Marco Dane spied on RJ & Sophia from a nearby area of the hill. Dane was watching and waiting for the right opportunity to set his sinister plan in motion, spearheaded by John Sykes. The fact that Marco had a history with Sophia made it easier for him to complete his mission without any difficulty. Meanwhile, RJ & Sophia's lips were locked in a very passionate and wet kiss. They had their arms around each and were breathing heavy. The two stopped kissing for a moment to look at the stars in the beautiful moonlight sky.
"Aren't the stars beautiful?" Remarked Sophia as she was wrapped in RJ's arms.
"They're not as beautiful as the star I'm holding now."
"How sweet. You know the right words to say." Sophia kisses RJ on the cheek.
"I know. It just comes naturally like breathing or talking." Smiled RJ.
"It's getting late, RJ." Sophia yawns. "We should head back to my place."
"Lead the way my precious barfly. I'm enjoying your company as much as I love looking at this lovely night sky."
"You're making me blush. I can't wait to get you home. I'm going to make you breakfast tomorrow. I'm not the best cook in the world, but I'll do what I can to satisfy your appetite."
"They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
"That's funny. I always thought the way to a man's heart was through his draw's. At least that's what my moms used to say."
"You're too much." RJ laughs.
"And you're all that. Come on! I'll race you."
Sophia jumps on her motorcycle and RJ gets in his car. She leads the way to her house where the two make love and are in the total state of ecstasy. The next morning Sophia keeps her word to RJ and makes him breakfast. She cooks him an omelette and some waffles. After RJ and Sophia finish eating their meal, the two make plans to meet up later and practice their pool game. They both go their own ways shortly afterwards.
Moments later, Sophia hears a knock at the door. She opens it up and she's surprised to see Marco Dane.
"Marco, is that you?" Asked Sophia in total disbelief.
"You're acting as though I'm a ghost or something. Are you going to let me in?"
"You might as well be dead. You never came back for me like you said you would. Come in."
Sophia lets Marco in the house and the two have a lengthy discussion.
"My my, my. Have you grown into a beautiful woman. You hardly look like the tomboy I use to remember. Now you're starting to resemble your momma."
"Please! Don't even bring her up!" Exclaimed Sophia.
"So how's your mother doing anyway?"
"I could care less about that booze-aholic, crackhead bitch. For all I know, she could be in detox or at Statesville again."
"And your brother?"
"The usual with ol' Freddy. Can't seem to keep a job or stay out of trouble or prison."
"So things haven't changed. That's too bad."
"They have with me. You said you were going to come back and get me and you never did. I was left in a foster home with mom in prison and all. I done a lot of crying and praying for you to come and rescue me, so I ran away several times and learned to look out for myself."
"I'm sorry Sophia. I would've came and got you but it was too hot to slip back in town with the blue heat and everything lurking about."
"Please, Marco. I'm not in the mood for excuses. I believed in you once and I'm not going to get suckered by your lies once again."
"I don't blame you for not wanting to trust a lowlife scoundrel like me. After all, when your mother was arrested for parole violation, I had to skip town cause I had some outstanding warrants on me. I couldn't let you be a part of that whatsoever. Things got so hectic that I had to change my name several times. My new name is Mark Donovan, software programmer."
"Mark Donovan?"
"I found the guy's W2 Form in the trash one day and I decided to use his identity by stealing his social security card numbers. Very easy."
"I bet."
"I been watching you lately, Sophie, and I think you should stay clear of that RJ Gannon fella. He's a very dangerous man."
"Danger's my business, Marco. And what are you doing following me? Are you a stalker?"
"Just a man who's concerned about his ex-girlfriend's daughter. Just want to make sure you're safe."
"I can take care of myself. I learned how to cope without you."
"I'm not doubting that. I'm just telling you to be careful. I would hate to see an attractive young woman like yourself get hurt."
"Unless you're a part of it. Why are you giving a damn about my life?"
"Cause I want the best for you, and I don't think this RJ Gannon guy is all that he seems. He may love you now, but will he love you tomorrow?"
"I'm capable of choosing who I want to be with and love. I don't need your help."
"You're right about that. I just want you to remember who taught you how to roll a joint, who trained you to use firearms, hotwiring cars and how to defend yourself. If anything, Sophia, I want you to know who loved you the longest, not who's going to shack you up and run."
"You were some role model, Marco. With all those skills I learned from you, I'm qualified to be a felon. Now get out of here!" Shouted Sophia.
"I was just about to leave anyway. Listen I'm going to be in town for awhile. Here's my number where I could be reached in case you need me." Marco gives the number to Sophia.
"Don't expect me to call. Goodbye." Sophia opens the door for Marco and then slams it shut as he leaves her apartment.
Sophia was very reluctant to let Marco back in her life again because she felt that he abdandoned her during her darkest hour. She kept wondering if he was right about RJ, but then Sophia just figured that Marco's trying to play with her head.
The scene switches to Juicy's Gentlemen Club where RJ checks up on Roseanne Delgado to see how she's doing at her new job. As RJ walks in the club he's greeted by the manager of Juicy's, Michael Taylor. Taylor use to work for RJ back at Indigo and he hired Rosie as a favor to him.
"Hey, RJ! What's crackin', captain?"
"Things couldn't be better. And yourself ?"
"This job is not bad. Don't get me wrong, RJ. I loved working for you and all, but Juicy's is what's happening."
"I'm not offended, Mike. You had to work and I didn't want you to hold out for me. So how's Rosie doing?"
"She's so hot that when she dances the whole stage is on fire. You should see how she makes those guys out there sweat. I had to get fans for my customers. That's how good she is. Anyways, I had a slight prob awhile back."
"What was the problem?"
"A couple of guys came in and made some trouble for her. They said that knew her and whatnot. When they became rowdy, we had them thrown out."
"You get their names?"
"They were two Latino gentlemen. One was name Cris and the other was Eddie. I had them scratched and everything."
"That's good. I want Rosie's work environment to be as pleasant and enjoyable as possible. You keep me informed on her progress, Mike."
"I'm on top of that, RJ."
"That's just what I love to hear. Go tell Rosie that I would like to see her."
"You're just in luck, RJ. She's on her break. I'll go get her."
"Cool. I'll just watch the next dancer until she arrives."
Mike goes downstairs to the dressing room to get Rosie while RJ watches the exotic dancer on stage at the bar. It's not long before Mike comes back upstairs with Rosie following behind. She and RJ grab a seat at a table and engage in a discussion.
"Rosie it's so nice to see you. How's everything going."
"I'm doing alright, RJ. Other than Cris and Eddie coming here and causing a ruckus, Juicy's has been good to me."
"I'm glad that you're happy. Did you deliver that gift to Tea?"
"Of course. I followed your instructions. In fact, she should be receiving your gift, today."
The scene switches to Tea at the penthouse as she looks through her mail. She sees a mysterious small package. She shakes and it sounds like a key. There's an enclosed message on it that reads: PLEASE OPEN IT! NOT FROM TODD!
To Be Continued ....