What Can You Not Buy With Money?

“Mary!” Walker threw his arms around me, his eyes wide as he squeezed me to the point of suffocation. He rubbed the back of my head and he took a step back. “Are you all right?”

I nodded, smiling kindly at him.

Walker covered his mouth, suppressing a sob as he hugged me again, this time even tighter. “I was so scared, no one knew what happened!” Indeed, his entire body was trembling, his face was pale and he looked even thinner than before. He hadn’t eaten since I was taken.

“Are the assholes who took you in jail?” Lucy wrapped her arm around my waist. We were all on Burgess’ jet, and I felt gratitude that he had brought them along.

“No,” Burgess entered the conversation with folded arms. “The police are his, just as they are mine.”

“That’s bullshit!” Lucy cursed and threw her fist down in anger. “Why aren’t you doing anything? You’ve got the same resources as him, don’t you?”

“I’ve brought her back,” Burgess folded his arms. “And don’t worry, I intend to throw fire back at him.”

“Good. If you need some muscle, I’ll be the first to volunteer,” Lucy placed her thumb in front of her face, her white teeth bared. “I’ll be more than happy to break the sonofabitch’s legs.”

“I’ll cut him up,” Walker raised his hands. “Make it so he’ll never be able to look himself in the mirror without barfing.”

Even though the very graphic and violent words of my friends would normally scare me, I felt better knowing that they were there with their arms around me and promising to cause suffering to Bohr. Sick as it sounds, it made me feel better knowing that people cared about me. That I actually had people who loved me.

“Are you done?” Madame Slater was seated on one of the large seats, her fingers caressing a bottle of champagne. “I wish to hold dear Mary as well!” She went up to her feet and threw her arms around me, kissing me on each cheek firmly. The sore side of my face throbbed at the peck, but I smiled anyway.

Pierre was handing out champagne flutes, relief on his face when he gave me my glass. “You’re truly amazing, my lovely Rose Mary.” Once Slater poured everyone a glass, Pierre made a toast. “To you, Mary. We’re so glad you’re alive and well. I hope that you’ll be safe from now on. You mean a great deal to us.”

“Yeah,” Lucy scratched her head as she tried to think of something to say. “Uh… shit, let me think of something that ain’t cheesy. Oh,” her eyes brightened. “To the one girl I’d shag senseless if I was gay. You keep my head on my shoulders and you’re a good pal. And next time any shit goes down, I'm your man.”

“Here here,” Walker held up his glass and we all clang the goblets together. As everyone began to settle in their own groups to talk happily—Madame Slater, Pierre, and Burgess on one side of the plane while Walker, Lucy, and I were on the other side—the plane began to ascend into the sky.

“You have no idea how scared Walker was,” Lucy shook her head as she downed another glass with a swig. “I thought he was going to burst an artery the way he kept freaking out.”

“I was more like a ticking bomb, about to create utter devastation. And Mary, you’re my detonator.” Walker’s face was pink but he smiled earnestly at me. “You know, I’ve got this surprise for you. We never did hand out Christmas presents.”

“That can wait when we’re back at home,” Lucy shrugged. “I left your gifts at the condo.”

“Oh…” Walker stretched. “All right then, the surprise can wait.”

“What about this party I got an invite from?” Lucy was referring to Burgess’ New Years Party. “Is it being cancelled?”

“No,” I shook my head. “At least, I don’t think so.”

And it was moments like those that I cherished dearly. It felt wonderful just sitting with Lucy and Walker, talking about nothing. There was a moment when Walker’s knee brushed against mine, and he quickly jumped up with an apology. When he jumped up, he had spilled some champagne on his pants.

“Damn, I’ll be right back,” Walker’s face was glowing with embarrassment as he went into the small lavatory.

“Okay,” Lucy began the moment Walker had closed the sliding door, “So Walker isn’t going to tell you but there’s a problem with his sushi store. Some punks are trying to shut down the Neo Sushi Club and Walker can’t do anything about it.” She was all business, the seriousness radiated from her. “Could you talk to Burgess about it? I went up against them and could only break a few noses. There are just too many of those guys. Yesterday, they painted all this garbage on the windows, and it’s going to cost a shitload of money to clean up.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I nodded as I looked at the lavatory. Walker was leaving and he had a paper towel in his hand and was wiping away at the stain in his jeans that looked as though he had pissed himself.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Walker's face was red and he tried to hide the embarrassing blemish.

>

Burgess’ house party was to begin in three hours. It had been more than a week since the kidnapping, and I was focused on making sure that the New Year party would keep my mind free from thinking about what had happened. Of course, Bohr’s invitation was recalled and Burgess had hired a heavy staff of security to surround the premises.

My boss had become very protective over me, calling me constantly and refusing to give me any assignments that involved being alone. It would have been all right if I wasn’t followed home by suited men every day. It felt good knowing that I was protected and safe, but I wanted to be able to take care of myself. It was a huge sore to my pride that I was dependent upon someone else for security. And besides, it was complicated to shop for Burgess’ Christmas present when his employees were looking over my shoulder at all times. I didn’t want them to spoil the secret, so I had to ask Lucy to do me a favor and buy the specific materials for me.

I was planning to give Ben, Walker, and Lucy Christmas gifts that night. There was a paper bag with three small gift wrapped presents waiting on a coffee table, ready to be given away.

“So, this is it?” Terra Slater folded her arms as she looked around at the lavished living room where the housekeepers had worked hard to decorate. Burgess had insisted she attend, but unfortunately, Pierre and Madame Slater denied their invitations at the last minute. It was sad, because I had made two Christmas cards for each of them, each with personal words of thanks. I didn’t want Terra to be the messenger, so I decided I would wait until the next time we met.

“I think it’s wonderful,” I complimented on the decorations as I had a notepad in my hands to check off all of the tasks done. Despite what Bohr said about her, I wouldn’t treat her any different. Bohr was a liar and vindictive. If Walker and Burgess trusted her, then I did as well. Even if her brutal personality was painful to endure, I was glad that she was there to help with the party. Though her constant insults and biting remarks were hurtful she had the style and elegance that Burgess wanted to see at the event. I felt this was the best time to give her a card I made for her. “Terra, I know this is late, but Merry Christmas.”

The heiress looked up suddenly, her sharp eyes looking at the envelope I held out with a trembling hand. She took it suspiciously, swiftly opening it and taking it out. Her eyes quickly scanned my handwriting which simply wished her a Happy Holidays and that I had fun with her on the slopes. Corny as it sounds, I had hit a major wall in inspiration for gift ideas. What can you give a person who already has enough money to buy whatever they want? You don’t even want to know how much stress I had over Burgess’ present.

“Is the DJ here yet?” Terra said nothing about the card, putting it away in her designer purse and sat on the couch, her posture perfect. She was wearing a very thin outfit that showed a great deal of skin. Somehow, she managed to still look classy. It was the way she held herself and her how she wore her confidence that led to the point of intimidation. I was a bit more conservative with my wardrobe so I felt outstaged and insecure.

“He should be here in thirty minutes.” I bit my lip as I looked over at the main hallway. A few maids were scampering with remaining balloons, streamers, or food. “But Walker and Lucy are late.”

“Fear not!” Walker called out as he pushed the front door with his foot. He carried a large metallic platter covered in plastic wrap, his hair askew as though he had just went through a wind tunnel. “We’re here.”

I put down my to do list and went up to him to take the burden from him. The plate was extremely heavy, and I had to carefully take it to the dining hall before I collapsed under its weight. “Any trouble?”

“No, no…” Walker was out of breath and laughed. “Just your typical… competition.” His eyes were brimming with false modesty and I knew it had to do with the men who were trying to hurt his business.

“You need to get the police involved,” I patted his shoulder and hugged him. “Before they do anything really horrible.”

“Well, it’s not that easy. It’s not like we have any evidence, so the cops are staying out of it.”

“Don’t worry, I scared them off,” Lucy came in with two platters, carrying each with ease and with an arrogance that you couldn’t help but smile at. She prided herself in her dominance and strength, and flaunted it like a peacock. “I threw a dish at this one guy’s head. He was coming at me with a blade. And instead of the glass cracking his skull, he ducked and it hit his car’s windshield! The best part is, he can’t press charges because he was the one who started it!”

“Yeah, and that gave us plenty of time to get out of there.” Walker sighed in relief. “I just hope they’re done for now.”

“So where’s your big bad boss?” Lucy stretched as Lawrence Michaels came in with another tray.

“He’s in his office, working on a project.” I looked around and added, “Thanks for coming. Did you invite anyone?”

“Oh, a few regulars from the Club and some neighbors,” Walker had turned to his recent creations, carefully aligning the plates to arrange a perfect symmetrical row.

“Yeah, same here. Vern’s coming too, and a few pals I ride with.” Lucy grabbed a seat from the dining room table and sat down, propping her feet up on the table. She wore muddy boots, made of worn leather. I noticed that Terra and Walker winced at seing the tablecloth collecting some of the moist dirt from her shoes. “Man, this year was fucking great!” And with that, Lucy began tilting her chair backwards. She was exposing her shoulders in a maroon A-shirt and covered her legs in torn black pants.

“Oh,” I remembered the presents, and I quickly went to get them. I came back and handed Lucy her’s, a box with green wrapping. “Merry Christmas.”

“Well, thanks!” Lucy threw an arm around my shoulder and squeezed it tightly. “I got you all something too,” She pulled out of her back pocket and there was a bracelet, this one with a thin silver chain and a serene opalite glistening at me. “I had this custom made for you, since you always wear that one,” she nodded to my neck where my birthday gift was there.

“Thank you,” I gushed and waited for her to open hers.

When her eyes widened and a smile stretched on her face I felt at ease that I chose the right gift. I had searched tooth and nail for the perfect helmet, and there it was. It was an authentic brain bucket from the 50s, and it came along with a pair of motorcycle goggles. “Woah, Mary, this is amazing!” She threw both arms around me and hugged me tightly and added, “You’re too cool!”

“No problem,” I choked out with a smile.

“I’m definitely going to break this baby in,” Lucy put on the helmet and goggles. “What do you think?”

“Like I’ve fallen into a time machine, you beauty.” Walker winked at Lucy then added, “Well great minds think alike, because I’ve got some presents in the car. Hold on,” Walker excused himself and he left the room.

Lucy took her feet off of the table and leaned forward. “So… what are you and your walking man meat planning tonight?” She had her eyebrows go up and down as her eyes were full of innuendo. “Will there be a bed doing the rodeo tonight?”

My face went a flaming. “No—I mean—I don’t think so. We haven’t even gone out on a date yet… at least not really.”

Lucy was enjoying my discomfort, a smile playing on her lips. “Well let me lay it out for you: He took a bullet for you, flied all the way to Germany to your rescue, gave you this amazing job, seems to actually care for you… and you’ve both had one on one time constantly. I’m sure…” She had used her fingers to keep count. “How many guys go through all that and get no sex in return?”

“Lucy…” I bit my lip and couldn’t look at her calculating face. “I just…”

“Right, right…” She stood up and gave me an affectionate smack to the back. “Hey, I just want to let you know that he’s probably going to want something after all of the rings of fire he’s gone through for you. But if he tries to start something that you don’t like, just yell my name and I’ll pop in with a shovel and a bag of lime.”

Someone cleared their throat, and we both snapped our heads to Burgess who walked in with a slight blush in his cheeks and a frown of annoyance in his face. Terra was behind him, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed in a dark satisfaction.

We were caught in an arena of awkward silence as we all looked at each other unsteadily.

“All right! Prepare to tackle me with your affection when you see what I’ve got you lovely ladies,” Walker came in with two wrapped boxes. He tossed one to Lucy and carefully handed one to me.

“Here, Walker,” I took out his present so he could join in on the wrap shredding.

“Made this for you,” Lucy took out of her other pocket a very thin knitted headband. It had the Japanese Flag embroidered, the red sun standing out against the white thread.

Walker eagerly took his new headband and tied it around his head as though he was back at his restaurant and he gently took off the tape of the present I gave him. He opened it and he let out a whistle. “Woah,” He showed everyone the new sushi knife kit I got him. “All right! I needed a new set.” He hugged the box and looked up at us with a raised eyebrow. “What are you waiting for? Go on, open them.” He was oblivious to Burgess who was looking at him with a warning of impending doom that I recognized nervously as I quickly tore at the gift wrap.

“All right,” Lucy beat me with her swift hands at opening her gift. “A switchblade and some leather gloves,” she held out fingerless gloves and a closed knife. “You practical bastard!” She slapped the blonde on the back, and he roared in laughter.

My pulse quickened and I opened it carefully. Inside was a water globe, beautifully carved and with the simple words, “To Mary, From Walker”. Engraved inside of the glass sphere below was the Eiffel tower, detailed and pristine. I carefully shook the trinket and snow exploded from the ground and swirled in the water. My hand fell underneath and there was a small knob that I rotated a few times. A little song that I didn’t recognize came on.

“Thank you, Walker,” I smiled at him. “It’s really beautiful.”

Walker had a smile from ear to ear. “I made that tune up myself and got it made. I thought the melody fit you.” I opened my mouth to gush my thanks, but the door bell rang and Walker sprang up to get it. After a few seconds, a voice called, “Beer’s here!” Walker popped his head into the archway of the dining room, his curly head saving us from the intense atmosphere. “Who ordered five kegs? We need them signed off.”

“That’s me,” Lucy nodded as she quickly went to escape. “Oh,” she paused to Burgess. “You need to give me at least three solid Benjamin, each keg costs fifty bucks.”

“I didn’t ask you to order it,” Burgess snapped, showing a clear dislike toward my rambunctious friend.

Lucy shrugged. “Hey, your guests drink from my kegs; I expect compensation.” Holding out her hand with the bold and dangerous spark in her eye and sparkle in her teeth was enough to have me already digging my wallet for a debit card.

Burgess grumbled as he pulled out a wallet from his back pocket, taking out three hundred dollar bills, clearly annoyed at giving it away.

"Hey, for a pampered prince, you aren't so bad." Lucy winked at me, then left and made a loud cry, “Gracias, mi chico! Pone alli, por favor.”

“Terra, please keep an eye on them. Mary, could we talk?” Ben looked at me as he led me to the nearest staircase.

I collected my new possessions, gingerly putting them in my paper bag. I’m not a materialistic person, but Walker and Lucy had put a great deal of time and effort into those gifts. To me, they were the most valuable things I’ve ever received and I wanted to hold onto them forever. Already I had developed a sentimental attachment to them and the memory of that day. I took Burgess’ present into my free hand and nervously followed him, noticing that his hands were clenched to the point that his knuckles were white. He had changed into jeans and a long sleeved shirt, his hair loose and unkempt. Once we were alone in his bedroom, he closed the door and folded his arms.

“People should start coming in a few minutes,” I quietly pointed to the door that he stood in front of, knowing that fleeing was an impossibility.

“Don’t change the subject,” he rolled his eyes then returned his gaze at me. “Do you think that I just want to sleep with you?”

I flinched at the blunt question. “No, I don’t.”

“Good, because I don’t,” Burgess scoffed and went to his bed, falling back on it and putting his hands over his temples. “I can’t believe your friend would talk about it like that. And in my own home! You know how to pick them.” His sarcasm caused me to cringe my lips so I wouldn't smile out of humor.

But I brought myself back to remembering what he had just said, and I blinked. “So you don’t want to sleep with me?”

“No.” He paused, then quickly added, “Wait, that’s not what I meant.” He sat up and looked at me as he struggled to find the words that refused to come to mind. “I told you how I felt, but I don’t want to do anything if it makes you unhappy. If you don’t want to do it, I won’t try.” He looked away. “Just so you know.”

The more we talked the more awkward it was becoming. “You’re a good guy, you know that?”

“Of course I know it,” Burgess let out a huff of pride and smiled at me slyly. “And you’re a good girl, you know that? Maybe even gooder than me.”

For some reason I thought he sounded funny. I let out a small laugh, my entire body filled with that pleasant feeling of humor. “Jealous?”

“Oh yeah,” Burgess snickered.

A loud yell interrupted the playful banter, and the heavy thuds of a stereo’s bass began to rattle the walls. When I looked out at the glass door that led to the balcony of Burgess’ room I could see that the sun was about to set.

“We should go down now…” I kept my gaze to the view outside. “So you can mingle with the guests.”

Burgess went up slowly, his eyes trained onto me. He leaned over to lock the door, telling me softly, “They can wait.” He leaned over me and gave me the goodest kiss on my upper lip, his hand running over my back. “You know… I have something for you too. For Christmas,” he added and he pulled away and went to his dresser. In his drawer, he pulled out a box professionally wrapped, sparkling with metallic paper.

“Me too,” I handed him his present shyly. I was mostly afraid of what he’d think when he saw what I made him, because I had no idea if he’d even like it. Or if he’d think it was stupid.

I didn’t want to tear open such a beautifully dressed gift, but I did anyway. Just feeling the paper against my skin was enough to fill me with appreciation at the effort that was placed upon it.

When I opened the box, inside was a glass object wrapped in tissue paper. I was left in the dark as I freed the porcelain coffee mug. I squinted my eyes to see a red coat of arms, below it etched Harvard. I blinked at the text, and looked at him with so many emotions that they were overflowed as I tried to say something--anything.

“Bu… wah… how…” My mouth was slightly agape as Burgess grinned at me in amusement.

“I took the liberty of enrolling you. You’re in. Don’t worry about paying,” Burgess smirked as I made a noise to protest, “This is happening, so accept it.”

“This is too… much,” I tried to protest but Burgess quickly ignored me to open his gift. I was put to shame, for the handmade necktie was nothing compared to what he had given me. That gift was almost a cruel prank, something so practical and amazing that it seemed almost too good to be true. And wrong to accept.

“You made this?” More amusement was dripping from his lips as he ran his thumb over the silk fabric. It had taken me many days to make it just right, but in my eyes it would never be perfect. I was a horrible tailor, but I felt it was the best I could come up with. It was made of a deep blue color that reminded me a great deal of Burgess’ eyes, and I took a silver thread to it.

I was half afraid he would laugh at me. Or come up with a witty and insulting comment.

But he took me in his arms and kissed me, his mouth pleased and the smile on his face all the comfort I needed to know that I hadn’t failed.

“No one’s ever put this much thought in a present for me before,” Burgess whispered as he wrapped the tie around his neck and began to assemble it securely in its knot. When he was done he placed his hands over my shoulders and returned to tasting my mouth, and as I felt as though I was floating I found myself sinking onto his bed, his body over mine and my skin on fire.

“The…” In between the kisses I didn’t ever want to stop, I chose to risk breaking free. “…party…”

“It can wait.”