

SINGED HEARTS

By

R.G. Richards

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

R.G. Richards on Smashwords

Singed Hearts

Copyright © 2014 by R.G. Richards

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This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental and unintended. This is a production of the author's imagination.

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Many thanks to all those kind enough to purchase this work. If you enjoy this tale, please take a moment to post a review so others may find this work.

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SINGED HEARTS

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Chapter 1: Margolis Park

Robert rose and dressed. He could not rid himself of the huge grin gracing his face. Last night was a dream come true. He couldn't have planned it better if he had tried. He put his coat on and walked over to the side of the bed to view wavy hair draped across an angelic radiant face. She looked as if she were a marathon runner in full flight. He burned a picture into his brain to carry with him. No angel could compare to Mary resting under crimson silk sheets. She lay on her side revealing her partial right breast with her hands together as if praying. Her brown hair hid most of her face. Robert bent and caressed a strand of her long hair from her face to view her better. Mary looked enchanting and he decided at that moment that his job was to keep her as happy as she was last night. He would become her champion and see to her every need. Robert descended to his knees and stared at the sleeping beauty for a moment longer. He hated to disturb her peace, she was such a complicated small thing. He leaned in toward Mary and stroked her soft cheek. Mary sighed, her skin awakening, tightening, responding to his touch. Her gray eyes fluttered open. Her face broke into a huge grin.

"Good morning, Mary." He stroked her cheek again and smiled.

"Is it morning?" She pulled the covers up to her neck and sat up in bed.

Robert climbed to his feet. "Yes, it is for me, but not for you. It's 4 o'clock in the morning."

Mary drew her brows together. Her face tightened. "Why are you dressed? Are you leaving?" Mary felt a lump in her throat and found it hard to swallow.

"I'm sorry, Mary. I have to go back to New York for a week to do business. I didn't want to just leave you here sleeping and have you think the worst of me. This is a scheduled trip and if I miss it everything will fall apart. Will you forgive me for leaving?"

"Of course, I'm sorry you have to go but thank you for waking me." She swung her feet to the side.

"No, no, no, don't get up. Go back to sleep and rest." He stroked her hair. "I want you to know that I had the best time of my life with you and you were incredible. Forgive me for leaving and promise me you won't think badly of me?"

"I could never think badly of you. Have a safe trip. I hope your business is successful."

Robert leaned down to kiss her. Mary poured her heart into her kiss and then she wiggled into the soft mattress in complete contentment. Mary pulled the covers over her head and held herself pretending Robert was still there. She drifted off back to sleep.

Robert caught a taxi to the airport and went through security. He boarded a nonstop flight to New York. He sat in first class and pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Jerry, what's going on?"

"Hey, Rob man, nothing much. Are you in the air yet?"

"Yes, they just told us we can use our devices. How is the market looking?"

"We would have a mixed bag right now, I have been looking at the currency markets and they look ripe for the picking. Do you want to switch from the bonds?"

"Not right now, show me what you got when I land."

"All right, I will have everything laid out for you and ready to go when you touch down. Do you need a ride from the airport?"

"No, I will be traveling with Benny; we have two stops to make before I check-in. So tell me, Jerry, have you thought anymore about Jill and Barbara? I hope you have reached a solution by now."

Jerry paused for a moment. He pictured the pint-sized blonde and the fiery redhead that stole his heart. Could he afford to lie to his best friend and business partner? he gulped. "Not really." He listened to the silence on the line, waiting for the hammer to fall.

"They are best friends, Jerry, you can't date both."

"I swear I will have a plan when we get back to Miami."

"I'll see you in a little while, Jerry. Bye." Robert closed his phone and put it in his pocket. A flight attendant offered him a glass of champagne. Robert drifted, thinking about Mary, picturing them twenty years down the road. He slept until the plane touched down.

Benny Shaw, an investor who often traded with Robert and Jerry, sat in the seat in front of Robert. He led Robert to a rented limousine and dropped him off at the Carlton Hotel. Robert entered the room with a briefcase and small duffel bag. He put his clothes in the closet and turned on the television. A knock caught his attention. Jerry arched his brows from the doorway of the adjoining suite.

"Come on in."

"Did you bring anything with you this time?"

"No, I will pick up anything I need."

"And donate it to the Salvation Army when you leave," said Jerry. "I know the drill. Are you hungry?"

"Not really. Listen, about the women."

"I know, I know, I know," said Jerry. "I shouldn't have slept with both women and will have it solved when we leave. I am not going to make a problem for you with Mary." Jerry picked up the room service menu. He wiped a dribble of sweat from his forehead. "How about T-bone steaks and fries? Or we could go out?"

"Go ahead and order, I'm staying in."

Jerry picked up the phone. "Um yes, is this room service? Great, this is room number 646, let me have two orders of your 18-ounce T-bone steaks, thick cut and well done, please. Include two orders of the steak fries and a fried onion with hot cheese sauce and a six-pack of Bush Beer. That will be all."

"Very good, sir, your order will be sent up to your room within the hour, good-bye, sir."

Jerry eyed his friend, searching for a way to smooth the waters. "I take it you and Mary had a good night?"

"Fantastic." Robert could not maintain his stoic stance. He arched and wiggled his brows, breaking into a wide grin.

"Details, brother, details."

"It was a great evening; we went to the movies and then back to the Belmont. She had a room reserved and we walked in and there were lit candles everywhere. Silk sheets on the bed with rose petals. She came from the bathroom in a powder blue Nightie." Robert relived the moment, smiling.

"And, and, come on, man details. I wouldn't do you like that."

"Let's just say we enjoyed each other. I got up at 4 o'clock to leave and here I am. End of story, all right?"

Jerry gave a loud sigh. "All right, it's cool. I deserve that. Hey, I'm happy for you, man. You have been waiting a long time and I hope this is it for you, man, I really do." Jerry shook his friend's hand and congratulated him in earnest. Jerry and Robert dined then rested.

The next day, Robert wore a gray two-piece suit and stood on the second level of the New York Stock Exchange watching the pit of traders scurry back and forth hand-delivering notes to people typing on computers. Robert found the pits interesting but could never make heads or tails of their shenanigans. He was the moneyman and left the deciphering to Jerry.

Jerry told Robert the secret was to bet big to win big and they would bet every day and pull the money out of the markets at the end of the day—win, lose or draw. The gods had smiled on them and made them a ton of money over the years. Robert always graced Jerry with 10% of his winnings.

Robert took out a list from his shirt pocket and compared the list to the ticker on the wall next to the pit. His face tightened. He buzzed Jerry's phone and saw him pick up the phone. "We are still good, Rob."

"I know but the Beamer stock has got me worried."

Jerry chuckled. "I'm running the numbers and don't want to offset our profits with losses. Let me clear out one of the others and we can watch the last two and you can make the final call. What do you say?"

"All right, sell at your discretion. Do you think the Beamer stock will show any type of profit today?"

"I hate to say it but we may take a loss on that one. I'm hoping to balance it with the others."

"Sounds good. Keep a tight watch."

"I got you. Are you sticking around or do you want me to call you?"

"I'll leave after a little while so keep me updated. Talk to you later." Robert hung the phone back up and took out a pencil and scratched out two of the four stocks.

Hours later, Jerry wheeled a cart through the adjoining door. "Congratulate me, the conquering hero has returned."

Robert rose from the bed. "I take it we won in the end?" He glanced at the cart Jerry pushed.

"Of course. We had a huge upside on number three so I cashed out and reordered. We made a bundle." Jerry pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket.

Robert looked and squinted with disbelief and apprehension. The paper had been time stamped by the New York Stock Exchange and was authentic. "You made a half million dollar profit? On those losers? Seriously?"

"I was about to pack it in when the quarterly report came in for three banks and Ford Motors. The markets soared. I jumped back in with both feet and cashed out six separate times in four hours. You should have seen me, Rob. I was on fire."

"Good job, Jerry. We can get into the real estate venture with Benny on Friday. Did you transfer all the monies out yet?"

"Not yet, I wanted to see if you were in a gambling mood. We got a couple more days till Friday and I feel damn lucky. Let me run a little?" Jerry stood there waiting for Robert to green light his plan.

Robert thought about the odds. "Transfer the original investment out of the account with another 25% and play with the rest. Once you are down 35% call it a day and cash out."

Jerry shook Robert's hand gratefully. "I intend to make a killing from tomorrow's news."

"All right, man, let's have some of that champagne."

Jerry filled two glasses. "To the conquering hero."

"To the conquering hero." They gulped their champagne. "What is all this stuff?"

Jerry took the round metal lid off one of the dishes. "Ta da," he handed a check to Robert. "Every dime of the original investment is right here in your hot little hand. I was hoping you would say yes." Jerry grinned.

Robert pocketed the check. "People have gone to jail for less, my friend."

"Is there any doubt, my friend?"

"Not yet." Robert took a snack from the tray. "What is your plan for the rest of the night?"

"You know me. Benny has got a partner in the pit that knows a good spot. Are you coming with us?"

"No, I'll watch a movie and turn in early. Stay out of trouble, we have got a lot more work to do so don't go crazy with your celebrating."

"Don't worry, Rob man, I will be up before you. Tell Mary I said hi when you call her." Jerry made a move as if whipping Robert with a bullwhip, "whaaatishhh." He snickered.

"All right, asshole. I got mine, you get yours."

They shared a laugh before Jerry headed out to meet some guys at a strip club.

Mary lay in bed still sleeping with her hands pressed together. She rolled on her back, sliding the red silk sheets. Her eyes fluttered open, unsure of where she was, then she remembered and smiled. Mary stretched and yawned, grinning, recounting her wonderful night. She slid further beneath the sheets to do nothing but relax and daydream. The ringing phone next to her transformed a gleeful face to puzzlement. "Hello."

"Mare, is everything all right?" Jill whispered on the phone.

"Oh, it's you, Jilly. Everything is wonderful."

"Okay, bye."

"Wait. Bob's not here. He left early this morning on another business trip to New York. Where are you?"

"Working downstairs, I'm cleaning one of the rooms by the pool."

"It's your day off isn't it?"

"Yeah but I got to make up for the other day. Bert is working less hours so he does odd jobs. I didn't want to be at home. I might as well contribute more, maybe it will help us get back on track sooner."

"Oh, all right, is Barb working too?"

"Yeah, I saw her fat ass earlier. Did you have a good time, Mare, I mean really?"

"It was wonderful. I'm still reeling. Hey listen, I'm going to cleanup and get ahead on some work for next week so I'll talk to you later."

"All right, bye." Jill hung up the phone and went back to work.

Mary stretched again. Naked, she climbed from the bed with a long yawn then stood to look for her clothes. After collecting them, she made her way to the bathroom's mirror. Mary turned from side to side examining her fat, blemishes, imperfections, and looking for stretch marks. She turned back toward the door and locked it. She showered before hurrying out the door.

Mary was back at her desk working when the phone rang. "Mary Lake, may I help you?"

"Hey, how are you?"

Mary stopped working. "Bob, is that you?"

"Yes, Mary, I had to talk to two different people before I got you. How are you?"

Mary chuckled. "I'm fine, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to touch base. We will be running around a lot so it might be a while before I get to speak with you again."

"Oh, I hate to hear that. It takes a while to wrap everything up?"

"Yes, I have meetings scheduled around the clock."

"Oh, that's too bad. I had nothing to do so I volunteered to work to get a jump on the upcoming week; I suppose it is different when you don't have a choice?"

"Not for now anyway. Well I have to get back, I just called to say thank you for a wonderful evening and to hear your voice. You have a good day, Mary, bye-bye."

"You too, Bob, bye-bye." Mary hung the phone up and smiled, her life was looking up. She went back to work with a head of steam. She finished her schedule for the entire coming week, giving her a tremendous head start in case an unexpected problem arose like another computer failure. She coordinated with Barbara on spare rooms, briefed her staff on the correct procedures for computer failures, and managed to write a new schedule for housekeeping. Mary was on cloud nine and performed with an efficiency she had not known before.

All was well, until Debbie Cartwright walked into the hotel, her face riddled with disgust, gazing at the redhead before her. Barbara watched surreptitiously as she approached her desk. Mrs. Cartwright walked up to place weather-beaten hands on top of the counter. "I need to speak with Mary Lake, we have business to discuss. Is she working today?"

Barbara seethed at the sight of her, but dare not make trouble for her friend. "I will go check for you, Ma'am. Please wait here." Barbara kept a watchful eye on the old woman as she made her way around the corner to Mary's office. She knocked on the door and opened it to peek in. "Mary?"

"Yeah, Barb."

Barbara opened the door wider and walked in and stood before her friend. "That old goat is at the counter, she says that she needs to speak with you and the two of you have business to discuss. Do you want me to bring her back here? I could tell her you're out."

"No. Thanks anyway, Barb. Give me a minute and then send her back. I might as well get the bad news out of the way."

"Okay." Barbara lowered her head, turned and walked out, unable to help the one person who had helped her so many times in the past. She approached the counter, motioning for Mrs. Cartwright to follow her. She led her to Mary's office and knocked on the door.

Mary opened the door. "Come in. Would you have a seat, Mrs. Cartwright?" Mary maintained her smile as she took her seat behind her desk. "What can I do for you today, Mrs. Cartwright?"

"Well, dear," she uttered with a disrespectful tone, "you have several hours to complete on your service."

"Yes, Mrs. Cartwright, I'm aware of that."

"I am glad we are in agreement, dear." Mrs. Cartwright took a paper out of her purse and with thick spectacles sitting on the edge of a crooked old nose, she read in silence. Sparkling eyes spoke to Mary. "It seems that you have been given a community work schedule of roadside cleaning. You are to join a road crew today for their last three hours. They will be cleaning Senator Gwen Margolis Park today from 2 to 5 pm and you are to report to Danielle Fougay. She will be expecting you to be early so you can change your clothes at the park. After that your schedule will be as follows for the balance of the week." She handed Mary the paper with a big smirk on her potted face.

Mary's scalped tightened as if fingernails dug into her brain. She looked at the paper and saw her week's scheduled service. It was her fault for getting in trouble so she put up no fight. She looked at the heavyset woman and tried her best to guess her weight to keep from screaming. A playful grin spread across her face: a 500 pounder for sure. The old bat could be billed as a leathery-skinned lizard creature—a crowd pleaser for any circus. Mary laughed inwardly. She displayed no outside hostility toward the woman and said simply, "Thank you, Mrs. Cartwright, I will leave in a few minutes to be there on time."

"Oh good, dear, you are going to have a lovely time."

Mary escorted her from the office wishing she could kick the old goat dead in her big fat flat ass. "Have a nice day, Mrs. Cartwright." Mary's heels hammered the floor as she made her way back to her desk. She opened her desk drawer but her mini-bottles were still missing. She snatched the phone off its receiver.

"Front desk."

"Barb, has that battle-axe left yet?"

"Yeah, she just walked out. What did the bitch want?"

"Hey, do me a favor and bring some glasses and something to drink in here, will you?"

"On the way, I'll be there in a minute." Barbara left Albert in charge of the front desk. She disappeared around a corner for a few minutes and was back at Mary's office door in no time. "I'm back." She set the glasses on the desk and poured from a bottle of red wine. She gave Mary a coffee cake. "Try these, they are heaven."

Mary took a bite and nodded in agreement. "Delicious." She gulped her wine. "Now that hit the spot. I have needed that for a while." She drank some more and sat back in her chair.

"What did that old cow want?"

"She gave me this shit." Mary allowed Barbara to read the bad news for herself.

"Is she serious? A fucking garbage detail? I knew when I saw that bitch she was up to no good. You should have seen how she sashayed up to the desk, so smug and self-righteous. I knew she was going to ruin your day, that heifer couldn't wait to get back here." Barbara drank down her drink and refilled her glass. She scowled on behalf of her friend.

Mary refilled her glass. "That battle-axe is not going to ruin my day. I won't let her, I'm on cloud nine and I intend to stay there." She took another gulp.

Barbara took a bite of her cake. "Maybe you can get out of it? There has to be something else going on that you can do instead. Maybe you can go over her head?"

Mary sipped in thought. "I don't know anyone on the council or the courts." She looked at the clock on the wall, "I better get going. I'm not supposed to be here anyway. I got everything done that I wanted to do so I won't get behind. Call George in early if you need him and I will see you later." Mary finished her second glass of wine and walked out eating her cake.

Barbara looked at some papers on Mary's desk before leaving.

Mary made her way to Gwen Margolis Park and saw an orange line bus screech to a stop to off load three passengers before continuing its route. Mary's heart sank at the sight of their orange jumpsuits. How embarrassing it would be dressed in that jumpsuit and carrying a trash bag around the park. Mary saw them heading to a table, a woman sat reading. Assuming she was in charge, she went around the others. "Excuse me, are you Danielle Fougay?"

The woman looked up at her. "Yes. And you are?"

"Mary Lake. Mrs. Cartwright told me to ask for you."

Danielle Fougay ran a finger down her list of names. "Mary Lake, yes, here you are. You have community service for drunk and disorderly, disturbing the peace and being a general nuisance in public."

"Excuse me!" her loud blabbing was a shock.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Betty! Bring a suit!" She glared at Mary. "She will show you where to change. Be back here in five minutes."

A short fat woman brought Mary a jumpsuit and pointed to the women's bathroom. Mary changed, leaving her business suit in the bathroom stall. She made a sign that read out of order and placed it on the door. She left her clothes and purse their and made it her mission to keep an eye on the door to see who went in and out. Mary came out of the bathroom wearing her jumper and went back to the table with Miss Fougay. "What do I have to do?"

"Here is your area," she pointed to a corner of the park. "Get a bag and a rake and cleanup the area. There was a party here last night and we have to clean up their mess. You will take the trashcans down the street and empty them and bring them back. Use the water hose to wash them inside and out and put new liners in them when they are dry. Rake the sand back into its area and sweep the sidewalks. Then you will come back and get a bucket of soap and water and wash the sliding board and monkey bars. Go over and help Gia with the swings and merry-go-round when you are done. Your last task is to clean up the women's bathroom. The stalls, mirrors, and sinks and then you will sweep and mop the floor but wipe down the walls first. Any questions?"

"No," said Mary. She got her bag and started picking up trash in her area. Mary checked her wristwatch, noting the time. She worked without complaining and made sure she would have enough time to finish her tasks and not a minute more. She had learned that lesson from Jill and the other staff. Whenever Mary gave them a job to do they would time it so after completion of the job there would be no time for a new assignment. Mary hated them for doing her like that, but now she understood the tactic and used it to her advantage. She was bound and determined not to let her day be ruined. She thought of Robert and what they would do once he returned from his trip. Contentment spread throughout her being.

Chapter 2: Get A Life

On Thursday night, Mary, Jill, and Barbara celebrated the end of a long workweek. They returned to Club Calis to try frozen Love Mojitos. Mary arrived first and enjoyed an old favorite—a screwdriver. Jill arrived 10 minutes later wearing a sensuous, trendy, club dress called Magnify, teal in color. Its main feature, lifting bust cups and elastic shirring for a figure flattering fit—wasted on Jill's boulders. The dress had a piece that lead from her bustline and wrapped around to her left side. Her dress was short with cutouts in the back. Mary thought it would be perfect for Barbara but for Jill it was a waste of her money. She looked very sexy and inviting but trouble would surely follow her tonight in that dress.

Jill performed a slow and sexy walk over toward the bar to stand by Mary. "Hey girl, what's shaking with yo bad self." Jill laughed.

"If you are planning to pick me up, sweetie, you will have to get me drunk first." Mary arched an eyebrow before picking up her drink.

"No problemo," Jill said with her best Spanish accent. "Bartender, give me two doubles of whatever she has and keep them coming." Jill looked around. "Where's Barbara?"

"She's on her way." Mary looked at her wristwatch, "maybe another 10 minutes."

"Let's go sit over there." The women took their drinks through the crowd to a table. Halfway through someone whistled at Jill and she curtsied to the man and almost spilled her top as well as her drink. "Oops, I guess I better be careful. I'm carrying dynamite tonight." Jill loved attention and the drunker she got the better she felt.

They reached their table and sat down. "I see the girls are happy. Is there a special reason why they are up this late at night?" Mary inquired.

Jill burst with laughter. She raised her hand to wave at a nearby woman. The woman came over to Jill and took out a pad. "Two Mojitos and a plate of hot wings, extra hot." Jill picked up a pretzel from the bowl on the table and took a bite before answering. "No reason, except that 'it's Friday night, just got paid'." She gave her best smile.

Mary finished her drink and ate a pretzel. Mary wore a medium length black off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves. The dress had cut-aways on the sleeves and a fully covered back. She wore black heel open toe shoes and had her hair pulled into a loose ponytail. She scanned the room and looked toward the door for Barbara. The server gathered their empty glasses and placed before them a plate of wings and two refills. A slice of lime rested on the side of the glass, a piece of mint floated over the ice and liquor. Mary and Jill toasted and gulped. They then ate the pieces of lime and ordered two more.

Jill scoffed. "These wings get smaller every week." She pulled the meat from the bone and ate it. "Eat something, Mare, you can't just drink on an empty stomach. Try the sauce; it's cool ranch, if you don't like your wings hot."

Mary spat the piece she bit. She lunged for her drink. "I can't eat that stuff, it tastes like shit!"

Jill shook her head. "Take another sip to wipe the taste out of your mouth. Is that bitch still on your case about community service?"

"Yeah, I'd love to put her in one of those damn bags. Tag her and bag her like the stuffed pig she is." They burst with laughter.

"You're better than me; I don't know why you don't just haul off and punch that bitch right in her fake-ass tits."

"Well," changing the subject, "I think about Bob and the good time we shared. I can't thank you guys enough for setting it all up."

"Don't thank me; thank him because he is the one that rode that thang like he was roping a bull. Yee Haw!" Jill started moving in her seat as if riding a horse and roping a steer.

Red flooded Mary's face. She gave a nervous laugh. She upturned her drink. "Girl, that tall drank of water moved like a shark after his lunch." Mary began to slur her words and twisted in her chair to imitate a shark. She laughed again and Jill gave her a high-five.

"Did you tell him how he rocked your world?"

Mary flinched. "Was I supposed to?"

"I don't know, did he tell you?"

Mary thought back, pain unfurled in her belly. "Oh my god, he did, twice."

"Twice?"

"He told me he had a good time when he woke me up to leave. Then that morning he called from New York and said it again."

"I guess the fucker had a good time." Jill ate another wing.

Nothing like panic to drive away alcoholic fervor. Mary thought about Robert's call and began to question whether she did the right thing. Maybe he wanted her to comment on whether or not she enjoyed herself? Mary tried to remember how she responded but couldn't. She worried all the more. She remembered how they teased her that she had never had a long-term relationship since high school. She was losing Robert right before her very eyes and could do nothing to stop it. Eyeing an empty glass, she called the server then wiped beads of sweat from her forehead. She searched again for the server. What the hell was keeping her? She tried to remain calm. She watched Jill eat her hot wings. Her heart leaped when the server returned with more liquid courage. Mary poured a quick glass then gulped, steadying the glass with a tight grip.

Jill kept a watchful eye on Mary but said nothing and continued eating. She poured half of a glass of beer and took a drink. "Not bad but back home this would suck like a mother." Her southern accent was now in full effect. Jill scanned the dance floor. "Mary child, it is time to boogie." She sprang from her seat to make her mark on the dance floor. She found a man to straddle, again, her hand went in the air to whip her steer.

Mary watched while pouring herself another glass.

"Well, call me slut number two, why don't you? Hey, Mary, I finally made it."

Barbara stood behind Mary wearing a dark-orange short mini dress. It was a sweater dress that featured a Cowl neck, short sleeves, ribbed style, and finished with a removable black belt. The dress went well with Barbara's long, flowing red hair.

"I love the color, what is it?"

"Mustard. How tipsy is she tonight?" Barbara wore faux suede, sandy colored, knee-high platform boots to round out her look.

"Bama tipsy." Mary tilted her head. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long, I stopped at the bar and then spotted you over here." Barbara sat down at the table and watched Jill seducing a pasty-faced man with her wild gyrations. "I should call Bert. I would pay good money to see him show up right about now." She drank down her martini and reached for the pitcher of beer to refill the glass. "You look troubled, is that bitch still riding you?" She took a drink from her glass.

"I'm fine. Have you heard from Jerry?"

"Nope, not a word. It doesn't matter, plenty of fish in the sea and this bitch is wearing the best bait in town." Barbara took another drink and sat her almost empty glass down. She turned back to the dance floor to spy on Jill.

"Put your claws away, I want peace tonight. Why don't you find someone to dance with and work off your frustrations?"

Barbara finished her drink and stood. "See ya." Barbara stepped on the dance floor and danced with a short Mexican. Mary watched and giggled as she poured herself another drink.

Jill and Barbara were out on the dance floor. With a slow song playing, Jill slow dragged with a short black man gripping her backside while his face sought comfort between her warm peaks. If he were a breast feeding baby, he would choke. Mary's face heated. How stupid can she be? She turned her attention to find Barbara slow dragging with a white man and he, too, had a firm grip on her ample ass. This man squeezed as if draining every delicious drop of juice from a robust orange. Thank god she had her tits locked up tonight.

Mary didn't want to dance, she wanted to sit and drink and figure out why she had lost Robert. Lost in a drunken stupor, Jill's question of Robert's enjoyment circled her thoughts, shredding wasted gray matter as it circled. Robert hadn't called her in days, was something wrong? Has he changed his mind? Was he lying and didn't enjoy it?

Finally, she chased away the thoughts and worked up the nerve to call, only she had no way of getting in touch with him. She berated herself for her stupidity then fell back on an old idea. She called the operator, "information please. Yes, I need a listing for a Robert Tyler in Sunny Isles, Florida. Yes, any listing you have." Mary hung up the phone, "shit, goddamn it, motherfucken bitch!" She screamed, berating herself once more, hating women who did that very pathetic thing. "How could you be so stupid? Ewww!" Mary turned red with anger. She took another drink to calm down and try to think better. She looked to the dance floor into the blissful faces of her companions. A wave of panic overwhelmed Mary and she came to the conclusion that her friends would have someone but she wouldn't. Panic drove her to the bathroom. She felt as if she was going to throw up and ran into a stall. She spit up, but nothing more. Mary sat on the floor in the stall, bewildered and unsure of what to do next. Disastrous thoughts circled her brain like frenzied sharks. Then, she heard people coming into the bathroom but couldn't gather enough energy to push from the floor. She sat listening to conversations, scolding herself and her hopeless situation. Mary waited for total quiet before peeking.

Footfalls forced her away from the door. She listened for a while and heard the sounds of people making love. She peeked through the crack and saw her friend Jill with a woman kissing and groping each other by the door. Mary looked carefully at the other woman and swore it was the woman from the night before. The one that Jill got beat up over by the big butch-looking woman. Mary was sure it was her; this woman was small and had the same tattoo under her eye. She watched as the woman pulled Jill's dress down and began sucking her massive breasts. Jill flung her head back, moans of ecstasy escaped trembling lips while eyes shut tight to insure total loss of self in the feeling. They stopped and looked around as if they heard something. They went into one of the stalls and slammed the door shut. Mary listened for the continuation of their lustful behavior. She saw her opportunity and raced for the door. She made it back outside the bathroom to the noise of the crowds and loud music. Mary debated whether or not to go back and rescue Jill but decided against it. Jill seemed happy, she would not interfere. She went back to their table but people were sitting there. Unsure of whether that was her table she went to the bar instead. Mary ordered a drink and gulped quickly. She then made a search for Barbara.

Barbara moved with a man to a side door. Mary's drink fell from her hand as intense pain struck from deep inside her chest. Mary did not wait to hear the glass shatter against the floor as she raced to save her friend. Moving past the bottlenecked throng, Mary flung open the door to stand in an alley with boxes and trash lining both sides. She lurched forward a few paces stopping at an odd noise. Mary followed the sound to find Barbara and the man behind a dumpster. Barbara was down on all fours with her dress hiked up to her waist. Mary recognized the assailant, the Mexican man Barbara danced with, on his knees behind her with his pants around his ankles. Barbara moaned with joy as he thrusts with long panted strokes. She let her head and arms drop down and arched her ass high in the air moaning with every thrust. Mary shook her head in horror; she had done the right thing in leaving Jill alone. Barbara was the one who needed her help. Mary searched around the alley for a weapon and found a brick. She hoisted it up with two hands. Heat rushed through her. "Get off of her, you motherfucker!" Mary charged the man, stopped, then took aim. The man was able to turn to the side as the brick whizzed by. Mary ran to gather another then returned, but the man had already pulled up his pants and fled down the dimly lit alley.

"What the fuck are you doing? Goddamn it, Mary! Shit! Goddamn you! What the hell is wrong with you?" Barbara shrieked as she pulled her dress down. She brushed her hair back so Mary could see all three shades of red etched into her face.

Mary, fearing a trouncing, stood her ground. "What the fuck do you think I'm doing? What the hell is wrong with you? Fucking a total stranger in the goddamn alley? Have you lost every bit of good sense you ever had?"

"Damn, Mary, damn!" Barbara paced, thrashing her balled fists. Though she stilled the beast, rage ignited every nerve in her body. "Just because you are too fucking afraid to live your damn life doesn't mean the rest of us aren't. God, Mary, when are you ever gonna get a life of your own?"

"You are my damn friend; my job is to look out for you when you are too fuckin stupid to do it for yourself. And, I have a life."

"No, you don't. You are so jealous of us that you live through us instead of having a fucking life of your own. Stop being a coward and get a life!" Barbara stormed off down the alley. She stopped and turned to face Mary. "I'll be glad when you come out of that fantasy world you live in." She turned back around and kept walking.

"Where the fuck are you going? He could have killed you tonight. Fucking around with somebody you don't know, Not Smart! Where the fuck are you going?" Barbara continued to walk down the darkened alley and did not speak to Mary. "Where the fuck are you going?" Mary ran behind her, fear beating in her chest. Mary caught up to Barbara and grabbed her by the hand. She spoke with a quieter, calmer voice. "Talk to me, Barb, it is dangerous out here. Where are you going?"

Barbara sighed. "I'm going to find him and see if he is all right. You could have killed him." Barbara continued walking.

Mary put a hand to her chest to slow her thundering heart. She fixed her mind to follow her friend and marched after her. They came out of the alley and approached the front of the club. Mary saw a red-faced woman on her cellphone in a car. The woman exited the car, slamming the door. She was a tall, heavyset woman familiar to all; she pushed past a small security guard into the club. Terror froze Mary's heart.

"Oh my god. Jill!" Mary turned beet red, turning to Barbara. "Jill was in the bathroom with her girlfriend. Come on."

They rushed inside, fighting through the gyrating throng to the bathroom and opened the door. The girl Jill was having sex with was standing half-naked looking at something. Mary looked in that direction—the large woman pummeled Jill on the floor. Without thinking, Mary yelled and charged the woman, leaping on her back. The woman flung her off as if she were a fly, she continued her assault. Barbara charged the woman with minor success before meeting Mary at the far wall. Jill saw her chance to fight back but the woman had her down and was on top of her hitting her with the force of a man. Mary gathered her strength and with a mighty kick she knocked the woman off Jill. The woman hit a stall door and fell to the floor holding her shoulder in agony. Instead of getting up and leaving, Jill launched her short frame onto the woman and started getting her licks in. Mary tried to pull her half-dressed friend off when the woman regained control and hit Jill, hard. Jill was out like a light. Barbara went over to Jill and Mary charged the woman again. She threw Mary into a mirror. It shattered.

Barbara, content to watch because she was not feeling the need to help Jill, swelled with rage at the sight of Mary cascading into the mirror. She balled her fists, scowled, and rushed the woman, pushing her into a stall.

The half-naked girlfriend, content to just watch until that point, sprung into defense of her girlfriend and attacked Barbara. Barbara had no trouble in pounding the smaller woman into submission. Mary recovered and picked up a piece of the broken mirror and went toward the stall. She went in to find the woman dazed from hitting the commode. Mary stabbed her in the back with the broken piece of mirror. The woman cried out in pain. The mirror broke so Mary resorted to kicking her. She kicked the woman three times before security came in and grabbed her.

Barbara was back over trying to wake Jill when security entered. They looked at the small topless woman knocked out on the floor and Jill who was still dazed but coming around, still on the floor. "What happened here, Ma'am?" One of the three men said to Barbara.

Barbara shrugged while holding Jill in her arms. "Can we get an ambulance for my friend?"

"We have already made the phone call, Ma'am, now tell us what happened?"

"I don't know, I just walked in her and saw that woman attacking my friends." Barbara pointed at the big woman on the floor. "She started the whole thing."

The lead man cast his gaze on Mary. "And what do you have to say, Ma'am? What happened here?"

Mary shrugged in the grip of two men. "Like she said, that Amazon came in here and attacked everybody."

"Well, you all might as well get comfortable, no one is leaving until the police get here."

The ambulance arrived and two men wheeled a table into the restroom. They placed Jill on the table. "We have three more on the way," said one of the ambulance personnel. As they began to leave, two policemen arrived.

"Go with her, Barb," said Mary, "I'll be all right." Mary sat in a chair in the restroom. She looked at the police, "they're sisters."

The policeman nodded to Barbara, "we will take your statements at the hospital. Ride with the ambulance and don't leave the hospital or you will be arrested and charged with fleeing the scene."

"Are you sure, Mary?" Barbara asked.

"Go," said Mary.

Two more sets of ambulance personnel arrived as the first group left. They picked up the small woman and the Amazon and carried them off. Handcuffed and in custody, Mary sat watching from a chair. "Ma'am, if we get no new information then you will be the only one going to jail. Do yourself a favor and tell us everything that happened and everyone who was involved in this brawl tonight."

Mary kept silent.

The man's face changed expression as he gazed on the dribble of blood flowing from her cut hand. She tried covering it.

"Ma'am, I kid you not. Security caught you in the act of assaulting another woman. Either you tell us what happened are you will be the only one to face punishment. Now how many people were involved?"

Mary made her face stone. She sat, staring at the floor. She said nothing.

"All right, Ma'am, have it your way. You are under arrest for assault. Just looking at you I can also add a drunk and disorderly as well. Stand up, let's go." Mary stood with her hands cuffed behind her. They walked out the bathroom and into a waiting squad car. Mary sniffled, feeling the weight of tears pooling in her eyes. She kept the floodgates sealed by force of will.

Chapter 3: Circle the Wagons

Friday morning

The next day would be hell for the three women. Barbara rose early and dressed. She looked at herself in the mirror and put a bandage over a hairline cut. She moved her red hair in front of the bandage to hide it. She smiled. She waddled around her apartment feeling every bruise on her back, stomach and legs. She was thankful that her face survived.

Meanwhile, Mary lay awake in jail afraid to fall asleep and afraid of her fate. Barbara arrived to see a tall black man behind a desk with an "Information" sign above his head. "Excuse me; I'm here to see my sister. She came in last night from a nightclub on Bicker Street."

The officer behind the desk looked at Barbara. "Name?"

"Mary Lake."

The officer checked his roll then eyed the redhead carefully. "Are you family?"

"Yes, she is my sister. I am only in town visiting for the day and need to see her. This is my only chance." Barbara tried to look and sound as pitiful as possible to win the sympathy of the officer.

"Fill out this form and give me your license so I can make a copy of it."

"I left my license at home; will that be a problem, officer? I only have this morning; I have to catch a flight at noon and haven't seen her yet. She was my last stop before going home."

"Fill out the form and make your visit quick."

Barbara smiled and took the clipboard. She went to a chair against the wall and quickly filled out the paper. She listed herself as Cathy Lake from Utah. Upon taking the clipboard to the officer, she followed him down a corridor to enter a large room with many tables.

Mary entered wearing an orange jumpsuit with her hands cuffed in front of her. Her legs had cuffs around them and a chain ran between her legs and hands. She slowly made her way over to the table and sat down. "Hi, Mary. How are you?"

Mary put up a brave front and smiled. "I'm okay. How's Jilly?"

"She's still in the hospital, they'll release her tomorrow. Nothing serious, just observation. She has two cracked ribs on her left side and a black eye that will take days to go down. Other than the superficial she is fine and worried about you. I told her I would see you first thing in the morning. Was the night bad?"

"You would not believe the shit I have seen in one night." Mary looked worried but tried not to let it show.

Barbara read her mind. "Nobody at work knows anything. I told them I would be in later and Albert is covering. He knows what to do if there is a problem he can't handle. I told him Jill was in the hospital and I was taking her papers to fill out so she wouldn't get fired. Jill is working on her story now and is determined not to tell Bert, he's in San Francisco. What are we going to do, Mary?"

Mary thought long and hard. "Robert is away for a week, if he calls tell him I'm busy. Later tell him I am out of town if I can't get out today. If Mrs. Cartwright calls or Miss Fougay from the park, say I went out of town and that is all you know. Mrs. Belmont is out of reach, Europe for another month so I'm good there."

"Do you need a lawyer?"

"I'll find out at 2 o'clock, that is when my video conference starts."

"You don't go in front of a judge?"

"Not this early. They have to see if there are charges to be filed."

"Don't worry about work, I will cover for you. You said you were caught up, is that right?"

"Yeah, I only need to be there for emergencies. I guess the Lord smiled on me this one time and let me get ahead." Mary tried to laugh but couldn't pull it off.

"Oh, Mary, I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

"No. No, it isn't. I did it and I'll take care of it." Mary sighed and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked at Barbara. "It will be okay, I know it. Keep checking on Jill and make sure she doesn't completely screw up her relationship with Bert."

"I will. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I have to wait and hope for the best."

"I'm so sorry. I feel just awful about all those mean things I said to you. I wish I could take them all back. Please say you forgive me."

"Already done. Go take care of business, all right?"

"All right." Barbara wanted to hug her friend but guards were standing nearby so she didn't take the chance. She got up and waved at Mary. On her way out the door she stopped by the front desk and asked the officer about Mary's court date. The man told her the time had moved up to an hour from now so she stayed to hear what would become of her friend.

An hour later an officer walked over to Barbara who was sitting in a chair. "Cathy Lake? Ma'am? Ma'am?" It took Barbara a second to focus and realize he was talking to her. She looked up at him. "Your sister's case is about to begin. It is on closed-circuit television. You can watch from the conference room." Barbara took a seat in the back of the room on a bench with three other women.

A guard led Mary through a door on the side of the room to a chair in front of a camera and light. She sat down and the screen in front of her lit up. A man that Barbara assumed was the judge was sitting in a chair behind a desk. Another man to his side gave him a sheet of paper which he read. The second man then faced the camera. "Today is Friday, October 29. Your Honor, before you is case number 6830011-4 Mary Louise Lake v. State of Florida. First-degree assault, drunk and disorderly, and disturbing the peace."

The judge asked, "Are you Mary Lake?"

Mary gulped, "yes."

"How do you plead to the charges?"

"Innocent."

"Mr. Radnor, state your case for the record."

A Cuban man in the room stood and faced the camera. He spoke with a heavy Spanish accent. "I am Havlor Radnor representing the state. The defendant, Miss Lake, was caught by three security personnel of Club Calis in the women's restroom engaged in an act of battery against a Miss Georgina Martinez. I have affidavits from all three testifying to the fact that Miss Lake was kicking the victim repeatedly without mercy. She had to be restrained by force. Miss Lake reeked of alcohol and refused a Breathalyzer offered to her by the officers dispatched to the scene."

The judge read the statements and then looked up at Mary on the monitor. "There appears to be enough evidence to warrant a trial. Miss Lake, you will be held in custody and assigned an attorney if you cannot afford one. You and your attorney will be able to make a bail offering at that time." He banged his gavel.

The man beside him said, "The next case will begin in ten minutes." After which, the screen darkened.

Two officers approached Mary, she stood up. "Wait, wait, wait," said Barbara, who came running from around a corner. "Can I have a minute with my sister, please?" She begged the guards.

"No. Ma'am we have to clear the area for the next case. If you don't step aside you will be arrested for interfering with the courts."

"Well then let me walk with her and talk to her. Please, this is my sister. I haven't seen her in years."

The officer that Barbara had met from behind the desk came forward. "Take her back through the side door and give them five minutes to talk."

"Thank you, thank you," said Barbara to the man. She followed them through the side door and hugged Mary before they could stop her.

"Hey, break it up or you will become a resident." One of the officers yelled at Barbara.

"I'm sorry," said Barbara. She released Mary. "Don't worry about anything, I will find you a lawyer. A good lawyer, not one that these people will give you so they can lock you up forever. Don't worry, Mary, I will find one today."

Mary was shocked that Barbara was even there. She was also shocked by the fact that they had moved her time up and she had no way of letting anyone know the new time. "Thank you for being here, Barb."

"Cathy," Barb frantically whispered, "your sister Cathy from Utah," Barbara gave a nervous look to the officers.

"Thank you for coming, Cathy." Mary joined her friend, scanning to see if anyone heard her previous mistake.

"I will tell Jill you look good and I am finding a lawyer. Good-bye, be safe." Barbara reached over and hugged her again and released her quickly before the guards could react.

Barbara raced to the hotel then swept past the front desk en route to Mary's office. She picked up a phone book and started making calls to find a lawyer and arrange bail. She searched the phone book ads looking for someone who will work on some type of commission basis. She beamed after reading a promising ad. She dialed. "Hello, is this Tanner and Associates?"

"Yes Ma'am, how may I direct your call?"

"My friend is in jail and needs a lawyer and has little money. Do you have someone available to help me get her out of jail?"

"Yes Ma'am, we can look over your case for free and make recommendations from there."

"Thank you, that's what I'm looking for. Can I stop by now if someone is available?"

"Please hold." Barbara crossed her fingers waiting for the woman to come back with good news. "Ma'am, are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Stop by at your earliest convenience."

"I'm on my way." Barbara hung up the phone and left the office. She waved at an open-mouthed Albert but kept moving. Barbara took a taxi to the law office. She rubbed her hands nervously as she approached the desk. "Hello, my name is Barbara Limbaugh. I called moments ago about a lawyer for my friend."

"Right this way, Miss Limbaugh." The receptionist was a short black lady in a business suit. She led Barbara to the back and into a small office. "Please have a seat; Mr. Kendrick will be with you shortly."

Barbara sat down and a black man walked in moments later wearing a black business suit. "Hello, I am Timothy Kendrick, a junior associate. Please tell me what happened and I will give you my best advice."

"Thank you for your time. In a nutshell, my friend, Mary Lake, was at a club last night and this woman attacked our friend Jill in the bathroom. Jill was seeing the woman's girlfriend. Mary and I tried to defend her and break up the fight and leave but things got out of hand. When security showed up, Mary was the only one of us still standing, the other woman was on the floor. They saw Mary kicking her and grabbed her. Nobody saw how the other woman took on all three of us and it took everything we had to get her down on the floor. They arrested Mary. Today they were going to assign her a lawyer and she can't get bail until she has a lawyer."

"Does she have a job?"

"Yes, she is the office manager of the Belmont Hotel."

"Any assets to speak of? Does she own a home or have stocks and bonds, maybe a retirement account or treasuries?"

"I'm not sure of the last part but she has an apartment, a condo, and has never spoken of stocks or bonds."

The man sat back in his chair. "We can take her case and use a sliding scale according to her assets but she will have to pay something. Bail is usually $50,000 and ten percent of that will be $5,000. If she can stick it out, the longer she stays in jail the lower her bail will become. Once it falls to a low level she can make it a lot easier. If you have friends and can get the money then you can get her out by Monday, nothing will be open tomorrow or Sunday. Does she have a history of violence or has been to court recently on other charges?"

That was something that Barbara did not want to hear or answer. "She is on probation for I believe drunk and disorderly. It is nothing too serious; she was given community service for it."

"Has she completed the time?"

"Not yet."

The man sat up and turned to his computer. He typed in Mary's name and read in silence. He put his hand to his chin in deep thought. "There might be a problem. Not with her release, she can make bail. The problem is going to be the amount. My guess is that it can go up a few thousand or even double. She might be in jail for a while. Can she keep her job if she stays put?"

"No."

He thought some more. "I will meet with the prosecutors and get their take. Has the woman filed a suit against her or anybody else?"

"Not that I know of."

"I would suggest groveling. If you crawl on your hands and knees she might get enough satisfaction where she won't prosecute. Tell your friend who was messing with her girl that she has major ass kissing to do to help Mary. I will go by the jail later today and meet Mary in person and update her. I will start on the letter now." He rose from his chair and reached across the desk and shook Barbara's hand.

Barbara graced him with a large smile. "Thank you so much. You are a godsend; Mary is the sweetest person you will ever meet." She caught herself and stopped rambling and left the office so he could begin his work. Barbara left the office with a great weight off her shoulders. She felt responsible for Mary's trouble and would not rest until her friend was free.

Barbara returned to work. She put on her hotel jacket, put on her brass name tag to continue her workday. She approached the desk. "How has it been, Albert?"

"Not bad. The computers stayed up and we still have all our vacancies ready to go. How is Jill?"

"I'll let her speak for herself, she'll be back tomorrow. Have you prepared the Jessup papers for Mary?"

"No, not yet, I was waiting for her to come in so I could run the format changes by her for approval."

"Oh, give them to me. I will take care of them, you have done enough today. It's quiet now so take a two-hour lunch and relax. Thanks again for stepping in. I needed you." Barbara knew that Albert liked her but she thought he was a nerd and too much of a nice guy for her taste. She tried not to use him or give him encouragement but her friend was in trouble and she was desperate. She would pull out all the stops to help Mary.

"No problemo, glad to be of service. I'll be back around 2pm, see ya later." A wide grin spread across his face. He sighed, taking in her beauty. She politely smiled then moved away. He took the hint and trudged off to lunch.

Mrs. Cartwright strode in moments later as if on a mission. "I called and a young man said Mary Lake was not here today. Where is she?"

"I'm not sure but it has to be on company business. Have you tried her cell phone?"

"Dear," she placed her chunky hand on her ample hip, "don't think I have misplaced my common sense. Mary Lake did not show up for her community service and if she does not show up tomorrow, she will be in violation of her probation and subject to immediate incarceration."

"Well, when I hear from her, I will give her your best." Barbara's body stiffened with rage. White knuckles gripped the counter to quell the sensation.

"No need, dear," said Mrs. Cartwright with an even tone. She smiled maniacally and turned to leave.

Barbara watched her leave and muttered, "Bitch." She massaged her knuckles before returning to work. Surprisingly, the afternoon was uneventful, except for Albert, who manned the desk, doing all he could to become part of the fabric of her dress. She allowed it. He needed a reward. Finally, she retired to Mary's office and dialed the hospital. "Hello, can you connect me with room number 227, please?"

Jill picked up the phone, "Hello."

"Hey, it's me. Have you seen the doctor?"

"Yeah, he came in around 1 pm. My nose is bruised but not broken and my ribs have hairline fractures. Did you see Mare?"

"Yeah, she looks good. She had an arraignment earlier and needs a lawyer. I found her one and he is on his way over there right now."

Jill listened to Barbara talking and fear welled inside her. Fear that she wasn't there for her best friend. Fear of replacement. Her anger reached fever pitch as she listened without listening. Without warning, Jill blurted out words she wished she could have taken back. "Goddamn, are you telling me she has to be in jail all weekend? What the hell kind of lawyer did you get her? Goddamn it! Why didn't you just screw the guy, maybe he would work faster. Damn you, whore! I have to get out of her and get her somebody who can do something. She will rot in jail with your help."

Barbara closed her eyes and counted to ten in her head while rage washed over her. Now was not the time to go off. She let Jill have her say and then spoke as calmly as she could, though her voice shook and sounded strange to her. "I have gotten her a good lawyer and she knows I have her back. Good-bye, Jill." Barbara hung up the phone.

Jill called back on a mission to inflict more damage but Barbara did not pick up the phone. She waited ten minutes and called again with no response. Jill got so mad that she hurt herself by throwing the phone and receiver against the hospital wall.

Two hours later Albert picked up the phone and handed it to Barbara after asking who it was. Barbara took the call, "Hello."

"Hello, this is Robert Tyler, I was trying to reach Mary, is she busy?"

"Hello, Robert, this is Barbara. Mary is out of the office today and I have no way to reach her. Is there a message I can give her if she calls in?"

"No, I just had a free moment and wanted to touch base. If you hear from her, tell her that I'm thinking of her and will call again when I get a free moment."

"All right, Robert. I will let her know. You have a good day. Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Barbara."

Barbara hung up the phone as a couple strolled in, the woman in a white wedding gown and the man in a tuxedo. "Hello, welcome to the Belmont. Are you checking in today?" She gave her best smile to the woman.

"We are checking in to the bridal suite, thank you very much." She turned to her husband. "I can get some more use out of this dress if we go to a Halloween party. What do you think, lovely husband of mine?" She laughed.

He tickled her. "Why not?" He turned to Barbara and asked, "are there any good parties around here tomorrow night?"

The upcoming holiday slipped Barbara's mind. She smiled at the man. "I love a good party but I honestly have no idea."

Chapter 4: Trick or Treat

On Saturday morning, Barbara stood in her hotel uniform working the front desk. She gave Albert the day off to go to a Halloween beach party behind Oceanfront Park. She burst into hysterical laughter as Jill entered the lobby. Jill dressed as a witch with a long black pointy hat and a pig nose strapped to her face. She wore a black dress and carried a broomstick. "Who the fuck are you?" Barbara asked through fits of laughter.

"I am the evil witch of the south, bitch. What the hell is so damn funny?"

Barbara kept laughing. "You, Miss Thang." Barbara continued to laugh as Jill approached the desk. "What the hell is the pig nose for?"

"To hide my nose, asshole. I thought maybe you would be smart enough to pick up on that. Maybe the problem is you flipped one too many times on your back and knocked your brains out." Jill smirked.

"Not today, I got too much going on. Besides, it would be just too damn easy." Barbara stuck out her tongue and laughed. The phone rang. "Good morning, this is Barbara, thank you for calling the Belmont, how may I help you?" She pointed to a corner and Jill sluggishly made her way over to it.

Jill could not help but to move slowly. Her best friend needed her and she could not lie in bed and do nothing. Jill knew she was to blame for Mary's incarceration but was relieved that no one had called her on it. She made it to the table and looked at the tray of doughnuts set up for the guests. She poured herself a cup of coffee and picked up a raspberry-filled doughnut. She turned to face Barbara and saw her still on the phone. Jill pointed to Mary's office and Barbara reached into her pocket and threw the key to her. She made her way to the office while Barbara handled hotel business on the phone.

Barbara entered to find Jill relaxing in a chair in front of Mary's desk. She sat next to Jill to face her. "How do you feel?"

Jill shrugged, "all right."

Barbara didn't speak. She sat back in the chair eyeing the liar.

"Don't study me."

Barbara sipped her coffee. "I need the truth or I will send you back home."

"My, my, aren't we the serious one." Jill tried to psyche her out but Barbara was having none of it. She took a bite of her doughnut and set back in the chair again. "Why didn't you call me back? You had no right doing what you did."

The phone on Mary's desk rang interrupting Jill before she could get on a roll. Barbara got up and set behind Mary's desk and answered the phone. Jill's chest heaved at the slut's audacity. Her face reddened. She clenched her fist. How dare the slut sit in Mary's seat! She was keeping Mary in jail so she could take over. Jill watched Barbara conducting herself in a businesslike manner and wondered if whoever it was knew what a slut she was. How on earth could she whore at night and be a professional by day? Jill kept plotting against her in her mind and knew one day she would get the upper hand. As Jill thought and thought, her pain increased so she searched her purse for her pain pill.

Barbara ended her conversation and put the phone down. "Come here, Jill." Barbara got up and walked Jill to a side door and opened it. Jill thought at first she was throwing her out but Barbara took her to Mary's private bathroom. "You're bleeding."

Jill looked down and saw a red stain on her dress. "Oh god, no!"

"Unbuttoned this right now," Barbara said with authority.

Jill's dress buttoned in the front. Barbara helped her step out of it. Jill wore a bra and panties with a wrap that went around her waist holding bandages in place. Barbara removed the wrap and worst looking bandage. Jill grimaced with pain and looked down at her bruised black and blue ribs. "Oh shit that hurts."

"Wait here," said Barbara. She returned with a new wrap, bandages, hydrogen peroxide, and other needed items. She started giving first aid to her enemy. "I'm only going to ask one more time. Stop being a bitch and talk to me."

Jill yelled in pain as Barbara touched her side. "I want to help Mare. I can't sit in a hospital bed and do nothing, she needs me." Jill yelled again when Barbara used the hydrogen peroxide. "Shit!" She took a deep breath and braced herself for the next round of pain. "All I need is rest and everything will heal by itself. I'm wearing this outfit because I need to cover my nose and hide my black eye from everyone, including the staff. I thought you would have guessed that. Oww!" She grimaced in pain as Barbara tugged a little too hard and too happy.

"Bert?"

"He won't be back until Thursday so my face will be fine by then. I'm sorry I caused all this trouble for Mary. Don't send me home, Barb. I need to do something to help Mary. Give me something to do so I can feel like I am doing something, the guilt is killing me."

Barbara finished and helped her dress. "You can't clean rooms like that." She saw the look on Jill's defeated face and thought of ways in which Jill could help. They walked back out and sat back down in the chairs in front of Mary's desk. Barbara thought some more and then picked up her doughnut to finish eating. She checked her wristwatch and saw Jill waiting for a response. She knew it was hard for Jill but she wanted to make her suffer a little bit longer before answering. "You can do paperwork and run errands until it gets dark. Tonight you will sit out front handing out candy. Tomorrow you will answer phones at the switchboard and deal with customer complaints for the rest of the week. No one had better complain that you were rude or condescending."

"They won't," Jill rushed the words out.

"Now for the bad news . . . that Martinez woman hasn't complained yet. Tomorrow you will find her and apologize and swear to stay away from her girlfriend even if she approaches you. Mary's lawyer says it will help Mary if no one sues or makes trouble. Get ready to eat shit and die, do it for Mary, she needs this and only you can do it. I will help you find her so be ready to kiss her ass tomorrow."

"All right, I will do what I have to for Mary."

"You bet your sweet ass you will. Come on; let me find you a jacket you can wear."

"Fine, but don't be looking at my ass, bitch." Jill smiled.

Barbara walked her down to the staff office to find her a Belmont Hotel jacket. When they finished, Barbara left Jill with the switchboard operator so she could explain the system to her. Jill thought about the people she told to call Barbara to complain and was hoping karma was not coming back on her.

At 5 o'clock Barbara went back to the switchboard to retrieve Jill. Jill plastered a smile to her face and sat at the table by the door, and glared at the travesty lined up in rows before her. Mrs. Belmont loved Halloween and had arranged with a local bakery for cupcakes decorated with Halloween themes. Jill would hand each trick-or-treater a small sack of candy with the Belmont label printed on the sack and a cupcake.

When Barbara turned her head, Jill put some of the sacks of candy in the pocket of her witch costume. She smiled devilishly at her small victory, then passed out the candy with a smile on her face. An hour later, Barbara donned a witch costume and joined her handing out treats. When done for the night Jill went home to rest and Barbara returned to work. Mary had a few invoices on her desk that Barbara had to take care of before going home. Before long, she realized she'd worked a 15-hour day.

Chapter 5: Humility

Mary met with her grim attorney Monday morning. Fear welled in Mary. She rubbed her hands against her orange jumpsuit trying to calm herself. "What's wrong?"

"Mary, I have bad news to tell you. They transferred your case to Judge Clark and he has seen you before. I don't know how it happened but someone from city hall has gotten him involved with your case."

Mary could only think of one person who would try to hurt her: Mrs. Cartwright. "Was it the city clerk?"

"I only know the person has high connections and they want you to do time."

Mary shuddered. "What are my options?"

"We go in front of him and see what mood he is in. Are you ready?"

"Now?"

"One hour. I need you at your best, be polite, humble, and respectful in his presence. Bend over backwards and kiss his ass as many times as it takes. Understand?"

"Yes." Mary sat another minute after he left. An hour later she stood in front of a smoldering Judge Clark.

The judge read the report before turning critical eyes to Mary. "Miss Lake, we meet again."

"Yes sir," said Mary, who was now wearing her navy business suit, the one that gave her confidence.

"Madame, I will say what I said the last time. I am not happy with you. You pled guilty to an earlier assault on a man in a nightclub. I have here a report that says you attacked a woman in the bathroom of a different nightclub. It also says that you stabbed the woman with a piece of glass from a broken mirror. Just what would you do if you were in my place, Miss Lake?"

Mary was not going to give the judge a reason to throw the book at her. "Your Honor, although I have explanations for my actions, I am deeply sorry for the trouble I have caused and I want to make amends as soon as possible."

The judge studied Mary. He arched an eyebrow. "It appears to me that you have a problem with alcohol and violence. I have a recommendation from the Board of Probation requiring your hospitalization. I also have letters from various people testifying to your violence and mayhem. This court cannot see fit to go lenient on someone who demonstrates lack of control on an ongoing basis—"

"Your Honor, if I may?" Mr. Kendrick interrupted, handing the bailiff papers to take to the judge.

The judge read the papers in silence. He then looked at the prosecution's recommendations and compared the two. Judge Clark then wrote something on the papers and signed them. "Are you changing your plea to guilty, Miss Lake?"

Taking cues from her nodding attorney, Mary nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Very well, prosecution waves all charges save one count of drunk and disorderly. I find you guilty and order you to serve eighteen months in the Florida Department of Corrections. I'm setting aside that judgment and placing you on one year of supervised probation with strong monitoring of your alcohol intake. I hereby order you to report to Regan Hall, an outpatient treatment facility on 121st street. You will be at that facility for no shorter than six months for alcohol abuse as well as anger management. You will have three months to make full restitution to the nightclub and barred from entering the establishment. At any time your counselors believe you unfit for society at large, you will be incarcerated for a period of no greater than two years. That is my judgment, case dismissed." The judge banged his gavel on the desk and then stood to leave the room.

Mary hugged her attorney. She was a free woman. "Thank you for all your help. I can't say thank you enough." The bailiff gave Mary some papers to sign for her release. She quickly signed and returned them. He gave her a garbage bag that contained her purse, possessions, and the clothes she had worn to the club.

"I have another client in need of my expertise, Miss Lake; don't forget what the judge said. If you get into any trouble before the year is up, you are looking at two years in jail. This is your free pass. There aren't a lot of people who get second chances so don't waste yours." He handed her copies of the judge's orders. "Here, you have 1 hour to get to this address. Go straight there and listen. Don't argue with the people who have your life in their hands, listen and obey." He hugged Mary, whispered, "Don't blow it," and left the courtroom.

Mary looked at the papers again and turned to exit the courthouse. She walked to a bus stop, waited and then boarded for her trip to Regan Hall. She gawked at the three-story red brick building in a rundown neighborhood, not crime ridden, but a poor neighborhood of Russian immigrants. Mary walked to the front desk and gave her name.

She was led into an office and took a seat. A 48-year old blond man was behind the desk and he read the papers that Mary gave him. "Miss Lake, may I call you Mary?"

"Yes, please do."

"Mary, allow me to introduce myself, I am Ralph Piper. This is a second chance facility for people charged with abuse of drugs of all kinds. Our goal is to get you to recognize your limits and triggers and to take control in everyday life with no excuses. Let me begin by going to the day of the nightclub incident. Tell me, what did you have for breakfast that morning?"

Mary looked down in thought. She was not sure of which of the incidents he was referring to so she concentrated her thoughts on the last. "I'm not sure."

"And before going to the nightclub, what did you have to eat?"

"I don't remember, is that important?"

"Maybe, we will have to see. Tell me why you chased the man in the first incident."

"He was having sex with my drunken friend in a bathroom stall. She was in no condition to consent. I did not mean to hurt him, I was looking out for my friend."

"There is nothing wrong with that. Tell me about the second incident, why did you stab the woman in the bathroom? You must really get a kick out of bathrooms?" He laughed to ease the tension.

Mary nervously laughed with him. "My friend was being beaten half to death on a bathroom floor by a woman twice her size. Was I supposed to let her kill my friend so I would not get in trouble?"

"No, not at all. Was it the same friend in trouble in both instances?"

"No," Mary thundered. For some reason she thought the man was attacking her friends and jumped to the conclusion that he was trying to separate her from them.

"I am not trying to upset you. Let's get back to the club. What did you eat at the last club?"

"Why do you keep asking me about food, are you hungry? I can come back if you need to eat?"

The man laughed, "No, I'm not hungry. Let's try a different topic; I want to discuss your drinking. Tell me everything you had to drink from sun up to sun down at the second incident."

"I had one or two mini-bottles of whiskey before leaving for the club. I had two drinks waiting for my friends. I had two drinks with one, and one with the other friend and some beer from a pitcher. That's all."

"What was the name of the two drinks you had with the first friend?"

"Screwdrivers."

"And with the second friend?"

"Mojitos."

He picked up the paper and read it again. "Your first incident, what did you have to drink at the club that night."

She huffed. "Two Wallbangers, two Cosmopolitans, and some beer."

"And what did you have to eat on that night?"

Mary struggled to come up with an answer. "I guess . . . pretzels maybe."

He wrote on his pad. "You have two best friends? Tell me about them."

"Jill is my best friend; we met right after high school and moved in together. We have been friends ever since. I met Barbara at the Belmont. We clicked and have been friends ever since."

"Who is the better friend?"

"They are equal to me."

"I know, but if you had to choose in a life and death scenario, one to live and one to die, which would you choose?"

"They Are Equal," she said through gritted teeth, "I would save Both."

Sensing her agitation, he switched gears. "Mary, you mention Wallbangers before. Do they taste better than the Cosmopolitans?"

Mary calmed and put thought into her answer. "They are about the same."

He made another note on his pad while casting eyes up to her. "How long have you been working at the hotel as Office Manager?"

"Three years."

"Mrs. Belmont gives you a glowing recommendation. She says you are indispensable. Has she ever seen the mini-bottles you spoke of?"

"No." Mary quickly responded.

"Where do you keep them?"

"I don't keep them."

"The last time you had one, where did it come from?"

"I found one in my desk drawer but I don't keep them there. Someone must have left it. We had a party and they were all over the place. I recently found one in the washing machine of all places."

The man leered while writing, judging her nervousness. "Mary. I'm going to be honest with you. I have been doing this for a long time and you are what we term, a Functioning Alcoholic. That means that you don't notice how drunk you are and people around you don't notice. One minute you are fine and the next you are flying off the handle committing acts of violence. Our job is to get you to recognize your triggers and get you to a place where you can do without the booze."

Mary smiled, concealing her true feelings. "I have a job to keep, how long will I have to be here and how many hours a day will it involve?"

He matched her smile. "As long as it takes." He resumed writing. "I'm going to schedule you for two hours a day. You will start at 5 pm with an hour of group therapy Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then at 6 you will have an hour of one-on-one counseling. We will see how it goes after your first full week of sessions. Make arrangements with your job. Do you need a change in time?"

"That will be fine."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Well, it has been fun evaluating you, Mary. I will see you Wednesday evening."

"Good-bye, Mr. Piper," said Mary, who climbed to her feet and shook his hand before leaving. Mary walked from the bus stop the rest of the way to work. Barbara had her back to her as she walked up. Mary put her finger to her lips to quiet Albert. She then gave him a hug and listened to Barbara's conversation. As Barbara was finishing Albert gave a nudge to Barbara who turned with wide eyes in surprise. She shrieked then grabbed her friend, almost knocking Albert down in the process. They shared a girlish glee, jumping in unison before racing to the office.

"When did you get out and why didn't you call me?"

"They sprung me earlier today." Mary went to her closet and pulled out a duffel bag and checked its contents. "They made me go over to some nut house and sign up for a treatment program."

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to start Wednesday night. I'm going down to the gym, workout for a minute, and then take a long shower." Mary grabbed her keys out of her desk and walked Barbara back up front.

"We missed you, Mary. Everything went fine and nobody is the wiser. Is it all over now?"

"Almost, thanks for covering. Tell Jill where I'm at." She hugged Barbara and went to the gym. Mary changed into her running clothes feeling as if she could run a marathon. She passed by the empty pool and lost her zeal for the treadmill. Back to the locker she went. She emerged in a one-piece, dark-blue bathing suit.

A lifeguard thumbed the pages of an engrossing book. Mary waved. She grabbed a kickboard and flippers and climbed down the stairs into the pool. She swam a full lap of the 25-yard pool with her board, then put on her goggles and swam freestyle a few laps.

"Mare! Mare! Hey Mare," yelled Jill from the side of the pool. She wore a headset for answering the phone and a hotel jacket with a silver nametag.

Mary looked about then swam to the edge toward her friend. "Jilly." She leaped from the water to hug her best friend. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm so happy you're a free woman again. Give me some love." They hugged again. "How are you, Mare?"

"I'm great, I really am. You wanna swim with me?"

"No, Queen Bee watches me like a hawk." Jill moved closer in rushed whisper. "She blames me for everything. I know I'm the ringleader but she did some shit herself. You should have seen her, Mare. She was sashaying around with her nose in the air like she is the Big Kahuna." They laughed together.

"From what I can see, Barb did an excellent job so stop being jealous. How are you recovering?"

"I'm great, you know me. I'll be around when they turn the lights out." She hugged Mary again to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have to suffer because of me, it's not right."

"Forget about it. The worst is over. I went to court and couldn't believe they dropped all the charges but the one."

"Well, we helped you there."

"How?"

Jill cocked her head to make sure they were alone. She whispered. "Barbara's fat ass found the Amazon's address and then she had the nerve to go with me to her house. Can you believe that shit? She said that she didn't want me to face her alone, like she was going to be my backup." Jill shook disgust from her face. "We walked up to her door and Barbara rang the bell."

Mary listened as Jill recounted the events:

As the two women approached the door and rang the bell, trepidation filled them until the door swung open to reveal the smaller woman. Her eyes filled with worry. She looked about then spoke in whispers. "What are you doing here?"

Barbara matched her tone. "We need your help to end this bullshit. We need you and your friend to sign a statement saying our friend Mary was not at fault and isn't to blame for the fight. She could be in jail for years without your help. We are begging you to help us."

"Please," added Jill, "not for us, for our friend. She's the innocent one."

Somehow they melted the woman's resistance. "I will sign the paper but I doubt if she will."

"Help us, please! We can all just let this thing go away if you two will help. Help us convince her."

A large shadow fell across the door. All turned with the same horror-stricken expression. The amazon woman, Georgina Martinez, swung the door wider. "What the fuck do you bitches want?"

Barbara looked at Jill wanting her to say something. Jill gulped and faced the woman that trounced her. She swallowed her pride. "I'm sorry for even looking at your friend. I was out of line and I deserved what I got. Believe me; I'm in so much pain I can barely move." Jill turned to the small woman. "You are lucky to have someone who will stick up for you like that." She then faced her enemy again. "Mary Lake is my best friend, and like you, I will fight for her. If you want to beat me up again, go ahead, I will stand here and let you beat my ass until you are satisfied. But don't let my friend suffer for what I did. I can't get her out of jail without your help. That's why I'm here. Will you sign a letter saying she is not at fault and you hold no bad feelings against her? Help me help her. I will get down on my knees and beg if that is what it will take." Jill stood in the doorway waiting for the woman to respond.

"Please help us," added Barbara.

"I will sign the paper for you," said the small woman. She turned to her lover, "Gigi sign the paper. Let's forget this happened and move on. You started it all and you know it. Sign the paper. Do it for me, do it for us."

"All right, I will sign your damn paper. If I see you near my woman again I will kill your ass dead, you hear me?"

"I got it. You will never see me again."

Barbara gave the small woman the paper and a pen, she in turn, passed them to her lover.

"Thank you both," said Barbara. She made her escape with Jill before the woman changed her mind.

Chapter 6: Midnight Confessions

Robert decided against the markets but owed Jerry a night on the town. Jerry returned to an Asian strip club Benny's stockbroker frequented. They took their seats as Midnight Oasis began her performance.

Silence fell. Lights dimmed.

Midnight floated on air as she made her way to them in an all-black, veiled costume covered with stars that resembled the heavens. Every mouth hung open in fascination and lust. What could be hiding behind the veil? As she approached, soft music, began playing. The closer she approached the louder it became. It wound itself around her hips and thundered out with every sway, capturing all hearts around her, placing them in tune with her gyrations.

Robert felt his heart pounding in rhythm with the music as she thundered from the back of the stage toward him and Jerry. The music reached a fever pitch and then with a bang, her feet hit the ground. At the same time, she flung a veil it at the men.

Everything stopped.

A loud cheer erupted from the room and the music was back and she began swaying faster and faster whirling around the stage. She tore the bottom half of her dress off to reveal veils around her waist with no panties. She ripped the first veil, pulling it between her legs as she swayed to the beat of the music. She flung it at two howling customers who grabbed at it, fighting for its charms. The first man roundhoused the second. Midnight released an impish grin as the victor put the garment to his nose to sniff her aroma.

Midnight slid more veils between her legs to scent them before releasing them into the wild, to be fought over, toying and laughing through an impish haze. She then moved to free her mounds from captivity to the delight of all.

Robert had never seen an Asian with such large naturals. He took his eyes off her breasts to let them slide over her creamy-white body to her neatly trimmed jade gate. Spittle slid from Jerry's open mouth. He wiped it then whooped and hollered while Robert's thoughts strayed to the unimaginable: a baby exiting rather than a penis entering. He smiled and nodded at Jerry, pretending to enjoy the bounty before him.

"Come on, Rob man, this girl is working it like a motherfucker."

Robert returned the encouraging look. He reached into his pocket and gave Jerry some dollar bills. "I'll be back in a minute."

"All right but don't go far."

"I'll be right over there." Robert pointed to a table by the door.

Jerry felt for his friend but the music and gyrations called him back to Midnight. He threw money at her. She slinked over on her hands and knees. She slid one of the bills between her legs, scented it, then placed it in Jerry's pocket with a mischievous wink. Jerry's heart thundered as he leaned forward to caress her breasts before she pulled away in teasing fashion. Midnight finished her dance routine, collected her money, then departed the stage to make way for her cohort, Red Oasis. The new dancer carried the red theme to extremes: red outfit, red hair and makeup adorned the body of a tall well-endowed Asian.

# # #

The girls celebrated Mary's freedom on the beach. They camped out behind Oceanfront Park with two bottles of wine from the hotel. They had staff from the hotel setup a small tent and chairs and arrived in cover-up dresses. Their tent rested near the park's beach entrance. From their tent they could see the people walk by and watch anyone swimming in the ocean. Jill chose this area so they could drink and be able to see any police or security that came by. The women had a drink and then took off their cover-ups and sat in chairs. It was after 5pm but not yet dark. The women were not there to tan: people watching and gossiping ruled the day. They laughed at a few people in ridiculous outfits and watched swimmers in the water as they drank the night away. A man passed by walking on the beach and they laughed at the color of his jogging outfit. He looked as if he was in a Thriller video. Later a woman passed by smelling of alcohol and asking for a drink, they told her to get lost.

After they were all thoroughly drunk, Barbara turned to Mary. "You didn't tell me about your counseling."

"It's nothing to worry about. This asshole of a guy thinks he's my guardian angel or some crazy shit like that. He is supposed to be helping me find Jesus." They started laughing.

"Hey, Mare, if you done found Jesus before I do . . . give him the once-over for me. I want to know if he is worth screaming his name for." Jill burst out in laughter, slurring every word she spoke.

"I will pass on that one, but if I discover I'm an ancient queen, I will just have to declare this land is my land." Mary took another swig from her cup and shouted, "Whoo-hoo! That shit is dy-no-mite."

Barbara was drunk but she had the coolest head of the three. "All right, bitches, calm down before we get arrested."

"I am calm, Miss Hotsy Tosky. Hey, Barb," Jill looked at her with fascination. "Given yo prolifric histories of playing couch cushion, I have one small burning question." Jill starts laughing at what she just said, "hey, I made a funny." Jill laughs again and falls out of her chair pointing at Barbara.

Mary points at Jill and laughs, "get your dumb ass up." She laughs some more.

Barbara laughs with them but sarcastically. "Ha, Ha, bitch. Shhh, if you listen hard enough, you can hear the earthquake that just started over there." Barbara smirks in Jill's direction. All three laughed at the insanity of the night. Jill climbed to her feet with difficulty, she poured another drink then tossed the bottle to Barbara. "All right, Barb, answer this shit. When was yo first, um how can I put this delicately, when was yo first giddy up and did it make you the champion rider you are today?" Jill giggled at her delivery.

"Well, Miss Champion-in-training, I was fourteen and he was sixteen." Barbara smiled thinking of her glory days. "Some kids at school hooked us up by putting letters in our lockers. We went together for one month and then his mother went out of town at some church function. I walked to his house with my backpack. Inside was a sexy outfit I stole from my older sister with some of her condoms. We were so in a hurry that we forgot to use the condoms and I was scared for two weeks thinking I was knocked up. You have never in your life seen a bitch so happy to see Aunt Flo driving up the road." Barbara's face flushed then turned bright red as she laughed hysterically, falling from her chair.

Jill laughed for a while then took another drink. "Well my first rodeo was with a hot piece of ass named Katy, in the girls' locker room. We were 15 and after gym class we showered before our last class of the day. The showers were full so she came into my stall saying she was in a hurry and would I mind sharing. She took off her towel and this bitch was f-i-n-e. If I had a dick it would have been rock hard. I tried to look at the wall but she brushed up against me and my cooch flamed. That had never happened to me before. I moaned a little bit. The proud grin she displayed was nothing but pure satisfaction. She saw my rock hard nipples and didn't even ask me, she just squeezed one and it sent me into orbit. She lapped the other before taking it into her mouth and I swear I thought I would just pass out. She touched every part of my body and put my hands on every part of hers. I was so on fire with her every touch. I swear to god, I creamed her hands. After, we kissed for a bit and then she left."

"Well, what happened with her?" asked an intrigued Barbara.

"Like an idiot, I had a sharing moment with my mother and she told me my body was just playing tricks on me and it was a boy that I really needed. So I dated guys and slept with the first three trying to get that feeling back but couldn't. My mom even left the house so I could hook up with the first boy to prove I wasn't lesbo. The old bitch wants grandbabies and did her part to help things along."

"All right, Mary, let's have it." Barbara took a drink.

"I don't think so," said Mary.

"Come on, Mare," said Barbara.

A hush fell across the beach. The waves themselves stopped to witness her folly. Jill clutched a bottle. Mary turned red. Barbara's eyes grew wide. "Sorry . . . Mary." She said in a low whisper. Barbara hung her head low, but it wasn't enough to cool Jill's rising inferno. Barbara crossed the line and there was no way for her to get back across.

Mary viewed Jill's hand tightening around the bottle. What could Mary do to make it right? She burst out with panicked laughter. "All right, if I must." She rolled her eyes, feigning humiliation.

Mary huffed.

"My first time was with my high school boyfriend of three years. We did it the first time in the dugout of the school's baseball field one night. We were 15 and it was a Halloween night so we used trick or treat as our cover story. It was nothing special and Jill you know most of it anyway, remember roomie? We broke up senior year when he told me about the other two girls. I had no clue. I stood there with my mouth open catching fucking flies as this bastard laid it all out for me. He wanted us to go to college and all live together like a commune or some crazy shit, and thought I was stupid or strung out enough to do it. We had been together for three years and being faithful was not in his vocabulary, not by a long shot." Mary sighed and thought about how foolish she was. "I have to keep reminding myself to be aware of assholes. All right ladies we have to get to work tomorrow so let's get the fuck out of here." They packed up and went home.

Chapter 7: Pasta Disaster

Tuesday morning Mary and Jill carried packages for a Wednesday morning conference down Collins Avenue. Mary used the time to discuss Bert and Jill's problems to avoid her own. As they neared the hotel they happened upon Mrs. Cartwright exiting the building. Panic welled in Mary, she nearly dropped a package as they scampered behind bushes for a clandestine view. Color drained from Mary's face. Why was the old goat there? What new torture rested in her twisted mind? When the woman climbed into her car and drove off, they turned to each other, giggled hysterically for their foolishness, then hurried to the building for answers.

Barbara manned the front desk. "Mary, you must be the luckiest soul on the face of the planet. Guess who just left here looking for yo ass?"

"Um, Mrs. Cartwright?" Mary said with an innocent look and tone.

Barbara looked bewildered. "How on earth did you guess that?"

Mary looked at Jill, they burst with laughter.

Jill said through a fit of laughter, "we were coming around the corner and saw her."

"Oh." Barbara frowned, handing Mary a note. "Compliments of her Royal Highness."

Mary put her bags down and ripped open the envelope. Jill read beside her. "Um, I figured as much."

"Come on, what does it say?" asked Barbara.

"She has informed me that my community service hours have been augmented to include my 'present endeavors.'" Mary rolled her eyes at the note. "I have a new schedule approved by City Hall and her Royal Highness. I am officially being notified that I will be loaned out to the Miami Preservation Society in downtown South Beach to help clean up their beaches for an upcoming celebration. Then the bitch has the nerve to put me with a group of sex offenders to help clean up the Tuttle underpass." Mary balled up the note and put it in her pocket. "I'll be in my office and don't want any calls." Jill followed Mary to her office beaming to torture Barbara who scoffed at her.

Jill put her packages on the floor by the desk and left the room. She returned with doughnuts and coffee. Mary poured whiskey from a half-empty flask into glasses with ice cubes. "Girl, put that bullshit away, here try some of this."

Jill set down her coffee for a cool drink. "Don't let her get to you, Mare. That bitch just loves creating trouble. With all the criminals around her I don't know why she is on your ass. But I will say she picked a cutie." Jill laughed and drank some more of her drink, surreptitiously gazing at Mary.

Mary smirked but shifted in her seat. She drank down her drink and poured the rest of the whiskey into her cup. Jill watched but said nothing. She picked up her doughnut and ate while watching Mary with a lustful eye.

Mary felt eyes on her. "Problem?"

"Nope."

"Good."

"Who is going to take over for you while you are away?"

"Barb and Albert will be here. I'm still caught up on most things so it won't be that bad."

"Barb will just love that. You know she wants your job?"

"No, Jilly, she doesn't, that is just your imagination."

Jill watched her take another drink and couldn't resist the need for a little manipulation. "With you locked up, she loved being Queen Bee, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she didn't tell Mrs. Belmont or even Robert. You know he called at least twice, maybe more. Barb could be keeping the messages to herself."

Mary took her last sip and finished her drink. "No, Barb wouldn't do that. She did a great job while I was gone and I will not hear of any talk against her, all right?"

Jill put up her hands in surrender. "All right, all right, all right, all hail Barbara the conquering hero." Jill rose with her coffee. "I'm going to let you get back to work, call me if you need me." She went back to the dreaded switchboard, put on her jacket and earpiece and sat down for another boring day of hearing people complain and whine.

Later that day, Robert and Jerry anxiously arrived home: Jerry, because he had a lead on two new strip clubs, Robert, because he was ready to continue his relationship with Mary. After they cleared the security area they talked as they walked outside toward the taxicab station. Robert asked, "Are you going to rest tonight or hit the streets?"

"You know me, partner, I will be out and about as soon as I catch a few winks." Jerry pulled a $100 bill from his pocket and sniffed it to see if Midnight's fragrance was still strong and present on the bill. He smiled, pleased with the result. "Any plans for tonight?"

"Oh no, not me. I'm going to relax and then try and hook up with Mary for a quiet evening."

"Quiet? You haven't had a quiet evening with that woman since day one. Rob man, I'm not trying to rain on your parade but look at the facts man, this girl is poison. She causes a problem every time you hook-up with her. You told me yourself how she flies off the handle over the silliest thing. Cut your losses and come party with me. I know a set of twins that will love you; you know how they love the dark meat down here?" Jerry hit Robert playfully as if boxing.

Robert shook his head in pity. "I'm working on something special here, man, I know it. Easy come, easy go. This woman has potential and has the qualities I'm looking for. You go on play your games and I'll show you how the other half lives. Are you going back to the house?"

"Not yet, I have business to take care of first. I'm going to take a cab and get it out of the way before getting some sleep." Jerry waved for a cab and got in when it pulled up to the curb.

Robert watched his friend leave then hailed a cab.

"Belmont Hotel, how may I assist you?"

"Hello, this is Robert Tyler, I'm wondering if Mary has made it back yet."

"Just a moment, Mr. Tyler." Barbara put the call on hold and called Mary's office. "Mary, Robert is on line 1."

"Give me a minute and put him through, please." Mary's heart hammered as she rose. She hurried to her bathroom mirror to see how she looked. She then realized she was being silly and went back to her desk. The phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello."

"Hello, Mary, it's Robert. How are you?"

"Hello, Bob, I'm fine, how about yourself?"

"I'm great. Listen, I just made it back in town and wondered if you would like to get together this evening?"

"Yes, of course I would. I would like that very much."

"Fantastic. How about a drink at a club?"

Shock waves ran through Mary. Banned from several clubs and unwanted at others, she couldn't risk telling Robert. "Um, sounds good but how about something more intimate with just the two of us?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"How about my place? I would like to cook for you." In her urgency to throw him off, she voiced her great fault. She grimaced, hoping he would have an alternative.

After torturous silence, he spoke. "That sounds good, but I don't want to put you to so much trouble. I imagine that you have had a long day and would rather relax and unwind, perhaps let others serve you for a change."

"No, I'm fine. How about 7 o'clock tonight at my place. I'm at 300 Winston Towers apartment 618." She blindly stumbled on with more outbursts she regretted.

"All right, if it is not too much trouble?"

"Don't worry about a thing. I will see you tonight. Good-bye, Bob."

"Good-bye, Mary." He hung up the phone.

# # #

Mary berated herself in silence, standing over her hot stove, wilting like her pasta. She chose parties and friends over exceptional cooking and menial housekeeping. She would be no man's slave. She ran a finger down her mother's cookbook, fuming at the stove-top lasagna. She sighed. She stood in the kitchen wearing an apron with her hair in a loose ponytail. She stirred from pot to pot as steam billowed toward the ceiling. If she set the alarm off, she would die. She fanned the smoke, praying for salvation, maybe a small teeny-weenie miracle or two.

Turning off one burner, she coughed, fanned, then poured one pots contents into a bowl. She wiped the sweat from her brow and then brought out a deep skillet to fire up on the stove. Mary noticed the time and sped her project to completion. A knock at the door made her stomach drop. He was early. She quickly took off her apron and untied her hair. Mary raced to the mirror to primp. Her chest tightened at a second knock.

"Who is it?"

"Robert."

Mary opened the door and gave him a hug. "Hello, Robert, welcome to my home." She played hostess with a wide grin, showing him to her couch. "You're early, how about some TV?"

"Sure, why not."

Mary hid a nervous smile while turning on the television. She was sometimes at a loss of words with him. Was that a good sign? She would often ask herself the question but never had an answer. "My mother makes a stove-top pasta dish to die for, I thought I would give it a try and it is almost ready. I'll be back in a moment." She gave him the remote and told him to feel at home. Apprehension and nervousness rolled off her in waves. She hoped he couldn't feel or see it. She gave him a soft pat on his shoulder before returning to the kitchen. A thousand questions and condemnations swirled in her head.

Robert sat reflecting on Mary's facial expression. How could he get her to see reason and not worry so much? How could he get her to trust him? He looked at Mary in the kitchen by the stove cooking and his mind raced around trying to come up with something. He then had a thought, "Can you come here, Mary?"

Mary's eyes darted to him, her face ghostly pale. "What?"

"Please, come here, Mary, I have something I want to tell you. Turn the food off and come here. It won't take but a minute."

Mary turned the burner to its lowest setting. She took off her apron and came and stood in front of Robert. "Yes?"

Robert took Mary's hand and caressed it for a moment. He then looked her in the eye. "I'm not good at long speeches or reading signs so I will be as clear with you as I can. I have strong feelings for you and believe we're made for each other. I don't know how to say it any other way to get you to believe me and make it real for you. I like you, I know it has only been a short time but I know it and I feel it." He squeezed her hand softly and watched her.

Mary broke eye contact but held his hand. She did not know what to make of this mystery man who confounded her so. Mary knew Robert was a good man that was not the question. Her mind honed-in on his dishonesty, something she hadn't considered until that moment. Why didn't he tell her he was rich? He must be to play the markets for days at a time. Why didn't he trust her with that knowledge? Why the secrecy? Why didn't she have a way to get in touch with him if she needed him? Mary did not know what to say to make things all right between them. She searched for the correct response knowing she couldn't ask him the questions on her mind, but she drew a blank. Mary forced herself to look back into his eyes but could only hold his gaze a few seconds. She forced a smile and sighed. "I don't know what to say. I was never good at these things. What do you want from me, what do you want me to say? Tell me and I will say it."

Robert's heart sank. He closed his eyes, releasing her hand. "I don't want you to say anything you don't want to say. Just know that I care for you." He stood and gave her a tender kiss. Mary responded to his kiss and felt his love flow around her. Mary started crying and fell into Robert's arms; she became a puddle of despair. Her tears soaked his shirt and she could not control the flow of tears. Mary wailed for a long time while he hugged and comforted her, squeezing tighter to reaffirm his presence. He was there for the long term. Her rock. She held on to him for dear life.

A blaring alarm brought them back to reality. "Oh my god!" screamed Mary, rushing to the kitchen. She fanned the smoke, turned off the burner, then viewed the horror before her. She wished the floor could open and swallow her whole. She fell to the floor in a pool of her own tears. Every time she planned something special it went horribly wrong.

After opening the door, Robert knelt by her but she refused him. She would ruin him like their meal. She had to get away from him to save him. She and her many faults were on display for all to see. If he was smart, he would run now. Instead, Robert grasped her, she twisted in his arms, fighting, but he held her against her will. After a while she surrendered.

After a time Robert asked a question. "Do you want to stay in or go out to eat, I'm game for either?"

"You decide." Mary whimpered.

"Pizza, I will order us a pizza. Are you allergic to any toppings or have any favorites?"

"Anything you want will be fine with me."

Robert took out his cell phone. "Yes. One large Meat Lover's pizza and two of the one-liter cokes. Also give me your lasagna for two and the bread sticks and hot wings as the sides." He listened to the speaker give him some information and he gave back more information before hanging up. "We will eat in about 30 minutes. I understand you guys had a rock-n-roll star stay at the Belmont, we have enough time for you to give me the scoop before dinner."

Mary gave an awkward smile to her champion, happy to change the subject.

Pizza arrived 40 minutes later. Mary laughed as she saw Robert at the door trying to get the man to give them their meal for free. She continued to laugh as the man explained why that was not their promotion. Robert winked at Mary, pleased he managed to talk the driver into free sides. He then set the meal before Mary.

After eating, they enjoyed a movie, a welcome distraction to keep conversation at a minimum.

"Bob, will you stay the night with me?" Immediately she regretted the blunder. Jill had given her the movie to keep her mouth shut.

"I would love to, but I have to warn you, first, I snore like a runaway freight train and second, I have to get up early in the morning for work."

Mary laughed louder than she had in years. "That's fine, so do I." Mary rose to reward her champion.

Chapter 8: Caught

Mary rose with Robert but kept silent on her need for an early start to her day. She walked him to the door then left for community service in South Beach.

At noon, she received a phone call for group counseling at Regan Hall. She was upset for having to go early and sat fuming while losers rose to tell of their alcoholic woes. Mary detested these people and had no interest in their pitiful stories. She declined to speak when it was her turn and resisted all efforts to join in any discussions. After the hour was up she went to Mr. Piper's office for her individual counseling.

"Were you comfortable in group today?"

"It was all right."

"That's not what I asked, were you comfortable in group today?"

"Yes."

"If that's true, why didn't you participate?"

"I was there, that is participation."

"Let me be clear about something. If you think you are going to just mark time until your year is up, you are dead wrong. I have seen many people like you and I am the expert here, not you. Don't think you can fool me. If I write a report to the court saying you refused treatment or refused to cooperate . . . probation ends, you do your jail time. I believe your paperwork calls for you to do several years in jail. Believe me; you will do every second of that time. I have written those letters for more than one hundred and fifty people last year and over seventy so far this year. I have no problem sending you to jail. You give me the idea that is what you want and I will oblige you in a heartbeat. Are we clear?"

Mary nodded.

"Good." Mr. Piper rose and opened the door. As if her hopes weren't dashed enough, a woman walked through the door to add salt to the wound. "I am assigning you a sponsor. Her job is to monitor and keep you safe. I will leave you in her hands." Mr. Piper left the room.

Sara Bravo was a second generation Chilean American who looked more white than Chilean. She shook Mary's hand. "Hello, Mary, I'm Sara and I'm happy to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," said Mary, giving a tentative look to the woman.

Sara walked over and sat behind Piper's desk. She was 53 with brown shoulder length hair and spoke with a light Spanish accent. "Please sit back down. This won't take long. I have read your file and you need to know that we go further with our intervention and counseling programs than others." She looked at Mary sitting erect in her chair. "First, in group you will talk, you don't have to stand up and say you are an alcoholic. Frankly speaking, I don't think you believe it so why should anyone force you to say it. Just talk, once you start, you might be surprised. We are encouraging here and others need the lifeline that we provide. Second, before you leave you will take a drug test to check your alcohol levels. Third, you are neither to have alcoholic beverages nor to misuse any product that contains alcohol. You will get one break only, if you test positive you have one chance to fix it before we terminate your probation. Take this seriously, Miss Lake, your life depends on it. Any questions?"

"Nope."

"Well then, let's get started. I need total honesty from you, trust me so I can trust you. Now when was the last time you had any alcohol?"

Mary shuffled in her chair, debating. "Four or five days ago."

A thin smile spread across Miss Bravo's face. She lowered her head for a moment. She collected herself to face her opponent. "I apologize for not being clear. It's entirely my fault so please forgive me for my error. When was the last time alcohol touched your lips?"

"I'm not an alcoholic if that is what you are trying to get at. I can go days without drinking and only drink with my friends. It has been days since I last had something to drink. I was locked up, remember?"

"All right, just checking. Come with me and I will give you your cup and show you where to go." Miss Bravo led Mary down the hall to a small room. "This is Mrs. Braks, she will conduct the test, follow her instructions." She handed the woman a form and went back down the hall. The woman wrote Mary's name on a cup and showed her to the small bathroom.

Mary tried to close the door and the woman stopped her, "the door stays open. Do not put your fingers on the inside of the cup and keep your hands where I can see them." Shame covered Mary's face. Protesting was useless, it meant jail time. She drew a long breath then hiked up her skirt, protesting with a heated scowl to burn the woman's eyes from her head. Afterward, she trudged back to the office and plopped down in a chair. Miss Bravo returned with a clipboard in her hand. "Are you going back to work after you leave here?"

"Yeah, I have a job."

"I need you to keep in mind one thing only. You are not allowed to have alcohol, not even from cough syrup. Everything will show up on your test and you will have another one next week. Do not fail any of these tests, are we clear?"

"Yes, I heard you the first time. I'm clean and it's not that hard."

"Mary, you seem to be under a false impression of this program and your condition. You will go through withdrawal and it will be more severe than what you believe. It is not a cakewalk. Some withdrawals are violent and the stages run from simple hand twitches to full-blown body shaking. You can experience hallucinations and seizures and require hospitalization and medicines. Thinking you can beat this on your own is the first sign that you are in denial. Alcohol addiction makes the body crave it more and forces you to get it. You will fight the world and those closest to you. You will lash out and not know why and become sick for no good reason. These are warning signs that you need help and your support system is the key to survival. Tomorrow I will stop by your workplace and meet your friends. I hope they will support you like you think."

"Wait a minute here, I have listened to everything you have said and cooperated fully. You have no right going to my job and telling my business to people I work with." Mary's face filled with heat at the earlier accusations, but this was over the top.

"I have no intentions of revealing your condition to your coworkers. I would like to meet your friends, if that is an inconvenience for you then I won't."

"Thank you."

"Here is my card, if you have questions or need help, call me. You're free to go."

"Thank you." Mary left as fast as she could. She checked her watch as she approached the bus stop and left a message at the hotel saying she was out of town in case Robert called. She was back in her office by 3:00 pm but before she could reach for her desk drawer and pull out a mini bottle, a knock came from her door.

# # #

Earlier that day, while Mary attended counseling, Sara Bravo paid a visit to the hotel. She walked up to the front desk with papers in her hand and asked to speak with Barbara Limbaugh. Albert had her wait in the lobby and phoned Barbara. Barbara arrived and went to greet the woman. "Hello, I am Barbara Limbaugh. You were asking for me?"

"Yes," said Miss Bravo. She stood up and shook her hand. "Please have a seat, I have something to discuss with you."

Barbara sat down.

"I asked around. You are a friend of Mary Lake?"

"Yes, I am."

"Would you consider yourself one of her closest friends?"

"Yes, I would, why do you ask?"

"I'm a counselor with Regan Hall and have to do independent analysis for her treatment program. You are aware of her treatment?"

"Yes, she told me. What does that have to do with me?"

"I must evaluate her friends. Do you think Mary has friends that lead her down the wrong path and add to her troubles?"

Barbara stayed silent, giving the woman her strongest glare.

"Listen, Barbara, may I call you Barbara? I have to setup a program for Mary to get her away from alcohol, not people. I am not here to cut her friends out of her life. I don't know her but I feel that she is a valuable human being and has a lot to offer. She needs to acknowledge that she drinks too much and needs to find alternatives. I need your help to help your friend. I will ask you a simple question that will not betray Mary. Does she have a friend that drinks more than she does?"

Barbara's tension eased the more the woman talked. She felt as if someone lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders. The woman made sense. She took the chance and responded. "No. Not that I know of."

"Thank you for helping Mary." She smiled warmly at Barbara. She took out a notepad. "Please answer a few more questions then I will be out of your hair. Some or simple and make no sense while others or not. Let me give you an example, what is Mary's favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Does Mary have both checking and savings accounts?"

"I'm not sure."

"Does Mary drink more than you do?"

"Sometimes."

"Did she drink before starting work today?"

"I have not seen her today."

Miss Bravo wrote in her notepad. "Please help Mary and respond better. She will not get effective treatment if you stonewall. Do you want Mary to take a treatment program?"

"Yes."

"Would you take one with her if you could?"

"Yes."

"Would all of her close friends?"

"I guess."

"On the night of Mary's arrest, what did you have to drink at Club Calis?"

Barbara thought back to the night. "Apple martini, then some beer."

"What did you have to eat?"

"Hot wings and pretzels in the club, a double cheeseburger and fries on the way there."

"That's good."

Barbara blushed then sat taller.

"What did Mary have to drink that night?"

Barbara thought. "She and Jill had Mojitos before I arrived and beer later."

"What did she have to eat?"

"I am not sure. There was food at the table but I don't know who ate what."

"What did Mary drink before going to the club?"

"I don't know."

"Mini bottles?"

How did she know? Barbara wrung her hands absently. She twisted in her seat before wiping clammy hands on her skirt.

"Yes, she has some in her office desk drawer. We all had one."

"What did Mary have to drink last night?"

"I'm not sure."

"Did she drink anything with you Monday night?"

"Maybe a mini bottle or some wine but not a lot."

"Barbara, do you recognize me?"

Barbara bristled. "No."

"Look closely at me, Miss Limbaugh. Are you sure you have never seen me before?"

Barbara let her eyes roam across the woman's face. She arched her brows in frustration. She searched her memory. Her face lit up. "The beach, you were on the beach the other night."

"Yes, I was the woman who asked you and your friends for a drink and you told me to fuck off. I was there checking on Mary. Did you know she was not supposed to be drinking? Not even one sip of alcohol."

"I told you to get lost; it was Jill who said 'fuck off'. I remember that night, Miss Bravo. And no, she said she had treatment and counseling but never said she was supposed to be going dry. Is she in trouble?"

"Not if you help her by helping me. Mary is in denial about her condition and she cannot afford to be lied-to by her friends. Tell her the truth always, especially when she doesn't want to hear it. If you protect her you are enabling her and she will fail. Many people have died while in denial; don't let it happen to her. Now, tell me everything."

Barbara felt the door slamming, caught in the carefully-laid trap. She told Miss Bravo everything she knew about last night, Monday night, and the night at the club. When finished, the woman thanked her and left. She returned to the center and Mr. Piper brought her in to meet Mary in person.

# # #

Barbara was cleaning a glass table by the pool and saw Miss Bravo walk into the hotel. Albert was at the front desk. Barbara rushed to the side door and went up the back way to Mary's office and feverishly knocked on the door. Mary answered. Barbara rushed into the room, slamming the door, eyes wide. "Oh god, Mary, you are in trouble. Big trouble. There is a woman in the lobby, her name is Sara Bravo and she is here to talk to you about the other night." Barbara was talking so fast Mary could not understand it all.

All Mary heard was the name. "Bravo? That woman is here, now?"

"You know her?"

"I met her today. She is my assigned counselor person from Regan Hall. What the fuck does she want?"

"To talk about your nights of drinking, Mary. Did she ask you about last night, or Monday night when you met her?"

"A few questions."

"Mary, she knows everything about Monday night. Where we were, what we drank, EVERYTHING! She was there. You remember the woman that asked us for a drink and we told her to get lost? That was her, she was checking up on you then."

"Oh fuck! Damn it!" Mary paced around the room not sure what to do next.

"What did you tell her, Mary?"

"I told her I didn't drink anything last night and haven't had anything in days."

Mary's phone rang on her desk. They looked at the phone as if it were a space creature. Mary walked over and with a shaking hand picked it up. "Hello. Yes Albert, escort her to my office." Fear rolled through her like a great ocean wave rising to sink a helpless ship. She put down the phone and put a hand to her chest.

"Should I go or do you want me to stay?"

"Get in the closet and be quiet." Barbara ran to the closet to hide.

Mary waited for the knock at the door and then opened it. "Thank you, Albert, come in Miss Bravo." She came in and Mary closed the door.

"Please call me Sara; I want to be on a first name basis with you." She sat down and waited for Mary to sit. "I'll be brief. I'm your sponsor, that means I'm your mother, father, priest, warden, and everyone else rolled up into one. I can't send you back to jail but I can make recommendations. You have lied to me so we are not off to a good start. I don't care about your other relationships but I will not tolerate you lying to me and you will not do it. You are absolutely restricted from alcohol from this minute forward. Not a drop. If your friends drink then you avoid them. You are restricted from clubs and any place that serves alcohol. I will keep watch over your intake levels and inform Mr. Piper when you have reverted to your old ways. He will take it from there. Like I said, I will be brief. Obey the rules or else, your choice. Thank you for your time." She got up to leave. "We will talk again on Friday."

Barbara burst from the closet as the door shut.

"Oh god, Mary. It's my fault. I'll help. You are not alone. Okay?" Barbara gave her a warm hug.

Chapter 9: A Game is Afoot

Robert invited Mary to lunch at Aventura Mall on her day off. He wanted a place surrounded by people yet something a little more intimate. He knew Mary was real sensitive and for some reason she did not want to go to a fancy restaurant. An outside setting would give her the much-needed space she asked for without saying a word. They viewed the tables at the entrance to the mall. The hostess walked up. "Welcome to Espanados, I am Gabrielle your hostess, a table for two?" She spoke with a strong Spanish accent.

Robert responded, "yes, two please."

Gabrielle led them to a shaded spot with only a couple of tables. "If this is satisfactory for you, I will get your waitress."

"Yes, it is lovely." Robert pulled out a chair for Mary. He then took his seat across from her.

The waitress rushed over. "My name is Daniella and I will be serving you. Take your time to look at our menu and order when ready." Daniella smiled, handing them menus. "Would you like to start with a drink?" Daniella was also Latina.

Robert smiled at her. "Thank you. I would like a Cartado, with sugar on the side please. Mary?"

Mary said, "una lemonaid . . . a lemonade please," she struggled to get the words out.

Daniella replied, "Un Cartado y una limonada, un momento por favor." She left to get their drinks.

"I wish I could speak Spanish." Mary said. "It is a beautiful language, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is." Robert replied while smiling at her. "Are you comfortable sitting there? We can move if you would rather sit somewhere else."

"No, this is fine. Thank you for asking." Mary wore a light blue tank and white shorts. She had a bikini on underneath because she didn't know where Robert would be taking her. She looked down at her breasts and became a little self-conscious thinking everyone was staring at them. She felt they were too large and creeping over the edge of the tank. "Bob, I have to go to the bathroom. I will be right back. If the waitress comes back before I do would you order me the poached salmon please."

"I would be happy to." Robert replied, standing in chivalry fashion.

"I won't be long," said Mary. She was glad to get out of ordering, knowing she would make a mess of it and further embarrass herself. The bathroom was the perfect excuse. It would give her time to adjust her top and refocus her nerves.

When Mary made it back to the table her drink and food waited. "Don't get up, sorry I took so long." She took a drink of her lemonade. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. A woman requires lots of time," he smiled, "and patience. I knew you didn't run out and stick me with the check." Robert laughed.

"No, I didn't. Let's eat, but first a toast to patience." Mary said. They clinked glasses and started eating their meals.

Robert sensed her reluctance as he watched her push food about, occasionally nibbling as a change of pace. He looked at her for the longest time but said not a word.

Mary didn't know how to say it but she was having doubts about her relationship with Robert. Unsure and wavering in her resolve, she needed a lot of reassurance from her partner that everything would be all right. Mary had not been in a long-term relationship in quite a while and this relationship was happening so quickly she did not have time to think or plan. It was always her strategy for relationships, to make them last by planning them out in advance. She loved details and needed to imagine all possible outcomes before diving headfirst. A broken heart is something she dared not risk, especially for love of this kind. Mary stared down at her lunch, petrified, taking small bites to keep Robert from noticing.

Robert studied her, then called his waitress. "May we have the bill? We are finished."

"You have barely begun eating, is something wrong with the meal? I can get you something else," Daniella said.

"No thank you, the meal was perfect. We are just not that hungry. May I have the bill, please?"

"Claro, I will be back in a minute, sir."

Mary looked up at Robert. "That was not necessary, finish your lunch."

"I'm done. Besides, I have something I want to give you, something you really need."

"Bob, I am fine. I don't need anything. I'm just not hungry today."

"Mary, my sweet Mary, allow me to decide what you need. It's my job."

Mary smiled, "your job? Since when did it become your job?"

Robert looked at Mary no longer smiling. He drew her in with his eyes, waiting for her to stop fighting and lock eyes with him. "When I fell in love with you."

A chill crept through Mary. Not sure of her feelings, she said nothing. She sat stunned, silent, pondering what to say next. This was one of those crucial times in relationships when the future of the couple is at stake. She thought about what she should say. What she should do.

Before Mary could respond the waitress walked over with the bill. "Here you are, sir. Please come back and dine with us soon. If I can be of further assistance to you, don't hesitate to call on me."

"Thank you, just a moment." Robert paid in cash and brought a gleeful smile to her face with a generous tip. "We had a lovely time and we'll be back soon. Promise."

"Thank you, I look forward to your return."

Robert and Mary left the outside restaurant area and walked into the mall. As they walked, they looked at the different stores, keeping their thoughts secret. Robert pointed ahead to the left to a toy store. "Up for an adventure?" he waggled his brows.

Puzzlement spread across her face but she did not resist. Silence was golden and would see her through. His words echoed through the hollowness of her head, driving sanity away. Becoming angsty and wanting to clamp her hands around her head, Mary broke the silence. "You want to play a game?"

"All life is a game."

"Really?"

"Yes," Robert studied her again. "Do you think I'm playing games with you now? with your heart? with your emotions?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

Robert smiled and turned to the shelf with the board games. "I like this one best." He turned back to her holding a game box: Checkers."

Mary laughed. "Okay, but I prefer Tic-Tac-Toe."

"We'll get both." Mary searched the shelves, happy for the diversion. Robert paid for his games and they returned to her apartment to play her preferred game.

"Which would you like, the X's or the O's?"

"X's please." They setup on the living room table.

"Great, I'll be the homey little O's," he smiled. "I take it you were class champion back in the day."

"No, I just like the fact that it's simple. It doesn't require you to think that hard. I hate chess. I mean seriously, who wants to waste time trying to be a brainiac and prove you're smarter than everyone else? That's a game for nerdy idiots with no life." Mary arranged her X's on the table in front of her.

"Hate to tell you, but I love chess. I use it in business."

Mary's heart sank, she did it again. She beat herself up for even opening her mouth. Lord I always say the wrong thing. She tried to say something to recover from her blunder. "I'm sorry, Robert, I didn't mean it. I was just . . ."

"Mary," Robert gave a stern look. "Stop it! You have an opinion and I love it when you express it. Yes, I said love; I love it when you speak your mind. You are not under a microscope, no judgments. Say what you feel, that's the real you."

Mary hung her head. "I'm sorry."

Robert crinkled his brow, "sorry for what? You have done nothing wrong. Now are you going to play this game and take your ass kicking like a real woman or not? Nobody has ever beaten me at this game; of course I did let a few babies win so they wouldn't cry." He chuckled.

Mary sat taller, brighter. "Bring it on. I have taken down bigger men than you, and they cried like little bitches."

"Oh yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"Don't worry, it's being brought, sister." Robert went first and put his O in the top left corner.

"Not so fast," Mary put her X in the middle.

Robert then put an O in the middle left box. Followed by Mary putting an X in the bottom left box. Robert followed with an O in the top right box to prevent her from winning. She reciprocated by putting an X in the top middle box. Robert blocked her win with an O in the bottom middle box. Mary responded with an X in the bottom right box.

"I don't have to make the last move do I?"

"Nope," Mary said with glee.

"I suppose you can do this all night?"

"Exactly," Mary replied with laughter. "I can't lose."

"You can't win either."

"Of course I can. I just sit back and wait for you to make a mistake out of frustration and boom," her eyes grew large, "I win."

"So, if I never make a mistake, you never win."

"Wrong, if you never make a mistake, I never lose. That's the whole point." Mary's hand started to twitch a little so she got up and went to the refrigerator and grabbed a plastic orange jug. "You want a glass of orange juice?"

"No thanks, I'm still strategizing."

"Strategizing?" Mary chuckled and poured herself a glass of juice. She was happy with her game play. She remembered how the snotty kids at school could beat her at everything else, but they couldn't beat her at her best game. Mary took her victory glass of juice back to the table and plopped down.

"I concede you the victory, Tic-Tac-Toe is your game. How about Checkers, are you any good at my game?"

"Of course." Mary stated with confidence.

"Checkers is slightly more complicated but the principles are the same."

Mary watched him setup the board, her thoughts strayed to his skin color. I don't think I could go with a guy who was so dark that he absolutely would stand out in a crowd. Where did that come from? Mary shook off the dark thoughts, people watching her made her feel unworthy, as if she were a dissected bug with every fault on display. Mary looked at her arm noticing her skin color. She was not a light-skinned, white woman but instead had a great tan. Mary was proud to be a Floridian and went to the beaches often; her goal was to visit every beach in her state by age 25. Though she failed she has visited every beach in southern Florida. Mary stared intently at her skin and imagined a life with a man of darker skin. What color would their children be? What kind of hair would they have? What neighborhood would they live in? Would they play more with white kids or black kids? Who would accept them more? Mary thought up many questions all of which had no answers. She would have to take the plunge to find out. She took another sip of her juice and sat it down on a coaster. As she went over everything, a new thought ruptured her conscience.

Robert watched her face grow slack and pale. Clearly she was no longer in a good mood. "What's the matter?"

"I don't like being played." She said coolly, controlling her breathing, unable to stop her racing heart and the sinking feeling that accompanied it.

"I'm not playing you."

"Yes, you are. You have been playing Chess with me all night long and I don't like it."

"Chess? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you used me with that Tic-Tac-Toe bullshit. All your fucking 'strategizing' and shit, you just wanted to judge me." Hot anger flashed through her, filling her, fueling her. She was on the verge of hauling off and slapping him for being an arrogant son of a bitch. "Why can't you just talk to me? Why do you have to play bullshit games? I have feelings you know!"

Robert knew better than to argue. He stood and said, "I'm sorry." He moved away from the table and started walking toward the door. When he reached the door, he turned toward Mary. "You want me to talk, well, I want you to talk to me as well. I'm not afraid to talk, I'll be glad when you can say the same." He opened the door and left.

After the door closed, Mary stared at the game for a moment. She put her head down on the table and just cried until she couldn't cry anymore. She hated when she was the one who screwed up the relationship. Mary shuffled to bed, tears welling in her eyes.

Chapter 10: Jerry's Gift

Barbara was not as fortunate as Mary, she worked Thursday. Jerry arrived with a huge smile and flowers behind his back. He walked up to Barbara grinning, undeterred by her cautious stare. "For you, my lady." He handed her a vase full of small white and blue flowers. Jerry bowed and rose to look up at a grateful Barbara.

"Is this your way of trying to smooth things over?" She smelled the flowers. "They are beautiful, what are they?"

"Forget-Me-Nots. I was a very, very, very bad boy. If you were smart, you would spank me."

Unable to keep her anger, Barbara burst with laughter. "I couldn't stay mad at you even if I wanted to. I hate you for being so smooth. Nothing but a heartbreaker."

"Oh no you don't, you stole my heart at Robert's house. With all that dazzling fiery red hair and that smoking hot bod, I was a goner from the git go. Maybe I should be spanking you instead?" Jerry joined her laughter.

"Hello, Jerry, what brings you by?"

"Hello, Miss Barbara, comparing you here at work with the way you looked at the ball the other night is remarkable. What a heavenly transformation."

"Yes, I clean up good, don't I?"

"If ever there was a real live Cinderella, I'm looking at her. But to get to why I am here taking the chance on you not killing me for not calling you or getting in touch, I was hoping you would go out with me tonight. How would you like to join me at the Starlight Club?"

Excitement sparkled in Barbara's eyes, but she didn't answer right away. She ran through the list of banned and problem clubs and decided this was not one of them. "Sure. Will you be picking me up in a limousine or a pumpkin carriage?"

Jerry laughed. "I got a limo with your name on it. Say you will be my Cinderella tonight?"

Barbara laughed, still holding her flowers. "With these, you are halfway home." She grinned at Jerry. Some guests arrived for check-in and she waited on them. Jerry held up his fingers and mouthed 7 o'clock, right here. Barbara nodded and he left.

Jerry came back that evening in a limousine to pick up Barbara who waited in a simple gray strapless party dress. Jerry stood in the limousine's sunroof posing, brightening her mood. He not only held her interest for the ride, but shocked her when they strolled by the bouncer—Jerry high-fived the large man. They found a booth in the noisy club and sat for drinks. They watched people dance for a bit before getting up to join in. They danced a few dances before returning to their table.

"Jerry, I'm having a great time tonight. I thought I would never hear from you again."

"I'm sorry; I can be a real asshole sometimes. You are not the only one who was mad at me."

"Jill called you?" she asked in surprise.

"No, I mean Rob. He got so pissed at me I thought he would stay mad forever. He was afraid I would ruin things between you girls and in turn ruin things for him and Mary. He told me to stay in New York until I made up my mind about you and Jill."

"And did you?" her grey eyes turned up to his brown ones, trying to read his face.

"I'm back."

"I'm not sure if I won or not."

"You did."

"You chose to be with me over being with Jill, big chested, built-in flotation devices Jill."

"Yeah."

"I'm honored. What do I win?"

"Just little old me, at least for the night, if you're real lucky." Jerry grinned showing every polished tooth he possessed.

Barbara laughed with him and then called for a server. "I feel like champagne, bring us your best bottle, please."

"Right away, Ma'am," said the server.

"You're going to make me pay aren't you?"

"You fucked up. You always have to pay the piper. Let's dance some more." Barbara grabbed Jerry's hand and led him back out onto the dance floor. After a long slow dance, they returned to the table.

Jerry poured the champagne and made a toast. "To forgiveness." They drank down their champagne and he refilled the glasses. "To joy." They clinked glasses.

Jerry refilled them and Barbara made a toast. "May your dreams not come true tonight." She chuckled and started drinking.

"Hey, come on Cinderella. You are seriously not going to do me like that, I know?"

Barbara chuckled some more. "Why don't you get me back into the limo before it turns into a pumpkin?" She gave Jerry a sly look.

"Oh yeah!" Jerry gulped his drink, grabbed the half empty bottle, and called for the check. He rushed Barbara to the limo. She gave the driver directions to her house and she and Jerry shared a few kisses and gropes on the way to her apartment.

They were fully dressed when the driver opened their door and let them out, though Jerry's shirt missed a button and Barbara's top tipped at the wrong angle. "Thank you," said Barbara, blushing at the driver. She took Jerry's hand and led him into the building to her apartment. She led Jerry to her bedroom and had him sit on the edge of the bed while she entertained him by humming to a fake striptease.

"All right, go baby go," said Jerry watching and waiting with anticipation.

Barbara chuckled then reached for the stereo on her dresser. She clicked it on and began stripping in earnest. Jerry followed her with his head but never left the spot he was sitting in. He loved a good strip show. He patiently watched while she took off her dress and threw it to him. He smelled her dress's middle, then arched his eyes, causing her to giggle and radiate heat. Barbara danced as sexy and seductively as she could in her bra and panties. She then sat in his lap and danced some more, allowing him to run his hands over the full length of her hotness. They kissed for a while and then Barbara was up again, wanting this night to be more than a quickie. She removed her strapless bra and flung it toward a closet. Then she removed her wet panties and threw them to Jerry. She stayed out of his reach and continued to dance. "Smell them," she said, and Jerry complied. Barbara was even more turned on now and felt her juices starting to trickle down her thigh. She turned around and gave Jerry his best view of her backside.

"What do you think?"

Jerry relished every moment, stiffening, hurting, anxious to move to the main event for sweet release. "There are no words." She had the most beautiful ass in the world. He had not seen it before but she also had a small tattoo of a bird right below her panty line. This time he was going to cherish this woman and her assets — all the other times they had rushed in darkness — this time would be slower. He was determined to please this beautiful red-haired swaying goddess.

"You better be ready," said Barbara. She came to him and took his hand and placed it between her thighs. Jerry felt her heat and wetness and slid a finger inside her pulsing opening. Barbara moaned. She clamped around the finger and swayed. Jerry had seen a lot, but not that. He nearly lost it. Barbara released then undressed him and they made love all night. Jerry spent the night with Barbara, the first man to do so in over a year.

The next morning, off from work, Barbara asked Jerry to take her to breakfast. Jerry called the limousine again. Barbara did not want to let this moment go to waste. She pressed the button and told the driver to drive around slowly so she could properly thank her date for a wonderful night. The driver nodded, then smiled. She then pressed another button and the privacy window rolled skyward. Barbara unzipped his pants. She gripped him firmly then gave him what he had begged for on the ride home. She wanted to then, but resisted to make the night more meaningful. Now nothing stood in the way. She licked her lips, gave him a wink, then wrapped beautiful red lips around his throbbing cock.

Jerry moaned louder and louder. Barbara worked faster and faster. Then she stopped. She slid out of her clothes and they made love in the back of the limousine as it drove down the streets of Miami. When they arrived at their destination they stepped out of the limo as if nothing had occurred. They ate at an outside café by the ocean, watching the waves roll in and out. After breakfast they went swimming and hung out in South Beach for half the day.

"Barb, I have bad news. I have to get going." The limo took them back to her apartment. Jerry gave a warm smile before she exited. "I have a meeting with Rob the next two days and then we'll go to the Starlight and seal our deal. I would invite you, but no women allowed. Can I call you later?"

"You better." Barbara stepped out of the limousine and waved good-bye.

Chapter 11: The Heart of the Matter

Robert had not called. Mary worried. Had she gone too far? She let her mind wonder about all the mistakes she made. She picked up her phone, deciding to do some reconnaissance.

"Barb, what's going on?"

"Hey, Mary, how are you?"

"I'm fine, how about you?"

"I'm on cloud nine. I just got back from South Beach with Jerry. We spent the day just chilling on the beach. It was fantastic."

Sadness overtook Mary as she lay on her bed listening to Barbara's happy tale. She thought of the best way to approach the subject and then dove in. "Barb, I have run into a problem and I need your help."

"Of course, Mary, do you need me to cover for you at work?"

"No, that's not it. Listen, I went out with Robert Thursday morning and we kind of had a small disagreement and he hasn't spoken to me since. I was wondering if maybe Jerry knew what he was doing tomorrow night. I will wait and see if he calls; maybe he just needs to cool off, if not I figured that I should take the lead and make the first move."

"What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did something?"

"Come on, Mary, I know you. Tell me what happened."

"All right, damn. I blew up at him over a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. He left my apartment and hasn't said a word to me since. If I know where he will be I can try to smooth things over. Can you call Jerry and ask him for me?"

"No need, I know where he will be. They have a meeting then they will go to the Starlight Club to seal their deal. Jerry told me earlier today."

"Oh, thank god! Thanks, that's what I needed to know."

"All right, Mary, good luck to you. Oh and beg, you hear me, girl? Get down on your knobby little knees and beg your ass off."

"I will. Good-bye, Barb and thanks again."

"Good-bye, Mary."

Mary hung up the phone and thought about her next move. If he did not get in touch with her by morning then she would make the first move. Maybe this is what he wanted; maybe he was still playing his game with her.

Mary had a rough night Friday night. She woke up several times and her hands started to shake badly at one point. Mary drenched her sheets with sweat so in the middle of the night she changed them and sat up reading a book until morning. She got an early start on her community service and checked her service at home to see if Robert had called.

Barbara gave her the bad news when she made it back to the hotel. Robert had not called.

Later Saturday evening, Mary planned her apology. She was still sure he orchestrated the whole thing in order to see what her life strategy was. The part that made her angry was that he was correct about her; she plays to a draw in life. How could she not. With all the issues she has she knows that her winning anything is unrealistic so why put forth the effort. She had experienced too much heartache in her short life to keep trying. This was her closely guarded secret and she could not risk letting this man she barely knew find her weakness. She protected herself in the only way she knew how, by getting angry and exploding, throwing him off track. If he came back after that she would be sure he was serious about her. Mary looked in her closet for something to wear. She found a blue tight fitting dress. It had a V-cut that would show cleavage. Mary took off her clothes and started dressing by putting on a sheer, nude-colored, strapless bra with matching panties. She pulled the dress over her head and wiggled it down her tanned body. The dress clung to her in all the right places. She was happy with the results from her full-length mirror. The cleavage was a bit much but she had some apologizing to do and needed to bring out the big guns. Mary grabbed her purse and left for the club.

She arrived at the Starlight and stood in a long line stretching half a block. She thought for a second, this must be the night for the new Miami R&B group 813. She remembered reading in the paper that they were kicking off their world tour at the Starlight. Mary waited in line and after an hour she made it to the front doors. She paid her way in and went in looking around for Robert. The club had a mix of scantily clad people shaking their goods on the dance floor. She saw different shades of her dress on slutty, gyrating bodies. She had been to the club before and had gotten her dress cues from the women on the dance floor. This was her way of making sure she would fit in and not stand out as an idiot. Mary looked across the dance floor, several women had plunging necklines that made her look like a nun. She shook her head at them and continued to look for Robert.

After having no luck with her search, she sat at a round table with round seats on the second level overlooking the dance floor. Perched here, she would see Robert when he came in. A waitress came by and she ordered a drink and sipped it as she watched the crowds.

"Hello there, gorgeous," said a man in a three-piece white suit. He looked like the guy from the movie Saturday Night Live. She waited to see if he would strike a pose like the man did.

"Hello." Mary finally said.

"I saw you when you came in sweet thang; you want to go get down on the dance floor?" He then posed like the man from the movie and Mary burst out laughing.

She couldn't help herself, he was too funny. "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone. Thank you for asking though."

"Whatever, bitch!" The man stormed off. Mary watched him harass a woman on the first floor. He struck his pose and Mary laughed again. She sipped her drink and once again scanned for Robert.

Robert entered with an entourage that included Jerry Carpenter. The four men wore slacks and dress shirts. The two that she didn't know wore ties. All carried suit coats. They took a booth in the back of the first floor that allowed them privacy but still allowed them to see the dancers. Mary waited until they had their drinks before striding to Robert's table. "Hey, you guys look like you're celebrating?"

"Yes, mami, we are celebrating a good day," said the Hispanic man at the table.

Mary saw the big champagne bottle in the center of the table. "May I join you?"

She looked at Robert as she talked, making it clear to the others who she wanted.

"Yes, mami, have a glass and join us," said the Hispanic man.

Mary sat on the end of the booth, a small man sat between her and Robert. It would take time but she would find a way to remove him.

The Hispanic man passed her a glass of champagne. "Try this, chica."

"Thank you, kind sir," said Mary. She sipped the champagne and then sat it back down on the table.

The small white man turned to Mary, "Hi, I'm Paul Toms."

"Hi, Paul. I'm . . . Sara Bravo."

"Do you come here often, Sara? You look great," said Paul, thinking he was getting somewhere.

"Thank you, that's nice of you to notice." She looked at Robert quickly as she said it. "You look good yourself, Paul. How about a toast?"

Paul moved closer to Mary and they interlocked their arms to toast and drink from each other's glass. Mary's drink accidentally spilled on him. "Damn it," said Paul.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Paul; I'm such a clumsy idiot. Here, let me try to get it off you." Mary wiped the man's shirt and tried to wipe his lap when he stopped her.

"That's all right; I will go to the bathroom and take care of it." Mary stood to let him out and kept apologizing to him, acting embarrassed and saying she could just die.

Jerry watched from the other side, holding in his laughter while turning three shades of red from the effort.

Mary sat back down next to Robert and smiled at Jerry but did not look at Robert. "I'm sorry for being an idiot, can you gentlemen find it in your hearts to forgive me?" She directed her question to those across from her.

"No problem, mami," said the Hispanic man, "I'm Benny Shaw, forget about it."

"Thank you, Benny, you are a real gentleman. I'm Mary Lake and I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Benny looked at the other men with confusion. She told Paul moments ago her name was Sara Bravo. "Nice to meet you, Mary?"

"Hello, Mary," said Jerry.

"Hey, Jerry, how are you?"

"Better than Paul." Jerry bursts out with laughter, encouraging the others. He turns, "hey Ben man, let me tell ya about a beach you have never been to yet." The two men stroll toward the dance floor leaving Robert and Mary alone.

Mary smiled at Jerry, grateful he was on her side.

Jerry took Benny to the bar and as they sat down his phone rang. He heard a voice say, "Jerry is that you, it's Barbara, Jerry?"

Jerry put his hand to his ear to block out the club noise. "Hey Barbara, it's me. What's up?"

"Is Mary there?"

"Yeah. She walked in a short while ago."

"Oh! My! God!" He heard her frantic sigh. "Listen to me and don't say a word to Robert or anyone else, all right?"

"All right."

"If Mary is caught there she will be arrested. Get her out of that club as fast as you can. You hear me, as fast as you can!" Barbara hung up.

Mary braced herself, turned to Robert, and dove in. "Sorry does not cover how I feel, but I can't think of any other way to put it, I am so sorry and beg your forgiveness. Please say you forgive me and don't hate me."

"I forgive you, Mary; forgive yourself and we can forget it."

"Thank you," said Mary with a smile.

Jerry rushed over and whispered to Robert.

"We have to go, Mary," said Robert. He led her out of the back of the club where Benny waited behind the wheel of an idling car in the alley. Robert, Mary, and Jerry got into the car and they drove away.

"Where should I drop you two?" Benny asked Robert and Mary sitting in the backseat of the car.

"300 Winston Towers," said Mary.

Latin music blared as they drove to Mary's apartment building. No one spoke.

Robert entered Mary's apartment while Jerry and Benny went back to the club. Robert sat on the couch and stayed silent as Mary went into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. She came back and sat down without talking.

"Are you going to say anything?"

Mary shook her head. "There's nothing to say."

"Why risk going to a club when you know you will go to jail if caught?"

Robert spoke through tight lips trying to control his anger. Anyone else and he would have yelled.

"I don't know, I had to see you and it couldn't wait. Don't ask me to explain things that I can't. I just did it because I had to."

"What did you come to the club to do?"

"I came to say I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions and I'm sorry, all right?"

Robert lowered his gaze, mulling over the facts. He put a hand to his head, rubbing his temples. If they didn't go backwards they traveled in wide circles. Why wouldn't she say the words? Why wouldn't she talk? Mary fled to the kitchen to avoid a battery of questions. Robert stared at the floor for a while then looked for Mary. He had forgotten she had gotten up and went into the kitchen. "Mary?"

"Yes," she whispered, fear etched into her words.

"Come here, Mary."

Mary began shaking. Her heart pounded, threatening to fling itself from her chest. Her breath came in gasps. She needed a drink to calm her nerves but had no liquor in the house. She heard Robert calling. If Mary could have dug a hole and hid in it she would have. She knew she couldn't hide or stall. It was as though she had an out-of-body experience as she saw herself slowly walking toward her doom. Mary told her body not to go in there, but it wasn't working. Her body refused to obey her so she relented and stood before the man, quivering, desperate. Mary looked down at Robert and cowardly squeaked out a single word. "Yes."

Dark-brown eyes glared with fire. "Lift your dress." He commanded.

Mary was even more confused now. "Wh-What?"

"Lift your dress up, Mary, right now."

Mary complied with the order. She put her hands on either side of her blue dress and lifted it up.

"Lift your dress up past your waist," said Robert.

Shaky fingers lifted the tight fitting garment past her thighs and past her panties until it rose above her waist, laying everything bare to scrutinizing eyes. She cursed herself for wearing the see through panties. She was exposed, but she stood in silence, no arguing, no complaining, no pleading. She waited.

Robert looked up at Mary who was looking at him wondering why he had her do this insane thing. He then slid a hand into her underwear and caressed her vagina. He held the soft flesh in his hand, feeling it puff up under his touch. He looked into shameful pleading eyes. "Do you feel this?"

Of course she did, her body betrayed her already and he knew it. Mary nodded fast. "Yes."

Robert tapped the sides of her thighs with his other hand. Mary responded by opening quivering legs even wider. Robert then slid a finger inside to search for the source of all the heat. "Can you feel this?"

Mary again nodded quickly. "Yes."

"Mary, I am touching . . . no, I am gripping the most delicate and sensitive part of your body. If I wanted to, I could rip it apart and you couldn't do a thing to stop me. If you allow me to touch this part of you and trust me not to hurt you . . ." Robert pulled his hand out of her panties and stood up facing Mary. He put the same hand on her chest over her heart. "Then why don't you trust me here, Mary?"

Mary's dress slid down. Her body lurched of its own accord. She did her best to remain still but the more she tried the more she shook. She stood, unable to answer the man, quivering uncontrollably. Robert threw strong arms around her. Mary hung her head in shame, collapsing, crying into his chest. She kept shaking her head, clinging to him. Robert gripped Mary tighter, reassuring her with his strength. They sat on the couch and he let Mary cry on him.

Mary sat up after what seemed hours. Robert was gentle with her and held her hand. Mary lay back against him and rested, putting her troubles far behind her. She drifted in silence while the strong man held her. She felt safe and secure with Robert.

"Come on, let's put you to bed." Robert carried her into the bedroom. He sat her on the edge of the bed and took off her dress. He laid her in bed, pulling the covers to her neck. He climbed in beside her.

She put her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

Mary sighed a few times. She sat up after a while, ready to open up to this man. She had her doubts, but with tear-filled eyes, she took her chance. "While you were away, I got arrested. They told me I'm a functioning alcoholic and forced me to take classes and get a sponsor or go to jail for years." Mary told Robert everything she could think of, she held nothing back. Robert listened without judging or commenting, he let Mary tell her story her way. She exhausted herself, talking about her hopes and fears and when she was done she hugged and kissed him, rewarding his patience and understanding. She lay back under the sheets and drifted off to sleep holding him as if he were her life preserver. Robert never stopped holding her, not even in his sleep.

Chapter 12: Counterattack

Sunday morning Mary stretched and yawned in bed next to the sleeping Robert. Mary felt good and refreshed with lots of energy. She smiled with satisfaction. Mary threw on a housecoat and raced to the kitchen to make her man a hearty breakfast and conquer another tormentor. She poured herself a glass of juice and took a drink before facing her challenge. Mary prepared a plate of eggs and sausage with toast and juice. She put it all on a tray and took it in to Robert. Mary opened the door and sighed. "You're awake. I was going to surprise you."

Robert laughed. "I smelled the good food cooking. I think it's coming from next door." He winked.

Mary laughed, her rosy cheeks propelling her and her tray forward. "For that smart remark, I'm going to sit here and watch you eat every last bite." She handed him the tray and then went to her closet and pulled out a stand to set it on. She put it on the bed and Robert sat up.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning, kind sir. Now stop stalling and eat."

Robert ate with gusto. Mary watched with glee. When finished, Robert said, "That was surprisingly good, for a beginner that is." He chuckled then posed a question. "What do you have to do today?"

"Nothing, I have the day off."

"How about going on a boat ride with me down to the Keys?"

"I would love to, will we be stopping anywhere?"

"Oh my god, you're a shopper." Robert tried to look horrified.

"No, but I am curious. I like sightseeing and window-shopping."

"Good. Why don't you pack a bikini and dress and we will see."

"All right, but first, you have to thank me properly for that breakfast. I don't cook for just anyone." Mary smiled, she was a romantic and making love in the morning was always a good sign for a strong relationship.

After, they fell asleep and woke to the phone ringing hours later. "Hello," said Mary sleepily.

"Hey, sleepy head, what's happening?"

"Hey, Barb, nothing much, what's going on?"

"I was worried about you and had to call. Did everything work out?"

"You woke us up."

"I'm sorry, I will leave you alone."

"Wait," Mary heard a voice in the background, "who is with you?"

"Jerry."

"You and Jerry are still together?"

Robert overheard her say Jerry and whispered to Mary, "Ask her if she and Jerry want to come with us."

"Bob wants to know if you and Jerry want to come with us. We're going on a boat ride down to the Keys, are you interested?"

Barbara asked Jerry and he agreed. "Yeah, for sure, what time?"

Mary asked Robert, "what time?"

"About an hour at the pier."

"Barb, meet us at the pier in one hour and don't be late."

"We will be there, toodles," said Barbara and hung up the phone. She was calling from the Belmont's coffee shop, using her free vouchers for a quiet breakfast.

Jill swelled with jealousy at seeing the happy couple. She was making up her missing day and wore a housekeeping uniform. Pride would not let her tell her closest friends of her break up or that the traveling salesman's new love and city. He had been gone three days now and Jill sunk more into despair each day. She watched Barbara and was angry Jerry had picked a slut over her. She stared intently at the couple playing footsie under the table while eating. It sickened her. "Misery loves company, bitch, and your day is coming faster than you think."

Jill clutched her cart while hatching a plan to break them up. Barbara did not know it but Jill had been working the night that Jerry picked her up in the limousine and that pissed her off first and got her wheels turning. All these things should be happening to her not to a big fat ass whore. Jill followed stealthily behind them and watched them get into a taxi out front and leave. She then went back to the shop to speak with Dionne, their server. "Hey Dee, what's up?"

"Hey, girl, nothing much. You?"

"I'm cool," said Jill. "Was that fat ass Barbara in here?"

Dionne started laughing. "Will you stop that? Barbara is just about the only one of you white bitches with a booty worth a damn. She my home girl and she can work that thang." Dionne did a quick dance move while cleaning up Barbara and Jerry's table.

"Well she may have a black girl's booty, but you sure as hell don't want to claim that. She will make all you people look bad." Jill teased.

Dionne laughed again, "maybe so. What's going on girl?"

"Do you know where the lovebirds were going?"

"Are you accusing me of eavesdropping on my customers?" Dionne said with a look of feigned contempt.

"Bitch please! You know everything in this motherfucker, give me the scoop, girl. You know I always go to the source first." Jill laughed while praising Dionne's accomplishments.

"All right, all right, all right, heifer. She was talking to Mary and they are going to the pier to take a boat ride with her and some dude. Anything else, Miss Thing?"

"Nope," Jill smiled and reached into her pocket to retrieve the couple of dollars in tips she had just gotten from cleaning guests' rooms. She handed them to Dionne then turned and left so the woman could go back to work. Jill pushed her cart with a scowl and white knuckles, punishing it and all walls ahead of her. Barbara was now taking her place with Mary. The little slut was climbing the ladder at work and now had her eyes on her best friend. Jill was in her own world and narrowly missed running over a guest as she hammered her cart down a narrow hallway.

# # #

Barbara wore a yellow, thin-strapped sundress with a bikini beneath it. She posed with long flowing red hair while Jerry snapped away with his camera, determined to capture her beauty for posterity. They boarded the boat—a stocky man set a course for the Florida Keys. Mary wore a blue sundress with a matching one-piece bathing suit underneath. She and Barbara sat together in the back of the boat while Robert and Jerry talked closer to the stocky man.

They returned with binoculars and pointed in the direction of Haulover Beach. "Here ladies, have a look over there with these." Robert handed Mary a pair with a wicked smile.

"Oh my god!" Barbara said as she looked through the binoculars and saw four young women playing nude volleyball. "God, those women have got breasts so large I'm surprised they don't hit each other instead of the ball."

Barbara and Mary shared a laugh. Mary then added, "Don't worry, Barb; I think they can tell the difference between plastic and rubber." They continued laughing and watching as the boat sped off down the coast.

They sat at a small table in the center of the boat playing a board game and drinking iced tea. When closer to the shore, they stood and watched tourists along the beaches through binoculars. They arrived at the Florida Keys and went window-shopping around the islands. They dined at an outside café and headed back home before dark so they could people watch again.

"Let's all have dinner at the Segara," said Mary.

"If you two haven't gotten tired of us yet," said Barbara.

"I think it's an excellent idea," said Robert.

"As long as I'm not paying," said Jerry.

"Good, then it's settled. I have to stop by the Belmont and then I'll be free, anyone have a time in mind?" Mary inquired of her friends.

"How about 9 o'clock," said Robert, "that will give us time to take care of all personal business before we have to recharge our batteries."

Jerry knew what Robert meant; he wanted time alone with Mary before dinner. Jerry was just as eager to spend time with Barbara. "An outstanding idea if I say so myself. Miss Barbara, will you do me the honor of escorting me to the photo center? I want to get these photos developed as soon as possible."

"Why of course," said Barbara who was always quick on her feet. They departed the boat and left arm-in-arm.

"Walk me back to the Belmont?"

"Of course," said Robert. They too left arm-in-arm toward the Belmont.

"I have to get a few things done so I won't get behind because of community service. Will you meet me at my place in two hours?" Mary asked Robert as they made it to the door of the hotel.

"I hate to let you go but I will see you back here in two hours, and not a minute longer." He smiled and kissed her before leaving.

Mary walked into the hotel and went to her office after waving at Albert behind the desk. She was not in her office long when Jill knocked at the door and walked in.

"Hey, Mare, where you been?"

"Hey, Jill. I was in the Keys with Bob."

Mary usually called her Jilly and since she didn't, Jill took it as a sign that her suspicions were correct. "Were you two alone? I didn't know Robert had a boat, is it his?"

"We were with Barb and Jerry, I asked them if they would like to go with us. I knew you had to work so I didn't ask you, you know you can't afford to miss any more days. Oh and the boat, I don't know whose it was but there was a guy on board who steered."

"Oh, I see."

"It's nothing. I hear that attitude. If you were free you would have gone with us, there was plenty of room, maybe next time."

"I guess Barbara is a better friend than I am, although I'm the one who has been with you through thick and thin." Jill stated. "I guess Barbara is the one who can read you like a book. Too bad that bitch wants everything that you have and you are just the fool to let her have it all."

"Jilly, stop it. It was just a damn boat trip to the Keys, nothing more. Give it a rest why don't you." Mary shuffled the papers she was holding, her cheeks flaring bright red.

"Fine. No problem. I will go and mop some floors; I know my job and what I'm good for." Jill turned to leave.

Mary jumped when the door slammed. She shook her head and continued working on her papers. She dropped her ink pen and couldn't find it so she opened her desk drawer. No pen greeted her but two old friends winked. She furrowed her brow, not believing what she saw. Where did they come from? Continuing her quest for a pen, she lifted some papers in the back and two more bottles rolled toward her. Mary shook her head. When she had wanted a bottle she couldn't find one and now that it wasn't on her mind, there they were. Mary resisted the temptation and reached for a pen and shut the drawer. As she thought about her argument with Jill she felt strange, closed in, claustrophobic. Mary reached into the drawer and opened one of the bottles and drank it before she could talk herself out of it. Mary felt better instantly as if the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. She continued working and drank another when she finished her work. Mary noticed the time and ran to the bathroom. She gargled with mouthwash and ate a piece of chewing gum as she raced out of the office to meet Robert.

Jill had Albert inform her when Mary left. She then went to Mary's office and opened the desk drawer. A wide smile graced her face: two of the bottles vanished.

Mary met Robert in front of the hotel and managed a quickie in the Culver Room before walking to the Segara hotel and then to the restaurant. Barbara ordered iced teas for everyone. They chitchatted and ate their meals. Toward the end of the dinner Barbara began to get worried. Mary was a little louder with her conversation and a little livelier. Barbara looked at Robert to see if he noticed, she couldn't tell for certain. When Mary and Robert rose to dance on the terrace, Barbara took a sip of Mary's drink. It was just iced tea but something was wrong with Mary.

When they returned, Barbara made an excuse and took Mary to the women's bathroom. "Have you been drinking?" Barbara asked her point-blank.

"No." Mary looked genuinely shocked by the accusation.

"Mary, have you had anything at all to drink?" Barbara insisted.

"Yeah, iced tea, like you." Mary snapped.

"I know you and I'm not buying it for one second. Tell me the goddamn truth, Mary!"

"I have told you the goddamn truth! If you don't want to fucking believe me then fuck you! Stop trying to spoil my night. Why do you always want to bring me down? Hell, I'm beginning to think you are just a jealous bitch and you want everything that I have. Leave me the fuck alone, you don't know me." Mary blurted out her tirade then stormed out of the bathroom.

Robert and Jerry talked and laughed at the table.

Mary walked up to Robert, "let's go, I have had enough of this place." Mary headed for the door. Robert followed.

Barbara tried hard to not let Mary's tirade affect the rest of her night. She was with Jerry and they had managed to see each other for a few days without either of them getting bored with the other.

"What was all that about?" Jerry asked Barbara.

"I'm not sure." Worry lines traveled across her face. She had not finished her meal so she picked up her fork and played with what was left of her dinner.

Jerry watched her. "Are you ready to leave?"

"No, I'm fine." Barbara looked at people dancing on the terrace. "Let's dance some more, do you mind?"

"I'm more than happy to hold you against me." Jerry smiled and stood up to offer Barbara his hand. She took his hand, blocked out the world, and made the night about them. When they tired of dancing they went for a walk along Collins Avenue. They walked southward and when they came to the park they went inside. No one was in the park and it was dark. They sat on a bench, hugging and kissing.

"Tell me about yourself, Barbara."

"I've told you before to call me Barb. You know all there is to know. I work at the Belmont, I have two friends that I would term as close. I guess the most amazing thing about me is that I'm from Arkansas. I left there when I was five and moved to South Carolina and lived with relatives from New York. Then I moved to Florida and believe it or not, I have no strong accent so people never know where I'm from. I guess one accent kind of canceled out the other." She stopped and had a good laugh. "I went to college at South Florida State but flunked out—too much partying and not enough studying. I was not going back home to South Carolina or Arkansas so I stayed. I worked on a cruise ship for six months in the maid service. Then I worked as a maid for a large South Beach hotel chain that was bought out and they shipped some of us further north. I quit that job and landed a job at the Belmont where I met Mary and then Jill. That's it, my story of gloom and doom." She kissed Jerry again. "Your turn."

"Well, let's see. What new thing can I add to what you already know? I was born in the Show Me State, moved to Florida as a kid, and went to high school and college here. I graduated and moved to New York City, married my college sweetheart who cheated on me. We divorced and I moved back here with Rob. We trade in the stock markets, usually twice a month and in my spare time I love the ladies. So if you were hoping to land a virgin you got the wrong guy by a mile."

"I can say the same thing here." Barbara frowned. "Maybe I should make that two miles." They laughed. They walked to the entrance for the beach and stood in the doorway. "Have you ever tried to swim at night, Jerry?"

"Oh, hell no, I'm an average swimmer but I'm not about to drown doing something I know I'm not good at."

"I know what you mean," said Barbara. "It does look inviting though, like it's calling you."

"You mean like the Sirens?"

"Something like that." Barbara stepped through the doorway and entered the beach.

Jerry swung her around for a kiss. A weird expression flashed across her face making him nervous. "What is it?"

Barbara swallowed to clear the lump in her throat. "Is this where you and Jill were at?" her voice was low and throaty almost not wanting to ask the question.

"You want the truth?"

"Yes, please."

"I'm not sure, but I think it is."

Barbara thought for the longest time then responded. "Let's go over there." She smiled at Jerry.

Jerry grinned ear-to-ear then released the breath he hadn't known he held. "Thank god." Barbara took off running and Jerry chased. He caught up and tackled her softly onto the sand. They rolled around on the sand laughing together. When they came to a stop, Barbara had sand all in her long red hair. She kissed Jerry with her deepest most passionate kiss of the evening. They threw caution to the wind and made love under the stars.

Chapter 13: Beware the Enemy

Mary and Robert arrived back at her apartment. "Would you like some orange juice, Bob?"

"No thank you, I'm fine."

"I have some of that leftover lasagna and pizza, I can't screw it up by heating it." Mary joked.

"Not me, but if you're hungry, go ahead."

Mary opened the refrigerator. She sighed and closed the door after taking out the orange juice. Mary poured a glass. She felt a tingle in her belly. She glanced at Robert then stealthily rifled the cabinets in search of an overlooked mini bottle. Frustrated, she sipped the juice before returning to the living room and sitting on the couch beside Robert.

Robert noticed her hand shaking. "How are you feeling, Mary?"

"I'm fine."

"Your hands are shaking. If you're having a rough time tell me, we can call it a night and let you rest. They say sleep does wonders."

"Wonders for what? Are you trying to imply something?" Mary glared.

"No Mary, I'm not. If keeping you up is causing you stress then I'll go?"

"How many damn times do I have to say that I'm fine?" Mary's voice steadily rose then shouted at the end.

Robert thumbed through the channels as if oblivious.

"I'm sorry for the outburst." Mary said quietly, full of regret.

"Did you want to eat something?" Robert tried changing the subject.

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Would you like me to go?"

Mary shuffled as if sitting on hot coals. She hesitated a moment. "No."

The mood had changed and there was a chill in the air. Once again Robert found himself trying to think of ways to break down Mary's barriers.

Mary sat on the couch with the rigidity of the Statue of Liberty, gray dress included. Her face gave away nothing as she watched images fly across the television screen. She eased in an awkward yet controlled breath. Mary waited until she could no longer fill judgmental eyes on her before attempting to swallow the hard lump blocking her airway. Finally, unable to bare another second of the torture, she made her escape.

"Maybe I'll try something," she said.

Instead of food, the minute she was clear, she honed in on a forgotten housewarming gift. The edges of her lips turned up. Mary peeked toward Robert then tiptoed into the bathroom clutching her prize: a small box of Cooking Sherry. Shaky hands turned the lock with difficulty, but once accomplished, she upturned the bottle and drained it. She felt guilty and disgusted at the thought but it had to be done, she had to change the mood in the room somehow, that was the problem and it had to be fixed. She drew a long comforting breath as she leaned against the door, then gargled with mouthwash. An idea struck her. She opened the cabinet to find half a bottle of cough syrup, she drained it as well. Her shaking stopped. The planets realigned and all was right with the world. She walked out of the bathroom with self-confidence. Mary sat back down. "How about we lighten things up with one of those games you bought?"

"All right, anything but Checkers."

"Or Tic-Tac-Toe," said Mary laughing.

"Agreed," said Robert.

Mary searched the cabinet. "How about the all-consuming Monopoly?"

"Sounds good to me, bring it on."

Mary set it up on the living room table. She chose her favorite, the Sports Car, and Robert chose the Top Hat. Mary went first. It was as if they had entered a new universe filled with endless laughter and jokes. They played and talked the night away. Toward the end, Mary ran out of money and had the misfortune of landing on Robert's prime holding—a hotel stacked Park Place.

"That's it, I'm broke," Mary said.

"Not so fast, little lady. I do recall a certain red light district at the base of Park Place." He arched his brows.

"Yeah right."

"I do recall the girls down that way do a certain deed for say $1000." Again he arched his brows.

"Sorry, my mother never allowed me near those places." Mary ran her hand through her hair. "Besides, I wouldn't know how." She heaved her chest, sighing.

Robert gave a quizzical look. He unzipped his pants. "It's in the genes."

She feigned ignorance. "I'm not wearing any."

"Not that kind. Cum earn some money the way all good little girls do when their momma isn't looking."

Emboldened by his words, Mary reached into his pants and stroked him. A mischievous grin crossed her face. "No money. I want the property and hotels and a free roll: non-negotiable." She squeezed to deliver her message.

Robert flung his head back and moaned. "Okay, but just this once."

"Once is all I need, baby." With that, Mary dived head first into his lap. She admired his full length before gently caressing with a wet and willing tongue. She took him in her mouth and both moaned in dual pleasure. However, the intent was not to get him off, merely to get past his property. She deep throated a couple more times then gave a partying kiss before tucking the happy stranger away with a warm pat. Mary presented her hand. Robert happily turned over the card.

Feeling confident, Mary rolled with glee: snake eyes.

With her eyes tightly closed, she heard the chuckles and knew the look. She calculated her penalty based on her last blunder and prepared to meet the price. When she opened her eyes, Robert was no longer beside her. She looked up to see him by her stereo. He grinned then pushed the play button.

"Remember John the Baptist?"

"What?"

"Dance for me. Enchant me enough to give you your heart's desire."

Robert turned the volume higher. Without hesitating, Mary launched into a dance. She wasn't herself, she thought, she was a combination of her girls, of all women. She lost herself as she seductively danced, stopping to remove her earrings, bracelet, and dress. Down to her underwear, she snaked and crawled to him. Robert thought he saw a small shake in her right hand. His expression and mood shifted. She saw it in his eyes.

"What?" she stopped.

Robert kissed Mary and had a strange reaction to the kiss. "Your orange juice tastes like mouthwash."

Mary bristled, the look of shock etched into her face. She stood, glaring with fists clenched. "Exactly what are you trying to say? Are you accusing me of something? I don't know who you think you are?"

"I'm not accusing you of anything, I was joking."

"Don't judge me! How dare you!"

"I'm not judging you, Mary." He reached out to her. "Mary. Relax, we're just having fun."

Mary fumed but stayed quiet, allowing him to cover her and then caress and lower her to the floor. Robert had an idea that he thought would work. He picked up the deck of cards and found the get out of jail free card. He presented it to Mary. "Here, Mary, take this. If you are ever in doubt of my true feelings about you then you are free to leave this relationship. I don't ever want you to think that you are being trapped into something you don't want. If I'm moving too fast for you then say so. If you can't bring yourself to say the words then take out this card and I will know what you mean. I won't argue with you, I'll simply turn around and leave. If you need space or time alone, give me the card. If you are not in a mood for conversation or think you may say something you will later regret, give me the card. Whenever you are at a loss for words, use the card. I will understand and will not challenge you on your wishes. I will simply leave. I want you as happy and content as you were on the boat. Anything I can do to make that happen, I will be happy to do." Robert kissed Mary passionately after she took the card.

Mary smiled but stayed quiet. He had done it again; he had touched her heart and found a way to calm her fears. They played a little more and Mary began thinking in a destructive manner. Why in the world did he give her a get out of jail free card? Mary's mind reeled over the possibilities. She worked herself into a frenzy, warring with ten versions of herself all screaming and chastising. Her head moved from side to side as if talking to people, then, she stood, red-faced with anger. "How dare you think I'm so stupid I can't see when someone is making fun of me? I'm not some damn idiot on the fucking sidewalk. Hell, your black ass has probably been in jail a helluva lot more times than I ever will."

Robert stood, glaring. The vein in his neck throbbed as he tried restraining himself. "What the hell is wrong with you tonight? If I didn't know better I would swear—"

"How dare you insult me in my own damn house, get out!"

Robert stared at her for a minute as if he wanted to hit her. He then turned and left without uttering another word.

Mary ran to the door and locked it. She then beat a small dent in it. After, she let loose with an ear-piercing scream and stomped her feet like a spoiled child. Mary paced around the room trying to calm down. Then she picked up the game and through it against the door. She got on her phone and called Jill. Mary continued pacing until she heard a knock at her door.

Mary opened the door wearing her gray dress, Jill stood smiling, presenting a bottle of wine. "Hey, Mare, I started without you, but I didn't forget you, ooh wee!" She held up the bottle. "I thought we could use this tonight."

"Thanks, Jilly. You truly are a good friend to me, I'm sorry we argued earlier. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course, I do. You're my best girl and that's all that needs to be said." Jill led Mary to the couch. They hugged and talked about the evening.

"Was I wrong, Jilly?"

"No, Mare. No, you were right, that bastard. It sounds like to me that he was hinting at the fact that you were in jail, trying to lord it over you. You don't have to take that shit!" Jill pressed a glass of wine into her hand. "Here, Mare, you need this right now. Drink up."

Mary took the glass and drank it down. "Was I overreacting to something imaginary?"

"No, Mare." Jill poured her another glass. "Drink the rest of this stuff and you will feel better. You did the right thing. People like that are always trying to be high and mighty and stomp on us. Look at that bitch Mrs. Cartwright; we need to be fixin her wagon real soon."

Mary laughed, "I'm down with that."

"Forget all those bitches, it's me and you against the world, drink up." Jill poured another glass of the red wine.

"Oh shit! I'm feeling light-headed, hell, I better sit my ass down."

"You are sitting down, sunshine." Jill looked at Mary with puzzlement. "You know what, Mare? You don't look so hot. Come on, let's get you into bed."

Mary holds her head and then shakes it as if shaking the cobwebs loose. "I guess you are right, Jilly, help me up will you?"

"Come on, Mare. I got you, baby. We fixin to lay you out, girl."

Jill helped her to the bedroom. Mary stumbled even more now and could not figure out why. Wine had never done that to her before. "Was something in that bottle besides wine? I think that's a bad batch." Mary fell headfirst on to the bed.

Jill laughed and turned her over. "Nope, y'all is just crazy as a Bessie bug. Come on, baby, sit up so I can help yo dress."

Mary sat up and instinctively raised her arms. She was dazed but still able to focus. "Stop calling me baby, only Bob can call me baby." She said slowly, slurring every word.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear you, babe. Now lift your arms higher."

Mary stretched higher. Jill took off her dress. "Wait, wait, wait, Mare. I have to take your top off too."

"What for, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." Mary fell backward.

"Come on, Mare, sit up, babe. It will only take a second." Mary sat back up slowly and tried to raise her arms but they only went halfway up. She had her eyes closed and was starting to lean over. Jill hurried and removed Mary's top. She stared at Mary's breasts then looked at her with lustful, twinkling eyes. Jill laid Sleeping Beauty on the bed and put her under the covers.

She got up to turn the lights off when she heard Mary say, "Bob, don't go, stay with me tonight, I'm sorry, I'm just afraid . . ." She muttered some gibberish that Jill couldn't understand and then was out again.

"Ok baby," Jill said softly. She took off her clothes and climbed into bed with Mary. She caressed Mary's body and listened to her moans. "I'll be with you always," Jill whispered into Mary's ear.

Sometime during the night while Mary slept, Jill put Mary's underwear back on. Jill shook Mary the next day. "Hey, sleepy head."

Mary's eyes fluttered open, she looked at Jill. "Hey, Jilly."

"Hey, Mare. How are you feeling?"

"My head is pounding. What day is it; please tell me it's not Monday?"

"I'm afraid so, Mare." Jill sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her.

"Oh god, no!" Mary sat up and then noticed she was in her underwear. "What happened?"

"Same old, same old. You called your best friend and she took care of you as always, don't you remember?"

Mary thought about the night but it was a blur.

"I made some coffee, go take a shower and it will be ready when you're done. I put a change of clothes on the toilet."

Mary cautiously waited for Jill to turn around before she got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She took off her underwear. A sinking feeling swept over her. Why were they wet? Mary then felt between her legs and felt a little moist. She tried recalling the night's events but couldn't. She shook the nonsense from her head. She showered quickly and returned to the kitchen fully dressed.

"Thanks, Jilly." She took the cup of coffee and sipped it. "Thanks for the help, I've got community service, I have to get going."

"Sure." Jill and Mary walked out of the apartment together. Jill went to work. Mary took the bus to South Beach.

Chapter 14: The Chase

Barbara hurriedly checked-in an old couple while revisiting her time with Jerry: waking in his arms brought a smile to her face. To make it to work on time, she and others kept spare clothes in the Culver Room for just such emergencies, though waking on the beach brought its own thrill.

Jill arrived an hour later. She stopped by the front desk area to get a doughnut and coffee. She was in her housekeeping uniform and planned to take her meal to the storage shed to get her cart. She wore her nicest scowl.

"Hi, Jill."

Jill said not a word. She walked to the shed and ate inside before coming out with her cart. Jill pushed her cart through the entry door of the beach entrance to begin her room cleaning there. She was about to enter her first room to clean when she spotted Jerry on the beach under a canopy on his cell phone. Jill waved at him. Jerry waved but continued talking. Jill was not going to let this opportunity pass her by, if she could throw a monkey wrench into Barbara's relationship, she would. She walked to the edge of the beach pretending to look at the ocean.

"Hello Jill," said Jerry after he hung up the phone.

"Oh, hey Jerry, I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Jill, how about you?"

"I'm lonely, other than that, I'm fine too." She smiled seductively, innocently twisting, subtly letting her arms push up her cleavage. Good thing she hadn't buttoned her shirt to the top.

Jerry returned her smile. "We had a good trip down to the Keys, I hope next time you won't have to work and can join us."

"Great, I just bought a sexy little number to show off the girls. Maybe I will get a chance to model it for you, what do you think?"

"You have great taste so I'm confident it will do you justice."

"You sure you don't want me to model it for you? I'm not the only one around her with great taste. I could use a man's opinion, I'm not sure of the color. Come on, Jerry; say you will help a poor girl out?"

Jerry gave another polite smile. "I wish I could but I have to get to a meeting. Thank you for the offer, maybe some other time."

"All right, Jerry, I was hoping you would be a gentleman and help a poor child in distress, but that's okay." Jill broadened her grin and then turned to leave.

Jerry watched her push the cart into a room. He turned back to watch a ship off in the distance.

Jill left the door open. She peaked out of the curtains. No one else was close to them on the beach so she screamed so only Jerry could hear.

Jerry turned in Jill's direction. He raced into the room, chest pounding. "Jill," he shouted. He moved toward the bathroom thinking she was in there and had fallen.

Jill unwrapped from behind the curtain. "Jerry, I'm in here."

Jerry rushed from the bathroom to the main room. He stopped in his tracks, mouth agape, chest pounding. Jill stood stark naked in front of the large bay window. Jerry's eyes passed over her body and he could not hide the excitement. Jill's large naturals were her hypnotic charm, they never failed her. She walked toward him with a gentle sway, her breasts bouncing with her rhythmic walk, producing the trance she knew would overpower his defenses. She picked up one of his hands and placed it on her breast, then the other, rubbing them across her taut nipples. She pressed down on his hands causing him to squeeze her breasts. Jill moaned and leaned forward smiling. While he stood dazed, clutching her mounds, Jill sprang into action. She undid his pants and stroked his throbbing manhood. She slid down and clamped her mouth around his excited weapon before he regained his senses.

"No!" He pushed her away.

Jerry pulled up his pants and ran out of the room. Jill screamed and pounded her fist on the floor after he was gone.

# # #

Mary donned a ponytail and orange jumpsuit as she went around the beach with her trash bag. Today would entail four hours community service followed by four hours at the hotel and then an hour and a half of counseling. She was hoping she would not have to go through the humiliation of a urine test. Mary had enough problems with the mess she made of things with Robert and needed no new stress from this group of strangers. She picked up trash along the edge of the beach trying to piece together her shattered memory.

"Hello, dear. I have good news for you. Thanksgiving is coming up and you will be taken off cleanup and placed on call for holiday events."

"Events," said Mary.

"You know, dear, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, events dear."

Mary wiped her brow, "what about my holiday events?"

"Oh dear, don't be absurd, you have no events. If it wasn't for upstanding citizens like me and others, you would be in jail now."

"I would still have events in jail!"

"Don't get defiant with me, I will make the appropriate calls and this little escapade of yours will be over in a heartbeat."

"You forgot to say 'dear!'" Mary blasted in defiance.

Mrs. Cartwright walked up to Mary and stared her down, breathing heavy, blowing her foul stench in Mary's face. Mary matched her for a moment then caved and looked down, victory wrote itself on the big woman's face. "Finish the day and I will call you when I need your services," she said in utter calm and then added, "Dear!" She grinned at Mary before turning for a victory walk.

"Bitch," Mary said under her breath as she watched the strutting cow. She wanted to jump on her and beat her silly but her dream would have to stay a dream. The old battle-axe held her life in her hands and wasn't afraid to squeeze. Mary finished her work. She changed into her work suit in the park's bathroom. She arrived before 1 o'clock in the afternoon and stopped at the front desk. "Good afternoon, Albert, how are you today?"

"I'm fine, Miss Mary, how about you?"

"I dread the day already, but what's new?" She laughed and waved at Albert before shuffling to her office. Mary had not spoken with Robert or Barbara and was not sure of how to approach either. She went to her office and worked on an upcoming convention. She knew she had to get it out of the way before Mrs. Belmont returned to go over the Thanksgiving plans. Mary worked nonstop in her office with no interruptions. She noticed the time and put her work away then left her office through the back door to go to her counseling session at Regan Hall.

Mary sat in a circle of sixteen people. They couldn't possibly help her; she was not like them and didn't lead the pathetic life they led. She braced for another round of whiny nonsense.

Sara Bravo led the session from her seat. "My name is Sara Bravo and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hello, Sara," the customary response.

She then continued, "I have been sober eleven years, six months, and three days."

Everyone gave her applause.

"What I want you to know is that it hasn't been easy, not one bit. I learned a valuable lesson over the years. I never reached for the brass ring because I thought I couldn't get it or I wasn't worthy. I put all others before me and was always last on my list. I made the mistake of thinking I was a nobody and deserved nothing. I am somebody and I deserve everything!" She stopped for applause and then continued. "The greatest thing that you need to survive and beat your addiction is to have a support system, somewhere you can go where you will find help. You need this lifeline to keep you sane and not to judge you. Family, friends, and lovers. Many of you are far from home, no family or friends for that matter. If a lover is your sole support, make sure you have chosen someone who can support you when you are an asshole. Someone who will not judge or criticize you is extremely important. Search your hearts. Look deep. If your current lover does not measure up, you have no choice but to get rid of them. The same rule applies to family and friends, get rid of anyone bringing you down."

Mary fought against the words, but they wormed their way into her being. She thought about Robert and how good he was to her, he could be the one to keep her grounded. Mary didn't feel the tears streaming down her face. The hateful Sara Bravo had violated her with sensible words and in front of others no less. Mary bolted from the room. She hid in the bathroom until the session ended.

There was a knock at the door. "Mary, may I come in?"

It was the sensible voice. She stayed in the stall, afraid it would punish her more, make her see more than she wanted to see.

Sara Bravo poked her head in with great care. She sighed then entered. She looked under the doors of the three stalls, they were empty. She stood back up and opened them one by one, Mary perched on the commode in the last one, in near fetal position. "Hello, Mary."

Mary sniffled. "Hi."

Sara bent down in front of her and smiled. "Just tell me what it is, that's all I want to know and then I will walk you out of here so you can go home."

Mary searched the pleasant face with great care; she was not big on taking chances. "Robert," she whimpered after a while.

"Robert?"

"My lover. He is the only one who has been good to me, and I keep—" tears slid down her plump face.

"Punishing him." Sara finished her sentence.

Mary nodded.

"If he is good he will stay, you hear me? If he is good, he will stay."

The dam burst. Mary released a torrent of tears, twisting her face into a slobbering mess. This woman didn't know what she knew: even a good man will have his fill and walk away. Mary clutched the woman for dear life, embarrassed for both. Never had she broke in public, especially in front of an enemy. Yet her she was listening to the soothing words of an enemy and she believed them.

"Mary, think of ways to get him back and then go for it. Don't stop. Don't take no for an answer. He needs you as much as you need him, he just doesn't know it yet. Now come on and get up so I can walk you out."

Sara walked Mary to the corner. They sat talking on a bench at the bus stop. When the bus arrived Mary was strong and brave. She had a plan. She hugged this unlikely friend and boarded the bus. Mary left the hotel after changing in her office.

Mary, armed with an apology for the ages, arrived at Robert's house. She passed two men carrying sacks around back. She stepped in front of another, "excuse me, is Mr. Tyler around back?"

"Yes Ma'am," the man paused so she could go before him.

Mary followed a smaller man to the back of the house. She saw Robert in overalls on his knees in the dirt. She stopped to prepare herself. He dug a hole. He put a flower in the hole. "Robert? Bob?"

He turned, glanced at her, then continued his work. The smaller man she had followed handed him a clipboard to sign. The man said good-bye and gathered his employees and left. Mary stood watching in silence as Robert planted more of the pretty white flowers and bulbs. After a while she worked up enough nerve to ask a question, trying to get him to talk to her. "What kind of flowers are they?"

Robert kept working and said nothing.

"May I help?" Mary asked after another long pause.

Robert shook his head. He picked up a sprouting bulb. "They're called Calla Lilies, they represent beauty, innocence, new birth, or a new start."

"Does that mean you're starting a new life without me?"

Robert shrugged.

Mary wore a white sundress. After watching how he alternated planting the flowers and bulbs, she hiked her dress and fell to her knees beside him. At the next hole, he dropped in his flower before reaching for his jug of water. Mary snatched the jug and poured water into the hole like Robert had done. She then shifted, clutching the jug tight against her chest, waiting for him to cover with soil.

Robert, astonished and confused, looked at Mary, but said nothing. The fierce determination in her eyes moved him. She would fight to the death before giving up the jug. He covered the flower and shifted over to dig another hole. Mary held on to the water jug and watered. They continued in silence and when finished, they planted a circle of lilies and flowers around a small tree. Robert cut slits into a tarp and gently placed it around the flowers. Mary watched but said nothing, all the while clutching her jug. When finished, he grabbed a bag of mulch and spread it around the tarp. Mary risked setting her jug down to grab a bag off the stack, drag it over, and spread mulch around the flowers.

When they finished, Mary spoke. "Are you hungry, please say yes?"

Robert nodded, still not sure if he wanted to talk to her but glad she was there.

"Thank you." Her eyes darted across his face trying to glean a reaction. There was none. "Show me your refrigerator, please." Robert took her into the house through the back door. Mary took a quick look and turned to him. "Go take a long bath and get cleaned up. I'm going to make dinner outside on the grill, it will be a while." She smiled again hoping for some reaction but he gave her none. Mary did not let the coldness deter her, she deserved it, but she came with a purpose and she saw victory ahead. If he wanted her gone he would have said so. That was the crack in the armor she could pry apart. She went back outside and lit the grill. She didn't notice until she was outside how ruined her dress was. She made her way to the small laundry room off the kitchen. Mary tried to wipe the stains off her dress with a towel and detergent but it would not come clean. She had no time to worry about it so she ignored it and continued preparing her dinner. Mary took out two steaks and seasoned them before putting them on the grill. She prepared a salad and then went back outside to clean the table and place a lit candle in the center.

Mary went back into the laundry room looking for something to put on over her dress. Robert came down and saw her looking in a corner. Mary turned, her heart sank. "It-it-it's not what you think." Her clumsy words rushed out. Robert scanned her. He turned and went back upstairs. "Shit!" Mary shrieked. She schlepped back to check on her dinner. After, Mary stood at the bottom of the stairs thinking about whether she should go up, mumbling with her eyes closed.

Robert bounded down the stairs and sat a blue shirt on the rail. "Lift your arms up." Mary complied gratefully, happy to have him speaking at last. Robert pulled the dress up over her head. Mary stood before him in her underwear, no fear, no shyness, only a warm tingling that spread throughout her core. She beamed while he buttoned her new shirt.

"Dinner's ready."

Watching Mary in his shirt working the grill tugged at Robert. This is what he had wanted his whole life and though it was right in front of him, it would be gone by morning. He was sure of it.

Mary brought the plates to the table and they began dinner. "I hope you like it." She sat down and started eating. She pretended not to worry but watched him while trying to pretend that she wasn't.

Robert ate in silence still unsure if he should invest in Mary or take the loss like a business deal. He decided the risk was worth it and took a chance. "I like it."

"Thank you," Mary blurted, grateful for the kind words. "I didn't think of anything to drink, you can have something if you like. I need to stay away from the sauce, it causes more problems than it solves, but feel free to have something if you like."

"How have you been, Mary?"

The change in subject deflated her, but she tried not to rock her sinking ship. She needed somebody on her side to help her and stay with her no matter what crazy thing she did or said. But she didn't need him for that, she had her girls. She needed him for something more and that was the thing she feared. She closed her eyes in silence. She gulped before facing him. "I know I owe you an apology, so for the millionth time, I'm sorry for what I did and for what I said. Please say you will forgive me and give me another chance. I know I don't deserve it but I'm still asking." Mary sat at the table with her hands together and fingers interlocked as if praying, waiting for a response.

Robert watched Mary carefully afraid to commit but wanting to. His face fell. "How many more times will I have to hear an apology?"

Mary tightened the interlocking fingers and met his gaze. "If I don't make it work this time then never again. Give me one last chance."

Robert's caution weighed on her. Don't stop. Don't take no for an answer. The words played in her head. She watched him rise and come to her. She swallowed hard, her chest pounding. Before he could fully extend his hand, she leaped into his arms. Mary poured her soul into her kiss. In his strong arms she was safe. He kissed her again then led her inside. After another kiss, he carried her upstairs.

Chapter 15: Confessions

The beating of his heart proved it happened. Mary twisted her face into Robert's chest, relishing the feel. She yawned then lifted to gaze at the Adonis beneath her. A wicked smile swept across her lips as she leaned in to free him from his cursed slumber.

"Sleeping Beauty," she teased, kissing him with more force. "Awake from thine slumber."

Robert laughed. "No you didn't. Good morning, Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" Mary inquired with a sly smile.

"Prince Charming, you're not. I could have called you Breezy, after all, you are a breath of fresh air," he said with laughter.

Mary laughed, "thank you for your consideration."

"No problem, Sunshine." Robert lifted her but she clung to him. He rolled Mary over and kissed her passionately.

Mary pushed the covers around her and tried to sit up and then yelled, "Ow! Ow! Ow! That's my hair!"

Robert shifted his elbow then chuckled. "Accident. Sorry."

Mary quickly tied her hair into a ponytail. "You men," she sighed, "you know nothing about a women's hair except how to hang on to it." She laughed and lay back down and kissed him some more.

After a few more kisses Robert's face spread in puzzlement. "Men? Exactly how many men are we talking about?"

"Well, not enough to fill the Grand Canyon, if that's what you're getting at, Mister Tyler." She winked.

"Very interesting, Sunshine, now answer the question?"

"How far back would you like for me to go?"

"This century would be fine."

Mary lay on top of him looking deeply into his brown eyes. She moved her shoulders, massaging his chest with her breasts. "Does it matter to you?" she softly pouted.

"I don't care how many men have touched or seen your body. What would worry me is if they found your soul."

"You have nothing to worry about. My soul could never belong to another." She snuggled at his neck. Their heat stirred their natures. Each gave an excited grin.

They made love and as they were about to fall asleep they heard a voice shouting. "Rob, you up there? Rob man, come down here, man!"

"That's Jerry. I'll be right back." Jerry knocked once then burst into the room. "Jerr! Are you crazy?"

"Oops, sorry man, I didn't know you had company." He covered his eyes, then opened his fingers to peek.

Mary dove under the covers.

"Old friend, you have bad timing." Robert said sharply and slowly to emphasize his point. He grabbed his bathrobe at the foot of the bed and put it on.

Jerry laughed and tried to keep his eyes covered although it was more of a piece sign than an eye covering. "Sorry man, I didn't know. Give me a break, everybody makes mistakes." Jerry took his hand down and laughed.

"Apologize to Mary."

"Mary," he began.

There was no response.

"Mary, I won't go away until you face me, I have to apologize face-to-face." Jerry waited for the covers to fall and a bright pink face to appear. "I apologize to you personally, Mary, not to this jerk here. I'm sorry I interrupted your day, you know I like you, Mary, and if you were smart you would dump this asshole for me." Robert pointed a strong finger though he brimmed with laughter. Jerry wiggled his brows at Mary.

Mary laughed, turning crimson. "Thanks but I think I'm in good hands. At least I was." Mary burst into a fit of laughter.

Jerry laughed loudly and turned to Robert. "I like her, this one is good!"

"Thanks for your blessing. Downstairs, Jerr." Robert held the door open.

Jerry turned, when at the door he turned back around, "Good-bye, Mary."

"Good-bye, Jerry." She laughed. Jerry walked out.

Robert saddled back in with Mary. "Let me go and see what he wants." He kissed her again, dressed, and then went downstairs.

"All right, what's up?"

Jerry was on the couch looking at his laptop. "Guess what?"

"There's an upturn in the markets."

"Yeah, how did you guess?"

"No guessing, Jerr, Benny said it three weeks ago and you owe me a dollar."

"All right, you will get your lousy dollar. Are we going?"

"I don't want to leave right now, there's too much in the air."

"Rob man, we can't miss this, everything is ripe for the killing. It's the mother lode, man!"

"I don't want to leave right now, let's sit this one out."

"I know you are joking! Tell me you are joking? Look at yesterday's numbers."

"I've seen the numbers already. Look Jerr, let me get back to you. Right now I need you to leave and I will be in touch later today." He helped Jerry to the door with a heavy hand and then went back upstairs to a half-dressed Mary. "What's going on?"

"You have work to do and so do I. This is your business so take care of it and hurry back." She kissed him.

Robert ignored Mary. He unbuttoned his shirt that she was wearing and tossed it aside. She protested but he ignored it and kissed her. She protested again. "Fine, I will go take care of business if you do one thing for me."

Mary gave a stern but intrigued look. "What would that be?"

"Take off your bra and panties and walk from here to the door and back without covering up. Do that and I will go." The door was fifteen feet from where she stood at the edge of the bed.

"You think you know me, don't you?" Mary was up for a challenge today. She took off her panties first and threw them at him. She then took longer but eventually took off her bra and threw it at him. At the same time she raced for the door a few feet away, and completed half her task. When he took the bra from his face she was halfway back.

"No, no, no, no, stop!"

Mary stopped, grinning.

"You are a cheater, Miss Lake. Go back to the door." Mary laughed and slowly turned and walked back to the door. She stood facing the door with her back to him. Mary didn't care about her backside but she was self-conscious about her breasts and hid them every chance she got. "Turn around, Miss Lake, I want the full Monty." Mary gathered her strength and turned, jaw clenched and hands crisscrossing her chest. "I have seen more women than I can count. Believe me when I say it, you have the best-looking body out of all of them. If I had a pocket full of dollars, I would shower you and not give one red cent to them. Now walk to me slowly so I can take an image of your beauty with me to New York." Mary melted; his words evaporated her fears. She no longer felt awkward or embarrassed. She fixed her eyes on his, lowered her hands, and walked to her man as seductively as she could. He held up his fake camera, snapping pictures. She posed with every snap. He kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his hands caress her buttocks and she responded to his grip by lifting her legs and wrapping them around his waist. Robert fell onto the bed with Mary on top of him. They made love again and then went back to sleep. Mary slept on her side with Robert cradling her from behind.

# # #

Jerry was at the Belmont's coffee shop when he received a call from Robert. "Hey, Rob, what's the word?"

"Pack your bags; I'm on my way and will meet you in a couple hours at the Belmont."

"Great man, great," said Jerry, bursting with joy over their impending fortunes. "I'm here already and ready to go, call me when you get here?"

"Will do, partner, see you then."

Jerry started imagining how successful they would be when a sickening feeling erupted in the pit of his stomach. Jerry gathered his thoughts together and finished his coffee. He found Barbara at the front desk with Albert. "Hey, Barb. Hey, Albert."

"Hello," said Albert, he knew of Jerry and would only greet him with a hello, nothing more.

"Hey," said Barbara, mooning over him.

"Can we talk, Barb?"

"Yeah, sure," said Barbara, recoiling at the look on his face. "I'll be right back, Albert."

They walked through the double doors leading into the courtyard and then went all the way back to the beach area. Jerry knew she would yell so he chose the beach to give himself room to run if need be, as well as to let her scream without the staff hearing.

Jerry began with a kiss, hoping it would not be the last. "Look Barb, I'm not that good at relationships and I don't know where we are headed. I enjoy your company and think we are good together."

"But," Barbara interrupted, feeling a familiar "bad news" tug in the pit of her stomach.

"Yesterday, when I was here on the beach," Jerry said, hearing his voice shake and crack. "Yesterday, when I was here on the beach, something strange happened. I owe it to you to come clean. You know that I'm no saint, right?"

Barbara nodded and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Jill came out here and asked me if she could model a new bikini. I think she wanted me to sleep with her and I said no." He pointed to a room behind them. "She left and went in there to clean the room and I heard her yell. I went inside and she was naked. I froze. She came over and played with me and then I came to my senses and got out of there as fast as I could. But it did go too far and I should have left earlier, I'm sorry."

Barbara had a lump in her throat from when he first uttered the word "Jill." She swallowed hard. "Too far, does that mean you had sex with her?"

"A little oral," he quickly added, "on her part, not mine."

"That's all of it?"

"I swear!"

Barbara kissed him on the cheek. "I'll take care of it."

# # #

Mary arrived at the Belmont with Robert. Albert readied to leave. "Good Afternoon, Miss Mary, Mr. Tyler, how are you?"

"Fine," said Robert.

"I'm great," said Mary, "are you ready to call it a day?"

"Yes, I'm waiting for Barb to return, she went to the back with your friend." He looked at Robert, refusing to say Jerry's name.

"I'll relieve you, Albert, have a good day." Mary stepped behind the counter. Albert went out through the double doors to the courtyard. "Bob, would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, why not." Robert walked over to the Guests' Station and poured a cup of coffee and then went to the lobby area to read the mornings' paper.

# # #

Barbara fastened on a cart in a doorway on the second floor balcony and marched up the stairs to trounce Jill. She looked through the big window and saw two beds already made up and motion in the bathroom. She waited another minute and saw Jill come out of the bathroom with a garbage bag. Barbara sprinted into the room. "Jill. You tell me about yesterday, you slut!"

Startlement transformed into an insatiable grin. "What would you like to know?"

Barbara yelled as loud as she could, "You tell me about yesterday!"

Jill got just as loud and furious. "What do you want to know, bitch? You want to know how your man tastes in the morning? Or do you want to know how he was with a real woman and not a bitch slut!"

"I'll show you who the bitch slut is you bitch! Your ass is grass!" Barbara charged with a head of steam. Jill heard ringing in her head from her collision with the wall. She recovered and shoved Barbara. Barbara fell onto the bed. Jill jumped on top of her and struck with several light blows. Barbara knocked her to the floor and she groaned, grabbing her elbow. Barbara climbed to her feet and put her full weight behind a massive kick to Jill's side. Jill doubled over on the floor, shrieking. Barbara promptly added two more kicks before Jill managed to kick out and knock her off her feet. This time, Jill made the smart move and bolted from the room. She hopped the rail and dashed across the courtyard for the double doors and sanctuary.

Albert recognized the screeching voices and raced for the front desk. "Miss Mary, come quick, Jill and Barb are at it big time." He raced back out to see what he could do. Mary raced from behind the desk and flung the doors open to see Jill sprinting across the courtyard with Barbara in hot pursuit. Barbara was on fire, as red as her hair, chasing down the larger, shorthaired blonde. Jill tripped and Barbara caught up to her and kicked her hard in her side, causing her to double over. Barbara kicked with fury, again and again.

"Stop it, Barbara, stop it!" Mary yelled as she raced to the defenseless Jill. She and Albert tackled Barbara to the ground and held her there. "Stop it, stop it right now!" Mary yelled.

"Let me go! Let me go! I'm gonna kill that bitch!" Barbara tossed and turned but they held her with a firm grip, listening to her Arkansas tirade.

Robert came from the lobby and Jerry rushed from the beach to hold Barbara who was starting to break loose from Mary and Albert. Mary went over to Jill and checked her. "How could you!" She screamed at Barbara while attending to Jill. She and Albert got Jill to her feet but Jill was not hurt that bad—she exaggerated for Mary's benefit, leaning on them for support. Jill moaned as they passed several doors that slammed shut, not wanting to get involved.

Jerry hugged Barbara, watching the others leave. "Are you all right? I never meant for this to happen, you took it the wrong way!"

"No I didn't, that bitch had it coming! She was long overdue for a beat down!"

"Take her out back and walk around. Are you injured?" Robert asked Barbara.

"I'm on top of the world!" Barbara said while glaring at the double doors.

"Let's go, champ," Jerry said and walked Barbara to the beach. They walked around to calm her down but Barbara had the kind of blood that stayed hot, once heated.

Robert was now the odd man out. Jerry had left with Barbara, Mary had left with Jill, and he stood there in the courtyard alone. His mind wondered about the future. Could he have something with Mary without the others in the picture? Did he have to accept that it was a family type of arrangement and the good came with the bad? Robert pondered these questions as he made his way back to the lobby. He sat and picked up the newspaper, trying to bury himself in the news of the day.

Mary got Albert to stay longer and work the front desk while she attended to Jill. She took the first aid kit from her bathroom and administered to Jill while she sat on the commode. "Put your arm on the sink," said Mary. Jill had a small cut on her right arm. Mary washed and bandaged it for her. Jill's face was untouched. Mary unbuttoned Jill's uniform, she gasped at the small bruises on her left and right sides.

"She tried to kill me, Mare, you saw, you saw!" tears streamed down Jill's face.

"I saw with my own eyes. How could she do something so horrible?"

"We don't know her, Mare; she has probably done this to others that we don't know about."

Mary put a bandage on Jill's right side. "We need to take you to the hospital."

"No. No, no, no, no. No hospital, I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Jilly, you're banged up!"

"No hospital, promise?"

"All right, no hospital."

"If you're that concerned, I can stay the night with you. You can personally watch me to make sure I'm fine." Jill risked a peek then doubled-over in torturous pain.

"You'll stay the night at my place. Robert is going out of town anyway. Call Bert and see if it's all right with him."

"Don't worry, Mare; I will take care of everything. Good times are ahead for us."

"Stay here until I get back, do not leave this room and I mean it! Call Bert." Mary ventured to the lobby, Robert read the newspaper. She went to the beach area and found Barbara and Jerry. "Could I speak with Barbara alone, please?"

"Sure," said Jerry after getting the okay from Barbara. He found Robert in the lobby. "How mad is Mary right now?"

Robert put the paper down. "Jill is her best friend. I would say very mad."

"It wasn't my fault, Rob."

"What did you do?" Robert said calmly but with intensity.

"I told her Jill came on to me, I thought it would be the right thing to do since we would be gone for a short time. If Jill brought it up first she would never forgive me."

"Jill came on to you? I don't believe for an instant that's the whole story, have you started lying to my face now?"

Jerry buckled and told the entire truth, including Barbara's reaction. "I'm sorry man, you know I was trying to do good here, it just went sideways."

"Did you tell Barbara we were leaving?"

"I was about to when Mary showed up to talk to her."

Robert didn't like the idea of Mary talking with Barbara. "Go get everything ready for our trip, I'll wait for them."

Jerry did not argue, he felt bad enough. All the enthusiasm for the trip evaporated.

# # #

"What did Jill do to deserve what you did?"

"Nothing."

"What did she do, Barbara?"

Barbara flared her nostrils. "Jill is your friend, not mine. You don't care what happened, you only want to defend your friend. No matter what she does or who she hurts, she is still your best friend Jilly and can do no wrong!"

"I'm your friend too. I just want to know what happened."

"What I say doesn't matter so I'm not going to waste my breath and listen to you defend that slut!"

"Your job is on the line if you don't know that! I'm going to have to write this up and I need your side of the story. If you don't say anything then all I have is Jill's version. Did you forget that we have guests? They saw it; hell some of them probably recorded it! What do I say to Mrs. Belmont when she gets back?"

"I don't care what you say. You are only going to defend your best friend so go ahead and do your damn job!" Barbara thought her position was hopeless and decided she might as well go out with a bang. She didn't hold back her resentment or mix her words. "You have never been on my side; it has always been you and Jill, you and Jilly! You believe every word out of that bitch's mouth when everyone around here knows she is the biggest liar and manipulator in this place. I have had it with your kind of friendship. Go ahead and support her because I don't give a damn!" Barbara fisted her hands, ready to fight.

Mary squared her shoulders but said nothing. She turned around to walk off and then turned back to Barbara. "You are suspended until further notice," she said in a calm manner, then went back to her office and to her friend.

Mary was in the office a few minutes when there was a knock at the door. "Hey, I know it's a bad time but I have to get on the road. I'll call you later." Robert kissed Mary on the forehead while she stood in the doorway. Mary didn't say anything. She closed the door back and went to attend to the needs of her friend.

Jill continued to play hurt and Mary gave her all her attention. Mary told her of Barbara's suspension. Jill hid the twinkle in her eye.

Jerry came back to the hotel and went to the beach. Barbara was still there pacing and mad as ever. "Hey baby, I thought you would be calmer by now?"

"I'm getting there."

"I have bad news. We have to leave for New York. I'm so sorry about what I said and what I made you do."

Barbara kissed Jerry. "Don't be. I knew what I was doing and would do it again. That skank had it coming, she's been fucking with me for too long and she got what she deserved."

"Do you forgive me?"

"I don't blame you. I know what happened and I said I would take care of it and I did." Barbara kissed him again. "How long will you be away this time?"

"I'm not sure, but it'll probably be the rest of the week. That's the way these market trends work."

"Call me tonight, all right? I want to know that you made it safely."

"I will. Barb, I am so sorry."

"Don't say that again, you hear me? Everything is all right. I'll miss you."

"I have to get going. I'll miss you, too." Jerry kissed her and left. Barbara trudged through the beach sand to Oceanfront Park. She sat for a while before heading home.

Chapter 16: Judgment

Mary worked a few more hours then took Jill home to nurse her back to health. "I still don't get why she attacked you, explain it to me?"

Jill walked beside Mary, her wheels spinning. "Barbara saw me talking to Jerry and jumped to the conclusion I was trying to steal her man."

"Come on, Jilly, be serious."

"I am, Mare, that is what happened. I tried to talk Barbara down but her fat ass has always been insanely jealous of me, you know that. She just yelled at the top of her lungs that she was going to kill me. I ran as fast as I could when I saw talking wasn't working. You saw! She was crazy and wanted to kill me over nothing. She tackled me to the ground and started kicking me, you saw her with your own eyes."

Mary walked in silence trying to piece together something that made no sense. "You didn't start anything?"

"No Mare. Good god, no! You saw how crazy she was. Any excuse to come after me she will use because she hates me. I don't feel safe at work anymore, Mare, what am I going to do?"

"If Barbara is that dangerous then she will have to work someplace else. You will be safe at work, don't worry about that, Jilly, I got you."

Jill walked with her head down but grinned from ear to ear. At last she had gotten the upper hand on Barbara and taking a few shots to the stomach was worth the reward. They entered Mary's apartment. "Thank you for backing me, I feel like a weight has been lifted from me. You know what, Mare? I feel like celebrating." Jill opened her purse and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Ta da! What do you think?"

Mary laughed. "Put that away, you know I can't drink that. I do piss tests remember? I have to see those assholes tomorrow and they may make me squat." Mary looked disgusted at the thought of having to pee in front of that woman again.

"Are you crazy, girl? You don't know a damn thing about the system, do you? They can only legally test you once a month and you just had your test didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"So they can't make you do it again for thirty days. That's the law!" Jill smiled and waved the bottle in front of Mary to entice her.

"I have never heard of that law."

Jill took out her cell phone and dialed a number and put the phone on speaker. "Hello?"

"Hey Di, it's Jill, what up ho?" Jill laughed and heard the woman laugh with her. "Will you tell Mary what you told me about those piss tests?"

"All right, what you want to know?"

"How often do you have to take those tests?"

"Aw that's easy, once a month, girl, what else?"

"How does she know that?" Mary whispered to Jill.

"Hey Di, how many of your people are taking those tests right now?"

"Oh, let's see, my uncle Bernard, my second cousin on my momma's side Juju, my daddy's brother's stepson Kelvin, and my girl Sherrhonda. Who gotta take that test, girl?"

"Um, Barbara's big ass, I was hoping she had to take one every week."

Dionne laughed on the phone, "Nah girl, you can only take the test once a month unless you fail it and then your ass may have to take it twice a month but never once a week." She laughed some more. "I heard about you two. How yo ass doing after that beat down she put on yo ass?" She laughed some more.

"Fuck you, bitch." Jill hung up the phone. She then danced with the bottle in front of Mary.

"Go get some glasses, bitch," said Mary. They sat and drank until the wine was gone. Later that night Jill ordered two large pizzas and then called the corner store for beer and whiskey. A young man brought up the liquor. Jill offered him feels on her breasts for payment. He declined so she offered to throw Mary in as a bonus. He eventually got half his money and took a kiss and quick feel from Jill for the balance.

Robert called later in the evening to check on Mary. Jill saw the caller identification and formed a plan to separate them. She put the phone on speaker. "Hey Robbie," said Mary and then she giggled with Jill.

"Mary? Is that you?" Robert asked.

"Of course it's me, who else would be at my house answering my phone?"

Robert kept quiet for a moment. "I meant to call earlier, I just wanted to let you know we made it all right. Is everything okay?"

"Why is he checking on you like that?" Jill whispered to Mary. "He thinks he got you on lockdown already?"

"Why are you checking on me? I already have a jailer." Mary said and quietly snickered with Jill.

"You don't sound good, are you all right, Mary?"

"I'm fine, Robbie," she burst with laughter while Jill laughed in silence.

"Mary, are you drinking?"

"Nope," she said quickly.

"Are you drinking? Because it sounds to me as if you are." Robert's tone grew harsher.

Jill whispered in Mary's ear and they laughed together. "So, are you making momma some dineros? You know I like the good stuff."

There was a long silence before Robert spoke so Jill whispered in Mary's ear again. "I'm sorry, are you there Robbie? Robbie . . . Hello?"

"I have to go Mary, I will talk to you later." Robert hung up the phone.

"Oh...my...god! Could you believe that shit! Mare, he just dissed yo ass, and with me standing here next to you. I can't believe that motherfucker had the nerve to diss you like that. That black son of a bitch! Who the fuck is he to do you like that, girl? I wouldn't take that shit!"

Mary hunched her shoulders, turning red. "Yeah, motherfucker! Who the fuck is he to go off on me like that? Fuck that motherfucker!"

"Yeah, fuck him! If it was me, I would call his ass back and tell that motherfucker something. If it was me."

Jill gave her a shot of whiskey. Mary drank it down for courage to handle her business. "Yeah, damn it, you're right!"

"Yeah bitch, star 69 that fucker!"

Mary put the phone on speaker. The phone rang twice before Robert picked it up. "Hello."

"Why the fuck did you hang up on me, motherfucker!"

Robert felt as if he had been punched in the gut. "Mary?"

"Yeah, bitch, it's me! Hell, your black ass is lucky as hell to get a piece of this white shit and you act like a bitch! Fuck you, motherfucker!" Mary hung up the phone and hi-fived Jill. "That will teach his ass!"

"Damn straight," said Jill. She fixed two more shots and they drank them down after making a toast. The phone rang once then Jill picked it up and put it right back down. "We will show him who's the boss." Mary agreed.

Robert called back to try to make sense of what just happened. Jill answered. "What do you want now?"

"Jill? May I speak with Mary?"

"Didn't you get the message the first time, asshole? She don't want to talk to you, see you, or fuck you, so get lost, sucker!"

"Jill," they heard through gritted teeth and a calm demeanor, "will you put Mary on the phone, right now!"

Mary came to the phone. "What?" She said with attitude.

"I need to talk to you in private, could you take the phone off speaker?"

Mary came to the phone and spoke clearly and slowly so he could understand every word she said. "Don't give me orders, motherfucker! You don't run shit! I don't want to talk to you, not today, not tomorrow, and not the week after that either! Go to hell, motherfucker!" Mary hung the phone up and high-fived Jill. They drank some more.

Jill unplugged the phone when Mary wasn't looking. She knew it would infuriate Robert and drive a deeper wedge between them. She could imagine him getting furious and throwing the phone against the wall, shattering it. She smiled, not caring. She knew when Mary pushed past her limits she became a blackout drunk and would not remember anything she had said or done the night before. Jill used it to her advantage.

After whiskey and pizza, Jill decided to crank call people. They called the weather station, the local hospital and the Segara Hotel among others. "Hey Mare, call fat ass." Jill whispered delicious thoughts in Mary's ear.

Mary's face glowed a cherry red, she made the phone call. "Hello, Barbara, this is your ex-boss. You can pick up your last paycheck in my office toilet before noon tomorrow." She hung up the phone and laughed hysterically with Jill, but her good times were short-lived; Jill held her hair while she bent over the toilet throwing up. When she finished, she stared down at the toilet. "I wish I had a man that could be as good as you are to me, Jilly."

"I'm here for you always, baby." Jill took a towel and washed her face and then lay beside her in bed to keep her company. Mary fell asleep and as she slept, Jill caressed her body.

The next morning, the Union Representative informed Mary that Barbara had demanded a quick review of her status and the Belmont's Disciplinarian Board would meet on Thursday morning. She informed Jill. "You will have to testify and tell your side of things and Barbara will tell hers. If there is something you need to tell me, say it now before the meeting starts."

"I have nothing to say, Mare. She's the liar."

"Jilly, if you lie on the stand it will cost you. Be sure of what happened and what you say." Mary left to go check with her hotel attorney on what would happen in the proceedings.

Jill went back to work cleaning hotel rooms, glad she had Mary all to herself. She waited until later to enter the office carrying coffee and doughnuts from the Guests' Station. "Here you go, Mare, recharge your batteries with a sugar high."

"Thanks Jilly, I needed something right about now."

"You know I'll always take care of my baby, it's me and you forever."

Mary heard the words and froze. She remembered hearing them before but was she awake or sleep? Did she hear Jill say those words in a dream? Was she naked with Jill standing over her saying those words? Mary began searching her memory trying to solve the puzzle, but the image grew murkier every time she went over the details in her head. Finally, she lost the picture completely, chalking it up to dreams.

"Something wrong, Mare?"

"I think I just had a little deja vu but I'm not certain. You stayed at my house Sunday night didn't you?" Mary inquired, trying to get some facts straight in her head.

"I don't remember. My god, Mare, Sunday was ages ago! Here, have some coffee." She handed Mary a cup of hot coffee. They sipped and talked. Jill steered the conversation to other topics and Mary forgot all about the fleeting image in her head.

Mary insisted that Jill go home to Bert to keep their relationship strong. She was really concerned about her dreams and Jill wanting to sleep over all the time. She used Bert as an excuse to get rid of her. Jill did not tell Mary she and Bert were over long ago, she instead went home to an empty house. The next day Mary was at work early to prepare for her Hearing with Barbara. She gathered Hotel staff, the Hotel's attorney and accountant in her office with Jill.

"Miss Thomas, you will speak only the truth and tell the board what happened. You will tell the entire story, not just what you think is in your own best interests."

"No problem, that bitch is dead meat!" Jill said with confidence as she looked at the stoic faces.

The grim attorney pulled out a statement, read it, and then replied, "I have here a preliminary report that puts you at fault."

Mary's eyes grew large as she turned to Jill. Jill's expression didn't change, she wanted to bury Barbara and get rid of her. "Jilly. Listen to him, if you are at fault and you are caught in any lies you will lose your job. Do you hear me? You go up there and you tell the entire truth, you hear me?"

"Yes, Mare! Yes!" Jill shouted. I'll get that fat bitch another way.

# # #

Barbara tied her hair with a black ribbon and dressed in a black business suit. After walking into the room for her Disciplinary Hearing, she went over and sat at a table with her union representative and didn't look at either woman. Mary sat at another table with the Belmont's lawyer while another attorney acted as judge for their arbitration. The judge heard from both women and after reviewing all arguments gave his decision. "Miss Limbaugh, due to limited damage to Miss Thomas and her willingness not to prosecute, your suspension will be lifted and you will report to work tomorrow. You will make a public apology to Jillian Thomas and the staff of this hotel for your actions. You will complete a six-week anger management course and pay all medical bills of Jillian Thomas in relation to this incident. At your next incident, you will be terminated and blacklisted from all hotels serving the Greater Florida Association. This is your second and only chance, are we clear, Miss Limbaugh?"

Barbara stood. "Yes, sir." She sat and remained silent until the judge finished. After, she rose and left without a word or look to Jill or Mary. She went home to wait out her time.

Chapter 17: Doomsday

Jill went home to an empty refrigerator Thursday evening. She grabbed her purse to do her grocery shopping at Publix. Maybe she'll surprise Mary with a gourmet dinner. A smile spread across her face as she read her shopping list. Crash! She rammed her cart into the cart of a young white man wearing a sling. Blood filled every pore in her face. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!"

"It's all right, I'm fine," said the man.

Jill saw that he was tall and handsome with a cast on his right arm. She gave her best smile. "I am so sorry, I don't know what to say. Are you all right, Mr...?"

"Demint, Johnathan Demint, and yes I'm all right. Did I hurt you Mrs...?"

"It's Miss... no, Jill."

The man smiled at her. "Jill."

"I didn't hurt your arm did I?"

"No, it's an old war injury," the man smirked. "I better let you go and get back to shopping. Nice to have run into you, Jill."

Jill twisted with a bashfulness she reserved for handsome men. "Nice to have crashed into you, I guess I better start doing that more often." She gave her best seductive smile.

He smiled and waved, then left.

Jill finished her grocery shopping about a half hour later and saw the man in the parking lot. He dropped one of his bags and had trouble picking it up. Jill saw her opportunity. "May I be of assistance?"

"Could you open my van side door if it is no problem? I hate to be a bother but this is not that easy."

"No problem," said Jill. She opened the door for him and picked up the bag he dropped.

"Could you set it in the back and come back and get this one for me, if it's no bother?"

"Not a problem." Jill climbed into the van and set the bag in the corner. She knew she would get a reward from the handsome stranger. The man climbed in with her and closed the door behind him.

The next day, Albert worked the front desk with help from Mary. Two people had quit and Mary refused to call Barbara in early. The phone rang. Albert picked it up, "Hello, Belmont Hotel, how may help you?"

"Hey, Albert. It's Karen."

"Hey cousin, how is everything out west?"

"I'm not out west, I'm here in town. Listen, Albert, I have an identification badge from your hotel that says 'Jillian Thomas' is she an employee there?"

Worry flashed across Albert's face. "Yes, is something wrong?" His voice deepened, his mouth went dry.

"I found it and I was wondering if she was there by chance?"

"No. She has the day off."

"Does she have family in the area?"

Albert's heart pounded, his face tightened. "What are you trying to say, Karen?"

The woman was silent for a while which worried Albert all the more. "She has been in an accident and I'm looking for next of kin, does she have a friend there who could help?"

"Just a minute," said Albert. "Mary, someone says Jill is in trouble." He handed her the phone. Albert knew who his cousin was and knew it was bad news. He was never able to give people bad news and was glad to be rid of the responsibility.

Mary stared into Albert's pale face. Her heart nearly stopped. Her face grew as pale as his. "Hello, this is Mary Lake. I'm a friend of Jill's."

"Miss Lake, could you take this address down for me?"

"Just a minute," said Mary. She reached for a pencil and paper. "Go ahead."

"1087 Blicker Street, come now if you can." She hung the phone up before Mary could respond.

Barbara approached the front desk after a two hour meeting with the Belmont attorney. She entered as Mary hung the phone up. "Barb, Jill is in trouble. Will you come with me and see what the matter is?"

Barbara arched her eyebrows. What nerve? She wanted to scream or punch, but couldn't risk more trouble. Finally, she decided she didn't care and would find a new job if she had to. She had had her fill of Jill and wasn't interested in her dramas. "No. She can rot in hell for all I care!"

"Please, Barb, it doesn't sound good. I need you, don't make me go alone. I'm sorry about everything that happened and I wish I could have stopped it all but I couldn't. Help me, Barb, be the bigger person. I need you!"

"Go with her," said Albert, "please, if my cousin is calling, it's important." He gave Barbara a sharp look. Seconds later he gulped and his eyes fell to the floor.

"Fine, I'll drive." Barbara snapped. She was not the least bit interested in Jill's shenanigans and thought she deserved whatever she had gotten herself into. They drove in silence to a large three-story building worthy of being in the Art Deco section of Miami. It was a new police station or outpost as they called them, for specialized crimes. They went in and walked up to the front desk.

"We're here about Jillian Thomas." Barbara said to the man.

"Right this way," said the man behind the desk. He led them into a room off to the right and told them to go in and have a seat.

A white woman dressed in a two-piece black suit came into the room. She was a thin woman with short brown hair in her early thirties. She had her identification and badge on her waist in full view. "Hello, I am Special Agent Karen Parker of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." She shook their hands and then sat on the edge of the desk in front of them. She reached behind her and picked up a photo and showed it to them. "Is this Jillian Thomas?"

Mary's heart tightened, she couldn't breathe. She gasped for air, shaking like a leaf. She clutched at her chest as if having a heart attack . More and more she hyperventilated, unable to take in enough air to keep her alive. Her eyes took in the picture through a blinding fog: Jill lying on a metal table with a white sheet pulled up to her chin. Mary's body quaked. Her mouth moved but no sounds came forth. A shriek erupted from her core, a torrid of wails followed. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, not Jill! Not Jill!" She wailed, repeating her words over and again.

"I am so sorry. Let me start by telling you what we know so far." The agent watched Mary with sorrow. Mary kept crying so the agent directed her comments to Barbara who seemed more stable. "Your friend somehow ran into a serial killer who has been hunting women in this area."

Mary cried louder.

"We have a few tell-tell signs that lead us to believe that it is one sick fuck who is responsible for the murder of four women in this area. Your friend is the latest victim."

Mary cried and cried and paid no attention to what the woman said. Her best friend was dead and she was alone. Barbara held on to her, listening to Agent Parker. Barbara wanted Jill to suffer but not like this. She felt remorseful and as Mary cried, she cried, not only for Jill but for Mary. Barbara lost her grip and Mary tumbled to the floor crying. Barbara and Agent Parker picked her up. They got her back into the chair but she was a wreck.

Barbara strained to hold back her tears while rubbing Mary's shoulders to keep her in place. She turned tear-filled eyes toward the agent. "When did this happen, what happened?"

Agent Parker drew a sharp breath. "I can tell you that your friend was not tortured or raped, she wasn't butchered or disfigured. If I had to guess I would say she was hit on the head and while passed out, strangled." Mary cried all the louder. Agent Parker rubbed her shoulder before continuing. "I know it is no comfort to you right now but she didn't suffer. She felt nothing, no pain of any kind. For her it was peaceful and you need to hang on to that." She directed her last comments to Mary.

"Did you catch the bastard that did this?" Barbara asked while keeping a grip on Mary.

"Not yet, but we're close." She gave Barbara her card. "I will come by and talk with both of you later; I want to retrace her last steps. We hope that will give us another clue. We are close to catching him and you have my word, I will not stop until I nail this fucker to the wall." She hugged the women. "Take all the time you need." She gathered the pictures and the file and left the room. Mary had stopped crying for a minute but the tears started flowing again.

Barbara started the car and drove them back to work. Mary stared out the window, a haunting expression on her face. In her office, she pulled a bottle of straight bourbon whiskey from a hidden space in her bathroom. She took a hefty gulp at the mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror and took another deep pull, trying to empty the bottle. Mary took the remainder to her desk so she could finish there. Unable to find a parking space, Barbara parked down the street and walked back to the hotel. The door to Mary's office would not open. She pounded on the door but Mary never opened it. Mary dried up her tears and composed herself so she would sound reasonable. She picked up her office phone, "Albert, come to my office and get Barbara and take her back up front." She put the phone back on the receiver and opened a mini bottle from her desk and drank it down. Mary was full of liquor and if she moved fast she would hear it sloshing around so she stayed put and stared blankly at her desk. She felt herself slipping away, moving out of her body and floating toward the ceiling. Her pain subsided in favor of numbness. Nothing could touch her now. Peace fell around her: no one knocking at her door, no pain in the pit of her stomach, silence all around her. She floated higher.

A rattling at the door brought her back down to earth. The door opened and Barbara came in. "Get out!" Mary shouted at the top of her lungs.

Barbara slammed the door shut and then locked it. "No, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Get out!"

"No!"

Barbara ducked as a mini bottle whizzed by her head.

"I know deep down you are happy and glad this happened. You were never a friend of Jill's and you were never my friend either. Go ahead and laugh, you cow!"

Barbara smiled but her face betrayed her. She pulled on everything that she had to remain calm. She spoke as softly and delicately as she could. "You are my friend, Mary, and although Jill and I had our bad moments, she was my friend too!"

"You lying ass, fat ass slut!" She threw the empty whisky bottle at her. The bottle smashed against the door and pieces of glass flew around the room. "I want you out of my office and out of my life right fucking now!" Fire filled Mary's face.

Barbara matched her color in a heartbeat. "You want to be mad and blame me, fine, go ahead. Jill was not a good friend to me and she wasn't a good friend to you either. She took advantage of you every chance she got! You want to make her into some hero then go ahead because I don't give a shit!" Barbara threw her keys at Mary then turned and crunched on top of broken glass on her way out the door.

Mary plopped in her chair behind her desk, she searched the drawer to find something to numb her again. The desk was empty so she picked up the phone. After three long breaths, she dialed room service. "This is Mary Lake, I want to order a T-bone steak and fries and a bottle of red wine. Send it to my office, use the backstairs; I don't want you going through the lobby, all right?" She hung up the phone after receiving confirmation.

Mary stared at her desk again. Thoughts of Jill lying dead in an alley somewhere crept back into her thoughts. She did her best to force them down. She opened the door for room service and when the man left, she grabbed the wine and pressed the bottle to her lips. She pushed the cart of food into the bathroom and sat at her desk and drank. Mary tried to achieve orbit and leave her body and she was close. She was now happy and light-headed, floating on the clouds. She thought she had better eat something and went into the bathroom for a few fries. She immediately threw up and was pissed that she allowed all her liquor to escape. She leaned on the commode to climb to her feet. She flushed her joy down the drain with a few curse words then went back to her desk. Mary called room service again but they were closed for the day. She caught sight of the keys Barbara flung at her. With a wide grin, she picked them up: Barbara's car keys.

"Thank god!"

Mary took the back way out her office. Three women with carts and housekeeping uniforms gathered for a solemn cry. She hugged each and quickly left so she wouldn't start again. As she drove a wave hit her and she started crying again. Her tears covered her face and were coming so fast they blocked her vision. Mary could not see through the thick stream of tears. She heard a loud bang and then an explosion. She was lying on her air bag and the car had come to a stop. Mary stepped out of the car groggy. She heard a commotion before she saw anything. Her ears tuned in to crying and screaming. Mary had crashed into a store, sending customers scurrying like rats from a sinking ship. She looked around. An accusing finger honed in on her, then another and another.

Two police officers rushed toward her. "Hold it there, you are under arrest, don't move!"

"I didn't do anything!" Mary said and tried to back up. The men tackled and wrestled her to the floor. Mary screamed and struggled as the officers dragged her out and into a police car. "Let me go! I didn't do anything, let me go you Bastards! Let me go! Let me go! You fucking Bastards!" Mary twisted from side to side trying to get out of the men's grip. They placed her in the back of their squad car oblivious to her yells. Out of frustration, she banged her head against the window until she knocked herself out. Mary bled on the floor of the police car while the men took statements from the crowd. One of them went to check on her and saw her passed out, a gash on her forehead. They took her to the hospital and handcuffed her to a bed.

Once awake, Mary continued her tirade against the officers and staff. She wouldn't allow anyone to touch her and screamed at them all. A light sedative was her reward. "This will keep her calm but in a relaxed state so she won't be any trouble. We can't risk her going into a deep sleep. Her alcohol level is so high that she should be dead right now!" The elderly doctor said to the officers.

One of the officers said, "I need a copy of her blood alcohol level."

Doctor Palmer nodded. "No problem but she isn't going anywhere tonight. She has to be monitored every hour. Don't worry, we will take good care of her, I'm on my way to consult with our Psychiatric Department."

"Why?"

"Gentlemen, I have been doing this for a long time and that my friend is a call for help if ever I have heard one. She is on suicide watch. One of you can stay but not both."

"She stays in restraints doctor, she does not even get out of them to use the bathroom. Use a bedpan."

"I know my job; now let me do what you failed to do." The doctor pushed the men out and drew a curtain around Mary to examine her.

"Oh Jilly, my sweet Jilly," muttered Mary as she went in and out of consciousness. She cried and no one knew why or understood why.

Chapter 18: Sweet Princess

"Hello. I am Doctor Palmer and you are?"

"Hello, doctor, I am Barbara Limbaugh. Mary is my best friend and I'm the closest to family she has in this area."

"All right, Miss Limbaugh, have a seat. Miss Lake is in a precarious state at the moment. She has ingested an enormous amount of alcohol which is destroying her liver, kidneys, and other vital organs. We are getting rid of it as fast as we can but it will be touch and go for some time. Has she had any major blows lately?"

"She was in a relationship with a man that fell apart and some creep killer murdered her best friend. Will she be all right, doctor?" Barbara couldn't control the shaking in her voice.

"That is out of my hands at the moment. We are doing all that we can and it is now up to her. Do you think she wants to live?"

"Yes, of course she does!" Barbara snapped in defense of her friend though she was not sure of the true answer.

"Miss Lake is under arrest and will be held in isolation. Only family can see her, but since none are close, I will allow you to serve in their place. Please remember this one thing, you have to be positive at all times in spite of what you see or feel. She needs only positive thoughts around her. If you can't handle seeing her in a less than ideal way then you should wait until she looks better before seeing her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, doctor, may I see her now?"

The doctor led her to Mary's room.

Barbara couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her quivering lips at the sight of her friend. The doctor touched her on the shoulder and Barbara took in a deep breath to steady herself. She walked over to the bed and forced herself to view every cut and bruise, even the forehead bandage with traces of fresh blood. She gulped at the wires along Mary's side, following them to her chest and then to several beeping machines. A larger tube ran from Mary's mouth to yet another humming machine. Barbara took another breath and found Mary's left hand and held it. She squeezed hoping Mary would recognize her and wake but she didn't. "Is she . . . is she . . . all right?"

"She is under sedation. She attacked the nurses and pulled out her IV. She looks worse than she is."

"When will she come out of it?"

"In another day or two."

"A day or two? No, no, no, no, she has to be places, she can't stay here." Barbara stammered, shaking.

"Miss Limbaugh, come with me." He led her into the hall. "You need to come to terms with the situation. She isn't going anywhere."

"No, she has a job and other things that she can't miss."

"When she wakes, Miss Limbaugh, she is going to jail, not to work or anywhere else. If you know her employer you can try to get a leave of absence but from what I understand that would be a waste of time. She is going to do jail time from what the officers said to each other and to our staff. She is on this floor to be evaluated when she wakes. After that, it is up to her attorney and the judge as to what happens."

Barbara returned to the room and held Mary's hand again. She stood there looking at Mary trying to figure out how she could help. Mary turned, the sheet slid down. Barbara saw Mary's other hand was handcuffed to the bed. Barbara's heart thundered so loud she nearly fell to her knees. She held on to the bed railing to steady herself and let out a small whimper. Barbara could not take it anymore, she bolted from the room to the elevator. Barbara fell to her knees as the small elevator descended to the ground floor. She had held the tears back for as long as she could and now she let the floodgates open enough to fill the tiny elevator from floor to ceiling, enough to drown her. When the doors opened, her makeup ran down her face in a fierce race with streaming tears. Her puffy eyes held little light and her nose ran. She got up and ran down the street, not sure where she was going or what she would do next.

With no car, Barbara took the bus and raced to her apartment. You would have thought she was as bad off as she looked, she wasn't. She had people counting on her. Somehow, through a steady stream of tears and confusion, she transformed, she became a rock. Barbara searched her address book for a phone number. Her fingers wouldn't stop shaking, but it wouldn't stop her. She dialed the number. "Damn it!" No answer. The shaking began anew. A flashing light caught her attention. She played her messages. "Hey Barb, I called but looks like you are out. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. I will try back later, I miss you, it's Jerry in case you don't know."

Barbara played the message again, it solidified her. Suddenly, the phone rang. "Hello, hello, hello."

"Hey babe, it's me, did you get my message earlier?"

"Yeah, I got it." Barbara sniffled but held the flood back. "Oh Jerry, I need help. I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do?"

"What is it, Barb?" Jerry blurted.

"It's a mess, Jerry, it's a mess." Barbara told everything she knew from the moment she kissed him good-bye.

"Oh my god! I can't believe it!" Jerry said several times during her story. "We are on our way back. I'll see you soon." Jerry hung up the phone and went to find Robert.

"Tell me again," said Robert after he fastened his seat belt.

"I've told you twice already."

"Tell me again, now!"

Jerry told the story again. Robert listened carefully trying to piece the pieces of this puzzle together.

"Jill is always at the center of everything." Robert said after searching for answers.

"Yeah! She is the troublemaker of the lot."

"They will all be better off without her around," said Robert. He hated to say the words but saying them aloud to Jerry was a help to him. He knew he could never say such words to Mary.

"Yeah, that's the truth! Barb is blaming herself and I know Mary is blaming herself too."

"Yeah. It's all starting to make sense now. Mary could never see how destructive Jill was and I bet she took advantage every chance she got."

"What is going to happen with you and Mary now? She didn't really mean all those things she said on the phone. Rob, you know Jill put her up to it."

"Nobody can force you to speak your heart and Mary spoke her heart whether Jill was there or not."

"You don't believe that. Mary is completely different sober. You have to get past the liquor and see the big picture, man. I know it's painful but you have something special, don't let it die." The word "die" hung in the air.

Robert gazed out the window at the clouds for a moment. "I don't know, Jerr, I just don't know," he finally said. Robert closed his eyes but never slept.

They arrived at the hospital the next morning to find a two-day sedated Mary connected to even more monitors. Robert's eyes bulged at the sight. He dashed down the hall, plopped in a chair, and put a hand to his eyes to hide his tears.

Barbara arrived to find Jerry in Mary's room. Jerry held Mary's hand and whispered in her ear. Barbara knocked on the open door. Jerry turned. He smiled then leaned down and kissed Mary. He walked out into the hall and hugged Barbara. "I'm glad your back," said Barbara. She kissed Jerry and hugged him again.

"I missed you something terrible," said Jerry. He hugged her tighter, realizing at last he found a trustworthy and responsible woman.

"Where's Robert?"

"He couldn't take seeing Mary like that so he left. I think he's in the waiting room."

"Stay with Mary while I go and check on him."

Jerry grew more and more proud of Barbara's take-charge attitude, she had come through for her friend despite the hardships it had caused her. "Go ahead, I think he went down that hall," Jerry watched her walk off in that direction before returning to hold Mary's hand. For him, this woman now fighting for her life, had brought them all together and deserved better for her trouble.

Barbara found Robert sitting in a chair by himself. He sat staring at the floor not once looking up at the television. Barbara walked over and put her hand on his head and he looked at her. Barbara stood next to him. He put his head against her and hugged her around her waist. Barbara didn't say a word. After a few minutes he gathered his strength. "The doctor is coming back, let's go see what he has to say." Together, they walked back to Mary's room hugging each other.

The doctor had no news. The three friends worked out a schedule to keep someone there around the clock. Barbara went back to work to do their jobs. Jerry would stay a couple hours and Robert would spend the night on a cot the nurse would bring in.

The next morning, Barbara stepped off the elevator as Robert rounded the corner from the cafeteria. Together, they walked to Mary's room. They waited outside while the doctor checked on Mary. Minutes later a nurse opened the door and invited them in.

"What is it doctor?" Barbara said, noticing the expression on his face.

"I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news this morning. Let's go in the hallway, shall we?" He led them into the hallway. "We brought her out of sedation this morning. She slipped into a coma."

"No, not Mary too," cried Barbara.

Robert leaned against the wall to steady himself. "Wh-what exactly does that mean doctor?"

"Well, she is not able to wake up at the moment and there is nothing we can do to wake her. In similar cases we have found the patient will either wake in a couple of days or it may stretch into weeks or even months. We are not at the stage where we would say years, but that too is a possibility."

"You can't give her anything to help her?" Barbara demanded to know.

"Right now our best chance is communication with loved ones: an anchor. I would recommend that you take turns talking to her and reminding her of things she has done, places she has been, people she knows, etc. Many of us believe she can hear everything around her so talk to her and it may help." He looked sympathetically at each and smiled as best he could. "I have rounds to make but I will check in on her later today." He smiled politely again and then left.

"I'll stay, Barbara, you go and try and get some work done." Robert said.

"All right, I will be back at 1pm." Barbara hugged him and turned to leave.

Robert went back into the room and sat in a chair by the bed and turned on the television for noise. After a moment he shut it off. "Well, Mary, what can we talk about? I would rather not get into the phone conversations so what does that leave us?" He thought long and hard. "I never told you that I went to college right here in Florida, did I? I studied Electronic Communications." He chuckled. "Worthless as the paper it was written on. After spending all that money for college I had nothing. The degree I received was only good for repairing soda machines and other coin machines. I chose not to use it and instead took a job at a factory making automobile parts." Robert paused briefly to see if he got any recognition from Mary. "I played the lottery in hopes of one day striking it rich with a group of nine others and as a single player on the side. One day I went into this local gas station and bought a scratch off ticket and won two hundred thousand dollars. Hooray!" He checked her again hoping for some response but getting none.

Robert listened to the discouraging machines beeping for a while. "Well, anyway, I always had a plan for what I would do if I ever won. I would daydream about what to do first and second and so on. I told you my buddy Jerry, my old college roommate, was a stockbroker. I decided I could afford to lose half my winnings playing the stock market, the biggest lottery of all time. So I invested in one-day trade options. Jerry had been a stockbroker for 2 long years by this time. He constantly complained about seeing millions of dollars change hands in the blink of an eye and knew he could do it too if he had the chance, so I gave it to him. He had a plan but had no money to put it into motion, I had money but no expertise, we were the perfect match." Robert laughed out loud remembering their earlier times.

"No, Mary, that's not quite right. When I won my money it took Jerry three days to finally talk me into letting him pick day trades as the way to get rich quick. We waited three weeks studying the markets, then we invested and doubled our money, well, my money to be exact. I then took my original money out and decided he could play with the winnings and if he lost we would be no worse off than when we started. Jerry made three more trades over the next three days, on the last, he quadrupled the money. We were now on our way. Hooray!" He said again as if Mary could cheer with him. "Well, the markets were good at that time and considering losses, within 3 months I had amassed a small nest-egg worth two million dollars. Hooray!" He said again. Robert stopped talking and watched Mary's chest rise and fall.

"Well, Mary, that was quite a few years ago. I guess you don't care about such things right now, do you?" Robert sighed. His voice deepened as he spoke with conviction. "The first time I saw you was . . . magic for me. You reminded me of my mother, I know that may not be a compliment in some circles, but I want you to take it as one. You were fierce in protecting your friends. I admire that quality about you. When a man finds a woman who will fight for her friends then he knows she will fight for him and their kids. There is no greater test of loyalty in my book than that, and I learned it at my mother's knee. You take care of all those around you first and sometimes it is you that needs looking out for. I wanted to be that person, Mary, the one who would look out for you and fight for you because you deserve it as much as your friends do."

Robert stopped talking not sure if he should continue. He loved Mary but with all the complications of her life, how would it possibly work out? How do you break away from somebody who is no good for you yet perfect? He was lost in thought for some time and didn't notice Barbara when she came into the room.

"How is she?"

"Hey, she looks peaceful doesn't she? I wonder what she's thinking?"

"Good thoughts about all the people who love her. Go home and get some rest, I'll be here the rest of the day." Barbara hugged Robert. He stood over Mary for a few minutes before leaving.

They alternated in this fashion for days to come.

With the door opened and Robert at her side, Mary's chest rose and fell on schedule. "Hey, Mary, it's me again. How are you feeling today? You look good, so peaceful and restful; thank god you don't need all those machines in here anymore! Well, anyway, Albert found a sort of living will that Jill had filled out long ago that said she wanted a quick funeral followed by cremation. Barbara tracked down Bert and he said he and Jill had called it quits ages ago and was surprised she didn't tell any of her friends. I guess you can guess that he didn't come to the wake. The wake was lovely. Barb handled all the details. She had it at the hotel in one of the conference rooms with flowers everywhere. It was like a rainbow of flowers and plants, there was even something like a bamboo tree that someone sent. Most employees came by and signed the book. Mrs. Belmont told her to spare no expense with the arrangements. Oh, and Barb is doing your job now but from the front desk, she doesn't allow people in your office. She keeps saying you will be back real soon and you don't like your things messed with. So get well soon and come back to work. About the other day . . ."

Robert fell silent. A tap at his shoulder brought him back to the present. He stared at the man who took the lion's share of the vigil with him. They hugged before he gave his warm seat to his friend.

Jerry took a long breath. He felt strange talking to himself but he grasped her hand all the same. "Hey, Mary, it's Jerry. I guess it's okay to say it now. Rob, Barb, and I took Jill's ashes on a boat and spread them about a mile off the coast. She said that is what she wanted although she planned for you to be the one to spread them. Mary, Barb has held up and she has hired more staff and promoted Albert. Mrs. Belmont offered her your job but she knows you will be back and has enough faith for every one of us. I see now why Rob wants to settle down with you. I look at Barb and you know what? She is the complete package, sure she has her faults, but so do I. When I first saw you, I thought Rob was making a big mistake, but now through Barb I can see just how important a good woman is and how important you are. Come back to us, Mary, we need you." Jerry stopped talking and looked at Mary lying helpless in her bed. He imagined Barb laying there. The silence was starting to get to him so he turned on the television and asked Mary if she would like to watch a movie with him. Jerry spent the night on the cot.

The next morning, Barbara had breakfast with Jerry in the hospital cafeteria. Barbara then took over and went to Mary's bedside. "Hey Mary, how are you today? Guess what? I have good news for you. For starters, I'm not going to press charges against you for wrecking my car." Barbara chuckled and watched Mary to see if she would react to the good news. Her face fell so she continued talking. "In fact, I will shortly be the owner of a brand new, fully-paid-for automobile, thank you very much!" Barbara shook Mary to get a response from her. "There are no damages or suits from the car crash. Second, the place you crashed into was a stroke of genius on your part, you must have an angel looking out for you, girl! Mr. Robert Tyler is the proud owner of the establishment and he has informed police that no suit or charges will be filed, Hooray!" She shook Mary again.

"Now where was I? Let's see, third, there were only three customers inside the store and they have settled out of court in record fashion. Hooray Mary! This has definitely been your week." Barbara whispered to her. "Hey Mary, I know you had a plan to fake everybody out and play sick. You don't have to anymore because the only charge against you is a driving under the influence charge and since it is your first it is just a slap on the wrist. Okay Mary? So come on and wake up, wake up Mary, wake up!" Barbara shook and shook but Mary stayed asleep. A frown spread across Barbara's face. She sat again to continue talking to Mary. She told her what happened every day she missed work and what was expected the next, along with all the rumors and gossip tidbits she could think of.

Mary stayed in her coma for the next five days without any change. Robert and Jerry had to return and close a deal with Benny. Robert hired a full-time nurse to read to Mary and watch her while they were gone and Barbara was at work.

Chapter 19: Sunrise

Mary's eyes fluttered open to take in her surroundings. She tried to move but couldn't. When she saw her hand cuffed to the side of the bed, she remembered some of what happened.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" said the nurse. She put down her crossword puzzle book and checked Mary's vitals while Mary tried to speak.

"Wh-wh-where am I?"

"You are in the hospital. They brought you here after your car accident. Do you remember the accident?" She continued checking her before calling others.

Mary saw the events through a thick haze: the alcohol, the pain from her head and back, and something else. As she thought on it, pain shot through her heart. Her eyes watered. "Jill!" Unimaginable pain gripped her. She curled into a somewhat helpless ball trying to soothe her body. "How long have I been here?"

A guard sat in a corner reading a book. Mary had not seen him earlier. He stood. "Let me guess, amnesia? You have been here for days, Miss Lake."

"Days?"

The guard took out his cell phone and stepped into the hallway.

The nurse watched him leave; she cast dark eyes on him. Why was he so mean? "They cleaned your system of the alcohol but it wasn't in time, you slipped into a coma. Mr. Tyler hired me to give you round the clock care. The police have had someone stopping by here every day in case you woke. Mr. Tyler will be happy to know you are awake, I will go and call him for you." She turned to leave.

Mary looked back at her handcuffed wrist and thought long and hard about her situation. After making a decision she said, "wait, don't do that." The woman turned back around. "Do you have paper and a pencil? Tell me everything." Mary instructed the nurse to stay there and not contact anyone and to follow her instructions to the letter.

While Robert and Jerry were in New York, Barbara worked from behind Mary's desk. The phone on the desk rang and she absentmindedly picked it up and kept working, "Hello?"

"Miss Limbaugh?"

"Yes, this is Barbara Limbaugh."

"This is Stacey Williams on the 10th floor nurses' station."

"Yes, has Mary's condition changed, is she worse?"

"Just the opposite. Moments ago she woke and is asking for you." She shut her eyes, regretting the lie as soon as the words escaped her lips, but it is what Mary instructed her to say. When Barbara arrived at the nurses' station Nurse Williams greeted her. "Hello, Miss Limbaugh, could you come this way?"

"Yes."

She led her to a small family-counseling room. Barbara entered and sat on a couch. "Miss Limbaugh, your friend woke up a short while ago. She is doing well and receiving excellent care and will make a full recovery." She then drew a long breath and let it ease out with care. "Miss Lake had me phone an attorney and she left with police officers. She wrote this letter for you and wanted you to read it here."

Barbara's hand shook as she took the letter and opened it. It read:

Dear Barb,

I phoned Mrs. Belmont and told her you were the perfect person to keep the hotel running smoothly. She assures me that she is in complete agreement and will leave it up to you to inform the staff. Good luck, Barb. You have earned it all on your own, be proud of yourself. As for me, I don't deserve a good friend like you, but in spite of myself, god has blessed me with you and I am eternally grateful. There are no words to describe how awful I feel about the way I treated you and the things I said, and yet you still helped me. I love you, Barb. You're my rock and my heart. I made a plea deal with my lawyer and will start serving my sentence. I'm leaving the keys to my condo with you and ask that you take care of it for me. I need to recover and I have to do it alone without help from anyone or it will not work. Please help Bob to understand this. Give this letter to Bob when he gets back. Don't tell him until you are face-to-face, I don't want him coming back from his trip early.

With all my love, Mary.

Barbara choked up with tears. Nurse Williams handed her two more envelopes. One addressed to Robert Tyler and the other to her. She opened hers and found Mary's keys and a small note which she read in silence. Barbara then thanked the woman and went back to work. She did as Mary instructed and when the two men returned from their trip she asked them to come to the hotel.

Jerry came through the doors first and greeted Barbara with a kiss. "Hey babe!"

"Hey babe," she said. She then turned to Robert, "Hey."

"Hey," said Robert.

"I have bad news. Mary woke and asked me not to tell you until your trip was over. She has been gone for two days." Barbara handed Robert the letter and he read it in silence. It read:

Dear Robert,

I thank you for being kind to me when I wasn't kind to you. I can't allow people to help me and sweep things under the rug for me. If you fix my problems they will just continue. I now know two things. First, I need to take responsibility for my actions and second, I have to do it alone or I will be back in this place again. I have made a plea deal that allows me to get clean and get counseling while serving my time. What I will have to go through will not be pretty and I don't want you to see me like that so I have asked that it be in an undisclosed location and information is to be restricted. You must go on with your life and I will try to piece together something for me. I am hurting so bad that I am of no use to anyone. I have lost my friend. I have lost my way. I must regain control and stand on my own two feet. Do not try to find me; I won't see you or anyone else. Please let me heal. I do love you, but right now it is not enough. I've been told what you and others have done for me and I'm grateful. There are no words to describe how I feel about you and how my heart is breaking. Believe that you are in my heart and without you I couldn't imagine where I would be. After how I treated you, I can't believe you found it in your heart to help me, your generosity amazes me. Again, I thank you.

With all my love, Mary.

Barbara saw the tears pooling in his eyes. She knew she had to talk fast and give him privacy. "Her letter to me said she would be sentenced six months to one year. She left the keys to her condominium and asked me to watch it for her. I will tell everyone at work tomorrow." Barbara hugged him then rushed off.

Robert hugged Jerry and he cried. Mary was gone and he could not find her. He had taken a chance and lost.

Barbara went back to work and over the next several months was the taskmaster that kept the Belmont in top form. Mrs. Belmont stayed for the Christmas Holidays and then left on another of her African Safari Adventures, confident that Barbara had everything in hand.

Robert and Jerry made tons of money in the markets. Once, he swore he saw Mary and frightened a woman so bad she ran to her car, locked the door, and called police, refusing to talk to the madman banging on her car window. The police came and almost arrested him, not believing it was a case of mistaken identity, but eventually letting him go after he acknowledged the woman was not Mary and apologized for the mistake. Robert swore he saw Mary on a beach or at the mall. Finally, he left Miami for a change of scenery and was beginning to consider New York his new home. Jerry grew closer to Barbara and surprised Barbara with weekend trips back to Miami just to spend time with her. He would update her on Robert's misery and she would keep him updated on local gossip.

Six months later

Robert planted flowers around a large tree in the front of his house. A woman stepped out of a taxicab wearing a white dress and white shoes and carrying flowers in a tray. He had ordered more Calla Lilies to mix in with his red Roses and assumed she was from the store. She put the tray down and watched as he performed his earlier ritual of planting. He glanced at her shoes and followed her soft legs to a thin dress that became see thru with the sun behind it. He looked to her waist before lowering his eyes and going back to work.

She waited for him to dig another hole and then took off her shoes and got in the dirt beside him. Robert put a flower and a bulb in the hole. She placed a card in the hole with them. Robert paused, staring at the card. He should have stopped working an hour ago but he pushed himself to continue. He focused weary eyes on the card and when it came into view he saw that it was a get out of jail free card from a Monopoly board game. A dead heart came to life with a rhythm all its own, but he was too afraid to look up. He kept his gaze on the card and stayed silent. The woman reached for the water jug. She poured water into the hole and waited for him to cover it. Robert's heart began to beat so loud he feared it would burst through his chest but still, he could not look up and get confirmation. If this was a dream, he wanted to keep it alive for as long as possible. If he could live in this moment, he would give up the rest of his life and stay here.

After a while, the woman shifted and he covered the plant. He dug another hole in silence but this time his hands trembled. Mary put her water jug down and grabbed his hands to stop him from digging. She pressed as hard as she could to let him know she was real. After another moment of silence, "I always seem to be saying the same thing, but from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry." She let his hands go and he continued digging as if alone and this was all a figment of his imagination. He put another plant in the hole and reached for the water jug. Mary grabbed the jug and held onto it. Robert froze as he watched this mirage water the hole then move over. Robert stayed silent unsure of what to do or if she was really with him. He dreamed so many nights of her return only to wake up and find his dream to be an actual nightmare. Losing Mary had made him doubt many things and he no longer trusted what he thought, felt, or even saw.

Robert decided to cover the hole. He began a new one and this time, Mary handed him a flower. He took it from her and planted it without a word, silent tears beginning to stream down his face. Mary smiled but Robert didn't look up at her. Barbara's warning that he was not in a good place and she would have to work hard to get him back rang true. Mary brushed a tear from his face. She took the spade from his hands and since he wouldn't look up, she lay on the ground before him, mud spreading in her hair and seeping into her dress.

"Bob, look at me!" Their eyes locked. "I know," after a minute she repeats, "I know!" A moment later with tears in her eyes she says, "It will never happen again. Not ever. I know what I did and I know the price. I KNOW!" Robert searched her eyes for the truth. Mary had come from the beauty parlor and the hotel's boutique. None of it matter, she pushed a strand behind her ear to wait for his response; even her earrings had mud on them. Robert bent down and kissed her and hoped she would not vanish like all the times before. Mary filled with joy. Her tears matched his as their lips pressed harder.

Robert picked her up and carried Mary upstairs to the bedroom and made love like never before. He could not believe that god would grant him his wish. At long last, he had found the woman he was destined to spend the rest of his life with. She was there in the flesh, the answer to a long awaited prayer. He gave Mary his entire body, his entire soul. He kissed her passionately and marveled at how well their bodies fit together and how well they were in perfect tune with each other.

Mary repeated her mantra, "Never again, never again," as they reached new heights of ecstasy before climaxing in perfect tune.

Mary lay on top of Robert breathing hard. Robert held Mary and closed his eyes to regain control of his breathing and heart rate. He caressed her back with long slow caresses that started at her neck and went to the top of her beautiful bottom. He was gentle and soothing as if she were a purring kitten.

Without warning he squeezed Mary as tight as he could. Mary felt the oxygen leaving her small frame. She felt as if squeezed by a python and began to panic. "Bob, Bob, what is the matter?"

Robert released his grip when he saw what he was doing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Mary. Please forgive me."

Mary put her hands on his chest and lifted herself up. She looked into his eyes and saw tears. "What is it? Tell me," said Mary who was now starting to panic for their relationship. She didn't understand why he was crying and needed to know if she had done something wrong.

"Talk to me, please don't shut me out!" She stared down at him waiting for an answer.

Robert shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so happy, Mary. I'm just so happy I can't believe you're real."

"You will have every day to look at this face. I promise."

With Robert's bright smile, Mary was at peace. The thoughts that had been circling her brain stopped and all was right with the world. Mary lay listening to him breathe and listening to his heart. She was not going to let him go, not for anything in the world. They slept throughout the night locked-in each other's embrace.

The next morning Robert and Mary woke to a loud banging on the bedroom door. "Hey! Wake up in there, you two. Hey! Wake up in there!"

"Jerry! Is that you?"

"Yeah, Rob man, get up!" More banging followed.

Robert opened the door with gritted teeth. "Jerr! If you don't stop banging on this door..."

"Oh, come on, Rob man, it's morning already!" He looked past his friend and saw Mary sitting up in bed with the sheet around her. "Hey, Mary!"

"Hey, Jerry."

"Barb is out back firing up the grill. We bought these big delicious 18-ounce steaks. You are going to love them! Get dressed and come on down." Jerry gave Robert a thumbs up and a wink and then ran from the room.

Robert shook his head laughing and turned to Mary. "He comes with the package."

Mary laughed, "so does Barb."

Robert's face grew stern. "Are you ready?"

"Promise me you will catch me if I fall."

"All the way to the floor."

"I'm ready."

"Let's go take a shower and join those idiots." They hurried to the patio.

"Glad you could tear yourselves away from each other," said Barbara. "Hello, Robert."

"Hello, Barbara."

"Hey, Mary," said Barbara with a broad smile.

Mary laughed. "Hey, Barb."

"Dinner is served," said Jerry.

"It's morning, Jerr," said Robert.

"Stop being a wise ass and have a seat."

Barbara had already set the table. She opened a bottle of sparkling cider. "This stuff is supposed to be bubbly."

"Thank you, Barb, I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"No problem, Mary, anything I can do to help, you know me?"

"She doesn't but I do, honey buns," said Jerry with a wink to Barbara as she sat down. "Hey Rob, we're going dancing tonight. It's time to kick up our heels and party!"

"No clubs, I mean it." Robert said emphatically.

"Aw Rob man, I'm not talking about clubs, I mean dancing, just dancing. You two are going to love it!"

"Hey Mary, will you help me with the bowls in the kitchen?" asked Barbara.

"Sure Barb." The ladies rose to kiss their men before going into the kitchen. Jerry slapped Barbara on her fanny. Robert put up his hand and Mary gave him a I-wish-you-would look. He waited until she reached the doorway. He snuck up and slapped her fanny. She yelped. Robert laughed and ran. Mary scowled then walked into the kitchen wearing a huge grin.

"Mary, will you grab those bowls off the table, I'll get the ones in the refrigerator?" Barbara started walking to the refrigerator.

Mary grabbed her hand to stop her. "Barb?"

"Yeah, Mary."

"Call me Mare."

Barbara smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Barb."

"It's not too early?"

"No."

"All right," Barbara watched her closely to see if she would bristle. She gulped. ". . .Mare." Barbara smiled. The two women hugged before going back outside to their men.

About The Author:

R.G. Richards is a lifelong Missourian who writes Fantasy/Paranormal/Romance novels. He was an enthusiastic reader of tales of foreign lands (China, Japan, Hong Kong), most of which were "borrowed" from his father's private collection—a big James Clavell fan (Noble House, Shogun). These faraway tales provided the fertile ground which produced a rich imagination capable of spinning strange and unique stories of distant lands and people. Outside of reading and writing, he is a beginning swimmer, a gym hater, an avid gardener of Sugar Baby melons, and a lover of jokes. If you know a good one, send it his way.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Feedback is essential to an author. I look forward to hearing from you. Tell me what you liked as well as what you hated. I can take criticism so don't worry, you won't get a rant in return. With your help, I can make the next book that much better. Again, Thank You for purchasing and reading.

Books by this author:

ROMANCE SERIES

The Flame – Book 1

Singed Hearts – Concluding Book 2

VAMPIRE SERIES

Vampires aRe Real

Cavers #1

Caveena - Cavers #2 (December 2014)

ZOMBIE SERIES (Zora Baker Series)

Zombie Zora - Zora Baker #1

Zombie Invasion - Zora Baker #2

Kill Happy - Zora Baker #3

Zombie Eden - Zora Baker #4

Zombie Jokes - Companion book of jokes told by the children.

DEATH SERIES

The Demon Warrior's Light

You can find him online at:

Mail: rgrichards2012@gmail.com

Website: rg-richards.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertgrichards/

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823275.R_G_Richards

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRGRichards

