24. Velvet Knives
VELVET KNIVES
FAITH
“ W hat is she doing here?” Onyx wants to know when Paula comes into Nectar. It’s six in the evening.
The place is packed to the gills with desperate men, watching women get naked. Misty is putting on the show of her life to Britney’s Toxic .
Cain’s sister looks around and then clocks me behind the bar.
“For someone who’s been dragged through public shame, don’t ya think her heels are too high?” Onyx comments.
I chuckle.
Paula is made up. Her makeup’s immaculate, hair pinned back like she’s going to a job interview. Not that she has one.
She touches the bar counter like checking it for dust.
“Can I help you?” Onyx asks, sounding almost rude.
I walk to the other side of the bar to take care of a customer.
“I want to talk to you.” Paula bangs her hand on the counter.
Four men sitting at the bar look at her, incredulous.
“She a new dancer here, Faith?” one of them asks. He’s a truck driver. Comes here whenever he’s in this part of the country.
“I’m not a dancer,” Paula clips, obviously insulted.
“That’s correct.” Another man chuckles. “Her ankles are too thick, don’t ya think? I don’t think she can climb a pole.”
People who frequent Nectar are down-to-earth. They come for a drink, some entertainment, a greasy meal, and then go home.
Paula is mortified. She turns to me. “ Now , Faith.”
The balls on her!
“I’m working. And I don’t want to talk to you.” I pour three drafts and slide them in front of the gentlemen who don’t think Paula’s ankles qualify her to be a good pole dancer. “Nice and cold—just how you like it.”
“Thanks, Faith,” they say in unison.
The bar is busy, and I’m running around with Paula chasing me.
“Hey, you want to be here, you buy a drink. The entertainment ain’t free,” Ricky tells Paula.
She huffs and takes a seat at the bar, looking around as if she’s afraid she’s going to catch herpes just by being here.
Cain and Paula grew up in a middle-class home in a small town, and yet Melody and she behave like they’re socialites living in a luxury high-rise in Seattle.
While I worked at Ripley’s, I stayed away from the duo, and honestly, besides some snide comments, they didn’t bother me much.
They got serious when Cain and I got close. But I grew up in foster care and lived with Jamie for two years. These two were a walk in the park compared to what I’d been through…until they got me arrested.
“Cain and Melody had some drunk sex years ago, and now she prances around like she’s marrying him,” Georgia informs me.
“So…are they still together? Like on and off?”
“God, no. He won’t look at her, and she keeps throwing herself at him.
She just wants a meal ticket. She thinks she’s some big-time influencer…
makeup and whatnot. And Paula, the fool, she’s always been so easy to influence.
She used to be a good kid, you know. But then she met Melody and… that was that.”
I can’t imagine Paula as a good kid. Since I met her, she’s been devoid of anything genuine. She is always playacting, so she can feel superior to others. I know people like her. Their meanness is a defense mechanism, a way to hide insecurities.
After making her wait for an hour, I say, “I have a fifteen-minute break.”
She scoffs. “Can we talk somewhere private?”
I take her to Ricky’s office. He’s on the floor, and I know he won’t mind. We’ve become…friends. What a concept!
But the truth is, Ricky and I have more in common than I ever did with Cain—or with this woman, clinging to her pride like it’s the last thing she owns.
Ricky grew up poor, and he worked odd jobs.
“Not all legal, yeah? But I played it smart. Now, I’m here. It’s good. And mostly legal. How about you, kid?”
“Always legal, but not always smart.”
He knows I have scars. He doesn’t pry. He’s just been there for me when no one was, and I’m grateful.
I sit in Ricky’s chair. It’s a petty way to show her who’s boss here.
She huffs and sits on a chair across from me. It’s vinyl. The seat is torn.
Well, that’s how we roll at Nectar!
She folds her hands primly in front of her like we’re at confession. “Faith, I just want to say I’m sorry. Truly. I didn’t think it would go that far.”
A few months ago, I would’ve just walked away and not talked to her. But I healed. Now, I can confront my villains, my tormentors, my demons.
“You didn’t think framing me for theft would go that far? How far did you want it to go?”
She flinches. “It was…look, we thought you’d get scared and leave, that’s all.”
I frown and tap my chin with a finger dramatically. “But you had your boyfriend arrest me.”
She purses her lips. “I was protecting my brother.”
“From me?” I lean back and I have to say it’s a comfortable chair.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She sighs. “Look, I’m sorry. Okay. Just accept the apology.”
I can’t help but laugh. Princess doesn’t know how to apologize. She’s missing some screws for certain. Her ethics are lacking. She has zero integrity.
I’m not wasting my time with her.
I get up. “Was that it?”
She swallows, tears welling in her eyes. “Look, I know what we did was wrong. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“And…I’m sorry.”
I nod slowly, like I’m considering it. “I don’t think so.”
Her face tightens. “Faith?—”
“I’m not your redemption story.” I place the palms of my hands on the table and lean forward.
I’m not angry, I realize, I’m strong. I’m past this shit.
“Cain did what he did without knowing. You, on the other hand, fabricated the entire thing. That makes you a terrible person, and I don’t want to spend another second listening to you. ”
She stands up. She’s shaking with what looks like anger or desperation. I’m not sure. “You think I haven’t paid? Kyle left me. Cain won’t talk to me. Our parents have cut me off. I need money.”
I throw my hands up in exasperation. “I’ve got no money. And even if I did, I wouldn’t give you a dime.”
She glares at me. Now, there’s venom in her eyes. “Since you’re fucking my brother, why don’t you talk to him. He’ll listen to you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You came here to ask me for help?”
She looks defiant, but then, after battling with her ego, she gives a slow nod.
I burst out laughing. “Christ, Paula. I’m not your savior.”
I walk to the door, open it.
“Faith—"
“We’re done.”
Paula looks at me, tears in her eyes. She’s a beautiful woman, like Cain is handsome.
Blonde hair, big eyes, high, sharp cheekbones, blue-blue eyes. Skin like porcelain, like she never goes out in the sun, unlike her brother, who does. His skin is olive, tanned, and rough. He works with his hands.
She’s a princess. She’s been treated like one, and she believes that to be true.
“Paula, you need to fix your life without leaning on your brother or your parents,” I advise. “I promise, it’ll make you a better person.”
The facade cracks. “And how would you know? You’re an orphan with no family. Isn’t that why you’re trying to steal mine?” she screams.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Ricky is at my back.
If I took a bet that he’s been listening all along, I’d win.
“Paula is looking for a job,” I say.
“Well, we need a cleaner.” Ricky chews his toothpick.
Paula glares at both of us, pushes us out of her way, and storms out.
“Somethin’ I said?” he asks innocently and then winks at me. “Your boyfriend is out front.”
“It’s early,” I say, confused.
“I called him,” Ricky tells me. “Told him his sister was here.”
I sigh. “Ricky.”
“You’re my people, doll. I take care of you.”