Danny made a beeline for the bar, helping himself to a flute of champagne. What the hell am I doing here? He hadn't been able to sleep. He'd tossed and turned thinking about inhaling another line of white powder. A part of him knew he had to end this affair with the vitamins.
He surveyed the room until his eyes fell upon Nia—the only blonde surrounded by a throng of brunettes. She wore a light silver sheath. He liked how the dress shimmered underneath the chandeliered lights. Her body swayed to the music while she talked to a group of girls. Her russet eyes lit up when she spotted him. She waved Danny over, excusing herself from the group of women. He sauntered over with one hand in his pocket.
“Hey, boo. Glad you could make it, two hours late.” She glared.
“What can I say? When Superman's busy, they call me. Anyway, it's better late than never right?”
They clinked their wine glasses.
“Come with me.” Nia took his hand and guided him to a private bathroom. The sounds of the party transformed into a gentle murmur when she closed the door. Recessed lighting contributed to the mute feeling in the room.
Nia hopped on the bathroom counter and quickly slipped off her underwear. It landed on a beige tile, taunting him. Without a word Danny unzipped, massaging his member. Nia smiled, waiting patiently. A spark passed through him when he joined her between her legs. She felt it too, because her eyes rounded before she closed them and leaned back against the wall‐length mirror.
“Oh, I've been waiting for you all day, baby.” Her thighs tightened around his waist.
When they were finished, Nia broke out her pill bottle. Danny looked at it longingly, knowing it contained the powder he'd been dreaming about. She poured some on the counter and pushed it into a line. With a rolled up hundred the powder quickly disappeared into her right nostril. She passed the bill to him, but to her surprise he declined.
“Even if it is just vitamins, it's not for me.”
Nia pushed her lips into a pout.
“Here, why don't you just take it with you, and play with it later.” She stuffed the pill bottle into his pocket.
With a sigh, Danny relented. Maybe he would have a little later. He'd tried his best to end it. But what was the harm? Perhaps they really were just vitamins. If so, this was much better than going back to coke.
The couple rejoined the party and mingled with Nia's guests. Happy to have the vitamins in his pocket, Danny quickly became the life of the party. Nia may have been the star, but everyone hung on his every word as he regaled the guests with stories about Nia's first time on tour. Once Danny said hello to everyone in the room, he made his exit without even saying goodbye to Nia. It was an old trick Robert had taught him. Leaving without a goodbye would make everyone think he was there longer than he really was.
Marnie paced her room. She didn't know why she was so anxious, but as the minutes ticked away, she was increasingly willing to do whatever it took to get rid of the feeling. She shuddered at the thought of Chris' wrinkled white hands caressing her shoulder.
“Ugh.” Marnie simply wanted to forget all about it. The only way to get through it was to swallow it and bury it deep within her. Eventually the memory of the violation would die just like all the others. Marnie breathed deep, but it was no use. A flood of deep regrets harassed her mind.
Chris' hand reminded her of the white hands that had clutched her thighs seven years ago. Her chest got heavy and her breathing became shallow. In one split second she was eighteen again and back in the room being gang raped. Marnie tried to sit down, but she felt like she was falling, because she caught nothing but air at first. She managed to catch the edge of the bed. She put her head between her legs and tried to breathe in through her nose and out her mouth. Soon the tightness in her chest lessened. She leaned back against the bed and covered her face with her hands. She was like a caged rat in this room. She needed to get out of here.
She looked in the dresser drawer and took a rubber band and wrapped it around her hair. God, I look awful. This was the perfect time for smack. Why did she ever desert her best friend? Smack was great; it asked no questions and gave her all the comfort she desired. She really just wanted to forget about the last two days. Her head pounded and aspirin was a lazy ass bitch that barely even tempered it.
She turned from the mirror and walked into Kevon's room. He lay vertically across the bed watching Sports Center. Marnie slid in front of him, blocking his line of sight.
“Sir, I have been so celibate, if somebody doesn't tap this ass soon I am going to go crazy.” She slapped her rump hard for added emphasis.
Kevon smiled and laid a hand softly on her ass.
“I can help you with that.”
“I'm sure you can, I just need a little something to get started.”
Kevon understood immediately that ‘something' was code for drugs.
“I got something for you.” He reached into his nightstand drawer and triumphantly pulled out a prescription bottle. “Bam,” he laid the bottle on the bed.
Marnie's heart sank when she read the label. She longed for something stronger than Vicodin. Frowning at Kevon, she proceeded to pour out four pills. She handed the bottle back to him and went into the kitchen with Kevon on her heels.
Marnie grabbed a mug and filled it halfway with water before putting it in the microwave. She waited for the three minute beep to come. It was all coming back to her. Crush the pills, temper the water, and wait. A recipe Benny had taught her.
Then she grabbed a glass and smashed the four Vicodin on the counter. Kevon sat on a bar stool watching her, his deep-set eyes widened in awe. Marnie scooped the smashed contents into the mug and stirred it. She filled the mug with cold water and stirred some more. Satisfied with the temperature, she gulped the mixture down.
“Helps it work faster,” she explained.
She walked around the counter and unzipped his pants, surprised to find he wasn't hard yet. Avoiding his gaze, she slowly ran her hand up and down his shaft, picking up speed each time she reached the tip. Kevon leaned back against the counter. After a few minutes Marnie's body slackened, and she fell forward onto Kevon. He caught her before she hit the marble floor. She laid her head in the crook of his arm, allowing him to carry her to her room.
The vic was beginning to take a hold of her, making her feel warm and sleepy. Wordlessly, Kevon peeled her clothes off before attending to himself. He began to enter her anally. Marnie shut her eyes and a small tear rolled down her face. She willed for the Vicodin to take her away.
Danny walked into the penthouse and threw his keys on the coffee table. He was buzzing with joy. Whistling a tune to himself, he walked down the hallway. He was happy that he hadn't succumbed to his usual addictive activities. He could throw the bottle in his pocket away any time. He walked past Marnie's room, but stopped short and turned around. He hadn't forgotten she wanted to talk to him.
He stepped into her room. Kevon stood over Marnie at the edge of the bed, riding her. “Oops,” Danny whispered.
He proceeded to quietly turn around and slip out, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Marnie's head roll to the right. He turned back around and looked at her. Her body began to convulse, surging forward rapidly. Kevon grunted in pleasure. Something about her eyes wasn't right. They looked glazed over. A tear escaped and settled on her cheek. That was all Danny needed.
“Stop. Stop,” Danny said, walking into Kevon's line of sight. Startled, Kevon hopped off Marnie and covered his dick. He stammered something incoherent.
“Get out,” Danny said, glancing at him and then turning his attention to Marnie.
“Marnie.” He leaned over and snapped his fingers in front of her face. She stared blankly ahead, unresponsive.
He took her in his arms and rushed her to the bathroom.
This couldn't be happening. Please don't tell me I'm going to have to call an ambulance. He couldn't do this again. If Marnie had overdosed, he only had minutes to decide on what course of action to take. If he was a minute too late, she could be dead.
He turned the knob for cold water on and placed her in the tub. Marnie grimaced at the cold water, but settled deeper into her high. Danny sighed with relief. She hadn't overdosed. His mind quickly assessed the situation. She needed to get the drugs out of her system. Danny couldn't let this relapse stay in her system like the last time. He went into his room and grabbed a bottle of ipecac.
Where had she gotten the drugs? He never gave Marnie more than five dollars, which hardly would've bought even one bag of H. Kevon didn't seem like a user. The record label regularly piss tested him and Kevon, but he's the only one who could have given her access. Danny kicked himself for leaving. She never asked to talk. That was a fucking firework scream for help. He should've stayed. The hook up with Nia could've waited. That party was lame anyway.
“Here.” He unscrewed the cap and held the bottle under her lips. When she didn't respond, he smacked her, bringing a rosy flush to her honey cheeks. “Drink this.”
Her eyes still closed, Marnie took a swig, and grimaced. Danny could relate. Ipecac was a sugary nightmare. Within moments the medicine began to take effect. When she finally, finished vomiting, Danny cleaned her up and helped her into bed.
He let out a huge sigh and sat down on the bed next to her. “I'm sorry. You wanted to talk to me, and I brushed it off. I guess you feel like you don't have a friend in the world. Chin up kid, this will get better.”
Marnie clearly needed more than what he could give. If she kept bingeing at this rate, she was sure to overdose. Danny went to bed feeling like he had dodged a bullet. This was getting dangerous. He wracked his brain trying to think of something to motivate and move her out of this rut. He tried to think of what had always worked for him—family.
Marnie needed her family. That's what's going to help her. He fell asleep thinking of ways to reconnect Marnie and her estranged family.
“Dude. This isn't going to work.” Danny stood in the doorway of Kevon's room.
“Listen, about last night, it was totally a one‐time thing.”
“I can't do this.”
Kevon shook his head in frustration.
“Look, I am not even going to ask you about the drugs, but I have got to let you go. Ike has your severance package. If you break our confidentiality agreement, you'll lose everything in a lawsuit.”
“I'd rather keep my job than take a severance check.”
“You shoulda thought of that before.” Danny was a one-strike employer. You only needed to make one mistake in order to get fired.
“Danny, you believe her word over mine?”
Why couldn't Kevon see there were no sides when it came to Marnie? He'd promised to help her and last night he'd failed her twice. He never should've let her go out with Chris. Strike two was when he blew her off for Nia. No, there wasn't going to be a discussion. He was doing what was best for Marnie. After last night, Kevon had shown he wasn't trustworthy.
“Hurry up and clean out. The label is sending someone else over tomorrow.”
One fire extinguished, now all he had to do was deal with Marnie. A task he didn't relish. Would he get the same cranky she‐devil he'd met the last time she'd relapsed?
Danny knocked lightly and entered Marnie's room. She was asleep, no signs she had nearly overdosed. He sat on the edge and gently shook her awake.
“Good morning. I'm ready to have that talk now if you want.”
Marnie groaned and turned away from him.
“There's nothing to talk about,” she grumbled.
“I beg to differ, Marnie. Please let me help you.”
“You can't help me,” she whispered.
“I'm trying to, even though you're fighting me tooth and nail. We've known each other for almost a year now. Don't you think it's time to trust in me a little bit? I feel like I've more than earned your trust.”
Marnie shrugged her shoulders in response. In her book he lost her trust last night. How could he let her go hang out with a perv like Chris? Perhaps he hoped Chris would seal the deal with the director and give him the lead in the movie. Well, Marnie was no bargaining chip! Fuck you, Danny. It was really time for her to split. She needed to quit. He wasn't helping her. Things weren't getting better; they were getting worse. I'd rather get used and abused on my own terms. He was manipulating her and she was through.
“Where's your family?”
Family. Marnie never wanted to see them again as long as she lived. Danny was a stranger, but she preferred him more than her own family. He didn't know her or her story, and he was trying to help her no questions asked. Her family always had strings attached. Marnie sobered to the fact that Danny cared more about her than her own family did. Perhaps he isn't so bad, in comparison.
“Don't you think they want to know where you are? I know sometimes the drugs make us lose contact, but you're getting better. You should reach out to them and let them know you're sober.”
Marnie popped up and propped herself against the headboard.
“Why all this sudden concern about my family?” she screeched.
Danny was taken aback by her piercing glare, but didn't let himself show it.
“If you were worried about contacting them before, you're doing better now.”
“Just shut the hell up.” Marnie grabbed a fistful of the cover and lay back down with the covers pulled over her head.
Danny took the hint and got up to leave.
“You can bury your head in the sand today, but I'm not giving up on you.”
He didn't understand why she didn't give herself more credit. It seemed like she wanted to quit every time she faced the slightest obstacle.
“Tony, Tone,” Danny said into the phone. “You still great?”
“Yeah, I'm grrrreat!” Anthony said with a chuckle. Tony the Tiger was a regular joke between Danny and his longtime attorney, Anthony Lomini.
“I need you to run a background check for me. It's for one of my employees. Her name is M‐a‐r‐n‐i‐e Ducello. I want previous employment, as well as last known residences for the last ten years.”
“Why the last known residences?”
“I just need to verify some information she gave me. You know, make sure she's honest and all. I'd rather get rid of her before the press eats me alive, if need be.”
Danny didn't need to explain to Anthony why he needed to double check all his Ts. America had him under the microscope. While they may have been rooting for him, magazines didn't sell redemption—only failures. If there was something, it would eventually surface to take a bite out of Danny, whether he was involved or not. This was why those around him needed to be so clean they pissed disinfectant.
“Okay, let me give Eric a call and see what's on his plate.”
Eric was a private eye who had worked with Anthony in several cases regarding Danny before. Danny was glad he was using Eric. The man worked fast and was very discreet.
“Great. Tell him I'll pay time and a half for a speedy delivery.”
“Will do.”
Danny returned the phone to its receiver and leaned back in his leather swivel chair. He drummed his fingers against the desk, then reached into the drawer and pulled out the prescription bottle Nia had given him. Perhaps one line or two would calm his nerves? Danny quickly decided against it and slammed the bottle back into the drawer. Okay, Marnie, it's time for a Kodak moment. Let's get you back to your family and me back to my life.
The incident with Kevon spoke volumes. This girl had serious issues. She had gone from fighting with one man to sleeping with another in the span of a few hours. Danny didn't understand it, and a part of him didn't want to. He'd gotten her started on the path to recovery, and it was time for someone else to take over. He spent so much time worrying about her he barely had any time to focus on his own recovery.
Danny wasn't surprised that Marnie was scared to face her family, but that feeling was only natural. Sure, she might be ashamed to admit she was a junkie, but Danny suspected her family would welcome her with open arms. The great thing about families was that you could fuss and fight, but they would always be there for you. Marnie needed a lot of open arms from people who understood her. Who better than her own family?