Semblance (16 page)

Chapter Nineteen

I must have had a smile on my face the entire flight back. Abraham couldn’t help noticing and commenting on how rejuvenated I looked.

I told him about our dates, the wonderful food, and the Cambodian New Year street party, though I decided to leave out the details about Shadow doing the Macarena. I feared that would tarnish his image as a mysterious, brooding billionaire.

The pleasant conversations with Abraham about my trip and a few long naps made the sixteen hour flight back home feel much shorter.

Soon, Abraham was driving me back to my condo.

“So I take it I’ll be seeing a lot more of you and Shadow together?” Abraham asked as he dropped me at the front of my condo.

The smile on my face said it all. “Maybe,” I teased.

“That’s excellent news,” Abraham said. “I had a feeling you and Shadow would fit well together.”

We did fit well together, both emotionally and physically. The chemistry we had was enough to turn lead into gold.

“You know, you kind of remind me of someone I once knew,” he said.

“Oh yeah? Was she smart and pretty?”

“She was the prettiest girl in the world,” Abraham said. “No offense Ms. Valencia.”

I knew in his heart who he was thinking of—imagining what could have been.

“None taken,” I replied, feeling sa
d for the man. Over the past couple of weeks, I’d grown extremely fond of Abraham and his fatherly gestures. Though he could never fill the void left by the death of my own father, I could still look at him with the same affection.

“Well, you must be tired and it’s best to leave you on your way now.”

I nodded. “Thanks for the ride. Until next time?”

“Of course.”

#

After returning from Cambodia and experiencing the most wonderful weekend of my life, the transition back to campus life was painful.

The two-hour long lecture on Anton Dvorak and the impact of his music on the twentieth century was as stimulating as a bowel movement and left me feeling drained.

As I sat alone in the library, finishing up my Theories of Harmony assignment, I kept thinking about Shadow and how good it felt being with him. I remembered how sensual his touch was and how amazing our sex had been.

He filled me perfectly.

I couldn’t wait for him to return home from Cambodia so I could experience his body all over again. I wanted to taste his lips, to feel his muscles, and to pleasure him like he did for me. Being with Shadow made me feel sexy, which was something I haven’t felt for a long time.

He made me feel wanted.

#

I sat in front of the grand piano in my condo attempting
Gaspard De La Nuit
by Ravel for the fifth time that night. I was growing increasingly frustrated with each failed attempt.

Even though Shadow had relieved me of my obligation to record this song, I still had the burning desire to play it flawlessly. It was my own personal challenge. In order to take my performance to the next level, I needed to master
Gaspard de La Nuit
. Otherwise, I would always see myself as a B-list piano playing hack.

This time, I made it through to midway point before my fingers went off the rails and misfired, creating a few cringe worthy notes amidst the beauty of Ravel’s complex melody.

I cursed.

While debating whether I was done for the night or if I should make one last attempt, my cell phone rang.

My phone never rang—not since Justin decided not to speak to me anymore.

I answered it.

“Hey sweetie, what are you up to tonight?” It was Calisto.

“I’m just sitting here on my piano, driving myself crazy.”

“Oh?”

“You ever hear the song
Gaspard De La Nuit
by Maurice Ravel?”

“Of course,” Calisto said. “It’s one of the most complex piano compositions ever created.”

“It sure is. I’m trying to master it.”

“Any luck?”

“I think I’d have an easier time fitting a tiger in my cootchie than playing Gaspard flawlessly.” I sighed.

Calisto laughed. “I love your quirky sense of humor Aria. It’s a welcome change from the dry conversations I typically have with my usual girlfriends—which is one of the reasons why I called.”

“To listen to me talk about shoving jungle cats into my vagina?”

“No,” Calisto said. “I wanted to see if you wanted to go out tonight and part-ay.”

“It’s a school night though,” I said, realizing after the fact how juvenile that must have sounded.

“Nonsense. Classes can wait,” Calisto said. “Tonight, you’re coming out with me and my girlfriend and we’re going to get shit-faced, reject greasy, desperate men that approach us, and get naughty with some swoon-worthy muscle muffin.”

I already had my swoon-worthy muscle muffin, and that was Shadow. I kept that thought to myself though, knowing how touchy the subject of Shadow and I shacking up could potentially be with Calisto.  After all he was her twin brother.

“So you fuck Shadow yet?” Calisto asked.

“What?” Well that caught me off guard.

“Never mind, it’s your private affairs,” Calisto said. “I just want the man to be happy, that’s all, and if your pussy is what puts a smile on his face, then I hope you throw that kitty at him any chance you have.”

I guess that was her strange way of giving me her blessing? “I want Shadow to be happy as well,” I replied.

“Great, we’re both on the same page. Let’s celebrate then. We’re going out.”

I pressed one of the keys gently on the piano and the note echoed through the condo. “I really had my heart set on staying in and practicing this piece,” I replied. “Maybe I’ll go out with you next time?”

“Look, it’s been an extremely long day in the boardroom handling the family business. Did Shadow tell you that we are in the midst of launching the Inferno, a casino and hotel chain inspired by Dante’s works? It’ll be a revolutionary experience for all its patrons, and it will be one of the crown jewels of the Tremaine business empire; but before the grand opening, it’s been a giant pain in my ass trying to get everything in order. I’m burnt out, I’m stressed, and I need to go out and drink, but most of all, I need some fun people to come with me and you’re one of those people.”

“Uh…” I began.

“Amazing, we’ll be over in an hour for the pre-drinking party,” Calisto said. “And don’t worry about doing your makeup. I have a specialist that will do it for us while we get some drinks in us.”

Before I could protest, I heard a click on her end of the phone, ending our conversation abruptly.

I could see Calisto as being the type of person who didn’t hear the word ‘No’.

I sighed. I still had a good hour before Calisto arrived and I decided to attempt one more run through
Gaspard de La Nuit
.

About half an hour later and yet another failed attempt, which left me banging my head against the keys, I heard a knocking on my door.

Calisto must have been early.

I rose from the piano bench and headed towards the foyer entrance.

“You’re early Calisto,” I said as I unlocked and opened the door.

Instead of Calisto standing before me, it was Bitchy Barbie from the gym who had given me attitude the other day.

“
You’re
the girl Calisto wanted to invite out tonight?” she said with disdain.

Fuck.

“Well, who am I to judge who Calisto decides to waste her time with,” she sighed as she tossed her jacket into my arms and entered my condo like she owned the place.

With her back turned to me, I tossed her jacket outside my door and closed it behind us.

She could pick it up on her way out.

“Nice place you have here,” she said as she entered into my living room and plopped down on my couch, making herself right at home. “What sugar daddy paid for this one?”

“No sugar daddy paid for it,” I said with half-truths. “I’m earning it.”

“I’m sure you are,” she made a gesture with her fist and tongue pressed against her cheek, strongly hinting towards the act of fellatio.

However, I could see the lack of common sense in this girl already, seeing as how she raised her right fist and pushed out the right side of her cheek with her tongue.

“Wow, your boyfriend has a right angled penis?” I asked.

“What are you talking about? I don’t have a boyfriend,” Bitchy Barbie girl said, obviously clueless.

“Never mind,” I sighed.

There was a moment of awkward, lingering silence as we both stabbed each other with dagger looks. Despite the soundlessness, I was pretty sure that we were both telepathically screaming the same word at each other.

Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch...

“Well, are you going to stand there like a dumb mute, or are you going to fix me a drink?” she asked.

Actually, a drink didn’t sound like a bad idea at all. I needed some liquid Prozac to dull my senses in order to deal with my unwelcomed company.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I’ll take vodka and orange, but not the cheap kind of vodka that a gold digging slag like you probably drinks,” she said, not even bothering to look at me. “If it’s not at least Grey Goose, I don’t want it.”

“Don’t stress out and give yourself an ulcer,” I called out, though secretly I wish she did. “I have Grey Goose.”

“Good,” I heard her holler from the living room as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses along with the orange juice and the vodka out of the freezer. “Make mine a double.”

“One double vodka spit-driver coming up,” I muttered to myself. Typically I wasn’t this cruel of a person, but I was still jet lagged, and along with the anxiety of waiting for Shadow’s return from Cambodia, I had little patience over the past few days.

I should have just poured this bitch the drink she wanted, but instead I decided to muster up as much spit as I could from within my mouth. I even added a bit of hoark for good measure. Her screwdriver was going to be swimming in a sea of my saliva.

After pouring in the vodka, I lifted her glass to my chest level and was just about to spit into it, when I suddenly noticed that Barbie Girl was standing at the doorway to my kitchen.

I felt like a deer caught in headlights, my eyes wide.

She scowled at me, no doubt reading the guilt on my face like a textbook.

I swallowed it all back down, and immediately shuddered.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry, got the chills,” I lied.

“Is that mine?” she asked, gesturing towards the glass I held in my hand.

I nodded.

She snatched it away from me and reached for the orange juice. “I can handle the rest,” she said.

After the drinks were made, we both sat back down in the living room, opposite to one another, and sipped our alcohol while staring at each other like two combatants in a squared circle. Neither of us took our eyes off
the other, both understanding that the first to break our hateful gaze with the other was the weaker of the two.

After what seemed like hours of me maintaining my death stare, there was a knock on my door, which immediately filled me with a sense of relief.

“I’ll get it,” I said as I polished off the rest of the drink and lifted my ass off the couch.

It was Calisto, along with a graceful looking middle-aged woman with lemon-colored curly hair.

“Aria!” Calisto said as she embraced me with a warm hug. “How was Cambodia?”

“It was amazing,” I said. “I didn’t want to come back.”

Calisto smiled. “Alas, here you are,” she said. “But don’t worry, as long as you’re in
my
social circle, I guarantee there will be plenty more adventures.” She then turned to the woman she brought with her. “This is Kara, my makeup artist. She usually does work for movies and such. I tell you, she can completely transform a person into someone else entirely.”

“We’re going to be in a movie?” I asked, perplexed.

“You’re cute,” Calisto said. “Kara’s here to do our make up so we look sexed up and ready to conquer the club. After all, there’s no point showing our faces somewhere if we aren’t the absolute
best
looking girls in the entire establishment.”

Kara extended her hand to me. “Aria,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I have to say, your skin is absolutely divine. You’re an absolute natural beauty.”

I loved this woman.

“Please, let me take your coats,” I gushed, doing my best to give her A-grade hospitality. “I’ll pour you guys a drink after.”

“Don’t bother,” Barbie Girl said, as Calisto handed me her jacket. “Her mixed drinks taste like ass.”