Tanya
and Morgan have been together for a couple months when his friend,
Hal turns up. It's Morgan's birthday, but he forgot to mention it to
Tanya. The three of them get to talking about a palimony case brought
against Morgan by his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa - a money grubbing witch
of a woman with bad hair and a worse temper. Hal compliments Tanya's
house, bemoaning the fact that his house is farther from work than
hers.
"Hal
loves shortcuts," Morgan explained. "He spends hours
looking for them and plotting them out. No matter how long it takes
him, he figures out back roads and shortcuts everywhere he goes. Ask
him directions to anywhere in the city, he can tell you and give you
an estimate of how long it will take to get you there."
"Morgan's
jealous," Hal confided to Tanya. "He's really directionally
impaired. He won't admit it, of course."
"Oh,
of course not," Tanya giggled. "He finds his way to the
most important places, don't you baby?"
"Yeah,"
Morgan grinned, putting his arm around her. "I can find my way
to the bedroom with absolutely no wrong turns." He kissed her
tenderly, his eyes glowing with happiness.
"Oh,
hey," Hal changed the subject suddenly. "Before I forget,
Caden said to tell you something."
"Yeah?
What's that lawyer sell-out got to say for himself?"
"Cut
the guy some slack, Morph," Hal's eyes looked slightly pained.
"He found something that will help your lawsuit."
"How'd
you find out about that? I don't remember telling you."
"Because
my mom is friends with your step-mom. Mom and Julie talk all the
time, so word got out. Were you planning to tell me?"
"Like
I said, you've been out of town quite awhile. It slipped my mind. Not
like I could call you in Rwanda or wherever the hell you were."
"Uruguay."
"Whatever."
"I
was doing volunteer work," Hal explained. "I do a few
months a year. I keep trying to get Morgan to come, but he hates to
fly."
"And
I refuse to drive to Uruguay, so I don't go."
"You
could go on one of the ships," Tanya said. "I hear those
are interesting."
"Not
interesting enough. Come with me, then I'll think about it. I refuse
to travel for months on end patching up people in a third world
country and being celibate at the same time."
"I'll
think about it," she replied with a grin.
"I
don't know how you stand it," Morgan said to Hal. "The
whole depriving yourself of female companionship for three months.
I'd die."
"Who
said I was deprived?" Hal's eyes twinkled, flecks of gold
sparkling with humor.
"Toothless,
mountain, hags don't count," Morgan corrected him.
"Actually,
she was one of the other doctors and very pretty. Her name was
Celestina and she was from Brazil."
"You
still seeing her?"
"No,
she went back to Brazil."
Morgan
nodded. "So, in effect, you're celibate again."
"Why
do you care?" Hal sounded slightly irritated with the entire
conversation.
Morgan
smirked, chuckling while he fixed his coffee. "I care because
now I can tease you unmercifully about being a priest and stand there
smiling with ill concealed glee while you complain about not being
laid."
"I
guess I'll have to find myself a woman then. Got any suggestions?"
"Tanya's
friend, Davida, is available."
"Really.
You think I'd do well with her?" He smirked and flexed.
"I
think she'd eat you alive after you mated," was Morgan's snappy
reply.
"Because
I love you, I won't tell her you said that," Tanya giggled.
"I
don't think she likes me anyway," Hal shrugged. "We've
gotten off on the wrong foot. At least that's all I can figure out.
We don't see eye to eye on much of anything."
"That's
because she's seven foot two and you're only six two," Morgan
said. "So what was it your lawyer brother had to tell me? We got
off that subject at Rwanda."
"Uruguay.
Okay, basically he said to tell you to call him. You two may not get
along, but he's one of the best damn lawyers in the city and you know
it. If he's willing to set aside your differences, why can't you?"
"Because
I didn't hit me in the face, dislocate my jaw and piss me off for no
reason," Morgan said in a matter-of-fact tone."I happen to
be fond of myself."
"He
thought you told me about. . . ."
"I
know why he did it. Anyway, so I should call him. Why can't you just
tell me what's what and leave it at that?"
"Because
I'm not a fucking lawyer and I'm not your bitch, is why," Hal
exploded. "One day you two will start to listen to me."
"Either
that or we could lock them in a room with a rabid, horny wildebeest
and see who makes it out alive," Tanya offered, trying to
diffuse the situation.
"I
like how this woman thinks, Morph. Can I steal her from you?"
"I
don't know. Honey, would you like Hal to steal you from me?"
"That
depends," Tanya brushed Morgan's hair out of his face.
"On
what?" He frowned slightly.
"On
if he can do in bed the things you do. If so, it would be very stiff
competition."
Morgan
looked thoughtful. "That I don't know. I've never examined Hal's
bedside manner."
"Well,
since I like yours, I guess I'll stick with you."
They
kissed for several seconds before Hal quit laughing and got annoyed
instead. "Other person in the room," he said loudly.
"This
is why you date girls from Botswana," Morgan said as he nibbled
Tanya's earlobe.
"Brazil.
It wasn't a serious relationship. Great sex, no commitment."
"I
like commitment," Morgan continued to nibble.
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