Close Liaisons (12 page)

Mia walked back to her apartment, desperately needing some alone time before she faced Jessie and her questions.

She felt raw and emotional, filled with self-loathing. Rationally, she knew that responding to him that way made her task easier and more tolerable. It would have been infinitely worse if she had found him repulsive or had to pretend to feel passion where there was none. However, the romantic teenager buried deep inside her was weeping at the perversion of her love story. There was no hero in her romance, and the villain made her feel things that she had never imagined she could experience.

After he had finished fucking her on the kitchen table, he carried her back to the bathroom and gently cleaned her off. He then allowed her to get dressed and go home, with a parting kiss and an admonition to be dressed and ready by 6:30 p.m. Mia had meekly agreed, wanting nothing more than to get away, her body still throbbing in the aftermath of the episode.

She debated how much to tell Jessie. The last thing she wanted was to drag her into this whole mess. Then again, Jessie was already involved through Jason, and one could argue that she’d made things worse for Mia by unintentionally bringing her into the anti-K movement.

Entering the apartment, she was surprised and relieved to find that no one was there. Jessie had to be out studying or running errands.

Sighing, Mia decided to use the quiet time to catch up with her family. The last time she’d spoken to them was last Saturday, which now seemed like a lifetime ago. Her parents likely thought that she was swamped with schoolwork, so they hadn’t bothered her beyond sending a couple of text messages to which Mia had managed to respond with a generic “things r good - luv u.”

She powered on her old computer and saw that her mom was already waiting for her on Skype. Her dad was in the back of the room, reading something. Seeing Mia log in, a big smile broke out on her mom’s face.

“Sweetie! How are you? We haven’t heard from you all week!”

If there was one thing that Mia was grateful to the Ks for, it was the impact they’d had on her parents and other middle-aged Americans across the nation. The new K-mandated diet had done wonders for her parents’ health, reversing her father’s diabetes and drastically lowering her mom’s abnormally high cholesterol levels. Now in their mid-fifties, her parents were thinner, more energetic, and younger-looking than she remembered them ever being in the past.

Mia grinned at the camera with pleasure. The worst thing about being in New York was seeing her parents so infrequently. Although she went back home every chance she got – flying to Florida for spring break was hardly a chore – she still missed them. One day, she hoped to move closer to them, perhaps once she’d finished grad school.

“I’m good, mom. How are things with you guys?”

“Oh, you know, same old – all the news are with you youngsters these days. Have you spoken to your sister yet?”

“Not yet,” said Mia, “why?’

Her mom’s smile got really big. “Oh, I don’t know if I should tell you. Just call her, okay?”

Mia nodded, dying of curiosity.

“How are things in school? Did you finish your paper?” her mom asked.

Mia barely remembered the paper at this point. “The paper? Oh, yeah, the Sociology paper. I finished it on Sunday.”

“You’ve had more papers since then?” Her mom asked disapprovingly. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “Mia, honey, you study way too hard. You’re twenty-one – you should be going out and having fun in the big city, not sitting holed up in that library. When is the last time you had a date?”

Mia flushed a little. This was an old argument that came up more and more frequently these days. For some reason, unlike every other parent out there who would love to have a studious and responsible daughter, her mom fretted about Mia’s lack of a social life.

Mia tried to imagine her parents’ reaction if she told them just how active her dating life had been in the past week. “Mom,” she said with exasperation, “I go on dates. I just don’t necessarily tell you all about it.”

“Yeah, right,” her mom said disbelievingly. “I remember perfectly well the last date you went on. It was with that boy from biology, right? What was his name? Ethan?”

Mia smiled ruefully in response. Her mom knew her too well. Or at least she knew the Mia she’d been prior to last Saturday, when her world had gone topsy-turvy.

“By the way,” her mom said, “you look really nice. Did you do something to your hair?” Turning behind her, she said to Mia’s dad, “Dan, come here and take a look at your daughter! Doesn’t Mia look great these days?”

Her father approached the camera and smiled. “She always looks great. How are you doing, hon? You meet any nice boys yet?”

“Dad,” Mia groaned, “not you too.”

“Mia, I’m telling you, all the good ones get taken early.” Once her mom got on this topic, it was difficult to get her to stop. “One more year for you, and you’re going to be done with college, and then where are you going to meet a good boy?”

“In grad school, on the street, online, at a party, in a club, in a bar, or at work,” Mia responded by listing the obvious. “Look, mom, just because Marisa met Connor in college does not mean that it’s the only way to meet someone.” One could also meet an alien in the park – she was proof of that.

Her mom shook her head in reproach, but wisely moved on to another topic. They chatted about some other inconsequential things, and Mia learned that her parents were contemplating going on vacation to Europe for their thirtieth wedding anniversary and that her mom’s job search was going well. It was a wonderfully normal conversation, and Mia reveled in it, wanting to remember every moment in case this was the last time she would speak to her parents this way. Finally, she reluctantly said goodbye, promising to call Marisa right away.

Her acting skills must have drastically improved in the last few days, Mia thought. Despite her inner turmoil, her parents hadn’t suspected a thing.

Trying to reach Marisa on Skype was always a little challenging, so she called her cell instead.

“Mia! Hey there, baby sis, how are you? Did you see any of my postings on Facebook?” Her sister sounded incredibly excited.

“Um, no,” Mia said slowly. “Did something happen?”

“Oh my God, you’re such a study-wort! I can’t believe you never go on Facebook anymore! Well, something did happen. You’re going to have a niece or nephew!”

“Oh my God!” Mia jumped up, nearly screaming in excitement. “You’re pregnant?”

“I sure am! Oh, I know you’re going to think I’m too young, and we just got married, and blah, blah, blah, but I’m really excited.”

“No, I think it’s great! I’m very happy for you,” Mia said earnestly. “I can’t believe my favorite sis is having a baby!”

At twenty-nine, Marisa had exactly the kind of life Mia had always hoped to have. She was happily married to a wonderful guy who adored her, lived an hour’s drive away from their parents in Florida, and worked as an elementary school music teacher. And now she had a baby on the way. Her life could not have been more perfect, and Mia was truly glad for her. And if she felt a twinge – okay, more than a twinge – of envy, she would never let it intrude on Marisa’s happiness. It was not her sister’s fault that Mia’s own life had become such a screw-up in the last week.

They caught up some more, with Mia learning all about the first-trimester nausea and cravings, and then Marisa had to run since her lunch break was over. Mia let her go, already missing her cheerful voice, and then decided to use the remaining time for studying.

An hour later, Mia had gone through the requisite Statistics exercises and had just started reviewing her Child Psychology textbook when Jessie showed up.

“Mia!” she exclaimed with relief, spotting her curled up on the couch. “Oh, thank God! I was so worried when you didn’t come home last night! I called Jason, but he said that you were probably fine and that I shouldn’t worry. What happened? Did John tell you anything useful?”

Mia stared at her roommate, once more debating how much to share with the girl who had been her best friend for the last three years. “He did,” she said slowly, trying to come up with something that would put Jessie at ease.

“Well, what did he say? And where were you last night? Was it with that K?”

Mia sighed, deciding on a plausible storyline. “Well, John basically said that the Ks occasionally get interested in humans this way. It’s usually a passing fancy, and they get tired of the relationship and move on fairly quickly. It’s nothing to worry about, and I should just play along and enjoy it for as long as it lasts.”

“Enjoy what? Sleeping with the K?” Jessie’s eyes widened in shock.

“Pretty much,” Mia confirmed. “It’s really not that bad. He also takes me out to nice places. We’re going to Le Bernardin tonight.”

“Wait, Mia, you’re sleeping with him now?” Jessie’s voice rose incredulously. “But you’ve never been with anyone before! Are you telling me you lost your virginity to him already?”

Mia blushed, feeling embarrassed. At this point, she was about as far from being a virgin as one could get. Seeing her answer in the color washing into Mia’s face, Jessie softly said, “Oh my God. How was it? You weren’t hurt, were you?”

Mia’s blush deepened. “Jessie,” she said desperately, “I really don’t feel like discussing this in detail. We had sex, and it was good. Now can we please change the topic?”

Jessie hesitated and then reluctantly agreed. Mia could see that her roommate was dying with curiosity, but Mia knew she could not keep up her brave act for long. More than anything, Mia wanted to tell Jessie the whole messy story, to reveal the sickening fear she felt at the prospect of ending up as a sex slave or getting caught spying for the Resistance. But doing so would likely put Jessie in danger as well, and that was the last thing Mia wanted.

Lying was a small price to pay for keeping her loved ones safe.

Before Mia had a chance to do much more studying, she was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Opening the door, she was surprised to see a sharply dressed middle-aged woman and a young flamboyantly trendy man standing at her doorstep. The man was holding a zippered clothing bag that was nearly as tall as he was. “Yes?” she said warily, fully expecting to hear them say that they’ve got the wrong apartment.

“Mia Stalis?” the woman asked with a faint British accent.

“Uh, yeah,” Mia said, “that would be me.”

“Great,” the woman said. “I’m Bridget, and this is Claude. We’re personal shoppers from Saks Fifth Avenue, and we’re here to remake your wardrobe.”

Light dawned.

Trying to hold on to her temper, Mia asked, “Did Korum sent you? I thought he was just getting me a dress for tonight.”

“He did. This is your dress right here. We’re going to make sure it fits you properly, and then we’ll take some additional measurements.” Bridget sounded snooty, or maybe that was just the British accent.

Mia took a deep breath. “All right,” she acquiesced, “come on in.”
By now, Jessie had come out of her room and was observing the proceedings with great interest, and Mia didn’t want to throw a scene over something so inconsequential.

They came in, and Claude unzipped the bag with a flourish. “Wow,” Jessie said in a reverent tone, “I think I’ve seen that dress on the runway . . .”

The dress was truly beautiful, made of a shimmery blue fabric that seemed to flow with every move. It had three-quarter-length sleeves – perfect for a chilly restaurant – and looked like it might end just above the knees. It also seemed tiny, and Mia doubted that even she would be able to fit in it.

Nonetheless, she went to her room and tried it on. Twirling in front of her mirror, she was shocked to see that it actually fit her like a glove. The dress was very modest in the front, but had a deep plunge in the back, so she couldn’t wear a bra. However, it was so cleverly made, with the cups already sewn in, that no bra was necessary for someone of Mia’s size. The young woman reflected in the mirror was more than merely pretty; she actually looked hot, with all her small curves highlighted and shown to their best advantage.

Feeling shy, Mia walked out of her bedroom and modeled the dress to her audience. Claude and Bridget made admiring noises, and Jessie wolf-whistled at the sight. “Wow, Mia, you look amazing!” she exclaimed, walking around Mia to look at her from all angles.

“Here,” Bridget said, her tone less snooty now, “you can wear these tights and shoes with it.” She was holding up a pair of silky black pantyhose and simple black pumps with red soles.

Trying on the shoes and tights, Mia discovered that they were a great fit as well. She wondered how Korum knew her size so precisely. If she had been the one choosing the clothes, she would have never gone for the dress, sure that it was too small to fit her. Still caught up in the beauty of the dress, Mia graciously allowed Bridget to take her full measurements.

Checking on the time, Mia was surprised to see that it was already six o’clock. She only had a half-hour to get ready – not that she needed all that time given that she was already dressed. Her hair was still magically behaving, so she only needed to worry about makeup. Two minutes later, she was done, having brushed on two coats of mascara, a light sprinkling of powder to hide the freckles, and a tinted lip balm. Satisfied, she settled on the couch to finish studying and wait for Korum to pick her up.

* * *

Greeting Korum at the door, she was pleased to see his eyes turn a brighter amber at the sight of her in the dress.

“Mia,” he said quietly, “I always knew you were beautiful, but you look simply incredible tonight.”

Mia blushed at the compliment and mumbled a thank-you.

The dinner was the most amazing affair of Mia’s life. Le Bernardin was utterly posh, with the waiters anticipating their every wish with almost uncanny attentiveness and the food somewhere between heavenly and out-of-this-world. They got a special tasting menu, and Mia tried everything from the warm lobster carpaccio to the stuffed zucchini flower. The wine paired with their courses was delicious as well, although Korum kept a strict eye on her alcohol consumption this time, stopping the waiter when he tried to refill her glass too often.