Chapter 16 Mischa #3
“You think they fucked in Alice Springs?”
“No, she gave him a hand-job, you know, foreplay stuff.”
“You know for sure? You were there?”
“Yes.” He grimaces. “I was privy to far too much of it. Wish I wasn’t...”
You can’t fake that level of disgust. He was not only told about it by Austen, but he saw some of it. So Austen’s really trying to fuck around on me with all these girls, huh? I feel the gut-punch. I don’t hide my reaction.
“Oh... that’s... a pity...”
“Sorry, I know you were circling her, but don’t worry; you’re so goddamn good-looking,” Will looks me up and down, “Jesus Mary mother of Christ, you could get with anyone.”
Finally Will gives me credit where credit is due. Took him long enough.
“Austen told me he didn’t like new people touching him. He said he has these seizures?”
“No. Austen misspoke. He never said that. He does not have seizures. I have seizures.”
“He literally told me about three times not to fucking touch him because it might trigger some kind of seizure.”
“Might, might, MIGHT. Never happened. Never will happen. He’s just worried about that because of me.
I’m okay when I get to know someone, but it’s a risk.
I have frightened a couple of girls, Isobelle included.
I had an accident when I was younger, like a traumatic brain injury, but I’m on the mend. ”
“You black out, and beat people up?”
“Yeah, but not with girls. I have epilepsy, it’s just the unusual kind.”
“Frontal lobe epilepsy? I read it can make you violent.”
“No. Sure. Whatever,” he closes his eyes and shakes his head.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s paranoid if people touching him unexpectedly it’ll set him off, or if he fucks new girls he’ll fit like I did for a while.
That’s why he’s nervous about sewing a couple wild oats, so he only he finger-fucked Amelia and it was fine. ”
“Okay...” I frown, “but Austen has been dating Sabrina the very hot girl for apparently five years or something?”
“Yeah but don’t worry about that. For the reasons I just explained, Sabrina’s the only girl he hides the sausage with.
And that’s exactly the problem. I’m trying to fix him.
I’m finally at the point where all girls blend together into anonymous blobs and I’m fine, and I want Austen to reach the promised land.
That’s why I’m hoping to get the ball rolling with him and Amelia, so he can fuck all the girls he wants. ”
“Saaa-breee-naaa.”
“Diff-er-ent rulesssssss. Ru-ling fuck-ing class.”
That sobers me. I’m a Russian citizen after all. Wealth and power really do taste like ashes in my mouth.
“They’re getting fucking married,” I say meekly.
“My friend,” he puts his hand on my shoulder. “Every supermodel knows a guy who’s tired of fucking a supermodel.”
“You’re saying they’re not into each other anymore?”
“I’m saying variety is the spice of life.”
“But... I don’t know. They’re getting married…”
He closes his eyes and his brow furrows in frustration, and shakes his head emphatically, “Oh jeez. That does not matter at all, trust me.”
“If he gets caught?”
“What’s she gonna do?” he laughs, “Not marry the handsome, young, and filthy rich guy?”
Such an asshole, but something deep down tells me William is wrong.
It can’t be true. I don't care if he saw Austen physically inside of Amelia; there must be a reasonable explanation. Like he was just looking for his keys or something. More importantly, William sees what I see; Sabrina and Austen aren’t right for each other, and their relationship is bullshit.
We both want to intervene in this shit-show.
This game is still fucking in play, motherfucker. Oh fucking hell to the fuck yes.
I do some fast calculations, and nod. “Sure, I mean, I guess I don’t really give a fuck,” I tell him.
“Maybe I could get into Brittany’s pants.
I know she’s been a bit hung up on you. Maybe we can all hang out in Bondi tomorrow before we head to the airport, and you invite Brittany and I invite Amelia, we could make it happen? ”
William is pleased. “Two birds, one stone. I love the way you think; the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”
???
Kai, with the Stupid Backwards Hat, tags along with Alissa and Taylor B, and another jock named Jordan.
“No bodyguards lately huh?” I ask Will. “At the zoo, Luna Park, not today either.”
Will shakes his head. “Isobelle is here now.”
Isobelle smiles at me.
“She’s better than two big bodyguards?”
Will, Austen and his interloper girlfriend all nod automatically.
“They might take a bullet for us but she’d dish them out without a word.”
Isobelle laughs, but her eyes are steely. “Fuck with my beebees and I’ll murder you.”
Amelia is very pale and has every kind of sunscreen on her.
In Australia it comes in colored paint sticks, and Amelia draws designs on everyone except me, because I ask Brittany to get my back.
Austen sits it all out because he is wearing a swim top.
.. and doesn’t like being touched. He certainly isn’t trying very hard with the poor girl that’s for sure.
He watches Brittany enthusiastically massage my shoulders. I get flirty and do her sunscreen too.
William, Sabrina, and Isobelle take off to the Iceberg Pools at the southern end, leaving me and Austen with Brittany and Amelia. Kai and Jordan are on bodyboards and Brittany follows them into the surf.
I put my feet in the water. It’s a cool relief from the heat. Austen pushes the sand around with his feet. He seems lost. He doesn’t know whether he should follow William, or talk to Amelia, or join me in the water. Slowly, he follows his brother to the pools.
I stand in the light blue sea up to my knees.
I’m not ready to swim because I have two joints in the pocket of my shorts.
Amelia organizes her bags on the sand and a Labrador walks up and sniffs her bikini.
She squeaks when its moist nose touches her thigh.
Then she joins me in the ankle-deep water, looking out at the Pacific Ocean in designer sunglasses.
“Hello, Miss Amelia,” I say.
“Hello Sexy Mikhail,” she replies in her London accent.
“Well...”
“Is that too forward?”
I weigh it up. “I mean, where’s the lie?”
“Forgive me,” she laughs, “but if I want any chance of getting my end away before the end of this, I need to be bold.”
“Your end away? With me?”
She smiles smugly. “Oh yes.”
“You don’t like Austen then?”
She considers the idea. “He’s a bit of alright; smoking hot actually. Also has lots of money, which helps.”
“Ain’t saying she a gold digger...”
She shakes her head. “It’s just as much work to date a rich guy than a poor one, and sometimes it’s much less work. That one is also much nicer than his brother. I mean...” she clears her throat, “sometimes.”
“What do you mean; sometimes?”
“Oh... nothing.”
I read her body.
“Oh shit,” I frown. “you’re sitting on something big, aren’t you?”
“I mean...”
"Please tell me,” I beg her.
“Don’t say anything.” Amelia pulls a small box out of her bag and shows me the diamond and sapphire bracelet. “I can’t really explain it. Will pulled me aside yesterday coming back from Luna Park. He said it was from Austen. But... isn’t Sabrina dating Austen?”
“Apparently.”
“Perhaps he wants me to be his mistress.”
“Does it actually look like he’s really dating Sabrina?” I ask.
“He actually looks like he could be her brother,” she laughs.
“Yeah. Right?” My eyes bug. “It’s fucking spooky.”
She nods. “But if you’re offering, it’s an automatic yes. I think you’re a yes for Brittany too, if you want extra company. And it doesn’t have to be before the flight. You can hit me up back home, or both of us.”
“Good to know,” I smile. “It’s just awkward because William told me there’s something between you and Austen and now with him giving you the bracelet, I’m not sure if I should get between you two.”
“Interesting,” she frowns. “I wouldn’t mind riding that gravy train, but I don’t know.
Maybe those two are more trouble than they’re worth.
When people found out I was going to school with them they told me to be careful.
When they heard Isobelle had joined them on this trip, they said to run as fast as I can, and not to talk to her. ”
“I’d love to find out why.”
“Well,” she thinks about it. “My cousin is at Oxford, with a girl who’s dating a guy from his school, and he knows everything. I could always ask her to ask him?”
“I mean... if it’s not too much trouble.”
“My cousin actually mentioned there’s a rumor they have a younger sister, but nobody can find the birth certificate or has ever seen even a bloody photo of the girl.”
“Sabrina?” I swivel to Amelia and laugh.
“Sabrina!” she shrieks, and cackles with laughter.
“Okay, what else?” I ask, after we catch our breath.
“Apparently those girls had something to do with that aeroplane thing.”
“Which girls?”
“Sabrina and Isobelle; their girlfriends,” Amelia does quotation marks around her head.
“Oh... more please.”
“Sabrina’s a nobody,” Amelia shrugs.
“Not if she’s their sister...”
Amelia snorts. “Isobelle’s grandfather isn’t, and he has an estate near their’s.”
Amelia looks out to where the others had been.
“Um... is Brittany okay?” she asks, pointing out to the surf, “because she is much further out than a few minutes ago.”
Jordan is coming in on a wave on his board and Kai’s headed back out.
“Maybe go talk to a lifeguard,” I tell Amelia, and hand her my wallet, weed, and sunglasses.