Chapter Text
The loud chattering and clinking of glasses brought a strange sense of familiarity as Jen speed-walked through the hotel lobby, looking for something to take the edge off. Fucking asshole, she muttered to herself as she threw her phone into her purse and took a seat by the bar. Her head was pounding so she took a moment to rub her temples for relief, feeling like the whole world was crumbling down on her. It was always one thing after another with no end in sight and she didn’t know for much longer she could take it.
“Tough day?”
The voice was cold and steady, and Jen needed a minute to realise the question was meant for her. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she slipped off her glasses and looked sideways to find a woman sitting on the bar stool next to her, dressed in a red leather dress which could’ve been featured in a designer’s runway show.
“Fucking worst,” Jen snorted as her eyes locked with the woman’s, forcing a smile so fake it made her nauseous.
“Ow, poor baby. Let me fix that. What can I get you?” the woman offered with a pout of her lips and a suggestive tilt of her head.
Stunned to silence, Jen took a moment to eye the woman up and down as she signalled the young bartender with a simple wave of her hand. She was beautiful. Over the top, but beautiful. A shallow trophy wife, Jen assumed.
“The usual?” the bartender directed his question towards Jen with a knowing smile on his face, his curly, jet black hair drooping down his forehead.
“Please,” Jen rasped, followed by a lengthy sigh as she dragged her fingers through her hair in an attempt to pull herself together.
“You come here often?” the woman spoke again, swirling her tongue along the rim of her frosted margarita glass.
“I practically live here,” Jen spat back, annoyed by the flood of questions.
“Oh, so do I.”
The exaggerated giggles that followed made Jen want to roll her eyeballs all the way to the back of her skull. Jesus fucking Christ, she muttered to herself as she swivelled the chair around and made an attempt to storm away but got pulled back almost immediately.
"No, no, no... don't leave,” the woman begged, her previously cold voice suddenly shifting to a pleading whisper.
“I'm sorry, do I know you?” Jen hissed with a shaky, dismissive laughter.
“You might recognise the name. Margo, Margo Starling. A world renowned interior designer.”
Jen took the woman’s perfectly manicured hand into her own. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Morgan, or Margo, or whatever the fuck she said her name was, was a masterful liar but behind all the façade, she had an indisputable charm to her. The way her nose crinkled and eyes sparkled when she smiled reminded Jen of another masterful liar, who had not only killed her first husband in an accidental hit and run and kept it a secret for months but also captured her heart so completely that she had yet to figure out how to breathe.
“Let’s play a game. If you tell me one thing about yourself that you haven’t told anyone, I'll let you off the hook,” the woman offered with a subtle yet flirty wink, tracing her fingers across Jen’s thigh with light circles at first, gradually making her way upward.
Jen’s breathing faltered for a second as she contemplated her next move. Her mind was screaming at her to run as fast as she could but there was something about the woman that enticed her to stay. She wasn’t used to getting this kind of affection from anyone, let alone a stranger, and even though the featherlight touches made her feel extremely uncomfortable, she needed all the distraction she could get.
“My divorce got finalised this morning.”
“First husband?”
“Second,” Jen grumbled into her chest as she slipped the young bartender, who she knew all too well at this point, a generous tip.
“Ugh, third here,” the woman huffed out, flashing Jen a massive rock adorning her ring finger, “I don’t know why I keep falling for men. They are the worst,” she continued, sticking her tongue out to further emphasize her feelings towards the opposite sex.
Jen took a large swig of her Dirty Martini and zoned out as she thought about the shitty situation she'd gotten herself into. How the fuck did she end up divorced with three kids? Her two older sons from her first marriage, Charlie and Henry, had already moved out so she only saw them during birthdays and holidays. Then there was Joey, her seven year old daughter who she shared with her second husband Ben. Joey was the light of her life so in the back of her mind, there was this nagging thought to stop this charade and go back to being a family, but she couldn’t fathom spending another second with her ex-husband.
Silence took over as they both took a sip from their respective drinks without breaking eye contact. Jen could feel herself relaxing as the alcohol entered her blood stream, so much that she suddenly felt like she needed to know everything about the woman. Every little detail. Who the fuck is she, why is she here, and what does she want? she wondered, coughing as the strong liquid hit the back of her throat.
“You okay?” Margo checked and took the opportunity to scoot closer to Jen. Way too close for Jen’s liking but she felt no inclination to move.
“I’m fine,” Jen grumbled, deliberately glancing over Margo's shoulder to keep herself from saying something stupid.
“You’re a realtor, aren’t you?” Margo pressed, crossing one leg over the other with a pleasing smirk on her lips, and when Jen didn’t answer, she continued, “I hear you have a certain reputation which I’m very eager to explore,” she let out with a seductive whisper, and the way the tone of her voice dropped an octave sent Jen almost choking on her drink.
Again.
Jen took a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to calm herself down, ultimately deciding to play along to see where this game would lead them. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear,” she retorted plainly.
“No? What if it's all true?" Margo continued with the same seductive tone of voice, leaning in until their lips were nearly brushing.
Jen raised an eyebrow at that, desperate to learn more about her alleged reputation. “Listen, I don’t know who you are or who you’ve been talking to, but if you’re looking to sell or invest-”
“That’s not why I’m here,” Margo interrupted, reaching out to twirl a lock of Jen’s hair around her finger, “I’m here to cheat on my husband. With a woman, preferably,” she hinted with a wink so mesmerising it left Jen gasping for air.
The silence that surrounded them felt like a bomb waiting to explode. The bar seemed to be getting more and more crowded by the second, yet it felt like they were the only people there. Jen could feel the heel of Margo’s stiletto stroking her calf as she sat there with her mouth open, staring at the woman who was clearly waiting for a reaction from her.
“You wanna fuck me?” was all Jen could think of, her stomach twisting at the thought.
“Mmm,” Margo confirmed with a quiet hum, looking deep into Jen’s eyes and tilting her head to the side as she casually sipped on her third margarita of the night.
Goosebumps poked out on Jen’s skin and she suddenly felt like her tongue was too big for her mouth. “I-, uh, I’m not gay,” she stuttered, shaking her head to rid herself of the thought.
“Neither am I.”
“But you are married.”
“For now, but fuck my husband.”
And with that, Margo slipped Jen a keycard under the table and murmured, “I know you want me,” into Jen’s ear, then she left with her phone in one hand and a small handbag in the other. Stunned into a state of delirium, Jen could feel her heart pounding fiercely against her ribcage as she wrapped her fingers around the stem of her glass and brought it to her lips to gulp down the rest of her drink.
The sound of Margo’s five-inch stilettos clicking against the marble floors had every person in the bar craning their head around. Most of the men and a few of the women let their eyes linger so Jen made sure to keep some distance between them as she followed Margo towards the elevators. Everything about the woman was so deliciously glamorous and elegant, even her walk oozed with confidence and grace, and Jen could feel her heart racing with just the right mix of thrill, fear and excitement. There was no way she was about to have sex with the woman but the offer was weirdly intriguing and she had promised herself years ago if she’d ever find herself in a situation like this, she’d take the leap and never look back.
They didn’t have to wait long before the elevator arrived with an obnoxious ding. The door swung open in an instant, revealing a blissfully empty glass box. Jen watched from behind, all wide-eyed and jittery as Margo stepped in, looking like a doll in human form.
“I won’t bite,” Margo mouthed out the words, reaching out her hand for Jen to take.
Feeling like she was about to pass out any second, Jen just stood there, frozen in place until Margo grabbed a hold of her blazer and pulled her through the door. She smashed the button for the top floor, then shoved Jen against one of the glass walls and began attacking the right side of her neck with hot wet kisses. An involuntary whimper escaped Jen’s throat at the intensity of it all. She had no idea how she’d let a simple conversation get this far but was already loving every minute of it.
“Fuck,” Jen breathed when the elevator began to slow down, her gaze shifting towards the door that was about to open.
She could feel herself blushing at the thought of being caught in the act with a woman but instead of pulling back, Margo grabbed a hold of her face and pressed their lips together. Jen could feel her heart skip a beat at the intensity of it all but the feeling of the woman’s eager lips pressing against her own, urging her to return the kiss, was the most delicious thing she’d ever experienced. So delicious she barely noticed the middle aged couple that entered the elevator somewhere along the way.
Little fires erupted all over Jen’s body and she could feel herself struggling to breathe as Margo explored the insides of her mouth with her tongue. She had no idea what to do with her hands so she ended up weaving her fingers into the woman's impeccably styled, honey-blonde hair and pulling her closer, refusing to let the moment end.
“Oh, fuck. Those were my neighbours. Jesus Christ, you think they saw us?” Margo blurted out as soon as the couple had left, looking up to meet Jen’s eyes who was smiling like an idiot.
Struggling to breathe, Jen moved her hand from Margo’s hair to her face and used her thumb to wipe the traces of lipstick from her chin. There was no doubt in Jen's mind that that Margo was a manipulative status-seeker who embodied everything she despised, yet she found herself drawn to her like a moth to a flame. “You are very hard to miss,” she concluded, the tone of her voice way too kind and gentle for someone she didn’t even like.
Or maybe she did.
Maybe she liked this woman in the most fucked up, twisted way imaginable.