-1CHAPTER SIX
"I didn't think you were actually going to show up today." Lauren greeted Michael as he made his way over to their assigned work station.
"I said I'd be here, didn't I?" He responded gruffly, not looking at her. She watched silently as he put on his safety gear and prepared for another hard days work. She could tell by the stiffness of his movements that he was still in a lot of pain.
"Look, about what happened yesterday…"
"I don't want to talk about it." He said, cutting her off in mid sentence.
"We need to talk about it, Michael." Lauren insisted. "What your step father did to you and your brother…"
"Is none of your business!" He exclaimed angrily. "You never should have come there."
"Yeah well, I'm glad I did." She admitted softly. "I feel like I understand you a lot better now."
"Well I'm so glad that seeing me get my ass kicked by my step father was such an eye opening experience for you." Michael said snidely, turning his back to her as he went about double checking the machinery.
"I mean before Tom busted in," Lauren clarified, trying not to let herself get upset at the way he was treating her. "Our conversation in your room, the way you opened up to me about what really happened that night. It really meant a lot to me. I felt so close to you…"
"So that's what this is all about." He interrupted her sharply and Lauren looked up at him in confusion. "You're looking for a quick lay with some blue collar guy so you can run home and tell all your rich girlfriends about it. Well sorry, sweetie. I'm not interested." Michael informed her dismissively. She knew what he was doing. She knew that he was only saying these things to try and push her away. But that didn't stop her from being hurt by his words.
"Fuck you, Michael." She spat out in contempt just as the assembly line came to life, drowning out all conversation in the room. For once Lauren welcomed the noise. She had nothing more to say to him.
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"Is this seat taken?" Asked a familiar voice from above her. Seated cross-legged on the cool grass outside the factory's main entrance, Lauren shrugged her shoulders in response to his question and continued staring down at the weeds in quiet contemplation. Michael tentatively sat down beside her, his left thigh grazing her own.
"The 'soup of the day' was looking even more ambiguous than usual, so I got you this instead." Michael informed her casually, placing a small white pastry box on the grass in front of her. She eyed it wearily, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to accept his peace offering. In the end her curiosity and growling stomach won out and she reached for the box, opening it slowly.
"A chocolate éclair, Michael?" Lauren said in astonishment as she glanced down at the delicious looking pastry. "I don't remember seeing this on the cafeteria's menu."
"That's because this isn't from the cafeteria." He declared nonchalantly. "I made a quick trip to this little family owned bakery down the street. I know it's probably not as good as the ones in Paris, but I thought…"
"It's delicious!" Lauren exclaimed around a mouthful of cream and chocolate, having already taken a huge bite out of the French delicacy. Michael chuckled at her enthusiasm. It was nice to see her eating something for a change.
"I'm glad you like it." He said sincerely.
"I love it." She assured him, then she noticed he wasn't eating anything. "Where's your lunch?"
"Oh, I'm not hungry today." He lied. Lauren stopped chewing and looked at him disbelievingly. "Okay, okay. I spent my lunch money on that." He admitted, motioning to the half eaten éclair in her hand.
"Well then, you're sharing it with me." She informed him as she shoved the pastry into his mouth. Lauren burst into a fit of giggles at the surprised look on his face as she continued to shove the remainder of the éclair into his open mouth. His lips and chin were covered in cream and chocolate as he frantically swallowed the dessert. She sat back and admired her handy work, grinning mischievously at him while he regained his composure.
"I could have choked you know!" He exclaimed in mock anger. "But damn, you were right. That did taste really good."
"Scrumptious." Lauren agreed, gazing at his chocolate covered lips. She couldn't resist leaning in for a taste. Her eyes closed instinctively as her lips made contact with his. They couldn't get enough of each other, devouring lips and stroking tongues. Lauren kissed and licked her way from his mouth down to his chin, swiping at the residual cream with the tip of her tongue. Michael groaned in response, pulling her closer into his lap. After cleaning him up to her satisfaction, Lauren nipped at his chin one last time before moving out of his embrace.
"There, that's better." She declared triumphantly running her thumb along his now chocolate free lips, slightly swollen from their kiss. Michael chuckled when he glanced down at her own pouty lips.
"Yeah, and now you're the one covered in chocolate." He informed her, using his index finger to steal some of the decadent chocolate from her upper lip before placing his finger in his mouth and sucking gently.
"Oh yeah," Lauren teased, her voice taking on a seductive quality. "What are you gonna do about it?" He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her back into his lap. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling her gently. Lauren sighed in contentment and wrapped her arms around his neck, slowly running her fingers through his hair. She felt him chuckle against her skin.
"What?" She asked, smiling down at him in amusement as he lifted his head up to gaze at her.
"I think I'm addicted to you," he confessed, running his hands up and down her back slowly. She smiled at him, bending to trail open mouthed kisses along his neck. "I came to work today determined to put an end to this."
"And how's that workin' out for ya?" Lauren teased in between kisses. Michael chuckled.
"C'mere, you." He said, cupping her face in his hands as he pulled her closer for another earth shattering kiss. Lauren could honestly say that he was the most delicious lunch she'd ever had.
"Attention all employees." Michael and Lauren broke their kiss as an announcement came over the intercom. "Due to a gas leak on the main floor of the building, the factory will be closed until further notice. I repeat, due to a gas leak the factory will be closed…"
"Well, looks like we have some free time on our hands." Lauren declared. Michael grinned at her mischievously.
"So, what do you wanna do?" he asked coyly, running the tip of his index finger along her collar bone seductively.
"Hmmm. I could go for a quick lay with some blue collar guy." Lauren teased, poking fun at his earlier comment. He grinned at her, glad that all seemed to be forgiven.
"That could definitely be arranged. Though I can assure you, it'll be anything but quick." Michael said, running his hands over her arms, her ribs, the swell of her breasts. She let a strangled moan before abruptly standing up and pulling him to his feet.
"Let's get out of here." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the sidewalk, intent on taking him back to her hotel room and ravishing him for the rest of the day and night.
"Hey, babe!" Danny's voice rang out from behind them, stopping the pair dead in their tracks. "Long time no see."
"Danny! What, um, what are you doing here?" Lauren stammered out, quickly releasing Michael's hand.
"I came to take you to lunch, but I see you've already eaten." Danny said, and for a split second Lauren panicked thinking that he was referring to her and Michael's little makeout session. Then she remembered the chocolate still smeared on her lips.
"Oh, I uh, I just had an éclair." She explained.
"An éclair for lunch, Lauren? Is that really wise?" Danny questioned her. "I mean it's bad enough that you're wearing second hand clothes, you don't want to get fat as well." Lauren looked away self consciously.
"I know. You're right." She admitted softly.
"Lauren, don't…" Michael began to protest, but she cut him off.
"No Michael, it's okay. I'm in the fashion industry, I know I can't afford to get fat." She offered him a reassuring smile. "I guess I'll just have to find some way to burn off all those calories." She turned back to Danny, smiling at him innocently. Michael couldn't hide his grin.
"So what do you say, hun?" Danny asked, ignoring her comment. "Do you wanna get out of here and grab a salad or something? I've barely seen you all week."
"Yeah, okay." Lauren conceded, feeling sorry for him momentarily. "But only if Michael can come with us."
"Lauren, it's okay. I'll just grab something to eat at home." Michael reasoned.
"No!" Lauren said sharply, fear in her eyes. She didn't want him in that apartment with Tom any more than was absolutely necessary. "You sacrificed your lunch for me, the least I can do is buy you a sandwich."
"And soup?" Michael teased.
"Naturally." She assured him, smiling playfully. Danny let out a sigh of frustration.
"Fine. Let's just go already." He said, taking Lauren's hand and leading her towards the parking lot. Michael followed them reluctantly.
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"I don't see why we couldn't just go to IHOP." Danny complained as the three of them entered the small diner.
"Because we have IHOPs at home, sweetie. Don't you want to expand your horizons a bit?" Lauren asked in irritation. He could be such a wet blanket sometimes.
"Not if it results in me getting food poisoning." He grumbled, looking around the diner in disgust.
"So Michael, what's good to eat here?" Lauren asked, moving away from Danny and closer to the guy who she really wanted to be eating lunch with. Among other things.
"Uh, their cheeseburgers are pretty good. It comes with fries and coleslaw." He informed her, leading her further into the diner as they picked a table to sit at. Danny followed them begrudgingly and took his seat at the table. Michael on the other hand moved to hold Lauren's chair out for her.
"Thank you, Michael." Lauren said, loud enough for Danny to get the message. "Why don't you order the cheeseburger then and I'll just have some of your coleslaw."
"Lauren, you should eat more than that." Michael insisted, taking his seat at the small round table.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." She assured him. "Besides I'm still stuffed from our snack earlier." Michael grinned at her knowingly. Clearing his throat, Danny reached across the table to grab a menu.
"Do they serve anything here that isn't deep fried?" He asked in annoyance. "And what the hell are chili cheese fries? That sounds like a heart attack on a platter."
"Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. You could use a little more meat on your bones, Princess." The plump waitress teased as she walked up to their table, pen and pad in hand. "Are you folks ready to order?" Danny looked up at her, obviously insulted.
"I'd like to speak to the manager actually." He requested snobbishly.
"You're lookin' at her, kido. What can I do for you?" She asked him politely. Danny just sighed in frustration.
"Oh, don't mind him." Lauren assured the waitress pleasantly. "My friend here and I will have one order of your cheeseburger combo, extra coleslaw please."
"Sure thing, sweetie. And will his highness be ordering anything this afternoon?" The waitress directed her question to Danny, he just scowled at her in response.
"No thank you, I've lost my appetite." He informed her, handing over the menu.
"Suit yourself." The waitress smiled at Michael and Lauren before heading into the kitchen to place their order. An awkward silence fell over the table then and Michael tried desperately not to react as Lauren's hand slowly made its way up his thigh.
"So baby, what have you been up to these past few days?" Danny finally broke the silence, oblivious to the fact that his girlfriend was currently groping another man under the table.
"This and that," Lauren answered vaguely. "How about you? Have you done any sightseeing yet?"
"What's there to see?" He replied gruffly before changing the subject. "So Michael, how'd you get that black eye? Did you walk into a door or something?" Danny teased and Lauren glared at him angrily.
"Shut up, Danny. Just leave it alone." She warned him, her hand leaving Michael's thigh abruptly.
"Chill out, girl. God, I can't even ask a simple question anymore without you biting my head off." He said in exasperation. "It's like you've turned into a completely different person since coming here."
"Maybe I have," Lauren admitted softly, glancing at Michael before turning her attention back to Danny. "But is that really such a bad thing?"
"Your father and I think so." He declared nonchalantly.
"What do you mean?" Lauren asked in confusion.
"I called your dad up last night and told him about how you've been acting weird and avoiding me all week. He thinks maybe this job shadowing assignment is getting to be too much for you…"
"What?! That doesn't sound like him at all, I don't believe you." Lauren said dismissively.
"Well, believe it. He already talked to your teacher about letting you come home early and he agreed. You'll still get the full credit of course." Danny assured her.
"That's not the point, I don't want to leave!" Lauren said stubbornly, glancing at Michael again. He looked just as dismayed as she felt.
"Well that's too bad because we're going back to Genoa City tonight. I already have your bags packed, they're in the trunk of my car." Danny declared resolutely.
"I can't believe you would do something like this!" Lauren yelled angrily, getting up from the table to stand in front of him. "Get my things out of your car now!"
"Babe, just calm down." Danny stood up, placing his hands on her shoulders. She shoved them off.
"No, I will not calm down. Nobody tells me what to do, you got that? Not you, not my father, no one!" Lauren yelled in frustration. "God, you are such a control freak!"
"You don't think I know what this is really about? Why you're really so determined to stay in this dump?" Danny spat out in contempt. Lauren's eyes closed in realization. "Yeah, that's right. I saw the two of you making out in front of the factory today." He said angrily, glancing between her and Michael. "So how long has this been going on, Lauren? Did you fuck him the first day you were here?" Michael stood up from the table, coming to stand behind Lauren.
"Shut up, Danny." She glared at him in anger.
"You never could keep your legs closed for long." He said in disgust. Michael had heard enough.
"I think it's time for you to leave." Michael warned him, coming to stand directly in front of the smaller man.
"Oh, it speaks!" Danny declared sarcastically. "Look, buddy. If you think you're going to intimidate me with this caveman attitude you've got going on here, think again. She's my girlfriend and she's coming home with me!" Danny informed him. "Now, move out of my way." Michael didn't move, merely glanced at Lauren, asking for permission. She nodded slightly and Michael turned back to face Danny, offering him a satisfied grin before punching him square in the jaw. He stumbled backwards a bit, reaching up in shock to touch his split lip.
"You crazy son of a bitch!" Danny yelled, grabbing his car keys off the table. "You want her, you can have her!" He declared, and with that he brushed past Michael and Lauren and headed out the door. He jumped in his corvette and sped out of the diner's parking lot, but not before grabbing her luggage out of his trunk and throwing it out onto the curb.
"Well that was quite the show." Said a voice from behind them. Michael and Lauren turned to see that the waitress had returned to the table with their order. "Don't you worry, darling. You're better off without him." She assured Lauren, placing the plate of steaming hot food down on the table before heading back towards the kitchen. Lauren glanced up at Michael nervously, not sure of what to say.
"Thanks." Was all she could manage.
"I'll go get your things." He said in response, walking out of the diner to go retrieve her suitcases. Lauren wearily sat back down at their table, stealing a French fry off Michael's plate. By the time he returned, she had eaten half of his fries and all of the coleslaw. She smiled up at him self consciously as he placed her things beside their table.
"Sorry. Fighting makes me hungry." She admitted softly and he chuckled at her before taking his seat at the table.
"I'll have to remember that." He said coyly. "So, what are you gonna do now?"
"Stay here I guess. At least until the end of the week." She said, not wanting to think about leaving Detroit. About leaving him. "I just can't believe my father would side with Danny. He's always hated him and he knows I wouldn't stay here if I didn't want to."
"Maybe he's just being overprotective?" Michael reasoned. "You can't blame him for worrying about you. That's what dads do." He looked down at the plate of food in front of him. "Some dads anyway." He said, sadness in his voice. Lauren got the feeling they weren't talking about her anymore.
"What happened to your father, Michael?" Lauren asked tentatively, knowing that this was a sore subject for him, but she sensed that it was something he needed to talk about. Michael sighed, pushing the remainder of his fries around on the plate.
"He just up and left one day when I was about six years old. No goodbye, no note, nothing." He explained. "I came home from school one day and Gloria told me that my father had left and that she didn't know when or if he'd be back."
"Did you ever try to contact him?" Lauren asked and was surprised when Michael let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"I wrote letters to him for years, begging him to come home and save us from Tom. But little did I know, all of the mailing addresses that Gloria had given me were fake. All of my letters were returned, unopened." He declared despairingly. "I found them in a box under Gloria's bed one night a few years ago while I was hiding from Tom."
"Why don't you try and track him down now that you're older?" Lauren suggested.
"What would be the point? He obviously wants nothing to do with me."
"You don't know that for sure." Lauren reasoned. "Maybe he could help your family get away from Tom?"
"Yeah," Michael said wearily. "Maybe."
"Did he ever give you any indication of where he may have run off to? Some place he always wanted to visit maybe?" Lauren inquired, trying to get him more enthused about the idea of finding his father.
"I dunno," Michael said dismissively. "He just always talked about going back home to the Crescent, whatever the hell that means." The term sounded familiar to Lauren, but she just couldn't place it.
"Can you think of anything else?" She asked, not wanting to push the issue, but now her own curiosity had been piqued.
"I don't really remember much about my father. I was still so young when he left and we never spent much time together when he was still around," a small smile spread across Michael's face as he recalled one of the few pleasant memories from his childhood. "But every Friday night he'd let me sit on his lap while he played poker with the guys, and before every game he'd always bellow out 'Lazay Lay Bon Tom Roulay.'" He shook his head at the fond memory. "I never did get to ask him what that meant."
"Laissez le Bon temp rouler," Lauren corrected him warmly, her voice taking on a slow southern drawl. "Let the good times roll..."
"That's what it means?" Michael asked her in astonishment.
"Mmmhmm," She nodded in affirmation, smiling at him as she recalled a particularly pleasant memory from her own childhood. "After my mother left us, my dad took me on a business trip with him to try and cheer me up. I thought we would be traveling to Paris or Milan, or any one of the typical high fashion countries in Europe that those in the industry often venture to. But to my surprise, we landed in New Orleans and my father and I spent two weeks emerged in the Cajon culture along the French Quarter." Lauren shrugged self consciously. "I, uh, I guess I still remember some of the N'awlins lingo."
"So do you think that's where my father was from?" Michael asked eagerly.
"Possibly. I mean, it's definitely worth checking out." Lauren saw a look of apprehension cross his face and she reached across the table to take his hand in hers. "That is, if you're sure you wanna do this?"
"I haven't been sure of anything since you came into my life," He admitted quietly, looking down at their hands as he turned hers over and began lightly tracing patterns along her palm. "I had my life all figured out and now," He looked up at her then. "Now I want more."
"And you deserve more, Michael. So much more than this." She reached out with her other hand to gently caress his still bruised cheek. He turned his face into her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her palm. "So, you never answered my question." Lauren said, pulling her hand away. "Do you want to do this, Michael? Do you want to find your father?"
"Yeah," He answered her finally, determination in his voice. "Yeah, I do."
"Well then, let's go." Lauren said as she got up from the small table, throwing a $20 down to cover the cost of their meal.
"Go where?" Michael asked in confusion.
"The Big Easy, baby." She said, smiling at him mischievously.
"What?! Lauren, you can't be serious!" He exclaimed in disbelief, she had to be joking.
"I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life." She said confidently, reaching out with both hands to help him stand up from the table.
"We can't just drop everything and run off to New Orleans on some wild goose chase! What about school? And work? And Kevin?" He questioned, trying to show her how impossible it would be for them to go ahead with her plan.
"Fuck school, fuck work, and we'll take him with us." Lauren declared nonchalantly.
"I can't afford to lose this job, Lauren." Michael said in irritation.
"I can get you a job at Fenmores." She informed him impatiently. "Stop making excuses and let's do this!"
"And how exactly do you expect me to pay for this little excursion?" He asked, already knowing what she would say.
"Don't worry about the money, I'll take care of it," He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued. "Anyway, my father has a house in Metairie. We can stay there, so all we have to worry about is the airfare and I can put it on my credit card."
"I wouldn't feel right, mooching off of you that way." Michael reasoned.
"You are not mooching off of me, I want to do this. I spend thousands of dollars on designer shoes and clothes. It's about time I put my money to good use." Lauren explained rationally.
"I'm not a charity case." He said gruffly, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.
"No, you're not. You're my friend," Lauren inwardly chuckled at the inadequacy of the word. He was so much more to her than that. "You're my friend and I want to do this for you." She stepped closer to him and lifted his chin with her hand until their eyes met and she could see the fear in them. "Please let me do this for you, Michael." He looked away, biting his lower lip in contemplation as he wiped away the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.
"This isn't an easy decision for me to make, Lauren." He said finally, still not looking at her.
"I know it isn't." She acknowledged, slowing nodding her head agreement.
"I mean, what if we can't find him?" He questioned.
"We will." She assured him.
"And what if he wants nothing to do with me?" Michael reasoned.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Lauren declared resolutely.
"Well, what if I throw up on the plane during turbulence?" He asked, finally turning to look at her once again. She saw the humor in his eyes and knew that he had made his decision.
"I'll just call the stewardess and ask for a different seat." Lauren replied jokingly as she smiled up at him in excitement. He smiled back at her, shaking his head in amazement.
"What have I gotten myself into?"
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