The Love Of Money - Episode 182
30-07-25 (04:20)
Introduction:
Marcus meets new friends and reunites with old.
Thursday, 6:33 am
"Bro, that is seriously fucked up."
Early moming light peeked over the New York skyline
and dimly lit my room in a glow that meant it was time
to get up. The two people I'd fallen asleep with were
no longer next to me, but I could hear the shower
hissing from the master bathroom and an occasional
note of someone singing softly to themselves. It felt
comfortable.
I was lying in bed with a single earbud insert ed, talking
to Dillon and trying to will myself to get out of bed.
Unfortunately, I was still so sore that every muscle
screamed simultaneously if I did something as
insignificant as wiggling my toes, It didn't feel like the
'you'll die if you move too much' pain as much as it
was 'run a half-marathon, hit the gym, and then fight in
a boxing match' type of pain. Still, I had a lot to do
today, so my body would have to get over It.
Hopefully, time and movement would make things a
little easier.
"I know," said as I heard the water in the bathroom
turn off. 1 don't think I've ever been that scared in my
life."
"But you're okay?" Dillon asked. He was on a morning
shift at Strange Mudd, judging by the sound of the
cappuccino machine running in the background.
"Yeah," I said as I ran through the memories of the
gunfight once more. "Man, you should have seen it. I
thought I was dead, but Chloe came in with guns
blazing... bullets flying... blood everywhere'."
"Hot," Dillon said.
"Gross."
"Not the blood," Dillon clarified. "The chick with the gun.
Especially her. Dude, your bodyguard is fine."
"You mentioned that."
"And you met Karly Titus?" he asked.
"A little. She was with her boyfriend most of the night"
I said.
"Aren't you still single?"
"Uh..." I glanced at the partially-open bathroom door,
watching whisps of steam curl through the three-inch
gap as I thought about the two women I'd fucked
yesterday evening.
Erin and I weren't dating, nor had Danni and I even
discussed it. I wasn't sure what Helen was to me, but I
could place her squarely in the non-relationship
category-especially with her being married. Bobbi was...
complicated but not dating me. I 'went out' with Ashlee
briefly, but that was an attempt to get information
about the guy who confronted me in the bathroom last
week. Besides, she probably had a hand in my
kidnapping, which was a red flag.
That left Natashya, but I hadn't had a chance to talk to
her since we were rescued.
Besides, not only did she say she wasn't relationship
material, but I'd also caught her eating out my sister.
For most people, that was a deal breaker.
"I don't think so," I said.
"You don't think so?" Dillon repeated, sounding
incredulous.
I sighed, "It's complicated, man. There's been a lot of
girls, but there hasn't been anything official."
"Then it sounds like you're single, Dillon doubled down.
"You should date Karly Titus. You guys were in a shoot-
out together, so you could trauma-bond."
I snorted. "Barely. Besides, she has a boyfriend."
"Nah, dude. I saw on social media that she's recently
single. She didn't say why, but there's a screenshot of
him calling her a lying. cheating bitch."
"Okay, dude," said. "I'll call her up. "Hey, Karly. I'm the
guy who sat by you on the couch for ten minutes at
that party raided by mercenaries looking for me. Can I
buy you a drink?"
"I don't see the problem."
"And that's why you're single," I said as a thought
struck me.
I was back in town, and despite Erin's best attempts,
there was a lot of speculation that I'd been involved in
the shooting. I'd seen clips of people asking where' I'd
been since Friday. The rumors were backed up by
reported sightings of me with some influencers at a
party in Vegas. None of it had been substantiated, but it
wasn't like that mattered. In the world of social media,
you were guilty until proven innocent.
So, what if I had here? No one would show up and
shoot up my apartment, it was a veritable fortress
crawling with security. I could invite some well-known
locals... maybe grab a DJ. It didn't have to be anything
significant. I just needed to squash the rumors, and, in
the process, If I made a statement to whoever was
behind my kidnapping, then even better.
Another consideration was that I'd failed to invite my
friends over yet or to spend any quality time with them
since I'd come into my fortune. As a bonus, my family
was in town. The stars seemed to be aligning.
"Hey," I said, "I just had an idea."
I spent the next ten minutes sharing my idea with
Dillon, who was all for it. He offered to invite some of
our other friends. He also proposed bartending it. I
turned the latter down. I could afford a fucking
bartender. This was a chance to enjoy my wealth with
some of the people who meant the most to me.
While we discussed some of the details, Danni emerged
from the shower wearing a fluffy white towel around
her torso and another wrapped over her head like a
turban. It was my first time seeing Danni without
makeup, especially mascara and eyeliner. She was
every bit as gorgeous after a shower in nothing but
towels. Her damp skin was clear, unblemished, and lily-
white, complimented by her expressive green eyes,
pale pink lips, and raven hair. She looked at me, and a
natural blush crept across her cheeks as l watched her
hungrily.
She approached me while I was still on the phone and
sat beside me on the bed, leaning in to press her soft
lips to mine for a chaste kiss. I inhaled and took in her
clean scent while Dillon rambled about the party's
possibilities. Then she began to trail soft kisses across
the bruises on my face and shower me with tender
affection, which she kept up until I finished my call with
Dillon.
I looked up at Danni, and she gave me a sweet smile
and stroked my face. "You okay?" Don't forget to leave a Comment 
