Falling For Charlie

Part 9- My Brother, The Troublemaker

Daniel woke up early so he decided to go for a run around his neighborhood to spend some of his excited energy. He had a deal going down later and an update from Howard this morning. Thinking of Howard and Charlie put a sick feeling in his gut but he pushed it away. Yes, she was his sister, well his half sister but she was also a traitor and had been for some time. He could feel her condescending looks at his business and her prudish judgements just like her old man, but he always loved Pops, the man had taken him in when he could have thrown him out like garbage, his own father had thrown him out and thinking bitterly now he was turning out just like his old man, Pops would be so disappointed in him, too bad Daniel did not really care all that much he thought smiling. Respect was not the same thing as letting someone control you with their ideas of how to live your life Daniel reiterated to himself and even though Charlie was his sister and Pop's daughter she had betrayed him and Daniel was going to have to teach her a lesson, a big one. 

Passing by the old crandberry building Daniel took a brief rest and opened the water bottle he had been carrying, taking a big gulp. The warmish air combined with the fast pace of his jogging had his thin t-shirt glued to pink-beige skin. The heat of the sweat drying and turning his skin cool as if the arid sky was breezy, his heart lifted, Daniel knew he had ran long enough this morning. He sat on the stoop outside of the apartment building drinking his water and watching the sun rise in the sky. 

"Hey, buddy you got some change that you can spare?" an old man came up beside Daniel with a pleading, a longing in his eyes. His had on a old suit jacket that was musty and ripped on the side, a cotton tshirt that was suppose to be blue but had so many stains of every color imaginable it was almost rainbow colored, and jeans that looked newish but you could tell that they had been worn for a few weeks without being washed. It was obvious that he was homeless and when he smiled was missing his three front teeth. He also had an odor that smelled like a rotten fruit of some kind, not gag worthy just a bit annoying to the nose.

"Does it look like my shorts are holding change, you stupid old bum?" Daniel shook his head and seen the homeless guy's eyes glitter with anger. Laughing out loud Daniel continued "so what is your heartbreaking story, been homeless since the war? lost your kids to some horrible rare disease and it made you go nuts? Your wife found you cheating on her and she took all your belongings and left you with only the outfit of clothes you are wearing??" Daniel stood up and threw the water bottle down pointing with his thumb up the street "get going I ain't got time to hear your problems, I don't give money I take people's money and make them happy while I do it."

With a quiet voice the homeless man with defeated eyes said "I will pray for you son, have a blessed day." then turned and started walking down the street.

"Save, your prayers old man, I don't need them. I create my own blessings." Daniel shouted hoping the man could hear him but if the homeless man did hear him he never turned around to acknowledge it. 

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Andrea looked at the fake ID she had in her hand with a casual stare. Rachel it said her name was, looking at the mirror  hanging on the wall across the room she wondered if she could pull off a Rachel?She had been a Debra pretty well, a Marty, Cheryl, Tina and her favorite of them all a Brenda but Rachel...ugh she thought debatedly, could she be called that name without cringing every time, she heard someone say it?  Rachel reminded her of her least favorite acting coach, the one who told her she would never amount to anything above a filler. Just someone to fill the space not really make art just stand there looking cute. Well at least she said she was cute Andrea thought to herself sipping her martini at the hotel bar. 

"hey baby want to dance?" a half baked man in a nice looking gray suit came up to Andrea and held out his hand. 

Andrea had been making eyes at the man for a couple of minutes knowing the look well. Married, unhappily married, clean but frisky, looking for a little fun, too drunk to remember much the next day, here on business, does not have a regular girl. She was on the prowl even though she had a job, this was after hours she thought, her time. "why I thought that you were gonna let me sit her all alone all night" Andrea said in her new New Yorker accent she had practiced religiously for the last eight days or so. 

Getting up listening to the slow romantic music Andrea and the married man molded there bodies to one another and Andrea felt his hands graze the tip of her bottom to which she pulled in closer to his arms, squeezing him an answer of yes its okay to touch her body. 

In a low throaty voice the married man said "My name is Thaddeus, what is your name beautiful?" now roaming his hands fully over her lush bottom with rough hands that were excited easily. 

With a coy and flirty look back Andrea said "what a rich sounding name that is Thaddeus, my name is Rachel Mendors, so nice to meet you, Thaddeus." 

Eyes twinkling and looking in the mirror again Andrea decided she was getting use to Rachel already, she was going to come through for Daniel and stick it to that little twat of a sister of his, she almost would have done this job for free, almost but not quite. Seeing her golden locks of hair cascade around her shoulders and her long legs swaying back and forth she knew her looks could get her far but her mind and her confidence were going to get her a lot further, for instance as she gave her most heart stopping, flirty look to Thaddeus, noting the sleepy look in his eyes she knew within the next  hour and a half she would have all this guys cash from his bank account and he wouldn't even be able to turn her in, she was that good. Charlie did not stand a chance against her, this was starting out to be a lot of fun.  

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"Layne, you are gonna have to calm down and try to chill out!" Howard said exasperated at his friend and coworker. 

"Don't tell me you are going to enjoy working with that thing!" Layne said crossing her arms. 

Howard had cut the meeting short fearing the two women were going to get physical. He was sure the staff had heard their biting remarks to one another which had started pretty much as soon as Andrea "Rachel" had strutted in Layne's office. 

"Why are we doing this again?" Layne asked angrily. "Why can't we get rid of Mary Anne and Kendra ourselves?" 

Closing his eyes for a brief moment he had already went over this so many times he felt like a broken record "We have tried and tried we need new blood, new approach."

Unbelief in her eyes Layne continued her questioning " I know you better than that, in fact last month you were all intent on ignoring KeKe&MiMi publishing all together telling me that they would destroy themselves." Giving a knowing look Howard knew well she continued "It's something that Daniel has over on you, isn't it?" placing her arms on the desk in front of her and caressing a pen she held in her hand thinking harder she said looking up at Howard "You acted like a ass wiper,  Howard. That is something in the whole twenty years I have known you I have never seen you be, literally I could see you wiping miss thing's.." 

Howard cut her off then "That's enough, I have had it with you and your fighting me on everything lately. I know that this is a rough week for you but you got to get a grip." fear was in his eyes. Layne had gotten a little too close to the truth.

Putting the pen down Layne remained silent for a few minutes but finally said "Fine, you want to do this, I will go with you on it but if this blows up in our faces, and I am thinking now It might, you take the brunt of the  heat on this one." 

Howard shook his head in agreement.

Layne was not through however and still speaking said "One other thing, if this Rachel chick shows up here again and tries to act like she is the boss well I am just gonna have to take her down a few notches, keep her away from me as much as possible, you baby sit her." closing her remarks with "I am not going to clean up the messes she is going to make."

"Fine, fine," Howard said leaving Layne's office before she could see the look of absolute horror on his face at having to spend time with Andrea. 

Once safe in his office he dialed Daniel's number. After three rings he heard his old buddy's voice on the line say "Hello?"

" You're a bastard, you know, sending Andrea." Howard darkly spit into the phone the words with venom. 

Daniel responding by laughing a full, belly laugh of enjoyment that made Howard seethe with loathing, taking it for as long as he could til Howard ended the call wondering if maybe he should just nix the whole plan altogether.