Kyle extended his hand, which she took as daintily as possible. “Nice to meet you, Perri.”
She held his hand with both of hers. “Oh, Kyle... believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” She let her soft gaze hold his eyes a few moments longer. “Well, Kyle...” She turned towards Amanda. “... Amanda. It’s been a pleasure. Hopefully I’ll see you two again, sometime.”
“Absolutely. And hopefully, I won’t bump into you, or spill something else on you,” Amanda said, turning red.
Poisonous just turned to the members of the hen party. Sure that her back was to Amanda, she rolled her eyes. The hen party contingent agreed, smiling back at her discretely. Once outside the door, she smiled all the way to the subway station. “Oh yes. Step one was a success.”
Sunday, July 20th
Satisfied with her plan from the night before, the plan for Kyle and Amanda Barrett needed to keep moving. She dialed his number on her cell phone.
“Roger, Hi. It’s me.”
“What’s up?”
“Can you arrange another soirée with Kyle and Amanda in attendance? I want to continue my hunt. It started out very well, and I need to take it to the next step.”
“How about if I organize another social event at my Country Club, out in Bethesda, say, in about two weeks?”
She sighed. “That won’t do. I’ll lose the momentum I’ve achieved. Is there any way you can push it up to this coming weekend?”
“Only if you say please; and by the way, I think you’ve been neglecting me.”
She sighed heavily. “You know, you can be real exasperating sometimes.” She mentally made herself resist the urge to reach through the phone and choke the life out of him, as her free hand clasped the post on the bed tighter and tighter. Relaxing her free hand, she forced herself to be nice, and take a deep breath. Then, “Okay, Roger. Please? It would mean a great deal to me. I promise, you and I shall a wonderful time. In fact, how about tomorrow night?”
“Aw-w-w-w… Do I have to wait that long?”
“Roger... don’t push me.” She again forced herself to remain calm. “Besides. Anticipation is half the battle.”
“Okay. I can live with that.”
“You know I love you deeply, now don’t I.”
“Oh, yes. We’re practically Romeo and Juliet.”
“Until tomorrow, then?”
“I’ll be here... and with an update on this weekend.”
“Perfect. See you then.”
Sunday, July 20th
Her eyes flew open as the morning arrived. Laying in her bed thinking, Poisonous realized that nothing was on her agenda today. She yawned, stretched and came to the conclusion that she needed something to do to satisfy her bloodlust. She could think of nothing in particular, so she dressed appropriately for the hot July weather, including wearing a large wide-brimmed hat to shield the suns rays from her head, and headed out to do some exploring.
The morning sun had not quite risen high enough in the city to bake the moisture in the air into a steam bath, so she decided to take a walk. Always on the lookout for the familiar smells of corruption and evil, she headed north on Fifth Street. A faint smell of the Light mingled with the smell of dissipation and hedonism tickled her olfactory senses. An odd combination, to be sure, which only piqued her curiosity further. Florida Avenue crossed Fifth Street, and the smell grew stronger to the North and West. Her homing instincts on high alert, she focused her entire olfactory senses on the source of the strange aroma. As Florida Avenue turned into U Street, the scent came from the North, so she took a right on Ninth Street.
The peculiar fragrance became almost overwhelming as she approached an older, small rock concert venue whose shows that appealed to fans of rock music of all ages. As she approached the front door, The Light became stronger. “This is odd,” she said. “I can’t imagine followers of the light meeting in a venue given to worldly pleasures like sensual dancing, drinking, and other forms of dissipation.” The sounds of music that lauded the Giver of the Light floated through the air and out into the street where she stood. The presence of the Holy Spirit pushed her back from the door, nearly causing her to fall over backward, so she decided to move across the street, and hide inside a small restaurant. Having not eaten today, she figured she would order some brunch. “I’d like to start with the cocktail that has tequila, sherry, hot bitters, and lemon.” Her mouth watered at the thought of any drink that was strong. “For my entrée, I think I’ll have the spicy Mapo Eggs, Szechuan pepper lamb sauce, fried eggs and scallions. And use a lot of the pepper sauce.” The food also contained spicy, piquant flavors that appealed to her.
Bowing slightly in a deferential manner, the server said, “I’ll be right back with your drink and your order.”
Her order and beverage came out, and she finished them both just in time for the service across the street to be ending. Not wanting to waste time, she threw thirty dollars on the table, which included the tip, and left in a hurry to mingle with the parishioners.
One woman in particular caught her eye. A new human life formed in her, and made her belly protrude as if she had swallowed a very large basketball. No worship of The Light occurred at this moment as happy congregants chatted with each other and made plans for the afternoon and upcoming church meetings. She walked up to the woman, who pushed a stroller with a toddler sitting in it.
Slithering up to her, Poisonous made note of the fact that the woman’s husband was not present. Turning on her best charm, she said, “my what a cute
