His Eternal Flame

by Valentine, Layla

  “Fine.” I swallow too loud.

  “You haven’t called me.”

  “Sorry, I’ve been pretty busy.”

  “Hm.”

  She nods, lips slightly pursed. It almost seems like she wants to apologize for the other night, but she can’t find the words.

  I know how that feels. My mother might drive me crazy, but she is the woman who raised me, after all. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

  Has she told Sean’s mom about my plans for artificial insemination?

  I peer at Abigail, who has moved on to the wire sculptures. I don’t get the sense she knows anything about my plans.

  And she’s not going to. The relationship with the clinic in California may have crumbled, but I’m keeping that all to myself.

  “Have you see Sean yet?” Abigail asks, returning to us. “You know he’s back in town. He said he was coming to your opening the other night.”

  I tuck some hair behind my ear, my palms feeling hot.

  “Yeah. I did see him. He looks good. Seems…happy.”

  “You two were always so cute together,” Mom muses.

  “It was never like that,” I quickly say.

  Far as I know, my mother has no clue about Sean’s bed-hopping. I assume his own mom is equally in the dark.

  “Everything here is so nice, Violet,” Abigail says. “I’m just so proud of you, you know.”

  “Thanks, Abigail.”

  The office door opens behind me, and Kaila emerges. “Hello,” she timidly says.

  Mom’s face lights up.

  “Kaila, how is that aloe plant? Does it need a bigger pot yet?”

  “I’m not sure…”

  “Let me take a look at it.”

  Mom goes right into my office, Kaila trailing after her.

  “She gave us some plants,” I explain to Abigail, not that the situation really needs explaining. “They’re…nice.”

  Abigail smiles in an almost sad way. “How are you really doing?” she whispers.

  A lump appears in my throat. “Good.”

  Now, I can see it in her face. She knows—I’m not sure how much, but she definitely knows something.

  “I’m dying for a cup of coffee. How is that place across the street?”

  She gives me another purposeful look.

  “Um, it’s nice.”

  She leans around me to shout across the gallery.

  “Caroline, we’re going to get coffee!”

  Before I can worry any more about what’s going to happen, Abigail has me by the arm and is leading me across the street, to the hip coffee shop that Kaila and I spend way too much money at already.

  “I’ll get this,” Abigail says after we order, pulling out her wallet and paying for the four coffees.

  “Thanks.” I glance longingly back across the street. “We should get back.”

  “Let’s talk for a moment. The coffee’s hot.”

  Taking the carrier loaded with cups, she sits down at a window table.

  “Your mom told me that you’re looking at clinics.”

  “I figured,” I sigh.

  Abigail reaches across the table and touches my hand.

  “Don’t be mad at her. She’s just dumping her worries on me. Every woman needs a place to do that. And I won’t tell anyone about your personal business, Violet. You have my word on that.”

  “Thank you.”

  How did bad-boy Sean come out of such a kindhearted, generous woman?

  I prop my chin on my hand and look out the window at the passing traffic.

  “I bet she’s still pretty pissed, huh?”

  “She just doesn’t understand it, that’s all.”

  I warily eye the woman across the table. Does she understand? Does anyone in my life?

  “It doesn’t really matter to me if people get why I’m doing this,” I say.

  “I know.” She nods. “It shouldn’t.”

  “But it would be nice if she was…you know, supportive.”

  I have to stop talking, because the suppressed emotions are bubbling their way to the surface. I’m already embarking on one of the scariest, most exciting things that’s ever going to happen to me without the help of a man. It would be nice to have my mother by my side.

  Before I know it, the confession is spilling out.

  “Sometimes, I feel like she’s living in an alternate reality. One where she…she thinks my dad might come back.”

  Abigail’s shoulders tighten. “She knows that’s not happening.”

  “Does she?” I press. “She never changed her name. And she talks like she’s an expert on relationships. But if that’s the case, how come she couldn’t keep her own marriage together? How come her husband left?”

  I look down at the table, aware that I’m unfairly dumping on my mother. It’s not her fault that my father blew out of our lives like we were nothing more than a mistake he wanted to forget about. Divorce is one thing. Vanishing, never talking to your kid again…There aren’t even words for that.

  “I’m sorry,” I sigh. “I’m not being nice right now, I know. It’s just, she’s been awful about this whole thing.”

  Abigail takes the lid off her coffee and blows on the cup’s steaming surface. “Give her some time to adjust. She might feel differently in a few months.”

  “That would be nice.” Huffing, I look up at the ceiling. “But here’s another thing. I don’t have time right now to think about other people. I’m going to have a baby, and soon…hopefully.”

  “Have you had your first appointment yet?”

  I bite down on the inside of my lip. God, I don’t want to lie to Abigail, but there is absolutely no way she can know the full truth.

  “It’s not going to work out with the clinic in California, and there’s nowhere on the island that can fit me in soon, either. The mainland was kind of my only option.”

  Abigail’s face falls, and I don’t think she’s pretending. There’s real emotion there.

  “I’m sorry, Violet.”

  “Thanks.”

  “The good thing is, this will give you more time to prepare. Then, when a clinic can get you in—”

  “I’m going to go another route,” I cut in.

  It takes Abigail a few seconds to figure out what that means. “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How would that…work?”

  Oh, God. Now the pressure is really rising. I can feel the heat in my face, and pray I’m not noticeably blushing.

  “I’ve been talking to some people.”

  Kind of true.

  “The father would not be involved at all,” I go on. “And he’d be anonymous. Completely.”

  Chisel that in stone. Write it in blood. Stamp it with an official seal. If Sean has ended up getting me pregnant, no one can know about it. Especially not his mother.

  I can see the conflict on Abigail’s face. “That’s certainly…unconventional.”

  “Not for this day and age,” I argue.

  “I’m not saying it’s a bad idea,” she quickly says, brows raised. “You’ve thought it through, I imagine.”

  “Yeah. A lot. This is what I want, Abigail.” I look her deep in the eyes, showing her I mean it.

  “Okay, sweetie,” she softly says. “And, about your mom…”

  “I’m giving it some space.”

  “Don’t give it too much space. She was a single parent, too. You’re going to have a lot in common real soon.”

  The statement has me pausing. Abigail is right, whether I like it or not.

  My eyes drift out the window, and I see Kaila and my mom back in the front part of the gallery. The glint on the glass makes it hard to pick up any real body language, but I have a feeling Kaila is sending out a telepathic cry for help. No one, especially not my friends, is safe from my mother’s lectures.

  “We should get back,” I say, standing up.

  “Okay.” Abigail smiles.

  I take a deep breath, looking for
the right words.

  “Thanks for talking with me. I know I’m maybe…ah, difficult sometimes.”

  “You’re going through something big right now.”

  “Yeah,” I agree.

  Sean’s face flashes in front of me, but I push the thought of him away.

  “Violet?”

  “Mm-hmm?”

  Her smile is genuine, her eyes earnest.

  “I’m here to talk if you need to. At any time. All right?”

  My eyes burn with unshed tears, though I don’t know exactly why. “Thanks.”

  I know I can’t take her up on the offer. Which is maybe why I’m suddenly so emotional. Abigail is right. At a time like this, I need other people in my life.

  It’s just that, for one reason or another, I feel like there are very few people I can let in. The only person I can completely unload with is Kaila. Other than that, I’m still on my own.

  “Let’s get back,” I hurriedly say, grabbing the coffees.

  Enough talking. Enough thinking. Mulling over my situation only makes me feel worse. It’s time to act.

  Chapter 11

  Frank

  I can’t keep the whistle from my lips as I lope down the street. And for good reason. Everything I love the most is about to be mine: A sweet piece of ass. A new motorcycle. The ability to gloat.

  I’m going to win this bet, and there’s nothing Sean can do about it.

  Rounding the corner, I look up and down the street, searching for the gallery. Even though Sean wouldn’t give up the info, Flower Power wasn’t that hard to find. A quick check on the website told me the place closed right around the time I got off from my new job.

  What do they call that? Serendipity?

  Yep. The gods want me to seduce Violet and smoke Sean’s ass.

  With the sun setting, the street lights are coming on all up and down the block. Thanks to its big windows, the gallery is easy to find. I’m right on time, too. Violet is on the other side of the front door, flipping the sign to closed.

  When I step right up to the glass and grin at her, her eyes go wide.

  “Hi,” I mouth.

  She licks her lips and glances over her shoulder, like she’s thinking about whether or not to let me in. I wait, not worried in the slightest.

  Finally, she opens the door.

  “Hey, Violet.”

  I step right in, and the warm scent of her perfume hits me at once. Vanilla. Flowers. Yum.

  “How did you know where I was?” she asks, face flat.

  She’s wearing tight pants and one of those medieval-looking tops with the strings in front. Man, I’m gonna have fun taking that off her.

  “Sean told me you have a gallery, so I looked it up.”

  Her gaze is still wary, but the way she nibbles on her lip can’t be missed.

  “Oh. It’s, uh, Frank, right?”

  No way did she forget my name.

  “Right,” I smoothly answer.

  Violet tucks some hair behind her ear, her gaze sweeping across the gallery again. Either she’s looking for someone or something, or is nervous.

  “I came to apologize,” I say.

  Her hand drops from her face. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. I really didn’t mean to walk in on you guys the other day. We just moved into that place, and we haven’t really had anyone over yet, so it kind of took me by surprise.”

  A smile cracks across her stony face. “It took me by surprise, too.”

  “Yeah.” I grin. “Sorry, again.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate that.” Her body noticeably relaxes, and her gaze finally comes to my face. “You don’t have to apologize, but it’s nice that you are.”

  “I want to.” I look deep into her eyes, and her lashes flutter. “This is a nice place.”

  “Thank you.”

  “It looks like you were just closing up for the night.”

  “Yeah, I was.”

  “Do you have plans now?”

  The question throws her off, her mouth opening into a sexy ‘O’.

  “No…”

  “Let me buy you a drink as a second ‘I’m sorry’. There’s a good bar down the street. Larry’s.”

  “I know the place. My friend and I go there sometimes.”

  “So?”

  Violet blinks. “So, what?”

  “Will you come?”

  She blushes. “Sure. Thank you. But just one drink. I need an early night.”

  I wait for her at the door as she gets her purse and locks the place up. Larry’s is just a few blocks away, and with each step it gets harder to stop smiling. Violet may have given me the ‘just one drink’ line, but I already know that’s not how things are gonna go down. Even if she doesn’t give herself over to me tonight, it’s only a matter of time before that happens.

  “Cranberry vodka,” she tells the bartender as we take our seats.

  “Light beer,” I order.

  I turn all of my attention to the sexpot next to me. Her hands are moving all over the place again, touching her hair, her shirt, her arm…

  “Do I make you nervous?” I ask.

  “No,” she says, so fast it has to be a lie.

  Our drinks are deposited in front of us, and Violet takes a long gulp right away.

  “So, what’s up with you and Sean?”

  Over the top of her glass, her eyes slide to mine. “What do you mean?”

  “Are you guys seeing each other?”

  “No, we’re friends…Or…Yeah.” She takes another drink. “I’m not really sure, but I do think we won’t be spending much time together any more. If at all.”

  “Huh. Cool.”

  “Cool?”

  I shrug and take a sip of my beer. Let her read into that all she wants.

  “You like dancing?” I ask.

  “What kind of dancing?”

  “Clubbing.”

  She snickers. “Are you asking me to go clubbing with you?”

  “Maybe.” I grin.

  “I said one drink.”

  “And you’re already halfway through it.” I nod at the glass. “We just got here.”

  Still smiling wide, Violet runs her tongue along the top of her teeth. Her words are saying one thing, but her body language another entirely. The walls she had up when I first came over are gone. I’ve knocked those suckers right down.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I say. “Let’s just go. Right now.”

  Dropping a bill on the counter, I take her hand. She giggles as I pull her off the stool and out of the bar.

  I haven’t been in town long, but even a few weeks is enough time to get a feel for the scene. The club I have in mind is perfect. With a hot DJ and private booths in corners, it’s the sexy kind of spot we need.

  It’s early, meaning the line is short. It doesn’t take long for us to get inside and to our own table, where I order bottle service right away.

  Goodbye, three hundred-plus dollars. No matter. Soon, I’ll have a custom-built motorcycle. Any money spent tonight will be well worth the trade.

  “You and Sean were in the military together, right?” Violet asks over the music.

  “What?” I scoot closer to her on the bench, acting like I didn’t catch her words.

  “You and Sean were in the army together,” she loudly says, her breath grazing against my ear. My dick does a little dance.

  “Yeah.” I nod, leaning forward to mix her up a drink.

  “Where are you from? Hawaii?”

  “Nope! Oakland. Cali.”

  “What are you doing now?” she shouts.

  “I’m working at a gun shop.”

  “Oh.” Violet nods, her jaw tensing.

  “Let me guess,” I chuckle. “You’re not into guns.”

  She grimaces. “Not really. Sorry I can’t talk shop with you.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” I hand her the drink, making sure our fingers graze as she takes it. “There are plenty of other things we can do.”

>   She goes silent, but I can feel the need coming off of her.

  The track fades into a newer one, and Violet sits up straighter. “I love this song!”

  I don’t need to hear it twice. She’s in my arms in a second, squealing as I drag her to the dance floor.

  The place has slowly filled up, with people bumping and grinding all around us. I pull Violet closer, wrapping my arms loosely around her waist as we dance. Her hips bounce, every sexy inch of her only getting hotter.

  As the song switches, I get closer, holding her by the waist. She doesn’t pull back. She wants this just as bad as I do. Maybe more, judging by the way she’s grinding up against my leg.

  She turns around as she shimmies, her back getting pressed against my chest. I bury my face in her hair, sucking in that sweet mixture of sweat and perfume.

  My dick, which has been pushing against my pants all night long, gets even harder. Violet has got to notice. Every time she rubs up against it, it feels so good I think my head is going to explode.

  With the beat switching up again, Violet turns around and fans her face.

  “I need a break!” she shouts.

  “Come on.” I take her hand as we head back to the table.

  “This is fun,” she says after downing a glass of water.

  “Yeah!” I get in closer, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

  “It’s getting kind of late, though.”

  “Is it?” I frown. “I’m not tired at all.”

  “Yeah!” She nods. “I should go home. My house isn’t far. Do you…want to come have a drink at my place?”

  Score.

  Chapter 12

  Frank

  We can’t get out of the place fast enough. Back on the street, we leave our cars behind and hail a cab. The drive to Violet’s place takes us just a block past mine and Sean’s.

  “Sucker,” I breathe, giving the street the middle finger.

  Poor Sean. Stuck at home, probably waxing the motorcycle he’s about to lose. And here I am, on my way to a sweet lay and a winning bet.

  I think I’m gonna like Honolulu.

  The neighborhood we end up in is typical. Nice, with big lawns and cutesy homes. Violet tells the cabbie to pull over outside a yellow, one-story house. I’m out in a flash, following her up the drive with a throbbing hard-on.