[C] In Case of an Emergency...

"I'll never be old," he refuted plainly.

"God, yeah. Went out with a workmate. She can fucking party. Sleep just wasn't on my cards this morning, either. Left the house for coffee. Worst decision of my morning."

He just wanted to be in bed, with some nice hot coffee.

The corners of his lips turned up as he laughed a little.

He got up and out of bed just for a cup of coffee?

"Well, you have made my morning better."

He wouldn't have known what he would have done if he got stuck in here all by himself without his phone.

"I have to ask; why didn't you just order coffee in?"

"...There are actually places that bring coffee to you?"

He hadn't even known that service fucking existed. Were rich people so lazy that they'd pay extortionate amounts of money to get people to bring their coffee to them?

Why was he even asking that? Of course they were.

"Of course there are!" Ciro laughed.

Why was the older man so surprised?

"I mean, not everywhere advertises it. I had to beg my favourite coffee shop the first time I phoned. I can give you their number if you want when we are out of here if you want? Just say that I'm a friend of yours. Then it will be over here in a snap."

He clicked his fingers as he said it.

"I don't have the money for that shit. I'm only a theatre actor."

Some months he barely had the money to wipe his own arse. He was just lucky that Willow had more money than she knew what to do with, and was kind enough to buy her friends nice things. Like fucking massively expensive apartments.

He doubted he'd be living in something as nice as a cardboard box in an alley if it wasn't for Willow.

"Then... why do you live here?"

This was a prestigious apartment complex. You didn't live here if you struggled on a day to day basis.

"Do you live with someone else?"

"I've got friends in high places."

That was what Willow was, right? Her family certainly was in the English scene, and she'd come over here to Italy, flouncing about and spending money on whatever the hell he wanted.

Was Willow a friend or a fuck buddy?

What did it matter?

"Just Pugile."

"Oh, I see! So you're a sugar baby sort of thing? Not that you look like one," he hastily added, waving his hands.

He was truthful in what he said. Maddox certainly didn't look like a baby; on the verge of turning thirty and dressing the way he did. Then again, he supposed people had different tastes. He certainly wouldn't mind getting some sugar off him.

A little bit of colour rose to his cheeks at that invasive thought.

Maddox snorted, pressing a hand to his throbbing head afterwards.

"Yup." He popped the P. "Got the best sugar mommy out there." He doubted anyone would be as kind to him as Willow was.

Most the time she got sloppy drunk sex, and she still paid his way. He didn't know many people that would get sub par sex and still be his sugar mommy.

"I'm... glad she is good to you?"

He suddenly felt a little awkward with this new piece of information. He would have preferred it is he was just one of Sienna's guys.

Dark eyes landed back on his trainers as he began to tap them together again.

"Most the time she's fucking terrible to me."

He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "But what do you expect from a best friend? Are you really friends if you don't rip the shit out of each other and act like assholes occasionally?"

He and Willow were terrible together. There were times when they could be beyond cruel to each other.

Lips turned up again as he laughed.

"That's true."

His eyes didn't leave his trainers as he chewed on his lip as he thought.

"How old is she?"

Right now he was imagining some sixty-year-old lady... Like the old lady downstairs who goes on her morning swim. That left him feeling a little uncomfortable with images cropping up in his brain that he couldn't unsee. Almost made him gag.

But he couldn't see Maddox being friends and "rip the shit" out of some old lady.

"Willow? Like...thirty four, I think?"

He didn't actually know. He just knew that she was older than him by a couple of years.

Thirty four seemed like a good enough guesstimate.

"Oh, okay! I was imagining you with the old lady downstairs."

He grimced a little as the images flooded back into his mind.

"There are rumours that she is still... active. If not, she has a lot of grandsons."

"I'll do a lot of things for a roof over my head, but not that."

His nose wrinkled in distaste and he shook his head. He was a bit of a slut, he knew that. But anyone over forty was a general no-go for him. He liked his partners generally not old and wrinkly.

"Don't wanna hear about her mail order boyfriends, thanks."

Ciro found himself laughing again at Maddox's wrinkled nose.

"It is all speculation though. They could actually be her army of grandsons."

From his time spent here he hardly believed that.

"You sound like you don't believe that yourself."

He certainly didn't. He knew what rich people were like. The best clothes, the best car, house, pedigree pet and the best sex were necessities. Even if they had to go to creepy means to get that best sex.

It was all part of the rich game, but Maddox didn't want to know about that game. Especially with the old woman on the ground floor. She was like twice his age.

"Yeah, I don't. My mother is the same," he said truthfully.

"I love her to pieces but I really wish she didn't keep eyeing up guys my age."

It was his turn to wrinkle his nose.

Maddox laughed.

"Wow. Fucking awkward."

He couldn't imagine his mother praying on people his age. That would be so fucking awkward. He definitely didn't envy Ciro there.

"Tell me about it. I asked her to stop but then all her staff suddenly become suspiciously young and hot."

He gave a helpless shrug.

"If she wants something, she will have it. Nothing I can do to stop it."

Maddox shook his head again.

"Makes me sorta happy my ma's a bitter old shrew." He wasn't all that happy with the way she blocked people out. At least she didn't go preying on people his age.

There was always a silver lining.

"Do. Be happy your not eyeing up the same person as your own mother."

Although despite what he said he wouldn't change anything else about his mother.

"Yeah. Thank fuck for that. Wouldn't want to fight my ma for a piece of ass, but desperate times..."

He probably wouldn't fight his mother for a fuck.

Maddox tapped his foot against the metal flooring in a slow, even beat.

He let out a soft laugh then went quiet, listening to the beat Maddox created. His own trainers tapping in time.

"You said you were in theater, right? What are you doing at the moment?"

"We're just winding down after a season of Wicked. Got a few more weeks before we find out what we're doing next."

He began tapping out a more distinct tune now. Shoes Upon The Table.

"I'm hoping for Blood Brothers, but I think Willow had ideas for something else, so it'll likely be that."