“Services Rendered” -- Raymond/Astrid
ANGST. PURE ANGST. Also some out of character decisions for Raymond.
This is my contribution for this week’s #WriterWednesday.
Thank you @autumnleaves1991-blog and @clydesducktape for keeping this train rolling.
The men sat in the library, speaking to one another and off in the distance behind closed doors, Raymond could hear Astrid and Ros laughing with the guests while waiting for the business to be done.
“...so, do we have a deal?” Mickey asked the thin Italian man sitting across from him and Ray.
The man hummed “One more thing,” he said with a sly smile before turning to Ray “A night alone with your missus.” he said.
“You can’t be serious!” Ray growled, while Mickey rested a hand on his arm.
Mickey huffed as he looked back at him and forced a smile “What does she have to do with our business, Mr. Donofrio?” he asked.
He shrugged “A gesture of good faith.” he said.
Ray shook his head, there was no way he was going to let this sleazy con artists put a hand on Astrid. His Star. The Love of his Life. Besides, she was too faithful of a wife to sleep with some random guy doing business with Mickey!
Mickey grumbled, he wanted this business done now as he leaned over to Ray “We can hand Astrid over, doesn’t mean she’s gonna sleep with him. She can handle herself. Besides--she’ll use any excuse to kick the shit out of somebody.” Mickey whispered to Ray.
Ray growled as he stared at Luca Donofrio. He wasn’t going to use his wife as a bartering chip for one of Mickey’s deals--would Mickey have said such nonsense if it was Rosalind who was being called upon? Ros would beat him and Donofrio to bits if she did.
I could give her my gun. She can shoot him and then the problem is solved--granted, Mickey will have to find other business, but Astrid stays my pure little honey bee. Ray thought to himself, gripping tightly to his pants before finally nodding and standing up from his seat to leave the room.
Ray slammed the door behind him, walking up towards Astrid and grabbed under her arm before dragging her away from the conversation and into a tiny hideaway room as she yelled at him to let her go.
“You’re gonna go with him,” he said firmly.
“What?” Astrid asked, confused.
Ray huffed “Luca Donofrio. He wants some time alone with you, my love,” he said before grabbing his gun from behind his pants and handing it to her “You shoot him if he puts a hand on you, do you understand me?”
Astrid looked at him aghast “So you’re just gonna pimp me out to some weird Italian!?” she argued.
“You do this one thing, and I will take you wherever you want to go, do whatever you want...fuck--I’ll even let you beat the ever-living shit out of me. Mickey wants this business deal to go through. Please.” Ray practically begged her.
Astrid’s nostrils flared as she looked at her husband “I should just sleep with him to get back at you, you son of a bitch!” she said, grabbing his gun with one and while riding up the skirt of her gown with the other to strategically place the gun in between her stockings and garter belt.
“I love you,” Ray said firmly.
“Yeah, I’m sure you do.” Astrid hissed as she walked away.
She disappeared into the crowd, and Ray watched broken heartedly before retrieving back to the office where Mickey and Luca waited for him to return; Ray nodded at Mickey who smiled in return before looking back over at Luca.
“Consider it a deal,” he said.
In the early morning hours, as the sun rose, Ray sat in the living room waiting for Astrid to return home.
He didn’t change out of his suit and would occasionally check on Enniss out of boredom and nerves while he waited.
Just as the clock struck 5:30, the front door gently opened and closed while the faint heeled steps of Astrid Smith echoed down the foyer and into the living room where he waited.
Ray met her gaze; her hair was disheveled, make-up smeared, and her dress was slightly torn at the slit. He couldn't stop himself from thinking horrid things when Astrid took a step closer and threw her clutch on the couch in front of her.
“He’s gay.” She finally said.
Ray turned his head, slightly perplexed “What?”
“He’s fucking gay, Raymond…”
Astrid walked around the couch and glared at her husband “He wanted to spend all night with me to discuss how ‘unbelievably fucking hot’ you are.” She remarked “So I spent all night telling him in excruciating detail our sex life. It was the best smut he ever heard in his life and he will finalize the deal with Mickey later this morning, I will be getting a retainer for services rendered, and you will apologize to me after I do what needs to be done!” She lectured.
“Which is…?”
Astrid immediately clocked him square in the jaw, she cried out in pain as she broke her hand against his jawline while Ray loudly groaned into the couch cushion. The couple sat in their pain for a moment before Ray finally composed himself and looked back up at Astrid as tears fell down her cheek from the pain.
“How could you fucking do that to me!?” she whispered in anger “I’m your wife! I deserve better than to be handed off to whichever business partner Mickey has brewing.” she hissed at him, her anger so bad that Ray wanted to die--why did he do this to her?
Ray reached out for her but she shooed his hands away “You don’t get to touch me ever!” she yelled.
“My love!” Ray called out to her.
Astrid shook her head “You get to live with the guilt of what you did. Even if nothing happened, the fact that you even allowed to let it happen…” she trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes “I’m taking Enniss and I’m going to stay with my dad,” she finally said firmly.
“For how long?” Ray asked her, his voice cracking.
“For however long it takes for me to look at your face without wanting to punch it.” Astrid said before backing away from him and leaving the living room and Ray alone with his thoughts.
Ray closed his eyes, giving himself a moment to compose himself again. He never liked it when him and Astrid fought--it never ended well.
