Method of Desire

Chapter 10

That night I was sure to meet up with the boys at the Actor's Studio. This time, under my trench coat I wore actual clothes. My hair was curled up as usual in the little bob that was popular in that day.

I stepped in and looked around.

"The class is downstairs." A man with a sweater said. I looked at him, a little bewildered. "I can tell you're new, that's all."

Both of us walked to the stairwell and went downstairs. The room was silent, and everyone had a reverence for the processing that was going on.

An older man with glasses sat in a corner, while all of the blossoming actors, young and old, sat huddled together. Some got comfortable, putting their feet up, others rested their head on the cheek. All paid full attention to what was happening on stage.

"I don't know what I ever did to you!" One girl actor said with emotion. "I don't know how you could ever leave me this way."

"I never left you, you gave me no choice!" The male shouted.

"I always cared for you, you know that." The woman spat back.

"I always loved you!" The man shouted with a rage. There was a silence that fell over the room, and the older man waved his hand. Everyone in the room clapped at the performance they just watched.

"I'm Tony, by the way." The man in a turtleneck said with a smile. He was cute enough, dark hair greased back neatly. A pronounced jawline. A thick Bronx accent.

"I'm Patricia." I whispered back and we looked forward.

Ahead of me, I could see Marlon and James sitting in the crowd. They were close together, Marlon leaned his arm on the back of James' chair.

Anyone would assume they were just friends, but from what I say that day I knew better.

The class ended and everyone began standing and chatting. Others shuffled out. I stood up and waited for Marlon to notice me. He gave me a mischievous grin once his eyes landed on me.

"Our beauty is here." He proclaimed, and others in the room turned around to look. They laughed as he walked over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and left a tender kiss on my cheek. "I'm glad you made it. How'd you like it?"

He was so normal when he wasn't a sex fiend. That's what I really wanted to tell him, but instead I just looked up at him and smiled.

"It was great!" I smiled. Tony looked Marlon up and down in a tense way.

"So this is why you came? You were with this guy?" Tony asked.

"Yes, we're friends." I told him and before I could even get another thought out, Marlon wrapped his arm around me.

"We're lovers." He corrected and left a passionate kiss on my neck. I still looked at Tony as he did this, but my eyes couldn't help but close as Marlon kissed.

"Well, this guy is more concerned with getting girls than actually perfecting his art." Tony criticized. Marlon looked at him with an anger I'd never witnessed.

"I am the best actor in this building! I put work into my craft and I get ladies while I do it. What do you do besides conjure up fake tears? I conjure emotion!" Marlon shouted.

James came over to me and stood next to me.

"I'm glad you made it, Pat." He said softly. Marlon looked at Tony eye to eye, but you could tell Tony felt looked down on. He was defeated, and silently walked off with his hands in his pockets.

Marlon looked to us, a triumphant smile on his face. Next thing I knew, we were out on the city.

I walked down the sidewalk with them. Each one of them on either side of me. Marlon walked tall and didn't seem to bother with James and I. James was more concentrated on me.

"So, what gives you life, Patricia?" James asked as we walked down the street. "What gets your wheels turning?"

"I'm in college at Hunter at the moment. I'm getting a degree in education. It's interesting." I told them.

"How did you meet Marlon?" James asked. I could see Marlon give him a certain look.

"I was walking with friends and Marlon struck up a conversation." I told James. He snickered.

"Marlon has that way of bringing people in. Hypnotizing them almost." James said as he looked at me. By the look in his eyes I could tell there was some deeper meaning by that statement.

"You both are talking like I'm not even here!" Marlon exclaimed. Suddenly, Marlon stood in front of me. James was still beside of me.

"Pattie..." Marlon called me.

"Please, I hate the name Pattie. It's just Patricia or simply Pat." I reminded him, but at this point I knew Marlon did it to get under my skin.

"Pat." James said. I looked to him, and his cheeks were red in the brisk cold. "We know you saw us."

My stomach dropped. What was he talking about? Did he mean what I thought he meant?

"And I know you saw James' picture." Marlon said as he shuffled his weight from foot to foot in a sexy way.

"And we both like you. We like you a lot." James said. He stepped toward me and looked at his feet, then into my eyes.

"I wanted to ask if you would like to—" James began to ask politely but Marlon cut him off.

Marlon held James' face in both hands and kissed him. I watched as the two boys tenderly exchanged the kiss. Then, he held my face with both hands and kissed me. He kissed from my mouth down to my neck.

Something was radical about this. Marlon, both with a man and a colored girl in that day and age.

He held onto my waist and looked down into my eyes.

"We want you to join us, Pattie." Marlon said and swiped my cheek with his thumb. "You see, overseas they do this a lot"

"Do what?" I asked and James came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. He rested his chin on my shoulder.

"You know what." He whispered against my ear. I closed my eyes and held his face that was on my shoulder, and twirled my fingers through his hair.

Marlon, who was still in front of me was still holding my waist as well. He watched as James and I embraced.

Suddenly we were taken out of our trance when a passing car honked at us. James unwrapped himself from behind me and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Marlon kept his hands on my waist and only pulled me closer. His brown eyes glimmered in the dark night as they looked down at me. His pink lips were parted, and the beauty mark above his mouth was pronounced. His thumb rubbed slowly up and down on the small of my back as he held me.

"How about it, honeypot?"