The Touch Series: Initiation (5 page)

              “No. I actually make it a rule to live by.”

              “What? You mean not even being friends with a human?”

              “Exactly.”

              “See, now that must not be easy.”

              “I have vampire friends. Enough of them.” Yes, Artie told me that Josef has many “friends” but many of them don't really care for him; they simply use him mostly to make themselves look good within the vampire community.

              “Okay, I see.”  I smiled and nodded. “You just don't have room in your life for a little old human such as myself.” I made it seem as if I didn't care, but deep down I did.

              He broke his stare and reached out for his drink. “You would just get hurt, that's all.”

              “And you wouldn't?”

              “Any other questions?”

              I could tell the conversation made him feel uncomfortable and I'm sure he didn't like losing control in any situation so I didn't even try to continue with it. “How long is this expected to last?”

              “A few weeks. Maybe longer. It depends on how I feel and how I get along with the rest of you.”

              “And afterward, when it's done, what will happen?”

              He looked confused at my question. I'm sure he was used to forgetting about all the girls who were in the club after it was over. Well, at least that's what Artie told me.

              “I mean, if we do get along, will we remain friends afterwards?”

              He didn't hesitate. “No.”

              For some reason his response made my stomach drop. And his casualness made the feeling worse. It was as if the entire club was going to be completely disposable to him and he knew it from the beginning even before getting to know any one of us. “Oh...okay.” I was done with the interview. All of a sudden, I wanted to go home.

              “Anything else?”

              “No. That's it. You answered all of my questions. Thanks.” I smiled, though I knew he knew I wasn't completely fine.

              “Are you sure?”

              “Yes. And I'm sure you would want to get on with the rest of the interviews or it will be a long night for you.” I got up and stuffed the check into my purse. And then I grabbed a pen out and signed the contract. I walked around the coffee table between us to hand him the contract. He slowly stood up with his eyes on mine the whole time as he took the contract from my hands. “Did I offend you?”

              I shook my head and tried not to let my face give anything away. “No, why would you ask that?”

              “Because you want to go. I'm actually getting the sense that you want to get out of here quickly and go home. You don't even want to stay for dinner. Am I right?” He lowered his face to mine.

              “I have homework to do, Sir.” He smelled good. The right mix of spice and musk.
Damn him!

              “What do you have to do?”

             
My voice started to shake and it was difficult to control. “I have to write a research paper for my    British Literature class. We have to choose a popular text within the assigned topic and write an essay on it.”

              “What's the topic?” His eyes continued to look into mine. He barely blinked and his voice was cool and controlled.

              I swallowed and clenched my fists at my sides. “Sex and Scandal in Victorian Literature”

              He raised his head slightly and took a deep breathe, but his eyes never left mine. A glimmer of humor arose in them though. “You should consider
The Nunnery Tales.”

             
“Okay, I'll look into that.”             

              “Next time I see you, I'll ask for a verbal report. So read very diligently.”

              “Of course, Mr. Constane. I wouldn't want to disappoint. Have a good night.” I couldn't stand to be near him so close. I needed to go. I gave him a smile and headed towards the door. My hand was on the handle when I remembered something. I quickly turned to see him staring at me and still smirking. “I actually do have one more question.”

              “I thought you would.”

              “Artie told me you had to fight with Jacob to have me in the club. I don't understand. Why me?”

              His facial expression went cold all of a sudden. He turned his back and walked to grab his drink off the table. “You need to gain some confidence, Miss Turner. You have very little to no self-esteem.”

              I rolled my eyes. I had heard that comment before. “It's Quinn, Sir.”

              He looked up and nodded slightly. “Go and get started on your reading.”

                                                                      CHAPTER fiv
e
             

              It had been five days since I last saw or spoke to Josef. And I had thought about him for most of that time. It was difficult not to. I tried to distract myself with different things but nothing ever worked. It was even hard to do homework without thinking about him. And after reading his suggested Victorian erotica, my thoughts had become even more unhealthy.

              Thankfully, after these past few days, tonight was going to be the first night out officially with the rest of the Club and Josef. It will be held in a club at a fancy five-star hotel in Pine Glen so I decided to step up my look for tonight. I opted for a knee-length fitted black lace dress with a corset top. I straightened my hair for once, instead of letting it go wild with its usual random waves and curls. I topped the outfit and hair off with a drastic change of make up as well: Smokey-eye, a hint of bronzer and crimson red lip stick. Might as well fit in with the rest of the Club and not stick out awkwardly.

              Artie came over yesterday to compel my parents to not ask questions about where I was heading and such. So me walking out like this was not going to reward me with the you-are-dressed-like-a-prostitute talk from mom. Then again, I also hoped that I wouldn't run into anybody that my parents knew at the club because that would certainly be difficult to handle.

              I glanced at the clock.
Shit!
I was running late. I quickly put my heels on, grabbed my purse and coat, and darted out my room. I headed downstairs and kissed Nicholas goodnight before I walked out the house. Not only did my parents not say anything but they didn't even notice me leaving; there eyes were glued firmly to the TV.

              Walking out and heading towards the bus stop a few blocks away turned out to be more awkward than I imagined. Some of the neighbors gave my slightly inappropriate attire a run down with their eyes and some of the housewives did not look pleased. And standing at the bus stop made me pace from side to side out of apprehension.

              I checked the online bus tracker to see when it would arrive – Delayed. Crap! That's not good! The party was going to start in half an hour and Gwen expected us all to arrive on time. I really didn't want to stay on her bad side and being late was surely going to keep me there.

              For a while, I continued to paced around the bus stop sign until I started to feel my feet ache. I glanced at the time; I needed to be there in the next fifteen minutes. There was no way that that was going to happen, certainly not with the unreliable Richmond bus service.  I had no choice but to text Artie to let him know that I was going to come late and to let Gwen know.

              The bus arrived six minutes after the party had started. So I was already screwed. And it was going to take another ten minutes just to get there. I could already see Gwen's green eyes drilling holes into mine. I wondered what she would be capable of doing to me if I continued to piss her off...

              After several horrific images flashed in my head, my phone buzzed with a text from Artie:

                            Okay. But you need to get here ASAP. It's not Gwen you should worry about. Josef hates                             tardiness :(

                            But I'll try to calm him.

              Nice. Both Gwen and Josef were going to be pissed at me. That's all I needed to round off the night which was going to be hell anyway since I was most likely going to be ignored or scorned by the rest of the Club. The only good thing that will come out of this was me getting to set foot into one of the most exclusive clubs in Richmond. The only other way I would have ever gotten in was by being an employee.

              After a slow and frequently bumpy bus ride, I finally arrived at the hotel and sprinted towards the hotel's club though it was really difficult given that I wearing super-high spiked heels.  I bought my sprinting to a halt when I entered. Electronic dance music played loudly in a dimly lit room with mirrors aligning all the walls. It was super classy and super expensive looking at the same time. The massive white chandelier alone looked pricier then anything I had ever owned in my life.  No way would I have ever been invited to an  establishment like this before. I had only ever seen such a place in magazines that showcased high luxury living.

              I saw the other girls standing around at one side of the room. Some were mingling and some sipped drinks by themselves. Not one of them danced but then again neither did anyone else in the entire room. The dance floor was empty and Josef, Artie, Jacob and a few other men were near the bar on the other side of the room. I felt as if I were making the walk of shame across the empty dance floor.  Artie waved as he saw me and then pointed towards Josef who was right next to him. I guessed that Artie wanted me to apologize to Josef for being late. And that made me feel sick inside. It didn't help that he stood still and tall with his hands behind his back. His eyes and face were completely cold. He looked like a powerful King at court, reminding everyone of his status with his stare alone.

              I slowly walked up to him, ignoring the scolding looks I was receiving from a few of the other girls as I made my walk. Gwen bit into a cherry with her fangs as she looked at me with more scorn than I had ever received in my life. This was definitely going to be a long night. I quickly tried to think of a joke or two I could say to Josef to, hopefully, brighten his mood.

              I was half-way there when he saw me and he definitely did not look happy. He still had his arms behind him and he looked rigid. He didn't even seem to blink as he stared at me, and I shook just attempting to keep myself together.

              I sped up towards him. “I am so, so, so sorry that I am late. The bus was delayed. I'll take a cab next time. Lesson learned!” I honestly could not have sounded more afraid and apologetic at the same time. I gave a quick smile, hoping I could douse the situation.

              “You took the bus?” His voice was cold which reached his eyes too.

              “Yes. I couldn't have the car today. My dad is going to have a night shift at work.” I looked down at my hands but quickly looked up when I remembered what he told me before about looking up.

              His face softened a bit. “That's fine. But next time, have Artie arrange you a ride. I don't want you taking the bus. Especially not at night.” He gestured for me to join the other girls.

              “Want to get me a drink later?” I asked jokingly.

              His eyes grew bigger and he looked at me as if he couldn't believe that I was still standing there talking to him. I shook my head as a form of an apology. I walked backwards from him and his expression never changed until I was clear from his sight and near the others.

              I walked towards the others with my head down. I was too embarrassed. It made me feel pissed that Josef was upset with me in any way. But, at the same time, it's ridiculous for him to act like that. I was going to try not be late again but I don't think I deserved such a cold shoulder; I could have done a lot worse than be late.