Chapter 28

“Yes!”

The email Abigail had been dreading over the past week had finally arrived, and thankfully, it bore good news.

Abigail jumped from the couch, throwing her arms in the air as she performed a mini dance in front of Najay. Najay couldn’t contain her laughter, happy that Abigail seemed to be getting back to her old self.

“Yes what?” Najay asked, though she already knew.

“I just got the confirmation email about my special request. I am officially done with grad school. I made it bitches!”

Chuckling, Najay grabbed the beer bottle from her friend’s hand and closed Abigail’s laptop. “Okay. Take it easy, tiger.”

“I’m easy,” Abigail grinned. “I’m really, really easy.”

“Okay, let’s get you to bed.”

Abigail darted away from Najay’s hand, dashing towards her bedroom.

“No! I have to go to Vanx Club, remember?”

“Like this?” Najay asked, following behind Abigail. “You’re not in the right mind space to go out tonight. It’s almost ten.”

After grabbing a mini dress from her packed box on the ground, Abigail swerved around, resting her hand on her hip as she met Najay’s worried eyes.

“If you hold up four fingers right now, I’ll be able to count them. You have a tiny strand of grey hair poking from the top of your head, and someone just shouted ‘Peace out motherfuckers’, downstairs. I’m very much sober. I only drank half a bottle of beer.”

Najay instinctively reached towards her head to smooth away the stubborn grey hair as she nodded at Abigail.

“Okay, fine. You’re sober. I’ve just never seen you so happy since…” She allowed her sentence to trail. But Abigail knew precisely what she meant.

Since Theodore.

The pang in her chest at the very thought didn’t change over the past two months. But she forced a smile nonetheless.

“Tonight is a big night for me. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to graduate this year after my… break. But I somehow managed to catch up. Of course I’m relieved, Najay.”

“So, let’s celebrate,” Najay whined. “I thought you said you were done with stripping anyway.”

“I am… I was,” Abigail said as she braided her hair. “But Andrew had been trying to get me to come back since Vino was arrested, and since I had to pay to request my extensions for school, I’m really at the back of the wall. And the bills here—”

“I already told you that you don’t need to worry about the bills here. Just take any amount of time you need.”

Abigail raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Najay, I live here too, remember? Anyways. I just need this one night to pay off some loose bills, and then I can depend on my salary from SHI’s from now on. By next week we’ll be splitting the bills again. Seymour offered me a raise.”

“Oh, did he?” Najay asked, but her tone was dry. Since Theodore and Abigail broke up, Najay was convinced that Seymour still pursued Abigail. Najay knew Seymour was a good man, but she also thought so about Theodore. And what did that lead to? The walls of this apartment were thin. She could hear Abigail’s sobs at night, so Najay became more protective of her best friend.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Najay.” Abigail rolled her eyes with a chuckle, fastening her blond wig. “He’s just trying to be nice.”

“Hhmm.”

“I won’t stay long tonight. I’ll be home by midnight.”

“Be careful,” Najay mumbled as Abigail pecked her cheek.

“I will!”

Abigail heaved out a sigh the minute she left the apartment. She leaned against the wall, trying to count her breaths as she steadied her racing heart. Her excitement about finishing school and the thought of graduating in weeks did wonders to her mood, but bringing up Theodore was harder than she could imagine.

She knew Najay worried about her, so she attempted to keep her spirits high. As she cleared her thoughts, Abigail clenched her purse to her chest and started her journey.

Vanx club was a reasonable distance away from home, but she decided that she’d walk and clear her mind. The city’s streets were no place for a lady this late, but she ignored every alarming flag in her mind and walked anyway.

After thirty minutes of zoning out and almost being hit by cars, Abigail pushed the doors of Vanx club for the first time in months. She went straight to Andrew’s office, not bothering to pay attention to the curious eyes that watched her from the sidelines.

“Come in!” Mr Vanx called when Abigail knocked on his door. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

Andrew’s eyes widened as he saw her and dismissed the other young woman he’d been talking to with the flicker of his wrist.

Slowly, he rose from his chair as the woman glared at Abigail. He couldn’t contain his smile as he rounded his desk towards Abigail.

“My kitten!” he said with a laugh.

Abigail smiled. “In the flesh.”

“Dios mío, my prayers have been answered.” Andrew had always favoured Abigail, and he felt awful when Vino attacked her, and there was nothing he could do about it. He extended an invitation for her to return numerous times, but he never thought she’d come back.

“I’m not here to stay, Mr Vanx,” Abigail said quickly, not wanting to get his hopes up. Andrew’s face fell, but he wasn’t surprised.

“I know. But Abigail, you know you’re welcome here anytime.”

Abigail smiled at the thought. As odd as it seemed, Vanx Club has always been a place where she felt like she belonged. Screw what others might think of that.

“Thank you. But I was hoping to hit the stage tonight if that’s okay?”

“Of course!” He beamed. “And tell you what, anything you make tonight, it’s yours.”

Abigail’s eyes widened. “Really? You don’t want your cut?”

“Let’s just say it’s my peace offering and farewell.”

Andrew’s kindness towards her wasn’t anything new. Still, with everything going on, Abigail couldn’t deny the gratitude that welled in her heart for him. She had her fair share of wonderful bosses here in New York. For that, she was grateful.

“Thank you, Mr Vanx. I really appreciate it.” Abigail stretched her hand towards him, and Andrew’s eyes widened as he stared at Abigail. More than anyone else, he experienced first-hand Abigail’s flinching whenever he tried to touch her in the past. Now, she willingly offered.

He connected their palms in a quick handshake, and pride welled in his heart when he noticed just how much Abigail had grown.

“I’ll say goodbye before I leave,” she said, turning on her heels.

As she reached the door, Andrew stopped her. She turned around to see him on his office phone, his eyes trained on her. Abigail waited patiently for his conversation to end, and when it did, she couldn’t quite read his face.

“What is it?” she asked, sensing his nerves.

“I don’t know if you’re up for it, considering what happened the last time. But that was a call from one of my guys. Someone saw when you came in and requested a private dance.”

Abigail’s heart slammed against her chest, but she willed herself to be brave. She’d had numerous decent private dances in the past that always left a lefty pile of cash in her purse. One bad experience doesn’t define every other one.

“Look, if you don’t want to, it’s—”

“No, it’s okay,” Abigail said, cutting him off. “I’ll just go get prepped and be there in five.”

“Are you sure?” Andrew asked, trying to read her expression. Abigail forced a smile, struggling to keep the rational voice in her mind at bay.

“I’m sure.”

Nodding once, Abigail ventured to her old dressing room to get ready. The ladies watched her but didn’t say anything. Some even envied her. She was only back two seconds, and already she was requested for a private dance.

The room was the same as the last time she was there. Dark, small…private. Her suitor was already waiting for her when she entered, and the song she had chosen filled the speakers as she waltzed in.

He sat on the large sofa, with his knees wide apart, his arms sprawled over the top of the red sofa, and a hat covering more than half of his face. Abigail stood with her hands akimbo as she eyed him. There was something familiar about the stranger, so she kept her distance.

“I’m here,” she sang, drawing her words in a way only Kitten could. The man’s body stiffened at her voice, but he made no move to remove the hat.

Abigail stepped closer, intentionally clicking her heels against the tile to make him know she was walking toward him. His fists clenched.

“If we’re going to do this,” she mumbled, sounding erotically sexy, “we’re doing it my way. And that means the hat goes.” As she said this, Abigail snatched the hat away but stumbled backwards when his face was revealed.

Her heart raced even faster, and all she wanted to do was dash for the hills. But somehow, her stupid feet wouldn’t move. They wouldn’t even flinch.

“It’s you,” was all she could say, her throat closing in.

“It’s me,” he said, his voice evoking a whimper from her chest.

Theodore’s voice was the same. The very voice that had her swooning months ago and broke her heart every night.

“What are you doing here, Theodore?” she asked, trying to keep her voice stable but failing.

His eyes roamed her body. From her long, toned legs to her thick thighs where the skimpy dress sat, Theodore almost felt jealous that another man would’ve seen all this. Her eyes were just as he remembered; they haunted him every night, after all. And her lips—gosh, her lips—he missed having them between his teeth. Theodore desired to hold her again, but the pain in her features made him realise that he didn’t think how this would’ve affected her. He simply acted selfishly.

“Can you not speak?” she asked; this time, her voice betrayed her by breaking.

Theodore sighed. “I saw you for the first time in two months, and my mind went haywire,” he admitted.

“When did you see me?”

“I was um… I was in my office looking down, and I saw you walking by.”

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath. Abigail somehow forgot that she’d have to pass Theodore’s office to get to Vanx Club. And even though the stakes of seeing each other weren’t high, it wasn’t impossible.

“I guess you would think I’m a creep for following you here. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Silence reigned between them for a while. Abigail didn’t know what to say, and seeing him cut far deeper than she’d like. Still, there was something oddly reassuring in knowing that he purposely followed her. It showed her that she wasn’t the only one thinking of him every single day. But it still hurts to see him and be reminded of all they lost.

She didn’t quite know what to think about at this moment. On one end, she was relieved. There had been a tiny fear in her that said it could be Nicholas. She hadn’t seen or heard a peep of him in months, but she knew he was still out there… lurking. But she had dismissed the assumption when she saw the person’s hair and acknowledged that even under the dim light, Nicholas’s complexion was far paler.

“So, what did you hope to achieve from this little reunion? More heartache? It’s not like we’ve spoken in two months.” Abigail’s voice was firm and bitter, though she hadn’t intended it to be.

Theodore sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

“And it’s my fault?” Theodore asked, his voice edgy too. “Abigail, I did shitty things, and I know that. But I begged you, okay? I wanted to do right by you, and you made it pretty clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. Do you know how many times I dialled your number to call you? Do you know how many times I drove to SHI’s Enterprises and turned around? All I wanted to do was…” He sighed, rubbing his hand over his stubble. “It’s been hard, but seeing you tonight did something to me. I just… I couldn’t stop myself this time.”

Theodore stood and adjusted his jacket, trying to keep his eyes away from Abigail’s.

“I really am sorry for raging in on you tonight. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Panic rose in Abigail’s chest when she noticed that Theodore was leaving. Her more rational inner voice said it was for the best. But deep down, she yearned to be close to him just a little longer.

Even if it was a minute.

“I didn’t push you away for nothing, Theodore. I just… I just need you to know that.”

Theodore’s strides paused at the exit, and he glanced over his shoulder to meet Abigail’s eyes.

“So, what happened then?” he asked.

Abigail dropped his intense gaze. “Life happened, and it was painful.”

“How much did it hurt?”

“Enough.”

Theodore could tell that there was more meaning beneath what she said, but he dared not ask her to explain. But something good came from all this. Seeing that Abigail felt she had to tell him this, proved that she didn’t hate him as he had suspected. Perhaps she was only confused.

So, Theodore crossed the room towards her and held her hand. Abigail gasped at contact but didn’t try to pull away. Theodore caressed her cheek, and her eyes fluttered closed on instinct. He outlined the shape of her face with his thumb and dragged it over her lips. Her tongue darted out to lick his finger before taking it fully into her mouth.

Theodore’s muscles went rigid as she sucked on it, swirling her tongue over the tip of his finger, with her eyes still closed and her hand still resting in his free hand.

By far, this was the best thing he’d experienced in two months and two weeks.

“Abigail,” he groaned but regretted it instantly when Abigail jumped away from him as if she’d done the most abominable thing to ever exist.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I… shit.”

“No, no, don’t apologise, please,” Theodore said, stepping closer to her again. But she stepped away.

“Sorry. You were leaving, and I—”

“Abigail,” Theodore said, cutting her off. “I am still madly in love with you. Anything you do with me is more than okay.”

Her gaze fell again; she seemed sad and almost nostalgic this time. “I really can’t, Theodore. I’m sorry.”

Theodore nodded, accepting that he had exhausted all he could from tonight’s encounter.

“My sister’s wedding is next weekend. The date moved. I remember asking you to accompany me before we started dating. The invitation is still open if you’d like to come. My sister, Jessica, was really looking forward to meeting you. I hadn’t quite gotten around to telling her what had happened yet. So I—”

“I’ll go with you, Theodore.”

“What?”

‘What?’ the tiny girl in her mind echoed. But Abigail shoved her away as she managed to smile at Theodore.

She could use a trip to California and if she was admitting it to herself, seeing Theodore tonight did more than stir up her emotions. It made her miss him even more.

“I’ll go with you,” she confirmed, and a huge smile spread across Theodore’s lips.

“Great. I’ll um… I’ll text you the details. If that’s okay,” he added quickly.

Abigail chuckled. “That’s fine.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll see you then.”

“See you.” As Theodore left, Abigail found herself smiling like an idiot as her subconscious tried to remind her that seeing Theodore would only remind her of the baby. But strangely, this little encounter didn’t hurt as much as she thought. Yes, seeing him brought back painful memories, but it also made her feel… better.

With a sigh, Abigail sat in Theodore’s former spot, glimpsing an envelope on the table.

Her name was bold on the front in Theodore’s handwriting, and inside was a stack of hundred-dollar bills. Her lips twitched at sight. Only Theodore Adams would pay her for a private dance that she didn’t even perform.