Masks Ch. 01

I watch Samantha climb in after me. Once she's settled, she picks up the open champagne bottle sitting in the ice bucket and pours two glasses. The car slowly glides away from the front of my apartment building, Adam moving car smoothly into traffic.

Samantha holds a glass of bubbling liquid towards me, I hesitate. "Don't you think it's a bit early?"

"Why not live a little? Why not be reckless, even a little bit, for once?" She says, shoving the glass towards me.

Slowly I accept it, eying the bottle suspiciously. "Dare I ask which one you took from 'Alexandra's' stock?"

She nearly spews champagne at my deadpan question, "Oh, she'll kill me." Her hand turns the label towards me and my eyes widen in shock.

The Armand de Brignac "Ace of Spades" Brut Gold label shines against in the dim light. The gold spade is making me shake my head.

"Oh, she's not happy, I can assure you." I look at her, taking a sip. The incredibly aromatic liquid embraces my tongue covering my palate with a bouquet of honeysuckle, nectarine and pear. I let it sit there, savoring its blanketed essence caressing my tongue, the bubbles playing across my mouth. The pungent spices mix with a blooming sugar coating my palate, as I swallow the liquid. The finish makes me sigh softly, leaving a softly smoky, yet indistinctly sweet trail across my satisfied tongue: my eyes closing, savoring the expensive sip.

"Now that's the face everyone should see on you, at least once in their life." Samantha says softly.

"What?" I look up, not expecting her to be staring at me.

"The face of being carried away, appreciating a moment, of living, not existing." She smiles, taking a less delicate sip of her own champagne. "This is really good. Besides, 'Alexandra' has not idea who's taken it."

"But, I'm..." I start.

"You are Atlas. I'm sorry, but 'Alexandra' is DND, there's no way for you to tell her." She snickers at her own joke.

I laugh and shake my head lightly. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Yep. That's why we get along so famously," She replies, lifting her glass in a light salute toward me. "Oh look. We're here."

I look outside. The opulent day spa screams the torture that Samantha has planned for the day.

Adam opens the door, holding out his hand as I step from the car. I watch the attendants school their looks when they see my state of dress and begin a mental ping pong match between me, the car from which I emerged and my well dressed uniformed driver. It must be truly a sight. I can imagine the 'rags to riches- Pretty Woman' theme running through their head. This poor girl has been taken under the wing of the inexorable Ms. McKenzie for a make-over day. Of course the irony is that she's using my account to do it.

"Perfect! Let's do this!" Samantha says, starting to step forward. "Hold on, let me grab our drink. I'm positive they don't serve champagne like this here. No matter how great the place is on everything else."

I chuckle, "No Samantha, I'm pretty positive they don't serve a $300 bottle of champagne to their guests." I mumble under my breath.

Samantha moves smoothly toward the door, ushered inside by the confused attendant. I watch her calm confidence confirming a list of things on a clipboard and turn to take in my new surroundings.