The Butterfly House (8 page)

We walked back towards The Butterfly House before I realized I didn't know where she lived.

“
Would you like to share a cab ride home?” I asked hoping she'd say yes.

“
I'm actually going to St. Luke’s Hospital before I head home, would that be out of your way?” She asked.

“
Not at all.” I said as I hailed a cab for us. I held the door as she got in first and then I slid in beside her. We rode in silence for a few minutes. I wanted to kiss her. I could smell her hair as she sat beside me. I was wondering why she was going to St. Luke's so late but I didn't want to pry or seem nosy.

She leaned close to me.

“Nolan,” she whispered looking at me.

“
Yes Ava,” I said suddenly needing to clear my throat.

She leaned in and kissed me gently on the mouth. “Thank you for tonight.”

I couldn't help myself, I grabbed her gently and kissed her. A deep soul-searching kiss. Her lips tasted spicy and sweet, like the drink we had at dinner. I wanted her, it shocked me as I realized for once I wanted a woman, and not just any woman. I wanted Ava and my body was telling me it had a hand in this need for her too. I pulled back gently. I didn't want to ruin the night by having her notice that my jeans had suddenly become very tight. I touched her nose with mine.

“
Ava would it be too soon to ask when I can see you again?”

“
No it wouldn't.” She said a bit breathlessly. I realized I didn't have her number. I wanted to be the one to ask her out this time, like a proper gentleman would.

“
Can I call you?” I asked.

“
Yes you may,” she said.

“
Ava, I don't have your number.” I said stating the obvious as the cab arrived at St. Luke's.

She asked the driver for a pen. She wrote her number on a scrap of paper from her purse. I asked the cabbie to keep the meter running while I got out with her. I walked with her a little ways to the ER entrance of the hospital.

We held hands and stood there just staring at each other like a pair of teenagers. I really needed to get my bearings, she was driving me crazy.

“
You made my night Nolan Walker,” She said as she let go of my hand and blew me a kiss. She then disappeared into the side door at the ER entrance.

I stood there thinking, No Ava Wild, it was you. You made
my
night. I walked back to the cab whistling, not even realizing at first it was the song
Brandy
that Ava had sung earlier tonight. I was getting in deep,
damn
!

Once I was home and in bed, I pulled out my phone and added her number to my address book. I already had memorized the number on the ride home. Before I could change my mind, I sent her a text.

“I hope you got home okay.”

I got a reply a few minutes later.

“Yes I did, Thank you.” 

I sent one back.

“Good night beautiful.”

A few minutes later my phone went off.

“Good night handsome.”

I lay in bed smiling like an idiot in the dark and wondering how soon I could ask her out again.

Ava

Baby Miles was asleep when I arrived at the hospital. I wanted to stay until dawn like I usually did but I had a full day and a huge exam. It was my night off at the house so I could come back to see him once my classes were over.  

I sat with him for an hour before I gently let go of his tiny hand. I thought about Nolan as I walked home. He had no idea how much he had made my night. Dinner was great but the fact he took the time to make me a gift, that brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't remember a man ever gifting me anything and not anything they hand-made that was so delicate and beautiful.

Once I arrived home, I changed and got into my bed. As I was setting my alarm, I heard my cell phone go off on the bed beside me.  It was Nolan, he was asking if I had made it home alright – how sweet was that? I told him I did and thanked him again. I had just snuggled into my pillow when I got another text from him.
“Good night beautiful”
it said. I couldn't help it, I smiled in the dark and texted back
“Good night handsome”
to him.

I knew I was asking for trouble. I wanted friendship but it was so easy to be with Nolan and want much more. I must be crazy because this felt so right even if it was wrong.

I kept thinking about his voice as he described his work. He would get emotional talking about his business. He was so young to be running a successful business and here I was going to college, dancing for money and then there was baby Miles.

I rolled over on my stomach, hitting my pillow hard. I wanted so much to not have this complicated life, but then it would mean I wouldn't have Miles in my life and I would not have met Nolan. I could do complicated for those two reasons. Maybe in time I could tell Nolan about baby Miles and the situation I was in. Right now I'd just enjoy getting to know him and let the rest take care of itself.

I was never going to get to sleep, I tossed and turned seeing Nolan's face. In the cab I couldn't help it, I had to kiss him. That kiss felt so right and then when he grabbed me deepening the kiss, it felt even more perfect. I wanted his lips right now, on my lips. I wanted to feel those long fingers of his stroking my body. I touched my own lips. Closing my eyes trying to relive that kiss, with that last thought I fell asleep.

Angela

I felt her beside me again. I could feel her concern for me. I wanted to tell her it was okay I was fine but I really wasn't. I couldn't move but I kept trying to. She touched my hand. I tried my hardest to move my fingers and grasp her hand back. Mentally I could see her, she was beautiful and she was kind. I knew this but I couldn't think of why I knew it.

I just knew she was looking out for me. She was the woman who saved me. She saw me as not just a stranger but as a person. Without regard to her own safety she risked her life for mine. This state of limbo was driving me crazy, I needed to communicate in order to be free but every time I felt close to having some kind of movement, there would be this flood of warmth, then I'd feel myself fighting the peaceful feeling coming next, like I was feeling now. The feeling would pull me under and into the darkness. Silently I screamed with all my might but in the end I lost the battle as the darkness took over.

Nolan ~
Eleven

It had been years since I woke up feeling this good. I had gotten very little sleep but I didn’t care. I couldn't stop thinking about Ava. Her smile, that laugh and her beauty.  I thought about her as I stepped into the shower at the gym.

Those legs of hers were driving me to distraction. I had to do something or I'd be walking around all day with a hard-on. I thought those eight miles on the treadmill would have worn me out but it obviously didn't tire out my mind or the intense thoughts I had going on. I wanted to feel her bare skin on mine. My cock was suddenly painfully standing at attention.

I turned the cold water on full blast and grabbed the soap. My first meeting of the day was with Sam. He would naturally want to know how our dinner date went. Fuck, there she was again –
in my head
! Rinsing off, I grabbed a towel and dried off. It was pointless to even think a cold shower was going to cure the ache I had for her. I needed to call her, that might get part of my mind off her so I could work.

Twenty minutes later I was at my desk when Cameron buzzed me to let me know Sam was waiting. I asked Cameron to send him in and to have a pot of strong coffee brought in immediately. We had a lot of ground to cover for this new business venture of Sam's. I had a few ideas I wanted to share with him.

I had thought maybe we could do one of his houses with just a male dancers. Something maybe in Soho, Lower Manhattan. If that went well then maybe he could do both female and male performances in the other states he was leaning towards adding businesses to.

“
Long time no see,”  Sam said smirking as he walked in with Cameron leading the way.

“
I don't even want to hear it dickhead! This is all your doing, you are the reason I'm now in way over my head!” I was in over my head in so many ways but I'd be damned if I admitted that to him.

“
Just go with it Nolan, you know the saying 'If it feels good just do it,' right?”

“
I'm aware of that saying but like I said before I was perfectly fine without a woman.”

“
That’s just bullshit and you damn well know it! I take it dinner went well but you seem a bit tense my friend,” he said laughing.

“
I'm tense all right, and yes dinner went very well. I'm sure I'll be frequenting your club more now so you may want to make me pay the membership fee.”

“
HA! Just as I suspected, getting you out of this office was a big step for you. Since your business is helping with my new houses, the membership is on me,” he said smiling.

“
Thank you. I think. I'm actually going to ask Miss Wild out again.”

“
Nolan just remember one thing,
her job.
Ava's a good worker and she doesn't ever see anyone outside of the house, I have been doing a little digging into my new employees. I don't want to have issues with the law. No employee of mine is working like a prostitute. I know Sin Lee had that tip policy with the ladies and it worked out well for her. I'm going to leave it in place for now, providing I don't find out anything is going on during business hours or inside my building. If you are going to date Ava, then be up front about what she does for a living and make sure you are both on the same page. I don't want to see either of you get hurt.”

“
Sam, I thought a lot about that last night, she has an amazing voice, maybe she could be a singer for the house instead of dancing. Maybe
her boss
could suggest that to her?”

“
That's an idea but it may affect how much she earns in tips. Right now with her dancing and singing, she's making much more than the other ladies. She's the main reason we have a full house each night. I noticed on the nights she's not working, it's a bit light on customers; that means less drinking and eating for the house's pockets.”

“
Are you sure it's not just
her
in general that is the reason? She's knock down gorgeous with that voice and the moves she has; it's a heady combination.”

“
I'm sure it is Ava playing her role as Lotus in general but we do have some other dancers that are attractive. Men like a variety of women – blonde, brunette and of course there is Orchid with her dark gypsy hair and
all
those piercings,” he said chuckling.

“
I've seen Orchid, you can't knock her style I guess. Some men do like their women different and she's definitely different.”

“
Can we get down to business? I have some ideas for a house here in Soho I wanted to run by you,” I said.

“
Oh really?” Sam stated as he pulled in his chair closer. “Fire away, I'm all ears.”

After an hour of going over the plans I had worked on for a house in Soho, I had to break away for another meeting.
Sam was actually open to my idea of having female and male dancers in separate clubs, but he thought maybe having both together in each club would be a better fit. It would be easier to monitor and manage one club per state than two.

We discussed the possibility of making only the Soho club just male dancers since
The Butterfly House
was already established with females.  We were now tossing names around for the male club as well as buildings for sale. I agreed to meet with Sam again in a few days to work out more of the details on our business venture. After he left, I gave Cameron an order for lunch before my business meeting. I picked up my cell phone and called Ava to find out if she was free again for dinner since Sam had mentioned she wasn't working tonight. My call went to voice mail. I had a feeling she might still be in class so I would wait for her to call me back.