Escala Luxury Apartments (2) – Ladies Night.

Simone versus Mister Grey.

3C – Simone Jackson & Erica Stanton

CharlotteCarrendar: – The time was now 8.00pm. The time that was agreed by Kristian to meet with Simone to discuss the issues that they had over the friendship with Kali. Now, this was not Kristian’s idea, in fact, he was probably against the whole deal, but for the love of his wife, he submitted. Waiting in her apartment, with Erica lounging on the sofa in back, Simone was looking hot. A tight red tank top and matching hot pants, nine inch high heels, and of course her hair playfully teased. Makeup to perfection. If there was a red light out the front of her apartment, you would swear she was a high class prostitute and not a dancer. She drummed her polished nails on the kitchen bench, checking the clock as she waited. <3>

Kristian: – Kristian was in a business-class suit, all black and very sleek like usual. The elevator seemed to take longer than usual, however it was probably just the anticipation of meeting Simone in her own apartment. Pandora was harder to deal with to say the least, but for now 1 was enough for him anyway. If Kali hadn’t suggested this he would have never accepted, and would probably continue to mock their lifestyle choice of independence. The elevator binged outside the hallway with the apartments that she stayed in. Walking to her apartment he knocked on the door and waited. His watch said 8:04 so he wasn’t fashionably late. Part of him wondered if she had forgotten or was eating dinner at this time, but as a moment passed he could hear heels clacking on the floor, each step protruding louder into his ears as they got closer and closer to the door. <e>

CharlotteCarrendar:- There it was. The knock at the door. Fluffing her hair with both hands, she wiggled her hips and crossed the tiled floor to the door, unlocking all the dead bolts and locks, before opening the door with a radiant smile. “Mister Grey. You’re late.” She stepped back to allow him to enter, while in back, Erica sat up a little higher to catch a glimpse of the famous businessman. In their joint apartment, you could see a mix of styles. From many awards and posters of Simone on Broadway and other musical ventures, to Erica’s art pieces and fashion magazine covers that adorned one wall. The room was scented by a strange incense which was probably that new one “Vampire blood” that was all the rage. The furniture was black and red mix –leather and fabrics with scattered cushions and candles everywhere you looked, all of which were lit. “Can I..take your jacket?” Simone asked, watching him with a demure expression. <3>

Kristian: His eyes had to adjust slightly, as the door opened and in the doorway stood a girl in red. She matched the interior design from what Kristian could see while outside of her apartment. He scoffed slightly as she accused him of being late. He grinned slightly before replying. “I am sorry for that, my wife had kept me longer than I thought she would.” He noticed the heels that he heard as she walked across the tiled flooring. How women wear those to work every day must be heroes, and here she is wearing them in her own apartment for the sake of it. He shook his head slightly and raised an eyebrow as she asked him for his jacket with an odd expression to her face. Had she not done this before? Contemplating a rhetorical question he decided to bite his lip. “For Kali.” He thought… as he looked towards Simone with his smouldering grey gaze. “You may take my jacket, thank you.” He shrugged it off his shoulders and handed it to her, before entering her apartment. The incense at first was strong, but he grew accustomed to the gloomy musk of it quickly. Upon the walls were frames of beautifully decorated art and modeling, the woman in some of the pictures no other than Simone herself. Across the lounge room he spotted her roommate. He gave a gentle yet dominant nod in her direction before turning around to face Simone once again. “Nice place.” <e>

CharlotteCarrendar: – Simone took Kristian’s coat and hung it on the coat rack that happened to be positioned near the front door. In back, Erica sprawled herself out on the lounge like a cat, a smile on her face which was just as disarming. She was loving this. As Kristian wandered further into the apartment, Simone minced behind him only to have him turn and face her with a contemplative look. “Nice place.” Simone licked her top lip and then said off the cuff. “Friend of mine, Serge. Decorator to the stars. He helped me pick a lot of the pieces out.” She sashayed to the bar, a full mirror one, like they used to have in the 70’s Totally retro and yet fit in beautifully with the surrounds. “Drink?” she asked. There was an array of bottles on the wall, as well as a frosted door wine fridge, that was loaded with every type of alcohol imaginable. <3>

Kristian: Kristian looked over to Simone as she licked her lip and then said a friend of hers had helped her pick a lot of things out. Indeed he did seem like a top designer. “Oh, was he gay or something?” He could swear he heard Erica burst out laughing in the most sneakily- cat-like manner, but his question was serious, this place had the words “GAY FAB FASHION” written all over it. Nevertheless it was still amazing. His eyes followed her lustrous movements to the huge mirrored bar. “Drink?” She offered. He contemplated drinking with two women around him, but desperately craving to smoothen himself out his left lip went upward crookedly in a half smile “1/2 shot whiskey, 1/2 shot amaretto, A can of Red Bull…Mixed well, served over ice… thank you. “ Surely enough her bar had exactly what he ordered, it looked like it belonged to Robert M. Parker. <e>

CharlotteCarrendar: – “A man who knows his way around a bar. I like that.” Simone purred, as she set to making the drink as requested. Magically, she did have all the ingredients on hand, as Erica was always hosting designers and other fashion gurus over at the oddest hours. Mixed to perfection, Simone handed Kristian his drink and gave a little nod. “You’d be hard pressed to find a straight man in the interior design field, Mister Grey.” A wry grin showed and this was almost like some sort of ritual like dance of words. She was well aware that he was uncomfortable in these surrounds. Pouring herself a glass of bolly, she cut straight to the chase. “You don’t like my influence on your wife, do you, Mister Grey?” Simone stepped out from behind the bar, and approached him like a cougar that was casing prey. “Why is that? Scared I am going to lead her into some hedonistic lifestyle?” She took a sip from her champagne, and then awaited his answer. <3>

Kristian: – Kristian closed his eyes and sipped his drink, grateful for the delightful taste of coffee and the punch of whiskey that tingled his throat. Instantaneously they opened again, and his gaze looked upon Simone as she stated how hard it was to find a straight person in the designer of interior decorations field. She approached him from behind the bar, each step carefully placed in her strut like walk. He met her posture and leaned in slightly closer, his eyes staring directly into her drink before moving upwards, his lips expressionless as he tilted his head before deciding to answer her, fully aware of her lingering question. “It is not that I do not like your influence, Simone” He emphasized the S in her name, making sure she was aware of who exactly she was talking with. “It is the immoral demeanor of the environment you hang out in with her. A bar is no place for a woman as well defined as Kali at the best of times. I am a lenient man, once in a while she may do things like that. However around Pandora and yourself, there always seems to be trouble. Do I need to recall the fire at the gym for example?” His eyebrows furrowed together just thinking about it. <e>

CharlotteCarrendar: – ~A bar is no place for a woman?~ What century was this guy from? The 11th? Simone was somewhat gobsmacked, and Erica, why she was so shocked that she was ready to rip him a new asshole. Simone then blinked twice when he brought up the fire at the gym. None of which was her fault. “I’m sorry, let me get this straight. You’re saying, your wife is too well defined to go to a bar? So what, only men are allowed to frequent nightclubs, while the little ladies are to stay home shackled to the kitchen, waiting for their lord and Master to come home from the man cave?” She set down her glass of bubbly, before she dropped it. “This is 2014, not the fifties.” <3>

Kristian: – Kristian finished his glass in the next gulp, before setting in down on the table. “Men who go to frequent nightclubs are not true gentlemen then. This world and century is full of bureaucracy and corrupted streets. Seattle is no better than Vegas. However… Your definition of what I think woman should be is considered threatening. Kali does what she wants, when she wants. That doesn’t mean I am not allowed to question her motives. I only wish to keep her safe, have you ever been infatuated with someone so much it hurts to leave them? I suppose not you go through men like money flying out of your hand.” His voice was demanding now as he threw his hands in the air. “Women are complicated.” Each word he spoke, Kali was becoming more quieter in his head, he didn’t want another argument, but like hell he was going to be accused of living in the fifties like some Dom maniac. That part of his life was personal, and why Kali decided to let her friends in on this was beyond him. <e>

CharlotteCarrendar: – The more he said, the deeper he got. It was like the lifting the lid off the top of a volcano. The calm had been stripped away by the simplest of statements. But the part that really got under Simone’s skin, was that she wouldn’t know what it was like to be so infatuated with someone that it hurt her to let them leave. THEN he said that she must go through men like it was money flying out of her hand. To her, this was a declaration of war. Women WERE complicated, but he judged her so quickly, that she couldn’t help but take offence. If this was the discovery channel, she would be a Bengal tiger about to rip his throat out, but instead, she stood her ground and let the anger melt away. The more she thought of what he said, and played it back the more she got an insight into his relationship with Mrs Grey. “To be perfectly honest, Mister Grey. Your wife doesn’t bring you up, nor your…relationship. Secondly, you have painted me as something of a nymphomaniac, if what you just said is what you believe. Now, I don’t know if that is your own interpretation of me, or what Kali has said to you.” She was starting to wonder just what Kali had been saying. “I like men, but I am not one for commitment, Mister Grey. I guess that is what makes me…complicated.” <3>

Kristian: – Kristian looked to her and took in every one of her words. What she said had some truth to it, and he was glad that Kali did not talk about their own relationship. At this moment he started to understand Simone a little more, and could see the reason why Kali chose to become friends with her. She certainly knew how to hold her ground against an argument with anything that was thrown at her. “I think… I underestimated you, Simone.” He circled the tip of his alcohol glass with his finger before standing. “We’ll talk again.” He turned around and headed over to the coat hanger, grabbing his coat and standing at the doorway for a second in case she had anything to say. <e>

CharlotteCarrendar: – Simone had held her own, with many a man over the years, including her drunken and abusive father. She had lived through the horrors of watching her parents virtually destroy each other, night after night. A child, who would spend her nights hiding in her own closet, rather than have to face the rage of her parents wrath, Now, a grown woman, she was complicated, she had issues with commitment, and swore that she would never let a man do to her…what her father had done all the days of her youth. If only he could see the cleverly veiled pain in her eyes. Oh she masked it well. “I guess we will, Mister Grey.”

She let him leave without another word, as Erica sat practically clawing the couch. “And you just let him walk out the door, after he practically called you a whore to your face!” Simone picked up the champagne flute and took another sip after Mister Grey closed the door. “That..was round one, Erica. We will talk again.” Simone drank the rest of her champagne and then set down the empty glass. The look on her face…was not a pleasant one.<3>