Requiem Ch. 02

"Finally, someone is speaking my own language! You're a God send, Vonni." Chloe hooted from across the table.

Veronica smiled, joining in on her charades and laughing. They both congregated to the kitchen to retrieve the wine glasses and merlot, still laughing and whispering out of ear shot from the Office where the men were.

"You've been married to Allen for long?" Veronica veered the conversation more to the point.

"About three years to this upcoming Monday, that will be our anniversary." Chloe said amongst small bites of a piece of bread.

"Well, congrats on that."

"Mhm. What an accomplishment." Her voice was flat following the comment.

Veronica peered over at her with a look of worry. She had a funny feeling that Chloe was packing more misery beneath those stunning features than she had herself.

"Allen always likes having me by his side at all times. He thinks we look like a power couple so he loves to emphasize his love of power one of many ways by means of "flaunting". Those are his exact words for it."

Veronica's jaw fell at the words and Chloe looked at her as if she had said she was a Satanist.

Chloe's light voice complimented her soft features, as well as her impeccably straight, whitened teeth. The platinum blonde hair that fell in ringlets was masterly tended to and framed her long, elegant face. She was beauty in the eyes of both men and women, Vonni knew, but the glamour of it all was entirely overwhelming.

The populace of New York City frightened her at first when she arrived fresh from Edinburgh with jetlag on an unmemorable snowy day. She figured to herself after meeting Chloe that her friend who had once said, "Manhattan is a city of wonder, mainly because of the people that live there. The other half that makes it such a curious wonder is the plethora of interesting people who stand out amongst the masses." Had just confirmed her theory.

"Sorry, I just... you know, ...Is not marriage reserved for love?" Veronica said naively.

"And I've read in a few sacred texts that love can move mountains. I do love him, he just is more in love with himself." She twisted her mouth in a half smile and turned the topic on its head.

"So, how did you meet Dylan?"

Veronica looked up from pouring the wine and directed her glance towards the study where Dylan and Allen's voices could be heard.

"I met him during my years at university. We were boyfriend and girlfriend then. As the years passed we grew apart and I didn't hear back from him until he was further ahead in his career than my own." Veronica settled the wine bottle on the table and sipped from her glass.

"So you guys were on and off?"

"More or less. When he came back into my life I had no one special I was with, except..." She tucked her arm around her stomach as the other arm helped her down more wine.

"Except...?" Chloe said, curiously.

Veronica swallowed after the wine settled deliciously on her tongue. "Except a certain person I had met a few months before he came back. We would talk to each other over the first year I was with Dylan, and then he found out."

Chloe gasped and chimed in with fervent curiosity now. "He found out? Did he catch you in the act?"

Vonni looked at her and was about to continue until Dylan and Allen's voices became louder as their footsteps announced their arrival. Chloe looked at Vonni sympathetically and mouthed the words 'later'.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Veronica followed her into the dinning room where Chloe sat beside Allen, his arm curling around her. It would've appeared as a protective gesture to any other pair of eyes, but ever since Chloe let the cat out of the bag she knew the reason derived from greed.

Dylan had already seated himself and was enjoying a bite of pork, shaking his head in wonder. "Vonni, sweetums, you've never ceased to impress me. This is absolutely fantastic."

"It's the dog's bollocks, ya mean." Veronica smiled at the compliment and seated herself beside him.

"So, Veronica..." Allen's voice permeated the cacophony of utensils slicing meat, the sound of plates clanking, chewing and swallowing both food and wine, "How does the city fare you?"

Allen's steely voice took her aback. His tall frame and broad shoulders automatically gave him an intimidating aura, Veronica observed. His piercing green eyes seemed diluted with a darker color and the facial hair that adorned his jaw, upper lip and chin completed a picture of a man driven by the seven deadly sins. Veronica made another observance; his gut was as flat as a board. Perhaps just six deadly sins then. More than enough... Veronica thought.

"Pardon?" She said after forking a few vegetables into her mouth.

Chloe looked over at her and smiled, continuing on behalf of him. "He meant to say, 'How do you like the city?' "

"It's a definite change, that's goes without saying. But, I have to say-" She paused, the memory of her and Sherron kissing beneath the street lamp bright as ever in her mind caused her throat to go dry. She washed the thought down with wine and continued, "It's been a real twist of events."

"How so?" He challenged from across the sea of steaming food.

Veronica felt her brow furrow. He certainly loves to test my boundaries. She pursed her lips, and said, "I'm from a rural town. So, you can imagine walking into a different world like New York if you originated from the town like I have."

"So what town did you originate from?" He cracked his knuckles and rested the back of his head against the palms of his hands. Veronica looked over at Dylan on her left but his mind was solely interested with his plate of food.

"Just a little ways outside of Glasgow."

"I've never been there, but Chloe always manages to remind me we should visit more countries. She definitely has more wanderlust between the two of us." He grinned and stretched his arm around her again. Chloe patted him on the knee and continued eating. While still eying his wife, he continued, "But that's grand, though. I'm happy you're enjoying Manhattan. There are quite a few places around here that Chloe and I frequent. We were wondering if you'd like to come along."

That seemed to pique Dylan's interest from his plate of food. "What about me? I don't want to stay home on a Friday night."

Allen turned towards him. "Well, of course you'll come along. You wouldn't want any other man to steal her away now, would you?" His smile truly unnerved Veronica.

She felt Dylan's arm envelope her instinctively. In any other instance she would have welcomed it lovingly, but she feared Allen's bad influence on him and shrugged it off.

"Don't think I can fend for myself?" She retaliated with a bite of a potato.

This amused Allen to no end it seemed, Veronica thought. He was constantly smiling as if he knew something that she didn't. She felt her skin crawl with his gaze trailing down her frame.

"No, of course not. You're a psychiatrist. I'm sure protocol taught all their med students hold and restraint, am I wrong?" His smile curled further.

"No."

"Well, then. That settles that." He returned his attention to his food. Chloe moved her neck in a nonchalant way, feigning to scratch an imaginary itch, and whispered something in Allen's left ear. A scowl crossed his features making him look more like a prune than the stud muffin he portrayed as Veronica watched the two of them. Dylan was still packing away his food, oblivious to the couple's antics.

Chloe leaned away from her husband and winked over at Veronica from across the table. And that settles that too, Veronica mused to herself with finishing her glass of the merlot. I could do with some more entertainment, anywho. She came to a final conclusion in her mind.

"I think a night out would be beneficial for the lot of us, actually. Count me in."

Chloe looked over at her with a look of shock while Allen's frown from before turned into a shit-eating grin. He cleared his throat while massaging Chloe's shoulders with one hand, apparently quite pleased with Vonni's recent decision. Veronica looked over at Chloe who gave her a reassuring smile.

"Absolutely wonderful, then." Allen concluded the conversation.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Twenty minutes later all four of them were packed tight in a taxicab weaving in and out of traffic along Lexington Avenue. There was a slight thunderstorm on the way to their destination causing the rain to distort the passing buildings in view. Veronica was counting the beads of water running down the glass when Chloe leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"So, you're sure you don't want to try another club? I've heard it gets impossible to get in the place past ten o'clock." Her lips touched the surface of her ear and Veronica gasped. Dylan and Allen were in a heated debate when they suddenly stopped at the sound. They looked over at her curiously for the mild interruption from their talk.

Vonni smiled and thought of a quick lie, "Just a thought that popped in my mind. That's all." She could feel Chloe beside her giggling quietly to herself. Veronica wanted to lean over and twist her own ear but she refrained from the impulse. Both Dylan and Allen continued their discussion as if an interruption hadn't occurred.

"So your ears are your erogenous zone, hm?" Chloe said smugly.

"Bugger off. It's a flaw." Veronica could feel her cheeks itch as she fought the smile forcing its way over her lips. She could feel Chloe's eyes on her still.

"Alright. One of the few I have, yes." Veronica folded her arms in a pout.

Chloe laughed and nudged her in the ribs. "Aw, come on. I was only poking fun. Plus, it was kind of hot."

Veronica felt her ears turning a shade of pink. "Oh, I know it was hot. I don't need reminding." She smiled to herself knowing and relishing her effects. She heard Chloe chuckling to herself.

"What're you laughing at?" It actually began to annoy Veronica for a moment.

Chloe waved her hands in an apologetic way while spitting out a few more laughs. Her chocolate brown eyes welling out tears while she desperately tried to fan them and dab with a cloth, still laughing. At this point even Dylan and Allen both turned to look at the spectacle.

"Ha ha... Oh, God. Whew, mind us gentlemen. Just having a laugh is all." Chloe flashed one of her dazzling smiles. She folded her hands in her lap and directed her stare at Allen. He returned the stare and said with a cool air about him, "It's so nice to see you two have become the best of friends." Dylan looked over at Veronica and Chloe, back and forth until his gaze settled on Veronica. He arched his eyebrows and grinned. Veronica straightened her posture and gave him a stern look. He immediately found Dylan's previous topic of Wall Street's recent story on oil much more interesting.

Chloe turned back to Veronica and smiled.

"Please, forgive my little outburst earlier. I simply couldn't help it. You sounded so sure about yourself. You have a certain confidence about you that made me realize you must be a dominatrix."

Veronica's eyes widened at hearing the words.

"How'd you-"

"What? Figure it out? Come on, you have it written all over you from head to toe."

Veronica scoffed at her, directing her attention out the window.

"So where are we going anyway? You and Allen were talking about this club as if it was revolutionary." The taxi began to slow around Park Avenue, the driver cursing at the congested traffic.

"Yo, man?" A thick, Brooklyn accent emerged from the sliding glass. Dylan turned his head towards the driver.

"That club off of Madison? Yeah, a few other cabbies are in that part of the city's grid and they said it's absolute hell trying to get in. They said the line stretches about half a block."

"Half a block?!" Chloe and Veronica both said in unison.

The cab driver looked startled by the two women whose voices rose from the back of the car. He slowed to a stop beneath a traffic light. Amongst a sea of yellow cabs and other civilian cars, Veronica spotted a few police cars that had a portion of the lane blocked off by signs that read, 'NO TRESSPASSING'.

"It's because of the tattoo shop right along side it. The owner is throwing some auction party for some fundraisers and included a few custom tattoos on the side too. That news crew van parked in the alleyway over there just finished covering the story on it. And, the club Energy is always booked on the weekends." The cab driver pointed towards the buildings a few yards from Veronica's left. She followed his finger till it paused in the direction of the building covered in lights.

The club Energy was wrought with neon lights and fixtures. The music was muffled by the sounds of the city but the beat of the current song blared its bass loudly. The street was flooded with on lookers and jaywalkers as the cabbie honked his horn, kindly echoing his response to a truck in front of him flipping him the bird.

"Figlio di puttana!" The cabbie wailed out of his window, his arm rose with a fist. Chloe erupted in laughter as the cabbie continued to harass the truck in front of them. Several on lookers turned their gaze towards them, along with a few cops joining in on the new commotion.

"He basically told the other guy that he's a son of a whore." Chloe giggled again unable to control herself. Veronica let out a whistle, followed by, "Shit. That's harsh."

The truck driver yelled out to the driver, but it was too muffled inside the cab to catch anything clearly. The cab driver definitely heard it though... Veronica mused quietly. The driver huffed, his neck turning red. A cop shouted over to the cars to knock it off or else they'll be the reason traffic was held up tonight. Both the cabbie and the driver of the truck rolled up their windows and nodded towards the police officers.

"Non mi rompere i coglioni, ya fuckin' pigs." The cabbie muttered under his breath as he nodded to the officers with a smile. Chloe, however, had overheard his hushed Italian and was smiling in a sarcastic way.

"What'd he say now?" Veronica asked eagerly to Chloe who was immersed in the thick Italian flowing from the cabbie's mouth.

She smiled at her in a playful way, returning her eyes back to their driver.

"He said don't fuck with me. I'm completely doubtful of that though. That's why I was smiling." Chloe patted Veronica's knees excitedly, telling her how much she was looking forward to Veronica's first visit to Energy.

"I didn't know you knew Italian." Veronica explained after the cops returned back to where they were stationed. Chloe turned to her.

"I'm half Italian on my father's side. Everyone who knows me in New York refers to me by my mother's maiden name, Greene. But, everyone back home in Florence addresses my family and I by my father's last name, Ferrantino."

Veronica nodded, looking back out the window towards the passersby.

"What's so special about it?" Veronica exclaimed, even though her eyes felt compelled to pay another glance at the beautiful light streaming from the building. She saw a bouncer the size of grizzly bear on its hind legs blocking the door and an even bigger man standing next to the rope a few feet from the steps leading to the club. There were people on all sides of the building, only the line to gain access was more compact and filed alongside the west side.

"I know the owner. And the owner's best friend of the tattoo shop as well." Chloe took out a pack of cigarettes and began to pack them with the back of her palm. "That's how we'll bypass all of this." She trailed her finger back and forth gesturing towards the civilians piled around them.

"Oh..." Veronica nodded while turning her attention to the smaller building beside Energy. The cabbie waved at the police officers a last time and inched a few feet alongside of another car once some leeway was made from a green light. The cabbie pointed towards the sidewalk where the tattoo shop Love was nestled.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"I can let you all out over here so you aren't wracking up your dues, ya know?" He pointed with his thumb towards the fare, which read: $23.50. Allen pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the cabbie a U. S. fifty dollar bill and told him to keep the change. The cabbie dipped his cap in Allen's direction.

"Thanks kindly. Goodnight, signoras." He nodded his head in Vonni and Chloe's direction. They thanked him as they filed out of the cab and into the busy street, blending in among the masses. The night air was brisk and chilled, a wind ruffling past sending Veronica's bangs in her eyes. She buried her hands in the pockets of her jacket, whistling again.

"It's fuckin' colder than a witch's tit out here."

Chloe laughed loud and hard and told Veronica not to talk about Allen's mother in such a way. If Allen overheard, he either pretended not to care or didn't care at all. Veronica thought better of it and chose the latter. The blonde shook her curls in an tsk tsk sort of way, weaving one of her arms with Veronica's; interlocking the both of them.

"I can guarantee that's the first time in a while he's been in public without me hanging on his arm. I married a man with no sense of humor. Someone fucking punch me."

Veronica bumped her hips sideways and said, "There. That constitutes as one." Chloe eyed her from her peripheral as they weaved in and out amongst the crowd. The news van had already cleared out of the area but the sea of New Yorkers didn't seem any less dense than it was.

"You'd think they would of cleared out of here by now." Vonni's eyes tried to carry distance over her five foot six frame, but it was just her luck that a group of insanely tall men blocked her view of the club's entrance. Chloe sensed her distress and signaled Allen with a quick, curt whistle. His head turned in her direction and she motioned her head towards the right. He nodded and tapped Dylan on the shoulder, directing him towards the new way of entering the club. Chloe grabbed Veronica by the waist, her hand clinging to her to make sure she stayed close.

"Trust me, any of these guys would love to cop a feel if you look separate from a group. Now, you're my girlfriend. Kindly drape your arm around me, mi amore." Chloe's white teeth shined as her smile stretched ear to ear. Veronica couldn't help but laugh. She was truly enjoying herself. She joined in the game and trailed her fingers through Chloe's hair.

"Mmmmm, keep that up and you're going to have to pay for it later." Chloe's seductive eyes moved over her up and down as she cleared a path through the thick fog of clubbers. Men of all sorts of shapes and sizes were staring down at them, a few whistles and a "hell yeah!" came from all directions and Veronica couldn't help but laugh when Dylan found it necessary to teach them all that I was his fiancé. Every man in the vicinity laughed, including the bouncer by the rope within earshot.

"She looks a lot happier on her arm than your dick bro. You flaccid or something, man?" One of them called out. Laughter erupted again, along with Dylan fuming with rage. Allen patted him gently on the shoulder and said something out of earshot that somehow made Dylan smile and his complexion lightened. Even though a few veins were still pulsing on his temple, he appeared calmer. Veronica shook her head and turned to Chloe. She had the same look on her own face. Men. They both thought.

Chloe lead Veronica to the entrance where a bouncer with a nametag that read "BUTCH" was leaning on the wall of the building, immediately straightening like an arrow upon their arrival. He cleared his throat and folded his massive arms over his chest. They look more like hams stuck together than muscles. Veronica felt her eyes widening as she realized he must've been at least six foot five. Jesus, he must tower over Dyl by at least five inches.