Story-line: In a supernatural world, where vampires and werewolves roam free, Serena finds herself in the position of being wanted by two very powerful, very different men. Will she follow her heart and make the right choice in the matter of love?
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DECEIT
Chapter 4
Rosegalaxia
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Ripping my mouth away from Darien's, I stood staring at him with my chest heaving and my lips still pulsing from the possession of his kiss. Perfect picture of a melodramatic heroine from a Victorian film. Film? Book I mean. History is one of the few- very few- things I don't excel at. Don't hold it against me.
I tried to convince myself that maybe the voice hadn't been Andrew's. Maybe my guilty conscious had made me think it was my fiancés. But it didn't work. Especially as I saw a slow smile spread over Darien's mouth. The mouth that I had kissed. The mouth that I had wanted to kiss. The mouth that I still- ok. Forget that line of thought. Onto another one... why was he smiling? And then it suddenly dawned on me.
My hand lifted to aim at the side of Darien's face and I flung it towards him, putting my whole strength behind it. The sharp crack resounded in the room and his face snapped to one side. A large reddish imprint of my hand spread over his pale cheek and as I watched, his smile disappeared and left his face expressionless. Normally I would have flinched at the icy look in his eyes but this wasn't a normal time. As proven by the fact that normally I wouldn't normally have slapped a man. I never do that. I always punch. But, I don't know, I suppose Darien brings out my feminine side.
He had tricked me. He had known that Andrew was coming and he had made me kiss him. I had seen the satisfaction in his eyes after Andrew had slammed out. He had achieved what he had wanted. Trouble between me and Andrew. No man -or woman, I'm giving you no excuse to call me a sexist- would tolerate his or her fiancé locked in a passionate embrace with some-one else. Well, except for, in my humble opinion, the weirdoes who go for open relationships and think nothing of their partner's adultery because they themselves think nothing of cheating.
And let me reassure you that Andrew isn't one of those weirdoes. If I ever found out that he was cheating on me...! What a time to be possessive huh? Anyway, I have to admit it. He had a right to be angry. He had a right to break up with me. But... oh, I didn't want him to. I would miss him too much. Way too much. I love him. (And yes. I'm quite capable of feeling that emotion). Even though I might have been having doubts about the engagement, I loved him. I do. I really really do. I love him... I love him and I'm definitely not trying to convince myself of this as I repeat the phrase over and over again. It's you I'm trying to convince... honest. Really. I'm telling the truth.
" You had a better have a good reason for doing that my love." His voice was cold, at odds with the endearment he had tagged on at the end of the sentence.
His love? Ha!
While I was thinking about what was going to happen next, Darien had been busy getting all self-righteous on me. Well, let me tell you, he wasn't going to get a single drop of sympathy from me. No way. Nop. All my sympathy had already been used up on myself.
" Oh I have. A very good reason." I paused and tried to think of a reason, any reason, never mind a good one... oh, got one! " How could you do this Darien? I know you're sneaky and manipulative but this... don't you have any morals? Any feelings for other people?" Yep. That's me. Little Miss Goody-goody. Always only thinking of others.
He put out a prefect white marble hand up to his cheek and where before he had been warm, human and alive, now he was cold, vampire and dead. Honestly, I could feel the coldness coming off him. It's always amazing, no matter how many times you've seen it, when a vampire changes so quickly from being warm to cold. In this case, practise definitely doesn't make perfect. Believe me I know. I've known vampires a long time. And let me tell you, I've been around them for longer than I wish.
" Do what Serena? I asked that you kiss me if you wanted to leave. I didn't force you. You did it because you wanted to. It is unfortunate for you that your... significant other chose that moment to barge into my office."
I wasn't having any of it. There was no way I was going to admit that Darien could be right. " You knew he was coming. You deliberately made me kiss you-"
Anger suddenly sparked in Darien's eyes. " I did not force you to do anything. You did it because you wanted to."
I was losing my steam. I always do when the other person doesn't shout back. It's an uncontrollable reaction. Most people usually gather more steam when the other person stays calm. But you have to have figured it out by now. I'm not most people. I'm different. Unique. Special. Modest.
" I did it because I had no choice. You forced me." Yeah, that's right. I'm a defenceless, little girl.
God does any-one know what I'm doing? Why was I still here, bantering with him when I should have gone after Andrew? And why am I still here, bantering with him when I've realised that I should go after Andrew?
Darien sighed and looking down at my mutinous face, his face softened. He lowered his voice to a husky murmur and even while I was busy hating him I couldn't help the slight shiver that slashed down my spine.
" You want me Serena. Why do you think that is so wrong? It is a healthy emotion, and as you deny me, you deny yourself."
I didn't say anything. What was there to say? I admit it, he was right. I wanted him. And I deny myself when I don't let us be together. If it wasn't for my stubbornness... it was all my fault- waaaiiit a minute. My fault? Was there peace in the world? No. So it wasn't my fault. How the hell did I think that? He's the one who dumped me. And very publicly and humiliatingly I might add.
I was getting desperate now. I couldn't really leave because he stood in front of the door. There was the window... but since we were ten stories high, I don't think I could have jumped and made my escape safely with all bones intact. So...
" I'm- I'm going to sue you for harassment." Cringe. Did I really say that? My sources tell me I did. But I'm sure they're wrong. I would never say something like that. I'm really not one of those people who sue left and right and for extra measure, sue up and down as well. You know, the kind who sue the theme park for having been made to queue up for 41 minutes when the notice said 40 minutes.
Darien shook his head at me. " Do not talk nonsense my love." There it was again. My love. " You knew that it was a game. I had no intention of keeping you here. And all I have to say is that if your fiancé takes offence at a kiss, he is a prude who does not deserve you."
I sighed and looked at the floor. It was I who didn't deserve Andrew. And as for Andrew being a prude... well... no, of course he wasn't. As if. Really, the thought. No way. I would react in the same way if I caught him with some-one he lusted after. But with one difference. I would be more violent. I would have gone in there and scratched the woman's eyes out. I would have torn her hair out. I would have... killed her. And all that if I had just seen him kiss her. Don't ask me what I would do if he did something other than kiss a woman.
" He is not a prude. And it's me who doesn't deserve him." Pushing Darien away from the door, I turned the handle and pausing, said without looking back, "stay away from me. At least until I'm not as angry as I am now. And the only way that's going to happen is if Andrew forgives me."
Darien didn't say anything, and good for him. 'cause I'm telling you, if he had opened his mouth and said a word, one word, I'd have killed him. Yeah yeah, so I'm threatening to kill every-one nowadays. But my threats are real. I do as I say. And though I couldn't have killed Darien without any weapons with me right now, I suppose I could have prayed that the 'looks can kill' applied to me.
Slamming the door behind me, I made my way downstairs and out of the office building. I wouldn't be coming back here any time soon. You can count on that. Well, you now, at least until after a day or two when I have to go to work. But I can't really say that can I? It spoils the effect.
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As I unlocked the door to my apartment, I couldn't help wishing that Andrew was in there, waiting for me. Why had he come to Darien's office? I'd told him to stay at home. You think this was something like telling some-one not to look in a particular place and they just have to do it?
Sighing, I slammed the door shut behind me. Who cared if it woke the neighbours? They couldn't do anything to hurt me. The men in my life had done that already.
I stood in the hallway and thought about it. Should I or should I not, that is the question.... hmm. Yes I should. Going over to the phone, I rang Andrew's house. He didn't pick up. I let the phone ring for ages but still no-one. Well, except the answering machine. So Andrew most probably hadn't gone home after... seeing me.
Where was he? I frowned as I thought about it. Maybe he was at Doug's but... I'll try Nes-café. Some people, when they're miserable like to be alone but others surround themselves with people. I didn't really know which category Andrew was in since he'd never been sad around me. That made me feel bad. Worse than I already felt.
A woman's voice brought my attention to the phone I was clutching in a death grip in my hand. " Hello? Nes-café?"
I recognised her immediately (Andrew and I were regular customers there, neither of us being very good at cooking). " Hey Rene! Is Andrew there?"
There was silence for a while and I presumed that Rene had gone to check. Or maybe she was just sitting there, knowing the answer to my question yet letting me stew. Some people are like that. Just my bad luck that I knew most of them. Finally, just when I was about to hang up, she came back on. " No sorry. He's not here."
She then cut the phone dead! Wow. Weren't the staff polite? Shaking my head, I replaced the receiver. I wasn't going to hunt around for Andrew all night. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.
I peeked into the kitchen and decided against having something to eat. I just couldn't. I didn't feel like it and I had the feeling that I would be sick if anything passed my lips. So I went to my room and changed into my pyjamas. My black ones, which Andrew always said-
Tears crept unbidden into my eyes. No. I wasn't going to think about him. I'd sleep on it. I needed to sleep to handle anything. Lack of sleep was making me unusually emotional. That's fine with some people. You know. They can cry when they're alone. But not me. I'm not a softie. And I never ever cry... never. Well, usually.
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Do I need to say it? Oh alright. Please review. Just press the button you can see right now and right a few words of your thoughts. It will be much appreciated.
Rosegalaxia
rosegalaxia@yahoo.com
**********
DECEIT
Chapter 4
Rosegalaxia
**********
Ripping my mouth away from Darien's, I stood staring at him with my chest heaving and my lips still pulsing from the possession of his kiss. Perfect picture of a melodramatic heroine from a Victorian film. Film? Book I mean. History is one of the few- very few- things I don't excel at. Don't hold it against me.
I tried to convince myself that maybe the voice hadn't been Andrew's. Maybe my guilty conscious had made me think it was my fiancés. But it didn't work. Especially as I saw a slow smile spread over Darien's mouth. The mouth that I had kissed. The mouth that I had wanted to kiss. The mouth that I still- ok. Forget that line of thought. Onto another one... why was he smiling? And then it suddenly dawned on me.
My hand lifted to aim at the side of Darien's face and I flung it towards him, putting my whole strength behind it. The sharp crack resounded in the room and his face snapped to one side. A large reddish imprint of my hand spread over his pale cheek and as I watched, his smile disappeared and left his face expressionless. Normally I would have flinched at the icy look in his eyes but this wasn't a normal time. As proven by the fact that normally I wouldn't normally have slapped a man. I never do that. I always punch. But, I don't know, I suppose Darien brings out my feminine side.
He had tricked me. He had known that Andrew was coming and he had made me kiss him. I had seen the satisfaction in his eyes after Andrew had slammed out. He had achieved what he had wanted. Trouble between me and Andrew. No man -or woman, I'm giving you no excuse to call me a sexist- would tolerate his or her fiancé locked in a passionate embrace with some-one else. Well, except for, in my humble opinion, the weirdoes who go for open relationships and think nothing of their partner's adultery because they themselves think nothing of cheating.
And let me reassure you that Andrew isn't one of those weirdoes. If I ever found out that he was cheating on me...! What a time to be possessive huh? Anyway, I have to admit it. He had a right to be angry. He had a right to break up with me. But... oh, I didn't want him to. I would miss him too much. Way too much. I love him. (And yes. I'm quite capable of feeling that emotion). Even though I might have been having doubts about the engagement, I loved him. I do. I really really do. I love him... I love him and I'm definitely not trying to convince myself of this as I repeat the phrase over and over again. It's you I'm trying to convince... honest. Really. I'm telling the truth.
" You had a better have a good reason for doing that my love." His voice was cold, at odds with the endearment he had tagged on at the end of the sentence.
His love? Ha!
While I was thinking about what was going to happen next, Darien had been busy getting all self-righteous on me. Well, let me tell you, he wasn't going to get a single drop of sympathy from me. No way. Nop. All my sympathy had already been used up on myself.
" Oh I have. A very good reason." I paused and tried to think of a reason, any reason, never mind a good one... oh, got one! " How could you do this Darien? I know you're sneaky and manipulative but this... don't you have any morals? Any feelings for other people?" Yep. That's me. Little Miss Goody-goody. Always only thinking of others.
He put out a prefect white marble hand up to his cheek and where before he had been warm, human and alive, now he was cold, vampire and dead. Honestly, I could feel the coldness coming off him. It's always amazing, no matter how many times you've seen it, when a vampire changes so quickly from being warm to cold. In this case, practise definitely doesn't make perfect. Believe me I know. I've known vampires a long time. And let me tell you, I've been around them for longer than I wish.
" Do what Serena? I asked that you kiss me if you wanted to leave. I didn't force you. You did it because you wanted to. It is unfortunate for you that your... significant other chose that moment to barge into my office."
I wasn't having any of it. There was no way I was going to admit that Darien could be right. " You knew he was coming. You deliberately made me kiss you-"
Anger suddenly sparked in Darien's eyes. " I did not force you to do anything. You did it because you wanted to."
I was losing my steam. I always do when the other person doesn't shout back. It's an uncontrollable reaction. Most people usually gather more steam when the other person stays calm. But you have to have figured it out by now. I'm not most people. I'm different. Unique. Special. Modest.
" I did it because I had no choice. You forced me." Yeah, that's right. I'm a defenceless, little girl.
God does any-one know what I'm doing? Why was I still here, bantering with him when I should have gone after Andrew? And why am I still here, bantering with him when I've realised that I should go after Andrew?
Darien sighed and looking down at my mutinous face, his face softened. He lowered his voice to a husky murmur and even while I was busy hating him I couldn't help the slight shiver that slashed down my spine.
" You want me Serena. Why do you think that is so wrong? It is a healthy emotion, and as you deny me, you deny yourself."
I didn't say anything. What was there to say? I admit it, he was right. I wanted him. And I deny myself when I don't let us be together. If it wasn't for my stubbornness... it was all my fault- waaaiiit a minute. My fault? Was there peace in the world? No. So it wasn't my fault. How the hell did I think that? He's the one who dumped me. And very publicly and humiliatingly I might add.
I was getting desperate now. I couldn't really leave because he stood in front of the door. There was the window... but since we were ten stories high, I don't think I could have jumped and made my escape safely with all bones intact. So...
" I'm- I'm going to sue you for harassment." Cringe. Did I really say that? My sources tell me I did. But I'm sure they're wrong. I would never say something like that. I'm really not one of those people who sue left and right and for extra measure, sue up and down as well. You know, the kind who sue the theme park for having been made to queue up for 41 minutes when the notice said 40 minutes.
Darien shook his head at me. " Do not talk nonsense my love." There it was again. My love. " You knew that it was a game. I had no intention of keeping you here. And all I have to say is that if your fiancé takes offence at a kiss, he is a prude who does not deserve you."
I sighed and looked at the floor. It was I who didn't deserve Andrew. And as for Andrew being a prude... well... no, of course he wasn't. As if. Really, the thought. No way. I would react in the same way if I caught him with some-one he lusted after. But with one difference. I would be more violent. I would have gone in there and scratched the woman's eyes out. I would have torn her hair out. I would have... killed her. And all that if I had just seen him kiss her. Don't ask me what I would do if he did something other than kiss a woman.
" He is not a prude. And it's me who doesn't deserve him." Pushing Darien away from the door, I turned the handle and pausing, said without looking back, "stay away from me. At least until I'm not as angry as I am now. And the only way that's going to happen is if Andrew forgives me."
Darien didn't say anything, and good for him. 'cause I'm telling you, if he had opened his mouth and said a word, one word, I'd have killed him. Yeah yeah, so I'm threatening to kill every-one nowadays. But my threats are real. I do as I say. And though I couldn't have killed Darien without any weapons with me right now, I suppose I could have prayed that the 'looks can kill' applied to me.
Slamming the door behind me, I made my way downstairs and out of the office building. I wouldn't be coming back here any time soon. You can count on that. Well, you now, at least until after a day or two when I have to go to work. But I can't really say that can I? It spoils the effect.
***********************************************************
As I unlocked the door to my apartment, I couldn't help wishing that Andrew was in there, waiting for me. Why had he come to Darien's office? I'd told him to stay at home. You think this was something like telling some-one not to look in a particular place and they just have to do it?
Sighing, I slammed the door shut behind me. Who cared if it woke the neighbours? They couldn't do anything to hurt me. The men in my life had done that already.
I stood in the hallway and thought about it. Should I or should I not, that is the question.... hmm. Yes I should. Going over to the phone, I rang Andrew's house. He didn't pick up. I let the phone ring for ages but still no-one. Well, except the answering machine. So Andrew most probably hadn't gone home after... seeing me.
Where was he? I frowned as I thought about it. Maybe he was at Doug's but... I'll try Nes-café. Some people, when they're miserable like to be alone but others surround themselves with people. I didn't really know which category Andrew was in since he'd never been sad around me. That made me feel bad. Worse than I already felt.
A woman's voice brought my attention to the phone I was clutching in a death grip in my hand. " Hello? Nes-café?"
I recognised her immediately (Andrew and I were regular customers there, neither of us being very good at cooking). " Hey Rene! Is Andrew there?"
There was silence for a while and I presumed that Rene had gone to check. Or maybe she was just sitting there, knowing the answer to my question yet letting me stew. Some people are like that. Just my bad luck that I knew most of them. Finally, just when I was about to hang up, she came back on. " No sorry. He's not here."
She then cut the phone dead! Wow. Weren't the staff polite? Shaking my head, I replaced the receiver. I wasn't going to hunt around for Andrew all night. If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be.
I peeked into the kitchen and decided against having something to eat. I just couldn't. I didn't feel like it and I had the feeling that I would be sick if anything passed my lips. So I went to my room and changed into my pyjamas. My black ones, which Andrew always said-
Tears crept unbidden into my eyes. No. I wasn't going to think about him. I'd sleep on it. I needed to sleep to handle anything. Lack of sleep was making me unusually emotional. That's fine with some people. You know. They can cry when they're alone. But not me. I'm not a softie. And I never ever cry... never. Well, usually.
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Do I need to say it? Oh alright. Please review. Just press the button you can see right now and right a few words of your thoughts. It will be much appreciated.
Rosegalaxia
rosegalaxia@yahoo.com