase, the man. Placing her hands on his back, she rubbed his smooth skin while wrapping her legs around him and pressing her body against his. She wanted to feel all of him. With every second her anticipation grew.

Chase’s kisses moved away from her lips onto her neck as he whispered her name over and over again. His slow deliberate hands inched her skirt up to her waist. Just as he reached for her panties Delia felt a vibration on her leg. Chase froze.

“What is that?” She asked when she felt the vibration again.

“Nothing.
It’s nothing,” he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. He looked at the number and groaned. He rolled off of Delia and flipped open the phone. “What?” The tone in his voice made Delia uneasy. It was understandable for him to be frustrated given the situation, but his tone also had a tinge of anger. How could he go from being so completely loving one second to downright irate the next.

“I don’t care. I’m busy … None of your damn business …
Well,
take care of it … because I’m busy! Are you deaf?”

Delia sat up and adjusted her clothing as all of her earlier fears returned. CJ had reappeared instantly and with a fury. It was like she didn’t know the man she was about to share herself with.

“Fine, fine, fine.
I’ll be there in an hour … I already told you, none of your damn business.” Chase clicked off then closed his eyes while taking in a deep breath.

“Who was that?” Delia asked unable to contain her curiosity.

“I have to go,” he said, reaching for his balled up shirt.

“What? Chase, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Delia. I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

“But
— ”
She wanted him to explain himself. She wanted to find out more, but Chase had already run off into the night.

Lena sat alone in the hotel room nervously biting her thumb knuckle. She had to make this work. She had to perform. According to Amanda, this was her last chance. If she didn’t do it Amanda would ruin her life. Her parents could never know what she had done. Maybe if she had sex with just this one client, she could somehow convince Amanda to set her free of her obligation. She doubted that would happen, however. Amanda was extremely ruthless when she wanted to be.

Maybe after doing it this one time she would realize it wasn’t such a big deal. Maybe she would even enjoy it and want to keep working for Promise Stone. She doubted that.

Lena hopped off the bed and went over to the bar. She took a swig of vodka hoping it would relax her and almost choked from the sting of it. She considered changing into the slinky lingerie she had purchased just for this occasion, but Amanda told her that this client wanted her in her school uniform.

She took another swig of vodka,
then
went around the room dimming all the lights. She went to the mirror and unbuttoned her shirt enough to see the rise of her bosom. Then she gave herself a little pep talk convincing
herself
that she was sexy. She also told herself that she had to do this in order to get into college.

Lena sat on the bed and awaited her client. Her legs began to tremble when in walked the same man that left her on a street corner in Southeast DC. She didn’t remember exactly what happened that night, but she did remember being in a hotel room with him one minute, then shivering on a street corner the next.

“Oh, this is my lucky day,” he slurred. To top everything off, he was drunk. If he left her on a street corner when he was sober, what would he do to her now that he was drunk?

Lena was paralyzed with fear as he pushed her down on the bed and climbed on top of her.

“Don’t be afraid little girl. I won’t hurt you.” He blew his hot stinky breath in her face as he clumsily unbuttoned her blouse with one hand and fondled her with the other. This was her worst nightmare. Last time he was so sensitive and gentle, she almost wished to have that time back again. She wouldn’t disappoint him.

He unzipped his pants and starting probing her roughly. She knew she couldn’t do this. She frantically scratched at his face and tried to free herself.

“Little girl, please don’t make me hurt you. Just do what you’re supposed to do. I paid good money for you.”

Lena fought harder. But she got nowhere. When he violently slapped her across the face, she lay stunned and unable to move.

“Good, a little cooperation,” he said when she didn’t move, thinking he had won. “Now, take me into your mouth and pretend I’m a lollipop.”