Madison

I get there ten minutes early and I go straight to his Chambers. As soon as I walk in, his secretary welcomes me with a warm smile.

“Good morning. How can I help you?”

“Good morning,” I straighten up my tailored suit, “I’m Madison...”

“Oh, yes! The girl who’ll be replacing Harriet,” she jumps up. What? Replace who? Another one who were condemned by the sentencing Madman?

“Good morning, Miss Harver,” a middle-aged woman with gray hair, walks in, “I’m Harriet, please follow me.” We pass by the Judge’s Chambers and go into the next room.

“Yesterday, Judge Lancaster and I talked about your work here for the next forty days. And we’ve reached the following conclusion, since I do need two weeks off for a minor surgical procedure, you’ll be using my Office, replacing me for the time being. Over the next two days, I’ll let you know everything you need to know about the Office, after that, it’s up to you. Do you understand everything I’ve said so far?”

“Yes...”

“Great. So, Judge Lancaster is a very sweet person.” Not the one I met. She goes on, “Any questions you may have, don’t hesitate to ask him. Nothing goes directly to him and everything comes to you first. Even his appointments, Robbie will come to you to ask if it’s okay to proceed. You’ll stay here most of the day and that door is the link between him and you.”

The next few hours were long lessons on everything the Almighty likes and dislikes. Harriet made it very easy because she organized everything into checklists, like everything that is and is not allowed, people he allows, and the ones he won’t allow at all times. She is very organized and has been working for quite some time to take time off and make sure her replacement wouldn’t be lost.

The morning passed by and not a word from the judge, according to Harriet, he had an appointment with the Governor. When I came back from lunch, I went straight to the room that will become my Office in the next few days. The door to his Chambers was open, I had a little peek at the other side and had a delicious view. Noah is changing his shirt while Harriet goes over some things with him.

His body is worthy of a fighter, well defined, strong arms, abs that would be in any housewife’s wet dream, and several tattoos. Honestly, I would lick every one of them. He opens his belt and unbuttons his pants. And I’m on this side of the door, hoping for him to take off that last piece of clothing so I can see everything. But he won’t give me that pleasure, he tucks in the shirt and finishes getting dressed.

“I’ll go over it again...” Harriet sees me, “Madison, please, come in.”

“Excuse me. Good afternoon, Judge Lancaster,” I do my best not to look him in the eyes.

“Good afternoon, Madison. I hope you’re adapting well to the new environment,” his voice when talking to me is sweet and that encourages me to look at him. His gaze is penetrating and I’m sure my cheeks are blushed.

“Yes, Harriet and Robbie are very thoughtful,” Harriet goes outside, leaving us alone, and I keep standing in front of him.

“You look very nice,” he looks at me with sincere approval. Nothing sexual, just a compliment from someone who was surprised to see me with something other than black leather. I chose a black pantsuit and a white shirt.

“Thanks. How is Alyssa?”

“She’s doing well,” he opens a big smile, “Could you get me some coffee, please? I’ve barely eaten at lunch and I need some caffeine to focus on this case.”

“Yes Sir.”

Harriet had already explained to me how he takes his coffee, black with sugar and steaming hot. I get his coffee and serve it to him. He thanks me, and I get out of there. I don’t think it will be that difficult to work here, and if he wants to change clothes in front of me, I swear I won’t mind.

The rest of the week went by fast and everything was smooth, until His Honor stormed into the Office. Even Robbie, who’s been here for a long time, thought it was strange. Noah passed by us, waved and rushed to his Chambers and closed the doors. Ten minutes later, he shouts, “Miss Harver!” Oh my! I look at Robbie, who was wide-eyed, and I make my way to my likely execution.

“How can I help, Your Honor?” He gives me a death stare. Oh, baby, that’s how things go around here, an eye for an eye...

“What do I have that’s important...” His cellphone rings and he picks up, without looking at the caller ID. And by the look on his face, he regrets doing that. “Talk to me, Carly… No. If you just called to tell me all that crap again, you’re wasting your time,” his voice changes, “Please, go find something to do and forget about that!” he hangs up and throws the phone into a drawer.

“The Misses won’t leave you be, huh. That’s rough.” I regretted saying it the minute it left my mouth, “I’m sorry.”

“You think that’s funny, don’t you, Miss Madison?” The look in his eyes was scary. “Let’s see what your cellmates will think of a smartass who has no filters and no brakes on her tongue,” he gets up, picks up his things, and leaves without saying good-bye. I went too far this time. Oh, Madison, when are you going to learn he’s not just anyone?

I focused on working in my Office until the end of the day. I decided to go straight to the club, I even brought my bag for the weekend. Thank God Becka invited me for the holiday, I need some time off from life, and being away from him will be a relief. I get to the club and, for some reason, I look forward to seeing Judge Lancaster, which obviously doesn’t happen. If he’s here somewhere, Ramon will be serving him and, of course, he wants distance from the public, and from me.

The night was hectic due to a bachelor party of an important businessman. Lots of guests, lots of girls, lots of drinks and lots of trouble. Christopher and Ben passed by the celebration and soon they were into the private room with a select few friends. And nothing about Noah Lancaster. Around seven a.m., we were closing things up, when I saw a seventeen-year-old girl sitting with her head down on the sidewalk. I point it out to Becka, and she goes up to the girl.

“Hi.”

Big blue eyes, red and swollen with tears, she looks at us. My heart tightens, the vulnerability written in her eyes is shocking.

 “H-hi.”

“Wait...” Rebecka says, “I know you. Don’t you live up there, at 7-0-4?” The girl nods, and I get down beside her.

“What is it, little angel?” The girl really does resemble an angel.

“My mom just died,” A solitary tear rolls down her face.

“Ivy!” An older gentleman, with a big frown, shouts, “Inside! Now!” Quickly, she gets up and goes inside. Becka and I just stand there, watching her go.

“Remember that time we needed the neighbors’ signature to change the transformers on the street?”

“Yes.”

“Ben and I were at their house. The girl answered, but soon her mother, who looked very weak, showed up and sent her to the room. She told us that her daughter wasn’t ready for the world. I believe the world she was referring to was men.”

Her driver pulls over and puts our things in the trunk as we get settled in the backseat. On the way, I keep thinking about the hectic week I had. Rebecka pulls me away from my thoughts.

“How was your first week with Noah?”

“It was easy, up until yesterday,” I say as I watch the landscape passing us by, “He freaked out with his wife and I ended up saying something I shouldn’t. It didn’t go so well.” Her smile was mischievous. “Why the smile?”

“I think you and Noah together are explosive. If you touch, you’ll explode,” she gestures with her hand and says, “Bum! Jokes aside, Noah is an excellent friend, he deserves all the happiness in the world, I’m just not sure if that woman will ever make him happy.”

“By the way,” I move around in my seat, “Why the boys dislike her that much? I know she’s difficult but...”

“The thing is, in front of Noah, she’s one way and away from him, she’s another. I heard that, soon after they started dating, she met Ben at an event and told him she didn’t care for her boyfriend’s friends, that Noah was much better off without them. And she managed to push them away, they only saw each other at the club, and Noah barely showed up anymore. Things changed after Alyssa moved in with him, that’s when they got back to talking again and, since then, they became close friends again, like back in the old days.”

The country house is spectacular and part of it sits on top of a lake. The place is surrounded by native trees; the green areas are spectacular. The property is a mixture of wood and glass, a true masterpiece of architecture. Two women and a man are waiting to greet us, everyone is very nice, and I can see longing in Rebecka’s eyes. We go inside and settle into the house. I head to my suite’s bathroom to take a shower. My suite is facing the lake, it’s incredible to open the balcony door and be presented with this spectacle from Mother Nature.

Tired, I lie down wrapped by a towel and fall asleep. I wake up half-lost and, after a while, I remember I’m at the Country house. I put on a plain dress and flip-flops, straighten my hair and go down to find something to eat. At the bottom of the stairs, I stumbled across Ben, Christopher, Alyssa, Noah and Carly, all sitting on the couch talking to Becka.

“Madison,” Alyssa is the first to see me and runs to give me a hug, “I can’t believe you’re here!” Then, she whispers in my ear, “Thank God, I was almost walking back to the city on foot.”

“Hi,” I hug her back, “I didn’t know you would all be coming, if I knew I wouldn’t have intruded.”

“Madison, I believe you know everyone here, except from Carly, Noah’s girlfriend.” I approach the couch as Rebecka speaks.

“We’ve already had the pleasure,” I look at everyone but the Judge, “Good evening, everyone. Glad to see you all.”

One of the women who works in the house announces that dinner is served. I walk in after everyone, wondering where I got myself into. Why didn’t Rebecka tell me they were coming? I would’ve refused to come immediately! She sees that I’m lost in my thoughts and comes to me.

 “I needed you to come. I told Noah we’d try to get close to his girl, but we know it’s not an easy task, and I needed moral support, Alyssa too.”

We sat at a beautiful table, I was between Christopher and Alyssa who, for a moment, has her gaze lost towards Ben. I look at one and at the other, but he doesn’t seem to realize she’s staring at him. Does she like him? That’s interesting.

“These days, Senator Richard wanted an invitation to a nightclub for VIPs in New York.” Everyone at the table stopped eating to heed the creature’s embarrassing conversation. The boys were pale, and Rebecka was just watching. Carly goes on, “I had to contact several sources to find out how to get an invitation to such place because, according to what I’ve heard, you’re only allowed in if a long-time member vouches for you, and you still have to be approved by the board members.”

I keep eating my food, after all, I’m starving. But from the look on their faces, a lot of them lost their appetite. The Devil’s Child goes on with her little story.

“Can you believe that Roger Lamarque was the owner of that place?” she says, looking at Becka, “Did you know your husband owned a brothel? Frankly, Rebecka, I expected more from you guys.”

“Measure your words, Carly,” Noah drops his knife and fork, a bit stronger than he should, and was about to say something when I took the lead.

“She didn’t know it was that kind of club.”

“How could she not know? It was her husband’s,” Carly asks me.

“I’m the one taking care of Roger’s business, and she didn’t have to know what it really was, Mrs. Lancaster,” I tell her.

She smiles, and Noah intervenes.

“The only Miss Lancaster here is my sister.”

“Is that where you took Alyssa? To a brothel?” Her smile was brighter than the Times Square Ball in New Year’s Eve, “Are you trying to turn the sister of one of the most respected judges in our Country into a prostitute? That’s just low, Red.”

“No!” Oh my God! I can feel my face getting warm and a knot forms in my throat, “I didn’t take her to a brothel, I would never do that to her.”

“Enough of this,” Noah interrupts us, “Carly, apologize to Madison.”

“Come on…” she laughs, “You want me to apologize to the woman in charge of a brothel, who took your sister to get drunk somewhere. Is that it? Rebecka, my dear, you should rethink your friendships, after all, you’re a Lady of Society, and at your table sits a respected judge, a future senator, and one of the most famous lawyers in America.”

“That’s enough, Carly!” Noah shouts.

“Excuse me,” I get up, completely embarrassed, pick up my plate and head for the kitchen. Before stepping out of the room, I turn around and say to Carly, “Be careful not to bite your tongue and die by your own poison...” As soon as I get out of there, I can hear the fight starting. I leave my plate in the sink, wave to the kitchen ladies, and go outside to breathe. I walk through the garden and sit in one of the chairs by the pool.

“Madison?” Alyssa’s sweet voice interrupts the bucket of tears that was about to pour out of my eyes.

“Hi...”

“Please, don’t take that woman seriously. We all like you and we’re very happy to have you here with us,” she gets down in front of me.

“I knew this whole trip wouldn’t be any good,” Ben shows up, furious, “Who the fuck she thinks she is? I swear to God, I’m gonna have to keep my distance from Noah if he doesn’t put a muzzle in that Bitch.”

“That was too much,” Chris doesn’t look happy either, “She went too far, I don’t understand why Noah insists on that relationship.”

“You guys know him better than anyone else, you know he’s not the kind who gives us easily. But, from his reaction at the table, I don’t think is gonna last much longer,” says Alyssa.

We just stay there, quietly, for a while. Ben comes to my side, picks me up and says, “Let’s cool our heads,” as he jumps in the pool with me in his arms.

“You jerk!” I shout as soon as I emerge, trying to drown him to have my revenge.

Christopher picks Alyssa in his arms and jumps in. They’re completely insane. We start throwing water at each other and laughing. Soon one of the staff ladies shows up with some towels and we rush to dry off. Alyssa and I race to our rooms to get away from those crazy men. I take a warm shower, dry my hair and lie down. I hear someone knocking on the door and I get up to answer.

“Hi, Alyssa. Come in.”

“Hi,” she walks in, in her shy way, “Call me Aly. I don’t mean to bother you, but I can’t sleep, and I thought maybe we could talk for a while.”

“Of course,” I sit on the bed and signal her to sit next to me, “It reminds me, at dinner, earlier, did I see a lost glance of yours towards Ben? Or was it just my imagination?”

“Oh... well...” Her face turns red and she lowers her eyes, “I’ve idolized him for as long as I can remember,” she shrugs, “You know how it is, kid sisters always have a crush on their big brother’s friend.”

“Why don’t you talk to him about it? Have you ever stopped to think he might like the idea?”

“Oh no! Please don’t tell anyone. Noah would kill me if he knew, and he’d never let anything happen between me and Ben.”

“Noah. Noah. Noah. You’re an adult, a beautiful woman, you don’t depend on him. It’s time to start living your life. Have you even had a boyfriend before?”

“There’s this guy I go out with sometimes, but it’s nothing,” she gives a shy smile, “It’s just sex.”

“Wow,” I put my hand on my chest and breath with relief, “For a moment there, I thought you were going to tell me you’re a virgin.”

We laughed together and talked for hours. It was wonderful to learn more about her life. I was sorry to hear about the death of her parents, and I even felt sorry for the Judge for a moment. I found out she’s a brilliant neuroscientist, with studies published in important journals in the Country. I feel like I’ve made a new friend and I’m very happy about it. Aly is an angel in flesh and bone.

I wake up to the singing of the birds. I get out of bed, open the curtains, and see a clear sky and an inviting sun. I freshen up, put on a bikini and a dress on top of it. I head downstairs and there’s no one in the living room, I follow on my way to the kitchen, thanking God for the clear path, until I go through the dining room and see everyone gathered, having breakfast in silence. What a miracle!

“Good morning, Maddie. Come, sit,” Becka says, pointing to a chair beside her.

“Good morning,” I look at everyone and greet them, “I thought you were still asleep, I couldn’t hear any noise or voices.”

As I grab some of the delicious food being served at the table, Christopher starts the conversation, “Tell me, how were your first days at the internship, Madison?”

“Well...” I look at him wide-eyed, “It was... Pretty good. I adapted very quickly to the environment.”

“And what was your impression of the boss?” Ben, spreading peanut butter on his bread, asks.

“Tsc-tsc-tsc,” I shake my head and, faking sorrow, say, “Frustrating, poor guy.”

Everyone at the table laughs, even Rebecka can’t control herself. Chris, is the one who laughs the most and asks, “Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know if it’s his life, maybe his work, or the...” I make a small gesture with my thumb and forefinger, “That’s too small.”

“What’s the dick size has to do with anything?” Noah asks, and the laughter around the table gets worse.

“According to some recent studies from some unoccupied university, when the guy’s ego is too big, the document, that one,” I point down, “It’s too small.”

“I don’t think that’s funny at all,” Carly stops the conversation, “Where’s this internship, Madison?”

“In a Law Office,” I reply.

After breakfast, we all head to the pool. I remembered I brought a book and decided to go back to my room to get it. As I leave my room, I run into Noah, in his shorts and shirtless. A vision from paradise with all those tattoos in plain sight. There’s one with Japanese letters above his bellybutton, a cross that looks more like a dagger in the right arm and a Japanese symbol on his left shoulder.

“Miss Harver,” he gets closer to me, “So, your boss is frustrating?”

“What?” I take a step back, “Well, sometimes. I guess...”

“He might surprise you,” he says in my ear as he presses me against the wall.

“I’d be eternally grateful for the surprise.”

“Oh,” Noah bites my earlobe, “You’re playing with fire, girl.”

“I’m not afraid of getting burnt, Mr. Judge.”

He back away and stares at me, “You’re beaut...”

“Noah, where are you?” his wife, girlfriend, spouse, arm candy or whatever, calls him.

He gets closer, as if to kiss me. I prepare myself for it, and he says, “You want to play, Miss Harver? Let’s play.”

Noah turns around and goes away, leaving me with shock and lust. Once again, who is this man? I head to the pool and sit on one of the long chairs under the umbrella. With this white skin, any little too-much-sun could become a third-degree burn. I look at Alyssa and Carly, perfect bodies, Aly’s even more beautiful, full of curves. I don’t understand why this girl hides under so many clothes. We’ll have to work on it. Now, Carly’s body is too thin. The woman’s legs look like broomsticks, small breasts, ribs showing, I’m obese compared her. I won’t even think about taking off my dress.

Rebecka takes off the big shirt she’s wearing and shows off her impeccable body, and it resembles nothing to those skinny models, her body is exuberant. I’ll, definitely, keep my dress on. The boys, who were somewhere else, get to the pool and, I gotta tell you, what a sight of paradise. I put on my sunglasses and I use my book to disguise my glances while I analyze each one of them. Of the three friends, Noah is the strongest, his muscles are more prominent, but they all have great bodies, as if they never miss a day at the Gym.

Christopher, even in his forties, is still so hot. He is the quiet one, I admire his coherence, even when goofing around. I was very pleased when he told me about his political ideals and why he wanted to be a Senator. Everything points to a better Country with people like him making the decisions. He is blond, green eyes, his hair is well-maintained, about 5’11” and, amazingly, covered in tattoos. I never imagined that the man who’s always in a suit would have so many tattoos like that, the most beautiful one is the colored dragon, it gives the impression of sovereignty. With that black speedo... No word can describe it...

Ben is the out-going one, the most fun too. Always laughing, with a silly hand and a beautiful pair of destroying blue eyes. His skin is white, but his hair is dark brown, the unshaved beard around his mouth makes him even sexier. I noticed that, all three of them, they don’t shave on weekends, making them even more delicious. He’s about the same height as Chris, but he’s more relaxed. I look at Alyssa who keeps starring at him, oh girl.... you chose wrong.

At last, Your Most Honorable Judge, Mr. Lancaster, in all his majesty, he has that bad boy, outlaw, quiet, serious, and very bossy style. He’s very strong, the muscles of someone that likes a heavy workout. He’s very tall, I think around 6’3”. Of the three of them, he’s not the most serious one, but he’s the most modest and elegant. His gaze is intense and penetrating, I believe he can strip someone’s soul through their eyes. The way he looks at his sister can get to anyone, caring, protective, a big brother thing, which I never had.

I keep faking my interest in English Literature when Noah takes off his shorts and shows off his white speedo. He has his back turned to me and the sight of his ass makes me sigh. Rebecka looks at me and laughs, “I knew you weren’t reading.”

“Who could read anything with all that front in from of them?” I tell her without moving, because I don’t want to lose focus. Noah dives into the pool with the others, giving me a break. “God bless America.” Rebecka laughs even louder.

“They’re very hot now, but the teen pictures are there to prove that for some people, time does wonders. They were very ugly back then. Noah and Chris were a pair toothpick, Noah was still too tall for his age, making him even weirder. Ben was very small, nobody ever imagined he’d become a man of this size and Roger ...” she pauses. I hold her hand and encourage her to speak. “Roger was the guy with the leather jacket and the hair combed to the back, you know? Soon he was breaking the girls’ hearts, of all of them, he was the most handsome,” she smiles with longing, “I fell for him because of his guts.”

“I wish I had met Roger, Becka.”

“He’d love to have you around. I’m sure of it,” she takes off her sunglasses, looks at me, and I can see her beautiful eyes shining.

“How can you be so sure?” I smile at her, “Some people hate me.”

“That’s what you think,” she puts on her sunglasses again and leans back in her chair, “Just think about how much these men like you. No woman is as close to them as me or Alyssa, only you.”

Red alert! Hot guy coming out of the pool. I get my book back in position and watch to the spectacular sight of Noah coming out of the water in front of us, drying up about a few inches away from me. I look at his dick and, wow... Is that sleeping? Really? I look at his feet, they say there’s a correlation between the size of the feet and the size of their package, and now I’m even more... excited.

“You have no shame, Madison,” Rebecka laughs. He turns around and moves towards his girlfriend.

“What a waste.” I hear loud laughter and I turn to see Benjamin playing with Alyssa. “They make a lovely couple.”

“Yes,” Rebecka agrees, “They do. But Noah would never accept that.”

“Why not?” curiosity takes over me.

“I think they’ve done a lot of crazy things together, and he doesn’t want a Player dating his sister. All I know is that, as soon as I started dating Roger, Noah forced them to make a pact, no one could date each other’s sisters. The thing is, Noah is the only one with a sister, all of the others have only brothers.”

“Ben, come here,” Chris, in front of me, calls his friend, “Why didn’t you take off your dress yet, Madison? Take it off so we can go for a swim. We want to play but we’re one person short.”

“No,” I shake my head, “That would be a hard pass. Rebecka can join you.”

“I’ll go check on lunch. Don’t forget to use sunscreen, Maddie,” she says, laughing. Ben joins the conversation.

“Come on, Madison.”

“No,” I maintain my position.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Chris threatens me, “We’ll just have to grab you and throw you in the pool, with clothes and everything.”

“Alright,” one thing I’ve learned already is to never doubt these men. I put down my book. They jump in the pool and, very embarrassed, I take off the dress, showing my discreet black bikini. The problem is that my breasts are too big, and my hips are wide.

“Oh, shit,” I hear a whistle and Ben says, “I won’t be able to get out of the pool anytime soon.” Noah slaps the back of his neck.

“Could you help me with the sunscreen on my back, Aly? Otherwise, I’ll turn into a shrimp,” I ask Alyssa, who was sitting on the ledge of the pool.

As she spreads the sunscreen on my back, I spread it generously in the front. She whispers so only I can hear, “Their eyes are glued to your body. They’re so clueless. Can I tease them a little bit, Maddie?”

“How?”

“Can I spread a little sunscreen on your butt?” she says, then she giggles.

“Yes, you may. But be careful not to fall in love.”

“I don’t play for that team,” she laughs.

She bends down and proceeds to spread sunscreen on my butt. The poor girl barely touched my skin, and the boys were steaming. Ben was practically drooling, I just can’t tell if it was because of me or Aly. Chris was so focused on the scene that the world could end, and he would remain there, paralyzed. Noah’s gaze was on me, his eyes ran through my body and then fixated on my eyes.

“Let’s play, girl,” Alyssa slaps me in the ass, bringing me back to reality.

“Noah is on goal, Chris with Madison and Aly with me,” Ben says.

I can see Sweet Aly’s disappointment. If he’s on her team, there’s no point marking him one on one. Sneaky girl. So, I say, “No. Girls against boys...”

“Chris in the goal,” Noah adds.

“Go!” Chris shouts and throws the ball across the pool.

Noah and I go out, fighting for the ball. Of course, he got there first. I try to get the ball from him, as if I was David, trying to steal a ball from Goliath, hilarious. He heads toward Chris and Alyssa jumps him and shouts, “Get the ball, Maddie.”

I jump on top of the Adonis and I get the ball, while Ben grabs Aly from behind. I move towards Chris and someone holds me back.

“Where are you going, young lady?” Noah asks in a low voice.

I throw the ball to Alyssa, who is intercepted by Benjamin, who ends up scoring the point. This won’t work. Christopher is kind enough to throw me the ball, I’m in the corner of the pool. Noah corner me, his size doesn’t allow me to go any direction.

“You better back away, Your Honor,” I say.

“Why would I back away?” he smiles with the corner of his mouth.

“Because everyone’s staring at us, including your wife.”

“She is my girlfriend. Nothing more.” I dive to find a way out. But, I can barely get my head underwater before he brings me back up, holding me by the arms. “Make my day, Miss Harver, and throw the ball over my head.”

I couldn’t understand what he meant so I did what he asked, and, then, I understood. As I performed the movement to throw the ball over his head, I jumped and rubbed my body in his. And on the way down, well, I grazed him and felt something I shouldn’t want to feel. But I did, and I loved it. We heard Aly’s cry and saw Ben grabbing her. I take the chance to move away from him, Alyssa throws me the ball, and Chris, more than distracted, lets the ball go in.

We played for a while longer, but I didn’t want to attract more attention to myself. I kept my distance from the judge and I marked Ben while Noah marked his sister. We lost, of course, and we were incredibly tired. They announced lunch was served, but I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t like the way that situation affected me, the spark in his eyes. He’s taken.

I went up to my bedroom, took a shower and, after getting comfortable, I turned on my notebook to check for emails from girls I’m currently advising. Today, I only help two or three girls at a time, when I realized most of them were coming to me looking for a road map to a rich marriage, I became more selective. My goal was always to help women to get know and rediscover themselves, not become a con woman.

The first email is from Beverlly, saying that she only wants her Happily Ever After. I hate the person who invented this expression, we’re already constantly happy, so, by logic, we will be happy forever. Even with all the frustrations and sorrows in life, we have happy times.

My reply:

Beverlly, why think of ‘forever’ right now? You’re only twenty-six, it’s time to think about ‘for now’. It’s time for you to discover yourself as a professional and as a woman. Go out, have some fun, meet new men and new horizons. Are you tired of just going out? So, go, travel, develop new skills, have some sex, make out with someone and leave the ‘forever’ for later.

You’re beautiful, smart, you don’t need someone to warm your feet just yet, your life is just beginning. Find someone to warm your bed, let it get cold and then, warm it up again. Live, breathe, change your hair color, buy colorful clothes, free yourself! And, when you look back and feel satisfied with yourself, your ‘Happily Ever After’ will come along.

Take care and live!

Sincerely...

Madison.

The next email is from Charlotte, she says she cannot stand the loneliness, that she needs someone to be happy. Good Lord, when will they learn that you shouldn’t outsource happiness?

My reply:

Dear Charlotte,

I understand that loneliness is not our best company. I know that sometimes we feel the need of someone to share our lives with, from the bottom of my heart, I understand it very well. But let me tell you something, don’t place the responsibility over your happiness on someone else’s hands. Don’t let your life be written by anyone else. We’re responsible for the path we choose to take, people have no obligation to make us happy, their only obligation is not to disappoint us.

You’ll only find someone once you find yourself and understand what is good for you and what is bad, what pleases you and what doesn’t. Once you understand everything about you with conviction, wait for that someone that matches what you found in yourself. Never change for anyone, change only what you feel it’s necessary, only because it will do you good. If he wants to be in your life, he’ll have to earn it.

Please don’t outsource your happiness. Discover yourself, rediscover yourself, and then live. What is meant to be, shall be. I wish you peace.

Sincerely,

Madison.

“Madison?” I open the door for Alyssa and nod her in. “I came to check up on you. You didn’t come down for dinner, everyone was worried.”

“I’m fine, I’m just too tired and not that hungry.”

“Let’s get one thing straight, Red,” Carly shows up at the door, “Noah is my fiancé, we live together, we have history. Don’t get in our way! I saw how you rubbed yourself against him today and, hitting on committed men makes you a slut. It’s no wonder you run a brothel, you’re a pimp! And I don’t doubt you join the girls from time to time.”

“Listen to me, petty woman,” my patience with this bitch runs out. I get up and move towards her, pressing her between the doorframe and my body, “If I’m a pimp, a slut or a whore, that’s none of your business! But I won’t stand for being offended like that, and it’s the second time you’ve done it. I’ll give you some advice, don’t you dare open your mouth to talk about me again, because if you do, I’ll make sure to close it myself,” I back away from her, “Don’t you have any shame, being so proud to call him yours? If a man lived with me and still insisted on calling me just a girlfriend, I’d kill myself. He wants to fuck, not marry you! Now get out of here and forget I even exist.”

Carly was whiter than a ghost. I look at Alyssa, her jaw is dropped. I’m done, this weekend already went too far. I get my suitcase and start packing up my things.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Alyssa interrupts me.

“I’m leaving. I’m done with all this, I’m sick of this woman and we both know that I don’t belong here.”

“No. You can’t go...” I look at her.

“Look, Aly, I’m not very close to people, you know. I often keep my distance in this kind of situation. She’s your brother’s wife, you’re family, and I’m a guest. Please don’t tell anyone what happened here and just let me leave. Okay?”

“Wait,” Alyssa runs away and soon returns with key, “Take this car. As soon as we get back home, I’ll have someone pick it up.”

“Thank you,” we hug, and I smile in complicity.