6 ONE TIME IS NOT ENOUGH

"I spotted her in a bar and had no chance against her art of seduction. Right, honey?" Daniel came to help her with response.

"Hell right!" Mary agreed.

"But don't pressure us; you'll know everything in good time," Daniel tried to avoid further interrogation.

"I think the meat will soon be ready. Maybe I take Mary with me to the kitchen and grab some vegetables and a cold beer," Brenda felt that there was some tension in the air and decided to lend a helpful hand to the newcomer. Mary was glad to escape and quickly accepted her offer.

They disappeared into the house, brought the vegetables and went for their beer. Brenda offered to stay at the porch for some time and finish the beer together. They were leaning on the handrail and drinking, while watching how Derek was grilling the meat.

"Don't mind them talk! Especially Angela, she's a bit narrow-minded, but she'll come around, eventually. I don't know how Derek stands her! But I guess he just doesn't give a shit as usual," Brenda felt the need to reassure Mary, she also did not want her to get the wrong impression of their company.

"Is she always like that with new people, I mean Angela?" Mary asked.

"No. The show was just for you!" Brenda said laughing. With a beer, leaning on the porch, in her sports suit and with this leisurely talk, Brenda resembled a grown up tom-boy.

"But why?" Mary asked.

"Why? Because we kinda know your meeting story and all…"

"It couldn't be Daniel… So Gabriella then, am I right?"

Brenda nodded, and somehow Mary was not surprised with it.

"Damn right! She had her claws in poor Daniel long before you came around! He's the only one blind to it," Brenda said. "But I'm impressed! You're brave: to move in with a stranger for the sake of money… I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Who told you that it was only for the sake of money?!" Mary retorted. "I hate those clichés and double standards! If a girl meets someone in a bar and agrees to sleep with him for money – it's an immoral deed. But if she agrees to sleep with him for free just because he looks hot, then it's alright. And what if he looks hot and has money on top of that, isn't it even better? Where does all this prejudice come from?!"

"Don't look at me! It's not coming from my side!" Brenda said and fell silent for some time. "But I have to admit," she continued, "you are not very much like his previous girlfriends. Probably it's a good thing; it means you really have a chance here. I'll be cheering for you!" She smiled, finished her beer and suggested to return back to others.

The evening was drawing near. They already finished several rounds of grilled meat and vegetables, played some games and started chatting again.

For everybody's surprise Mary found a good company for the evening and engaged in a drinking competition with Derek. Considering him being already quite drunk by the start of it, Mary managed to overdrink him and became the winner of the game.

"Sis, you're strong! My personal respect!" Derek announced with his drunken voice and shook her hand in a very respectful manner. "I'm a fan of yours! Really. In this company I've never had a proper drinking buddy! Welcome, sis. Welcome!"

Mary laughed at him heartily. She knew this one was the easiest to deal with. But to say that she was not drunk after several rounds of beer would be a lie. She was drunk and needed to visit a toilet on top of that.

After she went out of the toilet, she saw light in the kitchen and went to check who that was. It was Jim, Gabriella's fan-boy.

"Mary, do you know where the beer is?" he asked her.

"Why? In the fridge, of course," Mary replied.

"I checked, but can't find it. Can you help me?"

He looked a bit lost and Mary decided that maybe he was too drunk to see the beer. So she went to help him.

When she found the beer and turned around to show it to Jim, he pushed her to the kitchen table board and pressed his lips to hers. He actually kissed her! Mary was taken aback. Why would he do it?

At the same time Gabriella appeared right beside them and took a picture of the whole catastrophe. She sent the picture to Daniel at once and started heading to the exit congratulating herself on Mary's ruined hopes. That's when she heard a dull sound of a blow.

An empty frying pan was standing on the table right beside Mary, she felt it with her hand and didn't even doubt for a moment hitting Jim right across his face as hard as she could, releasing a victorious cry at the same time. Like a real Amazon!

Jim fell to the ground and almost lost his consciousness, his hand was pressing to his cheek which started to swell and become bluish. A marvelous bruise was to be expected on one half of Jim's face. Stars were flying in front of his eyes; he tried to stand up and failed.

He turned to Gabriella asking for help. But she was stupefied. She already sent out the photo to Daniel and the messenger showed that he had already opened it. Running away would not help, so she decided to keep a calm posture and go with the flow leaving the entire fault on Jim. She came up and asked, "What happened?" As if she did not see it with her own eyes.

"She hit me! What are we gonna do?" Jim asked.

"We? What do I have to do with it?" Gabriella looked puzzled.

"But… but…" Jim could not think straight, his head was splitting from pain.

"Shh, you hit your head too hard! Don't speak now!" she shushed him hastily.

Mary froze for a moment, and then realized that they probably tried to frame her so that she would look bad in Daniel's eyes. But she still hit a person and hit him hard. She decided to help him; otherwise the bruise would be too obvious, though it probably would be grandiose in any case.

She turned to the fridge to find something cold to press to Jim's cheek when a shadow appeared in the doorway.

It was Daniel.

He apprehended the whole picture: Mary looking for something cold in the fridge, Gabriella trying to raise Jim to his feet and Jim himself pressing his hand to his swollen and bruised cheek. It was clear that he kissed her without any permission.

Daniel's blood was boiling in him. It was the first time in his life that he totally lost his cool.

He strode to Jim, who just managed to stand up, and slammed his fist into another of Jim's cheeks. The guy lost his ground again and fainted.

Gabriella cried out, while Mary turned to the fridge again thinking, "Maybe what I found before won't be enough…"

Daniel was breathing heavily. He turned to Mary, "Are you alright?"

"I am, but he's a bad kisser!" she tried to joke.

He embraced her and held in his hands for some time.

The rest of the company ran into house after they heard Gabriella's cry and saw all this havoc.

When Jim came to his senses, he apologized to Daniel and Mary and said that it was Devil who pushed him to this sinful path.

Now he looked at Mary with different eyes, the girl was strong and had fiery spirit! And yet she was just a woman in the wrong time with a wrong person, at least it was how he saw it. His cheek was hurting, he touched it and felt how hot it was, almost as hot as his burning senses. His whole soul seemed to catch fire from this blow. One spark and his past attachments were turning into ashes. Gabriella? What was she to him? She was playing with him for years just like Daniel was planning to play with this sweet and honest Mary.

Jim agreed to this kissing business only because Gabriella promised to go to a date with him for the first time in his entire life. He could not refuse! It was the only chance he had. Who knew that his head would be hit so hard that all thoughts of Gabriella would be kicked out from it in one blow?

Gabriella looked especially unhappy. She was afraid that Daniel would suspect her in something. Even more so, her brilliant plan failed and in such an unhappy manner. She was sulking alone and not willing to talk to anyone.

When the company made sure that Jim's two blows did not cause irreparable damage to his health, everyone started preparing for the night.