Black Dahlia (17 page)

“Eu te amo, querida!” Raul yelled as he came. Mercedes held Raul close as he came. They remained in that seated position for long moments, both overwhelmed by the intensity of their lovemaking. Mercedes let her head rest in the crook of Raul’s neck while he stroked his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. When they both caught their breaths, Raul moved, turning to deposit Mercedes on the bed and pull himself out of her. On shaky legs, he rose from the bed and went to the bathroom, throwing away the used condom, and retrieving a warm cloth to wipe Mercedes and then himself down. Climbing back into the bed he pulled a half-sleep Mercedes into his arms. She snuggled closer into his arms.

“They were right. The senses are so much more intense when blindfolded,” she said around a yawn.

Raul chuckled. “Tired you out, huh?” He asked cockily.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be ready to go again after some rest,” she said snuggling deeper into his embrace.

“I’m counting on it, Querida,” he said before Mercedes fell into a deep sleep. Raul laid awake for a while longer, just holding Mercedes and listening to her breathing. He’d been shocked at what he yelled to Mercedes in the middle of making love to her. He’d told her he loved her in Portuguese, and he didn’t regret it. He didn’t know if she was ready to hear the words in English, but she’d better be ready soon because he had no intentions of letting this woman go.  

“Ten minutes, Dahlia,” Jazzy, the stage kitten at the New Orleans club Mercedes was performing at, came to tell her.

“Thank you,” she smiled her gratitude and continued to make sure all the balloons were fastened in place.

“How do I look?” she looked up asking Raul.

“Like you should let me take you back to the hotel so we can have a replay of last night...and this morning,” he said seductively. Mercedes was wearing a pair of fishnets, a pair of black lace panties with pink ruffling at the back and a black corset embroidered with pink rhinestones. She’d strategically tied six balloons around her corset and panties. Each time she popped one of the balloons, a piece of her corset came undone. The last balloon would be the one to reveal her nude, except for the pink heart pasties she wore.

She winked at Raul. “After my performance,” she purred. “Right now, it’s show time!” she clapped excitedly. Raul laughed and turned to head out the door. Mercedes dutifully followed. When they reached the stage, she felt energized seeing the crowd. This was the culminating event of the summer. She was pumped to get on stage, and as she looked to her right, she knew Raul’s presence made it even more special.

“Coming to the stage all the way from Atlanta, Black Dahliaaaaa!! Give it up for her ladies and gentlemen!!” The announcer bellowed into the microphone before exiting the stage. The music of Janelle Monae’s
Q.U.E.E.N
began playing as Mercedes stepped on stage, shimmying across. She swayed and stepped in time to the music, pumping up the crowd as she dipped shaking her shoulders, allowing her cleavage to be seen by those in the front row. Mercedes danced as she felt the power of the words of the song. She’d chosen the song because it spoke to her questions about sexuality and religion. Questions she’d had seeing her father a supposedly devout preacher, admonish her for her budding sexuality as an adolescent, while he cheated on his wife. Mercedes popped the first balloon and the bottom of her corset came undone. She heard the roar of the crowd as they noticed her corset coming undone. She teased them some more as she dropped to her knees and wiggled her hips, popping another balloon. More raucous from the crowd as they saw more skin emerge from behind the corset. Minutes later, Mercedes was down to her final balloon. As the final words of Janelle Monae’s song played, Mercedes popped the last balloon. A cloud of purple glitter burst from the balloon, and when it cleared, Mercedes remained in her panties and pasties, giving the crowd one last shimmy before she fled the stage. The audience members whooped and stomped their feet in admiration.

“Perfeito, Querida!” Raul gushed as Mercedes walked into his arms after exiting the stage.

Perfect.

And that’s exactly how she felt around him, as if she was perfect. Nothing wrong with her. She savored the feel of his embrace and laughed when she pulled back to find him covered in purple glitter just like her. His good-natured laughter warmed her soul. Together they walked back to her dressing room, but their elation would be short-lived.

****

“Boss, we have an issue,” Lorenzo said just above a whisper close to Raul’s ear so Mercedes wouldn’t overhear. It’d been thirty minutes or so after Mercedes’ performance and they were in her dressing room. Raul couldn’t tell Mercedes enough how excellent she was on stage.

For her part, Mercedes was on Cloud 9. She’d enjoyed the last few days, and her performances in New Orleans. She’d never enjoyed the city like this until visiting with Raul. As she dressed, the couple discussed their plans to go out to dinner with Stacey and her aunt that evening. They’d spotted the pair eating breakfast that morning, and they stopped to say hello. Stacey and her aunt invited the two to dinner, before they both departed on their respective flights in the morning. As Mercedes talked about her performance and cleaning up the remnants of the glitter, there was a knock on the door.

Now Lorenzo was telling Raul there was an issue. Raul stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

“What is it?”

“Apparently, there are a Dwayne and Linda Holmes here and they are demanding to see Mercedes.” Raul froze. Dwayne and Linda Holmes were Mercedes’ parents. They lived outside of Houston. What were they doing here?

“Are you sure it’s them?” Raul asked wanting to play it safe.

“Yup, it’s them. I verified myself with my own eyes. They said they’d received a letter a few days ago telling them that Mercedes was performing here. The person sent them tickets to her performance and a note attached,” Lorenzo confirmed.

“What’d it say?” Raul asked.

“See for yourself,” Lorenzo said pulling out the note, he’d gotten from Mercedes’ parents.

The note read
: Is this the daughter you raised?
It had a half-naked Mercedes performing on stage at the Black Kitty.

“Dammit,” Raul muttered under his breath. He knew this was the work of Mercedes’ stalker. He would do anything to preserve Mercedes’ good mood, but that didn’t look possible. He knew her parents wouldn’t be happy with what they’d just witnessed on stage.

“Give me a minute,” Raul told Lorenzo, before opening the door to the dressing room. Stepping inside, he saw Mercedes was now dressed in a sleeveless floral romper, with her hair falling in curls around her shoulders. She looked beautiful as she smiled and turned towards him.

“This glitter is going to be a bitch to--” she stopped, noticing the somber look on Raul’s face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked her eyebrows furrowing.

“Querida, there are some guests from the performance who want to talk with you,” Raul stated cautiously.

“Guests?” she asked.

“Yes, they were in the audience and saw your performance.”

“I don’t understand.” Mercedes knew Raul did not let anyone visit her in the dressing room. She knew it was a safety precaution, so she couldn’t understand why he was mentioning this to her.

“It’s your parents,” he said finally. He saw the look on Mercedes’ face change from one of confusion to shock to fear in a manner of seconds.

“My parents? H-how do you know?” she asked unbelieving her parents had seen her show.

Raul sighed. “I looked up your parents, just to make sure everything was on the up and up with them. My team knows your whole family. This person stalking you sent tickets of your performance to them a few days ago along with a picture of you mid-performance,” he told her.

Mercedes slumped back against the wall. Just like that, her good mood was deflated. She wrapped her arms around her waist in an effort to guard her emotions. Raul’s heart ached seeing her upset.

“I can send them away. You don’t have to see them,” he consoled, taking a step towards her. He reached around her waist and pulled her close to him.

“Querida, I know you don’t have the best relationship with your parents. If you want me to, just say the word, and I can have them escorted out of here and all the way back to Houston.” Raul wanted her to say yes. To give him the greenlight to get rid of her parents, at least for now, and they could forget this incident ever happened. They’d enjoy their final night in New Orleans and deal with everything else later. But he also knew she wouldn’t.

“I can’t do that,” Mercedes inhaled deeply. “I’ve hidden this part of my life from them for too long. I’m a big girl. I can take whatever they have to say,” she said standing up to her full height and squaring her shoulders.

Raul’s heart swelled with the same pride he had when he saw her defend herself in front of her school’s committee. “Okay, I’ll have them escorted in.” Raul stepped out and told Lorenzo it was okay to bring her parents back. He could see the tension in Mercedes’ body when he returned to the room.

“It’ll be okay, Querida,” he told her as he massaged both her shoulders. She gave him a faint smile of gratitude. About ten minutes later there was a knock on the door.

Time to face the music.
Mercedes thought as she watched Raul pull the door open. There stood both her parents. The crinkle in her father’s forehead and his downturned lips told the story of his ire. Behind her father, was Mercedes’ mother, biting her lower lip and gripping the strap of her handbag tightly. Raul observed both their body language. Where Mercedes’ father was clearly irate, her mother appeared to be more nervous and fidgety. When Mercedes’ father started to head towards her, Raul moved to block his path. The older man paused looking up at Raul.

“Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, I am Raul Santiago, a friend of Mercedes,” he introduced himself holding out his hand, but Mercedes’ father was in no mood for introductions. He looked over Raul’s shoulder.

“Mercedes Patrice Holmes,” her father said in his disciplinary tone he used on her as a child. Mercedes took a step forward and placed a hand on Raul’s shoulder, “It’s okay, Raul.” His body relaxed ever so slightly, and he moved to the side, closing the door. He turned and stood with his arms at his side, ready to jump in just in case.

“Young man, I am sure you are needed elsewhere,” her father turned and said to Raul. He wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m fine right here,” Raul said flatly and folded his arms across his chest.

“Dad, mom, it’s okay. Raul is my friend,” she said wanting to say he was more than a friend.

When her father turned to look back at her she nearly flinched at the disgusted look on his face. “A friend?” he asked mockingly, “A friend who lets you get on stage and whore yourself for hundreds of people? What type of friend is that?” Her father roared. Raul took a menacing step towards Mercedes’ father, but was cut off by Mercedes’ mother.

“Dwayne, please. We can talk calmly about this,” her mother tried to reason.

“Calmly? Calmly? Linda did you see what I saw? Our daughter on stage shaking her naked tail for hundreds of people? This is not the woman I raised. I don’t know where you went wrong, but this will end today!” he roared.

“No,” Mercedes said more calmly than she felt. “I’m not giving up performing. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it’s not something I am ashamed of nor should I be,” she said, countering his comments.

For a brief second her father looked taken aback by her talking back. Throughout her life, the one person Mercedes had not spoken back to was her father. She spent years regaining the voice she felt she’d lost in her childhood. She had no problem speaking her mind to others, and now it was her turn to tell her father exactly how she felt.

“You shouldn’t be ashamed? You shouldn’t be ashamed to get on stage, take your clothes off like some common hooker on the street! I spent years teaching you right from wrong. Years telling you to keep your damn legs closed and now here you are acting like some hoe from the hood. I knew you were fast growing up. I knew it and now look at you. You think that man,” he pointed to Raul, “respects you? No! He only wants what’s between your legs. That’s clearly all you’re good for, what’s between your legs! Did you even think of what the people in my congregation would say about this? You’re selfish, that’s what you are, a selfish little girl!” Mercedes father yelled.

Mercedes felt the sting of his words, but instead of feeling shame or guilt like she did as a child, she felt something else. This time, she felt her own fury. How dare he talk to her about being a whore when he’s been cheating on his wife for years? Out of the corner of her eye, Mercedes saw Raul take another step towards her father, but she gave him a look to let him know she was okay. She needed to have her say, here and now.

“Did you ever think about your congregation?” she asked turning the tables on him.

“What?” her father yelled.

“Did you ever think about your congregation? All those times you were stepping out on mama. All those nights we waited for you to come home for dinner, food getting cold on the table.”

“Mercedes!” She heard her mother gasp, but she was just getting started. Mercedes took delight in seeing the shocked expression on her father’s face.

“What’s the matter dad? Don’t like being confronted with your own dirt? My whole life you’ve been telling me only fast women do this or whores do that, right before you went out and bedded those same women you trashed. I’m a grown ass woman, and I have not lived under your roof in years. I no longer live by your rules. I am a burlesque dancer and I have been for years. And while we’re at it you should know that I am far from a virgin, and I’ve also dated plenty of women and men. You see,” she said taking a step towards her father, “unlike you I don’t preach one thing and practice another. I am who I am and I have no more secrets. Can you say the same?” she challenged, looking her father square in the eye. Mercedes could see her father’s fury boiling over. Not only his fury, but the shock and incredulity of having his own indiscretions thrown in his face, by his daughter no less. She knew exactly when he’d made the decision to strike her. She saw the look in his eyes, even before his hand moved. She braced herself for the hit, turning her head, but it never came.

Raul was much quicker than her father.

He too, had seen the change in Dwayne’s body language and his instincts kicked in. Moving swiftly, Raul grabbed Dwayne’s hand, spinning him around, and slamming him against the wall. Both Mercedes and her mother gasped. Raul stared coldly into Dwayne’s eyes.

Nostrils flared, knuckles turning white from gripping Dwayne’s wrist and neck so tightly, Raul was barely able to contain his anger.