I glanced up at him shyly, “Jane, Jane Wilder.”
“And what is your interest in Greek antiquities, Miss Wilder?” Dorian led me outside the building into the brisk fall air. Step for step we headed for a little coffee shop I knew nearby called Arcane Delights, a hipster sort of place with artists and poets filling the tables along with young novelists typing away on Mac books.
“Well, I’m fascinated with art history. I love the Medieval works, but I haven’t traveled much outside of New York to see the museums in Italy. I also love the Restoration period and really anything that focuses on the use of color and light.”
“Ah, the reign of Charles II.” Dorian smiled and something in his gaze across the street held his eyes as he spoke.
“Yes, but even before that too. Artists from the French court and…” I could talk all day about my love of art but Dorian seemed occupied and I hated feeling like I was rambling on and on to an uninterested audience.
Dorian finally turned to look at me, “I should take you to my brother’s house. You would enjoy his art collection.” He hummed and we ordered our coffee sitting at a table for two by the window.
“Your brother enjoys art?” I asked intrigued.
“Sebastián is a lover of all things beautiful.” He sipped his coffee and his eyes returned to that blank stare that made me uneasy.
“He must have an impressive collection, then?”
Dorian laughed out loud, so loud in fact it startled me.
“Enough about my brother, tell me, will you go out with me?” He reached his hand up to my face and brushed a lock of my hair back. It was disconcerting and I traced the route his hand took with my own hand taming the curl.
“Go out…with you?” The pains come again and I sipped my coffee to focus on the hot liquid burning my throat. I couldn’t possibly go out with Dorian, but I don’t know why that is, in fact I don’t know what holds me back.
“Go out with me, Jane.” He’s more persistent this time, reaching for my hands as soon as I put my coffee down.
“Oh, I…” I hesitated and Dorian’s brows draw together.
“Alright. Meet me somewhere. A party. Bring your roommate. We’ll make it a group gathering.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” The vague black splotches invade my head this time but since I’ve said no they vanish as quickly.
Dorian leaned over the table and in a husky voice said, “I know an exclusive club. I’ll text you the time and address. Halloween themed so dress in costume, my little lamb.” Before I could stop him, Dorian reached for my bag and took out my phone. He smiled and typed in his number calling his phone. “I’ll catch up with you later. My brother is waiting for me.”
I blinked my eyes and then he was gone.
How strange.
A moment later my phone pinged. Dorian texted me the address and time for the party. I wouldn’t say it was a date but it felt good to be seen and Nina would get a kick out of my interesting encounter.
4 The Bastard.
BASH
“You sneaky vamp.” I turned at the sound of Dorian’s voice lounging on my favorite blue sofa. He leaned back tossing an apple up and down in the air like he figured out some secret and was now in devious plot mode.
“What the hell are you talking about now?” I sorted through my mail left on my desk, John.
Dorian rose from his seated position and moved about the room with a predatory stroll stopping at the mantle. He put the shiny fresh apple next to the box with my mementos of Aileen’s.
“The girl.” He quipped smirking.
“What fucking girl?” I asked, my accent growing thicker as I tired of Dorian’s game. It had been a century since I lived in our native Greece, leaving behind our family name of Karras in favor of Knight. So many memories left behind, the vineyard was untouched by time. Caretakers maintained it thinking some rich mogul owned it and it would stay that way. Dorian had ruined that place for me as well, a massacre of bodies buried underneath the grapevines disintegrated over time. It seemed like he was ticking time bomb waiting to go off and we were close to repeating the patterns all over again.
“You know,” He pointed at me shaking his finger. “I thought I smelled something peculiar when I was here at the first of the year.” He lifted his head sniffing the air. He looked like a bloodhound and acted like a vulture.
Ignoring him, I shuffled papers because no good ever came of giving in to Dorian.
“You were probably hungover and still humming from your night out with Leo and Sara.” I reminded him. My electric bill was higher than usual this month and the cable bill had porn charges thanks to Dorian. I put them to the side and folded my hands giving him my full attention.
Dorian leaned over the desk grinning. “She has a certain essence and a je ne sais quoi. You know, if you smelled her again, it might jog your memory.”
He pulled a lock of brown hair from his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of me. I didn’t have to touch it to know how soft it was. I didn’t have to look at it a second time to recognize the mahogany hue. The scent alone was more than enough. I shut my eyes to hide them dilating with want and need. I breathed through my nose, and pretended the scent was merely my imagination.
“Who?” I inquired, forcing my face to remain blank.
“Jane Wilder.”
Fuck.
“And who might that be?” If my brother found Jane, he could and would do terrible things to her. He’d
