by Maria Xystra
“Losing at your own game! How does that feel?” he smirks.
“You tell me,” I wink at him. I get a gorgeous smile in response. On cue, every single sex scene I can imagine involving an elevator flashes in front of my eyes.
Withdrawing to a corner of this cage I found myself trapped in, I try to put some distance between us. On the second ‘bing’, his gaze locks me in place, eliminating any attempt I might have made to get out.
“Why would you do something like that, Lex? You don’t strike me as the malevolent scheming type.”
“Is that so? And what type do I strike you as?” I challenge him.
“The …non-scheming one?” his answer sounds so similar to what I would say.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, Cole.”
“But really now, why did you do it?” he insists.
“I wanted you to have a taste of your own medicine.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I never did anything like that to you,” he defends himself.
“Oh, please! You are not a saint! I did to you exactly what you would have done to me!”
“I didn’t-”
“Tell me, Cole, if you knew that I had a date with Alex, would you have done nothing to crash it?” Mentioning Alex caused a muscle on his jaw to clench.
‘Bing’. The elevator opens to a floor and the people working there turn towards us. We stay put until the doors close again.
“Is that what all of this was about?” he asks kind of surprised. “About the Alex thing?”
“Of course! Making decisions in someone else’s place! What else would it be about?”
He takes a few steps towards me in a predatory way.
“I thought you did it because you were jealous,” he says leaning closer to me.
I place a hand on his chest to keep him away.
“Pff! Jealous of what?”
He takes my hand in his and bores into my eyes. “You tell me.”
This time, when the doors open, we fake a handshake for the prying looks we get.
The doors close again, and we continue our descent.
“I made the decision for you so that you could see how much it sucks when people do that!” I glare at him. When his answer never comes, I continue. “Did you like it? Did you enjoy having other people meddling in your affairs?”
“No, I didn’t-”
“But that’s exactly what you do!” I interrupt him and, frustrated, he pushes the ‘stop’ button and the elevator halts. He runs his hands through his hair and turns to me.
“The decisions I make are not because I want to mess with people’s lives or just for the fun of it; or just because I want to prove a point. I make decisions to keep the people I care about safe and out of danger. And for the record, I never made any decisions for you, did I?”
“Maybe not yet. But you gave a command and you expect me to follow it!” I snap at him.
“When did I do that?”
“When? The actual question you should be asking is when you didn’t!”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Oh, let me see. Latest example? When Alex called me Saturday night and you expected me to dump him!”
Cole stiffens and pushes the button to restart the elevator.
“Alex is…” he starts, “There’s something off about him. I don’t want you around him.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you even listen to what we just said? Or was I talking to a wall? Just so we’re clear: you will not be messing with my life!” I declare firmly.
“Just so we’re clear,” he mirrors my tone, “whether you like it or not, when I know that you’re in trouble I will keep you out of it. I would even kidnap you, Tipsy!”
Opening at the accounts department, a couple of people make their way into the car. I get my chance to escape, but not before I whisper: “You’re sick!” in his ear. Cole chuckles and yells back:
“Charming as always, Ms. Davis!”
I fake smile at him and walk away.
CHAPTER 20
In the course of the three weeks that followed the elevator incident, things have got even more upturned. The new additions in my tight personal circle have me slightly worried since I was so careful not to let anyone new get too close.
Somehow though, Eric and Cole have become part of my everyday life now and there’s nothing I can do to change that. And to be honest, I’m not sure I want to.
Up until now, you wouldn’t find a single person on earth who’s more antisocial than me. All work and no play. OK, maybe some play. Some occasional one-night-stand play.
But I wasn’t always like this. I used to be the girl everyone wanted to hang out with. I used to get plenty of attention and make new friends everywhere I went. But after that night, the night of my eighteenth birthday, the old Lexy died along with all my dreams and hopes for the future. Ever since I turned into a vampire, my social life has taken a different course. I’ve practically made it my rule to keep people at a distance, not letting anyone in so that I’d spare them the drama of my existence.
And then came Cole. Eric was kinda inevitably going to become a friend of mine since he’s dating Sam. But Cole…Cole is…He is… Well, he is one of those guys your mother warned you about. You’d have to stay away from him, but then you’d think that you are different, so you decide to be the one to change him and set him right. But no. This is not happening. Playing with fire will eventually get you burnt. So, you can understand why I try to put some distance between us. An impossible task, but I try.
The thing is, along with Cole comes his circle of friends. And to be specific, I’m talking about Toy and Ty. And they’ve become my personal leeches since that first night we hung out at Nirvana. Well, basically, in the course of barely a day, I found myself with three more additions to the limited circle of friends I had. Toy, Ty and Hans.
It was a couple of weeks ago, when I was buried knee-high in work, that Luke brought me Hans. My own personal assistant. Getting onboard with the ‘Auracle’ project – Cole’s company – had me literally swamped in paperwork and therefore my boss insisted I get someone to help me out.
I didn’t have any time for interviews, so one morning I walk up to my office and see this 5-foot-6-inches tall, or rather short, sweet, Hawaiian guy. I wanted to be mad and refuse any help from him but the moment he saw me his face split into a huge grin and I couldn’t do it. He started blabbing with his over-excited, over-happy style and he won me over in seconds. I’m still not sure about Luke’s sexual orientation, but I can tell for sure that cute Hans is gay.
“I’m Hans! I’m your new assistant! And I’m soooo excited! Now, you might ask ‘what is Hans short for’? Well, your assumption is correct! It’s short for Handsooome!” he sung in one breath. And then without any further thoughts he started: “Oh, my God! I love your Prada briefcase! Is that Louis wrapped around your neck? And do I smell Versace? I love a girl with class! If I was into women, I’d be so in love with you right now!” and that was my confirmation.
So, anyway, I was on the phone with Digit, Cole’s accountant and we were discussing some transaction receipts he had faxed me, when Hans came into my office. I hung up with Digit after reminding him I was still expecting the statements of the non-profit organization Cole had been making donations to, and turned to find Hans in front of my desk with his hands clasped in front of him and a grinning expression glued on his face.
“So, Mr. Theron wants you to wrap up everything and go to the bar to have dinner.”
I slowly raised my eyes to his face in an intimidating manner and he flinched a bit. I checked the clock which read 7:30 and I let out a long sigh.
“Go home, Hans. I’ll finish in a minute and go too. I’m sorry I kept you here this long, I completely lost track of time.”
“Umm, OK. What do I tell Mr. Theron?”
“Mr. Theron?” I clenched my teeth and replied slowly: “You tell him to get a fork, stick
it in his eye and see if I care!”
Hans started fidgeting, probably not sure if I was serious. I didn’t give him a chance to say what he was about to, and I went on.
“He can have his dinner, or better yet he can shove it up his-”
“Alalalalalalala life-is-wonderful!” Hans started singing at the top of his lungs before I finished my sentence.
“God, it’s all about pleasing Mr. Theron, isn’t it?!” I complained with frustration.
Hans clears his throat and settles in his clasped palms position.
“Um, Mr. Theron says you can please him anywhere, anytime.”
My eyes darted to him and I saw he was pointing at the earpiece he was wearing.
“He’s on the phone?” I whispered incredulously. He nodded emphatically. “Tsk. I’ll be there in half an hour,” I stated, shaking my head in defeat.
After Hans confirmed my reservation, he hung up and started to return to his desk outside my office.
“Hans,” I stopped him. “Rule number one: always put Mr. Theron on hold before you come to me.”
“Oh, you got it, boss! No need to tell me twice!”
*****
When I got to the bar, my mac-and-cheese was served to me, but Cole was nowhere in sight. Toy and Ty came out of his office a few minutes later and sat beside me, letting me know that ‘the boss’ was on the phone. Typical.
What was not that typical was the fact that two hours later, Toy, Ty and I were still having shots at the bar, while Cole hadn’t shown up yet.
Sam came by and left with Eric to catch a movie or something, but since I had no plans for the night, I stayed with the duo and got wasted.
Glimpses of laughter, dancing and singing were the highlights of my memories from the night. It was great to find out that the three of us have so many things in common. And we hung out as if we’ve been friends forever.
The following morning, I woke up to find Toy and Ty sleeping in my living room. Before we even said ‘good morning’, we started laughing. We washed up and made some coffee.
“Uh-oh, check your phone,” Ty told Toy. “I have three missed calls from Cole.”
In the speed of lightning, Toy shot up from his chair and reached for his phone. “Four missed calls. Shit. Lex?”
It took me a couple of seconds to get the implication and I retrieved my phone from my purse. Eleven missed calls! All from Cole! Eleven!
“So?” Ty urged me.
“Eleven.” They exchanged knowing glances.
“I think you should call him,” Toy said.
“Me? Why? He called all of us,” I tried to avoid doing so.
“He won’t be mad at you!” Ty hurried to claim.
“Yeah! And even if he is, you can…you know…sugar him!” Toy suggested. And before I got the chance to utter my response they pleaded together: “Come, on Lex! Call him. Pleeaase!”
“Fine,” I said defeated and made the call.
“Where the fuck are you?” were his exact words after the first ring.
“Good morning to you too!” I went for a nonchalant tone.
“Where are you?” he demanded.
“I’m at home. What’s wrong?”
“Why weren’t you picking up your phone last night?” he verbally attacked me while still trying to remain calm.
“Dude, chillax!” I stole Sam’s line and giggle.
“Are you still drunk?” he asked.
“When was I ever?” I defy his question.
“Last night,” he stated.
“How would you know? Were you even at the bar last night?”
“I was-,” he started to say something but stopped. “The bartender told me so when I came out my office looking for you.”
“Oh? And when was that? Five minutes ago?” I found my own joke amusing and chuckled.
Cole gave a throaty giggle and I could picture him shaking his head.
“So, what’s up?” I asked him.
“What’s up?” he repeated.
“You called us a dozen times! You got us all worried!”
At this point, Toy and Ty turned to me wide-eyed in a dramatic way as if I shared a highly dangerous governmental secret.
“You all? Who exactly is you all?” Cole’s voice came through the phone threatening.
As I was about to ask him what his problem was and point out that he’s got no say in what I do, that’s when it clicked: I am supposed to be his girlfriend. That’s why they said he wouldn’t be mad at me and that I could ‘sugar him’, whatever that meant now.
“I…um…we…” Toy and Ty tried to give me silent messages in sign language, but it was pointless.
“Buzz me in,” Cole announced.
In a state of shock and as if on autopilot, I opened the door from the telecom.
The two delinquents disappeared from the apartment in milliseconds and left me alone to deal with the tsunami. With three cups of coffee on the breakfast bar, it didn’t go well.
After an intense conversation with ‘it’s my life’ and ‘they’re my friends’ and ‘don’t tell me what to do’, we made it to the beach and joined the rest of the company for the day. The awkward thing is there really was no awkwardness at all.
CHAPTER 21
The week that followed put things into perspective.
Keeping people out of my life has become… well, impossible. Hans, my PA, has waltzed into my personal life with incomparable grace. And I kind of like having him around, especially at the office, when I try to stay on top of the ‘Auracle’ project and all the damn workload that comes with it. He’s smart and funny, he’s easy to talk to and gets things done. What’s more, he’s a pretty nice distraction from all that Cole business.
Toy and Ty are like the two brothers I never had. Interacting with them comes so naturally, it scares me. I’ve been comfortable with just Sam as my friend and everyone else at an arm’s length. Now, all these people becoming my friends and including me in their lives makes me feel weird and really uneasy. I had forgotten what it was like to have people who care for you and call you just to say hi – or to comment on your favorite series.
Seeing Al though, and discussing the matter with him, helped me see things from a different angle and I realized that maybe what’s happening is not such a bad thing.
Al was my coach at university, my life savior and my mentor. When I was at my lowest, and trust me, it was very, very low, Al took me under his wing and helped me find my way. And last week, the university had a series of talks addressing prospective students, so he asked me to give a short speech as an alumnus. It was a nice break from everything and it truly was great seeing him again after quite some time. He and Sam have kept in touch, but I don’t have the chance to talk to him that often.
I remember the first time I met him. It was during our first year in college, Sam and I were roommates and he was the new coach.
Personally, I was in a very dark place – I had just run away from home – and didn’t want to spend any time in the dorm, so I only saw Sam when I went to bed. She was waking up when I was ready to go to sleep – and it wasn’t just because I was working as a bartender. Sam was trying to befriend me for the first few days but slowly started giving up. Until the day I almost attacked her.
It was early afternoon and I was totally hung-over from the night before, so I was making my way to my room, ready to pass out. Right outside the door, I got a whiff of blood and much to my displeasure my feet led me to the kitchen. I found Sam holding a towel around her hand – a towel very much drenched in blood.
“Hi,” she’d said, trying to keep calm. I must have had an expression of true terror on my face since she was basically trying to comfort me. “It’s OK, don’t worry,” she said, “I just need to get this cleaned up and properly bandaged. Care to join me at the medical center?” I stayed there, frozen, stiff as hell. Inside, I was boiling. I’d had some blood a couple of weeks before from some poor guy who got drunk at a party and I thought it would keep me
going for a few more days but seeing it, smelling that sweet scent of torture, appealing to the beast inside, I had major difficulty containing myself. At the time, I was still new to all this vampire mess and had no idea – or practice – on how to deal with sudden urges.
Parisha pushed by me and went straight to Sam. Together, they walked out of the building and towards the med center. I found myself following them, not sure if I wanted to help or to drink her blood away. Half way to our destination, Al caught up with us and took us to the gym. I was so confused, I hadn’t come to terms with my new identity yet, I didn’t even know what I was doing there.
While Al took out the first aid kit and started treating Sam’s wound, I felt my fangs extending and my vision becoming sharper; both signs that I’m ready to attack. I quickly turned my face away from them to hide my agony. It was the first time I found myself in the presence of sober people and I knew I needed to suppress this, to control my instincts. When vampires are ready to strike, our fangs elongate, and our pupils dilate. Everything seems to stand still for a few moments, allowing us to focus and accurately aim our bite.
Remembering my father when I asked him how he managed to bring himself down from this state, he’d said ‘emotions have the power to dominate the wildest of beasts. Reaching for your deepest human feeling and holding onto that can overpower all other emotions, even the instinct to attack your prey. You let emotion conquer the darkness and you soon regain control.’
I instantly thought of my mother and dug deep for the most emotional moment. I was able to contain myself in no time.
Al, however, had already picked up on my uneasiness and came to me a few days after the incident. He’d told me he knew about me being a vampire and that if I chose to, he could help me. Since then, he took me under his wing, trained and guided me, taught me how to accept my true nature. There was something comforting in his face, he made me feel safe. And he reminded me of my father before he shut himself off; before mum died, before he was turned into that soulless shadow of the man he once was.