The Beautiful People (9 page)

The alarm went off and
I swatted at the snooze button for the millionth time. The momentary interruption
wasn’t enough to rouse me and I rolled back over with the comforter pulled up
around my ears. When I finally did wake it was almost noon. I missed my morning
classes again.

“Damn
it!” I yelled at myself as I jumped out of bed, threw on clothes and bolted out
the door. I didn’t stop running until I reached the door of my classroom where I
skidded to a halt, taking a few deep breaths before opening the door.  The
professor eyeballed me and frowned. I hung my head and found an empty seat. After
class the he flagged me down.

            “Ms. Ross, do
you have a minute?”

I braced myself for
what was certainly going to be a serious talk.

 “Is
everything okay?”

            “Yes.
Everything’s fine. Why?”

            “Well, you
missed class last week, you were late today. It’s not like you. Plus, your work
hasn’t its usual quality. You seem to be slipping a bit.”

            “I know. I
am sorry about that. I started a new job, at Crimson? Anyway, it’s been
difficult adjusting to the hours and I worked late last night.”

            “Don’t slip
too far. Remember you’re a student first.” It wasn’t harsh, but an admonishment
nonetheless. I promised to improve and hurried off to the next class.

Chelsea had saved a
seat for me and I plopped down.

            “I didn’t
know if you were going to make it,” she remarked.

            “Yeah,
little bit of a late start today.” It was Friday and my ass was dragging.

            “I tried to
wake you.”

            “You did? I
don’t remember that.”

            “Who were you
talking to so early this morning? Did Dom spend the night?”

            “No, but he
called and so did Grant. They both had to do something last night for the owner
of Crimson. They won’t tell me what though.”

            “You’re
aware of your priorities, right?” Chelsea asked, sounding more like one of my
teachers.

            “Of course
I am!”

The professor shot us a
look so we both quieted down and focused on the lecture.

On the way home I
stopped at WaWa for a soda. While waiting in line to check out a headline on
the front page of The Philadelphia Inquirer caught my attention.

             LATE NIGHT
MURDERS REMINISCENT OF SCARFO DAYS

Curious, I grabbed the
paper and continued reading.

Early
this morning, two men were murdered in cold blood. The homicide took place near
the Italian Market only hours before shoppers would begin to crowd the sidewalks.
This is the second incident in recent weeks that emulates the mafia hits from
the days when Nicky Scarfo’s mob ruled South Philly’s streets.

The
Philly mob has long been rumored to be extinct. Are these murders indicative of
a comeback? Police aren’t revealing much about the investigation, including the
victims’ names. Detective Colin Flynn, the lead detective on the case, did cite
similarities between these murders and that of George “The Stump” Fratelli, who
was killed two weeks ago.

“Details
can’t be released this early in the investigation. We are looking into a
possible connection between this pair of homicides and that of George Fratelli,
but nothing has been confirmed. As soon as we know more a statement will be
released to the media,” Flynn said.

Even
though the Philly Mob has been believed to be all but extinct, these recent
homicides and the pending investigations will determine whether this belief is
still valid.

The article was brief,
but contained all the information my imagination needed. Had Fratelli not been
mentioned I would have thought the story interesting, but that’s it. I thought
back to the morning when I heard the news report about “The Stump’s” murder. I
had immediately thought of Grant, but laughed the notion off. Did the work that
Grant and Dominic had to do for Marco last night have anything to do with these
new murders or was it just coincidence?

            “Ma’am, are
you going to pay for that too?”  The cashier asked. I hadn’t been paying
attention and was holding up the line.

            “No, just
the soda.” I put the newspaper back and chastised myself for being ridiculous
and knew that Grant and Dominic had something legitimate to do last night. They
certainly weren’t out murdering people.

Chelsea was sitting on
the futon sketching on her large pad. She looked up when I walked in and waved
then went back to drawing. I dropped my bag on the floor and went to sit next
to her. She was focused on her work and I leaned over for a peek. She had sketched
out a willowy figure that was clothed in an elegant evening gown.

“That’s
beautiful,” I commented.

“It’s
for my final project; I have to design a whole line. I’m going for evening wear.”

“You’ll
rock it!”

“Thanks!
Are you working tonight?”

“Yeah,
Dom’s picking me up at like quarter of eight.”

“He’ll
probably take you somewhere fabulous after work. You better watch out you’re
going to get spoiled!” She teased.

I laughed and stood up.
Chelsea wasn’t the only one who needed to do some homework. I picked up my bag
and headed to my room. The desk was a total mess so I opted for the bed
instead. The 400-level Art History course I was taking needed some serious
attention. I had a paper due on Monday and that only left three days. I flipped
open my laptop and started typing based on the outline and notes I had already
pulled together. After working for over an hour straight, I welcomed the
distraction when my cell rang, even though it was my mom calling.

“Hi
Mom.”

“Natalie.
How are you?”

“Good…busy,
but really well.”

“Is
that why you haven’t returned my calls?” Guilt washed over me. I had been
avoiding my mom. I didn’t know how to tell her I was seeing someone.

“Yeah,
sorry about that.”

“Grant
says you have a boyfriend – is this true?”

There it was, the very
reason I didn’t want to tell her. On the surface it was all accusation with an
undertone of betrayal.
Thanks Grant, thanks a lot.

“Yes,
that’s true. His name is Dominic, we work together.”

“Has
he cheated on you yet?”

A knot began to form in
my stomach and I sniffed back tears.
Why did she have to say such cruel
things to me?

“No
and he won’t. He adores me.”

“I
thought your father adored me, all the way up until he walked out on us.”

“Mom
will you just stop it! Believe it or not normal, healthy relationships do exist!”

“I
thought you learned from Toby.”

“Did
Grant tell you he has a girlfriend?” Silence.

Disgusted, I hung up
the phone without saying goodbye and dropped it like it was radioactive. I
wasn’t in the mood for her head games, not that I ever was. Angry tears rolled
down my cheeks and I brushed them aside.  My focus was gone so I packed up my
laptop and got ready for work.

Grant smirked when he
saw me. “Did Mom call you?”

“Yes
she did, asshole. She can’t wait to meet your girlfriend.” Walking away I could
hear him cursing under his breath. This put a smile on my face.

“Hi
beautiful!” Dominic called to me. I made my way over to his bar and he met me
halfway. “I missed you.” He kissed my ear and then my lips. I practically
disappeared in his embrace. He stepped back and reached into his pocket.

“I
got you something to make up for last night.” He pulled out a small present,
wrapped in silver paper and handed it to me.

“What
did you get?”

“Open
it and find out.” His green eyes sparkled.

I ripped the wrapping
paper off before he even finished. I opened the white box and gasped. Inside a
diamond solitaire stud sparkled.

            “Dominic!
You shouldn’t have!”

            “It’s a
navel ring.”

            “Is it a
real diamond?”

            “Of course
it is - nothing but the best for my girl.”

            “Thank
you.” I fell against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. His lips grazed
the top of my head.

I squeezed him once
more before I reached for his hand and pulled him with me into a dark alcove.

            “What are
you doing?”

  I lifted up my shirt
to reveal the silver stud in my bellybutton. “Do you want to put it on?”

Dominic’s Adam’s apple
bobbed when he swallowed hard. Licking his lips, he knelt down in front of me.
His fingers brushed against my stomach, tickling me and causing me to giggle.

            “Hold
still.” Dominic said, grabbing my hips.

Biting my lower lip, I
kept the laughter in check while he finished. Suddenly, I felt his hands move
up underneath my skirt. Cupping my ass, he pulled me towards him covering my
belly with soft kisses. Groaning, he released me and stood up.

            “You have
no idea what you do to me, woman. That was the sexiest thing ever.”

            “Looks
good,” I said while studying my new naval ring.

            “Looks
better than good. I’m going to cover you in diamonds.”

            “Dom, no,
I’m not worth it.” His eyes grew dark when I said this, resembling Marco’s
glare. Shocked, I took a step back.

            “Yes you
are. Every diamond in the world doesn’t add up to your worth.” His eyes softened
and he pulled me into his chest. Tears welled up as I wanted to believe him.
Breathing in his spicy fragrance helped calm the swell of emotion, allowing me
to savor the moment.

            “Ew. Get a
room!” I jerked my head up and glared at Brittany. Her normally pretty face was
twisted into a sneer.

            “Fuck off
Brit,” Dominic spat. She shot him an evil look before stalking off towards the
employee lounge.

            “What is
her problem?”

            “She’s used
to getting what she wants. God help the world if she doesn’t. You know what? Keep
your stuff in Miranda’s office. You don’t have to use the lounge anymore.”

            “Dom, I can
handle Brittany. She’ll just have to learn how to deal. I’m not afraid of her.”
I wasn’t the tallest of girls and still towered over Brittany. What was the tiny
blonde going to do anyway?

            “Just watch
your back.”

            “Yes,
dear.” I gave him a quick kiss and left to get ready for work.

Brittany sneered at me
when I entered the lounge. The heavy, dark liner around her startling blue eyes
made her appear meaner. Ignoring her, I went to an open locker to hang up my
jacket and bag.

            “Slut.”

            “What did
you say?” I asked, whipping around to face her.

            “You heard
me. I called you a slut.”

            “You’re
just jealous.” I slammed the locker door shut.

            “It’s so
obvious what you’re doing. Throwing yourself at the owner’s nephew,” she spat.

            “Brittany,
you’re being fucking ridiculous. Dominic doesn’t want you. Get over it!”

            “He’s just
using you.”

I closed my eyes,
willing her to go away. Rubbing my belly I felt the navel ring and smiled.

            “Let me ask
you something Brittany,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster. “Did
Dominic ever give you diamonds or did he just fuck you in the back seat like a
cheap whore?”

I thought I saw her
blanch before she charged at me, squealing like a banshee. “You bitch!”

“Careful,
Brittney, you’re true colors are showing...and so are your roots.” Brittney
wasn’t a natural blond and her part was dark in contrast.

Joey D. stepped into
the lounge as Brittany was barreling towards me. His eyes widened and he ran
after her. Just before Brittany could take a swipe at me, he yanked her back.
She struggled against him, kicking and screaming. Poor Joey looked like he was
wrestling an alligator.

Everyone heard the
commotion and came pouring into the lounge. Dominic ran in and stood beside me.
His arm wrapped protectively around my waist, setting Brittany off even more.

            “What makes
her so special Dominic?” Brittany yelled. Her face almost matched the shade of her
red lipstick.

            “Brittany,
you need to stop.” Dominic turned us to leave, but the doorway was blocked.
Grant and Miranda had arrived. They rushed over to me.

            “Oh, I get
it you’re all one big happy fucking family!” Brittany’s rage hadn’t ebbed and
Joey was still struggling to contain her. “She’s not one of us. I don’t even know
why that bitch works here!”