An exciting chapter, I think, but it's a shorty. Sorry about that.

Chapter 43

Marie was casually applying mascara as Katia walked into the room. She smiled when she saw that her friend was only half-dressed, yet they were supposed to leave in five minutes. Katia usually ran a few minutes behind, and on a bad day, she could easily be half an hour late.

"Are you going to be ready soon?" Marie said with raised eyebrows, swirling around on the chair to face Katia.

Katia looked up from her clothes and scowled. "Of course."

Marie turned back to her reflection. Her mahogany hair was long and straight, her green eyes were sparkling, and she had fresh pink lip gloss on. Basically, she looked great.

"What does one wear to a bar in Texas? The same as always?" Katia queried.

Marie gestured to her jeans and halter top. "Whatever you want. We're not on Mars, you know. No spacesuits required."

"Mars would be easier," Katia replied archly, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

About fifteen minutes later, Marie and Katia walked out to the living room. Katia had finally decided on cropped jeans, a t-shirt, and wedges. Marie walked over to Justin and kissed him on the cheek. As Katia approached, Justin laughed. Katia was 6'3" in her shoes.

"You're taller than I am!" he said, grinning.

"I like to make an impression," she replied coolly.

Javier eyed her outfit as they piled into Justin's truck but he said nothing.

Half an hour later, they roared into the parking lot.

"Now," Justin started. "This isn't a hot bar like those things you are used to in the city. You're not going to be getting any $12 drinks here- we're not in the city," he said with a smile.

Marie and Katia exchanged glances. The dusty parking lot and large number of trucks indicated that.

As Justin handed Marie down from the truck, she looked around. There was certainly loud music coming from the bar, but it sounded like rock, not the rap or pop she was used to. In fact, it was starting to remind her a lot of the country western bar in Connecticut a friend had taken her to. Considering she hadn't had a bad time at the last place, she was more than willing to try this one. And now she had Justin with her- that was sure to make all the difference.

Katia, however, had not been to that country western bar and was looking at the façade of this one dubiously. She had grown up in NYC, and while she traveled extensively for modeling, she didn't have a whole lot of time for sightseeing around the places she visited. Also, they tended to be beachy and exotic, which she loved. However, Katia was a city girl, and inclined to be skeptical of things in the country.

Justin glanced at her. "I warned you it wasn't going to be what you are used to," he said, smiling.

It was hard not to smile when Justin smiled, so Katia did. "Well, a bar is a bar. I'm sure it will be not be so different on the inside."

As it turned out, it wasn't, really. The atmosphere might have been a tad more relaxed, but perhaps not. The people there certainly knew Justin and Javier, and they were greeted by a good number of people, and Marie and Katia were swept into a swirl of introductions. All the men seemed genuinely welcoming, although they did seem to understand Marie more than Katia. The single women were equally unwelcoming, but it was hard for those who had been trying to snag the attention of Justin for years. Katia they just saw as a menace- a single model on the loose was always unwelcome.

"Joe- hey, Joe! Come here!" Justin shouted, waving. He turned and grinned at Katia. "I knew we'd find a man taller than you," he joked.

Joe certainly was a giant of a man. "What can I do for you, boys?" we asked in a booming voice. "Excuse me ladies, you too," he added.

"Well, Joe, I was just introducing my girl Marie here to everyone, and this is her friend Katia," he said. "Now, I promise Katia that she wouldn't be the tallest person in the room, so I had to prove it to her," he said.

Joe laughed. "Well, it's nice to meet you fine ladies," he said. "And you don't have drinks! Let me buy both of you drinks, and then we can talk, because I'm thirsty."

Marie glanced at Katia, who shrugged, and they walked off to the bar after Joe.

"You better watch Miss Marie," Javier laughed. "Or Joe will sweep her off her feet." Javier was probably joking- Joe was almost fifty.

"Oh, don't you trouble yourself one moment, cause I'll be watching. In fact, I'm headed over there right now. Why don't you go find yourself a girl, or something?"

Javier grinned deviously. "If you insist," he said.

It was much later when Javier suddenly realized that he had no interest in the woman he was talking to. She was pretty enough, he supposed, if one went for her type. And she certainly seemed willing enough, but Javier felt like something was off. So, in typical fashion, he decided to get another drink and maybe then talk to her some more. He noticed Justin and Marie chatting at a table, but couldn't spot Katia anywhere, which was a bit alarming since she stood out in the crowd. Javier sighed to himself, and then decided that maybe he would look for her. He didn't like her- but she didn't deserve to be raped out back or anything. And there were some tough types at this bar!

He strolled outside with his beer, and immediately spotted her. There was a bit of a porch on one side of the building, and she was standing by the railing, her thin form outlined by the streetlamp. Javier almost decided to go back in to the bar, but then he found himself walking over to her.

"Decide this wasn't your type of bar, after all?" he asked, wondering why he sounded so snide.

She looked up, momentarily disoriented, then a flash of annoyance crossed her face. "I just wanted a moment of quiet, that is all," she said in her distinctive accent.

"Conversation boring you?" he replied.

She turned to face him fully, and Javier was very aware of her height- he wasn't the tallest of men, anyway- probably only as tall as she was without her heels.

"Are you always this provoking? Or do you just hate me?" she asked bluntly. "Because you have been consistently rude to me."

"I could say the same for you!" Javier was indignant. "You decided I was below you from the moment you saw me. What was it?" he questioned. "Am I too Mexican for you?"

Katia looked shocked, and then incensed. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm no national either. English isn't even my first language," she snapped.

"Well, it's not mine either. And it has nothing to do with you being from wherever! It has everything to do with you being stuck up, and thinking that little immigrants should be your workers."

Katia honestly couldn't believe the chip on this guy's shoulder. The thought had never occurred to her. "I am an immigrant. My mother and father came from Russia when I was two. I have never lived anywhere except for New York City, and in a working class family. I am only lucky because someone decided that I was beautiful," she retorted. "And it would never cross my mind to think of you as an "immigrant" or "Mexican." Maybe that is because unlike you, I have always been proud of my heritage."

Katia, who liked to get the last word, walked away.

Javier kicked the railing.