Duplicity Ch. 11

There was a hunky 'graper' assigned to each of the ladies, ready to feed them grapes. All they had to do, was look them in the eye and suggestively open their mouths. Ana was having a ball, she looked she was about to jump the poor guy feeding her. By contrast the guy assigned to Isabella seemed overly eager to feed her. However with one icy glare from her and pursed lips; he backed off.

The man assigned to Layla was tall, dark and handsome; his chest was finely cut ripped with muscles. His eyes were dark pools of night, devoid of any light or softness. It was odd because it didn't look like he belonged at all. Layla felt a little uncomfortable with him being so close to her and kept politely declining his grape offerings. Maybe it was the odd exchange with Rafaele but she wasn't feeling it.

Soon Layla got distracted by the show. One by one Rafaele called the entertainment to the stage. It started of innocent, with a clown juggling red balls making everyone laugh. Rafaele made a raunchy joke about juggling balls. The entertainment quickly turned more and more daring. It ended up with a man breathing fire behind several men who were simultaneously stripping. The DJ's music thumped along while crowd went wild, screaming and whistling. The ladies got up from their seats and turned it into a dance floor. Some even got on the tables to dance.

From the stage, Layla saw Sharon and Gigi wearing more conservative costumes. They were hooting and hollering with the rest of them. Everyone was having a great time. One by one the muscled strippers gave Sienna a sexy lap dance while she laughed tried to hide her face in embarrassment. After a while Sienna lost her nerve, got up and started dancing with everyone. It was all in good fun.

Layla needed some fresh air and decided to sneak backstage for some water. She walked through a long darkened halfway looking for the room they changed in; there were plenty of refreshments there. After turning the corner, she kept walking. Was this corridor always this long? That room must be close somewhere.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck rose as she felt someone was watching her. She turned to look behind her but kept walking when she saw there was no one there.

Was her mind playing tricks on her or did she just hear faint footsteps? She quickly turned around but again saw no one. Nothing but the quiet black walls surrounded her. Maybe she was being paranoid, she kept walking.

It happened again.

Something wasn't right. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She briskly walked to the closest room. Opened it and abruptly closed it behind her. It was dark inside, probably a closet of some sort. Her chest rose erratically with each bated breath.

"Don't scream." A deep voice whispered behind her.

Just seconds away from doing just that, but as she turned with widened eyes she realized who it was.

"Merle?! Jesus Christ!! You scared the living shit out of me!!" Layla hissed. Running off pure adrenaline, she felt her heart pounding out of her chest. With her hand over her chest, she doubled over and heaved trying to catch her breath. It was Merle all along.

"Calm down sweetheart. It's just me." He rubbed his hands down her back until her breathing went back to normal. His gaze hardened as he peeked out of the door without her noticing.

"You ok?"

Layla nodded as she stood and let out a soft smile. She was so relieved to see him. Throwing her hands around his neck, she squeezed him into a hug. She was scared shitless.

"Hey, you're ok." He ran his hands on the side of her face. "There's nothing to be scared about."

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with the guys at the bachelor party?"

"Jason wanted me to come by and make sure you guys were ok." Well, that was mostly true. MerletoldJason he was going to go check on the women and make sure they were ok and he agreed.

"Why would he ask you to do that? Of course we're ok unless... you're really here to spy on us." Layla gave him a suspicious look.

"Maybe just spy on you..." His eyes traveled down her body slowly. "And what the fuck are you wearing?"

"A... costume?"

Merle let out a grunt. "And this is why I obviously needed to be here." His tone came out harsher than she was used to.

"Well I'm glad you were the one to come." She pulled him into a hug trying to soften him up. He seemed to be on edge.

"Yea?" He pulled her closer and buried his nose in the crook of her neck. He planted soft kisses there. Layla breathed a sigh of relief and felt herself relax completely.

"Why don't you go ahead back to the party? I'll meet up with you when this is finished."

Layla wanted to protest but held her tongue. She wanted to tell him why she was all shaken up and at the bizarre exchange with Rafaele, but she held back. She remembered what he did to those men on their first date and at that time he didn't even break a sweat.

Plus the fact that he already seemed tense. She didn't want her paranoia and perhaps a simple misunderstanding get Rafaele and that other guy beat up.

"Ok sounds good." She reluctantly said.

"I'll be around the corner checking some things out with the security team."

She felt so silly, she was just being paranoid. With one last smile she walked off to join the others back on stage. This time she found her way back right away. She snorted; she was obviously loosing her mind.

Just as she was about to go up the small steps she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello love." It was Henry. He quickly whisked her up into a bear hug.

"Henry! You're back? How did you know we were here?"

"I got back a little earlier than expected. And the people in the house told me about the bachelor and bachelorette parties tonight. They insisted I choose one to go to. And I thought this one sounded much more interesting." He whispered and let out a smile.

In turn Layla smiled warmly at him. It was nice to have him there. "Well go and get some food and we'll talk later."

"Alright love, you come and find me." He turned and walked away.

Unfortunately Layla didn't see how his features hardened and his teeth clenched as he glanced into the darkened hallway.

___________

It was the wee hours of the morning and the Bane estate was practically empty. No one had arrived from the parties yet. And Abuelita Celeste roamed the halls looking for her Alejandro.

Gigi left her with a sitter while she was at the bachelorette party. They set her up in a little lounge area next to her bedroom and played several of her favorite Spanish soap opera episodes. This would ensure she'd stay put and out of trouble.

Unfortunately after a couple of hours, Mona the woman in charge of watching her fell asleep on the couch after a long day of work. It didn't help that Mona didn't understand a word of what the actors were saying in Spanish. And so when all the episodes finished, Celeste was excited and wide awake.

She was obsessed with this Spanish soap opera and truly believed she was the young heroine in search for her long lost love. In her long airy nightgown, she tip-toed quietly as to not be heard. Her thoughts were only of him and finally seeing her Alejandro. She called out his name, but got no answer.

She wandered to the 4th floor and looked in every room. As she searched, she was very quiet. Finally at the end of the hall she found a room that had to be his. She crept in but found no one there. She would surprise him and wait for him in his bed. She slipped off her gown and climbed under the sheets. She let out a toothy smile and her wrinkly face followed.

Finally they would consummate their undying love for each other.

___