The House on West 10th Street

by Helen Phifer

  ‘Can’t wait to finish work so I can bury my head between your legs and taste your honey. xx’

  Frankie felt a rush of white, hot rage fill his chest as he read it again. All this time he was thinking of doing things to make it better when she was fucking around behind his back. With his brother. The dirty, rotten, cheating bastards. Pushing the phone into his pocket he downed his beer and pulled another one out of the cooler. He was pacing up and down the apartment. He wasn’t perfect. Yes, he’d tried it on with Maria the other night, but she’d put him in his place and he didn’t think he’d have had the balls to go through with it. But this… She’d been sleeping with Adam under the expensive bed sheets in the spare room. He stormed in there, ripping the covers off the bed. He pulled the pillow cases off and crumpled them all up into a ball which he then began to jump all over. The anger began to subside and he realized that he was tired, of all the bullshit, of this crappy marriage. He grabbed another beer and took it to the couch where he sat down. He was numb. Too numb to turn the television on, he lifted the beer to his lips and sipped. Waiting for her to come home.

  The broken buzzer for Maria’s apartment vibrated and she checked her watch, he was on time. Eight pm, he’d told her he’d be downstairs waiting for her. That’s providing it was Harrison and not Frankie or anyone else. She checked her reflection in the mirror and smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair back into the chignon she’d carefully pinned up. Spritzing herself one last time in Chanel Crystal she grabbed her purse off the side and tried to push the butterflies in her stomach back down. She went to the elevator, pressing the call button, praying that it was working. She didn’t want to walk down the stairs and get all sweaty before she’d even seen him. The cranky doors opened and she stepped inside, briefly wondering if Frankie had made it to the dance class. She felt bad for letting him down, but she was entitled to a little fun as well. What Frankie should be doing was taking Christy with him, not her. When the elevator opened and she stepped out she did a double take at Harrison Williams who was dressed in a pair of navy trousers, with a white shirt not quite fastened at the top. Her breath caught in the back of her throat, his hair was styled just a little too perfectly to have been done by himself. He was standing with his mouth open.

  ‘Mr Williams, didn’t your momma teach you it was rude to stare?’

  He clamped his mouth shut and nodded his head. As she reached him she got a whiff of his aftershave. It was seductive, but not overpowering. She took hold of his arm, linking hers through his.

  ‘Maria, you look beautiful.’

  She threw back her head and laughed. ‘You’d be amazed what a full face of make-up can do for a girl. So where are we going?’

  ‘It’s a surprise. I can tell you it’s definitely not the opera.’

  She looked at him and smiled. ‘Good, because I hate it.’

  They walked out of the buildings doors to the waiting limousine and he held up his hands.

  ‘I tried to get a town car, but I left it too late. I had no choice.’

  ‘We could always walk.’

  He looked down at her heels. ‘No, the car is a must. I’m far too lazy to walk where we’re going.’

  ‘I suppose I can make an allowance, just this one time.’

  The driver was out of the car and holding the door open before they reached the bottom step. She slid into it and felt the cool leather seat press against the back of her legs. Harrison got in next to her, as she spotted an open bottle of champagne and two glasses. One of them was already half full.

  ‘Sorry, nerves. I was scared you might have changed your mind so I had a glass to calm me down.’

  Maria looked at him to see if he was being sarcastic and realized he was being serious. He topped up his glass then filled the other, handing it to her. She took it from him and whispered, ‘Thank you.’ He smiled at her.

  ‘Phew, that was easier than I’d imagined for the last two hours. I’d convinced myself you were going to give me a hard time.’

  ‘I’m not always a bitch.’

  ‘Oh crap, that’s not what I meant at all.’

  She laughed. ‘Well, not all the time.’ Sitting back she watched as the limousine turned onto Sixth Avenue and began to drive into Midtown. This was nice, she’d never been in a limousine drinking expensive champagne, ever. Then and there she decided not to give him a hard time tonight; if he was as nervous as she was then she’d go easy on him. For some reason she’d thought that he’d be cocky, self-assured and full of himself. It was refreshing to discover that he wasn’t. It wasn’t really his fault if he had more money than she could ever dream about. She was going to be a lady if it killed her, for this was one of life’s magical, rare moments which came along. If there was nothing more to it, she wanted to be able to remember the night she was wined and dined by Harrison Williams. To be able to store the memory in the part of her brain where she kept her happy thoughts, her special memories to look back on one day. If her mom could see her now she’d probably pee her pants. She pictured the scene from one of her favorite films: Arthur. The one when Liza Minnelli was telling her dad about Arthur.

  ‘I take it this bum will be calling you.’

  ‘Dad, he’s a millionaire.’

  ‘You have my permission to marry him.’

  That would be her mom, she wouldn’t care who Harrison Williams was. His bank balance would be enough. Thank God she wasn’t that shallow and she hoped that he knew that. Harrison began to ask her about the library and she tried her best to answer in a normal voice. She couldn’t tell him what had happened after he’d left, she’d sound like one of the crazies locked away at Greystone’s.

  ‘It was interesting, I found a little of what I was looking for.’

  ‘Good, that’s great. You know I have an office full of researchers, so if you were to let me know I could get them to look up anything you want. It would save you the time and effort… that’s if you were too busy. I know you like the Public Library, it’s your happy place.’

  Maria was too afraid to tell him that she was now terrified to visit and spend time there alone, in case it happened to her again. She didn’t want to die on the cold, tiled floor of the New York Public Library no matter how much she loved it.

  The car turned onto West 49th Street, stopping outside the front of the Observation Deck entrance for the Rockefeller Building. Maria looked at Harrison who shrugged.

  ‘You said nothing too fancy and after your lecture about not visiting the town’s iconic buildings I thought you might appreciate this.’

  She began to laugh, so much that tears filled the corner of her eyes. Shaking her head she downed the rest of her champagne which was far too nice to waste. Then the door opened and she was being helped out by the driver who was grinning at her. She thanked him and waited for Harrison to climb out. Smoothing down her dress she wondered if she should have worn a pair of jeans. Hell, if she’d known they were coming here she would have worn a pair of jeans and Converse. Harrison led her towards the doors where there was a sign on them apologizing that it was closed for the rest of the evening. She pointed to it.

  ‘Aw that’s such a shame, but I’ll give you ten out of ten for being original.’

  ‘Come on, they might let us squeeze in if we’re nice to them.’ He pushed open one of the heavy glass doors where the doorman came rushing over. His cheeks, burning.

  ‘Sir, I’m sorry. We’re shut for the rest of the evening. We’ll be open again tomorrow morning at eight am.’

  ‘Do you think if we paid a little extra you could squeeze us in, I’ve waited ages to come here and I wanted to impress my friend.’

  The doorman looked across at Maria, smiling.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Yes, I think we might be able to squeeze you in on the last elevator up.’

  Harrison shook his hand. ‘Good man, thanks.’

  Maria watched as Harrison slipped a folded note into the guy’s hand. She had no idea how much it was, but they were led straight
to the first elevator.

  ‘Have a good evening sir, welcome to the Top of the Rock.’

  The doors shut and Maria looked at him. ‘Well I’ll be damned, did you already buy tickets?’

  He nodded. ‘I got my assistant to pre-book them this afternoon.’

  She smiled at him. ‘I don’t suppose we’ll have much time, I definitely should have worn my sneakers. I hope the queue isn’t too long.’

  They got out of the elevator to an empty floor where the only people were the security guards, leaning against the wall chatting. They waved them straight through. She leant towards his ear and whispered.

  ‘Wow, how much did you tip that guy?’

  He laughed. ‘Probably not enough.’

  They were stopped by the photographer. Harrison shook his head and Maria looked at him.

  ‘Come on, don’t be a spoil sport. I’ll buy the souvenirs. Please.’

  She jumped onto the bench with a black and white back drop of New York City behind them. Harrison rolled his eyes but sat next to her. The woman with the camera laughed.

  ‘Right you two love birds, give me a thumbs up. That’s great, now cross your arms. Uhuh, now give him a push and show him who’s boss.’

  The camera flashed and both of them laughed. The young girl standing next to the photographer passed Maria a ticket. They walked arm in arm to the next bank of elevators where they were put into another car.

  ‘I can’t believe it’s so empty, I mean it’s never this quiet. I’ve been as soon as the doors open and there’s people waiting in line. Even late at night it’s fairly busy.’

  He smiled at her and shrugged. ‘I don’t really like heights, so I wouldn’t know.’

  Maria looked at him. ‘Is that why you’ve never been before, is it some well-kept secret?’

  ‘No, I’m just stating a fact. I’m not petrified of them, I mean I don’t have to cling onto the walls or whoever I’m with to make me feel brave.’

  ‘Oh, that’s a shame. I was hoping you’d want to cling on to me.’

  He laughed, the doors slid back revealing another empty corridor and they stepped out. Maria whispered, ‘At least we don’t have to wait ages in line for the photographs.’ She led them to the heavy, glass doors which opened out onto the observation deck. They were the only two people out there. Maria looked around; it was the two of them and a couple of security guards. He hovered near to the wall and she grinned at him, slipping her hand into his.

  ‘Come on, tough guy, you need to move away from the wall to make the most of the views.’ She led him around the entire observation deck and to the stairs to the next level. He laughed. ‘Do we need to? I can see everything just fine from here.’

  She shook her head. ‘We’re here now, you have to.’

  He followed her up and watched her as she pressed her face against the toughened safety, screens.

  ‘Don’t tell me you aren’t sorry you came. Look at our city. It sparkles and shimmers under the moonlight. It’s beautiful, a city full of hopes and dreams. A city brimming with romance and character, so much history.’

  ‘Even though you deal with the criminals and see it under a different light, you still love it?’

  She pointed at the Empire State Building, ‘What’s not to love. Every place, every person has their dark, dirty secrets. You have to see through the darkness to appreciate the light.’

  ‘There’s one more floor isn’t there?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. Do you really not like it?’

  This time he took her hand. ‘Of course I do, come on.’

  He led her up the steps to the next floor and she let out a small gasp. Hundreds of candles lit the way to the far end where there was a table with two chairs. Flickering candles were blowing with the breeze. It was one of those mild nights, where the heat was almost as intense as in broad daylight. On the white tablecloth was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne resting in it, next to two crystal champagne flutes. He led her towards it.

  ‘Now, I’ve done the tourist thing, so you have to do the dining thing. I hope this meets with your approval.’

  She began to laugh. ‘Well, it’s certainly different. It’s beautiful. Thank you.’

  ‘Oh, and don’t worry, you said you didn’t like fancy food. I’ve had the Rainbow Room prepare us some cheeseburgers and fries.’

  He winked at her and Maria felt as if her heart was about to explode. She kept looking around to see if there were cameras, if she was being filmed for some crazy TV show that he was producing. All she could see were the two grinning security guards.

  ‘Am I being filmed, you know for some reality show?’

  He looked genuinely shocked. ‘Of course not, I wanted to let you have a nice, almost normal evening.’

  Maria took the glass of champagne that he passed to her and she took a sip, turning around, allowing her mind to take a mental snapshot of the magical scene before her, one of those special memories that she wanted to lock away forever.

  ‘Thank you, I don’t know what to say.’

  He leant forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. ‘Then don’t say anything.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  By the time Christy came home, Frankie’s burning rage had turned into simmering fury. She waltzed in as if nothing was wrong in her yoga pants and crop top. He stared at her; she had a good figure for her age. She took one look at him and her pretty face turned ugly. ‘Why are you home and are you drunk?’ He shrugged as he began to clap his hands together, ‘Bravo Christy, you had me. You really did.’

  Confusion in her eyes she didn’t know what he was talking about which angered him even more.

  ‘What Frankie, what did I do?’

  He pulled her phone out of his pocket, waving it at her. ‘Did you forget something? Is that what you came back for? You cheating, lying bitch.’ He stood up, a little unsteady and thrust it into the palm of her hand. She read Adam’s message, at least she had the decency to squirm as her cheeks began to burn.

  ‘Don’t insult me by telling me it’s not what I think, I don’t want to know any details. How long it’s been going on. What I want is for you to pack your bags and get the fuck out. Go stay with Adam in his nice, cramped, studio apartment in Queens. See how much you enjoy fucking him when you have to live with him. All this time I was trying to make it better and you were sleeping with my brother.’

  ‘How dare you judge me, I know you’ve been screwing Maria. You fawn over her like a puppy dog with those big eyes. You make me sick, you hypocritical bastard.’

  She grabbed an empty coffee cup and launched it through the air, any other day Frankie would have ducked in time. The beer sloshing around in his brain made his reactions a lot slower and it smacked him full force on the corner of his eyebrow. A gash opened up and blood began streaming down his cheek.

  ‘Oh shit, Frankie. I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to hit you.’

  He stumbled back and fell onto the sofa, Christy grabbed a dish cloth off the counter and rushed to him. Pressing it against the cut, to try and stem the flow of blood.

  ‘It’s going to need stitches, I’ll drive you to the emergency room.’

  He shook his head, pushing her away. ‘I’ve never slept with her, ever.’

  Adam who had walked in through the open door thinking Christy had left it ajar for him, took in the sight before him and muttered, ‘Oh fuck.’

  Frankie looked at him. ‘Take her and get out of my life, you piece of shit. This is how you repay me, all the years I’ve looked out for you.’

  Adam held up his hands, ‘Whoa, Frankie. What’s going on, you’ve got it all wrong.’

  Christy turned to him, glaring. ‘He knows Adam.’ She turned back to Frankie.

  ‘I’m sorry, please let me get you to the hospital.’

  He shook his head. ‘Yes, Adam, I know. Just get the hell out of my sight before I get her arrested for battery.’

  Her face turned even paler than it already was, he took hold of
the cloth that she’d been pressing against his head and she let go. She hissed at Adam. ‘Go wait in the car, I need to stop with you for a few days.’

  If there was any justice in all of this it was the look of horror that crossed Adam’s face at the thought of having to let Christy stop at his bachelor pad where he screwed every woman he met. Frankie began to laugh.

  ‘She’s all yours now bro, no more sloppy seconds for you.’