Dark Desires: Genesis (14 page)

“Yeah, we all had a crazy test week guys!”
Natasha added coming to Val’s defence when she noticed the shift in mood between
the two women.

“I was juggling more than just tests that week”
Toni threw in, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

They all burst out laughing because Toni never
let a test, exam or even an act of God, with regard to the weather, stop her
from pursuing a guy she fancied. In that moment Valerie relaxed and decided to
be honest, in her mind she had fucked up, but if she couldn’t open up to the
women sitting at this table then who could she be herself with? Sighing she
looked up at Macy who was still watching her, probably running some
psychoanalysis on what was going on with her.

“Macy you were right.”

“I didn’t say anything” Macy replied throwing
her hands up in a show of non-confrontation.

“You didn’t need to, your eyes and face did
that therapist thing where you call bullshit. Anyway I was seeing someone and
it didn’t work out.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Natasha
suggested placing her hand over Val’s in an effort to comfort her.

“No, I just need time to sort myself out. When
I’m ready you ladies will be the first to know.”

Everyone gave their assent in the form of an
Amen from Macy, a raised glass from Toni and Natasha squeezing her hand in a
show of solidarity. The rest of the lunch was spent catching up on each other’s
work, studies and future plans.

The lunch had been a great distraction but Vlad
was not far from her mind. She still needed to get the rest of her belongings
from his hotel and return his key card. After that she could move on. Deciding
not to prolong the inevitable she caught a cab to his temporary residence after
everyone said their goodbyes and headed up the elevator to his suite. She was
nervous, her heart rate had picked up and her hands were sweaty. As she
inserted the card into the door’s slot she realised her hands were also shaking.
She didn’t know what she would do if he was home. Pushing the door open she was
relieved to find that no one was in the front section of the suite. She allowed
herself to relax for a minute before proceeding to the bedroom. Stepping
through the door her breath caught when she noticed him sitting upright in bed,
book in hand, eyes on her.

“Sorry I didn’t know you were in.”

“I still live here” was his dry reply.

Vlad had a feeling she wouldn’t contact him
when she came to gather the rest of her clothes. He was glad that he had the
foresight not to leave but was pissed off that she was just going to sneak out
of his life. He was truly happy to see her but her surprise at his presence
rubbed him the wrong way which was the reason for his terse reply.

“Sorry, I know that… I’ll just get my things
and go.” She moved to gather her belongings but Vlad got out of bed, dressed
only in boxers, to block her way.

“You have a bad habit of not facing people head
on.”

“Excuse me?” Val screeched. How dare he say
that to her when he was the one that had nothing to say the night before.

“The first night we slept together you snuck
out. When the doctor was being a racist pig you walked away before I convinced
you to say something. You never confronted your ex about leading you on, you
just up and left the city and now,” he chuckled without humour “you were going
to take your shit and leave without talking to me, something I’m sure you wish
you had done yesterday” he finished.

“I tried to talk to you yesterday but it seems your
mouth forgot how to move or better yet you simply don’t care!”

“I do care!” he shouted. He moved closer to her
but she stepped back. He was losing his temper and his outburst had startled
her. He needed to regain control of the situation. “I do care” he repeated in a
calmer tone. “I just don’t know what you want from me. I’ve never had a
relationship so I don’t know what it is you’re expecting from me right now,
what you expected last night.”

“I wanted you to assure me that giving up my
place to stay at yours wouldn’t be a mistake a few months from now. I expected
you to tell me that I was more than just a fuck buddy or someone you were using
to warm your bed. Your silence was my confirmation that this” she gestured
between the two of them “has all been a misunderstanding on my part.”

Vlad ran his hands through the long blonde
locks at the top of his head in frustration at her words. If he could rip them
out of his skull he would. How could she even think that? He hadn’t told her
what she needed to know but he’d shown her in everything he did when they were
together. Living with him, the self-imposed celibacy when she was studying,
making sure that when she went home to get more supplies he accompanied her to
make sure she would come back. Swallowing his pride he admitted these thoughts
to her.

“It’s not a misunderstanding. I know I never
said anything but I showed you. Don’t you remember? I made you move in with me
here, when you said you were going home because you needed to pick stuff up I
came with you just to make sure you’d come back to me that night. When you used
to come home late after school I would call you to find out where you were. And
before you even think it was about the sex then remember this past week when
you were so focused you basically ignored me, but I still wanted you here so
that I could just hold you, even though you barely managed to get five hours of
sleep a night. You’re mine!”

“Vlad…” she could hardly speak, she was brought
to the verge of tears by his words.

“No you’re mine! You aren’t leaving me!” his
voice boomed even though it shook with emotion. He closed the distance between
them and this time Val allowed him to wrap his arms around her. He pressed her
so tightly to his chest that she struggled to breathe but she didn’t care. He
hadn’t said the words but she knew and she loved him too. “You’re mine!” he
repeated again.

“I’m yours” she answered back.

After making up through making love countless
times, both Vlad and Val fell into a blissful sleep. However, Val found herself
awake after midnight when her subconscious played out dreams based on her
jumbled thoughts and feelings. She did not want to repeat the mistakes of her
past, the dreams felt like a warning. At the top of her list had been ensuring
she knew where she stood with Vlad in their relationship. He had claimed her so
passionately that the doubts from the day before were washed away. Second on
that list was introducing the new man in her life to her friends; she needed to
strike a balance where they were committed to each other as a couple but also
thrived as individuals. The past few weeks she’d dedicated every ounce of her
free time to him exclusively, if she was going to be with him then she also had
to cater to the other people in her life who were equally as important. His
meeting of said people would give him access to an area in her life that she
had no intentions of neglecting for his sake. She would send a quick text
inviting her friends to an impromptu Sunday lunch at the beach house. The last
minute request meant that some may not be able to attend but she was adamant
about trying to be inclusive from this point onwards. Getting up to relieve
herself and retrieve her phone, roused Vlad as well, he reached over to her and
wrapped his large around her waist.

"Where are you going?" he asked
groggily.

“To get my phone.”

“Who do you need to text at this ungodly hour?”
he was now wide awake and sat up to look at her, she could see his eyes blazing
in annoyance even in the dark room. If she didn’t know him better she would
have taken his possessiveness as a warning sign of an abusive lover but he
seemed to be abrupt with everyone; from the staff at hotels and restaurants to
whoever he was on the phone with when she happened to be within earshot. She made
a mental note to talk to him about it, she didn’t want him questioning her
every move.

“I'm thinking of inviting my friends over to
the house later today. I’d like you to meet them and in turn introduce them to
you.” She watched him for a minute, the creases that had marred his brow were
erased and the left side of his mouth turned up into a lazy smile showing his
acquiescence.

“I’d be more than happy to meet them” he told
her before reaching over and placing a kiss to her forehead then settling
himself back into bed. Val released a pent-up breath she didn't know she was
holding as she got up. She had to admit that she was nervous about his reaction
to her idea - maybe he would have rejected it and claimed they were moving too
fast. His acceptance demonstrated that he was ready to make their relationship
public to the people that mattered. She had once confused secrecy with privacy;
learning the hard way that everyone doesn’t need to know your business but when
no-one knows you’re a couple it’s a clear warning sign. Finishing what she had
gotten up to do put her mind at ease, allowing her to rest peacefully sans the
ominous dreams.

That morning when they both got up, they took a
lazy passionate shower together, dressed and packed their entire luggage. They
stopped by the grocery store for food supplies including the morning’s
breakfast they would prepare in the unused kitchen. She had bounced some ideas
off of him on what they would serve their guests. Vlad had wanted to have the
meal catered for but she insisted it would be overkill for a casual lunch that
would serve a maximum of five people. In the end they settled on a few platters
from a local café, sipping on coffee as they waited for the preparation. When
they arrived at the beach house and began unloading the bags from Vlad’s
Mercedes into the house, she received texts of condolences from Macy and Toni
as they already had prior arrangements that could not be changed. That meant
there would only be three people in attendance, feeling disappointed at first,
she mentally conceded that the late notice may have come too late.

When Natasha called to RSVP she would be
attending, Valerie was relieved to know that her best friend and blessedly the
sanest member would be making an appearance. Not wanting to make her only guest
act as a third wheel, she insisted Tash bring her boyfriend as a date to square
out the group. Promptly at 2PM the bell at the gate rang, confirming and
buzzing the couple through, Natasha greeted her at the door with a handsome
black man who she introduced as Mandla. He was tall, well built, with a deep
brown skin tone that contrasted against his white teeth when he smiled. A smile
that shone from his friendly brown eyes added to his overall attractiveness
which Val was sure would have women fawning in his presence. Being the gracious
hostess, she introduced her guests, although this was her first encounter with
Mandla, to her boyfriend. After sharing a few pleasantries, the men seemed to
have found the topic of sports – Rugby in particular - to bond on. Natasha saw
this as an opportunity to capitalise on by excusing herself, taking a hold of
Val’s hand and leading them into the kitchen.

Knowing that any conversation that needed a
separate room to be had in was probably saucy at best and raunchy at worst, Val
closed the French doors behind her that connected the two rooms. “Oh my gosh!”
they both said in unison before bursting into laughter.

“So we are both team swirl?” Natasha asked with
a devilish smirk, lifting up a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“You know I've never had a problem with
interracial dating. It's you that needs to explain yourself.” Val teased.

“I have absolutely no problem with team swirl
either. I just needed to find my own rendition of tall, dark and handsome.”

“Speaking of Mandla miss Barbie, where did you
find him?”

“At one of those student representative
meetings and then the rugby field and then the library” she finished with a
dreamy sigh. She then went on to explain how he had delievered a moving speech
about issues he planned to cover if elected which earned him her vote, the fact
that the student council could do with some eye candy was also a contributing
factor. She had attended one of the college rugby games to show support against
their biggest rivals when she recognized him on the field. Then at the library,
while looking for a book source for an assignment, she ran into him again which
is when they got to know each other on a personal level and he also asked her
out on that day. “Now that I've told you about mine, it’s time to tell me about
yours. Gorgeous specimen by the way, good luck with all the women who are bound
to try their luck.”

“You’re one to talk! He’s THE black man –
strong, educated and handsome.”

“Argh don’t remind me, I seem to get daggers
thrown my way from a lot of the black girls on campus and it doesn’t help that
I’m a blonde.”

“Yeah I know what you mean; I see the strange
looks we get when we’re out having dinner or just being a couple in public.”

“We need to set up a double date and really
give people something to stare it. Now spill!”

“But you know how we met…”

Natasha scrunched up her nose in thought, “I’m
sure I would remember if you told me about him.”

“He is the guy I had a one night stand with.
You even saw him at the club we went to the weekend before semester started.”

Natasha’s eyes widened in realisation, “wait a
minute”, she turned around to rummage through the cupboards for a pair of
glasses and poured each of them a glass from the bottle sitting on the counter
that had been uncorked to breathe. “I need you to give me a play-by-play of how
you go from having a one night stand to inviting us over to his marvellous
beach house for lunch as if it’s your own home, especially after you looked
like you lost your puppy yesterday.” Val recounted all the details of what had
transpired over the past few weeks since his return. When she was done she wore
a shit eating grin, she couldn't believe how happy she was.

“So everything between you two is all right
now?”

“Yes and no; I know that we are exclusive and
really, really like each other but he still needs has issues to work through
from his past that permeate into our relationship. I don't want to push him too
hard though.”

“Yeah even though he’s hot and all, he has that
don’t-fuck-with-me vibe.”

“Hmmm now that you mention it, he does when it
comes to strangers however he’s been an absolute gentleman” Val stated in his
defence. Shortly after, thoughts of how he handled her in the bedroom had her
biting her lip and making the amendment, “when it counts.”

They then began to set the dining room table
with cutlery and the various foods which included beef, poultry and vegetarian
delicacies. Shortly afterwards they invited the men in. Everyone settled around
the table, the women sitting next to their men but opposite the others
boyfriend in an effort to get to know one another. The conversation flowed well
but the women seemed to steer it with talks of politics one minute and business
the next. When everyone had eaten as much as could be managed, they got up and
took a tour of the house, ending the day by the poolside. As the sun began to
set their guests thanked them both for their hospitality with promises to see
each other at a game.

Vlad and Val walked back out to the pool deck
and snuggled up on one lounge chair, watching the rest of the sunset.

“I didn't know you liked rugby?” she enquired
lifting up her head to look at the profile of his face.

“You never asked” was his calm reply, keeping
his gaze on the ocean front.

“I know that but you should try being
forthcoming sometimes. I don't want to seem like I'm interrogating you by
constantly asking questions.”

Vlad turned his face to look at her brown eyes
that searched his, “I played rugby in college-”

“Where’d you attend college?”

“LSE” at her questioning look he elaborated
“London School of Economics.”

“Hmmm why have you never offered your tutoring
skills? I bet you’re really smart.”

“Nope. Just an average man, who got into a very
good school because I know the right people.”

“What kind of people” Val asked carefully, she
still remembered the guns she found in his luggage when they first met but had
never brought the conversation up after he practically forbade her from asking
about it. To her surprise, Vlad burst out laughing. It was deep and boisterous
and shook his entire body. She looked at him quizzically wondering what was so
funny. Reaching his hand over, he pinched her nose gently.

“Not those kind of people angel. I'm talking
about my brother-”

“You have a brother?”

He had forgotten how curious his little angel
was when given the opportunity. He decided that for today he would answer her
questions – within reason of course. Vlad started from the beginning, or rather
what he considered the beginning not wishing to talk about either sets of parents
he had had. He explained how he met his friends on the streets of Romania who
shortly became his only family. He told her that he had also lived in the
Ukraine, Russia and the UK, purposely glossing over the criminal activities
that had plagued the vast majority of his life. He told her that it was Razvan
that had pushed them all to finish high school and when he went off to college,
a few years later they followed suit. Val found herself taken aback by his
honesty and began to talk about her family; even though her parents were now
separated she hoped they would work through whatever problems they had because
she had grown up with them splitting the responsibility over their only child.
This was the most honest discussion they'd had about their personal lives so
she continued onwards and told him about work and what she wanted out of her
career in the hopes that he would do the same. When she was done and he didn’t
share anything from his end other than giving her expert advice from a college
graduate, she decided to leave it for another day. Things were going well and
she couldn't be happier. They went back indoors with Val heading to one of the
guest rooms; she had unilaterally designated it as her workspace. She doubted
she could be as productive as she liked were she to use the master bedroom
which had a dark ambience that screamed sex and sleep especially when her
personal sex god was in the vacinity.

*****

It was early morning and Vlad was down at the
gym which had become his routine over the past few days. He was thinking about
converting the green and white guest bedroom into an office since Valerie used
it as a study cove and though he could work comfortably in their bedroom, she
did have a point in wanting to separate a working space from one of relaxation.
He found that he
had transitioned into being a Cape Town resident and having a live in
girlfriend with ease.
For the first time in his
life he could admit that he was happy, before he was simply content with life.
He had a thriving business, more than enough money and a family even though
they were scattered around the globe most of the time. Reflecting on how things
were right now compared to the past, he saw that he had been missing out on
true companionship and dare he say - love. The women that had come and gone
throughout the years served the role temporarily, around his brothers he
garnered a sense of belonging but they were not a constant in his life. Valerie
had become a permanent fixture to him; she gave him a sense of stability he wasn’t
even aware he craved. In the beginning it had perturbed him that he was drawn
to her so quickly, how he’d allowed her to spend the night with him even though
she was just a fling at the time, how he wanted to stay in communication when
he was away and now he couldn’t imagine her not being within arm’s reach
unnecessarily.