Greetings once again. This is a story about a woman and her vampire, but it's not a vampire story. It's not a love story, but it is a story about love, and the power it has to heal, and to destroy. It contains explicit sexual acts between females, among other people. It contains scenes of graphic violence and rape. If you are not of legal age to read this type of story, or if this isn't your cup of tea then please leave now.
Though inspired by true events, all characters and events herein are entirely of my own imagination and any resemblance to any actual person either living or dead, real or imaginary, or actual event is entirely coincidental; I'll leave it to you to decide what's fact and what's fiction. I'd like to thank everyone who has written to me so far. Thank you so very much for your support and kind words.
Comments, questions, concerns, and criticism are greatly appreciated.
Enjoy.
Chapter 7
Nadia stirred. She had this nice little smile on her face and it just made my heart melt to see it. The poor girl has gone through things that I can't even imagine. Truth is I'd rather not know, but I'm sure I'm going to say something stupid and force her to tell me anyway. Over the past week I've developed a nasty habit of doing exactly that. But seeing her looking like my dark savior, I could help but reciprocate the gesture.
I leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She cooed and gripped her pillow tighter. I would have loved to stay with her, but I stank of day-old sex. So did the comforter. With the curtains drawn, it was hard to discern what time it was, but I figured it was getting late in the morning. We had a rough night last night. And the sex only proved the theory I came up with last time I was in this room: sex is the best medicine.
I got out of bed and went over to the soaking wet comforter. The massive puddle was still there. It had to be some kind of record. I've never made a woman cum like that before. It must have been years since my vampire allowed a Watcher/lover fuck her like that. In a way, I felt honored. If she could trust not only me to give her a good time, but herself to not lose control and end up killing me, then I think she's made great progress towards the sense of normalcy she kept mumbling about while she slept. There's another thing we share. We both talk in our sleep and say things we'd never admit to while awake.
I bundled up the massive blanket and headed upstairs as quietly as I could. She needed the sleep. It's no coincidence that her washer and dryer are those newer, high efficiency models. They barely make a sound while running. In fact, it were those rickety stairs that freak me out the most. Nadia has virtually unlimited resources but she can't get nicer stairs installed? I'm going to have to talk to her about that.
I don't think I'll find a better bathroom. Nadia may look the part of the self-hating masochist, but she does offer herself a good manner of luxuries. The shower stall is one of those multi-head things. She must be in good standing with her "friends" for them to put something like this in. All of the heads were adjustable from a relaxing massage to a painful jet stream-- yes, I found out the hard way. The water temperature didn't get all that hot, but it stayed there for the thirty minute duration.
I don't why most of my thinking comes from taking a shower. Well, deeper thinking anyway. Only when we reflect on events past that we see the error of our ways. Like running out of the house in my night clothes, ignoring the voices as I did so. Voices that no doubt were concerned about their little girl and why she was so freaked. Panic has a weird kind of power. In those moments of fear, the brain shuts down and reverts back to when everything we did was based on instinct. Maybe I shouldn't think so much on it, because now I want to know exactly what the fuck happened to me yesterday.
Why did I get sick from the scent of a barbecue? Why did I panic? How did I run so far so fast with my eyes closed down a busy street and not get hit? How did I know all of that stuff about those hookers? And what the hell was Harold's problem? Just thinking of that asshole had me stressing out again. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't think so much, but it's my life damn it. I have a right to now why it's getting more fucked up by the day. Don't I?
I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. I looked myself over in the mirror above the sink. I was clean and my skin smooth from that awesome body wash Nadia buys, my blaring scars aside, of course. I looked refreshed. I looked ready to begin my day. Even though the shades were drawn I could tell it was early morning. A little smile folded on my lips. I remember thinking that last time I saw that, all I wanted was some pancakes and coffee. My rumbling tummy agreed. A noise from Nadia's upper room drew my attention.
"Nadia, you up here?" I asked from the bathroom. It wouldn't have surprised me if she was. I couldn't hear her moving half the time anyway. No answer. "Nadia?"
Tightening my towel around myself, I stepped out. My steps were light. A silhouette bigger than Nadia's crossed the open doorway. Fear was quick to the punch. I took a few steps back, trying to keep my emotions reigned in. If this were a vampire, then they would not only be able to smell me, but react to the emotions clouding my aura. And by distancing myself from it, I increased my chances of making it down the stairs before it jumped me. At least, that's what I was telling myself. I've called out to it; it knew I was here.
Tension spiked my adrenaline. The shadow moved with blinding speed into the living room. I was hiding in the stairwell. Whatever was in here with me wasn't all that concerned about me. Even I could smell my fear. I heard it thrashing about, knocking over one of the DVD racks. I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp when the thud came. Backing down the steps, I tried to tread lightly and keep the squeaking to a minimum.
I was on the last step when the silhouette appeared in the doorway. I may be new to reading auras, but this one one was not happy. I closed my eyes and opened them with my new azure vision. I wanted to see it's face. It didn't help. This thing was so dark that it absorbed the unnatural light. Its posture was poised to attack. Shit. Wake up Nadia.
I knew if I ran, I was dead. If I screamed out, I was dead. I tried to "call out" to Nadia in my head. I tried to listen for her in my mind's ear. She said she always answers, but all I got was the mental version of dial tone static. Fuck me. I was about to make a decision when it was made for me. The air around and in my chest tightened. My scar went from a slight tingle to burning with life. Immediately, I fell to my knees, wanting nothing more for this thing to have his way with me.
It moved with deliberate slowness, mentally pressing on my bite marks. Definitely a vampire, and a hungry one at that. My vision was darkening from the intense pleasure flowing through me; my pussy hurt from how tight the muscles were squeezing. I fought this thing off as best I could. That's hard to do when I'm this horny. I couldn't give in to this. I couldn't! "Nadia," I whispered, losing the fight. "Where are you?"
My body collapsed over, my vision darkening. I felt a gust of air blow past me. Two pairs of bright headlights hit the floor in the den. I heard a dog grow and a cat hiss at each other. When did Nadia get pets? My chest tightened harder. Several shelves of books fell over. An aggravated growl come from the bad doggy. I could hear it's claws swiping through the air, missing their target. The angry kitty hissed again. A shot of pleasure ripped through my crotch. I resisted the urge to start fingering
myself thanks to the merciful blanket coating my aura.
The kitty pounced on the other animal in a motion too fast for my eyes to follow. There was one last growl, then the sickening sound of gurgling hit me. The black edges of my vision were getting bigger. I tried to will my heart to slow down. I knew that to these animals fear was as much a turn-on as me in some
sexy lingerie. My head thumped to the floor in time with one of the two silhouettes. My whole body hurt and something reeked. Must be from the bad kitty breath I felt against my cheek. I looked up, and there, staring back at me, were two of those four headlights.
I woke up on a soft surface. It smelled like day-old sex in here. I recognized the oversized pillow. I glanced over at the door and found the silhouette standing there. Panic coursed through me as I scrambled to sit up. Pointing I said, "Look buddy, I don't know who you are, but..."
"But what, Charlene?" Nadia said. She sounded upset about something.
"Nadia? Where the hell were you? There's a burglar in here--"
"Not anymore," she interrupted, coming into the room. "And that wasn't a burglar. He was a renegade. One I told if I ever saw him again I'd kill him." She stopped at the foot of the bed, looking me up and down. "I just never expected he'd be stupid enough to come into my home and threaten MY Watcher."
I didn't need to hear the details. I watched her pull a man's throat out with the ease of crushing a foam cup. I didn't want to know what happened to intruders. That's twice now she's killed a renegade vampire for assaulting me, and then emphasized the fact that I was HER Watcher. And she is MY vampire, one that I'm supposed to be taking care of. She was still vamped out, so I gulped and asked, "Is he gone?" She nodded, avoiding my eyes. "Are you hungry?" She nodded again. I forced myself to relax before saying anything more. I made my way to the far side of the bed and said, "Come here then. Let's get it over with."
Nadia's steps were hesitant at best. If I offered myself freely, I thought it would be easier. Besides, I owe her. Twice. She placed her hands on my cheeks and kissed me. I closed my eyes, feeling her soft lips caress mine. Her hands slid down the curve of my neck and over my shoulders. I knew in that moment that this was going to hurt like hell, and the kiss was an early apology. Just do it already, I thought as I felt myself getting wet.
I failed to breath in the time it took for her to go from my mouth to my shoulder. My eyes bulged out. Her sharp teeth easily cut through the scar tissue. My neck was on fire, the painful way. I gasped. She squeezed my shoulders tighter. We fell back onto the bed. Her lips were suctioned to my neck. The pain ripped through me like a knife through warm butter. It wasn't until I felt her tongue press against my skin that the fire started to subside.
Warm liquid coated my neck and shoulder. Once the pain faded, I wrapped Nadia's head in my hands. In a twisted way, this felt right. Like a mother feeding her baby. I stroked he hair as she drank. It was weird feeling the blood oozing out of the holes after they've been numbed from the vamp saliva. If I hadn't been so relaxed, I would have thought it ticklish. Nadia, MY vampire, alternated between sucking and tongue probing. I trusted her enough to not lose control and release me if it got to be too much. And from the short time I've been around her, that's a lot of trust.
After several more minutes I said, "Nadia, I'm not feeling good." Nausea set in. She kept drinking. I grabbed a handful of hair. "Nadia. Stop. I can't take anymore." Fortunately, with a quick tug, she pulled away. I turned my head to see her, but she grabbed my chin and turned my head back to where she had it. I felt her tongue enter each wound in turn and wiggle around a bit. It felt like the night she did that to my pussy. Good thing I was only in a towel. Easier access.
She licked up the remaining blood from my neck and shoulder. The memory of the university bathroom flashed through my head. I guess there's something in a vampire's saliva that coagulates the blood and quickens the development of scar tissue. I shuddered. Both Travis, my medical student best friend, and Nadia, the vampire, both told me that nobody should have been that white and still alive.
I looked up at her once she finished. "You okay?" she asked, her eyes back to their normal dark brown. Her teeth were still tinted in red, but that would be gone in no
time.
I nodded. "I'm just a little exhausted," I said as I tried to sit up. Nadia rushed in to hold me down. "I'm also a bit horny and hungry."
She smiled at that. "Okay. We'll deal with that later. Right now you need to lay down and take a nap." She said all this as she put me back on the pillow and covered my towel-clad form. "I'm going to take a shower myself and get this place cleaned up. You stay here; you'll pass out if you move around too much."
I uttered a soft, "Okay," before nodding off. She was right. I needed a nap.
I didn't want it to end. The sensations of Nadia's tongue running up and down on my clean slit had me shuddering. Her fingers danced over my skin. My towel laid open, exposing me completely. Nadia complimented my above average bust while she played with me. I loved it when she spoke against my pussy like that. The vibrations from her voice gave me shivers the way my favorite toy couldn't. Her strong hands groped me while her mouth feasted on the pink gap between my legs.
Using one of her hands, she opened me up more, exposing my sensitive clit to that lovely mouth of hers. Her tongue wiggled around the opening before zig-zagging to tease the blossoming bud. I screamed from the contact. Her nose tickled the small strip of hair I keep down there--it drives me nuts when someone tickles it. Nadia stuck her tongue inside me. My back arched to give her better access. That marvelous tongue bounced around against my cunt walls, teasing me with just enough force to NOT get me off.
"Nadia..." I moaned, grabbing her hair. I bit down on the pillow and held her head in place. "Please... I need to cum!" The bitch didn't listen. She kept at it. I swear I heard her laugh at my plea.
Her sharp fangs brushed against my outer folds. It's so hot when she does that. I knew she was careful with those, but the danger that went with it is too much. A small stream of cum leaked out of me. Her mouth was happy to receive it. She started sucking on my swollen clit to get more out of me. After last time, I was afraid I'd drown her. But her moaning deepened, sending those fabulous waves through me again. Her upper hand squeezed my tit--she knows I like it rough. My hand gripped her hair tighter. I made a noise, then my pussy erupted.
Before the first wave left me, the vampire unsealed her mouth and just opened wide. Her lower hand began rubbing my clit with a speed and force I never thought possible. My ass came completely off my towel. The spray that she loved so much splashed against her face. I heard her moan her approval. I tried to close my legs, but she pried me back open, demanding I give her more. And I was happy to oblige.
Wave after wave erupted from me. Whatever missed her face, Nadia was quick to lick it up from the bed. When I finally finished, she was completely soaked from head to toe. So was I, except with sweat. My hands wrapped around the vamp as she crawled up to me. Her tongue flashed over my rosy nipples a few times before she nestled against my chest. I held her close to me. She cooed at the sound of my heart beating. I kissed the top of her head and drifted back to sleep.
It's weird how dreams imitate life. I felt like I was riding a surf board in the
ocean, the small choppy waves rocking me. Night had risen in the sky. The water was a little chilly tonight. Someone from the shore was calling my name. I waved back and told them to hold on; I'd be there in a minute.
"Charlene..." the Voice kept saying.
"Stop. ...Another minute."
"No, get up. You need to get something to eat." My eyes fluttered open. I was still in Nadia's lower bedchamber. The sun was up, trying to penetrate that think red curtain. The towel that I'd wrapped myself in was splayed open. My legs were parted, my body on display for the world to see. And Nadia was staring. I think I knew what that "water" was from my dream. My pussy was drenched and my little strip was matted.
"What time is it?" I asked, the grogginess wearing off a bit. I really don't want to know what had just happened for me to end up like that. I just told myself that it was a very intense wet dream, in spite of the fact that I could smell my cum all over her face.
"Past noon already. You said you were hungry, so let's go get you something to eat." I took in her full visage. Typical vampire attire: Stretchy, black long-sleeve tee covered with a corseted bodice, black jeans, dark sunglasses resting on her head, and draped over her body was that sexy black denim trench coat. I heard her buckle-boots clank and jingle as she moved.
I rolled back over on my pillow. "Ten more minutes."
I squealed when Nadia lifted my naked ass up. "Now." I instinctively wrapped my hands around her neck. My expression went crestfallen when I looked up at her. "You blood sugar is low and you need some iron." I blinked. Wow. "Yes, I can tell."
Interesting. "Where are my clothes?"
"Upstairs."
She was using her one-word answers again. Not good. It's something I've come to learn: the shorter the answer, the more the person is holding back. "Nadia?" She shook her head at the prompt in my tone. Shit, she was trying not to vamp out on me. What the fuck, woman? "Nadia, talk to me. What's up?"
We were walking up the stairs, going towards the light. How romantic. Me, completely nude, being carried by the woman who saved my life twice into the light. A slight flush of embarrassment went through me. As nice as the gesture was, she didn't have to carry me--I felt strong enough to walk. Typical Nadia, though, refused to say anything. Even when I nudged her with my hands she remained quiet.
In a quick nodding motion, she lowered the sunglasses over her eyes. Even I had to squint at the light flooding into the dining room. The vampire carried me into the upper bedroom and set me down on the bed. I watched her go through a couple of the drawers and pull out what looked like random articles of clothing. One by one, she tossed them to me. I've gotta admit, I absolutely love her taste in underwear. She watched me as I slipped the panties over my legs. Pervert, but I smiled anyway.
The hose she tossed me first were a sheer-filled mesh thigh-high set. The material riding up my legs felt just as sexy as the oddly similar panties I had on. The skirt was made from layers of black organza, and detailed with satin ribbons. Black lace provided some accent and ran along every hemline. There was a heavy-duty zipper that ran up the right side and a studded strap and buckle that held it against my waist. Weird combination, but it worked.
The shirt she threw at me was an off-the-shoulder gothic long-sleeve top. It had a corseted front and back with small chains "laddering" up the front. The cut in the back was a bit low, but I think Nadia was thinking that it was sexy. The hems of the sleeves were ruffled. It fit pretty tight around my tits; any tighter and I think they'd pop out. That explains the lack of a bra in the pile. When I stood up, the corset part supported the girls pretty well, actually. Good thing we have similar body styles--I'm still not convinced THAT's a coincidence--with the exception that our heights differ when in certain shoes and my boobs were slightly bigger. I wore this outfit quite
comfortably.
"Got some kind of shoes, or boots, or something?" It was a dumb question, but I figured I'd break the silent stoop she was in having just watched a reverse striptease. Yeah, I put on a little show for her. I think that sly grin was telling me how much she liked it.
"Under the bed, in the box against the wall," she said nodding. "They just arrived this morning." With the smile still on her face, she left. A moment later I heard the bathroom sink running and splashing. Interesting time to wash up.
I shrugged it off and crouched down. Good god, there must have been thirty boxes under here. And they all looked exactly alike. They each had the name Aderlass printed proudly on all sides. I pulled out and opened the one that Nadia mentioned. I held my breath at the beautiful pair of leather stiletto knee-high boots before me. The heels looked no more than two inches high and the soles were about three inches thick. I slipped one on and knew that these had to be custom made for my foot. That it that well. Large straps and buckles secured it to my leg once I got the corset-like stitching done.
I couldn't believe it. I felt like some sort of gothic, vampire princess... all irony aside, of course. I've never worn any real designer clothing before. Now those outrageous prices make sense. This is nice. I ruffled my hair up then let it fall. I fiddled with my bangs for a few seconds before deciding that my hair looked okay. I turned to the door when I heard Nadia gasp. I smiled sheepishly. "You like it.?"
"Of course," she said with a hand over her heart. "I had it made specially for you." That had my attention. "But I didn't think it would look that good on you as I was drawing it."
What! "You designed this? For me?"
Her expression dropped as if I just insulted her. "You're my Watcher, Charlene. You need to understand what that means to me." From the look on her face, I didn't want to push her any farther on the subject so I just nodded. The vampire came fully into the room and took my hand. She made a motion with her free hand that told me to spin around. When I did, the skirt twirled with me. Little moments like that will never get old. I couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face. "I've got one more thing or you."
"Okay, Nadia, that's the last straw, you don't--" My words were cut off when she presented me with a chocker/necklace. It was made black velvet and lace, tied together in the back by ribbons of red satin. A beautiful black rose was in the center. Twin sets of real rubies dotted the sides. Cute. "That's beautiful."
"Turn around," she commanded blushing from the compliment. She had this specially made too. I felt her tugging on the ribbons. It tickled my scars, but didn't set off the usual sensations. I guess this kind of velvet has a way of relaxing the nerve endings. Nadia smoothed out the ribbons down my back. I looked at myself in the mirror. I was speechless. "You like it?"
Does she have to be so insecure about every little thing? I ran my hands over every inch of my body as if exploring it for the first time. "I don't know what to say, Nadia. I've never had anyone buy me stuff like this before." I paused, the smile on her face faded. "This is overwhelming. I almost feel like a little girl again playing dress-up. Yes, Nadia, I love it."
Her smile returned. Our eyes locked in the mirror. Her chin rested on the good side of my shoulder. Her arms wrapped around my middle. I couldn't help but smile at the image we made... and then the night she bit me flashed through my head. I was in jeans and a tank top and she was in a gown befitting royalty. Today, we swapped places. A contented look came to both of our faces. I placed my hands over hers. This was nice. Then my stomach growled. We both snorted.
"Come on, Charlene. Where do you want to go?" Nadia practically floated out of the room. I had to run to catch up. And in these stilettos it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. When I caught her, she handed me my purse that I left here the night I almost died. I remember thinking I wanted pancakes and coffee, and that sounded good now.
"A place that serves breakfast," I said rummaging through my bag. Everything that I left in there was in there. "Other than that, I really don't care; I'm just starving."
My vampire grabbed my hand and led me out to the garage. "I know a good place."
"No peeking," Nadia said for the tenth time. I wasn't about to peek, even if it would ruin the surprise--the sun was burning my eyes. That new vision I'd been infected with, though great at nighttime, was a pain in the ass. Add to that the sensitivity of my skin to this blistering sun and I understood why vampires stayed in the dark.
I let out a huff. "I'm not gonna peek already." I couldn't for the life of me figure out where we were heading. I think she was taking unnecessary turns just to throw me off. Even with my new eyes, I still couldn't make out the blurs past my eyelids.
Sometimes I hate my random way of thinking. Feeling a bit irate about the way she kept saying that, I thought back to the squeaky, shaking stairs and frowned. "When are yo going to fix those damned stairs?"
I heard Nadia turn her head towards me. "Is that where you'd like to start?"
Huh? "Start what?"
"Father Darien taught me to always have a project ready for me and my Watcher to complete," she said as we turned down a darker street. "As you're well aware, my basement is my sanctum. I've spent the better part of a decade finishing it off. I guess you'd like to start our project building a new set of stairs?"
I just smiled and shook my head. It seemed the more I learned about this chick, the more questions she brought up. "Why do you need a project with your Watcher? Build sentimental value?"
"Yes, actually. I figured home improvement projects is a good distraction from my daily grind to survive and bring a sense of normalcy to my life." Tough to argue that point. "We'll need to do some redecorating for you before you move in--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chica," I interrupted. "I don't mind helping a friend out with some house work, especially after you bought me some nice things, but I never said anything about moving into your house." Somehow, I kept my eyes closed. I could feel her aura deflate. I didn't want to give her any thing resembling the upper hand so I decided to stay harsh. "I think that's moving just a little bit too fast. And don't bring up the sex, you know damn well why I slept with you."
"I'm sorry Charlene," she mumbled. "I didn't mean for that to sound he way it did. You called yourself my Watcher in front of a lot of vampires, including Father Darien."
"So."
"So that means you've accepted the responsibilities. In order to be an effective Watcher you must live in my house."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "And you didn't bother to tell me any of this because...?" She didn't answer. "Is there anything else that you're not telling me?"
"Like what?"
"Like any other life-changing decisions I'm going to be forced into making. What are all of my 'responsibilities'?"
I heard Nadia let out a sigh. "I'm terrible at this part, Charlene. After what I'v shown you so far, I thought that you'd understand. I need you to be my Watcher." She grabbed my hand and squeezed. "I need you here with me."
"Why?" I asked solemnly. "There are countless other people out there." I decided to ask the one question I had yet to get a straight answer to. "Why me?"
She laced her fingers through mine and chose her words carefully; I could feel her thoughts drifting. "For one, you're gay."
Okay, that dwindles it down pretty good. "And so are about two thousand other people in this town."
"Shut up and listen." Shuttin' up. "At first I had no intention of making you my Watcher. I saw you on the day I registered for school and thought of you as nothing but a sweet morsel." Nice. At least she thought the same as Father Darien. "The school year is only a couple of months in, but I started to go insane from you rejecting my advances."
I let go of her hand and scoffed. "You didn't make any advances at me."
"That you could hear. I told you once that you had a strength that isn't often seen among the human population. I tried using my mind's influence, but it didn't work. You seemed... immune to it. And because I didn't know what else to do, I asked for permission to use my aura to get to you. I thought that too would be folly since I've never seen that happen before. Ever. Father Darien gave me the okay."
I heard her sniffle. I waited a couple of seconds before deciding to speak. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe if you just tried talking to me, like a normal person, that I would have given it some thought?"
"No, because you wouldn't have." She said bluntly. "Humans automatically reject the notion that non-normal people like me actually exist. You would have laughed at me at best, after several rounds of insults and immature banter."
"Sounds like you've been there before."
"Yes, I have, and it hurt." I cocked my head. She was right. As much as I loved a hot chick dressed up in goth clothes, I'm not sure if I would have believed her. She needed me to see it for myself. The air in the car changed. Suddenly I felt like I was lost in a fog. "You're beginning to understand, aren't you?"
"Are we there yet?" I asked, trying to change the subject. A myriad of emotions swarmed my head. Confusion. Trepidation. Anger. Angst. Fear. But most of all I felt both misunderstood and hurt. From the vibe I was getting from her, I could tell Nadia wasn't doing much better. I finally got over the feeling of being used, and now this? "Where are we going anyway?"
"A place that serves breakfast and isn't often visited by vampires." I couldn't help but notice the sorrow in her voice. "I know how uncomfortable we make you."
"They don't make me uncomfortable, just those damned pheromones they kick out," I said. My head was starting to hurt from processing everything my vampire was telling me. And from the lack of food. "Question."
"Yes..."
"Whenever you feed, would it be a good idea for me to eat first, or second?"
"For me it really doesn't matter; however, if you eat first the blood tastes sweeter from the rise in blood sugar and other nutrients. What it does for my sustenance stays the same."
"What about for my health?"
"Now that you mention it, I really don't know. I've never had a Watcher ask me that before. I guess we'll have to see next time."
Yeah. Next time. After this little conversation, I was hoping there weren't going to be any surprises about next time. I kept telling myself to ask her about why she's so slow about giving me information that could possibly save my life. From the tone of her voice this whole time, I knew she was holding something back. I just didn't know what--nor could I make up my mind if it was a good or bad thing. I hoped to all hell that she'd let me know before "next time".
We made a couple of small turns before I felt the car jerk to a stop. "Open your eyes, we're here."
I slowly cracked my eyes open. My hands covered my mouth before they finished opening. "You brought me to Carlton's?" My tone was flushed with wonder. "I haven't eaten here in years."
"I know," she said holding back a tear. "Your parents brought you here when you graduated high school. It's where you took Tiffany on your first date. It's where your brother and Sylvia went on their first date." Now it was my turn to let a tear drop. "And since our last little outing didn't go as planned, I thought I'd make this our official first date."
I don't know how she does it. All of the anger, hatred, confusion and fear melted away with that look she was giving me. What she just said told me more than everything we just talked about. Nadia really was trying to ease me into this, making up for the shove she gave me last week. I couldn't help but smile. I stared out of the windshield, at the decorative entry and the doorman whose name I never remembered.
Nadia, acting like the kind woman I thought her to be, opened my door and took my hand. We walked like that to the door. The doorman, Thomas, according to his name tag, just tipped his hat to us and opened the door. I've always thought of him as a nice guy. Just like the guy that ran the place, he didn't care about with whom you ate, as long as you were happy and paid your bill.
We stepped up to the host stand, my eyes roaming over the lush drapes and beautiful late nineteenth century decor. "Reservations for Domitrovich," Nadia said, her accent making her name sound like some important politician's.
"Right this way ladies," Fredrick said in his heavy Manchester accent, leading the way.
"You made reservations?" I asked, bewildered. "How long have you planned for this?"
"Since yesterday," she answered. "I was going to bring you here anyway, but, for obvious reasons, I had to push back the time."
I smiled. "I don't think you'll ever cease to amaze me."
"I hope not," she intoned, "Otherwise, things can get pretty boring." True.
Fredrick pulled both of our chairs out and tucked us back in respectively. Nice guy. I smiled and thanked him before he ran through the specials. As good as it all sounded, I wanted my freaking coffee and pancakes. And this place has not only the best, but the biggest. Fourteen inches in diameter and a half-inch thick. I could probably eat five of them.
"Enjoy your time, ladies," Fredrick said as he departed. I smiled again, despite the overwhelming aroma of the kitchen playing hell with my stomach.
I looked over the small crowd. It wasn't more than the usual people suspects of people who would be out and about this time of day. Grandma taking her grandson out for a birthday celebration--the cake was a dead giveaway. A couple out on a nice date. Nadia smiled at me, reading me as I scanned the room. I think her smile fell the same time mine did. Coming out of the bathroom was someone I hoped to not see for a long time. Father Darien. I watched him walk to his table and sat opposite his date.
Tiffany.
He, as usual, was all smiles and big gestures. She looked even worse than Nadia in his presence. Shit. This can't be good.
To be continued...