Phil belched and said, “She was oversensitive anyway. Otherwise, why would she react like she did to that light tap you gave her? I thought Chubbs was kinky and into all that BDSM shit. Seems like she’d like a pop every now and then to let her know who the boss is. Isn’t that what it’s all about?”
Brent shrugged. “Guess she changed her mind. But I still want her back.”
“Well, then, quit your bitching, dumb-ass, and go Google her ass,” Gordon said. “Shut the fuck up, the game is back on.” Without looking, he reached back to put the Styrofoam cup filled with red soda and ice on Veronica’s end table and wound up missing by about five inches. The cup hit the floor and the lid popped off, the red soda soaking the beige carpet. He and Phil looked at each other and both let out shrill giggles before turning their attention to the game on the big screen.
Ignoring the spill, Brent fired up his smartphone and hit up good old Mr. Google. As much time as she spent online yakking with her fans, surely he could get a bead on her whereabouts.
He smiled when he saw the search results. “Well, well, well. Little Miss Meet-and-Greet.”
* * * *
At the Dancing Pony, Veronica looked up at Hank as he held his hand out to her. “Give me your hand, Nika. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. It’ll be the two of us amongst all the others.”
Don’t be a ninny. You’re already doing better than you normally would. Don’t be unreasonable.
The nightclub seemed busy for a Tuesday night but the crowd hadn’t given her sweaty palms or a palpitating heart yet. She attributed that to being there with Hank. She felt safe anytime she was with him or Travis, who had finally called. He was in the area and planned to meet them at the Pony.
On the dance floor, he closed his arms around her and said, “No dance steps needed, Nika. Just stay close to me, okay?”
She nodded and let him move them with a slow swaying rhythm into the center of the dance floor, and she snuggled against his chest.
“All right, now. Will you please tell me why it is this dance floor represents such a challenge to you?”
Hank had been so happy for her earlier, and he’d never judged her for any of her idiosyncrasies, and the trust she felt with him made it a little easier to open up. “I needed to learn to dance for a school function. Cord and Jackson were away at college, and I had a moment of sheer stupidity and asked Jesse and Barry to teach me. Mom suggested it, and that was the last time I ever asked her for a suggestion about anything. I’d never been to a dance before and had never really taken an interest in that stuff before so I didn’t know any better. They seemed like they were being really nice and taught me what they knew of all the basic steps…only they taught me how to lead.”
“Oh no.”
“Yeah, so when I went to that dance and tried to lead with anyone who asked me to dance, I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong until they told me. If that wasn’t embarrassing enough, someone mentioned it at school the next day. Phil and Gordon, who were high school seniors like Jesse and Barry, got it into their heads to tease me about it.”
Hank scowled and said, “People can’t be faulted for making mistakes with dance steps.”
“No, but they used it to fuel another, even worse rumor.”
“What did they say?”
“Phil and Gordon came up to me in front of my classmates and asked if I was a lesbian, since I wanted to lead in all the dances, and I’d never gone out on a date with any of the guys from my class. Everyone started talking about it. For the next three years, no one asked me out because they all thought I was a lesbian. It’s not so much that I’m afraid to dance. It’s that the very thought brings back painful memories of a much worse hurt. Three years, Hank. I couldn’t get away from it until I moved away from home.”
Hank let out a long sigh and hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Nika. I’d love to meet those jackasses someday.”
“I really don’t want you to. They’re idiots. Part of getting Brent out of my life means getting them out permanently, too. Speaking of which…” She might as well share her suspicion with him.
“Is there something you need to tell me?”
“Yeah. I contacted my landlord to check for me to see if Brent has moved out of the apartment.”
“And?”
“The landlord said that not only are there no signs that he’s moved out, it looks as though he’s been having parties there, too. I’m a little worried what that means, as far as the rest of my belongings and damage to the apartment.”
He palmed her cheek and said, “You’ve had to deal with him and the others on your own all this time, Nika. I know it’s your decision to make, but I don’t want you dealing with him or those other two jerks on your own anymore.” He tilted her face up so she was looking him in the eye again. The furrow between his brows was gone almost before she saw it. “What options are you considering at this point?”