by Lila Dubois
“But not your clan?”
“No, we are the largest clan, like Los Angeles, or New York.”
“And where do you live?”
Michael hesitated, turning to look at the dark window. Jane realized she’d crossed a line, asking a question he couldn’t answer. Rather than make a big deal out of it, Jane leaned forward and touched his hand. The minute she did she realized it was the first time they’d touched since she’d returned.
“How about we take the dishes into the kitchen?”
“I have dessert,” he said with a smile.
They took the dishes to the kitchen and Jane helped him put slices of chocolate cake on plates, then drizzle them with chocolate syrup she heated. They took the cake to the couch along with the rest of the bottle of wine.
Jane slipped off her shoes and curled up on the couch. This was the most relaxed she’d ever been with Michael. Each time they met before the sexual tension had been like a big pink elephant sitting on Jane’s chest.
Now, comfy and curled up with chocolate cake, Jane felt closer to Michael than she had before.
“Back to food,” Jane said, scraping up some chocolate sauce with her spoon. “Tell me how you learned you liked human food.”
“There was a farm not far from where our clan lived. When we were young we would sneak into the farmhouse when the family was away. They would leave for the whole winter, but usually leave some food in the house. Peanut butter was my favorite. I love peanut butter. Chips are good too. And popcorn.” Michael comically smacked his lips and Jane laughed. Michael scooped up a forkful of his cake and held it out. Jane leaned forward and accepted the bite. She pulled back slowly, licking the last bit of chocolate from the fork, looking up at Michael as she did so.
Michael put his fork down and leaned towards her. “Jane, you know how much I want you.”
“Yes,” she whispered in reply.
“I don’t want to scare you, I don’t mean to.”
“I know that.”
“But there are things I want to do to you, for you, with you.”
“You mean sex.”
“What I’m talking about is far more than sex, I’m talking about passion, the kind of passion I know is in you.”
“What if you’re wrong about me? I’m the quiet one, the sweet one.”
“Does that mean you are not allowed to know passion?”
“I’ve had sex before.”
“I already told you, I’m not talking about sex. What I’m talking about is much more.”
“Why me?”
“I don’t know, but you draw me to you. I feel that if I don’t get to touch you I might die.”
“I still think you’re wrong. I’m the sweet one, the quiet one. I’m not meant to be wild and passionate.”
“I think you are, and I want to prove it to you. Will you let me do that, Sleeping Beauty?”
“I’m still scared.” And she was, but if she could put aside the hurt and think of this as nothing more than sex, not the start of a very, very complicated relationship, she might be able to handle it. She was ready to have wall-banging sex with a hot guy. She was not ready to date a monster.
“Then we’ll start with a kiss. May I kiss you?”
“You’ve kissed me before.”
“This will be different. May I kiss you?”
“Yes, oh yes.”
This time Michael didn’t touch her, except with his lips. He tilted his head, pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss that lasted only a few breaths. When Michael pulled away Jane was left leaning towards him with her lips pursed. It took her a minute to figure out that the kiss had ended, and when she opened her eyes, Michael was waiting with another bite of cake.
“It’s getting late,” he said, as she chewed her cake.
Jane blinked in surprise. The last thing she expected was for him to encourage her to leave.
“It is late. Should I go?”
Michael sighed and got to his feet. “I don’t want you to go, but I don’t know how much longer I can behave like this. I want you too much. Soon I won’t be able to help but put my hands on you.”
“I had a good time tonight. I want you to know that.”
“Even with what happened earlier?”
“Yes, it was as much my fault as yours.”
Michael tilted his head, looking her over. “I don’t know how to behave with you. I’ve tried everything, yet you are too different, too complicated.”
Jane laughed. “That’s the most human thing you’ve ever said. Complaining that a human woman is complicated is human men’s favorite gripe.”
“I’m not flattered by the comparison, but it’s good to know.”
Jane held out her hand and Michael took it, helping her rise to her feet. Hand in hand they walked to the door, where Michael helped her pull on her sweater.
“Thank you for talking to me tonight.”
“Being with you is my pleasure.”
“I would like to talk to you more, not as a date, but as research. I need to finish my screenplay outline. Are you available tomorrow?”
Michael frowned. “Didn’t Luke give you details?”
“Not nearly enough.”
“Maybe Henry can help you.”
Alarms went off in Jane’s head. “You want me to spend time with Henry to get my information?”
“No!”
“Why are you reluctant to talk to me?”
“I’m not.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow? For a business meeting.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Michael confirmed, opening the door and leading her out to walk her to the car. “And we’ll see if it’s business.” The devilish grin was the same one she was used to, and Jane smiled. But the smile did not dim her curiosity over that brief hesitation. What was he hiding?
Chapter Six
EXT. LOS ANGELES — DOWNTOWN
The BLACK SPORTS CAR passes through the upscale areas and enters the seedy streets. The GUTTERS are filled with TRASH. It passes an EMPTY PARKING LOT and LIQUOR STORE.
A homeless MAN on the corner looks up from his SHOPPING CART. The car slows as it goes by him. The man peers at the car, jerks when he sees the driver and hurries away.
“How’s the screenplay coming?”
Jane winced. Luckily Lena couldn’t see her face as Lena was miles away in her own apartment.
“Jane?”
“Um…yeah.” Jane wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear, holding it in place as she added granola to her cup of yogurt.
“Jane, we need that screenplay. And it has to be brilliant.”
“I know, I know. It’s just this thing with Michael.”
“Ohhh.” Lena’s voice lost its business-partner edge and reverted to high school gossip mode. “Tell me what’s going on, then I’ll tell you what I overheard—slash—saw yesterday.”
“Wait, what’d you see, and why didn’t you call me immediately?”
“I went over to their place with Luke yesterday afternoon and walked in on Michael trying to strangle Henry because Henry had been talking about you and Michael was jealous.”
“Oh, that’s probably why he freaked out when I kept asking if Henry was going to join us for dinner.”
“You did that?”
“Yep.”
“Yikes.”
“Seriously.”
“So what else happened last night?”
“Where do I even start?” Jane stuck a spoon in her bowl and headed for the couch. “First, when I walked in there were candles everywhere, really seductive. Then he started kissing me, and it got all hot and out of control, so I told him to stop.”
“Did he?”
“Yes.”
“Then I won’t kill him. Go on.”
“Well then I tell him that I’m not ready for a relationship, and he gets this look on his face. The classic “oh-crap-she-said-the-R-word” look. And I realize I’ve made a complete cake of it. I mean, he’s been so persistent, a
t first just talking to me, then after you were hurt he came to guard me, and then the thing at the club, and the date last night… I thought it meant he wanted sex and other stuff.”
“Did he say he didn’t want a relationship?”
“Yeah. But then he tried to tell me it’s not just sex. He thinks there’s lots of passion in me that I haven’t experienced.”
“That’s a bit annoyingly arrogant.”
“Exactly. Who is he to think that him and his magic dick are going to make me feel passion?”
“True.”
“I don’t need a man to awaken me sexually. That’s why God gave us the Rabbit.”
“So true.”
“I don’t need him.”
“You still gotta sleep with him.”
“I—wait, what?”
“Jane, if you miss this opportunity I’ll throttle you myself.”
“After everything I’ve told you, you’re on his side?”
“I’m not on his side, I’m on yours. Listen, I don’t want you to get hurt, and I think Margo may still have contracts out on some of those commitment-phobic sociopaths you’ve dated in the past. I’m saying that Michael is a very passionate, very sexual man, uh—”
“—monster—”
“—monster. I think you would enjoy being with him, and as long as you go into it knowing it’s going to be nothing but sex, your heart will be protected. And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“But he’s supposed to be my contact for getting to know about the monsters. That will get complicated if I’m also having sex with him.”
“Life is complicated.”
“Don’t use bumper-sticker psychology on me.”
“It’s true.”
“It is, but I’m not sure I can deal with the fact that—”
Jane stopped herself just in time. What she was about to say was that she wasn’t sure she could deal with the fact that he was a monster. Lena was the last person on earth she could say that to. Like Lena and the rest of their friends, Jane was fascinated to know that there was much more out there than humanity realized. The day they’d gone to Lena’s house and watched Luke change into a monster was one of the most thrilling, and terrifying, days of her life.
But she wasn’t sure she was ready to sleep with one of them.
Lena had taken the truth of Luke’s monstrosity in stride, sinking into a relationship with him the same way she would have with a human man. The others felt free to tease them and talk to them as if they were any other group of guys. But there were times Jane felt like standing on a table and screaming, “They’re monsters! Don’t you know what that means?”
Her fear had gotten markedly worse after Lena had nearly been drowned by another monster who had come to stop Michael and his friends from getting the movie made. His presence had turned out to be a boon—at least from the screenwriting side of it—because he was full of emotional turmoil that made for great characterization. But saying she was scared of the monsters and that she didn’t think it was a good idea to be in a relationship with one would be equal to calling Lena stupid.
“Deal with what? Hello? Jane?”
“I…uh…think he might be into kinky stuff. I don’t think I can deal with it if he likes kinky stuff.”
“Just set boundaries. You’ll be fine. Now, that was your friend Lena talking. Here’s Lena your partner in Calypso Productions talking. We need that screenplay. You need to get your research done. If Michael isn’t going to help you then we need to get Henry or Luke involved.”
“I could just meet with Luke.”
“Yes, you could. But, Jane, and I don’t want to freak you out or anything, but, I think there is something different about Michael. Luke is very closedmouthed about what Michael looks like in his monster form, and yesterday I thought I heard him say something about how he knew more about humans because of what his family was.”
“Really?” Jane’s interesting stuff-o-meter was well into red. “Last night when I asked if I could come over to talk about stuff, he was really hesitant, and also agreed that I should meet with someone else. I don’t get it. He talked about some of the same things Luke told us about.”
“General things, nothing personal?”
“Exactly.”
“That boy, guy, monster, whatever, has a secret.”
“I like secrets,” Jane said with a smile. “Especially other people’s.”
“Go get him, tiger.”
Chapter Seven
“Do you mind if I take notes?” Without waiting for a reply Jane pulled a laptop out of her bag and opened it. Michael swallowed a whimper and inched away from her. He was seeing a whole new side of Jane, and it was a bit scary. And sexy.
She’d arrived at the condo all brisk efficiency. She’d brought subs, soda and determination. He’d kissed her hand when she arrived but she’d barely seemed to notice, instead tossing a sub at him and instructing him to eat because they had work to do.
“Michael? Do you mind?”
“Uh, no.”
“Good. Now, I’ve composed a list of questions I need answers to. Would you prefer to go through them one by one or should I ask leading questions and let you talk?”
“I…uh…whichever you prefer.”
“Good. Then let’s start at the beginning, with your name.”
Michael sighed. This wasn’t going to be that bad. He could answer most of these without revealing more than he wanted to.
“Michael. I though you knew that by now,” he said with a teasing smile.
Jane blinked. Michael’s smile died.
“Not the human name you chose, though we’ll come back to that in a moment. I want to know what your real name is.”
Maybe it wouldn’t be that easy. “Why do you need to know that?”
“Why don’t you want to tell me?”
“I’m helping you learn about monsters, not about me.”
“I’m going to need more than just general knowledge. I want to know more about the monsters, true, but I want to know more about one monster in particular.”
She looked up at him, her soft blonde hair pulled back in a bouncy ponytail, her face so lovely and earnest. He wanted nothing more than to give her what she wanted, both because it might get him what he wanted, namely her, but also because he genuinely wanted to help her. But he couldn’t give her what she wanted.
“Jane, I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t, leave it alone.”
“The others told us their real names, why can’t you tell me yours?”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t, or don’t want to?”
Michael pushed up from the couch and went to stand before the sliding glass doors. “Leave it alone.”
“Fine, then I’ll ask another question. Will you change into a monster for me?”
Michael jerked and spun around, his shoulder hitting the door as he did so. “Why would you ask that?”
“Doesn’t it seem natural to ask? I’ve seen Luke as a monster. But when you had to change into your monster body after rescuing Lena, you hid from us. Why?”
“Damn it, Jane.”
“Tell me.” Her eyes were bright with a sort of manic curiosity.
“I’m not changing.”
“Then what do you look like? Are you tall, short, fat, skinny? Do you have wings? Are you furry?”
“Furry? No. I actually look much more human than Luke.”
“Really? Why?”
He hadn’t meant to say that. Michael gritted his teeth. She had him rattled. The questions were stabbing through to the vulnerable place he was trying to protect. How did she know exactly what questions to ask to unnerve him? He’d have to kick the crap out of Henry later. He’d probably tipped her off. “Forget I said that.”
“Nice try. Not going to happen.”
“Please?” he said piteously.
“Nope. All right, so you’re slightly human looking. Wings?”
“Yes. Actually, almost all the monsters left have wings.”
“Really? Why?”
Relieved to have this tangent to follow Michael sat on the couch again, keeping a good two feet between them. It was the first time he could remember not wanting to be close to her.
“High places, mountains mostly, are some of the most protected locations left on earth. The thin air makes it hard for humans to live there. Most winged groups formed clans in the mountains. They survived better than those that were bound to land. Though those that can live in the ocean have fared even better than the winged ones.”
“Aquatic-based monsters! Why didn’t you say that?”
Jane leapt from the couch and began pacing. Michael plastered himself back against the couch and kept his eye on the crazy woman pacing the room.
“This opens up a whole new arena… It was going to take place in LA, so it wouldn’t be hard to include that, but maybe it should be hinted at in the movie and fully developed in the TV series. But production values for that might be too high. Do you know any of these aquatic monsters?”
“Uh, not personally.”
“Make friends with one. Now.”
“I’ll get right on that,” he assured her. He had no idea how he’d go about doing that, but that was a minor point.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this before.”
“I didn’t realize you’d react this way.”
“I need a minute.” Jane threw herself down on the couch, snapped up her laptop and started typing furiously. Michael picked up his sandwich and started carefully unwrapping, trying to make as little noise as possible. He’d gone through six inches of sandwich before she was done.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it all. Now, back to the list.”
Damn.
“Jane, I don’t want to talk about myself.”
“You’re supposed to be helping me.”
“I do want to help you, just not with that, not in that way.”
“Okay, let’s get back to my list then. We’ve covered clans, and how you learned you liked human food. Now, let’s talk about Runako.”
