“Nice tits. Your daddy buy them for you?” Mara sneers.
“Tits this nice can’t be bought. Now get the fuck out of my room.”
“Neo may have put his dick in you, but you’ll never win his heart.”
“I wouldn’t fuck him with your,” she pauses, “cunt.”
When I hear the door slam, I hop back onto the balcony floor.
David was dead wrong to put Mara in the same room with anyone after the bullshit she pulled on the last chick—a hairpulling, cat scratching, chick fight that all the guys enjoyed way too fucking much … until they realized it’s the reason we’re not having three days here in Miami without work before we move on to our next location—Las Vegas. All the guys are psyched about the move.
“Hey, Dad.” Pause. “No, I’m good.” Pause. “I didn’t call because I was busy. I sent a picture in the group chat at the airport and at the hotel.” Pause. “No, it’s good. It’ll be a challenge.” Pause. “Oh my God, really?” She laughs. “It’s my first day. First five hours, actually. If it wasn’t a challenge, I’d be bored.” Pause. “I’m good, Dad, really,” she huffs. “But nothing, I don’t need you here.” Pause. “I’m taking care of it. And no, I’m not giving you a name.” Pause. “I’m going to say I love you now, because I feel I’m real close to hanging up on you.” Pause, and then she laughs. “Well, knock it off then. I’m good; better than good.” Pause. “Do you not remember I survived six years in New York City.” Pause. “Love you, too, Daddy.”
That phrase, Daddy, shouldn’t rub me the wrong way, but it does.
“Tell everyone I said hi, and I love them. Bye.”
I find myself questioning, Who is everyone?
When she walks out and looks at me, hand on her hip, in my tee-shirt and a pair of PJ shorts, she asks, “Why don’t you worry more about your wife and less about who everyone is?” I realize I asked the question out loud.
I sit back in the chair, kick my feet up on the railing, and grab my smokes off the table beside me.
“Well?”
I smirk then light a smoke, take a drag, lean my head back on the chair, and blow the smoke in the air. “Just curious about the girl whose pussy I crave.”
“You seriously had no right to kiss me, and you will not do it again. Ever.”
I pull my feet down and sit up. “Because I’m married, or a felon?”
She opens her mouth then shuts it twice before saying, “I don’t care what you’ve done in your past, but being married—”
“That’s in my past, too.” I snuff out the cigarette and stand.
“You’re presently married.”
“But I don’t want to be.” I cross the floor and step on the chair.
She holds her hand up. “Stop.”
“What if I don’t want to do that either?”
When I step on the chair and put one foot on the ledge, she steps back.
“Get away from me.”
“Your mouth says no; your nipples are a go.” I step on the ledge.
“Go,” she says, “meaning go away.”
Standing, both feet on the ledge, she covers her eyes. “If you fall—”
“We’ll fall together.” I step across then jump down.
Spreading her fingers, she looks through them at me.
“This is not a good idea.” I walk toward her. “I say six to nine months, and here you are. I say you need to forget we met, and you’re in the next room. Your lips begged to be kissed, and I couldn’t tell you no—”
“They didn’t!” Her back is now against the glass. “You need to leave.”
“Give me one good reason why.”
“You. Are. Married.” She pushes at my chest.
I don’t move; I simply tell her the truth. “I’m trying to get divorced.”
She attempts to step back again, right into the glass.
I laugh. “Can’t even think when I’m around.”
“It’s called playing defense, you conceited ass, because you can’t keep your hands off me.”
Placing my hands on the glass on each side of her head, I lean in. “See that? You feel me and I’m not even touching you … yet.”
“I’m not interested in fucking up my job or a married man.”
“I’m trying to get divorced.”
She slides under my arm. “Look, Tags, you and I are going to have to work together, even though I think you’re a complete and total ass for doing this shit to me.” She points to her back. “It can be fixed. But you can’t fix the fact that you cheated on a woman you made a promise to.” She motioned between us. “This isn’t happening.”
“It did happen. It’s still happening.”
When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I realize it’s that time. I can’t ignore it without suffering the mental terrorism inflicted by an unanswered call from thirty-five inches of crazy.
I turn around, putting my back to Bella, pull out my phone, and answer with, “What color’s the sky?”
“Pink and yellow.”
“Pink and yellow, huh?”
“What color’s yours?” she asks.
I look up. “Just so happens to be the same. You know why that is, Luna?”
“Same sky.”
“Same sky,” I agree.
“Same sun?”
“Same sun.”
“And what about the moon?” she asks.
“You’re in charge of the moon, Luna. You tell me.”
“The moon’s tired.”
I laugh. “Then the moon should go to sleep.”
“You going to sleep?”
“I sure am.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
“Love you, too, Luna. Give the old lady a hug goodnight.”
She giggles. God, I love her laugh.
“Face phone in the morning?”
“Every morning till I see you again.”
“I get a puppy when we win,” she whispers.
“Yeah, baby girl, you get a puppy when we win. Love you, Luna.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
I wait until she hangs up then turn around in time to stop Bella from closing the door behind her.
“Now, where were we?” I ask.
“I was about to shut the door and lock it, but I have a better idea.”
“Yeah?”
She takes my hands and walks me into her room.
“I like where this is leading. I like it a lot, sweets.”
Dropping one of my hands, she turns and continues walking.
My eyes are on her ass, willing to go wherever she leads me, until she opens the door leading to the hallway.
“You’re a married man, and I’m going to assume that call was your daughter. You’re leaving through a door, not putting your life in—”
I pull her back in the room and shut the door.
She shoves me, and I get that she’s pissed.
“Not a good idea to be seen leaving your room. What would the neighbors think?”
“They’d think I was serious about my job, and not a cheating whore.”