Chapter Fifteen

Oops! Oh My

I wish I could say that having sex with Jucee in the Tranquility room eased my fears, but I couldn’t. The thing at the front of my mind every time I closed my eyes for a brief second was how she looked dancing for Cody. And that shit was fucking with me. It was exactly why I didn’t do relationships, because when you opened yourself up to someone, you gave them the opportunity to hurt you. I had no one to blame for this and I was pissed about it.

And that is what was in the forefront of my mind when Mal rolled up on me and Cody as we were heading toward the door. It was just after midnight and the club was still in the swing of things, and since we hadn’t yet passed the bar, there were plenty of people around us.

“I should’ve known you’d be here tonight once your girl said she was coming in” was the first thing Mal said as we slapped hands and she clapped me on the back.

Your girl.

Mal had been calling Jucee my girl since we’d started kicking it way back when. It had never been a problem before, but that was then. Now, it felt different because things were different. Now, hearing it made me panic. Did she already know what happened in the Tranquility room? Was that even possible so soon?

“What you mean?”

With an eyebrow lifted, Mal smirked. “Where can I provide clarity?”

Cody snickered at my right but I ignored him, scratching under my right eye as I huffed a little laugh. “Nah, you good. I was just saying—”

“You were just tryna play like she ain’t your girl now?”

At Cody’s outburst, I glared his way. He was taking it too far per usual.

“Chill. That’s the homie.”

He shrugged like he didn’t care, but the calculating look in his eyes was anything but nonchalant. “I don’t know, man. The way you were mugging during my lap dance...” Twisting his lips to the side, he shot Mal a meaningful look that she chuckled at.

“Bruh, what are you even talking about? Jucee ain’t even into women like that.”

My brother’s face twisted into pure disbelief as he stared at me, but I couldn’t focus on him because just over his shoulder was Jucee herself, dressed in another outfit, covered in glitter, and staring at me as if I’d just slapped her. I knew without a doubt that she’d heard what I’d said, and it felt as if all of the blood drained out of my face.

Fuck!

I’d fucked up. Paranoia had me trying to throw Mal off the scent of us fraternizing and I’d fucked up big. Jucee shook her head and spun on her heel, walking back in the direction she had come. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm my panic, telling myself it was just an accident and would be fine. Mal’s expression was unreadable; she flicked her eyes over my shoulder and toward the hallway that led to the entrance of the club before returning to me.

“That’s the reason, huh?”

Something in her question made me pause. It was... There was a note of disappointment woven into those four words. It seeped into my bones and settled heavy in my gut. It brought another level of instant regret in a way I hadn’t seen coming.

Double fuck.

Could this night get any worse?

“I mean...” I stopped again, unable to add anything else. What did I mean? What was I even saying? I wanted to backtrack, to take back the flippant remark that had Mal looking at me as if she was seeing me anew. Had I fucked up a professional relationship in an attempt to shake off suspicion about the changes between me and Jucee? Dammit.

“I’ll leave you to think that over. Drive safe.” Mal clapped Cody on the shoulder and walked away, and I stood there looking stupid with my lips flapping like a fish.

“What the fuck was that?” Cody asked.

Heading toward the exit, I shook my head. “I don’t know, man.”

Cody was right behind me as we exited the club and headed toward our cars. “Nah, I don’t buy that bullshit. What even was that shit you said about Jucee not being into women?”

Frustrated, I spun on him. “Damn, bruh! It was just some shit I said. It’s not that serious.”

He cocked his head to the side as he stared at me, his lip curled like something stunk.

“It is that serious though. Daddy told me what happened at the studio the other day, and now this. Not to mention the damn death lasers you were shooting my way earlier. What’s up with you?”

I gave him an exasperated look. “You already know how I feel about you asking Jucee for a lap dance! You thought I would just sit there and clap and cheer? Hell no!”

His face scrunched up. “Oh. So you were pissed because you hadn’t been expecting to see her, so you handled that by ignoring her and then getting mad when she gave me a lap dance. That sounds real smart.”

“Man, fuck you,” I sneered. I didn’t like what he was trying to say.

“Yeah, okay, Cyn. You keep treating Jucee like shit and she’s gon’ dump your ass.”

“We’re not together!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.

He pursed his lips. “I meant as a friend, but you’ve made it quite clear that y’all aren’t together. You’re making it a little too clear, to be quite honest. Makes me wonder why you’re protesting it so much.” Quirking an eyebrow, he gave me a knowing look.

Yeah, I’d had enough.

“That’s my cue.”

Turning, I walked away from him and crossed the parking lot until I reached my car. I needed damage control and I needed it quickly.