Natural Selection

by Amanda Lance

  Strange, he thought, how painless it was to blend in when everyone had a face other than their own. Would things always be as simple if wearing masks was common-place? Was it possible that he could love Emilia the way she deserved? Would it be even more effortless?

  “I—” He stopped and swallowed hard. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

  “Are you all right?” Emilia stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. We were having such a nice time and I had to go and spoil it.”

  “We are having a nice time,” he insisted. “I can scarcely think of another time I have enjoyed myself so much.”

  “I thought the other day was pretty fun.” She blushed.

  “Indeed it was,” he mused. “I confess, however, that this is rather different.”

  “Oh,” she mused. “How so?”

  “Hmm—” he said, inhaling the scent of her shoulders. “For the first time I get to show you off properly, pretend that I deserve you in the eyes of public.”

  She shook her head. “You do deserve me,” she insisted. “We deserve each other.”

  “Oh, my little peach,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “If only that were true.”

  They only stopped dancing once the band broke off to take a break, and though he discouraged it completely, Emilia took another glass of champagne, marveling at how wonderful it was when everything began to spin just a little and Kasper’s hand tightened around hers.

  “Let’s get out of here,” He breathed into her ear.

  “We’ll have to go to my place,” she insisted. “My dog being sick and everything…”

  “That’s fine,” he said, licking his lips. “All that matters is that I have you as soon as physically possible.”

  She took his hand then, leading him from the crowd and out into the night. She would apologize to Elaine for missing the speeches later on, but for right now, there was only one thing on her mind, and until it was satisfied, she would be incapable of anything else.

  ***

  Kissing all the way through the apartment lobby and up the stairs, Emilia giggled like a schoolgirl and Kasper followed suit, laughing each time she almost stumbled over her feet and when he reached to steady her by her backside. Once they reached her door however, they pulled apart respectively so that Emilia could unlock the door and greet Tut accordingly.

  “Hello, my love,” she said, moving to scratch him behind the ears. “Are you feeling better?”

  “I thought I was your love,” he joked, shutting the door behind them. “Or do you have that fetish for the ugly that I always suspect?”

  Emilia rolled her eyes and rose to fill the dog’s empty water bowl. “Don’t be silly, Kasper, it’s you I have a fetish for.” She slipped off her shoes and patted Kasper and Tut on the head simultaneously.

  “Ah,” he said, reaching to pull her in by her hips. “So I don’t have reason to be jealous?”

  “Hardly.” She laughed. “Tut may be man’s best friend, but you are mine.”

  Startled by the sudden serious demeanor, he let his eyes drop to the floor. “I-I am?”

  “Naturally.” She smiled. “Besides,” she whispered, leaning into him. “You smell much better, anyway…”

  He laughed and went to kiss her ear. “You always smell amazing…taste amazing.”

  Almost forcibly, she untied the hooded cape from around his neck. Within the next movement, she removed his jacket, feeling the weight of him shift as he took off his shoes and reached for the zipper of her dress. Pulling away, she giggled against him and tried to find her breath.

  “Here,” she said, taking one of her hands into his and lifting her skirts up with the other. “Let me help you.”

  Kasper swore in his foreign tongue. Like clockwork, that aching need she inspired unnerved him and he groaned into her mouth, daring to take as much of her into his hands as he wanted.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t—I certainly shouldn’t…” he said as he absorbed her kisses. “I shouldn’t take advantage of you in…” He shook his head and tried to form a coherent thought. “…your current state.”

  “I’m barely tipsy.” She giggled, looking up to kiss his lips. “Besides, it isn’t taking advantage if I’m the one who started it. I know you wouldn’t manipulate me otherwise…”

  “I’m beginning to think you are the master manipulator, my love.”

  “I think,” she whispered, running her fingers up and down his chest. “We have already proved I am.”

  “God forgive me.” He leaned in to kiss her deep, no longer caring about the consequences or anything in between.

  When he jerked her around, she startled outright, feeling her breath stop as he hastily worked to remove the dress that kept her from him. It was only when the gown fell to the floor that he let himself take her in completely—her loveliness threatening to finish him right then and there.

  “I want you.” She leaned her head back against his shoulder and wiggled her hips against him. “Kasper…”

  He whirled her back around again, trying to keep his tongue as tenderly persistent as possible while he explored her mouth. As she unbuttoned his shirt however, violently removing it from his shoulders, he began to forget his own need, and focused instead on her need—her persistence to be pleased. Her desperation had her pushing his trousers in an instant—cupping him in her hands as if he were a delicate joy to treasure.

  Gasping, he tried to pull his hands away from her and failed. “If you keep that up…” He closed his eyes and tried to sing a symphony in his mind. “I won’t be of any use to you.”

  “I’m willing to risk it.” She backed up slowly to the bed, silently encouraging him to follow her with her hands. His heart went wild as she shoved him against the squeaking mattress, and he obeyed as best he could, taking in the vision of her as she removed the remainder of her clothing.

  “Emilia…”

  She listened to him whisper her name as she settled herself on top of him, his arousal making her bold as she took him for herself.

  And then: bliss.

  Chapter 12

  Unveiling

  She fell asleep in his arms, her body softened and relaxed against him. And while his own body begged for sleep, Kasper forced himself to stay awake, pinching the inside of his own hand every time he felt himself drifting off. He did this because of how intent he was on keeping her with him, on taking in as many conscious moments with her as he possibly could.

  Everything was going enchantingly well. So well, in fact, that it was possible he would never play music again! Never create another design worth its weight in paper! If misery fueled him, then having Emilia Ward back in his life could have very well been the end of his career.

  She sighed in her sleep and he pulled her closer, almost certain he saw her smile in the dim light of the hallway. There was no question that they enjoyed each other—in every realm—but what did the coupling of their new relationship mean? Would they be renewed as he had hoped? Or was it possible that this arrangement was only temporary? Emilia had openly expressed her fear of him leaving her again, but what if she now expected it? Had decided her mind on having him leave her when she was through with him? There was no question in his mind that he wanted her with him for as long as possible, but if she was willing to have him, there would be arrangements that would have to be made, obligations to take care of before he could enjoy her companionship completely.

  The housing situation was his primary concern. Perhaps he could obtain a semi-permanent residence at the Statler or seek out an apartment for the weekends. He very much doubted that she, even under the best of circumstances, would want to leave her dwelling—to give up her independence. And he knew that he would never ask her to, even if he was forced to commute back and forth. Certainly, she would want to finish school, and while he was content to wait for her, he worried slightly about what they would do once she did. What if there wasn’t a large calling f
or veterinarians in Massachusetts or she was offered a position in the area?

  Smiling, he brushed his nose against her neck. Of course there was nothing to be terribly concerned about, really—if she wanted to maintain her residence in New York, he would stay with her. Follow her to the ends of the earth, if necessary…

  ***

  Before she was even genuinely awake, Emilia was aware of the body under her; of the contours of its unusual shape and its strangely crisp sort of heat—evidence of a body that defied nature. Vaguely aware of it and herself, she stretched into the arms that were around her, feeling her muscles contort and listening to the heart below the surface beat steadily.

  The temperature in the room was just right: a combination of artificial air and a warm summer morning. Her eyes remained closed as she felt the morning sun underneath her eyelids, her mind gradually becoming more attentive to the sense that everything would be all right.

  Too bad the ringing phone had to go and ruin it all.

  Swearing, Emilia opened her eyes and reached for the phone. Normally, she wouldn’t have bothered to answer it so early, but if there was still that slight hope she could help Kasper sleep a little longer, she would have run to it.

  “Hello,” she whispered into the receiver as she tried to sneak out of bed. Sure enough, Kasper shifted beside her, the sudden absence of her weight startling him awake. She smiled as his hand reached around the side of her hip, searching for her.

  “Em? Is that you?” Though the words were barely audible over the crying, Emilia was able to conclude that it was Paula on the other end of the line.

  “Paula? What’s wrong?”

  A sniff and some muttered words came out before Emilia heard anything perceptible. “I’m at the hospital. It’s Claudette—”

  Panic began to sift through her sleepiness and without realizing it, she clutched the phone tighter. “What about Claudette? What happened?”

  “Last night after the gala, something happened. S-some psycho tried to beat her up in the parking lot.”

  “What?” Emilia was almost certain she had misheard. Claudette was one of the nicest people she had ever met, who in their right mind would want to hurt her? “Is she all right?”

  “She had to get a few stitches, I guess, but I don’t really know. The doctors won’t tell me anything because I’m not family. Her boyfriend called her parents and I guess they’re on their way, but you know her better than I do, and her boyfriend can’t handle the forms—”

  “Okay, okay, don’t worry, I’m coming straight over.” Emilia scrambled out from under the blanket and rushed to get dressed. “Which hospital?”

  “St. Joseph’s.” The sound of wailing sirens seemed to interrupt her thoughts. “Em, the cops are asking a lot of weird questions—”

  “I’ll be there within an hour.”

  Quickly, she moved to put on her socks and shoes, grabbing the first clean shirt she saw in her closet. Perhaps sensing her hastiness however, Kasper rose to meet her—happy in his oblivion, it seemed, to the chaos unfolding.

  “Just where do you think you are going?”

  “I-I—”

  Kasper startled, rising to wipe the sleep from his eyes and secure his mask to his face.

  “Emilia, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Claudette’s been hurt, she’s at the hospital. I-I—”

  “Emilia, calm down, you’re nearly hyperventilating.”

  “I can’t believe this happened. I should have spent more time with her at the gala, taken the time to introduce you to her. I should have made sure she wasn’t drinking too much and that she had a ride home. I should have—”

  “Be easy, my love.” Almost as quickly as her, Kasper worked to get dressed, looking at her every other second as though he was restraining himself from pulling her back into bed.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t know. She got attacked or something.”

  “Attacked?”

  “Paula doesn’t really know. The doctors aren’t telling her anything and the police aren’t saying much. I have to go. I have to make sure she’s all right.”

  “You’re in no condition to drive,” he said sternly. “I’ll take you.”

  “You don’t have to.” It was only when Emilia realized she had put her shirt on backward it occurred to her that Kasper just might be right.

  “If it possibly concerns your safety and well-being, then yes, I do.”

  ***

  They drove quickly and silently, Kasper staying in the car while Emilia ran inside and started asking directions from the security guards. She followed the corridor and tried not to feel nauseous at the smell of disinfectant and medicine, the staleness of cheap air freshener and iodine. Who in the world would want to hurt Claudette? She was one of the most decent people she had ever met, fun-loving and blessed with a good sense of humor; she had plenty of friends and a contact list longer than Emilia’s arm. It was difficult to imagine that she could have ever made anyone mad enough to want to hurt her. Then again, the more people someone had in their life, the more opportunities there were to get stabbed in the back.

  Emilia shuddered. It was a scary but practical thought.

  She found Paula in the hallway just outside of the emergency room, kicking at a coffee vending machine and swearing loudly. If the circumstances had been different, Emilia might have laughed. As it was however, Paula still wore her elaborate outfit from the night before and her face was stained with running makeup and lines of fatigue.

  “Paula,” Emilia said, jumping in to save the vending machine from another blow. “What happened?”

  “Oh Em, thank God.” Before Emilia could stop her, Paula embraced her in a hug. Given the circumstances—Emilia hugged her back.

  “How is she?”

  “They won’t let me see her, but the lead detective said she was okay. I guess with the concussion, they want to keep her for a few hours-”

  “Paula,” Emilia used her most calming voice. “What. Happened?”

  “Um—um—okay, so she and her boyfriend were getting ready to leave. He had too much to drink so she was going to drive them—” At she began to reveal the story, the emotion sparked up in her again, causing Paula to sniffle uncontrollably.

  “Breathe, Paula. Just tell me what went down, and breathe.”

  “He went to the bathroom while she went to get his truck, and I guess s-some freak show pulled her out of the front seat and started hitting her. Just started beating her! Thank God her boyfriend came out a second later and chased the guy off. I overheard the one cop saying it was probably a hijacking gone wrong.”

  “Is her boyfriend okay?”

  “Yeah.” Paula sniffed so hard, she made a sort of snorting sound before searching her handbag for a tissue. “I think he’s beating himself up more than anything.”

  “Did the police catch the guy? Do they at least have a suspect?”

  Paula blew her nose and kicked at the coffee machine again. Emilia observed with amusement that the nurses and other patients who passed either seemed not to notice, or was too used to it to care.

  “No. Useless bunch of—”

  “Okay, okay.” Emilia nearly laughed. “Why don’t I go and get us some coffee, some real coffee? And then we’ll go and see whose asses we have to kick to get some information around here.”

  “Yeah,” she sniffed. “Okay.”

  Emilia looked over her shoulder at the long set of hallways around her. “The cafeteria is probably open by now. I’ll see what I can rustle up, caffeine-wise.”

  As she turned to leave, Paula grabbed Emilia’s shoulder, forcing her to look back at the wide-eyed woman with the frightful expression.

  “Em, what if this gets out to the press? What if people start to associate us with women-beaters and car thieves? What if—”

  “Don’t think about that now. If nothing else, maybe Claudette getting hurt will strengthen
our cause with sympathy; create more media attention in a positive light. I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere.”

  She sniffed out a small smile. “Thanks, Em. I knew it was right to call you.”

  Emilia walked down the hall, stopping every few yards to recheck the key to the hospital that was posted at the end of every corridor. She smiled at an old man being pushed in a wheelchair and wished a good morning to those who passed. Maybe it was the worry for Claudette that had her distracted, or the feeling of guilt that washed over her when she realized she had left Kasper in the car—where, she knew he would wait all day for her if she wanted him to…but Emilia was sidetracked enough that she didn’t hear the squeaking door open behind her. And she certainly wasn’t prepared for the hands that reached out for her, pulling her inside what she quickly recognized as a bathroom.

  She stumbled back, choking on the rasping breaths that she couldn’t seem to get fast enough. With her heart threatening to rupture in her ears, she dug her heels into the ground and readied for a fight. When she saw who it was that had pulled her inside however, relief broke through, letting her breathe slightly easier, and even laugh a little.

  “Andrew! Geez, you scared the living hell out of me!” She laughed as he walked behind her and locked the door. When had Andrew gotten into pulling pranks? How did he know it would even be her walking down the hall? She laughed harder. He was lucky she didn’t have her keychain of mace with her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came for you,” he said in a voice she didn’t quite recognize. “I always come for you.”

  The hairs on her arms instantly rose to attention. Emilia felt her laugh replace itself with a frown. Where were Andrew’s glasses? When had he changed his hair? And more importantly, why was he looking at her like that? “Andrew, what—why are you talking like that?”

  “Don’t you like my accent? I thought that was what you were into.”