Howie was honestly speechless as he stepped into Grace's makeshift bedroom, fully prepared to find it cold and empty. After all, she had disappeared all together from his life so quickly after his stand against taking advantage of her. And, he was absolutely miserable without her. So, he had bought a beautiful gift as an apology with a long note that he planned to just sit in the middle of her bed for whenever she returned. Yet, his plans were botched as he gazed at the beautiful angel already sprawled on the bed. Her arms were curled neatly underneath the thick pillows as she dozed softly, Center Stage continuing to play on the flat screen TV. Her right leg was extended on another nestle of soft pillows, taking Howie's awareness when he realized it was covered with ice and wrapped tightly with an ace bandage. It looked as if she had intended on hiding out for an extended period of time, but it was too late as Howie set the gifts on the nightstand and carefully eased his body onto the bed.
"Don't. That's my favorite part," Grace mumbled sleepily as she caught his hand trying to turn off the TV with the remote perched against her hip.
"But you were sleeping--"
"I can still hear it."
"Okay..." Howie trailed awkwardly as he allowed her to take the remote. She tossed it onto the carpeted floor and carefully shifted to focus her attention on the TV. She said nothing more to Howie as he just watched her, trying to form the appropriate words in his brain. He never imagined that his morals would get him into so much trouble, especially when he desired Grace so badly. He actually thought about just taking hold of her then and throwing her into a wildly passionate rhythm of love making, but knew better. So, shielding away his thoughts, he focused on her ankle. Sliding toward the bottom of the bed, he removed the melting bag of ice and started to unwind the ace bandage.
Still groggy, Grace made no attempted to yank her tender ankle away from his gentle hands. In fact, she was oblivious to his doings until he touched a heavily blackened and swollen area beneath her protruding ankle bone. She yelped softly with a sharp pain, immediately snapping her weary emerald eyes open to practically glare at him for disturbing her tender ankle. "What are you doing?"
"Checking out your ankle. I've hurt mine I don't know how many times, so I thought I would just... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"It's just a sprain," she answered with a weak shrug of her shoulders, biting down hard on her bottom lip as Howie continued to rest her ankle on his lap. Sharp pains wrenched within her ankle as Howie actually assessed the heavy swelling and bruising. She had followed through with dance rehearsals every day that week and it was agony. No one would have realized she was hurt though, because she danced through the pain. Life wasn't without pain. She knew that by heart.
"You've been dancing on this ankle? Grace, you could cause a lot of damage doing that," Howie clicked his tongue softly, placing the ice on the swollen tissue for a moment.
"Like I was honestly going to give Corinne the satisfaction of seeing me sitting on my ass by Fatima while she danced into your arms," Grace scoffed quietly beneath her breath, clutching her pillows tightly until the coldness started to soothe the fiery pain.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. You didn't have to look at my ankle. It's not a big deal--"
"Grace, this is a big deal," Howie objected softly as he glanced up, finally recognizing the fading bruise along her cheek bone and the healing split bottom lip.
"It's not that bad," she objected softly, attempting to take her ankle away from his grasp, to cut their contact in half. She hadn't exactly meant to have Howie stumble upon her. She hadn't even really wanted to come back to his home, only Kitra said that she would be returning in a few hours. And Grace would rather not face Kitra's overwhelming accusations, deciding it'd be better just to stay. Only, now she didn't know what to think as she was greeted with the man she actually just wanted to forget.
"It's not just your ankle and the bruises. It's everything."
"That really narrows it down," she answered, unable to hide her frown as Howie kept her foot in his lap. Still applying the ice, he tenderly started to rub just above the searing pain, calming her dramatically. She felt tingles race up her spine as his soft fingers brushed faintly against her flaming skin. He had a way of making her yearn for him. Of course, that's what had gotten her into trouble in the first place.
"You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings that night, Grace. I want you in so many ways it hurts but I... I wanted that intimate moment between us to be something more than just wanting to be intimate... do you understand?"
Grace watched him for the longest moment, not really sure of what to say. She really didn't have the heart to start another argument, especially with the way AJ continued to plead with her. Everyone just wanted things perfected between Grace and Howie again and they begged her to make it right. And, God knew that Grace wanted everything to just disappear within the tension. The tour was starting and she was slated to spend the time traveling in Howie's private tour bus. She couldn't afford to have this tension in her body. She had to focus on her life. She had to forget what had happened. Just another trial of survival. "Yeah... Don't worry about it, Howie..."
"Don't worry about it? You understand why I said no that night? Because I want us to make love--"
"Yeah. I understand. It's okay, we're okay."
Howie furled his dark brows with confusion as Grace quickly brushed away his gentle apologies. She was acting as if nothing had even happened between them, causing a new ache to form in the pit of his heart. In fact, he had somewhat hoped that by confronting the issue that Grace could start to understand the concept of love. The concept of him loving her forever. "Grace--"
"No hard feelings, promise," she answered, reaching to grasp the ace bandage so she could hurriedly bind her ankle and keep her eyes away from Howie's eyes. From this point, that night was just a blotched memory.
"No hard feelings or no feelings at all? I thought we... had something developing between us. Are we even together anymore?" Howie somewhat blurted out part of his fears, finding himself biting his bottom lip much like Grace did when she worried.
Grace actually softened for a moment when Howe reached to grasp the ace bandage to wrap her tender ankle. She glanced up in surprise to catch his dark brown eyes filled with a raw pain that she could hardly begin to understand. She was immediately reminded of Kitra's conversation about Howie being raped by Corrine, not to mention the other continuations of pain he had suffered through a variety of girlfriends. And, she knew she couldn't break his heart. Not with all that he had done for her. "Stranger--"
"I care about you. I would do anything for you. If you asked for the Milky Way galaxy so it could float in your bedroom... I would get it for you," Howie confessed, pinning the ace bandage closed.
"If you cared so much you would have just--" Grace's voice immediately dropped with the accusation as she leaned back onto the pillows and folded her hands against her flushed face. "You make this way too hard, Stranger."
"I care about you, that's why I said no to having sex. I want us to make love and that's what I believe in."
"Okay..."
"Okay?"
"I can respect your wishes."
"So... are we still together?"
"What do you think?"
"I'm praying yes?"
"Stranger," Grace sighed with a soft smile, knowing she had to make things work for him. If they broke up; her pending career on tour would be ruined. So, it was in her best interest to keep him pleased. Only, that's what she was telling her brain so she could keep her painful rejected emotions away from complicating her ideals. "You're way too adorable."
"I try." Howie shrugged. He knew things were far from being perfect between them, but he was taking all the little things he could get.
"I don't think you have to try to be adorable," she promised, leaning forward to fix the pillows beneath her ankle before brushing her fingers underneath his chin.
"Well, thank you," he smiled softly, taking a chance and brushing their lips together as if they were parting. “Very much.”
"Are you trying to leave me?"
"No way! I just thought maybe I could make some dinner..."
"I'd rather you just stay... Right here..." she confided, gesturing toward the opposite side of her bed. Her heart was aching to be close to Howie again, despite the obvious rejection she had faced. Selfishly, she just wanted him near so she could somewhat heal the shattered pieces into a makeshift wall. She'd use him for strength to fight away the darkness seeping into her life. Possibly torture him sexually for hurting her so critically. She could be a cruel tease.
"That's what you want?"
"Please?"
"Then how can I say no when it's something I want, too?" he smiled gently, crawling over to her left side. He opened his arms and she immediately melted into the embrace, resting her head on his chest. The beats of his heart soothing.
"I'm sorry I hurt you," she confided softly as she closed her eyes, resting her hand off to the side of his chest to feel the pulsation of his heart beat as she heard each steady beat. She absolutely adored listening to his heart. There was something so sensual about the act itself, though she'd never admit to it. She just wanted to make herself feel better, so she could live through the lies.
"It's okay. I'm sorry I hurt you, too. There are going to be fights, but that's part of a relationship. You can't have one that's absolutely perfect without some sour words. You learn more about each other that way," he explained as he kissed the top of her head, gently rubbing her back in circles.
"And what did you learn about me?" Grace questioned before she could stop the words from leaving her sweet lips. She immediately glanced up to catch his dark eyes as she rested her chin against his chest, knowing there was no way that she could take them back. No matter how much her brain was trying to fight for control; it seemed as if her heart were winning the war as Howie slowly started to drill through the steel cage of her heart again.
"I learned that you've been through more than I can imagine... than I'll ever imagine. And that you're not used to having a man care about you without wanting something. But I also learned how fragile and beautiful you are inside and out. But you also know how to take care of yourself. Deep down, you want to be loved... however, the past is making you believe there is no such thing. You would do anything for someone you keep close to your heart and that's amazing," Howie confessed softly, looking into her deep eyes.
"Stranger," she groaned as her throat constricted, turning her term of endearment into a slight squeak. No matter what she did, he always had a way of diving straight into her deepest emotions, fears, and hopes. It was amazing at some points, but terrifying when he pinpointed what truly mattered most in her life. Especially when she was doing her best to protect herself from getting hurt again. Being denied what she desperately wanted was painful enough.
"It's what I leaned about you, Gracie. I just hope someday you will let me in to care and truly love you."
"I think you might get tired of waiting," she sighed, attempting to pull away from his comfortable embrace. Her heart immediately complained with obvious annoyance at her over critical analysis of the situation. But it didn't matter as she shielded her injured ankle. It seemed so wrong that she was laying with him when they wanted such different things. In some sense, she was no better than Corinne. She was only thinking about her own benefits as Howie waited patiently. It really wasn't fair to him.
"I could never get tired--"
"Yes, you would. They all do in the end."
"Why do you always compare me to every other man that was in your life? I'm not like them. I refuse to be like them."
"Human behavior always wins out from moral backgrounds," Grace murmured, referring to Corinne's hateful attack as she attempted to test her ankle on the ground for stability. She couldn't lay with Howie anymore.
"No, it doesn't," Howie disagreed as he touched her arm. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be putting weight on your ankle."
"It's fine, not like I haven't been pushed down stairs before--"
"Pushed down the stairs? Who the Hell pushed you down the stairs?!"
"Huh?" she blanked, never realizing she had slipped up yet again. She had a way of speaking before her brain could sensor the information. She didn't know how many times she had been punished because of that.
"Who pushed you down the stairs? Don't tell me you didn't say it because you just did--"
"Stranger, calm down--"
"No, someone hurt you--"
"It was my own fault, please calm down," Grace attempted to interrupt, reaching back to push her hands gingerly against his mouth. Her emerald eyes were slightly watery with pain when she realized the seriousness of her mistake. Howie had never mentioned that Corinne was part of the dance troupe, nor his extensive history with her. So, Grace didn't want to be the first to bring her up, much less admit how horrible the woman was to her. It would hurt her pride and probably kill Howie.
"How can it be your fault?" Howie mumbled against her hands, his own eyes pleading with her to say who the culprit was.
"Because I instigated the entire event," she answered simply. "Besides, it's not your battle. You're not my protector--"
"Grace, you're my girlfriend. I'm not going to let some punk think he can push you down the stairs!"
"Stranger--"
"I'm not going to let him get away with it."
"It doesn't matter," she attempted to explain as he gingerly cupped her face in his hands again, studying the bruised handprint along her cheek bone and the healing split bottom lip. She attempted to frown without pain, wanting to pull away.
"It matters to me. Please, just tell me who did it."
"No--"
"Gracie. Please."
Grace truly wasn't familiar to Howie actually using a cute nickname to identify her, much less allowing his voice pulsate with a soft worry. So, him using the name 'Gracie' truly caused her eyes to mist as she finally yanked free. She knew he was putting all the pieces together, especially the bruising on her face. And she needed an escape. Only, she tumbled heavily from the bed, hitting her tender ankle sharply on the floor. She immediately cursed openly with pain, curling into a ball to hold her ankle with protection.
"DAMNIT! Why do I have to be so stupid?!"
"Shit! Gracie!" Howie yelped, jumping off the bed and rushing to her huddled form.
"Baby, you're not stupid. Just calm down--"
"Calm down? My ankle is on fire!" she snapped, blinking away tears of pain.
"Gracie--"
"Would you stop calling me that and just cut the damn thing off?!"
"Gracie, just stop! Take deep breaths and calm down," Howie leaned down and wrapped his arms around her.
"That's what I was trying to get away from," she gritted painfully as he pulled her up into his embrace. She continued to hold her ankle as she buried her face against his chest, squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as possible. She just wanted that pain to fade along with the pain in her heart.
"C'mon calm down. Shh, it's alright," he tried to soothe, rubbing her back again as he rocked back and forth.
She whimpered pathetically, "I'm trying--"
Howie cupped her cheek with a warm hand and brought their lips together for a sweet and passionate kiss. At first, Grace was stunned with his actions, never ever really prepared for when Howie wanted to kiss her. But, her thoughts never formulated correctly as the sharp pains in her ankle turned to a dull ache. She seemed to forget all about it as she tilted her head just slightly to initiate a deeper kiss. Her hand dropped from shielding her ankle and curled around the back of Howie's neck to bring him closer as she nibbled affectionately on his bottom lip before starting to caress his tongue with her own again. A bright fire licked within the center of her soul, practically begging for Grace to whisper words that she never understood before. They continued to kiss until both ran out of breath and Howie immediately pressed his forehead against hers. His heart beat fast, as it always did when he kissed Grace. It warmed him throughout his body and soul. "How does your ankle feel now?"
"What ankle?" she whispered, her voice coated with a husky delight.
Kitra was practically trembling as she lit the end of her makeshift cigarette filled with more dangerous chemicals than tobacco. Not that she really cared as she took the first long drag, sinking backward into the cold, empty tub with obvious delight. AJ had left for a management meeting several hours ago with a promise to take her out to a fancy restaurant when he returned. He wanted to celebrate some makeshift anniversary of them getting together, which just caused Kitra to go haywire. Neither had stated that the 'friend's with benefits' deal had shifted over to that of a true relationship, but it was obvious that the adjustment had automatically been made in AJ's mind. Which just caused Kitra to fall apart. They had promised each other that no strings would be attached within their sex, but slowly it was forming into something much more meaningful. And since AJ officially quit every dangerous substance known to man, things were getting far too clear. So, Kitra had to drown out the feelings, resorting to locking herself in the bathroom with a fresh bottle of Jack Daniels and her favorite drugs of choice in various forms. If she could set herself into a high before AJ returned, then she'd be safe for another night.
"God... I don't know what to do," Kitra sighed before taking another hit. The drugs were already swimming through her bloodstream as her nerves finally started to settle. "I can't fall in love. I can't. He's going to get tired of me just like Evan and all the other ones did."
When she first started in Florida after leaving home so abruptly, she assumed that she could find a man to take care of her needs. Many times she thought she was in love, but that was just a sorted mistake. The men always seemed to hurt her while using her to their benefits. The scar tissue around her heart was unbelievable as she became naturally offensive against men. She believed in love, but figured that it wasn't for her. She had a better time fulfilling her lust than searching for love. But AJ was so different... Though, it wasn't like she could really think straight as the heavier doses of drugs started to attack her central nervous system. The stimulant caused a rush through her system as she relaxed peacefully in the tub, enjoying the overwhelming pleasure. Her lust for the rush.
"It's just to get through the day... to get through the confusion. I'm not addicted," Kitra muttered to herself, drinking a long swig of Jack Daniels. The liquid burned her throat but she drank again and set the bottle on the edge of the tub.
But, those thoughts seemed to crash around her as the door to the bathroom was suddenly flung open without a bit of warning. "Baby, you getting all sexified for me or--"
"AJ, don't! Get out of here!" Kitra yelped in shock, sitting up. She looked around helplessly for a place to hide the evidence but it was futile.
AJ just stared at Kitra in pure disbelief as the Jack Daniels' bottle slipped from the thick lip of the tub and shattered hard against the marble floor. He didn't even wince from the sharp sound of glass as the liquid he so desperately attempted to give up washed over his expensive shoes. Honestly, his mind was blank with a silent outrage as he stared at his lover, wondering how she could have possibly betrayed him like that. As if the world hadn't hurt him enough, but the woman he was starting to trust with his heart had completely shattered him.
"Damn it... Alex--"
"Nice little party you're having here..." AJ finally voiced with a snarl of disappointment. His eyes practically shattered with a raw hurt that he had never felt before as he held his heart to stop the sharp throbbing. He had promised to stop this dangerous behavior for her and only her. To know that she didn't do the same was a vicious slap in the face.
"Alex, wait. I can explain--"
"Explain what? That while I'm having these tremors from fucking withdrawal that you're in here getting high and drunk? I was doing this for you, Kitra. And this is how you repay me?"
"It isn't--"
"Don't fucking talk to me, wouldn't want to waste the fucking high or anything," AJ growled with absolute contempt, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. His violent tremors seemed to increase two fold as the anger raced through his system. He had been so anxious to get home to Kitra, now he didn't even want to look at her. "Now I know how Grace feels every time she looks at you. Damnit, Kitra!"
"Damn it, you don't fucking understand! I've been an addict twice as long as you--"
"That's not an excuse!"
"Alex--"
"Don't call me Alex. McLean is just fine from now on, Kitra."
"Will you just let me explain?!"
"NO! Which is what Grace should have been saying to you all along! I don't want your excuses! You promised that you would stop. Damnit, Kitra, did what I tell you all those late nights when I was hurting from withdrawal not affect you in any way?!"
"They affected me more than you will ever know! That's why I even did this!" Kitra blurted, clamping a hand over her mouth after the words slipped out.
"How the fuck does that work? You're just bullshitting--"
"I care about you, okay? And it fucking scares me!"
"Stop the lies, Kitra. If you're going to use, at least be truthful about the fucking choice. No use in being fake and a disappointment," AJ snarled as he walked back into his bedroom. Only, he wasn't prepared for Kitra to tackle him hard onto the bed. He attempted to flip her, but she easily straddled his waist, ripping open his expensive shirt. Buttons flew everywhere, but AJ was more shocked as she furiously pressed her lips against his, drowning his protests into a moan of obvious delight. He couldn't resist her.
"I care about you, McLean. More than you will ever know and I'm so damn scared, alright? I haven't felt anything like this before and I made a mistake," Kitra breathed against his lips before kissing him again. "I'm sorry."
"Stop--"
"I can't stop. I don't want you to hate me."
"All this time that I've been sober and clean, you were--"
"I know, I know, I know. I can say I'm sorry until the world ends but--"
"This isn't fair," AJ interrupted with a sharp groan as Kitra began to kiss every inch of his chest, biting a light pressure against his left nipple that he seemed to enjoy during foreplay. His entire body tensed as his member grew hard with her toying. She was making him weak.
"It's not fair?"
"Kitra, you know exactly what you're doing," AJ scorned as she bent lower on his body, outlining the '69' tattoo around his belly button with her tongue.
"I'm just trying to make it up to you..."
"You hurt me, Kitra," AJ hissed sharply as she started to nip at his flesh, inching her fingers beneath his baggy jeans.
"I know and I'm sorry, Alex. I really am. I was just so afraid."
"Are you going to do it again?" he murmured in surprise as she ripped away his belt and started furiously undoing the buttons on his jeans. The zipper even started to break as she pushed them off his hips as she straddled him and started pulling away her own clothing. He didn't understand why she was so forceful, almost as if she wanted to make him forget. But he didn't want to forget anymore. He wanted to deal with the pain.
"Never again... I'll come to you if I get a craving," she promised, leaning down to kiss him hard.
"Kitra--" But AJ's voice was drown with the depth of Kitra's tongue stroking against hers. He truly wanted to resist her advances, but he couldn't. He was hot and anxious to relieve the tension floating throughout his body and Kitra knew how to calm him after an explosion of fire. He was still weak to her. And the passion was spiraling out of control as he fell in love with her all over again, despite her many flaws.
"I don't think we could have ever found a better dancer than her, Howie," Kevin spoke freely as he kneeled beside his folded chair, watching the stage as the female dancers worked their routine for More Than That with the various trap doors and fog machines. The men were given a break, sprawling out just to observe the routines and absorb the finer points. Today was the last day of rehearsal and needed everything to pull together, from costume changes to working correctly on the stage that would be set up in every state. And, for once, Kevin was actually enjoying himself despite the tension of starting the tour after a week of vacation for the music group. He owed this enjoyment to Grace, nonetheless, the same woman he had been ready to condemn after visiting Devil's Playground so long ago. Since Fatima had paired him with the lovely woman, it was easy to say that Kevin had fallen in love. Not the kind of love that Howie experienced for Grace, but more so a big brother for a innocent little sister.
"Amen to that. She's amazing..." Howie agreed with a soft nod, watching Grace dance on the ankle that was still bothering her sometimes. No matter what he did, she would not tell him who had pushed her down the stairs, just saying over and over that it wasn't a big deal.
"She even outshines all the women that have been our dancers for how many years again?" Kevin continued to boast as AJ and Kitra gathered a few extra chairs to start a little party of audience members with Howie and Kevin.
"I know. It was like God meant for her to be a dancer," Howie smiled proudly, taking a long sip from his water bottle.
"And she's cute, too," Brian interjected with a lopsided grin, unable to stop laughing as he motioned toward Grace on the stage. Apparently, she had been so swept within her dancing that she forgot where the trap door was located for her mark to lower her beneath the stage for her next appearance. She had struck her beautiful pose on the tender ankle, waiting patiently with a sweet smile. Only, as the seconds passed, she began to realize that she wasn't in the correct spot. Finally, blushing furiously, she danced toward one of the female dancers that had actually accepted her, leaping professionally into their arms so they could lower together.
"Go, Racie!" Kitra cheered with a giggle as they all clapped.
"She is such a crackhead," AJ groaned with disbelief, covering his face to hide the laughter.
"Makes life interesting--"
"No doubt," AJ agreed as Howie suddenly turned back to them. The younger Latino jerked slightly, wondering what he had done wrong. Only, when Howie's eyes focused on Kitra, the worry started to quickly dissipate. For once, AJ was behaving himself.
"Did you know that Gracie hurt her ankle?" Howie questioned Kitra.
"Yeah, she told me she tripped or something. Why?" Kitra raised an eyebrow. She had conned it out of Grace what really happened but ended up being sworn to secrecy.
"She honestly told you that she tripped?" Howie frowned, easily noticing the nervous glint crossing Kitra's blue irises. She knew what had really happened and Howie had assumed as much. It was driving him crazy not knowing who had wanted to hurt Grace so fiercely, because not only had she been pushed down the steps, but she had been struck violently, too.
"Howie, she's such a klutz--"
"She told me someone pushed her down the stairs, but she won't tell me who," Howie confessed with a frown.
"Wait, someone pushed Grace down steps?" Brian immediately intervened with disgust.
"Yes and no matter how hard I try, she won't tell me who did it. She keeps saying she deserved it for pissing whoever off."
“It was probably Corinne," AJ chuckled with obvious amusement, watching Fatima continue to praise Grace as the dance moved forward toward the most difficult moves. He could see the scowl firmly set on Howie's ex-girlfriend's face and immediately made the joking assumption, not realizing how right he was. "That bitch is so fucking jealous of Grace it's ridiculous."
"Excuse me?" Howie turned to AJ again.
AJ paled at Howie's fierce gaze. "What'd I say?"
"What did you say about Corinne and Grace?"
"Corinne is jealous of Grace..." AJ trailed with a nervous twitch that was an added combination of alcohol withdraw and Howie's seriousness.
"She... and the... that fucking bitch, she's going to get her ass chewed out!" Howie growled, clenching his fists as he spoke broken sentences.
"Wait," Kevin sighed, shooting AJ a frustrated gaze. "You have no idea if that's who did it. For all you know, it could have been someone from Devil's who is less than thrilled that Grace quit. She didn't say a word about it being Corinne, so there's no way to accuse her. I know that tension is tight between you and her, considering your past relationship, but, like Fatima says, never mix business with pleasure--"
"She did it, Kev. I know she did."
"Grace didn't tell you that."
“She doesn't need to tell me. I can see it in her eyes when Corinne glares at her."
"You didn't even think about it until AJ said something--"
"If I tell you something will you promise not to tell Racie?" Kitra interrupted.
"Tell us what?" Brian questioned, knowing Kevin was still uneasy around AJ. Since the young Latino was still hiding the benefits of his relationship with Kitra, the rest of the group was still leery over the young woman. They didn't appreciate her drug use nor the fact that she gave AJ an outlet to burn his uses.
"Racie told me who pushed her down the stairs. I can't see Howie being ridiculed when he's right... Corinne pushed Racie, claiming it was part of the 'initiation'..."
"Are you shitting me?" AJ murmured in disbelief, his jaw dropping ajar at his correctness. "Why didn't the fireball just beat the shit out of her?"
"Racie's not like that. She would rather take the blame and be quiet rather than cause controversy."
"But she was so hostile with Howie--"
"No offense, but Howie wasn't giving her the chance to live out her dream at that point. She thought he wanted to take everything away from her at that point. And now that he's giving her everything, she's not going to jeopardize it. She may have low self esteem, but she'd do anything to get away from Devil's and Evan for that matter," Kitra answered softly, hating that she was betraying her friend's trust. "But you can't let her know that you know. She'd be furious. She already figured out that Corinne is Howie's ex-girlfriend and that's hard enough..."
"But it's not like Corinne can get Howie back--"
"It doesn't matter from that angle. It's the fact that Corinne is making her life Hell because Howie's happy again. She used to be the center of attention but now Racie is."
"And she compares herself to Corinne," AJ voiced softly, distinctly remembering his conversation with the energetic woman when her and Howie had their first sexual blunder.
"Why does she--"
"Every girl compares herself to her boyfriend’s last ex in some way..."
"So what is Howie supposed to do?" Brian questioned with obvious confusion, spinning his empty bottle of water on the floor. "We can't fire Corinne... Not this close to the tour and she'd probably slap us with a law suit or some shit."
"There's nothing he can do--"
"Can you stop talking like I'm not here?" Howie finally voiced through his pained silence.
"Sorry... You weren't saying anything..." Kitra apologized briefly, knowing if Howie decided to do anything by means of Grace that she'd be blamed.
"I was thinking."
"About?"
"What do you think?"
"Don't get defensive, I was just trying to help in the first place. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even know what happened--"
"You two calm down," AJ placed a gentle hand over Kitra's mouth as he glanced toward his best friend. "What are you going to do, D?"
"I--"
"BEAUTIFUL JOB, LADIES! I REALLY LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING! IT'S OFFICIALLY LUNCH TIME! TAKE A WELL DESERVED BREAK! GRACE! IF YOU INSIST ON DANCING ON THAT ANKLE DESPITE WHAT WE ALL SAY, I WANT A BAG OF ICE ON IT AND YOU OFF IT UNTIL WE START DANCING AGAIN. BY NO MEANS SHOULD YOU BE WALKING ON THAT MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ANKLE AND RUINING YOUR BEAUTIFUL SKILLS! Y'HEAR ME?!" Fatima suddenly hollered directions.
"Yes, Tima! I hear you" Grace answered back as she and her 'partner' came back up from the trapdoor.
"Then start following orders," Fatima laughed as she crossed Grace's path to smack a kiss against her cheek. It was easy to say that Fatima had absolutely fallen in love with Grace since she started working. Playing favorites may not have been in Fatima's heart, but it was easy to see who she enjoyed most. "And get some good food into your belly. You're losing weight like crazy."
"Okay," Grace promised with a nod as she wished a quick goodbye to the other female daner who was going out to grab something to eat with the others. Sure enough, Grace was left alone again as she reached down to snatch her icy bottle of Pepsi that the band had politely held for her during the dance. Only, as she bent, she heard a large ripping sound going up the back of her dress. Jerking up in surprise, she came face to face with Corinne's evil sneer.
"Guess you're not losing weight in the right places, huh, Fatty?" Corinne mused with a devilish laugh, obviously having ruining the beautiful dress for her own amusements.
Grace tensed with disbelief, "You--"
"Draeger! Goddamn it, I saw what you did. Now I have to fix the dress and I spent weeks working on all of them," Kitra growled as she stormed over towards the two women. AJ had tried to hold her back but she broke away and was hell bent on chewing Corinne out. She kneeled down to examine the tear and growled again. "What the Hell did you use, rusty scissors?!"
"No, her lard ass just popped out," Corinne answered simply, hopping off the stage and to the lunch buffet provided. "The keyword is diet, Gracie-Poo. Howie doesn't like fat bitches, too much to smother him while he's trying to get a hard on."
"I'm sorry, Kit..." Grace whispered as she peeled the dress off as carefully as possible, though it seemed to be in two strips down. She was highly embarrassed as she reached down to grasp her t-shirt and baggy shorts from her duffle bag, knowing Kitra would want to do immediate repair. She could even feel a slight trickle of blood gathering at her hip, but she said nothing, just glancing down to see the boys unaffected, obviously oblivious to the abuse.
"It's not your fault, Racie. Don't even apologize," Kitra gathered up the dress and got into Corinne's face. "If I see you hurt Racie one more time, I swear to fucking God--"
"Kit," Grace groaned as she hopped off the stage to intervene between the two women. She grasped her older friend's shoulders and pulled her back despite the added pressure to her tender ankle. "Stop it. You'll get kicked off the set or fired or something. She's not worth it."
"Better listen to Gracie-Poo, you fucking has-been prostitute. No wonder you can't sell your ass, it's all used up," Corinne sneered as she turned around and walked away.
"She's not worth it, okay? Please don't get mad. She's not worth it," Grace repeated against the side of Kitra's face, closing her eyes so she could forget the intense pain radiating from her ankle and fighting against the ache of her heart.
"Why don't you just whip her ass!" Kitra seethed, turning back on her friend. "You could take her in a New York minute and make her regret for ever laying a hand on you!"
"Because I don't fight unless I have to," Grace answered simply, taking deep breaths to gather her frazzled nerves.
"But you do have to! Next time she might kill you instead of just pushing you down sta--"
"Are you two okay?" AJ suddenly voiced, overhearing the entire conversation. He noticed the tears starting to build in Grace's eyes as Kitra berated her for obvious reasons. And, he knew how it felt to get blamed entirely for something that wasn't his fault and he also understood that Kitra was just being protective. Intervening just seemed to be in the best interest.
"I'm fine," Grace instantly promised.
"That little whore ripped Racie's dress," Kitra seethed as AJ lifted Grace back onto the stage and placed the icepack on her ankle.
"She also ripped Racie's skin," AJ noticed, pointing to the faint line of blood developing on Grace's t-shirt.
"AJ, it's nothing," Grace groaned in annoyance as Kitra pulled the shirt up to examine the cut.
"Until you get tetanus," Kitra seethed, fully prepared to demolish the hold that Corinne exericised over Grace. She envisioned beating the older woman to a bloody pulp, then pushing her down a flight of stairs, and degrading her the entire way. Grace was such a sweetly innocent girl, far too innocent for the jaded world she lived in. And she didn't deserve this.
"Stop," Grace scorned softly, yanking down on her shirt to get them away from her.
"Why do you let Corinne get away with this? It's such bullshit, you did nothing wrong!"
"Because this means too much to me to start adding nasty waves before the tour even starts," Grace answered, her voice slightly hissing as AJ pressed the ice pack tighter to her ankle. She attempted to avoid contact with both that were caring for her, distinctly noticing Corinne flirting disgustingly with Howie as Kevin and Brian made their way to check on Grace.
"She started them first; you would be putting a stop to it--"
"Kit, please. Just... don't. All we can do is fix my dress and I want to forget the rest."
"Are you sure?" AJ sighed, glancing up into her teary emerald eyes. He attempted to offer an encouraging smile, cupping her perfect cheek into his hand for support. A few tears actually slipped from her eyes, which AJ wiped away before she could feel embarrassment. "We'll do whatever makes you comfortable, Grace."
"I want to forget," she whispered.
"Okay," AJ agreed, motioning toward Kitra as he kissed her cheek. "Let's go get your monster sewing kit out of my car so you can do something productive today."
"Alright," Kitra reluctantly agreed, taking AJ's hand as they walked out of the studio.
"Damn," Grace whispered with obvious relief, attempting to slide off the stage and escape for her lunch break. She couldn't stand watching Corinne practically mauling Howie for her own delights, knowing it annoyed Grace.
"Hey, where are you going? Tima said to stay off the ankle during lunch," Brian protested with a raised eyebrow.
"Obviously I'm not going anywhere," Grace sighed as Brian caught her in his arms before she could touch the floor.
"Good girl," Brian pushed her back up onto the stage and readjusted the ice pack.
"Why aren't you two getting something to eat?" Grace asked, wondering why she had to be babysat all of a sudden. Unable to stop from growing annoyed when Kevin purposely shielded her sight from Corinne and Howie.
"We ate while you girls were dancing," Brian shrugged, taking the bag that was next to her and pulling out an apple and sandwich to hand it to her.
Grace hesitated for a moment before glancing to Kevin. "You would tell me if I was getting too fat, right? I mean, I'm your dance partner and you have to lift me, so it's better for me to be as skinny as possible... So you would tell me if I was giving you a hernia, right?"
"Well yeah, but you're not fat. Tima is right, you need to start eating more. I feel like I'm lifting a feather during our dance moves. You don't have to be as skinny as possible. Just be the weight you're supposed to be for your height," Kevin replied with slight confusion.
"Still, you would tell me?"
"Yes. But you're not fat."
"Okay," she sighed, finally biting into the sweet apple to savor the flavor. "But why are you blocking my view of Stranger?"
"Am I?"
"You're not good at playing dumb, Kevvy."
"It's better when it comes naturally," Brian agreed as he hopped onto the stage beside Grace, moving to rest her tender ankle on his lap while holding the ice pack.
"Yeah, when it-- hey!"
"Besides, I know what she's doing," Grace answered, attempting to look over his shoulder again. She just wanted to make sure Howie wasn't enjoying her more.
"Grace--"
"Damnit, what part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand, Corinne? Just get off me, you're like a dog in heat," Howie burst, loud enough to interrupt Kevin while he pushed Corinne away from his body.
"He loves you way too much, Kiddo," Kevin explained with a relieved smile. For so long, Howie had been under Corinne's enchantment. He did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. So he couldn't help but be slightly nervous whenever Corinne approached Howie, afraid he would fall back under her spell. And protecting Grace came natural.
"She never stops, does she?" Grace asked softly as she watched Howie push the woman away and walk towards them.
"Unfortunately," Brian sighed, reaching to affectionately rub Grace's back as they watched her skip over to Nick for obvious benefits.
Grace frowned. "I don't know if I have the strength to always compete with that..."
"You don't have to compete with her for Howie because he only wants you."
"I hope--"
"We know."
"I'd rather see it for myself..."
"You just saw him turn Corinne down and insult her like the whore she is--"
"That doesn't mean he did it for me--"
"How does it not?"
"Because--"
"Gracie, how's your ankle?" Howie interrupted as he finally reached the trio, brushing his lips against hers.
"It's okay," she murmured simply against his lips, savoring the soft velvetiness that brought her so much delight.
"You're resting it like Tima said?"
"Do you not see it sitting in Brian's lap?" she questioned as she tossed the core of her apple into the brown paper bag.
"Just making sure." He kissed her again before allowing her to unwrap the sandwich next. "I'm glad to see you eating. I was getting a little worried about how much weight you've been losing."
"If you'd let me order Domino's..." Grace trailed, trying to make light of the entire situation.
"We'll have it tonight for dinner."
"You always cook--"
"Do you want Domino's?"
"It doesn't matter..."
"Gracie."
"What?"
"Tell me."
"I'll pay for it--"
"It's my treat."
"Stranger---" she prepared to protest, but she noticed Corinne approaching quickly. A sour knot formed in her stomach as she grew annoyed with the woman's persistence. Wanting to make it very clear who Howie was interested in, Grace pulled him toward her. With a long fling of passion, she connected their lips for a saucy kiss, nibbling affectionately on his bottom lip to entice him to kiss her further.
"Mmm," Howie smiled, licking his lips as they kissed once more.
"I wanted to share my apple," she answered coyly, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him as close as possible. She rested her chin against the crook of his neck, making sure to catch Corinne's gaze with a pure look of defiance before kissing Howie's neck.
"You definitely shared it, alright..." Howie trailed off with a low moan, craning his neck to give her better access.
"Then, let me share some more," she purred against his throat, moving her kisses upward to his jaw line, knowing that Corinne was fuming as Kevin and Brian muffled amused laughter.
"Please do," was all Howie could mutter as Grace kissed him deeply.
Grace had to smile as their deep kisses slowed into a heat that she had never experienced with Howie before. She forgot all about making Corinne jealous, more set on enjoying the taste of Howie. Especially as she cupped her hands around the back of his neck, playing with the short dark curls as she tilted her head in attempts to give Howie more access.
"It looks like they're trying to swallow each other's heads," Brian whispered to Kevin with amusement as if he were a cootie-phobic boy.
"Shh, they're having their moment," Kevin scorned softly.
"Is that you way of saying you actually like Grace?" Brian mused in surprise.
"You guys were right... I just needed to give her a chance."
"Let me get a piece of paper and record this as a golden date in history," Brian attempted to joke, only Grace and Howie slowly pulled apart with much regret, making it impossible for Kevin to strike him. Offering a goofy smile, Brian gingerly took Grace's ankle and offered it toward Howie. "We've got at least a two hour break, why don't you take her somewhere private with some good take out?"
"You're sure you don't mind?" Grace asked sheepishly while Howie pulled her into his arms.
"Of course not. Go on."
"Make sure she rests her ankle," Kevin reminded Howie.
"Yes, Dad," Howie teased, slipping down the stage with Grace cradled in his arms.
"Are you sure you want to leave?" Grace questioned as she kept her arms looped around his neck for protection.
"Yeah. I'm still hungry and I know you are. Let's go get something to eat."
"Hungry, sure... Nice cover..."
"I tried?" Howie chuckled, walking out of the studio.
