Chapter three
The next afternoon Maranda sat in the living room with all her girlfriends. She, Mary, Cici, Lisa, and Carmel sat around giving makeovers. Well more precisely Maranda was the subject in their little experiment, Lisa and Carmel were busy with her hair, Cici was doing her make-up and Mary was giving her a manicure and pedicure. "Okay so, we know now that whoever this guy is he's loaded. Look at this house!" Lisa exclaimed, tugging Miranda's hair just a little too tightly. "Watch it! It's attached to my skull!" She protested, putting a hand to her stinging scalp. "Sorry." Lisa murmured, tugging again. "Hold still Randy or I'm going to poke you in the eye." Cici told her sternly as she wiggled around. Maranda sighed and let herself be fluffed, poked, painted and exfoliated. "So tell us about the mysterious Mark. What's he do? How old is he? Is he seeing anyone?" Carmel asked, poking yet another bobby pin into her hair. "He's not seeing anyone, he's thirty-nine and he's in the entertainment business." Maranda said in a rush. "Well he's hot at any rate." Lisa muttered, sitting back to examine her handy work. "That he is." Cici agreed, finishing her task as well. "He is a hottie isn't he?" Maranda giggled, standing to go look at herself in the mirror. "Whoa!" Maranda leaned in to get a closer look. "Is that me?" She asked, looking so closely that her nose touched the glass. "That's you chica. Just an older, more seductive you." Carmel leaned back against the cushions that had been piled around and popped another can of soda open. Maranda took one last look and went to sit with her friends.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. Alex sat huddled outside the big bay window watching as the five girls laughed and giggled with each other, occasionally tossing a pillow at an offending friend. But he was only interested in one and that was the red headed amazon that sat casually in a pair of loose fitting drawstring pants and a tiny little white tank top. He wanted her and by god he was going to have her, willing or not. He was so absorbed that he didn't hear the car pull up in the drive way and only became aware when the door slammed shut and the figure of a huge man hefted a duffle bag over his shoulder.
Maranda thought she heard something but thought it was just the storm that had started to blow. She threw another handful of pop corn at Mary and stood to her feet, stretching her legs and going in search of more soda. She was almost to the kitchen when the door flew open and the silhouette of a huge man appeared in the door way. She screamed at the top of her lungs and the other girls rushed to see what was wrong. They all stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the man, all mouths falling open. He stepped into the light and Maranda sighed thankfully. "Damn it Mark! You scared the hell outta me!" she said, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "Sorry kid, I didn't mean to." He dropped the bag at his feet and leaned against the wall, his face contouring with pain. Noticing all the girls looking at him with wide eyes shocked he smiled. "Hello." he said meekly, a hand going to his side. "H-hi." Was the answer from all around. "Okay ladies time to close the mouths. Carmel, Lisa, Mary and Cici, this is Mark. Mark this is the gang." She motioned to her friends and then at him and back again. "Nice to meet you." he said and for the first time Maranda noticed how white his normally tanned face looked. "You weren't supposed to be back until Tuesday. What happened?" She asked going to stand closer. "Bruised a few ribs and cracked a couple more." he explained. "You're The Undertaker!" Carmel exclaimed out of nowhere and all heads turned to look at her. "Well he is." She said meekly. Maranda laughed and shook her head. "Yes I am. Or at least I am in the ring." Mark said, smiling slightly. "How the hell did you crack a few ribs?" Maranda demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "Landed on the security railing wrong. I'm fine." To prove that he was okay he took a few steps and turned to look at her. "Like hell you are. Go into the living room and take off your shirt. I bet they aren't even wrapped are they?" She asked, shooting him a disapproving glare. "No." "Humph! Just as I thought." she huffed, shooing him into the living room. She walked back out and Mark looked around at the four eager faces looking at him, all gathered in very close to him. He was beginning to get uncomfortable, all of the girls had dreamy looks on their faces, they were hovering over him, inspecting him like a dress on display. Maranda remerged from places unknown and looked at the all her friends, she clucked her tongue and looked down at them. "Move it or loose it girls!" She said, pushing her way through the mass. "Okay take it off." She ordered, sitting on the sofa beside him. Mark squirmed uncomfortably. "Can't we do this in my room?" He asked quietly. "Oh come on, millions of people look at you every week. Four isn't going to kill you." Maranda huffed, rolling her eyes. "But none of them look like the want to rip my clothes off." He whispered quietly, daring another glance at the girls. "Okay okay you have a point, get upstairs." She admitted, standing and holding out a hand. He took it and pulled him self to his feet, silently surprised at how strong Marnada really was. He walked slowly up the stairs Marnada trailing closely behind him. Half way up Maranda stopped and turned around slowly, behind her everyone had followed them. "Back down stairs!" She ordered, pointing her finger at them. "But we want to watch!" They protested. "NOW!" She said, starting to tap her foot. They took one look at her and turned and fled, grumbling the whole way.
The next afternoon Maranda sat in the living room with all her girlfriends. She, Mary, Cici, Lisa, and Carmel sat around giving makeovers. Well more precisely Maranda was the subject in their little experiment, Lisa and Carmel were busy with her hair, Cici was doing her make-up and Mary was giving her a manicure and pedicure. "Okay so, we know now that whoever this guy is he's loaded. Look at this house!" Lisa exclaimed, tugging Miranda's hair just a little too tightly. "Watch it! It's attached to my skull!" She protested, putting a hand to her stinging scalp. "Sorry." Lisa murmured, tugging again. "Hold still Randy or I'm going to poke you in the eye." Cici told her sternly as she wiggled around. Maranda sighed and let herself be fluffed, poked, painted and exfoliated. "So tell us about the mysterious Mark. What's he do? How old is he? Is he seeing anyone?" Carmel asked, poking yet another bobby pin into her hair. "He's not seeing anyone, he's thirty-nine and he's in the entertainment business." Maranda said in a rush. "Well he's hot at any rate." Lisa muttered, sitting back to examine her handy work. "That he is." Cici agreed, finishing her task as well. "He is a hottie isn't he?" Maranda giggled, standing to go look at herself in the mirror. "Whoa!" Maranda leaned in to get a closer look. "Is that me?" She asked, looking so closely that her nose touched the glass. "That's you chica. Just an older, more seductive you." Carmel leaned back against the cushions that had been piled around and popped another can of soda open. Maranda took one last look and went to sit with her friends.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. Alex sat huddled outside the big bay window watching as the five girls laughed and giggled with each other, occasionally tossing a pillow at an offending friend. But he was only interested in one and that was the red headed amazon that sat casually in a pair of loose fitting drawstring pants and a tiny little white tank top. He wanted her and by god he was going to have her, willing or not. He was so absorbed that he didn't hear the car pull up in the drive way and only became aware when the door slammed shut and the figure of a huge man hefted a duffle bag over his shoulder.
Maranda thought she heard something but thought it was just the storm that had started to blow. She threw another handful of pop corn at Mary and stood to her feet, stretching her legs and going in search of more soda. She was almost to the kitchen when the door flew open and the silhouette of a huge man appeared in the door way. She screamed at the top of her lungs and the other girls rushed to see what was wrong. They all stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of the man, all mouths falling open. He stepped into the light and Maranda sighed thankfully. "Damn it Mark! You scared the hell outta me!" she said, wrapping her arms around her midsection. "Sorry kid, I didn't mean to." He dropped the bag at his feet and leaned against the wall, his face contouring with pain. Noticing all the girls looking at him with wide eyes shocked he smiled. "Hello." he said meekly, a hand going to his side. "H-hi." Was the answer from all around. "Okay ladies time to close the mouths. Carmel, Lisa, Mary and Cici, this is Mark. Mark this is the gang." She motioned to her friends and then at him and back again. "Nice to meet you." he said and for the first time Maranda noticed how white his normally tanned face looked. "You weren't supposed to be back until Tuesday. What happened?" She asked going to stand closer. "Bruised a few ribs and cracked a couple more." he explained. "You're The Undertaker!" Carmel exclaimed out of nowhere and all heads turned to look at her. "Well he is." She said meekly. Maranda laughed and shook her head. "Yes I am. Or at least I am in the ring." Mark said, smiling slightly. "How the hell did you crack a few ribs?" Maranda demanded, putting her hands on her hips. "Landed on the security railing wrong. I'm fine." To prove that he was okay he took a few steps and turned to look at her. "Like hell you are. Go into the living room and take off your shirt. I bet they aren't even wrapped are they?" She asked, shooting him a disapproving glare. "No." "Humph! Just as I thought." she huffed, shooing him into the living room. She walked back out and Mark looked around at the four eager faces looking at him, all gathered in very close to him. He was beginning to get uncomfortable, all of the girls had dreamy looks on their faces, they were hovering over him, inspecting him like a dress on display. Maranda remerged from places unknown and looked at the all her friends, she clucked her tongue and looked down at them. "Move it or loose it girls!" She said, pushing her way through the mass. "Okay take it off." She ordered, sitting on the sofa beside him. Mark squirmed uncomfortably. "Can't we do this in my room?" He asked quietly. "Oh come on, millions of people look at you every week. Four isn't going to kill you." Maranda huffed, rolling her eyes. "But none of them look like the want to rip my clothes off." He whispered quietly, daring another glance at the girls. "Okay okay you have a point, get upstairs." She admitted, standing and holding out a hand. He took it and pulled him self to his feet, silently surprised at how strong Marnada really was. He walked slowly up the stairs Marnada trailing closely behind him. Half way up Maranda stopped and turned around slowly, behind her everyone had followed them. "Back down stairs!" She ordered, pointing her finger at them. "But we want to watch!" They protested. "NOW!" She said, starting to tap her foot. They took one look at her and turned and fled, grumbling the whole way.
