Maja Nord had made a sincere effort to dress up for the occasion. She had rifled through her meagre wardrobe and finally pulled out a dress that had been with her for years now, a dress she had bought impulsively when she was still trying to make her ex-husband Tommas feel some desire for her, shortly after Madeline was born.
The fire engine red, incredibly comfy outfit as the saleswoman had gushed when she bought it suddenly seemed too dressy and she felt herself stiffen as she felt Schwartz’s eyes trail over her clothes slowly. The man was as always dressed in his casual yet classy way and she wanted nothing more than to dart back inside and change into something like her old jeans and faded T-shirt.
She had worn this outfit just the once but Tommaso, who had undoubtedly appreciated the exotic fashion had already been losing interest in her and she had stored it away broken heartedly for he had walked out that very night after her attempts at seducing him had fallen flat.
*
This evening was an occasion to look her best: for herself, she thought firmly but the memory of Handsome James and his gleaming green eyes made her heart beat faster and she knew that she was attracted to him, not an emotion she had experienced in a long, long time.
Shrugging her shoulders dismissively she pivoted around studying her reflection in the mirror appreciatively. So, she was a little on the large side, with her wide hips and large bosom, but so what? she told herself.
Her reflection in the mirror seemed to be rather tantalising, she thought to herself. the dress itself was a tile flared cotton flared dress with a contrasting bodice and cantered partial slit that promised a lot but did not reveal too much. The scoop neck and the long solid red sleeves went well with the solid platinum bottoms with a side red tiled pattern to complement the outfit. Complete with a front partial slit with a fit and flare cut the lightweight cotton dress was dressy and eye-catching enough to make her look good and feel confident thought, Maja, cheerfully as she pulled open the door. And then she came to a sudden halt. Handsome James had stepped out of his room and he turned to look at her a small smile on his wide kissable mouth and she felt herself blushing like a fool.
With a toss of her fiery mane, she marched forward giving him just a cool nod of acknowledgement, hearing the chatter of Maddie and Tara as they stepped out of the room further behind her own. Sensing that the tall, debonair man was close behind her made her more rigid as she walked and when she turned the corner and stopped, she only succeeded in bringing James Schwartz and Maddie as well as Tara to a grinding stop behind her.
Maja stared, open-mouthed her face turning red as she saw the Mafia Don in the hallway, kissing his wife so thoroughly, his arms around her waist, it made her want to turn around and rush back to her room. It was a private moment, was it not? At any rate, she felt as though she was intruding into their space.
With that thought uppermost in her mind, she turned so abruptly, she collided head-on with Handsome Schwartz who had come up right behind her.
He gave a grunt of surprise for he had been admiring her rather succulent behind and then, they were tumbling onto the carpeted floor, with Maja landing in an undignified heap on top of him, straddling him unceremoniously.
“Mommie! What NOW!!!!’ squealed her daughter in disgust and Maja glared at her, trying to get up . Suddenly, she realised that she was looking comical, her red dress with the slits having ridden up to her waist, revealing her granny panties, pale blue with ducks on them.
It was at that moment that her son Magnus chose to emerge from his room in his all-black Gothic ensemble and she saw him mouth “DESPERATE!’ with contempt on his face before turning away.
Schwartz had placed his hands on her considerable waist to hold her and she became aware of a vibrating sensation. Looking down at his red, convoluted face, she realised that the wretched man was laughing at her, his chest rumbling as he tried hard not to laugh out loud.
Furious, she scrambled to her feet, tugging at the dress she had worn with such difficulty, pulling it down over her hips and then she made a wild dash to her room, her face red with humiliation. Behind her, she heard her daughter and Tara dissolve in peals of laughter. She did not want to see the expression on the face of the Don and his wife who had turned to look at her. Proserpina had looked aghast at her mortification while the Don had merely raised a quizzical eyebrow, a look of disdain on his hard face. the expression one had on seeing a clown bumbling about, thought Maja bitterly as the tears came coursing down her cheeks.
Sinking onto the bed, Maja burst into tears.
It was horrible. She had tried so hard to squeeze herself into the dress and all she had achieved was to make herself look a complete fool. She sobbed harder.
*
Claude had left the house, knowing that the needed to check on his brother. Call it a whim, he felt the need to see Paddy. The two of them had used to get together every day, no matter where; at the Boxing Academy where Paddy would hang around till Claude was free or Claude would meet him in the large basement apartment of the Delano mansion. Paddy was not the most articulate of people but he listened as Claude chatted with him, as Claude outlined his grandiose plans for the future, every dream he had of shining in the world of boxing and impressing his father.
Occasionally Paddy would show his interest by adding a comment while his fingers flew across the keyboards. He had at least six monitors, giant ones, on the walls of his room as well as his smaller regular computers along the desks that ran the length of one wall. And now when Claude went to the basement, his heart sank as he realised that it would be a long time before Paddy would be up to getting back to his work. If ever.
Now he raked his hand through his curly blonde hair which he kept close-cropped unlike his handsome brother, Piers. Now there was a looker, he thought with a grin. The girls who gazed at his elder brother’s suave, handsome self, inevitably fluttered their lashes and smiled at him, hearts pounding. Not for Claude all that kind of melodrama. he preferred the Slam, Bam, Thank you, Ma’am, set up, he thought, winking at the tired-looking guard as he entered the corridors of the hospital.
His two guards were with him, as he loped along, the swagger inherent in him rising to the fore. He was big built like his father and although he was a little aware of his effect on women, he was yet to realise that the sight of the man built like a tank, muscles rippling as his wolfish smile and keen gaze met that of the girls, had the effect of making most of them go weak a the knees and want to know more about him.
Because every girl thinks it is wonderful to tame a Bad Boy.
*
Claude noticed that the door leading to Paddy’s room was firmly shut and he smiled in appreciation. The guards stood up straighter as he approached and he gave a nod.
It was almost ten at night and he was on his way home for dinner but he had wanted to check on Paddy. Hopefully, he was doing better, thought the young man as he walked purposefully towards the door.
*
And then, he was opening the door and the figure which was bent over Paddy’s inert frame spun around, a syringe in her hand. Claude came to a stop, the smile on his face freezing as he saw the expression in the masked woman’s eyes, the monitors which were eerily silent.
Because they had been switched off…