Still In Love With Her (7 page)

He smiles as if the joke will be on every sucker who buys what he wants me to sell. Delta puts his face close to mine. We stare into each other’s eyes. My mind is racing, figuring out how to make the lie reality.

“Do you have a family?” I ask.

“Could you get me one?”

I snort cynically. “Sure, I can just order one up in the family catalog.”

“Humph…” He steps back and away from me. “Maybe you’re not an image consultant.”

I feel as though he’s challenging me. I narrow my eyes to think then throw up a hand. “Wait. Do you know any lesbian thespians?”
 

He smiles again and nods. “I do.”
 

“Well, we can start there.”

“Yes, we could. But, Maggie, I’m not gay.”

“You would know.”

“I like my dick waxed by a man. The lips are stronger, jaw tighter, and they can deep throat like a motherfucker.”

Damn, TMI.
I pick up the fork to dive into the pancakes. “That’s your business.”

Delta extends a hand. We shake on it, but he seizes my left hand.
 

“Are you engaged?” he asks.

I shrug.
 

“No? Yes?” he asks.

“I think so.”

“Ah, fuck, because um…” He keeps my hand as he walks around the bar.
 

I ruffle my eyebrows.
 

“Maggie, you’re going to have to let me eat you for breakfast.”

“Um, nope.” I clamp my legs together.

He nods. “Yeah, you will, because you’re not going to make me keep wondering. It’s not conducive for doing business together.”

It happens so fast. He’s on his knees, and his face is between my legs. My first inclination is to push his head away from my pussy, but his hot tongue has already slid up my slit, and my clit tingles as soon as he sucks it.

“Shit,” I mutter, looking around wildly. I can’t believe I’m letting Delta Foster eat me out.
 

He clamps down on my thighs so I can’t shift my butt, but I haven’t felt much after that first sensation. His tongue is all over the place, slurping and drenching me with saliva. I had higher hopes than this.

“Pancakes,” Monroe says as she strolls into the kitchen.

I point downward as soon as she looks at me.
 

She rolls her eyes and mouths, “Just let him finish.”

I shake my head. I could help him out a little if he stops holding me in place. If I just turn a little to the left, I could reach orgasm. He keeps slurping and licking me here and there and everywhere. Monroe and I widen our eyes at each other and laugh without making a sound.
 

“Ah,” Delta cries as he quakes. He came before I could fake it!

Monroe and I laugh even harder.

After the sloppy vagina-bath Delta gave me, I need a shower. I laugh through it. That was so surreal. This time, I make sure my crotch is far less accessible by wearing panties under my cutoff shorts. I leave through the bay doors and drive down to Malibu to check on Daisy. On the way to her house, I’m bombarded by calls. My colleagues are panicking. I promise to work with each of them to wrap up our projects before I leave.
 

“Two weeks?” Linda, who used to be my assistant before Mavis, asks.

“Robert convinced me to follow protocol. Were you watching on videoconference?”

“I saw it,” she says squeamishly. “But in your defense, Vincent Adams was acting like a jackass.”

“I agree,” I say, happy she and I have come to the same conclusion.

“That Emily woman, I was going to tell you to watch out for her. I’ve heard things.”

“Shit!” I push on the brakes, and my tires screech. I almost ran a red light. “What have you heard?”

“Did you get into an accident?”

“No. What have you heard?” My blood is boiling.

“Janice saw them kissing.”

I roll my eyes. “Janice is a shit-starter. Did anyone besides her see anything?”

“Everyone knows that they’re always together. She’s into him, and he doesn’t seem uninterested. Everyone thought you and Vince had broken up about a month ago.”

Oh damn, my heart hurts. “We weren’t. He was just cheating on me.”

“I’m so sorry, Maggie. I should’ve said something earlier. Shit, I’m your friend, and I dropped the ball.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“I’m going to knock myself out!”

I shake my head. “I guess I suck at relationships.”

“No way. You do relationships well enough. Remember that woman he was seeing and was going to marry last year? What was her name?”

“Mariana, Vanessa, Gabrielle…”

“That’s it Gabrielle! Well Emily and Gabrielle are the Bobbsey-Twins. He’s a nice guy but you’re too good for him.

I smile, appreciating the support, although I don’t think Vince’s complaint about me is invalid. “ Perhaps but I’m sure going to miss you.”

“I already miss you. Change your mind.”

“I don’t want to. But apply for my old position. You’re the best replacement they could find. We work together on just about everything.” I pull up onto the cement slab in front of Jack and Daisy’s house.

“You think I should?”

“Hell yes.”

“Will they hire me though?”

“If they know what’s best. Just keep me in the loop. I’ll let them make the right decision fair and square, but if Robert’s dick gets in the way and he tries to hire his next fuck, then I’ll talk to Jack.”

“Oh my God, what is that you always call him?”

“A scoundrel.”

“He’s such a scoundrel.”

“The king of them. But don’t mind Robert Tango. Toss your name in the hat, and I’ll make shit happen.”

“Okay! I’ll toss my name in the hat.”

I smile. “Good.”
 

“I’ll see you in New York on Monday?” she asks.

“Bright and early.”

We hang up. I sit for a while and stare at the ring on my finger. If Emily is Vince’s new girlfriend, then why does he insist that I wear this? So I pissed him off because I work too much? That’s not going to change, especially since I’m forming a new company. Perhaps he should be with a woman like Emily. She looks like the kind of woman who has no hopes or dreams to give up. Well, I have too many. If Vince is asking me to choose this ring over them, then he should definitely make a life with Emily.
 

I hop out of my SUV and gaze up at Daisy’s house. It doesn’t look as though anyone’s home. The shutters are closed. Daisy usually keeps the sliding glass doors of the sun-room open, but they’re closed. I decide to check out the house regardless. Daisy has a habit of wasting away in bed when she’s depressed. It’s heartbreaking to see her that way. I ring the doorbell three times then knock. After no one answers, I use my key and enter. The hallways are shadowy, but each room that I pass is unoccupied.
 

“Daisy?” I call as I go.

I check her office and then Belmont’s. She’s not in any of the bedrooms or bathrooms. I check the deck. She isn’t there either. She’s not in the kitchen or garage.
 

So I call Jack. “She’s not here.”
 

“Then where is she?” He sounds as though he’s panicking.
 

“I don’t know. I’ll call her mother and Angelina.”

“No, I’ll call. Thanks for checking.”

“Hey, no problem. Let me know where she is when you find her. I’m worried. I think you should come home.”

“Later.” He waits for my response.

“Later,” I say.

He hangs up.
 

I shake my head. Since I’m done here, I drive back to Monroe’s. She and Dash are in the swimming pool when I arrive. They’re both naked, and her legs are wrapped around him. Either they’re having sex or have just finished.
 

“Done?” I ask.

Monroe snickers. “We’re done.”

Although I’m hesitant to join them after what happened last night, I strip and dive in anyway. Monroe and I swim laps, then we stop in front of my bedroom to talk shop.

“Delta will pay us two hundred thousand, plus fees, up front. Once we land him the girl, he’ll pay us four hundred thousand. We’ll get six hundred thousand each following year for five years and a payoff of one million on the seventh and final year, contingent upon the relationship staying intact.”
 

“Wow, we’re expensive, aren’t we?”

“Very expensive, and those are just Delta’s fees. When we find the woman, we’ll negotiate a contract with her and treat them as two separate clients.”

I grin.
 

“What?” she asks.

“You’ve really chopped this up like an expert.”

“Oh ye of little faith in Monroe Blanco.”

“I have a lot of faith in you. I wouldn’t go into business with you if I didn’t.”

Monroe nods as though she believes me. “Here’s the deal though—no one can know what we really do for our clients.”

“I get it.”

“Technically, we’re a public relations firm. What should we call ourselves?”

“How about Mo&Ma PR?”

Her face lights up. “I like it.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll talk to our business advisor tomorrow. His name is Brent Sherman.”

I nod.

“This is going to work, Mags.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more.”

We hug, then Monroe dunks me. Shit. I should’ve seen that coming.
 

Later that evening, we go to Cascade’s for dinner. Dash offers his services to me yet again, and Monroe tries to encourage me to take him up on his offer.

“It’ll be the first time we’ve fucked the same guy,” she says.

I’m
this
close to calling her insane, but I remember she doesn’t like it when I say that. “I love you too much to have sex with your boyfriend. So how about we put this to rest once and for all?”
 

“But you’re missing out,” she says in a cautionary tone.

“We’re all missing out on one thing or a million.”

After dinner, we return to Monroe’s house. I sleep in my bed alone, and they sleep together in Monroe’s bed.
 

I fly back to New York on Sunday. My flight lands in the afternoon, and later that night, I have dinner at Cloud Rich in the Meatpacking District with Hannah and Cleo. I hadn’t seen either of them in a while. The guy Hannah met last year at the pop-up bar is “so three guys ago,” and she’s moved on to love interest number four. This one is an investor who lives in the Financial District.
 

“You should meet him, Mags,” Cleo says with her eyes widened eerily. “He reminds me of the American psycho.”

“Well, my head is still attached, so he’s not,” Hannah says defensively.

“For now, that is.”

“And will you please stop calling me every night?” Hannah says. “He’s starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with you.”

“He’s what’s wrong with me! Just move on already, Han. He’s a serial killer.”
 

“How about we get Maggie all caught up on you and Perry? How often do you fuck now that you’re married?”

“I’m actually curious to know the answer,” I say.

Cleo scowls at Hannah. “What makes you think we don’t hump every night?”

“Do you?”

“For us, there’s no difference between being married and just being boyfriend and girlfriend other than the tax benefit for him.”

“I’m calling bullshit on that,” Hannah says. “Every married couple I know only fucks once a month.”

“Perry and I fuck twice a day, every day.” Cleo takes a drink of her cocktail and gives Hannah a “take that” look.

I’ve been studying Hannah since we sat. There’s something different about her. “Did you cut your hair?” I think that’s it.

“Yeah, I added some layers.”

“It looks good.”

She examines my hair. “You could use a haircut.”

“I think so too,” Cleo adds. “You’re beautiful, Maggie. You’ve been going around looking like a cavewoman for too long.”

I take the cocktail out of Cleo’s hand before she takes another swig. She always gets very candid when liquor rushes to her head. “No more for you until after you’ve eaten something.”

“I’m fine.” She takes the drink back.

“You just called me a cavewoman. I haven’t looked like a cavewoman in a long time. Give me credit for that.”

“Well, we haven’t seen you in a long time,” Hannah says.

“I know.”

“So how is Monroe?” Hannah asks.

“Oh shit, how could I not lead with this? She and I are business partners.”

Cleo’s eyes expand. “Are you kidding me?”
 

“Nope.”

“Well, she’s never failed at anything she’s done,” Cleo says.

“That’s true,” Hannah says. “Okay, now to the good part. Vincent Adams. How’s it going between you two?”

I groan and bury my face in my hands.

“Oh no,” Cleo says.
 

I recount what happened between Vince and me and how I made an ass out of myself on Friday. They both laugh as if it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever heard. We have more drinks, gossip about the people we know, and cab it home.
 

I moved into my apartment in Lincoln Square last year. Vince’s pricier Central Park penthouse isn’t that far away. He’s asked me to move in with him so many times that I can’t count them all, but I’ve always dreamed of being able to afford a nice apartment in this city. It was an aspiration that I needed to fulfill. I pay six thousand a month for a one-bedroom apartment with a den. I may not have the panoramic views of Central Park that Vince has, but I can see it from my living room window.
 

It’s two a.m., and I check my emails before going to bed. Monroe sent me a list of names, all female, with an ambiguous message that says, “Per our discussion in the kitchen.” Some of the women are actresses and models. She’s put an asterisk next to the ones she really wants me to examine.
 

“Got it. Love you,”
I write back.

She answers immediately.
“Love you too. P.S. and your tits.”

“LOL, shaking my head and rolling my eyes,”
and not calling her crazy, which she clearly is.

We agree to speak on Wednesday after I narrow down the list and do more research on Delta Foster’s career and life. Jack had mentioned that the woman he’d brought to Curtis’s wedding was an investigator, so I’ll call him tomorrow to ask if she provides services for someone with my kind of request. I want all the shit I can find on Delta Foster—the good, the bad, and the freaky.