Benjamin Masters's Story

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Ben woke up around 8 AM which was way too early for him. Somehow he smelt the scent of filter coffee which made sure he sat in bed with his eyes wide open. He heard the closing of the front door, indicating that his room mate had left the building. He stepped out of his bed and walked to his closet. He grabbed an easy T-shirt, put it on, and walked over to the kitchen. As he expected there was still some coffee in the pot, which was a nice habit his room mate got into. Ben poured himself a mug, ignored the milk and sugar and took it with him to the living room. The post was lying on the table already and he went through it to see if there was anything for him. Not very probable since he only just moved in, but checking doesn't hurt.

His eye fell on a leaflet from the building for a function later that night. That's pretty cool... According to his schedule he was working from 11 to 7 PM, so he wouldn't be the first, but neither would he be late. As a nice introduction he thought he would bring some food with, he had wanted to that in any case, so the ingredients were all at home. He finished his coffee and got back to the kitchen. While making an omelet for breakfast he also prepared the little snacks he could bring tonight. In his cupcake oven rack he made little pizza's with a block of mozzarella, a cherry tomato each and some herbs. He also made some mini-sized meatballs with wasabi mayonnaise inside and some shrimp croquettes, deep fried shrimp ragout. The meatballs were completely finished, but the other two dishes could be heated by the oven for about 20 minutes.

Noticing he had quite some time left he thought of going to work early. Maybe he could prepare some more for the lunch in his restaurant. Nowadays he was considered the highest authority in the kitchen during lunch time and the second highest when the Chef came in for dinner. He quickly showered and left the apartment. At the door he greeted the doorman telling him that he should come to the party as well. Being in the service industry Ben felt a bit weird when people were serving him in a way. A short 10 minute walk took him to his beloved work. The Chef left him a note with some special requests, nothing out of the ordinary. He quickly got to work and soon his mind was fully engaged and he was not able to think of the party.

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About 10 minutes before his shift ended the Chef told him he could go. The busy period was over and there was not much to do but cleaning. He half walked half ran home to be in time. The moment he arrived he turned on the oven and put in the croquettes and the mini-pizza's. He then took a shower and looked in his cupboard for something appropriate. If it's in a ballroom, they probably expect a shirt instead of a T-shirt. He simply didn't own any jackets or ties, so that wasn't really an option. While putting on some aftershave without actually shaving he heard the loud PING of the oven and went to take his food out. Especially the pizza's smelled very nice. He took 2 large plates out of one of the cupboards and decorated them with his food.

With some trouble he walked out of his apartment with the three plates in his hand. When he arrived at the entrance of the ballroom he pointed at his pocket to tell the person taking keys where his were. He had let the half of his keys hang out so they were easily taken out. Afterwards he walked over to the table with food and placed his own next to the rest. He didn't mean to brag, but his food looked ten times better than whatever was there before. With the wasabi meatballs he put down a card advising they were a bit spicy. Finally satisfied with how it looked he turned around and walked over to the bar to get himself a drink. He saw most people with wine from the refreshment table, but he felt more like a beer. He asked the barkeep for a Budd and of course they had it.

Having a nice cold one in his hand he started inspecting the room a bit to see if there was anyone he knew. No one looked familiar at first sight. Seeing all these nicely dressed people he once again wondered how he was able to pay the same rent these people were. Maybe it helped that he had one of the first apartments, which were apparently smaller than the higher numbers. One rather gentleman looking person was standing at the bar checking his watch. [i]Well, I have to start somewhere...[.i] He walked up to him and stuck his hand in the air as a clumsy form of greeting him. "Hi, I'm Ben, 105, or at least part 105. Nice to meet you. It was quite a nice idea of the building to organize something like this, don't you think?" Without really waiting for an answer he kept on scanning the room. Some people were making their way to the food table. He wondered what they would think.

From the corner of his eye he saw a girl with a stroller. Children usually enjoyed his company, basically he had never stopped being a child himself. He turned once again to the gentleman next to him. "Sorry man, I see a stroller. Let's make an appearance." Again not waiting for a response he walked over to the stroller, now surrounded by 2 ladies. "Good evening, my name is Ben, from 105." He bent down over the stroller. "And who is this little princess?"

Suddenly the solace he found at the bottom of his wine glass was interrupted by a man who called himself Ben. He shook the man's hand firmly as had been taught to him from birth. "I'm Gabriel Barron, of the Manhattan Barrons," he responded but it didn't seem like Ben was listening. He had caught sight of the stroller. Gabriel declined meeting the baby. With his luck it would drool on him and he just had his shirt dry-cleaned. He poured himself another glass of wine, wrestling with the desire to leave. It was so much easier to deal with his own kind. There was protocol, introductions, a list of dos and don'ts. People here just did whatever they wanted. He watched a few collect around the table and eat, laughing with their mouths open. His mother would faint. The thought made him almost smile.

Finally his roommate arrived. Someone familiar and comfortable. He almost forgot to be judgmental until he saw the beer in his hand and the navy blazer. "I thought this was a ball, not a yacht," Who was he kidding? Fletcher didn't know what to wear at any time of day. Baby steps, he assured himself, he'd teach the poor boy in the end. By the time he was done with him, he'd be a classier, more sophisticated member of society and maybe learn how to tie a tie decently. His Windsor knot was appalling. With a sip of his wine, his third so far, he started in, "I'm going to complain to whoever plastered that flyer at my door. This is nothing more than a 'meet and greet". There's not even music,". Gabriel didn't consider himself a lightweight but as he looked around the room, he suddenly felt like he was under water. "This wine has put me off. It's probably some cheap box wine they put in those bottles. I need Scotch if I'm going to have any fun here,"

"Well I mean I know some of them. They work at the same bar I work at. Also Jane's brother is a bartender there so I know him. Other than Jane and Jaydon though, I just haven't really spoken to any of them. I guess tonight is my chance you know?" Said Carrie as she finished doing her hair, she reached into the jewelry box and grabbed a pair of Jane's earrings. "Well are you enjoying your new place?" asked Alex, Carries sister, through the Skype call on Carries laptop, which was sitting on the bathroom counter facing Carrie. She fixed a few strands of hair and smoothed her dress. "I mean its nice living on my own. AND I showed you my bedroom, thanks to Jane and I living as roommates, we were able to afford a nice room with awesome bedrooms...there." said Carrie looking in the mirror, finally finished getting ready. She looked at her sister through the camera. "How do I look?" Carrie asked in an enthusiastic flirtatious way. Her sister laughed. "You look great sis." said Alex, looking up from her homework. "Well good. Oh I almost forgot! Shots!" Carrie rushed into her room with her laptop and placed it on the bed. "Jane already left to the party and she doesn't really even drink anyways. So you can sit there and keep me occupied while I pre-game a little." she said as she reached under her bed and grabbed her bottle of Absolut Ruby Red Vodka. She took a swig and scrunched her face. "Ugh. Burns." Her sister laughed as she finished her studies and closed her book. There were a few moments of silence as Carrie looked down at the letters on the bottle while her sister browsed through her phone. She looked up at Alex "So any boys?" Carrie asked with an inquisitive look. Alex looked up from her phone, smiled, and rolled her eyes. "Well there might be a guy.. but I don't know, I need to talk to you about it in person." Alex said blushing. Carrie gasped and nearly screamed in joy. "Next weekend! Ill take you shopping. I should be getting paid soon. We can make it a girls weekend!" Her sister laughed and nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." Carrie took one more swig, making another face, and put the cap on the bottle. "Well I should get going. Got to socialize." Carrie said rolling her eyes. "Okay. Talk to you tomorrow?" Alex asked. "Of course!" Carrie said. "Hey." she said to her sister before ending the call. "Keep studying. Im proud of you." Alex smiled. "Love you." her sister said before ending the call. Carrie closed the laptop and made her way to the party.

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Carrie walked into the room and looked around. It was beautiful. She took a deep breath. She could already feel the vodka start to hit her. She was a lightweight. She spotted Jane, walked over, and plopped down next to her. She locked her arm with Jane's and laid her head on her shoulder. "You know. I am really really glad you're my friend. In fact. You are one of the greatest friends because I borrowed your earrings and I can trust, sincerely trust trust you'll forgive me and understand that I am a girl who still needs to buy a nice pair of earrings." said Carrie, not obnoxiously drunk, but obviously a little tipsy. She could hear Jane laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me. I am going to go grab a glass of wine and maybe find a nice girl or boy to flirt with." she said in a loud whisper to Jane. "Oh cute baby!" she said as she walked away to get a glass of wine. "Oh hey Jaydon!" Carrie exclaimed, giving him a quick hug before he walked back to his sister with drinks in his hand.

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Ben was alone once again after the girl and her child went off to see someone else. Unable to help himself he caught a part of their conversation. Wow, a bit more drama than expected on a night like this. The gentlemen he talked to earlier had asked one of the girls to dance. Quite daring Ben thought, but then again not everyone had two left feet like he did. Time to check on some of the food he had brought in. Approaching the table he saw an elderly man come of the dance floor with, what Ben hoped was, his daughter. The man took one of the wasabi meatballs in a casual manner. Ben looked on as the man's face turned red, or even a darker shade of purple as the wasabi did its work.

Ben walked over and padded the man on the back a bit. "I do believe there is a note that says the meatballs are a bit hot, maybe you should try one of the pizza's. Or perhaps a glass of milk to get rid of that spicy feeling? Ben himself took one of the meatballs as well, he didn't scare away from a bit of spicy food. Especially since he had a nice beer to go with it. The man walked to the bar with his daughter once again behind him. Someone is not enjoying the party very much...

He saw of all his dishes the croquettes were by far the most popular, half the plate was gone in just a few minutes. Looking around he saw one girl with a bunch of them on her napkin talking to, what Ben could only imagine was, the head chef of tonight. She will probably have some questions... Ben walked over to the two ladies. "Chef? I would just like to thank you, your food is absolutely amazing. Those meatballs..., very original. Most people don't use wasabi like that. The lady looked confused. "Meatballs with wasabi you say? Indeed a rare combination. I'm glad you like it, thank you for the compliments. Would you excuse me for a moment? I just want to check on my staff in the kitchen." A simple 'not at all' sent the chef on her way. Ben laughed as he thought of the awkward conversation that would be going on in the kitchen in a few moments.

He redirected his focus to the beautiful girl the chef had left behind. He took her hand and introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Ben, I'm from 105. Are you enjoying your evening so far? He waited for her reply while staring into her bright blue eyes.



There was nothing like a rainy day in Manhattan. People bustling by with their collar high and their umbrella's chased away by the wind. Seth walked among them, no jacket and sleeves rolled up. The suits around him ignored him mostly, the odd one would glance his way and shake their head. Some probably thinking he was a homeless guy looking for some change. Not many people with a camera like mine though... He had been around the same block of buildings for about 4 hours snapping pictures wherever he could. He got some great ones too, better luck than the previous 3 days at least.

He was nearing the end of the day. He had been out here way longer than he had planned on. Thinking about it he actually had function to attend to in about 30 minutes. Thankfully it wouldn't take him long to get home, not with the metro anyway. He walked slowly, stopping every so many minutes when he saw something worth immortalizing. The Sun coming down made for some pretty nice colours on the buildings around him. The light pink glow on the brown marble just made it sparkle in a way that was breathtaking to see. Sure, he was a photographer for magazines and news papers, but there was nothing like shooting pictures of the big city. He felt more at home here than he ever had in the small town where he grew up.

As he walked down the stairs and into the waiting metro he thought about what he had to wear for tonight's party. His shirt was soaking wet, so it wasn't like he could just jump in like that. He would have to take a quick shower as well. If I don't hurry I'll miss the party completely... Not something he was eager to do. Of course it was different from his normal evenings of going to clubs and bars, but there might be some nice girls around. And maybe from a different calibre than the ones he normally met. Sure the models he usually met were nice, but it wasn't like you could take 'm to dinner. For them that meant a cigarette and a glass of water, not the romance you would like.

He half walked, half ran into the building. He twisted the key open apartment number 185. It was a reasonably sized apartment, especially since he lived their all by himself. There was a second room, but he used it as his dark room. With the money from his father plus his own income he could easily afford it. And somehow things were just easier without a second person in the place. Stepping out of the shower he walked over to his cupboard with the fancier clothes. He took out an Armani suit that he had bought last year. It had always been a request from his father that they had their 'shared glasses of whisky' while wearing suits. According to Seth it was always a meeting fro false pretences, just a way for his father to say that he was still in contact with his bastard son. In Seth's eyes it could have been much worse, sure he didn't love his father, but he didn't particularly hate him either. Albeit only with money, both Seth and his mother had always been supported. And the fact that none of them really spoke to the press was better for all of them.

Looking in the mirror he had to admit that he looked quite spiffy in the suit. The light grey matched nicely with the black shirt he wore underneath. He decided to skip the tie rack as he didn't want to come across as a total douche. He could not help himself and decided to take one of the other camera's from his collection. It was quite a bit smaller, but still more advanced than your regular kind. Maybe he could make some nice group pictures tonight. When he was younger he had collected group pictures from all the places he went to. Nearly every bar and every restaurant had been represented with one of his group pictures and he saved them all, maybe to make another book with after this one was finished. Although going to every bar and restaurant was worth like 30 years of work in this city, he seemed to be on the right way. He tried something new almost every night, even though like everyone he had his favourites.

He handed his key to the gentleman at the door and took in the room and the people in it. Busy would be an overstatement, but there was a decent amount of people around. Some had familiar faces like the old hag at the refreshment table, but some he had never seen before. He would make some pictures first, before he would sit down and meet others. Most obvious to spot was the young couple on the dance floor, Seth wondered how long they'd been together. He looked like one of those businessman Seth would see around Wall Street. She, for lack of a better term, looked gorgeous. Her dress was awesome, she definitely lit up the room. They were standing close together and Seth doubted if they even noticed the picture he just took of them.

Turning around he saw another set standing together. They did not look as comfortable as the dance floor couple. Actually the girl seemed familiar, probably seen in the hallway a some time or another. At least they now had a nice picture to commemorate the moment. He walked over to a couple with a small girl. The little girl set on her fathers lap. "Anyone ready for a picture?" Without waiting for an answer he clicked a couple of times before he went on. He saw a young guy and girl sitting together as well, apparently talking food. The girl was definitely worth capturing on camera, better looking than some of the models he knew. Turning his attention to the door he saw another girl just joined the party. She was wearing a red dress and didn't seem to know anyone either. He stepped over and for once did not click his camera first. "Hi, I'm Seth. Do you live here as well?"

The girl in the red dress smiled at him when she answered. "Hi,Seth I'm Stacy yes I live here in room 123, where do you live?" Her eyes seemed to drift off while she probably scanned the room for a familiar face. "I'm up in 185, have been for over 2 years now."

While he said it he realized it for the first time. He actually couldn't believe it had been that long. He loved New York, and it felt like he had only discovered 10% of it. If that had already taken him 2 years how much longer would it take before he had seen all..." Strange actually I have never seen you here before. Coincidence or are you fairly new?" He couldn't believe she had been here long. He would definitely have noticed someone like her. Unless of course he had seen her with a man, he didn't really remember girls of which he knew they were not available. Too much drama if something would happen.

"By the way are you here with someone? I wouldn't want to keep you if someone is waiting for you." He felt like he was asking more questions than an 8-year-old schoolgirl.Maybe it would be best to just shut up for a moment.

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He didn't really know if his 'out there' would be the same as her 'out there'. He considered himself quite a simple guy who enjoyed a party at its time. The way he mostly got out was with his band, usually performing at one of the bars or pubs around. They only did about 5 clubs in the past three years. "I could use a bit more lively than this, where do you usually go out?" He hoped that whatever she would say, he would be able to buy her a beer there. Looking at her dress he had to say she certainly looked like a million dollars.

He was happy to see that the girl he was talking too didn't shy away from a conversation. With her exotic look and accent the name Francesca suited her. "I'm a transplant too, although it seems to me I'm from a bit closer than you are." He doubted she would know his home town, he doubted any person in NYC did to be honest. He thought of his grandmother and sister before he continued. "I was brought up in Rockwater Springs. I've only been in New York for 5 years. How long have you been here?" He thought he was probably the latest entry to the building, but at least he had been in the city for some time.

Seth listened to Stacy's answers and was shocked to hear she had a daughter. She seemed a bit young to have a child already. He tried to hide his surprise, but involuntarily his eye-size probably grew a bit. Seth thought to himself he might had seen her before tonight. Usually he did not let his eyes linger on women if there were children involved. After all, it is not easy to bring your kid with to a dance club. The idea of him ever having children had always seemed ridiculous to him, the little monsters took out too much time and energy. They are especially annoying when they are involved in one of his photo shoots.

"maybe after this dance tomorrow you would like to meet my daughter?" Her face betrayed the meaning behind her casually asked question. Her eyes showed there was only one correct answer to the question, which made Seth think this was more a test than asking him on a date. He didn't liked to be pressured, but he did like the way she looked. A bad combination that made him use some of his fathers dirty tricks, lies and empty promises. "Unfortunately I'm busy with work most of the day tomorrow, but the day after I would love to meet her. Maybe we can go to the park or something?"

It slipped out before he knew it. The after taste of the sentence was disgusting, he was becoming the person he had sworn never to become. He felt he needed a distraction and he took Stacy's hand. "Now the evening is still young, would you honour me with a dance?" he spoke with that mischievous, charming smile on his face.

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Her laugh was almost as sexy as her voice. He didn't think he'd ever met anyone else from Rio before, probably not even from Brazil."Well, if all the women from Rio are as charming as you, maybe I should consider moving a bit further away from Rockwater Springs than I already have."
Since she lived in New York for about twice as long, she probably had a lot more contacts than he did. Living proof of that came into immediate effect when her phone vibrated around in her bag. At least, I hope it's a phone.

The annoyed look on her face made Ben feel pretty good. Whoever the messages were from she clearly enjoyed the conversation more than the messages. At least until she tapped her finger on the screen to the latest message. Her eyes widened as she read it and her sigh shifted her annoyance from her phone to her current location. Ben suddenly prepared for a hurried goodbye and him left on his own at the party. Thinking of the strike out already she flashed her pretty whites at him and spoke. "Hey, how does an EDM club with a killer bar sound right about now?"
Ben thought, it sounds confusing as fuck, but killer bar sounds good. But before te words came from his lips she clarified her abbreviation. "EDM as in Electro Dance Music, you know? There's this really amazing place downtown that I've been invited to and, well, I think we could have a bit more fun there. I'd probably have to change though...."

Ben didn't know if she meant to change into something more or less awesome, but whatever it was he was down for it. "I can't say I'm overly familiar with that kind of music, but I think it's time to change that. Although I would have to change as well, I'll be honest, monkey suit isn't really my thing."
He could smack himself for already looking forward to wearing more comfortable clothes. A jeans and shirt would probably do. Ben hoped the smile on her face hid more than just excitement over going to this club. He gently shook her held out hand. "See you in the lobby in 10."

He walked over to the doorman with whom he had left his keys. He looked back at the people still in the room, it had become a lot more quiet in a short time. His apartment was not far away from the lobby and he unbuttoned his shirt and opened his front door simultaneously. Walking into his room he opened the cupboard door to look for a shirt. He took out a few shirts, but put them back disappointed. Maybe I should be getting an iron... Finally he found a shirt that had less creases than Madonna's face before Photoshop and he put it on. It was a simple black T-shirt, but it looked quite nice on his blue jeans. With his last savings, these places are usually quite pricey, he left the apartment once again and arrived back in the lobby with minutes to spare. He popped a mint in his mouth and waited patiently for Francesca to meet him.

When Seth saw the smile appear on Stacy's face he felt even more guilty about his lie than before. Was he really about to abuse this innocent person for his own amusement? When she asked him about the zoo he could do nothing but nod. Haven't been there in months... The last time had been for a fashion shoot for some perfume brand. He still had a bag of the stuff upstairs. "Sure, I love the zoo." He thought now of how he actually did not have any intention going with her. With a bit of luck of luck she would like the dance, be tempted enough to go up with him tonight and be easily avoidable for the next few months.

As Stacy slid her hand in his they walked to the dance floor. Seth looked at one of the employees of the apartment building and asked him to come over. [color=700000]"Good evening, could you please keep this for me?"[/color] He handed the man the camera he had brought down. It would only slow him down on the dance floor. He did not want to boast about his dancing skills, but his mom had given him the dance gene. She had even been a dance teacher for about 5 years and that's where he was supposed to meet her after school.

He looked over at the girl whose hand he was holding. She really did look good in that dress. "That dress looks amazing on you, I have to be honest." He noticed most people were no longer dancing and the two of them were just about alone. Stacy seemed to look for a nice slow song, but instead the next song starting was an upbeat tempo Latin song, the kind nobody could resist dancing to. He spun Stacy around once before putting one hand on her waist and with the other hand he tightly grabbed hers. [color=700000]"Are you ready?"[/color] he asked her with a wink. Without waiting for an answer he started leading her over the floor. With his precise and decisive movements the only thing Stacy had to do was relax, something that not everyone could do so easily.

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Ben caught himself staring at the elevators. Each time one opened he looked as hopeful as a puppy looking out to see the boss come home. The doorman looked at Ben when he saw he was slapping himself in the face a few times. He had to act cool, or at least a bit cooler than he did right now. Sure she was beautiful, but he was acting like he never had met a girl before. And if he wanted to stand any chance he had to keep it together. After all, he didn't look too impressive on paper, being a high school drop out and all.

With the next elevator arriving in the lobby he looked just as exited as he did the first time. Oh Ben, grow up... It seemed to be another disappointing elevator ride. As many people as cam out of it, no Francesca. Just as he wanted to pop another mint into his mouth he saw that he spoke too soon. She came out looking like something Ben so far only saw in movies. He had never thought of leg warmers as a welcome accessoires for girls, but he had clearly been wrong about that.
"Hey you, sorry for keeping you waiting....you look nice."

Okay, nice is something... he thought. He saw Francesca diving into her purse and pulling out green shades. They looked hideous, but at this moment he was so gullible he would have worn his shorts on the outside if she asked him to. "But you could use a little more color for where we're going so here, you can have these."
As she put them on Ben's head it seemed like she liked them, so he kept them up.

It appeared that she had arranged for a taxi since a driver came up to them to inform them he was ready. When they came outside he was looking for the taxi that would bring them to the club. He saw a few of them standing a couple of meters away. They couldn't really park close since there was a limo blocking the entrance. Ben was surprised to see his companion for the night step towards the limo and opening the door. "Damn, it's colder out here than I thought, I probably should have brought a jacket, eh?" She crawled into the car and Ben slid in behind her. He felt the warm air streaming from one of the vents telling him the driver gave in to Francesca's request.

"I hope you don't mind the glasses, I think they look cute on you though! Plus they glow in the dark so they'll look pretty awesome inside the club!" Her excitement was jumping of on him. He hadn't been to one of these parties in a while. He wonder what his band mates would say if he would tell them about this next practice. The shades did not feel to bad. And riding a limo was something he'd literally never done before, unless you count the funeral of his grandfather.
"So tell me something interesting about yourself, like what do you do for a living when you're not charming women at parties?" He laughed at her question since it could not be further from the truth.

"Are you suggesting I wouldn't be able to make a living charming women at parties?" He said with a wink. Probably she would not even be able to see the wink due to his newly acquired eye-wear. "Well, of course at night I'm a superhero roaming the streets fighting against the rich to feed the poor." He spoke in a serious tone. "To hide my true identity, Neighbourhood Sunshine, I have taken a job at a restaurant. I'm a Sous-Chef at 'La Grande Canard'." The car was only moving slowly. The NYC traffic was famous for being a raging bitch. "Hey, I just thought, people might recognize me tonight. My superhero outfit kind of involves a lime green mask, and these shades might look like it. No problem at all, but then at least you know in case people start freaking out about me." He felt like he was talking non stop, like a school girl overdosed on gummi bears. "So, what about you? You surely look you could do this for a living?" He waited for her answer while he felt the car was moving again.

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Ben was enjoying the car ride. He found it surprisingly easy to talk to Francesca as if he had known her for years. He could definitely see the dancer in her, skilled long legs, a great body and a passionate character. "If you really do miss the stage, than why don't you keep on shooting for Broadway? It seems to me you're the kind of person who can do anything you set your mind to."

It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination. Out the window Ben could see the line of people. It was so long you might think free I-phones were being handed out, not quite like the pubs Ben usually visited. He hadn't been here before, but the festival of neon signs made him curious to see the inside. He didn't really understand what she was waiting for, but she seemed to wait for her phone to buzz before stepping out the car. No such luck however, and she got fed up after half a minute. She got out of the car herself and met him back when he stepped out himself. He could punch himself, of course he should have walked around the car to open the door for her. That's probably what she was waiting for. Oh Ben, you just had to leave your brain at home, huh?

To his surprise she stepped right up to the bouncer, who seemed to give her a hard time. That could be expected, he thought. Nobody is going let us skip a line like this, and probably 50% of the people had told the bouncer their name was on the list. The rude behaviour of the bouncer made her nostrils flare up a bit. She had a good point though as the other bouncer let them go right through. Ben made a mental note of her controlled annoyance. No swearing, no raised voice, just a clear picture of what she wants and the ability to make people interested in what she had to say. Ben had a slight smile on his face which went well with his new-found headgear.

As they walked inside Ben grabbed the attention of the bouncer who had wanted them to join the line. He spoke in a soft voice "You better not be expecting a tip when we come out, mate."
Without looking back at the man he followed Francesca inside. Almost instantly he forgot all about the troubles at the door. The music was nice and made him want to dance and the club itself had very nice lights and decorations. As Francesca turned around to him, he felt her breath on his neck when she told him they were going up to VIP. He thought about saying something about his mask when she did, but he thought the noise would take the joke out of it. Instead he followed her to the staircase. It wasn't hard to keep an eye on her, with her glow in the dark dress.

Ben wondered if it was only her job that made her look so at home in the VIP section. It looked to him like she had been in VIP's for all of her life, but than it was not his place to ask or question it. The music was much less loud up here and aside from the two of them there were only people in the private booths and of course the bartender. "Maybe we should check out the bar, seems a lot less crowded than the one downstairs. Maybe you can tell me some stories of your superhero adventures?" She walked ahead of him to the bar and set down on one of the stools. Ben leaned into the bar and ordered. "Could I have two Heinies, please?" When he saw the man grabbing two glasses, Ben stopped him. "Unless you got it on tap, I think we rather go for bottles." A few seconds later the dark green bottles were uncapped on the bar and Ben grabbed both. One of them he handed to Francesca. And he held up his bottle in order to clink hers. "To meeting awesome people." He waited for her to clink in before continuing.

"You asked more about my adventures? Well, I have many superpowers, but my main one is confusion. So yesterday, for example, I saw this guy stealing a handbag and I followed him into a dead-end-alley. The guy took out a knife, but than I used my powers of confusion. I shouted: GRILLED CHEESE IS NOT A WINDOW WIPER!" In between Ben took a few sips from his beer, before he continued. "Of course, this is only a light confusion bubbling up. I need to put it into overdrive, so I grab an empty McDonald cup near my feet. Instead of throwing that on him, I try to throw it on the roof of the apartment building we're standing next to. Than I started laughing like a maniac and shout again: THAT IS NOT A PEAR SHAPED PHOTO FRAME AT ALL! Long story short, keep these actions up for 5 minutes and he'll give you the handbag in exchange for safe passage out of the alley." With a smile he took another sip from his beer. "I hope you're not too impressed to keep hanging out with me, I'm kind of enjoying my night."

Madison pulled up into the apartment parking lot with a sigh. She really didn't seem to understand why her parents got her this apartment and wanted her out so quickly. But she just shrugged it off and turned off the ignition before climbing out of the vehicle. The brunette glanced into the backseat, finding boxes among boxes of stuff to carry up those stairs. She lifted her hair into her hands and pulled it up into a messy bun before opening the back door to her vehicle. She reached for the first box and closed her car door with her hip and began to walk up to the sidewalk, then through the door, past the front desk, and up the stairs to the door of her apartment.

At that moment she had just noticed that there was an elevator she could have used and she shook her head a bit agitated. At least she knows for next time. The female set the box down on the ground and rummaged through her purse for the key to her apartment, finally finding it in the bottom of her purse. "I really need to put this on my key ring," she mumbled to herself as she slid the key into the hole and unlocked the door, giving it a slight push to open it up. She then bent her knees and lifted the box in her arms before stepping into the apartment. She smiled when she noticed there was already some furniture in the apartment, that her parents most likely had bought for her and put there. She set the box down on the couch and placed her purse down on the coffee table before stepping back out the door to grab another box.

The dance was fun. He spun her around a few times and let the tempo of their dancing run quite high. The smile on her face told him that she was enjoying it too. He was very thankful to his mother that she taught him how to dance. Not many girls expected it and it was a perfect way to sweep them of their feet. The song was about 4 minutes long and they were about the last people on the dance floor. They were at least the only ones that lasted the entire song. After the song finished he stepped back a bit and bowed in front of Stacy, thanking her for the dance.

He escorted her off of the dance floor. While he did he also lifted a hand up to the DJ thanking him for the perfect song. Somehow the DJ gave him a naughty looking smile as if he knew the dark intentions Seth had planned for the night. Maybe it is easier to spot a bastard when you see one than I thought it was. "Thank you very much for the dance, you're quick on your feet." He flashed his whitest smile and walked to the man he gave his camera to. Everything was going according to plan. "Shall we go upstairs?"

Together they walked to her apartment. They talked a bit on the way up to Room 123, about nothing in particular. Doubt crept into his mind, while he started feeling worse by the minute. It would not be right to take advantage of her, especially not by lying and cheating his way into her apartment. He was an ass, he knew that, but he had to prove that he was not his father. When they arrived at her door he spoke. "Well, at least I'll sleep easy knowing you returned home safely. We'll talk later about the zoo, the day after tomorrow. It was very nice to meet you, I'm glad I came to the event tonight." He kissed her on the cheek before he turned and walked back to the elevators. Just before stepping into the elevator he turned towards her and waived one last time.

When the doors to the elevator closed he pushed the button to go up to one of the highest floors to his own apartment. [i]My goodness Seth, when did you turn into this... He had the feeling that the years alone in New York were a big part of the cause. He hadn't seen his mother in quite some time. He never wanted to go back to the small town, while his mom hated coming to New York. The last 10 times they spoke it had been via Skype.

He turned the keys in the lock to his apartment. The windows and curtains were still open and the view was quite amazing from this high. He threw his jacket over one of the chairs in his apartment and walked to his bed room. Undressing further he stepped under the shower before he turned to bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

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The next morning Seth woke up still feeling exhausted. The nice cup of coffee he took next made him feel a lot better. Looking into his schedule he saw that he had a shoot a bit later in the afternoon. He decided to get ready early. Maybe he would be able to get out and shoot some pics for his book before he had to go back to his assigned duties. But first of all he had to stop at the reception. Looking at the room the maid clearly hadn't been there the previous day. He wasn't mad or upset, but he did want to make sure someone would stop by today.

He went down with the elevator when he was ready. He had two camera's on him, while he actually only needed one. The weather was uncertain today, and the one was better in the sun, while the other performed better when it was raining. Arranging things at the reception he stepped outside. Still deciding what to do he waited outside and lit a cigarette. He saw an unfamiliar car standing in front of the entrance. Not half a minute later he saw a girl stepping out of the building, walking up to the car. She looks good, he thought Especially with her hair like that. He stumped out his cigarette and walked up to her. "Hi, I'm Seth, I live here. Do you need some help with those boxes?"

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Ben was surprising himself. It wasn't that he was bad with girls, but he really enjoyed his night and it seemed Francesca was too. He had to appreciate the fact that most girls would not have been laughing at his story, most of them would probably have run off.

"No worries, I am definitely enjoying my night as well. You're quite the character you know. It's a good thing no one else heard you in that alleyway though, they might have thought you were actually crazy and called the men in white coats on you!"
Her legs were almost touching his as they were now sitting closer than before. "Oh the man in white coats, they are my arch enemies. They had me once for 5 days, but I escaped and killed 2 of them doing so. I fought my way out with the most dangerous piece of cutlery imaginable, ... a plastic dessert spoon" He was constantly thinking if his stories were not going too far, but she seemed to be okay with them. Maybe better to shut up for a moment though... He took another sip from his beer, when he saw Francesca's face light up.

As soon as she started to explain the game, Ben got excited for it. "Learned in school? Maybe I should have stayed in school longer after all?" It was a good game, he was looking forward to it. He knew the only ways to tell if it is vodka or water without smelling or tasting is to either freeze it or light it on fire. Neither would be an option this evening. He watched as Francesca gracefully started off their game. She was unlucky on her first try. Her eyes betrayed that she hit the Vodka instantly. "Whew, that was most definitely Vodka. Ask away, I'm game!"

While she filled another glass with Vodka he thought about what to ask. He didn't know if the question should be risky, innocent or shouldn't make any sense. He had to admit that nonsensical questions were his speciality, but he thought he stumbled out more than enough nonsense for the evening. Eventually he decided to go risky, at least risky on a first meeting. "Okay, first question. What is your favorite sleepwear? And be descriptive."

While he gave Francesca some time to think about the questions he already closed his eyes. He started shuffling the 4 glasses. He now had a 50% chance of choosing a glass of Vodka. In order to pick a glass he decided to fall back on his schooling. He picked glass C, just like he had done on every multiple choice test he ever did. He smiled at Francesca while he brought the shot glass to his lips. He drained the glass in one shot and slammed the glass on the bar. He looked in her eyes while she was doubting what the result was. "Sorry to disappoint, but this was clearly water." He filled the glass again with water and finished his bottle of beer. "The board is all yours, milady."

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He knew that a question like this was maybe pushing the boundaries a bit, especially since they only met a few hours ago. He didn't know what to expect from her. Would she dodge the question? Would she slap him in he face? Or would she become red in the face of shyness or embarrassment? Ben started regretting asking just that question. Why the hell didn't I just ask her favourite movie or something? Whatever was gonna come, he was prepared for the worst because of his own stupid mistake.

Her reaction was surprising. "Hmm, what if I said nothing?"
Wow, that was certainly not what I expected. He got the feeling all the blood in his body was directed at his cheeks. Okay, my cheeks plus one other certain body part... Before Ben could reply Francesca smacked him on the knee and continued. "I'm only kidding...unless the power goes out and it's incredibly hot outside."
With that it seemed Ben started breathing again, which somehow had stopped after her first reaction. I could actually use a shot of Vodka right about now.

"Well I love lace, and I absolutely adore silk-satin. So anything from Victoria Secret that's made with Silk or Silk-Satin, and has some lace on there, I'm in love. Now in terms of a description, I hate to disappoint you but women don't go to sleep in teddy's or bra and thong sets every night - as much as you men might like us to. Typically I sleep in red silk-satin pj shorts with a tank, or a sleeveless sleep shirt....and nothing else."
Her second reaction was possibly way more sexy than the first suggestion. To be honest, anything Ben could imagine her in would be pretty awesome. His question actually turned out better than he could have hoped.

After acknowledging that he had been the lucky drinker he saw a glimpse of disappointment in her eyes. Did she already know what she wanted to ask? As he saw Francesca shuffling the last glasses he wished her a quick "Good luck."
Apparently neither his good luck wishes nor her crossed fingers helped, as she again chose the wrong glass. He felt a bit sorry that she was having all he bad luck in this game. Maybe he shouldn't go so hard on her this time. Francesca took two of the glasses away and gave him a 50% chance for his next shot, before he could even ask his question. "Okay only two next time, lets see how lucky you really are! But first, ask away....I'm ready."

"Okay, so maybe a bit more innocent... Name the one dish that you had once in your life, and always wanted again, but could never find." This question could never be too raunchy, it seemed appropriate enough and on top of that it was about one of the things he loves most, food.

Waiting for her answer he looked at the two remaining shots in front of him. He shuffled them with his eyes closed, but even before he opened them he already had a strong feeling the water was on the right side. He didn't know for a fact, but he ha a very strong feeling. He still felt bad that he had won the first two rounds. So he went with his instinct and chose the right glass. In one smooth movement he put the glass to his lips and swallowed the liquid in one quick second. He knew he was right when he felt the slight burning in the back of his throat. "You got me this time. Good Vodka by the way..., and you've been lucky enough to already have two of these. All of a sudden I have a feeling you were winning this game all this time."

He looked forward to his question. He was at a point in life where he was not so terribly ashamed any more that he didn't even finish high school. And as honest as she had been so far, he would do his best to answer her question as thoroughly as he could.

After her question he changed the rules of the game. He gave the shot glass filled with water back to the bartender while leaving the Vodka shot. "Okay, next game. I'll tell you 2 true and 1 false statement. If you can identify the false one, I drink. If you pick one of the true statements, you drink. We keep going until the false statement is identified." He nodded at her to make sure she understood the rules. "Okay, I'll start. Statement 1: I have 1 younger sister. Statement 2: I learned to play guitar from my father. Statement 3: my band chose the name 'the Indoor Kites' over my idea, 'the Electric Rubber Bands'." He was curious to see what her first guess would be.

Seth still stood smiling at the door when the pizza delivery guy came up behind him. He moved out of the way on Madison's request, and she paid him for the food. Seth noticed she double checked the door after closing it, making sure not to repeat the same mistake again. "Would you like something to eat?" she asked him.
He was not hungry in the slightest, but in order not to seem rude he grabbed one of the paper plates and took 2 slices for himself. As he sat down next to her on the couch he heard the grumbling stomach of Madison. He looked at her with a smile on his face and she laughed a bit. "Wow, it seems the food got here just in time." He stopped the sentence by giving her a quick wink. He instantly regretted it, as he thought it looked a bit corny.

Seth took two bites out of the pizza slice before putting the plate down. "Okay, this is as good a time to start as any I guess. First things first, is there a box you do not want me to open? Should I stay away from the box marked tools, perhaps?" While waiting for an answer he opened a box called kitchen stuff. Looking inside he immediately got the feeling this box was packed by a mother. Everything sufficiently wrapped to avoid any breaking, everything marked by name, and it wasn't just thrown in there. It was full and everything was supporting the other things in the box.

He took out the stack of plates, each separated by a paper kitchen towel. He took all the paper off, and loosely folded it on the table. He could still here his mother say what she said when Seth was moving out. You can still use these after you unwrap everything... When he moved he had thrown all of them away as soon as he had unwrapped his stuff. This time, however, it wasn't his stuff so he rather kept everything neat and tidy. The stack of plates itself he took to the kitchen and he put them in one of the cupboards. "So, this is a lot of stuff. How long have you've been saving to move out of your parents place?" Walking back to the box he started unwrapping the mugs and glasses carefully. "I also brought a lot of kitchen stuff, but I can assure you in the past 5 years 90% of it hasn't been used. There are just too many nice places around here to get something to eat." He walked back to his paper plate and took another bite of his pizza. With his mouth half full he spoke again to Madison. "Hey, do wu want me to waf all this fuff before I put wem in the cupfoards?" He ha the feeling that the pizza sauce was still on his chin when he asked his question.

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Ben thought about the dish she described. He was a chef for quite a few years, but he had never heard of Woodpile Cake before. If he would ever make her dinner, he would make sure he would learn how to make it. There must be a Moldavian person in New York willing to teach him. When Francesca asked her question it became clear to him that his second careful question had not made her forget his first question. "How and where do you like being touched the most? And why?"

Ben had his answer ready and already took a breath to utter it when Francesca continued. "Besides the obvious choice of course."
Air escaped from his mouth, but no words came with it. She had taken the words from his mouth, and he needed to think what option number 2 would be. Aside from being a risqué question it was also a difficult one. After 15 seconds he thought he had his most honest answer for her. "Being touched ... by girls ... aside from the very obvious place ... my favorite body part would be my neck." He looked her straight in the eyes while answering and noticed once again how beautiful her smile was.
"Oh, and as for the why. It's because it could equally be the most relaxing and the most sexual body part to be touched."

After Ben changed the rules of the game and stated his three options Francesca seemed to think hard about her answer. "Okay, number three seems too obvious, so I'm going to say you're lying about having a younger sister?"
Ben pushed the shot in Francesca's direction with a smile on his face. "Sorry, my sister Penny is definitely real. You were right about the band name though, those bastards chose for something as lame as the Indoor Kites. It almost made me quit the band, I was heart broken. The false statement was me learning guitar from my father, it was actually my grandfather. I did make it a bit difficult, so to make it up I'll take a shot as well."
He poured another shot glass of Vodka and downed it straight away. He noticed the bottle was running empty fast.

All of a sudden he heard a loud cheering from the dance floor, apparently the DJ had arrived. Being a bit distracted by the noise Francesca took the opportunity to give her 3 statements. "Mmkay, my turn. Number one, I absolutely adore Armin Van Buuren. Number two, I'd love to dance with New York's resident superhero. Or Number Three - I've been rather lucky with drinking games over the last 24 hours."
Ben started laughing. "Haha, or number 4, shut up Ben and come dance with me."
He took the last shot on the bar and grabbed her hand. While holding her hand he walked back to the stairs in order to get to the dance floor. Once there he let go of Francesca's hand and started moving towards the music. He was not much of a dancer, but at least the alcohol he had consumed so far made him confident enough to try his best. The smile on his face was a genuine one and he really enjoyed the music. It was fast, loud and at this moment exactly what he was looking for. Looking around he could only feel his smile widen, as he realized he was dancing with not only the prettiest girl, but also the most entertaining one. This turned out to be quite the night for him.

Seth eyes looked surprised, but his mouth turned into a smile when Madison wiped the sauce of his face and put it in her mouth. He couldn't believe she was so comfortable with him after just knowing each other, what was essentially, a few hours. He took another bite of his pizza and continued with the box he had started already. Beneath the plates and the mugs there were pieces of silverware. They were neatly wrapped in paper towels and taped together in groups of 5. Breaking into Fort Knox is easier than unwrapping this stuff...

He picked up the conversation where it left off. "It certainly seems like your parents were well prepared then. This is a very efficient way of getting you out. What the hell did you do to them?" He could imagine a few things. Different parents were angered by different things, but he didn't want to assume too much. Not everyone had parents such as his, although he didn't know if he was blessed or not. He was wrestling the third packet of silverware and put them in one of the drawers in the kitchen. If he was honest he wasn't doing a bad job. He quickly finished the next three packages and found the box was empty.

He walked back to the rest of the boxes and fished out another one called kitchen. Opening it in the kitchen he once again saw the now familiar motive on the paper towels used to wrap them. The first two layers of the box were filled with storage boxes. Most of them had words explaining the content in nice pretty font. They looked like they were meant for display so he placed them on the counter. There was one for coffee, tea, sugar, rice and pasta. All in all it did look nice the way he had arranged him. It made the apartment look a little bit more homely. Lower in the box he found some standard spices, like salt and pepper. Wow, they even set her up with food products already, they must really want her gone...

The bottom of the box was filled with pans. Since there was little room left in the cupboards he opened the built in oven and stored them there, a little trick he used in his own apartment. Walking back he saw the amount of boxes was shrinking. When he picked up the next one he just knew it had to be books. It was heavier than the other boxes. He took the box and placed it next to the one Madison was emptying. The first thing he took out was a notebook. He couldn't help but go through it a bit and contradicting to his own notebooks, most pages were filled. He handed it to Madison to put it next to the books she had just put in the book case. "Wow, are you a writer?"

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It was truly astounding how fast an hour could go by if you had such a good time. The beats coming from the Dutch DJ were energizing and somehow gave an adrenaline rush greater than the one already in Ben's body. It was strange that they were able to get so close to the stage and still had some room to dance their hearts out. Besides body language their was not much conversation going on during the set. Basically there was one question from Francesca. Ben wanted to reply, but did not see any way to make his voice loud enough. Instead he decided to test her lip reading skills and mouthed: "fucking awesome!"

Through his alcoholic haze there was not much that Ben really noticed. Although he was able to see the constant smile on Francesca's face. Apparently he was not the only one having a great time. He kept his cool and kept on dancing even though the occasional arm around his neck made the blood rush to his face and to one other particular area. He thought she wouldn't notice, red cheeks were kind of mandatory when dancing with this ferocity. Ben did wonder if the arm around his neck had something to do with his answer to the question about where he liked to be touched.

The performance literally ended with a bang and some people unfamiliar to Ben went up the stage as the last song ended. Apparently the VIP status of Francesca entitled them to more than just the private bar. Moving towards the camera they both climbed the stage. The guard helping them out still didn't seem to like Ben very much. Where Francesca was helped onto the stage, Ben could whistle for it. Not a problem my unwilling friend... Ben had no trouble getting up the stage himself and was there about 5 seconds after his companion. She grabbed his hand again and pulled him towards the stars of the evening. Maybe it was because it wasn't his scene, but he had no clue who he was meeting at the moment. A blond girl with blue eyes and dark eyebrows was introduced to him as Cara. Easy on the eyes, although not as much his type as Francesca was.

When he shook the hand of the DJ, Ben shouted a "Thank you!" After all he had given them one hell of a performance. He felt Francesca's arm around his waist when they got ready for the picture. Ben could only think of his friends, and how they would not believe their eyes if they ever got to see this picture. After the group picture Ben did not feel confident enough to take a private picture with Armin. He probably wants to get out of here after working his butt off. He did not stay for long and after a few minutes Francesca dragged him back to the dance floor. Somehow it seemed that she was avoiding some social obligation, something Ben did not mind at all.

Francesca had his arm around his and it seemed she was leaning onto him heavily. Ben did not mind at all, the energy from the performance was still flowing through his body. And after a night like this he felt he could take on the world. Ben was used to the last song 'Closing time' to close of the evening. The club didn't play it, but the message of the man on stage was the same. Together they stumbled outside after she assured him that payment for the bottle of Vodka had been arranged.

"I might need you to walk me back to my place, if that's all right with you?" she giggled to him slightly as she said it. Ben looked at her with a smile on his face. "I'm sure that can be arranged." he told her with a wink.
They waited for the car service to show up after Francesca had requested it. It didn't even take 5 minutes before they showed up. Ben held open the car door and held Francesca's hand when she was getting into the car. After she got in, he got in himself. They set close together on the way home and before they knew it they drove right up to 'the Connection of life'. From right in front of the building Ben could see his apartment on the lowest floor. However he had promised to bring his date back home first.

A doorman he didn't know by name held open the door for them. Arm in arm they walked towards the elevators. Once inside they moved up to the highest floor. Ben never had any reason to come up this high before. There was not much more than the Penthouse on the floor where they got out. When they did they stood in front of the door of Francesca. On the other side Ben could hear a dog jumping up and down, sounding very excited to welcome Francesca back in her own apartment. As she stuck her key in the door Ben opened his mouth. "So, I guess this is where I drop you off..." He had decided even in the beginning of the evening he wouldn't pull a hit and run. He had done one night stands and he had become sick of one night stands. In addition to that he had enjoyed his night and his company so much that he wanted to get to know her better.

"I hope we can meet each other again. I don't want to push my luck, but would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow night?" He sincerely hoped for a yes. It had been a while since he had dated anyone, but in order to get back into it, he would love to start with her.