03 - News in Los Angeles

Joshua Scott

"I... I’ll be back later!" I hear her shout from the other side of the door.

I hear footsteps until she reaches the exit of the room, but they suddenly stop. Curious, I leave the bathroom to understand what was happening, but not before making sure my hip was well covered by the towel.

Entering the room, I see the blonde looking at me with wide eyes. It was as if she had never seen a man in just a towel in her entire life.

"I-I'll clean your room later," she says startlely.

Does she work here? Inevitably, I observe her from head to toe, surprised that a woman her age is working in my parents' house. Currently, all employees were older.

"Do you work here?"

"Yes, for almost five years now."

"How did I not know about you?" I end up commenting out loud.

But now I understood why I didn't remember her. She came after I left. But still, it was curious that my parents would hire a young woman after what happened...

"What do you mean?" She looks at me briefly as she picks up the bucket with cleaning supplies, pulling it through the room towards the exit.

Soon I realize I let my comment slip. I immediately shake my head.

"No, nothing. I just thought I knew all the staff in the house."

The girl nods and turns to leave, but still curious, I ask:

"Shouldn't you have cleaned the room before I arrived?" I cross my arms, observing every step she takes, including her great persistence in not making any eye contact with me.

"Yes, and I apologize for that. There were some setbacks. But as soon as you leave the room, I'll clean it."

"And why not clean it with me here?" I arch my eyebrows, since I saw no problem in her continuing her work.

"I-I don't want to bother you," she replies.

"You won't." I shrug.

I hear her breathe deeply and close her eyes, as if she was thinking about many things about me. I confess that I was having fun with that situation, I had never seen anyone react in that way to seeing me shirtless and just in a towel. So I ask:

"Why won't you look at me?"

A few meters away, I could see her body shivering. I approach a little to make sure, after all, I didn't want to cause any kind of bad impression.

"Are you ashamed of what happened?" I ask, but the girl doesn't answer, so to avoid any embarrassing situation in the future, I release her. "It's okay. I'll tell my parents that I didn't let you clean the room."

The girl leaves like a rocket, dragging the bucket out of the room at an immense speed. I couldn't help but smile.

I return to the bathroom to continue my shower. Soon I would go out for a walk around Los Angeles, the city that I missed immensely, after long years without visiting my family.

***

After finishing my shower, I finished getting ready and headed downstairs, quickly descending the stairs towards the kitchen to see if my parents had arrived. As I approached the entrance, I heard a female voice, which I vaguely recognized, say, "Why? He's just going to be another person who bosses me around," the girl I had met minutes ago said. Anticipating the subject she was discussing, I interrupted the conversation.

"Who will boss you around?" I looked at her with a mocking smile on my lips.

"Joshua!" Betty came towards me, exuding happiness. She was one of the oldest maids in the house, and she accompanied me throughout my adolescence.

"Betty, what has time done to you? You're getting younger every day!" I smiled gently, greeting her.

"Don't be a liar," she said with a laugh. "You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. You were just a little boy. And now... you're ready to have your own little boy."

I chuckled at her comment. "Oh, this is Alice," Betty said, pulling the girl and putting her in front of me. "She's my helper."

"Betty..." She looked quickly at me and immediately lowered her head. "Hi..." Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Hey. You..." I tried to see her face, but she was too embarrassed to return my gaze. "Alice, right?"

"Yes..."

"Alice, greet Mr. Scott's son properly!" Betty grumbled.

"Betty..." Alice grumbled back.

"Anyway," I interrupted the two. "It was a pleasure meeting you... Alice." I smiled. "I have to leave now. If my parents look for me... tell them I won't be long."

"Yes, sir," Betty agreed.

I left the kitchen and headed straight for the exit of the house.

***

I looked around the place. Old Joe's bar was still the same. The same decor. The same drink. In short, it was still the first place I would go to when I felt lost. And this time, every time I came back to Los Angeles, it was still the first place I would go.

"Well, well, well. Once you became a billionaire, you forgot about your friends, Scott?" A familiar voice said next to me. The feminine tone was recognized by me from a distance.

"I didn't forget, Julie." I looked at her. "Come closer." I called her. "Actually... you're the only one I couldn't forget." I whispered in her ear.

"Leave him alone, Julie. You already know his answer to you." Joe, the bar owner, said.

Julie was his daughter.

For a while, she and I had a small romance when we were teenagers. But unlike me, she still dreamed that one day we would get back together.

"How are you, Joshua?" Joe asked.

"As much as possible." I chuckled.

"Is your career difficult? You rarely show up here."

"It's just a little busy."

"Argh... you didn't even give me your cell number." Julie grumbled.

"I'm a little busy, baby. I'm sorry. And even if I gave it to you, we wouldn't talk much..."

"Because everything is disposable to him," someone said.

That voice...

I looked out of the corner of my eye at the man who had sat two benches away from me. Marcel, Madelyn's ex-manager, my ex-girlfriend.

"Disposable." I whispered and let out a nasal laugh.

"Don't talk to Josh like that!" Julie retorted.

"Be quiet." The woman's father said.

"But, Dad! He's making Joshua uncomfortable."

"And you have nothing to do with it. Get out of here." Joe pulled her by the arm.

I tried to focus my gaze on the drink in front of me, not paying attention to what Marcel was saying.

"I've been talking to Madelyn these last few days. It seems like she's really doing well in her business," he commented. "She also said that... she feels better alone now."

"That's good for her," I drummed my fingers impatiently on the bar counter.

"You're so dumb, Scott," he laughed. "You lost that woman on a silver platter. She's so hot..." He chuckled.

I clenched my fists, feeling disgusted by his words. The repulsive scene of the two together in her bed came to my mind like an atomic bomb.

I needed to control myself. The bar was crowded, and I couldn't end up causing a scene there. But if Marcel continued with his provocations, I didn't know what might happen.

"Do you remember that night, Scott?" A disgusting smile played on his lips. "I'll never forget it."

He got up from his stool and sat next to me.

"Let's have a man-to-man talk, Scott. Come here." His smile turned malicious. "She didn't touch you, did she? If you know what I mean. You had the chance to feel her hands..." Marcel gestured with his hands. "But you lost it. Are you stupid or... have you always been a cuckold?" He laughed. "Know that sleeping with Madelyn was unforgettable. I gave her a good time."

I pressed my lower lip strongly, not being able to bear listening to what Marcel was saying. He couldn't disrespect her like that. He couldn't go around telling everyone about the intimacies they had together. Not with her or any other woman. That wasn't a mature attitude for a man over twenty-five years old.

"You should be ashamed," I moistened my lips. "But I guess it's something you'll never feel. Since... you want to spread the word that at least once in your life, someone was dumb enough to sleep with you." I clicked my tongue. "I feel sorry for Madelyn. Her sexual taste got worse and worse, to the point of resorting to you for a night of pleasure." I glared at him. "Maybe I went too far in playing hard to get, so she had to go after something easier. Too bad... the easiest doesn't always become the best." I smirked. "Who knows... If you take some stimulants... the result might be more appetizing." I winked and got up from the stool, ready to leave the bar.

But Marcel pulled me by the arm.

"You piece of shit!"

His hand was coming towards my face, but I managed to hold it in time, as he stumbled a bit due to being drunk.

"Piece of shit?" I laughed. "At least I can give pleasure instead of getting limp in the middle of sex. Do you think I don't know the rumors about a dancer from the nightclub you got involved with? You should be ashamed of yourself."

Marcel was about to try to hit me again, but the security guard of the place stopped him.

"It was nice talking to you, Marcel. Maybe I'll give you some tips on how not to get limp during sex." I forced a smile and walked out of the bar.

I sighed and kept walking to my car, parked in front of the establishment, but I was stopped by a voice.

"Hey!"

Footsteps hurried up to me, stopping a bit close.

"Are you okay? I saw what happened..."

I took a deep breath and turned around, looking at the girl I had already met twice earlier.

"Don't worry," I replied. "Forget what you saw."

"Impossible..."

"Then just keep it to yourself. Alright?"

"But... Are you really okay? Who was that guy?"

I bit my lower lip, a little irritated with the conversation. I took two steps closer to her.

"It's not your problem."

I saw her lips part, showing how frustrated she was.

"I know. But I was just worried!" she tried to justify.

"And I told you not to worry," I said briefly and a bit harshly.

As impatiently as I was looking at her, she returned it with a indignant look.

"You should be thankful there are people who care about you!" she retorted.

"Do you really care? Or are you just another one taking advantage of the situation?" I ended up saying impulsively.

"What?!" she said incredulously.

And since I had already responded in a rude manner, I didn't measure my words from then on.

"There's nothing in my personal life that you need to know. You know, there are already enough people interfering in my privacy. I don't need another one."

I said my last words before walking to her car, getting in, and leaving the parking lot.