by Emily Bex
Alec was livid as he paced around the study. "Oh, he can't be serious. His mate? He was planning on making her his mate? Is he out of his fucking mind? The vamp lives five hundred years, has fucked everything mortal and immortal across every continent, comes to the States for a few fucking days and thinks he found 'true love’? What kind of fucking bullshit is that? Trust me, I know him, this will blow over. He’s been down this road before, just never with a mortal. You did him a big favor, Rissa. The sooner this girl is out of his head the better."
“Alec, relax, she won’t have anything to do with him any longer and if she does, I can make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. Now come, let’s rejoin our guests. I’ll get you a fresh Midnight and let’s enjoy the rest of the night together.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arm around his elbow, leading him back to the party.
***
Kate pulled into the underground garage and rushed to the elevator. She’d been trying unsuccessfully to control her tears all the way home. She just wanted to get inside where she’d feel safe. She got to her unit and unlocked the door. Closing the door behind her, she slid her back down the door until she was sitting on the floor. She released all the pent up tears of hurt and confusion.
Why would Rissa say these things? They can't be true. Did I run away from him for no reason? Did I make a mistake? She shook her head. She’d made an oath to give up men for a reason. Nothing was worth all this drama. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
***
Teleporting straight into his penthouse, he saw the lights on in her condo, but she wasn’t moving about, and he was frantic to know if she was home. Shade stood at the window but he couldn’t see her, and it was killing him. He knew she must be in agony, disappointed in him. Cazzo, she is probably frightened out of her damn mind. He was finally breaking through her timidity, bringing her closer, and Rissa went and fucked up any chance he may have had. She’d never come to him now. Think Shade. Think!
Going back to his bedroom, he stripped off his suit and threw on a pair of jeans, reached into the pocket of his suit pants and grabbed his phone. She always relaxed when he called her. That was his only damn chance with her now. Walking back to the window, he was so rattled and furious, worried for her. He must win her back, but he needed her to respond to him first.
He saw her stand up from the floor and walk into the bedroom, tossing her things on the bed. She sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands. He hadn’t seen her sitting on the floor inside her front door. He saw her face streaked with tears, her make-up a mess. He’d caused her this pain by not telling her sooner, by not leading her slowly into his culture.
Dialing up her number, he ran his fingers through his hair as he heard the cell begin to ring. He watched her look at her phone. Come on mi amore, pick it up. Answer, please answer! He listened to the ring until it went to voicemail. Fuck you, Rissa! He heard the soft sweetness of her voice in her recorded message, the casual lilt he’d grown to love. He heard the beep to record his message on her phone. “Kate. Please answer and talk to me. We need to talk. Please let me explain. Please give me a chance, I want to explain. Rissa is crazy. I have no idea what she may have told you about me, I just know you are upset and confused. I miss you. I just want to hear…” He heard the beep before he could finish his plea and he threw the phone across the room.
Kate heard her cellphone ring and looked at the clutch. With hesitation, she opened it and looked at the ID. She set the phone back on the bed and let the call go to voicemail. She stood and started to remove the dress, letting it drop to the floor. She stepped out of it and reached up releasing her hair from the bun, letting it fall past her shoulders and down her back.
Grabbing a robe from the closet , she pulled off the strappy silver heels, tossing them aside. She walked barefoot back to her bed and heard the beep that let her know he’d left a voice-mail. She picked up the phone and against her better judgment, decided to listen to his message, to hear his voice. She played back the message and heard how frantic he was; begging her, pleading with her, and a fresh flood of tears fell. She felt so broken now, so confused. He was pulling her in one direction, and Rissa was fighting so hard to pull her in another. She didn’t have the courage to call him back. She lay across the bed, her face in her pillow and cried.
The phone rang again, and she saw his name. She knew he’d continue to call until she answered. She had no idea what to say to him, she didn’t even understand this herself. Before it rolled to voicemail again, she answered, "Hello."
He let out his breath. “Kate. Please talk to me. I’m sorry, I have no idea what Rissa told you, but she said you left and you seemed upset. What is it? Talk to me.”
What do I say? She said you were a vampire? I’d sound like a complete idiot. “I...she said...she said I was in danger with you...she just kept saying I needed to get away. Please, I'm not sure I can talk about this right now. I mean, what's going on? Why is she pushing me so hard to break it off with you?”
“I don’t know, did she mention anything specific? I have a past Kate, she knows that, but I am not that man any longer. Perhaps she thinks I will play with your heart, but I promise you, I do not want that. I want to be with you, mi amore. Please tell me how can I banish those thoughts from your mind?”
Kate wanted to believe him, but she’d been here before. She always wanted to believe them. “She mentioned your past...after the first time I met you when I called for your number. She warned me off then...and again tonight. She was...pretty graphic.”
“I have a past Kate, everyone does. Mine is worse, perhaps. Did I ever treat you badly? Was I ever anything but a gentleman to you? Please, I only wish to be given a chance to show you what kind of man I can be. Honest, faithful, and loving.”
Kate rolled over on her back. Faithful and loving, Ha! How many times had she heard that before? "You know, if I had a dollar for every man who’d promised to be faithful to me, I could retire a rich woman. So what makes you any different?”
“Perhaps, Miss Reese, it is not me but you that has made the difference. I have had sex with many women, but none of them could capture me. You have me spellbound. I can think of nothing but you. And all I want is to prove to you that I am a man worthy of your heart and giving you love as you have never felt, but of which you are so worthy. I am not a man of flowering verses. I am what I am. But I know what I see before me. I dreamt of a beautiful woman with a pure heart, a soul that aches for her mate, a woman with a contagious laugh and beautiful eyes that melt me. Her intelligence and common sense are rare and exceptional. She is the sexiest female I have ever beheld, and she doesn’t even try. She is just herself. Then you stepped out of my dreams and walked into my life, and I don’t want to lose you or let go of you.”
She heard his words and fresh tears fell. She wanted to believe him, but she’d been here before. Broken promises, Ethan was a master of broken promises, and she’d heard them all. "Please...I just need some time. I'm begging you. Give me some space to figure this out.”
“It is all I can ask for, mi amore. Grazie, for giving me a chance to speak to you. I will give you the space and time you need. I understand your pain, Kate. I have been hurt as well. I am not immune to being hurt. The opportunity is yours to give me. I will await your decision.”
She listened to the gentleness in his voice and she wondered if she was being unreasonable? His voice held pain as well. How could any of what Rissa said hold an ounce of truth? But then, what did she really know of this man? Nothing!
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I think I was really falling for you, maybe things were moving too fast. I just got out of one relationship...Never mind, you don't need to hear all that. Just...I'm sorry. Please. I need to go now.”
He issued his final plea. “Kate, please. Just one more thing, I’m always here for you. You must promise if you need me...you need help, anything, you will call me. Buonasera.”
She disconnected from the call.
His words sent more tears down her cheeks. How could she have listened to Rissa? Her head was clouded in doubt, a part of her saying run away, and another part wanting to call him back and beg him to come to her now. She dropped the phone on the bed, buried her face in the pillow and cried.
14
Kate slept very little, waking often, thinking of him, always him. Now she had to get through the whole weekend with him on her mind, without the distractions of work. She stayed in her robe, not bothering to dress, gorging on junk food. Okay, this is not as bad as the ‘almost at the wedding breakup,’ and if I can get through that, I will get through this. But she kept second-guessing herself because he’d done nothing wrong. Maybe she should call him.
She was sitting mindlessly in front of the TV, not even aware of what was on when her cell rang. Her heart skipped a beat, as she picked up the phone, seeing Shannon on the ID. She answered with some reluctance, hating to tell her best friend the outcome of last night.
"Hey, Shan."
“Uh oh...I don't like the sound of your voice. What's up? Did you go out with him?"
“Yeah, sort of. We went to Alec and Rissa's for the cocktail party I told you about, but I left without him."
“Kate! What happened? What did he do?”
“Nothing. He did nothing. It was Rissa. She pulled me aside and told me a lot of...stuff. You know she warned me off once before, that he was a player, but last night, she just dumped all this other stuff on me. I got kind of panicked and left, at her suggestion now that I think about it.”
In a puzzled voice, Shannon answered, “Stuff? She told you stuff? Come on Kate. Is he like a murderer, a rapist, a pedophile? What the heck could she have said to make you bolt?”
Kate replayed in her head all of Rissa's words, and they sounded even more ridiculous in the light of day. She couldn’t tell Shannon the part about Shade being a vampire, not even Kate was buying that. And Alec and Rissa were vampires? Get real! She’d seen both of them out in broad daylight. Wasn’t that impossible if you’re a vampire? But Shannon would push for details. She’d have to tell her something.
"She just told me again what a player he was, implied that he was into rough sex...like, really rough, she practically pushed me out the door."
Shannon laughed. "Is that supposed to be a bad thing? Sorry, I shouldn't make light of this, clearly you were freaked out. But Kate, come on. Has he shown you any indication of this?”
“No, of course not. He’s been, if anything, extremely patient with me. But Rissa made some comment about him luring me in. Now I'm just confused.”
Shannon continued to probe. “Well, what happened after you left? Did he try to call you?”
“He called. I didn't answer the first time. He left a voicemail, pleading with me. I picked up the second time. His voice...I mean, he sounded as broken as I felt, and he begged me to see him, to let him explain, to give him a chance. I just asked for some time. I needed time. And that's where we left it. So, here I sit, with no clue what to do next. I mean, why would Rissa go to such lengths to warn me off if there wasn't something wrong?”
“Okay Kate, I'm just going to say this. You know me, no filters, right? When has Rissa ever given a fuck about you? I know we were all in college together, but let's get real here. Unless you were New England blue blood, she really didn't want to be too closely associated with you. And you had to come from money, and not just any money, old money. I don't know a lot about Shade, but from what you've shared about him, he’s clearly old money. I think Rissa is just jealous, or scared. God forbid you’d end up in her social circles. And maybe if she thinks this guy is really serious about you, she's just trying to break it up, you know?”
“I know you're right about her. She’s always kept me at arm’s length, and I was well aware of why. But...why would she tell me the sex stuff?”
“Oh hell, Kate, I don't know. Because she knows it would freak you out? Besides, how would she know? Has she slept with him?”
Kate pondered the question. Had he? She hadn’t thought of that before. Shade with Rissa. She shook the image out of her head.
“I...she didn't say she had...but he did tell me on the phone he’d been with a lot of women, so it sort of collaborated Rissa's story that he’s a player. Maybe he dumped her or something, and she’s getting back at him.”
“Kate, you don't get to walk around looking like him and not have sex with a lot of women...you get that, right? I mean, the man can have his pick, if you get my drift. But here's the thing. He can have his pick, and if he was just a player, he would’ve moved on. I mean, let's face it, you've been rather high maintenance for him. I doubt seriously the man has had to work this hard to get a woman in bed in his whole life. He's been chasing you for three weeks now, have you slept with him?”
“No! Shannon, you know...you know how I feel about that.”
Shannon sighed. “Yes, I do...and you need to get over it. I mean really Kate. I know you're never going to be the girl that puts out on the first date but come on. And besides, don't you want to know? Sex is such an important part of the relationship. I think people need to know how they are together. It's not always great, you know? I mean, all guys think they're good, but you know better. You've at least been with enough men to have figured that out by now. So, why waste all this time exploring your ‘relationship’, only to discover he's a dud in bed? Let's face it, great sex can make you overlook a lot of other shortcomings in a relationship.”
Kate blushed. “I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you.”
“Oh, we're having it! So here's my advice. Fuck Rissa, and make your own decisions. You like this guy. I know you do. Give him a chance. Take the time to find out who he is, and where this relationship is going, if anywhere. But you decide. You decide if you want to spend more time with him if he's worth risking your heart. Don't let Rissa dictate how it plays out. Maybe he won't be for you, but that should be something you discover. Come on, Kate. I know you. If you don't follow through, you will question yourself about it forever.”
“Yeah...you're right about that part. I'm already questioning myself.”
“Right? So get back in the game. And hey, I'm always here for you. If he breaks your heart, we'll just pull another weekend bender getting drunk on wine and you'll get through it. We always do. Okay?”
Kate answered, still unsure. “Yes...I'll think about it. I promise I will.”
“Okay, well I have a shit-load of errands to run this weekend, so I have to go. So you ‘think’, and I'll talk to you later. But I’m not going to let this go, so I'm warning you now!”
Kate laughed. "Shannon, I’d be totally disappointed if you let it go. Now go get your stuff done. I'm fine, we'll talk later."
15
Kate had begged him to give her time, and he’d honored her request. It had been several days now, and he hadn’t tried to call, and she hadn’t called him. She hadn’t had the nerve, despite Shannon's prodding. But he stayed on her mind, always.
She was wondering if maybe he’d just moved on. She was, as Shannon pointed out, 'high maintenance'. There was a part of her that wished he’d ignore her request, a part of her that wished he’d just storm back into her life, with his larger than life persona, and say, 'Enough, Kate!'
One day faded into the next as the week passed by. She looked for him at the metro stops, the Starbucks where they met for coffee, outside her office building, but there had been no more 'accidental' encounters. She feared she’d lost him, and she knew she wouldn’t chase him. She’d never have the self-confidence to approach him after this much time had passed. She felt tired, and she knew her emotions played into that as well, as she got ready for bed, slipping on a gown and climbing between the sheets. She turned out the light and watched the red light on the Washington Monument as it blinked on and off before she slipped into another night of troubled sleep.
***
Many nights had passed, and Shade watched her through the window for every singl
e one of them. Her body language and facial expressions told him enough to know she was miserable, and yet, she gave him no sign of wanting him back in her space. She asked for time, and he’d given her a week. How much time did she want? How much thought did she need to know they were meant to be together, she was the one, and she was his?
It felt like the hundredth time since he’d stood at the window watching her, as she climbed into the bed and finally fell to sleep. He’d kept his promise, given her time, while staying close, observing. If nothing else, he’d been a man of his word, but his patience was running thin. She’d had time to think, and still, she hadn’t asked to see him, hadn’t called him, and there was only one way to hold her and have her, convince her they were meant to be.
He teleported into her condo, shadowing himself from view and waited for her to fall asleep. That crimson hair was tangled about her head and strewn across the pillows. He knew already she was going to be his greatest strength and his biggest weakness, and somehow, he was very comfortable with that.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently brushed the red silk from her face and she didn’t move, but there was a slight moan. That’s it, mi amore. Come to the one you need. He laid his hand upon her head and walked into her dream. This was where he could have her, leave her with a memory she’d never forget, a memory that would drive her to come back to him. It was his gift to dream-walk and he’d never been more grateful for it than right now.
She could see him there among the crowd as she moved through the large room, full of people. She watched him, dapper in his Italian hand-tailored suit, and she loved what she saw. Her gown was red, it flowed to the floor and her heels peeped out from the deep side slits on either side of her gown, those slender ankles flashing with each step.