Scarlet Masquerade

by Jett Abbott

  Let’s get some lunch. My treat.” Clarissa knew a glass of wine with lunch and she would be able to pry just about anything out of her friend.

  “Okay, if you’re buying. I’m hungry.”

  Clarissa never noticed the car that pulled out behind them as they left the parking lot.

  ###

  An hour later, Clarissa and Carol were laughing and toasting the end of Carol’s weird relationship.

  “So, you never told me how you met this guy,” Clarissa said casually.

  “Oh, I was out walking my dog after work. He was at the dog park reading a newspaper and watching everyone with their dogs. I sat down and the next thing I knew he was asking me out.” Carol shrugged.

  “Wow. Sounds smooth.”

  “Yeah, I guess. I never thought about it really. He teaches, I teach. We had a lot in common.” Clarissa watched as Carol swirled her wine glass and watched the amber liquid swirl up the sides. “It was easy. We met after work, had wild sex and then laid around and talked.”

  “How come you never brought him around? You always bring your boyfriends around to show them off.” Clarissa hoped it didn’t sound condescending, but she had a feeling.

  “I wanted to, but he was always busy with school stuff and he usually came over at night, after work. I tried to get him to come with me when you invited me to dinner the other night, but he ended up getting sick or something and called at the last minute to cancel. Otherwise, you would have met him.”

  “Huh.” Clarissa lifted her glass and toasted, “here’s to shitty boyfriends and great friends. May there always be plenty of the latter and fewer of the first.”

  “I’ll toast to that. Here, here,” said Carol, finishing her wine and setting her glass down with a thud. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For being there for me. I know I can be a pain sometimes, but I’m glad we’re friends.”

  Clarissa looked at Carol and wished she could tell her that their friendship might come to an end soon, but she just didn’t have the nerve. Besides, she was fond of Carol so maybe, maybe she would stay friends with her after she left. Clarissa wished she could tell Carol her suspicions about Carol’s ex-boyfriend, but maybe it was better this way. He had at least had the decency to leave before anything bad had happened to Carol. Or worse yet, what if he had met Clarissa. They would both know the other’s secret, and then what? No, Carol was lucky it had ended the way it had as far as Clarissa was concerned. Besides, Carol always found something, or someone else, to take her mind off her troubles and the ball would do just that.

  “So, you never said if you heard from Ms. Lockwood about attending the ball.”

  “Oh, yeah. Her secretary called to confirm that she would be attending, alone.”

  Clarissa’s student worker had gotten the call earlier in the day and informed Clarissa. Clarissa was surprised by the new development. Not that Ms. Lockwood would attend, but she would be attending alone. Clarissa had thought that Ms. Lockwood would be bringing a date so the news of her lone attendance excited Clarissa for some reason. Now, Clarissa would be able to spend a few minutes alone with her benefactor, giving her the time she needed to thank her properly. She had gone shopping the night before, looking for something special for the woman and had found what she hoped would be the perfect gift. It sat wrapped in her office. Clarissa would present it to her at the ball, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to do it in front of an audience or in private. The anticipation was almost too much for her as she thought about the gift. She had gone to a local gallery looking for a black and white photograph to give Ms. Lockwood. As she strolled through one gallery in particular, she had accidently seen the photo hanging on the wall of the gallery office. There was something about the photo that propelled her back to France when she was young. The countryside was just as she remembered it, gently rolling hills and a farm house tucked away just inside a grove of trees. The contrast of the trees and the grass was amazing, but even more amazing was that the photo was taken at dusk. The moon, just barely seen above the forest, brought out the path leading to the forest, tree trunks catching the moonlight as it cast shadows around the farm house. Clarissa had bargained hard with the owner, finally paying handsomely for the photograph. The owner had no idea who the photographer was or when the photograph was taken, but assured her that it was worth what she was paying for it. A gentle tugging and a question brought Clarissa out of her daydream.

  “Hey, where are you?” Carol asked as she poured some more wine for each of them.

  “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about the photograph I purchased for Ms. Lockwood.”

  “Hmmm, daydreaming about tall, dark and gorgeous?”

  “How do you know what she looks like? For all we know she could have a hump on her back and be old and wrinkled. Besides, a woman who runs a company like Knight-Pharmaceutical is probably driven and a workaholic, not to mention she probably goes home to a husband and two point five kids.”

  “How does someone have two point five kids?” Carol questioned Clarissa.

  Slapping Carol’s arm, Clarissa laughed at her joke. “Funny. You can ask her when you see her since I know you’ll be dying to see what she looks like. Anyway…” Clarissa let her sentence hang without finishing it. If she was honest with herself, Clarissa was dying to meet the woman who had just made her life so much easier. How lucky could she have been to decide to go to Knight-Pharmaceutical first, instead of one of the other donors on her list?

  “Fine, I’ll ask her myself tomorrow night. Hmm.” Carol said, crossing her arms and pouting.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Selene sat in the dark booth watching Clarissa and another woman have dinner. Clarissa was as beautiful as Selene remembered. Even though Selene had only had one night with her, it was a night she had never forgotten. It was rare that a woman asked for another woman to do the things Selene had done to Clarissa, but she had known immediately that Clarissa was in need the minute she had walked into the club. Selene had felt Clarissa’s blood lust coursing through her, the demon warring inside Clarissa’s body calling out to Selene for release. And Selene had been happy to oblige Clarissa’s requests. It was what she was good at. Watching Clarissa now, Selene wished she had spent more time with her when she had it. But that was then and this was now. Whoever wanted Clarissa dead had almost succeeded and Selene wasn’t about to let them get a second chance.

  Selene watched Clarissa interacted with the woman sitting next to her. It was clear to Selene they were friends. In fact, Selene had seen the woman coming out of Clarissa’s office at the university.

  “Carol…” Selene whispered, remembering the name Clarissa had called after her as she left her office, “something. Hmm.”

  Selene hoped her feeding the night before dulled her energy and that Clarissa wouldn’t be able to sense her in the restaurant. Selene smiled as she observed Clarissa in a more relaxed state. Two nights before, she had felt Clarissa hiding in the tree and wondered how the woman had held her composure as she watched the events play out. Clearly, Clarissa had changed since the last time they had seen each other, but instinct was instinct and a vampire feeding usually was just enough to set off another vampire’s primal instinct. The more Selene thought about the previous night, the more she wondered about A.J. as well. She had seen both Clarissa and Selene. The energy coming from them both had to be overwhelming for Alexandra and yet she, too, had been in control the whole evening. Knight-Pharmaceutical was paying her, so perhaps A.J. was working on something that took care of her urges. She would have to ask about that the next time they were together, perhaps at the ball the following night. Selene doubted, though, that she would get the chance, remembering that whoever was trying to get to Clarissa was still a threat and, until that threat was eliminated, this was all business.

  Parts of Clarissa’s conversation drifted to Selene’s keen hearing. It was clear by the conversation that the other woman’s boyfriend had dumped her, but something caught
her attention.

  “You know, now that I think about it, we never went out during the day. Like I said, he was always busy on the weekends during the day. We mostly went out at night.”

  “Hey, do you have a picture of him?” Selene heard Clarissa ask. Clearly she was thinking the same thing Selene was, that he might be a vampire. It would be risky on his part to have a relationship with a human but it wasn’t unheard of. It just didn’t last. It usually either ended up that the vampire left, afraid of accidental exposure, or the vampire killed their lover by accident. Listening more closely, Selene wondered if the woman had a picture. If so, then it probably wasn’t a vampire. A seeker or night walker couldn’t be seen, but if it was a day walker then all bets were off. Even vampires were evolving, at least some.

  “Let me see if I have his picture on my phone. I tried to snap one of him once and he got pretty pissed. So I tried to sneak one of him to show you.” Selene watched as the woman thumbed the screen of her cell phone. “Let’s see. Here it is.”

  Selene stood and walked towards the bathroom hoping to get a peek at the phone as she walked past.

  “Hmm, that’s funny. All I see is the elbow of his jacket and shirt. Darn, I thought I sneaked one of him.” While Carol tilted the phone towards Clarissa, Selene was able to catch a quick glimpse of the photo, but there wasn’t anything to identify the man. “Nope, I guess I don’t have one. Sorry,” the woman said as she finished thumbing through the photos.

  “That’s all right. No biggie, Carol,” Clarissa said, finishing her wine. “You ready to go? We have a big night tomorrow night.”

  “Yeah, let’s get out of here. All this wine is making me tired. Mind if you give me a ride home?”

  Selene heard Clarissa agree and then watched as the two women walked arm in arm out of the restaurant. Pulling her cell phone, she dialed A.J.

  “Hey, we need to talk. Call me back.” Selene didn’t mince words. Stuffing the phone back in her pocket, she pulled her hat far down on her head and followed Clarissa out and to her own car.

  “Clarissa, why don’t you spend the night and tomorrow? You can go home, pick up your things and we can meet at the university to help finish set up.” Selene watched as the two women continued arm in arm to Clarissa’s car.

  “I don’t know. I have Neff at home and she might get worried.” Clarissa snuggled closer to the woman.

  “Aw, come on. It’s so darn late I’ll worry about you driving all the way home.”

  Selene hoped Clarissa would take the woman up on the offer. It would give her some time to take care of some business she had neglected and talk to A.J. about the earlier conversation about the woman’s boyfriend. With Kevin out of communication with the world, and the killing of the two guys two days before, it was doubtful that whoever hired the assassins would have had time to hire new muscle. It was clear after talking to A.J. that this plan had taken years to develop and it would take more than a few days for the guy Kevin worked for to get someone briefed and following Clarissa. To be on the safe side though, Selene would get one of her guys on Clarissa, but not before she got A.J.’s approval for the switch out. The vibration of her cell phone caught her attention and she stepped into the shadows so she could still watch Clarissa.

  “Timing is everything,” Selene said as she looked around to make sure no one was following the two women.

  “What’s up?” A.J. sounded breathless.

  “Oh, did I catch you at a bad time?” Selene said, the innuendo hanging in the air.

  “Knock it off. I’m just working out. You called earlier. Everything alright with Clarissa?”

  “Yeah, she’s leaving with a co-worker…” Selene paused catching the last bit of conversation between Clarissa and the woman. “It sounds like she is going to be spending the night at her co-worker’s tonight. I’m going to bring one of my guys over to babysit while I run some errands. That okay with you?” Selene heard A.J.’s breathing slow down and pause for the briefest of moments. “Look, A.J., I need to take care of some business and get that damn costume from your assistant. Now if you want to come over her and sit and watch the house, I’m fine with that. But I need to take care of my own business. I didn’t plan on being away this long. It’s either that or I walk for good. Your choice?”

  “You trust this guy? I mean, he works for you, right?”

  “No, I’m his master and I trust him. He takes care of certain things for me when I can’t, but right now I need to take care of some personal stuff. By the way, it seems that Clarissa’s friend might have been dating a vampire. Just a guess right now, but it has all the markings of a night walker.”

  “No shit. What does he look like?” Selene could hear A.J.’s heartbeat pick up at the mention of the boyfriend.

  “I don’t know. From what I gather, he dumped her last night. But she was describing some of his dating habits and he is either one twisted son of a bitch or he’s a seeker or vampire. Too coincidental if you ask me.”

  “Interesting. Is he still hanging around?”

  “No, he dumped her so I doubt he would be hanging around. Guess he isn’t returning her calls or anything. Sounds like he was getting cold feet, so to speak.” Selene chuckled at her own joke.

  “Funny. How long will you be off the site?”

  “Shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours. Besides, I doubt Kevin’s boss has had any time to bring in someone new and brief them. He probably is still trying to get hold of Kevin. I figure it will take him a day or two to come up with a new game plan when he can’t get hold of Kevin.”

  “Maybe.” The tension in A.J.’s voice cautioned Selene not to press her luck tonight.

  “Tell you what, A.J. I’ll put two of my guys on Clarissa. That way there’s double coverage and, trust me, no one wants to mess with these guys. Not even you.”

  “I’m trusting you, Selene. If anything happens to her, you pay like Brax did. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yep. See ya tomorrow night.” Selene slammed the phone down closed and got into her own car. No one threatened her. No one, and the fact that she had just let A.J. pissed her off. Smiling, she remembered the punch A.J. had taken the other night after she killed Brax. Well she knows I still got it so….

  Chapter Twenty Six

  A.J. was getting antsy as she waited for her car to arrive. Looking back at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled at the striking figure standing before her. Pulling her long black hair back into a pony tail, she studied her reflection again. Then, letting it fall loose, she looked again. Up or down? She couldn’t decide which would look better. Wanting to make a statement to Clarissa, she had chosen wisely for her outfit. To fit her long frame she had selected a deep purple velvet shirt and a form fitting black leather doublet that accentuated her full breast and narrow waist. The high collar of the doublet framed her neck and face perfectly accenting her square jaw line. Even the colors A.J. picked were carefully selected. She wanted to make an impression on Clarissa that she wouldn’t forget.

  Looking down, she was glad she had selected the deep purple velvet Venetian pants rather than the traditional trunkhose they wore during that period. The pants fit her like a glove and gave her a slimmer look than the bags that the seamstress had shown her. She shuddered as she thought about how fat her ass would look in the sacks. She also declined the stockings that men usually wore and went with a pair of knee length black leather boots. The final negative came when the seamstress tried to convince her that if she truly wanted to be in costume she should wear the cod piece. Laughing, A.J. swiftly and sternly declined the offensive leather swatch. She wondered what men were thinking when they decided to attach something so disgusting to their trousers, but then again she was sure it had everything to do with their manliness. Fools! She thought.

  She felt her skin tingle as she thought about finally seeing Clarissa up close. But what would she say to Clarissa? Nothing, of course. Clarissa didn’t know who A.J. was really. To Clarissa, A.J. was the generous donor
that had helped fund her ball. She had no idea that she would be standing in front of Alexandra, her lover from her distant past. A.J. could feel the tendrils of doubt coil in her stomach and start its insipid journey to her head. No, A.J. would control her demons tonight. This was her one chance to try and delicately reach out to her one true love and she wouldn’t lose that chance. A.J. reached for her tin of capsules and stashed them in the pocket of her pants. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need them tonight, but she wanted to be prepared, just in case. The last few weeks had been a rollercoaster of emotions and tonight was the culmination of that ride. A knock on the door caught A.J.’s attention. Selene stood at the door in a costume A.J. was sure was appropriate for Selene’s personality.

  “Guess you couldn’t resist the village rogue look, huh?” Selene stood in front of A.J. in a classic renaissance shirt of royal blue, black leather pants and knee high boots that tied in the back. Wrapped around her waist was a rapier belt holding a rather sharp looking sword that A.J. was sure wouldn’t be allowed in the ball.

  “Well aren’t you the noble man or should I say noble woman,” Selene said, bowing in a low grand gesture. “I see you spared no expense, Mi Lord.”

  “You don’t actually think they’ll let you take that thing in, do you?” A.J. questioned, pointing to the sword.

  “Well, if I was going in they probably wouldn’t. But since I am watching from the outside, I’m not going to worry about it. Besides, I see you have a bit of protection of your own.” Selene pointed to the sheathed dagger peaking out of A.J.’s boots.

  “It’s an adornment, I assure you.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re going to have to practice that a whole lot more if you want them to believe it. Mi Lord.” Selene made another sweeping gesture to the door and bowed her head obediently. “After you.”