hell bent

Another day, another umprompted trip to some random destination to deal with another minor problem regarding the Córcega brand she could easily delegate but didn’t. Half of Yolotl’s life revolved around traveling and as used to it as she was and as much as she enjoyed it (a part of her enjoyed being up in the sky more than trapped on land) the commute was starting to wear her off. 

Alas, she found herself sitting in the VIP room of some airline in JFK with a mild headache that made it impossible for her to read a book and her phone, browsing for something to do for the next couple hours as she waited for her plane. Drink in hand, the businesswoman chewed her lower lip and tapped the little app icon she had been avoiding for the last few months, immediately invaded by irecognizable faces and dull bios no conscious person could possibly fall for. There was a lot of scrutiny when it came to her swapping, a lot of criteria a certain candidate should meet to earn a right swap from the brunette and so far, no one met the points to earn it. “Bueno pero parece que Nueva York se está convirtiendo en Florida o un mal reality show de MTV ¿Qué es esto? Jersey Fucking Shore?” she hissed to mostly herself as yet another shirtless jock was presented to her, making her roll her eyes. Was it so hard to present one self with a little bit of personality, abs aside? Yes, the abs had made her pause for a moment to consider her decision before rolling her eyes at the absurdity of it all. Originality, there wasn’t much science behind online hook ups/dating.

( @paxbaldini )

Delayed flights were becoming regular on his latest trips, but thanks God for VIP rooms and their endless source of entertainment for times like this —AKA food and drinks. The only downside to this was the fact that the other person hanging there was no other than Yolo, and he knew his frustration would only get worse if they had their usual banters. Then again, there was no other place to kill time for the next two hours for him. Walking towards the brunette, he caught a glimpse of her screen, a very very familiar profile she had just dismissed in a blink of an eye. “Ouch! Hard no for that one, huh?” That wasn’t the way to greet someone, but she was already used to his antics probably, besides how else could he say when he had just witness being rejected like this? “Tinder is just for sex, you know, not finding your soulmate or deep conversations after.”

he sighed. even when it was uncalled for, pax seemed to be so oddly nonchalant, that harry just couldn’t help but feel the need to crack his knuckles, his neck, anything that could be cracked. anything that would relieve stress, even remotely. “right,” was all he could manage to say as soon as the man mentioned cecelia. “she won’t say much about it, of course. so i would very much appreciate hearing your side of it, as… she just…” he shrugged. “won’t say much. other than, you know, what you’d usually hear. it was a mistake, it didn’t mean anything, so on, so forth. so… yeah. i’m listening.” no punching, although he wouldn’t give the man that information.

it was an uncomfortable situation, yes, but it was a conversation that should have happened a while ago. what was he supposed to say? the ‘it’s not what it seems like’ was so overdone and sounded so fake, not to mentioned, it was more or less what harry was implying with his words. “i’m afraid you won’t have a much different answer from me.” he mused, trying to find the right words to explain himself as he scratched the back of his head. “i know it’s not an excuse, but i was terribly wasted and wasn’t really thinking what i was doing. it just...happened. i let myself go and i shouldn’t have ─and it won’t happen again.” he made a brief pause, letting out a sigh while considering if it was appropriate to say what he was thinking. “listen, i like cece, as a friend. i’ve never seen her with any other intentions, you can be sure of that. i’m just an idiot.”

“Okay, my mother has seriously lost her mind. All week she has been texting me information and photos from her girlfriends about bachelors in the city that I should ask as a date for her fundraiser next month. This is her attempt to expedite the grandbaby making process and I am not here for it.” She had told her mother, Blair, kindly over tea the day before to stop. Blair did for all of twenty-four hours and now she was back at it again. @cityofdreamsstarters​

“Seriously mothers still do that?” He could say his on mom was similar, but she was the kind of person to constantly ask about her kids’ relationship status other than just meddling into their lives. “You should tell her you’ll go by yourself, there’s nothing wrong with being single. Besides you could meet someone interesting at the fundraising, and what would you do then? Ditch your fake date?”

“Hey, do me a favor and pretend like we’re having a super interesting conversation? Please? Bella asked as she approached the person nearest to her at the bar. “I made the mistake of letting some creep buy me a drink and now he won’t leave me alone,” the brunette said, letting out a sigh. “Speaking of drinks, I’ll buy you one as a thank you. I just can’t deal with hearing about his taxidermy collection anymore.” 

The male smirk at the sight of Bella, though instantly brought a hand to his chest, being dramatic at her words. “Ouch, I thought we did have interesting conversations already —were you pretending when we discussed all the things we’d do in bed?”  The teasing fell easily between the two. “It’s not needed, but I’ll take the free drink. Where did you find that creep anyways? Not the best topic conversation to pick someone up, but then again, it’s a kinda psycho hobby.”

     frankie knows he shouldn’t be blowing dust off old scars- but he’s bored and so he has to seize this moment of entertainment. even if it lands a few punches aimed for his face. he notices the brunette up ahead and makes his way over letting out a low whistle. “hey- pap was it? or pass- or pause-” he furrows his brows pretending to think about it before shrugging. “you back on the ol’-” he pretends to shake a bottle of painkillers before smirking. “my brothers keep a bottle to the side for when you break. wouldn’t be surprised if they put a bow on it for yah.” @paxbaldini​

In all honesty Lila was too tired to react to Paxton’s shameless behavior with anything but a lazy shake of head. “No!” The woman went looking for a clean towel but she heard herself dismissed his words right away. It wouldn’t feel right, accepting a present from a man she had casual sex with. As it hit her she might’ve come off a bit too aggressive (which he didn’t deserve), she gave him a playful look. “If I wanted to buy a new set of glasses, I’d buy it myself,” she made it clear before the smirk climbed onto her lips again. “Save buying gifts for your younger, more impressionable conquests, a good neighbor brings food,” she remarked good-naturedly and, placing a hand upon the man’s chest, gently nudged him towards the sofa, feeling his chest under her palm. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, let me take care of it.” Lila took the champagne from him and skillfully opened it, pouring the golden liquor in two mugs. “I’ll be very disappointed if this isn’t as good as you promised, Paxton.”

Brows raised at the sudden harsh response, since he was merely joking, but offered a lazy smile in return to her words. Even when she tried to softening it down, he knew the idea of giving her a gift was definitely out of the question if it ever crossed his mind again. At her next words, he released a soft chuckle. “Noted. I’m sure my sugar babies would be thrilled to know there are more gifts room for them,” he teased as Lila guided him to the couch, throwing an impressed look at the woman as she decided to open the bottle. “I like it when you take control.” Playful smirk playing on his lips as he observed her, making a short wiggle of his eyebrows. “I would be the one disappointed if you don’t like it. This is probably one of the best champagne in the market, it’d be a crime not to enjoy it. Don’t complain beforehand, would ya? Come here and relax,” he said, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

“I didn’t make the seating charts, Pax,” she said between bites, amusement coloring her voice, “besides, Harry’s uncle George is sweet. I’m sure he just wanted to talk to you about the latest football season. And by football I mean soccer. That’s what he talked to be about earlier before I had to actually go work.” She laughed, setting her fork on her plate and downing some water. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me now –– but I appreciate it. I’ll be happy to be off my feet by the end of it but….I’m really proud of it too.” Not all weddings were as seamless and painless as this one had been and she was grateful for it.

“Well, then you’d love to hear my costume is pink in my new show, too, and my hair, shockingly.” The brunette laughed, already cringing at the dyed extensions having to be pinned into her hair every night going forward. “I really do like the purple suit, it’s a good color on you.” Taking another sip of her drink, Mila jutted her lower lip out in a pout, placing the glass down on the table. “It’s a wedding, Baldini! You can’t attend a wedding and not dance.” The performer rolled her eyes. “I’ll bring a whole bottle of whiskey over if it means getting your ass on the dance floor.”

pax, kev, cash & myself

“Well you clean up nice.” Mila smiled, sliding into the open seat beside Pax. She’d met the man years prior when he had been with Lucy, and though the pair had since separated, the brunette tried to keep a friendship going with the former athlete. Though, friendship by Mila’s standards consisted of brief conversations and even more brief outings with people, considering she worked more than the average person with the show she was currently in. “How many alcoholic beverages is it gonna take to get you out on the dance floor with me?”

@paxbaldini​

“Why thank you, so did you. Pink suits you,” he replied, offering a smile. He was having his classic glass of whiskey, taking a small break from the chatting and shaking hands from people who recognized him. “Hmm, good question... I think I’m still sober enough, even though I’ve been visiting the bar several times already. I’m sure there are younger and more willing guys out there who would love to dance with you.” The older man shot her knowing look as he took a sip of his drink. “Maybe when a good song comes up, but can’t promise you anything.”

“Yes, you can! Thank you in advance for keeping quiet about it,” Cecelia said, hugging Pax back and giving him a tight squeeze before pulling away. “Thank you! We worked so hard on it, so it’s nice to see everything come to fruition,” she said as she took a glance around the room. “I am enjoying myself, don’t worry. You forget hosting events is second nature to me.” With her work as a philanthropist, she couldn’t even count the number of galas and other events she had put together. “I’ve mostly been making the rounds thanking everyone for coming and visiting with my family because I don’t get to see them often.” On the subject of Mia, a smile spread across Cecelia’s face. “Of course! She did wonderfully and was so sweet explaining to Penny what to do.” 

“Yeah, don’t even mention it. It would have caused more troubles and headaches for all of you, and you clearly didn’t need more stress before the ceremony.” As they pulled away from the hug, he gave a nod in agreement to the topic of the planning. A short chuckle left his lips at her response. “Right, you’re already used to events, but royal events and charities aren’t the same as a wedding party. From my point of view at least, but I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying yourself. I sure as hell am.” The food was exquisite, the games fun and he had lost count on how many times he had ordered a drink on the open bar already. “How’s your family doing? I thought about congratulating them but I chickened out. They look intimidating,” he laughed shaking his head. “I would have loved to see the backstage, she loves Penny so much. And she couldn’t stop talking about meeting the Queen. I guess she’ll be mentioning that for weeks now.”

“Thank you so much,” Amelia mumbled between bites of roasted vegetables. She’d snuck around a corner to scarf down some food Pax had brought her and she was grateful for it. It had bee a marathon from the morning on and this was the first time she was taking a second to breathe. Thankfully, the couple was also eating, “I don’t wanna keep you from your table but you’ve just saved my life.”

cc @paxbaldini​

“Okay, let’s talk about this suit” Safiya says by way of greeting as she slips her free arm into Pax’s, because she has no boundaries and this is her friend. She takes a sip from the glass thats in her other hand, a gin and tonic and grins at him. He looks nice, which isn’t rare but still. “Who’s it by? And are you going to wear this color more often? I love a colored suit, plain black is classic and I love that too, especially with a good pop of color in the lining, but dark purple is killer.” she says, and it’s all a rant, but he’s seen her when she’s drunk, which is even worse so honestly this is the price he pays for befriending her. “And also let’s talk about this nearer to the dessert table, please,” she adds, tugging gently on the arm she’s got hers in.  @paxbaldini​

As he was suddenly approached by Safi, who started to talk before he could even said a word, and linked her arm on his. “Wow, wow, okay. Those are a lot of questions to process with alcohol on my system. But I’m fine, thanks for asking,” he said teasingly, letting out a laugh as they walked to the dessert table. He was already used to her ranting, so the fact she went directly to talk about clothes it wasn’t something that bothered him, Pax just decided to pick on her. “I made a bold move with this one, but wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. It’s Dior’s, you planning to buy me new ones for my birthday?” Another tease, hiding his grin behind the flute of champagne he had just grabbed. “Thank you for the compliment, by the way. I knew you couldn’t resist my good looks, but it’s nice to hear you say it. And you don’t look bad yourself. I like that dress, the transparency makes it stand out.”