Black Dahlia (14 page)

With the spotlight on Mercedes in the darkened club, she forgot about the threats of a stalker, her suspension from her job, and even her fear of commitment. She let all her inhibitions go when she was on stage. When the sounds of Beyonce’s
Lay Up Under Me
began, Mercedes briefly looked to the side of the stage and Raul’s face was the first thing she saw. Her moods often dictated her performances. She chose songs and routines according to how she felt. She’d spent the past week choreographing a routine to this song because, in spite of herself, the upbeat melody and words of the song fell in line with her growing feelings for Raul. Mercedes crisscrossed the stage, pausing at the edge to give the audience a shimmy of her breasts. She glided across the stage, moving her hips and snapping in time with the music. She seductively began to unbutton the back of her corset, stopping to tease the audience, before dipping at the waist, doing a flick of her hair, and coming back up in nothing but her black pasties up top. She danced, and spun around, gyrating to the music and feeling free. The lyrics of the song matched to how she felt when she was with Raul. When they were together nothing else mattered. They could lay up under one another, make love well into the night, or laugh together. Mercedes turned and presented the audience with her backside as she popped her hip from side to side in time with the music, letting the frills on her panties move and sway. Mercedes spun around, dropped to the ground, and hit her signature move, dragging her toes as she moved her hips up towards the ceiling, while supporting her weight on her forearms. She twirled her hips, and moved them up and down as the audience clapped and whistled their appreciation. She loved that burlesque audiences were not afraid to show their appreciation, and in fact often competed to see who could applaud the loudest for the performer on stage. As the music ended, Mercedes dropped down and sat up on her knees giving the audience one last shake of her pasty covered breasts, and blew them a kiss. As euphoric as she felt on stage, that feeling was nothing to what she felt as she exited the stage and saw Raul clapping and whistling for her. She instinctively went into his outstretched arms. When he wrapped his arms it felt like coming home.

****

“Sir, there’s a problem with your room.” Raul stared at the hotel’s head of security. He knew the man wasn’t referring to the room he’d just stepped out of, closing the door behind him. He and Mercedes had just returned from her performances and she’d gone to take a shower when he heard a knock on the door. Peering through the peephole he saw the tall, bulky frame of the hotel’s head of security. Raul quickly opened the door and stepped into the hallway when he saw the worried look on the older man’s face.

“There was an attempted break-in?” Raul raised his eyebrow at the man. In an attempt to throw off anyone who may be following them on their trip, Raul called ahead and had a room reserved under Mercedes’ name, and one under an alias he often used while working for clients. Since the first night they spent together, Raul and Mercedes shared rooms, which worked for him for other reasons, but it also was beneficial for Mercedes’ safety. Apparently, now someone had tried to track down the dummy reservation that he made under Mercedes’ name.

“What happened?” he asked in a no-nonsense tone; his instincts on high alert.

“Well, they never actually made it to the room, but one of our staff found that someone tried to break into our computerized guest list using a virus. It was relatively easy to thwart, but we were able to read the encryption of the name they were looking for. It was for a Mercedes Holmes, the same name you reserved a room under. Our team is trying to track down the source of the virus, but we’re running into some trouble. Though the virus wasn’t sophisticated enough to infiltrate our system, sourcing it has still been a problem,” the head of security stated, a frown marring his peach-colored face.

“Damn it,” Raul cursed under his breath. He didn’t want to leave Mercedes alone to head to the hotel’s security office. He knew he and his team could easily source the originator of the virus, but he would need access to the security’s system. He and Mercedes were scheduled to leave first thing in the morning. He didn’t want to leave her or alert her if there wasn’t any cause to. He quickly thought of a plan to get the information he needed while simultaneously keeping Mercedes in the dark.

“Is there a way for your team to send me the information you have?” Raul asked. “That way, I could analyze the information from my Atlanta office and if necessary send another one of my team members back to Chicago to meet with the security team.”

“Yes, sir. We can send you what we’ve found so far while still continuing our investigation.”

“Okay, good. I can begin looking at it tonight, and pass it along to my team. Is everything ready for our check-out in the morning?” Raul asked wanting to make sure they wouldn’t need to check out in the morning.

“Yes, sir. You’re pre-check out is already taken care of. And your car will be here at 7:30 sharp to take you and Ms. Holmes to the airport.”

“Thank you for all your help,” Raul told the man before discussing a few more details of the attempted security breach and then heading into the room. As he entered the room, Mercedes was just coming out of the bathroom, a plush white towel wrapped around her wet body, and her hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head. She smiled at him as she went to retrieve her mango scented body butter from the night stand. He loved watching as she propped her leg up on the bed and began smearing the off-white cream up and down her smooth legs. He let his tongue graze his lower lip.

“Who was that at the door?” she asked offhandedly, as she continued to rub the butter into her leg until it disappeared. She switched legs, propping the other one up and repeating the same motion.

He barely even heard the question as he watched her hand move up her creamy thighs closer to her hip.

“Hello? Raul?” she called

“Hmm?” he answered distracted.

“I asked you ‘who was that at the door?’”

“Security,” he responded absentmindedly. He caught himself when he saw her body stiffen and she focused her attention on him.

“Did something happen?” The worried look on her face made him mentally kick himself for his gaffe. He hated seeing that look on her face and was determined to erase it. He’d deal with the consequences later.

“No, they just came to tell us everything was complete with our early check-out. We are scheduled to leave at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Now we don’t have to worry about stopping by the front desk,” he hoped that explanation appeased her.

“I didn’t realize security does that sort of thing. Wouldn’t someone from the front desk handle that?” she asked still wondering if this had something to do with whoever was stalking her.

Raul decided to give her a half-truth, “Usually yes, but since I spoke with security and have a working relationship with this hotel, the front desk runs all their inquiries through the head of security. It’s just a precaution.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but even so, his gut tightened at the fact that’d he was keeping her in the dark about this. There were other things she didn’t know he was keeping from her as well. It was for her safety, he reasoned with himself, as he walked over to her and pressed his lips to her forehead. He moved down to placing his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled. It smelled like the butter cream she’d resumed rubbing on herself and a smell that was sweet with a hint of spice, a smell that was all Mercedes. He’d come to memorize that smell as it was embedded in all his bed sheets. As far as he was concerned, he could wake up to that smell every day.

“Care for another shower?” He asked, his hand gliding in between the edges of the towel, rubbing circles in her thigh.

“Mmm,” she moaned, letting her head fall back, “I just got out of the shower,” she said, just above a whisper.

Raul let his lips graze hers before speaking. “But you’re going to need another one soon. I plan on doing some very dirty things to you over the next few hours,” he growled deeply in her ear.

“Hou--oooohh,” Mercedes moaned as he inserted a finger into her already damp pussy. For the rest of the night, Mercedes forgot all about security and check-out times.

As they ate breakfast in the backyard, Raul asked, “You ready for today?” It had been two days since they returned from Chicago, and the morning they arrived home, Mercedes got an email from Ron Sherman. They were holding a committee hearing on whether to reinstate Mercedes to her job as assistant principal. There were about four weeks until the beginning of the next school year, and Mercedes had a number of performances, the final major one being at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. She’d gone for the past few years. They would be staying in New Orleans for a week, taking in shows, and Mercedes had three performances scheduled for that week. Nikola and Devyn were even going to meet the pair in the city to hang out for a few days. But first, Mercedes and Raul were attending her committee hearing today to find out if she had a job to return to or not. Raul could sense her nervousness. Mercedes, dressed in a coral pencil skirt, white chiffon top and white blazer fidgeted a little in her seat. 

“I’m as ready as I can be,” she let out a humorless laugh, “You know what’s funny? I had begun questioning if this career was for me, you know? Like if working in education was my destiny forever, but having the threat of it being taken away, I realize how much it means to me. I mean, I love performing, and if I wanted I could probably perform full-time, but I enjoy the balance education and performing provide in my life. I’m not just Mercedes Holmes the assistant principal or Black Dahlia burlesque dancer. I’m both.”

Raul pushed a loose curl behind her ear and let his finger graze along the lower line of her jaw. “Then be both,” he said looking into the brown pools of her eyes. He felt his stomach turn with a feeling he’d never felt before looking into her eyes. When she smiled at him and placed a light kiss on his hand that had been stroking her face, his heart nearly tumbled out of his chest and right on her lap. He was hers for the taking and he hoped she knew it.

“I will,” she smiled at him. “I just want this to be over.” For a second he thought she was referring to the committee hearing, until he realized she was referring to this whole ordeal. She was tired of living under the threat of someone stalking her. He still hadn’t told her about what happened in Chicago. He had his team working on the source of the attempted security breach. After some work by his team, they found out that the source of the break-in originated in Chicago. Raul had casually asked Mercedes if she knew anyone in the city, outside of the burlesque world, and she told him she didn’t. The more they found out, the more Raul speculated whoever this was, was someone in her burlesque circle. Someone she’d beaten in a competition, perhaps? Or someone who believed she didn’t belong? He wasn’t sure, but he was working to find out.

“It will be over. We’ll get whoever is doing this,” he reassured her.

“You don’t still think it could be Sharon do you?” she asked about her ex-girlfriend. Raul thought she may have something to do with this when his team couldn’t locate her in the Savannah apartment she’d lived in while dating Mercedes. She hadn’t left a forwarding address. It took his team a little while to track her down, but they did.

Raul shook his head. “We found her. She’s living in Southern California.” Raul actually had a Skype call with Sharon the day before.

“California? What’s she doing there?” Mercedes asked, perplexed.

“Her mother moved out there a few years ago, and she’s fallen ill. Sharon moved in with her to take care of her,” Raul stated. Mercedes’ hand flew to her mouth. It’d been awhile since she spoken to Sharon, but she was saddened to hear of her mother being ill. She wondered why she hadn’t seen Sharon at the usual burlesque shows this year.

“Is she going to be okay? Her mother, I mean?” Mercedes asked.

Raul lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “I’m not sure, Querida. She’s pretty sick.” Raul had his team verify Sharon’s claims through electronic medical records. Legally, he couldn’t tell her his team hacked Sharon’s mother’s medical records, but it’d confirmed Sharon’s story.

“Do you have her address?” Raul pulled back looking at Mercedes. He wondered if she was thinking of trying to visit her.

“Her address?”

Mercedes nodded, “Yes, I would like to send her flowers or something. She’s an only child, so I know it’s got to be hard seeing her mother so ill. She and I aren’t exactly friends, but she is someone I cared for when we were dating.”

Raul nodded. He understood. Mercedes may have her hang-ups about commitment-and he’d definitely picked up on that, but she was a good woman with a kind heart.

“Yes, I have her address. We can even stop by the flower shop after the committee hearing, if you’d like,” he promised. His heart leapt again at the smile she gave him. What he wouldn’t give to wake up to that smile every morning.

Wait...what?

He’d been having that thought more and more lately.

“Let’s go,” he said standing abruptly, helping Mercedes to her feet from her seat. They swiftly loaded their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and made their way out the door to the meeting.

****

Mercedes sat at the end of the long table in one of the conference rooms in the school building. Around the table sat, Ron, Superintendent Walters, and three members of the board of directors, who’d Mercedes had been introduced to at previous events. Mercedes couldn’t read the looks on the older men’s faces. When she and Raul first entered the room, they’d briefly greeted her and took their seats. Raul sat off to the side of the room, as an observer. When they first entered the room, one of the men, known as Mr. Roberts, tried to tell him to sit outside, but Raul hastily disavowed him of that notion. Mercedes felt a deep sense of gratitude for Raul’s protection, even though she knew she wasn’t in danger from the people in this room. Just his presence, knowing she had someone in her corner, literally and figuratively, helped her confidence. She unconsciously looked over at Raul for reassurance and he winked at her and nodded ever so slightly. His non-verbal way of telling her everything would be okay. He did the same move whenever she was on stage and she glanced at him. Though she never got nervous on stage anymore, just his little reassurances gave her a more ebullient step while performing. It did the same thing now and she knew she had to say something.

Mercedes cleared her throat. “I’d like the opportunity to say something before you make your ruling,” she stated, head held up proudly.

The board of director’s members looked at one another and then one nodded to Superintendent Walters. Finally, she spoke, giving Mercedes the floor, “Yes, Ms. Holmes, you may have your say.”

Confidently, Mercedes pushed back her chair and stood, wanting to be able to peer at each person at the table while speaking.

“First, I’d like to say it has been a privilege to work at this school for the last seven years. The first five I spent in the classroom shaping young minds, and the last two on the administration side being able to shape our curriculum and mentor young teachers. It is a job I always took seriously and would never do anything to disrespect. As you all have recently discovered, in addition to my career in education, I also work as a burlesque dancer and have for a number of years. Dancing and performing is a passion of mine and I love it as much as I love molding our students’ minds. I have never and would never do anything to jeopardize my career as an educator. I recently questioned whether or not I wanted to continue on this career path. I believed that I maybe saw it as a safe career track. I toyed with the idea of working burlesque full-time, but I have come to the conclusion that I love my career. Teaching, education, and watching young children accomplish dreams they never knew they had, fills my heart with joy, and it would hurt me to the core of my being to not be able to do that. I want to keep my job. I have a lot more work to do here,” Mercedes paused, looking pointedly at each individual at the table. She couldn’t see him, but somehow she knew Raul was watching her with pride and inwardly smiling.

“I want to keep my job, but I won’t do it at the expense of my burlesque career either,” she continued noticing the surprised looks of the people at the table. Apparently, they were stunned to find out she had no intention of throwing herself at their mercy. No matter how much she wanted her career, she wouldn’t compromise herself. “I am an educator, but I’m also a performer. I love performing as much as I love teaching. I am talented and skilled at both, and I plan to continue to do both, whether that is here or at a different school. I’m sorry if some of the parents have a hard time with that, but I am an adult who has a life outside of these walls. I have found a balance in my life and I enjoy it. I won’t apologize for any of it,” she paused, once again looking around the table, “Thank you,” she concluded her speech and sat back down.

For a full minute there was silence in the room as the committee looked at one another around the table. Mercedes was no longer concerned with reading their faces. She’d meant every word she’d said. She knew she was a talented educator and could find another position at a different school. It would be tough leaving her colleagues and the students she’d mentored since starting at the school, but she would do it if she had to.

“Thank you for those words, Mercedes,” Ron was the first to speak. “We will need a few minutes to discuss among ourselves. If you don’t mind can you and, uh, your guest please have a seat in the outer office?” Superintendent Walters interjected looking between Mercedes and Raul.

The two stood, and without hesitation, Raul wrapped his arm around her waist, opening the door for her. With her back to the room, Mercedes missed the hard glare Raul sent over his shoulder at those remaining seated in the conference room, but they didn’t miss it.

“You can be my teacher anytime, Querida,” he said pulling her into his warm embrace once the door closed behind them. She wrapped her arms around his strong back and let her head rest on his shoulder, not caring if anyone saw them.

“Thank you,” she nearly whispered.

“For what? I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did,” she said pulling him in even tighter. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. No matter the committee’s ruling she would be all right.

A few hours later Raul and Mercedes entered his home in good spirits. Mercedes had been reinstated to her position as assistant principal, and to celebrate Raul took her to have lunch with Iris, the woman he called his second mother. Right after the committee meeting, he kept his promise and took Mercedes to a local flower shop where she ordered a bouquet of calla lilies along with a box of chocolates to have delivered to Sharon in California. She’d written a card, wishing Sharon’s mother well and offering any help if Sharon needed it. Now they were at Iris’, who had moved into Nikola’s condo he’d vacated when he married Devyn. Iris completely redid the condo, with all modern style furnishings. She chose an array of off-white and cream colored furniture and accents to decorate the condo. The natural lighting from the floor-to-ceiling windows combined with the colors gave the condo a very open and warm feeling. The feeling of the condo mimicked Iris’ welcoming demeanor. Though Mercedes had met Iris on numerous occasions, she’d never been to Iris’ home. Iris was her usual lively self, showing Mercedes around her home, asking her about her alter-ego, Black Dahlia. At first, Mercedes was a little uncomfortable talking to the older woman about her performing, until Iris pulled out an old photo album showing pictures of her decked out in fishnet stockings, pasties, feather headwear and very little else. Seeing the pictures and hearing Iris talk about her years on the burlesque circuit intrigued Mercedes. They spent more than two hours talking about Iris’ time as a dancer, choosing the right costume, the Black Kitty, and up and coming performers on the circuit now. And through it all, Raul sat and listened, laughed when Iris and Mercedes made jokes, and even asked a number of questions that let Mercedes know he was actually paying attention.

During their lunch of lobster bisque, arugula salad and rosemary and garlic focaccia bread, the trio continued to talk. Mercedes knew she could never have this type of conversation with her own mother, and certainly not her father. Her parents would tell her how no man would want her for being a whore and taking her clothes off for money. Her father would remind her of the usual Bible verses he quoted her throughout her childhood, to shame her for some perceived indiscretion. He’d admonish her for a while, put her on punishment, and then a few hours later he’d be out the door to meet one of the many women he was having an affair with. And her mother would, once again, be left behind to go to bed alone at night waiting for her husband to return. Mercedes wasn’t aware of the way the sides of her mouth turned down into a frown as she thought of her parents and her father’s hypocrisy. But she did notice when she felt Raul staring at her, as his hand slid around hers. He squeezed a little.

“Are you okay?” He asked in a voice laced with concern. Iris remained quiet, taking in the couple in front of her.

Mercedes forced thoughts of her own family from her head and smiled, “Yes, I’m sorry. I got a little distracted, but I’m all right. I’m sorry Iris, I didn’t mean to come off rude,” she said looking over at Iris.

“Think nothing of it, sweetie. I know Raul has been helping you with some safety issues you’ve been having. I’m so sorry you are going through that, but trust and believe our Raul will get to the bottom of it. He’s the best at what he does,” Iris said proudly. Mercedes saw the love shining in Iris’ eyes as she spoke about Raul. Mercedes could tell Iris loved Raul like she had given birth to him.