Black Diamond

10. Chapter 10

Kamella tipped her shot glass back with ease, polishing off the last drops of her third bottle of soju. Sung Joon watched on with his eyebrow raised, releasing a sigh when Kamella raised her hand to order another bottle. Olivia sat next to her, patting her back reassuringly.

“Kammie-yah, if you throw up in my car, you won’t make it home alive,” Sung Joon teased, as the waitress placed a new, unopened bottle of grapefruit soju on the table. Kamella rolled her eyes at her friend, twisting the top off of the bottle and pouring herself another shot.

“He found out about my day job, Oppa. The only other client that’s ever known that is you,” Kamella pushed out a breath, running her fingers through her hair. “…It scares me a little which is even more ridiculous.”

“Why are you so worried about it? You know Ty’s not gonna tell anybody,” Olivia questioned, pouring herself and Sung Joon a shot of soju as well. She knew Kamella would hit her limit soon, but her best friend was a great drinker so they had a bit more time.

“I just-” Kamella shook her head, downing another shot. Sung Joon reached across the table and moved the bottle further away from her, “I feel like I just signed his death warrant.”

“You think Dealer is going to go after him?” Sung Joon asked, lowering his voice just a bit.

“No, he’s going to go after me, and then he’ll strangle my Ace.”

“Kamella,” Sung Joon reached across the table, taking her hand between both of his, “I won’t let that happen.”

The scowl on Kamella’s face would have made any other man buckle under her gaze, but Sung Joon sat unfazed, “You don’t have a choice in the matter. None of us do.”

Sung Joon smiled sardonically, “Did you forget? In Dealer’s eyes, I’m your Ace, not that kid.”

Olivia held her hands up in confusion, “Wait... Pause! What?”

Kamella sighed, pulling her hand from Sung Joon’s grasp, “Liv, we told Dealer that Sung Joon-oppa is my Ace.”

Olivia held her hands up in a time-out gesture, “You told him what?! Are you two insane? Do you know what he’s going to do when he finds out your lying to him?”

Sung Joon finally swallowed the shot that Olivia had poured him moments ago, “He’s not going to find out because you, and Kamella, are leaving the House of Cards.”

“Leaving?! What the hell have you two been planning while I was gone?” Olivia gasped, her eyes wide, “Do you hear yourselves? We can’t just leave, Mel, that’s not even possible.”

Kamella shook her head, the alcohol finally setting in, “I tried to tell him that, Liv, but he insists.”

Olivia’s eyes took on a fearful expression, and she shook her head, “No, we can’t- Oppa, we can’t just leave. He’ll leave bodies in the street just to get Mel back. It almost happened once before.”

Kamella closed her eyes, fighting against the memories. The cries of pain from clients that had gotten too attached; those who had approached Dealer without her knowledge to ask for more than just her company. Most left the meeting with bruises and black eyes, but a few of them left the club out of the back door, their bodies still and unmoving.

Dealer had blamed her for all of it.

“I just don’t get it. Why is he so protective of you in the first place? You two aren’t even blood-related.” Sung Joon frowned, unable to understand the connection between Kamella and the owner of the House of Cards.

Kamella leaned across the table and snatched the bottle of soju from Sung Joon. Instead of pouring a shot this time, she took her drink straight from the bottle. Sung Joon tried to snatch the bottle back, but Kamella moved away from him.

“...Diamond was not my original name at the House. It was Yeo Na-unnie’s. I told you before that he’s overcompensating for Unnie’s death, and that’s exactly what this is. In his eyes, his daughter never died.”

“Mel took his daughter’s place, so now, she *is* Diamond -- she’s his second chance at protecting his daughter that died four years ago.” Olivia added, reaching for the bottle, and taking a swig herself. The entire conversation was exhausting.

“My identity as Kamella Carter doesn’t exist to him. He won’t even use my real name.”

“But why you, Kammie-yah?”

“I was the closest to Unnie before she died. When she ran away from home, Liv and I weren’t just her friends and roommates, we were her family. I was with her the most. I understood her the most. He clings to me because I’m the closest he’ll ever get to her. And like a fool, I clung to him because I was stupid enough to love him.” Kamella closed her eyes against the angry, unshed tears burning at the back of her eyes. She really had been so stupid at the time. Then, when her life came crashing down around her, Kamella realized she had been nothing but foolish and delusional.

She sighed loudly, taking the bottle from Olivia and swallowing down another giant gulp of alcohol. Olivia sniffed a little bit.

“Hey, no crying. We’ll figure it all out, ok? Try not to worry too much,” Sung Joon hoped he sounded convincing, but the words sounded flat, even to him.

“Mel, I think you need to hold off on this idea of leaving. At least until we can make sure nothing happens to Ty.”

“Meeting outside of the club should solve most of that issue,” Sung Joon argued, but neither Olivia or Kamella agreed.

“But not all of it,” Kamella mumbled, rubbing her temples.

“He has no reason to even look in his direction.”

“IF you two can pull off this lie. And that’s a huge if,” Olivia mused, tapping her finger on the table pointedly, “I’ll help as much as I can. A Jack always protects her Queen.”

Kamella leaned her head on Olivia’s shoulder, the alcohol finally hitting her fully, “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

“And don’t forget, you have me too,” Sung Joon added, slowly reaching for the bottle of soju and pulling it back to his side of the table. The two women at the table let him take it, both of them feeling more than a little tipsy. “Dealer won’t put me on the hit list because of his connections with my Father. That’ll help us in more ways than one.”

“We could never forget you, erted Oppa,” Kamella added, cracking a small smile with a soft giggle. Sung Joon chuckled and shook his head, calling the waitress over for the check. He would have to take the ladies home before they embarrassed themselves.

With Taeyong

For the rest of the day, Taeyong was anxious as hell. Kamella hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts after she ran off from the photo shoot, and when he asked about her at the hotel’s front desk, an employee reported that she had suddenly gone home sick.

Taeyong didn’t want to go to her place without her permission -- he had learned his lesson from his last sudden appearance -- but it was getting close to 1 am, and he still hadn’t heard anything from her.

Ten noticed Taeyong’s worried expression while they were rehearsing and abruptly turned off the music. Taeyong tilted his head quizzically when Ten tossed him a bottle of water instead and then taking a seat beside one of the large speakers.

“This is why I said women are a distraction, hyung,” Ten chided with a teasing smile. “You can’t even focus right now. Why even bother asking me to practice?”

Taeyong sat on the polished floor beside Ten, drinking his water before he answered, “I had to do something to stay busy. I’m worried about her.”

“Why?” Ten asked, hoping the simple question prompt Taeyong to explain.

Taeyong chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully, contemplating his words, “Everything about her life should have made her pitiful and sad, but it didn’t. She’s still trying to be strong for everyone around her, including me. I can relate because I want to be strong for our members. I think she wants the same thing -- to protect everyone and keep them safe.”

“If you understand her feelings so well, why did you fight with her?” Ten took a deep drink from his water bottle, listening to Taeyong intently.

Taeyong frowned, “I was angry. She’s always keeping the truth from me, but she’ll tell that hyung. She’ll rely on him, but not me. I’m her Ace, so she should trust me too.”

“And what have you done to earn her trust?”

Taeyong paused at Ten’s question. It wasn’t accusatory, merely inquisitive, but it left his mind reeling. What had he done to earn Kamella’s trust? He had demanded that she rely on him earlier, but had he ever shown her that he was actually reliable? The thought changed his entire perspective.

Taeyong stood up suddenly, reaching into his pocket for his phone, “I have to go, Tennie!”

“Be sure to get Ms. Koko’s phone number as my payment, hyung!” Ten called after Taeyong, who laughed wholeheartedly. He gave Ten a thumbs up as he rushed out of the practice room. In no time, he reached the elevator, where his cell phone started ringing. He answered as soon as he saw Kamella’s name appear on the screen.

“Noona?”

“Ty, a client called me to hang out, and Mel is completely drunk. How soon can you get here?” Susie’s cheerful voice came through the phone instead of Kamella’s, though the number that had called him definitely belonged to the elder of the two women.

Taeyong smiled softly, pressing the button for the bottom floor, “I’m on my way right now.”

“Get here soon so I can leave!”

It took Taeyong about 30 minutes to reach their apartment, and the moment he rang the doorbell, Susie threw the door open and pulled him in by his wrist. Kamella was standing at the edge of the entryway, giggling uncharacteristically. She was dressed in the PJs he had bought for her in LA, and she was barefaced.

Kamella cheered when saw she noticed Taeyong standing there, “Liv, it’s my Taeyong-ah~! When did you get here?”

“Ugh, please get Mel before I suffocate her with a throw pillow,” Susie deadpanned, slipping into her high heels. She grabbed her purse from a side table as Taeyong moved around her to remove his shoes at the door. “These are for you, by the way,” she added, handing him a plastic bag with a gray pair of house shoes inside. Taeyong accepted the slippers gratefully and moved to put them on.

“Your real name isn’t actually Susie-noona, is it?” Taeyong asked once the shoes were on his feet.

Olivia grinned sheepishly, “Nope, it’s not. That’s just the name I use at the club. It’s nothing special like Diamond’s name, but it helps me get work during the day.” Olivia shrugged nonchalantly, reflecting her opinion on her stage name at the House of Cards, “My real name is Olivia, but most people call me Liv. Feel free to call me by whichever name is more comfortable to you -- I’ll answer regardless.”

“Taeyong-ah, come here.” Kamella called, with her arms out, a pout spreading across her pretty mouth since the two of them were ignoring her. Taeyong immediately obliged, feeling incredibly amused by the adorable way she was behaving.

He held her by the waist with a warm smile, “Noona, how much did you drink?” He questioned softly when Kamella giggled again and gave him a lopsided smile in return.

“I’m not coming home tonight, so if I don’t see you in the morning, you two have a very good night,” Olivia teased suggestively, interrupting their greeting. Taeyong nodded, and Kamella just waved energetically.

“Have fun! Make lots of money!” She called, and Olivia burst into laughter, shaking her head as she disappeared behind the front door.

“Taeyong-ah, how did you know I was home?” Kamella’s speech wasn’t exactly slurred, but Taeyong could hear and see the effects of the alcohol she had.

“Olivia-noona called me.”

“You know her personal number now too? We’re in trouble,” Kamella replied with a dejected sigh and a shake of her head. Taeyong wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he figured that now wasn’t a good time to ask her.

“Noona, you’re already dressed for bed. Should we go to sleep?” Taeyong wondered out loud, his eyes roaming over Kamella’s face. Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes were hazy, so he hoped his suggestion would prompt her to move towards her room.

Kamella nodded gingerly, releasing her hold on Taeyong to take his wrist and lead her to her room. The path was familiar for him, since he had been to her apartment before.

“Taeyong-ah, I’m sorry for leaving early,” Kamella murmured, as they made the short walk to her bedroom.

Taeyong waved her apology away while Kamella took a seat at the edge of her bed. He closed her bedroom door, and then sat down beside her, “I should be saying sorry to you. I shouldn’t have reacted that way.” Kamella wrinkled her nose in disagreement, and Taeyong fought a chuckle, reminding himself that she was still somewhat inebriated, “Let’s talk about it later.”

In response, Kamella huffed, standing up and frowning down at Taeyong with her arms crossed, “No, I don’t want to wait.”

“Noona-”

Kamella didn’t take too kindly to Taeyong’s protests. She grabbed Taeyong by his shoulders and pushed, forcing him flat on his back. He pushed out a soft breath, Kamella leaning over him until her face filled his vision. She pressed her upper arms into the mattress on either side of his head, bracing herself so that he wouldn’t move.

“It seems you forgot that you belong to me. Since we’re bound to each other, there’s no need to be polite. You don’t have to hold back anything with me. If you're angry or hurt or upset, you should tell me,” Kamella’s voice was completely serious, and Taeyong felt his pulse accelerate at the expression on her face. Her aggressive tone and words weren’t good for his heart at all.

Taeyong nodded, swallowing nervously as Kamella adjusted her position somewhat so that she was straddling him. She traced a fingernail from the tip of his ear to his collarbone, staring down at him intently.

“N-Noona,” Taeyong began to say but his words died in his throat when Kamella her lips slowly. He couldn’t focus, feeling every bit of his skin burning where she touched him. There was no way they were going to have a serious discussion now.

“You’re not listening,” Kamella’s voice was husky, as she tangled her fingers around the chain of the necklace around Taeyong’s neck, “You know my name now, but you won’t use it.”

Taeyong bit his lip, his voice coming out lower than either of them expected as he immediately replied, “Kamella-noona.”

Kamella smiled enticingly, letting his voice fill her ears. The way her name sounded on his lips was wonderful, but it wasn’t quite what she wanted to hear. She reached for the top button of his shirt, determined to get him to understand their relationship now that she had made her promise, “Didn’t you call Liv ‘noona’ earlier? Am I sharing you with her?”

Taeyong’s brows furrowed in confusion since the answer to Kamella’s question was so obvious, “Of course not.”

“Then don’t address Liv and I the same way. I already said you don’t have to be polite, Taeyong-ah.” Her hands were already working on the third button as she spoke, but it wasn’t until the fourth button was loosened that he realized what she was saying.

Heat rushed to his cheeks and Kamella smirked, watching him cover his mouth with a fist, turning his face away so she wouldn’t see him blush. Taeyong closed his eyes and mumbled something in a rush, and Kamella giggled softly.

She grabbed his balled fist, threading her fingers through his to straighten his fingers out and raise his hand above his head. Kamella gently grasped his chin, turning his face back towards her, “Say it again.”

“...Mella-yah.”

Kamell’s heart squeezed in delight at the new nickname. A part of her squealed girlishly, and the other part, the part of her that she was struggling to hold back, felt emboldened by it. She tilted his chin upwards and brushed her lips against his slowly, adding fuel to the fire, “Say it again.”

“Mella-yah,” He whispered on a breath, when she attacked his lips again, more forcefully this time. In a matter of moments, the kiss deepened, and their tongues tangled together. Kamella felt like her body was going to burn her alive.

When they finally parted for air, both of them were short of breath. Kamella wasn’t done though, leaning forward to nibble on his ear. Taeyong buried his fingers in her hair, angling his head to give her better access. She crushed her lips against his neck, dragging her fingers against the exposed skin of his chest.

“Taeyong-ah… I have a wish. Will you listen to it?” She murmured on a hushed breath, between leaving open mouth kisses against his collarbone. Taeyong nodded eagerly, already prepared to give her whatever she wanted.

Kamella paused in her assault, her brown eyes seeking his. They stared at each other for a long moment, while Taeyong held his breath, waiting for her to speak.

“Everything about you scares me,” Kamella began, leaving Taeyong stunned into silence, “But I don’t want to run away from it anymore. I want to be selfish. I want to break the rules.” She swallowed, pushing past the nervousness bubbling in her chest, “I want you, Lee Taeyong.”

End Chapter 10