30. Chapter 30
30
Kelly
M alak’s lips pressed to mine, passionate and warm. My arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer.
His hands gripped at my sides, just above my hips. I was on my tiptoes, even with him leaning down a bit. My heart fluttered in my chest. Even with everything shitty going on, Malak was a bright light. Though concern for him grew inside me. I gently pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes, my hand moving from the back of his head to the side of his face.
“What is it?” Malak asked.
I sighed. “Well, the club. I’m not against the BDSM or, what other people do with their time, but it is illegal,” I said, “what if something goes wrong? I don’t want you getting hurt, or arrested, or both.”
Malak leaned up away from me, but kept his hands on me. His brow furrowed. “I know, it’s a risk,” he said, “but it’s all I got.”
I eyed him. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’ve been running the club for nine years now, it’s all I really have going for me, Kelly,” he told me, “I’m not sure what I’d be without it.”
My heart sank to my stomach. “It’s one thing if you really enjoy running the place, but Malak, you don’t need this club to be you. You’re a wonderful cook, you protect people, you get shit done,” I told him.
Malak shook his head, “people count on me to keep this going.”
“Are you happy here?” I asked him, and brushed my thumb along his face, “I don’t care that you own a BDSM club, I care that you aren’t putting yourself in a dangerous position for a place that you don’t actually think is worth it.”
Malak’s eyes softened, and he reached up, brushing a curl behind my ear. “Gods, you are precious, Kelly,” he told me, “I don’t know if I’m as happy here as I used to be, sometimes I wish I was doing something else, but, right now there’s nothing I can do about that.”
I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment. “What is Rose’s connection with the club?” I asked him, “If there’s one. Did she leave because of the club?”
Malak blinked, and then a weak laugh escaped him. “Technically, I guess she did leave because of the club,” he mumbled and took a step back from me. “Rosie helped me run the club before we were dating, and after. We were in a dynamic together through it all,” he explained, “until she tried to make me choose between her and the club, and Grey, I didn’t choose her, and she walked away. Got married to, well, your sister a few months later.”
My eyes were wide, I gulped. “Wow,” I said after an exhale, my face flushing slightly, “I knew Rose had an ex boyfriend that things didn’t end well with, but she never told me much more than that.”
Malak shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not surprised,” he replied.
I took a deep breath and stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his chest. “You know what, I think I’m ready to go get some dessert and drinks,” I said, “This place is kind of intense.”
Malak smirked slightly. “You don’t like intense?” he asked.
I blushed. “I never said that,” I replied, “just not with people I don’t know, Sir.” I teased him.
Malak hummed out a low sound and leaned down to kiss me on the lips once before leaning back up. “Let’s get out of here, then.”
With a soft smile, I followed him out of the back room. I was still concerned for him, the risks of the club and what he really wanted, but there was so much going on, I didn’t want to argue with him. Malak had made the choice to tell me about the club, rather than let me continue thinking it was something it wasn’t. That counted for something, right?
I looked over at him as we walked.
God, he’s so handsome.
Malak melted me. Even if I wanted to convince him to not take the risk anymore, I wasn’t so sure I could actually look into his eyes and say that without making out with him. I shook my head to myself.
My gaze shifted around as we entered the main room again. I tried to keep my eyes in front of me, not looking around, but I couldn’t help but glance at some of the tables I had before. I realized, as I looked with almost fresh eyes, something was off. I stopped walking, seeing several people pop something into their mouths. The woman who had been smelling the other woman’s stomach was rubbing at her nose.
It hit me like a brick. She wasn’t smelling the woman’s stomach; she was doing drugs off the woman’s stomach.
“You okay?” Malak asked.
I whirled around to look at him. “Why are people doing drugs at your club?” I asked him, my brow furrowing, “That seems kind of unsafe, doesn’t it?”
Malak blinked and looked around. “He have a limit on both drinks and drugs,” he said, “the place is already illegal, I’m not going to control what they partake in further than that.”
My ears heated, and I tugged my hand away from him. “It doesn’t make it better that it’s already an illegal club,” I said, trying to keep my voice hushed as possible as I looked up at him heatedly, “people could get hurt, if you get caught you’ll be dealing with more than just owning the club, Malak.”
“Kelly, I’ve got it under control,” he insisted, his voice lowering.
“I don’t think you do,” I told him, “Sex is one thing, but I saw a woman literally doing cocaine off another woman, how is that safe?”
My heart started to beat quickly in my chest. Suddenly, I was questioning just how good Malak really was.
Malak grabbed my wrist, just hard enough to tug me over to the side, closer to the door.
“Look, Grey provides the drugs he has for six years, it keeps him out of Holly for the most part and away from his family,” Malak explained, “you need to trust me. These people aren’t newbies, they know what they want here, I give it to them, with limits.”
“I guess they can make their own choices, but I don’t understand why you would take the risk of—“ I stopped in my tracks, “wait a minute, Greyson provides the drugs?” I asked.
Malak nodded, “yeah, has since we met,” he said casually.
Anger and frustration welled up inside me and spilled out of my mouth. “That fucker!” I hissed, “he lied to me. He told me he wasn’t involved with his family business anymore.”
“What?” Malak asked.
“Did you know?” I asked Malak, my hands balling into fists, “did you know that Grey told me that?”
“No, I had no idea,” Malak replied, and I watched his own body language grow tense, “Shit, Kelly, I didn’t know he was lying to you about it, I thought you knew.”
I huffed and my jaw tensed so hard that my teeth ground against each other. “I am so fucking sick of the lies and secrets!”
“I’ll go talk to him,” Malak said, voice rumbling.
“No,” I blurted out, “I will.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and quickly opened Grey’s contact.
Me: Get back to the apartment NOW.
I didn’t wait for a reply; I shoved my phone away and turned to look at Malak again, fire blaring in me. “Take me home.”
The entire drive back to the apartment, my knees were bouncing, my nails tapping on my thighs, and I could barely think straight. The second that the car stopped, I yanked my seatbelt off and opened the door, stepping out of the car. The door shut with a hard clank and my hands balled into fists.
“Kelly, perhaps take a breath,” Malak suggested from the other side of the car, leaning his arm on it.
I shot a glare in his direction. “Would you be calm?” I asked him, “He lied to me. This whole time he’s been asking me to tell him everything, but he’s told me nothing, except one stupid lie.”
Malak’s brow was heavy, a dark look in his eyes. “I know,” he said, “Let me handle him.”
I huffed. “No,” I said sternly, “I want to talk to him. Let me talk to him.”
Whirling around on my feet, I started for the door to the apartment building, but my eyes caught Grey walking up the length of the parking lot.
“Where the fuck were you?” I asked him, turning and stomping over in his direction.
“Out walking,” Grey said casually, “What’s going on, what happened?” his eyes were panicked.
I stopped in front of him, fists at my sides. “Lie,” I said, “Lies, and more lies. I know you were out ‘doing a job’.”
Grey’s eyes darted over my head.
“No, don’t look at him, look at me,” I told him, “You lied to me. I asked you if you were still caught up with your family and your family’s business, and you laid next to me, and said no.”
“Wait, Kelly, I—“ Grey tried to defend himself, stepping closer to me.
“No!” I nearly yelled, “You promised me,” my voice caught in my throat.
Grey’s body stiffened, and his voice lowered. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal, I thought you’d have the stick out of your ass by now. It’s just drugs. People are going to do them whether I’m a part of it.”
My entire body felt like it was on fire. “It is a dig deal!” I said, “Your family is violent, and you know damn well it’s not just about drugs. With drugs, there has to come money and power. People get hurt, you get hurt.” My eyes glistened.
“I have it under control,” Grey replied, “I barely see my family once a month when I go pickup.”
I swallowed. “I don’t care, you lied to me. You put me in danger. I know your family doesn’t like mine. For obvious reasons, they don’t want your family to exist.”
Grey’s face turned red. “Malak lied to you too!” he accused, waving an arm out.
“No, he didn’t,” I hissed, “he wasn’t sure how to tell me, but he did. I never asked him, and he never promised me something. He didn’t lie to me. He didn’t tell me you don’t sell drugs, he didn’t tell me he owned a dance club, he didn’t tell me you worked security with him. You did.”
Grey reached forward to touch me, but I yanked away from him the second his hand touched my shoulder. I heard Malak’s steps quick behind me.
“Hey,” he growled, “hands off.”
Grey looked at him, a look of surprise on his face. “Seriously?” he asked.
“Go away, I don’t need your help, Malak,” I insisted, tears running down over my cheeks.
Malak shifted, but didn’t go away, only standing beside me, quiet, guarding.
“I already have a hard time trusting you,” I told Grey, my voice softer and my throat tight. I saw the emotion in Grey’s eyes. Frustration, sadness, worry — but it all just made the knot in my stomach ache even more.
“I’m so tired of trying to figure you out, trying to figure out if I can trust you,” I told him.
Grey stepped closer, I didn’t move. “I won’t lie anymore,” he told me.
“I don’t know if I can believe you!” I waved an arm to the side, “and frankly, with my father already on my ass, I don’t need the danger of your family alongside it. You don’t need it either, Grey.”
“Kelly—“ he started, looking flabbergasted, “please, just trust me.” He reached out and touched the side of my face. I didn’t move at first, letting his thumb caress my cheek. Malak didn’t stop him, either. Standing as still and tense as a stone statue. It was almost more scary than him actually fighting Grey. The dark look in his eyes.
I exhaled shakily, my body warm and needy at Grey’s touch, but I shook his hand off my face and stepped back. “No, Greyson,” I said sternly, my pulse a hummingbird, “No more. I’m done.”
Turning around, I wiped the tears from my cheeks, though more quickly formed in its place. I didn’t look to see if Malak was following me. I needed to go to Emily. I needed someone who I wasn’t sleeping with, or falling for, or trying to figure out how I felt. I needed my best friend.
Three seconds that felt like forever, and the door to Emily’s apartment swung open. I half expected to see Vicky instead of her, but there Emily stood, her hair thrown back on her head, looking very concerned.
“Kelly?” she asked, “I thought you weren’t going to be back for another few days.”
I sniffled and tried to compose myself. “I wasn’t supposed to be,” I said, my breath hitched.
“Get inside, come on, what’s going on?” she asked, grabbed my hand and pulling me into the apartment. The door closed behind me, and I let her lead me into the living room. It was dimly lit by only the TV that was paused in the middle of a show on Netflix.
“I’m so sorry for bothering you,” I told her, sitting down on the couch.
“Oh my God, no,” Emily said, “what’s going on?” She grabbed several tissues off the coffee table and shoved them into my hands in my lap.
“I slept with them,” I blurted out.
Emily blinked. “Who?” she asked, “Malak, Grey, or Rose?”
“All of them.” I squeezed the tissues in my hands.
“Oh wow,” Emily said, taking a breath and then pausing, “okay and what happened? Obviously sleeping with them isn’t why you’re here crying… is it?” her brow furrowed deeper.
“N-No,” I stuttered out and took a deep breath, “afterwards Rose said they sleeping with Grey was just fun, that you can’t trust him, and I got really upset.”
Emily eyed me. “Okay, go on,” she scooted back further on the couch.
I swallowed and continued. “I was so tired of dealing with Lindsey too, and…we all left her there, in Holly.”
“Well, damn,” Emily mumbled, “I mean, she has a point, I guess, Grey is not exactly who I’d consider relationship material, but leaving her there probably wasn’t the best idea. Unless…you changed your mind about her?”
I could not stop the tears from dripping from my eyes, and my face contorted as I cried for a moment. Emily scooted closer to me and grabbed one of my hands.
“Hey, it’s okay,” she whispered, “I’m here.”
I squeezed Emily’s hand, taking slow breaths through my nose and trying to calm myself. The feeling of her thumb brushing along the top of my hand helped.
“I didn’t change my mind about her, I was upset…overwhelmed but,” I sniffled, “Malak showed me his club, it’s—“ I trailed off debating on telling her the exact details of his club, after all that wasn’t really what mattered, “…I found out Grey sells drugs there, that he’s still involved with his family.”
Emily’s face looked unsurprised, but her brow knit slightly. “Well, yeah,” she replied, and eyed me, “did you not know that?”
My own forehead creased, “No! He told me he wasn’t anymore, that he wasn’t involved with his family anymore, after we had sex the first time.”
“Wow, that asshole!” Emily huffed, “God, I wish you’d known.”
“You knew?” I asked her, “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Emily blinked. “I thought you knew,” she insisted, “but, now that I think about it, it makes sense he’d like to you.”
I sniffled. “What, why?” I asked.
Emily sighed. “Well, I know you don’t judge people for partaking in what they partake in, but you are concerned when you hear about it, and I should have known you’d never be with Grey, with him still involved with his family.”
My face tensed even further. “Maybe I would have, if he hadn’t lied to me,” I insisted, “I wouldn’t have told him we were done if he’d just told me the truth.”
“You told him that?” Emily asked, “What about Malak?”
I licked at my lips. “I’m not sure,” I said, “He’s out there talking to him now.”
Emily squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “what about Rose?”
My stomach ached. “I feel terrible,” I cried softly, “she was right, I can’t trust Grey, and I just left her there.”
“Oh sweetie,” Emily scooted closer and wrapped her arms around me, “this is a fucking mess, but I’m here for you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a couple times between my tears. “Thank God,” I mumbled. I pulled back away from her just enough to look into her soft face. “I’m so sorry.”
Emily blinked. “For what?” she asked.
“For asking you to fill in for me, taking so many days off, you put your ass on the line for me at a job you’ve been at way longer than me,” I told her, and wiped at my face with a tissue.
“You’re my best friend,” Emily insisted, “I don’t know if I’d be making the same choices, but I just want you to be happy.”
She pulled me closer and squeezed me tightly; I threw my arms around her, squeezing her tighter than ever. “I love you so much,” I said.
“I love you too,” she said in a slightly playful voice as she wiggled us around in the hug.
Emily pulled back and grabbed one of the tissues from my hand. “Maybe before you go making rush choices, call me first, text me,” she told me, “I know you have a lot going on, but don’t forget I’m here.”
My brow furrowed. “I could never, I’m so sorry,” I gasped and grabbed her hands, “I just…I’ve been feeling ashamed, I guess. That I’m even in all this.”
Emily frowned. “I can’t say I won’t judge you, but definitely not for caring about them,” she said. She stood up from the couch. “Come on, I’ll make some hot chocolate for us and we can bitch about Lindsey, or whatever you want.”
I smiled softly, though the pain in my chest was still fresh.
“That sounds great.”