by Sia Wales
“Mr. Brooks advises you to drink it all. He says you need to rehydrate,” she explained, her face impassive.
“What a control freak… Thank God he didn’t physically force me to drink this time,” Stella thought to herself as she obeyed, downing the water in one go.
“Where is my dress?” she asked confused.
“I took it to the cleaners,” replied Nancy. She opened the white package, from an exclusive boutique, on the counter by the sink. Inside was a pair of beautiful black suede shoes with high heels and a platform sole. The other package had lingerie in it, red silk with black lace, which she could make out through its fine tissue wrapping.
“A very appropriate color for the occasion,” Stella thought to herself. Nancy then unwrapped the dress on the hanger and showed her a beautiful casual outfit, black and bright blue, designed by Stella McCartney, for the party at Jamie’s house that evening.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!” Stella said, astonished.
“I’ll leave everything here, Miss Whitely. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call me.” She hung the hanger on the hook by the mirror and passed Stella a hair dryer which she had extracted from a cabinet.
“Mr. Brooks also requested that I give you this, so that you would not have to go out with wet hair,” Nancy explained, and then turned to leave.
“It’s amazing, no detail escapes him!” Stella said to herself, then she thanked Nancy, watching her as she left the bathroom. Stella dried her hair in front of the mirror and dressed quickly, noting that the dress perfectly covered the bite marks on her shoulder, her inner thigh and on the neck. She walked down the hall, her eyes alert, darting back and forth in the semi-darkness, following the light from the windows of the office to guide her.
She walked tentatively through the double doors back into the vast white room. She looked at the desk and a burning desire once again invaded her as she remembered what had just happened there. Donn was nowhere to be seen. The room seemed empty and bare without him. Stella looked around and walked towards the glass windows. She gazed out at the ocean, and the people moving down in the street below the building, who seemed small as ants from this great height.
She looked up and suddenly saw Donn in the middle of the room. He looked at her carefully as if trying to read her thoughts. Like magnets, her eyes were drawn to his wonderful blue ones, the same color as the sky reflected on the glass of the window.
His hair was wet and disheveled. He was wearing a pair of gray pants and a black shirt, the top button undone. He was so handsome, he took her breath away; the thought that he was way too good for her troubled Stella.
Donn cocked his head and smiled confidently. His eyes were soft, his face friendly. He walked toward her, their eyes still locked together.
“Nancy has impeccable taste in choosing clothes, and apparently also a good eye for sizes; that dress fits you like a glove, Miss Whitely.”
Stella smiled back and blushed.
“Thank you for the dress, Mr. Brooks. But I want to return the money you spent on me.”
He looked offended.
Stella spoke hurriedly, captivated by his heady scent, but wanting to say what she had to say before she gave in to him.
“Donn, you already gave me an iPhone, which I’m still not sure I should have accepted; at least let me pay for this dress.”
Donn looked grouchy and a little hurt. He frowned disapprovingly at her, his elation shot to smithereens.
“I cannot accept, I’m afraid!” he exclaimed adamantly.
“I insist,” Stella repeated, and Donn ran his hands through his hair in exasperation.
“I stained your dress with blood. Getting you another was the least I could do… And I can more than afford it,” he added irritably.
“You’re such a dictator. You were different the night I met you. You seemed much more the romantic hero…” He shook his head, ironically.
“There is nothing romantic about me, Stella… I’m just a man who uses every means he can to achieve his goal. And my goal was you, Stella,” Donn confessed, his face resolute.
“You’ve been playing with me this whole time?” Stella asked him. Her mouth was dry, bitterness was welling up inside her.
“What happened between us was real, Stella.”
“I would never have dared to lie about us… Everything was so real, from the first to the last kiss…” he cried out in anguish. He was terrified of losing her.
Stella looked at him in confusion. She felt both deceived by him and somehow strangely caressed by his words.
“I can’t think with a clear head when I’m around you.” She threw him a dirty look, she so hated feeling that way, so lost and feeble. She started toward the door, but Donn took her by the hand and pulled her into his arms.
“Where are you off to? Stay here,” he ordered.
“Everyone here has to obey your orders, don’t they?” she hissed furiously.
“They do if they don’t want to lose their jobs.”
“I don’t work for you, so I can do what the hell I want!”
“God, Stella, you sure know how to get round me…”
“Don’t you dare call me Stella, Mr. Brooks,” she warned, furious. She struggled to loosen his grip on her, then pushed him away. She walked into the reception area where Nancy, hearing the door of the office open, jumped to her feet.
“Mr. Brooks, would you like me to accompany Miss Whitely to the lobby?” she asked politely, surprised to see him on the girl’s trail.
“No, I’ll take her down,” he replied stiffly. Stella nodded to Nancy curtly and continued walking decisively toward the elevator. She hit the call button and waited, on edge. Donn caught up with her, turned her toward him and kissed her gently on the lips. Stella’s resistance crumbled. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, her tongue savoring every part of his mouth, her fingers sliding through his still-damp hair.
The elevator doors opened and Stella pulled away from his kiss with narrowed eyes.
“I admit you are very convincing…”
“I know.”
Donn took her hand and went with her into the elevator. He pressed the L button, but did not punch in the security code needed to go up into the penthouse. The doors closed and they went down, still holding hands. He ran his other hand along her neck, noticing the tension that permeated her body. He paused when he reached her face, one of his more thoughtful expressions covering his face.
“What is it, Miss Whitely? What’s wrong?”
Stella looked down and blushed.
“Do your bite marks hurt?” He touched her dress in one of the places he knew he had pierced her with his fangs.
“A little… but I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me,” he insisted gravely.
Stella took a deep breath to summon her courage.
“I’m going to have an interview for an internship in an investment company in New York. I’ll obviously be working in the telecommunications sector.” She released all the air from her lungs. Her body finally relaxed.
“What company?” Donn asked, trying to keep his face impenetrable.
“I don’t want to tell you, I know you’ll butt in,” Stella snapped.
“You can consider yourself lucky you’re not still in my office.”
“Why do you say that?” she asked.
“Because my lips are trembling and back there I could have bitten you. Here we’re in the lift and the non-disclosure agreement isn’t valid here…”
“Who’s the boss of the company? I might know him,” he insisted, making his voice as persuasive as he could.
“Of course you know him, you said his name before in your office,” Stella said without thinking. Donn thought back to the various conversations he had in her presence and his eyes narrowed in concentration. Then he froze. He realized that the only person who worked in the investment industry who he had named that day in front of her was Loogan Rooney, a powerfu
l businessman and a confirmed bachelor in the world of high finance in New York. He did not like this at all. The elevator doors opened and Stella walked out into the lobby. His mind was racing as he watched her. Then, in a flash, he caught up with her as she was nodding goodbye to Kate. He smiled at her.
“I didn’t know you were interested in an internship…”
“Why, would you have offered me one?” She cocked her head, revealing part of her neck. Donn looked away from her, temptation was too great. His eyes turned to marble.
“Are you making fun of me, Miss Whitely?”
“I would never dare,” she joked brazenly, turning abruptly and continuing through the lobby.
“Did you submit an application for an internship in my company?” he asked, trotting alongside her.
“No,” murmured Stella, her throat suddenly very dry.
“We offer excellent opportunities for paid interns.” The employees passing by stared at him in disbelief. They had never seen him walk someone to the front door before, let alone hurry after them.
“Do you want to buy me, Mr. Brooks?” asked Stella, sharply.
“I can afford it…” Donn grimaced, but he seemed amused.
“I would never want to work under you,” Stella said pointedly.
“Why not?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?…”
“Not for me, it isn’t!”
“What’s the matter with my company?” His look became stern, without a trace of irony.
“The dictator that runs it,” she replied sharply. “And I don’t like the idea of working under you!” she added again, perturbed.
“I’m not so sure of that, Miss Whitely. At any rate, when you were under me earlier, you seemed to enjoy it.” He took her hand and pulled her towards him with such violence that she slammed into his chest.
“That smarmy attitude won’t get you anywhere, Mr. Brooks.” She slapped her other hand on his chest, squeezing his shirt and looking at him with desire.
“So far it’s got me everywhere in your case, Miss Whitely.” His tongue caressed her name and he clasped her other hand. He bent over her, closing in on her lips.
Stella broke away, determined to reach the glass doors before she could change her mind. Donn let her go, walking calmly beside her.
Donn took her hand and yanked her through the glass door, onto the street.
“I just wanted to ensure that this time you made it through the doorway unhurt.” He released her hand, and stroked her hips. Stella felt disoriented by his words.
“I can go it alone from here,” she said, embarrassed. His penetrating eyes were boring into her.
“Miss Whitely,” he said dismissively.
“Mr. Brooks,” she replied, taken somewhat aback. She took two hesitant steps back and looked up into his eyes. On the one hand, she yearned for him so much, she felt like she was going crazy, but on the other, she knew that it was best to get away while she could. She wanted him, but not under these conditions. She turned her back and walked toward the Corvette, Donn’s eyes following her.
Stella reached the car and she flopped into the driver’s seat, suddenly exhausted. She looked at the bright screen of her phone, undecided about whether to break off her budding relationship with Donn. She leaned her head back on the headrest, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She finally decided to write him a message. Her had butterflies in her stomach and her eyes were had become teary. She hit “send” and then crumpled into a ball and wrapped her arms around herself, her energy totally spent.
I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe it’d be better if we spent some time apart…
I’ll give you back the iPhone, thanks. It was fun.
You’ve had an intense day, Miss Whitely, and I think the wine must have gone to your head otherwise you would not be spouting such bullshit!
Or maybe it’s the lack of blood in my body!
PS: You don’t intimidate me!!
You don’t know what you’re saying, Stella, I know you want me! Don’t say these absurd things anymore.
Talk to you later.
I can’t wait for another of your bites, Mr. Control Freak.
In that case it’d be rather ungentlemanly of me not to pursue you.
Call yourself a gentleman?! You’re a creep! Anyway, the non-disclosure agreement doesn’t hold after this… or at least, it’s debatable…
Oh, Miss Whitely, the things I’d do to you if I had you in my arms now… You can thank your lucky stars you’re well away from me right now, and I wish you a safe trip home to Medford! My lips are trembling.
I can’t wait to see you to punish your sharp tongue with mine.
You can hold your trembling lip for a while, Mr. Brooks… I’m far enough away from you to know my neck’s safe.
First of all, there’s no place I can’t reach you and there’s no distance at which you can consider your neck safe.
Secondly, I can track your position, don’t you remember? I know you’re still here at the back of the company offices… If you don’t get away in a hurry I’ll come and get you and I’ll make sure you spend the night with me. You’ve already seen how easy it is for me to get my own way …
Thirdly, in my day, corporal punishment was still around, and right now, angel, I’ve a good mind to make sure you can’t sit on your cute ass until your interview for that goddamn internship, for which my company doesn’t seem good enough for you.
Mr. Brooks, I’ll have you know, in view of your venerable age, that those BARBAROUS systems aren’t used anymore!
So much the better, I like standing out from the crowd! And is that a vein of pomposity entering your messages now with your capital letters! Always defying me, aren’t you, Stella?
You’re making me mad, and you won’t like it when that happens, I assure you.
PS You’re right,
I am getting on you know …
God… You’re driving me nuts!
That, my dear, is my intention.
You’re taking my mind off the road…
I’ve already told you, you shouldn’t write me messages while you’re driving, you’re risking your life again!
I don’t give a damn for that control freak tone.
Why get so het up about just one of the many you’ve fucked?
Wash your mouth out, Miss Whitely, and stop talking about yourself like that, I’m going berserk!
Are you pissed off?
Oh, Miss Whitely, you cannot imagine.
You’re an impertinent little minx and I’m going to decide how to rectify that.
I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to meet again…
See you later, alligator.
I know you want to!
Remember, an alligator has a mean bite, Mr. Brooks… Just try to see it my way…
Are you turning me down, Miss Whitely. Just why are you running away from me?
And you even ask me, Mr. Brooks?
“All this is wrong.”
“I’m not the right man for you.”
“You should keep away from me.”
“I’ve got needs you can’t satisfy.” Not to mention the fact that you sucked almost a liter of blood from me today!
I’d like to be with you right now, angel… to comfort you.
You really know how to put me at ease when you feel like it.
Not if I do what I want to do…
Now stop sending me messages.
Can you at least do that without arguing?
Righty-o, Mr. Brooks.
There’s a good little girl. I don’t want you to risk your safety, just concentrate on your driving.
I wasn’t joking when I said that about punishments.
Drive carefully.
Take care, Donn.
Your Stella
Stella tossed the phone onto the passenger’s seat and pulled out of the spot, confused and lost in thought, the rush hour traffic dragging her back down to reality. The radio was playing a song b
y Boyz II Men, I’ll Make Love to You. She thought back over her last message. It sounded like a goodbye and he hadn’t replied. She gazed sadly into the street lit by headlamps. She felt her eyes filling with tears, a feeling of helplessness overcame her and silent tears flowed down her cheeks. The idea that maybe she could have brought Don back into the light troubled her mind. Her mascara streaked down her face.
“But what do you do to bring a vampire into the light?” she asked herself hopelessly. “In the end it’d be him that dragged me down into the dark,” she concluded with a sigh.
She was in pieces, weak due to the blood loss. She couldn’t let go of her feelings about him, feelings that made it difficult to breathe, difficult to do… anything. Her tears continued to pour down, blurring her sight. She hurriedly wiped them away with a finger, trying to find a Kleenex in the dashboard compartment. She found one and slowly dried her eyes as she forlornly turned onto the I-93. She did her usual stretch of highway to reach Medford. She drove towards The Pats without even thinking where she was going. When Scott saw her enter the saloon, the desolate look on her face, he tried to cheer her up with a warm hug and a pat on the shoulders. She had a job explaining where the Stella McCartney dress came from, so she changed the subject and talked about Jeff and the ’69 GTO he’d just knocked down at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Vegas. After a while her spirits were on the up, and she thought that going to Jamie’s party might be just the cure she needed. So she set off, trying to muster enthusiasm, despite still feeling her heart in her boots.
Jamie’s Party
That evening, Stella found a parking spot a few yards from her friend’s house. She could hear music blasting out of the lighted windows, though they were closed. She walked towards the metal gate that opened onto Jamie’s front yard.
She saw the silhouettes of a throng of people through the living-room curtains and heard their raised voices echoing from the smoke-laden house. The closer she got, the more deafening the music became. Beer barrels were lined up under the porch, a couple of trash cans were overturned in the garden and cars were parked haphazardly over the sidewalk. She walked through the gate and two strong arms seized her firmly as she turned to close it behind her. It was Donn; he gave her all-consuming embrace and a blinding smile. He drew her to his mouth and pushed her back against the metal mesh of the gate. In the End by Linkin Park boomed from the speakers, providing a pulsating backdrop to their energetic fumblings.
