by Kylie Parker
“That’s what I thought. By the way, he’s coming over later. Don’t bother to knock on my bedroom door when your superman arrives. I don’t wanna see him.” Kate pulled the towel over her head and stormed out of the kitchen.
Chapter Thirteen
Isabelle and Monica felt bad about their fight with Kate. Nevertheless, any attempt to apologize would probably fail at that moment. Their friend was furious, and rightly so. They had been mocking Sean for way too long, and she had had enough of it. Minutes later, they started getting ready for their night out. It took them a while to decide what to wear. Whatever they chose had to be good enough for such an occasion.
Both women wanted to emphasize different parts of their body. Isabelle chose a red, strapless sweetheart neck dress. It was a stunning, fully-lined mermaid dress, which featured a crystal embellished brooch. More than that, it matched her burgundy four-inch high heels. “Ms. Legs” on the other hand, preferred a gold, high-slit, cap sleeve dress and orange three-inch high heels. Monica would look gorgeous in that cowl neckline, form-fitting gown. She could not stop thinking about the moment that Isabelle told her about her new nickname. Like every woman, the leggy flight attendant always welcomed compliments. On a chilly, spring night, though, they would have to wear overcoats, and they were glad that they had bought the exact same black overcoat on sale at Bloomingdale’s, roughly a year earlier.
NNeither of the two women liked too much makeup. Besides, they did not really need it. Still in their twenties, Monica and Isabelle looked amazing, even without makeup on. Some lipstick, rouge, lip-gloss, and eyeliner were enough. They had no use for concealers or anything like that. Isabelle wore a scarlet, empress, semi-matte lipstick, whereas Monica put on light-pink.
The benefit they would be attending in a little more than two hours would be held at the Plaza Hotel, in Midtown Manhattan. Dean would pick them up at 7pm; the 80-mile long drive would take a while, even in a supercar like his Lamborghini Aventador.
Upon hearing an engine revving outside the house, Isabelle rushed to the door. She saw Dean standing next to an electric-blue BMW M3, with his hands in his pockets, looking dashing as usual: In a black tuxedo and a bright red bow tie.
“Where the hell’s the Lambo?” Isabelle’s voice got high-pitched. She was disappointed to see a BMW instead of it.
“It’s in my garage. Why?” Dean pretended not to understand, keeping his voice down.
“That was our deal, remember?”
“No. I said you could drive it. You didn’t specify when… Did ya?” Watching Isabelle with her arms extended almost at shoulder height, Dean smiled at her. However, his sexy smile was not going to save him this time. Isabelle climbed down the stairs in a hurry.
“Technicality… Whatever. Let’s just go, ok? Hey, Mon! Come on; we’re gonna be late!” she yelled. Dean waited patiently for her to arrive and when she did, he walked towards her and gave her a quick kiss.
“You look beautiful tonight, Isabelle.”
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“You don’t like BMWs. I get that. But, this is not any BMW. Check the back. If you know a few things about cars, you’ll know what I’m talking about…” He sounded confident as usual. Isabelle did not address him at all and did as told.
“Double exhausts? ‘M3’…? Is this…?”
“Turbocharged? Yeah…” Dean responded before she could even ask what she had in mind.
“Twin-turbo, actually. Three-liter, inline six engiwne. 425 hp and 406lb-ft of torque. Not to sixty takes just 3.9 seconds. Should I go on?” Dean approached her from the right.
“It’s amazing. Oh, here comes Monica…” Isabelle had no time to finish her sentence. She heard the sound of Monica’s heels; she was climbing down the stairs, looking for something in her brown, leather purse. Dean turned around and lazily walked behind her, with his hands still in his pockets.
“Dean, this is Monica. Monica, I believe you know who this man is…” Monica averted her gaze from her purse. First, she looked at Isabelle and then at Dean. She was so shocked to finally discover his identity that her purse slipped through her fingers and landed hard on the pavement.
“Mr.…Marshall? You… live next door?” Her voice was shaking while looking at him right into his eyes.
“Dean Marshall. Nice to meet you, Monica.” Dean made five steps towards her and pulled his right hand out of his pocket. She offered her right hand for a handshake. Out of the blue, though, Dean leaned forward towards her, took her hand in his palm and went on to kiss it. Too surprised, Monica could not utter a single word. She then faced Isabelle who had a broad smile on her face. Her friend did not share her enthusiasm, though.
The three of them entered Dean’s car. Soon, they were on the road on their way to New York City. It took Monica a while to start recovering from her initial shock. Twenty minutes later, she decided to speak.
“Mr. Marshall…”
“You can call me ‘Dean.'” He interrupted her.
Monica sucked in a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to talk to him.
“Ok… Dean, you saved our lives on that plane. I never had the chance to thank you for the other day.” She was sat in the back seat of his car, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
“I’m just glad I was there, Monica. You were working that day. I wasn’t.” Dean would not take his eyes off the road, even though there was little traffic on the highway.
“Care to let us know more about Carl?” Isabelle was getting impatient. Dean turned his head to the right and faced her briefly. Then, he began to speak about Monica’s blind date.
“I’ve known Carl ever since we were kids. His dad used to work for my family till he retired. We grew up together. He works in my company; he’s the head of my software developing department.” It occurred to Isabelle that she had not asked him about his business yet. She had too many questions about it, but this was not the place or the time to start asking him.
“Isabelle, I forgot to tell you what I do. I run a software development company. We mostly deal with Internet security tools, but I’m always on the lookout for new things.” Dean seemed to guess her question and answered it before she even opened her mouth. But, Isabelle could not keep her mouth shut.
“I hope he’s not a computer geek…” she muttered under her breath.
“I heard that,” Dean angrily remarked.
“Monica… You look like a nice girl. Carl’s my best friend; my right-hand man. If I wanted to ruin your night, trust me, I wouldn’t have set you up with him…”
Chapter Fourteen
Enthralled by the connection Dean had with Carl, Isabelle rubbed his right shoulder. Monica was intrigued; she would not dare ask Dean about Carl’s looks. She wanted it to be a surprise. After all, this was a blind date.
At 8:55pm, they arrived at the Plaza. Dean handed his car keys to a valet, and the girls stood before an incredible sight: Dozens of reporters were waiting for a statement outside the hotel. Not used to publicity, Isabelle was intimidated by the large number of people. Nonetheless, she was glad she looked beautiful that night.
Fifteen yards to the right of the entrance, among many dressed-up elitists, Carl checked his watch when Dean approached him from behind. He was quite tall. Walking behind Dean, the two friends could not make out anything else. They both heard the loud sound of Dean’s hand dropping on Carl’s shoulder. He flipped around and faced him. A cordial welcome followed.
“Good to see you, Dean.”
“Likewise. Carl, this is Isabelle. Isabelle, this is Carl.” He turned to his left and introduced his new girlfriend to Carl while Monica waited patiently for her turn. He leaned forward and shook her hand, offering her a polite smile. Dean’s friend was almost as tall and athletic as Dean himself: 6’3”, with short, wavy, brown hair, playful, hazel eyes, high cheekbones, thick and big lips, a thin nose and a sculpted face. He also had broad shoulders. Not as broad as Dean’s, but Carl was a very handsome
, young man, around Dean’s age.
“Isabelle… I’ve heard a lot about you.” Carl had a silvery voice, much to the pleasure of the two friends.
“Hello, Carl.” She smiled at him.
“Monica, this is Carl. Carl, meet Monica…” As soon as Isabelle made a step to the right, Monica and Carl’s eyes met. She could not hide her excitement; she gave him a huge smile and made four steps towards him.
“Hey, Carl…”
“Hi, Monica. I… I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” Carl stuttered a little, staring at the tall, gorgeous woman in front of him. In the meantime, Isabelle could not help but wonder what Dean had told Carl about her and Monica.
“I hope he’s said good things about me to his friend. Not that I care, really. I’m just curious. And, I’m positive that he’s still referring to Monica as ‘Ms. Legs.’ Oh, well… She’s right. I can’t have it both ways.
The handsome, dark-complexioned man could not take his eyes off her. Soon afterward, Dean took Isabelle by the hand and left them alone. Some of his other friends arrived, and he introduced her to everyone.
“So… Dean told me you were a flight attendant. Isn’t that a little dangerous?” Carl started a conversation.
“No, not really. I mean, think about it. How often do planes crash? How many car crashes are there every day, in the US alone?” It did not take long for Monica to come up with a smart reply.
“Hmm… Well said. A plane crash is always the cover story on every media outlet. Blood and suffering always sells, doesn’t it?” Carl lowered his eyes and his tone. He seemed sad.
“Yeah, that’s true. Anyway…Your job sounds a bit…”
“Boring?”
“Well, I was gonna say ‘uneventful’…”
“It’s ok. I get that a lot. But, you won’t believe what mankind will be able to accomplish in a few years. We are working on something that will…” At that point, Carl hesitated to speak any further. He looked to his left and to his right and then began to scratch his right temple with his index finger.
“That will what?” Monica got curious.
“It’s still a little premature, actually. Other than that, yeah, sometimes it gets really boring. But, most of the time, it’s not,” Carl chirped. He seemed to genuinely like his job, although many people would not really call it “exciting.” Monica respected that. However, neither of them had the chance to say anything further. At that moment, Monica and Carl heard tires screeching from a distance. Whoever was driving that car was in quite a hurry. Many bystanders turned their heads to the direction of the fast-approaching car. Five seconds later, Monica witnessed a black Mercedes speeding down Fifth Avenue, eventually stopping less than five feet away from her. The driver lowered the passenger door window.
“Mon! Mon! It’s me! Where’s Isabelle?” Amidst many flashes from cameras all around her, Monica recognized Kate’s voice. She got worried and quickly walked towards the open car window.
“Kate!? Kate, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Sean?” Monica had to raise her voice. There was too much ambient noise.
“Sean never showed up. Get in the car, Monica. We need to talk…” Kate was practically ordering Monica. But, she would not go anywhere until her friend explained to her why.
“I’m in the middle of something here, Kate. I can’t just…”
“Mon!” Kate yelled, violently interrupting Monica. Then, she leaned to her right and grabbed her by the right wrist.
“I can talk to you or the press. Your choice…” she whispered. In the dim, pale light, Monica realized that she had no choice. Furthermore, she noticed that Kate’s eyes were red and puffy. For some reason, she had been crying.
“Ok…” Monica nodded.
“Let me say goodnight to him first, alright?” Kate eased her grip on Monica’s arm, allowing her to return to Carl.
“Listen; I got a problem. I have to go. Sorry,”she apologized. To her surprise, though, Carl pulled out a blue, business card out of his left pocket and handed it over to her.
“Don’t worry about it. Call me. Again, it was nice meeting you. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight…”
In a few seconds, Monica opened the passenger door and entered Kate’s Mercedes. Without wasting any more time, she drove off. It was very much unlike Kate to step on the gas like that. In fact, she put her foot down so hard that Monica saw smoke rising in the passenger door mirror. She took a deep breath before she addressed Kate.
“Alright, what the hell was that back there?” Despite her best efforts, Monica could not explain Kate’s behavior. Taking her right hand off the wheel, she rubbed her face for three seconds and answered:
“I just discovered the identity of my new neighbor. I also found out that Isabelle is dating him. Remember the other day, when you guys were all over me about ‘the best sex I’ve ever had’? What if I told you that I spent a night with Dean Marshall…?”
Chapter Fifteen
“You did what? What the hell are you talking about?” Monica leaned to her left, squinting at Kate.
“You heard me, Mon,” she sighed.
“It happened two days before my wedding…” Kate’s faint voice revealed her awful emotional state. As the two friends were leaving Midtown Manhattan, Monica’s curiosity was growing. Obviously, Kate and Dean had a history together. She could not comprehend why her beloved friend had been so withholding. The three of them were very close. However, Kate had not shared her secret with either of her two, closest friends. It was not like her to hide something like that; they all loved gossiping. No matter the circumstances or the city they would find themselves in after a long flight, they would usually discuss their sex lives: Boyfriends, failed relationships, and sometimes their lost loves were on the agenda.
Way too shocked to ask her anything more, Monica averted her gaze from Kate. She lowered her eyes and began to stare into the void. Pondering a response, many thoughts rushed through her mind. The number of questions was growing, and the young woman had no choice but to start asking, right after they left New York City behind them.
“Alright…” She sucked in a deep breath.
“Why don’t you start talking?” At her friend’s demand, Kate took her eyes off the road and faced her.
“It’s a long story. Anyway, I can’t…” Her voice broke. Kate covered her lips with her left hand and shut her eyes. A tear rolled down her right cheek.
“Shit, this is worse than I thought! What the hell did that guy do to you?” Monica got extremely worried. She had never seen Kate so distraught. The way she had just collapsed in front of her made Monica fear the worst. She had to stay cool, though. Tilting her head downward and sideways, Kate finally verbalized.
“It’s not just what he did to me, Mon. I cheated on Jonathan before we even got married. Of course he doesn’t know a thing about Dean or Sean; It would devastate him and destroy my marriage…” It was clear to Monica that Kate was too emotional to tell her anything else. By the time she finished her sentence, her voice had turned into a high-pitched squeal. She had to do something about it.
“I think we could both use a drink…” Monica extended her left arm and placed her hand on Kate’s right shoulder. She rubbed it for a few seconds until Kate herself put her left hand on hers. Nodding and silently agreeing, she kept driving.
“Kate, shouldn’t we just…go back?” Monica wondered where Kate was going. When she suggested having a drink, she believed they would actually go to a bar.
Kate took her hand off Monica’s and wiped her cheeks with her forearm.
“I’m not going to a bar tonight, Mon. Not like this.” She pointed at her puffy eyes.
“And definitely not like this…” She then pointed at her chest. Monica scanned Kate from top to bottom and realized that her friend was in pink, velour pajamas. Preoccupied with Carl and the way Kate had literally abducted her, Monica had not noticed.
“Girl, you drove 80 miles in your pajamas?” Monica gig
gled. A smile formed on Kate’s face. As usual, Monica had a great way to make her feel good about herself.
“Huh, yeah. I’m about to drive another 80, though. And I got all the booze back home to get stone-cold drunk. Believe me, Mon. Tonight…” Kate faced Monica. Her face was stiff, indicative of her determination.
“I’m gonna get drunk out of my freaking mind.” She then looked back at the road, but her rant was not over yet. Having regained her composure, Kate was about to give Monica a speech and answer at least some of her questions.
“I came here as fast as I could. I saw you driving off in that BMW of his. I’ve seen it before. I have a thing with plate numbers, and I remembered his. Isabelle’s secrecy finally made sense. Now, I still don’t know just why the hell he bought that house next to mine. I mean, did he do it just to get closer to me? Anyway, our friend doesn’t have a clue what he’s capable of. The things he’d do just to get a woman to sleep with him. I’ll tell you more about that later. He can be really…persuasive. You see, Dean Marshall is a whole different kind of playboy. A rich guy like him could easily throw a huge party and get dozens of girls to sleep with him. You know, just like others do. And why wouldn’t they? He’s tall, handsome, and single. But, no… He prefers to go out there and actually conquer them. Yeah, he saved you guys the other day. I don’t think he did anything as noble as “The People.” He did it just to save his skin.” Slowly but steadily, Kate raised her tone.
“You said that the other day, Kate. But, you got me curious. Now, I gotta know…” Monica’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“What kind of booze are we talking about?” asking her question, Monica smiled at Kate. It did not take her long to come up with a response.
