Page 4 of Play With Me
Mick pulls me down the long hall of the gentlemen's club he’s a part of. We’ve been coming here for weeks, cloistered away from the city and our friends. New York used to be fun, and now, when he tells me he wants me to meet him in the city, I find myself wanting to come up with excuses as to why I can’t. He’s barely spent any time helping me put our house together in Jersey, always needing to stay for work or for some other purpose that makes no sense to me. Yet, when I come to him, we don’t do anything other than stay in bed all weekend or entertain his friends here at this club.
The men are allowed to smoke cigars here, and the scent clings to my skin and hair, causing my stomach to turn with queasy flips. One of Mick’s more decent friends, Scott Tailor, raises a glass to us as we pass through one of the giant sitting rooms. “Where are we going, Mick?”
“I got us a private room. We need to talk.” He sounds nervous, and I hate the anxiety that’s running up and down my spine like baby spiders.
“We could have talked at home. I don’t really like it here, you know that.” Everything changed when I moved out of my dorm and into the house. Mick became more distant, yet he always knew how to keep me hanging on his every word—all the time we used to spend together dwindled to mere hours every week.
“Don’t be difficult, Mellie. I’m tired, okay?” He sighs.
Ripping my hand out of his, I shove his shoulder to make him turn and face me. We’re both surprised by my actions, but I recover first. “I’m not being difficult, Mick. Why did you bring me here to talk? You promised me we’d stay in Jersey this weekend.”
The woman who runs the establishment appears out of thin air. Her name is Denise, and she’s been lovely since Mick first brought me. Denise is a widow with graying blonde hair, milky blue eyes, and an attitude that puts the patrons in their place with a single glance. She reminds me a lot of Mami.
Mami, who I haven’t spoken to since I moved into the house Mick bought. Mami and Papi were outraged when I moved out of the dorms. They disapproved of me living with a man—especially one they hadn’t met—before marriage. It didn’t helpmatters that Mick never made an effort to meet them. Their worst fears coming true.
“Is there a problem?” Denise croons as she sucks on the end of her cigarette holder.
Mick shakes his head, hand curling around my bicep to lead me away. “No problem here.”
She watches us go with a shrewd facade, shooting me a wink as we round a corner. Mick pulls me into an empty room. There’s a bed and an attached bathroom. At this point, I’m well-acquainted with what happens behind the doors that line the halls of this place. Each one looks different, yet they all serve the same purpose.
Mick sits me down on the edge of the bed and kneels between my legs. “I need you to listen to me, and I need you to have an open mind, okay?”
Lisa flashes through my mind—sweet Lisa, who I haven’t seen in nearly two months. Who begged me not to move out. Who kept telling me that Mick was bad news and that I shouldn’t get tangled up with him.
“What’s going on, Mick? You’re scaring me.” He’s acting erratic and paranoid. He’s been looking over his shoulder all night like he’s afraid someone is following us.
His hands grip my knees before moving to cup my cheeks. “I love you, Mellie. You know that, right, baby?”
I don’t know why, but tears line my lashes as Inod. He lets out a shuddered breath before raking a hand through his hair, standing to pace the room. “This isn’t easy for me to tell you, but I want you to hear me out before you say anything.” He pauses to look at me, waiting for confirmation to keep going. When I give it to him, he turns his back to me as though he can’t bear to look me in the face when he speaks. “I’m engaged, Mellie. It was arranged years ago, back when I was in college. I don’t want it, God, I don’t fucking want it. I don’t want her. I want you. But I can’t marry you, tiny dancer. I have to marry her.”
I’m trembling by the time he turns around. Tears run down my cheeks, leaving hot trails in their wake. Lisa was right. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time?”
“Baby, trust me, I never intended to fall in love with anyone. I thought my life was mapped out, and I was happy to just roll with it. Until I saw you. The second I laid eyes on you, I had to know you, even though I knew it was selfish. I never imagined we’d be here.” He kneels between my legs again, but this time, I push him away, standing and crossing the room to put some distance between us.
A storm brews in my chest—a tempest of emotions raining down from anger to sadness and everything in between. “You told me you loved me!”
“I do, Mellie!”
“You bought us a house, Mick!”
“And I have every intention of keeping it. Mellie, nothing has to change–”
Whirling around, my lips twist into a sneer. “Excuse me? You expect me to stay with you while youmarrysomeone else?”
“She doesn’t mean anything to me, tiny dancer. You are my world. You know that.” Mick stands and closes the distance between us. His hands lift to cup my cheeks again, but I jerk back out of his hold. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I thought that I could get my parents to end it, but it’s old family bullshit. There are literal contracts in place to ensure a smooth merger of our parents’ companies. The merger is what’s funding my campaign.”
“You’re in fucking politics, Mick! Do you think this isn’t going to get out? Do you know what this will do to my family?” I thought of Mami and Papi, who always just wanted the best for me. Who warned me not to fall for gorgeous smiles and promises of forever if I’d just spread my legs.
“Why do you think I never bothered to meet them? I’ve already spoken to someone about the situation. They think it’s best if you change your name legally. That way, if anyone tries to do any digging, your family isn’t implicated.” He takes a breath like he’s relieved. As if he thinks I’m actually going to go along with this asinine plan.
“Absolutely not, Mick. Are you crazy?” Instantly, my mind starts working on overdrive. We’re onsummer break. I can’t go back to the dorms. Lisa and I haven’t spoken, and I’d feel foolish calling her to see if I can go to California. My only other option is moving back in with Mami and Papi, but I’m not even sure they’ll have me. They told me I had to choose, and I did. I chose Mick.
I chose wrong.
“Everyone was right about you,” I whisper. The storm inside me dies down to a drizzle, the sadness overtaking my anger. I lost everything because of this selfish man in front of me.
“Mellie, please, baby. I don’t want to lose you,” he pleads. Tears gather in his jadeite eyes, and I wonder if they’re real or if he’s just putting on a show. I can’t fathom why he’d want to stay with me. I can’t offer him anything. There’s nothing I bring to the table in this relationship. I don’t come from money or good social standing. Whoever this woman is can offer him everything he’s ever wanted.