Chapter five

 He had been there, not once, not twice but no sign of this mystery lady. He questioned those he thought might help unfortunately they claimed not to know her, those who manage to, won't tell him a thing. 

Use what you got to get what you want.

That certainly didn't cross his senses all that time. But was this lady some sort of illusion? No, she wasn't, she couldn't be, for he felt her that night; every tender part of her body against his. He felt those soft and juicy lips of hers against his where he thought they belonged, her big brown eyes so charming yet stained with a worrying flicker of sorrow and a pain that had him persistently intrigued.

He returned to reality at the sound of his office door creaking revealing to him a slender lady in her late forties who adorned a beige designer satin dress on a pair of black three inches stiletto. A thick white vintage designer fur coat over her shoulders complimented her elegant togetherness. To crown it all were a pair of sapphire earrings and necklace.

Her dyed wavy honey brown hair bounced at every step she took until she made herself comfortable on the seat opposite him.

"Mr. Woods," she said whilst she crossed her legs. Her aura nothing but haunting.

"For god's sake, mum quit performing."

"I'm your mum at home but not in the bureau," Marley sighed. "I was on my way to Venezuela before deciding to stop by," she smoothened an invisible crease on the material which covered her elevated thigh.

Something in her tune suddenly sent chills down his back. His mum wasn't like any ordinary mum, she was the type who could thaw an iceberg in less than a second just by looking at it. He knew from the moment she got in that he wasn't going to leave the office the same way he entered: his mood was certainly going to drop to an outrageous acidity.

"First things first," she began. "Where were you on Friday night?"

"In my office." He lied but maintained a straight face. "why ask?"

"Called your office five times in a row and six times on your mobile phone to no avail, of course."

Marley furrowed his brows, cleared his throat, and straightened on his leather chair. "I was just too busy with the forthcoming deals the comp—"

"I'm not done talking, young man. I called your Secretary who reported you leaving the office with those insignificant friends of yours."

Marley mentally noted to fire the old bitch.

"Listen to me," she added. "You are the Chief Executive Officer of the fourth well known automotive manufacturing company in and around North America and you need not exhibit shameful acts of irresponsibility. What will your workers, the board of directors, and other peers think of you?" 

"Mum, I'm not as irresponsible. In case you don't know, I've been and still am unfailingly amongst the top four best Automative CEOs in the state," he said with conspicuous flatness in his tone. "May I remind you that it's been so for two consecutive years."

"I know that. But that might capsize with the way you're behaving. What CEO Expends twilight in a club?"

Marley's eyes widened and his mouth agape. "Can't believe this," he muttered, roughly diving his fingers through his hair. "Did you have me tracked down?"

"I did what a normal worried mother would do."

"No no oh no, a normal worried mother won't do this. I mean this is everything crazy but certainly not normal. You are probably forgetting I'll soon be twenty-four, old enough to differentiate my wrongs from my rights. This is my life, my intimacy and I will not want you meddling in it," he scolded.

"As long as I'm alive you remain a little boy and I have all rights as a mother to correct you when you go wrong and... I'll try to pretend you didn't just call me crazy," unlike her son, she was steady and composed, as if exchanging design ideas with a colleague over a cup of coffee.

Shit!

"Mum," his voice was barely a whisper. "If you do not want to lose me like you did Lauren, let me own my life."

Anthonia frowned then vacated her seat to begin her journey to the door. "Okay, but I just hope, Marley Austein Woods, that you did nothing that will rub mud on this family's face that night." She took a couple of majestic steps to the door. "And for the reminder, the psychiatrist will be home before five, make sure to see her. I will not tolerate any more news of your outburst regarding that gold digger of an ex."

Blabbermouth Secretary.

"And...dare you not fire Magret," she said as if reading his mind. "She's got nothing to do with my knowledge of your acts this time around."

~••~

There he was again after his encounter with his mum barely eight hours ago seated at the counter of the club he has been visiting recently hoping for the best.

He finished a glass of Hennessy in one gulp and ordered for more.

He watched the bartender fill his glass one more time before asking, 

"Are you new here?"

"A year three months," he replied flatly.

Marley scrutinized his surroundings. An act which made him feel like he was about to commit a deadly crime.

"Enough to know each and every worker in this club."

"Far from possible. The manager is one of those I-don't-take-shit-guys. Workers are changed daily, weekly and monthly," he shrugged.

"But at least you should know of a pastel haired stripper."

The bartender nodded with a smirk plastered on his face.

"The lady who's caught every customer's attention? Sure I do. They come asking for her everyday. She's quite a hot cake, huh?" He snickered.

"I need some pieces of information about her, can you help me with that?"

"Oh no, sorry mister. It's against the rules of my job to disclose pieces of information on any worker of this club." He went back to cleaning the glass in his hand.

"Two hundred," If there was something which could skillfully pull out information from people of his caliber, it was definitely money. 

Waving money before them was like oscillating a bone before a starving dog; they could be physically contentious—no matter how they try to hide it—yet submissive.

"I'm sorry, I really--" 

"I'll make it three hundred," The guy was trying to play the game of loyalty. But it was alright, it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

The only thing better than money is more money. His grandpa always told him.

The bartender chuckled, "You see, you will need more than that to extract something from me," He winked.

Marley emptied his glass for the eighth time that night, 

"Name it."

†††

"Zaphy?" kate called.

"kitchen."

Kate struggled to the kitchen on her crutches. "No work today too? It's been three days, I hope your boss--"

"Don't worry," she said, dropping a plate of macaroni on the table. "I made dinner, eat up while I get you out of the inquiries you're drowning in." 

"So...here's the thing, I requested for three days permission and thanks to God they were quickly granted with the help of the Orthopaedist which explains why I've been personally supervising and insisting on your morning and evening exercises lately." she ranted, not sparing a break. "Anything else you need to know?" 

A weak smile spread across kate's face,

"What would I have done without you darling?" her hand reached for her daughter's across the table. "I hope you meet that boy who reflects your caring and kind behavior."

"let's focus on the present."

The sound of the doorbell got them out of their trance.

"Hey."

At the sound of the familiar voice, the smile she wore all the way to the door dropped. 

"What are you doing here?" her voice was barely a whisper. "Thought I warned you to stay away from me."

"I just..." 

"Honey who's at the door?" kate called.

"Mason, but he's leaving already." She replied not breaking eye contact with the 'Once was' hottest chocolate with human features.

"Listen, babe, I just want us to talk."

"Do not babe me and it'll be of tremendous pleasure if you get going before my mum meets..."

"Mason? Is that really you?" kate was now in the sitting room, hands gripping tightly onto the wall.

Zaphrinas eyes widened at the scene- her mum walking without crutches. She was flabbergasted.

"come on in my son."

"With all due respect, I'm not here to stay. Just want you to approve of my permission to take your daughter for a walk," he glanced at zaphrina from his peripheral vision and could tell she was boiling with rage knowing he was trying to use her mum to join him in his pleads.

"No way. You can't use my..."

"Approved," Kate grinned.

"I'm not leaving." She folded her arms, her eyes wandering on anything but those in front of her. However, her walls crumbled at the beaten puppy face her mum did. "You got me there. You have twenty minutes, Mason. No more."

They were in a serene park after a seven-minute talk free ride watching the moon reflect in the still lake. The night was humid and the air was pure. She suddenly wished her life was half the air's purity. 

The silence was so awkward and besides that, she was eager to get over with whatever this man had to say and return home.

"Twelve minutes left." 

He let out a sigh of frustration. "Babe, don't be this hard on me. Listen, I regret everything I said and did to you but I'm a changed person now, I promise and I beg you to give me one more chance to prove it to you. Just let me in."

"Mason...I...I don't know what to say, you hurt me so much the scars will never heal...I'm really confused."

~••~

His stomach churned. His eyelids began to droop. He regretted, he shouldn't have insisted on driving himself home when a lady opted on doing it for him. Here he was kneeling before a tree trunk to release about half of the liquor he ingested.

"...much the scars will never heal...I'm really confused." a female voice said.

"I know and I'm deeply sorry for being the root of all these going on between us. Just say yes and give me this last opportunity, please." A masculine voice followed.

The lady sighed.

"I need time to think about this if you don't mind. I need to be careful about my decisions."

"I won't mind if the answer I await is what will feed my ears positively."

He must admit the guy wasn't the type to give up easily. Too pushy. Guys like him should rot in hell.

His stomach churned once again, only, this time, it felt like a whole bunch of his internal organs would spill. His esophagus began to fill up leaving behind traces of that familiar burning sensation.

It was a warning, one which denied to walk on its own without help from his past. A warning he had never wanted to reconsider no matter how many times it showed up right in front of his face in those boldly capitalized red letters. 

The most he could do was curse the gods to have let him see other days to endure every moment of the torturing after-effects; hangovers, desiccated throat, and worst of all hurtful memories. The stinging liquid successfully exited his buccal cavity and sprouted onto the poor weeds, which were only noticed occasionally.

Mehn I'm sorry. He mentally apologized, both to the weeds, to the unfortunate eyes to be fed with his gross mess come morning, and to the gloves yet to uproot them.

"There's someone else here," the female said.

Marley struggled on his wobbly legs as he made his way to his car.

"Mister, are you alright?"

The lady who had snappily caught up with him quizzed.

Marley bit his lips from laughing his lungs out at her absence of observation. Like...did he fuckin' look alright to her? 

"Yeah, I'm alright hick!" he lied. "You both...can resume..." he let out a loud burp. "from where you finished off hick! Pre-tend I wasn't here."

"He definitely can't drive in this condition," The lady turned to her irritated looking boyfriend.

"I'll drive him home." Boyfriend offered.

I better serve my life to death on a golden platter by taking my drunk ass home.

"let me." 

"You sure? You don't even know this guy, for all we know it might all be a facade. What if he does something to you somewhere."

Marley wished he had enough energy to punch this guy in the face using his alcoholic situation as an excuse. The dude already did enough damage to manhood for being an asswipe. 

"I know him. Just go home. I'll be fine."

"Call me when you're home, ok?"

The schmuck finally gave up.

The lady helped Marley reach the passenger's seat before hopping to the driver's seat. She waved the boyfriend who didn't like the fact that she was driving him home.

"OK, Mr. ill- mannered," She flicked the light above their heads on. "Where are we steering to?"

He definitely wasn't mistaken about the familiarity of the face. She was the one, the aggressive lady from the hallway.