by Celeste Raye
Connie quickly slid behind the door and poked her head out so that he couldn't see her body anymore.
“Sorry about that, I just woke up and I guess I didn't get dressed all the way.”
“Not a problem.”
Those eyes were staring back at her again, and Connie wasn't sure what to think. He had this way about him. It felt like he was looking through to her soul and Connie didn't know what to say. She finally asked him, in a shaky voice, what he was doing there.
“I was hoping that I could talk to you. I know that you were involved with what happened at the club last night, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She did remember him being at the club, but she did not remember him being around when everything was going on. How could he know about that?
“Uh, yeah, we're fine.”
“Would you mind if I came in?”
“I don't know you.”
“No, but I think we're supposed to get to know each other. I have this strange feeling when I'm around you. Is it not the same for you?”
It was the way he said it, like he knew exactly what was going through her mind. At the moment, all she could think about was all of the naughty things he had done to her in her dreams.
Connie let him in because she didn't want to be rude and the conversation was intriguing to her. He seemed to be rather sure of himself.
She dashed into the other room and pulled on a robe. It didn’t really cover much, the satin was thin and see-through, but it made her feel less exposed.
“I remember seeing you at the club, but things happened pretty fast, and I didn't see you again. Did you see what happened to those two guys?”
“I did. It was pretty crazy.”
Connie was waiting for him to say something about the bear that she saw. It was so unbelievable that she almost thought that she had made it all up in her head. Maybe she and Denise had been hit in the head, and that's why they had come up with all of it. But how could they come up with the same thing?
“I am sorry, I didn't even ask your name. My name is Connie, and yours is?”
“Frank.”
“So, how did you know where to find me?”
“One of my friends is in the police department and he said that you had been identified by somebody else. They were looking for you, and I am sure that they have quite a few questions.”
Connie had not even thought about the police. When all of it was going on, she had wanted the police to be there, but once she did her pyro show, the last thing she wanted was to have to explain it to a bunch of police officers. Connie didn't even know how she would have explained it anyway. It was too unbelievable. They would have most likely thought that she was losing her mind, and considering what the alternative was, Connie still had not ruled out that possibility. Maybe it was mass hysteria.
“I'm not sure I want to talk to the police.”
“No?”
“No. Um, it was a really scary situation and I don't think I want to remember it again. There is nothing that I can say to help them solve it. I didn't see much.”
Frank had this way of looking at her, through her, and he was doing it now. She was trying to keep her wits about her, but it was very unnerving when he looked at her that way.
“You're not going to say anything, are you?”
“No, but if they know your name, they will find you eventually. You and your friend might want to get your story straight before they get here.”
Connie agreed and was about to say something else when Denise came out of hiding. She instantly had an attraction to Frank that was very visible to Connie. The expression was something that Connie knew very well, and she felt an instant feeling of jealousy that surprised her. Connie had never been a jealous person, especially not for a man that wasn't even hers. Why did it bother her so much?
She looked over at her friend and told Denise that she and Frank were going to go out and get some coffee.
“Do you want us to get you some?”
She agreed and said that caffeine would be nice. Connie smile back at her. She had not given her the option to go with. Connie did not want her friend looking at Frank the way she was. She had no idea why.
Connie also felt like he knew more than he was letting on, and she wanted to pick his brain to see if any of his answers changed. It was like her life might depend on it, or so it felt.
Chapter Seven
While he was waiting for Connie to get ready, he was filled with a whole lot of questions. There were so many inconsistencies that didn’t make sense. One of the main ones was how Connie was acting. She acted like she didn't even know what had happened the night before or what she had seen. She was asking questions that seemed rather genuine, and Frank was thrown for a loop. How could such a strong witch not know what she was?
As they were walking to the local coffee shop, Frank was trying to decide how he was going to go about it all. She was acting like she had no idea what happened, and he wasn't sure if she was being truthful or not. It was hard for him to believe she didn't know, but at the same time, it would be hard to be so believable. If she was putting him off, she was the best actress he had ever seen.
“I should have asked you to dance last night and sent that other guy packing.”
“Why didn't you dance with me, Connie?”
“You didn't ask me.”
“Do you think you would have said yes?”
They were at the coffee shop, and she stopped in front of it, waiting for him to open the door.
“I don't know. I remember that I had your attention, though.”
“Yeah, you did. I saw you from across the room, and now I wish I would have asked you for a dance.”
Connie relaxed a little bit, and after they ordered coffees, they went to sit down at the table. She had promised her roommate that she would bring back something to drink, but she didn't say that she would do it right away.
“Can I ask you something, straight up, without all of the flash you like to toss around?”
The man sat up a little bit straighter and said that he would do his best.
“Why are you really here?”
It was not quite the question he was looking for, and he asked her what she meant.
“I don't believe that we were identified by anybody else at the bar. We didn't go with anybody. And I can almost guarantee you that I do not know anybody there. Denise doesn't either because it was the first time we’d gone. So how did you find us, and now that you did, what is the point?”
Connie was a little nervous to ask such a question because she was basically telling him he was a liar. She thought that he was, of course, but it was still against her nature to call him out in such a fashion.
Frank finally realized that he was just going to have to come out with it. Well, not all of it. If she really did not know what she was, the last thing he needed to do was start talking about it. They would have to eventually, but Frank wanted to have a few moments to enjoy the drink he was sharing her.
“I just really caught a vibe from you at the club. I slipped the bartender a twenty to give me your name from your credit card.”
“That seems like a whole lot of trouble to find somebody you saw for a few minutes at the club.”
It was a lot. That was the whole point, though. She had made such an impression on him that Frank would have done close to anything to find out more. He had paid a few hundred to get the information.
“It was. Like I said, there was just something about you that drew me in. I don't know how else to describe it.”
After a minute, Frank started to think that he had said too much. He had talked himself into a corner, and he had to say something. It had just come out.
“That was a bit too much information, wasn't it?”
“A little bit, but it's strange that you would say that. I actually just woke up from a dream about you.”
He smiled and asked her if it was the good kind of dream. He didn't expect her to an
swer, and she didn't, but he didn't need her to either. Her face started getting red, and that was all the answer that he needed.
“You are going to have to tell me about that dream. We could compare notes, and I could tell you how close you are to the real deal.”
She looked away and then wanted to know more.
“What do you think it is?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t get it. Why do you think we have this draw to each other? Do I know you from somewhere?”
Connie disagreed. “I'm sure if I had met you before or knew you, I would remember. I don't think you’re the type of man someone could forget.”
Her answer made him smile. “I could say the same thing about you.”
Connie took a sip of her coffee and tried to pull herself together.
“Something happened last night. Something really strange. Did you see anything outside?”
Frank asked her what she was talking about, and he saw her bite her lip quite hard. She was fighting to determine if she wanted to say something or not. He did not try to pry it out of her. Instead, he gave her time to get it out on her own. He knew that it would be better if she wanted to tell him what was going on.
“Like what?”
“Well, for one, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I could have sworn that I saw the largest bear-looking thing that I've ever seen in my whole life.”
“Have you been around a lot of bears? And you do realize we're in the city, right?”
Frank could tell that she was not impressed with his joke. He was trying to get her off of his scent, but he could tell she was disturbed by it all.
He wanted to come clean and tell her exactly what happened, but something was holding him back still. Maybe he was afraid that she would look at him as she had looked at him the night before when he had been in his true form. Last night, Connie had looked at him like he was a monster and Frank knew that he did not want to see that look back in her eyes.
“Like I said, I shouldn't have said anything. I don't know, maybe me and my friend got hit in the head. I am sorry that I brought it up. I really don't know what I was thinking.”
“Trust me, I don't think you're crazy. But it does seem like it is a bit farfetched.”
Frank felt a little guilty because he didn't want her to think that she had made it all up in her head. There certainly wasn't anything wrong with her. It was exactly what she had seen, but at the same time, he couldn’t say anything. If he started with bears in the city, he was going to have to come up with something more, and the whole truth wasn’t an option. Not yet.
“Why do I get the feeling that you know more than you're telling me?”
“I think maybe you are trying to keep your mind off of what is obviously more important.”
That got her attention, and she asked him what was more important.
“How about what is going on between us?”
Chapter Eight
He leaned over the table and it took her a minute to realize that he was trying to kiss her. She did not turn away from his advances: far from it. The truth was that as soon as he leaned forward to give her a kiss, Connie knew that it was exactly where she was supposed to be.
His lips touched hers so softly, but there was an underlying force that was hard to deal with. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest, but there was something else there, something more. She finally pushed away because it was messing with her head.
Connie was taken aback by it all. She wanted to kiss him again, but at the same time, his touch was rather demanding. She also felt more than just drawn to him. It was like little flashes of memory came into her mind, and it was so close to the dream that she had been awoken from that Connie was sure it was related to that. When she pulled back away from him, there was still a feeling that she didn't understand.
The complicated emotions that rose up made her think that the best thing was not to be around him. She had already said too much, and he had not taken her seriously. Of course, what did she expect? What she and Denise had seen was impossible. It defied the laws of nature.
“I really should get going, Frank. Thank you for coming to check on us. That means a lot.”
“Does it mean enough for you to come out with me tonight?”
Connie had not expected the invitation. Connie was convinced that he was going to think that she was an idiot. But when he asked, all she could think to say was yes.
“Good, because if not, I will just find a way to keep running into you.”
“Why are you so interested?”
“That's a silly question, isn't it? Have you seen yourself lately?”
It was just the way he said it. It was so simple, and as she was leaving, her face was bright red from the compliment. Connie wondered if she still had it sometimes, the amount of time she’d been single, but Frank just took away all of that worry in seconds. It was quite amazing.
They decided to meet later that evening, and she was quite excited about the date. It was the first one that she’d looked forward to in such a way. Connie was sure that they had met for a reason, even if she did not know what that reason was.
When she got back to her place, Denise had a lot to ask. She wanted to know who he was, everything about him, but Connie still did not have all the answers. While she knew for certain his lips had her trembling inside when they kissed, she was lacking basic knowledge. It just hadn’t seemed important.
Denise was nothing but questions, though.
“So, this guy just shows up out of the blue from the club last night, and you're not weirded out by it at all?”
“No, I'm really not. He seems like a nice guy, and he just tracked me down to make sure that we were alright. He heard about what happened.”
“And you believe that?”
Connie wasn't sure if she believed it or not, but she certainly wanted to. “Yes, I think I do. He was nice and straight forward. I don't know why I wouldn’t believe him.”
“What if he's working with those two guys?”
“From what I hear, those guys are gone, so we shouldn't have to worry about it anymore. We have to move on with our lives, Denise. We can't spend all of our time wondering what’s lurking around the next corner and every door. I want to go out with him, and I'm going to.”
“Don't you think it would be better if we went out together?”
She almost agreed to it, but then she remembered the way that her roommate had looked at Frank, and she knew that the last thing she wanted was for Denise to get involved. She had never been jealous a day in her life, but she knew that if her friend looked at him that way or he did something, it would never be forgotten. For whatever reason, Frank was different and she wanted to claim him as her own.
“No, we're just going out to get something to eat. I won't be gone too long.”
Denise looked at her with narrowing eyes and asked what was going on.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I have never seen you take to a guy like this before. We have been friends for a very long time, and you're acting weird. What are you hiding from me?”
“I’m not hiding anything from you. I just really like him and I want to see where this goes. You are really pretty, and I am afraid that he will forget all about me if you go.”
That was hard for her to say, but it was even harder to think about it actually happening. Connie would rather get her feelings out and tell her friend what she truly thought because then she was sure that Denise would back off. And true to form, she did just that.
Instead of saying anything else about going, she helped her get ready. Connie did not do much dating, which meant that she didn't have much experience with it all. Denise helped her pick out a dress that accentuated her curves instead of hiding them. Connie felt out of sorts with her attire, but Denise kept telling her how hot she was.
After she got ready, she took one more look in the mirror before he was there to pick her up. The form-fitted dress was
black, which Denise commented on, but it looked incredible, so it was hard to say much. It went well with her black hair, and her eyes seemed to glow for a moment. Connie was happy, though she didn’t know why. It was just a date.
She was almost relieved to find him looking exactly as she remembered. Connie opened the door and smiled back at the infectious grin Frank was throwing her way. Connie had almost decided that her mind had made him up. He could not be as perfect as she had imagined him to be. But he was.
“Are you ready?”
She took his hand in hers and told Frank that she was ready. Connie didn't believe it to be true, though. She certainly didn't feel ready at the moment. If anything, she was nervous to no end and full of self-doubt. She thought that something was going to go wrong. It had to. It all just felt too perfect and familiar when it shouldn’t have been.
Once they got outside, she saw that he had come on a motorcycle, and her nerves went into overdrive.
“I didn't know that you drove a bike.”
“I have a car but brought my bike. That isn't a problem, is it? ”
It was definitely a problem. She had never been on a motorcycle before, and that was because it scared her. She much preferred a vehicle that put a metal box around her. But when he asked her if she was fine with it, she just agreed. What was it that this man had over her that would make her forget her worst fears?
Connie was so nervous, and that feeling only multiplied when he started the engine. It roared to life, and it was so loud that she couldn't even hear her heart anymore. That was something to say, considering how hard it was pounding.
When he started to take off, it became clear that the only way she was going to stay on the back of the bike was if she held on tight. She did so quickly, not thinking about the immediate ramification of his touch. He was hard and warm to the touch. It blocked out images of her falling off the bike and hurting herself.
“I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”
She heard Frank's voice, but there was no way that he would be able to talk to her in her current situation. She convinced herself that she must have made herself hear it so that she would feel better about the current situation.