Sin
and
Sacrifice
by
Danielle Bourdon
Published by: Wildbloom Press
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved
Cover art Copyright © Danielle Bourdon
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
For my parents Tim, Kathy, Jerry and Felecia, who always show never ending support in my
writing endeavors.
I love you.
Chapter One
"He called you disobedient? Please." Evelyn scoffed and popped a grape in her mouth. "Did you whack him upside the head when he spit that blasphemy out?"
Genevieve, sitting close to the balcony rail with the glittering Mediterranean spread out behind her, laughed and set her glass of lemonade down.
"No, but I asked him if he was confused about his role in my life. Told him I wouldn't obey any man that wasn't my father, and, since this was only the fourth date, it probably wasn't going to work out,” she replied.
"What did he say to that?" Evelyn asked with a vast amount of amusement. Classically African, Genevieve had broad cheekbones, a high forehead, bow shaped mouth and a laid back, bohemian flair that attracted members of the opposite sex like bees to honey. The close crop of her dark hair accentuated her striking features and unusual, gray eyes.
Genevieve sat straighter in her chair and affected a studious frown. "You will make a difficult wife for any man. This is best ended."
“So you're not only disobedient, you're difficult and have an opinion. How dare you.” They both laughed. She and Genevieve shared a passion for independence. Snagging a tube of sunscreen out of the bag at her feet, she started slathering it on. The light, golden hue of her skin was prone to burn if she didn't protect it.
Across the round, wrought iron table, slouched into an unfeminine splay of knees and elbows, Alexandra snorted. Her fingers flew over the keys of the netbook perched in her lap. "Didn't take much to convince him. C'est la vie. Don't let the door hit'cha on the way out, bub.”
Genevieve laughed and flicked condensation drops from her glass at Alexandra. “You wouldn't say that to a guy you were about to dump.”
“Yes I would,” Alex argued. The tomboy shared a fiendish smile with them that spelled trouble and rebellion.
“You're incorrigible, Alex.” Evelyn, rubbing a small dab of sunscreen on her own nose, winked at the grinning Genevieve and pretended to give Alexandra a chiding look.
"Run, don't walk, from any man talking about marriage on the fourth date,” Minna, the oldest of the four with a hint of the orient in her eyes and bone structure, added her two cents. Skin clear of wrinkles or laugh lines, she actually appeared younger than the dark haired Alexandra.
"Hear, hear." Evelyn lifted her glass of raspberry lemonade.
Genevieve and Minna brought their drinks across the table to clink, toasting that particular bit of wisdom. They all tipped back a swallow at the same time. Alexandra was too busy with her netbook to bother.
“Alexandra, will you get your nose out of that computer for five minutes?" Evelyn said.
"I'm checking something."
"Checking what?" Evelyn asked. She arched a brow.
"This and that."
“That's a fabulous answer. You're always checking something." Evelyn glanced at Minna, who sat in the chair closest to Alexandra, and appealed for intervention with nothing more than a look.
Minna reached over and clapped the lid of the netbook closed.
"Hey! This is mutiny! I've already seen the water, Ev. And pretty much all of Athens, too." Alexandra slumped back in the chair, grinning despite her protests. She flicked the end of her dark ponytail over a shoulder and laced her fingers on her stomach. "Besides, we've been gossiping since breakfast."
"We're not gossiping," Evelyn scoffed. "We're catching up.”
“Well how much could have changed in the two days since we all left California and flew here?” Alex asked.
“Obviously, Genevieve isn't dating what's-his-name anymore. That's news worthy,” Evelyn retorted.
Minna and Genevieve watched the volley like a ping pong match.
“We coulda found that out at home though. Besides, we all knew Gen wasn't going to stay with that guy.” Alexandra lifted her chin.
“You didn't know that,” Evelyn argued.
“Did so. When I met him that night of their second date, he looked like he had a stick up his a--”
“Alexandra.” Evelyn eyed her sister, struggling not to laugh. None of the girls had liked Genevieve's last 'date'. He'd been too stiff, too serious. Too controlling. Genevieve's languid nature had clashed like oil and water with his stern, stilted view on life.
No one could say Gen hadn't tried.
Before Alexandra could veer the entire conversation out of control, Evelyn said, “Anyway. I was thinking that maybe we could all move back here.” She swept a hand out toward the sparkling Mediterranean.
They had a stunning view from their balcony. Cast in shade from the overhang, the four women who sat around the wrought iron table exchanged glances.
“Live in Greece?” Alex asked.
“Well, maybe not in Greece. Somewhere in Europe though. What do you think?” Evelyn had wanted to return to the womb of the world for longer than she cared to admit. Living in southern California had its purpose and its pleasures, but the twenty-eight years they'd spent on the west coast crawled by at a snail's pace. Centuries whipped by in the blink of an eye when she wasn't pining and homesick.
She glanced at each of her sisters in turn, gauging reaction. Alexandra wouldn't have a problem; Genevieve would think about it for a few minutes and agree, and Minna would predictably hesitate. Of all the siblings, Minna was the most cautious, the one who thought about every angle for days at a time before committing.
“I think it's a great idea,” Minna said.
Shocked, Evelyn stared at her.
“Pacific Palisades is nice enough, but I'm ready to move.” Minna took a drink of her lemonade.
“It's because she broke up with what's-his-name, Ev. We can't stay there too much longer anyway or people might start askin' questions. I'm in. I'll go where ever,” Alexandra retorted, fiddling with the smooth cover of the netbook. Loving little pets over the glossy surface.
Genevieve just smiled, teeth strikingly white against her mocha colored skin. “Let's make plans. We're all single right now, so it's a perfect time to pull roots and relocate.”
“Exactly,” Evelyn said. Excitement spiraled through her. That had gone much easier than she'd thought. “So the question becomes...where?”
England, France and Spain had already been their locale of choice when they'd moved here in previous years. Evelyn would live in any of those countries again in an instant. Each one held special memories during different points in history. She waited to see what places her sisters came up with before laying out suggestions of her own.
“Well, let's look it up,” Alexandra said with no small amount of glee. Only because it gave her an excuse to pop open the netbook and start typing in destinations.
“You're so transparent, Alex.” Evelyn traded knowing looks with Genevieve and Minna.
Alexandra just smiled while her fingers flew over the keys.
“Maybe one of the islands this time,” Genevieve said. “Get a place right on the beach.”
“Oh, nice, Gen,” Minna said. “Do you remember that time we stopped in Crete?”
“Of course we remember,” Alex said. “That was when Genevieve got drunk and--�
��
“If you love your little computer, you will not finish that sentence.” The languor that Genevieve delivered her threat with nevertheless had an instant impact.
Alexandra snickered, cleared her throat, and kept talking like there had been no interruption. Except any mention of drunken escapades were notably missing. “Crete was awesome. We had to all but drag Minna out of there.”
“Okay, put Crete on the list,” Evelyn said. She loved the island as well—loved all of Greece—which was why they were here on vacation. Antigua was the last island they had lived on. Five years of bliss in the late fifteen hundreds.
“What do you think Galiana's gonna say?” Alexandra asked without looking up from the netbook screen.
“As long as there's shopping, she won't care,” Genevieve said, drawing a laugh from the three other girls.
“That's the truth. Speaking of Galiana, where is she?” Evelyn glanced at the sliding glass doors leading inside their hotel suite. She couldn't quite see the clock from here and refused to wear a watch on vacation.
“Late, as usual.” Minna twisted around to follow Evelyn's gaze.
No Galiana in sight.
“If she wouldn't have missed the flight out of California to begin with--” Alex said.
“But I just need two more pairs of shorts!” Evelyn mimicked Galiana's voice in perfect imitation.
Genevieve laughed into her drink. Minna joined her.
“I'll check the flight schedule,” Alexanda said with a muffled snicker at the teasing. “Maybe her plane's delayed.”
“Let me go try and call her. If she's shopping at the airport I'll hurry her along.” Evelyn set down her glass and stood up. The situation was not unusual; Galiana, famous for keeping them waiting, rarely arrived anywhere on time. After retying the red sarong around her hips, she skirted the table, pushed back the clear glass door and stepped inside.
She's just delayed or distracted, Evelyn reassured herself, refusing to let paranoia take hold and steer her thoughts in directions she didn't want them to go.
The sight of the three women languishing in the shade on the balcony paused Evelyn at the door when she closed it. Genevieve, dark all over except for her gray eyes; Minna, slender and deceptively delicate; Alexandra, the rough-and-tumble little heathen with black hair halfway to her butt.
As different as night and day, the lot of them.
No one would ever guess they were all sisters. Born from the same womb.
Evelyn could see her own reflection in the glass; tawny hair streaked with auburn highlights, golden skin, hazel eyes. She'd always thought her patrician nose and oval shaped face rather plain. There wasn't a lick of resemblance between herself and the women she watched, which, she thought, worked in their favor.
She turned and skimmed a look through the living room for her cell phone. The Aphrodite Hotel's mini-suite was a study in pale décor and Spartan furnishings; white walls, white floors and couches of light, baby blue. Sparkling clean, with modern chairs and a glass coffee table, Evelyn thought the design almost clinical except for the plush quality of the pieces and the exotic, colorful paintings in gilt frames depicting famous scenes from Greek mythology.
Spying her phone on the end table, she went over and snatched it up. After pressing three on speed dial for Galiana, she brushed strands of hair away from her face and checked the status of her tan in an oval mirror. Using her thumb, she pulled the black string aside near her collarbone, exposing a paler swatch of skin amidst the golden color surrounding it. She was making impressive headway in the sunbathing department. The conspicuous shape of sunglasses surrounded her eyes and she made a mental note to leave them off the next time she basked in the sun lest she wind up resembling a raccoon.
"You've reached Galiana's voicemail," came her sister's voice down the line. "Leave a message at the beep!"
"Where are you, Galian--" She got cut off when the front door swooshed open.
Galiana stumbled in, dragging her luggage, blonde hair askew around her face. She knocked the door closed with the heel of a designer shoe and snapped the bolt into place.
“I made it!” she crowed. It always looked like a strong wind would blow the woman over.
Evelyn hung up the phone with an exaggerated sigh, hiding her relief behind a sudden smile. She met Galiana halfway and hugged her disheveled sister tight.
“Finally! That's what you get for missing your flight.” Leaning back, she gave her a quick once over; Galiana, the fairest and most fragile of the bunch, looked harried but happy.
“But I found the best sale at Saks, I swear...”
“Of course you did,” Genevieve said, coming in from outside. Alexandra and Minna followed. All three girls were dressed for a day lounging next to the Mediterranean; bathing suits, shorts, sarongs.
Galiana left her luggage right there and hugged each one with fervent affection.
There was a special bond between them all that was never more apparent than when they'd been apart for any length of time. And they had, at different stages of their lives. A situation they tried to avoid when they could. If Evelyn had been pressed to choose a sister she was closest to, she wouldn't have been able to with any accuracy. She loved each one with as much depth and devotion as the next. All of their relationships were different and unique, their interactions varied. But she didn't love one more than the other.
“We're all moving to Crete,” Alexandra announced. She wasn't as lavish with her hugs as the other girls, but they all knew it was just her way and had no bearing on her feelings. She just wasn't as girly as the rest of them.
“Excellent! When?” Galiana didn't even blink at the news.
“We have no idea. Sooner than later though, I'm guessing,” Alex said.
Evelyn laughed, relieved to have all her siblings present and accounted for.
They spent an hour getting Galiana settled in and her things put away. The blonde exclaimed over the suite and the view, which she took in with a deep breath of air and her arms thrown wide. Galiana might have been dainty, but she was expressive and dramatic and didn't care who knew it.
“By the way. We're going out to The Andromeda Chamber tonight,” Evelyn said, bringing Galiana a glass of water with two lemon slices floating in it. There had to be two, never three, never just one.
“I love that club!” Galiana took the glass and had a quick sip. “What time? I need to go have my hair and nails done.”
Alexandra, back at the balcony table with her netbook propped on her thighs, groaned.
“You should just buy a shop or whatever, G. You're at them all the time.”
“You could do with a facial and a manicure, Alexandra. Look at those fingernails.” Galiana shuddered. Alexandra's nails were bitten back, the cuticles untended.
Evelyn watched on, hiding a grin behind a drink from her refreshed lemonade. Alexandra and Galiana were the epitome of opposites. For as long as she could remember, the sisters had squabbled over grooming and fashion—or lack of Alexandra's interest in it.
“Over my dead body,” Alexandra quipped.
“Around nine?” Evelyn interrupted the banter, leaning against the rail. A cool breeze, the seasonal meltemi, made the dry, hot day bearable. It sifted through her hair, whipping the ends this way and that. Summer time in Greece was her favorite. She loved being here and loved being on vacation even more.
Galiana brushed a lock of hair away from her chin. The pale cloud always had an artfully disarrayed look to it. “Perfect. Gives me a little time to make a few more stops.”
“Shopping,” Alexandra said with a snort of disgust.
“I think you should let me pick your outfit tonight, Alex. Jeans and flannel won't go over at the Andromeda.”
“Galiana, I might not squeal over shirts and sales, but I don't wear flannel out to nightclubs.”
For two hours, Evelyn listened to the girls trade quips and flippant but teasing commentary, one upping each other with every volley. Minna and Genevieve loung
ed in the sun and Evelyn joined them, stretching out on a chaise. There were few things she loved more than basking in the heat. The scent of salt on the air was as relaxing as the rhythmic lap of water against the pristine shore.
Galiana took her leave before dusk set in with a promise to be back before they all departed.
Evelyn had her turn in the shower, choosing something flirty and fun to wear to the club. The skinny straps kept her cool and the sunset colors of the knee length dress looked good against her deepening tan. She choose sultry make up to highlight the color of her eyes and daubed lipstick with the dubious name of Plumpeii on her lips. She wasn't quite sure what plums had to do with Pompeii, but the hue went well with her skin and that was all that mattered.
At nine-thirty, when Galiana called to say she still wasn't done, they all decided to go on to the club without her. Evelyn didn't have the heart to be annoyed. If Galiana ever showed up on time for anything it would be nothing less than a miracle.
Taking a cab, the four sisters chattered about moving and houses all the way to the front doors of the Andromeda Chamber. The nightclub, with impressive columns, lush foliage, and blue lights shining up the facade of the stone exterior, had a tranquil aura despite the throb of music that made the walls shake. It wasn't hard to imagine mythical gods and goddesses moving through the carved tables, sitting in the plush chairs, or gliding over the dance floor that looked like a sheet of pale blue ice. Tiny white lights trickled down from the domed ceiling, resembling stars in the gloom.
Dancers writhed and gyrated through a thin fog that billowed lazily from jets rimming the floor.
Even though she was five-foot-ten, Evelyn felt short compared to Genevieve. Standing several inches over six-feet, her sister commanded attention with her exotic skin and strong bone structure. Alexandra, in charcoal suede and a silk top of blue, swaggered along like she didn't have a care in the world. Minna, mysterious and petite, had dressed in demure slacks and a stylish shirt of red with an oriental flare that fit her perfectly.
They chose to stand at a tall table and order drinks within close range of the dancers. Evelyn paid for the first round and declined two offers from men for a turn on the floor. Minna and Genevieve went out right away, leaving she and Alexandra to indulge in drinking and people watching. It was always easy for Evelyn to tell the tourists apart from the regulars; they stood around in small clusters, wide-eyed, heads tipped together to make gossiping easier. One or two snapped pictures.
Sin and Sacrifice Page 1