by D. M. Pratt
“Excuse me,” she said and stood.
Eve smiled and backed away from the table. No one spoke for a moment.
“I think she is very right, gentlemen,” the President of Peru said.
Eve raised her hand and got the attention of one of the young caterers who was busily setting down the dessert in front of her; it was bread pudding slathered in whiskey sauce. The alcohol had already gotten her in trouble. The last thing she needed was a whiskey-laden sugar rush.
“Could you direct me to the powder room?” Eve asked the waiter.
“Through the main door, turn right and down the hall. It’s the fourth door on the left. Look for the gold tassel,” the young caterer said.
Eve excused herself and exited the dining room. She passed through the large double doors, glided under the double stairs and entered a long corridor. As she stepped onto the plush wall-to-wall carpets that covered the hallway she let her eyes study the exquisite artwork that lined the hall. Above the wainscoting the walls held rows of beautiful pictures; each represented the fine history of the Louisiana Territories, the lush Bayou, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the great state of Louisiana. At the end of the hallway, on the left was a small white door with a gold silk tassel that dangled from the knob. Eve slipped inside, closed the door and locked herself away. She felt like she was escaping from prison. She pressed her back against the cool tiles and held onto the towel rack. She felt the soft hand towel beneath her fingers and, for the first time since she arrived at the governor’s mansion, she took her first real breath of the evening.
Her mind was spinning. All she wanted to do was talk to Beau. She wanted to know who he was and why he had this intoxicating effect on her. She wanted to hear his voice whispering in her ears. She wanted to feel his arms around her, and the passion of his kiss on her lips. She wanted to know why she felt like an insane person whenever he walked into a room. She felt crazy.
Vampires, she thought. I’m sure this is what vampires feel when they need to drink human blood to survive. That was it. That’s how she felt. She needed him to survive. She didn’t believe in love at first sight but these feelings made her question everything.
Eve looked at herself in the mirror. She was there. She had a reflection. Ergo, she was not a vampire. Eve studied her neck. No bites. At least not that she could see; so he wasn’t a vampire. Or was he?
“No!” She was pretty sure he wasn’t a vampire.
“Grrrr,” she growled at herself in frustration. “You don’t even know his last name. Hell, you don’t know anything about him. He’s a complete stranger. How could you possibly need him to survive? You are Eve Dowling and you don’t need any man to survive,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. The words gave her courage. A good strong talking to, that’s what she needed.
Eve stepped closer to the sink and ran the water. She let the cool, wet liquid fall through her fingers and run soothingly against her wrist. It calmed her. She splashed her face and, taking one of the lush little towels, she patted the moisture away being careful not to muss her makeup.
Better, she thought and took another deep breath. She looked at herself. There was something different about her, but what? Her hair? It looked shiny and in order, pulled back in a sophisticated French twist. Her eyes seemed …brighter? Really? Her skin had a luminescent glow to it. Her lips seemed fuller and, though she didn’t even want to admit it, her breasts seemed bigger.
WTF. It was as if she actually liked herself! There was a soft tap on the door. Eve shook her head in an attempt to snap herself back to reality.
“Sorry. Just a moment,” she said, looking in her purse for the tube of soft pink lip gloss Cora had given her.
“Open the door,” he said with calm anticipation.
It was him. Her heart stopped. For a brief second, she said nothing. She stared at the white wooden door, afraid to reach out and touch the brass doorknob and more afraid not to. Like a scene out of a horror film, she slowly reached for the handle of the door and flipped the lock. Before she could take a breath to speak, he was inside the room. The door closed behind him, clicked and locked. His lips were on hers. His hands were up her dress, pulling her body against his.
“Don’t,” she said.
She wanted to struggle against his embrace. She couldn’t.
“I…I’m not that kind of girl, I swear,” she uttered between the barrage of kisses he smothered her in.
“I know,” he responded then covered her mouth with another kiss.
“Please. Don’t. Stop.”
“I won’t. I can’t. You make me insane,” he said.
Before she could utter another word of protest, he was inside her. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her onto the sink and pushed himself deeper. Eve whimpered. He felt hard and smooth, wet and oh so right. She was wet and ready. He rode into her pushing and pulling again and again with such smooth gentle rocking motions, each building with intensity and power, she felt her legs weaken, her temperature rise and her entire body melt. She felt an electric shock followed by a fiery rush that washed over her entire body at once engulfing her from the top of her head to the tip of her suddenly very erect toes. She wanted to open her mouth and scream as she went into multiple orgasms, arching her back. The sliver of a strap that held her dress fell. Her left breast exposed, his mouth went to it. He pushed deeper. She came again and again. In a final surge of pleasure she threw her head back in a convulsion of complete abandonment, slammed it into the wall and knocked herself out.
CHAPTER SIX
Eve’s eyes fluttered open. The strange erotic tingling that still flooded through her body dissipated the moment the Governor’s wife and several ladies who were standing over her, staring down with perplexed expressions of concern came into focus. She’d been moved from the bathroom and brought to a peach brocade settee in the front parlor. A cool towel lay against her forehead and her head rested on a bag of chopped ice.
“Well, well there, darlin’, are you all right?” the Governor’s wife asked.
“What happened?” Eve asked trying to sit up.
“Stay still,” an older woman with perfect white hair, and a youthful face said. “You may have a concussion. I’m gathering that from the large knot on the back of your head,” the young, prematurely grey, female doctor with bird-like features and a space between her teeth said.
Eve had met her earlier. She’d met all the women earlier. The doctor smiled as she checked Eve’s pupils while Eve gently rubbed her fingers against the hematoma that throbbed at the crown of her head.
“Ouch,” Eve said.
“Nasty knot,” the Doctor replied and set the bag of ice back in place. “If you want it to not hurt, don’t touch it.”
Eve reached back and felt the bump again. It was large, and it hurt. She searched her mind trying to remember the last moments before she blacked out and a shiver went through her body. She’d had a full on series of orgasms and knocked herself out. SHIT!
“I… I must have… slipped,” she said, struggling desperately to remember every detail of being “taken” in the bathroom by the man—total stranger—of her dreams in the freaking Governor’s mansion! Oh my God, she thought.
“Mr. Le Masters heard you fall and came back to get help,” someone said.
“Mr. Le Masters?” Eve said.
“You’d locked the door and by the time we took the door off its hinges, we found you on the floor, out cold,” the Governor’s wife told her. “Now don’t you worry, we have an ambulance on the way.”
“No, please. That’s not necessary,” Eve replied.
“Too late. You lost consciousness. It’s better to be sure. And I’ve ordered they keep you overnight. They’ll keep a good eye on you at Parrish Hospital,” the doctor said.
“But I have to get back to New Orleans,” Eve insisted.
“Mr. Delacroix has taken care of everything. That’s his job. Yours is to rest and feel better,” the Governor’s wife said.
At t
hat moment, the paramedics rushed in. Everyone stepped back as they checked her vitals. One looked into her eyes, the other took her temperature and pulse. It all happened so fast. The next moment they were loading her onto the gurney that was being unfolded right next to her.
“Please, I’ll be fine,” Eve said.
“Yes, you will because you are going to the hospital and spending the night,” the doctor added. “Doctor’s orders.”
The paramedics lifted her onto the gurney, gently covering her and strapping her in.
“I wanted to say thank you to Mr…. Le Masters if that’s possible?” Eve asked.
She felt embarrassed and confused and her head hurt but she wanted to see him. They lifted the gurney and moved it out of the parlor across the main entry where everyone from the dinner party seemed to be waiting.
“I’m so sorry. Please give my apologies to the Governor,” Eve said.
“Mr. Le Masters is coming in to check on you,” the doctor with the brilliant white hair said.
Le Masters, Eve thought. Now at least she knew he had both a first and a last name. Beau Le Masters.
Eve looked across the room for Beau but the only person who approached was a man of about seventy-five with strong shoulders and a kind face. He had thick, silver hair and the same sky blue eyes. His face was filled with genuine concern for her well being.
“You gave us quite a scare, young lady,” he said in a thick southern drawl.
“Beau?” she asked.
The smile on his face dropped. “Why, no?”
“I’m sorry, we met at the door and I thought that’s what I heard you say,” Eve said.
“No, you are mistaken,” he said.
He had an uncomfortable, questioning tone in his voice. There was something about the name that bothered him.
“But I do plan to check on you tomorrow at the hospital if I may,” he replied. The tension he’d displayed melted away and was replaced by a kindly smile.
Eve was dumb struck. Her eyes widened as she searched past the gentleman for “him.” She looked across the room at the crowd of people who stared back at her. He wasn’t there.
She looked back to old Mr. Le Masters, needing to make sure she hadn’t seen an illusion. She needed to understand. What? There was genuine fear in her eyes, a deep desperation and the horrifying possibility that she was losing her mind. Eve was beyond confused. She couldn’t remember if the events that had unfolded from the moment she walked in were real or some erotic fantasy. But she could still feel him. He’d been inside of her. She could smell his scent on her skin. Taste his kisses on her lips. She was starting to panic.
Charles crossed to her side and took her hand. The smell of dog food had been replaced by alcohol.
“I’m taking care of everything, okay? The hospital’s close to the hotel so I’ll go there and bring your things. You’ll be fine,” Charles said.
“Charles, the man with the dark hair,” she whispered to Charles. “Did he leave?”
“The Peruvian President?” Charles asked.
“No-no, the young man in the blue jacket. We spoke at the door when I first walked in. Remember? Please remember? Please,” Eve asked.
“I’m not sure who you are asking about, but we’ll figure it out. You get some rest and I’ll come by the hospital in about an hour.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eve said to the Governor as he passed.
“Don’t you worry about a thing,” he said with a smile. “I’m just sorry you left after you triggered the hottest debate of the evening. I want to hear more of your thoughts, young lady. Now, get well and you call my office any time.”
Both the Governor and his wife nodded good night as a very confused Eve was whisked away from the house and into the ambulance. The flashing lights and cry of the siren wailed as the ambulance pulled out of the mansion’s driveway. It made everything more surreal than it already felt. The only thing that was missing was the straight jacket and the fact that the true destination was the loony bin. Eve closed her eyes more certain than at any time in her life that she was losing her mind.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Eve woke in Parrish Hospital and lay quietly, looking out the window. The warm Louisiana sun was just cresting over the new wing and it made the sky turn from pale grey to soft shades of pink and then blossom into an infinity of azure blue. It was the same blue as his eyes.
Eve closed her eyes. She felt more confused and more horribly alone than ever. She ached for him, and from him. But if he wasn’t real how could any of what she was feeling be real. No one seemed to know who she was talking about. When she’d asked, as discreetly as she could, about the handsome young man in the blue jacket, they’d all referred her to the President. And when she said, no, the charming one, they said Millard Le Masters; the older gentleman who found her unconscious in the bathroom.
This had to be some kind of bizarre bad dream. But it was so incredibly real. A girl knows when she’s been made love to doesn’t she? There are telltale signs and remnants of sensitivities and pain, pleasurable, and they were there. She could still feel a raw pain inside of her. Her lips were still swollen from the pressure of his kisses and the tenderness of her nipples still ached.
Just then Cora walked in. “Hospital pearls! How chic. I would have never thought hospital gowns would be the next fashion statement,” Cora said with her bubbly smile.
“You told me not to take them off. I almost broke the nurse’s fingers when she tried,” Eve responded.
“Oh my, what the hell happened to you? You, my beautiful friend, look like shit!” Cora said.
Eve looked at her. Her heart started to race and a flood of tears exploded from her eyes.
Instantly Cora was across the room with her arms around Eve.
“Now, now, suga, what happened?” Cora asked.
Eve was grateful she’d gotten the message to Cora and Cora had come. She didn’t want to be alone. Not now. Not ever, if she could help it, but especially not now. She got control of her tears enough to speak.
“He was there,” she said through her sobs.
“What? Who? How?” Cora asked and pulled away to get a better look at her friend. “What in heaven’s name happened? Delacroix said you fell and hit your head.”
“I don’t know. He was there. But no one seemed to see him but me,” Eve said.
Cora stared at her. Not sure what to say.
“That’s incredible. How is that even possible?” Cora said.
“I don’t know. I just know he was there, and he seduced me again. This time in the bathroom and in the middle of everything, I climaxed, hit my head, and knocked myself out,” Eve explained with tears still flowing down her cheeks. “When I came to, he was gone.”
Cora just stared at her not knowing what to say, think or feel.
“If this wasn’t so bizarre, it would be hysterical,” Cora said, blinking her eyes in amazement.
The unreality of what Eve was saying hit her and there was a beat that exploded into laughter.
“This has got to be some incredible sex to knock you out and send you to the hospital!” Cora said. “You might have to share this man and you know we don’t do sloppy seconds.”
The two women laughed again.
Just then, the silver haired female doctor from the dinner party picked up Eve’s chart from the door and entered the room.
“Well, well, you’re sounding better,” she said to Eve. “I’m Dr. Brussard. Do you remember me from last night?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you,” Eve said.
“And you are?” she asked Cora.
“Cora Belle Bouvier. Friend. Here to rescue her from your evil clutches,” Cora said with a smile.
“Well, pleasure to meet you Cora Belle Bouvier, I’m Dr. Gilliand Brussard.”
“Thank you for taking care of her, Doctor,” Cora said.
“How do you feel, Eve?” Dr. Brussard asked.
“Well, after getting knocked out, rushed to a hospital to si
t in the emergency room until 2:00 AM and then being awakened every hour on the hour, I’m rather exhausted,” Eve said.
“Standard procedure, I’m afraid. And, other than that?” Dr. Brussard asked.
“Fine. I’m fine,” Eve said.
“Let’s get some vitals on you and get you sent home,” Dr. Brussard said.
The good doctor shooed Cora out of the way and taking out her stethoscope began to listen to Eve’s heart, check her pulse and give her a thorough exam. When she pulled Eve’s hospital gown open to place her stethoscope by her breast she stopped.
“How did you get that bruise?” Dr. Brussard asked.
Eve looked down, and there on her right breast, a small bruise formed like a heart shaped bite.
“Tell your boyfriend he should be a little more gentle,” the doctor said with a smile.
Eve and Cora exchanged a look.
“Dr. Brussard, I know I asked last night but could you tell me who was at the dinner party last night? I have to do an article and I’m sure I missed someone,” Eve said.
Dr. Brussard ran off a list of names as best she could, ending with the president of Peru and his wife, Charles Delacroix and herself.
“And who was the gentleman sitting next to the governor’s wife?” she asked.
“Millard Le Masters,” the doctor said.
“And the young man with the electric blue eyes?” Cora asked.
“I guess if you are 85 years old, Millard Le Masters is a young man with blue eyes. Young in spirit for certain,” the doctor said with a kind smile.
The look in Eve and Cora’s faces was dumbfounded shock.
“Is there a problem?” the doctor asked.
“No! No. I just seem to remember meeting another guest,” Eve replied.
Now it was the doctor who looked confused.
“Well, perhaps one of the Governor’s staff was making sure things were perfect,” the doctor said.
She signed the last page and held up Eve’s chart.
“Either way, your papers will be done in about 20 minutes and your friend can take you out of here. I’m sure you can get a list of guests from the Governor’s mansion staff. In the meantime, don’t forget to pick up the paper that will give you all of your follow-up care information. Just get some rest and drink plenty of fluids and no alcohol for a few days. And don’t sleep in those pearls, they will throw your neck out. Pleasure to meet you, Eve …Cora Belle,” Dr. Brussard said.