A/N: The lingo used for the helicopter and tower/flight plan was completely wrong. It didn't have to be in there. Hell, that entire sequence didn't have to be in there. Yes, crazy-young Marty Stu dude has money and hobbies and can take you flying whenever. I'm replacing it with something much better.
The First Real Date
"So, did you?" Betty asks as soon as I got home.
"No," I snap irritably, hoping that will halt the questions. We head back into the apartment. "You obviously did, though." I can't contain my envy. Betty always manages to ensnare men. She is irresistible, beautiful, sexy, funny, forward... all the things that I'm not. But her answering grin is infectious.
"Kirsch is a decent guy."
"He really is after last night. Doesn't mean I'm going to drop my panties for him."
"A lot better than Karnstein. She was on a warpath this morning when she realized you weren't here."
"Carmilla and I are going out this evening."
"Carmilla? You're going out with her?"
"Yes. Well, dinner at her place."
"Maybe you will then?"
"Oh, I hope so."
"You like her then?"
"Yes."
"Like her enough to... ?"
"Yes."
She raises her eyebrows.
"Wow. Laura Hollis, finally falling for someone, and it's Carmilla Karnstein - hot, sexy billionaire."
"Oh yeah - it's all about the money." I smirk, and we both fall into a fit of giggles.
"Has she kissed you yet?" she asks as she examines me over.
I blush. "Once."
"Once!" she scoffs.
I nod, rather shame faced.
"It was a really good kiss."
She frowns. "That's odd."
"I don't think odd covers it really," I murmur.
"We need to make sure you're simply irresistible for this evening," she says with determination.
Oh no... this sounds like it will be time consuming, humiliating, and painful.
Under Betty's tireless and frankly intrusive instruction, my legs and underarms are shaved to perfection, my eyebrows plucked, and I am buffed all over. I didn't even know you could be buffed. It has been a most unpleasant experience. But she assures me that this is what will seal the deal.
What else will she expect?
I have to convince Betty that this is what I want to do. For some strange reason, she doesn't trust her, maybe because she's so stiff and formal. She says she can't put her finger on it, but I have promised to text her when I get there.
I also have the Danny issue. She's left three messages and seven missed calls on my cell. Missed suggests that I didn't reach the phone in time. She's also called home twice. Betty has been very vague as to where I am. She'll know she's covering for me. Betty doesn't do vague. But I have decided to let her stew. I'm still too angry with her.
Carmilla mentioned some kind of written paperwork, and I don't know if she was joking or if I'm going to have to sign something. It's so frustrating trying to guess. And on top of all the angst, I can barely contain my excitement or my nerves. Tonight's the night!
After all this time, am I ready for this? I think I've been ready for this for years, ready for anything once the right person came along and it's going to be with Carmilla Karnstein. I can't really understand what she sees in me... Laura Hollis - but okay! I'm in an outfit Betty put together, clingy tank top with lace, jeans so stretchy I had to lay down on the bed to put them on, and heels. I am literally wearing heels with jeans.
She is punctual, of course, right to my dorm. Her eyes rake over me and my breath hitches right there. "Good evening, Miss Hollis," she says.
"Ms. Karnstein." I nod politely to her as I realize she's in skin tight leather pants, doc martens, and flannel. Just like in my dreams...
She extends her arm to me. "Shall we?"
I put my hand into the crook of her arm and seemed to float away as we made our way to her car.
"How was work?" she asks.
"Very long," I reply, and my voice is husky, too low, and full of need. There was no mistaking it.
"Yes, it's been a long day for me too." Her tone is serious as we get into her Jeep.
"What did you do?" I manage.
"Got talked into hiring a new housekeeper since the last one went into early retirement. I didn't know hospitality management was a degree plan."
"Oh! My Dorm Don-"
"-LaFontaine sold me on Perry, already. Those two joined at the hip?"
"Pretty much." I said, and she nodded.
"Figures." She looks at her phone as she starts the engine. "Wanna go feed a kitty?"
Feed a kitty? Is that some sort of lesbian slang for sex? I shrug, deciding to play it cool.
"Sure. I like feeding kitty." I bite my lip as I wonder if I could do that to a- who am I kidding of COURSE I can! My mind starts to wander on what it would be like to trace my tongue up her thighs...
Carmilla chuckled at that. "Buttercup, you can't handle these kitties. They will take one look at you and eat you you up."
Wait, that's a good thing, right? There's more than one?
"You would first have to be trained and let them get used to you. First time I did this, they had tranq guns out just in case."
Trained? Gun? "You're not taking me to some sort of lesbian orgy fight club, are you?"
Carmilla busted out laughing, shaking her head no as she caught her breath. "No, sweetness. Oh, oh god..." She swallowed and took a deep breath. "Remember I said I volunteer at a big cat rescue? It's kind of my sanctuary away from being the CEO."
I turned beet red. "You meant actual cats."
We keep driving down a dusty dirt road and make it to what appears to be some sort of ranch with a really high chain-linked fence surrounding the perimeter with a sign saying 'This fence isn't to protect US, but to protect YOU. KEEP OUT'. There was someone at the gate to let us in as Carmilla drove us in and greeted the person directing us to park.
"Carmilla!" an older woman with salt-and-pepper hair said, extending a hand.
"Director, how are the kitties today?" She seemed at home here and went by her first name.
"Most of them are behaving themselves. Babut is being a bit of a pain, though, but I think he just misses you."
"He must think he can pass for a house cat and come home with me." Carmilla said, rolling her eyes.
"That's what the first people who thought an ocelot was - Oh hi! Who is your friend?" She extended her hand to shake mine as well.
"I'm um, Laura."
"Good to meet you, Laura! I'm Sharon, the Director here. Carmilla here hasn't ever brought someone here to see the cats." Carmilla frowned slightly, embarassed. I'm the first person she brought here? I swoon at the peek into her life.
"Any sign of your phantom Bagheera?" Carmilla asked as we went inside to grab what I could only guess was a large bowl of kibble.
Sharon shook her head. "It's weird that a black panther would come up and sniff the lions and roll around in the grass with them, only to return and visit again. I've got it on video and wondered how it's surviving so close to civilization." She turned to me. "See, a lot of people think they want these animals as pets because they are cute when they are young. Except that they grow up and nature takes over. They aren't pets, they are meant to be in the wild where they can hunt and play. I try to recreate that here, while giving them exceptional medical care."
Carmilla pulls out a giant bone-in steak from the fridge, with Hawaogopi written on the plastic wrap over it. A few keystrokes on the microwave later, and the steak is mostly warm. "I can call the lioness over."
I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "I don't know much about lions, but I know that cats don't answer when they are called."
Carmilla and Sharon smiled at me and Ms. Karnstein shook her head knowingly. "They come when I call them. I use their true name."
"Hawa-ogie?" I asked.
"It means fearless in Swahili. But that's what the humans call her. I mean I call her by the name she calls herself." Carmilla said, pride in her voice.
"You're going to have to teach me that someday." Sharon said as the three of us made our way out as a groaning sound died into a series of chirps. I saw cougar's head perk up and sniff the air as he huffed sadly.
"You already got fed." Sharon said to the cougar.
"I think if you gave him a bunny to chase, he'd be happy."
Bunny? I thought, forgetting that big cats would enjoy chasing and devouring a small prey animal like that. We make it to what must be Fearless, as there is a lioness on her back legs, front paws holding her up against the fence to her part of the yard. Enclosed in her area is a tiger who is also walking over towards us. Sharon went to the gate to unlock it as the Lioness was huffing and smelling Carmilla through the chain links. We're letting the cats out?!
"Yeah, I have a friend now too, big mama." Carmilla said, holding her hand against the fence in greeting.
The gate opened and Carmilla took the steak in, and Sharon closed the gate behind her. What if the lion or the tiger decide to attack her? I thought, and I could hear Carmilla shushing and soothing the cats in there.
"Hey, Laura, I need you to calm down a little, okay?" She was talking to me, not them, "Act like you know you can take them on but don't want to. They are smelling your fear."
Okay, the girl I like is... actually petting the lioness as she starts to munch on her food. I give a chuckle as I realize Carmilla must be some sort of super cat whisperer.
"Yeah, she's short, but I think larger people don't see her as a predator. She is quick and resilient, big mama." Carmilla replies as she scratches between the lion's shoulder blades.
"Big mama?" I ask Sharon. She shrugs.
"She says that Hawaogopi sees her like one of her cubs or something. I try to not believe her, but as you can see..." I turn to see the lion licking Carmilla's face, and she chuckles at it.
"I tried to wash the stink off, but I live in the city." The lioness huffed as if saying, 'no excuse'. She got up and Sharon let her out of the large enclosed area. Remembering something, she pulled out something that looked like a large pen and handed it to the older woman.
"Before I forget, cyanide-argon laser pointer. Much brighter." Carmilla said as the Director shot the laser pointer down at the grass, instantly making the tiger an the lioness alert and try to pounce it. I chuckled at it as Ms. Karnstein put her arm around me and looked into my eyes. "Like it here?"
"Yeah, think I can come back sometime and play with the Ocelot? He's really cute." I replied as we made our way back to her Jeep.
She shook her head. "Bastard almost nipped one of my fingers off. Always be wary of the cute, tiny ones." She narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm watching you, Hollis."
I shrugged, deciding to be playful. "Your fingers are safe inside me, Ms. Karnstein." Carmilla froze for a split second as I smirked at her, waiting by the passenger door.
The drive back to her place is remarkably short and, before I know it, we arrive. I'm surprised as I see Kirsch there and looking fabulous in a suit as we pull up and get out of the car. "Brody! You're her valet guy?"
Carmilla rolled her eyes as he shook his head. "No, little hot - Miss Hollis - I'm part of her security detail. Getting to be an occasional driver for Ms. Karnstein just happens to be a perk of the job. She's got really good taste." Carmilla is beside me in an instant and takes my hand again.
"Ready?" she asks. I nod and want to say for anything, but I can't articulate the words as I'm too nervous, too excited. "Welcome to my home." She says softly.
Her look is so intense, half in shadow and half in the bright white light from the building. Dark knight and white knight, it's a fitting metaphor for Carmilla. Her confidence looks a bit shaky jaw is clenched and her eyes are tight. Her face is inches from mine. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You know that don't you?" Her tone is so earnest, desperate even, her dark eyes impassioned. She takes me by surprise.
"I'd never do anything I didn't want to do, Carmilla." And as I say the words, I don't quite feel their conviction because at this moment in time - I'd probably do anything for her. But this does the trick. She's mollified.
She eyes me warily for a moment and somehow she manages to lead me easily to the front glass doors and opens it. "Come," she whispers in my ear, taking me into an elevator and, after tapping a number into a keypad, the doors close. It's warm inside and all mirrored glass. I can see Carmilla to infinity everywhere I look, and the wonderful thing is, she's glancing at me to infinity too.
Moments later, we're in an all-white foyer. My stomach caught up a moment later as I winced. In the middle is a round, dark wood table, and on it is an unbelievably huge bunch of white flowers. On the walls there are paintings, everywhere. She opens two double doors, and the white theme continues through the wide corridor and directly opposite where a palatial room opens up. It's the main living area, double height. Huge is too small a word for it. The far wall is glass and leads on to a balcony that overlooks Seattle. We're on the top floor because of course we are.
"Did you know that living on the ground floor used to be a luxury when residential buildings were first being built with multiple stories?" She said wistfully. "They didn't have plumbing, so chamber pots were emptied out of the windows. I'm glad that changed."
To the right is an imposing 'U' shaped sofa that could sit ten adults comfortably. It faces a state-of-the-art stainless steel modern fireplace.
"Do you own this building?" I ask curiously.
"Only a few floors of it. I have staff that live here too, like Kirsch."
The fire is lit and flaming gently. On the left beside us, by the entryway, is the kitchen area. There are a few baked goods all wrapped up, along with a fruit basket with Carmilla's name on it. She seems touched by the thought as she reads the card.
"Who sent you that?"
"My housekeeper; I retired her with a great pension and she finally feels free to pursue her heart's desire." The corner of her mouth curled slightly. "Glad I found Kirsch when I did."
Near the kitchen area, in front of the glass wall, is a dining table surrounded by sixteen chairs. And tucked in the corner is a what appears to be a violin case. Oh yes... she probably plays it magnificently too. There is art of all shapes and sizes on all the walls. In fact, this apartment looks more like a gallery than a place to live.
"Would you like a drink?" she asks. I blink at her. After last night, is she trying to be funny?
She shrugs. "I'm going to have a glass of red wine, would you like to join me?"
Oh. "Yes, please," I murmur. I am standing in this enormous room feeling out of place as she pulls down two wine glasses.
"Malbec okay with you?"
"I know nothing about wine, Carmilla. I'm sure it will be fine." My voice is soft and hesitant. My heart is thumping. I want to run. This is seriously rich. Seriously over-the-top Bill Gates style wealthy. What am I doing here? Okay, I know very well what I'm doing here - I want to be in Carmilla Karnstein's bed.
"Here." She hands me the glass of wine. I take a sip, and the wine is fruity, spicy, and delicious.
"You're very quiet, and you're not even blushing. In fact - I think this is the palest I've ever seen you, Laura," she murmurs. "Are you hungry?"
I shake my head. Not for food. "It's a very big place you have here."
"Big?"
"Yeah, big." I shrug, lost for conversation.
"It's big," she agrees, and her eyes glow with amusement. I take another sip of wine.
"Do you play?" I point my chin at the violin.
"Yes."
"Of course you do. And I bet you're amazing at it. Is there anything you can't do well?"
"Yes... a few things." She takes a sip of her wine. She doesn't take her eyes off me. I feel them following me as I turn and glance around this vast room. Room is the wrong word.
"Like?"
"I'm not a morning person. I've tried."
She takes the lead and sits on the large off-white couch, patting a spot next to her and I take my cue to come sit next to her. As I sit, I'm struck by the fact that I feel like Pip first seeing Estella's house and the feeling of being overwhelmed lessens, and I smile slightly.
"What's so amusing?" She sits down beside me, turning to face me. She rests her head on her right hand, her elbow propped on the back of the couch.
"Why did you give me The Portrait of Dorian Gray specifically?" I ask. Carmilla stares at me for a moment. I think she's surprised by my question.
"Well, you said you liked English literature."
"Is that the only reason?" Even I can hear the disappointment in my voice. Her mouth presses into a hard line.
"It seemed appropriate. You don't get to be where where I am in life without some stains being hidden away." she murmurs, and her dark eyes flash a strange mix of remorse and danger. She's only twenty-seven, though.
"You don't seem like that bad of a person." I whisper, gazing at her. She gasps.
"Laura, stop biting your lip, please. It's very distracting. You don't know what I want to do to that lip of yours."
I decide to be bold with her. "That's why I'm here."
She gulps nervously. "Yes. Would you excuse me a moment?" She disappears through a wide doorway on the far side of the room. She's gone for a couple of minutes and returns with a document.
"This is a non-disclosure agreement." She shrugs and has the grace to look a little embarrassed. "My lawyer insists on it." She hands it to me. I'm completely bemused. "If you're wanting anything to happen, you'll need to sign this." This was the paperwork she meant?
"What does this agreement mean?"
"It means you cannot disclose anything about us. Anything, to anyone."
"Why would I say anything?"
"It's really difficult for women to make it in the business world, and the last thing I need is to lose contracts because of some good-old boys who slut shame me for doing the same thing they are. And because... of my particular tastes."
I stare at her in disbelief. Holy shit. It's bad, really bad, and now I'm very curious to know. "Okay. I'll sign."
She hands me a pen, looking at me in disbelief. "Aren't you even going to read it?"
"No."
She frowns.
"Laura, you should always read anything you sign," she admonishes me. "You've read Faust, right?"
"Carmilla, what you fail to understand is that I wouldn't talk about us to anyone, anyway. Even Betty. So it's immaterial whether I sign an agreement or not. If it means so much to you, or your lawyer... whom you obviously talk to, then fine. I'll sign."
She gazes down at me, and she nods gravely. "Very well, Miss Hollis."
I lavishly sign on the dotted line of both copies and hand one back to her. Folding the other, I place it my purse and take a large swig of my wine for courage. "Does this mean you're going to make love to me tonight, Carmilla?"
Her mouth drops open slightly, but she recovers quickly.
"No, Laura, it doesn't. Firstly, I don't make love. I fuck. Hard. Secondly, there's a lot more paperwork to do, and thirdly, you don't know what you're in for. You might still run away in fear." She closes her eyes and recomposes herself. This is the first time I've ever seen her appear vulnerable. "Come, I want to show you my playroom."
My mouth drops open. Fuck hard? Holy shit, that sounds so... hot. But why are we looking at a playroom?
"You want to play on your Xbox?" I ask. She laughs, loudly.
"Saints alive, Laura, no Xbox, no Playstation. Come." She stands, holding out her hand. I let her lead me back out to the corridor. On the right of the double doors, where we came in, another door leads to a staircase. We go up to the second floor and turn right. Producing a key from her pocket, she unlocks yet another door and takes a deep breath. She has a locked door on a floor where you need a passcode just to get to?
"You can leave anytime. Kirsch is on stand-by to take you home whenever you want to go, you can stay the night and go home in the morning. It's fine whatever you decide." The suspense was killing me.
"Just open the damn door, Carmilla." I said, slightly snapping at her.
She opens the door and stands back to let me in. I gaze at her once more as I've never seen her this vulnerable and I just want to hug her and tell her that it's going to be okay. I take a deep breath and walk in.
And it feels like I've somehow walked into Westeros and I'm at the Dreadfort and expect to see Ramsay Snow.
Holy fuck.