Excerpt from "Full Circle: Zhenya" on our heroine, Martinique Garrison

Kelly grunted. “God, girls are bitches.  I don’t get along well with women.  All my friends are guys.”

“Really?  No women?  That’s intense,” Martinique commented with eyebrows raised. 

“Um, how so?” Kelly rejoined.

“I mean, that’s one half of the human population – one specific gender.  There’s got to be at least one woman out there you’re friends with.  You’re a woman; if she’s still in the picture, your mom is a woman.  You seem like a perfectly reasonable human being to me.  I was laughing at that martini joke you made earlier.  We all were.  Right,  Thalia?”

Thalia looked up from her cocktail with a bemused half smile. “Hmm?  Oh!  Oh, yeah.”

“See,” Martinique continued, “I recognize that you’re a pretty fun individual, Kelly.  I’m sure we could be friends.”

“Umm…”  Kelly eyed Martinique with suspicion.  Zhenya stood over all three women, bewildered with Martinique’s bizarre desire to be friends with this unpleasant person.  He watched with bated breath as Martinique took two steps closer to Kelly. 

“How ‘bout it, Kelly?  Be my friend.  Come on.  Let’s be friends.”  Martinique’s gaze took on a manic sheen.  Kelly’s discomfort was visceral.  She backed away slowly.

“I, uh, I’m going to go refill this…” She raised her drink, turned, and walked away briskly – albeit in the opposite direction of the open bar.  Martinique and Thalia shook until they could no longer see Kelly.  When she was out of sight, they burst at the seams.

“Oh, my god, oh, my god,” Thalia wheezed after taking her hand away from her mouth. “I almost did a spit take.  Did you see the look on her face?!”

“Be my friend.  Be my friend,” Martinique did another rendition of her creepy, spaced out request.  She hunched over with her hands on her knees.  The outline of her butt against the fabric was even more pronounced and the ballroom’s chandelier lights shined brightly on the mahogany skin of her exposed back.  Zhenya thought it was a funny, yet provocative position given her formal attire. 

It was strange to see a woman in a beautiful peach organza designer gown bent over in uncontrollable laughter at fancy gala such as this.  She wasn’t muting herself for anyone.  Zhenya found himself laughing along with her antics.  When her knees no longer provided enough support, Zhenya was delighted when she used his corded arm.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry, Ranger,” she chuckled up at him with a gleeful smile. “She was just asking for it.  I mean, ‘I don’t get along with women.’  She just put it out there.  I had to say something.”

Thalia shook her head at her friend. “Jesus, you’re ridiculous.  Do you think it only applies to humans?  Does she not get along with actual bitches?  Like, female dogs?  Cats?  Turtles?”

“Turtles!” Martinique burst out in a new round of laughter.

“I know, I know.  Come on, girl, we’re done making our rounds.  Let’s get out of here before you have an aortic rupture.”

Thalia pulled Martinique away from him and Zhenya began to panic.  That couldn’t be all he got to see of her.  He brainstormed a way to speak with her some more.