Tomorrow Is the Day

There was never a more appropriate time to drink oneself senseless than when one was suspicious of their housemates’ motives on one’s life.That was Talia’s opinion anyway and for the two days after hearing Shadows admit to Brian that he didn’t want her on the phone with her cousins, she wasn’t anything close to sober.

The first day, she’d made margaritas with Val and gotten drunk on the beach under Vengeance’s watchful eye. Both girls had gotten their fair share of tanning and debauchery by the time they reentered the house for a dinner of ham sandwiches. No one else had taken her up on her offers to make more margaritas so Talia had continued the party alone late into the night and passed out on the couch in the living room, fingers wrapped around an empty glass.

The second day, she woke up and finished the expensive bottle of whiskey from Johnny within two hours of opening her eyes. It was a messy day that involved a lot of outbursts and a horrific stain on the rug in her bedroom. She’d fallen asleep with her head on Brian’s lap, crying about her miserable circumstances and the fact that she could smell whiskey wafting out through her pores.

The third day, Talia didn’t leave her bed.

The fourth day, she didn’t leave her room.

Brian was her only faithful visitor; entering to open the windows and clean the rug and bring her water and painkillers. When she was drunk, he didn’t push for answers but when she was hungover, his gentle prodding led her dangerously close to admitting her worst fears.

Deep down though, no matter how many butterfly kisses were placed delicately along her skin, Talia knew that Brian’s allegiance was not to her, not fully. His heart and his finer interests were with his brothers still and she didn’t know if she’d have the energy to move it enough to include her within that umbrella. She wasn’t family; she was a job.

Of course, growing up watching her father, Talia knew the way to go about doing things that required emotional investment.

Every year at the anniversary of her mother’s death, her father lost it completely. He would drink heavily, go into violent rages, destroy things—one year he even disappeared completely. Then, he would be back as his normal self a few days later, clean shaven and composed, straight-laced and ready for business.

And so, Talia thought, it was time for her to get down to business.

She’d been naive and clumsy, daring to believe the story that was carefully raveled around her. The plot line was being followed but the main theme made no sense. Her uncle was not the champion of her life, he didn’t even really like her, so it made no sense for him to protect her and not his own. She didn’t need to talk to her family anymore, she needed to escape.

On the fifth day, Talia overheard another hushed conversation between Shadows and Brian. This time she’d been lurking at the top of the stairs and them at the bottom, sitting side by side on the couch she’d fell asleep on days previously.
“I’m worried about her,” Brian had said.

“So is everyone,” Shadows had responded, “Even Zack said something this morning.”

Talia turned right around, went back into her room, and put herself together. If they wanted to sell her bullshit stories, then she would spin a masterpiece of her own. Now was not the time to lay down and die. Now was the time to stand and fight.

So she covered her dark circles and crafted her hair into a braid and put on shorts and a t-shirt and practiced an unsuspecting smile in the mirror.

She was in charge now, she thought, as she meandered her way down the stairs toward the kitchen; in charge of making Brian fall for her, in charge of seeking out the truth, in charge of finding her way out of this mess.

The kitchen was not empty when she made her way into it. Brian was sitting at the counter, picking at a plate of fries, and Val and Shadows were both leaning on the counter, no words being exchanged between the three.

“Oh, look who it is!” Val exclaimed sarcastically, standing at full height with her arms crossed, “I almost forgot you lived here I haven’t seen you in so long.”

‘Lived here’ was an odd way to put it, but Talia had the grace to hang her shoulders and smile sheepishly at the blonde.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” Talia explained. Val snorted and rolled her eyes but didn’t appear genuinely hostile as she unfolded her arms and plucked a fry off of Brian’s plate.

“Yes, I know. I have to get someone to come in and professionally remove the stain out of your carpet,” she mused, attempting to stay angry but breaking into a smile anyway. Talia ran a hand over her braid and giggled at the idea of Shadows background checking carpet cleaners.

Talia went around the counter and settled herself on the seat next to Brian’s. He smiled down at her, albeit somewhat tightly, and placed his hand immediately on her knee. It wouldn’t be hard for her to make him love her but she didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d break her own heart because of it. His thumb ran a reassuring circle on her cool skin; it felt as though he were asking her a question she had no answer for.

“We were actually just talking about you,” Shadows admitted. He pushed his forearms off the counter and stood, seeming to bristle as he did so, almost not fully comfortable. Talia smirked. She always found it amazing that people would say things like that.

“Speak of the devil…” Brian mumbled under his breath and Talia’s smirk deepened. His hand traveled further up her leg and he gently gripped her thigh. Her focus was distracted momentarily as a spark lit up her insides and settled slightly lower than her stomach.

“All good things I hope,” she chirped, smiling devilishly enough to make Val chuckle. Shadows smirked and crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest.

“How would you like to go out tonight?”

“Out? Like out, out?” Talia repeated, thrown off guard and gaping stupidly. Brian snorted at her expression and she shot him a dirty look before looking back at Shadows.

“Well, Brian has some business to take care of and we figured it wouldn’t be fair if he had to third wheel with us, since he has you now,” he explained, shifting his weight back so he could lean against the counter on the other side.

She glanced between the three of them, surprised that this seemed normal for them, and then nodded slowly. Going out sounded like a taste of normalcy that she was dying to have.

“What should I wear?” she realized out loud, “Where are we going?”

“You never told her what you do Bri?” Shadows asked, his tone of voice incredulous. Talia was surprised that he was surprised by this, thinking secrecy would probably have been of the essence. Brian squeezed at her thigh again and she looked at him, drinking in his grin that didn’t match the mischievous smirk lingering in his eyes.

“We’re going to one of my strip clubs.”

*

“Girl, you look hot!”

Talia felt hot, too.

It was the first time in almost a week that she’d put any real effort into her appearance and it felt mentally comfortable to be in a full face of makeup and a sexy outfit. She’d chosen a dark maroon romper, skin tight with a neckline that plunged just above her belly button and paired it with a tight black skirt. Her long hair fell straight over her shoulders as she smirked at Val.

“Every once in a while I do put in some effort,” she drawled, wrapping an arm around the blonde’s shoulders with a genuine smile. She carried herself with the ease of someone in charge and for the first time, wondered if this was how Shadows felt, if it was how her father had felt.

“And it works for you!”

Val looked beautiful, as always. It always blew Talia away by how effortlessly sexy she was. She wore a simple, tight black dress that hugged her shoulders and showed off her collarbones. Her heels were sleek and deadly; a pair of Louboutins that made her tan legs look a million miles long.

“Look at this,” Brian said from behind the pair. He was standing in the doorway with keys in his hand, admiring the sight in front of him. “I’m tempted to stay in and just undress you.”

“Oh stop it,” Talia flirted, leaving Val so she could throw her arms over his shoulders. His large hands caught her hips as he pulled her in. “Is that your way of saying you like my outfit?”

“Like is an understatement,” he said, leaning down to kiss her lips with earnest. She smirked into it, feeling more herself than she had in days, and when he went to pull away from her, she nipped at his bottom lip.

Shadows stood with an arm around Val’s shoulder when Talia turned back around. Val appeared bored, staring at her phone, while Shadows seemed interested, even slightly amused.

“Are we ready?” he asked and no one answered, except to make a general move out of the door and to the sleek black Jaguar parked in front of the door. Talia hadn’t seen anyone drive anything like this yet, only large trucks, so she was slightly taken aback.

She was taken aback even further when Brian held the passenger door open for her. She slid into the luxury leather with ease and smiled up at him as he closed the door. Val touched her shoulder and Talia turned to simply exchange smiles with the woman in the backseat. It felt normal going out for a night of drinking with friends.

Except for the whole “yes, I own and manage five strip clubs down the California coast” part of the deal, which honestly, Talia didn’t even know what to think of.

Well, she did have an idea, she realized as the car sprang to life soundlessly and Brian fiddled with the radio, and that idea meant money laundering.

Brian looked godly when he was driving, that was something else she realized. He had one hand on the steering wheel, an expensive watch glinting off the streetlights, and one hand gently grabbing her inner thigh. His jaw was set with purpose and his eyes…darted from the road to her and then back again.

“It isn’t polite to stare Talia,” he informed her, his tone light and playful. She smirked and continued to look at him.

“I’m not staring Brian,” she mocked, “I’m admiring. It’s completely different and totally acceptable, as long as the party being admired is open to it, of course.”

He rolled his eyes at her and hummed, squeezing her thigh and sending a thrill up her entire body. She could never get used to him touching her. Brian seemed to sense her excitement and he casually began rubbing circles into her soft skin with his thumb. Talia wasn’t sure how the couple in the backseat wasn’t noticing any of the tension in the front of the car but a quick glance in their direction showed them both absorbed in their phones.

The rest of the drive was silent, aside from Val arguing with Brian over the music. It wasn’t too long of a drive either and Talia was excited to see this part of Brian. She’d only ever seen him when he wasn’t necessarily busy with work.

The building looked like a strip club, in the way that it was obnoxious and unassuming all at the same time. The sign out front read “Stiletto” and had the silhouette of a curvy woman next to it, which seemed cliche and fitting simultaneously. There were no windows and a bouncer stood aggressively at the door.

It seemed a strange thing, for one to stand aggressively, and Talia wouldn’t have thought it possible except for seeing this man. He was large and formidable, as bouncers usually are, but there was something in his posture that made him seem hateful and ready at any moment for any given chaos.

“The bouncer is terrifying,” she commented dryly. Talia left out the part of her thoughts that said, ‘you should have let him kidnap me.’ Brian only laughed and Shadows snorted from the backseat as the car pulled to a clean stop in front of the place.

The four of them got out of the car and Talia tugged at her skirt. She met Brian at front of the car and he immediately took her hand in his. She smiled at the gesture as Brian spoke quietly to the bouncer, who stepped aside for the four of them.

It was the classiest strip club Talia had ever been in.

Not that she’d been in too many. Talia had mostly frequented upscale nightclubs before she’d moved to be closer to her cousins. After that, it had been small dirty bars. She’d only been in two strip clubs before this one and both had left a bad taste in her mouth.

This one was clean, had nice lighting, and a few private areas that seemed to house classy, well-dressed people. The strippers themselves seemed happy, one was laughing easily as she danced topless on a stage to the left. The woman was platinum blonde and she spun around, hair flying around her, before dropping to her knees dramatically. Talia smiled.

“It’s surprisingly nice in here,” she said into Brian’s ear as he led her to a booth near the bar. He smirked at her and shook his head.

“Did you expect me to run anything that wasn’t nice?”

Talia thought about that for a moment, as she slid into the circular booth he directed her into. Val slid in beside her, keeping Shadows and Brian on the outside of the table. She supposed that she hadn’t thought that a strip club could be this high end and she repeated this fact to Brian after he’d ordered drinks for the table from the cocktail waitress in front of them.

“Well then, I’ve done the impossible, haven’t I?”

He smiled smugly and she laughed, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. Val and Shadows shared a look which the pair caught and Talia felt a small blush rise to her cheeks. She couldn’t help but be open with her affection; now that it had been started, she felt certain she could never stop.

The drinks came quickly and the group toasted to Talia feeling better, much to the subject’s displeasure. She drank her Jameson and ginger eagerly though. It felt different than chugging whiskey out of a bottle and it had been a while since she’d been able to enjoy a drink in a club.

“I’ll be right back,” Brian whispered in her ear. He nodded to Shadows, who left a gentle kiss on Val’s cheek and stood up to follow Brian. The two men left their drinks and ducked through a door behind the bar.

Val was absorbed in her phone, so Talia took time to observe her surroundings. Every male in the building, she noticed, was wearing a suit and every woman that didn’t work there, though fewer, were dressed nicely. The floors glimmered under the dim light that chandeliers provided and creme silk tapestries hung delicately along the ceiling.

The music was dark and heavy on the bass, creating an atmosphere that seemed to breed danger and intrigue. Talia was caught up in the mood and her heart quickened with the feel of power. There was something exciting about knowing she was with the man who had created this place.

“I’m sorry Tal, I have to call Michelle really quick,” Val said, beginning to slide out of the booth, “I’ll be right back.”

Talia watched the blonde saunter away with the expected confidence of someone who owned the place. She was surprised to be left alone but then again, Val did seem to forget from time to time that Talia wasn’t just living with them. Looking over her shoulder at the door Brian and Shadows had gone through, she slowly edged her way out of the leather seat and made her way toward the door they’d come in through.

The bouncer surveyed her as she stood in front of him. She’d opened the door as though bursting to freedom, which technically she was, and his stature had turned from one of aggression to one of surprise. Talia stared at him and he stared at her, though she was unsure if he’d let her just walk away or not.

“Got a cigarette?” she asked, arms dangling at her sides. With no expression on his round face, the bouncer pulled a pack from the pocket settled on his large chest and produced one for her. She took it with a nod, placing it in her mouth and leaning forward so he could light it. The drag tasted like the rare taste of freedom she’d just won and she smiled at the man before leaning on the building a few feet away from him.

She could take off now. She could start walking and not stop.

Except, she wasn’t really sure where she was. Except, she was wearing fairly large heels. Except, all of her earthly belongings were in that house. Except, Brian was still inside.

Talia sighed and lifted the cigarette back to her lips, savoring the sound of burning paper and tobacco. The night was warm and a breeze rustled through. A single car pulled out of the parking lot in the direction of glowing neon signs.

Just walk that way, she chastised herself, first building you see, tell them what happened.

But she didn’t walk in the same direction as the glowing neon signs.

Instead, she leaning against the wall and continued smoking the cigarette she’d bummed. The slow burn of adrenaline began to fade away because she knew, deep down, that she wasn’t just going to run away. When she left, she wanted them to crumble behind her.

“Talia! You scared me.”

It was Brian, letting the door slam shut behind him and casting a glance at the bouncer that caused him to take a walk. Talia tossed the cigarette to the ground, crushing it under her foot and standing tall to wrap her arms around his neck. His hands found her waist easily and he pulled her against him. She felt, rather than heard, him breathe in the scent of her hair.

“I didn’t mean to,” she admitted truthfully. There hadn’t been a thought process behind going outside. She hadn’t wanted a cigarette, just a true moment of pure aloneness.

“It’s okay,” he sighed. His hands squeezed at her sides and he pulled slightly away from her. Talia watched as his eyes dropped from her shoulders and followed her body down to her feet. There was a fire catching in them when he looked back at her. “I did tell you how absolutely breathtaking you are tonight, right?”

“I wouldn’t mind you telling me a few more times,” she said, smirking and then pressing her lips to his. A low moan caught in his throat and her insides caught on fire when he teased open her mouth. Kissing Brian like this was an all-consuming event and she couldn’t imagine why she hadn’t done it sooner.

Brian’s hands settled lower on her hips when she nipped at his bottom lip and he squeezed at her ass slow and sure, as if they weren’t in the middle of a parking lot. She pulled herself closer, pressing every inch of her body against him, wishing she could be even closer, feeling one of his hands brushing from her throat down, down, down the exposed skin of plunged neckline.

He pulled away too soon, always too soon, after an eternity would be too soon, and Talia was dazed, licking her lips and wishing for more.

“Can we go home now?” she asked and he chuckled.

“Not soon enough,” he answered, his voice deep and husky. He brushed some hair out of her face and then ran his thumb along her cheek, kissing her lips once more but in a more chaste manner. She whined when he pulled away and he smiled, taking her hand in his and leading her back inside.

Val and Shadows were both at the table, Val looking slightly harassed and Shadows looking slightly relieved. Talia slid back into the booth and picked up drink, taking an easy sip and glancing at the couple. Brian’s arm snaked over shoulders to rest on the booth behind them and she rested her hand gently on his knee.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Shadows said, “I was worried you got abducted…again.”

There was a brief pause where Talia didn’t know what exactly to say and then, her mouth spread into a wide smile that was mirrored on his face, one of the ones with the dimples and both of them laughed.

Conversation was easy after that and drinks came at a steady pace, enough for Talia to feel it but not succumb to it. As Shadows seemed to rapid fire questions about her interests, Talia found it in her to not only answer him, but keep a running tab on which questions he asked, and also, keep Brian on the edge of his seat by squeezing at his thigh any time she remembered to.

“I don’t really read books,” she said, after the inevitable question of her favorite literature, “But in high school I always kind of liked Shakespeare.”

Shadows looked at her in disbelief and she laughed as he stared at her.

“What? It was interesting!” she defended, sitting back in the booth and letting her head roll back. “Hamlet was a cool concept.”

“I can’t get over it,” Shadows remarked, shaking his head at her, “A person who doesn’t really read but likes Shakespeare.”

“It’s interesting!” Talia defended herself again, bouncing in her seat and laughing. She had to admit to herself that it was slightly ridiculous, but then again, she always had been.

“I really never got into it,” Val said with a shrug, “Too much old talk and not enough explanation.”

“Could have been the teacher’s fault,” Shadows said thoughtfully, “I guess Shakespeare was alright but I mostly just slept through English classes. I was always more interested in math.”

Talia faked throwing up.

“No, no, no,” she protested, “Math is the absolute worst!”

Val and Brian both seemed to agree with her on this point. It had been Talia’s worst subject and the reason she’d dropped out of college. Shadows shrugged it off with a confident smirk and for a moment, Talia felt like she knew him for her whole life.

“It’s logic and it’s easy. There’s no symbolic meanings or strange vocabulary, just numbers and lines and it means one thing,” he explained, rolling his shirt sleeves up to his elbow. Talia rolled her eyes.

“I should have pegged you for a math brain,” she drawled, finishing the last of her drink and leaning her head on Brian’s shoulder. She was enjoying the conversation but the mixed drinks were buzzing in her brain and making her more tired than anything else.

“Are we ready to go?” Brian asked before Shadows could ask what she meant. They all nodded and began making their way out. Talia didn’t miss the casual way Brian left a hundred dollar bill on the table, presumably for a tip.

The drive back was filled with more questions. Talia almost couldn’t understand why Shadows wanted to know these things about her and she started becoming suspicious of his motive behind asking. She couldn’t seem to stop answering them though; favorite place she’d vacationed, best car she ever drove, who did she vote for in the last election? Almost no question seemed to be left unasked.

Talia had meant to pay attention when Brian pulled up to the gate but was too caught up defending her taste in music to Shadows. She’d been turned in her seat, seatbelt long forgotten, arguing loudly and playfully about how she didn’t care if he considered pop music a guilty pleasure, she liked some of it. And so, thus occupied, hadn’t even glanced at the keypad when Brian pulled up to it.

“I’m not saying some of it isn’t good, just most of it isn’t,” Shadows declared as they walked through the door. Val made a sound as though someone had stabbed her.

“You’ll agree when Tal says she likes Lady Gaga but you make faces at me!” she exclaimed, hitting his arm playfully. He laughed and shook his head.

“You were talking about One Direction that time baby,” he reminded her sweetly and Val seemed to forgive him simply for his tone. Brian started up the stairs and stopped midway up, turning to look for Talia. She smiled sheepishly at the couple.

“Bedtime,” she offered as an explanation, taking the stairs slowly as her feet began to ache. Brian held out his hand for hers and she took it, letting him lead her the rest of the way up. He grinned at her, eyes sleepy, and kissed her lips lightly.

“Sleep with me?” he asked and she nodded before disappearing into her own room to get changed. She slipped into a t-shirt that she thought was probably his, based off of the fact that it fell to the middle of her thigh. Talia knew he’d seen her at her worst so didn’t mind rubbing off all the makeup she’d applied, though she did brush her hair and spray some perfume before reentering his room.

He was already half passed out in his bed and with some disappointment, Talia turned off the light and crawled under the covers next to him. Immediately she was enclosed in the familiar comfort of his arms, moving herself back into him and hearing his sigh of content. She smiled as well, closing her eyes and relaxing for the first time that day.

“Shadows was chatty tonight,” she remarked quietly, hearing the other couple making their way up the stairs to their room. Brian chuckled to himself and scooted closer to her, running his fingers along her stomach underneath the shirt she was wearing.

“Yes, he can be that way when he wants,” he whispered into her ear. His fingers left goosebumps on her skin and she smiled at the feeling. She blinked at the sleep overcoming her.

“He asked a lot of questions,” she pushed, “Like he cares what I think or something.”
“Maybe he does,” Brian suggested, his fingers gliding slightly higher and causing a breath to get caught in Talia’s throat. “Maybe he does.”