A Whole New World/Ch 5

"What's so funny?"

Justin grinned, handing his fiance his phone and showing him the text he had just received.

"Who is DM? And why is he holding your aunt as his 'sex slave'?"

"Daniel Meade! I told you all about HIM, remember? He's the "adult" child who my poor Aunt Betty ran after, cleaning up after him for four years before she finally got fed up with his crazy behavior and left him behind to follow her dreams in London!"

"Oh, right! The man-whore? The one who burnt her release form?"

"Yes! Exactly! That's Daniel alright! Although, I admit, she totally tamed the beast! He's become a 'right proper gentleman', thanks to her training him. I'd say their relationship was fairly reminiscent of Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins, actually only with role reversal to make HIM Eliza, really! At least...his character. She did finally get her "makeover moment" right before she left New York. But he was a total jerk when she first met him!"

"I don't remember My Fair Lady involving Liza being the professor's 'sex slave'! Although if you ask me, it was all the poorer for it! A good sex scene would have livened things up from all that damn singing!"

Justin laughed, rolling his eyes, and grabbed Michael's face, bringing him close for a sweet kiss, then smacked his butt lightly, "Excuse me? If you want to marry me, Mister, you're going to be listening to a hell of a lot of singing, you know! Are you sure you can handle that?"

"Hey, as long as it's you doing the singing, I'll listen all day long! You know I love anything you're involved in, sweetie!"

"Alright, alright. You don't need to butter me up! I'm already marrying you!"

"So, do I take it your aunt will be "otherwise engaged" with this Daniel fellow long enough for us to decorate for her welcome home party?"

"Apparently! That was the idea. She asked him to give her a ride from the airport to talk to him before Mom, Grandpa and me because...well, she most likely knows we want to throw her a surprise party, so she's making herself scarce, for one thing.

But she also needs to tell him what's going on with her. It's been a really long time. I guess I'm not completely surprised he's trying to convince her to sleep with him the minute she landed! Everytime I brought his name up when I visited her, she always changed the subject.

And somehow, she managed to conveniently be "too busy" to visit when she knew he was here. She always seemed to show up when he was out of town, visiting his sister or doing fundraising for his charity or a publicity tour for his column.

But I knew she missed him. It was clear that she had actually been afraid of the two of them developing into a couple. You should have seen them dancing at Mom's wedding! It was so sweet! They obviously belong together! Their dancing is what inspired me to come out!"

"He loves her, too?"

"Absolutely! Those two were always so close! WAY more than any boss and assistant! He was too much of an idiot to realize he loved her until AFTER she left him to go to London, though! He was too busy, chasing models, getting in trouble all the time, and well, being a…"

"Manwhore?"

"Exactly! Lately, though, he's been hiding out, supposedly in a frenzy to finish the book he started about her years ago but never finished! There have been lots of hints on social media that his publishers are chomping at the bit to have him do a round of talk shows to promote the book the minute it's released."

"That sounds great!"

"Yeah, except...he doesn't have a great track record for talk shows! First, he got dumped on an AM Breakfast show nationwide and then he was made a fool out of on The Larry King Show by Marc, calling in, pretending to be a woman! That one cost him his job! His own sister banished him from Mode to Player!"

Michael shrugged, "From what you've told me about the guy and what I've heard, did he really think it was a demotion? Sounds like he was probably better as the Editor of Player than Mode!"

Justin made a face, "Perish the thought! Daniel may not be gay, but he has always had good fashion sense! Believe me, he was far more suited for Mode than AB was, especially when she first started there! She was a lot smarter than he is, though, so she helped him keep his head above water! And she learned how to dress...eventually! Like I said, right about the time she left Mode."

Michael laughed, "Seriously? It took her four years to understand fashion?"

"HEY! Be nice! I had to tell you about shoes! She's smart in a lot of other things! And she's a good dresser now! Besides, she had braces and glasses and hadn't learned to do her hair or makeup back then. Poor thing was a walking disaster! She was pretty young, though."

"So are you, Justin! That never stopped you from knowing everything there is to know about fashion!"

Justin smiled, "Well, yeah, but that's because as Willy likes to point out, I AM her 'fashion elf'! I was born to be at Mode! AB was my ticket in, though. She fought her way through all the models and Mod-ees, and Chic-ees as Christina calls them to prove herself.

Make no mistake, she paved my way for me. If it hadn't been for my Aunt Betty, I would never have met you and I would never have been the Creative Director at Mode! I owe her everything!"

Justin blinked as he texted Daniel back, "You sir, had better be good to my aunt, or like I said, Michael will NOT be kind! I would like you to be in one piece at our wedding! But you do realize how much I love my aunt, right?"

His response came quickly, "I was only teasing about the sex slave thing, Justin! It's what your aunt told me to tell you! You know how she likes to tease! Please tell your god-like fiance to 'heel'! I have no intention of doing any harm to your aunt!

I cherish and adore the woman, too! How long do you want me to entertain her? How long do you think your family needs to prepare for her "surprise" party that she obviously knows your planning? I don't mind having her as my guest for as long as you need. It will save her a hotel bill. I have plenty of room."

"In your bed?"

"Not really your business. That's up to her, isn't it?"

"True. But...we both know what kind of man you used to be."

"Past tense. Yes. We also know how much Betty influenced me to NOT stay a 'manwhore'. At least, I HOPE we know I haven't gone back to my bad habits, I promise you, Justin.

It's sweet of you to be concerned for your aunt's welfare, but she IS an adult and what she does and with whom is her business. I'm not kidnapping her. I just offered her a ride from the airport, and asked her up for coffee."

"Coffee? Yeah, right! THAT'S not suspicious at all! I'm surprised you didn't invite her to "come listen to records' or "look at your paintings" or something else old-fashioned and cheesy!"

He shook his head, and wrote back, "Hey! I have coffee...somewhere I'm sure!"

"Did you actually make her any?"

"Well, no. Not yet."

"Too busy? Doing what exactly?"

"Not really your concern! As I said, I have guest rooms. Are we done with the Spanish Inquisition yet?"

"Sorry! That sounded...racist! Not what I meant!"

Justin laughed, and replied, "No problem, white man! I know what you meant. I wasn't as offended as AB when Marc called her "chimichanga', believe me! I'm sure she'll text me herself when she is ready and I appreciate the heads up. I promise, Michael will not harm you. Mainly because of your mom and my aunt, I do trust you with my aunt's honor.

I seem to recall you punching out Matt Hartley when he questioned it. That was hot! And very romantic! As was your following her to London and writing the Letter from the Editor in the Hundredth Anniversary Issue of Mode.

I have that letter framed. Maybe things you want to remind AB if you need to be inspired? Romance goes a long way with someone you are in love with but have been too stupid to come right out and tell them. I'm just saying."

"What's so funny? Here, I found your coffee maker. You want some?"

Betty handed Daniel a cup and sat down, taking a drink of the warm liquid herself, "Mmm...I needed this!"

"I really had coffee? Great! I knew it! I didn't realize I still had any cream, though! Thanks! Ha! Your nephew made fun of me asking you up for coffee and he definitely didn't appreciate your sex slave joke! He practically accused me of kidnapping you and tying you to the bed!"

She almost spit out her coffee, laughing, "Really? That's so funny! What did he make fun of you about?"

Daniel sat down in the chair, next to her, taking a sip, then placing his cup down on the side table, "He said asking you up for coffee was some lame pickup line!"

"Well...in all fairness…you sounded a little like Becks, saying that!"

"You thought I was just trying to pick you up? Yeah, well...okay, maybe I was a little bit. But I DID have coffee!" he held up his cup.

"You didn't even know you did! You had no idea where you put it. I had to find it and make it myself! You're still helpless!"

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever! The point is, I didn't lie about it! Oh, and then he threatened his fiance would beat me up if I touched you!"

She laughed again, shaking her head, "Good for Justin! Have you MET Michael yet?" she glanced at Daniel up and down, "He's a very muscular guy!"

Daniel glanced down at his chest and held out his bicep, "What am I? Chopped liver? I workout!"

"Well, sure, but...he's just...really BIG! That's all! He looks a lot like…"

"Thor?"

"YEAH! Like him!"

"So Justin said. Whatever! In any case, I'll have you know, I don't intend on 'ravishing you'! I promised your nephew your honor was safe while you're here. I told him I have two guest rooms, either of which you are welcome to use, and you needn't worry that I intend to bother you! I wouldn't want to get pummelled by your nephew's new husband!"

Betty took another sip of coffee and nodded,stifling a laugh, "Pummelled? Good to know. Although...it's very sweet of my nephew to worry about me, on the other hand, I AM his AUNT, not his "baby sister" for goodness sake! What I decide to do or who is certainly none of his business!"

"I told him that, too! But...he didn't seem to like me saying that very much."

"I don't suppose he did. I'm sorry, Daniel. Apparently, Justin didn't appreciate me making a joke. And now that he's a grown man himself, he seems to think he needs to protect me! Sweet, but...I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position by telling you to joke with him!"

"Yeah, what made you even...say that, anyway? Do you WANT to be my…"sex slave"? Is that some deep, dark desire you've always had?

Because if it is...I'm sure I can accommodate you, Betty! Or I can be yours. I promise, nobody in your family ever needs to know how kinky you really are! It can stay between you and me." his smirk led her to think he was joking.

But when she merely laughed, "Sure, Daniel! That's my secret 'desire' all these years! To be your...what are you doing?"

He started stripping off his shirt and quickly removed his shoes and socks, and belt, tossing them haphazardly to the floor, as he rose, then stood next to her, "I'm taking my clothes off! Sex is a lot easier if you're naked, you know! You should, too. You look awfully hot in all that..plaid! It's cute, but...is it wool? You need a 'kilt' I can fanny up easier, Lass!"

"That was seriously the WORST Scottish accent I've ever heard and keep your clothes on, Mr. Meade! I never said I wanted….Daniel...back off! Good grief! Can't you tell when someone is teasing?"

"Not when it comes to sex! And you were not! You just are pretending you were teasing to save face. You really need to stop teasing me, Betty!" he pouted.

"Well, put your shirt back on, will you? And stop pouting! You knew I wasn't serious!"

"Spoil sport! I know...how about instead of coffee, we have some Scotch? We'll play a nice little friendly game of poker. If I win, you have to drink or take off an item of clothing. If I lose, well, I have to drink or strip. Which isn't really a punishment to me, I admit. But it'll be fun, either way! Come on, Betty. Live a little!"

"Fine! But I have to warn you. I play a pretty mean game of Poker. I used to beat you all the time; don't you remember?"

"I remember. But I've been practicing. So, we should be a fairly even match now. Plus, I'm obviously HIGHLY motivated to get you drunk or naked...or both, if I'm very lucky!"

She raised an eyebrow, then squinted, "Do you feel lucky? Well do you, punk?"

He shook his head, "Okay, you gave ME a hard time for my crappy Scottish accent! But that has got to be the worst Clint Eastwood imitation EVER, Betty!"

They both burst out laughing, as he walked over to grab a bottle of Scotch and two glasses, as well as a deck of cards, quickly buttoning his shirt back up. He pulled out the chair for her, then sat down next to her, winking as he shuffled the cards, then fanned them out expertly, "Your ass is mine, Suarez!"

She raised her eyebrow, "Impressive! I see you HAVE been practicing! Who have you been playing with? Besides yourself, I mean...um...sorry! That didn't sound…"

He shook his head, laughing, "You're still adorable, Betty! Well, okay, maybe a little. I am sort of all alone way out here, so far out of the city after all and a man has needs!"

"You're such a drama queen! It's not like you're up in the mountains, Daniel. It's Brooklyn Heights!"

"Yeah, it's in a great school dis...um...I really liked how open it is and having my own private parking and being so close to...the Brooklyn Bridge. I can walk down to Grace Lane and see the Statue of Liberty, too, or walk to nice little shops and restaurants.

There's a great place just down the road where I usually go to get my morning coffee and bagel. That's why I don't normally make my own. Not that this isn't good!"

She shrugged, "Just don't expect me to actually cook anything! I still never learned. How about you?"

He made a face, throwing out his hands, "Eh, a little. I can make eggs and toast and sandwiches. Oh, and on special occasions, I can throw together a salad and some spaghetti, with garlic bread if I'm really hungry!"

"Fancy!"

"If you play your cards right, maybe I'll cook for you later. After I get you drunk and naked, that is!" he shuffled again, narrowing his eyes and grinning lasciviously.

"Please! I still say you're all talk and no action, Meade! Stop stalling, trying to psyche me out and deal already!"

Almost an hour into their game, Daniel's smile spread, as he threw his shoe across the room, "There you go, Miss smarty pants! This is so not fair! What have you been doing since we last played poker, joining a riverboat as a gambler? How did you get so good? I'm a lot better than you USED to be!"

She shrugged, biting her lower lip as she grinned, "I'll tell you a secret, I wasn't really playing my best game before. I took it easy on you so you wouldn't feel so bad! Besides, that's when we were playing REGULAR poker for popcorn or candy or something that didn't really matter. This time it's for REAL! I'm not taking a chance on losing!"

"I see. Hiding your talents, huh? Like how you used to dress at Mode so no one could tell you had a smoking body under all those...interesting fashion choices you made in the past!"

She looked down, smoothing her dress, and trying not to laugh at Daniel's state of undress, "You could just take a drink instead of...taking off items of clothing, Daniel! That's the rule, remember? You're the one who...must enjoy taking your clothes off!"

He looked at himself, in his boxers, his shirt and pants thrown on a chair, both shoes and one sock on the floor, along with his belt, "I THOUGHT I wanted to try and stay sober, so I'd have a better chance at beating you!"

She gathered up the cards off the table and shuffled them, smiling, "One more hand? Double or nothing?"

He glanced down at his boxers, "Double or nothing? You've got to be kidding? Oh, I see...you really WANT me naked, huh?"

She shrugged, smirking at him, "Like I said, you CAN always just take a shot! You've been nursing that glass of Scotch all night. And I know very well how much you enjoy your 'crotch socks'!"

"My what? Oh...right! We'll see about that, little girl." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and said under his breath, "Crotch socks? That's all me, baby!"

She blushed, but giggled slightly, "Not THAT! Don't you remember...never mind. I forgot. You were way too drunk to remember. It was a very long time ago, too. That's what you started ordering at that bar I picked you up from at Union Square. You started out ordering Scotch on the rocks. Then the bartender told me you started asking for 'crotch socks'."

"And you 'picked me up' at a bar? When was this? I must have been really drunk! Because otherwise I would definitely remember THAT!"

"You REALLY don't remember waking up in my bed...in my Papi's house, ALONE, of course? When I…"

"Oh, right! That! When I got to actually decorate a Christmas tree with your family! Of course, how could I forget...your glitter period! Very pretty!"

"Not really. You don't have to be so nice about it."

"Okay, well very...shiny, at least!"

She laughed, "Thank you. And thanks for the tree!"

"You're welcome. For both. AHA! I win! Full house! Please tell me you're not hiding four of a kind up your sleeve!" He threw down his hand.

"No...I'm not!" She shook her sleeves.

"Okay, FINALLY! So...what's it to be, little Miss card shark? Are you going to lose the dress or take a drink?"

She grabbed the glass in front of her and poured a shot for herself, holding it up, "Cheers!"

"Bottoms up!" Daniel slammed down the rest of the drink he had been nursing, then filled both of their glasses again, "Again?"

"Sure, why not? That's actually, not bad."

"Not bad? I'll have you know this is a twenty-year old Scotch!"

She looked at him hesitantly, "Please don't tell me we're drinking something worth thousands of dollars, Daniel! You know it's wasted on me, right? I'm no connoisseur, like you! I do like some wine, rums and tequila, but Scotch is your thing."

"I'm well aware. Relax, this one's not THAT expensive! I wouldn't waste my really good Scotch on someone who drinks those girly Mango Margaritas! This is...only worth a few hundred bucks! But it'll do in a pinch! It will definitely get us drunk!"

Betty stared at the empty glass, "I'll say! It's really strong! It's worth two hundred dollars? By the bottle or the glass?"

"The shot, silly girl. This isn't wine. It is GOOD Scotch! It's just not a GREAT Scotch! A normal size bottle has twenty-five regular shots sixteen one and a half-ounce or twelve two-ounce shots."

She eyed the glass, holding it up and this was definitely a…"

"Two-ounce shot, of course!"

"You're saying it's twelve times two hundred, so two thousand, Daniel, you paid twenty-four hundred dollars for this one bottle of Scotch we're drinking?" she whispered in disbelief.

He shrugged, "Hell, Betty. A REALLY GREAT bottle of Scotch will run upwards of five grand! This is...pretty good, though. I mean, seeing my long lost love after a decade is worth breaking out a bottle of champagne or wine or good Scotch, right?"

"Your long lost...LOVE?"

He moved closer to her, running his hands down her arms, "Yes, Betty. I'm done hiding out."

She backed up, "You still never showed me your...book, Daniel."

"Right. Because you think I missed you for your 'editing skills'! Geez, you MUST have been talking to my mother! Fine! But just remember, I'll be the vulnerable one, here, Betty. Not just because I literally lost my shirt...and pants...and shoes to you in poker! I still highly value your opinion. So be honest, but...be gentle, okay?"

"Of course, Daniel. Just let me see it already!" she had slammed down another shot of Scotch, then blew out a breath, clearly drinking for courage, but quite affected by the alcohol.

He laughed, as he reached around her, making her very nervous, and pulled out a hard copy of his manuscript from his desk drawer, "I'm done except...I'm stuck on the final chapter. I don't know. Now that I think about it, maybe I've been waiting all this time for you to come home to help me finish it."

She grinned, "I swear to god, Daniel Meade, if you make some crack about 'happy endings!'"

In case you're curious, this is the place I see as Daniel's "Writer's loft"/family home:

homedetails/4-Hunts-Ln-Brooklyn-NY-11201/30567723_zpid/?