Authors: Vivienne Harris-Scott
Marcus
"Lonely hearts incorporated... Please
state your desire..." said the feminine voice.
"Hello?"
he asked, looking at his phone, wondering if he misdialled.
"Yes?
Please state your desire, I'm here to fulfil all your fantasies..." she
continued.
Marcus
had to catch his breath. This was the sultriest, sexiest voice he's ever
heard! Was this the woman Julian was all mushy over? Shit! They were both in
trouble!
God
help him!
He
readjusted himself in his seat and said, "Is this 415 XXX XXXX?"
"It
is indeed. What can I do for you?" the smoky voice replied.
"This
is Marcus Brent...." He could barely articulate. He was distracted by the
voice.
"Hello
Marcus. I've been expecting your call. How may I help you?" she
asked.
"Well,
I...I'm calling to discuss Julian, Julian McCarty...." he asserted,
feeling a bit more in control now that he knew he had the right woman on the
line.
"And?"
she asked lightly.
"Hmm,
Well, it seems your encounter affected him quite a bit..." he
continued. He simply didn
’
t
know how else to word it.
"It
tends to happen. How can I help you Marcus?" The voice oozed sexiness. He
could feel the smile on the other end of the line.
He
was lost for words. This was not what he had expected. From the voice, he could
only imagine what the woman looked like, and from the state Julian has
been in, he realized he probably would have reacted the same...
What the
hell? Who was this woman?!
"Look,
I'd like to know where things stands between Julian and you.
”
he stated coolly, and continued,
”
I understand after speaking with James
that you are currently overseas and have expressed no desire to pursue any
relationship with him, but...
”
She
interrupted,
“
This
is correct Marcus. I only do relationships on my own terms. What we had was
deliciously fun, but it ended when I left. Julian simply doesn't strike me as a
man who would truly involve himself with anyone. Too self-absorbed...
”
she concluded with a warm voice
“…
And I happen to think I deserve much
better."
He
had to admit, she had a point. Up till now, Julian had been very much a
self-absorbed bastard. He was entitled after all he had been through. But, he
was changing. If only she could have seen him the past few days...
"He's
in a bad place, and you put him there." he said bluntly.
"Really?
”
she let out a small sigh.
“
Let me get this straight. Mr McCarty is in
a funk and he's getting his business manager to do his bidding or shall I say,
begging, for him? Are you sure I put him there? Or is it that everything
and everyone is just handed to him too easily? And maybe, just maybe, for the
first time in a long time, he's not getting what he wants when he
wants it, and he's having a bad rash about it?"
She
started to laugh softly.
Her
laugh was melodious. One could get lost in the sound...
Jesus,
man, get a grip!
, Marcus chastised himself.
"Look,
ok. He's in a funk, and granted, maybe it's not entirely your fault, but would
you at least speak to him? Your disappearing act threw him for a loop and I
believe a good heart-to-heart would fix things once and for all, one way or the
other...
”
He said in a pleading tone that surprised him. He was really going to bat for
his mate.
"I
see." she replied.
A
few seconds of silence passed between them
"No,
I don't think so.
”
She finally said.
“
Things
are pretty settled as they are. Besides, if Julian really wants to get
involved, say... with me, he will have to do a whole lot better than using
you..."
"He's
not using me!
”
he interrupted, exasperated.
“
I'm calling you because I am concerned for
him. And since James made it clear, I needed to respect your privacy, I
am..."
"Mr
Brent, the world is a big place
…”
she interrupted him.
“
There are thousands of available women
whom I am sure Mr McCarty can
…
satisfy
...
”
she pursued in sweet tone.
“
I consider myself unique, and you are
wasting my time...Julian will need to sort himself out, and do much, much,
better
…
if
he wants me. Handling his own calls would be a start!"
She
heard him exhale, and continued sharply, "I think, our business is done,
wouldn't you say?
”
He
was silent for a moment, and had no choice but to reply through gritted teeth,
"Yes. We
’
re
done."
"Well
then, you have a nice day, and give my regards to Julian." she ended, in
sultry tone.
She
hung up.
Marcus
looked at the receiver wondering what the hell just happened.
Lily
couldn't stop laughing. This had been easier than anticipated! Vi had been
tense all day thinking Marcus would probably grill her with questions
when he decided to call, but Lily had told her to forget it and relax; she'd
take care of Mr Brent.
Well, it
seemed the man had been somewhat distracted.... No questions were asked.
She
called the waiter, ordered another Mai Tai, put her shades back on and smiled.
((~~!~~))
Vi
Thirteen minutes. He had to listen to this
for thirteen long minutes. An eternity depicting every single one of his flaws.
No wonder he was on a brink of a seizure. I know I would be!
Right
now, my blood was boiling.
James
had sent me the recording as an email attachment, and as I was listening to it,
I had to give it to Mr Marshall, professional handler. He had known exactly
what sort of reaction these words as they were, would elicit. It was murder by
tape!
I'm
going to kill him!
I
wanted Julian to back off, but this?
Somehow,
I need to find a way to fix it, without making things worse.
I
was looking for my blackberry when I recalled Lily had it, so I used the room's
landline.
"James?"
my tone was cold as ice.
"Hey"
he said chirpily.
"Don't
hey me, I just listened to the bloody recording James! You are so lucky you are
not in front of me right now!" I exhaled loudly.
He
chuckled, "So, you do want my head...
”
"On
a bloody stick!" I said sourly.
I
paused, lay down on the bed and looking at the ceiling, asked, "Did
you have to be so cruel?"
"Vi,
I know men like Julian. You can't let them down gently. He wouldn't have
backed off. Trust me on this..." he stated apologetically.
"Fuck,
James, this is beyond..." I countered in a furious, yet helpless tone.
"Now,
you hold it. You are pissed. I get it, but what else was I supposed to do?! You
wanted him to leave you alone! That was the end result, wasn't it?" he
nearly shouted, his voice curt and edgy.
With
a voice trembling with rage I said,
”
So now you want a medal? You are fucking
unbelievable! The man probably hates my guts, and this is not what I wanted!
James, he will get angry. He's bound to! Look, Marcus is already calling me, so
it's only a matter of time before Julian does...
“
I
sighed heavily, barely able to contain my
furor
and
kept on,
“
When
these sort of men get angry, there is not telling what they do, trust me! You
know what I've been through! Do you think I need to have another man looking
for me for revenge? Not to mention, if they even happen to talk to each
other and realize..." I got up, going to the mini fridge to get the
drink, which I hoped would calm me down.
"I'm
sorry." he said in a low voice.
"You
got me into this mess James, start thinking about a way to get me out!" I
breathlessly replied, sitting back down, a glass in hand.
My
bedroom door opened and Lily waltzed in, grinning, as I was on the brink of
tears.
I
added, "James, start thinking. I have to go, but this isn't over."
and I hung up.
Seeing
my sombre expression Lily asked, "What's up with you?
”
I told her, and she kept on smiling,
which irritated me to no end, until she said,
”
Baby girl, don't
worry, Julian won't come after you, and if he does, he won't be out
of anger, ...More like lust!" She laughed softly.
I
gave her a questioning look, and she mysteriously replied, "Trust me,
things are good. If Julian is really interested, he will come to you. And if not,
he is letting this go as we speak, James shenanigans notwithstanding. We're
good!
”
I looked
at her silently; my eyes getting wider as I was taking her in and could see the
signature twinkle of mirth in her eyes. I murmured, "Lily, what did you
do?" clasping my hands, dreading her answer.
She
sat down on my bed, and took me in her arms, patting my back and said,
"What I do best
mamì
. I took care of business.
Now, grab your purse, we are going shopping!
”
she said heartily,
“
I heard the concierge mention a sale at
Manolo
! Mind you, why would anyone need stilettos in the
desert is beyond me
…”
her light laugh filling in the room, and my heart.
Ari
It took some doing, but Frances finally
left my office after realizing I did not know whom James Marshall was, nor did
I care.
I
sent her to Marcus, and I know she'll never go to him, as they can't stand one
another! I think it's a chemistry thing: hate at first sight!
I
fired my assistant. I can't just have anyone waltzing into my office as they
wish! If he can't be a good gatekeeper, he'll never survive in this
business!
Now,
Frances, she is really something else! I need to talk to the lawyers due to her
walking out of set, that bitch keeps me busy with her antics! I've got to call
Marcus just in case, besides I want to know when Julian is getting back to
work!
((~~!~~))
"Marcus."
"Ari."
"So,
when can I expect things to return to normal? Have you been to the house
yesterday?" I ask, hoping he did.
"I
have. I think, it's going to be a few more days, tops, Ari.
Melissa arrived this morning..."
"Hmm.
She's here? Great! I can talk to the studios to hold off the dogs for a few
days, but if he's not back at work by next week, then you'll have to get Todd
involved because you can bet your ass, they will try to get the performance and
penalty clauses enforced..."
"Stop
worrying Ari. It won't get that far..." he smooths with his trademark
suave tone.
"Right.
Well, on another note: have you heard from Frances?" I ask with a smirk in
my voice.
"Frances?
Why on earth would that woman call me? I..." Marcus spits in wondering
tone.
"James
Marshall. Marcus, I know you know who he is.
”
I reply bluntly.
”
I don't know what the deal is between
Julian and this guy, and I don
’
t
care, to tell you the truth
…
but,
I know for sure, Frances is head strong in finding out. She flew back from New
York just for that, and since our boy seems to be in a funk, he's vulnerable,
so try to make sure he doesn't sink any deeper because of Frances...I already
have to take care of Bruce Kemp because of her crap...I don
’
t ne-
…
"
"Ok.
I'll speak to Julian." he cuts in, reassuringly.
"Thanks
Marcus," I exhale.
"Ari."
He ends our conversation with his usual goodbye.
((~~!~~))
Frances
I was a bit nervous.
Last
I was here, Julian had almost thrown me out when this James Marshall arrived;
and since I still wasn
’
t
any closer in finding out who the woman was, I need to handle him carefully. It
was 11:00 a.m. so I knew he would be awake and alone.
I
put my best signature smile on, and rang the doorbell. I knew, I could have
used my keys, but I learned from my last visit that I
’
d better make Julian forget I had these
…
What
greeted me when the door opened wasn
’
t what I had expected. Julian
’
s sister? Melissa
’
s smile was faltering upon seeing me.
What
was she doing here? This couldn
’
t be good!
She
cleared her throat and mumbled,
“
Frances.
”
I nodded as a greeting. Soon, Julian
and Charlie were meeting us in the foyer.
I
had a bad feeling about it all. Knots tied in my stomach, and looking at
Julian, I said,
“
Hello
Julian, how are you?
”
“
Frances. I
’
m fine.
”
he answered, an actually smile on his
face.
“
But, what are you doing here? Aren
’
t you supposed to be in New York, filming?
”
he asked, watching me squirm.
I
was uncomfortable. He knew Melissa hated me and I had clearly interrupted some
family time. Now, I was paying the price.
“
I
…
I came back,
”
I stammered in a low voice.
Pull
yourself together!
“
Julian, can we talk?
”
I said assertively
.
I
am Frances Palmers, self-confidence incarnate. Can
’
t
let them see I
’
m
rattled
…
Melissa
and Charlie were examining me as if they knew something I didn
’
t, and I did not like it. Not one bit.
Julian
motioned toward the living groom, saying,
“
Sure Frances, we can talk, what do you
have in mind?
”
I
seemed rooted on the spot, and Melissa said with a grin,
“
Well, Frances?
”
Turning
my head, I shot daggers at her. If looks could kill, that bitch would have
dropped dead.
Why
did I have to come?!
Charlie
interrupted my thoughts, prompting me,
“
Frances? Can you make it quick? We have
plans
…”
I
was mortified! Since when, do I, Frances Palmers, make things quick to suit
other people
’
s
agendas? Melissa and Charlie nonetheless!
Unbelievable!
I
marched on to the living room determined to show them they couldn
’
t discount me as easily as they thought. I
headed to the bar, and made myself a dink, not caring I had three sets of eyes
watching me. Taking a sip, I already felt better and turned to face them,
boring my eyes into Julian
’
s.
“
Ari tells me you haven
’
t been at work at all, that something is
wrong with you
…”
I could see Julian face turn sombre, so I continued, smiling,
“
I was worried about you, so I flew back in
to see if you were ok
…”
Both
Charlie and Melissa looked at Julian and tilted their heads. As I was watching
them, I hadn
’
t
noticed Julian expression had changed from sombre to determined, and he said in
a flat voice,
“
Frances,
as you can see, I am with my family. Everything is fine with me, and I don
’
t know where you get your information, but
it is incorrect. But since you are here, there
’
s the matter of us, we need to discuss
…”
The
matter of us? Where was he going with this?
I
was looking at him wide-eyed, my heart beating fast in my chest, my spine
tingling, praying he was NOT saying what I thought he was. He must have noticed
my discomfort, so getting up, he came close to me, and taking me by the arms
said to my ear,
“
Maybe
we should talk in private, let
’
s
go out to the terrace.
”
I
followed him, already thinking about what I would say to counter any break up
ideas I was now certain he wanted to discuss. I was Frances Palmers; men did
not and do not break up with me, I flushed them out when I was done with them.
Not the other way around.
We
sat on the furthest table from the pool and stared at each other.
“
Frances, I don
’
t think
…”
Julian started.
“
Don
’
t. Don
’
t insult me.
”
I interrupted him,
“
It
’
s over between us. Again, right? I just
want to know one thing. Who is she?
”
“
No one you know,
”
he said curtly and let out a sigh.
I
just stared at him for a few minutes. I wanted to remember the face of the first
man who openly rejected me for a nobody.
We
would meet again, and I would make them pay. Both of them.
((~~!~~))
Marcus
"Hey man! Are you busy this
afternoon?
”
he chuckled, and added,
“
Correction.
I know you are busy, but can you cancel, and spend some time with me, Charlie
and the girls?
”
Julian
’
s tone was cheerful. Obviously, he was out
of his funk. Thank God for Melissa!
“
Sure,
”
I replied, looking at my watch,
“
Give me and hour, it
’
s 11:50 a.m., I
’
ll be there by 1:30-2 p.m. max.
”
“
Marcus?
”
he added, just as I was about to
disconnect the call.
“
Yes?
”
“
Thank you.
”
he said, his voice was thick with
emotion.
“
No worries. I
’
ll see you soon.
”
I
mean what are friends for, if they
’
re
not there when you need them the most? I had been very worried.
I
know, it
’
s
not well regarded for a man to express concern over one of his boys, but Julian
and I have been through too much to even want to pretend.