Forbidden Forever (24 page)

"Catherine came to
see me at Mouth today," I start to explain.

"What! What did she
want?" he abruptly asks.

"She wants you back
and she has decided to tell you about my past," I again start to
explain, but he doesn't let me finish.

"I don't
understand. She wants me back. She never had me first of all.
Secondly, I don't care about your past," he tries to assure me

"When I was in
school, my dad lost his job and couldn't afford to pay my college
tuition any longer. I looked all over the city for a job but I was at
a loss. A friend of mine told me about a job that helped her raise a
lot of money. I was a stripper, okay? It was the worst time in my
life. My dad got a new job after six long months and I stopped,"
I finally just blurt it out.

He stares at me like I
have two heads or something. "Did you hear me? I ask.

"Yes, but what I
don't understand is why she would think that would change the way I
feel about you," he says it like it is no big deal.

"You don't care?"
I mutter in shock. I hang my head down in shame. I knew I would never
live this down but I needed to finish school. How can he pretend he
doesn't care when I know he is disgusted?

He walks closer and sits
next to me on the bed. His hand lies on top of mine, but I still
can't bring myself to look at him.

"Sapphire, what has
happened in the past is not your future. I have been to strip clubs
and there is no difference in me going to one or you working at one,"
he calmly expresses.

"You don't think I
am a whore?" I ask.

"Are you kidding
me?" he questions my thoughts.

"You know I had an
affair with you and I was a stripper. It doesn't look so good on my
side." My voice cracks and I slide my hand from his and place
them on my face. I let out a small sob.

"Honey, we were in
that together. You are not the only one who had an affair. It doesn't
make us bad people. It makes us human. We did what was right in the
end. You can't beat yourself up forever. It's time for you to be
happy and I will take care of her." He stands, leans down, and
kisses my forehead.

"You are leaving?"
I ask.

"Yes, but I am
coming back. I am going to have a talk with Catherine. This will be
the end of her causing problems," he utters.

I watch him leave. He
gets to the doorway and turns back to me. "Morefinity," he
whispers and then turns to leave.

Chance's
POV

That bitch is completely
insane if she thinks I would want her back. I never loved her the way
I love Laney. There was never a connection, a spark. There was only
friendship. We had a friendship that apparently means nothing to her.
I get to my motorcycle, pull the cell phone out of my pocket and
search for her name then hit call.

"Hi, handsome,"
Cathy answers, knowing it was me.

"We need to talk,"
I blurt out.

She gives me the address
to where she is staying and I hit
end
, slide the phone back
into my pocket and get on my bike.

My blood is boiling on
the ride to her house. I shut the engine off when I get into her
driveway. She has moved into a nice two-story house that seems to be
in a quiet little neighborhood. When I reach the door, it opens
quickly and there she stands in a silk robe open enough to show her
lace bra and panties. I push through the door and I can hear her shut
it behind me.

"Why are you
causing problems for me? I told you I don't want to be with you
anymore. The divorce is final. There is nothing left between us. We
could have just been friends, and now you are pulling these stunts!"
My voice gets louder with every word.

She walks closer to me
and places her hand on her hip, pushing the robe farther away,
exposing her body.

"Chance, darling, I
miss you. I want to try and get back what we had," she utters.

"We had nothing. We
have nothing," I firmly tell her, hoping she will move on.

She takes a step close
enough that I can feel her breasts on my chest. Her hands touch both
sides of my face and I look at her, frozen.

"Nothing, Cathy,"
I tell her again.

She pushes her lips to
mine and I shove her away as fast as I can.

"Cathy, listen to
me and listen to me good. You and I are finished. There is nothing
you can say or do that will make me leave Laney. I am in love with
her and that is where I plan on staying. We are getting married and
going to start a life together," I explain.

"What does that
whore have that I don't?" she screams with tears pouring down
her face.

"She has my heart,"
I express, turning for the door.

I never wanted all this
pain for her, but there is no other way except to cut ties with her.

"She will hurt you
and you will come running back to me, Chance. I won't wait," she
yells.

I turn and look at her.
"I have no second thoughts," I say and then walk out the
door, closing it behind me.

On the way back to the
condo, I think about the friend I had known all those years we were
married. I think about the child we lost and the memories we had
growing up. I would have never in all those years thought she would
turn out to be this way. It has been months and the divorce went
through without a complication. I wonder what turned her view on us
around, and then it hit me. Our parents. I pull over at an abandoned
restaurant and call mine.

"Mom, have you been
talking to Cathy or her parents about us getting back together?"
I ask.

"Son, you need to
understand that we are looking out for the best interest of your
future. Being a divorcee does not look good for the family, so we are
hoping you can patch it up," she says in a formal tone.

"Mom, you all have
no right butting into my life. I don't want to be with Cathy. This is
the mistake we made once and I'm not going back there. I love Laney
and I am going to marry her whether you like it or not. I want you to
be a part of our lives, but not if this is what you are going to do."
I inform her.

"Chance Turner,
please don't act like this. Cathy told me all about Laney and you
don't need someone like that in your life," she confesses.

"That is the end of
this conversation. Dinner is off." I hang up the phone.

The nerve of that woman.
My own mom judging someone for something that, in my opinion, had to
take a strong person to do. I admire Laney more and more every day
for everything she has overcome in order to survive. I know now with
this going on, she doubts herself again. The thought tears me up
inside. I need to get home to her and lift her back up and smother
her with my love. She has come so far from the fragile woman she was
after being mentally abused for years and then beaten. I won't let my
family or Cathy make her feel even worse.

Laney's
POV

Chance had a falling out
with his parents because of my trashiness and his ex-wife, so he
called off dinner. My heart aches at the thought of tearing his
family apart because they do not approve of me. I hope someday they
give me a chance to show them that I am not as bad as the six months
I worked at that club. It truly was embarrassing and it wasn't a
nasty, sleazy club like most. And it seemed the only option I thought
I had at that time. To be completely honest, I would do it again if
it meant I had a degree or if I needed to for my family—even
now, when I want to cover my body from the world because of the fat
rolls; for my kids I would.

It's Thursday night and
Mouth is slammed packed with teenagers. The football players are in
the back booth and I am praying they don't have a bet going on. The
stage lineup is full of potential singers who have been voted in by
customers. They don't know that an agent from Smash records will be
here tonight, and I'd like to keep it that way. This will keep the
stage fright away from the really good singers and keep the football
players at their table. I hope. I have a full staff tonight because
Thursdays seem to pull in more of a crowd than the weekends do
anymore. I have been very pleased with how everything is going at
Mouth. The employees are all so friendly and pull their own weight
without being told. What more could a boss ask for?

Teen nights at Mouth
start around eight o'clock since school is in session and the kids
need to be out by eleven for curfew. Even though we serve basic foods
like hamburgers, we still add the Mouth touch and give menu items an
artist/band name. The staff and I had a fun time coming up with new
creations for the Thursday night crowd. We thought it would be best
to have names this age group would recognize rather than names like
Janis Joplin. I am lucky that my kids both share my love of music and
can rap with Vanilla Ice and jam out to the Beastie Boys. The crowd
is settling in and the newbies have started the karaoke lineup. They
get the crowd loosened up and interested in the upcoming artists.

Chance and the kids show
up and he sits in his reserved table. The kids wave and go straight
to their friends'' table and do their own thing. I bring him a glass
of diet Pepsi and have a seat next to him. He leans over and gives me
a kiss on the lips. The softness of his lips and prickle of his
facial hair sends a shiver down my spine. I can see it in his eyes
that he is hurting from the event that happened on Monday, and that
breaks my heart, knowing that I am the cause of it all and that
something I did in my past hurt him in this way. I don't want to
bring it up, but I want him to know I am there for him always if he
needs me. I have to find a way to get them to approve of us. I know
Chance loves me so much that him losing his family over me is
something that I cannot bear.

"Baby, how was your
day?" I ask, hoping he will open up.

"It was busy. Lots
of meetings. It is always better when I see your face," he
murmurs.

"You know I love
seeing your face, too, handsome." I wink and bat my eyes.

The main lineup has
begun and the guy on stage is crazy good. I love hearing his soulful
voice. He reminds me of the great Barry White. Sierra and John show
up with Brooke and her new boyfriend. I love having a place that my
friends and family can hang out with me, and I still get paid. They
come every Thursday to bring Brooke and then on Fridays to have some
adult time. I have a feeling that this might be the real thing
between Sierra and John. She has never dated anyone this long except
the ass up north. I watch her movements with him and how her eyes
light up in the same way as I feel my soul light up when I am with
Chance. We quite possibly could have a double wedding. I smile at the
thought. Best friends always talk to each other about their hopes and
dreams, and right now I feel we finally have the happily ever after
that we were looking for. Well, except that my ever after hit a bump
in the road since Chance's parents think I am white trash. The
sadness has taken over my heart and I have to find a way to repair
what has been damaged.

Callie steps on the
stage to sing and the room is silent. Her voice is truly
breathtaking. She chose the song "Stronger" by Kelly
Clarkson. She belts out the lyrics and I know she is singing this one
for me. I hear the emotion in her words and it brings me in and holds
me there. It's not a sad sappy song but a powerful one where the
woman is the winner by letting go of the jerk in her life and moving
on to something more. I can hear her telling her dad off and laughing
in his face that I finally got something I deserved. My poor kids and
the crap they have to deal with when it comes to their dad, but in
the end it has made them stronger, too. I know that Kaleb will treat
the ladies in his life with respect and I know that Callie won't
accept anything less.

The crowd goes crazy
once she is finished and she does her little curtsy and walks off the
stage. She is so darn cute I can't contain the huge grin on my face.
She bounces her way over to the table and hugs Chance's neck. He
returns the hug and I can see him perk up a little more.

"That was amazing.
I knew you would nail it," he assures her.

"I was a little
nervous at first, but then I remembered what you told me and so I
pictured my friends naked and the nerves went away," she
explains.

The whole table laughs
at her confession. About a dozen more artists and bands play before
the evening is over. They did so well that the thought catches my
breath of so many talented kids coming to Mouth to hang out with
their friends, never knowing that the man in the middle row could set
them up for life. Trix Blackmon from Smash Records walks over and
introduces himself. I knew this was the agent even though we had
never met by the brand of clothing he wore. Trix has the wildest look
for someone who is a professional agent, but I guess in his line of
work, being different is perfect. His hair is jet black with electric
blue highlights; he has two medium gauges in his ears that are the
same color as his hair. He would fit right in with some of the crowd
if it weren't for the fact that he is wearing 7 for all mankind jeans
and they price right at $300.00. I don't see many kids wearing those
types of jeans.