He was utterly relaxed now, rolling onto his back so he could stare at the glowing stars on Sophie's wall. The mention of tomorrow, the thought of school, the blind date, how he was going to get a car, about worrying more about himself...hell, even Jeff, took his mind off of sex. He was still on academic probation, so all it would take would be one more failed test, and he'd be finished. At least it was still the beginning of the Fall Semester, so there was still room for error.
He sighed, feeling himself go limp under the covers. "Yeah, I'll think of something," he finally said. Then he closed his eyes, letting the silence take him to sleep.
When his eyes opened, it was already dawn. Sophie's glowing stars on her wall greeted him. Normally, he never woke up this early, but today wasn't exactly a normal day. He leaned his head back to check on Sophie, who was already sleeping peacefully on her side, facing him. He noticed her stir as he moved, and this, along with the warmth beneath the covers, made him want to stay in bed. But he knew he couldn't do that today. It was still early out, and he had to get started right now. Moving slowly, Keith kept his eyes on her as he slid away from the bed. He planted a soft kiss on Sophie's cheek before he did so, being extra-careful not to disturb her. He pulled the covers over her until they rested above her shoulders, and then he got dressed.
Vinnie had texted him in the middle of the night about the details of the evening. His eyes shifted over to Sophie, whose profile was outlined from under the blanket.
His name is Paul, the message read. Inform her to meet him at 43rd and Pike, in downtown. The place is called, 'The Bunny Lounge'. It'll be hard to miss.
Keith snuck around, looking for a sheet of paper and jotted the information down, adding a "Be careful yourself.", followed by a crude-looking heart. It was really early in the morning; he could have drawn much better than that. He then checked his phone again.
As for you, Keith, her name is Marisa. Take care of her for me, you hear? I know you will.
Following that, was the address, and if memory served him right, it was in an upscale district East of downtown. Keith could feel the headache this was gonna be...she was probably expecting him to show up in a nice ride, or would secretly demand a plane trip to Sicily for some authentic Italian cuisine. But Hell...it was still too early to jump to conclusions. He left for school with this in mind.
On his way to the bus station, he spotted a vista blue, 2008 Mustang GT/CS parked in an obscure corner in front of a liquor store. With the engine running. And with nobody inside. He could feel his body beginning to move...toward the shiny vehicle rumbling for him to take it. Yet, he stopped short a few feet of the driver's side, with his hands in his pocket. He stood there until he watched this guy who looked a bit like Keith walk out, hugging a paper bag full of groceries and hard liquor. He noticed Keith standing beside his car and stopped short, eyeing him for a moment, hoping for Keith to step aside so he could make his way into the car.
"...can I help you?" the Keith look-a-like asked.
Keith smiled at him. "Just looking out for your car," he said, stepping aside. He noticed there was a picture of a girl which looked like the owner's girlfriend dangling on the rear view mirror. She resembled Sophie in some ways. "It's a nice car. Limited edition, too. Wouldn't want anyone stealing it."
He glared at him, then smirked. Keith was a little amused at how similar they resembled one another. "Well, thank you..." He said, eyes shifting awkwardly as he closed the door. "See you around."
Keith nodded at him, watching another version of himself drive off into the early dawn, feeling as though he just met a part of him which could have been. With that in mind, he decided to scratch that idea of providing himself with a car through illegal means and dialed up Zack. He was going to owe the big guy big time after all this.
* * * *
There were green bunnies, pink bunnies, white bunnies, and they were all smiling while they were serving the drinks. Paul smiled too, watching their glossy outfits from behind, while he took a drag from his cigarette, shaking his head while his eyes narrowed. Damn, now this was a show. He could just see the men piling in, their eyes taking in the purple glow of his establishment while they buried his ladies in tips. He wasn't nervous about this opening night at all.
He was missing a black bunny, though. She was supposed to show up later tonight; Vinnie had told him she was a redhead, and her name was Sophie. Sophie. Hm, that's a name that'd go well with the black outfit. The red, and the sass. Hm. She'd be at the front, where all of the eyes could see her, and all she'd have to do would be to smile and look pretty. Paul envied that about women. That's all they had to do. Be pretty. They just needed to be taken cared of, to be pampered, and then the world could be their oyster...given they were pretty, of course. Paul had no doubt at all that this Sophie was pretty. He trusted his uncle's intuition when it came to such things, and he was excited about the whole prospect of it. Excited enough to give it all a leap of faith.
Carla, the pink bunny, passed him by, smile plastered on her face. That-a-girl. Keep that smile alive. He reached over and pinched that plump rear, feeling how soft she felt in between the knuckles of his fingers. She glanced back at him, pouting, before breaking out into a giggle. Paul smiled back, gesturing with a couple of waved fingers. If anyone messed with his girls, he was gonna break their fingers. One at a time. With a steel bat.
He nodded to his bouncers as he passed them by. He glanced at his reflection in the silver walls, making note of his dark, pinstripe suit, as well as his tall, slender frame tucked away behind that dark suit. He smoothed his hand over his slicked-back hair. Even after feeling so relaxed right now, he could still use a drink. It wasn't easy running a joint revolved around women dressed in a variation of the Playboy bunny outfits, but it was rewarding in its own way. He got to look after his girls.
* * * *
Keith kept the engine running in his (borrowed) 1996 Mercedes S500 as he waited outside. It was black, of course, and lending him this make and model was almost like some kind of practical joke from Zack.
"I know the perfect car for this occasion, Keith," Zack said, eyes widening in such a way, that it made him seem giddy for a moment. "You'll love it."
And then Faye pulled out in the black Mafia sedan, and Keith could only let out a surprised chuckle. He then he felt Zack's hand slap his back. "I expect this back without a body stuffed in the trunk. Take good care of it."
Keith smiled at the memory while he relaxed in his leather seat, waiting for this Marisa to emerge from the building. After sitting in the car for a few minutes, he decided that it was rude to simply sit there, so he left the car and made his way up to her room. He was without his eyeliner this time...he figured it made him look more mature. He was wearing his same black, buttoned-up shirt with his sleeves rolled back, exposing his arms, and he was wearing the same jeans from before. Pretty conservative, he'd say. He did managed to slip on one of his studded belts, though. As he neared her door, he reached forth and gave her doorbell a ring. Here goes, he thought.