An Ember's Touch

Dinner With Him

     It was going on seven-thirty when Kassandra arrived at the gates to Sebastian’s house, getting her bagged dress out from the back seat. Balter was quick to ask about it but Kassandra told him to not ask about it, punching him in the shoulder when he did press it three more times. Also pressing his luck when he kept asking what they did last night, Kassandra spouting off they only watched movies and a couple of rounds of chess. The movies didn’t seem to surprise Balter, it was the Chess since it shut him up with her little interrogation. She was thankful it did. She rang the buzzer at the gate then watched her car disappear around the corner, getting a growing feeling that she would later regret it. She’s seen her brother stupidity since her freshman year with how reckless Balter and Reagan were. Together, they reigned havoc. She stared at the Ranch-style house on the hill while she was mentally distracted with scenarios of seeing her car repoed or it came back destroyed. She kept her dress slung over her shoulder as she glanced down to her sweat pants then plucked at her high school senior hoodie. Why did it matter with what I wore? “Hope this isn’t provocative.” 



The gate suddenly jerked then began to retract into the stone pillars, hearing something guzzling in the distance. A pair of headlights suddenly whipped around the tall hedges and race down the driveway, Kassandra moved a little to the side when they weren’t seeming to slow down. They whipped around and hit the brakes hard that the tires screamed a little, revealing Sebastian behind the wheels of a Polaris. He pulled the half cigarette his mouth and flicked an ash. He took Kassandra quickly in with an up and down glance then nodded, “Get in.”





Stepping in the house second time around felt different to Kassandra—it was cozier. Normal. The open living room which dropped down a step was off to the right while the kitchen was straight across to the left; leaving the dining room past the living room. The back of the long couch was loitered with coats and hoodies while multiple shoes were kicked off next to the door. “How many people live here?” Kassandra moved aside as Sebastian shut the door behind her. 



“Just me.” He took the bagged dress from her, walking over to the kitchen island, and settled it down. “Least someone listens to me.” He commented quietly.

Kassandra stared at him back, trying to figure out what he meant by that but she was soon hypnotized by his fantasizing body. Sebastian now came off completely different with his hair cut, eyeing his throat tattoo for a second when he turned to her. He was in pajama pants and a tank top, appearing ready for bed rather than business and having company over. Wait, what if ground rules was keyword for—?! Her eyes fell down to the string of his pajama pants, making out a little bit of his manhood. She winced when he snapped his fingers, frowning and fidgeting her fingers against her stomach. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to look.”

“A virgin gets d**k for the first time and can’t stop thinking about it. I’m flattered.” He teased, watching her cheeks burn. He chuckled and waved her over, Kassandra tangled her fingers together tighter and wandered over fully embarrassed now. She watched him pull a white envelope across the island. “I usually pay my fake girlfriends half and the other half when we leave the event. Or in this case, the wedding.” He handed it over. Kassandra cautiously taking it. Pay? She looked over the envelope but nothing popped out as out of the ordinary with it. Sebastian glanced over the bagged dress then peaked inside while she opened the envelope and pulled out a check. She grunted at the $2,500 check, grasping it with both hands. 



He was going to pay me $5,000 dollars?! “Half?!” She gawked at him, catching him intently looking over the dress. He closed the bag and stood up, being a good head taller than her.



“What? You want more? I can write a new one.”

“What?! N-no. I-I mean-” She choked up, watching him pick up his beer. “Just to attend a wedding with you?”

“Well, yeah.” He shrugged, taking a swig. “Make it worthwhile.”

“I, uh, don’t know what to say.” She gawked back at the check, feeling her heart start to race. “I, uh.”

“Sorry I’m a grower, not a shower.” Sebastian suddenly smirked, sending Kassandra blank face again. She swallowed hard and he smirked as he finished his beer, walking passed her. “Come on.”





They headed down the hallway passed the kitchen where Kassandra heard faint music from a cracked, lit doorway. She managed to calm her racing heart but the numbers were still burned in her head. Her fingers themselves held the envelope tight to not to let go but not too tight to crinkle it. Why did he pay so much just not to look single? Was he that lonely? “I don’t know why he wants to meet you.” Sebastian stated with a huff, pushing the door open with his foot. It opened to Nate sitting behind a large computer monitor, intently eyeing it while resting his chin on his fist. He grumbled something to himself before his attention flicked over to them, perking up. “Oh, shi-Hi!” He clicked the mouse a few times, Sebastian gripping the doorknob and leaned on it. Kassandra stepped in more and blinked, barely recognizing him until she noticed the toothpick in his mouth. Then it hit her: it was the guy in the Hellcat from earlier today. 



“Nathan Dankson?” She pointed at him, dumbfounded. Her memories were catching up the longer she stared at his smirking face. He was a Junior when she was a freshman, a real prankster back then but straight A’s. “The valedictorian of his class when everyone thought it would be Stacy Grenshew? The same guy who basically told every teacher to shove it when proving them wrong?” She doubtly rose a brow then turned to Sebastian’s blunt stare which remained on his friend. Though for a second, she saw a gleam of amusement in his eyes. “You guys know each other?”

“Yeah.” Nate chuckled from the humiliation and pushed his sleeves up. “Senior year when he moved here, Sebastian accidentally tripped me in art class. Been friends ever since.” He leaned back in the computer chair and joined his hands on his stomach.

“Are you done yet?” Sebastian rose a brow, not in the mood to reminisce about himself. Kassandra noticed the small twinge of tightness to his jaw but kept quiet, glancing between the two. 



“Just about.” Nate nodded, glancing over the monitor. “Just a few more fixes and the site will automatically update the new collection around midnight tonight.”



“Collection? What for?” Escaped Kassandra’s lips, quickly regretting when both of them look to her. Nate didn’t seem offended yet Sebastian seemed a little annoyed since he stared longer, “I mean I-”

“My brand.” Sebastian leaned his shoulders on the door then, “I have a clothesline, Nate keeps the website up to date and drops limited-edition apparel here and there.”

“When I’m in the mood, that is.” Nate added, swiveling around and got to his feet, he went to stretch his arms over his head that hoodie rode up a little. Kassandra couldn’t help but gaze at his happy trail. Seeing Sebastian move out the corner of her eye, she instantly scolded herself and ducked her head down. What was better: V-lines or happy trail? Wait, why did I stop looking? She crossed her arms and turned to him, “So when are we going over those ground rules like you said?”

Sebastian made a small noise. “Do you mind keep the others company?”

“Not a problem.” Nate shrugged, grabbing his phone off the desk. He slipped out and down the hallway, Kassandra watched him step out the glass door where louder music was playing. She turned back when the music in the office turned off, Sebastian walking back over and gesture her out. “Where’d you wanna talk? Kitchen? Living room? Bedroom?”



~~~~~*~~~~~

Becka stood up and watch the pool balls scatter, nodding off to the bass drumming from downstairs. She flicked her pastel pink ombre hair off her shoulder and leaned her hip against the table. Chase walked around bouncing his stick hand to hand, chewing on his tongue stud as he searched for an easy claim to start off the game. Becka ran her tongue over teeth and checked her phone, seeing it was going on nine. “He’s on his way, right?”

“He’ll be here soon, don’t worry.” Vincent scrolled through Tumblr on his phone, smirking at a dirty picture. The twenty-six-year-old was reclined back in sweat pants capris and a hoodie while his right foot was relaxed on the arm rest and his left leg straight out on the leg rest, and his left arm behind his head. The dim light of his phone glowed on his face, his little nose ring gleamed while his hazel eyes were fogged over with full attention. He popped his fingers over his head and exhaled, flopping his phone on his chest and watched Chase take his shot. Next to him on the floor, a white greyhound slept in a dog bed. “What game is this?”

“Third.” Chase held his breath and hit the cue ball, claiming stripes. He grinned and stood up, ignoring Becka’s eye roll as he rounded the table. “Me: Two. Becka: Whimpy little one.” He stepped in front of her and stuck his tongue out, Vincent watching them as Becka sarcastically smile and stuck her tongue out back at him.

Becka watched Chase take his turn, tempted to bump his stick when he went to go again. “You sure he has them?”

Vincent glanced upto her, emotionless. “He has them. I told him if he doesn’t walk in with them, he’s dead.”

“Still hard to believe Hardy got caught, wow who is going to bring stuff in for us?” Chase groaned when he missed. Becka stepped close his side and made a soft noise as she smiled at him, Chase shooting her an annoyed look.

“It’s nothing to worry about.” Vincent flipped up his phone when it vibrated. It was a text from Maris, calmly opening it and then stared at the screen:

8: 45 p.m. What time do you think you’ll be home tonight?

He sniffled and quickly responded: 8:45 p.m. I should be leaving here soon, I’ll let you know.

He was about to lower his phone but then it vibrated again, seeing it was from Felix now:

8:46 p.m. He’s here. Front door.

“Chase.” Vincent glanced up to see him leaned over and about to take his turn. Both of them though were looking straight at him, alert. “Go get Balter, will you? He’s at the front door.” Vincent settled his phone off to the side table, inhaling as he sat up. He turned the lamp on, lighting up the corner of the room and the excitement was visibly gleaming in his eyes. The greyhound woke up and perked up.

“Right.” Chase stood up and tossed his stick at Becka who instinctively caught it before she got whacked in the face. He stepped outside and shut the door behind him, Becka settle his pool stick against the wall and went for her drink.

“Is everything sorted out for tomorrow?” He patted his knee, the dog getting up then stretched. He patted his lap then leaned back as the greyhound climbed into his lap and rolled on its back, Vincent kissing its head and gave her a chest rub.

Becka swallowed and settling it back down on the side table. “Everything is set up.” she nodded, stamping her pool stick and rested his cheek on it. “So what about the rest of the guns?”

“No point crying over them.” Vincent smiled at the dog, “Right, Coco?” the dog wagged her tail before licking at his chin. He pulled her more upon his chest when went to fix himself, “If we try to get them back, the fuzz will find out they’re my guns. And I do not need that sort of heat right now.” He patted Coco’s side and eyed the tinted glass passed her, watching the lasers become visible from the fog machines. This was just one of the few places Vincent felt comfortable chilling at when it came to serious matters. How he saw it, no one believed in drunk people and their stories that came splurging out like vomit. Coco suddenly perked up and stared at the door, Vincent scratching her side as the door opened.

Chase stepping in and held the door open while resting a long duffle bag on his shoulder, nodding with approval. “They did good this time.” 



Vincent made a small noise that it sent Coco off his lap, watching Balter come in with a fuller-looking duffle bag. The greyhound slipped under the table and began to sniff over Balter as he came in more. Vincent got up and stretched his arms over his head, Chase shut the door behind Balter then locked it, the two exchanged looks. “For security purposes.” Becka smiled at Balter.

Beating into a nervous sweat, Balter settled the bag on the table and stepped back. He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned at the bag, doing to best to ignore the dog sniffing his legs. All he could be stand and watch Becka settle her stick aside and unzipped the bag, everything staring it down. Wandering over, Balter then looked to Vincent as he calmly over and leaned on the edge of the pool table. “This is all that was left from the order.” He frowned at Vincent whose lips thinned, quickly going on. “W-we were at Hardy’s house loading them up into the van when cops showed up. I still had this stuff in my car.”

Becka started pulling assault rifles out. “These are nice.”

“Miltary grade.” Chase slugged the bag off his shoulder then spun it around. When Vincent nodded, he put it on the table and unzipped it; revealing a long-barreled sniper rifle with a thick silencer. “I call dibs.” Chase grinned proudly at the gun. 



Coco’s narrow head nuzzled Vincent’s hand, petting her then picked up a handgun. “You did good, Balter.” He nodded with approval, his phone suddenly vibrated. Non-stop this time. He fished it out and saw it was Felix calling, answering it. He continued to admire the gun, “Yes?” 



“We got a couple of squad cars in the street, they’re looking over the car Balter came in.”

Vincent smirked at Balter which made him gulp. “That’s…ironic.” he gradually raised and aimed the gun at him, Balter’s hands shoot up and took a step back. Both Chase and Becka went alert, “Any in the alley?”

“No, sir.”

“Keep it cleared, Chase and Becka will be heading out soon.” 



“Yes, sir.”

And I thought I’d be getting out of here quickly today. Vincent pulled his phone away and hung up, not breaking eye contact from Balter who had himself pressed against the glass. “Cops are here looking at car. Leading them here, are we?” He dropped his phone into his pocket. 



Becka pulled a small gun from her waist and pointed it at him too. “Knew we shouldn’t of trusted this fucker.”

“I-no, it’s my sister’s car that I drove up here. I swear!” Balter winced when Chased pulled out his gun and now aimed it at him. “Why would I lead them here?!”

“Easy, killers.” Vincent murmured, Chase and Becka fighting their instant rage. There was a pause before they lowered their guns. Vincent rose a wicked brow and chuckled, “So this is the new plan: You two are going to take the guns and our delivery boy here. He resist, throw him out. And don’t stop driving when you do, preferably before a good size tree.”



~~~~~*~~~~~

“You actually cook?”

Kassandra stared in astonishment yet her mouth was salivating from the aroma which filled the house. She watched Sebastian work his magic as he danced the sizzling pan around, tossing the fried rice repeatedly in the air. Then he moved next to the grilled garlic buttered perch, lifting the lid and picked up his fork. “Well, yeah. I’m not gonna live off of ramen for the rest of my life like everyone else.”

“Who taught you to cook?” Kassandra smiled, watching him get plates down from the cabinet. 



There she goes again. He settled the plates down on the island and went to pick up his beer, “My Uncle. He taught me a few things.” He took a swig, seeing he had her full attention. He settled his beer down and went to turn off the burners. As much as he admired the distance Randall benched between them, Sebastian was thankful for him in his troublesome times. “He taught me how to treat a woman and be a man.” He started to prep their plates in utter silence. 



Kassandra watched his shoulders relax a little. Balter was scared of this guy…why? “He sounds like a great man.”

Sebastian went for the fish, speaking low. “He was.” 



Kassandra slowly lost her smile then. He turned around with her plate, grabbing a fork from the drawer and slid it over. “Hope it’s not shit.” 



Witnessing his mood flop in two-second gave her a reminder who she was standing in front of. She quickly associated that he wasn’t fond of talking about his family, not pressing more of it. She picked the fork up and perked up, looking over the steaming food. “It doesn’t look like it.” She reassured.

“And many girls don’t look like they carry an STD.” Sebastian leaned on the island and nodded to the plate.

Kassandra wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t the longer they stared at each other. Instead, she twiddled her fork. She cut into the fish which separated like warm butter, the steamy aroma hit her nose which made her mouth water even more. She brought it to her mouth, the both still making eye contact. Something flashed over Sebastian’s eyes it slid onto her tongue. Instant goosebumps washed over her body, moaning from the warm, softness of the fish and the perfect blend of seasoning that swarmed her mouth. She covered her mouth and lowered her fork, watching Sebastian smirk with pride. She chewed more slowly than usual, enjoying every bite. “This is f*****g delicious, Sebastian. It is better than Ramen.” 



Sebastian chuckled and picked up his fork, “Good. I thought for a minute was tongue out of whack.” He began to dig in himself.

“So.” Kassandra lowered her fork, “Ground rules.”

“Mm.” He swallowed and picked up his beer, he took a swig. Settling it back down, he walked over to the living room. “I’m a pretty easy going person to work with.” He announced, picking up a folder off the coffee table. When he came back over, she noticed he had grown awkwardly quiet once again. From his docile expression, he had something on his mind. He flopped the folder down and rubbed the back of his neck, watching the steam emit from his plate. Embarrassed deep down, he didn’t want to look at her. “I’m sorry about the night before. I’m usually not that straightforward, I haven’t f****d in a while and I kind of have a high s*x drive.”

For a moment, Kassandra couldn’t tell if he was pulling her leg or not. Her bar chair creaked when she shifted in it a little. Regardless, she attempted to lighten up the stiff air. “I thought all men had a high s*x drive.”

Sebastian smirked briefly, drumming his fingers on the island. “Thanks for comparing me to the rest of my horny bastard population.”



“What makes you different from every other guy? Besides your cooking.” Kassandra smiled, mentally cornering him. 



They stared at each other without another word, Kassandra noticing his drumming stopped and the room was quiet once again. Deep down, Sebastian was fighting to find the words but the same time debating if he wanted to change the subject. He licked his lips and glanced at the living room then the pile of jackets. His crew, his system. He rolled his shoulder and forced himself to relax, “I get a kick from f*****g in public places, brings a nice adrenaline rush of possibly getting caught. But anyways,” he opened the folder. “Anything you hear in this house stays in this house.” He blinked, the hardness to his eyes quickly returned. “I got a lot of profit caches I ride, including the small betting business your brother got pulled into.” He quickly flipped the conversation onto her, watching her snort. 



“Not my fault my stupid brother got pawned by loan sharks.”

“Regardless.” He smirked at his plate, cutting up a piece of fish then stirred it with the rice. “s**t stays in the toilet, got it?” 



“Alright.” She grimaced from his metaphor, picking up her drink. 



Sebastian sat on a barstool and started to go through the folder, looking over the pictures of the Frey boys. Nothing really came to mind as he looked over their bodies: a couple of gun shots to their faces which left them to be Swiss cheese. Died sitting on the couch, so Sebastian only assumed they knew the killer was there. If it were a surprise, the killer would have to shoot each one one time to keep them down then go back and forth. Then the realization hit him. He breathlessly muttered it under my breath. “Back and forth…”

“What?” Kassandra rose a brow, watching him lower his fork then clap the folder shut. 



He slipped off the barstool, “Eat.” He announced, storming down the hallway. 



Soon enough, she heard the back door open and shut. She eyed the folder then, labeled PROPERTY OF MONICA DE FAYE POLICE DEPARTMENT. What was he doing with police files? Was this the part of him that Balter was scared of? How did even he get his hands on police files? She frowned down the hallway, nervously twiddling her fork. “What am I getting myself into?” She suddenly winced when her phone went off, settling her fork down and went for it. She pulled it from her pocket, grimacing at the fact it was Reagan. How did he get my number? Ugh. She checked the hallway then answered it, “Hello?”

“Hey. Is Balter on his way?”

On his way? She fluttered her eyes with confusion, checking the time on the stove. “He left a while ago.” She shifted on the barstool, gently tapping her nails on the island. “Unless he was caught speeding in my car or something.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Reagan sighed, “Alright, thanks. I’ll let you know where he gets here. Cya.”

“Bye.” She lowered her phone to the island and stared at her phone. What was he doing? She ran her tongue over her teeth and went to her contacts, finding Balter’s number and pressed it up against her ear. The line went straight to answering machine, pulling it back and frowned at her phone.

“Trouble?” She snapped over to see Sebastian crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder against the wall, something flashed over his eyes which made her uneasy.

“It’s Balter.” She heard her voice soften, cautious. She flipped her phone screen down, “He’s not at his friend’s house nor his phone is on. That’s not like him.”

Sebastian spoke gentle, “You sure you know him? He did lose a bet and threw you into his mess.”

Kassandra bit her tongue hard, keeping her cold comment back. She stared hard at him, picking up her phone without hesitation. “I have to go.” she slipped off the barstool.

Sebastian calmly watched her get on her phone, debating deep down. To wittiness someone so concerned for someone stupid. He wiped his hand over his mouth and glanced over the living room, giving in. “Did you need help finding him or do you least need a ride home?” He tucked his arm back into his armpit, catching Kassandra caught off guard and stared at him. He shrugged sheepishly, covering up his soft side. “I mean, it’s only I could do since you’re going to a wedding with me.”

Kassandra’s shoulder stiffly lowered, little relief hitting her. “…Sure.”