Society Girls: Matisse (11 page)

“No. I suppose it isn’t. Can I ask you how
you did on your test?”

“I passed, and I did it without your help. I
guess I should thank you for making me realize I don’t need you.
So, thanks for knocking me down. I picked myself back up just
fine.”

I walk away as he calls after me, flipping
him off with both hands when I reach the door. I walk straight to
Quinn, not looking back even once. I would love to know what his
reaction is, but I need to love myself more.

“That was interesting,” Quinn tells me as we
drive off.

“Glad we could entertain you,” I say
bitterly, and then regret it. “Sorry, I shouldn’t take out my anger
on you. He just makes me so mad.”

“Love isn’t easy. You know what Zane and I
went through.”

“Zane always loved you, and you knew it.
Kendrick just liked fucking me.”

“I don’t know Kendrick well, but he doesn’t
seem like that kind of guy.”

“They never do.”

* * *

Kendrick

I’m not entirely surprised when the elevator
takes me to a different floor than my hospital wing. There are a
few offices here, but I know exactly who summoned me, so I don’t
waste any time going to her.

“Hello, Kendrick,” Kevin says as I walk in.
“Stella’s expecting you.”

“Obviously,” I tell him as he chuckles. I
walk past him into her office.

“Have a seat, Kenny.”

“I have work to do Stella, so why don’t I
just stand while you say what you feel you need to say.”

“Fix it. Whatever you’ve done to Matisse,
fix it. Whether you do that by telling her it’s over forever, or by
fighting to overcome whatever happened, I don’t care. It just needs
to be taken care of.”

“You don’t get to dictate my love life to
me, just because I work for the Society.”

“You’ve hurt her, Kendrick,” she says,
getting to her feet. “She’s hiding it well, but she’s broken, and
I’ll be damned if I sit back and let you mess with her.”

“I’m not.”

“Really? You let her chase you for months,
then supposedly wanted to be with her, only to do whatever you did.
Then you just tried to talk to her in the lobby. Like I said, walk
away or fight, but don’t keep up the back and forth. She deserves
better than that.”

“I can’t fight if I don’t know where she
is.”

“Are you serious about fighting?”

“Yes. I told her I wanted to talk when we
were downstairs.”

“Words are sometimes just that,
Kendrick—words.”

“And sometimes they’re not.”

“She went to D.C. to visit her brother.”

“Thanks, Stell.”

“I wouldn’t thank me yet—if
this goes South, I
will
hurt you.”

“I have no doubt.”

I run down the list of things I need to do
as I head for the elevator; I need to get permission from Reina to
be gone, make sure Liz knows what she needs to do while I’m away,
tell Waverly I’ve come to my senses—and not just from her punching
me when I told her about what happened—find a flight, and pack.
Easy.

Or not.

“No?” I ask, stunned as I stand in front of
Reina’s desk after asking her for the time off.

“What are you planning to do with your time
off?”

“That’s my business.”

“Not if it involves one of my recruits.”

“I screwed up, Rei. I need to tell her
that.”

“I know you screwed up. You didn’t turn off
the cameras or sound, and I’ve seen the video.”

Shit. I was too caught up in things to shut
them off, but I should’ve remembered they were there. “Then you
also saw Waverly come in to tell me off, and punch me.”

“Oh yeah, that was the only good part of it.
I should recruit her.”

“You should,” I say, meaning it.

“Glad to know I have your approval.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I just want you
to know I think you should consider her for the open spot.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m still not
going to let you run after Matisse.”

“I could quit.”

“You wouldn’t do that, but if you did, I’d
make sure you were on every watch list everywhere. Kind of hard to
fly then, isn’t it?”

“You said you heard what I said, so why
don’t you understand that I need to make this right?”

“What’s your plan?”

“I don’t know. I just need to find her and
grovel.”

“Groveling is good. I don’t mind when it
happens to me.”

And then it hits me. If she heard what I
said, she knows I wasn’t too kind where she was concerned. “I
wasn’t insulting you with what I said, Rei. I won’t apologize for
hating power plays. I know you use your power for good, but it
still freaks me out when I see it in action sometimes.”

“I won’t deny that I’m powerful, but I have
nine peers, five founders, a husband, and other friends who would
put me in my place if I went too far.”

“Matt would put you in your place?”

“Okay, maybe not Matt, but the women would
do it. You should know that by now. Hell, I even backed off when
you told me to while Matt was in your hospital.”

“You did,” I concede.

Maybe I shouldn’t have freaked out so much
about her. She’s right—I have never seen her go farther than she
should and the Society wouldn’t allow it if she tried. It’s just
that when you have a front row view to abuse of power for most of
your life, any show of it is going to make you nervous. That’s the
story I’m sticking to. Mentally, at least. I can’t tell Reina
that.

“I’m going to let you go after all. I think
you and Matisse need to clear this up. She didn’t let what happen
affect her test today, which tells me she’s strong enough to have
it out with you. Just go as the kind man I know, and not the
bastard who said horrible things to her.”

“I will. Thank you.”

I impulsively hug her, and then run through
the other items on my list. Liz is thrilled that I’m actually
taking time off and giving her the reins. She’s more than capable
of patching up any minor injuries, so I feel good about that part
of things.

“Go and get your girl back,” Waverly tells
me.

“I’m going to try my hardest to make that
happen.”

“You also need to remember
that Reina isn’t like
them
. She doesn’t hurt the
innocent.”

“I know. I got scared.”

“You know I understand better than anyone,
but these are good people. We can trust them.”

“You think it’s time to tell them?”

“Don’t you?”

“Yes. When I get back, we’ll do it. We’ll
tell them everything.”

Matisse

“Cezanne!” my brother, Haring, yells out to
me when I enter his roller rink. Regular skating goes on here, too,
but most nights are filled with roller derby bouts.

“Warhol!” I yell back. When your parents
name you after famous artists, you have to have some fun with
it.

He picks me up in a hug, and spins me
around. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Me too.”

“Three days, right?”

“Yep.” That was all I could manage, because
I have studying for the Society and work at the tattoo shop. Reina
and Zane both said I could take longer, but I don’t want to fall
behind or shirk my duties.

“We’re going to do the town up after the
bouts tonight, and then we’ll do whatever else you want.”

“The zoo?”

“Are you five?”

“No. I’m twenty-five, and I love the
zoo.”

“You’re on your own there.”

“I came here to spend time with you.”

“Do you not remember the reptile house, Van
Gogh?”

“Yes, Banksy, I do. You were eight.”

“I still have nightmares.”

“From seeing snakes behind glass?”

“That one tried to get me. Everyone saw it
banging the glass!”

“Fine. I’ll go to the zoo alone, but you’ve
got to go to the Nationals game with me.”

“Since when do you like baseball?”

“Since my friend’s dating Joel Cruz. His
team’s playing.”

“You want me to sit with you while you root
against the home team? That’s un-American.”

“Fine. I’ll sit behind home plate by
myself.”

“Whoa there, don’t get crazy. I’ll sit with
you, but I’m wearing my Nationals gear.”

“Whatever.”

“Go take your seat, baller.”

I lean up and kiss his cheek before grabbing
some snacks and sitting in the seat I always occupy. Some of the
regulars come over to say hello, and catch up between jams, and I’m
feeling even more glad I came. This trip home is just what I
need.

Or at least I think it is, until we’re
sitting in our local bar later and a blast from my past hits me.
“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Haring asks me.

“Bill’s here…with his wife.”

“Fuck! I forgot they hang out here now. It’s
been so long.”

“Two years isn’t that long.”

“Should we go?”

“No. I can handle it. I have absolutely no
interest in him, and there’s no reason for them to come over
here.”

Which, of course, means that’s exactly what
they do. “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” the Mrs. says.

“I’m here to hang out with my brother. I
don’t want any trouble.”

“You shouldn’t have slept with my husband,
then.”

I turn to look at both of them. “This is the
last time I’m going to say it, so listen close. I had no idea Bill
was married. None. He lied to me, and whether you believe that or
not, it’s true.”

“It’s obvious you’re here for me. Stop
looking so desperate,” he says.

I get up out of my chair and stand my
ground. I ran two years ago, but I know now that while I made bad
choices, I’m not a bad person. Just one who wants these assholes to
leave me alone. “I have a boyfriend.”

“What is he, a tattoo artist?”

“Actually, I’m a doctor,” Kendrick says from
behind me.

His arm slips easily around my waist as he
uses his other hand to tip my chin up for a sweet and sexy kiss. I
kiss him back, because I need him right now. There’s no other
reason, because I’m definitely not thinking about how much I miss
his lips. Nope. Not at all.

“You’re with her?” the wife asks with a
laugh.

“I am.”

“What’s her name.”

“Matisse Kingston.”

“Anyone could’ve told you that.”

“But they didn’t. You’ve tried to put on a
show, and failed. Now it’s time to walk away gracefully.”

“You don’t talk to my wife like that,” Bill
tells him.

“Walk away, idiot,” Haring says, speaking
for the first time. I love that my brother trusts me to take care
of myself, but I love him more for standing up for me as things
escalate.

“Keep your woman on a leash. If she is your
woman, that is.”

“She’s definitely mine, but I believe it’s
my turn to be tied up tonight,” Kendrick tells him.

I love this man. Seriously, I love him. Oh
shit, I. Love. Him.

* * *

Kendrick

“Never a dull moment with you,
Kandinsky.”

“Shut it, Pollock.”

“Do you always call each other by different
artist names?” I ask.

“Pretty much,” Haring tells me.

“Good to know.”

“You don’t need to know since you’re not
staying.”

“If I leave now, your friends will stop
believing we’re together.”

“I hate you.”

“Hate and love go hand in hand, so I can
deal with the former for now.”

I put my arm around her as we both sit down.
She’s stiff in my arms until I start moving my fingers back and
forth in the spot behind her ear. I know it’s one of her erogenous
zones, and her shoulders relax almost immediately as she leans into
my hand.

“Is someone going to tell me what’s going
on, or do I need to call Aiden?”

“You don’t need to call Aiden,” she tells
him. “This is Kendrick. We fucked a few times—and then we didn’t.
End of story.”

“If the story ended, why are you here,
Kendrick?”

“I needed to talk to Matisse, and she’s
here, so I flew here, too.”

“I think we should spend some time getting
to know each other if you’re going to be flying across the country
after my sister.”

“There’s no need for that. Kendrick and I
have nothing to talk about, and he’s leaving tonight.”

“You’re leaving?” Haring asks me.

“Nope.”

“Why?” she asks, making it sound like a
plea. Damn if that doesn’t hit me right in heart.

“This place looks like it has good beer, you
need my help to keep those vultures away, and oh yeah, we need to
talk.”

“I’ll concede the first two, but as for the
talking, you made yourself perfectly clear. I don’t want or need to
hear any more from you.”

“I was an asshole. Quite possibly the
biggest asshole on the planet, and you didn’t deserve that. I took
out my frustrations on you.”

“You asked me to ‘blend in.’”

“I didn’t mean that. I love the way you
look. You know that.”

“I thought I did, but then you said those
things.”

“Hello! I’m still here,”
Haring says. “Did you really ask
her
to try and conform? And you lived
to tell the tale?”

“Sorry, Haring.”

“You know my name. Maybe we should
officially meet.”

I hold out my hand. “Kendrick.”

We shake as Matisse rolls her eyes. “I’ll
get us the next round.”

She hesitates for less than a second before
leaning over to kiss me. I happily go along with it, pulling her in
when she tries to back away. When she digs her nails into my
shoulder I let her go. I love her nails on my skin, but only when
we don’t have an audience.

“Aiden hasn’t called me so either he doesn’t
know what happened, or he doesn’t think it’s serious,” Haring says
once she’s gone.

“I care for your sister, but things are
complicated. I said things I didn’t mean, and as you can see, she’s
not too willing to let me prove myself.”