Another long part, 7000+ words...
I'm sure you all know the spiel by now, I don't own Phantom, fic takes place in present day, blah blah blah, REVIEW…
Lenore was dreaming again, that nightmare she'd been having since she was eighteen.
Darkness, a starless black night that promised no mercy, encompassed her. She tried to run, hoping to find a way out of the darkness, some sort of light perhaps. But Lenore couldn't move. She struggled with every ounce of strength she possessed, but her legs were firmly pinned in place. The horrible stench of smoke filled her nose and she coughed before desperately increasing her effort to get away. Flames sprang into life in front of her, and she knew that no matter how she wriggled, she wasn't going to get out of this. There was no escape, no matter how much she might fight, for death was inevitable. No mercy, no mercy anywhere. Not from God, or any other supreme being.
But suddenly, there was a gentle hand upon her cheek, a lover's caress. The fire was left behind to be replaced by a different sort of flames; the flames of lust. Gentle kisses were trailed down her abdomen and her lover's tongue began to pay special attentions to the area between her legs. A few minutes later, his mouth moved back up her body, now busying itself with her breasts as he began grinding his hips against hers. She opened her eyes and saw the top of her lover's head, and found herself pressing gentle kisses into his dark brown hair.
She tugged at the waistband of his pants, wanting him as naked as she herself was. He complied, and she found her hand being directed on how to please him. When he let her continue on her own, she let go of his manhood, gently brushing her fingers down the length of it. He enjoyed it immensely, for he groaned her name. Moments later, he dropped back down onto her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues battled for domination, but he won in the end.
He pushed himself up, and just before he plunged into her, Lenore saw his face clearly.
Jerking awake, finding herself quite breathless from the dream, Lenore stared at the ceiling in shock. For the past three weeks, her usual nightmare had ended before the pain came, with a lover's touch that took her from the fear of death to the pleasure of physical love. But before now, she had never really seen the man that made love to her.
How is it that my dream lover is Erik? True, I met him the week before those erotic dreams began, but…How can I lust after a man I don't know who's now gone and kidnapped me?
"Is something the matter, Lenore?" Erik inquired, his voice right next to her ear.
"AAAGGGHHH!" she shrieked, not expecting the man to be in bed with her. "What in the name of God do you think you're doing? Pervert!"
"Well, I'm certainly not doing anything in the name of God," he replied.
That was when Lenore noticed she was wearing a rather large shirt (probably one of Erik's). "You…where are my clothes?" she hissed indignantly, sitting up lest she need to bolt. Erik had no place undressing her!
"I hung them in the bathroom to dry, ma petite," Erik explained. "I couldn't let you spend the night in damp clothes, you'd get horribly sick."
"That does not justify undressing me! You should've woken me up instead of doing it yourself!" she complained.
"Don't get yourself all worked up, I've seen you naked many times, chérie," Erik responded, sitting up himself.
She smacked at him repeatedly in the dark. "You're a disgusting, perverted bastard!"
Erik grabbed her wrists and pulled her close. "And you're a woman who wants to have sex but thinks it improper to do so before marriage," he whispered huskily.
"How did you know that?" she inquired, her voice trembling.
"You've always been that way," he replied. "You think that the pleasures of your body are meant to be shared only with that one man you'll spend the rest of your life with."
"It's not wrong to want that," she said defensively.
"I never said it was. I rather expect my wife to devote herself entirely to me," Erik returned.
Having had her before, Erik knew exactly how to please her. It was just a matter of whether or not Lenore would let him. Her heart was racing with the fear of being restrained, but he knew she was enjoying it. He could see flickers of lust in her blue eyes.
Taking her in his arms, he pulled her close and stole a kiss. She pressed herself closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding her hands into his hair. Slowly, he lowered her onto the bed, and when they broke contact, she was gasping for air and staring at him, eyes full of wonder.
"What are you doing to me?" she whispered.
"Your heart is the one that's doing things to you, darling," he replied. "And your hormones certainly aren't helping."
It was at that exact moment that the alarm on her watch began to go off. She has the thing set for quarter of six? She never gets up that early. And shortly after her watch started beeping madly, there was a knock on his front door.
Silently cursing whoever had come to visit, Erik let go of her and strode out to the door in a fury. He yanked the door open and found Ember standing there, arms over her chest. He had told Ember how to enter the underground without tripping the alarm and taught her a path to his house twenty years ago. She very rarely visited, usually just once a year to visit Lenore's tomb.
"What do you want, Madam O'Malley?" he snapped, irritated at being interrupted when he was with Lenore.
"I want my diva back, Erik!" she proclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and looking every inch the angry mother who was about to scold a mischievous child for his latest prank. "She's got warm ups at six, surely you didn't forget that? And of course you didn't forget about the rehearsal starting at seven!"
Damn. "I'll give her the required warm up myself, and return her in time for your silly rehearsal. You'd best be on your way, or they might start warm ups without you," Erik replied.
"Madam O'Malley!" Lenore gasped, having come out of the bedroom. She was in the process of trying to figure out how to keep a pair of Erik's slacks around her waist while tugging on a pair of his boots, despite the fact that the aforementioned items were far too large for her. "I'm coming to warm ups, I'll be there on time, I swear it!"
"What the hell have you two been doing down here?" Ember inquired.
"Having mad, passionate sex like a pair of rabbits in heat," Erik lied.
"We most certainly did not!" Lenore shouted.
"You bloody damn liar!" Ember yelled at the same time.
A smirk conquered his face. "Honestly, Lenore, there's no need to lie about it. Your manager expects it of us," he said. "And you don't have to put on a show of being concerned, Madam O'Malley, I assure you we won't let anyone know that you allowed one of your girls to have sexual relations with the Opera Ghost. We wouldn't want them to think you're getting soft in your old age." Whenever Ember and Rosalyn acquired new cast members, they always told them that under no circumstances whatsoever were they to have a relationship with Erik, much less a physical one.
"Shut up, old man," Ember snapped. "You didn't do a god damn thing with her; you're too much of a gentleman."
"With all due respect, Madam, I'm not the one with gray hair," Erik teased.
"That's because you're not distinguished enough for gray hair," Ember returned haughtily. "Come along, Lenore."
"Coming," Lenore said, still tugging on a boot while holding the pants up at her waist. "GAH!" She lost her balance and fell face forward.
"I believe it would be best if you rehearsed without her," Erik informed Ember after a moment's thought. "I don't have any clothes down here to fit her, and her night garments are still damp."
"Damp? Beg your pardon?" Ember asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Lenore and I decided to frolic in the lake last night," Erik answered.
"There was no frolicking!" Lenore proclaimed from the floor.
"That's your story, ma chérie," Erik said with a chuckle. This was more of what he expected; this was Lenore.
"Bloody man!" she yelled angrily, leaping to her feet. Of course, the slacks instantly fell to her ankles, but she didn't seem to realize this.
"Lenore, I think it's time we left," Ember stated firmly.
"I couldn't agree more!" Lenore snapped, glaring daggers at Erik. She went to take a step forward, but she tripped over the trousers and fell to floor once again.
Ember tried to conceal her giggles behind her hand, but Erik let his laughter ring through the room. It was rather hilarious that the girl had let her anger trip her up this second time. That was the Lenore he remembered. His laughter was fading when he caught the boot Lenore threw at him. It seems she's acquired better aim in her new life; I'll have to remember that.
"I'll bring her up for the performance, madam," Erik told Ember. "I hope you have a perfectly rotten day with those silly ballet girls of yours." That said, he closed the door in her face and locked it.
The ballet girls really were quite ridiculous. They always traded wild stories of Erik coming into their rooms at night for pleasure, and each one claimed that she pleased him best. Even a few of the men made such claims.
Of course, Ember had no intentions of being dismissed and began banging on the door. "Open the door this minute, or else I'll turn you over my knee. Don't think I can't do it!" she yelled.
"May I remind you that I'm not one of your children?" he called back.
"Well you're certainly acting as immature as they do," she replied. "You need a good spanking."
"You don't give Cahal a spanking for all the women he seduces, why should I be forced to suffer such punishment?" Erik reasoned.
"What?"
"Oh, didn't you know that your son's been sleeping with every woman he can get his hands on?" Erik said with a smirk.
"Well…if it's safe sex"-
"I assure you it's not. I had the misfortune of stumbling across one of his little trysts backstage the other night."
"Damnit!" she snarled. "That boy is in serious trouble."
"Are you going to spank him?" Erik inquired.
"Worse! I'm taking away the cell phone, internet, and car!" Ember declared. "Now his tarts won't be able to get a hold of him except through the home phone, and Patrick always screens our calls. Damn that boy!"
"Well, you'd best get going in that case. We wouldn't one of his conquests to manage to contact him and set up a little arrangement, now would we?"
"I'll get going as soon as Lenore comes out," Ember replied.
"Are you so determined that you'd swear to it?" Erik asked.
"Damn straight I swear to it."
Erik grabbed Lenore's arm, (she had finally managed to get back on her feet and was still trying to find a way to keep his slacks from falling off her hips), unlocked the door, and dragged her outside, still holding tightly to her. "Alright, you can leave now," Erik said to Ember.
"No," Ember said defiantly, grabbing Lenore's other arm. "Not until"-
"You swore you would leave if Lenore came out. She is out, as you requested. Now leave, or else you'll be breaking your word," Erik informed her.
"You know what I meant, Erik."
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you meant," he lied. "Now shoo. You need to be getting back to your business."
"I think Rosalyn can manage just fine without me," Ember replied tartly.
"Would you like me to escort you back up?" Erik proposed.
"I would like Lenore to escort me back up," Ember said.
"Well, that's just not possible, she's not finished dressing yet."
"Fine, have it your way. But if she doesn't show up for tonight's performance, I'm coming down here with a gun."
"If the siren was giving you trouble, you should have told me. She doesn't normally drag herself on land for food, but she's quite hungry as of late."
"The gun is not for the siren, it's for your black heart," Ember snapped, letting go of Lenore's arm. "Good day, jackass." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off into the darkness.
Erik shook his head and pulled Lenore back inside, all but slamming the door behind them. Ember could be such a nuisance sometimes… "Please abandon the idea of wearing my slacks; they're not going to fit," Erik told Lenore as he released her.
"You're too fat," Lenore mumbled.
"You're too skinny," he shot back.
"I'm a woman, I'm supposed to be skinny!"
"Just take the slacks off," he commanded. This was a ridiculous argument to be having.
"No, I'm not going around half-naked!"
"Unless you intend to take off your undergarments, you won't be half-naked without my pants," he informed her.
"I'm not traipsing around this place in an overly large shirt and my panties, thank you very much!"
He wanted to scream at her that she'd done it before, but she wouldn't remember that. Instead, he strode into his room, retrieved a bathrobe from the trunk he kept his clothes in and returned to her, thrusting the robe into her hands. "Will that make you feel more comfortable?"
"A bit," she admitted.
"As soon as you're ready, I'll be waiting in the bedroom to begin your warm ups," he informed her, leaving her alone in the drawing room to change.
" 'I'll be waiting in the bedroom'," Lenore mocked. "As if I'm going back in there again! Damn pervert…" She knew they would do warm ups in the bedroom, because that was where the organ was. She kicked off the boot that hadn't been thrown at him when he'd laughed at her, then let his pants drop to the ground. She quickly flung the robe around herself, not putting it past that man to be peeking on her. She then triple-knotted the robe belt, making sure it was quite difficult to undo.
Stalking into the bedroom with the air of an angry cat, she stood as far from the organ as was possible. He was already seated in front of the wall containing the ivory keys, obviously ready to begin.
"Come closer," Erik commanded.
"I rather like this side of the room," Lenore said dismissively.
"You can come over here of your own accord or I can drag you. I'm not particular in the how, so long as it's done," Erik informed her, turning around on his stool to look at her.
"I suppose you'll just have to drag me over, then," Lenore replied with a smirk. If he dragged her over, the moment he released her to play, she'd go right back across the room.
"As you wish," Erik sighed. He rose and walked over, taking her by the arm and hauling her across the room. Upon passing the desk, Erik retrieved a length of rope from one of the drawers. He bound her to the stool before taking his seat. "Now, what would you like to begin with?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Untying this rope," she replied, glaring up at him from her position at his left side.
"I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with that piece."
"Jackass."
"I don't know that one either. Perhaps I should pick, hm?" He paused for a moment, as though thinking. "Let's begin with that pretty Japanese song you sang the day of your audition."
He began an intro (he must have memorized the melody that day, though how anyone could memorize a melody after hearing it only once was beyond her), and Lenore just smiled to herself. He couldn't make her sing. He repeated the introduction when she did not make a sound, probably assuming that his introduction was unfamiliar to her and she had not been prepared. A third time he repeated it, and just before he merged it into the melody where the lyrics began, he whispered to her.
"Sing."
Erik's voice held a note of command that could not be denied. She found her soprano voice eagerly doing his bidding, and she was powerless to stop it. Lenore tried to fight against that voice that had manipulated and bound her, but it was useless. She realized that if he had wished, he could have made her believe the grass was blue and the sky was green.
When the piece ended, she felt Erik release her from his control. "I hate you," she snarled, glaring at him.
He placed his fingers under her chin and looked down on her with tender, gentle eyes that showed pity. "If you wouldn't be stubborn, I wouldn't have resort to such measures," he informed her. "And you don't hate me; you're merely upset that you don't have the will to break free of my control."
"It's your fault for controlling me in the first place," she argued. "I hate and blame the cause, not the symptoms."
"There's no need for you to hate yourself," Erik said softly. When she opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. "You have, through love, made me your master, and I cannot change that. It is you who must, can, and will find the strength to free yourself…if that's what you really want."
Lenore stared at him with her mouth hanging open. How can he even insinuate that it's my fault? I didn't ask him to control me! I don't love him! My first impression was quite right; the man is completely nuts.
"Now, would you like to pick the next piece, or shall I?"
Erik sat in Box 5, watching Lenore deliver her powerful rendition of Carmen's aria, La Habanera. His eyes followed her as she moved about the stage. When the line 'Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!' passed her lips, Erik smiled. You delivered that line spectacularly, much better than last night. Last night it had been a soft tone of playful warning in her voice, but tonight she delivered it as anyone in love would. Forcefully and unrelenting. Si je t'aime, prends garde à toi…If I love you, watch out! Yes, little one. You'd best watch out; I won't stop until you can admit that you return my affections.
Tu crois le tenir, il t'evite. Tu crois l'eviter, il te tient. A beautiful line, and never a truer statement made. You think to hold it, it eludes you. You think to elude it, it holds you. As I told you, you have made me your master. If you would stop trying to run from your feelings, I could have no hold over you.
Lenore hurried to her dressing room; if she changed quickly enough, she could get out of there before Erik managed to snatch her away. She changed in two minutes flat; that had to be a record of some kind. Hiding her costume in the closet so that Erik wouldn't know she'd been and gone, Lenore slipped out the door, looking around cautiously before shoving her way through the crowd towards an exit.
She jumped a mile and almost screamed when someone took her hand. "I was hoping I'd find you here," Cahal's voice said. She turned, taking in his red hair, emerald green eyes, the slightly large nose, and the crooked teeth his grin revealed. "You want to go back to Les Grandes Marches, or would you like to try a different place tonight?"
That's right. I promised to go out with him tonight. "Les Grandes Marches will be fine," she replied. "Let's go, I'm starving."
They walked to the restaurant, as his car had been confiscated, but that was fine with her. It was a bit of a walk, but the starlit sky was nice to look at, and, being June, it wasn't too cold for such a trek. When they finally arrived at the restaurant, Lenore was debating telling Cahal all about Erik and how he wanted to hold her prisoner beneath the Opera House.
Cahal spoke with the waiter in French for a moment, seemingly surprised by something the man had told him. Then they were escorted to a table for four. And who should be seated at that table but her father.
"I thought you might be dining here," he said pleasantly as Cahal seated her.
"Yes, well…" Lenore trailed off, not exactly sure how to deal with this. She could cause a horrible commotion by yelling at him that he was completely off his rocker to leave her with Erik, or she could try to get rid of him by telling him she was on a date.
"I've got splendid news, kitten," he informed her.
Have you come to your senses? Realized that you need to see a psychiatrist and stop leaving your daughter with manipulative maniacs? It didn't even occur to her to berate him for calling her 'kitten' in front of Cahal. "Oh, how nice," she said politely. She wasn't sure she wanted Cahal to know anything was going on. "What news is that?"
"You've been betrothed, darling," Hiroshi explained.
Lenore just stared at him for a moment. Maybe I'm hearing things…maybe I'm the one going mad. "Beg your pardon?" Granted, they had discussed an arranged marriage many times when she was growing up, but she'd never expected it this soon. Especially not when her stage career was just beginning.
"You've been betrothed," he repeated.
"I've been…betrothed? As in engaged, promised, affianced, spoken for?"
"Now you're catching on, kitten." Hiroshi smiled at Cahal. "Cahal, my boy, I'm afraid I won't be requiring your services any more. For not having given you prior notice, I offer you two hundred thousand Euros. I trust you won't say a word."
"Not a word," Cahal droned, his eyes looking strangely blank as he accepted the large sum given to him in cash.
"Have a nice life, and make sure you don't cross muffin. I'm sure you know how easily she can become annoyed," Hiroshi said in dismissal. Cahal rose and left the table, heading for the door.
"Father! What the hell is going on?" Lenore hissed. "What do you mean by his services? Why did you give him all that money? And why did you tell him to leave, I was on a date with him!"
"Well, it's a rather strange story, so I'll just avoid the question of what's going on. What I mean by his services…well, to be honest with you…I was using him for sexual pleasure. I gave him that money so he wouldn't speak of it, of course. Can't have my reputation tarnished. And I told him to leave because I didn't think it'd be proper to have that boy here when your fiancée returns," Hiroshi explained.
"Since we're alone, I think it's time I found out a few things. Since when has your name been Hiroshi?" she inquired sourly.
"Oh, since I was born, kitten. But most people know me as Jack, so that's the name I chose to go by. Don't be upset over it."
"Don't be upset? My father's only lied to me about his name all my life, but don't be upset?" Lenore complained. He had told her when she had asked that her mother was American and she resembled her mother so very much, having gained very little from his Asian heritage except for that superior intelligence. "I mean, is there anything else you lied to me about that I might need or like to know?"
"Well, now that you mention it…I'm not your biological father. Your father was a drunken fraternity boy, and he died ten years ago from drinking too much alcohol. Completely destroyed his liver. That's why I never let you drink, darling, I don't want you to ruin yourself," Hiroshi explained.
Lenore didn't know what to say for a moment. "You must have loved Mother terribly, then. To raise me as your own, when I"-
"I did not raise you because of love. I raised you to make things up to a friend," he cut her off.
"Oh, well, then you must have been very good friends with Mother," Lenore replied.
"Kitten, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be," Hiroshi pleaded.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just…there's so much I didn't know."
"There's a great deal that you still don't know," he informed her.
"Then tell me. Before whomever it is you expect me to marry gets here."
"Now is not the time, nor the place."
"I think it's the perfect time, even if the place isn't quite appropriate," Lenore argued.
"Well, in that, you'd be wrong; your fiancée has just returned," Hiroshi countered.
Lenore decided not to turn and gawk; there was too much chance she might mistake someone heading in their general direction to be her fiancée. That would most certainly be embarrassing. "I hope you haven't chosen some fifty year old man with gray hair," she muttered, smoothing non-existent wrinkles out of her red evening dress. I don't know why I worried about making sure I wore an evening dress, I was planning on getting away before Erik could take me back; did my attire really matter? But I was always told to dress appropriately for the time of day…good thing I did dress this way, or they might not have let me into the restaurant. Though that might not have been a bad thing…
"Good evening, mademoiselle," she heard a familiar voice beside her.
"You didn't," she hissed at her father without looking up. Her hand was taken and a pair of lips gently brushed it. She turned to look at Erik and just about fainted. He wore a hunter green vest and cravat over a white silk dress shirt, a black dinner jacket, black slacks, white gloves, and a skin-colored mask that you wouldn't see unless you knew to look for it. Feeling a rush of heat, Lenore took her water glass and tried to sip the water properly rather than gulp it all down in an effort to cool herself off. Erik seated himself next to her, looking every inch as though he belonged in a fancy restaurant with normal people. You wouldn't know he's insane by looking at him now. "Excuse me, gentlemen…I have to…go powder my nose," Lenore attempted to excuse herself as she rose.
"You don't have a purse, and therefore, no cosmetics, kitten," Hiroshi pointed out.
"I'll figure out something," Lenore assured him, quickly heading for the restroom. Her only intention was to get a moment to breathe and splash some cool water on her face. Dear God, am I lusting after that madman?
Upon reaching the bathroom, Lenore positioned herself at the line of sinks with the beautifully framed mirror stretching the length of the counter. She took a few deep breaths before bathing her face with cool water. She closed her eyes for a moment, and the vision of Erik came rushing back, bringing that sinful heat with it.
"Darling, are you alright?" a young woman about her own age asked her, coming in and seeing Lenore's flushed complexion.
"Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine. It's just a bit warm out there this evening," Lenore replied.
The woman smiled knowingly. "Yes, the right man can always make the evening seem a bit warmer than it actually is," she said. "It helps if you bring along a small fan. Do you have one with you?"
"No, I'm afraid not. It seems I left my purse back in my room by mistake."
"Have one of mine; I always carry extras," the woman responded, digging through her small black clutch and handing Lenore a black silk Japanese fan. Spreading it out, Lenore saw the white tree embroidered upon it for a brief second before she began fanning herself madly.
"This helps greatly, thank you so much," Lenore said appreciatively.
"You're quite welcome."
"Well, I hope you have a good evening, ma'am," Lenore proclaimed as she prepared to return the fan.
"Keep it, darling, you'll probably need it again before the night is out, and I can't keep coming to the restroom to check for you," the woman chuckled.
"You're very kind, ma'am," Lenore replied, smiling at the woman before heading back out to the two men.
"I think it's going rather well," Hiroshi remarked as soon as Lenore left.
"I don't think we should be pushing her like this," Erik replied. "If you knew her at all, you'd know that what you're doing is like trying to get a stubborn mule who's determined not to move to go in the direction you wish; in the end, the mule will be firmly resolved to go in any other direction but the one you want."
"Don't compare my daughter to a mule," Hiroshi said. "That's an insult to the mule. That girl is the most stubborn thing I've ever met."
"You don't know the half of it," Erik muttered. "I still feel that having us betrothed was a bit extreme." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small ring box. He'd gone for the ring while Hiroshi waited here for her to arrive. Erik also had a belated birthday gift for her, but that could wait until after the ring.
"Oh, nonsense. It's not like I haven't prepared her for it. We had a great number of extensive talks on the importance of arranged marriages, and she knew that she would find herself in this situation one day. She always claimed she understood and would marry whoever I asked her to. Besides, I think she'll find it rather difficult to turn you down. Did you see how she reacted?"
"Yes, she left as quickly as possible to get away from me," Erik said bitterly.
"You're so blind, Erik. That girl was positively drowning in lust," Hiroshi informed him. "She always did have a weakness for men in formal dress. And you do like quite handsome in hunter green."
"Sometimes you worry me, Hiroshi," Erik replied. The man was far too knowledgeable concerning things such as women's taste in fashion.
"I wish Lenore would listen to me nowadays when I tell her not to wear certain colors. That red dress she has on, for example. The color really doesn't flatter her at all. Crimson would have been a better choice," Hiroshi sighed. "Oh well. At least the majority of her wardrobe has my seal of approval. Every now and then she goes out and gets herself some new dress without me. I really think she should stop that, though, she picks some of the strangest cuts or fabrics. Like that leopard print dress…the girl's going to look absolutely wretched in it, but she liked it, so she bought it…"
Lenore returned at that moment. "And so it is that I return to the table of madness," she mumbled as she plopped down on her chair, tossing her waist length dirty blonde hair over her shoulder. She took one look at Erik and suddenly whipped open the Japanese silk fan in her hand, fanning herself rapidly while taking a sip from her water glass.
"Now Lenore, you're going to be polite this evening. You'll be every inch the perfect lady; I've got a guest joining us and I won't have you making a bad impression," Hiroshi commanded.
"Oh, yes, the perfect lady. I suppose the best way to manage that would be to keep my mouth shut the entire time," Lenore replied.
"Don't sass me. I won't stand for that sort of behavior."
Lenore gave a casual shrug and put on an air of indifference.
Just as Erik was about to hand her the ring, a woman came to their table. "Good evening, Jack," the woman said pleasantly. Then she noticed Lenore. "Oh, well, nice to see you again, darling. I'm glad to see the fan I gave you is of some use."
"Yes, I can't thank you enough," Lenore responded, smiling at the woman.
"Lenore, Erik, I'd like you to meet Brielle Vasser," Hiroshi introduced the woman. "I met her just last night, and thought that it would be nice to have her join us for dinner."
"I hope the evening finds you well, mademoiselle Vasser," Erik replied dutifully. Victoire Vasser's child without a doubt, the woman's raven hair was pinned up neatly and her emerald green eyes sparkled as she took in the sights of the restaurant. Erik was sure she'd never dined this well before.
"Thank you, monsieur," Brielle said with a smile before turning back to Hiroshi.
"Father, would you mind accompanying me to the lounge? There's something I wish to discuss with you," Lenore said a tad sharply. No doubt she was upset that Hiroshi was seeing a woman the same age as herself.
"I'm sure whatever it is can wait, kitten," Hiroshi dismissed her request.
Erik could see an explosion of Lenore's temper on the horizon. "I hope you like the ring I picked out, ma chérie," Erik said quickly, handing her the ring box. Hopefully, his action could spare the group one of her rants.
Lenore plastered a smile on her face, laying her fan down as she accepted the little box. Opening it up, she gasped. "It's gorgeous," she breathed. It was platinum, with two sapphires on either side of an oval shaped diamond. The inside was engraved with the phrase 'Past, present, and future.' "This is…it must have cost a fortune."
"You have no idea," Erik muttered.
"How much did you spend?" Lenore inquired.
"That's not a polite question to be asking, Lenore," Hiroshi reprimanded.
"Well, if I'm going to marry this man, I need to know exactly how wealthy he is. And what better way to find out then by asking how much he was willing to spend on an engagement ring?" Lenore countered.
"It's fine, Jack, I don't mind," Erik assured his friend. "I suppose you're more familiar with American currency. The cost was…" he paused, doing the necessary conversion, "…almost forty three thousand, five hundred dollars."
Lenore was quite obviously struck speechless. Brielle's eyes were as wide as they could go, staring disbelievingly at the ring lying on its velvet bed in the box in Lenore's hand.
"I'd certainly say he's wealthy enough, wouldn't you?" Hiroshi commented after a moment. Lenore merely nodded her head, still in shock.
Erik leaned over, took the ring out of the box, and slid it onto the appropriate finger. Lenore stared at it a moment before passing out. Brielle caught her before she fell out of her chair and snatched the black fan off the table, fanning Lenore wildly. Of course, this drew some attention, but when everyone saw Erik snap the little ring box closed, they all smiled knowingly and returned to whatever they'd been doing.
Lenore opened her eyes slowly, staring at the ceiling of the restaurant in bewilderment for a brief moment as everything came back to her. She pulled herself upright in her chair, no longer needing Brielle to support her.
The men ordered for the two women, Brielle bubbling with thanks to Jack for being so thoughtful and Lenore merely fanning herself, as another wave of hot desire had flooded her when she looked at Erik to thank him. Damn, why does he have to look so good? Why can't I stop thinking about the way he kisses me? Pull yourself together, he's just a man. He's not worthy of such reactions, now stop it this minute! Of course, it didn't matter how severely her mind berated her, for her body seemed to find Erik more than deserving of the reactions he could exact from her. Her dream from the night before sprang into mind and her cheeks turned tomato red. Don't think those things, they're entirely indecent!
"I know it's a month late, but I acquired a birthday gift for you, my dear," Erik suddenly said, startling her out of her naughty thoughts. He pulled a necklace case out of his jacket.
"Oh, no, after the cost of this ring, I don't think I could accept"- She stopped mid sentence when he opened the case and displayed its contents to her.
"Tiffany?" Brielle exclaimed, immediately recognizing the origin of the necklace and matching earrings.
"Yes, the Rose double drop pendant and corresponding earrings," Erik explained. "I'm afraid I couldn't find a bracelet to go with it. And before you ask, this set only cost me twenty seven thousand."
"I absolutely cannot accept this," Lenore said firmly.
"Of course you can, kitten," Hiroshi contradicted. "You'll have to forgive her Erik; she's not used to such pampering. I doubt I've ever bought her any piece of jewelry worth more than two thousand."
Lenore looked at the necklace and earrings. Why are you spending all this money on me? You'll exhaust your financial resources buying me baubles like this. How can you possibly spend all this money on me and then tell me the price so casually as if it cost only a few hundred dollars? Just how wealthy are you, Erik?
"I assure you, the price was no object," Erik said with a knowing smile, as if he'd read her thoughts. He probably did. "I'm afraid I have more money than I know what to do with." Lenore took out the earrings she had in currently and replaced them with the ones he'd gotten her, then proceeded to fasten the necklace in place. "I knew it would flatter you," Erik said with an irresistibly sexy smile.
The fan was once more employed in an effort to cool herself as she thanked him for his gracious compliment. "It suits you." A cool finger lifted her chin, and a quick kiss brushed her lips. She didn't understand what was wrong with her. Remembered conversations and actions that hadn't happened at all…something was wrong with her. Maybe she should see a psychiatrist.
Hiroshi only gave Brielle a very small fraction of his attention. Not that the girl realized there was anything else on his mind. He was quite good at making women think they were the only thing on his mind, even if they didn't have the tiniest smidgeon of his interest.
He knew Erik was terribly concerned that they were pushing things, and far too quickly. You're basing that assumption on Lenore Serenity Parker, my friend. But this is Lenore Aithne Wolfe, and she's a bit different. True, if you push her, she'll fight you. But, if you give her a good hard shove, she'll go the way you want…complaining all the way, but at least it's the way you want. Besides, I don't want to have to wait a long time to see the two of you happy.
Noting that the only conversation occurring at the table was the one he maintained with Brielle, Hiroshi decided it might be best to leave them alone. The meal was practically over anyway; the rest of this evening would be spent in socializing. And the socializing I intend to do with Brielle really isn't suited for the public.
"Brielle, perhaps we should head back to my suite," Hiroshi proposed, standing and offering the girl a hand. A very beautiful specimen of the mortal race. Such a shame she would be dead tomorrow morning.
"Father, I don't think it's appropriate for Brielle to visit with you in your suite," Lenore suddenly commented.
"I must agree," Erik said casually. "Mademoiselle Vasser, I believe that if you return to Monsieur Wolfe's suite, the morning may find you in a cold bed."
Hiroshi shot a glare at Erik; he was all but telling the girl that if she went with Hiroshi, she'd be dead by morning. Let me have my fun with mortal women, Erik, Hiroshi hissed to the man with his mind.
If your fun was not so grotesque, I would not detest it, Erik replied, returning Hiroshi's glare. She's a defenseless woman. For all I care, you can rape her till Satan shakes God's hand with a smile. But do not expect me to approve of you murdering women.
"Come along, darling, don't pay any attention to them," Hiroshi instructed, giving the girl a lustful grin and slipping into her mind to make certain she accompanied him. Concern yourself with Lenore, Erik. She looks like she could use a good fuck.
Erik looked about ready to leap up and attack Hiroshi for saying (more appropriately thinking) such things about Lenore. Hiroshi quickly headed for the exit, stopping long enough to more than pay for the meal the group had had.
"It's a nice night," Brielle commented as they walked the streets of Paris. "But a bit cool. I'll feel much better once we warm up in your suite."
"Soon, darling, soon," Hiroshi said, taking the long way back to the hotel. He wanted to appreciate her beauty in the moonlight. After he had satiated his physical desires with her body, she would find out just how cold a night could be. It was so much fun to watch mortals die.
"Hiroshi, you're not allowed to sit next to me for a while," the authoress said.
"Why not, cupcake?" Hiroshi asked innocently.
"You're kind of creepy with the liking watching mortals die thing," the authoress replied honestly. "Anyways, reviews would be nice people. I do so love reviews."
Lenore and Erik were far too busy lusting after each other to add any comments to the authoress' review reminder.
"Oh, for the love of God, just kiss already," the authoress mumbled under her breath. Hiroshi pressed his lips to the authoress' and she hurriedly backed away. "GAH! I didn't mean you, I meant those two! …I've been kissed by the Jack the Ripper…how disturbing is that?"