Twisted Fate Chapter 11

I enter my office to find Caleb sitting in my chair, his feet crossed atop my desk and his hands behind his head. His eyes are closed, his breath slow and deliberate.

“I’m afraid to ask,” I say quietly.

“Just trying to enjoy the peace and quiet. Thanks for f*****g that up.”

“No problem.” He doesn’t see my sardonic grin.

Caleb sits upright and says, “After I dropped you off, I got a call from a certain problem client of ours.”

I flop down onto the couch. “It was just a matter of time. He’s been so good for so long, though.”

“That’s what I said!”

“So, what’d he do this time?”

Caleb taps his fingers against the desk and says, “He had an unfortunate encounter.”

“A hooker?” I ask, knowing the answer is yes.

“She was a hooker. Now, she’s rat fodder.”

“Damn it!” I hiss, covering my face with my hands. “What a mess!”

“Actually, it was fairly easy,” Caleb says nonchalantly. “He choked her out. Some strangulation fetish or something. No blood, so it was a cinch.”

“That’s not what I meant. He’s a f*****g mess!”

“Well, yeah. Most of them are. Dark temptations come along with fame and notoriety.” Caleb moves to the front of the desk and leans against it. “This isn’t the first time. Hell, you’d s**t yourself if you knew the half of what goes on.”

I sit up swiftly. “I never would’ve let you get involved in that kind of s**t!” Caleb’s main task is being a spin doctor. When a client ends up in a less than flattering situation, Caleb is the one who turns that indiscretion into a positive, or in some cases, makes the problem disappear. I had no idea he went to such extremes.

“Exactly. That’s why I kept you out of the loop. You’d be dead broke if it weren’t for my side work.”

“F**k you!”

“Come on, Damien. You know it’s true. People pay big money to have s**t swept under the rug.” Caleb walks toward me, looking down at me as he says, “The measly commission you get when you set a client up with an agent wouldn’t even cover the taxes on that brand new Bentley of yours.”

Without a second thought, I lunge at Caleb. The force behind my shove sends him flying across the room. The wall shakes as his body slams into it. Pictures rattle and crash to the ground. I glare at him, my disdain growing at the sight of Caleb standing against the wall unfazed.

Sheila barges through the door panic stricken. “What in the world was that?”

“I’m not sure,” I reply. “A small earthquake?”

Sheila glances around the office with bewilderment behind her eyes. “Richard Tarbill has arrived and Julie is here as well.”

“Thank you. Give me a minute to hang these pictures, then send them in.”

“Of course,” Sheila says, her brow wrinkling as she eyes Caleb and the fallen pictures.

As soon as Sheila exits the office, Caleb chuckles. “More like a small temper tantrum.” I ignore his taunting. I’m not about to continue this pointless battle. I got my message across and that’s enough for me.

“Well, I have better things to do than sit in on this snooze fest.”

As I watch Caleb leave, part of me wonders if he feels any remorse for what he said. I replay the confrontation in my head. There is truth behind every word he had spoken. I realize that I’m the one who should be feeling regret. However, if I had known the horrible things he covers up, I would’ve fired his a*s and subsequently would not have become the blood sucking demon I am today. Any guilt that I may feel pales in comparison to my resentment.

Mr. Tarbill and Julie had entered the office during my mini soul-searching episode. I stare blankly ahead, deceptively appearing attentive. I catch bits and pieces of their conversation. I nod and smile briefly when one of them looks my way. All the while, my focus is on my memories of Rachel.

The gratitude on her face when I helped Shannon, the shine in her eyes as she held back empathetic tears, the way she opened her mouth as if to speak, only to shy away from whatever she was about to say. I breathe in, swearing I can smell her sweet scent. A mixture of lavender and baby powder is a strange combination, but that’s the closest thing I can compare it to.

“I’d like to see Mr. Rhodes, please.” Hell, even the voices in the lobby sound like her. Obsess much?

“You don’t have an appointment. I’d be glad to set one up for you if you’d like.”

“No. I’m not here for business. I just need a minute of his time.”

I spring from my chair, sending it backward. Mr. Tarbill and Julie jump when the chair hits the window.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Rhodes only sees people who make an appointment.”

S**t! She’s here! “If you’ll excuse me,” I say as I rush toward the office door. As soon as I open it, the essence of Rachel engulfs me. Sheila looks confused as I approach them.

“Rachel! Hi!” My body tingles from the close proximity. “I’m surprised to see you here. How are you?”

“Fine,” she says quietly. “I was hoping we could talk. I won’t take up much of your time.”

“Of course.” I turn toward Sheila. “I could use a cup of coffee, if you’d be so kind.” Sheila knows damn well that I don’t drink coffee. With eyebrows raised and a knowing smile, she takes the hint and heads toward the elevator.

“I came by, because I owe you an apology.”

“Rachel, you don’t…”

She holds up her hand and says, “Yes, I do. Don’t pretend like everything went smoothly last night, because it didn’t.”

“You’re right. It was a bit awkward, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was. I replayed it over and over and I can’t believe I was such a prude!”

“Hey, I didn’t see it that way. I put you in an uncomfortable position. I should’ve asked you where you wanted to go.”

“The restaurant was great. You were great. It’s just…my head was somewhere else.”

“I enjoyed spending time with you, even if you were somewhere else.”

Rachel smiles at the floor. Her head rises and her eyes lock on to mine. It’s the first time she’s truly looked at me without shying away. A light pink slowly fills her cheeks and I can’t help but smile.

“I want to make it up to you. Are you free tonight?” She asks.

I want to grab her hand and leave right this moment. Damn, this curse! “I am, but it’ll have to be late. After nine tonight.”

“That works for me. I’d better let you get back to work. I’ll call you around eight with the details.”

Rachel starts to walk away and my chest begins to ache. “Formal or casual?” I ask hastily.

Rachel calls the elevator and glances over her shoulder. “Casual. Definitely casual.” Her playful grin eases the dull pain, relaxing my body and mind. I feel like gelatin that has been released from its mold, swaying to and fro, struggling to keep its form.

The elevator door opens and Sheila steps out with coffee in hand. Rachel steps in and gives a short wave as the door closes. My head grows heavy and my muscles are tightening. Sheila doesn’t seem to notice that anything is out of the ordinary. She sits down at her desk, raising the coffee cup into the air. “Thanks for the coffee,” she says, proceeding to take a drink.

I can’t take my eyes off of her. I can feel the warmth of the coffee radiating from Sheila’s mouth, from her neck, down into her chest. I shake my head, trying to ignore the burning sensation that crawls up my esophagus. Turn away, I tell myself. Leave the building! Don’t do this!

My heart begins pumping slowly, building in intensity by the second. Despite my ill will towards Caleb, I find myself wanting him by my side now more than ever.

Reviews

[EurasianFlavour]

Damien is experiencing everything in the extreme. Has he always been like that? Or is this still a reaction to being turned? Also I'm a little confused, possibly because I've waited so long between chapters to read, but is caleb cleaning up after vamps or are these still human clients?

[easybreezy]

His heightened senses make his emotions run wild and he has trouble managing them. I may need to add in something about Caleb's job, he works in the background, sort of a spindoctor who helps out when clients do something stupid. He just didn't realize Caleb covered up things like murder. Thanks for reading!

[Kate Whitaker]

hmmmm...your vampires' morality is very fluid. To put it in previous vampire terms, Damien has all the makings a second Lestat, a brat prince of vampires. He has an obsession with specific mortals, and seems to be prone to grand gestures and tantrums, yet gets upsets when other immortals how the same lack of empathy towards him.

Not that any of this is bad, just observation. Nothing at wrong with a story about unpredictable, sexy blood sucker with an attitude problem.

[easybreezy]

In the first draft, he always felt bad whenever he did something immoral. It got boring and a little bit sickening! :) I wanted to show his erratic mood swings, while giving him some flavor. I hope you don't hate him. That's not the intention. He's supposed to be a troubled, beautiful mess!

[Kate Whitaker]

oh no no no. he's awesome. It's the downside to obsessive reading, and researching vampires for two years. I really love vampires and vampire stories. Comparing him to other vampires isn't meant to be anything more than my way of trying to get a hang on your story and your characters. I like Damien very much, he complex and scary because you don't know how he will react. I thought for sure seeing a blood prostitution ring run by gangsters would piss him off, but he settled right in, no problems.
Then he shows anger at the idea that the honor of his business is besmirched. It's very telling of his priorities.