-2-
"So what are you doing tonight? Am I going to see you this weekend?" The voice said over the phone.
"No." She said matter of factly. I'm going into the city to see my friends." Maggie said softly, checking her reflection in the tinted window.
"Which friends?" He asked.
"My friends, Mark." Maggie grumbled.
"Will I ever meet these friends?"
Maggie was officially annoyed, "Not likely." And she hung up. She knew Mark would call back and most likely try to yell at her, so she decided she was not going to pick up his phone calls anymore. Idly, she thought that breaking up really isn't that hard to do.
She was sitting in one of Matty's many town cars. It was all black, tinted windows, and soft leather, luxuriousness. He had taken the liberty of putting in multiple bottles of Negro Modelo, Maggie's favorite beer, into the cooler. It was accompanied by a carton of her favorite cigarettes and a note from Taylor telling her to get started on the way since the party already started at seven.
She was sipping on her fifth beer and enjoying her wonderful cigarette when the partition between her and the driver rolled down.
"It will be about twenty more minutes, Ms. Hennessy." The driver said.
"Thanks Raul. You want a smoke?" She smiled.
"I have some here." He smiled.
"Well Taylor bought me a carton, which will last me forever, I don't mind sharing." She smiled, wiggling a box at him in he rearview mirror.
He laughed, "Ok, just don't tell Mr. Reese."
Maggie smiled and dropped the box next to him on the seat, "He's a big softie Raul. And please, call me Maggie! I've known you for half my life, we're friends."
He nodded and smiled, "Of course, Maggie."
He rolled up the partition and Maggie just smiled, enjoying the wind coming through the window on her skin. She was about to open up another beer when her cell phone rang.
"Yello?" She smiled.
"What are you? Shit canned?"
"Only half..." She said hurt, "But I'm not sure if it's the shit or the can."
"Smartass." Matty grumbled, "Where are you?"
"Raul said about twenty more minutes until I'm at the hotel. Tell me sir, do I get a suite? Because I demand three silk pillows and sparkling water on tap in all of my suites." She said haughtily.
Matty just started laughing, "If you weren't so cute I'd break your fuckin' head. But yes, my dad has a suite for all of us. Well actually it's like a giant apartment. We have a common room and then five individual beds and baths. He said he put that in there so you'd come by more often."
"Awe, what a heart breaker. Too bad he's already married." She smiled.
"Ugh. Sick." Matty grumbled.
Maggie just laughed, "Don't be jealous because I'd choose your old man over you."
"I don't get it." Matty said softly, "How does he do it? How can I, Matty Demaret, have to compete with my fifty-something-year-old dad to get laid by the same women?"
Maggie just laughed, "Don't worry honey, I just want him for his body. I'll always want you for your personality."
"Just my personality?"
"Well," Maggie paused, "And your cute ass." She listened as Matty hung up, still laughing.
About seventeen seconds later her phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Evidently Taylor wanted to talk with you. He was real upset that I hung up without handing you over." Matty grumbled.
"How upset?"
"I dunno." Matty grumbled uncomfortably, "Broken-femur-upset?"
Maggie just laughed until Taylor came on the line.
"How far are you?"
"About eleven point two-five minutes away sir." She snapped out, saluting him, even though she was alone in the car.
"You saluted me didn't you?"
"Never sir!" She did another salute.
He sighed, "If I don't hug you to death, I'll just beat you to death when I see you." Maggie laughed. "So there are a lot of women here tonight. Think you can keep up?"
"Does a bear shit in the woods?"
Taylor laughed loudly at that, "I love a woman with a true sense of competition."
"So what are we playing? Do I have to do girls again?" Maggie asked.
"Girls?" Taylor asked, sounding very confused.
"Oh shit, that wasn't with you, that was with Scarpa in Florida." She said, smacking her head.
"You were in Florida with Scarpa? When was this?" He sounded hurt.
"I don't know. You and Matty were on a business trip, Marbles was sick, so Scarpa flew down to see me in Florida." Maggie smiled.
"And what was this wager?"
"Who could sleep with the most girls in one night." She tried to stifle her giggles.
"Who the fuck won?" Taylor said, sounding incredulous.
"I don't know. We sort of lost count after the orgy."
"Orgy?!"
Maggie started laughing hysterically and heard the phone drop and some scuffling in the background. She also heard Chris yelling "Shit! Shit! Stop! What'd she tell you?! Its not true!"
Then Taylor yelled something about Florida and Scarpa was so quiet Maggie thought that she got hung up on until she heard Scarpa say, "Oh shit, Florida!" and start laughing.
Matty got back on the line, "You realize he'll kill him, don't you?"
"You guys never told him?" Maggie smiled.
"No we never told him or showed him the pictures...or the video." He started laughing.
Maggie giggled too, "Oh, those were my wild and crazy years."
"I thought it was only like eight months ago."
"Give or take a few days." She smiled.
"You're bad. You're gonna kill him one of these days." Matty said jokingly.
"So he can sleep around, but I cant?" She spat, only slightly feigning anger.
Matty sighed, "He'll figure it out."
Maggie scoffed, "Yeah, and I'm the queen of England."
"You're much prettier."
"Ha, thanks Matty."
"You're welcome. I see your car pulling up. I'll come out to get you." And he hung up.
A few moments later they parked in front of the Hotel's entrance. It was something you'd expect in Vegas, but Maggie knew that was Benny's style. It was a huge, glittering hotel in the heart of Manhattan. There were tons of limos parked in the valet area and a few desperate cameramen trying to get some pictures of the big to-do.
Maggie got out of the car and into the cold air of New York, wrapped up in shin length wool coat and a scarf. She turned and saw Matty leaning against the door in a t-shirt and swim trunks, having a cigarette. He smiled when their eyes met and flicked his cigarette away. He jogged over to her and pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheeks and squeezing her.
"Missed you Maggs." He said.
She kissed him on the cheek, "I missed you too Matty."
He let her down and pulled her inside. She removed her jacket in the comfortable interior of the hotel and was amazed by what she saw. Everything was glittery. Not that it was gaudy or sparkly, but just so fresh and crisp. It was all dark woods and upholstered in deep reds, browns and blacks. The lamps were small and warmly lighting the hotel, with mini chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. It was one of the more gorgeous hotels Maggie had ever been in and she had been in her fair share.
"Matty this is amazing."
"I know," He nodded, taking her jacket and handing it to a bellman. "He's been working on this for a while. I think its one of the things he will be incredibly famous for."
"Rather than infamous." She winked and he smiled.
"Alright. So I'll warn you know, most of the people in here are pretty well sloshed. My dad's plan was to get everyone liquored up so they'd spend the night in the hotel rooms instead of going home. So far I think it's working, plus he rented a few girls from an escort service who seem to take their jobs rather seriously." Matty smiled, holding Maggie's hand and guiding her to the pool and game room.
He opened large, dark wooden doors that lead to the pool and game area. The room was extremely large and one side was devoted to a casino (or rather a "gambling arcade" - since gambling was slightly illegal). The other side was a very large pool with a raised bar in the center of it. It was pretty loud inside the mix of music and voices echoing in the warm room. There were a lot of people, mostly older, standing at the bars or at the gambling tables, sipping on tropical looking drinks and spending all of their money.
"You have your bathing suit?" Matty smiled pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the side.
"Course I do!" she smiled, pulling off her sundress and tossing it onto the chair with Matty's. She noticed that Matty took a few steps away from her. He just stood there, smiling like a goof.
She was about to ask him what he was doing, and that's when she heard it. She turned slightly and saw Scarpa and Marbles charging at her, full speed. They were soaking wet and probably drunk but they didn't slow down as they neared. Rather than scream, Maggie just braced herself for the impact.
She felt the boys hit her, but rather than fall on their asses into a heap, they picked her up and dragged her to the pool, jumping in with her.
When they all emerged, Maggie grabbed Scarpa and dunked him, reaching out and pinching Marbles as hard as she could. "You pieces of shit! I just got these shoes! You owe me shoes, assholes!" She was growling as she wrestled with them in the water.
"Sorry!" Chris and Johnny said in unison. They all laughed and Matty jumped in behind them. He swam over and flicked Marbles in the ear while he was hugging Maggie.
"Hey asshole! Cut it out!" He snarled. He held Maggie tighter, "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too Marbles." She kissed him loudly on the cheek. "Lets get me a drinky." She laughed pulling off her shoes and tossing them towards the chairs.
Chris gave her a rather warm open mouth kiss that was halted by Matty smacking him on the arm.
"Knock it off hornball." Matty growled. Maggie just hugged Chris again and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm so happy to see you guys!" She said, wrapping her thin arms around all of them.
They all swam over to the bar in the center of the pool and took seats. The circular bar was raised about two feet out of the water. The bartender was dressed in a pair of black swim trunks and nothing else. He was an attractive blonde guy with lots of lean muscle and a great smile. Maggie winked at him and he came right over.
"I'll take four Adios Mother Fuckers, please."
"Absolutely Miss." He smiled, laying on the charm real thick and began making the drinks.
"You're not getting laid tonight unless I get laid," Marbles growled.
"Oh Johnny we'll get you some action! Don't you even worry about it!" Maggie smiled. She looked across the bar and saw a small brunette looking their direction. She actually looked like she was staring at Marbles. "Actually, you look like you are getting some action from that cute brunette."
Marbles's head whipped around and he caught her eye. He smiled at her and she winked. "Hey muscles!" Marbles yelled at the bartender, who pulled their drinks over and handed them out, "Get her another drink, on me. And let her know we'll be going over to the chairs in a few moments." He smiled.
The bar tender nodded and worked his magic.
"That's right Johnny, get her nice and drunk." Scarpa laughed. Marbles whacked him on the shoulder.
The group swam back over to the edge and climbed out of the pool. Matty had grabbed some towels for them and he tossed them to Marbles and Scarpa. He took Maggie's and laid it down on the chair for her.
"Thank you sir." She said in a faux-British accent.
"Welcome milady." He bowed back.
They all sat down and started sipping on their drinks, chatting idly about the party and passing bathing suit clad bodies.
"So where's Taylor? I thought he was so excited to see me." Maggie grumbled sarcastically.
"He's around." Scarpa said, "I think he had a few blondes wrapped around his stupid leg and needed to go shake them off."
"Is that what we're calling it?" Marbles laughed, sucking up the last bit of liquid through the straw.
"Jesus." Matty said as a girl flounced by. "Her breasts were as big as my fuckin' head."
"Those weren't real right? Like that's not possible." Marbles said, staring confusedly at Maggie.
"Not on that body. Those things were bought and paid for, my friends. The girl is skinnier than I am." Maggie laughed.
"If that's possible." Matty smiled handing out a cigarette to Maggie.
She snatched it away, "Hey I've gained some weight, thank you very much. Look at my tits! They're actually a little bulgy now." She said, poking at her breasts, which were covered in a simple yellow bikini.
"I thought you might have gotten a boob job." Scarpa laughed and Maggie flicked her pineapple chunk at him.
"I noticed the booty too," Matty smiled, "In those cute little boy shorts."
"Yes, everyone applaud me," Maggie said standing and twirling, "I finally hit puberty!"
The boys cheered for her and ordered another round of Adios Mother Fuckers.
"I've bee drinking all day," Scarpa smiled a little sluggishly. "Marbles you got anything on you?"
"Uppers? Downers? X?" He smiled innocently.
"Uppers." Scarpa said, "I got my eyes on a few ladies tonight and I want to be in top form."
Maria cupped his face and kissed his cheek, "Oh Scarpa, your worst form is probably better than most of the shmucks in this room. Present company excluded of course."
"You know it." Matty smiled, sipping on his drink and watching women walk by and smile at him. "My goodness gentlemen. It looks like we have plenty of choices tonight."
"I hear Benny's got these girls staying in rooms here." Scarpa smiled, tossing back one of the pills from Marbles's jacket pocket.
"Easy access." Marbles smiled, popping one too.
"Multiple rooms." Matty smiled and looked over at Maggie who looked like she was sulking. "What's up buttercup?" He said, pinching her thigh.
"If all of you are getting laid, I'm sleeping with the bar tender. Cause this is definitely not fair." She grumbled.
"That's if you can get him past us." Matty smiled innocently.
"Honey, you wont be able to keep your pecker in your pants, I will have no problem sliding that cute blonde into my room." She smiled, blowing him a kiss.
"Brat." Matty growled.
"Tight ass." She smiled, sticking out her tongue.
Matty just laughed and then he looked up, "Well looky here boys." He whistled and nodded towards the entrance.
Taylor walked in with two women on his arms that looked very happy for being so disheveled. He smiled and waved to a few people but he immediately looked over and found Matty. Just a millisecond later, he recognized Maggie too. In a second, he had unhooked the two blondes from his arms and started jogging over to where they were sitting.
Maggie jumped out of her chair and ran over to him. She jumped up and he caught her in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding her underneath her ass. He kissed her wetly on the lips and squeezed her tightly to him.
"Hi ya sweetie." She smiled and kissed him again.
He softly stroked some of the hair out of her face and smiled wide, "Hello beautiful."
"You miss me?" Maggie smiled, batting her eyelashes.
"Only every second." He smiled. He let her down and they walked back to the chairs hand in hand.
Now everyone would most likely think they're reaction to each other was strange if they were not in a relationship, but that's just how they were. Maggie and Taylor had always been openly affectionate to each other and extremely comfortable together. They were best friends since they could remember and they didn't feel like anything should change.
"So how was it Taylor?" Matty smiled, sipping his AMF.
Taylor just shrugged and caught a waitress as she passed by the string on her bikini bottom. He put a $100 down on her tray and asked her to grab drinks for the group.
Maggie lay down on her chair and relished in the feeling. They weren't the cheepo plastic ones you usually find at hotels. These chairs were large black rod iron lounging chairs with thick cushions covered in red silky terry cloth material. Maggie wanted one for her apartment so she could lie on it everyday. She was reveling in her comfyness when she was squashed to the side by Taylor's huge form.
"How much you miss me?" He smiled, hooking an arm around her neck.
She curled into him and let her fingers dance across his stomach, "Tons. I get really lonely all the way over there. I mean it's not that far, but we're all so busy, it feels like it's a huge production every time we try to get together."
He nodded, "I know, I'm getting a little sick of it. You need to move back to Manhattan."
"I have a respectable job, sir." She said huffily. "I have two degrees that I worked my ass off for and this job scooped me up right out of school. It pays well. I have a bitcin' apartment by the beach. I still get ass when I feel like it. So tell me again, why should I move home?"
Taylor smiled, "If you move back here, I'll let you make a husband out of me. You can stay home and take care of the house and cook me dinner."
"Do I still get to sleep around?" She smiled.
His mood instantly darkened, "No."
Maggie laughed, "Well if you get to sleep around and I get to be celibate I think that's a fucking dumb idea. I have a higher libido than you."
Taylor just laughed, playing his fingers along the small of her back. He looked up and saw Benny walking over with a perfect little Barbie replica on his arm. "Look who's coming to say hello."
Maggie looked up and saw Benny. He looked fantastic in a pair of Khaki pants and a Tommy Bahama shirt. He had a glass of what was probably whiskey, a cigar in his hand, and his other arm around the girl.
"Maggie!" He shouted. He motioned for his wife to scamper off and she wiggled away towards the bar.
Maggie pushed herself off of Taylor and walked up to Benny, giving him a large hug and a big kiss on the cheek. "How are you old man?"
He put a hand over his heart, feigning hurt, "How could you call me that? I'm almost sixty years young."
Maggie just laughed, "Obviously," she muttered, pointing a finger in the direction of his newest toy, "So how's the hotel business?"
"Flourishing, as you can see." He wrapped an arm around her and walked her past the boys. Taylor was staring after Benny giving him a dirty look. "I have a proposition for you."
Maggie smiled, "I hope this isn't sexual. Matty would be devastated if I slept with you before him."
He pretended to smack her on the head, "The mouth on this one!" He grumbled and laughed, "No its work."
Maggie raised an eyebrow, "Not that kind of work is it? I thought you retired and Matty took over."
Benny smiled, "No this is completely legitimate."
"Whoa, that's a big word." She said playfully.
Benny just put a hand to the back of her neck and squeezed it. "I'm planning on opening a few more hotels. I could use someone who knows the business and has good contacts to add to my own knowledge. I mean, I'm good with schmoozing and all that shit, but I'm a little squiffy on the day to day operations and laws that apply."
Maggie just stared at him in disbelief, "You're offering me a job? As your administrative assistant?"
"More like manager." Benny smiled.
Maggie just beamed at him. It was always her dream to go from the wineries to restaurants and hopefully hotel management some day. She just had no idea that she would actually realize that dream so quickly after college. "Seriously?" He nodded. "Well what about salary? I mean, I get paid really well at the Vineyard. I have to be able to afford rent and all that shit in the city. And I feel weird talking to you about this. You're like my Uncle. I feel like I should do it for free."
Benny just laughed, "Honey even if I was your blood uncle I still wouldn't let you do this for free. I'll pay you twenty thousand dollars more than what you're getting at the Vineyard. Plus, you can live in the hotel rent free for as long as you like or we'll find you a nice condo near here. I know one day you'll want a house and a dog and all that shit."
Maggie just smiled, "Holy shit Benny."
"You like that?" She was speechless for a moment. "So does that mean you'll take the job?
She was about to say yes but a thought entered her mind, "This doesn't have anything to do with Taylor and Matty does it?"
Benny rolled his eyes, "Even if you weren't like a daughter to me, your resume and set of skills is exactly what I'm after. You're smart, tenacious, and driven. You don't find a lot of people out there who do what they do because they love it. This has nothing to do with them. You're a fresh face in an old game who knows how to roll with the punches. You're perfect for the job."
"Jesus." Maggie said, still smiling.
"Is that a yes?"
"Jesus. Yes!" She yelled, wrapping her arms around him and trying not to jump out of her bathing suit screaming.
"Sounds good. I'll send movers to your place two weeks from Monday - when you put in your two weeks from your job." He smiled slyly, "We'll find you a condo and put you up in it. I got a few friends who owe me. You'll run The Lautus and once I get another property up you can choose where you want to live."
"Jesus." Maggie said, still smiling, still shell shocked.
"I'm glad you're so excited." He said mockingly.
"I'm afraid to move lest I explode." Benny just laughed and kissed her on the cheek.
"The boys are gonna freak." He muttered as he walked away, back to find his wife.
"Jesus." Maggie smiled. She pranced back over to the boys and sat on Matty's lap. She kissed him on the cheek and took a few gulps of her AMF.
"What was that about?" Taylor asked, eying her and Matty speculatively.
"This kiss or dad?" Maggie smiled.
"Dad."
Maggie took a sip of her AMF and tried to keep her voice calm and seemingly unaffected, "He just offered me a job." She said quickly.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Say that again?"
"Yeah!?"
There was a flurry of questions so Maggie just put her hands up to stop them, "Yes, he offered me a job. I also accepted. I'll be moving back to Manhattan in two weeks time."
There was an eruption of cheers from the boys. All of them grabbed at Maggie and passed her around, kissing her and hugging her tightly. Taylor grabbed her last, pulling her into a tight bear hug, she could barely breathe.
"Taylor..." She gasped, "Please... Cant....Breathe."
Taylor released her and kissed her temple, "So does this mean you'll take me up on my offer?"
Maggie laughed, "Please." She rolled her eyes, "You couldn't stay faithfully married for five minutes. And five minutes of sex doesn't count!" She poked at him.
"Lets get us some more drinks. To celebrate." He waved over another server and asked for a bottle of Captain Morgan and five shot glasses.
About twenty minutes later half the bottle was gone. Matty had his arm around a gloriously exotic woman with curves that Maggie actually believed were natural. Scarpa had two women on his lap, nuzzling their shoulders and whispering things into their ears that made them giggle. Maggie sat with Marbles, curled up on one of the seats, drinking beers, and trash talking anyone within their sights.
Taylor was sitting with a girl who was wrapped around him and working at licking off his first layer of skin. He was eyeing Maggie and she was smiling back at him, talking out of the side of her mouth to Marbles.
"So, you wanna have sex tonight?" Marbles said.
Maggie just started laughing at him.
"Alright, I know. I had a hard time keeping my face serious on that one." Marbles laughed. He wrapped an arm around Maggie and kissed her cheek.
"Don't want to be too cute with me Marbles. I think that tiny brunette over there still wants some action from you." Maggie smiled.
"You think so?" Marbles asked, his eyes averted towards the bar where she sat with her drink in hand, bobbing her head softly to the island music playing.
"Absolutely!" Maggie said. She kissed his cheek and pushed him off the chair. She expected him to roll gracefully, but the amount of alcohol they had consumed impaired him slightly, so that he rolled off and landed face first on the floor. Maggie started cracking up as she crawled off of the chair and helped Marbles to his feel. "Jesus Marbles. You gonna be able to function tonight?"
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek, "Yes of course. I got plenty of shit to make sure I'm up to par."
Maggie just laughed and pushed him away, "Alright, go get your woman! And please be careful."
"Anything for you Maggs." He smiled and winked at her as he ran towards the bar.
Maggie watched him for a moment. It was funny to see Marbles in action, because he really was rather charming and had no problem getting his share of women. He was attractive and very funny, but when men like Taylor, Chris, and Matty surrounded you, it was hard to get some of the limelight. She turned her attention back to the other boys, who were practically elbows deep in the women they were with, and rolled her eyes. She pulled off her dress again and tossed it onto the chair. She dove into the pool and swam over to the bar, sitting herself on one of the soft chairs.
"How are you doing miss? What can I get for you?" The cute bartender asked.
Maggie smiled at him and sized him up, "Fine thanks, and I'll have a 7&7."
"That's one of my favorite drinks." He said, reaching for the bottles. No one else was at the bar, so it was very easy for him to stay near here and strike up conversation.
"Imagine that." She smiled. "So you always lived in New York?"
"Born and raised." He smiled, "I got this job sort of by accident."
"Oh yeah?" Maggie said, watching his muscles as they moved under his skin, while his hands did tricks with the bottles.
"Yeah, well the owner of the hotel came into where I used to work and he said I made him the best whiskey sour he'd ever had. I also knew his wife from..." He paused, obviously not wanting to reveal the fact that she used to be headliner at a titty bar, "Where she used to work. So he asked me if I enjoyed my employment and offered me this job at basically twice my normal pay so what could I have said?" He laughed, handing her the 7&7.
"That does sound like a pretty good deal." Maggie smiled, taking a long drink. "This is pretty good. Once I finish this up, I'll take one of those whiskey sours. See if you're worth keeping." She winked.
He smiled, "Well if you want to see if I'm worth keeping, the bar may not be the best place to test my abilities."
Maggie laughed, "That's pretty cute."
"What can I say? I'd hate to be out-cuted." He winked.
"Well, I'll let you test your charms on me for the rest of the night if you can give me one thing."
"Anything." He smiled, leaning on the bar to get closer to her.
"A pack of cigarettes." She smiled.
He laughed and pulled out a pack of Maggie's favorite brand from behind the counter, opened it and took one out. He placed the cigarette in his mouth, smiling, and did this magical little flip trick with the lighter to light it up. He rolled it around in his fingers and held it out to Maggie who took it happily.
"You are useful." She smiled and drained her drink. "What time are you off?"
"The boss says around four." He smiled, lighting up his own cigarette.
Maggie looked around. The boys had wandered off from the poolside, most likely with women on their arms. There was no one else in or around the pool and most people had gravitated towards the casino floor. She looked down at her watch and it was only about one a.m. She glanced back at the bartender.
"Make me one of those whiskey sours and take a few shots of something strong. You need to make sure you not inhibited tonight." She smiled. He pulled out the ingredients for a whiskey sour and started making it up. Then he poured three shots of Bacardi 151.
"You know I'm not supposed to drink on the job. And its only one a.m. I might get in trouble for this." He smiled.
"What's your name?" Maggie asked.
"Brett."
"Well Brett, I'm Maggie. Take the shots. I think you'll be ok closing down early tonight." She said sipping her drink and pushing the shots towards him.
He smiled and licked his lips, "And why's that?"
She took a long pull on her cigarette and smiled, "Don't worry. I know the owner."
That boy Brett had done wonders for Maggie. Like she assumed, the men were nowhere to be seen in their suite when she took Brett up there. They had stripped quickly and got down to business and Maggie was surprised to see that his hands were better in the bedroom than they had been at the bar.
He was a strong and passionate guy, who was a great kisser. They spent about three hours together, exploring each other's bodies and pushing their buttons. Not only were his hands great but his tongue was pretty masterful too - not to mention other parts of his body that were definitely up to par.
Maggie was in the shower now, washing away the salt from the pool water mixed in with the salt from their bodies being all over each other. They had finished and laid in bed for a while, testing and teasing each other until Maggie gracefully kicked him out. She said she had to work the next morning and that she didn't want to have to wake him up at six a.m. when they got so little sleep. He happily kissed her goodnight and she returned to take a shower.
She hopped out and dried off quickly, toweling her hair to get the dampness out. She found her suitcase ready for her when she got into the room with Brett and they had sloppily shoved it onto the floor. She straightened up the bed, which was disheveled from their fuckfest and put her suitcase up on the table. She pulled out a stretchy white tank top, which was made of the most fantastically soft material but was slightly see through and a pair of purple mini-boxers.
She pulled them on and finished up her routine in the bathroom. She was pretty sure she just fucked away all the alcohol so she walked out into the common room and pulled a beer out of the fridge. Judging by the silence, she was pretty sure the boys were not in their rooms. If they had been, she was sure she'd be hearing their activities quite clearly.
She grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the table, which were probably Scarpa's because they looked fancy, and walked out onto the balcony and sat on the ledge.
She was probably about fifteen stories up and looking out at the fantastic New York skyline. Lights glittered all over the city, either from buildings or the cars below. She smoked a few cigarettes and thought about how much her life would be changing in only the next few days. She was happy to be moving home because she would get to see the boys more often as well as her father. She wondered about how fantastic it would be to get to be back in the city. She absolutely loved it here. Her fears about making a rash decision were nullified when she realized that the city was her home and she'd never escape that.
She heard the door open from inside and then the sound of the boys rumbling in, laughing and hooting along with female giggles. She turned and saw them and brought her beer inside. Scarpa still had two ladies stumbling at his sides - two different ladies - while Matty still had the exotic woman and Marbles had his brunette from before.
Maggie smiled and the girls all scattered to the different rooms to go to the powder room. She watched as all of them gave her suspicious looks. Matty approached her and sniffed at her.
"What have you been doing this whole time?"
She smiled angelically, "After a few drinks I came upstairs and took a long bath and did some reading. I was outside waiting up for you and having a beer and a smoke.
"Oh yeah?" Matty said and grabbed her by the neck and pulled her over to the sink, like an older brother would. Scarpa and Marbles followed. "What's that then?" He said, pointing to a small, mouth shaped bruise on her shoulder.
Maggie let out a laugh that she tried to hold. She turned to face Matty and smiled sweetly, "I burned myself with the curling iron?"
Marbles just started laughing hysterically, offered up his hand for a high five and went to his room. Chris laughed too, shaking his head and pulling out a bottle of champagne and a tub of fresh strawberries from the fridge. He winked at Maggie and then made his way to his room, where the two new girls were waiting.
She looked up at Matty who was trying hard not to smile, "You're such a slut." He said.
Maggie planted her feet and put her hands firmly on her hips, "Oh yeah? Whose that mega babe you've been screwing all night?"
"Who says we're screwing?" Matty said grumpily.
"Who says we're screwing?" Maggie said in a childish voice, mockingly, "Your hair is all tousled. Your hair is never tousled." He finally broke out in a grin.
"He still here?"
Maggie shook her head, "Course not. I kicked him out when we were done."
Matty simply patted her on the shoulder, "Proud of you kid. You've definitely learned something from all of us."
Maggie just smiled, "How to be a successful slut, by Matthew Demaret, Johnathan Marbles, Christopher Scarpa, and Visual Aids by Taylor J. Reese." She said rather scholastically. "I'm glad I went through six years of schooling to learn that."
Matty just smiled and then kissed her forehead, "Taylor wont like this." He poked at the hickie.
"Taylor's not my fucking dad." She growled, crossing her arms.
Matty just smiled, "Breakfast?"
"Sure. You better be up for it though." She said, still slightly burned.
"I will be. Not sure about my girl in there." He smiled, looking at his door, "I gotta say though, I think I'm in love. This woman can fuck like no other."
"Plus she's fucking gorgeous." Maggie smiled and put up her hand for a high five.
He slapped it hard and then pulled her in for a hug, "You know she might be down for a threesome. Interested?" He kissed her ear.
She shoved him off and hit him hard on the shoulder, "Fuckin' pig." She laughed as he walked back to his room smiling.
"Just askin'." He winked as he closed the door.
Maggie just laughed and went back outside for her last cigarette. If Taylor didn't come home with the rest of the boys then he probably would be home the rest of the night. She finished up her cigarette, grousing about what Matty had said and how he reacted and then stomped back to her room, shutting the door. She went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and then climbed under the covers.
She was thinking about how ridiculously awesome the sheets felt and how she failed to notice it earlier when she drifted off to sleep, a tiny smile on her face.
Maggie woke up to the sound of someone fumbling at her door. For a split second she was terrified. Her biggest fear was that someone would be able to sneak into her apartment and hurt her. Her heart was in her throat until she saw the figure outlined by the light.
"Taylor?" She said, her voice hoarse from the few hours of sleep and many hours drinking and smoking.
"Hi beautiful." He said. She watched him stumble a few steps in. He was obviously trashed. Maggie wasn't used to seeing him this intoxicated. Taylor could usually put down two handles of hard alcohol and only have a slight buzz, but tonight it was obvious he was drunk: he was stumbling around, trying to find a light switch. Maggie, bored with his display, turned on the soft light by her bed.
"What's up?"
He looked at her and smiled softly, "I'm drunk."
She smirked and sat up, "Thank you captain obvious."
"I didn't want to sleep alone tonight."
Maggie chuckled, "Something tells me it wouldn't have been hard for you to find a bed mate...Maybe its how your shirt is on inside out and your fly isn't zipped all the way up."
Taylor looked down at himself, slightly pitifully, "Sleep with, not fuck." He smiled.
Maggie rolled her eyes, "Go shower. I don't want eau de skank getting all over my sheets." She watched him nod and walk into the bathroom, concentrating deeply. When he got in and shut the door, she dropped back onto the bed with a thud and exhaled deeply. "God damnit." She sighed. Even when he looked his worst, he looked amazing. She decided her hormones must still be on overdrive from her few hours with Brett. She listened to him turn on the shower and the tell tale clink of his Star of David necklace hitting the sink. She lay in bed for about ten minutes, wishing that she had something holding her down. She was trying to convince herself that she was just drunk and that Taylor didn't have feelings for her like that. She was doing some deep breathing when the shower shut off and a few moments later Taylor came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his boxers.
She sighed again and rolled to her side. He climbed into the bed and though Maggie knew he'd have none of it, she scooted her self over to give him more room. When he went flat, she felt him shift his weight in the bed and then pull her tightly to him. He had his face in her hair, taking in deep breaths.
"You smell good." He rumbled.
"I showered." She said softly. His hands were splaying over her stomach, playing with the material of her shirt.
"I like this shirt. Its soft." He said, he kissed her shoulder. "You're soft."
"Knock if off big buy, I'm tired." She tried to keep her voice from shaking.
They were quiet for a few moments and Maggie thought he fell asleep.
"Thanks Maggs." He said, his voice vibrating down her spine and rumbling in a private area.
"For what?" She said thickly, trying not to spend too much time focusing on his heat behind her.
"For letting me shower, I feel much better now." He said softly, yawning into her shoulder. He kissed it softly and nuzzled her as close as he could possibly get her. "Love you kid."
She bit her lip to keep herself from rolling over, "Night. Love you." She reached up and turned off the light, trying to put a slight distance between them, but he just pulled her back in.
Taylor Reese, the black hole of her life.