"Come on, Sydney, open the door!" For the past half-hour, Leah had been beating on her door.
Sydney screamed from inside her room, "I don't want to talk Leah, just leave me alone!" Her eyes were red and puffy when she returned. She had obviously been crying. She then locked herself in her room and refused to eat her meal. Leah had given her a couple of hours' time alone, but she was suddenly concerned.
"This is it, I'm calling Mike," Leah declared emphatically before dialling Mike's number. He was on his way downstairs in no time.
****************
Sydney

*************
Mike's calming voice asked me to open the door when I heard a knock.
"Leave me alone," I yelled back.
"I'd leave, but who would prepare the dinner? You know Leah is a terrible chef, and I'm starving." Mike yelled out loud.
"Hey! I'm not a terrible cook!" Leah shut him down.
"Oh, no! Yes, you are; you can't even make good mac & cheese." He retorted with a snide remark.
I couldn't keep a smile from appearing on my face. I got out of bed and walked over to the door. Mike and Leah were arguing and didn't expect me to open the door so quickly.
Both of them fell silent and stared at me with their mouths agape. I burst out laughing despite my condition. They exchanged glances before turning to face me.
With a chuckle, he stated to Leah, "I told you this would work."
She answered, "You are brilliant."
"Wait, you're not bickering anymore?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.
"We never said anything; all we wanted was to get you out of that damn place. When you closed yourself in like that, I was terrified." Leah shrugged her shoulders.
I bit my lower lip. I shouldn't have worried them. They were quite gracious to me.
"I apologise for bothering you; I didn't mean to. I was just annoyed."
Mark took my hand in his and drew me closer to the couch.
"Sit," He forced me to sit down and then sat down next to me.
"Now tell me what happened," he inquired.
I didn't know what to respond because a short Google search revealed Aiden Reiner to be exceedingly wealthy and powerful. I didn't want to bother Mike and Leah any further than I had previously done.
"My interview went horribly wrong. I doubt I'd be considered for this position." I whispered quietly, my hands in my lap. I was afraid that my eyes would reveal my deception.
"Is that it?" Mike inquired, and I responded with a nod.
"It's okay, honey; setbacks are inevitable; you know, I blew 10 auditions before landing my first role. Perhaps something better is in store for you." Mike gave me a friendly smile.
'He seems like a kind guy; why can't Aiden be more like him?' I pondered. Damm! I couldn't take my mind off him.
"Thank you, Mike; I'm feeling much better now, so what do you want for dinner?"
I inquired.
"Come on, let's eat out. It's a special occasion for me." Mike smiled.
For the time being, I grinned back, and everything was fine.
*******************
Aiden
Once again, I had a restless night. I went to a party and came home empty-handed. Its not that I couldn't find a willing partner. They were flinging themselves at me in droves. I was simply uninterested. I got out of bed and walked over to my bathroom. I stepped into the shower and turned it on full blast. As the ice-cold water reached me, I groaned. I promised myself that one day I would make her mine and receive full pay for every frigid shower I had to endure as a result of her, as well as much more.
I stayed in the shower for a long time, until I felt myself sink back down after what seemed like hours. 'Don't think about her,' I urged myself sternly, but my nefarious mind couldn't help but recall the jaw-dropping moment she walked into my cabin. As I was aroused all over again, I shook my head in frustration. Damn. I returned to my bed, where I spent the remainder of the night wallowing in sighs.
I was so engrossed in work the next morning that I completely forgot about Marilyn's celebration until Jennifer reminded me.
"Sir, you have to depart at 7:00 a.m., therefore shall I inform Diego to prepare the car?" Jennifer inquired.
That's when I remembered. That dreaded party. Shit. That was something I'd entirely forgotten about. I sighed and gave her a friendly nod.
"Ask Martha not to cook dinner for me, and please arrange for a bouquet from me for Marilyn," I pleaded.
Jennifer nodded and grinned "I've already notified Martha, and your clothes are waiting for you at home; I knew you'd forgotten, so I've already planned a bouquet for you. Ms Marilyn likes a mix of red and white roses."
"Really?" I was astonished, and I praised the Gods once more for Jennifer. "Marilyn is going to adore it. And you deserve to be worshipped on a pedestal."
Jennifer burst out laughing. "I'll remind you at seven o'clock."
When she departed, I was once again perplexed by the fact that something didn't feel quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I returned to work. Jennifer reminded me of 7:00 p.m., and I dashed home. I got ready by showering and putting on my tuxedo.
With a bored drawn look, I cast a sidelong glance at Marilyn, my partner.In her crimson gown and extravagant hairdo, she looked stunning, like any diva should. She was flawless in every way, perhaps a little too perfect. Marilyn Mayers was a well-known theatre actress in Los Angeles. Her acting ability was well acclaimed, and she was poised and polished. She was an accomplished actress at the age of 28. Though I was curious as to how many times her face and body had been surgically altered to make her the flawless beauty she was.
We arrived at the site an hour later, and I cast a suspicious eye out of the window at the journalists and the plush red carpet set up near the theatre entrance.
Marilyn, fluttering her mascara-coated eyelashes, remarked, "Come on, at least appear to smile a little."
"I'll try," I remarked wryly, "though I'm not sure whether I'll be able to perform effectively given that I'm not an actor like you."
The door opened to the noise and flashes of camera shutters as she pouted. I endured the pain of walking down the red carpet and exhaled a breath of relief when we were finally allowed in. Marilyn grabbed my arm and dragged me from one person to the next.
"This is Eric Randall, the new owner," Marilyn said, introducing me to the tall, pale man in front of me. It was obvious that he wasn't from Los Angeles.
"How are you doing, Mr Reiner?" he inquired as he extended his hand to me. We shook hands after I reciprocated the gesture.
He spoke with a strong European accent.
"I'm fine, Mr Randall," I said, and for the next several minutes, I listened to his diatribe on art, theatre, and his aspirations for the LA stage.
Marilyn exclaimed, "That's extremely fascinating Mr Randall," while I sought for a way out. My lungs were suddenly devoid of air. She was standing near the bar, conversing with a young lady.
'Perhaps I'm dreaming,' I reasoned.
I wasn't there; she was, and she looked lovely.
'Lord. 'How much sexiness have you crammed into just one woman?' As my gaze wandered over her body, I pondered. She looked stunning in a basic dark green dress that fell to her knees, revealing her muscular legs in full view. It was a halter, and all the parts of her arms and shoulders that had previously been hidden beneath her clothes were now exposed to me. Her collarbones were gorgeous, and I wanted to suck on them. I was on the verge of grunting in frustration. Her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, and she wore minimal make-up. I yanked Marilyn's sticky fingers from my arm unconsciously, not realising I was bending her fingers a little too much, causing her to yelp in pain.
"Excuse me," I said as I nodded at Eric, who looked perplexed, and strolled over to my ice queen.