“Now to this guy you’ve been sleeping with.  What did he do?  And who is he?  You never told me about him!”

I laughed at her; I told Velvet pretty much everything, but I hadn’t told her about Havoc.  I wasn’t entirely sure why not.  “It doesn’t matter what he did because he really only was a two night stand.  I shouldn’t let him get to me.”

It was her turn to laugh now.  “A two night stand?  Only you could dream up something like that.”

“Shut up!”  I was mentally poking my tongue at her.

She was still laughing.  “Oh God, I do love you, Carla.  No wonder you give Nash grey hairs.”

“Well he shouldn’t worry about me like he does.”  Nash was twelve years older than me and had always been a father figure to me, along with my other brother, Jamison and my sister, Erika.  Our father had left when our mother was pregnant with me and we’d never heard from him since.

“You know he’s never going to stop worrying, don’t you?”

I sighed.  “I know.”  I had to smile; she’d helped calm me down, and I decided not to go and confront my teacher.  “Thank you, Velvet,” I said, softly.

“What for?”

“For being you, and for calling at the exact right moment.  You’re always there for me when I need you.”

I could hear the smile in her voice.  “Well it was a fluke this time, but I’m glad I could help.”

“What did you actually call for?”

“Shit, I’d nearly forgotten about that!  I was ringing to see if you wanted a girl’s night out tomorrow night?”

I grinned.  Nights out with Velvet were the best thing, and I wasn’t turning that down.  “Hell yes, bitch!”

“Good.  I’ll meet you at my house and we can get Nash to drop us off at the club.”

We said goodbye and hung up.  My mood had lifted a little, and I decided to go dancing at the club again tonight.  Dancing always made me feel better, and it might help me forget my shitty teacher for a few hours.

***

The bartender passed me a glass of water and I drank it all in one go.  I’d been dancing for the last two hours and was sweaty and thirsty.  I was also on a high, and felt like nothing could shake my good mood now.  How wrong I was.

My phone buzzed in my bag, and I pulled it out and pressed it to my ear.  “Hello?”

“Carla, where are you?”

Shit, it was Havoc.  I didn’t want to see him, and tried to fob him off.  “Why are you calling me, Havoc?  Didn’t you say everything you had to say to me, this afternoon?”

His frustration was clear in his tone.  “You’ve got no idea what this afternoon was about and I want to explain it to you.  Tell me where you are so I can come and see you.”

“There’s no need.  I don’t want to see you again.”

“Babe, you will be seeing me again; we’ve got shit to clear up.”

It was my turn to get frustrated now.  “Look, we had a two night stand.  It’s done, so let’s just move on.  I really don’t need to know whatever the hell it is you think I need to know.”

“Fuckin’ hell, woman.  Are you this argumentative with every man you meet, or am I the only one blessed with your arguing?”

“Fuck you,” I yelled into my phone, and hung up on him.  Bloody men.

The bartender raised his brows at me, and I shook my head.  “Don’t ask.  Men!”

He grinned.  “Gotcha.”

I moved back out onto the dance floor and attempted to lose myself in the music again.  The time passed, and I couldn’t tell you how long I’d been dancing for when strong hands slid around my waist, and warm breath tickled my neck.  Havoc’s voice filtered through the music into my ear.  “Time to talk, babe.”

I spun around to face him, and his hands landed on my ass and pulled me to him.  Our faces were close; eyes searching the other’s.  “Why did you come?” I asked as I placed my hands against his chest.

“I really don’t fuckin’ know,” he admitted.

The anger that we’d both been feeling over the phone was gone, and in its place was a sexual tension I was convinced we were both feeling.  How this man managed to make me want him even when I knew I didn’t was beyond me.  But the pull to him was undeniable, and my belly fluttered with desire.

“You shouldn’t have come,” I said, my eyes still firmly on his.  “We had sex, and neither of us want anything more out of it, so I don’t need to know why you were a prick to me this afternoon.”

“You’re right.  But the thing is that for once in my life, I feel the need to clear it up with you.  I need you to not think of me as that prick.”

I listened closely to his words, and watched his eyes and his face.  He was fighting this.  It was like he was torn between not wanting to be anywhere near me, and wanting desperately to tell me his reasons.  I couldn’t work him out.  And that right there made me want to take the time to do just that.  I wanted to know what made Havoc tick.

Pushing gently against his chest, I moved out of his embrace.  “Okay, let’s talk,” I agreed, indicating for us to go outside where we could hear each other.