S a t i s f i e d

“C’mon, you say that but in actual fact, you love me too much. I’m not afraid to order a Pornstar Martini or something, you don’t scare me,” The brunette let out a small chuckle, nodding. “Aww, that must suck. Is Alex busy or something or perhaps he’s the one in the orgy? Well, I had a few hours to kill and what better than to come here. Oh, I’ve not been too bad really. Just surviving. What about you?”

He couldn’t hold back a smile; this lady knew how to talk and he always liked a quick thinker. “ There’s a real big difference between mindless flattery and stating the obvious, sister.” He smiled, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “ If I was really gonna flatter you, you’d know it, cause I wouldn’t be using a basic cheesy line like ‘ you’re pretty’. I’d say something more about your eyes being warm enough to put this desert to shame or your tongue being sharp enough for a Samurai to throw himself on when her shames himself.” He chuckled, plucking a hundred from the leather binding and tossing it in the jar.”Not ze, eh? He asked as he scratched his beard, taking a sip of the given drink before looking back to her. “ Why’s that? Not enough weed in your system or you forgot your Yoga poses this mornin’? Hell, maybe you just have parents.” He snickered. “ Nah, you’re sweet and I wouldn’t believe anyone who told me otherwise. I got this sense about people when I meet em. I can tell you got a good heart.” He smiled, taking another sip.  “So where’s this admirer at? I have no friends and I could use someone to tell me nice things for tips and not offer me a lap dance at the same time.”

His father was a fan of scotch which meant Lucien knew quite a bit about it. He knew about a lot of alcohol actually. “I would never disrespect a 1954 bottle of scotch. Morthlach, too? Nice. Nothing but the best here, I see.” He downed it and gave a sigh. “Pretty nice. What else you got here? Don’t worry, I’ll pay for the next one.”

Chewing his lip, he didn’t need to think it over, but he let her talk anyway. Maybe it was because he always stayed silent and listened to her that she was now feeling comfortable with opening up even a tiny little bit.  He’d done the assistant gig before, went to partied, knew how to act and behave in spite of his look. From a business standpoint, he knew that these parties could open doors, introduce him to the right people and move him up the ladder, but his secret was that he didn’t want that.  Making a face as she talked herself down again, he sighed. “ I know I don’t have to, I’m saying yes because I want to.” He reassured her. “ I may be small town but I’m not stupid – I know the kind of opportunities you’re giving me by letting me tag along and I don’t take it for granted. I’m sure that you could take some rich dude who can talk shop better than anyone, but you’re paving a path for me here and I see it.”

Angelica was one of the few people who saw him. He knew she didn’t regard him as a trophy assistant nor did she see his background as not good enough. He wasn’t fresh out of Yale or Harvard like other assistants who’d only hold their job for a year before moving on yet he was still a hard worker and she knew that. Deep down, he had a feeling that she could also see that he still had no idea what he really wanted, but never questioned him while he was trying to find it out.  Hell, she never even asked him to cut his hair. “It’d be an honor to be your date for the evening. “ He smiled, only to have it fall a few seconds later as he regretted the use of the word. “ I mean in the formal sense. For the gala. Not like I’m your actual date… Just…”

      The brunette shook her head slightly upon hearing the blond talk, disregarding the idea of this being an altruistic move altogether. “This move may be slightly more selfish than I’m leading you to believe, William. Whilst, yes, I do believe in paving a path for you and believe is important to form bonds and connections and these events are your easiest way in, I am interested to see how the event looks like from the perspective of an outsider. Not to mention, there’s so much mindless small talk I can pretend to be interested in when it comes to charity galas, having you there would be more of a distraction. I suppose it’s a win-win situation for everyone involved” she mused with a mindless smirk. 

George couldn’t help but let out a light laugh at the girl’s comments. “Ah, I see,” he smiled gently, sitting back up on the pew. “I can’t imagine the Father being best pleased about the lecture, though I am truly gutted I was not there to witness it,” he chuckled, glancing over to the confessional and the older woman. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I confess for my older Sister as well as myself,” he smiled.

Angelica’s soft words of assurance made Layla return her gaze back to her and weigh her options. How could she tell her the complete story when Layla herself didn’t understand it? When she was still confused and had a hard time believing it was true. Eventually she decided against telling Angelica, or better say, she postponed telling her. Instead, she put a hand over hers gently, the corners of her mouth lifting into a genuine smile. “Thank you, friend.” A chuckle was then heard and Layla realized she did feel a bit better, despite the fact her problem hadn’t really been discussed and solution found. Yet, Angelica’s support meant a lot, her words lingering in the back of her mind. “Well, depends on what you mean by ‘successful encounter’. –You’re right, knowing me, he wasn’t the only one but I’m afraid the other encounters were purely physical. And– I can’t talk about that. The feeling can’t be expressed in words,” concluded Layla with a victorious smirk. She pursed her lips in thought then, recalling faces of all those people she’d encountered. “I’ve met a lot of people; one hot single dad, one cutie pie foreigner, two pregnant women– can you believe? Oh, and! Guess who’s my new neighbor.”

“Carpe diem, indeed.” Layla grinned widely. The open-minded adventurer she was, she had numerous interests and always looked to try new things for each new interest and experience fed the next. And she wanted more. It was one of the things she had in common with the brunette sitting next to her. It was admirable how Angelica Rogers was hard-working but still had her freedom, time to go out, time for art, time for family and friends. It was her who taught Layla how to use her time wisely and bring some order into a chaotic life. “–The Chandler?” Uh-oh. All heartbreaks reminded the blonde of wounds that healed but always left one of those scars sensitive to touch. Layla quickly poured wine into two glasses and handed one to Angie. She needed it. “Tomorrow sounds good,” she said softly, trying to calm her breathing, still overwhelmed with excitement. Angelica trusted her enough to put a big responsibility on her shoulders which, kind of, surprised her. Yet, she felt honored and ready to welcome another challenge. “A personal project? I love those. Spill. –Not wine, this rug has been in our family forever.”

      “Always” was the brunette’s response to her friend, followed by a gentle nudge and an encouraging smile. It was one of the favorite things about her friendship with Layla. Knowing words weren’t always needed, none of them needed explanations or excuses to be or not to be around each-other. Then, upon hearing the blonde’s response, the businesswoman couldn’t help but smirk along before rolling her eyes playfully at Layla’s words, chuckling lightly. “Yeah, I’m sure you don’t even need words to express how it feels, primal noises suffice most of the time” Angelica provided with a mischievous grin before arching an eyebrow in her friend’s direction, interested. “Single hot dad, huh? Are you thinking on finally settling down, Layla?” she inquired teasingly before tilting her head to the side “I met a pregnant lady too, sunshine hair like yours. Who’s your new neighbor? Please do not say a porn star or next Thursday brunch will have to be held in the office instead.”