Golden Jazz
It had been a month since my father, Walter Hardy, was broken out of prison by two cat burglars. He was later found dead in his old home where he raised me. He died peacefully in his sleep. At least I got to see him one last time.
“Felicia, darling, you can’t just bury yourself in your office.” Selina said as she sat on the chair in front of my desk. “Listen, I know it’s been a sad and confusing month for you… I don’t know why someone would break your father out and leave him for dead… but this is not a healthy way to grieve.”
I raised an eyebrow, looking up at her I set my papers to the side. I knew she liked my full attention on her when she spoke. “I appreciate the care, Selina. But respectfully, neither is going out to a club. Which also I don’t see the appeal to when we both own clubs.” She had been trying to get me to go out for a few weeks now
“Oh but it’s not just any club! It’s a jazz club, beautiful music straight from New Orleans!” She leaned forwards, taking my hands in hers. I tried to give her a blank stare but it was hard to when she had such a sweet smile, it made me mirror hers. “Please? I don’t like you here, all alone and mourning. Just for a night, let me help you ease your pain.”
I couldn’t help but lean into her touch as she cupped the left side of my face and ran her thumb over my cheek. With a hesitant sigh I agreed.
“Great, it’s a date! Wear something pretty.” She grins. I didn’t mind making her smile. Weirdly enough despite everything else it also made me smile.
And that smile is what brought me to The Big Easy NYC, a jazz club straight from New Orleans, it definitely stood out against the New York architecture. I shivered as I felt a hand on my low open back black dress, the nails moving up my spine and playing with the layers of pearls that went down the back.
“Cold?” Selina teases, holding a white fur wrap out to me. I chuckled slightly as I took it. “You look gorgeous tonight.” I almost didn’t process the compliment, I could tell she just showered, her wet and her curls that are usually around her shoulders now down to the low of her back. A beautiful long dark purple dress with lace details had the pleasure of being wrapped around her. She had a beautiful black fur coat above it.
“Likewise…” I said simply. I wasn’t the type to get flustered often, if I had something to say I would. Yet for some reason I couldn’t when I was with her. She wrapped her arm around mine, slowly guiding me through the club showing me the private booth she got for us. “You’re truly spoiling me tonight.”
“You deserve it, Felicia.” She said softly, I could feel both her hands on my arm. Her thumbs rubbing light circles into my arms.
“Oh quit flirting with me.” I sat down on the booth, I looked up seeing her standing still for a few seconds, I grabbed her arm lightly pulling her so she could sit down as well. “This is nice… it’s been awhile since I’ve gone out non-professionally… you know with friends and without-”
“Men trying to buy you drinks in order to get a business deal? Yeah I know, ‘Licia, I own a nightclub too, remember?” she grins with a slight hint of tease in her voice.
“Yes… which brings me to ask,”
“Uh oh.”
“You left Gotham behind… left a whole life back there. I see you have no intention of permanently staying here, yet I don’t see any intention of going back anytime soon.” I took a sip from the white wine that she knew I liked and ordered beforehand. I could taste how expensive and luxurious it was as it hit the tip of my tongue.
She of course ordered the red wine that matched the red lipstick mark left on her wine glass. She took a moment to respond, maybe giving me a second to take my question back. “There is something special about Gotham, everyone else may not agree, and trust me I know it can be a shit hole, but ask any gothamite and they’ll probably tell you they wouldn’t leave. Many of them can’t, but on the rare occasion they ever could, leaving something that is the core of who we are isn’t easy. That’s why I’m here. I wanted something new, Yet this place feels like a mirror of Gotham.”
“Really?” I stop to think for a moment, to find a way to relate to her how we usually did. “To me a place is a place, and although I love Manehattan it is not a place I’d chain myself to. I only stay here… well I’ll stay here until I get bored.”
“Nothing holding you down?” She asks.
I think about it, “Nothing that comes to mind.” I finish my drink. I looked back at the stage, watching as the men and women play their instruments to their heart's content. “Can you sing?”
“Can I sing?” She dodges the question, I nod in response. “Well don’t you think people who say they can are a little arrogant?”
I roll my eyes. I take her hand and get up with her, taking her up on the stage not caring for the disturbance we’d cause. “You must know the lyrics to Fly Me To The Moon.”
“Hasn’t that song been done to death by now?” Yet she didn’t fight back as the band started. (Not time accurate shhh)
We stood by one another, sharing the same microphone. She looked off into the crowd while I looked at her. Our bodies swaying slightly in sync, our fingers snapping every now and then, our feet tap the floor with the rhythm as if we had practiced this together.
“Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like… on Jupiter and Mars.”
Her eyes finally met mine, but as they did my sight went to her hands.
“In other words… hold my hand. In other words, baby kiss me.”
But this time, I kept her stare.
“Fill my heart with song and let me sing forevermore. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words I love you.”
Once we finished the song, taking a deep breath we noticed at the corner a security guard ready to get us off stage. With giggles we grab the other’s hand, running off stage, our heels clacking against the floor. We still laughed as we made it out of the club.
“I don’t think we can go back there.” Selina said with the biggest and most genuine smile I had ever seen on her.
“They wouldn’t welcome us back, would they? They should be grateful we gave them such a good show.” I chuckled as I got into the car.
She was kind enough to drive me back home, walk me up to my penthouse. I couldn’t stop thinking about how great tonight was, a night I so desperately needed in life and Selina was more than glad to give it to me. Selina. That woman read me better than anyone else, the way she cares isn't something I experience often from others. It was nice to see her have a good night as well.
“Thank you so much for tonight, I needed it more than I liked to admit.” I said to her as we reached my penthouse. I stepped in. I could see her hesitating between entering and staying back, but as I looked back and stared at her for a bit she took that as an invitation.
“You know I always have your best interest in mind, Felicia.” I loved the way she would take any opportunity to say my name. “You truly deserve more than the mess that keeps following you around.”
I don’t even remember when we got so close that her body was touching mine. I don’t remember how or why we leaned into one another, until our eyes closed when our lips met.
Her hands came to the sides of my neck, I could feel her thumbs resting on my jawline as she kept me close to her. My arms greedily snaked around her waist.
It was a peaceful yet heated moment. Peaceful as in I had never felt such peace as when I was in her body, her body so close to mine. Heated as in our body heat seemed to merge together, creating a need to get rid of the layers of fabric we wore.
I softly guided her back to my bed without breaking the kiss, Her nails swiftly moving the straps of my dress down my shoulders.
“Selina…” “Felicia!” Our names would echo through the quiet night as breathless words.
The morning came too quickly, ruining the peace that came with holding her in sleep. Her bare body against mine, our clothes thrown somewhere around the room. Our legs tangled together, my head on her chest while our arms wrapped around one another. As my eyes slowly get used to the light of the sun, I see the teeth indents I left in her collar bone. It was almost sweet.
Almost.
But then of course, reality rose as the sun did. It was a nice night, yes. But something that shouldn’t have happened. We were friends, friends who knew we both weren’t ready to commit, friends who knew we didn’t need casual flings in our life right now, friends who knew we shouldn’t be risking such a beautiful friendship in something we both knew was wrong.
It was a silent agreement. We both knew. And so as she quietly got out of bed, untangling herself from my body, I only watched. I stayed under the covers, laying on my stomach, watching as her bare body slowly became clothed once more. I’d miss that cat tattoo that rests on her lower back. And just like her tattoo, she quietly left my penthouse. Leaving me alone in bed, missing the scent of her perfume in my mattress.
I debated between just watching her leave or putting my worries at ease. I sat up, I held the sheets to my chest in order to have some comfort in where we stood. “You’re still coming to The Black Cat tonight, right? Like always?”
She turned back, a small smile on her face. She didn’t even say anything. Just looked back at me and smiled before leaving.
When she left I sunk back to bed. “What was that?” I didn’t even know which part I was referring to anymore.
If anyone was going to give it straight to me I knew it would be Mary Jane Watson, a woman who needed no introduction, but if you must know that red headed model and actress was one of my good friends even if we didn’t see eye to eye a lot.
“I thought you were better than that.” MJ said with a disapproving tone.
“Don’t. That’s not what I need right now.” I sat down across from her.
“Don’t you think a hostess should at least be decent for her guests?” MJ eyes the silk black robe that didn’t bother to cover the hickeys Selina had left. She sips on the coffee I had invited her over for.
“You aren’t a guest. You’re a friend. You always dress like you have somewhere more important to be.”
“And if I did?”
“More important than me? I find that hard to believe.”
“Enough with the banter, Felicia.” She set down her cup. “You said you were going to focus on yourself.”
“I did say that, didn't I?”
“Yet you seem to enjoy bringing yourself emotional turmoil. You repeat your actions over and over again like a broken record.”
“Harsh, Red, don’t you think?” Yet I never took her words to heart, she was just saying what she knew I needed to hear.
“I worry for you, Hardy. You have gone through a lot recently between the robbery, your father, you’re emotionally vulnerable right now.”
“Which is why I came to you, isn’t it?” I sigh, getting up to sit next to her and leaning against her. I relaxed as her arm draped over my shoulder.
“For once in your life, slow down, breathe before doing something.”