There's Something About Her, A Manhattan Love Story (LOVE in the USA, #2)

by Z. L. Arkadie

  Jack’s expression changed from curious to furious. “I’ll kill you before I let that happen,” he said nonchalantly.

  Vince and Robert studied him. They were waiting for an indication that he was joking, but it didn’t come.

  “I like you for her, Vince,” Jack continued. “Take the deal, Robert. Both options are spectacular for me, but the first is best for all of us.”

  After a long moment, Robert released a sigh of defeat. “Where do I sign?”

  Chapter 18

  The Call of the Island

  It’s Thursday, and my life has been frantic ever since last Friday. Monroe has declared herself at war with Charlie. I informed them both that I’m Switzerland. I have too much on my plate as it is.

  It’s been full steam ahead for me. We’re already working on the marketing platforms for the first full season of Prime D TV. I have to assemble three strategic marketing teams for the L.A., New York, and London offices, which means I’ll be extremely busy for the next three months. On Monday, senior executives in the L.A. office voiced their preference to have me handle digital TV and film instead of publications, apps, and online. On Tuesday, it happened, which puts me in a great position to transfer to L.A. full time.

  Vincent has been missing in action, and so has Robert, to Lena’s relief. She and I had lunch yesterday afternoon, and she divulged how awful being married to a man like Robert was. According to Lena, “he’ll fuck anyone with two legs and a vagina.” She bid him good riddance and pitied any woman stupid enough to take him seriously.

  I just ended a conference call, and I’m studying the closed door to Vincent’s office.

  Lena’s face blocks my line of sight. “Hey, Maggie, could you join me for this interview? I think I’ll need your input.”

  I pause to inspect her wry smile. “Sure.” I follow her to her office, and I’m stunned by the sight of Patty Welch, the infamous Cruella La Bitch, sitting at Lena’s desk.

  “I’d like for you to meet Maggie Conroy, Director of Strategic Marketing,” Lena says.

  All the blood leaves Patty’s face. I scratch the back of my neck to do something while I implode.

  “Um, what is she doing here?” I ask Lena.

  “Patty Welch asked for a meeting to discuss joining one of the strategic marketing teams.”

  My mind is already made up about Patty, but I sit down anyway. Valerie Beacon’s rule number three is “see a process all the way to the end, even one that’s sinking, because you never know what you could learn from it.”

  “Maggie, I didn’t know you were the director.” Patty can’t even fake a smile. She should’ve tried.

  “I am,” I reply dryly and cross my arms.

  Lena says, “Patty has a very impressive resume, and she comes highly recommended. Since you’ve worked with her in the past and she’ll be working under you, I thought you should be the one to grant her an official interview, or not.”

  Could karma be more of an ass-biter? I want to grill Patty on all the shit she never knew just to prove I was right about her. But who has time for that? Instead, I pick up her resume and scan it.

  “The thing is,” I begin in my best Maggie La Bitch voice. Patty smirks as if she already knows what’s coming. I’m pretty sure she’s right. “From our experience together, I feel that you’re definitely suited for one of the assistant positions.”

  She grunts with disdain.

  “However, we don’t have any of those positions open at the moment. I’m sure we’ll hire one or two in six months or so. See…” I scoot to the edge of my seat to look her dead in the eyes. “Here in my department, we value our assistants. We use them in a manner that allows them to learn, grow, and excel. We want them to become a credit to our company or wherever they choose to spend the second and most important half of their careers.

  “I don’t believe you would fit into our management team because I’m aware that you don’t subscribe to that philosophy.” I stand and smooth out my skirt. I look at Lena. “Thank you for bringing me in on this preliminary meet and greet. An official interview would’ve been a waste of all our time.” And frankly, I’m done with this silly meeting. I have a flight to catch to Martha’s Vineyard.

  “Thank you for your input, Maggie.” Lena grins pleasantly at Patty. “I’ll be happy to put your resume in the assistant pool and—”

  Patty snatches the resume out of Lena’s hands. “Fuck you.” She stomps out of the office.

  Lena and I study the empty space she left behind.

  “And that’s why we call her Cruella La Bitch,” I mutter.

  “Rightfully so,” Lena says. She sounds shocked that Patty reacted in such a manner. I, on the other hand, am not shocked at all.

  I’m two hours late for my flight, but Jack made sure his pilot stuck around. I arrive at Vineyard Haven Airport after six thirty p.m.

  I love the Vineyard. I’m especially fond of the clear water and beaches. There are dozens of hiking trails to the beaches. Jack and Charlie always throw a bonfire for me whenever I visit them. I hope Jack will surprise me by throwing another one.

  The real fun is having free rein of Jack’s estate. Jack has made sure the pool is heated for my arrival. He also had the refrigerator stocked, and the cook will show up for breakfast. Her name is Betty, and she makes the fluffiest blueberry pancakes. I veg out on movies when I’m at his house because his entertainment room is peerless. He has a seventy-two inch TV and a digital movie box that contains every single film ever made. The room has comfy couches so big I feel as if they’re swallowing my relaxed body whole. The bathroom upstairs is a spa.

  I take a cab to Jack’s house. I know the driver; his name is Todd.

  “Maggie, right?” he says, shaking a finger at the road ahead.

  “Yep!” The ride through the barrage of trees and wild fields of grass has made me enthusiastic.

  “I haven’t seen you in a long time,” Todd remarks in a thick New England accent.

  I smirk. “Have you been looking for me?”

  His blue eyes smile at me through the rearview mirror. “No, but I know a lot of guys who have.”

  “Ha!” I roll my eyes. “Well, don’t tell them I’m here. I’m on a man break.”

  “Ah. Sorry to hear that.”

  “Don’t be. I’ll recover.”

  He studies me. “So you’re still a heartbreaker, huh?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t remember?” The car turns onto the drive to Jack’s house.

  “What is there to remember?” I’m a wee bit afraid to hear it.

  “We kissed once.”

  I frown. “We did?”

  “At a bonfire. New Year’s Eve 2005.”

  “Oh!” I say with a sigh of relief. “I kissed a dozen boys that night. That was my first and last tequila.”

  He laughs. “We all fell for you. I got over it though.”

  I’m too distracted by the fact that lights are on in the house. “Yeah…” I open the car door. I’m disappointed. It must be Charlie. “Did you happen to pick up my cousin Charlie from the airport?”

  “Nah, I didn’t. Charlie doesn’t take a cab. He boats across the harbor.”

  I try to pay the fare, but Todd tells me that Jack took care of it. Of course he did. Todd carries my bag to the door. After he drives away, I lift the welcome mat. The house key is right where Jack said it would be.

  “Strange,” I mutter.

  Maybe the maid left the lights on. I open the door. Once inside, I hear the faint sound of the television.

  “Hello!” I call.

  There isn’t a response. I go back to my earlier supposition. Charlie is here.

  “Chuck! This was supposed to be my alone time!” I holler like a whining adolescent. I stomp into the entertainment room. I come to a grinding halt when I see what’s on the TV. It’s Chinatown.

  “Do you mind if I join you during your alone time?”

  I turn to see who said that. “
Vincent?”

  He looks like an apparition. I want to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening. I’m all lit up.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “Jack invited me up for the weekend. He said you were flying out today. You’re late.”

  “Oh…” I can’t believe he’s standing there, tall and scrumptious, and engaged to another woman. “He invited you and Gabrielle?” I ask but I’m positive Jack would not betray me like that.

  “I’m not engaged to her anymore. I broke it off.”

  I inhale sharply. “You did?”

  He nods, walking toward me. I close my eyes to brace myself for his touch. Instead, he pulls the tie of my trench coat loose. I open my eyes and see his eyes devour the skin that’s visible through the deep V-neck cut of my white sweater. He plants an indulgent kiss on my chest, and then his tongue journeys down to where his hand pulls my breast free. I whimper when his mouth consumes my nipple.

  “Shit,” he says hoarsely. “I’ve been waiting too long to do that.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat as his swollen knob presses against me. “What happened?” I find the voice to ask.

  “Pete Rossetto is out. Jack Lord bought in to A&Rt.”

  He sinks his tongue into my mouth, and I let him lift and carry me over to one of those king-sized sofas. He strips off my jacket. My head is spinning.

  “Jack is one of your business partners?” I croak. I’m just as excited to hear that as I am about him being here.

  “Yes.” Vincent pulls my sweater over my head and pushes on my shoulders to encourage me to sit. Once I’m seated, he slides off my shoes. “I asked the one person who loved you just as much as I do for help.” He unzips my pants and slides them down my legs. He tugs his shirt over his head and stomps out of his drawstring pants. “I’ll tell you more when I’m done with you.”

  I’m breathing heavily. My thoughts are jumbled. “But wait. There’s no more Gabrielle?”

  His eyes are hooded. He can barely concentrate on anything but my naked body. “No more.”

  “How did you break up with her?”

  “I called her.”

  “How did she take it?”

  “Like a brat. Maggie, I’m done talking.”

  He snatches my panties off, drapes my legs over his shoulders, and shoves my pussy against his hot mouth. His tongue slides in and out of me. He whimpers as if he’s frustrated that his tongue can’t go deep enough. He thrusts his thumb against the base of my vagina, and I feel something too good to be true. I gasp. He comes up for my clit without stopping the finger trick. I squirm and moan. Every woman should experience this. He’s giving me more and more.

  I grasp my tits and squeeze my nipples. Vincent groans louder as he watches me. His tongue is even more ferocious. Losing all concentration, I grab his hair. Vincent whimpers, frustrated. Finally, his wish is my command. I come. Hard. My quaking body is overjoyed to experience Vincent again.

  He’s on his feet, and his stiff erection is headed toward my face. I hold his pretty penis, but he clamps down on my wrist.

  “Get on your knees,” he commands.

  I hop to it. Vincent gets on his knees behind me. His hands clamp my hips before he melts his penis into my vagina. He strokes me, raking the most sensitive areas inside of me with his dick. I feel his body shivering.

  “Shit,” he mutters and slams me back and forth against his dick.

  The sound of our bodies slapping mixes with Jack Nicholson’s raspy voice. He’s doing it so right that I’m on the verge of another climax.

  “Baby, I’ll come when you come,” he strains to say.

  He’s crashing into me faster and faster. I can feel it coming.

  “How’s this, baby?” He sucks air between his teeth.

  I lift my hips and moan louder to let him know that he’s jabbing the right spot. I’m trying to catch the feeling as it sparks and grows. I’m whimpering.

  He doesn’t slow down. “There you go, baby. I can feel it,” he whispers.

  He’s damn right. I can feel it too. I cry out louder as the sensations ignite inside me and my walls pulsate around his penis. Vincent humps me extra quickly until he clamps my hips against his groin and quakes. He thrusts his chest onto my back and grunts in my ear.

  When it’s all out of him and inside me, he grows still. Vincent guides me down on my stomach and lies on my back. I still can’t believe he’s so close. I love the feel of his heaviness. I want him to smash me through the floor.

  “Vincent?” I say breathlessly.

  “Yes, Maggie?”

  “You know your way around a woman’s pussy.”

  He laughs so hard that his penis slides out of my vagina. His come drips out of me. Vincent turns me onto my back and stretches out beside me. He rolls his palm around my nipple.

  “Aren’t you lucky?” He comes in for a kiss.

  Suddenly, I hear it and I repeat it verbatim. “My sister”—slap—“my daughter”—slap—“my sister.” We laugh so loud.

  “You want to watch it from the beginning?” he asks.

  “Hell yeah!” I exclaim.

  His eyes are alight as he gazes at my face. “Is this really all it takes to make you happy?”

  I smile. “I guess you’ll have to stick around and see.”

  He gently pets my face and gives me a tender kiss. “In another thirty minutes, when my wiped- out friend resurrects, you’re going to be in trouble, Magnolia Conroy.”

  We roll on top of the rug, making out until I hear gunshots erupt. I scramble up to see the tragic end of the movie. “Let’s rewind,” I say.

  He takes my arm before I sit up. “Well, well, well, look at here.” His dick has stiffened again. “It’s a miracle.”

  Vincent lays me back down, spreads my legs, plugs me, and we start all over again. He takes his time to make love to me. Our hearts and minds connect. This time it’s not about orgasms. It’s about our souls. Our bodies are making a vow to each other. I think I’m going to love Vincent Adams forever.

  We watch Chinatown twice and then head out back for a midnight swim. Vincent and I dive off the diving board, chase each other underwater, and make love on the steps. I end up lying on top of him near the edge of the swimming pool.

  “Maggie?” Vincent says.

  “Yes?”

  “Will you be my girlfriend?”

  I chuckle. “What, are we in high school?”

  He laughs my favorite laugh. “I just want us to be exclusive. Are you able to give me that?”

  I lift my head off his chest to look him in the eyes. “Um hum.” I clear my throat. “So Vincent Adams is my boss and boyfriend.” I smile.

  He narrows one eye. “And I see what you’re attempting to pull off.”

  “What do you mean?” I feign being insulted, although I’m curious to know what the hell he’s talking about.

  “You got in good with the TV team in L.A. Are you planning on asking for a transfer?”

  “Oh! I didn’t want to stay in New York and have to look at you every day, knowing you’re married to another woman.”

  “You know, I would’ve never married her.”

  “Robert showed me the wedding invitation.”

  He ruffles his eyebrows. “He did? So that’s why you wished me well in L.A. There was never an invitation or a date. He was trying to get to you.”

  “Has he always been such a scoundrel?”

  Vincent gets a laugh out of me calling his friend a scoundrel. He nods, still smirking. “Yeah, he has.”

  “Wow. I guess you saved me from him back in high school. What did you say to him about me back then anyway?”

  He hesitates. “You really want to know?”

  I take a moment to decide. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  “You’re not going to kick me into the pool and tell me you never want to see me again?”

  My eyes expand. “What in the world did you say?”

  He smirks. “I told him you
were a lesbian and made up a story about you and this girl getting it on.”

  “What girl?”

  “Just this girl who was a lesbian.”

  “And that didn’t turn him on?”

  “He was Episcopalian. But me, I would’ve been all over that situation.”

  I erupt with laughter. Vincent interrupts my outburst by melting his lips onto mine. We’re kissing.

  Then Vincent stands and pulls me to my feet. “Let’s go to bed.”

  Doing “it” with him while we’re officially together is the best feeling ever. We stay in bed until late Friday afternoon. We come out of our love nest when Jack and Daisy arrive. Charlie’s with them, and he’s brought the girl I saw at the nightclub, the one who offered to give him a blowjob. She’s the first girl I’ve ever seen him with twice, which is weird since she resembles a porn star.

  By six o’clock, we’re sitting on the shore around the bonfire pit Jack, Charlie, and Vincent built. They’ll light it when the sun goes down. A number of Jack and Charlie’s local friends have joined us. I recognize one or two of them. Daisy is talking to Thelma about art. Jack and Vincent are engrossed in a conversation about Prime D TV. Charlie’s guest keeps making eyes at Jack, but he doesn’t notice. He never does. She gets up and struts around the circle.

  “I’m going for a swim,” she announces and pulls off her shirt, exposing fake tits.

  We’re all shocked. I mean, the more Charlie changes, the more he stays the same. The girl struts off to the ocean.

  “Aren’t you all over that?” I ask Chuck since I’m sitting right beside him.

  “Pshah,” Charlie says dismissively.

  “Then why did you bring her?”

  “To have something to do.”

  I shake my head. “You’re such a dweeb.”

  “You know what, Mags, stop calling me names. I’ve done all the shit you said I should do. I’d rather be here with Monroe, but she’s acting like a…” He stops short of calling her a bitch.

  There’s something different in his eyes. I don’t know what Monroe’s doing, but she’s really getting to him. I pat Charlie’s back.

  “It’s okay. Monroe isn’t like other women, but deep down, she really likes you. Just remember that, and if you want her, don’t stop until you get her.”