Nice Girl (8 page)

“Whatever.”  Carmella waved her neatly polished dagger like nails.  “Like I care.”  Then, she looked me up and down as if immediately sizing me up.  She started walking down the hall while cooing in a sick syrupy tone. “Anthony, baby.  I’m here.”

Immediately, Vinnie and Jamal closed their office doors.  Jamie got up and whispered in my ear. “Don’t walk down the hall.”  Then he quickly went to his office and closed the door. 

I thought it was amusing how the three of them closed themselves off when Carmella arrived.  This exhibitionism nonsense.  Maybe it was just the thought of it that caused them to overreact. 

I was almost done with the box I was filing.  Then, only two more and the lobby would be officially organized.  I smiled to myself at my first accomplishment.   I bent down to get the last of the files when I heard it.  At first, it sounded like someone was moving furniture.  But, then the bumping sound became more consistent.  When it was accompanied by grunting sounds both male and female, I knew exactly what was going on.  I left the wall where the file cabinets were to peer down the hall.  My pulse was racing and a part of me felt like a pervert but I truly needed to see if it was as bad as it sounded.  I looked down the hall.  Sure enough, all the office doors were closed except for Anthony’s.  His office door was wide open.  Then, the grunts became words and Anthony began to make his demands more clear. 

“Touch yourself now, Carmella.  Make yourself come.  I want your wet pussy soaking my cock.”

Holy shit!  He sounded like he was in the next room as opposed to down the hall. 

Carmella then joined him very loudly “Oh, Anthony, you feel so good.”  She started wailing.  “Fuck me harder.  Fuck. Me. Harder.”

Did she have no shame?  She was screaming.   

Then, one more shout from Anthony “YES! Oh fuck yes!”  and the noise stopped.

I grabbed my purse and decided right then, it was time for a coffee break. 

Tonight would be the most amusing web chat date with my girlfriends yet.  Dee, Janie, and Eve were not going to let me live this one down.

Chapter 7

The weeks quickly turned into a month.   It didn’t seem possible that I had been living in New York City for an entire month.  My radical new adventure was progressing perfectly.  I was hesitant to use that word, perfect, during a web chat session with Dee, Janie, and Eve.  I just couldn’t think of another word to use in its place.  Perfect?  Perfect meant complete, exact, mastered.  I saw practical Dee raise her eyebrows when I mentioned everything was going perfectly.  She was much too realistic I knew. 

It’s just I was so happy.  My weight hit 125 pounds.  I felt more comfortable with my body than I did in years.  My classes were challenging but in a way that I relished.   My life was in an easy pattern.  Wake up, exercise for an hour, go to work from 9am – 3pm, go to class from 4pm – 7pm.  I had plenty of time to prepare for my classes considering I didn’t socialize much.  Other students on my dorm floor were cordial but no one really reached out.  This was fine with me.  I wasn’t interested in partying and going back to the college bar scene. 

I did have dinner a couple of times with Jamie and his partner, Luke.  Those two together are the best time a girl can have with two men.   Without the romantic pressure of course.    Luke could be Jamie’s twin.  They are the same height and same body type.  They even dress alike.  Not identical but if Jamie is wearing a polo shirt with jeans then Luke is wearing the same.  If Jamie wears a button down shirt with khakis then Luke is wearing a button down shirt with khakis.  Luke has dirty blonde hair and Jamie has reddish brown. That is literally the biggest difference between them.  They were quickly becoming my two closest friends in New York.

The job was going well for the most part.  Carmella came in at least two times a week for her tryst with Anthony.   I never knew which day it would be.  It was always different.  Whenever she arrived, all the office doors were closed and I left the building for my coffee break.  There was no way I could listen to that again.  I had asked Jamie one time what he thought would happen if a client walked in during Carmella’s “visit”.   Jamie pointed out that Anthony seems to plan Carmella’s visit when he knows there are no clients scheduled.  Still, one could decide to just drop by.  Jamie thought that was part of the excitement for Anthony.  The potential for getting caught.   At that point I realized I had the most boring sex ever.  Not that I wanted to be an exhibitionist.  Personally I was grossed out by hearing Anthony and Carmella.  What I did want though was something completely contrary than what I had experienced the few times I did have sex.  I still was carrying those feelings of disappointment. 

Dee kept teasing us all with the orgasm pact.  I began playing the “southern belle Annie scenario” in my brain.  A man so adept at taking me to that highest pleasure over and over again.  When Carmella walked in, I was jealous.  I didn’t want Anthony or to be heard in public like them.  However, I did want to reach that unrestrained fervor.  To be excited even past exhilaration.  I thought of how I pledged to Eve that I was going to deny myself until I met a man who wouldn’t disappoint me. 

I didn’t confess to my girlfriends that, after hearing Anthony and Carmella, I was craving a man bringing me to an orgasm more than ever.

Vinnie grunted at me every day when he walked in.  Sometimes when I turned, I saw him staring at me.  Well at least he is making some sort of eye contact I thought.  I did want to become more comfortable around him.  He was my biggest test so far as I practiced my strong confident woman persona.

I was becoming more knowledgeable about answering questions when potential clients called.  Anthony was pleased with my progress.  I could tell he wanted me to take the upper hand when dealing with client calls.  Jamie kept me updated on the cases they were working on and the details.  I was learning so much.  I had never realized how fascinating the world of private investigations was.  Jamie acted like a lot of it was boring.  He would whine about the hours he spent on the computer tracking down information.  He laughed when I said the nights they spent in the surveillance van watching out for a suspect sounded exciting.  I guess I was only hearing the end result.  I wasn’t putting hours in before something actually happened.  But when it did…..sometimes the story was amazing. 

My favorite was when they were tracking down a stalker.  The clients were a wealthy man and his drop dead gorgeous wife.  She was obviously a trophy wife.  She was much younger than her husband.   Whereas she was beautiful, the husband was ugly and wrinkly.  I couldn’t imagine sleeping next to that for all the money in the world.  They met with Anthony and Vinnie in the newly furnished conference room.   At one point, Anthony had asked me to bring a box of tissues to the conference room.  The wife was crying.  I felt kind of bad that I looked down at her for marrying a man so much older and all.  Whether she married him for his money or not, she still didn’t deserve to be harassed by a psycho.   

When I walked into the conference room, both the husband and Anthony were trying to console the wife.  Vinnie just stared off in space like he was bored.  I asked the woman if she’d like a drink of water and she nodded and calmed down a little.  Anthony smiled his appreciation.  I came back in with the water.  Anthony, Vinnie, and the husband were now deep in conversation.  I put my hand on the wife’s shoulder and leaned down to ask her quietly if she needed anything else. 

She looked up at me gratefully and said “I’ll be okay now.  I just had to get it out.”

I whispered, “Don’t worry.  These guys are good.  Anthony and Vinnie will get him.”

She nodded to me.  I could tell she was calming down so I stepped away to leave.  It was then that I made eye contact again with Vinnie.  There was something about his piercing gaze that was starting to unravel me.  It wasn’t the same fear I felt when I heard him threatening to kill a man the day of my interview.  No, I wasn’t scared anymore.  I was frustrated that I couldn’t figure it out.  He made my heart race.  I felt alarms going off in my head but what was I panicked about? 

This was why the “stalker” story was my favorite one to share with Dee, Janie, and Eve.  The A and V team actually caught him breaking into the husband and wife’s mansion.  The husband was not home but the wife was.  Jamie described it as straight out of an action movie.  Vinnie breaking down the bedroom door as the stalker came in on a ladder through the window.  The stalker had a knife out and was laughing like a lunatic.  At that point, they realized how mad he really was.  Jamie said that he, Jamal, and Anthony all hesitated.  The wife screamed in fear.  Vinnie without any wavering walked right up to this obviously crazy man and grabbed the arm with the knife.  He broke the guy’s wrist in a snap and it was over. 

It was the first time during one of my web chat visits with my girlfriends that I actually rendered them speechless. 

  The job was working out better than I could have imagined.  As I walked to work on my one month anniversary in New York, I remembered the exact conversation I had with myself on my first day.  I had convinced myself that I could easily quit.  I had a moment of weakness where I had planned on giving up quite easily.  I know now it was because I was nervous.  I was mad at myself for how quickly my mind becomes so fragile. 

When I walked in the door, I was shocked to see Anthony already there.  He was in the lobby leaving a note to put on my desk.

“Hey Grace, I thought I would be gone before you arrived.”

“Well you sure have started the day early.  What’s going on?”

“Today is going to be crazy.  I am meeting Jamie in Westchester.   We have that deal going with Armory Electronics to buy more surveillance equipment.”

“Oh yeah.  I remember Jamie talking about it.  He is beyond excitement about it.”

“Yes.  Jamie is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to new electronics.”  He grinned. 

“So what is on the schedule for today?”

“I need to be back by 1pm to meet with a client.” 
Yes! That meant no Carmella today! 
“Jamie will be at Armory for most of the day to train on the new equipment.  Jamal also won’t be in until later.  He is serving two subpoenas this afternoon.  You’re going to be shocked at this one, Grace.  Vinnie will be in a little earlier.  I set up a conference call for him with a potential client.”

“Are you SURE??”  He and I both laughed
at how I emphasized my point.

“Yes, Grace.  This particular client is someone we know from our past.” 
Hmmm?  Mob connection?
  “Jimmy Aiello will not be the least bit offended by Vinnie’s rough exterior.”

God, my job was fascinating.

“Thank you again, Grace.  Now that we have you, I don’t know how we ever survived without you.”

Anthony sure knew how to make me feel appreciated.  Why oh why did he have to be such a pervert?

All the new cases coming in created a mountain of paperwork.  Before I knew it, it was 11am and Vinnie walked in the door.  As usual, he grunted a somewhat coherent hello at me.

Well at least he was consistent
.

Soon, I heard his deep voice talking and I figured he was now on his conference call.  I went back to reading Jamal’s newest case.  I noticed that all the new insurance cases were going to Jamal.  I wondered why this was his area of expertise.  I would have to ask Jamie when I had him alone. 

Lost in my thoughts, I barely heard the door open.  I looked up surprised because I wasn’t expecting anyone.  In strode a woman whose appearance gave me a chill.  She was glaring at me as if I did something to her.  She was extremely thin, actually anorexic looking.  It gave her face a hollowed look with sunk in cheekbones.  She wore heavy black eyeliner and thick eye shadow which did not help her hideous appearance in the least.  She had on jeans with holes everywhere.  I guess it was supposed to be stylish but some of the holes bordered on inappropriate.  Her shirt was falling off the shoulder so it was obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra.  I could tell it didn’t matter because she was totally flat chested. 

“Can I help you?”  I said in the most professional voice I could muster.

“Hopefully so.”  Her voice was gravelly, like she smoked a pack a day.  “I need to see Vinnie Lewis.  It’s an emergency.”

“He is on a conference call.  Would you like to wait?”

“Oh, I’ll wait alright.”  Then she plopped down on one of our couches.  I cringed.  It was as if she was too filthy to sit on such expensive couches. 

Damn, stop being a snob.  She might really be in trouble.

“What is your name so I can tell Vinnie you are here?”

“Dolores.  And that’s all you need to tell him.”  She giggled.

This was going to be interesting
.

I didn’t hear Vinnie’s voice so I assumed he was off the phone.  His door was open when I reached his office.  I knocked softly on the open door.  He looked up at me with a glare.  I wanted to say “Well excuse me” in a sarcastic tone but I didn’t have the guts. 

I cleared my throat which all of the sudden felt dry.  “There is a woman here named Dolores who wishes to see you.”

I saw his glare turn to pure anger.  “Tell her to get the fuck out.”

“OhhhhhKay”  I stammered and quickly left.  I heard his office door slam.

“I’m sorry Dolores.  He’s not available.”  Not sure how much more professional I could be.

“Oh, he is available, that prick.”  Then she yelled, “Vinnie, if you think you can fuck with my head like this, you just wait.  I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.”

“Ma’am, please.  This is an office.”  I had a feeling she could care less what I thought. 

Then, she started to cry.  Thick black makeup tearing down her face.  It made her even more repulsive looking. 

“I love him and look how he’s treating me.” 

I brought her a box of tissues.  I was getting good at that job.

“Thank you.”  She said and she blew her nose.   “How well do you know Vinnie?”  She looked me up and down.  I was dressed in a cute black and white plaid skirt with the most adorable matching shoes.  I had on a dark purple slim fitting top.  I had a belt around the waist.  Until I lost weight, I was never able to wear a skinny belt around my waist.  I looked classy.  That’s why I was shocked at the next question she asked.