Well, here's Chapter 15. Thank you all for reviewing.I encourage everyone else toplease read and review. lol. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Violette de Musique: I really want to answer your question about Christine and Erik getting back together but I can't. Sorry. It would ruin the story. You'll just have tokeep readingto find out. I know that total blackmailing, but oh well. lol. :) Anyway, glad you like the story. And thanks for reviewing.

Chapter 15

"This life is like a game sometimes…

Then you came around me; the walls just disappeared

Nothing to surround me, to keep me from my fears

I'm unprotected; see how I've opened up

You've made me trust."

-Avril Lavigne, "Naked"

In exactly one hour, Erik and Julianna were to meet downstairs for dinner. During part of that time, Julianna prepared a fantastic dinner for the two of them, with rare and exotic delicacies. She never would have gone to so much trouble over something as simple and inconsequential as food, but she wanted to show Erik what it was like to live luxuriously. Normally, she only ate what food was easiest to manage, rarely anything extravagant. But she was going to do everything in her power to make sure that Erik was properly taken care of during his stay with her.

After the meal was prepared, Julianna went and got cleaned up, and then headed downstairs to wait for Erik. Only minutes after she after she entered the dining room, Erik sauntered in, rather dramatically. Her mouth dropped open in shock at the incredibly amazing transformation of Erik's appearance.

He'd taken a bath, and washed away all the dirt and grime from traveling. His handsome face was freshly shaven, his beautiful teeth were brushed and glistened in the light as he smiled … he even cleaned his mask, which glinted hauntingly within the dim luminosity of the candles. She even noticed he'd found a black wig similar to the one he wore back at the Opera House. His overall appearance had improved drastically. Julianna thought he was beautifully handsome before this. But now … Oh, God, he was breathtaking.

After the initial shock of seeing him look so hauntingly amazing, she noticed the clothes he was wearing. Black jacket, pants, and leather boots; tight-fitting blood red vest; long, dramatic black cape. He even wore a sword and his trademark black leather gloves for a more powerful and dramatic effect. He looked absolutely stunning. He could have been royalty just by his appearance. He could be a dark Lord, she thought. The mysterious, secretive, amazingly handsome, clever, criminally insane genius that lives alone in a gloomy old mansion, wears a mask, dresses in black, and plays his organ relentlessly. Yes, she decided, Erik would make a very sexy dark Lord. Julianna smiled at him with all the charm that she could muster. God, he looked so good.

Erik smiled back, equally astonished by her appearance. She had also bathed, and washed her long, silky hair. She'd applied a light, yet stunningly beautiful, layer of makeup. She painted her lips a deep shade of crimson, lined her eyes with a thin contour of black kohl, shaded her eyelids with a deep brown, mocha tint, and colored her cheeks with a rosy blush. To his surprise, he noticed she'd also painted her fingernails and toenails a fiery red color. He'd never seen or heard of a woman coloring her nails before, but he found it attractive all the same.

He was shocked even more to find her in a dress, and her body tightly confined by a corset, which made her appear very shapely and well formed. Not that she doesn't anyway, he thought, grinning. The long, luxurious dress that she wore was beautifully exotic, with a low-cut neckline exposing her ample breasts. He guessed she must have got it from some other country, because he had never seen any woman in Paris wear a dress comparable to it.

It was black silk and lace, adorned with red and black beads and jewels … a true work of art. She wore a beautiful, ruby-studded necklace and dangling earrings to match. Around her wrist was an astounding ebony bracelet, and a ring that matched it on her right ring finger. The shoes she wore were black with two and a half inch heels, decorated with rubies and a back satin ribbon that wrapped around her ankles. With those shoes on, she was almost as tall as he was, but not quite.

He let out a breath. She looked more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. He admired her, silently. She definitely knew how to dress to make an impression on the people around her. She looked like a goddess, a beautiful dark angel. He suddenly realized that their outfits matched … perfectly.

She must have been thinking the same thing, because she walked over to him, held his gloved hand, and said, "Look, Erik … we match!"

"Yes, we do," he agreed, dreamily, not taking his eyes off her for one second. "Julianna …" he started. "You look … beautiful … absolutely gorgeous."

She smiled warmly at his compliment. "You don't look so bad yourself, Erik," she said, patting his perfectly sculpted chest. "Stunning," she stated. "You could easily be mistaken for the Lord of this manor."

"Hmpfh!" he snorted, sarcastically. "Me? A Lord?" He laughed, disdainfully. "That would be that day."

"Oh, Erik…" she replied. "Don't say that," she said, lifting his chin up gently, letting her fingers linger along his jaw line. "Believe me, I have known many Lords, and none of them looked half as good as you do tonight. You could undeniably fool many people."

"If you say so," he said, not fully believing her. All his life, he'd been shunned because of his horrible face, but now this woman was telling him that he looked handsome enough to be a Lord. Her words sounded so convincing … so persuasive, yet he could hardly believe her.

Suddenly, Julianna had a brilliantly clever idea. In the chance that any random visitors or travelers would show up at her house, as they often did, looking for food or temporary housing, she and Erik could pose at the Lord and Lady of the manor. That way no one would be suspicious as to why she was living with an unrelated bachelor. The perfect plan, she thought.

"Erik," she said, eyes lighting up. "I have an idea for a problem we might have."

"What problem?" he asked, frowning slightly. They'd had enough problems anyway. What more could possibly be awaiting them? Surely, nothing too serious or she would have mentioned it before, he reasoned.

"Well, sometimes travelers stop by here for food or a place to stay," she replied. "They may become suspicious of us living together, both of us being unwed and not related." She smiled widely, and grabbed his hand. "I think we should pretend to be the Lord and Lady of this manor. You can pose as my husband." He appeared to be lost in thought, so Julianna added, "What do you think?"

He looked at her, mischievously. "I think it just might work," he said. "That is, if anyone stops by here. He secretly hoped someone would show up during his stay, just so he could pretend to be Julianna's husband. As long as Christine never finds out, he thought, smiling.

She gazed at him, lovingly. Just practicing, she told herself. Just practicing. Suddenly, she thought it might not be such a great idea to pretend to be his wife. It could go too far. Things might happen that both of them would later regret. And she definitely didn't want that to happen. Well, she did, but she couldn't let it. She reminded herself again that he was taken. His heart belonged to Christine.

He smiled and cupped her face in his gloved hands. He could feel her warmth even through the leather. Warmth was something he had not felt in quite some time. He enjoyed just being able to feel something other than the bitter cold of his life. "I don't suppose you have rings we can wear, do you?"

She put her hands on his. "Why, of course I do, darling," she said, playfully. "Did you forget that I am, in fact, a pirate? Stealing jewelry is my middle name … well, actually, my middle name is Michelle, but you know what I meant."

He laughed and removed his hands from her face, and placing them on her waist. "Of course, my love," he said. "How could I forget?"

She was shocked at the conviction in his voice when he said 'my love.' Either he was a very good actor … or he meant it. She secretly hoped he was just a good actor. If he had feelings for her, that would ultimately mess up the plan. She knew if it was true, it would be hard for her to refuse him. He was too charming … and handsome.

"Julianna Michelle La Vivion…" he whispered, letting her name roll of his tongue like beautiful music.

"Yes?" she whispered, shivering slightly. The way his whispered her name made it sound so beautiful. Just the sound of his voice was so soothing… so beautiful. She knew from what Christine had told her that he could sing exceptionally well. She wondered if she would ever get to hear his beautiful voice sing. She secretly hoped.

Julianna, herself, could sing fairly well. Her voice was not as pure as Christine's, but still it was considered beautiful by the few that had actually heard it. She remembered years of singing pirate songs on her fathers ship. Those pirates rather enjoyed her sultry, soothing voice. She highly doubted though that she could sing opera very well.

"Nothing," Erik answered, gently. "I was just putting your full name together … quite beautiful." He smiled.

"Oh, Erik," she grinned, suddenly overcome with delight. "What am I going to do with you?" she said, playfully, brushing her hand along his smooth cheek. "I'll get our rings later. For now, let's eat."

Erik nodded in agreement, and fixated his eyes upon the marvelous meal Julianna had prepared for him. It looked absolutely delicious! His mouth watered, and his body reminded him that he hadn't had a proper meal in over a week.