Melinda
When I woke up, I was groggy and stiff. My bed was incredibly warm and comfortable, and, for a moment, I contemplated calling Cassandra and Antonio and telling them the plans were off. Then I remembered how awkward and quiet that morning had been, and I knew I had to do something that would give me an excuse to be around Antonio and try to figure out his true intentions.
What would happen when Daddy decided I no longer needed a bodyguard? Would we be able to come clean about our relationship? Or was Antonio just using me for sex?
These questions went around and around in my mind as did my makeup. I went for my usual dramatic look – big black wings of eyeliner, glittery shadow, and a bold matte lip with a dab of clear gloss in the center to make ample lips look even fuller.
Antonio picked me up and we drove to Hurricanes in silence. I kept turning to him and thinking of something to say, but everything sounded stupid in my head. Everything sounded contrived and trite, like some dumb line from a movie.
Do you like me? I wondered as Antonio parked outside of the club. How do you feel about me, Antonio? Really?
Hurricanes was packed. Music thumped off the matte black walls and ceiling, and I had to fight my way through a huge crowd to get a drink. Gloria and Cassandra were on the dance floor, bumping and grinding along to a popular rap song. They didn’t notice me until I was standing right in front of them, holding three tequila shots Antonio had just paid for.
“Hey girl!” Cassandra wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close. “You look good!”
“Thanks,” I called loudly.
“Is Antonio here?”
I nodded. When I turned around and tried to look for him, I realized the crowd was so packed I couldn’t even spot him. Hurricanes was a mass of bodies writhing and grinding under a disco ball of purple light. The bar was so crowded that I could only make out a sea of heads bobbing to the beat of the music.
“Hey!” Gloria came up and slung an arm around me. “Missed you, girl!”
“I missed you, too!” I shouted back.
The music changed to a slower hip-hop song. Cassandra, Gloria, and I knocked back our shots at once. The tequila felt fiery and scratchy in my throat. For a moment, I was afraid I’d be sick. But then I felt the alcohol seep into my veins and mingle with my blood, giving me a kind of confidence I never had when I wasn’t on the dance floor.
Cassandra grabbed my hand and we waltzed to the middle of the floor together, posing and pouting and flipping our hair. When the next song came on – this time to an incredibly upbeat pop song –I went wild, shaking and shimmying and throwing myself into a frenzy on the floor. Cassandra danced around me in circles, throwing her arms in the air. Gloria joined us, and the three of us grabbed hands and started whirling around in a frantic, witchy rhythm.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head from side to side and tried to let the problems of the day shake off like droplets of water. I exhaled, trying to rid my mind of Antonio’s powerful hold. With Cassandra and Gloria by my side, I tried to summon the powerful, confident girl who had never let a man shake her.
My heart was thudding fiercely by the time the music slowed. Cassandra and Gloria looked at me, grinning, their faces slick with sweat. I knew I had to look the same: my hair was a damp mess resting hotly on my shoulders, and my forehead was damp and shiny with perspiration.
“Come on, let’s go get another shot!” Gloria yelled. Cassandra let out a whoop, and together they raced towards the bar. Not wanting to be left behind, I chased after them and pushed my way through the crowd.
Cassandra emerged holding three clear glasses of something that looked like radioactive waste. She handed one to me and one to Gloria, and we clinked the plastic cups together before throwing our heads back. It was hard not to gag – the shot was sugary sweet, almost like candy.
“It’s called a Mind Eraser!” Cassandra yelled over the pulse of the music. “You want another one?”
I felt like I was swimming through the air. Most of the time, I had a pretty decent tolerance with alcohol. But I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and my stomach was empty and hollow. “No,” I called back. “I’m gonna sit down for a while.”
“You okay?” Gloria looked at me with obvious concern etched on her face. “You need me to get anything for you?”
“I’ll be fine,” I called, waving my hand in the air. “Just gonna sit out for a minute. I’ll be fine!” I repeated, shooing Cassandra and Gloria away. They grabbed hands and ran back to the dance floor. I leaned my hip against the bar and glanced around, looking for Antonio. I was still sweating like crazy and my face felt like it was burning. I grabbed a hair tie from my wrist and tangled my hair into a knot at the back of my neck. Cool air pumped from the vents down onto my skin and I closed my eyes, tilting my face back until the air was blasting right at my sweaty pout.
“Hey, you okay?”
When I opened my eyes, Antonio was standing there. He had his usual lemon-lime soda in one hand, and he looked concerned.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I called loudly. “Just tired.”
Antonio jerked his head to the side. I saw Alexander Rex standing at the bar with a beer in one hand and a vaporizer pen in the other.
“Be careful.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like Alexander could actually do anything,” I yelled back, struggling to be heard over the din of the music.
Even though I could barely hear my own voice, Alexander’s head snapped up at the sound of his name. I groaned, rolling my eyes as he ambled over to where I was standing with Antonio.
“Melinda,” Alexander said, sneering and leaning close. “You’re looking extra slutty tonight! What’s the occasion?”
I glared at him. “Fuck off, Alexander,” I said.
Alexander took a long hit from his vape pen and blew a cool cloud of smoke in my face. It didn’t sting the way normal cigarette smoke did, but I was insulted all the same. “You’re such an asshole!” I cried loudly.
Alexander stepped closer. He put his hand on my arm. When I shook him off, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me against his body. I cried out as Alexander slid his hand up my bare thigh, squeezing the flesh inside of my skirt.
Without thinking, I grabbed Antonio’s soda from his hand and splashed it in Alexander’s face. Alexander growled and lurched towards me, but I jumped backwards and he stumbled before falling to his knees and howling in pain.
“You’re such an idiot,” I said, standing over Alexander. If I hadn’t been in the middle of a club, I would have kicked him right in the gut.
Alexander scrambled to his feet. He wiped his palms on his thighs and shook his fist at me. There was real, genuine anger in his eyes but I wasn’t scared. I knew Antonio would protect me.
“You’re a real cunt, you know that?” Alexander sneered. “You better shape up,” he added. A wave of sour, boozy breath washed over my face and I grimaced.
“And why the hell would I do that?” I shot back.
“Because,” Alexander said. His voice was chillingly low for such a loud club, but I could still hear the velvety-soft rage lacing every word. “When you belong to me, I’m not going to tolerate behavior like that. You’ll be mine, Melinda, and you won’t be able to resist any longer.”
I burst out laughing. “Like that would ever happen,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You men are so fucking egotistical! I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last man on earth!”
“You’re a stupid little girl,” Alexander sneered. He laughed cruelly. “I look forward to the day when I can finally whip you right into shape.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed Antonio’s wrist. “Come on, Antonio,” I muttered. “Let’s get out of here.”
We were outside before I realized I’d forgotten about Cassandra and Gloria. I was tempted to go back inside and tell them I was leaving, but I realized that I’d probably run right back into Alexander again. This time, I was sure I wouldn’t be able to keep from attacking him.
Antonio was quiet as we walked to the car. I pulled out my phone and texted Cassandra, letting her know I was leaving because of Alexander.
“You okay?” Antonio asked gently once we were seated. He pulled away from the curb and guided the car onto the highway.
“Yeah,” I said. I furrowed my brow. “God, I’m so pissed! I’d really like to beat that asshole up myself,” I added hotly. “He thinks he’s such hot shit! Like, what the hell was he even playing at, ‘shape up’ for him?” I rolled my eyes. “No offense, but sometimes men are so clueless.”
Antonio was silent. He sighed.
“What?” I could feel my anger bubbling up, boiling toward the top. I didn’t want a reason to be mad at Antonio, but the way he was acting was seriously making me mad. Why the hell wasn’t he sticking up for me? And why hadn’t he tried to come at Alexander back there?
“Nothing,” Antonio said in a low voice.
“Why the hell didn’t you help me back there?” I demanded shrilly. Antonio pushed the car into a higher gear and we sped rapidly across three lanes. “I mean, what the hell is my father paying you to do, exactly?”
Antonio sighed again.
“Come the fuck on!” I yelled, slamming my fist against the window. Pain shot through my arm but I didn’t care – it felt good to take out my aggression on something.
“Melinda, please,” Antonio hissed through gritted teeth. “Please calm down.”
“No!” I shrieked loudly. “I’m not going to fucking calm down until you tell me what’s going on! What the hell are you doing, Antonio? Why are you acting so weird? What the fuck happened?”
Antonio pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road and cut the engine. When he turned to me, his eyes were an inky black. “Melinda, I didn’t stop Alexander tonight because of something your father told me,” he said heavily. “I’m not to interfere with Alexander’s advances on you.”
“What?” My face twisted into an ugly scowl. “You’re my fucking bodyguard, did you happen to miss that memo? What the hell, Antonio? You like watching that bastard put his hands all over me?”
“No!” Antonio shot back. “No, Melinda. I fucking hate that pig, and watching him paw at you like that made me sick!”
“Then what?” I screamed. My face hurt and I could tell I was probably as red as a beet. I didn’t care.
“It’s because of what your father has planned,” Antonio said. He stared deeply into my eyes and I shivered. The intensity between us was back and stronger than ever, but suddenly a chill of fear wormed its way into my heart.
“What?” I asked softly. “Antonio, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Your father is going to have you marry Alexander,” Antonio said heavily. “It was decided as the best solution for the war between your families.”
The air gushed out of my lungs and I felt faint. Gripping the side of the car, I fumbled with the lock and pushed the door open. I leaned outside over the pavement, and all of the alcohol I’d drunk back at Hurricanes came gushing up my esophagus. The vomit splattered all over the pavement and I retched until my eyes were full of tears and my throat burned from the acrid bile.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I tried to lean farther out of the car. Antonio’s hand came down heavily on my shoulder and he gently pulled me back inside, then reached across me and closed the door.
Anger. Shock. Confusion. Hurt. So many emotions were whipping through my brain like bursts of flame. As much as I didn’t want to cry in front of Antonio, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “I thought you were on my side,” I said softly. My voice sounded mewling and pathetic.
“I am on your side,” Antonio insisted hotly. “Don’t you understand that?”
I glared at him, pushing his hand away from my shoulder. “If you were on my side, you never would have kept this from me!”
“Melinda, I just found out a few days ago,” Antonio said. “I’m begging you – don’t hold this against me. I know it hurts, but we’ll find a way to get through this.”
“We?” I stared at him, letting my jaw hang open. “We? What the hell does that even mean, Antonio?”
“I’ve been agonizing over this,” Antonio said. He raked a hand through his dark hair.
I sighed. “You could have told me as soon as you found out!” I found it hard not to be angry with Antonio, even though I believed every word that had come out of his mouth.
“Melinda, I didn’t want to tell you until I had a plan,” Antonio said. “I didn’t want you to panic. But I’m going to get you out of this. I know I will.”
“Do you know how bad that sounds?” I asked dully. “It sounds like you were just too afraid of my reaction, Antonio.”
Antonio sighed. “I know! I know, Melinda!” He sighed in exasperation and leaned back against the seat. After a few seconds of painful silence, he reached over and grabbed my hand.
“Melinda, I love you,” Antonio said fiercely. He pulled me close and crushed his lips to mine. “I love you, and I swear, I’m gonna get you out of this.”
Those three little words made me melt. I knew I shouldn’t be swooning in Antonio’s arms like this, but I couldn’t help it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned softly as Antonio nibbled on my lower lip.
“Come on,” I whispered. “Let’s go back to your place.”