Nina's Got a Secret (3 page)

“Val, I couldn't be a stripper forever. The money was good, but I'm damn near thirty years old.”

“Yeah, damn near thirty years old with the body of a twenty-year-old and a face like a model. I don't get it. I've seen fine-ass athletes and actors come into that club and practically beg you to marry them.”

“What's your point?”

“My point is you can do better! While the rest of us were shaking our asses off just to get twenty-dollar bills, you were around there flashing a smile and getting hundred-dollar bills shoved in your hands on the regular. I just don't understand why you've suddenly decided to hook up with the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

“It's not about the way he looks. Larry loves me.”

“No, he's obsessed with you. He's been tryin' to buy your affection. He came to that club like clockwork for two straight years looking for you. The man wouldn't accept a dance or give his money to anyone but you. I can remember when he came into the club one day looking for you and you weren't there. The poor thing looked like he was about to start crying.”

“He treats me better than any man has ever treated me, and he treats my daughter like she was his own child.”

“I ain't stupid! I know the fact that he has all those Hollywood connections has somethin' to do with this. You're doin' this for the wrong reasons!”

“Is it wrong for me to want to make sure my daughter has more than I ever had? Is it wrong for me to not want my daughter to have to sit around and collect coupons before she goes to the grocery store? Should I apologize for marrying someone who can provide opportunities for me and my child?”

“Girl, you act like he's your savior or something.”

“I don't know about all that, but he did save my life.”

“What do you mean?”

Nina stopped looking in the mirror while she brushed her long flowing hair, and turned around in her chair to face Val.

“Vee, I've never told you this, but he literally saved my life. Do you know that football player they call ‘Big Red' that used to come to the club all the time?”

“Yeah, I remember him. What happened to him? He used to come there and
make it rain
with hundred-dollar bills. I haven't seen him in a year.”

“There's a reason why he no longer comes to the club. Last summer when you took some time off after your surgery, Big Red came into the club and offered me two hundred dollars for a lap dance. I was cool with that, but once we got into the private room he started acting strange. He started feeling on me, and tried to slide his finger inside my thong, so I got up and tried to leave. He grabbed my arm and offered me five hundred if I gave him a blowjob. When I told him no, he offered me a thousand dollars. I told him he had the wrong girl and tried to walk out, but he pushed me up against the wall. When I tried to move toward the door, he slapped me in the face.”

“You're lying!” Val replied as she covered her mouth in astonishment.

“I wish I was. Val, he hit me so hard I was literally seeing stars. I tried to get up off the ground, but I couldn't. When I finally made it to my knees, I looked up and all I could see was a knife pointed in my face. He unzipped his pants and then grabbed my hair.”

“What happened?” Val asked as she moved closer to Nina.

“He pulled out his dick and was about to force me to suck it. I was so scared of him I was about to do it. But suddenly I heard glass shattering and Big Red went stumbling across the room, his dick still in his hand.”

“What happened?”

“Larry came into the room and hit Big Red in the back of his head with a wine bottle.”

“I'm surprised Big Red didn't try to hurt him.”

“That's the first thing I thought. Larry grabbed me and led me back to our dressing room. He helped me clean out my locker and brought me home. I haven't been back to that club since.”

“Damn, I didn't know it went down like that. So, that's why you quit dancing. I knew there was more to it than what you told all of us. Shit, I'm supposed to be your best friend; you could've told me the truth.”

“I was too embarrassed.”

“You used to enjoy dancing too much to suddenly quit the way you did.”

“Girl, for the past year, he has taken care of all of my needs. It was that incident that let me know just how much clout Larry had. He's one of the most powerful sports agents in the game. A few days after the incident, Larry called Big Red's agent and went ballistic on the phone. About a week after that, I came home from the gym and sitting on my porch was a dozen roses and a beautifully wrapped box. Val, my mouth dropped when I opened up the box.”

“What was in it?”

“There was twenty thousand dollars in cash inside of that box. When I showed Larry the box of money, he looked at me and said, ‘
That's how professional athletes apologize,'
and then he turned and walked away.”

“Daaaamn!” Val said with a grin.

“Tell me about it! Val, I'm not gonna lie, that shit turned me on.”

“I'll bet it did. I'm getting turned on right now.”

“We've been together ever since.”

“Well, since you put it like that, I can understand. I don't know how you're going to deal with the fact that you're not truly in love with him, but I guess you can work around that. The man has definitely got your back.”

“I know he does. That's why I'm comfortable marrying him. I may not love him now, but eventually I'll learn to love him.”

“It's not just him you're going to have to
learn
to love; you're going to have to love his daughter. Doesn't she have autism?”

“Yeah,” Nina replied and then turned back around and started brushing her hair again.

“How old is she?”

“She's eight years old. She and Precious are roughly the same age. I know that's going to be tough. It's hard enough trying to deal with Precious and all of her moods and bad habits. I'm going to need some help playing mama to an eight-year-old child with autism.”

“How long has he had custody of . . . what's her name again?”

“Her name is Christine, but he calls her Chrissy. He's been raising her on his own since his first wife died eight years ago. Did I tell you she died on the same day that Flip died?”

“No, you didn't tell me that. That's eerie.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, lately, it's been hard for him to do it by himself since his career is booming.”

“Do what by himself?”

“Raise Chrissy! He's been struggling to care for her the way she needs to be cared for. He has so many high-profile and demanding clients now, he's having a difficult time giving her the attention she needs; especially since he's been spending so much time in the South and here in Louisiana. Larry told me that we're going to get a live-in nanny when we move to California. Hopefully, that will make the situation more bearable.”

“Well, girlfriend, I guess I have a better understanding of what your thoughts are now that you've broken it down for me. I still don't think you should go through with this, but I support your decision.”

“Thanks, Val. I need your support. You are the only family I have.”

Unbeknownst to Nina and Val, a set of ears was pressed against the door listening to their conversation. The ears belonged to Barbara, and needless to say, she was not pleased with what she'd just heard.

Since their parents died a few years earlier, Barbara took her role as older sibling more serious. She did everything she could to protect and support Larry. She babysat Chrissy, cleaned Larry's house, and washed his clothes. She was a widow with no kids; therefore, her younger brother and niece became the center of her universe.

Barbara nearly twisted her ankle as she ran to tell Larry the truth about his soon-to-be wife. This was the proof she needed to convince her brother to call the wedding off.

“Larry, we need to talk,” she shouted as she burst through his dressing room door.

“What's going on, sis? Why aren't you helping Nina get ready?”

“That's what we need to talk about,” Barbara replied, struggling to catch her breath.

Terry came back into the room. “Man, those people seem to be getting a little restless. Are you ready?”

“Terry, could you give my brother and me a few minutes alone?”

Terry quickly picked up on the consternation in Barbara's voice. He turned and left the room immediately.

“What's wrong?”

“Larry, you can't marry this woman. I've felt this way since you
first announced your engagement to her, but now I'm convinced.”

“Where is this coming from? I thought you were happy for me.”

“Larry, you are my little brother, my only brother. I can't stand by and watch you make the biggest mistake of your life.”

“Barb, I love this woman.”

“You may love her, but she isn't in love with you, Larry. I just overheard her and her little stripper friend in the room talking.”

“So that's what this is about. You still can't get past the fact that Nina used to be a stripper. You won't be satisfied unless I marry someone who is a Bible-toting Christian like you. You want me to be with someone who goes to Sunday School every week, can speak in tongues, and is in four or five different ministries at the church.”

“Larry, I won't deny that I would like for you to marry a more spiritual woman. You know that's what Mama and Daddy would have wanted. But the fact of the matter is, I would support you marrying anyone whom I felt really loved you for your mind and not your money.”

“Barbara, I love you, but you are out of line.”

“Maybe I am, but I would be mad at myself if I didn't tell you what I just heard.”

“What did you hear?”

“I heard Nina say that she could
learn
to love you. Larry, you deserve better. More importantly, my niece deserves a stepmother who genuinely cares about her. Nina couldn't care less about being a mother to Chrissy.”

“Barb, I don't need to hear all of this one hour before my wedding. Besides, Nina has always been good to Chrissy, just like I've been good to her daughter, Precious.”

“No, Larry. Nina tolerates Chrissy; there's a difference. Chrissy has special needs and I don't think Nina is equipped to take on
that responsibility. Baby, she's just happy you took her out of the strip club. Please, sweetie, I'm begging you, don't marry this woman.”

Larry finished adjusting his tie in the mirror and then he turned to look at his sister. Barbara had always been his biggest supporter. Rarely did she ever question his decisions, which is why Larry was unwilling to totally ignore her protest. He believed Barbara when she said she overheard Nina making those remarks, but he couldn't change the fact that he was captivated by Nina.

As he stood there watching his sister's eyes fill with water, Larry could feel his pride and his heart at war. Barbara's information wasn't anything new to Larry. He knew Nina wasn't in love with him, but when it came to love, his heart was stubborn.

“Barbara, I'm marrying Nina, whether you like it or not,” Larry finally stated in a low tone, and then walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

To understand his determination to wed the beautiful Nina Arcenaux, you'd have to understand the weird circumstances surrounding how they first met.

Larry became smitten with Nina the moment he saw her dancing on stage. His heart was seized by her beauty, her voluptuous body, and the sensuality she displayed. She seemed to ignore all of the other men in the club and focused solely on him.

After fantasizing about her for nearly two years, he finally won the heart of the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Nina's attention was the only thing that helped him move past the pain that lingered from his former wife's death.

Larry would be the first to admit that Nina was rough around the edges. Prior to meeting him, she didn't know how to identify the salad fork at the dinner table. She had never experienced a man opening and closing a door for her. Nina had never traveled on an airplane or even knew what a passport looked like. She was
the kind of woman whose good looks and figure afforded her the luxury of being less refined.

Growing up in the rough St. Bernard housing projects in New Orleans, Nina wasn't exposed to etiquette classes. Her idea of a nice dinner was eating a plate of her grandmother's jambalaya and drinking a large cup of ice-cold grape Kool-Aid as she sat on the second-floor balcony and watched the drug dealers, thugs, and winos scurry beneath.

At the age of two, Nina became the custodial child of her grandmother after her nineteen-year-old mother was killed by her boyfriend. Nina spent the next fifteen years of her life in a constant search for peace. Her teenage body developed faster than her maturity level. As a result, she was ill-equipped to handle the barrage of propositions she received from boys her age, young men that stalked her, and many of the men in her neighborhood who were old enough to be her father.

The verbal harassment she endured during her walk from school to her home was so vile it would have made the most sanctified woman go postal. Getting her butt rubbed and fondled by the sordid men in her community was an unwelcomed but integral part of her travels.

Even if Nina did manage to avoid the scum that dwelled throughout the streets within her ZIP code, she was usually met at her front door by yet another dark secret. Nina's perverted thirty-six-year-old, registered sex-offender uncle lived with them. He honed his molestation skills by sexually abusing her two and sometimes three times a week.

Nina graduated high school on a sunny Friday afternoon, and less than twenty-four hours later, her clothes were packed and she was gone. She was no longer a boarder in her grandmother's tiny project apartment. She became a tenant of the streets.