Chapter 15 Sasha
FIFTEEN
SASHA
It felt like Roman had been working even harder to stay away from me, his daughter, or both. He didn’t come home often, and he rarely answered his phone. The most I could get out of him was one-word replies to whatever text I’d sent him.
Are you coming home for dinner? No.
Are you coming home tonight? No.
Your daughter is asking for you.
Nothing.
Outside of my nanny position, life was great.
My grades were good, I was making friends, and I even found myself enjoying school.
But one thing always stayed the same. I had to go back to Roman’s every evening, and he was determined to make my life as miserable as possible.
I had even thought about trying to find some way to get out of the contract I’d signed, but I always ended up dismissing that thought.
I wasn’t there for the same reasons I’d take any other job.
It wasn’t about the money. I took that job so I could be with my niece.
There was no way I’d ever be able to turn my back on her.
After spending so much time building a relationship with her, I couldn’t walk out.
She needed me, and if I was being honest, I needed her too.
Roman, on the other hand, I wished he’d get his shit together.
My phone went off as I was standing at the kitchen sink. I pulled it out of my back pocket to see Lance’s name on the screen.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked when I put the phone to my ear.
“Hey, where are you?”
“I’m at home. Why?”
“Tell me you’re coming out tonight,” he all but pleaded.
I rolled my eyes as I moved the phone between my ear and shoulder, my hands going back to drying the glass with a towel. “Going out where?”
“You mean you haven’t talked to Parker yet?”
“Nope, haven’t heard from her. What’s up?”
“That’s the last fucking time I’ll trust her with a message,” he muttered.
“What message?” I asked a little louder as my annoyance took over.
“The club,” he said, as if I should have known what he was talking about.
“Oh, I’m not big on clubs,” I started to say, but he cut me off.
“No, you have to come tonight. Trevor won six VIP passes to one of the hottest clubs in town. I mean, celebrities have been known to hang out there while they’re in town. You have to go.”
I snorted and reached for the phone as my neck started to cramp. I put the glass into the cabinet and turned to lean against the counter. I crossed one arm over my chest.
“Why do I have to go? I don’t really do the whole drinking, dancing, clubbing thing.”
He groaned, and I imagined him rolling his eyes. “How many times are you going to get the chance to meet some big-name actor or some crazy, talented musician?”
I chuckled. “There’s no guarantee that I’ll see either of those there.”
“Yeah, but you’ll have a better chance than running into one of them at your place,” he threw back.
I snorted in disbelief. I never thought he’d outsmart me, but he had. “Good point.”
“So?”
“I don’t know… I don’t know what’s going on around here yet.” My phone beeped, indicating I had another call. “Hold on, I have another call coming in.” I switched over. “Hello?”
“Sash, please tell me that Lance hasn’t called you yet,” Parker said.
“I have him on the other line right now.”
“Shit,” she cursed under her breath. “Well, when he mentions going out tonight, act like it’s not the first you’ve heard of it.”
“Too late.”
“Damn it. He’s never going to let me live this down. I was supposed to tell you yesterday before class cut out, but I got distracted with that new assignment and totally forgot.”
“Well, I’ll try and cover for you, but the cat is out of the bag.”
“So, are you going with us tonight?”
“I don’t know,” I said, pushing off the counter as I started to pace back and forth. “You know I’m not big on all that.”
“Come on, Sash. It’ll be so much fun, and we both know how much you need to have some fun.”
She did have a point. I hadn’t been entirely open with her about my nanny problems, but she knew a little, and she wasn’t wrong.
“I’ll have to see what’s going on around here tonight.”
“I thought you said you get Saturdays off?”
“I do.”
“Then why do you have to see? You’re free to do whatever you want. So?”
“So,” I repeated. “I’ll think about it, OK? I have to go. Bye.” I hung up before she could argue any further. I was about to tuck my phone back into my pocket when it began ringing.
Damn. Lance.
“Hey,” I put the phone back to my ear.
“You forgot about me, didn’t you?”
“What? No, of course not.”
“You did too. Who was that?”
“Nobody.”
“Was that Parker?”
I laughed. “No, it wasn’t Parker, but you know, now that I think of it, she did say something about the club tonight,” I lied, wanting to cover for her.
“Liar! It was Parker, wasn’t it?”
I laughed. “I have to go. I’ll text ya later and let you know if I’ll be able to make it or not.” I tapped the red circle on my phone and ended the call.
I immediately pulled up the text conversation I had with Roman. It wasn’t so much a conversation as it was me asking him a series of unanswered questions.
I typed out a quick message.
SASHA: It’s Saturday, my day off. I was going to make plans with friends, but I wanted to make sure Sophia would be covered first. Do you have someone to watch her tonight?
I didn’t expect him to reply any time soon, so I locked the phone and slid it back into my pocket.
Then I cleaned up the water droplets that had scattered on the counter from me washing my glass.
I folded the towel and set it on the countertop before leaving the kitchen for my room.
If I were going out to a club, I would need to find something to wear.
I didn’t have the time to go out and find something new.
I had to find something within the confines of my closet.
I stepped into the walk-in closet and passed the rack that held all my daily things.
I moved to the side that held the stuff I just wanted out of the way.
I had several summer dresses that were cute, but not really fitting for the club scene.
I had a formal dress that I wore when I was in a family member’s wedding last spring and a simple black dress that I hadn’t had the chance to wear yet.
I wasn’t much of a dress girl, but there were times in life when you needed a dress, and that was why I bought the black dress.
I knew I’d need something eventually, and I figured the black dress would work for a wide variety of events: date night, club night, and last-minute funeral. Black could fit in anywhere.
I took it off the hanger and slung it over my shoulder as I continued to look through my closet. I took down a cropped denim jacket to throw over the sleeveless dress, then dug out a pair of heels. I laid everything out on the bed before going into the attached bathroom to get ready.
Usually, I wasn’t the type of girl who would make a fuss about going out, but I figured, why not? It was my night off, so I may as well make a night of it. I took my time in the shower, washing my hair and body, and shaving until every inch below my eyebrows was soft and smooth.
When I climbed out, I dried off and applied lotion, then moved right into my get-ready routine: drying and curling my hair in soft beach waves and putting on more makeup than I ever wore.
I had just finished getting dressed when I thought to recheck my phone.
I expected Roman to text me back, but I still hadn’t received anything.
I knew that Saturday was my day off, and that was why Sophia was already with Monica, but I still wanted a definitive answer.
I would’ve hated to leave just for Sophia to be brought home.
When I had everything ready to go and still hadn’t heard back from Roman, I headed toward the door.
I stopped in the living room to pull my jacket on, and that’s when the front door opened.
“Sasha!” Sophia yelled as she came running toward me. She wrapped her arms around my legs in a big hug.
“Oh, hi,” I said, patting her back, my eyes moving toward Monica as she walked into the room. “Hey.”
“Well, you look nice,” Monica said, pulling Sophia away from my legs and dropping to one knee to help her off with her coat. “Were you going out?”
“Yeah, some friends invited me out, but I don’t have to go. I can stay,” I offered.
“What? No! Go,” she insisted.
“What about?” I motioned toward Sophia.
She rolled her eyes and stood with Sophia’s jacket. Sophia rushed off. “I can stay with her while I get a hold of Roman.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, feeling uneasy about it. I didn’t want Roman to use it as an excuse to think I didn’t take my job seriously.
“Seriously, Sasha, go. It’s your day off. You need a life outside of this house. Trust me.”
I bite my lower lip. “I don’t know… I’m just worried that Roman—”
“Don’t worry about him. I’ll handle him. Go.”
“But—”
“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “Go.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “You’re sure?”
She just cocked her head to the side and looked at me with lifted brows.
“Thanks. You’re the best.” I pushed forward, heading for the door. “Tell Sophia goodnight for me.” I pulled the door open and stepped out.
In a way, I felt like a teenage kid getting permission to go out with friends. But on the other hand, I also felt like a tired mom who hired a babysitter for the evening. Neither of which I was. It was the first time I thought I might start going out more. Maybe my friends were right.
I met up with my friend group outside of the club, and they all welcomed me with excitement and warm hugs.
“Sash, this is Gavin, the guy I’ve been telling you about,” Parker said, pulling a guy to her side.
I looked up at him and offered a smile.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, taking in his football jersey. Of course, Parker was dating a football player.
He returned the smile and nodded. “You too. Park’s told me a lot about you.”
My smile turned into a grin. “Has she? How long have you two been seeing one another?”
“Oh no. We’re not going to start the interview already. Let’s go. Ask questions with a drink in your hand.” She turned toward the door and pulled her linebacker with her.
Addison and Trevor followed after them, leaving Lance and me alone.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, stepping closer to me.
“Thanks for inviting me. I did need to get out.”
I saw his eyes move down my body and back up. “You look amazing.”
I didn’t mean to, but I smiled. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad either.” I wasn’t trying to lead him on. I knew I couldn’t date, but I couldn’t not return the compliment.
“You two coming?” Trevor yelled from over his shoulder.
When I looked after our group of friends, I saw they were already being let into the club.
“Come on. We’re going to get stuck outside.” I turned and rushed toward the door, leaving Lance to chase after me.
All six of us entered the club and were shown to the VIP area, where blacklight ink was stamped on the backs of our hands.
I had never been in the VIP before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
It was almost like a mini club in the middle of the bigger club.
Honestly, it reminded me of being back in high school.
The VIP area was really just the place where all the cook kids would sit, knowing everyone was watching them.
It was for people who liked to be seen but were still too far away to touch.
The VIP area was a small cluster of tables and sofas, cordoned off by ropes and bouncers.
You had direct access to one end of the bar, and when a clubgoer approached, the bartender seemed to drop everything to help the important person.
Even though there were several bartenders, none of them moved that fast for someone who wasn’t important.
“Make yourselves comfortable. First round is on me,” Trevor said, walking past the sofa, heading to the bar.
I moved to the far end of the sofa and took my seat. Addison sat at the other end, and Parker and her linebacker stayed standing, facing one another and talking. They were too far away from where I was sitting, so I couldn’t hear anything to be a part of the conversation.
Lance came to take the open seat next to me, and I got the feeling that was going to be the theme of the evening.
Addison and Trevor had been dating for as long as I’d known them, and Parker and the linebacker were new, but going hot and heavy.
Even though Lance and I weren’t a couple, we were thrown together a lot, and I worried that maybe he was getting the wrong impression.
“Time for shots,” Trevor said, setting a tray full of drinks down onto the table in front of us. He passed everyone a beer and a shot glass full of clear liquid, taking the last for himself.
He held the shot into the air. “To a night we’ll never forget.” Then everyone tipped them back.
I didn’t want to be the only one not enjoying themselves, so I poured the liquor into my mouth.
It was ice cold and hurt my teeth. Despite the drink’s cold, the liquid seemed to burn, leaving my mouth numb and tingling.
I forced myself to swallow the liquid, and it felt like I swallowed fire.
I even felt it hit my stomach. Despite not being a big drinker, I brought the beer to my lips and chugged down several large gulps to put out the burn.
I knew I was being a baby because everyone else cheered and celebrated, while I felt assaulted.
“Who wants another round?” Trevor asked.
“No, babe! Take it easy,” Addison said, leaning forward and pulling him over to her. They met in the middle with their mouths.
Parker and her football player immediately turned for the dance floor.
And I was left with Lance once again.
When I looked over at him, he offered a smile and scooted toward me.
“Now you see why I wanted you to come. I knew they’d do that.” He motioned toward Parker and her date with his thumb. “And I knew I’d be stuck watching that.” He nodded toward Addison and Trevor.
I laughed. “Well, you know you always could get up and move around, meet some new people, dance. Who knows, maybe you’ll find someone you’re interested in and want to date.”
His eyes met mine, and it felt like the entire club was switched to slow motion. He wet his lips before the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
“I already have.” He leaned toward me, and before I could process what was happening, his mouth was against mine.