X
He was both fuming and nervous by the time he got home. Bailing Rose out of trouble was always one of his least favourite things to do to begin with but with the addition of Mary Crawley, the task became that much heavier. A thousand and one feelings overcame him, feelings that he didn't want to acknowledge and certainly wasn't ready to deal with again. On some level he may have known that he would have to see Mary again, given his connection to Rose and Rose's job with Mary, but he convinced himself that his night with Mary was nothing more than one of those once in a blue moon encounters normal people had with celebrities sometimes. It was an amusing story that, years from now, he would be able to tell and dinner with friends or at a cocktail party, something that would both inspire incredulous looks of suspicion but also generate a tepid amount of envy and respect. He didn't think it would become a regular thing, that she would ever become an occasional, nevermind persistent, fixture in his life.
He put away connected on of his hard drives to his computer and began to back it up onto his cloud service and dumping another copy into his home network storage. He then put the second hard drive in his safe. He was meticulous about securing his photos to the same degree and excessiveness of his cleaning. Of his many neurosis and ticks that he had developed after his divorce his attention to detail pertaining to work and cleanliness was not among the most harmful. It had benefitted him well. After an intern tripped a breaker at the studio, Emily thought they had lost a days worth of photos, before Matthew had managed to calm her down and show her his backups. Their working relationship had been much less antagonistic since that incident.
He rummaged around his apartment for around 20 minutes trying to think of a way to pull this impossible escape off. Rose had gotten herself into a fair amount of trouble of the years but she was never dumb. In fact, despite her privileged disposition, her ditsy affect, and her general naivete, she was smart enough to know what was a tenable situation and what wasn't. Getting stuck in a high end nightclub with paparazzi on the outside, was not tenable. How was anyone supposed to escape a place like that unnoticed? And what was she thinking getting Mary into a situation like that?
He thought about how the pros would handle it. He remember tagging along with some Green Berets once on a rescue mission outside of Jalalabad and he tried to recall some of the details of the stories that John used to tell when Matthew and Tom managed to get enough drinks in him. Although, who knows if any of those were accurate. It was no use, he hadn't ever seen any of these extractions with his own eyes and even if he did, there was no chance he could actually pull one off, especially by himself.
Mary's recent surge in popularity and notoriety and put her on a different level of fame. She needed more than just a personal assistant. She needed private security at this point. But that was a problem he would have to scold her about later. He had to get her out of that club now. It didn't escape his notice how seriously he took this favour. He didn't have to do anything Rose said. It was strictly voluntary and frankly Rose should face the consequences of her recklessness for once. But this was Mary, and perhaps, because of her fame alone, he felt he needed to do this.
And it was at that moment that he had a flash of inspiration. He didn't need to get her out of there unnoticed he just needed to get her out without photos of her. Well, that changes everything. He could throw a bit coat over her and escort her out the front door. But he had a better idea.
He could hear them from a mile away. A crowd of photographers sounded different than a crowd of regular people. He watched as the crowd of cartoonishly dressed paparazzi came into the view. Matthew tapped his cab driver on the shoulder and pointed to the spot where he wanted him to pull over. Matthew ran over the plan once again in his head. Matthew shot Rose a text.
Matthew: I'm outside, be prepared to leave. (12:55 AM)
Rose: Come inside. (12:56 AM)
Matthew sank back into his seat and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He knew what this was. Rose wanted him inside more than she wanted Mary out.
Matthew: How am I supposed to get in? (12:56 AM)
Rose: I'll come get you (12:57 AM)
Matthew shook his head and smiled despite his growing annoyance. He tucked his phone away in his pocket and took out his wallet. He emptied it of all of his cash and tapped the cabbie on the shoulder.
"Here's everything I've got, I need you to wait here until I come out," Matthew said.
"And how long is that?" The cabbie asked.
"Couldn't tell ya," Matthew said with a chuckle. "Hopefully less than half an hour."
The cabbie stared at the wad of cash for a little while. It must've been over three hundred dollars.
"Alright, half an hour? No problem." The cabbie said as he snatched the cash out of Matthew's hands.
Matthew got out of the cab and made his way towards the entrance. He waded through the crowd of paparazzi that were idling by the as he was getting close, one of them grabbed Matthew by the shoulder and forced him to turn around. He was an old timer, long greying hair tied up in a ponytail and goatee, he work a stained t-shirt, and a ridiculous looking photography vest one. He had two big DSLRs with powerful flashes mounted on each. He was the kind of guy that considered his cameras "his guns".
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" The man barked.
"It's cool man, I'm just here for the money," Matthew said as he turned to reveal his little mirrorless camera hanging off his right shoulder.
"Yeah? Well I was here first!" He said as he pointed at Matthew. "Get your amateur shit out of here."
As he tried to push Matthew out of the way, Matthew pushed his hand away and stepped forward pumping him back.
"I'm not one of your dumb hotheaded celebrities," Matthew said calmly. "You are welcome to try to move me. Hell you got a couple of pounds on me and much two much larger, much heavier cameras. But the thing is… I don't really think you want to throw down. See, I got this little camera, I drop it, I got to the store the next day and pick up a new one. You drop that 24-70mm, you drop that 1Dx... and you're out ten grand…"
"You wanna start something?" The man asked.
"Me? No, not at all, I'm just standing here," Matthew said as he threw his hands up. "But here's the more pertinent question… do you want to start something?"
The man looked like he was about to hit Matthew, but he eventually packed off. Just then, Matthew heard Rose's voice.
"Matthew!" she said as she ran towards him.
Inside the club was just as loud and obnoxious as Matthew feared. But of course this was the kind of place Rose would take Mary for a night out. Rose usually had to compromise when hanging out with Tom and Matthew, but left to her own devices and the Old Faithfuls, they invariably opted for a loud and dark club with overpriced drinks. Matthew dropped his things at coat check before following Rose into the main room.
Immediately, Matthew was hit with the smell of Axe bodyspray and rancid sex. It was completely dark except for the pulsating lasers of green and purple that shot across the room. He soon lost Rose to the multitude of dancers and drunken idiots. It took him several moments to acclimate to his surroundings. He hadn't ever been one for clubbing, he hated the obnoxious music, the tacky drinks, the insufferable pretense to getting bottle service. The few times he had gone clubbing were always on Rose's birthdays where he and Tom made the concession on behalf of the birthday girl's wishes.
After several minutes of wandering through the crowd and circling around the bar, Matthew had all but given up on finding Rose. Why did she even call if she didn't want to leave? Matthew decided that he would do one more lap around the room and if he still couldn't find her, he would leave. She clearly wasn't in any real trouble. And just as he was making his way through the crowd of sweaty bodies and shiny hair bumped into her.
There she was, just inches away. He almost didn't recognize her at first. She was about an inch taller than he remembered. But her brunette hair, her shimmering ivory skin, the sharp piercing stare, it was unmistakable. Mary.
She took a step back once she realized who she had bumped into. It took her another few moments to process it. He was like a ghost or a bad memory. What was he doing here? This didn't seem like Matthew's scene at all. He certainly wasn't dress the part. He looked like he was still dressed in his work clothes. This is so not what she wanted when she mentioned to Rose that she didn't want to return to Tony. Was it?
"What are you doing here?" Mary asked defensively.
"Rose asked me to come," Matthew answered.
"Well… I don't know where she is at the moment," Mary said.
"I'm sure that's by design," Matthew said.
It was the height that threw him off at first. She seemed so much taller than before. But as she stepped and more of her came into view, he remembered. Rose had the same magical ability to grow 5 or 6 inches within a night. What was she dressed as? She certainly didn't look like any Mary Crawley he had ever seen before. The glittering six in heels, the backless dress, so short that it barely covered her butt, there was nothing subtle or understated about this Mary Crawley. She looked like Rose, worse, she looked like one of her friends. And for a moment he thought she should've looked ridiculous. She should've looked like a girl playing dress up. But she did look… hot. And he hated that he thought so.
His lecherous stare didn't escape her notice. He held his gaze for a moment too long and snapped back to attention in the most inauspicious way. She knew that she had hooked him. It was easier than she expected. She wasn't even trying this time. It was a little disappointing that beneath his opaque exterior and his soulful brooding was just another typical man, easily distracted by oiled up legs and some rather obvious cleavage.
She seized the opportunity and grabbed him by his collar and leaned in.
"Dance with me," she whispered into his ear deviously.
Before he could decline, she had already grabbed his hand and led him through a throng of people until they found a little spot for themselves. She was still angry with Matthew for convincing her to let him use the photo for the cover but she wasn't going to be able to make that point here, not with the loud music and various other distractions. But she could make him suffer. She could make him sweat.
She could already feel him shaking. She peaked back at him and saw an expression of utter horror on his face. Good. He deserved it. She placed right hand on her thigh and held his left. She began to sway seductively as she leaned back into him. She could feel the pounding of his head on her back. It was only getting faster. He was getting more and more uncomfortable. Good. She arched her back and pushed her butt against his crotch and started to grind against him. There was nothing subtle about this anymore. Nevertheless, she felt him stiffen immediately.
A devious and satisfied look appeared on her face as she continued to press into him. She could feel him buck forward instinctively, animalistically. She enjoyed his subservience to her will. It made her feel in control and she needed that at that moment. With everything left unresolved with Tony, she needed to know that as much as Matthew could fuck with her head, she could do it right back. Mary even felt a little bad for him. He looked so painfully, so adorably, awkward, all the while she was on the top of her game, getting stares from both girls and guys alike, some out of envy, but most out of desire.
She leaned her head back onto his shoulders so that she into his ear.
"So… Matthew, how have you been?" Mary asked.
"I… I… I've been doing well," Matthew said as he tried to focus on his words.
"Relax Matthew," Mary said with a chuckle.
"I… I thought you were mad at me," Matthew said nervously.
"I was… I am…" Mary said languorously as she leaned into him. "I'm not sure how I feel anymore."
"Why would you let Rose drag you out to place like this?" Matthew asked.
"I'm having fun!" Mary said in her ditzy voice, imitating Rose and her friends.
"What happened Mary?" Matthew asked.
And as if those words triggered something in her, she turned around to face and stare him directly in the eyes. Her steely gaze frightened him. If there was something in her that forced her to be polite, something that told her to keep her emotions in check, all that was gone now.
"How dare you ask me that?" Mary said disdainfully. "You know what happened. You know what you did."
"I didn't do anything to you," Matthew said defensively. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble. But if I did, I'm sorry."
Sorry? Sorry? As if that was enough. Mary thought about digging into her grievances right now but this wasn't the place to do it. And she was much too drunk. Suddenly, she didn't feel much like dancing anymore. She didn't feel like being there anymore at all. Matthew had ruined her mood. He had ruined her night out, her escapist fantasy. That's what Matthew did, he ruined things.
She hated that he had apologized so quickly and how genuine he sounded. He hated that she could build up all of this animosity towards him; her mantra of damn, that Matthew Crawley, convince herself that his photo had been the root of all of her problems with Tony, and have all of that just melt away after spending mere moments in his presence. Because if she wasn't mad at him, then she was something else; something much more dangerous.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter, let's go." Mary said defeatedly as she took a step back from him and turned to leave.
Matthew followed behind her closely.
"There's paparazzi outside," Matthew said.
"I know, Rose told me," Mary said disinterestedly as they made their way off the dance floor.
"They are going to eat you alive out there," Matthew said as they got to coat check.
"Tell me something I don't know," Mary said as she put her on coat.
"Mary, let me help out," Matthew said as he collected his things.
"You've done quite enough for me, Matthew," Mary said. "You can leave me to my public humiliation. I absolve you of all of your duties and whatever misplaced obligation you feel to help me."
But before she could leave, Matthew grabbed her hand.
"Please Mary," Matthew said earnestly. "Let me help you."
After a moment's hesitation, Mary relented and gave him a tacit nod. Matthew pulled out two small black leather pouches from his pocket and proceeded to unzip them. For a moment Mary thought they have have been guns.
"What are they?" Mary asked curiously.
"Camera flashes," Matthew said as he powered both of them up.
"And how does that help?" Mary asked.
"Everytime they take a shot, one of their flashes fire," Matthew explained. "One of the neat things flashes can do is they can trigger other flashes. I just have to set one of mine on slave mode as soon as one them takes a picture, mine will fire in response and wash out their shots completely. Every paparazzo out there knows you were here tonight, but none of them are going to get a single shot of you."
Mary was skeptical but went along with Matthew's plan. She steadied her nerves and followed behind Matthew as they left the building. Matthew had instructed her to look down while they walked as to not get blinded by his flashes. She wondered if that would look like shame to the paparazzi but Matthew assured her that they wouldn't have a sign frame to prove it.
Mary did as Matthew directed. They made their way through the bustling crowd of photographers, shouting invasive questions, making lewd comments, and asking if she would consider posing for them. Soon enough, Matthew had managed to lead her into the cab that he had left loitering earlier. He didn't say anything to her for several minutes after their daring escape, he gave Mary a few moments for her nerves to calm. She hadn't had to face a herd of rabid photographers like that in years. She had forgotten how utterly terrifying it could be. There was fame, and then there was superstardom. This was more the latter than the former.
"They'll be racing to my hotel now, won't they?" Mary asked after a few deep breaths.
"I would guess so," Matthew said somberly.
"Right then…" Mary said as she tried to affect her usual cheerful confidence, although not without with a slight rattle in her voice still. "Your place it is."
Matthew was shocked at her suggestion but had to admit that spending more time with her was pleasing idea. Matthew gave told the cabbie to drive back to where he had picked him up. Along the way the cabbie and Mary made polite and jovial conversation as he was naturally curious about her, as was everyone since the cover came out.
By the time they got back to Matthew's condo it was nearly two in the morning. How was it that always found themselves in awkward and tense situations in the dead of night. Mary waltz into his suite as if it was an old homestead. Perhaps she considered it so. Resulting in two loud thuds, she kicked off her heels and went barefoot on his undoubtedly spotless floors. She wandered around his place looking at the photos on the walls. He had put up new photos since last time. Most of which tasteful and implied nudes with a few interesting celebrity portraits here and there.
"Where am I?" Mary asked casually.
"Excuse me?" Matthew said as he came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in hand.
"You've got… Lady Gaga here, that one girl from those superhero movies, Steve Buscemi. You've built up quite a collection since I was last here," Mary said as she pointed at the photos. "Where am I?"
"Oh, ummm…" Matthew mumbled nervously as he handed her the glass of water. "I… I didn't make a print of that one. I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Mary said as she forced a smile and took a big gulp of the water. She needed to rehydrate now, she felt herself dozing off in the cab. "Not that I expect anything from you."
"Mary…" Matthew let out softly.
"You didn't fight back this time," Mary said as she stared directly at him.
"Come on, it's late. We should get some sleep," Matthew said as he held out his hand towards his room. "You can have my room again."
"What a gentleman," Mary said sardonically as she strut towards his room.
Mary looked inside his room. It was immaculate, but that was to be expected. But it looked the same, exactly the same as the last time she was here. The time that something almost happened between them, the moment when something within her began to change, the moment where she began to look at Tony and the life she had built with him differently. It was the moment when she became unsure of everything, even herself. It all led back to Matthew.
"You don't ever sleep in here do you?" Mary asked as she stared at the photo book of Lavinia. It was exactly where she had left it.
"No," Matthew answered simply.
"So you stash me in your shrine to your ex-wife whenever I'm here," Mary said with a chuckle, unable to face, or recognizing how absurd and humiliating the situation was.
"What do you care?" Matthew said.
Mary turned around to look at Matthew. "What do I care? You're a fucking asshole, Matthew."
"Yeah, I think you've said that before," Matthew remarked dryly.
"You know, this whole situation is completely fucked up!" Mary said as her began to raise her voice. "How dare you, Matthew Crawley?"
"What the fuck did I do this time?" Matthew shouted back, finally breaking his stoic demeanour.
"There it is, there's the anger," Mary said with a satisfied voice.
"You want me to be angry? You want me to reciprocate your anger towards me? Is that it?" Matthew asked.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Mary asked.
"What? What are you talking about?" Matthew asked back.
"When we were at Marquee," Mary said. "When we were dancing. I could feel it in your hands and in your breath… why did you… why did you just let me torture you like that? Why didn't you fight back?"
"Look, you're either angry with me or you're not. I am sorry you regret taking my advice and allowing the magazine to use your photo, but I still think you made the right decision, it was a great photo and a great cover," Matthew said passively. "Whatever the case may be and whatever your reasons, you can be angry with me. But I'm not angry with you."
"You know, that's just not fair," Mary said as her expression broke and her voice began to quiver. "That's just not how this is suppose to work."
"What are you talking about?" Matthew asked.
"You're not supposed to have this kind of effect on me. You're the photographer, I'm the famous movie star! Not the other way around! So what the fuck, Matthew?!" Mary shouted as her voice cracked completely. "You don't get to barge into my life and make me question everything. You don't get to… you don't get to… insert yourself in between me and Tony."
"That's not what I did," Matthew whispered.
"That's exactly what you did," Mary said as she tried to contain herself. "And all the while… and all the while you fill my thoughts and my dreams… you… you're still stuck on her."
That caught Matthew off guard. Is that what she thought? Did Mary think that she had no effect on him whatsoever? His eyes darted up and towards her, pushed moved forward as she meekly retreated. He pinned her against the wall and blocked her escape with his arms. She stared helplessly at him, tears flowing from her eyes, heavy breathes escaping her as if she were drowning.
"Is that what you think?" Matthew asked calmly. "You think that you never cross my mind?"
"You don't have a picture of me…" Mary whispered.
"I don't need the reminder," Matthew said sternly.
"Matthew…" Mary whimpered.
"What do you want from me?" Matthew asked.
Mary's shaking hands traveled up from her sides and caressed his face. He leaned in closer, cherishing her touch, committing it to memory as he had done with every interaction with her. He could see the flutter in her eyes, he could see all of her, all of her fear, all of her pain, all of her confusion, all of her desire. Mary leaned forward and gently, desperately, tenderly kissed him. It took him a moment but he kissed her back with just as much tenderness and desperation as she did.
"This is wrong…" Matthew whispered as she finally broke their kiss.
"I know…" Mary whispered. "I know this is wrong. But I want this…"
"And what is it exactly…" Matthew said unsurely. "That you want?"
"I want… I want…" Mary said as she closed her eyes and tried to force out the words. "I want to know what it's like. I want to know what it is like to be merely be love but to be in love. I want to forget about everything that is so difficult and complicated at home. Just for this night… just for this night… I want to know it is to be desired and wanted… like you desire and want her…"
"Mary… it's not like that… you don't want-" Matthew said as he began to shake his head. Her hands stopped that.
"No… I do want this…" Mary said. "I want you to fuck me like you fucked her."
A/N: I know this everyone has been enjoying the tension between these two, god knows I have, but just to be absolutely 100% clear, and I really supposed to write the next chapter of this? I can't just skip to the next morning?