Please note that this chapter is rated M for strong language and sexually explicit scenes…
Chapter 23, Temecula synopsis:
It is a time of celebration at Temecula as Josef Kostan throws a 'thank you' party for all involved in the rescue of Mick St. John. Both blood and wine flow freely as vampires and humans meet and mingle, with humorous, tender and, at times, raucous results. New relationships are formed, while existing ones are strengthened and sometimes tested - especially when Mick's present meets his past. However, the Saturday night is not fun for all, as Carl Davis, alone in his home, reflects on all that has happened - and makes plans to further his investigation.
Beta: Co-authored with Brat, with invaluable beta assistance from our outstanding, committed (and possibly committable) betas, treezacarr, margroks, and casi2.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. The authors are in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 23
Temecula
Intro: "Man I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain
"Oh my god," Beth whimpered. "I can't take any more of this. Just let me die now."
Simone opened one eye and grinned at her from her position across the room, flat on her stomach on a massage table. "Rodolfo's the best, isn't he?"
"Gee, thanks, girlie!" her masseur protested, giving her shoulder muscles an extra hard dig.
"Ouch! Except for you! Except for you, Collier!" Simone wiggled and twisted under the young man's strong hands.
Rodolfo said nothing, but just shook his head and smiled at their antics as he continued to work away at Beth, kneading and stroking tired muscles with his capable hands, adjusting the sheet covering her as he worked.
"You are very tense, Miss Turner," he said quietly. "Is your neck bothering you?"
"Not anymore," Beth sighed happily, laying her head back down and closing her eyes. The afternoon was passing with blissful slowness as the two women were primped and pampered, courtesy of Josef Kostan's thoughtfulness.
It had started with an elaborate – and late - breakfast for the two women on the sunny terrace. Wrapped in a soft, luxurious, ice-blue cashmere robe that had been at the foot of her bed when she awoke, Beth had, at first, been embarrassed at how late she had slept.
Finding Simone already ensconced on the terrace with a steaming mug of black coffee, she had confided her feelings. "Don't be!" the lawyer had exclaimed. "After all you've been through the past couple of weeks, don't you dare beat yourself up over a couple of extra hours of sleep." The thin brunette had looked stunning in a similar robe in a deep crimson color.
"So, what's going on, Simone?"
"I don't exactly know. Josef woke me up this morning to tell me that he had plans for the two of us today and that we should start out here for breakfast." She had shrugged and taken another gulp of the strong coffee as Beth sat down opposite her. "Honestly, it's so beautiful out here, I could sit on this veranda all day and be happy."
Beth had agreed. The terrace, with its beautiful vistas and peaceful atmosphere, had become her favorite spot at the vineyard over the past fortnight - an escape from the cold reality of the freezer room. "It's hard to believe that we are going to leave here tomorrow. I feel like I've been here forever. It's honestly hard to remember what the real world is like."
"Not as nice as this," her companion had retorted. "I can tell you, I'm going to drag Josef here more now that I know how beautiful this place is."
"You'd never been here before?"
"Nope." Simone's thick brown mane had swirled around her shoulders as she shook her head vigorously. "I knew about it, of course. I helped with the purchase before I started to work for him - in fact, that's how we met. Fitting, huh? I was working for another firm, representing the seller, but in true Kostan fashion, he lured me away." She smiled at the memory of a persuasive Josef, convincing her to come to work for him.
"I didn't know that's how you met. Did the vineyard look like this then?" Beth looked around the beautiful room appreciatively.
"Lord, no. It was a mess! At the time, I thought he was crazy to be paying so much for it. But...that was before I really knew Josef. He had big plans, kept saying he wanted it to look like a place he remembered from when he was young. As a human, I mean," she clarified. "So, there's been something under construction or some renovation going on ever since – until now."
"How long has he owned it?" Beth had cursed her inquisitive nature, but she could no more stop herself from asking questions than she could stop breathing.
"Over two years."
"Two years! And, he'd never stayed here before now?" Beth's tone was incredulous.
Simone had met her gaze with an indulgent smile. "No, just visits to meet with his vineyard master or to check on the progress of renovations. Come on, Beth, you know Josef pretty well by now. You can see what a perfectionist he is. I mean, look how long it took him to rebuild his office, for crying out loud – and this was a whole estate!"
"I suppose," Beth had acknowledged doubtfully.
Simone had reached across the café-style table to put her hand on the young woman's. "You have to remember that Josef – and Mick, for that matter – has all the time in the world. They're immortal. So…" She shrugged. "What are a few years to get it right?" She had given Beth's hand a friendly squeeze before withdrawing her own.
Her comments had stuck with Beth while the two women finished their breakfast. What must it feel like to have eternity stretching in front of you, with no need to hurry or try to cram too much living into too small a block of time? And, Josef… he could look back on so many years, so many changes, so many experiences... So many relationships.
Beth had shivered, thinking of how many humans Josef must have said goodbye to in his centuries of life. And what about Mick? How many loved ones had he lost so far? The evening he had remembered his hallucination involving his brother, Mick had talked long into the night about him. Tears had slipped silently down his face as he told her about hearing that Mitchell had died. So much pain… Are you going to make him go through that again - with you?
Beth had shoved the thought away. She had told Mick that she wasn't ready to join his world after the Monaghans were executed for Emma's defiant threat to expose the entire vampire community. Did she still feel that way? I don't know. Many things were different now and she was no longer as sure of her answer. What she was sure of, however, was that she just wasn't up to dealing with that thorny issue right now. Not after all that had happened.
"You are tensing up again, Miss Turner. Is something hurting you?"
Rodolfo's voice broke through the funk she was falling into. Remember what Josef said – there is no room for bad news or problems this weekend.She was determined to follow that dictate.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what my problem is. You are doing a great job."
"I know what the problem is." Simone chirped. "She's spent most of the past two weeks in freezing temperatures, hardly eaten, hasn't slept… if you can fix all that, Rodolfo, you really do have the magic hands Josef claims you do."
"I do have magic hands, just like Mr. Josef says… but it sounds like Miss Turner might need divine intervention – and, despite what you might think, given how I look, I am not a god," the older man responded with a wry smile.
Everyone laughed.
Fifteen minutes later, the masseurs had disappeared into the house, leaving the two women stretched out with hot rocks placed on strategic spots along their spine, soothing music playing in the background.
"I could get used to this," Beth murmured sleepily. Rodolfo may not be a god, but she was willing to attribute god-like qualities to him right now. She had not felt this relaxed since…well, she couldn't remember when.
"Mmmmm," Simone responded, her lips curving into a smile. "Thank you, Josef." A determinedly pragmatic young woman, she had already put the events of the past ten days behind her. It was unproductive to dwell on them. If more trouble was ahead, it would find them soon enough. In the meantime, she intended to take advantage of Josef's largess.
Within a few minutes, both women had fallen asleep, lulled by the soft music, comfortable massage tables, and completely relaxed muscles. Rodolfo and Collier may not be gods, but they were almost certainly wizards.
Mick, stripped down to boxers and a robe after a hot shower, a habit from his time as a human that he found impossible to break, sat in a leather recliner in Josef's private study, watching his friend experience similar bliss under Rodolfo's talented hands.
"Sure you don't want to partake?" Josef's voice was muffled, coming from a face hidden in cool towels as he lay on his stomach to allow his masseur to work on tight back, and neck, muscles.
"Um, how would I do that, Josef?" Mick shot back, gesturing toward his chest where the raw evidence of his recent brush with death was visible above the robe's belting at his waist. "Somehow, I don't think it would feel too good to lie on my stomach right now."
His tone was testy; truth be told, he was envious of his friend's indulgence. If he could have figured out how to get it done without causing pain, he'd be on the table next to Josef right now – but he certainly couldn't lie on his stomach and the thought of Rodolfo's or Collier's hard hands massaging his chest if he were on his back, made him wince, especially now that Dr. Spector had removed him from all morphine.
"Don't pout," Josef scolded, raising his head. "It's not becoming. We'll think of something else for you to do." He paused, his lips twitching in amusement. "Besides, that might not be a good idea anyway… massages can be, ah, stimulating – and with your restrictions and all…" The billionaire waited, hoping for a reaction from his friend.
"Jesus, Josef. Thanks for reminding me and rubbing it in! Like it won't be hard enough tonight… and for the next week!"
"What are friends for if not to make sure you follow doctor's orders?" Kostan watched as the P.I. leveraged himself slowly up from the chair and began pacing. He's got it bad. Josef let out a low whistle."Damn. You'll never make it a week without jumping Beth's bones."
Mick snorted and lowered himself gingerly back into the blood-colored leather chair, without bothering to reply. Instead, he reached for the scotch sitting on the floor next to his chair. Swirling the liquid, he sighed morosely and tossed the drink back, grimacing as the strong alcohol burned at the back of his throat.
Josef laughed. "Boy, now that you're back in the saddle, you really don't wanna climb down, do you?
Mick considered - and discarded - several surly responses before answering honestly, "Do you blame me?"
Raising his head from his arms, Josef retorted, "I could point out that your previous enforced celibacy was of your own volition - and that I advised against it on numerous occasions - but I won't, because that's the kind of friend I am. What I will do - or, actually did do - was arrange for a reflexology masseuse for you. She'll be here in an hour or so. No lying down. Just sitting back and relaxing in a chair." He propped himself up on his elbows, a boyish grin on his face. "Think you can handle that... stud?"
Fuck! He supposed it had only been a matter of time before Josef had latched onto that particular piece of information. His only chance was not to react, not let Kostan see that the nickname, coming from him, was irritating. Nonchalantly, Mick shrugged. "Sure. Thanks, Josef."
"Don't mention it... stud." Kostan's eyes gleamed wickedly as he lowered his head back onto his arms.
Mick sighed. Clearly, he wasn't fooling his friend. "Do you mind not calling me that, by the way?"
"But... it suits you so well!" The muffled voice coming from under Josef's arm was clearly amused.
"Yeah, well, there are several names I can think of that would serve you well too - but I'm too good a friend to use them. I was hoping you'd reciprocate."
"Well, see, there's your problem. You think I'm as good a friend to you as you are to me." Josef lifted his head and smiled innocently over at the P.I., but wisely refrained from adding the offending term again.
Removing one particular word from his vocabulary, however, did not prevent the billionaire from pursuing one of his favorite pastimes - giving Mick St. John a hard time. "So," he began, propping himself up on his elbows, "you and Beth are going back to L.A. tomorrow?"
"You know we are, Josef," Mick answered patiently.
"And... then what?"
"What do you mean?" The recovering vampire shifted uneasily in his chair and reached again for the glass of scotch. He had learned long ago that it was wise to be fortified with alcohol when enduring a Kostan grilling.
"What I mean," Josef mimicked, pushing himself to a sitting position and waving away his masseur, "is what is your plan? Are you going to ask Beth to officially move in with you? Gonna marry the girl? What exactly are your intentions?"
"Jesus, Josef, you sound like her father! I don't know, we'll just play it by ear."
Kostan tucked the towel more securely around his midsection before reaching for his own glass of scotch. Glancing slyly at Mick as he hoisted the heavy crystal glass to his lips, he stated emphatically, "With an answer like that, you'd better thank your lucky stars I'm not her father! I'd be kicking your ass halfway to Petaluma." I should do it anyway, just to knock some sense into your hard fucking head. Josef smiled at the thought. "Might not be far enough, though," he grumbled to himself. "It's only about 450 miles."
"What?"
"Nothing, Mick."
"So, what's next on the agenda, Simone? You seem to have more information than I do." Beth's inquisitive nature chafed at the idea of anyone else knowing something she didn't - even when it was something as trivial as party preparation.
"Josef left me a sheet with times and subject, but that's all, Beth, I swear. Here, take a look for yourself." Simone pulled the heavy linen paper out of the pocket of her robe and thrust it at her companion.
Beth studied the page for a moment. "So... we have manicures and pedicures in a few minutes - and then a 'fitting with stylist'?" She raised puzzled blue eyes to Simone. "What does that mean?"
The slim brunette shrugged. "I have no idea. So far though, the day has been heavenly, so I'm just going with it."
Beth had to agree. The massages each woman had been treated to had been... well, heavenly was the right word. Each of them had drifted off to sleep for more than an hour afterward. They might still be asleep had it not been for the gourmet meal they were served, complete with a pitcher of mimosas made with the finest champagne. She licked her lips, remembering the sweet taste and glanced at the empty pitcher longingly.
As if it had been magically summoned, there was a knock at the door to the suite and a fresh pitcher of mimosas appeared, followed by two Asian women carrying all the accoutrements for pedicures.
"I think round two has arrived," Simone stated archly, with a smile for her... friend. I think we are finally friends now. Thank you, Josef.
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