1Distraction/Prolouge
"You're beautiful," the man said as he fiddled with his arm cuff.
Belle gave the balding man an acknowledging glance then turned away to observe the fish tank in the back of the room. Ron sat calmly with his elbows on his desk waiting for an answer. Belle was standing next to him like a doll for display.
The man stared at Belle than quickly looked to Ron. "I'd like it very much if she can accompany me at the Gunderson's party on Tuesday night."
The ends of Ron's mouth pulled at the sides just enough to show a half hearted smile. "Could you give me a moment Mr. Reese?"
Mr. Reese quickly left the room as soon as Ron asked.
"What a waste." Ron's smile melted away into a frustrated scowl. "You're supposed to go to the Gunderson's with Mr. Rios."
"Well," Belle said shrugging her shoulders," he pays almost as well as Mr. Rios and he seems much better than Mr. Rios, he is too touchy feely with me." Belled shuddered at the thought of Mr. Rio's octopus arms draped over her and his greasy slimy hands grasping her skin like suction cups, she really didn't like him.
"Yes but Mr. Reese had a hard enough time talking to you, imagine physical contact. He'd piss himself I bet." Ron slipped a cigarette in his mouth and took out his favorite silver lighter with his name etched at the bottom.
Belle waved the cloud of smoke that billowed out from Ron's nostrils. The smoke filled her lungs and she coughed. The smoke drifted up and gathered in the air. She felt as if she was in an old crime fiction novel with the smoke and the curtains closed and the hat rack next to the door. The only thing she would need to change is switching Ron's business from a host club to a detective agency. Belle was just one out of many hostesses at Ron's host club. Basically high class hookers for high society or modernized geishas. Belle just happened to be one of the top girls in the place.
Belle coughed from the smoke Ron blatantly blew in her face just to make her angry. She went over to the windows and drew open the curtains and opened the windows.
"Asshole," Belle murmured," you know I hate cigarettes."
Ron just laughed and stroked his strong square jaw with his pointer finger and thumb. "Lighten up cousin; I'm just messing with ya."
"Well it's not funny."
"Whatever you're too uptight."
"Well at least I don't have a butt chin."
"What does that have to do with this?!"
"If your chin was your ass you'd have a pretty big crack."
"Why you—"Ron stood up so fast he made his black leather chair crash to the ground while Belle just smirked coyly.
"Excuse me?" Mr. Reese peeked from behind the door, when he found Ron standing he came inside." I have to meet my wife for a lunch meeting at 5:00."
Ron straightened himself out and walked over to Mr. Reese. "I'm sorry but Jane will not be working then, maybe some other time. You know where to call if you want to reschedule."
Mr. Reese looked disappointed but held out his hand to shake Ron's. Belle walked over to Mr. Reese and held out her hand to shake and gave a smile to the man with thinning hair and who looked to be around 50.
"I would have loved to have gone with you but unfortunately I will be unavailable but I'm sure your wife would be delighted to go."
Mr. Reese smiled gently back and nodded. As he left Ron returned to his seat and took out his laptop.
Ron could read people awfully well "Wear that blonde wig on Tuesday because Mr. Rios likes blondes, and also that—"
"Yeah, yeah I know." Belle said taking her jacket. "I'll be going now, say hi to auntie for me."
With a bandaged hand Reno took out a Marlboro cigarette and lit it with a cheap bright blue lighter from the corner store.
"Dammit what did I tell you about smoking?" Belle said snatching it away from Reno's mouth faster than a cobra striking for her pray.
All Belle wanted was to go home and sleep and there she found Reno on her bed wrapping up his bloodied hands and knuckles with mud tracks on the floor.
"I should just lock my window."
"You know I'd break it." Reno gave her a hearty grin and proceeded to lie on her bed with his dirty boots on.
Reno came and went as he pleased like some tomcat. She was used to it but she had always been annoyed at the fact how much she had to laundry and how all the milk just magically disappeared while he was over. He stretched out his arms to get the stiffness out of his muscles. He recalled seeing flashes of graffiti as he tore his jeans jumping over rusty metal gates. His arms ached at the thought of leaping and hanging on to Belle's fire escape a few feet off the ground.
"How's Leslie?"
"She's good and out of town." Reno pouted.
"No wonder you're here."
Leslie was Reno's bombshell brunette with a heart of gold. Belle couldn't comprehend any possible reason why Leslie would be with Reno except for his looks. As for Belle, she never really had a type. After she played all the types and roles and preferences, she lost one particular "taste" for guys.
"Do you have a guy yet?" Reno turned his neck to his left and right as if he'd be hiding behind the curtains or scrunched up against the corner.
"No, I have enough men in my life."
Men were a huge part of Belle's life since she always had to deal with them. She went to ritzy parties and fancy donation ceremonies while she hung on the arm of an old geezer like a doll. Of course sometimes she'd have a new client, some polite, some young and handsome that treated her well but most of the time it was men who liked to have something to replace the trophy wife that started to lose its shine. Belle was a professional escort, some arm candy to show to other men who were tired of their wives. She looked at the mirror and stared at her roots. She had to dye them again. It's amazing how different a person can look with a haircut, a new hair color, and a little makeup on.
"Do you have any milk?" Reno shouted from the kitchen.
"No I—"
"Found it!"
Belle rolled her eyes and hovered towards her bed before she collapsed on it, worn out. Suddenly creaks of old springs starting to dully make it through the ceiling and into her ears. She buried her face in her pillow before screaming.
"It's only 4:25 in the fucking afternoon!"
Reno came in, quite content since he had found some cereal to go with his milk, and watched Belle as she looked to be suffocating herself. Reno still wasn't that used to her outburst since she would usually quietly scold him or brood in silence but not yelling. Reno had known Belle for a very long time, well for him anyway. A year seemed long enough for him to know someone but he had known Belle for years. From what he remembered she was always beautiful. She didn't have the worst childhood ever, the only bad thing was probably when her parents split; she always felt animosity towards her father. Even though she would have rather punched him, she had helped him move his things into the moving truck.
Belle found a broomstick under the bed and started to poke the ceiling with it. More noises started to come from upstairs with the accompaniment of some sort of grunting creature.
"I don't think they'll hear you." Reno said simply.
Belle gave up and threw the broomstick over to the side. Her "up-neighbor", or upstairs neighbor was Sol. She knew this from the loud cries of 'Sol! Oh Sol' that bled through the floors and kept her up some nights. Sol always had girls up there.
Belle had only a few conversations with him but that was enough to know that he was a bit weird. She often saw him in the mornings with a water jug in hand walking down the stairs with black sunglasses on that looked like they belonged to the blues brothers. He visited her next door neighbor a lot which contributed to Belle and his random meetings. When she was outside walking to the subway he was sometimes at the little flower shop next to the deli that served really good meatball subs, chatting up the old ladies. Then he'd go to the deli to chat up the young workers.
"He's crazy, a crazy sex machine." Belle mumbled to herself.
Reno sighed as if remembering something," Yup, those were the days."
Belle grinned a bit and turned over on her other side. She'd have to go back to work at night again.
That night would have to be meeting Mr. Jones. He was a kind millionaire with a gentle gaze and a warm smile. His wife had died a few years ago and had a wife. His wife was around her age even though Mr. Jones was in his 50s. One day Belle asked him why he would even come there if he didn't want her to accompany him anywhere and he simply replied that he just needed a smart woman to talk to. They often stayed in the VIP areas in the club that was connected to the agency.
"Ah I'm going for a walk."
Belle opened her door and walked towards the mahogany stair case and caught glimpse of a brunette running down the stairs in tears gripping her clutch bag and her shirt backwards. As she started down the stairs slowly she saw Sol standing at the top of the staircase smiling for no particular reason and gave a quick wave at Belle as if there wasn't just a girl crying her eyes out.
"Hey Belle."
"Did you cause that?" Belle pointed a thumb in the direction the girl took off at.
"Really that was her?" Sol said as he made his way to Belle down some stairs. "Cause from what I remember she was cursing and screaming me out when she left and in no way was there a tear in her eye."
Reno didn't have a hint of sarcasm and was sincerely being honest but Belle looked at him skeptically.
"Well…I believe you." Belle told herself more than Sol.
"I honestly think having hook ups can be so troublesome sometimes."
Belle just nodded agreeing with him and said her goodbye. As she walked down the street with cars that honked loudly and strangers walked past her she pondered on a random question. How come girls want to play with boys alone when that's usually how they end up crying?
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