FOUR: UNCOMFORTABLE EMOTIONS. TRISTAN
927 Words
I don’t know why I agreed to host a dinner party for my business partners and associates. Social events aren’t for me. I love riding solo. But as one of my associates pointed out, I’ve grown too successful to keep flying under the radar.
The media attention I’m getting is growing and I totally hate it. I only intended for my startup tech company to be a quiet success. But its spectacular rise to prominence and in such a short time too has firmly thrust me in the spotlight.
I guess I should have expected it. Drive and ambition are in my Lycan genes after all, genes I inherited from a father who stops at nothing to get what he wants— a father I have no wish or desire to ever set eyes on again.
He has no idea where I am now. But if I know anything about Alpha Jules Von Chester of the Pine Valley Pack, it’s that he never accepts defeat. He will relentlessly keep searching for me, and as my success makes me more and more visible, it will only be a question of time before he finds me.
But I’ll worry about that later. Now I have a dinner to host. I’ve hired a team of caterers and I’ve made money available to the old maid, Harriet, and Karen to get things ready. Karen—my mind pauses over her.
We aren’t mated or dating or anything in that direction. We have never even had s*x. There’s a mysterious force preventing penetration. I can’t get past it, no matter how hard I try. The best I’ve gotten is oral s*x.
I should probably get rid of her and find myself some less complicated girl. But I can’t. She’s a mystery I’m desperate to solve. Plus Karen’s looks are out of this world. From the glorious crown of her silky strawberry blonde hair to the tender soles of her dainty feet, Karen is loveliness personified. And her violet eyes.… Sweet Goddess, those eyes! They are unique and beautiful beyond compare.
Does she remember who she used to be? I doubt it. But the other day there was this look in her eyes that’s making me suspect she remembers something.
I know she lied that day about going out for toiletries. That means she’s hiding something.
Where did she actually go? Is she investigating her past? What if she’s investigating me? No, I can’t let that happen. I’ve got to keep her under strict surveillance. Or just dispose of her. I sigh. If only it were that simple….
I hadn’t felt a thing for any woman until Karen came along with her soulful violet eyes and flawless lily-white skin. Now I have these sudden surges of emotion that frighten me. I’m not after love. Love is a weakness, and I can’t afford to be weak.
I close a deal in town and return home late afternoon. I go through the house, inspecting everything with a critical eye. But I’m beaming inside. Karen and Harriet have done an amazing job in getting the house ready to receive my guests. I never knew this gloomy mansion could look this radiant. And the aromas coming out the kitchen are simply sensational. Just wow!
But I don’t show them I’m elated. I simply nod in answer to their greetings and expectant stares and mount the stairs to my room to get ready. By 5:00pm, the first set of guests arrive.
I stand at the head of the staircase in a tailored black tuxedo watching Karen receive them. As I focus on her, I feel a strange, fluttering sensation in my chest. She’s breathtakingly stunning in a form-fitting, mermaid dinner gown.
Her eyes are glowing and her smile dazzling as she gracefully ushers the guests in and takes their overcoats. The gazes of the male guests linger a little too long on her lovely face and on her sensual figure. My pulse quickens and I clench my teeth. Then I catch myself. What the hell are you getting upset for? Knock it off! So, I shrug off the feeling and go down to shake hands.
More guests keep arriving. Then one of them says she’d love to see the garden. My heart skips a beat. Damn! I had closed off that garden and warned both Harriet and Karen to never go there. Gardens remind me of my step mom, Luna Adele. And I want nothing reminding me of that vicious woman who made my life a living nightmare.
The garden must now be an unsightly tangle of overgrown flowers and weeds. I know I instructed Karen and Harriet to leave the garden alone. But if it spooks my guests, they’re both to blame.
“This way, ladies and gents,” I say, leading the way, all confidence on the outside, but cringing on the inside. Then we get to the garden and my eyes widen in disbelief.
Everyone gasps in awe.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous!” someone says.
It’s true. The garden is indeed a work of art! And it’s Karen’s scent alone that I pick up here. What she has done with this place is a f*****g miracle! I’m completely blown away and so are my guests.
My eyes eagerly search for her in the crowd. There she is. Our eyes meet and hold. She’s smiling, a rosy blush in each cheek. My heart swells with tender emotion.
But I desperately fight the feeling. I can’t afford to get soft. I can’t afford to love you Karen!
- Writer
