In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

MAIA TELLS PENNY A STORY
"Sandro!" She gushed and in no more than three strides the
couple was standing over them.
"Dude!" Max slapped Alessandro's shoulder and high fived
him, his laughter resonating through the café as if it would blow out the
windows. He slammed down his helmet and sat down next to his pal
who was getting smothered by the woman with kisses. After an added
pinch and a wink, she sat down, waved down the waitress, fished out a
tiny pack of Marlboro Lights and a tiger patterned Bic lighter from her
tiger skin handbag, flicked alight a cigarette and swung towards Penny,
all in one continuous motion.
"So, are you a friend of Ula's, or did you just come for zee
ride?" she asked, slithering around in her chair and squinting her amber
eyes through the smoke.
Penny froze under the feral gaze. "Intellectual property rights,
that's…that's why I came." Her throat locked up.
The guy scooted his chair closer to Alessandro and nodded
every so often, his keen eyes darting around the café.
Maia's eyes locked in to Alessandro's, but he spoke first.
"Be nice to her, okay? Ula has robbed her artistic identity. You
know, you divas, you are all alike, what are the little people to you?" He
said with a theatrical flourish of his hand. He lifted one eyebrow, to
make sure she got it. She blew smoke in his face and flashed her diva
smile back at him. Her teeth were too fat to be fake.
"Pfoowah! Le suicide des lâches," he sneered into her cloud.
Waving the smoke away he continued, "Max thinks it is a good idea if
we go investigate that little porno-pimp at Cyber Ciné."
"Beat him up!" Max smashed his fist into his palm with a snarl.
Sandro rolled his eyes. "It is closed today. But we can check it
out." Looking back at the two girls, he said, "Why don't you make
yourself useful and take mademoiselle Bell sightseeing until dinner, she
wants to see the medieval buildings. We went to Notre Dame last night,
but she must see La Sainte Chapelle, Cluny, tout ça. Her mother was a
singer, maybe you can talk about music, something beside the blingbling,
for once, eh, carina? Bene così?”
Maia exhaled more Marlboro Light, and crushed the half
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