Chapter 7

Mr. Ivy kept his promise by showing us the neighborhood, or what little of it we could travel, while he acted like a tour guide after eating brunch. By six o'clock in the evening, he had directed us to the shopping district, the market, a small art gallery, and a couple of houses that had been converted so when you gazed at them, it would give you the distinct feeling that you've stepped back in time. Lulu and I, being used to sightseeing, didn't complain once. Our stop by a locally owned and managed cafe an hour ago had given us enough time to rest.

"Now for dinner," Mr. Ivy said. "I'm going to take you to a section that everyone likes to call the 'Little Italy.' My good friend is co-owner of a restaurant there. We can swing by, then watch in the theatre after eating. What do you say?"

"You guys go ahead," Lulu said, rubbing her stomach. "I've had enough good food for the night. I'd like to sleep." She pushed me to Mr. Ivy before I could tell them that I was going home too. "Have fun, both of you. I'm taking a cab." She left me alone with the guy, thinking she was doing me a favor.

"Shall we?" he said, taking my arm.

Everything you've had the pleasure of reading so far were my thoughts put into paper, which had been then transformed into a book. I'd like to be completely honest with you, since our journey had just begun, and it wouldn't do well to lie to someone privy to my thoughts. Mr. Ivy had asked me for dinner because he wanted to sleep with me. That's why I didn't bother with formal introductions.

If it wasn't obvious when Lulu was with us, he made it apparent later when he was asking me to drink too many glasses of wine in his friend's restaurant. I'd been with men in the past, and that trick wouldn't work on me. Also, I'd won second place in a beer drinking competition. It wasn't a small feat considering the champion was Irish, and we were in their home turf, his buddies egging him on to win. They didn't want to be out drank by a sixteen year old. (Shhh. Don't tell my parents.) Needless to say, I wasn't intoxicated after a glass or two. Even five.

"Do you want to get some fresh air?" Mr. Ivy said, tracing his fingers on my skin. The wine had given him the boost of courage to be flirtatious.

"Fine, lead the way." It would be the perfect opportunity to segue home. He used the chair to support himself up, swaying a little before establishing his balance. "I need to go soon," I said, following him out of the establishment. "Lulu must be getting worried."

"You can call her," he said. Yeah, except my phone died an hour ago, and I didn't want to use his. He stopped beside a brick wall, his palm pressed on the hard surface, his face pink from the alcohol. "The nice hotels are out of the way, " he said, not wasting another second. "And I'm really horny. Can we do it here first before switching locations?"

While he was politely explaining that he wanted to soil me on that dirty place, me- a Roth, a person from a distinguished clan who was going to inherit more money than he could ever see in the future, and to top it off, make a difference in the world through my findings, Mr. Ivy had managed to unbuckle his belt, unzip his pants, and show me his ding dong. I laughed, and it was wasn't a giggle either. "You're planning to screw me with that?" I said.

He glanced down. "What's wrong with it?"

"It would be nice if I can see it, for one. What do you call that thing, teeny weenie?" His face reddened. I didn't want to hurt the guy. It just happened. "Look," I said, before it grew out of hand. "The dinner was lovely, and you're an interesting person, but this is taking it too far." I put my back to him. If the monk who trained me knew of this, he'd punish me for being so arrogant. An angry man could be a dangerous man, even with wine on his head. "I'm a Roth," I revealed. "Nathan Roth, who I'm sure you've heard of, is my father. I suggest you run along before you get yourself in trouble."

"What the fuck," he cursed. I waited for him to do something bad, to smash my head against the wall or something. But the trick had worked. His footsteps soon faded away. I bit my tongue back with displeasure. Promising not to use my parent's influence was proving harder than it seemed. But I sure would try hard. That I promise.

Drunk or not, he was gone when I glanced back, and so was my ride home. Another problem altogether since I wasn't acquainted to the place. Yet I have kept my wits about, and problems always had solutions. Mine was in the form of a yellow cab.

"Taxi!" I yelled, waving my arms about. Did the driver see me? I had only gotten out of the alley. "Taxi!"

The cab made a U-turn, stopping directly on the side street I was standing on. The soft seat was heaven for my aching muscles. The absent light in the cab also relaxed my weary eyes. If I couldn't say so myself, the day has finally caught up with me. "Along the Borough, please," I said, looking at the rearview mirror. It was sunglasses and not a pair of eyeballs that stared back at me. Curious. "Why, pray tell, are you wearing shades at night?"

"Medical condition," answered a rich, sultry voice of a woman. The kind that demanded attention. Interesting. I adjusted on my seat to look at the rest of her face. It wasn't often I had the pleasure of meeting a female cab driver. Pfff. It was too dark, and she had a cap on. All I could make out was the ring she was wearing, which had the design of a panther. Or was it a tiger? Why was I so interested anyway? It wasn't like we'd be friends. I leaned my head on the seat, closed my eyes for a second. A moment of rest.