Chapter Eight
When we left the club, Norman treated us to a midnight snack at a diner nearby. I picked at my food as the others chatted excitedly about the club, talking about all the play scenes they wanted to do in front of others. Courtney even suggested getting her photography in there to take some model photos of the girls.
“Nothing too risque,” she added. “Just something sultry for the fashion industry to ogle over.”
Norman smiled.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea, darling,” he said. “You should do it.”
Courtney giggled and munched on a fry, taking his hand in hers. She nudged her foot against me under the table. When I looked up, her eyes expressed concern. I smiled weakly.
“Sammy, you’ve hardly touched your food,” Norman said.
His eyes focused on mine and I looked down at my plate.
“Guess I’m not that hungry,” I said.
He nodded while chewing slowly, eyes darting between Bettie and me.
“I was a little nervous about the cage,” Bettie commented. “I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it, but it was so much fun.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Courtney said.
“I thought I might panic because of…you know,” she said. “But it was great. I want to do that again.”
“It just goes to show that you’re always safe with us,” Norman said while looking at me. “Isn’t that right, Sammy?”
I nodded, slowly pushing fries into my mouth. I was definitely hungry, but my nerves were shot and I felt like I couldn’t swallow. Norman hadn’t choked me hard, just enough to show me that he would do it if he needed to. I felt like an insubordinate child who was ungrateful, shoveling food around on my plate in defiance. It was my fault that this happened. I was just a bad little girl.
“What’s wrong, Sammy? Your mood seems to have dipped,” Courtney said.
“She’s just tired,” Norman said quickly.
“Yeah, I’m tired,” I added. “I just want to go to sleep.”
Courtney nodded.
“We’ll go home soon. I’ll give you a massage if you want,” she said.
I smiled.
“Thank you, Courtney,” I said.
When we were finished eating, Norman paid the bill and we piled into Courtney’s car to head home. Norman sat in the back with me, allowing Bettie to sit up front with Courtney where they blasted pop music over the stereo. Norman took my hand in his and leaned over to kiss my ear.
“Remember our conversation,” he said.
I nodded, pulling my dress down out of shame. I had flashed Stanley my bottom earlier in the evening to entice him. It was wrong of me to do and I felt like it needed to be corrected, but admitting my wrongs would only bring a world of pain I had never before felt. Certainly it would drive Norman to the edge. He might even give me away again. What would I do then?
At home, everyone piled into the room, but I wasn’t feeling particularly cuddly, so I went for the bathroom where I ran a hot shower. I stepped under the stream of water to cleanse myself, turning it as hot as I could stand. When I was alone, I began to sob quietly in the steamy bathroom while leaning against the ceramic of the shower. I heard the glass door open behind me and wiped my eyes quickly.
It was Bettie.
Her nude body was brimming with confidence, a sure change to our previous situation where she frequently looked battered and weak. She wrapped me in a hug and I sobbed into her shoulder, the water washing away my tears.
“Sweetheart,” she whispered sweetly. “What is going on?”
I couldn’t respond. I was crying so hard that words left me, replaced with the stifled sound of me weeping into her skin. She hugged me harder. After a few minutes, my sobs turned into sniffles and I gasped against the hot air. I turned the knob to make it a little cooler. She massaged my scalp with her nails that put me at ease, calming me down enough to begin explaining my own infidelity.