Chapter Ten
Why was I feeling nervous? It was ridiculous for me to feel this way, especially since my date with Shadow tonight was nothing more than a glorified show for all the snooty bastards to see.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it; and the anticipation made me nervous. I had really misjudged just how much I relied on Justin’s friendship over the past few years and the loneliness I now experienced left me feeling empty and the guilt from our confrontation gnawed at my conscience.
I spent at least three hours on my appearance, enhancing every one of my facial features with makeup I had just bought.
I also invested a good amount of time on my hair, trimming every loose strand and running it through the curling iron, transforming my straight, boring lock s into soft voluminous curls.
Finding the perfect dress to wear was the hardest decision. It seemed a lot easier when all I had in my closet was one little black dress. In a matter of days I acquired an extensive collection of evening wear and finding the right one was a time-suck. Eventually, after much deliberation, I settled on an elegant midnight colored cocktail dress that was sexier than the usual stuff I wore.
I was applying a few finishing touches to my makeup when I heard a knock on my condo door. I opened it and Abraham greeted me.
“Looks like you’ve become my own personal chauffer,” I said.
“I find these little car rides of ours enjoyable. Your company always brightens my day,” he replied. “I must add that you look absolutely brilliant. Shadow will fall head over heels for you tonight.”
“I doubt it,” I laughed, “This date is all a song and dance, remember?”
Abraham put his index finger up to his lips, hushing me. “Let’s just keep that our little secret.”
#
The limo pulled up next to Starfall Supper Club, a prestigious dining establishment that boasted being one of the highest peaks on our urban landscape. It offered a breathtaking panoramic view of the city’s sparking lights.
When the doors of the high-speed elevator opened at the top floor, I saw Shadow standing by the north window with a drink in hand, and staring out into the skyline.
He looked handsome wearing a dark suit, and his black dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He was the cliché of tall, dark, and handsome.
I strolled over to Shadow and hid my excitement to see him—or anyone for that matter.
It’s been a long, lonely week.
“Hey there,” I said, sneaking up behind him.
He turned around and smiled as he did a glance over on me. “You look stunning,” he said.
“You look…” I paused, “…huh.”
Shadow laughed. “Not going to let me forget that one, are you?”
“Not a chance. You know the saying about a woman scorned?”
“They need to get over it?”
“We’ll work on your manly charms a bit later,” I replied. “But how about you buy me a drink first?”
He nodded and led me over to the island bar situated at the centre of the room.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked, a kindly looking grey man with a genuine smile that seemed to light up his eyes.
“What does the lady want?” Shadow asked.
The bartender shook his head and laughed. “A true gentleman with a woman as lovely as this should already know what the lady wants before coming here.”
I liked the bartender already. I made a mental note to leave him a generous tip.
Shadow looked at me with his brooding eyes, as if peering deep into my soul. I gave him a funny look that shouted ‘what the heck are you doing?’
After analyzing me for a few seconds like a lab specimen, he finally said, “The lady will have a gin and tonic.”
“Vodka soda with two limes,” I corrected him. I turned to Shadow and grinned. “Nice try Sherlock.”
“Deduction was never one of my strengths,” Shadow said. The waiter brought back my drink and set it down in front of me.
“Can I pay for this?” I asked.
“What do you think?” Shadow replied.
I sighed, reaching into my purse and pulling out a ten dollar bill. “At least let me leave a tip.”
Shadow shrugged and watched as I pushed the bill towards the bartender, who took the tip and nodded graciously.
“You’re most kind,” he said, before walking away to serve another couple at the far side of the bar.
“You see how happy he was receiving my tip?” I said, feeling good about myself. I hated not having to pay for stuff, as odd as that sounded. Everything I owned, before this Midnight Society business happened, was stuff I purchased with my own money. Sure, my clothes were bought from thrift stores and my handbags and sunglasses were cheap knockoffs from Chinatown, but at least I earned them.
The last thing I wanted in life was to be in debt to someone.
Just as I finished that thought, Shadow snickered.
“What?” I asked. “Do you find something funny about me leaving the hardworking bartender a tip so he knows that he’s appreciated?’
“No,” Shadow said, “Of course not. It’s just that he makes about five thousand bucks a night working here and if you take a peek over at the couple for just a moment, you’ll see why I’m laughing.”
My eyes followed where he was pointing to, and sure enough I saw a swanky-dressed patron across the bar pull out a hundred dollar bill and hand it over to the bartender as tip.”
“Oh God,” I said. “I must look like the biggest cheapskate ever.
“Don’t worry about it,” Shadow said. “Collin’s a good guy. He knows that you’re not swimming in green.”
“I honestly thought that giving him ten dollars was more than generous. I mean, that’s ninety percent more than what I usually tip a bartender at the Beer Dome.”
“This isn’t a university bar,” Shadow said, “But as I said, don’t worry about it. Collin isn’t one to judge people by the tips they give.”
“I’m still embarrassed.”
“Come on,” Shadow said gesturing towards an open table situated by the window. “Let’s have a seat.”
I looked outside.
The city skyline was astonishing, lit up by thousands of shimmering blue lights that reminded me of moonbeams reflected on crystal waters. Cars sped across the highways like dancing fireflies. I was staring at a stunning urban wonderland from high above.
“The view always gets me every time I come here,” Shadow said. “It’s funny how some things can take your breath away no matter how many times you see it: our city lights on a moonlit night, the streets of Paris during an afternoon sun shower, the sun rising above the falls of Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.” He paused and looked at me before adding, “A beautiful woman who takes your breath away.”
I couldn’t help but blush, though I managed to refrain myself from giggling like a stupid schoolgirl.
“Are you trying to flatter me?” I asked. “I thought this date was all for show.”
“What makes you think I was talking about you?” Shadow teased.
I decided to steer the conversation to matters of more importance. “I received all your gifts and I’m grateful, I really am. However I can’t accept any more of these freebies,” I said.
“Here we go,” Shadow sighed.
“What?”
“The song and dance that you girls like to give,” he replied. “About how it’s an equal opportunity world and how you’re independent and don’t want handouts.”
“Well yes,” I replied. “That’s exactly it.”
“Heard it all before,” Shadow sighed. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, you’re earning all that stuff right now.”
“How? By going on a date with you?”
“Yes,” he said.
“What do I look like? A high end escort?”
“I never said that.”
“But that’s essentially what I’m doing, isn’t it?”
“No,” Shadow said. “I don’t go on dates with hookers. That’s the difference.”
I needed him to understand the type of person I was.
“I’ve always had to work for everything I own, and though it’s been difficult to…eat this past semester, I could at least hold my head high and say that I’ve never accepted anyone else’s charity.”
“What’s wrong with charity?”
“There are other people in the world that need it more than I do.”
Shadow sighed. “Do you want the stuff I’ve given you or not?”
“I want to earn it.”
“I already told you, you’re earning it now.”
“No,” I demanded. “I want to earn it in some other way, and if you can’t think of any other means, then I’m going to have to hand you back the keys to the condo.”
Shadow looked at me with a pensive look as he took a sip of his drink. “You’re being serious?”
I reached into my purse and grabbed the keys and access card and set them on the table.
“Those are yours until I’ve figured out a way to earn them,” I replied. “That’s the way things will have to be with me.”
Shadow looked at the keys and pass card with a furrowed brow.
“Huh,” he muttered.
“Again with the huh ?” I replied.
“You’re a stubborn one.”
“I don’t want to be your trophy-two date girlfriend,” I replied. “I earn whatever you give me; period.”
Shadow leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “Okay,” he said with a glimmer in his dark eyes. “There is one thing I’d love from you.”
“Choose wisely,” I said. “Otherwise this vodka soda and two limes are going right in your face.”
“Relax,” Shadow said. “What I want is nothing sexual in nature.”
“Good,” I said with a stern nod. Though I had to admit, I was slightly disappointed. I had hot flashes picturing his naked body on top of me. However I wasn’t the type of girl to accept bribes for the prize in between my legs. Sex without feelings was pointless to me.
“There are five piano pieces that have always infatuated me,” Shadow said. “I would love an original recording of all five pieces from the Golden Virgin.”
“That’s it? That’s hardly worth the price of a condo.”
“Wait until I tell you what the pieces are,” Shadow said as he grabbed a napkin and removed a pen from his side pocket. After he finished scribbling on the napkin, he handed it to me.
“Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit , Boulez’s Second Sonata , Stavinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka , Prokofiev’s Eighth Sonata , and Beethoven’s Sonata Hammerklavier ,” I read aloud. I set down the napkin and gave him an evil scowl. “You’re kidding right?”
“No, I want for you to perfect these five songs and record them. Not one mistake allowed in the recordings.”
“You picked the five fucking hardest pieces in all of piano. People spend years trying to master one of them,” I said.
“You have to admit, my request is equal to the worth of a condo, isn’t it?”
He was right, it was. I was still surprised Shadow was so well versed in classical music to be able to choose the five toughest songs to master technically.
“So we have a deal?” Shadow asked, extending his hand towards me.
“Deal,” I replied. I was intrigued by this arrangement. Those pieces had always been on my list of songs to learn and perfect. I had attempted Gaspard de la Nuit once before but my fingers weren’t as well trained at the time, and I ended up giving up. I was now three years wiser and more confident in my abilities. If mastering this song along with the others would pay for the condo and my single-day lunatic shopping spree, then so be it.”
“Call Abraham whenever you’re ready to record the songs and he can arrange a time at Lincoln’s studio.”
I couldn’t help but smile when Shadow mentioned Abraham’s name. I was curious about their relationship. It seemed like Abraham was always there to do whatever Shadow requested, despite not being under his employment.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about Abraham,” I said. “He’s not your servant, he’s not your butler, but he’ll clearly do anything you ask of him. His loyalty to you is astounding.”
“He’s been a good friend to my family over the years,” Shadow said. “I can never repay him for all that he’s done for my sister and me.”
“He loves you. You can tell just from the way he talks about you,” I said. “He’s very fatherly. I miss having someone like that in my life.”
Every time I thought about dad, the pipes attached to my tear ducts threatened to burst. I had to get a grip. Unleashing waterworks on our first fake date was inappropriate.
As I glanced over at Shadow’s face, I noticed his eyes were glistening, sympathetic to the strong emotions I was feeling. He too had lost his own father, and I was being a fool by digging up sad memories.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sour the mood of our date,” I said.
“It’s alright,” Shadow replied. “Sometimes you can’t help but think about the past.”
I decided to divert the conversation away from our fathers and the pain that went along with their memories. “Tell me how you got to know Abraham?”
The sadness on Shadow’s face faded away as he spoke affectionately about the man. “For generations, the family names of Tremaine and Constantine have been linked closely together, though not as friends but as rivals. The Midnight Society had always been ruled by either a Tremaine or a Constantine.”
“That’s another thing I wanted to ask you about, this entire Midnight Society business. Who are you people?”
Shadow shook his head. “You know that saying ignorance is bliss?”
“What if I don’t want to be ignorant?”
“Do you want me to continue my story or are you going to interrupt me with questions I’m not going to answer?”
I sighed. “Fine, continue.”
Shadow downed the last of his drink and leaned back in his chair, his dark alluring eyes fixated on me. I felt exposed underneath his gaze and grabbed my vodka soda, taking a healthy swig. I was starting to regret that this date was a facade. “Now where was I, before your premature interjection?” Shadow asked.
He was an egotistical blockhead.
“The Midnight Society was ruled by either a Tremaine or a Constantine,” I reminded him, doing my best to hide my annoyance.
“There have always been political rivalries between our families within the Society, stemming way back to when swords and steel were still in fashion,” Shadow continued. ‘The family who sat on the Midnight Society’s throne had control of the world. Our organization anointed Kings and Queens, influenced wars, and placed key figureheads into the public eye. We were the secret empire that governed the civilized world and the head of the Society had the absolute authority over all.
“Every five years, an election was held to see who would lead the organization—either a Constantine or Tremaine, which sets the stage for the next part of my story. Eighteen years ago, my father and Abraham were campaigning to determine the next leader of the Midnig ht Society. From what I recall, it was a close and heated race. Both my father and Abraham were influential powerhouses and both had all the qualities of great leaders. It was like choosing between Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln—two extraordinary men but, unfortunately, one seat at the head of the table.”
“So did your families hate each other then?” I asked. Shadow shook his head.
“No, despite centuries of rivalry between the Constantine’s and the Tremaine’s, there was mutual respect. In fact, my sister and I often played with Abraham’s only child, Julia. With our father gone during these year-long campaigns and our mother taking care of the Tremaine corporations, Calisto and I bonded with Julia, who suffered from abandonment as well,” Shadow said. “Some of the fondest memories I have are exploring our family estate with Julia, getting ourselves into all sorts of trouble and keeping it a secret from everyone.”
Shadow stared into the remnants of his drink as he took a deep breath before releasing a hushed sigh.
“Julia loved the daffodils that grew in our family’s garden. She always pissed off our personal landscapers by stealing the heads of the flowers,” he chuckled.
“So where is Julia now?” I asked, despite knowing the answer. Abraham had mentioned his daughter was no longer a part of this world.
“This is where the story of our families takes a tragic turn,” Shadow said. “On Julia’s fifth birthday, she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered.”
#