We had some wild times back in college, always awaking on someone’s couch with other peoples my comment.
“You mean the one where the guy dressed as Spiderman disappeared upstairs with you”, Lisha pulled out her phone and ran her thumb across the screen. I knew what she was doing, she must of still had the photographs from the night I wanted to forget.
“Look, it's the aforementioned Spiderman with his tongue down your throat”, Lisha laughed as she continued to show me more and more embarrassing pictures.
“Please..stop...oh god, what was his name...you know..”, I tried to rack my brains in an attempt to remember who the tongue belonged to.
“God knows...all I remember he had his hand on your ass half the night, you could totally see his boner”, she couldn’t contain her laughter any longer and in between a mouthful of champagne, spat it all over the coffee table.
We had some wild times back in college, always awaking on someone’s couch with other peoples heads on my shoulders.
“What about that time in San Francisco when you ‘borrowed’ Dale’s car and decided it would be a good idea to go ‘clubbing’”, I cringed at the thought.
“Well it was a good idea at the time Lish, and you can’t say we didn’t have a good time, especially you with those two guys from New York, you know the ones who looked like they were hung like hamsters.”, Lisha laughed at me remembering that night very well.
“And where did we wake up?, we woke up on Pier 39 with everyone staring at you”,
“Just because I was missing my underwear, and everyone could see my ass”, we both started to laugh with my glass hitting the floor, the champagne beginning to soak into the rug.
“That poor man, the one with his wife, his face was a picture..”, Lisha looked at me and laughed.
“God I forgot about Dale.”, my mind travelling back to one summer in college.
The week began with me finishing school and I was on the quad reading a copy of Cosmo under a tree ,when a man dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt walked past me.
“Hi”, he said sitting down next to me.
“Hi?” replying to him while my head was buried in the magazine.
“I’m Dale, and you are?”
“I’m Maddie..and what can I do for you Dale?” I asked, putting the magazine onto the grass.
“I was wondering if I could get to know you a little, I’m in your English class”, I tried to remember him but the class was always full of people and I didn’t recall Dale being there.
“Oh yeah.I know you”, I lied hoping he would buy it and get lost.
“So, this getting to know you thing” he asked hoping I would say yes
“What about it Dale?”, my patience beginning to wear thin.
“Fancy going to San Francisco this weekend,you know do a few clubs?” I could see that the shorts he was wearing were minus his underwear and I could spot the outline of his manhood.
“Can’t this weekend, I’m catching up with my friends”, I picked up Cosmo and started to read it again.
“Well if you change your mind, heres my number..call me ok?”
“Sure Dale”, he handed me a scrap of paper with his number scrawled on it. Dale stood up and walked towards the main building. ‘What a cheek!’, the thought of him taking me out didn’t interest me, what interested me was that if he had a car, I and Lisha could go to San Francisco. ‘I could always lead him on’, the thought made me chuckle.
Lisha met me later that day on the rec, a sprawling sports field with a practice game being played.
“Lisha,” I waived at her madly as she walked towards where I was seated.
“Mad...How’s it going?”, she asked as she sat down.
“Just admiring the boys on the field.. What you have been up to then?”, Lisha had pulled out her sunglasses and started to watch the football game.
“School work and partying, and meeting hot guys...what about you, any guys this week then?”, I laughed at her question.
“No guys although some guy tried to ask me out today..some douche called Dale”,
“Not Dale Weathers, always in a tee shirt and no underwear combo”, I looked at her with a puzzled look in my face.
“Well from the look on your face it is Dale Winters..let me guess, he wanted to do the San Francisco run with you”,
“Yep, don’t say he’s tried it with you then?” I asked shifting myself to the left as someone moved past me to get to their seat.
“Did the San Francisco run with him, wasn’t worth the effort, he spent half the night with his brains in his dick ogling other women. Although he was good in bed”, I couldn’t believe Lisha went with him.
“Lisha, you didn’t did you?”,
“Yep and the good thing is that I can get you the keys to his car”, I knew what Lisha wanted to do on Saturday.
“Well I could borrow his car on the promise of having sex with him”, Lisha nodded in approvement.
“Well that’s settled then Mad...San Francisco here we come, lock up your men because I’m coming!”, Lisha’s enthusiasm showed in her face.
Those were happy days and I was glad that Lisha and I had remained friends.
“Did you ever keep in contact with Dale?” I asked as Lisha had poured me another drink.
“Nah...last time I heard he had got married to some woman and was living in Reno, probably with a shit load of kids”.
“Well here’s to Dale and his kids!”, I laughed as I raised my glass.
“Dale and his kids!”, she chinked her glass against mine.
Lisha turned to me and placed her glass on the table, the alcohol starting to affect her, and I knew that she was going to get a little soppy with me.
“You know something Maddie, I always enjoy stopping here, drinking copious amounts of alcohol”, Lisha said as she picked her glass up again.
“Yeah I know Lish, a little drunk are we?”,
“Only a little, you're my best friend Maddie White”, I always hated it when she used my full name but in the circumstances it was appropriate.
“Yeah Lisha Flowers, do me a favor would you, check on Maizie and the pups, just to see if they're ok.”,
“I’ll go check on Maizie then and see what the pup is up to...oh mind you don’t spill any champagne on the carpet...it is going to be mine soon”, I laughed at her comment
“I’m not the one who’s half tipsy”, Lisha walked out and headed towards where Maizie and the puppies were. I could hear her talk to Maizie, with her barking softly in reply.
I loved Lisha to bits, and always had, even when she was half gone on champagne.
Oscar peered his head from behind a door and bounded over to where I sat, his white tail threatening to overturn the porcelain vases that stood next to the sofa, without any hesitation he plonked himself next to me and fell asleep.
My laptop was on the bookshelf across from me, I pulled myself up and picked the battered Packard Bell up and sat back down. I had to check my emails, to see if I was still ‘popular’.
The laptop whirred into life and the Windows logo appeared on my screen with its familiar ‘ping’, I ran my finger across the trackpad and opened outlook, the familiar ‘you have 3 new messages’ appeared in front of me.
The first message opened, it was from Dr Van Beek, the chief veterinarian surgeon at East Hills.
To: [email protected]
From:[email protected]
Subject: CHARITY BALL I.F.A.W
Hi Maddie, Wondering if you would like to show your face at The I.F.A.W shindig at The Four Seasons, Monday at 8pm.
It’s black tie and you can bring someone!
Oh, I’ll probably give you a bell next week
Van Beek DVM
I closed the email and opened the second one, an image of a penis greeted me. I had to stifle a laugh as I read it
TO:[email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
Have you had the problem of completely satisfying your
lover? Well ManXtender will add inches to your penis. Guaranteed results! Only $79.99 for 6 months supply of the best penis enlargement pills anywhere in the world.
CLICK HERE to order your pills and get a free bottle of SuperMax,the delay that you need if you ‘cum’ too soon.
I quickly closed the email, the third was along the same line. Lisha came down the hall and into the front room, I closed the laptop and picked up my glass and drained the last of the liquid that lay at the bottom of it.
“The puppy seems to be doing ok, and drinking well...Maizie’s still her usual crazy self”, Lisha poured more champagne into her glass and what was left into mine.
“Trying to get me drunk then?”, I asked looking at the now full glass, the bubbles coming to the surface and popping.
“Me...get you drunk? ...Nah, you do that all by yourself”, her usual grin on her face.
“It appears you’ve reached there already Lisha”.
“Funny.. Mad”, she smiled, as left eye was starting to go.
“How do you fancy getting your Gladrags on and ‘accompanying’ me to a charity ball at the Four Seasons?”
“Ooh that sound posh, wonder if there's going to be any eligible bachelors?” I knew Lisha, and any man that was worth his weight would snap her up.
“What do you think of me setting up my own charity...I don't know something along the lines of protecting children against abusive relationships?”, I said, Lisha had always known of what happened to me, the man who did what he did when I was a child.
“Sounds like a good idea, I’ve got some contacts...we could organize it for next week, I’ll call someone at the Federal Trade Commission”, Lisha said while I opened up my laptop and started to search for venues.
“We could have it here you know, the place is big enough”, Lisha said while handing me another drink.
“What about an auction...raise lots of money, I’ll speak to Bonham and Butterfields they’ll send someone over who can get a crowd dipping into their pockets”, the ideas were flowing as the doorbell rang.
The same kid who had delivered my pizza delivered my Chinese food, he looked at me and went shade paler,
“Oh Shit! ...um.. Here’s your food lady”, his response seemed rushed and panicky.
“Thanks kid...at least your not late”, I grabbed the bags and paid him.
“Oh and how’s your shit heap of a car doing?”.
“That guy was unfortunate to deliver here twice”, Lisha giggled at the delivery guy who was unlucky to deliver to mine twice.
Chapter Thirteen
Saturday morning turned up looking wet and miserable, I had half a dozen things to organize for next week. My party planner who had organized parties for me before had arranged to call me and I had a list a mile long, Alice had taken the dogs out and I heard her come through the door,
“Morning Miss Maddie.. You ok today?”, her question seemed innocent.
“Good, Good...oh could you get my mom on the phone please and at some point my dad”, I asked while pouring myself a coffee.
Alice handed me the phone and I heard voices in the background as my mom sounded cheerful.
“Hi Honey...you ok?,
“Yeah mom, Just thought I would let you know I’m organizing a charity event to promote the creation of my Children’s charity, should be on Friday hopefully”
“Are you looking forward to it then, you and Lisha?”,
“Yeah mom, how’s Owen?, what you have been up to since our dinner date”, I asked while I heard Lisha getting dressed and banging around in the bathroom.
“Owen’s good, been kinda busy, I’ve redecorated the lounge”, I knew Mom had a habit of decorating every year as she got bored easily.
“Oh and taken up Tai Chi, down at the community center...met lot’s of nice like minded people”,
“Mom, I’ll chat later, I’ve got some things I need to sort for Friday, give my love to all the gang”,
“Sure sweetie, make sure you do ring me, and say hello to everyone there”, we exchanged goodbyes and I hung up.
Lisha’s smiling face came into the lounge as the view from the patio doors showed the clouds parting to reveal the mornings sun,
“Morning gorgeous...how did you sleep then?”, I asked as Lisha was face deep in the refrigerator mooching for breakfast.
“Like a proverbial log,what about you?”, Lisha had pulled out a carton of orange juice and began to pour it into a glass that she had bought in.
“Slept like a dream”, although I kept the fact from Lisha that I had thought about Daniel and his invitation for lunch half the night.
“We’ve got a tonne of things to sort before next week, we have to sort out a marquee, hire a decent DJ, get the tickets done and sort out the marketing”, I opened my laptop and emailed my planner.
TO: [email protected]
FROM:MADDIE WHITE
SUBJECT:CHARITY LAUNCH PARTY@MINE FRIDAY 8 TIL LATE
Abigail, Can you sort out the guest list/tickets for charity launch Friday, will need you to contact Bonhams to get a decent auctioneer and find me some sort of marquee that will be able to hold 300 people. Advertise across social media you know the sort Abby, Facebook etc. Let me know if you need anymore information...
M.W x
The familiar animation of an envelope being sent appeared on my laptop, ‘at least that’s out of the way’. Hearing the grandfather clock chime the half hour told me that it was half past ten, I had to lunch to sort out a dress, call my dad and actually eat something while juggling several other things that threatened to encroach my day.
Mike White had spent the last twenty years running a private investigation agency in San Francisco, and had moved to Auckland to semi retire, even in his time over there he had managed to start his agency again, retaining the contacts that he had made whilst in San Francisco.
I had always respected my father, he was someone who could be trusted, and even after the roses had appeared my dad was a man who would stop at nothing to find out what and who was responsible.
“Dad, It’s Maddie, Any chance you could fly from Auckland next week, me and Lisha are organizing a launch party for our new charity”, I asked hoping he would say yes.
“Charity event? ...Hang on sweetie let me check my diary...”, I heard flip through the pages of his date book. Even as a child he had always kept a date book on his desk, it’s well turned pages giving away the fact it was well used.
“I can fly over from Thursday till Sunday if that’s ok?”, he said while I wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper that lay on the table to the side of the couch.
“Have you had anymore weird calls or flowers...”, his question touching a nerve.
“No Dad, nothing more...although here’s hoping that I don’t”, Lisha looked at me as my face turned a little pale.
“You sure honey, that friend of mine Dan, the one near you, has been in touch yet?”, he asked.
“No not yet Dad, I’ll let you know when he get’s in contact”, Lisha handed me another cup of coffee, it’s welcoming taste making me feel better as I sipped it.
“Ok honey, I’ve going to have to go , I’ve got another call coming through, I’ll see on Thursday, I'll let you know the flight details”, his voice sounding cheerful.
“Sure Dad, speak to soon, Love you, say hello to Bernice”,
“Bye honey...speak soon”, Dad hung up, the buzzing noise, letting me know that he had gone.
“So...what’s happening then Mad?”,
“Dad’s coming on Thursday Lish.. But I think it’s time we head into town and pick out some kick ass dresses...and shoes to match”
“It’s about time, shall we take my car or pull out the Evoque..”, I could see the excitement in her face at the prospect of spending the afternoon dress shopping.
The house seemed quiet as Alice and Ant had taken the afternoon off, the Evoque parked inside the four car garage that smelt of gasoline and oil, with several racks of automotive tools
arranged neatly along the wall. I jumped into the driver's seat and adjusted its position, although Ant wouldn’t be happy that his seat was going to be a little short on legroom. Lisha came towards me as I started the engine the sound comforting me.
“Shall we? ...” Lisha asked, her excitement being barely contained,
“Rock and Roll...as they say”, replying with equal excitement. We pulled out of the garage and watched as the door closed behind us as the Evoque moved along the driveway with delicate poise towards the wrought iron gates that were opening up before us to the road that ran along my house.
The feeling of being followed crept upon me as I glanced into the rear view mirror, I swear I spotted a black van behind me, but as I looked again the van had gone.
San Francisco was a beautiful town, with its street awash with history and culture. What started out as a gold rush town had evolved into a wondrous and fabulous city of different people and cultures that had melded into something that made it what is was. Our journey came to a stop on Market Street outside Juicy Couture, Lisha jumping out of the car before I had the chance to park properly.
“Ooh!, Juicy Couture...”, she moved quickly towards the door. Lisha enjoyed shopping as much as the next woman, but when it came to Juicy Couture she was in a league of her own, I can always imagine credit card companies rubbing their hands in glee when Lisha starts shopping.
Neat looking mannequins stared at me from behind the glass, their plastic faces devoid of emotion, dressed in the latest fashion. Before we had chance to have a look at anything, a small fashionably dressed woman approached us, with dark brown hair and oversized glasses,
“Welcome to Juicy, if you need any help, just let me know K”, she moved across to the checkout and served a woman who had several piles of clothes in her arms.
“K?”,
“It’s a young thing Mad, the youth of today with their complete
Complicated Ties (The Ties Trilogy (A Contemporary Erotic Romance Novel)) Page 8