****
The ringing of a cell phone woke Mandy up. She was still curled on the floor of Alex's living room with Frank being her only cover. They both were naked and thoroughly sated from the all night marathon of passion they'd shared. She found herself smiling when she thought of Frank watching her bathe. So, he was a little bit of a voyuer, hmm? She wondered what else he'd enjoy watching her perform...
As she stretched, Frank woke and mumbled, drawing her closer to him. "Noooo.... stay..." he mumbled into her hair.
Mandy giggled and forgot all about the phone call as she snuggled against Frank.
--
Harrold slammed down the phone in New York with a growl. This was not good. The producers of 'Dolly' had decided not to match his asking price and the producers of 'Phantom' decided not to match the offer that the producers of 'Dolly' had made first. Now what was he going to tell her? He'd promised her that she'd be alright and they would match the offers. Now he had to tell her that if she didn't go back, she'd be replaced by her understudy and blacklisted in the theater society. Why the hell wasn't she answering her phone?!
--
Alex and Jake were less than amused. They'd arrived in D.C. the night before only to be met at the airport and told that their services weren't needed. The U.S. Attorney had found the transcripted testimonies while they were in flight. But, out of the goodness of his heart, they were allowed to stay the night on the company nickel and given an immediate flight back home.
Jake was hoping that Sasche hadn't set Frank and Mandy up on any more 'special' dates. Little did he know that Alex was hoping the same thing. She liked Frank, but there were just too many pitfalls in this potential relationship between her boss and her sister. Add to that the rebound from that jerkoff in St. Croix and it summed up to Mandy not needing to get mixed up in another relationship.
--
Amanda woke up to find herself alone on the floor and covered with the towel she'd wrapped around herself last night. The bright light outside told her it was noon or after. She bolted up and ran through the house. "Frank?! FRANK!!"
"Yes Starlet?"
She whirled around and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh god for a moment I thought you'd left me again."
He wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Now why would I leave you without saying so?"
She pulled back and looked at him. "You.."
Frank sighed and let her go. "I won't say that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Amanda, this isn't right. Last night I took advantage of you and it's not fair to you. You asked me not to mislead you and I'm not trying to."
Her eyes widened. He was pushing her away again. "Damn you..." she whispered.
"Mandy, please..."
"NO!" she shouted and jerked back from him. "You bastard!! I trusted you! And what do I get for it? YOU, shoving me away again! You can't let anyone in to love you and you won't let yourself be loved. Get out Frank! GET OUT!" she screamed and pushed him towards the door.
"Mandy, wait! Let me explain!"
"No... no more excuses!" She kept pushing him towards the door. She'd begun crying again as she did so. She couldn't believe she'd let herself fall for this again. "Just go... lock yourself up in that private little hell you call your life and suffer you sonofabitch! Just don't ever come back to me unless you're ready to admit you want me in your life!" She punctuated her words with the slam of the front door in his face.
Frank stood at the door, his nose and ego bruised. "I'm sorry Starlet." he whispered.
--
Mandy had managed to fix her hair and get dressed shortly after she slammed the door in Frank's face. She was cleaning up her clothes when her cell phone rang. Hastily she wiped the tears away and picked it up. "Singer."
"Oh, THANK GOD Mandy girl! I have been trying to get ahold of you for hours! Where the hell have you been?"
"I've been busy Harrold. What is it you want?"
"You've got problems. Both shows are balking now. Phantom's producer has said that if you aren't back here and in your role by the end of the week, he's firing you and permanently casting your understudy as Christine!"
"WHAT?! But, you said..."
"I know what I said babe and I'm sorry. I thought they'd go along with the game and raise the stakes. But I think that you're about to get the sour end of the deal."
"Alright Harrold. I can't leave without telling my sister what's going on. Go back to the producers of Phantom, ASK them if they will honor the original contract I signed with them -"
"But Amanda, this is all for your best interests!"
"NO HARROLD!! I was quite happy with things as they were and then you came along and tried to get me to go with a new contract! Go back to them and ask or I'll do it myself!!" She hung up on him and threw the phone onto the bed. In a matter of 12 hours her life had begun crumbling down around her ears.
****
The ringing of a cell phone woke Mandy up. She was still curled on the floor of Alex's living room with Frank being her only cover. They both were naked and thoroughly sated from the all night marathon of passion they'd shared. She found herself smiling when she thought of Frank watching her bathe. So, he was a little bit of a voyuer, hmm? She wondered what else he'd enjoy watching her perform...
As she stretched, Frank woke and mumbled, drawing her closer to him. "Noooo.... stay..." he mumbled into her hair.
Mandy giggled and forgot all about the phone call as she snuggled against Frank.
--
Harrold slammed down the phone in New York with a growl. This was not good. The producers of 'Dolly' had decided not to match his asking price and the producers of 'Phantom' decided not to match the offer that the producers of 'Dolly' had made first. Now what was he going to tell her? He'd promised her that she'd be alright and they would match the offers. Now he had to tell her that if she didn't go back, she'd be replaced by her understudy and blacklisted in the theater society. Why the hell wasn't she answering her phone?!
--
Alex and Jake were less than amused. They'd arrived in D.C. the night before only to be met at the airport and told that their services weren't needed. The U.S. Attorney had found the transcripted testimonies while they were in flight. But, out of the goodness of his heart, they were allowed to stay the night on the company nickel and given an immediate flight back home.
Jake was hoping that Sasche hadn't set Frank and Mandy up on any more 'special' dates. Little did he know that Alex was hoping the same thing. She liked Frank, but there were just too many pitfalls in this potential relationship between her boss and her sister. Add to that the rebound from that jerkoff in St. Croix and it summed up to Mandy not needing to get mixed up in another relationship.
--
Amanda woke up to find herself alone on the floor and covered with the towel she'd wrapped around herself last night. The bright light outside told her it was noon or after. She bolted up and ran through the house. "Frank?! FRANK!!"
"Yes Starlet?"
She whirled around and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh god for a moment I thought you'd left me again."
He wrapped her up in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Now why would I leave you without saying so?"
She pulled back and looked at him. "You.."
Frank sighed and let her go. "I won't say that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Amanda, this isn't right. Last night I took advantage of you and it's not fair to you. You asked me not to mislead you and I'm not trying to."
Her eyes widened. He was pushing her away again. "Damn you..." she whispered.
"Mandy, please..."
"NO!" she shouted and jerked back from him. "You bastard!! I trusted you! And what do I get for it? YOU, shoving me away again! You can't let anyone in to love you and you won't let yourself be loved. Get out Frank! GET OUT!" she screamed and pushed him towards the door.
"Mandy, wait! Let me explain!"
"No... no more excuses!" She kept pushing him towards the door. She'd begun crying again as she did so. She couldn't believe she'd let herself fall for this again. "Just go... lock yourself up in that private little hell you call your life and suffer you sonofabitch! Just don't ever come back to me unless you're ready to admit you want me in your life!" She punctuated her words with the slam of the front door in his face.
Frank stood at the door, his nose and ego bruised. "I'm sorry Starlet." he whispered.
--
Mandy had managed to fix her hair and get dressed shortly after she slammed the door in Frank's face. She was cleaning up her clothes when her cell phone rang. Hastily she wiped the tears away and picked it up. "Singer."
"Oh, THANK GOD Mandy girl! I have been trying to get ahold of you for hours! Where the hell have you been?"
"I've been busy Harrold. What is it you want?"
"You've got problems. Both shows are balking now. Phantom's producer has said that if you aren't back here and in your role by the end of the week, he's firing you and permanently casting your understudy as Christine!"
"WHAT?! But, you said..."
"I know what I said babe and I'm sorry. I thought they'd go along with the game and raise the stakes. But I think that you're about to get the sour end of the deal."
"Alright Harrold. I can't leave without telling my sister what's going on. Go back to the producers of Phantom, ASK them if they will honor the original contract I signed with them -"
"But Amanda, this is all for your best interests!"
"NO HARROLD!! I was quite happy with things as they were and then you came along and tried to get me to go with a new contract! Go back to them and ask or I'll do it myself!!" She hung up on him and threw the phone onto the bed. In a matter of 12 hours her life had begun crumbling down around her ears.
****
