Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
The Perfect Storm
L ennox was in a deep, dark sleep when he realized that the music he was hearing wasn’t a part of some dream. It was his default ringtone. The one that everyone over the age of thirty with an iPhone seemed to choose as their default tune, including himself. Opening one eye, he stretched across his king-sized bed, half-naked beneath thin sheets. He clumsily lunged for his cellphone, knocking over something in the darkness.
Whatever it was hit the floor hard, then rolled away. He brought the phone to his eyes as the side of his face pushed hard into the pillow, struggling to make out the words on the darkened screen. It was no use. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Yawned. Increased the brightness. Now, he could see. Two missed calls from Nadia. A voicemail, too. He listened to it as he slipped his arm behind his head and leaned against the headboard.
“Len, you’re somethin’ else. Wow… It’s late, I know. Um , just uh, just wanted to tell you that the flowers are beautiful. Gettin’ flowers at night is different. I didn’t expect that. Hell, getting flowers period is out of the norm nowadays. I didn’t think men sent flowers anymore.” She chuckled. “But yeah, Thank you… thank you so much. I want to talk to you about something you had written on the card.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know what your schedule is like this week, but if I can meet you tomorrow sometime, would that work? Let me know either way. If not, we can plan somethin’ for another day this week. I know with your two jobs ’nd all, and my crazy schedule, it might be hard sometimes to link up without more advance notice… Well… goodnight.”
And that was that.
He sat there for a little while, gripping the phone. Then, he set it down. Taking a deep breath, he leaned over and grabbed his bottle of water to drink. He chugged it, crushed the empty plastic bottle, and tossed it into the trashcan. Back under the covers, he allowed flashes of Nadia dancing on stage to enter his mind.
Spinning red lights had glazed her limbs in hues of magenta, burgundy and crimson. A seductive glance from over her glittery bare shoulder and a shake of her ample ass sent his dick into beast mode. He ran his fingers along her bare, slick flesh as she gyrated against him. The scent of sweat blended with her intoxicating perfume, filling his nostrils as he gripped her from behind. There were so many men in that gentlemen’s club, but for a split second, it felt like it had been only the pair of them. Cigar smoke eddied past him as he squeezed her and gave her flesh a tender slap, a firm pinch, before paying her what she was owed. He knew he was falling for her fast and hard when he stood amongst other ravenous wolves and felt not a shred of jealousy.
In his mind, he was the leader of the pack. It was obvious: They couldn’t compete where they couldn’t compare… She was his and his alone—and anything she did, spoke of, or contemplated before they reunited didn’t matter. It was vapor. Gone with the wind. As he pondered their time together at her place of business, an unexpected pang of guilt seized him out of nowhere. I’ve been plotting against her.
Everything he did in the last few weeks was calculated. A slow dance to a fast takedown. A beautiful manipulation. A spirited chase with a deep, dark, nasty mean streak. He was hunting. Afterall, that’s what men did, right? We pursue. He was hiding in the shadows, then pounced at just the right time.
I mean, shit. I guess I felt a little guilty because she’s happy about the gesture, but I know she understands what this is about. Men are made to provide, dominate, and conquer. Most women seem to crave that and resent it at the same time. But this was nature. Yet, he could not fight his instincts when it came to Nadia, but he could control how he went about it. This was no ordinary conquest. He could feel it in the depths of his soul.
Yeah, she was right. She was the one that had gotten away. But it was more than that. Deeper than that. He was now at a crossroads. In deep shit. His life had gotten terribly complicated, and in some way, she was the only thing that felt right at that moment. With all of her hurdles, Nadia was the easiest person to understand in his life .
My own father wants me to abandon my values. The ones he and my mother instilled in me and my sister, not tellin’ me that when it came to old man Wilde, all that shit went out the window. One set of rules for the world. One set of rules for Grandpa. I was expected to do what was predictable in this family: fall in line. I prefer to stand in my own circle. The other option is to live my life the way I see fit, regardless of the consequences.
Dad had fallen in line, and was miserable. He was wealthy, could buy practically anything he wished, but his life wasn’t his own. He’d never remarried after mom died, but he had a slew of women he fucked just to get his basic sexual needs met. Mama was gone, and all Lennox had was his sister, Silva, who now barely spoke to him. He had his clients at the gym, but they didn’t know the real him, and neither did his friends. He kept everyone at arm’s length.
I’m all alone in this… No, I have my cousins, too. We need to come together. We’re all in the same boat.
He wasn’t as close to the majority of his cousins as he’d have liked to be, but he believed that had been planned to some degree. Now that he was mature, he could change that. Grandpa was getting older and more desperate, too—just like Dad had said. He didn’t care about Lennox’s dreams and goals. No doubt his grandfather only viewed him as a commodity. A tool to be used and if need be, abused. Someone he could mold into his own twisted and contorted image, and train up to orchestrate destruction amongst the masses. Grandpa knew he could do it because he’d done it before… He had blood on his hands that would never wash off.
He wasn’t happy about those prior “engagements”, but they were part of his growth as a man. He’d had so much rage in him back then, it seemed the only way was to get it all out. Now, his past had caught up with him. Lennox replayed the words written on the letter from his grandfather in his mind. The promises. The threats. The blackmail. And the most important part: what would happen if he didn’t conform. He sat up once again and reached for his phone. He sent a text message:
Nadia, you’re right. We do need to talk.
I can make time for you tomorrow. Let me know your schedule. Sweet dreams.
He placed his phone back down on the nightstand, closed his eyes, and pushed all the bad shit swaying through his mind aside. A smile crept across his face as he fell into a dream. This time, there were no other eyes on Nadia in the club except his own. It was just them—all alone. Soft music playing, in a private room for two…
She’d asked him not to, but he insisted. Nadia checked the time on her phone, then returned her attention to the storage unit. She’d planned to ask him the pressing question that was on her mind, but that all got derailed when she mentioned that she needed some things from her storage unit but was having a hard time getting stuff situated. Lennox was putting box after box onto the bed of his truck, tackling them with the greatest of ease as Dusty Leigh and Bubba Sparxxx belted out, ‘OAB,’ from the radio in his ride.
“That should do it!” He shut the back of the truck, dusted his hands off, then gripped the bottom of his shirt and maneuvered it across his face, removing a veil of sweat. In the process, he exposed some of the tightest abs she’d ever seen. She scanned his body and heated up from head to toe with scorching hot approval. “I’ll follow you back to your place.”
She nodded, thanked him, and got into her car.
As she drove away, she looked at him a couple of times through the rear-view mirror. He donned a Houston Astros baseball cap on his head, now completely shirtless, a chain dangling from around his neck. He bounced a bit when he went over a speedbump. In that moment, she could have sworn that his pecs jumped. When he realized she was looking at him, he tossed her a seductive wink and cheeky smile. She reached for her phone.
“Hey, Danielle. I need a favor.”
“What’s up, girl?” Danielle was an associate of hers at the Sweet Soiree Gentleman’s Club. Another dancer. She was one of the few women she confided in from time to time, and was just an overall chill person.
“Hey! I know I’ve been off the last couple of days, but I might be late tonight. Can you cover for me in case I am?”
“…Late? Yo’ ass ain’t comin’. You either have a drug problem all of a sudden, Nadia, or you got you a brand-new fuckbuddy ’cause you don’t miss no money fuh shit!” All Nadia could do was laugh. “Yo’ stage name might be Velvet, but it should be Velveeta ’cause you about gettin’ that cheddar, baby. Ms. Cheese! You rarely miss a day! ”
Biting her lip, she looked away from the mirror and placed her eyes squarely on the road ahead. “You’re right, but this couldn’t wait. I was just getting some stuff out of storage and things are taking longer than expected.”
“Mmm hmmm,” Danielle said in disbelief, followed by a husky laugh. “Okay, girl. I got you.”
“Thanks, baby! See you later.”
“Bet. You owe me a drink, heffa.” The call ended.
Nadia turned up her radio which was playing a local commercial about a gas station’s fountain drinks. Some two for one special.
About twenty minutes passed and she pulled into her parking lot, with Lennox right behind her. She parked and he drove past, looking for a visitor space. Once she was at her door with her key, he was walking towards her, a few boxes in his arms, his steps easy and slow. She opened the door and stood there until he caught up. Moments later, they were both inside, and she turned on the lights in her living room and hallway area. She stood by as he brought all the boxes in, setting them exactly where she wanted.
“Thanks so much for all of your help. You’re a lifesaver. Are you thirsty?” she asked as she made her way into the kitchen, flipped the light, then washed her hands.
“I could use somethin’. What do you have?”
“Everything,” her nerves tensed when she noticed him toying with his necklace, the pendant a dark, shiny tooth. He was rubbing the chain between his thumb and forefinger, and biting his lower lip. Damn. “Um, I’ve got iced tea, water, beer, some Pinot Noir, uh… water, of course. Apple juice, too. ”
“I’ll have some iced tea. I drank a little too much the other day, so I am laying off until the weekend.” She nodded in understanding, grabbed a can of Lipton Brisk iced tea, and cracked it open. As she opened a cupboard to pour the beverage in a glass, she heard him approach and the faucet turn on. She removed the cup, closed the cabinet and stood there as he washed his hands.
“I need to ask you something, Len.”
“Yeah? What is it.” He pumped soap into his palms.
“How’d you know I don’t like storms? You said it on the card with the flowers.”
“Because some records are public.”
She swallowed, walked around him, and reached for the bottle of wine.
“So, you checked up on me?” She grabbed a wine glass from a cabinet.
“The same way you’d checked up on me. Looking on social media websites. Askin’ some of our mutual associates about me. Yeah. I saw the public record.” He dried his hands, took the glass from the counter she’d poured him, and sat down at the small kitchenette table.
“The details aren’t public.”
“The initial charge was . I paid for them to be public. To me.” He said those words without flinching. Without a care in the world.
“When?”
“Recently.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed to know why you disappeared from me, Nadia, all of those years ago, and I knew what you were tellin’ me was only half the story when I was over here the first time. I know when you’re telling the truth and when you’re lying. I always have.”
“How?”
“Because you rarely lie to me. It’s not in your nature to make up shit, or omit important parts. Therefore, you usually resort to just tellin’ half the truth when you have something to hide. That way, you aren’t directly lying, but definitely skipping key details. The times you have lied to me, it was when somethin’ was too unbearable to share. You’d eventually come clean, but it would take you a while. We were friends. Close friends. Good friends. Regardless of you havin’ a crush on me, which apparently I was too stupid at the time to notice, I know you would have stayed in touch. Nope. It had to have been something else. You pulled away, and it always bothered me, but like I told you, I don’t chase women who don’t want to be bothered.”
“I wasn’t lying though when I told you I was afraid it would ruin our friendship, and you’d be a distraction.”
“I know. Your answer about being distracted and all of that I don’t think was a lie, but it wasn’t the full story. Your book is missing important chapters, Nadia, and I want to read the ones you snatched out.”
They sat there, across from one another, drinking. She blinked tears away.
“I’ve had bad luck with relationships, Len.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t think you do. You couldn’t because you’re not a woman. You’re a White man in a White man’s world. You have a courtside advantage. The world sees you as the most powerful, while women like me are seen as low on the totem pole.”
“I’m not rich. My family is. I’m going through shit that doesn’t fit what you think of me.”
“It doesn’t matter. When people look at you, they see power. Privilege. People that look like you make the rules. People like me have to abide by them. Take it or leave it. I’m Black. I come from humble beginnings. My parents eventually split apart. So, I ended up being raised by a single mother. I grew up in a bad neighborhood. I suffered… you knew about that because I told you way back when. Not once though did I feel sorry for myself, and I still don’t, so don’t get it twisted, this is far from a pity party but unfortunately, things didn’t improve for long.”
“You escaped the life you were dealt. You went to college. That says somethin’ about your toughness and perseverance.”
“Yeah, I went off to college, then started law school, but dropped out.” She tossed up her hands. “I’m a stripper and do live videos for money. I am fine with that. But I’m not stupid. I know how judgmental people can be. On paper, I am the classic stereotype of a loose Black girl. The only thing missing is a bunch of kids from a bunch of different baby daddies.” She shrugged. “I know how this looks… I know how people perceive me. People don’t understand me, but there is a rhyme behind the reason.”
“Perception and reality are rarely completely in sync.”
“On this, we agree.” She took a taste of her wine. “I’m going to tell you what happened. The parts you couldn’t have seen from that report.” She stroked her glass with her fingertips. Looking down into the wine, she studied her reflection in it.
“Okay. Fill me in.” He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. Waiting.
“I was a junior in college. Things were going okay. I met this other student and went on just a couple of dates with this guy…” She closed her eyes briefly, then continued. “When we first met, I saw him as attractive. Seemed smart. He started flirting with me, and everything was normal. We kept talkin’ and getting to know one another, and I realized we weren’t that compatible, so I told him I just wanted to be friends.” She reached for her glass and took another sip. “That didn’t go over too well. He started yellin’, accusing me of being a tease, shit like that. I thought he was crazy, and moved on. Thankfully, he wasn’t in any of my classes for the next semester.
“So, weeks pass, I barely see him, I am thinking everything is fine. One day, I am goin’ back to my little studio apartment, and this guy is standing by the door. It’s raining so I’m in a hurry to get inside. I go up to him and ask him what in the world is he doing, and he proceeds to tell me that he wants another chance and that I was too hasty. I tell him I appreciate that, but I’m not interested. He says okay, that I couldn’t blame him for trying, and he wishes me well and walks away. Then I tell him bye, open my door, and he bum-rushes me. I remember… I remember how hard it started to rain. It was like… a dream. A bad one. He tried to drag me inside my apartment, but I fought. I kicked! I screamed! No one came to help me. Suddenly, I felt intense pain at the back of my head. I started blackin’ out, but saw him looking down at me. Drenched. Holdin’ what looked like a small bat. I don’t… I don’t even know where it came from. I blacked out completely.
“When I came to, I was in the hospital. He’d beaten me so badly that the doctor said it was a miracle I was still alive. Two broken ribs. Brain swelled up. Bruises from my forehead down to my ankles. Deep cuts. Chipped tooth. Inflamed. Battered. Bloodied. Everything hurts. Rape kit showed nothin’, so I guess I should’ve been grateful he didn’t do that to me, too. Would’ve been easy while I was unconscious. So eventually, the police came to the hospital. I said who did it.” She looked down into her glass of wine. “Told them that the guy’s name was Corey Elroy. They said they’d follow up. Long story short, I was nobody. There were no witnesses. His word against mine. He claimed to be studyin’ and in his dorm room all night. His roommate vouched for him. He got away with telling a big ass lie.”
She sighed and shook her head.
“Did the police actually interrogate the roommate, or just ask once?”
“I have no idea, but I doubt it would’ve mattered. Nobody believed me, Len, and the police treated me like I was crazy. They even asked me many times if I was on any kind of drugs. Like I beat my own damn self up!” She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “He was popular. His parents were loved in the community. I was this girl that nobody knew. A stranger. He was used to getting what he wanted. Nobody told him no . He was royalty. Some high yellow golden-boy with good hair who was gonna be goin’ to medical school, and he came from a great family. Here I was, this skinny, brown-skinned, knock-kneed child with unruly coils and big lips. I had a thick Texan dialect at this prestigious college, sounded even more country than the Georgia peaches. It was assumed I got in due to affirmative action or some quota, versus the fact that I was just smart as hell, and my high school test scores proved it and I remained on the Dean’s list until the day I graduated. Even after this incident. I tried, Len. I tried…
“I stayed with it, you know, the whole college thing, until the end of my senior year, but my grades were droppin’ fast. I went on to law school, had gotten accepted into Georgia State University College of Law. I tried to keep up with my studies, but I couldn’t sleep. Had nightmares of him attacking me. It started slow, but I think the stress from school, my grandmother getting sick, my father gettin’ sick too, with all of our unresolved issues, it started to stack up. The pressure mounting. Started remembering bits and pieces of the assault. Stuff I had forgotten or blocked out. Him tryna pull my pants down. I bit him… I didn’t even know that at the time. Couldn’t tell my mama, so it was all bottled up inside. I was a wreck. I needed to talk to her.”
“Why couldn’t you tell her what happened? Before you left for college, you told me you were working on your relationship with your mother.”
“I was… but it takes two to make a relationship improve. My mother was still closed off. She is who she is, Lennox. Anyway, I didn’t think she’d understand and hell,” She shrugged. “Even if she did, there was nothing she could do about it anyway. No one could erase what ha ppened to me. I was never the same after that. I was paranoid. Felt like folks was staring at me. Talkin’ shit about me. A man tried to kill me, Lennox. In the rain. But somehow, I became the villain. I was lyin’, right? Just tryna take a good man, down! Oh, and here’s the cherry on top. This mothafucka had a girlfriend the entire time. So a new rumor spread that I was trying to break them up. I didn’t even know about her ass! People were playin’ on my phone. Threatening me. Calling me names. I had only gone out with this damn demon twice. Like I told you. Our personalities were far too different, but even more importantly, something about him didn’t seem right. I paid the price for listening to my intuition. Some people can’t take rejection. Telling them ‘No,’ sends them into overdrive.” She gazed once more into her glass.
“Don’t I know it. Always trust your gut. Believe it or not, the consequences could have been worse if you hadn’t.”
“What did that report say to let you know there was a storm that night he attacked me?” She slowly looked up. Met eyes. He was looking at her as if she were the sun chasing all the clouds away. With that one look, she felt warm all over. Cherished. Believed.
“Someone had the wherewithal to write it down. It said that you just kept screaming in the hospital, according to the staff and nurses, saying ‘I hate the rain!’ They said you were having some sort of breakdown. Had to give you medicine to calm you down at one point.”
They both drew quiet. Only the knock of the water pipes broke the silence for a long while .
“I was on academic probation in law school. I went from a 3.9 GPA down to a 2.1. It plummeted like a rock in an ocean.” She gulped the last drop of wine. “I used to love rainy days, but after that car accident, and then this? Naw…” She blinked back tears. “…I can’t stand the rain. Sho’ don’t want no storms.”
“What if I told you that rain is just the tears of a clown, and you ain’t got nothin’ to be afraid of?”
“Unless you can prove that to me, I won’t buy it.” She said with a chuckle.
“The proof is in the pudding. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because a blade of grass ain’t afraid of another blade of grass, and lightning ain’t afraid of other bolts of lightning, Nadia. You are one of the strongest people I know. Few are more resilient than you. Don’t allow something you loved now to be hated because of a person who has already stolen your time and peace of mind. Every time you avoid the rain, you let him rob you.”
“What does that have to do with grass not being afraid of grass, and lightening ’nd such?”
You can’t be afraid of no storm, baby, because you are the storm. You blew back into my world just in time…”