Total Surrender

2 - FORTIFIED

Marcy shoved the VIP pass they’d subbed to buy into Venus’s hand, making sure she took it and didn’t forget it.

“This is a very exclusive club. I’m jealous you’re the first of us who’ll get to try it out,” Marcy remarked. “Remember the line to get in is going to be crazy long. People usually wait all night for a chance to get in, but not everyone does. But with this pass, you won’t have to wait. Just walk straight to the front, show the bouncer manning the door the pass and you’re in. Once in, don’t waste the opportunity. Come out of your shell. Live a little. Have a few drinks and loosen up. And when a hot piece of man meat approaches you, and he will, you give that man your attention. DO NOT BRUSH HIM OFF. Flirt a little. Shake that ass and above all, have fun. You need not sleep with anyone tonight but at least allow someone to brush off the cobwebs from that coochie.”

“What do you mean she doesn’t have to have s*x tonight? We did not just spend a month’s salary each to buy the VIP ticket for her not to get f****d tonight,” Susan huffed. “I expect her to be walking bow-legged for the rest of the week. What’s the point in going to a club like that if you’re not going to allow the patrons to blow out your back?”

“Vee, don’t listen to them. There is no pressure,” Abigail assured her. “The fact that you’re even going tonight is testament to how much you’ve grown since breaking up with Walter. But if that jackass is there and he looks your way, you do not cower. You do not lower your head. You stare him directly in the eye and you smile. And then you don’t pay him another second of attention. Act like he doesn’t exist. That will piss him off and serve him right.”

“Fine, whatever. Far be it for me to pressure her to have s*x,” Marcy conceded. “Although she really needs it.”

Abigail touched her shoulder. “There is no reason to be anxious. If anything weird happens, we are only a phone call or text away. We don’t have s**t to do tonight. We’re all going to bunk here, watching movies and waiting impatiently for you to return to spill all the deets [details]. So don’t hesitate to call. I’ll cut a nigga if he tires anything with you.”

Venus smiled because she knew her girls had her back. Just after her divorce, she’d spent days begging them not to go after Walter. Even though they’d eventually agreed, it hadn’t stopped them from keying his car, egging his house and spamming his work email account. So she knew they’d take on anyone who messed with her tonight.

She grasped Abigail’s hand and squeezed hard. Then she looked up to include Marcy and Susan in her grateful gaze.

“You guys are so awesome. Words cannot express my gratitude. You’ve been my rock in my hour of need. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

Susan made a silly face and Marcy just smiled.

“That’s what friends are for.” It was as simple as that. Their friendship dated back since secondary school.

They had been a close unit, until Walter had transferred to their school. He’d set his sights on Venus immediately, but she’d ignored him. She was too preoccupied with her studies and working after school to help out financially at home. But Walter didn’t take no for an answer. He’d kept badgering her until she’d agreed to go out on a date with him despite her friends' many objections. After that first date, the rest was history. He’d been her first love, her first kiss, her first and only s****l partner. They’d married young at the legal age of eighteen and divorced in leisure. Looking back, she could see that she’d been nothing more than a challenge to him… a conquest. Turning him down that first time had been her downfall. It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull’s nose. By ignoring him, the richest and most popular kid in their school, she’d only made him that much more determined to get her to date him and ultimately get into her pants. Too bad her parents had raised her on the principle of no s*x before marriage. So he was forced to marry her in order to sleep with her. Why he’d waited twelve years before divorcing her was beyond her.

He’d ruined her life.

The bastard.

She was a half second from angry crying but had to force herself to stop because she didn’t want to ruin her makeup. Her friends had spent hours making sure she was made up to perfection. And the entire time they’d hovered, offered their unreserved support—in between mumbling threats to castrate Walter—and boosting her fledgling confidence.

And it was because of these three women that Venus was going to walk into the club that Walter had been boasting about frequenting while they were married. Even though the mere thought of it made her want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head and stay there for a month.

COURAGEOUS.

GORGEOUS.

SELF-ASSURED.

If he was there tonight, she would give Walter his first glimpse of the new her. What he could have had if he’d nurtured her instead of constantly tearing her down.

Her mouth nearly turned down into a frown. Was she deluding herself? He’d already had her – once a week for twelve years. To hear him talk about it, it was a horrible experience. The act – she – had been horrible. So it would be a tall order to walk into the club and make him regret f*****g her over. She just hoped she’d be able to accomplish it and it wouldn’t just laugh in her face and ask her what man would ever want a cold b***h like her.

Second thoughts assailed her as the confidence she’d spent the entire afternoon bolstering wavered. Looking at her friends in the mirror, she opened her mouth to cancel her night out, when all three of them gave her their own version of ‘hell no’.

“Get that fucker out of your head,” Susan sneered.

How did they do that? How did they read her thoughts so accurately? It annoyed her somewhat, that they were able to read her like a book. For that matter, according to Walter, so could everyone else. According to him, it was one of many of her unappealing qualities. Honesty… simplicity… not playing games or pretending to be something she wasn’t.

But she had to admit, it was disconcerting to know she was transparent to everyone, not just those who were close to her. She guessed that’s why Walter kept her sheltered, hidden from the world. He hadn’t wanted her to embarrass him.

“Not a rass you are not backing out,” Marcy warned.

Abigail sat beside her on one of the stools in front of the vanity. Her expression was kind and sympathetic.

“Hear me out, Vee. This is something you’ve got to do for you. Not for us and sure as hell not for Walter. Not for anyone else but you. You need to reclaim what that asshole took from you. If you let him get into your head and you start believing that s**t he fed you, he wins. To be truly rid of him, you have to exorcise every negative thing he ever said about you and to you. They were all lies. So there is no point in continuing to hold on to them. You have five minutes until the taxi gets here to take you to the club, so let’s get cracking.”

Venus blinked furiously to keep her tears at bay. She would die if she ruined her makeup. It had taken hours to get done, and if her friends had to start all over, she’d just stay home. She hated being late. Not that there was a specific time to get to the club. But the delay would only give her added incentive to back out. And Abigail was right. She desperately needed this outing.

Walter had taken more than her virginity and innocence. He’d taken the past twelve years of her life, her self-worth and her youth. He’d stripped her of her pride and trampled on her confidence until there was none left. All she had left was broken pieces of herself, too shattered to be glued back together. She was forced to start over.

No man was worth that level of heartache. She knew this. So why did his words still sting? It wasn’t as if he’d brought anything to the table besides his family’s wealth. The s*x was horrible. At least she had an excuse; he was her only partner and ultimately her teacher. What was his excuse? He’d been sexually active long before he’d met her and he’d had multiple affairs during their marriage. So really and truly, he shouldn’t have blamed her for their lackluster s*x life.

But knowing all of this intellectually didn’t repair the damage his words had caused over the years. She’d never forget.

“You ready?” Susan asked, bringing Venus sharply back to the here and now.

Venus breathed in deeply, squared her shoulders and looked at herself in the mirror. She did look pretty. She wasn’t ugly. She was even above average, even if she owed it all to her friends’ magic touch with cosmetics and fashion sense. f**k THAT. I look GORGEOUS. She told herself. Saying was half believing.

“Yes, I’m ready,” she stated confidently. “Let’s get this show on the road.”