by Anna Santos
Jade felt her cheeks turn red because he looked rather dashing in his black tuxedo with ruffled hair. His eyes were so deep and blue that it was impossible not to get lost in them. Besides, his sense of humor was a plus, even if Jade would rather deny it and pretend that he couldn’t make her smile.
“Has Cleo given you her demands for participation?” Seth teased back, giving a lopsided grin that made Jade crack a smile. It was rather funny to see those two acting evil to one another.
“She did.” He slipped one hand into his pocket.
“What does she want?”
“She wants me to choose her to spend the first day in my bedroom,” he said, staring directly at Jade who narrowed her eyes and gripped her glass tighter.
“Are you going to comply with that?”
“No, I’ve already promised someone else I would choose her.”
“Don’t refuse something that extraordinary because of me,” Jade said, her blood boiling in her veins. It crossed her mind that Daniel wanted something new to play with and was leaving the old fun for later.
“She is nothing extraordinary. Besides, she wants publicity and all I want is to stay away from her. And Jade—” He stepped forward, touching her face. “You know you are my number one.”
“Cheesy brother, really cheesy.” Seth laughed, shaking his head. “I’ll go back to the pool and join the party,” he added, disappearing in a flash from their side.
“I’m not cheesy,” he complained with a beaming smile that made Jade laugh.
“I have to agree with Seth on this. It sounded cheesy.”
Daniel sighed deeply. “Emma is trying to convince the director to force me into choosing her.”
“Can she do that?”
He shrugged. “I should have killed the bitch!”
“Daniel…” Jade lost her breath at his words. She didn’t know if he was serious or being mean, but it was not a nice thing to say.
Leaning forward, he said, “I need to know that you trust me.”
“Well, I don’t,” she said bluntly, making him smirk.
“Daniel, we need you inside,” the director yelled to get his attention.
“I have to get back to work. Don’t go wandering around. I don’t like it when I can’t see you.” He brushed his lips against hers and disappeared into the living room.
Jade turned around and stared at the moon, feeling uncomfortable. Her life was a mess and her heart was being hijacked by unwanted feelings. She wasn’t going to fall so easily for a vampire, was she?
“Hi,” a girl’s voice brought Jade’s attention to the actress. “I’m Emma.”
“I’m Jade.”
“I wanted to come here and introduce myself to you. Do you know where the other girl is?”
“Jenna is in the pool,” Jade replied.
“Look, I don’t want to be treated differently by you. I know I’m famous and all, but this is just a TV show, and we all know that Daniel is a jerk,” Emma said.
Jade stared at her, not sure what this girl wanted from her or why she was here in the first place.
“We have a contract,” Emma said.
“Yes, I have one of those, too, but I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”
“He chose you.”
“Yes.”
“I saw the special.”
“What special?” Jade asked.
“It was a live show. I saw when he chose you. You didn’t want to come. I felt sorry for you.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“I wanted you to know that I’m here if you need someone to talk to. You don’t need to be afraid. Daniel isn’t evil; he would never hurt you.”
“I know that now.”
“And don’t fall for his act. He tells all his girls that they are his beloved,” she added with a grin and walked away, leaving Jade frozen by her words under the moonlight.
Chapter Nine: The Hot Stranger
Jade sat on one of the benches near the pool while the other human guests were in their underwear—diving, screaming, and playing crazy water games with the vampires. They were having fun, and Jade was watching them play even if she was not in the mood to participate.
Her mind was a mess. A lot of doubts and unhappy thoughts were running around her head, making her feel gloomy and stupid.
If she could, she would grab her brother and leave that place. If she could, she would disappear and never look at Daniel again. And to think she was starting to fall for his charming fake personality.
“Come on, Jade, the water is great,” Jenna yelled, splashing water at her.
“I’m fine with watching you act like kids.”
“Can someone give me a towel?” Jenna requested to one of the assistants who belonged to the show. She got out of the pool and sat next to her friend, wrapped in the towel. “What’s wrong? I’m trying to have fun, but I can’t keep ignoring your unhappy face. What happened? You were happier when I left you with Daniel. Are you still worried about what I said about wanting to compete with you? I was kidding. If you want him, then go for it. We both know that you are in desperate need of getting laid!”
“Shut up!” Jade complained, looking around and noticing the hovering cameras focusing their attention on the pool. She didn’t want the whole world to know about her non-existent sex life.
Jenna pushed her further with an empathic face. “How long has it been since the last time?”
“What last time?” Jade asked, making her friend giggle.
Jenna suddenly frowned. “Are you falling for him?”
Jade shrugged.
“It’s one thing to have fun, Jade, and another to give your heart to him.”
“I barely know the guy!”
“It doesn’t take much to fall in love. But not everybody is the best option with all that’s happened to you and all the hate you have for vampires. You need to be careful. Besides, we all know that Daniel is a player. He is well known for collecting girls and breaking their hearts.”
Jenna’s words imprinted on her mind along with Jake and Emma’s previous warnings. She was feeling stupid beyond words. “I don’t know Daniel. I don’t read gossip magazines, and I sure don’t watch any reality shows.”
“Well, he is. But we can’t believe everything we read in the magazines. He may be different, or he may truly fall for you.”
“And pigs may fly,” Jade added, rolling her eyes. “Now, enough about me. My life is depressing. What happened between you and Seth?”
“It was fine.” She shrugged with a certain amount of disinterest that made Jade wonder.
“That bad?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I was up for it. I was eager to be able to say to everybody that I had banged Seth.”
“What a manly thing to say, Jenna!” Jade knew Jenna, and she was all about equal rights, even if it was to hook up randomly.
Jenna giggled and eventually rolled her eyes. “The guy just talked and talked and ranted about his life, being a vampire, and wanting to pursue a more serious career in the movie industry. He basically bored me to death since I wasn’t there to listen to his insecurities and fears. I just wanted to fuck.”
“So, Seth is a nice guy?”
“Yeah, I guess he is.”
“Don’t you feel bad for wanting to use him?”
Jenna arched an eyebrow. “Are you joking?”
“Yeah.” Jade snorted, and Jenna burst into laughter.
They laughed until their sides hurt. Not because it was that funny, but because they needed to forget their troubles.
“If I were you, I would totally bang Daniel if he wanted to,” Jenna said after a while of welcoming silence. “He is insanely hot. And so what if he’s just trying to seduce you and get you into bed? He probably has a nice bed, and he’d show you a good time. You don’t need to get married to every guy you fuck. Just let go and have some fun.”
Jade shook her head. “You are a terrible adviser!”
“But an awesome frien
d!” She clapped her hands with a beaming smile.
“I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Because you love me, and I’m the only one who won’t let you down. Not even for a man. Fuck men! I have your back and you have mine. We will grow wrinkly together and keep each other company. Just like in ‘Sex and the City’.”
“That’s a really old show. How did you even think of it?”
“Well, I’ve realized that I probably won’t become a vampire and will have to stay human and get old. I don’t mind, though. Vampire lives seem too sad.”
“You’re noticing this just now, are you?” Jade smirked at her best friend’s epiphany.
“Well, I always liked the idea of staying young and maybe finding a mate for an eternity. But I don’t think I can fall in love with just one person and be exclusive. I want to have fun. I want to live free and go to orgies!”
“What did you have to drink?” Jade asked with a concerned expression.
“Pool water! And it is time for you to have some, too!” Jenna yelped with excitement. Moving too fast for Jade to protect herself, Jenna pushed her into the pool.
A splash doused the poolside when her body hit the water. Jade struggled to swim to the surface and to breathe. Before she could drown, arms grasped her around the waist and she was rescued.
She gasped and coughed, climbing onto the edge, helped by the hands of a stranger. Someone was drawing circles on her back, asking her to breathe with a husky foreign accent. It was a guy, but it was not Daniel.
“I thought you could swim,” Jenna said next to her with a worried face.
Jade sucked in a deep breath. “I can, but my dress pulled me under.”
“She’ll be okay,” the guy said next to her, pulling himself out of the pool and offering her his hand.
Jade lifted her eyes at the male figure and lost what little breath she had in her lungs. In front of her stood a gorgeous blond guy with all the enticing features of a Greek God. He was dripping water from his rather expensive tuxedo.
She blushed from head to toe. It was hard for her to find her voice and thank him for saving her.
“Did you bump your head?” he asked, arching an eyebrow when she didn’t give him her hand and simply stood there gaping at him.
She shook her head and put her hand in his.
“I’m sorry, Jade. I thought it would be funny,” Jenna said with guilt shining in her eyes.
“That’s okay, but the water is freezing!” she complained. Suddenly, she was swooped up from the pool as if she were a feather.
As all five foot ten of her stood soaking wet before the guy, she felt rather small. He was huge with broad shoulders. To add to his features, he was also extremely handsome with blue eyes and radiant blond hair. He was probably six foot four, but she couldn’t say for sure because she was too busy staring at his gorgeous face.
“I’m Dominic,” he introduced himself, leaning his face closer to hers. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” she replied, stepping back and almost falling into the pool once again.
Dominic grabbed her by the waist before she could fall, smiling.
Jade blushed at her lack of grace.
“She’ll be even better when you take your hands off her,” Daniel shouted, arriving next to them and pulling Jade from Dominic’s grasp into his arms. “What happened?”
Jade looked into his eyes with blurred vision. He seemed concerned and jealousy was definitely the reason why he was rude to that other guy because his eyes were shifting.
“I pushed her,” Jenna explained.
“And I saved her,” Dominic added with a playful smirk.
“Thank you, but I’ll take it from here.” Daniel walked Jade to the mansion. It seemed like he was running from something, and he was definitely not happy.
“Who was that?” Jade tried to keep up with his strides, noticing she was leaving a trail of water behind.
“Someone who shouldn’t be here. Forget all about him. Let’s get you dry. You have new clothes in your bedroom, and Jenna brought some of your old things.”
“Daniel,” she said, holding her ground and preventing him from walking further. “We need to talk.” She put her hands on her waist.
He stared at her through narrowed eyes. He didn’t look pleased. But she didn’t like being around him anymore. His grip around her waist felt odd. She wasn’t finding their kissing sessions that hot, either. If anything, she was feeling silly about letting him kiss her and for enjoying it so much. She felt stupid for believing his words about her being his beloved. Even if she’d said she didn’t believe him. Yet, deep down, she was as romantic and stupid as any other girl. It seemed like he had preyed on that.
He leaned forward, and she stepped back.
“You can’t kiss this away,” she declared.
The emotion behind Jade’s words caused him to lean back and better analyze her reactions. Something was off.
He grew impatient. All those people and their drama were making it harder and harder for him to win Jade’s trust.
“I’m going to save us both a lot of time and simply ask, what’s going on? I don’t like guessing. So, spill it. What happened or did anyone say anything to make you recoil back into your shell and stop trusting me?”
“I just want to go home. That’s all,” she mumbled, and he knew she was lying.
Daniel noticed her shivering body and the goose bumps. She was cold and her eyes were analyzing her surroundings. He also looked around, searching for cameras and people who might be eavesdropping on their conversation.
He softened his voice. “This is your home now.”
“I don’t belong here.”
“You are mine, therefore, you belong here.”
She glared at him. “For how long?”
Chapter Ten: Deceived
Jade wanted to scream. She was mad at him for being such a player and a liar. She was mad for falling for his deceitful, charming personality.
Daniel questioned, “For how long what?”
“A week, two months, a year?” she demanded. “Until you get tired and find a new toy?”
“Hold on,” he asked, motioning for her to calm down with his hands. “Where is this coming from?”
Jade pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t understand, Jade. Until now, you have told me that you didn’t want to be with me. That you wanted to go home. Now, you are accusing me of wanting to send you away?”
“Because you lied to me!”
“When?”
“Yesterday and today in my bedroom. You are still lying to me. You are an arrogant, conceited bastard who thinks he can sleep around with anyone he wants and play with other people’s feelings.”
“Well, first, I can do that. Second, I normally do that. Third, I can be arrogant and conceited, but I’m not a bastard. Women know what to expect from me when they decide to spend time in my bed.”
Jade looked at him unsure if he was being sarcastic or delusional. Her stomach was clenching and her eyes were stinging. “Well if it is that easy for you, why are you wasting your time with me? I clearly didn’t want to be here. I specifically asked to be sent away, and I had no intentions of sleeping with you.”
“Had? You had no intentions?” His wicked grin made her growl.
Jade turned her back on him and left for her bedroom, huffing at the way that the conversation was heading. Talking to him was useless. The more she did, the more she understood that he was insufferable and didn’t give a damn about other people’s feelings—about her feelings. He was bored, and he wanted to play with her heart. But she wasn’t going to let some arrogant vampire make her lower her guard and make her into his new sex toy. To Daniel, she was yet another score in his huge list of sex partners and not as special as he wanted her to believe.
For a moment, Jade thought he wouldn’t let her go or would make an effort to follow her into her bedroom and talk her out of it.
She thought he would, at least, try and persuade her that it wasn’t true—that she was special. Watching too many romantic movies would do that to a person.
She used to be proud of thinking that she was not a gullible girl. However, she was beginning to understand that the right guy with the right words was enough to convince any girl to trust them only to get burned in the process.
Maybe Jenna was right. It was stupid to think that love was the solution to all of the problems. Perhaps it was nothing more than lust that was making the world keep turning, stupid and meaningless lust. That was what she was to guys—a piece of meat, a nice package, a pretty face. Someone they could bang and have a good time with. And that prick was old enough to know what words made naive girls lower their guard and let him take away the rest of their innocence.
After getting out of her wet clothes and showering, Jade started throwing her belongings into a bag with teary eyes.
Why am I crying?
She should be mad and break everything in that damn bedroom. Sadness was for the weak. She was strong, she was independent, and she would get over it! There was more to life than love, passion, and a feeling of belonging. Wasn’t there?
Someone knocked on the door, and Jade froze for a moment. Could it be Daniel? And, if it was, what was she going to say to him?
She wiped her tears and opened the door.
It was Jenna.
Any remaining hope she had definitely died right about then.
Wide-eyed, Jenna was panting. “Where have you been? It was crazy downstairs.”
“What do you mean?” Jade asked, trying to conceal her sadness.
“Have you been crying?” Jenna questioned, getting in and closing the door behind. “Why are you packing your things?”
Jade indulged her curiosity. “Because I want to leave. Because I’m angry and stupid. Even though I know I can’t leave, I wish I could.”
“You aren’t making any sense! And Daniel went crazy downstairs and got into a fight with Seth. They broke things, and it was insane how fast they were and how they shattered glasses, chairs, and tables. Daniel was so angry with Seth! He kept asking what he had done. But Seth didn’t know why he was mad at him, so Dominic had to break the fight. Then, Daniel punched Dominic right on his face, and Dominic punched him back and… Well, it was a mess.” Jenna stopped gesticulating and mimicking punches to describe the scene and dropped her hands along her body with a shrug.
