Walking towards the front door, she passed the customer that had just entered the gallery, and looked up to meet his gaze. She almost stopped breathing. It was like one of those moments you see in the movies, where everything slows down and a million words are spoken with just a look.
He was stunning at just under 6 feet tall, he wore a pale green dress shirt and dark gray slacks. The clothes were tailored to show the lines of his body, which was obviously athletic and well defined. His jet black hair fell slightly into his eyes which were several shades brighter than his shirt. They had to be the most magnificent shade of green Jaxon had ever seen.
She mentally shook herself back to reality and turned to tell Stacey goodbye when she saw her co-worker practically running to greet their new guest. Stacey grabbed his arm and was dragging him towards the back of the gallery chatting and giggling like a little schoolgirl.
Jax just shook her head at the behavior of her co-worker. That man was wonderful to look at, but Jaxon knew better than to get swept up in just looks. Her past taught her that much. While she wasn't going to get wrapped up in a good looking man the way Stacey did, she did notice how he watched her walk out.Jaxon smiled to herself as she headed home to train.
The sun was bright and the air brisk as Jax walked to the gallery the next day. Swapping shifts with Stacey meant she had to close tonight. It was Friday though, and Stacey had a date. Jaxon wasn’t involved in social scenes, much less trying to date anyone. She just wasn’t ready to dart down another winding path of love and romance or hurt and betrayal. Instead, she buried herself in her training and her work, both of which had proven successful, except of late.
'If I don’t find a new artist to spur some life into this gallery soon', Jaxon thought, 'then the gallery is going to fade away into the town just like everything else has.' Pondering what to do and where to find new creative minds, Jaxon entered the gallery to find Stacey behind the counter smiling at her with the a very guilty look.
Jaxon smiled and hesitated on her way to her office. “Hi Stacey, what’s up?”
Stacey shuffled from behind the counter to follow Jax into her office. “Okay first, I just want to say that I really didn’t do anything. I know you are going to blame me, because I’m forever trying to set you up, but this time it really wasn’t my idea. It was his, and well to be honest, who wouldn’t want a date with him? I mean he’s only the hottest man alive and he’s got more money than he knows what to do with. So, it’s not like you’ll ever need anything and …”
Jaxon put her purse in her drawer and stood, staring at her co-worker. Stacey was babbling on and the more she said, the less Jaxon liked it.
“Stacey!” Jax stopped her, “who and what are you talking about?”
The blond just looked at her like she had grown two heads. “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said? Seth Landry wants to take you out. As in, on a date!”
“Who is Seth Landry? And how does he know me? Stacey you haven’t tried to hook me up with one of your computer match site guys have you?” Jaxon plopped into her chair and turned on her computer.
“Um, no. Seth is Ronald's boss, and the guy who came in last night when you were leaving. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. He wasn’t even interested in any of our inventory. He only wanted to know about you.”
Jaxon froze in her chair. It was not a good omen to have someone asking questions about her, mush less a total stranger. She closed her eyes and breathed for a moment, tamping down the panic that had started to rise. No one except her parents had ever known that she had lived in Elizabeth City when she was a little girl. There was no way that her ex would think to look for her here, not when she left a false trail to Texas. He would never think to find her here. She was just being paranoid.
“Jax, are you okay? You’re awfully pale. I mean, well, more so than usual anyway.”
“No Stacey, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind, with trying to find new artists and all. So tell me, what did Seth ask and what did you tell him?”
”Oh, well I just told him that you were new to the area. And that you had a background in art and that if he wanted to know more, then he should ask you himself.” Stacey grinned. “I told him to come back tonight.”
“Great. I was hoping for a quiet evening so that I could go through some of these new submissions. I have to find an artist to show soon.” Jax said quietly. She noticed the frown forming on her co-workers face and immediately felt the disappointment Stacey had at her reaction. She didn’t know anyone in this town other than the few associates she had worked with through the galleries. Even though they weren’t that close, Jaxon considered Stacey a friend and didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “Tell you what,” Jax smiled and walked around her desk tossing her arm around her friend's shoulders as she guided Stacey out of her office and towards the front of the store. “Just for you, I’ll actually be nice to this Seth guy when he comes in.”
Stacey beamed as she got ready to leave for the night. “Honestly Jax, even a blind woman could see what a catch this guy is. You really should give him more of a chance than to just be nice. You never know,” she remarked walking out the door, “you just might like him!”
Jaxon shook her head and headed back to her office. She might have a bit more time to get some actual work done before her visitor came in. If he came back, that is.
Jaxon rubbed her eyes after spending a couple hours researching several promising artists. The phone messages she had left with several potential show artists had not been returned yet, and she probably wouldn’t hear from them tonight.
While rubbing her neck and shoulders trying to get the kinks out Jaxon was suddenly overcome with an odd sensation. It was like a tingling or an awareness of sorts. Mentally shaking herself, Jax arose to go to the front. She knew that the gallery was empty except for her. The bells on the door hadn’t jingled and there was also a special ward on all the entrances that made the bell go off as well. The ward was a part of the security system that was in place. It let the the workers know when someone was there and it also protected the very valuable inventory the store had. Jax always felt more secure knowing there was an early warning system of sorts.
That tingling sensation crawled over her skin again, just as the bells on the front door came to life. She knew Seth had walked in even before she turned to look at him.
“Welcome to Pithview Gallery on the Pasquotank. Is there anything I can help you with this evening?”
The man from the night before walked confidently towards her, his dark hair falling slightly in front of his bright green eyes.
“Of course,” his voice whispered like the wind across her skin. Jax held back a shiver. Just two words and this man had her reacting like a silly young girl. She smiled politely, waiting for him to continue. 'I really hope he doesn’t start with some corny pick up line,' she thought, 'I am so not in the mood.'
Placing his hands on the counter, Seth smiled at her. There was humor in those eyes and briefly Jax wondered if he had heard her thoughts. He chuckled and held his hand across the counter towards her, “I've been here at least twice this year and haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Ronald’s newest hire. I am Seth Landry, Director of Development for Pithview Galleries.”
Jax stared at his hand for a moment. He had long fingers, well manicured nails, and although the skin was as light and smooth as marble. The ring on his finger shimmered in the lights of the gallery. Jax could tell it was an old ring, bearing a crest of some sort. Raising an eyebrow, Jax looked at the handsome man, “Director of Development, huh?”
“Its more of a fancy title meaning glorified consultant,” he grinned, easing the lines in his face and giving him a more boyish quality. Shaking his hand slowly, she introduced herself. “Jaxon Delaney”
“Yes,” he said slowly, “Jasmine Jaxon Delaney I knew you looked familiar. You worked in the Raleigh Gallery of Arts didn’t you?” Seth inquired. Jax took her hand back abruptly.
“It is one of the Pi
thview Gallery branches, as is this one. Though it doesn‘t bare the Pithview name, we acquired this gallery about seven months ago.” Seth continued, seemingly confused at Jaxon's reaction to his recognizing her.
Jaxon thought for a moment. How could she have been so stupid? It would be just her luck as to leave a trail as blatant as this! Covering her panic, she said, “Yes, I did work there. But I find this gallery more challenging. The atmosphere and community provide a haven of sorts, from the limelight and stress of a larger city gallery.” As she spoke she was hoping that her desire to be left alone would show through her words and he would leave as quickly as he had come.
For just a moment, Jaxon thought Seth would do exactly as she hoped when he started to take a step towards the door. But then he stopped himself and turned back towards Jaxon.
“You know, you have quite a reputation amongst the galleries. Your ability to find new talent precedes you. I hope that you will put that same type of ethics to work here in Elizabeth City. This gallery needs some,” he looked around with little interest before finishing, “rejuvenation.”
Jaxon immediately heard the difference in his voice. His tone had gone from a seductive quality that one could almost see, to professional and cold. She stood so that he wasn’t looking down on her anymore, with his condescending air.
“If you are aware of my reputation, then I am sure you realize that I didn’t come by it with a lackadaisical attitude. I do intend to revive this gallery, you can be assured of that. I also don't plan on allowing a 'glorified consultant' to walk in and take all the credit.” she spouted haughtily, throwing his self-professed title back at him.
Seth shrugged, showing slight amusement at her response. “I wouldn’t dare think that about you, Ms. Delaney I do believe I have unintentionally offended you somehow. I apologize.” His green eyes sparkled with unspoken words.
Jaxon’s tension eased a bit, but she remained standing and on the other side of the counter.
“Let me make it up to you,” his voice poured over her skin like warm chocolate. She took a small step back. “I’m sorry, but I don’t date within the business,” she replied quietly, tipping her chin up a notch.
“Yes, I imagine you don’t do many things lightly,” he remarked. He slipped a small card out of his pocket and onto the counter, “Here. It is an invitation to a party tonight. Not a business party, but one of another sort. You don’t have to be my date. You can bring someone else, if you like. It will give you a chance to blow off some steam.”
Jaxon took the card from the counter. It was filled with an odd writing and glyphs that looked more like they were floating over the invitation rather than written on the card itself. She couldn’t read the language it was in, but it looked oddly familiar to her.
Just as she was about to ask him about it, the bells on the door jingled his exit and she was left standing there with only his invitation in hand.
***
Raving New Moon
As Caislyn worked on making herself presentable for a rave she thought about inviting a couple of her friends along with her as back up. Then she reminded herself that she hadn't really talked to any of them in a few months. Since her parents had gone missing, she had pretty much alienated all of her old friends. It wasn't so bad at first, they were all willing to lend a hand trying to find them, but after six months everyone lost steam and a few months later people stopped returning Caislyn's calls. Caislyn understood, even if she didn't like that everyone was giving up on her family.
She didn‘t really think it mattered at this point, all she wanted was to find her parents. If her old high school friends couldn’t understand that, it was definitely time to move on. Before she left, she gave herself the once over in the mirror. There she stood, tall and muscular, but in a girly way. Since her parents had gone missing Caislyn took every opportunity to work out and make sure she was in prime shape physically, mentally, and magically. Her evenly tanned skin with its golden olive complexion seemed to shimmer back at her while her straight black hair hung to the middle of her back with some wisps pulled up into little fan falls at the top of her head. The ends of her hair were dyed a violent pink color. The pink fans of hair across the top of her head and at the tips of her hair were shouting at the world with their brightness. Caislyn's makeup was doing the same thing. She had some bright pink and black eye shadow on, highlighting even further, the terrible beauty of her fierce green eyes. Caislyn threw in a little glitter too, for effect. She was wearing tight black leather pants, black boots that laced up just below her knees with pink laces, and a hot pink bustier with a black button up shirt over top, but hanging undone. There was certainly a theme to her appearance, but you had to have a theme for a rave.
By the time Caislyn got herself some food, and was completely ready to go, it was just a bit before nine. She walked the couple streets over to the building she had seen in her vision. In the town's heyday, this building had been renovated to become the theater and arts center it was always destined to become. When the dark times came and all the monsters crept, not so quietly out of their closets, the humans began to hightail it out of city areas. That included Caislyn's little home town as well. The more well-to-do humans left their history behind to rot with the monsters. At least they had hoped the monsters would rot as they went to live their lives in the country bumpkin style seclusion that they chose for themselves. Either way, they left this magnificent building abandoned despite all the renovations they had done to it so recently. Echoes of its former glory were still visible, and Caislyn hurt deep down inside knowing that the price of the other than humans coming out was the destruction of so much more. She walked up to the main entrance and realized that there was no one there. At least, no one that she could see at the moment. That was probably because she didn't have a ticket.
“Come on, I have the card. I just didn't get to the ticket master in time.” Caislyn tried to sound convincing to no one. 'Damn, I hope I was right about the building,' she thought to herself since she hadn't seen anyone else trying to get in the building from this point of entry. “Look, I know you're there. Just show yourself and let’s have us a chat about it. What do you say?”
There was no answer, but she could sense the laughter coming from beyond the veil of invisibility. Caislyn closed her eyes and waived her hand over them, chanting under her breath an incantation she had learned years earlier to see the truth. It was simple, easy, and worked well. When Caislyn opened her eyes again, he was standing there plain as day.
“Gregore! Unbelievable! I can't believe you just stood there laughing at me. Seriously? You can't still be mad at me. I mean, I didn't just drop off the face of the Earth as you accused, I was looking for... I'm still looking for my parents. Stop holding it against me, you would do the same." Gregore's family hailed from somewhere in Russia. They had come to the states looking for better treatment than they would have received in their homeland. If anyone ever thought the Romani gypsies had it bad throughout history, one should see what the Europeans and some Asian countries were still doing to non-humans. It made the Americans look like saints, even in these hard times.
Besides, Gregore just so happened to be the idiot that placed the no-time charm on the last rave Caislyn attended. “Gregore, you got me in serious trouble last time man! You owe me. We were partying for like three days before I realized and my family nearly had a fit.”
While he at least chuckled at Caislyn's reference to his brilliant charm, he still didn't even acknowledge her. Gregore had a soft stoic appeal to him, though he was anything but soft-bodied. He looked as if he spent most of his days in the gym with a physique to die for, hard in all the right places with the face of a God. While he was hard-bodied and intimidating, he was also soft spoken, when he wasn't trying to ignore you because you didn't have a ticket, that is. He continued to ignore Caislyn, even though the grin on his face told her he heard every word of what she was saying, however; he then acknowledge the girl who had walked up behind her
during her little pleading session.
She seemed familiar, yet Caislyn hadn't met her before. She looked to Gregore one more time with pleading eyes. “Come on, Gregore, you've known me since we were kids!” She let him see her pain for one brief moment. “I need this. I have to go in there.” He looked almost sympathetic for a brief moment before he spoke.
“Move aside, Caislyn. I have patrons waiting who actually bothered to find the ticket master.” Gregore had barely a clip to his voice; he had been working on not having a Russian accent since his family came to this country. He was very good at the American accents, so long as you didn't piss him off, otherwise he would slip right back into the patterns of speech most comfortable for him. A part of Caislyn ached as she looked into Gregore’s ocean blue eyes. He had been in her life since she was a little girl and the thought that she had managed to push him away always hurt her. She followed those eyes behind her where she finally acknowledged the other girl who had walked up behind her.
The new girl stood watching what was transpiring between Caislyn and Gregore with interest. As she handed Gregore her ticket she finally spoke up, “Gregore, is it? My ticket is plus one, and it's a good thing I ran into Caislyn here because she never answers her phone these days.” Caislyn turned and had a good look at the girl who had stoked a sort of jealousy only moments ago, as she watched Gregore’s reaction to seeing her. Caislyn knew that look, she had seen Gregore wear it many times over the years. It never failed to bother her as she always thought 'this will be the girl who takes him away from me, my best friend.' Caislyn decided to update her internal jealous tirade this time, 'sadly, you were the girl who managed to push him away, all by yourself, no one else needed.' She managed a meek smile at the mystery girl who was now offering her an in to the party of the season. The girl was a bit shorter than Caislyn with skin so pale she could pass as a vampire, though Caislyn did not get the undead vibe from her. Her long hair seemed really dark, but that could just be the lack of lighting where they were standing. The girl gave a sly smile to Caislyn as she winked and flashed a VIP ticket.
Birthrights Page 4