John Lyons's Story

John lazily rolled over in his bed, and just barely opened his his to glance at the clock. In sudden realization that he was indeed going to be late, he hastily jumped out of bed. His apartment was semi small, a small kitchen and living room that was connected, and one room leading off which was his bedroom. He was only a bartender at Buca, so he didn't own a mansion. He quickly jumped into the shower, and only took about 10 minutes.
He hurriedly got dressed, and checked himself out once over in the mirror. Heading out, he made sure the door was locked, and left his apartment. Outside, he hopped on his motorcycle, and let the engine pur under him. Then with a roar, he sped off down towards the bar. Hopping off his bike in the back parking for employees, he strode in through the back door in the kitchen. He greeted his friends and coeworkers, and headed out to the bar.
He'd been working for the Occheto family for a year or so now, and although he wasn't in on the underground deals, he knew about a lot of them. Basically being a bar tender entitled you to hearing a lot of gossip, and easily befriending those around you. Today luckily, Maria mentioned she was hiring a new girl as a cobartender, which was good because she wouldn't be as mad that he was late.
And there she was, in the flesh and all her beauty, Maria. John gave her a mischievous smile, and a wink.
"Sorry I'm late." he said in passing her, not wanting to distract her too much from her conversations. Behind the bar he was a bit distracted himself, and he didn't even think to look at the new girl until he turned and saw her. She was to fit the part at least, her faded blue jeans and a black tanktop that showed off a bit of her curves. He might've froze in place for a bit, and not meaning to stare, but his blue grey eyes continued to trace over her. He watched her for a few seconds, before her silvery blue eyes met his. Hers had a shine to hers, and he felt his lips spread into a charming smile.
"Hi, I'm John. Lyons. Welcome to the bar." he said, trying to be polite and friendly.

Hayden felt eyes on her again, but this time, the feeling was far from creepy. She heard a voice behind her, greeting Maria and then another presence behind the bar. Hayden turned and her eyes settled on John, who seemed somewhat older than her but what attracted her the most was his smile. She smiled, the corner of her lips curved in greeting. She gathered some of the shot glasses, flipping them on the counter on napkins before she dried off her hands. He had a wonderful smile, yet, another feature were his eyes. They were blue, greyish, and they seemed to look into hers and for a moment, her heart must've stopped.

She cleared her throat softly before speaking. "Hayden Moore." She returned, "Thank you." She turned her gaze to Angelo for a moment, making sure he had everything he needed. Another man sat at the counter. "What can I get you?" She asked.

"Ohh, well, precious gem. I'd like a strong glass of orange bruce."
"Orange..." Did he just make that up? Was he testing her?

When Jackson threw himself into the bistro, garnished in his grand entrance under the harlequin light fixtures, Maria raised an eyebrow. For a moment she felt frantic, as if she should run and primp herself. It wasn't so much the need to impress as it was for her own peace of mind. Plus, she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted to maintain her standing as the lustrous, polished femme who basically ran the joint. Jackson strode to the bar, regarding Dom with such permissible charm that it unnerved her for a moment. A smile tugged at the corner of the Italian girl's carmine lips as she nodded and fetched him his drink.

Beyond the bistro walls, the wind howled hungrily. The sound of it was blood-chilling. As Maria slid a drink towards Jackson, she winked, "On the house. For your return," then she clicked on the flat screen at the bar to check the weather. A hasty, older gentleman was gesturing along a green screen in the path a storm was supposed to hit. Seemed the weatherman himself was rushing to get home and beat the storm. She could have guessed by the way the sky ate up the moon, its clouds billowing darkly and rumbling. She knew Windy City all too well. Her eyes darted to the window, as if she were expecting a downpour right then and there.

"I guess we better batten down the hatches," she joked to herself and the crowd at the bar. Just as she was going to further weather forecast for them all, John brushed in past her. "Well look what the goddamn cat dragged in," Maria purred, laughing a little. "You know you're lucky you've been with us so long and I like you so damn much, or I'd have fired your ass." She licked a tab and stuck it to his forehead playfully, "Fetch the gentlemen and the end of the bar their shots, will you?" Maria noticed his attention being drawn by Hayden. To say the least, she didn't blame him, but it was certainly expected.

Shortly after John, Maya blew right in as well. "Well goddamn," Maria muttered, raking her eyes over her friend and coworker, "It's about time." She went right to her usual business, tripling and playing with the men at the bar. Maria playfully rolled her eyes.

Aurora stood by the entrance, charming the customers as she was so innately good at. Maria adored the girl for her concern and warmheartedness. She perhaps felt that where she lacked, Aurora thrived. The small young lady started decorating and enhancing a tray with drinks. Inevitably, Maria was proud. The bistro had become her dream, chased with a little bit of her worst nightmares.

The night dragged on, getting older and sapped. When the dinner rush finally died down to only one or two customers, Maria announced to her staff, "I would just like to say you've all been doing a magnificent job," she wore a kitten smile, running a hand through her hair and plucking the roses from its undulated veneer. By this time, the rain had started in small spurts. "If you're new around here, you'll get used to the rain killing our business sometimes." With her informative tone, she could have been a sultry teacher.


[ATTN: The Jackson I mentioned in my posts before our Jackson started posting is a completely different person. Sorry for any confusion and my lack of clarification, but carry on in the same direction. It's going great.]

Dominic smiled a short thoughtful smile, "Yeah... Crazy." He would have gone on to say something else, although he wasn't entirely sure what he would say and seemed rather contented with the view of Maria's theigh. Then the problem was solved as the place began to flood with familiar faces, the first being Jackson who must have just returned from the job in Bermuda. That'd line his pockets a little more, but regardless of the money he returned the nod and greeted him. It wasn't long after that before John arrived, quite late to say the least which was usually unlike him. Dominic nodded to him also and was then greeted by a very familiar voice. Handsome, only one person every really called him handsome, and he turned his head to give Maya a nod and a smile. "A cocktail? Heh, maybe later huh?" as always Dom would try to keep his eyes off Maya's well displayed 'assets', but again did a terrible job. "You wanna be careful with those, you'll have someones eyes out." He chuckled and so did a few of the surrounding locals.

Dominic's eyes shot back to his side when the boss passed them by and gave a nod. He returning it readily and continued to look that way as Cole came down the stairs. It was a mystery that he'd never fallen down them and broken his neck with the amount of times Dom had seen him drunk in here. Then again, it was a suprise that occassionally pulling a gun in drunken rage was the norm here. All in all he he wouldn't trade it for the world. Now that he had greeted everyone he had time to look over what was happening around him. Dom was sure that he wasn't the only one that must have picked up on the spark between John and Hayden, the way they both subtly paused in their actions for just a second. Maybe not everyone had noticed, but Dominic had a keen eye for the small details.

Dom let his eyes move over to Jackson, looking him over properly for the first time. He didn't really seem to show it but Dom assumed he must be exhausted from the trip, shipping being one of the more demanding parts of Cosa Nostra. No one had really refered to the business as 'this thing of ours', but upon observation there wasn't much difference. Dom respected Jackson, and he knew that Jackson respected him. They worked well together in most cases and didn't have much to fall out about. Part of him looked up to Jackson, he knew what he was doing, and Dom was glad to learn as much as he did just by working with him. He noticed the wink that passed from Jackson to Maria, and followed it to focus his attention on her now. Dom knew that she wouldn't admit it, but Maria must have been exhausted. He'd seen how much work she'd done in Buca's recently, and honestly didn't know how she managed it.

After a little while Dominic spoke once more, "Hey Maria, I'll have what Jackson's having."

"I slipped in when you were hitting up the bar for another refill." Jackson said with a smart tone. He liked Cole when he wasn't completely stressed by his fathers serious demeanor. Cole didn't realize it yet, but his old man wasn't making the girls hit the streets in the rain because he was a vicious asshole. There were moneys owed, not only that but there's the -grease-to consider. Jackson knew how it was. Cops need arrests, arrests raise money and keep the boys in blue and their families up. Cops could harass the real business, or bust hoes for a night or two in jail and a fine, or they can be up the bosses ass. It was actually a favor, less patrons would be looking to get a girl tonight,a few would get picked up, and the -grease- would keep the cogs from squeaking. Good kid, still want catching on to the hard part of the business though. He'd catch on soon though.

Jackson knew everyone around here. But the new folks he'd have to catch up on. "You girls get a chance, you should come with me in the next couple hours so I can give you the official Ochletto welcome message and official speech about what you need to know, and what you don't. Don't say anything else, just say yes, and we'll talk in the kitchen once its all locked up to the public for the night. I'm sure Maria or any of our long time employees will accompany you if you feel so inclined. But..." And he drank down another whiskey that he had ordered a few minutes prior as he was listening in on all the little subtleties already developing. "Dominic, Cole, and Myself are the safest people in the world to deal with. We will discuss the rest in a bit." He reached into his jacket and withdrew a buying flip phone, mashed a button and read a text or two. The boss didn't like texting, but he would text Jackson once he understood how encryption and burner phones worked. That black little phone was wiped daily, and tossed completely for a new one every time a major job went down. No names, only numbers. Everybody had a number, and each number translated to a name. The cipher was done in head, based on the date, and was not written down. The boss had come to love Jackson's talents. Even if texting still pissed off the old Sicilian. No one could call the boss a fool, anyone who thought he want on to of his shit was a dreamer. But he was a man.

Jackson snapped the phone shut. He didn't think Cole was really a safe guy, but for these girls purposes, respect to Cole, he said so. If they were at all smart, they'd just talk little and keep their ears shut and eyes on the Bistro work.

This had all been rather serious, but Jackson smiled. He was going to lighten the mood a little, he meant for them to understand his seriousness, not be terrified of him. He had a charming southern drawl after a couple drinks...it was something that he couldn't hide, though he was embarrassed of his southern origins, it was probably that bent toward gentleman behavior that kept him from being a sociopath. Instead, he was just a good man who was paid to do bad things. Sometimes to good people, though it broke his heart the times it came to that. He did though, with military assuredness.

He spoke again, after his final drink, cleaning up his own drink and wiping down his own section of bar. He didn't make any more work for the girls than he absolutely had to. They already worked harder, in many ways, than he ever had. No need to be an entitled prick. "Let's see, Maria? Who are the new girls? Hayden, I've seen working the bar...who else needs the chat? Anyone you're curing loose after tonight?" He shot a glance at Maya, who he didn't particularly like. Attractive yes, but so was his bike, and he had a feeling it would be quieter in the long run.

Jackson got up, smiling at this young girl. She was nervous, they usually were. But she's made life easier on him by dieting up here tonight. The boss was happy about it too, because he'd have one less item on his very long list of shit. Jackson noted the cool and regal esteem the Buca gave off when dimly lit, and rising from his stool headed back past the cluster at the end of the bar near the kitchen.

"Maria, we're going to go talk over something upstairs. If you would please bring us a bottle of Sangria and a couple of disposable cops before you go? Bill me for it, and don't worry with dishes, plastic is fine,I don't want to make any more work for you." It was easy come and go for Jackson, but when he was working, it was just that. He did what he needed to, andexpected no less than full support. He noticed through the kitchen doors, from this vantage point,a fairly messy situation developing.

"Fuck." he said, seeing Aurora brandishing a fucking pan. "Cole! You got it you Fuck?" He yelled that through the kitchen, putting his hand beneath his jacket. Looks like their might be a chat tonight after all.

Hayden couldn’t really say how she made it to the little flower boutique. Her legs barely carried her and felt like gelatin when she walked forward. Her hair was resting over her face as she watched the ground pass underneath the soles of her boots. She lost her coat somewhere at the bar, someone just picked it up and walked away with it. Luckily, she had her drawings and that was all that mattered. Expect it was cold as a winter in the middle of an ice berg. She just felt frozen as her hands rubbed along her shoulders and arms. Her skin was red, numbed and she had a long ways to go to reach her destination. It was a small apartment, cheap with its broken down shutters and some appliances that the landlord didn’t bother with fixing up. She sighed heavily.

Though her mind retracted to John.

His eyes were intriguing to her. She felt stunned when they settled on her back at work. She wished she had the courage to look back, to continue that gaze before she shyly looked away. She wondered what he was doing now. Was he at home?
Oh man. What was she doing? Was she crushing like a middle schooler? He only talked to her once, just once. She shook her head and heard a soft clank on the pavement. She stopped walking, her eyes settling on the small key link on the ground. She sighed, knelt down and scooped it up quickly.

John's night had gone smoothly enough, though ever chance he seemed to get he'd glance at Hayden. He hadn't even talked to her that much but he was intrigued. He wondered if she was going to be at the party big Daddy was throwing tonight at the gentlemen's club.

For guys it was a bit easier, dresses seemed to be confusing with all their colors, but the girls always seemed to look stunning. You couldn't really go wrong with a black suit, and that's what John ended up doing. The suit was his nicest, calvin klein, that he'd bought a few months into working at the bar for these very occasions. He was indeed excited for tonight, mostly happy that he didn't have to work and he had time to relax and converse with others. Particularly a certain new bartender.

He stood in front of his bedroom mirror, and ran his hands threw his hair a few times, fixing it. he was cleanly shaven, and his hair was in its normal messy-neat curls. He sprayed himself with a little cologne, and straightened the collar of his suit. Picking up his tie off of the dresser, he casually tied it, making a pretty perfect knot.

Exiting his apartment, he headed to where he always parked his motorcycle, and hopped on. He put on his helmet, and started by revving the engine. Letting go of the clutch, he zoomed forward and headed out towards the club. He parked the bike, and kicked the kick stand out, propping the Harley up. He took off his helmet and placed it securely on the bike, and pulled his jacket into place. He then strode into the club, and made his way up the stairs to the VIP section.

At first he saw Roxanne, her familiar clothing choice and curvy figure stuck out to him, especially in the shiny dress. As he walked over to her, he glanced around the room and saw Hayden off in the corner. He smiled a bit, and decided to get her a drink.
At the bar area he saw Roxy, but found that she was talking to a man who seemed to have just handed her a large sum of cash. He didn't question it, only ordered two champagnes and left to go to Hayden.

He took a seat next to her against the wall, and lightly tapped her arm. She seemed to be doodling something in a sketchbook.
"Even your hair can't hid your pretty face." He said charmingly, "Here, I got you a drink." he offered, holding the glass over to her.

Hayden was so in tuned with the artwork on the pad of paper, she almost didn’t hear John approach her. She was a talented artist, that much was obvious but of course, like many girls, she was modest. In more ways than one. Which, was why she shook her head when he mentioned her pretty face. She lowered her sketch bad and her eyes settled on the drink he held out to her. At first, she was hesitant and took the drink carefully from his grasp, shook it lightly enough for the aroma to reach her nose. It wasn’t strong smelling, like whiskey or rum, but it seemed to hold a nice touch to it. She watched his eyes as she took the first drank, her lips pressing together as she swallowed. It stung a little, but it wasn’t too bad. She could get used to it. It was sad, she wasn’t the biggest drinker, but she was open to it.

“Thank you.” She answered softly, setting the glass down on the small nightstand-looking table between them. She crossed legs lightly, her skin still smelled like coca butter and vanilla. She was thankful for that. Now that she wasn’t zoned out, she was able to look John over. Damn, he…he was really good at pulling off a suit. His tie was neatly done though somewhat off and Hayden smiled a bit.

“John right? The suit and tie suits you, though, you need a woman’s touch.” She answered swiftly, sweetly in a way as she leaned enough toward him to fixed the last bit of perfection in his tie. Not too tight and not too loose. She then leaned back and her pad of paper fell to the ground, opening its mystery to the world outside. She quickly picked it up as a brief image of a certain someone, John, was in its beginning stages of art on the page. She closed it and slipped it under her leg, sitting on it almost. “How are you?”

Roxanne had just sat down and ordered her drink when the man next to her abruptly pulled out a sum of cash she couldn't count just by looking. She raised an eyebrow at him, amused. He introduced himself, "Hi there my name is Vladimir." and gave her a sly smile. He looked about late 20s early 30s, and was generally attractive. She smiled back at him curiously, and though he seemed to have somewhat of a poker face, she had a few guesses to what his motives were.

First, he could be lonely or something and somehow knew she was a hooker, but that seemed somewhat unlikely. Second, he could be looking to just have some fun, and he knew her job, but that also didn't seem to fit. Or third, he saw her other friends go up to the VIP area, and he knew she would be going there as well. The third guess seemed to be the most logical.

She looked at him straight in the eyes, knowing that he was probably observant like herself. Looking someone in the eyes showed confidence, and assertiveness.
"Well, I hadn't planned on working tonight.." she started, still intrigued by the event, "but if you're trying to get into the VIP area I guess can help you.."

At this point John had walked in, and went over to buy a drink or two. She quieted for a second, and sent him a friendly smile. He returned the favor, and headed up to the party. She then turned back to Vlad.

She smiled mischievously at him, "I'm guessing you're looking for something other than me.. So we'll walk in together, and if anyone asks you can say you're a friend of "big Mike's", that's my boss. I'll let him know that you're with me."
She stood then, picking up her drink and taking a step away from the stools.
"Consider it a favor," she said, handing his money back to him. "Oh, and my name's Roxanne."
She stood and waited for him to join her, and she placed her hand around his arm. Together they walked up the stairs and entered the party, which seemed to just be getting started.

Effy stood behind Big Mike as always, and Roxy couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit. She brought Vlad over to him, and leaned over to whisper into her boss's ear.
"This is Vlad, if anyone asks, he's with us, okay?" she said, and big Mike nodded.
Roxanne could feel Effy's jealousy as big Mike seemed to be staring at Rox's chest. With that, Roxanne lead Vlad away again.

"Now you're free to do as you need to.." she smiled coyly. "But don't be afraid to say hi again.."
With that, she sauntered over to talk to one of her old clients.

Maria knew how men were, they liked to pay for things. Especially if they had perfectly functional jobs that lined their pockets with steady checks and cash. Chances were, Chantal would have given that suit and hat to Jackson but he wouldn't allow it. But that was just a guestimate on Maria's part. Chantal was an eager and generous woman of sorts who treated her Occheto clientele like family. That included discounts and plenty of freebies. It wasn't like the boutique struggled in any way, she was paying off her debt quite swiftly to Big Daddy, apparently.

Maria bade her friend and fashion assistant farewell as she wandered out the door shortly after Jackson, unlocking her car from a few yards away. With her dress in hand, she looked over her shoulder longingly at the gown and then opened the driver's side door. Sinking in with a plop, she set the dress in the back seat. "You know what I was thinking?" She asked rhetorically as she started the engine, her eyes on the wheel, "I should go get some of those little fruit arrangements for the party tonight; that would go well with the fruity drinks and stuff." Turning her green gaze on him, she smiled.

He had an extra box. That wasn't the one that Madame had given him with his outfit. It was elegantly adorned in a red bow. For a moment, she lifted a brow and narrowed her eyes. "What the fuck is that?" She said mockingly as she put the car into drive and pulled out. Her tone was playful, as if perhaps she wasn't really concerned. He seemed rather stern, holding it in his grip. She put her hands up in capitulation and headed for the bistro.

When the car pulled into the parking lot in the back, she eased on the brakes and the Ford slowed. She threw it into park with a smirk, "Now go on and handle your man business. I have some shopping to do." Winking at him as if to say 'see ya later, handsome', she unlocked the doors. Her father warned her about the use of her charm and allure, her presence and force of personality. Many men would take it and run with it. She wasn't concerned, especially with the likes of them.

After she let him out, she galvanized the car and screeched out of the parking lot. She had a lead foot, as she was told. The sun darted through her windows at every opportunity, peaking out in the spaces between sky scrapers and small shops. It was a rusty, large orb now, its warmth felt as it descended. She made no funny business of basically sprinting into the Louboutin store and snatching a pair of 160 mm Asteroid platforms with the swipe of her card. When she was back into town, she stopped at a rather small farm-like shop that sold organic produce. Luckily for Maria, she knew the farmer's wife, Polly. She was an expert in floral and fruit arrangements, and Maria would offer to help if need be for faster assembly.

Hastily, Maria tootled into the quaint store, waving at Ron, the farmer himself. He nodded, calling into the back for his wife. From behind a plastic-flapped open doorway, a soft voice was heard before whom it belonged to presented herself. Tying an apron, hardly looking up, she said, "Can't seem to find another box of the Swiss milk chocolate… I wanted to dip some kiwi toda ---" then looked to the Italian girl on the other side of the counter. She was a short, slightly plump little woman with a soothing twang in her voice, "Well hello there Miss Occheto! How can I help you today?"

"Hey Polly, I have a last-minute, super big favor," she said with a sweet, white smile.
"Fire away." Polly said, stepping towards the counter, resting her elbows on it.
"We're having a party tonight, I need about ten arrangements give or take,"
"Huh… hmm…" A slight look of panic filled Polly's thoughtful expression.
"Fruit skewers would work, if you have some." Maria continued.
"Oh!" Polly was put to ease, disappearing for a moment.

Maria looked curiously at Ron, who shrugged and poked out his lip with wide eyes, "Don't ask me!" Laughing a bit, the two shared some brief conversation until Polly returned, her strawberry blond hair falling from her wiry bun a bit. In her arms she held a box which she quickly set on the counter and popped open, "Funny you should ask, I actually filled an order today that no one ever came in for… You'll have to arrange them yourself though, if that's alright." Inside of the box were nine skewers squeezed on each tray, six trays in the box. A colorful variety of grapes, strawberries, kiwi, melon and more were penetrated by thin bamboo sticks. "Just what the doctor ordered," Maria said, peering into the box hungrily. Polly snapped it shut with a grin, "Tut tut. For your party!"

Nodding, Maria reached into a Coach wallet to fetch her card, sure it would not be the last time. Polly punched in a few codes on the ancient register, promptly stating, "27.89." The young woman handed over the card to the strawberry blond who ran it and returned it quickly. Polly taped the box shut and handed it to Maria who grabbed it eagerly, "I don't need a receipt, thanks Pol!" Maria exclaimed, halfway out the door before the woman could even say goodbye. Polly exchanged glances with her husband Ron, both chuckling a bit as they watched the girl disappear.

By the time Maria was back to the condo, it was almost 6PM and the wind was whipping her hair so violently it got painfully tangled with her oversized earrings. When she spilled through the door clutching her box full of fruit, bagged dress and shoe box, she nearly fell. Her eyes met her brother's rather glassy ones from where he sat at the table, adorned in a perfect black wool Givenchy suit. She smiled, "I see you actually found a suit this time; where are Aurora and Maya? It's getting late."

"Hell Mae, they're probably still shopping or getting their hair done or something." He poured himself another shot.
"Enough with the pregaming, Cole. There will be plenty to drink tonight." She snatched the shot and the bottle, returning the liquid to its original home. Then she set her items down, climbing up the counter now bare-footed.
"Uh?" Cole ventured, watching his little sister monkey around.

From the very top cabinet, she hoped to retrieve some of the marble vases she bought a while ago, used for flower arrangements. She must have left them at the bistro or something, finding only an empty, dusty bureau. With a sigh, she hopped down and put the box in the fridge. With the box of shoes under harm and the hanger of her dress in her clutch, slightly over her shoulder, she rushed up the stairs to shower.

When she had vigorously cleaned herself of all grime, cleaning products, guts and glory, she quickly turned her attention to her hair. The blow dryer was heard blaring all throughout the home for a good twenty minutes until she was done. She popped some rollers into her hair and coated them with hold spray as she lotioned her legs with her free hand. When she slithered into the dress again, she wasn't any less in love than before. Though she wasn't too skinny, her bone structure was beautifully displayed from the open back. Her tan skin, glistening with peach lotion, appeared much longer due to the Asteroids on her feet. She plucked the rollers out of her hair with ease, strumming her fingers through the large barrel curls to relax them.

When she passed her mirror in an attempt to find a clutch, she looked at herself and gasped, "Shit, mascara." Ransacking her make up box, she retrieved a black tube of Lancome and darkened her naturally long lashes, adding a line of cat-like mascara on the top lid. She painted her lips red as per usual, adding some light foundation around the bruising on her eye. To top herself off, she sprayed herself in 'Viva La Juicy', pinned simple pearls in her ears and wove an ambrosial rose into her hair. Her eyes raked across her room as she did a 360 spin, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. The clock read "6:37PM".

"Shit shit shit!" She grabbed her clutch and nearly busted her ass galloping down the stairs, almost hitting the wall when she reached the landing. Cole had already gone, leaving the kitchen vacant and serene. She went to the fridge, opening it with her right hand while her left hand looted a kitchen drawer savagely. Maria left her house like a bat out of hell, shoving a gun into her lacy lingerie with the skirt of her dress jacked up, the box of fruit clutched and her wallet in her other hand.

When she reached her car, she yanked at the bottom seam of her dress to readjust herself before slopping into her car, hoping not to be late. She gunned it all the way there and considered herself damn lucky, not getting pulled over. Upon pulling into a parking space, she saw that the place was already incredibly jam packed. Some of the vehicles she recognized, some she did not. Under the dark, unbounded Chicago empyrean, the neon lights flashed with vanity. She strode to the entrance, holding her box of goodies and smiling at the guard whose eyes locked onto her thighs, swathed snugly in the beautiful black dress.

Entrance music.
He let her in, desperately fighting urges to simply caress her back as she passed. The bass shook the entire building, blaring some hard-hitting beat Maria shook her ass to a little. Under the black lights, the pearls that lined the neck of her dress radiated an ivory, effeminate glow. The dress embroidered her curves. Her father saw her from the second floor, coincidental that he was leaning over the rail a bit, smoking a cigar with Roxanne by his side. He whispered something in her ear, leaving her for a moment to glide down the stairs and meet his daughter.

"How you've grown," he warbled, offering his large yet seemingly poised hand.
"Don't you look so fancy in your Armani, as always." She rejoined with a smirk, taking his hand which nearly entirely engulfed hers.
"What's in the box?" He asked in her ear a bit gruffly as they sauntered up the stairs.
"Fruit arrangements from Polly, for the VIP tables." Maria replied with excitement.

He seemed impressed by his daughter's event planning, sweeping his mind of the irritation he felt by her somewhat late appearance. The way he escorted her, her slight hand daintily placed in his as if she were a little ballerina, was fit for pictures to be put in the paper. One might even think they actually had a normal, functional relationship. He loomed over her, cutting her loose when they reached the second floor. Her hips swiveled as she made her way to bar, requesting a few tall glasses in which she could put the skewers. She made quick work of the arrangements, putting six skewers in nine separate glasses before she distributed them to the VIP tables. Maria knew Maya would be sucking on fruit and alcohol all night, simply thrilled.

When she made her way towards the tables, her father rejoining his blond, sultry temptress and Effy, she did a quick once over of who was there. Hayden was there, clad in a black, tight dress and oddly enough, accompanied by John. It was simple, but Maria thought she looked ravishing. Cole sat off to the side with Brent, smoking a cigarette and pointing to a few of the dancers on stage below. Maya sat at the bar, beautiful as ever. To the side as well, Skye was picturesque in a pretty little green party dress. There was perhaps too much smoke for Maria to discern much more.

The atmosphere was well warm enough for the short, tight dress. Her back was met with no cold chills, much to her pleasure. She slung herself near the railing, watching the dancers take off their clothes and wind to the music, sliding up and down poles. Maria was painted perfectly, fit for some artwork hanging on a wall in a modern home, the way she extended her legs with one crossed over the other. The dress adhered to her skin, the shoes sparkled in the neon, flashing lights.







[OMG, sorry it's a goddamn novel. I was away almost all day, in and out of the house and had to sum a lot up with one post. Bear with me!]

John watched as she took a sip of the drink. He just assumed she drank a bit because she was a bartender, but he probably should've asked first. He himself was very knowledgeable in the alcohol category. Since he'd been a bartender for a while now, and he already knew many different types of beer, liquor, wine, and types of drinks.

He could smell some sort of vanilla-y warm scent from her, and it was nice. She looked simple, but not plain. She was indeed very beautiful whether she seemed to admit it or not.
“John right? The suit and tie suits you, though, you need a woman’s touch.” she said, reaching over and fixing his tie.

He smiled charmingly, and laughed a bit. "Thank you, it probably got a little messed up getting here," he replied, "I have a motorcycle so, wind happens."

As she relaxed back in her seat, her sketchbook fell and opened to what looked to be a drawing of a man. He couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like him. Either way, he was interested in her drawing regardless of what it was.

"How are you?" she then asked, after she slipped the sketch pad under her leg.

He laughed, then nodded. "I'm good, thanks. I'd be better if you let me look through your sketchbook.." he trailed off, giving her a bit of a flirtatious look.

Hayden stared at John for a moment as he smiled. Oh god, she loved the smile, that much was certain. She felt her eyebrows lift when he mentioned something about a motorcycle. She's never been on one before and with that comment, she replied with a soft "Sounds like it'd be fun." Before she took another drink from her glass.

And then he mentioned her sketchbook. Oh... she made a sort of cringe and bit her lip, definately nervous. "Mmn.." She started, wondering and trying to cook up some sort of excuse. "They're embarrassing really." She explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes looked back at the corner of her book underneath her lap before she let out a soft breath.

"I'll tell you what." She started. "You play your cards right, I'll let you look through the book. By that, I mean..."

"If you can surprise me with anything you do or say, that will be one point. Second point is if you can get me to blush. Third point is something for me to know and for you to not find out." She smirked. There it was, that smile of hers. One of flirtatious and yet, there was a sence of "cute" about it. She had dimples.

Maya pranced over, bouncing, bubbly and sexy as expected. Trying to hide a smile, Maria fought off her grin and calmly said, "You really like them?" Then, she laughed a little, her red lips spreading into a grin as she spun about for her friend. "But I mean, look at you!" Maria's fingers traced an invisible hour glass in the air as she exclaimed, "Girl you are on point tonight, you're gonna' have to beat people off with a goddamn stick."

When Aurora came in, dressed slightly as Maria had expected her to, she waved gently and smiled at the girl. It made Maria feel better to know the girl was probably in better spirits that day. The club environment had much more ecstasy and rapture to offer than the night before at the bistro. Her eyes scanned over John and Hayden, who seemed to be hitting it off. All in all, the night seemed to be going unusually well so far…

Maria spun around to rest her back against the rail, to face the folks on the second floor instead of draping herself over the ledge to look at the dancers and was met with a brute comment from Brent. Rolling her eyes, she then licked her lips, giving him a serious look, "You want to suck on my toes baby boy?" She leaned in a little, nibbling on her lower lip so that her mouth was next to his ear, "I'll shove my foot so far up your ass, you'll be sucking them into next week." Though she wasn't being mean, just playful, much in that cat-and-yarn sort of way, Brent was taken aback. He couldn't figure out whether he should fan himself or run in the other direction. The young man's face was streaked with excitement and surprise.

At the bar sat Suri, Cole and Aurora. Maria often wondered what it was like to socialize with a buzz on, but she wasn't particularly gunning to find out. So she hung away from the crowd a bit, observing as she always did under the flashing lights. Brent had retreated to his corner, lighting up a cigarette to ease the gut wrenching excitement in his stomach. Maria's eyes caught sight of Chloe, instantly envious of her dress and the way it so perfectly elaborated her figure. But who was that man, the bald one? It wasn't her father. A short distance away, Big Daddy stood by the railing, watching his children and wearing a girl on each arm.

Up the stairway, she could see Daniel coming. A look of apprehension was on his face. Gee, she certainly did not see that coming. She strode to the top of the stairs, a hand on her hip as she waited for him to reach the second floor as a new song began to play, slower in tune. When he got to the second floor, she said over the music, "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes; I see Chantal took care of you just fine." She took his arm, looking up to him for approval, not wanting to intrude upon his personal space.
Song 2.


[edited this post a bit to include Daniel and a new song. P.S, LOVE the way you played Chantal, thrillernight.]

The words Cole spoke made her go quiet, her body was pushed against the car roughly which made her wince. Skye wasn't sure of anything anymore, her whole life felt like it was a lie. She stood there, the rain beating down on her as Cole pretty much said she was nothing. At that moment she really didn't care what happened to her, nothing really mattered any more. She couldn't trust anyone here, she needed to talk to her mom, tell her she was right about just leaving the whole thing alone. She was better off not knowing who her father was.

She looked up as she heard a gun shot and watched Frank go down, Cole told her to get in the car but she just stoood there in a slight shock. Hearing what Cole said made her start to think, looking at Frank she took a few steps forward "you used me...you used me just to get to the Occhetos didn't you? You wanted a way in and you saw it through me" she would of continued but Cole shoved her in the car and told Joe to watch her. She felt like she was going to be sick.

She watched through the door way as Maria kneeled down and started to torment Frank in a way, she wasn't sure how she felt about Frank anymore. What Cole said to Frank made sense in a way. The rain was coming hard down now so she couldn't hear what Maria was saying to Frank, so she watched as best she could. She was soaked from head to toe but that was not what she could focus on now. Just as Maria held a gun to Frank's head someone said Maria's name, she turned to look at where the voice came from and saw the man she saw at Buca's. The man that was her father.

She gripped the cars seat and took in a deep breath, she had so much to say to the man but no words could form from her mouth. She sat back against the seat and brought her knees to her chest and let her chin rest against her knees. There were many different emotions going through at that moment and she just wasn't sure what to do with them. She hasn't slept in almost two days and she was feeling like she was going to snap. Maybe this was just a dream, well more like a nightmare...maybe she will wake up soon, but with what was going on, it was highly unlikely.

((ignore the john tag))