An Illicit Gentleman

                           Chapter Seven

            AJ drove down the now familiar street on his way to Messieurs; he hadn’t talked to Eve in a couple of days.  He had started last minute rehearsals and was up early and in bed late but tonight he had the night off, and tomorrow he had all day off.          He pulled into the parking lot and found a place to park.  As he closed the door to his car he pulled his smokes out and lit one. 

“Hey Ricky.” AJ nodded to the big guy that seemed to always be at the door.  He was starting to get to know everyone by name and they knew him, who wouldn’t he was the first guy they had seen Eve with in or outside of the club.

“AJ man, where’s Eve?” Ricky asked.  “She didn’t come into work today and Ted is looking for her.”

“She didn’t?” AJ asked a little concerned.

“Ted’s at the bar go talk to him.” He nodded towards the inside.  AJ walked into the dull lit building and headed right to the bar when he saw the older taller man standing behind it.

“Where is that girl of yours?” Ted said as AJ approached the bar.

“I’ve been at rehearsals the last two days, she told me she’d be working tonight.” AJ told him.

“Well she’s not here and if she’s at home she’s not answering her phone, or cell for that matter.” Ted said with frustration.  “I don’t even care how much money I’m going to lose tonight if she doesn’t dance I just want to know she’s ok.”

“I’ll go to her place and see; I’ll call and let you know ok?” AJ told him as he himself began to worry.  Quickly he left the club and got into his car and made a bee line right to her apartment.  With a couple of weeks seeing her under his belt he knew the way to her place, at least from the club pretty well.

Parking his car on the road he got out and ran up the front lawn to the apartment doors, he punched her apartment number into the board and waited for the phone to ring.  It rang, and rang, and rang, and…

“Hello?” Her voice broke over the speaker and he sighed a little relieved.

“Eve hun it’s AJ is everything ok?” He asked his voice echoing through out the small lobby.

“I’m fine, I’m sick.” She mumbled into the phone and he knew that mumble.

“Let me in.” AJ said as he waited for the door to buzz open.

“I want to be alone.” She said quickly.

“Eve, let me in please.”  AJ said wanting to see her and see what was really wrong.  After a second he heard the door buzz unlock and he opened it heading inside.  He rode the elevator up to her floor and walked down her hall.  Turning the knob on the green door he gave it a gentle push and it opened.  When he walked in a feeling of shock came over him.

Bottles scattered the floor, her small table was sitting out on the coffee table and she was sitting on the couch crying.  It was a mess that challenged his worse days and he cleared a path over to the couch and sat down beside her.

“Evie what’s wrong darling” He said wondering if she knew he was there. 

“What do you care?” She asked as she looked up wiping her eyes and sniffing.

“I care.” He said stunned.

“Why because my little problem is interrupting you getting laid?” She snapped as she stood up and went to the cabinet.

“Eve I have never treated you like that, what the hell is wrong with you.” AJ asked as he stood up from the couch.

“Nothing I can take care of myself.” She said angrily as she walked over with another baggy.  AJ sat down again and placed his hands over hers as she fumbled with the bag.  He tried to take it from her but she fought him on it and they struggled over it.

“Give me the fucking bag Eve now.” AJ snapped as she let go and his hands snapped back a little.  She started crying again and he pulled her into his arms.  Eve fought at first pushing against his chest trying to get away but then she stopped and wrapped her arms around him tightly.  “Eve tell me what’s going on, I’ve never seen you like this and it’s seriously starting to scare the fuck outta me.”

“I can’t.” She said as she slowly pulled away and looked at him still in a light embrace.  Tears still fell from her eyes as she tried to get herself under control.  AJ brushed the tears that fell away and helped her calm down.

“Tell me darling.” AJ said once again now that she was not frantic.  Her eyes fell in pain and she closed them.

“My Mom and Dad separated when I was eight because my Mom was a drunk and hooked on Heroine.” She spoke slowly telling him something she hadn’t told anyone before.  “My brother and I stayed with her and she started taking him leaving out on us.  It was like that for years she would hit us, throw things at us, call us names and told us she should have gotten rid of us before we were even born.”  She started to cry again and AJ went to hug her but she stopped him and continued.  “One day I was in my room, can’t even remember what I was doing and I heard her and my Brother fighting.  Then I heard a loud yell and things falling downstairs, I went to see what was going on and when I came down the stairs I saw…” Again she stopped as she fought hard not to lose control again.  “I saw…” She couldn’t fight them anymore.  “I saw Sean on the floor, there was blood all over him and she wouldn’t stop hitting him.” She blurted out crying and AJ sat there stunned.  “I tried, I tried to stop her but I couldn’t.”  Eve started breathing heavily through her cries and AJ reached out and pulled her against him.

“Oh god Eve.” AJ said as even he started tearing up a little, his heart hurting from seeing her in so much pain.  She rested her chin on his shoulder and began to talk again. 

“I sat in that fucking cop car for over an hour, watching the police go in and out of my house, I watched as they brought her out in handcuffs and took her away, I waited for him to come out, to walk out the front door but he never did.” She whispered as a tear dripped.  “Just a black bag being wheeled out as the police took me down to the station.”  Taking a deep breath she let AJ hold her as she cried.

“What happened after?” AJ asked after they sat in silence for a bit.

“Mom went to jail.” She told him as she slowly let go of him.

“Is she still there?” He asked.

“Yeah, she will probably be dead before she even see’s a chance for parole.” Eve told him. 

“What about you?” He asked as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and wiped more tears from her face.

“I went to Foster care but I was fifteen so I took off from my Foster family, I met up with Ted, he use to date my Mom and had heard what had happen.” She told him.  “I started doing odd jobs around the club, and then when I turned eighteen I wanted to start dancing, make my own money. Ted wouldn’t let me at first but I threaten to go somewhere else to dance and decided it would be better to have me somewhere he could keep an eye on me.”  She said as she lightly shrugged.

“I usually don’t get this bad.” She said looking around at the mess she made.  “But this year it’s different.”

“Why?” He asked.

She looked at him and took a deep breath.  “Because of you.”

            “Me?” AJ replied a shocked.

“When the police officially told me about Sean I knew from that point on I would be alone.  When I started dancing and saw the guys that were into girls like me, I figured I would be like that forever, and then I met you.”  She said as she gently touched the side of his face.  “You’ve never treated me like I was a stripper, like I was like the other girls, and I know we haven’t been together or known each other that long but the time I’ve been with you, I haven’t felt alone once.  Even when you told me about Sarah, I still felt like you wanted me more.”

“I did.” He told her as he placed his hand around the back of her neck, gently.  She lightly smiled at him and he slowly pulled her to him and kissed her.  Eve wrapped her arms around him again, sliding her hands up his back.  When their lips parted he held her against him.  “Why don’t you go have a long hot bath, I’ll clean up and let Ted know you’re ok.”

Slowly she pulled away and nodded.  They kissed again quickly and then she got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom.  AJ took a deep breath as everything he had just heard settled.  He couldn’t believe it, here he was thinking she was a normal girl who just happened to strip but now he saw there was more to her, a darker side to her, something he knew all to well, something none of the other girls or even Sarah understood.  Getting up off the couch he headed into the kitchen and searched for the garbage bags, when he found them he began to gather the bottles and glasses in the living room.  He cleaned everything up, even wiping off the powder residue left on her coffee table.  When the room was much cleaner than when he first got there, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called Ted.

“I forgot what today was.” Ted said as his voice saddened after AJ told him what was up.  “Tell her to take tonight and tomorrow night off.”

“Ok.” AJ said nodding.  The two hung up and AJ closed his phone standing in the middle of her living room.  He didn’t hear water splashing around any more and he thought he had heard the bathroom door open while he was on the phone.  Walking down the hall he saw the bathroom door closed and no light peeking from under it.  He walked up to her bedroom door which was open only a crack.  Gently he pushed it opened and saw her lying on her bed, her terry cloth robe wrapped around her, and her head lying on her pillow.

Eve was silent as she lied on her bed, her eyes open staring at her wall.  He walked over and shut his cell off then crawled onto the bed.  Not saying anything he slipped his arm under her neck and pulled her against him.  He let his fingers gently glide down her hair as he lied there holding her.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“For what?” He asked as he looked down at her.

“For what I said when you came in, you’ve never made me feel that way.”

He lightly smiled and kissed her forehead.  “It’s ok, if there’s one person who understands the stupid shit we say when we’re upset, it’s me.”  She tucked her head back under his chin and he frowned a little hoping he would have gotten a smile, even a flicker of one but nothing.  Pulling her tighter against him he lied there, holding her, letting her fall asleep and he stayed like that as he drifted off to sleep too.