Giving Up the Ghost

by Stella Price

  She sobbed for him as he took her higher, her fingers digging into his sides while she held on as he loved her.

  “Rhys…” she breathed and panted.

  He knew her body well enough that even in this form, her using his own energy, leeching off him, that she was close to her end. He bit her nipple sweetly, mourning the loss of the scent of gardenias that perfumed her skin as he did, one more example of why it wasn’t truly real, and felt her detonate. She gripped him, rippled around him, in a way she never did before and he followed her over, damn surprised.

  Before he would have to wring at least four orgasms out of her before he could succumb to his own, her body never really bringing his over till that last one, the one where felt her body surrender to his.

  She panted and giggled, straightening herself as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the forehead. “That was so good…” she murmured. “I missed the way you loved me baby.”

  Rhys wrapped his arms around her, still breathing heavy. “So what now?” he asked and closed his eyes. She kissed him again.

  “Did you miss me?”

  “You know damn well what not having you here has done to me.” He said quietly. Renfield, who in the flurry of re-acquaintance had disappeared, was sitting by the room door with a dour look on his little furry face. It seemed he didn’t like not being the only ghost that was in the room.

  “I know, and I’m sorry but we can start over… start fresh.”

  “And just how do you expect to do that?”

  “Halloween is coming…” she pulled back and smiled. The brilliance in that move dazzled him. “You know all about Halloween. I’m strong enough now; we can figure it all out. We can spend the night together, and go from there. Be happy together, you know, like we planned.”

  He nodded and held her. It felt wrong, the slight pins and needles permeating his skin everywhere he touched her reminded her she wasn’t really there, and that he was fucked.

  She spoke to him for the next little while, memories of good times, the past rushing through his mind. He lay back, and she lay on his chest which was quickly becoming a feeling he was not enjoying. It was like his skin was trying to crawl off his bones while she drew circles on his pec with her ghostly fingers. This wasn’t natural, or the natural course of death. His body knew, it was letting go, why couldn’t he?

  She sighed and kissed his chest, the feeling lost in the static electricity that took the place of her lips. He lay there, and instead of contentment, a feeling he didn’t like at all was starting to wiggle its way in. Regret. Damn it. He shouldn’t have done this.

  “I…I have to go. It’s getting early.” She giggled and rolled off him. When the connection was severed from his body, she turned transparent again, her ghost form roaring to the forefront. He dress was fixed, as if it had never been loosened in seduction, and her hair was back up and away from her face.

  “Halloween? I can’t wait to really feel you again baby.” She smiled. “You need to sleep. Regain your strength.”

  Rhys threw his forearm over his eyes. “This was wrong.” He murmured, the guilt he knew he was going to feel joining regret.

  “No, it was just right baby.” She offered and floated towards the terrace windows.

  “Phae… Look, there’s…”

  “Someone else?” she asked and turned to him. “I know. I know about all of them, and the new one. They don’t matter. None of them. We will be together again soon baby. And everything will be exactly as it should be.” She blew him a kiss and disappeared, just as the sun broke the rooftops.

  Rhys groaned and shook his head sitting up. Guilt and Regret were having coffee in his brain, when Shame showed up. He sighed and looked for Renfield, who was sleeping on the dresser.

  “I fucked up buddy.”

  The cat yawned but did not answer.

  He regarded the little ghost a moment longer, as if it was going to reveal a mystery of the universe. But it was just a cat. A dead one, but still just a cat. And he was wired, his mind reeling, and in need of analysis and answers.

  Why now? What about Saffron? Did Phae even care about the fact that he had a new girlfriend? What would Saff say when she found out? Should he tell her?

  He left the bed, now the solace it provided had been invaded, and got dressed. When his thoughts went this fast, making his head spin, there was only one thing to do, and with a half hearted resolve, he did it.

  Chapter 14

  In the land of gods and monsters I was an angel… - Lana Del Rey

  “Wakey Wakey Saffy.”

  Saffron cracked one eye, then the other, her vision bleary as she focused on the one face she didn’t expect to see in her hotel room holding a cup of coffee.

  “Am I dead?” she asked quietly and threw her arm over her eyes.

  “I don’t think so,” Xxieda said as she scooted further onto the bed. “Come on get up, I have coffee from Café Du Monde for you and Beignets.”

  Saffron sat up, frowning. “Coffee? Coffee would be heaven,” she said and smacked her lips. Damn, drinking last night just lead to cotton mouth. “Maybe water or Gatorade would be better.”

  “Late night with the Bellamy’s eh? Been there don’t that. Trust me, perfect cure for a hangover right here,” she shook the to-go cup in her left hand.

  “Don’t listen to her Saffron, that swill she’s pushing just masquerades as coffee.”

  Oh great, Dante was here too. That growly aural sex voice was unmistakable.

  “You sound quite… unhappy.” She said as she regarded him.

  He snorted and shook his head as he sat on the couch, just in view of the bed through the doorway.

  “Oh don’t pay attention to old grumpy gus over there.”

  “Noted. Can I ask why you are in NOLA, and how the fuck did you get into my room?”

  Xxieda laughed. “The why is Voodoo, or did you forget? The how,” she motioned to Dante. “Man can get into anything he wants to…” she smiled wistfully.

  “Insert dirty pun here…” he called from the other room.

  Saffron almost choked.

  Xxieda turned back to her and smirked. “He got the key from the girl at the front desk, though I think she was more than trying to get him to fish it outta her knickers.”

  Saffron shook her head and pulled her legs up into Indian style and took the coffee that Xxieda was still holding out. She took a sip and gasped, to which Dante commented, ‘Told you. Swill.’

  After a sputtering cough Saffron recovered and frowned at Xxieda. “Yes, I know you were coming for voodoo, or planned to, you never called me to let me know.”

  “Why ruin the surprise?” Xxieda asked and drained her coffee cup and grabbed the one from Saffron, who gladly let the warm liquid go.

  “Okay, well fair enough.”

  “Honestly we didn’t think we would find you here. Thought you would be on the Rue Royale.” She said with a wink and tipped the cup to her lips.

  Shit. Caught.

  Saffron swallowed audibly and Xxieda shook her head. “Relax Saffron, I’m not going to fire you. I should, but I won’t.”

  “And you can thank me for that Love,” Dante interjected from the room beyond.

  “Um thanks?” Saffron said and frowned. “Why aren’t you going to fire me?”

  “Just sent some normal coffee to our room and we will call it even.” He said from the doorway. “X, I’m off, you two need some girl talk and I don’t wanna hear about Rhys’s exploits with this lovely girl.” He regarded Saffron. “You look like a raccoon, did you know?” he said with a smile and motion of his finger around his eyes and then left.

  Xxieda called after him a rather unsavory comment and then turned back to Saffron.

  “He seems more surly then last time.”

  Xxieda nodded and shrugged. “He hates being out of New York, any ‘new territory’ he’s not familiar with. But that’s not here or there, he will get over it once he calms down.”

  “So we
come to the part where you chew me out?” Saffron said miserably.

  “Normally yes, but… Answer me something.”

  “Ok?”

  “Why lie to me?”

  Saffron gave her an incredulous look. “Because I value my job? I didn’t plan for this to happen, trust me. I tried hard to not get tangled in that man’s sheets but…”

  Xxieda held a hand up to stop her. “And how do you feel about him? Seriously?”

  Saffron was quiet a minute and then licked her lips, and grimaced. She really needed to brush her teeth. “I do like him. A lot. He’s… well he’s…”

  Xxieda smiled. “You don’t have to explain Saff, believe me I know. He’s one in a million. When I saw on the fan site that Rhys was taken, and it was his new manager, at first I got pissed… but then I read the post, and I figured I should get my ass down here to talk to you.”

  “What did the post say?”

  Xxieda laughed. “Oh you will love this… I laughed my ass off when I actually read it, you know after the initial shock that you were lying to me. But it more than makes up for it.”

  She handed a print out to Saffron with a giggle.

  It’s over. Girls, the one you love and pine for is taken, and apparently she doesn’t share. At the Los Angeles show, I was there with our sexy favorite, as usual, but apparently he wasn’t interested because that bitch has him smitten. Who is she? She’s his new tour manager, and omg she is not cute. Still trying to figure out what she’s got that we don’t, we have been there for him through it all, and now she just runs in and snatches him up? I hope they break up so we can all console him, like we are meant to.

  Saffron blinked. “Jesus Christ. I take it Belle took offense to me telling her I wasn’t going to ‘burn up the sheets’ with her.” She shuddered.

  Xxieda nodded. “They get bitchy when they aren’t his favorite anymore. But it was actually more vicious when he was fucking his bodyguard. But that’s in the past. So the fans know, and I gather his parents know, which is like huge.”

  “Yes, everyone knows. Twyla knows.”

  That stopped Xxieda and she sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry. She wasn’t too unpleasant was she?”

  Saffron shook her head. “Thankfully no. Winter diffused the situation pretty quickly and we left for Rhys’ parents soon after.”

  “Hell, she thought I was fucking him when we met… she’s got venom that one, and I think she wants Rhys to suffer for all eternity because of the accident.”

  “Safe bet that. As soon as she saw the smile on his face she went cold, really, really quickly.”

  “Same with me. It’s like she can forgive him sticking his dick in anything that moves, but heaven forbid he actually feel anything for the woman.”

  “So why am I not getting fired?” she asked as she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

  “Two reasons.”

  “Which are?” she asked as she loaded her toothbrush up and then turned on the water.

  “One,” Xxieda said as she lay back on the bed, “it’s obvious that he’s not fucking around. Taking you home to meet Chloe and Otto? Suffering Twyla’s bullshit? No, both of you have paid your dues on that one.”

  “And the second?” Saffron said as she spit the foam from her mouth into the sink.

  “I need you. Nyx has had nothing but good things to say about you, and you being around keeps Rhys normal. I’m not fucking that up. No, Saff, I think you are exactly what Shades needs, and what we need as a company.”

  Saffron spit once more into the sink and then swished some mouthwash, finally feeling a little bit more human.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to know that my job isn’t in jeopardy, but this is quite surreal.”

  “What is surreal is you being here this morning. Saffron, I know Rhys, I know how he is with women. If I’m honest with myself, I knew you were going to be a beacon to him, a challenge, and I hoped it would give him something to focus on. I just didn’t count of the two of you being compatible. It’s obvious you like him, why didn’t you stay with him last night?”

  Saffron walked out o the bathroom and turned off the light. Why indeed.

  “It’s complicated.”

  “The shit it is. It’s Rhys. The man has a depth of about 8 feet. You guys get into a fight?”

  Saffron shook her head. “The last guy I was this hung up on tore my heart outta my chest stamped it and set it on fire. I’m not looking for a repeat.”

  Xxieda frowned. “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I hope you’re talking figuratively, but Rhys isn’t the kinda guy that’s going to bring a girl home to meet the family and then toss you aside from some groupie.”

  “It’s not a groupie I’m worrying about.”

  “Contending with a dead woman? She’s always going to have a piece of his heart Saff, but it’s obvious by his actions that you do too.”

  Saffron closed her eyes and sighed, remembering the dream and the bedroom. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yes, Dante is divine in bed.”

  Saffron smirked. “Good to know, but that wasn’t it.”

  “What?”

  “His place on the Rue…”

  “What about it?”

  “Did he and Phaedra…”

  Xxieda shook her head. “No, He bought that place a little after she passed. He wouldn’t stay in the place they were going to live together in, especially after she didn’t come to him after her death. Gods that was hard.”

  “He waited?”

  “Three days next to the body. Three fucking days. His family couldn’t understand it, they all felt something close by, swore it was Phaedra, but she never showed. It broke him.”

  “I would say so.”

  “But that was then. It’s obvious he’s ready to accept things and move on. We have you to thank for that I think.”

  “Pretty to think so, but really, I don’t know. I did run when I thought it was his place with her. I mean the last thing I needed was him reliving old memories of her. I could have said anything…”

  “Its moot since it’s not their place. You should really go by. I mean no doubt he’s as confused about it as you are. He’s not one to think past the surface on things, though who knows, that could have changed.”

  Xxieda was right. Odds were he was still asleep and she could surprise him. She nodded and walked over to her luggage as Dante walked back in.

  “Does he have a key?” She asked Xxieda.

  The other woman shrugged. “Probably.”

  “I’m a fucking demon, ladies. I could melt the fucking lock mechanism and just have done with it.” He offered as he leaned against the door frame. “Nice pajama’s Saffron.”

  Saffron looked down at the cami top that was barely covering her breasts and the frilly sleep shorts she was wearing and squeaked, then dove behind the open closet door.

  “Oh relax,” he said and waved her embarrassment away. “I was really complimenting you. X has the same shorts. Chicks look hot in them.” He shrugged. “X, I spoke to Nyx, She said Rhys has been at the cemetery since dawn.”

  “Not in the shadow of a dead woman?” Saffron offered and shook her head.

  “No doubt this wouldn’t have happened had you just stayed with him last night. Regardless, you want him?”

  Saffron nodded.

  “Then you have to fight for it. I won’t have him rolling himself down that hill of despair again, not after all the progress he’s made to pull himself outta that shame spiral. Go to him, fix things. Cuz if you don’t Saff, I will have to fire you, and not because I want to.”

  Chapter 15

  So obviously desperate, so desperately obvious… - Taking Back Sunday

  Rhys’s ass was numb. It could have been from sitting for the past six hours, or it could be from the Johnny Walker Blue that he had been steadily imbibing since he plopped down in front of her grave. Either way he didn’t care what the reason was, all he knew was, that blessed numbness was
slowly spreading through the rest of his body.

  And numb was what he needed now. Last night was beyond fucked up, well past the realm of sanity, and good taste. Did he believe everything she said, hell no, but was it all too much to just disregard? Fuck yes. Thinking was going to get him in trouble, but mostly because his thoughts weren’t about her and last night, but about Saffron and his feeling that he had betrayed her. And he knew he had, ethereal nookie or not, he just cheated on the girl he considered his girlfriend, with the ghost of his ex. How was that for an episode of Jerry Springer?

  He looked down at the flowers he had placed at the foot of her gravestone, and shook his head. Phaedra always loved white roses, and he had made a point to bring them to her every time he was in town. Well now he was bringing them to her, and he kinda felt like he was only doing it because of the situation the night before. There was no feeling in them, not really, though he did care about her still.

  He pulled the rosary out of his pocket, and looked at it shaking his head again. He took a swig from the bottle, which was all but finished. He was close to being blotto, which was where he needed to be right now. He tossed the rosary onto the dozen roses and sighed.

  Damn the sun was bright. Even in the shaded area of the cemetery, his eyes were stinging from the sunshine. Thankfully he wasn’t actually in the city limits so no one had bothered him since he stumbled onto the grave site. The Tulane family plot was in a little known town called Sumpter, which was a little more than a graveyard and several moldering plantation houses. It was peaceful, and quiet and nothing he needed right now.

  Phaedra had left him at dawn, exhaustion in her pseudo-physical form setting in. She had told him she would be his for the night on Halloween, and they could work from there on their relationship, on them being together, being happy.

  Something about her declarations didn’t ring true to him, and that was why he was here, drinking himself into a stupor. If it was, and that was what he wanted, why was he even now thinking about Saffron, and missing her touch? He had everything he wanted last night, well to a degree, and in the aftermath all he could feel was shame, and regret, and worse, guilt.