by Gerald Lopez
“It’s true, I tell you,” Jenna said. “But a young Michael Paré in the film Streets of Fire brightened my evening.”
“Well, hello everybody,” Julia Jansen said, as she danced up to the group with Simon next to her. She raised her hands in the air and danced by Bart’s side. Her short, gold sequined, spaghetti strap dress caught every bit of light in the room—and she sparkled.
“Don’t you look spectacular,” Bart said.
“Thank you,” Julia said, before she turned to Jenna. “I love your dress, Jenna.”
“Thanks, I love yours too, Julia.”
The group danced together until the song was over, then their attention went elsewhere. The sound of a glass breaking, and a woman yelling made them turn toward a table in the back corner.
“That was Rachel,” Simon said. “And she doesn’t sound happy.”
Chapter 26
Drama Queen’s Court
BART AND his group followed Simon and Julia to the back of the club, and up a few steps to the large seating area, which had a clear railing all around it. The railing was there to prevent people, who might not be so steady on their feet, from falling over the side. Simon and Julia walked toward a table, where they saw Rachel yelling at someone. The man, being yelled at, was tall and handsome, with dark hair, wide shoulders, and a slim build. He was firmly holding Rachel’s arm, and she was struggling against him.
“I don’t give a damn whether we’re cousins or not, Gabriel, I’m not going with you!” Rachel said, then she slapped him so hard across the face that Bart and the others could hear it as they got to the table.
“Chupa!” the man said. “You must be stupid… and when my uncle finds out what you’ve been doing, he’ll—”
“When Daddy finds out he’ll do what?” Rachel said, slapping Gabriel on the arm, then she slapped him again. “Who’s gonna tell him anything—you? Are you going to tell him?” She started slapping him over and over in a hysterical fashion, not even paying attention to what she was doing—just lashing out.
“Stop it, Rachel,” Julia said. “Simon, she’s lost it again. We’ve got to get her calm.”
Julia and Simon both tried to talk to Rachel. Gabriel walked away, brushing against Bart as he did so—their eyes locked for a moment, then Gabriel was gone. While Simon and Julia dealt with Rachel, and Reese was busy watching them, Jenna spoke in a whisper to Frank and Bart.
“Rachel’s cousin said ‘chupa’… as if it’s some sort of drug. We need to get hold of whatever it is.”
The three of them walked toward Rachel, who wore a shiny blue dress with a heart-shaped bodice, which she kept pulling up. She was still in hysterics… and clutching the chain around her neck.
“That idiot,” Rachel said, speaking erratically and almost sobbing. “That idiot was going to tell Daddy about the chupa.” She began laughing loudly. “No, no… he wouldn’t dare!” She stood tall and straightened her knee-length dress. Simon and Julia stood silently by her side. “Hi, Bart, Jenna, Frank. You’ll have to excuse my hysterics over my cousin’s surprise visit.”
“Hey, Rachel, baby,” a man said, as he walked up to the table. He was very tall with straight, shoulder-length blond hair. The tank top and tight jeans he wore showed off an impressive, muscled physique.
“Hello, Troy,” Rachel said, as she walked up to the man and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She twirled her long chain and held up the clear cylindrical vial dangling from it. “You here for some of this, baby?”
Jenna nudged Bart, who was standing next to her. Bart looked closely at the vial which seemed to hold some sort of liquid with bits of something suspended inside it.
“You know me well, Rachel,” Troy said, then gave her a kiss on the lips.
“You son of a bitch!” a short and busty, raven-haired woman said, as she ran up to Troy and slapped him hard on the side of his head. “I knew you were up to more than just buying chupa from that slut!”
“Who the hell are you calling a slut?” Rachel said.
“You, of course,” the woman said. “You’re the one who was in a lip-lock with my boyfriend.”
Rachel looked the woman up and down before responding. “Geez, Linda, can you blame him—you’ve gained some serious weight there, and your tits are heading south?”
Bart looked at Linda, and thought she seemed fine. Her tits only sagged a bit because they were large, but Rachel clearly thought differently.
“I think maybe Troy would rather look at these babies over yours any day,” Rachel said, pulling down her top to expose her small but perky breasts. She grabbed Troy’s hands and put them on her breasts.
Julia slapped Troy’s hands away, and pulled Rachel’s top back up. “This is getting ridiculous, Rachel and Linda. I thought you two were friends.”
“That’s funny, because I thought I was in the drama queen’s court—with Rachel being the drama queen extraordinaire,” Linda said.
“Why don’t you two just kiss and make up?” Simon said, calmly.
“Hell, Linda’s probably fussing so much, because she wants me for herself,” Rachel said, cupping her breasts with her hands and leaning toward Linda. “Everybody here wants me… even the girls.” She reached out with her hands, grabbed the sides of Linda’s face, and kissed her hard on the lips.
“No, baby, what everybody wants is this,” Linda said reaching up and grabbing Rachel’s chain.
“Let go of that… it’s platinum,” Rachel said. “Daddy gave it to me.” She began pulling Linda’s hair, and Linda screamed.
“Stop it!” Julia said.
“Whoa… girl fight!” Simon said, then laughed.
Things between Rachel and Linda got more serious, as they started slapping and kicking one another—Linda still managing to keep a firm grip on Rachel’s necklace.
Bart turned to Reese, who had a shocked look on his face. “Just stay back, Reese, those women have on some serious stiletto heels that could cause major damage to your exposed toes.”
“I hear ya, dude,” Reese said.
Rachel screamed loudly, and raised her hand to her neck. “My chain! She broke it off! Where is it? Oh my God! Oh my God!” She screamed, panic-stricken.
Jenna looked at Frank, then, Bart and spoke in a low voice. “Grab that vial that was on Rachel’s chain. We’ll help you find it, Rachel,” she said in a louder voice.
“Oh m’God, oh m’God,” Rachel said, rocking herself back and forth, as she leaned against the table. “Where is it?”
Linda had the necklace in her hand, and waved it toward Rachel. “Is this what you’re looking for, bitch?”
Rachel lunged forward and pushed Linda back so suddenly that Linda dropped the chain. If Reese hadn’t caught Linda, she would’ve fallen over the railing of the seating area and onto the floor below.
Bart, Jenna, and Frank were trying their best to see where the chain had fallen, and Rachel was on her hands and knees looking for it.
“Pleeeease, please,” Rachel pleaded. “I need that chain… Daddy gave it to me… my daddy gave it to me… he loves me, he really does.” She looked up at everyone with tears streaming from her eyes, as her face contorted into an expression of pure anguish and desperation.
Julia walked over to her, and put an arm around her. “Of course, your daddy loves you, and we’ll find your chain… don’t worry.”
“I see it to the left of that chair,” Simon said, pointing to a section of the floor.
Everyone darted for it. Jenna almost had it in her grasp, when Julia’s stiletto heel came down on the bottle, crushing it and emptying its contents onto the floor. She’d narrowly missed stepping on Jenna’s hand. Jenna picked up the necklace and handed it to Rachel, who was still crying and breathing heavily.
“Oh,my God, Jenna,” Julia said, helping Jenna up. “I’m so sorry… I almost stepped on your hand. It’s just so dark in here… and Rachel’s such a mess.”
“It’s alright,” Jenna said. “Rachel does look like she’s in pretty bad
shape—we probably should get her back to the resort.”
Julia gently placed her hand on Rachel’s shoulder, and Rachel looked back at her with wide, confused eyes, which were still full of tears, before she turned to Jenna.
“Thank you, Jenna,” Rachel said. “Daddy brought me this chain when he came back from a big business trip to New York. Only the best for his little girl,” her voice was still shaky. “It’s cause he loves me, you know… he loves me.”
“Of course, he does,” Jenna said.
“Everyone knows your daddy loves you, sweetie,” Julia said. “Why don’t you come back to the resort with Simon and me?”
“No!” Rachel said. “Not Simon, he was laughing at me. You and me—I mean you and I can ride back with Jeremy and Reese.” She turned to Jeremy. “Is that alright with you, Jeremy?”
“Sure,” Bart said.
“I think I’ll follow behind anyway,” Simon said. “Things have gotten too crazy here.”
“It’s way past my bedtime,” Frank said.
Rachel wrapped one arm around Bart’s arm, and the other one around Reese’s arm. As they headed out, she passed by Linda, who turned to her and yelled.
“Drama queen bitch!”
Rachel didn’t say a word, she just looked at Linda, smiled, then slapped her as hard as she could across the face. Linda started swinging back when Simon and Frank jumped in between them.
“That’s enough, ladies,” Julia said, in a voice so calm; yet, so full of authority that the two women instantly backed off from one another.
Simon turned to Troy and spoke. “Keep your woman in check, Troy, or you’re cut off… understand?”
“Understood,” Troy said.
THE GROUP headed outside, and Reese helped an unsteady Rachel into the backseat of Bart’s car.
“I’ll sit in the back with Rachel,” Julia said.
“Good Lord, Reese,” Rachel said, “I know you’re a lifeguard and stuff, but wearing flip-flops to a club is so out.”
Bart closed the back passenger door after Julia got inside, then got into the driver’s seat. Could things possibly get any crazier tonight? he thought, then instantly regretted saying it, in case he was tempting fate.
Chapter 27
Taking the Plunge
RACHEL ONCE again held onto Bart and Reese as they walked to their apartments at the resort. Jenna, Frank, and Simon had arrived at the same time, and were walking behind them.
“Is it just me, or has this been a crazy night?” Rachel said.
“Oh, it’s not just you,” Simon said. “You were on fire tonight, slapping the living daylights out of everybody.”
“And you flashed everybody, too,” Frank said. “Not that I minded that.”
“I couldn’t let that stupid Linda think she was better than me,” Rachel said.
“The problem is you gave everyone around you a free peek at the girls,” Jenna said.
“It’s not as if she hasn’t done that before at the club,” Simon said. “The girls frequently do put in an appearance.”
They’d passed the gate of the employee apartment complex, and had made their way into the courtyard area where the pool was, when Rachel stopped and pulled her shoes off.
“I’m not ready to go to bed yet,” Rachel said. “Why don’t we round up some snacks and something to drink? Julia bring down some chips and dip from our apartment, we’ll eat them out here.”
“Alright, I’ll be back,” Julia said, then went upstairs to her and Rachel’s apartment.
“I’ve got some sodas in my place,” Frank said, then headed to his downstairs apartment, which was to the right of the pool.
“It’s still so strange to me that everyone actually lives on the property,” Bart said.
“That’s the way the owner likes it,” Reese said. “She believes in service above everything else, and likes her employees to be available 24/7.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Simon said.
“I’m in the mood for a dip,” Rachel said. She removed her dress, so that she was clad only in her panties, then ran and jumped in the pool. “It’s great in here… come on in!”
“I’m ready to take the plunge,” Bart said. He removed his shoes, socks, shirt, and pants, then jumped in the pool in his underwear.
“I’d better join them and make sure they stay safe,” Reese said.
“Ever the lifeguard,” Simon said. Once he saw Reese enter the pool, he turned to Jenna. “Sorry about all the madness.”
“It was no biggie,” Jenna said. “But will Rachel be alright? There won’t be any ill effects from that stuff she’s taking… what did her cousin call it?”
“Chupa,” Simon said. “It’s a nickname for the stuff… and it’s harmless. Rachel must’ve taken some other junk with it tonight—she often does. The girl does like to experiment.”
FRANK RETURNED with a cooler he’d filled with ice from the machine in the hall next to his room, and sodas at the same time Julia showed up with chips and dip. While they set everything out on a table, Rachel, Bart, and Reese playfully splashed each other in the pool.
“Jeremy, you are so much fun, now that you’ve lost weight,” Rachel said. “And I just love the gays—I can whip my clothes off in front of them, and not worry about being jumped or ogled.”
“Well, I have to admit I did take a look or two when you stripped down,” Bart said.
“Oh, you’re so funny,” Rachel said, as she splashed Bart.
“I’m not exclusively gay,” Reese said. “And I have been around when you’ve flashed people before, Rachel.”
“Whatever,” Rachel said. “Anyway, I heard you and Jeremy are a major item now.”
“Rachel, the chips and drinks are ready and on the table,” Julia said.
“Excuse me, I am talking over here,” Rachel said.
“So sorry,” Julia said, sarcastically.
“Anyway,” Rachel said, turning her attention to Reese and Bart again. “I approve of you two as a couple, if that matters at all. You make a very hot couple.”
“People would probably pay big bucks to watch those two going at it,” Simon said.
“Maybe, but we’re not interested,” Bart said.
“There’s always porn,” Simon said. “I know a guy who could film you two, and he pays pretty well too… if you’re interested.”
Reese looked at Bart questioningly, and Bart pinched his arm before responding to Simon. “Much appreciated, Simon, but not interested,” Bart said. “I would like to talk to you about the Mr. Orion proposition though, when you have a minute.”
“Simon and I have to drive up to Jacksonville on Sunday,” Julia said. “Why don’t you and Reese join us, Jeremy?”
“That’s a good idea, if you can arrange the time off for you and Reese,” Simon said.
“I’m sure it won’t be a problem,” Bart said.
“Sunday,” Rachel said. “But isn’t that when we’re getting a new supply of merchandise, Julia.”
“No, Rachel,” Julia said. “Jonesy said he wouldn’t be able to make it Sunday per usual, because something came up, so he’ll be here Tuesday.”
“What’s today?” Rachel said.
“Very early Saturday morning,” Jenna said. “Twelve-thirty in the a.m., to be exact.”
“Jenna, you know what?” Rachel said. “I’m beginning to like you. Why don’t you and Jeremy come over Tuesday night, and we can see what goodies Jonesy brings us to sample? He may even bring some stuff like the supermodels use to stay so skinny, Jeremy.”
“Sounds good,” Jenna said.
“It does sound good, but I can’t afford a supermodel’s cocaine habit right now. Isn’t that what they take to stay skinny,” Bart said, then splashed Rachel.
“You’re so craaazy, Jer,” Rachel said, before leaning back against the side of the pool and kicking her legs in order to splash both Bart and Reese. “We’ll really have some fun come Tuesday. I can hardly wait!”
Chapter 28
Meeting with Daddy Dearest
BART WOKE up, slowly walked into the bathroom, took care of business, then headed toward the kitchen. That was when he noticed a piece of paper that had been slipped under his door… yet again. He really needed to start giving his cell phone number to people, he thought. After running his hand through his hair, Bart walked to the piece of paper, unfolded it, and read the message.
He cleaned up, dressed, and in no time he was downstairs in his car, and on his way to the Kristoff mansion for a meeting with Rachel’s daddy. The first thing he did when he’d gotten in his car was to do a three-way call to Frank and Jenna, informing them of where he was headed and why. Unfortunately, the only thing he really knew was that Marcus had written, inviting him to brunch, and that Lisa would be joining them.
WHEN BART rang the doorbell of the Kristoff’s mansion, a servant opened the door and quickly ushered him into Marcus’s library, where a sumptuous meal was laid out on a table. The round table, which Bart guessed was probably brought in especially for this meeting, held plates laden with delicacies such as scrambled eggs, bacon, and French toast. After perusing the offerings, Bart turned to his host and hostess. Marcus was standing in front of him, and Lisa was seated on the sofa, which was centered on the large Indian rug anchoring the room.
“Thank you for inviting me to brunch, Marcus,” Bart said. “What’s the special occasion?”
“Fix yourself some food first, my friend.” He turned to his wife. “You’d better fix yourself something too. This will be a long and enlightening meeting… even for you, Lisa.”
“I’m genuinely intrigued,” Lisa said, as she stood and shook out her ankle-length, multi-colored, halter top sundress.
“My wife always knows how to dress like a lady, even when she dons casual wear,” Marcus said. “Pure class… down to her beaded sandals. She’s always so stylish and chic. You can’t teach style and grace to a person—they either have it, or they don’t. Wouldn’t you agree with that, Jeremy?”
