The Touch Series: Initiation (20 page)

             
Jackass.
I rolled my eyes and looked away from him and instead set my gaze on the fire that was burning in the massive fireplace in the room. All of a sudden, I got into revenge-mode again. I got up and walked towards a glass table with different bottles of liquor and began to help myself. “Drink?”

              He shook his head as I poured some vodka into a glass cup. “You didn't answer my question.”

              “I've had just one boyfriend, Sir. Not a
few
.”  I took a sip of my drink and immediately regretted my choice. But I finished it so that I didn't look weak in front of him. When I finished I started looking through the different bottles.

              “Good. That's good.”

              I snorted. “Yes. I'm such a good girl. I really kept my legs shut, huh?”

              His jaw dropped in surprise as his eyebrows rose up. “Um...what was he like?”

              Was he serious? He wanted to know what my ex was like? I turned to him and he was leaning towards me. He looked amused as if he knew my sucky love-life was going to be an entertaining story for the night. I guessed it was easy to make fun of someone who seemed to be a virgin (though not true in my case) or a straight up prude. “He was the town Mayor's son. Wealthy. Hot. Fucker. Cheater. All the above, really.”

              He leaned back into couch and put both his arms up on the sides. He looked as if he accomplished something. “Sounds like he sucked.”

              “He did and does suck!” I raised my glass for a moment of celebration. Josef's grin widened and    he looked happy as I began to laugh. I ran over to Josef and grabbed his arm to pull him off the couch. “Now, please tell me what tastes good and won't make me want to puke a lot.” I dragged him to the glass table with the bottles.

              He smiled and playfully rolled his eyes as he began mixing different alcohol. He didn't say anything about me touching him, so it seemed like that privilege was not taken away. I watched him as he made me a cocktail which he noticed as he looked at me and whispered, “Did you have another question?”

              “No more questions... No more talking.” We stared at each other for a moment that made me hold in my breathe and forget about all my frustrating feelings towards this man. He put a bottle down, slowly swept a piece of my hair behind my ear and then we were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the room door opening.

              “Josef, your guests are waiting for you.” I turned to find a tall platinum blonde with icy-blue eyes smiling at me and Josef. When Josef didn't move or say anything, she walked over to him and touched one of his arms. “Artie told me you befriended a human. Josef, she's so cute.”

              She must have been
the girl
. The girl who wanted to be his “girlfriend”. I turned to Josef who went completely tense and looked annoyed at the girl. “Quinn, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Quinn.”

              “Yes, one of the group members.” She continued to smile at me as if her face was incapable of having any other type of expression.

              Josef could barely look me in the eye which made the moment even more awkward and completely uncomfortable for me. I pretended not to look uneasy and simply beamed at both of them. “Sarah, were you once in the Club too?”

              Sarah's smile slightly faltered at last but only for a second before her grin widened again. “No. I'm his girlfriend.”

              My heart dropped. “Really? Because he just told me he didn't do girlfriends. That's so funny.” Instead of looking angry, Josef looked surprised at what I had said. He took one look at Sarah and looked as if he were holding in a laugh. I didn't care to wait and hear what Sarah was going to say or Josef for the matter. I smiled sweetly at both of the them and quickly walked out.

              He lied! How could he tell me he doesn't have girlfriends when one just announced herself as one and he didn't deny it! With the pace I used and with my shaky legs, I feared that I was going to fall and have an accident which would have left me much more ashamed and embarrassed than I already was.

              Josef grabbed my arm as I got near the stair case and whirled me around to face him. “I'm sorry about that. She can be difficult.”

              “I don't care.” I shrugged and clutched tightly to my purse to help contain my inner anger. “But you should have been honest with me, Josef. Instead of giving me all that crap in your office about not being able to be with me because I'm human and young, you should have just told me that you had an actual girlfriend. And then just a few minutes ago, you told me that you didn't really do girlfriends. And that is the problem.” I gave out a loud laugh which I'm sure some of the guests at the bottom of the stairs heard. “Gosh, and I was thinking 'wow, Josef Constane actually likes me'.”

              He was glaring at me. “Everything I said was true. And she's not my girlfriend, just a clingy friend I've known for centuries.”

              “You know, I want to believe you but everyone around me tells me that I shouldn't trust you. So, maybe I'm the crazy one by not listening to them.” I wiped a tear that fell down my cheek. “So, I think I'll start now. Goodnight, Mr. Constane.”

              I walked down the stairs but before I headed out the door I turned to see him one last time and he stood in the same spot above the staircase clutching the metal railing and looked furious.

                                                                      CHAPTER fourteen

              Sitting in Richmond's most popular cafe, Rosy Cosey, was everything but the tranquil environment it usually promised to give its customers. Instead of relaxing in one of the burgundy plush arm chairs while sipping a peach n' raspberry iced tea shake and enjoying the serene atmosphere, I was more tense and irritated than anything. Everywhere I turned, there was a couple enjoying their afternoon coffee together or young teens out and about with their new loves.

              The owner of the cafe came up to me with a cheery smile as I began to annoyingly bite on my straw. “Hi, there. Would you like to try our new special of the day?”

              “Sure.”

              She beamed as she lowered a tray to my eye level. “We are planning to call it Love a' Tart if it's a hit.” I looked down at  the heart shaped pecan tarts that were drizzled with a pink syrup. “The raspberry syrup really gives it a nice kick. You know, like that moment you fall even further in love with the person you love.” She turned to blow her husband a kiss who was managing the cafe from behind the main counter. He blew her a kiss back.

              Normally I would have wanted to puck at a cheesy scene like this but instead I really wanted to pour my tea on the tray and cry. “Thank you.” I picked up one of the tarts and bit into it.
Damn, it was good
.

              When I finished it, I picked up my iced tea and once again began to sip my sorrows away.  I couldn't have been angrier and more sad at the same time. Josef not only shunned my romantic advances but he completely lied to me. The rumors of him having a girlfriend were true whether he openly admitted it or not. But that didn't stop him from flirting with me and making me feel as if my feelings were reciprocated. And worst of all, I wouldn't listen to my friends Ivy, Janel and Artie. Especially, Artie. I got mad at him in Hawaii and gave him a major cold shoulder when he was actually right the whole time.

              I spoke to Ivy and Janel after last night's party and told them that I was no longer in the Club and no longer wanted to be involved with trying to figure out with what happened to Cassie. I felt for Lisa and wanted to help her, but I couldn't be around Josef anymore. It was toxic and I had enough issues in my life as it was. They didn't argue with me since they both agreed that Josef messed with my head and knew exactly what he was doing.

              But I wasn't going to be one of those girls whose life was going to be completely affected by a guy like that. No. I was going to move on. My plan was to start looking into college majors today and slowly make a list of schools. I was also planing to look for another job to have on the side of my dance job. I really needed to save up a lot of money if I was serious about moving and starting a life somewhere new. Josef wouldn't allow me not to accept his money, so we had the money ready to pay for the new therapist for Nicholas. And I hoped that things would be different for all of us....

              For the better.

                                                                                    ***

              “We have an opening for the Event Planning position.”

              “So?” I was sitting in the dressing room getting ready for work when the head of the Human Resource department of the hotel was trying to persuade me to take on more work at the hotel. She was afraid that if I found work elsewhere then I would not be able to work there anymore. “Mary, I'm not qualified to do event planning and you know that. My skills run from dancing to vintage clothing shopping extraordinaire. Not really a great resume.”

              “You don't need any type of skills to do the job. Quinn, you know this town and you're a people person. You're charming and people like you. And you're hard working. And that's all that is needed. You plan events that you think the town people and the hotel guests would like to be apart of and you plan and advertise them. Simple. Plus, you'll have an actual title and it will look good on your resume.”

              She was right, it would look good on my resume. Plus, secretly I did love getting involved in town events. They might have been a little cheesy but I still loved them. And my passion for vintage stalking across town and on the web created an organized, researching freak out of me. And it would make my parents really happy. It would also help keep my mind off certain things. “Are you sure? You don't have any other candidates you have to interview first?”

              “I've only had two applicants who expressed interest in the position. Charles from church, who would make everything dreadfully rated-G. And then there is Peggy.”

              I knew most of the people in town but Peggy didn't ring a bell. “Who?”

              “You know. That woman who sits at Dean's Diner from time to time and always tries to get people to invest in her cougar online dating site.”

              “Oh, her.”

              “Exactly. So, you are the one and only person I am willing to give this position to.”

              I finished zipping up my purple dress when I turned to her. “When do I start?”

                                                                                                  ***

              “Thank you all for coming today. We have a lot of planning and work to do for the upcoming summer soiree benefiting the local animal shelter. And I would like to hear of any ideas that you may have that might be incorporated. I am open to anything.” I smiled at the seven people who sat in front of me in a round table. From the town's lawyer to the owner of the biggest supermarket, these seven members represented the town  itself and I had no choice but to incorporate them in the planning.

              I decided to raise funds for the local animal shelter by having a massive outdoor picnic at the town's center. I already had donations from local bakeries and eateries for the event. Now, I desperately sought entertainment for the day.             

              Susan Watt, one of the teachers from Richmond Elementary, put her hand up in the air. I smiled and nodded at her. “I just wanted to let you know that the eighth  grade class are in the process of putting together a short play that can be acted out on the day for the town.”

              “Oh, how lovely.”

              “It's a modern take on
Romeo and Juliet.
”

             
Oh, hell no.
No romance, absolutely none! “Really? I feel like that's been ...overdone.”