Club Dishabille

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Excuse me?” The beautiful woman in just a corset asked, rudely. “This is a private room.”

Dahlia took two steps backward, and the door closed automatically. She wondered if she had the right room. He’d said the one closest after you’d entered the second door. On the right. Tears began to blind her eyes, and she was being fueled by an instinct to just escape. She ran to her car and started it, and it wasn’t until she’d pulled onto the road that she’d realized that she couldn’t see and couldn’t stop the tears. She drove up a few blocks and parked at a convenience store.

Many moments passed before the tears slowed. The pain was unbearable and all this time that she believed that Nick had broken her heart almost made her laugh hysterically. Nick never had the power to hurt her like this.

Her phone kept going off, but she didn’t feel inclined to pick it up. She had to think. The more she tried, the less it made sense. Why would Alex have another woman there, today? If he were messing around, wouldn’t he have had her leave before. Her. The woman with long wavy blonde hair, and completely naked except a corset around her middle. The beautiful woman sitting with her legs spread, facing the door. Waiting for Alex. Dahlia felt like she was going to throw up. God, she was so stupid. He never promised fidelity, but he sure implied it. He mentioned monogamy, but maybe he was trying several girls out before he picked one. Maybe she was one of many. Maybe he wasn’t as busy at work as he’d said. Maybe he’d spent so much time with her this week because she was the newest. Maybe he didn’t want her anymore and this was the way he’d chosen to get rid of her. She couldn’t reconcile a cruel Alex with the one she’d gotten to know and she couldn’t believe that Miranda would’ve been in on it. That still didn’t change the fact that she was a fool.

She picked up her phone. Five new texts and two missed calls. All from Alex. She wasn’t ready to hear from him. She turned her ringer down. She couldn’t drive. Not yet. She put her head on the steering wheel and inhaled wetly. She closed her eyes and tried to go straight to step two in the stages of grief, but the tears were still coming. She wasn’t aware of time or even the temperature. She wondered if she should call Nick to come get her. She thought that was a pretty good idea. She’d get to it in a minute. When the pain subsided.

When Alex pulled into the lot at Dishabille, he didn’t see Dahlia’s little gray Honda coupe. He’d gotten her text fifteen minutes previously, so he figured she’d beat him. Maybe she’d forgotten something at home. He pushed in the code for both doors and put his key in the door for his room, but noticed that it was unlocked. It didn’t surprise him. He’d gotten a call from one of his friends that he works with occasionally asking if he and his girlfriend could use his room to change in. They were going to spend the evening at Dishabille, but all the rooms were already reserved and he didn’t want to have to pick up his girl in broad daylight, with the outfit that she’d promised to wear. Alex had agreed readily. He texted Jeff the code to let them in and texted Miranda to unlock his door when she went up to work. The code changed weekly, so they’d be getting a new one tomorrow. Jeff said they’d be out of there by six, so it was possible that they hadn’t left, yet.

When he walked into his room, he nearly dropped his bag. In a chair across the room was Brigit. She was naked from the waist down, one leg over the arm of the chair, and smiling seductively, as she played with her breasts.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Alex asked with barely controlled anger.

Brigit laughed. “You said we could use your room. I must say, I’m a little disappointed that you never brought me here.”

Ah, thought Alex. Poor Jeff. “I didn’t bring whores into my personal space.” He wasn’t about to tell her that he moved in after they were together. “Where is Jeff?”