My Friend Bloody Maria

Piper I was up until three in the morning researching lawyers. I found a woman named Madilyn Swank. The reviews of her were phenomenal. Women praised her for being a shark. I set up an appointment for 10 am. My alarm went off at 8. I groaned. I rolled out of bed. Did my business in the bathroom, showered, and then got dressed for my meeting. The smell of bacon and eggs brought me to Mia’s kitchen. She was plating my food as I walked in. “Just in time,” she said with a smile. She slid the plate across her kitchen island, where a fork, napkin, and coffee were already waiting. “Bless you,” I said and dug in. She set her own plate down across from me and started eating. “So, how did you sleep?” “Like s**t,” I said. “So, like normal?” I snorted. She was right. I had really bad insomnia. My brain wouldn’t shut off sometimes. “I was up until 3 am searching for lawyers. I found one, Madilyn Swank. She has very good Yelp reviews.” “Good for you,” she said. “I also became an FBI agent and went through our joint bank account spending to see if he’s been using our money to buy presents for his girlfriend.” “You aren’t mad at her?” “No. She doesn’t owe me anything. In fact, I should thank her. Now, I won’t be wasting the next 30 or 40 years on a cheating, f*****g, asshole.” Mia nodded, thoughtfully. “We should send her flowers.” I laughed. It felt good. At 10 am, I was walking into Madilyn Swank's office. “Hello Piper, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under such horrible circumstances.” “Yeah, finding your husband balls deep in a gorgeous redhead will have you meeting new people you never intended to meet. Sorry, I become sarcastic when I’m hurt and pissed.” “It’s fine. I like this better than uncontrollable sobbing. So tell me, what do you want out of this divorce?” “I just want out as quickly as possible. I went over our joint account. Nothing looked suspicious. I couldn’t find any evidence that he's spent money on the woman he’s been having an affair with. I would like to split our account 50/50.” “Your house? Cars? Any savings or investment accounts?” “You would think we had investment accounts, but none that I know about. I’d like to keep my car, but if he refuses, he can have it. Everything is unfortunately in his name. He wanted a stay-at-home wife. I put my studies aside for a while, but I got restless and wanted to put my degree to use. I am taking over a business with my friend. I got my real estate license and acquisition certificate.” “Have you started that yet?” “No, Uncle Marvin, her dad, is having the papers drawn up.” “Okay, good, don’t sign anything until after the divorce. It is strange that you wouldn’t have any investment accounts with him in finance.” “He said all his time is devoted to his business now that it’s fully his. If there was anything to invest in, it would be Williams Financial.” “Do you want to go after his business?” “No. I just want out. I was going to go after everything. But, I just want to be free of him and take back my maiden name, Davis.” She nodded, made notes. “I’ll have my financial investigators look into things. So, you don’t expect him to have anything hidden?” “I honestly don’t know.” “Okay, not a problem. If there’s something he’s hiding, we will find it. My last question is, are you absolutely certain you want to do this?” “Yes, without question.” “Okay. I’ll draft everything up in a couple of days and file it. He’ll be served in less than a week.” “The sooner the better,” I said. I left her and sat in my car. The numbness I’d been living on for God knows how long was starting to slip away. Feelings I have suppressed hit me. I broke down. I cried. Not the pretty crying you see on TV, but really crying with tears, snot, and devastation. Afterward, I cleaned myself up with some napkins I found in my console. I started my car and looked at the time. It was 1 pm. I didn’t realize I was with her for so long. My stomach growled, and I was surprised to feel I was hungry. I drove around until I saw a bar and pulled over. A drink sounded good right about now, too. I got out of my car. I was in one of my power suits that I bought for the seminar. It was red, with tight-fitting slacks and a fitted red half-jacket. The white blouse I wore underneath it was sleeveless and went around my neck in a halter style. I had my red power heels on, too. I took off my jacket and threw it in the car. I had my hair up in a bun, with tendrils around my face. The back of the blouse was open. I didn’t care how I looked. It was a bar for God's sake. I walked in, and the first thing I noticed was that this wasn’t an ordinary bar. There were bikers sitting all around. I knew they were bikers because I could see the different leather cuts they wore. There were some who said The Lords of Chaos, others who said God's Army, and a few who said Devil Dogs. Huh, I always thought bikers didn’t mingle like this. Interesting. There were others. Some business-type men in suits, and old timers in jeans and flannels. It was spring in Utah, and it could be warm or crisp. Today happened to be in the sixties. It wasn’t cold, or at least I didn’t find it that way. The sun was out and shining. But you wouldn’t know it in this bar. It was dim and dark in some areas. I walked up to the bar. The bartender, a big, burly man, looked me over once and then his eyes snapped to mine. His were a stormy gray. He had a black beard and a bald head. I was fascinated by the cobra that was tattooed on it. “What can I get you, sweetheart? We don’t sell any of that fancy wine here,” he grumbled. I smirked. “Good thing I didn’t want wine then. Do you have tequila, Bloody Mary Mix, and Tajin?” “Yeah,” he asked, curious. “I want a Bloody Maria, then like a Bloody Mary, but with tequila instead of vodka and Tajin around the rim instead of salt. No celery. I don't want any green s**t in my drinks.” He snorted. “Anything else?” “A greasy cheeseburger and fries?” I asked. “Sure thing, Sunshine. Coming right up.” I smiled as he got to work making my drink. He called me sunshine. That was new and sweet. I appreciated it. I told him I was going to the restroom, and I’d be right back. He nodded. When I walked in, I gasped at my reflection. Why didn’t I clean myself up better? My eyeliner was smudged, and my eyes were red and a little puffy. No wonder he was being so nice to me. I cleaned myself up better and used the bathroom, which was surprisingly clean, but I didn’t see many women here, so maybe not so surprising. I washed my hands and went back to the bar where my drink and food were already waiting. Fast. I liked it. I dug in. I didn’t care what I looked like while eating. I was suddenly starving. I downed my drink and asked for another with an extra shot. “Too weak,” I said to the bartender. He smirked and raised a brow in challenge. The next three drinks were not weak at all. I loved my friend Bloody Maria. I didn’t know how long I was sitting there long after I was finished eating, but I was feeling my drinks, and I had a pleasant buzz going on, when my phone buzzed. I looked at it and scowled. Craig. I stared at my phone like it betrayed me. “You going to answer that?” Cobra asked. That was the bartender's name. It was fitting. “No,” I said. “Could be important? Someone could have died.” “I could only be so lucky,” I said, and he barked out a laugh. The buzzing stopped, and I took a deep breath, then it started again. I groaned. Suddenly, Cobra snatched it up. “Who the f**k is this?” he said into the receiver. My jaw dropped open. “Well, Craig, the husband, she’s busy. Call back later,” and then he hung up on him and handed me my phone back. I stared at him, and he winked at me before helping out another customer. I looked down at my phone. I waited five minutes, and no calls came through. I looked back at Cobra and beamed. He winked again. I finished my drink. Music started, and I swayed a little in my seat. Maybe I was a little more than buzzed. Another Bloody Maria was set in front of me. I looked at Cobra. “I didn’t order this,” I said. “Guy down there bought it,” he said, jerking his head towards the other end of the bar. I looked over automatically and sucked in a breath. Three men were sitting at the other end, all big, all tattooed, all looking like trouble and sin, but only one was staring back at me. His dark eyes were calmly fixed on me. It wasn’t with creepiness, it was with interest. I felt warmth fill my cheeks and my lower belly. I picked up my Bloody Maria and licked the rim of the glass. The salty, sour taste of the Tajin made my mouth water. His eyes burned into me hotter. He said something to his companions and stood up. As he walked over to me, I thought, “Oh boy, I’m in way over my head.”