Black: Part 4 (Black Series) (4 page)

“Is it the same kind of thing you have with Rebecca?”

Wade always has a cool, calm air about him, but at the mere mention of her name, anger flashes across his face. He’s quick to recompose himself and the flash is gone nearly as fast as it appeared—but not so fast that I didn’t notice it. I’ve never before seen even the slightest weakness in Wade’s facade. Rebecca must be a really sensitive subject.

“That’s… complicated,” he says. “She and I used to be a thing. But that’s over and done with—she just hasn’t fully accepted it, yet.”

Now that I’ve got him on the defensive, there’s no way I’m going to back down.

“Well, that sounds like something you need to work out with her,” I say. “Frankly, it’s none of my business. Just like my relationship with Calvin is none of yours.”

Wade completely abandons his usual charm and gives me a long, hard stare. I can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out what to say to me.

Did he really expect to call me in here and win me over like this? Why does he even care if I’m with Calvin? It’s not like anything has ever gone on between Wade and I in the first place. Sure, there had been a little attraction at the beginning, but it had quickly passed.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and leans back in his seat. He regards me in a casual way before speaking.

“I guess I was wrong about you, after all,” he says, as though he’s just realized something.

I frown.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He gives a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder.

“You just never struck me as the kind of girl that would be okay with an open relationship, is all…”

My breath catches in my throat. What in the world is he talking about?

Sofie

I stare at Wade, blankly.
 

An open relationship? I’ve been making it pretty clear that Calvin is the only person I’m interested in. It should be obvious that I’m not trying to date anyone else, shouldn’t it? So, what in the world would ever give him the impression that Calvin and I are in an open relationship?

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

He flicks his hand in a dismissive gesture.

“I mean, I’m not one to judge—I just thought differently of you.”

I shake my head, frustrated.

“I’m
not
in an open relationship,” I say.

Wade’s eyebrows rise in forced surprise.

“Then I don’t understand…” he begins, his brow scrunching together. “Didn’t you just say that you and Calvin worked everything out? That you don’t have any more secrets?”

A tiny sense of dread knots in my stomach. I don’t like where this is going.

“Yes…”

Wade tilts his head, fixing me with a look.

“Then you know all about his private sex room… Don’t you?”

Private sex room?

First he accuses me of being in an open relationship, and now he expects me to believe that Calvin has some secret sex room? Wade is even crazier than I thought.

“I think you’re really confused about something,” I say. “Calvin doesn’t have anything like that.”

Another smirk pulls across Wade’s lips. This time it illuminates his whole face.

“Oh, there’s definitely some confusion going on, but it’s not from me… It sounds like Calvin hasn’t told you
all
of his little secrets…”

The smug look on Wade’s face is infuriating. But, for as angry as he’s making me, my response lacks any real conviction.

“This is just another one of your lies,” I say. “Just like when you told Calvin that you slept with me…”

Wade rolls his eyes and lets out a loud sigh. He gives me another patronizing look.

“Fine, I admit it, I lied to him.” His eyebrows rise. “Happy, now?”

I frown, startled by the sudden admission.
 

“Why did you tell him that?”

Wade leans forward and me an intent stare.

“Because I care for you, Sofie. Isn’t that obvious?” He holds my gaze with those blue eyes of his. “I know what Calvin is all about. I told him those things hoping it would scare him off. He’s probably just sticking around with you to rub it in my face…”

“You don’t know anything about him,” I say. “He’s sticking around for me, not because of some macho-guy-thing, or whatever you think it is.”

Wade is silent for a moment. His eyes don’t waver from mine.

“Sofie, this is for your own good. Look deep in your heart—you know I’m right. He did it before, and he’s doing it again. That’s the kind of guy he is.” He takes a soft breath, then adds, “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

A part of me wants to slap Wade for even suggesting that Calvin would do such a thing to me. He wouldn’t. Not again. But another part of me—the part that still remembers what it felt like when I walked in on him with another woman all those years ago—is screaming,
I told you so
.

I hate Wade for making me doubt Calvin at all. And I hate myself for the same reason. But how am I going to silence that voice in my head?

“Are we done here? I’ve got work to do…”

Wade’s look softens and he sits back in his chair. Finally, he nods his head and I make an immediate beeline for the door. But before I can even make it out of the office, he calls out one final warning.

“Talk to him, Sofie. You need to know the truth…”

Calvin

I let out a sigh as I sink into my comfortable office chair. I’ve just finished my usual Friday night rounds and maybe now I’ll be able to get a little peace and quiet. Sure, I’ll need to go back out on the floor in an hour to see if any new VIPs have arrived, but for now I’m just going to enjoy some peaceful solitude.

The last few weeks around the club have been stressful. Maybe Charlotte really did a lot more than I ever gave her credit for. She still had to go—it’s not like she gave me any choice in that matter—but she’s going to be very hard to replace. It’s going to take a while before I find someone I can trust to handle all of her responsibilities. For now, I’m relying on Darren, my new head of security, to notify me if anything important comes up. His attention should be focused on his own job, but I don’t have any other options.

There’s a stack of papers on my desk that I need to look at. And I’m afraid to even open my email, anymore. All of this stuff never felt like work, before. But now it feels like torture.

What the fuck am I doing with my life?

I’ve never really asked myself that before, but ever since Sofie came back to me I can’t help but wonder if everything that I’ve surrounded myself with is just a waste. I can’t help but wonder if the way I threw myself into work, into
Club Addiction
, into everything I do, was all for the exact same reason that I started fucking every girl I met. Was it all just a Band-Aid so I didn’t have to think about the way I’d fucked up my life? Was it all so I didn’t drive myself insane thinking about what I could have had with the girl of my dreams?

Every night brings a new set of challenges. It’s getting harder and harder to show up at the club. I do it because I have to, but I’m starting to wonder if there might be a better way. There’s got to be some way I undo what I’ve done. If I was able to win over Sofie again, then there’s got to be a way that I can just spend my time being with her. We deserve a happily ever after, and I have every intention of giving it to us.

Calvin

The office line buzzes, interrupting my contemplation. It’s Darren.

“What’s up?” I answer.

“There’s someone here for you. A girl—says her name is Sofie.”

My heart skips a beat.

“Send her in.”

“Will do.”

“Oh, and Darren... She should be treated like any of our VIPs. When she shows up, she is free to go wherever she wants.”

“Understood.”

The line goes dead and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. There are a ton of other things I should be doing, but none of them can compete with Sofie.

A minute later there’s a knock on the door. It opens and Sofie walks in before I can even call out for her.

She looks gorgeous—in her own way. What I mean is that she doesn’t dress like all of the other women who come to the club. She’s wearing a simple dress and her hair is down, without much attention being given to it. She may not spend a lot of time in front of the mirror—but she doesn’t have to. She’s naturally the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I beam a smile at her, and am about to tell her exactly how beautiful I think she is, when something about the look on her face stops me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She let’s the door shut behind her without saying anything. There’s an intense look on her face.

“Surprised to see me?” she asks.

There’s a hardness to the way she phrases the question. It reminds me of the way a parent might confront a child when they know they’ve been doing something wrong.

“More like excited to see you. I didn’t think we had plans tonight.”

“Well, you know what they say, the world is full of surprises…”

I frown. What the hell is she on about?

Pushing aside my confusion, I force a smile.

“Well, this is the best surprise of my night.” I walk around my desk and approach her. She remains fixed in the same spot. “You look radiant. I’m glad you’re here.”

I lean in and kiss her on the lips. But it feels more like I’m kissing a mannequin than the girl I’ve been thinking about all day. Sofie’s lips are hard and unresponsive to my intimate touch. She doesn’t even fake an attempt to kiss me back.

Anger flares up inside of me.

“Okay, tell me what’s going on. What the hell is this all about?”

Her eyes flash.
 

“I heard some very interesting things, recently… things that I need you to clear up for me.”

“Okay… what are they?”

She scowls at me, as though she expected me to know exactly what she’s talking about. Despite the annoyance I’m feeling, I remain silent. Best to play it cool until she comes out with whatever is on her mind. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong. I don’t have anything to be ashamed of. I don’t have anything to hide.

Sofie stares at me for a long moment before finally responding.

“Are you sleeping with other women behind my back?” she asks, finally.

I’m trying to play it calm and cool, but when I hear her question—her
accusation
—my eyes widen in surprise.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I say.

“Just answer the question. Are you hooking up with random girls in the club?”

“You
can’t
be serious.”

“I
am
serious! Tell me the truth!”

What the hell is she talking about? Where the hell is this all coming from? How in the world can she
possibly
think that I’m seeing other women after what we’ve been going through these last few weeks?

I reach out to take her in my arms, but she steps away from me before I can. The pain in her face is obvious. Whatever happened to make her think that there is anybody else has really taken a toll on her. Even while I’m outraged that she could accuse me of something like that, my heart aches to see her in this kind of pain.

“Sofie... I told you I don’t want to be with anyone else. You’re the only one for me. Ever since we first met, you’re the only girl I’ve ever wanted to be with.”

If my words comfort her at all, she doesn’t show it. Her eyes dart between mine, as though she’s trying to look into my head and see what’s on my mind. Does she really not believe me?

I thought we’d already been over all of this. Isn’t that what her little test was about? To see if I could remain faithful to her even when I wasn’t getting laid. I hadn’t so much as even touched
myself
during that time. I’d passed her test with flying colors, so why am I still getting called out for things I didn’t do?

“What happened?” I repeat my original question, this time with a softer tone. “I don’t understand… What happened that makes you think I could possibly be sleeping with anyone else? I haven’t even thought about being with anyone else since before I found out you were in New York City.”

Her face hardens.

“I know about your little sex room,” she says.

The words come out sharply. She intends them to cut into me. And they do.

A tightness wraps itself around my chest when I realize what she’s talking about. It’s not anger towards her. It’s not fear. It’s shame.

I never should have had that private room. I just needed a place to escape my life. It had been my sanctuary. I never should have brought any other girls in there with me.
That
had been the real mistake. No other girl in the world could ever be a substitute for Sofie. Maybe I just hadn’t realized it at the time, but having touched her again, having her back in my life, I now know that to be true.

The anger in her face drains as her cheeks flush red. Wetness glazes over her eyes and she takes a slight step away from me.

“It’s true, isn’t it? You really do have a sex room, don’t you?”

I give her a soft, but purposeful stare.

“No,” I say, simply.

“Don’t lie to me Calvin. I can tell by the look on your face!”

I shake my head and close the distance between us. This time I don’t give her the chance to back away from me before I can take her by the arms. My grip is firm, but not rough.
 

“Sofie, I need you to believe me when I say that I
don’t
have anything like that. At least… not anymore.”

She frowns and looks confused.

“Not anymore?”

I give another single shake of my head.

“I won’t lie to you. I’ll
never
lie to you. I
did
have one. But it’s gone.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“I’ve done everything you asked… I’ve answered all of your questions. I’ve passed your little tests with flying colors. Why
wouldn’t
you believe me?”

She grimaces in more pain and I instantly feel bad for turning my words on her. I’m not trying to make her feel worse. I just need her to see me for the man I am
now
—not the shadow of the man that I used to be.