Chasing Vivi

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Why don’t we do this? We get ready here, and then we go to your place and you get dressed there?”

  That’s our plan. The party starts at seven and it’s in one of the company’s many hotels. About five-thirty, we head over to Vivi’s. I tease her on the way down to the car about the way she’s walking, telling her she looks like she’s been on a dude ranch for a week.

  “I have and you’re the dude,” she comes back at me.

  When we get to her place, Eric is there getting ready for the party. We ask him if he wants to come with us, but he declines because he’s bringing a date.

  Vivi asks, “Is it that one guy?”

  “Which guy?” Eric asks.

  “You know, the one who gave you”—she motions up and down her body—“that one night.”

  Eric’s face goes up in flames.

  “Ahh, one of those nights, huh?” I ask.

  “Okay, shut it, you two.”

  “Well?” Vivi prods.

  “I’m not saying,” Eric answers.

  “It is,” Vivi declares, clapping her hands. “Oooh, I can’t wait to see Mr. Hot Who Stole Your Sexy that night.”

  “He did not steal my sexy.”

  “He did too. You were all swoony that morning.”

  Eric jumps back. “Oh, like you were with Mr. Fancy Pants here?”

  “Mr. Fancy Pants?” I ask. “I’m not Fancy Pants.”

  Both of them say, “Right.”

  Then Vivi adds, “Look at your clothes.”

  Glancing down, I look. I only wear tailor-made clothing. Yeah, okay, I get their point.

  “See,” Vivi says triumphantly.

  “Well, you better get used to it, missy, because it won’t be long before you’re going to be Mrs. Fancy Pants.”

  Two sets of eyes are stuck on me like glue. I didn’t mean to say that, it just sort of came out. I decide to go with it. “So own it.” And I turn away. “Now, you’d better get dressed or we’ll be late. And I can’t be late being one of the principals of the company, and all, so get a move on, Little Wolf.”

  She scurries past Eric to her room. A few minutes later she comes out holding three dresses and asks which one. I pick a black one that’s on the short and sexy side, yet it’s simple, too, so it will highlight Vivi’s beauty. When she returns dressed, she’s striking. Then she asks if she should wear her hair up or down.

  “Always down. Every time I look at your hair I want to run my fingers through it. If it’s up, I’d want to tear it down.”

  “Then I guess I’m ready.”

  Eric tells us to have fun and we leave.

  When we get in the car, Vivi breaks into a barrage of rambling words.

  “Who will be there? What should I say about why I’m with you? What will they think? Maybe I shouldn’t have come? They’ll probably think I’m the company whore. Oh my God, I’m having a panic attack. I’m gonna be sick. Help me, Prescott.”

  Maybe teasing will help? “Calm it down there, Little Wolf. My God, you’re on the road to being a motor mouth and not making any sense. Where’s that MIT brain of yours? You can fuck the paint off a fence. Trust me, you’ll be fine at this party.”

  “What? How is that supposed to calm me down? Whatever you do, don’t leave me for a second or I’ll pee myself.”

  “It was a joke,” I say. “An epic fail of one.”

  I have to find a way to get her to calm down. Maybe sincerity is best.

  “Listen to me, Vivi. You’re an accomplished woman. You’re smart as a whip, the most beautiful woman I know, and you’re clearly heads above most people. You’re going to be fine. Believe in yourself for a change.”

  Granddad and Grand are arriving as we do and once we’re inside where it’s warm, I introduce Vivi to Grand. Then Grand surprises me by saying, “It’s so lovely to see you again, dear. And you’re looking so much better. What a beauty you are. Well, you were beautiful even with all those bruises but now, you’re magnificent.”

  “Thank you, Sara, and it’s a pleasure seeing you again, too.”

  “Wait, am I missing something here?”

  “Prescott, did I not tell you I paid a visit to Vivi when she was staying with you after her unfortunate incident?”

  “Grand! No, you did not, and, Vivi, neither did you.”

  Grand puts her arm around Vivi and laughs. “You know how us girls forget things like that.”

  “My ass, you do.”

  “Scotty, don’t use such crass language around me,” Grand scolds me.

  “Yes, ma’am, but I wish you had told me of this visit.”

  Granddad steps in. “Son, you’re wasting your time. This woman will do what she wants, when she wants, and will tell whom she wants. So my suggestion is to forget about it and move on. Besides, it looks like they got along just fine.”

  “Indeed, we did,” Grand says. “If we hadn’t, I would have told you about the visit and warned you to stay away from her. Now can we move ourselves toward the party? I, for one, would absolutely adore a glass of champagne.”

  Grand takes Vivi by the arm and the two of them walk together to the ballroom where the party will be held. Their heads are bent together, so there’s no telling what’s being shared between them.

  Granddad and I trail behind them like trained dogs.

  “Is she always like this?” I ask.

  “Your grandmother is.”

  Hmm. I never noticed this about her before.

  The room is empty when we enter, save for the hotel employees and event planners. They’re all rushing around handling last minute preparations. One of the Whitworth employees comes up to me to ask how everything looks. I let her know things are great and how pleased I am with everyone’s hard work. She smiles her appreciation and rushes back to the staff to let them know. The food tables are filled and waiting to be uncovered for the guests.

  We have approximately twenty minutes before everyone starts arriving. The bar is open and waiters walk around with trays of champagne glasses. Grand snags two for her and Vivi. They clink glasses and share a secret smile. I need to find out what that’s all about, so I sidle up to them.

  “So, ladies, how’s it going?”

  “Perfect,” Vivi answers. “The room is gorgeous.”

  “Not as gorgeous as you.” I kiss her cheek.

  “You two are so cute together. I can’t wait to see the great-grandchildren you’ll give me,” Grand says.

  “Grand, don’t you think that’s a bit premature?”

  “Not at all, Scotty. You’re all over her like a blanket. I’ve never seen anything like it with you. I think it’s fabulous.”

  This is awkward. “Thanks for your approval,” I say. “But right now, before this party gets started, I’m going to steal my girl away for a minute.”

  I escort Vivi to a private corner and apologize for Grand’s forwardness. Then I ask her what she and Grand were discussing.

  “Nothing. Just girl stuff.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me she came to visit?”

  “I forgot about it. It was when we had our falling out and other things took priority. She’s quite the grand lady, though. And I’ll say this. You are her number one priority.”

  “Yeah, I’ve always been her favorite. I guess after Mom died, she took it upon herself to fulfill that role, which included me never getting hurt again. Sometimes she goes a little overboard. She usually hates the girls I date, so consider yourself lucky.”

  “She did say I was the first one with a brain.”

  I throw back my head and laugh. “Leave it to her to say that. She always told me to look for someone with more than just a large chest.” I nuzzle her neck for a second and then I add, “It’s a good thing she doesn’t know how much I love that tight pussy of yours.”

  “Yeah, well, let’s keep that between us.” Her hand moves to my cheek as she presses her lips to mine briefly.

  “Mmm, is that cherry I taste?”

  “Yep, sure is and maybe a li
ttle champagne too.”

  The room is beginning to fill with people, so I take her hand and ask, “Are you good now? You seem relaxed.”

  “I’m fine. Just don’t stray too far.”

  “I’ll never stray from you, Vivi. I promise.” I bring her hand to my lips. “Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

  “I like.” She straightens my tie. “Have I told you how great you look tonight?”

  “You just did and thank you.”

  “Hmmm.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “Too bad we’re not alone. I have this urge.”

  “Shut up. It doesn’t look good to have a stiffie in front of all my employees, especially in these pants.”

  A tinkling laugh bubbles out of her. “Guess not. Okay, onward to the lions.”

  “Hey, you’re a wolf. You can handle it.”

  “Right-O.”

  The night goes by well, as we have a few business announcements, but not many. Vivi chats a lot with Dan. We see Erik and his hot date, as Vivi calls him. But all the single women are eyeing Vivi and me. I knew it would happen, but it doesn’t matter because they never stood a chance to begin with. Some of them look on in envy, and others whisper together. I wonder what they’ll think when they see her in the building as an employee soon.

  The band plays and strikes up a slow song. I drag Vivi out onto the floor, and even though she protests, I want her swaying in my arms, to the beat of the music. She looks up at me with gleaming eyes and her face radiates happiness.

  “This is the best time I’ve had in ages,” she admits. “I don’t know why I was so nervous.”

  “After a few of my special twirls, you’ll be so dizzy, you won’t remember your name either.”

  “Mr. Fancy Feet too?”

  “Not like Weston. But I can hold my own.”

  When the song ends, she says emphatically, “You really can dance. I’m so impressed.”

  “Told ya.” I’m feeling rather proud of myself, until I hit a patch of spilled something or other on the floor and almost fall flat on my ass. My arms windmill for a second and Vivi has to save me.

  “Was that one of your new moves, Prancer?”

  “Ha-ha, no. But this is.” I grab her, spin her around, then dip her, and slowly bring her up to a standing position.

  The people surrounding us break into applause.

  Vivi smiles a bit shyly, not caring to be the center of attention apparently. Then she holds on to my hand and asks if we can escape from here.

  “I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position.”

  “No, it’s not that. I have to use the restroom.”

  “And we need to eat,” I add.

  “Why don’t you score us a table while I find the bathrooms, and then when I get back we can eat?”

  Sounds great to me, so I watch her leave the room and as soon as she’s gone, a group of women practically attack me. As soon as I get rid of them, another group takes its place. I’ll never get us a seat at this rate. And where is Grand when I need her? One woman tries to drag me to the dance floor, while another tries to drag me to the bar.

  I jerk my arms out of their hands, saying, “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested. I have a date tonight.”

  Dragging myself away, they follow me like gnats. I finally locate a table with two empty seats and grab them, but the vultures keep trying to sit at the empty one. “Didn’t you hear what I said? This is saved for someone.”

  Grand shows up and swats them all away. “Will you women learn some manners and see when a man is clearly not interested in you?” She sits in the empty chair and becomes my hero.

  “Jeez, I’ve never been so inundated before.”

  “You’ve never been so bold with a woman at a company event before. But, Prescott, you seem to be having a nice time with Vivienne. She’s really a very lovely girl.”

  “She’s very special to me, Grand.”

  “I can tell.”

  “Where is she?”

  “The restroom. I wonder what’s taking her so long.”

  “Women take longer than men. Be patient.”

  Grand must think I haven’t spent much time around the opposite sex. I won’t try to change her opinion. It’s important to keep my reputation sparkly in her eyes.

  “Prescott, I wasn’t born yesterday. I know you’ve had your way with lots of women. This one is different and I don’t need to explain myself. You already know that.”

  “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “I’m a woman. Women are smart. They think with their brains and not what’s inside of their pants.”

  I don’t know if I should be offended or not. This is my grandmother speaking to me like this.

  “Get over it already. I have more stories than you can shake a stick at. I want you to listen to me, Prescott. You came to me for advice on Vivienne. You’ve never done that before. I knew then this girl meant more to you than any other. Seeing the two of you together confirms my suspicions. You’re in love with her. So, take my advice on something. Don’t wait too long to ask her to marry you. You’ve known her for years. Don’t let this one slip away. The good ones aren’t a dime a dozen and there aren’t a million fish in the sea. Well, there are, but not many of them are worth a damn. When you find one like Vivienne, you grab her and run. Now that I’ve said my peace, I’m going to find your grandfather. He owes me a Samba, or something close.” She sails away and the sea parts for the queen. She’s exactly right and her words ring through my head. Vivi made me work for it, but damn, it was worth the wait.

  Chapter 32

  Vivi

  My bladder’s about to burst when I find the bathroom and make a run for it. Thank God there isn’t a line like you usually find in the Women’s Room. They are never big enough. Why can’t the architects who design buildings, including the bathrooms, figure this out for once?

  When I’m done, I stand at the sink washing my hands as a group of four women enter. They stare daggers at me and I wonder who they are. So I boldly ask them.

  “Do I know you?”

  “Don’t think so,” one of them says. But they don’t move.

  “Is there something you want?”

  “You might say that. We want to know what you’ve done with Beckham to make him fall for you.”

  “What?” Did she seriously just ask me that? This is crazy.

  “You heard us,” one of them says. “We’ve done everything we know to grab his attention, to get him to notice us for a couple of years, and nothing. Now suddenly, here you are and bam, he’s all over you like fudge on a sundae.”

  Shrugging, I say, “Guess he likes me.” I smile and go to move past them, but one grabs my arm with the splint. Digging her fingers into it, she squeezes hard until it hurts. Snatching it away, I say, “Get your hands off me.”

  My voice is filled with fire and they notice it.

  “Just what are you going to do about it? It’s four against one.”

  I sneer. “Are you going to beat me up or something? What is this? Junior high? How old did you say you were?”

  “We didn’t,” one snarls at me.

  “No, you didn’t have to. Seems to me you’re about thirteen by the way you’re acting. Oh.” I click my fingers. “Now I know why Prescott didn’t care too much for you. He likes his women to act a little more mature.”

  That was a mistake because one of them slaps me right across the face. But I’m not taken down so easily. “I wouldn’t have done that if I were you,” I say. Balling up my fist, I strike back without thinking, landing a decent jab on her cheek.

  The only other times I’ve hit someone was when Joe Delvecchio attacked me. Maybe it taught me not to let myself be bullied anymore. She whines and starts yelling that I hit her. No shit.

  “Of course I hit you, you whiny bitch. You slapped me first. Anybody else care to step in line?” Then I hear Prescott calling my name from beyond the door.

  “In here. Come in and gi
ve me a hand with this pack of animals, will you?”

  He runs inside and sees me surrounded by the herd of nastiness.

  “What the hell’s going on?” he yells.

  “I’ll be happy to explain.” In the meantime, the other women are shouting that I’m a liar. My arm is already bruising where the one grabbed me, and my face has a palm imprint on it.

  “Did you hit her?” he asks, pointing to the one I hit.

  “Damn straight I did. And I threatened to punch the rest of them.”

  “My Little Wolf is fierce.”

  I hold up my fist to show him how much so. He covers it with his hand and then raises it to his mouth for a kiss. “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “I’m fine.”

  One of the other women says, “She punched me first.” The other three join in, claiming it’s the truth.

  Prescott gives me a look that conveys he knows they’re lying. But now it’s four against one. There’s not a damn thing he can do.

  Turning to the women, he says, “Get the hell out of here. Whatever it is you wanted from her, you can forget about it. And by the way, I’m officially off the market, if that wasn’t obvious.”

  He looks at me and says loud and clear, “I’m yours, no one else’s. Are you okay?”

  “I think so, but is my face swollen?”

  He takes my chin and tips it up toward the light.

  “Nah, only a little pink. That pisses me off. I need their names.”

  “Eh, who cares?” I say.

  “I do. They bullied you in the bathroom at a company event. Jesus. That sounds even crazier when I say it out loud.”

  “Let’s go have fun and worry about it later.”

  He eventually agrees but wheedles a promise out of me. I’m to tell him if I recognize any of them when we get back there. I agree, but I tell him I’m positive they’ve already scooted out of here. They probably realized what they had done and how foolish it was.

  The rest of the night is sort of spoiled, because he keeps asking me if I see them, making me continually search. I finally say, “You have to stop. I’m fine and it was only a speed bump. They were nasty women who got in my face and it’s over.”