Owning and Belonging Ch. 01

"Get out," she spoke straight at me. Then. "Get out. All of you. This is over. I need the space." She seemed to revulse from our connection and retreat away to the corner, where Steve and Marta had only now begun to clothe themselves again. Quietly, confusedly the remaining interviewees collected their things and fumbled for the doorway, faces drawn taught. I slowly responded, disconnected somehow. My inner tempo abuzz, it seemed I was aware of everyone and every single thing in the room at once. And most especially a small spot of dampness on my middle finger. Perspiration most likely.

Once outside the studio the other men herded close to each other, beginning to shrug the tension away with complaining, condemning, joking. Taking solace behind whispered labels like "crazy bitch" and "power tripping diva". But furtive glances were cast my way as well. I only knew I felt calm and composed and awake and alive, on many different levels. One of which was, admittedly, sexual.

"Hey, you! Style guy. You." Steve came rushing in to hold the Metro-sexual back. "Ms. Lorden wants to talk to you." Style guy paused his march out of the house, complacently eyeing the rest of us as he turned back and re-entered the inner sanctum with Steve in tow.

A general look of "well that's that" passed among the men, and they continued out. I held back, a welling sense of something like abandonment creeping in. My mind numb, I stared absently toward the harsh light outside the door, and steeled myself to descend the short set of brick steps which would lead back into a world that suddenly felt a bit stale.

'There it is again.' a thought scuttled through my head. 'Go back to just being you'.

"I'm sorry, ma'am!" It was Marta, sliding in from the same doorway where Steve had just ushered Taylor's new hire. "What's your name anyway?" Her face was a study in perturbation.

"Carolyn. Parilla. Carolyn Parilla."

"Well Carolyn. Ms. Lorden says you're hired." She seemed to study me like an unfamiliar animal. "Be here same time tomorrow morning." It took a couple moments for what she said to register. "So. Goody for you," Marta dripped. Then with a quick glance aside she leaned in close. "I mean, if you even want the job. And I would seriously consider whether you do." Again she eyed me with curiosity. "Although, I gotta say hon, you are something else. You might actually make it here a while."

In the hall a familiar and annoyed voice approached as Taylor Lorden swept into view before heading up the grand stairway with Metrosexual Man uncertainly in tow.

"-- your girlfriend, wife, whatever is never going to know anything! Not that she'd even believe you anyway..."

They haltingly, tuggingly ascended toward the upper landing as Taylor towed her prey in muffled aggravation. "I don't exist in your stupid world, don't you get it?"

Marta went from perturbed to disgusted. "Well my whole morning just got t-boned by a booty call." Then leveling an accusing look at me. "You didn't...do anything when your hand was up her skirt, did you?" To her credit she didn't seem judgey.

"I..." ...didn't even finish that sentence.

"Hey none a mine baby!" and flashing an overly-broad smile she pulled me into a gracious hug. "Well, Carolyn...welcome to Crazytown. Population: Us." And with that she broke away and sped back toward the studio.

The last thing I heard as I was turning to go was Taylor's voice echoing from somewhere upstairs.

"But no anal! I don't do anal!"

♥♥♥

Thank you sincerely for reading to the end of this first chapter!

I welcome comments and impressions of this story so far...as I mentioned at the beginning, I'm unsure how this will be received I only know that I really enjoy writing and discovering it, enjoy entangling these unusual characters, and am enjoying how it spirals insanely into the later chapters.

I hope I'm not alone in that.

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