Thread: Going Down? (Traveler & Charlotte)

He liked her even more when she passed on helping him nail a date. Hell, she'd probably wind up scoring harder than he did. It wouldn't have been such a blow to his ego, but a man couldn't compete when the market was slanted in only one direction. He opened the door and walked into the lobby with the retro beauty, then paused as she put her hand on his chest. She was a nice height just shorter enough that it was comfortable to look down into her eyes, but not so much shorter that he would have to bend uncomfortably to ki- What the hell, he wasn't shopping for a new car or a new fit, or a new anything. He was heading out. Anytime, he answered when she thanked him for the company. And you know what? He meant it. With a renewed light in his eyes he opened the staircase door, knowing that she was heading up into the elevator, and descending the two set of eight steps it took to get to the basement parking garage. Every time he saw his white Audi RS7 it brought a smile to his lips. The thing still smelled new. No one had eaten in there or spilled soda in there, hell, he didn't even let Vanessa drive it. The car was his, and his alone. He paid premium to get a parking spot between two pillars to further prevent anyone from dinging his doors with theirs. As he walked through the parking garage he noticed the huge differences between cars. There were a lot like Vanessa's, a few years old and in decent shape, though they had been used hard and put away wet. Then there were the ones that looked like they were being held together by their paint and a lot of prayer. Those were more common, he guessed, since the rent on this building was so varied. The lower three floors had more apartments per floor. Smaller units were cheaper to rent, and the city wasn't always the cheapest place to live. Then there was his floor they had larger units and access to the roof. It wasn't exactly luxurious, but sometimes you needed more than a four by ten balcony to call your own. Sometimes you needed to see stars. Or the area where stars would be if the city wasn't so bright. He slipped easily into the leather seats, luxuriating in the way the panels seemed to hug his body, and soon he was headed into the city. The women had best be on their guard tonight - he was on the prowl. --- What do you mean you can't come out and fix it tonight? Vanessa's full, red lips pursed millimeters from her iPhone 6. She stomped a foot and slammed a manicured hand on one curvy hip. The mattress is ruined! Her heavily mascara laden eyes turned to look at the bed, where the spot had seemed to get bigger and bigger, like the bleeding wound from some alien creature. I cannot sleep on that. The person on the other end of the phone was unimpressed. It was past business hours. The best they could do would be to send out an 'emergency crew' in the morning. Vanessa bent towards the bed. It wasn't so bad, was it? She took a sniff and immediately recoiled as if someone had shocked her with a cattle prod. The acidic smell of her cat's urine was even offensive to her, and that was saying a lot. As she listened to the cleaner explain, yet again, that they couldn't come out, she reached over to her bottle of Jennifer Lopez's Live' fragrance. Several spritzes later did nothing to hide the foul scent, only to add a tawdry layer of spunk to it. She hung up on the technician and went out the balcony to call Jacob. Surely he would understand? He loved her, right? She tapped her foot impatiently as she dialed his number and waited for him to pick up. A few rings later he did, the sound testifying that he was on his Bluetooth in the car. The car he never let her drive. Jacob? Her voice trailed upwards at the last syllable. Who the fuck did she think was going to answer? He scowled at the freeway. Speaking. What is it, Nessa? I'm driving. Jacob, this is Vanessa. She shifted her feet. On the other end of the line her boyfriend rolled his eyes. He knew it was her. Didn't he just say her name? Listen. I called the cleaners, and they can come out tomorrow, okay? So maybe tonight we, I don't know, maybe we rent a room? At the Marriot? Maybe we take a little Staycation okay? Shit. He shifted the car into a lower gear and passed a few Sunday drivers in the number two lane. They disappeared in his rear view mirror and blended with the other lights. Either the bed's fixed tonight or the cat's gone. My vote is both. I'm not staying in a damned hotel room when I have a perfectly good apartment available. Baby, be reasonable. Her pout was audible even over the phone. Listen, I pay half, okay? That's fair. I pay half, and... she added in a sing-song voice, I'll make sure that you get something spec-i-al to-niiight. She smiled, confident that an offer of 'great' sex would convince him. Didn't women rule the roost? You heard my terms. He reached up and touched the ear piece. This was getting out of hand. She was trying to use her body as a bargaining chip? There was only so many ways he could fuck her she had gotten boring after the second month, her interactions as scripted as her damned weather report. Touch here, lick there, nip, moan, stroke several times and check the clock. It was ridiculous. He was done. In the pit of his stomach he knew it he was done. And he was glad to be done.