Cloud of Light (Beatles Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

Audrey awoke to loud thumps against her front door.  She looked at the clock on her nightstand and noticed it was only 6:40am.  She had barely fallen asleep a couple of hours ago- who could be knocking on her door at this hour? She stumbled out of her room quickly as the knocks became more persistent. 

She opened the door a crack and rolled her eyes when she saw Michael standing there. 

“Are you serious?  You had to come at the crack of dawn?  Couldn’t you have waited a few more hours?” Audrey said as she opened the door to let him in. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Audrey.”

“I can’t say the same for you.” Audrey responded coldly.

“Look, you and I both know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t because Frank wants you to do this job.  If it was up to me, I would have used any of our regular girls for this.” He said as he walked straight into her living room and made himself at home on one of the arm chairs.

Audrey looked at Michael.  The years that had passed weren’t in vain. His face had more wrinkles than she remembered.

“I don’t know why Frank thinks you’re the only one that can handle this.  There’s plenty of girls that are far more beautiful than you.” He said spitefully.

“Oh Michael.” Audrey said as she sat down in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. “That is exactly why you have always come second to Frank.  He understands that it takes a lot more than beauty to seduce a man.” Audrey slowly placed her hands on Michael’s thighs and leaned slightly forward. “Beauty can make a guy sleep with you, but sex isn’t seduction.  Seduction is about savoring the experience…not meeting the desire….it is the thrill of the desire itself.”   Audrey said provocatively.

Michael had a blank expression on his face, but Audrey knew she couldn’t judge her seduction skills on a man’s face.  She looked down at the bulge that had begun to form in Michael’s pants and smiled.

“And that is why Frank came looking for me after all these years.” Audrey said cheerfully as she got up from her seat and went into the kitchen for a glass of water.

She could hear Michael cough and stir in his seat and without meaning for it, she felt her lips curl into a wide smile.  Despite everything, she knew she was still on top of her game. 

“Water?” Audrey came back to the living room with two glasses of water.

“Yes.” Michael said, still shifting in his seat, until he finally crossed his legs.

“So now that the lying, scheming bastard of Frank has decided to drag me into this by means of coercion, what’s the plan?” Audrey said coldly.

“Your target is John Lennon, member of a band called…” Michael looked through his papers. “..The Beatles.”

“Yes I know that much about John Lennon.” Audrey said resisting the urge to roll her eyes again. “You do realize that The Beatles are the biggest band in the music scene right now? How exactly do you plan on infiltrating me into their circle of friends?”

"Frank has managed to get you a small part in their upcoming movie…as for being part of their circle of friends…well if you’re as good as you think you are, that shouldn’t be a problem, right? And if that doesn’t work, sleeping with them might do the trick. Wasn’t that your specialty?” Michael glared at Audrey.

“I really don’t like you.” Audrey said not being able to contain her discontent with the man sitting in her living room.

“I’m not that bad of a guy, Audrey.  Maybe you would like me more if I had fucked you too. Isn’t that why you prefer Frankie?”

“Go to Hell!” Audrey yelled losing her cool and lunged at Michael. Michael grabbed Audrey by the wrists before she could make any contact with him.

“You better get your shit together, you little bitch.  You hear me?” Michael said loudly as he pushed Audrey back and she fell on the floor. “Don’t forget we have eyes on Grace. You better start cooperating and get that attitude in check if you don’t want anything happening to that pretty little sister of yours.”

Audrey could feel tears of frustration making their way down her cheek.  She tried desperately to slow her breathing.  She hated that Michael had managed to enrage her and was now witnessing her meltdown.

"Here’s all the info you need. Contacts. Dates. Locations. Money. You’ve done this enough times to know how this goes down.” He threw a package of papers down which scattered all around Audrey on the floor. “And I don’t care what you think seduction is- you better get a beauty routine started if you ever want to catch that Lennon guy’s attention. From what I’m looking at right now, you wouldn’t even manage a drunken shag from him.” Michael said as he walked to the front door.

“From the looks of that bulge in your pants, I’d beg to differ!” Audrey managed to say before he reached the door.

Michael turned around infuriated. He approached her and grabbed her face in his hand.  He stared at her and she stared back- expecting him to strike her as he had done times before. “If it wasn’t because Frank needs you for this job, that little face of yours would get the beating of its life.” He said as he tightened his grip and then pushed her hard enough so her body hit the floor.

Audrey heard the door shut and she began sobbing uncontrollably.  How could she be here again?  Hadn’t she paid her dues?  Hadn’t she worked hard to get out of this life?  To never have the need to go back to this? Why was she here again? Facing the same abuse?  Feeling like she was worth nothing again? What was so important that Frank had dragged her back into this?  She hated him.  She hated Michael.  She hated everything about their business.  But mostly she hated herself for ever having gotten involved with them in the first place.